Songs of the Day

So, I was sick, and then I was out of town, and then I got sick while out of town, hence the week hiatus, but I'm back to finish reviewing the FKA Twigs record.  Alrighty then...
Songs up for today are tracks 5-7: "Pendulum," "Video Girl," and "Numbers."
The first time I heard "Pendulum," I had a moment of confusion.  It starts out with this knocking sequence, and I kept going to my door thinking someone was there - false, it's just the intro.  This song has a bareness to it in the verses that I dig, it makes you pay attention to the vocals (which once again, have a haunting feel to them).  I must say, I could do away with the offbeat knocking by the second verse though, as I feel it kind of gets in the way/clashes with the rest of the beat.  The chorus is definitely where this track comes together, both within the beat and vocally.  Love the hook of "so lonely trying to be yours/when you're looking for so much more" - definitely a feeling many can relate to.  Towards the end of the track, the beat seems to get a little clouded (which is something I feel happens a lot throughout the record) - it could do with a little editing.  Cool track, not my favorite, but still cool.  "Video Girl" is another example of a song that could use a little bit of editing.  I get where it wants to go, but it doesn't execute it as well as it could.  The meters a little all over the place, and too much to be interesting; if anything, it comes off as confusing.  Her voice is also a little too breathy for me on this track, or at least her breathiness doesn't work as well on this track as other.  The beat also doesn't have any elements that really draw me to it, and it seems to get lost in itself.  I would also expect something a little more angry considering the lyrical context of the track (she's accusing her man of cheating).  This one doesn't do much for me.  Luckily, "Numbers" is a track that I can get down with (probably my favorite since "Lights On").  I dig that it opens up with the chopped n screwed element before it really gets into the track.  It's also a beat that doesn't seem to be all over the place like the previous.  Her voice is much better suited to this track as well.  Love the hook of "was I just a number to you," as so many people have felt that very way.  And even though this track does have a lot of elements to it, all of the elements seem much more cohesive than those of the previous tracks.  The end didn't need to get as out as it did, but luckily it doesn't last long before ending where it began.  Dope, I dig.