#the chorus is such a queer anthem like

[garfballed]

just THINKING about fast car by tracy chapman gives me goosebumps

[14carrotghoul]

and you can tell everybody (unplugged)

Hi friends! Do not proceed if you don't want spoilers for my fic, and you can tell everybody! Album notes and extras are below the cut :)

ACD's early career is releasing covers and original songs with June on YouTube and later TikTok. Career takes off his first year of university and the rest of the band joins, agreeing to play for a few years to see what happens.

[unnamed] (2020) [very little info on this besides being very pointedly Mexican-American, but the genre is rock influenced by Mexican music, like Cafe Tacvba? Molotov? but more modern]

tex mex - Lyrical inspiration: "Somos Mas Americanos" by Los Tigres Del Norte

decisions (November 2023) [highly influenced by Omar Apollo, I promise the other albums are very different! I'm shoving him down your throats here and I know it lol]

1 new message - mellow r&b. Have suspected something is wrong, ignored it, and now the impact is hitting full force. Wrongly interpreted as Alex leaving a voicemail for an ex but it is a song written for his past self about missing his ADHD and bisexuality. Sound: "3AM" by Haim

reckless abandon - daddy issues song cowritten with Liam. Bilingual. Sound & lyrically: "Voice Inside My Head" by The Chicks

am I? - 'You raised me to disappoint you bc I could never live up to your expectations'/'It took me too long to find myself bc I've been trying to be who you imagined'. Sound: "Go Away" by Omar Apollo

new year new me - fuck expectations, I'm going to do what I want Sound: "Invincible" by Omar Apollo

very bad things - upbeat hookup song. breaking all his own rules and it feels good. "Mercury" by Steve Lacy

split household - child of divorce anthem. Sound: "Kamikaze" by Omar Apollo

seria una mentira - don't make me choose a side. I love you both and it tears me apart. Pointedly about parents. Sound: "Two of Us" by Omar Apollo

too much - Cumbia version of "Too Much" by Carly Rae Jepsen

never enough - never enough to convince people to stay. Sound: "Pram" by Omar Apollo. Also feel this song's outro is very fitting for this!

a light left on - Platonic June appreciation song about how safe Alex has always felt with her. Sound & lyrically: "Caminar Bonito" by Natalia Lafourcade

Good - First time he is told and BELIEVES he is good. "While U Can" by Omar Apollo

yrs - Dramatic love song. First time Alex uses rain motif. Sound: "Petrified" by Omar Apollo

seria una mentira pt. 2 - it would be a lie to choose something simple over choosing you. Sound: "Two of Us" by Omar Apollo but slowed down and more hopeful

spine/die climbing - vulnerable pillow talk. Sound: "Plane Trees" by Omar Apollo, Mustafa

miel - sacrilege bj song. Catches on with queer Latine audience and is memed similarly to Call me by your name by Lil Nas X. Grows the band's audience. Sound: "Te Mata" by Kali Uchis.

on purpose - I choose to be all the things that I am and am not picking a side. End album on a positive note. Sound:"Done With You" by Omar Apollo

vows (June 2024) [very American sound, dreamier, more optimistic]

no booty calls - voicemail w instrumental. Sound: "All Around Me Now" by Perfume Genius

apricot tarts - honeymoon period of a new relationship. Sound: "Someone to Spend Time With" by Los Retros

in dreams - extended version of Henry's in dreams email set to music. In this universe, they met and kissed on New Years at Pez's party and still did long distance and exchanged emails :) Sound: "In A River (Acoustic)" by Rostam

supersonic - secret, fun ode to karaoke night and letting loose on a night out. Sound: "Runaways" by The Killers

tapestry - thank god I'm bi anthem. Sound: "The Steps" by Haim

lipstick on her neck - sung by June. Essentially the lyrics of lipstick lover by janelle monae but in "ALLIIGATOR TEARS" by Beyonce Americana style.

then have me - tender I'm putting it all out there, all you have to do is take it. Sound: "Solar Pilgrim" by Twain

pride (and prejudice) - purposefully anthemic chorus. about being proud despite prejudice in a red state. Sound: "Delta Dawn" by Tanya Tucker

he is my choice - eloping in the rain. comedic/romantic song about how everything went wrong at a wedding. Sound: "Howling at Nothing" by Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats

roasting Alex - jam session - the band lovingly roasts Alex. Sound: "Ballad of Hank Williams" by Hank Williams Jr., Don Helms

Not Just Friends - Liam to Spencer. Song about how they're frequently mistaken for just best friends and how happy it makes him to correct that they're more than that. Song chosen so piano and drums play the beats together. Sound: "A Little Honey" by Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats

Be Cool - Spencer to Liam. Quirky/self-deprecating song about his butterflies about being with someone he's in awe of. Sound: "Heart's Content" by Brandi Carlile

a romantic - June to Nora. Confirms that Nora is aromantic to public. June saying she would never need more from Nora bc she gets to wake up next to her best friend every day. Sound: "Tu" by maye.

bluebonnet - This place (Texas) was never a home to me until you showed me how it was a part of you and now I see you everywhere. Sound & lyrically: "I Think of You" by Rodriguez.

red-blooded (August 2029)

cover: Navy suit w white shirt and American Flag pin on lapel, cropped so only torso is showing

Americana sound again - about 50/50 rock and Americana. Features from Dolly Parton, Orville Peck, and Brandon Flowers

blue blood (August 2029)

cover: red British army dress, cropped so only torso is showing

British glam rock sounds. Features from Elton John, Brian May, and samples David Bowie.

co-written with Henry

-

AND as for where they go from the end of the fic:

Alex becomes a civil rights lawyer in Austin.

Henry's writing career grows but he remains relatively private.

June becomes a music journalist. Eventually ventures into exposes on the industry's shady practices and successfully pivots into investigative journalism

Nora does her own thing.

Liam stays in music industry as a band manager under Zahra's tutelage.

Spencer majored in music production/mixing(?) and gets taken under Pez's wing. Has a smaller solo career and produces for a few indie bands before he settles down and works as a sound mixer in the film industry.

Bea continues to play guitar and flit between collaboration projects.

Zahra is the band's manager and Shaan is Henry's publicist/mentor and they meet while officially strategizing Alex's coming out.

[omegalomania]

What are some of your favorite aro-/ace-coded fob lyrics?

oh fuck yes a little bowl of seeds just for me

boycott love from disloyal order of water buffaloes is a personal favorite of mine. its a lyric i really really want tattooed at some point. that's not the only lyric i latch onto from an aro perspective but it's probably the biggest one

basically the entirety of it's hard to say "i do" when i don't but a special mention goes to you are appealing to emotions that i simply do not have as well as the only ring i want buried with me are the ones around my eyes

it's true romance is dead / i shot it in the chest and in the head from the music or the misery is also a favorite of mine, also just that whole song in general

i thought i loved you but it was just how you looked in the light in hum hallelujah resonates with a lot of queer folks i've found, and it's no different for me

same goes for it's a strange way of saying that i know i'm supposed to love you from g.i.n.a.s.f.s.

i'm outside the door, invite me in / so we can go back and play pretend from alone together brings me back to when i was trying to perform heteronormativity/amatonormativity even if it was making me miserable

i also hold to a very similar vibe with she said "i love you 'till i don't" / i am just playing house, no idea what i'm doing now from sunshine riptide and also most of burna boy's verse, frankly. i fell in love but i didn't fall down and feel like i'm bulletproof, baby in particular

american beauty/american psycho, particularly the first verse. i think i fell in love again / maybe i just took too much cough medicine

golden is a big one for queer folks in general i've found. the chorus especially hits hard from an aro and/or ace reading. and i saw god cry in the reflection of my enemies / and all the lovers with no time for me

i've got a dark alley and a bad idea that says you should shut your mouth is a heavy song no matter how you slice it. but that chorus gets to me in particular: we can fake it for the airwaves / force our smiles, baby, half-dead / from comparing myself to everyone else around me

the kids aren't alright reads to me as one big anthem for platonic love above anything romantic, which resonates super hard with me. the second verse has a lot of good lines that i latch onto from an aroace lens too. your love is anemic and i can't believe / that you couldn't see it coming from me

pretty much the whole chorus of HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON'T does it for me, and those verses have got some good aroallo vibes too! i never really feel a thing... confidants but never friends...

the whole of fake out is a gimme. that chorus rings real true. starts with love is in the air, i just gotta find a window to break out and finishing with but it was all a fake-out

i've got all this ringing in my ears and none on my fingers is one that has another highly applicable title but the whole refrain of the truth hurts worse / than anything i could bring myself to do to you paired with the one-two punch of that second verse REALLY gets under my skin

and of course, the culminating one: you are what you love, not who loves you from save rock and roll. obviously there are a LOT of ways to read that line

there are a couple other songs i latch onto - wilson (expensive mistakes); a little less "sixteen candles", a little more "touch me"; the (after) life of the party to name a few - but the ones listed above are the big lyrics that resonate with me on a personal level

just in general i have a shitton of fob over on my aro playlist (which doubles as a general aroace/queer playlist but has a lot of emphasis on aromanticism) in case i forgot to mention anything but like i said those are the big ones

