"Lover" by Taylor Swift

Today will be a quick song of the day, since I'm out of town and haven't had much free time. I've tried to keep my Taylor rants to a minimum but I'm going to take a brief detour from this month's theme to share T-Swift's latest song. Mostly because it's the first one I really liked off the new album, which comes out this Friday. Don't get me wrong..."ME!" and "You Need to Calm Down" were fun but not brilliant. "The Archer" was stylistically unique but was a departure from what made Taylor famous (and sounded a little like she was trying to emulate the whimsical sad girl trope that's so popular in indie music nowadays). But "Lover" brings us back to what made her famous - heartfelt lyrics, understated romance, and a relatable country lilt that transcends genres. Honestly, it reminds me of my actual favorite T-Swift tune, "Everything Has Changed," and that's a good thing.

Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand?

With every guitar string scar on my hand

I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover

My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue

All's well that ends well to end up with you

Swear to be over dramatic and true to my lover

And you'll save all your dirtiest jokes for me

And at every table, I'll save you a seat, lover

"Lover" appeals to me because it's rings something that I feel is essential for love and that is the feeling that you're home. Maybe it's my Cancer stellium talking, but it's incredibly difficult for me to feel comfortable enough to be myself with strangers. I find it weird because I find that most people will share all sorts of secrets with me, even when I'm not looking for it. It's not that I'm secretive, I just private...you'll get to know me when I want you to know me and not a minute sooner. When I do find someone that allows me to let my guard down without hesitation, that's something special. It goes without saying that those instances are rare, because once I get to that point, I have a tendency to wear my heart on my sleeve. I'm afraid Taylor and I have that in common, but - after all the turmoil and controversy stirred up during her 20s - it sounds like Taylor's Saturn return has been good to her. It sounds like she's found someone who both inspires her and encourages her to be playful, that makes her want to settle down and build a home. Someone who meets her on her level and both challenges her to be better while accepting that she's human, too. 

I chose to feature the bridge because it has the most dynamic lyric pattern during the whole song. I also think it gets to the heart of what she's saying, which is this - if all the chaos and pain and tears led her to being with (to quote Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail") the "one single person in the world who fills your heart with joy," then it was all worth it. But, I'd like to note few idiosyncrasies I found in the lyrics. Does she really think leaving the lights up until January is a big deal? Honestly, I love Christmas lights and, if it was up to me, I'd leave them up all year long. Or better yet, I'd string 'em up inside my house so I could enjoy them whenever, because it instantly makes a room feel magical. We did that for a while, in our first apartment in San Antonio, and I loved it. We also let our friends crash in our living room, but we really didn't have any other option. We were all young and broke, so it would've been pretty dick to make them get a hotel room. Also, doesn't Taylor Swift have like a 16-room mansion? Pretty sure crashing in the living room is fairly unnecessary for anyone in her social circle. But, I have to admit, it is kind of cozy. I enjoyed sleepovers when I was younger because it felt comforting to have everyone sleeping around me. I'm sure that says something troubling about my psyche but I don't care. Yes, I was one of those kids who liked camping in my living room (which was a rare and treasured experience) and building pillow forts. I read on Twitter that Cancers love their caves. In my case, this is accurate. My whole life, I've always wanted to sleep in a lit clos, which is a type of bed that is built into what looks like a chest of drawers, with doors you can close to make it dark. It's basically like sleeping in a coffin, which I'm sure I'd probably enjoy, too. I'm just rambling now, so I'll stop and give you some time to enjoy the video for "Lover," which is only a lyric video but it's got Taylor's favorite aesthetic (vintage home movies) all over it. 

"Lover" Video

A Few Thoughts on "Lemonade"...

Full disclosure: I would not consider myself a Beyonce fan. Definitely not a member of the Bey-hive, as her fans are called. I enjoy some of her songs but I don't own any full albums and I'm not sure I would personally buy a ticket to see her live (but definitely wouldn't say no if someone invited me). That being said, in my personal opinion, "Lemonade" was absolutely brilliant. Raw, powerful, and obviously extremely personal for Beyonce. I feel like it was her masterpiece, that she tapped into something she's been striving for throughout her career. I'll admit, I shed a few tears, the experience was so emotional.

Just a note - I'm a little late to the game because I don't have HBO and had to track down the full video on the Internet (which was unusually hard). Honestly, I probably wouldn't have bothered if Twitter wasn't all "you have to see this!" But I'm really glad I did.

This post is going to be more of a curated one, of articles that really grasp what I saw when watching "Lemonade." This was a concept album, telling the story of one woman's experience with infidelity. But it was also more than that - it spoke to the cultural and societal experience of being a black woman. And I don't feel that I'm qualified to speak on that. I'm not a black woman - I hardly feel like I can even call myself a Latina most days, even though that's my heritage. But I understand the pain and frustration felt from being disenfranchised. To have society praising the creativity and beauty of aspects of your culture, while simultaneously having to hear hateful words about the people. I've become more conscious of being Hispanic in recent years - more importantly, how people react towards me specifically as a person of mixed parentage. How (some) people prefer to focus on my Italian ancestry and ignore my Hispanic side altogether. I'm getting into the weeds now and I'm trying not to. It's a very personal thing that probably doesn't belong on a music blog. Suffice it to say, I had a heavy dose of the feels reflecting on the imagery and underlying themes in Beyoncé's "Lemonade." Anyway, I encourage you to read the following analyses of the album/video.

