Stellar's Music Tag

Hi, I’m Stellar, and welcome to Stellar in Neverland. I’m going on vacation in a few days and it will last a week, so I’m letting you know ahead of time that I’m skipping next week’s post. I also knew I wanted to do an easier post this week because I knew most of my week would be taken up by preparing for the trip. This is sort of similar to some other posts I’ve done and don’t feel like linking, and it is a Music Tag. It’s just going to be me answering 31 music-related questions, which I found from here. I think you’re supposed to “tag” people and ask them to do it, but I’m not going to because I don’t really have any blogger friends.

#1. The last song you listened to?

“No Tears Left To Cry” by Ariana Grande, because I am a good stan.

#2. Last song you purchased?

I don’t buy music usually. I use Spotify or YouTube.

#3. Song you discovered on YouTube/Tumblr?

I discovered “Reminder” by The Weeknd from a “Try Not To Sing Along” video. Issa bop.

#4. Favorite soundtrack piece?

Based off of what the person I stole this from put for their answer, I’m guessing this question is referring to like, instrumental scores. I don’t listen to scores outside of the movie, TV show, or video game they come from. Most of the Mario Kart songs are pretty awesome, especially when it’s on the last lap and it speeds up.

#5. Favorite band?

Fall Out Boy or Panic! At The Disco. I genuinely can’t decide which of the two I like more, because they both have really special places in my heart.

#6. Favorite solo artist?

Ariana Grande.

#7. Favorite album?

Folie a Deux by Fall Out Boy.

#8. Best live gig/ act you want to see?

I’ve never been to a concert, so I’ll do artists I want to see live before I die. Outside of the artists I listed as my favorites, I want to see Beyonce, Bruno Mars, and Lady Gaga because they’re all really great performers. On the other side of the spectrum, a Twenty One Pilots show would be pretty cool. From what I’ve seen on YouTube, they do a great job of getting the crowd hyped.

#9. Guilty pleasure song?

I know I gave it a 5/10 when I reviewed the album, but “Swish Swish” by Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj has become a guilty pleasure for me. Like yeah, Katy’s lyrics are baffling and embarrassing and the music video is unbelievably stupid, but everything else is actually pretty good. The 90s-house beat is awesome, the melody is catchy, and Nicki’s verse might be my favorite she’s ever done. It’s just so over-the-top and has some great lines (the Offset line is hilarious) to me. My favorite moment is when Nicki’s like “damn man, this b***h is a stan” because I find it really funny. I think this song’s just grown on me because it’s on Just Dance 2018 and I have fun playing it, but it’s still a guilty pleasure for me.

#10. Song you used to hate but now like?

“XO TOUR Llif3” by Lil Uzi Vert. I didn’t really hate it, but I wasn’t exactly a fan at first because I thought Uzi’s voice was annoying. The more I listened to it, the more I liked it.

#11. Song you used to like but now can’t stand?

“One Dance” by Drake and some other people. When it first came out, I was like OMG THIS IS THE BEST SONG EVER. Then it got massively overplayed and dominated the charts for way too long. I also just realized it’s not that great of a song, at least compared to some of Drake’s other work.

#12. Group you wish had never split?

Does One Direction count? I know they’re all doing solo projects now, but I think they’ve broken up for good now. I like their solo projects fine (especially Harry’s), but I’d love more cheesy bubblegum singles from the whole group.

#13. Favorite song from a video game?

The Just Dance games have a lot of really great songs. I don’t know what my all-time favorite is, but for now I’m just gonna say “Hey Ya” by Outkast because everybody loves that song.

#14. Favorite song from a film?

“I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” from Mulan. Best Disney song ever.

#15. Favorite song from an advert (commercial)?

“24K Magic” by Bruno Mars. I’m pretty sure it was in some Hershey commercial. Not necessarily my all-time favorite song, but I do like it a lot.

#16. Song you grew up with?

“The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. I was so obsessed with it when I was six or seven. I’m pretty sure the only reason why I still like it now is because of my nostalgia.

#17. First song/album you ever bought?

I’ve never bought an album for myself, but somebody bought me a High School Musical soundtrack album when I was little.

#18. Album you accidentally found and love?

I don’t know if I’ve ever “accidentally found” an album. Most albums I’ve listened to, I’ve done so because either A. It is by a band/artist I like, B. It’s by an artist I’ve heard a little bit from and think I will like, or C. It is by a huge pop star and I’m listening to it for my blog. I’m skipping this.

#19. Favorite foreign language song?

