Brooklyn Michelle - Lithium (Album)
Lithium, as used in mental health, is commonly used as treatment for bipolar disorder which helps stabilize the wild mood swings brought on by the disease and Brooklyn Michelle’s debut album acts as just that, dilly dallying between this wide range of conflicted emotions and chemical imbalance.
Here’s our track by track guide into this emotionally abysmal pit of an album.
1. “Voodoo Doll”
Darkness is lurking on this suspenseful opener into Brooklyn’s psyche, haunting chimes, subtle chuckles, fiery rifts all poke and prod at her skin, the listener left tip toeing on pins and needles as she invites all into the manic mental state of a truly tortured artist.
2. “Do You Realize”
Here, Brooklyn is head over heels, angelic as can be soaring to great heights over the most blissfully triumphant production on the album, steady wondering if this mystery individual realizes the pure joy they’re bringing her and maybe, just maybe, they notice her and all she has to offer, it’s all she can hope for.
3. “Routine”
Sounding like an afterglow paired with separation anxiety, Brooklyn describes a close friend moving away while adapting to the idea of a long distance relationship, even far from one another, their connection is inseparable.
4. “The Feels”
Baring her soul on this spiraling cut, Brooklyn is asking that you accept all of her or nothing at all, feeling a way for someone who maybe doesn’t feel the same way.
5. “Gone”
A woven tale of unrequited love, Brooklyn’s heartaching quivers cause her to unravel and question her own compromises made out of her own desperation to make the relationship work, no matter the cost.
6. “Chicago”
Prior to her diagnosis & trapped in her own head, feeling like the walls are closing in on her like “The Cask of Amantillado” (a book, look it up), Brooklyn seeks refuge from her demons by moving far away from home on this dramatic cut.
7. “I Don’t Mind”
Like a schizophrenic ball room dance, Brooklyn is dancing with her own demons as a way of acceptance of her disease on this hauntingly groovy cut.
8. “You’ll See”
Here, Brooklyn continues on with this haunting theme with voicemails of concerned friends, some who may not fully understand her disorder, they’ll see, they’ll all see.
9. “Naked”
Picking up the melody of the last skit, this highlight of the album is Brooklyn at her most painstakingly vulnerable, stripping her soul naked, questioning mistakes made in her younger days which may have led to a very horrific event, I’ll spare you the details but she won’t.
10. “The Other Side”
Bittersweet as ever, Brooklyn is weaving a tale of unconditional love, wherever this person goes, she’ll be right behind them, every step of the way but will they be willing to do the same, one can only hope.
11. “Religion (What Is This)”
Expressing her faith with this hymn, Brooklyn is deciding that she’d rather just live life according to herself rather than blindly follow the palaver that surrounds religion BUT god is still with her regardless.
12. “Snapped”
It’s almost as if she’s caught the Holy Ghost on this irresistibly funky cut, the night clubs will have this on loop not knowing exactly what they’re dancing along to, could fit easily into the 90’s house music scene.
13. "Crazy"
Finally coming terms with her own crazy, Brooklyn doesn’t want your fucking sympathy, she cant be helped so just accept her for who she is, crazy and if you ain’t some type of crazy you ain’t shit!
14. "Worth It"
On this slow burning track, Brooklyn is anxiously awaiting for her body to heal from all the abuse, scared to lose herself, she's still holding onto dear life, anxiously awaiting to pull through only to do so then find herself returning back to people she knows are no good, a vicious cycle.
15. "No More"
Here we find Brooklyn unapologetically cutting ties with a controlling individual who could do nothing but see the bad in her and even go as far as to seek unrealistic skeletons, quickly realizing the relationship was a mistake and was once again a ploy to fill her loneliness, her wails of fervor ensure that she’s passionately expressing her newfound carelessness for this person.
16. "Lithium"
On the final cut, "Lithium", Brooklyn spins a tale of finding “the one'“, only for them to betray her and send her spiraling back down into old behaviors and patterns, eventually harming herself then heading to the ER and learning of her diagnosis, bipolar schizoaffective to be exact, now knowing this, she tries, with all her might to find it in herself to forgive, looking to god for some sort of guidance, the most depressing record on the record and the perfect closure for this multitude of intensely fiery emotional testimonials.
7 years in the making, Brooklyn Michelle’s debut yanks you into her world and her psyche, a nightmare so painful yet so intriguing, you wish it would never end, she gives you every last bit of her heart and soul, leaving no stone unturned, this is possibly the most feverishly chaotic debut from any artist in the past decade, as tortured as she may be, one can only hope she finds solace.