20GAYTeen the Rate: WINNER!!

[Music Is Life & Death]

I loved this. First one that hurts. I'm a sucker for these kind of songs.

 

[yuuurei]

Such a great message, and the song is great!

You can tell which songs I wrote commentary for last and was just trying to get something down because I liked them enough to say something positive - it's all about as inane as this. Great!

Anyway, I don't think this deserved to go so early, just because it's cliché doesn't mean it's bad.

 

[slaybellz]

There are a few songs that could have left before this teebs. Also ya'll need to keep "Stay Down" out your mouths. notonmywatch.gif

 

[Cutlery]

I hope Don't Beat the Girl Out of My Boy sees the exit soon. Those vocals, the flavour...

 

[Trouble in Paradise]

Alan Turing was a mathematical genius who helped crack the Nazi's codes and ensure the Allies victories in many battles including the Battle of the Atlantic as well as developing a lot of computer science things I don't understand who was never recognized in his lifetime due to his homosexuality, he's also here to introduce our next cut:

86. "Transome"
By Planningtorock
6.291
Highest Scores: 10 x 1 (@Riiiiiiiii)
Lowest Scores: 2 x 1 (@Reboot)
My Score: 6

With my body all femme, uh uh
And my face all masc, mmm mmm
Touch me again baby
You make me wet
​

Despite my score, I am a bit crushed to see this sweet genderfucking bop go so soon. The lyrics above are some of my absolute faves. Shout out to @Riiiiiiiii for bringing Planningtorock into my life. Honestly, this song suffered the most from my highly selective scoring which included spreadsheets and math (a kindergarten teacher's nightmare!). While I adore the production and aforementioned lyrics, the song is too repetitive to stand up against some of my absolute faves here. While I'm scared to reveal this score, there's still one that I'm more nervous about divulging.

Planningtorock is actually Jam Rostron who is proudly representing people who identify as gender neutral in the rate! (Please let me know if another artist also identifies this way!) Jam's use of vocal effects where questioned by some but in an interview with Dazed she explains:

I pitch my voice, but while performing over the last six years, my voice has actually dropped, so some of the tracks I have manipulated and some I haven’t. It’s a real hybrid. I love Cyril Hahn’s remix of (Destiny’s Child’s) ‘Say My Name’ because of the de-genderised voice, and it’s amazing how that’s become so accepted now. With my last album 
people were somehow troubled by the manipulation.​

I actually adore their vocal effects and how it influences the reading of the song and think it's a really interesting production choice for approaching the themes that are represented. Speaking of their overt political/queer themes, Jam was asked in the same interview why they chose to approach gender issues in such a head on way. They answered:

With the last album I tried to incorporate some of my political ideas, and I was way too subtle and poetic so I came out of it quite frustrated. Also, I got to a bit of a low point last summer making music, thinking, ‘What’s making music for me? What can I do with it?’ And out of that moment I wrote ‘Patriarchy Over 
& Out’, which was a massive turning point for me. I realised I had to be way more direct, which was more fun. Gender politics is the biggest part of it, but also queer theory and living as a person who identifies themselves as queer. It feels very liberating to be more direct, 
to talk about things.
​

Throughout their latest record, Planningtorock explored and exploded concepts of gender and queerness with sweet production touches. I have to shout out "Much to Touch" as the bop of the album that you all should check out!

Now let's sort through the mess you all sent me:
Reboot: Those vocals and lyrics are REALLY stopping me from enjoying what could have been a decent song. Wrong!
Constantino I applaud the idea and the texture of this, but they have plenty more high-impact songs in their back catalogue. Less wrong!
The Hot Rock This washed over me a bit when listening for the rate but it might be something that slays me out of nowhere upon a revisit. Just had those vibes? Fair enough...
Untouchable Ace Laid back and glitchy. How people also describe me dancing to this song
Londonrain This starts so promisingly and then... doesn’t go anywhere. Fair enough...
untitled I'm sure this whole hiding vocals behind effects business is some deep artistic statement that i couldn't possibly understand, but all my points are given for the instrumental girl, do you're research!

​

 

[Music Is Life & Death]

That was a bop, but I'm not tooooo upset it's gone.

 

[Reboot]

"Diamond" is so up my street. Love that kind of cheesy song.

"Transome" on the other hand is just a bit too much for me. That said, I do wanna point out that when I said I didn't like the lyrics, I was more talking about the repetitiveness of them. I think the concept of the song is interesting, but I feel like the lyrics could have been a bit more polished.

 

[evilsin]

Jake Zyrus used to be Charice? That's what I get for not looking up who sang this great song. Good for him for living his authentic self. Sad to see Diamond go so soon, it's not particularly paving a new ground sonically, but I enjoyed quite a bit.

As for Transome, it's cute, but not much is happening in it.

 

[soratami]

If Stranger goes soon, that'll be all my lowest scored extras gone before we even get to the top 80. The collective good taste jumped out.

