RANDOM: Some Album Recommendations

   Hello everyone! Today is the first day 2019. I should be happy, shouldn't I? But tomorrow I already have to go to school, which means more stressful studying and anxiety... Two weeks holiday honestly is not enough for me... But, to cheer up the atmosphere, let's talk about good things, like music!

   To be honest, I have not listen to much albums. I feel like my music taste is extremely narrow. I mean, I barely listen to anything outside of Gorillaz in the middle school! So now I'm trying to broaden my knowledge of music. In the meantime, here's some of my all-time favorite albums. Enjoy!

a. Kali Uchis - Isolation

   If you consider yourself as a person who like Gorillaz, then you might know Kali Uchis. She was a guest singer in their 2017's album Humanz in 2 songs, Ticker Tape and She's My Collar. I found out about her from Gorillaz as well. The next year, Isolation was out, which at first it didn't really interest me, until a lot of Gorillaz fans pointed out that there was an unused Humanz song in Isolation, which was In My Dreams. I decided to check it out, and hoo boy the album was fantastic.

   Isolation is an album that mixed various music genres, however it's mostly focused on the RnB or neo-soul genre. Theoretically, this album shouldn't work due to how varied the genres were. It could've been a mess that is similar to Humanz. However, thanks to the tight production, Isolation is a delight from start to finish. It's very catchy, the lyrics are beautiful, and the instrumentals are on point. Check this album out, and I'm definitely looking forward to Kali's next project.

FAV TRACKS: Your Teeth In My Neck, Feel Like a Fool, Just a Stranger, In My Dreams, After the Storm, Dead to Me, Miami, Tomorrow

b. Kero Kero Bonito - Time n' Place

   The british band Kero Kero Bonito took a surprising departure from their signature bubbly cheerful music after Bonito Generation was released in 2016 (which you should check it out as well, it's very cute). The first sign of change was in their 2017's single Only Acting, which was a j-rock inspired song with a very... glitchy and distorted production. The lyrics were much more mature as well. In their previous album and EP, KKB usually wrote about the mundane things in life like graduation, flamingo, or taking a break. Only Acting, however, was about the struggle of being a star and how hard it is to separate your real emotions from the stage life. Definitely way more detailed and emotional. Some fans were disappointed by this change, however I've grown to like it and I found myself to be enjoying Time n' Place as well.

   Time n' Place is a j-rock inspired album that mostly about overcoming the struggle of living. The highlight of this album is definitely the lyrics, I love how detailed it is. It makes the song much more emotional. The production is much more experimental and distorted, especially in the song Rest Stop. However, we still get some bubbly vibe that KKB had on their previous project like in the song Swimming. Overall, it was a great comeback album despite how different it was from their usual vibes.

FAV TRACKS: Dear Future Self, Swimming, Only Acting, Make Believe, Time Today, If I'd Known, Visiting Hours

c. Ariana Grande - Sweetener

   At first, I didn't really like this album. I thought the songs were okay, but it's not something that I would listen again. However, I started to appreciate it more after seeing the horrible state of last year's mainstream pop music. I feel like Ariana had taken a risky move by releasing a more conceptual album than most pop albums, which were usually obvious Top 40 materials and some forgettable fillers. I really like the simple RnB production on this album, it's a refreshing break from the generic EDM stuff or overproduced pop songs. It's not a perfect album, I feel like some of the songs are samey, but it's worth listening. But I bet you already listened to it since it's freakin' Ariana Grande... oh well. 

FAV TRACKS: God is a woman, pete davidson, no tears left to cry, breathin, R.E.M.

d. Rina Sawayama - RINA

Do you like late 90's to early 00's pop music? Do you wish it to come back? Then Rina Sawayama got something for you! RINA is Rina Sawayama's first EP and it's just so good. Thanks to Clarence Clarity's amazing production and Rina's vocal performance, this EP is a pop masterpiece. It's extremely catchy, but the lyrics are still written well. Usually pop songs on that era was about boys who don't like you back or generic positivity advice. There's nothing wrong with that, I mean I am still listening to Baby One More Time to this day, it's just that it tends to be a little bit repetitive. However, the songs on RINA is not like that. It's about the many sides of being a superstar and how technology has changed relationship or our daily life. It's very detailed and deep! In conclusion, this is a must-listen EP and I guarantee that you'll love it in an instant.

