'Now she's going to play and sing and lock you in her heart.'
April 05, 2018A quarter of the way into 2018 and the dust has well and truly settled on the year that saw the beginning of Trump's presidency, the dismantling of Harvey Weinstein's empire, the allowance of women in Saudi Arabia to drive and the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia. I thought this was as good a time as any to do my Top 10 Albums of 2017 considering enough time has passed to see which ones have stuck with me. These aren't the albums that I think are definitely the best ones released in 2017 as there's no way of listening to all released last year to then come up with a list of the top ten. These are just my favourite albums I was listening to in 2017 which were also released during those twelve months, and I think they're all pretty great. I'm also putting them in alphabetical order by artist, not an order of merit because that would cause me to have some sort of meltdown trying to decide which ones I put in 1-10.
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| The closing days of 2017. |
I've also done a bit of self-assessment when looking at this list. I couldn't help but be drawn to how extremely white it is. I almost tried to alter it to shy away from this fact but I'm someone who preaches honesty and transparency so it would be wrong to hide such a lack of diversity. Although unintentional, I think it reflects the overall racial bias of what I'm exposed to in the circles I'm in. Upon reflection, I have made it one of my goals of 2018 to broaden my music horizons and ensure that this list is more diverse in the future.
Alvvays - Antisocialites
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| Source: thelineofbestfit.com |
Released: 8 September 2017.
Producer(s): Alec O'Hanley and John Hangleton.
Label: Polyvinyl, Royal Mountain, Transgressive, Inertia.
Favourite lyric(s): "Used to make noise, now I much prefer silence".
A delight for any alt-indie pop fans, the sophomore album from Canadian band Alvvays is an escape into a psychedelic music dream. The second track, 'Dreams Tonite', perfectly encapsulates the questioning over a romantic relationship falling apart with frontwoman Molly Rankin asking "Who starts a fire just to let it go out?". There's something about the accompanying synth and slow harmonic pace that enhances the nighttime, slow-motion feel also suggested in lyrics like "it was magic hour", referring to the time of day when the sun has just set.
Another highlight of mine is 'Not My Baby'. It continues the same dreamy state of 'Dreams Tonite' but with a more punchy bassline in the first verse after the mysterious sound of a vehicle driving away. This is one of my favourites on Antisocialites because of the melodic change after the guitar-led interlude. Particularly on the lines "Traded my rose-coloured glasses for a wide lens / Used to make noise, now I much prefer silence", Rankin's ability to smoothly slide her vocals is elegantly shown, impactfully followed by a momentary pause in the music to reflect the word "silence".
The album closes with 'Forget About Life', musically depicting the escapism of the album. 'Forget About Life' is probably my favourite of the album because of its simplicity, yet it continues the trance of the previous tracks and beautifully builds to the final chorus. Ending the album on the line "Did you want to forget about life with me tonight?" wonderfully sums up the feeling of Antisocialites and excellently concludes one of the most intriguing yet exuberant albums I listened to last year.
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| Source: pitchfork.com |
Released: 9 June 2017.
Writer(s): Adrianne Lenker.
Producer(s): Andrew Sarlo.
Label: Saddle Creek Records.
Favourite Lyric(s): "I know that someday soon, I'll see you. / But now you're out of sight. / And you'll kiss me like you used to in the January night."
The pressure of the second album is often expressed by artists if their first album is well renowned, but Big Thief completes the task with great maturity and skill; a highly personal album alive with accomplished musicianship. 'Shark Smile' is a favourite among critics, telling a tale of a car crash where one lives and one dies. The accompanying driving rhythm of the bass and strumming of the acoustic guitar with intermittent moments of sporadic electric guitar almost contradicts the melancholy nature of the lyrics, creating an extremely sonically intriguing piece.
The variety of combinations of a small number of instruments carries the album and keeps interest whilst maintaining the softness I feel Big Thief have come to make their trademark. For me, this is no more impressive than on the penultimate track, 'Mary'. Whilst the rest of the album is based on guitars, 'Mary' is a haunting blend of Lenker's voice, a piano, an organ and a bass clarinet. Very quickly this has landed itself on the list of my favourite songs of all time because of the way Lenker vividly describes memory after memory poetically and without hesitation over being too personal, and I think this is very difficult to pull off without sounding clunky or disjointed. I even think there is a risk that, without detail being explicit enough, the effect of the imagery falls short of what the songwriter wishes to create. In 'Mary', it does not. It was very difficult to not make my own intimate attachment to 'Mary' because of its great detail. I fell in love with this song in the autumn, when I needed a song which epitomized being overwhelmed with memories and not being able to process the idea of someone's presence no longer being there. The lyric "I know that someday soon, I'll see you. / But now you're out of sight." put into words ideas that were flying around my head and I remember hearing the complete line "I know that someday soon, I'll see you. / But now you're out of sight. / And you'll kiss me like you used to in the January night." and being so overcome with emotion that tears did begin to flow. That's why this album is amazing, because of lyrical moments like in 'Mary' which are exceptionally well articulated that the emotion that was fed into writing the songs is then fed out to the listener and their own experiences become comprehensible.
Bleachers - Gone Now
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| Source: wikipedia.com |
Released: 2 June 2017.
Writer(s): Jack Antinoff, Tom Krell, Emilie Haynie, Julia Michaels, Ella Yelich O'Connor, Evan Smith, Paul Jeffries and San Dew.
