Early Screening of Piece by Piece and Q&A with Pharrell Williams and Morgan Neville

    A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend an early special screening of Piece by Piece, directed by Morgan Neville and produced by Pharrell Williams. The film is an animated biographical documentary that uses the famous children's toy, Legos, to tell the story of Pharrell Williams' life and career. It has already received two nominations for Critics' Choice Awards.

The special screening was followed by a Q&A session featuring Pharrell Williams, the film's executive producer and musical genius, along with the director, Morgan Neville. Their insights helped the audience gain a deeper appreciation for the filmmaking process.

    Pharrell greeted the crowd with a warm welcome and immediately commented on how amazing the AMC slushy he was drinking was. When asked about the creation of the main song for the film, Pharrell shared his thoughts, shedding light on his artistic process.

“I knew that, like, I mean if we're gonna do a movie about like my life, then um, I knew that I wanted it like a song to do certain things. The first ‘Piece by Piece’, cause ‘Piece by Piece’ that your’e hearing in the film now is 2.0. The first version was, at the time, I was convinced that it was like, you know, that it was sticky. I was convinced that it was um, the cords were checking a box, but it wasn't like, it didn't feel urgent. I knew that it was going to be a little rough for the team because once they start putting things to picture and people kind of get like demoitis about things. Which is a very natural thing, they're like okay I've seen it this way, and this is cool, this is what works, and then they start building around that so when you come back and say okay we're just gonna remove this piece right here..it kind of shakes the process a bit. But everyone trusted and was very supportive, even Morgan, and it allowed me to really make something that I felt was an earworm. Like you hear it twice and I got you, it's gonna be in your head for a minute.”, stated Pharrell Williams. 

    Seeing and hearing from Pharrell was truly an unforgettable experience. His music has been a significant part of my life, both growing up and now, and it has fueled my love for music.massive part of my life and love for music.

My Top Three September Artists

     Music has been a part of my life ever since I was a kid. Growing up with classics in regional music like Los Tucanes and Vicente Fernandez, and rap and hip-hop like 2Pac and the West Coast Movement, it’s always been a part of me. I personally use Apple Music, and they have a Replay section for your top music and artists of the month. The following are my top three artists of September 2024, and I will also be giving a description of the artists, along with some of their best hits and albums. Hope you enjoy.

The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer born on February 16, 1990, in Toronto, Ontario. His music style, which blends contemporary and alternative R&B with pop and electronic elements, is just beautiful. Gaining recognition from his mixtape “House of Balloons,” he quickly built a fan base with his mysterious persona and the quality of his music. If you know the incredible story of The Weeknd and his rise to fame, you understand what this and his trilogy meant to him. My favorite album is “After Hours.” I just love the dark and eerie tone it gives, from “Faith” to “Until I Bleed Out”—they are great. All his albums are one of a kind, from horror elements to more sad and depressing states; he has something for everyone. If you can, go and listen to his albums—they are a work of art I cant leave all of em out. 

    

    Future, born Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn on November 20, 1983, in Atlanta, Georgia, is a highly influential American rapper, singer, and pioneer of the new trap sound and wave. His early career started with the musical collective Dungeon Family, where he was nicknamed “The Future.” If it wasn’t for Rico Wade, we would have never had Future. From his story of trapping to club bangers and now being a top artist, Future has done it all. Yet, the pivotal point for Future and the one we know now started with “Monster.” Here, we hear a totally different Future. From first gaining attention with “Tony Montana,” this Future in the album “Monster” was a new artist, and you can tell with the song “Codeine Crazy.” Future is considered a pioneer of the modern trap sound, particularly for his use of Auto-Tune and melodic rap. Personal favorite albums include “Monster,” “DS2 (Deluxe),” “Hndrxx,” “Mixtape Pluto,” and all of the collaborative projects with Metro. This is a hard one for me since I can’t pick just a few songs that I love, as there are a lot of them, but those albums mentioned are the best from Future.

    

    Travis Scott, born Jacques Bermon Webster II on April 30, 1991, in Houston, Texas, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. When thinking of Travis, we already know his high-energy performances and genre-blending music. My favorite work from Travis has to be “Days Before Rodeo,” which is now on streaming platforms. Here, we hear a raw Travis with trap-like instrumentals from Metro and features like Young Thug and the Migos back when they were coming up. For me, “Days Before Rodeo” is the best album from Travis, but we also have other cult classics like “Rodeo” with a great lineup. Yet, I would encourage you to listen to his whole discography of songs. Like Future, I can’t pick just a few songs that I love, but instead, the albums are perfect with trap instrumentals and high intensity.

