Odette are a dance-pop duo consisting of siblings Ashlie and Keith Burgun. Keith composes and arranges the music while Ashlie writes the lyrics and sings. Their music is very much inspired by the sound of 80’s pop, and you can hear the influence of early Madonna, Cyndi Lauper and more modern 80’s-inspired acts like La Roux and Gwen Stefani, as well as Charlie XCX who is currently storming the charts with a similar sound.
What at first sounds like a pure piece of 80’s pop is actually more intriguing upon repeated listening. The song manages to be highly catchy and memorable despite having no discernible chorus, due to the main vocal melody of the verse being so strong. The other unusual aspect is, where Charli XCX’s lyrics are basic and bordering on childish, the lyrics to Oranges are mysterious and richly poetic in their imagery.
Whilst musically it conjures up the 80’s electronic sound with expertise, it would hard to imagine many pop stars from that era singing lyrics like ‘Blood pours out from your sides when you are speaking from your mind…”. This quirky aspect is important, as it stops it from becoming a mere 80’s pastiche (which some current stars are guilty of) and breathes new life into an old sound, giving it a modern twist.
Overall, this is a refreshing and infectious piece of leftfield pop, very well composed and produced with some intricate synth programming. Ashlie’s vocals and lyrics are both distinctive and original, the enigmatic words sung to such a catchy tune gradually reeling the listener in. It certainly has an addictive quality like all great pop, just don’t ask me what the song is about! The world needs more quirky pop groups like Odette, long may they reign.
By Alex Faulkner
I’m 34 and a freelance music journalist, as well as a composer and producer. I’ve written reviews for UK newspapers and music websites. I run my own blog, reviewing the best new bands and artists . I’m very passionate and knowledgeable about music and that shows in my writing.
Exclusive Interview:
Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
When I (Ashlie) was little I was obsessed with the Toei Animation version of swan lake that we had on VHS. It was a dub and pretty terrible, but I loved it! So that was the starting point and I’ve continued to try to incorporate other elements from my childhood inspirations.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
I think knowing your audience is really important. Our last band Honey, covered a lot of anime and video game themes, so when we’d play shows at bars and typical venues, we wouldn’t always get the best response. After realizing that, we looked for more unconventional venues to play at like Conventions. You may not have big crowds for your early shows but you know at least that the few people who come to see you will get what you are doing.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Yes! Our main site ishttp://www.odetteworld.com and that covers everything we do, from our music and web-comic to our news and merch items. We use a lot of other sites too like soundcloud, twitter and facebook.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2015?
