The Culture Gyre is a culture commentary site that focuses primarily on the music world. REVIEWS OPINION EXHIBITS AOTW SIGN UP SUBSCRIBE Search WORST GIRL ON CG Slayyyter released her third studio album, WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA on March 27, 2026. On May 13, 2026, they requested that we review it. THE BOYS IN FULL 2026 marks the release of many new superhero projects, but in one case, it also brings the end of a 7-year superhero series, The Boys. OBSESSION Recent horror blockbusters have the box office in a chokehold, due in large part to the genre’s popularity amongst upcoming generations. The youthful zeitgeist is horror-acclimated, and Curry Baker’s Obsession is the latest and loudest proof of that. Bulletins THE LATEST THE ABBY & AL EXPERIENCE On August 28, in cahoots with The Alchemist, Erykah Badu released her first studio album in 16 years, Before The World Blows. On September 11, 2026, I had the pleasure of seeing the duo live. Eilish & Cameron in 3D Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) is the latest concert film/documentary from a cross-generational collaboration between Billie Eilish and directing legend James Cameron. EXHIBIT CALLING ALL ARTISTS REQUEST A REVIEW your name, your request Submit SIGN UP BELOW! Join Thanks for subscribing!

WORST GIRL ON THE CULTURE GYRE Ian Thomas Sherry, 5/17/2026 Slayyyter released her third studio album, WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA on March 27, 2026. On May 13, 2026, they requested that we review it. Upon further inspection, Slayyyter is a Missouri gal, who worked her way from Soundcloud through Fader Records to Columbia for her big coming out this record. Part of the Midwest hardcore wave that’s dominated the pop underground over the last decade or so, she’s as legitimate a performer and producer as she is a representative of her pop influences. We’re honored to have received the assignment. (Track 1) “DANCE…” is a demonstrative introduction reminiscent of Lady Gaga’s 2025 project MAYHEM , as Slayyyter does a bit of vocal soaring on the refrain and rides the ebbs and flows of a grumbling pop beat that subsides and rebuilds for a bridge before more “oooooooooooouuuuaaaaaaaaahs.” (Track 2) “BEAT UP CHANEL$” shifts the LP into the next gear. A bouncy hyperpop beat takes over and Slayyyter’s MC persona introduces herself. Here’s a bit: “Sex, money, drugs, chains on my chest, vintage Celine/ Diamond grills, champagne bottles, I get for free/ I want sex, money, bitches, and the stickiest weeed” - holy cow. So clearly Slayyyter is a partier, rager is probably the more accurate term, but she glides more nimbly on the back half of track 2, somewhat resembling Gwenn Stefani (though I doubt the two would agree politically). As for personality, I’ll point to the dollar sign in the center of the thoughtfully titled album’s cover, intentional themes of attachment on (Track 3) CANNIBALISM!” and throughout, plus the ongoing theme of fanatical fame-fun-&-fortune-chasing. (Track 5) “CRANK” may be my favorite. The beat begins pulsating and riveting for nearly 30 seconds before Slayyyter starts spilling bars all over it, a siren begins to whirr in the background, and she requests that her DJ “CRANK IT!” She revs it up similarly, with increasing gumption, several times before the song’s end and spits quality verses in between, well-rounded and incessant. (Track 6) “GAS STATION” is a solid lil story song with an increasingly throbbing baseline that supports this flighty chorus: “When you left me all alone at the gas station/ I was crying out my eyes out of desperation/ I kept looking at my phone, I was hoping you would call…” Let’s get back to raging. (Track 7) “YES GODDD” does just that. The waves of acid bass mixed to wash overtop the vocals simulate a crazed pit show, MC screaming in between the DJs pounding sound, and while there are actually some great lyrics in the build, this track is all about the title line. Slayyyter repeatedly screams “YES GOOOODDDDDDD” with unrelenting fervor and it takes me to the place it was meant to be performed (minus the fumes). Ok, maybe this is my favorite. (Track 8) “UNKNOWN LOVERZ” is a washy refrain from its predecessor. For one of the few, if not the only wholesome track on the record, Slayyyter chooses shades of Magdalena Bay as her sonic scape, and reminds me of Wet Leg’s Rhian Teasedale on the spoken bridge. She carries a passably popified prototype of the same sound into (Track 9) “OLD FLING$,” but the album’s third STANDOUT track comes next. Track 10 has the sound of an important song from the needle drop; if that’s hard to imagine you’ll have to listen. “You think I see you?/ You think I care about you? / You think you strike some kind of nerve, do ya? / Oh you know the DJ? (oh she knows the djjjj) / No, you know the owner, right? / Oh, you know my boyfriend? / Do you know me from somewhere?... ‘I’M ACTUALLY KIND OF FAMOUS’.” ( beat drop ) When Slayyyter knows she has lightning in a bottle, she completes excellent songs. I’d love to know whether she writes the song and seeks a fitting instrumental or makes a machine gun beat and then decides to write something special. Whatever the case, she delivers. (Track 11) “$T. LOSER” is no different. This song exhibits a vengefully simple questioning of a past connection: “I think about you / Do you think about me?” – over and over. That doesn’t stop the track from building from a rigid beat to a soaring backing for Slayyyter to once again emulate Lady Gaga, singing with all her might and control amongst the strobes. It’s on the less sonically impactful tracks, like (Track 14) “BRITTANY MURPHY.,” which are more lyrically focused, that I find myself wondering if she ought to enlist some session musicians to better bring to life her apparent visions. The soundboard is only so deep. However, for this LP, passable tracks like those are a rarity. Slayyyter is unmistakably driven, stylistically focus, and on her way to the center stage. She just announced dates for her Australian tour, where she’ll no doubt be greeted with the warmest of EDM crowds, and she’s set to appear on Jimmy Fallon Tuesday (5/19) if you care to watch that. I’m personally tickled to have been brought into the dialogue on another rising artist and thoroughly enjoyed the record. As for Slayyyter, good luck getting exceedingly rich and famous, tis the dream they’ve sold us. THE WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA is an 8.6.

