I'd genuinely love someone to explain to me why Bodak Yellow is a 'good song' (according to many, many sites). The lyrics aren't exciting, innovative or clever, the beat is pretty damn basic and the delivery simply sounds like a bored, monotone drone to me.
In my mind, she's nowhere near as awesome or entertaining as so many other female rappers from the last couple of years, such as Ms Banks, Ivy Sole, Kamaiyah, Stefflon Don or Princess Nokia or Lady Leshurr.
I am British and she hasn't even penetrated our charts, so maybe I'm just too British for this to really sound good.
An interesting article but shocked (SHOCKED I SAY) at the lack of Sampha considering 'No One Knows Me Like The Piano' is literally the most beautiful track of the last few years about parent-child connection and loss.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njHcZMLDdSc
First time I've heard Melkbelly and really digging that track.
Then I found out they're not doing any UK shows in the near future and now I'm depressed.
I have an unfettered love for Local Natives and each of their albums to date. And I can see their flaws as a band and their tendency to lean towards certain anthemic tropes and similar ideas merged with electronic additions and strings BUT I can't help but love them.
I think listening to their first album to help my ailing heart and brain after a big break up as a student cemented them in my head as a band who I will love forever. I've seen them live a bunch of times and lost myself each time.
Basically, I really like this.
In light of the recent PWR BTTM implosion and streaming deletion, is no-one really remembering Chuck Berry was arrested for having sex with a 14 year old girl and taking her across state lines to work for him? Oh and later in life being accused of putting a spy camera in the female toilets of a restaurant he owned? And the police then discovering intimate video tapes of women including one being a minor?
I mean, I actually enjoy Berry's music and all but is there a hypocrisy in enjoying, promoting and praising this video and song?
Also, a slight addendum: in my media studies class, I use these kind of videos among other representations to discuss, challenge and analyse these ideals and concepts. I get 6th form students (16-18) understanding that these are slightly sexist, out of date and possibly dangerous visuals but still admitting they like them and want to be a little like that. I'm not saying it's a terrible thing but it's a strange musical, visual mental landscape we live in....
Videos like this actually upset me a little. Let me explain why.
I teach English and Media at an inner city all-girls school. It's a great school generally with a caring bunch of teachers and a lively bunch of students who are, for the most part, lovely and generally good-hearted kids. I also love getting music into my lessons as ways of engaging students, often choosing songs or tracks that connect to the theme of the lessons. The girls like to chat with me about new music and we recommend stuff to each other all the time - I always try to push them into listening to new bands and they tell me to check out random grime artists and collectives.
However, I see, in my teaching and pastoral role at the school, a lot of young girls taking in the imagery and ideas presented in a lot of this music in a way that is actually kind of worrying. When they see a bunch of 'beautiful', half-naked models standing on plinths in a music video for a song they love, that's how they want to be. If they see some girl shaking her butt for a bottle of some expensive booze and luxury vehicle brand, that's the lifestyle they want to lead. I'm not saying hip-hop and R&B should never have beautiful girls in their videos or talk about women in sexual ways.
I just feel there is STILL, in 2017, where women like Syd, Solange, Princess Nokia & Ray Blk are making waves for women in these genres, massive artists (who I like) are producing videos that seem so backwards.
Probably I'm an old fuddy duddy and these young girls will all be fine. But I still wish the likes of Chance would be a little more forceful with erasing these 'unsettling' feminine roles in the culture.
Vehement disagreement from this festive party! What about this long list of songs THAT I LOVE, that must, therefore, prove that Christmas music is fantastic....
Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses, Christmas in Harlem by Kanye West, This Christmas by Donny Hathaway, Little Saint Nick by The Beach Boys, Christmas is Coming Soon by Blitzen Trapper, any track from The Charlie Brown Christmas Album, Got Something For You by Best Coast & Wavves, Are You Coming Over For Christmas by Belle and Sebastian, Everythings Gonna Be Cool This Christmas by The Eeels, Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto by James Brown, the Home Alone Theme by John Williams, Xmas Blues by LCD Soundsystem, Purple Snowflakes by Marvin Gaye, Christmas All Over Again by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, White Christmas by Otis Redding and a whole host of tracks from the multitude of Sufjan Stevens Holiday records....
NOW, go listen to all of those tracks in order, in silence, and DON'T COME BACK UNTIL YOU LOVE THEM!
Stolen from a Youtube comment that actually made me laugh far too loudly in my own room, urging my housemate to ask what was going on, prompting me to make excuses and tell him to go away whilst slamming my door shut:
"She should get the POO-litzer prize!!!!"
I slammed the door on my own sense of worth....
