Album Review: Sweetener by Ariana Grande

Hi, I'm Stellar, and for the first time in weeks, I'm actually sticking to what I planned to post! Well, it is Ariana Grande related, so you shouldn't be surprised by that at all. By now, you should be familiar with my love of Ariana Grande, so I had to review her fourth album, Sweetener, as soon as it came out. I've talked about this girl so many times, but as per the usual, I'm going to give a brief-ish summary of Ariana's career up to this point. Beware: I'm about to sound like a walking Ariana Grande encyclopedia. You have been warned.

Ariana Grande got her start on the Broadway musical 13 in 2008, but a year later, she got cast as the adorably naive Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon's Victorious. Cat wasn't the main character of the show, but she quickly became a fan favorite and the role shot Ariana to fame. Ariana got to showcase her singing talents on Victorious, and between her performances on the show and her YouTube covers, fans definitely took notice. She began working on her debut album, titled Yours Truly, in 2010, but it wasn't released until 2013. Yours Truly was a critical and commercial success, and it featured both 90s R&B sounds and 50s/60s throwback vibes. The album's lead single, "The Way" ft. Mac Miller, was a top 10 hit, and the album debuted at #1. Ariana was praised for keeping a wholesome image compared to her peers (this was the year of Miley Cyrus and the Bangerz era, after all) and especially for her voice, which has gotten her compared to Mariah Carey.

Victorious ended in 2013, but the spinoff series Sam & Cat premiered shortly afterward. Ariana was busy starring in Sam & Cat in addition to her music career. However, Sam & Cat only lasted a year before getting cancelled for unknown reasons. Once the show ended, Ariana was able to focus solely on her music career. She dropped "Problem", the lead single for her second album, My Everything and a collaboration with Iggy Azalea, in early 2014. The song was a huge hit, peaking at #2. Other hits from the album were "Break Free" ft. Zedd, "Bang Bang" ft. Jessie J and Nicki Minaj, "Love Me Harder" ft. The Weeknd, and "One Last Time. The album was more modern pop/EDM than its predecessor, and it showcased Ariana in a more sexual style. Ariana became a huge celebrity after the release of My Everything, one of the biggest stars in music. However, she did get hit with diva rumors and faced her first scandal in July 2015: licking a donut and proclaiming she hated America. Make of that what you will.

After being put in a less-than-stellar light from the donut incident, Ariana decided to get darker and edgier with her music. She released the single "Focus" in late 2015, then scrapped it from her album (because it underperformed by her standards and was too similar-sounding to "Problem", I assume). In early 2016, she officially began her Dangerous Woman era, starting by releasing the single "Dangerous Woman". The single marked a darker shift in her music, being a sexy, rock-inspired slow jam. The album followed in May 2016 (I reviewed it here), and drew praise from critics for its experimentation to Ariana's sound. I think it's the best thing she's ever done thus far, showing her maturity and that she wasn't afraid to experiment with new styles like house, reggae, and rock & roll. "Side To Side" ft. Nicki Minaj was the album's most successful song, but the second single "Into You" is, and always will be, my favorite. I could talk about how that song is a masterpiece of pop music all day.

Come 2017 and Ariana is happy. She's proud of the music she's making, she's happily dating Mac Miller, and she's about to begin the Dangerous Woman Tour. Then the Manchester show happened. By now, you should be familiar with the horrible thing that happened in the Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017, even if you don't follow Ariana, so I won't spend too much time on it. That doesn't mean I don't care about it, because it's still something so tragic I can't possibly forget about it. After the show, a suicide bomber released a homemade explosive, killing 22 of Ariana's fans. Obviously, Ariana survived, but she would face immense trauma, guilt, and sadness after the attack. It's been over a year since the attack and she still gets emotional talking about it in interviews. I think it's something you can't ever truly be over. You can do all you can to lighten the mood, uplift others, and help those who need it (Ariana spent time visiting injured fans in the hospital, paid for the victims' funerals, and assembled a highly successful and uplifting benefit concert called One Love Manchester), but no matter how great things can become, it's still going to haunt you on and off for your entire life. Ariana received a tremendous amount of support after the bombing and her classy, mature way of handling it put her in the public's good graces. There was much hype for her new album, and many people expected she would address the tragedy in her new music.

Of course, we can't forget to discuss the second really big thing to happen to Ariana since the release of Dangerous Woman: her highly-publicized relationship with Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson. Ariana announced her breakup with Mac Miller in May 2018, and shortly after it was announced that she was casually dating Pete. Only a month after news of their relationship broke out, it was revealed that they were engaged. The two have been extremely public in their affection for each other, commenting flirty things on each other's Instagram photos and getting matching tattoos. However, their relationship hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows, at least when it comes to fans' reactions. Ariana has gotten so much flak for her relationship. Some fans noticed that Pete made a joke about Manchester last fall, something along the lines of "Ariana must know she's famous now, because Britney Spears didn't even have a terrorist attack at her concert." Fans were pissed and started demanding Ariana break up with him, as if they controlled her life. She defended him, saying he never had bad intentions, though she didn't find it funny. People got their panties in a twist, and part of me wants to say that's fine. I know that if a person I was in love with made a joke about a tragic event that's very close to my heart, I would probably dump them in a heartbeat. But I'm gonna take the high road and say it's none of my damn business. People also give them flak for moving way too fast in their relationship, and although part of me wants to agree with that as well, I also think that is none of my damn business. As a fan, all that matters is that Ariana's happy, and she seems to be head-over-heels happy in love with Pete Davidson. She's been through a lot, and she deserves to feel happy. You don't have to love Pete, but you have to respect Ariana's decisions in her life. It's none of your business.

Anyways, Ariana's lead single for the album, "No Tears Left To Cry", was released in April 2018 to critical and commercial success. She announced Sweetener a few weeks after, stating the concept would be about "bringing light to a situation, or to someone's life, or somebody else who brings light to your life, or sweetening the situation". She released "The Light Is Coming" as a promotional single and "God Is A Woman" as the official second single throughout the summer. The album garnered lots of momentum and was one of the most highly-anticipated pop albums of the year. She released it on August 17, 2018, and while she's gotten lots of critical praise, fan reactions have been mixed. Some love it, some hate it. But what do I think? Well, I don't know quite yet. I've already listened to the three songs Ariana's released prior to the album, but I haven't heard anything else. I guess this is a First Impressions post, but honestly, I'm thinking I might drop that label. I'm going track-by-track, giving my thoughts on each song and then I'll sum up everything and name my favorites and least favorites. Let's go. 

Honestly, I don't like this album cover much. I like the symbolism because it represents her feeling "upside-down" with her anxiety and I like how it's her first album cover in color, but other than that it's just kind of boring. She just looks kind of bored, and considering this is supposed to be her light, happy album, I kind of feel like she should be smiling? It just feels basic and amateurish. She has a huge budget, surely her label can give her a better cover than this. Geez, why has every album I've reviewed (except for Panic! At The Disco) had a crappy cover? Also one last thing: yes, I know all of the songs except for "R.E.M." and "God is a Woman" (technically "God is a woman" are lowercase, but I'm still gonna use proper grammar because it looks better to me. Screw you, it's my blog, I can do what I please. 

#1. "Raindrops (An Angel Cried)"

The album opens with a short acapella cover of "An Angel Cried" by The Four Seasons. Ariana revealed to Jimmy Fallon that she had already chosen to cover the song before she learned it was written by her late grandfather's best friend. This fact made the song even more special to her. I think the inclusion of the song alludes to the victims of the Manchester bombing, especially with the line "The day you left me, an angel cried". Her vocals sound top-notch and full of emotion. However, because the song is merely an intro and only around 30 seconds long, it probably won't end up being anybody's favorite or anything. It is pretty, though. 7.5/10

#2. "Blazed" ft. Pharrell Williams

Pharrell produced seven of the tracks off of Sweetener, so it makes sense that Ariana chose to collaborate with him. From what I've seen, his contributions have garnered a mixed reaction, with some fans loving Pharrell's quirky style and others hating the experimental nature of his tracks. I'm only two songs in, so I will refrain from commenting for now. Based off of the first impression, I think "Blazed" is pretty good. The lyrics are likely about her relationship with Pete Davidson, with the line "They be making fun of this on TV" being an obvious allusion to how much flak Ariana's gotten for their relationship. The production sounds like a 2000s R&B song, and it's a pretty catchy song. I love Ariana's lower range and pretty tone throughout, and I love how she and Pharrell play off each other in the chorus. The one complaint I have it that I feel like the prechorus is too repetitive, like a few repetitions of "Never let you go" could have been removed. But other than that, this is a jam and I can see it becoming a single. 8.5/10

#3. "The Light is Coming" ft. Nicki Minaj

This song was the second released from the album, and it immediately divided fans. It's one of the more experimental songs, not just in its production (which sounds like "Lemon" by N.E.R.D.), but in its song structure. This song starts off with the Nicki verse, as opposed to most songs, which have the guest rapper a little over halfway through. The chorus is also extremely repetitive and the sample of Senator Arlen Spector yelling "You wouldn't let anybody speak and instead!" repeats throughout the whole song, much to many fans' dismay. Ariana's vocal stylings on this song are more sing-rapping than the powerhouse belting she's known for. All in all, this song is an acquired taste, but it grew on me a ton over time. Initially, I was like "WTF is this, Ariana?", but it grew on me because it's quirky, catchy, and memorable, and I like the message of staying positive in dark times (even though some of the lyrics are pretty cringey). Nicki's verse is quite short, but it's still good. Nicki and Ariana normally do really good work together. I appreciate Ariana taking risks, even if not everyone is going to like those risks. It's not my favorite song she's ever done, but it's fine enough and better than people give it credit for. Once again, it sounds a lot like a slightly-worse version of "Lemon", so if you like that song, you'll probably enjoy "The Light is Coming". If not, you'll think it's a total mess. Both opinions are justified, even though I like the song. 8/10

#4. "R.E.M."

