Example, real name Elliot Gleave, is slowly moulding into a pop machine which churns out single after single. The artist from West London has had an incredible summer with ‘Kickstarts’ taking over clubs and radio waves all over the country and ‘Two Lives’ is the fifth single from the album ‘Won’t Go Quietly’. The album sees a change in style from Example, with help from big producers such as Calvin Harris, Don Diablo and Chase and Status the new offering reached Number Four in the UK chart, behind Oasis, The Black Eyed Peas and Eminem, a jolly good effort.
‘Two Lives’ is definitely one of the best tracks to come from the album (‘Wont Go Quietly’) with a chorus that will have you singing from the bottom of your lungs whether it be auto tuned or not. It is one of the slower songs on the album but don’t take that as a hint of a pop ballad, that's just not how it goes down in the Example camp, it will still have you dancing on the way to work.
It has all the right ingredients that are necessary for a good pop track. The catchy chorus, the simple yet meaningful lyrics and the upbeat production. Lyrically, it is about the confusion that Example faces with his relationship. He confesses to thinking that he could possibly love himself more than the mystery women of the time, a cheeky bout of arrogance that most pop artists possess.
The overall vibe of the track is very uplifting, bordering on inspirational and could mark a fine swansong for the album as it looks like it could be the last single from it. It definitely has the feel that it could be the one to end the set, evening, party, whatever occasion it might be. Surprisingly, this track doesn’t contain any rap verses which could see a departure away from his hip/hop and rap roots. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as the new style of electro/pop suits his voice down to the ground which is perfectly showcased within the latest single.
The single also contains many remixes with the highlight from Wez Clarke who puts a interesting touch on the single turning it into a big sounding club tune. The other credible contributions are remixes from Tek-One Flu, Loadstar and Kris Menace.
Fans of the old MC-styled Example would be cringing at the thought of this song with the pop influence and not even one rap verse. However, Mr Gleave is looking to appeal to the masses and experiment in numerous genre's which could only see a new direction with his next album.
Example is approaching the end of his sell-out headline tour and is following-up with support for Faithless on their arena tour. With 'Two Lives' probably being his last single from the current album, I am intrigued to see what he does next and what he has in store for his next album. We should expect a follow up to ‘Wont Go Quietly’ some time in 2011 and I for one am excited.
The single is everything you would expect from a pop track with nothing left to the imagination, it is just pop. This is likely to be the anti-climax of the album as the huge single ‘Kickstarts’ will no doubt overshadow any single that precedes it. Overall, it is a great pop track that has the prospect challenging the Top Ten in the charts.
Stereoboard Rating: 7/10
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
It has all the right ingredients that are necessary for a good pop track. The catchy chorus, the simple yet meaningful lyrics and the upbeat production. Lyrically, it is about the confusion that Example faces with his relationship. He confesses to thinking that he could possibly love himself more than the mystery women of the time, a cheeky bout of arrogance that most pop artists possess. 
