[cover art by OmenBoy]
After seeing the film A Star Is Born (starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper) and hearing the soundtrack, I decided to take a selection of Lady Gaga's songs from the soundtrack and compile it as a Lady Gaga album (an imagined follow-up to her 2016 album Joanne), and here is the result! Listen here!
Due primarily to personal strife such as a prolonged battle with Lyme disease and divorce from Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, French Canadian pop-rock musician Avril Lavigne took an extended break from releasing music, going six years without releasing an album (her most recent being the self-titled album of 2013) and three years without releasing a single (her most recent being the standalone single "Fly" of 2015). September of last year, however, saw Lavigne finally making a comeback with the emotional power ballad "Head Above Water" (the title track of her upcoming sixth studio album), a song that combines elements of pop, rock, country, and gospel and is lush with piano and strings. The song is written about the singer's aforementioned battle with Lyme disease (definitely making it one of the most personal songs that she has released to date, its reflective nature reminding me a great deal of Andrew McMahon's "The Resolution"), asking God to keep her alive: "God, keep my head above water," she pleads. "I lose my breath at the bottom. Come rescue me; I'll be waiting. I'm too young to fall asleep." The part about being too young to fall asleep is the most impactful line of the song in my opinion and really drives home how scary and life-threatening that the disease can be. Although "Head Above Water" offers some of Lavigne's most powerful and impressive vocals to date (something that I immediately recognized upon first listen), I was initially quite disappointed when I first heard the song back in September. I felt that the melody was weak and rather flat, never really going anywhere interesting, and I also did not like the religious references, as the song is really more of a gospel song than it is a secular one, hearkening back to Lavigne's very early days when she recorded songs like "Temple of Life." Ever since releasing her debut album Let Go in 2002, Lavigne has asserted herself as a rebel in more ways than one, so I initially found (and, to an extent, still do find) the fact that she was hitting Contemporary Christian charts to be a bit jarring. I am not Christian myself and therefore find the song difficult to relate to, but I have warmed up to its powerful message of hope, and I have come to love the melody. It's far from being Lavigne's best work to date, but I appreciate it much more than I did upon first listen.
Unlike the title track, the second single released from Head Above Water, titled "Tell Me It's Over," really did not take much time to grow on me, as I pretty much liked it upon first listen. The lyrics of "Tell Me It's Over" aren't as meaningful as those of "Head Above Water," as the song is ultimately just about a failing relationship nearing its end (probably written about her divorce from Chad Kroeger); Avril wants closure, pleading for her lover to "tell me it's over if it's really over." Despite the lyrics being relatively average (I mean, not only is the music industry inundated with breakup songs, but Avril's catalogue itself is - with songs such as "Together," "My Happy Ending," "I Can Do Better," "Everything Back but You," "Goodbye," and "Let Me Go" serving as just a few examples.), I still prefer "Tell Me It's Over" to "Head Above Water" because I, overall, find the melody to be more interesting, and I love the beat heard in the verses - a slow and waltzy beat reminiscent of vintage country and rock & roll from the '60s. (The country flavor found here on "Tell Me It's Over" reminds me of classic and vintage country like Dolly Parton, Skeeter Davis, and the vintage sound heard throughout much of She & Him's material.) Although the music video is not as visually impressive as "Head Above Water" (which was filmed on a coast of Iceland) is, I do love how colorful that it is, such as the colorful glows of the bedroom that change from magenta, to yellow, to blue (probably representing the different stages of the relationship seen throughout the video) and the bright sky blue of Avril's shirt as she sits at the piano outdoors. I really only have two issues with the music video - (a) some of the footage is replayed on a loop and (b) perhaps taking a page from Lana Del Rey's book (see here for an example), Avril is often barely moving her mouth as she lip syncs the lyrics, making it entirely unbelievable that she is actually singing (which, of course, we know that she isn't, but a music video should offer that illusion at least).
