#what the bleep is an ariana grande

[janet-snakeholemacklin]

Nine. Years.

NEVER. FORGET.

[simeons-sinful-saint]

Karaoke Night

Obey Me Boys Headcanons

Okay so I threw the idea in my discord server, when I came across “da ya think I’m sexy” by Rod Stewart bc it radiates Dia energy. I also got the feeling since my crack idea of Asmo and the undateables singing Love Shack by the B-52s We then mulled over what a karaoke night w/ the brothers and undateables would be like. So this is what we came up with. Shout out to @obeysolomonfor helping me with this crack idea

Lucifer

When the night is proposed, he sternly says he won’t go. How did he end up here anyway? Diavolo

He forced him to come, and Lucifer will stay in the corner mumbling to himself about how he didn’t want to come

Hates being there, the other brothers hate him being here

Mr. Killjoy who doesn’t like bleep bloop music

He’ll only sing by himself if either Diavolo forces him to or he’s off his rocker drunk

Otherwise, he’ll stick with duets with Diavolo or you

Still, he’s a good singer

Song: Unforgettable by Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole (OK HERE ME OUT! Emily didn’t you use this in your Akihime fic? Yes I did but liiikeeee it’s such a classic and beautiful. You cannot tell me that Lucifer wouldn’t stick with songs like this)

Mammon

Against the idea until you agree with it. Then he’s 100% on board with it. He’s a huge simp what can I say

Will sing or do anything to impress you

Sticks with songs that are “sexy” but all of the brothers gag at the idea of this

Sings badly. You’re the only one to praise him

Will duet with you once, but never again because everyone teased him

100% will do a mic drop (which you can’t do) and Lucifer will get mad at him. Will make him pay for any damgages done to the karaoke room

Will try to steal the karaoke machine or a speaker. You didn’t know why he would even try

Song: Sexyback by Justin Timberlake

Levi

Arranges for all of you to go to karaoke

Forbidden from singing any anime songs. No one wants to hear it. Is incredibly sad about it

You cheer him up and remind him that he likes other songs from like Jpop and Kpop artists

Which he will sing instead. Mainly Kpop. Everyone is trying to figure out how he knows Korean

To which you answer that he’s a fan for everything. If it’s his favorite group, he’ll learn the lyrics immediately

wants to duet with you but doesn’t say anything

Has heart, but not good at singing

Song: Russian Roulette by Red Velvet

Satan

Didn’t really want to come but is forced to anyway

doesn’t sing unless Lucifer goes before him. Then he’ll want to one up his brother

You just did a duet with him? Satan will make you do one with him now.

Not super knowledgeable about modern songs, but he does like the stuff from the 70s and 80s. 

An ok singer. Doesn’t try to ad lib or do anything too fancy

If he’s super drunk, then he’ll sing songs from Cats the musical

Song: Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2) by Pink Floyd 

Asmo

Loves Karaoke night! He gets to be the star of the night

Hogs the microphone. Literally if you don’t step in and let others have their turn, he’ll just sing the entire night

Likes modern pop music and the biggest pop stars. 

Knows every single Beyonce and Ariana Grande song

Is a really pretty singer.

He’ll force you to duet with him, which you don’t have a problem with (as long as it’s nothing to explicit)

Song: Thank u, next by Ariana Grande

Beel

Doesn’t know much music. Only really know songs that you play

Baby boy tries his best, but he can’t keep up with the words running by on the screen

You go up on stage to help him sing along

pretty monotone when it comes to singing

Really just wants to sit there and eat the food that’s brought to the private karaoke room

Song: anything you sing

Belphie

Will sing a slow song and fall asleep in the middle of it

He’ll also help Beel sing anything he wants to.

More so on the sideline, and he loves hearing you sing. Only really pays attention then

Otherwise, he’ll shake the tambourine (which he shakes violently when Lucifer is trying to sing so he’s drowned out) You’ll have to take it away if he does that

Likes singing ballads with you

Song: Stay with Me by Sam Smith

Diavolo

Immediately jumped on the idea as soon as Levi suggested it

He’ll pay for everything at the karaoke place, which everyone is grateful for

Sings some of the dumbest and cheesiest songs

Would love a duet with you, but he doesn’t force you to (though you’re obligated to do so or Lucifer would yell/lecture you)

Of course he’ll have Lucifer or Barbatos sing with him too. Others will join in as well if they like the song well enough

Song: Rock Lobster by the B-52s

Barbatos

Is the one who gets the food and refills everyones drinks

Will sing if Diavolo orders him too. Otherwise he’ll only stand by the side and cheer everyone on

If he is ordered to sing, he’ll either sing a nice power ballad or some heavy metal song. There is no in between

Will sing a duet if you or Dia asked

Boy doesn’t even have to look at the screen to sing. He already knows the lyrics even if he hasn’t heard the song before. So you can’t trick him into singing a song he doesn’t know

Has a really pretty singing voice

Song: Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin

Simeon

Boy knows no modern songs or music

He’ll try to sing hymns and only Luke supports the idea

Which is a shame because he has a really nice singing voice

Mainly will sit on the sidelines to watch others sing. 

You’ll have to show him some songs in advance for him to sing anything new. 

Likes more conservative songs (probably would be down for some sort of country ballad)

Song: Jesus, Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood

Solomon

A fucking meme lord. Will sing any song that had become a meme

Will sing cheesy, white people music

Would sing Mambo No.5 by Lou Bega with Asmo

Not a bad singer, probably because he might have been doing this for a long while

Will have special effects while he’s singing. Like sparkling glittering lights if he’s singing something that is an actual pretty song

You like singing with him because he chooses the fun songs to sing

Knows songs in various languages

Song: Blue by Eiffel 65 also this because it was recommended in chat

Luke

The brothers would be fucking mean and make him sing nursery rhymes song. You’d have to intervene to get them to stop

No one is allowed to say any profanities while he’s awake, otherwise they’ll have to answer to Simeon

He’ll try to stay awake through the night, but he’ll start falling asleep. Simeon will leave early with him to take him back to Purgatory Hall

Song: Can’t Stop the Feeling! by Justin Timberlake

[pemdasblog]

PEMDAS - Special Year-End Edition - Albums

I love end of year lists because I like consensus, rankings and numbers. But consensus is all based on who gets to rank, and the people who get the most access to major publication rankings are white men, so the numbers are tainted by white supremacy, misogyny, and many other forms of bigotry.

Which makes it even more interesting to see what gets ranked where.

Here’s a Google Sheet I made of all the lists and I created a formula that basically measures how many times an album placed on a list as well as how high it placed on that list. I’m going to keep updating this list as it’s not done, but it’s fun to play around with right now!

According to my formula and the critics, the top 10 albums of 2020 (in order) are: 

#1: Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

#2: RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

#3: folklore •• Taylor Swift

#4: Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

#5: Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

#6: Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

#7: Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

#8: Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

#9: Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

#10: Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

I also have a fun, unranked albums list brewing. I’ll release that at the very end of the year.

Click below for all of the publication lists!

The 50 best albums of 2020 •• ABC | Double J

Dan Condon

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Crossover •• Emma Donovan & The Putbacks

The Slow Rush •• Tame Impala

UNTITLED (Rise) •• SAULT

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Song for Our Daughter •• Laura Marling

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

The Sharecropper’s Daughter •• Sa-Roc

Sideways to New Italy •• Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever

Sixteen Oceans •• Four Tet

Chose Line •• Benny the Walker

South West •• L-FRESH the LION

Far Enough •• Cable Ties

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Nyaaringu •• Miiesha

You Be the Lightning •• Tracy McNeil & The GoodLife

Mordechai •• Khruangbin

Suddenly •• Caribou

Our Two Skins •• Gordi

Down In the Weeds, Where the World Once Was •• Bright Eyes

græ •• Moses Sumney

Distance •• Jess Cornelius

King’s Disease •• Nas

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Batflowers •• Washington

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

That’s How Rumors Get Started •• Margo Price

ENERGY •• Disclosure

The Ascension •• Sufjan Stevens

Reunions •• Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

Paid Salvation •• A Swayze & The Ghosts

songs •• Adrianne Lenker

Ohms •• Deftones

Unity •• Gordon Koang

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

Child in Reverse •• Kate Miller-Heidke

K.G. •• King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Aloha •• Son Little

The Modern Medieval •• Something for Kate

II: The Next Wave •• Quakers

Rome •• Josh Pyke

Fallow •• Fanny Lumsden

Optimisme •• Songhoy Blues

Original Cast Recording •• Braille Face

Colour by Number •• Leah Flanagan

Ultra Mono •• IDLES

What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? •• Public Enemy

Feral •• RVG

Róisín Machine •• Róisín Murphy

The best albums and songs of 2020 •• BBC Culture

Nick Levine

  Best albums of 2020

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Róisín Machine •• Róisín Murphy

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Kitchen Sink •• Nadine Shah

folklore •• Taylor Swift

6 Music Recommends Albums of the Year 2020 •• BBC Radio - 6 Music

BBC Radio - 6 Music Staff

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Shortly After Takeoff •• BC Camplight

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Kitchen Sink •• Nadine Shah

England Is a Garden •• Cornershop

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

The Universal Want •• Doves

Deep Down Happy •• Sports Team

The 50 Best Albums of 2020: Staff Picks •• Billboard

Billboard Staff

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

After Hours •• The Weeknd

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

My Turn •• Lil Baby

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Gaslighter •• The Chicks

Meet the Woo 2 •• Pop Smoke

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Positions •• Ariana Grande

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Starting Over •• Chris Stapleton

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Circles •• Mac Miller

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

Manic •• Halsey

Tickets to My Downfall •• Machine Gun Kelly

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

Rare •• Selena Gomez

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Colores •• J Balvin

The Album •• BLACKPINK

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

The Slow Rush •• Tame Impala

Before Love Came To Kill Us •• Jessie Reyez

Notes on a Conditional Form •• The 1975

Reunions •• Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

Fake It Flowers •• beabadoobee

It Was Good Until It Wasn’t •• Kehlani

Map of the Soul: 7 •• BTS

Letter to You •• Bruce Springsteen

Atrapado en un Sueño •• Junior H

The Album •• Teyana Taylor

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

Emmanuel •• Anuel AA

Love Goes •• Sam Smith

Suddenly •• Caribou

Petals for Armor •• Hayley Williams

B7 •• Brandy

Southside •• Sam Hunt

Mesa Para Dos •• Kany García

Savage Mode II •• 21 Savage & Metro Boomin

Good Souls Better Angels •• Lucinda Williams

Kid Krow •• Conan Gray

Hecho en Mexico •• Alejandro Fernández

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Blame It on Baby •• DaBaby

Top 10 Albums of the Year 2020 •• Bleep

KiCk i •• Arca

Magic Oneohtrix Point Never •• Oneohtrix Point Never

Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin •• Eartheater

Cape Cira •• K-LONE

Fountain •• Lyra Pramuk

Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry •• Speaker Music

Help •• Duval Timothy

Karma & Desire •• Actress

Shadow of Fear •• Cabaret Voltaire

Tara Clerkin Trio •• Tara Clerkin Trio

The Best Albums of 2020 •• Complex

Jessica McKinney, Andre Gee, Eric Skelton, Edwin Ortiz, Khal, Angel Diaz, Will Schube, Shawn Setaro, Lucas Wisenthel

After Hours •• The Weeknd

My Turn •• Lil Baby

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Burden of Proof •• Benny the Butcher

Savage Mode II •• 21 Savage & Metro Boomin

The Slow Rush •• Tame Impala

Circles •• Mac Miller

Pray for Paris •• Westside Gunn

Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon •• Pop Smoke

The GOAT •• Polo G

From King to a GOD •• Conway the Machine

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Wunna •• Gunna

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

A Muse In Her Feelings •• dvsn

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Meet the Woo 2 •• Pop Smoke

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

So Help Me God! •• 2 Chainz

Angelic Hoodrat •• Kenny Mason

It Was Good Until It Wasn’t •• Kehlani

The Price of Tea in China •• Boldy James

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Fuck the World •• Brent Faiyaz

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Dark Lane Demo Tapes •• Drake

Young & Turnt 2 •• 42 Dugg

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Top •• YoungBoy Never Broke Again

Mt. Marci •• Roc Marciano

Notes on a Conditional Form •• The 1975

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

One and Only •• Sheff G

Positions •• Ariana Grande

Limbo •• Aminé

UNLOCKED •• Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats

Anyways •• Young Nudy

Legends Never Die •• Juice WRLD

Industry Games •• CHIKA

Reasonable Drought •• Stove God Cooks

Spilligion •• Spillage Village

King’s Disease •• Nas

While the World Was Burning •• SAINt JHN

Only for Dolphins •• Action Bronson

Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 •• Lil Durk

Featuring Ty Dolla Sign •• Ty Dolla Sign

Detroit 2 •• Big Sean

Forever, Ya Girl •• KeiyaA

Top 50 Albums of 2020 •• Consequence of Sound

CoS Staff

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Ohms •• Deftones

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Gigaton •• Pearl Jam

Reunions •• Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit

Map of the Soul: 7 •• BTS

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

After Hours •• The Weeknd

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

The Ascension •• Sufjan Stevens

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Petals for Armor •• Hayley Williams

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Fake It Flowers •• beabadoobee

Likewise •• Frances Quinlan

Ultra Mono •• IDLES

Forgotten Days •• Pallbearer

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Suddenly •• Caribou

Everything Is Beautiful •• Princess Nokia

As Long as You Are •• Future Islands

Magic Oneohtrix Point Never •• Oneohtrix Point Never

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Letter to You •• Bruce Springsteen

The Price of Tea in China •• Boldy James & The Alchemist

That’s How Rumors Get Started •• Margo Price

Giver Taker •• Anjimile

Twice as Tall •• Burna Boy

Gaslighter •• The Chicks

Shamir •• Shamir

Lamb of God •• Lamb of God

Pray for Paris •• Westside Gunn

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

The Greatest Part •• Becca Mancari

Power Up •• AC/DC

The Liz •• Armani Caesar

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

American Head •• The Flaming Lips

The Neon Skyline •• Andy Shauf

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Honeymoon •• Beach Bunny

The Top 50 Albums of 2020 •• Crack Magazine

Help •• Duval Timothy

Indigo Dream •• E.M.M.A.

Mas Amable •• DJ Python

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Big Conspiracy •• J Hus

Duma •• Duma

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Metal Preyers •• Metal Preyers

From Avoca Hills to the World •• Citizen Boy & Mafia Boyz

Miss Colombia •• Lido Pimienta

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

To Feel Embraced •• Sparkle Division

Workaround •• Beatrice Dillon

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Man Alive! •• King Krule

Healing Is a Miracle •• Julianna Barwick

Snoopy •• CS + Kreme

Dark Matter •• Moses Boyd

Pain Olympics •• Crack Cloud

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

Cape Circa •• K-Lone

Róisín Machine •• Róisín Murphy

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

Modern Bliss •• Roza Terenzi

Ten Billion Angels •• Zora Jones

Pray 4 Love •• Rod Wave

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Modus Vivendi •• 070 Shake

Cenizas •• Nicolás Jaar

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry •• Speaker Music

Pray for Paris •• Westside Gunn

Second Language •• Minor Science

Forever, Ya Girl •• KeiyaA

Crabs in a Bucket •• Nines

Deep Technik •• MoMA Ready

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Send Them to Coventry •• Pa Salieu

Pillowland •• Jam City

Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin •• Eartheater

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

The 15 best albums of 2020 •• Entertainment Weekly

Leah Greenblatt, Sarah Rodman & Alex Suskind

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

After Hours •• The Weeknd

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Gaslighter •• The Chicks

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

American Love Story •• Butch Walker

Set My Heart On Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Your Life Is a Record •• Brandy Clark

Petals for Armor •• Hayley Williams

Exclaim!’s 50 Best Albums of 2020 •• Exclaim!

