Category Archives: Music/Concerts

The meaning behind “ I Know It’s Over” by The Smiths

By: Kumari Wijetunge

The Smiths (1984 sire publicity photo) by: Paul Cox; Distributed by Sire Records

“I Know It’s Over” by The Smiths released in 1986 as part of The ‘Queen Is Dead’ album stands as one of The Smiths most heart wrenching and melancholic songs. With lyrics written by Morrissey and composed by Johnny Marr the song provides the listener with a candid exploration into the feelings of romantic rejection, personal worth, and the longing desire for human connection.

“I Know It’s Over” is a song about the pain of dealing with unreciprocated love. Lines like “Love is natural and real/But not for such as you and I,” reflect an emotional torment of being unable to experience the love that is given. Morrissey wallows in the sadness and hopelessness of loving someone who won’t reciprocate, with the song repeatedly going back to the line “I know it’s over, still I cling” showing that he knows deep down the truth but just can’t leave yet.

The song’s message reaches beyond just a romantic failure but goes into the feelings of broader existential loneliness. Morrissey’s lyrics convey a sense of isolation, reflecting on feelings of being disconnected with others. Lines like “it’s so easy to laugh, it’s so easy to hate, it takes guts to be gentle and kind” portray the struggle of maintaining kindness in a cruel world that at times is so cruel.

Additionally, it shows the dark feelings of feeling so unloved you’re willing to do anything just to feel something, like expressing thoughts of suicide with the line “the sea wants to take me/The knife wants to slit me/Do you think you can help me?” The line ending with a question further provides more evidence of unreturned love.

“I Know It’s Over” is more than just a break up song, it’s an exploration of human vulnerability, loneliness and the desire to connect with others. Morrissey’s deep and raw lyrics and Johnny Marr’s guitar world make a powerful piece that resonates with listeners on many different levels and can be interpreted in many ways.

Why ‘Plan A’ is one of the best albums this year

By: Bailey Glime

‘Plan A’ by Lil Tecca is one of the best albums this year and here is why. ‘Plan A’ shows a more experimental Lil Tecca who uses different tones in his voice to make songs sound vocally different. The album has 18 songs and is 44 minutes long, so the album is not long but has a lot to offer.

‘Plan A’ doesn’t just have the same sounding songs like other albums. This album dives deeper into different sounds to attract the audience more. It also makes the songs more of a fun listen too. The album also has songs that are more chill, and others that hype you up more.

Personally, the song that sticks out the most and is my favorite is “HOMEBODY”. This is one of my favorite songs because of the way Tecca makes his voice go up and down. There is also a catchy chorus that is fun to not just listen to but dance to as well. This song is also not a long one to listen to, and it has the listener wanting to listen to it again.

Compared to other albums of the same genre, this album isn’t completely serious and it’s more fun. At the same time, it has that seriousness in it that the other albums do too. The effect that this has on the listener, is that they can understand the lyrics better but still groove to the beat. This makes it a replayable album.

A song that makes the album pop with its lyrics is “120”. In this song Lil Tecca is talking about how with his success now he has a lot. He sings about being able to own expensive things like a 120k necklace. This song also has a groovy beat that just makes the lyrics pop more.

Overall, ‘Plan A’ shows many different sounds and makes it a very fun and interesting listen. It really dives into all the techniques Lil Tecca has under his sleeve, and draws the listeners to the album. This makes it one of the best albums this year. Having all these sounds mixed together makes this album a really enjoyable one.

‘When Wind Meets Fire’

By: Yohan Lee

Elevation Worship is a Christian band and it began in 2007 at Elevation Church. They are some of the most well known churches and worship groups. One of the most popular songs is “Praise” from the album ‘Can You Imagine?’

‘When Wind Meets Fire’ by Elevation Worship music list:

  1. New Thing Coming
  2. What A Miracle
  3. Sure Been Good
  4. Faithful Now
  5. God Is Not Against Me
  6. Owe You Praise
  7. When Wind Meets Fire
  8. Always On Time
  9. Another One
  10. Great Is
  11. Easy
  12. All Of The Sudden

For “New Things Coming” it gives like motivation because in the lyrics it says “Darkness bow down to the day. Mountains get up out of my way. Breaking out of yesterday. I got a new thing coming.” It says even though the enemy is going to come down and try to attack you, and even when you’re being attacked, you always know that tomorrow is going to be a better day and not going to be the same as yesterday.

Also in “New Things Coming”, when the lyrics say “[T]ell this giant in my face. You’re no greater than my faith.” It’s implying that even though your enemy could be bigger than you, it can’t beat your faith. If you just know that your faith is much stronger than your enemy then your enemy can’t do anything.

I think this song is pretty good. It has a lot of meaning behind it. Some of the stuff I said is not half of it.

For “What A Miracle” this song is implying that our savior is always going to love us. The lyrics that stuck out to me are “You called me from the grave and pulled me from the dirt. I love how you love me first.” For me, it says that even if you’re at your lowest point he will always somehow pull you from your lowest point to your highest point. Our savior will always love us even when we are lost.

