INTRO & 2024: Part 9 - My Favorites!!
- kevpalowe8
- Mar 20
- 7 min read
THE START OF THE GWIM PROJECT
I think its an idea to recount my ‘day 1 experience’ – listening to the very 1st playlist of top ten singles. I had an idea in my head, probably the same idea many older people have, of what I expected to hear.
I pressed play ........... and that expectation was immediately shattered with Noah Kahan's “Stick Season”..... which was #1 that week!!
It continued to be shattered with Teddy Swims “Lose Control”
Of course, there WERE tracks that were more along the lines I was expecting – like this one
although, to be fair, I do like that one. It’s a good fun little number. I should also point out that Dua Lipa’s “Houdini” was on that playlist and, although I did not know it at all at the time, so would begin the whole Kev/Dua Lipa relationship (I’ll go over this 1 last time in part 10). Incidentally, this track became my most streamed of the year – apparently I’ve listened to this track over 160 times this year 😱
INTRO TO THE END OF 2024
In order to keep the project workable I had keep it narrow, and 90% of my listening has been UK tracks and albums that made the top ten of the UK singles and albums charts this year. I’ve no doubt there is plenty of stuff our there that is better the any of it. I intend to branch out – but we’re at ‘stage one’ here. I’m also aware that some of the singles mentioned had a release date that predated the beginning of 2024.
I will now present my top 3s.
CONTENDERS FOR KEV’S TOP ALBUMS OF 2024
These are the artists who released albums this year that gained a 7
out of ten or above from me (excluding the top 3). You can see my mini-reviews in parts 4 and 5.
Bleachers, James, Libertines, St Vincent, Billie Eilish, Beth Gibbons, ATEEZ (an EP tho), Charlie XCX, Beabadoobee, Fountains DC, Matt Champion, Nick Cave, Coldplay, Paul Heaton, Mannequin Pussy, Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, Tyler The Creator, Bastille, Alcest, King Hannah, & Kendrick Lamar. I will also give Dua Lipa’s album a mention, which got a 6 - but it’s Dua Lipa so...............
KEV'S TOP 3 ALBUMS
3. English Teacher “This Could Be Texas”
2. Eunuchs “Harbour Century”
1. The Last Dinner Party “Prelude To Ecstasy”
CONTENDER FOR KEVS TOP SINGLES OF 2024
Tyler “Water”
Beyoncé “Texas Hold ‘Em” (sorry Simon Ore)
DJO “End Of Beginnings”
Dua Lipa “Illusion”
Billie Eilish “Chihiro”
Sabrina Carpenter “Espresso”
Charlie XCX “Girl So Confusing”
Chase and Status & Stormzy “Backbone”
Addison Rae “Diet Pepsi”
Teddy Swims “The Door”
Chappell Roan “Hot To Go”
Charlie XCX & Ariana Grande “Sympathy Is A Knife”
ROSE & Bruno Mars “APT.”
The following were very close contenders for the top 3
Hozier “Too Sweet”
Tommy Richman “Million Dollar Baby”
Dasha “Austin”
KEVS TOP 3 SINGLES OF 2024
3. Shaboozey “Bar Song (Tipsy)”
We all have those tracks that were ‘growers’. When this was 1st climbing the charts, I assumed it was some sort of novelty track, and although that turned out not to be the case, I wasn’t massively convinced by it for a while. But, I think its was my biggest ‘grower’ this year, so successfully so that it ended up beating some of the hottest contenders to this top 3 spot.
2. Teddy Swims “Lose Control”
OK, some might complain this was a 2023 release but its extensive top ten run occurred in 2024 and, as this was my 1st year doing this, my rules about that were flimsy. So, this is only #2????!!!! Yea, I’m not sure I saw that coming either. Its a superb number. Teddy Swims is a superb performer. But, much to my own surprise, something else impressed me and sent my brain spinning such that I couldn’t ignore it...................
....................
1. Jade “Angel Of My Dreams”
Nothing appealed to the ‘music analyst’ in me more than this track. The 1st time I heard it, it was like a 3 minute whirlwind, with so much jammed into that short space of time. A few seconds after it ended I actually said OUT LOUD to myself ‘hold on, fuck off a minute, what just happened?’. I will try to succinctly demonstrate why, although I could write something longer than my stupidly lengthy review of The Last Dinner Party album just on this 1 track. As a little fun experiment for yourself, the reader, why not listen to it once, read/watch my ‘nutshell’ analysis, then listen again and see if it makes a difference? (I’ve linked an audio only video as the video has sound effects and breaks in the track that are distracting).