Exclaim! Staff

God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It •• Backxwash

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Suddenly •• Caribou

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Miss Colombia •• Lido Pimienta

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Pantayo •• Pantayo

Heavy Light •• U.S. Girls

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

The Neon Skyline •• Andy Shauf

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

græ •• Moses Sumney

Have We Met •• Destroyer

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Ohms •• Deftones

The Ascension •• Sufjan Stevens

Legacy •• Aquakultre

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Devouring Ruin •• Wake

How Ill Thy World Is Ordered •• Daniel Romano’s Outfit

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

After Hours •• The Weeknd

Burden of Proof •• Benny the Butcher

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

DNA Activation •• Witch Prophet

Peaceful as Hell •• Black Dresses

Where Only Gods May Tread •• Ingested

Circles •• Mac Miller

2017-2019 •• Against All Logic

Lianne La Havas •• Lianne La Havas

Stygian •• Atramentus

ELEMENTS Vol. 1 •• TOBi

Reliever •• William Prince

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

Someone New •• Helena Deland

Pray 4 Love •• Rod Wave

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Sundry Rock Song Stock •• Yves Jarvis

Finds You Well •• Khotin

Underneath •• Code Orange

songs •• Adrianne Lenker

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Visions of Bodies Being Burned •• clipping.

Total Freedom •• Kathleen Edwards

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Free I.H.: This Is Not the One You’ve Been Waiting For •• Illuminati Hotties

The Best Albums of 2020 •• FLOOD

FLOOD Staff

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

græ •• Moses Sumney

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Magic Oneohtrix Point Never •• Oneohtrix Point Never

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

After Hours •• The Weeknd

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

Women in Music Pt. III •• Haim

Visions of Bodies Being Burned •• clipping.

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

My Agenda •• Dorian Electra

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin •• Eartheater

Shrines •• Armand Hammer

That’s How Rumors Get Started •• Margo Price

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

American Head •• The Flaming Lips

Si Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞ •• Kali Uchis

Song Machine: Season 1 - Strange Timez •• Gorillaz

Moveys •• Slow Pulp

The Gigwise 51 Best Albums of 2020 •• Gigwise

Gigwise Staff

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Set My Heart On Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

folklore •• Taylor Swift

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Ohms •• Deftones

Circles •• Mac Miller

The Night Chancers •• Baxter Dury

Sex, Death & The Infinite Void •• Creeper

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

The Archer •• Alexandra Savior

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Mordechai •• Khruangbin

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Night Network •• The Cribs

I Disagree •• Poppy

Introduction, Presence •• Nation of Language

Modern Dread •• Denai Moore

K.G. •• King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

To Love Is to Live •• Jehnny Beth

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Working Men’s Club •• Working Men’s Club

We Live Here •• Bob Vylan

Song for Our Daughter •• Laura Marling

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep •• Ghostpoet

925 •• Sorry

Got To Be Tough •• Toots & The Maytals

græ •• Moses Sumney

Viscerals •• Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

Three Mile Ditch •• The Wytches

England Is a Garden •• Cornershop

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

In This House •• Lewsberg

Optimisme •• Songhoy Blues

songs •• Adrianne Lenker

Letter to You •• Bruce Springsteen

Big Conspiracy •• J Hus

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

Monument •• Keaton Henson

Seeking Thrills •• Georgia

Hyper Romance •• Jadu Heart

Container •• The Wants

The Prettiest Curse •• Hinds

In Waiting •• Pillow Queens

The Reson for Hardcore Vibes •• Joe & The Shitboys

Gorilla vs. Bear’s Albums of 2020 •• Gorilla vs. Bear

Chris

Someone New •• Helena Deland

Untitled (Black Is) •• SAULT || Untitled (Rise) •• SAULT

Send Them to Coventry •• Pa Salieu

Weaving a Basket •• Sea Oleena

Modus Vivendi •• 070 Shake

Fires in Heaven •• Salem

Galore •• Oklou

What’s Tonight to Eternity •• Cindy Lee || Cat O’Nine Tails •• Cindy Lee

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

Taken Away •• Moodymann

All the Time •• Jessy Lanza

Alletiders •• Alle

WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던 •• Yaeji

Because of a Flower •• Ana Roxanne

How Much Works •• Sweet Whirl

songs •• Adrianne Lenker || instrumentals •• Adrianne Lenker

The Don of Diamond Dreams •• Shabazz Palaces

Magic Oneohtrix Point Never •• Oneohtrix Point Never

Hunger for a Way Out •• Sweeping Promises

Your Hero Is Not Dead •• Westerman

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Remote Control •• Discovery Zone

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

Help •• Duval Timothy

Yes •• Shinichi Atobe

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

I Was Born Swimming •• Squirrel Flower

Healing Is a Miracle •• Julianna Barwick

Mia Gargaret •• Gia Margaret

I Feel Alive •• Tops

Karma & Desire •• Actress

Crooner qui coule sous les clous •• Oï Les Ox

Bobby Joe Hope •• Jon McKiel

Motherhood •• No Joy

Land of No Junction •• Aoife Nessa Frances

acts of rebellion •• Ela Minus

Cave Vaults on the Moon •• Tan Cologne

Sundry Rock Song Stock •• Yves Jarvis

A Mythology of Circles •• Faten Kanaan

Man Alive! •• King Krule

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

Good Songs for Bad People •• Drab City

Roped In •• North Americans

Sorceress •• Jess Williamson

Phoenix: Flames are Dew Upon My Skin •• Eartheater

Fantasy Chapel •• Riches

Ride Lonesome •• Young Ejecta

Shimmering Basset •• The Green Child

Silver Ladders •• Mary Lattimore

The 50 best albums of 2020 •• The Guardian

Ben Beaumont-Thomas & Laura Snapes

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Big Conspiracy •• J Hus

folklore •• Taylor Swift

græ •• Moses Sumney

Róisín Machine •• Róisín Murphy

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Workaround •• Beatrice Dillon

Suddenly •• Caribou

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

UNTITLED (Rise) •• SAULT

Gold Record •• Bill Callahan

Song for Our Daughter •• Laura Marling

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

Circles •• Mac Miller

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Heavy Light •• U.S. Girls

Forever, Ya Girl •• KeiyaA

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Working Men’s Club •• Working Men’s Club

Notes on a Conditional Form •• The 1975

Savage Mode II •• 21 Savage & Metro Boomin

I Think I’m Good •• Kassa Overall

Suite for Max Brown •• Jeff Parker

Positions •• Ariana Grande

Karma & Desire •• Actress

DISCO •• Kylie Minogue

Made in Lagos •• Wizkid

All the Time •• Jessy Lanza

Rare •• Selena Gomez

Three •• The Necks

The Album •• Teyana Taylor

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Have We Met •• Destroyer

Visions of Bodies Being Burned •• clipping.

The Best Albums of 2020 Ranked •• The Line of Best Fit

The Line of Best Fit Staff

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

The Baby •• Samia

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

græ •• Moses Sumney

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Set My Heart On Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

The Worst Generation •• Che Lingo

Healing Is a Miracle •• Julianna Barwick

Big Conspiracy •• J Hus

I’m Your Empress Of •• Empress Of

We’re New Again: A Reimagining •• Makaya McCraven

Visions of Bodies Being Burned •• clipping.

Anime, Trauma and Divorce •• Open Mike Eagle

Beginners •• Christian Lee Hutson

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Show Pony •• Orville Peck

The Angel You Don’t Know •• Amaarae

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

The Amanda Tape •• THEY.

songs •• Adrianne Lenker

JAGUAR •• Victoria Monét

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Someone New •• Helena Deland

Whatever, Man •• BLACKSTARKIDS

folklore •• Taylor Swift

SOURCE •• Nubya Garcia

Without People •• Donovan Woods

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

Petals for Armor •• Hayley Williams

Debris •• Keeley Forsyth

Warnings •• I Break Horses

So When You Gonna... •• Dream Wife

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Twice as Tall •• Burna Boy

Now or Never •• Giggs

SISTER •• Mina Tindle

Circles •• Mac Miller

Mordechai •• Khruangbin

The Prettiest Curse •• Hinds

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

EDNA •• Headie One

Dark Hearts •• Annie

Best Albums of 2020 •• The New York Times

Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica, and Lindsay Zoladz

  Simmering Emotions, Louder Explosions   Jon Pareles

The Ascension •• Sufjan Stevens

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

græ •• Moses Sumney

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Lianne La Havas •• Lianne La Havas

Twice as Tall •• Burna Boy

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Mama, You Can Bet! •• Jyoti

SIGN •• Autechre

  The Art of Taking One’s Time   Jon Caramanica

Southside •• Sam Hunt

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Pray 4 Love •• Rod Wave

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon •• Pop Smoke

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

Poems of the Past •• Powfu

Changes •• Justin Bieber

Starting Over •• Chris Stapleton

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Honeymoon •• Beach Bunny

    and 27 more for a chaotic year...

Savage Mode II •• 21 Savage & Metro Boomin

Burden of Proof •• Benny the Butcher

Trap Tumbado •• Natanael Cano

Gaslighter •• The Chicks

City on Lock •• City Girls

Underneath •• Code Orange

From King to a GOD •• Conway the Machine

Dark Lane Demo Tapes •• Drake

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Positions •• Ariana Grande

A Rock •• Hardy

Violence in a Quiet Mind •• Haux

AUNTIE •• Ian Isiah

Atrapado en un Sueño •• Junior H

Levon James •• King Von

Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 •• Lil Durk

God Made a Woman •• Lauren Mascitti

LP5 •• John Moreland

Before Love Came to Kill Us •• Jessie Reyez

Rosetta •• Dua Saleh

Jesus Is Born •• Sunday Service Choir

Easy Money Baby •• Myke Towers

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

After Hours •• The Weeknd

The Dream •• Hailey Whitters

Top •• YoungBoy Never Broke Again

  Rebel Yells, of Passion and Fury   Lindsay Zoladz

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

No Dream •• Jeff Rosenstock

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

folklore •• Taylor Swift

The Best Music of 2020 •• The New Yorker

Amanda Petrusich

No. 1 •• Etran de l’Aïr

songs •• Adrianne Lenker || instrumentals •• Adrianne Lenker

Silver Ladders •• Mary Lattimore

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Mama, You Can Bet! •• Jyoti

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & the Alchemist

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

    Honorable Mentions:

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Un Canto por México Vol. 1 •• Natalia Lafourcade

It Was Good Until It Wasn’t •• Kehlani

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

The New Abnormal •• The Strokes

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Sheldon Pearce

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

græ •• Moses Sumney

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn) •• Jay Electronica

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Mama, You Can Bet! •• Jyoti

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

songs •• Adrianne Lenker || instrumentals •• Adrianne Lenker

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Thank You For Using GTL •• Drakeo the Ruler

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Anime, Trauma and Divorce •• Open Mike Eagle

WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던 •• Yaeji

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

Mutable Set •• Blake Mills

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

APOLLO •• Fireboy DML

Couldn’t Wait to Tell You... •• Liv.e

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

Descendants of Cain •• Ka

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Big Conspiracy •• J Hus

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Healing Is a Miracle •• Julianna Barwick

The 100 Best Albums of 2020 •• Noisey (Vice)

Noisey Staff

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT || UNTITLED (Rise) •• SAULT

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

EDNA •• Headie One

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Bartees Strange •• Live Forever

My Turn (Deluxe) •• Lil Baby

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

JAGUAR •• Victoria Monét

Meet the Woo 2 •• Pop Smoke

BRAT •• NNAMDÏ

Shame •• Uniform

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Send Them to Coventry •• Pa Salieu

Full Wack No Brakes •• Bad Boy Chiller Crew

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

Fuck the World •• Brent Faiyaz

Cruisin’ with Junior H •• Junior H

Twice as Tall •• Burna Boy

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Inlet •• Hum

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Forever, Ya Girl •• KeiyaA

Eternal Atake (Deluxe) •• Lil Uzi Vert

Lament •• Touché Amoré

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Set My Heart On Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Rich Slave •• Young Dolph

Fires in Heaven •• SALEM

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

City On Lock •• City Girls

Big Conspiracy •• J Hus

The Great Dismal •• Nothing

Welcome to O’Block •• King Von

songs •• Adrianne Lenker

Thank You for Using GTL •• Drakeo the Ruler

Àdá Irin •• Navy Blue

Featuring Ty Dolla $ign •• Ty Dolla $ign

Scacco Matto •• Lorenzo Senni

Grime MC •• Jme

Viva el Perreo •• Jowell & Randy

Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin •• Eartheater

The Goat •• Polo G

Speed Kills •• Chubby and the Gang

Common Prayers •• Walter Martin

Petals for Armor •• Hayley Williams

Burden of Proof •• Benny the Butcher

Eternity of Shaog •• Esoctrilihum

Magic Oneohtrix Point Never •• Oneohtrix Point Never

Corridos Tumbados •• Natanael Cano

The Prince of Tea in China •• Boldy James & The Alchemist

A Muse in Her Feelings •• dvsn

KiCk i •• Arca

Circles •• Mac Miller

Rise Above Hate •• Unknown T

I Love You 2 •• Hook

WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던 •• Yaeji

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

From a King to a GOD •• Conway the Machine

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

Healing Is a Miracle •• Julianna Barwick

12th House Rock •• Narrow Head

Watch This Liquid Pour Itself •• Okay Kaya

Growth & Development •• 22Gz

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

Weight of the World •• MIKE

Auto-Pain •• Deeper

Bino Rideaux •• Outside

Tearless •• Amnesia Scanner

Made in Lagos •• Wizkid

U-Void Synthesizer •• Machine Girl

Take Time •• Giveon

Pure X •• Pure X

Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2 •• Tkay Maidza

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Starmaker •• Honey Harper

So Help Me God! •• 2 Chainz

Crabs in a Bucket •• Nines

Descendants of Cain •• Ka

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me •• Waylon Payne

Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? •• Fantastic Negrito

Just Look at That Sky •• Ganser

7G •• A. G. Cook

Vibras de Noche •• Eslabon Armado

Immersion •• Primitive Man

Supergood •• Duckwrth

The Weather Up There •• Jeremy Cunningham

Underneath •• Code Orange

El Androide •• El Alfa

Lianne La Havas •• Lianne La Havas

SIGN •• Autechre

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Occupational Hazard •• Mozzy

The Freelancer’s Blues •• Dougie Poole

4 Da 304′s •• KentheMan

Best Music of 2020 •• NPR

NPR Music Staff

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Miss Colombia •• Lido Pimienta

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Spilligion •• Spillage Village

Adès Conducts Adès •• Thomas Adès

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Source •• Nubya Garcia

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me •• Waylon Payne

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Lianne La Havas •• Lianne La Havas

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Expectations •• Katie Pruitt

