Stylistically, I would "Shine" described as cold and melancholic held pop album with distinct rock and metal elements. Vocally makes woman Olzon excellent job, where she always dominates the elaborate orchestrated songs. The sound is determined by guitars and drums (Metal), which also occur in strings aside many titles synths and in some titles. The songs sound much electronic, as it would be expected, the weighting of the instruments as regards appearance and volume. Melodic is "Shine" exceedingly beautiful gorgeous Nordic melancholy; cold of the atmosphere here, but not really dark. Color I associate it with a dark steel blue, but due to the electronic sound has a strong metallic luster.
The lyrics usually quite short and relatively explicit, but can certainly room for interpretation. Main motives appear to be loss, sadness, confusion, contemplation and hope to me.
Structurally follow the songs of the album the conventional scheme verse / chorus / verse / chorus / interlude / Chorus / Outro. To emphasize is the low season: The ten titles bring only a total cycle time of approx. 38 minutes together, which is very little compared with the epics of "Nightwish". Several titles could well be longer. During the first passages the album seemed to me more like a long EP, as a real "LP".
"Like a show inside my head" opens the album and provides a kind of cross-section in terms mood and melody. In pace slowly, almost bulky, it is melodically beautiful, rather melancholy and very well orchestrated. A successful start. "Shine" leads the strengths of the opener continued with increasing the tempo, mood appears moderately but significantly more focused and ... harder. The metal guitars here provide the core of the sound image. The result of rough elegance and very catchy. The ensuing "floating" reduced the pace as well as the instrumentation. The text is in contrast to its predecessors is very short and wide interpretation. Nevertheless, it is melodically beautiful, high-impact and brings through its small-scale structure of an interesting contrast in the album.
It is also due to its reluctance to a kind of breath to the next, "Lies". This brings together a very beautiful melody, powerful instrumentation and a variable active voice that bring a very haunting and yet interpretable text to life. Incredibly expressive, beautiful and opulent's "Lies" the first masterpiece of the album. Here I find it particularly difficult to repeatedly press immediately, and then click the Repeat button.
The enormous energy will be removed. War "Lies" dramatic and loud, "Invincible" is contemplative and quiet, although the instrumentation in the second half by guitar inserts significantly stronger, while Olzon acts in the first half virtually alone. Melodic, it is very nice and seems to me, despite its otherness almost like the opposite of his predecessor. The juxtaposition was a wise move because these two excellent titles seem to increase even mutually by the enormous contrast.
"Hear me" takes compared to "Invincible" again considerable momentum on. It is interesting that the first verse is mainly guided by the voice, whereas withdraw the instruments greatly. Only in the second stanza employ drums, synths, guitars and finally strings that step aside of voice, their dominance is not challenged, however. A bit of a shame is the right sudden end. Despite its own strength, it seems quite as necessary a spacer between his predecessor and the ensuing "Falling". This is similar powerful and dramatic as "Lies" and also the darkest album title. Guitars and drums provide a high voltage, which is counteracted by cleverly interwoven strings and electronic sounds. Very nice is also the contrast between loud chorus and the verses quiet.
After this re opulence breathing and meditation appear necessary. "Moving away" is no longer dark, but dark and builds excitement and drama of its predecessor skillfully sadness and regret from a release similar to what corresponds to one hand the text, on the other hand very well supported by the slight, Latin acting guitar sounds in interlude. Interesting is the huge contrast to succeed. "One Million Faces" remains obscure, but has very slightly and subtly hopeful climes. Significantly electronic than its predecessors, it is melodically so beautiful, so I really have to regret the short playing time here.
"Watching me from Afar" stands out melodically. After 9, often sad, sometimes dramatic titles a clearly positive mood now is widespread, although the frame still appears dark. Voice, piano, light drums and subtle electronic sounds act like a delicate web in a huge, dark void and give "Watching me from Afar" an enormous fragility, as it is likely to have a man after a long time suffering. A beautiful conclusion.
Given previous interviews of Ms. Olzon the album itself and various comments made by her and her former colleagues in Nightwish lure lyrics and mood out to interpretations. Apparently, "Shine" the recovery and reflection of a very difficult period of life of the artist, who make their way through disappointment ("Like a show Inside My Head", "Lies"), melancholy / sadness ("Falling"), reflection and letting go ("Shine", "Moving Away") and eventual overcoming ("One Million Faces", "Watching me from A Far") describes. The visual design of the booklet would this fit: The photos show a smiling though, but took acting artist in front of a wintry landscape, but which is bathed in the light of a low sun. The title could (as the text of the title song) to be both please and invitation to itself.
Anyway: In its entirety, "Shine" is a melodically very beautiful, superbly sung, sophisticated instrumented and very atmospheric album. Woman Olzon is an impressive, if a little "small" succeeded first work whose sole reserve is its relatively short playing time. I wish her a reasonable commercial success, but at least adequate sales results to allow the inclusion of a (or more) successors.
Friends Nordic melancholic pop / rock music is strongly recommended that small but extremely fine "Shine", as well as unbound listeners should give him a chance. It is worth it.
