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cherrylng · 4 months

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Muse Disc Guide - Showbiz [STYLE Series #004 - Muse (August 2010)]

IN MUSIC

In the UK in 1999, dance and idol music dominated the scene. This trio emerged in the midst of such a rock slump and brought new life and hope to the scene with their rich creativity and solid musicianship, which were not typical of newcomers.

At the time of making this album, their average age was just over 20. However, for the three, who had been playing together in a band since junior high school, this was their first album. Most of the songs on the album were written over the span of several years. Seven of the songs (2/ Muscle Museum, 5/ Cave, 7/ Unintended, 8/ Uno, 9/ Sober, 11/ Escape, 12/ Overdue) have already been released on rare EPs from their former label, Dangerous (although the recording times and versions were different).

The growth they have achieved since their formation is in direct proportion to the variety of music they have absorbed during that time. From classical to boogie-woogie, Matthew's musical origins lie in the piano, Dom started playing drums after jazz, and Chris has played guitar, keyboards, drums and a variety of other instruments. They started playing in bands around 1992, just as the grunge wave was blowing, but they also digested melodic punk, grebo, goth, alternative metal and more.

What ultimately defined their uniqueness was Matthew's insatiable inquisitiveness and omnivorous tastes. At the age of 17, Matthew wandered around Europe, getting to know the folk music of different regions and later learning to play the Spanish guitar. In his late teens, he returned to classical piano, including Chopin and Rachmaninoff, while the influence of Jeff Buckley became evident in his melancholic melodies and emotional singing style with a deft use of falsetto. This album, which has all of this in its blood, is a debut that is still in its infancy compared to their second and later albums, which fully developed their unique personalities, but it is diverse and accomplished enough to show their potential. The coexistence of the dramatic contrasts of movement and stillness, as well as the coexistence of the intense emotion and elegant romanticism represented by (3/ Fillip), can be said to be the cornerstone of the ‘Muse’ style. —Imai Sumi

1999 Hit Albums

The year 1999, when Showbiz was released, was actually a bad year for UK bands. The year was dominated by idol/pop acts. This was epitomised by the debut album (A/ …Baby One More Time) by Britney Spears, the biggest pop icon of the following decade. The video for ‘Baby One More Time’, featuring a high-school girl in a super-mini, navel-baring look, is still burned into people's brains as a powerful impression. It was also the year Christina Aguilera made her album debut. Other so-called boy band albums such as Backstreet Boys, Westlife, and Boyzone topped the charts across the board, while S Club 7 and Steps also became regulars in the UK charts.

In the US, Red Hot Chilli Peppers' (B/ Californication), which Muse also opened for, proved overwhelmingly strong, while Limp Bizkit, who debuted with (C/ Significant Other), raised the signal for the rise of Nu Metal. Eminem, who debuted with (D/ The Slim Shady LP), later became a major force on the chopping block of Limp and the aforementioned Britney. Among these, the few successful albums by young UK guitar bands were Travis‘ (E/ The Man Who), which replaced the loud Rock'n'Roll of their debut with a more melancholic sound, and Stereophonics’ (F/ Performance and Cocktails), which was a straight-up rock hit. Although Muse were initially compared to the likes of Radiohead, they were quite unique in the scene. That hasn't changed even now, though.

IN LYRICS

As a debut album, the lyrics are very much Matthew in his local Teignmouth days. A prime example is (4/ Falling Down), which even gives the population/household numbers: ‘15,000 people scream’ and ‘5,000 houses burning down’. The city's status as a holiday destination for Londoners, a city that makes its living by serving tourists, combined with its recent desolation, made adolescent Matthew feel like a core of losers in a society of inequality. It was self-evident to Matthew that ‘no one can save this city’, and not only in this song, but also in the protagonists of the lyrics, there is a tendency to try to escape or hide somewhere.

(1/ Sunburn) is also attributed to a local story, and here too we can see the composition of a disparate society: ‘the winners who spend a lot of money on a tourist attraction that seems to be a kind of women's dance show’. The image of the ‘Sunburn’ = tanning is also associated with ugly adults for Matthew, but it could also be interpreted as a form of the money-grubbing music business. Although wrapped in a thinly veiled mask, there is no way to hide the nervous state of mind before the debut, and the world is formed by ‘me’ who restrains himself and clowns around, and ‘you’ who indulges his desires. Track (6/ Showbiz), exudes the blue anxiety of the night before stepping into the real showbiz.

In an interview during his first visit to Japan, Matthew said, ‘There were alcoholics roaming around in my hometown’, and (9/ Sober), in which several brands of whisky are interwoven, does not deny such drunks, but rather describes the effects of alcohol on the mind and body in a rock-like manner. The casual love for one's hometown can also be read into this, and the half-love-hate feelings towards one's hometown overlap with the split state of what is known in Japan as ‘chuunibyou/middle-school second year syndrome’. The British national band was very young at the time of their debut. —Kaoru Abe

YEAR 1999 January - The Euro was introduced as a currency in 11 EU member states. - The children's song ‘Dango San Kyoudai’, which is currently ranked third in (terms of overall sales in) the Oricon singles chart, was released. February - The first brain-dead organ transplant under the Organ Transplantation Act made headlines. March - A Swiss and an Englishman made the first non-stop circumnavigation of the world in a hot-air balloon. - Stanley Kubrick, film director known for films such as A Clockwork Orange, died. - The J2 League, Japan's professional football league, was started. April - Shintaro Ishihara [T/N: RIP to this xenophobic ultranationalist asshole] was elected Governor of Tokyo. - NATO forces bombed Yugoslavia in order to sanction the Kosovo War, which had been raging since 1998. May - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace was released in the USA. This was the first film to be made in 16 years. - The Treaty of Amsterdam enters into force. - Opening of Safeco Field (later renamed to T-Mobile Park in 2018) in the US. June - Sony launched AIBO, a puppy-shaped pet robot. The price was 250,000 yen. July - Muse's North American tour started. - The All Nippon Airways Flight 61 hijacking incident occurred, in which the captain was stabbed to death and the perpetrator took control of the aircraft. August - Muse's Germany tour started. September - A M7.7 (7.3 in Richter scale) earthquake occured in central Taiwan, with a death toll of over 2,000 (1999 Jiji earthquake). October - Muse's European tour starts. First album Showbiz released with John Leckie. - The Fukuoka Daiei Hawks won the Japan Series. November - First parliamentary party leadership debate (in Japan). [aka Japan’s first time in trying out the British-style Question Time] December - Macau returned from Portugal to China and the Panama Canal from the USA to Panama.

Translator's Notes: This has way more research required to know what happened in a single year of 1999. The next few albums to cover are going to be quite the effort to cover through.

#Matt Bellamy #Dom Howard #Chris Wolstenholme #Muse #Showbiz era #my scan #translation #STYLE Series #STYLE Series 004

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cru5h-cascades · 3 months

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Ight homies time for another music related poll!

As you guys may or may not know, Eminem's new album and Jojo Siwa's new EP are gonna be releasing the same day so basically July 12 is Barbenhimer 2: the Electric Boogaloo (what would this be called tho? Deadly Pleasure? Guilt Shady? Idk I'm just tryna combine the names of the EP and album). I can already tell that lots of people are gonna be listening to both of these releases for a bunch of different reasons. So...

