Single take is a series of “reviews”. I listen to an entire album, no song repeats, noting a hot take on each song as I go. I stamp the hot take with a date, and update them as songs hit different over time.
Image credit — Dali, prompt “Green Weezer album cover with Olivia Rodrigo”
TLDR;
I WANTED to listen to every song through. For some reason I trusted her to plot twist or curve ball and didn’t want to miss it. Either with lyrics or the band. Very different from last weekend’s Single Take — I listened to the first 30 seconds of most of Morgan Wallen’s songs before calling it with no fomo.
More singable and catchy Weezer?! and Modest Mouse. And third eye blind?
I listen to songs where the themes resonate
SO much of the album is about shame, embarrassment, fear. Maybe the reason I like to listen to Billie Eilish’s music more is bc her stuff is angry.
What relationship is she singing about? Person sounds awful.
Hot takes (9.8.23)
All American Bitch — Chorus is a BOP
Bad Idea right? — hilarious & relatable — the brain glitch, the ‘fuck it it’s fine’ line
Vampire — Not one I’ll listen to often, but the “I used to think I was smart but you made me look so naïve” is haunting
Lacy — meh
ballad of a homeschooled girl — rhythmic “I laughed at the wrong time…” was GOLD. Probably not one I will listen to often but I liked it
making the bed — “I’m playin the victim so well in my head but it’s me who’s been makin the bed”. Hiding, shame, overwhelm, disappointment
logical — this song had me worried and ready to go share some woman-in-her-30s wisdom
get him back — I love the talk-singing style
love is embarrassing — this is a bop, a little repetitive, but I love the vocal play in the “I give up…” section
grudge — I love the line “It takes strength to forgive but I don’t feel strong”
Pretty isn’t pretty — the rat race of trying to get yourself to look the way you think you should, no-win always ways to “improve more”…the line “ none of it matters and none of it ends You just feel like shit over and over again” is RUTHLESS and true
teenage dream — fear that you don’t have anything better to offer than what you’ve already offered — “But I fear that they already got all the best parts of me” that hollow fear is relatable.