   

    Honorable mention: If interested, check out Metro Boomin and his albums, maybe except for “Perfect Timing” and “Double or Nothing,” but the rest are a work of art. Also, all of 21 Savage’s discography is worth exploring.

Update: I can’t believe I forgot to include Dot in my honorable mentions. His entire body of work is beautiful, and his storytelling is incredibly powerful—he's one of the best rappers to ever do it, alongside 2Pac. If you haven't heard his work, I highly suggest you do, even over the previously mentioned artists and albums. It’s that good, and I’m sure you’ll love it. If I had to choose two albums, they would be good kid, m.A.A.d city (Deluxe Version) and To Pimp a Butterfly. For good kid, m.A.A.d city, my top songs are "Backseat Freestyle," "Money Trees," "Good Kid," "m.A.A.d city," "Swimming Pools," "Sing About Me," "Now or Never," and "Collect Calls." As for To Pimp a Butterfly, all the tracks are works of art—I can't even pick a favorite. Listen for yourself, trust me, it’s a top album, even over the others I’ve mentioned. But that’s just my opinion. Just listen to his whole discography.

My Top Three Listened To Songs This Week

    Music is a big part of my life, with billions of other people worldwide. If I am feeling sad, I listen to music that aligns with my current situation. If I am feeling happy, I do the same. My music streaming app of choice is Spotify and they curate a playlist called “On Repeat.” The playlist includes thirty of the most listened-to songs in the past five days for the user. I like to think that I have a diverse musical taste. The following are the top three songs in my “On Repeat” playlist and a brief description of why I have been listening to these songs for the past week.

    “Hasta La Piel” by Carla Morrison is a Mexican indie-pop song that dives into the feeling of love and having fear of losing her partner. Something about romantic music sung in Spanish makes me feel like the lyrics mean more. This song reminds me of the feelings of being in love and being scared of not being enough. My favorite lyric in the song is, “Quiero sentarme a llorar, sacar de dentro mil cosas, que te quiero decir, me siento tan debil sin ti.” A rough translation of this would be, “I want to sit and cry, release a lot of things that I want to tell you, I feel so weak without you.”

“Los Cuadros” is a regional Mexican song sand by Peso Pluma and Tito Double P. This song was leaked a couple of weeks before being released and was one of the most-awaited songs in North America. The song was released as a single before Tito Double P’s album release “Incomodo.” The song delves into their past as young kids wanting to become as successful as they are now. Peso Pluma and Tito are cousins, therefore this song is an homage to them growing up together and becoming regional Mexican sensations together as well. The 12-string guitar in the background is what mainly attracted me to this song as it is a very addictive sound. My favorite lyric in the song is, “Y bien me cuidare, no vaya a ser que por ahi ande el diablo, siempre dos o tres a un lado de el cuidando del muchacho.” A rough translation would be, “I will take care of myself in case the devil is lurking, I'm always surrounded by two or three and they take care of me.”

    “No One Noticed” by The Marias might be the alternative/indie song of the summer. It took TikTok by storm and rightfully so. The song talks about missing an ex-boyfriend and asking him if it is okay to go see him if he wants to. Many people resonated with this song as a lot of people miss their exes. The Marias has been a band that I have been aware of for years now, but they recently have risen to popularity, and “No One Noticed” has a big role to play in that. My favorite lyric from the song are, “Fly to your city excited to see your face, hold me, console me and then I leave without a trace.”

    These three songs are only some of the kind of music I listen to. Feel free to listen to them and, if you like them, add them to your playlist!

Bad Bunny Back on Stage Tonight

No one knows what will happen tomorrow, but we know trap artist Bad Bunny’s “Most Wanted Tour” kicks off tonight in North America. 

The four-time Latin Grammy winner will perform for three months with 47 tour dates across the country, starting in Utah and concluding in the Sunshine State of Florida. 

Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, aimed this tour as “only trap,” the genre he started his career with. The artist is expected to play songs off his album “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar Mañana”(NSLQVAPM), which was released Oct. 2023.