The third (and, thus far, final) single released from Head Above Water is titled "Dumb Blonde" and is a collaboration with rapper Nicki Minaj. "Dumb Blonde" serves as a perfect example of why you should never judge an album by its lead single, seeing as how this song couldn't be any more different from "Head Above Water." The song begins with an aggressive marching band beat and Nicki Minaj saying "young money" (a shout-out to Nicki Minaj's record label, which, although sort of one of Nicki's signature marks, is awkward and out of place here given that this is an Avril Lavigne track, and Avril has no affiliation at all with Young Money). Avril's vocals are angry and aggressive in the anthemic chorus in which she declares that "I ain't no dumb blonde. I ain't no stupid Barbie doll. I got my game on. You gon' watch me, watch me, watch me prove you wrong." Her fiery vocals and the rock riffs remind me of many of the tracks found on her 2007 album The Best Damn Thing, with the cheerleader vibe reminding me especially of that album's lead single "Girlfriend" and also of Gwen Stefani's anthemic banger "Hollaback Girl" (the latter of which also has a similar theme of female empowerment and demanding not to be underestimated). This is, by far, my least favorite of the three singles so far, especially because of Nicki's awkward verse near the end of the song. I like Nicki (Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded and The Pinkprint are phenomenal albums), but "Dumb Blonde" was originally a solo song with Nicki's contribution being added last minute, and the choppy production where Nicki's verse is clearly slapped on makes that all too obvious. I also have a feeling that "Dumb Blonde" is going to be the "What the Hell" or "Hello Kitty" of Head Above Water, meaning that its style is going to be the one song that sticks out like a sore thumb. It might grow on me, but as of now, I am not too crazy for "Dumb Blonde," but I do appreciate the message of female empowerment behind it, although the irony of Avril having said that "women should build each other up" is not lost on me, given the fact that Nicki Minaj (who has done her fair share of throwing shade at other women especially in her music, with her most recent feud being with female rapper Cardi B) is featured on the track. "Dumb Blonde" might, as I said, have some room to grow on me, but in the meantime, I am looking forward to the other nine tracks from Head Above Water, which drops this coming Friday, February 15, 2019!
Pop musician Greyson Chance is soon to be releasing Portraits, his sophomore studio album following the 2011 album Hold on 'til the Night, and "shut up" is said to be the album's lead single. I previously wrote a review of his recently released single "Twenty One" in which I identified that as the first single from Portraits, but I was apparently mistaken because it has since been reported that this is the lead single, so I don't know if that means that "Twenty One" will still be on the album but be considered more of a promotional single or if it is not being included on the album at all and will be yet another standalone single, but at any rate, I apologize for the inaccurate information. "shut up" begins with Greyson's soulful falsetto singing the song's chorus a cappella: "I cannot hold my tongue; you give me much to say. I'm sweating bullets, nervous that you'll push away, and when your eyes catch mine, I know I talk too much, so give me your two lips, and baby, I'll shut up." When I first learned that the new single would be titled "shut up," I assumed that the song would be feisty and rebellious (refer to this as an example), but it's not; it's a cute and emotional love song about that nervous and jittery feeling at the very beginning of a relationship or love affair. The chorus of the song is great, but my favorite part of the song is actually the verses, during which Greyson drops back down to his more natural vocal range and describes the boy for whom he is falling: "You dress in all black, the middle of the summer. You're smoother than you think. You rock that Alex Turner" (that last sentence being a reference to the frontman of Arctic Monkeys). I love the verses not only because of the lyrics but also because there is a gentle and subtle piano accompaniment that reminds me a great deal of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, one of my favorite pieces of music of all time, and it surprisingly fits Greyson's youthful pining and longing in this song perfectly. Even though I am gradually losing faith in the possibility of ever finding "the one" myself, I do understand the feeling that Greyson is describing in this song all too well because it's how I felt when I fell in love with the man whom I was convinced I was going to marry (which was now a decade ago), and it's because of songs like Greyson Chance's "shut up" that restore the slightest bit of hope needed to keep dreaming.
