Anyone who knows me knows I love Owl City. He’s helped me through so many of my darkest days that it isn’t even funny. When my parents grounded me for embezzlement, when my girlfriend in eighth grade just wanted to be enemies… But what kills me is that where the “normies”--that’s what we “Wise Owls” call them--stop is right after listening to “Fireflies” for the umpteenth time. And maybe “Good Time” twice. Do you have any idea what you’re missing? Do you have any clue??? Sorry to get so passionate, but with each Owl City album that comes after Ocean Eyes comes a new journey in… well, I guess the same exact thing, but I mean that in a good way. Today, I’m going to be reviewing his stellar new album, his wildly ambitious Cinematic, which surely deserves a space right alongside The Beatles’ Rubber Soul and Hollywood Undead’s American Tragedy in the Greatest Albums of All Time conversation. From the outset, we are greeted with the explosive “Fiji Water,” which needless to say is my favorite song now. Or it was until the next song played. With the beautiful description of “Father Christmas pick[ing him] up” at the airport, Adam or whatever his name is gives us a lens into his life and how he sees the world. It’s magical and mysterious, and it isn’t until the fourth or fifth listen that it occurs to you “oh my God! It’s an old man with a beard!” Genius. And these oblique and seemingly opaque lyrics don’t stop after track one. Oh no. This album runs eighty minutes. And as much as I’d love to delve into the nuances of each, the layers on which they operate, we’d be here all day. I don’t know about you, but I work tonight. Something you need to know about Dr. Owl City M.D. (Wise Owls call him that as a term of respect because his music is so therapeutic) is that he’s a Christian, and as such, he wouldn’t dare say a bad word in his music for fear of getting smote down. He’s better than I. I swear like a Netflix comic and I don’t even fucking know I’m sonofabitchin’ doing it. His music also works because it helps me realize that I don’t need to swear to get my point across and any musical artist who does is trashy and isn’t worth my time. On “All My Friends,” the good doctor delivers a raucous barnburner about a wholesome party with wholesomer friends and it made my little heart beat to the rhythm. I almost had to be hospitalized. The song follows the saddest boy ever as he sits on his couch, hating his life until his friends show up. I don’t know about you, but whenever I’m sad, I’m secretly hoping that a huge crowd of people shows up and parties me out of my stupor. I’m just too scared to say it out loud! “I'd be lying if I said that we could take anymore,” he wails. “‘Cause we're about to light a fire like never before and if you're lying on the couch and there's a knock on the door, it's like ohhhhhhhh. It's like all my friends, woah, come right in. Woah, all my friends. We can take it all back again. Woah, put your hands on in and let me hear you say ‘oh oh oh oh oh.’” The true heartbreaker of the album though comes five tracks in. It was so good I about stopped listening to the album entirely. “Not All Heroes Wear Capes” is a heartrending tribute to Owl City the senior, a man who built Owl “a house in the arms of a tree” and taught him to “drive” and to “fight” and to “dream”. It’s physically impossible--and scientists tested this--to have a heart and listen to the song without bawling. Can’t be done. I’ll admit it: I went through a box of Kleenex, two rolls of toilet paper and no small wad of Easter basket grass before those three minutes and forty-seven seconds had run their course. I’ll never listen to it again. It takes quite a man to let slip to his father that he loves him, and I’m not ashamed to say I’m not quite there. My face would go too red. The rest of the album is equally stellar, from the inspirational “Winners Never Quit” (which I will say isn’t quite as powerful as The Script’s “Superheroes,” but few are) the [insert synonym for “inspirational” here] “Be Brave,” and the almost too-saccharine “Madeline Island” about his humble beach-house beginnings. And of course he sticks the landing with the last two songs. They’re stellar sendoffs. The penultimate song, “Firebird” is just a better “Castle on the Hill” which again hearkens back to Owl’s humble beginnings. He wants to be young again, as do we all, and this one utilizes some serious metaphor, yeah I know what it means, in the form of his friend’s Pontiac Firebird. It symbolizes Owl’s life, driving fast, not knowing where he’s going… and as the track progresses we are dealt some super-duper sad images of Owl’s life changing as he grows up. His room is now a guest room… the freezer door has different pictures on it… “Everything changes,” he says. Tears were shed. Then blood. Ran out of tears and my eyes kind of prolapsed, optically-speaking. After the surgery, I continued on, and “Cinematic,” the closing track, had me dancing in my room and using my hairbrush as a mic. It was the best moment of my life until I found out my bratty little brother was filming me >:( In this one, Owl summarizes the whole album, comparing life to a movie--which never once came up, but because he’s so brilliant, I think it was subtextual and I’m convinced it works. “QUIET ON THE SET! LIGHT’S CAMERA ACTION!” the chorus screams, and chilled me to my very bones. It works brilliantly as an indiscriminate pat-on-the-back to the fans, and my hands were tied. I had no choice but to stan. He promises rave reviews of the movie of my life. Plot twists. Oscars. And I, Hank Melluish, am the hero. Because life is that simple. And nobody knows better than my favorite God-fearing millionaire, Mr. Owl City. Happy April Fools Day!

Hi everyone! To close out Women’s History Month and our influential women musicians series (at least for now), I’m here to talk about P!nk! First I've gotta say, WOW I LOVE P!NK! I’ve been listening to her since I’ve been a small child and she has always inspired me so much. She is such a badass and thus has made me want to be a badass too. P!nk was signed to a record label at age 16 after dropping out of school at a time when the standards for women in the pop music industry were very limiting, women were expected to look and act a very specific way which P!nk certainly didn’t. She challenged authority through her music and thus paved the way for other women to do so moving forward. Songs like “Stupid Girls” directly challenged what was expected of women at the time with lyrics like “what happened to the dreams of a girl president”. More specifically in this song she challenged standards of sexuality for women with lyrics like “maybe if I act like that, that guy will call me back. Porno Paparazzi girl, I don't wanna be a stupid girl.” These kinds of standards constantly need to be challenged given that in many instances women are still expected to sexualize themselves while at the same time maintaining an image of ‘purity’ - as though one's sexual activity should make any difference in how good of a person they are considered. Clearly she has defied gender norms quite a bit through her music but she has also done so through her image. Being a woman with short hair and a more muscular build was a lot more controversial when P!nk started her music career, but still isn’t really the norm. Speaking of image, her music video for “Beautiful Trauma” celebrated that defiance of gender norms both for her and her co star Channing Tatum who were both in drag for the video. The fact that P!nk has kept up such an impressive career after becoming a mom is pretty astounding too. For a long time there was the expectation that a woman’s career should end after having kids and it’s awesome that she has managed to do both so well. She has even featured her daughter in her work like the music video for “True Love” which is adorable. I’d also like to share that I was able to attend a concert of hers a couple of years ago and WOW is she a great performer! On top of being a fantastic singer she just casually performed while flying through the air (seen in the photo below)! It’s always awesome to see someone who generates so much energy from their performance like this. Her performance was very inspiring and empowering to me much like her music is. There are a lot of other influential and inspiring women musicians out there but P!nk is someone who has been inspiring me for most of my life which I am extremely grateful for. It’s not fun to feel like you’re supposed to act a certain way as we all know and P!nk has been one of the people who has showed me what I can be, rather than what I ‘should’ be. Here’s a playlist of some of my favorite P!nk songs!

