I used to be really into Aaron Carter when I was little, and I find it really bizarre in a creepy way sometimes trying to listen to his "kid-friendly" music as an adult. Like, he has one song with lyrics like "Too hot. Looking fantastic. No lifts or tucks or plastic" and "Your body activates me" and I have to remind myself that this kid was 13 when he was singing this stuff.
Oh, May. May was a complicated month since I spent the first half at school getting ready for finals and packing up my room, while I spent the other half at home trying to do as little work as possible. As a result, a lot of my listening came from a mix of trying to study, manage my stress, and get myself energized for summer vacation and work. I was also looking forward to several albums coming out in June, so I didn’t go into this month with a ton of hype for anything. Nevertheless, good new (to me) stuff always finds a way, like this stuff...
Album of the Month: Goths (Deluxe) by the Mountain Goats
If you’ve followed the vlogbrothers on YouTube for any amount of time, you’re probably aware that John Green’s all-time favorite band is the Mountain Goats. Having been a Nerdfighter for 2 years now, I figured it was time I dove in and saw what all of John’s fuss was about, and now I understand. This kind of music fits just right in my wheelhouse; it’s mellow indie rock, the lyrics are pure poetry and it’s one of the few instances where I’ve heard woodwinds featured in a rock band. The overall vibe was interesting as it changed; some songs were more fun, some were more thought-provoking, and some were kind-of eerie. It was interesting listening to the deluxe edition, too, because all of the bonus tracks were these almost meditative instrumentals. Still the three tracks that stood out the most to me were “The Grey King and the Silver Flame Attunement,” “Unicorn Tolerance,” and “For the Portuguese Goth Metal Bands.” First off, those song titles, man. Second, just sampling clips from each of them, I could swear they were the same song, but they each had a distinct character to them that made me want to digest them and figure out everything that was going on. This is definitely the kind of music you experience instead of just keeping on in the background, and I want to keep digging deeper into the Mountain Goats’ catalog. Also, quick shout-out to another Mountain Goats album, All Hail West Texas, for being a nice gateway to the band and a unique gem; Goths just edged it out by a tiny bit.
5 Great Songs from this Month:
“Geeky Girl” by Satellite Lane
A cute song that tickles my fancies for both a capella choir and nerd culture, “Geeky Girl” was a nice jam to get me through my finals. The nice thing about hitting those two sweet spots is that Satellite Lane does both of them so well; their harmonies are top-notch, and somehow, they manage to squeeze in so many pop culture references, from lyrics like “My special guy knows the cake is a lie” (referencing Portal) to quoting the X-Files theme song. It gets a little overboard in the bridge once it starts referencing things like “Spiderpig” from the Simpsons Movie for no apparent reason, but it remains charming all the same. I’d also recommend another song of theirs from the same EP, “Pop 101″ if you’re a band geek like me; it’s just as charming and throws in not as many references, but they do fit well!
“Paparazzi” by Falling in Reverse
I feel a little weird including this one on the list because it’s strikingly... more rebellious than I’m used to (? It’s hard to put my finger on it), but I listened to it so much that I had to. It just screams teen angst all over, literally and figuratively. It has a strong alt rock vibe, and the general theme is criticism of mainstream culture, particularly selling-out in the music industry. It’s apparent from the intro spelling out S-E-L-L-M-Y-S-O-U-L that they aren’t pulling any punches, which is entertaining in a derisive sort of way, but mostly, I just like it for the solid groove. I’m not usually one who’s into trends for trendiness’ sake or the absolute mainstream, so it’s a nice ode to that sentiment, but... there’s just something else about it that speaks to me too.
“Born to Lose” by Ten Tonnes
This one’s just a nice, summer-y tune to rock out to. Not too serious, not too eccentric, just the perfect amount of fun, and a retro vibe to boot. There’s not much else I can say, other than how much I like the lead singer’s voice. He delivers the lyrics with ease like he’s just jamming, not putting on a persona to give the ultimate performance. The timbre and pronunciation are great too, but I think I’m starting to dig a little too deep. It’s a banger, okay?
“Malibu” by Miley Cyrus
I was not expecting this to (a) come from Miley nor (b) get me this interested in Miley. It’s clear that she’s moved on from her “Wrecking Ball” and Dead Petz phase, which I didn’t mind that much, but “Malibu” marks a really nice change of pace from her, like her true coming-of-age single. It’s an easy acoustic pop tune that gets you in the mood to go outside and take in the new summer weather (even though it hasn’t exactly showed up yet here in Maine). Miley’s voice works incredibly well on it, too; she shows off her lower range, which she didn’t take that much advantage of during her Hannah Montana days nor more recently, but I really like it. With a song like this, I’m excited to see where she goes next, and I have a feeling it’s going to be somewhere big.