I feel like maybe the obvious answer is gonna be the new Eminem album ('cause it's Eminem & bro's probably got more fans than Jojo) (who am I kidding of course he does!) but then again Jojo's become a bit of a queen of controversy herself so maybe people are gonna listen to her shit out of curiosity (or ironically so they can shit on it later) (I'm gonna be listening to Jojo's new EP out of curiosity 'cause I'm interested in the drama surrounding her). But yeah I wanna see what y'all think.

#eminem #slim shady #marshall mathers #the death of slim shady #jojo siwa #poll #tumblr poll #music poll #surveys #random #th1nking out l0ud #can't wait for the death of slim shady tho ^w^

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starseneyes · 2 years

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Chenford REWIND- Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 4 Ep 8 & 9

I'm LOVING y'all's requests. Please keep 'em coming! The second I saw chenfordfan2386 request these two, I knew it had to be done. I'm a huge Peyton List fan, and I love episodes that dive deeper into our favorite characters.

SPOILER ALERT: If you like to live an un-spoiled life, this is not the post for you. I try to write these as though I'm seeing them for the first time, and will definitely spoil these episodes and include references to episodes previously aired.

Everybody ready and know what to expect? Great! Let's dive in.

Hit and Run

"I'm losing to Smitty?" "Oh, that's embarrassing."

I love how Tim is commenting on this discussion even as he's pretending not to be a part of it. Lucy looks up at him, a smile on her face like, "you're hopeless".

"You know what would really help? An endorsement from someone who is respected within the department."

Tim looks to Nolan, incredulous. But watch how his face shifts when he looks to Lucy. There's a subtle shift as she leans closer to him, trying to get him to give in.

"No. No. Don't drag me into this. No. I have never endorsed a candidate, and I never will."

Small detail, but I love it. Tim reaches for Lucy's camera first. He hands it to her before getting his own.

"Genny!" "Sergeant Bradford."

As soon as Genny approaches and hugs Tim, Lucy gets out of the way. She has no idea who this woman is, but Genny is making Tim smile and getting physical affection without hesitation. She has to be important to him, right?

"So, what are you doing here?" "I just wanted to see my big brother."

Look at the shift in Lucy Chen with this information! This isn't Tim's new gorgeous girlfriend he's never mentioned. It's his little sister!

"Oh! Hi! I'm Lucy Chen. I know that we just met but if you have any embarrassing stories from his childhood that would be..."

Tim gives a nice glare at Lucy and she shuts up... for now. C'mon, you know Lucy is gonna get that dirt!

"Because I know why you're here, and I've made my position very clear."

Take note, here, that Tim is speaking cryptically. Because, this is a tie back to the worst part of his life, the most broken parts of himself, and the source of so much of his trauma.

Lucy doesn't know how bad it was. Yes, after DOD he opened up enough to tell Lucy that his father "tuned [him] up on the regular"... but that didn't paint the whole picture.

And having his little sister here is going to re-open all those wounds that nobody, save maybe Isabelle, has ever seen.

This tops everything that ever went wrong with her. This is the foundational heartache that defined so much of Tim and how he lives his life. This is the place his nightmares were born and his need for stability and to protect his heart.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

"Why don't I do one of those ride along thingees? That way, we could have the whole day to catch up." "Yeah, see, you gotta get permission to do a ride along. It's a long process. A ton of paperwork." "Hey, you're a Sergeant, now, you can just approve it yourself."

Lucy knew what she was doing. Does she know exactly what will be discussed? No. But she can see that Tim's avoiding something he needs to face, and the psychology girl in her can't ignore it.

"Did Tim have any nicknames when he was a kid?"

I love Genny's look to Tim on this one. Like, "Is this person for real?"

"Oh, yeah, he tried to highlight his hair right before Prom. He ended up looking like Slim Shady."

I. Love. Lucy's. Positioning. She is literally turned completely toward him, this goofy grin on her face, drinking every second in.

There's a freedom in how she's talking with Genny, how she's watching Tim, and I think about later in the episode when she finds out he's not single... and how I'm glad she didn't know before this scene.

Because look at how happy she is. She's loving every little morsel, learning more about Tim. Yes, she's out for the embarrassing stuff, right now. But, don't you love even the silly facts you learn about the person you love?

"Oh, you know what, I think I have a picture of it." "Oh my god, yes!" "Genny." "What? You'd rather I keep this photo private? That's fine. Let's talk about Dad." "I have nothing to say."

He tries to catch eyes with his sister in the rearview mirror. He's still talking in short-code, not wanting to go further. While Genny knows all the details, of course, he isn't ready to be that vulnerable with Lucy, especially now that he's seeing someone.

Go with me... have you ever had a friend who kinda served as a placeholder for something romantic? I had a gay friend like that back in high school. We were super close and people thought we were dating, but neither of us had any interest in each other. We just did all the couply things together because neither of us had a person.

Lucy once realized she was doing it with Jackson, and I think after the events of 4x01, Tim realizes he was starting to do it with Lucy. Let's be real, he's been doing those things forever with Lucy. But, I think he started to notice and it scared the shit out of him.

His ex-wife was a Rookie with him. They were both officers. She was UC. And there are too many similarities there even if Lucy is a completely different person from Isabelle.

I firmly believe part of why Tim is seeing someone nobody knows about is because he wants to date someone separate from the station to convince himself that he can.

He needs to convince himself that there's nothing between him and Lucy, because he is in no way ready to face it.

So, of course he doesn't want to let Lucy into his heart and personal life further. He wants to keep her where he is since some part of him knows he can never push her back to where she was before the veils started to fall.

"Okay. What's your cell phone number? I'll text it to you." "Genny-"

Lucy is all smiles. Because she still doesn't get it. Lucy might've forgotten Tim's one sentence about his father post-DOD (for goodness sake, that scene had a lot going on). She was in a fragile mental state, and after Tim returned her ring, I wouldn't blame her if she forgot 90% of what he said.

"You are impossible." "I'm impossible? Lucy, who's more difficult? Me or Tim?" "Of course she's gonna pick me."

I cackled so hard the first time I heard this line that I had to rewind for the rest of the scene. How Melissa O'Neil kept a straight face is beyond me, but it makes it all the funnier.

"Because you are the most stubborn person alive. Which, by the way, is why you're still single." "First of all, I'm not. And second-" "Wait. What? You're seeing someone?" "This is insane. There's an armed and dangerous suspect at large. We gotta focus."

How long has he been riding with Lucy and said nothing about this chick? Now, we all know Tim likes to pretend that there's no personal business in that Shop, but this episode proves that particular rules is constantly in flux.

Lucy was doing a good job at staying out of the sibling fight and concentrating on her work... until she heard Tim wasn't single. He redirects and she holds up her hand. The wife equivalent of, "Alright, we've had this fight before, no point having it, again. I got it."

But Tim slides a look back at Lucy. He didn't meant to say anything about his new girlfriend in front of Lucy, but he's so comfortable with her, he forgot himself.

That's what it really boils down to. If it had been almost anyone else in the Shop, he wouldn't have been that transparent.

But he's comfortable enough around Lucy to say things without thought. And the last thing he wants to do right now is let her in more.

"What is your favorite show? Mine is House Hunters International." "Oh my god, the best."

Can we just take a moment to appreciate these future sisters-in-law bonding? Lucy and Genny definitely understand one another, and I have a feeling their kids are gonna grow up together with sleepovers, movie nights, and fun DIY projects. What? A gal can dream, right?

