#music review

[bigguynyah]

my review of The Fragile

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Michael Jochum

It wasn’t Prince in the rain. It wasn’t U2 after 9/11. It wasn’t the Rolling Stones or Tom Petty. It wasn’t Whitney or Michael. It wasn’t one of those pyrotechnic, spine-rattling halftime spectacles that rearrange the molecules in your chest and leave you stunned on the couch. Musically? It wasn’t in that pantheon. But that was never the point. The point was the message. When Bad Bunny emerged from a recreation of Puerto Rico’s sugar cane fields at Super Bowl 60, jíbaros in pavas, viejitos slapping dominoes, a piragua stand glowing like a childhood memory, he wasn’t just performing. He was planting a flag. Not the sanitized, corporate version of a flag. The real one. The complicated one. The colonial one. The proud one. From a small Caribbean island that America often treats like a footnote, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio walked into the largest televised spectacle in the country and said, in Spanish, I never stopped believing in myself, and neither should you. That wasn’t translation-ready patriotism. That was cultural sovereignty broadcast in prime time. He ran through “Tití Me Preguntó.” He moved into “Yo Perreo Sola.” He nodded to Daddy Yankee and the architects who paved the reggaetón road before him. He introduced himself in Spanish without apology, because why should he? This country is supposed to be an all-inclusive melting pot, not a gated community with an English-only sign nailed to the door. And here’s where it matters. When an artist stands on that stage and centers Puerto Rican culture, not as decoration, not as seasoning, but as the main course, it challenges the narrow narrative of who gets to define “American.” The United States was built by migrants, dreamers, refugees, risk-takers. It thrives when people contribute in their own ways to the common good, not when they are reduced to headlines and handcuffs. For many communities, immigration enforcement has come to symbolize fear more than safety, raids before dawn, families separated, power exercised without transparency. When people invoke dark chapters of history, they are responding to the emotional reality of those experiences. Democracies erode not in fireworks, but in quiet permissions. Bad Bunny didn’t scream it. He didn’t need to. The imagery was the speech. The language was the protest. The pride was the declaration. Was it the greatest halftime show of all time? No. Was it important? Absolutely. Because sometimes the most radical act on the biggest stage in America is simply existing, fully, unapologetically, bilingually, and reminding millions of brown kids watching that they are not guests in this country. They are the country. And that message rang louder than any guitar solo ever could. —Michael Jochum, Not Just a Drummer: Reflections on Art, Politics, Dogs, and the Human Condition

[fongus-the-ninth]

Brad taste in music:

[retro-enthusiast]

Five Billy Joel Songs So Beatley You’ll Want To Sit On a Cornflake

If you’re a fan of Billy Joel’s music, chances are you also enjoy listening to The Beatles. Joel himself is a big Beatles fan, and that Lennon/McCartney influence is prominent in many of his songs, but stylistically, both artists are very different.

You don’t see Billy Joel featured in lists of ‘artists that sound like The Beatles’. But sometimes the influence pokes through…and I’m here to break it down.

Sometimes that Beatles itch needs scratching, and Billy Joel is the way to go.

If you don’t know me already, I’m Angelina — a multi-instrumentalist, music composer, lover of all things retro, and a thriller author. I write posts like this about retro pop culture, so come along for the journey. If you’re into 70s and 80s music, movies and The Beatles…I think you’ve found your new favourite writer.

Today’s hot topic: Billy Joel!

I’m still a fairly new fan of Billy Joel. I was one of those people who only knew Piano Man and Uptown Girl, but after listening to The Stranger front to back, I fell in love with the Piano Man himself. And as a long-time Beatles fan, it amazed me to discover some of Billy’s tracks have that Lennon and McCartney sound I love.

So here are five Billy Joel songs so Beatley you’ll want to sit on a cornflake.

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#5 — You Can Make Me Free (1972)

I love Cold Spring Harbour. It is an incredible debut album with some amazing hidden gems that tend to get overlooked. The whole album has a distinct McCartney influence that’s hard not to hear, not only in the lyrics, but the melodies and how they’re sung.

You Can Make Me Free stands out for its vocals. Not only does Billy sound like Paul McCartney, but the instrumentation is very Beatles-sounding. When I hear this track, I automatically think of Let It Be. Both songs have a similar piano accompaniment, use an organ and have tone-alike guitar solos. And it makes sense. Joel recorded the tracks from Cold Spring Harbour just one year after Let It Be was released.

The melody itself is very McCartney-esque. It reminds me a lot of We Can Work It Out and Pipes Of Peace. And those raspy vocals at the end of the final chorus pay tribute to Oh! Darling and I’ve Got A Feeling. For another example of McCartney’s raspy vocals, check out Monkberry Moon Delight.

I also hear a Lennon influence, especially with that light rasp; it reminds me of Twist and Shout and You Can’t Do That.

The lyrics are optimistic and whimsical, like McCartney’s ballads, his ‘granny music’, such as When I’m Sixty Four and Martha My Dear.

“I can take to the skies, I can soar like a bird,” also rings bells for me. The mention of birds is not exclusive to The Beatles, but it reminds me of Blackbird and Bluebird.

