Young singer/songwriter Greyson Chance will soon be releasing a follow-up to his 2019 album portraits (which I reviewed here) with his third album (although he thinks of it as his second album since he considers himself disconnected from his 2011 debut Hold on 'til the Night, which I totally understand). The album is titled Trophies according to Genius, and he has released two singles - "Boots" and "Dancing Next to Me" - and although I will likely think of "Boots" as being part of this album's era, when he released "Dancing Next to Me," he promoted it as his upcoming album's first single, so I am guessing that "Boots" will remain a loose standalone single without a home. It was announced last year that Chance was signing with Arista Records - a major record label responsible for hosting major names such as Eurythmics, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Avril Lavigne, P!nk, and dozens upon dozens of others. I admit that I was a little apprehensive when I read this news because something that I have always loved about Chance (especially since he came out as gay and started writing all of his own music) is his raw honesty in his music. His music has never really made compromises and has never made an attempt to fit inside a molded bubble of what top 40 music wants pop music to be, not even on Hold on 'til the Night, an album on which memorable songs such as "Heart Like Stone" and "Summertrain" seemed to promise an up and coming adult alternative artist in this young boy of only thirteen who had met critical acclaim after a Lady Gaga cover recorded at his school talent show went viral. My fear when I learned of the label signing was that he would now be asked to make compromises, to work with the likes of Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Stargate, Diplo, and so forth to make pop music that would chart. I am not necessarily knocking music produced and co-written by such people, since MARINA's Electra Heart album is one of my favorite albums of all time, but I am just using such names to make a point - to emphasize that I didn't want Chance to exchange his raw and emotional pop-rock ballads for top 40 pop songs.
The two singles that have been released since the label signing have somewhat alleviated my apprehension, although I still feel obligated to admit that the songs are definitely more radio-friendly than most of what he has done before. They are still, however, not seeming desperate for Billboard attention, so I chalk the somewhat new sound up to Chance wanting to try different things and expand his horizon as an artist, which I can definitely respect. Despite its memorable (and quite frankly hot) music video (which features a shirtless Chance engaging in a bloody brawl with another dude in the desert), however, "Boots" is a bit of a letdown. I consider it one of his weaker songs from his catalog thus far. Produced by frequent Troye Sivan collaborator Bram Inscore, the song starts on what sounds like a gently strumming electric guitar. Chance quickly chimes in with the chorus: "Ooh, I feel like I'm running. Ooh, I feel like I'm running in my... Ooh, I feel like I'm running." The lyrics of the chorus are rather flat and don't do much to interest me, but the verses of the song are better than the chorus. In the first verse, for example, Chance asserts that he "didn't grow up like you, on vacation" and that he has "been western before all of these punks..." As narrated on his portraits track "west texas," Chance is definitely a southern boy, hailing from the depths of Wichita Falls, Texas and then being raised in Edmond, Oklahoma. Fans know that Chance's affinity for cowboy attire (here is just one of many examples) is no secret; it's something that he proudly flaunts any chance (no pun intended) that he has, and he seems to be making a case in these lyrics that unlike some other Hollywood stars, it isn't an act because he is the real deal. It isn't my favorite Greyson Chance song so far, but I certainly don't hate it, either. One aspect, for example, that I do love is how he complicates this narrative by making it clear that he isn't using the cowboy getup to promote any kind of hyper-masculinity on his part: "Boots with the big heels, hot like I'm Nancy." Big heels are often considered a feminine accessory, and this is an obvious allusion to Nancy Sinatra's hit song "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'." Chance could have just as easily compared himself to someone like James Dean or John Wayne, but no, he chooses an iconic woman. (The song features guest vocals from someone who takes the lead at the end, but I can't seem to find credits for who it is.)
"Dancing Next to Me" is, in my opinion, a vast improvement over "Boots." Not only do I prefer its sound, but I also prefer its lyrics, and I think that he more impressively shows off his vocal ability on this track. The song definitely lives up to its title, as it is definitely a great song to which to dance. It has a lot of fun and upbeat electronic energy, and Greyson's falsetto verses are nothing if not catchy earworm bait. The song starts on a deep and low synthy bass-line until Greyson opens in a lower register, "Twenty-two, he doesn't drink, but he needs to let loose. He doesn't know what he wants, but I do..." By the time he reaches the pre-chorus, however, he is singing in the aforementioned falsetto, showing off his wide range. When Greyson first announced this song, I had a feeling that "dancing" would end up being a euphemism in the song, and I am pretty sure that I called that correctly, especially because of the bridge near the end of the song (without a doubt my favorite part of the song because of how cheeky and confident that it is): "I was yours for the weekend. Come sunrise, it's time for you to dodge your feelings. Call your girl to deny we know is the truth. You were who you wanted to be. When you were there, you were there; you were dancing next to me." It is pretty clear to me what Chance is saying here - that this guy with whom he is sleeping is closeted and in a relationship with a woman to hide his true self. With the speaker (who is potentially Greyson himself), he allows himself to be his true self, and Greyson knows this because of how present that this guy is when he's with Greyson, especially when they're having sex (or "dancing") as this guy clearly enjoys it. That is my reading of the song anyway, but I don't see any other way of reading it because, as I said, it seems pretty clear to me. This is possibly even an autobiographical situation for Chance because a somewhat similar narrative unfolds in the "white roses" music video. "Dancing Next to Me" is a fairly strong lead single from Trophies (if that is indeed what it is titled), and I am looking forward to the album dropping. The next single is titled "Honeysuckle" and is expected to drop on May 8th, so be on the lookout for my review of that!
