Yah this isn’t as specific an apology as I would personally like. He does a lot of externalizing and qualifying what happened. It’s not my apology to accept though so I’ll try not to opine to much.
More than that, I’m curious is this notes app apology an endpoint for him or is it the first in a long series of steps of taking accountability? Just knowing his past it makes you feel like even though he wants to “be part of and grow from this larger conversation” this is going to be the last we hear from him on it. It’s one of those things that I’ll believe when I see.
❤️ Bless
Oooh! Ursa, I’m gonna be in the minority with you and wholeheartedly agree with this take! I was challenged last year or two years ago, idr, to go through her whole discography, and I found Debut to be the one I responded least to and had the least of what I love about Björk on it. It’s not an awful album and I see why many people love it as one of her best. I just definitely prefer everything from the Homogenic/Vespertine eras onward.
But I’m also a weird ass who thinks Amnesiac is more enjoyable than Kid A so people can take my opinion with a grain of salt lmao. ❤️ Bless
I actually really like this. Feels like CupcakKe’s flow at points? Am I the only one feeling that?
It’s crazy how versatile of a rapper Cardi is when it comes to the types of instrumentals she can do her thing over.
It’s also crazy the palpable impact CupcakKe has had on the mainstream. I hope some of that mainstream success comes her way soon.
❤️ Bless
Waking up to this has broken me. Crushed me probably far more than any celebrity death in my life so far. She was truly a visionary and one of my biggest inspirations both artistically and personally. There are a lot of artists in the scene that I consider myself a part of today that I think would either not exist or sound so different had she not broken out. "OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES" and all of her music is going to hold a very special place within my heart forever. I'm devastated I'll never see her live. That was one of my dream's post COVID for when I'd have money to travel to a city where she would play.
Here's a personal SOPHIE-related anecdote I have. When I was teaching English in rural Japan, I was obsessed with buying office supplies. Pens and stationery are just really high quality and/or cute even at the cheap stores. One of my favorites was this store called Loft which had a really expansive office supplies section. I was there one day sometime during my first year teaching and saw these beautiful glitter gel pens on display which I had to buy. Especially one of them in particular--a pen that oscillated between the most beautiful deep sapphire ink and really cool-toned violet connected together by this beautiful iridescent glitter. I had the pens one day at work, and it must have been a hard day emotionally for me that day. I don't remember why exactly though. But I ripped a page from my notebook and took that gel pen and wrote one of my favorite SOPHIE lyrics on it: "I think your insides are your best side." I put that note inside this little note-stand shaped like a dolphin which my coworker had gotten me as a souvenir from some trip to the sea she did. That note looked over me for the remainder of the three years I taught in Japan.
Everyone knows me as the "❤️Bless" person here, and in real life a lot of my friends describe me as a light in their lives. But I rarely feel that way about myself. I often have to overcome a lot of self-hatred and self-doubt in my daily life. My self-confidence is often abysmally low. I often feel paralyzed by my anxiety and have to work really hard to get out of the depressive states I often find myself in. Especially before I came out as trans in summer 2015, I would internalize a lot of shit and had trouble seeing a path forward for myself.
I felt a sea change within myself when I first watched the "It's Okay To Cry" music video when it was released. This woman, who had merely a couple years before this song been unfairly demonized by certain blogs and certain blog-famous artists for "appropriating femininity as a man," beautifully, softly, and somberly announced her femininity to the world with a song that served as a letter to a past version of herself who was afraid and unsure. Telling them it's okay to set the burden of being closeted down. Telling them it's okay to stop hiding away from the world this whole, new, beautiful world that exists inside them. Telling them it's okay to cry for what had to happen to get there. As someone who grew up in and currently resides part-time in Marjorie Taylor Greene's congressional district as a transfeminine nonbinary person and had internalized so much shame about my queerness and transness because of the community I was from, it was a message I really needed to hear. I'll never be able to thank her enough for releasing that song and video. She was one of my "❤️Bless" people. She inspired me and so many others to unlock the immaterial girl within themselves. In every song and video she released, in all of her photoshoots and interviews, I saw a piece of her that I wanted to emulate in myself. I didn't have any images growing up about what being successful and happy and beautiful and confident and effortlessly cool and trans at the same time looked like. I'm glad she gave that to me when I was 24 years old. It changed my life and my self image. I'm so glad for these Gen Z queer and trans artists who she greatly inspired, and that they'll be able to carry on the torch for the trans kids after them that need reflections of themselves in music. I'm so glad that she got to exist in this timeline at all as much as I'm devastated that she's not here anymore.
