6/10

Not June 10th

6/10 by Dodie Clark

"It takes me to a different place, and it makes me sad in a good way. I just really love Dodie Clark too, to be fair."

Stripped down to nothing but vocals and a keyboard, this song lays bare the singer's soul. Clark's voice sounds close to breaking the whole time, which is perfect for this confessional about those days when you feel like a six out of ten.

You're not the worst out there but....still not good enough. There's nothing really wrong, no good sob story. Your'e just. Okay I guess.

I'm glad it makes you sad in a good way, because for me it's just sad in a sad way. It takes me to a different place, too - and that's a different place in time. It captures those feelings of worthlessness so perfectly that it takes me back to high school, when I couldn't ever shake the feeling that you don't want me here.

Of course, I still feel like that sometimes, but not as often.

Clark describes the song in her own words: "it's about social anxiety and feeling just so bloomin insecure in social situations. 6/10 is like...ya know. Fine. People like you I guess but you're just a meh."

It's not fun. It's not a happy song. But there's comfort in it. There's comfort in hearing that someone else understands what you're going through. There's comfort in knowing you're not alone.

The piano is beautiful, and the melody is well-written. It only took one listen to commit the chorus to memory.

Then you get to the layering of vocals that brings the song to a heartbreaking climax. It's like we're really getting inside this girl's mind, hearing that quote that she's saying to herself over and over again: I know that you don't want me here.

At this point, it doesn't matter whether it's true or not. It doesn't matter if everyone thinks she's a 10/10 and wants her to stay - because she has this other truth repeating in the back of her mind like a mantra.

I know that you don't want me here.

You don't want me here.

It's a well-crafted song that reflects conveys its message through every aspect of its composition, from the accompaniment to the melody to the delivery to the lyrics. Maybe you're right about it being sad in a good way.

Overview:

Genre:
Singer-songwriter / Indie folk

Favorite Lyrics:
I'll close my mouth.
I won't say a word...
A nod of pity for the plain girl.

Verdict:
10/10

Take On Me

Jukebox Heroes

Take On Me by a-ha

Recommended (loosely) by the police officer at Waffle House the other night

"Do y'all know the history of this song? It was actually kind of a flub until the music video came out."

I believed him, but I decided to look deeper into this claim. According to Rolling Stone, this is quite true: "I have no doubt that the video made the song a hit...The song has a super catchy riff, but it is a song that you have to hear a few times. And I don't think it would've been given the time of day without the enormous impact of the video."

Plus, you can see for yourself that it's a cool music video. Wikipedia calls it "rotoscoping" (plus live action).

It's honestly a miracle that it ended up as popular as it did. When the song was first released, it couldn't get higher than 137 UK charts, which was the lowest of any a-ha song to chart previously. Yet - for some reason - Warner Brothers chose to give them a chance to re-record it.

Surprise: it flopped again.

Then - and Wikipedia really doesn't explain this - Warner Brothers decided to pump "significant money" into a killer music video. That sounds to me like the start of a plan to deliberately run their company into the ground.

It's fortunate that I am not in charge of business over at WB...because the video worked. Immediately after its release, Take On Me broke into the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for twenty-three weeks, reaching #10 for a solid amount of time.

Unbelievable.

Anyway, a-ha remained popular internationally, but this was the height of their fame in the U.S.

(That said, the popularity of this one track never really faded. It's a widely known song, and just last year, Kygo produced a remix that he calls "tropical house.")

Overview:

Genre:
synthpop

Favorite Lyrics:
It's no better to be safe than sorry.

Verdict:
wouldn't want to sing this in karaoke

Mint Leaf

Sweet Like Honey

Mint leaf by Vincent Mango

Recommended by Jay

"Spotify rec'd it to me, and I was like 'why not.'"

This is the most common explanation given for why people send me songs. It works for me, though. I feel like maybe I should get on Spotify so it can give me these song recs directly, and we can skip the whole third party.

Seriously, though, thank you for the recommendation. I couldn't do this blog without audience participation.

I love this song. It took me a second, but I feel like I could enjoy this everyday for, like, an extended period of time. The feeling it gives me is soothing and gentle, but more than anything, it's just cool. It doesn't seem to try too hard, yet it still blows you away. Cool.

It's the track you want to be playing as you walk down a city street. It transitions well from the transportation montage to the bar, too. Okay here's the scene:

You're walking downtown at night. It's raining a little bit - not a lot, just enough to cover your jacket with a fine layer of mist. It takes you about fifteen minutes to walk to your favorite bar (luckily, the montage of footage is only about two minutes, so you still have some jam time left by the time you get to the pub.)

It's not crowded because it's, like, nine o'clock on a Monday. You order a drink and settle down in your usual location. The camera scans the bar, and the audience realizes the music is now diegetic; it's being played by the live band in the corner.

It has noir vibes.

I love the sound in general, from the percussion (especially that spare drum) to the keyboard to the electronic flute-sounding thing. They all work together really well to create that mood.

The mood is particularly important here because the lyrics aren't telling a specific story. It's more about disconnected scenes and images for me. The taste of the cigarette which, for some reason, is better than the taste of a mint leaf (...?).

I'm up way too late right now, and this track is putting me to sleep in the absolute best way, so goodnight.

Overview:

Genre:
Alt Rock

Favorite Lyrics:
and I'm just dreamin'
and you're just sleepin'

Verdict:
put me in a trance

P.S. I definitely didn't hear the comma during the first listen of the song. I thought it was "I been drinking too much honey" rather than "I been drinking too much, honey." Both probably apply to me.