Like any good stan, I follow Ariana on Instagram, and judging from her posts, she seems to really love this song. She's put it in a ton of videos relating to the album on her story. She's also teased the song in tweets and in an interview game with Elle. The song's hook was taken from an old Beyonce demo, and Ariana's take on it is fine, but I'm not sure if the style's right for her. I feel like the first verse is pretty unremarkable in both lyrics and melody, but I love the quirky, sing-song flow of the second and third verses. I also love how Ariana hints at her lower range and the harmonies. I feel like the chorus is a little underwhelming. I'm not sure why, it just feels off to me. The production feels a little off-kilter to me, and I'm not sure how I like it. There's this weird breathing in the background that just shouldn't be there. It's creepy. I know this is like, Ariana's favorite song on the album, and from what I've read in other reviews, it seems to be getting some acclaim, but I just don't like it as much as I feel like I should. But it's okay, because I tend to disagree with her tastes on her own music. She tweeted her top 5 favorites from Dangerous Woman and none of my top 3 ("Into You", "Greedy" and "Touch It") were in it (Her top 5 is "Be Alright", "Dangerous Woman", "Let Me Love You", "Side to Side", and "Knew Better/Forever Boy", in case you were curious). Maybe I'll like the next song more. 6.5/10

#5. "God is a Woman"

Just kidding about that "maybe" part. I've talked about this one before, but I said I'd go in-depth during this review. Long story short, this is my favorite song of 2018 thus far and the second-best single Ariana has ever released (because "Into You" will always have my heart). Based off of the title, people thought it would be a feminist anthem, but instead it's about sex, specifically how Ariana is so good in bed it'll make her lover think God is a woman. It's still empowering in its own way, because everything about the vibe makes me feel like a boss. Ariana's vocals are amazing as always. One moment I'd like to single out is the whistle note right before the final chorus, which straight-up made my jaw drop the first time I heard it. Of course, the best part is the outro, which features Ariana's vocals layered countless times to sound like a heavenly choir. If I were to pick the number one thing I love about Ariana's music, it's the way she uses her voice as an instrument and does amazing vocal harmonies. Naturally, the huge choir is heaven to my ears. I also love Ariana's confidence in the way she sings the song, it's the perfect performance for this particular song. Her "yuh" ad-libs are great, too. Finally, the music video is the best she's ever done. There are so many well thought-out references to religion, sex, and womanhood and the visuals are stunning. She even got Madonna to recite a quote from Pulp Fiction midway throughout the video, that's how you know Ariana isn't screwing around. I feel like this song and its video are already iconic for 2018 pop culture, and I hope this is a pop classic that's talked about for generations. What a song. 10/10

#6. "Sweetener"

The title track was the first song Ariana recorded for the album. This one's got more of a trap vibe, but it's not to the point where it sounds awkward. The chorus is pure sugary goodness, and her voice sounds really pretty. This is another Pharrell song, and I think this might be my favorite of the Pharrell tracks thus far. The beat is really quirky, because it sounds like a 90s R&B song mashed up with the video game-y synths that are characteristically Pharrell at this point. From what I've seen, the post-chorus with the "mix it, mix it, twist it, twist it" part is the main talking point of this track, and I think it's light-hearted, cute, and funny. I feel like she might make it a single only because that totally has meme potential. "Mix it, mix it, twist it, twist it" is the new "raindrop, drop top", mark my words. I've heard people comparing it to Bop It, which is hilarious to me. The main issue I have is with the lyrics, specifically the line about "licking the bowl". That's just a really bad innuendo, and a lot of the other puns are pretty bad. But still, this is a cute song, I like it. 9/10

#7. "Successful"

Going into this, I expected a female empowerment song all about how successful women are. That's not too far off from what it actually is. It's Ariana essentially bragging about how successful she's become. While it could sound awkward and narcissistic coming from anyone else, Ariana can make it work because she's actually got the kind of success worth bragging out. She takes some time to uplift her fellow women too, singing "and girl, you too, you are so young and beautiful and so successful". I love all the twists and turns this song takes in tone. My favorite part is the prechorus, which has a pretty melody and vocals. The chorus is laid-back and catchy. One thing I will complain about again is that the breathing that was in "R.E.M." is back for this song, and it's awkward and I don't like it. Other than that, this is a bop and I can see it being a grower. 7.5/10

#8. "Everytime"

This one is very trap-influenced in its production. It sounds sort of like "God Is A Woman", but a little different. "God Is A Woman" had more guitar while "Everytime" is mostly synth-based. It's about a bad relationship where Ariana knows the guy is bad for her, but she keeps going back to him. I feel like this song was originally named "Back To You", but Ariana changed it because both Selena Gomez and Louis Tomlinson (ft. Bebe Rexha) released songs with that title within the past year. Other than "God Is A Woman", I think this is my favorite thus far. In the final chorus, Ariana does some of her signature belts and runs, which we surprisingly haven't really seen on the album. I don't know much about actual vocal technique, but amazing vocals are always something that will impress and fascinate me. The high notes are gorgeous and perfect, especially the really high one on the "BAAAACK TO YOU". That part gives me chills. I really can't think of any immediate flaws with this song, and I can totally see myself loving this one and getting a lot of play out of it. 9.5/10

#9. "Breathin"

I've heard a ton of hype about this song, specifically that it's a gigantic synthpop track about her anxiety. This sounds tailor-made for me. Not only do I love big, well-produced synthpop tracks (a la "Into You") more than any other kind of song, but I also struggle with anxiety so I can relate to the lyrics. I can tell this will be a song I'll play when I'm having really bad panic attacks. It's a reminder to "keep on breathing and breathing and breathing and breathing", because that's something I've heard from many people and it's good advice. Just take a deep breath and everything will feel better. The production is immaculate, with gorgeous synths and even a cool guitar solo during the bridge. I love the moment during the second chorus when it goes acapella, only for the beat to kick back in. The production is a great match for Ariana's soft, delicate vocals. Her approach to this song is pretty typical for this album, staying in her middle range for most of it and only really belting in the end. She also uses lots of harmonies, much to my delight. From what I've seen, this is the big fan favorite that everyone wants to be a single, and while I'm not sure if she'll release it as a single ("Greedy" was beloved by so many people and she didn't release that), I agree with them. One of my favorites so far. 9.5/10

#10. "No Tears Left To Cry"

This was the lead single for the project, and since I already talked about it in a full review, I'll keep it short. At first I really liked this song, but it's grown on me so much that I now consider it pop perfection and Ariana's best lead single. It really hasn't sounded like any of the songs I've heard from the project, but I do think it was the best possible artistic decision for Ariana to lead off with this. It's a big pop song with a huge, gorgeous chorus and a great message. Ariana's been through some unspeakably horrible things in her life, but she's done being sad and has learned to live with the pain. When the song came out, Ariana said something about how she hopes it "brings you light and comfort but also makes you wanna dance and live ya best life!" That pretty much sums it up. Also, one last thing about this song that I'm kind of annoyed by: in the review, I stated that the snippet Ariana teased was of the intro, when it's only the intro in the music video. If you listen to the song on Spotify, that beautiful choral intro is not there. I know it's not that big a deal, but I think dwelling too much on past mistakes is a big part of my anxiety. The song is still awesome, regardless of my incompetence. 10/10

#11. "Borderline" ft. Missy Elliott
With this one, Ariana teams up with Missy Elliott, who was one of the biggest rap icons of the 2000s. I feel like this is the weakest of the three collabs on the album. Missy's part isn't bad, but she's barely there. She spits eight unremarkable bars, then disappears. What a waste. The chorus on the song isn't as memorable as the others, and some of the lyrics are pretty dumb. Two lyrics I'm gonna single out for being particularly inane are "You know I'm the wifey type" (because using modern slang in lyrics is cringeworthy 99% of the time) and "Once you tastin' my ice cream, I bet you won't ever leave" (because...ew). Ariana's vocals are passable, but only a fraction of what I know she's capable of. This is another Pharrell track, but it's indistinguishable from the other Pharrell songs. The clattery cowbell at the end is...why? This is my least favorite track so far, and I know Ariana can do better. 6/10