FAV TRACKS: Tunnel Vision, Ordinary Superstar, Take Me As I Am, 10-20-40, Alterlife, Cyber Stockholm Syndrome, Through the Wire, Time Out

e. Tyler, the Creator - Flower Boy

   Tyler previously was known for his harsh and edgy lyrics, especially in Goblin and Bastard, which was so vulgar that it made him banned in the UK. That's why many were surprised for the direction that this album took. While he still didn't let go completely of his past personality such as in the track Who Dat Boy, as a whole Flower Boy is a soft synth funk hip hop album with a much more toned down lyrics compared to his previous work. And by toned down I didn't mean that it's bad, it's in fact the opposite. There are a lot of clever lyrics throughout the album, one of them is in the song See You Again.

"20/20, 20/20 vision
Cupid hit me, cupid hit me with precision
I wonder if you look both ways
When you cross my mind, I said, I said
I'm sick of, sick of, sick of, sick of chasing
You're the one that's always running through my daydream, I
I can only see your face when I close my eyes"

   I really enjoyed Flower Boy, it was a beautiful LP and you should definitely check it out.

FAV TRACKS: 911/Mr Lonely, Foreword, See You Again, Who Dat Boy, Boredom, Garden Shed

f. Bjork - Post

   Bjork's music takes time to fully appreciate, at least in my experience. When I first listened to Bjork, I was extremely confused. I thought, "Why do people like this? It's very confusing.". Structurally, her melodies are really jarring, especially in her later albums like Vulnicura and Utopia. But, as I listen to it more and more, I began to see her appeal and now I'm a huge fan of Bjork. 

   This album is a great introduction if you want to know more about Bjork. It's a quirky alternative electronic album with a great writing. Bjork's delivery was also fantastic, it definitely match the mood of the song perfectly. She wasn't afraid to go "all out" on her vocals, a great example is this is on the song I Miss You where she straight out screamed in many parts of the song. It may confuse you in the first listening, but it matched perfectly with the song's instrumental. Overall, this album is an interesting experience that I deeply enjoyed. 

FAV TRACKS: Possibly Maybe, Isobel, Headphones, Hyperballad, It's Oh So Quiet, I Miss You, Army of Me

g. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

   Oh boy, here's an obligatory Gorillaz post... but for real, this album is fantastic. Let me try to keep this short. I know fans back then were expecting a second Demon Days, so when this album was released they were disappointed, but I love Plastic Beach despite that it's completely different from that album. While Demon Days' instrumental were dark and used a lot of traditional instruments, Plastic Beach was the opposite. It used a lot of electronic synth. This turned off a lot of people, but the great and clean production made it all works. I love how conceptual the album is, even more than Demon Days. I really wish Gorillaz's newer album is more conceptual since I feel like they just abandoned it all together, especially in Humanz. The Now Now was fine, but it was way too safe and didn't really felt... gigantic like their first three albums. But rant is for other days...

   I really like the lyrics of this album as well. Some are abstract like Empire Ants, however there were a lot of songs that surprisingly had lyrics about romance, which is something that Gorillaz didn't focus much. And it felt really personal too. Here's an example from the song To Binge. 

"I'm caught again in the mystery

You're by my side, but are you still with me?

The answer's somewhere deep in it, I'm sorry but your feeling it

But I just have to tell you that I love you so much these days

Have to tell you that I love you so much these days, it's true"

   To wrap things up, Plastic Beach is a great conceptual record that you must listen. Like, right now.

FAV TRACKS: Empire Ants, To Binge, Some Kind of Nature, On Melancholy Hill, Stylo, Rhinestone Eyes, Pirate Jet, Plastic Beach

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And that's all I can recommend for today, I might make a part 2 on this! I hope you'll like those albums as much as I do. Do you have any recommendations? If so, leave it in the comments below. Thank you for reading!

Lorde, Young but Talented Pop Singer

Hello people! As many people do, I have a lot of idols, such as Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett, and many more. And now, I would like to tell you about my favorite female artist, Lorde.

