Everything Turned To Color
Life Imagined
Reviewed by: Geno Thackara
We all know the difference between the movies and real life. Happy people may like to break out and sing sometimes, but crowds of strangers don’t actually join together in a whimsical song and dance with them (if they’re not part of a well-rehearsed flash mob or something, anyway). Nonetheless, the members of Everything Turned To Color seem happy to imagine that such things really do magically happen and are willing to helpfully provide their own soundtrack. Life Imagined is full of that quaint charm and whimsy you’d hear in many a musical from decades past. It can be comfortably described as mellow sunshine indie-pop, though there are a couple retro spots where a few tap-dancers doing jazz hands wouldn’t be out of place.
Your average pop band might settle for being pleasant and/or catchy. This trio instead goes straight through pleasant, then quickly passes charming and makes a beeline for adorable. The tunes have plenty of sugary sweetness with a little old-school swing; at the same time they generally sound endearing without becoming twee. While many of the tunes are simple cotton candy on the surface, the lyrics blend that innocence with some interestingly thoughtful issues. Love, loss, and the worries of parenthood all have their place in the mix. Neha Jiwrajka walks a fine line in singing these melodies with an almost doe-eyed cuteness, but somehow it all comes out understated enough to be believably sincere.
Everything Turned To Color certainly has a distinct tone even if it’s not one for everyone. It’ll really be a matter of taste whether Life Imagined appeals to your particular sweet tooth in the right way, but if you’re willing to buy into the heart-on-sleeve appeal without caring about self-consciousness, it could be a real treat.
Rating: Listenable
