What is Apple Music's Goal?
For the last week or so, Apple Music has been tweeting out a list of the 100 best albums of all time. Of course, with any music “greatest” of all time list, there is controversy. It is a tale as old as time—so much so that I really feel like they only exist to generate clicks. Apple Music’s list tries to strike an interesting balance. Interspersed between critically acclaimed classics are more modern pop albums that surely have not had enough time to land on such a list. Bad Bunny being right above Madonna in the 70’s range and Arctic Monkey’s AM being right above The Velvet Underground are two horrifying examples of this. The most genius placement of a modern pop album in this structure is Taylor Swift’s 1989, which ranked 18. I love me some “Shake It Off” but that is pretty crazy. The perfect hate bait cherry on top is that it is listed as Taylor’s version, which has been lauded as a much worse recording of the album.
What is the point of all this? Apple Music and Spotify have been pretty comparable in terms of users in the past few years, but Spotify often dominates in the zeitgeist. Their focus on algorithmically generated playlists and tracking an exact number of streams has led to them feeling like a more modern music listening experience. This data-driven approach paid dividends when they started doing Spotify wrapped at the end of the year. Now, the cultural discussion is focused on this data, and it keeps Spotify alive in our minds even if we don’t use it. This Apple Music top 100 list might be Apple’s response to wrapped. It had (a particular group of) people talking and debating like crazy. I think Apple realized they aren’t gonna be able to catch up with Spotify’s data-driven approach and are trying to pivot to some Pitchfork/Rollingstone-like taste-maker angle. I’m not confident that Apple Music will be able to capture the cultural consciousness as much as Spotify, but it still has better sound quality :). Also, they didn’t give Thriller the number-one spot cause they couldn’t give MJ an award in person :).
David Byrne in Stop Making Sense, 1984
A24 released a restoration of the Talking Heads’ classic concert film Stop Making Sense last year. I saw it in theaters, and it was a revelatory experience. It has such artistic direction for a concert movie, and David Byrne was the peak of white boy swag. To celebrate this release A24 released a tribute album this week. Big names like Paramore and Lorde released singles earlier this year. Paramore released an electric version of “Burning Down The House” which impressed David Byrne so much that he recorded a version of Paramore’s “Hard Times.” Lorde’s version of “Take Me To The River” may be my favorite cover on the entire album. A perfect reimagining of the Al Green song, Lorde injects her sensibilities while keeping in tune with the heart of the song. The rest of the album failed to live up to these two singles, sadly.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized what a crazy task covering any of the songs is. You have to match David Byrne’s freak. Not many people have the sauce to do that, and it really shows. The album starts with Miley Cyrus (someone I believe has the sauce) covering “Psycho Killer” in a genuinely repugnant way. If you have watched the movie, you know that the first few songs build the band out. Byrnes comes out with a jukebox and a guitar and sings “Psycho Killer” solo. It is an incredibly stripped-down and intimate version. Each subsequent song adds a band member until everyone is out there and grooving. Cyrus takes the exact opposite direction with the song. Even my beautiful wife (Miley stan since ‘08) said the production was “cluttered” and reminiscent of her “collaborations with Rock Mafia on her Walmart album.” She is being kind. Miley could’ve leaned into the country aspect or gone full Bangerz on it. What she ends up with destroys any semblance of the original song.
A lot of the artists didn’t even attempt to match Byrnes's aura. Many chose a down-tempo approach to these incredibly up-tempo dance songs. Blonshell’s “Thank You For Sending Me an Angel” is an excellent example of this. They sound fine but it just really has a different vibe. Also, the slowness of the song really draws out the song’s length (derogatory). Kevin Abstract doing “Once in a Lifetime” is another abhorrent rendition. It is almost comically bad. I can only think of him on the Minions soundtrack when I hear it.
While there are some bad and a bunch of meh, there are some very inspired covers. The Linda Lindas doing “Fond a Job” and Chicano Batman doing “Cross Eyed and Painless” are great one-for-one takes. They understand that the momentum of these songs is a massive part of their appeal. Norah Jones and BADBADNOTGOOD do a great job with “This Must Be A Place.” Jones brings a pleasant Jazz-centric voice to the song but, at times, struggles to reach the vocal heights of the track. I love the concert movie, but this cover album leaves a lot to be desired.
Billie Eilish in the “Lunch” music video
Is Billie Eilish in her flop era? Is she in her Limp Bizkit era?? The early reactions to Eilish’s new album were less than stellar, but once again, I think the internet is quick to judge. Eilish sticks to her tried and true formula of downtrodden pop mixed with some contemplative bangers. Sadly, it is just a tier down from her first two projects. “Lunch” just doesn’t have the same chutzpah as “Bad Guy” and “The Greatest” doesn’t hold the same amount of sentimental water as “Happier Than Ever.” But they are not bad by any stretch of the imagination. They just aren’t as revolutionary. The instrumentation is very synth-heavy which does elevate the “drowning artists” themes. I do enjoy the sound. It is just a little pedestrian compared to the gothic instrumentals of her debut album. The lyricism is just as whittling as her other albums, but I don’t see any growth in it. Also “Lunch” is just a tad too querrbaity. It almost feels like a response to the recent Renee Rap/Chapell Roan success. All this being said, I enjoyed the record overall. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet…
Thanks for reading :) besos <3
Jonny’s Songs of the Week:
Billie Eilish - CHIHIRO
Billie Eilish - LUNCH
The Linda Lindas - Found a Job
Chicano Batman - Crosseyed and Painless
Childish Gambino - To Be Hunted
Clairo - Sexy to Someone
The Lemon Twigs - A Dream Is All I Know
Beth Gibbons - Lost Changes