#12. "Better Off"
This track wasn't supposed to be on Sweetener, but Ariana added it sort of the last minute. This one is a slower song, but it's not quite a ballad. It has some nice R&B/trap production with gorgeous strings, and Ariana's vocals sound beautiful and cozy. The lyrics are reportedly about Ariana's ex, Mac Miller, and how their relationship was toxic. "I'm better off without him, I'm better off being a wild one" is such a simple statement, but it's a powerful one. I like the details this song provides about their relationship, and how it shows Ariana getting more personal than ever before. I don't really have much else to say about this one other than it's another favorite. 9/10

#13. "Goodnight N Go"
"Goodnight N Go" is a cover/remix of the song "Goodnight and Go" by Imogen Heap, who is one of Ariana's idols. I've never heard the original, so I can't compare the remix. Personally, I'm not a fan of Ariana covering songs for her albums. While she does great covers, I'd prefer for her albums to be all-original material. I'm not sure what the lyrics are about. I'm guessing it's about a crush. I don't like the production much, especially the drop. The drop sounds like it's from a bad Chainsmokers song, and I don't know if it came from the original but I don't like it either way. Surprisingly, I'm not a fan of Ariana's vocals on this particular song either. There are some parts where she uses her falsetto, and even though I love her falsetto every other time, it just sounds...off. I can see why others would like this song because it is experimental, but I'm not a fan. Sorry, Ari. 6.5/10

#14. "Pete Davidson"
Here's the one everybody's in a tizzy about. Ariana's fiance, Pete Davidson, is a controversial figure in the Ariana Grande fandom, and naturally the fans that don't like their relationship don't approve of Ariana naming a song after him. I think it's great that she's happy enough to name a song after Pete, but I don't think she should have. Not that I'm wishing for this to happen, but it's a real question: what happens if they break up? This song's gonna be super awkward if that happens. The actual song is another interlude, and I don't think there's anything special about it. It's very repetitive. Some of the lyrics are cute though, namely "And I know you know you're my soulmate and all that". Personally, I wouldn't have included this song on the album if I were Ariana, but I'm happy she's so happy in this relationship. 7/10

#15. "Get Well Soon"
This is the one I was really looking forward to because Ariana revealed it would be about her anxiety and how she felt like she was floating-and not in a good way, to quote Ari herself. The main message is about how you need to take care of yourself so you can get better. One thing I noticed is that she sings "Is there anyone else whose mind does this?" and my response is YES. Specifically my mind. Anxiety is horrible, oh my god. I love the laid-back production and gorgeous vocal layers. It really lets you focus on the lyrics and message. While they aren't all great ("unfollow fear and say 'you are blocked'" is a really dumb line IMO), I admire her for trying to spread a positive message in her lyrics. In this song, Ariana's offering herself as a shoulder to cry on, willing to help anyone who's going through a tough time. It's a nice sentiment to hear, and a nice sentiment for her to go out on. The track ends with forty seconds of silence in honor of the victims of the Manchester attack, and the song's runtime is 5 minutes and 22 seconds, as a nod to the Manchester date of May 22. I really think that's a really nice, respectful thing for Ariana to do, and a beautiful way for her to end her album. 9.5/10

All in all, I'm not sure how Sweetener compares to Dangerous Woman, my previous favorite album from Ariana Grande. I don't think any of the songs, other than "God Is A Woman" can compare to the insanely high highs from Dangerous Woman, but as a whole, it's Ariana's most cohesive and probably her best album. However, I've had most of the Dangerous Woman tracks on repeat for two years, and I've only heard most of the Sweetener tracks once, so it's not fair to compare. I can see myself enjoying many of these songs for a long time, and I think Ariana developed a lot more artistic credibility on this record. One thing I was surprised by was the fact that she didn't outright address Manchester very often on the album, but I can see why. It's a scarring thing to go through, and I respect her for wanting to move on and focus on the good instead of dwelling on the worst times in her life. It's a very mature direction for her to take. All in all, I give Sweetener an 8.5/10.

Best Songs (or at least my favorites): "God Is A Woman", "No Tears Left To Cry", "Breathin", "Everytime", "Get Well Soon"
Worst Songs (or at least my least favorites): "Borderline", "Goodnight N Go", "R.E.M." (fight me)

Okay, so that's all for this week. Tomorrow is my one-year anniversary of creating Stellar in Neverland so I'm gonna do...something. I have this big post planned, basically chronicling every mistake I've ever made on here. However, that's time-consuming and I have no motivation, so I might just write a quick "happy birthday to my blog aka my child" thing. Either way, I'm going to acknowledge it, because hey, I've consistently written on here for a year! Next Wednesday, I'm making a list of my top 20 Fall Out Boy songs. Maybe it's my anxiety being a burden on my life, and maybe it's my desire to feel like how I did in 2016 when Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco were the most important things in my life, but either way, Emo Stellar is making a resurgence. Now, when my passion for them is strong again, is the perfect time to talk about Fall Out Boy. Besides, I've promised it a few times and I want to keep that promise for once. So yeah, that's what the next seven days will look like on Stellar in Neverland. I'll see you then. Peace!

Stellar

Album Review #4- Panic! At The Disco's Pray for the Wicked

Hi, I’m Stellar, and welcome to Stellar in Neverland, where we talk about music. We talk about other things on occasion, but mostly music. I was gonna do this post last week, but I skipped for reasons I talked about in that brief post I did last week. But now I’m here, and I’m going to review Pray for the Wicked by US alternative-rock-electropop-whatever-you-want-to-call-them band Panic! At The Disco. I haven’t done an album review since what, December? Plus I get to talk about a band who’ve pretty much defined my teenage years thus far, like it or not.

Before we talk about Pray for the Wicked, let’s talk about the band and how they’ve evolved. Originally I was going to write this lengthy intro, but halfway through I decided: Stellar, you don’t need all this exposition. I’ll sum up each album in a short paragraph instead.

A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out: It came out in 2005 and was polarizing to critics but beloved by fans. It went double platinum and is probably their most successful album, containing their biggest hit “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”. I was three at the time, so I can’t speak from experience, but I know Panic! were a love-it-or-hate-it thing early on in their career. Some thought OMG I LOVE PANIC! BRENDON URIE IS SO DREAMY!, and some thought oh my god you guys panic! at the disco is so gay. I discovered them years after this album came out, so I fell in love with the music before anything else. This album is a weird mix of electronica-infused pop punk and baroque-inspired pop. I love it and consider it my favorite Panic! album. Six of the album’s thirteen tracks are in my top 20 for the band, which is more than any of their other albums. (Which six, you ask? READ THE LIST.)

Pretty. Odd.: In 2008, the band dropped the exclamation point in their name (Panic! At The Disco became Panic At The Disco) and switched up their style. They went for a more psychedelic-Beatles-inspired thing on this album. It bamboozled everyone and wasn’t as successful as their previous album, but now it’s something of a cult classic. I think this album is good, but I prefer most other Panic! albums because this one’s style just isn’t for me. However, it has a couple songs (there are two in my top 10, and “Nine in the Afternoon” is pretty awesome too) that I love. While touring for Pretty. Odd., guitarist and songwriter Ryan Ross, as well as bassist Jon Walker, left the band due to disagreements over how their next album would sound.

Vices & Virtues: After Pretty. Odd., lead singer Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith continued releasing music as Panic! At The Disco. They took the band in a new direction: timeless-sounding, vintage-esque power pop. They released Vices & Virtues in 2011, and it was kind of a commercial failure. I think it’s probably their most underrated album and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes good, solid pop music. It does have “Let’s Kill Tonight”, which I’d consider one of their worst songs, but everything else ranges from pretty good to awe-inspiring. The only complaint I have is that the bonus tracks should’ve made the album proper, because they’re all pretty awesome. In a perfect world, “Bittersweet” would be track 2 instead of “Let’s Kill Tonight”, but I digress. One last thing worth mentioning about the Vices & Virtues era is that the band got a new bassist, Dallon Weekes. He originally joined only as a touring member, but he got promoted early in the era.

Too Weird to Live, Too Rare To Die!: With their 2013 album Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, the theme was Vegas-inspired 80s synthpop. This style appeals to my tastes the most of all the styles they’ve tried on. 80s throwback pop (both songs from the 80s and more recent songs that sound like they are) is like crack for me, so I really enjoy this album. It’s more mainstream, but it’s not really a sell-out, as songs like “Nicotine” and “This Is Gospel” are still traditional Panic! pop-rock. The thing that really appeals to me about this album is how cohesive it is, and it does what it tries to perfectly. Plus it has a little song called “Collar Full”, which may not be the best song they’ve ever made, but it’s certainly my favorite in their discography. This era brought the band back to success, with the album peaking at #2 and songs like “Miss Jackson” and “This Is Gospel” being some of their most famous songs.