So if you’re looking for a piano-driven, mellow vocal, optimistic track that sounds like Paul McCartney abandoned his bass for the piano, You Can Make Me Free is the way to go!

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#4 — Scandinavian Skies (1982)

Ah, The Nylon Curtain…where to start? I love this album, but it doesn’t get the love it deserves. Scandinavian Skies is so Beatles-sounding it could pass on The White Album or Magical Mystery Tour.

This is a fairly popular observation, especially when you consider the context. Joel recorded this album between 1981 and 1982, and Lennon was assassinated in late 1980. While working on The Nylon Curtain, Joel was in the Beatles zone:

“I was thinking about the great Beatles albums, especially Sgt. Pepper’s. I had those kinds of aspirations for this.”

And he drew inspiration from their unique recording techniques.

“I want to make a good headphones album and use exotic instrumentation and layering the way The Beatles did.”

So it’s no surprise that Scandinavian Skies sounds like that.

The track begins with a mellow, experimental soundscape and voiceover. It is familiar to any Beatles fan, featured in tracks like You Never Give Me Your Money and Rain. As well as those consistent quarter-note piano chords familiar to Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields Forever.

Scandinavian Skies is melancholic, like many tracks from The White Album tracks such as Dear Prudence, Happiness is a Warm Gun and I’m So Tired. As for the orchestral instrumentation, this track resonates with The Long and Winding Road and A Day In The Life.

Instead of sounding like McCartney, Joel sounds like Lennon, especially the part: “I could play the blues all night…” where the ahhs are a signature of many Beatles tracks. And the solid beat in the chorus sounds like I’m So Tired: “You’d say I’m putting you on…”

The lyrics have political undertones. The Nylon Curtain leans into state-of-the-nation themes, especially tracks like Allentown and Goodnight Saigon. And any Beatles fan is familiar with political music, for example, Give Peace A Chance and Revolution.

Many believe Billy Joel is a pop artist who makes easily-digestible songs for the mainstream audience, but Scandinavian Skies shows that he can make complex, experimental music too. These songs tend to be appreciated more by musicians, so for my fellow musicians, this song features around twenty-two chords. Most songs feature four.

Above all, this track sounds like I Am The Walrus. When the staccato strings come in, when the drums accent them, when the song picks up, the resemblance is uncanny. It mirrors the part: “Sitting in an English garden…” Especially how it descends, like in Blue Jay Way.

I can also hear Lennon’s solo music, specifically from Double Fantasy, like I’m Losing You.

The setting itself is no stranger to The Beatles. Think about songs like Back in the USSR and Norwegian Wood. Even the way this song is written. It sounds like Lennon lyrics: “Who could say what was left and where was right?”

Can you tell who Billy Joel’s favourite Beatle is?

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#3 — She’s Always a Woman (1977)

I love this song. I have a feeling I may start every section like this, but I really do. She’s Always A Woman is the perfect combination of Beatles — the lyrics are very Lennon and the instrumentation is very McCartney.

The style of piano playing is very resonant of Paul’s music, such as Let It Be and The Long And Winding Road. The fingerstyle acoustic guitar reminds me of She’s Leaving Home and I’ve Just Seen a Face, as well as the acoustic version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps, for some Harrison influence.

Let’s take a look at the plethora of chords and how often they change. She’s Always A Woman features around twenty chords. That is very Lennon. Think of songs like It Won’t Be Long and I Want You (She’s So Heavy). The frequent use of diminished and seventh chords seals the deal. Even that D Major to D Major 7th right before the chorus matches the pre-chorus in This Boy. These chord variations appear everywhere in She’s Always a Woman. That’s what makes it so Beatles-sounding.

The flute in the chorus reminds me of Fool On The Hill and the way Joel’s voice sounds, smooth and bright like McCartney’s, makes the resemblance uncanny.

And how about those non-lyric vocals? Specifically the ‘mmms’ during the chorus, which sound like I’ve Just Seen a Face and Words of Love. I know this is a common adlib not only used by The Beatles, but it sure does sound familiar.

The lyrics are almost identical to Girl. The only difference is She’s Always a Woman is more in denial, disregarding all the wrong his woman does because she’s only a woman, which makes her perfect. It delivers a powerful message about rose coloured lenses and how personal affiliations can water down facts. Whereas Girl tells a story about being trapped in a relationship but enjoying it too much to leave, so the protagonist is left with conflicting feelings. With both songs aligned like this, the inspiration is clear.

Listening to She’s Always A Woman feels like a mellow diss track. And us Beatles fans are familiar with this. It’s a bit of a stretch, but you could say it resonates with How Do You Sleep? and Too Many People.

And now, another song about relationship struggles. That alone is very Beatles.

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#2 — Through The Long Night (1980)

If you think Through The Long Night doesn’t sound like early-Beatles, you’re simply wrong. Billy Joel heard Yes It Is and wrote this song inspired by it. Once you hear it, you can’t unhear it, especially with those multi-layered harmonies, the lyrics about past heartbreak, and the synth.