Producer(s): Antinoff, Haynie, Organized Noise, Greg Kurstin, Vince Clarke, Nineteen85, Sounwave and John Hill.
Label: RCA.
Favourite lyric(s): "I saw your face and hands / Covered in sun and then / I think I understand" and "I'm sorry that you saw me when I lost my way."
Jack Antinoff has been much of the force behind the resurgence of 80s-style synth pop in the last few years and his own project, Bleachers, has been no different. Gone Now is an album surrounding themes of loss and how we deal with grief, articulated by Antinoff's goodbye to his childhood bedroom at 28 as part of the process of moving past the death of his sister when he was 18. The thing I love about Antinoff's work is his references to pieces of his past, or earlier on in the same album. Gone Now includes a sample of Yoko Ono on the track 'I'm Ready To Move On/Mickey Mantle' which is also sampled on 'I'm Ready To Move On/Wild Heart' from Bleachers' first album, Strange Desire; both tracks having the same names (ish) and also referencing the first track on their respective albums. Antinoff also uses this continuity between tracks 'Goodmorning' and 'Goodbye', both outlining the relationships Antinoff built with people living in his building and using similar lyrics like wishing good morning/goodbye to "Anyone who lent me in favour". However, 'Goodbye' documents his final farewell to them and to the life he knew living where he did, carrying on the themes of change and moving on portrayed throughout Gone Now. Other ways in which Antinoff does this more subtly is the use of the same samples and the same words like "rolling thunder" throughout the album to bring all the tracks together. What I love about Antinoff's obsession with continuity is that it makes the album a full product, that you need to listen to from start to finish, rather than a collection of songs written for the purpose of creating a new album.
It also seemed like this was one of the albums in my collection that came out at exactly the right time. The album was released on the same day as my last exam of First Year, with summer in sight and with me trying to process the last nine months of my life. I experienced my first proper loss right at the beginning of the academic year and it really took me down to the lowest I've ever felt. After hearing "Everybody Lost Somebody" capturing the exact thoughts I had, the longing I had to give myself a break and the feeling of being lost in a world which seemed alien, I could say the words "Come on, motherfucker, you survive / You gotta give yourself a break" to kick myself into starting to move forward. I was able to come to terms with the idea of knowing pain happens to everyone but there's always an ability to step back from it and move on with the life you have now and not have it weigh you down. Due to this overwhelming hopelessness, I felt I pushed people away from me or didn't let people in enough or tried to drink to forget so 'All My Heroes' containing lyrics like "The love that I dreamt of / Came to me in my worst" and "All the nights I don't remember / Are the ones I can't forget" really hit me and let me evaluate my relationships with the people closest to me as I tried to improve this element of my life. This concept is the reasoning behind my love of the line "I'm sorry that you saw me when I lost my way" in 'I Miss Those Days'. I know the feeling all too well of wanting to re-meet someone now that you're being yourself again and the feeling of wanting to apologise for not giving someone the best version of yourself or the self you've become now you're out the other side of something. 'I Miss Those Days' is definitely one of my favourites on the album because, like many of my favourite songs, its an artist processing and exploring their memories. I also think I will definitely look back on the first year of uni and hear "I know I was lost but I miss those days" playing endlessly in my head. Antinoff's ability to write ridiculously catchy pop songs which can describe the human experience so well is very commendable.
Finally, I must also mention the albums lead single 'Don't Take The Money'. I have an indescribable love for this song. I don't know whether it's because of the nostalgia it now carries with it, the way it makes me want to dance and sing at the top of my lungs, or the absolutely beautiful imagery in lines like "Now we're stuck in the storm / We were born to ignore" and "I saw your face and hands / Coloured in sun". It's another of my favourite songs of all time and I could probably go on and on about this song. All in all, Gone Now's use of a wide range of instruments from synths to brass to drums combined with topics like loss and moving on, make it an album which can't go unlistened to by anyone who needs to hear what it feels like to be human.
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| Source: wikipedia.com |
Released: 7 July 2017.
Writer(s): Alana Haim, Danielle Haim, Este Haim, Ariel Rechtshaid, George Lewis Jr, Dev Hynes and Rostam Batmangli.
Producer(s): Haim, Rechtshaid, Lewis Jr, BloodPop and Batsmangli.
Label: Polydor.
Favourite lyric(s): "I can't pretend / That I'm anything more to you now / Than someone who is hard to forget."
Finally, 2017 brought the return of family pop-rock trio, Haim and with all the guitar licks, drums and harmonies one would expect from them. From the release of the first single, 'Want You Back', in May, Haim let us know we were in for an album describing romantic ventures put to music that was essential for summer. I adore the self-assessment in lines like "I had a fear of forgiveness" and I how it contrasts with the seemingly universally accepted idea that it goes against your pride to ask for someone back after you've grown. WHAT A POP SONG.
Similarly, 'Little of Your Love' and 'Ready For You' also both indicated the potential for this being THE summer album. The use of instrumentation and panning in 'Little of Your Love' is really excellent, particularly the glissando right at the beginning and the pan placed on the "ooh"s between "Don't it feel like that night was from a dream" and "I've never felt nothing like that / Looking at you looking right back.". I also adore the travel of "Don't let me down" between the girls before the second chorus and the way that is also panned in the mix. 'Ready for It' is a bop and a half. The simplistic backing in the verse and pre-chorus allows for the introduction of more instrumental depth in the chorus. On top of this, the transition through keys using the words "I wasn't (ready for you)" in the bridge is so clever and creates the feeling of a pause before going into the final chorus. I must also mention the harmonies in 'Something To Tell You'. Haim interact so well with one another and this song (as with the rest of the album) provides a harmonic treat for the ear, especially in the chorus.
