I almost didn't continue reading this after the first 2 paragraphs about Bowie comparisons & male producers, but it's surprisingly well-written. She's not wrong about a lot of it, like the point about rock stars making
"unsubtle commentary on the problems of today." I'll admit I was skeptical about that element of "Los Ageless" when I first watched it. But after a few days, the melody (and melo-drama) of the chorus had lodged itself in my head and I knew there was something more to this project than that.
I think what makes these tracks so effective is they begin with a sense of place, an image or two, then cut RIGHT to a personal, vulnerable core.
"I can't even swim in these waves I made"
"I hold you like a weapon"
"Got a crush on tragedy"
"How can anybody have you and lose you and not lose their mind too?"
"PLEEEEEASE"
"I have lost a hero"
"Just give me the answer"
"I'm so glad I came, but I can't wait to leave"
These songs aren't just about "oh wow, shallow capitalist world" or "omg pills are bad!" (She's said as much:
"I don’t think it works to write finger-wagging songs, because it’s condescending to the audience and just a bummer to listen to.") They're about how the dramas of our lives are affected by the larger settings / affective structures in which they play out.
In other words: Here's the frame of reference --> here's how it touches the personal.
We're not outside these problems, observing; we are embedded in them.
"I guess that's just me, honey, I guess that's how I'm built. I try to tell you I love you and it comes out all sick."