Welcome to the first “I Listened To” post of 2022. Today, I’m going to delve into my thoughts about Tierra Whack’s most recent music, a series of Eps with three songs each that were released in December 2021. They’re called Rap?, Pop?, and R&B?.
Tierra Whack is one of those artists that I return to time and time again. Her music is always so creative, and her vocals are a distinctive part of what makes her work so memorable. So once I started listening to the Eps, I went through all three in one sitting.
Rap?, Pop?, and R&B? have all the characteristics—in sound and stylish vibe—of what I’ve come to expect from Whack’s music. Here though, that sound was mixed with the influence of the genre associated with the Ep titles. Some of my top favorite songs from them include: Millions, Stand Up, Body of Water, and Heaven.
All in all, in terms of music, this was a great way to start the year. And I’m excited to see what the rest of 2022 has in store.
Magdalena Bay’s Mercurial World was one of the three albums I was waiting for in October. I first listened to their music during the summer—I even did a post about going through their backlist songs HERE—and since then I have been waiting for their album. And it didn’t disappoint.
Mercurial World is one of my favorite albums of the year, and it surprised me in all the right ways. And that’s saying something because my hopes were so high for it. Mercurial World has the feel and sound of Magdalena Bay’s music that I’ve come to expect—that distinctive style that blends synth, electronic, and pop—which I loved. The transition between the songs was near seamless, and the overall listening experience was great with how easily the album flowed from one song to the next. It felt like it was over too soon, but it was longer than Mini Mix vol.1 and vol. 2. I’ve already replayed Mercurial World several times since its release.
Each song felt very individual, but as I mentioned above, there was a distinct sound that made it part of the whole picture. The singles Chaeri, You Lose!, and Secrets (Your Fire) are already recognizable—I even picked Chaeri for a Music Monday post a while ago HERE. Some of my other favorite songs, in no particular order, include: Dreamcatching, Mercurial World, Prophecy, Follow the Leader, Domino, and The Beginning.
All-in-all, Mercurial World was an incredibly strong debut album.
In the past, I’ve listened to Halsey’s music on an off, and I’ve had my favorite songs over the years. I’m being completely honest when I say that I forgot If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power was coming out this year. Then the album came up on my feed, and I have to say that I like what Halsey did here. If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power was an atmospheric listen. It’s some of the most thematic pieces of work I’ve listened to from Halsey. The lyrics were vulnerable and personal but also hard hitting, and the music was ambitious with an excellent delivery. It was still pop, but there was an edgier and darker feeling and tone to it that proved to make for an engrossing album. Some of my favorite tracks included the opening called The Tradition—which had a haunting sound—along with Bells of Santa Fe, Girl Is a Gun, Easier than Lying, I Am Not A Woman I’m A God, You Asked For This, and Whispers. At the end of the day, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is one of my favorite albums of 2021.
At long last, Last Year Was Weird vol. 3 is finally here. This was another one of my most anticipated music releases of 2021, and Tkay Maidza’s third foray into the Last Year Was Weird mixtape series didn’t disappoint.
Besides the singles (Syrup, Cashmere, and Kim featuring Yung Baby Tate), some of top favorites from the mixtape were also Eden, So Cold, High Beams, and Breathe. The only two features (with Yung Baby Tate and UMI) here, were great, and their sections of the songs (Kim and Onto Me respectively) flowed well with Tkay Maidza’s voice.
When I look at the three releases all together, Last Year Was Weird vol. 3 was another strong release with the same high quality as the first two installments. The sound composition and Maidza’s overall delivery of the lyrics on the eight tracks, speaks to a clear artistic vision that blended a host of genres to create some truly memorable tracks.
Footnote: The Guardian actually has a great write up about Last Year Was Weird (HERE), which explained how the idea came about. I highly recommend giving that a read.
It’s been five years since Laura Mvula released The Dreaming Room (2016). And out of all the music I’m waiting for this year, Mvula’s next project has been one of my most anticipated. For months now, I have been excited by all the hints and singles we got for Pink Noise. And after such a long wait, my hopes were very high leading up to Pink Noise’s July 2, 2021 release date. The album is finally here, and all I can say is that the wait was worth it.
Pink Noise was actually everything I was hoping it would be. From the early singles—Safe Passage, Church Girl, Got Me and What Matters featuring Simon Neil—Pink Noise promised to be a romp through pop inspired by the 80s. The early visuals and singles clearly went in that direction, and the rest of the album’s substance—ten total tracks—delivered a spectacular and cohesive body of work that was defined by a clear theme.
