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Andy Bull single review: Big Deal

Subtle yet evocative, motivational through determination, Big Deal is a delightfully relatable single that proves your circumstances hold less power over you than your attitude toward them.

Review by Clove Mera, 10 September 2024 Single released 05 September 2024 Track written by: Andy Bull

Andy Bull

Big Deal by Andy Bull juxtaposes defeat with determination, silence with fullness, using a sparse soundscape that holds your interest as carefully selected musical elements are woven into the composition as the song progresses.

Same as last week, I'm browsing new music on Apple Music to find something to review. I see a handsome young white guy with a smirk on the cover art on a single called Big Deal. I'm curious more than anything else, curious what the tone of this song will be. My mind wondered at the possibilities, one which included the song being a response to his deniers. I came to this conclusion because the artist's outfit and the effects on the image made it look like an old school photo. In a way, I was right about the contents of this song.

Promptly, Bull sets the tone for this song, his opening line a lamentation, "I used to be a big deal/ I had my own showreel". The soundscape is barren, lonely, with little more than synth organ playing bar length chords, which themselves sound like warped and distorted minors. Bull's opening stanzas are a threnody of all that he's lost, and fascinatingly, he doesn't come across as braggadocios singing "You know I had my own tv show", but relatable. i too have been battling and writing about feelings of defeat. With his conversational cautionary tale style of delivery, you the listener have arrived at this low state of mind with Bull, where it doesn't matter where you were but where you find yourself. It's relatable.

In fact, I come to root for Bull when he sang, "Man I thought I was the new wave… And now I sound like an old guy/ coming down from a long high". His vocals come alive on that "guy" line, with a scrumptious raspy fry. Later, he delivers his chorus hook, "Don't cut me off" with smooth theatre-like vibrato.

Bull deploys the trumpet as a musical motif for determination. It appears in the space between verse and chorus, as though his state of mind is shifting steadily from glum to fiercely motivated.

Musically, Big Deal could be studied for its soundscape's final form, full and satisfying yet subdued in its velocity. The most that's ever happening is that trumpet, with the softest of kicks and a steady rhythmic snare. Towards the end, Bull adds a new layer of intrigue for the ear with a simmering square-like synth which complements the drum rhythm, itself gaining hi-hats as the song's dreamy outro continues.

While I was listening to Big Deal I was reminded of the legend Judy Garland's By Myself, performed live on her television show 60 years ago. If you were to compare the two then Bull would come out short, and I don't want to diminish the success of his record, rather I want to draw similarities between the twos' messages and composition.

They begin in a place of defeat, accentuated with a glum musical composition. The song progresses and both Garland and Bull straighten up their backs, pull up their boot straps and find a new strength within themselves, as orchestral elements fill out the soundscape.

Bull reminds you that he hasn't given up, singing "Don't cut me off/ Don't write me out" while Garland bitterly embraces that she alone must build the life she envisions, singing, "I'll try to fly high above/ For my place in the sun/ I'll face the unknown/ I'll build a world of my own."

Bull is talented, I appreciate his adept creative decisions, but Big Deal follows classic soul sensibilities which are not attuned with my personal taste palette. Even with that said, I have been replaying the trumpet and the "Don't write me off" hook in my mind quite often, I can see it someday acting as an empowering self affirmation. That will be where the success of Bull's single is found, even though it wasn't something I immediately fell in love with, it stayed with me. And for who knows how long?

Big Deal is available to stream right now, listen to it on YouTube below. Please visit my blog to find more music reviews and follow for future posts!

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Beabadoobee album review: “This Is How Tomorrow Moves"

The decisions made through Beabadoobee’s third studio record both play to its strengths and hamper its own excellence as a cohesive project. 

Review by Clove Mera, 03 September 2024

Album released 09 August 2024

Dirty Hit

Usually I review artists who I’ve been a fan of many years, but that comes with a clear bias. As someone trying to write reviews and not necessarily analytical celebrations, I wanted to listen to something which I had no biases for or against. This lead me to the Browse section in Apple Music, where I’d go perusing newly released music. The first I saw of This Is How Tomorrow Moves was the album cover, which certainly piqued my interest. I’d never heard a Beabadoobee song before, I knew the artist in name only. I chose this album to review with zero expectations, and what I received was a mixed bag. 

We begin the album with Take a Bite. Energetic vocal melodies and rolling drums combined with wet guitar harken back to nineties/ oughties indie rock. Followed by California, another up tempo indie rock record, Beabadoobee starts the album strong.

In Real Man, I endured swing in the verse vocals and tediously drawn out delivery in the chorus, all atop a stop start guitar melody. Overall, the pace was wildly inconsistent with choices that grate against my own sensibilities rooted too deep in the song to overlook. 

This record’s pace had become a trudge through fondant by the time Tie My Shoes plays. The song, which is seemingly about her relationship with her father, is in fact a lesson in crafting a deeply compelling downtempo song - one I wish was applied throughout the album. Its arpeggiated guitar gives a laid back and tranquil sensation, one I enjoyed through the song’s long musical sections. Side note, songs built on a simple guitar loop can be tremendously powerful, see Hurt by the late Johnny Cash, for example. 

Just like the two aforementioned songs, Ever Seen began with the threat of yet another tediously slow song, and until halfway through I thought this was my fate. Thankfully the song shifts gears halfway through, and the album switches palettes. 

This album’s strength lies in its throwbacks to oughties shoegaze, as Post does with its acoustic drums and guitar. Another source of entertainment for me came in the occasional inclusion of out-of-left-field musical choices. There’s a wiry effect before the “He Said/ He Said” refrain in Post and without warning, Coming Home features a short Spanish trumpet section. In any project, subversive musical choices such as these cause my ears to prick up, eagerly awaiting where the curveball will go next.

Earlier I said Tie My Shoes was allegedly about a paternal relationship. Why “allegedly?” Usually my reviews touch on lyrics, why is that not the case this time? Throughout the duration of this project, Beabadoobee’s diction was such I found it near impossible to interpret her words. I’d made the choice to purely listen to this album. No lyrics, only audio. This severely impacted on my ability to receive the album’s meaning. Whatever heartfelt lyrics may have featured throughout this album were mired by unintelligible diction, further mired by poor mixing. In Coming Home, I caught a fleck of the beginning and at the end, I got “I’d sure make a movie/ before planning what to say”. With everything in between lost, I had no clue what that phrase meant. I only discovered the meaning of Tie My Shoes for the sake of this review.

