Britney Jean Critique

Britney Spears - Britney Jean

I think... think, I love this album. If I don't love this album later, I would like to share that I think this album is HUGE personally for Britney. Britney is pushing herself vocally, if you listen you can hear her trying to break her niche voice. The lyrics seem like I did some googling. Wikipedia has me all confused on the facts of this, but you guys should know B has never written her own lyrics. Only a handful of songs on her albums have been from her own hand. I'm sure she has written Everytime, Sometimes, and Someday (I Will Understand) the others listed on wiki weren't there a few years ago so I'm not sure. Anyway, point stands, the songs she's written, you can tell, they are personal and usually slower and shed a new light. I again don't know the truth, but listening to this album, I suspect she has written most of these songs. 

I can't believe this but, I am stating for the record that I don't think Brit has used auto-tune on her previous albums. She's had great producers and a little help as every one does, sure, but this album is AUH-TOE-TUNED. Some songs she almost sounds like an animated squirrel. I still can't be mad though.

I've grown up with Britney. I've followed her heartbreaks as if they were my own, supported the crazy. I don't know why, because I recognize Britney is not an exceptional anything really, but I will forever be bound to her and support her. I think she is an incredibly strong person and has been raised and crucified by the spotlight. 

This album, taking out all the bullshit, is something tangible Britney. She seems aware of this album, present in the lyrics. She had a say in this one. Britney's other albums are great, the hits are undeniably amazing, and the other filler songs go along with her image of a human  puppet. But this album seems like something she wants to do. It's as if she's lost her manager and she's sober in the studio and asking questions and I can't not love that independence.

Some of the decisions on this album we're the wrong ones. I'm not above admitting some of the lyrics are typical Britney pawned trash. Some of the lines are repeated to exhaustion. The overuse of effects and sound is like a seizure to the ears at times. It's too much, way too much. I would guess this is some over ambition of Spears's first day on the job. However, I'm still incredibly proud of her. 

My proposition: re-record and re-release this album, Britney Jean, Unplugged. Take out all the bullshit, lay down the tracks in your God given voice, and let the people hear you. 

Jamie Lynn made an appearance in Chillin' With You, her voice was nice, nothing special, too auto-tuned, but you can tell she has a sweet little voice. 

This album, taking out all the bullshit, is something tangible Britney. She seems aware of this album, present in the lyrics. She had a say in this one. Britney's other albums are great, the hits are undeniably amazing, and the other filler songs go along with her image of a human  puppet. But this album seems like something she wants to do. It's as if she's lost her manager and she's sober in the studio and asking questions and I can't not love that independence.

Some of the decisions on this album we're the wrong ones. I'm not above admitting some of the lyrics are typical Britney pawned trash. Some of the lines are repeated to exhaustion. The overuse of effects and sound is like a seizure to the ears at times. It's too much, way too much. I would guess this is some over ambition of Spears's first day on the job. However, I'm still incredibly proud of her. 

My proposition: re-record and re-release this album, Britney Jean, Unplugged. Take out all the bullshit, lay down the tracks in your God given voice, and let the people hear you. 

Jamie Lynn made an appearance in Chillin' With You, her voice was nice, nothing special, too auto-tuned, but you can tell she has a sweet little voice. 

Passenger - Favorite song lyrically. I haven't heard this voice since her first album and holy shit she hits a real note. 

Alien - Too auto-tuned, but I like the new direction.

Work Bitch - First single off the album, love it duh.

Perfume - Only listen to the bonus remixed "dreaming" version. The regular version is terrible. The second is beautifully done with piano and acoustic guitar. 

Tik Tik Boom - This is probably the most catchy of them all, but it's about sex and I hate that. She's got so much more to write about. Like that Stronger "ooh-yeah-ayy-yeaaaah" at 2:31 and 2:40 though.

It Should Be Easy - It's not easy for me to like this song. My least favorite. The auto-tune makes me want to die. The lyrics are beyond terrible and I blame will.i.am, because he's so easy to not like. "I've been thinkin', just sitin' thinkin' on why you and all the reasons." "You bring me ZIN (zen), yeah you bring me ZIN, you make me feel like a million billion" (oh, there's the rhyme -_-) AWFUL SONG.

Body Ache - Has that great effect from the beat of Scream And Shout.

The songs are okay for the most part, I'm going to listen to them over and over so it is what it is. Listening to the whole album is really a gift though, to hear young Britney in these songs coming back out, talented, living, breathing, thinking Britney... 

It's nice. Albeit, you have to dig through the auto-tune,

Yelyah Williams is Sporting New Ink!

While looking up pictures for that last little diddy I noticed Hay Hay got some new tats. 

Noticed the thigh bandage.

Steal Her Style made a really great post on all of Hayley's tattoos and their meanings here.

Paramore's Self Titled

It's time! After a four year hiatus Paramore is back in black, or orange... The official release of Paramore's self titled album is this Tuesday but the band decided to release all four sides of the album on their site for the last four nights. After listening to side D tonight I felt I needed to give my critique. 

