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slouchyslouch · 5 years ago

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My 2010s in Records.

10. My Bloody Valentine — mbv

Wrote about mbv on a separate piece.

9. Earl Sweatshirt — Some Rap Songs

Earl Sweatshirt’s Some Rap Songs is a record of mending and therapy. At the beginning of the decade, rap fans saw the 16 year old prodigy create the most technical and distinctive raps unheard of at that time. Yes, a lot of it was jarring and immature, but the potential was there. While debut mixtape EARL was a teaser and an introduction to his greatness, Doris was his reclamation to the rap game after a period of silence in Samoa. I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside in turn spoke for itself. Its morose disposition then made its way onto Some Rap Songs; not quite his masterpiece, but an accomplished period piece nonetheless. As one of the most highly acclaimed rappers in the world today, Earl spills his guts out on this diaristic tape about his relationship with his father and the emotional exhaustion coming from trying to amend it. On “Red Water,” he repeats the same 8 bars on loop as if caught in a recurring dream. “Papa called me chief / gotta keep it brief / locked and loaded I can see you lyin’ through your teeth” he raps in a fugue state, as if coming to the realization that his father was only there for those momentary times of convenience. It’s always difficult to write something that includes family and loved ones. There’s a sense of vulnerability you have to divulge in as well as a catharsis that fulfills one’s desire to let go of one’s agony. The beats on Some Rap Songs run on loose kaleidoscopic loops, production that Earl has mastered rapping over as his idiosyncrasies in his bars do best when complementing them. Thanks to the influence of his buddies Mike and Medhane, he’s learned to channel his eccentric flows onto those beats. “Riot” closes the record with the sentimental instrumental sampling jazz legend, and uncle, Hugh Masekela. It’s feels like a proper ending to Earl’s chronicle, but the events that have transpired will always be apart of his life. At the end of it all, Some Rap Songs will remain forever a tombstone of his anguish.

8. The Spirit of the Beehive — Hypnic Jerks

There’s no other dream pop record this decade that could top this almost-perfect album. The hushed vocalizations of Zach Schwartz and Rivka Ravede offer a quiet intimacy in the dreamscape that is Hypnic Jerks. The title in itself lends to the idea of being half asleep and half awake — to be in an altered state where the real and surreal are just two sides of the same coin. Tracks like “poly swim” and “it’s gonna find you” entrance you into that state of unconscious, while tracks like “can i receive the contact?” and “hypnic jerks” make an effort to wake you up from the sublime. Field recordings filter in and out between tracks, as if you were hallucinating the whole time. It’s when “nail i couldn’t bite” and “(without you) in my pocket” play out that you realize it doesn’t matter what state you lie in. Their lucid pop constructions reward repeated listens to the point of obsession in a somnambulant state. The record’s lack of acclaim only makes it feel like you’re in on a hidden secret. To this day, I am completely spellbound to its sorcery and have yet to unlock its mysteries.

7. Iceage — New Brigade

Back in elementary school, I listened to a lot of pop punk; the kind that was rapturously melodic yet cheesily done and overproduced (Think Blink 182 or All Time Low). Until I listened to New Brigade, I didn’t even realize what true punk music actually sounded like. Iceage was just fucking cool to me. Sure, they had the aesthetic, depicting bloody mosh pits and macabre rune art, but it was truly the music that broke into my spirit, shattering what I thought punk sounded like back in the day. I’d read pieces about their notorious live shows where they would play rapid 15-minute sets in the sunless recesses of Denmark, which only added to the band’s mystique. Upon listening to their debut, I felt musically fulfilled like never before. No more of the whiny, drawn out vocals from pop punk bands. Frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt had the kind of angsty drawl similar to Nick Cave’s when he played with The Birthday Party which offered a kind of obscene yet confident instability to his performance. Johan Surrballe Wieth and Jakob Tvilling Pless’s guitars have just the right amount of filth in them — an abrasive attack on your soul while Dan Kjær Nielsen’s drums are played propulsively in classic hardcore fashion — never meant decelerate. The record didn’t offer the tightest instrumental, but that was the point. Iceage have gone on to release tighter and more spectacular punk records consistently over the decade but their debut broke the ceiling of what to me punk could, and should, sound like. From the cathartic breakdown of “White Rune” to the triumphant “You’re Blessed,” New Brigade was the record that gave me that spark, the one that carried me to rotting heights.

6. Frank Ocean — Channel Orange

Channel Orange will always be a classic to my generation. From Grammy-nominated “Thinking’ Bout You” to the sweet and charming “Forrest Gump,” we surf through Frank’s psyche in smooth and effortless RnB. Frank Ocean’s vivid universe is one of vibrant summers and distant getaways. Its colourful motifs paint a pretty picture for us — pink skies, monks in moshpits, peaches and mangos, roofs of mansions, palm trees and pools, Majin Buu. Most people I know around my age know the lyrics to most of its tracks. They’re as infectious as any classic from the past decade. I still remember listening to “Sweet Life” by the beach with a friend before attending his concert on his first tour. Everything felt right in the world when he sang “so why see the world when you got the beach” as the waves crashed over the sand and the summer heat glistened over the ocean. During its release, he opened up to the world to reveal his love for another man in an affectionate Tumblr post. It gave us an appreciation into an artist’s vulnerable identity while breaking the door open for other artists to come out in their own way. Frank later released his masterpiece in Blonde/Endless and a plethora of brilliant singles from his radio show, but the stories and music from Channel Orange will remain forever timeless.

5. Solange — A Seat at the Table

“Fall in your ways / so you can crumble / fall in your ways / so you can wake up and rise” sings Solange, on the introduction to her restorative album A Seat at the Table. They’re words I try to tell myself in times of darkness. Solange just has that ability to let anybody express themselves through her music, to meditate on life’s injustices and pitfalls. It’s okay to be mad; it’s okay to rest and take care of yourself as much as you need to. We just have to rely on each other to get back into the fight. It feels like a lot of my favourite records from the past decade are imbued with themes of darkness and isolation. Fortunately, I still have Solange to let myself vent out those frustrations. Whether it’s the strings on the beginning of “Cranes in the Sky” that remind me to slow down or the horns projected behind Master P’s stoic orations that fuel my determination to keep afloat, A Seat at the Table plays like an instruction manual for self-care, black empowerment, and righteous activism. It’s consoling to know that I’m not alone in distracting myself from everything that’s wrong with the world today. 2016 was such an appropriate time for this record to be released. Solange gave us hope, grace, stoicism, and the ability to heal and recharge. A Seat at the Table may be a personal record to Solange, but as she sings on “F.U.B.U.,” this shit is for us.

4. Chance the Rapper — Acid Rap

It’s odd to say that my favourite rap record of the decade comes in the form of pop rap album Acid Rap. In making this list, I thought about the obvious greats in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy or Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City. In the end, Chance’s second mixtape brought me more joy than any of those records did. It gave me the cringiest but most pleasurable musical moments with the homies singing along to tracks like “Cocoa Butter Kisses” and “Pusha Man.” Releasing it independently and as a free download, Chance’s spoken-word idiosyncrasies reveal themselves as classic pop rap gems by the end of the decade. Chance’s whole thing was just about pure positivity and having fun. The era of albums I could compare to it was during the release of Kanye’s College Dropout and Late Registration, a time when Kanye (sort of) envisioned the anti-stereotype in rappers, countering the machismo and toxic masculinity found in a lot of hip-hop now and back then (RIP old Kanye). Chance didn’t care about getting bitches or getting money. He just wanted to do drugs with his friends — to trip out on acid and go on a spiritual journey with all of us. Hidden beneath the positivity, Chance still creeps in a dash of realism and humanity on tracks like “Paranoia,” illustrating the life of gang-banging in his hometown of Chicago. It’s the earnestness in his raps that always pulls me back, the flourishes of piano when he raps “I lean back then spark my shit / I turn up I talk my shit / hope you love all my shit / I hope you love all my shit / IGH.” It turns out, as he declares on the outro, Everything’s Good.

3. Alex G — DSU

On DSU, time stops. The cult of Alex G is now cemented in indie rock lore at the end of the decade with eight albums full of hooks, dreams, and shattered spirits. DSU was the first record I listened to by Alex G, and remains my favourite by his despite him going on to release better conceptual records in Rocket and House of Sugar. No track can be skipped or listened to passively. With most of them springing under the 2–3 minute mark, ideas flow in and out without direction but coalesce into an impressionistic and breathtaking work of art. Hints of Elliott Smith and Isaac Brock echo in the duality of harsh guitar distortion and melodious pop hooks. Guitar feedback never felt so comforting as it colours the magnificence of Alex G’s composition. There’s a kind of deep melancholy in each track despite the ambiguous surrealism lyrics, a perfect winter record to listen to alone in your room or walk through the piles of snow in the night. Its murky yet lush production somehow reaches out to you, helps you drown in its depths and remain there for its 37 minutes. Whether it’s “Skipper” fully attuning you to its hushed presence, or the entrancing opener of “After Ur Gone,” I just feel like I want to close my eyes and immerse myself in there for as long as it allows me to.

2. Frank Ocean — Blonde

Frank Ocean’s Blonde arrived as a gift from the heavens. For five years, my friends and I have joked and memed about when the new Frank was coming out — whether it was even ever going to come out. Years after its release, it has evolved into the masterpiece that I’ve always wanted him to create. When Endless came out, I felt somewhat disappointed at the material — although later served as the perfect complement to Blonde — because of its lack of sensual pieces similar to those on Channel Orange’s effortless RnB and the latter record’s penchant for easy sing-alongs. Blonde in turn revealed a similar mood: the spacious vapour that fogged up behind Ocean’s intimate croon, the volatility in his voice that permeated your soul — it felt like an emotional load that was difficult to bare, yet something necessary that had to be experienced. I was just getting into my first intimate relationship when Blonde came out, and it’s made me realize how much I wanted to make that person happy, and that I couldn’t take any relationship I had for granted. I felt heavy after listening to this record. The sadboi hours memes ring true to its emotional weight. I would flutter to the arpeggios of “Ivy” as Frank sings “I thought that I was dreamin’ when you said you love me,” bop to the duality of “Nights,” and shed a tear to the wistfulness of “Godspeed.” I wonder how much shit Frank had to go through to even get any of these songs on tape. It’s okay. I like to think think that by the end of it all, Blonde was the catharsis he needed to spill his heart out.