I can only describe Laura Mvula’s third studio album as great and stylish. And, if you know anything about 80s pop, you’ll find many familiar sounds here with everything from synth, drums, and guitar riffs just to name a few. These hallmarks of 80s music were on full display, and they were mixed in a way that felt like a fresh spin on something that was already tried and true.
Hot Pink was a hit for me, and I liked how experimental the sound was throughout the entirety of the album. It had hits such as Say So, Streets, and Rules among others. So I’ve been waiting for the follow-up since then, and Planet Her is my top anticipated album of the year alongside Laura Mvula’s Pink Noise and Tkay Maidza’s Last Year Was Weird Vol. 3.
Planet Her has finally arrived, and Doja Cat delivers a pop and R&B album with style. I had a great time giving this one a listen. And while there was a much more cohesive feeling and sound to this album, it didn’t stray too far from the fun and experimental edge that exists within the same vein as Hot Pink. Planet Her plays off Doja Cat’s strong suits, and there was, overall, a really catchy and memorable sound as well as a sharp delivery of rap and other verses to all fourteen tracks.
Besides the singles (Kiss Me More, Need To Know, and You Right featuring The Weeknd), there were many other earworms to jam to as well. I liked the entire album. However, some of my top favorites included Get Into It (Yuh), Aint Sh*T, and Woman.
Planet Her was pretty great, and I’m left with a positive impression. This one is going on my playlist.
Have you listened to Planet Her?
There has been a trend in music lately where some familiar sounds from the eighties, nineties, and early two thousands are being revisited. Yet not just revisited, but also given a fresh spin. You can find it with Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa, and Laura Mvula’s latest singles to name a few. One mixtape that I’ve been listening to that also follows that trend is Bree Runway’s 2020 album: 2000AND4EVA. As the name of it suggests, this mixtape is peak early two thousands energy, and I love it.
Bree Runway has a track record of always delivering catchy hits like What Do I Tell My Friends, Big Racks featuring Brook Candy, 2ON, and All Night. 2000AND4EVA follows in those footsteps. With nine songs, the mixtape takes a twenty-one minute drive through music from the last decade. Yet it doesn’t feel stale. Bree Runway’s vocals are great here, and I enjoyed the full track list. The theme of the mixtape came through strongest in songs like Damn Daniel featuring Yung Baby Tate, both versions of LITLLE NOKIA, Rolls Royce, and ATM featuring Missy Elliott.
My overall impression of 2000AND4EVA is a positive one. It’s a strong collection of music from Bree Runway, and if you’ve liked music from this artist before then you won’t be disappointed with this one.
I have been waiting for Scaled and Icy since I heard about it. Twenty One Pilots is currently one of my favorite bands. I was introduced to their music with Blurryface (2015), and its follow-up, Trench (2018), was one of my favorite albums the year it was released. Scaled and Icy is finally here.
It was an enjoyable album to listen to with some of my personal favorites from it being Redecorate, Saturday, Stay Away, No Chances, and Choker just to name a few.
If you’ve listened to a lot of Twenty One Pilots’s music, you can tell the band has a certain style to their music. And while the overall sound of Scaled and Icy isn’t as dark and brooding as some of their earlier music—with a far more pop sound and a certain brightness—it still exists within Twenty One Pilots’s distinctive style. The album feels reflective and experimental, and it arrives right on time for summer.
It’s been a long time since there was a body of work released by Evanescence that contained completely new material. It’s been ten years in fact, but it was well worth the wait.
The Bitter Truth is a very good album, and it met my expectations and then some. It has the same gothic aesthetic quality and superb lyricism as much of Evanescence’s prior music, while also making the 12 tracks feel fresh and exciting to listen to. Some of my personal favorites include Take Cover, Part of Me, Wasted On You, Use My Voice, and Yeah Right.
I truly missed Evanescence during their absence. That being said, The Bitter Truth is a triumphant return for this band. I don’t have anything else to say besides this: if you’re a fan of Evanescence, then I can’t recommend The Bitter Truth enough.
One artist I’ve wanted more music by was Laura Mvula. Phenomenal Women is still on my playlist, and one of the catchiest songs I’ve listened to. Laura Mvula has returned in 2021 with an EP titled 1/f, in which she reworks three of her previously released songs—Sing To The Moon, Show Me Love, and Green Garden—which were accompanied by a cover of Diana Ross’s hit, I’m Still Waiting.