 Given that the Farro brothers are no longer in the band and the fact that they added a lot to Paramore's niche sound, this album is a lot less rock and a lot more pop than normally considered. They have ditched their emo upbringing for the time being and have traded it in for a pair of roller skates and a blow pop.  This album exudes a lot of upbeat, happy, and carefree bubblegum pop-ness to it. Knowing that Williams grew up listening to pop and really cherishes her 80s icons, you can hear how fun this album was to make. It feels light compared to their normal heavy beauty. Knowing its been awhile since their last release and how much  the band has gone through losing the Farro brothers, this album looks, feels and sounds like a good clean fun breath of well deserved fresh air. The album stands as a moving on and a looking forward attitude that the members often try to project in interviews and on stage; move forward, think positive, do what you love and try not to put others down in the process.

This album more so represents Hayley particularly I think more so than any of the others. Her background, her sense of style and her interests come cascading through the speakers. I will dare to say that I think this album is the auditory form of how she dresses. I kept thinking, "This sounds like her clothes..." while listening. If you're a Hayley fan you will understand this. A few songs really represent Jeremy and Taylor as well. Jeremy can be heard in the glimmering distortions and effects, where as Taylor really shines in the songs closest resembling their older stuff, songs like Proof, Now, and Future.

Hay Hay's voice has grown leaps and bounds and it's 110% evident. She has so much control and strength in her voice and shes not afraid of it. She's not pushing herself the way she has done in all of her albums, she's comfortable and you can really hear the strength shes starting to cultivate.

This album includes a lot of new things for the band. This album abandons most of Paramores go-to beats and tries on new simpler upbeats. They also have experimented with a plethora of background effects. This album has a lot of what I like to call "Pumped Up Kicks," sounds and effects that you would normally hear in Vampire Weekend, Discovery, or M83, which makes sense because the producer of the album has worked on many of those as well. In addition this album has a lot of "interludes" on it. These are completely unlike Paramores former sound in every way. They are all acoustic ukulele songs that bring back that old fireside-chat-radio-tube sound. They are classic, nostalgic, yet fresh and lovely. It's really nice to hear Paramore do something like this for a change. 

This is a breather album. This is something very "spring." It's new, simple, happy, light, and you can dance in your underwear to it with your best friend.

Album comes out on Tuesday. All of the songs can be heard on youtube by searching for the audio with the song name.

So get tah dancin'

Dear Rihanna,

Stay 

Everytime 

Britney did it better.

Shameful

Fall Out Boy's new video for the single Phoenix came out recently and I just watched it. This band frustrates the hell out of me because Evening Out With Your Girlfriend, Take This To Your Grave, and From Under The Cork Tree are three of the best albums in pop/rock history... then they just sold out, and they are proud of that fact. They featured shirts with "Sell Out Boy," on them. I don't really care about their yearly projections or their home lives, but since Infinity On High they've been making music that is a total 360 from the substance they used to deliver. Stump's lyrics have always been hard to follow, but they used to at least challenge thought. His vocals are now obnoxious.

I'd like to take this moment to acknowledge the bands out there:

1. Not in this for money, but the passion and physical need to express ones self. 

2. Bands that stay true to themselves and their supporters by continuing to challenge and keep their sound, but improve upon it. 

3. Individuals as well as bands that are rising through the airwaves providing listeners with more than just words to chords, but actual meaning and thought provoking  hope giving, and change inspiring, powerful lyrics. 

As much as I hate giving this more views, form your own opinions. 

Phoenix 

Tavi Gevinson and WHY

Tavi Gevinson is a 15 year old girl that's more successful than you. She's establishing her way into fame by being extraordinarily knowledgeable and a walking trend-setter emitting "cool" through everything she does. Starting a blog at 11, The Style Rookie gained a following and led to Ms. Gevinson's publication of Rookie Magazine. Tavi explains the blog and the zine as a sort of mecca for teenage girls, not promising an answer or an opinion, but a place to discover ones self. Watching her Ted Talk, Gevinson displays the new wave of Feminism, a "cool" that resembles nods to Margot Tenenbaum among others, a fresh fashion sense that evolves as fast as it catches on, and an enlightened teen spirit of not giving a decisive shit on anything.

Ted Talk

If that's not enough to hate yourself for doing nothing at fifteen but playing video games and prank calling Pizzahut, wait until you obsessively YouTube video clips of her. She's got gumption, and I like that. So three "You go Glen Coco's" to Tavi Gevinson, one of the few youngsters to remember for something more than a hit single or a sex tape. Not to mention her music taste is INCREDIBLE. 

Picture taken from thestylerookie.com 2013

What a schizophrenic hears

I ran into this audio clip that researchers put together based on information they gathered from actual patients. Listen to it with headphones, it's pretty powerful. I don't think it's exactly accurate, based on the little I studied when I was a psych major. Nonetheless, it's good to get perspective, to somewhat understand how devastating every second is for people suffering from this.

What Schizophrenia sounds like:

-m 

Warped Tour 2013

The Used is playing my dates. Done. I'm in.

Vah Beach 7/9

DCizzle 7/10

Also excited for Motion City, Chiodos, Story of The Year, Woe is me, We Came As Romans, August Burns Red, Bring me the Horizon, Silverstein, Oh Sleeper, and Billy Talent.

Super sad that Ice Nine Kills won't be playing our dates :(

The rest of the line up

See you there,

-m