The songs with my lyrical highlights are 'Kept Me Crying', 'Found It In Silence' and 'Night So Long'. I have to say, 'Kept Me Crying' didn't immediately grab me like 'Silence' did but after a while, the lyrics "Now I'm just someone you call / When it's late enough to forget' and "I can't pretend / That I'm anything more to you now / Than someone who is hard to forget." began to tighten their grip around my ears. It's one thing losing someone from your life but it's another thing delving into how you think you're remembered by them and how you want to be remembered. The fear of being forgotten is definitely something I carry and part of me will always hope those not in my life anymore will continue to care, so I feel these lyrics really depict this. In contrast, 'Kept Me Crying' is a song for after you've moved on and for when you've realised how good your life is now after something or someone. Whilst I won't go into every line I have a personal connection with as that would probably require describing in depth a situation between myself and another person, I want to highlight the line "I have found happiness / in a life that's truly mine." For me, I don't relate this to the end of a relationship but instead to the realisation of finally being able to be myself, to wear what I want and to fully explore the person I want to be. I always found in school that I was put into a box of what people expected me to do/wear and if I broke these patterns, it was made into a huge deal which I hated. What I had initially done for comfort out of self-consciousness (ie. wear skirts all the time), had become entirely who I was. This is toxic when you're a young adult and need to change to grow up, yet hate acknowledgements of this change that suggested surprise at a wish to embrace personal development. At the end of First Year, I really had created this new life that was mine again and not what others expected it to be which was exciting and I felt this lyric described really well. Finally, 'Night So Long' is a beautiful end to this album. It tackles loneliness after the farewell at the end of a relationship and the contradiction between needing to be alone but also the fear of loneliness. It's such a simple song but provides a warm and tender end to a banger of an album.
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| Source: juliebyrne.bancamp.com |
Released: 13 January 2017.
Writer(s): Julie Byrne & Michele Finklestein ('Melting Grid').
Producer(s): Eric Littman.
Label: Ba Ding Bing! Records.
Favourite lyric(s): "Before you, had I ever known love / Or had I only known the misuse of the power another had over me?" and "I've been called heartbreaker / For doing justice to my own."
With a voice like honey and a music sensibility matched only by few, Julie Byrne's acoustic driven second album offers a feast of heartfelt contemporary folk songs. A persistent mover and a previous Seasonal Ranger at Central Park in New York City, Byrne's album is infested with personal experiences and references to her consistent change of home from the age of 18. This is particularly true of 'Sleepwalker'. On this track, Byrne portrays herself as someone who finds peace in solitude but this was disrupted by the love she had for her partner. I really love lines like "I crossed the country and I carried no key / Couldn't I look up at the stars from anywhere?" and "I travelled only in service of my dreams." as these lyrics give a real insight into Byrne's outlook on her life. On a previous blog post, I have declared my love for the imagery in 'Natural Blue'. The softness of the guitar and harmonies means the lyrics really are put in the forefront of the music and this imagery takes centre stage.
There's not a lot more I can say about this beautiful album other than express how calming it is and how good Byrne is at her craft. It didn't need fancy production, all these songs needed was Byrne's voice to carry them.
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| Source: fanpop.com |
Released: 16 June 2017
Writer(s): Ella Yellich O'Connor, Jack Antinoff, Joel Little, Tove Lo, Jakob Jerlström
and Ludwig Söderberg.
Executive Producers: Lorde and Antinoff.
Label: Lava, Republic.
Favourite lyrics(s): "I ride the subway, read the signs. / I let the seasons change my mind. / I love it here since I've stopped needing you" and "Because ours (are the moments I play in the dark) / We were wild and fluorescent, come home to my heart".
The release of the first song, 'Green Light', in February last year propelled Lorde into the world of electro-pop and was our first glimpse at what power-duo O'Connor and Antinoff could create. I remember listening to it on my walk to meet a date and completely feeling the urgency behind it but also its strength, power and boldness; it was exactly what I needed to hear during those pre-date jitters. With the release of the second song 'Liability' in March, it was certain this album was going to be a cocktail of vulnerable and daring.
I first heard the whole album as background music when I visited one of my best friends in Cambridge on the day of its release. Without giving it my full attention, I could already hear Lorde's biting lyrics coming through coupled with Antinoff's signature beats and layered vocals. It was electric. When I was able to give it a proper listen, the obsession began. Melodrama makes you feel everything - the heartbreak in 'Liability', the honesty in 'Writer In The Dark', the nostalgia in 'Hard Feelings/Loveless' and the vibrancy and intricacy of young adulthood in 'Homemade Dynamite' and 'Perfect Places'. It's a break-up album and a coming-of-age album all in one with strident piano and synthesisers in the background. I would need an entire hour to discuss both the individual parts of the production I adore and the lyrics I hold on to and want to write out over and over again to let them sink into my soul. Without a doubt, O'Connor and Antinoff had created a masterpiece.
My personal highlight is 'Supercut' - it's my answer if anyone asks what song I wish I had written. In the past, I have talked about my inability to get over people with one of my close friends and she noticed that it was because I hold entirely on to small, seemingly insignificant memories that the guy involved probably has no recollection of but I can't seem to forget. I create my own supercut and here Lorde comes with a song which perfectly sums this up in a neat, heartwrenching pop song. What an absolutely smashing album and she's only 21 (20 at the time of release).