"Maybe I should just let it go, but that house was my childhood home. I don't wanna tear it down. I want another family to live there and make happy memories." "Of course! I moved out ten years ago, and when I think of home, I still think of my parents house."

Lucy is being conversational and compassionate. But she doesn't understand. Tim can't take anymore, and he pulls over.

Watch. Tim's. Hand. Eric Winter is an actor who acts all the way through his fingers and his toes. And you can really see it here with how his hand is suddenly unsteady on the wheel.

Because "home" is a hard word for someone who grew up in an unstable one. Genny was more shielded from it, even though she grew up around it. When you're the target of the anger and frustration... it's just different.

You think of the "house" and know it was never a "home". Not for you. Not for Tim. Tim grew up in a house. "Home" denotes a certain level of safety that was never afforded him.

No, he can't take another minute of this. He can't pretend that he's not mentally back there—just a helpless kid who did nothing to deserve what happened.

"What's wrong?" "Tim? Look, I know you don't feel the same way I do, but our childhood wasn't all bad."

Gosh. It's like talking to my little brother. I'm Tim and he's Genny, and the younger one was somehow so shielded despite growing up in the same house. There are legit tears in my eyes, because it's so darn hard. If not for my journals I kept religiously, I might question my own memory when talking to him.

"Stop. Alright? Are you really getting nostalgic over that place? What do you want? Some other family to just cuddle up under the broken plaster where dad slammed my head against the wall?"

We finally see Lucy, again. She's been cut out of this since they pulled over. But, we get to see her react. Because now she gets it.

There's so much for her to unpack, here about how this informs who Tim is, why he makes the choices he does, and how he's gotten so broken over the years. He didn't have a great foundation.

"Dad had a lot of demons." "Dad was a monster." "He's changed. You haven't seen him in 20 years." "The only thing that's changed is that the drinking caught up with him. He can't throw a punch, but he's the same guy underneath." "He's not, and you'd know that if you'd visit the hospice." "Not in a million years."

Tim hasn't glanced at Lucy once during this. It's not about her. But, in an indirect way, this shows, again, how close they are.

He's not censoring himself in front of Lucy. He's speaking freely about something very personal. Later he might re-think it, but in the moment he's comfortable enough for this scene to happen.

"Hospice?" "I had to move him out of Assisted Living last month. Dad's dying."

Hospice care in America is usually the end of the line. No chance of recovery. Make you comfortable until you pass.

And there's nothing anyone else can say at that moment. Tim's barely keeping it together, and it's been a long time since we've seen him this broken in the Shop.

But it really can work that way. One word. One memory. One reference that throws you back into the worst of it all. And suddenly, all the emotions you felt then but weren't allowed to show flood you to the point that you're barely containing yourself, and it was all so long ago you'd think the wounds had healed.

Tim needs to get his head back in the game. So, he wordlessly pulls back into traffic.

"When you were 7 years old he dropped you in Griffith Park with a compass and made you find your way home." "Which I did." "Tim Test."

How fast he looked at her. Lucy catches his glance and realizes how it hit. She didn't mean it to, but it hurt. Because that comparison to the person you want least to be like is agony... even if the words weren't intended to burn. They sear into your flesh and you start to re-examine yourself to see if there's a trace of them there.

You share the same DNA, but that doesn't mean you're the same. Your choices define you, and you have to believe that you can break cycles or else you'll break apart.

Lucy just equated Tim to his father. She didn't mean anything by it, but the barely breathed, passing thought is imprinted in Tim's memory, now.

"Uh, Tim, listen... your sister needs you." "Lucy-" "I realize that I'm overstepping here, but just hear me out. It's clear that you got the worst of it with your father, but she lived through it with you. Instead of arguing about how bad your dad was or wasn't, maybe as children of... of abuse, you would be better off supporting each other."

The way he looks away on "abuse" reminds me of how he reacted when she said he had a learning disability. These are not things Tim likes to think about or face. But Lucy has never seen them as a branding on his life, merely parts of who he is.

She doesn't label him to ostracize him or set him apart. She tries to help him understand how these things exist within him, but don't define him.

And, oh, my little brother was such a pill growing up. Such a pill. But he was also the first person to ever say I didn't deserve the verbal and emotional abuse I received. He was only 13, but it meant the bloody world. I was 17, and I truly believed I got what I deserved. I wish I'd never lived through it, but I'm infinitely thankful for my brother so I didn't have to go through it alone.

"Ready to go?" "Yeah."

Lucy wordlessly gets out of the way of the siblings, but Tim can't take his eyes off of her, and Genny noticed.

Come on. She's his little sister. Much as he said he wasn't single and has somebody, she has already clocked that there's something between these two.

"Look, I'm really sorry about today. I should have listened more." "I agree. But thanks for saying it. It means a lot." "I'm still not going to see him."

Tim put up a boundary, and that's healthy. It's so hard to set boundaries, sometimes, and I really do applaud Tim that he set his. He owes his father nothing. And much as Genny doesn't agree with it, she needs to learn to respect it.

Sure, Tim could benefit from some therapy and really processing through his trauma. Genny's not wrong in that. But Tim's not going to go unless Tim is willing to go, and berating him is no way to get through to him.

"If you're free this weekend, maybe we could go by the place, see what needs to be done, and you can give us an estimate." "Did you just say 'we'? As in you're gonna help?" "I checked out some comps in the neighborhood. We could get a million for that place easy. Plus, it shouldn't all fall on you."

I think it's marvelous that before Lucy told him to be there for his sister, he was already looking at comps. He was already thinking about it.

Lucy, in this case, echoed the best parts of Tim. Sometimes she helps him find those better parts. But, he's learning, again, how to listen to them on his own.

That's so much progress for his character. And it's so beautiful to watch him blossom.

"Could I have everyone's attention, please? I would like to formally give my endorsement for Union Rep to a man who has the backs of every officer in this station, John Nolan."

Did. You. See. Lucy!? As Nolan moves through the crowd hand-shaking, Lucy cocks her head at Tim. Tim cocks his head back.

Because she's proud of him. He just did something he's never done, that he said he'd never do, because he knew it was the right thing. Smitty would run the whole thing into the ground.

Tim took action to help the entire station, and he's opening himself up just a little more to the people around him.

And Lucy is such a huge part of that. She always will be. But... that's a story for another Meta.

Breakdown

AKA "The One Where I Cry The Whole Time"

"Well, Nolan says an open-concept sells better-."

Excuse me... I gotta cut you off right there because... Lucy Chen is in your childhood house? Lucy Chen is helping you with Demo? Lucy Chen is here instead of the person you're dating?

Tim... and I say this with all love... what the hell? You invited your coworker to come help you with this and thought we'd, what, not notice!? Your sister must be standing there thinking, "My big brother is in denial!"

"Do you remember how Mom used to make us pose by the window for every formal dance?" "Oh my gosh, my Mom did that, too. And I always had to have a wrist corsage." "Yes! Why was that ever a thing?"

Tim. Are you seeing this, Tim? This is sister-in-law energy. Clearly, you need to throw that lifeguard chick back to the ocean because the woman you're going to marry is right here... And you're the one who invited her.