[gaylor-gremlin]

taylor swift's "clean" as an homage to coming out

clean is a profound narrative of rebirth, resonating deeply with the queer journey of self-discovery and liberation from past identities.

the opening sets a desolate tone, painting a picture of the emotional wilderness that mirrors isolation felt before embracing one’s queer identity.

it speaks to the profound loneliness of hiding one’s truth— a drought of realness in a parched landscape of society’s expectations.

she captures the heartbreak of relationships withering under the strain of unacknowledged truths.

it’s a metaphor for the loss felt when personal growth and authenticity are stifled, reflecting the queer reality of sacrificing parts of oneself to fit societal expectations

she uses imagery of marks left by past relationships, symbolizing how past identities and societal labels cling to us, often unwelcome. this line resonates with the struggle to shed your past & emerge anew, a journey familiar to many queer people seeking to escape their pasts.

the chorus is a powerful declaration of renewal & liberation, echoing the cathartic release of embracing one’s true identity. the act of becoming “clean” transcends physical purity, touching on the spiritual/emotional cleansing that occurs when one accepts and loves one’s self.

the imagery of a lost war & a perfect storm metaphorically represent the internal battles faced by queer individuals, highlighting the despair and darkness that can accompany the fight for acceptance and self-recognition.

it’s a stark depiction of the moments of defeat that are, unfortunately, part of the journey toward self-acceptance.

swift transforms the narrative, turning rain from a harbinger of drowning to a source of life & breath. this shift mirrors the transformative experience of coming out, where what once seemed like it would be the end is actually the beginning of true self-discovery & authenticity.

the song closes on a note of hopeful resolution, with the dawn bringing a new day free from the past. this imagery captures the journey to self-acceptance, where the struggles and pain of the past are washed away, leaving behind a sense of peace and a newly affirmed identity.

in this song, swift offers not just a narrative of personal healing but a universal anthem for anyone on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance, particularly resonating with the queer experience of navigating identity & transformation in a world that often seems unyielding.

if we frame clean as an homage to coming out, then swift intricately weaves the fabric of personal rebirth and societal defiance, celebrating the courageous step of embracing one’s true self amidst the pressures of conformity.

[moonlightsapphic]

Fun little ways I relate bisexuality to T Swift songs!*

*not claiming she’s bi for sure or anything! I just love her music and I’m bi so I like connecting to the lyrics by relating it to my personal experiences!

‘tis the damn season and dorothea are really queer to me. I love to think of the pairing as sapphic, but reading your post made me think of a bi4bi woman and man and that’s just incredible sweet haha. cowboy like me always reminded me of Puss in Boots x Kitty Softpaws (it’s comical I know), and that’s the most bi4bi straight-passing pairing ever.

willow is explicitly about a man but damn. Not sure if it’s the folk-y genre but the queer vibes are immaculate. Dress is my demisexuality anthem, I always fall for people who I initially met as friends and the attraction gets so INTENSE. mirrorball, Labyrinth, Sweet Nothing, peace, right where you left me and the lakes also give me anxious queer girl vibes. Glitch, to me, definitely has bi girl in an situationship with a straight man that she’s actually falling in love with kind of atmosphere.

The Very First Night, Gasoline, I Can See You and Maroon gives sapphic bisexuals to me, though I do believe they are in part (if not entirely) about men. And I just think that’s neat, that the narrator in the songs has such a queer approach to her relationship regardless to the gender of the muse. Not even all songs without pronouns can pull that off so well.

Vigilante Shit is incredible to me because it’s like she’s stealing someone’s ex-wife. (Also “I don’t dress for women, I don’t dress for men …”) It has hardcore badass bisexual written all over it. And every time Taylor sings “To tell you the truth, sometimes I wish I was her,” in When Emma Falls in Love, I can swear what the song is actually, unbeknownst to herself pining for is to date Emma herself. It feels like Taylor’s own subtly homoerotic version of Lacy by Olivia Rodrigo, or Heather by Conan Gray. There’s this playful genderbending thing Taylor does when singing the chorus of Question…? which also reads as very much a bisexual gaze to me.

[queervocasongtourn]

Queer Vocaloid Song Tournament: Side C, Round 1

Please listen to all songs before voting!

Empress by Teniwoha feat. Kagamine Rin (Lyrics)

VS

Unicorn by Teniwoha feat. v flower (Lyrics)

Propaganda under the cut!

EMPRESS

"WE KNOW VILLAIN. WE KNOW UNICORN. LIVED IT LOVED IT. BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT EMPRESS AKA TENIWOHA TRANSFEM ANTHEM… Speaker goes through a journey feeling very inadequate and inherently ugly, something that makeup can't conceal, and says "It looks like my infinitesimal soul was poured into the wrong template" she doesn't fit what's is beautiful, she feels like she was made wrong. There's an inner conflict between the Empress she "wants" to be and what she actually "is" but then she gains more confidence when she reflects on how nature is inherently beautiful because it exists, not because other people think it's beautiful. "Does a lotus flower bloom because it thinks it will be pretty?" Consider how even though she knows she is an "empress," she compares herself to a wrapper over candy--a thin shield, but it doesn't hide anything shameful but rather the sweet candy underneath. This marks a switch into embracing herself. Even if she wants to use the things that signify Empress status aka makeup, clothes, to cover her "ugly" soul she undertands that she is beautiful as she is and doesn't actually need these thigns to be an Empress. She has her "wrapper" on her terms do I make sense. It's commentary on how femininity is both a performance but also self expression. That's why the chorus cries out "Step away from your throne" she does not need a throne to be the Empress that she is!! She doesn't need the validation. "Even if it’s a lie, I’ve straightened my back, see?" SHe is more secure in herself by the end of the song and it no longer matters if being an Empress won't be seen as real enough to others, she has pride in herself and that won't change. I get really emotional about this. Insanely underrated. When you hear EMPRESS IN ME do you not feel the power of the EMPRESS IN ME?!?!?!"

UNICORN

"too overlooked in favor of villain!!!!!! though not as explicitly queer in its lyrics still obv about being an Other. fell of the ark - as a unicorn, not a "real" animal, or that it was a male and a female of each animal and you belong as neither. self-assured song. lovely song."

"villain's lesser known younger sibling. let your uniqueness show! dont hide it away!"

"Its a trans song I like as much as villain :D its probably not gonna win but I like it"

[1asbrightasthestars3]

Let me tell you something I think everyone without exception needs to know.

Quick backstory, me and my friends decided to do presentation night, which means each of us will make 3 presentations about topics that we will choose.

I chose, the love of my life, Louis Tomlinson.

And I decided to have a bit of fun with that.

So I made a quiz called "Louis Tomlinson or Shakespeare."

The quiz is about quotes from William Shakespeare, the brilliant playwright and poet from the 16th century & from Louis Tomlinson, the man and the legend.

Going into this presentation I was aware of Louis' writing skills, and I know and have known for years what a lyrical genius he is, BUT.

I wanted to make it as confusing as possible for my friends and for that to work, I had to take the greatest (not the song) Louis Tomlinson lyrics.

And I think I just fell a little more in love with his lyrics. e.j

"pour, mercy, mercy on me, set fire to history, I'm breaking my own rules, I'm crying like a fool. Tall stories on the page, Short glories on the fade, I've been close enough to touch, but I never cared for love." STARTING OFF REAL STRONG,

and then we have the pre-chorus: (which I do hope to get tattooed later in life.)

"it's a church of burnt romances, and I'm too far gone to pray, it's a solo song and it's only for the brave"

And this not only being a literal piece of literature it's also very clearly, to me at least, and sorry for assuming, a queer anthem. Referencing the religious perspective on it, specifically the Catholic/christian opinion on it.

And then of course we have got the chorus.

"if the truth tell, darling, you fell, Like there ain't enough dying stars in your sky. It's a tall tale, and it's only hello, hello, no goodbye."

Which is actually perfect in my eyes. After that we have the second verse.

"pour mercy, mercy on me, I'll fall upon my knees and they'll say 'i told you so, Come on when you know, you know.' "

Which, help me god, once again sounds very clearly like a queer anthem, this time referencing the family/social circle of the person.

Then we have the rest of the second verse which is not only the most heartbreaking line I have ever heard, it is also the quote I meant to use because it reminded me of a popular Shakespeare quote.

"All the lonely shadows dances, from the cradle to the grave. It's a solo song, and it's only for the brave."

