#Lamar Abrams

[matt0044]

In regards to Steven Universe's "racism" problem, it's important to note that the co-creator of SU is Ian Jones Quartley, a black man, who also co-created the characters of Sugilite and Bismuth with Lamar Abrams, another black man.

Funny how Lily never brings up Quartley or Abrams when demonizing Rebecca Sugar as this "racist Nazi sympathizer".

Well, Lily's weird mentality here isn't an isolated incident. It's often the basis of a lot of fandom harassment be it to a whole creative team or just the creator/showrunner. Even when it's within a franchise subject to the whims of corporate oversight.

I made a post about it here: https://matt0044.tumblr.com/post/765687831922425856/the-showrunning-scapegoat-a-troubling-fandom

That's not even getting into Lily leveraging the whole "white people can't write people of color" mentality onto Rebecca Sugar to discredit her. Yes, there are social factor that give white writers more than a few stumbling blocks in crafting character not like their ethnicity.

Except that people of color did have a say on Steven Universe AND that Estelle, a very famous singer and Garnet's actress, gave her input too. There was communication and consultation here. But Lily just can't let go of her grudge.

[lapislazulis-oceanroom23]

"Same old world"

[supergraphicgirl81]

The Rise and Fall of a Tumblr Princess⋆⭒˚.

Kit ! - She/Her, 21, Scorpio

Harry Lewis sun, Oscar Piastri moon, Chappell Roan rising ⋆｡°✩

Important Links!

⋆｡°✩ Favorite Edits - My fav edits of my favs

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⋆｡°✩ Destiny Is Calling Me - Oscar Piastri x Reader

✩ Asks - You can ask me anything, rant about everything you need to, and especially, recommend anything (I'm always looking for new things to obsess over)

✩ Current Obsessions - Formula One, Sidemen, Sturniolo Triplets, Harry Potter, Stranger Things, Lab Rats, Hunger Games, TSITP, Aftersun, and New Girl.

✩ Spotify Wrapped - Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, Katseye, Doechii, Gracie Abrams, Tyler The Creator, Maisie Peters, Noah Kahan, Kendrick Lamar, Le Sserafim, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, 21 Savage, Laufey, The Marias, Lorde, CharliXCX, and literally many more that's just off the top of my head.

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[folklore-barnes]

songs that defined me or i was obsessed with | 2024

take a broken heart – madeline merlo

birds of a feather – billie eilish

i love you, i'm sorry – gracie abrams

whatchu know about me – glo rilla, sexyy redd

without me – eminem

tv off – kendrick lamar, lefty gunplay

yahweh we love you – elevation worship

that's so true – gracie abrams

good luck babe – chappell roan

i had some help – post malon, morgan wallen

espresso – sabrina carpenter

traveling song – ryn weaver

you love who you love – zara larsson

a bar song (tipsy) – shaboozey

moth to a flame – the weeknd, swedish house mafia

orange show speedway – lizzy mcalpine

guilty as sin – taylor swift

montana sky – jonas brothere

so american – olivia rodrigo

i know the end – phoebe bridgers

girl you know it's true – milli vanilli

blowing smoke – gracie abrams

sol del sur – sun room

runnin' – elevation worship

phoenix – big red machine, fleet foxes, anaïs mitchell

juno – sabrina carpenter

the real slim shady – eminem

fortnight – taylor swift, post malone

playing with the boys – kenny loggins

apple – charli xcx

guy for that – post malone, luke combs

chiquitita – abba

speechless – lady gaga

left hand free – alt-j

make a way – elevation worship

pretty boy – léon

what don't belong to me – post malone

motion sickness – phoebe bridgers

block me out – gracie abrams

head over heels – tears for fears

looking for love – the strike

when i kissed the teacher – abba

por el contrario – becky g, leonardo & angela aguilar

un verano sin ti – bad bunny

cola – lana del rey

dirty diana – michael jackson

i'm gonna miss you – milli vanilli

blame it on the rain – milli vanilli

happy for you – dua lipa

por si las dudas – gale & lagos

born with a broken heart – damiano david

escapism. (live at royal albert hall) – raye, the heritage orchestra

lie to me – noguidnce

home sweet home – bigbang

not like us – kendrick lamar

hot to go! – chappell roan

california love – tupac, roger troutman, dr. dre

shop around – smokey robinson & the miracles

sloop john b – the beach boys

all too well 10 minute version – taylor swift

[theweirdkidinside03]