The Spanish national anthem: “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, obviously. There’s also this one song I discovered from Just Dance 2017 called “Bonbon” by Era Istrefi. I don’t even know what language it’s in (Wikipedia says Albanian, also holy crap there’s a Post Malone remix) but it’s got a cool beat.

#20. A song from the year you were born?

“Clocks” by Coldplay. Wikipedia says it technically wasn’t released as a single until 2003 but the album it’s on (A Rush of Blood to the Head) was released in 2002 so it counts.

#21. Song from your favorite music genre?

I think ultimately my favorite genre is pop. I obviously don’t love every pop song out there, but when pop is good, it’s simply stellar. It’s also the most fun to talk about for me. A random pop song from my playlist is “Touch” by Little Mix.

There was no question #22 so I’m making one up. A song you like by an artist you normally don’t?

I have so many opinions on Taylor Swift and a lot of them are negative, but “Delicate” has really grown on me. I gave it a 6.5/10 initially when I reviewed Reputation, but I’d probably upgrade that to a 9.5/10, if I’m being honest. I think it’s now my favorite Taylor Swift song at this point.

#23. Most overrated song?

“Havana” by Camila Cabello. Fight me.

#24. Song you would recommend to everyone?

Skipping this one, because music is so subjective. I have songs that are very close to my heart, but I wouldn’t share them with every single person I know. The idea of playing a song I love for someone close to me, only to have them say “this is annoying” or “you like this?” gives me anxiety.

#25. Song that reminds you of a specific event?

“Sugar, We’re Goin Down” by Fall Out Boy. The event? Waiting to get out of shop class in middle school, hearing one of the workshops playing “Sugar, We’re Goin Down”, and subtly losing it. And by subtly losing it, I mean “keeping calm on the outside, but dying of excitement and happiness on the inside”. The song still gives me a massive rush of happiness to this day.

#26. Song you can’t help but sing along to?

“Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. I’ve read that one of the most telling signs that somebody is white is if they go “BA BA BA” during the chorus of “Sweet Caroline”. And going by that logic, I am whiter than mayonnaise.

#27. Favorite parody song?

I know I said in some other post that thecomputernerd01’s parodies aren’t actually parodies. To quote that post: “Google defines a parody as "an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect" which isn't really what his videos are. They're more just random funny sentences set to the tune of various popular songs.” But in hindsight, that quote was really dumb. I mean, Weird Al is the most famous and beloved parody maker ever, and "Word Crimes" doesn’t make fun of Robin Thicke or his “Blurred Lines” song at all. (That’s not a dig at Weird Al at all, I think “Word Crimes” is hilarious. It’s a dig at my stupid quote more than anything.) So I’m going to pick "Froot Loops", thecomputernerd01’s parody of “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. I like it a thousand times more than I like the original, and I can rap the entire verse on command.

#28. Favorite slow song?

“She Will Be Loved” by Maroon 5 will always be my favorite song of theirs. I just find it really sweet and charming. I don’t know if it’s my absolute favorite slow song, but I’m too lazy to think of what my absolute favorite slow song would be.

#29. Favorite fast song?

I like a lot of uptempo songs so I don’t know what my absolute favorite is. I’ll just name a random fast song I love, which is “Time to Dance” by Panic! At The Disco. I feel like that song goes at a particularly fast speed, but I don’t know how to tell a song’s exact tempo.

#30. Favorite song at the moment?

“Nice For What” by Drake. I don’t even know why, it just makes me happy every time I hear it.

#31. Favorite song of all time?

“Shut Up And Dance” by Walk The Moon. It’s not always the song I want to listen to most, but in the grand scheme of things, it is my favorite song.

That’s all I have today. This is one of the shortest posts I’ve done, but I didn’t have the motivation to write anything super complex this week because of my excitement for the trip. As I said at the beginning, I’m not posting next week because of my vacation, but the week after that, I’ll have a post recapping my adventures. 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

Apology Post Number Who-Even-Knows

Not gonna do the normal "Hi, I'm Stellar, blah blah blah" stuff I always do. As you can tell from the title, I'm apologizing. Again. And I'm apologizing for the same thing I'm always apologizing for! Yippee! 

For those who are new here: that thing I'm always apologizing for is delaying posts. I was gonna review Panic! at the Disco's new album, but I'm postponing that for next week. Here's my thought process regarding this decision.

