#SZA HAD THE BEST ALBUM OF 2022

[chryblossomjjk]

the way she better win all of them

[heavyhitterheaux]

Soulmates

Rose That Grew From Concrete Instagram AU

Liked by urbanwyatt, sza, zendaya, mariahthescientist, jackharlow, glorillapimp, and 1,963,041 others

yourinstagramname: 2022 was a dream come true 💖

sza: sold out tour in multiple countries! she finally called urbanwyatt back and got her man, bought multiple houses, released her album, my baby had her foot on yall neck ALL YEAR, go best friend, that's my best friend

yourinstagramname: sza I love you BAD 😭

yournamesource: not sza adding in the part about urban lmaoooo

sza: yournamesource it's only right lol man was over there in SHAMBLES

jackharlow: sza no lies told lol

buttercupharlow: yall better leave urbanwyatt alone lol

urbanwyatt: buttercupharlow is the only one that ever comes to my defense about anything smh AHEM yourinstagramname

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt don't start because yes I do

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname since when?

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt since now

buttercupharlow: yourinstagramname lmaooooo damn double homicide

jackharlow: buttercupharlow REE! CUT IT OUT

buttercupharlow: jackharlow what I do? 👀

yourinstagramname: jackharlow she's innocent just like I am

urbanwyatt: I can't even with the two of you

buttercupharlow: urbanwyatt take it back before I stop defending you and start telling on you to yourinstagramname

jackharlow: oh

urbanwyatt: buttercupharlow I DON'T EVEN DO ANYTHING jackharlow get your wife!

jackharlow: urbanwyatt it's outta my hands lol

buttercupharlow: urbanwyatt that's what they all say. see what I did there?

jackharlow: buttercupharlow babe, you are so fucking corny lol

yourinstagramname: jackharlow leave her alone and oh buttercupharlow DO TELL

buttercupharlow: yourinstagramname check your phone in like five minutes

jackharlow: yourinstagramname now urbanwyatt is chasing buttercupharlow to see her phone so it might be a while lol

Liked by yourinstagramname, jackharlow, sza, buttercupharlow, saweetie, theestallion, druski2funny, and 2,903,721 others

urbanwyatt: my entire heart outside of my chest 😍

buttercupharlow: jackharlow and I'm the corny one? look at your best friend

yourinstagramname: babeeeeee stoppppppp

sza: SIMP!

jackharlow: buttercupharlow can you just admit that I'm the funny one in this marriage?

buttercupharlow: jackharlow oh so I'm the most attractive one in this marriage, right?

yourinstagramname: you two stay being a hot mess lmao

buttercupharlow: yourinstagramname he started it! but you look so gorgeous mamas! can't wait for our shopping trip date once we hit Italy

jackharlow: buttercupharlow you talk a lot of shit for someone who can't back it up

buttercupharlow: jackharlow TRY ME

urbanwyatt: your WHAT?!

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt how do you expect us to go to Italy and not go shopping and most importantly eat the food?

jackharlow: the two of you are always ditching us for each other

buttercupharlow: jackharlow and? your point?

druski2funny: yourinstagramname I wasn't invited?

lilnasx: druski2funny invited for what? if they don't even want jackharlow and urbanwyatt to go with them what makes you think they want you to go?

buttercupharlow: damn, double homicide

jackharlow: REE!

yourinstagramname: lmaoooo outta pocket! but jackharlow should have never introduced me to buttercupharlow. that's my soulmate.

buttercupharlow: suck it, bitches

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname then what the hell am I?!?!

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt umm, lemme get back to you on that

2forwoyne: never fails. people meet jackharlow and they're like he's great until they meet buttercupharlow and then he's forgotten about lmaooooo all attention goes to her

yourinstagramname: 2forwoyne well she does give off baddie energy

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname since I'm not your soulmate your gifts are going back to the store

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt I WAS JUST PLAYING

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname SAVE IT!

Liked by urbanwyatt, buttercupharlow, sza, saweetie, theestallion, zendaya, and 1,704,195 others

yourinstagramname: those off guard pics of my man be the best 😍

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname oh? I'm your man today?

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt when are you not? because that's news to me

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname you said buttercupharlow was your soulmate

buttercupharlow: urbanwyatt leave me outta this

sza: you can have soulmates in multiple forms!

yourinstagramname: sza exactly! Ree is just my shopping soulmate!

jackharlow: yourinstagramname to spend up all my damn money clearly

urbanwyatt: jackharlow take it back before she sees it

jackharlow: urbanwyatt nope

zendaya: jackharlow violence loading in 3..2..1...

buttercupharlow: jackharlow I'M NOT BUYING YOU SHIT NEXT TIME. GO GET IT YOURSELF.

sza: damn, double homicide lmaooo

jackharlow: buttercupharlow I'm hiding your bank card anyway

buttercupharlow: jackharlow that's okay. I'm calling Mama Maggie. have fun getting yelled at

jackharlow: buttercupharlow you wouldn't dare

buttercupharlow: jackharlow it's dialing

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname you must have taken this when you finally peeled yourself out of my armpit

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt not my fault that it's my comfort spot. deal with it.

liked by yourinstagramname, jackharlow, 2forwoyne, claybornharlow, zendaya, sza, and 1,850,920 others

urbanwyatt: all black everything

yourinstagramname: THE BLUE EYES ARE BLUING ON THIS FINE EVENING. MY MAN IS GORGEOUS.

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname 🥰🥰🥰

sza: urbanwyatt we cannot get her to shut up about you. I love that you're both happy but damn I need a break.

yourinstagramname: sza you are supposed to be the best friend so you have to deal with it

jackharlow: sza what is this break you speak of because got damn urbanwyatt is just as bad as she is!

2forwoyne: my boy is in love

shloob_: he's down bad

urbanwyatt: not yall calling me out and jackharlow I know you aren't talking with how much you talk about your wife on a DAILY BASIS

jackharlow: urbanwyatt we're not talking about me right now!

neelamthadhani: jackharlow urbanwyatt both of you are terrible actually.

quiiso: I second this

jackharlow: NOW WHY AM I IN IT? WE'RE TALKING ABOUT URB!

yourinstagramname: jackharlow the way you talk about her is adorable though. ultimate husband energy. where is she by the way? we have a date later

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname A WHAT? YOU ONLY HAVE A DATE WITH ME

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt I thought that was tomorrow?

jackharlow: and buttercupharlow show yourself. we have a date later too so now you're going out with yourinstagramname?

buttercupharlow: jackharlow and that's why I love tomorrow. anyway yourinstagramname ready when you are.

urbanwyatt: well got damn can we at least come? we're hungry too!

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt jackharlow yall can come HOWEVER yall better not say shit when me and buttercupharlow order one of everything, we've been wanting to go here for months!

jackharlow: ONE OF EVERYTHING?

urbanwyatt: jackharlow there probably won't even be enough space for us at the table smh

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt stop being dramatic smh

buttercupharlow: if that's the case, I can eat my meal off my husband's lap 👀

yourinstagramname: buttercupharlow I like the way you think lol

jackharlow: buttercupharlow once again talking all that shit and can't back it up

yourinstagramname: jackharlow idk from our group chat she can back a lot of things up. like taking over for the 99 and the 2000s style 👀

jackharlow: buttercupharlow can't take your ass nowhere and pause. if it's the story I'm thinking of...... AND YOU TOLD HER THAT?

buttercupharlow: jackharlow idk what you're talking about baby

urbanwyatt: can't take yourinstagramname anywhere either

yourinstagramname: you know what? we're leaving and yall can stay yall asses here

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[limalatina]

T A S K # 0 1 - INTRODUCTION.

Alright uni gang, I'm gonna need y'all to listen up and take notes. Auntie Snix has some words of wisdom for all you loners and rejects out there who need my help fitting in while also uniquely standing out. If my 22 years on this planet have learned me anything, it's that you're never too much of a bad bitch to learn some new tricks. So pop a squat, get your popcorn ready, and pay attention because I'm only going to say this once. And trust me, these are invaluable life lessons that will stick with you throughout your extended time here at wmu.

𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐚'𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐩 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞'𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭 :

𝟏. Your college years are the time to be selfish. Now you may be thinking, "Santana, you've always been self-centered." While there may be some validity to that, college is an excuse to not feel guilty about it. Step outside your comfort zone, act on your own desires. Just don't get arrested for public intoxication. 𝟐. Never show up early or empty-handed to a party. The goal is to appear cool and indifferent, not make yourself look desperate. Frat parties aren't really my scene, but they typically have the best alcohol if you're looking to drink away your problems. 𝟑. Real Housewives is priceless entertainment. If you haven't watched it yet, you need to start. They show reruns on Bravo. If you have watched it and it wasn't your cup of tea, I'm sorry to inform you but you have terrible taste. I bet your favorite show is Breaking Bad or Grey's Anatomy. How unoriginal. 𝟒. Dress hot for a job interview. Practical? No. Effective? Hell yes, unless you're Rachel Berry. It's a miracle how far thigh high boots and a tight-fitted camisole will get you in the bartending biz. 𝟓. Crocs with socks should be a federal offense. If you own a pair, please burn them. Sincerely, everyone. 𝟔. Online shopping is both addictive and cathartic. Just ask my mom. After she found out about my dad's affair, she started buying up those 5,000 piece jigsaw puzzles that take weeks to complete. Not to mention she put all of the funds on his credit cards. That's the kind of petty behavior I admire. 𝟕. Street food in Lima, Ohio is not the same as it is in Miami. I need a lot of spice in my life. If I'm not legitimately delirious and sweating from the heat on my plate, I don't want it. Lima's version of that is buffalo chicken wings smothered in Taco Bell diablo sauce. Check, please. 𝟖. SZA's comeback was the highlight of the 2022. Five years between albums is wild that I have to admit my girl had me stressing for a minute, but her new music delivered. Shoutout to Kehlani for also releasing another banger. 𝟗. Relationships ain't shit, delete your dating apps. If I wanted to be cheated on, I would've set the bar higher and aimed for someone rich like those gold diggers on Real Housewives do. At least then I wouldn't have to foot the bill at the end of the night. 𝟏𝟎. Guys lie to you but girls will destroy your psyche. Not all girls, obviously. Just the evil ones I'm attracted to and date. Consider this my vow to stay single forever.