Tate McRae's 2 hands remained on top of Countdown Top 40 for the third week in a row

2 hands - Tate McRae

Squabble Up - Kendrick Lamar

청바지 - BSS (SEVENTEEN)

Drive - SZA

PUSH 2 START - Tyla

That’s So True (Official Lyric Video) - Gracie Abrams

Winter Ahead (With Park Hyo Shin) - V

No Doubt - ENHYPEN

Walkin' On Water - Stray Kids

APT. - ROSÉ & Bruno Mars

Hey Hello - Peder Elias & CHA EUN-WOO

Heart of Gold - Shawn Mendes

Line Without A Hook - Ricky Montgomery

Smile - Morgan Wallen

Hello Miss Johnson - Jack Harlow

toxic till the end - ROSÉ

I Think They Call This Love - Elliot James Reay

Bad Dreams - Teddy Swims

DENIAL IS A RIVER - Doechii

Paradise - PSYCHIC FEVER

Somebody Else’s - Gwen Stefani

Two Faced - Linkin Park

Doctor! Doctor! - ZEROBASEONE

Die With A Smile - Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars

ALL MY LOVE - Coldplay

The Line - Twenty One Pilots

Messy - Lola Young

Heaven II - Julia Michaels

Power - G-DRAGON

ZEN - JENNIE

It Hurts - Culture Wars

São Paulo (feat. Anitta) - The Weeknd

Residuals - Chris Brown

Snake - Nora Fatehi & Jason Derulo

GBP - Central Cee & 21 Savage

Joyride - Kesha

CHOOSE UR FIGHTER - JoJo Siwa

number one girl - ROSÉ

夜晚的寧靜 (feat. nishina) - indigo la End

Pretty Slowly - Benson Boone

[freshthoughts2020]

[chloetomlinson]

hii i’ve been on here for so long but i’ve never really made any moots so if you see this please follow so we can be friends omg 🙈🙈

the #s are all of my obsessions!!

[sound-bored]

January Hit Round-Up

Defining a Hit

Here, a Hit is defined as a song which has:

entered the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100,

previously been in the top 20 and stayed on or returned to the Hot 100 in the relevant month, or

met or exceeded twelve weeks charting in the Hot 100 in the relevant month, regardless of if those weeks are consecutive.

For January, there is a bit of a skew, as the first week of the year contained a top 20 mostly filled with Christmas songs. I am not particularly interested in reviewing Christmas songs, so the top twenty non-Christmas songs on the chart were pulled.

Taste is subjective.

I may call your favorite song Skipworthy, or may miss it entirely, but that is not in an attempt to change your mind or denigrate the artist. The opinion will be expressed and explained, but it is only an opinion, and is intended to spark conversation and critical thinking.

Shrugworthy

Die With A Smile - Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars

While this song has been at the top of the charts all month, it is frankly mediocre at best. The tambres of the vocalists do not mesh well — Bruno Mars’ performance is the silky, retro-inspired kind the public has grown used to from him, while Lady Gaga’s vocals are brash and wide as she tries to match Mars, leaning on none of her strengths. Their delivery is also wrong for the lyrical content — to Lady Gaga’s credit, she gives a more varied performance, but she is often trying to match Bruno Mars, who is usually singing full out. The orchestration is big, but lacks lushness, intimacy, or novelty. The song does a fair job at communicating the intensity of an apocalypse, but the audience strains to believe these two performers are singing to each other, and therefore fails to communicate its central theme — choosing to spend your last moments with someone you love. The song also overstays its welcome, feeling every one of its four-minute run time. Three Stars

I Had Some Help - Post Malone ft. Morgan Wallen - F-1 Trillion

It feels like the pair forgot the famous phrase: “It takes two to tango” and then spent three hours trying to smash words together to get the same meaning. Also, Post Malone simply does not read as a credible country singer, although his vibrado is doing a lot of leg work to try to get him there. Three Stars