1. Tame Impala — Lonerism

At the end of the decade, seeing Kevin Parker as one of the most highly-touted producers and songwriters in pop music would be an observation if you had asked me a decade ago, when Tame Impala’s first record Innerspeaker — an expansive work of art that recalled 60’s guitar psychedelia — first came out. On Lonerism, Parker’s music evolved into something even more seismic and innovative in scope. As the name suggests, Lonerism is a product of disaffection, self-defeat, and isolation. I’d imagine it was as fulfilling to other music fans of a type to detach from the world and just get lost in another’s. There’s a part on “Keep on Lying” where an endless guitar solo is played in the midst of a dinner party being played out; that feeling of getting dragged to a party when you were just a kid but just wanted to pop your headphones on and refuse to interact with anybody. According to Parker, he put in the sample to make the listener feel even more alienated. It’s a powerful feeling that lets anyone listening to the record in on that vulnerable sensation. In spite of that, tracks like “Apocalypse Dreams” and “Elephant” still give us astonishing psych rock bangers while pop gems “Music to Walk Home By” and “Feels like We Only Go Backwards” demonstrate Parker’s guitar pedal gymnastics over vibrant hooks. Although Currents has skyrocketed him into the fame and acclaim that he undoubtedly deserves, this record will always be his opus in my heart. I’ve daydreamed enough times to the music where its world has settled into my subconscious. It’s a world that comes from genius, but it’s also a world that invites you in to escape from the idea of Lonerism itself, to have something shared with you in solitude.

#top 10 albums #tame impala #frank ocean #alex g #chance the rapper #solange #iceage #the spirit of the beehive #My Bloody Valentine #album review #lists #earl sweatshirt

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makeyourownmyth · 6 years ago

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Favorite Heard in 2018.

Same caveats, but even fewer.

There really weren’t any songs that everyone loved that I thought badly enough of to list as antis here. I will say that the Drake-ification of rap has had even worse effects that we thought it would, with mumblerap dominating everything. And there’s some notable absences on the lists, but those are definitely purposeful.

Honorable Mentions:

Troye Sivan - Blue Neighbourhood. Bloom was OK, but it took me to Blue Neighbourhood, which I had somehow missed. He’s amazing, I’m in love.

Black Panther Soundtrack. The Kendrick influence and brand is strong, but it’s really the more outlier-y style songs (like “Redemption”) that make this album as good as it is.

Alex Lahey - I Love You Like A Brother. This album actually came out last year, and it should have been on my list then and it wasn’t and I’ve spent a year embarrassed by that fact.

Billie Eilish - She didn’t actually release a new album this year, but all the singles were great and she’s a phenomenal talent.

Travis Scott - Astroworld. If this list would have been completed the month Astroworld came out, it might have been #1. But it lacks the sticking power to make something part of the truly good list. But he definitely made me a believer after spending time being at least partway a hater.

The Internet - Hive Mind. This album is good with a side of weirdness. Earl’s album is weird with (maybe?) a slice of goodness. And yet his album is ending up on a bunch of best of lists and Syd’s band isn’t. That’s wack. This one’s the winner if we’re comparing the two. But we don’t even need to do that. This one stands up all on its own.

Meek Mill - Championships. From the banging intro to the collab with Drake to “What’s Free” with Jay and Ross, this one goes hard. It’s a great Meek Mill album. You know exactly what you’re getting.

Pusha T - Daytona. Better than all the other rap albums on this list, almost made the real list. He’s so good at what he does, and “If You Know You Know” is one of the best openers of all time.

Tierra Whack - Whack World. If you haven’t heard this album, you should be ashamed. It’s only 15 minutes. Go listen! Then appreciate it and listen to it again. It’s great. She’s gonna do amazing things.

Jeff Tweedy - Warm. I’ve been thinking about Jeff Tweedy and Wilco a lot this year, maybe because I read the book Learning How to Die. And I know this isn’t a Wilco album, so I know it’s apples to oranges. But I can’t shake this thought, regardless. I’m not sure there’s another band we have whose “universally acclaimed ‘best’ album” is almost certainly NOT their “best” album? I mean, post-YHF Wilco is super different. They stopped trying to be that band, but between Sky Blue Sky and A Ghost is Born and now this solo record, I’m pretty sure those albums (and this one, which I know isn’t a Wilco album) are actually better? It’s just really, really, really good.

boygenius - boygenius. The best thing about this EP is that all the songs are solid and some are lifetime best material. The worst thing is that we’ll probably never get this collaboration again.

Beach House - 7. Shockingly good after their odd turns on the last couple. I’m not ready to have complete faith in them just yet, but I’m glad they’re coming back around.

Snail Mail - Lush. Solidly good, almost to great territory. Soccer Mommy got all the love, but I think this album is actually better?

Charli XCX - Pop 2. It’s good. She deserves more credit than she gets, and she already gets a lot.

Soccer Mommy - Clean. Not as good as the near-universal critical acclaim, but still a very strong album.

Cat Power - Wanderer. That cover of “Stay” is incredible all on its own, but the album really holds up on its own merits too. I can’t believe she’s still making music this good.

Chvrches - Love is Dead. It took me a couple listens to actually think it was good, but it is. It’s a side step from their last 2, which I don’t love, but I’m happy they’re doing what they want to do.

Buddy - Harlon & Alondra. Remember when he was next up and had an awesome voice? It seemed like his potential was gonna go untapped, but this album shows it’s not dead yet. It’s not quite Best material, but it was unfairly slept on.

Best Songs:

"Backpack” - Alex Lahey. Same comment as her album. I know this came out last year. But I’ve spent a year being embarrassed by forgetting it, and she deserves a spot.

"Thank U, Next” - Ariana Grande. Sweetener wasn’t bad, but this was way better. It took Mac dying, her concert tragedy, and breaking up with Pete to get the best Ariana we’ve ever had.

“DJs Gotta Dance More” - A Trak. This is the type of song that I could listen to non-stop for the rest of my life and be perfectly content.

“Missing U” - Robyn. She’s a queen. What do we expect? It’s solid gold.

Dirty Computer Quartet - From the start of “Screwed” until the end of “Make Me Feel” Janelle Monae has my heart for all time. It doesn’t get much better.

9. “Nice For What” - Drake. He’s fine. The best thing about this song is the Lauryn Hill. But it’s catchy as hell.

8. “Apeshit” - The Carters. It’s been a long time since my jaw dropped on a consistent basis listening to Jay. I’m happy it’s happening more, and even more with his wife outrapping him.

7. “Havana” - Camila Cabello. Earworm.

6. “Lemonade” - NERD. The Vampire King returns, recruits Rihanna to rap, and it sounds so good.

5. “Shallow” - Lady Gaga. I honestly haven’t even seen the movie yet, but this song is almost perfectly crafted. It sounds like it could have come out of any classic era. It does exactly what it aims to do.

4. “Look Alive” - Blocboy JB. I don’t really even want to talk about how good this song is. It bugs me how good it is.

3. “I Like It” - Cardi B. The album wasn’t bad, but she literally could have released just this song, and it probably would have sold just as many copies as the album did. The perfect song for driving during summer with your windows down.

2. “The Story of Adidon” - Pusha T. My favorite song of the year. It taught the kids about real rap beef. From the cover art to the line about 40, it was shocking. Did he go too far? Yes. Do I think he shouldn’t have? No. Too bad the kids all ignored it and still rock with the Canadian.

1. “Girls Like You” - Maroon 5. The most perfect pop song of the year. It sounds like it was cooked up in a magical song laboratory, and I don’t mind that at all.

Best Albums:

7. Kacey Musgraves - Golden Hour. This album goooooeeeesssss in. She sings about all the typical things you’d expect from a country album, and then changes directions, too.

6. Mac Miller - Swimming. We can’t ignore the fact that his death almost certainly affected the placement of this album. But even if he was still with us, Mac was progressing and growing, just like he has with every single album, and this would have been a serious contender. I still can’t listen to it without crying.

5. The Carters - Love is Everything. Continuing the trend of old people being able to rap and do it well is an important reason this album gets to be this high. Also, it puts on fitting cap on the Lemonade/4:44/Love Trilogy.

4. YG - Still Dangerous. It’s crazy how shit falls off when you don’t have a press-baiting single like “FDT” but YG is still making crazy good music. This album is not as good as the last 2, but it’s still super important to have an older perspective out there, representing for Cali G Funk in 2018.

3. Vince Staples - FM! I will never forget where I was when I heard this album for the first time, and that’s an increasingly rare thing. In a time when there’s plenty of weirdo kids who are really good rappers, with the amount of praise that Vince gets, it’s still a possibility that he’s UNDERrated. He’s a voice we need, and this album is a perfect little piece that he created to share that voice. Everything he’s done has been great, and this is no exception.

2. Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer. Give me all Janelle everything. This album could easily have been #1. Every part of it feels purposefully thought out and well executed. The video version was great, the singles are all bangers, the lyrics are necessary, and the themes are pushing all the right buttons.

1. Camp Cope - How to Socialise & Make Friends. I knew from the moment that I listened to this album that it was going to be my #1 in December. The fact that I’m still writing that in December, when the album dropped in March, is a testament to its staying power. From “The Opener” to the very last track, there’s not a moment of let up. These kids are super promising, and they have already done something phenomenal. I cannot wait to see what comes next for them.

#best of #lists #2018 #music #camp cope #janelle monae #vince stapes #yg #the carters #mac miller #kacey musgraves

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wmua-amherst · 5 years ago

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Happy New Year! Here are some of WMUA staff's favorite albums from 2019:

PR Director - Ariya Sonethavy

House of Sugar by (Sandy) Alex G and Anak Ko by Jay Som -- I think I overplayed these records in the second half of the year. House of Sugar is magnificent every time and I absolutely love how different each song is, though listening to it in order always feels like something new. The way he produces and manipulates instruments/vox is insane. Anak Ko is my go-to comfort record for the last few months and I've become very attached to it. I love the layers Melina Duterte produces with tracks that are sunny and warm but also moody. I'm also obsessed with the fact that both Alex G and Melina Duterte write and produce all their own tracks -- their songs fill me with big ultralight beams!