Do you understand what I'm talking about now? This man is THE poet of the century (you can also add Taylor swift to the list, the woman is a genius.) And I don't think you can even begin to understand he said all of these things UNDER TWO MINUTES??

anyways I just wanted to share my love to Louis Tomlinson and I hope you can listen to him in the future if you haven't, and continue to listen to him now if you have. Because I only spoke about 'Only the brave' but his songs are the most poetic, beautiful thing I have heard. (Yes there are songs about him having flings and taking drugs but don't everyone?;)

So there's a list of my favorite Louis Tomlinson songs that I think you should listen to: Copy of a copy of a copy, the greatest, change (this one!!), angels fly, two of us (about his late mother, bless him), walls, bigger than me, too young and basically the entirety of two his albums 'Walls' and 'Faith in the future.'

Thank you for listening to my rant! ~L

[skinzchoerim]

I keep wanting to rant about give me the lOve bitxx, because I can't be the only one who finds this song inherently contradictory, right? Everything is at odds with itself, including the actions and thoughts of the narrator. I can't put my finger on his motivations, on which lines are sincere and insincere, and it's giving me a headache.

I'm always conflicted whether I should approach their songs about women with a queer lense or not. It makes sense to dig deeper into angel and the instinct part 1 songs where religious guilt ties in nicely with the queer themes, but obviously they have plenty of songs about women that don't require a look into the subtext and can be taken as what they are on the surface, aka bi anthems. In the case of this song, I think it makes the most sense to approach it through the lense of what they can't say, and the amount of internal conflict here feels very queercoded to me. On the one hand, it seems like it's from the perspective of someone who cares about the person he's singing about and is aware he wouldn't be a good partner because of his emotional issues, so he warns her not to get too close. On the other hand, it feels like the narrator isn't sure he's attracted to women and he feels annoyed with this woman who keeps clinging to him, but he admits he doesn't actually want her to leave, likely because he wants to maintain a veneer of "normalcy".

The sound of the song itself is sweet and innocent, but the title is passive aggressive. He demands to be given love even though the majority of the song focuses on pushing her away, and calling her a bitch comes across as resentment. The lyric beginning the song and every chorus is "don't make me pull the trigger", which is a very manipulative threat - he puts the blame for wanting to hurt her on her. As @atozmoongazer kindly pointed out to me, the imagery in the chorus is that of a holdup - freeze, give me your treasure, don't make me pull the trigger. The treasure in this case would likely be the titular love, and taking into account the rest of the song, he's not very keen on reciprocating it or treating it gently.

Her covering his mouth when he's talking could be read in two ways (once again thank you @atozmoongazer for pointing out to me what I missed - it's a reference to Yoojung's mouth being covered in the teaser, therefore a pretty important line). One interpretation is more literal, that she interrupts him, makes him feel like his words don't matter, maybe she prefers to kiss him instead of having a conversation, and all of that on top of the fact that he doesn't like how clingy she is results in him feeling bad and resentful in this relationship. The other interpretation is that he feels silenced whenever he's around her, and he blames her for his own inability to express what's on his mind. She could just be the scapegoat for everything and everyone else that's making him feel this way.

Even the lyrics that mention constantly thinking about her face and feeling strange could be read in two ways. The obvious one is that you normally think a lot about the person you like, but I know from experience how confusing it can be when you constantly think about a person you know you're supposed to like, but aren't sure you do. I spent a lot of time in the past going back and forth between "If I actually liked this person, I would know it and be certain of it, and since I'm constantly questioning whether my feelings are real or not, that means I clearly don't like them" and "I'm constantly thinking about them and wondering whether I like them or not, therefore I must like them since I've got this weird obsession with them". When he talks about hiding his feelings, playing dumb and feeling numb because of it, on the surface it might refer to making sure his romantic feelings don't show, but to me it feels much more like a continuation of the lines about feeling broken when they're near each other and continuing to put up with it.

Basically, I think this internal conflict and confusion are an intentional feature of the song, similarly to skinz. The narrator wants to hide behind a veneer of a sweet-sounding boy group love song and make sure you don't understand him just as much as he doesn't understand himself, but lying to the listener about everything makes him feel too silenced. Since he can't hold back all the negative feelings he's bottling up, it's easy to look through the cracks and catch a glimpse of everything waiting to pour out of him, and end up feeling just as conflicted and confused as he does.

[krsonmar]

I don't think I ever posted my Nandermo playlist, so here it is, with annotations: "Their Love Can't Be Put Into a Box full of Oreos and Pedialyte", a Nandermo fan playlist

1.) Please Don't Leave Me--P!nk

One way to describe this show is "it's bouncy and fun and about how horrible we are to the people who know us best". That called for radio pop about knowingly unhealthy relationships, so of course I went for P!nk. Listen to that bridge ("I forgot to say out loud...") and tell me that's not a Nandermo dynamic.

2.) King of Wishful Thinking--cover by Newfound Glory feat. Patrick Stump

Denial is the name of the game, kids! This cover gives the song a nice rock anthem feel. I'm proud of finding this for this playlist.

3.) I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE--Måneskin

A nice little song about inverting the servant-master dynamic. Who's really dependent on who? And who's really "corrupting" who? Also it's very queer, good old-fashioned campy glam rock. Play it for your Sunday School group!

4.) How's It Going To Be--Third Eye Blind

It's getting to be an unspoken rule when I make a playlist that I have to have one of three songs by Third Eye Blind and one of three by Vertical Horizon. In my defense, these two bands fell into a sweet spot in the late-90s where alt rock was getting just poppy enough but not too poppy.

This one's about knowing you want to leave, you're just waiting for something to happen to finally start the actual ball rolling on it, an inciting incident of some sort: a fight, a snafu you should be able to handle together but that snowballs instead, so on. It's the point in a deteriorating relationship where you've decided you want this to end and you just need an opportunity to enact the decision...but you're also mad at what you've lost. It's before the resignation where there's nothing left to say except "goodbye". Fifteen years and you're not a vampire yet, so please won't the other person give you a reason to leave? Special stuff, kids, and here it has a good singalong chorus and another rockin' bridge.

5.) If You Ever Leave I'm Coming With You--The Wombats

"This relationship degrades me so badly and don't you even think about trying to escape me!" Great to listen to on a loop while nailed into a coffin for weeks while sobbing quietly about how you were *going* to travel the world with your Nan-with your Master!!

6.) I Get A Kick Out Of You--Frank Sinatra

Yeah this one is out-of-place for this playlist but this playlist goes to some weird places. It's a fan playlist about goofy vampires, I do what I damn well want.

Nandor is 700 years old and can't die. He's been a deadly military warlord, watched empires rise and fall, and outlived the majority of his own descendants. He's gotta be pretty jaded. When you drink the blood of other people to live, a lot won't phase you anymore. That's the thinking behind this song. I think Nandor is kind of fascinated with Guillermo's mortality in a way (I wrote a meta post here) and that might play into why he doesn't want to turn him.

Also this song is a standard that gets remade all the time, so if you know of a version that isn't by Old Blue Eyes that you think would fit this playlist, I'd love to hear it.

7.) Dancin' In The Moonlight--either the 1970s original by King's Harvest or the 00s remake by Toploader, take your pick

Ah yes, a good old-fashioned autumnal ball for the supernatural who walk among us, perhaps held on the night when the veil between worlds is thinnest! And a classic song to dance to. I like to imagine our boys having a cute moment to this one; Guillermo trying to spin Nandor around by the hand until he realizes a second too late that the height discrepancy is ridiculous, Nandor doing some medieval Persian dance moves Guillermo tries to copy, long coats sweeping behind them as they twirl and boogie, lots of giggling. It ain't all angst here, folks.

8.) One Week by the Barenaked Ladies (the acoustic version from The Bathroom Sessions, find it on YouTube)

I have always loved this song, so I was thrilled to see it in the Fitness Center episode, and you know I had to get it in here. The song's about having a fight that could end in a breakup but you both know each other too well to stay mad, and this version--recorded in one of the band members bathrooms as an experiment in acoustics-turned-full impromptu YouTube series--conveys a good-natured casual intimacy and amiability that comes from years of deep familiarity--haha--and learning to get things done together and have fun with it while fully expecting each other's shortcomings and planning for them so it'll be okay. Maybe that's me reading a lot into it; yes, it's filmed in a bathroom, and it's an acoustic version of a song the band is known for even to non-fans, so Ed Robertson and Steven Page's easy back-and-forth ad libs have the comfort of years of doing this under it; but also, the song was almost 20 years old at the point this was filmed, so it's *that* level of "we know how to do this", and it you know the band's history, a few years later, the band kicked Steven out due to a lot of drama, with, IIRC, the understanding he could come back at some point if he worked on himself. Knowing that, the recording can read a lot like a comfortable, long-lived domestic relationship that eventually went south, but this is a snapshot of when times were still good.