Data Lords •• Maria Schneider Orchestra

Underneath •• Code Orange

on the tender spot of every calloused moment •• Ambrose Akinmusire

JAGUAR •• Victoria Monét

Regresa •• Buscabulla

Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony •• ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

The Slow Rush •• Tame Impala

A Small Death •• Samantha Crain

Pauline •• Ashley Ray

Mama, You Can Bet! •• Jyoti

Siti of Unguja (Romance Revolution on Zanzibar) •• Siti Muharam

songs •• Adrianne Lenker

My Turn •• Lil Baby

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Spider Tales •• Jake Blount

Silver Ladders •• Mary Lattimore

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Fuck the World •• Brent Faiyaz

Debussy • Rameau •• Víkingur Ólafsson

Muthaland •• Bbymutha

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

En Español •• The Mavericks

Thank You For Using GTL •• Drakeo the Ruler

The experience of repetition as death •• Clarice Jensen

Inside •• X Alfonso

Total Freedom •• Kathleen Edwards

Savage Mode II •• 21 Savage / Metro Boomin

some kind of peace •• Ólafur Arnalds

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Giver Taker •• Anjimile

Don’t Feed the Monster •• Homeboy Sandman

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

The 50 Best Albums of 2020 •• Paste

Paste Staff

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Untitled (Rise) •• SAULT

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

songs •• Adrianne Lenker

græ •• Moses Sumney

Suddenly •• Caribou

Reunions •• Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

God Has Nothing to Do With This Leave Him Out of It •• Backxwash

Untitled (Black Is) •• SAULT

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

Heavy Light •• U.S. Girls

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

The Great Dismal •• Nothing

Welcome to Conceptual Beach •• Young Jesus

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Healing Is A Miracle •• Julianna Barwick

Youth Pastoral •• Ben Seretan

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Inlet •• Hum

KIND •• Thanya Iyer

Miss Colombia •• Lido Pimienta

acts of rebellion •• Ela Minus

Ultimate Success Today •• Protomartyr

Anime, Trauma and Divorce •• Open Mike Eagle

Bonny Light Horseman •• Bonny Light Horseman

Speed Kills •• Chubby and the Gang

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Shadow Talk •• Cafe Racer

Source •• Nubya Garcia

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

Introduction, Presence •• Nation of Language

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

The Baby •• Samia

Forever, Ya Girl •• KeiyaA

Free I.H.: This Is Not the One You’ve Been Waiting For •• Illuminati Hotties

Celebrated By Strangers •• Catholic Action

Lianne La Havas •• Lianne La Havas

Flower of Devotion •• Dehd

Just Look at That Sky •• Ganser

Somewhere •• Gum Country

The 50 Best Albums of 2020 •• Pitchfork

Pitchfork Staff

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

græ •• Moses Sumney

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

songs •• Adrianne Lenker || instrumentals •• Adrianne Lenker

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn) •• Jay Electronica

Heavy Light •• U.S. Girls

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Róisín Machine •• Róisín Murphy

Have We Met •• Destroyer

The Angel You Don’t Know •• Amaarae

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Forever, Ya Girl •• KeiyaA

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

SOURCE •• Nubya Garcia

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? •• The Soft Pink Truth

Thank You for Using GTL •• Drakeo the Ruler

Workaround •• Beatrice Dillon

Melee •• Dogleg

Descendants of Cain •• Ka

The Passion Of •• Special Interest

Hannah •• Lomelda

Help •• Duval Timohy

Flower of Devotion •• Dehd

KiCk i •• Arca

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Room for the Moon •• Kate NV

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Fountain •• Lyra Pramuk

Twice as Tall •• Burna Boy

My Turn (Deluxe) •• Lil Baby

how i’m feeilng now •• Charli XCX

WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던 •• Yaeji

Silver Ladders •• Mary Lattimore

The 60 Best Albums of 2020 •• Pop Matters

Pop Matters Staff

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Outland •• Ital Tek

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

3.15.20 •• Childish Gambino

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

songs •• Adrianne Lenker || instrumentals •• Adrianne Lenker

Ohms •• Deftones

Gaslighter •• The Chicks

Workaround •• Beatrice Dillon

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Good Souls Better Angels •• Lucinda Williams

Reunions •• Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

Private Lives •• Low Cut Connie

Suddenly •• Caribou

Song Machine: Season 1 - Strange Timez •• Gorillaz

Keleketla! •• Keleketla!

Seeking Thrills •• Georgia

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

I’m Your Empress Of •• Empress Of

Before Love Come To Kill Us •• Jessie Reyez

Róisín Machine •• Róisín Murphy

The Cycle •• Mourning [A] BLKstar

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

Notes on a Conditional Form •• The 1975

The Universal Want •• Doves

We’ve Landed •• Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela

Mama, You Can Bet! •• Jyoti

Eno Axis •• HC McEntire

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Visions of Bodies Being Burned •• clipping.

Ultrasonic •• Field Works

Sixteen Oceans •• Four Tet

VOICES •• Max Richter

on the tender spot of every calloused moment •• Ambrose Akinmusire

Neon Cross •• Jaime Wyatt

Cenizas •• Nicolás Jaar

To Love Is to Live •• Jehnny Beth

Amazones Power •• Les Amazones d’Afrique

Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? •• The Soft Pink Truth

The Piano Equation •• Matthew Shipp

Making a Door Less Open •• Car Seat Headrest

Silver Tongue •• TORRES

BRAT •• NNAMDÏ

The Night Chancers •• Baxter Dury

Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me •• Waylon Payne

Wooden Cave •• Thin Lear

Quietus Albums Of The Year 2020 •• The Quietus

The Quietus Staff

Dances/Curses •• Hey Colossus

Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? •• The Soft Pink Truth

The Passion Of •• Special Interest

Fountain •• Lyra Pramuk

Energy Is Forever •• UKAEA

Help •• Duval Timothy

Be Up A Hello •• Squarepusher

Kitchen Sink •• Nadine Shah

Send Them to Coventry •• Pa Salieu

Guerilla •• Nazar

Only Darkness Now •• Alison Cotton

Alles in Allem •• Einstürzende Neubauten

SIGN •• Autechre

First Seance •• Land Trance

Duma •• Duma

These Charms May Be Sung Over a Wound •• Richard Skelton

Untitled (Rise) •• SAULT

Debris •• Keeley Forsyth

Type II •• Sex Swing

Dark Hearts •• Annie

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

The Common Task •• Horse Lords

Workaround •• Beatrice Dillon

7 Weapons Series •• Howie Lee

Zoom •• Upsammy

Free Humans •• Hen Ogledd

Suite for Max Brown •• Jeff Parker & The New Breed

Cumbia Siglo XXI •• Meridian Brothers

Serpent •• MXLX

Because Of A Flower •• Ana Roxanne

Forever Underground •• Phantom Posse

There Is No Year •• Algiers

Heart’s Ease •• Shirley Collins

Mestarin Kynsi •• Oranssi Pazuzu

Silver Ladders •• Mary Lattimore

DISCO •• Kylie Minogue

Edna •• Headie One

Mas Amable •• DJ Python

Have We Met •• Destroyer

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Glory Days •• Heather Leigh

Blues •• Lamin Fofana

Gold Record •• Bill Callahan

To Kiss Earth Goodbye •• Teleplasmiste

The Night Chancers •• Baxter Dury

Barbarians •• Young Knives

Fast Edit •• Still House Plants

Jp4 •• Junglepussy

Loom •• Katie Gately

Flower Violence •• Blóm

A Late Anthology Of Early Music Vol. 1: Ancient To Renaissance •• Jennifer Walshe

Cantus, Descant •• Sarah Davachi

Big Conspiracy •• J Hus

Endless Wound •• Black Curse

if i don't let myself be happy now then when? •• More Eaze & Claire Rousay

Seven Storey Mountain VI •• Nate Wooley

L’Inattingible •• Delphine Dora

Rock Sutra •• Sun Araw

Róisín Machine •• Róisín Murphy

Heaven To A Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

The Ascension •• Sufjan Stevens

Visions Of Bodies Being Burned •• clipping.

Returner •• Closed Circuits

Scacco Matto •• Lorenzo Senni

Lamunan •• Antonina Nowacka

Future Teenage Cave Artists •• Deerhoof

Não Fales Nela Que A Mentes •• Nídia

SKEEN •• Mariam Rezaei

Winterreise •• Jerskin Fendrix

May Our Chambers Be Full •• Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou

how i'm feeling now •• Charli XCX

Superstar •• Harry Pussy

The End Of Their World Is Coming •• Dead Meat

Viscerals •• Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

KiCK i •• Arca

World Serpent •• Memnon Sa

Pedernal •• Susan Alcorn

Cwm Gwagle •• Datblygu

Beyond The Floor •• Geld

Trinity •• Laylow

The Big Exercise •• The Homesick

Malibu Liquor Store •• Shit And Shine

Couldn't Wait To Tell You... •• Liv.e

No Era Sólida •• Lucrecia Dalt

Abscess Time •• Pyrrhon

Thug Ambient •• Dale Cornish

Pillowland •��� Jam City

Crabs In A Bucket •• Nines

Hidden In This Is The Light That You Miss •• Regis

Prole Art Threat •• East Man

Evil Spirits Who Prowl About The World Seeking The Ruin Of Souls •• Haq123

Toutes Ces Horreurs •• Satan

Figures •• Aksak Maboul

Mind Hive •• Wire

2020 •• Magik Markers

Training Day 3 •• Potter Payper

Swirling •• Sun Ra Arkestra

Nah Nah Nah Yeh Yeh Yeh •• Luminous Bodies

Aux Pieds De La Nuit •• Nyx Nótt

6 •• Pharaoh Overlord

The 50 Best Albums of 2020 •• Rolling Stone

Jonathan Bernstein, Emily Blake, Jon Blistein, Jon Dolan, Patrick Doyle, Brenna Ehrlich, Jon Freeman, Kory Grow, Christian Hoard, Joseph Hudak, Elias Leight, Angie Martoccio, Claire Shaffer, Rob Sheffield, Hank Shteamer, Simon Vozick-Levinson

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

Letter to You •• Bruce Springsteen

City on Lock •• City Girls

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

Map of the Soul: 7 •• BTS

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

græ •• Moses Sumney

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

Never Will •• Ashley McBryde

Honeymoon •• Beach Bunny

Positions •• Ariana Grande

Plastic Hearts •• Miley Cyrus

Rare •• Selena Gomez

Manic •• Halsey

To Love Is to Live •• Jehnny Beth

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Reunions •• Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

Shamir •• Shamir

Sixteen Oceans •• Four Tet

Petals for Armor •• Hayley Williams

After Hours •• The Weeknd

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

Private Lives •• Low Cut Connie

Got to Be Tough •• Toots and the Maytals

Traditional Techniques •• Stephen Malkmus

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

Fake It Flowers •• beabadoobee

McCartney III •• Paul McCartney

Haunted Painting •• Sad13

Alphabetland •• X

Aftermath •• Elizabeth Cook

Starting Over •• Chris Stapleton

Power Up •• AC/DC

The Price of Tea in China •• Boldy James & The Alchemist

Good Souls Better Angels •• Lucinda Williams

Growth •• Kareem Ali

Love Is The King •• Jeff Tweedy

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Albums of the Year 2020 •• Rough Trade

Rough Trade Staff

Untitled (Black Is) •• SAULT

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Song For Our Daughter •• Laura Marling

Beyond the Pale •• Jarv Is

So When You Gonna •• Dream Wife

Viscerals •• Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

Bedroom •• bdrmm

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

Sideways to New Italy •• Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever

England Is A Garden •• Cornershop

Galore •• Oklou

Protean Threat •• Osees

Ultra Mono •• Idles

Suddenly •• Caribou

What Kinda Music •• Tom Misch + Yussef Dayes

By The Fire •• Thurston Moore

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Wu Hen •• Kamaal Williams

Wake Up! •• Hazel English

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Jump Rope Gazers •• Beths

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

Seeking Thrills •• Georgia

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

There Is No Other •• Isobel Campbell

Head Above Water •• Brigid Mae Power

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

Old Flowers •• Courtney Marie Andrews

Sixteen Oceans •• Four Tet

Loco •• A Certain Ratio

Ummon •• Slift

Coriky •• Coriky

Keleketla! •• Keleketla!

That’s How Rumours Get Started •• Margo Price

Introduction, Presence •• Nation Of Language

some kind of peace •• Olafur Arnalds

Walking Like We Do •• Big Moon

Bug On Yonkers •• Damaged Bug

WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던 •• Yaeji

Home •• Romare

Infinity of Now •• Heliocentrics

3D Routine •• Mush

All or Nothing •• Shopping

Fading •• Pole

Flower of Devotion •• Dehd

Heritage of the Invisible II •• Aqulies Navarro + Tcheser Holmes

Blue Hearts •• Bob Mould

All the Time •• Jessy Lanza

WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD •• Nick Hakim

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Myopia •• Agnes Obel

Anywhere But Here •• Habibi

Man Alive! •• King Krule

Invisible People •• Chicano Batman

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep •• Ghostpoet

Cenizás •• Nicolas Jaar

Straight Songs of Sorrow •• Mark Lanegan

Friday Forever •• Everything Is Recorded

Pleasure Line •• Video Age

Happy Birthday •• Sneaks

Shortly After Takeoff •• BC Camplight

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Voices •• Max Richter

Even in Exile •• James Dean Bradfield

The True Story Of •• Bananagun

Making a New World •• Field Music

Only for Dolphins •• Action Bronson

Midnight Manor •• The Nude Party

The Juice That’s Worth the Squeeze •• Cherry Pickles

The Long Goodbye •• Riz Ahmed

Colourfield •• Dan Michaelson

Stray •• Bambara

Collector •• Disq

Gentle Grip •• Public Practice

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

Reunions •• Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Tender Epoch •• Rudy De Anda

Bonny Light Horseman •• Bonny Light Horseman

Moveys •• Slow Pulp

Alphabetland •• X

The Land that Time Forgot •• Chuck Prophet

Up in the Air •• Bent

Mind Hive •• Wire

UNLOCKED •• Denzel Curry x Kenny Beats

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

High Risk Behaviour •• Chats

songs •• Adrianne Lenker || instrumentals •• Adrianne Lenker

Have We Met •• Destroyer

The Ascension •• Sufjan Stevens

Visions of Bodies Being Burned •• clipping.

