Nation of Two (Vance Joy/Liberation Music)
Australian singer and songwriter, Vance Joy, delivers once again with his second album, Nation of Two. This 13-song soundtrack opens up about relationships and love and leaves Joy with a new look as a singer/songwriter.
After the debut of his first album Dream Your Life Away in 2014, Vance Joy, whose actual name is James Keogh, has since attracted a large and very active fan base. Captivated by his dreamy sound and romantic lyrics, fans seem to have set the bar high for this second album.
Nation of Two wanders seamlessly through the ins and outs of relationships and love. Joy reflects on both the good and the bad moments through his unique light-hearted sound and affectionate lyrics. The album also parades his growth and newly discovered upbeat and diverse sound as a more mature artist.
At times, however, he falls back on the folky pop sound that seemed to be both so prevalent and popular in his first album. Songs like “I’m with you” and “Alone with Me“ mirror this sound. They begin with the repetition of two or three simple guitar chords followed by the earthy sound of Joy’s voice. These chords tend to cycle through the whole song giving more credit to the lyrics than the music. This simple yet iconic sound resurfaces subtly throughout the album. It is slightly reminiscent of his first album, yet, not too repetitive where it begins to mask his new work.
As for the new work, Joy reveals a different side of himself through this sophomore album. He projects an older sense of himself through his music showing maturity and progression. He features layered harmonies, choir sounds and even a ukulele. His lyrics tender to the underlying themes of relationships and love and, like always, they represent a profound feeling of intimacy and honesty. Joy opens up more of a loving and endearing side to himself through his lyrics in this second album.
“Like Gold” is a song about loss and break-up. Here Joy starts the song with the lyrics, “Time to let it go, it won’t let go of me, hanging by a thread.” He then incorporates an echo of layered harmonies to enhance these emotions of defeat while he repeatedly sings, “That’s that was it was, but that’s history.” This song shows his unique ability to combine lyrics about loss and pain with a more-so buoyant and soft sound. In large, this shines a light on the maturity of his new music and the risks he’s willing to take to step into this new sound.
“Saturday Sun,” an upbeat and whimsical addition to the soundtrack, features the delicate sound of a ukulele as its first chords. This combined with Joy’s addictive and bouncy beat creates a new and unfamiliar sound for listeners. Lyrics like, “Oh Saturday sun, I met someone, don’t care what it costs, no ray of sunlight is ever lost,” help to convey a new layer of freedom and happy-go-lucky love, which has yet to be incorporated into the album.
Overall, the album Nation of Two was impressive. I expected a cookie-cutter, folky pop, every song is like the last kind of album. But it wasn’t like that. It was expressive and transparent, and it was also a good combination of love and loss. I think Vance Joy has re-invented himself with this album and it’s going to be exciting to see what comes next from him.
Contact CU Independent Arts writer Amanda Bell at Amanda.Lowe@colorado.edu.