I believe that this song is really good because it shows how our savior can still love us forever even when we did a bad deed.

For “Sure Been Good”, when the lyrics are saying “You took the mess that I was in and you have done some incredible things.” I believe that this is saying that our savior can just turn our mess and flip it to make our life better.

For “Faithful Now”, the whole song is basically you putting your faith in God and once you do he’ll do the task that is impossible for someone: like moving a mountain. If he wants that mountain to move he’ll start an earthquake. In my opinion, I really like this song because it’s catchy.

For “God Is Not Against Me”, the song is saying God will never go against us even when we make the biggest mistake. He is never going to betray you because he created us. I think this song is pretty good.

“Owe You Praise” is basically talking about how our savior has done a lot for us and he deserves our praise. Our savior will get tired but from afar it will always watch over us. I think this song is speaking the truth because after all the stuff he did for us I think he should deserve all the praise.

The “When Wind Meets Fire” song means bringing something that’s stuck in one place to another. Like imagine if the fire is all of us and we’re all stuck, but once our savior comes and touches us then we can quickly spread and move far apart. This is an opinion, but I think this is one of the best songs on this list.

“Always On Time”. This song basically is telling that our savior will always be there at our lowest and his timing is always going to be right. I like this song because it’s true. His timing is always going to be right. It could take a few minutes, a few weeks or even years, but during those times you can always learn more about him which can work or improve yourself.

“Another One” is a very good song. In the introduction it says “You do everything on purpose” which of course everything he does to us he does on purpose. It could be a test to see your faith in him or it’s just a life lesson. And in the next line it says “I’ve been praying and you’ve been working” which is saying he is working on that prayer but like again, it’s on his timing, and if he tells you about something it will happen.

“Great Is”, is another good song. This song shows how our savior can simply make something that seems impossible and just flip it. You might not know it but like everything else he does it’s on his timing. And if you have faith in him then you can trust the process.

“Easy” is a great song to show how powerful he is. Some of the lyrics are saying he can move a mountain, part seas, fight ten-thousand battles and still win and take down giants. In this song, a good lyric is “What I call impossible is easy for you”; nothing is impossible for him.

And finally, for the last song “All Of The Sudden” it tells if you just breathe him in, as in knowing or letting him in your life just a little bit, at your lowest point you’re going to feel strong all of the sudden. The strength just rushes through you and just overflows your soul.

I hope you guys will listen to one of these songs. You could even listen to a glimpse of it and it could somehow change your life. But if you do like this kind of music, I strongly recommend listening to ‘Praise’ by Elevation Worship or ‘Wake’ by Hillsong United.

Album review: ‘K-12’ by Melanie Martinez

By: Beverly Stinson

‘K-12’ is the 2nd studio album released by alt pop singer Melanie Martinez. It was released on September 6th, 2019 with 13 songs and was accompanied by a musical based movie, written and directed by Melanie herself along with some other people.

‘K-12’ is my favorite album ever and I’m giving my honest opinion on every song.

Tracklist

  1. Wheels on the Bus
  2. Class Fight
  3. The Principal 
  4. Show and Tell
  5. Nurses Office
  6. Drama Club
  7. Strawberry Shortcake
  8. Lunchbox Friends
  9. Orange Juice
  10. Detention 
  11. Teachers Pet
  12. High School Sweethearts
  13. Recess

It continues the story of the character Crybaby and her experience at a sleepaway school, following Melanie’s debut album titled ‘Crybaby’. Crybaby is a pretty complex character that is based off of both Melanie’s experiences with life and other peoples’ experiences. 

I also just want to state that the videos are tied to the movie so you could watch it and see all the music videos there and that I won’t be getting into detail about the lore and meanings of all the songs. 

And lastly, I want to say that Mel goes by she/they pronouns so I will kind of be switching between the two for different songs. 

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Song #1: Wheels on the Bus

Warnings: suggestive language, profanity, drug use

Wheels on the Bus music video

Wheels on the Bus lyrics

“Wheels on the Bus” is one of my favorite songs. I used to listen to it everyday on repeat and watch the music video. 

It’s not one of the most popular songs on the album but I personally feel it’s important to the story and the album and definitely deserves more recognition.

I believe it signifies coming of age as it shows Crybaby going to school for the first time and immediately experiencing bullying as well as “First love” and just the chaos of school. 

One of my favorite things about this song is the obvious reference to the song “Wheels on the Bus” and the samples Melanie adds from it. 

8/10


Song #2: Class Fight

Warnings: violence, suggestive language, drug use (in the movie)

Class Fight music video

Class Fight lyrics

At one point, “Class Fight” was my favorite Melanie song, it really had me in a chokehold when ‘K-12’ came out. I would watch fan made music videos and the actual music video itself over and over. 

I love the music, lyrics, and meaning, just everything about it. 

