If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power

If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power

by Halsey
If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power

If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power

by Halsey

CD(Explicit Cover)

$14.99 
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Overview

In a bold and unexpected move, Halsey seizes their artistic crown on the creative triumph If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power. Teaming with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, they pack a lifetime of emotions into a ticking time bomb of angst buffered by the Nine Inch Nails duo's unmistakable production, which deftly serves Halsey's whims and allows the artist to outshine not only them, but a team of famous faces from the NIN orbit. When the project was first announced, the combination of global-pop-star-plus-industrial-wizards seemed a bit incongruous. However, they've succeeded in bringing out the best in each other, with Reznor and Ross setting the stage for Halsey to finally indulge in her alternative rock side, and Halsey giving the guys an excuse to flex their mainstream pop fancies. If I Can't Have Love... isn't simply "Halsey singing over NIN songs," but rather a true artistic union, where familiar NIN touchstones -- ominous atmospherics, minor-key piano tinkling, techno glitches, and distorted riffs -- support Halsey's visceral explorations of pregnancy, childbirth, life, and death. Along the way, they delve into the sacred and profane, face mortality, and reconcile vulnerability and empowerment. No strangers to the darker side of the human experience, Reznor and Ross match the self-loathing, regret, and pain coursing through Halsey's soul with production that stirs tension, frustration, and rage. From the opening piano waltz "The Tradition" to the sparse guitar thrumming of the morbid ode to her daughter "Ya'aburnee" (an Arabic phrase meaning "You bury me," as in "I'll die first so I don't have to live without you"), it's clear that this is a purposefully un-pop version of Halsey. Delivering on the promise of the rock-leaning 2019 single "Nightmare" and the explosive collaboration with Bring Me the Horizon from the Birds of Prey soundtrack, "Experiment on Me," Halsey launches headfirst into pop-punk (the bouncy "Honey"), industrial (the thrillingly cacophonous "Easier Than Lying"), and distorted sludge (the gothic horror showcase "The Lighthouse," an engrossing tale featuring whispered vocals from Reznor). Additional standouts include "Girl Is a Gun," which features neon synths and bubble-pop beats courtesy of Meat Beat Manifesto's Jack Dangers, and "Bells in Santa Fe," a gorgeous showcase of Halsey's poetic lyricism, commanding vocals, and the studio sorcery of Reznor, Ross, and the Bug's Kevin Martin. The album's big moment lands toward the end with the enthralling showstopper "I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God," a throbbing culmination of the core trio's power as a sonic unit. Throughout, Halsey maintains full control of this cinematic concept album, reducing all-stars such as Lindsey Buckingham (on the "Landslide"-esque acoustic break "Darling"), Dave Grohl ("Honey"), Pino Palladino and Kerriem Riggins (on the rhythmic "Lilith"), and Dave Sitek (on the '90s alt rock affair "You Asked for This") to mere studio hands. With Reznor and Ross supporting such a weighty artistic vision, Halsey takes a huge leap forward with this course-changing opus, a revelation that finally presents their most authentic representation of self. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

Product Details

Release Date: 08/27/2021
Label: Capitol / Emi / Emi Records
UPC: 0602438241606
Rank: 5921

Tracks

  1. The Tradition
  2. Bells in Santa Fe
  3. Easier Than Lying
  4. Lilith
  5. Girl Is a Gun
  6. You Asked for This
  7. Darling
  8. 1121
  9. Honey
  10. Whispers
  11. I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God
  12. The Lighthouse
  13. Ya'aburnee

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Halsey   Primary Artist,Vocals
Lindsey Buckingham   Guitar
Pino Palladino   Bass
David Andrew Sitek   Guitar
Benny Blanco   Keyboards
Happy Perez   Guitar
Trent Reznor   Bass,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Sampling,Synthesizer
Karriem Riggins   Drums
Dave Grohl   Drums
Cashmere Cat   Keyboards

Technical Credits

John Hanes   Mixing Engineer
Sergio Galoyan   Composer
Martin Kierszenbaum   Composer
Darrell Thorp   Recording
Benny Blanco   Engineer,Producer,Programming
Greg Kurstin   Composer,Recording,Vocal Engineer,Vocal Producer
Mat Mitchell   Engineer
Alan Moulder   Mixing
Stewart Whitmore   Mastering Engineer
Nathan Perez   Composer
Benjamin Levin   Composer
Happy Perez   Producer,Programming
Valery Polienko   Composer
Ivan Shapovalov   Composer
Liz Isik   A&R
Kevin Martin   Programming
Elena Kiper   Composer
Cashmere Cat   Producer,Programming
Johnathan Carter Cunningham   Vocal Engineer,Composer,Recording
John Cunningham   Producer,Recording,Vocal Engineer,Vocal Producer
Eric Bard   Mastering Engineer
Michael Matta   Mixing
Aria McKnight   A&R Assistance
Pete Jonas   Vocal Engineer
Jeffrey Kubiak   Recording
Serban Ghenea   Mixing
Trent Reznor   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Trevor Horn   Composer
Stephen Marcussen   Mastering Engineer
Atticus Ross   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Chris Gehringer   Mastering Engineer
Jack Dangers   Programming
Julian Burg   Recording,Vocal Engineer
Magnus August Hoiberg   Composer
Ashley Frangipane   Composer
Jeremy Vuernick   A&R
Brandon Buttner   Vocal Engineer
Tom Herbert   Mixing Assistant
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