This was a great EP. The sound of the songs was completely reworked, giving a fresh update to tracks that were already lovely to listen to. The original versions of Sing To The Moon, Show Me Love, and Green Garden had a mellow, instrumental sound—like the live performances Mvula’s did with the Metrapole Orkest. They were already powerful songs to begin with and some of my favorites from Mvula. The new versions recorded for 1/f had a much more pop and synth sound, which also suited the lyrics perfectly too. I can’t say that I like one version more than the other though, because they’re equally good and I can’t recommend them enough.
I also enjoyed the cover of I’m Still Waiting. It’s a great song no matter which way you look at it, and Laura Mvula’s cover was excellent.
Overall, this EP was a pleasant surprise, and it leaves a great impression and a need for more. Laura Mvula’s third studio album has been announced, and I can’t wait to give it a listen.
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.
One artist I’ve had my eye on is Tayla Parx. I knew her first through her work for other artists like Ariana Grande (Thank U, Next) and Khalid (Love Lies, featuring Normani). Her debut studio album was one of my favorites of the year it was released, and since then I’ve been eagerly waiting for the follow-up to We Need to Talk. Well, that second studio album is here. Coping Mechanisms was released on November 20, 2020. I was pretty late getting to the album, but I’m glad I made time to give it a full listen.
We Need To Talk had a very mainstream pop feel and sound to it. While Coping Mechanisms has a somewhat different tone without losing the essence of its pop roots, and there were other sounds mixed in—think R&B. As a consequence, Coping Mechanisms feels like Tayla Parx honed familiar sounds into a style distinctly her own.
Coping Mechanisms opens with a song called Sad. It had a mellow vibe that acts as a perfect way to ease into what’s to come after. It goes right into Dance Alone, which is one of my top favorite tracks from the album and gives a smooth funky vibe with the guitar and synth sounds in the backtrack. While System—another favorite of mine—had a harder tone and electronic vibes. It was as equally good as the rest of the album. Some of my other top favorites included Fixerupper, Bricks, and Residue.
Coping Mechanisms was a fantastic, fun, and memorable foray into Tayla Parx’s work. It was a solid album, with excellent lyrics and catchy beats found on every track on its twelve song list. I was left with an overall positive impression.
Cape God (Released on February 21, 2020)…
It might have taken me a while, but I finally got around to listening to Allie X’s Cape God. I’m so glad I did. Cape God was tonally darker with a brooding sound to it, rather than the high-energy tone of the pop and synth sounds that defined Super Sunset. That wasn’t a bad thing of course, and some of those same influences could also be found on Cape God too. I have to admit: Cape God was great album. I liked Allie X’s vocal delivery on all of the tracks, and there were also some cool visualizers to accompany the songs. Some of the standout tracks included Devil I Know, Madame X, Sarah Come Home, Life of the Party and Susie Save Your Love featuring Mitski. Those songs in particular were incredibly memorable for me, and I see myself returning to this album again, just to give the lyrics a closer examination. If you’ve listened to music by Allie X before, then you’ll likely enjoy Cape God.
Where Does The Devil Hide (Released on August 28, 2020) …
Where Does The Devil Hide has finally been released, and most of the songs from it are pretty recognizable (most of them were singles). In particular, People Are Strangers, which I’ve mentioned on a Music Monday post a few weeks back. Still generally speaking, this EP—with just five tracks to its name—had a good selection of songs. Where Does The Devil Hide had a distinctly pop sound with a singer-songwriter and indie edge (along the same vein as St. Vincent). It was sometimes nostalgic in its sound for eighties/seventies disco (funk) tracks—think Earth, Wind, and Fire, with a bit of Rayven Lenae’s Crush EP—it had Zella Day’s unique vocals, and the visuals for the music videos captured the overall feel of the music. Overall, this was a good EP. Some of the standouts were People are Strangers, Purple Haze, and My Game. But really, I liked all the songs relatively equally. So Where Does The Devil Hide will likely end up on one of my playlists.
Have you listened to music by Allie X or Zella Day? If so, are you planning to listen to Where Does The Devil Hide or Cape God?