In the movie there’s the fight scene which is honestly one of my favorite scenes in the movie, it’s not very long but it’s an interesting scene and probably my favorite time Crybaby showcases her powers. 

9/10


Song #3: The Principal 

Warnings: drug use, profanity, transphobia (in the movie)

The Principal music video

The Principal lyrics

“The Principal” isn’t a song I’d say is my favorite but it’s still an amazing song. I love the lyrics and the music video.

I feel like this song kinda resonates with me a little because I used to be considered a “gifted” and “talented” kid and throughout the years I ended up burning out from all the expectations and work pushed on me.

I do really love this song and it definitely deserves more recognition.

8/10


Song #4: Show and Tell

Warnings: violence, profanity

Show and Tell music video

Show and Tell lyrics

“Show and Tell” focuses more on Melanie’s experience as a growing artist. 

It’s an amazing song and it was so popular at the time of release and for good reason, more people need to hear about how they make artists feel.

In the song they talk about how they feel pressured and used by their toxic fans. They have people pressuring them to make more music and have people taking pictures of them without permission. They express how they don’t feel like they can really talk about how their toxic fans make them feel because they think their fans won’t like them anymore.

The video for it visualizes how Melanie feels like they’re some sort of puppet in the music industry and that’s really creative. 

10/10


Song #5: Nurses Office

Warnings: drugging, violence, profanity 

Nurses Office music video

Nurses Office lyrics

“Nurses Office” was a song that really started to hit me in 7th grade.

It basically talks about how bullying may affect a person so much that they don’t want to attend class or even be in school in general and how schools don’t really do much about it. Crybaby is a character that is shown to be treated very harshly by other students and isn’t helped by teachers. To get away from it she goes to the nurse’s office since that’s the only place she can go. 

I do love this song and relate to it on a personal level and Mel actually said it was their favorite on the album which makes it more special.

9/10


Song #6: Drama Club

Warnings: violence, gore (in the movie), profanity, misogyny (in the movie)

There’s no YouTube music video link for some reason 

Drama Club lyrics

“Drama Club” has always been a favorite for me. I absolutely loved the video for this song as well as the lyrics. 

The video is actually so sick, it has another one of my favorite scenes where Crybaby uses her powers and gives more of a glimpse of how powerful she really is. 

It’s a pretty slow paced song but I feel like every album needs 1 or 2 slower songs with all the fast paced ones. It also reminds me of like 5th grade since I listened to it the most during that time.

10/10


Song #7: Strawberry Shortcake

Warnings: body dysmorphia, bullying, implications of sexual assault, sorta nudity (in the movie), misogyny 

Strawberry Shortcake music video

Strawberry Shortcake lyrics

“Strawberry Shortcake” is my 4th favorite song on the album. I really relate to some parts of it as the lyrics talk about some things I go through.  

This is another song that I feel might be about Melanie’s experiences but also just the subject in general. They talk about how sexism and misogyny affected them and I think about how some people made them feel about their body. 

Sexism and body dysmorphia are two really heavy subjects and Melanie talks about heavy things like that all the time. They’ve never really held back on the subject and I can tell it means a lot to them. 

It references how society tells women or AFAB’s (Assigned Female At Birth) that it’s their fault for getting hurt because of their clothing or the way they look.

“Strawberry Shortcake” is definitely an underrated song and it deserves way more recognition and love than it has. 

10/10


Song #8: Lunchbox Friends 

Warnings: profanity, sexual language, mentions of drugs, mentions of death (metaphorically)

Lunchbox Friends music video

Lunchbox Friends lyrics 

“Lunchbox Friends” is one of the most popular songs on the album. It’s a song that I started relating to in 7th grade.

This song is about fake friends; in the movie the group of popular girls invites Crybaby over to sit with them at lunch and pretend to be her friends but in reality they’re just going to end up leaving her. 

This is one song that I kind of involuntarily think too much about the meaning. It does genuinely make me sad when listening to it and thinking of people it reminds me of. Even so, I still love it and it will forever be one of my favorites on ‘K-12’

10/10


Song #9: Orange Juice

Warnings: eating disorders, body dysmorphia, slight gore (in the movie)

Orange juice music video

Orange juice lyrics

“Orange Juice” is a song that didn’t hit with me at first but after watching the movie and listening to the song so many times it eventually made its way to my second favorite on the album. 

This song speaks about eating disorders and self hate as well as self love and acceptance. This song helped me through my own eating disorder and helped me feel more seen about my insecurities. And I honestly owe a lot of my progress with my health to Melanie and her songs, this being a big one. 

“Orange Juice” is a really good song and it speaks on a big issue that a lot of people don’t ever want to talk about. It’s definitely a song that means a lot to me. 

10/10


Song #10: Detention 

Warnings: profanity

Detention music video

Detention lyrics

“Detention” is a song that I recently started to like more, I don’t know why I never fully listened to it though. I like the lyrics and the music and it’s all very catchy but for some reason it didn’t stick to me until like 4 years later. But as of right now, it’s my 3rd favorite on the album. I really love the music video; I feel like it’s really satisfying to watch. 