“Break a Little” by kirstin
Kirstie and Avi are probably my two favorite members of Pentatonix, and luckily for me, I got to see both of them put out solo material this past month! While I knew about Avi’s project (and I loved “Quarter Past Four” and I’m so stoked for the rest of Sage and Stone to drop), Kirstie’s came as a total surprise, and I’m just as hooked. This song fits right in her mellow dance pop wheelhouse, and the production is killer. It reminds me a lot of Jess Glynne, and I would dance to both this song and any of Jess’s songs equally in a heartbeat. While it’s not super intense or energizing, it’s still fun, and I appreciate Kirstie for branching out into her own material.
Now that this month is out of the way, here comes the big stuff I’ve been waiting for! Just this past Friday was the release of the Steven Universe soundtrack, which felt good to have in my main library finally instead of going through aivi & surasshu’s Soundcloud. This week means Avi Kaplan’s solo EP, and next week means Lorde’s new album which I’ve been looking forward to for so many months now, it seems. Plus, being home and having a looser schedule and adjusting to my summer job should help me check out even more new stuff I haven’t been as certainly eager for, so this month is looking insane! Until next time, when I’ll probably be in Lorde nirvana.
Before I get this month's MOTM rundown all set, I do have to make a note of two things I technically found in April, but really grew on me over the course of this month and would have made this month's rundown had I just discovered them.
The first is a single from Bleachers: "Don't Take the Money." It's such a funky little pop rock tune that reminds me a lot of hits like "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon. The groove gets you hooked in immediately, the vocals fit perfectly, and every other element is the perfect balance between commercial appeal and artistry, coolness and ambition. For me, this is the kind of song I want to hear on the radio and start blasting it in my car, and every time I listen I just want to shout "Don't Take the Money" along with the chorus.
The second is the most recent album from Paradise Fears: Life in Real Time
I mentioned Paradise Fears last month already with their song “Battle Scars,” and digging deeper into their repertoire, I was not disappointed. It took a little time for this to grow on me, like I mentioned, but honestly, that time was worth it; this is probably my favorite album out of all the ones I’ve come across this year so far! It has a great pop rock vibe that makes you feel good, but the lyrics tell a much more candidly emotional story, and to quote one of the tracks, “I’m a slave to the sentiment.” In a lot of ways, it’s like a softer, less genre-bending version of twenty one pilots’ Vessel, which I also like, but it has a distinctly optimistic flavor that sets it apart and makes you feel good inside rather than simply pointing out bad things going on in people’s lives. I feel a certain kind of attachment to pretty much all of the tracks, but the three biggest ones to me were “Who We Were With,” “You to Believe In,” and “Sleep.” The latter is much darker and contemplative, but the former two perfectly capture this sentimental spirit. What makes it all great is that it never gets too sappy or brooding; the band isn’t afraid to explore more personal topics, but it portrays them in a truly cool and creative light. Between this and “Battle Scars,” (and probably the rest of its EP as soon as I can get access to it), I know Paradise Fears is a band that’s already worked its way into a special part of my heart, and while I believe they’re on hiatus right now, I’ll be excited about them and any of their material for years to come.
That’s all for now; I was just so into these that I couldn’t let them go unmentioned. My regular MOTM post for May should be up in the next couple days, and trust me, this is going to be an interesting one.