I'm way overthinking this, but anyway, the song fits that episode of the show really well and I think this version heightens the "why" of that.

9.) You're A God, by Vertical Horizon

This is the other band with three songs that end up on all my playlists somehow. I really think Nandor and Guillermo have each other, despite what it seems, on a pedestal somewhat, and might even see each other as having a type of divinity that makes them untouchable to the other in some sense. Guillermo, to Nandor, is pure, fragile, mortal, in need of protection, unsuited to being "ruined" by vamipirsm...because then what other human would dare risk gracing Nandor with their time of day? Nandor, to Guillermo, is a powerful, aloof being, literally supernatural, infinitely more powerful than him and far less vulnerable (in multiple ways, so it seems), and promising him access to this thing he wants so badly if only he just proves himself enough.

Catholicism ahoy! And I'll take mine with a side of a modified Madonna-Whore Complex, please!

They've got some complexes, these two.

10.) Last one and then you can stop reading (why are you still reading this??)

Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler, or, depending on a few things, go for the techno remix by Nicki French

This song was actually written by the composer best known for his work with Meatloaf, for a campy rock opera about a human in an emotionally abusive relationship with a vampire. I know, right? If they don't use this song somewhere in the final season, I will riot. A good finale piece; I want to see it used in its techno incarnation for a climactic fight scene, I wrote a stupid thing a couple years ago about the idea. A nice, very fitting wrap-up to the playlist...and the show, perhaps?

Go take a break, you just read way too much meta about a fictional neurotic gay couple.

[the-eclectic-wonderer]

when you get this you have to answer with 5 of ur fav songs and then tag your mutuals to do the same :) (no pressure <3)

Thank you to @valentinaonthemoon for the tag, check out her amazing song list here (and check out her blog in general, she's amazing herself!)

Into the Groove - Madonna [ youtube | spotify ] TBH the entire Celebration album could fit here, they're all iconic songs from a legend of music, but Into the Groove really gets me in the mood to dance. It also reminds me of the music in the original Ace Attorney trilogy, which is a fun perk.

De Selby (Part 2) - Hozier [ youtube | spotify ] The Irish man has done it again, folks. I've been listening to Unreal Unearth way too much since it came out, and it's a magical experience every time. Once again, the entire album could fit here - De Selby (Part 2) wins the race thanks to its spectacular bass line.

Our Day Will Come - Julie London [ youtube | spotify ] I'm a big jazz fan, and Julie is my absolute favourite jazz singer (which is no surprise, given my adoration and admiration for contralto voices). This one in particular makes me feel like I'm laying on a tropical beach and watching the sun set over the sea. (Also, how lgbtq are the lyrics? This is a queer joy anthem to me).

Strangers by Nature - Adele [ youtube | spotify ] My absolute favourite from her latest album, 30. That beautiful moment when the "chorus" begins gives me chills everytime. Whenever I happen upon this song I have to stop whatever I'm doing and just listen to it - it takes me to another world entirely. This is what falling in love sounds like to me.

Ride Home - Ben&Ben [ youtube | spotify ] This is one of the most recent additions to my music library! I happened upon it while building a playlist for a road trip and loved it immediately. It's sweet, energetic, and fit to be sung at the top of my lungs during a car ride - basically everything I look for in a song.

And this is five songs already?!? Oh, dear, I was set to go on for a while more! Thanks again @valentinaonthemoon for tagging me, this was really fun!

I don't normally tag anyone specifically in this kind of post, but this time around I'd like to know what @hecatesbroom, @hershellaytonlovespuzzles, and @myreignoveryou are listening to (if you'd like to have a go at it, of course!). And anyone else who wants to share their favourite songs - use this post as a free tag to do it!

[lovejustforaday]

Gay Pride Anthems (According to Me) - Tristan

Tristan - Patrick Wolf

Genres: Folktronica, Goth Rock, Art Pop

Okay, so this one is definitely gonna be stretching the definition of a "gay pride anthem" quite generously, but hear me out on this one.

There's an undeniable anthemic, queer anti-hero energy festering under the darker lyrics and theatrical mannerisms of Patrick Wolf's 2005 single "Tristan", and I'm gonna tell you all about it.

THE ARTIST

Patrick Wolf is an openly queer and largely subversive singer/songwriter originating from London, UK.

He's a millennial indie folk artist, so naturally he had his big heyday in the latter half of the 2000s, when artists such as Sufjan Stevens, Fleet Foxes, Joanna Newsom and the like were becoming big names in the indie music sphere. The Big Indie Folk Boom of the 2000s, might I call it, which indirectly lead to the subsequent (shudder) Star Bucks Folk or "Stomp Clap Hey" Boom of the early 2010s.

Patrick Wolf has described himself at different times in the past as bisexual, though in more recent interviews he has identified himself as a gay man. Patrick has also remarked in the past how his record labels have tried to pin him down, pushing him to embrace a more camp gay archetype and less of the soft, mildly androgynous energy and aesthetic he often cultivates.

I discovered Patrick's music fairly early on in my coming out years of high school and my freshman year of university. The song in question today was actually one of my first favourite songs from an explicitly queer indie artist, even before I discovered more contemporary artists like Perfume Genius if I am remembering correctly.

To this day, I've still only listened to Patrick's 2005 LP Wind In The Wires, an LP which I highly recommend as a somewhat forgotten classic of its era. The record marries theatrical, angsty poetics and macabre cabaret with beautiful, nocturnal folk chamber music and art pop eccentricities. There's also elements of indie rock in the mix.

It's the kind of record I imagine Oscar Wilde might've made if he was born at the end of 20th century and decided to become a musician (Take that with a metric ton of salt - I read like one or two Oscar Wilde poems in high school).

I'd also highly recommend "The Libertine" and the title track off of that record for a better picture of his unique artistic style. But today, we're gonna be talking about the GAYEST song on the record which is definitely "Tristan".

THE SONG AND WHY IT SLAPS

My name is Tristan...and I am alive.

ugh. uff. HAAHHH ✨

"Tristan" is the vampiric ballad of a man who is a miserable lone wolf and walking contradiction. It's also a complete and total fucking banger, the likes of which is so rarely achieved through such a bizarre approach to pop songwriting.

The track opens with these hollow, mildly grating acoustic guitar twinges, before it all comes together with an accordion riff, piano stabs, and electronic filtered drums and effects creating a very awkward, hiccup-y rhythm. I feel like "Tristan" is wading through swamp water and digging his feet out of sink holes as he pleads his story to whoever will listen.

Patrick snarls and grunts, performing as a sort of beastly creature, and yet an elegant gentleman with his romantic declarations during the chorus. The performance could've been much too goofy in the hands of a lesser talented vocalist, but Wolf pulls it off. Hell, he doesn't just pull it off - he knocks it out of the park.

The lyrics offer the perspective of someone who feels he is monstrous and at war with himself. lines like "I am the victim / but I'm the murderer" paint the picture of self-destruction and self-loathing. But despite his woes and general misery, he compiles his identity together in the chorus with the iconic affirmation that, ultimately, "[he is] Tristan, and [he is] alive". This song is just filled with awesome. It's original, it's dark, it's symbolic, and it's catchy as all hell, even though it probably shouldn't be for how oddly it's conceived. Lesser-known gems like this song are the ones that get me really excited to post my silly little reviews on this music blog that maybe four or five people read each time, because if I can even get just one more person to listen to it, then it will feel like a huge accomplishment on my end.

WHY IT'S GAY

I could just state the obvious that "It's by a gay man and it's about another man so it's gay", but I think we all can dig a little deeper with our queer analysis than that, can't we? Let me offer my interpretation. Have you ever noticed that like, a lot of gay men carry a significant burden of self-loathing? Or how many times have you felt as a gay man, or any type of queer person for that matter, that you were essentially a beast because of the way that society and especially religion has cast you into the role of the dangerous "other"?

Of course, feeling like a monster in the eyes of society in the way that the eponymous Tristan clearly does, will often lead down paths of self-destruction and self-harm. Indirect ways of trying to disengage or even disappear from a world that feels full of rejection for you as a person.

In the gay male community especially, I've seen this manifest a lot in the forms of substance abuse, as well as the phenomenon some psychologists and social scientists are referring to as "sex as self-injury". I have known of, and even met a few Tristans in my life time, and many of us have some degree of a Tristan personality inside of us to varying extents. In a different timeline, I could've even become a full-on Tristan myself, and I was certainly not terribly far from it during my worst years. it's very easy to interpret this song just as a cautionary tale, so why should I include this in a list of "gay PRIDE" anthems? Well, it's complicated.

Pride isn't always the way that mainstream media depicts it. It's not always bright pink feather boas and sunny days and big beautiful happy gay couples and radiant drag queens.

