Happy no more, the lady has come to terms with grief, and has seemingly made it the leitmotif of her second album. Detouring from the positivism that shone through "Torn", "White Lilies Island" is an album that borders on slow, melancholic or angst-ridden numbers. Which isn’t necessarily a good thing.
Taking off with "That Day", a harsh rock ballad, her new sound - raw and terse - rides on favourable music, but the vocals - hurried and narrative-like - strain ahead, giving this a slightly disoriented feel. "Beauty On The Fire" takes on evocative lyrics with a very electro-pop edge, bearing distinct lineage with the trademark Garbage melancholy. "Satellite" stands apart as the only teeny-bop-esque number, pro-romance and up-tempo. "Wrong Impression" is the closest she gets to her "Torn" persona, adopting a similar style in quickly elevating then plunging notes. "Do You Love" and "Goodbye" are quite uninspiring to say the least, and hint at dark moods and tepid lyrics.
Natalie has got to spruce up her act, because this new-age negativism isn’t going to win her any more fans than her folk following Down Under.
This article was first published on10 May 2002.