Dum, Dumb, and Dumber - Lil Baby, Young Thug, & Future

There are so many lines which anyone not tuned into rap culture would find inscrutable, and the rapid succession of their delivery would require an unfamiliar listener to pause to figure out what they could mean. The composition of the rest of the track amounts to merely wallpaper. Three Stars

Lose Control - Teddy Swims - I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy

This song is an embodiment of the idea of R&B without any of the interesting texture, with lyrics that are often baffling and contradictory, and a little off-meter. Three Stars

Million Dollar Baby - Tommy Richman

A song which feels like an accidental novelty song. The mix is too heavy, but the synth is nice (when you can hear it). The lyrics are practically nonsense. Three Stars

I Love You, I’m Sorry - Gracie Abrams - The Secret of Us

A melodramatic track about a relationship turned sour, though it is cogently written. Unfortunately, Abrams wears her influences on her sleeve a bit too much, obviously imitating Phoebe Bridgers on this track. The lyric layering at the end of the song doesn’t work to add more meaning to the song, and so just turns to noise. Two and a Half Stars

Beautiful Things - Benson Boone - Fireworks & Rollerblades

This song helpfully shows the audience what the Lumineers would be like if they were bad and also churchy, and trying to be punk, but only 20% of the time, and it was shrill and terrible. Ultimately, it’s rather unpleasant to listen to. Two and a Half Stars

Stargazing - Myles Smith

A Mumford & Sons and Coldplay conversion that is less than the sum of its parts. Myles Smith is obviously a very new songwriter, relying heavily on quarter notes and stepwise motion to create a song that immediately fades from memory. Two and a Half Stars

Wind Up Missin’ You - Tucker Wetmore

Something terrible is happening in country music where writers seem to think that choruses have to have a punchlines, even if they don’t know how to write punchlines that make sense. Also, “The kind of boys you're probably done with their dumb shit, yeah” is not a whole thought or sentence or anything. Remarkably, Wetmore’s delivery sounds like if Luke Bryan were a goose with a mouth full of bees. Two and a Half Stars

Skipworthy

Guy for That - Post Malone ft. Luke Combs - F-1 Trillion

An egregious failure to set the story, this song offers far more questions than answers. Are they trying to engage romantically with this woman they’re talking about, or set her up with someone else? Is she an ex? Why do they care so much? Couldn’t they have spoken about their own aptitudes for fixing things, instead of Ol’ Johnny at the liquor store? Just a very strange set of decisions that amount to a baffling product. One and a Half Stars

That’s So True - Gracie Abrams - The Secret of Us (Deluxe)

The point of this song is messy and muddled, bordering on inscrutable, with a few interesting, coherent, and fun lines that show this could have been a real gem with some more effort. Production-wise, it is also strange. The vocal doubling in the first verse is a confusing choice, and undermines the introduction of harmony that starts in the prechorus. As it stands, the lyrics are juvenile, the composition is weak, and the end product is a mess. One and a Half Stars

High Road - Koe Wetzel & Jessie Murph

This is a song which has the main function of being “technically music”. Both Koe Wetzel and Jessie Murph have voices which are grating on their own, and get worse together, and the message of the song is just horrible and bitter. One and a Half Stars

Timeless - The Weeknd & Playboi Carti - Hurry Up Tomorrow

! Content Warning: Self-Harm !

This track gives me auditory fatigue by the end of its run time. Hookless, chorusless, meandering, and boring, with a painful mix where the highs are too hot on the snare, and the harmful and purposeless suggestion of self-harm, this song deserves to immediately drop off the charts. One Star

Lies Lies Lies - Morgan Wallen

This song is simply a failure of songwriting. “Hard heartbreaks are hard to break”? Are you twelve years old? There’s also a layer of new potential meaning that is added when you repeat words in a song or in poetry, and Wallen seems to not know that or not care. He should probably work with better a songwriting team. One Star

25 - Rod Wave - Last Lap

A weak piano beat with a chipmunk sample as the foundation for a meandering waste of time, with an “I’m not like other guys and you’re not like other girls” energy. It’s only three minutes long, but it feels twice its length. One Star