General Manager - Toby Cashook

When I first listened to Digital Shades Volume II, it's as if I had finished a surreal sci-fi Dungeons and Dragons adventure narrated by Panos Cosmatos. Having only known M83 as their electric-pop, “Midnight City”selves, this was a total vibe check. Anthony Gonzalez, the lead on this project, reminisced that this was an album that, for him, brought back a feeling of childlike adventure. Inspired by early-age videogames and similar source material, DSVII echoes those mediums that are so endearing and so close to our hearts. For me it was 'Oh Yes You're There, Everyday' and 'Feelings' that reminded me of that naive experience when exploring classic RPG and fantasy games like Bethesda's Skyrim or Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time open worlds for the first time. In a way, my naive sense of childlike wonder was restored. It was like old friends reuniting after seeing hadn't seen each other in quite some time. Similar in nature to Ben Prunty's Curious Merchandise, each song plays like a series of short stories, each describing a unique setting or situation that plays itself out in a satisfying way.

DSVII leaves you wanting more. Within the chaos of our society, DSVII is a nostalgic album. It's a call to remember the simplicity in our lives that we once let go. It can be tiresome to imagine those moments, and yet listening to DSVII feels as though they've always been by your side. It's a throwback for sure, and I'm sure all of us could use that reminder.

Programmer - Taylor Cassidy

I think my staff pick for 2019 is Better Oblivion Community Center by.... Better Oblivion Community Center, better known as Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers. This release is from the earlier part of 2019, but it's one of the few albums of this year where I dove in and listened to more than just one or two tracks, and I enjoyed it all. Oberst's emo vocals and punk sensibilities complement Bridgers' songwriting and deeper voice, and they just really come together perfectly in this bizarre concept album about joining a cult. It's folk rock for people who had an emo phase and hate the word "folk" - a label which I guess suits me. Many of the songs are catchy despite being weird, creepy, or depressing and songs like "Dylan Thomas" have a really anthemic, singable feel. It was a release I was really anticipating and wasn't disappointed when I added it to my library.

Finance Director - John Matraia

Bandana by Freddie Gibbs & Madlib is the rap album of the year. Five years removed from their last collaborative album Piñata, it seemed improbable that the duo could top the 2014 classic. And while it’s hard to pick one over the other, it’s clear that both of these guys only get better with time. And more dynamic, too. Just look at "Palmolive” (with an incredible guest verse from Pusha T) or the heartfelt "Practice." On every track here, Freddie and Madlib are fighting to outdo each other, and the greatness that both artists strive for puts this tape over the top. Sure, maybe on a song like “Crime Pays”, Madlib’s mesmerizing instrumental just edges out Freddie’s greatness, and maybe Freddie steals the show on “Education.” But it’s tracks like “Fake Names” and “Cataracts” where both connect at the top of their game and prove that they’re the best in their respective lanes. Freddie claimed that this album was his “baby”, and this sentiment bleeds through on the uplifting intro track “Freestyle Sh*t”, where he reflects on everything he’s been through to reach this point. What follows this are thirteen tracks that serve as a victory lap for both artists, with Freddie making a case for the best rapper alive, and Madlib proving why he’s the best producer of all time.

Communications Music Director - Alex MacLean

It’s so hard to pick just one record from this year, the amount of plainly great music that has come out this year is absurd. However, I’d like to make the case for one people might not have heard much about. Foam by Diviño Niño is a wiggly, catchy, summery bit of psychedelic pop, with lyrics in English and Spanish that are equally evocative and lovelorn in both languages. The Chicago-via-Colombia band runs through a wide array of sounds and styles with ease. It’s easy to put on and let it breeze tunefully by, but if you pay closer attention, the record’s clever songwriting and wonderfully quirky and detailed instrumentation begin to take hold on you, worming their way into your head. The beachy title track grooves with funky guitars and auxiliary percussion like Speaking in Tongues-era Talking Heads, and second track “Quiero”’s half-time chorus stops the song’s midtempo momentum in its tracks to let singer Camilo Medina make important declaration: “I don’t ever wanna change your mind / I wanna be with you the way that you are.” Elsewhere, “Maria” is an all-Spanish language breakup song about having your heart ripped from your chest and spit out by a girl named Maria (figuratively, of course), after which the singer decides to drink a lot and smoke 7 joints: “Chaqueta de liquor / Siete porros y un adios.” It’s an example of evocative lyricism that cuts to the emotional core despite its economy. There are lots more I enjoyed this year, but Foam is an underappreciated record that stuck with me.

Archival Music Director - Jamie Daitch

For me, 2019 has been the year of embracing country music, and no album pulled me closer in than the self-titled debut of the Highwomen, a supergroup composed of Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires. This is the best sort of collaboration,where every artist is giving their absolute best to the project to make an incredibly compelling whole. This album captures a large swath of feminine life experience, with sharp, detailed, emotionally complex writing that will give you new little details every listen. And you'll want to listen over and over again, with melodies that are just so catchy and song structures that hook you along for every ride. I can't think of an album I listened to more this year. If the closest you've come to country as of late is Kacey Musgraves's "Golden Hour" and Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road," then this is an album to try. The Highwomen demonstrates the unique strengths of country music better than anything else this year. Check it out!

Check our WMUA’s CURATED playlist for best picks of 2019: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3SgHBwTf6Tq1Ts5eMzwBzL?si=Q_9wsLgqRTKvRRdz3LnixA

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unwrittenarticles · 5 years ago

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Top 50 Albums of 2019

1. Grace Ives - 2nd

Slamming, kicking, pasting, tanning, beautifying, punching you in the gut. No songs over 3 minutes, short-terse-dancy songs that fucking bang due to sheer bedroom anthemic production. So wry and glib but intelligent and sensitive and adorable.

2. Faye Webster - Atlanta Millionnaires Club

Best ever breakup album of the year! Of all time. Lovely, lovely, lovely vocals.

3. Sharon Van Etten - Remind me Tomorrow

So sweet and intelligent, each song a captivating masterpiece. I love her voice, which has a sadness and depth to it but her lyrics make you stop what you’re doing and pay attention. Stunning album.

4. Cate le Bon - Reward

Genius lyricist possibly in the way of Joni Mitchell’s wit, beauty and sarcasm!! I love her voice and her guitars.

5. Julia Jacklin - Crushing

Each song is like a novel, increasingly revelatory and suspense-filled, but also lovely vocally and totally immersive.

6. Purple Mountains - Purple Mountains

This is the hardest review of the year to write and still i am wavering.

7. Big Thief - U.F.O.F

8. Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising

Another Joni-alike in the way of Cate le Bon, but also, adding this unique, acerbic analysis on subjects like ageing, improving yourself, gaining knowledge - subjects that interest me.

9. Sneaks - Highway Hypnosis

Such good rave music, but with wit and intelligence in the lyrics. Metallic and cool synth sounds with great warmth to her post-punk-spoken word-soul-disco-r&b vocals similar to ESG. Gutted I missed her play Glasgow last Feb due to working night shift.

10. Sault - 5

Such a mystery to me how we don’t know the band members and the anonymity is so intriguing because this music is magnificent California soul, hip hop infused and beautiful vocals all mixed together. Listenable yet intricate multi-instrumentalist tracks straight out of a 70s or future-film, can I place it? No, I guess this is postmodernism and we haven’t quite hit peak saturation as I am finding such beauty in all this new music.

11. Maria Somerville - All My People

Sparse and dense, dark and light, such space on the vocals. Morbid and quiet yet warm and life-affirming. I love this new female soundscape stuff!! Power artists right now - Maria Somerville and Carla dal Forno, also Grouper as always - since 2006 who evolves completely with these new sounds.

12.

13. Ada Lea - what we say in private

Really enjoy listening to all these sassy and beautiful indie songs on this album

14. Carla dal Forno - Look Up Sharp

15. Prefab Sprout - I trawl the Megahertz

16. Aldous Harding - Designer

17. Sandy Alex G - House of Sugar

Gorgeous vocals and lyricism. I can’t stop thinking how there is some Elliott Smith intelligence and beauty in the vocals and similar depth and clarity but honestly how can anyone compare favourably with Elliott Smith?

18. Sasami - Sasami

19. Big Thief - Two Hands

Earnest, reflective, filled with narrative and observation I like.

20. American Football - American Football

Classy, delicate, self-aware. Female vocal tracks (Hayleigh Williams, Rachel Goswell and Elizabeth Powell!!!!!) are exquisite.

21. Eartheater - Trinity

Where do I start? Vocally sublime - some of the best vox I’ve heard in my life. Coupled with orchestral, trip-hop and synth sampling that add this lightness and buzzing music Lyrically - empowered and intelligent but also some grunge and cool sounding hooks. Could be cold and disorienting but it really works due to the strength of the vocals and lyrics.

22. Equip - Cursebreaker X

So trippy and East/West and future/past sounds merging, being broke apart, sewn together and played all at once. This is post-modernist, meta and self-aware. This is what I imagine people listen to in Blade Runner, or insert future society here, want to say utopian though, because people will be loving all the vaporwave.

23. Jessica Pratt - Quiet Songs

24.

25. Surfing - Emotion

26. Anemone - Beat my Distance

27. Lana del Ray - Norman Fucking Rockwell

Should be a lot higher up but honesty I’ve been playing it to death my interest might be waning. Venice Bitch was one of my favourite songs last year, so that’s how long some of the tracks have been embedding themselves.

Oh Lana, there is so much to like. Hyper-femininity, low and high notes, the old Hollywood feel to the lyrics on loving passionately and being adored, desire, jealousy etc.

28. Teen Body - Dreamo

Shout out to Negative Gemini’s brother being in this band. I like the shoe gaze guitars and drums, male/female vocal interplay (swwooooon, this is a winning combination seen in MBV, Slowdive and Jorge Elbrecht tracks I like so much). Nice lyrics, they’ve done a neat job on being intellectually interesting, but also narratively alluring, hedonistic and simplistic. (I like simplicity sometimes).