MUNA - About U
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| Souce: lineofbestfit.com |
Released: 3 February 2017.
Label: RCA.
Favourite lyrics(s): "You can try and make me stop, call it delusion / But every time I don't shut up, it's revolution.", "Now the alter is a bed / And now you're just a friend who once was mine.", "How can I try to be civilised when there is a shift in paradigm." and "There's me under the table / Hiding from my lovers and my allies. / Don't you love me now?".
I'm going to warn you now, this album would probably require an entire blog post or something not far off a 2,000-word essay to get the analysis and recognition it deserves from me. Its a masterclass in how to write pop songs which are catchy but still carry meaning and integrity. MUNA is a three-piece girl band who also all identify as Queer. From start to finish, About U is packed full of honesty and lyrics which unpack personal experiences of the band members. It opens with 'So Special' which lead vocalist Katie Gavin described in an interview with the BBC as a song for girls slut-shamed about their sex lives, particularly in the first line, "There's a few bad things I've done / That nobody made me do". It also delves deeper into the emotional effect of casual sex and one night stands, and the navigation of the aftermath, for instance in the lyrics of the pre-chorus where Gavin sings "You think that I'm beautiful / But it's not enough." I think this song was particularly poignant to me entering my first year of university when relationships began to be far more complicated than they were before, and you learn that human complexity is very difficult to understand. Following this is 'Loudspeaker', a self-evolved anthem, that the band wrote after Gavin experienced an unpleasant, un-consensual sexual encounter. Lyrics like "I don't know where the blame lies / But you better believe I'm not going to carry it all" need to be screamed at the top of your lungs. This particular part of the song really shows off Gavin's vocals, starting down an octave and building to the climax of the song, stepping up an octave to conclude this absolute pop masterpiece.
'I Know A Place' is also another anthem. Although the original version was written before the Pulse nightclub shooting in Florida, the song's lyrics were altered to demand safe spaces for LGBTQ+ and to act as a statement that weapons have no place in everyday life. The words "Just lay down your weapon" echo out of each chorus. Every single line of this song is articulated so well and each line has so much substance in so few words. It also makes you want to dance. Where can you go wrong really? The personal narratives continue through 'Winterbreak'. I think a lot of us experience what MUNA express in 'Winterbreak' - a romance that you keep trying at even if both parties know it's hopeless. All I'm going to say is that in 2017 I was also thrown into this kind of experience so the lyric "I think we both know / This is a love that won't get right. / Still, if you said you wanted / I know I'll always have one more try." has a special place in my heart.
'Around U', 'After' and 'Promise' are all stunning, lyrically and musically. All three tracks contain the same mastery displayed earlier on the album - the personal descriptions and the substance of the imagery reach heights unachievable to many. Continuing on from these, in my opinion, two of the most important songs on the album: 'If U Love Me Now' and 'Crying on the Bathroom Floor'. To me, 'If U Love Me Now' is a self-deprecating vision of the narrator's fear of showing who they think they really are to their lover and their friends. With all the messes of First Year night's out and being often left to over-analyse people's responses and try and guess what they're thinking, some of the themes in this song really resonated with me. Furthermore, 'Crying on the Bathroom Floor' is an all too accurate description of an abusive relationship and is described by the band as a narrative based on traumatic bonding: the attachment which still remains with the abuser. While this is certainly not something I have personally experienced in its entirety, having been on the wrong side of a friendship, I can understand the significance of lyrics like "The drugs don't work and I don't know why / But when you hurt me I go higher". What MUNA have brought to music is the articulation of issues which are difficult to express but need to be spoken about.
Finishing the album with banger 'End of Desire' which notably uses the pronoun her to describe God (a very cool move from the gals), the emotional rollercoaster that is 'Everything' and 'Outro' - a song with a name that suggests an instrumental but still continues with the heartwrenching lyrical honesty found in each track so far. I'm not sure whether it's the lyrics in 'Everything' which ponder an ex-lover's reaction to the narrator being a victim of a tragedy, the statement that "The world could be burning / And all I'd be thinking is / "How are you doing, baby?"" or the question "How long do you plan / To keep me in the back of your mind?" posed in 'Outro', that keeps my heart being wrenched to the very last second of this album, but both of these songs sure as hell pack some emotional punches.
In all of this, I have failed to mention the fact that this was written and produced by the band, a feat which is almost unheard of these days in the popular spheres of the music industry. The slick guitar sounds, the harrowing vocals and the pop beats elevate the lyrics into a new stratosphere. Live, this pop album turns into a rock sensation, and quite honestly, MUNA needs a round of applause for creating such an iconic album.
I'm going to warn you now, this album would probably require an entire blog post or something not far off a 2,000-word essay to get the analysis and recognition it deserves from me. Its a masterclass in how to write pop songs which are catchy but still carry meaning and integrity. MUNA is a three-piece girl band who also all identify as Queer. From start to finish, About U is packed full of honesty and lyrics which unpack personal experiences of the band members. It opens with 'So Special' which lead vocalist Katie Gavin described in an interview with the BBC as a song for girls slut-shamed about their sex lives, particularly in the first line, "There's a few bad things I've done / That nobody made me do". It also delves deeper into the emotional effect of casual sex and one night stands, and the navigation of the aftermath, for instance in the lyrics of the pre-chorus where Gavin sings "You think that I'm beautiful / But it's not enough." I think this song was particularly poignant to me entering my first year of university when relationships began to be far more complicated than they were before, and you learn that human complexity is very difficult to understand. Following this is 'Loudspeaker', a self-evolved anthem, that the band wrote after Gavin experienced an unpleasant, un-consensual sexual encounter. Lyrics like "I don't know where the blame lies / But you better believe I'm not going to carry it all" need to be screamed at the top of your lungs. This particular part of the song really shows off Gavin's vocals, starting down an octave and building to the climax of the song, stepping up an octave to conclude this absolute pop masterpiece.