I love women!! As the end of Women’s History Month approaches, I thought I’d do a short write up and share a couple of my favorite women musicians. When I was in middle school I started listening to Paramore, I remember my older sister going to their concert when she was like 16, and I wish I could have gone back then. I would try to belt “All I Wanted” in the car until my voice was gone, but sadly I was never able to hit it like Hayley Williams (probably from being trained in choral music for 6 years, so sad). Hayley’s voice has always amazed me, and she was probably one of the first female musicians who I was really inspired by. The alternative rock genre is very populated by men, so I wasn’t exposed to a ton of women in this genre until I started really digging for it. I like to go back and listen to their first couple albums and old music videos. It just looked like they have so much fun making music together, you can just tell from listening to what they release, and how long they’ve been doing it. I didn’t listen to MisterWives much until I saw them perform at DTE, there were about four bands performing that day. But when I saw them, I was blown away by the energy frontwoman Mandy Lee brought on stage, and how she sang. It was so good. She captivated me when she performed, belting, dancing, and jumping around. She showed the audience that she was there to have a great time. I was so glad I got to see them that day. I am mostly familiar with their first two albums, Our Own House and Connect the Dots. They recently released their third album SUPERBLOOM in 2020 which is a full 19 songs, and it is really awesome too. The Aces is an all-women alternative pop band, and I pride myself in the fact that I got to see them a few years back before they got pretty big. At St. Andrews Hall in Detroit they opened for COIN and I seriously loved their set. My sister and I would always joke around and talk about how we wanted to start a band, so seeing four badass women on stage was really inspirational. I haven’t gotten to see very many women musicians perform live, so when I do, I just want to see more. The Aces now have already headlined their own tour which is so cool. They have two albums so far, recently dropping one in 2020 called Under My Influence. Go check them all out! Here’s a playlist with some of my favorites from them!

Hey y’all! In honor of Women’s History Month, I want to talk about one of the most influential women to come from the music industry. Please don’t get mad, but I am referring to a country artist. Dolly Parton is one of my personal favorites and hopefully after this, I will convince you that country music isn’t so bad. Especially when you consider the gem that is Dolly Parton. Dolly is one of the OG’s of the country genre and was one of the pioneers for country female artists. Not only did she make a break in the male-dominant industry, but she thrived in it. Currently, she is the richest country singer in the world with a net worth of $500 million. She’s also had 382 award nominations and took home 182 of those, according to Wikipedia (this is reliable right?). I don’t know about you, but I find that to be pretty impressive. Her financial and career success are not the only things that shape her success in the industry, however. Before Dolly Parton made her debut, country music was driven by men. Her mainstream success came about in the 1960s, which was an era in which women were demanding to have their voices heard. In her songs she captures the stories of women and brings them to the forefront. Her song "Dumb Blonde,” is a great example which shows how a woman can thrive after being left by a man. You also can’t talk about Dolly Parton without talking about her song, “9 to 5.” The song was written for the film 9 to 5, which Dolly Parton co-starred in. The song became an anthem for the working-class women that demanded equal pay. It shoved a middle finger in the face of capitalism. She reminds everyone that these CEOs are all about “takin’ and no givin’.” While the song didn’t start the movement towards equal rights, it pushed the issue forward. Women were, and still are, earning considerably less than men and are often dealing with large amounts of disrespect in the workforce. I would also like to touch on her influence in the LGBTQ+ community. She serves as a gay icon to many. She’s openly supported the queer community, while calling out those who do not show the same support. Many drag queen shows have also honored Dolly Parton by dressing as her. She has shown lots of support of this trend (she also has an annual ‘Gay Day’ for her LGBTQ+ fans at her theme park, Dollywood, which I find very amusing too). Hopefully, I have convinced you that country music isn’t so bad and to give Dolly Parton a try! I also made a playlist with some of her most iconic songs as well as some of my personal favorites which you can check out here!

Hey y'all! At last the time has come for us to share some awesome stuff from our Battle of the Bands finalists from last year - U Know / I Know and Pib! About a year ago we were supposed to have the BOTB finale which unfortunately got messed up by COVID-19. However, we are so excited to be able to share some of their awesome stuff with all of you now including this interview with U Know / I Know! Keep reading for a look into U Know / I Know’s musical experience and some fun tales from along the way! How did your band form/why did you start doing music? We love each other and we love playing! Tell me about the evolution of your band. Well, when we formed, most of the music was already written and arranged for a whole band, they were songs that Logan had written before meeting anyone else. Since then we've played together a lot and sort of synthesized with each others' writing and playing styles. The more time passes, the more organic and expressive we become. What are your sources of musical inspiration? Well we all listen to a lot of different music. So we are constantly getting inspired by that. And, of course, when we get together to play and bring all of that to the table, we all get inspired by each other. Describe the vibe of your music in 3 words. Indie Hipster (UGH) Rock. Can you share any crazy concert/house show stories? One time in the middle of a song, Josh leaned back so far during a solo he fell into the drumkit and just about knocked the whole thing over. Colin kept playing the groove and Q, unfazed by Josh crashing into him and the kit, casually lit a uhm, sandwich, and passed it into the crowd before falling back into the jam. Thankfully, Josh was okay. What do you like about the Kalamazoo music scene? Asbestos poisoning. Ha, on a more serious note, house shows are a great opportunity for all sorts of people to come together and express themselves with their music, art, bodies, etc. That's one of the coolest things ever. If you had to pick a band to tour with, who would it be and why? Stormo from Grand Rapids kicks a whole lot of ass! How have you been continuing to make music during the pandemic? Lot's of chats over Facebook Messenger and Instagram. Google Drive folders where we can drop ideas, talking to each other about what we are digging and what we are practicing. It's a slow process, but it's what we can do in the meantime. Favorite album that has come out this year (and/or song)? Uh, verdict is definitely still out on the album. But one single that has been stuck in my head a lot has been “Hypotheticals” by Lake Street Dive. I'm sure my bandmates have other ideas about that sort of thing though. What advice would you give to younger musicians just starting out? Practice a lot. Don't compare yourselves to others and don't rag on other people's tunes. We are all trying to express ourselves as much as possible, it just comes down to what you like vs what I like vs what that person over there likes. Be a kind human. Is there anything else you would like to share about your band? Thank you so so so much. We are just so grateful to be a part of this and to work with everyone. And to everyone that has supported us thus far, we love you bunches. You can check out U Know / I Know’s music on Spotify here including some new music they have released during the pandemic! They also have an EP coming out on April 6th so be on the look out for that! After sufficient vaccination, they’re planning to record some new music together so stay tuned! We also did an interview with our other BOTB finalist Pib which you can read here! And of course don’t forget to check out the videos from both bands on the home page of our site here!

