Sequestration Strains
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Let's be real. 2020 has been fucking insane. At this point, who knows how this year will be remembered in the annals of US history. We are all stuck inside and if you're an entertainment junkie, specifically a music junkie, like me, it's been tough. Lots of albums have been postponed some with no new release date. Luckily, we haven't been entirely devoid of new music during this time. Here are some of the albums (all released during quarantine) that have been getting me through.
Fiona Apple - "Fetch the Bolt Cutters"
Fiona Apple defied her record label to give us this gift back on April 17th. Apple defying her label is certainly on brand for her. This is the woman who when she won her Best New Artis VMA in 1997 proclaimed the world is bullshit. And that's when I really fell in love with her.
"Fetch the Bolt Cutters," her fifth studio album, is her very best and the best album that's come out of 2020 so far. And, honestly, I doubt anything will top it. If you haven't listened to some of her more recent output this album may be a bit of a shock to you. Apple created the majority of this album in her home, which makes it even better as a product of this time in quarantine. A lot of these songs were recorded in single takes with "mistakes" like dogs barking and flubbed lyrics kept in. These idiosyncrasies enrich the album rather than detract from it. She does really interesting things with her voice like the high pitched dolphin noises at the end of album opener, "I Want You to Love Me." Lyrically, she's never been better whether she's waxing poetic about a former classmate who saw her potential in "Shameika" or refusing to be quiet at a shitty dinner party in "Under the Table." Apple was influenced by the MeToo movement. The title track comes from a line spoken by Gillian Anderson's inspector character in "The Fall" when she finds a locked door that may house a killer's female victim. The one two punch of "Newspaper" and "Ladies" is maybe the best ten minutes committed to audio this year. Even after listening to it repeatedly, I still get something new each time I put on "Fetch the Bolt Cutters." It's deeply layered and nuanced. The definition of a masterpiece.
Charli XCX - "how i'm feeling now"
Out of all the albums on this list, this is the only one that was conceived, written and recorded in quarantine. When Charli said she was going to attempt this, I was kind of skeptical. She had just released her stellar sophomore album, "Charli," last year and like I'm the least motivated during all this, so I just assumed everyone was like that. I am super happy to have been proven wrong.
Charli really used the quarantine to her advantage when it came to making "how i'm feeling now." She used Instagram live to work on songs, workshopping lyrics and beats with her fans. The end result is an album that is very much of this quarantine moment, but stands shoulder to shoulder with her other work. The pulsing, throbbing electro beats the that have become her trademark are there. The album opens with the thumping, propulsive "pink diamond" and takes you on a journey you don't want to end. The first single "forever" is a somewhat unconventional love song for her current boyfriend about they will always be in each other's lives even if they break up. There are songs that specifically point to our quarantine era. "detonate" talks about wanting space when you're cooped up with people for a long time, "enemy" is all about the realization her boyfriend is closer to her than any of her friends and "anthems" finds her wistful about partying with her friends and strangers pre-quarantine and a desire to get back to that. "how I'm feeling now" is both a time capsule of quarantine time and a bop filled album you'll come back to even when quarantine is just a twinkle in your mind's eye.
Dua Lipa - "Future Nostalgia"
I was a fan of Dua Lipa before "Future Nostalgia" was released at the end of March. A very casual fan. I would bop around to "New Rules" and "IDGAF" and had listened to her debut a handful of times, but I wouldn't consider myself a stan. She was making extremely listenable pop tunes and I couldn't be mad at it. Well, after listening to her sophomore effort about a thousand times, I can definitely count myself as converted.
"Future Nostalgia" definitely lives up to its reputation. Dua Lipa takes the dance sounds of mainly late 80's and 90's and updates them for modern audiences. Every single song on the album is a certified bop. The worst thing you can say about it is that it's over too soon. When's the last time you got done listening to an album and thought, "Wow, that was over way too fast." There are rumblings that Dua Lipa will be releasing a deluxe version sometime this summer. I'm going to highlight some songs that I love that I feel like don't get a lot of love. "Love Again" is one I listen to over and over. I love the way it uses the "My Woman" sample. "Good In Bed" feels like a lost Lily Allen track from the "Alright, Still..." sessions and "Boys Will Be Boys" is a feminist anthem.