That's all for now, kiddos. I hope you weren't expecting some profound insight into societal norms or anything like that. It's too early in the morning and I haven't had my daily dose of caffeine yet. I'm just here to keep it real. If you're in the market for any more helpful tips or tricks, hit me up on my socials. And if I have you blocked, best believe it's for a good reason and I would appreciate it if you never contacted me again. Deuces.

[dilettantereviews]

Here's my 2022 Best Of! Yup, that's right, 2022. Better late than never, huh?

Rico Nasty- Intrusive

I heard good things about Rico Nasty for years but her other projects were a little too repetitive for me to fully commit or enjoy her work. This mixtape sees her replacing her industrial rap sound with a more varied approach. She sings over drum and bass and acoustic music. If you enjoyed Princess Nokia’s Metallic Butterfly or Azealia Banks’ Broke with Expensive Taste, then I recommend this album for you. My favorite songs are Messy, Easy, and Focus on Me.

Sasami- Squeeze

After her work in Cherry Glazer and her 2019 solo debut, Sasami finally (somewhat) broke through with this album and it’s no wonder why. Mixing influences as varied as Sheryl Crow and industrial, Sasami showed us about opening up your heart or wanting to destroy someone else’s. My favorites are The Greatest and Skin a Rat.

Charli XCX- Crash

As her first proper album since 2019’s Charli, this album had a lot of expectations placed upon it since True Romance is her best received official album. Fortunately, it all worked out for her and for us. This album sounds like you are scrolling through the Dance Dance Revolution song selecting screen around 2005 with songs you don’t realize you know until you hear it again years later. My favorites are Constant Repeat, Used to Know Me, Selfish Girl, Good Ones, Baby, and of course, Beg for You. 

Beyonce- Renaissance

This album was a victory lap for Beyonce. Not that she slacked off this era, but after creating two innovative video albums, Beyonce wanted to have a more upbeat album after the pandemic. As someone who prefers her uptempos (in a fun club kid way, like Haunted, 7/11, Formation, Six Inch, and Partition instead of the stan wars “go back to Dr. Luke!!111” way), I’m here for it. My favorites include All Up in Your Mind and Pure Honey.

SZA- SOS

I have a general policy where if someone takes over 4 years to release their next project, I develop some kind of object impermanence about them. Not even maliciously, but for every Sky Ferreira (side note: This was written when we still thought Don’t Forget was a part of an era) or My Bloody Valentine, there’s a synthpop band from 2016 that stubbornly sits on the second page of my Last.FM with 189 plays. And I like SZA! CTRL got me though 2017 and 2018 but I completely forgot her rerelease and in between singles until I was preparing this review. So when I heard she was releasing a 20+ track album I was skeptical. It turned out to be great. I enjoy the developed and detailed instruments and her personal lyrics. My favorite songs are Kill Bill, Blind, Shirt and Gone Girl.

Fontaines DC- Skinty Fia

Fontaines DC had a well deserved bigger break out in 2022. I don’t really have a thing to say about this album but I like the way they mix post punk music with a mix of their own Irish culture and gothic and industrial sounds. What could’ve just been a couple of lads at the pub is a unique and informative look at the band and their culture. U2 and Inhaler are shaking. My favorite songs are Jackie Down the Line, Skinty Fia, and How Cold Love Is.

Vero- Unsoothing Interior

I learned about Vero on Popjustice… at least 5 years ago? For a while, it seemed like they would drop a single heavily influenced by Poe and disappear without a follow up or any momentum. I understand it’s hard for new artists to make things work logistically, but they even had repetitive cover art so we couldn’t just joke that there was a wait between the EP and debut. That’s why I was so confused when the album was dropped in 2022. Hailing all the way from Sweden, Vero has vocals that remind me of Shirley Manson and Kim Gordon with post punk music I heard NPR describe (someone else) with the term “fleabag-core”. My favorite songs are Sex and Me and TV shows and Exit 2.

Coco and Clair Clair- Sexy

People always say nostalgia does too much heavy lifting in music now, but the right references can truly justify the most Tweet Deck derivative works. Coco and Clair Clair, who I was very surprised to learn are from Atlanta instead of the UK, have a very retro inspired album that could’ve just been lost in the hyperpop Y2K space with everyone else but they have a different reference pool that elevates them. Hypnotic girl group whispery vocals over whispery chillwave and drum n bass beats truly take me back to the person I was in 2011-2012. If you have a Tumblr photoblog with a convoluted layout that only showed pictures and no captions, this album is for you. If you keep up with McBling depop, this album is for you. If you ever described LAMB by Gwen Stefani as a hip hop album, then this album is for you. I would recommend this album for fans of Kitty and Niki and the Dove. My favorite songs from it are Bad Lil Vibe, Pop Star, and Be With U.

Alvvays- Blue Rev

I didn’t really listen to them before this and I only knew them for the …unique spelling of their band name and a Tumblr post that heavily implied that they should be kept in 2014. Well, this album should put all of their critics to shame. This album was recorded after the band lost their old demos and instruments in a robbery and they were still able to record this album. Pairing dreamy landscapes over fuzzy guitars, Molly Rankin’s confessional lyrics deal with the unexpected nostalgia of running into your ex’s family members in public (a sort of Dan Fogelberg moment for our generation) or justifying a creative career. Besides Pharmacist and Easy on your Own, I recommend Very Online Guy, a leftfield song about male internet behaviors (a self drag, but I want to see how many men wrote about that song and the album). If you only know them from Marry Me, Archie (a song I would personally not leave in a time capsule or box set for indie pop music from 2010-2014), I strongly suggest that you give this album a chance. Fun fact: In addition to being a great meeting spot for coanchors to meet each other, Good Morning America also has a year end best of list and put this as their #1 album. A few years ago, they put the solo project of Soul Coughing’s frontman’s project. So maybe GMA is our new Pitchfork, NME, and Spin Magazine combined (side note: I wrote this before the Pitchfork reshuffle happened, oops).

Shygirl- Nymph

Shygirl has finally released her long awaited debut after releasing her stellar debut. This time, she ditches the electronic and abrasive sound of her 2018 EP and enters her Manny Santos sensual R&B era while still sounding futuristic. Firefly is a song that sounds like it was a Britney 2001 deep cut dusted off and released in 2172. Nike is my other personal stand out.

Hatchie- Giving the World Away

On her sophomore album, Hatchie continues her dream pop and shoegaze sound and expands into some darker palettes that wouldn’t be out of place on the altronica playlist. If that album transported you into a daydream, this album is a moody walk in the rain. My favorites are This Enchanted, Till We Run Out of Air, and Giving the World Away.

Soccer Mommy- Sometimes, Forever

This was sort of a new sound album for Soccer Mommy, with a little more focus on the production. Working with OPN, she had a darker, hazier, more detail oriented production. My favorites include Unholy Affliction, Don’t Ask Me, Feel it All the Time, and Darkness Forever (which gave me Portishead’s second album vibes). This album is more Madder Rose than Massive Attack but you should still give it a shot.

Momma- Household Name

Nostalgic guitar based indie rock that sounds right out of 1994. Reverb guitars, harmonics, and shoegaze pedals. Recommended if you like Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins or Bully’s debut. Speeding 72, Lucky, Brave and No Stage are my favorites. 

Luna Li-  Duality

Psychedelic alternative R&B with a chamber/art/baroque pop edge. I love how she mixes her vulnerability on songs like Flower with strong guitar moments like Alone but not Lonely and What You’re Thinking. This album feels like if you mixed Kali Uchis with Kadjha Bonet. Recommended if you have only used emojis as captions.

Kilo Kish- American Gurl

Kilo Kish’s last official album was released back in 2016, but her pair of consecutive EP’s that came out in 2018 and 2019 were a more focused and cohesive electronic sound. On this album, she went back to her unique existential pop with irreverent Adult Swim vibes. With her kitchen sink production, detached vocals, and quirky irreverent sound, this album has a lot of reasons to not work but somehow puts everything together and keeps you overstimulated like a TikTok video. Recommendations include Choice Cowboy, New Tricks, and American Gurl. Recommended if you like Santigold or Imani Coppola.

Vitesse X- Us Ephemeral

Growing up, I hated electronic music. Did I listen to it or seek it out specifically? No, not in the slightest. But it was just annoying as I saw my beloved Radio Disney pop rock acts just be seen as cringe as what I call ‘unts unts’ music went on the rise. Also, I just thought the fans were annoying. Maybe it was just in my community, but there were a lot of teen DJs who just got jobs hosting or playing cultural events and sweet 16s and posting pretentious memes that made me roll my eyes. I’ve never seen a MLM girl in real life, but I’ve seen DJs talk about how school is just there to mold you and as a DJ, they can be their own boss. Also, just growing up in the teen club/4 loko/Ed Hardy era just made me think it was all try hard “OH, you’ve never been to a festival?’ stuff. But eventually, Charli XCX helped open my mind to new electronic acts while trip hop and deep house helped open me up to older electronic genres. Then I had an “if it’s retro/ironic it’s okay” mentality but now I can regularly like electronic music. That leads us to Vitesse X. Her art deco style of electronics invokes the sleek future, through her stage name and hi tech titles. Is she making a concept album about how technology was supposed to bring us together but is bringing us apart? Is it a scifi story? Did she promise us a video for each song that made a movie but she stopped and hoped we would forget about it? No! She’s making music you could hear at Zara’s, in your car, or even at a party or club. In this age of hot takes, think pieces, and more, a concept like nepobaby can go from a fun internet only in joke to a “reclaimed” term that loses all meaning. Vitesse X helps prove that sometimes, saying less really is more. My favorites are Potential Energy, Centrifuge Me, and Us Ephemeral.