It’s ok I’m ok - Tate McRae

The beat is heavy, electric, and plastic. Tate McRae’s soprano on this track sounds like a synth used by the Black Eyed Peas in the mid to late aughts, and her delivery elsewhere is not well suited. Ultimately, there are plenty of better songs that tackle this same concept. One Star

No Pole - Don Toliver - Love Sick (Deluxe)

Don Toliver raps some of the grossest, most demeaning lyrics I’ve ever heard said about a woman over a beat that is the track’s only saving grace, but fails to be equal to the artists that clearly inspired it. One Star

Spinworthy

luther - Kendrick Lamar & SZA - GNX

Kendrick Lamar shows incredible versatility on this track. He and SZA have excellent chemistry and play off each other very well. It’s rare to hear Kendrick sing for a whole song, and his voice is warm and conversational and meshes easily with SZA’s low-key, smokey vocal stylings. The sampling is well used, well placed, and narratively and musically effective, and the beat is supportive but stays out of the way of the performers. The rest of the orchestration is lush and inviting, with a whole that honors the tradition and reaches beyond. Five Stars

BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT

Billie’s vocal control has improved dramatically since her debut, and she shows it off here, as she oscillates between her breathy midrange, her sharp belt, and her smooth soprano. Her melodic choices are very true to her, while being catchy and unique, and stacking well with each other. The ad libs in particular stand out, usually a seeming afterthought or space filler for other artists, which Billie Eilish uses to their fullest and most impressive extent without going overboard. While the last line of the chorus rings a bit awkward, the lyrics of this song are generally very poetic, romantic, and mature. The composition is unique among her discography, with surprising instrumentation and an upbeat tempo lead by a tambourine which compliments Eilish’s vocals beautifully. Overall, it is a pleasant and exciting listen that I’m sure we’ll be hearing ’til the day we die. Five Stars

Espresso - Sabrina Carpenter - Short n’ Sweet

Sabrina Carpenter taps into an effortless, carefree songwriting style, where she writes lines that are, at face, quite silly, but work in the context of the song — especially since she seems not to take it too seriously — while still giving an electric vocal performance. The idea of attraction being like caffeination is also a unique twist on an old trope. It’s always enjoyable to hear her having fun with her music, and it feels like all the lyrics were chosen because they made someone laugh. Five Stars

Too Sweet - Hozier - Unheard

Hozier’s voice is obviously gorgeous — his vocal control and delivery are nothing to sneeze at, and his falsetto is as bright and full as the rest of his voice. More than that though, the lyrics of this song are consistent to the theme, witty and clever, and stick in your head, supported greatly by Hozier’s dynamic performance. It’s practically a quintessential great song. Five Stars

squabble up - Kendrick Lamar - GNX

Admittedly, this song did not immediately resonate for me the way that some of Kendrick Lamar’s other tracks did, despite recognizing it as good — great even. Luckily, there was plenty of time to sit with it over the course of the month. It is a fun, upbeat, funny song with a complex application of its sample, and takes much of the ideological groundwork of Not Like Us and euphoria and builds a monolith on that foundation. Five Stars

Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan

Chappell Roan puts her out-of-this-world vocal control and impeccable range on full display in this song, and manages to channel the pain of heartbreak, the joy of queerness, and the pettiness of an “I told you so” all at once into a truly mesmerizing track which sparkles and delights from start to finish. Five Stars

Not Like Us - Kendrick Lamar

In euphoria, Kendrick Lamar told Drake he liked Back to Back, and then he Back to Back-ed Drake twice, delivering truly the final blow with a song that is unimpeachable. Every aspect is perfect — the beat, the flow, the lyrics, the memorable jabs at Drake, everything. It is truly no wonder that it earned Song of the Year. Five Stars

Please Please Please - Sabrina Carpenter - Short n’ Sweet

Sabrina Carpenter’s delivery in the verses is generally conversational, in contrast to the smooth, polished delivery on the chorus and bridge, mirroring the message of the song. The instrumentation on this track is a highlight — especially the synth line and the perfect use of the vibraslap. Not to mention that the song modulates like four times — a quite rare occurrence on a pop song. Five Stars