Slayin'

Lorde, or Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O'Connor was born on November 7, 1996 in Takapuna, New Zealand. She was the daughter of poet Sonja Yelich and civil engineer Vic O'Connor. She was raised in Auckland when she was a child alongside with her sisters, Jerry and India, and her brother named Angelo.

When she was 5 years old, Lorde joined a drama club because of her friends and eventually, she discovered the love for acting and singing. She also quickly developed public speaking skill, which is amazing for someone that age, honestly. Her mother then encouraged her to read books, and she did. At age 14, she was able to proofread her master's thesis. What is proofreading, you ask? Well, it's basically detecting and correcting errors on a publication. It might sounds easy, but proofreading a thesis need a lot of patience because, well, thesis is a really long publication. That's why many people hire a professional proofreader to proofread their thesis, so considering that Lorde was only 14 and already trusted to do this task is fascinating.

Smol Lorde

Ah, anyway, back on track. Lorde attended Belmont Intermediate School, where she and her friends participated in a school's band contest back in 2009 and won. Apparently, her friend's father was so impressed with Lorde that he sent out recordings of Lorde's cover of Duffy's Warwick Avenue to various talent scouts. One talent scout named Scout Maclachlan saw it and signed her on Universal NZ when she was only 13. She accepted it but unfortunately, she wasn't successful. So, Maclachlan thought, "Hmm, maybe she need a production assistant or something..." Later, he hired Joel Little to pair up with Lorde as writers and they really "clicked" with each other. Within a week, they wrote three songs, including the huge hit Royals.

The Love Club EP's cover

Lorde's debut EP (for those who don't know, EP is basically musical recording that contains more songs than singles, but not enough to be called an album) called The Love Club was released on November 2012 in Soundcloud for free. Eventually it got over 60,000 downloads and the recording company decided to "stop" putting it only for free online and release it officially. A CEO named Jason Flom knew about this EP and decided to ask Lorde to sign for his label. She agreed, and well, this is the beginning of a success.

And we'll never be royals...

In March 2013, The Love Club was released officially on digital, and on CD in May 2013. It contained 5 songs including Royals, which was later released on June 3, 2013. It was a massive hit! I remember hearing it all over the radio. At the time when I was writing this, the video got 687 million views on Youtube, which is impressive for a debut single. It got a lot of praise from mainstream audiences, as the song climbed to the top spot on Billboards Top 100. It also got on Top 40 on many countries such as Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand, obviously. She became the first New Zealand solo act to reach #1 on Billboards and the youngest one as well since 1987. As of December 2017, this song has sold 10 million copies worldwide and certified Diamond. Many critics praised Royals for its minimalistic production and lyrics. She became really famous after this point, as she performed in many television shows such as Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and New Zealand Music Awards 2013. Because of this success, Lorde released Pure Heroine, a full studio album on September 27, 2013 and release 3 new singles: Tennis Court, Team, and Glory and Gore. She was later featured on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Original Motion Picture Soundtrack with her cover of Everybody Wants to Rule the World. She was also featured again on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Soundtrack on a song that she wrote this time, Yellow Flicker Beat, in 2014.

I'll be the beauty queen in tears

She was nominated on 4 categories on 2014's Grammy Awards, which are Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance for Royals and Best Pop Vocal Album on Pure Heroine. She won two of them, which were Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. She became the third youngest winner on Grammy history (keep in mind that she was only 17 at this time), the youngest winner from New Zealand, and the youngest person to be nominated in Record of the Year. After all these success, her popularity began to decreased in mainstream's eyes because there were no new music from her... yet.

Did Lorde quit music forever? :'(

Okay, about the second album. Lorde revealed back in December 2013 that she was writing a new album that sounds really different from Pure Heroine. Naturally, fans got excited. But, there's not really anymore news about the new album. Lorde became really quite, fans' patience was challenged and comments about the new album's hype was scattered around YouTube. Some stayed positive that it'll be released eventually, but another gave up because it seems like the album was cancelled forever. I was also one of the fans who waited for Lorde's comeback, the pessimist one. I thought the second album talk was to cheer up fans so that they stayed for her.

UNTIL NOW!

I WAITED FOR IT THAT GREEN LIGHT I WANT IT!!