Death of a Bachelor: In 2015, both Spencer Smith and Dallon Weekes left the band (the former left for good, the latter was just demoted back to a touring member), meaning Panic! at the Disco is basically just a Brendon Urie solo project at this point. With the band’s 2016 album, Death of a Bachelor, Brendon had complete creative control, so he made an album that sounds like the lovechild of Frank Sinatra and Queen. It’s my least favorite album of theirs, because sounds less like a cohesive album and more like a collection of random songs. It’s all over the place sonically and lyrically, and at times (specifically the song “Victorious”), it can be pretty obnoxious. But it does have its moments (like “House of Memories” and “LA Devotee”), and it brought them a level of success they hadn’t seen since the Fever era. They got their first #1 album and Grammy nomination, and I heard their songs on the radio a lot more than before. I became a fan of the band about two months after Death of a Bachelor came out. I had gotten into Fall Out Boy, the band who signed Panic!, a few months prior, and one of my friends played me a few songs from DoaB that I ended up loving.

I haven’t heard any of the songs from Pray for the Wicked yet because I purposely avoided them for this post. This is the first First Impressions post that can truly be called a First Impression, because I have heard about 30 seconds of “Say Amen” and NOTHING ELSE. What do I expect? With Brendon having creative control once again and with the success of Death of a Bachelor, I’m expecting it to be similar in style to that album. I’m also hoping Pray for the Wicked is better than Death of a Bachelor because it’s his second time doing this, which means he can learn from what he did wrong on that album (lack of cohesion, some songs are loud and obnoxious) and make improvements. Lastly, Brendon had a stint on Broadway last year, appearing in the musical Kinky Boots, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some show-tune elements come into play, nor would I be surprised if the Broadway training helped Brendon’s (already great) vocals improve even more. As per the usual, I’m going to talk about each song on the album and give each a score out of 10. When that’s finished, I’ll give some final statements on the album as a whole, score the whole thing out of 10, and list my favorite and least favorite tracks. So I’m done with my rambling: here is Pray for the Wicked by Panic! At The Disco. At least in my opinion. You might disagree and that’s fine!

On an unrelated note, I think this album cover is pretty sweet. I like how it looks like he's a giant, towering over the city buildings, and I think the hand-painted font is cool. Not my favorite Panic! album art (I'll always be partial to that of Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die), but it's pretty cool. Panic! At The Disco's album covers are pretty consistently awesome for me. 

1. “(F**k a) Silver Lining”

I believe this song and “Say Amen” were the first two songs released from the album, but I haven’t really listened to either until now. The intro to this one caught me really off-guard. It has a slow, dreamy, oldies-inspired intro with a deep voice that says “Ode to the old and to the new, we rededicate this song to you”...and then Brendon Urie starts dropping f-bombs. It’s a weird intro, but the song itself is pretty good. It wouldn’t sound out of place on Death of a Bachelor, and the chorus (especially the “it’s just cherries on top” part) are insanely catchy. The lyrics are about how he wants nothing but the best in life, and they have a playful shoutout to Beyonce and her Lemonade album. One thing worth mentioning is Brendon’s insane high notes in the song’s outro. The band’s music as a whole can be love-it-or-hate-it depending on your tastes, but I think Brendon Urie’s talents are undeniable. 8/10

2. “Say Amen (Saturday Night)”

This was Pray for the Wicked’s lead single, and I’ve heard maybe 30 seconds of it. Do you ever have a song where it’s like, you like it a lot but there’s that one element that prevents you from loving it? That’s “Say Amen” for me. The melody in the verses has a Broadway-ish feel that I’m totally on board with, the chorus is bombastic and fun, and Brendon sounds great as always. That one high note at the end is awesome. This might be one of their best songs ever...if it weren’t for that damn high-pitched sample that appears throughout the track. Apparently it’s sampled from a song called “Aphasia” by the Budos Band, and it just gets on my nerves. It’s annoying and repetitive, and I’d enjoy the song so much more if it wasn’t there. That sample prevents me from wholeheartedly embracing the track, but I can’t get too mad at it since it doesn’t take up the entire song. Still, it would’ve been a 9 or higher without that sample. 7.5/10

3. “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”

As you can probably guess from the title, this song is Brendon celebrating his success in the music industry. Lyrically it’s sort of a sequel to “Silver Lining”. There are some good lines here, like “In the garden of evil, I’m gonna be the greatest”, but there are some lyrics where I can’t help but think, “Brendon, you know I love you, but why would you write that?” The two big ones are “I’m a hooker selling songs and my pimp’s a record label” and “If you lose, boo-hoo”, which are corny and juvenile, respectively. This one has a catchy chorus, but it’s not as catchy as the previous two. Sonically, I would describe it as a lavish, jazzy party. I can dig it. This is probably my least favorite of the three songs I’ve heard, but it’s still fine enough. Blame (or whatever the positive version of “blame” is) Brendon’s confident vocals for holding the song together. 6.5/10

4. “High Hopes”

This was the second single released from the album. It’s sort of like “That Green Gentleman” from Pretty. Odd. in the way it’s so damn positive and just puts a smile on your face. I’d say the message of this song boils down to “dream big and expect the best, cuz then you’ll get the best”. It’s inspiring to see how Brendon’s come so far from dreaming big, and it can give you the motivation to make your dreams come true like he did. The chorus is really catchy even if it does feel like it repeats a lot, and the lyrics are pretty good. My favorite line is “Burn your biographies, rewrite your history”, which is not only good advice, but also makes sense in the context of the band, who is constantly rewriting their history and changing. For lack of a better term, this one’s a bop, and I hope it does well on the charts. If it gets the right promotion, it could be really successful for the band. 8.5/10

5. “Roaring 20s”

Time to be honest: the first ten seconds or so of this song are unbearable. It starts off with this loud, obnoxious, and extremely high-pitched saxophone that hurts my ears. Other than that, the song’s pretty good. Lyrically, the song is about Brendon’s Kinky Boots stint and the anxiety he felt going on Broadway. It’s a good example of that show-tune vibe I was expecting the album to provide, complete with a dramatic tempo change. I like how the “roaring 20s” in the title refers to both the 1920s, the decade which the song sounds like, and how Brendon was ending his twenties when he took on the Kinky Boots role. There’s also a reference to the book Lord of the Flies (which I read in English last year!) and some good SAT words like “tourniquet” and “inebriate”. Once again, Brendon’s vocals are probably the highlight, because his vocal style is just naturally really good for Broadway-style music and he approaches the song with tons of gusto. This isn’t one of the better songs I’ve heard from the album (because of that damn intro), but it’s still solid. 7/10

6. “Dancing’s Not a Crime”

For every album I listen to, I try to guess which song’s gonna be the best based on the title. My guess for Pray for the Wicked was “Dancing’s Not a Crime”, and honestly...I’m not sure if I’m right or not. Let’s start out with the positives. Brendon sounds great as always, dipping into his falsetto in the chorus and generally sounding like he’s having a blast. I like the catchy, energetic chorus and the use of horns. I also like the main lyric “dancing’s not a crime unless you do it without me” and how the song is just a light-hearted banger you don’t really need analyze to enjoy. Sometimes you just need one of those. However, there are some negatives. The biggest one is the pitch-shifted vocals that appear throughout. They kind of give me flashbacks to “Young and Menace” by Fall Out Boy, if I’m being honest. It’s not as bad as that song (Can any song use pitch-shifted vocals to a worse effect than “Young and Menace”?), but the fact that I’m even suggesting it to be in the same ballpark as the song I have indirectly called FOB's worst ever should raise a few eyebrows. Another problem I have is the part where he says something about “throwing shade”. I’ve never spoken about this, but using modern slang in music is a pet peeve of mine. It makes the artist sound like they’re trying too hard and it will inevitably come off as dated ten years from now. So all in all, “Dancing’s Not a Crime” has a lot of good qualities but some really bad qualities that prevent me from giving it anything higher than a 6.5/10.

