chaosmusic

[chaosmusic]

a while ago i wrote a mini essay on the influences of music and how to expand your music taste.

i stand by everything ive written in that but after some thinking i realised that i had left a lot out. the examples i gave were very general and while they all were bands i liked personally im going to go into more detail as a good guide into something should always be a little personal.

the first example is olivia rodrigo who is my pick for the title of gen z pop queen. while she has only made two albums as of writing this the difference between those too albums is big. the first album sour is more pop punk and taylor swift influenced. i will get back to taylor in a bit. pop punk is a complex genre which has been marked by a anti women stamp for years. however most pop punk comes from the third wave of emo. the third wave of emo has a thing called the big three or four depending on your part of the internet. it’s made up of fall out boy, panic at the disco and my chemical romance. the forth pick being twenty one pilots but everyone knows that paramore should be it and even replacing panic. my chemical romance are personal favourite but in olivia’s case i think fall out boy are the bigger reference. taylor swift even credits fall out boy in teaching her how to write a hook. if you enjoy the energy that olivia brings on the album try folie à deux. this is not the album that i started with in terms of getting into fall out boy. i started with save rock and roll and american beauty and american psycho. that was due to them being the popular albums at the time and them being the most recent. i was 12 when the second one was released and i only got into it because all my friends were emo and i felt left out. anyway back to folie à deux, it’s got some of the biggest hits of fall out boys career but the links to both taylor and olivia are too obvious to deny for me.

in olivia’s second album she leans into a more grunge, alternative and rock space. in the first edition of this i mentioned ballad of a homeschooled girl and the smashing pumpkins. ballad of a homeschooled girl sounds so much like a certain smashing pumpkins song i could normally pinpoint it but it is escaping me at this moment. for the song writing aspects of guts fiona apple and pj harvey are so obvious to me. these women have made their mark on songwriting to the point that any alternative music has been influenced by them. onto the recommendations i do not like the smashing pumpkins the same way olivia does but siamese dream is the better album for me but my favourite song from the group is bullet with butterfly wings. and for fiona and pj fiona’s second album when the pawn in my personal pick and for pj you can’t go wrong with rid of me.

onto one of my favourite people in music ever kurt cobain. kurt cobain and most importantly nirvana are some of the two biggest influences in music ever. however when it comes to kurt’s influences he actually released his top 50 albums at one point. the first five are raw power by the stooges, surfer rosa by the pixies, pod by breeders, dying for it by the vaselines and philosophy of the world by the shaggs. however in spot 34 there is mudhoney. mudhoney are on the the first grunge bands and are made up from former members of green river. both of these bands are so important in order to understand grunge and kurt. another band not mentioned are the melvin’s who kurt personally knew. the melvin’s are a lot heavier than nirvana but as they are so heavily connected to kurt they deserve a mention. out of all these bands i prefer the pixes and mudhoney. you can pick any pixes album but you’ve got to go with surfer rosa here. and the same with mudhoney you’ve got to go with kurt’s pick.

if i was to give a person a general idea i would say the beatles specifically the white album. it’s got the first heavy metal song in helter skelter song there as well as other highly influential songs. you could really pick any the beatles albums i really liked sgt peppers lonely hearts club band. another hugely important thing the beatles or john lennon did was layer his vocals. even kirt did it because john did it. if a artist likes to layer there vocals it is probably because they like the beatles. other artists that have mentioned the beatles are billie eilish and elliot smith. i got into the beatles because of billie and kurt.

what if i don’t know what my favourite musicians musicians are you asked. time to get reading and watching interviews. most musicians will also have a influences section on there wiki too which will have a more various section of people but if you want specifics for certain albums or songs find out the interviews they did around the time period of when they were released and consume them. if you enjoy the production style of a project look up the song credits and see if the producer worked in anything else. another huge thing is check out your local music scene. i live in a big city so mine is huge but almost every place will have one and or have connections to a certain type of music.

the final big question is what if your not into music at all and have a focus on another type of entertainment. i’m going to use film as my example. before i say anything im not a film person. so this section is not as solid but i do think the basics of what i’ve said already can be used here. if you like a certain film you probably like a actor in that film. as i said before go watch and read interviews they have done to find out what music they like and give it a go. ive just watched wednesday and i like jenna ortega films so i looked up jenna ortega interview in google and took in whatever i could. she just did a vogue what’s in my bag youtube video where she talked about what is playing in her headphones via spotify. (it was aphex twin, death grips and a few others). find the people who you love references and go understand why they love these things. also film scores are such a great place to start. ryuichi sakamoto debut album is so good. i heard it for the first time today and fell in love. i got this recommendation from a insta story that jenna posted a while back.

music is highly accessible even with certain censorship laws coming into place and pretentious losers in the way. if i have missed any influences from the examples i gave please comment and there will another version of this post at some point.

thank you for reading.