Suddenly, out of the blue, Lorde released her new single Green Light! Well, not really out of the blue, since her recording company teased it back in February. It was also teased on a New Zealand ad, revealing a date which was "3.2.17" . On March 2, 2017,  Lorde officially released her comeback single Green Light, and the reception was... mixed. Some fans absolutely loved it and another didn't because it was really different from the old Lorde.. in a bad way. I was the one who didn't like it very much and was disappointed with this single, honestly. But that's not important! She also revealed that her new album was called Melodrama and would be released on June 16. And fans got hyped! Finally it was confirmed.

IT IS HERE

Before Melodrama was released, she released 3 songs again, which were Liability, Sober, and Perfect Places. After that, the day finally came. June 16! Melodrama was officially released, and the reception were actually great! I, myself, loved it as well, I loved nearly all the songs on the album except for, ironically Green Light and Perfect Places, the lead singles of Melodrama. It debuted at number 1 on New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and USA. It received 91 on Metacritic, 8.8 on Pitchfork, and NME placed it as 2017 Album of the Year. It also received 1 Grammy nomination (kinda disappointing considering how good the album was) which was Album of the Year. She was the only female who were nominated on this category, competing with Kendrick Lamar's DAMN., Childish Gambino's Awaken, My Love!, Jay Z's 4:44, and Bruno Mars' 24K Magic. Bruno Mars won of course since he was the most popular out of these nominations (kinda sad) but I'm still happy with the fact that Melodrama was nominated.

Cute Lorde!

So.. that was Lorde's journey. I hope you enjoyed reading this post and I hope you can see why I love Lorde so much. She really is a hardworker and an inspiration! Even though she failed in the beginning, she didn't give up and eventually, she became a praised pop artist. And the fact that she's still 22 blew my mind, her discography were really great! I really hope that Lorde will continue to evolve as an artist in the future since she has a lot of potential. Even David Bowie said that she is the future of music. I'm really sorry for some mistakes on this article, see you later!

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QUESTIONS

1. Who is Lorde's real name?

Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O'Connor

2. What was the title for her first EP?

The Love Club

3. What was the title of her debut single?

Royals

4. When did she start to write her new second album?

December 2013

5. Was Melodrama nominated in Grammy Awards? On what category?

Yes, it was for Album of the Year

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SOURCE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melodrama_(Lorde_album)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Lorde#Grammy_Awards

http://lordepedia.wikia.com/wiki/Lorde

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorde

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Light_(Lorde_song)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_Heroine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royals_(song)

ALBUM REVIEW: Gorillaz's Demon Days

   Hi guys, so if you read my introduction post you'll notice that I mentioned a band called "Gorillaz" that I love so much. Now I am going to talk about my personal favorite album of theirs, Demon Days. This is probably my favorite album outside of Gorillaz as well, but since I don't listen to much albums so I'm not very sure.

One of the most iconic album cover ever

  Before I talk about this masterpiece, I would like to talk about Gorillaz as a whole, because people might be confused. Gorillaz is a virtual band created by Damon Albarn (musician) and Jamie Hewlett (illustrator) back in 2001. What is a virtual band? It's basically like a cartoon show, but in real life and it's a band. There are people behind the scene who worked on the songs and illustration and it will be released in the name of the band. There are a lot of fake interviews that is written by the writers behind the scene. The creators, however, want the audience to view them as if they were exist. The first band who introduced this concept is The Archies back in the 60s, however I feel like Gorillaz is the one who nailed the virtual band concept perfectly.

Jamie Hewlett (left) and Damon Albarn (right)

   There are 4 members of Gorillaz, which are 2D, Murdoc, Noodle, And Russel. Short description: 2D is the singer that oftenly acts looney but very sweet and sometimes really thoughtful, Murdoc is the bassist and is also a jerk but he's very likable and also has a very sad backstory, Noodle is a strong little girl who plays the guitar, and Russel is the lovable and huggable drummer. I love Murdoc the most because he's hilarious and attractive (don't judge me). They're fictional but I love them so much and I feel like they shape my life. Without them, I would be a very different person.

