Ellie Goulding - Halcyon

Pardon the pun, but Ellie Goulding’s sophomore album is light-years ahead of 2011’s Lights—which now plays with an airy innocence compared with 2012’s Halcyon. “Don’t Say a Word” sets a darker tone with brooding beats and shadowy ambiance, as Goulding's lyrics reach out to grasp the last functioning piece of a dying relationship. But Goulding cleverly contrasts vulnerable emotions with a voice that sounds more assertive and strong than anything sung in Lights. There’s a shaking quaver to her timbre in the following “My Blood,” which shifts between a Kate Bush-esque fragility in the verses and an empowering chorus wrought with the soulful strength of a modern R&B anthem. “Anything Could Happen” is the real game-changer here. It’s complexly crafted, with pulsing beats in the refrain that were forged from sharply edited bursts of her own vocal samples. Within these self-contained rhythms is a melody that interweaves with the catchy hooks draped over the chorus like a net. Of the deluxe version’s five bonus tracks, both “Ritual” and “Without Your Love” play with bombastic presence.

Ellie Goulding “Halcyon”

Release Date: October 8, 2012

Genre: Indie pop, synthpop, dream pop

Track List

“Don’t Say a Word” 

“My Blood” 

“Anything Could Happen” 

“Only You” 

“Halcyon” 

“Figure 8″ 

“JOY” 

“Hanging On” 

“Explosions” 

“I Know You Care” 

“Atlantis” 

“Dead In the Water” 

Tesco UK Exclusive Deluxe Edition 

“I Need Your Love” (Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding) 

“Stay Awake” 

“Hanging On” (feat. Tinie Tempah) 

“Anything Could Happen” (White Sea Remix) 

“Hanging On” (feat. Tinie Tempah) [Draper Remix] 

UK Special Bonus Track Edition 

“I Need Your Love” (Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding) 

“The Ending” 

“High for This” 

International Deluxe Edition 

“I Need Your Love” (Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding) 

“Ritual” 

“In My City” 

“Without Your Love” 

“Hanging On” (feat. Tinie Tempah) 

“Lights” (Pnau Remix) [US / Canada Bonus] 

“Lights” (Single Version) [Australia / Germany Bonus] 

Ellie Goulding - 'Anything Could Happen'

''Ellie Goulding - Halcyon'' is available on iTunes (BUY)