If yall have not watched this video where SOPHIE interviews Sophia the Robot, I think it touches on every part of SOPHIE all of her fans loved. Her style, her enigmatic nature, her kindness, her sexuality, her love, her free-spiritedness, her ability to find beauty in the incredibly mundane and human parts of daily life.
https://youtu.be/ScsgDIfZzg4
Thank you for everything, SOPHIE. I hope I can rave with you on the other side someday.
❤️Bless
I promise y’all if you go on bandcamp and type “transgender” + “pop” you’re going to find really talented artists who have been doing this sound for longer, they just don’t have EDM DJ money.
❤️ Bless
GOD!!!!! I'm only one song in and it BANGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Devi is truly one of the best and most thrilling songwriters alive today. And the work she has done and is doing has paved a way for a whole new generation of trans singer/songwriters.
So Drove kills it on the production as they always do!!!!!!!!!!!
❤️Bless
I literally have no idea why none of my images load lmao. I never had this problem until 2020. I post the link that has the file extension (png or jpg or w/e) at the end of it, which is what I used to do, but that doesn't seem to work now. Oh well haha. It was an image of Roger the alien as his spector-esque jingle-writer personality with this exact hairstyle. Right click and load the image into a new tab if you're that curious.
Anyways, sending love and good energy to the loved ones of Lana Clarkson and they deal with the complex emotions this news will bring up. ❤️ Bless
Crazy his parallels with Young Thug and Jeffrey on this one. Heavily hyped rapper follows up a critically lauded album/mixtape with an album where he really changes up his flow on a number of tracks. Screamo carti is really fascinating and I think it'd be really cool to hear him elaborate on this sound. I posted this on twitter kind of facetiously, but from this album title and aesthetic alone, Backxwash would totally make sense as a coproducer here. I really want that to actualize. On the first couple of tracks like "Rockstar Made" and "Stop Breathing" I think carti's vocals would have sounded better if the instrumental went way harder, something more akin to Backxwash's "Stigmata"
I'm not even halfway through, but I'm really liking it. "TeenX" is my favorite so far. I'm honestly probably not the best judge of what song is a "hit," but in my eyes this is a HIT. Best future verse since like The Wizrd. I LOVE falsetto carti. ❤️ Bless
Crazy his parallels with Young Thug and Jeffrey on this one. Heavily hyped rapper follows up a critically lauded album/mixtape with an album where he really changes up his flow on a number of tracks. Screamo carti is really fascinating and I think it'd be really cool to hear him elaborate on this sound. I posted this on twitter kind of facetiously, but from this album title and aesthetic alone, Backxwash would totally make sense as a coproducer here. I really want that to actualize. On the first couple of tracks like "Rockstar Made" and "Stop Breathing" I think carti's vocals would have sounded better if the instrumental went way harder, something more akin to Backxwash's "Stigmata"
I'm not even halfway through, but I'm really liking it. "TeenX" is my favorite so far. I'm honestly probably not the best judge of what song is a "hit," but in my eyes this is a HIT. Best future verse since like The Wizrd. I LOVE falsetto carti. ❤️ Bless
Excited for Sidney Gish and Autre Ne Veut!
I'm waiting for this fucking Patrick Wolf album to materialize. I need depressing gay folktronica or bard-core to help me navigate this next chapter of life.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8AH2unBPVx/
Other than that, I'm really hopeful for Sky Ferreira, Rihanna, FKA Twigs, and Kendrick Lamar. Also The Wrens! Every time Charles posts something on Twitter about it I root for him that much harder to reach the finish line.