Articulation •• Rival Consoles

Mordechai •• Khruangbin

Marigold •• Pinegrove

It’s Only Us •• Monophonics

Debris •• Keeley Forsyth

Superstar •• Caroline Rose

Truth or Consequences •• Yumi Zouma

Mother Stone •• Caleb Landry Jones

The Best Albums of 2020 •• Slate

Carl Wilson

  ALBUMS

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Likewise •• Frances Quinlan

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Diet Cig, Bully, The Beths, beabadoobee, Beach Bunny, Mitski, Torres, Down Time, and Emily Brown

Beginners •• Christian Lee Huston

Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was •• Bright Eyes

Artlessly Falling •• Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl

Pedernal •• Susan Alcorn

Zurich Concert •• Jaimie Branch & The Dave Gisler Trio

Beverly Glenn-Copeland

Here It Comes Again [EP] •• Cate Le Bon & Group Listening

L’inattingible •• Delphine Dora

Solar Wind •• Joëlle Leandre, Robert Dick, and Miya Masaoka

Memory Game •• Meredith Monk & The Bang On a Can All-Stars

Fra Det Onde •• Fra Det Onde & Emil Nikolaisen

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

DISCO •• Kylie Minogue

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

Positions •• Ariana Grande

The Album •• Teyana Taylor

It Was Good Until It Wasn’t •• Kehlani

After Hours •• The Weeknd

Modus Vivendi •• 070 Shake

Songs for Pierre Chuvin •• The Mountain Goats

Getting Into Knives •• The Mountain Goats

Day of the Tiles [EP] •• Human Hearts

Island •• Owen Pallett

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

Gold Record •• Bill Callahan

Home Time •• Darren Hayman

Alphabetland •• X

Untitled (Rise) •• SAULT || Untitled (Black Is) •• SAULT

We Are Sent Here by History •• Shabaka and the Ancestors

Dark Matter •• Moses Boyd

Source •• Nubya Garcia

Universal Beings E & F Sides •• Makaya McCraven

Swirling •• Sun Ra Arkestra

To Know Without Knowing •• Mulatu Astatke & Black Jesus Experience

Dutch from the 5th •• Dutchavelli

Send Them to Coventry •• Pa Salieu

Stormzy & Skepta

Crabs in a Bucket •• Nines

J Hus, Headie One, Tion Wayne, D Double E, Blanco, Young T & Bugsey, Kojey Radical, AJ Tracey, and Ghetts

on the tender spot of every calloused moment •• Ambrose Akinmusire

Suite for Max Brown •• Jeff Parker

America the Beautiful •• Kahil El’Zabar

Omega •• Immanuel Wilkins

Good Days •• Chicago Underground Quartet

8: Kindred Spirits •• Charles Lloyd

Your Life Is a Record •• Brandy Clark

Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me •• Waylon Payne

Gaslighter •• The Chicks

Southside •• Sam Hunt

Never Will •• Ashley McBryde

Starting Over •• Chris Stapleton

Reunions •• Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

The Way It Feels •• Maddie & Tae

But I’d Rather Be With You •• Molly Tuttle

Bridges [EP] •• Mickey Guyton

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

My Turn (Deluxe) •• Lil Baby

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Mt. Marci •• Roc Marciano

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

High Off Life •• Future

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

Meet the Woo 2 •• Pop Smoke || Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon •• Pop Smoke

Savage Mode II •• 21 Savage & Metro Boomin

Descendants of Cain •• KA

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Heart’s Ease •• Shirley Collins

Fretted & Indebted •• Alasdair Roberts || The Songs of My Boyhood •• Alasdair Roberts

Mama, You Can Bet! •• Jyoti

Rejoice •• Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela

Forever, Ya Girl •• KeiyaA

I Think I’m Good •• Kassa Overall

Love-Lore •• Deerhoof

Future Teenage Cave Artists •• Deerhoof || To Be Surrounded by Beautiful, Curious, Breathing, Laughing Flesh Is Enough •• Deerhoof & Wadada Leo Smith || Surprise Symphonies •• Deerhoof

The 50 Best Albums of 2020 •• Stereogum

Stereogum Staff

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Manger on McNichols •• Boldy James & Sterling Toles

Magic Oneohtrix Point Never •• Oneohtrix Point Never

Lament •• Touché Amoré

Untitled (Rise) •• SAULT

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Inlet •• Hum

Hannah •• Lomelda

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Notes on a Conditional Form •• The 1975

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

925 •• Sorry

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

World House •• Mil-Spec

No Dream •• Jeff Rosenstock

Song for Our Daughter •• Laura Marling

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Viewing •• Stay Inside

Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress •• Gulch

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

KiCk i •• Arca

2017-2019 •• Against All Logic

The Neon Skyline •• Andy Shauf

The Price of Tea in China •• Boldy James & The Alchemist

Suddenly •• Caribou

Reunions •• Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

SIGN •• Autechre

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

græ •• Moses Sumney

Southside •• Sam Hunt

Descendants of Cain •• Ka

Introduction, Presence •• Nation of Language

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

FREE I.H.: This Is Not the One You’ve Been Waiting For •• Illuminati Hotties

Take a Chance on Rock ‘n’ Roll •• Couch Slut

May Our Chambers Be Full •• Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou

It Was Good Until It Wasn’t •• Kehlani

As We Suffer from Memory and Imagination •• Nuvolascura

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Best Albums of 2020 •• TIME

Raisa Bruner & Andrew R. Chow

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Gaslighter •• The Chicks

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Agüita •• Gabriel Garzón-Montano

We’re New Again - A Reimagining •• Makaya McCraven

Miss Anthropecene •• Grimes

Celia •• Tiwa Savage

The Best Albums of 2020 •• Uproxx

Uproxx Staff

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Spilligion •• Spillage Village

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Circles •• Mac Miller

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

After Hours •• The Weeknd

Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial •• Roddy Ricch

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

My Turn •• Lil Baby

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Cuttin’ Grass - Vol. 1 (Butcher Shoppe Sessions) •• Sturgill Simpson

Fine Line •• Harry Styles

Positions •• Ariana Grande

Black Habits •• D Smoke

What We Drew 우리가 그려왔던 •• Yaeji

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Set My Heart On Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Limbo •• Aminé

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

The GOAT •• Polo G

Rare •• Selena Gomez

Talk About It •• Blimes and Gab

Everything •• Kota the Friend

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Wunna •• Gunna

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Mordechai •• Khruangbin

It Was Good Until It Wasn’t •• Kehlani

Imploding the Mirage •• The Killers

songs •• Adrianne Lenker || instrumentals •• Adrianne Lenker

Pray for Paris •• Westside Gunn

The Album •• BLACKPINK

Better •• Deanté Hitchcock

Queen of Da Souf •• Mulatto

Twice as Tall •• Burna Boy

The Slow Rush •• Tame Impala

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Fake It Flowers •• beabadoobee

My Agenda •• Dorian Electra

Heaven or Hell •• Don Toliver

The New Abnormal •• The Strokes

Behind-the-Paywall Lists:

LA Times

The Economist

[taste-in-music]

Hey! I'm not someone who usually catches up on music, used to when I was younger. Your blog is lovely in that way, helps me and I'm sure many others reconnect with the world musically. I enjoy your artist of the month posts, and noticed you haven't updated since August. Hope everything's okay? Would like to know what you're listening in November xx

It’s so sweet of you to check in! I’m doing well, it’s just that my motivation to keep up with this blog has depleted a little. But getting messages like these always helps with getting me excited about posting, so thank you!

Here’s some music I’m currently obsessed with:

Miley Cyrus has been KILLING IT. Her covers of “Heart Of Glass” by Blondie and “Zombie” by The Cranberries slam so hard. Also, her remix “Edge of Midnight” featuring Stevie Nicks combining “Edge of Seventeen” with “Midnight Sky” is great. In the past I haven’t considered myself a giant fan of hers, but I’m definitely going to check out her new album Plastic Hearts when it drops November 27th.

I fully dove into the abyss that is Taylor Swift’s discography during quarantine. You can check out my Best of Taylor Swift playlist on Spotify with my top ten songs and favorite cuts from each of her albums. Right now “this is me trying,” “Death By A Thousand Cuts,” and “The Lucky One” have been getting a lot of plays. And who knows, we may be seeing some new music from her soon if she decides to re-record her masters. 

I watched the Netflix documentary “BLACKPINK: Light Up The Sky” and I might just have to stan. The documentary really gave me a new perspective into the sheer hard work and dedication these women put into their craft, (I also have a massive crush on all of them.) I need to go back and re-listen to both their albums, but “WHISTLE,” “STAY,” and “Lovesick Girls” are my favorites at the moment. 

It’s an older album, but I recently checked out I Need to Start a Garden by Haley Heynderickx and I adore it. Something about quiet indie albums with gut-punch songwriting and a 30 minute runtime do it for me. If you like Phoebe Bridgers and artful trombone usage, I can’t recommend it enough. 

I listened to positions by Ariana Grande and I think I’ll need to return to it in order to form a more fleshed-out opinion, but “motive” was the song that struck me most upon first listen. It’s just so bubbly and bouncy and makes me want to move. I also liked “my hair” and “pov.” 

I just found out about the artist Babygirl and I’m in love. Their music is just the dreamiest indie pop you’ll ever hear, with gentle vocals and melancholic guitars. They have two EPs, Lovers Fevers and As You Wish, and recently released a new single, “Easy.” Someone soundtrack a coming-of-age film with them already!

The Cowboy Bebop soundtrack is on Spotify?! I’ve been listening to some tracks from that. Of course, I’d recommend watching the show first, (it’s on Hulu.) The songs “Cosmic Dare (Pretty with a Pistol)” and “Blue” are both amazing, but better with context.

Some songs from TikTok have found their way onto my playlists. “Anyone Else But You” by The Moldy Peaches is an adorable acoustic duet I had on loop for a solid week back in October. “Rhinestone Eyes” by Gorillaz is all electronic bleep bloops that scratch all the right places in my brain. “Photo ID” by Remi Wolf is one of the wonkiest bops the year has to offer, (her whole EP I’m Allergic To Dogs! is incredible.)

If you want to get even more of a sense of what I’m listening to, I’d recommend checking out my Spotify. I’ve pinned a post with a bunch of playlists I continuously update to the top of my page.

Once again, thank you for your kind words. They really made my day. I’ll try to post a bit more in the future, and keep up with artists of the month. I hope you’re doing well! :)

[thesinglesjukebox]

STEPHEN MALKMUS - VIKTOR BORGIA [3.78] The 2019 music press, in which a new Stephen Malkmus song is introduced as such: "Stephen Malkmus summons an Ariana Grande android in his 'Viktor Borgia' video"...

Vikram Joseph: On listening to Stephen Malkmus's attempt to go electro, you wonder if he's listened to any electronic music released in the last 30 years. This half-baked dirge sounds like it's been produced on the sort of software we used to use at school for GCSE Music compositions, perhaps by an actual 14-year-old. Malkmus's voice is gutted of its usual off-key knockabout charm, which tips his lyrics from quirky to embarrassingly banal. It's actually hard to imagine how this could have been much worse. [1]

Iris Xie: So awkward, like I had to attend a really devastating David Bowie impersonator show. A weak non-vocal delivery, a goofy but not quite smart or referential enough synth in the back, and a frail hint at drama with some kind of epic tale. If I had to escape the destruction of Earth on a spaceship and I was trapped with the human equivalent of this song, I can't say my fate would be much better off. [2]

Claire Biddles: Stephen Malkmus is so good at matching his pathos-laden lyricism with sad, pathetic, sinister music that I'm surprised it's taken him this long to release a tragic disco record. I don't know if this is "good," but I love Pavement and I love miserable electronic music, so I'm here for it. [7]

Thomas Inskeep: Why is this so SLOW? Hurry up and get it done already. Sure, hearing Malkmus backed by synths is a novelty -- but nothing more. [3]

Alfred Soto: When Paul Westerberg -- excuse me, Stephen Malkmus -- coats his curdled nyuk-nyuks over presets he discovered last Tuesday, the world -- well, what does the world do? [4]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: Go back to those gold soundz. [2]

Ian Mathers: Back in the late '90s/early '00s there was a really good British indie band named Hefner. They were kind of rock-ish, kind of folk-ish -- their "biggest" moment was a very... distinctive video for "I Took Her Love for Granted." Their last album, Dead Media, came out in 2001, and in what seemed like a pretty sudden turn at the time, it revealed that they'd been getting into analogue synths -- not a flavour previously discernible much in their songs. The gap between Dead Media and their previous album didn't include a bunch of solo records I never got into, and maybe that explains the difference, but all of this is to say, I have proof that I don't automatically hate it when bands that meant a lot to my adolescence (or the singers thereof) abruptly switch to the bleeps and the bloops. In fact, I suspect I'd like this one more just as an instrumental. [5]

Katherine St Asaph: There are plenty of reasons I want to like this -- fealty; the futzed-with motorik beat; the vocals for once that are actually vocals; the Earthbound pings and squeaks in the background; the propensity to hate this of basically everyone, from indie lifers who'd rather consume arsenic than electronics to people who actually like clubs, whose reaction to hearing "we walk into the club, thank the heavens above there's a place we can go" on this makes me flinch imagining it; the unexpected goodwill I'd extend if I heard this from some legacy-less SoundCloud guy making ersatz Gary Numan Amiga music. But this is as high as I can go. [5]

Tim de Reuse: As a self-aware, cheesy passion project from the frontman of a band that did great things in a completely different genre a quarter-century ago? Yeah, it's all right, I guess. What if I were to instead consider this as just a fun little ditty that (presumably) some Brooklynite millennial banged out on a borrowed Moog as a exercise in 80's post-post-post-ironic synth nostalgia? Yeah, it's still all right, I guess. [5]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[phooll123]

New top story from Time: These Are the Best and Worst Moments From the 2020 MTV VMAs

It was just a year ago that the Jonas Brothers sauntered down Asbury Park to a roaring, penned-in crowd for the MTV Video Music Awards. Such a scene would be unthinkable in today’s socially distanced climate—and on Sunday, MTV took on the tall task of producing one of first major U.S. live awards shows of the COVID-19 era.

In front of a crowd of no one in New York City, Keke Palmer hosted the proceedings; Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, BTS, the Weeknd, DaBaby, Miley Cyrus and others performed in sequences that were shot across the city or in front of greenscreens. The socially distanced setup actually improved the show in some respects: there were no agonizingly slow walks to the stage or stifling bleeps of live audio, and the runtime was a relatively brisk two and a quarter hours.

But the show also missed the scale and spontaneity that has previously made the VMAs so unpredictable and compelling. Here are the show’s most memorable moments, for better or worse.

Best Overall: Lady Gaga

Keke Palmer may have been the hosted the show, but Lady Gaga was the big star. She waltzed to the stage repeatedly to collect four on-camera awards—including Artist of the Year—and was given free rein to play a winding medley from her new album, Chromatica. In these bite-sized chunks of time onstage, she showed flashes of why she’s been one of the most reliable pop stars over the last decade, with brawny vocal runs, idiosyncratic dance routines, splashes of bluesy piano and compassionate acceptance speeches.

But her masks were perhaps the most memorable aspect of her night. It’s not surprising that Gaga, who has been visually radical since she arrived in the pop world a decade ago, would make the best out of a dicey situation, even one that requires covering her famous nose. But she raised the bar for PPE fashion going forward, coming out first with an inset-like gas-mask getup; then a tentacles to become a cousin of Pirates of the Caribbean’s Davy Jones; then a reflective silver one recalling Watchmen’s Looking Glass, and finally an imposing head-to-toe ensemble a la Maleficent.

Getty Images for MTVLady Gaga accepts the Best Collaboration award for “Rain on Me” with Ariana Grande onstage during the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards.

Introducing the #VMAs first-ever TRICON Award recipient: @ladygaga! 💫 pic.twitter.com/JUlDOBhdAV

— MTV (@MTV) August 31, 2020

"Wear a mask. It's a sign of respect." –@ladygaga, 2020 #VMAs pic.twitter.com/tmWnf05Pz8

— MTV (@MTV) August 31, 2020

Best: Dystopian Sets

Nothing about 2020 is normal, and thankfully, the VMAs and its artists didn’t try to carry on as usual, but instead embraced dystopian aesthetics throughout, leaning into what Lady Gaga termed onstage as “the wrath of pop culture” and “the rage of art.” Palmer stood on a huge digital stage surrounded by more screens on which tiny audience members flicked in and out; in the virtual rafters, shadowy Sims-like avatars roared their approval.