Piri and Tommy- Froge.mp3

The drum n bass duo that came out of the blue and right back into it. Words is the best positive motivational affirmation dance song since Show Me Love by Robin S. I also like Silver Lining and On & on. It looks like we’re not getting a new project from them, they split up and now they’re going to ruin all of our Last.fm charts because they each get credited separately. 

They Hate Change- Finally, New

I feel like Drum n Bass has been on the rise since Princess Nokia’s Metallic Butterfly went on streaming for the last few years, but it had been kind of mixed with other electronic sounds like hyperpop or UK garage so it was an afterthought. They Hate Change overcame that. Rapping over Drum n bass, the Tampa duo helps showcase something cool and forward thinking from Florida on their label debut. I recommend them if you like Outkast or Big Fish Theory from Vince Staples. My favorite songs are Who’s Next, Little Brother, and Perm.

Foushee- Softcore

I hate to make a Mean Girls reference in 2024 (this was another review I had written in winter 2023, before I knew there was a movie adaptation of the Mean Girls musical coming out), but this album reminds me of the Halloween party scene where Cady shows up in an “ugly” costume while everyone is wearing cute costumes and she is confused. That is how this album feels for alternative R&B. While now everyone with a slowed down drum beat gets an alternative R&B genre tag, but this is truly “alternative”, mixing slinky R&B vocals over guitars and yelling. Even if it doesn’t always work (several songs are under 2 minutes), you can definitely admire the attempts. Behind SZA, Foushee is the second best R&B album from a New Jerseyan in 2022 (sorry, 070 Shake). My favorite songs are I’m Fine and Simmer Down. Listen if you want an internet poisoned pop star but Doja has gone too far for you. 

Ravyn Lenae- Hypnos

After her stellar 2018 EP, Ravyn finally followed up with her debut album and it was worth the wait. Her airy, hypnotic vocals still sound fresh and the collaborations don’t take away from the sound at all. My favorites are 3D and Venom.

Sudan Archives- Natural Brown Prom Queen

Sudan Archives made it very far on my 2019 Best of List. I would not be able to tell you a song from that album, or if she even made it on (because as of this writing it is still unpublished) but I knew she was talented and I thought her violin gave her a unique sound. This time around, she did a sonic 180 and went for a more left field mixture of sounds and had an even better album. Listen to stand out Homemaker. 

Glacier Veins- Lunar Reflection

Normally, I consider my best of list a failure if I don’t find at least one new, completely random small Bandcamp band that didn’t get reviewed from Allmusic or Pitchfork or any other major website. If they don’t have a Wikipedia page, even better! This year, Glacier Veins is one of those bands for me. If you like female fronted pop punk with a side of experimental noise pop added to it, I would definitely recommend them. 2018’s KID, 2009 Paramore, Halsey, Poppy, and Willow fans should be happy. My favorite songs are Cover Me, Here & There, Lunation, Autonomy, and Flower Moon.

Amanda Shires- Take It Like a Man

Alt country queen. Recommended if you waited for Jenny Lewis’ album for Puppy in a Truck or you enjoy feeling like you are a Sons of Anarchy character or perhaps Yellowstone. Mature alt country with great, clear production. My favorite song is Hawk for the Dove. (Side note: I wrote this way before they filed for divorce). 

Lola Kirke- Lady for Sale

Picks up where Pearl Charles left off for countrypolitian. If you thought this would be a low effort vanity project you are mistaken. Unclear if this is a pastiche or not but very unexpected country album from this British actress. Pink Sky is my favorite song. Recommended if you like Pearl Charles or Margo Price.

Honey Dijon- Black Girl Magic

A great house music DJ. Recommended if you want to keep the party going after Renaissance.

Montell Fish- Her Love Still Haunts Me Like a Ghost

I listen to an adult alternative college radio station regularly and to paint a picture of what that’s like, I can now say “wow, that Paul Simon song slaps”. Sometimes they do play younger, internet only bedroom produced artists like Claud, Kafune, Joe P, and now, Montell Fish. When I first heard the distorted bass and reverbs I was confused at how different and all out he went but this is a true EP of heartbreak and desperation. Listen if you like PM Dawn, Miguel and Steve Lacy. Pretend Lovers is my favorite song. 

Carly Cosgrove- See you in Chemistry

Nostalgia really can sell anything these days. In the DJ world, we got DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ, DJ Ross from Friends, and DJ Seinfeld. There’s even the genre of Dariacore! Emo has a 2000’s pastiche in Carly Cosgrove, a reference I embarrassingly didn’t get for a long time. The nostalgia stops there and the rest is a solid pop punk record. I don’t really listen to a lot of pop punk/emo so I can’t compare to others in the genre but I think the vocals give the instruments room to breathe. My favorites were Rue the Day, Cloudblock, and Munck. Listen if you miss the channel 2000’s The N but at this point would settle for the era of Teennick that only replayed iCarly, Zoey 101, Drake and Josh, Ned’s Declassified, and Victorious. 

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 09/03/2024 (Charli XCX, twenty one pilots, RAYE)

The BRIT Awards have had their impact week - I didn’t watch them, which I know is ridiculous considering the subject matter of my blog. RAYE swept though, and we see that as well as a lot of other nonsense this week. It’s a messy one, not because it’s problematic, more so just because everyone’s here, so it’ll also be a fun one. Beyoncé is at #1 for a third week with “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM”, and welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

As always, we start the show with our notable dropouts, those being songs exiting the UK Top 75 - which is what I cover - after five weeks within the region or a peak in the top 40 and given the smathering of returns and new tracks, we do see quite a few, though many of them are relegated to shorter-term hits. Those of note we bid adieu to are “16 CARRIAGES” by Beyoncé, “Abracadabra” by Wes Nelson featuring Craig David, “Incredible Sauce” by Giggs featuring Dave, “Eagle” by D-Block Europe and Noizy, “Heather on the Hill” by Nathan Evans, “Runaway” by Ye featuring Pusha T (“FUK SUMN” debuted below #75, hence three-song rule is in action here), “Three Little Birds” by the late Bob Marley & The Wailers, “Rich Baby Daddy” by Drake featuring Sexyy Red and SZA, “Asking” by Sonny Fodera and MK featuring Clementine Douglas, and finally, and I mean, FINALLY, “Riptide” by Vance Joy.

Firstly, I should separate one particular artist, who was not only the artist of the year, but made the album of the year (My 21st Century Blues returns to the albums chart this week at #5) and the song of the year. Ignore that said song released in 2022, but regardless, RAYE had a good showing at the ceremony and it’s clear in a new entry we’ll discuss later, but also our gains and returns - “Prada” with casso and D-Block Europe, a Song of the Year nominee, is up to #18, but at #13, the song it lost to, and a former #1 hit, “Escapism.” featuring 070 Shake re-enters the chart thanks to BRITs support and given this song’s longevity, probably another wind. It did help that both of those songs were conveniently performed at the award show.

Now for the others, we see a nice return for “Disconnect” by Becky Hill and producers of the year Chase & Status at #67, likely boosted by its BRITs performance, which also helped “greedy” by Tate McRae, Best International Song nominee, up to #22. Sadly, neither Jungle or Kylie have much to speak for their BRITs performances impacting the chart but otherwise, we have other Best International Song nominee “Water” by Tyla at #49 and some residual performance gains for the already gaining “Never be Alone” by Becky Hill and Sonny Fodera at #23. Our other gains are probably, if not definitely, unrelated, including boosts for “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers at #61, “FE!N” by Travis Scott featuring Playboi Carti at #47, “Whatever She Wants” by Bryson Tiller at #20 (really not expecting this comeback), “Scared to Start” by Michael Marcagi at #16 and finally, to prove that notable gains aren’t healthy gains, Ella Henderson and Rudimental find their way to the top 10 once again with “Alibi”.

This week, our top five starts with Rich the Kid because, of course it does. There is no God. Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler and Goring are at #5 with “CARNIVAL”, whilst we see a push for Djo at #4 with “End of Beginning”, then Teddy Swims with “Lose Control” at #3 and Benson Boone at #2 with “Beautiful Things”, and of course, Queen Bey at the top. Now for our potpourri of new entries, starting with Madonna - but not the one you’re thinking of.

New Entries

#71 - “Happier” - The Blessed Madonna featuring Clementine Douglas

Produced by Clementine Douglas, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Pat Alvarez and The Blessed Madonna

These credits perplex me. They imply that the song was produced primarily by The Blessed Madonna with vocals by Clementine Douglas but in fact, Douglas helped produce alongside two other producers, one of which, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, is a pretty big name who probably shouldn’t miss out on a credit. I know this is all arbitrary but I have to find something to talk about in this completely serviceable house tune. It’s got a punchier vintage groove to it thanks to the Dinosaurs and The Blessed Madonna, a DJ you probably know through Best Pop Act winner Dua Lipa’s remix album or collaborations with Best Dance Act nominee Fred again.., and yet it still just goes in one ear and out the other. Why is that? Well, despite an infectious hook, it’s lacking in quantity of hooks, it feels too reliant on that one phrase being sung by a pretty unremarkable vocalist in the form of Douglas, and its strays away from form seem to be out of necessity more than artistic intent. The little switch-ups whether they be the synth stab build-ups, complete readjustment of the drums, they all feel secondary to a groove that just chugs and chugs in a very deadweight manner, especially with that practically non-existent drop. As it is, it’s completely fine - I can even see it growing on me - but I’m surprised this is charting at all considering these aren’t massive names and this song, outside of a couple cool ideas, is not exactly making a name for itself. Just functioning.

