after months and months of contant teasing, it's "out" -- kick is finally here; her second vocal album and first as a transwoman. naturally, the album was going to deal with very personal issues; she herself said the concept of the record was the beauty and possibility of mutation, transformation and "glitches" viewed as a philosophical term.
"nonbinary", a spoken word experimental track about recognising and being proud of both the luck she's had in life and the tragedies she had to suffer. she holds on to what made her strong, mainly her work ethic. fantastic introduction and synth melody. we smoothly transition to "time", one of her most gorgeous tracks ever and, perhaps, her lightest and happiest. incredible synth-pop and psychedelic pop production (i see synth-pop is slowly getting back to the mainstream? the weeknd's new record feature a lot of synth-pop production). seems like music-wise it's inspired by light itself.
third track is the most anticipated -- "mequetrefe". the futuristic, experimental reggaeton piece features some really interesting lyrics and structure. first of anything, the word mequetrefe could be applied on either people (especially young people), places, things or, in this case situations. a mequetrefe is something imprudent, informal, messy. she's calling herself "mommy" in this track.
"mommy wants mequetrefe
she deserves it
look at her with her head held high
she came here walking from home
she doesn't take taxies
she wants to be seen
to be seen on the streets
she doesn't take uber, taxi or lyft
look at her"
the chorus kicks in with a beautiful caribbean-like synth melody:
mommy wants mequetrefe
look at her with her head held high
and you know what?
she has the personality
she doesn't give a damn
with those dance steps, she doesn't give a damn"
and then the songs breaks into a dark, experimental, no-tempo chaos. she repeats, drowned and distorted, "she doesn't give a damn", which makes you question whether she really does or not. is she, as a transwoman, actually safe on the streets at night? is he really absolutely comfortable, holding her head high, during this process? she wants to get into a mequetrefe situation; she wants to dance her pain away at the club. suddenly, the light caribbean synth comes back and she repeats... "and you know what? she doesn't give a damn". such a brilliant track.
"riquiquí" features some tension-inducing production: whip sounds everywhere, fast-paced drums. she emanates pure confidence and pride, apparently singing to those who doubted her or those who doubt her sexual and gender identity. "spectacle comes out from her, reggaeton comes out of her, dembow comes out of her", she sings-raps over a drone-like synthesizer. as maddening the music sounds, her attitude is that of a supermodel: poker face, head held high, good posture and "cat in slow motion" movements. getting into more technical stuff, she proves once again her talent for mixing and mastering: her vocals sound extremely crisp, the EQ is on point and every second is very detailed.
the first love song, "calor", shares some of her feelings for her current partner. "i'll let you enter, because you showed me nothing but your heat... you are the dream i didn't dare to have." in this track, we are introduced to the second most important theme: it seems like she found the love of her life, someone who accepts her the way she is. for those who don't know, her boyfriend carlos has been with her during this process, and he demonstrated to be respectful, supporting and loving. the song has some beautiful synth melodies and vocals. then we have the first ballad: "afterwards" featuring long-time collaborator and idol of hers, björk. the lyrics consist of a portion of antonio machado's poem "anoche cuando dormía". they make sense for both artists: their hearts are regenerated and anew -- björk is over her divorce and arca is finally living her true self.
"when i was sleeping last night
i dreamed... holy illusion...
that i had a hive inside my heart
and the golden bees fabricated
with my old bitterness
white wax and sweet honey."
music-wise, it's classic björk + arca: a mix of really distant ambient synths and subtle industrial elements, very prominent in her 2017 album utopia. outstanding vocal performance and beautiful outro by arca, very reminiscent of her song "fugaces" from self-titled. "watch", featuring british singer shygirl, is a club-ready banger that doesn't add a lot to the album other than great attitude. definitely works more as an interlude, as it's one of the shortest songs.
then we have the long awaited rosalía collaboration "klk". "alejandra and i are blessed," the spanish musician sings over an industrial reggaeton beat (very reminiscent of aarón's "alien catalk" ). despite the insane production, i would've liked a little more structure and clearer vocals -- the only lines you can actually understand are "esa mujer", "qué lo que", "en este momento quiero verlos a todos meneando la cadera!" and the one i quoted first. still, a highlight.
the moment i read the title "rip the slit" i felt it was going to be either a filler or a banger: and guess what, it's the latter. fantastic flow; perfect balance between the toughest and hardest-kicking tracks and softer moments on the album in an almost-instrumental bop. it's like a warm up for the following track: the astonishing, forward-thinking sophie collaboration "la chiqui". "meneo meneo meneo meneo meneo", she endlessly repeats in the intro, automatically inducing you to wiggle. if i had to describe the sound, it would be electronic experimental industrial cumbia. thematically, she's trying to tell us she's a woman, she's beautiful and doesn't want anyone to forget that. period.
"machote", a trap-inspired ballad, is a very special and extremely honest piece about wanting a man who loves her the way she deserves. interestingly, she shares that she tried to find him countless times.
