At the start of this review, I want to highlight just how difficult it is to effectively convey themes while still adopting a minimalist, sparse sound—almost as if to see what it is that can be done while still sticking to the very fundamentals of what has defined music for the last 3000 years. I’m glad to report that Nicki does it flawlessly on “Ellipsis”.
The album starts out with “Never Will”, a beautiful ballad with not much for Nicki to hide behind but the faint pianos in the background. As the song starts out, you are immediately drawn into the lush and dreamy soundscape with her voice filling up your ears in almost an ethereal fashion. As the song develops, you are introduced to the skilful harmonies, well-articulated themes, and the promise of these elements just getting better throughout the album.
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And get better it does! With the mild percussion entering the scene on “Pavement”, the theme of minimal, less-is-more continues, only this time with a little more drive and panache, which is a welcome change indeed. As we “Carry On”, we are immediately transported to a slightly darker sound, with deep, rumbling orchestral drums in the background, as the song presents an almost angelic sound, as if it is conveyed from the heavens above itself.
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The strings appear on the next song, “The Night”, while her vocals remain the centre stage of the entire performance—and deservedly so! I was left mesmerized as she effortlessly wafted between melodic ideas, chord progressions, and energy changes. Class act so far!
As we get near the middle of Ellipsis, “She Made You Feel Something”, is quite the passionate number, with the poignance to mean the message it truly tries to convey. As she delves into themes of heartbreak, and encouragement, the vocal harmonies take the cake on the song, with intricate and expressive layering that really strike chords in you; they definitely did so in me.
With “Holy Smoke”, the next song, the themes keep getting more melancholic and poignant, with the execution remaining as crisp and flawless as ever. I will take a minute here to comment that it is challenging to keep sound and emotional intensity unwavering throughout an album of this length, much less we have a story with themes that each of the individual songs establishes. This is the kind of album that really goes the extra mile to demonstrate how it is done, and I do not overstate it when I say that “Ellipsis” really is a master class in more ways than one.
A special mention from Ellipsis is “I Have Longed To Be Here”, the kind of song that delves really into vocal experimentation with its long, drawn-out notes as well as powerful, moving strings in the background, coupled with themes of wistfulness, melancholy, and unadulterated power. The harmony towards the end of this song is an easy 20/10 performance, with something about it really, really moving something in me.
Overall I wish to wrap up this album with a two- thumbs-recommendation, only because this album is every cent worth it—from the execution to the themes to the evolution, it leaves no stone, and I reiterate, no stone unturned in making a deep, indelible impression on the listener. Check out the album here:
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