Welsh/Greek indie pop / indie rock musician Marina Lambrini Diamandis (formerly known professionally as Marina and the Diamonds and now merely as MARINA) is finally following up her 2015 album Froot (which I reviewed here) with her fourth studio album. Not much about the album has been revealed yet; we have yet to know the release date or the title, and we have not yet seen the cover art. (MARINA has stated, however, that more information will be coming on Valentine's Day.) Although MARINA did release a single titled "Baby" in November of last year (a song on which she is the lead vocalist and which she even co-wrote), the song was technically a Clean Bandit song with MARINA featured as a guest vocalist, so "Handmade Heaven" is the first song released on which she is the lead artist since she released "Blue" as a single in the summer of 2015, so it has been nearly four years. Marina fans like myself have therefore been highly anticipating this release, and while the song is hardly her greatest achievement thus far, it is definitely a fairly strong comeback. "Handmade Heaven" is a relatively slow ballad reminiscent of prior MARINA songs like "Happy," "Solitaire," and "Immortal," and written solely by MARINA herself, it is just as introspective. The lyrics are beautifully poetic and focused on nature, something that MARINA does frequently throughout the lyrics of several songs from Froot. (The song, in fact, does sound very much like it could belong on the Froot album, but MARINA has said that the sound of the new album's first single is not indicative at all of what the overall album sounds like, which was also the case with Froot's lead single.) "I envy the birds high up in the trees," MARINA sings at the very beginning of the song (with no instrumental introduction) in her signature porcelain vocal style (which she implements especially frequently in slow ballads like this one). "They live out their lives so purposefully." Like Froot's "Immortal," the song is ethereal and atmospheric, delicate and dreamy, and MARINA actually sneakily announced the title of this song nearly a year ago when she posted a video on Twitter with "Handmade Heaven." as the caption. The video is of her looking out at a body of water (probably a lake, but I can't say for sure) underneath either a setting or rising sun, so I am thinking that the song is about finding internal peace due to external beauty found in nature, something to which I think most of us can probably relate. (I understand all too well how that particular sight, for example, can make you feel because I enjoyed a nearly identical view when I attended college at SUNY Oswego in Oswego, NY and looked out at Lake Ontario when the sun was setting or rising - it's truly a remarkable sight, and I miss it dearly!) "Handmade Heaven" has an absolutely gorgeous music video to match (which is, without a doubt, one of my favorite MARINA music videos to date), and as a diehard fan of MARINA (she is easily in my top 5 favorite musicians), I cannot wait to learn more about this era and find out what it is going to bring!
After five years (the longest time gap in between any two of the band's albums, although frontwoman Sharon den Adel did release a solo album titled My Indigo last year), Dutch metal band Within Temptation has finally released its seventh studio album Resist. While I can't say that Resist is my favorite Within Temptation album to date (I would probably say that 2007's The Heart of Everything is my favorite), it is definitely one of the strongest albums of the band's career thus far, with the lead single "The Reckoning" (which I reviewed here) being one of the band's best and most powerful songs to date. (That is, in fact, the only facet of Resist that ultimately disappointed me; there really is no other song with the sheer force of "The Reckoning" - with perhaps only "Mad World" coming close.) After "The Reckoning" was released in September of last year, it was announced that Resist was slated for a December 14th release, but it was unfortunately delayed until February 1st this year due to production issues, but it's a strong album that was well worth the wait. The album, overall, deals thematically with political issues such as war and dictatorship ("The Reckoning" and "Raise Your Banner"), personal loss and tragedy ("Supernova"), and broken relationships ("In Vain" and "Mercy Mirror"). When the band initially made the announcement that a good portion of the album would deal lyrically with political issues, I saw some fans outraged by this announcement, saying that they did not want the band to become political, but I was quite honestly perplexed by that because it is not new territory for the band. as they had tackled political issues such as climate change and destruction to the planet ("Ice Queen") and war ("The Howling" and "Our Solemn Hour") already. Within Temptation has always, on some level, been political, so I see it as moot to suddenly make that complaint now. Besides, I tend to appreciate it when art is socially and politically conscious; it makes it that much more relatable and relevant.
Resist opens with the aforementioned "The Reckoning," the album's lead single. I won't say much about this song here because I have already reviewed it as a single, but I will reinforce what I have already said, which is that this song is incredibly innovative and powerful, easily one of my favorite songs from the band's catalogue thus far. Nothing else on the album matches its sheer energy. The album continues with "Endless War," a weaker number on the album, although I do love the chanting choir brought in throughout portions of the song, and I love the spoken part near the end: "System overload. Self-destruct sequence activated. One minute until self-destruction." Like several songs on the album, "Endless War" features sprinkles of electronic elements, included to give the album its intended dystopian and futuristic feel. I don't think that the song is addressing literal war but instead a personal and internal war that many of us fight when we find ourselves battling inner demons, something that den Adel likely understands all too well considering the fact that personal strife that she recently endured (such as her father passing away) almost led to her departing from the band. Unlike Nightwish, however, which clearly seems to treat its frontwoman as a replaceable tool or instrument (sorry, Nightwish, I love you, but I am team Tarja until my dying day), Within Temptation seems to very much function as a team, and den Adel has said that the rest of the band likely would have been done had she decided to leave: "I think Within Temptation would have been done completely... They supported me throughout the whole process - we are a very tight group." Den Adel also addresses the death of her father in the electronically heavy, catchy, and emotional "Supernova" (which follows the album's second single "Raise Your Banner," which I reviewed here): "I'm waiting for your last goodbye 'cause I'm not over it... I'm waiting for the light of your supernova, your last goodbye." The metaphor is quite a clever and beautiful one because a supernova is a star exploding at the end of its lifespan, and from death sometimes arises light and beauty.