The buzz cut hair reveal at the NSLQVAPM record listening party in Puerto Rico on Oct. 12, 2023, caused fans to connect the hairstyle to his early career. In addition, details regarding the concert have been kept quiet with no major teasers being released to fans.

The artist has created a western-inspired theme for this music set, as seen in “Where She Goes,” which was the lead single off his fifth studio album. This video also stirred up speculation that celebrity Kendall Jenner was subtly mentioned throughout the song. 

 

This record is sonically different from the hit “Un Verano Sin Ti,” the most streamed album globally for two consecutive years on Spotify. 

The countdown now begins for Los Angeles residents to visit the Crypto Arena for "El Conejo Malo" on

March 13

March 14

March 15

Tupac Faked His Own Death & Here's The Proof

 Tupac Faked His Own Death & Here's The Proof

Who Is Tupac? 

I'm sure you guys have all heard of the man, the myth, and the legend himself: Tupac. But, if you haven't and before we get into the conspiracy of it all, let's start with a history lesson. Tupac Amaru Shakur was one of the greatest rappers of all time. His most popular songs are "Ambitionz Az A Ridah," "All Eyes On Me," and arguably one of his most known, "California Love." 

In 1995, "after the double-platinum success of Me Against the World, Tupac Shakur went looking for a new label. He found one in Suge Knight's Death Row" (theboombox.com). Note: Remember the name Suge Knight, he is very instrumental in this story. Prior to signing with Knight, Pac was in jail for nine months. The night before the verdict was about to put him in jail he got shot, for the first time. However he lived, went to jail and when he was released he officially signed with Death Row Records. 

The Night Tupac Was "Shot Dead" 

Just a year after Tupac was signed, on September 13th 1996, he was issued as dead. Here is the story... On September 7, 1996, Tupac was "in the lobby of the MGM Grand hotel engaging in a violent scuffle with a man later speculated to be a member of the Los Angeles-based Southside Crip street gang. Hours later after a Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas, Shakur was riding as a passenger in a car driven by Death Row Records head Marian "Suge" Knight when a white Cadillac pulled yup alongside them at a stoplight on Flamingo Road and opened fire." Tupac was issued dead six days later" (history.com). However, very interestingly, Tupac's murdered was never arrested or tried for his "murder." 

The Last Photo of Tupac Before Getting Shot 

Evidence Part 1: The Coroners Report 

Now, let's talk about the parts of this story that just don't add up. In Pac's coroner's report, he is listed at weighing 215 pounds and being 72 inches tall (six feet). This was dated and exported on September 13, 1996. However on Pac's drivers license that was issued only four months prior to his death, he is listed at weighing 168 pounds and only being 5'10. So somehow in four months not only did Tupac gain almost 50 pounds, but he also shrunk two inches. 

Evidence Part 2: History Repeats Itself 

Just two months after Tupac died his album "The Don Killuminati" was released. However, although the music was Tupac's, following his death it was released under a new "stage name:" Makaveli. 

There is a lot of speculation that has led people to believe that Pac got this name from Nicole Machiavelli. Nicole was from Florence, Italy and was a war strategist during the renaissance. According to biography.com, "Today, Machiavelli is regarded as the "father of modern political theory" (biography.com). Stay with me, because this is when things start to click. 

In one of Niccolo's books, there is a section that explains how a fox can defeat its enemies. Foxes achieve this by faking their own death. Now this could all be looked at as a stretch in attempt to connect the two, but the proof is in the spelling. Pac spelled his version of "Makaveli" different from Niccolo's original spelling. 

Niccolo Machiavelli Versus Tupac's Spelling of the Name 

This isn't that significant, UNTIL you rearrange the letters of Tupacs "Makaveli," which spells out: 

"AM ALIVE K"

Evidence Part 3: Kasinova The Don 

I won't leave you hanging, I'm sure you're wondering what the "K" stands for. This is going to be a big jump, but the "K" stands for Kasinova the Don. Kasinova the Don is a rapper who sounds incredibly similar to Tupac, from his flow, to his style, even his voice. Take a listen for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTbJFJgDXYI

Let's dissect the lyrics from his song: Mystery. This song came out in 2012, and at the beginning of the song he says, "it's been 16 years, still stuck in a dark cage. Living in my mind, thinking about that fateful day." What is 2012 minus 16 years? You guessed it, 1996, the year Tupac was shot. 