Think I’m In Love With You - Chris Stapleton - Higher

Country music sensibilities fit really nicely with that of retro blues rock, and I’m so glad Stapleton is using those stylings in this track. He displays his dynamic vocal control over a song with a gorgeous, stand-out guitar tone and a tasteful organ. Overall, this song is an instant classic that feels like it’s been here forever. Five Stars

Apple - Charli xcx - brat

Charli xcx uses electro-dance hyper pop for more than just shock or fun on this track. There’s so much complication and emotional nuance that is communicated more through the instrumentation than the lyrics. It could have been twice as long and I would have still been happy to listen. Five Stars

tv off - Kendrick Lamar ft. Lefty Gunplay - GNX

GNX is full to bursting with powerful, melodic, impactful songs about the culture of popular music in general and rap and hip hop specifically. Kendrick Lamar rolls through styles and deliveries in the way only he can, and seems concerned that while he may have won the battle, there is a greater war with the nature of entertainment. Four and a Half Stars

APT. - ROSÉ & Bruno Mars - rosie

A fun blend of 90’s and early aughts pop with k-pop sensibilities topped off with a surprisingly good guest star — although Mars’ verse is more than a little awkward as he doesn’t share ROSÉ’s strengths and versatility. Overall, it’s not breaking any new ground but it is an enjoyable listen. Four and a Half Stars

BMF - SZA - SOS Deluxe: LANA

A generally enjoyable and upbeat tune. The interpolation on “The Girl From Ipanema” is an odd choice, with lyrics that don’t quite fit the meter. The line about panties is also strangely juvenile for SZA, a decision that clearly could have been avoided, considering the very good secondary chorus at the end of the song. Four and a Half Stars

Sticky - Tyler, the Creator ft. GloRilla, Sexyy Red, & Lil Wayne - Chromakopia

With a beat that kicks you into the ground (once it kicks in), horns that seem to sound terrible on purpose, and a stable of collaborators who came to celebrate, this song seems like it was designed to soundtrack the moment of triumph for Chromakopia. While some of the creative decisions don’t quite sit for me, like leaving the beat out for so long, the briefness of the guest verses, and Sexyy Red’s verse in general, the overall result is an incredibly enjoyable song that is sure to stick in your mind. Four and a Half Stars

BAILE INoLVIDABLE - Bad Bunny - DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS

Though much is lost in the language barrier, Bad Bunny still manages to communicate a celebration of culture, both the culture of Puerto Rico, and that of hip hop, through the universal language of music. It’s a very jazzy tune, with its call and response and general instrumentation — including a section of truly shitty (in a good way!) trumpets, and one excellent trumpet soloist. Four and a Half Stars

NUEVAYoL - Bad Bunny - DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS

The newest album from Bad Bunny opens with a bang: a song which borrows bossa nova instrumentation and dembow traditions, and mixes it with the artist’s own sonic innovations — and plenty of beat changes — to create a song with boundless energy. The beat is infectious, the sample is perfectly used, and the delivery is impactful. The ending is a little weak though, and it feels like it wants to circle back to the chorus, which it definitely could have done, as the song is only around three minutes in length. Four and Half Stars

St. Chroma - Tyler, the Creator ft. Daniel Caesar - Chromakopia

A song written in movements, and acts as a thesis statement for the album. The almost gospel choir style of the chorus contrasts starkly with the stage-whispered delivery of the first verse and the bombastic stomp-beat nature of the second for a wildly varied experience in a very short period. Four and a Half Stars

Like Him - Tyler, the Creator ft. Lola Young - Chromakopia

While as a single, the topic is initially confusing — primarily due to the “big di—” comment in the intro — the overall track is excellent, thoughtful, creative, and heartbreaking, following Tyler, the Creator as he grapples with his absent father as part of his identity. It ends with an intimate, confessional moment from his mother that is truly gut-wrenching and tear-jerking. Four and a Half Stars

Juno - Sabrina Carpenter - Short n’ Sweet

This song has an energetic beat and showcases Sabrina Carpenter’s fun, dynamic vocal delivery. There’s something that sounds like a mandolin in the mix, which is a nice touch. The bridge is probably the most uncomfortable part, but leads into an incredible guitar solo, with an incredibly cool guitar tone. The song simply has an infectious charm that leaves a smile on your face. Four and a Half Stars

I Never Lie - Zach Top - Cold Beer & Country Music

A genuinely good song, competently composed, with clever lyrics and interesting delivery, even if it is primarily a pastiche of 90s country classics. What I wonder for Zach Top is what he personally adds to the music he makes, and what makes it his, as his personal identity is lost in this track. Four and a Half Stars

[popmusic101]

2024: Year in Review

A total of nineteen songs hit #1 this year! That's seven more than in 2023, so a bit more variation and movement on the charts this year.