"No. No more reminiscing. This is about fixing up the house and selling it." "Wait. Wait. Wait. Hold on. I mean, you guys are ending a huge chapter in your lives. You guys need closure." *Tim turns on the tool* "What?" "I said you need closure." "What?" "You're an idiot."

Huge. Married. Energy. Like, my husband and I do stupid stuff like this. And Genny is right there.

Also, let's talk about how far Tim and Lucy have come. Yes, Lucy has always stood up to Tim when he needed it. But this is downright flirty. Like, this is Girlfriend talk, not Sergeant's Aide talk.

"You guys are so lucky. I begged my Mom and Dad to have a sibling. They got me a turtle. Uh, it was cute, but a little smelly." "Cute and smelly pretty much sums up Tim's teenage years. You didn't miss much." "Wow. And to think I was actually excited when they brought you home from the hospital."

I love how freely Tim speaks to his sister in front of Lucy. Think about Season 1 Tim. He would never. But the fortified walls that once separated them have all come down. Thin veils are all that remains.

"What is it?" "There's something in the wall." "Oh, is it my Malibu Barbie? It's worth a lot, now." "No, it's metal... What the hell is a gun doing in our wall?"

This isn't Chenford, but it's so important to the story, and it makes me think of the previous episode when Tim talked about his Dad breaking the plaster with Tim's head... Looks like good ole Dad did a lot of repairs, so as kids, Genny and Tim wouldn't have even thought it strange. It was part of the cycle of abuse.

"We need to run ballistics." *aggressive head nodding from Tim* "Wait, you don't actually think it was used in a crime?" "It's our job to find out."

Tim looks to Lucy on this one. It's not hard for him to imagine his father the villain. He is too distracted by this weapon to think of anything else. Because thinking of Dad brings back up all those things he's tried to shove down and not face.

"Look, we'll be back as soon as we can." "But it's your day off. You said you'd help." "It won't take long. Come on, Chen."

Tim's in work-mode. But let's not pretend he's completely objective. Some part of him needs to know where this gun came from... to know if the Monster who raised him is even more of a Monster. Could there finally be some punishment for all the horrible things he's done?

But Genny's frustrated. She doesn't understand this part of Tim, and she's frustrated because for the last 20 years, Dad has been her responsibility.

She's been the one dealing with his medical care, with moving him from facility to facility, with visiting him and trying to be a caring daughter, all while not even living in LA.

They're not communicating. And they can't see this from the same viewpoint because though they grew up in the same house, they have different childhoods.

You might think, "that's impossible", but it's true. Some parents play favorites. Some parents dole out all the abuse on one child. Some parents are negligent toward one child and not the other.

It's very possible to grow up in seemingly the same environment and have completely different experiences. That's Tim and Genny. But she's tired of carrying the burden, and he's blind to his emotions clouding his vision.

"I knew you'd find some excuse to leave." "Genny. This is serious." "It's fine. Go."

Tim takes the out, but Lucy can feel the tension, and she's trying to mediate between her husband and sister-in-law.

"She's got a point. You could have called someone to handle this. You still can." "A good Sergeant doesn't create work for his officers. Even on his day off." "And it's not at all about the emotions this house is stirring up?" "It's just a house."

Because even Tim Bradford "Supercop" has blind spots. We see it in 5x12 (and, yes, that's all I'm saying on it) and we see it here. There are times when Tim can't be objective—and I'm so thankful Lucy Chen is there to keep him in check today.

"Ballistics came back on the gun we found in the wall." "That was fast." "Yeah, I mean, I had to buy a case of Girl Scout cookies from Derek's kid. You're welcome."

Married. We've seen Tim pull strings for Lucy, before, getting calls sent to him to help her with her checklist, and whatnot. Now, we see Lucy spending her own money to help rush ballistics on the weapon.

There's no guarantee that rushing ballistics would have gotten them back to Genny sooner. No, this is about getting Tim the answers he needs as fast as possible.

"Monica is not a solid alibi. They were having an affair. My mom didn't know, but I did."

Tim was 14. Just a kid. But he was protecting his mom. We had a babysitter, once, who left us outside a bar while they went in and got drinks. We had another who had a physical altercation with her husband in front of us and yanked us out of bed, riding through the night until we found a safe place to crash.

I distracted my little brother so he didn't realize what was going on. I didn't tell my Mom. I knew she had such a hard time finding babysitters with her hours, and we didn't want to add to her burdens.

It sucks being a kid who has to think like an adult. And that was Tim.

"Wait, wait, wait. You're going to question your father's mistress? ... You can't be the one to question her. We need to do this right."

Tim's objectivity is skewed, here, and Lucy can see it. Also, can we talk about how many times Lucy uses "we" in this episode? The gun "we" found. "We" need to do this right. She's using an awful lot of inclusive language, which is better for getting through to Tim, but also really telling. Even on their day off, they're a unit.

"You do it."

Tim points to her in a "you're right" movement, then hands over the case file. And can we just talk about the trust that these two have built up over the years?

Tim was her TO and he came down hard on every little mistake she made. Now, he has full trust in her abilities, including handling the most personal case that's ever come their way.

Tim Watches. Lucy Looks Back.

She knows he's behind her, watching everything. He's separated from it by the glass, but still there. And when his father's mistress rises to leave, Lucy casts a glance back at him.

Lucy's smart enough to know he's headed for the hallway, and she know his objectivity is nonexistent.

"Tim?"

It's likely been 20 years since she saw him. He was just a kid the last time they saw one another. And since he's in plainclothes, she has no idea if he's here because of his family or because he's a cop.

And I think it's so heartbreaking and tragic that Tim would face one of the hardest cases of his career personally without wearing the security of his uniform. We know he always has his badge on him, but this is different.

For so long, Tim has used his identity as a cop as his center. He doesn't have that protection today. He's a man... once a boy... hurting.

"She's covering for him." "Maybe, but we can't prove it."

There's that inclusive language, again. Lucy is letting Tim know that she's on his side, that he isn't alone, that they're together on this. For so long, Tim has operated as a lone wolf. He blocks out help, even from those who care about him.

But Lucy's here to let him know that he isn't alone. And she can only hope her message is getting through.

"Oh, man. Never thought I'd see your face, again."

No "My boy". No "I missed you". In his opening greeting, we get a stark look at what kind of man this is. We've had Tim and Genny's perspectives, sure. But, now we get to see the man for ourselves.

"Wow. Liver really did a number on you, old man."

Tim's distancing himself. He's protecting himself by trying not to think of this man as his father. Sure, lots of people say, "My old man" but it's not the same as "Dad" or "Daddy" or even "Papa".

When I first met my father, I called him by his first name. It took a while before I was ready to call him "Daddy". There's something sacred about that name... something Tim never had in a father.

"You always seem to have someone looking after you, even when you don't deserve it."

Oh, Tim. Because if you look back at Tim's life, he never seems to think that he deserves it. His friends try to be there for him, and he shirks from it. He pulls back. He shifts away.

"Because I saw you two together when I was 13." "Oh, crap." "For some reason that I still don't understand, I lied to Mom. I lied for you."

Because... he's still your father. And I totally get this. I totally understand that part of you that loves the person who's abusing you. That part of you that wants what you don't have and you half-wish that you can make them the parent you need.

You'll do anything for them because you think maybe if you do enough, they'll actually love you. They'll actually want you. They'll stop hurting you. You can have that relationship you always wanted. It's that hope that hurts so horribly because it's never enough.

