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slothrusts · 7 years

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Hey @taylorswift ! Since you made a playlist for us, I thought I’d make one for you. Music is my life, I even study it at school, and my favorite thing about music is songwriting (which is probably why I love you so much). Lyrics are the most important part of a song to me, but soundscapes are also really rad. So here’s 19 songs that I adore, both lyrically and sonically, and hope that you will also like! @taylornation and fellow swifties feel free to listen in as well :)

Also, Taylor, look beneath the Read More for the track listing and me talking about each song like I know what I’m talking about lol

1.) Lit Me Up- Brand New

This is the best opening song of all opening songs. Brand New has created such an interesting soundscape and feel with the whole Science Fiction Album. It’s creepy, but great. Taylor I feel like you’d really enjoy some of the binaural action going on.

2.) Turn Out the Lights- Julien Baker @julienbaker

Julien Baker is one of THE BEST lyricists I have ever found (besides you of course Tay). Everything she writes is heart-wrenching and beautiful and I love it. I mean, come on “When I turn out the lights/there’s no one left/between myself and me” (lyk if u cri evrytim). This is a single from her forthcoming album by the same name and I highly recommend you listen to her debut Sprained Ankle cause damn is it good.

3.) Horseshoe Crab- Slothrust

This song is a trip man. Slothrust (its Sloth-rust not Slo-thrust fyi) is this cool little rock/jazz/blues band from Brooklyn that I ADORE. Leah writes some outlandish but still poignant af lyrics. Notably: “Sometimes I feel like I’m a sea horse/Sometimes I think that I’m a horseshoe crab/I don’t have anything in common with myself/Except that I came from the sea just like everyone else did”

4.) Ready to Go- Hurts @adam-hurts

Suggested activity while listening to this song is dancing because damn it’s a certifiable BOP.

5.) Queen- Flint Eastwood @flinteastwooddetroit

You’ve probably never seen these guys play live but Jax Anderson is a hype beast like no other and can get a crowd full of people who have never heard her music to sing and jump along like they’re the headliners. The chorus gets u going and I think that reputation era Taylor would appreciate “I’m a queen not a soldier”

6.) I Forgive No One- Citizen

While I’m not sure if this genre/sound is your thing Taylor, it does remind me a lot of the whole reputation era mindset. “I forgive no one for anything/I forgive no one for what can change”

7.) Moonshine- Lights @lightsalot

Another great bop about staying up late and partying. Also Lights wrote and drew an entire comic book series to go along with this concept album?? How fucking cool is that?? It reminds a bit of New Romantics in the attitude of “who gives a shit lets go party anyway!!”

8.) Sunshine Type- Turnover @turnoverva

Turnover is my go-to feel good band. This song actually sounds like the way sunshine feels. “I was thinking that you could love a song that I hate/I’d still play it for you”.

9.) Separate- Pvris @thisispvris

I’d imagine that swimming underneath an iceberg sounds like this song. Pvris (pronounced like Paris not p-virus or puh-vris) makes some super spooky but beautiful things. And can we talk about “There’s always been a disconnect/Running from my heart to my head/And no it’s never made much sense” as well as “Pull away the world from me I don’t mind/As long as they don’t separate you from me I’ll be fine”. It’s almost the opposite of Clean, but in a good way. This entire album has got some killer outros btw.

10.) Burn it Down- Daughter

Elena Tonra from Daughter is SUCH a GREAT lyricist. You, her, and Julien are probably the best lyricists that I know of honestly. Plus, her, Remi, and Igor as a band make some DOPE soundscapes that you can get actually physically lost in. “Always said I was a good kid/Always said I had a way with words/Never knew I could be speechless/Don’t know how I’ll ever break this curse”. They wrote this album for a video game soundtrack, but the one before this one Not to Disappear is lyrically so powerful I cry every time I see them live lol.