29.

30. Clairo - Infinity

31. Catnapp - Break

32. Better Oblivion Community Centre - Better Oblivion Community Centre

33. Men I trust- Oncle Jazz

Combines vapor wavy 80s sax future trippy experimental synths with beautiful catchy, lusty vocals in a completely fresh way that intrigues me.

34. Caterina Barbieri - Ecstatic Computation

35. Erika de Casier - Essentials

Bass bass bass. Yes. But then vocal perfection and introspection. I am loving feminist narratives that are so well-produced and going to influence a whole generation of women in the way TLC and Destiny’s Child did - because ultimately they make great songs that appreciate kissing while asserting the right to a respectful relationship and are completely danceable and dark and light all at the same time.

Oh lord, this description is garbled but I feel like a lot of feminists will know what I am talking about - it’s like yes looking good, feeling desire and being desired is extremely pleasant but so is being respected and valued and the two are not mutually exclusive and we should be demanding better lives for our women rather than hanging in the shadows while men take up all the space (!!!)

36. Bill Callahan - Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest

37. Ariana Grande - thank u, next

I really liked this album due to various tracks with ace production sounding like shoegaze combined with pop and r&b and some excellent samples from 60s gal groups and soul musicians. Ariana’s vocals are lovely and lift the tracks into absolutely ballin’ and relevant tracks.

38. Jenny Hval - The Practice of Love

39. Kedr Livanskiy - Your Need

40. Stef Chura - Midnight

41. Richard Dawson 20:20

42. Hand Habits - Placeholder

43. Lightning Bug - October Song

44. Heaven - Truth or Dare

45 Barrie - Happy to be Here

46. Bedouine - Bird Songs of a Killjoy

47. Unloved - Heartbreak Instrumentals

48. Meitei - Komachi

49. EDDYEVVY - EDDYEVVY

Bring back the grunge!! Lovely vocals, sludgy guitars, nice lyrics. Lets all avoid eye contact at once, stare at the floor, dance from side to side and appreciate the beautiful vocals.

50 Angel Olsen - All Mirrors

Her voice, her lyrics. Would be a lot higher up, but it’s just not clicking yet.

Lark is the standout track, her voice so quivery and clear and certain all the time. It depicts a sad song, “when we thought what we had was such a good thing”. How her voice soars out so high. I don't think anyone at the moment (maybe Lana if reaching) can do a high note as certain, uncertain and emotionally charged as Angel.

Jesca Hoop - Stonechild

Kornel Kovacs

Mega Bog - Dolphine

Hatchie - Keepsake

Nilufer Tanya - In Your Head

Cucina Povera - Zoom

Anderson. Paak - Ventura

Sarah Davachi - Pale Bloom

Anadol - Uzun Havalar

Lomelda - M for Empathy

Kelsey Lu - Blood

Felix Lee - Inna Daze

To be released

Danny Brown

Sleater Kinney

Beck

This is an abundant, exciting era we are living in where female talent (which has always existed) is being increasingly represented and appreciated.

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lanadelreyfiles-blog · 7 years ago

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Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: A Conversation With Lana Del Rey. On the eve of her fourth album, the pagan pop star sounds more content than ever. How did she get there? Interview by Alex Frank for Pitchfork. Famous artists are notoriously late, but when I arrive about 20 minutes early for an interview at Lana Del Rey’s Santa Monica studio, she is ready for me, offering a handshake and a smile. It is the week before her new album, ‘Lust For Life’, will be released, but she seems unhurried and relaxed; when I ask if she’s been busy in the leadup to such a big day, she says “no” with a laugh, as if she knows she probably should be. She is not dressed like the glammed-up mystic you see in music videos and photographs: her hair, long and brown, is tied functionally behind her neck, and she is in a white T-shirt and blue jeans, with cream canvas sneakers and white ankle socks on her feet. Right away, she invites me through a side door into the inner sanctum where her brooding songs are created. For Lana acolytes, this is a mythic place. She has recorded here since 2012’s ‘Born To Die’, her major label debut. It is a beautiful room filled with sun coming in from a skylight and two windows, the opposite of the average dank music studio. It looks a bit like how you’d expect Lana Del Rey’s workplace to look: vaguely and warmly retro, with dark wood cabinets and a mid-century-looking painting with interlacing geometric shapes hanging on the back wall. In the center of the room is a scratched-up leather club chair with a Tammy Wynette album cover facing it. (“I always have Tammy there,” she says of the country singer best known for her ode to everlasting devotion, “Stand by Your Man.”) This chair, and not the actual booth in the front of the room, is where Lana sits to record her vocals. “I get red light fever in the booth,” she says. She likes that the studio is by the beach, where she’ll sometimes go to listen to mixes of songs on her iPhone. The studio is owned and operated by Rick Nowels, her longtime producer. He has come down today to listen to the album with us, a pair of sunglasses firmly on his face. Nowels has more than 20 years on Lana, who is 32, and he inhabits something of an uncle role, making the songwriter a bit bashful when he sweetly refers to a ballad called “When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing” as a “masterpiece” for its lyrical message about the importance of finding ways to have fun, even in the Trump era. Gearing up to record what would become ‘Born To Die’, Lana had met with a number of producers who all tried to tell her what she should or should not sound like, with some encouraging her to ditch the breathy vocal style that would become her signature. When she finally met Nowels, he didn’t want to change a thing. “I went through a hundred and eleven producers just to find someone who says ‘yes’ all the time,” she says. “Everyone is so obsessed with saying ‘no’—they break you down to build you up.” Lana is a studio junkie—’Lust For Life’ is her fourth album in about five years. She says a day that she works is better than a day that she doesn’t. Nowels tells me that even though the new album isn’t out yet, she’s already making new music. “If I get a great melody in my head, I know it’s a gift,” she says. As we sit down to listen to ‘Lust For Life’, she is clearly at home: Like a good host, she offers me her comfy leather singing chair and instead curls up on a blue velvet couch nearby. She has a familial rapport with not just Nowels, but engineers Dean Reid and Kieron Menzies, who she credits again and again for making her work better, and the four of them ruminate on mastering, making jokes about Lana’s perfectionism when it comes to the final cuts of her songs. The album, like all of her work, is fastidiously and emphatically Lana in its sound and atmosphere: a haze of lazy pacing and flowery melodies, conjuring a foreboding backdrop for lyrics about summer and antique celebrity icons and dangerous, dissatisfying relationships. Front and center in the mix is her voice, which has a crooner’s tone and an especially wide range, from deep and low to high and sharp. Most pop stars rely on reinvention to retain relevance, but her output is remarkably consistent. She says her main criteria is whether or not a song sounds like it will transport listeners to somewhere else in their minds. On each album, the skeleton remains more or less the same while she infuses her work with stylistic elements from different genres, from rap to rock to jazz. ‘Lust For Life’ draws from folk and hip-hop, two genres that she says she loves because they both privilege real storytelling. The new record is a departure in key ways, though. In the past, Lana has become famous for themes that are, at times, hopeless: toxic romance, violence, drug use, despair, aging, death. This isn’t to say every song she has ever recorded is a downer, or that she hasn’t displayed a knowing sense of humor about her reputation. But her relentless obsession with the dark arts is a reason why her fans love her with an almost religious fervor; she’s had issues with people breaking into her house. “They want to talk,” she says chillingly. Her menacing themes have also led to resistance at certain moments from larger audiences who, perhaps trained to think of pop music as a tool of empowerment and empathy, just can’t face her nihilism. While ‘Lust For Life’ certainly has its share of grim moments, it is not as much of an avalanche of gloom, and perhaps offers signposts to a happier future. At times, Lana even approaches uncomplicated joy, like on first single ‘Love.’ The album also contains some of her first songs that deal with a universe larger than the tangled intensity of one-on-one relationships—there are tracks intended to be balms and battle cries for trying times, which, like many Americans, she found herself fretting over constantly during the 2016 election campaign. And for the first time on any Lana album, she’s also opening the door to a number of guest vocalists: A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti, the Weeknd, Stevie Nicks, and Sean Ono Lennon on a Beatles-referencing song called ‘Tomorrow Never Came.’ “I FaceTimed with Yoko, and she said it was her most favorite thing Sean’s ever done,” Lana says.