Simple and Clean

Hikari Hikaru

Simple and Clean by Mree

Recommended by Kim C.

"I love any and all versions of this song, but thought I would switch it up with a cover :)"

Thanks, Kim. I, too, love any and all versions of this song. For nostalgia reasons but also because it's a great song and the message makes me really happy. Who doesn't want to stop overthinking things and live in the moment and fall in love?

The original version of Simple and Clean was by Utada Hikaru, and you can find it here.

But that's not entirely true. The ORIGINAL original was actually in Japanese, and it was called Hikari (well, 光 - "light"), and you can find it here (That's a bad live recording, but it was actually hard to find on YouTube). Utada recorded the song in English for the international promotion of the video game Kingdom Hearts, for which it's the official theme song.

Hopefully that explains some things for those of you who were wondering why Mree suddenly switched over to Japanese at around 2:40. (Which, like. Kudos to her for doing that.)

I'd never heard this cover before, so I'm glad you sent it to me. I like this girl's voice, and I'm impressed that she's playing her own accompaniment. Look at that guitar. Listen to that keyboard. It's a pretty arrangement all around.

Overview:

Genre:
Pop Folk, but the cover is more like. Um. Chill.
I don't know. I'm not qualified to write this blog.

Favorite Lyrics:
Whatever lies beyond this morning
is a little later on.

Verdict:
Title of song is misleading. There are many non-simple runs, if we're being honest.

Let's Go

Happy Fall Break

Let's Go by Stuck in the Sound

"There's just something about listening to it that gets me. Maybe it sounds nostalgic to me for some reason. That, and the music video with it was very entertaining and something I really enjoyed."

I can dig this track.

It gets a little harsh for my taste when the power guitar comes in heavy every now and then, but it's nothing I can't handle. It's one of those rare songs where I actually prefer the verses over the chorus.

The ultimate is really the pre-chorus, though:

I know you would make me happy.
Girl, I found my way out...

Oh, and I live for the oooohs.

I admit I don't quite understand the lyrics. I thought it was kind of positive, maybe like...a breakup? He's kind of sad - nostalgic, even - but he finally found a way out of a relationship that wasn't healthy for him even though he liked it.

...But the folks over at Genius seem convinced that the whole thing is actually about suicide. Which, yikes.

I like the music video, too! It's a unique style, and it tells a full story. It's basically an animated short, but the music is just this one unrelated song.

Plus, gotta love outer space.

Overview:

Genre:
Indie Rock

Favorite Lyrics:
We'll never give this up.

Think!

This Helps

Think! by Merv Griffin

This song was actually first composed as a lullaby for Griffin's son, and it was called A Time for Tony. But then it was re-purposed for "the 30-second period in Final Jeopardy! when the contestants write down their responses" (x).

And then it became, like, a meme. Before memes were even a thing. Think (haha) about how many places you've seen this theme used that wasn't Jeopardy.

Griffin says he probably made about $70 million in royalties on this baby (x).

But anyway, I chose this song because I knew I could write about it pretty quickly. I have to get back to my essay which I procrastinated on for several weeks. It's going okay, thanks to the undisputed fact that listening to this song improves brain power by 120%. Anyway, bye.

Overview:

Genre:
instrumental

Verdict:
How did it come to this?

Hic Sunt Dracones

Here Be Dragons

Hic Sunt Dracones by Mass Theory

"Between the vocals and the guitar in this song it just deserves to be heard."

So, uh. I'm pretty hyped because it's the first time in a while that I'm doing a song I've never heard before. That music video has literally has 1,178 views as I write this post. Not sure why.

I admit that I don't have a lot of experience producing music, but the recording sounds clean and incredibly professional to me. The music video has a bit of a low-budget garage-band feel at times, but, like, 80% of music videos are crap anyway, even in the big leagues.

(Yeah, 80%. You can quote me.)

This is a solid alternative rock track. The guitar mentioned in the quote by whoever recommended this song is top notch, sure. The vocals are good, too - intense - and the melody suits the song well.

It's a fairly lengthy song at 4:42, but it somehow held my attention the whole way through. The instrumentals are too energetic to lose me completely, for one. Plus, it manages to surprise you (listen to the way the guitar line ebbs and flows and transforms throughout the song) while also giving you a nice hand-hold to grab onto with the repetition in that sailing awayyyyyy section.

Pay special attention to this wonderful nonsense during the bridge. The drums chill out a little bit, and everything gets a bit softer. The guitar (I think?) is doing some cool stuff with the bending of notes during these funky riffs.

I didn't expect to like this song as much as I do.

Real talk: When I realized that the title of the song translates to Here Be Dragons and I could barely find anything about it with a simple Google search, I guessed that it was going to be some nerdy song from a video game or something.

I'm still not convinced that anyone enjoys alternative rock the way losers do, but anyway, it's pretty cool.

Upon further research into the title, Hic Sunt Dracones is actually a reference not to magic, but to cartography. If you've ever looked at an old map, you've seen the sea monsters that they draw out in the oceans.

(The original phrase was HIC SVNT LEONES, but things change. x)

Explanations range from mythological references to the idea that the dragons were meant to represent komodo dragons.

That said....it could still be a nerdy thing (as if history isn't nerdy) because the same phrase is used "to indicate sections of particularly complex and obscure passage of the source code" or "to indicate end of playable environment" in freeroaming PC games (x).

Anyway, the whole dropped in the equator 'til we find our way line from the song seems to lend itself to the first description.