[chaosmusic]

what i listened to recently

philharmony by haruomi hosono

very pretty japanese album from the 70s. if you like electronic music give this a go.

loner by barry can’t swim. the second to last track is gorgeous and the whole thing is well produced house music.

milk of madonna by deftones. similar to the first single. great track and keeps with the heaviness of previous albums.

[chaosmusic]

hayley williams is my favorite band —watch me delete this like how she unreleased her album

[chaosmusic]

i tired to switch to apple music and i hated it. first of all it only really works if you have a ton of storage if you wanna download stuff. second transferring one playlist over took over six hours and downloading that another hour. third you have to delete everything you’ve brought to make space. i did love that i could here new parts of songs i never heard before. but that’s wasn’t enough to make me switch earlier then i was going to.

if anyone knows anyway to make the switch easier please tell me. i’m switching to apple or something at the end of the year i was always doing that but in recent news i tried doing it early. apple music even looks gross.

[chaosmusic]

looking for opinions both from americans and non-americans: what would you consider to be the big 4 american cities in terms of like, vibes-based cultural impact?

[chaosmusic]

list of music projects i really enjoyed as of late

cutting the stone by safe mind. fun pop music. every track has its own thing going on and it stands out from other synth pop.

black british music by jim legxacy. personal but never feels like your intruding. a mix of rap and afro beats. i wish some of the tracks where a little longer but still a great record.

turn on the bright lights by interpol. released over twenty years ago but still hold up. a little one note but it’s not overly damaging to the album. sad indie rock album that stands out from other projects from the time.

[chaosmusic]

SEVARYA x Jock Thomson collaboration for DRIP (1/6)

[chaosmusic]

hayley williams new album

first half is amazing it’s got soul, fun and rage. it’s produced so well is so clear i know for a fact im going to be hearing new details for weeks. i think the bass for this is super cool and it powers a lot of the music l. the different type of music she makes with her voice is so cool and adds so many layers to this project.

the second half is kinda dreamy but still very emotionally charged. i really enjoy the use of a soft acoustic guitar with a show gazey guitar in the background. there’s a little country tang thought out this record and it’s really nice. the whole album is also kinda grungy too. there’s a lot of genres happening on this thing but none of them feel unwelcome. i just love this thing. it’s so so good.

[chaosmusic]

my lesbians ass 🤝 trans women

staring at women’s boobs while yearning

[chaosmusic]

very pretty album. fabulous production. a lil country. very well put together.

[chaosmusic]

tyler, the creator don’t tap the glass

in the mist of political hell tyler said dance and dance you do with his newest album. with funky beats and classic samples the production in this record is fantastic. it misses tyler’s sorry telling but makes it up in personality.

track one. very fun kinda reminds me of brockhampton. classic sample that tyler makes even better with the instrumentals.

track two super fun beat. a lot of interesting layers. love the funky synths. production is crazy. the end has this lil daft punk moment on the vocal

track three he really is that guy. so far this is super fun and it makes you feel good.

track four reminds me of igor. kinda intense and creepy. a switch up from the first three tracks.

track five continues from track four so well. i’ve seen this track on tiktok a lot and this is defo a big hit. super danceable.

track six bass is so funky. i love that the production match’s the title so well. so much detail in this thing.

track seven. i find the chorus repetitive. i really enjoy the beat there’s a lot happening but in a good way. i do really enjoy the second half of the song too.

track eight love this. the vocal is so nice. it’s all very well put together. the women on this track really sells it.

track nine the women’s on this one too. the fun really never stops. the beats are just so good.

track ten probably the track that is the most like previous projects but continues the interesting production. it gives of the vibe the party’s ended but your still happy.

[chaosmusic]

who the hell is listening to alex warren. why is he number one for 22 weeks. i’ve never heard this song and yet it’s huge

[chaosmusic]

Let god sort em out Clipse Pusha T Malice

Originally formed in the 90s clipse is back and with an album that starts very strong but falls off towards the end. however the needle drop would give this album a ten pitchfork on the other hand barely liked it. my opinion is in the middle. it’s a rap album done well and it’s consistent to a point. i wish the flows were different but the production and instrumentals are very good.

beautiful opener chorus flows so well from the verse the string are full of emotion

track two interesting beat sounds like a spy movie. flow is fab and suits to music so well.

track three it’s so very well produced. tyler is the best verse. the adlibs are so cool. as the track keeps going it grows so nicely.

track four i don’t like the beat as much but again it’s all very clear and i do like the sample.

track five i love video game sounds in music. name drops in this go mad kurt and gaga. MUFASA REFERENCE

track six i liked pharrel on this but i don’t like it as much as the other tracks. the autotune is a little obvious and not in a good way. the end whisper verse is nice and do smooth on the beat.

track seven it’s quite fun. when the beat stops and comes back is a highlight.

track eight i really enjoyed the instrumental. the singing in the back gives it a religious feel.

track nine i found it a little boring at first but as the track goes on little things get added. still boring tho.