After listening to the album, Lana and I peel off to a small office on the other side of the studio for our interview. Before we begin, she pulls out her iPhone to record the conversation along with me, a defensive move she’s taken up after years of feeling manipulated and harangued by the media. When answering questions, she is at turns thoughtful and strident, seriously considering topics like her attempts at a brighter life and how Trump has affected her love of Americana, and also entirely unafraid to bat away questions she finds boring or irrelevant. At one point, she laughs so hard at a silly sidebar in our conversation that she has a coughing fit and has to take a break. She says she binge watches ‘The Bachelor,’ and that while all of her friends now call her Lana—not Elizabeth Grant, her birth name—her parents are the two people who do not. She is wry about the new song ‘Groupie Love,’ in which she writes herself not as the star but in the role of a worshipful devotee: “Old habits die hard—I still love a rock star.” When I ask her if she is bothered by TMZ dating rumors, which have recently speculated about her relationship with rapper G-Eazy, she gives an unexpectedly goading answer: “They’re usually true. Maybe where there’s smoke there’s fire.” Which is to say: She’s kinda regular, not the hardened artist we’ve heard in her songs, but someone, it would seem, who likes to hang out and chat about life and music. Talking about good times brings up memories of rough ones, and when the conversation veers towards rocky terrain, she reveals an artist-and a person-at a pivotal moment. — A few years ago you were singing lyrics like “I have nothing much to live for,” and now you’re smiling on the cover of ‘Lust For Life.’ How’d you get to a happier place? Lana Del Rey: I made personal commitments. — Commitments to what? LDR: Well, they’re personal. [laughs] I had some people in my life that made me a worse person. I was not sure if I could step out of that box of familiarity, which was having a lot of people around me who had a lot of problems and feeling like that was home base. Because it’s all I know. I spent my whole life reasoning with crazy people. I felt like everyone deserved a chance, but they don’t. Sometimes you just have to step away without saying anything. — Your past albums often presented a claustrophobic universe made up of just you and one other person, but all of a sudden it’s like you’ve got your eyes wide open and you’re looking at the world around you. Developmentally, I was in the same place for a very long time, and then it just took me longer than most people to be able to be more out there. Being more naturally shy, it’s taken stretching on my part to just continue to integrate into the local community, global community, to grow as a person. Also, getting really famous doesn’t help you grow with the community. It’s important to have your own life. It’s hard with how accessible things are. Hacking? E-mail is just a no for me. I do a lot to make sure I don’t feel trapped. — Your fans are famously obsessive. Do they ever cross the line? They fucking have. Someone stole both my cars. All the scary shit. I’ve had people in my house for sure, and I didn’t know they were there while I was there. I fucking called the police. I locked the door. Obviously, that’s the one in one-hundred-thousand people who’s crazy. But I [had a hard time sleeping] for a minute. — Fame can be isolating, but you are making a real effort to not let it be. It’s going to be isolating. Period. Unless you stretch past it. But it takes so much footwork. Getting over the uncomfortability of being the one person in the room who everyone recognizes. The last few years, I’m out all the time: clubs, bars, shows. For years I was more quietly in the mix, always through the back door, do not tell anyone I’m coming. And now I’ve relaxed into it where I’ll just show up. I don’t need a special ticket. I’ll just go sit wherever. It feels a little more like I’m myself again. — If you’re happier these days, what do you think when you hear an old lyric from an old record, like, “He hit me and it felt like a kiss,” from ‘Ultraviolence’? I don’t like it. I don’t. I don’t sing it. I sing ‘Ultraviolence’ but I don’t sing that line anymore. Having someone be aggressive in a relationship was the only relationship I knew. I’m not going to say that that [lyric] was 100 percent true, but I do feel comfortable saying what I was used to was a difficult, tumultuous relationship, and it wasn’t because of me. It didn’t come from my end. — Now you want to present a different face to the world on ‘Lust For Life’? No. I don’t care. I would just say I am different. And even being a little bit different makes me not want to sing that line. To me, it just was what it was. I deal with what’s in my lyric—you’re not dealing with it. I was annoyed when people would ask me about that lyric. Like, who are you? — Do you think you romanticize danger in your music? No. I don’t like it. It’s just the only thing [I’ve known]. So I’m trying to do a new thing. I never wrote better when I had a lot of turmoil going on. ‘Born To Die’ was already done before any of the shit hit the fan. When things are good, the music is better. I’m trying to change from the way I thought things were gonna be to what I feel like they could be, which is maybe just brighter. — But, even with some new perspectives, ‘Lust For Life’ is still very melancholy at moments. If you make sad music, which you’ve done for so long, does it necessarily mean you’re sad? Yeah. I think for most people, regardless of what they say, it’s probably a direct reflection of their inner world. With my first record, I didn’t feel upset. I felt very excited, and then I felt a little more confused. — After the release of ‘Born To Die,’ you faced a lot of criticism, partly around the issue of whether you were or were not authentic. Do you think of yourself as authentic? Of course. I’m always being myself. They don’t know what authentic is. If you think of all the music that came out until 2013, it was super straight and shiny. If that’s authentic to you, this is going to look like the opposite. I think that shit is stylized. Just because I do my hair big does not mean I’m a product. If anything, I’m doing my own hair, stuffing my own fucking stuffing in there if I have a beehive. Music was in a super weird place when I became known, and I didn’t really like any of it. — Did you ever feel like the criticism had a misogynistic bent? No. Women hated me. I know why. It’s because there were things I was saying that either they just couldn’t connect to or were maybe worried that, if they were in the same situation, it would put them in a vulnerable place. — You weren’t singing empowering things. No, I wasn’t. That wasn’t my angle. I didn’t really have an angle—that’s the thing. — Have you noticed that all songs on the radio are bummers now? That Lil Uzi Vert lyric—“All my friends are dead”—sounds almost like a Lana lyric. There’s been a major sonic shift culturally. I think I had a lot to do with that. I do. I hear a lot of music that sounds like those early records. It would be weird to say that it didn’t. I remember seven years ago I was trying to get a record deal, and people were like, “Are you kidding? These tunes? There’s zero market for this.” There was just such a long time where people had to fit into that pop box. — With all the flak you’ve received over the years, particularly after ‘Born To Die,’ some people would have thrown in the towel. But you doubled down and made an even more fucked up, almost hyper-Lana record with ‘Ultraviolence.’ I so double downed. [The early criticism] made me question myself- I didn’t know if it was always going to be that way. You can’t put out records if 90 percent of the reviews in places like the Times are going to be negative. That would be crazy. It would have made sense to step all the way back, but I was like, Let me put out three more records and see if I can just stand in the eye of the storm. Not shift too much. Let me just take some of the [production] off so you can hear things a little bit better; I thought people were maybe getting distracted. I did the same thing with ‘Honeymoon.’ Everyone around here heard it and was like, “It’s a cool record, but you know it’s not going to be on the radio, right?” And I was like, “Yeah. I told [record executive] Jimmy [Iovine] when I signed, ‘If you want to sign me, this is all it’s ever going to be.’” I was just so committed to making music because I believe in what I do. All I had to do was not quit. — So that ‘Ultraviolence’ woman who is so swept up in turmoil- is she still there on ‘Lust For Life’? We’ll see. That’s been my experience up until now, but, like, I’m trying. — Some of the sparer, really heartfelt songs on ‘Lust For Life’ reminded me of the ‘Ultraviolence’ song ‘Black Beauty.’ That’s a sad song. In that song—[sings] I keep my lips red like cherries in the spring/Darling, you can’t let everything seem so dark blue—that’s a girl who is still seeing the blue sky and a putting on a pop of color just for herself. But this [other] person—it was all black for them. And my world became inky with those overtones. [At this, Lana begins to cry, and we pause for a moment.] — What made you cry just now? In that moment, when I said “pop of color,” I was connected to that feeling of only being able to see a portion of the world in color. And when you feel that way, you can feel trapped. — Are you seeing the world in color now? [sighs] I don’t really know how to describe my perspective at the moment. — But you’re trying, and that’s what ‘Lust For Life’ is about? It’s not. I don’t know what it’s about. I don’t know what it is. — Is the album a way of saying that you at least want to be happy? No. It’s just that something is happening. — What makes you happy? I’m really simple. I love nature. I like hikes. Being by the water- I don’t always get in. I love the elements. Playing an outdoor festival. Love that feeling. — What bums you out? Feeling like going backwards. — Is there a storyline to the album? Yeah. — What’s the story? You have to figure it out. — Just a few years ago you were saying you didn’t care about feminism, and now you are writing protest songs and meditations on war and peace. Because things have shifted culturally. It’s more appropriate now than under the Obama administration, where at least everyone I knew felt safe. It was a good time. We were on the up-and-up. Women started to feel less safe under this administration instantly. What if they take away Planned Parenthood? What if we can’t get birth control? Now, when people ask me those questions, I feel a little differently. The reason why I asked Stevie Nicks to be on the record is because she changes when her environment changes, and I’m like that as well. In ‘When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing,’ I wrote, “Boys, don’t make too much noise/Don’t try to be funny/Other people may not be understanding.” Like, Can you tone down your over-boisterous rhetoric that isn’t working? ‘God Bless America - And All the Beautiful Women in It’ is a little shoutout to the women and anyone else who doesn’t always feel safe walking down the street late at night. That’s what I was thinking of when I wrote, “Even when I’m alone I’m not lonely/I feel your arms around me.” It’s not always how I feel when I’m walking down the street, but sometimes in my music I try to write about a place that I’m going to get to. — Do you feel unsafe? I feel less safe than I did when Obama was president. When you have a leader at the top of the pyramid who is casually being loud and funny about things like that, it’s brought up character defects in people who already have the propensity to be violent towards women. I saw it right away in L.A. Walking down the street, people would just say things to you that I had never heard. When people asked me the feminist question before, I was like, “I’m not really experiencing personal discrimination as a woman. I feel like I’m doing well. I headline shows just like the Weeknd does. I got tons of women in my life, love women, support women.” I just felt like, Why don’t we talk about the music first? I can tell you that what I have done for women is tell my own story, and that’s all anyone can do. — Is it harder to be romantic about America when Trump is the nation’s biggest celebrity? It’s certainly uncomfortable. I definitely changed my visuals on my tour videos. I’m not going to have the American flag waving while I’m singing ‘Born To Die.’ It’s not going to happen. I’d rather have static. It’s a transitional period, and I’m super aware of that. I think it would be inappropriate to be in France with an American flag. It would feel weird to me now- it didn’t feel weird in 2013. All the guys in the studio—we didn’t know we were going to start walking in every day and talking about what was going on. We hadn’t ever done that before, but everyday during the election, you’d wake up and some new horrible thing was happening. Korea, with missiles suddenly being pointed at the western coast. With ‘When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing,’ I was posing a real question to myself: Could this be the end of an era? The fall of Rome? — Nostalgia can be really corny when it’s not done well, and you’re all about nostalgia. How do you try to get it right? I know I walk the line sometimes. [laughs] I saw comments that people said about my little ‘Coachella - Woodstock in my Mind’ song. I write that title and I’m like, OK, I know I went there. But I think it’s amazing. It’s on the nose. It’s so on the nose. But sometimes things just are what they are. I’m at Coachella for three days, and North Korea is pointing a missile at us, and I’m watching Father John Misty with my best friend, who’s his wife—that’s all I’m literally saying. It’s just like, Yeah, I’m a hipster. I know it. Got it. — You mentioned working with Stevie Nicks on this album, what was it like recording with her? She came in straight off a plane from her last show of like 60 cities, which I was actually supposed to open for. She had asked me, and I was like, “Oh my god.” But I couldn’t because I don’t want to do a 60-show tour. She flew through the door. Blond highlights, rose gold glasses, gold-tipped nails, rose gold lipstick, gold chains, gold rings, black on black on black. Very stylish. And meanwhile, I looked like a housewife of 15—flannel on flannel, because it was a cold night. And I was like, Why did I not dress up for Stevie Nicks? At the end of the track, she sings, then I sing, then she sings. I was kinda embarrassed. I was like, “I sound so little compared to you.” And she was like, “That’s good, you’re my little echo.” And I was like, Stevie called me her little echo. It’s a stupid little thing, but she was very nurturing in that way, and not belittling of the fact that I had a more breathy voice. Which I wasn’t even aware of until I was shoulder-to-shoulder on a track with someone with less air in their voice. I felt a little more exposed in that moment. But she was like, “That’s you. You just be you.” — Speaking of musical icons, can you tell me about performing at Kim and Kanye’s wedding party? It was a surprise for Kim. I hadn’t met her. I sang ‘Young And Beautiful,’ ‘Summertime Sadness,’ ‘Blue Jeans.’ Kanye requested ‘Young And Beautiful.’ The girls—the Kardashians—were so nice. There was only one front row, just them, right there. They were living for it. They started playing Kanye and Jay-Z records for the rest of the thing and it rained and everyone was just up dancing in the rain. I stayed for like 40 minutes and then I left. — People have made a big deal about that necklace you are selling that seems to have a coke spoon. Is it a coke spoon? Yeah. It’s funny. I have a flask and a lighter as well. I don’t do coke. — You’ve said in the past that you weren’t drinking either, and yet it turns up in your music. Do you drink now? No comment. — You sing about drugs and alcohol a lot. Not on this record. I well used to do a lot of drugs, but I actively don’t now. — What kind of drugs did you do? No comment. [laughs] But I think the coke spoon is kinda funny. I’m just like, Whatever. I don’t think it’s going to make anyone do coke. — Are you conscious of when you walk right up to a taboo in your work? Not really. That’s the one thing I don’t have my finger on. I am there, but there are times I don’t really know it. There’s certain stuff that I think is kinda dope that I know other people might be like, Okayyyyy. — Like singing about death? That’s real life though. Super real life. — You got a lot of shit for saying “I wish I was dead” to a journalist a few years ago. Fuck that guy, though. I didn’t think he would print it and make it the headline. I was having a really tough time. I had been on the road for a year. I was really struggling. I was just stupid, I was like, “I fucking want to die.” Maybe I meant it. I don’t really know. — Which of your albums is the most autobiographical? All of them. The last record- I listen to a song like ‘Terrence Loves You,’ and I just really feel for myself at the time. The person I’m singing about—[sings] You are what you are/I don’t matter to anyone—did I really just say I don’t matter to anyone? That’s fucking crazy. — Did you feel that way? I guess so. I sang it. — What makes you feel proud? My records. I love my records. I love them. I’m proud of the way I’ve put parts of my story into songs in ways that only I understand. In terms of my gauge of what’s good, it’s really just what I think. I have an internal framework that is the only thing I measure it by. My own opinion is really important to me. It starts and stops there.