I had no knowledge of Beabadoobee before listening to this album other than occasionally seeing her name on the internet. I came to this project ready for a positive impression and even possibly a few new songs to play nonstop. Although there were lots of good elements to this project, there was a lot of mediocrity in between. I hope Beabadoobee contributed lots more than her voice and her words to This Is How Tomorrow Moves, otherwise I’d say her producer(s)’ work carried the album. The first two songs set an expectation of enjoyable head bopping rock music, but the project defaulted on its own promise with numerous tracks which could soundtrack the sensation of being shot with a tranquilliser dart - and I’m not talking about ketamine. This Is How Tomorrow Moves is an experimental album with variety in its offerings, ranging from high energy rock songs with very complex and enjoyable musicality to pared back ballads, and a few delightful out of left field choices which I always enjoy.

This Is How Tomorrow Moves is available to stream now, Beabadoobee’s latest single “Beaches” is linked below:

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Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars single review: “Die With A Smile”

An enjoyable power ballad with just enough Gaga to endure Mars

Review by Clove Mera, 20 August 2024 Single released 16 August 2024 Track written by: Bruno Mars, Stefani Germanotta, Dernst Emile II, Andrew Watt, James Fauntleroy Interscope Records

I came to “Die With A Smile” as a Lady Gaga fan, not a Bruno Mars fan. For this reason, it came as a surprise when Gaga only had two lines in verse two completely to herself before Mars began duetting with her. Even though the music video was published to Lady Gaga’s YouTube account, the song was conceived by Bruno Mars who then invited Gaga as a featured artist (Chelosky, 2024).

Although the song is more a Bruno Mars song than a Lady Gaga song, Gaga’s voice is still gorgeous to listen to. During her latest album, 2020’s “Chromatica”, the “Hold My Hand” singer’s voice took on a miraculous new quality which it had never done before. Her voice throughout the album, and “Die With A Smile” as well, felt like it was a tight, warm hug that was holding me safe. The bulk of this song is enjoyable but Gaga’s moments are its high points for me, especially the way she sings_ “Right next to you”_during the segue from chorus to bridge, in a register reminiscent of earlier records “Speechless” and “Yoü and I”.

Gaga is no stranger to power ballads about love, with “Hold My Hand” being a recent example. Just like a good power ballad, “Die With A Smile” does a great job signalling emotion with levels and escalation, across vocals and music. Gaga and Mars sing softly pained threnodies about their love being “…the only war worth fighting for”_against reverberated strumming acoustic guitar, and effortlessly scaling up with quick melodic guitar complemented by a bass guitar and powerful kick snare cymbal rhythm, belting “_If the party was over/ And our time on Earth was through/ I'd wanna hold you just for a while/ And die with a smile”. 

The chorus is clearly engineered for you to singalong and dance with it. It’s no coincidence that they switch from finely controlled vocals to louder, almost-shouting, in the chorus. That’s an invitation for you to join in. Similarly, I think the bass and drums act as cues to dance with.

Bruno and Gaga’s lyrics are beautiful in their imagery, singing about the world ending and the party being over. Those are lonely situations, if they aren’t something you’ve experienced then you’ve probably seen them in a movie. It’s a bittersweet love in which intrusive thoughts of splitting apart are combatted with powerful vows to love each other “…Like it’s the last night.” 

Those are practically the two modes this song has, reflecting on the relationship’s troubles and the pair’s resoluteness to fight for one another. A really powerful emotional moment comes in the bridge, which strips everything but the distant strumming guitar, which generates forward momentum, and glides into the chorus’s powerful instrumental, where the tension and release makes the chaos and the passion hits especially hard.

It’s a good song, that is indisputable. I suppose if I want to be able to enjoy it, though, I need to reframe how I perceive it. It’s not a Lady Gaga song, it’s a Bruno Mars song featuring Lady Gaga. What I miss in this song is the Gaga-ness of say, an album single. The truth is, I probably wouldn’t play this song many times, and probably wouldn’t have listened to it once, if not for Gaga’s presence.

“Die With A Smile” is available to stream and its music video is linked below.

Reference list

Chelosky, D. (2024). Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars Share New Song ‘Die With A Smile’: Listen. [online] Stereogum. Available at: https://www.stereogum.com/2276399/lady-gaga-bruno-mars-die-with-a-smile/music/ [Accessed 20 Aug. 2024].

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Song Analysis: Kylie Minogue’s “My Oh My” is a passable Frankenstein’s club bop wielding the artist’s recent hits and aging musical trends

Analysis by Clove Mera, 13 August 2024 Single released 11 July 2024 Track written by: Ina Wroldsen, Tove Lo, Steve Mac Liberator Music

Thanks to 2023’s viral hit “Padam Padam”, Kylie Minogue has been enjoying a level of visibility in the pop culture landscape which she hasn’t seen for decades, perhaps since 2001’s Fever and its breakout hit “Can’t Get You Out of my Head”. From the perspective of a lifetime fan of Kylie, I’m so excited to see the heightened success it has brought her, from a Vegas residency to her new music being visible on Apple Music playlists, and new single “My Oh My” reaching the peak of her Top Songs on the same platform. Releasing a single in July, ten months after album “Tension” is also astute timing, as it prolongs her momentum. In fact, she even performed the song with its featured fellow pop stars Bebe Rexha and Tove Lo to a crowd of 65,000 people at BST Hyde Park 2024, according to Left (2024).

The string like synths which lead the sparser more tranquil sections of the song possess a powerful, punchy, bass. They emerge pretty much right away, and truly they take proper advantage of a decently bassy speaker. The song knows that it wants to be heard in a club, where the bass is pounding, and a multi sensory experience does a lot of favours for the song.

Another asset to the song is its infusing of Minogue’s playful personality into the song’s lyrics. If you watch Minogue in any recent interview, you will shortly see how lighthearted her demeanour can be. Minogue, Rexha and Lo each perform a refrain similar in nature, transcribing a flirtatious exchange, with Minogue singing,“When you asked, "What's your name?”/ "What's your sign?" I'm Kylie, it's Gemini/ What's your drink? Let me buy/ You had me when you said, "Hi”/" followed with an actual spoken, “Hi”.

Lyrically, “My Oh My” is similar in concept to “Padam Padam” in two different ways. The stories told in either song are pretty much about seperate sides of one intimate relationship. Where “Padam Padam" was framed around the anticipation while meeting someone,  “And I can tell you how this ends (padam)/ I’ll be in your head all weekend (padam)”, the tapering flush of infatuation is explored in “My Oh My”,  “Yesterday was just a day/ I didn't know my life was gonna change/ Yesterday, light years away/ You came in here, now, nothing is the same.”  Something I regret is that certain imagery is very similar between the two songs. In the former she sings, “You keep me up at night/ La-la-la-la/ I’m feelin' fireflies” and in the latter she sings, “Shivers and butterflies (padam)/ I get the shivers when I look into your eyes (padam)”

This is part of the overall concerns I have about “My Oh My”. The track feels like a by-the-books attempt at crafting another successful hit, with its ingredients pulled from obvious references. Earlier, I mentioned Minogue’s massive hit “Can’t Get You Out of my Head”. It is not difficult to recognise the interpolated “La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la” refrain, even with its slower pace, higher pitch and heavy autotune effects.