Anyone who knows me knows that Evanescence is my favorite band/artist of all time; I have been a diehard fan for seventeen years now ever since they released their debut single "Bring Me to Life" in the spring of 2003. The band recently announced that their sixth studio album The Bitter Truth is being released some time this year and that the lead single "Wasted on You" would be released on Friday, April 24, 2020. That time has come, and I can't express my enthusiasm and excitement properly because I am absolutely in love with this song. Evanescence Ireland on Facebook described the song as Evanescence having thrown "swimming home [sic], halfway down the stairs [sic], weight of the world [sic] and some 90s grunge in a blender." For the most part, I think that that is accurate because even though I don't really find it comparable at all to "Weight of the World," it does have the lullaby qualities of "Swimming Home" and "Halfway Down the Stairs," and the guitars definitely remind me of '90s grunge. In fact, one of the first thoughts that I had when listening to the song was that it was a cross between a lullaby and Radiohead's "Creep." I have also seen some fans compare the song to Evanescence's 2000 album Origin (which wasn't officially released until 2016 when Evanescence released The Ultimate Collection - a box set of all of their albums up to that point on vinyl - a box set which I reviewed here), but I can't say that I hear that. A good deal of Origin is uncomfortably dark and gritty (one of the reasons why it's my favorite Evanescence album), but there isn't anything dark about this song - perhaps lyrically but not sonically. The song sounds a great deal like a keyboard-driven lullaby before it gets heavy, and it seems to lyrically be about being stuck in grief following a breakup: "I can't move on. Feels like we're frozen in time. I'm wasted on you." It does make me wonder who the song is about because if the song is personal to frontwoman Amy Lee at all, then who could she have written this about? To the best of my knowledge, she is still with her husband Josh Hartzler, although it is also worth noting that the song never once explicitly says that the subject was a lover. Friends can and often do break our hearts, as well.
As I write this review, it is April 24, 2020 - an extremely trying and difficult time for just about everyone in the world because of the COVID-19 crisis. A lot of creativity has been put on hold because of stay-at-home orders. We are expected to quarantine ourselves at home to the best of our ability to help stop the spread of the disease, which means that movies cannot be made; musicians cannot record music unless they have studios at home, nor can musicians shoot music videos because they are not allowed to be together. Evanescence found a creative way around shooting this music video, however; the music video depicts the band members hanging out at home - struggling between emotional highs and lows, something to which we can all (or at least most of us) relate right now. The music video comes at such a poignant time in our lives, proving once again that art saves. That is something that I have always loved about Amy Lee - her ability to turn hardship into something beautiful and creative. She has been quoted as saying that "you can't control all the crazy stuff that happens to you; all you can control is the way you handle it," and those are definitely words by which she seems to live. When Evanescence's equipment was set afire last year at a festival in Mexico, for example, it went on to inspire some of the imagery in the music video for "The Chain," Evanescence's Fleetwood Mac cover that they released last year to promote the video game Gears of War 5. The ability to transform something destructive into something creative is so inspirational and one of several reasons why I look up to Amy. The music video for "Wasted on You" is no exception. The band members having to stay at home didn't stop them from giving us an emotionally moving and powerful music video. Lee also lost her brother Robby to epilepsy two years ago, which cut his life short at only twenty-four or twenty-five years of age (depending on when his birthday was), so I also fully expect there to be at least one song on The Bitter Truth about him.
"Wasted on You" itself - although not originally written about this pandemic (as I said, it sounds like a breakup song, and the title reminds me a great deal of Amy's beautiful b-side from The Open Door titled "The Last Song I'm Wasting on You") - could also be repurposed as being about the COVID-19 pandemic. It could be expressing anger toward leaders because of how they have handled the pandemic. (I won't mention any names, although Evanescence did confirm that there will potentially be some political material on the album.) The second verse especially reminds me a great deal of what's going on right now: "Once, this was a garden. This was our world. All of the nightmares stayed in the dark. A little too much time by yourself, and you become the enemy. Just look at us now." If that doesn't accurately describe what's going on right now, then nothing ever will. Amy even said that this song was not originally going to be the album's lead single, but it seemed like the most appropriate choice because of the pandemic, and I couldn't agree more. You can tell that it wasn't originally meant to be the lead single because it sounds more like a closing track than it does a lead single; it doesn't have the energy that previous lead singles such as "Bring Me to Life," "Call Me When You're Sober," and "What You Want" had, but I am still so happy that this song was chosen because even though I can't speak for the rest of the album because I haven't heard anything else yet, this beautiful song and music video were much needed right now. The only thing that irks me about the media attention that this song has been getting is that some of it claims that it's the band's first new song in nine years, which is not true. While The Bitter Truth will be the band's first album of all new content since its self-titled 2011 album, "Wasted on You" is not its first new song since 2011. Such journalists obviously slept on "Imperfection" and "Hi-Lo" released from Synthesis (which I reviewed here) in 2017. I cannot wait to hear more of this album and am really looking forward to hearing what the central sound will be. Amy has said before that it has some The Open Door vibes, and that's definitely exciting to me because that is my favorite commercial album of theirs.
