Currently Listening To 10/10

I, like many humans, enjoy listening to music in my car very loudly and singing along with it even more loudly on my way to work. Today I'm going to share what I've been listening to the most recently.

I am still listening to Kesha because she is super fun to sing along to, and I am in love with this album. I wrote in this post that this is the first album by her I've actually liked, but I think the amount I like this album makes up for not liking her early work. Her music on this album is just so fun and entertaining and empowering, and I always feel better after listening to/singing with it. I also feel like this is much more "musical" than her other music and really shows off how great a voice and vocal range she has and proves how talented she is as a singer. 

Miley Cyrus has grown on me over the years, especially since "Wrecking Ball," which instantly became a guilty pleasure the first time I heard it. Like with Kesha's most recent album, I think "Younger Now" really shows off Miley Cyrus' true talents as a singer. She sounds different on here than on every other of her albums, and the music really fits the style of her voice better than her other music. I don't love every song on this album, but I do love most of it, and I really hope her future music continues in this style.

I've never been as hugely into the Lumineers as much as the rest of the general population, but I have to admit after listening to Cleopatra a lot lately, I can see the appeal. Their first album only had that one hit song for me, but I like a lot of the songs on Cleopatra and think the band really found their stride with this album. Their folky singer-songwriter style is exactly up my alley, and I find this CD very relaxing to listen to.

I've been a fan of Angus & Julia Stone since their first album and the song "Mango Tree," so I was really excited when they came out with new music. I haven't listened to them much since Angus Stone's album as Lady of the Sunshine, which is amazing, but this is definitely their best album. It's less "pretty" and songwriter-y, I suppose, than their other music, but I am totally a fan of their new style. There is not a single song on this album that I will skip over. They kind of remind me now of the few songs I like by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, but better and more whimsical. Huge fan of this album. 

I discovered Larkin Poe a while ago (rhyme not intended), and am glad they popped up on my radar again recently. Their bluesy, rock style is very different from what I usually listen to, but both of their voices are so powerful and beautiful that I'd probably like them no matter what style of music they sang. They remind me of Sara Bareilles if she sang the blues, and have hints of Brandi Carlisle also, whose voice I've always enjoyed as well. Kin is a very powerful, punchy album, and I'm very happy to have put it back into my music rotation. 

A Comprehensive Guide to Regina Spektor

Regina Spektor is one of my all-time favorite musicians and, if I had to choose only one to listen to for the rest of my life, it would probably be her. Her music has evolved a lot throughout her career, but has always maintained a quirkiness that is both endearing and teeth-gritting-inducing at times, and is her signature. Today, I'll be writing a bit about her musical evolution as a guide of sorts for Spektor newbies.

Early Years: Purely Weird

A lot of Regina Spektor fans consider these two early albums to be "pure" Spektor, but I don't think that's really an accurate description. Her debut album, 11:11, was self-released and created at a time when she was heavily influenced by blues and jazz, which shows up somewhat in Songs but not as much in her later works, which are a lot more anti-folk/singer-songwriter-esque. 11:11 is probably my second least-favorite album, mostly because it's not always "fun" or "enjoyable" to listen to, but it is very artistically interesting and unique.

Songs, which is not available on iTunes and is very hard to get your hands on, has some of the same influences as 11:11 but sounds more cohesive as a whole. A lot of my favorite songs by Regina Spektor come from this album, including Consequence of Sound and the first version of Samson. This album is still weird, but in a more accessible way that's fun to listen to all the way through.

Polishing Up: Soviet Kitsch

My favorite album after Songs is definitely Soviet Kitsch. This is the album that has the popular Spektor song Us. I love that song, and also love most of the songs on this album, including Carbon Monoxide, Ode to Divorce, Chemo Limo, Ghost of Corporate Future, The Flowers...wait, I'm listing over half the album. This music sounds like a combo of 11:11 and Songs but with more polished production and a more mature, cohesive style. A lot of her music on the early album is very dark, and SK is similar in that way, but a lot of the songs also have sweetness in the harmonies or accompaniment that make it not overwhelming.

