Set over the course of one night, at a suburban party, the second album from Lorde should silence those who questioned the four-year gap between albums and, hopefully, Swedish producer Max Martin, who pointed out single Green Light had its rise and fall in the wrong order.

In fact, it is this act of side-loading away from pop's main bar that makes Lorde so compelling: she acknowledges the world of four-on-the-floor (''Broadcast the boom, boom, boom and make 'em all dance to it,'' she sings on The Louvre), then swerves to a more intimate spaces, and offers enough artisan touches to the big picture to lure listeners closer.

  • Lorde. Melodrama. Universal.
  • ★★★★+
  • Single download: Sober II (Melodrama)
  • For those who like: Lana Del Rey, Beyonce's Lemonade