''Shadows'' is the third studio album by the Australian recording artist

Lenka Lenka Eden Kripac (born 19 March 1978) is an Australian singer-songwriter and actress best known for her song " The Show", from her debut album, ''Lenka''. "The Show" has been used in numerous advertisements, most notably for Old Navy, as well ...

, released on 2 June 2013 by Skipalong Records.

Background

''Shadows'' was recorded while Lenka was pregnant with her first child, a context that influenced the album's intimate and reflective tone. Departing from the more upbeat style of her previous releases, the album features orchestral arrangements and lullaby-like qualities, with songs such as "Two Heartbeats" incorporating personal elements like the recorded in utero heartbeat of her baby.

Promotion

To support the album, Lenka held a virtual concert via Stageit, performing from her backyard in Sydney.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's Matt Collar described ''Shadows'' as a lush and melodic

orchestral pop Orchestral pop is pop music that has been arranged and performed by a symphonic orchestra. It is sometimes used interchangeably with the terms symphonic pop and chamber pop. History During the 1960s, pop music on radio and in both American and ...

work with vintage influences. Departing from the bubbly

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

of her earlier albums, Lenka explores a more

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluci ...

, '60s and '70s-inspired sound reminiscent of

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter and record producer. He emerged from the British folk scene in early 1965 and subsequently scored multiple international hit singles ...

Nick Drake Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974) was an English singer-songwriter and musician. An accomplished acoustic guitarist, Drake signed to Island Records at the age of twenty while still a student at the University of Cambridg ...

, while still maintaining a modern sensibility. Chad Gorn of ''MXDWN'' described the album as a departure from her earlier upbeat and catchy pop sound, shifting instead toward a softer, lullaby-like style influenced by her pregnancy at the time. While he acknowledged her initial breakout with "

The Show Show or The Show may refer to: Competition, event, or artistic production * Agricultural show, associated with agriculture and animal husbandry * Animal show, a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy ** Cat show ** Dog show ** Horse show ** S ...

" and her continued indie credibility, he felt that ''Shadows'' lacked the engaging energy of her past work.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Lenka Kripac, except where listed.

Personnel

Credits adapted from

. *Tracy Bonham – violin *Gavin Brown – vocals *Greg Calbi – mastering *Lenny DeRose – engineer *Jonathan Dreyfus – violin *Jean Philippe Goncalves – bass guitar *Graham Finn – guitars *James Gulliver Hancock – artwork *Zoe Hauptmann – bass guitar *Paul Herman – composer *

– vocals , glockenspiel, instrumentation, keyboards, organ, piano, producer, synthesizer, vibraphone, wurlitzer *Danny Levin – horn, horn engineer *Pierre Marchand – producer *Rich Mercurio – drums *Francois Plante – vocals *Zac Rae – composer, drums * Jason Reeves – composer, background vocals *Maxime St. Pierre – flugelhorn *Kevin Salem – bass guitar, composer, engineer, guitar, keyboards, noise, percussion, producer, programming *Thomas "Tawgs" Salter – composer, instrumentation, producer *Tom Schutzinger – bass guitar, composer, drums, engineer, guitars, keyboards, percussion, producer, strings *Pascal Shefteshy – engineer, acoustic guitar *Doug Yowell – drums

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2013 albums Lenka albums Orchestral pop albums Albums produced by Pierre Marchand