I’ve listened to music by Victoria Monét in the past, and her latest album, Jaguar, was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020. I liked Jaguar a lot. It was a blend of pop and R&B with a 80s nostalgic aesthetic and sound. Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia, Allie X’s Super Sunset, and Ravyn Lenae’s Crush immediately comes to mind for comparisons sake. There were some recognizable samplings, but it was reworked in a way that made the music feel fresh and unique. Jaguar pretty much did its own thing, and I have to say that I’m currently enjoying the recent R&B releases such as this.
Generally speaking, there was nothing bad here, because Jaguar is a solid album. The titular song was a good intro to the album. It’s the kind of song that easily grabbed my interest, and from there, I binged the whole album. It was so good. There were so many tracks that I outright liked such as Dive, Touch Me, and Go There With You just to name a few. The style of the album comes through in its sound as well as the music videos. There’s no clearer example of this than the music video for Experience featuring Khalid & SG Lewis—which is also one of my favorite songs from the album.
At the end of the day, I’m glad to see another album from Monét. Jaguar is one of my favorite albums of 2020, and I look forward to Monét’s next project.
Jaguar was released on August 7, 2020. Have you listened to music by Victoria Monét? If so, do you plan on listening to Jaguar?
Initially I wasn’t aware that Chloe X Halle was going to have a new album out this year—until a few days before it was released—and I have to admit that it was a welcome surprise. I was more than excited to give it a listen, and Ungodly Hour was a fantastic album. It’s a solid addition to their body of work, and it continued to showcase the kind of consistent talent—lyrically and vocally—that Chloe X Halle have already demonstrated in the past. That was especially evident with their album The Kids Are Alright.
Ungodly Hour was a blend of Hip-Hop and R&B sounds with a touch of Pop. It’s not necessarily a new sound for Chloe X Halle, but the tone and subject of the music was markedly different. The change was nice, and overall Ungodly Hour was refreshing to listen to.
The intro was brief but a strong beginning to Ungodly Hour. It really set the tone for what was to come next. While the sound of the album’s three singles—Do it, Forgive Me, and Catch Up with Swae Lee featuring Mike Will Made-It—are already familiar. The beat combined with Chloe X Halle’s vocals, made Tipsy by far one the catchiest songs on the album. The same could also be said about the titular song, Ungodly Hour, as well as the rest of the track list. The outro, ROYL, was one of my top-favorite songs from the album. The beat was catchy, and I liked how the whole song came together. It was also the perfect note to end the album on.
Fun and lyrically great, Ungodly Hour is one of the best albums I’ve listened to so far this year.
Ungodly Hour was released on June 11, 2020. Have you listened to music by Chloe X Halle? Are you planning to give this album a listen?
Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas is a band I’ve followed for a couple of years now. I’ve been a fan of their work in the past and present. Recently, they released a new song called Thank God, which I mentioned on a music Monday post a few weeks ago. So I ended up listening to one of my favorite albums again.
Telephone is such a solid body of work. It’s light, breezy, and incredibly fun to listen to (and it also has its deep and meaningful moments too). It’s easy to get in to, and it’s often one of the albums that I put on repeat whenever I listen to it. It also invokes an almost nostalgic feel, with its creative use of sounds. There was a mixture too, with light rock influences and even some synth sounds.
Bombay is a great intro. It sets up the tone of the rest of the album, and offers an excellent example of the kind of stylish delivery that is one of the defining aspects about Telephone. Parts of the album have a little bit of a swing music flare. One example is the song Hummingbird. Other parts are incredibly groovy, such as the song Hot To Trot. Fire and Ice is a perfect note to end on, and leaves an overall positive impression of the album as a whole.
There is also a Spanish version of Telephone, and it’s equally as good as the English version. I recommend giving both a listen, because it’s worth it.
Telephone is still one of my favorite albums for myriad of reasons, and I will likely listen to it a lot more in a future. Have you listened to any music by Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas? If so, what are some of your favorite songs?
Recently, I finally sat down to listen to Shadow Works by Kerli in full. It came out last year on February 22nd and I was super stoked for it. However, I never got around to it. Looking back now, I wasn’t in the mood. But, I was still listening to Savages and Where the Dark Things Are. Slowly, but surely I started branching out into other songs. First was Mimicry, then Giving Up the Ghost, and then before I knew it, the entire album. I felt like I re-discovered something I was missing out on.
There are darker tones and hard hitting sounds in Shadow Works. Yet there are also the softer, more emotional ones –like Better, Giving up the Ghost, and One. I want to focus on One for a second, because it was the track that really pulled me into the album. After listening closer, and I mean really listening, I felt like I understood the album a little more than before.