Tim has tears in his eyes. He's facing the monster to try to get to the truth, because some part of him needs the answer. And if his hunch is right, he can finally see his father face judgment for something.

"Poor little Tim-Tim. What are you bitching about? You kept your mouth shut. You did good. Now, get over it."

"Good"? GOOD!?! You fucking psychopath of a human being. No wonder Tim ran as far as he could.

But, oh, I get this, too. Watching them do something you know is wrong and them expecting you to cover for them. They expect it. And anything less is betrayal.

"And so what if I did?"

Tim's father takes out his oxygen and stands. Watch how Tim braces himself when he does. He's ready for the punch.

"Get back in bed." "Make me."

He's asking for a fight—to prove that his son is no different than he is. Inviting him to take the first swing, to prove that he's a "man" in his father's eyes. But Tim looks away.

Little Tim would never have punched back. And adult Tim wants to be nothing like the man before him.

His father misses the complexity of that moment. He sees only a victory.

"Yeah. That's what I thought."

This line hit me really hard, but not for the reasons you might think.

See, as much as we fight to distance ourselves from those people... they still raised us. We still have them in us. It's a choice every day to be a different person and write a better life.

And the phrasing here sounds like Tim. Tim has a tendency to use "Yeah" as a singular statement and follow it up with another. His father is a part of him.

But that doesn't define Tim. Because every day, Tim has made the decision to be a better man in spite of the one who raised him.

"I brought Monica Ochoa back in." "Why? Because I knew there was more to her story. You couldn't see past the version that you wanted to see." "What'd she say?"

Lucy has always had Tim's back. But I also love that all it took for Tim to listen to Lucy was for her to tell him he was wrong.

There have been times she has called him out (so many times) that he didn't want to hear it. But he and Lucy have come so far.

"You brought me a present." "Think of it more as a push."

Oooooh, the shade. There's a show called Resident Alien, and when the main guy met the main girl's awful mother, he left her with "Smoke more" as a farewell. Same vibe, here.

Tim is letting his father know that, no, he won't end him. But he's not afraid to escort him to the end.

"Monica confessed." "Leave her out of this." "Frank was beating her. She fought back. She shot him. She was terrified, so she ran to you. You came up with the burglary story, helped her stage the house, then you hid the gun in case the cops got too close and you needed to frame someone else."

He's sticking to the facts, this time, instead of conjecture. He's looming over his father, this time, standing closer so he has to look down at him instead of across the room. It's different, this time.

"He was a brutal, abusive bastard. She deserves a medal for what she did." "He was an abusive bastard?" "What? You think I'm like him? I was nothing like Frank. I taught you what you needed to know, son. You're a man, now, because of me."

Toughen up, Rachel. Stop crying, Rachel. You're too soft, Rachel. You need a thicker skin, Rachel.

And somehow they can see it in someone else, but are blind to it in themselves. Because they have a justification for what they've done.

"I'm who I am in spite of you."

Yes. Tim. Bradford. Yes, you are. You looked at the Monster who tried to mold you to follow in his footsteps and said, "screw that". You chose to be your own man. You chose to end this horrible cycle of abuse. And now you get to say it to his face.

And the way his father has no response? It's perfect. Because you know some tiny morsel of what he said got through. Tim knows it, too. Look how he straightens a little... How now that he's said it aloud, he believes it himself.

"Goodbye, Dad. I hope it hurts."

It's the first time he's addressed his father by that name in the whole episode, and it's because he finally feels strong enough to say goodbye.

He'll never see that man, again, but this time he's said his piece and proved to himself that he the man he wants to be... not the Monster who raised him.

Tim walks out and closes the door. This is huge. Because last time he came here, he closed himself in with the Monster and he came alone. This time, he walked in and left the door open because he knew he had backup.

Tim knew Lucy was outside the door the entire time. She's had his back the entire episode, and this time when he came to face the man, he brought her with him. Some part of him knew he needed the support.

And this. is. huge. Tim Bradford takes care of his own problems. Tim Bradford doesn't ask for help. Right? No... Tim Bradford has isolated himself out of fear and trauma over and over and over, again. But today, he chose to let someone in—Lucy.

She heard all of that.

"You okay?" "No. He was protecting her. He never did anything to protect us, but his mistress? Broke half a dozen laws for her." "They picked her up. She's being processed right now. I don't think the DA is gonna prosecute your dad on his deathbed." "It doesn't matter. He'll get judged soon enough."

This whole episode, a part of Tim was hoping to see his father's judgment, to see him punished for the Monster that he was. This line right here shows he's accepted that it's out of his hands. And that's the way it has to be. He's releasing it.

Tim's looking away from Lucy... looking at memories she can't see.

When he does look to her, it's purposeful. He needs to say something.

"The Tim Tests? Those don't make me like him."

The way Tim's voice breaks here kills me. Because he's saying it aloud hoping he'll believe it, that he truly is nothing like that man. And hoping that she'll affirm it... because he'll believe her more than he'll believe himself.

Ever since Lucy mentioned the Tim Tests in the Shop, he's been thinking about it. He's been terrified that he mis-stepped and misjudged and maybe he messed up somewhere along the line. He's tried so hard not to be that man. But Lucy's words caused him doubt.

Because he cares how she sees him. No, they're not in a romantic relationship, here. He's dating someone else, so that's off the table. But, even now, mid Season 4, this is one of the most important relationships of his life. It matters how Lucy sees him.

He can dismiss the thoughts and opinions of so many others. But Lucy's is one of the few that counts. And he can't bear the thought of her thinking him a Monster.

"I know."

The first in a long line of "I know"s from these two. But watch how Tim's jaw clenches after she says it. He wants to believe it so bad, but some part of him isn't sure.

"You're nothing like him.."

Watch how he shakes his head along with her. He wants so badly to believe her, to know that she's telling the truth and not just what he wants to hear. Tim braces, pulling away. He leans away from her.

"Come here."

She echoes his words from 4x01 and puts her arms around him. he goes easily. No hesitation. He leans down to her, pressing his face against hers.

In this moment, he doesn't have to stand strong. The last time they hugged, he was the supportive one, tall and strong for her. This time, he's the one who needs to melt, and Lucy gives him the safe space to do it.

Just outside his father's room. A door separating him from the Monster. But in Lucy Chen's arms, Tim is safe.

"You're nothing like him."

And maybe, maybe, some part of him actually believes it since it's coming from her. The hug lingers. It's pure comfort. And it's exactly what she needs.

FAST FORWARD: Fans of 5x12 (like myself) might have been wondering where Tim got the snap shirt... this is a snap shirt. In fact, it might be the snap shirt. Someone with sharper eyes with mine might want to take a look. But it totally looks like the same shirt to me! (EDIT: It has been confirmed to NOT be the shirt, but at least we know Tim has snap shirts in his wardrobe prior to 5x12).

Moving on...

"Here. Let me help." "I got it. I'm good at cleaning things up on my own." "I know you are. I'm sorry I haven't been here to help more. I'm sorry I haven't been a better big brother."

You must be sitting here thinking, "Uh, Rachel. The last Chenford scene happened... why are you still writing?" Well, Chenford is nothing without Lucy AND Tim.

And who they are doesn't stop when they're apart. To truly appreciate this ship, I feel I need to look at both pieces in total as independent, beautiful characters. The Ship is nothing without them.

