#Music Journalism

[caitlinsinterlude]

jeff buckley in an interview about bob dylan writing for nina simone. bob dylan’s wrote sad-eyed lady about sara.

[soundslivemagazine]

The music industry has a funding problem

Earlier this month, Newcastle-based indie singersongwriter Sam Fender released his fourth studio album, People Watching, and embarked on a week of media duties talking about what influenced the new album. In an interview with the Sunday Times, Fender talked about his working class upbringing, and how difficult it was for an artist without a moneyed background to make it in the music industry today.

Sam Fender. Hannah Victoria Kenyon for Strong Island.

“The music industry is 80 percent, 90 percent kids who are privately educated,” he said. “A kid from where I’m from [North Shields, Newcastle, UK] can’t afford to tour, so there are probably thousands writing songs that are ten times better than mine, poignant lyrics about the country, but they will not be seen because it’s rigged.”

It was like a lit match to tinder. Many artists spoke up confirming that they were currently facing challenges staying afloat in the music industry despite hitting many of the milestones that traditionally looked like success in the music industry. Many talked about how funds were the main things separating them from their peers who had ‘made it’. Many others have talked about how money has hindered them from taking steps that would greatly advance their music careers.

Beloved artists like Little Simz and Rachel Chinouriri have over the last few years had to cancel international tours that would never add up for an independent artist without the backing of a major label, or great personal expenses. Songwriter Kate Nash, who was in the news recently for turning to OnlyFans to sell pictures of arse to fund her upcoming tour in a campaign she called ‘Butts For Tour Buses’, estimated that the production cost of each show she puts on a single night, costs her about $10,000. A cost even half of that would be devastating to a kid starting out in music with no savings.

Little Simz. Dave J. Hogan/Getty Images

There is another aspect to this discussion. Last week, British indie songwriter Ellie Dixon was asked on her social media about the phrase ‘industry plant’, a highly contentious word meant to indicate that an artist has not authentically reached the level of success they are at, and instead owe it all to some undisclosed industry connections that were allowing them access to avenues of career growth unfairly.

On surface level, this would seem to be something that only adds to the woes of independent, hard-working musicians, once again locked out of opportunities that should’ve rightfully been theirs if only some golden child with the right connections hadn’t swooped in and snatched their livelihood right out of their hands. In reality, who and what this ‘industry plant’ really is, is less clear. Often, it is used as a catch-all phrase to indicate that you don’t think someone deserves the plaudits they are receiving. But whether or not a certain kind of music is inherently deserving of success or not can only ever be a matter of subjective taste, and so something as concrete as having insider connections, becomes a matter of opinion where stylistic preferences become equated with worth, and the word loses all meaning.

Rolling Stone magazine, in a recent article defending the rising rap star Doechii, wrote a good piece about how the phrase is being misused to discredit artists who have put in all the work themselves over the years, only to be unfairly torn down by people’s fundamental misunderstanding of the phrase.

Doechii receives her Grammy for Best Rap Album. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy.

Money in music is a really important conversation to have, namely in that it is simply not possible to sustain a career in this (or any) industry without it, and that artists, the backbone of the industry, have seen increasingly diminishing returns on it. We find ourselves returning to the music industry of old, where as rents go up and incomes for independent artists dry up, many musicians find that it makes sense for them to rely on traditional record label deals.

This has been enough for many people to start lobbing the accusations of ‘industry plant’, somehow mistaking having a label put any investment into an artist as some sort of insideous and undeserved, unfair advantage, as if the music industry was exclusively meant to be run from bedrooms of one and from behind YouTube and TikTok accounts.

If anything, artist development is only a recently neglected area by labels, opting to let artists themselves be the creators, marketers, publicists, cinematographers, bookers, promoters, merch and poster graphic designers and much more, all on that lucrative label budget of $0.00.

Who can afford to do all that? An artist that can either afford not to have a full-time job outside of their self-employed music career, or someone who can afford to pay others.

Which brings me back to the discussion about wealth in music. Sam Fender was completely right when he spoke out about how hard it is for working class artists to break through. The Dublin-based singer CMAT (incidentally, on tour supporting Fender at the moment) talked about how she wanted to write a guide on how working class musicians can make it in this treacherous industry, because to realise that everyone living your dream is doing it on the back of wealth you can never cough up is quite demotivating. Working class artists slog for a decade before being recognised at the level that the backing of a label could achieve in a year, there is no hiding from this. (Also, CMAT only half-jokingly said this but she is right: rich kid music also just lacks bite. There’s an urgency and potency to working class music that genuinely holds up a mirror to society that an artist who doesn’t have to face every aspect of the world sometimes simply cannot put into words in the same way. It is absolutely crucial that we do not lose working class voices in art.)