The Beginning of Pop

 

On her fourth and fifth albums, Begin to Hope and Far, Regina Spektor starts experimenting with more "pop" sounds, but still in her unique Regina-y way. A lot of fans felt like she sold out on these albums to try to appeal to the masses, and I used to feel that way too until I listened to Far again recently and realized I did like the music, even if it wasn't like her earlier style. Begin to Hope, however, I do not listen to at all, even though it has what is probably her most popular song, Fidelity, on it. Other than that song and Better, I really don't like anything on the album. 

Far is still a little pop-y but not as blatantly so, and goes back to her quirkier roots, so I like it much better than BtH. Dance Anthem from the 80s is super catchy and great, and Two Birds is fun, too. Far just sounds like Regina Spektor doing pop but not trying as hard as she did on Begin to Hope.

Original and New

What We Saw From Cheap Seats is also one of my favorite Spektor albums. It reminds me the most of Songs, just with more production and richer orchestration. with WWSFCS and Remember Us to Life, I felt like Regina Spektor was embracing her original weird roots while getting a stronger handle on the more "pop" aspects of her style. These albums felt a lot more effortless than Begin to Hope and Far, and they feel like her, too. They feel like all the best parts of Regina Spektor's music, and I'm really excited to keep listening to her in the future.

Upcoming Music Releases I'm Excited About

I've been listening to a lot of new music and wanting a lot of new music lately, so it seemed like a good day to write a music post. Today, I'll be talking about five albums I'm really looking forward to that are coming up soon.

1. Masseduction - St. Vincent - Oct. 13

I've had a rocky relationship with St. Vincent thus far. I tried to get into her music in high school when I was going through my phase of trying to be super indie and wanting to like really weird things, but honestly, I just wasn't into her earlier stuff. Then, her more recent album came out, and something with me and St. Vincent clicked. Her last album was way more accessible and actually sounded like something real to me, and I'm hoping that Masseduction will continue in the vein of quirky but not bizarre.

2. Younger Now - Miley Cyrus - Sept. 29

Honestly, I have spent the majority of my life disliking Miley Cyrus, from her Hannah Montana days and basically until Bangerz. She was too in the pop world for me, and that kind of music just wasn't my thing. Then, I accidentally fell in love with "Wrecking Ball" and kind of liked the rest of Bangerz, and have really liked all of the songs from this album that have been released so far. Plus, it's actually a reasonable price, unlike the albums of a lot of pop stars of her status (looking at you, Taylor Swift). Her music is just fun and I like listening to it, and I'm looking forward to this album and seeing a different side of her music.

3. Wonderful Wonderful - The Killers - Sept. 22

The Killers are kind of hit and miss for me. I think the last album of theirs I was into was Day and Age, which feels like forever ago, but I did like it enough that I'm looking forward to this album. Their dark alt-rock sound is very unique and interesting and has certainly evolved over the years, so I'm interested in hearing what they're like now.

4. Beautiful Trauma - Pink - Oct. 13

To be honest, I haven't listened to much of Pink since Funhouse, but I did really like "Try" when it came out, and I listened to her last album recently and thought it was pretty good. "What About Us," the first song released from Beautiful Trauma is also super great and right up my pop alley, so I'm hoping the rest of it is just as good. 

5. Reputation - Taylor Swift - Nov. 10

Taylor Swift is another artist on here who I've gotten to like more as I've gotten older. The songs from this album that have been put out so far have gotten mixed reception, but as I wrote in my Taylor Swift post from a couple weeks ago, I am excited for more TaySwift music, and I am not ashamed. 

I'm Excited for "Reputation" and I'm not Ashamed

I have not always been a Taylor Swift fan Okay, scratch that, I've somehow acquired each of her albums as they've come out and enjoyed them, so maybe that's not entirely true. I suppose what I mean to say is that I haven't always been open or comfortable with liking her. This was especially true when she said she wasn't a feminist, and is still a little true because even though she's embraced feminism now, she's still definitely a classic White Feminist and is problematic in many areas.

