SZA literally floats + Who started mumblecore? + Madonna shouldn't "age gracefully."
some musings and rants to kick off March.
Apologies again for those who woke up last Friday morning excited to read a new newsletter. I was in Washington DC and focusing on enjoying my time there. I spent my days seeing historical landmarks, treasures in the free museums, and the best treasure of them all - SZA.
SZA’s SOS Tour
Yes that’s right, I was privileged to see SZA’s SOS tour alongside my friends and an arena full of devotees. It was clear from the setlist why SZA is worthy of such an arena spectacle - every song was a hit, either formally released as a single or organically adopted as mantras across intersecting demographics. SZA glided over beats with impressive vocal agility, and danced over them with enough dips and flips to keep up with her backing dancers. Visually, the ocean imagery of the album art was raised well above sea levels to create an immersive experience. The sold out tour may be tricky to attend but if you’re able to, run don’t walk.
Her SOS album remains atop the charts and there’s rumors of a 10 song deluxe coming soon. The more SZA, the better.
Mumblecore Origins
*deep breath* I hope the following doesn’t make me sound completely old and out of touch.
You may have seen that boygenius released a new 10/10 song called “Not Strong Enough.” The jangly guitars, the hyper-specific lyrics, and the combination of softly sung and loudly screamed vocals is musical catnip for me. I sent the song to my friend and collaborator Jon who was completely on board - minus some of the vocal affectations. I’m talking about certain ‘r’ sound pronunciations, half-mumbled phrases, and perhaps overly restrained emotion. Personally, these attributes don’t bother me… now. That wasn’t always the case, and there are varying degrees of affectations across the new music we’re hearing as of late.
It got us asking ourselves about its origins and proliferation. Initially, I identified Lana Del Rey as the catalyst when she emerged in 2012. Sing “Video Games” in your head; Lana’s languid delivery is absolutely intentional and works perfectly with the song’s lyrics and music. You’re in an overheated trailer watching your smelly and detached boyfriend mash away at a Playstation controller. Maybe you’re stoned or drunk or both. Within this setting, Lana knew exactly how to deliver each syllable of every word. She didn’t need big vocals to get her message across. Lana Del Rey and her music spread like wildfire across the scourges of Pitchfork and the digital art museums of tumblr alike. It’s not surprising that she’d influence artists like Billie Eilish, Ethel Cain, and others.
Jon pointed to another clear example - our Lorde and savior. “Royals” was a rallying cry for a generation who was living online, their realities starkly different from the party pop songs of the mid 2010s. “I'm kind of over gettin' told to throw my hands up in the air / So there” - finally somebody said it. Similarly, Lorde’s intentionality separated her from the scene. The low drawls, the lightly sung yet spoken phrasing, barely opening her mouth to get her vowel sounds out - not to mention the minimalism of the productions created a blueprint for thousands of bedroom musicians who didn’t have the stereotypical vocal chops of popular music.
I hear Billie Eilish’s music rooted in these artists. She’s the first to disclose her influences too, recently gushing over Lana in a piece for Interview magazine. Olivia Rodrigo also shares some of these stylings. Still, I love when both of these artists let it rip - the outro of Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” or the Paramore rallying cry of Rodrigo’s “good 4 u” - in fact, I’d argue that the shortage of these moments in their catalogue make the times they unleash their voices even more thrilling.
Let’s be clear - vocal trends like this aren’t anything new in popular music. I think back to the roster of D-list Lilith Fair artists who all clearly studied in the schools of Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morissette, but didn’t have whatever that thing is that takes someone from spark to flame. There’s also every pop punk band of the early-mid 00s who adopted what some might call a “whiny” tone but what others found emotional and raw. That reminds me - today’s crop of men aren’t immune here! Lewis Capaldi, Drake, latter day Bieber - they’re all blending singing with slurring throughout their records.
What interests me about today’s mumbling style is the speed of the proliferation due to streaming platforms and playlisting, as well as public access to services like Soundcloud. Now it’s so common that when I hear someone with a voice that bucks the trends - Kelela, Kelsea Ballerini, Yaeji, and honestly even Ava Max, my ears perk up a bit more. It makes you wonder what the next trend will be, and if we’re hearing anybody now who might be setting them. Let me know if you have ideas.
Quick Madonna rant
I thought about dedicating a whole newsletter to this, but I’ll spare you (for now). If you’re thinking about sliding into my DMs to ask me what’s wrong with Madonna, or that you wish Madonna would “age gracefully” (what does that fucking mean?!) let this be your warning - don’t.
As with the majority of her career, Madonna is defining her own path in real time. She’s been making art for over four decades - longer than I’ve been alive, longer than the Internet, longer than social media. Madonna’s entire mission statement revolves around disturbing the peace through art. Whether it’s taking on misogyny, religion, homophobia, or agism, her intentions are always provocative. I love that she’s forcing the current discussion around her looks and age. I wish there was more understanding and self awareness from those who don’t get it. I hope she never “ages gracefully.” If anything, I hope she ages as ungracefully as possible. I hope she’s making music and on stages until she decides for herself that she’s done. I don’t care what she looks like.
I invite anyone who feels uncomfortable with the way Madonna looks or acts to dig in and ask themselves why. The same gay men I see snapping for Amanda Lepore or worse, Real Housewives, are aghast that Madonna’s had a bunch of plastic surgery? Critique her music. Critique the ways she delivers her message. But the hyperfixation on her looks over the incomparable contributions she’s made to music and culture does such a disservice to her as an artist. I invite you to withdraw from the debate, gracefully.
Speaking of, one of my favorite Madonna b-sides is finally available to stream as of today. It’s called “Has To Be” from the Ray of Light era and I’ve added it to the running playlist I keep for this news letter.