Hey everyone! At last the time has come for us to share some awesome stuff from our Battle of the Bands finalists from last year - U Know / I Know and Pib! About a year ago we were supposed to have the BOTB finale which unfortunately got messed up by COVID-19. However, we are so excited to be able to share some of their awesome stuff with all of you now including this interview with Pib! Keep reading for a look into Pib’s musical journey and some funny stories from along the way! How did your band form/why did you start doing music? I was in a couple bands in high school but decided to go solo and take music production lessons. Tell me about the evolution of your band. I started out wanting to make rock. I made an EP in that style and hated the recording process. My tastes would eventually gear towards pop and I started making beats instead. What are your sources of musical inspiration? My source of musical inspiration is melodic pop that pushes the envelope. Describe the vibe of your music in 3 words. Melodic, Sad, Bangs. Can you share any crazy concert/house show stories? A drunk middle aged man danced on stage with us. Truly life changing. What do you like about the Kalamazoo music scene? I love how accepting it is. You could literally bang on a pot and they’d give you their full attention. If you had to pick a band to tour with, who would it be and why? The Voidz/The Strokes. Julian Casablancas is my Gawd. Favorite song that has come out this year? Favorite song of 2021 so far is the 100 Gecs cover of Linkin Park’s “One Step Closer.” What advice would you give to younger musicians just starting out? There’s no shortcut. You just gotta put in the 10,000 hours. And STOP OVERTHINKING. Pib has been keeping busy during the pandemic making new music! Check out the music video for his song “The Art of Getting to Know You” here. He also released the songs “All 2 Much”, “Oops”, and “When You’re Shut In” during quarantine so be sure to give those a listen! You can check out the rest of Pib’s awesome music on Bandcamp here! In case that wasn’t enough Pib for you, check out his side project with Shankool, “MASTER_FILE_DEFAULT” here!! We also did an interview with our other BOTB finalist U Know/I Know which you can read here! And of course don’t forget to check out the videos from both bands on the home page of our site here!

For my report I’ll be talking about Britpop icon, Justine Frischmann. She’s a painter now, and a damn good one, though back in her day, she was effortlessly cool and massively influential to not only that movement but also a huge variety of female-fronted rock groups later on, and certainly at the time. In the early years, Frischmann played guitar with Suede, the scene’s incendiary band. She was dating lead-singer Brett Anderson at that point, and after they broke up she left, though instead of falling by the wayside like many exes might do, she formed her own band that--while only putting out two albums--made such waves that their ripples are still being felt. What would Britpop be without Elastica? To look back now, it’s easy to think everything was peaches and gravy--what with everyone listening to the same stuff, getting themselves deeply involved with the Blur and Oasis beef--but it’s important to understand the role politics played in the story. They, as per usual, ruined everything. Along with the rest of the nation, the Cool Britannia movement swept up Prime Minister Tony Blair, making of him a total pop geek. He would rank his best songs of the year in magazines, schmooze with Blur and Oasis at Number 10, and this, even for Labour (center-left political party in the UK) supporters was not cool to see. Cool Britannia had worked its way into Parliament, and while I’m sure the intention was harmless, or even noble, the result was a sense of betrayal amongst lower-class fans. Say what you will, but explicit governmental backing is never “cool.” In Britpop’s heyday though--even while dating Blur frontman Damon Albarn--Frischmann never sank so low. She hated being in the spotlight, never dressed up, avoided being interviewed, and when she was never did she sugarcoat her relationship status. To quote a 2020 article from Riposte, (“Icons: Justine Frischmann,” Author Unknown) whenever she was caught by the paparazzi with Albarn, “she gave off this vibe of ‘Yeah, I’m going out with the world’s most lusted-after man, but he’s a fucking nightmare to be honest and he’s lucky to have me.’” Despite her success, a lot of shitty Blur fans just saw her as Damon’s girlfriend, but how much Blur are we hearing now? “Song 2.” That’s it--and they only did that one to break through to the American grunge market. You fell for it. Elastica, however, have a debut chock-full of greats that’s perhaps more solid than any Blur outing was, boasting the stellar “Connection,” which I’m happy to hear is getting more airplay over here all the time. Frischmann influenced so many rock groups that it isn’t even funny. Paramore. Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Arctic Monkeys and Le Tigre. I don’t know if any of them would have been without her, or at least not in the same form. Because despite their feminine perspective, Elastica brought something to the table that none of the others did in Britpop, and that’s the air of menace and ferocious sexuality. Suede wrote sexy music, sure, but not like Elastica did. Their songs were these angry bursts of nonchalance that couldn’t be found in any other albums getting all the airplay. Oasis were belligerent drunks, Suede spacey addicts, Pulp horny art-schoolers, and Blur were the boys you could take home to Mother. Out of all of them, Elastica were--and I say this knowing there was only one guy in their band--the alphas in this boys-club. Frischmann and Albarn sent each other on a downward spiral of drug-addiction, and even knowing how the public would take it, she was the dumper and essentially ditched music for good. Good for her. She’s doing great. As stated earlier, she now spends her time painting, and is wonderful at it. The woman is a creator, but if it wasn’t clear already, she creates because it’s her drive and no amount of praise is worth compromising it. She doesn’t look back on the Britpop days fondly, having seen early on the disaster it would become (shitting up and down Blur’s acclaimed The Great Escape before it was cool to, shutting down the irrepressibly pompous Liam Gallagher in the press, and posing for one now-famous photo on the way from the Tesco when approached by a papparazzo) but it would be wrong to dismiss the influence she had, especially in Britain, and continues to have even today. Cheers, Justine! This yank wants to thank you for everything! Check out my favorite music of Justine's here!

