CHRIStine and the Queens RATE [fin]
- Thread starter NecessaryVoodoo
- Start date
I was hoping to blast through these early eliminations at a quick pace but work (and Hollow Knight, phuck a white palace) have gotten in the way so apols for the rather glacial pace. I can at least give you a couple tonight:
trente-quatre / 34
Drifter (from the Mac Abbey EP)
average score: 7.290
highest scorers: 10 x 2 (@berserkboi, @Verandi) 9.1 x 1 (@pop3blow2)
lowest scorers: 5 x 2 (@Aidan, @soratami) 6 x 3 (@Hurricane Drunk, @klow, @Remorque)
Drifter is the only song from 2012's Mac Abbey EP that didn't find itself later getting gussied up for release on Chaleur humaine. Poor dat. And rather ironically, it's the song that would've needed the least tweaking before it fitted seamlessly into the sound world of the debut. The only thing that lets it down is the rather simplistic lyrics, but as with the other rough... I guess we can call them demo versions... on Mac Abbey, she's getting there by this point.
"This has a lot more impact that most of the early extras; the drums and the vocal layering give it momentum that many of the extras lack." - @constantino
"Love the stuttering production on this one. A highlight in the extras." - @pop3blow2
"Airy and energetic. A solid track." - @Michael17
"WHY hasn't she reworked this for the album? WHYYYY" - @Verandi
"I am finding so many contenders for my 11 in the extras section!!" - @berserkboi
trente-quatre / 34
Drifter (from the Mac Abbey EP)
average score: 7.290
highest scorers: 10 x 2 (@berserkboi, @Verandi) 9.1 x 1 (@pop3blow2)
lowest scorers: 5 x 2 (@Aidan, @soratami) 6 x 3 (@Hurricane Drunk, @klow, @Remorque)
Drifter is the only song from 2012's Mac Abbey EP that didn't find itself later getting gussied up for release on Chaleur humaine. Poor dat. And rather ironically, it's the song that would've needed the least tweaking before it fitted seamlessly into the sound world of the debut. The only thing that lets it down is the rather simplistic lyrics, but as with the other rough... I guess we can call them demo versions... on Mac Abbey, she's getting there by this point.
"This has a lot more impact that most of the early extras; the drums and the vocal layering give it momentum that many of the extras lack." - @constantino
"Love the stuttering production on this one. A highlight in the extras." - @pop3blow2
"Airy and energetic. A solid track." - @Michael17
"WHY hasn't she reworked this for the album? WHYYYY" - @Verandi
"I am finding so many contenders for my 11 in the extras section!!" - @berserkboi
Last edited:
He/Him
What??? @ this loss already!!
trente-trois / 33
Twinsmatic - 3.A.M. (feat. Christine and the Queens)
average score: 7.310
highest scorers: 10 x 1 (@The Hot Rock) 9.5 x 1 (@LE0Night)
lowest scorers: 4 x 1 (@Sprockrooster), 5 x 1 (@Hurricane Drunk)
Parisian duo Julian and Nadeem are childhood friends who, influenced by slick modern American R&B and Hip Hop production values, make crisp, icy beats as Twinsmatic. 3.A.M. is taken from their 2017 EP Nowhere and is an interesting avenue for Chris' voice and a sound she seems to suit quite well, serving up a sensual and captivating performance. It's also way better than Second 2 None so y'all did wrong by rating that higher don't @ me. According to an interview with Twinsmatic in les Inrocks, the song or Chris' vocals at least, are actually a lot older than 2017 though, having been recorded pre-Chaleur humaine.
"This could have been a Chris song by the sounds of it, but twinsmatic have done a great job production-wise. It's atmospheric and it captures that nightly feeling so well." - @Remorque
"The sleepy, sorta hazy production choices are good in this song." - @pop3blow2
"Strange and luscious." - @berserkboi
"This pops off a bitsy, I wouldn’t be mad if she based a future project on these sounds...I want something dark from her." - @constantino
"Feels like the beats of two songs being played over each other, and I’m not sure if I like it or hate it. Not bad." - @Michael17
"Too weird for me and as a new track for me this perhaps needs to grow on me. I expect it to build up to a climax but it sadly does not happen..." - @Sprockrooster
Twinsmatic - 3.A.M. (feat. Christine and the Queens)
average score: 7.310
highest scorers: 10 x 1 (@The Hot Rock) 9.5 x 1 (@LE0Night)
lowest scorers: 4 x 1 (@Sprockrooster), 5 x 1 (@Hurricane Drunk)
Parisian duo Julian and Nadeem are childhood friends who, influenced by slick modern American R&B and Hip Hop production values, make crisp, icy beats as Twinsmatic. 3.A.M. is taken from their 2017 EP Nowhere and is an interesting avenue for Chris' voice and a sound she seems to suit quite well, serving up a sensual and captivating performance. It's also way better than Second 2 None so y'all did wrong by rating that higher don't @ me. According to an interview with Twinsmatic in les Inrocks, the song or Chris' vocals at least, are actually a lot older than 2017 though, having been recorded pre-Chaleur humaine.