CMAT live. Sean McMahon

So really, we need to focus less on tearing down working class artists with unfounded accusations of being ‘industry plants’, something that also seems to disproportionately be levelled at women, musicians of colour, queer artists and other marginalised communities by men who cannot understand their success, and focus more on preserving the funding and pathway programmes that have historically tried to place working class artists on the same footing as richer artists.

The problem with the music industry isn’t so-called industry plants— it’s that funding in music stays at the top while grassroots artists suffer. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek is reportedly worth 7.5 billion USD, while Canada has lost 15% of its small music venues since the beginning of 2020. The UK, where the Music Venue Trust keeps clearer track of the state of grassroots music venues, reports that the UK loses a grassroots venue every two weeks currently. When burgeoning young talent don’t have the venues to hone their talent, make their mistakes and develop their sound and stage presence, future stars are lost forever, working class or otherwise.

So good on Sam Fender. Himself a working class kid, he’s done something good for working class musicians everywhere even just by starting this important conversation with a platform as large as he has built for himself.

[eroticlamb]

Jeff Buckley's autograph, source ♡

[threeofsswords]

Excerpt from The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic by Jessica Hopper

[aeolianblues]

This year's Junos are being way more explicit about the situation of the world. It is always called 'the biggest night in Canadian music', given that it is hosted and presented by all these public bodies: the CBC, various other Canadian art councils and funding bodies, the corporate sponsorships are pretty key to putting on an event of this scale. Having it in a stadium (like the 50k kind), broadcasting it nation-wide (and possibly internationally? Idk if the Youtube or Gem streams are geo-locked), that takes money of the sort you often have to rely on the private sector for.

But Canadian artists haven't been holding back. Nemhasis has won multiple awards and has talked about waiting her whole life to see hijabi women on screen in normal settings. This as we pushback on the racist Quebec bill C-21 banning 'religious symbols' in public services (meaning of course, hijabs, turbans, etc. are banned, crosses of course are okay). She is also a Palestinian Canadian. Her literal existence seems to be offensive to some. She just made the best Canadian album of 2024.

Michael Bublé's opening speech had the line 'Canada is not for sale'. Bublé, adult contemporary staple of the moms' and Christmas record collections, is not usually known as a political man. This comes as Canada puts together a united front against Trump's affronts to our sovereignty.

Leandra Earl of The Beaches stood before the nation and said, "Ladies, Canada, I am single." This, as homophobia becomes more naked across the continent (particularly south of the border, but it's worrisome because a lot of Canada's right wing is informed by America's, about 4 years down the line).

Bbno$ (Baby No Money) is an artist who came up largely through the internet. He won the Juno TikTok fan choice award, the fan vote, in the face of much more famous pop artists like the Weeknd, Tate McRae and Shawn Mendes. His last statement of the night was 'Elon Musk is a piece of garbage' (you might think it's a softer version, but you can't swear on live TV). Max Kerman—Max Kerman of Arkells, Canada's Coldplay—echoed this statement seconds later. Arkells are the biggest, most decorated band in Canada. A wide-reaching band.

Even various dual-citizen country artists that made their big breaks by moving base to Nashville, were quick to establish how important home was to them in their speeches. It's pretty out in the open.

While I doubt a significant number of Americans were actually watching the Junos or know what they even are, these shows of support and defiance were more about sending a message to Canadians I think, about who are we: defining ourselves in opposition to the values the current American administration is pretending are 'American'. It was more about saying that we have free speech, we have tolerance (more than the US anyway, which I'd say is still true), it's about saying on national television to 40 million people that we have people that will stand up for Canadians of all strokes and that we defy any attempts to paint the culture of this country with the same colours as America's.

Which is good. Every exercise in free speech is a test of the strength of democracy. I hope like hell we hang on despite the long shadow cast by American neighbours.

