I recently wrote about the importance of track five on Taylor Swift’s albums, and the Random iTunes Fairy has responded by serving up one of those tracks today.
‘All You Had To Do Was Stay,’ from the 2014 album 1989, is one of Swift’s more upbeat track fives, in keeping with the overall style of that album. But lyrically it delivers a healthy dose of emotional turmoil. If you read the song before playing it, you might expect a tortured ballad rather than a slick bop.
When today’s random selection first popped up, it appeared to be a track from Liz Phair’s 2010 album Funstyle. I knew that album was a lot more experimental than her previous pop-centric releases, but this song sounded more like something from the indie pioneer’s 1993 studio debut Exile in Guyville.
Turns out this cut came from a bonus disc included with Funstyle that compiled tracks from a series of early demos Phair recorded under the name Girly Sound. Released before Guyville, these songs were captured on a four track tape deck in her bedroom.
The second album, in addition to Rosalia’s Motomami, to appear on all three New York Times critics’ ‘best of 2022’ lists is, predictably, Beyoncé’s Renaissance. This album has been a huge critical smash since it dropped in late July.
I have to admit I haven’t listened to the album all the way through since the day it came out. Back then I wrote that, while I recognized its appeal for its target audience, I didn’t count myself among that audience.
It’s that time of year when critics start rolling out their “best of” lists, with albums usually first out of the gate. Unlike movies, you don’t see a ton of new music releases in December, so it’s safe to lock in your favorites.
Seeing those lists pop up made me realize how little new music I’ve discovered this year. That’s been the case for awhile now, actually, in contrast to years when I’ve had a couple of dozen new releases to consider. I think there are two main reasons for the change.
Today’s song comes courtesy of one of those viral video projects that make the internet so fun. If you navigate past all the online hate speech and misinformation, you might be lucky enough to land on an electric toothbrush performing White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army.’
To be more precise, it’s “two electric toothbrushes, two credit card machines, two typewriters, and one steam iron,” according to the Finnish YouTuber who came up with Device Orchestra, a channel dedicated to music covers performed on household items.
Meet Me In Montauk 