Russell Brand has written a surprisingly touching and intelligent post on the news and the nature of addiction: http://www.russellbrand.tv/2011/07/for-amy/
There are a fair few who have screamed out in some sort of rage/bemoaning about this hubbub surrounding her death (with those seemingly finding it hard to believe that people could be empathic towards more than one thing at once, as evident in the first comment, quite common). But there are plenty of others who have claimed the 'great status' with similar backgrounds John Belushi could have had a massive, Bill Murray-esque (Peter Venkman was created for him), film career before dying of a speedball after becoming a heavy drug user. Still, he is greatly regarded. Similar with River Phoenix, Chris Farley, Brad Renfro. And musicians like Jay Reatard, Joplin and even Jeff Buckley. History will set her as great because of her music, regardless of what happened around or after that...
HEY! Did you know Stereogum stole this best and worst whatnot today!!!
Well, surely siblings don't steal, they SHARE. Right?!
What I'm trying to say is LET'S GO DISCUSS BON IVER, RICK JAMES, NIRVANA & OTHER MUSICAL GOODNESS GUYS!!!
As a longtime Videogum commentator (whenever I could think of something awesome to say), I am EXCITED about this and hope it brings a more active Stereogum comment community. I must say my music love slightly peaks above my TV/Movie love, so this could be interesting....
Also, I GOTTA WIN!
Synechdoche definitely has it's flaws. That is without question. But there are these moments in it that seem to strike something wonderful within me every now and again. For example, the below 'funeral' scene gets me everytime...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9PzSNy3xj0
I think she stole this from my blog (aka a corner of my room) where I scribble movie quotes all over the pages of novels.
Moby Dick - "You're gonna need a bigger boat"
Robinson Crusoe - "Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me... Aren't you?"
Lord of the Flies- "GOONIES NEVER SAY DIE!!!!!"
Everytime I visit this place, I just realise that all of you guys are wayyyyyyyy funner than my real friends, my family and the people on the TV put together; basically, GREAT JOB GUYS!
(PS; I don't have any real friends, only goblins...)
As one of those British types that live over that big pond in Britain-land, I saw Attack of the Block a few weeks ago and quite enjoyed the whole thing.
HOWEVER, it's not quite the OUTRAGEOUS COMEDY that it seems; definitely gets a little horror-ific as it goes on...
Also, you HAVE TO CHECK OUT the director Joe Cornish who is one half of Adam & Joe, two comedians who used to have a British cult TV show and now present the funniest show in the world (a proven scientific fact) on BBC6Music.
http://www.youtube.com/user/AdamBuxton
Everytime a superhero trailer/featurette/something or other pops up on TV or before a movie, I feel the urge to lean over to my girlfriend and explain something or other about the character.
'Well, you see, the Green Lantern rings are powered by willpower and, in actual fact, there are numerous other emotional spectrum energies such as Blue Lanterns, hope, and yellow, fear. They only really came into general specifics in the recent Blackest Night storyline and blah blah blah blah blah'
Man, I have no idea why she is with me (HAHA JOKING, I DON'T HAVE A GIRLFRIEND, I'M A COMIC BOOK NERD!)
Can it be a gluten free cake?!?!
(Today at work, it was the bosses birthday and a girl baked a cake and made it especially gluten free for me, I think because I am new and they are trying to include me, and it tasted horrible and now I am sure everyone hates me. Work sucks guys.)
I think Mr Vernon has a soft spot for George Michael...
I know it was a Bonnie Raitt track first BUT George Michael did a relatively successful cover AND Gayngs have covered 'One More Try' from the 80s heartthrob/00s mess for Daytrotter before....
As a music fan with a mother who played George Michaels solo work to DEATH as a child, I can feel the love....
I got a 20 second advert and then NOTHING; Thanks for NOTHING Capitalism!
UNLESS; the advert was the episode?
In which case, really clever and subversive guys! I laughed after I cried!
When I saw this on Twitter, it happened to come after I had a brooding moment walking home and seeing a dad walking his young son along on his feet across a park in beautiful sunshine whilst I listened to a soul song about how much some soul singer loved his kids.
MY HEART BLOODY MELTED......
Off to tell this girl I have been seeing for three weeks she must have my children....
Ah me old mucker, you're trying to pull me leg aren't you! I know you mean the Idaho Pub right down from the chippy, round the corner from the crumpet shop? You know, just down the apples and pears behind the lorry??
Right??
Riiiiiighhtt???!?!
I live about 20 minutes away from all this and my place of work is right between Trafalgar Square and St James Park (the greenspace near Buckingham Palace). A bunch of my friends went there to basically hang out and soak it all up all morning and I was meant to be joining them.
Instead, I stayed up until 5 playing Fallout Vegas, woke up just in time to catch the ceremony on TV, tweet about it and then have continued to play Fallout Vegas in my underwear, eating Creme Eggs, drinking tea and enjoying my day off.
THANKS FUTURE KING AND QUEEN DUDES!
I work by Trafalgar Square; it's UTTERLY terrifying at the moment. I try not to be racist (don't we all!) but nothing has made me hate everyone else on Earth (and everyone outside of London, for that matter) more than this event. GO AWAY TOURISTS, I'M TRYING TO WORK!
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