Concerts in video games aren’t a new thing, though still relatively novel. Minecraft music festivals like Block by Blockwest and concerts from performers 100 Gecs, Grandson, Anamanaguchi, and others were happening in 2016. Video game concerts go as far back as the life simulator Second Life which had a live concert with Suzanne Vega in 2006. All of this is to say that concerts inside video games are not a new phenomenon, but were only given new life in the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the beginning of quarantine, many big name rappers have hosted virtual concerts with the support of various video game companies. The first of which was Travis Scott’s Fortnite concert, followed by Lil Nas X’s Roblox concert, and most recently occurring with Post Malone’s partnership with the Pokémon Company. All the mentioned events have shown renowned success, so much so that it begs the question of could this trend shape the future of concerts to come? Obviously, a virtual concert will never surpass the real life experience. I’m sure that as soon as vaccines are mass distributed and public events are safe, we will return to business as usual. While the answer isn’t as clear as a “yes or no,” it does offer an interesting look at new avenues of entertainment that have only been globally realized due to current pandemic circumstances. Smaller artists are suffering financially due to an inability to do tours and live shows, which many artists make a living from. There is also the acknowledgement of targeting younger audiences for these virtual concerts, as they can’t as easily go to see live shows. Much like how the film industry has irrevocably changed from the closure of movie theatres and the full embrace of streaming, the music industry must be aware of the foreshadowed changes the success digital concerts has wrought. This is all just speculative, but stranger things have happened. Who knows. P.S. I went to the Lil Nas X Roblox “experience.” It was okay. The Minecraft Rat Rave from this January was better.

Alright y’all… it’s Women’s History Month and what better way is there to celebrate here at WIDR then by sharing some of our favorite influential women musicians! To start us off on this little series I’m going to be talking about Janelle Monáe who is an inspiration to many, and if she isn’t already an inspiration to you, she really should be and hopefully I can convince you why. First of all, I have never listened to someone’s music that is so empowering. There are some people who shy away from discussing social movements in their music and art and what have you, but Janelle Monáe just sends it. Like who can listen to “Q.U.E.E.N.” or watch the music video for “Pynk” (vagina pants am I right?!) and not feel like they can take on the world? I just don’t think it’s possible. So what is it that makes Janelle Monáe so influential and incredible? Well first off, she is a woman of many talents - both an extremely successful musician and actress. She has taken on powerful roles on screen and has created similarly powerful roles in her music videos. Don’t get me wrong, her music stands alone extremely well, but the Emotion Picture (film) for her album Dirty Computer (arguably one of the best pop albums of all time) enhances the experience even more. Of course you can’t forget the musical influence of The ArchAndroid. That album has some fantastic singles but the album experience as a whole is impeccable. It is definitely meant to be experienced all at once and when you listen to it you’ll quickly understand why, because you won’t want to stop once you start. As for music overall, Janelle Monáe is very much a genre bender. While her music can be considered pop, it has strong influences from jazz, funk, hip hop, and more. Speaking of genre bending, can we talk about the fact that she sampled Debussy in her song, “Say You’ll Go”? I’m a huge fan of when pop artists sample classical music and Debussy was a stellar choice. Her music also takes place in the past, present, and future which has made her known as somewhat of a musical time traveler. She dives into the wrongdoings of the past, acknowledges the issues of the present, and imagines what a better future could look like in her musical stories. The themes of her music are very much grounded in reality, but by portraying the art as fictional, it is even more powerful. As for empowerment, seeing a black, queer, woman not shying away from those identities in her art is extraordinarily empowering. She challenges so many social constructs in her music and is paving the way for other women, people of color, and queer people to be more of themselves. Her music empowers people to fight for what is right in a world still so full of wrong. I mentioned this earlier but “Q.U.E.E.N.” is her song that I find the most empowering particularly because it challenges gender norms for women and encourages them to express their sexuality and not allow the world to diminish their confidence. I’m a big proponent of not trying to conform to a world with messed up systems and this song captures that idea perfectly, especially with the lyric “or should I reprogram these programs and get down?!” “Electric Lady” has a similar vibe of encouraging women to be unapologetically themselves - to be electric - but is less of an anthemic rebellious song and more of a jazzy jam that is so fun to get down to. I’ve created a playlist of some of my favorite and iconic Janelle Monáe songs here so be sure to check it out to experience all of her awesomeness!