[huellitaa]

bee's record player: '24 complete 🎧🎀💬

welcome back to the final edition of bee's record player in 2024! 🎀🎧💭👛🐈‍⬛️✨️

──★ ˙ ̟🎀 notice!

bee's record player will be undergoing a large format change in 2025! this issue is a preview for the next version, so enjoy...💭🐈‍⬛️

──★ ˙ ̟🎀 disclaimer

bee's record player is a simple project i enjoy writing every month and is in no way final or official. these are all my thoughts, opinions and insights that i have compiled together and are by no means definitive or final. take everything with a pinch of salt. enjoy! ♡

🎀🎧 ྀི𓂃 ࣪˖ ALBUMS OF 2024

꒰ა 🐈‍⬛️✨️ a semi-exhaustive list of all the albums released this year: ...♡

and now, in no particular order...

BRAT, charli xcx 👛𓂃 ࣪˖

released june 7th

best songs: von dutch, apple,

running time: 41 minutes 23 seconds

i genuinely think this is the most iconic album of 2024. it was such a massive thing and brat summer was so huge. we love u charli youre an icon 4ever

eternal sunshine, ariana grande 💬𓂃 ࣪˖

released march 8th

best songs: eternal sunshine, supernatural, yes, and?, the boy is mine

running time: 35 minutes 26 seconds

might be biased here cuz ive loved ari since i was little but this was my favourite release this year! id waited for so long and she did not disappoint 💕✨️

tomorrow, tomorrow x together 🍬𓂃 ࣪˖

released april 1st

best songs: deja vu, miracle, the killa

running time: 17 minutes 2 seconds

my comfort album of this year 🫶🏻🧸

short n sweet, sabrina carpenter 🧁𓂃 ࣪˖

released august 23rd

best songs: espresso, please please please, juno, good graces, dont smile

running time: 36 minutes 15 seconds

THE iconic summer '24 staple ✨️🩷

this is how tomorrow moves, beabadoobee 🐈‍⬛️ 𓂃 ࣪˖

released august 9th

best songs: take a bite, real man, california, post,

running time: 41 minutes 23 seconds

charm, clairo 👛𓂃 ࣪˖

released july 12th

best songs: juna, sexy to someone, glory of the snow

running time: 38 minutes 2 seconds

HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, billie eillish ⭐️𓂃 ࣪˖

released may 17th

best songs: birds of a feather, lunch, l'amour de ma vie, chihiro, wildflower

running time: 43 minutes 45 seconds

MEGAN, megan thee stallion 🎀𓂃 ࣪˖

released june 28th

best songs: BOA, otaku hot girl, worthy, where them girls at, spin ft. victoria monet

running time: 52 minutes

strategy, twice 🧁𓂃 ࣪˖

released december 6th

best songs: strategy ft. megan thee stallion, kiss my troubles away

running time: 20 minutes 47 seconds

ATE, stray kids 💭𓂃 ࣪˖

released july 19th

best songs: chk chk boom, mountains

running time: 23 minutes 21 seconds

sanctuary, tomorrow x together 👛𓂃 ࣪˖

released november 4th

best songs: heaven, over the moon, danger, forty one winks, resist, higher than heaven

running time: 14 minutes 52 seconds

from zero, linkin park 🧸𓂃 ࣪˖

released november 15th

best songs: the emptiness machine, good things go, from zero (intro)

running time: 31 minutes 54 seconds

CHROMAKOPIA, tyler, the creator 💭𓂃 ࣪˖

released october 28th

best songs: darling, i, like him, st chroma, rah tah tah, tomorrow

running time: 52 minutes 54 seconds

🎀🎧 ྀི𓂃 ࣪˖ 2024 MUSIC CROWNS

best artists 💬𓂃 ࣪˖

charli xcx

♡ charli xcx, of course!! she has been an absolute icon this year with brat and all the remixes and collaborations and such, brat blew up so much and is THE most iconic album of 2024 and so of course the creator of this masterpiece had to be on here too! 🩷

sabrina carpenter

♡ sabrina carpenter has been the pop princess of 2024 and her success is growing every single day. i've only been listening since emails i cant send but she has blown up so much it shocks me. espresso was a global hit and with the ongoing short n' sweet tour i think she's only going to get bigger. love u brina 💭

chappell roan

♡ chappell roan. though the only thing she released this year was good luck, babe, which was still an absolutely huge success, she has been SO iconic throughout the entirety of 2024, with all her performances and appearances, along with her tour and the success of hot to go in the summer. shes too iconic not to put up here ♡

kendrick lamar

♡ okay i don't even LISTEN to kendrick lamar and yet i KEPT hearing about him CONSTANTLY this year. his music kinda goes hard actually and that whole thing w drake as well?? honestly though hes not on my playlist i definitely think the world has heard too much about him for him not to make it up here 💬

tyler, the creator

♡ tyler the creator i feel like also deserves a mention in this list. i also kept hearing so much about him and his music is genuinely so good. chromakopia was such a massive success and all of his albums are so incredibly complex and enjoyable it would be a crime not to put him up here ♡

honourable mention 🧸𓂃 ࣪˖

though there wasn't a place for her on the leaderboard, i definitely feel ariana grande deserves a special mention, with the success of eternal sunshine and the part she played in the success of wicked in november. we love u ari ♡

best albums 🐈‍⬛️𓂃 ࣪˖ (IN ORDER)