'I Know A Place' is also another anthem. Although the original version was written before the Pulse nightclub shooting in Florida, the song's lyrics were altered to demand safe spaces for LGBTQ+ and to act as a statement that weapons have no place in everyday life. The words "Just lay down your weapon" echo out of each chorus. Every single line of this song is articulated so well and each line has so much substance in so few words. It also makes you want to dance. Where can you go wrong really? The personal narratives continue through 'Winterbreak'. I think a lot of us experience what MUNA express in 'Winterbreak' - a romance that you keep trying at even if both parties know it's hopeless. All I'm going to say is that in 2017 I was also thrown into this kind of experience so the lyric "I think we both know / This is a love that won't get right. / Still, if you said you wanted / I know I'll always have one more try." has a special place in my heart.
'Around U', 'After' and 'Promise' are all stunning, lyrically and musically. All three tracks contain the same mastery displayed earlier on the album - the personal descriptions and the substance of the imagery reach heights unachievable to many. Continuing on from these, in my opinion, two of the most important songs on the album: 'If U Love Me Now' and 'Crying on the Bathroom Floor'. To me, 'If U Love Me Now' is a self-deprecating vision of the narrator's fear of showing who they think they really are to their lover and their friends. With all the messes of First Year night's out and being often left to over-analyse people's responses and try and guess what they're thinking, some of the themes in this song really resonated with me. Furthermore, 'Crying on the Bathroom Floor' is an all too accurate description of an abusive relationship and is described by the band as a narrative based on traumatic bonding: the attachment which still remains with the abuser. While this is certainly not something I have personally experienced in its entirety, having been on the wrong side of a friendship, I can understand the significance of lyrics like "The drugs don't work and I don't know why / But when you hurt me I go higher". What MUNA have brought to music is the articulation of issues which are difficult to express but need to be spoken about.
Finishing the album with banger 'End of Desire' which notably uses the pronoun her to describe God (a very cool move from the gals), the emotional rollercoaster that is 'Everything' and 'Outro' - a song with a name that suggests an instrumental but still continues with the heartwrenching lyrical honesty found in each track so far. I'm not sure whether it's the lyrics in 'Everything' which ponder an ex-lover's reaction to the narrator being a victim of a tragedy, the statement that "The world could be burning / And all I'd be thinking is / "How are you doing, baby?"" or the question "How long do you plan / To keep me in the back of your mind?" posed in 'Outro', that keeps my heart being wrenched to the very last second of this album, but both of these songs sure as hell pack some emotional punches.
In all of this, I have failed to mention the fact that this was written and produced by the band, a feat which is almost unheard of these days in the popular spheres of the music industry. The slick guitar sounds, the harrowing vocals and the pop beats elevate the lyrics into a new stratosphere. Live, this pop album turns into a rock sensation, and quite honestly, MUNA needs a round of applause for creating such an iconic album.
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| Source: atrl.net |
Released: 12 May 2017.
Writer(s): Hayley Williams, Taylor York, Zac Farro & Aaron Weiss ('No Friend').
Producer(s): Justin Meldal-Johnsen & York.
Label: Fueled by Ramen.
Favourite lyrics(s): " I don't pick up when you call / 'Cause your voice is a gun. / Every word is a bullet hole / Shot a hole in the sun." and "I can't call you a stranger / But I can't call you. / I know you think that I erased you. / You may hate me, but I can't hate you."
Well, well, well, thank you for finally returning to us, Paramore. And return they did. With former member Zac Farro back in the band, Paramore transformed their sound once more into slick, synth-powered pop rock. Who knew an album mainly based on the themes of depression, the sadness that comes with friendships ending and fears over aging could sonically be so upbeat?. I think when it was released I didn't know I needed an album that could make me dance but still resonate with the difficulties I had faced in the year and a half leading up to the release.
'Hard times' was an excellent choice to introduce the world to the rebooted Paramore. Not only did it show off their brand new 'new-wave' synth-pop-rock sound, the opening marimba followed with the punching lyrics "All that I want / Is to wake up fine / Tell me that I'm alright / And I ain't gonna die" throws the listener right into the emotions of the rest of the album. I particularly love the use of marimba as it is such contrast to the instrumentation previously used by Paramore. Following the same theme as 'Hard Times' are 'Rose-Colored Boy', 'Told You So' and 'Fake Happy'. With lines like "Just let me cry a little bit longer / I ain't goin' to smile if I don't want to." and "I want you to stop insisting I'm not a lost cause / 'Cause I've been through a lot.", 'Rose-Colored Boy' expresses the frustration of being told to 'just cheer up', thinking a mental illness is that easy to solve. Similarly, singer Hayley Williams states in 'Fake Happy' "I bet everybody here is fake happy too.", portraying the widespread mental health problems affecting so many but by singing about the ways in which she covers up her depression with smiling with her teeth and trying to trick both others and herself into feeling happy. When I look back at First Year, I remember a lot of the times I either went to the toilet in clubs to get away from everyone seeming to be having much more fun than I was or was really trying to smile but inside I was miserable. I really needed these songs for a bit of comfort that this was actually something that a lot of people go through and you're not as alone as you think you are.