"This could have been a Chris song by the sounds of it, but twinsmatic have done a great job production-wise. It's atmospheric and it captures that nightly feeling so well." - @Remorque
"The sleepy, sorta hazy production choices are good in this song." - @pop3blow2
"Strange and luscious." - @berserkboi
"This pops off a bitsy, I wouldn’t be mad if she based a future project on these sounds...I want something dark from her." - @constantino
"Feels like the beats of two songs being played over each other, and I’m not sure if I like it or hate it. Not bad." - @Michael17
"Too weird for me and as a new track for me this perhaps needs to grow on me. I expect it to build up to a climax but it sadly does not happen..." - @Sprockrooster
Paradis Perdus is 10 though, it shouldn't be going anytime soon.
trente-deux / 32
Jonathan (feat. Perfume Genius)
average score: 7.333
highest scorers: 10 x 5 (@berserkboi, @constantino, @NecessaryVoodoo, @The Hot Rock, @Trinu 3.0)
9 x 1 (@beyoncésweave)
lowest scorers: 4 x 2 (@Ana Raquel, @Hurricane Drunk) 5 x 1 (@Aidan)
*le sigh*
Seeing Jonathan freefall from 17th place after 5 voters to languishing in the 30's has been the most heartbreaking result to watch in this rate and I'm gonna tell you why.
I'm super biased when it comes to this particular song because firstable Perfume Genius and secondable—much like the forum's resident drunk Belgian likes to remind us all that he was there whenever anyone posts *that* video of Ariana performing Break Free in Antwerp—*I* was there when Chris and Perfume Genius performed Jonathan live on stage together for the first time.
The day was Friday 14th July 2016 and the place was the sweaty BBC 6Music tent at Latitude Festival in the lovely Henham Park in S*ffolk. The two acts were on the bill for the same day, same stage, one after the other so I had high hopes Jonathan might happen. After Mike's amazing set where he played to an assortment of about two dozen of us enraptured queers and anyone else who had stumbled in to get out of the mid-afternoon sun, the stage hands started getting everything set for Chris to perform. As soon as I spotted two chairs and two spotlights whisked onto stage, I knew it WAS gonna happen. And dear reader, happen it did.
Jonathan was originally written during the Chaleur humaine recording sessions and from the start Chris thought it needed to be a duet. Talking to The Guardian about the meaning behind the song in 2016 she said, "I wrote "Jonathan" because my lover would ignore my existence outside of the closed, silent room I lived in; it became then imperious for me to sing, just to make sure I was still here. From the start, the song had two voices; one in English, one in French - longing for an answer I knew I would never get."
However when it came time to compile the tracklisting for the album, Jonathan was forgotten about and so never got finished, "it was there, on my computer, crepuscular, like my own little Mrs. Butterfly's swan song." It was only when needing extra tracks for the US & UK release of the debut, that Jonathan was unearthed again. Having become besotted with Perfume Genius and his music in the interim, Chris suddenly had that perfect second voice in mind. So she reached out to Mike and in her own words to Fuse in 2016, "it was like wishful thinking. I didn't know if I could have him actually perform on the album. I sent him the song like a bottle in the sea like, "Hey, you know, this is a song maybe for you to work on if you like it or if you just want to do something or if I can clap on one of your songs, just tell me" and he just answered quite genuinely like, "Let's do it. I like the song. I don't want to change it.""
Mike recorded his part while in Paris performing at a music festival there and Chris admitted that she was intimidated to go into the vocal booth after him because, "he has a really raw emotion and you can tell he doesn't cheat with what he's doing."
A music video for the song, originally premiered on The Guardian's website, was directed by Chris and follows on directly from the No Harm Is Done video. Additional footage of Mike lipsyncing his part was filmed at the same time to be used as a backdrop for the song on tour for when he's not actually there in person. Did I mention already that I saw them perform it live together for the first time?
"This was my first exposure to Christine and the Queens. 2 of my absolute fave vocalists in one place, of course I love it." - @The Hot Rock
"A stunner" - @berserkboi
"WendyWilliamsGetOut.gif will Miss Hadreas ever remove ha heel from my neck? Stay tuned to find out! If the chokehold he’s had me in for the last 7 years wasn’t strong enough, he decided to get extra ganghanded with the help of Christine. I, for one, feel VERY attacked." - @constantino
"Lovely atmospheric and I love the fact their voices go so well together, but I doubt it'll ever be a favourite of mine.
Edit: this just came up on shuffle after a few G&T's and it clicked. I gave it a point more for that." - @Remorque
"Any song with these two is going to be an automatic 10 in my book.
Perfume Genius has a way of crafting these pleading lyrics that are so easy to relate to when you’re in a dark place.
The Je te croyais au-dessus des lois and Can you walk with me in the daylight? lines point at a (maybe) hidden relationship that can’t come out. And of course, been there, done that." - @Trinu 3.0
"I love Perfume Genius on “Queen”, but I always skipped this one because I don’t like his voice here. A bit too depressing for me, but I guess she picked the right artist for depression bops." - @Michael17
"This didn’t do much for me but Perfume Genius was cute in it." - @Aidan
"Eh this is not really my thing. Maybe I would have liked more a solo version. Again, with so many potential singles in the album, this was a strange choice." - @Verandi
When's the Perfume Genius rate happening?