#Lana Del Rey #Pitchfork #Alex Frank #Interview #Lust For Life #2017 #July 2017

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jlf23tumble · 7 years ago

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@horsegirlharry tagged me for 10 songs, and even though I just did one of these, fuck it, I’ll do it again!! I lurvvvvvvve doing this kind of shit, especially when I’m supposed to be solving a complicated problem I don’t want to deal with even a little bit. No real theme or order to these, just the pure randomness of my whimsies.

1. (We’re Not) the Jet Set, George Jones and Tammy Wynette. All the Nashville vibes from the past few days have me digging deep into the music I grew up on, thanks to my mom’s influence (and holy shit, do I have a deep, arcane knowledge of 70s-era country). Plus, you can’t beat a line like, “Our steak and martinis/is draft beer with wienies”).

2. Feel It Still, Portugal the Man. GOD, this song lodges in my brain so goddamned deeply, and even just typing out “I’m a rebel just for kicks, now, I been feeling it since 1966, now,” translates into me humming this for at least two hours.

3. Love So Soft, Kelly Clarkson. My first thoughts when I heard this were literally, “Who the fuck is this? Related: I’m betting Taylor Swift WISHES she had that chorus.” They’re mighty similar, is what I’m saying.

4. Redbone, Childish Gambino. Here purely for the retro Prince-hitting-the-high-notes-in-Kiss vibes. I couldn’t even tell you the lyrics, I’m that gone for the voice/music, and it’s been out for almost a year.

5. Beetlebum vs. Girls and Boys, Blur. So many GREAT conversations with @justlarried last week, but one of my favorites was, “Which songs from the ‘90s should Louis cover?” She had some killer Oasis suggestions, but Blur might be an even better fit (looking at you, Girls and Boys and your whole “chavs on holiday” video + lyrics about boys doing girls like they’re boys, etc.). I could make a whole separate list, actually, for Louis. Hmmmmm....next challenge!

6. Violet, Hole. Speaking of the ‘90s, I was in some random coffee place last week that featured a rather aggressive ‘90s mix that was heavy on the Spice Girls (natch), but this song blasted through, and it reminded me of what an underrated standout it is. Most ‘90s music sounds incredibly dated, but not this one. The energy! I just wanna punch someone (in a cool way).

7. Knock 'em Out, Lily Allen. LDN was the song that got me into her first album, but this song kept me there for, like, months. The lyrics! You can’t top, "Yeah, yeah, actually, I'm pregnant, I'm having a baby in, like, six months, so no, yeah,” as a way to get some dude to stop talking to you.

8. Un Poison Violent, C’est Ca l’Amour, Serge G and Jean Claude Brialy. Just a couple of French guys, hangin' out in the '60s, smoking and sing-talking about sexy goings on (I guess???), as you do. There’s something weirdly dated and retro that I fucking LOVE about this song and video. Serge is a major asshole, but damn, he had some supremely catchy shit back in the day. How is this even a song?? Maybe it’s a movie? The video confuses me.

9. Dusk Till Dawn, ZAYN and SIA. As much as I can stare at Zayn all day long, this video gives me major Colin Farrell vibes, so I prefer to listen to it while I drive around and think about what a beautiful man he (Zayn) truly is. This song is so gorgeous, and it haunts me in the best possible way. I cannot WAIT for this album, even though the editor in my still hates that extra L in “Till,” le sigh.

10. Hold on, We’re Going Home, Arctic Monkeys. Really, it’s a Drake song, but they made it their own, and the video features the dorkiest dad dancing you will EVER see. My favorite YouTube comment is, “The camera person: THOSE SHOES > anything else going on here” because YES, if you like Alex Turner’s shoe choices, this is the vid for you. Real talk, tho, I want a whole album of Harry covers and a whole album of AM covers. It’s not too much to ask, really.

I’m only going to tag one (1) person here: @justlarried. COME ON!!!

#music list

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whatthekpopofficial · 7 years ago

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10 Of The Most Underrated Sub-Units In Kpop

South Korean music and entertainment is extremely vast and continuously growing! Every year there are new groups, solo artists, duos, projects, and collaborations. However, some people tend to forget about one particular method of continuing music trends: sub-units! Bands, especially those with many members, group a portion of the members together for a separate project. Whether it's due to some of the original band members not being active, wanting to gain more interest in the group as a whole, or simply wanting to try a new style outside of their band's "norm," these sub-units have proven incredibly popular in the past and present. Newer fans would likely recognize popular sub-units such as EXO-CBX, GD and Taeyang, Taetiseo, and Block B Bastarz. However, some sub-units in the past and present haven't seen quite as much recognition as others. Let's check out 10 Kpop groups and some of their best sub-units many fans may not be familiar with! *I'll be focusing on sub-units made directly from an original band who went on to officially debut and promote. This does not include projects that mix people from more than one group (e.g. Troublemaker: Hyunseung and Hyuna, YTeen: Monsta X and WJSN), units that are part of a larger whole (e.g. NCT Dream and NCT127), collaborations, or temporary projects for concerts. I've also left out projects that were made prior to the current group (e.g. JJ Project of GOT7 and Bang and Zelo of B.A.P).

1- After School Blue and Red

As a girl group with an average of nine members at a time, it only makes sense there would be smaller sub-units to promote a somewhat different style. Orange Caramel was incredibly popular to the point where many people didn't realize it was a sub-unit of the larger band, After School. Due to this, not many are familiar with the sub-units AS Blue (consisting of members Jooyeon, Raina, Lizzy, and E-Young) and AS Red (consisting of members Kahi, Jungah, Uee and Nana). The two sub-units' members were split up and decided by online votes from fans. They debuted within a week of each other and "battled" using two vastly different concepts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huRLvcrEfBQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TybPXqzQ50

2- Super Junior T, H, D&E, and K.R.Y

Super Junior M, the sub-group of Super Junior that promotes in Mandarin Chinese, is arguably the most popular and well-known sub-group of the band. However, there were four (yes, four!) more subgroups that emerged from Super Junior throughout the past years. K.R.Y is a ballad group consisting of main singers Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and Yesung. Super Junior T is based around an older Korean music style called Trot and consists of members Leeteuk, Kangin, Heechul, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, and Shindong. Super Junior H, otherwise known as Super Junior Happy, brightened the Kpop scene with hilarious and adorable antics and music. The line-up was made up of Leeteuk, Yesung, Kangin, Shindong, Sungmin, and Eunhyuk. Of course, I can't forget the talented dancer-duo, Eunhyuk and Donghae, who make up Super Junior D&E. The duo promotes actively in both Korea and Japan, even holding their own Japanese tour. Super Junior M, K.R.Y, and D&E are still active to this day. In addition, Super Junior T recorded a new song for Super Junior's last album, Magic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCK5FX0Y-7A

3- T-ara N4

T-ara N4 is the only sub-unit of the band T-ara that consists of members Eunjung, Hyomin, and Jieun. With the original member Areum as well, they debuted the sub-unit in April of 2013 with the song "Jeon Won Diary." The song was an incredible hit for the time and holds over 10 million views as of this year! The song is about getting away from the haters and harsh reality of every day life by going to relax in the countryside. It features former SPEED member and label-mate at the time, Taewoon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74_3c_5SVBM