BRAT, charli xcx

HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, billie eillish

short n' sweet, sabrina carpenter

eternal sunshine, ariana grande

cowboy carter, beyonce

songs of a lost world, the cure

best k-pop 👛𓂃 ࣪˖

i feel like kpop deserves its own little section because its so different to western music in the way of management and music output. and the winner of said section for this year has to be stray kids. with ATE in july and their new album in december, they have been touring and collaborating and going all out this year. i am more of a casual listener these days but i have not been able to stop hearing about them. they are so iconic every year but this year i cant think of anyone that tops them in all honesty 🩷✨️♡

🎀🎧 ྀི𓂃 ࣪˖ 2024 MUSIC SUMMARY

2024 was a very much pop-oriented year in the world of music, and with hyperpop being surprisingly the top genre, many conflicts were started and many bangers were made. though i can't say its been a legendary musical year, its definitely been a memorable one, and i feel next year will only continue that and take it even further. i look forward to seeing what 2025 brings for us in the music scene, and i hope you all have a beautiful new year, inside and outside of music 💬🩷🫶🏻🎀🎧⭐️

🎀🗒 note: you can see my personal music favourites from this year in this post here! ♡)

all my love, and happy 2♡25! 🎆🎀🫶🏻🩷🐈‍⬛️

[auntbibby]

is there an SCP post about Nardwuar? there definitely should be. man is a cryptid.

•somehow knows everything, back to the day they were born, about the ppl he interviews, so much so that he scares them. will literally ask ppl about bands they formed for a week when they were like 12 years old

•apparently has SHOCKINGLY bad body odor [edit: @2pacula says that was just for eric andre's interview, to get back at him for stinkin up the guests on his tv show]

•is capable of freezing in place like a statue (stopping his body temporally) better than any other human. similar to SCP-173 perhaps?????

•chases his interviewees, gets past their security setup every time

•his nickname is "the human serviette" for some fuckin reason??????

•looks like this:::??????

if i was gonn write a SCP article about nardwuar it would say that hes a mechanical automaton (which runs on a bacteria-powered engine) constructed by a french revolutionary engineer with the sole mission of gathering information about the bourgousie and disseminating it publicly to the proletariat, that outlived its creator and is still operating today and somehow constantly escapes SCP attempts at containment.

[luvinaeverdene]

Almost Famous (2000) Directed by Cameron Crowe

[freshthoughts2020]

No More Big 3! What's Cole's Next Move?!?!

No More Big 3! What's Cole's Next Move?!?!

July 11, 2024

If you haven’t read my previous article, scroll down on the freshthoughts2020 tab and check it out. In that article, we discussed whether Kendrick’s feud with Drake might be pointless if he doesn’t aim for the commercial number one spot. With a clear task ahead for Kendrick (whether he follows it or not), we’re left to ask: What is Cole’s next move?

I.Cole's Strong Start in 2024

Cole came into 2024 in a great position in the power rankings and was a strong front-runner to take the lead. He outperformed Drake on “First Person Shooter,” went bar to bar with him again on “Evil Ways” from the “Scary Hours Edition of For All The Dogs,” and just completed a successful national tour.

II.The Apology and Its Aftermath

Cole was set to answer the call when he released his “Might Delete Later” EP. However, moments later, his infamous apology came, leading many people to write him off and not wanting to hear from him for a while. Then he reappeared on the bubbling New York sensation Cash Cobain’s track “Grippy,” which has been regarded as one of Cole’s worst verses. The verse wasn’t even bad, but if it wasn’t mind-blowing post-apology, any verse he penned was going to get panned anyway.

III.The Dismantling of the Big 3

The idea of the Big 3 has been dismantled. The world waits on a new K-dot album, ready to crown him as number one, while the Drizzy hive stands patient awaiting Drake’s inevitable return. Again, what is Cole to do?