More Lyrics from Mystery by Kasinova the Don 

But the question remains: why come back as Kasinova instead of Makaveli Well just like Makaveli was a reference to Niccolo, Kasinova is a reference to Giacomo Casanova. 

Evidence Part 4: Who is Giacomo Casanova

Giacomo Casanova was a famous writer in Venice from the 1700's. After he was exiled from the republic of Venice, he started signing his works under a fake alias so that it could still pass into Venice. Does this sound like someone we know? Pac basically confirms this theory in his song "I Don't Give A F***" where he implements this very suspicious lyric. 

Lyrics from Tupac's song "I Don't Give A F***"

If you're still doubting me, let me bring it home for you. After Tupac died his song "Initiated" was released. This was released on February 13, 1996... exactly five months after Tupac died. During the evidence portion of this, we have referenced two major influential people that give clues to Tupac's planned death: Makaveli and Kasinova the Don. What would you get if you combined these two names? 

Makaveli + Kasinova the Don = MAKAVELI THE DON 

Tupac is literally spelling it out with us that he faked his own death, and it's all in his lyrics. 

How He Got Away With It 

Let's look at the logistics of things, because faking your death is not easy and in most cases, not legal. But Tupac died in Las Vegas, Nevada, and according to H&P Law (an injury law firm in Las Vegas), "There are no federal or Nevada state statutes that would prohibit you from playing dead or disappearing. Plotting your fake death is perfectly legal if you are looking to disappear" (zachariah-parry.squarespace.com).

Now, the opposing argument might ask, "why didn't Tupac fake his death earlier, or even the first time he got shot?" This is because there are some regulations when trying to fake your death, "Violating Court Orders: Court orders are a legal obligation. If you are trying to get away with not having to face the consequences of your actions, you will get yourself into trouble" (zachariah-parry.squarespace.com). If you remember, when Pac was shot the first time he had to go to court the next day. This was due to a sexual assault conviction, therefore when looking at the legalities it would have even illegal for Pac to fake his death at this time, thus debunking this opposition. Since Pac already served his time in jail and wasn't facing any other legal problems, it was perfectly legal for him to fake his own death. 

Why He Did It

It's been argued that Tupac faked his death to escape the problems he faced while he was in the media's eye, such as being involved in gang violence and becoming a rising and powerful star. Hollywood is a dark place and the more famous you are the more susceptible you are to evil, like for instance: The Illuminati. It's no wonder that Tupac's first album following his death was "The Don Killuminati," which sounds very similar to Kill Illuminati. Tupac was trying to protect himself, and I genuinely believe he was successful. 

With That Being Said, I Rest My Case. Did I Convince You? 

Top 5 Big Thief (or Adrianne Lenker) songs

 When summer rolls around, there’s nothing better than being in nature with your friends and listening to some music. Although music taste varies, my friends and I enjoy listening to American indie rock band, Big Thief and the lead singer’s (Adrianne Lenker) solo projects. Here’s some songs that emulate the new season and emphasize the love of nature, and its surrounding elements.

1. Simulation Swarm (Big Thief)

Simulation Swarm gets the first pick of Big Thief’s discography because it’s soft guitar accompanied by the smooth bass that plays an uptempo beat creates the image of a sitting beside a large tree, but not quite underneath so you can still feel the sun hitting your skin with its warm rays of shine. This song focuses on what it feels when you’re eating a bowl of fruit and sharing with your friends, laughing when it gets messy and stains your fingers with the cherry-red sweetness. The lyrics are descriptive, which is very common for Adrianne Lenker’s writing style, which tells a multitude of stories, ranging from witnessing horses gallop freely about to admiring the soft skin of a newborn baby. All these descriptions lead up to the chorus, which reveals that this is a love song. “You believe, I believe too, that you are the river of light who I love,” is a phrase in the song that’s one of my personal favorites. The subject is love is strong and a common theme in Big Thief’s music. 

2. Certainty (Big Thief)

Certainty is from the album Dragon In The New Warm Mountain, I Believe In You, which is the most recent Big Thief release. This song deserves its spot on this list because it’s the perfect summer road trip song. I recently had this track on repeat once the sun started to come out more. The song reminds me what it feels like to trust someone fully and to accept that they will accept you as you are, if you accept them. The lyrics are more simple in comparison to some of the other works done by Big Thief but the description of love is still there. It’s catchy and fun drums make it the perfect song to sing along to with your friends or to have it play in the background as you drive under the clear sky with the fresh air hitting your skin, accompanied by the sun’s warm breath. 