7. “One of the Drunks”

And we go from one song which uses pitch-shifting to its disadvantage to another. This album’s making me realize that I kind of hate pitch-shifted vocals, if I’m being honest. The pitch-shifting isn’t as annoying as it was on “Dancing’s Not a Crime”, but it still ruins any potential the song had for me. And that’s a shame, because this song could’ve maybe been a nice throwback to the Too Weird to Live era. It weirdly reminds me of “Can’t Fight Against the Youth”, a bonus track from that album I like quite a bit. Also, the vocoder at the end could’ve been cool but it’s a little too distorted to the point where I can’t understand what it’s saying. Lyrically, this song is about the dangers of alcoholism, and it had potential, but I’ve seen this theme done better. “Swimming Pools” by Kendrick Lamar and “Chandelier” by Sia are two songs that talk about this topic in a much more affecting way. This song’s lyrics are kind of repetitive and generic, and the song is overall probably my least favorite on the album thus far. At least “Dancing’s Not a Crime” was upbeat. 6/10

8. “The Overpass”

The opening of this song assaults you with horns, so to speak. I dig it, though. The horn melody reminds me of the one in “Confident” by Demi Lovato, which is a good thing in my book. This song has more of a rock vibe than the others on the album, but it mixes it with an old-school funk and soul vibe. It’s my favorite on the album so far. I see the lyrics as being about a secret lover Brendon hasn’t talked to in a while, and how he wants to meet up with her at an overpass, where no one can see them be themselves. This song has the best lyrics on the album thus far, because most of the other songs are Brendon bragging and this one’s about his love for another person. My favorite thing this song is the interplay between Brendon and an uncredited female vocalist (at least I think it’s an uncredited female vocalist. I can’t tell if it’s a girl or just him using his falsetto tbh) in the verses. It’s playful and fun. I would say the only negative about this song is that the line “everything about you is perfect, down to your blood type” is kind of creepy, but that’s just me nitpicking. This song is great. 9/10

9. “King of the Clouds”

This song’s intro is acapella, in what Genius says is a homage to “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. I’m fond of spontaneous acapella moments in music, so I enjoy the intro. I also like the outro, where Brendon shows off with some pretty solid vocal runs and subtle falsetto. I just wish everything in between the intro and outro was better. “King of the Clouds” has a dreamy vibe that feels like you’re floating on a cloud (naturally), but the chorus is too repetitive for me. The most noteworthy thing about the lyrics is that they’re all things Brendon said when he was high, which is an amusing idea, but I don’t think they should’ve actually gone through with it. Yeah, when you’re drunk or high, you can say stupid and occasionally hilarious things, but I don’t get why he’d essentially troll the listener by making the lyrics stupid/funny. The vocals are also pretty good up until the worst moment in the song, which is (surprise surprise) the pitch-shifted vocals! I sound like such a broken record complaining about pitch-shifted vocals, but I find them really grating and not a good fit for Panic! At The Disco at all. 6.5/10

10. “Old Fashioned”

If you to remove the horns (which I’m pretty sure are in a different key than the rest of the song), you’d get something that sounds like it’s from Vices and Virtues. The melody on the chorus is classic and the song just overall has that retro pop-rock vibe found on that album. The throwback to an earlier Panic! is appropriate, considering the lyrics are about reminiscing about the best times of your youth. I will say it’s hypocritical to have a song that is in part about drinking (hell, the song is named after a popular cocktail) three songs after a song about the dangers of drinking, but I digress. This is one of my favorite songs on the album, but it’s not perfect. That “get boozy, boozy, boozy” bridge is pretty awkward and even a little cringeworthy. 8.5/10

11. “Dying in LA”

After ten mostly upbeat, catchy songs, we end with a downer piano ballad about how LA can be misleading. Many people come to the city because they want to be famous and they love the glamorous facade, but all they find is rejection. It’s also about the struggles and sacrifices people make to be famous. I’m normally not huge on Panic!’s ballads, but I really like this one. Lyrically it’s one of the best songs Brendon’s written and his vocals are restrained but still packed with emotion. The stripped-back instrumentation is gorgeous, and I actually really like the outro. Sonically this song reminds me of the piano version of "This Is Gospel", and that is 100% a good thing. This album has had some of the worst Panic! songs I’ve heard (not saying much since I really like this band), so it’s nice that the album ends on a high note. 8.5/10

So...that’s Pray for the Wicked for you. I’m not gonna say this album is a huge disappointment or it’s the worst album I’ve ever heard, but it’s easily my least favorite Panic! album to date. Comparing it to their last record, it’s more cohesive, but is an overall weaker collection of songs. Death of a Bachelor was my least favorite Panic! album before this one, but at the very least, it had songs like “LA Devotee” and especially “House of Memories” which were indisputable 10/10s. Pray for the Wicked’s best song is a 9/10, which is nothing compared to the highlights of the band’s previous works. Some of the musical elements (every time a high-pitched, chopped up vocal sample comes into play on this record, I feel like a hole is being drilled through my brain) can be pretty obnoxious, the lyrics can be embarrassing and feel like they’re trying too hard, and far too many songs are Brendon bragging about how great he is. One or two bragging songs is fine, but it’s excessive and tiring when he’s doing it in Every. Freaking. Song. It’s like they took “Victorious”, an obnoxious song about how amazing he is, and stretched it out into an entire album. Once again, there are good songs, but overall this album doesn’t do it for me as much as the band’s past works have. I really want them (or just Brendon) to go into another direction on this album, but I’m not sure if they/he will. Overall I give Pray for the Wicked a 6.5/10. If you’re a diehard Panic! At The Disco fan, you’ll love it, but if you’re looking to get into the band, choose a different record. I’d recommend either Fever or Vices as a good starting point :)

Best Songs (or at least my favorites): “The Overpass”, “Old Fashioned”, “Dying in LA”,  and “High Hopes”

Worst Songs (or at least my least favorites): “One of the Drunks”, “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”, “Dancing’s Not a Crime”, and “King of the Clouds”

This was a lot more negative than I expected, considering it’s a new album by one of my favorite bands. But reminder: just because I love an artist doesn’t mean I think they’re incapable of releasing less-than-stellar music, nor does it mean I’m going to blindly say every song they’ve made is wonderful. I love Panic! At The Disco because they’re responsible for a bunch of my favorite songs ever and I think Brendon Urie is an extremely talented and charismatic individual. But as the legendary prophet Miley Cyrus once said, nobody’s perfect, and frankly, expecting anybody to be 100% perfect all the time is ridiculous. And more importantly: a true fan of an artist (or really anything) enjoys the majority of their faves’ work, but can admit when they screw up. The fact that Pray for the Wicked was not my favorite album does not take away from the fact that I still really love a crap-ton of Panic! At The Disco songs.

So on that note, I know this post was somewhat negative, and I’m hoping next week’s post will be more positive. As for what next week’s post will be, I have no idea on that. I kind of wanted to review the new Drake album because it’s a huge commercial success and a lot of people are talking about it, but then I realized it was 25 songs long. I can’t handle that much Drake. And besides, I already know that there won’t be a single song on that album I’ll like more than “Nice For What”, which is still my Song of the Year™, in case you were wondering. So anyways, I’ll see you next week. Peace!

Stellar

Songs That Are 10 Years Old Now!

Hi, I'm Stellar, and I'm still on a "reacting to throwback popular songs" kick. Today's post is actually kind of similar to last week's, which was 2000s Pop Songs vs. 2010s Pop Songs, except this week, we're taking out the 2010s part. Today I'm going to be looking at a bunch of songs from 2008, and these songs were chosen because they were in this video. I was six years old in 2008, and most of what I listened to back then was country music like Taylor Swift (back when she was country) and Brad Paisley. Still, I like to think I'm pretty well-schooled in most of the big hits from 2008. I guess this could be considered a First Impressions post, because it's similar in format to a typical First Impressions post and there are a few songs I'm hearing for the first time, but honestly, I know way more of these songs than I don't. You know what to expect: I listen to a song, tell you what I think about it, and give it a score from 1 to 10. At the end I'll list my favorites. I don't have anything else left to say so let's just get started.

