Serpentina is Banks’s highly anticipated fourth studio album. It was certainly one of my most anticipated albums of the year.
The overall feel is a lot different from The Altar (2016) and III (2019). Even so, it’s very much a “Banks” album in all the best ways, with a lot of synth effects, auto-tune, and some experimentation—it’s a blend of genres—but the beats are catchy. They have a certain moody and atmospheric edge that works well with Banks’s vocals, which I’ve come to expect and appreciate. And when it delivers, it delivers.
The lyrics are just excellent. I expected nothing less, but even then I underestimated it. There were way too many lines that I wanted to quote. Some of my favorites come from the songs Skinnydipped, Meteorite, Holding Back, and Birds by the Sea. But, all of the tracks are a solid offering, and it’s hard to choose any one song that stands out as a top favorite when they’re all so good.
Overall, Serpentina has quickly become a favorite. And so far, I’m having a great time listening to it on repeat.
Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE
Breana: And I'm back from my break. While I've been away from the blog, I've been listening to a lot of music, and some of the new songs on my playlist are from Banks's new album, Serpentina. I really like it, but more on that on a different post. One of my favorite songs is Unleavable.
Andrea: Hi all! Over the past couple of weeks, I've spent time listening to Coachella's livestream. That's how I discovered Harry Styles' music. I have to say that Styles' performance was phenomenal, and I absolutely love his song, Sign Of The Times. Well that's it for now. I hope everyone has an amazing week!
Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE
Breana: Banks released a new single from her upcoming album, Serpentina. It's called Holding You Back, and I love it.
Andrea: Hi all! I've been busy spring cleaning while listening to Closer by Saweetie featuring H.E.R. and Rent Money by Mary J. Blige featuring Dave East. Have an amazing week!
Back in 2019, I never did get around to writing about III by Banks. It was one of the albums I was looking forward to that year, and I listened to it off and on through 2020. Recently, I finally sat down and gave it a proper listen. III is the kind of album that grew on me the more I listened to it, and by February 2021 I had a whole new appreciation for it.
III is a good album. Banks’s vocals are always fantastic, and I can say that the same quality can be found here too. Banks delivers a wide range of sound that incorporates all the hallmarks of pop with a somewhat sharper edge, which often treaded into electronic and synth as well. There weren’t dance tracks here, as the album seemed to favor a heavier sound. It worked well, given the emotionally charged and brooding atmosphere that seemed to be a signature of III—even more so than Banks’s previous album, The Altar.
A song like Stroke comes to mind as a good example of what I mean along with: Godless, Sawzall, Look What You’re Doing To Me, and The Fall among others. All you have to do is pay attention to the lyrics.
Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE
Breana: A few weeks ago, Banks did a couple of “1 Mic 1 Take” versions of some of her songs. One of my favorites was Contaminated. The original song is good as is, but I’m a fan of this version too....
Banks also did "1 Mic 1 Take" versions of Drowning and If We Were Made Of Water. Another good one is Stroke. I really love this version of the song.
Andrea: This week I am listening to If I Ever Fall in Love by Shai.
Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE
Breana: I’m currently listening to Banks’s new album, III. One of my favorite songs from it is The Fall.
Adri: I just want to share one of the songs I'm currently listening to, The List by Moonchild.
Listen, there have been a lot of good albums released in the first six months of the year. Despite how many I’ve already listened to, there are many more I’ve yet to get to. I’m looking forward to the second half of the year and all the music that’ll be coming out before January 2020. Some of my favorite artists are back with new albums to be released sometime in 2019, and oh man, I’m so excited.
(**Note: “current singles to listen to from” = songs that are available to listen to from the upcoming albums.**)
lll by Banks
Banks is back. It’s been about three years since The Altar was released, and I loved that album. Of course, Banks released two singles in 2017: Underdog and Crowded Spaces. Those were really good on their own. However, I’ve wanted another full album: a follow-up to The Altar. And it’s happening. Luckily, the wait won’t be too long since lll comes out on July 12, 2019.
Current singles to listen to from lll...
Gimme
Look What You’re Doing to Me
Charli by Charli XCX
With songs like You (Ha Ha Ha), Take My Hand, and Black Roses, Charli XCX’s True Romance album is one of my favorite releases of 2013. Admittedly, I haven’t kept up with some of her more recent music. However, her new album, Charli, has caught my attention because of the collaborations with Lizzo, Troye Sivan, and others. Charli releases on September 13, 2019.
Current singles to listen to from Charli...
1999
Blame It On Your Love
Sunshine Kitty by Tove Lo
Out of all the music on this list, Sunshine Kitty is the album I’m most looking forward to. I have Tove Lo’s first three albums. She’s an artist I consistently listen to and buy music from. I am beyond excited for Sunshine Kitty. There’s no release day yet, but it says 2019. So, I have my finger’s crossed that the wait won’t be too long.
Current singles to listen to from Sunshine Kitty
Glad He’s Gone
Halsey
You know, I’ve listened to both of Halsey’s albums—Hopeless Fountain Kingdom and Badlands—and I’ve liked them. So, I’m looking forward to Halsey’s next album (No name or release date yet).
There are, of course, many other albums coming out between July and the end of the year. However, these are the main ones I’m waiting for. What upcoming music are you waiting for? Or, what are some recent singles, albums, or eps you’ve listened to?
Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE
Breana: I haven’t participated in Music Monday in a while, because I honestly wasn’t listening to anything new. Well, during my absence, I’ve listened to everything from youtube channels that make songs based off video games—like NateWantsToBattle and JT Machinima—to Banks’s sophomore album, The Altar. For today, I’m going to just stick to Banks, specifically, The Altar. It’s not a new album since it came out back in 2016. It’s taken me till now to listen to the entire album, and I just have to say that I love it!
27 Hours is my first pick. Arguably, it’s my favorite song from the album. I love the sound of it. The beginning is good, but once the beat drops I’m just like “Yes.”
My second pick is Poltergeist. I also love this song for its sound. It just fits with the vibes given off by the rest of the album. I’m not going to lie. I’m a total fan of it.
Adri: For this Music Monday, I’m choosing two song that kept me up, literally. Towards the end of last week I delved into a sewing project that required attention to details. Consequently, I decided to stay up later than usual, so I needed songs that didn’t cause a snooze fest. Now, of course I listened to a lot of music, but these are two songs that I kept coming back to. These songs are Strobelite by Gorillaz feat. Peven Everett and Gotta Work by Ameriie.
On a side note, although the last video was posted in July, Ameriie has her own Youtube channel which consist of videos about books and beauty.
Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE
Breana:
Recently, I revisited a few of my favorite songs that I haven’t listened to in a really long time. The first is Beggin for Thread by Banks. I first heard about Banks back in 2014 and haven’t really listened to too much of her music since. However, I recall really being a fan of Beggin for Thread and recently, I’ve gone back to the song several times and remember why I enjoyed listening to it in the first place.
Another favorite song of mine that I wanted to share was Night Like This by LP. Night Like This is another one of the songs that initially introduced me to the musician, which coincidently enough was also back in 2014. Lost on You is another great song by LP. I like the normal version as well as the live session.
Have you recently listened to any songs that are old (possibly previously forgotten) favorites?