I relate to this song on a huge level. It’s insane. Since 7th grade school hasn’t exactly been the most positive experience for me and I never really had any help or guidance. 

There’s a lyric at the beginning of the song that talks about something I think most students experience, which is coming to school early in the morning with less than 7 hours of sleep, and some teachers expecting you to have a bright smile and positive attitude. That’s just something I think is a pet peeve for everyone. 

10/10


Song #11: Teachers Pet

Warnings: grooming, profanity, suggestive language 

Teachers Pet music video

Teachers Pet lyrics

“Teachers Pet” is an amazing song, it deals with an insanely heavy topic that definitely isn’t talked about enough.

I’m not going to add any of the lyrics but basically what the song is about is a teacher preying on one of Crybaby’s friends Angelita. It’s obviously based on pedophilila and grooming in the school system and how it’s underlooked.  

In the song it kinda talks about how it actually feels to be the victim in this situation. She mentions Angelita feeling like a spider trapped in a cage, representing her feeling trapped in the relationship as well as hating the teacher but still not being able to leave. 

Obviously, like I said, it’s a very heavy topic and that might be why some people don’t like it but it’s still such a good song. 

9/10


Song #12: High School Sweethearts

Warnings: violence, profanity, suggestive language

High School Sweethearts music video

High School Sweethearts lyrics

Okay, so, “Highschool Sweethearts” is my overall favorite Mel song out of all her albums and my favorite song ever made. I’m so obsessed with the music and the lyrics and how I feel it represents me.

I might be exaggerating but I really feel like this is one of the songs i relate to more than every other song, like ever. It genuinely means so much to me.

I love the lyrics but I wanna say that the music video/scene is everything to me, the choreography is, I think, my favorite I’ve ever seen and the video is my favorite music video ever. I just love everything about it and the song in general. I cried hearing it live; it was a very important moment for me. 

This is such an important song to me and it will forever be my favorite.

100/10


Song #13: Recess

Warnings: profanity 

Recess music video

Recess lyrics

“Recess” is the last song on the album, and I love it so much.

This song is basically about being brave enough to take a break when things get too overwhelming in your life.

I feel like this definitely goes back to the school system and how they pressure kids. Having them take so many classes with so much work and expecting them all to be smart and understanding of all the information being pushed in their faces at one time. 

It’s good for people to get reminders that they don’t have to cause themselves so much stress at one time and that they are allowed to take breaks for their own well-being because it’s so important. 

This is one of Melanie’s least popular songs which I don’t understand because it’s so good. It definitely deserves way more recognition.

10/10


Overall, this album is so amazing and honestly doesn’t have any bad songs. I love that every song has a deep meaning and spreads a message. 

Melanie has been one of my favorite creators since I was 7-8 years old and I love seeing her go from being on ‘The Voice’ to making her own music and spreading amazing messages and love. She was the most influential person in my childhood and she’s still a major influence now. She’s the reason why I got into writing and helped guide my start with activism.

This album really means so much to me because I relate to so much of it. And it’s a piece that should be so much more popular. It speaks about a lot of big topics that I’d say most artists wouldn’t even dare to touch. That’s something really special about it and Mel.

There is also a deluxe version of the album which adds the songs from her EP ‘After school’ which you should also check out, my favorite is “Brain + Heart”.

Lastly, I want to say how perfect the movie is. I’ve seen it so many times and it’s one of my favorite movies. It’s crazy to think about the fact that Mel wrote it, directed it, and starred as the main character. That’s not an easy thing to do and it just shows how talented she is.

I really do recommend you watch the movie! Here’s the link to it:

K-12 the movie


I hope you take the time to listen to it and show your support for Melanie and the messages and love she’s trying to send to everyone.

-Beverly 

Music artists I highly recommend giving a listen to

By: Julia Yang

We all like music, and if you say you don’t, you’re a liar. Everyone has different tastes in music with bias to various genres like pop, rock, country, and rap. I’d tell you what my taste is, but I listen to anything that sounds good. That’s not the point though, the point is that I’m sharing the artists I listen to so that you may expand your horizons and they can gain more support. Who knows, you might even enjoy these artists more than I do.

These are not ranked in any specific order.

#1 AJR

A little bit of a controversial opinion, but I love AJR. I don’t know why people hate them so much.

AJR is a good artist to listen to if you enjoy songs that speak upon unspoken issues like the feeling of watching the world go by whilst you haven’t changed, or being a good person all of the time but never gaining anything out of doing so. They’re sad topics, but the songs are usually really upbeat.

AJR music is usually loud, uses unusual instruments, and odd structure— but I think that’s what really sets them apart from everyone else.

#2 Will Wood (And The Tapeworms)

Will Wood (And The Tapeworms), more artists that touch upon topics that other artists don’t. They talk about feeling conflicted with self identity and advocates for understanding and acceptance, wishing for some kind of connection with the increasingly fragmented world.