Sometimes pride is just having the ability to wake up the next morning and the will to press on. It's having the self-respect to fight for your autonomy to live as the person you truly are.

Tristan states it himself. He might be all of these things: troubled, a tragedy, a victim, metaphorically fucked, but he is also clearly not willing to give up. He's "working for joy on overtime", fighting for his happiness. He is Tristan, and he is alive, and that's just a little bit uplifting, isn't it? It is often the music that acknowledges the pain in this world, and tells you to press on despite everything, that has gotten me through my darkest hours. That includes, of course, having to navigate all of the bullshit homophobia online and in the real world.

And it's never that far off - I live in the statistically gayest province of one of the most LGBTQ-friendly countries in the world, and there was still a reported hate crime in my own city this year. Patrick Wolf himself was once the victim of a hate crime by bouncers at a concert, and experienced relentless bullying in his school years. "Tristan" is very likely informed by his lived experiences.

Don't get me wrong - when I'm feeling my oats and going to a gay club, I expect to be dancing to some loud and proud disco bangers. We need that kind of music in the community to empower us and give us that collective hope.

But there is definitely a much needed place as well for more complex, bittersweet, and even tragic gay anthems in the lives of gay men, and all queer people in general. We need anthems that tell our stories without any pretenses. We need to hear that our pain is real, just as much as we need to be told to keep going.

So thank you Patrick Wolf, for this unsung timeless classic. May Tristan, and all the Tristans in all of us one day heal from our scars.

[raylazuko]

So I listened to every Eurovision 2024 song and here are my rankings and reviews!

1. Slovenia: Veronika-Raiven 10/10

Holy shit, my jaw is on the floor! This is easily my favorite song this year with only Mustii coming close. This girl’s voice is insane. I am obsessed with dark songs and…this climax. It’s actually insane. The background vocals had me climbing up the walls, this is INSANE. I JUST WISH THE SONG WAS LONGER! It’s so good that my only complaint is wanting more of it!

2. Belgium: Before the Party’s Over-Mustii 10/10

Holy shit, this is incredible! I have a strong affinity for dark pop and songs that build in intensity over time. It starts out as a fairly by the numbers ballad but gains a lot of momentum. Mustii has incredible vocals and the atmosphere is insane. The lyrics aren’t anything special but the delivery and mood of the song more than makes up for it. That final chorus with the choir legitimately gives me chills.

3. Norway: Ulveham-Gåte 10/10

Okay, this is incredible. Mixing old Norse folk songs with a hard rock vibe is excellent and the vocals are incredible! This is the perfect blend of beautifully traditional and kickass! This is another band I’ll definitely be checking out after this!

4. Switzerland: The Code-Nemo 10/10

Seeing a nonbinary artist making a song that’s blatantly about queer joy makes me absolutely thrilled, and the blend of rap and opera is insane. Their vocals are absolutely insane and I really hope this wins.

5. San Marino: 11:11-Megara 10/10

This is my first introduction to Megara and wow, I’m obsessed lol. I love hard rock especially female-fronted and I’ll definitely be checking this band out. This is just a really kickass hard rock banger with some electronic elements! There’s not much else to say expect the flamenco breakdown was really cool and actually fits well.

6. Latvia: Hollow-Dons 10/10

Yeah, I love dark stuff with this kind of vibe, it’s right up my alley. (Daylight and Arcade do this sound BADLY) this song does it WELL and I give a lot of credit to Dons for this insane performance. I could see this shrinking on me but for now, it’s hitting the spot! Anthemic shit like this is my cup of tea!

7. Serbia: Ramonda-Teya Dora 10/10

As far as ballads go, this is about as perfect as you can get. Teya’s voice is gorgeous, and the instrumental is perfectly spare leading up to a big crescendo. The final chorus gives me chills with the incredible layered vocals.

8. Czechia: Pedestal-Aiko 9.5/10

We love pop punk girlies! This song is so fun. It’s a great kickass self empowerment anthem about not needing no man! I’m a big fan of this sound and Aiko has a nice voice. The only reason it’s not a 10 is because I find the song a bit short.

9. Luxembourg: Fighter-TALI 9.5/10

Welcome back, Luxembourg! This is pretty much a perfect pop song and totally how you do a pop song lol. It’s catchy without being annoying, has all the production elements in the right place, a mix of languages, and a great performance by TALI. This one won’t get out of my head!

10. Croatia: Rim Tim Tagi Dim-Baby Lasagna 9/10

This song is very fun and peak Eurovision to me. The energy reminds me a lot of Kaarija last year. It’s extremely campy while still sounding pretty awesome and having that hard rock chorus. The anxiety of growing up and moving out is real so even if the lyrics are cheesy I enjoy them quite a bit. It’s just a bit cheesy for me to listen to regularly but it is such a banger.

11. Poland: Grito-iolanda 9/10

I’m not much for ballads but this one has some nice swell to it and a really pleasant melody as well as great vocals! What’s not to love?

12. Finland: No Rules!-Windows95Man 9/10

As goofy as this is, I can’t help but love it. It puts a huge smile on my face and it has a nice positive message. Also the whole Windows95 aesthetic is awesome lol.

13. Ireland: Doomsday Blue-Bambie Thug 9/10

Okay, yeah, thanks for the discovery! This gives me BIG Ashnikko and TeZAtalks vibes and I am here for it. Also more nonbinary representation! Definitely the most unique song of the year! I love the aggro rap and hard rock juxtaposed with the acoustic chorus. Very cool!

14. Estonia: 5MINUST, Puuluup-(nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi 8.5/10

This title is way too long lol. I had no idea how to rank this, but yeah, this is fun and just embodies Eurovision for me! It’s such a bop!

15. Albania: TiTAN-Besa 8.5/10

I love everything about this from Besa’s vocals to the anthemic mood, to the handclaps to the synth explosion of the final chorus. My only problem is how the first part of the song is kind of boring and the lyrics are woefully generic.

16. Azerbaijan: Özünle Apar-Fahree, İlkin Dovletov 8/10

This song is really gorgeous. The vocals are beautiful, it has a relaxing ethnic vibe, I love the stings and backing vocals, and this definitely strikes me as a unique entry!

17. Moldova: The Middle-Natalia Barbu 8/10

I’m not really sure why people hate this one. It’s really unique and has a great orchestral vibe to it. Sure, the lyrics are generic, but the vocals are great and I love the combination of the more orchestral vibe and the dance beat. It’s a really nice vibe!

18. Australia: One Mikali (One Blood)-Electric Fields 8/10

I like this one a lot. It has a nice message and a really great crowd pleaser vibe. The vocals are great and it’s an electronic sound with traditional and ethnic elements. I really love the synth riff, that’s some delicious stuff. I just find it a bit cheesy to be one of my top choices.

19. France: Mon Amor-Slimane 8/10

I’m not usually much for ballads, and this isn’t something I’d listen to all that often, but this man has some pipes and his vocals absolutely carry this song.

20. Italy: La Noia-Angelina Mango 8/10

This is a really fun ethnic song with good vocals and a nice instrumental that makes me want to dance. I like these type of songs a lot.

21. Cyrpus: Liar-Silia Kapsis 8/10

This one is strange for me, since it has tropical house elements and is extremely generic which I both hate. This kind of reminds me of Solo from last year, but better. Idk what it is about this girl and the song but it’s so catchy and I have a lot of fun with this despite its shortcomings.

22. Armenia: Jako-Ladanavia 8/10

This is probably the most ethnic sounding song on the list and I find it to be quite repetitive. This seems more like a novelty song than one I’d listen to a lot, but I can’t deny how fun and upbeat it is! This is a very unique entry in the lineup!

23. Greece: ZARI-Marina Satti 8/10

I was not feeling this at first, but it’s really grown on me. It’s incredibly infectious. Yes, it can get annoying after a while, but I listen to a lot of noisy music so I’m sort of immune. I like the ethnic sound and party vibe but I do think it has the potential to shrink on me really fast.

24. Malta: Loop-Sara Bonnici 8/10

This is a really solid and fun pop song with nice vocals, there’s not much else to say about it!

25. Georgia: Firefighter-Nutsa 7.5/10

I really wish I liked this more. Iru was absoltuely robbed last year and I can’t help but feel that this one also has very generic lyrics and messy production. However Nutsa is a good perfomer and I really like the “I see it in the air” chanting and the song has a nice build to the chorus. Considering I listen to a lot of K-pop with similarly messy production, this doesn’t bother me nearly as much as it would for some.

26. Netherlands: Europapa-Joost 7/10

This one has grown on me a lot since I first heard it. It kind gives me similar catchy energy to “Who the Hell is Edgar” from last year and it’s a fun song about Europe with a fun beat that I enjoy.