#69 - “Green & Gold” - Rudimental and Skepsis featuring Charlotte Plank and Riko Dan

Produced by Rudimental, Skepsis, Billen Ted and Slim Typical

There are three members of Rudimental, Skepsis is one guy and then both Billen Ted and Slim Typical are duos, meaning this song not even reaching three minutes was produced by, hypothetically, eight people. I bring this up because really, production-wise, this could easily be a solo effort from a more dedicated and underground producer, or Hell, if you want to be generous, you could get something more interesting out of a winning trio like Skrillex-Four Tet-Fred again.., or you know, that famous drum and bass trio Rudimental? It’s not like there are too many cooks in the kitchen either because this is fully in the space Rudimental and Skepsis are familiar with, there’s a vaguely reggae-influenced loop replicated in the trickling electronics and beeping bass, with a smoky female vocal lead and eventually, oddly throaty bass desperately trying to keep up with preset breakbeats. I like the airy atmosphere fine, the content is in that specific arena between nondescript and nonsensical that ChatGPT usually hits, and we have an inane inclusion of a Riko Dan verse. If you know Riko Dan from anywhere, it’s because he was a member of the grime crew Roll Deep (though he barely appears on their hits), and he brings his distinct accent and energy to the song, but isn’t given much time or space - why not have him holler his ad-libs all throughout the track? Get a real MC vibe going with that, it could bring more character to a frankly worryingly lifeless drum and bass tune. The outro is a nice touch - on a worse day, or maybe without five other dudes, Rudimental wouldn’t bother with that - but it’s too little, too late for what otherwise doesn’t seem to serve much of a purpose at all. Pretty disappointing.

#68 - “Wasted Youth” - goddard. featuring Cat Burns

Produced by Jonny Coffer, Chase & Status and goddard.

Maybe producer Andrew Goddard, or just goddard., can bring something interesting to the EDM debuts, of which there are a lot of this week. He’s famous for his remix of Cat Burns’ big hit “go” so another collaboration makes perfect sense and there’s already six versions so that’s how you know it’s a hit. Jokes aside, this is pretty good - the sombre acoustics are filtered to allow for Burns’ bitter post-breakup vocals to shine, and the progression doesn’t feel as contrived as, say, Rudimental’s. Now all of that doesn’t matter because the drop is just scuzzingly hard. goddard. delivers a punchy, borderline industrial bass that has me wondering why he stylises himself in lowercase instead of block capitals, alongside a differently pitched vocal that makes the separation between verse and hook much more distinct and impactful, especially with the rubbery glitch of the bass that eventually absorbs other elements of the track, like Burns’ lead vocal. The best part of this may be that there’s an actually meaningful bridge, albeit a short one, that develops the song until its abrupt end. My main complaint here is the personality of the vocal of which there practically is none, and there’s nothing particularly potent lyrically that makes this a great song, but I’ll be damned if goddard. didn’t try alongside producers of the year Chase & Status, with his VIP mix being even more to the point and alien, probably my favourite version… if it weren’t for the incredibly creative remixes.

I’m not one to cover all versions of a song but there are a bunch of different creative reinventions of this song here, a trio in fact. The first is an absolutely killer hardcore remix by [IVY] that twists the drum and bass frolick into a thump that elevates the existing drop to a festival stage that Cat Burns’ vocal probably didn’t deserve. Yes, it is my favourite version, mostly for how it relegates the drum and bass elements for a bizarre post-drop, where they become so buzzy and distorted that it’s practically indistinguishable from the bass synth and the filters placed on Burns to make her sound utterly inhuman. The cascading of fuzzy synth in the second build-up is beautiful and the manic despair it leads into is just brilliant dissonance. Now where it gets real interesting is the ozone remix, which brings in Enya to the mix, specifically the song made famous through sampling like three or four times at this point, and that eerie tone the sample often carries takes on a new, filthy tone with the ripping, ravishing bass and trainwreck drums, interrupted at every angle by what sounds like a bark of Cerberus. [IVY] builds upon “Wasted Youth”, ozone brings in elements of another classic only to deconstruct the two songs simultaneously in complete disregard of their elements, so what does Serum do? He only samples the ozone remix, of course, making a remix of a remix that in itself remixes yet another song known for its remixes. Serum adds an acoustic guitar as well as a swinging Afrobeats groove, only for it to blast through the necessities by the time we get to the drop, including the Enya loop much more prominently to place against complete implosions of bass, warped and distorted to really non-mainstream capabilities, simultaneously boiling the song down to only its most tense staccato elements. None of these remixes meaningfully adjust the structure of “Wasted Youth” but they all tear it apart sonically and recreate it in really fascinating ways that make me almost want to give the original more props… but these remixes aren’t the songs charting. The original is what’s credited and unfortunately is what I have to consider but do note, these are some killer alternate versions.

#57 - “Austin” - Dasha

Produced by Travis Heidelman

Alright, I’ll bite: who the Hell is Dasha? Well, according to her obvious press release of a Genius profile, she’s a pop singer from California, which contrasts a bit with this song, a back-to-basic country hoedown that’s a bit too well produced to convince me it isn’t a California pop singer trying to emulate that sound. She doesn’t even try for a twang, though maybe that’d be for the best. Outside of that, I pretty much have no gripes with this, it’s excellent country pop. If you ever have read this blog, you’d know I’m a stickler for detail in lyrics, especially narrative-driven pop tracks, and this does it incredibly well, painting a story about two young lovers. Dasha makes plans with this guy to leave Texas for LA and move onto bigger things but he ditches her last minute and this is her lament of the betrayal, not dissimilar to the late Toby Keith’s “How Do You Like Me Now?!”, except somehow less pissy and unjustifiably mean, which is kind of what sells that song for me, and Dasha doesn’t exactly have a smoky rasp that fully convinces me on its content, like an Elle King would, but she definitely has a power to her voice that accentuates some of the more vulnerable elements of this story, like how she runs out of breath on that first lead chorus melody, leading for the wistful backing vocals to echo her and fill in the blanks, how she can’t really finish the word “Austin”, referring to the city in Texas but of course here, it could also be the guy’s name. Of course, I would love for a good bridge here, but as it is, this is a vengeful frolick that stops at dismissing the guy entirely, more so promising to herself that she will forget about her. It’s no shock to me that a compelling story and infectious hook alongside the relatively organic sounding fiddle and acoustics could go viral and become a sleeper hit in this way, even if it’s not as organic industry-wise as it may be sonically, and if we in the UK end up getting more country hits that not even the US will touch, I’m here for it, especially if it’s from rightfully pissed-off women in country. We need more songs from them in the mainstream.

#53 - “stayinit” - Fred again.., Lil Yachty and Overmono

Produced by Fred again.., Overmono, Boo and Joy Anonymous

Like his partner Skrillex, Best Dance Act nominee Mr. Again has a tendency to skewer these strange collaborations together and thanks to him, now we have a team-up between rapper-turned-whatever-he-feels-like-that-day Lil Yachty and DJ duo Overmono, who I’m not familiar with but have a following for their atmospheric UK bass and future garage tunes so I was definitely expecting something interesting and not necessarily chart-friendly here. We also get original vocals instead of a sample like with Baby Keem on “leavemealone”, as Yachty sings here - albeit awkwardly - in a filter that makes him sound like he’s crooning to you but with a very large fan in the middle. His warbling vibrato is cute and his sentimental mantra would work in a more sentimental track, but this goes for full eerie future garage, Burial-style but a tad sharper and edgier, and I have no idea why they did that. It doesn’t sound bad, it’s pretty alarming, it may reflect some darker moments about contemplating ending the life Lil Boat’s begging this person to stay in, but I don’t think there’s enough lyrically for that to fully work. There is enough detail and it’s oddly poetic for Yachty, especially that main line “you’ve got a life, stay in it”, it’s kind of potent, but it feels mismatched with thenumb violence of its instrumental. He feels like a lost optimist stepping into the wrong narrow back alley, and the song completely gives up on adjusting for him. It’s a shame, but this honestly just baffles me more than anything. Some collaborations may not need to happen, Fred.

#51 - “Cuban Links” - Skrapz, Nines and D-Block Europe

Produced by EmzBeats and chucks

Keeping up with these nondescript UK rappers can be difficult, man, I had to check what Skrapz had done prior to his #10 album Reflection and it seems like his main route to fame is collaborating with the immensely dull Nines, and that’s not changed, but thankfully, we have two certified weirdos here to cancel them out. First of all, there’s no reflection here at all over this liquid acoustic guitar and stale trap beat, he says he has a lion as a pet for God’s sake.When Skrapz started off the song, I just thought he was Nines mixed weirdly, but then Nines came in for the second verse and I realised just how further off rhythm the real deal’s rambles are. He doesn’t feel like a real rapper sometimes. Neither do DBE, of course, as Young Adz carries the very catchy chorus, as he tends to do, it really has everything I’d want from his hooks: a meandering refusal to stick to one flow or melodic idea, “ski!” ad-libs and some bizarrely infectious non-sequiturs. It is genuinely insane how much better this beat sounds with Adz and Dirtbike Lb on it than it does for Nines and Skrapz, this is a killer verse from Dirtbike, I’m being serious. The flows are effortless and he has some pretty smooth-sounding rhyme scheme ideas throughout. It even has the weird eerie outro where the entire song devolves like some DBE songs end with, I don’t even know why Skrapz and Nines are on here, let alone the primary artist. They feel added on in post to what would be a pretty above-par D-Block Europe song. Man, it’s really worrying when these are the guys saving your songs.