Will Wood (And The Tapeworms) are a band that blend elements of rock, jazz, and cabaret into all of their songs. I will say, the sound of these songs are extremely unusual. Not in a bad way, they’re just not your usual day-to-day songs. Again, something that makes them stand out.

#3 Dagames

Dagames is an artist known to make fan made songs for popular games, one of which being “Build Our Machine” based off of ‘Bendy and the Ink Machine’— his most popular and known song. Putting aside the game songs, he also makes his own songs without building off a game! But, if you don’t play or enjoy popular games for whatever reason, this isn’t really the artist for you, obviously. Even so, you can also just ignore the whole game aspect and just enjoy the songs.

He usually makes songs that consist of metal and electronic elements, they’re usually loud and aggressive— but in a good way. Most of his songs made for games are fueled from the possible anger that the characters feel, so as one would, they’re all loud and aggressive. Love him for that.

#4 Ricky Montgomery

‘Montgomery Ricky’ LP cover

Something about this guys voice is incredible, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.

Ricky Montgomery is an alternative and indie artist who is quite popular in a variety of communities around social media. His music tends to tell wonderfully emotional stories in such a way that people can connect to them on a variety of levels— kind of like how people can connect to drawings and paintings; they’re all forms of art after all.

Ricky’s music can really get you in the feels, that’s all I can say, really.

‘Snow Angel’ album review

By: Sophia Elmstrom

‘Snow Angel’ is Reneé Rapp’s debut album with only an EP out called ‘Everything to Everyone’. This album came out November 2023 and it is about 48 minutes long in total with 16 songs.

Reneé Rapp has recently gained a new level of popularity from the ‘Mean Girls’ remake which is a musical. Reneé was in ‘Mean Girls’ on Broadway and was an actor before she started her singing career. She is very popular among many teens from this movie and a majority of her fans are also musical theater fans.

The 16 songs on this album are:

  1. Talk Too Much
  2. I Hate Boston
  3. Poison Poison
  4. Gemini Moon
  5. Snow Angel
  6. So What Now
  7. The Wedding Song
  8. Pretty Girls
  9. Tummy Hurts
  10. I Wish
  11. Willow
  12. 23
  13. Messy
  14. I Do
  15. Swim
  16. Tummy Hurts (feat. Coco Jones)

My two favorite songs on this album are “Talk Too Much” and “Messy”. The most popular songs on this album are “Poison Poison” which became popular because of TikTok and “Tummy Hurts” which also became popular because of TikTok.

All of the songs on this album are very good especially because of Reneé’s vocals and how great her voice sounds. She has a very powerful voice which sounds amazing in person and on the album and these vocals are mostly shown on the song “Snow Angel”.

The reason I love the song “Talk Too Much” is because I like the beat and the lyrics a lot. She has a point in the song where she starts talking a lot and I think it is clever to do that in a song called “Talk Too Much”. This song is about how she is scared that she talks too much and she is basically overthinking this relationship. I give this song a 10/10.

I also love the song “Messy” for some of the same reasons. This song is also about overthinking and how when she isn’t with this person all she thinks about is the relationship. I give this song a 9/10.

Overall, I really like this album and I believe that the vocals are amazing. I think that there are no bad songs on the album and I think she did a great job on ‘Snow Angel’. This album is full of a lot of upbeat and poppy songs and there aren’t many slow songs. I give this album an 8/10.

‘When The Pawn…’ by Fiona Apple album review

By: Fletcher Pike

Fiona Apple’s unique album ‘When The Pawn…’ came out in 1999 and featured 10 songs total with a total length of 42 minutes. This album was released following Fiona’s hit album ‘Tidal’ which came out just a few years before in 1996. The full title of this album is actually a 90 word poem that is featured on an overlay on the album cover. In this album, Fiona Apple incorporates piano elements into most of her songs with pop-style jazz beats and features her distinct smooth alto voice.

Track 1: On The Bound

The first song on this album, “On The Bound” begins with a swing beat with a heavy piano melody accompanied with electric piano undertones. The chorus shifts into an elegant beat with added string instruments as Fiona howls echoed lyrics. I loved this song a lot and I think it was a great opening to this album. I think that this song deserves a 10/10.

Track 2: To Your Love

The following song, “To Your Love” features vibrating and scaling vocals with a classic drum beat and fast piano hits. I did like the melody but personally this song didn’t stand out as much as the other songs on this album. It was still a really enjoyable song and I would rate it a 9/10.

Track 3: Limp

“Limp” starts with a simple growing piano melody with increasing intensity that explodes into sections with loud drums and a note-descending saxophone. I really loved the drums on this song and how the intensity increased as the song continued. I thought that this song was very pleasant to listen to and I rate it a 9.5/10

Track 4: Love Ridden

“Love Ridden” is a solemn tune compacted with emotion including a mostly piano and vocal composed melody. Stringed instrument undertones add depth to the song. I found this song to be very touching, with Fiona’s emotive and powerful vocals. I really liked this song overall and I would rate it a 9.5/10.