From left to right: Noodle, 2D, Russel, and Murdoc

   Now let's review the album. Demon Days is an album that was released on May 23, 2005. It has 15 tracks. It has a very positive review. Spin ranked Demon Days as the fourth-best album of 2005, while Mojo ranked it at number eighteen on their year-end list and hailed the album as a "genre-busting, contemporary pop milestone." NME placed it 98th on their list of 100 greatest albums of the decade. Uncut ranked it at 75 on their list of top 150 albums of the decade. Complex included it on their list of 100 Best Albums of the Complex Decade, placing it at number 43. Spin later included it in their list of The 300 Best Albums of 1985–2014. The single Feel Good Inc was nominated on Grammy's Best Music Video and won Grammy's Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. It also won and nominated on much more awards. Oh, and they also performed on Grammy and MTV Music Video Awards with Madonna on that year, to celebrate the success of Demon Days. Awesome, right?

Murdoc, Noodle, and Madonna on the Grammy

   This album has a very heavy theme. It dealt with the "demons" of the world, such as war, addiction, etc. Most of the lyrics from this album are very deep and thoughtful. Here's a sample, which is from the song Demon Days:

...

In these demon days
It's so cold inside
So hard for a good soul to survive
You can't even trust the air you breathe
Because mother earth wants us all to leave
When lies become reality
You numb yourself with drugs and T.V.
So pick yourself up, it's a brand new day
So turn yourself round
Don't burn yourself, turn youself
Turn yourself around
To the sun!

   That song is about how we are too attached with our addiction and cope our trauma with more addiction, which isn't good for our own mental health. We must do positive thing for a change to make us happy! At least that's my own interpretation. The writing is subtle and on point, it's not too obvious so that the listener can interpret it on their own, and it really make us think while listening to it. I really love interesting songs like this. Not to mention that this song has a very emotional beat and always makes me shiver whenever I listen to it. It sounds very ghostly yet beautiful. These positive things are scattered throughout the album and I love it. Another thing that I love about this album, despite that it's kinda a minor thing is the instrumental. It's very clear and crisp. In El Manana, you can hear the violin note that makes your heart break in pieces. In Feel Good Inc and Kids With Guns, you can hear the awesome bassline that will stuck in your head in a good way. In All Alone, you'll hear a very heart-pumping drumbeat. Oh, and Every Planet We Reach Is Dead is just mesmerizing. The instruments really pop and I don't know, it's so bizarre yet unique and memorable. One of my favorite.

Tracklist of Demon Days

   In my opinion, the only negative thing about this album is the track White Light. I think it's a very mediocre track compared to all these fantastic songs. It still fits the theme of the album, but it could've been replaced with a much better track. Like Rockit or Highway (Under Construction). Both of those tracks are from D-Sides, which is an album filled with unused songs that didn't make it into Demon Days. Those are much better than White Light.

Murdoc and his legendary bass

   For those who are new to this band, I recommend you all to listen to the singles first, which are Feel Good Inc, DARE, Dirty Harry, El Manana, and Kids With Guns. You might view the non-single tracks as "weird", like I was before I went nuts with this band. Gorillaz is one of those band who need second or more listen to really "absorb" the meaning of their songs. But when you fully get it, I guarantee that you'll love it. Oh, and I want to add that you should watch the music video while you listen to those singles. Gorillaz's music videos are so unique and fantastic. No wonder why they were always nominated for Grammy's Best Music Video in each album (I hope Saturnz Barz, their newest MV, will be nominated again next year, maybe won the award!).

Noodle on the windmill

   If you want to listen to the entire album, PLEASE DON'T PIRATE IT. Gorillaz uploaded the entire album on their Youtube channel, you should listen to it there! Or you could buy the album, digital or physical. It's really worth your money!

My copies of Demon Days

   And that's my review of Demon Days, the best Gorillaz album. Sorry if this review sounds so biased and pretentious. I hope you enjoy your listen to Demon Days! :D

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FAV TRACKS: Every Planet We Reach Is Dead, Don't Get Lost In Heaven/Demon Days, O Green World, All Alone, Kids With Guns

LEAST FAV TRACKS: White Light

RATING: 9/10
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Source:
en.wikipedia.org/Demon_Days
azlyrics.com
tumblr.com