Overview:

Genre:
Alt Rock

Favorite Lyrics:
I wanna be lost at sea.

Verdict:
I wish this song was more well-known so that I could find the lyrics online. Because, as often happens in this style of music, I have no idea what words this guy is singing.

Bonus:
These guys recorded an acoustic version. You can hear the lyrics better.

The Sixth Station

By Your Holy Cross

The Sixth Station by Joe Hisaishi (from Spirited Away)

Recommended by Bella

"It's one of my all time favorite pieces from one of my all time favorite movies (the piano from 1:31-1:45 just really gets me in the feels). I think this song beautifully captures the essence of the loneliness/melancholy/regret and the strength/perseverance/will of the characters that are present throughout the film. I fall asleep to this song almost every night."

The music of Ghibli movies is always beautiful, so I thank you for sending this rec. I've already discussed a track from Spirited Away, but I'm always down for pretty piano music. Plus, this is a less well-known piece than, say, One Summer's Day, and the whole point of this blog was supposed to be about introducing myself to new stuff.

(Time out: I live by a railroad, and a train is currently going by, whistle blaring, and this track is playing at the same time, and I'm having kind of a surreal moment.)

In Spirited Away, this track plays during The Train Sequence, in which the main character travels by train across the ocean as day fades into night. It's a really beautiful pause in the action where there's no dialogue, no noise except Hisaishi's emotional soundtrack.

Recurring words and phrases used to describe the scene are, like Bella pointed out, "loneliness" and "melancholy" and "regret," but also "reflection" and "peace." The scene "lingers, and lingers, and lingers. It acts as a visual tone poem, both eerie and soothing" (x).

The animation is lovely, but there's no way we could get all of that without the music.

I think the piano in particular is unbelievably beautiful, but the whole piece is enchanting. My favorite part is here at around 3:00 where the dynamics shift all the way down to pianissimo, and your ears are left grasping at these tiny wisps of sound.

That's where I really feel that loneliness.

I guess it's probably unrelated, but The Sixth Station of the Cross in Catholic tradition is the point at which Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. I found some text referring to this station which, coincidence or not, actually relates to Spirited Away extremely well:

As a child, sometimes I know someone could use a little help and understanding. They may be picked on or teased by others, or just sad or lonely. Sometimes I feel bad that others don't step in to help, but I don't help either.

As an adult, I notice the needs around me. Sometimes my own family members crave my attention, and I don't even seem to notice. Sometimes a co-worker, friend, or family member could use help or understanding, but I don't reach out to help lest I be criticized, or that they demand more of me than I'd like to give. (source)

If someone asked me to describe what Spirited Away taught me, that would be an appropriate answer. In the film, Chihiro is "picked on" and "teased," and no one helps her. Furthermore, the story focuses pretty heavily on the transition out of childhood and the loneliness that one finds upon arriving in adulthood.

But that's beyond the scope of this piece of music.

Or maybe it's too narrow, because this track is everything.

Overview:

Genre:
Instrumental / Soundtrack

Verdict:
don't close your eyes, you'll get transported to another world

My Scene

Best Rec in a Hot Minute

My Scene by Seth Sentry

Recommended by Sam (follow on tumblr)

"It kinda feels like what I'm going through right now. Sure, I have friends and a few places to fit in moving around in my 20s and such, but I feel like I'm constantly looking for something/have wanderlust for something I don't know about. It's one of those songs that makes me think."

Your description made me really excited to hear this song because I always love songs that make you think. But let's start with a little background.

I'm not familiar with this artist, but he seems to be doing pretty well for himself. His Wikipedia page says he won Best Urban Album at the 2015 ARIA Music Awards, and he's performed on Jimmy Kimmel in the past.

(And, honestly, once you've performed on American late-night TV, you've made it.)

My Scene isn't one of Sentry's most popular tracks, but I'm still into it. I could point out a bunch of good things, from the infectious chorus to the mellow piano to the "chilled beat and ridiculous flow" (x)...but the best part of this song is - without a doubt - the lyrics.

Genius calls the text here "relatable and witty," and that's accurate.

Relatable: The message. This track is about finding my scene, or a place to fit in. It touches on the paradox of being true to your individuality while still feeling a sense of belonging by taking you with Sentry on a journey through different "scenes." 

Sentry sits with hippies, business folks, partyers, gamers, hipsters, and health nuts. They're not the cliche high school cliques, but if you ever went to college or even watched a teen movie, you'll probably recognize every one of them.

Also relatable: the phrasing. Even though he's rapping with a nice rhythm, Sentry keeps it all pretty conversational.

Witty: The lyrics are often clever in a humorous way, which I love.

When he sat down with the hippies, they complimented [his] aura. When he talked to the hipsters, they told [him] that their favorite bands were ones that hadn't formed yet. Even as he's thinking about joining one of these groups, he's gently poking fun at them.

My favorite thing is this "Greg" joke.

When Sentry's with the business people getting drinks after work, he's mistaken for someone named "Greg" and he decides to just go along with it so that he can hang out with these guys. I can be Greg, at least for the weekend...at the time it made complete sense.

Somehow, no one catches onto his bluff, and I actually laughed out loud when the verse ended with Sentry leaving but first overhearing a whispered Greg seems different.

Then, after another repetition of the verse and the completion of the bridge, verse three brings it back. Sentry says told a guy I thought we looked the same...pretty weird, I think he said his name was Greg.

Finally, the song ends with a sense of acceptance. There's still one last repetition of the hook because there's no reason to give up entirely on finding a core group of friends...but at least he knows that maybe I don't even really need one.