Track 5: Paper Bag

“Paper Bag” begins with a slower scratchy drum beat with a vinyl-like effect over it, with Fiona’s scaling and staccato vocals entering shortly after. I loved how this song was put together and I found the lyrics to be very interesting, which talks about how hope can lead to disappointment. I think this song deserves a 10/10 for the melody and intriguing lyrics.

Track 6: A Mistake

“A Mistake” starts with an electric organ with scratchy brass elements. I overall thought that this song was pretty great, but it didn’t really stand out to me. I liked the melody and the electric organ that was used in the song, so I think that this song is a 9/10.

Track 7: Fast As You Can

“Fast As You Can” is the hit single from this album. The song includes a racing tempo with quick piano hits that stops at slow segments during the song that picks up as it continues. I enjoyed the faster tempo on this song, as it grabs your attention right away with the march-style drums and vibrant theme. I think that this track has to be one of my favorites on the album and I rate it a 10/10.

Track 8: The Way Things Are

The song “The Way Things Are” begins with a wavy synth instrument shifting into a roaring heavy guitar and a classic drum beat. I liked the addition of the heavy guitar since it made it stand out from the other songs on the album. I think that overall this song was pretty good to listen to, and that I rate it a 9.5/10

Track 9: Get Gone

“Get Gone” begins with a tranquil piano and an ambient brushed drum beat that transitions to a louder drum set and piano sounds with string instrument undertones. I was a big fan of Fiona’s vocals in this song and the duality between dynamics. I loved the melody of the song and the different instruments used in this track. Parts of this song reminded me of some vintage jazz songs, which I admired a lot. This is a really great song, and I think it’s a 10/10. 

Track 10: I Know

‘When The Pawn…’ ends with a slow and melancholy rhythm with an ambient piano under Fiona’s gentle vocals. I think that it was a fitting song to end this album, and I enjoyed the vocals in this song. This was a great finish to the album, and I rate it a 9.5/10.

‘When The Pawn…’ is by far one of my most favorite albums by Fiona Apple. I find that the creativity and uniqueness that she incorporates into her songs makes her stand out as an artist. These songs were full of different kinds of emotions that I found to be interesting to listen to. Overall, I think that this album is a 10/10.

Album review: ’14 minutes’ by Dominic Fike

By: Calla Fragassi

Dominic Fike is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his role in the hit TV show ‘Euphoria’, but is also recognized for his music that falls under the Alternative/Indie genre. He released his fifth studio album on May 3, 2024, called ’14 minutes’. The 8 tracks on the album add up to 14 minutes exactly which is where the name comes from. Here is a quick review of each of these 8 songs, and the album as a whole:

The first song on the album is “megaman”. This song is one of the shorter ones on the album at 1:18 and focuses more on the instrumental aspects of the song. Throughout the entire song, he gently plucks the cords of an acoustic guitar to give it a sharper tone and uses a kick drum as the second instrument. He mumbles most of the words while singing, making the song more simplistic and relaxing. Overall, I usually like my music to be a little more upbeat, but I can still appreciate the sound and slowness ofmegaman.

The second song on the album is called “hi grace”. In “hi grace”, Fike uses sound effects to make his voice higher, as well as make his words sound glitchy. Throughout the song he uses piano, guitar, and drums which makes the song more upbeat than the previous song, but it’s still not super loud or intense. How he sings the chorus of the song reminds me of Bob Dylan’s voice in his music, and is one of the more popular songs on this album; I would rank this song in my top three favorites from this album.

The third song on ’14 minutes’ is “1.23.23”. This song reminds me of some of his older music from his previous album ‘Sunburn’ because he sings at a lower tone and uses a similar glitchy effect as “hi grace”. The lyrics in the chorus talk about scars and changing along with verses that are written about going back in time and fixing mistakes. This song gives a more hopeful message to listeners but is not one of my favorites on this album.

The fourth song on the album is called “THICKRICK”. This song sounds more like it is directed towards someone with anger based on the instruments and intensity of the song. Fike uses an electric guitar in this song and purposefully makes it the loudest sound in “THICKRICK”. This one is also not one of my favorites, but the lyrics in the song like “Don’t let the tattoos fool you, love” are full of anger and make it worth a listen.

The fifth track on the album is “Bowie Box”. The only instrument in this song is acoustic guitar. He only sings for a very short period at the beginning, making most of the song just him playing the guitar. This is one of the slower songs on the album and somewhat reminds me of the song “Skinny Love” by Bon Iver because of the tone of voice Fike sings with.

The sixth song on the album is “misses”. This is my favorite song of this album and is currently trending on Apple Music and social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. This song is very upbeat and cheerful and has quickly climbed to Dominic Fike’s number-one song. It’s easier to understand and learn than some of his others on the album and is the perfect song for summer.