3. ingydar (Adrianne Lenker)

This song is from Adrianne Lenker’s solo project, titled “songs,” and describes the aspect of growing and accepting that as you continue to grow into the person you always hoped to become, you also continue to slowly decay. It’s a bit morbid to think about, but it’s the truth that we should face. In a way, it’s an admiration for aging and loving that you only have this life experience once and loving it as you move forward is just as important as living it. I feel that the current generation is very fixated on staying young and not wishing to see those smile likes or the crinkles by your eyes from smiling too much, but I find it so beautiful to know that those lines that our society has grown to hate shows that you have experienced so much that a million of poets could write about you if you had given them the chance. “Everything eats and is eaten,” is a fact and whether you think of it as sad or beautiful is completely up to your own interpretation, but I view it as more of a comforting fact that we, and all the organisms on this planet, share the same fate and are all together in loving what we can. 

4. forwards beckon rebound (Adrianne Lenker)

This is another track from the album “songs” by Adrianne Lenker that has the same folksy and gentle sound as the previous track. This song is about accepting the inner self - both the good and the ugly. To view oneself or others as a singular verb is a terrible habit we have all come to. I think it’s important to realize that people are not all bad, and they are not all good - and neither yourself. Whether you think of yourself as a good or bad person, someone will always think the opposite of it. However, to live yourself accordingly and freely is not care what other people define you as. To live your life is not acknowledge that you are a human, and accepting that everyone around you is also human and going through life for the first time too is important to accepting the mistakes you’ve made, or others have made. “Villain and violent, infant and innocent, baby, both arms cradle you now,” empathizes this idea that whether you believe yourself to be good or evil, depending on your actions, there will always be someone who loves you. That, however, will take time to find another person who views you as such. The easiest ways to approach this it to be your own arms to accept yourself as you are. You know yourself best - you should accept yourself with all your little details in your face, laugh and posture. 

5. not a lot, just forever (Adrianne Lenker)

This song is my best friend’s favorite song from Lenker. This is another love song written by Adrianne Lenker, its gentle, soft and kind and exhibits a sense of comfort. The meaning of this song is pretty straight-forward. It’s about loving someone and wishing to have forever with them, but the artist shys away from being so broad so she feels the need to say “not a lot,” as a sense of comfort for herself. She hopes that by saying this that she won’t scare away the other person, which is something I find a lot of people tend to do in relationships, especially as one begins or as one ends. Secretly hoping the other person feels the same as you is something I find so sweet in love because it’s anxious, nail biting aspect shows how much you care.

5 Songs You Should Listen to

 I find that people listen to music differently. We all have different tastes and perspectives on art that is meant for viewing and listening. The impact a song has on an individual is something you cannot take away from another. Here’s 5 songs that I think everyone should listen to at least once.

1. New Partner by Palace Music

This song by Palace Music explores the emotions someone may feel after a breakup and the guilt of moving on. Now, the reasoning for a breakup can result out of anything, but when the breakup wasn’t dramatic and didn’t end in a terrible way that is constantly shown in the media, it’s hard to move on without feeling like you’ve committed a sin. This song repeatedly says “you are always on my mind,” before the artist ends the chorus with “but hello, I’ve got a new partner riding with me.” It’s important to move on after a relationship ends and it seems that everyone hates their previous partner when it initially breaks off, but the real sign that you’ve really moved on is the ability to look back at that relationship and think to yourself that you liked that person for a reason. Appreciation for the good times is always the key to acceptance. 

2. Second Chances by Gregory Alan Isakov

This song is one of my favorites from Gregory Alan Isakov. In this artist’s music, he often discusses the concept of “home.” By regular definition, a home is a place in which you live, but in Isakov’s music, you can interpret “home” as more than a place, but a feeling. This song is about hope, and the search for peace and happiness. The main chorus line is “if it weren’t for second chances, we’d all be alone.” This line breathes hope. There are many times where we feel that we screwed up big time, whether that be with an important aspect in regards to career or family, or a person you’ve fallen in love with. These mistakes we make do not define us for what we are and what we’re capable of, instead it allows us to grow and accept that things won’t always go our way. But the main takeaway from this song is that when you get the chance to do it again, to fall in love or to go back to a place you thought you never would be able to go back to, you take it. It’s simplistically human to yearn for a future with a fixed mistake, and this song emphasizes that emotion.

