Alt Pop 2020 Rate | #53 Oh God turn me into a flower

There's plenty of filler on the other albums, cull someone else pls (but not Rina)!

 

Well, good news for you, because these two eliminations up next are by someone other than Phoebe and Rina.































































69



HIGH 10 (@2014), 9 (@TéléDex @Dijah.)
LOW 4 (@Phonetics Girl), 5.5 (@Candy Perfume Girl)

Listening to this reggae-influenced cut that has also drawn Ace of Base or even ABBA comparisons, I can feel the four o'clock sun on my skin, damp and my palms and soles of feet still wrinkled from having spent the past five hours in the shores of a beach in Santa Monica, now walking downtown with something to eat in my hand... It's just summer and carefree like that. Especially for the last chorus, with the repeating "I'm wishing the best, baby / If it doesn't work that's alright" laid over loud and joyous horns. @godspeed (7.5) takes note of this part: "The ska-infused outro is one of the most unexpected moments on Women in Music, Part III". But @Ana Raquel (6.5) offers a different point of view: "It's so bizarre that even when their songs have a slight change of style, they are still not memorable? RIP". Well!

The track's name comes from the fact Alana has had an on and off relationship for 10 years (Charli who?), and on the particular day that the band was on writing session with Ariel and Rostam, she was feeling particularly hopeful for getting back together in a proper romance... and then not one week later, the dude tells her he's getting engaged. So it's an ironic way of destiny, or perhaps a self-fulfilling prophecy, that this ode to the times they've been on good and bad and worse terms and getting that sense of illusion/hope thanks to how much joy Another Try radiates like the Venice Beach sun, now has the youngest Haim feeling like "I want to barf, because we’re not in a good place now. [...] Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll figure it out. I am still hopeful".

I've heard less encouraging and bleaker prospects turning out well for both parties, so it's not impossible!

Spoiler: Audio

 

Huh this tea. Had no idea that's what the song was about! And she's been able to keep his identity under wraps for all these years? Good for ha!

 

I'm certain they'll never tire of this city














68



HIGH 10 (@Attis), 9 (@2014 @Aester)
LOW 4 (@Phonetics Girl), 6.5 (@Candy Perfume Girl, @Hurricane Drunk and Your Host Truly)

So that is where the opener of Women in Music sets us, in a presentation of the LA land -and sound- scape that Haim grew up in. The song presents itself like a warm hug, through lo-fi mastering to reminisce of old hits playing on the radio, while the lyrics give their hometown a personality of its own. Most importantly, the lyrics were inspired by the perceived bad reputation of being from Los Angeles, yet they have always found comfort and pride in "being from the valley". I love that they didn't shy away from humor such as the New York references, while the nostalgia vibes are still the main focus. Plus the vocals just glide over the instrumental, and there's nice harmonies in the choruses, too.

This is also the perfect opportunity to learn where did the idea of a Jewish deli near West Hollywood as a starting point for the album come from. The story goes back to 2000, and that story is of the first concert that the band ever gave - when they were just kids! At the time, the Haims' parents had formed a family band under the aptly pun name Rockinhaim. So picture them at ages 9-14, in their words, very nervous to go on one of the booths to perform some wedding band classics "even though there was no one in the crowd back here". It was a key moment in their lives for sure, and so, as they embarked in a successful career, it's nice to see that although the trio had both separately and jointly been in and out of other bands, they would eventually come back to family and stay that way.

Speaking of full-circle moments, @godspeed (8) sure has a LOT of thoughts, mainly focused on the connections between both ends of the Women in Music tracklist: " I know “Summer Girl” is technically a bonus track on Women in Music, Part III but I’ve always thought it worked incredibly well as a closing track when you put it next to the album’s opener, the instantly intoxicating “Los Angeles.” Not only do both songs echo each other musically with their prominent saxophone and breezy and sunny vibe, but thematically they feel like two chapters lifted from the same story. Whereas on “Summer Girl” the narrator seems to be in a better place even while facing a personal and emotional challenge, “Los Angeles” feels heavy and not as lighthearted as the music would suggest.

