i prefer her "i will survive" refix
― soyrev, Monday, 27 July 2015 03:01 (eight years ago) link
why's everything "cool" of the past six years always all minor key and †dark† anyways
― soyrev, Monday, 27 July 2015 03:02 (eight years ago) link
i like "come and get it" a lot, even though it's basically a rihanna song (as some dude pointed out, it was written for rihanna: http://www.thefader.com/2015/06/24/songs-written-for-rihanna-that-were-passed-on).
― jaymc, Monday, 27 July 2015 03:16 (eight years ago) link
her voice on this is really quite a performance - it has the passion and commitment of a true singer, and her icy falsetto/higher register cuts like a knife.
― surm, Monday, 27 July 2015 03:19 (eight years ago) link
i was confused about A$AP Rocky having a guest credit on this because he's not in the video and i thought he only produced it, but then i heard it on the radio the other day with a verse from him. man he's not much of a rapper at all, huh.
― teenage good-ass kinja turtles (some dude), Monday, 27 July 2015 03:39 (eight years ago) link
yeah i dunno, i haven't really formed an opinion. he's gotten some good girls tho.
― surm, Monday, 27 July 2015 03:40 (eight years ago) link
this song is indeed good for me
― niels, Monday, 27 July 2015 09:27 (eight years ago) link
still listen to 'love you like a love song' weeklythis song is p nice
― nxd, Monday, 27 July 2015 09:28 (eight years ago) link
surm otm itt
― regret it? nope. reddit? yep. (Noodle Vague), Monday, 27 July 2015 09:39 (eight years ago) link
http://image.spreadshirtmedia.com/image-server/v1/designs/12547030,width=178,height=178/Golden-Dollar-Sign.png
― surm, Monday, 27 July 2015 13:20 (eight years ago) link
Man this is lovely and a beautiful vocal performance imo
― Classic Man (albvivertine), Monday, 27 July 2015 13:52 (eight years ago) link
she sounds good, not much of a song though
― the naive cockney chorus (Simon H.), Monday, 27 July 2015 13:54 (eight years ago) link
the song (structure and melody) doesn't really go anywhere but I like her vocals which are heavily processed but still vibrant.the rap break is pretty bad and pointless, though.
― AlXTC from Paris, Monday, 27 July 2015 13:55 (eight years ago) link
she has absolutely no presence on this and the song relies on this fact, it's like rachel stevens
― for sale: baby shoes, never worn your ass (katherine), Monday, 27 July 2015 13:55 (eight years ago) link
she has more presence on this song than 85% of hot 100 songs i've heard in the past year
― surm, Monday, 27 July 2015 13:59 (eight years ago) link
and her enunciation on "good" is presence enough for the whole track.
― surm, Monday, 27 July 2015 14:00 (eight years ago) link
she always enunciates like that
idk i don't like this song
― dyl, Monday, 27 July 2015 14:38 (eight years ago) link
it's not even just her, it's very similar to what miley cyrus does with the verses of wrecking ball
― for sale: baby shoes, never worn your ass (katherine), Monday, 27 July 2015 14:48 (eight years ago) link
i'm still surprised that a good friend of mine was able to get me into Wrecking Ball. but it's more for the chorus and not the verses
― surm, Monday, 27 July 2015 14:51 (eight years ago) link
"Wrecking Ball" is an amazing song imo, but yeah i guess the chorus is the killer
― regret it? nope. reddit? yep. (Noodle Vague), Monday, 27 July 2015 14:53 (eight years ago) link
definitely my fav Selena since "Love Song" - it's more convincing without the dead-eyed video imo
― List of people who are ready for woe and how we know this (seandalai), Monday, 27 July 2015 21:12 (eight years ago) link
yeah, my fav since Love Song too
― surm, Tuesday, 28 July 2015 09:15 (eight years ago) link
The more I listen to this, the more I like it (except the rap that still sucks and breaks the atmosphere and charm).the "hmms" in the verses are great.there's definitely something missing in the construction of the song to make it really great but it's very nice.
― AlXTC from Paris, Tuesday, 28 July 2015 09:46 (eight years ago) link
The video version's sparer and doesn't have the rap, I think it's prob better
― Classic Man (albvivertine), Tuesday, 28 July 2015 09:59 (eight years ago) link
oh really ? I have to check that then !
― AlXTC from Paris, Tuesday, 28 July 2015 10:13 (eight years ago) link
video is pretty cool. she is v v v pretty. "doin' my hair up real real nice" might be my favorite line
― surm, Tuesday, 28 July 2015 10:57 (eight years ago) link
also that white t-shirt is Kate Moss/CK circa 1994 all over again.