Sara Evans - "Copy That"
I have a confession to make. There is some country I like. There, I said it. I'm not proud of it, but what can I say. Sometimes, the heart wants what the heart wants. One of the few country artists I enjoy is Sara Evans. She has a fantastic voice and the songs she sings are real. They don't feel manufactured at all. Her last album of original material was "Words" and it is maybe her best so I was a little disappointed when I found out this album was going to be all covers, but I generally enjoy cover albums and she makes some really interesting choices.
Fiona Apple defied her record label to give us this gift back on April 17th. Apple defying her label is certainly on brand for her. This is the woman who when she won her Best New Artis VMA in 1997 proclaimed the world is bullshit. And that's when I really fell in love with her.
"Fetch the Bolt Cutters," her fifth studio album, is her very best and the best album that's come out of 2020 so far. And, honestly, I doubt anything will top it. If you haven't listened to some of her more recent output this album may be a bit of a shock to you. Apple created the majority of this album in her home, which makes it even better as a product of this time in quarantine. A lot of these songs were recorded in single takes with "mistakes" like dogs barking and flubbed lyrics kept in. These idiosyncrasies enrich the album rather than detract from it. She does really interesting things with her voice like the high pitched dolphin noises at the end of album opener, "I Want You to Love Me." Lyrically, she's never been better whether she's waxing poetic about a former classmate who saw her potential in "Shameika" or refusing to be quiet at a shitty dinner party in "Under the Table." Apple was influenced by the MeToo movement. The title track comes from a line spoken by Gillian Anderson's inspector character in "The Fall" when she finds a locked door that may house a killer's female victim. The one two punch of "Newspaper" and "Ladies" is maybe the best ten minutes committed to audio this year. Even after listening to it repeatedly, I still get something new each time I put on "Fetch the Bolt Cutters." It's deeply layered and nuanced. The definition of a masterpiece.
Out of all the albums on this list, this is the only one that was conceived, written and recorded in quarantine. When Charli said she was going to attempt this, I was kind of skeptical. She had just released her stellar sophomore album, "Charli," last year and like I'm the least motivated during all this, so I just assumed everyone was like that. I am super happy to have been proven wrong.
Charli really used the quarantine to her advantage when it came to making "how i'm feeling now." She used Instagram live to work on songs, workshopping lyrics and beats with her fans. The end result is an album that is very much of this quarantine moment, but stands shoulder to shoulder with her other work. The pulsing, throbbing electro beats the that have become her trademark are there. The album opens with the thumping, propulsive "pink diamond" and takes you on a journey you don't want to end. The first single "forever" is a somewhat unconventional love song for her current boyfriend about they will always be in each other's lives even if they break up. There are songs that specifically point to our quarantine era. "detonate" talks about wanting space when you're cooped up with people for a long time, "enemy" is all about the realization her boyfriend is closer to her than any of her friends and "anthems" finds her wistful about partying with her friends and strangers pre-quarantine and a desire to get back to that. "how I'm feeling now" is both a time capsule of quarantine time and a bop filled album you'll come back to even when quarantine is just a twinkle in your mind's eye.
I was a fan of Dua Lipa before "Future Nostalgia" was released at the end of March. A very casual fan. I would bop around to "New Rules" and "IDGAF" and had listened to her debut a handful of times, but I wouldn't consider myself a stan. She was making extremely listenable pop tunes and I couldn't be mad at it. Well, after listening to her sophomore effort about a thousand times, I can definitely count myself as converted.
"Future Nostalgia" definitely lives up to its reputation. Dua Lipa takes the dance sounds of mainly late 80's and 90's and updates them for modern audiences. Every single song on the album is a certified bop. The worst thing you can say about it is that it's over too soon. When's the last time you got done listening to an album and thought, "Wow, that was over way too fast." There are rumblings that Dua Lipa will be releasing a deluxe version sometime this summer. I'm going to highlight some songs that I love that I feel like don't get a lot of love. "Love Again" is one I listen to over and over. I love the way it uses the "My Woman" sample. "Good In Bed" feels like a lost Lily Allen track from the "Alright, Still..." sessions and "Boys Will Be Boys" is a feminist anthem.