One of my favourite things about this album is the way it tackles the difficulties of when friendships break down. With all the songs about romantic relationships ending, there's only a handful of songs about when someone platonically close to you hurts you and you have to move apart. "Forgiveness" and "Tell Me How" are my two most treasured songs from the record because, having had to end a friendship in a pretty explosive manner in 2016, I feel they handle this topic with grace and really eloquently express what I went through. I especially love the line "You hurt me bad this time, no coming back. / I cried 'til I couldn't cry, another heart attack." as I know that feeling so well where something is so painful that you have to let it go but this in no way makes you feel happy immediately and you have to go through the emotions of losing someone close to you. I also love the second verse for the concept of an invisible "thread" running between two people that can't be broken. Even years after something happens, there are certain things which bring it all back and this link can't be broken - even if it's a random song playing in your SU club night. I think it's also important how Williams expresses how harmful these experiences are. The lyric "It could take me all your life to learn to love." is so powerful, not only by how Williams sings the line, but how it shows how trust and love of other people can be affected by one bad experience; this is something else I really resonate with. "Tell Me How" is a slightly different angle as it acknowledges the other person's feelings towards the narrator. Whether these two songs are about the same situation or not, it does feel like one narrative throughout the album and portrays how often these situations are not as black and white as they may seem to one party, and how exhausting these things can be to navigate. For instance, I love the lyrics "You may hate me, but I can't hate you / And I won't replace you.", "I think I'm tired of getting over it. / Just starting something new again." and "You know I got my own convictions. / And they're stronger than any addiction. / And no one's winning." I especially like the acceptance in the last lyric that no one is really a winner and all of it is sad. Luckily, the album does have a lighter moment in the form of 'Grudges'. This song celebrates the rekindling of old friendships and I have spoken about my personal attachments to this song in a previous blog post.
Two of my other highlights from the album are '26' and 'Pool'. Two very different songs indeed but both are distinct on the album for their differentiation from the other tracks. '26' differs musically. Wonderfully led by an acoustic guitar, as opposed to more electric instruments and drums, combined with the delicateness of Williams' vocals, the sombreness of the lyrics are really brought out. I also adore the reference to previous Paramore song 'Brick By Boring Brick' from Brand New Eyes in the lyrics "I have been chasing dreamers in the clouds. / After all wasn't it me who said / To keep your feet on the ground?". 'Pool' is a break from the rest of the album because, unlike other Paramore albums, it is the only track which is definitely about romantic love. I think I love this song purely because it makes me want to dance and I think second chances are sometimes what a lot of us dream of.
As someone who has been a fan of Paramore since 2008/9, a Riot! girl through and through, After Laughter is almost certainly my favourite album this band has ever released. The lyrical angles it takes and the refreshing new sound from new instrumentation have carried this band to their new position in the music industry and is what is needed if a band wants to keep growing as the world moves on.
Well, well, well, thank you for finally returning to us, Paramore. And return they did. With former member Zac Farro back in the band, Paramore transformed their sound once more into slick, synth-powered pop rock. Who knew an album mainly based on the themes of depression, the sadness that comes with friendships ending and fears over aging could sonically be so upbeat?. I think when it was released I didn't know I needed an album that could make me dance but still resonate with the difficulties I had faced in the year and a half leading up to the release.
'Hard times' was an excellent choice to introduce the world to the rebooted Paramore. Not only did it show off their brand new 'new-wave' synth-pop-rock sound, the opening marimba followed with the punching lyrics "All that I want / Is to wake up fine / Tell me that I'm alright / And I ain't gonna die" throws the listener right into the emotions of the rest of the album. I particularly love the use of marimba as it is such contrast to the instrumentation previously used by Paramore. Following the same theme as 'Hard Times' are 'Rose-Colored Boy', 'Told You So' and 'Fake Happy'. With lines like "Just let me cry a little bit longer / I ain't goin' to smile if I don't want to." and "I want you to stop insisting I'm not a lost cause / 'Cause I've been through a lot.", 'Rose-Colored Boy' expresses the frustration of being told to 'just cheer up', thinking a mental illness is that easy to solve. Similarly, singer Hayley Williams states in 'Fake Happy' "I bet everybody here is fake happy too.", portraying the widespread mental health problems affecting so many but by singing about the ways in which she covers up her depression with smiling with her teeth and trying to trick both others and herself into feeling happy. When I look back at First Year, I remember a lot of the times I either went to the toilet in clubs to get away from everyone seeming to be having much more fun than I was or was really trying to smile but inside I was miserable. I really needed these songs for a bit of comfort that this was actually something that a lot of people go through and you're not as alone as you think you are.