The kicks in the chorus remind me of Tiësto’s moderately recent signature flare. For example, Tiësto’s 2021’s song “The Motto”, deploys a deep punchy bass as its leading danceable element. Typically bass is a subdued element, hidden yet a powerful presence in the soundscape. But Tiësto really subverted the way bass is programmed, with high cutoff, low attack and quick release, turning it into the main element like the lights in a laser show. Tiësto is one of the enduringly dominating names in techno music, and is often with or ahead of the curb on music trends. If Kylie’s team wanted Tiësto, why not hire him for a truly current beat?

But if this song is borrowing from the sound and subject matter of the recent Tension era - while being a seemingly seperate single with a dissonant visual aesthetic in the music video - then I am unable to gauge whether Kylie’s upcoming releases will be an extension of Tension or something new. The ambiguity makes it hard to get excited. Are we to anticipate something new, a pivot from country to disco to techno like we got with her previous three albums, or are we going to linger in the recent and successful sound of Tension?

With its similarity in musicality to 2023’s album Tension, and its dissonantly themed music video, it is difficult to gauge where “My Oh My” stands between her projects. Is it an after shock from the previous era, or an indication of what’s coming next? Am I to expect another genre shift, akin to the shift from country to disco to techno in Minogue’s previous three albums? A big contributing force in Kylie Minogue’s successful decades-spanning career is her ability to reinvent herself, and though I do enjoy “My Oh My”, I hope she doesn’t forget that lesson and remain chasing the high that “Padam Padam” gave her. All I know is, whatever Minogue does, I’ll listen to it.

“My Oh My” is available to stream, the music video is linked below

Reference list

Left, B. (2024). FESTIVAL REVIEW: ROBBIE WILLIAMS – BST HYDE PARK, LONDON, 06/07/2024. [online] When The Horn Blows. Available at: https://whenthehornblows.com/content/2024/7/9/festival-review-robbie-williams-bst-hyde-park-london-06072024#:~:text=The%20Horn%20Blows- [Accessed 13 Aug. 2024].

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Victoria Monet song review: “Alright”

Victoria Monet’s groovy r&b song is a source of confidence, independence and the power to curb lovers because you can.

Review by Clove Mera, 6 August 2024

Song released 14 June 2024

Track written by: Victoria Monet, Louis Kevin Celestin

Lovett Music, Inc., under exclusive license to RCA Records

Victoria Monet’s “Alright” delivers coherent harmony between vocals, lyrics, music and production, the result a suave laidback song about doing what you want, with the added perk of knowing it comes at the cost of someone else’s aspirations.

What I like about “Alright” is its experimental musicality, what I love is that it’s minimalistic in its elements. A rhythmic double snare glyph, which snaps persistently throughout the song, possesses a strangely erotic quality to it. I can’t easily put to words why I interpret this two key flair this way, and I can’t picture what’s so sexy about it, but it’s one part of this song’s trippy appeal for me.

The main melodic lead, a soft pad with a sharp edge, has a slow side chain on it. From the very beginning, it creates a downtempo pulse that invites you to begin dancing. This is part of the song’s allure, effortlessly incorporating an element from techno’s uptempo realm into a downtempo R&B song, and subverting genre norms in the process.

Monet begins the song cooly apathetic towards a lover who mistook her need for them, singing, “He gave me some dick in bed/ Now, he think his dick is embedded”. Throughout the track, Monet maintains an unbothered tone as she sings about how she’ll curb men and be totally alright on her own. There’s an aspirational quality to this tale, one you will either relate to or sing along with while imagining the fortune of having lovers to jilt. The line, “Yeah, he might call me a ho but I like to call it immortal” brings a degree of self-indulgence to the song, taking pride in your choices and indulging in the things you’ve been waiting to do for yourself.

The song’s hook is a self-affirmation for those listeners, one you reinforce through carefree dance, “Plus, I got this feeling life’s/ Alright, alright/ Alright/ Alright, alright”. The track’s pulse is built upon in this section, with a soft wiry lead winding around in the distance of the soundscape. It’s a subtle addition to the soundscape, which together with the hook, transports you into a hazy dance party where everyone’s gleefully dopey on morphine. The song never overcomplicates itself, rather indulges in its own pleasure.

Each choice made for “Alright” across lyrics, vocals, music and production make it a unique song unlike any I have heard before. A downtempo R&B song in which power lies in relaxation, sensuality in rejection and pleasure in one’s self.

“Alright” is available to stream and the music video is linked below.

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Suki Waterhouse single review: “Supersad”

Suki Waterhouse’s uplifting glam rock inspired single has me playing it on repeat

Review by Clove Mera, 29 July 2024 “Supersad” released 21 June 2024 Track written by: Suki Waterhouse, Chelsea Balan, John Mark Nelson, Lita. Sub Pop Records

Suki Waterhouse’s “Supersad” became my favourite track almost instantaneously, with its 80s glam rock influence and later, its relatable message about acknowledging your own crises and peacefully accepting they’ll only be temporary.

Waterhouse begins in an ennui mood, singing “Everything’s going wrong/ tryna reach out, can’t find my phone” with a low and monotonous register against an electric guitar’s chords prolonged by an extended delay tail.

In the chorus, that dejected heroine is swept off her feet by a new state of mind, one which has found a new perspective in its familiarity with glumness. Waterhouse sings, “Could be the worst night I ever had/ Lose my mind, always get it back,” in a higher register as though ignited by her emotions. “Supersad”’s entire message is contained within the chorus line, “All of the tears, wish I never cried/ End of the world toll I’m doing fine/ There’s no point in being supersad”. Waterhouse has become so well-acquainted with her own panic mode and seen enough greener pastures that she can confidently reassure herself: even though the present is tough, it always got better and it will do so again.

What follows the chorus is an anthem-like rallying cry, an “Ooh-ooh ooooh, ooh-ooh ooooh/ There’s no point in being supersad” which soars above a whirlwind of emotion. It’s this section I frequently replay in my mind and is the part I anticipate when I replay “Supersad”.

Another strength for this track is its musicality. From the very beginning, a subtle bass guitar plucks along steadily, prolonging momentum even in the verses’ glum state of mind. A powerful kick flares throughout the song, reenergising the soundscape at the perfect time every time. Finishing with that “ooh-ooh ooh” refrain is rewarding tension and release, paid off with an abrupt cutoff and ending in a tapering reverb tail.

