Havoc and Bright Lights
by Alanis Morissette
  • Record Label: Columbia
  • Release Date: Aug 28, 2012
User Score
7.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 54 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 54
  3. Negative: 7 out of 54
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  1. someonewhocares
    Jul 8, 2022
    5
    Havoc and Bright Lights might truly be the perfect name for this 2012 album by Morrissette. Why? Most songs can be havoc in their songwriting and their production. However, we just can't not wonder whether she was on crack while recording this album, as this album cover and the songs scream meth high throughout.
  2. Mangaeyes
    Feb 27, 2016
    4
    4/10 - "While it may be a difficult task to get through all 12 psycho-babble-filled tune on havoc, it's not entirely a wash or without merit" - PopMatters
  3. antony15
    Feb 17, 2015
    5
    Almost 20 years ago Alanis surprised everyone with her great debut album worldwide Jagged Little Pill, with a commercial success unplanned.
    In 2012 Alanis back with Havoc and Bright Lights, a fully pop album of the same and worn way to morissette alanis to music.The same pop / rock electronic means that we are used. "Guardian" is the only highlight and one of the few reasonable moments of    Almost 20 years ago Alanis surprised everyone with her great debut album worldwide Jagged Little Pill, with a commercial success unplanned.
    In 2012 Alanis back with Havoc and Bright Lights, a fully pop album of the same and worn way to morissette alanis to music.The same pop / rock electronic means that we are used. "Guardian" is the only highlight and one of the few reasonable moments of the album, clear with a slight improvement over his previous two albums.
    In any musical career the artist has just reaching a point where their music wears out, new releases begin to get extremely representative of the former and a kind of recycling is needed, or it reaches the end of the line.
    This moment arrived for Alanis, she needs to work with new producers, new styles, new sounds ... well recycle.
    Composed of ballads and songs pop / rock boring Morissette disappoint once again.    … Expand
  4. BasaureH
    Mar 27, 2013
    4
    I can listen to it over and over, but it just doesn't hear/feel like Alanis. Most of us understand that she's no longer the woman she was ten years ago, and maybe she's grown up a lot and now she's a woman singing, but I missed the irony in the lyrics, the depth of the emotion and the simplicity of the album tone. It just feels all very charged and overblown.
  5. RobbieCope
    Nov 13, 2012
    5
    Not bad for adult contemporary. Very, very adult contemporary. The one song that sounds sorta angry is mostly sorta silly instead. Again, not bad, but feels a bit forced. She's obviously a happy woman. And she's writing music that could easily be clipped and used for inspirational-sounding infomercials. Obviously, nothing ground breaking here. Or even terribly interesting. Or terriblyNot bad for adult contemporary. Very, very adult contemporary. The one song that sounds sorta angry is mostly sorta silly instead. Again, not bad, but feels a bit forced. She's obviously a happy woman. And she's writing music that could easily be clipped and used for inspirational-sounding infomercials. Obviously, nothing ground breaking here. Or even terribly interesting. Or terribly offensive. Or innovative. But not unpleasant.… Collapse
  6. BarkingPumpkin
    Oct 31, 2012
    4
    I basically agree with Sputnikmusic's take on this effort. To its credit the production is pretty good, but it really seems like Alanis is just going through the motions on this one -- we've heard the same shlocky-pop from other pop artists over the past couple decades. The track Lens is OK. This whole effort is for the diehard fan only.
  7. JotaBrasil
    Oct 19, 2012
    6
    Houve um tempo que a Alanis Morissette era extremamente relevante para o mundo musical. Jagged Little Pill já foi "O" disco feminino da história. Isso foi à 17 anos atrás e hoje Alanis ainda está na ativa, mas sem o mesmo brilho de antes. Ela não perdeu apenas em vendagem, mas em qualidade. Ao longo dos anos seu trabalho foi perdendo cada vez maisHouve um tempo que a Alanis Morissette era extremamente relevante para o mundo musical. Jagged Little Pill já foi "O" disco feminino da história. Isso foi à 17 anos atrás e hoje Alanis ainda está na ativa, mas sem o mesmo brilho de antes. Ela não perdeu apenas em vendagem, mas em qualidade. Ao longo dos anos seu trabalho foi perdendo cada vez mais qualidade e ela foi se transformando em uma cópia de si mesma. Em 2008 ela lançou Flavors of Entanglement o que eu considero o seu fundo do poço. Depois de um hiato de quatro anos a canadense resolveu sair da toca e vai lançar seu oitavo álbum de estúdio intitulado Havoc and Bright Lights e tenho duas noticias uma boa e uma ruim. A ruim é que o álbum é fraco. A boa é que é superior ao anterior.

    Havoc and Bright Lights é um álbum essencialmente pop. Tem pitadas de eletrônico e rock que com uma produção fraca transforma tudo em um som bem genérico. O excesso de produção em cima das canções deixou tudo muito clean, asséptico e sem gosto ou textura. Sem saber onde se agarrar, Alanis se transforma em cópias de Avril Lavigne e Amy Lee. Quando ela decide ser ela mesma a coisa muda de figura, a canção cresce e ganha certa personalidade. Seu lado mais pungente sempre foi o de compositora. Aqui não há um trabalho genial, mas é muito interessante. Falando sobre sua relação com a fama e outras relações mais intimas, Alanis ainda tem uma cerne ainda revigorante. De longe a melhor canção é Lens, uma balada sobre um amor amargo que tem uma pegada "old Alanis". Outros momentos bonzinhos são a estranhamente pop Woman Down, a clichê e grandiosa Celebrity e a delicada com inspiração oriental Win and Win. Do lado ruim tem a chata Spiral que mais parece com uma música que a Avril faria e mais sem graça Receive. Não é uma obra de arte, mas mostra que Alanis ainda guarda algo lá no fundo.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

53
#53 Most Discussed Album of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
55

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 17
  3. Negative: 3 out of 17
  1. Uncut
    Sep 14, 2012
    40
    Mostly, though, Morrisette succumbs to her dual predilections for quasi-spirituality and stultifying sappiness. [Oct 2012, p.84]
  2. American Songwriter
    Sep 5, 2012
    70
    Morissette's poetic discourse of intimately describing her feelings still abounds, but is elegantly emoted here with cool restraint.
    Read full review
  3. PopMatters
    Aug 30, 2012
    50
    While it may be a difficult task to get through all 12 psycho-babble-filled tune on havoc, it's not entirely a wash or without merit. Ultimately, if you're not into hearing someone use their artistic expression to vent their frustrations and contemplate fairly uneducated meanderings on the current social state, or you're not struggling with your own identity lacking the mental capacity to understand your surroundings, you need not apply.
    Read full review
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