New music part 4/Music roundup.

By virtue of not having properly blogged in over a year, I've got a LOT of music to get through. Some of the 'new music' I discovered back in 2018, so if you're wondering if I'm the type to procrastinate, wonder no more.

First I want to ruminate a bit on the state of music in the 2010s (since I'm still procrastinating on my epic blog post about the 2010s). It was the decade of women, for sure. The biggest stars (Adele), the most influential songmakers (Florence + the Machine, Sia), the most talked-about (Cardi B), the most iconic (Lady Gaga, Beyonce), the most divisive (Lana del Rey), were all women, and I believe this happened organically. It's simply how the decade played out.

It was also the Decade of Pop. I read an interesting article about how pop slowly became legitimized after the 90s/00s reign of alternative and rock; that hipster music mags and critics could no longer make money turning their noses up at the genre that was taking over everything. And everything went pop: rock, r&b, country, folk - you wouldn't believe how many artists betrayed their early, earnest acoustic or subversive catalogues for bass, synth and reverb. It's so across the board that it seems most just gave up and realized they'd have to follow the pop storm in order to stay relevant. It is very, very interesting to me.

I also love (good) pop, always have. I never thought it was illegitimate. I'm inclined to say that in the 2010s artists discovered how much there was to work with in the genre (which simply means 'popular' but has for decades meant 'pap') and that it could be fun. Sure, there were plenty of other cultural forces at work, but that's definitely a different blog post. It no longer had to mean the ubiquity of made-to-order songs like "Livin' La Vida Loca" or the out-and-out paint-by-numbers pablum of the early Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys days. Now pop is layered, creative, collaborative, and can be made in your bedroom if you've got the setup.

(Remember that brief era of insanity in the mid-2000s when, if an unknown band made it big, their fans wept and gnashed their teeth? They didn't want their favorite band to be popular. They wanted the alt cred that came along with only enjoying things other people had never heard of or couldn't understand or enjoy. Since the music put out by these bands was, to a classically trained ear, utter shit, I've always wondered if maybe those rabid fans were just using shit music to feel untouchably cool. Tragically hip, if you will)

Additionally, those hipsters realized that pop could be made by 'real' musicians, too. Back in the day the definition of a 'real' musician or band was people who wrote their own songs and played their own instruments and made their own way, and while you can't argue with that, it's a bit obtuse. A huge part of the rancor against American Idol was the supposedly foolproof criticism that the contestants and winners weren't real musicians - they just churned out pre-approved albums crafted by the latest Swedish hitmaker. Regardless of your opinion of the show, I wouldn't say that, for example, opera singers weren't real musicians just because they didn't write music or libretto. Someone who sings is a musician, period. But that sort of logic wasn't allowed back in the day. Rules were rules.

Then came along Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. At very first rejected not only for their pop sensibilities but their showiness, the masses complained that they couldn't sing and weren't real musicians. Then the women began performing live everywhere and proved that they could sing. Then it came out that they'd written their songs. Then it came out that they even wrote songs for other big acts. Then we saw them playing piano and guitar, respectively. Wait, whaaa? How is this possible??... People who can sing and write and play, they don't make pop music!! Funnily and obviously enough, those early naysayers were never heard from again.

And so things went from there and it became the Decade of Pop. I personally think it was the best era of music since the 80s which, probably not coincidentally, was also heavy on melodic pop. It will be interesting to see where the 2020s take us; I'm prepared to be let down.

Ok - time for new (to me) music!

New music.

The 90s was a weird time for music. The whole decade is essentially typified by the alternative genre, and I'll just say that for me, most of what came from alternative was a wash - so purposefully un-melodic and apathetic it made me want to put a gun to my head. The snap-back from those long, painful years was the bright, shiny, pointless pop of Britney, Backstreet Boys, etc.; we clearly got what we deserved.

But this blog post isn't about shitty 90s music. I'm just prefacing to get to where I want to go. By the early 2000s I was hearing songs that gave me hope for music's future. Since then popular music in most genres has returned to melodic form, and even in increasingly sub-subgenres like dream pop and post-dubstep and EDM, writers and producers are still discovering the infinite ways to spin and wield a dope melodic/harmonic progression. Think of La Roux's 'Bulletproof,' Goyte's 'Somebody That I Used To Know' - hell, even Nicki Minaj's 'Superbass' has an earworm.

Which brings me to today, and my happiness at discovering some new musicians to listen to who, in a different decade, would have fallen prey to the times, but here and now are fantastic.

First up is Banks (first name Jillian), discovered in the car stereo of a friend last week. She's got a couple of albums out in the 'alt-pop' genre, which is dominated by 'sultry [women] singers backed by uber-hip electronic beatscapes,' something I happen to very much enjoy, thank you. I especially appreciate her use of interwoven vocal motifs in the absence of acoustic instrumentation, and she consistently sets a wonderfully evocative, moody atmosphere. Although after several methodical previews of both albums via iTunes I only came away purchasing a handful of songs, the point is that she's in the right direction and she's something new to listen to.