Danielle Haim is feeling trapped in her life, she is suffocating in her hometown and probably in the midst of a depressive episode. She feels like she can’t escape “Los Angeles,” which seems to be both a city and the state of mind she is in. And yet, sixteen songs later, on “Summer Girl”, although she is facing what is most-likely the hardest and scariest event of her life and her relationship, she is happy to be home. She feels comforted by her city. Those two beautiful songs are only more striking because of their similarities and contrast which make them feel like a full circle moment.". I hear you, but not this spoiling (and bettering) my write-up for Summer Girl already! And thanks for the reflection, it gives me a deeper insight on these two.

Spoiler: Audio

 

I don't love these last two HAIM eliminations, but I do love that steaming sandwich that's following them to each post.

 

Y'all leave my girls alone! To be honest I can't be too mad at these cuts since I only gave these two a 7.5 and 7 respectively, definitely still worse left in though!

Also some timely eliminations as I just started watching the show Dollface last night and Este makes a random cameo in it dd. Plus Want You Back also features at the end of the pilot. Now that's a classic!

 

Thanks! Another satisfied customer

A song! And here I thought an acting gig was only Alana's... I kid, I know the rest of Haim also cameo'd in Licorice Pizza, right?

 

The rest of HAIM and their parents dd! Alexa play Family Affair by Mary J. Blige.

 

Not me falling to page 2! And now I've to boot one of my faves












































67



HIGH 10 (@Trouble in Paradise), 9.5 (@TéléDex @Oleander @Phonetics Girl)
LOW 2 (@Hurricane Drunk), 5 (@Aester)

Denai Moore is a British-Jamaican musician who's been kicking around since 2013 and has three albums under her name. To the Brink belongs to her third album, Modern Dread which is wordplay on the feeling and the hair. In fact, the cover sees Denai on the geometric throne of a barren room, with her braids floating in the air while the crystal headpiece she''s wearing turns into CGI metallic dreads. Though she describes her music as "genre-free", music publications have said her style is a mix of folk, electronic and soul elements. In today's song, we hear elements from these genres pulled through the wringer and coming out the other side with thumping electro brass and drums commanded by her voice. I love it, and I think it wouldn't sound out of place in something like the orchestral soul-influenced moments of Little Simz' Introvert, for a recent example.

I'm definitely surprised that the song didn't crack an 8.0+ average, as I thought it was a top 10 from the extras section, had a clear indentity and felt like a statement, but alas it's only been named 19th best by the rategoers. And it's no wonder that she's been underappreciated, when @Ana Raquel (6) didn't get the name quite right on the first try: "Not me reading Demi Moore". Ddd not the Ghost and Striptease actrice!

Adding to the comment of Moore using folk and soul influences, @godspeed (7) welcomes the change: " This is pretty and it’s nice to hear Denai Moore embracing a more electronic sonic palette. It was a pretty unexpected evolution of her sound and she managed to make it work. Also, 'Cascades' is magnificent". And, lastly, @Trouble in Paradise (10) feels a little guilty: "I have had [Modern Dread] downloaded since the very first song I heard and every time I listen I tell myself I need to spend more time with it! Denai is such a talent!". I'll admit I haven't digged further beyond this song and the great video, which portrays the state of the world with sterile concrete environments, bright ruffles, nature and monochromatic looks. So here's a performance of To the Brink, Cascades and other highlights off Modern Dread.

Spoiler: Video

Spoiler: Modern Dread Live

 

Yeah, I don't know why I only gave that a 5. It's a lot more interesting than I remembered. Sorry!

 

I knew certain extras would be done dirty, like this and Fancy but it still hurts

 

Here's a first for the rate...































And the right time to note that Chris recently mentioned in passing in a TikTok video that he uses he/him pronouns, as well as updating his stage name to Christine and the Queens Presents Redcar (a mouthful!). This info also being reflected in his Instagram bio. This all coming from a second source making the translation, as I don't speak French, but if you do feel free to watch! I appreciate that Chris has shared glimpses of his gender journey with his audience through the years.