Although brief, “Supersad” feels complete as a song. It offers me the perfect amount of enjoyment and doesn’t outstay its welcome, rather it leaves me wanting more. I replay this track often. That the lyrics don’t allude to a specific situation but rather a state of mind, I think it will be universally relatable. I personally have related to this track, I’ve used it as my cheerleader and I have repeatedly got up to dance with it.

“Supersad” is available to stream now and its music video is linked below.

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Lana Del Rey and Quavo single review: “Tough”

Lana Del Rey’s new single with Quavo features slivers of her greatness but fails to stand out amongst her legendary portfolio.

Review by Clove Mera 9 July 2024

Single released 3 July 2024

Track written by: Lana Del Rey, Andrew Watt, Benny Negrin, Clayton Johnson, Elysse Jane Yulo, Henry Walter, Jack Antonoff, Jaxson Free, Josh Dorr, Maddox Batson, Nick Bailey & Quavious Marshall

Quality Control Music/Motown Records/UMG Recordings, Inc

Though I can say I enjoy “Tough”, my feelings towards it are mixed. When the song released a few days ago and even now, I don’t feel quite ready to embark on a new album rollout with Del Rey. Her most recent album, Did you know there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd had not even been out in the world for a year and a half and, being that I hardly enjoyed the album, more time is needed until I develop a hunger for new music. However, when I unwittingly heard a glowing review for the song, I decided to give it a listen. 

“Tough” begins with a country sound, which is not aligned with my personal tastes. The vocals were so drenched in reverberation, could hardly make out what Del Rey was saying. I decided to roll with it and absorb the sonic soundscape. When the trap influenced accelerated cymbal or shaker kicked into gear, my interest was piqued but I wasn’t excited quite yet. The infusion of hiphop influences into country isn’t necessarily an innovation on Del Rey’s part, and without her distinctive storytelling and high register evocative of a flirtatious angel in line, “Like the smoke in the drawl of your "Y'all" and the way you talk slow”, and the bridge’s abrupt tranquillisation of the song’s pulse, then “Tough” would veer into generic territory. However, my criticisms for Del Rey never include generic. 

Eventually “Tough” reaches a point I gleefully dance along, but this only happens in its final chorus. Each of the three choruses build on themselves in layers. By the final chorus, everything comes together into a hard hitting mix which stunned me the first time and I anticipate each time going forward. The verse’s trap drums are imported, bass heavy kicks are injected into the rhythm, a distant guitar wet with reverb fills the soundscape with a cinematic quality. Together, these new elements lift the unchanged chorus vocals to a deliciously complex zenith I love from Del Rey.

With each album, Del Rey explores new sounds, genres, themes, influences, but there will always be a few songs with gloriously highly sophisticated, almost orchestral, musicality. Some of my favourites include “The Grants”, “Text Book”, “Cinnamon Girl”, “The Blackest Day”, “Shades of Cool” and “13 Beaches”. What “Tough” has in common with those songs is its complexities in its production, the carefully selected additions to fill the highs and lows between the foundational drum and guitar. I especially enjoy Del Rey’s coolly distant “Ahh, ah, ahh” background glyph which repeats throughout the song.

Another enduring element in Del Rey’s art is her poetic and complex lyricism. Lana Del Rey is a role model to me in my songwriting, and this song is another exhibition of why that is. Each album acts like a life update with new topics to muse on, often influenced by where in America she finds herself, be it “Norman Fucking Rockwell”’s California backdrop, “Born to Die”’s New York setting or various rural states like Arizona and Nevada - “West Coast” and “Fucked my Way Up to the Top.” No matter the sound or the influence, Del Rey always brings sophisticated and evocative lyricism to the table. Throughout “Tough”, Lana and Quavo reflect on love persevering through hardship and juxtaposing toughness in the self and one’s experiences with “… Scuff on a pair of old leather boots/ like the blue-collar, red dirt attitude”. As a writer, I get excited by rhyme sequences I wouldn’t have seen coming. The imagery, rhyme sequence and storytelling in chorus line, “Like a .38 made out of brass/ tough like the stuff in your grandpa’s glass” is a standout moment.

Recently the trend of billing a featured artist as an “&” has settled into the music industry’s status quo. It becomes hard to discern from a song’s credited artists whether it will be a proper duet with two singers present throughout a track or entirely one artist with the other tacked onto the bridge. To my delight, “Tough” is indeed a duet. They sing the chorus together and call-and-respond on verse two, with some sing-talking sprechgesang in the outro. Quavo’s lyrics and vocals provide a sharp juxtaposition to Del Rey’s playful softness. 

“Tough” by Lana Del Rey and Quavo meanders through numerous humdrum sections to reach its forceful final chorus. I’m doubtful of the song’s replay value and also doubtful I won’t skip it if it plays on shuffle. Even though Lana has clearly signalled she’s moving in a different direction with her incoming album, I still feel it is too soon since her previous album. It has strong moments but its shortcomings render the song good when Del Rey is known for being exceptional. 

“Tough” is available to stream and has a visualiser attached below.

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Slayyyter single review: ‘Out of Time’

Slayyyter is back with tangible hunger for stardom as her lyrical protagonist fumbles it.

Single published by Slayyyter, under exclusive license to FADER Label

Review by Clove Mera, 13 June 2023.

Slayyyter returns from a brief post-album/tour break with “Out of Time”, making her claim to pop icon status with an 80s pop track infused with the best of influences.

From the jump, “Out of Time” captures me with its piercing wiry lead and strangers’ voices harmonising together. A clock is ticking away, signalling the spirit of the song and stepping past conventional instrumentation for storytelling, reminiscent of Melanie Martinez’s “Crybaby” or “Soap”. As I honed in on these elements, I got excited about the intersection of Slayyyter’s impressive narrative lyricism, see “Serial Killer”, and the glitzy, sophisticated instrumental.

“Out of Time”’s main body consists of a pulsing bassline that doubles as the track’s rhythmic force. It immediately summons memories of Lady Gaga’s empowering Christina Aguilera collaboration, “Do What U Want”. Alongside Slayyyter’s vocals, the instrumental emanates a sexy but grungy attitude, welcoming us into the club where stars are made and unmade.

Slayyyter’s brand-new single blends the fun of her debut album’s “Over This” with the narrative depth of “Serial Killer” into a glitzy pop track. The tale of a star with the presence of a mountain is told in concise, accelerated phrases. Within a few lines, listeners are rooting for the heroine who “… Knows she’s powerful” and “… moves so incredible.” Musically and vocally, “Out of Time” will impress people who hear it, but lyrically, it’ll impress people who listen.