Overview:

Genre:
Hip Hop

Favorite Lyrics:
It's the hardest thing to do
to look like them but feel like you.

Bonus:
The what's my scene refrain is a throwback to a classic Australian song by the Hoodoo Gurus.
(P.S. Seth Sentry is Australian.)

Cold Water

I Feel Like I Already Did This Song

Cold Water ft. Justin Beiber by Major Lazer

It was suggested that I do a Justin Beiber song tonight because I'm writing this at my friend's apartment as he gets Jusin's tattoos drawn onto his body for his Halloween costume.

This isn't actually a Beiber song, though his voice is featured prominently in the song. It's by Major Lazer, an electronic music group. More important credits: Ed Sheeran and Jamie Scott (who worked a lot with One Direction) also wrote on this track.

The other voice, by the way, is MØ. About her involvement, Major Lazer said:

You can tell if something’s authentic or not… I felt like she was so ambiguous, having grown up singing pop and punk… Her word choice and her metaphors are just so foreign from American songwriters who tend to overuse the same phrases. (source)

I like that they said this because the first thing I thought when I heard this song was that the whole "jumping into cold water" thing was kind of a weird thing to say.

Anyway, I think it's interesting how music can be released by so many different people? Like...this is a Major Lazer song even though the most obvious thing is Justin Beiber's voice, and it was written by a whole slew of people.

And, like, Uptown Funk is by DJ Mark Ronson and featured by Bruno Mars.

But on the other hand, you've got a bunch of songs released as "by x artist" even when the artist didn't play a part in the song's creation at all. For example, while the members of One Direction write on many of their songs, there are also a handful in which none of the five lads wrote any of the music or lyrics, nor did they play any instruments.

It's just, like. I don't know. Interesting.

Overview:

Genre:
Pop / EDM

Favorite Lyrics:
'Cause we all get lost sometimes, you know.
It's how we learn and how we grow.

Verdict:
This is what the costume is supposed to look like. Good luck, Reid.

Shout Out to My Ex

Oh Snap

Shout Out To My Ex by Little Mix

I knew I had to comment on this from the moment I heard it. Listen to that first verse where Perrie Edwards calls out Zayn for being bad in bed. Yikes.

Overview:

Genre:
Pop

Favorite Lyrics:
Hope she ain't fakin' it like I did.

Verdict:
I like the song, but I'm going out tonight so I can't spend any more time writing about it.

Don't Wanna Know

What Did I Just Watch

Don't Wanna Know ft. Kendrick Lamar by Maroon 5

If you're not interested in the bizarre music video (in case you were wondering: yes, it's based on Pokemon Go), you can check out the audio-only video with a bonus verse by Kendrick Lamar here.

This track opened at no. 1 on the Billboard + Twitter Top Tracks chart, which is based on how often songs were streamed and shared (x).

Fun fact: Maroon 5 are tied with 5 Seconds of Summer for most No. 1 starts to date (x).

Anyway, I get why this song debuted so high on the pop charts. The beat is fun, and the lyrics and melody are so catchy that you can sing along like a pro by the second repetition of the chorus. It was made to be on the radio, and that's an art form.

I hope everyone takes advice from this song and stops stalking their exes on social media. No more tryna make her jealous on your birthday. It's time to move on.

Overview:

Genre:
Pop

Favorite Lyrics:
Every place I go reminds me of you.

Verdict:
music better than video

Gold

Come Again?

Gold by Kiiara

First of all, let's take a moment to appreciate the title of the album from which this song comes: Low Kii Savage. That's great.

But there's nothing low-key about how savage this song is.

Once you get past the unintelligible intro that sounds like it's being played from a CD that's been stored in a blender, Kiiara immediately starts dragging her (ex?) lover.

Don't care what you say to me, I'mma bite your feelings out, she says, and she's not kidding. She calls him out for neglecting her and -- with zero remorse -- says his brother was a good substitute. Yikes.

That's about as bad as it gets (because, really, how could you cut any deeper?), but it's still a pretty devastating song. Kiiara calls this guy out for never communicating about his feelings, and she warns that two can play at that game and she might just ghost him next time they go to a party together.

This dude must have been the worst of the worst. I trust Kiiara.

The sound of the track is pretty sick. The intro slash chorus thing is "equal parts disorienting and addictive," especially the first time you hear this song (x). If you're listening mindlessly, as one does to pop music on the radio, you might not notice that she's not singing real words at first. Then, maybe on the second repeat of the chorus, you realize that you can't understand what she's saying.

I thought maybe there was a backwards message, but the skippy section is actually created by sampling Kiiara's voice from other places in this very song, albeit in very short snippets. It creates a "warped" sound that is reminiscent of "glitched out, spacey dance music" (x).

If you can get past that craziness, there are some other cool sounds happening as well. I like the hollow, echoing percussion and the bass line.

As for the lyrics, we have the meaning straight from the artist herself. "The message," says Kiiara," is that you don't have to answer to anyone" (x).

BONUS: 
Pentatonix covered this song. As usual, they hit it out of the park...but it's particularly interesting this time because they're singing that part of the song. You know what I'm talking about.

Listen for yourself.

Interesting.

Overview:

Genre:
Electropop / Trap

Favorite Lyrics:
I missed you in the basement,
but your brother was a good substitute for you.

Verdict:
Can't wait for the English version!

The Streak

Gotta Go Watch This, I Guess

The Streak by Mychael Danna

Recommended by Tim

"It's a piece of score from the movie Moneyball, which is great and convinced me to give baseball a chance."