I have a confession to make. There is some country I like. There, I said it. I'm not proud of it, but what can I say. Sometimes, the heart wants what the heart wants. One of the few country artists I enjoy is Sara Evans. She has a fantastic voice and the songs she sings are real. They don't feel manufactured at all. Her last album of original material was "Words" and it is maybe her best so I was a little disappointed when I found out this album was going to be all covers, but I generally enjoy cover albums and she makes some really interesting choices.
This album is automatically a win because she covers my favorite Fleetwood Mac song sang by Lindsey Buckingham, "Monday Morning." It's a pretty straight forward cover but her rich voice really suits the song and makes it even better. There are some surprising cover choices that I am super into. Evans turns "Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners into even more of a hoedown tune accentuating the fiddles and really committing to the ridiculous lyric. "6th Avenue Heartache" by the Wallflowers is a song I haven't heard since junior high but you'd have thought that she wrote the song herself. So many winners here and if you're looking for an album to throw on and have it wrap around you like a warm blanket this is it.
Carly Rae Jepsen - "Dedicated Side B"
Carly Rae Jepsen could have easily been a one-hit wonder. Her smash hit single, "Call Me Maybe" had all the earmarks of a one and done. Incessant radio play, an iconic video. She could have gifted us this and then sank into obscurity, counting her royalty money. But she said, no. And thank goodness for that. Her second album, "Kiss," was sort of an amuse bouche for what was to come. Her third album, "Emotion," was a revelation. One of the best albums of the 2010s and she followed up with an EP of B sides called "Emotion Side B." When she released "Dedicated" last year, fans hoped she would do the same and she didn't disappoint.
"Dedicated Side B" was surprise released on May 10 and it's a great supplement for "Dedicated" which is an underrated record. The songs made with producer of the moment, Bleachers frontman, Jack Antonoff, are probably my favorites. "This Love Isn't Crazy" and "Comeback" are both perfect slices of California power pop and I'm officially onboard for a full Carly Rae/Bleachers collab album. Let's make it happen! I'm obsessed with the one-two punch of "Felt This Way" and "Stay Away." They are basically the same song, but by changing up the melody, the first is more of a synth ballad and the second a more uptempo dance track, Carly changes up the way the song makes you feel. It's great. The album ends with the sweet ballad, "Now I Don't Hate California" after all and once it concludes, you just want to start it all over again.
JoJo - "good to know"
Joanna Levesque neé JoJo should be a gigantic star. You may remember her for as the 14 year old singer of the smash hit, "Leave (Get Out)" that showcased a superlative vocal talent that sounded like it should be coming from a much older woman. JoJo released two successful albums but became mired in legal battles and record label troubles that delayed the release of her third album, "Mad Love." by about 10 years. She wasn't just idle all that time though, she released fantastic mix tapes filled with songs that she couldn't release on an actual album. "Mad Love." was a great return for JoJo, but her fourth studio album, "good to know" may be her best yet.
"good to know" is filled with sultry R&B mid tempo bangers and ballads where JoJo reminds us that she is a full grown woman and she is sexual. On "So Bad" she's creeping with another woman's man. "Pedialyte" has her swigging the kids drink to replenish her electrolytes after a night of partying she swears she won't do again, but deep down knows she will. Lead single, "Man," has her detailing the list of things she's looking for in a potential partner, but she's not in a hurry because no dude will love her like she loves herself. My favorite track on the record is probably "Small Things." It's a quieter song with a nice acoustic guitar lick throughout. JoJo's powerful voice is more restrained and lovely as she laments how she misses a past love and how the sruuggle to move on when you lose a love like that is real. This is a relatively short record, 9 songs on the digital version with an intro and outro on the physical copy. But it packs a punch and hopefully positions JoJo to take her rightful place with the other queens of pop and R&B.