HIM
(Finnish rock band responsible for hits like "Join
Me," "Buried
Alive by Love," "The
Funeral of Hearts," "Wings
of a Butterfly," and many others) is back! Well, not really,
but they might as well be because this three-track offering by
frontman Ville Valo (going by VV for this release) brilliantly
captures the essence of HIM so powerfully that you wouldn't really
know the difference listening to it if you didn't know that it was a
solo effort. The cover art even features HIM's signature heartagram.
I hesitated on whether to refer to this as a single or an EP but
settled on single for two reasons - (1) iTunes refers to it as such
and (2) a single is technically 1-3 tracks whereas an EP is 4-7
tracks. The release is titled Gothica
Fennica
(Latin for Finnish Gothic) Vol.
1
and, as just mentioned, offers up three new tracks - starting with
"Salute
the Sanguine." I can't help but wonder who is playing guitar
and drums on these tracks because they sound so much like HIM songs,
this one reminding me a great deal of the band's 2005 album Dark
Light
(my favorite HIM album). "Salute the Sanguine" features
HIM's signature heavy yet subdued guitar riffs along with Ville's
velvety voice comparing love and death: "Death, come blow me a
kiss," he opens. The softer second number "Run
Away from the Sun" - featuring Ville rapidly showing off his
impressive range - reminds me a bit of the aforementioned "The
Funeral of Hearts." The song has a lot of upbeat energy, and
Valo's voice is a bit electronically altered at the beginning of the
song, making him sound almost like he's singing through a telephone.
Lyrically speaking, I can't help but imagine the song being from the
perspective of the Phantom, asking Christine to keep him company in
his darkness. In the song from The
Phantom of the Opera
titled "The
Music of the Night," the Phantom sings to Christine, "Turn
your face away from the garish light of day. Turn your thoughts away
from cold, unfeeling light, and listen to the music of the night."
Similarly, Valo sings here, "Run away from the sun to me."
It's interesting because there is
sometimes comfort in darkness compared to light which can sometimes
be harsh and stark. Gothica
Fennica Vol. 1
then closes with the heaviest song on the single, "Saturnine
Saturnalia." The grinding and pounding riffs remind me a
great deal of HIM's 2007 album Venus
Doom
(arguably their heaviest album). It also reminds me melodically of
Dark
Light's
title track.
I absolutely adore the use of alliteration in the song's lyrics such
as when Valo opens with, "Hearts haunted roar relentlessly."
I absolutely adore this three-track offering and am hoping that it is
a peek at a full-length album on the way, but given that the single
is labeled as the first volume, that indicates that there will, at
the very least, be another single or EP.
Harry Styles follows up his self-titled debut album (which I reviewed here) with his sophomore effort titled Fine Line, and it is yet another album that impresses me a great deal. He once again proves that he is no one-trick-pony, as Fine Line maintains some of the same bluesy rock style from the first album while also switching it up with some more radio-friendly pop (which is still vastly different from his work with One Direction) as well as some vintage sounds taking us back to the days of The Beatles and Queen. Fine Line opens with "Golden," which is a fine opening to the album but not necessarily a highlight on the album for me. Like Harry Styles, Fine Line definitely has a story to tell, and it begins here on "Golden," an adjective that aptly describes how the blossoming of a new relationship tends to feel. Like the Gilded Age, however, when things seem golden, it's usually because they are taking that shine from somewhere else. The Gilded Age was a period of rapid economic growth, but it came at the expense of most of the wealth being concentrated in one area which resulted in widespread poverty. Why this history lesson in a music review? Well, like I said, the song is speaking of the early stages of a relationship when everything seems golden: "...I can feel it take hold... I can feel you take control... of who I am and all I've ever known. Lovin' you's the antidote, golden." That does tend to be how falling entirely in love with someone can feel, like you are wholly surrendering yourself to that person. It can be a beautiful feeling, but it can also be scary because that makes you vulnerable to being hurt: "...I know that you're scared because hearts get broken." Statistically speaking, most relationships end, so when you feel yourself falling for someone, it can be exciting but also terrifying. The song has a light and dreamy air to it which I think is appropriate because it helps emphasize the feeling that you have at the beginning of a relationship - that you're in a really good dream. Like Dr. Seuss said, "You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."