Eilish & Cameron in 3D BY: DAWSON SARCONA feat. ITS, 5/6/2026 Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) is the latest concert film/documentary from a cross-generational collaboration between Billie Eilish and directing legend James Cameron. While this movie falls into some of the concert movie genre’s formulaic pitfalls, it stands out as one of the most immersive and visually pleasing cinematized performances I've ever seen. Let’s begin with perhaps the most technically difficult portion of this movie, the cinematography. Coming into a world tour, months in, with the goal of branding new 3D camera technology is a tall task. Even more so when you consider that these cameras must be placed in functional areas that don't restrict the actual onstage performance but capture usable, visually pleasing footage. That being said, Cameron, Eilish, and their teams executed flawlessly. There are endless shots in this movie that felt like pieces of artwork. Further, what really impressed me was the ability to capture scale and immerse the audience. The mix of wide-angle, high-definition cameras with new “Lightstorm Vision” 3D technology made the concert feel physically impactful in theaters, and the clarity of the pictures captured via 3D was astounding to me. I have never once felt more immersed in a concert film, and at times, I forgot about the spectacle of watching “a 3D movie” as it rather tricked my brain into a more holistic concert viewing experience. All of the great visual direction and setups aside, there are some issues I have with this movie. I will say flatly, I am not typically a big fan of concert movies. They’re just not really my type of film and they often struggle to grab my attention. This movie follows the stereotypical format of all films in this genre, cutting between concert performance footage and behind-the-scenes documentary-style clips. My biggest issue is the way the behind-the-scenes footage was cut together. There seemed to be almost no pattern to it, and there were scenes intercut into the middle of the film that would have done much better setting the stage earlier in the movie (rather than an actual time lapse of stage set-up to begin the film). I also would have loved to get into the weeds of how this tour functions from the crew side. The crew has feelings too. As for the music, as a casual fan of Billie Eilish and her overall sound, I had a lot of fun seeing the hits performed in cool ways and learning some of her songs I hadn't heard before. I can say that I came out of this movie more of a fan of Eilish (and Cameron). That being said, my reviews mostly focus on movies, so I'll briefly hand you over to a writer with larger ears, Ian Sherry. ~~~ Billie Eilish’s minimal bandstand matched her minimalist pop sound. A large rectangle with two dugouts near center-stage housed a bassist, guitarist, drummer, and a pair of backup singing sisters. That, plus an omnipresent backtrack and a loop pedal for “when the party’s over,” was all Eilish needed to move her audience to screaming tears. She was vocally tight, physically fit, swagger-laced, and on a scripted mission to provide the audience with the ultimate “Billie Eilish” experience. - ITS ~~~ Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I had a lot of fun with it, aside from some confusing editing choices that might have hindered some of the momentum. For a concert movie, I thought it was one of the best I’d come across, and I know this will be a smash hit for all die-hard Billie Eilish fans. I’d give this movie a 6 out of 10 on the scale of regular movies. But, with a film genre like this, that's so vastly different from the story-based films I'm used to reviewing, I feel like a different scale is more suitable for this venture. So that being said, when compared to the other films from the concert movie category, my final review for this movie is a 9 out of 10, and I would highly recommend it to fans of Eilish, Cameron, and the genre at large.

OBSESSION, NEXT-GEN HORROR WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY: DAWSON SARCONA, 6/10/2026 Recent horror blockbusters have the box office in a chokehold, due in large part to the genre’s popularity amongst upcoming generations. The youthful zeitgeist is horror-acclimated, and Curry Baker’s Obsession is the latest and loudest proof of that. Obsession has no shortage of achievements after just three weeks in theaters. For a movie with a budget as low as $750,000, Obsession has blown its expected earnings out of the water as it’s now on track to reach $250M (or more) before the end of its theatrical run. Further, if you look at the weekend-to-weekend growth of Obsession, you'll notice that the lowest earnings are in its opening weekend, before growing 30% in week two and an additional 10% in week three, implying cult-classic momentum. The last film to behave as such at the box office was all the way back in 1982, Stephen Spielberg's classic E.T. So what is so great about Obsession? Well, to put it plainly, everything. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I think we might be dealing with a near-perfect movie. Now, I will say, I have seen this movie 3 times in theaters, so I've gotten the privilege of looking back at it with the perspective of already knowing what happens. One thing that really stood out to me on my 2nd and 3rd watch was how well each scene served the story in getting us to the ending. Never before in my life have I seen a movie with such a tight script in which literally every single scene serves a distinct purpose. I genuinely believe that this film could not be cut any further and still tell the story it does so effectively. This is likely due to director Curry Barker's experience as a YouTube/TikTok sketch comedian. As a part of the Duo “That's a Bad Idea,” Barker mastered the craft of building short-form sketches and content. Due to the limited attention of viewers on these apps, Barker has gained an eye for what's necessary to keep the audience's attention and the story constantly flowing. These skills are put to expert use in the writing, directing, and editing of this film, all of which he did himself. SPOILER ALERT. The plot begins with a very simple concept: Bear makes a wish that the girl of his dreams, Nikki Freeman, “loves him more than anyone in the fucking world”. From here, Barker quickly distinguishes himself from the rest of the stories told under this Monkey’s Paw trope. As Nikki begins to become more and more obsessed with Bear, the story evolves into a horrifying tale of self-destruction and the extremes of co-dependency. I've always been a big proponent of horror’s effectiveness when it isn't explained. This is that to a T. Trying to assign logic to something supernatural often takes away the fear. Watching Obsession, it was very clear to me that Barker understood this principle. There is no explanation for how this wish magic works, or why it is that Nikki begins to get crazy and violent. Nor does it explain where the “real Nikki” goes during this wish. Instead, it just gives us little hints, moments of Nikki snapping back to reality, screams, outbursts, and indicators that something about this wish magic is cruel and terrifying. The use of ambiguity makes the movie so much scarier, and Barker has further gone on to say that he himself does not know and doesn't ever plan to create an explanation for these events. It's just spooky magic for spooky magic’s sake, and it works so well. Speaking of magic, Inde Navarrette’s performance as Nikki is something truly astonishing. Being able to play 2 distinct characters within the same movie is an accomplishment in itself, but being able to make them both distinct enough that the audience can instantly tell when either personality (Nikki or Wish Nikki) is on screen is something really special. The range of emotion Navarrette displays as both versions of Nikki is insane as a viewer, and it's because of her that this movie works. Every scary, uncomfortable, or flat-out violent moment in this movie hinges upon Navarette delivering, and boy does she deliver. This is hands down one of the best horror performances I've seen on the big screen, and the character will no doubt become a horror icon. While Navarrette is by far the breakout performance in this film, everyone who acts in this movie make great contributions. Michael Johnston as Bear does an excellent job grounding his character so we can see him constantly justifying his increasingly horrendous decisions. This allows for the slow-burning reveal that he may be the true antagonistic figure within the film. Megan Lawless and Cooper Tomlinson as Ian and Sarah are great supporting characters in this movie, and really help to make the friend group dynamic seem real and lived-in. Obsession is, without a doubt, my favorite movie of the year. The aesthetic, the lighting, the set design, the acting, the writing, the directing, all of it works so well to make this movie something really special. For me, Obsession is a 10 out of 10, and I am actively recommending this to anyone who is looking for a good horror movie. Baker’s arrival marks the latest in the YouTuber-to-horror director pipeline. Past creators like Jordan Peele (Get out, Us, Nope) and RackaRacka (Talk to Me and Bring Her Back) have taken this path to great success. YouTube has become somewhat of a crash course in movie-making, particularly for those who’ve grown up with it. Every few decades, Hollywood begins to die out and needs revitalization. We are in the middle of a major shift in the movie industry. Most moviegoers, including myself, now go to see the new film by their favorite director. The tabloid-driven Hollywood of the 90s and 2000s is fading. The directors, the creators, have become the new movie stars. I believe this is mainly because of the YouTube space. We have spent years with creators themselves, seen them grow, develop, and learn the difficulties that come with trying to make something that's your own. YouTube has become a training ground for creators and put them in the driver's seat. For these creators, it's not about pushing out a movie quickly to meet a quota; it's dedicating themselves to their art form. It's bringing Hollywood back to its roots and creating stories that are fun, entertaining, and expertly executed.