#46 - “Doctor (Work it Out)” - Pharrell Williams featuring Miley Cyrus

Produced by Pharrell Williams

This is the newest single by award-winning record producer Pharrell Williams featuring guest vocals from pop star and International Artist of the Year nominee Miley Cyrus. It consists of a funk groove with slick guitars and raspy vocals from Ms. Cyrus about making love to her partner. It has a chorus and bassline and a mix. This has actually existed since the Bangerz era which begs the question of: how is this so safe and boring? Both of these artists can be genuinely batshit when they feel like it so whenever they put out anything in this very familiar vein, it’s just an immediate disinterest from me, especially if it’s going to be a collaboration between the two making the thing that both of them do “best”: vaguely existent funk-pop. I’ll give it a fair shake when these two give the prospect of being in any way compelling another try.

#42 - “Dizzy” - Olly Alexander

Produced by Danny L Harle

The multinational song contest Eurovision is on its way in May, and we’re bringing our best and brightest to the competition in Malmo this year! And by that, I mean Danny L Harle because the Years & Years guy’s identity crisis has gotten to breaking point: he’s had to rebrand his former group Years & Years as Olly Alexander (Years & Years), which is now the credit given to songs created and performed by the group, not just the solo act version. Well, it’s not exactly classy, or really all that sensical, but I suppose he wants everything in one place, even if that means work is attributed to the wrong person. I don’t know why complaining about credits has been the major theme. Regardless, this is probably the guy’s best song in years, largely because of the intricacies that Mr. Harle and his fellow former PC Music fellow EASYFUN can bring to the mix, with some sparkling Pet Shop Boys synths in the right channel, a thumping Eurodance beat and enough space to show off Alexander’s vocals whilst also adding a lot of little tiny filters and soundbites in the mix to make it interesting as a studio performance, distracting you from the lack of personality. That aforementioned Pet Shop Boys lead ends up transforming into Christmas-esque bells in the chorus alongside a weirdly lo-fi crackle that makes it a lot more interesting of an otherwise simplistic and expected chorus. This is by all means an utterly serviceable song in good hands, rather than a song that feels constructed from the bottom up, but sometimes for Eurovision, that’ll work. It’s fine, we could do well with this. We’re Britain, though, so catastrophic failure is in the cards as always.

#38 - “Worth It.” - RAYE

Produced by Mike Sabath

She didn’t even perform this one, but you win that many awards, you basically get a free debut and since I don’t think this’ll stick around for much longer even if it is kind of a single, I’ll try to be brief, especially since I don’t like this one too much. Despite the melodramatic presentation that plagues all of the albums, for better and for worse, this is one of the less substanceful tracks, a bit confused about how seriously it wants to take itself considering the direly joyless composition placed against pop culture references and stammering over a tinny funk guitar. Sure, there’s some weight to the horns but this feels like a bit of a stodge overall. She’s having fun on it, sometimes, and Sabath is showing off his compositional and mixing skills… sometimes? Definitely an awkward one for me, edging close to being decent, but even then not in a particularly interesting way.

#34 - “Overcompensate” - twenty one pilots

Produced by Paul Meany and Tyler Joseph

Overcompensate indeed. You make one album that sounds just like The Killers and your next lead single starts with an abrasive industrial drone accompanied with a cacophony of incomprehensible German spoken word chatter, before dropping into a pulsating punk drive that seems to want to lure me into the lore of Trench once again, as if that last album didn’t exist at all. Maybe a smart move for the fans, but I do feel a bit lost here. The blasts of saxophones add to the intensity, and the droning vocals from Mr. Joseph strain motionlessly over the chaos in a pretty interesting manner that could definitely lead to an interesting, dark song… that gets ret-conned by boom bap and yes, overcompensate indeed by the time he’s rapping again, which is something I have never liked about this band, and yes, I know it’s an integral part of their sound. Outside of the Red Hot Chili Peppers-esque chorus, this song just feels alien to me as an outsider of the Skeletons or what have you. On a sonic level, it’s like seven songs smashed into one project file, and on a lyrical level, it seems to actively push me out of understanding it because I’m 1.) not the demographic and 2.) not willing to envelop myself in the abstract narrative deep enough because of how unadjusted the song is as a piece of music to what it’s attempting to convey. It’s not surprising to me that I just don’t get this one.

#26 - “Von dutch” - Charli XCX

Produced by EASYFUN

Even with the BRIT Awards and certified, relatively more consistent hitmakers like RAYE, Fred again.., Rudimental, twenty one pilots, DBE, Miley Cyrus and even Pharrell Williams, it’s a mid-week release from Best Pop Act nominee Charli XCX of all people with production from EASYFUN of former PC Music fame that debuts the highest of them all. It’s the lead single from her upcoming club record Brat and that’s a damn good way to describe it of course. There’s no attempt to hide her classic obnoxious Auto-Tuned whine that makes up a lot of her more interesting character, and if anything, EASYFUN wants to make this a racket. The vocal editing slurs words together, loops them and places them over gross, faux-cinematic revving that despite her moving onto planes in the music video, still functions as a high-speed car chase, she’s never that far from cars, is she? I can imagine this being the soundtrack to a Formula 1 race or, more accurately, a car crash caught on a dash-cam. I really like Charli XCX, I like noisier, more abrasive dance music, this might even be a bit too annoying for me, mostly because its tension emerges largely from its own decision to be noisy, instead of any actual lyrical tension or a functional structure. I don’t know what level of post-quasi-meta-irony Charli and co. are on at this point, but I think I finally… don’t really get it. Catchy though.

Conclusion

Like I prefaced, it’s weird, it’s messy, and not the greatest week either. Most of it just ended up mediocre or putting some kind of guard up to prevent me from fully getting into it. This may be my boomer moment, ladies and gentlemen, but the conventional country pop song, “Austin” by Dasha gets Best of the Week with an Honourable Mention to “Wasted Youth” by goddard. and Cat Burns, because Chase & Status tend to just land themselves here effortlessly. As for the opposite end of the spectrum, I suppose Rudimental and co. land the Worst of the Week with “Green & Gold” even if it’s not devastatingly bad and I have to tie the Dishonourable Mention between Miley Cyrus and Pharrell Williams with “Doctor (Work it Out)” and honestly, “Overcompensate” by twenty one pilots. It’s a headache to me. As for what’s on the horizon, who cares? Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next week!

[musicforants]

Here’s my favorite albums & songs in a year that had no shortage of great music. Click here to listen to my full Best Songs of 2022 playlist (100 tracks) via Spotify or Apple Music.

FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2022

Alvvays - Blue Rev

Beach House - Once Twice Melody

Destroyer - LABYRINTHITIS

Spoon - Lucifer On the Sofa

Beyoncé - RENAISSANCE

Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

SAULT - UNTITLED (God)

The Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention

Wild Pink - ILYSM

The Weeknd - Dawn FM

Weyes Blood - And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow

Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - Reset

Angel Olsen - Big Time

Wet Leg - Wet Leg

Sudan Archives - Natural Brown Prom Queen

Wilco - Cruel Country

Soccer Mommy - Sometimes, Forever

Phoenix - Alpha Zulu

Let's Eat Grandma - Two Ribbons

Arctic Monkeys - The Car

Nilüfer Yanya - PAINLESS

Horsegirl - Versions of Modern Performance

ROSALIA - MOTOMAMI

Spiritualized - Everything Was Beautiful

The Beths - Expert in a Dying Field

Ethel Cain - Preacher’s Daughter

Jack White - Fear Of The Dawn

Little Simz - NO THANK YOU

Julia Jacklin - Pre Pleasure

Hatchie - Giving The World Away

FAVORITE SONGS OF 2022

Braxe + Falcon - Step by Step (feat. Panda Bear)

Destroyer - June

The Weeknd - Less Than Zero

Beach House - New Romance

Alvvays - Belinda Says

Jamie xx - LET’S DO IT AGAIN

Big Thief - Simulation Swarm

Spoon - Wild

LCD Soundsystem - new body rhumba

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Spitting Off the Edge of the World (feat. Perfume Genius)

Beyoncé - VIRGO'S GROOVE

Soccer Mommy - Shotgun

Let's Eat Grandma - Happy New Year

The Smile - Skrting On the Surface

Ethel Cain - American Teenager

Sudan Archives - Selfish Soul

ROSALÍA - SAOKO

Arctic Monkeys - Body Paint

Mitski - Love Me More

Wet Leg – Angelica

Alex G - Runner

Fontaines D.C. - Jackie Down The Line

Weyes Blood - God Turn Me Into a Flower

Harry Styles - As It Was

Nilüfer Yanya - midnight sun

Phoenix - After Midnight

The Beths - Expert in a Dying Field

Angel Olsen - Right Now

Jessie Ware - Free Yourself

Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - Edge of the Edge

Caroline Polachek - Billions

Arcade Fire - Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)

Horsegirl - Anti-glory

SAULT - God In Disguise

Hatchie - Quicksand

Bartees Strange - Heavy Heart

Wild Pink - See You Better Now

Hot Chip - Eleanor

Julia Jacklin - Lydia Wears a Cross

Kendrick Lamar - The Heart Part 5

Gang of Youths - in the wake of your leave

Plains - Abilene

Spiritualized - The Mainline Song

Wilco - Bird Without a Tail / Base of My Skull

Jockstrap - Greatest Hits

Father John Misty - Goodbye Mr. Blue

SZA - Shirt

Kevin Morby - This Is a Photograph

Cate Le Bon - Moderation

Jack White - That Was Then, This is Now

Link to full 100-track playlist on Spotify / Apple Music

[deadthehype]

Ab-Soul, Joey Bada$$, Kendrick Lamar & SZA had a 4-to-6 year hiatus in-between albums, and delivered the best albums of 2022. Each one was well worth the wait.