For those curious, idk if a new Wren Dove Lark album will materialize next year. Depends how my life goes and if it feels right. I'm working on a Like A Virgin style pop album that samples contemporary Christian songs, but I'm not sure if it's meant to be a Wren Dove Lark album or if I'll release it under another alias. I'm also working on a BUNCH of collaborations right now. I'm hoping to fill 2021 with split releases with artists I love. That's the goal at least.
Sending good vibes to everyone! Please be safe during the holidays! Love you all ❤️ Bless
I'm here everything you said, padfoot. Just also adding an addendum to my post on the previous thread that I have come around to "gold rush." Much better on second listen with headphones. I'm inclined to say this record accentuates folklore more than it cheapens it. I like folklore better, and this record has only highlighted for me why folklore is so amazing. And then re-examining evermore in the context of how much I loved folklore, I come to appreciate evermore probably far more as a sequel/epilogue to folklore than I ever would have as a standalone record. ❤️ Bless
Yeah, Roland, if you were to read my comment again in good faith, I hope it would be clear to you that I'm not insinuating that the entire population of the United States is waiting on Rick Rubin hand and foot to see what he specifically will do before they decide how they will act. That is a conscious choice on your part to read what I said and interpret/mischaracterize it in such an asinine way. It is clear from the context of what I posted that what I am saying is that when the working poor in America see the elite--politicians, celebrities, CEOs, other rich people--openly flouting the rules that they themselves are expected to follow under penalty of law, it pisses even the most reasonable of them off. It adds fuel to the fire of the ones who are already pre-disposed to not want to follow their local rules re: masks and social distancing. If you follow any social media you'll see the viral video of a woman that owns a restaurant in California where she's having to follow really strict rules re: outdoor seating which are on the verge of becoming more restrictive, but film companies are literally using the park beside her and have these outdoor canopies with unspaced seating. They get an exception to the local rules. I'm forced to overhear fox news where I'm living now, and it's turned into a huge talking point there re: coronavirus restrictions. I'm literally *surrounded* in my daily life in one of the Trumpiest districts in America by a plethora of people who have this same mentality I'm describing that they're tired of having to follow these rules, and they act carelessly, which is why the cases went up around the holidays here. They definitely use these same kinds of justifications. If that's not the case in your life, count your blessings.
❤️ Bless
It’s guys like him who piss me off most. I have sympathy for the working poor here in America who have basically been told “you must work, but also quarantine outside of work. Sorry, you can’t see your families and friends. It’s not safe. But you must expose yourself to disease for the sake of *the economy,* and no we won’t give you proper PPE and hazard pay or proper financial assistance during this trying time. Thanks for your cooperation.” Those people are properly angry at how this country has mismanaged the pandemic. Every one of these people has basically had a year of life taken from them and has added trauma from losing people and having to navigate an even more chaotic than usual world. I understand why they are exasperated.
I do not have sympathy for an acclaimed millionaire producer whose only excuse for not following the rules is that he didn’t want to and he thought they didn’t apply to him. I’m over the entitlement of rich and famous people. When they don’t follow the rules, the masses feel less inclined to follow the rules, and the numbers just keep going up. 😕
❤️ Bless
*Bojack
Ugh I try not to post emotionally anymore just bc it takes a lot out of me esp if there’s a commenter lingering who wants to argue about it. But there’s just a lot of these kinds of guys with this kind of attitude in and around my life lately, so I guess I was just especially raw to hearing this news.
Prayers, strength, love, good energy, and healing to twigs re: this. I wish her happiness and good fortune after having to deal with who appear to be the shittiest of guys these past few years.
❤️ Bless
I’m not going to put this as articulately as dansolo or MattHF put their comments so sorry, but fuck Shia LeBouf.
And I don’t just say that because FKA Twigs is on probably my highest tier of musicians I have respect for. How much I love her music is beside the question.
I just don’t buy that apology from him at all period. The fact that in his statement when he addresses the people he has been abusive towards, he lists himself first is incredibly telling, knowing that this is supposed to be a statement acknowledging or refuting allegations of abuse against him. That he then backtracks saying basically “some of those aren’t true, but they deserve the chance to air those grievances, and They’re entitled to their feelings” is even more telling.