Many of Joel’s Beatles-sounding songs pay tribute to mid-to-late Beatles, but rarely early Beatles, which is interesting. After all, it was early-Beatles performing on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 that first inspired Billy Joel:

“That one performance changed my life. Up to that moment, I’d never considered playing rock as a career…This is what I’m going to do — play in a rock band.”

Listen to the melody in the verse. It is deliciously simple, like many of McCartney’s hits, and he even sounds like him, especially in the chorus, “Long, long time ago,” where Joel climbs up the scale. That’s where Paul’s vocals sit most comfortable. You could even say the vocal harmonies sound like Girl.

The short lyrical phrases are similar to early-Beatles tracks, which were often written around the title phrase, for example, A Hard Day’s Night and Can’t Buy Me Love.

The themes of sleeping remind me of the niche lullaby-sounding Beatles tracks like I’m Only Sleeping and Golden Slumbers. Whether or not this is intentional, the influence is clear.

The brass instruments make the song sound like Penny Lane and any track from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Or rather, any one of McCartney’s ‘granny’ songs. I’m sensing a pattern here…

And now, the most Lennon-sounding song I’ve ever heard.

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#1 — Laura (1982)

Man…this sounds so damn Lennon. If you can’t hear it, you don’t know The Beatles. Laura is conversational, bitter and yearnful. That alone is very Lennon. Think of songs like How Do You Sleep? and Gimme Some Truth. Additionally, the storytelling style reminds me a lot of Being For The Benefit of Mr Kite! and Girl.

Those experimental sounds are incredible, especially the effect-heavy guitar parts, which remind me of I’m Only Sleeping and Rain. It easily passes as a track off The White Album, along with Scandinavian Skies. It’s a track that comes from a deep emotional place of frustration, and I love it.

Listen to the part: “Laura loves me even if I don’t care (ahh)” and tell me it’s not four Beatles in a trench coat. The backing vocals are very early-Beatles, for example, Twist and Shout, and even late-Beatles, like Because. And the I Am The Walrus influence is obvious here, like in Scandinavian Skies.

Something else I’d like to point out: John Lennon and Paul McCartney both had trauma related to their mothers, and Laura is about the straining relationship between a mother and son, how someone close to you knows how to push your buttons. The best lyrical examples: “How can she hold the umbilical cord for so long?” and “Sometimes I feel like this Godfather deal is all wrong.” The themes of familial control and longing to get through to somebody are also found in Julia and Dear Prudence.

Even the title has similarities with Beatles tracks. A woman’s name. Other examples to feature a woman’s name: Lovely Rita, Michelle, Sexy Sadie and Mrs. Vandebilt.

Let’s not forget about the chords. The Beatles were known for experimenting heavily with song structure and instrumental composition. So does Laura, which features around twenty chords, and almost none of them are vanilla chords. That’s very interesting for any music enthusiast.

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The best thing about music: it is subjective. There’s something out there for everybody. Billy Joel is a fan of The Beatles, and so are you, I assume, if you’re reading this. It’s always a treasure to discover a new favourite song, so I hope I have given you some great new recommendations, or I’ve convinced you to re-listen to these awesome tracks.

If you enjoyed reading this post, please consider leaving a comment or liking it. As always, happy listening and I’ll see you in the next post!

[nooodlesartstyle]

ALBUM REVIEW: “The Transatlantics” - The Transatlantics

in a world where minority groups are getting increasingly villainised by the rich around the world, escapism and community have been needed to fight against the system further. some turn to art to spread a message. some write literature. some people make music; the latter is the case for this album, which sees three trans women from different sides of the atlantic (hence the perfect band name) band together to write a rock album that sends out a great message. and its members bulle, kayla and astr have the perfect chemistry as a band to make it sound great.

the opening riffs and build-up on this eponymous debut album immediately let you know what you’re in for sonically: a short-but-sweet, nostalgic rock lp that sounds perfect for fans of oasis, the black keys and led zeppelin. lyrically, the first track overflows with a punk attitude, highlighting the bigotry and oppression trans people face and showing that we’re not going down without a fight; the rebellious delivery from bulle and instrumentation make that clear. this energy continues to show on the following track “cloudjam”, with lyrics showcasing how there’s always hope in the worst of times, and the band are ready to weather the storms; this just goes to show how brave and resilient trans people are, even with all the attacks they face daily. this album is the dictionary definition of hope and freedom, and it helps that sonically, this album’s britpop-esque sound kicks a lot of ass too.

it’s not all festival-ready bangers though; the middle section of this album allows for more laidback and intimate-sounding tunes for some balance. “cumulus” makes good use of acoustic guitars and a groovy rhythm on the toms, with verses separated by a sweet harmonica solo that really shows off the band’s blues influence. following this is “a firefly’s table”, which not only tells an interesting narrative (following a spoken-word french intro), but does it over a prog-rock instrumental that gradually builds into a fantastic climax, with a few folk influences scattered throughout the track as well.

all in all, this debut album lays the groundwork for a band with a lot of potential, and this album proves that unity is the key to keep our spirits up and motivate the marginalised more than anything.

SCORE: 4/5

FAV TRACK: cloudjam

STREAM HERE:

[ladyxgaga]

Lady Gaga The MAYHEM Ball 2025-2026

[kjscottwrites]