track ten the beat doesn’t really change but the lyrics are fun. you are really wanting it to change

track eleven pharrel is back auto tuned and i like it less. the switch up is nice and really suits the flow of the track.

track twelve the this is culturally inappropriate thing is so old by now. the beat brings back the video game aesthetics i love.

track thirteen the religious choir thing pharrel is doing only works without the autotune and it ruins it for me. the verses are the highlight

[chaosmusic]

NCT dream go back to the future

NCT the kpop group known for making some of the weirdest music in kpop history. Despite this title i never found them to be experimental kings people scream they are. they have there own style but the only think weird about them is the slightly strange beat choices that have been spaced out thoroughly there career. The newest NCT project is from their youth based group NCT DREAM. Go back to the future is a project that is just short of half a hour. it’s short but kpop projects have been getting even shorter then western projects in recent memory.

If i’m correct there are two singles BTTF and CHILLER. The first one being the stronger track. It’s exciting and got that neo dna that NCT is known for and without the aave use that scares kpop in every way. It’s got a choirs designed to have you singing along. CHILLER is a similar song sonically but more boring than the previous track. NCT DREAM come out with a bang but forgot to reload there gun.

I like it continues the electronic theme but like the track before it, it doesn’t stand close to the lead single. DREAM TEAM a clear reference to themselves. It sounds like something out high school musical with its clear we are in this together attitude. At least this one has better production and like the rest of the album is clear.

the interlude is confusing. Why after a fun energetic few tracks is there a slow song that stops you in your tracks. No in a good way NCT DREAM gave us a party and now there’s slowish soft thing. ‘bout you continues that and sonically this album becomes a mess.

That summer flips is back to the start. A standard kpop track but okay in what it wants to do. Miss me is the same but it’s gone back to the slowish pace. Beautiful sailing is a ballad and shots down any party feeling you may have left. Which is sad because the party looked so promising at the start.

[chaosmusic]

kraftwerk autobarn

kraftwerks are the pioneers of synth based music. the gary numans, the whole new wave genre and my favourite album 1989 would never have been possible without kraftwerk. in 1974 they released there debut album and while the remastered version is the one i am reviewing today i imagine you can find the original somewhere. at 42 minutes long it’s a perfect length. it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

the first song autobarn repeats the same lyrics but your not annoying and it’s never repetitive. the clarity of the production make very sentence a fresh one. it transports you to a doctor who type universe.

kometemelodie one is a alien sounding cyberpunk track that adds a level of creepyness that you can her in the first song but it’s more prevalent in track two.

kometeodie two is my personal favourite track. it’s got a danceable quality to it even if it continues the unsettling string of the track in the intro. the synths are so fun and sound do rich. it’s probably the most accessible track on the album.

mitternacht is a track that turns to the mood upside down. it’s more unsettling than the tracks before it. the comfort you felt is long gone and that party do the the raindrop like sounds that make its way throughout the song.

morgenspaziergang is the final song. it starts with bird noises something that would put my housemate into a panic attack. you can tell all theses noises are from real things happening outside. it’s a interesting track that ends the album in a different place then where it began.

overall kraftwerk debut album shows why they are one of the most important groups in music history.

[chaosmusic]

wet leg review moisturizer

wet leg the band that came from no where as the music purists would say. they don’t come from no where they came from the isle of wright. it has a music festival there and the lead singer was a apart of the music scene in Bristol and has been around since 2013.

the singles for this project have been lyrically brilliant and sonically interesting. catch these firsts continued the funniness that there debut had but instead of doing the same thing its mature. the subject of the songs range from love to shitty nights at a bar. the love rhian is singing about is from her journey as a queer person and if i was her partner to know that rhian had written such beautiful and honest songs about the relationship id be honoured.

the other main member of the group is hester who is the main guitarist. the guitars on this project are pretty and filled with emotions. the bands ability to match rhians emotions and make them even bigger is a highlight.

another single from the album davina mccall is softer then the other before it but hits harder as the words piece your soul. the song is almost as iconic as the person it’s named after. is not the only reference to iconic parts of culture in it. jennifer’s body is fun dreamy and named after i lesbians favourite film. another expression of rhians identity.

the eight song of the album pokemon is named after my favourite trading card game. the game makes me feel a level of comfort and peace that the song matches. it’s probably because it’s a shoe gaze type track. it also repeats the giddy up from catch these fists which gives it another meaning. the drums in this track are quite energetic and make you wanna move by the end. the track keeps evolving just like its title suggests.

pillow talk is a punk track that if you weren’t moving by the end of pokemon you are now. it’s got this little string of chaos in it that only adds to the song

the last song in the album u and me at home is destined to sing back at the band in love. a rather prefect full stop to a rather perfect record. in a world of rather boring main stream album releases this year wet leg went fuck that and did something truly interesting.

thank god for wet leg

[chaosmusic]

This "music" thing is insane