‘Die With A Smile’ spent the most time in the top spot, lasting a total of nine weeks, with 'APT.’ spending the second longest amount of time at seven (non-consecutive) weeks.

As you'd expect, given that 'Die With A Smile' and 'APT.' were the two longest charting tracks, Bruno Mars, who appears on both, managed an impressive sixteen weeks in the #1 spot. Lady Gaga and Rosé, Mars' two co-singers are the runners up, with nine weeks and seven weeks at #1 respectively.

Aside from Bruno Mars, Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish both also achieved two separate #1 singles this year with 'Not Like Us' and 'Luther' for Lamar, and 'Birds of a Feather' and 'Guess' for Eilish.

Surprisingly the gender split of the artists to reach #1 in 2024 was pretty equal with eleven men and eleven women (note, I am including featured artists here). The men spent 39 weeks in the #1 spot while women spent 32 weeks, so fairly close all in all.

Of the nineteen #1 singles this year, eighteen of them were from solo artists (or two solo artists singing together), while Wham! was the only group to achieve a #1. And admittedly, Wham! are just a duo, so no bigger bands actually had a #1 hit which is a bit of a surprise. Do listeners prefer solo artists and/or duos now, or will we see more actual bands at the top of the charts in 2025?

My personal rankings of the 2024 #1’s are:

Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us

Benson Boone - Beautiful Things

Tommy Richman - Million Dollar Baby

Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga - Die With A Smile

Ariana Grande - We Can't Be Friends

Billie Eilish - Birds of a Feather

YG Marley - Praise Jah in the Moonlight

Beyonce - Texas Hold Em

Hozier - Too Sweet

Jack Harlow - Lovin On Me

Gracie Abrams - That's So True

Rosé and Bruno Mars - APT.

Sabrina Carpenter - Please Please Please

Kendrick Lamar and SZA - Luther

Eminem - Houdini

Wham! - Last Christmas

Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You

Charli XCX - Guess (feat. Billie Eilish)

Taylor Swift - Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)

A few more fun facts: Teddy Swims' 'Lose Control' spent the most time on the charts without reaching #1. In 2024 it spent a crazily impressive fifty-two (out of fifty-three weeks total) in the charts and peaked at #3.

After that Sabrina Carpenter's 'Espresso' which was arguably the song of the summer (figuratively speaking given our southern hemisphere) spent thirty-five weeks on the charts without reaching #1, peaking at #2.

Shaboozey's 'Bar Song (Tipsy)', Noah Kahan's 'Stick Season', Post Malone's 'I Had Some Help' (feat. Morgan Wallen), Chappell Roan's 'Good Luck Babe!', Dasha's 'Austin', and Djo's 'End of Beginning' were all also major 2024 songs that couldn't quite reach the #1 spot.

Taylor Swift's 'Cruel Summer' is an unusual case where the song was initially released in 2019, peaking at #20 on the charts. However it spent thirty-nine weeks in the 2024 charts, peaking at #7 (although it peaked at #3 in 2023 where it also spent many many weeks in the charts). In my opinion it's one of Swift's best songs and deserved to reach #1, far more so than the dire 'Fortnight'. If 'Cruel Summer' had been a #1, I would have honestly rated it at an easy #2 on my rankings of the years #1's, second only to Kendrick's 'Not Like Us'.

Anyway, that's a lot of rambling. Let's all hope for some great new #1's in 2025! Happy New Year!

[nitramaraho]

I feel like Speyside by Bon Iver and That's So True by Gracie Abrams were played more than reflected in my rankings but c'est la vie

Forever and Ever Amen by Josh Turner and Randy Travis cracking top 5 was unexpected but that song is an absolute bop so makes sense. John Mayer hasn't put out an album in 3 years but still top 5, I don't think he's been out of my personal top 5 any year since I started tracking listens in 2006.