I'm glad people have been giving me so many soundtracks and instrumental pieces recently; it's an interesting change of pace, not only because the music is so different from pop and rock and stuff but also because it's such a different experience to read about the way composers create scores vs. how bands and other artists write their music.

There's a clear difference in purpose.

Sure, sometimes there are pop/rock/etc. songs on soundtracks, but they were usually intended to be enjoyed on their own. They were originally meant to be listened to in cars and at concerts. Even if you associate a song with a specific movie, chances are there will be people who just heard it on the radio or wherever and appreciate it on its own individual merit as a song.

A score, on the other hand, is almost always written with a movie or even a specific scene in mind. It's tied to that movie, and it's meant to be in the background. It's rare to dissociate it with its film.

Think about it: even if you haven't watched Star Wars, you can't listen to this and not see Stormtroopers in your mind.

That makes it interesting for me today because I get to listen to this piece that I've never heard from a film that I've never watched.

Also interesting: whereas the artists that perform the songs I usually write about for A Series of Tones are pretty famous, composers rarely get that kind of recognition. If I ask someone to name some popular artists, they can list hundreds. If I ask someone to name modern film composers, the list might have five names on it, even though they'd recognize hundreds of pieces of movie music.

(I'm not being pretentious here. I, too, can only name, like...John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and, uh, Danny Elfman. Maybe Nicholas Hooper.)

Speaking of composers, Mychael Danna is a good one. He won some awards, including an Oscar, for his work on Life of Pi. He also composed for (500) Days of Summer and Little Miss Sunshine. If you're into animated shorts, he recently worked on Sanjay's Super Team.

"Patient, soulful and slow-burning," Danna's score apparently sets the perfect mood for Moneyball. Again, I've never seen the film, so I can neither confirm nor deny that. But I trust Tim and Indiewire.

I can confirm that I like the combo of driving triplets and slow, steady strings. Dramatic.

Overview:

Genre:
Film Score

Verdict:
Doesn't remind me of baseball as much as Take Me Out to the Ballgame, tbh

Tubthumping

Only '90s Kids Remember

Tubthumping by Chumbawamba

Tubthumping was successful single by British band Chumbawamba that comes from their eighth album "Tubthumber." It was nominated for a Brit award in 1998 and later ranked 12 on The Rolling Stone's list of Top 20 Most Annoying Songs. Awww.

Sounding on the surface like a mindless anthem about positivity and perseverance, Tubthumping is more than meets the eye. Uh, ear.

The term "tubthumper" is commonly used for someone, often a politician, seeming to "jump on the bandwagon" with a populist idea. The liner notes on the album Tubthumper, from which Tubthumping was the first single, put the song in a radical context, quoting a UK anti-road protester, Paris 1968 graffiti, details about the famous McLibel case and the short story "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner".

Who would've guessed?

Apparently everyone. Even Entertainment Weekly was aware the song wasn't just about drunken overconfidence, saying "social commentary never tasted so sweet" (x). Maybe you had to have been older than 3 years old in '98 to know what was up.

This is a band that took "about 30 seconds to say no" to $1.5 million from Nike to have their music featured in a World Cup commercial (x). They really don't like capitalism...and yet they signed with a major label and achieved their greatest success with one of their least political songs. Awkward.

But, whatever. The band isn't ashamed. "The whole point of art is to have an audience," they say, and I think that's a very valid standpoint (x).

Overview:

Genre:
Alt Rock

Favorite Lyrics:
You're not ever gonna keep me down.

Verdict:
it was this or All Star

How Much a Dollar Cost

POTUS Pick

How Much a Dollar Cost by Kendrick Lamar

Recommended by Tim

"I HIGHLY recommend listening to this twice with reading the Rap Genius explanations in-between. Each line has a separate deep meaning contributing to the story of the song. I would be impressed if you got the meaning all on your own haha."

So Tim is mostly correct. Yes, you need to read the Rap Genius explanations to really understand the song, but you better listen to it more than twice.

The literal action of the song is about Kendrick Lamar pulling up in his luxury car at a Johannesburg gas station and having a brief encounter with a homeless man. The man asks for ten Rand (South African currency; ten Rand is about $1 USD) so he can feed himself. Lamar, thinking the man is a crack addict, refuses to give him the money and closes the car door.

Lamar and the homeless man engage in a staring match, and Lamar starts getting angry, feelin' some type o' disrespect. Who is this man, askin' for handouts?

The homeless man finally asks Lamar if he's read Exodus 14, which is the part of the Bible about Moses parting the sea. It's about how Moses never wanted to be a leader, yet he was chosen to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Likewise, Lamar didn't become famous and wealthy in order to influence society...yet here he finds himself with the power, the bittersweet potential, to lead by example.

The entirety of this song is based on this one event, which Lamar has said is a true story (x). The lyrics expand on Lamar's feelings as he thinks about the incident and the real cost of a dollar - the real value of wealth.

To the homeless man, a dollar is worth a lot. To Lamar here on Earth, a dollar is worth very little.

As Lamar drives off, he feels guilty for not donating a dollar, but it's not that simple. It was selfish not to give up a dollar when it means so little, but my selfishness is what got me here. He thinks he would have given the dollar before he was rich and got better judgment to know when someone's hustlin'.

The big reveal comes at the end of Verse 3.

The homeless man confesses that he is God in disguise, and in this case, the answer to how much a dollar cost is Lamar's place in Heaven.