"Watermelon Sugar" (released as the second single from the album) continues reveling in the honeymoon phase of a blossoming relationship, this time not being afraid to comment on the physical aspects of the relationship. Many artists over the years have compared flowers and fruit to sex (see MARINA's "Froot" or Troye Sivan's "Bloom" as a couple of examples), and this song is yet another example of that. The song - an upbeat and jazzy pop-rock number with Styles' signature airy and slightly disconnected velvety vocals - reflects on a romance blossoming in the summer and how it was an exciting and magical feeling: "Tastes like strawberries on a summer evenin'," he opens, "and it sounds just like a song. I want more berries and that summer feelin'. It's so wonderful and warm." As I said, food - especially fruit - is frequently likened to sex in music and poetry, and I don't think that it is any mystery as to what Styles means when he says that he wants more berries because they feel wonderful and warm. As discussed here, it is generally believed that the song is about Styles' ex Camille Rowe due to her favorite novel being Richard Brautigan's In Watermelon Sugar. The two started dating in July of 2017 which, of course, is summer. "Adore You" is the album's third single and biggest hit (turn pop radio on for an hour, and I guarantee you that you're likely to hear it). This is probably the album's most mainstream song and the closest that Styles gets to his One Direction days. It continues the album's narrative of a developing relationship, still in its early stages and still in the summer: "You're wonder under summer sky." The catchy pop song outlines the feeling of utter surrender and devotion that one tends to feel in a relationship (especially a new one): "I'd walk through fire for you," he asserts in the song's chorus. "Just let me adore you." The song once again refers to fruit - such as strawberry and lemon - which, of course, are often regarded as summer fruits. I tend to think of "Watermelon Sugar" and "Adore You" as sister songs for this reason (and also because they are probably the most mainstream pop numbers that the album has to offer).
Fine Line then offers up the album's lead single - "Lights Up." I absolutely love the melody that Styles opens up with - a beautiful and caressing string of notes that sounds apologetic and somewhat regretful. The album possibly temporarily interrupts the relationship narrative here (or does it?), as it doesn't seem to be directly addressing a lover. As discussed here, it has been frequently speculated that this song - which is a mellow and summery pop number - is Styles addressing the rumors that he is bisexual (or pansexual or polysexual). This rumor - which Styles has never directly confirmed to be true - blasted off when Styles performed his song "Medicine" - an unreleased outtake from the first album - which features the following lyrics: "Here to take my medicine... treat you like a gentleman... the boys and the girls are in. I mess around with him, and I'm okay with it." "Lights Up" was also released on National Coming Out Day last year, and some of the lyrics of the song definitely seem to support the theory: "All the lights couldn't put out the dark runnin' through my heart. Lights up, and they know who you are, know who you are. Do you know who you are?" I love these lines because they not only potentially refer to the light that comes with embracing yourself and accepting yourself for who you are but also potentially refer to the more sinister meaning of lights - the spotlight in which fame keeps you imprisoned. Even if you aren't ready for the world to see you for who you are, those lights sometimes make it impossible for you to hide. Either way, however, Styles has frequently shown his support for the LGBTQ community such as the times when he sported a rainbow flag and/or bisexual flag on stage. That outward support is one of the many reasons why I have come to appreciate him as much as I do over the last several years. As I said, though, perhaps, even if the song is about Styles' sexuality, that doesn't necessarily mean that it interrupts the album's narrative. What if Styles embracing his true self is part of the reason why his relationship started to fall apart? (Please note, however, that this is pure speculation on my part, and I really have nothing to support it.)
"Cherry" brings us back to the style of the first album. An acoustic and folksy song glittered with harmonica, "Cherry" undoubtedly returns us to the album's overall narrative because the speaker is addressing his lover out of jealousy because they are now dating someone new: "Don't you call him 'baby'," he opens. "...Don't you call him what you used to call me." He also complains that "we're not talking lately," continuing the theme of silence from the first album. According to Genius, the soft "Coucou" heard at the very beginning of the song as well as the French outro is the aforementioned Camille Rowe's voice, so I think that that confirms that the song is about her. This is why I believe that if "Lights Up" is Styles addressing his sexuality, then his sexuality could be part of the reason why his relationship with this particular woman fell apart. Otherwise, there is no song documenting the reasons for the split, since it seems to have already happened here, with the subject of the song having moved on with someone else, sparking, as I said, the speaker's jealousy. I can't speak to why the song is titled "Cherry" because Styles never once mentions the fruit in the song, but that is also true of "Kiwi" from the first album. "Falling" is a heartbreaking piano ballad that serves as the album's fourth single and one of my favorite songs from the album. Fine Line definitely outlines a grieving process (which reminds me a great deal of Björk's phenomenal album Vulnicura (which I reviewed here). He is angry and jealous on "Cherry," but here on "Falling," he is forlorn and heartbroken. He states that he is "falling again" - the first time because he fell in love with her and now because he is falling into despair. "Forget what I said," he pleads near the beginning of the song. "It's not what I meant." We have probably all been there - that stage at which we have said things out of anger that we later regret. One of the most heartbreaking aspects of the song is the speaker's apparent fear that he will be forgotten entirely: "What if I'm someone you won't talk about?" It's such a beautiful and sad song with a stunningly beautiful music video to match.
