Doechii's swamp sessions have all been brilliant & now I'm enthusiastically anticipating the drop of her mix tape Alligator Bites Never Heal at the end of August
Kali Uchis' Orqueidas deluxe album is out and Como Debe Ser is just gorgeous
Joey Valence & Brae have brought silly, fun, bright punk hip-hop back and I'm loving the entirety of their No Hands album. Must listen if you're a Beastie Boys fan.
Flo Milli's Tiny Desk put me on to her music. This performance suits her style and voice so wonderfully.
Charli XCX's Brat doesn't need introduction or an explanation
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I just need a place to spill my thoughts.
About the Best Pop Album of the Year(so far)
I've listened to the album a couple more times, and it just keeps getting better.
Charli XCX has attempted several times to fully return to her pop persona: first with the ambitious "Charli", then the wayward "Crash". In the former, she tried to retain her hyperpop identity while sounding commercially appealing (which went well), and in the latter, she gambled on simplicity and nostalgia for pop music from different eras (which did not go as well). "BRAT" is interesting because it lacks both futuristic hyperpop and gloss, but it does have that Charli XCX that some have probably missed for about 10 years.
Don’t get me wrong, the "vroom-vroom-n1a-pop 2-charli-hifn" streak I still consider the most powerful in modern pop music—but there's a segment of the audience that knows Charli only from "Boom Clap" and "I Love It". I had never thought about it, but it's "SUCKER" that actually represents Charli—because if that iconic encounter with PC Music and SOPHIE had never happened, Charlotte's music would have sounded quite different. I suppose somewhat like "BRAT".
The heavy rolls of synths in "Sympathy is a Knife", the electroclash buzz in "Girl, so Confusing", the cosmic French house in "B2B", and the acid drop in "365" deliberately take the listener back about ten years, to when the grass was greener, and pop stars released COOL music. The album even has a very successful attempt to replicate the formula of "I Love It"—that track is "Mean Girls", one of the most powerful from the release. Charli asserts that "BRAT" is her favorite album, and this is one case where I'm ready to take the artist at her word. It’s entirely possible that she could have released such an album back in the mid-2010s—because here we have in full glory the crazy and somewhat ridiculous lady, retaining all the audacity and indifference that initially made people love her.
Amid all the genre diversity and fun, there's a thoughtful production by George Daniel, A.G. Cook, Gesaffelstein, and Hudson Mohawke—the album rocks and is rich in emotions, only occasionally interrupted by depressive revelations. Charli reminisces about her late friend SOPHIE and regrets what's lost, and toward the end of the album even dedicates a whole track to potential motherhood: "I constantly think that I’m wasting time, but what if I have a child—would it give my life meaning?". Against the backdrop of Taylor Swift’s kilometers-long dull poems (who, by the way, Charli disses on the album), such honest lyrics become a breath of fresh air. We cry a little, talk about important things, and continue to dance.
And then one must recall that "BRAT" is essentially a club album. You can’t just move to "Von Dutch" and "Club Classics"—you need to jump and rave. But here, perhaps, lies the main drawback of the album—the strange track order, as well as about three lyrical digressions, spoil the overall picture of the forty-minute party. The situation should be rectified by a remix album, which will bring this Charli era to a logical conclusion—if you don’t believe me, just check out her explosive set at Boiler Room.
Ariana Grande releases neat pop-R&B, Billie Eilish and Finneas make music for critics, Taylor Swift tortures fans with folk ballads, and Dua Lipa… what was that even? Charli bursts into this whole pop paradigm with force, releases her most successful album in years, makes everyone set provocative green squares with brief text as their profile picture, and brings so much energy to the scene, more than any other pop album this year. And I’m totally satisfied with that arrangement: both as a fan and as an unbiased listener.
I've got this huge text about Billie Eilish's and Dua Lipa's albums that I need to finish, but I'm feeling too lazy right now. Maybe I'll tackle it tomorrow.
Jun 10, 2024
obviously ms. xcx has received lots of attention and acclaim this year from the bombshell brat album(s) and era. undoubtely iconic! well, i've been a super huge charli fan, an angel if you will (iykyk) and i really cannot reccomend this album enough. it means the literal world to me. it came out in 2020 and we all know what occurred that year. how i'm feeling now comforted me in a time of total discomfort.
how i'm feeling now is fairly sonically and thematically similar to brat. i believe in her zane lowe idea, charli even referred to it as brat's cousin or sister ? (if you know please comment but i'm probably gonna look it up after i write this anyways lol). how i'm feeling now has a certain.... je ne sais pas... quality to it. how i'm feeling now is influenced heavily by hyper-pop. it explores love, friendship, distance, isolation, longing, and of partying of course! my favorite tracks are anthems, forever, visions, party 4 u, and pink diamond... that's like half the album tee hee. i love that the simple prose with complex meanings (ie; charli's whole discography)
i love charli xcx so fkcing much. Special interest alert 😋🤍
Dec 19, 2024
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never a bad vibe, so catchy and instantly makes my day better.
feeling low energy? vroom vroom.
feeling sentimental? track 10.
wanna dance? club classics.
and the new album is coming out JUNE 7th!!
Jun 2, 2024
Top Recs from @mollie
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idk if any of these will work for you bc tbh, i'm a bit blesssed in the sleep dpt. i usually dont have problems but here's some things i'll do if i am not drifting quickly.
The "Full Body" - start at your toes and completely relax them. Work your way up from toes to the tip of your head (I never make it all the way). You have to really be mindful about whether or not each body part is truly and fully relaxed.
The "Just Rest" - don't put any pressure on yourself to fall asleep. Remind yourself that even laying there, eyes closed, is rest and is good for your body.
The Day Dream - my usual method. Start to imagine a fun scenario. I mean really get into it and the details. I usually end up transitioning into a dream from here.
Sep 24, 2024
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gonna try this but also wanted to throw out my go-to lately (recent matcha convert)
1tsp ippodo horai matcha
eyeballed 170°F hot water, whisk
one lil squeeze of honey
almond milk over ice
froth up 1/2-3/4 a box of (strawberry/taro/banana) flavored milk
top almond milk w/ your flavored milk froth, top w your matcha over all that
mix & enjoy asf
1/2-1tsp ippodo ceremonial matcha
2oz 160°F hot water, whisk it up
1oz lemon juice
top off with seltzer water
busting
Jul 25, 2024
Aug 16, 2024