NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

Jason Emmanuel Petty , known as Propaganda, is a poet, pastor, and spoken-word rapper whose 2017 album Crooked made a definitive turn into the discussion of where politics and Christianity intersect.  In the constant Fox News cycle of 2024, it’s hard to remember everything that was happening in 2017, although the politicians and the American people have only become more shameless. Much of the lyrics on Crooked come from a personal and political disappointment, particularly in how Christianity is used to oppress people of color in America. The album's third single, " Cynical " encapsulates this disappointment succinctly. WHY DO YOU LOVE YOUR GUNS MORE THAN OUR SONS? “Cynical” starts with a morose electric guitar which plays the same chords throughout the song. Several of the tracks on Crooked use electric guitar, but the melodies are kept to a minimum, keeping the focus on Propagada’s words. “Cynical,” though has a chorus--albeit a simple one--sung by Copeland ’s Aaron

I've written a bit about how I'm a   Coldplay  apologist. I believe that the London-based band is very good at what they do. Though so many artists accomplish their sound, both musically and lyrically, better, there's something uplifting about a new Coldplay album. Two years ago, I talked about the band's first single from their ninth studio record,   Music of the Spheres , " Higher Power ." The album was released on October 15, 2021. Before the release of the record and after releasing "Higher Power," the band released the promotional single, the 10:17 track " Coloratura ," which was praised by critics for its composition and production. Then they released the second radio single " My Universe ," featuring the South Korean boy band,  BTS . The song shot straight to number 1 on the  Billboard Hot 100 , becoming the second Coldplay single to top the Hot 100, the first being " Viva la Vida ." I JUST WANT TO PUT YOU FIRST .

A big part of my blog is discovering music. Sometimes that’s new indie artists with very little written except for press releases. But what I’ve found more often is that I’ve been unearthing the long-lost civilization of the 2010s, a decade I scoffed at as the nadir of music. During the pandemic, though, I started listening to new music, finding the newer songs resonating with me in ways that the 2010s didn’t. But then I started going back, re-evaluating pop, rock, and alternative in the 2010s, listening with an open mind. I realized that music was changing and that loyalty to any genre was an illusion. Alternative playlists reminded me of what would pass for pop music in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. Bedroom pop, dream pop, hip-hop, and neo-soul flooded the playlists. Now I see that as a strength rather than a weakness. SAY YOU WANT ME OUTTA YOUR LIFE. One of the tracks that showed up on an Apple Music Alternative Hits playlist was “ Youngblood ” by 5 Seconds of Summer , called 5SOS b

  The authorities take drug allegations in South Korea very seriously and can have significant consequences for those involved. The country has a strict anti-drug policy, and drug offenses are punishable by severe penalties. Usage of substances such as cannabis that are legal or decriminalized in other countries can lead to jail time in South Korea.  But besides legal implications, there is a social stigma that comes with drug use. Allegations can ruin a career, which almost happened to the Korean rapper and leader of the idol group iKON , B.I (비아이). In 2019, Kim Han Bin (김한빈) was found guilty of attempting to purchase drugs. In 2019, Kim Han Bin (김한빈) was found guilty of drug possession and attempting to purchase drugs. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison for three counts of drug possession, including two counts of possessing marijuana and one count of possessing LSD.   DON’T FALL LIKE PETALS ON A FLOWER. Following the allegations, YG Entertainment terminated B.I’s contract and t

The self-identified sad-girl  Sasha Alex Sloan  made a "mad record" in 2022. There was a podcast I listened to reacting to Sloan's EP  Self-Portrait .  While the podcasters enjoyed the EP, they hoped that Sloan would never make a full-length record. She did release a full album in 2020.  Only Child   is   a heart-breaking masterpiece, but it pulls back from the gut-wrenching, sometimes mean-spirited lyricism of her EPs. On 2022's  I Blame the World ,  Sloan is caustic as ever. The title track " I Blame the World " is probably the most catchy, but the other songs are worth a listen. Emo surely was alive in 2022.    WHY TALK TO GOD IF I AIN'T GOT PROOF HE'S EVEN THERE?  When I counted down my favorite albums of last year, Sasha Alex Sloan's  I Blame the World  was my seventh favorite record, which is code in my blog for I didn't listen to it that much. I think that Sloan writes better when she's more sad than angry. There are certainly enou

Today it’s back to the world of the Hybe Corporation . In 2019, Hybe hired Min Hee-jin (민희진) as the company’s chief brand designer. She worked as the company began a transitional phase when BigHit Entertainment took on several subsidiary record labels. Min had worked for SM Entertainment , one of the big three K-pop labels in the ‘90s to early ‘10s, and had been the creative director behind some of the label’s biggest acts such as Exo , SHINee , (f)x , and Girls' Generation. She then worked developing other K-pop acts on every label for Hybe except for BigHit because that label had its own specialized brand designer. But upon being hired at BigHit (later Hybe), Min demanded her own subsidiary, Ador , of which the brand designer became CEO. Ador was formed in 2021 and signed their first act in 2022.   WANNA BE A WINNER. Min Hee-jin planned to release a girl group in 2022. Hybe Corporation was known for its boy bands and rappers. Still, with SM, YG , and JYP releasing successful f

It’s been over two years since Harry Styles released his third album, Harry’s House . The album combines Styles’ love of classic rock and modern pop. I've listened to this album a lot--or at least started listening to it a lot--in hopes that it will make me fall in love with it similar to how I fell in love with Fine Line. While I have started to pick up on the musical nuance in this record, I still think that Fine Line is superior. But here's a house for the tracks that I talk about on this record. I’ll furnish the house with more information as it is later! 1. " Music for a Sushi Restaurant " kicks the album off in the best way possible. I've heard so many music snobs slam this song as a soundtrack to shopping at  Target , and that's partially true. It's "music for whatever you want." The somewhat shallow lyrics about the speaker's oral fixations set a tone for the album's lyrical depth. Things don't go very deep on  Harry's H