Missed One: Two Star & The Dream Police By Ian Sherry 1/24/2025 On February 9, 2024 Mk.gee released Two Star & The Dream Police . Well, it seems bound to happen every year: I get to the end of my year’s top albums list and post it, then, just as relief begins to set in, it's washed away as I inevitably discover that I missed one. Hivemind , a Detroit-area-based YouTube channel, was this year’s bearer of bad news. As Riley, Graydon, and DJ Grant made their way through their 10 favorite records of the year, several selections appeared on more than one of their lists. One particular record stood out above the rest, not only because of the enticing descriptions but because of my complete unfamiliarity with the artist. I knew, at that point, that I had no choice but to listen to Mk.gee’s Two Star & The Dream Police , and this final 2024 LP did not disappoint. Phil Collins , Prince , and The Police . Those are the artists they likened to Mk.gee - an allegedly tasteful 80s revivalist – and all 3 legends are incredibly talented, loved, and 100% absent from track 1. “New Low” instead establishes Mk.gee’s emo/electronic sensibilities, delving into ambient genreless production that is intentionally mixed overtop the vocals. As the song builds, progressing briefly and effortlessly as most tracks on this record do, it embodies the palette in which Mk.gee brings music to life. From there, he steps further and further out of the shadows, introducing some safe rhythmic guitar performances and lighter, more sonically prominent vocals across tracks 2 & 3, before dropping the first in a healthy stash of standout songs considering the concise 33-minute runtime. Track 4, “DNM” , begins by giving a quick taste of his soon-to-be-signature scratchy electric guitar and a couple crisp keyboard notes, before stopping and restarting with a full launch into one of the album's best tracks. His vocals are confident and have a greater stylistic and toned range than I had imagined following the first song. That allows him to easily step into this peppy alternative tune while maintaining a firm grip on the sound itself with his rasping guitar in the background. Two Star & The Dream Police is fantastic for a lot of reasons, but the flow is one I’d like to highlight now. When you have an artist who can sing with the soulful tone of today’s inclusive r&b stylings on track 5, then turn around and deliver higher-register nostalgia-heavy vocals reminiscent of 2010s indie-pop on track 6, all without deviating whatsoever from the style he’s commanding, you get excellent flow. His track-to-track versatility sustains the listener’s interest while remaining comfortably within his signature sound. The result was this: I finished the album and immediately listened a 2nd time, then a 3rd, and a 4th. Obsessive? Sure, but I only obsess when it is absolutely warranted – Prince for instance. That’s because ‘fans’ at large do not appreciate, much less understand the man and his music. It’s a shame. So, when I heard Riley Savage drop his name I took note, and when “Candy” began on the heels of a very Prince/MJ-like transition I was immediately buckled in. This song is more than an impersonation - a mimicry born of surface-level understanding. Instead, it’s a musically legitimate adaptation of Prince’s iconic style lying plain as day within Mk.gee’s contemporary sound, from the lyrics, vocal progressions, and chorus structure to the teasing and eventually complete exhibit of his versatile yet distinct guitar in the form of a classic Prince solo. Simply put, it is an impressive product of comprehension and reinvention. When Mk.gee’s chunky electric guitar blurts out in the middle of vocally focused portions of the song it calls the listener’s attention (duh), which perfectly paves the way for it to bellyflop with the grace of a brick into whichever instrumental opportunity it wishes, creating a moment every time. "Candy" is not the only example of that technique, nor is it the only occasion where Mk.gee revitalizes a lost sound - the guys at Hivemind picked up on a few but I’d tweak their attributions slightly. In addition/place of Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel surges to mind on the 8th track “I Want” and rather than The Police, who are fully present on his latest single “ROCKMAN” , my dad wisely pointed to Sting ’s solo work on the last track “Dream Police” . Each influence was tastefully portrayed and integrated into the sound, and while I can’t speak to his thought process or the direction he’ll take his talents, his evident willingness to learn excites me most. I say that because there’s still exploration to be done. Two Star & The Dream Police is a breakout album. It introduces Mk.gee more capably than anything he’d released prior, but it left room for growth. The most crucial area in which I’ll be seeking improvement on his next release is song length. If you have a musical highpoint in mind, a moment where all the pieces of the song unite perfectly, save it for the end! For the length of the album, Mk.gee found moments that felt climax-worthy given the scale of each given track. However, with just 3 songs eclipsing the 3-minute mark, the payoff is given up too easily. If you, the artist, are comfortable building a song, you can stretch that process across 4 minutes rather than 2 giving the listener more time to sink into the track and yourself more structural, instrumental, and performative freedom. Taking the strongest features of what you’ve imagined and creating a more durable experience that’s ultimately more fulfilling, I’d imagine, is a difficult skill to hone. It would take confidence, experience, artistic maturity, and pure ability. Mk.gee is definitely one of the able. I could spend the conclusion of this review harping on other areas of improvement, perhaps vocal ambitions or rounding out the mix on the instrumental side, but the truth is Mk.gee showed he can be a centerpiece vocalist on “Alesis” and bulked up instrumentals for a fuller sound in instances across the record. So, now it’s just a matter of waiting, listening, and hoping we get more of it - more great music. Two Star & The Dream Police is a 8.3 .

PUTTING YOU ON THREE BY: Ian Sherry 5/22/2023 For music fans, there is no better feeling than discovering a new artist. Whether it’s a sleepless 2:00 AM deepdive, the opener that outperformed the band you actually came to see, or you decided (at risk of being lame) to finally listen to the Beatles, musical discovery is an unmatched feeling. This year has been kind to me thus far, so to celebrate I’d like to share my three favorite “underground” discoveries. In order of monthly listeners on Spotify, here are my three. They are all active artists who have lots of potential and could use your help, so if my descriptions appeal to you please check them out. Elijah Landours Technical Juggernaut 2,135 Monthly Listeners Though he has the least number of streams of these three talented artists, Elijah Landours may be the most polished. The Indianapolis rapper only has one album out on streaming services to go with several singles, yet his strengths are clear in this admittedly brief discography. Landours has a style. A groundbreaking one? No, but it’s consistent, recognizable, and entertaining. He does things in his music that many world-famous artists still fail to grasp. The first aspect of Landours’ musical repertoire is his sampling instincts. He uses them as frequently as anyone else, but he is so meaningful. A tendency of big money rap projects recently is over-sampling. It isn’t necessarily a negative, meaning an extra sample may not hurt the song. But, the purpose of introducing someone else’s work into yours is to pay homage and create a sound you wouldn’t have otherwise. That’s what he does. “PROPANE” is a good example off the 2022 project N/A . It makes use of a straight Marvin Gaye sample, but I don’t want a lawsuit so I’ll talk about “REVENGE FOR LOST TIME”. Also off N /A, he opens with a silly audio clip before introducing the faded and looped sample with distorted vocals and trumpet run. He then lays a simple drum machine and base hits over