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Iggy Azalea - In My Defense

One of the biggest disappointments in the last 5 years was how long it took Iggy Azalea to get another album out.  Digital Distortion was meant to be her sophomore effort and was originally scheduled for release in 2016, but it just kept getting pushed back until it was confirmed as scrapped in late 2017.  Since then she gave us some consolation with the For the Rats pack of songs (some originally intended for Digital Distortion) and she dropped the Survive the Summer EP.  S.T.S. was a nice taste of what sounds she was working on and where she was heading for her next album.  Songs like “Kawasaki” and “Kream” just left me wanting more.  Really I wasn’t exactly thrilled with what she was putting out with Survive the Summer, it grew on me overtime, but it was drastically different from what I fell in love with Iggy for.  Songs like “Rolex” and “Don’t Need Y’all” were cuts from The New Classic that really made the album stand out.  It seemed like it was her strategy to release the “bangers” (“Work,” “Fancy” & “Black Widow”) as the singles, leaving the more “serious” songs for when the album dropped.  With In My Defense, I was kind of hoping it would turn out the same way.  

First things first, what Iggy’s really had going for her this era are her videos.  With the last few years I was skeptical to hear anything new from her, honestly I’m still scarred from “Pretty Girls.”  So it took me a little bit to listen to the first single, “Sally Walker,” and the first time I heard it I made sure to watch it’s (now) iconic music video.  I’m not one that normally cares much about videos, I think the music is more important than anything, but Iggy brought IT with this era’s visuals.  In every video, in every photoshoot, Iggy has served several lewks and brought that Paris Hilton realness that I’ve been waiting to see from her.  “Started” was probably my most anticipated track, with all the teasing she did, it just sounded like a song that could become a staple Iggy track.  It’s music video is probably her best where Iggy gold-digs her way to status with the help of her drag queen friends, Trixie Mattel and Miss Vanessa Vanjie Mateo.  Every scene is Iggy giving you fashion, class, and attitude.  As for the song itself, it’s high-energy, in your face, and works as Iggy’s best party jam since “Fancy.”  It’s obviously a nod to Drake’s “Started from the Bottom,” but with Iggy taking the reins and completely making it her own, adding her signature bad-bitch attitude.

I’m definitely one for finding the positive in any kind of music and one thing that I really think needs admiring is her “bad bitch” attitude throughout this whole album.  Let’s be honest, Iggy has been through the ringer these last few years.  With the cancellation of Digital Distortion, the canceled tours, going independent; it’s amazing that she’s still so confident.  She opens this record with two tracks addressing the hate she’s gotten in that time.  “Thanks I Get” is a powerful opener, I don’t think I’ve heard Iggy this genuinely angry before.  Followed by “Clap Back,” it pieces together a kind of interesting story of “look what I did, and this is the thanks I get? Well now I’m gonna get up swinging.”  This album is her throwing punches one after another with very little room for a hard cut to slip in.  In that regard, I’m a little disappointed, but I think it’s easy to see what she was going for this era.  In My Defense is clearly the title because she’s trying to defend her’s.

Where I think this album falls off a little bit, is that the verses are so much better than the choruses in the majority of the songs.  I’m not a huge fan of someone repeating one sentence/phrase over and over and over again to cover the fact that they don’t have clever chorus material.  “Spend It” and “Fuck It Up” are the two that pushed me to write that, after my first listen through I forgot I had heard them.  “Freak of the Week’s” chorus had the same things in it that I didn’t like about “Spend It,” which is a shame again because the verses were everything.  Don’t get me wrong, I think sometimes it can really work for a song, but there’s a little bit too much of it on this album.  “Just Wanna” is a good example of what I think works, it has a fairly repeated chorus, but it’s not so long that it get annoying.  That song has the best breakdown in the second verse, fueling the energy she already had going and hyping it up again.

About a week before the release Iggy replaced the final track on the album with “Pussy Pop,” it was originally a song called “I Know.”  She said it “didn’t fit” with the rest of the album, but I would like to know how she thought “Pussy Pop” was an acceptable closer to any record.  With how she started this record, it felt like she was making conscious decisions on how the tracks were laid out, but ending it with a song like this made me think “wait, that’s it?”  It’s not necessarily a bad album, anything I give above a 5 means I liked it, but I don’t think it matches the quality that we got from The New Classic.  Maybe it’s the absence of any deep or personal tracks, or that some of the tracks just sound very similar, making it a little dull.  I’m still gonna listen to In My Defense in the weeks to come, but I wish I had better things to say about it.  It’s got a lot of big dick energy and a bunch of fun verses, so I think Iggy got that part right.  Either way, I’m just glad to have more music from Iggy and I’ll still look forward to her releases in the future.  