27. Ukraine: Teresa & Maria-aloyna aloyna, Jerry Heil 7/10

I think this song has a great message and an absolutely gorgeous chorus, however I find the rap to be very out of place and it sounds like an entirely different song to me and really takes me out of the experience.

28. United Kingdom: Dizzy-Olly Alexander 6.5/10

This is one that I can see a lot of people liking, and it isn’t bad! It’s not a nice chill electronic vibe and I wouldn’t turn it off if it came on. I just don’t find it all that interesting, sorry!

29. Austria: We Will Rave-Kaleen 6.5/10

Austria went with 00s eurodance this year and the song is pretty decent. The title is certainly accurate as this would go off hard at a rave. I think it will be a crowd favorite. I don’t find the vocals to be that interesting and the song is incredibly repetitive, however.

30. Poland: The Tower-LUNA 6/10

This one is also really boring for me. It’s a nice synthpop song, but not much else. It’s not dark or exciting enough for me to latch onto. Also LUNA’s vocals remind me of Halsey which is cool I guess.

31. Germany: Always on the Run-ISAAK 6/10

This feels like a very generic Imagine Dragons-type song. ISAAK has a good voice and the song is very anthemic and uplifting, but I don’t like how generic the lyrics and melody are.

32. Denmark: SAND-Saba 6/10

Another woefully generic but well-produced entry. Saba’s vocals are quite good, but yeah, it can’t get much more generic than this.

33. Sweden: Unforgettable:-Marcus & Martinus 5.5/10

I unfortunately find this song very forgettable. It’s just generic evil woman lyrics, the vocals aren’t anything special, and while the beat is fun, there’s just not much to come back to.

34. Spain: ZORRA-Nebulossa 5/10

This song sounds like early 2010s schlock and is just not that well produced and the performer doesn’t do much to elevate it.

35. Lithuania: Luktelk-Silvester Belt 5/10

This one is just pretty generic to me. I could see why people like it or find it fun, but I’m not getting much from this.

36. Iceland: Scared of Heights-Hera Björk 4/10

Man, this is so generic. I don’t even know what to say other than that this sounds like a 2009 song and that’s not a compliment. Yes her voice is good, but you can’t get more generic than this shit.

[rabbitechoes]

there were some really exciting new singles that came out this month, but also a few that left a bad taste in my mouth! 2024 is still shaping up to be an amazing year for music tho. some great projects coming over the next few months and i can't wait to dive into them. anyway, here are my thoughts on some of the notable singles & songs from this month!! to check out my thoughts on some of the albums, EPs, and mixtapes that came out this month click here!!! also feel free to follow me on rate your music and twitter <3

"Prologue" - Kamasi Washington

◇ featured on Fearless Movement - Kamasi Washington (not yet released) ◇ genres: spiritual jazz, jazz fusion

Saxophonist Kamasi Washington, undoubtedly one of the most prominent figures in modern jazz, has a new album coming out in a few months. This isn't technically the lead single as "The Garden Path" is on the record and that track was released years ago, but "Prologue" is the single released alongside the announcement of the new record. This is an immersive and frenetic jazz fusion cut that just goes crazy. Washington's saxophone is obviously a highlight, but THOSE DRUMS! Really great stuff all around. Super excited for the new album after hearing this, even more so after looking at some of the guests on the record. George Clinton, André 3000, and Thundercat? I'm all in.

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"Wild God" - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

◇ featured on Wild God - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (not yet released) ◇ genres: art rock, chamber pop

A few weeks after I finished The Bad Seeds discography, they went and released the lead single to their first album of the 2020s. Their last three records have been some of their strongest. From Push the Sky Away to Ghosteen, they've just been on a great run. From the sounds of "Wild God," Wild God could probably continue that hot streak. It leans into the chamber music-y aspects of their last few albums, but a lot more rock oriented rather than the heavy electronic elements of Ghosteen. It has Nick Cave's trademarks, but it's always a treat to hear them. I was sort of on the fence about this track until the "Bring your spirit down" part towards the middle. Kicked right into the next gear that I needed it to go. Can't wait for this one.

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"One Night Stand" - Adeem the Artist

◇ featured on Anniversary - Adeem the Artist (not yet released) ◇ genres: americana, progressive country

I've been on the Adeem the Artist train ever since I heard Cast-Iron Pansexual back in 2021. Ever since then, I've always kept them on my radar so I can hear whatever they do next. This new single, and the lead to their upcoming album Anniversary, is just great. I love how they never shy away from embracing the country music sound. This sounds like a country music radio hit from years gone by, but with a queer spin to it. Finally a bittersweet country anthem that I don't feel ashamed to sing along to! Really loving this track and I hope the album is just as good!

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"symptom of life" - WILLOW

◇ genres: indie rock, art rock

WILLOW has made so many really good songs. "symptom of life" is definitely one of them, but I've been burned so many times. She'll make a banger song and then the next thing she releases is a collab with like Yungblud or MGK. Then the full album those good singles lead up to is pretty disappointing. Maybe "symptom of life" will break that cycle! I'm all in on her art rock era and she really fits this sound well. The skittering piano throughout the verses juxtaposes her vocals in a really cool way. The chorus is good, but I wish it hit a bit harder than it does. All in all, this is really good and I hope her next project can tap into her full potential.

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"Alley Rose" - Conan Gray

◇ featured on Found Heaven - Conan Gray (not yet released) ◇ genres: post-britpop, piano rock

I haven't been crazy about Conan Gray's music over the years and while "Alley Rose" isn't terrible by any means, I just find it ... off-putting, for lack of a better word. Everything is just so overproduced and hardly any genuine emotion can emerge through that barrier. It also makes it difficult for me as a listener to connect with the song. Like I can hear Gray singing his damn heart out, but it just feels so plastic to me. It sort of sounds like an Elton John song, but not classic Elton, like ... recent Elton. That kind of grand music that just fails to portray anything earnest.

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"This Is Nowhere" - The Black Keys

◇ featured on Ohio Players - The Black Keys (not yet released) ◇ genres: pop rock

I was a pretty big fan of The Black Keys when I was in middle school and I have a lot of nostalgia for their early 2010s stuff, but they've been coasting for so long now. That sort of boring, too clean blues/garage rock that just gets so exhausting after a while. "This is Nowhere" has them shaking up the formula a bit, but it's very much an "in one ear and out the other" type song. It'll probably get some airplay on your local alternative station and then it'll be phased out in favor of their hits from a decade ago. I do like the subtle psychedelic flavor to this song though, I just wish it was more memorable on the whole.

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"Incognito" | "Saturnine" - Justice

◇ featured on Hyperdrama - Justice (not yet released) ◇ genres: french electro, synth funk

Justice have released two more singles in anticipation for their new record. They're both pretty good. "Incognito" is a pretty solid electro track and "Saturnine" adds some funk to the mix which shakes things up a bit in a cool way even if it can veer into computer commercial territory. For some reason though, I find myself not returning to these new singles of theirs all that often. Like they're good in the moment, but nothing really compels me to revisit them. These two singles are a bit weaker than the previous two overall as well. I'm still gonna give the record a shot though, I have a feeling it'll be a pretty fun listen. Hopefully these tracks stick with me more when that time comes.

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"sir princess bad bitch" - Yaya Bey

◇ featured on Ten Fold - Yaya Bey (not yet released) ◇ genres: dance-pop, alternative r&b

I don't really know much about Yaya Bey. I was just looking through some new releases and this single looked intriguing. "sir princess bad bitch" is a nice lowkey R&B cut delivered with a ton of confidence. She sounds so cool here. I do wish the song was a bit longer and shook things up a bit more, but I still had a good time with it. I'll keep her upcoming album on my radar for sure!

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"Looping" - RiTchie

🥇 BEST SONG OF THE MONTH

◇ featured on Triple Digits (112) - RiTchie (not yet released) ◇ genres: experimental hip hop, neo-soul, nu jazz

RiTchie is three-for-three with these new singles. The former Injury Reserve MC is gearing up for his debut solo record and it's shaping up to be an exciting one. "Looping" is quite different from the previous two singles. The playfulness is traded out in favor of something more meditative both lyrically and production wise. This atmospheric jazzy beat pairs with his passionate delivery wonderfully. I'm even more excited for the new album now. Excited to hear just how dynamic he can get. Could be one of the best records of the year for sure.

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"Classical" | "Mary Boone" - Vampire Weekend

◇ featured on Only God Was Above Us - Vampire Weekend (not yet released) ◇ genres: indie rock, chamber pop, baroque pop

Vampire Weekend have released two new singles leading up to their new album coming next week and they have all been pretty great. "Classical" has this off-putting lushness to it. It sounds like a deconstructed version of something from their earlier albums. "Mary Boone" is a fuzzy, sparse ballad that eventually blooms into an almost baggy direction. Sort of reminded me a bit of something from George Clanton's last album, except a bit less immersive. I'm really loving these new singles and I'm super excited to hear the new record.