Someone above put it well In their comment where they said he doesn’t get to simultaneously claim to be “Mr. I Take Accountability” and at the same time dispel allegations as untrue. This statement literally has the same energy as that song R Kelly released in the wake of the lifetime movie.
Don’t get me wrong. I want people who underwent trauma as children at the hands of abusive adults to go to therapy. I want for them to be able to end the cycle of abuse. I want for them to lead happy and fulfilling lives after processing their feelings related to their trauma. I want good for them.
But at the same time we have made a mistake societally getting *some* of these high profile abusive (just without allegations being made public yet) men in therapy, because they don’t actually work on themselves there. They just learn the lingo they use in therapy, and use it to manipulate those they’re abusing. They still hurt and victimize people, they just look woke while doing it. It’s like Weinstein being a card-carrying feminist prior to being outed as a predator. The person from PWR BTTM. Brad Pitt. Diplo. They learn to talk the talk of social justice and therapy and mindfulness so they don’t have to walk the walk.
Patriarchy has done an amazing job of redefining and moving the goalposts for “taking accountability” and “restorative justice” to make room for this narrative where these (typically rich and famous cishet white) guys—although not always bc PWR BTTM person was nonbinary and queer; let me get that one out of the way before some person bent out of shape about me singling our guys gets onto me—just can say some magic words like “I want to take accountability, and I’m sorry if I hurt/offended anyone” and they can just go back to their fame, comfort, and clout and act like they’ve atoned and made penance when that is a bastardization of the whole process. The actual process for those things demands you center your victims. The actual process for those things demands you give up the spotlight. You work to do better because not being who you were before is the right thing to do. Not because it will eventually result in you getting back in the position you were in prior to being outed for what you did.
The money and the fame is too intoxicating for these guys. They just all become human embodiments of Bonack Horseman who think they’re the protagonists of everyone else’s life. They don’t want to do better. They want you to think they want to do better.
❤️ Bless
I really liked this record. It wasn’t as immediately inviting as “folklore” was to me but it is chock full of songs equally as stunning as—if not more stunning than—some of the ones folklore. “Tolerate it” “happiness” “Dorothea” “ivy” “closure” “long story short” and “Marjorie” are early standouts for me. I wasn’t big on the first four tracks which had me really nervous as I started listening that I wasn’t going to enjoy the album. To me there was an over-reliance on metaphor without enough storytelling in those tracks, despite storytelling being Taylor’s strong suit.
There’s a lot of love for “gold rush” in the comments so far though. I’ll need to revisit that one I guess bc I wasn’t seeing it the first go around.
Anyways still stunning. Some of her best one liners are on this record.
Agree with the “needed more Antonoff” takes though. Even though it was also really intriguing to really engulf herself in The National’s vibe for basically the whole album. I really want another “this is me trying” type song though. Hope she pulls from that well again at some point.
❤️ Bless
Ooh see I’m in the put “This Is Me Trying” at number 1, put “August” at number 5, and swap “Seven” for “My Tears Ricochet”
But every song on that album is near-perfect. Super stoked there’s a sister album!!!! 💖
❤️ Bless
Sleepy and beans y’all are the absolute sweetest thank you 💖
Couldn’t have made it through this year without your support sleepy. It was such a fun journey working with you. 💖🥰
I haven’t even thought about my list yet. It’ll probably be early 2021 in classic me fashion before I have one ready. It’ll definitely have folklore, punisher, fetch the bolt cutters, untitled (rise), peaceful as hell, mydata, (obv I’m biased here) pain mop girl 2020, and fires in heaven on it.
I think my bigger priority is I’m going to spend some energy in December collecting my favorite albums/songs of 2020 from artists who would never be included in a list like this and making a twitter thread talking about it. So if peeps are interested, stay tuned on Twitter haha
Love all y’all. Please stay safe this holiday season. Things are getting so bad in my neck of the woods. My whole family has been exposed to covid, with my mom and her husband testing positive.
