ariana grande - positions (oct. 2020)

kind of a snooze but will prob sound better in the context of the album

low key kind of? but because it just feels perfectly glassy, rounded, no great dramatic peaks. a vibe to sink into.

^This is very well stated. I think the track is deceptively simple... it's low-key on the surface, but the rhythm & melody have a steady, sophisticated momentum (even when the beat drops out). The effect is like opening an ingenious music box and letting it play for a few minutes; then easing it closed until you're ready to hear it again.

album cover art was just served up -

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ElCSRx3WAAI8QXL?format=jpg&name=large

i don't really have anything to say about this other than that it's nice and i'm enjoying it

Sounds like Nija Charles is one of the track’s main songwriters... her discography is great (“Tonight,” the Summer Walker song, is a favorite of mine).

Good stuff, tho not ostentatiously so

tracklist:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ElH3TvWXIA0DU-a?format=jpg&name=large

Much like how 7 Rings was based around interpolating Rodgers and Hammerstein, 34+35 will be based around interpolating The Connells.

The Rascals™ are reportedly back!

looking like the album may be entirely r&b (no Max Martin this time out)

“nasty” is the track that she shared a snippet of back in March)

Scott Storch worked on a track:

Scott Storch revealed in Fall ‘18 he was asked to play “neo-soul-inspired beats” during a session with Ariana. Last month, a song titled “My Hair” was registered where he’s listed as a writer 📝

Scott Storch worked on hits like “Naughty Girl”, “Cry Me A River”, “Baby Boy” & more pic.twitter.com/7XHGBrFrQ1

— Ariana Grande Today (@ArianaToday) July 12, 2020

this is out there. and so far it's almost like she heard the Dua Lipa album and decided she could outdo it for ruthless efficiency. (I mean this as a compliment!)

I won't be shocked if it turns out that "off the table" features some 0PN involvement

y'all are gonna freak when you hear "my hair"

see also "love language" (that string arrangement!)

imo this is the best ariana grande album, good night everyone

Super hyped for this. Is it coming out this friday?

yarp

this is surely her most consistent album - there's not a single dud, but i'm not sure i prefer it to dangerous woman yet

"love language" is the highlight on first listen

my only complaint is it's kinda too streamlined though, i wish the tracks weren't all so short and had the chance to breathe a little more

8 songs under 3 minutes is certainly to blame on the streaming era.

I don’t think her albums have any duds! (...but, I would think that). There’s maybe one song per album that I don’t dig so much, but even those are ok songs.

“Focus” is probably the only true dud she’s officially released (not counting stuff she’s put on SoundCloud, etc.) — and even that was pulled from the album. Except in Japan, where they get all the odds & ends.

fantastic album

don't think it has the emotional resonance of thank u next and even on a pure songcraft level there's something still pretty magical about the debut to me... but it's close to a perfect album for where she is coming out of the last one. everything starting w/ the weeknd song is pretty crazy, basically every song is a knockout.

fwiw i don't really rate sweetener & i might be the only person who has my everything > dangerous woman

"7 rings" was absolutely a dud and there were a bunch on sweetener and even dangerous woman had "sometimes" which has that annoying "la la la" bit.

i could easily see this becoming my favourite once i've listened to it more

i wish the tracks weren't all so short and had the chance to breathe a little more

I don't think making these songs longer would make them better

impressively while these songs are mostly short, they don't skimp on bridges / outros / general bits of goodness beyond verse/chorus/verse. it's easy to imagine the five-minute version of "POV" (an amazing song, incidentally) with a key change and a choir but I personally don't need it

i mean i'm not asking for 5 minute versions of things, just more on the 3-4 minute side rather than the 2-3

How are the guest features?

they're very solid unless you hate the weeknd

uh oh

weeknd sounds amazing on that song

it's one of the best songs he's ever been involved in imo

I lol'd at the end of "34+35" -- "Means I wanna 69 with ya... noooooo shit"

"Off the Table" -- holy gawd

it's like "Get Well Soon" taken to... another place

this has indeed become my favourite of hers already

These tracks are sophisticated as $#!&. I agree w/Simon that they lose nothing in their brevity -- and it may even work to their advantage.

"Nasty" is every bit as good as the snippet suggested it would be...

whoa - that coda on "Love Language"

There's something "'90s-feeling" about the whole album, without it being an obvious stylistic throwback... touches like the background vocal arrangements remind me of a classic Mariah album or something?

"off the table" genuinely fucking incredible

Haven't heard any of this yet even the single. Super looking forward to this considering that Needy and Ghostin are easily two of the best songs ever. The separate song titles are trending on Twitter; i love it when that happens.

the only thing i've read on this so far was the stereogum review which i thought was weirdly low on the album in general but specifically dissed the weeknd song which just doesn't align at all w/ how i hear this album. that's when it really kicks into gear for me

Not feeling “off the table” but the strings on “love language” and the retro vibe and Mariah Carey influence on “My Hair” are early standouts.

This feels like a follow-up to Yours Truly in the best way

Just finished listening to this. I went in with high expectations due to the raving comments here but I must say I’m a bit underwhelmed. It’s nice but nothing particularly grabbed me.
So far, I much prefer the previous album.
But maybe this will be a grower.

concur with Moka in that "my hair" or "love language" are probably my favourites. "motive" seemed like the obvious next single to me until i reached the doja cat verse, which kind of throws it off balance with its abrasiveness.

probably her most unassuming album yet; i get more..."i don't care" or "sometimes" from dangerous woman than yours truly tbh

I like this album but it exhausts me.

it's a motherfuckin' vibe, it's for motherfuckers that's patient, it's for motherfuckers that like to take their time, close their eyes, and dream

that needs to be quoted in the album poll

Modern version of Levi's ads?