So, although there’s a standard song-like structured at the centre of the song, it’s padded out a little with something that results in a more arch-like structure, something much less common in pop music (and actually much more common in progressive rock). This is further punctuated by the outer sections that surround that main song being contrasting in terms of timbre, tempo, arrangement etc. This arch as follows: Short a cappella (tag #1), slow ‘angel of my dreams’, main song, slow ‘angel of my dreams’, short a cappella (tag #2). I call them ‘tags’ (as in tag-ons) because they are extremely short.
Lyrically, the track seems to be about the singer (and it’s safe to assume Jade is singing about her own experiences here) achieving her childhood dream of being a huge pop star but consequently entering a massive love/hate relationship – finding the industry treats her as more of a commodity than a human. We can guess the dream was a childhood one because of the childish language used ‘you don’t care’, ‘it’s not fair’ etc. While she can be heard singing these lines various times, each section is punctuated with announcement of these lines in what is presumably Jade’s voice but filtered through an effect that makes it sound disturbingly robotic. What was once the innocent childish voice dreaming of fame and claiming ‘its not fair’ has become an emotionless robotic cog of the machine that churns out pop hits. This is further emphasised by the contract in the vocal of the ‘verses’ of the main bit of the song. In the 1st verse, it’s basically rapped as she explains the problem she’s facing ‘you only care about money’ ‘selling my soul’ etc., with a fair amount of tone and expression. This is Jade's voice astutely contemplating the situation (and it doesn’t sound good). By the 2nd verse, it’s changed. She lists all the riches her work has bought for her bosses – it’s sung - but in monotone, devoid of expression - she’s inside the machine, a cog - puppet. There’s also more than one voice. They are in harmony – but both monotone. Its liike there’s several Jade’s just churning out the same thing. Its loaded with meaning...... and very disturbing.
While we’re on ‘melody’ – its not bad at all. The main chorus-bit is a good melodic figure. Every bit of the melody throughout expresses the lyric brilliantly. At times when the singer expresses something positive (e.g., ‘I’m in heaven’, ‘love when you call me a star’) the melody reaches for heights and when its negative (e.g., ‘you don’t care’, ‘it’s not fair’) it’s moves downwards right to the depths. This is part of the genius of the chorus melody. When the exposition of ‘angel of my dreams’ is announced we are right at top reaches, the peak of the melody. As the actual love/hatred relationship the singer has with this supposed angel is exposed, the melody literally spirals downwards. The shape of this melody is entirely in contrast with the monotone passages where the singer has become the puppet. The harmony does something similar – switching between major (happy) and minor (sad) chords. This is particularly effective during the line ‘when the camera flashy, I act so happy’ which is sung over a minor chord that is surrounded by major chords, so it explicitly stands out. The melody gravitates around the 2nd & 3rd note of the chord. This is striking because the 3rd note is what determines the major of minor status so having the melodic line accentuated it creates real emphasis. Also, in a minor scale the 2rd note is right next to the 3rd – a semitone (rather than a whole tone) apart. We call this chromaticism (when notes are right next to each other) and this has been used traditionally in music to represent tension, unease etc. The lyric suggests the singer is instructed to ‘act happy’ in these moments, and she expresses it in that child-like manner, reminding herself and us of that child that dreamed the dream............ but NOT the reality.
I’ll finally refer back to the structure because it gives us the overall picture. So, there’s a song in the middle. A song about a person that is living their childhood dream, struggling with gratitude at her angel for granting it, loathing it’s darker side, and falling deeper and deeper into the mechanics of it, turning from human to puppet. This is hinted at right from the outset as that #1 tag of the structure is actually a line from the classic track “Puppet On A String”. There is a slow rendition of the chorus at the beginning and end like bookends to the main song. It seems to me this is ‘exposition’ – it sounds dramatic and ‘glorious’ as it announces the angel at the beginning. It’s recapitulation (which is preceded by a orchestral sounding climatic figure – kinda like the whole thing is rewinding) is the same but we are now aware of all the tensions explored in the main song. I love this – it is an exact rendition of what we heard the 1st time around.... but it doesn’t sound so ‘glorious’ now – instead it’s steeped with bitter irony. Then there’s the final tag #2. Just 2 notes......... well they’re harmonised so there’s technically 4. The conclusion by outward appearances is ‘I’ll always love you’ (rather than ‘hate you') – but it’s just 2 notes, and without the music behind it, the harmony is ambiguous. So the conclusion of ‘I’ll always love you’ sounds uncertain - perhaps deflated.
Here’s a video to try and help bring some of these words to life a bit. Again, I suggest you give the track another listen once you’ve finished reading to the end.
........... and at the moment this ended on my very 1st hearing, I was flabbergasted in a way I’m not very often on my 1st listen to a pop track. Well done. And, consequently, whether you like the track or not, whether you agree with me or not, I think its fair to say, I have made my case fairly well. Kev’s track of the year!
See you for the final part.
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