11.) Trainwreck- Banks

Banks is a bad ass bitch and I think you and her would get along swimmingly. Also perhaps invite her to sing this with you on the rep tour?? (hint hint wink wink) “Born to take care of you, or I thought so/Maybe it was just a phase” It’s like an updated more sonically banging Dear John imo

12.) Helicopter- Deerhunter

Back on the soundscape train Deerhunter just sounds cool as shit. The lyrics to this one are story-based and talk about some guy who was a victim of human trafficking. BUT Bradford Cox makes it sound cerebral and plucky.

13.) Deadcrush- alt-J

I love this song cause it has the coolest premise. It’s about the Dead Crushes of the band members. So like, dead people that the band members admire. The crushes are Anne Boleyn and Lee Miller. I particularly enjoy the music video for this song which is weird as all hell. The pulsing beat that drives this song is something that I think you would appreciate, Taylor. This is one of the songs where it feels more like the words are meant to be a part of a music rather than their own separate piece if that makes sense.

14.) SGL- Now, Now @nownowband

SGL stands for “Shot Gun Lover” and holy heck does this lyrically resemble some of your stuff! Sign me the fuck up for “Starry-eyed/I was young and undone/But I could’ve died/With you there in the sun”. I’ve been listening to this band for almost as long as I’ve listened to you but they recently got a more pop sound and I am LIVING for it

15.) Lose Myself- From Indian Lakes @fromindianlakes

I saw on your playlist that you like Cigarettes After Sex and so I thought you might also enjoy the recent stuff by From Indian Lakes. This is the kind of song you listen to when driving home from a date. Ponder closely, “Am I the worm on a lover’s hook/And now I’m right where I’m supposed to be/But something still feels wrong with me”

16.) You and I (stripped version)- Pvris

Pvris gets to be on here twice cause they are that good sorry but I don’t make the rules (wait yes I do). The lyrics here also remind me of you and how we all just have way too many feelings and our best shot at figuring things out is through writing about them. You and I is about a love that’s not working but that is still desperately wanted, “I know it’s cold when we’re apart/And I hate to feel this die/But you can’t give me what I want/Just give it time”. Listen to this stripped version to hear how beautiful and lilting Lynn’s voice is and listen to the full band version to hear how much of a powerhouse her voice can be.

17.) Jesus Christ- Brand New

Yes another Brand New song. You know why? Cause they are also fucking amazing. Taylor, I recommend you listen to this song while lying in your bed staring up at the ceiling and thinking “How the hell did I get here, and how the hell am I gonna leave?” (here can be anywhere, your hotel room, you home, this universe). The next time you read a shitty headline about you in a tabloid think about the lyrics, “We all got wood and nails/And we turn out hate in factories/We all got wood and nails/And we sleep inside of this machine”

18.) Townie- Mitski @whoismitski

“I want a love that falls as fast as a body from the balcony/And I want a kiss like my heart is hitting the ground/I’m holding my breath with a baseball bat though I don’t know what I’m waiting for/I’m not gonna be who my daddy wants me to be”…… do I need to say anything else? Hopefully you’ve already heard some of Mitski’s stuff cause she’s gonna be on tour with your homegirl @lordemusic this next spring!

19.) Pigpen- Slothrust

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with the post-chorus riff from this song in my head. Taylor, the lyrics I’d want you to hear the most from this one are; “I would spread my wings/If they weren’t so god damn heavy/Yeah I would spread my wings/If they weren’t coated in honey”

And that’s everyone!! I hope you liked at least one of these songs @taylorswift . Love you eternally and catch you on the flipside!!!

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emmyewesseyesee · 7 years

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16 for ‘16 – the tracks

as if choosing the albums and the e.p.s wasn’t tricky enough, compiling the tracks has been a tough ask. again, as per my intro, i’ve certainly not listened to every single piece of new music this year, and there are some great tracks on others’ lists that might well eclipse my own, but these are the sixteen that i’ve enjoyed most and kept coming back to.

once again, i’ve hooked up a playlist with with each for you to enjoy, and like the e.p.s, there’s one missing (which hopefully may reappear at some point soon) in nicole dollanganger’s towering and terrifying “beautiful and bad”, which for now you can find here instead.