(One thing I realized after obsessively listening to those songs was that they were everything I wished so much that Ellie Goulding's third album, Delirium, would be, and in fact, Banks sounds a lot like Halcyon-era Goulding. It makes me sad that Goulding abandoned a perfect sound and structure in favor of 'progress' or 'love' or whatever, and I hope that on her next album she gets back to what works best)

In the reviews for one of Banks' albums someone suggested she pair up with James Blake. So I looked him up and...story time.

The year of music.

Every now and then a bunch of my favorite artists will come out with new albums all within the same calendar year, which is obviously awesome, so I've cobbled together a rundown of each from this richly musical 2015. Keeping my 'analysis' to one paragraph apiece is almost heartbreaking, but I must.

Kelly Clarkson, Piece by Piece
Release date: March 3

Though her last album, Stronger, won her her second Best Pop Album Grammy award, I feel this is the, er, stronger album - more variety, more vivid production, even if she doesn't break any molds. It's shocking but her American Idol contract had her locked in for SEVEN albums, and with this release she is finally free. Seriously, OMG. Here's hoping with her next one she can really try something new. Side note: Piece by Piece was just nominated for Best Pop Album for 2016.

Best song: "Good Goes the Bye"
Her best album: Piece by Piece

Mumford and Sons, Wilder Mind
Release date: May 4

Their latest release is a sad study in the bullshit way nobody is ever happy with anything. If M&S had put out another acoustic album everyone would have allegedly been bored, but they did a 180 and went 'electric' and everybody was all omg, whaaat, I don't get it, who do they think they are, Coldplay, omgaaah... Objectively Wilder Mind is a perfectly solid rock album that is very charming and would have been the darling of worthless overpaid music critics everywhere had this been their debut. As with some of the best things, the more you spend time with this album, the more you understand it, and the more brilliant it becomes.

Best song: "Tompkins Square Park"
Their best album: Babel

Florence + and the Machine, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Release date: June 1

See here.

Best song: "Long and Lost"
Their best album: How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

Lana del Ray, Honeymoon
Release date: September 18

A gentle recap: Born to Die was a huge breath of fresh air; Paradise is stunningly beautiful and dark. We'll forgive her Ultraviolence since apparently Dan Auerbach knows hypnosis. Honeymoon is a true return to form - yes, she seems to be singing even slower, yes, somehow she's even more tortured - but that's why we listen. The first four songs come off a bit disappointing at first, because an entire album along their lines would sink like a stone, but everything picks up with "High By the Beach" and doesn't let up till we've floated past "Swan Song." LDR has a funny way of setting up a song's core melody, and then hitting the bridge and spinning a whole new soundscape; the effect is just subtle enough to make you lose yourself for a moment.

Best song: "Blackest Day"
Her best album: Born to Die

Carrie Underwood, Storyteller
Release date: October 23

Carrie can do no wrong, let's just get that out of the way. But her last album, Blown Away, was a bit underwhelming. She has new producers for Storyteller and it definitely shows - she's got some blues, some 80s, and - some R&B, which I think is fantastic. It shows in her inflections in the song "Heartbeat" and the structure of the chorus of "Clock Don't Stop." While rap-country may never take off (sad! just kidding), I'm a huge fan of musical acculteration and think there's so much potential in marrying country and R&B, and frankly it should be the direction of Kelly Clarkson's next album. Just sayin'. The only negative I have for this album is it's missing a really beautiful ballad in the vein of "Someday When I Stop Loving You" and "Wine After Whiskey." I was so looking forward to a new one.

Best song: "Clock Don't Stop"
Her best album: Play On

Ellie Goulding, Delirium
Release date: November 6

Ho-kay. Halcyon is my favorite album of the decade. She killed me and raised me from the dead with that one. I needed more of that. And...she went in a completely different direction and I KNOW, I just defended Mumford & Sons, but come on. Like 98 dance tracks, seriously. Beneficent critics have tried to point out 'ballads' - that's a joke, there ain't one damn slow song. Anyway, there are a couple of quality tracks but I'm so let down with this...plus, ok, she's in a relationship, fine, whatever, but of course that means she has lost the ability to write some real-ass lyrics. Amid the ridiculously overproduced beats scientifically designed to induce people to dance in da club, there's no way she could fit in a line like 'I think of dying all the time.' Tsk, tsk!!