IV.The Two-Part Plan for Cole's Comeback

I believe Cole has to do two things to ensure a great comeback and even get his name back into that front-runner conversation. We know he’s been hyping up his album The Fall Off, which is in a worse position post-beef. Here’s what he should do to make sure his album isn’t swept under the rug when it drops.

First, Cole has to address Symba. Why Symba? People may have forgotten about that freestyle he did on the “Control” beat, but it needs to be addressed. He sympathized with letting Nas down but went on to say he left Bas and Cozz down, the whole squad down. He slammed him for the apologies. Cole has to address how he didn’t have to clout beef with Kendrick, and most importantly, he has to spank Symba for even thinking he can say that. There are a few angles he can go with, but I probably shouldn’t reveal that. If Cole is capable like I know he is, he should know the angles too. There are plenty of lyricists who will probably make fun of that apology moving forward with general bars, but he needs to make Symba the poster child of what happens when you disrespect Cole.

He needs to do this because Symba has enough lyrical respect from peers and elder statesmen of hip-hop that he’s worth addressing, and because Symba doesn’t threaten Cole in popularity. It’s like Pusha T with Drake. Symba can scorch Cole until he’s blue in the face, but modern rap is a popularity contest, and Cole would never lose that. However, for this to be effective, Cole would have to scorch Symba as if he’s going up against JAY-Z himself—no mercy! If Cole does this, half of the two-part plan to dominance will be secured by everyone taking mental notes: “Maybe we shouldn’t mess with this guy; that apology stuff doesn’t really mean anything.”

The second thing Cole must do is very simple: hits on hits! He has to get into his Forest Hills bag. That’s far from my favorite project from him, but it’s his most commercially successful album, and his sound isn’t compromised! He should re-listen to that album hard while creating The Fall Off and study the singles from Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. He needs smashes—songs for the radio!

With these two things working in unison, we’ll quickly forget the same people saying they “...never want to hear him again,” “he’s soft,” blah blah, will be the same people saying “oh Cole’s the G.O.A.T., Cole’s the G.O.A.T.”

These are only suggestions, and he can take these suggestions and stuff them up Rubi Rose’s ass for all he cares. But if he still cares and wants to get back in that conversation, he’s got to do something along these lines. It’s not even much, but it’ll be more than enough. Trust!

Visit gettothecorner.com

Follow me on twitter.com/onlyonejaevonn

[zmijowka]

Women of Noise - Rewire 2024: Interview with Gazelle Twin text & illustrations by me

[thebsideofthings]

"It’s not just the larger American audience that misinterprets the meaning of Juneteenth. Across the diaspora the message gets distorted, reflected in how most Juneteenth event flyers often have the colors of the Pan-African movement instead of Juneteenth’s actual colors. The official Juneteenth colors are red, white, and blue. The presence of the patriotic colors symbolizes the American flag, serving as a poignant reminder that slaves and their descendants were, and continue to be, an integral part of the United States."

- Shelby Stewart in "As Juneteenth Becomes Co-Opted, Don't Forget Its Texas Roots" for Okayplayer

[soundslivemagazine]

In Defence Of Oasis

Exploring the hype behind one of Britain’s most loved and raucous rock n roll bands.

Unless you’ve been living under the most soundproof of rocks this week, you will have heard the news. After a decade and a half of the alluring ‘will-they-won’t-they’ drama, the Gallagher brothers Noel and Liam have rekindled just as suddenly as they���d ended it all backstage at a gig in Paris in 2009.

The rumours abound on social media suddenly began to feel a lot less like fantasies when Oasis, Noel and Liam’s accounts all teased an announcement last Saturday. Oasis had made announcements since their split, usually about anniversaries, merchandise and documentaries, this wasn’t out of the ordinary. In fact, the band would soon be marking 30 years since their era-defining debut album Definitely Maybe came out in August 1994. Singer Liam Gallagher had also threatened to reunite the band on plenty of occasions in the ensuing decade, but never made good on his word. Why should this time have felt different?

In theory, it shouldn’t have. The village eventually loses interest in the boy crying wolf. And yet, when Liam Gallagher stepped onto the Main Stage at Reading festival to perform a headlining set on Sunday and opened with nostalgic on-screen visuals of Oasis, any doubt left in fans’ minds quickly evaporated.

The following Tuesday, the band confirmed what we already knew: Oasis, the biggest Britpop band of the 1990s, were back in action.

