She won every race. Until he drove her too far…
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[6.29]
Katherine St Asaph: Emilíana Torrini revisiting Love in the Time of Science (or her Kylie writing days! Anyone remember those?) is close to her one viable career path at this point; but there’s funk and guitar licks to this that let her, reverb cloud and all, put over lines like “I want it dangerous.” I kind of want a mashup of this and “Lose Yourself to Dance.”
[8]
Alfred Soto: The burbling licks and flashing synths immerse the listener, with Torrini the equivalent of one of those warm jacuzzi jets. Relaxing and comfortable for a couple minutes before the skin starts to prune.
[6]
Anthony Easton: In the best places here, she sounds like a 70s-era Laurel Valley hippie. With a voice that clean and precise (a voice that would get lost in traditional folk production) over a languid space vibe (dance music without the need or desire to dance) is kind of a genius move. It becomes more effective if you ignore the lyrics.
[7]
Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: All mood and mumble and “life is a flicker in the universe” sulking, “Speed of Dark” is effective but shallow. It paraphrases other artists and other eras without ever striking upon what may make this a song that defines its artist. Signifying greatness is not the same as embodying it.
[5]
Jonathan Bogart: Takes weightlessness as a primary good. Normally I wouldn’t cavil — I’ve fallen in love with enough Haim and Solange and even Fucking Drake over the past year — but her voice doesn’t do anything more than the same wounded burr throughout. I need a little more personality with my heartstring-tugging slogans and warmly mannered productions.
[6]
Brad Shoup: She dangles the prefixal melody but has no way to resolve it, resorting instead to repeating fragments. The track lopes along with a chilly bassline, inspiring the pop longing that its master forgot to pack.
[5]
Josh Langhoff: Title and synth bass sound like something out of a seedy 80s movie that takes place in shadow, window blinds casting a luminous pattern of parallel lines across the room, satin sheets and air conditioning rampant. No, not American Gigolo! You shouldn’t actually watch Speed of Dark or know anything about it beyond the video box and the tagline, “She won every race. Until he drove her too far.” To learn the subtleties of the plot or, heaven forbid, witness Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson in his disowned early role as rival racer/sex ringleader Mace Thoroughgood — that’d break the spell.
[7]