#1. "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" by Beyonce
Even as somebody who wasn't really paying attention to pop music in 2008, I knew this song. It was completely inescapable, appearing in countless TV shows and movies and being parodied to death. It has one of the most iconic music videos ever created, just ask Kanye...speaking of, this song also indirectly spawned the definitive pop culture feud of our time: Kanye West vs. Taylor Swift (I mean, if Kanye had never crashed Taylor's VMA speech and said that "Single Ladies" deserved to win Taylor's award, the feud would've never happened). To this day, it's probably Bey's most instantly recognizable track. But I'd be lying if I said it was one of my favorites. It's totally fierce and really catchy, but something about it is just obnoxious to me, and it feels extremely repetitive. I prefer Beyonce when she's both fierce and human, such as on "Crazy in Love". However, the one part of the song that I really love and feel doesn't get enough attention is the bridge. She just sounds fantastic on that part. In short, "Single Ladies" is iconic and deserves its immense recognition, despite not being a song I really love. 7/10
#2. "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay
A couple of the songs I talked about last week also appear on this list, and this is the first of them. I stated that out of the 34 songs I discussed last week, this was my absolute favorite. I just love it so much. I don't really have much to add from last week because the excellence of  "Viva La Vida" just speaks for itself. So if you don't mind, I'm pulling the Lazy Stellar trick and just copying and pasting what I said last week:
"Viva La Vida", despite not being my absolute favorite Coldplay song, is still one of my favorite songs of all-time. It is a sheer masterpiece. It has a memorable and gorgeous string riff that takes my breath away, introspective lyrics about a king's fall from grace, an iconic and melodically wonderful chorus, and even a solemnly beautiful outro. The entire song feels larger-than-life and completely epic. I was obsessed with the song three years ago, even making an absolutely horrid cover of it that I sent to my friends and would prefer not to share here. And three years later, that love still stands." I'm just going to end this by saying that this is easily a 10/10 and probably the best song here. 
#3. "When I Grow Up" by The Pussycat Dolls
There are also several songs on this list I discovered from Just Dance video games, and this is the first of them. Unfortunately, this song is not one of my favorite songs from those games. In fact it's one of the worst songs on here, honestly. I'm not gonna be subtle about it: this song is extremely annoying. The lyrics are basically about how the girls wanted to be famous when they were younger, and they're really, really shallow. The vocals are also really, really irritating. They're coated in autotune, which I don't have a problem with most of the time, but it's sloppily applied here and it doesn't sound good. I also hate the way they stretch out "be on magaziiiiiiines" and "step out on the sceeeeeene", as well as when one of them starts speaking the lyrics in the final chorus. The beat is also really annoying and messy. Frankly, I think this song is pretty terrible. 2/10
#4. "Touch My Body" by Mariah Carey
I didn't cover this specific song last week, but I did talk about Mariah Carey in general there. Basically, despite my general lack of knowledge of her discography, I'd still probably say Mariah is one of, if not the greatest, singers of all time. Yeah, I know she's a total diva and she has her witch-with-a-B moments, but her voice is just...wow. I just wish this song allowed her to flex her pipes more. She's known for having a huge vocal range, but you really don't get to hear any of those signature high notes here. She only really gets to show off at the end, and even then, she doesn't do nearly as much as what I know she's capable of. I will give her credit for being able to pull of the weird, rapidly sung verses really well. But overall, this song doesn't stand out for me. The lyrics are just generic, occasionally even creepy ("I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN" is way more disturbing than it should be) lines about sex, and the beat is your standard 2000s R&B song. It wastes Mariah's talents, is what I'm saying. 5.5/10
#5. "Love Story" by Taylor Swift
For many people, "Love Story" was the introduction to an artist who would eventually dominate the world. (However for me, "Teardrops On My Guitar" was the first Taylor Swift song I remember hearing.) To this day, "Love Story" is a really popular song amongst my classmates despite A.) it's ten years old, and B.) Taylor Swift has released countless hits since then. One of the most noteworthy things about "Love Story", and something I am far from the first to point out, is that Taylor doesn't seem to know how Romeo and Juliet ends. The basic premise is that she's telling the story of Romeo and Juliet (probably as a deep and meaningful metaphor for her own forbidden love affair), but unlike in the actual play (where the title characters kill themselves because they can't be together), Taylor's lover talks to her father and everything is just peachy-keen. It's a pretty dumb song, but I get why it's held up and is still so beloved. The song is just so innocent. Taylor's voice and the instrumental is so saccharine, the lyrics are relatable to young girls who want to be swept off their feet by Prince Charming, and the entire premise is just cute. I don't necessarily like Taylor Swift at this stage in her career, but I will say I prefer Cutesy Country Taylor to Edgy Bad-Girl Taylor. 6.5/10
#6. "American Boy" by Estelle ft. Kanye West
Oh joy, I get to talk about Kanye West! Considering his descent into madness over the past few weeks (the highlights include supporting Donald Trump, refusing to listen to John Legend's extremely politely worded statement asking him to reconsider his views AND posting the private conversation on Twitter, supporting black conservative leader and #BlackLivesMatter critic Candace Owens and claiming slavery was a choice), I do not want to talk about Kanye here. Even more so, I do not want to talk about Kanye in a positive manner here, but unfortunately, that's exactly what I'll be doing because "American Boy" is great. I discovered this song from Just Dance Summer Party or whatever it's called and I instantly fell in love. It's about a British girl (Estelle) falling in love with an American boy (Kanye), which is a cute and unique premise for a song. The chorus is instantly hummable and sticks in the brain. Estelle sounds super-flirty and breezy over the awesome retro-disco instrumental. And as much as I hate to admit it, Kanye's verse is fantastic, confident but not egotistical (Kanye isn't being egotistical? *gasp*) and just effortlessly cool. Kanye may be a problematic moron, but this song will always be awesome. 9.5/10
#7. "Shake It" by Metro Station
Oh my god, this was my brother's favorite song when we were little. Every time it would come on the radio, he would insist our parents keep it on and he'd just get so happy. Listening to it now that I'm older, I'm realizing he probably shouldn't have been listening to it, considering there are some pretty dirty lines here ("Your body's cold, but girl we're getting so warm, and I was thinking of ways that I could get inside"). He probably just liked it because of the really catchy chorus, which to be fair is a pretty good hook. The rest of the song is kind of awful, with an irritating beat that can't decide if it wants to be rock or dance, vapid lyrics, and just an overall obnoxiousness to it. This is one of those songs that is pretty bad objectively, but I still kind of like it because it's catchy and it brings me nostalgia, even though I forget it exists from time to time. Also fun fact: did you know Miley Cyrus's brother was in this band? The more you know. 7/10
#8. "Circus" by Britney Spears
Here is another song I know entirely from Just Dance, specifically Just Dance 2016. The dance for that one is probably one of my favorites on that game, but the song isn't one of my favorites. Other than "Toxic", which I love, and I guess "Baby One More Time" is okay, I don't really like Britney Spears. I mean, I get why she's so famous and I even consider her a pop music legend, but most of her music just isn't my cup of tea. I think a big part of that is because I don't like her voice. And I know, she's not trying to be an A-list vocalist, but her tone of voice actively annoys me (even if it is fun to imitate). "Circus" has an interesting premise, basically being about how Britney loves performing and attention similar to a circus ringmaster. It's a cool metaphor you don't hear very often. However, I don't care much for the beat (which is kind of annoying, tbh) or Britney's voice. This song's okay I guess, but it's far from my favorite song of all time. 6/10
#9. "Lollipop" by Lil Wayne ft. Static Major
I'm something of a casual fan of rap music, but I can't say Lil Wayne is one of my favorite rappers. His voice just irritates me, and this song doesn't help. This song has so much autotune it makes someone like T-Pain sound human in comparison, and it's just grating. The lyrics are lazy lines about sex with the too-literal metaphor of "lick me like a lollipop". The beat sounds like a really annoying ringtone. Lil Wayne and Static Major (the latter of whom apparently died a month before the song's release, according to Genius. I'd never heard of the guy prior to this but may he rest in peace.) sound almost exactly the same, with the one difference being that Static Major annoys me less. Lil Wayne just sounds horrible on this song. And of course, one of the biggest problems is that the song just seems to go on forever and ever and it feels like it never ends. I don't like this song. 3.5/10
#10. "Disturbia" by Rihanna
I've said it before and I'll say it again: this is my favorite Rihanna song. Rihanna's been huge for close to 15 years now and had an endless amount of hits, which can vary drastically in quality. "Disturbia" is one of the darkest songs she's ever done, and yet it's one of the catchiest. I mean, listen to those "bum-bum-be-dum, bum-bum-be-dum-bum"'s (or however you're supposed to write it). Rihanna sounds fantastic, especially in the second verse when she sings "I gotta get out, or figure this sh*t out" in this raw, angry voice. The autotune is perfectly used to blend in with the amazing production, which is dark yet danceable. I feel like over time "Disturbia" has sort of been forgotten compared to other Rihanna songs, and that sucks because it's her best one. *checks Wikipedia page* Wait...CHRIS BROWN wrote this song? This already creepy song just got even creepier now. Oh well, despite those...unfortunate implications...this song is still a 10/10 for me.
#11. "Paper Planes" by M.I.A.
This is one of those songs you hear in random places but don't know what it's called. Then somebody plays it for you and says, "this is (whatever the song is called)" and you're just like, "OH, THAT SONG!" Genius says this song is about "tourist-murdering passport-counterfeiting thieves", which is dark, but it sounds so catchy that you'd never be able to tell. Okay, that's not really true, because the chorus is basically the line "All I wanna do is take your money" repeated over and over again with gunshots and cash register effects added for good measure...and there's the one part in the bridge where she says something about murder. But still, this is a classic example of a song that sounds happy but has dark or depressing lyrics. I really love the beat on this song, and the chorus is such an earworm. Frankly, the "this song sounds really happy but has really dark lyrics" trope is one of my favorites (which might explain why I like Twenty One Pilots), so this song gets a pass from me. 8/10