Still, I've got to say that I really, really enjoy her music. I like her newer albums a lot better, particularly Red and 1989 (Red is still my favorite thus far though). I will happily listen to her songs if they come up when I put my iPhone to shuffle, and will even seek out her albums to play to sing along to in the car.

So, naturally, I'm excited for Reputation, which drops in November. There's been a lot of hubub about this album, and people really want her to address things like her celebrity feuds and her silence during the 2016 election. A lot of people seem to expect her to apologize for all these things, but to me, that makes little sense because she doesn't owe the public anything and she's going to put out what's going to sell and be popular, if we want to get really cynical/realistic.

I'm not embarrassed or ashamed to be excited for Reputation because I don't care about all the stuff I just talked about. I don't feel like celebrities need to get involved in politics because I don't really care what they have to say, since it's not their area. It's different when it comes to feminism I suppose, but other than that, I could care less about a celebrity's social agenda. When it comes to musicians, I'm there for the music, and that's really what matters most. I still listen to Lana Del Rey even though she says feminism doesn't "interest" her, because I just like the music. I think it's okay sometimes to separate an artist from their personal beliefs if you like their work, and I don't think people have to be ashamed to like something even if they don't agree with an artist's views or the general public consensus about the artist.

Basically, I just don't think that celebrity opinions on things matter that much. I'd rather hear opinions from real people who don't live lives that are so outside of the norm that they probably don't understand the impact certain issues have on real people. Plus, I couldn't care less about celebrity feuds. People don't like each other in real life, and people who are celebrities don't have to like everyone either.

In short, I'm excited for Reputation because I like Taylor Swift's music, and I'm going to be judging whether I like it or not based on if the actual music is good, not all the nonsense around it. Sure, it might be important to understand the context around art, but when it comes to pop music, I just want to be entertained and have fun listening to it. So, when November rolls around and Reputation drops, I'm going to have fun blasting it in the car on the way to work, singing it in the shower, and not care about the haters and just shake it off.

TV Shows I've Been Watching

I've been watching a variety of shows lately, so today I've decided I want to share some of them with you:

Okay, to be fair, Project Runway isn't exactly a new show for me, since I've been watching it since my freshman year of high school. I love Project Runway and up until this season, it's gotten better and better with better and better fashion (oh, and minus season 8, which was way more about drama than fashion). Unfortunately though, I've actually been debating whether I want to continue watching this season or not. I thought last season's designers were pretty strange in some cases, but season 16's designers? They're totally bananas, and not in a winner-of-season-15 kind of way. I just find them too avant-garde and just not accessible enough. I like watching the show because I like to imagine what I would actually want to wear, and this season's people are just too odd for me. There's only one designer I'm halfway rooting for so far, but I guess I'll at least stick with it up until the dramatic team challenge that's apparently going to happen, if the season preview is anything to go by.

But like, I don't really want a designer to win who designs clothes with disguised cock rings...

Midnight, Texas is a show based on a book series by the same author who wrote True Blood. I haven't read either series and I didn't watch True Blood, but damn, I love this show. It's about a strange town in Texas with all these supernatural people, although there are normal people, too. The main character is a medium who can talk to dead people, including his very charming dead grandmother. There is also a witch who has a talking cat that speaks in a southern accent, who is of course my favorite character. This show can be a bit scary, but is mostly just fun and entertaining, and I always look forward to Tuesdays, when I can watch it online. 

Sherlock also isn't a new show for me, but I rewatched the first three seasons so I could watch season 4. I am now on the last episode, and I am very nervous/excited/sad that it will be the last episode for a while. I remember liking but not loving Sherlock the first time around, but this time, I really love this show, especially Mrs. Hudson and John Watson. But poor John Watson. Poor, poor John Watson.

