By Rebecca Pedersen
Madison Beer
"Life Support" (Album)
Never have the skip button been used less, because there simply isn’t a single skip on “Life Support”
I remember back in 2012, when Madison Beer posted her first covers on Youtube. 12-year-old me was witnessing this girl on the internet getting discovered by Justin Bieber, my then ultimate guy crush, (yes still is), and as any other hardcore belieber, I got a bit jealous. The immature teenage years. fun times. Madison became this “beautiful face” spread all over the internet that everyone was comparing themselves to. Right from the beginning, it was obvious that her main focus, her passion, was the music, but as we all tend to do sometimes, people had already put her in a box.
For a long time it felt as if she hadn’t found her sound yet. The songs she released didn’t quite suit her vocal range. But when I say “Life Support” is one of the best debut albums I have ever heard, I’m not exaggerating the slightest. It has always been very clear to me that she had some mystery to her. That is what makes her stand out from the crowd. She just had to show it. Madison is the literal queen of using pop-culture references in her music, whether it’s from Fight Club or Rick & Morty she knows exactly how to catch the attention of her audience.
Never have the skip button been used less, because there simply isn’t a single skip on “Life Support”. With tracks mainly produced by Leroy Clampitt, One Love and herself, this album reeks of individuality, mystery and professionalism. A great range of different moods, all the way from the beginning to the end. Finally, she is letting her vocals shine through in songs that suit her vocal range, and her harmonies are absolutely out of this world. The way she writes, the stuff she sings, her take on the world, the outer space, the meaning of it all, is just so refreshing and always reminds me of how much I love to write myself.
It makes me so happy that people are finally seeing her for the musical genius she truly is. Not a lot of artists can make me literally google all their song lyrics, just to sit and read on a random Wednesday afternoon in the tube. Plenty of easter eggs and plenty of references from iconic pop-culture moments. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Jesse Jo Stark
"Cry On Me" (Single)
Jesse Jo Stark released her newest single “Cry On Me” on October 20th. Stark is known for her classic indie-rock sounding tunes and with this single, she continues her streak of releasing pure bangers.
There is something truly mesmerizing about her voice, and it’s really refreshing listening to a natural-sounding voice compared to the compressed and autotuned vocals of the mainstream music industry today. Leaving in minor “flaws”, voice cracks or obvious breaths of air, makes it more natural, honest and fragile - and definitely more beautiful.
This song is a powerful and gloomy love song with lots of emotions from start to finish. She sings about love being completely hopeless at times, and absolutely perfect at other times. On the surface this song might seem like a sad or even depressing song, but if you dig deeper into it, the lyrics are very romantic, which makes you understand how strong and powerful a love can truly be. Her lyrics differentiate from the classic pop lyrics we see everywhere today, and they never fail to bring a bigger meaning to the table.
If there is something you can count on, it’s her sweet soft vocals, which quite literally sound like a summer’s day on the farm with a guitar on the porch. Looking at it more technically, the mix and mastering of the track is based on stacks on stacks on stacks of reverb, which suits the song so well, as it brings out the depth of her voice.
When I first heard the song, I couldn’t make up the reason for the instrumental being so beautiful and almost magical, as no specific instruments or rhythm stood out to me. Now, as I’m listening to it for the 30th time, I still can’t pinpoint what exactly makes it sound so good. I guess that’s the magic behind it all. Absolutely my favorite song of hers.
Daisy Brain (Artist)
“Daisy Brain”, formally known as William Tse, adds something new to the british soft and rock-indie music scene. With songs about depression and anxiety, Daisy Brain attracts the younger generation, joining with the hope of feeling understood and part of something bigger.
I first got introduced to “Daisy Brain”, when he was one of the two opening acts for YUNGBLUD at Alexandra Palace this October. To be honest, I was dreading the opening acts, and just wanted them to be over with. I had not been looking into who these people even were, and when the lights turned off and a spotlight hit the center of the stage, I must admit I grabbed my phone to check the time. “Only 1,5 hours to kill, I thought to myself. You could call me narrowminded, because let’s be honest, I really was. When I’m out playing my songs, nothing would be worse than a crowd that shows no interest in me or my music. But boy, was I in for a surprise! In walked a Kurt Cobain-looking figure, in a skirt, with blue hair, carrying an electric guitar. Don’t get me wrong, nothing about “Daisy brain” seems fabricated or copied by anyone or anything. He makes it clear that he is 100% himself. Still, I couldn’t help but notice a strong resemblance to the Nirvana lead-singer.
