Artificial Paradise (Retail Exclusive)＜タワーレコード限定/Seabreeze Vinyl＞

Taylor SwiftやAdeleへの楽曲提供でグラミー賞受賞歴のあるソングライター、Ryan Tedderが率いるOneRepublicの待望の新作が完成。
アニメ「怪獣8号」のEDテーマソング「Nobody」や、映画「Top Gun Marverick」の挿入歌「I Ain't Worried」、David Guettaとコラボで今年のサマーソングとして注目を集めている「I Don't Wanna Wait」のヒット曲を収録した注目作品。

Featuring singles released into the wild as far back as 2021, Artificial Paradise collects moments and snapshots that Ryan Tedder and his OneRepublic crew have been writing around the world from as early as 2016, orbiting a loose central idea of constructed realities that reflect the real world we live in. Conceptual shoehorn aside, these are paint-by-numbers OneRepublic anthems, for better or worse. Much like their last album, 2021s Human, Artificial Paradise feels like an algorithms idea of what OneRepublic should sound like in order to achieve maximal playlisting power. Which is pretty much what this album feels like: a playlist. That doesnt mean its terrible; its just not adding much to the equation. Nevertheless, hits are hits, and this is packed with them (especially the deluxe version, which includes singles that were each streamed over a hundred million times, such as the David Guetta collaboration "I Dont Wanna Wait," which interpolates O-Zones early-aughts viral hit "Numa Numa"). The monstrous smash "West Coast" bounces and bobs on a funky bassline and a rousing backing chorus, cruising down the freeway on a breezy summer day; the lighthearted whistle-pop earworm "I Aint Worried" is another showcase for Tedders effortless songwriting skills (also aided by its inclusion on the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack); the synth-and-Auto-Tune "RUNAWAY" propels into space like Bruno Mars jumping into a glittery rocket ship; and "Sunshine" provides a classic OneRepublic-via-Fitz and the Tantrums singalong moment that is too feel-good to deny. Those four songs alone had a combined 2.5 billion (with a "b") streams at the time of this albums release. Lesser hits from an Assassins Creed video game, the anime Kaiju No. 8, and the official UEFA EURO 2024 anthem round out the global smash hits. Elsewhere, of the previously unreleased tracks (which account for only half of the albums runtime), the cinematic opening title track, the acoustic-guitar-and-handclaps "Last Holiday" and the twinkling instrumental interlude "Singapore" add surprising heart and restraint to the assault of electro-tinged pop goodies. Tedder knows what hes doing and, like contemporary output by Imagine Dragons and Coldplay, can pump out crowd-pleasing optimism as if he was on autopilot…for better or worse. ~ Neil Z. Yeung