Slayyyter rides the rhythm like a pop veteran during her verses. Even as the tale of stardom sours in verse two, her matter-of-fact coolness remains unfazed. Rhythm, bass and stylishly autotuned vocals soundtrack the protagonist star’s downfall with insidious apathy. Slayyyter keeps the crowd dancing as someone realises there’s

Regrettably, I’d have to point to the chorus as the weak spot in “Out of Time.” The four line stanza is a little too brief and misses the same juiciness her verses showcased. Its four lines lack the vocal oomph and melodic adrenaline to hook people or match the track’s epic presence. It’s the rump when it should be the most memorable part.

I could understand if Slayyyter and her five producers preferred an earworm, committing itself to memory. Like a true pop-cultural phenomenon, everyone will be singing “Say goodnight/ Angel eyes” to themselves. However, this is no Sia’s “Chandelier”. Choruses are hard to do, especially when it feels like there are both endless vocal possibilities and none. However, I make music alone, and Slayyyter certainly was not that.

Although “Out of Time” uses the same music on its verse and chorus, Slayyyter sufficiently differentiates the familiar sections with melodies and risen vocal tension in her choruses. The producers becloud their routine instrumental by reducing the bass’s cutoff and wielding it as a chance to kickstart verse two, bringing it back with a kick flare.

By the second chorus, the adrenaline pumping since the opening’s riser/pause combo is lost. Slayyyter syncopates brief phrases to melodic synth stabs, giving high pop with an early days Lana Del Rey twist. Drawn out phrases “You could be/ Out of time” need supporting musical elements, and the third chorus’s belting backing vocals cast that spell for a brief time; before the song eventually snaps back to a form the listener is long familiar with.

Dua Lipa’s “Hallucinate” is a subtle example of texturing the sonic complexity. Synth chimes decorate the third chorus at such a gain that its effects are felt and when noticed, adored. They make you want to get up and throw your body around in dance.

Musically, Slayyyter is locked and loaded to dominate pop and earn her spot beside the Dua Lipas and Ava Maxes of the world. In presentation, “Out of Time” and its likely impending era is an evolution beyond Slayyyter’s “Troubled Paradise” era, itself a step beyond her eponymous mixtape. Never remaining static, Slayyyter is brandishing tangible hunger for a career in the stratosphere.

“Out of Time” is available to stream on all platforms.

Watch the visualiser below.

[clovemerablog]

Monaleo album review: ‘Where The Flowers Don’t Die”

Album published by Stomp Down

Review by Clove Mera, 30 May 2023

I approached Monaleo’s album as a fan drawn to her confident but authentic lyrics and charmingly wide smile, hoping she would be able to surprise me. Across a few of her singles, Monaleo appears to have only one flow. Combining the candid venting on single “Ridgemont Baby” with the title of this album and hazy album art depicting Monaleo as a rose growing out of the pavement, I had faith in her ability to deliver.

“Ass Kickin” and “Wig Splitter” are two confrontational rap tracks. The latter had a catchy hook but both felt like more of the same Monaleo I’ve come to expect. The beat and flow on the latter bored me.

This is why bars on aforementioned “Ridgemont Baby” are needed. Learning about “Me and Keke running from the laws, that’s a true story/ You bitches grew up with family dogs in a two-story” help me understand Monaleo’s struggle and relate to her on a human level.

Authenticity is provably Monaleo’s language and she speaks it across whatever genre she deems applicable. Bookending the album is two ballads, “Sober Mind” and “Cosmic Love”, about protecting one’s mental peace and moving on albeit with spite.

Both tracks showcase Monaleo’s strong vocal abilities, indicating a fluidity that could help her venture further into the mainstream. Such conjures memories of early days Nicki Minaj, outspoken about being a rapper who sings (uncommon at the time). Imagining such as Monaleo’s trajectory renders the album art an apt representation of where she stands today.

Monaleo’s desire to traverse genre is already spotlighted within the album. Such is her true surprise for me. “Return Of The P” and “Goddess (Feat. Flo Milli)” are both self-love rap tracks, top candidates for dominating the internet. Sharp edged bars like “You let a dirty dog off the leash, expect him to roam/ I’m trynna see what goes through n**** heads cause it can’t be a comb” and “‘Cause I ain’t ever known a n**** to make shit but a bad bitch crazy/…Tell a man you wanted a rose, he come with a daisy.” will empower anyone miffed by a man.

Meanwhile, double track “Sauvage (Interlude)” and “Cologne Song” are a confounding R&B package I can’t discern as sincerely flirtatious or a tongue-in-cheek sendup. Even I can be stopped dead in my tracks by a man’s scent, but do lyrics like “What kind of cologne are you wearing/ I could smell it on the way home/…Smells so good that I’m writing this song” ring true? Not enough to sing about.

Monaleo has not cornered herself into any niche and being so young, she still has the world at her fingertips. “Where The Flowers Don’t Die” is a sampler of the 22-year-old’s appetites and although it hosts some skips, it’s also home to a few bops. Her lyrical material is guaranteed to enamour people around the world and I look forward to watching her hone in on her sound and flourish like the rose she is.

You can stream or buy Monaleo’s “Where The Flowers Don’t Die” today.

Watch the music video for “Ass Kickin” now.

[clovemerablog]

EP review: “she / her / black bitch – EP” by Doechii

Review by Clove Mera, 27 September 2022.

2022, Top Dawg Entertainment

Up and coming rapper Doechii has spent the last few years showcasing a unique imagination, and applying her creativity to her music, visuals and lyrics. Doechii’s 2022 EP and first project under label Top Dawg Entertainment, “she / her / black bitch – EP”, is an exemplification of her artistic stylings.

Best embodied on track “Swamp Bitches”, Doechii welcomes her producers to try a tapestry of varying sounds which appears as a manifestation of Generation Z’s love for chaos. What begins with a hazy guitar, black and white movie showdown between two gun-toting cowgirls, switches into a forward-thinking spiralling synth loop. Like Nicki Minaj, Doechii doesn’t shy away from different genres and displays the prerequisite skills to traverse them effectively. 

Doechii has as many flows and vocal cadences to offer as her producer did sounds on “Swamp Bitches”. Not only she but her guest features Rico Nasty and Jst Ray deliver flawless annunciation. Across flows with varying paces, all women are easy to understand. I omit SZA as I’ve yet to tune my ears to her soulful style of singing.