emmyewesseyesee’s 16 for ‘16 – the e.p.s playlist (courtesy of spotify)

again, these are in no particular order, but i think the playlist should hopefully take you on a suitably pleasant journey. i’ve already reviewed a number of these tracks in the day-blog, which means i can be a little more efficient in reviewing them here and link you up accordingly. i hope you enjoy the selection and the playlist, and am always humbled should you find time to read these words…

half waif – “turn me around”: the album probable depths rightly found its way onto the album list, and i adore the track “turn me around”. the opening multi-tracked harmony is a spiritually uplifting, lucidly exquisite clarion call, and the whole track tumbles on in an enticingly machine-like fashion via a metronomic rhythm of found sounds and clockwork clatter. this mix of hymn-like human and musical mechanism is beguiling, especially as they meld, interfere, entwine and distort. so lovely.

bon iver – “29 #strafford apts”: every song from this stunning album could’ve made this list, indeed ”cr∑∑ks” came very close, but "29 #strafford apts” is simply adorable, warm and tender, and manages to encapsulate the whole album with its glorious harmonies, delicious instrumentation and disruptive technology. the light-touch honky-tonk piano adds a lovely air of mellifluous lambchop, while the crackling vocal from 3:25 and deceptively wonderful bass-note at 3:39 always bring the tears.

ider – “sorry”: an impeccable debut that i originally reviewed here, “sorry” is delicate, moving, tender, heartfelt and beautiful. there’s a mature sensitivity to it as it wraps you up in its caring yet apologetic comfort, while simultaneously imagining a viable and newly empowered life ahead without you. the vocals and harmonies are a delight, with the production and laid-back keys playing their woozily immersive role quite superbly. hopefully 2017 will see a similarly exquisite ider debut album.

nicole dollanganger – “beautiful and bad”: sadly not available on the playlist platform, it will hopefully return at some point as it demands inclusion. it is probably the most epic and arresting piece of music i’ve heard this year, astonishing in its rising force, delicious in its demonic intent, astounding in the delicate yet destructive power that nicole dollanganger ultimately wields. i originally reviewed this here, and ten months later, it’s no less terrifyingly impressive.

elohim – “hallucinating”: gotta be track of the year, it’s just so poppy, playful, joyful, and guaranteed to put a smile upon your face with its lively party atmosphere. elohim retains her enticing mystique throughout, with a smartly unsettling ‘things ain’t maybe quite what they seem’ lyrical undercurrent even to this cheeriness. it’s a music box of delight, the production is fine, the instrumentation divine, and the lyrics just sublime, leading me to so favourably opine about both track and video previously.

essaie pas – “retox”: demain est une autre nuit made my 16 for ‘16 albums list, but "retox" was the chuggingly sinister and wonderfully insistent track that first unlocked that beauty. the multi-layered synths are relentlessly unforgiving in their pulsating probing and unwavering sequencing, and as an immersive tale of the city, marie davidson and pierre guerineau’s extended call-and-response duet was fascinatingly disconcerting and distant in its delivery, as previously reviewed here.

blood orange – “e.v.p.”: it’s all about the drums, the drums and the funk, the drums, the funk and the clavinet, the drums, the funk, the clavinet and the cello slides. but mostly the drums – with christopher egan’s wondrous breakdown from about 4:04 a sheer, unadulterated, chunky delight. meanwhile dev hynes’ baritone monologue and rising harmonics alongside both bea1991 and debbie harry are refreshingly relaxing. i defy you not to nod along approvingly.

savages – “adore”: the life-affirming, brooding centre-piece of savages’ adore life, “adore” serves to remind us all of the fleeting yet vital nature of life, and the importance of seizing every single moment of it. it’s anthemic, totemic, iconic, mesmeric, astounding, and just so incredibly moving, with the final minute’s assault on the senses an utterly overwhelming and cathartic experience. that it was the first proper review i ever wrote here still seems somehow both reassuring and apt.