The avalanche of articles followed like they hadn’t in over 20 years: Oasis had undoubtedly reignited the fantasies of music magazines and publications that were otherwise scaling down in the face of rising operational costs. We’ve now seen over 20 NME articles, news on the BBC website, a revived radio documentary on BBC 6 Music, countless Rolling Stone thinkpieces, news in SPIN Magazine, the Manchester Evening News, gossip in the rags of the Sun, Mail, Metro. The mural in Manchester. The millions of people that tried to get tickets for the reunion dates that sold out in hours. It’s easy to be sick of it all, to think there wasn’t a band more overrated, overhyped or beloved than Oasis.

But let’s forget the hymns for a moment. Let us re-examine the appeal of the band before the myth: five boys from Manchester who believed in nothing more than the rock ‘n’ roll dream. And certainly, nothing less.

Cast your mind back to 1994, before the success and idolatry, before their songs would be turned into design-for-life anthems, before the band would be permanently woven into the fabric of British music history. Strip all that away and try to imagine hearing a then-relatively unknown Oasis for the first time. Imagine being told that half the band was not yet 22 years old, that they were a new band, releasing their third-ever single? Can you imagine, however simple it may have been lyrically, hearing Live Forever for the first time? In particular, just 4 months after Kurt Cobain’s suicide, after many fans were left feeling like they were staring at the definitive end of an era of honest independent music?

In 1994, Oasis were ’77’s punk all over again. Entering a landscape of artists (a term Liam Gallagher has derided) who internalised their music and recoiled at the notion of explicit success, Oasis were a brash rejection of shoegaze and indie’s philosophies, even going as far as to instruct the presenters of BBC Radio 1’s Evening Sessions to tell the world that Oasis were not an indie band. They were a rock ‘n’ roll band, and a band that dared to aim high, openly and with no apologies (all apologies for the pun). 

That was a philosophy they would live by until the bitter end, for better or worse. In a world of falling ambition and no hope, as Britain emerged ravaged by the Thatcher years to find there was nowhere left for its young to go, Oasis were determined to write their own destiny, largely for themselves, but invariably, for their entire generation. 

Keep reading

[yeux-amon]

♡ My thoughts on GNX. ♡

Tracks 1-4

---------

"Anita Baker in the tape deck, it's gonna be a sweet love"

On GNX Kendrick gives himself permission to return to his roots while audibly leaning into a level of frustration over the lack of integrity and passion that Kendrick believes to be missing in music of today. This project serves as a reminder of how intention and dedication to craft are the foundation to a great artist and a necessity for any who wish to stand the test of time.

Kendrick is in full form as he doesn't shy away from cementing his position in the timeline of hip hop and wears the crown proudly as he clearly shows his passion for the past and future of the genre. Which leaves us with an album which at first glance could be assumed to be a victory lap for the Compton born artist after a monumental year that solidified his ability to out create, think, and battle his elite list of peers. But I'd like to highlight a beautiful narrative piece that pulls this collection of records into the conceptual world that we have grown to expect from a Kendrick Lamar album.

The Buick GNX

This is the narrative device he uses to carry the listener through his insights and passions surrounding the west coast, morals, his views on integrity, Hip Hop, and even his past lives. Kendrick makes an effort to emphasize his dream car, as well as the music and personalities that would be sharing the seats with him as he rides through the lives and history of LA culture.

Kendrick commands space on this release in a way that one could assume to be juxtapositioning 2022's "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers", however, astute listeners will notice that this is a direct progression of the introspective therapy session we were granted insight to on said record. GNX is a roaring list of rules of engagement, a thematic element that Kendrick reiterates throughout the project. As well as being a car, the title could refer to GEN-X, the current political and social leaders of our age which have been characterized as the ones who created the society of "crash out" prone and destabilized youth of "Young [REDACTED]" that are filled with resentment due to their lack of guidance and disdain for their sociopoltical foundation from which they never consented to and have been consistently mislead within. Emphasizing the generational conversation that speaks throughout this work.

Kendrick's bravado on this record stems from a place of centering himself and by doing so standing on tested principles and insights that will allow him to be a worthy competitor and a more powerful presence due to the protections of his own introspection, spirituality, and lessons from his elders as well as past lives. This is the same message he is giving to the youth, a message of self actualization and self study while packaged in a strong presence of hard work and status. Though it should be noted he coyly undermines the pursuit of status when it is not done so with authenticity and integrity.

"I feel your presence here, last night, and we began to weep."

