The Battle of the Blue Albums?

Am I talking about Clairo this week when I promised an in-depth review? No. Is that Clairo shade? Absolutely. Just know I love it, and Clairo is everything.

What inspired me recently were the two blue-tinted albums that came out last week—Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay and Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter. Magdalena Bay is a synth/art pop duo with influences from Grimes and Chairlift (Caroline Polachek). Sabrina Carpenter has been dominating the pop charts this summer with smash hits “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” Both acts feel like they are fulfilling voids left by other artists. Since having Elon Musk’s child, Grimes has been less active in the music world, and Magdelena Bay (especially in this release) has stepped up. On the other hand, Sabrina fills Ariana Grande's whistle-toned shoes (who is busy playing Glinda).

What I am really interested in is the internet discourse that has arisen about these two albums. Sabrina stans have been flaunting the album with multiple tweets talking about how she is the only one making good music videos in 2024. It's an absurd, baity take, but I have seen multiple replies talking about how bland Sabrina’s album is and touting the forward-thinking nature of Imaginal Disk. This has been furthered by Pitchfork, giving Imaginal Disk a 7.7 and Short n’ Sweet an 8.

I have seen too many responses to this tweet bashing Sabrina’s album, which I think is a little disingenuous. The 10s across the board that I have seen for Imaginal Disk are a little preemptive, in my opinion. Is the album really good? Yes. After “Image” came out a couple of months ago, was I incredibly excited to hear the album? Also yes. Is it perfect? No. And to bash Sabrina is just…Why must we pit beautiful women against each other? Maybe terminally online trolls are annoyed at seeing her all the time and the Barry Keoghan nonsense, but you have to respect her rise. “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” bring playful 70’s grooves back onto the charts.

In terms of mainstream pop acts, Sabrina is near the apex. Though her voice is part of a continual homogenization of pop acts, her production and influences are evergreen. Her individuality stems from internet nonsense (i.e., her raunchy, off-the-cuff outros and Camilla Cabello beef), and I think this is another part that turns some people off.

Short n’ Sweet has a tapestry of pop references that I don’t think people give enough credit to. Along with the aforementioned 70’s grooves, the album has tons of R&B sounds. She channels Kacey Musgraves or Dolly Parton on “Slim Pickins” and gives me Joni Mitchel (“Big Yellow Taxi”) on “Coincidence.” This is where I think the Magdalena Bay v Carpenter is kind of dumb. The respect for past music is there in both cases. It might be more developed on Imaginal Disk, but the core remains.

I will give Imaginal Disk its flowers. The mixture of Grime’s twee with Y2K internet culture gives such brain-scratching, ethereal music. The TikToks they’ve been putting out that are very much in that liminal/creepy vein are everything. There are excellent synthy tracks like “Image” and “Death & Romance” (both lead singles) that are more typical of Magdalena Bay. There is also a slew of upbeat and groovy tracks (a la Sabrina <3) like “Killing Time” and “Vampire in the Corner.” The former evokes Kate Bush for me, but maybe I hear what I want. The album ends with the beautiful ballads of “Angel on a Satellite” and “The Ballad of Matt & Mica.” I highly encourage you to listen to both albums. They are the moment.

besos,

Jonny’s Songs of the Week:

• Magdalena Bay - Killing Time

• Magdalena Bay - Angel on a Satellite

• Sabrina Carpenter - Good Graces

• Sabrina Carpenter - Coincidence

• Geordie Greep - Holy, Holy

• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - Die With A Smile

• The Smile - Zero Sum