Annunciation and imagination are not prerequisites contemporary hip-hop gatekeepers (or even audiences) use to find their next superstar. The last few years have revealed a cultural endemic of rappers rising quick and fading faster with freaky lyrics and a promiscuous persona. Doechii eschews such pathways in the presentation of her art and delivers work with promised longevity. Though I'm sure Doechii wishes she could have both adoration and artistic integrity, it seems there’s needed changes bigger than any one person for that to happen.

And on that front, I wonder what chances this record has for radio play when all tracks but “Persuasive” feature the word bitch in their titles. “Bitches Be” has the most commercial sound and best resembles a contemporary breakout hit, but would Top Dawg Entertainment ask radio jockeys to announce an edited version as simply “Be”?

“she / her / black bitch – EP” is a valuable listen for those who enjoy experimental and imaginative hip hop. Brief but dense in its content, Doechii proves she doesn't need too long to prove what she has on offer. If you have a free half hour, take a trip into the Florida rapper’s mind and let it be a gateway into her catalogue of similarly creative EPs

“she / her / black bitch – EP” is available on streaming and you can find the music video for “Persuasive” on YouTube below.

[clovemerablog]

Song review: “I’m to Blame” by Tove Lo

Another experiment, this time fumbling its attempted references.

Review by Clove Mera, 27 September 2022.

Track written by: unknown at time of publishing

From “Dirt Femme”, 2022, Pretty Swede Records/ mtheory

Tove Lo’s new record grabs me during its high points but its lows can be hard to overlook as a music producer. While Lo demonstrates further growth in her vocal abilities, there are choices made both musically and lyrically which prohibit it from achieving its implied intentions.

Lo’s earlier single “True Romance” is a showcase of the voice she has come to master. Both there and here she delights me with her ability to navigate her songs’ ebbing and flowing notes.

The lyrics had me ensnared instantly with their confessional destructiveness. Admitting that “Pulling us apart is all I'm good for”, Lo allays my own trepidation toward being candid in my lyrics. People generally have a sense of solidarity with people paying for their mistakes. It's these kinds of words, coming from the heart which stand the test of time. Another such record is Rina Sawayama’s “Bad Friend”.

On select occasions there’s a weird quality to Lo’s voice, notably during “I can’t face what I know” and “Your heart’s colder than stone” in which her voice is briefly garbled. I wonder if this vocal track was recorded in full with live instruments and the whole shebang; a candid moment they chose to retain as a Keepsake of the day.

Sentimental as this idea is, “I’m to Blame” doesn’t give itself enough time to absorb me in its passion enough to not notice such things. ‘I’m to Blame” applies the somewhat dated tension and release technique of intensifying its bridge with new elements before stripping it all back to something raw where the vocalist repeats a previous stanza with pained, finely controlled vocals.

This track’s briefness hinders its application of tension and release. Within 94 seconds we’ve reached the dramatic high and without the time to be absorbed in the stream of emotions and go flying off its waterfall we instead go tumbling down onto a bed of rocks. Such is to say the change isn’t exciting but instead disorienting and confusing.

Its misgivings continue into the third chorus, Lo delivering the same melody as both before it. There’s no escalation or finality and the song abruptly ends with little cues given to indicate so. I think it’s highly likely this occurs because the next track on the album continues right where this one ends. Such seems an odd choice, releasing half a double feature as a single.

Tove Lo’s “I’m to Blame” reads like another of Lo’s experiments in genre like last week’s “2 Die 4”. Talking to Zane Lowe for Apple Music about “True Romance”, the songwriter revealed she in fact pulled its narrative from the movie of the same name. With this interview in mind, the idea of fiction and candidness play tug of war. There are moments when the candid lyrics resonate, attributable to Lo’s performance, but there are other times where I feel like I'm listening to a song intently crafted to play over a montage at the end of an angsty teen drama episode where everything is going to crap for its protagonists.

You can stream or purchase Tove Lo‘s “I’m to Blame” and access the Apple Music interview below.

[clovemerablog]

Song review: “2 Die 4” by Tove Lo

A memorable pop hit that both reflects on previous musical ideas while embracing new techniques and genres.

Review by Clove Mera, 20 September 2022.

Track written by: Gershon Kingsley, Tove Nilsson, Oscar Michael Gorres

From “Dirt Femme”, 2022, Pretty Swede Records/ mtheory

The most rewarding thing about being a fan of Tove Lo is having a front row seat to all her playful forays in and out of different places. Having first heard snippets of “2 Die 4” while Lo wiggled her bum on social media, I remember being unimpressed with the compressed chorus lead, recorded out of her phone speakers and back into her microphone.

Having heard the song proper, and recently in Dolby Atmos, there is so much to love about the song. For the first time, Lo samples another song. In last week’s review, a disco track sampled another disco track. This week, the 20th century's original synthpop single, “Popcorn” by Gershon Kingsley, is interpolated into the melodic chorus lead of what Lo describes as a Y2K “pop bitch experience”. 

The track builds tension with enchanting keys chiming along after every vocal phrase. With its reduced cut off and almost submersion in reverb, the keys are reminiscent of iconic Y2K music.

But in what feels like loving fan service, Lo opens this track with ominous keys and cool, seductive vocals that despite being whispered, scream “Lady Wood” – her iconic 2016 dark-pop sophomore album. On the album, Lo sings, “Pretty boys, they didn’t teach me/ Things I didn’t know” which mirrors her upfront verse, “You don’t look like in your photo/ You’re prettier than that”. 

Its bass erotic, her vocals seductive and the sample playful, Tove Lo’s “2 Die 4” is a showcase of the seasoned songwriter’s unique imagination and a reassurance that eight years in, she’s not short for artistic experimentation.

“2 Die 4” is available on streaming and you can find the music video on YouTube below.

[clovemerablog]

Song review: “Here Comes The Night” by Agnes

Song review: “Here Comes The Night” by Agnes Review by Clove Mera, 13 September 2022

Track written by: Agnes Carlsson, Vincent Pontare, Hannah Katherine Emily Wilson, Fakir Salem Al From “Magic Still Exists”, 2021, (Senga, Universal Music Group AB)

It is tough to compete with the sheer volume of female pop stars Sweden seems to distribute to the world. As a fan of Agnes and national forebears like ABBA, I love the competition. But standing out has to be a monumental task when you're among such brilliant song makers. With Agnes’s 2021 album, “Magic Still Exists”, the singer songwriter of 2008 “Release Me” fame manages to do just that. The entire project encompasses magic and spirituality and getting in touch with them to evolve our relationships with ourselves and the world. Its single, “Here Comes The Night”, encapsulates those ideas and presents them as an energetic and pulsating disco throwback, injected with theatricality that forces you to hear Agnes’s message.

