What I've Been Listening To + Upcoming Albums

So…it’s been a minute since I last did a “What I’m Listening To” blog post. I figured it was time to do another one since some of the albums I was waiting for released in April and May. There were some recent announcements I wanted to cover as well. And with that, welcome back to the music minded corner of Our Thoughts Precisely!

Radical Optimism, Dua Lipa’s third studio album, was one of my most anticipated releases for May, and it was ultimately one of the most mixed for me. While there were parts of it I absolutely adored—like the singles Houdini and Illusion as well as other tracks like End of an Era, French Exit, and Happy For You—there were some songs I felt lukewarm about and could skip entirely, particularly toward the back end of the album. The parts of it I liked most were the songs that were tonally in the same (or similar) vein as the singles. Those tended to bring in more of the retro influences I liked about Dua Lipa’s other album, Future Nostalgia.

The next one I checked out was Billie Eilish’s third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, which released on May 17, 2024. I’m a very casual listener when it comes to Eilish and, over the years, I’ve had more than one favorite song. However, I was a big fan of Hit Me Hard and Soft. There are only ten songs on it, but I loved the moodiness as well as the quality of the production.

Another one of my most anticipated albums of May was Willow’s Empathogen. Released on May 3rd, I have to say that I loved this one. It’s features included Jon Batiste and St. Vincent. Where Empathogen shined was where, like its singles (Symptom of Life and Big Feelings), it delved into the nitty gritty when it came to complicated emotions and experiences. And it did so with a stylish mix of influences, including jazz and rock among others. My only gripe is how I wish some of the songs were longer. For example, one of my favorite songs, I Know That Face, was only a minute and fifty-one seconds long; the same applied to Ancient Girl (only a minute and thirty-one seconds long). Otherwise, I had a great listening experience with Empathogen.

Singles...

Some of the singles that made it to my playlist include: Love Me JeJe by Tems, Bet by Mette, Boy Bye by Chloe, In Your Hands by Halle, Light Again & Right There by Lil Nas X.

Upcoming Music I’m Waiting For...

• Big Ideas by Remi Wolf (July12, 2024)
• Quantum Baby by Tinashe, follow-up to BB/ANG3L
• Trouble In Paradise by Chloe

Releasing This Month...

• Born in the Wild by Tems (June 7, 2024)
• What Happened to the Heart? by Aurora (June 7, 2024)
• Dopamine by Normani (June 14, 2024)

Music Monday (287): Magdalena Bay, Faro

Rules:

• 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: My pick this week is Magdalena Bay's new song, Death & Romance.

    

Adri: My pick for today is a song I heard a long time ago and I recently found it again. It's called Lunar Drifts by Faro.

What are you listening to this week?

Short Stories I Read In April

It’s the twenty-ninth of May. So it’s time to write about the short stories, miscellaneous posts, and podcast episodes I read or listened to in April.

The God, Descendant by Amanda Helms (Uncanny Magazine; Issue Fifty-Seven)

The first piece I checked out in April was flash fiction by Amanda Helms called The God, Descendant. It’s a story about two gods, either rising or falling, who were locked in a seemingly never ending cycle inherent to their natures and names—only passing one another occasionally. Most of the story is contemplative, as the narrative is firmly rooted in the perspective of the Falling God. It’s a conversation between the two, as they questioned the state of, well, rising and falling, just as much as it was also about the answers (solution) they eventually arrived at. This was a relatively simple story, but I enjoyed it.

Afflictions of the New Age by Katherine Ewell (Uncanny Magazine; Issue Fifty-Seven)

The next short story I read was Afflictions of the New Age by Katherine Ewell. The story excels at atmosphere and certainly knew how to set up a scene, because it does start with a narrator who may or may not be reliable as well as a series of questions by authorities, which hinted at the overarching mystery of the situation (how the opening scene came to be). It doesn’t take long, however, for the narrative to delve into the context and implications behind the title. The prose and storytelling were simply engrossing, and I enjoyed the melancholic impression left by Afflictions of the New Age. After all, it’s a story of cures and illnesses as well as the unforeseen consequences of finding a way to live forever—but of losing one’s perception of time as well as a linear grasp on the order of memories in the process.

The Oldest Fun by Natalia Theodoridou (Clarkesworld Magazine; Issue 211; April 2024)

Next, I decided to see what Clarkesworld was publishing in April, and I ended up reading Natalia Theodoridou's The Oldest Fun. The quickest way I can sum up this story is: a deadlier form of Jumanji. The narrative implies the game is far older than what one might think, and it pulls in players in a way that can feel reminiscent to the classic movie. The Oldest Fun is, in the end, it's own tale with its own implications and context. I liked this story, particularly for the writing style and the smart twist toward the end—which made it memorable.

From around the web…

• Black Futuras: How Three Pop Divas Adapted the Image of Metropolis’ Maschinenmensch [Kristen Patterson; Tor.com; March 26, 2024]: A really great essay on Metropolis (1925), its iconic robot, and the modern interpretation of the meaning of the character by artists like Beyoncé and Janelle Monáe.
• Print Run Podcast Episode #169: We're Just a Bunch of Guys
• Considering the Perfect Knits of Coraline [Michelle Jaworski; Tor.com; April 11, 2024]: This is a nice article that discusses some of the miniature textile work done for the stop-motion adaptation of Coraline (2009), specifically for the titular character's iconic attire. 

Music Monday (286): Chappell Roan

Rules:

• 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've been listening to Chappell Roan's album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess, and I love it. One of my favorite songs is Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl.

What are you listening to this week?

I Listened to Found Heaven by Conan Gray

I’ve heard of Conan Gray off and on since his 2020 album Kid Krow. It wasn’t until more recently, when he started releasing singles for his new album—such as Never Ending Song—that I finally decided to pay more attention to this artist. On April fifth, Conan Gray released his third studio album, Found Heaven. It was supported with five singles: Never Ending Song, Winner, Killing Me, Lonely Dances, and Alley Rose. And with that, welcome back to the music minded corner of Our Thoughts Precisely!

Honestly, Found Heaven is a vibe. And I can best describe it as retro with a 80s aesthetic, especially in terms of the background arrangement and the visuals—for the music videos accompanying Never Ending Song and Lonely Dancers as well as the lyric visualizers (invoking the grainy images of old camcorder footage). It doesn’t stick too hard and fast to its influences that it becomes redundant. Instead, Conan Gray’s modern interpretation of these familiar aspects unabashedly invokes a feeling of nostalgia, which was complimented by his dynamic vocal performance across the album’s thirteen tracks.

Found Heaven is a cohesive album and just a lot of fun to listen to. This is easily one of my favorites of the year so far.