Album Review: Banks-The Altar

Jillian Banks-known professionally as Banks-has inexplicably evaded stardom since arriving on the music scene in 2013. Despite landing the coveted opening spot on The Weeknd's The Madness tour last fall and having the same dark, downtempo aesthetic that has made Lana Del Rey, Lorde and Halsey phenoms in the pop/R&B scene, Banks has failed to generate the level of buzz that a lot of her counterparts have received over the same period of time. Her striking second LP The Altar will hopefully prove to be enough to give her the breakout success she deserves. 

Like her 2014 debut Goddess, The Altar is a deeply personal collection of songs. This time around Banks focuses on her recent broken engagement and the flood of conflicting emotions she felt leading up to and following the break-up. Over the course of the album's 13 tracks, she explains the personality clashes and lengthy self-examination process that led to her pulling the plug on the relationship ("Gemini Feed", "Mind Games"), the initial regrets she had with her decision to end things ("Haunt", "Poltergeist") and how the aftermath of the breakup helped her transform into a stronger, more confident person ("Fuck with Myself", "Weaker Girl"). Banks' ability to organically blend vulnerability and internal strength in her songwriting gives this record the genuine cathartic power that most records in this unofficial subgenre always strive for, but rarely actually have.    

As strong as the songwriting and overarching messages of her music are, Banks' greatest asset will always be her distinct, powerhouse voice. The wide range of emotions displayed on The Altar wouldn't be nearly as effective if it wasn't for her tremendous vocal ability. She possesses the special ability to get under the listener's skin and cut directly into their soul at any given moment. There are a number of moments on here that reduced my insides into a pool of pathetic fangirl tears (most notably the verses on "27 Hours" and the chorus on the aforementioned "Mind Games"), even after multiple listens. While her regular use of electronic vocal effects could potentially be off-putting to purist listeners, the haunting power and raw beauty of her voice is more than enough to prove that her singing chops aren't merely a product of ProTools and other studio trickery.

In what has been a banner year for pop and R&B, I can say without hesitation that The Altar is one of the absolute best records the genre has offered up in 2016. Banks' remarkable level of confidence and more adventurous, emotionally-dense songwriting helped The Altar avoid the consistency pitfalls that prevented Goddess from being a really special record. The Altar solidifies Banks' place as one of the brightest talents in R&B/pop music right now and I'm absolutely elated to see where her career goes from here.  

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Gemini Feed
2.Mind Games
3.Poltergeist