When he opened his mouth and started singing, I was blown away. Not a lot of artists are equally as good live as on their records, but he somehow managed to outshine his own vocals. And don’t even get me started on the stage-presence a sold-out Ally Pally witnessed that night! Unfortunately, the crowd was a bit dead at times, but that’s often the deal with warm-up acts the majority of the crowd doesn’t know. This did not stop him and his band from giving it 110% though, which I have a lot of respect for.
I must say, it would get a bit confusing whether or not "Daisy Brain" was a solo-artist, or a band, and to be honest, I am still not 100% sure - but that doesn’t change the fact that the music is exceptional. With hits as “Pretend” and “Lost for Words” from his latest EP “Let’s Go Camping” released in the beginning of September, it is obvious that “Daisy Brain” is here to stay, and is only just getting started. Nothing makes me happier than discovering a new artist, with actual talent, who hasn’t just been given a following or platform because of popularity, looks or money. “Daisy Brain” has true talent, and I can promise you, this won’t be the last you’ve heard of this guy. UK music-scene, you better be ready!
Dua Lipa
"Future Nostalgia" (Album)
With this album, Dua invites us into her futuristic, exciting and innovative universe, with a track-list that makes you feel as if you are floating around in space.
When this album came out, I did the proper thing, and listened to it from start to finish (I literally never do that, but as I have started to understand the huge thought that gets put into every single detail of an album, I figured I had to do it) As I said, artists often have a meaning with the order the songs appear in.
“Future Nostalgia” was the first song I listened to, and I remember immediately sending it to my sister alongside of the words “THIS IS SO DIFFERENT, I LOVE IT.” And it really was different. With classic pop songs as "Blinding Lights", "Dance Monkey" and "Stupid Love" being on top of the music charts around that time in March 2020, this type of track was something completely different. According to me, it is one of the most important tracks on this album, because it really sets the scene for what the listener is about to experience for the next 40 minutes; a disco party in a spaceship up amongst the stars and planets, where you are dancing your way through the milky way. That's the experience to expect.
In this song, Dua uses “sprechstimme” in the verses and bridge, which is a way of combining talking and singing. She talks with a rhythm and pitch in such way, you could argue she is actually rapping. The reason why this works in this particular song, is because her articulation is rapid and loose like speech, but still in key and pitch. It's definitely a statement. Who doesn’t love themselves a little British “sprechstimme” ????
Something else i love love love on this track, is her clear British accent. She doesn’t normally hide her accent at all, but on this track, it really gets pushed to the front, and ends up really taking the song to a whole other level.
“Don’t Start Now” is the second track I want to highlight, as it really made its way into everyone’s hearts in the fall of 2019 (Including mine duhhhh.) This track was her lead single for the “Future Nostalgia” album, and is without a doubt, one of her most successful songs.
Produced by producer and songwriter Ian Kirkpatrick, this song was guaranteed to be a success production-wise. And it truly was! What also made this song the real talk of the town, was Lipa’s iconic EMA performance in the beginning of November 2019. One of the unfortunate things that has been following her through her career, is her very bad stage-presence. This performance was her way of proving everyone wrong, and showing she is truly here to stay. Later on, this performance has become one of the most important moments in the chapter of the new and improved disco queen, Dua Lipa.
“Love Again” is the third and last track I want to highlight from “Future Nostalgia”. Dua mentioned how she wrote it whilst going through a heartbreak, and by reading through the lyrics, this vulnerability becomes very clear and is definitely one of her more honest songs on the album. Despite of this vulnerability, I love her optimistic twist. This could easily have been one of those “I’ll never find love again” sob songs that is to find everywhere these days, but she chose to make it a song about finding a way of surviving a heartbreak - of course this can only be done by finding a new guy ;)
First, we get introduced to a sample of “Your Woman” by White Town, which was an idea from songwriter and producer Clarence Coffee Jr. (who also is a major co-songwriter on this album) as a way of making the track more “dancey.” If you ask me, the sample is the element that makes this song exceptional. Without it, I’m not sure I would have found it equally as interesting, nor catchy. It is also one of Lipa’s more subtle songs on the album. Not a lot of instruments are used on this track, and it makes room for her deep and raspy voice to really shine through. Where the majority of the songs on her album are more “busy”, I found it pleasant to have some variation.
Overall, this album is one of my absolute favourite albums ever made. There are no skips, and nothing makes me want to dance more than putting on this album. Genius songwriters, amazing producers, and Dua Lipa has never sounded better.
This album really brought electronic pop back into mainstream music, and later on, it's clear that several of artists have been inspired by this particular album. In other words, "Future Nostalgia" really made its mark on the music industry. And I think it will stand as one of the strongest albums in a very long time.