Tim has been so wrapped up in his own hurt that he's missed the burdens Genny has carried alone, as a result. But Tim needed the breakthrough that this episode afforded him.

"You're not that bad. When you're around." "Well, all that changes now. I'm coming to visit you every holiday. I'm gonna be calling you at least twice a week. And I will handle fixing up this place and selling it."

This is healing. No, it doesn't remove the scars or their phantom sting. But Tim Bradford spent so much time running away from his past that he missed the fact that he was also running from Genny. His little sister. Who really needed him.

"You should go home. Be with your family." "You're my family, too."

He needed to hear that. He is so worried that he screwed this up too much, that she would be too angry to love her big brother, still. And in four words, she soothed that fear away. You're still my brother.

"How about this? We fix and sell this place together, and then we'll both be done with it. All of it." "Deal."

Letting this go together is exactly what they both needed. Genny passes the broom to him, letting him share in the burden. And Tim gets right to work.

"Whatever happened with that gun?"

Tim doesn't even know where to start... so he keeps sweeping.

The growth that Tim is afforded by this pair of episodes is so needed. When we first meet Tim in the Pilot, he's a broken mess of a human functioning because he can lose himself in his work. He doesn't have to be a man when he's a cop.

Season 4 Tim has come around a lot, but he needed this healing to help him on his journey. He needed to finally be free of his father, not because he ran away, but because he faced him and released him and his hold.

Tim's healing has to come before he can be in a healthy relationship with Lucy Chen.

Look, I know what it's like going into a relationship when you're still dealing with un-healed trauma. Matthew and I had it on both sides. Yes, we fought through together. But, narratively, wouldn't it have been nice if the Universe had let us heal, first, so we'd be better for each other from the get-go?

The Writers afforded Tim and Lucy that opportunity. Does that mean Tim's trauma will never come up again? No. Does that mean Lucy's problems with her parents are a long-gone memory? No.

But whenever these two find one another, they will be healed enough not to destroy the relationship with their pain. When their traumas inevitably pop up, they can face them together from a point of some healing rather than completely raw agony.

Raw was Tim Bradford when we first met him. He has come so far. And he's a better man for it. Not just for Lucy, but for himself. He deserves healing and to find true hope.

Not the false hope that an abusive person will magically change their ways and be the parent he needed... but hope in the form of friendship, family, and a future. A truly beautiful future.

As ever, thanks for reading. Y'all are amazing, and I truly appreciate every Like, Re-Blog, and Comment. Can't wait to see ya on the next!

#Chenford #Lucy Chen #Tim Bradford #Melissa O'Neil #Eric Winter #Lucy x Tim #Tim x Lucy #The Rookie #Meta

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deadcactuswalking · 2 months

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 20/07/2024 (Eminem's The Death of Slim Shady, Ice Spice/Central Cee)

For a seventh week, Sabrina Carpenter tops the UK Singles Chart with “Espresso”, right above her other track, “Please Please Please” at #2. Other than that, it’s Eminem, football and a whole lot of nothing. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

content warning: language, discussion of sexual predators and misogyny

Rundown

As always, we start this week with our notable dropouts, which are songs exiting the UK Top 75 - the region I cover - after five weeks there or a peak in the top 40. This week, we bid farewell to: “Tobey” by Eminem featuring Big Sean and BabyTron thanks to self-cannibalism from his own album, “Mind Still” by Sonny Fodera featuring blythe, “Pick Up the Phone” by PAWSA featuring the late Nate Dogg - not that it matters since there’s a near-identical song still charting, “Close to You” by Gracie Abrams, “She’s Gone, Dance On” by Disclosure (unfortunately), “one of wun” by Gunna and finally, “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay because of course it was here in the first place.

So, naturally, the Euros happened recently and like much of what the UK’s been doing, the England team got close to saving face but ended up embarrassing itself at the final hurdle to the international community. Naturally, we don’t have that massive of an impact on the charts since we lost, and we lost on a Sunday, which means for most of the tracking week, they’ve been falling but some still notched impressive landings on the chart. I’ve discussed the vast majority of these - though not in the same way I do legacy hits now - in the episodes from July 2021, where I even go into some detail towards the making of the songs and why they’re football anthems. There’s even a full review in one of those because a “new” song considered a football anthem had debuted. As for this week though, I’ll briefly mention “World in Motion” by New Order at #53, “Vindaloo” by Fat Les at #46, “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond at #44, “3 Lions” by Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds at #8, as well as one I haven’t touched upon, the classic “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen. England fans have adopted the Boss’ 1984 hit to sing the praises of a specific player, leading it to scrape the top 40 at #36 this week. It peaked at #4 in 1985, with “I Know Him So Well” by Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson sitting at the top spot, and a smoother cover by Big Daddy - yes, really - would serve as the title track for an EP that peaked at #21 on the singles chart the month after. The original was at #27 that week though we all know which version has stood the test of time.

As for, well, everything else, there’s not too much to discuss, but we do see solid, notable boosts for “Lies Lies Lies” by Morgan Wallen at #58 - great - as well as “Apple” by Charli xcx at #42 and “Move” by Adam Port, Stryv and Malachiii at #39, which are otherwise completely fine songs.

As for our top five, we have many a familiar face: “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish at #5, “Houdini” by Eminem at #4 (more on him later), “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey at #3, and of course, the two aforementioned Sabrinas. Now let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the episode: my exhausted ramblings on whatever new entries happen to appear in the top 75. Let’s go.

New Entries

#74 - “Alibi” - Sevdaliza, Pabllo Vittar and Yseult

Produced by Sevdaliza, Matthias Janmaat and Mucky

I’m vaguely familiar with Pabllo Vittar through her collaborations with artists such as Rina Sawayama and Charli xcx, though I’m surprised to see her chart at all, let alone with two people I’m even less familiar with, so I was wondering what the deal was here. Vittar is a Brazilian drag queen who seems very successful in her home country, and means a lot to the LGBTQ+ community there, but I had to look more into Sevdaliza and Yseult. The former is a Dutch singer born in Iran who has been active and relatively successful since the 2010s, working with some experimental Latin artists as of recent. The latter is a French singer who won a reality TV competition and eventually they all banded together for a trio single, the first of two consecutive female trios (kind of, Vittar goes by male pronouns in his private life but not in her public persona). This track makes use of a classic Cuban song “Rosa, qué linda eres” and brings a Brazilian funk rhythm for what, if translated correctly, seems to be a about a ride-or-die girl who she loves and acts in some way as her alibi once she murders this guy, basically saying that this… ahem, close female friend, will be the reason she is able to kill him because of her loyalty, or at least that’s what I got out of the translation that could very well be wrong. The multilingual song brings the intensity of baile funk and its mechanical-sounding synths and drums to a pop format that is pretty refreshing, and Sevdaliza’s vocals, though they don’t always hit as intimately, feel fittingly breathless and sensual, before a sample of the chant from the classic Cuban “Rosa” acts as the anthemic hook. I might prefer how playful, albeit repetitive, Yseult is with the instrumental, it feels like she’s right in each pocket it’ll force her into, and that’s really compelling when the instrumental is this unconventional. If I have a problem with anything, it’s probably Pabllo Vittar not feeling necessary to the track or the weird groove that it has to settle on in the chorus to fit all of the elements, that hits a weird note even if that warped, looming bass is there to steer it. Overall, I’m surprised this charted but I completely understand why even if it’s unlikely to stick around. It’s a good song with some very obviously viral elements and I hope that some of these gals at least land some kind of presence elsewhere on the chart.