Literally months in advance, like as soon as they announced the album: Panic! at the Disco's new album, Pray for the Wicked, comes out June 22. On June 27, the first Wednesday that the album will be out, I'll publish my review of it. I will specifically not listen to ANY songs from the album so I can go into it with fresh ears. I'm so excited for new music from one of my favorite bands/artists!

Beginning of last week: Oh my god what am I gonna do for next week's post? I want to talk about something other than music, because every post I've done for the past two months or so has been music-related. Oh wait...Panic! at the Disco's new album comes out on Friday. Screw my "not-music-related post" plans. 

Last Friday: The album's out! My family is at a baseball tournament this weekend and I'm home alone. This is the perfect time to soak in the album in all its glory.

Saturday: I should be reviewing the album...but nope, binge-watching Glee is more important. Even though I've already watched the entire show. I'll do it tomorrow.

Sunday: My youngest brother went to the tournament yesterday, but he decided to stay home with me today. I'm going to have to babysit him, so I don't know when I'll listen to the album.

Monday: That's it, I'm not doing the review. I'm tired and I lack the motivation.

Yesterday: Although...I still really want to listen to the album. It's the newest album from one of my favorite bands, and the first one of their albums to be released during my time as a fan. I love talking about music, specifically music I love, and this is a band I've loved for two years. The review is back on! The album's only a little over half an hour, I can write the intro this afternoon and do the actual review tonight or tomorrow.

Today: Crap, writing the intro took way longer than I expected, and I didn't get to listen to the album at all yesterday. I have a band lesson today and I need to practice for it, so I'll just postpone the review for next week. I already have the intro written, all that's left is to listen to the album! 

I'm not sure how my schedule will be this next week considering next Wednesday is the Fourth of July and I'm American, so hell yeah I'm celebrating despite the fact that I'm pretty pissed at my government as of late, for what should be obvious reasons if you follow politics. Anyways, my family will probably have stuff planned for the Fourth, but sometime this week I can listen to the album and review it! 

So in other words:

TL;DR- I'm publishing my review of Pray for the Wicked, the latest album by Panic! at the Disco, on July 4. If you're into that, check it out. That's all for this week, I'm Stellar and I'll see you later. Peace!

Stellar

One Song I Like For Every Letter Of The Alphabet!

Hi, I'm Stellar, and I know I said I was gonna try to write about something other than music this week, but I couldn't. At this point, I should probably just become a full-on music blogger. This is probably my most random post yet, and the title says exactly what it is. It's a list of 26 songs I like, each song for each letter of the alphabet. Except there's one catch: they have to be songs I've either never mentioned before or have only briefly talked about. The reason why is that I feel like I'm always talking about the same songs, and my music taste is a lot more than that. I want to highlight songs I enjoy that I've never given the appreciation they deserve.