"To Be So Lonely" is another highlight for me. It's interesting because lyrically, it is kind of morose, and it is a softer song compared to tracks like "Watermelon Sugar" and "Adore You," but even though it is a soft acoustic song, it has somewhat of a playful energy to it. It sounds somewhat carefree, such as when the guitar (which I believe is either a ukulele or a mandolin - I am shamefully unsure) reverberates in a way resembling muscle spasms. Styles continues the grieving process following the breakup - this time seeming to go back and forth between denial and bargaining. He denies any responsibility or fault regarding the breakup: "Don't blame me for falling," he asserts at the beginning of the song. "I was just a little boy." The word "falling" is, I think, intended to be a callback to the previous song, and he is saying that he can't be blamed either for falling in love with her or for falling so hard when the relationship ended. He also seems to be bargaining, however, almost as if he is pleading with the subject, asking to be taken back since he is not at fault: "I just hope you see me in a better light," he reasons in the song's second verse. "Do you think it's easy being of the jealous kind? 'Cause I miss the shape of your lips." This is likely a callback to "Cherry," in which he expresses vindictive jealousy toward his ex's new lover. He still has not accepted that he must move on; he still seems to want her to come back, but at the same time, he is also still battling a little bit of anger when he demands that she never "call [him] 'baby' again." Does this seem complicated? Well, if so, then try getting your heart broken if you never have because I can assure you that it is complicated. You are constantly coasting between anger, depression, despair, hopelessness, loathing yourself, loathing your ex, and so forth. Grief is not linear, and Styles' accurate depiction of the grieving process is one of several reasons why I love Fine Line so much. As I said, it reminds me of the narrative heard on one of my favorite albums of all time - Björk's Vulnicura.
"She" is yet another highlight for me, as I love its vintage sound. It is a somewhat trippy and psychedelic rock number that reminds me of late Beatles. It, in fact, reminds me a lot of The Beatles' song "She's Leaving Home," and the fact that the song is titled "She," the first word of that Beatles song, might mean that the similarities are intentional, that Styles was influenced by the song. In this downtempo '60s-esque soft rock song, Styles seems to be bargaining - wondering if he can ever find love again and what his ideal lover would be like: "...She lives in daydreams with me... I don't know who she is." He is saying that because this "she" does not (yet) exist, she currently resides only in his fantasies. What is interesting here is that he seems to be slowly nearing the end of the grieving process and reaching acceptance because even though he wants love, not once does he specify with whom he wants it (meaning not necessarily his ex); he, in fact, acknowledges that he doesn't know who the "she" is. The ninth track on Fine Line is probably my favorite song on the album. Titled "Sunflower, Vol. 6," it is ridiculously catchy and playful, especially playful when Styles scats in digitally altered tones near the end of the song. I am not sure why this upbeat indie rock song is marked as being the sixth volume, but this suggests that it could mean that there are five songs preceding it that are about the same subject. That source as well as Genius both suggest that the song represents Styles approaching the acceptance stage of the grieving process, no longer dwelling on the negative aspects of the relationship that led to its demise but rather choosing to see the relationship as happy memories: "Sunflower, my eyes want you more than a melody." This line reminds me of a line from "Watermelon Sugar" in which Styles sings that it "tastes like strawberries on a summer evenin', and it sounds just like a song." That's twice on the album that Styles compares being in love with someone to music, and it makes sense because listening to music can oftentimes initiate intense euphoria just like a drug might, and love can do the same thing. Like Post Malone and Swae Lee do on their song "Sunflower," the sunflower here is likely being used as a metaphor for something pure and beautiful.
"Canyon Moon" is an upbeat track featuring acoustic guitar and a light tribal beat. It's somewhat folksy and very fun, especially because of the feel-good whistling heard throughout the song; you can almost imagine Harry and a band jamming away with smiles on their faces. Similar to "Sunflower, Vol. 6," the speaker is nearing the end of the grieving process and is reflecting on the happy memories of the relationship. Earlier on the album - on "Falling" - Styles refers to Beachwood Café, saying that there is no more coffee there, so the Beachwood Café could be a place that was special to him because it was a place where he spent precious time with his ex. I bring this up now because the Beachwood Café is located in Beachwood Canyon in Los Angeles, so that could very well be the eponymous canyon being alluded to in this song. "Staring at the ceiling; two weeks, and I'll be home," Styles asserts in the third verse of the song, and the way that I interpret this is that he is saying that he only needs a little bit more time - two weeks or so - until he has fully recovered from the breakup. He only needs a little more time to reflect on the good memories (possibly in a place such as Beachwood Canyon where his relationship blossomed), and he will then be ready to move on. I say that especially because it is a potential callback to "To Be So Lonely" when he says that "it's hard for me to go home." Next to "Sunflower, Vol. 6," I think that "Treat People with Kindness" is likely my second favorite song on the album. It has some soul and funk influence and also features Queen-esque harmonies in its chorus. The song can easily be compared to '70s rock such as Queen and Elton John, and it imagines a utopia in which people are kind to each other: "Maybe, we can find a place to feel good, and we can treat people with kindness, find a place to feel good." Styles imagines a future where there is no more hatred and bigotry, and it's definitely a beautiful image. I also think that the song speaks to his having finally reached the end of the grieving process: "I don't need all the answers. Feeling good in my skin, I just keep on dancin'." He is done grieving; it's time to move on and find new happiness. Perhaps, this utopia is also a place where hearts don't get broken.