[cyarskj1899]

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Helen Mirren Joins Kendrick Lamar In His Latest Video To “Count Me Out”

Interestingly enough they actually seem to have good chemistry on screen...

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For the last week, SZA had the internet buzzing with the release of her latest project, SOS (the album is fire), but today we’re revisiting the work of her TDE teammate, Kendrick Lamar who’s dropped a new visual for one of the standout cuts off his last album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.

Releasing a new video for “Count Me Out,” Kendrick Lamar enlists the talents of Oscar winning actress, Helen Mirren to take on the role of his therapist who sits and listens as he empties out his feelings about life in the form of rhymes and metaphors. With shifting imageries showcasing K. Dot in different and sometimes curious circumstances, Mirren can do nothing but sit idly by in mesmerism as she takes in the bars that her patient is getting off his chest.

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Kendrick Lamar Hits The ‘SNL’ Stage For Show’s Season 48 Premiere

It’s pretty damn dope to be honest. You have to wonder if Mirren’s familiar with Kendrick Lamar’s work at all.

Check out the visual to “Count Me Out” below and let us know your thoughts on the Kendrick Lamar directed joint.

COUNT ME OUT , HELEN MIRREN , KENDRICK LAMAR

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[itsdelicate]

its totally fine that ur busy!! im not lol just in this waiting period for my exam results so i have all this time to send u a whole essay reply lmaonjdsmk. aw :( felt like it just flew by like suddenly its 2023 which is crazy

ahh its so great to have a friend like that!! i dont lmao my friends listen to music that is vv different from my music taste so i just google recs. like im getting back into r&b music cause i had a bit of phase where i was obsessed w it during quarantine and also joni mitchell and elliott smith and i just googled and saw recs on reddit. YES YES YES a ten min version of the great war would be mmmmm perfect

tbh ive never been to any concerts like just little recital sorta stuff but i do really love live music!! wbu? what are the best concerts youve been to? that would really suck if they laughed at u for that omg. ohhh yea i get that like recently ive been in a very speak now songs mood but i listened to it A LOT so now im listening to the new sza album!! ooh how was the musical? ive never heard of it before tbh ijsdmk

wdym by that? like bought? cause i havent actually like gotten a physical copy of an album before (or even like a digitally bought one). i just listen on spotify. but the first album i got into like listened to (and loved) the whole album is prob harry styles' first album!! like i got into one direction during quarantine (weird as hell i know) and all the other boys but i listened to his whole album first and it was everything !!!! wbu what was the first album you got (like bought) or got into?

LMAOSKMDF that is alr more than enough. i do really wanna watch the latest puss in boots movie tho just cause i love puss in boots jdskm

i didnt know there was a life of play omg how was it?? my brothers and my parents loved the movie back then!! ooh thats nice!! havent been to the zoo in a while lol. what's studying animal welfare like? idk anyone who studies it so this is vv cool to me lmao

omggg i really love lover so i dont know how to feel ab this 😭yes!! it has some great songs. okay heres a question that could be a dealbreaker to me if you answer wrong (jkjk lmao) but thoughts on false god? yea i was one of those ppl too sdhcnjk but now i love all that lmao

thats nice!! what was the recipe for? my days gonna be very boring i think lmao ive nothing to do so im prob just gonna be doing online courses and listening to music

now ab the matilda musical: YESSS its literally one of the best htings ive watched in 2022 (havent watched a lot of things tho lmao). omg i'm here is def number one like i CRIED sm at the "dont cry daddy" part djis. one of my fav parts tho is the part in when i grow up where miss honey sings cause it makes me cry and its so very. i just could not. also love my house and still holding my hand (basicallt every scene ever w miss honey she is so special to me <3) and the smell of rebellion (EMMA FREAKING THOMPSON!!!!!!!!) i dont think so actually ive got a lot of shows and movies sitting in my list on nfx waiting to be watched lol so those will be next prob. my friend got me into this reality tv show recently ab rich ppl in dubai called dubai bling and all the drama is so funny so ive been watching that and re-watching queer eye for the fiftieth time lmaodfmk. wbu? any musicals or movies or shows you're excited for?

xxx ur secret santa

omg all the best for your results!! i always find the waiting period so nerve wracking whew i know! it went so fast

yeah it’s fun to get recs!! during covid my friends and i tried to do this month long song challenge from prompts and we all added in songs into a joint playlist and ended up with almost 200 songs that were all over the place it was fun ahdjf ooh r&b is interesting! god yes i need that song to possess me idk

aw but that’s fun! live music is great <3 taylor’s concerts for me! (big surprise i know 😭) are you liking the album? the musical was great!! it’s a jukebox musical so it was really really fun!! shakespeare’s wife doesn’t like that he kills of juliet just because of romeo so she proposes rewriting it so juliet goes on to live her life shdjg

that’s fair! the first cd i ever bought on my own was hannah montana when i was little 💀 a quarantine one direction phase is so valid, did you like harry’s first album? i haven’t heard the whole thing just a few songs!

omg yes i want to watch that too! and the play was really good! the animal puppets were incredible! it’s great!! i study animal welfare and anthrozoology and i love love love it :’) nothing in the world i love more than animals so it’s <3333

shfkgk i’m so sorry 😭 i feel like i’m neutral about false god like i don’t Not like it but i also have to be in a specific mood to listen to it 🤔

it was bahn mi! ooh what online courses?

everything u said!! yes yes!! i want to rewatch the stage musical again hopefully this year 🤞 omg that sounds wild i haven’t heard of it before! aw nice! i’ve seen like three episodes of queer eye it was great idk why i never continued it ahdjf i’m not sure actually!! idek what movies are coming out this year or anything hmm (also have u ever seen taskmaster? it’s my fav hehe)

also i think i’ll find out who you are tomorrow if u revealed yourself so i just wanted to say thank you for all your messages!! i’ve loved talking to you sm it’s made me so happy 🫶🫶🫶

[cyarsk5230]

A List Of The Corniest Things Drake Has Ever Done

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It’s no secret that Drake is a massive cornball. The Canadian rapper, whose debut album “Thank Me Later” was released in 2010, has changed the way hip hop has affected the masses. Sadly, it’s not in a good way. Kendrick Lamar’s new Drake diss song, “euphoria,” called out the way the “For All The Dogs” artist has made a mockery of Black American culture—and  we have the proof.

Here’s a list of the corniest sh*t Drizzy has ever done.

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Using AI Tupac On “Taylor Made Freestyle”

Drake really thought he was onto something when he employed AI to emulate of voices of the late Tupac Shakur and the very much alive Snoop Dogg on “Taylor Made Freestyle.” The track, which he deleted after Tupac estate’s threatened Drake with legal action, took aim at Kendrick Lamar and begged him to respond to the 4 minute debacle. Drizzy also insisted Taylor Swift was the reason Kendrick was taking his time, reminding us that he deserved every insult in “euphoria.”

Joking About Tory Lanez Shooting On “Circo Loco”

On his 2022 track “Circo Loco” alongside 21 Savage, Drake referened Tory Lanez shooting Megan Thee Stallion back in 2020 by rapping: “This b*tch lie about getting shots, but she still a stallion / She don’t even get the joke but she still smiling.” There’s nothing funny about violence against Black women, but Meg said it best when she commented: “Stop using my shooting for clout b*tch a** n***a!”

Referencing Slavery On “Slime You Out”

Last year, Drake released his song “Slime You Out” featuring SZA which would appear on his most recent album “For All The Dogs.” In addition to using Halle Berry on the track’s cover art against her wishes, Drake also joked about slavery in the song. “Whipped and chained you like American slaves/Act like you not used to Sheraton stays.” There’s no justification for these egregious lines, but clearly the bar is in hell for Drake.

Wearing Blackface

In his lethal 2018 diss track “The Story of Adidon,” Pusha T not only read Drake for his entire life but used a shocking 2007 photo of the Canadian emcee in blackface as the song’s cover art. Drizzy attempted to explain the image on his Instagram Story.  “I was working on a project that was about young Black actors struggling to get roles, being stereotyped and type cast. The photos represented how African Americans were once wrongfully portrayed in entertainment.” All we have to say is: blackface is never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever justifiable.

Buying Tupac’s Jewelry

Last year, Drake purchased a ring designed by the late Tupac Shakur for just over a $1 million (its presale estimate was valued between $200,000-$300,000). He debuted the ring on his Instagram and wore it in interviews. If this isn’t one of the biggest examples of Drake’s culture vulture cosplay, we don’t know what is.

Hiding A Child

On Pusha T’s 2018 scorched earth Drake diss track,  “The Story Of Adidon,” he alerted the world that Drake had a secret child. He had privately fathered a son named Adonis with former adult film actress  Sophie Brussaux. The revelation that Drake was a deadbeat father forced the emcee to start showing his child more — but it was sad that it came to that.

Working With Morgan Wallen

When Morgan Wallen was caught saying racial slurs on camera in 2021, he publicly apologized and had his music pulled from radio stations and Country Music Television. Of course, that didn’t stop him for staging a comeback, headlining tours and becoming one of the most streamed artists in 2023. For reasons no one will ever understand, Drake featured Wallen in his “You Broke My Heart” video last year. 