― surm, Tuesday, 28 July 2015 10:59 (eight years ago) link
OK, the video is nice and this is much better without the rap !very exotic and sensual (which is a tour de force considering it's a very minimalist electronic track with processed vocals !).It's a perfect hot summer evening track. btw it made me think there's no big ubiquitous summer jam this year, is there ? (I mean "get lucky", "blurred lines" big level).
― AlXTC from Paris, Tuesday, 28 July 2015 11:18 (eight years ago) link
lovin you right now
― surm, Tuesday, 28 July 2015 11:19 (eight years ago) link
i put in a good word for it on the summer jamz thread
― surm, Tuesday, 28 July 2015 11:27 (eight years ago) link
the idea of a summer jam is primarily music industry horseshit fwiw
― welltris (crüt), Tuesday, 28 July 2015 11:51 (eight years ago) link
tbh i have considered that opinion carefully over the years and now steadfastly disagree. some songs just sound hotter, like summery. summer jams. summer jammy.
― surm, Tuesday, 28 July 2015 12:09 (eight years ago) link
video is weird to me tbh. katherine's blurb over on TSJ which described it as like footage of when you're hungover and restless on the couch was otm
― carly bae jepsen (monotony), Tuesday, 28 July 2015 13:21 (eight years ago) link
also just in terms of aesthetic the vibe i get from this is closer to shakira in ballad mode than LDR, especially when you consider "honeymoon"
― carly bae jepsen (monotony), Tuesday, 28 July 2015 13:23 (eight years ago) link
not enough explicit criticism of the male gaze for me tbh
― usic ally (k3vin k.), Tuesday, 28 July 2015 13:31 (eight years ago) link
after listening to the video version, I'm not too sure if I prefer that even more minimalist instrumentation version or the single featuring A$AP one (not taking into consideration the fact that the rap ruins everything). Maybe the single's version without the rap would be the best. that said, the video version is pretty cool... hum... dilemma !
― AlXTC from Paris, Tuesday, 28 July 2015 13:56 (eight years ago) link
somebody else said Shakira to me but i don't really hear it. then again i don't really hear much Shakira in general (maybe i should work on that?)
― surm, Tuesday, 28 July 2015 14:11 (eight years ago) link
mentioned this in my blurb but I hear jazmine sullivan's "mascara" and/or jojo's marvin's room cover
― for sale: baby shoes, never worn your ass (katherine), Tuesday, 28 July 2015 15:14 (eight years ago) link
it's hard to trump jojo's marvin's room cover
― surm, Tuesday, 28 July 2015 16:18 (eight years ago) link
if i ever wrote this or sang it like Selena i would die happy
― surm, Wednesday, 29 July 2015 02:35 (eight years ago) link
this is not even 1/1000 as good as "mascara" come on
― the naive cockney chorus (Simon H.), Wednesday, 29 July 2015 03:07 (eight years ago) link
it's not a one-to-one comparison, just a similar feel and subject matter
― for sale: baby shoes, never worn your ass (katherine), Wednesday, 29 July 2015 03:08 (eight years ago) link
this song is good but much prefer 'the heart wants what it wants', love sad-eyed selena
― Roz, Wednesday, 29 July 2015 06:11 (eight years ago) link
i will listen to it today.
― surm, Wednesday, 29 July 2015 19:18 (eight years ago) link
I have no idea as to what she and whoever she worked with intended, but I think this is sad eyed Selena. "the heart…" seems to be "this relationship is fucked up, I'm miserable, but I can't help that this is what I want"—this was reinforced by the video, which includes an intro w/ tearful SG talking about the shitty things a paramour did to her, probly sposed to remind listeners of JB. But this is "I give up, I don't care that it's fucked up, I have no will anymore, go ahead and use me, I get off on being your toy." I thought she was singing "trust me I can take it," whereas what she actually sings is not much less submissive in context.
This is obv not a sentiment that, say, Jezebel would heartily endorse, but popular music does not and should not exist to reinforce correct notions of gender politics or any other kind, ones that anyone likely to read these words knows are healthy and would not wish the opposite on anyone they care about. I think the people who will respond to this song and might make it huge are not disaffected rock critics eager to foreswear Pitchfork, but are young women, girls (or boys/men) who hear and sympathize the numbness of the washed out chords and her hungover or narcotized delivery: maybe they've been where SG is evoking. It is like Jojo's adderall-ized performance mentioned above.
truly the ASAP verses compromise it…don't like it as much as other shit she's done ("Love song" is my fave) but it certainly made an impression on me immediately without me knowing it was her.