Culture and Community: Lemonade, Spirituality, and #BlackGirlMagic - This article was written by a member of the pagan community for The Wild Hunt. The author discusses the symbolism in the video, specifically in regards to African Diasporic religions and other pagan/witchy themes, and her perspective as a black woman.

Beyonce's Lemonade and What Black Girls Really Mean by Good Hair - Explaining the meaning behind the "Becky with the Good Hair" comment in "Sorry" and the cultural baggage it represents.

The History of Becky with the Good Hair - The significance of the name "Becky" in "Sorry." While a lot of articles dealt with who "Becky" is (Hint: It's none of your fucking business), this article goes into why Beyonce may have chose the name to signify the other woman.

Beyonce's Lemonade: A Visual Tale of Grief, Resurrection, and Black Female Empowerment

Lemonade, Love, and Being a Black Girl Who Becomes a Black Woman

Lemonade is Beyonce's Body and Blood

Must See: "Just One of the Guys" Video

Just a few thoughts on the new video Jenny Lewis directed for a song off her upcoming album. The album in question will be called The Voyager and is slated for release July 29th, 2014, which also happens to be my parents anniversary. Coincidence? ....yeah...probably.....

My neuron misfires, in the order they occurred:

1. OMG, Jenny Lewis! I LOVE HER!!! Oh, god, I miss Rilo Kiley.....
2. Kristen Stewart went up a few notches in my book. Her range of facial expressions in this video alone surpasses anything she did in the whole Twilight Saga.
3. Anne Hathaway looks gorgeous. Haters gonna hate....but shit, she makes short hair look hot. Almost makes me want to ditch my Rapunzel-esque locks. Well, that and 99 degree weather. Seriously. Fuck Texas.
4. That suit. 
5. That guitar. Where do you even fucking find one of those?! Is it even street legal?!
6. Holy shit....is that the girl from 21 Jump Street? Yes. Yes it is. (Her name is Brie Larson. She also played Envy Adams in Scott Pilgrim vs The World in case you haven't seen 21 Jump Street. Seriously, you need to see 21 Jump Street. Fucking Hilarious.)
7. Kristen Stewart is kind of hot as a guy. Is that just me?
8. I really like this song. Story of my life when I was at school. Because, no matter how cool you are, girls are never considered "bros." Learned that lesson the hard way. Cool story, Jeopardy Kid.
9. I am so excited Jenny Lewis is releasing a new album -- she's a great artist, solo or otherwise. 

I love it when famous people do seriously cool shit like dressing in drag for an indie music video. Quite frankly, I wished it would happen more often. Because that's what I would do if I were famous.

I'll shut up so y'all can watch the video.

Album Release Tuesday: Vox Humana Preview

Vox Humana

by Papertwin

Impression:  I'm not a big fan of techno and electronica. If I do listen to it, it tends to be lyric heavy and very pop-py (I know...that's barely even a description....it's been a long day). But, I approach life with the assumption that practically everything is an acquired taste and I'll try anything once - twice, thrice, maybe even 15 times! - until I like it or at least until I don't want to bash my brains in. It worked with sparkling mineral water and it even (sort of) worked with Maroon 5 -- now I wait about 25 to 30 seconds before I change the radio station, which, coincidentally, is the amount of time it takes me to decide if I want to deal with that shit for 3 to 5 minutes. Anyway, when I started listening to Vox Humana, I was concerned it was going to end up being a half hour plus of the same crap I could go to a nightclub to hear if I was really feeling masochistic. It was all synthesized beats and scales and I was all like "Oh noes!" But then the intro to "Alkaline" ended and the dream-like waves of sound began. The guy has a very mellow voice and the overall sound reminds me of a more energetic Walter Meego track mixed with New Wave punk a la Depeche Mode and The Cure. Not surprisingly, they list The Cure as one of their influence. I don't mind -- Who doesn't like The Cure? Am I right?! Anyway, their first EP provided excellent background music while I worked on a project for work. I would like to delve into the lyrics more because it sounded like there was more to them than just pretty words, but for right now, it's enough to get lost in the beats.

Songs I Enjoyed:  I loved "Sonar." I listened to the whole album (it's not very long) a couple of times to get a feel for the sound but I listened to this song probably like 6 or 7 times. I also enjoyed the mirrored vocals in "Whale" - while the lead singer sung the melody, a distorted track of what I assume was his voice was layered over top. I think the goal was to give the impression that it was part of a whale recording. Pretty much hit the mark -- it's super creepy but in a good way.

Sounds Like:  Dreamy synth-pop heavily influenced by early 80s punk

Buy it on:  June 17th, 2014

Free on iTunes This Week -- "Colours" by Grouplove

Remember that song that I told you was a must listen last night?  In a happy twist of fate, it is also the free single of the week on iTunes, so if you enjoyed it and have an iPod, you have no excuse not to cash in on this.  As an added bonus, their debut album (which came out today) is being offered for $8.99.  A dollar off may not seem like much but every little bit counts, right?  They have other stuff for free, as well, though nothing I'm particularly psyched about. 

The album, Never Trust a Happy, is also available on Spinner for a listen.  I may or may not have time today or tomorrow to go through it and write up my thoughts.  That's a little up in the air, right now, seeing as how I have a phone interview in an hour and --hopefully, assuming all goes well -- a date with a plane bound for New Orleans so I can do a face-to-face.  And, as much as I'm digging Grouplove, I'm really hoping I don't have time this week.  :D