Apple Music

Favorite Tracks: Thanks I Get, Clap Back, Started Least Favorite: Pussy Pop

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ - 6/10

Twitter: https://twitter.com/STERE_03

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Miley Cyrus - She Is Coming - EP Review

This is Miley’s first release since 2017’s Younger Now and I was really looking forward to Miley changing directions for whatever she was gonna do next.  Miley has stated that Younger Now was a “for her” album, which allows me to let it slide.  In reality, albums/EPs like Bangerz, Dead Petz, & SHE IS COMING just FEEL more like authentic Miley.  They’re wild, a little gritty, and unpredictable.  That’s something that I always thought made Bangerz so well received; she went with true-to-herself music and that’s the only way to have a good album made.  Two of her biggest hits were from that era (“We Can’t Stop” & “Wrecking Ball”) and there’s no denying the power those songs had at the time, they were everywhere.  It almost feels like she hasn’t made anything but “Malibu” since then, but this EP has already turned some heads.  

There was some promotion before the EP dropped, mainly performing the songs and her appearance on this season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.  So when SHE IS COMING dropped, it almost felt like a surprise release, with no singles preceding it, even though we knew she was bound to drop something. “Mother’s Daughter” did eventually get the single treatment a short while after the release despite being one of the less commercially appealing tracks.  It’s video was actually what pushed me over the edge to give this EP a listen, I had honestly forgotten about it.  After hearing the first single I felt forced to listen to “Cattitude” because it says “feat. RuPaul” after it.  Only Miley would get the mother of all drag queens to feature on a song like this; very in your face, raunchy and (how Miley puts it) “so nasty.”  It’s the dirtiest I’ve heard RuPaul talk in a song, but that doesn’t make this bad, it makes it ridiculous and fun.

In hindsight, I shouldn’t have skipped ahead to “Cattitude,” this EP is one that should be heard at least once straight through.  “D.R.E.A.M.” perfectly flows into “Cattitude” with RuPaul almost interrupting Killah during the final verse.  “D.R.E.A.M.” is easily my favorite from this EP, it starts off very pop and brings in some trap elements, before going into the catchiest chorus she had since “We Can’t Stop.” It could be 2 minutes of the chorus on repeat and I’d still think the song is a jam.  

SHE IS COMING isn’t going to be the only release we’ll see from her this year, it’s actually EP 1 of 3, all of which will be considered her new album, SHE IS MILEY CYRUS.  In retrospect, it’s a release strategy that mimics Robyn’s Body Talk, giving us pieces of the album before it’s all out.  I’m indifferent to the strategy, but as long as she continues releasing music like this, she can put it out however she likes.  There’s a real atmosphere she pulls off with this record that I can only describe as a “gay summer block party.”  “Unholy” is a shorter track with only one verse, but it’s got a chorus that’s enough to have everyone shouting it out.  But the other track on this EP that really stood out to me was “Party up the Street” because it’s not a club banger, or a drinking song, it just feels very real.  It’s lyrics do a very good job at setting a scene alongside the music while capturing that atmosphere that I was talking about.  It’s easy to picture yourself driving down a suburban streets on a hot, sticky day, in a car with no air conditioning, trying to find parking for a “party up the street.”  This is one track that’s almost integral to the EP itself, if it was taken out it would be missing something.  It was also a good transition into the last track on here, “The Most.”  This track, to me, comes across like a reflection people go through after a night out of partying; it can be good, or it can be bad.  It was a good, unexpected closer to an EP like this.

Apple Music

Favorite Tracks: D.R.E.A.M. & Party up the Street Least Favorite: The Most

★★★★★★★½ - 7.5/10

Twitter: https://twitter.com/STERE_03

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This is Banks' third time up and it's her third home run. 

