Posted by By Anna Goodman, Staff Writer
You may know I love to read. But to read, you also need to listen. This list is ten of the reasons why I find myself, more often than not, absorbed in stories told in songs, and why I often try my hand creating them myself. Some need a translation, but all have something to say, and hopefully, we all have a little time to listen.
Folklore by Taylor Swift (indie)
Delving into topics from the COVID pandemic (“epiphany”) to the struggles of getting clean (“this is me trying”) to rampant misogyny (“mad woman”) and the love triangle of three highschoolers (“cardigan”), Taylor Swift’s Folklore is an excellent album not only because of its evocative lyrics, but because it manages to weave together the author’s own experiences and her inspiration from various media into a cohesive piece where every track, despite their similarities, has something that makes it stand out.
Quote: “When you are young they assume you know nothing…but I knew you, stepping on the last train, marked me like a blood stain. I knew you, tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy. I knew you, leaving like a father, running like water.” (“cardigan“)
Walpurgis Night by Gfriend (k-pop)
In what’s both their best and, sadly, their last, album, k-pop group Gfriend manage to weave a three-part story entitled “The Modern Witch Trilogy”: a tale of genuine friendship (“Crossroads”), desire and self-discovery (“Apple”), and finally, the freedom and joy that comes with the acceptance that life isn’t always perfect (“Wheel Of The Year”). All of the tracks are written by the group members, which is rare for the k-pop industry, and the album works as a fictional storyline, a soundtrack often played at Pride in Seoul, and as a declaration of love from the six women (who remain lifelong friends) to each other.
Quote: “My heart is beating for you, yes you, the future me in the mirror. No more fairytales; the fireworks bloom and the moonlight is full…Go on and judge me now, but I won’t be stopped; raise your glass to me!” (“MAGO“)
Timeless by Davido (hip-hop)
After the tragic death of his young son, Nigerian singer-songwriter Davido processed his grief by creating Timeless, an album that blends his usual hip-hop with hints of jazz, R & B, and afro-pop, and goes from comparing the singer himself to David fighting Goliath (“Over Dem”) to allowing himself to take a much-needed break (“Away”) to ruminations on fame (“LCND”). It’s a combination that feels like it shouldn’t work, but, like Davido himself, it determines to do so anyway.
Quote: “I know they want to see me fall, but I’ve been doing this a long time…I don’t have time for trouble; don’t delay me, music is in my body, I’m on my way to dance.” (“Away“)
Glück by Lotte (pop)
With tales of young love (“Schau Mich Nicht So An”), mistakes (“Alles Zieht Vorbei”), and finding oneself in a new city (“Neonlicht”) with a whole new world, German artist Lotte’s Glück–which means “luck” or “happiness”–is an understated pop rumination on the past, the future, and everything in between. It’s comfortingly (occasionally brutally) honest, and doesn’t claim to have figured everything out, but is perhaps one step closer in the final track than it was in the first.
Quote: “Do you remember back when we were riding bikes without our hands and blasting loud music? When we weren’t so busy, when the future hadn’t happened? When we have grey hair, when the colors have faded, will you be here? You are home, from 1995 until the very end.” (“1995“)
The Returner by Allison Russell (funk / soul)
Only Allison’s Russell’s second album, The Returner effortlessly switches from English to Quebecois French, from classical strings to funk and from the delight of seeing the other side of a dark time in life (“Springtime”), to a razor-sharp skewering of racism (“Eve Was Black”) to reassurance to another that it’s worth it to keep going (“Requiem”).
Quote: “Do you lust, do you yearn, to return? Back to the Motherland, back to the garden, back to your Black skin, back to the innocence? Back to the shine you lost when you enslaved your kin?” (“Eve Was Black“)
As Melhores by Marilia Mendonça (Latin pop)
A collection of the best of the late Brazilian sertanejo singer Marilia Mendonca, it tracks different stages of a relationship from furious barbs at an ex (“Infiel”), unrequited love (“Como Faz Com Ela”), and the breakup itself (“Todo Mundo Vai Sofrer”). As Melhores is filled with the kinds of brassy, bold, percussion-led songs that will get you on your feet whether you like it or not.
Quote: “What you are going through, I’ve been through and survived. Stop insisting and deluding yourself. If he doesn’t want you, move on! Promise me that this time you’ll say no.” (“Supera“)
III by The Lumineers (country)
A desperate, melancholy concept album (and also a short film on YouTube) separated into three acts that tells the story of three generations of a family–matriarch Gloria (“Donna”), her son Jimmy (“My Cell”), and her grandson Junior (“Leader Of The Landslide”)–caught in an inherited cycle of addiction. Taking inspiration from Appalachian folk, Springsteen, and Guthrie, III is an epic spanning half a century, with songs that go from six minute, piano ballads to furiously fast, percussive, guitar-led country, the album becomes an addiction itself: you’ll both want to leave and be unable to tear your ears away.
Quote: “After an hour Jimmy doubled his cash, took his kid and his winnings as the dealer just laughed. He said, ‘they leave, but they always come back’…and it was three a.m. It was us or them.” (“Jimmy Sparks“)
It’s Gonna Be Ok by Tilly Birds (rock)
Known mostly in Thailand for their breakup anthems and somewhat cutting lyrics, rock trio Tilly Birds’ It’s Gonna Be Ok is actually an album surrounding coming to terms with a breakup, and loss in general. Though it still has its bursts of cathartic anger (“I’m Not Boring, You’re Just Bored”) it also has quieter moments of reflection and maturity (“Send You Off”) and hints of humor too (“Just Being Friendly?”) to balance those out.
Quote: “If we must break up, we won’t be sad, we won’t regret it. Not being lovers doesn’t mean we don’t love each other. You still have me just the same; our stories from when we were each others’ are still beautiful.” (“Ordinary“)
The War To End All Wars by Sabaton (metal)
Described by Apple Music as “like having the History channel on with the volume turned up to 11”, Sabaton is a metal band that dedicates their tracks to covering history; in this case, forgotten stories from World War One against a backdrop of electric guitar solos and raging drum beats. Though you may not have cared much about the many men lost to the cold on the Western Front (“Soldier Of Heaven”), the African American and Puerto Rican regiment called the Men Of Bronze (“Hellfighters”), or the one-day respite from the fighting where soldiers on both sides played soccer and drank together (“Christmas Truce”) at the start, rest assured; soon you’ll discover stories that you never knew could be true.
Quote: “Lost in time, returning to the light. Bow before, this lady fights for life. So, brother, raise your hand for the lady of the dark, soldier with no will to kill, with a philanthropic heart. Forever break the norms, she’s a girl in uniform, fighting side by side with men,; she will fight until the end!” (“Lady Of The Dark“)
Folkesange by Myrkur (folk)
Running the gamut from Danish (“Gudernes Vilje”) to Swedish (“Fager Som En Ros”) to Icelandic (“Tor I Helheim”) to English (“House Carpenter”), dark folk artist Myrkur’s latest album eschews the metal that made her famous for a beautiful collection of pan-Scandinavian folk songs, some centuries of years old and some created by the singer herself, telling tales of infidelity, Norse runes, and witches, on ancient instruments and modern violins alike.
Quote: “Against the ice blue you can see the blood flowing, a dead leg, the white well bleached in the moonlight, as king’s spire, a high chair stood under vaulted stone, a king’s spire wielded in her grim hand.” (“Tor I Helheim“)
The Maroon 