A. "American Dream" by MKTO
At some point in the future, I want to do my Top 10 or Top 20 Favorite Songs Ever, but I'm too scared to think about it now. And spoilers for that post: "American Dream" will 100% be in the Top 5. MKTO is most known for their song "Classic" (which would have been a great pick for the Songs you may have forgotten about video I talked about last week), and I really like that song too. But I've always loved "American Dream" way more. It's just a solid feel-good pop song with a great message about going out there and making your dreams come true. Plus this song will always remind me of art class in seventh grade, when it would always get played on the radio and this one kid would always sing and dance (very badly) to it. Good times.
B. "Best Song Ever" by One Direction
Surprisingly, I've only ever mentioned this song in an offhand remark from my original character Catalina in the first Stellar Adventures story. Catalina said it was one of her favorite songs ever, and since Catalina is a slightly fictionalized version of myself, that means it's one of my favorite songs ever too. At first I was like, "This song is stupid! Why are they saying it's the best song ever?" But I would listen to this countdown of the most requested songs of the day on my local radio station every night, and "Best Song Ever" was #1 for like three weeks straight. I would shamelessly sing along to it every time it came on, and while I saw it as a guilty pleasure at first, I eventually began liking it unironically. It's just so cheesy in the best way, and it makes me so happy!
C. "Caroline" by Amine
I listened to this song for the first time because my brother said it was his favorite, and at first I didn't think much of it. But the more I listened to it, the more I liked it, and now I think I like it more than my brother ever does. It's a quirky little rap song, with some unconventional production choices and odd lyrics ("let's get gory like a Tarantino movie" is pretty weird, but kind of hilarious). But damn it, I just find it cute and charming. I mean, the line "great scenes might be great, but I love your bloopers" essentially boils down to "your flaws are just as beautiful as your best assets" and come on, that's just cute. This is a song that can make me smile every time I hear it, and it's so much fun to rap along to.
D. "Death Valley" by Fall Out Boy
A few weeks ago, I talked about a bunch of Fall Out Boy songs, but I only talked about this one in an offhand mention about its dubstep breakdown. I hinted that I liked it, but I didn't say that it's actually one of my favorite Fall Out Boy songs, which it is. It's so gritty and dirty and dare I say sexy. Those aggressive growly vocals do things to me, and the riff the song's built around is pretty sweet. Even the aforementioned dubstep breakdown, while seemingly random, is still pretty damn cool. I'm gonna do a Top 10 Fall Out Boy Songs list sometime this summer. I promise y'all!
E. "Everybody Talks" by Neon Trees
This one's seemingly pretty random, as I really don't listen to it that often. But it's still a really solid pop rock song. I love songs that have nice throwback vibes but still sound modern, and this song has retro energy in spades. The "it started with a whisperrrrrrr" hook is one of the catchiest I can think of, so catchy that the song still gets played on my local radio station because of it. I've only heard a few songs from Neon Trees, but I feel like they're a band I'd probably enjoy.
F. "Fix You" by Coldplay
Heads-up: this will also make the top 5 of my Favorite Songs Ever list. I'm rewatching Glee right now and I recently watched the episode where they cover this song and I was trying so hard not to cry. "Fix You" is my favorite Coldplay song (and mind you, I like most Coldplay songs I've heard) because of how emotionally resonant it is. The first half is a gorgeous piano ballad and then it turns into a lively yet emotional rock song. I get chills every time. The lyrics are also relatable for everyone, because we've all wanted to comfort our family and friends during tough times. People can hate Coldplay all they want, but even they can't deny the emotional power of a song like this.
G. "Guns For Hands" by Twenty One Pilots
I loved Twenty One Pilots in 2016 when I was in my emo phase, but now I mostly cringe when I think of them. I still enjoy a lot of their music and I have nothing but respect for how open they are about their struggles with mental health in their music. But I'll be damned if the Skeleton Clique, their fanbase, isn't one of the most toxic and embarrassing I've come across. When the band started blowing up in 2015-2016 (due to the popularity of the Blurryface album), many of the older fans grew superiority complexes and claiming that the new fans were just latching onto a bandwagon and couldn't truly connect to the band's lyrics. I also feel like many of the fans act pretentious, like "I listen to REAL music with MEANING and everyone else listens to basic meaningless music!" It's great you connect to TØP's work, but don't be a jerk about it. But in spite of my gripes with Twenty One Pilots's fans, I still think they're a good band, even if I am starting to grow out of them. "Guns For Hands" is one of my favorites from them. I interpret the lyrics as being about self-harm, and it's like the band is telling you that they really care about you and that hope is out there. It's the perfect balance of sad yet uplifting, and it manages to get the message across effectively while still being pretty catchy. 
H. "Hymn For The Weekend" by Coldplay ft. Beyonce