The Opening of the Way (Intro), Purification (Interlude), and Shadow Works (Outro) are all vocalized tracks that are simply ethereal (well the entire album is). I often find myself putting them on repeat. At the end of the day I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Shadow Works.
Thanks for reading.
Do you have any albums that you revisited and totally loved?
Between playing copious amounts of Animal Crossing New Horizons and baking/cooking, I also listened to some music by artists who were new to me. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m currently trying to expand my playlist, and during that search, I came across Super Sunset (2018) by Allie X under my Spotify recommendations.
I’m so glad I gave Super Sunset a listen. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was a refreshing pallet cleanser of an EP (extended play), and it was also a great introduction to Allie X’s music. It reminded me a little of Charli XCX’s latest album, as well as Lana Del Rey in the vocal department (especially the second song on the EP, Not So Bad In LA).
Some of the tracks made me nostalgic for synthpop. It was due in part to how much the overall sound of the EP was peppered with recognizable synth influences. However, the songs were distinctly modern and put a refreshing spin on the various samples and etc.. Songs like Science, Can’t Stop Now, and Girl of the Year were a good example of what I mean; although, if you listen carefully, you can pick up on the synthpop sounds in all of the songs. They reminded me of pop songs from the eighties and nineties.
There is also a different version of this EP called Super Sunset (Analog). The tracklist is pretty much the same as the regular version, but the songs have a slightly different sound. They have a live recorded sound to them. At the end of the day, I like both versions of the EP.
Super Sunset is going on my playlist. Since Allie X released an album this year, I’m definitely going to give it a listen sometime soon.
Have you listened to any music by Allie X? If so, have you listened to Super Sunset?
Today, I want to talk about one of the albums I’ve been listening to: Death Stranding: Timefall. I haven’t played the game, but I have watched some playthroughs for it. Recently, I got in to the soundtrack again after listening to one of the songs from it, Ludens by Bring Me The Horizon. They’ve truly gathered a great ensemble of artists to feature such as Khalid, Major Lazer, CHVRCHES, Flora Cash, and more. As a result there was a wide range of sounds—from slower (and just as heavy-hitting) songs like Yellow Box, to pure instrumental tracks like Meanwhile…In Genova by The S.L.P (there are two version of this song, one with vocals and one without, I like both), and even to the high energy of Sing to Me by MISSIO (and Ludens). There was a mixture of R&B, Rock, Electronic, and everything else in between. Which brings me to what I liked most about Timefall: how much versatility it had. With so many artists and their distinctive styles on their respective tracks there was a lot to like, and I enjoyed all of the songs. It reminded me of some of my more recent favorite movie soundtracks—Birds of Prey, Black Panther, Spiderman Into the Spider-Verse, and Suicide Squad. Needless to say, interesting collaborations have, as of late, produced excellent and highly memorable results. So Death Stranding: Timefall is going on my playlist.
What are some of your favorite video game or movie soundtracks?
I’m stepping outside of my usual playlist in my quest to find new music and artists to follow and listen to. One of my finds and new go-to artists is Abi Ocia. I found her music by randomly listening to a playlist, and her song, Running, happened to be on it. It’s such a gloriously elegant and stylish track, and the black and white music video is one of my favorites to date. From there, I gave her debut EP a listen. I have to say that, as of late, I’m really enjoying smooth R&B sounds with a side of guitar riffs. Where Are You? by Abi Ocia ticked all the boxes in that regard. At just five songs long, Where Are You? packs quite a punch, with its catchy rhythms and Ocia’s powerful and distinctive vocals.
Beside the guitar riffs, there were other sounds on Where Are You? as well. Such as some synth pop influences, which were more evident on the track called Easy to Love. The feel and creativeness of the EP reminded me a little of Saturn by NAO—who is another artists I have mentioned on the blog before. They’re intrinsically different artists, and when I’m making the comparison, I’m talking about the way they mix and match influences from different genres/subgenres of music. Yet, the songs always feel and sound like one cohesive piece of music. In that way, Easy to Love reminded me of Orbit from NAO’s album, Saturn—which essentially does the same thing.
Abi Ocia has already shown a lot of promise as an artist. If this is what she can do with an EP, then I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do with a full-length album.
Have you listened to any music by Abi Ocia? If so, what are some of your favorite songs?