One of my favourite things about this album is the way it tackles the difficulties of when friendships break down. With all the songs about romantic relationships ending, there's only a handful of songs about when someone platonically close to you hurts you and you have to move apart. "Forgiveness" and "Tell Me How" are my two most treasured songs from the record because, having had to end a friendship in a pretty explosive manner in 2016, I feel they handle this topic with grace and really eloquently express what I went through. I especially love the line "You hurt me bad this time, no coming back. / I cried 'til I couldn't cry, another heart attack." as I know that feeling so well where something is so painful that you have to let it go but this in no way makes you feel happy immediately and you have to go through the emotions of losing someone close to you. I also love the second verse for the concept of an invisible "thread" running between two people that can't be broken. Even years after something happens, there are certain things which bring it all back and this link can't be broken - even if it's a random song playing in your SU club night. I think it's also important how Williams expresses how harmful these experiences are. The lyric "It could take me all your life to learn to love." is so powerful, not only by how Williams sings the line, but how it shows how trust and love of other people can be affected by one bad experience; this is something else I really resonate with. "Tell Me How" is a slightly different angle as it acknowledges the other person's feelings towards the narrator. Whether these two songs are about the same situation or not, it does feel like one narrative throughout the album and portrays how often these situations are not as black and white as they may seem to one party, and how exhausting these things can be to navigate. For instance, I love the lyrics "You may hate me, but I can't hate you / And I won't replace you.", "I think I'm tired of getting over it. / Just starting something new again." and "You know I got my own convictions. / And they're stronger than any addiction. / And no one's winning." I especially like the acceptance in the last lyric that no one is really a winner and all of it is sad. Luckily, the album does have a lighter moment in the form of 'Grudges'. This song celebrates the rekindling of old friendships and I have spoken about my personal attachments to this song in a previous blog post.
Two of my other highlights from the album are '26' and 'Pool'. Two very different songs indeed but both are distinct on the album for their differentiation from the other tracks. '26' differs musically. Wonderfully led by an acoustic guitar, as opposed to more electric instruments and drums, combined with the delicateness of Williams' vocals, the sombreness of the lyrics are really brought out. I also adore the reference to previous Paramore song 'Brick By Boring Brick' from Brand New Eyes in the lyrics "I have been chasing dreamers in the clouds. / After all wasn't it me who said / To keep your feet on the ground?". 'Pool' is a break from the rest of the album because, unlike other Paramore albums, it is the only track which is definitely about romantic love. I think I love this song purely because it makes me want to dance and I think second chances are sometimes what a lot of us dream of.
As someone who has been a fan of Paramore since 2008/9, a Riot! girl through and through, After Laughter is almost certainly my favourite album this band has ever released. The lyrical angles it takes and the refreshing new sound from new instrumentation have carried this band to their new position in the music industry and is what is needed if a band wants to keep growing as the world moves on.
 |
| Source: amazon.co.uk |
Released: 17 February 2017.
Writer(s): Ryan Adams, Daniel Clarke ('Do You Still Love Me') & Mike Viola ('Prisoner').
Producer(s): Adams.
Label: PAX AM/Blue Note.
Favourite lyrics(s): "Our eyes knowing more than they probably ought to."
Ryan Adams' Prisoner is a return to original material from Adams and it's first single, and opening track, 'Do You Still Love Me?' shows he means business. Its bold opening is startling if you're nodding off in a car driving to Wimbledon, with the strum of the electric guitar after a quiet build up but you need to be wide awake to take in the stadium-filling production. The album is Adams' reaction to his divorce, and his songwriting shows why songs which are written from personal experience often convey the most emotion.
My personal favourites are 'Haunted House', 'To Be Without You' and 'Outbound Train'. In comparison to the first single, 'To Be Without You' is a lot softer, mainly featuring an acoustic guitar. It's also more on the side of 'alternative-country' rather than rock, bringing a welcome contrast into the album. It's a heartbreakingly beautiful illustration of feeling the lack of someone's presence, and Adams' great lyricism is full of imagery like "Used to feel angry, now I only feel humble. / Stinging from the storm inside my ribs where it thunders". Each verse ends with the sombre words "Nothing really matters anymore." which further draws me to this song because of its emotional rawness.
I luckily got to see Adams live in August at Green Man Festival and the songs he performed from this album sounded even better live. He's a very impressive musician and this album is a real treat.
Ryan Adams' Prisoner is a return to original material from Adams and it's first single, and opening track, 'Do You Still Love Me?' shows he means business. Its bold opening is startling if you're nodding off in a car driving to Wimbledon, with the strum of the electric guitar after a quiet build up but you need to be wide awake to take in the stadium-filling production. The album is Adams' reaction to his divorce, and his songwriting shows why songs which are written from personal experience often convey the most emotion.
My personal favourites are 'Haunted House', 'To Be Without You' and 'Outbound Train'. In comparison to the first single, 'To Be Without You' is a lot softer, mainly featuring an acoustic guitar. It's also more on the side of 'alternative-country' rather than rock, bringing a welcome contrast into the album. It's a heartbreakingly beautiful illustration of feeling the lack of someone's presence, and Adams' great lyricism is full of imagery like "Used to feel angry, now I only feel humble. / Stinging from the storm inside my ribs where it thunders". Each verse ends with the sombre words "Nothing really matters anymore." which further draws me to this song because of its emotional rawness.
I luckily got to see Adams live in August at Green Man Festival and the songs he performed from this album sounded even better live. He's a very impressive musician and this album is a real treat.
 |
| Source: spin.com |
Released: 13 October 2017.
Writer(s): Annie Clark, Mark Anthony Spears ('Pills'), Jack Antinoff & Joy Williams ('Slow Disco').
Producer(s): Antinoff, St. Vincent, Lars Stalfors & John Congleton.
Label: Loma Vista.
Favourite lyrics(s): "New love wasn't true love / Back to you, love." and "If I trade our hood for some Hollywood / Well you're the only motherfucker in the city who'll forgive me."