The Weeknd showed up disoriented, bandaged and bloodied (as he has during press appearances for most of this year). DaBaby performed on top of a cop car and in front of a greenscreen of a smoldering cityscape. Doja Cat pranced through a reddish desolate landscape that resembled either Mars or the bottom of the sea. And constant references to death—from Chadwick Boseman to Jacob Blake to those killed by the coronavirus—lent a somberness to the show that reflected the year at large.

Worst: Lack of Hip-Hop

On the other hand, the VMAs seemed to exist in an alternate reality in which hip-hop isn’t the driving force of the modern music industry. Only one true rap song won an on-camera prize, and it was in the hip-hop category, which was presented, for some dumbfounding reason, by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. The VMAs are supposed to be the more forward-thinking younger brother of the Grammys, but many of the year’s biggest stars—including Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Baby, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Roddy Ricch—were nowhere to be found.

Congrats to @theestallion on winning Best Hip Hop 🔥#GirlPower @seeher2020 #seeherHearher #VMAs pic.twitter.com/xMFmOZOVqT

— MTV (@MTV) August 31, 2020

Instead, the telecast was dominated by songs indebted to 80s pop, from the Weeknd’s go-go synth pop anthem “Blinding Lights” to Miley Cyrus’s Stevie Nicks-inspired “Midnight Sky.” The VMAs landed big stars, but mostly failed to capture what the dominant stream of music actually sounds like today. J-Hope of BTS put it best, during the K-pop group’s breezy performance of “Dynamite”: “Disco overload / I’m good with that, I’m good to go.”

Best: Boy Bands

Still, it was hard not to be charmed by the two boy bands that performed on Sunday: BTS, from South Korea, and CNCO, from Latin America. The former performed “Dynamite,” their first fully English language song, with crisp choreography and snazzy color-coordinated suits. The latter embraced the strange setup of the drive-in concert at Skyline Drive-In in Greenpoint by wandering into the metallic audience and jumping on top of cars. The performance looked retro and futuristic at the same time.

Kevin Mazur/MTV VMAs 2020/Getty Images for MTVCNCO performs at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards at the Skyline Drive-In in New York City.

Best: Chloe x Halle

One of the night’s most electric performances was relegated to the pre-show. The R&B duo Chloe x Halle have broken out this year thanks to both their immaculate album Ungodly Hour and their poised, shrewdly-shot home performances. Their pre-taped VMAs performance was no exception: they sang and danced to a reworked version of the album’s jazzy title-track inside of a conical strobe. With any luck, they’ll be on the mainstage next year.

Worst: Keke Palmer’s Impressions

Overall, Palmer made the out of a tough gig, bringing her trademark exuberance and mischievousness to inject energy straight to the camera from various spots around the city. But Palmer thrives most in informal settings and when bouncing off other personalities—as evidenced by her many viral interviews or the “sorry to this man” meme—and in comparison, her crowdless exhortations lacked verve. A running bit in which she tried on some impressions—including a skeevy male street performer, a ditz and an haute socialite—likewise fell flat. On the other hand, she was a whole lot better than last year’s host, Sebastian Maniscalco.

via Blogger https://ift.tt/3lCj6vk

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 25th August 2019

Top 10

On the US Billboard Hot 100, after “Old Town Road” dissipated, they’ve been treated with a couple #1s switching in and out. “bad guy”, “Senorita” and probably “Truth Hurts” and unfortunately “Ransom” soon enough... while here in the UK, “Old Town Road” was only at the top spot for a week, and instead we’ve just had “Senorita” by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello for six straight weeks... Nice.

“Beautiful People” by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid is at number-two still, and we actually have a pretty busy week that did not translate to the Top 10 – it never does.

“3 Nights” by Dominic Fike is steady at number-three but I’m not complaining; this song is great.

I’m not upset about the one-space boost for Kygo and the late Whitney Houston’s “Higher Love” either at number-four, it’s not a bad song and if anything I’m just excited to see Houston on the charts again.

AJ Tracey returns back to the top five with “Ladbroke Grove” up a spot to number-five.

Aitch’s newest major single, “Taste (Make it Shake)”, is down two spaces to number-six, but that’s still way too high. I honestly do not understand the appeal in this one, it’s not quirky or interesting, it’s over-long, it’s barely got a chorus. Out of all UK rap singles to hit the top 10, this is easily the most puzzling hit.

I’m also not exactly pleased about “Ransom” by Lil Tecca zooming up six spaces to become his first top 10 hit here in the UK... why?

Unfortunately, this means “How Do You Sleep?” by Sam Smith is down a spot to number-eight, and honestly this song is just growing on me.

Speaking of unfortunate, at number-nine is “So High” by MIST and Fredo, also down one space, and while I’m not that big of a fan of this song (Yet) or the discography in general, MIST has recently been stabbed, and he says he’s been recovering well, which is good, I just wanted to note that these things do happen to people who seem like they can’t be touched due to fame and success, especially recently. I hope he’s okay.

To elevate the mood, there is quite literally a Love Island anthem in the top 10, as Joel Corry and Hayley May get their first ever UK Top 10 hit with “Sorry” up six positions to #10. It’s not a bad song, but come on, guys, really?

Climbers

Outside of the Top 10, we have one climber and it’s not exactly notable either... Jax Jones and Bebe Rexha’s radio fodder “Harder” is up five spots to #25. I mean, when so much of the Top 40 is rap, I guess the radio’s got to have something to safely play without having their audience hear a bunch of censor bleeps every ten seconds.

Fallers

Now, we don’t exactly have many fallers, but a lot of them are very notable as these are massive hits dropping incredibly low, starting with #40 which is the top five hit “Location” by Dave featuring Burna Boy down a whopping twenty-three spaces and barely gripping onto that last spot in the chart, after having a brief rebound thanks to the video. While I prefer “Disaster”, “Streatham”, “Black” and pretty much all the songs on PSYCHODRAMA, I’m so happy that Dave and his album have had so much longevity and chart success considering how great this album is (Since this does seem to be the end of the album cycle). This year’s been very kind to British rap both mainstream and underground (Check out Little Simz, she’s mind-blowing) and this is definitely one of the achievements the genre can display proudly. Other than that, we have another top 10 hit in Sigala’s “Wish You Well” featuring Becky Hill dropping down 14 spaces to #38, as well as the faller I’m obviously the happiest about. Despite the fact there might be a rebound due to a video release, I’m going to live in blissful ignorance about that, since “Hold Me While You Wait” by Lewis Capaldi, which has been the worst song in the top 20 for like three straight months, is out of the top 20, falling 17 positions to #26. It’s not out of the chart entirely, but I’ll take it. Oh, and “Panini” by Lil Nas X is down five spaces to #36 but Thog don’t caare

Dropouts & Returning Entries

There aren’t any returning entries this week but since there are five new arrivals, there are obviously quite a lot of drop-outs. “Find U Again” by Mark Ronson featuring Camila Cabello is one of them, dropping out of the charts entirely from #37, which really sucks because that song is amazing. Otherwise, we have some notable but very much expected drop outs for “SOS” by the late Avicii featuring Aloe Blacc and its impressive chart run from #32, “You Need to Calm Down” by Taylor Swift out from #38 (God, what an awful song), “Vossi Bop” by Stormzy finally out from #39 (Although I think that song is great actually) and off of the sole debut last week, we have “Hot Girl Summer” by Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign out from #40. I know American female rappers haven’t exactly crossed over here yet but I thought this would have least lasted a week, and it is a pretty damn good song, it’s got a video coming soon though so we’ll see what that’ll do.

NEW ARRIVALS

#34 – “Post Malone” – Sam Feldt featuring Rani

Produced by Sam Feldt – Peaked at #7 in Ireland

Sam Feldt is an irrelevant Dutch DJ, to put it bluntly. Two years ago, he made a song with Akon and that was his second biggest hit until 2019, second to his only actual hit, may I add. So, what better way to make a name for yourself in America than to go viral with a meme song that references pop culture and has a drop expressive enough for TikTok. Indeed, it worked, he was on the top of the Spotify Viral 50 with “Post Malone”, because if you want to keep your target white audience as an EDM-pop or rock artist, the only hip-hop artist you can seemingly admit to liking is Post Malone. Even the Jonas Brothers are shouting them out in (Absolutely dreadful) hit songs like “Cool”. It didn’t even work, by the way, it barely peaked in the top 10 of the American dance charts but it worked on like all of Europe, especially on the chart that isn’t actually in the EU, technically, maybe. Funnily enough, it’s not that big of a hit in his home country of the Netherlands, peaking at #85. I don’t know who RANI is, do you? Listen, it’s Feldt’s second UK Top 40 hit, his first since 2015, and it’s from his Magnets EP. RANI is a female singer who seems to specialise in being a puppet for EDM DJs, and had  a minor hit doing so with “Crying with the Sun” last year, but this is her first appearance on the UK Top 40. Hiring RANI seems to be the cheap option compared to an actual celebrity, the girl doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page, and the whole song in fact is really cheap, with a couple 2014-esque synths carrying a flat, tinny EDM beat until that chorus hits, and Jesus, this song was not meant to ever have “Post Malone” in the lyrics. It’s lodged in that chorus with all the care of a bull in a china shop with crowd cheering in the background before the generic build-up of hi-hats until a pretty simple vocaloid drop and yeah, I question why anyone thinks this song is worth listening to. The drop ends abruptly with literal silence instead of even transitioning into the verse all that well, which is lazy and nonsensical on his part because he’s going to have to transition this into other songs in a DJ set, he wants that to be smooth. Yeah, skip this, it’s trash, which is exactly what I expected.

#30 – “Motivation” – Normani featuring uncredited vocals by Ariana Grande

Produced by ILYA – Peaked at #20 in Belgium and Scotland, and #33 in the US

Fifth Harmony’s disbandment let one star really get a lot of shine, and that was Camila Cabello, who is still gathering a lot of success to this day, but what I didn’t expect is a push towards another pop girl with Normani, whose debut solo single has been racking up a lot of streams and chart success pretty much worldwide. It’s not that massive yet but it does have the potential to be, especially with the high-profile collaborations like Khalid and Sam Smith that Normani has been greeted with this past year by her label, so it seemed inevitable. I fully expected Normani to go the R&B route, probably a more throwback 90s style, and yeah, I was right, but I really didn’t expect a song this good. Written by Normani herself with Ariana Grande, ILYA and Max freaking Martin, this song is an earworm determined for success, and has hence become Normani’s third UK Top 40 single. Starting with an intriguing Ariana Grande-esque voice memo of some sort, it immediately lands into the bass-lead R&B beat that feels 90s and 2000s at the same time yet definitely modern due to Normani’s sultry vocals, but in the chorus, the kiss-off lead by harmonies and subtle background vocal samples from Grande feels very anthemic and almost sarcastic. I do feel like maybe it’s a bit too minimalistic of a debut single, but there are a lot of little quirks, including the eerie Caribbean vocal sample in the bridge coupled with a smooth horn section, and I don’t have much to say about this one evidently, but it succeeds on every level at just being a pretty perfect pop song. The idea of Normani telling her ex to “Think about it” afterwards isn’t a pledge from Normani here, though, it seems very much like she’s bragging and telling this guy to re-consider the fact that he dumped someone with a net worth more than his lifetime salary, it’s almost kind of hilarious how she sasses this guy around, especially in the verses. The title seems to be based around the fact that the guy ever had a girl as good as her... which is considered “motivation”. Well, that’s just pretty epic. Yeah, great song, and I’m really excited for whatever Normani does next.

#23 – “Lover” – Taylor Swift

Produced by Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift – Peaked at #4 in Malaysia and #19 in the US

Ah, Taylor Swift and the messy roll-out of her newest album, Lover, which I have yet to really form an opinion on but it’s gotten a lot of positive reviews which I didn’t expect because of the absolute trainwrecks that were released as singles, such as “ME!” which the general public soon showed their distaste for, so much so that Swift had to edit out the most cringeworthy lyrics, “You Need to Calm Down” which had a very polarising reception mostly because of how people believed she was pandering to the LGBTQ+ community with the music video, and had some cringeworthy lyrics there too, but it was a bit more positive. Then things took a large turn for the better with the release of the promotional single “The Archer”, which a lot of people loved and seemed to think was a return to form, but I wasn’t impressed. It was boring, and while the songwriting is good, when there’s not a musical climax, it feels like a lot of wasted time and overall, the song feels like an overproduced synth-mush and I was really not a fan of that one, but it wasn’t awful... and it only peaked at #43 here. Then she released this song, which seemed to have shifted the public opinion on the album entirely, even among critics, because it’s a Jack Antonoff-produced return to the country pop sound of her previous work, and while “You Need to Calm Down” might have been pandering to LGBTQ+, I think this should be clowned more for pandering to Pitchfork, but I digress. Is the song any good? Well, it’s her 27th(!) UK Top 40 hit, and it might as well have convinced me too... mostly because this is a Christmas song – albeit a bit more of a intimate, downbeat, guitar-lead country ballad of a Christmas song, but with a direct reference to the holiday, I know what she’s going for. She sounds a lot better on the song than usual, I’m not a fan of Swift’s voice in general but she definitely uses it to her advantage here, staying mostly subdued on the verses until an admittedly janky pre-chorus, until that title drop, which is fantastic, especially with the bells and guitar that follows but honestly, the star here isn’t Swift. It’s the string section and the choir, who elevate that pre-chorus with a lot of cheery vocals and the plucky strings in both the bridge and the brief burst of violins in the second verse, really emphasise the lyrical theme of devotion. While I dispute the fact that Taylor Swift has ever heard a dirty joke in her life that wasn’t made by Kanye West, that bridge is incredible, and honestly this whole song is pretty great, and I think THIS is the return to form she needed. There’s a lot of genuine groove and swing to this ballad and the chorus is heavenly, and may I say that the cover art fits perfectly. This is good, check it out, next.

#22 – “Both” – Headie One

Produced by Nastylgia and PJ Pipe it Up

I’m going to be honest here; from what I’ve heard from Headie One, I don’t really like the guy. I don’t think he’s as witty or entertaining as his peers and more often than not, he’s just a tad dull, but with his seventh mixtape release, Music x Road, I have been somewhat intrigued to check it out since NME described it as “far from drill”, which means he is branching out and this could either be a surprise success or complete wretched failure. I believe this is Headie’s third UKTop 40 hit and, well, to be honest, it’s not that bad. I love that guitar loop, it sounds straight out of the intro to a metal song, and the way it’s pitch-shifted to act as an eerie synth is pretty cool when it gets to the verse; if I’m honest this trap beat is pretty great... and so is Headie. To say he doesn’t ride this beat would be a lie, I don’t like the guy that much but he bodies this, not with much wordplay obviously but his delivery is tough and very straight to the point, no-nonsense, which is interesting when being put against the gospel choir sample which is absolutely mangled and just kind of placed every couple bars, and it sounds great, really intense. I’m not sure how I feel about that bridge though, the subdued, mumbling flow with the distortion and Auto-Tune sounds cool but it kills the momentum and doesn’t really fit with the guitar-lead trap beat. I’d prefer maybe to get rid of that part entirely and just have the beat cut out for the start of the chorus without the transition, or have Headie harmonise with the sample from “Free” by Ultra Nate, that could have sounded pretty cool. As it is, it still bangs, and looking at the lyrics there’s a lot of detail I don’t usually see, and somehow he made peanut butter on oats sound cool, so you know what, Headie, I like this one. Check it out.