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"Cinderella" - Remi Wolf

◇ featured on Big Ideas - Remi Wolf (not yet released) ◇ genres: synth-funk, contemporary r&b

Remi Wolf has sort of passed me by over the last few years. I've been meaning to listen to her last record for a while now, but I just haven't gotten around to it. After hearing this new single, "Cinderella," I definitely need to go back and check it out before this new record drops. This is such a jam. If this is what she's been cooking up all this time, I've really missed out.

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"Like That" - Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar

◇ featured on WE DON'T TRUST YOU - Future & Metro Boomin ◇ genres: indie rock, chamber pop

I decided not to write a full review of this new Future and Metro Boomin' record because I don't have too much to say about it. It's got some good stuff, but it's a little bloated. This song definitely stood out though. The beat is pretty basic, but effective. Future holds his own in his verses, but the real highlight is Kendrick Lamar's guest verse. He's just so good, everyone knows that by this point, but it's still so true.

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"The von dutch remix with addison rae and a.g. cook" - Charli XCX

◇ genres: electropop, bubblegum bass

A few weeks after Charli XCX released her middling house cut "Von dutch," the remix featuring Addison Rae and A.G. Cook is here. Call me crazy, but I think this might be the superior version. A.G. Cook's production here really kicks it into that wild next gear that I wished the original did. Charli's performance stands out a lot more here too, as does Rae's. This still isn't one of my favorite Charli tracks, but this is a definite improvement.

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"How We See the Light" - John Cale

◇ featured on POPtical Illusion - John Cale (not yet released) ◇ genre: art pop

I'm still kinda new to the world of John Cale's solo music. I only just listened to Paris 1919 and Fear for the first time, but I loved them both. He has a new record out this June and this lead single is pretty decent. Cale still has an ear for interesting melodies and sounds. The more I revisit this one the more I enjoy it. It's nice to hear an artist of like Cale still experimenting and playing around. Definitely gonna check out this record when it drops.

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"World on a String" - Jessica Pratt

◇ featured on Here in the Pitch - Jessica Pratt (not yet released) ◇ genres: singer-songwriter, folk pop

Another really good single from Jessica Pratt leading up to her next album. This one sounds a bit more like what you would expect from her, but the formula is far from broken. Few are making folk music as dreamy as Pratt. Many of Pratt's songs sound like what ripples in a small pond look like, "World on a String" is one of them. Looking forward to Here in the Pitch for sure. It could very well be one of her strongest albums to date!

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"The Seasons Reverse (Live)" - Gastr Del Sol

◇ featured on We Have Dozens of Titles - Gastr Del Sol (not yet released) ◇ genres: post-rock, ambient pop

Jim O'Rourke and David Grubbs long dormant post rock group Gastr Del Sol are returning with a new compilation of unearthed material soon. Admittedly, I haven't listened to much of their work, but I'm a huge fan of Jim's so I decided to check this out. This is a nice instrumental piece with an interesting arrangement. O'Rourke's guitar is accompanied by these sometimes harsh, sometimes gentle synths. Hard to recommend this for everyone, but if you're a fan, this is probably really cool.

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"I LUV IT" - Camila Cabello

◇ genres: jersey drill, baltimore club, electropop

This is a mess. It’s a mish-mash of sounds that Camila Cabello just doesn’t have the sauce to pull off well at all. Also the lyrics are trying way too hard to be tongue-in-cheek and it falls so flat. When that snippet of the track was getting some attention on Twitter, I assumed it had to be a bit. No, that annoying “i love it, i love it, i love it, i love it” is the chorus. Carti’s guest verse isn’t good either. Just an impressively bad song! Like all of the pieces of the puzzle are there, but they're jammed together in such a way that the entire thing is a jumbled-up mess.

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"Take Me to the River" - Lorde

◇ featured on Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense (not yet released) ◇ genres: new wave, pop rock

The singles leading up to the A24 Talking Heads tribute album have been underwhelming for the most part, but I was really looking forward to this one. Lorde’s take on the Talking Heads cover of the Al Green song “Take Me to the River” is alright. This kind of production is new territory for her, but she holds her own pretty well. There’s nothing remarkable about the track and it pales in comparison to both the original and the cover it’s covering, but not bad at all.

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"Next Semester" - twenty one pilots

◇ featured on Clancy - twenty one pilots (not yet released) ◇ genres: post-punk revival, indie rock, pop rock

I wasn't crazy about the last single twenty one pilots dropped, but this is definitely a step-up. Does that make this song amazing? Not really. I feel like I'm grading on a curve. This is one of the best twenty one pilots songs for sure! I don't know if it stands out beyond that distinction though. Some of the verses are a bit awkward and not in the good, nervous energy kind of way. However, the instrumentation has some good moments, namely Josh Dun's drumming. This song is alright. I see a lot of people hyping up this new record and I'm hoping I can hop on that bandwagon, but I'm just not fully clicking with these songs.

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"Flea" - St. Vincent

◇ featured on All Born Screaming - St. Vincent (not yet released) ◇ genres: alternative rock

Another really good single from St. Vincent! A lot less industrial than the last cut, but it's still dark and noisy. There's some really cool production moments here. I love the multi-layered vocals on the "Once I'm in, you can't get rid of me" part. The chorus is explosive too. The rhythm section, consisting of Dave Grohl on drums and Justin Meldal-Johnsen on bass, are also killing it. Giving this song this sort of prickly groove. Definitely looking forward to hearing whatever she has in store next, these singles rock.

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[alvodra]

It's really fascinating how queer the Disney Zombies franchise is for a trilogy about a straight couple.

Now, I'm sure you can interpret it in a lot of different ways. But let me describe it like this:

The main character always knew she was different than everyone else but never knew why. But she knew she had to hide that or she would be rejected by society. But as she got to know other people that weren't as society wants them to be, she decides to stop hiding the fact she is different. Everyone is super shocked and mean at the beginning, but they get used to it and she grows more confident. She still doesn't know why she's different or where she belongs, though. That is, until she finds others that are exactly like her. And at first it seems that she isn't enough like them, that she found her people but still doesn't belong. But as time goes by and she spends more time with those people, it turns out that she's exactly like them. There never has been anything wrong with her, she just was the only one like that in her town. Well, she wasn't, but everyone else was hiding just like she was in the beginning.

And then she has this amazing song that is such a coming out anthem

[Verse 1] My head's been spinning around in circles Just trying to figure out who I am I've felt so stuck like I'm caught between worlds But now I understand Why I've been feeling like a stranger in my own life And I've been blending in for too long But now's my time to shine [Chorus] I'm finally me I'm gonna shout it out What's lost has now been found Can't dim this light inside me I'm finally me No longer gonna hide I'm just like dynamite Can't hold me back, now I'm free [Verse 2] I'm stronger now more than ever before Nothing can hold me back I'm laser focused, confident and so sure Leaving doubt in the past 'Cause I was feeling like a stranger in my own life And I've been blending in for too long So now's my time to shine

Tell me how that is straight.

I don't know. It is pretty universal, finding your place in life and getting comfortable with it. But it's also so extremely queer.

[thesinglesjukebox]

TWST - "OFF-WORLD"

Our own Hannah begins the D&B t.A.T.u revival...

[7.25]

Hannah Jocelyn: This gem was produced by Mike Spencer, whose maximalist EDM work graced Rudimental and Ellie Goulding's best music in the early 2010s. "Off-World", which TWST wrote with Lauren Aquilina and Marcus Anderson, brings that sound back to life with headier lyrics. The vocal sound is SO bright it's almost fatiguing, but that adds to the song's urgency; Chloe Davis will break through time, space, and the capabilities of de-essers to be their true self. Aquilina's previous song "Empathy" was about the perils of lacking emotional boundaries, but here, dissolving boundaries is a path to romantic transcendence: "Wanna float, wanna fly, wanna try to ascend this skin/Wanna feel what you feel, but I can't feel anything." I have a whole playlist of songs that attempt to verbalize that need for all-consuming intimacy, and in those songs it often ends up toxic. Davis is aware of this, which is why "I wanna give you it all" comes with the necessary caveat "...without giving myself away." Still, the most prominent queer art of the last quarter-century depicts this ache for a reason, whether it's Genesis P-Orridge and Lady Jaye using their bodies as performance art, Neo and Trinity becoming The One in Matrix Resurrections, or everything involving Steven Universe. As "Off-World" careens into its drops, TWST approximates what that bliss must feel like. [9]

Aaron Bergstrom: A warm-hearted, techno-utopian update on "All The Things She Said," which unfortunately means it isn't quite as good. [6]