I know there was some controversy regarding this song's music video and its apparent cultural appropriation, but I actually don't care about that. It's one of those songs where the music and vibe is more important than the lyrics, because the lyrics are pretty basic and meaningless. The main reason why I like Coldplay so much is because I find the instrumentals in their songs insanely pretty. I can't even describe what it is, it's just beautiful and euphoric and wonderful. Beyonce isn't technically credited as a featured vocalist on "Hymn For The Weekend", but she should be because her harmonizations with Chris Martin are gorgeous. This is one of my favorite Coldplay songs and one of my favorite songs from 2016.
I.  "In My Blood" by Shawn Mendes
This is a new one for me. It's been out for a few months now, but I'm just now starting to get into it. Admittedly I wasn't huge on Shawn Mendes early on and I thought "Stitches" and "Treat You Better" were boring acoustic-pop songs. Once "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" came out last year, I began to see the appeal, and "In My Blood" is even better. The song's about Shawn's struggles with anxiety and how he won't let them get him down, and considering I've dealt with my own anxieties in the past year, it's something I relate to on a personal level. I also really like the pop-rock style and how you can feel the raw emotion in Shawn's voice.
J. "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield
Initially I thought "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga was the only "J" song I loved, and it is the only "J" song on my playlist. But then I looked up a list of songs beginning with J and saw "Jessie's Girl" on it, and decided that was good. The inclusion might seem weird considering every other song here is from the 21st century and "Jessie's Girl" is an 80s classic, but I'm going with it anyway. It's one of my favorite 80s songs and a song I've loved since I was a kid. Every time it comes on in the car, my mom and I blast it and sing along.
K. "Kiss It Better" by Rihanna
Rihanna released four singles from her most recent album, Anti. You have "Work", "Needed Me", and "Love On The Brain", all of which were top-ten hits, and then you have "Kiss It Better", which was a huge flop in comparison, peaking at #62 in the US. And look, I like all of those songs, but come on, people. "Kiss It Better" is one of the best songs of Rihanna's career, with an amazing guitar riff, emotional vocals and lyrics, and a sultry yet accessible sound. And the general public let it tank. Conspiracy theory: Taylor Swift wrote her song "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" about "Kiss It Better" flopping. I mean, it's a nice thing and the public didn't let us have it. Smh.
L. "LOYALTY." by Kendrick Lamar ft. Rihanna
I've known about this song's existence for a while, but I never really listened to it until a month or so ago. I should've listened to it sooner, because everything about it is like it was made to appeal to me. It samples the autotuned opening to "24K Magic" by Bruno Mars, completely warping it to something unexpected. I can understand if you think the sample is grating, but I think it sounds pretty dope. This is the first and only time Kendrick and Rihanna (or Kung Fu Kenny and Bad Gal RiRi, as they call themselves in the song) have worked on a song together, but I'd love to see more collabs from the two. They work well together nicely.
M. "Mine" by Bazzi
When it comes to songs that got big off of memes, "Redbone" will always be number one for me, but "Mine" is a close second. It's just so cute and it feels like a happy little cloud. It's short but sweet and it has one of the most iconic opening lines in recent memory: "You so...f**king...precious...when you...SMILE!" I don't really have much else to say here, it's just a nice little song to vibe out to.
N. "No Limit" by G-Eazy ft. A$AP Rocky and Cardi B
Am I a hypocrite because I yelled at Machine Gun Kelly for using the r-word in one of his songs, and yet I jam to "No Limit", which also uses that word, on the regular? Well, yes, but I'll try to justify it by saying that I don't even like G-Eazy's parts that much. This is a song similar to "Unforgettable" by French Montana ft. Swae Lee in that the features completely overshadow the main artist. A$AP Rocky's chorus is really catchy and Cardi's verse might be the best I've heard from her (it's a toss-up between this one and the one on "Motorsport" by Migos). Plus the beat is pretty awesome. Also holy crap I just looked up the lyrics and G-Eazy's second verse has a "Damn Daniel" reference. Dude, you're a little late on that one.
O. "Often" by The Weeknd
I'll be the first to admit my familiarity with The Weeknd's discography isn't great, as I only know maybe 10 of his songs and all of them are singles. But still, I love every single song I've heard. I discovered "Often" pretty recently even though it's been out for three or four years, and I love it. It's got this dark, sexy feel to it and I kind of feel like a stripper every time I listen to it. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.
P. "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus
I was originally gonna do "Power Trip" by J. Cole for my "P" song, but I looked it up and apparently that song's about how he wants to kill his ex and her new boyfriend. I still like the song, but like...I don't want to talk about a song about that. So I went with "Party in the USA", one of my favorite songs from my childhood. Like most girls my age, I loved Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus when I was young. I don't remember listening to "Party in the USA" as much as "The Climb" when I was younger, but it's definitely the Miley song I listen to more often now. It's a Gen Z classic, one that most people my age should know the words to. Also I looked up the Wikipedia page for this song and it says that it, as well as my other favorite Miley song, "Wrecking Ball", were both produced by Dr. Luke. I feel really dirty now.
Q. "Quit" by Cashmere Cat ft. Ariana Grande
I know, I've talked about this one before, but it is literally the only song beginning with a Q I can think of that I listen to on a regular basis. And that's all I have to say, really.
R. "Roller Coaster" by Justin Bieber
