Last Friday, on the 29th of May 2020, the young Belgian musician Blanche (Ellie Delvaux) has released her first album called “Empire“.
The album includes 12 tracks and a last intro. Blanche was fully involved in composing all of the songs. She has wrote by herself some of the lyrics.
The full track-list can be found here:
#1. Intro
#2. Empire
#3. Till We Collide
#4. Fences
#5. Only You
#6. Lonely
#7. How Does That Sound?
#8. Soon
#9. 1,2 Miss You
#10. Summer Night
#11. Pain
#12. We Had
#13. Stubborn
The full playlist can be found here:
In this post, I will review my Top 3 tracks from this wonderful album. To e honest, I don’t recognize any weak/boring song in this rich track list.
#2. “Empire”
“Empire” is the theme song of the album. It’s a melancholic dark pop ballad that its melody is based on piano playing. The song has strong foundations of mystery, darkness and art. The visuals component of the video clip creates a significant background story: Blanche can be shown in different characters. They all are lock-down in a high and gray building, while each one of them is in another room. The characters have something in common: they are hopeless and their movement or senses are limited: One of them has a blindfold, the other’s hair is tied to a wall, another is walking without without moving forward and etc.
Blanche’s voice blends flawlessly with the soft electronic production. The verses have a “heavier” atmosphere where every line is like a sharp knife. The chorus is being performed with a soft and high voice and it ends with a cyclic electronic beat. The drums element contributes to the expected drama. The song ends with a violin playing.
The lyrics describe collapsing of empires. But very quickly it transforms to describing building and destroying of our own empires. The world is blur and everything is unknown. The spokesperson sees important ingredients such as place, time and identity as random, since everything will lose its value when the empire will fade away. The meaning of life disappears, love and other positive emotions are kind of forbidden while the hanging in fears and waiting for the bitter end become the main purpose of life.
Lyrics:
Empires fade away
See again looking for people plain
I know all for kind
Leave things to faithBefore you wanna hear the lies
Don’t knock at my door
You would only read your lies
While I’m waiting for the blurWe can only wait it out
I know I can make it stop
Maybe you should let happen
And wait for the blurIt used to be a random place
Used to be a stranger face
Did it take you by surprise
When it started to blurEverything we are
Hanging in fear
It’s a kind of fever, for people
As strong as we areEverything we are
Hanging in fear
It’s a kind of fever, for people
As strong as we areWon’t you be the one
Lifts me to the unknown
And I’m waiting wondering how long
You can keep me on my phoneWon’t you be the one
Lifts me to the unkown
And I’m waiting wondering if
You are stronger as we are
Stronger as we are
Did they fade away
Don’t know how I safe
The blur made me blind
Long I lay
You promised I’d find love
To open up the gates
To know how to find me
But you won’t tell
You let me down
You let me down
You think
You sent me down
You let me drown again
Everything we are
Hanging in fear
It’s a kind of fever, for people
As strong as we are
Everything we are
Hanging in fear
It’s a kind of fever, for people
As strong as we are
Won’t you be the one
Lifts me to the unknown
And I’m waiting wondering how long
You can keep me on my phone
Won’t you be the one?
Lifts me to the unknown
And I’m waiting wondering if
You are stronger as we areEverything we are
Hanging in fear
It’s a kind of fever, for people
As strong as we areEverything we are
Hanging in fear
It’s a kind of fever, for people
As strong as we areFever for people
Fever for people
Fever for people
Fever for people
Fever for people
Fever for people
Fever for people
Fever for peopleAs strong as we are
Can you be the one
Lift me to the unknown
And I’m waiting wondering how long
You can keep me on my phoneCan you be the one
Lift me to the unknown
And I’m waiting wondering if
You are stronger as we are
Stronger as we are
#4. “Fences“
“Fences” is the rhythmic song of the album that can easily be transformed to a remix that have the ability to conquer the clubs. It’s a dark pop dance song with a vision of hope.