Favorite Tracks: Contaminated, Godless, Alaska, If We Were Made of Water Least Favorite: Till Now 

 ★★★★★★★★½ - 8.5/10

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Banks - III - Album Review

Probably like most people, the first song I heard from Banks was “Waiting Game,” a track that still tops her Apple Music page.  It was around that time that she was being heavily compared to The Weeknd while simultaneously supporting him on tour.  If you only know about the Starboy, her music was fairly similar to where the Weeknd started out on his Trilogy mixtapes.  When her first LP, Goddess, dropped most of those comparisons stopped there.  Some of my album highlights were “Change” and “Someone New” which showed off her intricate story telling and raw vocals.  It wasn’t until her second record, The Altar, that Banks really carved out her own unique sound.  In my opinion, The Altar deserved to win all the awards; it was one you could listen to over and over again, discovering something new about it with each listen.  “Lovesick” is probably a fan favorite from that record, but rightfully so, it was a pop masterpiece.  The Altar had something almost creepy about it.  Along with the lyrics, the production and vocal editing all added to this sense of a “darkness” inside Jillian.  One thing that’s a staple of any Banks record is her unique songwriting though.  While most people look at songwriting as poetry, Banks trades it in for a more direct, almost conversational route.  Many of her songs focus on love or the loss of and she’s always had a different view on how/why relationships do or don’t work.

Banks continues her elaborate, creative songwriting here on III, bringing confidence to the table and opening up her catalogue to more lighter music. Normally her music consists of heavy synths and a hard hitting bass with grainy vocal edits that push her to the back, occasionally giving the production center stage.  This lighter direction isn’t entirely new for Banks, on The Altar she had “Haunt” and “Mother Earth” that match the tone of songs like “Hawaiian Mazes” and “Sawzall” on here.  Sonically, “Hawaiian Mazes” feels magical, kind of like Banks is letting us experience this dream with her, but the lyrics suggest it might be a nightmare.  She plays on the fence with her songs a lot, sometimes matching the lyrics to the sound and sometimes giving them opposite feels.  While some songs are all around gritty and heavy, she holds some that have gritty and heavy lyrics, but sound like the music video could be in a field of flowers.

“Gimme” was the first single from III, bringing back Banks’ trademark melodic vocals with her usual synth sounds, this time with an added trance-like flare to it.  It’s a great example of why I mentioned she brought “confidence to the table.”  “Gimme what I want, what I deserve, gimme it” is Jillian taking control in this relationship they’ve formed.  It’s not just this song that exudes confidence, it genuinely feels like Banks slipped on this “glove” from The Altar era and it fits her perfectly.  While I wouldn’t necessarily say III feels like a continuation of The Altar, it definitely brings back a lot musical elements that were introduced with her sophomore effort.  Things like unintelligible background vocals and chilling vocal edits, both of which are highlighted in her song, “Stroke,” a track about Banks’ relationship with a narcissist.

Her exquisite writing shines through on the second single, “Look What You’re Doing To Me.”  From just reading the lyrics one might think this track is about “look what you’re doing to me…you broke my heart.” But it goes beyond that, it’s more about every aspect of love and the way Jillian feels about those little details.  It’s equal parts “look what you’re doing to me, you broke my heart” and “look what you’re doing to me, you made me fall in love with you.”  This track soars with gospel-inspired vocals and an extremely well done feature from Francis and the Lights. There are parts that remind me of Jessie Ware and parts that feel entirely Banks, but she owns this song and even though it feels a little “done before,” it’s still a highlight from this record.  After “Look What You’re Doing To Me” Banks released “Contaminated” as the third single, the final one before the album dropped.  “Contaminated” is driven by Banks’ crooning vocals, leaving room for only a minimal backing and another distorted poltergeist in the background.  This is Banks at her best, displaying her incredible vocals and really showcasing her songwriting ability.  This album’s closer is in line with “Contaminated” in that sense.  It’s all about going back to an old flame and it works as an incredible outro, leaving her partner with the question “What About Love?”

Apple Music

Favorite Tracks: Contaminated, Godless, Alaska, If We Were Made of Water Least Favorite: Till Now

★★★★★★★★½ - 8.5/10

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I'm back y'all! It's been a very long time, but I'm going to start uploading consistently again.  My plan is to have different kinds of videos this time around instead of just reviews.   

While I'm late with this review in terms of when Madame X came out, I wanted to put out a video for it because I thought she did such a great job and everyone should hear the record.  While I prefer the super deluxe version, I reviewed the deluxe edition here. Thanks for watching, make sure you subscribe for more videos like this! 