#18 – “Be Honest” – Jorja Smith featuring Burna Boy

Produced by Cadenza and IzyBeats

Jorja Smith has had a pretty quiet 2019. After 2018 and her BRIT Award wins and impressive performance, she’s understandably laid low with only a couple of features including one on my favourite British rapper Loyle Carner’s second album, but this seems to be the birth of the roll-out for her sophomore effort, or at least a standalone single. I didn’t really like Jorja Smith because I knew her for her EDM collaborations but after listening to Lost & Found, I’m not going to lie, I really enjoyed her UK garage and trip hop-infused brand of R&B, especially the single “Blue Lights” and her sample on AJ Tracey’s banger “Ladbroke Grove”, which added to the song immensely. A new song from Jorja won’t connect with me at first, they never do, she’s one of the artists who has to grow on me, but I like Burna Boy to an extent so I doubt this’ll be any less than decent... and yeah, it’s not bad. I like the sweet guitar and synths/flute(?) that start off the song as the primary melody (which I believe is a sample) and the steady drum beat adds to the tropical, summery feeling of the track. Jorja sounds great as always, with a pretty sensual performance she can do pretty well, but the chorus is pretty weak and I feel a tad underwritten. Burna Boy’s verse is pretty fun and bouncy but this isn’t standing out to me as anything that great initially. It’s definitely not bad, but underwritten and a tad sub-par perhaps. Also, I like the horns in the final chorus but it’s too little too late at that point.

Conclusion

Honestly, this is a pretty great week on the chart, with four out of five new arrivals that I quite enjoy, and the Summer-Autumn transition is looking good. Best of the Week is tough but I’ll give it to Taylor Swift for “Lover” – hey, I’m a sucker for Christmas songs – and a tied Honourable Mention to Normani and Headie One for “Motivation” and “Both”, while there’s nothing worth a Dishonourable Mention here other than our Worst of the Week, going to Sam Feldt and RAMI for whatever “Post Malone” is. Follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank for more musical ramblings and I’ll see you next week!

[lillyadams11-blog]

Julie Berda Creative Project

I was inspired by many articles I read where women were talking about beauty. Each quote is associated with the image of the person who said it. I thought it was important to include many different women who each have their own experiences. 

“Jennifer Aniston.” Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Aniston.

“Marilyn Monroe.” Los Angeles, 13 Mar. 2019, www.discoverlosangeles.com/things-to-do/discover-marilyn-monroes-los-angeles.

“Penelope Cruz.” Hong Kong Tatler, Mar. 2017, hk.asiatatler.com/style/7-beauty-picks-with-penelope-cruz.

Clamer, Matthias. “Charming Us: Lupita Nyong’o.” The Times, 17 Mar. 2019, www.thetimes.co.uk/article/lupita-nyongo-interview-the-black-panther-star-on-us-a-horror-film-from-get-outs-jordan-peele-and-why-shes-fighting-for-her-inner-child-bpq3nppwf.

Gibson, Earl. “Patricia Arquette.” Bustle, 6 Jan. 2019, www.bustle.com/p/what-did-patricia-arquette-say-in-her-golden-globes-speech-the-escape-at-dannemora-actor-got-bleeped-15654132.

“Ariana Grande.” Teen Vogue, 12 Dec. 2018, www.teenvogue.com/story/ariana-grande-new-song-imagine-is-about-denial.

“Emma Watson.” Marie Claire, 15 Apr. 2015, www.marieclaire.co.uk/entertainment/people/happy-25th-birthday-emma-watson-here-are-her-most-powerful-quotes-every-woman-should-live-by-91198.

“Janet Mock.” Girl Boss, 10 Mar. 2017, www.girlboss.com/identity/2017-3-10-here-are-10-inspiring-af-quotes-from-birthday-girl-janet-mock.

[hellofastestnewsfan]

It was just a year ago that the Jonas Brothers sauntered down Asbury Park to a roaring, penned-in crowd for the MTV Video Music Awards. Such a scene would be unthinkable in today’s socially distanced climate—and on Sunday, MTV took on the tall task of producing one of first major U.S. live awards shows of the COVID-19 era.

In front of a crowd of no one in New York City, Keke Palmer hosted the proceedings; Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, BTS, the Weeknd, DaBaby, Miley Cyrus and others performed in sequences that were shot across the city or in front of greenscreens. The socially distanced setup actually improved the show in some respects: there were no agonizingly slow walks to the stage or stifling bleeps of live audio, and the runtime was a relatively brisk two and a quarter hours.

But the show also missed the scale and spontaneity that has previously made the VMAs so unpredictable and compelling. Here are the show’s most memorable moments, for better or worse.

Best Overall: Lady Gaga

Keke Palmer may have been the hosted the show, but Lady Gaga was the big star. She waltzed to the stage repeatedly to collect four on-camera awards—including Artist of the Year—and was given free rein to play a winding medley from her new album, Chromatica. In these bite-sized chunks of time onstage, she showed flashes of why she’s been one of the most reliable pop stars over the last decade, with brawny vocal runs, idiosyncratic dance routines, splashes of bluesy piano and compassionate acceptance speeches.

But her masks were perhaps the most memorable aspect of her night. It’s not surprising that Gaga, who has been visually radical since she arrived in the pop world a decade ago, would make the best out of a dicey situation, even one that requires covering her famous nose. But she raised the bar for PPE fashion going forward, coming out first with an inset-like gas-mask getup; then a tentacles to become a cousin of Pirates of the Caribbean’s Davy Jones; then a reflective silver one recalling Watchmen’s Looking Glass, and finally an imposing head-to-toe ensemble a la Maleficent.

Getty Images for MTVLady Gaga accepts the Best Collaboration award for “Rain on Me” with Ariana Grande onstage during the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards.

Introducing the #VMAs first-ever TRICON Award recipient: @ladygaga! 💫 pic.twitter.com/JUlDOBhdAV

— MTV (@MTV) August 31, 2020

"Wear a mask. It's a sign of respect." –@ladygaga, 2020 #VMAs pic.twitter.com/tmWnf05Pz8

— MTV (@MTV) August 31, 2020

Best: Dystopian Sets

Nothing about 2020 is normal, and thankfully, the VMAs and its artists didn’t try to carry on as usual, but instead embraced dystopian aesthetics throughout, leaning into what Lady Gaga termed onstage as “the wrath of pop culture” and “the rage of art.” Palmer stood on a huge digital stage surrounded by more screens on which tiny audience members flicked in and out; in the virtual rafters, shadowy Sims-like avatars roared their approval.

The Weeknd showed up disoriented, bandaged and bloodied (as he has during press appearances for most of this year). DaBaby performed on top of a cop car and in front of a greenscreen of a smoldering cityscape. Doja Cat pranced through a reddish desolate landscape that resembled either Mars or the bottom of the sea. And constant references to death—from Chadwick Boseman to Jacob Blake to those killed by the coronavirus—lent a somberness to the show that reflected the year at large.

Worst: Lack of Hip-Hop

On the other hand, the VMAs seemed to exist in an alternate reality in which hip-hop isn’t the driving force of the modern music industry. Only one true rap song won an on-camera prize, and it was in the hip-hop category, which was presented, for some dumbfounding reason, by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. The VMAs are supposed to be the more forward-thinking younger brother of the Grammys, but many of the year’s biggest stars—including Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Baby, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Roddy Ricch—were nowhere to be found.

Congrats to @theestallion on winning Best Hip Hop 🔥#GirlPower @seeher2020 #seeherHearher #VMAs pic.twitter.com/xMFmOZOVqT

— MTV (@MTV) August 31, 2020

Instead, the telecast was dominated by songs indebted to 80s pop, from the Weeknd’s go-go synth pop anthem “Blinding Lights” to Miley Cyrus’s Stevie Nicks-inspired “Midnight Sky.” The VMAs landed big stars, but mostly failed to capture what the dominant stream of music actually sounds like today. J-Hope of BTS put it best, during the K-pop group’s breezy performance of “Dynamite”: “Disco overload / I’m good with that, I’m good to go.”

Best: Boy Bands

Still, it was hard not to be charmed by the two boy bands that performed on Sunday: BTS, from South Korea, and CNCO, from Latin America. The former performed “Dynamite,” their first fully English language song, with crisp choreography and snazzy color-coordinated suits. The latter embraced the strange setup of the drive-in concert at Skyline Drive-In in Greenpoint by wandering into the metallic audience and jumping on top of cars. The performance looked retro and futuristic at the same time.

Kevin Mazur/MTV VMAs 2020/Getty Images for MTVCNCO performs at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards at the Skyline Drive-In in New York City.

Best: Chloe x Halle

One of the night’s most electric performances was relegated to the pre-show. The R&B duo Chloe x Halle have broken out this year thanks to both their immaculate album Ungodly Hour and their poised, shrewdly-shot home performances. Their pre-taped VMAs performance was no exception: they sang and danced to a reworked version of the album’s jazzy title-track inside of a conical strobe. With any luck, they’ll be on the mainstage next year.

Worst: Keke Palmer’s Impressions

Overall, Palmer made the out of a tough gig, bringing her trademark exuberance and mischievousness to inject energy straight to the camera from various spots around the city. But Palmer thrives most in informal settings and when bouncing off other personalities—as evidenced by her many viral interviews or the “sorry to this man” meme—and in comparison, her crowdless exhortations lacked verve. A running bit in which she tried on some impressions—including a skeevy male street performer, a ditz and an haute socialite—likewise fell flat. On the other hand, she was a whole lot better than last year’s host, Sebastian Maniscalco.

from TIME https://ift.tt/3ju6PXU

[newstechreviews]

It was just a year ago that the Jonas Brothers sauntered down Asbury Park to a roaring, penned-in crowd for the MTV Video Music Awards. Such a scene would be unthinkable in today’s socially distanced climate—and on Sunday, MTV took on the tall task of producing one of first major U.S. live awards shows of the COVID-19 era.

In front of a crowd of no one in New York City, Keke Palmer hosted the proceedings; Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, BTS, the Weeknd, DaBaby, Miley Cyrus and others performed in sequences that were shot across the city or in front of greenscreens. The socially distanced setup actually improved the show in some respects: there were no agonizingly slow walks to the stage or stifling bleeps of live audio, and the runtime was a relatively brisk two and a quarter hours.

But the show also missed the scale and spontaneity that has previously made the VMAs so unpredictable and compelling. Here are the show’s most memorable moments, for better or worse.

Best Overall: Lady Gaga

Keke Palmer may have been the hosted the show, but Lady Gaga was the big star. She waltzed to the stage repeatedly to collect four on-camera awards—including Artist of the Year—and was given free rein to play a winding medley from her new album, Chromatica. In these bite-sized chunks of time onstage, she showed flashes of why she’s been one of the most reliable pop stars over the last decade, with brawny vocal runs, idiosyncratic dance routines, splashes of bluesy piano and compassionate acceptance speeches.

But her masks were perhaps the most memorable aspect of her night. It’s not surprising that Gaga, who has been visually radical since she arrived in the pop world a decade ago, would make the best out of a dicey situation, even one that requires covering her famous nose. But she raised the bar for PPE fashion going forward, coming out first with an inset-like gas-mask getup; then a tentacles to become a cousin of Pirates of the Caribbean’s Davy Jones; then a reflective silver one recalling Watchmen’s Looking Glass, and finally an imposing head-to-toe ensemble a la Maleficent.

Getty Images for MTVLady Gaga accepts the Best Collaboration award for “Rain on Me” with Ariana Grande onstage during the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards.

Introducing the #VMAs first-ever TRICON Award recipient: @ladygaga! 💫 pic.twitter.com/JUlDOBhdAV

— MTV (@MTV) August 31, 2020

"Wear a mask. It's a sign of respect." –@ladygaga, 2020 #VMAs pic.twitter.com/tmWnf05Pz8

— MTV (@MTV) August 31, 2020

Best: Dystopian Sets

Nothing about 2020 is normal, and thankfully, the VMAs and its artists didn’t try to carry on as usual, but instead embraced dystopian aesthetics throughout, leaning into what Lady Gaga termed onstage as “the wrath of pop culture” and “the rage of art.” Palmer stood on a huge digital stage surrounded by more screens on which tiny audience members flicked in and out; in the virtual rafters, shadowy Sims-like avatars roared their approval.

The Weeknd showed up disoriented, bandaged and bloodied (as he has during press appearances for most of this year). DaBaby performed on top of a cop car and in front of a greenscreen of a smoldering cityscape. Doja Cat pranced through a reddish desolate landscape that resembled either Mars or the bottom of the sea. And constant references to death—from Chadwick Boseman to Jacob Blake to those killed by the coronavirus—lent a somberness to the show that reflected the year at large.

Worst: Lack of Hip-Hop

On the other hand, the VMAs seemed to exist in an alternate reality in which hip-hop isn’t the driving force of the modern music industry. Only one true rap song won an on-camera prize, and it was in the hip-hop category, which was presented, for some dumbfounding reason, by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. The VMAs are supposed to be the more forward-thinking younger brother of the Grammys, but many of the year’s biggest stars—including Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Baby, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Roddy Ricch—were nowhere to be found.

Congrats to @theestallion on winning Best Hip Hop 🔥#GirlPower @seeher2020 #seeherHearher #VMAs pic.twitter.com/xMFmOZOVqT

— MTV (@MTV) August 31, 2020

Instead, the telecast was dominated by songs indebted to 80s pop, from the Weeknd’s go-go synth pop anthem “Blinding Lights” to Miley Cyrus’s Stevie Nicks-inspired “Midnight Sky.” The VMAs landed big stars, but mostly failed to capture what the dominant stream of music actually sounds like today. J-Hope of BTS put it best, during the K-pop group’s breezy performance of “Dynamite”: “Disco overload / I’m good with that, I’m good to go.”

Best: Boy Bands

Still, it was hard not to be charmed by the two boy bands that performed on Sunday: BTS, from South Korea, and CNCO, from Latin America. The former performed “Dynamite,” their first fully English language song, with crisp choreography and snazzy color-coordinated suits. The latter embraced the strange setup of the drive-in concert at Skyline Drive-In in Greenpoint by wandering into the metallic audience and jumping on top of cars. The performance looked retro and futuristic at the same time.

Kevin Mazur/MTV VMAs 2020/Getty Images for MTVCNCO performs at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards at the Skyline Drive-In in New York City.

Best: Chloe x Halle

One of the night’s most electric performances was relegated to the pre-show. The R&B duo Chloe x Halle have broken out this year thanks to both their immaculate album Ungodly Hour and their poised, shrewdly-shot home performances. Their pre-taped VMAs performance was no exception: they sang and danced to a reworked version of the album’s jazzy title-track inside of a conical strobe. With any luck, they’ll be on the mainstage next year.

Worst: Keke Palmer’s Impressions

Overall, Palmer made the out of a tough gig, bringing her trademark exuberance and mischievousness to inject energy straight to the camera from various spots around the city. But Palmer thrives most in informal settings and when bouncing off other personalities—as evidenced by her many viral interviews or the “sorry to this man” meme—and in comparison, her crowdless exhortations lacked verve. A running bit in which she tried on some impressions—including a skeevy male street performer, a ditz and an haute socialite—likewise fell flat. On the other hand, she was a whole lot better than last year’s host, Sebastian Maniscalco.