65



HIGH 10 (@Trouble in Paradise @boombazookajoe), 9.5 (@TéléDex)
LOW 3 (@Ana Raquel), 5 (@Aester)

It's finally time to have the first Chris cut, and it's in the form of a delicate ballad, and coincidentially the only of the songs in the EP to be fully sung in English, as the rest incorporates Spanish, Italian and French in its lyrics. The piano chords, simple beat and quirky string-like synths underline a long-distance love, and the verses are a bit meta in that sense, since he speaks of writing a song that makes those hurdles and mountains into a relatable feeling, a "Song about you / For other faces than just yours". So in that sense I see it as a song on the challenge of using oneself and transforming oneself into the words and sounds that make up music, and to free it to be heard and belong to an audience. It's a brave move in many cases, especially a project as personal as La vita nuova.

The spell has worked on @godspeed (9), who says: "This is overwhelmingly beautiful". I can hear that in the craft. @Trouble in Paradise (10), meanwhile, highlights the audiovisual aspect and how open his heart was for this track: "I am here to represent balladjustice and give Mountains (we met) and its stunningly simple visual the respect it deserves. There's a softness in Chris’s vocals here, the pleading repetition strips away the bravado I often connect to Chris’s singing style. Songs like Doesn’t Matter may have deeper pain at their heart, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard Chris sound more vulnerably human than Mountains".

The corresponding bit of Mountains in the short film is of Chris, clad in a multicolored top, black performance suit with amazing ruffled cuffs and collar. The meta aspect is reflected here, as he is seen dramatically and desperately crawling, dancing, chasing after the gaffer who holds the microphone that's going to give his silence a voice, performing amidst the fog to an empty theater as the spotlight, in time, chases after Chris too. A stunningly simple visual for sure.

Spoiler: Lyric Video

Spoiler: One World: Together at Home Performance

 

So misandry justice strikes again, I see!

(Congrats to Chris — he’s a fucking icon and y’all did Mountains dirty!)

 

We’ll @Ana Raquel at least we’ll have papi bones

 

deal!!

in my defense, that was my only low score for dear Chris!

 

That whole EP is fantastic to be honest. All killer no filler, way too early for this cut.

 

Not this girl taking half a year just to post the other half of a tie... I'm sick of her! You'll be pleased to learn my #1 setback, which was getting myself to finish all the graphics, has been push past. Yas me/this rate!










It's wrong, but you could do no wrong
And baby, even though it makes me miserable...



65 (II)



HIGH 10 (@slaybellz @Candy Perfume Girl @Remorque), 9.5 (@Dijah.)
LOW 4 (@Aester), 5 (@Hurricane Drunk)

FUBT is the album's standard edition closer, and it decidedly ends things on a note of balladry based almost solely around the band's electric guitar playing a modern lament. It's hard for Danielle's lead, as well as Alana an Este providing support with their vocals, to miss when held by this sort of soundscape, yet the song is also notable for its lyrics, and I'm surprised at how the picture it paints makes the album close in a bittersweet note. @godspeed (9) puts his impression best as: "This song is so raw and vulnerable. It’s crazy how the quietest moments on Women in Music, Part III might be some of its most attention-grabbing and memorable. Wimpiii power at its finest".

The feeling of being trapped and knowingly manipulated in an abusive relationship is what this track is all about. But rather than having it written in a moment of catharsis, the trio has opted to write from the transitional point at which they have accepted that they're stuck in a pattern of forgiving all the ways they've been minimized by their partner, and even that abrupt ending feels like an escape to steer more into the freeing oneself of the relationship. Which works great in the context of the bonus tracks following suit. As Alana said: "But it felt like the end to the chapter of the record—a good break before the next songs, which everyone knew".

This sentiment was enough for @Ana Raquel (6) to not be a low scorer in a ballad: "This has some good stuff going on......................................... in the last 30 seconds...". Shocking coming from you! I hope you appreciated the riff, too? No music video for this one, so have a nice live performance instead.

Spoiler: Lyric Video

Spoiler: Live at All Things Go Festival 2021, Maryland

 

I feel a little bad being the low scorer for that one... but only a little. I have no scores under 5 left now.

 

Congrats on finishing the graphics!!!