#63 - “My Oh My” - Kylie Minogue, Bebe Rexha and Tove Lo

Produced by Steve Mac

Okay, so I have mixed feelings on all of these artists but they generally range towards the positive. I’m just confused to how you can successfully land all of these artists on one song, with a typically quite generic producer at the helm, without overwhelming the mix, and the answer seems to be by writing a pretty bare-bones song with an annoying hook, Auto-Tuning the Hell out of it so that Kylie becomes a robot again - though not nearly as effectively as on, say, “Padam Padam” where that was part of the appeal - and delivering a pretty bog-standard house drop that doesn’t even feel like it belongs in a specific genre. It’s kind of tropical, mostly a future house sounding bass, kind of has a slap house feel to it, probably can be considered a deep house song, but it all coalesces into a whole lot of nothing by just not having that strong of a hook or even performance from Kylie, who phones it in and is so awkwardly crushed in the mix that when the more organic vocal production and subtler delivery from Tove Lo comes in, it feels really out of place. It should go without saying that my Queen Tove Lo kind of just steals this song entirely and there’s a reason why they kept her for last. Bebe’s lyrics are quite cute, I love how they all play off their star signs and use a similar pre-chorus structure, but she doesn’t stick out in the mix as much and ends up kind of vanishing, but Tove seeps her backing vocals into the post-chorus before she appears and just through having a lot more natural charisma than these two decided to approach the song with, as well as a clearer multi-tracking effect that actually distinguishes the takes really nicely, runs away with the whole song as the only presence that actually matters or has a lasting impact. The song’s fine, if teetering towards over-produced schlock, but at least I can find some elements of it that I enjoy and could see working, which is honestly not what I expected. I was fully guessing it’d be a “too many cooks” situation where everyone collides into a mess, but it keeps itself together decently well overall.

#47 - “WOMAN’S WORLD” - Katy Perry

Produced by Dr. Luke, Vaughn Oliver, Aaron Joseph and Rocco Did it Again!

We did not need to do this. That’s the one thing that keeps pestering me about this song, its rollout, its credited writers. We just didn’t need to have this happen. It seemed like Katy’s Vegas residency was doing well, that she was back doing some more EDM features that were okay but at least drew a bigger name than say, Bebe Rexha. She hadn’t worked with Dr. Luke for the better half of a decade, she hadn’t really needed to put out more pop music for the past few years, but after Witness, now a certified pop music history book staple for curating the modern idea of a “flop era”, she did continue to release music that really didn’t need to do well, it just needed to show that she wasn’t done. I am not sure if that has worked, the general opinion of the public on Katy Perry isn’t one that has once mattered because her personality, whilst quite evident in those songs, wasn’t the driving factor behind their success. It was that they were great pop songs. Even the ones I didn’t like had such painfully obvious reasons to why they were successful. Not only could Katy Perry live off her catalogue, so could Dr. Luke.

So why have he and his cronies - who I’m convinced do all the work anyway - found their way into Katy Perry’s credits again? I hear a lot of gossip about paperwork, contracts, and some kind of legalese that’s preventing her from NOT working with Dr. Luke but from what the public knows from trusted sources, and really from the song itself, this is a conscious effort to perform, release and promote a feminist anthem written and produced by someone who, and I say this with the lightest quote marks known to man, “allegedly” raped and abused Kesha, whose single did not crack the top 75 this week, probably because she’s gone independent and no longer has the support of the spineless but pocketed industry behind her. Katy Perry, however, has that support. She has a promotional EP featuring remixes of this song, labelled after different “types” of woman - “doing the most woman”, “transcendental woman”, “naked woman”, etc. She released the single on Capitol with not just a music video but a behind-the-scenes video on X which she seems to have had cocked and ready to go for when people see through the thin attempt at faux feminism. If this is satire, Katy, it doesn’t explain the choices you made on who to work with for it - in fact, it makes it a whole lot worse that you are so flagrantly allowing for a group of men, let alone including Dr. Luke, to belittle the idea of female empowerment in order to fill their pockets and yours. Is there no shame in that?

You could very much make the argument that it doesn’t matter who worked on it or what happened behind the scenes as long as it’s a good song, but I’ll make the same argument I used for Ye: even if it’s not explicitly in the text, the creation of a text and its authors inform its content. Sure, it’s more obvious when Ye says that he keeps a few Jews on the staff now, but the video for “WOMAN’S WORLD” contains very little in the way of empowerment or diversity in what women it represents, and especially less in what roles they’re being displayed in, particularly because none of it is new or even progressive for this kind of cause. Masquerading as a Suffraggette on a construction site is heavy-handed and awkward when you spend a great deal of the video in robot legs (for some reason) just… looking at women, living in a world where women can do anything they please. That’s great and all, but Katy barely participates - at some point she flies over this new world on a helicopter - because why should she? If anything, by creating and promoting this song with such a video, she’s participating in Dr. Luke’s predatory scouting for young women to capture them in villainous record deals, she’s not participating in feminism. An activist, or really, any person, does not need to be perfect and some of the greatest fighters for justice have been messy, messy people, but it’s worth spotting that when it appears because those nuances, those small mistakes, are more telling of the person behind them than whatever performance they put on.

Speaking of performance, the song is garbage. Katy sounds okay though she’s never truly been the powerhouse vocalist she wants to be, and it’s not like this staccato song is giving her much to work with. The verses work in list format, repeating themselves and calling strictly to both male gaze and the male gays (“mother” is weaponised in a Trainoresque way here), when they’re not coughing up generic platitudes that ring meaningless on an ear who has read, seen, heard or watched anything else. Even “Roar” at least has a cohesive conceit and doesn’t insult your intelligence. The chorus is stiff and does the bare minimum to count as a chorus whilst producing possibly the least catchy lead single Katy has ever put out, and there’s not even an extended version to complete whatever that pointless bridge tease is at the end. The song just peters out after some vocal riffing on what I assume counts as a post-chorus, like it’s ashamed of its own existence. I’ve communicated with people who don’t actively know or keep up with pop music, and they expressed their distaste for this. Thanks to her sticking by a predator, and thanks to an industry lifting up that predator’s failed clinging attempts for relevance that have unfortunately been successful and Grammy-nominated, she has released a single that disestablished whatever goodwill she had. For whatever you can say about her music or her fanbase, she absolutely had the general public, who don’t listen to the albums, don’t care about the credits and will just bop along to a catchy tune in their car. Now, Katy stands on a hill built on the dregs of her fanbase and people that just don’t care. Men may have produced and written this song, but this woman made the world that she lives in now, and not only is it not pretty, it won’t be kind to her either.

