I understand the reservations people have with this era given that the party girl Kesha of the early 2010s always seemed contrived and a product of a producer who wound up being the supervillain of her career, but I find there to be something so freeing about this direction and particularly this song. Might be a product of circumstance (lol) but this year I ended a 3.5 year long relationship and moved back into the city; somehow this song has taken a real self-empowerment message for me in the ... read more

Starting a new project where I review records recommended to me by dudes on Grindr.

Grindr Review #1:

I had heard of Ari Lennox before this recommendation, but didn't know much about her. Turns out she is the first and only female artist signed to J. Cole's Dreamville Records. Unfortunately for Lennox, this means she can barely breath a word without being compared to SZA (the first and only female artist signed to TDE). I'd say the two are in fairly different realms of the contemporary ... read more

Early Nicki is to her as early Britney is to Slayyyter, but there's still much to enjoy across the record. All I wanted from her was to prove she was more than a meme rapper and she does that pretty much with ease. A little more needed in the way of song structure as well as carving a more distinct lane (as much as I love "Say So," its disco backdrop feels a bit dialed in), and it's also a shame the modest success of "Juicy" earns it a spot here instead of the far superior ... read more

Turns out Azealia Banks was ahead of the curve yet again with the whole "release a frequently-delayed project that still sounds rushed and musically bankrupt" thing.

UPDATE 10/26/19: Adding 5 points bc the ending of Follow God made me laugh.

A friend pointed out that this song is serving some SERIOUS Imogen Heap and wow I can't unhear it. My lizard brain initially gravitated me toward SHYHMF but my sophisti brain said "no, THIS is the one."

That trick on the chorus - repeating a six-beat phrase across an eight-beat measure - is so common yet used so well here. Lyrically, that imagery of one door after another opening, is all the song really needs. That glorious moment at the end of the bridge when she repeats it over a ... read more

Y'all ever tried being gay?? Like, have you ever thought it might make you not approach everything with boring cynicism and allow you to just enjoy music for what it is? Ever taken a second look at stan culture and realized you could be getting genuine enjoyment out of music like them instead of just trying to out-deep the next person??

I bet you'd like it!

Growing a little more with each listen. Don’t have super high expectations for the album but at least we know it won’t be Ryan Adams vainly trying to recreate the Guyville magic long after that train has left the station. The new song she played when I saw her live last year was pretty good too.

Also is there a site like AOTY but for reviewing books? I’m reading Liz’s memoir currently and would like to share my thoughts on it.

Now that end of decade lists are coming out I just want to say that this is probably my favorite song of the 2010s.

Amazing songs Lizzo has been dropping in 2019 (Drake repelling meme)
Just OK song Lizzo dropped two years ago (Drake thumbs up meme)
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If we’re only talking about singles, Lizzo has literally never released a bad song. Since 2016, her single output has ranged from good (“Fitness”) to great (“Boys”) to flawless (“Juice”).

Yet somehow, the success of this track has brought out my inner curmudgeonly ... read more

UPDATE: Time to wipe the mascara off and write about this thing for real.

There's this Chinese game show where two people look at an extremely pixelated digital image that is gradually getting better and better resolution, and the first person to guess what it's a picture of wins. Tracking Marnie Stern's output chronologically is kind of like playing that game, and Chronicles of Marnia is where the photo finally comes into view.

I guess it might be easy to write this off as Stern's 'normie' ... read more

How high is the bar set with Joanna Newsom that Divers is considered to be a disappointment by some in her fanbase??

The biggest thing going against this album is that it's just that: an album - not a three-disc American songbook epic, not a five-track baroque pop masterclass whose shortest song is over seven minutes - just a standard eleven-track album. For some, this already reduces potential enjoyment simply because it seems less ambitious in scope. Good thing Newsom really brings it with ... read more

My office moved locations and my new lease doesn't start till October 1. It's on the other side of the state and the commute is hellish. Good prep for if I ever decide to move to LA I guess.

Anyway I had a lot of fun listening to this while stuck in endless traffic on the pike yestterday. Johnny Venus and Doctur Dot are clearly still honing their craft but bring a lot of great ideas to the table. The Outkast comparisons escape me since what made Outkast great was the juxtaposition of Andre's ... read more

Have a sore throat this morning from screaming along to this at her concert last night along with the entirety of greater Boston area Stan Twitter.

If I’m being honest, this is one of the only songs from Eden I’d consider to be a Tier 1 Cupcakke track. The flow is focused and consistent - honestly there are times I think her braggadocious songs can eclipse the raunchy tracks she’s known for. I’m not sure if it was ever confirmed whether or not someone from PC Music had ... read more

The worst part is this is a pretty interesting concept that could have come out way better if more effort was put into the structuring, production, and composition. Producer Boiling Energy brings a few good ideas, but the mix job needs a lot of work. Banks's vocals are at times way too loud, way too quiet, or needing to be scrapped entirely.

There are fleeting moments where her flow is original, innovative, and even funny ("Gay! Gay! Gay!" she yells at one point, describing DL men), ... read more

One of her most underrated singles. I love the sharp strings and grand, strutting drums are that make me want to model-walk around the house when no one's home. There's also just so much power commanded in the minor-key verses that makes the melt into the gorgeous emotional chorus even more rewarding. The sentiment of the song is tried and true (plus a little depressing now since it's probably about Kendu) but gosh I can feel the sincerity.

Turns out he 100% ruined this song.

"Bad Year" has been my theme song for the entirety of 2019 tbh.

Fun if somewhat generic indie rock album for people who can't do anything but laugh at their predicaments. Fans of earlier Broken Social Scene will enjoy.

Now it's time for her to seal the deal and do a comeback performance of these songs on SNL.

因为我的老板不说英语，所以我学了跟简单的汉语为了跟他交流。虽然我觉得我没有合适的词汇为了形容这样的音乐，但是为了欢迎我们的从中国来的歌迷，我会尽量用中文评价这个专辑。这是我自己写的，没有谷歌翻译的帮助。

这是Lana Del Rey第五个专辑（如果你包括“Lizzy ... read more

I remember in 2013-2014 there seemed to be an unspoken arms race between Azealia Banks, Iggy Azalea, and Angel Haze about who was going to get their record out first. The task seemed impossible - with Nicki still at her imperial phase and the prevailing narrative about female rappers being that there was "only room for one" (as hip-hop critic Elizabeth Mendez-Berry put it - let's get embedded links on this site!), record labels had especially high expectations for up-and-coming ... read more