Avril Lavigne: Goodbye Lullaby

With three smash records and one failed marriage (to Sum 41 singer Deryck Whilbey) behind her, it’s hard to begrudge glitter-punk queen Avril Lavigne an album of grown-up melancholia. Consequently, Goodbye Lullaby has been billed as the “Complicated” singer’s “adult” album and a departure from the power-pop of smash hits like “Sk8er Boi” and “Girlfriend.”

Avril Lavigne certainly turned on the waterworks for her latest music video. Talk about crying me a river. The Canadian singer showed off a more emotional side than we’re used to seeing. It’s hard to believe this is the girl who gave us “Sk8er Boi” and “Complicated“. And the kicker is, the tears are real. She tweeted last night confirming the crying was genuine and no onions were used.

If only. Lavigne’s songwriting has definitely grown, and the tracks here are far and away more personal than “hey, hey, I don’t like your girlfriend.” It’s a bold step, lyrically speaking. But make no mistake, Jagged Little Pill this ain’t.

It might have been, though, if not for the sound. Lullabye’s production by Lavigne and her army of collaborators (Butch Walker, Max Martin, and, bizarrely, ex-hubby Whilbey) blasts her voice to high heaven amidst the clang and clatter of guitars, piano, strings and drums, like a teenage girl covering the E Street Band.

If that sounds familiar, it should: Lavigne’s been using this formula for nine years now, she’s just using it with more serious songs this time around.

Make no mistake, it’s all very catchy, if not exhausting down the stretch. But the straightforward production undermines how serious the album is. Lead single “What the Hell” is a surprising gut-punch of angry-young-womanhood shoehorned into a radio-friendly format; it’s the teen punk version of “Single Ladies” delivered in bubblegum wrapper. “I Love You” has solid lyrics as well, but it’s packaged like something Ashlee Simpson would have put out back in the day. What the hell, indeed.

The back-and-forth continues the whole time, with glimpses of what could have been adventurous showing amidst all the sound and fury. Appropriately enough, closer “Goodbye” starts out as a beautiful piano ballad, but before long, violins and acoustic guitars are thrown in and suddenly it’s “Time of Your Life” circa 2011.

Come on, now, Avril. We all know breakups suck, but aping Green Day at the moment of truth? You’re better than that, girl.

Music Has The Power To The Soul

Music has the power to soothe the soul. So even on days when you forget to set your alarm clock, accidentally wash your cellphone in the laundry, or get home from work and immediately step in your cat's throw-up, hearing some calming melodies is sure to clear your mind of the day's troubles. Here are some of my favorite tranquil tunes, so you can listen while taking a bath, sipping a cup of hot tea or doing some gentle stretching.

Stress is one of the most talked about afflictions of our time. Apparently the British waste, on average, a year and a half worrying during their lifetimes. Long periods of stress can lead to a huge range of nasty symptoms including headaches, teeth grinding, lack of sleep, weight gain, stomach pain, reduced fertility and sex drive, all horrible.

Radox have been helping calm stressed Brits for decades with their hearty bath soaks, and as part of a new PR drive for their Spas they’ve done some research into whether it’s the massage or actually the ambient music that makes the experience so relaxing. They commissioned Manchester band Marconi Union to produce a track with the brief that it had to be ‘the most relaxing music in the world’, the result is called Weightless.

The music applies the science of ‘Entrainment’ – using specific rhythms, tones and frequencies with a continuous rhythm of 60 BPM (beats per minute), which causes ones brainwaves and heart rate to synchronise with the rhythm. The low underlying bass tones relax the listener while the low whooshing sounds induce a trance-like, deeper state of calm.

Scientists at MindLab International in Sussex tested subjects to record the subconscious physical responses to listening to ‘Weightless’ versus other music, or the action of having a massage.

Surprisingly the measured effects on heart rate, skin conduction and respiration proved that listening to ‘Weightless’ was more relaxing effect than both a massage and listening to more conventional music by the likes of that old fave, Enya.

Whether you are doing work, studying, driving, going for an appointment, or need to induce sleep, calm yourself or control extreme emotional states, just leave it playing in the background as you go about doing whatever it is that you need to do. It has a natural effect on the mind and body.

If you are feeling stressed we suggest you light a Tranquility Candle by NEOM, put on the Silk Eye Mask from Holistic Silk and download this tune from the Radox Facebook page.