Have you ever sipped a drink and expected it to taste like, say, Coke, but it turned out to be something else? The drink might not taste bad, per se; it just wasn’t what you expected it to be.
I’m not quite sure what I was expecting from this indie queen, Sky Ferreira, with a flair for the odd (Did you see the video for “Red Lips”?), but it certainly wasn’t the conglomeration of simple, catchy pop songs that I received on her debut album, "Night Time, My Time." I had that moment of pleasant surprise – it wasn’t Coke, but it wasn’t bad either.
The homage to the soft grunge era is apparent with her songs “Omanko” and “Night Time, My Time”, Shirley Manson of Garbage among those Ferreira collaborated with on this album. However, it didn’t deliver that angsty, jaded exasperation I was anticipating. Instead, the surprisingly somber songs that proclaim “Nobody asked if I was okay” and “I blame myself / For my reputation” are colored with an impossibly tender undertone, drenched in synth-pop textures and alternative rock beats.
"Night Time, My Time" seems to chronicle the struggles Ferreira faced while trying to release her debut album. In 2010, it was announced she would release it in early 2011; the date was pushed back twice and in lieu, two extended plays were released: "As If!" and "Ghost."
But despite the grueling war of creative differences between Ferreira and her record label, "Night Time, My Time" did not disappoint. Garnering mostly positive reviews, Ferreira’s album is genuine, personal, and distinctly her own style, and maybe that’s exactly what we should expect from her in the future.