#15 - “Did it First” - Ice Spice and Central Cee

Produced by RIOTUSA, Lily Kaplan and Nico Baran

Part of me feels bad for Ice Spice. She was making songs with her fun personality and her slightly above mediocre producer RIOT, and that virality really propelled her to a stardom I don’t think anyone would want so quickly, especially since Ice Spice really isn’t a great vocal talent or presence. She can rap, but she’s clearly still somewhat of a beginner who can’t find the pocket perfectly on much of her production, which is often minimal or at least interesting, which harms the end result so much more when she’s not really prepared for it. She was really attempting for her equivalent of rapping rapping on “Phat Butt”, or at least showing some improvement in her skill, but I still worry for this upcoming album, as she hasn’t had the time to really improve technically or even as a vocal presence, as she can still be whispery or unconfident in a way that doesn’t always feel purposeful, and all this time in the limelight, which she’s smartly extended not by improving but by out-memeing her last single, can’t go too well for her when it’s based purely on virality and character that she’s yet to confidently prove on record.

This song with her boyfriend Central Cee - who really should probably spend some time alone for a bit considering his relationship songs - demonstrates much of the same. It’s partly a revenge song that involves him cheating and Ice Spice cheating in response but also celebrating the toxic relationship and all the sex in a way that is just mindless and not very interesting from Ice Spice, who is so locked into one boring flow and sounds like she’s having no fun with it, saying the same things she’s always been saying despite the existing narrative of the song. As stiff as he is, in many ways, Cench’s verse is self-aware and has a cute line about the time he takes to finish his verse, it’s probably a highlight, but overall, this is definitely a half-baked product that sounds rushed to capitalise on the relationship going viral for… a lot of the wrong reasons. “Doja” was actually about his bisexual girlfriend, it was a semi-autobiographical piece if you will, so anything about Central Cee claiming himself as selective and smart about who he’s messing with just hits a weird note, since so much of that relationship drama ends up in the music. What saves this from being completely worthless is the beat, which takes Lily Kaplan’s vocal and stutters it below a Jersey club beat with a lot of filtering and gunshots that appeals to me just on a basic sonic and aesthetic level. I like how the beat sounds, but not much about the rest of this is giving me much to enjoy. Very much not excited for that album coming soon.

#13 - “Renaissance” - Eminem

Produced by Luis Resto and Eminem

As I said last week, I wrote in detail some of my first-listen thoughts on Eminem’s new album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace), on my RateYourMusic listening log (account name: exclusivelytopostown). I have revisited and come away with even more thoughts on this, but the songs that debuted didn’t really give me much to chew on. I expected “Brand New Dance” to show up, which would be great because that might be top 10 favourite Eminem songs for me… and it’s also recorded way back in 2004. It does a lot better of a job than the songs we see here in demonstrating the appeal of this record, probably best exemplified in “Guilty Conscience 2” - the first half and a bit is a massive joke, wherein an aging Slim Shady, who is no longer nearly as interesting or biting as he once was, is trying to take one last bout of energy and nuisance within the new, “mature” Eminem, who of course is indistinguishable so the two are conflated, realise they’re kind of the same person, just the parts that Em regrets are still part of him, and this leads to Em killing Slim and spending the rest of the record trying to prove himself… posthumously, maybe, the timeline’s a bit unclear, to both his family and the rap game. That sounds fascinating and also a mess, and it is quite frankly, so much more of both than I was prepared for, but it’s also a fun, surprisingly short listen for an hour-long comedy bit in rap form. Em’s always been known for his commitment to bits, and this is the most he’s committed to anything, but you can also hear some more classic Eminem beats on here, some great features, and the uncanny way he sports his earlier voice against his newer tone, with them overlapping and rubbing against each other the whole time. It’s an album with a lot to discuss, and I’d love to get into “Evil”, “Lucifer”, “Antichrist”, “Road Rage”, “Temporary”, even “Bad One” (and half of these songs I’m not even too crazy about - Hell, I don’t like “Road Rage” or “Bad One” at all), but no, as most fans will listen to the record in its intended order as both is normal and good, as well as what Em instructed on his Twitter, we get some of the more straightforward tracks as they’re the first two.

Our first track is the not-even-two-minutes-long introduction, “Renaissance”, which doesn’t signal a return to Slim Shady as much as it does a focused and clear-sounding Eminem, one that’s more on point than we’ve heard since 2013. Part of it seems like it was written and/or recorded earlier in his career, but with the smoother delivery and cinematic production, Em’s moaning about the rap game and his own fans comes off much less like whining and bitching than it does a more triumphant walk away from Slim Shady’s gravestones with bars as intricately placed as ever. I love when he rattles off of complaints people make about other rap albums instead of listening to them and evaluating them based on valid reasons, comparing it to people refusing to understand the art of Picasso and hence picking them apart based on their own ignorance rather than an understanding of the work. I hated J. Cole’s last record, I’m harsher to Kendrick than most and VULTURES 1 just made me sad, but my criticism comes much more from empathy and wanting to enjoy the music and hear where it’s coming from than it does a complete dismissal, which I hope shows in the fact I’m giving a passage most would write off as an old man waving his fist at clouds a fair shake and optimistic interpretation. I don’t need to tell you how slick the rhyme schemes are, it’s Eminem, and every bar is loaded with content, references and double-meanings, in such a constant flow that it reminds me of his Encore and The Eminem Show verses where he would just go on and on even if he lost track. Thankfully, this song cuts out before it can do so and seamlessly transitions into…

#11 - “Habits” - Eminem featuring White Gold

Produced by White Gold, Eminem and Narza

It’s fine. It’s not a single, for sure, considering it’s five minutes and starts with a skit before going straight into semi-offensive Slim Shady rants that basically explain the entire conceit of the album, including its dumber ideas like “PC court”. White Gold, a new staple to the typical Eminem feature list, sings the chorus and has a kind of confusing role but ultimately gets off the idea that both Eminem and the fans both miss and need the Slim Shady persona, with this song supposed to lead into that idea until it becomes painfully obvious through his repeated jokes and lame punchlines wearing you down - in a pretty funny way - that he’s full of shit. I love the bridge adding some needed depth to the song so it actually makes sense outside of the record, and the flows on the third verse are crazy, both the slower, pretty hilarious sing-songy way it starts and the most on-point “fast-rap” passage he’s ever had. He talks about pronouns, Caitlyn Jenner, misogyny, and little people, his main focuses on the album within this persona, and it almost grates on you before this track is finished even. I even don’t think the South Park sample is too on-the-nose, and if it weren’t so attached to the album’s concept or it had a better chorus, or Hell, even if it had the “Trouble” interlude properly latched on to add some more depth, it would probably get into good territory. For now, I’ll stick to my preferred tracks, which, apart from “Fuel” with JID, have all been mentioned across these two reviews and the top five. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a more accessible track from Em debut next week.

Conclusion

This wasn’t exactly a week full of surprises and it should be clear that Worst of the Week goes to Katy Perry for “WOMAN’S WORLD” and whilst I see less purpose in that Ice Spice track, on a pure sonic level I think “My Oh My” by Kylie Minogue, Bebe Rexha and Tove Lo is less appealling to me so it gets the Dishonourable Mention. Both are ultimately serviceable disappointments anyway, and Best of the Week should also be plainly obvious: Eminem grabs it with “Renaissance” whilst a surprisingly close Honourable Mention is granted to “Alibi” by Sevdaliza, Pabllo Vittar and Yseult. As for what’s on the horizon, Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall is the last to go solo, that should make moves. For now, though, thank you for reading, long live Cola Boyy, and I’ll see you next week!

#pop music #song review #uk singles chart #eminem #the death of slim shady #white gold #ice spice #central cee #katy perry #kylie minogue #tove lo #bebe rexha #sevdaliza #pabllo vittar #yseult

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