The fifth track on the album is titled "Holy Ground" and is another weaker spot on the album. The melody of the chorus is not as interesting as some of the other melodies that Resist has to offer, although the lyrics are interesting because they could, like many of the album's lyrics, have more than one meaning. On the surface, the speaker seems to be addressing someone whom she knows personally: "It's been a while since I told you that I hate you. You've turned the truth inside out. Don't turn your back when I face you, or I'll make you. You turned my world upside down." It's a bitter and angry song, directed toward someone whom has betrayed and deceived the speaker, but it might not be addressing someone whom den Adel personally knows. While I cannot say this for sure (and could, in fact, simply want the song to fit my own narrative), the song could be addressing corrupt and deceptive leaders such as the current United States President, Donald Trump. Whether you support the guy or not (F.Y.I. - I most definitely do not), you can't deny the fact that his presidency has caused a divide amongst people worse than has been seen in decades, and even people who are not American have expressed their disappointment and disdain in response to his election, so I would therefore not be surprised if Within Temptation (who are also not American) would also feel the need to speak out. (Even the title of the album is indicative of a strong political theme.) Further lyrics of the song also point to the idea of it being a corrupt leader being addressed: "Burying the truth with lies, fed up how you justify, and I hate it, and I hate it. You're so despicable when you're acting unreasonable, and I hate it, and I hate it." I, as I said, could very well be reaching simply because I want so badly for this song to fit my own narrative, but that to me, is a very accurate description of Trump, and there is also further evidence to support the idea that Trump is a target of this album, but I don't want to spoil that just yet.
The next two songs ("In Vain" and "Firelight") were released as singles prior to the album's release, and I reviewed those songs here and here. I don't want to spend much time talking about them here, but I do want to say that I initially said that "In Vain" seemed to be about someone who witnessed some type of apocalypse, and given the fact that the album is futuristic and dystopian in nature, I think that that is one way to interpret it, but it can also be seen as a response to a broken relationship. I also want to add that something about "Firelight" that I did not realize at the time that I reviewed it is that it was initially intended for den Adel's solo album My Indigo but was cut because she felt that it was too dark for that album, and it was eventually reworked for Resist. The eighth track on Resist is my second favorite song on the album (my first favorite, of course, being "The Reckoning"). Titled "Mad World," it should be stated that it is not a cover of the Tears for Fears song (something that I wondered myself when I first saw the tracklisting), although it is thematically similar; it is original, and it is fantastic. Driven by a splendidly fun electronic groove that reminds me a great deal of some of the tracks found on HIM's 2005 album Dark Light, the song features a catchy chorus powered by den Adel's powerful vocal delivery and male (although I am not sure who the male is) echoes. "Mad World" is followed by "Mercy Mirror," a power ballad driven by beautifully trilling piano. This is yet another song that offers a catchy chorus, this one being the perfect example of what the band meant when they said that the album was influenced by pop music, as you can easily imagine a more radio-friendly version of this song being sung by Miley Cyrus or Demi Lovato. It's definitely a highlight on the album, especially because of its heartfelt lyrics which address a relationship that, for one reason or another, seems to be failing, and the speaker is desperate to try to repair it or hold on to it. It might also be another song written for den Adel's father, although I can't corroborate that: "I need you more than I have known, so look in my mercy mirror 'cause I'm not ready to let you go."
Resist ends with what is probably the heaviest (and most metal) song on the album. "Trophy Hunter" features heavy and chugging guitar driving much of the song, and this song definitely hearkens back to classic Within Temptation. Although I personally would not have chosen to end the album with this song because it simply does not feel like a proper sendoff, it's a great, powerful track that I feel might be another response to Donald Trump: "You are trophy hunting, kill for nothing." It is no secret that Donald Trump seems to support trophy hunting, especially since his own sons engage in it, and as evidenced by songs such as "Mother Earth," "In Perfect Harmony," and the aforementioned "Ice Queen," the band definitely seems to be in support of wildlife preservation and taking care of the planet. The deluxe version of the album is followed by single edits of several of the album's songs ("Raise Your Banner," "Endless War," "Firelight," "Mad World," and "Supernova," with the single edit of "In Vain" conspicuously missing for some reason) and the instrumentals of all of the album's songs. While Resist is not my favorite Within Temptation album, I do certainly love it, as it definitely serves as one of their strongest and most powerful albums to date. You can clearly see that the band is inspired in ways that they never have been before. The visual representations that have been offered so far, for example, are innovative to say the least. The album's cover art is definitely my favorite Within Temptation album cover thus far, and the music videos (especially "The Reckoning" and "Raise Your Banner") are some of the most visually stunning and creative music videos that I have ever seen, not just from the band but from anyone ever. Although I do love den Adel's My Indigo album and would not have minded a follow-up album to that (and honestly even still hope for that to eventually happen), Resist makes me grateful that den Adel was able to overcome her personal struggles and get back on the Within Temptation bandwagon, that we are able to see the light of the supernova, and I hope that the band will continue to stick around for many years to come.