These are the first words heard on the project. Sung in Spanish by the Los Angeles native Deyra Barrera. Her voice chills the air on the first listen, settling into one's flesh as her voice is paired with traditional Mexican mariachi guitars as a clear homage to he Intersectionalities of the cultural history within LA. These reflective and mournful words are tied into the integral themes of the project. It is not by accident to utilize this voice as Barrera's Mexican ancestry can be seen within Kendricks own ideas around death and ancestry. Undoubtedly from the Intersectionalities and philosphical melting pot of LA. With these words Kendrick is in the presence of the past. The GNX a throwback to times gone, his sentimental nostalgia for greats of the past, of morals that are no longer valued, and of his past life's and elders who's lessons protect him even now. The line "we began to weep." Empahizes a togetherness, a collective presence. Kendrick is acknowledging that he did not make it here on his own. His history is not a singular soul nor body. He is standing in the footsteps of those before but has finally accepted that he is a giant in his own right, humbled only by the passing of time which his elders remind him of with their very presence.

"Wacced Out Morals"

Opens with an aggression left mostly to Kendricks one off singles and features. Rarely are we blessed with a straightforward "fuck a double entendre" approach from Kendrick and it serves the messaging on the track perfectly. Over the DJ Dahi and Sounwave led production Kendrick airs out his grievances with his current peers and the elder statesmen of hip hop. He notes how his recent beefs and tension could have ended with money being funneled to these "crash dummies", or the "Young [REDACTED] addressed early in my insights, which would have led to not only the loss of his life but the disruption of his mission and community within LA and further. This brings a chilling recollection of the death of the great Nipsey Hussle. Someone Kendrick grieved publicly on his infamous "The Heart Part 5". He uses this track as a trial of the culture, one where he positions himself as a tried and true student of the streets and hustle culture that hip hop claims to uphold but in his eyes has used only for profit and false intentions. As the track continues he levels himself to the heights of greats within the genre by expressing resentments towards Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg for not showing a level of respect he felt was deserving for his work. After a quick nod to the NY legend Nas he sets his mark on

what he perceives to be the false personalities of the industry and revels in the idea that as a self proclaimed man of integrity he can now move in his own light and power for these false faces have been removed and as those masks drop, his true enemies are exposed. Marking himself as a clear target but one which can also fire back with an accuracy and ferocity that he seems to be comfortable in. He addresses those who wish to find their own power with one simple message.

"Go and up your Rank... know you a god, even when they say you ain't."

- "Squabble Up" -

"God knows, I am. Reincarnated, I was star gazing..."

These words are paired with a heaving of breath as Kendrick calls upon the concept of his reincarnation and introduces a disrespectful and self affirming dance inspired single.

The casette changes to Debbie Debs 1983 hit "When I hear music" as Kendrick takes us on an uptempo spin around the block. This long awaited anthem left us craving the entire record after famously appearing as the snippet for the internet breaking "Not Like Us" it speaks on the ability to stand on your square while leaning on ones individual "politics. Kendrick feels confident and willing to take his opposition's character into account before he takes aim. He comments on federal relationships in the industry which is a clear attack on false identities as well as quid pro quo. This is Kendrick saying he is done with transactional love and is willing to go to war for his just dues. Notably, lesser known producers M-Tech and Bridgeway work with Sounwave and Jack Antonoff to create the perfect soundscape for such a message.

- "Luther" -

As everyone should be aware. No nighttime ride around your favorite city is complete without the beautiful vocals of Luther Vandross as well as a passenger. The first of our fellow passnegeres enters with SZA joining us for the ride. The cassette clicks over to a beautiful instrumentation of rising strings and a soft guitar section. This is a love story caught dancing in the wheels of a night time drive in California. The record carries the same credited producers as "Squabble up" but the additions of Rose Lilah of production fame for the first beat on Baby Keem's Family Ties as well as the ever stunning Kamasi Washington makes this record one of the most gorgeous pieces on the album. It samples Cheryl Lynn and Luther Vandross' 1982 song "If This World Were Mine". Hope and Love are the central themes as well as the ability to use the power of love as an empowerment.

"If this world was mine, I'd take your enemies in front of God, introduce them to that fire"

A beautiful piece of writing that uses colloquialisms and spins them to emphasize a divine connection to smite a lovers adversaries or qualms. SZA sounds of the heavens themselves as her and Kendrick's vocals waltz between the lyrics and melodies. Speaking of coping with optimism and better days to come. This dance of pure devotion and redemption again centers a deep love as the ultimate power against adversity and uncertainty. A monumental record that I believe will be a jewel in his discography for ages.