One of my most charming qualities is my musical elitism. You know what I mean. The way people act when they don’t like someone’s music and mistakes that opinion for fact? That’s me! It wasn’t always this way, but somewhere along the line I just got fed up with hearing the same shit all of the time. The nature of pop-radio, it seems, is to shove a song down your throat and then ditch it like a pencil with a dry eraser. Like remember Iggy Azalea? Yeah. She’s a private contractor now. You don’t even know if I’m kidding, is the wild thing! And I know you won’t look it up because you don’t care! Nobody cares! We all just heard the song a thousand times! And I talk this trash like my taste backs it up. It doesn’t. Really. I don’t listen to Neil Young, Dr Dre, Sleater Kinney or Kasey Musgraves. The music I back is typically forgotten or underground greats, but in my defense... someone’s gotta do it! I have my head planted firmly up the ass of the 70’s punk movement, the 90’s Britpop scene, the Paisley Underground, “sophistipop” greats… and all the while I believe--in my heart of hearts--that this was the real shit. You know what I mean? I also believe that the 80s was the best decade in musical history. Yeah. That 80s. The most ridiculed decade in music history until the 90s. I love the fake synthy beats, the finding-its-feet singularity of the New Wave, and just the unmistakable air of fun found in seemingly all of the music at the time, even in slower ballads. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “I love 80s music too! Don’t Stop Believing, right?!” Stop it. No one has ever listened to a Journey album. You like the hits is what you like! Now, what if I told you that nine times out of ten--well, maybe seven--the albums put out by the big one-hit-wonders of the 80s were full of songs just as good, and in most cases better than their singles. I kid you not. Your parents lied to you as did mine. I have nothing to gain from going to you about this. If you’re a fan of 80s music in any capacity, you absolutely owe it to yourself to check these out if you’re able. And this isn’t the well-trod Talking Heads, Tears for Fears, Talk Talk, Pet Shop Boys territory, either! These are albums no one talks about! And it kills me! Anyway, yeah. Let’s get into it. Mr. Mister - Welcome to the Real World Their Hit: “Broken Wings” Mr. Mister is a group I can see a lot of people not giving a chance, but their 1985 album, Welcome to the Real World is immaculate. As I say a lot--frankly, too much--is that sometimes the lame hit is the one that sticks, and that’s what happened here. “Broken Wings” is the only snoozer on this thing. The opener, “Black/White” is a high-gear jam, and from there the mood is held with the head-bobbing “Uniform of Youth,” and then refuses to slow down with “Don’t Slow Down” immediately afterward. Their second most hit, “Kyrie” is a far better single and another highlight here, and it’s a damn shame it doesn’t get half-as-much airplay that “Broken Wings” does. Thomas Dolby - The Golden Age of Wireless His Hit: “She Blinded Me With Science” So, two for two here I’m going to sound like a contrarian, but my God, is “She Blinded Me With Science” an AWFUL song. It’s a dud! It’s aged like peeled avocado and barely would fit the tone of a Ned’s Declassified reboot. I heard a lot of good things about Thomas Dolby though, back in my New Wave phase, but because I hated the song so much it took me awhile to give it a shot. I’m glad I did. Dolby brought a certain level of panache to the movement, like some mad musical scientist. His songs are immersive and well-written--in particular I’ll cite “Flying North” and “Commercial Breakup”--and his fluke hit is thankfully relegated to bonus-track status. He was like a Buggles for the sophisticates, and it’s a shame his music has so largely been forgotten. I wonder if the new stuff’s any good. I’d also like to say that his follow-up album, The Flat Earth, is even better and “Hyperactive” is a far-better single than “Blinded.” The Weather Girls - Success Their Hit: “It’s Raining Men” I don’t know why I’m revealing this choice so early on in the rankings. You think I’m full of shit. Here’s the thing though, readers. I’m not. I’m so not. The funny thing about listening to these people--people being one-hit wonders--is that it’s so difficult to gauge what any one is about from one song. This was my relationship to The Weather Girls. I had no idea what to expect listening to it, but it’s a super fun dynamic this duo had going for them. They were two large women--one in her thirties, the other was in her forties--and they beat the odds achieving mainstream-success with their fun, devil-may-care attitude about food, friendship and romance, leaving them better-remembered than a lot of artists at the time. It’s just a fun album that I promise will put a smile on your face with a unique blend of pop and soul music, as well as the very unique dynamic the two share. I don’t know how long their schtick would hold out but, for this album at least, it was great. Dexy’s Midnight Runners - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels Their Hit: “Come on Eileen” You can’t not love “Come on Eileen”. It’s almost like people haven’t given Dexy’s a go because they don’t think anything can top it. As for whether or not they ever did... that’s a tough question, and it’s a tough question because it isn’t a song that’s a great representation of what they were about. Maybe it is. I don’t know. And I certainly didn’t at the time. Dexy’s Midnight Runners were an Irish group, and as such, their sound is pretty uniquely Celtic, doing the whole Irish rock thing was their bag, but they did it with a fun pop flourish. Their best album is their debut, and while “Come on Eileen” is not present here, it’s hard for me to imagine one finding themselves disappointed. With a few instrumentals and poems thrown into the mix, the pop bursts forth even harder, making use on this one of the same horns that fill “Eileen” but are here much more sour, but in the best possible way. Kevin Rowland’s wail is also something that kicks in here super unique-ly. If this sounds unappealing, maybe skip it, but I just listened to it again yesterday and it’s even better than I remembered, and in some circles, Young Soul Rebels remains a classic. Midnight Oil - Diesel and Dust Their Hit: “Beds are Burning” Now, here’s where things get criminal. How in any critic’s right mind is this album not a classic-classic?! I mean, it’s a classic in the way Songs From the Big Chair is a classic, but it should be like Doolittle-tier. That’s my take. Do what you will with it. Midnight Oil’s angry, political-pop album shines like a diamond in the outback, with every song being so killer it’s insane. A statement on the treatment Australian aborigines were receiving by the hands of their government, the squalor and disease rampant in their communities, runs through the album like rain and songs like “Warakurna” are exemplary protests and goosebumps-inducing. Simple Minds - Once Upon a Time Their Hits: “Alive and Kicking,” “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” Both of those songs appear on this album, but I’m not a hack! I promise! This is the album I chose because, while Simple Minds were not a one-and-done group by any stretch of imagination, commercial breakthrough that’s also my favorite. Every song on this thing rules. I almost think they drew their singles out of a hat because any would have worked. Now “Don’t You” of course was a bonus track, considering it was written for the John Hughes classic, The Breakfast Club. You know that. But with or without it, this album is a high-water mark for 80s pop. It’s practically the playbook on how it’s done. “Once Upon a Time” is a phenomenal opener, kicking things into high gear with (read the following like a sixteen-year-old girl) literally zero chill, and “Come A Long Way” is a barn-burning piece of social-commentary that closes the album out with a wallop. The music is awesome, the lyrics are poetry. Check. It. Out. I mean it. 