I had next to no expectations for music I’d find this month, but even with that, I managed to find some highly intriguing and even powerful stuff. Looking back on everything, my picks for this month are very much on the “chill” side, which is a happy accident considering how I’ve been in the tail end of my semester and working my butt off. Otherwise, there’s a nice mix of genres as always, but there is one big difference this time around: I ran into my first tie for album of the month, which I’ll cut right to:
Albums of the Month: Inside Out (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Michael Giacchino…
…and Strangers by Balto
First off, let me just say that both of these works of cover art are amazing. Next, while these two albums are stylistically quite different, they each equally appeal to my tastes and they’re each so strong all the way through. Inside Out feeds my love for film score (and especially my Michael Giacchino kick), and in that, it fit in just the right notch between the different and the familiar. I love Michael Giacchino’s work because of how much he plays with recurring themes, and this album is no stranger to that strategy (nor is it a stranger to his knack for puns, wink wink), but the orchestration took this score in particular to another level for me. There’s such a wonderful blend of conventional strings and piano along with less conventional ones like the bells that give the entire score such an ethereal sound; it’s exactly what I thought it would sound like to live inside a brain. This is best represented on tracks like “Bundle of Joy” and “Abstract Thought.” …But for one last touch, I nearly lost it when I was listening to it while doing homework in the library and I discovered the trollish surprise at the end of the last track. I won’t spoil the fun for you, but if you’ve seen Inside Out, you’ll know what I’m talking about when you get to it. (sinister giggles)
Strangers feeds my love of indie rock and complex lyrics. Admittedly, I was primarily interested in the band because of their namesake, Balto the sled dog, whose heroic story was adapted into my childhood favorite movie. Logically, if I liked that so much, I should like the band, and luckily I did, but that's beside the point. The way I see it, this is the perfect music to have playing in the background at a barbecue. The overall vibe is so laid-back and pleasing to help you relax and have fun, but there's still plenty of substance to keep you interested. It helps that the general mix is so solid, and the lead singer's voice has such a nice color to it; it has just enough bite to it to snag your attention, but it's still warm enough to keep it from being too distracting. My standout tracks here were "Restless Generation," "Star of Bethlehem," and "A Year Lasts a Lifetime." While "Star of Bethlehem," is a super-mellow, toned-down ballad, the other two are uptempo jams with some pretty relatable and/or thought-provoking lyrics ("Everybody shuts off one way or another babe, you know it's true") that fit the barbecue aesthetic perfectly. Overall, it's nice not having too much stimulus in this album. I love being able to kick back, relax, and just take in the atmosphere. …Although, all this barbecue talk is giving me hamburger cravings.
5 Great Songs from this Month:
“Can’t Help Falling in Love” as performed by Pentatonix
I could write a book detailing my love for Pentatonix, but this cover of theirs in particular brings up a good point I have to make about them. While they’re such innovators in the a capella world (see “Daft Punk”), they know just when to dial it back and focus on rich harmonies. I already liked the original Elvis song, but this arrangement augments it in the best way possible. The blend of their voices sounds very innocent and vulnerable in a romantic way and the harmonies (oh gosh, the harmonies) left me waiting for every single word. I said before that I thought the cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody” that appeared on the same EP was a shoo-in for this list, but I found this just the slightest bit more polished. As great as Pentatonix is at transforming songs and making the most out of their limitations as a vocal group, this simple stuff that they do matters so much to me.
“Battle Scars” by Paradise Fears
I ran into this song via this AMV, which is a sentence I don’t think I’ve ever said before, but I’m still grateful that that’s how it happened. On the one hand, I love that AMV; it’s so beautifully drawn and it manages to pack so much emotion and meaning into a 30 second clip. On the other hand, the song itself is one of the most powerful ones I’ve heard in a while, and it came at a perfect time due to some personal struggles I’ve been having. It honestly makes me cry when I listen to it, but it does that in a way that motivates me. It’s a gorgeous reminder that no matter how difficult things may seem or no matter how far away the finish line may be, there’s always hope and there are always people to support you; even in the midst of fear and anxiety, everyone has the power to keep on going and make their way to greater things. It gives me the strength to keep marching on, what more can I say? My only complaint is that I’m a little bitter Apple Music will only let me stream a live version rather than the studio recording, but whatever form it’s in and whatever medium I encounter it through, I know this is a song that will stick with me for years to come.
“Warm on a Cold Night” by HONNE
This song is like a perfect blend of the retro and the modern; while the production is very synth-heavy, right from the opening with the deep-voiced narrator, there’s this sense of classic swagger to set the mood to grab your attention. This altogether with HONNE’s voice creates this incredibly, for the lack of a better word, sexy aesthetic. As a tune, it’s minimalist, but you just have to appreciate the production value that went into the recording. Like the songs from Strangers, I like how it feels like there’s a lot going on, but you can still kick back and take it all in; you don’t need everything turned up to 12 to have an enjoyable listen.
“Hey Mami” by Sylvan Esso
This tune has a pretty similar aesthetic to that of “Warm on a Cold Night,” but that didn’t really occur to me at first because I discovered it via my university’s all-female a capella group. I liked that the recording was this simple a capella groove supporting the poetry in the melody, and later was pleasantly surprised when the synth bass dropped after the first verse. The texture still feels very simple, but that clash between the synth and the voices works so well. Going back to the poetry, the story’s about being catcalled and reacting to it, which is a pretty uncommonly covered topic in itself, and the lyrical delivery feels so rapid-fire and constantly flowing, which kept me intrigued. For a pop tune, it’s just so unique, and I love finding new flavors like this one’s.