3. The Biggest Lie by Elliott Smith

This song by Elliott Smith is about drug addiction and having to witness someone you care about lose themselves to this disease. Smith’s lyrics play as dialogue to the person this song is about. The line “everything you do makes me want to die, oh, I just told the biggest lie,” acts as internal and external dialogue. If you’ve ever experienced being around a person who has been lost to drug addiction, it’s not uncommon to have hateful emotions towards the person they’ve become. It’s difficult if you’ve spoken up on these negative feelings about their new character knowing that you still miss and love the person they once were. This song embodies that awkward feeling where you feel stuck in the middle of loving and hating a person. The biggest “lie” that Elliott Smith tells is that he hates everything that person does, but he doesn’t. He still views this person as “precious” even after everything they’ve done. 

4. anything by Adrianne Lenker

Another breakup song, but this song is more about yearning for the past. My friends and I sat and listened to this song back-to-back trying to understand how this could be a breakup song when we all thought this was a love song. It’s very easy to misinterpret this song because initially when you listen, you see the lines “I don’t want to talk about anything, I want to kiss your eyes again. I want to witness your eyes looking,” you think that this person is so in love that all they want to do is kiss and observe their person. But, as you delve deeper into the song's lyrics, you begin to understand that the musician doesn’t want to talk about anything because they struggle with communicating their emotions. This song is not some grand metaphor for being in love, but for not being able to accept the responsibilities of love. Lenker views love as kind and hopeful, wishing to get their partner back and uses this song to explain her lack of healthy communication as she pleads “I was scared, Indigo, but I wanted to.” Love is kind and sweet, to the point where just witnessing a person blink is beautiful. To be in love, is to be gentle and to be gentle, you have to communicate.

5. In My Arms by Alex G

This song’s meaning is something I’ve played around with a lot. I used to think it was a love song and having to hold a person you’re in love with as they grieve their previous relationship. I viewed it as “I know you still love someone else, but I love you.” It’s beautiful in that way and you can still view it in that manner, but I think this song has a more simple meaning than that. In My Arms by Alex G is about accepting the simple things in life. This song doesn’t appear to have one distinct story, like the other songs I’ve mentioned do. Alex G seems to have taken different moments and conversations in his life to create a song that welcomes newness and loves the past. The first section is about having a simple conversation with a person and realizing that regardless of the topic, the conversation always seems to flow naturally. It’s about finding a person who seems to complete you, and I mean this in a platonic way. Many of the people I am closest to are my friends because I never worry that I’ll run out of things to say - there’s just always something, and even when there isn’t, their company is more than enough to keep me happy. The second section is about him comforting a friend who lost their wife, whether it be through death or a natural breakup, but Alex G admires that his friend was able to confide in him. The last section says “you said this song makes you want to do bad things, you know good music makes me want to do bad things.” This part of the song always confused me, because I feel that these “bad” things can mean a multitude of things. It’s possible that this third section is an extension to the previous, where the man has lost his wife. This could mean that the man had a history of drug addiction, which is a common theme in Alex G’s music, and Alex G comforts him with a simple “me too.” This song is beautiful on its own and regardless of how confusing the intent behind the lyrics can be, its soft guitar strums alongside the drums that perfectly compliments the song creates a feeling of acknowledgement for the good and the ugly that I’ve never felt from a song before.

"Good Riddance" as fictional characters

Have you ever listened to a song and thought that the story it tells relates exactly to a specific character or couple from a series, movie or even book? I know I have. So in honor of the “Good Riddance” album release by Gracie Abrams, here’s a list of fictional characters I relate to the tracks of her new album.

1. Best 

Paige towards Leo from “The Vow”. Paige treated Leo so badly after the accident when he was just trying to help and love her the way he was used to. He didn’t deserve that. This song is her realizing that wasn’t the best for him.

2. I know it won’t work

Rory and Dean from “Gilmore Girls” after she breaks up with him gets together with Jess. Dean keeps waiting for her to come back to him but she simply doesn’t want that. She doesn’t love him anymore.