the top. He leaves the sample quietly underneath and brings it up over the top on occasion to add flavor to the heavyweight rhythm. Landours’ flow rides over the top of his most dense soundscape for one of his best songs, despite a feature I could take or leave. This leads me to Landours’ secret sauce. He has an uncanny ability to work over the top of his instrumentals. This is that polish coming into play again. No matter the speed of the beat, he is able to pace himself and dictate the energy of the song. Many artists have a tendency to try to be on the same pace as the beat, Landours’ knows better. It’s especially evident in some of his hooks. “MYSELF” and “MYLES AWAY” are his two most popular songs and for good reason. He is able to accelerate in and out of his verses to seamlessly shift the tone of the song. Both songs have sample-based beats which the hooks match in pace. They then make swift shifts into higher energy and pace on the verses. This allows him to use simple beats to create a comfortable groove for the listener because he provides all the necessary flavor in his delivery. Elijah Landours is a technical beast with an ear for beats and a lot to say. His execution comes off as relentless and sincere. Oftentimes I find myself imagining what artists could feature on his projects, from Black Thought to Denzel Curry. His soul flips and lyrical prowess are on the level of today’s best and brightest and his more unique strengths are a level above that. Elijah Landours is the real deal, he is ready, he just needs you to listen. https://unitedmasters.com/elijah-landours Ally Evenson Narrative Weaver 21,885 Monthly Listeners Disclaimer: Ally Evenson is Detroit based, so I may be biased. Her discography, while it may be the smallest on the list with one EP and five singles, has a promising level of diversity. She has a good grasp of Pop as a genre and its ability to bridge stylistic gaps while maintaining one sound and stylistic label. Not that labels matter, but within pop she’s given herself the ability to grow under one roof (and within one algorithm) while showing off her versatility and trying new things. When I listen to Evenson, her wide range of influences and natural musical instincts are clear, making a trip through her discography very rewarding for new listeners. Evenson’s recent singles have been most successful in terms of streaming, signaling positive growth, but her 2020 EP Not So Pretty gives what I consider the most essential taste of her abilities. Her singing performances are solid all the way through, nailing the sad-girl pop aesthetic with vocals that border on whining but settle in a genuinely vulnerable place. The first three songs “Not So Pretty”, “Why Don’t You Call Me Anymore?”, and “Burning Room” all lean into that same style. Their lyrics and song structure are impressive as she is able to change direction without any major shifts in composition or delivery. They move along and keep the listener tied into their easy to swallow narratives. Admittedly, the fourth song “More of a Happiness” sticks out in an otherwise uniform release, and though it's out of place, it may be the strongest track. The best way to describe it, in my mind, is a beach song. Washy guitars, an upbeat rhythm, and smooth vocals that feel like one continuous chorus, it’s a welcome change in direction. It stands as proof that she’s a good collaborator (with Katrine Noël in this case), and a reminder that Evenson knows her stuff, making it a perfect interjection for an early-career release. I’d wager the biggest reason for Ally Evenson’s growth as of late is her honing in on a consistent signature sound. That creativity is still present, but her 2022 singles feel like a good indication of her future direction. Fairly simple strong structure, often building from a simple acoustic guitar to more heavily layered high points, goes with her ability to build tension with her vocals. “Bite My Tongue” is a great example. She remembers her way through a dead relationship, attempting to hold back negativity towards the person in question, only to have it boil over. Inevitably she’s forced to face the fact that she missed the chance to say what she needed to. She knows how to write a song and paint a picture. Whether it's through lyrical expressions of pain like on “I Can’t Feel (My Body)” or “Bite My Tongue”, a well placed audio clip like on “Good Morning, Al”, or just a vibe like “More of a Happiness”, she has command. Evenson is a creative and a student of the music game, and those ingredients are exciting to say the least. Her continued journey towards an easily recognizable sound is key, and her growth in streaming number will only encourage it. I am looking forward to Evenson's 2023 releases, and I hope you'll join me on the lookout. https://linktr.ee/allyevenson Gretel Hänlyn Musical Swiss Army Knife 165,440 Monthly Listeners London is one of the most unique and diverse cities in the world. This goes for music as much as anything else, and Gretel Hänlyn is proof of that. Her sound is unique and I believe her ceiling is the highest of these three artists. She has two EPs out on streaming services, and while they are wildly different from one another, her voice and personality are true constants between them. Hänlyn seems to be executing her visions on a near expert level and her creative ambitions and talent will carry her far. Gretel Hänlyn’s never-ending appeal begins with her voice. Her tone and versatility cannot be taught. Though it's hard to conclusively say where an artist feels strongest, Hänlyn seems to thrive singing in her naturally deep voice which she can pitch up or down. She doesn’t need to throw her voice at all to hit the notes she desires on a given song. This is something that many incredible vocalists, Prince for example, aren’t fortunate enough to have been born with. They may be able to hit notes with added concentration and polish, but Gretel can do it without a second thought. While the ability to range up and down without any significant heightened focus may seem like more of a convenience than an advantage, that’s not the case. In fact, I think it’s a big reason she is such a dynamic artist. It gives Hänlyn the ability to focus on supplying her performances with emotion, creating unique melodies, keeping pace, and most importantly, entertaining. Like I briefly mentioned, her two releases are much different from one another, however, they are anything but singularly focused. The 2022 Slugeye is a 20 minute package of vividly heartfelt songs, indie-pop jams and takeaways from each track. It showcases her ability to elevate any song with a great chorus, sing a verse in any tone, and keep the audience off balance yet captivated. For promptness sake I’ll limit myself to one song: “In The Water”. It’s not the best song on the EP, but in my opinion it showcases her various tools the best. We hear her complete range, from the murky lows to the delicate highs, her beautiful vocables included. She writes it in one of her most common formats: a meandering mix between conversation, narrative, and her own thoughts. She also layers the instrumental as the song proceeds, beginning with some of her more stripped down production (usually serving more sensitive narratives) and building to a masterfully layered chorus that even includes what sounds like a harp laid over top. It’s elegant, it’s emotional, it’s beautifully performed, it’s entertaining, it’s Gretel Hänlyn. In 2023 she vowed to take her already fully formed sound and push it further on Head of the Love Club. The result is fantastic. So good I couldn’t resist writing a complete and overdue EP review . I have so much to say about Gretel Hänlyn I needed an entirely different article, if that doesn’t properly sum up her talent I don’t know what does. https://www.gretelhanlyn.com/ Musical discovery is the most essential role we can play as consumers. If you haven’t heard of these three, I am thrilled to introduce you. If you have, keep listening, so we can keep getting more. They are all very talented, and together they cover all aspects of experiencing music. I hope you agree.