This track features some chill piano chords behind both the dreamy, faraway hook by James Fauntleroy and the soothing outro sung beautifully by Ronald Isley. but your focus should really be on the verses that Kendrick Lamar delivers over a simple accompaniment and drum beat.

How Much a Dollar Cost is an excellent example of storytelling and the masterful use of references, mostly Biblical, to get a message across. There's no difference between these lyrics and the poetry that we would read in high school English class except for the method of delivery.

Obama named this as his favorite song of 2015. Lamar responded, "Man, that's great, man" (x).

Overview:

Genre:
Hip Hop

Favorite Lyrics:
Your potential is bittersweet.

Verdict:
"Help as many people as you can, man, if you want to live forever" (x).

My Hero

I Combo, You Combo, He/She/Me Combo

"I love the Foo Fighters and I love Paramore and I love both versions of this song, although I prefer the original."

My Hero by the Foo Fighters

This song came out on the 1997 album "The Colour and the Shape," but the Foo Fighters had been playing it in live shows for two years before it was released in the album.

Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Dave Grohl says "the song is dedicated to ordinary, everyday heroes" (x). Grohl also says he has "little use for hero worship," but he thinks the song still makes sense from the perspective of a kid  (x).

The music video, directed by Grohl himself, depicts this exact message through the eyes of a man running into a burning building to rescue a baby and a dog and, finally, a photograph. To drive home the point that anyone can be a hero, the face of the man in the video is never revealed (x).

It's a solid alternative song, grasping at the edge of early 2000s punk rock in style with its powerful guitar line and vocals that don't stand out but rather have equal importance as the instrumentation.

My Hero by Paramore

This cover was released almost a decade after the original, on the 2006 album Sound of Superman, which accompanied the soundtrack of the film "Superman Returns" (x).

Hayley Williams pronounces the words more clearly than the Foo Fighters, which helps get the story across. That said, her version is slower than the original and has a melancholy tone that kind of changes the message.

I mean, if he's your hero, it seems like you would be happy to see him flying around fixing the ills of the world. The slow, sad approach in this cover seems almost sarcastic at times, like she's not sure this guy deserves to be called a hero. Or maybe she's just disappointed that no one else is recognizing his efforts, and he's underappreciated.

It's an new take on the song, which is nice because why cover it if you're not going to do anything different?

This cover still features a guitar-led accompaniment, but it's the mellow strumming of an acoustic guitar, and the vocals are much more definitively brought to the forefront.

Both versions are good, but I also like the Foo Fighters' just a bit more.

Overview:

Genre:
Alt rock

Favorite Lyrics:
There goes my hero;
he's ordinary.

Verdict:
I can't believe the Foo Fighters started playing this song at live shows on my birthday then released it in an album on my brother's birthday.

Starboy

Red Starboy, Blue Starboy

Starboy ft. Daft Punk by The Weeknd

"Dying for The Weeknd's album drop next month."

That intro is so dramatic. I thought I was about to start watching The Phantom of the Opera or something.

The music, I mean.

I'm not really sure what's going on lyrically in this song.

Luckily, the kids over at Vigilant Citizen are helping me out with "The Occult Meaning of The Weeknd's Starboy" (x). I can't tell whether any of the articles on that website are serious or if it's a parody thing like The Onion, but here are some actual quotes:

"While some might think that The Weeknd [is having] a Christian rebirth, where he leaves his material possessions to follow the path of Jesus, that is not what is happening."

"The Weeknd states that his P1 (a sports car) is cleaner than your church shoes (the rewards of the occult elite are greater than the life of a humble church going person)."

"So, The Weeknd is not exactly becoming Jesus."

...anyway. 

After the dramatic introduction and some bass-heavy chords that are a clear throwback to The Hills, the song begins in earnest at about 0:45. 

Starboy features a muted but active drum line, but otherwise a pretty scarce accompaniment behind The Weeknd's usual soft, falsetto voice. There are sections with very little going on other than the vocal line, a slight echo, and some sporadic keyboard notes.

The chorus, on the other hand, brings in several electronic elements. This, combined with the repetition of the memorable line I'm a motherf***in Starboy, makes it absolutely infectious.

So far, the track has peaked at #2 on the Hot 100 (x).

P.S. The second single from The Weeknd's upcoming album (also called "Starboy") was just officially released a few days ago. See the music video here: False Alarm

Overview:

Genre:
Alt R&B

Favorite Lyrics:
Switch up my style, 
I take any lane.

Verdict:
brighter than expected

Flex Your Way Out

What Song Is This?

Flex Your Way Out ft. Blackbear by Sofia de la Torre

"Showed up in my recs list on Spotify, and I dig it."

Described as "a smooth number" with "a sexiness attached to the effort," Flex Your Way Out is a chill jam that could honestly be a contemporary hit on the radio.

The song's genre is pop - "pop done right," according to Torre herself - but it really has some of the relaxed vibes of R&B. I mean, it has that slow but pronounced beat, those sultry vocals, and the overall vibe.

Flex Your Way Out sounds like it would be a call-out track addressed at all the f***boys out there, but it's actually a song about forgiveness. Encouragement to take your studies seriously.

Overview:

Genre:
Pop

Favorite Lyrics:
You are not the same,
and don't pretend you are.

Verdict:
"Pop done right."

The Moment I Said It

Smash

The Moment I Said It by Imogen Heap

"Because Imogen is more than just a meme. She's a brilliant writer and a lovely singer."