Number 7 on the album is “to say to say”. He again uses the same glitchy effect in this song as he did on tracks 2 & 3, but this song only has 10 verses in its 80 seconds. Although it’s a little different from some of the other songs, it still fits in with the indie alternative style Fike typically works with.

The last song on this album is called “coast2coast”. It’s another one of my favorites out of these tracks because of the instruments he uses and how fast it is. It’s only 1 minute long, but he manages to make a great song out of the small amount of time he uses.

Overall, I would recommend this album to anyone who enjoys a different play on traditional indie music. He uses different instruments and effects than what are normally seen and it’s super fun seeing what he’ll incorporate into each song. I do wish the songs I enjoyed like “misses” and “hi grace” were longer songs, but I think the idea behind the album only being 14 minutes long is very interesting and I haven’t seen it done before!

A summary of the feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake

By: Hermekay Dehaney

The feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, who are two of the most prominent figures in hip-pop, has been building for years, marked by a series of indirect and direct disses throughout each other’s music careers. The feud has been growing in tension with both releasing back to back diss tracks aimed at each other for the past couple months.

But when did it start, and how did it escalate?

Well, for starters the two were once acquainted with each other and even  collaborated on different songs and albums, such as Drake’s album ‘Take care’ in 2011, and Kendrick’s album ‘Good kid, M.A.A.D city’ which was released a year later in 2012. 

The drama wouldn’t start until 2013 where Kendrick Lamar was featured on Big Sean’s song called “Control” where he dissed other artists including Drake, saying “I got love for you all, but I’m trying to m**der you.” Drake would then respond in an interview by saying “[I]t just sounded like an ambitious thought to me. That’s all it was. I know good and well that Kendrick’s not m**dering me, at all, on any platform. So when that day presents itself, I guess we can revisit the topic.” This would be the start of the decade-long feud.

The feud would escalate however, in March of 2024  when Kendrick Lamar would release his song “Like That,” which was produced by Metro Boomin’ and the rapper Future in an album called ‘We Don’t Trust You,’ in response to J Cole and Drake’s 2023 song “First Person Shooter.” In the J Cole verse, he said “Love when they argue the hardest MC Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me? We the big three like we started a league,” to which Kendrick responded by accusing the rappers of sneak dissing, and went on rapping by saying,  “big three —— it’s just big me.” What made that song significant was that the producer, Metro Boomin’  was a former producer for Drake but ultimately fell out with him.

J Cole would then respond by releasing a diss track, “7 Minute Drill,” rapping, “I got a phone call, they say that somebody dissing, You want some attention, it come with extensions,” and “He still doing shows but fell off like The Simpsons.” He also dissed Kendrick’s recent songs by saying it was “tragic.”

Only a couple days after releasing that diss, he would end up backing down by saying  “I ain’t gonna lie to y’all the past two days felt terrible,” which he would explain that he felt pressured because “the world wanna see blood.” And he ended up removing his diss from all streaming services, and apologized to Kendrick.

Drake would then release his diss track “Push Ups” on April 13, in which he clowns Kendrick for being 5’5″. He then went on to slam Kendrick for collaborating with mainstream artists such as Maroon 5, and Taylor Swift by saying “Maroon 5 need a verse, you better make it witty. Then we need a verse for the Swifties.” He then dropped another diss called “Taylor made freestyle.” Kendrick responded by dropping a 6 minute long diss track “Europhia,” on April 30, accusing Drake of getting plastic surgery as well as calling Drake a “master manipulator,” and saying “Let me say I’m the biggest hater,” and also “I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress.”

I personally think this is where the feud reached its climax, because this was the start of the back to back disses.

 Kendrick dropped another song less than 72 hours later “6:16 in LA,” where claims that someone in Drake’s circle is leaking damaging information about him. Then on May 3rd Drake clapped back with “Family Matters,” basically accusing Lamar of cheating on his wife. Lamar hit back with another song just an hour after Drake’s diss “Meet the Grahams,” where he accused Drake of having a secret daughter, and calling him a “narcissist, misogynist, livin’ inside his songs.”  He also made a verse addressed to Adonis, Drake’s son, saying, ”Dear, Adonis, I’m sorry that that man is your father, let me be honest,” he also addressed Drake’s parents in the song. This feud would not stop there as Kendrick would drop yet another diss track “Not Like Us,” which alleges Drake being a p**ophiles, he raps “Certified Lover Boy? Certified p**ophiles.”

Drake would respond with a track called “The Heart Part 6,” where he basically denied all the serious allegations against him.

So far it’s been quiet from Kendrick and Drake dissing each other besides Drake dropping a remix of Metro Boomin’s recent diss track against him, but that’s another story for another day.