THE POP SHOP BY: Ian Sherry 9/5/2023 If you came for Faygo I apologize. In the grand scheme of music creation and consumption, genres are completely trivial. However, they are one of my favorite things to noodle around. The most noodley of the bunch is pop. As music continually evolves, defining pop gets increasingly difficult. Michael Jackson is the ‘king of pop’, yet he falls under the same general mega-genre as Ethel Cain , The Beach Boys , and Shania Twain . Strange but true. The pop quandary is most evident, to me, in a record store. Most often, you’ll find a pop/rock section. Certainly that model was sensible at a time, especially in a stretch like the 80s through the 2010s. These days however, I’m not sure those two genres align as closely. With acts like Imagine Dragons and Fall Out Boy fading, the bridge between the two has narrowed in favor of the slow-motion collision of rap and pop. Therefore, everytime I see a pop/rock section, I’ve granted myself permission to chuckle at whatever dinosaur constructed it. As a freshman in college without a credit rating (or whatever you need to own a business), I have no chance of running a record shop anytime soon. Admittedly, my opinion is from the outside looking in, however my occasional frustration with genre organization is justified. So, because my writing this article is conveniently inconsequential, let’s organize my theoretical record shop: The Pop Shop. Here at the Pop Shop, we operate under the assumption that all of our customers are equally, if not more, opinionated as myself, especially regarding genre placement of their favorite artists. Now that I’m a shop owner, I suppose I’ll have to make compromises here and there to accommodate customers with diversified taste. As I touched on previously, pop is what holds most genres together. Pop is the key to a broad musical palette. Therefore as a record store owner with fairly diverse taste and an equally multi-interested customer base, my first order of business is to define pop. Is pop linear? Well, I’m not sure but I might be by the time this paragraph is done. My instinct is to say yes. One of my favorite music-listening activities is creating playlists that transverse eras. It’s very satisfying to look at dissimilar beginnings and endings to tracklists, wondering how they connect, and finding out somewhere in the middle. How did American popular music seamlessly evolve (or regress) from Frank Sinatra to Drake ? That’s an answer for another article, but it certainly did. The keyword to my previous claim is seamless. There is no definite instant in pop music history in which the definition itself suddenly changed. There have been game changing artists, releases, even songs, but mass artistic or stylistic change simply can’t happen over night. The result is a genre which is constantly mentioned but insufficiently defined. Concise or concrete definitions to abstract concepts are futile in nearly every case. That’s why I’m taking a whole article to unpack it, instead of a sign behind the Pop Shop’s front desk. So, after brief deliberation, pop is indeed linear. It’s not linear in a traditional sense though. It’s not a straight line. It’s a chain linked together by genre-bending or trailblazing artists. That chain looks drastically different at some points than others, but it’s all one piece. I’ll take it a step further: it's a gyre. Pop is a gyre If you don’t know what a gyre is, you haven’t explored our homepage enough. Go now . Welcome back. To summarize: a gyre is a linear pattern in which a vortex widens from a point until it reaches a breaking point of sorts, it then continues from a single point in the center of the widened end. The most important thing to understand about the pop gyre, is that it doesn’t stop at any point, which makes it linear, but it does have significant and traceable points of reshaping. These points are marked by collections of those aforementioned artists, projects, and songs. Whether it's Billie Holiday’s shedding the light of pop culture on the horrors of the south, the gay sensation that was Freddie Mercury , or one of David Bowie’s many genre-quaking phases, individual impacts on mainstream pop music have more significance in the real world than we could understand. That impact, if you want to fully understand pop, cannot be separated from the stylistic evolution of the genre. I have no problem with the general opinion that Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra are America’s first pop stars. That makes them ground zero for American music’s gyre. Highlighting an artist is a very useful tool for defining a genre, someone who encapsulates the sound and or attitude of a musical movement. Artists like The Beatles , David Bowie, Michael Jackson , Whitney Houston , Madonna , and Adele have all held that role. You’ll find all of those artists in the Pop Shop’s signature pop section. However, as they don’t currently define 2023’s pop sound, they can’t be at the center of our biggest section. We have to pick a new artist. 2023’s centerpiece of pop ‘Finally some specifics’, says any reader more interested in facts than conceptual rambling. 2023’s pop music landscape is broader than ever. As music continues to evolve, despite the gyre resets, the scale of pop will continue to broaden. That only makes sense. Generally, anything that charts on the billboard is somehow pop-adjacent. Nowadays that means pop directly overlaps with rap, r&b, country, indie, and rock, among others. When Kendrick Lamar was charting with To Pimp A Butterfly , pop had a link with jazz. When The Weeknd and Dua Lipa started stylistically dipping into 80s tropes, pop had a link to a different decade. When Lil Uzi Vert charted with “Just Wanna Rock” , pop had a link to New Jersey club. That’s all to say a diverse landscape makes it hard to pinpoint a centerpiece, but I have a pick: SZA . Although pop is the common ground for any mainstream genre, it always has a definable sound. This sound is constantly shifting, and with rap and r&b packing the charts, it has begun to shift that direction. The more palatable, even inoffensive, approach that a Taylor Swift or Harry Styles brings to the table is no longer the solution. The ideal pop star has to incorporate their own sound, have an interesting persona, a splash of sexuality, but most of all, the ability to collaborate. I don’t just mean Dua Lipa adding Dababy to her song that’s already charting, I mean real sound-altering collaboration. SZA has all of that. SZA has been a fixture in modern r&b since her hit album Ctrl , but her 2022 release SOS launched her into the center of today’s music scene. The hit single “Kill Bill”, which was accompanied by quite the music video, captured a huge audience. Her variety of moods accommodated brand new audiences. Her attitude and personality thrilled her long-time fans. And, her well-executed and occasionally unexpected features further proved her ability to bring together the best in music. Try “Kill Bill” , “Seek & Destroy” , “Snooze” , “Ghost in the Machine” , and “Open Arms” . Though it leans towards r&b, SOS embodies pop. It will be listened to, referenced, and imitated for the rest of this decade. So, when you enter the Pop Shop looking to buy SOS , check smack in the middle of the store. Nitpicking Now that we’ve established the center of pop, we have to do the dirty work: marking borders. I think the best course of action is one mega-pop section subdivided into the various genres of influence and today’s popular sound. The outer walls will be lined with the following non-pop-adjacent genres: blues, punk, metal, folk/bluegrass, hip-hop, soul, jazz, house/techno, reggae, and classical. The border of the mega-pop section will be made up of the following pop-adjacent genres: rock, r&b, rap, indie, country, and latin. Each of those will connect to the mega-pop section like this: genre/pop. Here’s two defining artists for each, but the Pop Shop has everything. rock/pop Elton John Portugal. The Man r&b/pop Whitney Houston Ella Mai rap/pop Nelly Doja Cat indie/pop The Smiths Wet Leg country/pop Dolly Parton Chris Stapleton latin/pop Selena ROSALIA Prince gets his own section. Isn’t this fun? Closing for the night I find it interesting that pop seems to glean a negative connotation. For example, if you tell someone their favorite Canadian rapper, who they might consider a hip-hop icon, is more of a pop artist, they might take offense. In fact, I’ve found it's a good way to immediately turn a conversation into a confrontation. Try it some time. Then, remind them of that elite crop I just listed. Remind them that pop is the confluence of everything that is hot in music today. Remind them that it's a perfect gauge of just how much this divided country has in common. Remind them that ultimately genre has no relation to merit. If they’re still stuck on their anti-pop attitude, send them to my shop. I’ll be waiting.

The Hunting Party 2/10/2025 BY: IAN SHERRY The Hunting Party premiered February 4, 2024, on NBC. The sole focus of network television, perhaps more than any other form of media, is to secure viewership. Each and every episode must supply something that brings the audience back the next week, which places a unique and permanently immediate sense of pressure on everyone involved. That pressure begins the moment the creators cross the threshold from idea to product and doesn’t cease until the show itself does. Network television’s latest million-dollar idea sprung from the mind of JJ Bailey. Bailey has experience with the pressures of Network show-biz, having had Echo, his only prior show, canceled after the pilot. The Hunting Party, in many ways, is a reflection of his learned approach to the genre. We can start with the premise. An unknown number of assumed-dead serial killers escape from a massive CIA-run subterranean prison via explosion. Now that’s a headline, albeit one that’s kept from the fictional public. The result of that jailbreak, therefore, is a technically unlimited (but more like unspecified) number of future episode plots. In that sense, The Hunting Party is pure genius. That, however, is not the only sense I care about. One of the givens of network television, in my eyes, has always been the limited quality of the art itself. There is a definite standard that this meticulously analyzed audience is known to expect. Falling short of that standard in any way, whether it be writing, acting, set design, or one of the many other requirements of TV production, would likely be received as a critical error. However, that standard is so demanding, there are so many boxes to check, that it encourages a sort of ‘good enough’ attitude, rather than the perfection in a vacuum that an alternatively produced show might aim for. The Hunting Party, for all its broad-stroke-strengths, is no exception to the phenomenon above. If you watched the promos, you’d be fooled into thinking Bex, played by Melissa Roxburgh, is the star of the show. In reality, the star is the plot. For instance, Bex goes from an FBI profiler posted in a casino (the FBI’s doghouse) to lead profiler in the most crucial multi-manhunt in the country’s history before the first commercial break. If that seems sudden, overly convenient, or even unrealistic to you, you’re not alone. But, that fast, loose, fairytale style was a conscious choice - one that, while limiting to the actors as they come across stiff and defined by their function, allowed for the writers to work in a borderline ludicrous number of plot twists, eureka moments, and cliff hangers in place of thoughtful, time-consuming small-talk or character definition. JJ Bailey’s masterpiece is not, nor will it be, a show defined by its acting, and certainly not by its writing, but neither is the genre. Network television is defined by ambition (I should know I watched 30 Rock). And while a show like The Hunting Party simply cannot compare to a show like 30 Rock in the classic critical categories, it just delivered perhaps the most ridiculously plot-packed pilot episode I’ve ever seen. That kind of unchecked creativity and ambition, at the end of the day, is what brings audiences back, and despite the various surface-level limitations I can’t help but consider myself a part of this audience. I will be back tonight for more.