My final pick for 'Sarah's essays on her favourite albums from 2017' is Masseduction by St. Vincent. Again, Jack Antinoff was behind the production, adding his now signature layered vocals to St. Vincent's already personal style of art-rock/pop. With topics ranging from drugs to sex to love to death, the songs are personal to Clark but she says that "you can't fact check it."
The first two songs released off the album are sonically, very different but lyrically, they echo the same heartbreak and the choruses are two of the highlights on the entire album. The first song, 'New York', was released 30 June and Clark laments "I have lost a hero / I have lost a friend. / But for you, darling / I'd do it all again." over a simple piano accompaniment. I think the poeticism speaks for itself but the falling melody of each line of the chorus also represents the sad ache of the song, a longing ode to a failed romance. 'Los Ageless' is sassier, more electronic, perhaps more West Coast - but the lyrics in the chorus still carry the same yearning. "How can anybody have you? / How can anybody have you and lose you? / How can anybody have you and lose you and not lose their mind?" The bridge of 'Los Ageless' is also a remarkable work of artistry. Not only are Clark's vocals incredible, the unclean guitar sound adds an extra edge that sets it aside from the rest of the song. My other favourite thing about this song is the repeated whispers at the end as the music fades out. "I guess that's just me, honey. / I guess that's how I'm built. / I tried to tell you I love you / But it came out all sick. / I guess that's just me, honey. / I guess that's how I'm built. / I tried to write you a love song / But it came out a lament." There's something quite haunting about trying to write a love song but it coming out sickeningly sad.
Whether a song as self-descriptive as 'Pills' takes your fancy, a song about a lover overdosing in the form of 'Young Lover' strikes a chord. the extremely sexy self-titled track 'Masseduction' gets you in the mood or 'Sugarboy', the song written about the audience/performer relationship intrigues you, Massuduction is an album of many layers instrumentally and thematically. Once again, St. Vincent has created a stunning piece of art.
Ok yeah, that was extremely long. I think it was important to get all of this out though, as it feels like turning a page on 2017 and turns my full attention to 2018. Already I'm loving George Ezra's new album, Staying At Tamara's, First Aid Kit's album, Rebel Heart and I'm really looking forward to new albums by Ben Howard and James Bay. As I mentioned at the beginning, I want to broaden my musical horizons this year. I want to ensure I have a wider perspective on music, and issues within music, and I want to listen to even more this year than I did the last... if that's possible.
Speak to you soon,
Sarah xoxo
P.s. Also, special mention to the likes of Wolf Alice and Hurray for the Riff Raff who released incredible albums last year but I couldn't fit them in my Top 10.
(The lyrics in the title are from 'Writer in the Dark, by Lorde, from Melodrama.)
My final pick for 'Sarah's essays on her favourite albums from 2017' is Masseduction by St. Vincent. Again, Jack Antinoff was behind the production, adding his now signature layered vocals to St. Vincent's already personal style of art-rock/pop. With topics ranging from drugs to sex to love to death, the songs are personal to Clark but she says that "you can't fact check it."
The first two songs released off the album are sonically, very different but lyrically, they echo the same heartbreak and the choruses are two of the highlights on the entire album. The first song, 'New York', was released 30 June and Clark laments "I have lost a hero / I have lost a friend. / But for you, darling / I'd do it all again." over a simple piano accompaniment. I think the poeticism speaks for itself but the falling melody of each line of the chorus also represents the sad ache of the song, a longing ode to a failed romance. 'Los Ageless' is sassier, more electronic, perhaps more West Coast - but the lyrics in the chorus still carry the same yearning. "How can anybody have you? / How can anybody have you and lose you? / How can anybody have you and lose you and not lose their mind?" The bridge of 'Los Ageless' is also a remarkable work of artistry. Not only are Clark's vocals incredible, the unclean guitar sound adds an extra edge that sets it aside from the rest of the song. My other favourite thing about this song is the repeated whispers at the end as the music fades out. "I guess that's just me, honey. / I guess that's how I'm built. / I tried to tell you I love you / But it came out all sick. / I guess that's just me, honey. / I guess that's how I'm built. / I tried to write you a love song / But it came out a lament." There's something quite haunting about trying to write a love song but it coming out sickeningly sad.
Whether a song as self-descriptive as 'Pills' takes your fancy, a song about a lover overdosing in the form of 'Young Lover' strikes a chord. the extremely sexy self-titled track 'Masseduction' gets you in the mood or 'Sugarboy', the song written about the audience/performer relationship intrigues you, Massuduction is an album of many layers instrumentally and thematically. Once again, St. Vincent has created a stunning piece of art.
-----------------------------------------------
Ok yeah, that was extremely long. I think it was important to get all of this out though, as it feels like turning a page on 2017 and turns my full attention to 2018. Already I'm loving George Ezra's new album, Staying At Tamara's, First Aid Kit's album, Rebel Heart and I'm really looking forward to new albums by Ben Howard and James Bay. As I mentioned at the beginning, I want to broaden my musical horizons this year. I want to ensure I have a wider perspective on music, and issues within music, and I want to listen to even more this year than I did the last... if that's possible.
Speak to you soon,
Sarah xoxo
P.s. Also, special mention to the likes of Wolf Alice and Hurray for the Riff Raff who released incredible albums last year but I couldn't fit them in my Top 10.
(The lyrics in the title are from 'Writer in the Dark, by Lorde, from Melodrama.)
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