Petty Rihanna Snub

While on tour earlier this year, Drake showed just how petty he can be. During a show in Tampa, Fla. he refused to perform his hit song with his ex Rihanna entitled “Work” — even though he played a clip of it onstage. As it played, Drake remarked: “I don’t sing this song anymore. You can sing it for me.” This is peak cornball behavior.

Keeping Serena’s Name In His Mouth

On his joint 2022 project with 21 Savage entitled “Her Loss,” Drake couldn’t help from bringing up his ex Serena Williams on the track “Middle of The Ocean.” He rapped: “Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie/He claim we don’t got a problem but/No, boo, it is like you comin’ for sushi.” Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, fired back at the rapper.

“The reason I stay winning is because I’m relentless about being the absolute best at whatever I do — including being the best groupie for my wife & daughter,” he wrote on X/Twitter.

Rumored Plastic Surgery

Though Drake loves posting shirtless photos on his social media, fans have speculated for a while that he’s had plastic surgery. Rick Ross has stated Drake got a BBL, Megan Thee Stallion has alluded to certain rappers having scars from getting work done and even Kendrick implored Drizzy to share where he got his abs from.

Being A Video Vixen

Over the last year, Drake has appeared in two Sexyy Red videos: “Rich Baby Daddy” and “Get It Sexyy.” He has pathetically embraced the role of being a video vixen and on “euphoria” Kendrick addressed this trend: “When I see you stand by Sexyy Red, I believe you see two bad b**ches/I believe you don’t like women/It’s real competition/You might pop a** with ‘em. 

Fake Jamaican Accent

For years, Drake has done his best to imitate Jamaican accents. Some call it a fake patois, but ultimately it’s just disrespectful. Fans heard him do his infamous impression on songs like Popcaan’s “We Caa Done” and his “On The Radar” freestyle with Central Cee.

Michael Jackson Comparison

In 2023, Drake tied Michael Jackson for the most number one singles in Billboard chart history. He celebrated the milestone on Instagram as well on his song “First Person Shooter” with J.Cole. Drake rapped: “N***as talkin’ ‘bout when this gon’ be repeated/What the f**k, bro? I’m one away from Michael/N***a, beat it.”

 In the video for the track, Drake dressed like the late music icon and attempted to do a Michael Jackson dance. Drizzy just needs to have several seats — forever.

Blackness in your inbox daily. Subscribe to The Root.

What moment do you think is the corniest thing that Drake has ever done ?

[yessadirichards]

Grammy Awards host Trevor Noah on why to tune in, being nominated and his post 'Daily Show' life

NEW YORK

Trevor Noah is ready to face one of the toughest audiences of his career — the millions watching as he once again hosts the Grammy Awards.

“It is easily the most nerve-wracking thing that I do, but I love it every single time," Noah tells The Associated Press ahead of Sunday's telecast. "Each year there’s a new highlight and a new moment that is embedded into my memory.”

The 2024 Grammy Awards will air live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The telecast — with SZA having a leading nine nominations — will be Noah's fourth consecutive hosting gig for the awards.

He said he's looking forward to the live performances, especially ones by nominated artists Burna Boy, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Travis Scott.

“I always love seeing artists who have an innate understanding of how different and powerful the live experience is, and I think Burna Boy is one of those artists,” Noah said. “He really excels in transforming live energy into a special moment in time.

“Billie Eilish has never given a half-hearted performance. Every time she’s on stage, it feels like watching a vignette from a classic film. It’s really thought-out and beautiful. I think Dua Lipa is one of the best pop performers of our lifetime. She does a fantastic job for this generation. Travis Scott is definitely going to be doing something crazy, so we should get ready for that. I would tune in because I think it’s a good mix of predictably amazing and then unpredictably amazing as well.”

The comedian, best known for hosting Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” from 2015-22, just won an Emmy Award for best talk series for the last season of the show. He previously won one in 2017 for hosting a spin-off show, “The Daily Show — Behind the Scenes,” which was voted outstanding short-form variety series.

Noah is not only a host this year — he's also a nominee, with his comedy album “I Wish You Would” up against “I’m an Entertainer” by Wanda Sykes, “Selective Outrage” by Chris Rock, “Someone You Love” by Sarah Silverman and “What’s in a Name?” by Dave Chappelle.

“I’ve looked into all the Grammy bylaws, and there’s nothing that says being the host will give you any leg up in winning the award,” Noah jokes. “I think Dave Chappelle is the favorite because he’s always the favorite, and rightfully so.”

If that happens, don't expect Noah to be complaining that he lost the Grammy to Chappelle or that it's the second time he's lost a best comedy album Grammy to Chappelle.

“I’ve looked into all the Grammy bylaws, and there’s nothing that says being the host will give you any leg up in winning the award,” Noah jokes. “I think Dave Chappelle is the favorite because he’s always the favorite, and rightfully so.”

If that happens, don't expect Noah to be complaining that he lost the Grammy to Chappelle or that it's the second time he's lost a best comedy album Grammy to Chappelle.

“I don’t understand how people live in a world where you can lose something that you never had. I’ve never won a Grammy. I don’t have a Grammy. Unless Dave Chappelle comes to my house and takes my Grammy. I can never lose the Grammy to him,” he says.

Award show hosts have had a rough few years, with The Slap marring the Oscars in 2022 and comedian Jo Koy getting critically panned at the Golden Globes earlier this year.

“In my head, it was always hard being a host. I always assumed anything could happen. I guess the very nature of comedy has always felt like that for me,” says Noah. “I never blame an audience. I might not enjoy an audience, but I never blame an audience.”

Harvey Mason Jr., president and CEO of the Recording Academy, has got Noah's back, calling the comedian “a total pro” as host.

“There’s never a hesitation, never a hiccup. There’s never a stumble. Second of all, he relates so well to the artists and to the music community in my mind, because he’s a fan and he’s an appreciator and a lover of music,” says Mason.

Noah says he's enjoying his life post-"The Daily Show," which includes hosting the interview podcast “What Now? with Trevor Noah” which has attracted the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Bill Gates, Kerry Washington and DaBaby.

“I’m trying to build a platform where I get really comfortable and people get really comfortable having honest and open conversations with each other,” says Noah. “We’re in a little short supply of that compassion for each other as human beings."

[zed-air]

OZ's 2023

______

Ch-ch-ch-changes

••• 

Going to keep this year's recap brief. Not sure if anyone reads these, but I reference them sometimes when necessary.

The main thing of note this year was my workload.

I returned to concert performance following the pandemic lull of 2020-2022. I played about a dozen shows with Pepperland in the second half of the year, beginning with a private event in rural Alberta and ending by closing an awards gala for hundreds of folks at the Edmonton Expo Centre (video below) and a sold out NYE show at the Blue Chair. More performances with Pepperland and others are planned for 2024.

I also broke my first guitar string(s) since 2011!

My radio work unexpectedly shifted into high gear this year. Following various developments in 2022, I planned to drastically scale back my fill-in work at CKUA - particularly during the daytime programs. However, through some cosmic irony, by the end of 2023 I ended up doing more radio work than ever before. My previous record for fill-in shows in a single year was 95. I ended 2023 having acted as a guest-host on 141 occasions, in addition to my own weekly show. This was not planned, and nearly all of those 141 shows have been classical music programs. I have been operating since February as the guest-host of Classic Examples during the long term absence of the regular host Mark Antonelli.

My weekly Friday night Albertan music program In Our Neighbourhood continues on CKUA. Also continuing, now in its fourth year, my collaboration with NME as the Senior Producer on their podcast series The No Normal.

Working this many weeknights has had the unfortunate consequence of my family rarely being in the same place together. What little time we've shared has been spent introducing my kid to Star Trek.

••• 

Some of my favourite 2023 music releases, in no order besides alphabetical, with apologies to any which I've overlooked, missed, or haven't had the chance to listen to yet:

ALBERTAN ALBUMS

Audrey Ochoa – Head of a Mouse

Betaboys – Just Yesterday

Confusionaires! – Westernization

Des Arcs – Masks

Downtown Exit – Bootleg Stardust

Miesha and the Spanks – Unconditional Love in Hi-Fi

Jesse Murray – I Did It All For You

Doug Organ – Quiet in the Library

Starpainter – Rattlesnake Dream

Trevor Howlett & the Cruz Bros - Self-Titled EP

Void Comp – Metropol

OTHER ALBUMS & SONGS OF NOTE

The Beatles "Now and Then"

Fifty Fifty "Cupid"

Go_A "Dumala"

Kinva - Kinva

Monks on Call "Capsized"

SZA "Kill Bill"

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway - City of Gold

Wayfinding "Bad Blood"

- - - - -

OTHER MUSIC THOUGHTS FROM THE ZIBLIOTHEK

In 2020, I started an alphabetical exploration of the Zibliothek’s vinyl collection. I’ve also been documenting the LP library and other aspects of the collection on Instagram. At my current rate, it will take me 13-15 years to listen to the full LP library. I made inconsistent progress in 2023, listening in waves with long gaps between opportunities. Here’s some of what I listened to this year:

Lou Christie: I once read he was Egyptian. This has proven difficult misinformation to shake. Some goofy goodies in his catalogue.

Eric Clapton: Outside of his 1965-1968 period, I am decidedly not a fan of Clapton as a person or musician. With the exception of his Unplugged album, which has strong moments, nearly everything since Derek & the Dominoes has been criminally dull. I can honestly say I never need to hear his music again.

Petula Clark: Great voice. Sometimes great songs too.

Roy Clark: I like his music best when I can't see him playing it.