#12. "Forever" by Chris Brown
Guys...I hate this song. I hate it because it's a legitimately fantastic song...by famed abuser Chris Brown. I'm a person who values my morals over anything else. If a celebrity does something that severely goes against what what I believe is right, their reputation will be damaged for me, and it could be irreparable depending on how serious the crime is. Chris Brown has violently assaulted Rihanna, had a restraining order placed upon him by ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran (also because of alleged domestic abuse), mocked R&B singer Kehlani after her suicide attempt, and dressed up as a terrorist for Halloween- and that's just the tip of the iceberg. We'd be here all day if we were talking about every scummy thing Chris Brown has done, so you can look that stuff up on your own time if you so choose to. In my eyes, his reputation is damaged beyond repair and I feel disgusting every time I'm forced to listen to his music. But I'll give credit where credit is due: "Forever" is a really damn good song. Musically, it's a great mix between 2000s R&B and techno-dance music, and it has some amazing, if not a little bit dated, production. The lyrics are about falling in love on the dance floor, and they're actually really cute and innocent (to be fair, this was before the Rihanna incident). Chris also sounds surprisingly sincere. This song was used in one of my favorite scenes in The Office, and you'll know what I'm talking about if you've seen the episode ;). To sum it up, due to the controversial, often violent tendencies of its performer, I feel like I'm committing a sin for enjoying this song. But I do really, really love it...just not enough to give it a 10/10 cause it's Chris Brown. 9.5/10
#13. "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry
I talked about this one last week too. Despite my love of a lot of Katy's big pop hits, this is one I don't really like. I like the pop-rock production and the catchy chorus, but everything about the song's lyrical content is #Problematic. No, I don't think it's problematic because she's singing about kissing a girl and I find that morally despicable. I'm not homophobic, in fact I believe LGBTQ+ people are no different from their straight, cisgender counterparts and it's a damn shame that they face the struggles they do. Actually, I find "I Kissed A Girl" problematic for the opposite reason: it makes you think it's about an LGBTQ+ relationship until you look closer. The narrator of this song is a straight girl who's making out with another girl because she's really drunk and bored. It exists only to be fetish material for guys who find girls making out with girls hot. Katy had the perfect opportunity to actually make an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community (if not a song about actually being queer, a song meant to empower them a la "Born This Way"), but she instead decided to be "risque" and "shocking" and frankly, that pisses me off. The only reason why this song won its battle last week was because it was going against "Look What You Made Me Do" and pretty much every song sounds amazing compared to "Look What You Made Me Do". But still, "I Kissed A Girl" is a 3/10.
#14. "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz
Honestly, who doesn't know this song? This song was huge from 2008-2009 and you can still hear it every now and then. Unfortunately, it's not one of my favorite songs, far from it in fact. I liked this song fine enough as a kid, but now it just bores me. It's just your standard boring acoustic guitar love song. Some of the lyrics are pretty lame ("I tried to be chill, but you're so hot that I melted" is a really dumb line) and the melody is really basic. Also, there's a remix featuring Lil Wayne and yeah...I'd prefer not to hear that. This song just is really dull for me and I'd be happy to never hear it again. 3/10
#15. "4 Minutes" by Madonna ft. Justin Timberlake
An easy way to tell that I'm a millennial is the fact that I'm more familiar with the latter artist on this song than the former. The team-up of these two huge stars probably gave it tons of hype back in the day, but I was six so I can't tell you for certain. Also, I'm surprised this song isn't more remembered considering Madonna and Timberlake are both huge. This song has some really cool beats and a great usage of brass instruments. Both performers do a great job on the track, sounding confident and having a ton of chemistry (despite Madonna being 22 years older than JT). I also really love the prechorus, which has an awesome melody. Lyrically this song is about, I don't know, saving the world, but it also works as a great party song. Surprisingly, the one gripe I have is that the song is not four minutes- it's four minutes and four seconds. It's like, the song doesn't go "we only got four minutes and four seconds to save the world!" You had one job, you guys! Petty gripes aside, this is a pretty dope pop track. 7.5/10
#16. "Human" by The Killers
Is it bad that my knowledge of The Killers is almost exclusively limited to "Mr. Brightside"? I know a few snippets of other songs like "Somebody Told Me" and "When You Were Young", but I've never really heard either in their entirety. I love "Mr. Brightside" and the snippets of the other songs sound pretty great so I feel like they're a band I'd probably like. This is my first time hearing this song "Human" and my first impression is, "Wow, this is a really good song." The lyrics are sort of nonsensical, with the main line "Are we human or are we dancer" being 100% grammatically incorrect. However, I'm able to overlook this because holy crap this song sounds AMAZING. I guess I'd describe it as a cross between alt-rock and new wave and it sort of has an 80s influence. In other words, it totally appeals to my (whatever the auditory equivalent of an aesthetic is). There's this one part after the first chorus where it's just an instrumental break, and that part is so cool. I should probably get more into The Killers, but I'm lazy. 9/10
#17. "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga ft. Colby O'Donis
I love Lady Gaga. Not every song she's released is a 10/10, but I still think she's one of the defining artists of the new millennium. She's creative and she uses gimmicks, but she has the legitimate talent to back it up. "Just Dance" was her first single, and yet it's still my favorite from her. What even is there to say about it, really? It's the perfect introduction to the immense personality and craziness that is Gaga herself. It's the perfect blend of weird (the bridge on this thing is slightly bonkers) while still being an exceptionally solid pop song. Gaga sounds fantastic, even with the autotune (which is actually fitting here) and it's just an instantly memorable and fun little pop tune. Not even a mediocre feature from Colby O'Donis (who?) can take away from the brilliance of it. For me at least, it's one of those songs that will never get old. 10/10
#18. "Love In This Club" by Usher ft. Young Jeezy
I've heard this song in gym class and pretty much nowhere else. It's not Usher's best song (that answer goes to "Yeah!", obviously), but it's still pretty dope (I hate how much I use that word). The beat is pretty of-its-time. The synths, drum beats, and bass sound like your average 2000s R&B song, but during the bridge and outro there's this piano line which sounds really complex and almost like a piano solo. That part is legitimately awesome. Usher gives a smooth-as-always vocal performance and Young Jeezy's part is inoffensive, if not forgettable. The basic concept and theme of this song lyrically is exactly what the title says: it's about finding love in the club. There really isn't much to comment about this song lyrically. One last thing I have to say is that I really like the melody on the prechorus, something about it just feels nostalgic to me. Overall, this song is a 7.5/10. It's a solid song, but it doesn't compare to "DJ Got Us Falling In Love", another Usher song with a similar premise.
#19. "Sweet About Me" by Gabriella Cilmi
There are a few songs on here I've never heard, but this is probably the only song where I also haven't heard of the artist. I've never heard the name "Gabriella Cilmi" in my life, and I've never heard of any of her songs. This isn't even one of those songs I talked about during "Paper Planes" where hearing it makes me go, "oh, THAT song!" Anyways, let's ignore the fact that I've never heard of the song or artist: how is the song itself? Well, it's pretty good. Like the next song I'm going to talk about, it's a fun, pretty catchy soul throwback. Gabriella Cilmi also has an interesting voice and she sings it very sweetly (I know, how appropriate). It's a good mix of sweet but not saccharine, as the lyrics are literally about how she isn't so sweet. I'm not sure if I'll end up looking up more songs from this artist, but the first impression could be a lot worse. 7.5/10
#20. "Mercy" by Duffy
I'm sorry, but I will always and forever associate this song with the So You Think You Can Dance routine set to it. That's one of my favorite dances from that show and I always make sure to watch it whenever I go on SYTYCD binges on YouTube. Of course, that routine wouldn't be nearly as memorable if it didn't have a great soundtrack to it, and of course it does. "Mercy" is a great throwback-soul song, but unlike your average Adele song, it's really upbeat and catchy as hell (and no, that's not an Adele diss. I like her fine enough). Listen to this song once and the "yeah, yeah, yeah"'s will be in your head for eternity. Duffy has a very unique voice and she approaches the song with a ton of confidence, and the beat is a really catchy throwback. I love the bassline. I wish we had more throwback-style songs like this. 8.5/10
#21. "No Air" by Jordin Sparks ft. Chris Brown
Oh yay, more Chris Brown! Exactly what I want to hear! To be fair, he isn't even the main artist on this song, as it's a duet with American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. I'm pretty sure she had a few hits and then kind of faded away afterward. And the theme of praising Chris Brown despite my immense hatred of him continues. Whoopee. This song isn't as good as "Forever", obviously, but it still is a pretty solid power ballad. The production is a little dated, but I do like the string elements. The lyrics are okay, pretty much your standard love song lyrics. Where this song really shines is in the melodic composition and vocal performances. The melody in the chorus is gorgeous. Our two performers get to show off their vocals and have great chemistry, even though Jordin blows Chris out of the water vocally. Her voice is amazing. This is a pretty of-its-time love ballad, but it's good. 8/10
#22. "If I Were A Boy" by Beyonce
