1. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Return of the Dream Canteen
omg. if u listen to this album please listen to it twice. maybe even 3 times. the reason i say this is because the first time i heard it i didn't like it, and now it's quickly becoming one of my fav records of all time.
what drove me to buy the album was the first track, Tippa My Tongue, which plays on the radio all the time and is one of my fav songs. i remember the first 3 or 4 times i heard it i was frantically trying to remember some lyrics so i could google the song later (because i was driving and couldn't look it up), but every single time i would reach my destination and have already forgotten them. then one time i was in the car with my friend and it came on, so i immediately was like "OMG SHAZAM THIS RIGHT NOW!!!!" so i could finally KNOW what the fuck i was hearing!!! but then, when i later bought the cd and played it in my car, i was kind of underwhelmed by the rest of the album. i remember thinking it was completely "meh" and nothing really lived up to the first track. BUT...
i left the CD in my car for a while and therefore had to hear the album a few more times. it wasn't long before i realized i was getting really excited when certain songs came on, and i was starting to learn the words. now half the songs are stuck in my head all the time and the whole album is climbing the ranks of my top favs of all time!! :O
here are my top picks from the album:
1.1 Tippa My Tongue
as i mentioned, this was the track that introduced me to the album. i just love the sound of the vocals and the funky style. it's such an ear worm and a good vibe, not to mention the really satisfying guitar licks. i also love the rhythm and rhyme scheme of the lyrics; i just think the whole song is rly well written. not that the lyrics are super profound or anything but they just work super well together
1.2 Peace and Love
i think this one might be the most catchy song on the album, at least for me so far. the chorus is just perfecttt "shes got peace and love for you somehowwwwwwww" amen
ALSO the delivery of the line "tell me motherfucker can you feel my vibe" is pretty killer imo .
1.3 Roulette
this song is just perfection all around, but the main part that makes me LOVE this song so much is the bridge that starts around 2:50. i can't explain why but i just can't get enough of the way that part sounds, especially the line "duly noted and denied." again on this one (and most of them tbh) i love the rhyme scheme and how well they stick to it.
1.4 In The Snow
i wish i could recreate my reaction the first time i heard this song. i was just so fucking overjoyed when the first verse started and i heard the following lyrics:
High-waisted, she tasted like a salacious, confrontation salvation
From the salivating demarcation of Columbian incarnation of the patron saint of palliation
Her milk framed and rose satin, untamed by the silk that framed
Her Manhattan trap door, which became duly unbattened
She's Latin, out cattin'
the first time i heard this i didn't even register what was being said i was just really excited about how many words they rhymed in a row. and if u know me u know that any song that sounds kinda goofy and spoken-word (can u call it rap ??? idk not really but its not rly singing either) will absolutely have me in a chokehold. [exhibit A] [exhibit B] [exhibit C]. and this song has a super similar vibe and im just ALL FOR IT. tippa my tongue also evokes largely the same feeling, but this one is *chefs kiss*From the salivating demarcation of Columbian incarnation of the patron saint of palliation
Her milk framed and rose satin, untamed by the silk that framed
Her Manhattan trap door, which became duly unbattened
She's Latin, out cattin'
the first time i heard it, even before the song was over, i was screaming along to the "slowww rodeo" part because i was just so excited by the verses i knew this song was gonna be embedded in my brain for the next While.
1.5 honourable mentions: Reach Out, My Cigarette, Bella, Shoot Me A Smile
i rly didnt wanna just put the entire album on here as my "top picks" but i just find it hard not to mention these too. i'll just give quick bullet points:
- the reason i like "reach out" is because the chorus is SO satisfying to sing along to and it makes me happy
- my cigarette is good because the melody is really satisfying and theres also a slight distortion on the vocals that rly tickles my brain
- i like "bella" because its lighthearted and funny and the pre-chorus is rly silly and Very Cool
- the thing i love about "shoot me a smile" is the guitar lick in between lines of the chorus :))))) its nice
2. still listening to the entire strokes discography
like i said before this band does not know how to make a bad song. or even a mediocre song. all their songs are just Bangers to varying degrees. i recently used this website to rank every strokes song according to how much i like them.
here are my top 10:
- Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus
- Ask Me Anything
- Gratisfaction
- Slow Animals
- Welcome to Japan
- The Adults are Talking
- Metabolism
- One Way Trigger
- 12:51
- Is This It
my list did not pass the vibe check among my friends who are bigger strokes fans than i am but i have to speak my truth. if anyone wants to see the full list here it is
3. Fiona Apple - When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He’ll Win the Whole Thing ‘fore He Enters the Ring There’s No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might so When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won’t Matter, Cuz You’ll Know That You’re Right.
i kinda forgot that this album has such a long title because it always just shows up as "When the Pawn..." in my library. and i totally could have just typed that instead of the full thing but why would i? i thnk a title like that deserves to be appreciated in its full glory.
anyway, i fucking love fiona apple, but i can usually only listen to her music in the fall. it just doesnt hit the same when the air isnt crisp and heavy with the threat of impending cold. but when the time is right, there is literally nothing better on this earth than fiona apple's discography. AND RIGHT NOW THE TIME IS SO RIGHT!!! this album is an autumn staple and an utter masterpiece. i've also been listening to her debut album, Tidal, because it's a masterpiece as well. i feel like theres really nothing i can say about her music that would do it justice, also i think it pretty much speaks for itself. she is just such a phenomenal artist. here are a couple of my favs from When the Pawn... :
3.1 To Your Love
3.2 Paper Bag
3.3 A Mistake
3.4 Fast As You Can
ok that's all. if u read any of this i appreciate u <3 also if u listen to anything here i would love it if you lmk what you think of it!!