REVIEWS Obsession THE BOYS EILISH & CAMERON IN 3D WORST GIRL IN AMERICA RAYE: The real deal Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1 The Running Man Gadabout Season Man's Best Friend Fool's Gold Let God Sort Em Out Flowers MTV UNPLUGGED LIVE NO. 2.O Forever Howlong Mayhem Hurry Up Tomorrow Hunting Party 2-Star & The Dream Police GNX IGOR Definately Maybe Pink Friday 2 For All The Dogs Voire Dire Utopia PINK TAPE Wait Til I Get Over Lotus Glow 10,000 Gecs Lana's Long-ass Album Title LETS START HERE I Didn't Mean To Haunt You Entergalactic God Did

Coverage Vol. 2 1/25/24 BY: IAN SHERRY I shouldn’t have done this one, it's too hard. One challenge of any cover is to maintain everything that makes the original great. This can be difficult considering you have to put your own twist on it and inject your own stylings, while attempting to replicate the personality and strengths of the original artist can interfere with that process. It’s a delicate balance, and that’s why covers are one of my favorite music industry phenomena. Today the point of emphasis is feel, and few artists benefit more from the feel of their music than T he Doors . Let’s talk about one of their best. Jim Morrison’s band charted its first #1 hit in 1967 with “Light My Fire” . It was clear from the very beginning of the legendary LA band’s discography that they had something sp ecial. Relying on keys and rolling guitars on top of steady drums, they were able to captivate a certain easily distinguishable sound, capable of bridging the gap between legendary groups like The Zombies and Grateful Dead . 1967 was a big year for music, with The Beatles changing direction on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Band , Eric Burdon taking control of The Animals , and Motown and Frank Sinatra sharing the top of the charts. Perhaps most significantly, some of the most influential acts of the next decade began to emerge including Jimi Hendrix , Pink Floyd , The Velvet Underground , and of course, The Doors. The latter announced themselves in a historically and contemporarily unprecedented fashion. The 60s was a decade in which the average length of a hit song was just 2:59 , yet somehow, Jim Morrison and co. took over the number one slot with a song just over 7 minutes in length (and a decade later people thought “Bohemian Rhapsody” was long at 2 minutes above average). It was a new era in music, and The Doors arrived right on time. Naturally, other artists took notice. A hit song with its own feel, simple arrangement, instrumental solo, and a runtime waiting to be shortened, sounds like a challenge. Sounds like the perfect opportunity for a cover. Welcome to Coverage Vol. 2 Honorable Mentions Shirley Bas sey The Goldfinger Singer took the big band approach in her 1970 cover. While the vocal performance is strong and the band is impressive, it lacks the meticulous groove of the original and falls short of replicating or otherwise matching The Doors' signature feel. Stevie Wonder I’m stunned, dumbfounded, floored, flabbergasted to see Stevie Wonder sitting in the honorable mentions, but here we are. Stevie performs it like he does any other song of his late 60s era, and drops a harmonica solo in place of the original keyboard. To me, although he is the king of that instrument, it is too thin in comparison to the show of force by Ray Manzarek on the original. It’s as good as any other Stevie song from that time, and that’s a strong category, just not as strong as this particular competition I’ve thrust him into. Jackie Wilson While he supplied the most energetic vocal performance and perhaps the cleanest instrumentals, Wilson was overshadowed in other categories. The horn solo is great, but other forthcoming artists took an equally aggressive angle on the horns. On top of that, he misses the intended vibe of the song without inserting a formidable alternative. However, this is a fantastic rendition that narrowly missed out on a top four mention. You can’t go wrong on this list, I promise. NUMBER FOUR JOSé FELICIAN O On a list where cultivating your own feel is essential, Feliciano will always excel. I’d qualify his rendition as the anti-Doorsian approach. While his methodical delivery and gradual song structu re are most similar to the original, Feliciano conveys a level of warmth strong enough to rival that legendary Morrison brooding. That’s very hard to do. His performance is laid back for much of the song, as he paints it with nimble and complimentary play on his guitar. It is a pleasant invitation with just the right amount of emotion and an exciting freestyle finish. His choice to build performative energy more gradually than any other version of “Light My Fire” really reflects the message of the song. As his excitement and passion for the fire-lighter picks up the warmth and positivity is infectious, yet his original mellow vibe remains present. It's simple, but intentional, and perfectly executed. NUMBER THREE AL GREEN My favorite vocal performance on this list, Al Green’s swagger is undeniable. While you can argue amongst any of the covers yet to be named, he may have done the best job of making it h is own. Green’s legendary career is partially owed to his unwavering status as the smoothest vocalist around, but what makes his 19 71 record unique is its rough edges. Gets Next To You saw hits like “I Can’t Get Next To You” , “Tired of Being Alone” and “I’m a Ram” , all of which have sharp drums and horns. At times, Green doubles down on that ever-so-slightly abrasive sound by matching it with some of his raspiest performances ever, while still providing a healthy dose of his signature smoothness, to create an incredibly satisfying contrast. Sitting perfectly between upbeat blues and soul, it's my pick for the strongest album in his catalog, and he masterfully pulls “Light My Fire” into that fold. By speaking the first few lines, he opens a dialogue with his audience, pulls us in by delicately delivering the initial hook, and maintains total control as his intensity, volume, and confidence grow throughout the track. Once you’re hooked, Green doesn’t let you off the mat, but you wouldn’t want to get up anyway. NUMBER TWO The Doors The original “Light My Fire” is one of the greatest coming-out-parties in all of music. The Doors introduce themselves to the charts with un wavering pace, seven minutes of it. As I mentioned brie fly, the length was unprecedented, to say the least. So, in order to captiv ate this endurance deprived audience f or the entirety of their chart-topper, they had to do something special. I think the key to The Doors’ chart-topping accomplishment is the balance they struck. It pushed the envelope in more ways than length; a relentless keyboard solo and dynamic yet restrained vocal performance set it apart from its contemporary hits. It isn’t the best version but it h as by far the greatest le gacy. “Light My Fire” is one of the most important songs of its era, because it stretched a formulaic performance to its stylistic capacity and opened the charts up to the fast-moving, incredibly impactful, and ultimately self-destructive force of nature that was Jim Morrison. NUMBER ONE ETTA jAM ES Every other artist that covered “Light My Fire” avoided The Doors' murkiness in favor of their own sound and vibe. Their decisions are likely all based on the fact that beating a band like that at their own sonic game is risky to say the least. Etta James was not, could not have been, intimidated. So, she leads in with a heavy bass guitar that pushes the limit of the lower portion of the mix. To balance it out, she stays in the upper half of her vocal range, providing a clear and clean balance. The drums hold pace and the occasional guitar painted overtop fills out the sound. It’s simple and slow, like the original, but by cutting the instrumental solo, which every other artist attempted to replicate in some way, she brought it completely into her wheelhouse. Much like Aretha’s “Resp ect ” , her revision is hardly recognizable, and that is due to one crucial factor: Etta James herself. Yes, the instrumental adjustments are masterful, and cutting the solo does have an impact, but her vocal delivery is the biggest gamechanger. She pours every bit of swagger available into this song, much like Al Green, but her intentionally measured cadence shift makes a massive, albeit subtle, difference. She improvises her way through the song, delivering all of the written lyrics in quicker succession than the original. James’ slight alteration of every single line is largely responsible for over four minutes of difference, as she yanks the song back into contemporary song-length standards. The moral of the story: Etta James is untouchable, and if she covers your song, kiss it goodbye.