Lady Gaga - "Chromatica"
For a while, Lady Gaga had been doing her own thing. After her third album, "ARTPOP' fizzled, she went on a journey. She tried new things. She showed us new sides to herself. She released an album of jazz duets with Tony Bennett. She slayed "The Sound of Music" at the Oscars. She showed us her country side with "Joanne." She became a serious actress and won her first Oscar with "A Star Is Born" and "Shallow" respectively. Though, let's be real, it should have been her second Oscar because we all know that "Til It Happens to You" is a waaaaayyy better song than "The Writing's on the Wall," but I digress. During all of this, the Monsters, myself included, continued to Stan but we really wanted a return to what made Gaga famous in the first place: first rate dance pop bops. And in this, the year of Miss Rona, Gaga delivered with her sixth studio album, "Chromatica."
I don't want to get my Monster card revoked, but while "Chromatica" is a good album and definitely a return to her roots, it's not revelatory in any way. When I listened to "Chromatica" the first time and each time since, I get this feeling of comfort. It's exactly what I expected which is both very reassuring and yet slightly disappointing at the same time. Like, every time I expected Gaga to zig, she zigged and it would have been nice for her to zag. Now, that out of the way, I legit really enjoy this album. It's great. I feel like from "Chromatica II" on, it's pretty flawless. The transition from "Chromatica II" into "911" is stunning. "Plastic Doll" reminds me of a track off of "The Fame" with lyrics written by a more mature Gaga. "Enigma" and "Babylon" are thumping dance anthems and "Sine From Above" is a killer duet with Sir Elton John. Lyrically, I love the juxtaposition of sort of somber lyrics against these thumping beats. The album is also relatively short so once it's over, you want to hit repeat.
Perfume Genius - "Set My Heart on Fire Immediately"
I'm going to be honest. For the most part, I stan female artists. This list should make that pretty clear. If I am drawn to a male artist, it's usually a queer artist and the pattern holds with my love for Perfume Genius. Mike Hadreas nee Perfume Genius was born in Des Moines, IA, where I live, which I love. He moved to Seattle when he was like 7, but still. I first became aware of him when he released his amazing third album, "Too Bright" and I've been obsessed ever since. Perfume Genius doesn't try to edit the message of his songs for a heteronormative audience. He is very clear that these songs are for queer people, specifically queer men and its kind of refreshing. He sings about body dysmorphia, his body issues due to his Chron's disease, the violence that queer people experience when they walk outside.
This album is breathtaking. There really isn't a bad song on the album. I love "Whole Life" where he is feeling his entire Roy Orbison fantasy. "Without You" is a song about body dysmorphia and that brief moment where you look in the mirror and like what you see. That feeling. There is "Jason," a fictionalized account of an experience that he had with a straight guy when he was 23. "Your Body Changes Everything" is an upbeat love song about that moment of connection when you are really attracted to someone. There are songs like "Leave" and "Moonbend" that are gorgeous new takes on like chamber pop and shoe gaze. It's all beautiful and definitely one of my top ten best albums of 2020... so far.
Hayley Williams - "Petals for Armor"
You probably know Hayley Williams as the front woman for the pop punk band, Paramore. After they rose to fame with mega single, "Misery Business," a single they no longer play because of its anti-feminist lyrics, they matured with each album. The line up of Paramore always seemed to be in flux, but the one constant was Hayley. Her soaring vocals and assured songwriting anchoring each new release. The bands most recent release, "After Laughter," had Williams juxtaposing raw lyrics about her battles with anxiety, suicide and depression with 80's style, synth pop. If you're looking for more of that on her first solo album, well you might be a little disappointed.
"Petals for Armor" was rolled out as 3 EPs or combined as the full album. Each EP was 5 songs and the completed album shows Williams exploring different sounds that she wouldn't necessarily be able to within the context of a Paramore release. A lot of the songs on "Petals" were inspired by her divorce from Chad Gilbert and rebuilding herself from that and finding new love. She continues to write about her struggles with depression and living with that. The album is experimental and it's great to listen to Hayley step out of her comfort zone and explore. There is St. Vincent style guitar pop, haunting chamber pop and even the classic Paramore power pop we know and love. Some standout tracks are "Simmer," feminist anthem "Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris,""Pure Love," "Watch Me While I Bloom."
So, here are a few albums that are helping me through this crazy time. I started writing this towards the end of May, so there have been a lot more released since then, that I plan on talking about in a future post. I'd love to hear what albums, new or old, have been helping you cope. Talk about them in the comments!
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