Discovery (ELO)

 

    If you couldn't tell, I like this band, so I decided to just get to their next album now instead of waiting. In Discovery, ELO takes a departure from the style of their previous album, now having a lot of emphasis on disco (Disco-very, get it?). This shift to disco is surprisingly smooth and is able to mesh well with the elements of style that they carried over. Unfortunately, this also means even less orchestral elements than their last few albums, with Don't Bring Me Down being their first song to not have any string section. This shift in sound is similar to the one from their earlier albums to their more recent ones, in relation to when this album was released. But while there I feel like the band improved their craft and found a better spot to be in, I feel like it's a little of the opposite here. Like I said in my Out Of The Blue review, that album was peak ELO sound, with it being what they are at the core; with Discovery having that shift over to a more disco oriented sound right after that, it's a little off-putting. That being said, I do like the disco-ness of the album, just not as much as their last few albums. However, there are a few songs that aren't very disco-y at all, and are actually reminiscent of their early albums, such as The Diary of Horace Wimp and Midnight Blue. It's a nice touch to keep the spirit of the band in mind even with the change in sound. Overall, Discovery falls into a similar place as Face the Music, where there a few tracks that are very good and well known, like Last Train to London and Don't Bring Me Down, and the rest aren't that popular and mostly ok. Deciding on the number for this one was very difficult, and it's a very close call between a 4 and 5. 

    Highlights: Shine a Little Love, The Diary of Horace Wimp, Last Train to London, On the Run, Don't Bring Me Down.

Rating: 4/6