I love Beyonce. I think she's one of the most talented and influential artists of our time. So why do I have such mixed opinions on both of her songs here? This song sounds way better than "Single Ladies", to be fair. Beyonce gives one of her best vocal performances ever, sounding raw, powerful, emotional, and goosebump-inducing. The production backs her up really well, with a great blend of acoustic and electric guitars as well as some fantastic backing-vocals. The melodies are also really pretty and sad. If we were judging this song based on how it sounds, it would be like an 8.5/10, but nope, we have to talk about lyrics too. And the lyrics are where this song falls for me. The lyrics basically paint all men as being cheating, horrible people while the women are flawless and incapable of cheating. And like, yeah, I'm all for writing songs about feminism and double standards, but that's kind of despicable. Not every man is going to cheat on you, and women do cheat as well. This just brings me to what I think is one of the biggest misconceptions of feminism: feminism is not stating that all men are horrible and all women are flawless. It's just saying that men and women are on the same level. They should be praised and criticized an equal amount when it is necessary, and neither gender is better or worse than the other. So now that we're done with that feminist rant, let's just say that good music and bad lyrics balance out to be a 6.5/10.
#23. "7 Things" by Miley Cyrus
I was in elementary school in the late 2000s-early 2010s. OF COURSE I liked Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana! And yet I've actually never heard this song in its entirety until now. I guess I got on the Hannah Montana bandwagon a little late. I remember hearing parts of it some Webkinz video when I was younger, so I guess that's something. Everything about this SCREAMS Disney teen-pop from the late 2000s. The instrumentation is pop-rock, but more on the bubblegum-pop side. The lyrics sound like a cliche teenage girl in a Disney Channel movie wrote them, which I guess is the point considering it's early Miley. It's basically Miley listing off seven things she hates about her boyfriend, but at the end, it's seven things she likes about him, which is cute. Miley sounds as good as normal. Obviously not her best performance, but I do think she's overall an underrated vocalist. This song is pretty much what I expected it to be, a fine Disney-pop song. If you like Disney-pop, you'll like it, but otherwise you probably won't. 7/10
#24. "Decode" by Paramore
Like The Killers, Paramore are a band I wish I was more familiar with. Not only am I massive fans of similar bands like Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco, but I also adore frontwoman Hayley Williams's voice. Seriously, she is AMAZING, and despite the fact that I've only heard a few songs she's on, I'd still probably put her on a list of my favorite vocalists. "Decode" was actually written for the Twilight soundtrack, and it is easily the best Twilight-related thing I've ever encountered. I'm not huge on Twilight, but this song is incredible. Hayley Williams sounds like a freaking angel, especially on that hook. She just belts it out so emotionally and I get chills. The lyrics are about emotional tension in a relationship, and I'm not sure how well they relate to the book because I haven't bothered to read it but they're really well-written. The instrumentation is also really good, chilling even. It matches Hayley's intensity in her voice perfectly. To wrap this up, I'll just say #StellarListenToMoreParamore2018. 9/10
#25. "Got Money" by Lil Wayne ft. T-Pain
This was a top ten hit by two of the biggest names of the era, so how have I never heard of this song? Going into it, I expected a metric ton of autotune because it's Lil Wayne and T-Pain, and that's exactly what I got. I definitely prefer this one to "Lollipop" because it's more of a banger. It sort of reminds me of "All I Do Is Win" by DJ Khaled, another song with T-Pain on the hook. I love that song, so that's definitely a compliment in my book. Lil Wayne's voice is still annoying, but he has some pretty okay bars here. Except for the part where he says something about how girls want to rape him, which...yeah, no me gusta. T-Pain's chorus. T-Pain's chorus is catchy and the beat is pretty good. I guess this song is alright, but I'm not going to excuse the rape line. 6.5/10
#26. "Hot N Cold" by Katy Perry
Screw "I Kissed A Girl", this is the Katy Perry I love. This is a song about a boyfriend who can't make up his mind, and although a first grader could probably write this chorus, it's still so much fun to sing along to. Katy sounds kinda terrible but she sounds like she's having a blast, which is all I'm asking for. The hook is infectious and pop in the best way, and the production is poppy with a hint of rock. This song is just so cheesy and happy-sounding and it just makes you smile. When Katy is good, she's really good at making pop songs, and this is one of her best. Just ignore the fact that it was produced by Literal Actual Piece of Trash Dr. Luke and blast it. 9.5/10
#27. "Womanizer" by Britney Spears
So...two years ago I went through my emo phase, and my favorite band during that time was Fall Out Boy. (Side note, I'm going to rank all of Fall Out Boy's singles from worst to best in a few weeks, so tune in for that :D) This phase mainly consisted of me going on YouTube for hours and watching every Fall Out Boy-related video I could get my hands on, and as a result, I found a video of Patrick Stump and Pete Wentz singing "Womanizer" by Britney Spears in a bathroom with Ellen DeGeneres. Seeing as I loved both FOB and Ellen, I watched this video so many times, and I've never been able to listen to the song the same way since I found it. The song itself is actually one I find pretty annoying. Britney gives one of her most grating performances, especially when she goes for the low notes in the verses. The lyrics are also very repetitive and the beat and melody are obnoxious. But still, I can't get too mad at it because of the Fall Out Boy video. Emo Stellar will never die. 5/10
#28. "Pocketful of Sunshine" by Natasha Bedingfield
This is quite possibly the catchiest, most feel-good pop song of all time. If you can't listen to this song without smiling, you might actually be a robot. Just sayin'. The only other song I know from Natasha Bedingfield is "Unwritten" (which I prefer, to be honest), but I sort of get the vibe that every song she makes is just pure joy. She sounds so unbelievably happy on this song, and I just want to smile and sing along as I listen. This song is pretty repetitive, but that actually helps it in my opinion because that makes it easier to learn the words and sing along to. There are two main hooks in this song, the "I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine" and the "take me away, take me away" and both are so much fun to sing. This is just a cute and immensely likable little pop song. 9/10
#29. "So What" by Pink
Hey, I talked about this one last week! And multiple times prior to that! So yeah, I don't have much to really say about it other than just saying it's awesome. It's the perfect mix of pop with a rock edge, and it's super-catchy. Pink is being Pink here, sounding like she doesn't give a single f**k and being totally empowered and awesome. Self-empowerment songs can be hit-or-miss for me, but Pink has such a great personality that this is easily a hit in my eyes. Plus my marching band played it in our homecoming halftime show this year, so that just makes me love it even more. It's a killer pop-rock song, not much else to add here. 10/10
#30. "That's Not My Name" by The Ting Tings
Here's another song I know solely from Just Dance. Man, those games have done wonders for my musical knowledge. Last week I talked about "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne, and honestly quite a bit of what I said about that song also applies to this one. This song is basically a cheerleader chant from its marching band-esque beat to its vocal delivery, and it's very catchy, but it's also really annoying. Something about the way this girl sings makes me want to punch a wall. To be fair, the lyrical message of "That's Not My Name" is a lot better than that of "Girlfriend", because the former is about feeling invisible (something I feel more often than not) and the latter is about stealing somebody's boyfriend. But a relatable topic doesn't take away from how obnoxious I find this song. 4.5/10
#31. "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga
Hello, song I talked about last week! Although I prefer "Just Dance", "Poker Face" is definitely the more iconic song of the two. If I were to pick Gaga's signature song, I'd pick this or "Bad Romance". This one has everything that made early Gaga stand out: great techno production, quirky lyrics, nonsensical hooks ("pa-pa-pa-poker-face, pa-pa-poker-face, ma-ma-ma-ma"), catchy melodies in every part of the song, and a great performance from Gaga. Gaga is an amazing vocalist who doesn't need autotune, but it's used entirely as an effect here and it sounds really cool. While "Just Dance" was a great introduction, it was "Poker Face" that really showed the public that Lady Gaga was a new cultural icon and she was here to stay, whether you like her or not. And she's still kicking a decade later! Also, at some point, I may post the lyrics to that Romeo and Juliet parody of this song I wrote last year, just on the condition that nobody who is in that class is allowed to plagiarize it. 9.5/10
#32. "Gives You Hell" by The All-American Rejects
I used to hear this song in first and second grade. The thing I remember about it is that my naive little self thought they were saying "get you how", which makes no sense. Then I remember this one girl playing it on the bus and saying, "I sing it as 'Gives you well'", and then it started to make sense to me. This is one of the best examples of Fetus Stellar being so naive (another example is how I thought Hell's Kitchen was called Hal's Kitchen and Gordon Ramsay's name was Hal). "Gives You Hell" is one of the most bitter, petty songs ever written. And that's saying something because pop-punk (which this song is-emphasis on the pop, though, because this song is catchy as hell. No pun intended) is, from the little of it that I've heard, a very pissy genre. It's basically this guy ranting about this girl he dated and how he hopes she goes to hell. I like the part at the end where they get meta and change the lyrics to "When you hear this song I hope that it will give you hell". It's sort of annoying, but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a bitter, spiteful little part of me who enjoys the pettiness of this song. It's sort of like the pop-punk version of "I Don't F**k With You" by Big Sean, and although it's not as fun to scream as that song, it still is pretty fun. 7/10

So now that we've listened to 32 of the biggest hits from the year, I would say that 2008 was a pretty good year for music. Not every song is a 10/10 and there were some pretty bad songs, but there were even more good songs. And even more noteworthy is that the good stuff is insanely good. Songs like "Viva La Vida" and "Just Dance" are some of my all-time favorites, and it felt like I gave a lot of 8's, 9's, and 10's, at least more than I usually do. I added my scores for every song together and found that the average of these songs is a 7.3/10, which is a very good score. Overall, this was fun, and I hope to do this again with another year in music. I'm Stellar in Neverland, and I'll see you next week. Peace!

Stellar