The album closes with the title track, a lengthy downbeat number at over six minutes. It is an appropriate way to close the album because it feels like a dreamy afterthought, like the album's epilogue. Styles has also said that it was always going to be the closing track because of how it brings the conflicting emotions on the album together: "You've got my devotion, but man, I can hate you sometimes." This not only addresses the songs of love on the album (such as "Watermelon Sugar" and "Adore You") but also the more bitter and angry songs (such as "Cherry" and "Falling"). It also speaks to the uncomfortable truth that love and hate aren't really opposites as we tend to consider them to be. They are both powerful emotions that require passion, and they can be felt for a singular person at the same time, especially in regards to someone whom we love who has hurt us. P!nk covers it well in her song "True Love": "...I really hate you so much, I think it must be true love..." The delicate and higher register vocals over a softly strumming guitar make this song sound like an atmospheric folk song and reminds me a great deal of the song "Rosyln" by St. Vincent and Bon Iver. I overall love this album and prefer it even to Styles' first solo album. It's difficult for me to say that because Harry Styles houses my top favorite song of his - "Sign of the Times" - but Fine Line offers a tighter narrative and more variety. I also prefer the way that the tracklisting is structured on Fine Line. As I mentioned in my review of Harry Styles, I don't like "Sign of the Times" being placed so close to the front of the album because it sounds much more like a closing track, but nothing on Fine Line sounds out of place. I will hopefully - as long as this COVID-19 pandemic passes by then and it doesn't get canceled - be seeing Harry live on October 30th this year with my close friend Michelle. The show happens to fall on her birthday, and I am really looking forward to it because I have yet to see him live. I shamefully didn't know, for example, until recently that Treat People with Kindness is a slogan that Styles has been using for a few years now, with it even appearing on tour merchandise. Here is to hoping that I will be attending that show and updating everyone with my review of it!
If Harry Styles has proven anything with his 2017 self-titled solo debut album, it is that he deserves much more than being recognized as one of the One Direction boys. Breaking away from manufactured boy band pop, Harry Styles instead offers Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd infused blues rock, and it feels authentic, as if this is who Styles were always meant to be as a musician. The album opens with the mellow and folksy "Meet Me in the Hallway," an acoustic rock song which reminds me somewhat of the indie folk sound heard from bands like Death Cab for Cutie. One of several aspects of Styles as an artist that I love is the fact
that he is so skilled at storytelling through music. Both of his solo
albums (this one and his sophomore album Fine Line) tell overall
narratives. "Meet Me in the Hallway" is definitely an appropriate way to begin this album because it definitely kicks off the overall story that this album tells, especially since repeated themes such as lack of communication begin here: "We don't talk about it; it's something we don't do." The way that I personally interpret the song is that it's about a sexual relationship continuing beyond a relationship that, for one reason or another, has failed romantically: "I just left your bedroom," Styles croons in a dreamy and airy production style near the beginning of the song. "Give me some morphine. Is there any more to do?" As I said, I read it as being about the narrator still being in love with the song's subject and wanting to be with them fully but having to settle on sex: "Just let me know, I'll be at the door, at the door, hoping you'll come around." The line about giving me morphine also reminds me a great deal of the song "It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars, which opens with, "If you ever leave me, baby, leave some morphine at my door." Both songs speak of love being an addiction and going through painful withdrawal without the person whom the narrator loves.