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OPINION: My definitive Beyoncé album rankings

By: Charlie St. Dennis

As the craze behind Beyoncé’s new release, ‘Cowboy Carter,’ finally dials down, I’ve found myself taking more time to listen to some of her other albums from earlier in her career. In 8 solo studio albums, she has accomplished an admirable feat of having such a versatile discography with no stand-out “duds.” Here is my definitive ranking of each of Beyoncé’s albums, and why:

8. ‘Dangerously in Love’ (2003)

Recorded entirely during the longest and final hiatus of her hit girl-group, Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé recorded this as her first solo album. Though there’s nothing particularly bad about this, it even gave us some hits like “Crazy in Love” and “Naughty Girl,” there’s nothing that particularly stands out about it either. It is home to some of Beyoncé’s weakest tracks, which I won’t hold against her, considering she was very new to her career. My favorites off this album are “Dangerously In Love 2” and “Crazy In Love (feat. Jay Z).”

7. ‘I Am… Sasha Fierce’ (2008)

Perhaps her most commercially successful album, with 9 chart topping singles, ‘I Am…’ is a classic. It also introduces us to Beyoncé’s alter-ego, Sasha Fierce. Fierce is said to only come out on stage, and shows Beyoncé’s more “aggressive and sensual” side. This is a good album, although I like Beyoncé’s more deep work, and we don’t see too much of that on this album (even though it is there, in some parts). While the hits on this album include “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” “Halo,” and “If I Were A Boy,” my personal favorite is “Diva.”

6. ‘BEYONCÉ’ (2013)

This is probably my most controversial ranking here. Many dedicated fans of Beyoncé would place this in what they’d call their “Holy Trinity” of her discography…but not this dedicated Beyoncé fan. While I do enjoy this album, I don’t think it particularly stands out. It does capture Beyoncé in her first state of vulnerability caught on recording! We see this vulnerability on tracks like “Heaven,” “Pretty Hurts,” and my personal favorite, “Blue (feat. Blue Ivy).” We also hear more upbeat tracks, which are good as well, including “Feeling Myself (feat. Nicki Minaj),” “***Flawless (feat. Nicki Minaj),” and “XO”. These are tracks that I generally enjoy, but they don’t do it for me *quite* like some of the upcoming albums.

5. ‘B’Day’ (2006)

I think ‘B’Day’ did a great job at showing us a little taste of all that Beyoncé was capable of. She was fresh out of Hollywood and the award show circuit due to her success as Deena Jones in the movie-musical ‘Dreamgirls’ and she was ready to release music of her own. She uses country and creole influences, and gives us a perfect blend of deep & danceable. My personal favorites from the album are “Listen (from Dreamgirls)” and “Get Me Bodied (Extended Mix).”

4. ‘4’ (2012)

‘4’ is a very interesting album because it is like a roller coaster but without all the bumps. It goes up and down and has its dance songs, motivational songs, and its sad, more depressing songs, but it’s all very intricate and well put together. It’s hard to pick a favorite song, considering I like them all very much. I’d say one of my favorite songs of all time is “I Care,” so that’s definitely my favorite off the album. I also love “Party (feat. Andre 3000),” which delightfully serves as a celebratory song for any and every occasion.

3. ‘Renaissance’ (2022)

Renaissance’ is like nothing else I’d heard before. It is distinct and clear in its intent to educate and to bring up the events of the past. We hear features from previously little known black queer icons such as Big Freedia, Kevin Aviance, Kevin JZ Prodigy, among many others. Not only is it educational and intentional, it’s also just really good music. You get a little neo-soul out of “Plastic Off The Sofa,” you get some classic house from “Break My Soul” and “Pure/Honey,” and of course you get some disco from songs like “Cuff It” and “Summer Renaissance.” I find the album to be quite versatile and cohesive, and that really works well for it. My favorites on the album are “Church Girl” and “Pure/Honey.”

2. ‘Cowboy Carter’ (2024)

If you’ve been reading my pieces in the Plaid Line for awhile now, you now that I really enjoyed ‘Cowboy Carter’. That still remains true! The album is a lovely way of stepping into territory that was new to Beyoncé, but also something she has dipped her toes in before. Songs from ‘Lemonade’ and ‘B’Day’ have foreshadowed Beyoncé’s country feature. Anyways, I really loved this album, and it very quickly moved its way up the ladder in terms of my favorite Beyoncé albums.

My favorites at press time, because they always change, are “Tyrant,” “Sweet * Honey * Buckin’,” and “Daughter.”

1. ‘Lemonade’ (2016)

And lastly, but definitely not least, we have ‘Lemonade’. As you may know, I also really enjoyed ‘Lemonade’. It might just be the perfect album. It tells a story that can be listened to as one, or in individual parts, however you choose. It ranges from sad R&B, to a more upbeat equivalent, and has heavy Caribbean, Creole, and Houstonian influences. I implore you to read my prior review for my depth, but take my word for it when I say I truly love this album. My favorites are “Hold Up,” “All Night,” and “Freedom (feat. Kendrick Lamar).”

This was incredibly hard to write because I love all of these albums so so much, but here was my best shot. So, with that, there is Beyoncé’s studio solo discography. I hope you enjoyed this review, and let me know what you think of Beyoncé’s discography!