Within Temptation has released yet another (this being their fourth) single from their upcoming album Resist, which (due to a delay, as it was originally intended for a December release) is due to be released on February 1, 2019. "In Vain" is another song in the same vein (see what I did there?) as its three predecessors ("The Reckoning," "Raise Your Banner," and "Firelight") - an alternative rock tune with a really catchy chorus. This one's chorus is especially catchy and very pop-oriented, which makes sense because frontwoman Sharon den Adel has said that much of the inspiration behind Resist comes from modern day pop music, a sound which the band attempts to make darker and more rebellious on Resist. (Something that I did not learn until recently, in fact, is that "Firelight," the third single released from Resist, was originally intended for her solo album My Indigo, a pop album through and through.) "In Vain" is rather light and steady in its verses but picks up some energy in its chorus, and it seems to lyrically be from the perspective of someone who has witnessed and survived some type of apocalyptic event: "Up until the final day, I guess we said enough. We said enough to know it's all in vain." (This would be in keeping with the album having been described as dystopian.) While "The Reckoning" (which is one of the most energetic and easily one of my favorite songs of the band's entire catalogue thus far) still remains my favorite song heard from Resist thus far, "In Vain" is still definitely a keeper (especially in its powerful melody in the chorus), and I am really looking forward to finally hearing the rest of the album on the first of February!
Lana Del Rey has released a third single from her yet to be released album Norman Fucking Rockwell, and while the second single ("Venice Bitch") might have been unconventionally long, this one's title is unconventionally long, as the title is "hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - but i have it" (the title being in all lowercase letters is not an error on my part; it's actually registered as such). "hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have it - but i have it" is not my favorite song released from the new album so far (as that honor goes to the aforementioned "Venice Bitch"), but it's definitely a great song nonetheless. Like "Mariners Apartment Complex" (the first single released from Norman Fucking Rockwell), the song is driven by soft piano, and Lana sings in her usual soft and slightly echoed voice. The lyrics remind me a bit of "Ride" in that they are very confessional and introspective, especially when she sings in the second verse, "...except for the stage, which I also call home." I am also reminded of "Young and Beautiful" in that both songs present a rather bleak problem but then offer a hopeful solution; such is stated directly in the title of this song, and in "Young and Beautiful," Lana sings, "Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful? I know you will." Lana refers to confessional poet Sylvia Plath in the first chorus when she sings that she has "been tearing around in my fucking nightgown, 24/7 Sylvia Plath." It's unclear what she means here - is she comparing herself to Sylvia Plath in the way that she is "tearing around" 24/7, or is she saying that she is reading Sylvia Plath 24/7? Either way, I am happy to hear a comparison to Plath as she is easily one of my favorite poets of all time, and given Plath's admitted Electra Complex (as evidenced in poems like "Daddy"), it makes a lot of sense that Lana would relate to Plath, as Lana seems to have a bit of an Electra Complex herself (as evidenced in lyrics from songs such as "Daddy Issues," "Ride," "Cola," "You Can Be the Boss," and countless others). The melody of the chorus is beautiful, and it is, as aforementioned, a great song, but I do have one potential problem with it. In the second chorus, Lana sings, "Shaking my ass is the only thing that's got this black narcissist off my back; she couldn't care less, and I never cared more, so there's no more to say about that." A few months ago, Lana and rapper Azealia Banks (with whom she had previously collaborated on a remix of "Blue Jeans") feuded over Twitter, so this part of the song could be a reference to that, although it's probably not because it would seem as if she would have written this song prior to that happening, and I wouldn't think that Lana would write such lyrics that could easily be construed as racist. At any rate, here is to hoping that news regarding Norman Fucking Rockwell - such as the album cover and/or the release date - is on the way soon!