Best song: "Army"
Her best album: Halcyon

Adele, 25
Release date: November 20

So there's this British singer who puts out some good songs, don't know if you've heard of her, but I'm sure one day she'll get her due. Anyway. I think 25 is legitimately better than 21 - 21 had some highest highs ("Hiding My Heart Away") but also several tracks I would regularly skip. The only track on 25 I find myself zoning out on is "River Lea." She's keeping up with the times by having fresh backing beats, and yes, her voice sounds stronger; let me give you a little tip. A person's voice doesn't fully mature until their early 30s. So...expect her voice to continue to get stronger. Be 'in the know' at your next party. Side note: I don't get the high praise for the Smeezingtons' production of the track "All I Ask." How hard is it to produce a vocal over a piano. Geez, people.

Best song: "Water Under the Bridge"
Her best album: 25

Well that was fun. Maybe next year my dudes can come out with new stuff? Ray LaMontagne, Kings of Leon, Gavin deGraw, Jonny Lang, Casey James? Etc. etc.? Please and thank you. :)

2013 music picks.

As in the past, I'm listing the songs that resonated the most with me this past year. And as with Uncle Stevie over at Entertainment Weekly, they're not all songs that came out this year - just songs I discovered this year. Because I can do that. :) Enjoy!

Note: these are listed in random order.


1. "Dead in the Water," Ellie Goulding, Halcyon

You may have heard Goulding's previous hit single, "Lights," from her debut of the same name, but fortunately her second album explores a much wider range of moods, making possible this absolutely gorgeous album closer. I am actually one day going to hang up the lyrics to the first verse and the chorus on my wall, because like the best songwriters Goulding hits on ageless truths of human experience - and she does so to unapologetically beautiful melodies. That's simply a combination I am too weak to refuse.

2. "What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World?" Hans Zimmer, Man of Steel

Some of you know how I feel about Hans Zimmer, dating all the way back to The Lion King. So I won't rehash here. But he's the best. Anyway, he got to score this summer's Superman reboot and did a fantastic job (of course). John William's original theme is one of the top pieces of movie music in history, but with the darker turn in comics these days (and every villain capable of causing an extinction-level event, apparently), this new theme fits a new day in our societal evolution. There's hope even amongst the most minor chords, though, and notice that the long tones evoke a sense of flying, of scaling new heights. I hope you got to hear this via a cinema sound system while you could.

3. "Birthday," Katy Perry, Prism

Someone, who shall remain nameless, noted that this song is a lot like "Teenage Dream" - but I say, who cares. It's a slice of "eighties Minneapolis funk" that is just too infectious not to like. Perry inhabits her own sphere of technicolored happy-rotica, and when compared to artists like Ellie Goulding it's evident how much Perry holds her own self back - but you have to admit that when she's good, she's really good, and I defy you not to at least think about getting up and boogeying when you hear this song.

4. "Rock 'N Roll," Avril Lavigne, Avril Lavigne

Don't forget how much we all loved Avril once upon a time! And don't say she's not relevant - the old guard are rarely ever contemporaneously relevant but that's not what the old guard are for. There's some reinvention in her fifth studio album, mostly thanks to her marriage to Chad Kroeger, and while I can't stand Nickleback, I do admit he's a pretty solid songwriter. His stamp is all over this song, and paired with Avril's delivery it really works. It helps her get back the old vivaciousness and audacity, and puts out an APB to not give up on her yet.

5. "Wake Me Up," Avicii with Aloe Blacc, True

We all know this song. And we all like parodying Aloe Blacc's earnest delivery. And we all know this is a freaking awesome song. Too bad Mr. Blacc couldn't have been on the whole album - now that would have really been something.

6. "Young Girls," Bruno Mars, Unorthodox Jukebox

I really like Bruno Mars; I think he's got a great voice and makes some great songs. I belatedly saw his performance of this song on SNL and was totally hooked - it's really not like anything else out there right now, for which so many other 'artists' should be ashamed. Just take familiar subject matter, put it to a near-perfect melody, enrich it with multi-layered harmony, back it with a tight beat, and sing your heart out. Is that really so hard???

7. "V.S.O.P.," K. Michelle, Rebellious Soul

I don't really listen to R&B...but I love this song. As a child of the 80s who did listen to a lot of early rap with her brother, I'm always sucker for a great beat, and besides having that this song is just infectious and spirited, with a very cool old-school vibe. However, I have no idea what the title means.

8. "What Makes You Beautiful," One Direction, Up All Night

DON'T YOU JUDGE ME.

9. "Not With Haste," Mumford and Sons, Babel

I had obviously memorized the entire album less than a week after it was released in 2012 - but did not realize that this particular song was part of the Brave soundtrack until I watched it again earlier this year. (On the soundtrack version the lads play backing band to singer Birdie) I love that movie, man. And I had no idea going in that it was about a mother-daughter relationship, so of course I went with my mom to see it, and she was all, "Wait, are you crying?" Anyway, this is a beautiful and wistful song on its own, gently Celtic and such, and is as good a movie-ender as anything Celine ever did.


Well, that's it! Happy New Year!