Katherine St Asaph: "All the Things She Said" deconstructed into its three elements. One: The hook -- well, one of them. Two: Ethereal yearning, and the desire to escape into the fantasy worlds and heightened emotional reality found in saturated pastorals, cities at night, dark chromed spaceships, or whatever other AMV aesthetic you personally want to get isekai'd into. Three: The frantic, obsessive pace of that yearning, which takes physical form here as a drum-and-bass break (probably the next sound to bubble back up to mainstream offline pop). [8]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: The Expanse AMV-type beat [8]

Jackie Powell: It's been awfully hard to figure out why "Off-World" sounds so familiar. Is it similar to a video game theme? Or is this more like the theme to the French animated series Code Lyoko that ran on Cartoon Network for a few years in the 2000s? Sonically, not exactly. But what links them all is how they fit together as science fiction, with world-hopping. TWST explained that "Off-World'' is about "a cyborg girl who descends upon Earth, yearning to break free" who finds liberation in another place. TWST is best in the pre-chorus; the yearning and the struggle are there. But I question the potency of the chorus. Where is that conflict? Where's the payoff? It seems a little monotonous compared to the rest of this three and a half minute journey. The percussive elements in that hook, however, are exhilarating. Well done, Mike Spencer. [6]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: An epic about a cyborg girl descending upon earth and trying to find liberation, personal freedom, and authenticity sounds amazing, but it shouldn't take TWST's long statement about the track for me to understand the story. The musical experience of "Off-World" doesn't speak for itself, and despite how pretty it sounds, the track's immense ambitions are let down by the hook's flatness. [5]

Taylor Alatorre: How do I justify not slapping an automatic [10] on what is essentially Springsteenian cyberpunk? In part it's that "Off-World" suffers from its own success. The pre-chorus is substantially more stirring and anthemic than the chorus, which leads to the latter feeling like a deflation of energies, or an artificial limit on the possibilities the song wants to conjure. Songs about escape, whether from the "swamps of Jersey" or from the burdens of meatspace, are more dependent than usual on structure and momentum, on both mapping out a compelling journey and ensuring the destination lives up to expectations. But if "Off-World" falls a bit short in its goal of ferrying us to a frictionless utopia, that cliché about the journey and the destination isn't wrong here. "Meet me at the borderline" -- most of us are there already, but TWST knows how to make it sound like an undiscovered country. [7]

Will Adams: There's a point at which desire transcends the bounds of a standard crush, when the promise of being with someone seems so out of reach it becomes science fiction. They exist in a whole other world, you think. How could I ever meet them there? This is what that feels like: swirling synths that conjure the cosmic chasm separating you from them, but a breakneck d&b pulse that launches you into that open space. "Off-World" embodies the feeling of reaching out your hand, unsure whether your fingertips will ever meet theirs. [9]

Frank Falisi: The pre-chorus is the most sci-fi of all song parts, tipping into the transformation that comes next but unfolding with what came before still rattling in the air. A lot of pop invokes sci-fi imagery, but to treat the parts of a pop song as linguistic elements might suggest actual future-facing strategies of realizing a speculative electronic. In the meantime, comics-brained love-borgs promising the kiss of a world beyond this bad rock is a sweet time fizz. [6]

David Moore: A lovely take on one of my absolute favorite tropes in pop music: escaping the burden of society, and maybe corporeality altogether, in outer space! My personal standard-bearer is t.A.T.u.'s "Cosmos," which is to say I'm missing another dollop of melodrama, and I have minor quibbles with the words tilting more toward metaphor than they need to -- can I get one reference to a spaceship or something? But that's probably just a taste issue. [7]

Kayla Beardslee: Pop music is escapism, and hyperpop is pop music taken to the extreme, so why not interpret hyperpop to mean escapism so extreme that it creates an entirely new world?="margin:> [7]

Alfred Soto: Drum 'n' bass skitters! I run lukewarm on 'em, but when the track has a solid hook and okay lyrics they function like a laugh track in a pretty good sitcom. [6]

Micha Cavaseno: The last couple years have had drum & bass-style breaks wreak their revenge on pop in both the mainstream and the sub-stream (oh my god all the precious kids making "breakcore"), and it's reminded me of the worst aspects of the genre: unimaginative chopping of the same two or three loops. "Off-World" is a delightful whispy yearning little piece of leydrift, and I can't imagine it without that little baby's first junglism flourish. But I wish it had something that would make it feel properly unearthly. Of course, it's just that I don't know what I'd want that makes the sense of an unknown future so tantalizing, and that's what I'd hope this song could've gotten. [6]

Ian Mathers: I know I've heard the drum break that gets used in the chorus many times over the years, but it absolutely works for me every time. The sci-fi stuff only sorta coheres, but I'm a sucker for that too. [8]

Brad Shoup: Look, Mike Spencer did "Feel the Love". He will see heaven. I dunno that the venerable breaks contribute anything to the sci-fi metaphor--maybe they make things cyberpunk--but I still love 'em. Everything that happens between the verses is exquisite: the long bass notes that are practically detonated, TWST's perfectly urgent adult-alternative chorus (I'm hearing... Paula Cole?), and even the title itself. Just a really evocative thing to sigh. [8]

Nortey Dowuona: thank u Chloe Davis. [10]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[the-teddy-bear-butch]

More Ronance music thoughts 4 u

“The Village, The Wolf, and The Boy” by Taylor Berrett is a Robin Buckley anthem, argue with a wall <33

I’m thinking so hard about her singing this to Nancy, or at least with Nance in mind, especially their shared fear of coming out in the 80s

The literal first line is “I wanna see the world”

Robin wants to get out of Hawkins and she wants to travel, and this line reflects that. It talks about chasing after a girl, something she wants but is scared too do, she can’t bear it

The song talks about giving up and closing eyes—closing off that part of herself, closing the door to the opportunity of love because she’s terrified of rejection or becoming a social pariah—until she meet Nancy

The chorus for one, is definitely giving Ronance

So if you've got an anxious heart

You're not the only one

And I won't let you fall apart

If you don't let me run

Robin has been shown time and time again to be kind of an anxious person. She has a cool and calm outward exterior in S3, but in 4 we see her let those walls come down and reveal the nervous rambling mess she is on the inside. She could be comforting Nancy, telling her she’s not alone in her fears (maybe after Nancy confesses her feelings, but says she’s scared because it’s Hawkins in the 80s). She comforts Nancy, tells her she won’t let Nancy fall apart if Nancy stays with her and helps her learn to not run away (operation Croissant, anyone?). The previous lyrics also could be her comforting Nancy, “hey, you’re not alone, I’ve been there, this is how I feel”

The song talks about breakdowns and laughing it off, which is such a Robin thing to do. “Romanticizing the cost,” perhaps the cost of baring her soul to one Nancy Wheeler? Opening her rib cage to offer her heart to the other girl, knowing it could cost her everything, but being so hopelessly in love that it’s worth it?

And the boy says something's wrong

But the people don't believe

And the wolf comes in tonight

When your mind is trying to sleep

The boy would be Robin and Nancy, saying this prejudice is wrong, because really, how can love be wrong? How can the soft sweetness between them, the warmth of holding each other through the night and comforting each other through nightmares, how can it be wrong? But people don’t believe—it’s Hawkins in the 80s. The wolf is their own internalized fears and self doubt, the comphet that plagues Nancy, the fear of being outcasted that haunts Robin’s dreams. But now they have each other to hold through the night, to chase the wolf away

Robin being a feral werewolf as a metaphor for her suppressed feelings and fears, anyone? This big, ugly, angry beast that wants to hurt those that might hurt her, but sees Nancy and calms immediately, because she’s so in love it’s bleeding out of her? Or even the opposite, with werewolf Nancy? Werewolf girlfriends even?

And I'll make up ways to steal my joy

And when it's real I don't believe it

And I swear it's just like being

The village, the wolf and the boy

Think about how many queer people NOW who have struggled with internalized homophobia and fear of coming out and comphet and tell me even seemingly cool and confident Robin doesn’t struggle even more in the 80s. She can’t help but overthink and imagine what would happen if she let herself feel, let herself be free to love who she loves. It’s like she has the boy, the homophobic words of her neighbors, and the internal fears of the wolf tearing her up all at once.

I wanna feel the sun

And find out what the truth is

And chase after a girl

'Cause no matter how it breaks me

I can't bring myself to hate this world

But despite all this, despite the constant inner battle, despite the way the world would view them, Robin is tired of hiding. She’s been tortured by Russians, fought literal monsters, seen the cold of the Upside-Down—and she’s felt the warm sun of Nancy’s smile, known the softness of her touch, drowned in the fondness in her eyes, and she knows

She’s knows it’s worth it. The world may break them down, but they have each other, she’ll tell Nancy. They have each other, and because of that, maybe the world isn’t so bad. They’ll be okay, they’ll put each other back together, and in the warmth of each other’s arms, they’ll each find it’s hard to hate the world the other lives in