4- ZE:A Five, 4U, and J

ZE:A (제국의 아이들), despite not releasing any albums since 2015, went through a stage of incredible popularity years ago. Sadly, none of the ZE:A sub-units have gathered much exposure over the years. Each sub-unit is actually more of a recent endeavor (in comparison to full band comebacks) in attempts to re-kindle interest among fans. ZE:A FIVE is made up of members Siwan, Hyungsik, Kevin, Minwoo & Dongjun. Their song "The Day Before We Broke Up" garnered a decent amount of attention and now boasts almost 2 million views. ZE:A 4U was a sub-unit made to promote in Japan and was made up of the remaining four members of the group, Kwanghee, Lee Hoo, Taeheon & Heechul. ZE:A J was another sub-unit made to promote in Japan with a slightly different member set up from 4U and FIVE and included members Kevin, Taeheon, Heechul, Minwoo & Dongjun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M1beIdYUl0

5- uBEAT

U-KISS was one of the most well-known bands internationally in the previous era of Kpop. Having debuted back in 2008, they've gained lots of experience through member solo projects, touring in multiple countries, trying various concepts, and leading through variety shows. However, they had only one sub-unit, uBEAT. The name is a play on words for the band name "U-KISS" and hip-hop "beats" since it is the endeavor of the two rappers at the time, Eli and AJ. They debuted with the song "Should Have Treated You Better" in April of 2013. Fellow member Kevin featured in the song for them as a singer. U-KISS has gone through many changes over recent years, including AJ going on hiatus to pursue school and then later leaving the group, Dongho and Eli being some of the first idols to openly get married and have children, and the very recent departure of Kevin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF1d4X5L-ms

6- 2YOON

4Minute is one of those timeless groups who never disappointed with comebacks. Back in 2013, vocalists Gayoon and Jiyoon created a duo. It was properly titled 2YOON, which combined the syllable they have in common in their names. What set them apart from others was certainly their debut song concept. Who knew Kpop could go country? With that banjo twang in the intro and a catchy beat that'll make ya' want to tap your shoes, "24/7" is that kind of song that easily gets stuck in your head. Members of BtoB featured in the music video, dancing and dressing in the western, cowboy style like Gayoon and Jiyoon. Sadly, the sub-unit never had a comeback before the group's disbandment in 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQwhjXE27XI

7- HIGH420

High4 debuted back in 2014 with a sweet, spring like concept. However, their first sub-unit, HIGH420, emerged in 2016. Having only four members in the band, the reason for creating a sub-unit had nothing to do with multiple people. Instead, it was the two rappers Youngjun and Alex who broke off to make their own rap-themed music that was far from the main group's original style. The duo insisted the name was a combination of HIGH4 and their favorite age, 20. However, most fans realized it was a play on words for the term "420," a slang phrase that has to do with marijuana use. The song they debuted with was called "HookGA," and the lyrics boasted about themselves and talked about partying the night away. It featured MAMAMOO's Hwasa who gives her own impressive, unique rap in the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpkCrMli-Pg

8- 100% V

Rockhyun, Jonghwan, Hyukjin, and Chanyong were the four members of Top Media's 100% who make up the sub-unit, 100% V. The original group debuted in 2012 – a busy year for K-pop debuts! Merely ten months later, it was announced that they would be creating a sub-unit with a style closer to that of ballads and OSTs. The beautiful song "Missing You" was paired with a drama-like music video and many fans were excited to see a different side of the group through the new unit. However, the sub-unit has yet to have a comeback due to member changes and decreasing activity/popularity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLqQtJQQlhI

9- Infinite F

Infinite! This seven-member Woollim Entertainment group has upheld a high level of popularity and activity since their debut back in 2010. Like many bands, this group is active in variety, reality, composition, and various music projects. Members Sunggyu and Woohyun have both gone on to have successful solo careers. Not to mention, Woohyun's also had a collaborative duo with SHINee's Key called ToHeart. One of the group's sub-unit Infinite H (Dongwoo and Hoya) has become well-known for their smooth, hip-hop, and R&B style. However, there's one sub-group somewhat less known. The maknaes of the group were the only members who had yet to take on a separate music project within the band. Therefore, Sungyeol, L, and Sungjong banded together to make a trio sub-unit with a bright and refreshing sound. Infinite F debuted with the song "가슴이 뛴다 (Heartbeat)" in November of 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nHMNJczXb0

10- Rainbow Blaxx

Rainbow is a seven-member girl group who debuted back in 2009. Four members of the group were put together to represent a more sexy and mature theme than what Rainbow fans were used to seeing. Rainbow Blaxx consisted of members Jaekyung, Woori, Seungah and Hyunyoung and was named such to represent the darker color not found in the rainbow. Their debut song "Cha Cha" took on a discothèque style and was a huge hit at the time of release. It currently sits at over 9 million views, beating out the record of a few of the original group's videos. The music video was also well-received, as it casually brings up issues with body and beauty expectations for idols. They never had a comeback before the full band finally disbanded due to not renewing contracts in late 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKAi5cWHYDY Sub-units are certainly a great way to spread the music we all know and love even more! Not to mention, it gives companies and idol members chances to expand their horizons and attempt new styles of music. There's plenty of new groups and sub-units every year, and I look forward to experiencing them all! Were there any sub-units on this list that you didn't already know about? Which current bands do you hope will start a sub-unit in the future? Let us know in the comment section below! CaptainMal has been into Korean Entertainment for seven years now, since 2010. She travels to conventions in her area, showcasing her “Kpop Game Show’” and occasional Kpop cosplay. Although her favorite bands are Infinite, Super Junior, and VIXX, she boasts a love for a huge variety of artists throughout the last 15 years of Kpop. Other than Kpop, CaptainMal loves Disney, 80’s rock, Daft Punk, Gaming, and Orange Juice. Media: As credited Click to Post

#100%#4minute #After School #HIGH4 #INFINITE #kpop #Rainbow #sub-group #sub-units #Subgroups #Super Junior #T-ARA #U-KISS #ZE:A

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americanahighways · 6 years ago

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This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Review by Michael Magoolaghan (https://americanahighways.org/author/mack-hooligan/)

Photos by Jimmy Faber Photography (https://www.facebook.com/JimmyFaberPhotography/)

What if I told you I’m in love with a band that was named after its mastermind’s pet snail? And that said band promoted itself for a time by representing its music as having been produced by a snail — and that its label (Yer Bird) was fine with that? And that the band’s website to this day features a page containing nothing but photos of snails?

What if I further told you that the same band decided, after finally agreeing to self- identify as humans, to obscure their identities by adopting the family moniker “Jones” and letting each band member preface his or her common surname (though none are related) with a jokey, old-timey Appalachian name?

Thus we have: Hezekiah Jones (aka, songwriting snail-lover Raphael “Raph” Cutrufello); Pocono Jones (Brad Hinton); Roy G. Biv Jones (Daniel Bower); Kiwi Jones (Kiley Ryan); Tones Jones (Andy Keenan); and Peter L.V. Jones (Alex Luquet).

Welcome to the surreal, humorous, sometimes dark, sometimes darkly humorous and always strangely magical world of Hezekiah Jones, the best and certainly most unique folk / Americana / sui generis band you probably haven’t yet heard of.

Orbiting around the fertile imagination and songwriting talents of Cutrufello, this collective of Philadelphia-area musicians — often featuring Phil D’Agostino in place of Luquet on bass and on this night featuring Keenan, recently returned to Philadelphia from Nashville, on pedal steel and banjo — has been quietly compiling a strong catalog of quirky, mundanely-yet-transcendentally beautiful and always hummable songs since the mid-2000s. A good number of those songs have the morbidly comedic feel of an Edward Gorey illustration; some seem to harken back to a vaguely Civil War-era America that history books could never capture, while others live in a weird, semi sci-fi time & space all their own.

In short, Cutrufello’s aim is off-kilter and intentionally headed off the beaten path — though his songs simultaneously seem hauntingly familiar, like misheard hymns or battle marches. As “Hundred Miles In,” from the band’s most recent, 2015 full-length

album In Loving Memory of oosi Lockjaw (yes, you read that right) puts it: “I know you’re kinda strange / ‘cause you’re not really into the normal stuff / You know you’re kinda weird / when you’re not really into humans that much.” (He prefers snails, obviously.)

If you’re curious about this curious band, …oosi Lockjaw is a decent ledge from which to leap into their eccentric universe. Have You Seen Our New Fort? — a 2011 release that features 14 different players and incorporates such unusual instrumentation (especially for a “folk” album) as glockenspiel, waterboards, sleigh bells, trombones, baritone saxophone and clarinet — is another one.

Though you may not have heard of them, Hezekiah Jones has been a pretty big draw in Philadelphia for a while now, filling places like Johnny Brenda’s, the Ardmore Music Hall, and on this particular evening, the newish venue 118 North in Wayne (on the western side of Philly’s “Main Line”), where Cutrufello hosts a weekly Wednesday night open mic / jam that draws many of the area’s best musicians.

That same venue was packed to the gills with Hezekiah aficionados last Saturday. Darlyngton, the love-child band of Jack Shoudy and Emily MacDonald (who grew up in Wayne) — led off with a set dominated by danceable Grateful Dead jams and lesser known covers, including an interesting rendition of John Prine’s classic “Sam Stone.” A tall redhead with a strong voice and swirling freeform dance moves, MacDonald was the visual focal point, while the rest of the band played their parts more than competently, luring a good portion of the audience onto the dance floor by set’s end.

The Hezekiah Jones sextet then squished onto the smallish stage to play two long sets, performing 25 songs en toto, and re-peforming a snippet of one of those songs (their cover of Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe”) at least eight times, by my count.

To be completely honest, after the third or fourth annoying repetition of that snippet, my reaction was WTF?!?

Cutrufello later reminded me that Februrary 2nd was Groundhog Day, and that that particular snippet — introduced heartily each time with the phrase “Okay campers, rise and shine, and don’t forget your booties, ‘cause it’s COLD OUT THERE!” by drummer Roy G. Biv Hones / Daniel Bower (who also serves as the regular drummer for central Pennsylvania Americana veterans Frog Holler) — plays on the radio as Bill Murray wakes redundantly to his alarm clock in the 1993 comedy of that name.