Heap wrote, produced, arranged, and funded her second studio album, Speak for Yourself, without the backing of a record label (x). I wonder if she knew she was going solo when she decided on the album title. Because how perfect.

The Moment I Said It is about a moment when it's not even light out but something that this woman says to her significant other sends them into a frenzy. We never get the intimate details about what exactly she says, but we hear all about the aftermath.

This track, like much of Heap's music, is dramatic and emotional. It reminds me very much of movie music, the electronic sounds mimicking a sweeping orchestra at times.

The beginning of the song features an some delicate piano chords like raindrops disturbing the surface of a lake. The keyboard presence never fades away but instead builds, and we get a continuous, cyclonic sort of thing going on that creates a sense of urgency even as Heap's vocals remain breathy and distant.

It's really a work of art.

Overview:

Genre:
Electronica / Alt Pop

Favorite Lyrics:
Bye bye bye bye bye bye
bye bye bye bye bye
bye bye bye
bye

Verdict:
Haunting

Home

"Home Is Where Your Heart Feels Alive"

Home by Morgxn

"I was sold on that killer bass line."

This song is awesome. I love "grooving guitar melodies and sultry vocals [that] float like thick smoke through the verse" -- and, of course, the killer bass line (x).

The coolest thing is the disconnect between the message and the melody. Listening to the funky bass get down behind a vocal line that is heavy and, quite honestly, a bit dark, I wouldn't expect this song to be talking about going home.

Nothing about this song feels familiar to me. Nothing feels comforting.

The ah ah ahhhhhhs sound like a battle cry. They choir that takes over during the chorus sound distant and unreachable, faraway.

If anything, this song feels like you're leaving home, discovering something new.

I love the feelings that I get from this song. It's about strength, it's about forward motion, it's about edginess, it's about confidence. None of those are things I would typically associate with the warmth and nostalgia of home.

I guess home means different things to different people.

Overview:

Genre:
Electro-Church (whatever that means)

Favorite Lyrics:
Take me back home
where the blood run through my soul.

Verdict:
can't describe it; there's nothin' like it

The Wolf

I've Heard Stranger Things

The Wolf by Tyler Bates

I had no idea what to expect with this track. For one, a quick Google search turned up the result that this is a Hip Hop track. I don't know about you, but I'm going to have to disagree with that categorization.

Tyler Bates writes music for film, television, and video games. Recently, he scored Guardians of the Galaxy, and some other popular projects include Dawn of the Dead and Californication (x).

This track is from the 2007 film 300.

You may also remember it from the 1999 film Titus, since that's where it was stolen from.

No, seriously, Bates's soundtrack for 300 came under fire for plagiarism from not only the film mentioned above, but also James Horner and Gabriel Yared's Troy (x).

One critic refused to give the album even a single star out of five (x).

To be fair, Warner Bros was able to "amicably resolve this matter" with the composer of the Titus film score, Elliot Goldenthal, so who really knows what went down (x).

Anyway, I think the track does a pretty good job of setting the mood. Maybe it's an exception; a god among men.

Full disclosure: I've never seen this film, but I still feel like I know what kind of vibe we're supposed to be picking up. It features "a lot of weight and intensity in the low end of the percussion" and really creates a lot of tension (x).

Overview:

Genre:
Soundtracks

Verdict:
unsettling and creepy, but not quite scary

Patricia the Stripper

Lovely Ladies

Patricia the Stripper by The Wombats

"Some solid advice: never fall in love with a lady of the night."

This song takes you on a wild ride.

First of all, you're hearing about this desperate man who can't get over the stripper with whom he spent one single, passionate, alcohol-induced night.

Of the guitarist and songwriter Matthew Murray, the bass player said, he writes about "random stories about everyday life that he encounters. I guess trying to put a different slant on traditional themes of love and girls and all the rest of it. Try to twist that on its head and do something as original as possible with it" (x).

Second, the track has some interesting composition elements.

There's a 40-second intro with guitar trills and drums before the song begins in earnest, and the vocals don't come in until almost 50 seconds in.

It continues on in typical indie pop rock fashion, with more guitars and some background oohs and ahs, until around the 3:00 minute mark. Everything slows down for a moment and comes to a dramatic, almost choral cry of Patricia, the stripper! that sounds almost like it belongs on a Broadway stage.

After the theatrical interlude and a brief reprise of the usual upbeat stuff, the song ends on a slow, stripped-down note. A delicate plucking of the guitar accompanies solo vocals, gently pining over Patricia one last time.

Overview:

Genre:
Indie Pop / Indie Rock

Favorite Lyrics:
I didn't mean to get involved;
it was the alcohol
mixed with an empty feeling inside.

Verdict:
I don't hate it.

Moscow

Pадуга

Moscow by Autoheart

Recommended by Peaches

"Kim told me to send you a song."

Thanks, Kim. Thanks, Peaches.

This is one of the jams that I loved immediately from the first bouncy, bubble-gum notes of the intro, and it only got catchier. It's going to be on repeat for a good minute.

Sometimes you're in the mood for something pure, bright and happy, and Moscow's built on that vibe.

The band describes the feeling as "the daft optimism of being in love, when  you just want to run away with that person, dream about being together forever, the house, the dog, and nothing else matters" (x).

Nice.

As well as being a bona fide bop, this song is a political protest (x).

Back in 2013, Autoheart wrote about how this song and its music video are meant to criticize Russia's anti-gay legislation. Below are quotes the band (full commentary can be found in the description of the video embedded above - here).