'Til Tuesday - Everything’s Different Now Their Hit: “Voices Carry” This is the last time I cheat, I swear it. “Voices Carry” is actually a song on their debut album of the same name, but it isn’t that album that’s anything special. I like the song, but the rest of it is mid. I hate to be that guy, but it’s mid. What a lot of people don’t know though is that 'Til Tuesday was fronted by indie-pop titan Aimee Mann, and as someone who really enjoys her solo stuff it is so cool to see her maturing as an artist through 'Til Tuesday’s three album run. Voices Carry was a nice prototype, but Welcome Home was something special and Everything’s Different Now is just powerful on a whole ‘nother level. Such a great album has been cast to the waves and it ain’t right, dammit! It ain’t right! It’s a heartbreaking record, this one, and every song is better than the last. I love all of them. It’s 'Til Tuesday’s best, it’s probably Mann’s best, and it’s one of the best of the decade. Listen if you don’t believe me. Scritti Politti - Cupid and Psyche 85 Their Hit: “Perfect Way” I can say with almost certainty--and with no small amount of pride--that I am one of maybe five people on this continent to own three Scritti Politti albums. I had to buy them. This said, unlike most of the songs in question, I feel like “Perfect Way” is unbeatable, and is perhaps the most perfect example of a pop song I’ve ever heard. It’s syrupy, saccharine, beautiful and different, to the point that listening to it more than once in a row could give your ears a cavity. I think everything the group has ever done is stellar though, and Cupid and Psyche 85 is probably their best album. My parents seem to hate “wimpy” music, but this is the best case for it I’ve ever seen. What almost began as a dirty secret has almost become a talking-point. I’ve never heard a pop band lean so hard into the sound before and likely never will again, but damn if it’s not an intoxicating listen--enchanting even--and it will always be one of my favorites. The Vapors - New Clear Days Their Hit: “Turning Japanese” I wish I could like all the music people love now. I do. But New Clear Days is one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s a top-tenner. Maybe even a top-fiver, and I don’t even know if people felt that way then! The Vapors are the best example of an 80s one-hit wonder I can think of. Their goofy, perhaps-masturbation song (which is an argument I “get” more every time I hear it) was really their only wavemaker and it’s so sad to me. This album is the best new-wave/power pop album since This Year’s Model, and to not see it vaunted to that status in the court of public opinion is felonious! And with songs like “Spring Collection,” “Cold War,” and “Sixty Second Interval” all over this thing, one could also make the case that it’s the last great pop-punk album ever made. That’s my take. Do what you will with it. The Human League - DARE! Their Hit: “Don’t You Want Me” The final one here may seem like an odd choice if you were alive in the 80s--in particular if you lived in England--but the fact is, and I hate to be the one to tell you this, that no one knows the group of the New Wave anymore. It’s insane. From what I can tell, and I wasn’t there, The Human League were huge! So it’s bizarre that their only claim to fame now is this weird little love song that no one loves or hates. I’m here to rectify that. Their debut album is a stunner, packed front to back with so many exemplary New Wave songs that your head will spin. It’s easy, fun and subtly foreboding listening, and missing it would be a catastrophic whoopsie-daisy! For an even greater time, check out the deluxe version. In the 80s, synth-heavy groups extended their songs for dance-clubs and as an excuse to resell the same song to the same people, and for the most part it showed--but every 12” remix on this thing is just as good as the original, with new instrumental breaks that actually fit, and occasional new vocals that feel as though all of these songs were that long to begin with. The opening track, “The Things That Dreams Are Made Of,” is also one of the finest openers I’ve ever heard in my life. It gets the ball rolling and tells you exactly what you’re going to get. If you don’t like that one, it’s best you stop listening right there. So what are you waiting for, you 80s freak?! Stop letting Stranger Things dictate your playlist and check ‘em out! And if my opinion sucks, feel free to let me know. My email address is hd.melluish@gmail.com and I will do my best to respond in a timely manner. This said, I hope you can understand that I will likely be listening to The Weather Girls. Have a great week and here is a playlist with some of my favorite songs from these one hit wonders!

Chase made a playlist to listen to once it feels like summer! It should be warm this week so check it out here :)

Last week, the night before the 28th of February, something awful happened. Two Loona albums I absolutely love were taken off of streaming. Needless to say, this has ruined my entire semester. How can I go on? Just kidding. The problem is actually far more interesting and far more wide-reaching. Those two Loona releases were two of hundreds of releases taken off of Spotify among hundreds of Korean artists and groups (my main K-pop playlist on Spotify has been cut in half). And why? Because the biggest music distributor in South Korea refused to bow to Spotify’s very recent endeavor into South Korea, and the distributor’s unwillingness to give them the license to stream their music in South Korea led Spotify to revoke their global license. Now some background on the distributor, Kakao M: out of the top 200 releases on the Gaon charts, Kakao M is responsible for around 38% of them (all of which cannot be found on Spotify anymore). The release dates of their catalogue range from groups in their 1st and 2nd years, to idols that were setting the stage for modern K-pop more than 15 years ago. As a Loona fan, I happened to hear about this distributor years ago due to the almost laughable mismanaging they did of their releases, including neglecting to put a new release on iTunes on the release date, as well as even putting their music under the wrong artist name. Okay so they’re a shit company, fine, but that doesn’t necessarily explain Kakao M’s motive here to not renew their license with Spotify now that it’s finally opened up domestically. Here’s what does: Kakao M, in addition to owning 38% of the top 200 releases, also owns the largest streaming service in South Korea, a service called Melon (which is only available in Korea, even with a VPN). Up until now, Kakao M has had a near-monopoly on music streaming in South Korea. But as I said earlier, Spotify just launched their platform for the first time in the country on February 1st, putting Kakao M in the incredibly awkward position of either having to allow their main competitors a large slice of the streaming market in South Korea, or having all of their music taken down in every country. And from Spotify’s perspective, they have all the leverage in the world here. K-pop is (of course) just one of many genres that Spotify gets a lot of streams on, and they didn’t even lose half of the Top 200, as well as any of the releases that came out under one of the “big three” labels (YG, SM, and JYP). So not only is Spotify keeping the majority of K-pop releases, but the biggest artists and groups (household names like Blackpink and Twice) still remain available. So where does this leave us now? It’s only been five days since these releases were taken off Spotify (after a year and a half of negotiations), but Kakao M has now, as expected, infuriated a HUGE amount of fans of various idols and idol groups all over the world, as well as domestic fans that either wanted to use Spotify or are simply pissed that Kakao M is willing to fuck over their artists for the sake of keeping a streaming monopoly. Everyone knows if you’re gonna negotiate you have to know when to walk away from the table, but in my opinion, it really seems like this is gonna bite them in the ass. The fact that Kakao M’s releases include idols that have been in the game since 2007 will not play out well for them either. It’s one thing for smaller artists and groups in their first few years to be taken off of Spotify, but it’s quite another for 15-year veterans of the Korean music industry. As an example: Sunmi debuted in Wonder Girls in 2007 (an incredibly influential 2nd-generation group), left to pursue a successful acting career, and then came back to debut successfully as a solo artist while composing and choreographing all of her own music (a lot of which is now off of Spotify). At this point she’s the idol of idols, meaning that she doesn’t need Kakao M to be successful, nor does she have to bite her tongue for fear of some kind of professional consequence. It’s artists like these that Kakao M should now be afraid of, the ones who are simultaneously hugely affected, as well as having very little to lose from speaking out. In fact, only five days into this debacle, and it’s already begun. Epik High, an internationally acclaimed alternative hip hop group that debuted in 2001, tweeted the following the day after the releases were taken down: “Apparently a disagreement between our distributor Kakao M & Spotify has made our new album Epik High Is Here unavailable globally against our will. Regardless of who is at fault, why is it always the artists and the fans that suffer when businesses place greed over art?” I may or may not follow up on this piece next week depending on what happens, but there are a few other side-stories that might interact too, such as the only-now-growing cultural exchange between China and South Korea (which has been very sparse for decades due to political tensions), as well as Kakao M’s next move which I’m eagerly anticipating.

