by Conor Lochrie (@conornoconnor)
The full-length debut album by one of the finest indie pop artists of the last few years is finally here. It comes just five months after Lily Konigsberg released a fulsome compilation album: that was titled The Best of Lily Konigsberg Right Now and this follow-up full-length proves that to be a misnomer.
Konigsberg is an artist with exquisite control over the two-minute pop structure - unsurprising given that she makes up one third of Palberta - and Lily We Need To Talk Now thoroughly breezes by at a brisk 25 minutes. That’s not to say these songs are too similar though: it’s actually sublime the way she dips in and out of styles, from the punk rock of “Proud Home” (Konigsberg says this was written as a riff on “Stacy’s Mom” and that’s fitting: her mastery of the short but sweet power pop would surely draw the admiration of Fountains of Wayne) to the glitchy autotune of “Hark” to the pure pop punk of “That’s The Way I Like It” and “True”.
After a memorable piano melody to introduce the record from Andrea Schiavelli, the album’s standout track arrives. With its wistful acoustic guitar and bright and confident melody, “Sweat Forever” feels like a lost track by Alanis Morissette or The Cardigans from the 90’s; Konigsberg updates it for millennials with cheeky and wry asides whispered in the background, the type the witty mean girl makes from across the bar. It’s a travesty that this song never got to soundtrack a scene from Broad City. Konigsberg embodies a certain type of effortless Brooklyn cool throughout. The thrifty disco of “Alone” is made to be played at a dimly lit local neighborhood spot, while “Bad Boy” is just sleazy and fuzzy fun, stomping with attitude.
When she gets a little weirder, it still works. “Don’t Be Lazy With Me” is possessed of a dewy New Age spirit, drifting blissfully and slowly. The instrumental piece “Goodbye” sounds like a broken down carousel at the end of a pier at the end of the world, or a track by legendary ambient musician The Caretaker (whose music often sounded like a broken down carousel at the end of a pier at the end of the world anyway).
It might be her solo record but Konigsberg knows the importance of surrounding herself with talented musicians. Her frequent collaborator Nate Amos (Water From Your Eyes, My Idea) is all over these songs, providing inventive instrumentals and programming; there’s the aforementioned Schiavelli, whose piano always knows the right moment to join in; there are several others too, with “Roses, Again” being re-recorded at the request of her live band, showing the connection between her and her cohorts.
Konigsberg remains the ingenious spirit at the heart of it all though. The best compliment that could be paid to her is that she makes you want to immediately go out and create yourself; that’s how fun she makes it seem. Lily, we need to talk now: you’ve just made one of the best albums of the year.