 Favorite Tracks: God Control, Crave (feat. Swae Lee), Crazy, Come Alive, I Rise 

 Least Favorite: Future (feat. Quavo) 

 ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - 8/10 

 Twitter: https://twitter.com/STERE_03

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Madonna - Madame X

It doesn’t really feel like 4 years since Madonna’s Rebel Heart came out, but that might just be because I still listen to it a good amount.  At least once a month I go through a Madonna kick and end up listening to a bunch of her discography again.  Rebel Heart wasn’t a shining star among her discography, but there was something about it that kept bringing me back.  My favorite Madonna record remained Confessions on a Dancefloor, but I’m always open for her to top an album that would make my top ten of all time.  When Madame X was first announced and “Medellín” was released, I was honestly a little skeptical at the direction she was headed.  Even after hearing the album I still think it was a questionable choice for her to release her Maluma collab as the first single.  With latin songs flooding the airways these last few years it still didn’t feel like this could possibly be a huge hit for Madonna.  What eventually became clear was that this album wasn’t meant for singles, it was meant to digested as a one full piece.  More on that later.

Madonna is the real chameleon queen of pop so it’s not exactly shocking that this new album is way left field from her previous two.  After hearing it the first time through, it struck me how powerful she meant this album to be.  Songs like “God Control” and “Dark Ballet” delve deeper into social issues and look to shed some light for those listening.  One line that I feel will get looked over is “I think I understand why people get a gun,” which challenged listeners to understand the dangers of the world we live in.  I’ve seen a lot of people refer to this album as a hybrid Madonna record; it’s tonality is very American Life while the music can take you back to COAD, with just a hint of Music in some vocal effects.  While it’s not unlike Madonna to reference herself, Madame X is playing an entirely different game.  With Madame X she looked outside of herself and tried to change the world. 

This era just feels like Madonna put her super hero mask on and set out to fight crime one disco song at a time.  Madame X isn’t just a student, or a teacher, or a nun…she’s whatever she needs to be to save those in need.  “Killers who are Partying” is a glaring example of this, starting off the song with “I will be gay, if the gay are burned,” followed by her commitment to be whatever minority group is in need of help.  This subject (and specifically that line from “Killers”) is something Madonna references in her music video for “Dark Ballet” which features LGBTQ activist, Mykki Blanco.  She just keeps the narrative going outside of the songs, whether it’s through music videos, her Instagram posts, or her interviews where she dons her signature red “X” eyepatch.

Back-peddling to it, this is why the album feels like it should be taken in as one big work of art.  She’s not just trying to give you the music, she’s trying to give you something THROUGH the music.  More on the surface, she’s trying to open our eyes to issues like gun control, racism, and poverty.  Something in me wants to say that the most politically charged part of the album falls between “Dark Ballet” and “Killers who are Partying,” but when I look to the left and see the track-list I can’t help but feel like she really had something to say with each and every track.  There are a few songs that feel a bit “lighter” and there are a few songs that have “lighter” moments, but as a whole there’s a clear, peaceful message that Madonna wants to get through.  “Come Alive” is a beacon of hope placed right in the god damn center of this record.  Coming in at number 9, it’s not exactly the first upbeat song we see on Madame X, theres just some fun tone about the song that sets it above others.  It’s lively backing music contributes to that, and I can’t be the only one who thinks you can hear her smiling as she sings throughout the chorus, which is a nice touch.  This song in particular is all about seeing the good come out of the world and it ended up being one of my favorites on here.  Actually, “Come Alive” ends my favorite string of songs on Madame X.  Madonna HAD to have known what she was doing putting “Crave,” “Crazy,” and “Come Alive” next to each other because it’s easily the best part of the album.

One thing I have to note about this record is how organic is feels.  Madonna has been living in Portugal and while she’s talked about it’s inspirations on the record, it’s something you could have inferred just from listening to it.  “Faz Gostoso” is actually a cover of a fairly popular Portuguese song by Blaya and “Bitch I’m Loca” (the second track to feature Maluma) is almost entirely in Spanish.  It goes beyond the lyrics, Madonna seems to have brought an entire band back to help her out in the studio.  While Portugal clearly dug out a permanent spot on this record, it’s obvious that Madonna wanted this record to be “for the world,” incorporating numerous cultures from all over.  What’s astonishing is how well she pulled all these ideas, concepts, and cultures together into one cohesive album.  If you told me some artist released a disco/Spanish/political album, I would have never given it a second thought and declined the listen.  I guess if anyone could pull it off it would be Madonna, the queen of pop.

