Tag: Beyonce
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RELEASE RECAP: Best New Music of February, 2024
February was an incredible month for new music—here are some new releases that Vinyl Mag LOVED last month!
SZA, “Saturn“
SZA teased us at the Grammys with this single, as she performed “Saturn” live, leaving us shocked at how mesmerizing she sounded. Then, she released it the next week, and it took us by storm. Some were a bit upset at SZA for tweaking the original Grammy performance recording, to which SZA responded with “No clue what’s wrong with the mixes on Saturn but all will be corrected shortly. Thank you” on X. This single will supposedly be the cover song for SZAs new album Lana, which is expected to release somewhat soon. – Alex Carrillo
Beyonce, “16 Carriages” & “Texas Hold Em“
Beyonce broke the internet during the Superbowl when she partnered with Verizon for a commercial and exclaimed “Drop the music” at the end of it. Immediately after, Beyonce released two singles, “16 Carriages”, and “Texas Hold Em”. These two singles mark the start of the singer’s country music era, and the beginning of act two of her three-part project, with Renaissance being act i. She sent a powerful message by highlighting the contributions of Black musicians to country music, becoming the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in the process. Beyonce’s Act ii COWBOY CARTER is set to release on March 29, 2024. – AC
Charlie XCX, “Von Dutch”
“Von Dutch” is Charli XCX’s first solo single since “Speed Drive” was released last year. She has teased her next album, Brat, dropping in Summer of 2024. “Von Dutch” has the same electric upbeat feel that we are used to hearing from her, keeping the energy flowing until the end of the song. In honor of her upcoming record, Charli XCX performed a boiler room set in Brooklyn, New York called “PARTYGIRL.” – AC
Kacey Musgraves, “Deeper Well”
Teasing her upcoming album Deeper Well, Kacey Musgraves dropped the titletrack in early February. The single and its follow-up, “Too Good to be True”, signal a return to her roots for Musgraves, who embraced a poppier sound on 2021’s star-crossed. In “Deeper Well”, Musgraves weaves her past and present, looking ahead to a brighter future. The soft plucked guitars and the cottagecore visuals are good signs for fans of her previously most-celebrated album, Golden Hour, which snagged an Album of Year Grammy in 2019. Her latest project is set to release on March 15, 2024. – Buket Urgen
Little Simz, Drop 7
UK-based rapper, Little Simz, dropped an EP titled Drop 7, which is a continuation of her drop series that began in 2014. This album blends a mix of Portuguese rap, jazz, and R&B, which ultimately showcases the artist’s talent and versatility. With this blend, the rapper’s lyricism shines, as she addresses her personal struggles, along with societal issues. – AC
The Last Dinner Party, Prelude to Ecstasy
UK-based The Last Dinner Party released their much-awaited debut album to great acclaim on Feburary 2, 2024. The all-female quintet delivered stunning tracks, with scorching lyrics, exploring themes like feminity and the packaging of pain and grief as a commodity. Their appetite for originality in musical arrangments is evident, making for a fun and fascinating listen. They deliver a product that meets the epic hype generated by their earlier live performances and singles. This is a band to watch in coming years. – BU
Brittany Howard, What Now
Brittany Howard absolutely dazzles with her wide-ranging and etheral album What Now. It’s got a little bit of everything for everyone. Howard’s refreshing honesty, dreamy arrangements, and captivating vocals make this a must-listen. – BU
Year in Review: Our Favorite Albums of 2022—Staff Picks
As lifelong music fans, our lives are soundtracked by the records we listen to. Our seasons change with each new album we find and cling to. Our favorite lyrics are often the flashlight’s glimmer that shine during the darkest of our nights. Here, Vinyl Mag’s staff reflects on their favorite albums of the year. How does your list compare to ours?