We’re living in an interesting time. Life was real sad for a while there but now, in a way, it’s less sad. But it’s not happy per say because we’re still living in a global pandemic. Thankfully like every other emotion we feel, there’s music to describe the feeling of not being happy but instead less sad. So hopefully that makes us all feel a little less lonely. AJR released “Way Less Sad” on February 17 which definitely fits this feeling. I also was recently listening to fun.’s immaculate first album Aim and Ignite and I was reminded of their song “At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used to Be)” which also perfectly captures this feeling. So it got me wondering, which song is more effective in actually making you feel less sad? Keep reading to find out! Let’s start with the recently released “Way Less Sad”. This song is very anthemic and high energy much like most of AJR’s music. It’s very fun and I must say I can really get into feeling happy about feeling less sad when listening to this song. I feel like this song really speaks to the younger generation with references to global warming and Twitter. Oh that and setting your bar low, I feel like that’s a common theme for Gen Z’ers. There’s a solid amount of repetition but I feel like that works with an anthemic jam like this. And there’s no instrument for anthems like the trumpet that dominates in this song. Overall I do feel a lot less sad after listening to this song. I would even go so far as to say that I feel happy after hearing it. Alright, so what about “At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)”? This song has a very different vibe than “Way Less Sad”. It definitely has a more old school sound in part because it was released in 2009 and in part because of the energy fun. generally channels. In the beginning it feels a bit like a war march but with an island twist with the steel drums playing. During the build, there is a conversation happening between the male and female singers which really helps in escalating the energy. Eventually we reach the point of having more dramatic instruments like horns and piano before Nate Ruess brings the energy down by singing along with a beautiful piano solo. From there we build to the big finish where we hear a series of sad lyrics ending with “I don’t fall in love”. Overall I think that this song does a better job with contrast and has quite a bit more complexity. But is that what we are in need of when trying to feel less sad? For me I would say yes but I may be an outlier here. I personally can jam a lot more to a song and feel less sad when it’s got lots of musical things for my brain to focus on. I think that the contrast and complexity help make the high energy moments feel even happier than they would otherwise. However, I’m also biased towards this song because I have a lot of positive memories associated with it. Overall, both of these songs do a great job of making you feel less sad, it just depends what you look for in happy music. I’m a music nerd so I like having lots of musical elements to think about which “At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)” does a better job of. I highly recommend checking out both of these songs in this weird stage of life where feeling less sad seems more appropriate than feeling happy. But if you do feel happy right now, don’t listen to what I say, keep being happy!!

After reading Maggie’s blog, (HI MAGGIE) it inspired me to also write something up of a virtual concert experience I got to enjoy during the pandemic. Like many others, I have struggled with not being able to go to any live shows for over a year. I just really miss the feeling leading up to a show, the feeling during, and the high that remains for a while after. But it is what it is right now, and all I can do is look forward for the next one I’ll be able to go to again. But even despite the pandemic, artists have continued to keep their supporters listening! In the fall, one of my favorite artists, Young the Giant, held a 10-year anniversary virtual concert. It had been 10 years since their debut album was released, so this concert consisted of all the songs solely from this album. I was super excited because I love their self-titled, and some of my favorite tracks are on there. I’ve been able to see them multiple times in person, so I was a bit sad to not to see them all on stage and see Sameer dancing away. Plus, lately I’ve been seeing my memories from 1, 2, and 3 years ago showing up on my phone with me at concerts that STAB ME in the heart. Anyway, my siblings and I decided to purchase some tickets for the show, and it ended up being a great time. We pushed all the furniture back, my brother brought out a disco strobe light, had some…. beverages….and created our own private concert. It was kind of emotional, not gonna lie. I wished that Young the Giant could have seen us supporting them from our home. And I hope that all of the artists out there who aren’t able to do any live shows still know that we are all out here supporting you. Music continues to keep me sane, even more so during this! Love y’all.

