Him out of Bloc Party, that’s right… I reckon the label just couldn’t be arsed to learn how to spell his surname.
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[5.86]
Anthony Easton: If he left her, would we get some real, non soppy emotion?
[3]
Iain Mew: Sub Focus’s pristine productions haven’t done that much for me before, but “Turn it Around” sees them meet their perfect match. A less is more approach has always been best in supporting Kele Okereke in full on emotional mode, and “You say you want devotion, look no further” and “I’m gonna put these arms all around you” are peak Kele. Rather than seeming plain, the simple synth bursts actually soak in and take on the depth of feeling of his vocals, and the whole thing is powerfully sweet and dignified in a way that I haven’t felt since Silent Alarm.
[9]
Rebecca A. Gowns: Very nice ethereal stuff. The lyrics seem adolescent, but they fit perfectly in the song, which is a simple 8-bit tune with a whole forest of sounds emerging from underneath. It’s a teenage poem: trite on paper, but exciting and new to the writer and reader; the words take on a meaning beyond cliches, and the disparate pieces cohere and intertwine, much like an average day’s events transforming into dreams.
[8]
Brad Shoup: Every bassbuzz is a step in quicksand. And that inspiro vocal! Way to make Bloc Party seem listenable, everyone.
[3]
Jonathan Bogart: The unrelenting positivity of this strain of inspirational EDM is getting under my Generation X skin. I guess it makes sense that in this economically, politically, and civilly fragile worldwide landscape that Reassurance Pop would sell big, and that the nearly reflexive anger and cynicism in the pop of my own youth was a function of the basic security of the post-glasnost US, but that doesn’t mean I have to like this milquetoast open-your-eyes-and-see-the-beauty-around-you bullshit.
[4]
Will Adams: Weightless, emotive, and bounding with energy. When the second drop arrived, and the double time beat kicked in, I nearly shed a tear.
[8]
Scott Mildenhall: Sub Focus has put out some solid singles over the past year or so, and while this also matches that description, it doesn’t really go beyond it. Crucially, it doesn’t make the most of the opportunity to use Kele’s vocals (vocal limitations?) in the “I’m so sad and choked up and sincere and I’M ABOUT TO CRY” way he’s done before, probably because with the sketchy details on offer it’s hard to know whether to root for him or not. The disarmingly grand and committed statements of desperation and devotion and not letting go are there, but the song as a whole doesn’t feel like a full story, and more importantly it doesn’t give enough to create a want for any more.
[6]