Jake Feinberg, Staff Writer
- JID, The Forever Story
- JPEGMAFIA, LP
- Smino, Luv 4 Rent
- Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
- Westside Gunn, 10
- Fly Anakin, Frank
- MAVI, Laughing so Hard, It Hurts
- Denzel Curry, Melt My Eyes See Your Future
- Pusha T, It’s Almost Dry
- Kenny Mason, RUFFS
Looking back, 2022 was a monumental year for how I perceive music. I dodged viral TikTok songs and commercial hits to find amazing new music and a deeper appreciation for the craft. Rap music, especially, was constantly changing and growing, like a rap music renaissance. We saw quality lyricism take a forefront, with albums like Melt My Eyes See Your Future, the Forever Story and Frank. These albums found artful angles within the “fast rap” style, creating complex rhyme schemes and flows, but never once taking away from the artists’ emotional narratives. I saw Denzel Curry at the Tabernacle, and watched him perform “walkin”, one of his deeper and more lyrically dense songs from the album. Nothing is as impressive as seeing an artist perform with such lyricism, especially when done as effortlessly as Curry. Creativity in production found further popularity as well, giving space for experimental albums to emerge like JPEGMAFIA’s LP, MAVI’s Laughing so Hard, it Hurts and Kenny Mason’s RUFFS. Each approached rap from a different creative angle, such as electronic beats, complex drums and flows or rock-influenced melodies. At JPEGMAFIA’s show at Atlanta’s the Masquerade, I was blown away by the artist’s solo presence with just his experimental background instrumentals. I am thankful for 2022’s expansive musical landscape that allowed me to branch into newer areas of music I hadn’t anticipated. Kendrick Lamar and Pusha T finally returned, after a five-year and four-year hiatus respectively. They delivered masterfully crafted albums, reminding us why they are still at the top. This year, 10 was another important album, where Westside Gunn demonstrated the power of curation. Collaborating with signees from Griselda, the record label he founded, Gunn was able to create one of the hardest and most cohesive albums of the year. In 2022, artists took their talents to the next level and excelled at expressing themselves, ultimately bringing together a beautiful year of music.
Haley Gilbert, Staff Writer
- Noah Kahan, Stick Season
- Lizzie McAlpine, Five Seconds Flat
- Gang of Youths, angel in realtime
- Mt. Joy, Orange Blood
- Caamp, Lavender Days
- Conan Gray, Superache
- Maggie Rogers, Surrender
- The Lumineers, BRIGHTSIDE
- Matt Maeson, Never Had to Leave
- COIN, Uncanny Valley
For me, 2022 was a very transformative year; I know that’s a cliché, but there’s a reason it’s said so often. During times when everything around me is changing and filled with uncertainty, I often cling to music to keep myself grounded. Thankfully, there were plenty of great options to choose from this year. The albums on my list were the soundtrack to the calamity that this year bred. The year started out on a lighter note, with The Lumineers new album Brightside delicately guiding me through the joys and turbulences associated with one’s early twenties. For the days when I just wanted to be angry and not feel guilty about it, Conan Gray’s Superache gave me an outlet to express those frustrations while sing-shouting along to songs like “Jigsaw” and “Memories,” much to the dismay of my neighbors in my thin-walled apartment building. During the more confusing times, I have found support and solace in the words of Lizzy McAlpine, listening to Five Seconds Flat as if it was advice given to me by one of my best friends. After spending a good portion of my year listening to Caamp’s Lavender Days, I learned that it is a great album to fill the empty space with, but I can also just as easily get swept up into it. As the Hannukah season was approaching, I found myself listening to the self-titled Jewish Ed Sheeran himself, Noah Kahan, and gladly spent all eight days unwrapping the gifts he gave the world with his album Stick Season. For all the short days, long nights, and moments in between, the albums on this list carefully and purposefully filled those gaps with glimpses of heartbreak, happiness, and immense awe at what these artists were able to convey with their music. As the year is coming to an end, so is a chapter of my life, and I am grateful it had such talented narrators.
Buket Urgen, Editor-in-chief
- Beyonce, Renaissance
- Taylor Swift, Midnights
- MUNA, MUNA
- Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
- Charli XCX, CRASH
- Lucius, Second Nature
- Rina Sawayama, Hold the Girl
- Angel Olsen, Big Time
- Little Simz, No Thank You
- ROSALIA, MOTOMAMI
My 2022 played out in two acts. Act one—I rounded out my final college semester culminating with graduation. As I went through the motions of preparing for post-grad life, leaving no stone unturned as this incredible chapter came to a sudden, cathartic but ultimately somewhat anticlimactic ending, I was comforted by wildly fun and equally cathartic tunes (CRASH, Second Nature). Act two—post graduation calm followed by me moving abroad. Everything from the scenery to the supporting roles shifted into new territory, which is nothing if not nostalgic. Music became an easy, necessary escape when I couldn’t find the words to communicate in my new everyday language. Naturally, I relied on new music by old favorites (Midnights, MUNA, Hold the Girl). Although, Midnights was a controversial one for me. It features some of Swift’s strongest work (‘Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve,’ ‘You’re on Your Own Kid’) and some of her worst (Vigilante Shit) and also her most average. But alas, her chokehold on my Spotify Wrapped (and me) persists. On a final note, Beyonce’s Renaissance was the strongest album of the year. In the year of house music revival, Beyonce (and her many collaborators) created the perfect one that kept me dancing all summer long. My only complaint is that it wasn’t released sooner.