Coverage Vol. I 12/2/23 BY: IAN SHERRY Cover songs are one of my favorite music industry phenomena. When done well, cover artists pay homage to the original song while offering their own spin or twist. Sometimes they see massive success, surpassing the original, such as Aretha Franklin’s “R espect” , Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” , Chaka Khan’s “I Feel For You” , and I could go on. One of my favorite exercises is digging through versions of a song that’s been covered over and over, and picking the best version. You can often find great performances by legendary artists that you didn’t even know existed. I always seem to find at least one. Would you like to try one with me? The Beatle s are one of the most covered artists of all time. For my first in a forthcoming series of articles, I felt it would be fitting to start with a Beatles original: “Got To Get You Into My Life” . One of the bigger songs off their culturally essential Revolver, this track has settled into an interesting niche, like much of the album. The cinematic instrumentals sit in back with a more restrained vocal in front that branches out on the chorus. I heard someone call it The Beatles’ Motown song. In short, it’s a song with great bones and lots of moving parts, making it an enticing candidate for covers. MENTIONS Chicago (Live in 75) - This is a fun live performance, and while it’s well done, they play it fairly straight. It doesn’t separate itself from any live Beatles or McCartney version. Joe Pesci- I only mentioned this because it’s crazy to hear such a prolific rapper branch out. There's lots of ‘ohs’ and ‘heys’ to be had here - if you’re into that kind of thing. Daniel Johnson- Johnston’s awkward low quality performances h ave touched many people. He thrives in a raw emotional space, but sometimes he can be grating, and unfortunately this cover is one of those instances. Blood Sweat & Tears- It pains me to rank this band within the ‘Mentions’ instead of slotting them above the Beatles original. Blood Sweat & Tears scratches a very specific big band/raw vocal itch for me. They often elevate songs with their arrangements and instrumentation, but this time they didn’t do quite enough to surpass the original for me to justify bumping them up into the Top Four. TOP FOUR I can’t explain why four is the right number, especially as a believer in the rule of three. Maybe I just want to be different. Lucky for me, this time around, the top four are a step above. NUMBER FOUR The Beatles, 1966 Yes it’s the original, and that certainly counts for something. In fact, if it weren’t the original it might have slipped out of the Top Four, which may happen at some point in this series. But not this time because th e original is a creative masterpiece. A massive song with room to get bigger, the Beatles really nailed it instrumentally. However, I have an issue with the vocal performance: the energy and tone feel a bit meek in comparison to their backing. McCartney elevates his vocals for the chorus, but it feels a bit sudden. While the initial surprise factor pays off the first time around, you only hear The Beatles for the first time once. Did they do anything wrong? Not necessarily. This is just the Revolver sound in a nutshell. It strikes a unique balance between all of what makes The Beatles great, but in a semi-chaotic way. That organized chaos is responsible for the large number of fans that choose Revolver as their top Beatles album. However, I’ve always preferred the cleanness of Abbey Road, and my next pick reflects that. But, I have a final note: The Beatles are so good, this song included, that I have to argue against them in order to justify them sitting anywhere but #1. NUMBER THREE Dave Koz And Friends Summer Horns, 2013 When you talk about covers, you want the artist to elevate the song and clean up some missteps the original artist may have taken, such as the Beatles safe vocals. I don’t listen to much instrumental music, and this isn’t the only instrumental cover out there, but this one really stands out. Although it’s difficult to strike a balance between the vocal arrangement and backing instrumentation on a purely instrumental song like this, Koz’s cover has a remedy that elevates the song: just add more horns! This same sentiment is shared by the group occupying the top slot, but the pure woodwind firepower on this track is unmatched. Instrumental music can be boring to some, but thi s energized cover couldn’t possibly bore anyone. Check it out. NUMBER TWO Ella Fitzgerald, 1969 Nobody claims songs like powerhouse Black female vocalists of a certain era. Nina Simone, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, and of course, Ella Fitzgerald. Incorporating many of the same elements as The Beatles, Fitzgerald plays it as close to the original as anyone on this list, but her subtle changes set this 1969 cover apart. Her version opens with a subdued and simplified instrumental approach, making it easier to execute her clean jazz sound above the slightly chaotic arrangement of the original version. The instrumentation dances through her verses throughout, keeping the song upbeat, simple and clean. Then Fitzgerald elevates vocally and the music follows suit, rising to a crescendo at the high point of the hook. She yells ‘Got to get you into my life’ as the horns and background vocalists swell in unison. After the high point, the elevated sound continues, as she vocally freestyles through the final fade. She takes full ownership of the song by redesigning the builds and adding her signature vocal flavor. I can’t ask for more than that. NUMBER ONE Earth Wind & Fire, 1978 I suspect this is the second best known version of the song (behind Joe Pesci, of course). This isn’t just the best version of this song, it’s one of their best tracks ever. Earth Wind & Fire is one of the greatest American bands of all time, so that says a lot. I heard this version when I was a kid and didn’t even realize it was the same song until years later because it is so far elevated. The horns are clean, their signature background vocals are perfect, the addition of the stand-alone electric guitar is genius, the bass is more present than any other version, even their swagger elevates the song. Maurice White also outsings everyone on this list with sustained superior vocal range, rising up with the instrumental instead of joining it for brief splashes on the chorus. This was a track waiting to be done perfectly, and nobody is better suited to rise to the specific demands presented than Earth Wind & Fire. I think you’ll agree.

