Album Rating: 4.0
I would say there’s a certain confidence behind the way Phoebe delivers such highly personal and introspective lyrics, as well as a subtle presence and energy on the instrumentals, with the harmonies and filters and various flourishes, that it keeps the album from embodying the “tepid and feeble” qualities that define “milquetoast”
It is indie folk so yeah it’s slow and mostly soft and doesn’t sound like Daughters or Boris but as far as this type of music goes I’d say it’s less milquetoast than most of her peers
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damn i just wanted to aimlessly offload my pastebin and cole be like "nah here are some reasonable points" okay
a certain confidence behind the way Phoebe delivers such highly personal and introspective lyrics
not entirely sure which moments you mean by this besides obviously the closer, but (as previously discussed) her lyrical voice is concertedly built on vacillation and non-commitment (obvs "kyoto" and, say, the t/t - jfc). sometimes this is smart and touching, sometimes it's shallow and unconvincing; this is an important part of her craft and i wouldn't knock her as a writer, but i think it's pretty dodgy ground to pick up on the lyrics of someone actively keen to underline a swathe of uncertainties and levels of disconnection within her mind and heart as a refutation to the lack of assertiveness suggested by 'milquetoast'
a subtle presence and energy on the instrumentals
the instrumentals are a weave of easy-listening indie tropes and get points for sporting one of the most phoned-in Discovery Channel Rush Of Amazement climaxes i've ever heard ("chinese satellite") and backing melodies so clean and inoffensive you'd literally think a 12 yr old had copied and pasted their favourite moments from the hammiest Sigur Ros songs together (t/t). the only track that i identify what i think you mean here in is "savior complex", but that one's delicate arrangement (those smooth strings over those brittle acoustic chords hnng yes) and more distinctive melodies just show up how listless the likes of "garden song" and "halloween" are. on the bright side, you made me relisten to it so thanks ig
harmonies and filters and various flourishes
the latter two generally come off as superfluous in a way that augments both the qualities you named, especially so when you consider how well she fares with less evasive production/more traditional acoustic accompaniment (and also how "savior complex" once again shows the rest up). more examples of what you mean by flourishes please. no comment on the harmonies, other than i'm not convinced that having cogent harmonies makes an album any more less milquetoast? gonna refer this one to the experts (someone from the ruston kelly thread please comment)
It is indie folk so yeah it’s slow and mostly soft and doesn’t sound like Daughters or Boris
thank you
I’d say it’s less milquetoast than most of her peers
hey, i only said this was a 'contender' for the most milquetoast album of 2020 - no need to reach to the bottom of the barrel here!
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Album Rating: 3.5
Kyoto go brrr
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Album Rating: 4.0
“i think it's pretty dodgy ground to pick up on the lyrics of someone actively keen to underline a swathe of uncertainties and levels of disconnection within her mind and heart”
I don’t really see how the uncertainties and levels of disconnection within her mind make the album milquetoast, if anything the uncertainty she feels makes her lyrics easier to connect with, and sometimes manifests in the music itself (like on I Know The End). At the end of the day she conveys feelings of sadness and doubt more confidently and convincingly than most other indie folk artists, and it doesn’t quite feel right to question the assertiveness of an album that conveys these particular emotions so intensely
As for the instrumentals, I can’t really sit here and argue that they’re particularly assertive or non-milquetoast, but there’s enough going on under the surface that they facilitate the ideas Phoebe tries to convey very well imo. It’s far from some teenager on youtube just strumming a ukulele is my point essentially
Also you hate on the end of Chinese Satellite way too much lol it’s not that bad
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i like milky toast
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I don’t really see how the uncertainties and levels of disconnection within her mind make the album milquetoast, if anything the uncertainty she feels makes her lyrics easier to connect with, and sometimes manifests in the music itself (like on I Know The End). At the end of the day she conveys feelings of sadness and doubt more confidently and convincingly than most other indie folk artists, and it doesn’t quite feel right to question the assertiveness of an album that conveys these particular emotions so intensely
As for the instrumentals, I can’t really sit here and argue that they’re particularly assertive or non-milquetoast, but there’s enough going on under the surface that they facilitate the ideas Phoebe tries to convey very well imo. It’s far from some teenager on youtube just strumming a ukulele is my point essentially
Also you hate on the end of Chinese Satellite way too much lol it’s not that bad
***
broader consideration of positive/negative value irrelevant to the milquetoast quotient specifically
synonymous with "this album explores what it means to be milquetoast"
agreed
spurious
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fwiw i never viewed the lyrics themselves as specifically milquetoast because, even when she doesn't sell me, i respect her craft there far more than in the way the music is presented (which gets the m-badge through and through) and wouldn't want to trivialise her voice - but also the specificity of her subject matter makes it a dubious counter-example to that point
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Album Rating: 4.0
My point about it not just being ukelele strumming is relevant if the main reason for your milquetoast critique is the instrumentals/music itself. But if your argument is that the instrumentals still qualify as milquetoast anyway, then that’s reasonable. It’s probably largely a matter of personal taste too and it seems like you generally prefer busier/more dense music
Regardless you essentially graded my comment like it was an english assignment which was a nice throwback to high school and also probably helps keep you sharp for your students so that’s nice
Oh and I also learned what spurious means but I’m choosing to believe it means “furious on Sputnik” and that’s how I’ll be using it from now on
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Album Rating: 4.5
johnny is graphic design your passion
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Album Rating: 2.0
If it was, he'd probably like this
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i marked the ukelele point as irrelevant in the sense that who cares what kids on youtube are doing, but otherwise ye fair. fwiw i most defo fw chill/simple/shallow/undense music but it feels cheap imo for reaso/
"johnny is graphic design your passion"
that is a government secret
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Album Rating: 2.0
Imagine having your standards so low that arguing the lack of ukulele in a record makes it an enjoyable listen lmfao
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Album Rating: 4.0
Imagine not understanding the use of hyperbole to make a point
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Album Rating: 3.5
More like pukulele amirite
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best milquetoast ukelele song of all time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3ke0nJtLk4
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Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
This is way better than any Elliott Smith
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Album Rating: 2.0
This is way better than any Tallest Man on Earth, agreed.
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Album Rating: 4.0
Tallest Man = goat of folk
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Album Rating: 2.0
Poor indie folk, how far have you fallen
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Album Rating: 4.0
I'm spurious rn
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