"In our video, two gay Russian soldiers kiss in front of the Kremlin - yet just last month a group of same-sex couples in Moscow were violently attacked and then arrested for doing just this."

"Wouldn't it be amazing if one day all consenting adults could be free to love who they want without fear of persecution?"

Happy Pride to everyone celebrating in Atlanta :))

Overview:

Genre:
Indie Pop

Favorite Lyrics:
You've got my heart; I've got your hand.

Verdict:
It talks about warmth and magic and getting an Irish red setter, and I'm pretty sure that's the one true dream.

Temple

Temple Or Wonderland

Temple by Kings of Leon

Recommended by Kim

"After our talk I figured you needed to be able to name at least one more Kings of Leon song besides Use Somebody."

That's fair. Thanks. You would choose to help expand my knowledge of a band from Nashville.

Temple is a track from the sixth Kings of Leon album, Mechanical Bull, which was nominated for a Grammy in 2013. It actually peaked at #1 in Canada (x).

The title of this song is pretty clever, honestly. It makes me think of a building type of temple when I first hear the title - a structure used for religious or spiritual rituals (x) - which puts you in kind of a reverent mood.

But then you get to the chorus and realize that it's referring to the anatomical temple. The song is about taking a bullet right in the side of the head for the person you love.

Dramatic. But, like. Kinda romantic.

As far as the sound, it's a pretty standard alternative rock song. You've got steady drums, prominent but not overwhelming guitars, and a catchy melody.

Solid stuff.

Overview:

Genre:
Alt Rock

Favorite Lyrics:
I've got my hands in my pockets,
And I'm crossing my fingers
I just wanna be noticed.

Verdict:
similar to The Cure (x)

Change My Head

Shooting Star Summit

Change My Mind by Autolux

Recommended by Tim

I don't love the discordant bending of the notes during the instrumental segment that makes up the first 30 seconds of the song - "subtle guitar moans groaning underneath piano chords slowly plinking out like a barroom pianist at the end of the night" (x); however, most of the whiny noises fade out as the vocals enter.

The chorus "pops off slowly like exploding stars" (x).

I'm not sure exactly what the lyrics mean, but they combine with the music to form something vaguely unsettling in a way that you can't quite place.

Overview:

Genre:
Alt Rock / Dream Pop

Favorite Lyrics:
Now soar away and give up people.

Verdict:
modern and electronic but with surprisingly retro vibes

The Ghosts of Summers Past

Metal's Not Music, It's a Mindset

The Ghosts of Summers Past by Woods of Ypres

While not as long as the 9-minute video would have you believe (the last 3 minutes are silent), The Ghosts of Summers Past is still a behemoth of a song at 6 minutes.

The track resides somewhere between abysmal gloom and resignation to an ever-present but gentle melancholia. Somewhere between wallowing in misery and learning to cope with it.

It's about the end of a relationship, the end of an era - something that's gone forever.

I wasn't sure I liked the droning vocals that start the song, but it gets better. You have to give it a chance. Around 2:25, there's some more interesting guitar action, and it only picks up after that. We get layers on layers of vocals and some lovely harmonies. 

The title of the song is accurate to both the lyrical content and the haunting harmonies that fill in the second half of the song. The Ooohs that begin around the 5:15 mark can't be described any other way.

This is definitely one of those tracks where the lyrics are meant to be heard and understood and digested. It could be read as poetry, probably.

Funny, though, this is apparently a "blackened doom metal" band (x), and I was wondering how they were going to pull it off when they're from Canada of all places. I was mistaken. This blackened doom metal is surprisingly chill. I like it.

Overview:

Genre:

Black Metal / Death Metal

Favorite Lyrics:

I long for the way it used to be.

Verdict:

I need to reevaluate my interpretation of the word "metal."

Pink + White

And Not Plus

Pink + White by Frank Ocean

Recommended by Kim

"Can we just talk about how Frank used Beyonce for back up vocals? Back up vocals. He used Beyonce for BACK UP VOCALS. Only the legend could do that. Thanks for one of the most revolutionary albums of the year, Frank."

No shade at Amir Brandon and his beautiful cover, but the only reason I embedded his video is because Frank Ocean doesn't have a music video for this track.

I highly recommend purchasing Blonde, Ocean's long-awaited second album, or streaming it somewhere, such as Apple Music. The production by Pharrell Williams is  really something, and there's nothing like the emotion from a performance by the original artist (x).

The only thing I'm not crazy about is the second-long intro which honestly sounds like it's about to launch into the Mission Impossible theme song.

Maybe it's just because I haven't listened to Ocean in four years, but this song hits me with waves of nostalgia. I'm not sure if that feeling is created by the lazy piano accompaniment, which includes a section of the same note being repeated 8 times, or the lyrics.

I was trying to figure out whether it was about a breakup, romantic or otherwise, or if it was discussing the end of a certain period of your life. I guess it doesn't matter.

When Frank croons “It’s all downhill from here,” it sounds like a resignation, an acknowledgement that this will be as good as it ever gets. But the corollary is that right now, at this moment, you’re at your peak. For a generation that struggles to live in the moment, it’s an oddly reassuring statement. (source)

That, to me, is beautiful.

Last, we do have to talk about Bey singing backup vocals. This isn't the first time the pair have worked together, but it does mark the first time that Ocean controls the song despite her presence (x).

The queen sounds great, obviously, as she harmonizes over Ocean's melody. But she lets him sit alone in the spotlight.

Overview:

Genre:
Pop Ballad

Favorite Lyrics:
This is life,
life immortality.

Verdict:
"Revolutionary" but understated