The Visual Album: Marketing Gimmick or Freeform Artistic Expression?
While it’s not exactly a new concept, the visual album has become more commonplace recently than ever before. French artist Serge Gainsbourg’s 1971 visual album Histoire de Melody Nelson has received some nods for arguably being the first visual album. Through the rest of the 20th century, bands such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Prince released visual albums as well. However, this phenomenon didn’t die with the ushering in of the new millennium.
Along with grunge, Justin Timberlake, and all the fashion trends that many thought would die with the turn of a decade, the visual album has continued staying power in the music industry. In recent years, icons such as Beyoncé, G-Eazy, and Frank Ocean have released visual albums as well, which has begun to lay the groundwork for what could arguably become an industry standard in the future. Even relatively smaller artists like English alternative rock band Suede and Georgia based chillwave artist Washed Out have recently released visual albums, which shows that the trend isn’t seen solely in industry superstars.
As music videos continue to decrease in popularity, as seen through MTV’s move away from its original branding as a music video platform, artists are turning to different outlets to showcase their music. Some might wonder if these moves towards releasing visual albums are just a marketing gimmick.
Millennials, the ever-popular targets of advertising, are drawn to brands that can give them an experience. Experiential marketing has been used in a variety of ways recently to reach millennials. For instance, artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean have started opening pop up shops to increase merchandise sales and build buzz around themselves.
2 Chainz opened a “Pink Trap House” in Atlanta in July 2017 as a way to promote his album Pretty Girls Like Trap Music. 2 Chainz also used the house to connect to his fanbase in the Atlanta community by opening a free HIV testing center inside the house and turning the home into a “trap church” to encourage locals to get involved with local organizations.
Millennials are swarmed daily by an increasing amount of advertising messages. Millennials wake up to ads on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. They drive to work and see billboards plastered along the roads. They visit websites and see sponsored advertisements along the sides and top of the page. To break through the advertising noise, artists are increasingly having to try louder tactics to reach their audiences. If artists have any hope of increasing their fanbase then they might think to turn to a visual album in the hopes of cutting through the noise.
Visual albums are seen by some as just another form of experiential marketing. Visual albums elevate ordinary albums to ones that take the viewer directly into the mind of the artist. Visual albums can serve as a great way to build buzz around an artist as viewers obsess and pour over every detail of the video to glean every insight and nuance from it. This can potentially translate to increases in listening streams and sales of merchandise and concert tickets.
On the other hand, some see visual albums as an increasingly popular way for artists to showcase their music as a form of creative expression. Proponents of the visual album say that they allow for the viewer to see exactly what the artist’s intended message in their songs is. They say that visual albums allow them to better understand, visualize, and internalize the album through the mind of the artist. On the other hand, opponents of the visual album say that they enjoy music because the meaning is completely open to the listeners’ interpretation, and so visual albums narrow the interpretation to solely the artists’ viewpoint.
I personally think that visual albums don’t constrict the amount of interpretations for the viewer because the cinematography creates more layers of hidden meanings waiting to be interpreted. For instance, in Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade, the cinematography is so striking and unique that all the details, from the colors of her dress to the location and time period of the scene, leave room for the viewer to interpret their own meaning behind the music.
However, I digress. Fans can “experience” a normal album by listening to it but they’ll never truly see the album beyond the level that listening to it affords them. Visual albums add layers of rich meaning and substance to the album by letting the reader see the colors in the lyrics and the pain in the artist’s voice. Visual albums also allow for the insertion of metaphors and nuances visually instead of solely in the lyrics.
For instance, on Washed Out’s album Mister Mellow, the video for “Get Lost” collages a multitude of cutout photos of people from the 1960’s-80’s driving in cars. The cars help further the metaphor for getting lost and the old cutout photos of people dressed in vintage clothing help further the throwback vibes established by the keyboard and backbeat in the song.
In the world we live in, everyone seems to be disconnected from one another. We all talk to each other from behind screens and social media seems to be one of the only outlets for artists to connect with their fans. Visual albums can be another way for artists to reach through the screen and personally connect with their fans. The viewer can be taken inside the mind of the artist to connect with them on a deeper level.
So the question of whether visual albums are a marketing gimmick or a form of artistic expression remains. I personally think that it’s a little bit of both. One thing is certain, however: Visual albums aren’t going anywhere, and I predict that in the coming years they will increasingly become an industry staple. Let me know what you think in the comments below.