Before I wrap this article up, I would beat myself up if I didn’t take the time to talk about the (sort of) closer to this record.  Since there’s 3 different version of the record, “I Rise” closes out the deluxe edition and delivers an inspiring message about rising “up above it all.”  It starts off with an excerpt from Emma Gonzalez as she demands stricter gun control.  What the song turns into is Madonna urging everyone to learn from the tragedies and to build off of them.  It’s immaculately produced and feels like it’s gaining power more and more as the track goes on.  Madonna did not disappoint with this record and it’s one that I think everyone should hear.  Even if you’re not a fan of Madonna, I urge you to sit with a pair of headphones, a glass of wine, and just take it all in.

“Freedom’s what you choose to do with what’s been done to you.”

Apple Music

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Bebe Rexha - Expectations

For the last few years, Bebe Rexha has, for the most part, been just left of the spotlight. With a few moderate hikes, Bebe has been slowly climbing her way to full fledged stardom. During the last year she achieved a sort of “household name” status with her track, “Meant to Be.” It featured country act, Florida Georgia Line, and came as a bit of a surprise for everyone. By now it’s a bonafide hit, but it’s a perfect example of how unpredictable the general public can be. However, I don’t think this is where most people would first remember her from, personally I heard Bebe for the first time on the Cash Cash hit, “Take Me Home.” It’s been a few years since then and during that time she’s released two EPS and had success on a number of other features. Most notably with Martin Garrix (“In the Name of Love”) and G-Eazy (“Me, Myself, & I”) where she first made a name for herself. Her work on the All Your Fault EPs showed promise for an up and coming pop princess and even though an All My Fault LP was planned, it’s since then morphed in this Expectations era.

“Ferrari” is what I saw as the first true single from Expectations, it envelopes the so-cal blues that we’ve seen from Bebe before. It’s actually a fairly common theme on this dark pop record where Bebe struggles to find happiness among all the fame. As explained in her interview with Billboard, Expectations is titled so because this record reveals how “thought money and fame would bring [her] happiness, but this wasn’t what [she] expected at all.” Bebe’s vocal range is perfect for songs like this; she can hit incredible high notes, but the notes she can’t hit come across shaky, embedding this sadness in her voice. So even though “Ferrari” sonically sounds like an inspiring anthem, her performance comes across emotional and worn down, in all the best ways. As you progress through the record you’ll learn more and more about Bebe’s anxieties (“Don’t Get Any Closer,”) her weaknesses (“Self Control,”) and her struggles with love (“Knees.”)

As far as hits go, “Knees” seems like the obvious choice. With an acoustic pop styling, the track incorporates house vibes as Bebe croons about her unrequited love. However, with her record of unusual hits, I wouldn’t be surprised if she launched a ballad into the top 20. It’s not what she’s known for, but “Grace” and “Pillow” are a pair of ballads that could knock down a few pop peers in the last two years. There’s actually a number of great pop ballads on Expectations, which are few and far between on pop albums these days. I’ve typically found, if there are decent bops on the album, the ballads always seem out of place and weak. Expectations is an outlier in this regard, mainly because her melodrama attitude follows her across the whole record. Keeping the album consistent makes the record feel more authentic and makes the ballads fit among the rest of the dark glitter. “Mine” brings trap Bebe out again, serving auto tune & attitude before she brings in the emotion on the closing tracks. “Meant to Be” is the final track on Expectations and while I wasn’t a huge fan of the song when I first heard it on All Your Fault Pt. 2, it definitely found a home here. What’s more surprising is how in line with the theme the track is; Bebe’s been detailing her heartbreak and anxiety, all concluding here, “if it’s meant to be, it’ll be / baby if it’s meant to be.”​

Apple Music

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Lily Allen - No Shame

Lily Allen has never made music that I’d label as “conventional.” Controversial perhaps, definitely thought-provoking, but nothing she's released over the last 12 years could be summed up as ordinary. This time around though, Lily seems to be putting her past behind her, with her best foot forward, looking towards the future. “No Shame” tears down Lily’s protective barriers and leaves her vulnerable in so many ways.