There are no casual The Hold Steady listeners, it turns out. Nobody just likes a couple of The Hold Steady songs. This is a group that knows its fans, plays to its fans, and damn all the rest. Now, I boarded that train a bit late, just last year I think, but damn if they’ve not become one of my favorite bands of all time. Beginning in 2004 with the release of Almost Killed Me through Stay Positive (their magnum-opus of a fourth album in 2008) they were batting 100 and could have called it quits there. Their successive two albums, Heaven is Whenever and Teeth Dreams were two definitive steps down, considering the departure of Franz Nicolay, the resident piano-man, because with him went the soul of the sound they had cultivated. Of course, the brain remained in the form of Craig Finn, lead singer and class-A poet, and when Nicolay returned for 2019’s Thrashing Thru the Passion, the band was back in business for its second act: the act of contrition. I should start off by saying that I have never been more thrilled with a new album by a group I’m following than I was with Open Door Policy, released on February 19th of this year. It--perhaps even more so than their prior output--seems tailor-made for this city-based ennui and loneliness. It’s different. More contemplative. I’d been following the singles as they dropped, and while they promised something great, I guess I had no idea just how great it would be. We open with “The Feelers,” a slow song and one totally uncharacteristic of an opener of any album they’ve ever put out. It’s slow and hazy. Like the soundtrack of a hangover. It seems an odd choice at first, but it’s an exceptional choice for this one for it’s almost dirgey quality which soon gives way to a bittersweet ending. The whole album plays this way, really. It’s like they’ve woken up in a stupor. The second track, “Spices,” was one of the singles that dropped, and is definitely more of a grower than a shower. It’s a dismal, paranoid song from the rock bottom looking up, and the lyrics are pure poetry. The sinister imagery of bartenders “strangling their shakers” and Finn’s unnamed muse “trading stickers with… shipwrecked sailors” casts a foreboding tone, further setting the stage for the rest of the album. The singles are some of my favorites on here, surely--“Family Farm” and “Heavy Covenant” were the best of the three--and it’s these that make up half of Open Door Policy’s great four-track stretch from track four (“Family Farm”) through eight (“The Prior Procedure”) which tread the line of old and new The Hold Steady so brilliantly that every one of them gave me goosebumps. I’m at the point where I’d laud an album of Finn’s cutting poetry without backing music a tall, because this is a guy who “gets,” from where I’m standing, what it’s like to circle the drain in the prime of your life. “Family Farm” follows Finn’s narrator as he looks back on his Catholic upbringing as he chases the high of young lust, which is very much simplifying things… but is truly an all-time great song, as many of these prove to be. There’s also, despite the triumphant horns, a familiar undercurrent of regret and disappointment with success here. “If you’re still in Pennsylvania,” Finn pleads. “I’d advise you not to leave. Take some nickels from the fountain, make your friends and fall asleep.” It’s a plea to the dreamers to not dream too big, and that sometimes it’s okay to be sad. “They’re never gonna love you in that one specific way that you want them all to love you,” cries its hair-raising chorus. And that’s just fine. “Sometimes it feels sweet to be the teacher.” “Unpleasant Breakfast” was a new sound for The Hold Steady, and was another highlight. 2019’s Thrashing Through the Passion was their best album in years, though it did still feel like they were getting their sea legs back after years on the mainland. This album is rife with new experimentation. It’s almost dancy, radio-ready, triumphant and gloomy. Among their usual theological references, Open Door Policy is also rife with nautical imagery, as seen in “Spices,” “Lanyards,” and here in full form. This one looks seaward for promise and newness. It’s full of mystique and its own unique tragedies. The love lost in this one seems cast to the waves, and never to be seen again, which makes things even more devastating. The lyrics here are translucent and beautiful, giving us shadowy insight to a relationship sinking in drug-abuse and inner-city pressures. And the drug motif continues through “Heavy Covenant,” a pulsing missile of sound that, while great as a single, feels especially appropriate in the middle of the record, comparing the covenant one might make with their God with a dependence one has on their drug dealer. If anyone can make such a premise work it’s Craig Finn, and he does so with seeming ease. It’s a sad song of desperation but is radio-ready like nothing I’ve heard in the past five years. He gives his characters such depth in these lyrics, and they demand a read-along. By comparing his own “heavy covenant” in a dead-end sales job to his carry-over to recreation-cum-addiction he touches a unique kind of nerve that hits brilliant and heartbreaking. Rounding out this four-song stretch is “The Prior Procedure,” which again, has some stellar lyrics and is backed by some great music. This one deals with alienation in the modern world through a motif following a fawn as its learned instincts can’t save it from a grisly highway-death. Between this fawn’s appearances, the narrator hangs around an isolating house-party in a penthouse apartment. He takes note of the people inside, silently judging them, but deep down it seems he wishes he was like them. He does it so well, too! And it’s not by talking of his own feelings, but by simply picking and choosing which people to spy on. It’s not an easy trick, but the man is a genius. The crux of the song seems to be in the optional PowerPoint presentation held by the host of this party about “the chum and the shark,” which is, apparently, “just a reminder love will tear us apart.” Goosebumps-inducingly good. Everyone listened to Joy Division. Finn knows that, even if those suits like to forget. The rest of the album is notably more subdued, much like its beginning, than the pulsing middle, and that’s alright, because gives us more notably backward-looking songs of regret and hope. “Riptown” is a song I’m glad glad glad was not a single, because for those who just see the group as Springsteen rips would cite this song first in the argument. “This kid’s a computer who’s been programmed to dream,” it begins, which had me rolling my eyes, but as the song goes on it becomes far smarter and beautiful than it appeared at the outset. Should have seen it coming. This one follows not Finn’s self-insert, but the desperation of a failing actress fading into obscurity. The song ends far more dismally than it begins, with this kid in the red, white, and blue becoming what I believe to be thunder of the same color-scheme. Anyone who listens to the band knows that their closing tracks always pack a special sort of wallop, but Open Door Policy’s is a real slow burner, which I should have expected, considering the first track is usually so full of life. They appear to be past that now, and I think I’m all over it. “Hanover Camera” begins with a loungey keyboard tune, almost evoking the stupor-y style of “The Feelers,” and it felt like the right way to close out their latest chapter. Once the guitars kick in, it becomes 70s-esque yacht-rock, and when the horns and piano kick in, it becomes dark in a way that we’ve not seen since “Spices” and never before. It ties together the themes of swimming in oblivion, recreational drug use giving way to dependency, the stubborn persistence of memory, and the beauty and ugliness of the sea. I listened to this album three times the first day it came out--once while writing this review--and I’m confident in saying it’s the best release of 2021 I’ve heard and probably will. It can mop the absolute floor with Thrashing Through the Passion, and it feels great to confidently be able to say that The Hold Steady are back, and now we know how a resurrection really feels. They’re not trying to channel their old style too much. They’re trying new things, and giving a voice to the middle-aged and middle-aged-at-heart in ways that no other band has ever been able to. They guest-starred on Showtime’s Billions recently, as well, which is especially cool considering that success has done nothing to quell their relatability. “Depression is a gift, man,” Finn sings on “Lanyards.” It sure is, Craig. Keep up the great work. No one gets it like you, and in me, you have a fan for life. I strongly suggest that if this at all sounds appealing to you that you check out Open Door Policy. That’s my verdict. It’s a stellar, beautiful album that is as good a case as any that music gets richer with age, and will undoubtedly be a favorite of mine for the rest of my life. “If the band ever plays Resurrection, it’s at the end of the show.” Ain’t that the truth, Craig Finn? These are my poets.