Instantly, the track announces its grandeur with a piano flourish and fast moving, gently sidechained guitar. The flourish hits again, telling you something’s coming and you’re headed there fast. Three bars in and a drum roll kicks the track into motion. The guitar follows the based-out kicks on every second beat into the verse, together creating powerful rhythm and momentum.

There is musical theatre in Agnes’s words and vocals, too. Singing of change and searching for “something deeper”, the song mirrors their method of using near-anthemic numbers to soundtrack watershed moments in character’s lives.

Celebrating the transformative powers of the “after dark”, Agnes pursues its magic and later espouses her newfound confidence, announcing as dances “into the state of sound/ I stick to the beat now”. This magic she’s found, she wants to share it with us in the chorus. Beckoning fellow spirits, she cries, “Is there anybody out there/ Underneath the brightest stars” and tells them, “If you wanna fall in love forever/ find it after dark”.

One very noticeable contributor to this track’s grand scale is an interpolation of another Swedish artist’s, also disco track, “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” from ABBA. Each chorus is welcomed by a slightly slower paced version of its iconic synth lead’s first three keys. Different keys play with the same synthesiser throughout the chorus, invoking both the power of the track paid homage and rerouting your nostalgic delight into amusement at Agnes’s song.

Though few in its shortcomings, “Here Comes The Night” falls prey to overuse of an objectively good chorus. Repeating the same stanza across three sections, the track does obscure its repetition with a shift in music and delivery for the middle reprieve, the bridge, and pre-empts it with a lengthy instrumental to reset the palate. Admittedly, this is nit-picking, but using a chorus four times in a song means that lyrically, you've been given three unique stanzas: verse and pre-chorus, verse two, chorus.

I already loved Agnes’s “Here Comes The Night” which is why I reviewed it, but I'm amazed at the ways of describing the song that I’ve discovered in writing this review. Vocals and composition elevate the pop star’s ode to nocturnal escapades into a theatrical disco anthem, placing the listener in a sold-out theatre and witnessing a number that implores them to join the fun. Across the composer’s pulsating disco anthem and Agnes’s commanding presence, I’d place this song amongst Sweden’s host of forever essentials. With all this said, I speak as a lifetime fan of ABBA and Swedish pop. Perhaps the sample was highly incendiary in Sweden! And similar to previous reviews on this blog, Agnes takes the easily repetitive pop mega-genre and makes it her own; in this instance through ideas of magic and transformation.

"Magic Still Exists" is available on streaming and you can find “Here Comes The Night” on YouTube below.

[clovemerablog]

Song review: "Delicate Weapon" by Grimes 

Review by Clove Mera, 6 September 2022 Track written by: Grimes From Cyberpunk 2077: Radio, Vol. 2 (Original Soundtrack), 2020, Lakeshore Records.

Hello and welcome to another Clove Mera song review. This week, we're looking at “Delicate Weapon” by Grimes. I don't need to introduce this talented artist because if you don't know her as the music producer, you know her as Elon musk's former girlfriend and therefore, you know her.

For this and future reviews, I'm focussing my attention on lyrics and vocals, and music and production, then: the package and how everything works together and fits the song. In commenting on these things, I do not position myself as an authority. As a music producer and writer, I'm here to gain a deeper understanding of the songs I love and develop prose in my craft.

To put my sentiment about this song in a single word, it would be: Pretty. A catchy, futuristic, melodic pop bop. It is for this reason that context is important. “Delicate Weapon” is a commissioned original song for the 2020 video game “Cyberpunk 2077”. The song exists within the universe of the game, belonging to in-universe popstar Lizzy Wizzy. On streaming, the track’s performers are credited as Grimes and Lizzy Wizzy.

But I call this song pretty because, as a package, it's not especially deep. And because it's supposed to be a simple, non-album pop track, it has no obligation to be. Lyrically, the song is a threnody of an unhappy relationship wherein the protagonist will never be all their partner desires.

The instrumental itself is bizarrely nostalgic to me because it feels reminiscent of something, but I just can't place what it is. The bassy synth lead pulsates calmly, as if anticipating a leadup into the next section. The drums make good use of a bassy kick, soft, dry claps and 90s/00s reminiscent bell, their rhythm dreamily futuristic.

Now, if you're a music producer or anybody who's had an instrumental track handy, you know what fun it is to start singing melodies over them. This fun practice is why I feel Grimes’s vocals are better described with the music instead of lyrics.

It is how she affects her vocals that blends them more with the instrumental than the lyrics. Grimes applies a long attack, wide space and medium wet reverb to her typical up-pitched vocals (you always know what you’re getting with Grimes, even on a feature or “collaboration”). This causes her voice to linger like a breathy echo during and after lyrical phrases such as “It makes me wanna di-die, I wanna die/ You said I ruin your li-life”, filling the space between them akin to a pad. To my knowledge, a pad is used to add atmosphere to the instrumental, and without one, it feels empty.

Across the lyrics and the instrumental harmonising, Grimes’s vocals are so laid with effects, it's not about their content but their place within the song’s soundscape. In the chorus, her vocals are so reverbed, you can barely distinguish what she's saying. All you hear is the pretty, pitched melody she sings.

And as pretty as it all is, the chorus and verse are admittedly copy and paste save for a delay added to the vocal reverb. Not only do I love these second servings, but it's the choice to foster a sense of predictability which creates a payoff for the track’s outro. Piece by piece, the post-chorus instrumental’s components pull back while the drums segue into a sprawling outro. A sine-esque pad and vocal melodies, both spanning bars, transform the track’s pace. It surprises and delights my ear, holding my hand as the track works its way to a close.

“Delicate Weapon” is Grimes at the peak of her craft, purposely developing a futuristic and dreamy pop hit that I’ll still be dancing to in 2077.

Cyberpunk 2077: Radio, Vol. 2 (Original Soundtrack) is available on streaming and you can find “Delicate Weapon” on YouTube below.

[clovemerablog]

Song review: "Die 4 Ur Love" by Tei Shi

Review by Clove Mera, 30 August 2022

Track written by: Daniel Ledinsky, Valerie Teicher, Sammy Witte, Felipe Castañeda

From Die 4 Ur Love (Deluxe), 2020, Diktator Records.

I've been jamming out to this track for more than a year, now. While it's not the song I discovered Tei Shi with, it's a standout amongst the handful I’ve listened to. This was exactly why it was the song with which to begin my review series.

Tei Shi’s "Die 4 Ur Love" is an indie pop masterpiece, maintaining a hypnotic sound that stirs images of soaring over vast expanses of land, and conversely, sirens calling out to you from behind a thick veil of fog in the night-time. Persistent from start to finish, is a sense of calm rage and calculated danger.