With her similar tongue-in-cheek fashion, Lily opens the album challenging the tabloids over a trap on the track “Come On Then.” Working as a great intro to an album titled No Shame, the song sets the mood for the record: “self-proclaimed confidence and honest insecurities clashing.” There are part of this record where you’ll still see Lily standing tall, but what really sets No Shame apart from her other albums is just how honest and raw she gets on some of these tracks. “Family Man” is one of these tracks, in it Lily pleas for her and her (now) ex-husband to resolve their differences, to accept each other for who they are, and to keep this marriage going. What this track did well was that, as she pours her heart out, you could hear in her voice every emotion that’s associated with the track. Layered with only a few percussions and lead by a light piano, it progresses into a heavy and beautifully done track. Continuing her 1-2-3 combo of ballads, “Apples” comes next, where Lily reflects on the choices made that ultimately ended in their divorce. These first two ballads show a different side of Lily, a point that could only possibly be fought with her Sheezus track, “Take My Place.” One side of Lily that she’s kept almost entirely out of her music is one where she’s heartbroken. “Family Man” and “Apples” are just that, where you can feel it in her vocals how she’s genuinely grieving for the lose of her marriage. “Three” is the final of the trio and it’s Lily’s perception of her life through the eyes of her 3 year old. “Please don’t go, stay here with me, it’s not my fault I’m only three.” Piano driven once again, the track reveals Lily’s guilt over being a working mother. These three tracks feel like some of the realest Lily Allen track...no sarcasm, no charade, just her heart, thrown on the table for all to see. One huge selling point of this album was how extremely open Lily was going to be about her life, but not every track is made up of just her hard times. No Shame sets another milestone for Lily, it’s her first record to have a feature on it. “Your Choice” features Burna Boy and works as one of Lily’s most chill and fun tracks. It’s about Lily coming to peace with the end of her marriage, but it’s great lyrics and bubbly melody are not what make the track shine. Her duet here with Burna is just so well executed and their vocals work so well together that it sits well above any collaboration she’s done before. Aside from this track and the first single you’ll find one more feature, Lady Chann, on a reggae-inspired track, “Waste.” Like a cross between “LDN” & “Not Big” (Alright, Still) the track is upbeat, groovy, and full of Lily’s sarcastic demeanor. Lady Chann’s verse here hits like a train and came across as too “in-you-face,” but without this track, her reggae tone may have been lost halfway through the record. There are only a handful of things I could say bad about this album, but nothing takes away from just how serene this album is. “Everything to Feel Something” starts with a questionable echo effect & during the bridge there’s a good amount of bad auto tune. Clearly Fryars (the producer) intended the autotune as an effect, but it just seems very out of style for both Lily and this No Shame era, even if using it could be seen as “shameful.” It’s tracks like this that I’d label as “forgettable,” however there are a few tracks I’ve come across in recent years that I’d say were “forgettable,” but not bad. “My One” is one of those tracks. It follows Lily on her adventures around the world, looking for her perfect relationship. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the track, and I absolutely BOP to this, but it always surprises me when it comes on, because I forget it’s even on the album. What I’ve always admired Lily for is her exceptional use of wordplay across her discography. Whether she’s writing about political issues (“Fuck You,”) giving a lesson in sexism (“Hard Out Here,”) or questioning a higher power (“Him,”) Lily knows how to precisely word each song to have it come across just as she wishes. No Shame is full of perfect examples, but for me, nothing beats out “Higher” or “Pushing Up the Daisies.” “Higher” feeds my love for a play on words because on the surface this track veils to be about Lily’s failing relationship, repeating the phrase “you’re such a bad liar, stakes getting higher and higher and higher.” Realistically, Lily wrote this song about her struggles with the music industry, while purposely giving the song a double meaning. On the other hand, “Pushing Up the Daisies” uses her talents in a different way; Lily is imagining her life with her partner, where she not only sees their happy moments together, but also their bad. It’s and interesting concept, but it’s as if Lily sees the end early on, but she sees their end with them together. Coupled with the upbeat and flowery production, this track soars as the album itself begins to end. Four albums in yet Lily Allen has already solidified her reputation as a veteran songstress in her own right. No Shame brings Lily’s personal life to the foreground while maintaining the wit and charm one would expect from a Lily Allen record. I don’t think I’d ever tire of new music from her, but I believe No Shame will go down as one of her “classics.” It’s organic, well written, beautifully produced, and 100% Lily Allen​