Harry Styles then gives us not only my favorite song from this album but also my favorite song from Styles in general so far - the album's lead single "Sign of the Times." I remember when I first saw this song as a new release on Spotify, I thought to myself, "What the hell? I don't expect to like this, but I will give it a try." (I had previously heard material from One Direction and had never really been impressed by any of it.) I was in for a surprise, however, because it was, of course, absolutely nothing like 1D had ever done. The song is an atmospheric and piano-driven rock song that has driven me to tears on more than one occasion, not only because of how beautiful that it is sonically but also because of its beautiful and heartbreaking lyrics, such as in the second verse when Styles sings, "Just stop your crying; have the time of your life breaking through the atmosphere, and things are pretty good from here. Remember, everything will be all right. We can meet again somewhere, somewhere far away from here." The song, to me, is about accepting that times can be difficult and that there is always an end in sight and accepting the fact that we all must eventually die. It's also about holding on to hope that death means reuniting with loved ones. Styles has said in the past that the song is meant to be from the perspective of a mother who is dying as she is giving birth; the child is going to live, but she isn't, and the song is her telling the child not to let her death ruin and define their life, to be strong because they will be reunited. One reason why I ended up becoming so emotionally attached to this song is because I could not help but associate it with the series finale of Bates Motel. I won't spoil how that series ends, but if you have seen it, then you probably know exactly what I am talking about. "Sign of the Times" also continues the theme of a lack of communication when he sings in the bridge near the end of the song, "We don't talk enough; we should open up..." My only problem with the song is where it is placed on the album, as it should have been at the end.
We then get "Carolina," a much more fun and upbeat song in comparison to "Sign of the Times." "Carolina" is a garage rock influenced song in the vein of bands such as Jet, and it's about Townes Adair Jones, a young woman with whom Styles once went on a date. The two did not end up dating as in be in a relationship with each other, but Styles seems to reflect on how the date went in this song: "She's a good girl," he sings repeatedly in the song's chorus, following it up with, "She feels so good." I could very well be wrong about this, but usually, when you refer to someone as feeling good, you mean that in a sexual sense, so I do think that that is how he means that (but, again, I could be wrong). We then get a southern influenced acoustic rock song titled "Two Ghosts" which is about a relationship nearing its end: "We're not who we used to be. We're just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat." The song, released as the third single from the album, is rumored to be about ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift because of the opening lines "same lips red, same eyes blue" which describe Swift quite accurately. "Sweet Creature" is another highlight on the album for me, a beautiful acoustic ballad that was released as the second single from the album. The song is about a relationship being rocky: "It's hard when we argue. We're both stubborn, I know..." The narrator also acknowledges, however, that they belong together despite the flaws in the relationship: "When I run out of road, you bring me home." The song once again acknowledges a lack of communication being a problem in a relationship (which, as I said, seems to be an overarching theme on the album): "I always think about you and how we don't speak enough." Although it did not get the attention that "Sign of the Times" (at least not according to my memory) did, it's a beautiful song that I think was a wise choice for the second single.
I love how "Only Angel" begins by reminding us of "Sign of the Times" with the piano melody from the album's first single. It is misleading, making one think that the song is a ballad, possibly some sort of sequel to "Sign of the Times," but similar to R.E.M.'s "Leave," it fools you, suddenly breaking out into a catchy hard rock track, another one that reminds me of garage rock bands such as Jet. The song is actually more of a sequel to "Meet Me in the Hallway" as it seems to be about the same person and also seems to directly allude to it: "Broke a finger knocking on your bedroom door... end up meeting in the hallway every single time." The song is about his admiration for this woman and, once again, having to settle on the relationship being merely sexual: "I'm just happy getting you stuck in between my teeth, and there's nothing I can do about it... when it turns out she's a devil in between the sheets..." Once again calling back to "Meet Me in the Hallway," this woman is an addiction for the narrator; he can't seem to break free even if he wanted to. "Kiwi" is my second favorite song from the album. A ridiculously catchy garage rock song that sonically works really well paired next to "Only Angel," this song was released as the fourth and final single from Harry Styles. It is a bit tougher to lyrically decipher than some of the other songs, but I believe it to be another song about an addiction to a woman whom the speaker knows probably isn't all that good for him: "She's driving me crazy, but I'm into it." In this case, it might even be someone who is already in a relationship, and he is the other man: "When she's alone, she goes home to a cactus." I think that he deems her as not being good for him (despite his addiction to her) not only because he outwardly says that she drives him crazy but also because she might be a substance addict: "She worked her way through a cheap pack of cigarettes, hard liquor mixed with a bit of intellect... for a nose, it's always backed up." Just as she is addicted to her substances, he is addicted to her.
Something else that seems worthy of discussion, however, is the fact that the subject of "Kiwi" seems to be a woman telling the speaker that she has gotten pregnant by him: "Oh, I think she said, 'I'm having your baby; it's none of your business.'" To the best of my knowledge, it has never been made public knowledge that Styles has ever gotten a woman pregnant, so this might not be a personal story; as I said, Styles is a masterful storyteller and could have written this song partially from a fictional standpoint. With that being said, however, this could also speak to the subject's lack of mental stability. Perhaps this is someone who lied to Styles, telling him that she was pregnant with his child as a way of controlling him even though it wasn't true. (Perhaps, it was someone else's child - as I mentioned, the subject seems to have a boyfriend already - or she wasn't pregnant at all.) Yet another possible interpretation is that like Michael Jackson's Billie Jean or Justin Bieber's Maria, I am sure that Styles, being a famous (and quite attractive) male celebrity, occasionally falls victim to a fanatic falsely claiming to be pregnant with his child. "Ever Since New York" slows the album down a bit, as it is another softer and quieter number. The song is believed to be about Styles' late stepfather who passed away from cancer, and although the song was not released as a single from the album, it seems to be a personal favorite of Styles because it is the second song from the album that he performed live (the first, of course, being "Sign of the Times"). Styles has said that he learned of his stepfather's health declining while in a Brooklyn hotel room, and the song definitely seems to speak to that: "Brooklyn saw me, empty at the news. There's no water inside this swimming pool." Hotels often have swimming pools, and water inside the swimming pool means that there is an opportunity to go for a fun and/or relaxing swim, but Styles can't see anything fun or relaxing in his vicinity because of the news that he just received. He could also be talking about an initial inability to cry.
