Lorde Melodrama JITFE "Rainy Days and Mondays

"Rainy Days and Mondays

The Barbarians

" which starts with a dance of classical strings before dipping to a soul-baring vocal about the causes and effects of child abuse

" a ten-minute exercise in self-styled moody majesty and the turgid blues crawl of closer "Tea for One

Karen Carpenter (vocals

Lorde Melodrama JITFE "Rainy Days and MondaysGrowing up in public has been a rite of passage for pop stars since at least Frank Sinatra but, as with any classic storyline, what matters is the execution. Lorde, the preternaturally talented New Zealand singer songwriter who became an international sensation at the age of 17, knows how to execute not only songwriting and public narrative but also a melding of the two. Melodrama, arriving nearly four long years after her 2013 debut, picks up the