The melody contains a periodic drum beat that gets a support of electronic sound in the verses. With the use of keyboards and a sophisticated but simple production, it has the formula to stick to your mind. The song starts with an instrumental section that creates the frame of the song.
Blanche performs the song in high rate and soft voice. Each verse has a structure of a long sentence that is broken to short units.
The lyrics invite us to tear down the fences (physical and mental) in out life and expand our limits. There is a calling to find the right path to our own and other hearts, to hug the different ones in the society. The future will always have an unknown layer. However, we should step forward slowly and believe that together we are strong enough.
In other hand, the song can be interpreted as impossible/ unrequited love story. The fences are the difficulties in love and the cases when we are being rejected. Sometimes, we can’t find the way to other’s hearts.
Even though, the life looks dark and hopeless, there is always the light of the sun that gives us a hope.
Fences, over the stairs of a far land
Winter, suffering place, going away
Empty thoughts dream golden through the green
Sun takes over my empty routine
OkayFind a way to your heart
Make us realize
Runaway from all fights
Let us free our mindFences, right where it starts, where life ends
Whispers, fluttering chance fading away
Empty roads, I’m holding through the wind
Sun dance, over my empty routineFind a way to your heart
Make us realize
Runaway from all fights
Let us free your mindFind a way to your heart
Make us realize
Runaway from all fights
Let us free our mindFind a way to your heart
Make us realize
Runaway from all fights
Let us free your mindFind a way to your heart
Make us realize
Runaway from all fights
Let us free your mindMake us realize
Let us free your mind
#9. “1,2, Miss You”
“1,2, Miss You” is a magical and pain full love song. The melody has a “dreamy” vibe with a sound that reminds of a music box combines with keyboards. The “1,2, miss you” part returns along the song and exposes the message of the song: no matter what, she still misses her lover.
The emphasis in the verse is the vocal of Blanche, while the instruments get their respect and place in the bridge and the chorus. Blanche shows a versatile vocal ability along the song. The singer uses flint, high and low voice in different parts of the song. As we expect, the song has the special dark moody stamp of Blanche.
The spokesperson describes her longing for a lover she lost. She keeps thinking about him in every single step of her life. Her eyes are open wide which tell us she can’t sleep because her mind if full of thoughts. “It’s day one” – she tells us that the breakup is a new thing which she is still trying to get used to. She doesn’t know what is going on with her lover. The spokesperson wishes they will comeback and the time will heal them. Nevertheless, in the chorus she has the understanding that they are completely different and it may be the main reason for their separation.
1, 2, miss you
1, 2, need you
Want you, need you
Miss you
1, 2, miss you
1, 2, need you
Want you, need you
Miss youEyes wide, woken
Wish that I could close them
So the next time they open I see you
It’s day one, undone
We’re waiting for so long now
The time is up and gone, no more youAnd do you feel it?
Do you feel it too?
Are you healing?
Cause I know we couldWe will never hide
Never let this die
Till the lights go out
We’re a different kind
Me and you, me and you
It got so blurry outside
I could lose my mind
Things may not work out
But I know that I
I got you, I got youThe same sight, I’m done
Counting days and fighting nights
Hope I can bring my thoughts somewhere new
Back to day one, you’re again gone
Nothing changed, still hurting
Still longing for my time with youAnd do you feel it?
Do you feel it too?We will never hide
Never let this die
Till the lights go out
We’re a different kind
Me and you, me and you
It got so blurry outside
I could lose my mind
Things may not work out
But I know that I
I got you, I got youHeart tight feels like life has no meaning
Heart tight feels like life has no meaning
Heart tight feels like life has no meaning
Hard times, sometimes keeps me from breathing
About Blanche
Blanche (Ellie Delvaux) is 20 years old Belgian Jewish singer and musician. She represented Belgium at Eurovision 2017 and conquered our hearts with the dark pop song “City Lights”. The singer ended in 4th place in the grand final.