❤️ Bless
This is good but it also sounds way too "Rain On Me" especially in the transition between chorus and verse. That's a shame if BloodPop is getting a chance to collaborate with a really interesting and subversive pop star, and he's just going to rehash the Chromatica sound rather than build on it. ❤️️Bless
This is good but it also sounds way too "Rain On Me" especially in the transition between chorus and verse. That's a shame if BloodPop is getting a chance to collaborate with a really interesting and subversive pop star, and he's just going to rehash the Chromatica sound rather than build on it. ❤️️Bless
You know what, I've procrastinated finishing updating my CV to apply for this PhD position this long today. Might as well choose for all the categories. ❤️️ Bless
Record Of The Year
→ Megan Thee Stallion – “Savage”
Album Of The Year
→ Taylor Swift – folklore
Song Of The Year
→ Dua Lipa – “Don’t Start Now”
Best New Artist
→ Megan Thee Stallion
Best Pop Solo Performance
→ Taylor Swift – “Cardigan”
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
→ BTS – “Dynamite”
or
→ Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande – “Rain On Me”
Best Pop Vocal Album
→ Taylor Swift – Folklore
Best Rock Song
→ Phoebe Bridgers – “Kyoto”
or
→ Fiona Apple – “Shameika”
Best Rock Performance
→ HAIM – “The Steps”
Best Rock Album
I've not listened to enough of these to choose.
Best Alternative Music Album
→ Fiona Apple – Fetch The Bolt Cutters
or
→ Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher
Best R&B Performance
I've not listened to enough of these to choose.
Best R&B Song
I've not listened to enough of these to choose.
Best Traditional R&B Performance
I've not listened to enough of these to choose.
Best Progressive R&B Album
→ Chloe X Halle – Ungodly Hour
Best Rap Performance
→ Lil Baby – “The Bigger Picture”
Best Melodic Rap Performance
→ Roddy Ricch – “The Box”
Best Rap Song
→ Megan Thee Stallion – “Savage” (Feat. Beyoncé)
Best Rap Album
I've not listened to enough of these to choose.
Best Metal Performance
I've not listened to enough of these to choose, but Poppy's inclusion is interesting.
Best American Roots Performance
I've not listened to enough of these to choose.
Best Americana Album
I've not listened to enough of these to choose.
Best Folk Album
I've not listened to enough of these to choose.
Best Country Solo Performance
I've not listened to enough of these to choose, but I'd probably pick Miranda Lambert based on the names alone.
Best Country Song
Same as Best Country Solo Performance.
Best Country Album
Ashley McBryde's inclusion is cool. But I've not listened to enough of these to choose.
Best Dance Recording
Anyone but Diplo.
Best Dance/Electronic Album
→ Arca – KiCk i
(But I wouldn't be mad if Madeon got it. Hugely underrated album at least in the circles I frequent.)
Best Latin Pop Or Urban Album
I've only listened to Bad Bunny out of all of these, so I'm biased. But I love Bad Bunny.
Best Latin Rock Or Alternative Album
I've not listened to enough of these to choose. Lido Pimienta's inclusion is cool though! Probably rooting for her!
Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)
I have no expertise in this genre.
Best Tropical Latin Album
I have no knowledge wrt this genre.
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
Lmao at Kanye's inclusion here.
Best Global Music Album
I've not listened to enough of these to choose.
Best Reggae Album
I have no knowledge wrt this genre.
Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
→ Jack Antonoff
Best Song Written For Visual Media
→ Idina Menzel & Aurora – “Into The Unknown” (Frozen 2)
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
Was Midsommar's soundtrack outside the allotted timeframe? Bc that's one of my favorite movie scores ever.
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
Idk and idc, but I'll root for Frozen 2 just for the hell of it.
Best Music Film
I have not watched any of these.
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
I have not listened to any of these.
Best Remixed Recording
→ Saint Jhn – “Roses” (Imanbek Remix) (just bc apparently it was an illegal recording by a Kazakhstani teenager and I find that so cool)
Best Recording Package
I have not listened to any of these.
Best Comedy Album
Idk and idc
Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling)
Idk and idc but I guess cool to give it to an album honoring Alex Trebek?
Best Musical Theater Album
Idk and idc
I agree that "forever" is one of my fave Charli tunes as well. "how I'm feeling now" isn't my favorite album of hers (although she's never made a bad album), but that song is a stunner.