- "Man at the garden" -

Here, Kendrick reaches for a different spirit to medium. This record made me brake to a screeching halt on the first listen. Two songs in particular come to mind. Two records that would undoubtedly be in Kendrick's history lessons as well as his tape deck. Two spirits that Kendrick would love to channel and pay homage to. Those two records being "One Mic" and "Starin' Through My Review" by Nas and Tupac respectively. The muted soft synth chords as well as pull back instrumentation from our producer ensemble are aided by the ears of Craig Balmoris from "Best Kept Secret" and a producer with not much under his belt by the name of Tyler Mehlenbacher. The haunting affirmation of "I Deserve it All" is a call upon what Kendricks ancestors are giving him. He believes he has earned every drop of admiration and respect that he has garnered. He declares his public "crash out" as he refuses to be undone by people lower than him and has decided there is no more room for one who has done the work to return to self to be quiet or humble with what they deserve. This brings to mind a particular line from "Wesley's Theory", the opening to 2015s "To Pimp A Butterfly" where the devil or uncle sam is pushing Kendrick towards the pitfalls of hedonism with the phrase "get it all, you deserve it, Kendrick"

Interestingly enough, it seems that same message has reached Kendrick almost a decade later but now with his luxuries being earned and gifted benevolently by his ancestors.

"Every reason why my ancestors sent me, Bitch, deserve it all. "

He speaks an affirmation of allowance. Of gratefulness. But also of disrespect to those who would deny him. And the lines prior show a confident spirit, an ancestor that Kendrick has evoked and held medium before on the same project that "Wesley's Theory" was born from. That spirt being Tupac Shakur.

Tupac and Kendrick have a number of instances where their philosophies overlap and I believe Kendrick to hold Tupac at a level of reverence much higher than most when compared to other legends of the genre. The line

"Writin words, tryin to elevate these children."

summons the ethos of Tupac in a way that shows how deeply the now mythical artist has effected Kendricks philosophies and self purpose. Tupac, much like the entirety of GMX preached a balance of self education, self affirmation, love for community, love for children, and the ability to crash out. Kendrick is Plato to this hip hop Socrates and finalizes this record with a triumphant and well earned decloration. That he believes himself to be the greatest of all time.

[aeolianblues]

Correct me if I'm wrong but magazine articles didn't use to be 300 words. They used to be longer. People would write pages. People had the words and space to describe things. I read an article our campus newspaper ran in 2004, it ran on for absolutely ages! It had three contributing writers. THREE. To cover a battle of the bands.

300 words is not an album review. 300 words in the hands of a writer is 6 sentences. You don't review an album in such few words. All you can get into 300 words is details of when the album released and how many came before it, and you can maybe describe one single in a sentence or two. You can't 'sum up the feel of an album' in 2 sentences. You'll never capture an album, because it's a body of work with multiple songs about various different things. Sure, maybe you can review a single or an EP (or shorter albums that are 20 minutes long), but not an album properly.

But we know why it's happening of course. If writers are paid by the word then 300 words is cost-cutting. Magazines and newspapers don't have dedicated writing staff, everyone is freelancing for 6 different magazines, which all now write with the same voice because the same 10 people freelance for every magazine in the world.

You have to branch out and cover more than just music: you have to be a media creator, you must cover other art, fims, culture, anything remotely to do with entertainment. Who has the time to properly live with an album to write an in-depth 700 word review?

It's funny. It's ironic. We moved from print to digital magazines, column sizes were supposed to become infinite as articles removed the limits of print space. They've got shorter because no one can afford to do proper journalism anymore.

[elvis1970s]

Interesting 1973 article on Rocco Laginestra, by legendary music writer Lillian Roxon. I stumbled upon it by accident, there are couple of little Elvis snippets in the centre and right hand column...

The writer notes that the previous year, 1972, Elvis made more money for RCA than any other year of his career.

[theadamantium]

Finnish cellist, songwriter, producer, and life coach, Eicca Toppinen, of symphonic metal band, Apocalyptica, joins us on this episode of The Adamantium Podcast. We discuss their latest album, Plays Metallica, Vol. 2, how they went from covering Metallica in a local Helsinki club, to opening for the legendary metal band just months later, their relationship over the last 28 years, and why now was the right time to make a second tribute album. We also talk about working with other renown singers like Adam Gontier and Corey Taylor, scoring films and video games, his autobiography, and getting certified as a hypnotherapist.