GRAMMYS ON TRIAL 2/4/24 BY: IAN SHERRY On Sunday, February 4, 2023, the 66th annual Grammy Awards will take place at 8 pm. If you like good music, you may not like the Grammys. In fact, I’d tend towards the opinion that you absolutely should not. Anyone who’s ever watched the Grammys has experienced disappointment. They’ve experienced confusion as an artist strolls to the stage to accept the most prestigious award that applies to their mediocre product. That combination of disappointment and confusion leads to anger. Then, all of a sudden, music’s biggest night, the one that’s supposed to bring fans together nationwide, is steeped in division. Twitter lights up in outrage, TVs shut off, and people go to bed thinking next year will be better. People are mistaken, because in fact, the Grammys only get worse. Their archaic thought processes and categorizations grow weaker as music diversifies, and their failure to adjust in any significant way becomes increasingly offensive. Yet, they sit alone at the top of their critical field. If you’re interested, please join me down here as I throw rocks at the throne. One of the greatest criticisms of any institution is to say they’ve lost sight of their original purpose; the Grammy Awards are a perfect example. Elected officials often get lost in the game that is politics and begin to govern with the intention of securing reelection instead of serving the people. The Grammys have fallen into a similar trap. In order to maintain their unparalleled grip on the pinnacle of musical achievement, they feel they need to please an audience. Their word is final, yet if people are displeased their credibility comes into question. So, in order to maintain credibility and reserve the right to assert their opinion, they have to simultaneously appeal to the largest possible demographics while pacifying the frustration of undervalued fanbases. For this year’s attempt at saving face, Harvey Mason Jr., the CEO of The Recording Academy, added three sub-categories: best African music performance, best alternative jazz album, and best pop dance recording. While the surface-level intention here is good, it doesn’t make a dent. The Grammys' genre divisions can’t be fixed by adding niche awards here and there. If there is a category for Christian music why not other religions? If there is a category for Electronic music why does it only apply to the Euro/American EDM and hyperpop movements and not the majority-Black Techno and House movements of Detroit and Chicago? You’ll never get to the root of the problem by going one at a time. The result of their box-checking strategy is an uncomfortable and unbalanced relationship with not only the artists, but their audience as well. How is an audience supposed to accept the word of The Recording Academy as gospel when that word has been so obviously impacted by a variety of monetary influences and inherent biases? Criteria is the key word when it comes to exercises of this nature. An entity that is determining the best or worst of anything must have criteria in order to consistently deliver a decision. Discrepancies sew doubt into the minds of the audience, and I have many doubts running through my mind this year. Morgan Wallen is the newest rage in country music. In 2023 he was all over the charts, even holding the number one slot for 16 weeks with “Last Night” . His music dominated the country audience, but more impressively, he brought in non-country fans as well. I won’t pretend to count myself as one of them, but I do find it incredible that he will receive the same number of golden Grammy trophies as me this year (0). While his songwriters have a shot in the best country song category, Morgan Wallen himself is not nominated once. If the Grammys aren’t about the fans, at least not his, they must put more of an emphasis on critical success, right? Caroline Polachek must be nominated for album of the year. Wrong. Instead we sit in a weird in-between where popularity matters only within fanbases The Recording Academy values, where critical voices are used to defend certain artists’ inclusion but ignored to justify others. For instance, Ice Spice is nominated for Best New Artist, but not Sexyy Red . Both artists had massive presences on the rap charts and TikTok, planted their names amongst the top female rappers, made significant feature appearances, and received strong reviews from critics, yet only one is nominated. Sexyy Red is what we, in the tradition of complaining about the Grammys, call a snub. Yes, gathering around and complaining about the Grammys snubs is a tradition at this point. I’m sure The Recording Academy can feel this culture of negativity amongst their audience, though I’m not sure they care. As long as those angry people still tune in, what's the harm? A lot of work goes into crafting an audience such as this; we’re frustrated but we return without fail. They sell it and we buy it, and when there’s a dip in sales they find a way to pull us back in. In 2021 they charted by far the lowest viewership this century. The next year, they received praise from all corners of the entertainment industry when Jon Batiste won the 2022 album of the year. To follow that up, they put on a 50 years in hip-hop celebration last year, which received awards and resulted in a 30% spike in viewership from the previous year. So, how do they maintain an audience constantly threatening to wane? They lean into other demographics as needed. There is no 51 years in hip-hop celebration this year, in fact there’s no hip-hop nominated for any of the top three categories. Instead they sprinkled nominations in for Grammy darlings Kendrick Lamar and Jon Batiste , despite Lamar having a slow year in terms of production quantity and Batiste’s new album receiving lukewarm reviews across the board. This kind of token placement throughout the nominations is a common Grammy trope, and its used to justify Harry Styles’ Harry’s House winning over Beyonce’s Renaissance or Macklemore’s The Heist winning over Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City (notice how they’ve been sure not to repeat this particular mistake). If you create the standard that a certain kind of music’s merit is limited, then its inclusion in any form is appreciated. Have you ever taken a moment to wonder why you never see hip-hop albums win Album of The Year? In fact, only two have ever done it. Is it fair to say that Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and Outkast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below are the only two rap albums ever to sit at the top of their year, that even the best rap albums can’t, on average, stand up to the best of other genres, that rap is a lesser artform? No, that’s nonsense, yet that’s what the Grammys imply. The Grammys imply that Black music can be pigeonholed into one umbrella category, and somehow, that’s remained acceptable. In 2021 Black artists accounted for 44% of charting songs according to Billboard , yet a CNN article from the same year revealed only 24% of the nominees were Black. The vessel through which the Grammys bottle up Black artists is the Rap & Spoken Word Poetry category. While it's dangerous to assume an artist’s inclusion in a given category is based on anything other than merit, patterns imply intent not coincidence. Case and point: every single artist nominated in the R&B, Rap & Spoken Word Poetry this year is of African descent. Knowing that, it becomes a lot harder to remain under the impression the category has anything to do with music, not to mention the glaring differences in the art being presented within the category. However, the person who highlights this categorical foolishness the best isn’t even Black. Jelly Roll is a rapper and singer from Nashville. He spent more than a decade rapping, inspired by the Southern royalty rap of the 90s and 2000s. However, when he finally received his first Grammy nod it was in the Country & American Roots Music category. Just like there's no room for Lil Yachty in the Rock, Metal & Alternative Music category, there was no room for Jelly Roll in the Grammys definition of rap. After more than a decade, this was abundantly clear to him so he transitioned to a genre that fit his skin tone and accent in the highest critical context. That’s the kind of power these awards wield. They shape the landscape in which artists attempt to create music, and they enforce their racist mindset on the industry at large. That’s why Lil Nas X couldn’t release a pop/country song without backlash, Tyler, The Creator got his music pulled from the radio for practicing the same horrorcore rap that made Eminem famous, and Iggy Azalea climbed the charts by rapping in her best impersonation of a Black woman instead of her natural Australian accent. At the source of every institutional form of discrimination is an institution. In the music industry you can point to a number of villains, but none more public and pathetic than the Grammys. To The Recording Academy: allow me to remind you of your supposed purpose. You are the highest positive critical force in American Music. You have a responsibility to recognize the best of the best, based purely on merit, by creating categories which cover all types of excellent music and rewarding the best artist within that category. The purpose of categories is to ensure those who deserve to be recognized are accommodated, not to appease the fans, insert or cover your inherent bias, or reinforce the configuration of the pop charts. The pop charts, after all, speak for themselves. We don’t need you to base your decisions upon streaming numbers or radio listenership, Billboard exists for that very purpose. No, we turn to you because you are the all-encompassing, musically critical institution which best summarizes the feelings of the most reputable pundits and the people for whom the artists make art. You wield the power of public opinion, not the other way around. That power is unrivaled in the music industry, as streaming is the livelihood of the artists who you’re meant to empower. After all, their art is also a product. Instead, you’ve become the product. You sell yourself to the public every year. Everything you do, from the categories and the artists nominated within them, to the presenters and performers selected to put on your show, is all a part of the institution, the product, the lost cause: the Grammys. Of course, we can't completely abstain from the ceremonies. So, here's a list of the best amongst the nominees, who I think will win, and who should win regardless of the nominations for every category I feel inclined and qualified to pick.