[itsfinancethings]

January 27, 2020 at 12:08AM

The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards were a teary affair: performers at the Staples Center took the stage below the retired jerseys of Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash earlier in the day. But the night also included triumphs for first-time Grammy winners like Lizzo, who kicked off the show with a jubilant performance, and Billie Eilish, who swept the big four categories for the first time since Christopher Cross in 1981. Here are the best and worst moments of the night.

Best: Alicia Keys’ capable hosting

Getty Images—2020 Getty ImagesAlicia Keys performs onstage during the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

Hosting awards shows is a risky and thankless business—and despite all that’s gone wrong for Oscar hosts over the past few years, the Grammys are perhaps the hardest gig of them all. Given the behind-the-scenes chaos that has engulfed the Recording Academy, so many things could have gone wrong for host Alicia Keys. An overeager exuberance could have felt alienating to the portion of the music business calling for more diversity and accountability, while skepticism could have weighed down the entire night (see: this year’s Golden Globes). And that’s all before the news of Kobe Bryant’s death broke on Sunday afternoon, sending the Staples Center into a stunned sense of collective mourning.

But Keys rose to the occasion, handling an extremely awkward situation with flexibility and poise. Her impromptu a capella performance of “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” with Boyz II Men was a cathartic moment, and a perfect way to handle a tribute that could have dissolved into insincere treacle. (The performance also continued the song’s powerful legacy as a tribute anthem: Barrio Boyzz played it after Selena’s death, and Usher performed it for Aaliyah).

Keys was equally comfortable commanding the stage as she was doing crowd work; she also nailed a conversational performance of her new song, “Underdog.” After her successful second stint, she’s quickly becoming to the Grammys what Billy Crystal was to the Oscars.

Best: Tyler the Creator’s fiery performance

Getty Images for The Recording A—2020 The Recording AcademyTyler, the Creator performs onstage during the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

Grammy performances often skew staid, with rising stars asked to sandpaper over their rough edges and modulate their aesthetic toward that of a much older one-time collaborator. But Tyler the Creator refused to do so, forcing the telecast to go along with his much more alienating and iconoclastic vision.

Instead of moving onto Boyz II Men’s throwback turf, Tyler let them sing the rich harmonies on “Earfquake” and then put them on top of a terrifying, burning set of houses while he gasped and wheezed through “New Magic Wand,” one of the best songs on his album Igor. His spastic dancing, the glitching camera work, his gravelly sweet-sour singing and the terrifying set, perhaps a nod to the devastating fires in both Los Angeles and Australia—all reinforced the idea that he’s not just one of the world’s best rappers and producers but one of his generation’s sharpest auteurs.

He also gave two memorable speeches following his win for Best Rap Album—one onstage, in which he admonished the crowd for clapping too much and confidently steamrolled over the incidental music—and one backstage, in which he expressed frustration about the Grammys’ ghettoization of hip-hop. “Half of me feels like the rap nomination was a backhanded compliment—like oh, my little cousin wants to play the game, let’s give him the unplugged controller so he can shut up and feel good about it,” he said. It was a pointed and all-too-accurate rejoinder.

Tyler, The Creator calls out the #Grammys on their racism when it comes to music genres pic.twitter.com/rzWe2lR3xO

— 𝕆𝕕𝕕 𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖 (@itsOddFuture) January 27, 2020

Best: Ariana Grande’s powerhouse medley

Getty Images for The Recording A—2020 The Recording AcademyAriana Grande (C) performs onstage during the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

After disparaging the Grammys last year, Ariana Grande showed the Academy what they were missing by delivering a versatile powerhouse performance of cuts from her album Thank U, Next. She glided through her pink monochrome set with a cheeky ease, pairing old-school demure glamour with bombastic twerking and graceful full-throated vocal runs with effortless rapid-fire trap cadences.

Best: Redemption narratives

Getty Images for The Recording A—2020 The Recording AcademyBrandi Carlile and Tanya Tucker perform onstage during the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

The Grammys love a good comeback story, and they gave the stage to two heartfelt and mesmerizing ones this year: Tanya Tucker and Demi Lovato. Tucker, a country recluse who was first nominated in 1973 and last nominated in 1994, looked a bit shellshocked to be on the Grammy stage, but handled her performance of “Bring My Flowers Now” with a steely grit.

An hour later, Lovato brought down the house with the debut of “Anyone,” written after several years of struggle with bulimia, addiction and bipolar disorder and an overdose in 2018. Lovato stumbled out of the gate, asking her pianist to restart the song after a few bars. But the slip-up—after which a single tear rolled down her right cheek—only reinforced the song’s startling emotional nakedness, which she delivered with mounting force. “A hundred million stories / And a hundred million songs / I feel stupid when I sing / Nobody’s listening to me,” she sang. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

Worst: The incessant bleeping

FilmMagic—2020 Jeff KravitzSteven Tyler of Aerosmith (C) with Darryl McDaniels and Joseph Simmons of Run-DMC perform during the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

And the Grammy for most frequent performer at this year’s show goes to… whoever controls the bleeping. It seemed like during every other performance or speech, the broadcast fell silent altogether, completely halting momentum and goodwill. To kick off the night, Lizzo was bleeped; so were Ariana Grande, Nas, Aerosmith, Gary Clark Jr. and Billie Eilish, and then Eilish again. I know we’re on CBS. But could they not have worked out substitutions, or like, sent out a memo about profanity before the show?

Worst: So many no-shows

In practically every award category, there was a conspicuous static portrait filling one fifth (or one eighth) of the screen. No Lady Gaga, no Taylor Swift, no Dave Chappelle, no Young Thug, no Beyoncé, no Bon Iver. Their no-shows just reinforced the idea that many of the most important people in music don’t really care about the show anymore.

It’s hard to tell whether any of the acts declined to show in support of fired ex-president Deborah Dugan—but whatever the reason, these no-shows just reinforced the idea that the Grammys’ relevance has waned.

Worst: Crowd Diversity

If the Grammys wants to show its increased commitment to representation, it could start with maybe finding some people of color to put in the mosh pit. When YG came out to pay tribute to Nipsey Hussle and explore the relationship of Crips and Bloods and the plight of gang violence in Los Angeles, he was met by a too-enthusiastic almost-all-white crowd. And when Gary Clark Jr. delivered a bitter and scathing performance of “This Land”—in which his declaration “F-ck you I’m America’s son” was bleeped—he was also greeted with a volley of white hands.

Best: “Old Town Road”

Getty Images for The Recording A—2020 The Recording AcademyLil Nas X and BTS perform onstage during the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

While this year’s Grammys clearly needed to include the biggest song of all time, the song presented something of a logistical challenge. How could one stage hold so many distinct personalities, from Lil Nas to BTS to Mason Ramsey, and fold them into one cohesive whole?

The answer was obvious in retrospect: a spinning a lazy susan that allowed Lil Nas to strut through several sets, each containing a different aesthetic and set of performers, before combining them all into one room. BTS brought a shaggy charisma with their seated dancing; Billy Ray Cyrus evoked the best Clint Eastwood movies with his stoic delivery of his unimpeachable verse. But Lil Nas saved the biggest surprise for last: the original Nas himself, who sounded invigorated over the ominous beat of “Rodeo.” Nas’ appearance effectively passed his torch to a much younger rapper, whose center of gravity and communal spirit throughout the performance showed his potential as far more than a one-hit-wonder.

[tyleroakley-obsessed]

Ed. Note: Wesley is back with another roundup of Memphis live music and fresh commentary for December’s concerts – everything from beloved rockers Lucero to pop superstar Ariana Grande to songstress D’Monet. Got a show to suggest for a future “Listen Up” guide to live music in Memphis? Just email me at hollywhitfield@memphistravel.com with the subject line “Listen Up”.  If you’re looking for holiday performances and live concerts, check out the Holiday Events Guide. If you’re wanting some Christmas music, check out the “Holidays In Memphis” Spotify playlist here. Here are some shows that you may get excited about, and a few that I’m excited about, happening in December. DECEMBER 2 We the Kings at Growlers 7:30 p.m., all ages, $25 My partner Erin volunteers to help me write these lists by sending me links to shows by bands that I’d normally ignore. Not out of malice, usually, but ignorance. This is one of them. We the Kings is an emo/pop punk band from Florida who’ve been consistently releasing music since 2007. They had a Billboard Hot 100 song with Demi Lovato a decade ago.They’ll be at Growlers supported by Florida brethren Northbound and local bands Fear. The Sparrow, and Brother Levee. If you’re excited about the MCR reunion, maybe check this one out.  DECEMBER 5 Tobe Nwigwe at Minglewood Hall 7 p.m., all ages, $25+ “I grew up with gangstas that had more lean on ‘em than Mike Jack in Smooth Criminal,” Tobe Nwigwe raps on his song “BOUNTIFUL.” The flow doesn’t quite hit right, but it’s still a pretty funny line. There are plenty of those on Nwigwe’s tracks, which slap. You can also buy tickets for a “Private Dining Experience” with him and his cohort for anywhere from $500-$800. I love this guy.  DECEMBER 7 Ariana Grande at FedExForum 8 p.m., all ages probably, $42+ Ariana Grande likes to wear makeup to appear racially ambiguous, but you know what’s not made up or ambiguous? The critical and commercial success of her latest album Sweetener and its world tour. FedExForum is one of the tour’s last stops, so this is one of your last chances to hear some perfectly precision-crafted pop hits. (Ed. Note: This show is the same day at the St. Jude Memphis Marathon, so expect downtown to be nuts.) DECEMBER 8 The Get Up Kids at Growlers 7 p.m., all ages, $20 via Facebook To be honest, I could copy & paste the blurb about We the Kings and replace some band names for this one, but that’d be unfair. The Get Up Kids is a more-famous emo/pop punk band that I also had never listened to before Erin suggested listing them. Once again, if you’re excited about the MCR reunion, maybe check this one out.  DECEMBER 10 Rob Jungklas at The Green Room 7:30 p.m., all ages, $10 7 Sisters by Rob Jungklas Memphian Rob Jungklas is a hard-working man. Not just because he’s been recording and releasing music since the early 80s (including the 1986 track “Make it Mean Something” which broke into the Billboard Hot 100), but also because he taught school for a decade. I got nothing but love for the educators. He also makes some very solid music! Just during casual listens of various songs on his Bandcamp I thought “Huh, he kinda reminds me of Michael Stipe”, but then I’d hear a song and think, “Huh, he kinda sounds like Son House.” Then I looked at his portrait and thought, “Huh, he kinda looks like Jeremy Irons.” That’s pretty cool.  DECEMBER 13 Lucero at Minglewood Hall 7 p.m., all ages, $21+ Lucero via All Eyes Media We seen ‘em, we love ‘em, somebody over at AMC really loves ‘em. It’s Lucero. You can’t even call them a local band anymore,  they’re just a Band. Did you know there’s a Mexican singer and actress also named Lucero? And if you search “Lucero” on YouTube, this is the first result? And YouTube lists our Lucero’s tour dates underneath her video? Do I smell a collab? (Ed. Note: The Nashville newspaper once published an article about a Memphis Lucero show accompanied by a photo of the Mexican Lucero and it was incredible.) DECEMBER 15 Folk All Y’all: Cory Branan’s Birthday Show at The Green Room 7:30 p.m., all ages, $20 Last year, Wide Open Country called Cory Branan an “alt-country troubadour”, which is both true and untrue. His music can definitely be called “alt-country”, but I listened to a bit of his 2017 album ADIOS and was surprised at how much genre mingling there is going on there. I was ready for heartland good ol’ boy dreck but instead I got some punchy, punky tunes about racist cops and death and going to Hell. Good for you, Cory.  DECEMBER 17 Annabelle PLAYE at the Hi-Tone Cafe 7:30 p.m., all ages, $10 Annabelle Playe – WeSA Festival 2018 from wesa on Vimeo. Music concrète is an experimental music movement originating in France in the early 20th century which you can read a bit more about here. I’m not an expert on the subject, but from what I do know, I believe Annabelle PLAYE fits the bill. Robert Trexler, who is also performing that night and is the founder of the Memphis Concrète Music Festival, seems to agree. She’s also French, so there you go. Solid walls of electronic bleeps, bloops, buzzes, and gurgles are expected, as are some trippy visuals to heighten the experience.  DECEMBER 21 D’Monet at The Green Room 7:30 p.m., all ages, $10 Ayyyy must be D’Monet! I’m sorry. Anyway, D’Monet is a soul singer with a malleable, refined voice, holds a BA in Vocal Music Performance from our very own LeMoyne Owen College, and has travelled the world training and performing with all kinds of folks. She’s got the skills to back up her resume, and I’m not sure there’s ever been a more perfect artist to perform in The Green Room. Check the video above to see her performing at Crosstown Arts. DECEMBER 27 Scarface at the 1884 Lounge in Minglewood Hall 8:00 p.m., 18+, $25+ Scarface, one-third of the classic Geto Boys roster (R.I.P. Bushwick Bill) and one of the best rappers of all time is playing with a full band at Minglewood. The show poster shows him tuning a Telecaster and I’m losing my mind. A lil’ twangy-ass Tele! I didn’t even know he played guitar. Some of the best shows I’ve ever been to or watched were rappers with full backing bands. “On My Block” with a band would probably be great. About The Author Wesley Morgan Paraham is a Memphis native, a University of Memphis graduate, freelance writer and PR professional who spends most of his free time in his Midtown apartment playing video games with his partner. Are you a home owner in Memphis, with a broken garage door? Call ASAP garage door today at 901-461-0385 or checkout https://ift.tt/1B5z3Pc

https://ilovememphisblog.com/2019/11/listen-up-9-live-music-shows-in-memphis-this-month-december-2019/

[latesthollywoodnews]

Pete Davidson BREAKS SILENCE on Ariana Grande Split

Pete Davidson BREAKS SILENCE on Ariana Grande Split

Jeremy Brown - Latest News - My Hollywood News

Pete Davidson BREAKS SILENCE on Ariana Grande Split, Pixar News.

Online Hollywood Celebrity News, Pixar News, Pete Davidson BREAKS SILENCE on Ariana Grande Split.

New Hollywood Celebrities Coming Out Celebrity News Youtube by Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American motion picture studio based at The Walt Hollywood Studios in Burbank, California and is a subsidiary of Walt Hollywood Studios, itself a wholly owned division of The Walt Hollywood Company, with film producer Kevin Feige serving as president. Previously, the studio was a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment until The Walt Hollywood Company reorganized the companies in August 2015.

What Hollywood Celebrity has both parents alive?

Mulan, Sleeping beauty, Lady and the Tramp, The Incredibles,One Hundred and One Dalmatians,Peter Pan, Brave, The Lion King 2 and Frozen, but their parents die.

What is Mulan’s last name?

Although Mulan is set in north China, where the dominant language is Mandarin, the Hollywood film uses the Cantonese pronunciation, “Fa”, of her family name. In Mandarin her name is pronounced “Hua”.

Where are there Hollywoodlands in the world?

Hollywoodland – Hollywoodland Resort – Anaheim, California USA. The Magic Kingdom – Walt Hollywood World – Orlando, Florida USA. Hong Kong Hollywoodland – Hong Long Hollywoodland Resort – Penny’s Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. Tokyo Hollywoodland – Tokyo Hollywood Resort – Urayasu, Chiba, Japan.