True heads will pay $0.69 for the a cappella version

Her new studio pics are v funny (including the vid that pretends to have audio, but is silent). She's back, baby

Was there ever a poll of the Sweetener/Thank U Next era?

Here is the all time Ari Top 30 from a recent r/ariheads Reddit poll of faves

1 god is a woman
2 no tears left to cry
3 Pov
4 everytime
5 goodnight n go
6 in my head
7 thank u next
8 better off
9 ghostin
10 needy
11 dangerous woman
12 into you
13 positions
14 nasty
15 bad idea
16 love language
17 greedy
18 safety net
19 get well soon
20 34+35
21 the way
22 one last time
23 7 rings
24 bloodline
25 breathin
26 rem
27 sometimes
28 off the table
29 break your heart right back
30 moonlight

that's a real weird list

Weird list for sure ("GIAW" is one of my least fave tracks, fwiw)

love to see "POV" getting its due

i've learned over time that my interpretation of her catalog is much different than the majority of her stans, in that dangerous woman & sweetener represent the clear valley to me

i think i just like when she's making R&B music bcuz i've always seen her albums as

1. thank u next
2. yours truly

3. positions

4. my everything

5. dangerous woman
6. sweetener

sweetener in particular to me just feels like a lost era -- everyone was super excited about her becoming a true tabloid celebrity and she made her first gesture towards auteur status w/ the pharrell stuff, pitchfork jumped on board (her only album given an 8.0+ lmao) but that album was always flat to me, she jumped on the pharrell train far too late & honestly i haven't heard "no tears left to cry" or "god is a woman" out in the world in a long ass time. dangerous woman was always pretty mid to me too, i love "be alright" but even "so into you" leaves me cold. i can never match the energy and spirit of the other girls when that one comes on at the party, i just don't have it in me

positions was always in a tough spot of following up her obvious career apex but i still fight over that album to this day -- it's one of the better R&B albums of the decade, which is kinda fucked up but not really ariana's fault

I have a slightly different “POV”… I love Sweetener (tho agree “GIAW” is its valley), but Positions is also my favorite at the end of the day. I don’t think TUN is quite as strong overall as either of those albums, but it does have some of her best songs (in addition to maybe her worst!: “7 Rings”).

“DW” is terrific musically, but the lyrics let it down in spots. “So Into You” is its weakest track… it’s fine but could have gone to any artist, it doesn’t feel distinct to Ariana or really showcase her talent.

I tend to think of TUN as a world-class EP that’s sort of “padded out” to fill an album, which is ok, it’s a special kind of thing.

“So Into You” is its weakest track

wtf

I mean, comparatively! It’s still a good track

The lyrics to “Greedy” are cringe, but it’s a bop

(and highlights her vocal ability better, IMO)

I know songs are shopped around, but it’s hard listening to “GIAW” without thinking about how it was originally with Camila Cabello (and probably could’ve stayed with her…). It is one of AG’s favorites though, fwiw

i completely agree about sweetener being very overrated but dangerous woman is one of her best which is why sweetener was so disappointing

Canny numerologists have pointed out that she posted the seven (7) studio pics/vids on December 7 (…in case there was any doubt whether they just related to another feature on someone else’s remix, or something like that).

Only figured out recently that "Santa Tell Me" is originally her song. It's kind of crept into the Xmas canon already so I figured it was an older song she was covering. I enjoy hearing it more than most Xmas songs

She just released the “naughty version” (which has a slightly spicier bridge).

Being an Ariana stan in 2023 involves engagement w/several degrees of irony & camp.

Another quality teaser (in studio w/Max & Ilya)

I've been listening to DW and Sweetener (thanx to the above discussion)... they both hit just as strong as ever; Sweetener in particular is such a wonderful & special album, it has this magic that's just like nothing else...

Did anyone get one of the postcards that were being sent out in the mail to fans? They look cool! I want one.

I’m still waiting for mine! :D

(I think they were just sent out to the five or so big stan accounts that she coordinates things with?)

…ah looks like it was ~7~ fans (to fit the theme)

New single apparently titled “yes, and?”

There are hints it’ll be released Friday, Jan. 12 (but not confirmed)

^now confirmed, btw

Turns out the lyric she's been teasing – "Say that shit with your chest" – also appears in a Mac Miller song

The track is said to be influenced by (or even "interpolate") Madonna's "Vogue"... which also happened the case w/"Motive," from the last album.

I've learned to keep expectations in check (with any artist/band I'm a fan of)... no streak lasts forever, lighting doesn't necessarily strike 7 times, etc. But few artists have her level of "quality control"/taste in her own material; and especially for her big comeback single, it's hard to imagine a swing + miss (I doubt we're getting a "Focus" situation here). But you never know...

Btw – I've been listening to Positions; and even accounting for the fact that AG music prob sounds 5x better to me than a non-fan, I'm surprised the album wasn't more generally acclaimed. Even putting aside her vocals and the melodies (which are f'in incredible), the production is just amazingly lush; every song full of gorgeous details under the surface. It's just a world-class album...!

i agree entirely. i think 'thank u next' was just such a career peak both in terms of her music and her celebrity, her really just being in the center of the pop culture zeitgest and releasing great music that spoke directly to all the attention, that i think the follow up was always going to be in a really tough spot in its shadow regardless of whether it was good or not. it just so happens to be really really good

New thread for a new "era": ariana grande - eternal sunshine (2024 album)