weaves – “one more”: weaves were a breath of fresh air in 2016 with their lively, vivacious, kinetic indie-pop, and "one more" was my highlight – any tune that opens with such a gleeful whoop of joy deserves your eartime. jasmyn burke's carefree vocal is fascinating, her laid-back, compact, canadian drawl conveying an aloof ‘whatever’ sensibility that's skilfully honed and playfully performed, while her band is taut and tenacious in bringing an invigorating energy and enthusiasm to proceedings.

mitski – “your best american girl”: this made many people's lists this year and rightly so. taken from the similarly special my woman, "your best american girl" packs the most powerful and immediate of aural and emotional punches. indeed, despite its lovelorn melancholia, it unleashes a devastatingly impressive strength of sound and character ‎through its tumultuous guitars and resilient vocal to leave you thoroughly exhilarated and beautifully wrung out. simply wonderful.

abra – “crybaby”: definitely one of the best tunes this year, “crybaby” is a beguiling mix of abra’s magically angelic vocal talents and her trademark unapologetic 80s electronica production. seeing her perform behind her beatbox gives you a real sense of how she seems to plug directly into her own groove-mainframe and simply let go. vocally she truly sparkles, instrumentally she’s immediate and incisive, and together she’s a sheer delight. let’s hope 2017 brings yet more stunning sounds.

angel olsen – “shut up and kiss me”: one of the signature tunes of the year, "shut up and kiss me” is as catchy and hooky as it is bold and brazen. there’s a refreshing directness to olsen’s effervescent guitar and gutsy vocal, and she’s clearly a very talented pop composer. moreover her and justin raisen’s compact and compressed production delivers a rewardingly concentrated wall-of-sound with deft separation and brilliant clarity. fine fine work indeed.

tommy genesis – “art”: this was my initial introduction to the seductively sultry and sensual world of tommy genesis, and “art” literal drips with pent-up impatience and insatiable desire. its plucky guitar chords and military snare combine with wandering bass, oboe and glocks to create a luxurious yet menacing backdrop for genesis’s enticing, hypnotic vocal, each semitone, each syllable delivered with such carnal precision. i originally reviewed “art” here, let’s hope world vision ii arrives soon.

hannah diamond – “fade away”: with gfoty making album and e.p. lists, it felt right to share the love around, and “fade away” continued hannah diamond’s inexorable rise with a pristine perfect pop clarity. i described it as “one of the most deceptively addictive tracks this year” in my original review, and you get the sense diamond is growing gloriously into the brilliance of the hyper-real world she inhabits with every step. should 2017 bring her debut album, expect it to be one of the year’s best.

radiohead – “burn the witch”: admittedly, the video originally drew plenty of early attention, but the pizzicato strings and squelchy synth give “burn the witch” an essential opening verve and pizazz. thom yorke’s vocal offers calm if disconcerting narration, and the bass-led key changes that follow with their lush orchestration are full of awesome wonder. the final denouement with its evermore demanding and bow-frenzied strings is really quite something to behold.

massive attack – “the spoils” feat. hope sandoval: an utterly astonishing and moving way to close. when i first reviewed ritual spirit, i suggested the only thing lacking was “an extraordinary female lead vocal à la ‘unfinished sympathy’” and lo, this delicate and heartfelt sandoval-voxed song arrived to majestically fill said void. it ticks along with massive attack’s resolute reassurance and is wrapped up in the warming strings of dan jones’s delicious arrangement. “the spoils” is simply sublime.

there you go, the final, ever so slightly belated words to reflect on some of the goodness that 2016 has had to offer – if only the rest of it had been quite so generous and enriching.

what have we learned on this particular journey? well, probably that in 2016 i like canada, and i like female vocals, and i just love canadian female vocals. but perhaps more importantly, we’ve learned that, no matter how much shit the world might collectively throw at you, there is always a steady and wonderful supply of magical, moving music in which you can surely take solace.

enjoy the playlist, and let’s hope for more musical delights for 2017. take care out there, people.

#16 for ‘16 #the tracks #half waif #bon iver #ider #nicole dollanganger #elohim #essaie pas #blood orange #savages #weaves #mitski #abra #tommy genesis #hannah diamond #radiohead #massive attack #hope sandoval #singles

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