The Old Blue Box

Since the first is something I deeply enjoyed, I gave her some company.

1. Ella Red. Youtube algorithmed me with He Asked For It, I wasn't sure at first (that phrase has certain connotations, after all). But the sheer over-the-top smashing of this excuse for rape is gorgeous and perfect. The styling, the setting, the angles and shots, everything about this video is near-perfect, and Ella Red's bland serial killer in a frothy pink number is perfect.

If I had one quibble it's that her titular 'He' is an unattractive dude. Most rapists are not unattractive. That's a myth that people seem to enjoy perpetuating and it's one of the reasons so many men get away with it. "He could get any woman, why would he need to rape her? Clearly, she wanted it."

Genre: introspective angry girl pop

Some other tracks:
- Parasite - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jr3J1HExS8 - it's an 80s-infused horror flick, with some introspection.
- Ball and Chain - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIyV7uI9AWU - Bedazzling the ball and chain is a great line.
- I Like You Best - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcHbc4Z2ths - an ode to choking, with some menacing vibes wrapped in pink and mansions. (I actually found this one a bit blah, I wanted her to stab someone at the end :/)
- Aphrodite - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rruQeuaUFYY - a prayer to a goddess


2. London Grammar. I picked up London Grammar's album 'If You Wait' probably in one of those Amazon five dollar album sales. That's what my memory says, anyway. I liked it. It's moody and introspective and soft, a bit Portishead (though not Three, more like Sour Times). And then I recently picked up their more recent album 'The Greatest Love', and really loved it.

Metal & Dust, Nighcall (which I think was a single?), Wasting My Young Years, Santa Fe, House, Ordinary Life, and Into Gold are great tracks (I like both albums a lot and rarely skip a track).

3. Civil Twilight. Letters From the Sky was their big radio hit, but I've no idea if they've had more (I don't listen to radio often). But their albums have been consistently good, and 'Story of an Immigrant' is banger after banger. Albums I own: 'Civil Twilight', 'Holy Weather', and 'Story of an Immigrant'

Genre: introspective dude rock?

Standout tracks: Fire Escape, Holy Dove, Huan, Perfect Stranger, Highway of Fallen Kings, It's Over, Let It Go, The Other Side, River, Holy Weather... and Believe.

4. The Warning. If you listen to these three albums, 'Queen of the Murder Scene', 'Error', and 'Keep Me Fed' on top of each other, one after the next, you can hear the evolution of this band. Queen is very raw, grunge-infused and young. Error is a little more polished, but still angry and pointed. And Fed is the one that's been produced by someone else, and it's slick and stylish and very put together. I love all three, for various reasons, but I'm crossing my fingers that the production of their next album will be a little less... polished. I think adding too many pop elements and auto-tune is a terrible choice.

Angry girl rock at its finest, though. A lot of Hole, a little Tori Amos, and some Kesha for flavor.

That said, stand-out tracks from all of the albums: Crimson Queen, Red Hands Never Fade, Dust to Dust, The Sacrifice, Money, Choke, Disciple, Error, Six Feet Deep, Apologize, Burnout, Satisfied, Sharks (ok, lbr, I'd list every track).

5. Snow Patrol's recent album 'The Forest is the Path' is very Snow Patrol and kinda gooey, but it's a good listen. All, These Lies, What if Nothing Breaks?, Hold Me In the Fire, The Beginning... honestly, I could list all of the tracks. I really enjoyed it after it grew on me (it's very fluffy, ok).