Album Review: Miley Cyrus – Something Beautiful
3 min read
Miley Cyrus is no stranger to making headlines. From her early fame as a Disney star to her controversial rebranding to finding success as a pop artist, she has become one of the biggest names in the music industry. Her most recent album Something Beautiful, marks a departure from her roots in pop and country music. A “visual” album, which Cyrus claims is inspired by Pink Floyd’s The Wall, it comes accompanied by a film and takes a more conceptual avenue than her previous work. Cyrus describes the album as an exploration of finding beauty in the darkest places, inspired by apocalyptic and biblical themes .
The album opens with Prelude, an ambitious and eclectic spoken word piece with electronic backing. The slightly rambling lyrics have a distinctly melancholy and existential aire as Cyrus muses “Like when holding a fistful of ashes, Your hands can’t save the things that have already been dissolved into the air”. It’s followed by the album’s titular track Something Beautiful, an alternative-sounding track with jazz inflections that transforms to more conventional pop in the highly catchy chorus. Lead single The End of the World returns slightly to the existential feeling of Prelude, with Cyrus singing “Lets pretend its not the end of the world. The track has a distinct disco feel to it, the positive backing suiting the lyrics about partying as the world collapses around you. At points the mixed metaphors get a bit confusing with Cyrus’ sining “the sky falling like a comet on Fourth of July” but the powerful vocals and pop anthem sound make that easy to ignore. The centre of the album is defined by two instrumental tracks interludes 1 and 2 that bookend Easy Lover a complex long song that explores being in love with someone who constantly makes your relationship difficult. The two instrumentals lend the track more weight suggesting it is a vital part of the album, a crisis of faith as it reaches its midpoint.
The second half of the album opens with Golden Burning Sun, a distinctly sunny and nostalgic track. The lyrics suggest a coming-of-age story with Cyrus singing “we’re young but we’re growing up” and invoking imagery of “fireflies and summer air, bare skin and knotted hair”. The backing is melancholy with an echo effect lending the vocals a distant angelic sound. Walk of Fame and Pretend you’re God are both the most pop-sounding with rapid bass lines and sultry vocals. There is a suggestion of the apocalyptic imagery from the first half of the album especially in the distorted vocals nearing the end of Pretend you’re God but the second half of the album leans towards a more conventional sound than the first. This is continued in Every Girl You’ve Ever Loved, which seems disconnected from the rest of the album with its electro-pop sound that is reminiscent of a Lady Gaga. The final track Gives Me Love has a slight medieval sound due to the use of historic instruments inspired by a Bosch painting of hell that Cyrus cites as inspiration. The lyrics are Bosch inspired too with Cyrus singing “so ill say goodbye to these heavenly delights”. It’s a very interesting track, truly experimental and inspired, with Cyrus’ vocals giving the track a romantic and dreamlike feel, fading out the album on a high note.
Something Beautiful is impressive for its sheer ambition, for an already successful pop star the decision to make such an unusual and eclectic album is bold and has to be applauded. At points the album doesn’t quite live up to its concept, Cyrus is clearly most comfortable in pops and leans back into it, however, these tracks are still fun and do give the album a more mainstream appeal. However with tracks like The End of the World, Burning Golden Sun and Give Me Love Cyrus showcases both her own range and the the power of her concept. These elevate the album marking it as truly conceptual and unique.