― veronica moser, Wednesday, 29 July 2015 21:38 (eight years ago) link
lol
― flopson, Wednesday, 29 July 2015 22:20 (eight years ago) link
great post veronica. i do agree with you largely. but i also see less numbness. it is there for sure. but i also hear pure sex. and yes most of us have been there. wanting to look good for your boy is an old tradition. i hear that in this too. putting on your makeup, and doing up your hair. it's a girls' tradition, or a boy's tradition, and it doesn't have to be wrong, submissive, or numb. but i do agree that those inflections are present in the song. it is a fine line, but a beautiful one.
― surm, Thursday, 30 July 2015 16:23 (eight years ago) link
funnily when i just pulled up my Spotify to play this, the song that was cued up was "Numb" by Rihanna
― surm, Thursday, 30 July 2015 16:32 (eight years ago) link
no i think you're right, she's sad.
― surm, Thursday, 30 July 2015 16:40 (eight years ago) link
the production on the vocal "and syncopate my skin to how you're breathing" in the 2nd verse makes me realize that this is indeed the perfect song
― surm, Saturday, 1 August 2015 11:29 (eight years ago) link
The Target version of this CD tacks on “Bad Liar,” “Fetish,” “Wolves,” and a few others. It’s tempting...
― Don’t yell ‘Judas!’ in a crowded theater (morrisp), Saturday, 11 January 2020 16:18 (four years ago) link
Love this on first listen.
― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Saturday, 11 January 2020 16:34 (four years ago) link
it's really very solid, if a little quaint. still, it's her signature. it works!
― surm, Saturday, 11 January 2020 17:35 (four years ago) link
Found myself in Target with some extra $$, so... I’ve been listening to the CD as I drive around today. After the fantastic opening track, it’s pretty mediocre (IMO) until around track 9 or 10 — where it hits a good, final stretch. She’s such a limited vocalist; the best tracks find a way to take advantage of what she offers (in addition to just being good songs). The Target CD is worth buying for the bonus tracks (FYI, it’s $11.99 on Target.com; they’ll price-match in store).
― Don’t yell ‘Judas!’ in a crowded theater (morrisp), Sunday, 12 January 2020 02:34 (four years ago) link
Just want to back up Johnny Fever who very early on praised “Lose You To Love Me” which sounds so incredible to me while playing through this as a whole. You were an early adopter and it is truly amazing.
― gman59, Sunday, 12 January 2020 04:52 (four years ago) link
kind of a martina topley-bird feel to this, maybe? track more than vocal
― like, I’m eating an elephant head (katherine), Sunday, 12 January 2020 05:28 (four years ago) link
i was just going to ask how people rate "lose you to love me" now, several months later. admittedly i never really warmed to it.
― dyl, Sunday, 12 January 2020 06:52 (four years ago) link
It does nothing for me, I’m surprised it performed so well. Clearly I don’t have my finger on the pulse, lol
― Don’t yell ‘Judas!’ in a crowded theater (morrisp), Sunday, 12 January 2020 07:07 (four years ago) link
― dyl, Sunday, January 12, 2020 1:52 AM (thirty minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
still an extremely boring piano ballad propped up by an unconvincing fake narrative
― like, I’m eating an elephant head (katherine), Sunday, 12 January 2020 07:22 (four years ago) link
Im kind of a sucker for this sort of a ballad. Anyway, didn't mean to start anything but sounds beautiful to me. Loving "Rare" and "Crowded Room" too.
― gman59, Sunday, 12 January 2020 16:44 (four years ago) link
Whoa - there’s a songwriter demo of “Rare” that sounds almost identical(?)
― stop creeping my instagram storiez (morrisp), Monday, 13 January 2020 03:03 (four years ago) link
there usually are, the question is whether they ever become public
― like, I’m eating an elephant head (katherine), Monday, 13 January 2020 13:33 (four years ago) link
i like lose you to love me cuz i just went thru a breakup and i totally feel her sentiment
― surm, Monday, 13 January 2020 15:33 (four years ago) link
xp Does that mean the credited producers on the track also probably worked on the demo (for it to be so fully produced, with all the same sonic touches etc.)?
― stop creeping my instagram storiez (morrisp), Monday, 13 January 2020 17:43 (four years ago) link
Wow! Just finishing up my first listen though this. Think there may have been a couple plodding pop-by-numbers kinda tracks in the middle, but the last few tracks are strong! Good record to start off the year with.