3. Full machine

Tom falling for Summer in "500 Days of Summer”. He falls so hard and loves her so deeply while she’s not feeling the same way. He wants someone that doesn’t want him as much as he does.

4. Where do we go now?

Brooke and Gary in “The Breakup”. Their relationship hit a dead end and they both know there's nowhere to go from there but staying for so long, trying to make it work although they know it’s gone.

5. I should hate you

This one was a no-brainer: Kat in “10 things I hate about you” when she gives her speech in class about all the things she hates about Patrick but knowing that, despite all that, she still cares for him and could never hate him at all.

6. Will you cry?

Beth in “He’s just not that into you” with her boyfriend Neil. He shows no interest in getting married and she just wanted to end things to see if he would even care that she left.

7. Amelie

Jo in “Little Women” writes a book, reminiscing about her past life, almost not recognizing the person she is now compared to her younger self.

8. Difficult

Archer in “Archer’s Voice” struggles with a disability and he isolates himself because he thinks that he is a burden to everyone around him.

9. This is what drugs are for

Daisy in “Daisy Jones & The Six” takes every pill and uses whichever distraction to not think about Billy, but it doesn’t really work.

10. Fault line

Babi in “Three Steps Above Heaven” falling for Hache, a guy that has a whole set of problems and knowing he’s a bit dangerous, but she comes with her own set of problems to bring to the table acknowledging that they could crack at any time.

11. The blue

Ezra and Amira in “You People” finding each other and not expecting them to completely change each other’s lives; they fall in love in the best way possible.

12. Right now

Holly in “P.S. I Love You” finding and feeling like herself again after Gerry’s death.

I recommend listening to the album for a deeper understanding. It's heartbreaking yet beautiful. After listening, if you think of any other characters, feel free to let me know. :)

Rocket by Alex G Album Review

        There are times where one wishes to escape to some vaguely described location with words such as “woodsy” and “full of nature” in the description. I feel that there are many people who have this desire but are often too accompanied by everyday responsibilities. In our modern society, it’s become common for one to get lost in their own cycle that they forget to refresh with a breath of fresh air. That breath of fresh air can come from a multitude of places, people or things. Rocket (2016) by singer-songwriter Alex Giannascoli (Alex G) is one of those places. 

The album kicks off with the twangy-folk track Poison Root, which follows repetitive lyrics that sing “Now I know everything.” This track is accompanied with a violin which allows the listener to be transported into a different reality, where nature overcomes all else and humanity is submissive to the strength of our green Earth. Bobby, Big Fish, and Alina all share a similar dream-like Irish feel. 

Powerful Man, track 11 off the record, acts as a story. The narrator reminisces on events that make him believe that he will be a powerful man, such as in the introduction where it opens with the narrator disappointedly stating that their brother broke the law again and that he’s being sent to jail for his crime. The narrator then goes to admit that his brother is not exactly the best person, suggesting that his brother has hurt him before, but overcomes any doubt of love for his brother by singing “but a brother is a brother, and that is that.” This is the beginning of his journey to be a powerful man, as to be powerful is to be forgiving. He ends his story by describing a conversation with his lover, appreciating that his lover will always stay at his side because they know he chooses love and forgiveness, which translates to strength. 

Forgiveness is a common theme in Giannascoli’s music. However, although this theme may be persistent, he also admits his own faults and is aware of his challenges to accept the fruits of his labor. 

Tracks Guilty, Judge and Brick presents as the darker side of the paradise the album sets itself to be in. Guilty follows the narrator’s inability to be open about his own desire to just be alone, without any of the people who wish to be around him. In a way, it plays a contrasting piece to Powerful Man, as this track discusses forgiveness, family and love, while Guilty exposes another view of this theme as the narrator questions if he is who he claims to be, or if he’s “buried all the evidence of what you used to be.” The jazzy instrumental acts as a dizzy subconscious, and it makes you feel reflective upon yourself as Alex G takes you through his own mindset. 

This record takes one to an entirely different universe, as it both plays as an appreciative piece towards love, nature and forgiveness but also admitting the faults one has to accept. It’s refreshing to sit in the middle of a woodsy location that’s full of nature, but if one stays there for too long, it may become difficult to escape your own mentality. Nature acts as a reflective place, and it’s important to acknowledge and accept your own mistakes, but it’s also important to strive to be better. 

Rocket by Alex G was released in 2017 and is available on all streaming platforms.