The Clash: Tremendous.

Joe Cocker: Great bands behind him. Often great performances too. Not always strong material.

Patsy Cline / Leonard Cohen / Nat King Cole / Perry Como / Sam Cooke: All tremendous.

Ry Cooder: I remain a bit mystified by Ry Cooder. Admired by countless people I enjoy, but his music does nothing for me.

Elvis Costello: A very strong catalogue, and consistently enjoyable.

Cream: Clapton at his best, fighting for space in a tempest of madmen.

Creedence Clearwater Revival: I've never been a big fan. With a few exceptions, the overplayed radio hits remain tiresome. I have a vague memory of their live "Royal Albert Hall" album being strong, and I like their debut album and Cosmo's Factory, but everything in between was pretty plodding and dull overall.

Jim Croce: What a catalogue he might have produced had he lived. Some gigantic tunes.

The Cowsills: The hits still hit.

Bing Crosby: The birth of croon, but not the greatest in his field.

Crosby, Stills, and Nash (and Young): Great when they're good, forgettable when they're not.

Bobby Darin: I love his work, his young voice was one of the all-time greats for that kind of music. As his voice changed, he still used it well, but it was never as magical after the early 1960s.

Dave Cark / The Dave Clark Five: Business genius, funny drummer, some of the best British Invasion songs going. Mike Smith was a tremendously underrated rock & roll singer in his youth.

Deep Purple: Finally listened to the bulk of their peripheral catalogue. Several of their albums are essential for any library. Their early Mk I period is underrated heavy pop, before they found their signature sound. The iconic Mk II period is musically tremendous and lyrically abysmal, and Made In Japan still might be the greatest live album of all time. The Mk III period (and the Tommy Bolin years) weren't as bad as I anticipated, but didn't keep my attention either. The quality of the music seems unconnected to the quality of the album artwork.

Deep Purple solo projects: These range from forgettable to awful in almost every case. Some of Jon Lord's early works are nice to hear, but I love Jon Lord. Still don't understand the appeal of Tommy Bolin.

John Denver: I enjoyed his Rocky Mountain High album, but curiously his two greatest hits albums are painfully weak.

Delaney & Bonnie & Friends: Alright, I guess. Nothing special. Early shades of Clapton the boring.

Derek & the Dominoes: Sometimes very good.

••• 

This song came out in 2022 rather than 2023. Despite being familiar and a fan of Bill McClintock, I only discovered it a month ago. I've listened to it dozens of times and it might be the greatest mash-up ever made. Maybe even the best thing period.

••• 

No pithy ending for 2023. Be safe. Be well. Good luck going forward in 2024.

OZ

[thenewsart]

Readers on the Best Movies, TV, Music and Theater of 2023

Best Pop Music One of the albums that had the biggest impact in 2023 actually came out at the tail end of 2022: SZA’s “SOS.” Between their albums and song lists, our three pop music critics agreed “SOS” was one of the year’s best, along with LPs from Olivia Rodrigo and 100 gecs. Beyond that, their tastes widely diverged from one another — and, it turns out, from our readers’. (Michael Hasse, a…

[popmusicu]

The “disappearance” of artists nowadays.

There has been 2679 days without a Rihanna album and 2506 days without a Frank Ocean album. SZA spent 2009 without releasing a full project, and Kendrick Lamar started his last album stating: “1855 days, I’ve been going through something” which is the amount of time spent from his fourth studio album DAMN to his 2022 fifth one “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers”. It seems like modern artists are really taking their time with the music they release, or maybe they realized that music is just one way to express themselves and decided to pursue different endeavors.

  For example, the first artist to be mentioned in this article, Rihanna, since dropping Anti, her latest album, has founded different brands based on her image and lifestyle, such as Fenty Beauty or Savage x Fenty, dedicated to cosmetics and lingerie, which turned her to the wealthiest female musician and a billionaire, she also continued to act in Hollywood movies, and became a National Hero to her country of origin, Barbados.

  Frank Ocean, even though he was close to releasing a shorter body of work during 2020, the pandemic stopped him, and it was canceled. Since his 2016 dual release of Endless and Blond(e), he became independent, leaving his label Def Jam and starting his own, A (also known as Boys don't Cry). After this double drop he went on to just release singles or be featured in some of his friend’s songs, until 2020 and the covid-19 pandemic that cancelled his planned tour and supposed single compilation project. That same year a tragic accident that affected his family made him go totally silent regarding music. This silence made every fan of him become very concerned about his future as an artist and his mental state. He reappeared in 2021 launching his own luxury jewelry company called Homer, claiming his hope is “to make things that last” and “set in stone”, since then, he has been really involved in his company, launching multiple collections and magazines to accompany them, but until now, apart from a freestyle on his “yearly” radio show and a controversial show at Coachella this year, there hasn’t been any updates on new music.

  Kendrick Lamar, after reaching global stardom after his successful album “DAMN” in 2017, even receiving a Pulitzer Prize for its lyrical content, he was put in charge of curating a soundtrack for the 2018 Marvel movie “Black Panther”, that was praised by critics and charted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. He was at the top of the world, but still, he disappeared. Lamar resurfaced in March 2020 to announce that he was starting his own company, along with his best friend and business partner Dave Free, that was not a record label or publishing company, it was “focused on cultivating raw expression from grassroots partnerships”. A year later, the first album under his new collective released, “The Melodic Blue”, made by his cousin, Baby Keem, which features him twice, giving the world a little taste of his new style of rapping, but new music directly from him wouldn’t come until 2022, when he told the world that he needed therapy and for 1855 days he had been “going through something”.

  The common factor between all these widely popular artists is that they’ve been more focused on making their own companies and trying to get revenue from sources other than music, some have been more related to mental health issues, like depression and the need to get away from social media in a world that relies more on it daily.

There are fans that feel entitled for more music from these artists, but they sometime forget they are humans just like us, with their own issues, even if they have more money than us. Just like Frank Ocean said on the closing track of his last album “Blond”, “I’m just a guy, I’m not a god, (…) let me run this b—ch”.

Álvaro Avello.

[lifeinperpetualreview]

2022 Music In Review

Post-Spotify Wrapped and as the final albums of the year come out I wanted to dedicate one post to music for the whole of 2022.

I may have binged some of these albums more e.g. Taylor Swift and Harry's House which aren't very groundbreaking but a lot of that was data limitation and general tune catchiness - it was a VERY strong year for pop and a very minimal year for indie/rock music actually.

This list is based on their technical delivery artistically & sonically as well as pure enjoyment.

Favourite Albums this year:

Renaissance, Beyonce - this album was easily her best work, the truly authentic club anthems honouring her uncle Johnny and the ballroom scene of the 80's is groundbreaking stuff. It slaps, hard.

Mr Morale & the Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar - wow, this album is deep and the messages buried are so important that it makes even the heavier songs a compelling listen.

This Is What I Mean, Stormzy - sonically Stormzy keeps moving on so much, which is good and bad but I rate his desire to push himself so highly and there are some beautiful tracks on here that make me pine even for unrequited love.

hugo, Loyle Carner - the absolute master at soft jazz rap, he shows so much growth as a person as always lays his life bare for everyone to learn from.

MOTOMAMI +, ROSALIA - a new convert to ROSALIA, her ability to bring her authentic flamenco heritage to mainstream pop in a new and explosive way is tantalising. She had me shimmying on the subway I tell you.

Sonder, Dermot Kennedy - was waiting for this album for year and it's moved on in production values that sound higher quality. If you're in need of a cry, this is the album for you - not groundbreaking but a truly heartfelt album.

Harry's House, Harry Styles - harking back to the start of the year this album truly lifted the spirits in a pretty dark time, beautifully synthed up electric pop is a move-on again for Harry and he's really owning his sound.

Midnights, Taylor Swift - binged this on repeat for a week, a classic TS album full of well-written catchy bangers and a great new style. Absolutely nothing groundbreaking about it and not really a big differentiation in style like folklore was but a solid album with AMAZING marketing.

NO THANK YOU, Little Simz - to be honest, this was a late surprise release so I need to listen more. I'm not immediately grabbed as hard as her last album which had some more jazz/afrobeat backings. This album is serious and has something to say, it's just sometimes harder to listen to.

Where I'm Meant To Be, Ezra Collective - an amazing discovery late into the year of these British-based black artists coming together to make an incredible community-inspired album of jazz/afrobeat bangers that are the perfect accompaniment to basically any moment.

BRIGHTSIDE, The Lumineers

Caprisong, FKA Twigs

ATTENTION: MILEY LIVE, Miley Cyrus

Dance Fever, Florence + The Machine

SOS, SZA - could be higher but only just came out!

Notable additional songs that slapped this year, not in strict order:

Running Up That Hill, Kate Bush. I'm always happy when Kate Bush gets her time in the limelight again and I feel like this song encapsulated a moment in time this summer and I love that a whole new audience discovered KB!

Afraid To Feel, LF SYSTEM. This was such a lovely little summer banger.

Nail Tech, Jack Harlow. There were a few too many lazy duds to list the main album but I really liked this song specifically.

Starlight, Dave

In The Club EP, Mahalia

go, Cat Burns

WAIT FOR U (feat Drake & Tems), Future

Last Call, Khalid

Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, Lana Del Ray

IFTK, Tion Wayne (La Roux)

Something In The Orange, Zack Bryan

I Burned LA Down, Noah Cyrus

Vegas (Elvis), Doja Cat

Stay With Me, Calvin Harris with Justin Timberlake, Halsey, Pharrel Williams

she's all i wanna be, Tate McRae

All in all a very good year for pop music, and I'm interested in trying to diversify my music taste in 2023.