No The Weeknd in either SOTY or ROTY or AOTY categories is bizarre. As far as mainstream albums went this year, his was one of the best.
SOTY lineup is boring. Post Malone didn't earn it with any song this album cycle. That particular Billie Eilish song is mid. They should have given it to "my future" if they were going to give her a nom this year. Beyonce and Roddy Rich I understand being in there. I also get the H.E.R. song being in there, and I get that she's a recording academy fave rn, but I think if that song's in there, they should have put Lil Baby's "The Bigger Picture" in there as well. JP Saxe song I'd never even heard of which is probably my bad bc it has like 190+ million views on YT and apparently was a top 40 hit but I think it's just the token schmaltzy song, and I feel like including songs like that is one of the bigger hurdles to the Grammys actually being relevant again. Dua Lipa is probably my pick for this category.
I have the same problem with the ROTY category as I had with the Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance categories. If a significant portion of the songs in both SOTY and ROTY are going to be repeats, what's the point? Why not take the opportunity to spread the love? I don't think any of those particular repeats except for maybe Dua Lipa and Beyonce deserved repeating.
It's crazy no Juice WRLD on this list given his major influence and his passing. Kind of a snub that Noah Cyrus is in BNA over him I guess, and that he's not even in categories for his genre.
I guess for the major 4 categories, I'm rooting for Meg for ROTY and BNA, Dua Lipa for SOTY, and Taylor for AOTY. Crazy but I guess understandable that Phoebe Bridgers and Fiona Apple aren't in AOTY. I'd have thought The Weeknd would end up in AOTY at least and that Blinding Lights would be ROTY nominated or something.
SAULT should have been in BNA, but that was never going to happen bc the world sucks.
But IDK overall just more evidence that the major tastemakers have little taste and just gatekeep the cool stuff out. Support independent artists is my major takeaway here. ❤️️ Bless
Giving energy to recognize "Yummy" in the "Best Pop Solo Performance" over something like "forever" from Charli's album if you're being really conservative (or if you're me, giving it to something from LoneMoon's amazing album "Andromeda" link here: https://lonemoon.bandcamp.com/album/andromeda)? couldn't be me ❤️️ Bless
This is my choice for "Best Remixed Recording" -- Fuuka ASMR's remix of 100 gecs' "ringtone." Here's a link if you've not heard it. https://hrrecordings.bandcamp.com/track/gec-bass-pro-euphoria-remix
She has a number of other aliases including Nondi_, Yakui, and Crushing Union, and I truly believe she makes some of the most innovative electronic music you're going to hear today. Check out her releases on Bandcamp.
My nominee list would probably also have Glitchlette's and angelphase's contributions to default genders' "pain mop girl 2020." ❤️️ Bless
What's the point to having a separate "Best Rock Song" and "Best Rock Performance" category if 4/5 of the nominees are the same in both categories?
Regardless, I'm glad to see Phoebe Bridgers and Fiona Apple getting recognized. At the same time though, this year I've been too immersed in a world of amazing music that is never going to be recognized in a forum like this to really get too excited/disappointed about any of the nominees. I guess it's disappointing to not see Perfume Genius in Best Alternative Album or Best Rock Album for Set My Heart On Fire Immediately. That's the only nominee I can put my finger on who seemed within the realm of possibility of being nominated for a Grammy in that category who wasn't. In a just world, Black Dresses would have the Best Rock Album category on lock. But we don't live in that world. ❤️️ Bless
Like that song is the perfect encapsulation of Charli’s collaborative ethos. I think it’s even better than “I Got It.” And I think what made “I Got It” as great as it was is that it followed the formula she set with “Lipgloss.” “Lipgloss” is one of CupcakKe’s best verses. It’s some of AG’s best production. It’s one of those songs that I feel like really often gets looked over in her discog. ❤️ Bless
FYI a world where that technology exists but it’s application isn’t governed by profit-hungry gatekeepers who amplify racism and other forms of bigotry is possible.
❤️ Bless
Phone companies still being bad though isn’t a good reason to not take a stand against the unique existential threat these big tech companies are leveraging against our society and our world. I applaud her for what she’s doing. She’s walking the walk better than most. ❤️ Bless
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