Short n' Sweet was the pop album of the summer to me - loved everything about it.

[lapislazulis-oceanroom23]

We are the Crystal gems!!

[tkstarss]

(this is in no particular order)

[theweirdkidinside03]

Doechii ruled this week's Countdown Top 40 for the first time with DENIAL IS A RIVER

DENIAL IS A RIVER - Doechii

청바지 - BSS (SEVENTEEN)

Hey Hello - Peder Elias & CHA EUN-WOO

Bad Dreams - Teddy Swims

Drive - SZA

Abracadabra - Lady Gaga

BORN AGAIN (feat. Doja Cat & RAYE) - LISA

Squabble Up - Kendrick Lamar

Smile - Morgan Wallen

toxic till the end - ROSÉ

Pink Pony Club - Chappell Roan

Paradise - PSYCHIC FEVER

Doctor! Doctor! - ZEROBASEONE

Open Hearts - The Weeknd

Line Without A Hook - Ricky Montgomery

That’s So True (Official Lyric Video) - Gracie Abrams

Messy - Lola Young

Fat Juicy & Wet - Sexxy Red & Bruno Mars

No Doubt - ENHYPEN

2 hands - Tate McRae

It Hurts - Culture Wars

Residuals - Chris Brown

Revolving door - Tate McRae

Call Me When You Break Up - Selena Gomezx, benny blanco & Gracie Abrams

Love Hangover - JENNIE & Dominic Fike

ExtraL - JENNIE & Doechii

夜晚的寧靜 (feat. nishina) - indigo la End

APT. - ROSÉ & Bruno Mars

Tidal Wave - Nickelback

Chasing Paradise - Kygo & OneRepublic

PUSH 2 START - Tyla

Winter Ahead (With Park Hyo Shin) - V

High Fashion - Addison Rae

GBP - Central Cee & 21 Savage

Hello Miss Johnson - Jack Harlow

Walkin’ On Water - Stray Kids

Die With A Smile - Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars

I Think They Call This Love - Elliot James Reay

Heart of Gold - Shawn Mendes

The Line - Twenty One Pilots

[sinceileftyoublog]

Joshua Abrams & The Natural Information Society Community Ensemble, Zosha Warpeha Live Show Review: 2/20, Constellation, Chicago

The Natural Information Society Community Ensemble

BY JORDAN MAINZER

A year ago from last Thursday, I saw a Frequency Festival show at Constellation consisting of local mainstays and the rare Chicago appearance of an NYC-based string duo. Last Thursday followed a similar formula, though the number of members of the New York act was halved, while that of the Windy City heroes was multiplied by four-and-a-half. With normal participant Mikel Patrick Avery out of town, Joshua Abrams & The Natural Information Society Community Ensemble--a drum-less lineup (!)--premiered a new piece made for Peter Margasak's annual celebration of experimental music, purportedly entitled Make Shift Real Now.

From left to right: Jason Stein, Ben LaMar Gay, Jason Adasiewicz

Like Since Time Is Gravity (eremite), the 2023 album billed to the Community Ensemble, Abrams' and company's new work unfurled in jazz harmony, rhythm, and soloing, hypnotizing in the sum of its parts rather than through instant drones. The performance forewent a sonic and even visual democracy (when Abrams picked up his double bass, he towered over everyone) for divergent elements, challenging you to make something steady out of them. Reed instruments swelled simultaneously--Jason Stein's bass clarinet and Edward Wilkerson's saxophone, for instance--only to be interrupted by atonality. Jason Adasiewicz's vibraphones offered grooves and syncopation. The band at times descended into free mallet percussion and squeaking woodwinds, but remained loose all the while. Don't get me wrong: The set was still enrapturing and transcendent. Watching Natural Information Society feels a bit like having your memory wiped, Men In Black-style, as you're unable to describe specifics of what you just witnessed. Should Make Shift Real Now be released as a recording, I can't wait to dig into it and try to figure out exactly how Natural Information Society continue to snag me, whether through spellbinding consistency or all-encompassing noise.