Jonathan (feat. Perfume Genius)
average score: 7.333
highest scorers: 10 x 5 (@berserkboi, @constantino, @NecessaryVoodoo, @The Hot Rock, @Trinu 3.0)
9 x 1 (@beyoncésweave)
lowest scorers: 4 x 2 (@Ana Raquel, @Hurricane Drunk) 5 x 1 (@Aidan)
*le sigh*
Seeing Jonathan freefall from 17th place after 5 voters to languishing in the 30's has been the most heartbreaking result to watch in this rate and I'm gonna tell you why.
I'm super biased when it comes to this particular song because firstable Perfume Genius and secondable—much like the forum's resident drunk Belgian likes to remind us all that he was there whenever anyone posts *that* video of Ariana performing Break Free in Antwerp—*I* was there when Chris and Perfume Genius performed Jonathan live on stage together for the first time.
The day was Friday 14th July 2016 and the place was the sweaty BBC 6Music tent at Latitude Festival in the lovely Henham Park in S*ffolk. The two acts were on the bill for the same day, same stage, one after the other so I had high hopes Jonathan might happen. After Mike's amazing set where he played to an assortment of about two dozen of us enraptured queers and anyone else who had stumbled in to get out of the mid-afternoon sun, the stage hands started getting everything set for Chris to perform. As soon as I spotted two chairs and two spotlights whisked onto stage, I knew it WAS gonna happen. And dear reader, happen it did.
Jonathan was originally written during the Chaleur humaine recording sessions and from the start Chris thought it needed to be a duet. Talking to The Guardian about the meaning behind the song in 2016 she said, "I wrote "Jonathan" because my lover would ignore my existence outside of the closed, silent room I lived in; it became then imperious for me to sing, just to make sure I was still here. From the start, the song had two voices; one in English, one in French - longing for an answer I knew I would never get."
However when it came time to compile the tracklisting for the album, Jonathan was forgotten about and so never got finished, "it was there, on my computer, crepuscular, like my own little Mrs. Butterfly's swan song." It was only when needing extra tracks for the US & UK release of the debut, that Jonathan was unearthed again. Having become besotted with Perfume Genius and his music in the interim, Chris suddenly had that perfect second voice in mind. So she reached out to Mike and in her own words to Fuse in 2016, "it was like wishful thinking. I didn't know if I could have him actually perform on the album. I sent him the song like a bottle in the sea like, "Hey, you know, this is a song maybe for you to work on if you like it or if you just want to do something or if I can clap on one of your songs, just tell me" and he just answered quite genuinely like, "Let's do it. I like the song. I don't want to change it.""
Mike recorded his part while in Paris performing at a music festival there and Chris admitted that she was intimidated to go into the vocal booth after him because, "he has a really raw emotion and you can tell he doesn't cheat with what he's doing."
A music video for the song, originally premiered on The Guardian's website, was directed by Chris and follows on directly from the No Harm Is Done video. Additional footage of Mike lipsyncing his part was filmed at the same time to be used as a backdrop for the song on tour for when he's not actually there in person. Did I mention already that I saw them perform it live together for the first time?
"This was my first exposure to Christine and the Queens. 2 of my absolute fave vocalists in one place, of course I love it." - @The Hot Rock
"A stunner" - @berserkboi
"WendyWilliamsGetOut.gif will Miss Hadreas ever remove ha heel from my neck? Stay tuned to find out! If the chokehold he’s had me in for the last 7 years wasn’t strong enough, he decided to get extra ganghanded with the help of Christine. I, for one, feel VERY attacked." - @constantino
"Lovely atmospheric and I love the fact their voices go so well together, but I doubt it'll ever be a favourite of mine.
Edit: this just came up on shuffle after a few G&T's and it clicked. I gave it a point more for that." - @Remorque
"Any song with these two is going to be an automatic 10 in my book.
Perfume Genius has a way of crafting these pleading lyrics that are so easy to relate to when you’re in a dark place.
The Je te croyais au-dessus des lois and Can you walk with me in the daylight? lines point at a (maybe) hidden relationship that can’t come out. And of course, been there, done that." - @Trinu 3.0
"I love Perfume Genius on “Queen”, but I always skipped this one because I don’t like his voice here. A bit too depressing for me, but I guess she picked the right artist for depression bops." - @Michael17
"This didn’t do much for me but Perfume Genius was cute in it." - @Aidan
"Eh this is not really my thing. Maybe I would have liked more a solo version. Again, with so many potential singles in the album, this was a strange choice." - @Verandi
When's the Perfume Genius rate happening?
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she/her
Wow, I didn't expect Jonathan to leave this early! It's not my favorite song, but she and Perfume Genius work so well together. I'd love for them to form some sort of LSD/Silk City-like supergroup. Maybe bring in Mitski, too?
she/her
i thought this would last longer as it actually WON a contest i took part on facebook.
i'm glad it didn't. my least favorite song on the rate.
i'm glad it didn't. my least favorite song on the rate.