Why is sowders so pissed? The weather.

Album Rating: 3.0

it appears theres a double standard beginning to appear in the music scene where its now completely expected of female artists and artists of color to have some kind of stance on political or social issues or else theyll risk having those views (or the lack thereof) being held in a higher regard than their actual music during the process of album reviews. Im certain that standard was there before, but with the presence of social media and social issues seeming to come under fire more than they have in years, an artist cant really get away with having a "manufactured" personality through whatever music their producers and writers have cooked up.



Ive been seeing it for Meghan Trainor, Rihanna, Ariana, T-Swift, and now Beyonce (though to be fair, this album is pretty heavy with those themes) and it kinda sours me out because some critics are looking at their beliefs more than the music they're making, especially when the music doesn't really carry any sense of those ideals in theme.

Album Rating: 2.5

it's stressing because they still manage to not get treated like human beings with emotions and personal identities by the very same people fighting for their right, it's like a weird version of fetishization where they're expected to have certain beliefs and only get discussed in those terms

Album Rating: 3.0

Pop music going full circle.



It's the circle of life.

Album Rating: 2.5

it's not necessarily more "complex", they just have different subjects

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BrushedRed jk bro, I'm actually fish...



a Rabid Fish.



yeah, i'm sick of that too... I understand that, like any other cultural expression, music (and pop music especially) cannot be taken in without considering the sub-context of its gestation, where it comes from, to whom it's aimed at, what kind of message it's trying to get across.



like, it's taking musical analysis to a broader scale, where in the end it almost doesn't matter what the artist was trying to convey and if that reaches you on a personal level... The context takes up every aspect of interpretation and some (if not all) the enjoyment out of the album outside of a moral one.



It's kind of masturbatory and it takes away some of the magic that good music can produce.

Album Rating: 2.5

i also disagree that every piece of art is a political one



like, try and take any of maudlin of the well's albums and explain what it means as a political piece, like

Album Rating: 2.5

i hold this belief that if something is meant to pursue a objective other than to be art, then it's not fully art, that's just me tho



but even if something's done entirely about art, even then it doesn't have to be inherently political. see: maudlin of the well. so, i agree, pop music done to express something not political (maybe not this but another album) is still valid as a piece of art

Album Rating: 2.5

l'art pour l'art...



William Morris would punch you in the face

Album Rating: 2.5

i have no idea what morris believed in, but i probably am not in disagreement w/ him. what i postulate is that something is made to satisfy a necessity other than the need for art itself, or it's made with monetary gain in mind as opposed to a free expression of the self (not an expression that will, eventually, generate money though), then it's not art, but that's really beside the point

Nicely put Clover. I also don't enjoy when people hijack art, statistics or whatever else to use as a shameless vehicle for their political leanings which is why I've tired so quickly of anything having to do with this album. One big pop artists, who is black and female, releases a record that is admittedly heavy in those themes, (but in the end is still a piece of art or music, not exactly a thesis on the black female's place in society and heterosexual relationships) and all of a sudden everyone is a genius political/societal/music critic. I would rather discuss the themes in the context of the art, not the other way around.

Album Rating: 2.5

smooth af tbh

Album Rating: 4.0

"I would rather discuss the themes in the context of the art, not the other way around."



This.

Album Rating: 3.0

Album Rating: 2.5

that phrase is sweet af tho, wtf i'm using that from now on

Album Rating: 2.5

Morris believed that art, and especially how you make art (means of production), is a political statement in and on itself. He basically believed that there is no art without ideology.



Even decorative arts have an important role in our lives, all aspects of it, even the political and social aspects.



He also hated mass production and modern art, which is ironic 'cos he kinda helped create it... That's a whole different discussion, tho.

Thanks lads. Asnide from one person I'm pretty impressed with this thread tbh.

Album Rating: 2.5

fish: oh i see. agree to disagree with the dead dude tho lol



spaceship: was that a legit slip of the finger or... (lol)

u r now my favorite user spacesh1p

Album Rating: 3.0

*heart broken*