Adasiewicz

Zosha Warpeha

Opening, and performing for the first time in Chicago, was Brooklyn-via-Minnesota composer Zosha Warpeha. She plays the hardanger d’amore, a fiddle with five bowed strings and five sympathetic strings (strings that aren't touched but vibrate when activated by bowed tones). Warpeha makes music within the realm of Nordic folk and free improvisation, imbuing her spontaneous playing with voice. Last year, she released her debut album silver dawn (Relative Pitch), recorded over two days and inspired by nature, light, the smallest specks of existence, and the space they take up no matter their size. On Thursday, the echo caused by the thuds of her bow created worlds of texture, while the tactile scratches of her fiddling yielded a sense of fragility and survival. Alongside her wordless vocal harmonies, Warpeha stomped, resulting in a swaying beat that felt like a keen, the wisps of her breaths becoming one with the light abrasions of her strings. Her circular bow motion generated walls of sound, and she skillfully awoke you from mesmerism via the occasional out-of-place string pluck or full stop. As silver dawn scrutinizes the ultimate power of fleeting moments, Warpeha's set was both made up of nanoseconds in time and its own evanescent entity, in conversation with and belying centuries of tradition.

[dovebuffy92]

My Ranking of Taylor Swift Collab Songs

Florida!!! (Featuring Florence + The Machine)

I Bet You Think About Me (Featuring Chris Stapleton)

Exile (Featuring Bon Iver)

The Last Time (Featuring Gary Lightbody)

Safe & Sound (Featuring The Civil Wars)

Everything Has Changed (Featuring Ed Sheeran)

End Game (Featuring Ed Sheeran & Future)

Run (Featuring Ed Sheeran)

I Don't Want to Live Forever (Featuring ZAYN)

Electric Touch (Featuring Fall Out Boy)

Ed Sheeran - The Joker & The Queen (Featuring Taylor Swift)

Sugarland - Babe (Featuring Taylor Swift)

Evermore (Featuring Bon Iver)

Coney Island (Featuring The National)

Big Red Machine - Renegade (Featuring Taylor Swift)

The National - The Alcott (Featuring Taylor Swift)

Me! (Featuring Brendon Urie)

Bad Blood (Featuring Kendrick Lamar)

Castles Crumbling (Featuring Hayley Williams)

That's When (Featuring Keith Urban)

Nothing New (Featuring Phoebe Bridgers)

Breathe (Featuring Colbie Caillat)

Karma (Featuring Ice Spice)

Gracie Abrams - Us (Featuring Taylor Swift)

You All Over Me (Featuring Maren Morris)

Fortnight (Featuring Post Malone)

B.o.B song - Both of Us (Featuring Taylor Swift)

Snow Patrol (Featuring Lana Del Ray)

No Body No Crime ( Featuring HAIM)

[folklore-barnes]

tunes i'm currently obsessed wit | dec '24 playlist

you can expect just about anything on this playlist

THAT'S SO TRUE // GRACIE ABRAMS

THE SMALLEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED // TAYLOR SWIFT

BORN WITH A BROKEN HEART // DAMIANO DAVID

DANCING IN THE FLAMES // THE WEEKND

BIRDS OF A FEATHER // BILLIE EILISH

COWBOY TAKE ME AWAY // THE CHICKS

MERCEDES CAROTA // BAD BUNNY, YOVNGCHIMI

HOME SWEET HOME // G DRAGON (FEAT. BIGBANG)

WHATCHU KNOW ABOUT ME // GLO RILLA, SEXYY RED

JUNO // SABRINA CARPENTER

GUY FOR THAT // POST MALONE, LUKE COMBS

CHERRY BLOSSOM // KACEY MUSGRAVES

GIRL YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE // MILLI VANILLI

SHOP AROUND // SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES

BETTER // GRACIE ABRAMS

ESCAPISM LIVE FROM ROYAL ABERT HALL // RAYE

NOT LIKE US // KENDRICK LAMAR

TV OFF // KENDRICK LAMAR, LEFTY GUNPLAY

POR SI LAS DUDAS // GALE, LAGOS

FAITH // THE WEEKND

TIS THE DAMN SEASON // TAYLOR SWIFT

LA FIESTA DE PILITO // EL GRAN COMBO DE PUERTO RICO

SLIDE // DOECHII