Funnily enough, the title of this song adequately sums up my opinions on Bieber over time: rollercoastering. When he made his debut, I thought he was so dreamy omg and then I thought he sucked because I wanted to feel edgy. I'm not sure how I feel about him as a person nowadays, because he's made some mistakes but he's also done some great things, but as an artist, I like him more than I don't. "Roller Coaster" is from his Journals era, which flopped because it was released in late 2013 when Bieber was in his juvenile-delinquent phase. Now that that phase is done, it's fair to say the songs he did in this era are worth re-evaluating. "Roller Coaster" has a really catchy chorus and a sort of funky vibe I've never heard from the Biebs. I think his vocals fit the R&B style of the Journals songs really well, and I low-key want to listen to the album in full.
S. "Somebody Else" by The 1975
Back in my emo phase, one of my favorite bands was The 1975, even if they're not emo in a traditional sense. However, unlike Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco, two other bands from that phase, I haven't really talked about The 1975 here. I've mentioned "Chocolate" once or twice, but they have a ton of other good songs. "Somebody Else" is one of my favorite songs from them, and it's definitely my favorite on their second album, which has a title so long I'm not even gonna mention it. I love the contrast between the chill music and sad, emotional lyrics. Plus this song is nearly six minutes long and yet it keeps my attention for the entire runtime. One of these days I should do a list of my favorite The 1975 songs.
T. "Thinkin Bout You" by Frank Ocean
This is another song I've known about for a while but never really bothered listening to until recently. I'm pretty picky about my R&B, but I love me a good slow jam like this. The production has such a great atmosphere and Frank Ocean's falsetto is gorgeous. It's one of those songs that you can listen to and just vibe with.
U. "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield
This is one of the happiest songs ever written. It's a 2000s classic, appearing in many TV shows and movies. However, I love it because it reminds me of my mom. One day, we were driving to the grocery store with my little brother, and it came on the radio. Mom and I blasted it as loudly as it could go and screamed the lyrics, and my brother cried the entire time. Conclusion: my brother hates happiness.
V.  "Vegas Lights" by Panic! At The Disco
This one didn't make my Top 20 Panic! At The Disco Songs list, but maybe it should have. It's one of their most poppy songs, which I can totally understand being a turn-off to fans of the band's more alternative-rock style. However, I happen to be equally in love with their pop side and their rock side, so I can get into "Vegas Lights" with no hesitations. It's one of their most fun and exhilarating songs, and I imagine it would be a blast to see live. Also fun fact: that little clip of the kids counting that plays throughout the song is from Sesame Street of all things. It's random and unexpected but it works!
W. "Want To Want Me" by Jason Derulo
When this song came out, I didn't like Jason Derulo, but I've always loved this song. It's one of those songs that will never get old. It's got a great disco groove and it's just so slick and fun and above all else, joyful. Between the immense airplay the song received in the summer of 2015 and the many, many times I've played the song on Just Dance 2016, it's some kind of miracle that I can't listen to it without smiling. It's one of the best feel-good pop songs I can think of.
X. "XO TOUR Llif3" by Lil Uzi Vert
I know I've talked about this one before, but that was all the way back in October. Initially I gave it a 6.5/10, but it's grown a lot on me since then. You can blame my brother, an eternal Lil Uzi Vert stan, for that. I just really love the dark vibe this song has. I remember my big complaint before was that Uzi's voice was annoying, but I find it works really well in this song. I still can understand why somebody wouldn't be into it, but I'm glad it grew on me.
Y. "Yeah!" by Usher ft. Lil Jon and Ludacris
I talked about this one in last month's 2000s Pop Songs vs. 2010s Pop Songs post, but it's still one of my favorite songs ever and it begins with a "Y". I could make a pretty good case for "Yeah!" being the definitive banger of the 2000s. It's one of those songs that can get everybody on the dance floor. Another thing about it that I think is cool is that it's both commercially successful (it was a #1 hit for 12 weeks and the #1 song of 2004) and it was acclaimed by critics as well. Who doesn't know (and love) this song?
Z. "Bet On It" by Zac Efron
Yes, I am absolutely cheating on this one, but I could not for the life of me think of a song beginning with "Z" that I like. So I went with the next best thing: a song by an artist beginning with Z! But even by doing that, I think I'm stretching. If I remember correctly, the artist for "Bet On It" is listed as "Troy" on Spotify, as opposed to the actor who played him. But screw it, I can't think of anything better. This will always be my favorite High School Musical song and Zac Efron will always be my celebrity crush, largely because of this song.

This is probably one of the shortest and most random posts I've done here, but I still think it's fun. I like talking about music, and I got the opportunity to talk about some songs I've never talked about before on here. Next week's post will be a review of Pray for the Wicked, the new Panic! At The Disco album which comes out Friday, June 22. I've been waiting to listen to and review the album for a while now, and I've purposely avoided listening to any of the songs so that I can experience it in full for the first time. Panic! has never let me down, so here's hoping they deliver and give me the goods. I'm Stellar in Neverland and I'll see you next Wednesday. Peace!

Stellar