 

[Trouble in Paradise]

The next two cuts make me very sad...

 

[Trouble in Paradise]

Here for the next cut is Ivy Bottini who is a trailblazing feminist and gay rights activist who helped organize key events for N.O.W. before Betty Friedan kicked out all the lesbians. Bottini went on to found the first AIDS organization in L.A. and continued to be a key figure in the LA LGBT scene.

85. "Doubt"
By Charlotte Day Wilson
6.317
Highest Scores: 10 x 1 (@Music Is Life) 9.5 x 1 (@slaybellz)
Lowest Scores: 2 x 1 (@Empty Shoebox)
My Score: 8

I may not always have
The comfort of you
As you tread and I fall like a fountain
Falling for you
​

Charlotte Day Wilson is a singer, songwriter, and producer from Toronto who has collaborated with BADBADNOTGOOD, Daniel Caesar and River Tiber. She’s one of the few women and few queer artists making a name for herself in the Toronto music community. She’s spoken openly about the lack of role models she’s had, especially as a female producer, and has made herself available to up and coming female producers and songwriters introducing in producing in Toronto. She explained how “The fewer women there are in the industry or in the producing setting, the harder it is for anyone to break into it because it can be a boys’ club, Walking into a studio can be intimidating. And so it’s a really nasty, vicious cycle.” and how “It’s important for me that younger women do see that it’s possible and that you can do it all yourself, and that you can be, you know, the boss.”

I first heard of her from her song “Work” being on a Laura Mvula spotify radio and fell in love with her voice immediately. Imagine my joy when I found out she was queer and I could force you all to listen to her! Now, imagine my disappointment when y’all did this to it. I should’ve known a slow burning emotional ballad that’s greatest asset is it’s sense of space would not go down well with bopjustice. Thankfully, Wilson is used to being misjudged as explained in her Fader interview:

In person, Wilson has a disarming aura of a bullshit bloodhound, a quality that she says people sometimes incorrectly confuse with constant judgement. “I want human connection as much as possible,” she says, still seated and stretching her fingertips towards her pristine white Air Force 1s. “Because of my experiences as a queer woman, I've had to protect myself a little bit. That's given me a little bit of an armor that I bring into the world.”​

Now time to sniff out y’all’s bullshit:
Reboot pretends she's too cool for a sensuous ballad: A bit boring. I feel like I’ve heard this song a thousand times before.
Ufint is serving I actually listened to this song lyrical references but somehow doesn't give a song with a Sade vibe a 10?! Well I’m not done with drinking, so there’s that. I cannot really relate. This has the whole Sade vibe, and I haven’t even taken a Zopiclone, so I’m not going to bed, but you do you, boo…
The Hot Rock uses the same description my ex uses for me: A bit plain but by no means bad.
Slaybellz uses a more accurate description of both the song and myself: Beautiful, soulful, relaxing.
Untitled let's her guard down: wait at this angelic sophisticated bullshit. i'm a little enchanted
Pop3Blow2 is going full Hardy Boy on us This is really solid. Laid back & she can sing, for real. I don’t know anything about this person. Will investigate!
Constantino is pinning this onto his vision board Her voice is stunning. Lemme sip on some wine and sit in my Scandinavian-style lounge as I listen.

​

 

[slaybellz]

Um....wow the lack of taste is astounding. In what world does this song deserve a 2?

 

[Trouble in Paradise]

Um....wow the lack of taste is astounding. In what world does this song deserve a 2?

I was pretty close to also tagging the amount of voters who gave this a 4...

 

[soratami]

Um....wow the lack of taste is astounding. In what world does this song deserve a 2?

Ok but anyone who's participated in a few rates knows @Empty Shoebox rates on a special scale.

 

[ohnostalgia]

Ok but anyone who's participated in a few rates knows @Empty Shoebox rates on a special scale.

You forgot to put quotation marks around “special.”

 

[soratami]

I really didn't expect that to go so early. I gave it a 7, and looking back maybe it should have been an 8. It's very Jessie Ware album track (and I say that as a Jessie Ware stan).

 

[slaybellz]

I was pretty close to also tagging the amount of voters who gave this a 4...

You should have. I need to know who i'm fighting.

 

[Trouble in Paradise]

You should have. I need to know who i'm fighting.

Queer Disney Icon Mulan seems to have spilt something...

@Sanctuary @GimmeWork @happiestgirl @Riiiiiiiii & a 4.5 from @londonrain​

 

[Music Is Life & Death]

Are you kidding me? This artist and song gave me some serious JoJo/Kelly/Christina/Demi vibes, and since those are 4 of my favorite artists, plus the fact that Charlotte has a great voice, and it's a strong song meant there was no way I wasn't giving that a 10. I love you all but you all suck. And swallow.

 

[londonrain]

you all suck. And swallow.