everything, etc.

The late, great Dolores O’Riordan, ladies and gentlemen. Bearer of maybe the most distinctive sounding voice on the list, she kills this one.

“We should of lied but I cried so hard, the ridiculous thoughts, ah, we should have lied, have lied, have lied, but you’re gonna have to hold on…”

I remember a girl in my school doing a gymnastics routine to Zombie in a talent show, and I was enthralled by the interpretation of the music in the movement. I remember thinking she was pretty cool for doing that in front of the…I guess it would’ve been middle school. I’m not sure how it took me until last year to come into contact with this song.

Her voice still hits now. I really enjoy Now, which I’ll post the link to at the end, but of course Zombie is an all-timer and seems…fairly poignant right now. Personally, I’m terribly disillusioned with our government and terrified at what’s going on in Palestine. I feel helpless and more scared than I’ve been in a long while.

BGDG…the world might depend on it.

As I’ve stated over and over again, the Hip Hop sucks me in with wordplay and great beats. The jazz beat that Tyler and Weezy use here is something I never thought I’d hear people rapping on. I love the creativity these two bring to the genre.

Weezy’s verse, as usual, as fantastic.

“Excuse me, pardon me, the wind, it blow so hard at me, like mother nature arguing about some baby father beef, I’m stuck in the middle of the sandwich like slaughter meat, got my middle fingers to the cameras that’s recording me, from y’all to me, brrt, stop callin’ me unless you’re ordering, I’m on the beach, I got my feet out, and I stay on my feet, the corner beat, I’m on a deep route, just throw the ball to me, thought all this lean would have me senile, I guess they see now, let’s touch down, catch a beat down, like I catch touchdowns, I fuck ’round, and slow the beat down and take the drums out, and speed up my flow, I’m so greedy, I’ma eat my own flow, and I’m in need of a flow, may eat me a rapper, I might as well eat me a hoe..”

He continues, but I felt like that was a big enough block of text!

Enjoy the vibe on this Wednesday. We might not be on the beach with our toes out, but we can still be warm to those around us. BGDG.

“She’s a fire sign, and I don’t really know what that means, I’m a cold night, and I wanna be close to the heat, I don’t wanna get burned, I don’t want love like that, but I can’t go any further ’til I start coming back, I’m a rock-star, and I’m never around when you need, like a race-car driving away from the scene, does she want me to stay?, does she want me to pack?, you can’t push me any further ’til I start coming back”

The Beaches are absolutely one of my favorite finds of last year. Each time I dive into their discography I’m left rocking out with them. I bet you still remember Blame Brett by them! Check out a version with Royal & The Serpent at the end of the post!

They have their finger on the pulse of those early-20s relationship roller-coaster vibes. Their songs are bops. End of story. Enjoy them in all their splendor! 😀

BGDG.

Simultaneously dark and beautiful, this song from Jenn Champion is such a great mix of musical atmospheres.

“Leaving home at 17, I was on tour at 23, giving up on everything, my drinking ain’t stopping for no one, never been in a fist fight, but I married a hot dyke, she’s wearing a Misfits shirt ’cause she’s a Metallica fan, RIP cliff, the television you missed, Kim lost her diamond earring in the ocean”

It’s a great coming of age song, I think, and I think also talks about how we end up looking back on it with more perspective.

That allows us to envision the future we want for ourselves. Set that intention today. Whatcha want? Go get it.

BGDG.

This song is simultaneous one of the most beautiful on the list and one of the most lonely. The mark of a good song though, to me, is how well it manifests the emotions that went into writing it into the listener. This one hits.

The strings version in particular with it’s classical sound, is absolutely gorgeous. Both versions are powerhouses.

“I can’t tell which way is home, I’ve been gone for so long, it’s an empty world up here, I skip stones and wonder how long ’til I’m discovered?, it’s a quiet life up here, before my time runs out, what if I run away to Mars?, would you find me in the stars?, would you miss me in the end if I run out of oxygen, when I run away to Mars”

I think every now and then a dash of melancholy listening is ok. It wakes me up to the good things going on in my life after a little listening sesh with songs like this. It’s cathartic somehow. Like a shared experience with someone.

Thanks for sharing this song and these words with me! I’m honored.

Happy Mother’s Day!

BGDG.

Super Bowl 2023 Halftime show memories here.

I legit hadn’t heard this song before that, and what a banger it is. Rihanna gives absolute domination in this song. Swag for days.

“Bitch better have my money!, y’all should know me well enough, bitch better have my money!, please don’t call me on my bluff, pay me what you owe me, ballin’ bigger than Lebron, bitch give me your money, who y’all think y’all frontin’ on?

Let that be your anthem today as I send you out to conquer the day (not extort people).

BGDG.

(I’m picturing my friend Michael listening to this at like 6:30 in the AM, and yes, I am laughing out loud.)

Dessa sings like a boxing match sometimes. A lot of her verses HIT.

“We don’t say, “Go out and be brave”, nah, we say “be careful, stay safe”, in any given instance, that don’t hurt, but it sinks in like stilettos in soft earth, like a big win is not a day without an incident, I beg to differ with it, I think a woman’s worth, I think that she deserves, a better line of work, than motherfucking vigilance, don’t give me vigilance, by definition you can’t make a difference, if the big ambition is simply standing sentry to your innocence, that’s not a way to live, that can’t be what a woman is, that gives her nothing to aspire to, what that is, what that is, is just a life of running fire drills”

I imagine that’s a pretty apt description of what its like to be a woman in today’s society.

I don’t know how you all do it. This song is a scathing review. Dessa eviscerates from start to finish.

Let’s all try to go out today and be better. Be Good, Do Good.