Lorde, Halsey, and the Infuriating Discussion Around Their Producers

Mary Varvaris Aug 31, 2021

The most insufferable discourse awards of the year go to: “Solar Power sucks because Jack Antonoff produced it,” and “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is only good because Halsey worked with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from Nine Inch Nails.” Not only are these statements over the top, but there’s also a level of sexism, albeit most of the time unconscious and these comments rob artists of their agency. I’ve seen various conversations like this, but never to this point where people everywhere undermine a songwriter’s prowess due to their relationship with a producer’s work. Let’s not forget, Lorde demonstrated storytelling beyond her years from her beginnings with The Love Club EP in 2013. Halsey, who uses she/they pronouns, hasn’t found the same critical acclaim thus far, but fans who have followed their career recognize their growth since they released the Room 93 EP in 2014.

Jason Tate Aug 28, 2021

This week’s newsletter has my first impressions on the new Every Time I Die album, thoughts on Turnstile’s masterpiece, and some other random commentary on music, movies, and TV shows I consumed over the past week. There’s also a playlist of songs I enjoyed last week, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

Jason Tate Aug 21, 2021

This week’s newsletter has thoughts on the new albums from Lorde and Deafheaven, as well as some commentary on other music, movies, TV shows, and much more I consumed over the past week. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I loved and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

Jason Tate Aug 14, 2021

This week’s newsletter has thoughts on The Killers, M.A.G.S., Ben Platt, Meet Me @ the Altar, and much more. Plus, there’s commentary on various things I’ve seen over the past week and a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed. I think it’s a pretty good one if I don’t say so myself. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

Remove

Liner Notes (August 7th, 2021)

Jason Tate Aug 7, 2021

This week’s newsletter has my thoughts on the new Foxing album and some early impressions of new releases from Wet and Grayscale. Plus, there’s some thoughts on other entertainment I consumed over the past week. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed last week, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

Adam Grundy Aug 5, 2021

Recently, I teamed up with my fellow contributors to discuss the latest album from Billie Eilish, called Happier Than Ever. Much like other comparative articles like the one on the recent Modest Mouse record, I provided a template of questions for each of the writers to respond to. Here is our conversation on Happier Than Ever, which we have affectionately titled: The Metamorphosis of Billie Eilish: From Bedroom Pop to Global Phenomenon.

Jason Tate Jul 31, 2021

This week’s newsletter is a little longer than most as I make up for lost time. There’s thoughts on the new Bleachers album, first impressions of the new CHVRCHES album, thoughts on tracking TV show watching, articles I enjoyed over the past few weeks, and even more commentary on music, movies, and tv shows I consumed over the past two weeks. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

Ashley Perez Jul 24, 2021

Ever since I first stumbled upon the “Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow” video, I’ve been a massive Bullet For My Valentine fan. I listened to The Poison every day for a year. I desperately tried to imitate Michael Paget’s insane riffs. And I’m still mad about the Bullet For My Valentine wallet I lost 10 years ago. But my relationship with them has been on the rocks since their last album, Gravity. Widely panned for its radio rock sound, it nearly turned me off to the band completely. Like many fans, I didn’t like the new direction. Not only was it bad, it felt like they changed solely for mainstream appeal. I was disappointed. Now, the boys are back with what’s supposed to be their heaviest album. And I’m kind of looking forward to it.

This new era of Bullet For My Valentine kicked off with “Knives” and it’s not bad. But it’s also not great. Days before the song dropped, the cryptic teasers and new logo got my heart racing. But once “Knives” was unleashed, I was underwhelmed. The song gripped me with its killer intro. The intense dirty riffs paired with Matt Tuck screaming “LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!” gets you pumped. You hear it and think “FUCK YEAH! HERE WE GO!” But over the course of the song, it loses steam. I got bored of it midway through and when it finished, I didn’t care about hearing it again. The song only has one note: be heavy. There are no interesting progressions, the riffs are okay, and the lyrics are decent. Otherwise, the song isn’t very memorable. It’s one of those Bullet songs you don’t mind hearing but ultimately forget about.

Jason Tate Jul 17, 2021

This week’s newsletter looks at the new albums from John Mayer, Clairo, and a few other releases I listened to this week. There are also thoughts on other entertainment and a playlist of ten songs I like. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

Remove

Liner Notes (July 10th, 2021)

Jason Tate Jul 10, 2021

This week’s newsletter has first impressions of The Maine’s new release as well as some thoughts on other music, movies, and entertainment I consumed over the past week. There’s also a playlist of ten songs worth checking out, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

Jason Tate Jul 5, 2021

We’re a little over half way into 2021 … so it’s that time again to recap the year in music. Below, you will find both our combined staff top 30, as well as individual lists from our contributors and moderators. Here’s hoping you find something new to love.

Note: You can share your own list in our music forum.

Brett Bodner Jul 5, 2021

When Modest Mouse’s The Moon & Antarctica turned 20 last year, I was so excited to learn that many contributors here loved the band as much as I do. Now that we all assemble like The Avengers from time to time to take on new releases like Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR, it only made sense for us to put our heads together for Modest Mouse’s new album The Golden Casket. I was lucky to be joined by Aaron Mook and Mary Varvaris as we dove headfirst into the band’s first new full length since 2015. Here we broke down all that we enjoyed, any potential hiccups and took a big picture look at the band as whole.

Jason Tate Jul 3, 2021

This week’s newsletter has some thoughts and concerns about Apple Music’s “Spatial Audio.” There’s also thoughts on music I listened to this week, some movies I watched, and a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

Jason Tate Jun 26, 2021

Hello Saturday.

This week’s newsletter has a love letter to Mark Hoppus and some thoughts on the music and entertainment I enjoyed over the past week. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed this week and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

Remove

Liner Notes (June 19th, 2021)

Jason Tate Jun 19, 2021

Since I didn’t write last week, this week has two weeks’ worth of content for you. I share some articles I enjoyed over the past few weeks, share some thoughts on music I’ve been enjoying (it’s been oddly pop-punk heavy lately), and reminisce on Blink-182’s TOYPAJ as it turns twenty. As always, there are also some random thoughts on other entertainment I consumed over the past few weeks and some commentary on how I’ve been viewing life as I continue to grow older. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed last week, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

Lorde, Halsey, and the Infuriating Discussion Around Their Producers

Liner Notes (August 28th, 2021)

Liner Notes (August 21st, 2021)

Liner Notes (August 14th, 2021)

Liner Notes (August 7th, 2021)

The Metamorphosis Of Billie Eilish: From Bedroom Pop To Global Phenomenon

Liner Notes (July 31st, 2021)

Rediscovering Bullet For My Valentine After The Massive Letdown Of ‘Gravity’

Liner Notes (July 17th, 2021)

Liner Notes (July 10th, 2021)

The Best Albums of 2021 (So Far)

The Golden Casket is Good News For People Who Love Modest Mouse

Liner Notes (July 3rd, 2021)

Liner Notes (June 26th, 2021)

Liner Notes (June 19th, 2021)