Hello again dear readers! So this week due to a combination of poor time management and a fairly boring set of releases, this week’s article is gonna be slightly abridged. We have one new release we absolutely have to talk about, but everything else is not super interesting, unless you’re a big fan of Harley Quinn, in which case Lady Gaga has something cooked for you. So I won’t waste too much time because…
We Have to Talk About The Weeknd and Carti
Usually I would begin (or just be) talking about albums or singles with no particular emphasis put on them, but I think the most important thing to come out this week, to the point it overshadows everything else, is the Weeknd’s new collaborative single with Playboi Carti: Timeless. The thing you always have to remember about Playboi Carti is that he’s a liar. He’s approaching Kanye levels of missed release dates and albums, so when he does actually put something out everyone notices. Even people who don’t really care for him. The Weeknd is similar, but less polarizing because he’s elusive about dates until we’re close to them. When the Weeknd drops, in a world after Starboy and After Hours whenever we get new Weeknd music, everyone and their mother is talking about it. Tim Cook will tweet about it, every celebrity will post the song with some fire emojis, you won’t hear the end of it. I don’t think we as a society are over Blinding Lights and it’s been nearly 5 years. Yeah, sit with that time based nugget. Nearly 4 years since Whole Lotta Red too, where’s the album Carti?
So the world is watching, cool, well what are they watching? What are we as a society staring at right now? Well, brilliance. I’m not exaggerating here. If not for my overly pretentious taste and the works of Mount Kimble, Kendrick Lamar, JPEGMAFIA, and some others who I know I’m forgetting and going to regret when this goes out, this is song of the year, or It’s at least very high up there for me. Where it falls exactly we’ll see closer to the end of the year, but It’s just that good that I’m already thinking about it in this conversation with months left in the year.
The Weeknd has been riding the high of an 80s revival since After Hours, and bringing it to the forefront with Dawn FM. We also saw it to a smaller extent with Popular with Madonna and, who’s that? Playboi Carti!? I wonder….And this song is no exception. It retains the pure groove factor of songs like Sacrifice, Heartless, Save Your Tears with the lush production of tracks like Out of Time or Escape From LA. Okay, the song sounds good, but you’re just one person, how do people really feel about it? Well I talked to some people.
Yes, that’s right, I spoke to people about music. A few people weighed in, with the first person to respond to my curiosity about opinions being Soren Bryant, a senior, who said, and I quote: “I hate The Weeknd so I don’t listen to him.” Soren’s concise and negative opinion is not exclusive, as Alan Morales, another senior expressed his feeling that many of The Weeknd’s songs sound the same. The jury is still out about whether he’s right or wrong, (he’s wrong) but if you want your opinions to be known about a new release, come find me. Others reacted more positively though. Senior Jin Sheng Cao voiced his opinion that between the two major parts the song is divided into, he prefers the piece that can be defined as Carti’s. He’s not the only person, as much of online consensus seems to be there right now. He didn’t disparage The Weeknd’s verse though, which is worth noting. I was also able to catch seniors Grayson Hough and Brett Taylor’s opinions while I was on my way out today, with Grayson saying that he felt the song was “almost intoxicating, it’s addictive, it’s so spacey.” At this assertion, the rest of their opinions were voiced simultaneously, to the point of homogenization. I made out that they enjoyed the vibe of it, which is well represented. Ever since the song was previewed live by The Weeknd a few weeks ago, the overarching opinion comes down to three simple words; it’s a vibe. I don’t think I can put it any better if I tried so I’m not going too! It’s a good listen, and worth the data or wifi it’ll take to stream.
Past, Present, and Future Tense
What’s This Again?
If you didn’t catch last week’s article, this section now exists because I value keeping a lookout for what’s coming out soon (or super recently, depending on time of publication) but I also wanted to add a section at the tail end where we talk about something from months, years, or even decades past that has either been something I’ve personally been very deeply enjoying since the last installment, or has been seeing renewed interest. I have one song I really need to talk about, and then we’ll get into stuff to keep your eyes peeled for, and finally everyone can go home.
Maps by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
“Wait! They don’t love you like I love you,” is an assertion made by Karen Lee Orzolek (better known as Karen O) from the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s on their 2003 hit song Maps. To put it simply, the song is beautiful. Karen’s voice sounds mildly strained throughout the chorus, but not in a way that sounds like she’s not trying, more so in the way she’s trying too hard. The title Maps is actually an acronym for “My Angus Please Stay,” with Angus referring to Angus Andrew, her at the tie boyfriend. The song has a distinct yearning to it, the sort of melancholy that doesn’t lead to anger or sadness, just a distinct emptiness, begging to feel something. She repeatedly begs for Angus to stay, with her repeating that phrase over and over again, “they don’t love you like I love you.” When the song received a music video, she can be seen crying real tears in the video as Angus was meant to show up for the shoot, but didn’t. It’s a painful watch, anyone who’s been their bargaining, begging for someone to stay knows exactly the kind of pain she’s feeling. The song remains their second most popular, behind the endlessly catchy and danceable Heads Will Roll. So with all of this in mind, you can probably tell that the fact that it’s trending all over TikTok with very silly and lighthearted videos of people trying (and failing miserably at) a face puzzle and a jersey club dance accompanied by a silly filter makes absolutely no sense to me. I’ll level with you, I have no idea why this is trending in this way. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are birthed from a time in rock history so deeply quintessential to where we’re at right now, being around for the birth of Interpol, The Moldy Peaches, LCD Soundsystem, and a little obscure indie band you may have heard of: The Strokes. A late stage career revival isn’t that weird, but it being this song, in this way? It’s absurd. I’m conflicted on how to feel about all of this, since the song is a deep well of pain with a very catchy drum line, so it’s hard to say it has no reason to catch on here, because it does. My personal theory? It’s a surrealist reaction to the current state of love. I know that’s nothing short of insane, but we’re in a post post modernist world, with many people turning to irony or deep layered humor as a way to cope with the fact that the world is on fire. Maps is a song about yearning, and yearning is at an all time high. As more and more people find themselves relying deeply on the love and affection of their partners, and a continual need to be reassured of that, Maps stands as twisting of the knife, great song to cry too if you’re feeling that. Or maybe you don’t want to deal with any of it. You feel that pain, that yearning, that missing, but you’re powerless so you dance in defiance. Frankly, your guess is as good as mine for why it’s everywhere right now, but it’s still worth the listen. All of Fever to Tell is frankly fantastic, and Y Control stands out as another masterful piece of song writing from Karen O. I like the videos with the cats though, if anybody sees one please send it to me.
Wrapping Up the Wrap Up
Hey guys, so I lied about last week being extremely dull because I completely forgot about Carti and the Weeknd, so sorry about that one… But I don’t think I was entirely wrong since much else that came out this week wasn’t noteworthy, so hooray victory for me. This week seems different though, with the week’s most interesting new release to me being Geordie Greep’s The New Sound. While I was always more of a Black Country, New Road gal myself, Black Midi was a band I was persistently aware of and actually quite enjoyed. I wasn’t torn apart by their breakup but it was sad to see them split, but it’s intriguing to think about where the members who made it up will go. I had the privilege of seeing Cameron Picton (performing under the name Camera Picture) open for Black Country, New Road back in May, which was great, so I have a deep sense of optimism about this release. As well, I’m keeping my eyes peeled for some new albums by The Smile, a project from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, as well as a new Coldplay album, and a new Godspeed You! Black Emperor album. They’re quite the interesting band so there’s likely a lot to say about them next week. So if nothing else, come back for that! Until then, thanks for checking in, and I’ll see you next week.