me, the entire month of august:
Surrender • Maggie Rogers
Surrender is pure, raw feelings. Maggie started working on this album in 2020, and succeeded in capturing the tangle of emotions created by the past few years. the fear, the grief, the anger, the numbness that have coexisted alongside moments of joy and beauty - and how it can feel nearly impossible to hold these opposing emotions in the same body.
what i love most is that she doesn’t try to hide the ragged edges of her biggest emotions - she allows them to permeate her vocals, and they run the gamut from tender vulnerability to breathless desperation. (there’s a touch of Avril & Michelle Branch in there, too.) the instrumentals are a similar confluence of genres: 90s and alt-rock influences carry her heaviest emotions and give heft to eagerness, all colored by her distinct genre-defying production style.
the tracklist, categorized by feelings:
if Horses and Begging For Rain catch you at the right moment, you WILL be crying on the kitchen floor.
Be Cool and Honey are like a reassuring hug from a wise aunt.
Want Want and Shatter are best played REALLY LOUD in your car while you scream-sing.
That’s Where I Am and Anywhere With You are made for rom-com montage moments.
I’ve Got a Friend & Different Kind of World are tender, feel-good tunes.
Overdrive and Symphony are…my least played? 😬
lastly, an album-adjacent takeaway: i highly endorse having listening parties with your friends! in the age of instant gratification, listening to new music is typically a solitary activity; airpods in, noise cancellation on and, if you’ve got sketchy auditory processing like me, genius.com pulled up on your phone. for this release, i scrounged up all my self-restraint and waited an entire week* for my friend to receive her vinyl - she wanted it to be her first listen. when the day finally came, i moved our turntable to the hearth, made a cozy lounge with all the pillows and blankets in the house, and we settled in to listen. reacting to new music with other people created a lovely memory that i will cherish when i play this album!
*p.s. if you post about it a week late, you might just break through the noise and the artist might just DM you to say thank you and yes this is what happened to me, AMA!!!
RENAISSANCE • Beyoncé
“Beyoncé injects a sense of joy into an otherwise depressing time and helped initiate a long overdue discussion about house, a Black musical form that’s never received the commercial attention that comes with the force of Beyoncé.” - quote from Lynneé Denise’s album review - a fantastic read where she breaks down the influences and references of Renaissance and their historical importance.
i also recommend Kiana Mickels’ review that raises a fair critique: “Beyoncé lacks an intimate understanding of the subcultures she is borrowing from, and this sudden, random interest in underground queer culture renders the execution awkward at best, and painfully pandering at worst. Renaissance might be an immersive joy ride, but who is this joy being expressed at the expense of? At times, it's unclear where the record falls between appreciation and cooptation.”
after my initial once-through of this album, i became (voluntarily) trapped in an endless loop of the tracks ALIEN SUPERSTAR through BREAK MY SOUL. the transitions on this album are so good, but especially in this 4-track spread. i fully expect one of these tracks to be atop my Spotify Wrapped. (edit: Taylor really said HOLD MY BEER with her new album announcement) i eventually forced myself out of that loop and absolutely fell in love with VIRGO’S GROOVE - over six minutes of irresistible funk and Bey’s expertly-controlled vocal runs.
CHURCH GIRL/HEATED/SUMMER RENAISSANCE are my other top tracks, perfect for dancing while i do chores. 😆 lastly, and i am so, so, sorry for this - but as much as i immediately loved COZY, it also kinda sounds like something the “new” Victoria's Secret would put in a body-positive commercial. (yes, my brain is rotted & also this is my revenge for this tiktok about Music For A Sushi Restaurant sounding like an Old Navy Commercial!!!)
last min edit: i just watched this incredible tiktok of a girl dancing to PURE/HONEY and uh oh guess what this week’s obsession track is!!!
something for september…
not only are we are overdue for a rom-com renaissance - WE DESERVE IT. someone get emily henry on the phone with hollywood, STAT. anyway, this is my running playlist of (mostly) recent songs that would be great on a rom-com soundtrack. fun covers, singers with slightly-oddball voices, sweeping crescendos? we’ve got it all. now that september is here - the best month of the year and the gateway to fall - press shuffle and envision yourself as the main character.
talk soon -
jess
🧡