I'm a little behind the ball on this one since it came out a while ago, and I already knew two major spoilers before I started it because of the Internets, but this show is still super good. My boyfriend and I needed a show to watch that neither of us had seen, so when we finished Gypsy on Netflix (also really good and creepy), I suggested this one because everyone seemed to like it so much. And o. m. g. It is so good. It's about a family and takes place in the present and the past so you really get to know their entire story. On the surface, it might not sound that interesting, but it's suspenseful, heartwarming, and super emotional. We always feel super gooey and romantic after watching it because there are so. Many. Feels to be had while watching this amazing show. If you haven't watched it yet, I highly, HIGHLY recommend you do so. There's really someone in it for everyone, and even though it can get super intense, you'll want to watch all of the episodes at once because you'll need to know what happens. #kateandtobyforlife

Musicians I Used to Dislike that I Now Like

I've noticed an odd trend in my music preferences lately: a sudden interest in artists whose music I have previously either disliked or been indifferent to. Namely, these artists are Lady Gaga, Lana del Rey, and Kesha(/Ke$ha).
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When Lady Gaga's music first came out, I wasn't really interested because at the time I both just disliked the overly pop/dance-y style music she put out and because I was trying really hard to curate a collection of music that could only be described as "hipster." I've never been super into mainstream pop, and to me, that seemed to be everything Lady Gaga's music was about. I also thought she was super bizarre for no reason (see: meat dress) and I just didn't get the cultural obsession.


Then, last year, came Joanne. I don't remember what exactly made me listen to one of the first singles or which song it was, but I do remember being super surprised that she could actually be musical. I'd liked ArtPop pretty well, but Joanne was a complete departure from her earlier work that really appealed to me. It seemed like each song was so different from each other and each one brought some new dimension to her musicality that I really liked. I especially liked the title song, which really helped me after one of my best friends from high school died of a rare heart condition last summer.

I'm still not into her earlier work, but if her future music is anything like what she put out on Joanne, I'll probably be as excited as everyone else is about it.

Lana del Rey is the second singer I've gotten into lately who I honestly used to hate. I did actually try to get into her music when it first came out because I saw her as a little cooler and more unique than most mainstream pop artists, but her voice made me uncomfortable and I thought all of her songs sounded the same. I still kind of think that, but now I'm more into her voice, which, in my opinion, often sounds like she's having a musical orgasm for the length of whatever song she's singing. The song "Carmen" drives me totally nuts for some unknown reason, but other than that I really like her first album. I haven't listened to the second two as much, and I have yet to have the funds to buy Lust for Life, but I've liked the clips and songs I have been able to listen to from it. 

I still hate that she said that feminism doesn't "interest" her, and if I'm honest, that was also one of my main reasons for hating her. I feel a little guilty for liking her now because she hasn't changed her stance on that as far as I know, unlike, say, Taylor Swift, who I used to dislike for the same reason (though, let's be honest, T. Swift is a total white feminist). However, this has not stopped me from putting her music on playlists for long car rides or singing her music in the shower, even though my voice is not quite low enough to reach the full stretches of her range (the pains of being probably a mezzo soprano). Lana del Rey is definitely more of a guilty pleasure artist for me because of her views on feminism, but even I have to admit now that her music can be pretty enjoyable, despite it often sounding very similar.

The singer I recently got into who inspired this whole post is Kesha. I never listened to her early music for the same reasons I didn't listen to Lady Gaga (too much pop and trying to be a hipster). I don't think I could ever get into her albums before Rainbow, but damn, Rainbow. I feel like Rainbow is such a good contemporary album and so many of the songs spoke to me, which I was totally shocked by. One of the reasons I tend to prefer music that's more on the indie side of things is because it typically goes into deeper emotions than pop music, but when I first listened to Kesha's new album, I was definitely hanging off every lyric, even "Hymn" and "Praying," despite not being a religious person. Plus, her voice is perfection and she has so many fun songs.

I feel kind of weird about liking Kesha for the same reasons I feel weird about liking the other musicians on this list (mainly because they're so popular and that's normally something I try to avoid), but I'd like to think I'm getting more comfortable with the idea of liking musicians and other artists just because I like them and not because I'm trying to be a certain way or prove something to myself or other people. Maybe these aren't the most intellectual or creative artists out there, but I like them, and I'm starting to realize that maybe that's enough.

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