"Woman" is, in my opinion, one of the weaker tracks on the album if not the weakest. The song is soul and R&B influenced, and that just doesn't tend to be to my usual liking. It is about being in love with a woman who is taken: "I don't ever want to see you with him... I hope you see the shape that I'm in while he's touching your skin... you flower, you feast." The speaker of the song can't stomach the thought of this woman being with someone else sexually. (It's possessive, but love can make you that way, and Styles acknowledges that at the beginning of the song when he admits to being selfish.) Flowers (and food) are often equated with sex, so much so that losing one's virginity is often referred to as being deflowered. The album closes with "From the Dining Table," a soft acoustic folk song that appropriately bookends the album with "Meet Me in the Hallway" (although, as I said, "Sign of the Times" would have worked better as a closing track sonically). It seems to once again be addressing someone with whom the speaker is in love but is having to settle on the relationship being nothing more than sexual. "Woke up alone in this hotel room, played with myself. Where were you?" The speaker seems to have met with his partner in a hotel room for the night, but when he wakes up in the morning, they are gone, so he proceeds to pleasure himself. That part could be interpreted a bit differently, for maybe it's been a while since the speaker has even seen his ex-lover, especially because of this part: "We haven't spoke since you went away" (yet another line speaking to a lack of communication). However, I believe that it being a hotel room that he is in and waking up aroused indicates otherwise. The relationship has ended ("I see you gave him my old t-shirt, more of what was once mine."), but I think that they are continuing to have sex. (I have been there and done that more than once. It can be next to impossible to let go of someone for good.) All in all, Harry Styles is a brilliant album and a wonderful first solo effort.
"Stupid Love" is the lead single from Lady Gaga's upcoming studio album Chromatica, the highly anticipated follow-up to her 2016 album Joanne (which I reviewed here), notwithstanding, of course, the soundtrack to the 2018 film A Star Is Born (which I also reviewed).
I have to admit that when I first heard "Stupid Love," I wasn't
immediately impressed. I didn't hate it, but nor did I love it. Well, that was a song,
I thought. It quickly grew on me, however, as quickly as the next day,
and I now consider it her strongest lead single since 2009's "Bad Romance" from The Fame Monster (check out my review of that here).
The song is one of the most insidious earworms that I have heard in a
long time; as I said, it didn't register as anything special to me at
first but quickly wormed its way into my head there, and it has pretty
much been stuck there since. Not only is the song ridiculously catchy,
but it is - in my humble opinion - daring. I say daring because it
really isn't following trends (something that I don't believe that Gaga
has ever been all that interested in anyway, having captured, as some
examples, a dark European industrial sound on The Fame Monster and Born This Way and a country rock vibe on Joanne, both during eras when those sounds weren't necessarily the trend). Gaga has proven time and again the past on songs such as "Dance in the Dark," "Hair," "Bloody Mary," "Electric Chapel,"
etc. that she is far more interested in paying tribute to the music and
the artists with which she grew up and was influenced by than she is in
making music that fits into a puzzle of what's currently popular, and
that loyalty to doing what she truly wants to do creatively somehow pays
off anyway, as she remains popular. "Stupid Love" is no exception to
this. Is it upbeat and catchy? It's very upbeat and, as I said,
ridiculously catchy, but it is also far more reminiscent of early to mid
'90s dance than it is current. Its high energy and big beat combined
with the scatting female vocals in the instrumental seem to dramatically
cry out for love, as is the theme of the song's lyrics. Seeming to act
as a bit of a sequel to "Bad Romance" (it could even be argued that
"Stupid Love" is a synonym of "Bad Romance"), the lyrics ask for the
lover to love her, even if the love is, well, stupid. She acknowledges
that the relationship might not work out ("I would battle for you, even
if we break in two") but also acknowledges that she can't know for sure
unless she gives it a chance ("...nobody's gonna heal me if I don't open
the door"). There is therefore definitely a lesson to be learned from
this song, one that I can't explain better than by providing this quote
from the television series Once Upon a Time: "...That wall of yours - it may keep out pain, but it also might keep out love." (Chromatica
will hopefully be dropping relatively soon, as I am looking forward to
hearing the rest of it. It was originally slated for release on April
10, 2020 but has been indefinitely delayed due to the COVID-19
pandemic.)