Apple Music

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Playlist - May 2018

1) Sway - Tove Styrke 2) Bloom - Troye Sivan 3) Crazy, Beautiful, Life - Janelle Monáe 4) SADE IN THE 90s - Qveen Herby 5) Chun Li - Nicki Minaj 6) Girls (feat. Cardi B, Bebe Rexha, & Charli XCX) - Rita Ora 7) Messy - Kiiara 8) Drugs - Uffie 9) MJ - Now, Now 10) If You’re Over Me - Years & Years 11) Back to You - Selena Gomez 12) Hunger - Florence + the Machine Apple Music Spotify

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Playlist - April 2018

1) Nice For What - Drake 2) Ana Wintour - Azealia Banks 3) Be Careful - Cardi B 4) Barbie Tingz - Nicki Minaj 5) Quiz - cupcakKe 6) Stuck With Me (feat. Little Dragon) - Tinashe 7) For the Night - Princess Nokia 8) What I Need (feat. Kehlani) 9) Ferrari - Bebe Rexha 10) One Kiss - Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa 11) Sky Full of Song - Florence + the Machine 12) Queendom - Aurora 13) Honest - Bazzi 14) Somebody - The Chainsmokers & Drew Love 15) No Tears Left to Cry - Ariana Grande 16) Ready Yet (San Holo Remix) - Sasha Sloan Apple Music Spotify

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St. Vincent - Self-Titled

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St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

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St. Vincent - Actor

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Playlist - March 2018

1) UFO (feat. Allday) - Mallrat 2) Sanctify - Years & Years 3) Higher - Lily Allen 4) ‘Til It’s Over - Anderson .Paak 5) Dance For Me (feat. MØ) - ALMA 6) The Middle - Zedd 7) Solo Dance - Martin Jensen 8) No - Alison Wonderland 9) Look Back - Betty Who 10) Your Side of the Bed - Loote 11) Stop Me From Falling - Kylie Minogue 12) Raw - Sigrid 13) Strawberries & Cigarettes - Troye Sivan 14) Better With You - Jesse McCartney 15) Lost In Japan - Shawn Mendes APPLE MUSIC

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St. Vincent - Marry Me

For any debut album to be successful it’s got to contain the characteristics of a great up-and-coming artist: creativity, originality, and heart.  Creativity in how they handle their productions throughout the tracks, the way their vocals glide across each hum from their instruments, and how they’ll execute this spectacle within roughly a 45 minutes time period.  Originality would be their distinction between themselves and their peers in the music industry, which could range as far as Kanye West to Adele. Heart is where you’ll have to do a bit more digging into the record to uncover.  For instance, a lot of people would think Lady Gaga’s music was “just dumb pop music,” but it oddly has a lot of substance behind the lyrics that many wouldn’t try to interpret. One artist that debuted a few years back exuded all of these elements, packed on with a theatrical flare, even though she went fairly under the radar until 2014.  St Vincent’s Marry Me brought pop music to the stage and set it on fire, while no one watched.

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Playlist - February 2018

1) Get It Right (feat. MØ & GoldLink) [Remix] - Diplo 2) Get Out - CHVRCHES 3) Normal - Sasha Sloan 4) Dancing - Kylie Minogue 5) Savior (feat. Quavo) - Iggy Azalea 6) Changed My Mind - Tove Styrke 7) No Fear - DeJ Loaf 8) Anywhere - Rita Ora 9) Wild Love - James Bay 10) God’s Plan - Drake 11) Tetris - Madilyn Bailey 12) Faceshopping - SOPHIE 13) IDGAF - Dua Lipa 14) Ciao Adios - Anne-Marie 15) Make Me Feel - Janelle Monáe 16) Top of the World - Kimbra 17) Attention (feat. Offset) - Rich Brian

APPLE MUSIC

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Playlist - January 2018

1) Champagne Clouds - Malia Civetz 2) Total - cupcakKe 3) My My My! - Troye Sivan 4) Porsche (feat. MØ) - Charli XCX 5) watch - Billie Eilish 6) Trigger Bang (feat. Giggs) - Lily Allen 7) SGL - Now, Now 8) God Save Our Young Blood (feat. Lana Del Rey) - BØRNS 9) Tremble - LPX 10) Curious - Hayley Kiyoko 11) New - Daya 12) Ignore Me - Betty Who 13) No Drama (feat. Offset) - Tinashe 14) Love You Like That - Dagny 15) Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Going?) [Piano Version] - Lady GaGa 16) Oceans - Vallis Alps

APPLE MUSIC

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