― ☮️ (peace, man), Monday, 13 January 2020 21:36 (four years ago) link
the last few tracks are strong! to the point where i start thinking i'm really getting into the album and then it's over lol
― american bradass (BradNelson), Monday, 13 January 2020 21:59 (four years ago) link
Yep! The singles are the weakest links imo
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 January 2020 22:03 (four years ago) link
in today's country industry a large proportion of hits are written and produced entirely without the input of the artists that go on to record them... so it's quite common for demos submitted for consideration by artists/management/a&r to be essentially completed tracks w/ v high production values, all the bells 'n' whistles, etc, just w/o the artist's vocal. i remember reading an interview with a (non-artist) songwriter or producer about how that goes, and how the nearly-finished quality of such demos is almost considered necessary to stand out among all the other submissions.
i assume the situation is similar in pop as well, at least when it comes to pitching to artists who contribute little-to-nothing as songwriters (tho in some cases the recording artist will also end up getting credited as a songwriter even if the finished product doesn't differ at all from the demo besides the vocal)
xp
― dyl, Monday, 13 January 2020 22:04 (four years ago) link
I love it
― winters (josh), Monday, 13 January 2020 22:14 (four years ago) link
i am also pro-"lose you to love me" so i don't completely agree with alfred
― american bradass (BradNelson), Monday, 13 January 2020 22:26 (four years ago) link
xxp Thanks, dyl (Gomez does indeed have a songwriting credit on the track).
The production work on "Rare" is so fantastic, I think it deserves a breakdown (probably by someone better than me, but here goes):
0:00 - a little bongo trill fades in - the first thing you hear - telegraphing rhythmic elements that will reappear later0:01 - that (acoustic?) bassline; that distant, muffled beat... the foundations of the track; love them both0:18 - more of the rhythm comes in (bongos), but it's still not fully fleshed out0:34 - the chorus hits, along with some additional background tones, and a more booming (but still subtle) bassline. And yet, the track's STILL not yet in full bloom, until...0:51 - boom! the tinny trap-lite / calypso beat is in full effect - it's so lovely1:08 - after the chorus, everything drops out, leaving just the acoustic bassline again1:21 - echoing "ah-ahhs" and other backing vocal embellishments add to the mood2:15 - great bridge... the song feels organic, each section flowing naturally from the previous one2:42 - these ominous little background drones sound like they may have been inspired by Taylor Swife"Call It What You Want"(?)3:38 - final bongo trill. fin.
― stop creeping my instagram storiez (morrisp), Monday, 13 January 2020 23:30 (four years ago) link
The (excellent) guitar solo in 'Cut You Off,' I realized, reminds me of something from Haim's first album.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 14 January 2020 03:52 (four years ago) link
Is it just me or does anyone else think "Crowded Room" owes more than a bit to Cassie's "Me & U". Not a criticism.
― daavid, Friday, 17 January 2020 21:28 (four years ago) link
lately i've taken to listening to "lose you to love me" on repeat and crying
― american bradass (BradNelson), Friday, 24 January 2020 21:11 (four years ago) link
― daavid, Friday, January 17, 2020 9:28 PM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink
yes i realized this on second listen of crowded room for sure
― surm, Friday, 24 January 2020 21:12 (four years ago) link
no thread for Rare on its own? Late pass but the deluxe version is gonna be top ten for sure for me.
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Sunday, 12 April 2020 19:25 (four years ago) link
I love the album
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 12 April 2020 19:28 (four years ago) link
things i can pass on the deluxe album: lose you to love me, crowded room, sweeter placethings I love: everything else.
changemymind.jpg
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Sunday, 12 April 2020 19:39 (four years ago) link
This is my distilled / must-hear version of the deluxe album:
RareCrowded RoomVulnerableRingCut You OffKinda CrazyFun
― bagel in the streets, donut in the sheets (morrisp), Wednesday, 21 October 2020 21:38 (three years ago) link
The new Saved by the Bell series apparently has some background graffiti saying “Does Selena Gomez even have kidneys?” — so the Selenators have got RESPECT SELENA GOMEZ trending
― meditate in my direction (morrisp), Saturday, 28 November 2020 18:04 (three years ago) link
Just danced to "Rare" and "Ice Cream" in Just Dance 2021... pretty great
― babe for the weekend (morrisp), Tuesday, 9 February 2021 22:28 (three years ago) link