"i want a tough man
i want one right now
i want a male that knows how to touch me
i want a guy that knows how to love me
and of course that knows how to move
i've been looking for a quiet man
a gentleman with good feelings
i know that it's harder than it seems
there are many of them but how do i decide?
i've been in the club
walking around
staring at every man alone
if i ever stop i swear i'll explode..."
and then she sings a very interesting line that could be interpreted in two ways. she says: "y seguro, papi, me llevan pa'l manicomio". what's deep about this line is that we don't know if the comma should be there. the line, with the commas around "papi" means "and i'm sure, daddy, they'll take me to a madhouse". she's going crazy trying to find a good man. but we if take off the commas we're left with a darker meaning: "and i'm sure daddy will take me to a madhouse". we don't know much about her relationship with her actual father, but she confessed she didn't have a good time growing as queer and fem. she actually said she planned to marry a woman and live as a "straight man". the beats, as simple as they are, function like a breath of fresh air after such chaotic production from the previous tracks. and, perhaps the best part of the song, are the r&b synthesizers towards the end. very emotional.
her best outro ever, "no queda nada", is a 6-minute ode to her boyfriend carlos. it really seems like finding him was what she needed to complete her process; even if they break up one day, he still supported her like no other and made her feel like every inch of her body is beautiful and worthy. the sense, the human act of touch is very important throughout the album, most predominantly in these last two tracks. "i want a male that knows how to touch me," she sings in the previous song.
"there's nothing left in me
beyond what you're staring at
there's not a corner left
that wasn't penetrated by your heat
there's nothing left in me
that isn't beautiful by your side
there's nothing left in me
that you haven't touched yet
there's nothing left
that isn't yours."
the romanticism, the honesty. the emotions are intense, and before you even notice, you're completely into this heavenly world of ultimate peace, reaching a goal you didn't even knew you were aiming for. thank you arca.
I would agree if this wasn't the same person who sailed down the Mississippi River on a makeshift house boat with solely potatoes and live chickens as a source of food
I love how she went from dressing up as a peasant woman named Zelda Xox and sailing down the Mississippi river in a self made house boat full of potatoes and chickens which she lived off of until the boat finally sank to living in a crack den in Montreal with no heat where she got frostbite twice and where her neighbor got bludgeoned to death to having a capitalist billionaire’s baby
Here is a late Christmas gift for you all. I incorporated the missing demo elements into the final version of 4ÆM, like the verse vocals, the bridge, the post chorus vocals, missing backing vocals, verse drums etc and it sounds alright. I don't have the instrumental or stems for either the demo or the final so don't expect it to be perfect but I did what could.
https://dbree.org/v/08ad32
Here's the eXtended previews using the Instagram snippets and Super Duper live version
Sarah Come Home https://dbree.org/v/ab928e Super Duper Party People https://dbree.org/v/45df9a Susie Save Your Love (feat. Mitski) https://dbree.org/v/4fb012 Madame X https://dbree.org/v/4fb1e7
A Song For You (as Mikaela) Just A Dream
Bullets
Can't Do Anything
Empty Streets
Hope You Do (lossless)
Overload
A Song For You (lossless)
Bullets (Remastered) (lossless)
Mikaela Rock Song (Live)
Solid Gold
Falling Apart
Lemonade
Scared Of Me
Make My Bed
Make My Ned (lossless)
Talia (lossless)
Upper West Side (lossless)
Holy (lossless)
1950 (lossless)
Remixes
Locked Eyes
Cock Destroyer
Yarby Dzael Deeble Doo 4
Kim's Big Scat (Part 1)
Fergheim 1
We Were All Rooting For You, Sis (How Dare You)
Mary-Luiz (Plz Plz)
Shake Your Dionk For Me
Run Me Through (by Perfume Genius) (King Princess Remix) (lossless)
Up Next Live From Apple Williamsburg
Do You Wanna See Me Cry / 1950
Useless Phrases
Cheap Queen
Upper West Side
Talia
Prophet
Cheap Queen
Tough On Myself
Useless Phrases
Cheap Queen
Ain't Together
Do You Wanna See Me Crying
Homegirl
Prophet
Isabel's Moment (feat. Tobias Jesso Jr.)
Trust Nobody
Watching My Phone
You Destroyed My Heart
Hit The Back
If You Think It's Love
Pussy Is God (b-sides & such)
Sunburn
Send Pix
Fell In Love With A Girl (The White Stripes Cover)
Femme Fatale (The Velvet Underground Cover)
Pussy Is God (lossless)
I Know (feat. Fiona Apple)
Pieces Of Us (feat. Mark Ronson) (lossless)
Happy Together (feat. Mark Ronson)
Other Songs
Best Friend (Cheap Queen Outtake, performed live)
Better (Cheap Queen Outtake)
Forget About It (Cheap Queen Outtake, performed live)
Helium (written for Sizzy Rocket, unknown if there's a KP demo)
Maybe It Will Change (performed live)
Miss America (Cheap Queen Outtake, performed live)
Ohio (Cheap Queen Outtake, performed live)
Queen (Perfume Genius Cover) (performed live)
Tough On Myself (performed live)
Waiting On this House To Burn (Cheap Queen Outtake, performed live)
Charli XCX Collab
Some folks are have Took A Minute (Live) as an unreleased song, but it was just the former title of Do You Wanna See My Crying?
It's not a weird flex He left her a bittersweet taste in her mouth, and she enters this dilemma whether tell him or not her past experiences with love... she's scared that will make him leave but oh well she's had enough.
Lana has released her Surf Shop Pop-Up merch online for a limited time (word is 3 days.)
Any purchase of a T-shirt, Hoodie, or Towel will include a copy of a Digital Album of Norman Fucking Rockwell.
Yes absolutely necessarily, it is known! I will use Stevie as the example!
Fleetwood Mac PRIME:
Fleetwood Mac - 128
Rumours - 96
Mirage - 31
Tusk - 112
Heroes Are Hard To Find - 43
Total = 410 shows in approx 2 decades!
Shake The Cage - 69 (this one can go either way! It was their first without Lindsey though which is a big milestone! If we add it to PRIME, it is still only 479 dates!)
Fleetwood Mac PAST PRIME:
Say You Will - 137
An Evening With Fleetwood Mac - 87
Fleetwood Mac Live - 66
On With The Show - 120
Unleashed - 81
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