Now I’m not just annoyed; I’m thoroughly amused.

Cutrufello, you see, is a charmingly wicked, wickedly charming fellow, in his mild- mannered, sweet-natured way. He’s the kind of guy who can annoy you by pulling your leg but then instantly disarm your distemper with a wink and a warm grin (or perhaps a shot of gin). His songs have a similar effect, reeling you in to what feels like a joke that may or may not be on you, but then unreeling them out so that they come to resonate, sometimes immediately, sometimes only in hindsight, like a Zen master’s firm knock on an initiate’s head.

In short, if you’ve never seen Hezekiah Jones live, you’re in for a treat when you do — especially if you like your folk and/or Americana mysterious and a bit offbeat (in a good way). To give you some hint of what you might see and hear, highlights from the Groundhog Day show included:

Cutrufello’s warm vocals on “Spare the Whiskey,” complemented beautifully by violinist Kiley Ryan’s harmonies

Similarly lovely harmonies and guitar accompaniment on “Agnes of the World,” the lead-off song from their debut album, Hezekiah Says You’re A-OK

Keenan’s mournful pedal steel accompanying Cutrufello’s clever lyrics on “Cupcakes for the Army,” featuring such Zen koan-ish lines as “Who needs keys when you got logic? / Who needs logic when you’ve got doubt?” and “No one wins a war anymore with compromise and smiles / Real religion’s in the mind of a child”

The second set’s consecutive sequencing of six of Cutrufello’s best songs, including the 2018 release “If You Harden on the Inside,” which led into a truly astonishing drum solo by Bower. That was followed by the short, cryptic and quickly accelerating “That Panel Where the Soap is at on the Machines” and the crowd-pleasing quartet of “Albert Hash,” “Yeshe and Horus,” the carnivalesque waltz/singalong “Cannonball (I’ve Got a Little Room)” and the Squirrel Nut Zipper- ish “Mind Malaise,” adorned by Hinton’s superb Telecaster soloThe band capped the second set with tasty renditions of a couple of cover tunes: Sparklehorse’s “Knives of Summertime,” on which the Joneses laid out for an extended jam, and the Palace Brothers’ / Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s “I Am a Cinematographer,” featuring tastefully effective fiddle and guitar solos by Ryan and Hinton respectively.Though they’re not touring widely these days (“With kids and mortgages and such, sleeping on floors and making minimal money just don’t make the sense it used to make,” says Cutrufello), Hezekiah Jones does play fairly regularly around Philly, and Cutrufello and the other band members are mainstays at the Robin & Beth Fest each summer. If you’ve never seen them live and are in the area, you owe it to yourself to check them out.

————

More info on the band (plus snail pix!) is available at (http:/www.hezekiahjones.com). The group’s songs are available on Bandcamp (https:// hezekiahjones.bandcamp.com), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/artist/ 20lXQKFXIjJfHdgl7Um0XA), iTunes and most other digital distribution platforms.

Show Review: Hezekiah Jones Unveils Its Charming Cabinet of Snail Curiosities at 118 North @118_North @hezekiah_jones #americanamusic Review by Michael Magoolaghan ( Photos by Jimmy Faber Photography ( What if I told you I’m in love with a band that was named after its mastermind’s pet snail?

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morningmindsetpodcast-blog · 6 years ago

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MM198 - Jack and Diane

Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone. How do we hold on to 16 as long as we can? That, my friends, is the question.

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Episode Transcription

[INTRO]

♫ Trenches by Pop Evil ♫

*Alex*

Welcome to Morning Mindset. A daily dose of practical wit and wisdom with a professional educator & trainer, Amazon best selling author, United States Marine, Television, and Radio host, Paul G. Markel. Each episode will focus on positive and productive ways to strengthen your mindset and help you improve your relationships, career goals, and overall well-being. Please welcome your host; Paul G. Markel.

*Professor Paul* Alright, welcome back to get another Morning Mindset podcast and those of you who take the time to actually read the title of today's show, or these shows before you listen to them, you might be thinking "What is he going to make a musical reference?" Yes, he is going to make a musical reference. When I work out when I go into the gym and I pick up the steel and put it down, rinse, lather, and repeat over and over again. - I like to put my phone I take my phone and I pull up the music app and I search out a station and I plug it into the speakers and I listen while I'm working out and I had it plugged into our turned onto a station. I think it was the Amazon Prime music Queen Radio station. If you know anything about this these quote-unquote stations, you pick an artist and they play that artists and other artists from that time frame and that genre that style of music. So there I am doing the thing the other day in the gym, and the song Jack and Diane from John Cougar Mellencamp when I was first introduced to him. - He was John Cougar and then he decided that he was going to go change his slave name back to his birth name, which was John Mellencamp. I grew up. In the early why I came of age in the late 70s early to mid-80s. I graduated from high school in 1985. So when the American full album from John Mellencamp was released in 1982. That was right there right in my bailiwick right during my era Mighty naira freshman-sophomore year, you know that kind of a thing and. Jack and Diane was a big song was a huge song when I was growing up. - A little ditty about Jack and Diane. now if you're my age, if you are around 50 you remember this probably very fondly you remember that it was top of the charts for a long time, like a year or so and I heard that song, I don't know 500,000 times during my teenage years. But I hadn't heard it for quite a while, in fact, the other day when I heard it in the gym was probably I don't know the first time in 10 years or more since I actually listened to the song, and one of the lyrics you know, or the chorus is life goes on long after the thrill of living is gone, and you say well, you know, you probably heard that if you've heard the song Jack and if you've never heard it, if you're a young crumb-crunching Millennial person, go to YouTube and look it up and watch it and listen to it. - This is life goes on long after the thrill of living is gone and it's just holding onto 16 as long as you can change coming around real soon. Make us women and men. and. What's funny about that is when I heard that song when I first heard it, you know going back to 1982 in 1982. I was 15 years old, so I wasn't yet 16 like he was talking about in the song. but think about when you were 16, think about when you were a teenager think back to that time and how every day was. Exciting the prospect of every single day at least to me. - It was exciting everything you did was of great import what you use me what you wore. You know, what kind of clothes you wore who you talk to what kind of car you had or didn't have everything was of critical importance. Right every day was an adventure it seemed I remember being a teenager and if you couldn't like I had there was a girl that I was very much fond of, and if I couldn't see her for one day, you know for if I had gone two or three days without seeing her it seemed like forever. - Or if I had a family obligation, you know when I was 16, 17, 18-years-old. I don't know in high school that a family obligation on a Friday night and I couldn't go out with my friends. It was just it was like the end of the world. Because when you're young everything is fresh and exciting and new, and then what happens to you when you grow up and in the truth is you need to mature what we can't have an entire Society of 16-year-olds of juveniles because people who are juveniles have no concept of the future. - They have no concept of civic responsibility or Duty because everything is all about what they want and they want it now, which is fine. Because that's the way kids are supposed to be but they're supposed to mature over time. But part of what we lose during the maturation process is we lose that thrill. Long after the thrill of living is gone. How many of you have thought about that over the years? Maybe you haven't maybe the first time you did. Life goes on after the thrill is living is gone, and when you first hear that, you know when I was 15, I thought that's kind of weird because you know. - I couldn't imagine at age 15, the thrill is gone because everything was fresh and new and exciting and you know, the world was open to me nothing but the future, and here we are now, I don't know how old you are if you're listening to me you maybe 20s-30s-40s-50s or Beyond. Maybe you're in your 60s or 70s. I don't know. Is there any been thought my audience in their 70s if so, hey, how you doing? But how do we keep that? How can we keep the thrill of living? - Even though we are way beyond 16 now sit changes have come around real soon and made us women and men now we have responsibilities and we have mortgages and we have families that need to be taken care of and we have careers and we have all these things that weigh on our heads. Yeah, teenagers today these Moronic teenagers that stick that you know that the news media finds them and they asked them their opinions. Does anyone else feel that this both ridiculous and insulting at the same time? Some news reporter will go and they'll ask a sixteen-year-old their opinion about anything, and we're supposed to listen like, what basis does an experience in reality? - There's a 15 or 16-year-old have they have none they have none. But how do we as adults? Is there a way that we can keep that thrill of living? I think there is. I think there is one of the things that I enjoy and it may seem simple or simplistic but I really enjoy music. I enjoy the music from my era. But I also enjoy other music as well as I've grown and aged. I've kind of expanded my musical tastes and I like to listen to music when I listen to music. - It makes me feel younger. When I exercise when I do physical training and I don't know I haven't always done the starting strength and the barbell training but you know, I used to hit the bag and I used to do other, you know, physical things. I still do sometimes but that made me feel younger it gave me that thrill. What is it for you? I don't know. I don't know but I just thought you know, I was listening to that and it struck me. It struck me as I was listening to that song that I should come to this microphone and talk about it for a little bit. - Maybe you felt the same way. Maybe that is why we run into trouble as adult humans. You know, why do men, and women, not going to exclude you, women. Why do they get into trouble? Through extramarital Affairs through the use of recreational as opposed to professional or commercial drug use or what. Have you going to going to bars and drinking when you're in your 40s, you know or 30s even 30s or 40s or 50s going to bars and engaging in the behavior. That is self-destructive.

- Because why what? Maybe that's their way of looking for the thrill after The Thrill is Gone. I don't know are there other positive ways that we can look for the thrill that we can reinvigorate ourselves and make ourselves feel like we have that excited 16 17-year-old minds again. I think there are, and we talk about those quite often here on the Morning Mindset podcast. So alright, ladies and gentlemen, according to the clock on the wall is time for me to be quiet and let you guys go to work or get back on with your life, whatever it is you happen to be doing today. I am your host Paul Markel, and I will talk to you again real soon.

[OUTRO]

♫ Trenches by Pop Evil ♫

*Alex*

Thank you for spending time with us today. To get show notes, submit a topic request, for more from your host Paul G. Markel, visit MorningMindsetPodcast.com. That’s MorningMindsetPodcast.com. Please leave a review of this podcast on your favorite podcast player, we appreciate your time & effort, and we look forward to reading your honest feedback.

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