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One week after calling off their engagement, Pete Davidson is finally speaking out on the Ariana Grande split.

he’s handling the situation the only way he knows how — lots of slightly inappropriate jokes.

News that Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson called off their engagement broke just over a week ago and the comedian finally broke his silence on the sad situation. While co-hosting Judd & Pete for America comedy show on Saturday night in West Hollywood, the SNL star addressed the split and made some self-deprecating jokes in the process.

He opened the show by saying QUOTE “Well, as you could tell, I don’t want to be here. There’s a lot going on. Does anybody have any open rooms? Looking for a roommate?”

The couple lived in a $16 million NYC apartment together for the duration of their engagement, but Pete previously admitted that because Ariana was the one who bought it, he always felt like he was just a guest staying in her house.

Pete also addressed all the tattoos he got in honor of the “God is a Woman” singer, admitting that he’s going to have to get a lot of cover-ups in the coming weeks.

He joked QUOTE “I’ve been covering a bunch of tattoos, that’s fun. I’m f–king (bleep) 0 for 2 in the tattoo [department]. Yeah, I’m afraid to get my mom tattooed on me, that’s how bad it is.”

Pete then told a story about being called stupid for getting so many tattoos in the first place. While 93% of people agreed that getting so many tats was a dumb idea, his friend stood by his side and supported his decision. Now that Pete and Ari broke up, however, even his buddy admits the body art was a bad idea.

Pete said QUOTE “So, obviously you know we broke up or whatever but when me and her first got engaged we got tattoos. And it was like in a magazine like, ‘Was Pete Davidson stupid?’ And 93% of it said yes So my boy, he was like, ‘Don’t listen to that s–t (bleep) man. They’re literally f–king (bleep) haters.’ And I’m like, yeah, f–k (bleep) that. I’m not stupid. And the other day we were in my kitchen and he was like, ‘Yo bro. Turns out you were stupid.'”

Pete already covered the Dangerous Woman tattoo he had behind his ear and Ariana was spotted sporting a Bandaid over one of her tattoos for Pete during a recent performance.

Pete concluded his set by calling himself a QUOTE “good guy that just keeps getting kicked in the d*ck (bleep),” which is actually really heartbreaking when you think about it.

It’s clear that Pete is super heartbroken over his breakup with Ariana. Reports did say the celebs are still talking and aren’t totally ruling out a future reunion, but ultimately they both need to do whatever makes them happy. What did you think about Pete’s first comments about the split? Are you surprised he talked about it so candidly? Will he and Ari get back together? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below. I’m your host Sinead De Vries, thanks for watching Clevver. Please click to the right to watch another new video and don’t forget to subscribe to our channels.

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[wavenetinfo]

Rowdy country, political hip-hop, stunning R&B, and more: So far, 2017 has seen stellar new releases from megastars like Kendrick Lamar, Willie Nelson, and Feist, as well as noteworthy newcomers including Khalid and Kelly Lee Owens. Here, EW ranks the 20 best albums of the year (so far). 

20. Kelly Lee Owens, “Kelly Lee Owens”

On her debut album, the 28-year-old Brit delivers a staggering batch of 10 electronic pieces — and it’s masterfully paced, from the pulsing “Bird” (wait for the drop!) to the entrancing, 10-minute closer “8.” —Eric Renner Brown

19. Alison Crutchfield, “Tourist in This Town”

Good luck trying to pick your favorite lyric from this indie-rock tour de force; Crutchfield’s debut solo LP is packed with brilliant one-liners about the quagmire of feelings that follow a breakup, and the joy of pulling yourself out of the wreckage. —Nolan Feeney

18. Jay Som, “Everybody Works”

Melina Duterte, the 23-year-old Bay Area upstart who records as Jay Som, draws on diverse influences — she opened for Mitski in 2016 and cites Carly Rae Jepsen’s E·MO·TION as a key inspiration — on her remarkable debut, which flips from riffed-out indie-rock (“1 Billion Dogs”) to ’80s-inspired synth jams (“Baybee”) with ease. —E.R.B.

17. Khalid, “American Teen”

He’s only 19, but this ex-military-brat sounds like he’s already lived a lifetime with his rich, gravelly voice and thoughtful lyrics about navigating the loneliness and longing every young adult goes through. —N.F.

16. Spoon, “Hot Thoughts”

The Austin veterans cement their reputation as indie-rock’s most consistent band on their ninth album, where they delve into brooding funk (“Can I Sit Next To You”), crunchy rockers (“WhisperI’lllistentohearit”), and spacey experimentation (“Pink Up”). —E.R.B.

15. Charli XCX, “Number 1 Angel”

Fusing the British starlet’s prodigious talent for champagne-popping hooks and the mind-melting tracks of London’s experimental PC Music collective, this stopgap mixtape is better than most official pop albums this year. —N.F.

14. Cashmere Cat, “9”

So far in his burgeoning career, the Norwegian producer has collaborated with megastars like Selena Gomez and Kanye West — but his debut full-length exceeds all expectations. The Weeknd, Kehlani, Ariana Grande, Jhene Aiko, and more stop by on a collection that delightfully defies convention and genre at every turn. —Madison Vain

13. Perfume Genius, “No Shape”

Mike Hadreas’ fourth album under the Perfume Genius moniker is his most gorgeous yet, a stirring collection that seamlessly vacillates between confident and vulnerable, dazzling and muted. Capped with an ethereal ballad named after Hadreas’ long-term boyfriend, No Shape is ultimately a wide-ranging document of love — its complications included. —Ariana Bacle

12. Willie Nelson, “God’s Problem Child”

Despite tabloid rumors of his failing health, the 84-year-old icon sounds as strong as ever here; with his humor, honesty, and wiry tenor all intact, the Red Headed Stranger fearlessly stares down his own mortality for one of the most human and endearing collections of his career. —M.V.

11. Future, “HNDRXX”

Future’s sixth album captures the 33-year-old’s hedonistic essence while striking out beyond his well-worn creative boundaries. “My Collection” and “Lookin Exotic” cover familiar sonic terrain, but HNDRXX’s left turns impress most, from Aphex Twin-inspired electro (“Testify”) to synth-pop bliss that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Carly Rae Jepsen album (“Incredible”). —E.R.B.

10. Run the Jewels, “Run the Jewels 3”

On their third outing as Run the Jewels, El-P and Killer Mike seamlessly bounce from sidesplitting rhymes (“Stay Gold”) to sociopolitical soothsaying (“A Report to the Shareholders”) — and their infectious camaraderie shines at every turn. —E.R.B.

9. Feist, “Pleasure”

For her first album in six years, the Canadian songbird shuns the bright folk of her breakout hit, “1234,” for something far more compelling: 11 seductive art-pop gems that reinvent what a traditional singer-songwriter record can be. —Kevin O’Donnell

8. Japandroids, “Near to the Wild Heart of Life”

Gut-punching drums, scorching guitar riffs, and roll-the-windows-down anthems like “True Love and a Free Life of Free Will” — turns out rock & roll in 2017 can still pack plenty of thrills, thanks to these Vancouver firebrands. —K.O.

7. Mac DeMarco, “This Old Dog”

The affable, down-to-earth rocker’s best album yet is also the year’s coziest collection of ’70s-inspired soft rock; it’s got glistening guitar hooks, weirdo junk-shop keyboards, and funk-lite grooves. What elevates This Old Dog to purebred status: DeMarco’s simple, unpretentious storytelling on standout cuts like “My Old Man” and “On the Level.” —K.O.

6. Sampha, “Process”

His pillowy vocals have made him a go-to guest for the likes of Drake, Kanye, and Solange, but the British wunderkind’s full-length debut is its own stand-alone wonder: a gorgeously atmospheric bedroom-soul manifesto. —Leah Greenblatt

5. The xx, “I See You”

The masters of minimalist pop didn’t just let in the light on their third LP. They went full-on supernova, using samples and club-ready beats to amp up the drama without ever losing their trademark intimacy. —N.F.

4. Jens Lekman, “Life Will See You Now”

The Swedish crooner finally made sounds as colorful as his vibrant lyrics; his hilarious and heartfelt tales are all the more magical paired with bossa nova rhythms, disco beats, and a jaunty piano melody inspired by Mariah Carey (seriously!). —N.F.

3. Chris Stapleton, “From A Room: Volume 1”

How do you follow up a critically adored double-platinum Grammy-winning debut? If you’re Chris Stapleton, you write absolutely no new songs. Instead, the 39-year-old Nashville outlaw plundered his own decades-old songbook for nine tough, rowdy rockers. And there’s more treasure in his trove — Stapleton is already prepping From A Room: Vol. 2 for release later this year. —M.V.

2. Sylvan Esso, “What Now”

This North Carolina-based duo crafts warm, intricate electro-pop that’s more bleep bloop than üntz-üntz-üntz, yet the understated, staggering beauty of tunes like “Song” and the nearly a cappella “Slack Jaw” will floor you nonetheless. —N.F.

1. Kendrick Lamar, “DAMN.”

The Compton MC’s fourth album contains the chart-topping single “HUMBLE.,” but Lamar’s astute lyricism — ranging from riveting autobiographies like “DUCKWORTH.” to brazenly political anthems like “XXX.” — makes the entirety of DAMN. essential. —E.R.B.

31 May 2017 | 1:00 pm

Ariana Bacle, Nolan Feeney, Eric Renner Brown, Madison Vain, Kevin O’Donnell and Leah Greenblatt

Source : EW.com

>>>Click Here To View Original Press Release>>>

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The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards were a teary affair: performers at the Staples Center took the stage below the retired jerseys of Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash earlier in the day. But the night also included triumphs for first-time Grammy winners like Lizzo, who kicked off the show with a jubilant performance, and Billie Eilish, who swept the big four categories for the first time since Christopher Cross in 1981. Here are the best and worst moments of the night.

Best: Alicia Keys’ capable hosting

Getty Images—2020 Getty ImagesAlicia Keys performs onstage during the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

Hosting awards shows is a risky and thankless business—and despite all that’s gone wrong for Oscar hosts over the past few years, the Grammys are perhaps the hardest gig of them all. Given the behind-the-scenes chaos that has engulfed the Recording Academy, so many things could have gone wrong for host Alicia Keys. An overeager exuberance could have felt alienating to the portion of the music business calling for more diversity and accountability, while skepticism could have weighed down the entire night (see: this year’s Golden Globes). And that’s all before the news of Kobe Bryant’s death broke on Sunday afternoon, sending the Staples Center into a stunned sense of collective mourning.

But Keys rose to the occasion, handling an extremely awkward situation with flexibility and poise. Her impromptu a capella performance of “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” with Boyz II Men was a cathartic moment, and a perfect way to handle a tribute that could have dissolved into insincere treacle. (The performance also continued the song’s powerful legacy as a tribute anthem: Barrio Boyzz played it after Selena’s death, and Usher performed it for Aaliyah).

Keys was equally comfortable commanding the stage as she was doing crowd work; she also nailed a conversational performance of her new song, “Underdog.” After her successful second stint, she’s quickly becoming to the Grammys what Billy Crystal was to the Oscars.

Best: Tyler the Creator’s fiery performance

Getty Images for The Recording A—2020 The Recording AcademyTyler, the Creator performs onstage during the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

Grammy performances often skew staid, with rising stars asked to sandpaper over their rough edges and modulate their aesthetic toward that of a much older one-time collaborator. But Tyler the Creator refused to do so, forcing the telecast to go along with his much more alienating and iconoclastic vision.

Instead of moving onto Boyz II Men’s throwback turf, Tyler let them sing the rich harmonies on “Earfquake” and then put them on top of a terrifying, burning set of houses while he gasped and wheezed through “New Magic Wand,” one of the best songs on his album Igor. His spastic dancing, the glitching camera work, his gravelly sweet-sour singing and the terrifying set, perhaps a nod to the devastating fires in both Los Angeles and Australia—all reinforced the idea that he’s not just one of the world’s best rappers and producers but one of his generation’s sharpest auteurs.

He also gave two memorable speeches following his win for Best Rap Album—one onstage, in which he admonished the crowd for clapping too much and confidently steamrolled over the incidental music—and one backstage, in which he expressed frustration about the Grammys’ ghettoization of hip-hop. “Half of me feels like the rap nomination was a backhanded compliment—like oh, my little cousin wants to play the game, let’s give him the unplugged controller so he can shut up and feel good about it,” he said. It was a pointed and all-too-accurate rejoinder.

Tyler, The Creator calls out the #Grammys on their racism when it comes to music genres pic.twitter.com/rzWe2lR3xO

— 𝕆𝕕𝕕 𝔽𝕦𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖 (@itsOddFuture) January 27, 2020

Best: Ariana Grande’s powerhouse medley

Getty Images for The Recording A—2020 The Recording AcademyAriana Grande (C) performs onstage during the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

After disparaging the Grammys last year, Grande showed the Academy what they were missing by delivering a versatile powerhouse performance of cuts from her album Thank U, Next. She glided through her pink monochrome set with a cheeky ease, pairing old-school demure glamour with bombastic twerking and graceful full-throated vocal runs with effortless rapid-fire trap cadences.

Best: Redemption narratives

Getty Images for The Recording A—2020 The Recording AcademyBrandi Carlile and Tanya Tucker perform onstage during the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

The Grammys love a good comeback story, and they gave the stage to two heartfelt and mesmerizing ones this year: Tanya Tucker and Demi Lovato. Tucker, a country recluse who was first nominated in 1973 and last nominated in 1994, looked a bit shellshocked to be on the Grammy stage, but handled her performance of “Bring My Flowers Now” with a steely grit.

An hour later, Lovato brought down the house with the debut of “Anyone,” written after several years of struggle with bulimia, addiction and bipolar disorder and an overdose in 2018. Lovato stumbled out of the gate, asking her pianist to restart the song after a few bars. But the slip-up—after which a single tear rolled down her right cheek—only reinforced the song’s startling emotional nakedness, which she delivered with mounting force. “A hundred million stories / And a hundred million songs / I feel stupid when I sing / Nobody’s listening to me,” she sang. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

Worst: The incessant bleeping

FilmMagic—2020 Jeff KravitzSteven Tyler of Aerosmith (C) with Darryl McDaniels and Joseph Simmons of Run-DMC perform during the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

And the Grammy for most frequent performer at this year’s show goes to… whoever controls the bleeping. It seemed like during every other performance or speech, the broadcast fell silent altogether, completely halting momentum and goodwill. To kick off the night, Lizzo was bleeped; so were Ariana Grande, Nas, Aerosmith, Gary Clark Jr. and Billie Eilish, and then Eilish again. I know we’re on CBS. But could they not have worked out substitutions, or like, sent out a memo about profanity before the show?

Worst: So many no-shows

In practically every award category, there was a conspicuous static portrait filling one fifth (or one eighth) of the screen. No Lady Gaga, no Taylor Swift, no Dave Chappelle, no Young Thug, no Beyoncé, no Bon Iver. Their no-shows just reinforced the idea that many of the most important people in music don’t really care about the show anymore.

It’s hard to tell whether any of the acts declined to show in support of fired ex-president Deborah Dugan—but whatever the reason, these no-shows just reinforced the idea that the Grammys’ relevance has waned.