“LOVE. (FEAT. ZACARI)” by Kendrick Lamar
I’ve been very recently trying to get into hip hop because it was never really a genre that I was interested in before. In particular, I’ve been interested in Kendrick Lamar because one of my good friends is a huge fan of his, and while it was just before I joined Tumblr, I had listened to To Pimp a Butterfly and was blown away by the sheer amount of artistry and power that went into it. Naturally, I wanted to see how Kendrick could’ve topped that with DAMN., and while I have to be honest in that I didn’t like it as much as To Pimp a Butterfly it was still great! This track in particular surprised me because every other song on DAMN. felt so harsh and intense, whereas this felt a lot more vulnerable and sentimental. It may be more pop than hip hop, but it’s such a beautiful package with the beat and the back-and-forth of Kendrick and Zacari’s voices. Just hearing Kendrick sing “I wanna be with you” makes me smile, and I appreciate getting to hear a different side from him, even for only one track.
As I mentioned, I’ve been managing the end of my semester, and all of these picks were all great ways to relax, whether I was playing them in the background while studying or taking a break and listening to them more seriously. All of these, except for the Pentatonix track maybe the Inside Out album since I’ve been working my way through the archives of Disney/Pixar score, weren’t expected either, which made it fun! May is going to be another one of those months, which ought to be exciting, but I’m expecting at least 3 big album releases already for June, I’m not quite sure how to feel on that front. Either way, until next month (and hopefully not days into it)!
This semester, I've been working with the improvisation ensemble at my university, which is essentially like a typical jazz combo, only larger and not necessarily exclusive to jazz repertoire. Back in January, each of us were tasked with finding a song we liked and wanted the group to play, and my personal choice was "Love Like You" from Steven Universe. Being a fan of the show and its music, I had been particularly fond of it, and given its reminiscence to jazz standards, I also thought it lent well to a smaller performance with some improvised solos. That said, I was nervous to introduce it to the rest of the group; I knew the form was going to be hard to work with, especially with vocals, and I wasn’t quite sure how something new and slightly different would be received by everyone else. After all, the ensemble is open to members of the outside community, and I was skeptical of how the multiple middle-aged adults I played along with would feel about performing a song from a kids’ cartoon. I did it anyway, and I was pleasantly shocked by how well it was received!
Honestly, barely anybody, not even my fellow students, had even heard about Steven Universe let alone seen it and knew what it was about. However, people loved it! They didn’t care about how I butchered trying to explain the premise of the show to them; they still found the song just as beautiful as I did, and were even excited to play it. There was one person in particular who helped me out big-time sorting out the chords for our arrangement because he was so into it and wanted us to do a good job with it. I would get comments after rehearsals about how much people enjoyed the song and how “they don’t write songs like that anymore.” A few people even decided to play it with their outside groups! The icing on the cake, though, was when we performed it last night and one of my professors (who’s teaching my class on Tin Pan Alley composers and salon music) came up to me, told me how much fun she thought the song was, and asked if she could find Steven Universe on Hulu.
Now, “Love Like You” isn’t exactly the most representative song in the Steven Universe soundtrack, but I’m still glad I was able to share it with people who otherwise wouldn’t have heard it. Moreover, I’m glad it served as a way for me to connect with other people from my home-away-from-home community. I may not have had the same luck introducing my bandmates to the whole show, but there was something about this song that was powerful and spoke to everyone in the room. After all, “Love Like You” was written to be up to interpretation, so maybe that extended even beyond the show’s sphere. In a strange way, that kind of reminds me of Steven Universe’s message of seeing the beauty in everything and spreading love wherever and whenever possible. As a fan of the show, I feel like I’ve done my duty. Even though the people I shared the song with probably won’t get into the series the same way I have, we were able to use it to build a common ground, and that’s more than enough of a victory for me.
Can we appreciate the man that is Michael Giacchino?
Not only has this man composed music for Star Trek, Jurassic World, Inside Out, Tomorrow Land, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and many more, but the titles for his music are just mainly puns and bad jokes like
Jurassic World
Hey Owen, what do you owe me? I Owen you nothing
It’s a small world after all
Tomorrowland
Ah yes, home wheat home
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
This may not be the dustbowl, but those apes are angry
Land of the Lost
I don’t know who Matt Lauer is , but he can suck it
I'm a sucker for Pixar's Easter Eggs, but I was not expecting to find cross-movie references at the score level! It's a nice connection considering Michael Giacchino composed the score for both The Incredibles and Inside Out, but from now on, my eyes are even more peeled.
stormborns
areudirty
dailybridgerton
romaincrisis
yousharknotpass
pixelskylines