There are three key elements I noticed which contribute to the song’s unique sonic palette. The first thing you'll hear is Shi’s artfully auto-tuned voice, singing a reverberated melody. In music production, reverberation is used in tandem with dynamics (volume) to create a sense of space. This distant melody is Shi summoning me through that veil of fog into her dreamy world. In my own production language, I refer to this as a glyph. It's probably not the right word, but it works for my process. 

But if Tei Shi is a femme fatale in this song and the siren glyph is the fatale, then the verse’s bass stabs are the femme. Every other bar, a sexy, low octave stab hits in a pattern of three chords and then two. It mirrors the siren effect’s threatening allure with its medium-high cut-off and slow release. I picture it like seeing something in the side of your eye, or through the window, then needing a few seconds to convince yourself whatever it was, wasn't real.

For majority of the song, Shi delivers her vocals with a low, almost apathetic register. This choice befits the track’s lyrics about abandonment and being short-changed by the character’s lover. A lyric like “Ever since you went away/ didn’t even care, left me for dead”, delivered with that soft, near calculating voice, makes me glad I'm not the one who wronged Shi. 

These three elements are present throughout the track, even if their properties change between sections or are blended in with new elements. The chorus sees an artistic yet conservative dispersal of the siren glyph against a backdrop of a transformed bass, now a monotone pulsating rhythm. Admittedly, the lyrics are somewhat simplistic. “And I’d die, die, die, die/ Die for your love, now/ And I’d try, try, try, try/ Try for your love, now”. I suppose one could argue they’re succinct. Shi delivers these lines with the same apathy as the verse. It almost feels like a warning to the song’s subject. The chorus brings all the aforementioned ingredients together to create a marvellous, danceable sonic realm. 

Perhaps the artist and her producers realised the chorus was the track's biggest strength, because verse two is only a matter of bars long and we’re back to the second chorus before we know it; that second verse acting like a tiny little intermission.

Shi’s bridge begins with the pre-chorus’s lyrics repurposed; this time belted out, revealing her long veiled passion. It unifies the sensual verse stabs and rhythmic chorus bass, doing what this song does best: Keeping previous components while stirring new elements in.

This choice is best exemplified on the song’s outro. “You know I’d die for your love (Die for your love)” is repeated throughout like a reassured warning against a soaring synth lead. The latter comes in and sweeps you off your feet, taking you flying through the sky. Alterations of the lyrics repeat for a quite a few bars, luring you into the track’s hypnosis before stylishly cutting off on a final “Die for your love.”

From its vocals to its bass, Tei Shi’s "Die 4 Ur Love" has all the makings of a contemporary pop hit, but is so imaginative and unusual with its sonic choices that it can’t be fairly critiqued as “generic” or “soulless” like modern pop is. 

[clovemerablog]

Journal 12 - BMSP Songwriting and Composition

Well, what I write today won't be as good as what I did write. You see, I write these things on Microsoft Word before copying and pasting them into Tumblr. And what I wrote… has been lost. So, I ought to begin this by telling you I'm not too happy as I write what you're reading right now.

We explored chaos today. Not the kind of chaos that Gen Z call humour, but inviting the shirking of conventions and allowing our workflow to be imploded, so to speak. There was less talking more workshop activity this week, but that's not what we're talking about in this blog.

I’ll tell you this much. In the beginning, my music was all chaos. I was using GarageBand on a baseline iPad. It had 32 gigabytes of storage, which is not enough and should not be an option, though thankfully I think the minimum storage has been risen. I started off using pre-made apple loops and eventually began experimenting with making my own melodies and progressions. This year, I've learned so much about song structure, chords, conventions, everything. I think I've developed some semblance of a workflow which in its developmental stages, has prohibited the chaos I once had.

And that's not a good thing, necessarily. I miss the chaos. I wish I still had the looseness to play a bunch of non-premediated keys and work with what I make instead of feel the obligation to decide which chords I'm going to use beforehand. As mentioned in a previous blog, which I presume you’ll read after this if you're going down the list on Tumblr, but I'm working on an EP. The track that started it, I made on the iPad. It was inspired by Grimes, who does it all his self. I'm going to touch it up, apply all my new knowledge to it, but that song and a bunch of other things I made between 2018 and 2021, are really good.

This activity, we tried something called an “exquisite corpse”. It involves making a little bit of music and giving it to somebody else who then continues it in their own musical stylings. We were given a starting point to help generate some ideas. Also, to conserve consistency across the two teams working on it. I heard it and I instantly felt inspired. Sorry in advance, Sara, but the sounds were all completely ugly. But that's not a problem! Because I have many patches in Logic I've tried and hated because they were completely mismatched with what I usually try to create. But for this sound, I knew they were all perfect. So, I pulled them out and I started mashing my MIDI keyboard, mostly because we were on a time limit. I added this patch, added that patch, mased the keys, didn't do too much quantizing. It was chaos and I loved it.

This really has reflections of an earlier blog entry regarding play in music. I wish I would play more and now that the end of the semester is here, I have more time to do it. So, that's good.

Now, to change the subject with quite a graceless transition, this is the last journal entry for this particular subject. You see, this is an assessment let's do on the day by writing it, a Friday. This Friday, Lana Del Rey releases her new album, "Blue Bannisters". In fact, I received it in the mail as I'm working on this. I'm enthusiastic to listen to "Cherry Blossom" and hear if it sounds the same as the unreleased version I love. Now come up that's not the subject I was trying to segue too if it beginning of is paragraph. The next one is.

We are to look forward to the break between this semester and the next, which I believe starts in March. That's five months and we've been invited to contemplate how we're going to spend it. In semester 1, I made a lot of material that contributes to what is now an EP I have conceptualised. I don't know how much to say about it this early, but I assume I'm going to spend the break working on it.

12 out of 13 weeks this semester were spent on Zoom, so I want to go to campus and make some stuff, possibly with other people. Additionally, I want to work on some literature, as I try to write when I can. I don't want to be a hobby I want it to be a career. Music is a part of that that's an extension of a literature. So... I got stuff happening.

So, that’s all from me for now.

Signing off,

Clove 💕

[clovemerablog]

Journal 11 - BMSP Songwriting and Composition

This week, Australian drummer Maria Moles gave a guest lecture, though I don’t quite remember what on. Our workshop involved using drum stems provided by Maria to create something new, as an exploration of where a song can go when you start with the rhythm. I didn't quite know what to do with the sound I used as it didn’t immediately spring a horde of ideas into my mind. I was using Ableton, which I'm still getting familiar with. It was a matter of experimentation and fumbling my way into a composition. That said, what I made was fun and goofy, which I think the world needs more of.

So, that’s all from me for now.

Signing off,

Clove 💕