Thought #1:

Lemonade is such a genius name for an album. That’s all. Out of lemons, Beyoncé literally made lemonade. I think about that so often. Lemonade has been front of mind lately because spring always makes me re-visit the album and I also saw her Cowboy Carter concert recently.

Thought #2:

Cowboy Carter is one of those albums I know I’ll love forever, and hearing it live was so much more incredible. I haven’t been able to listen to it since because it’s just not the same as it is live and I’m still dealing with the inevitable post-Beyoncé concert depression. Her performance of “YA YA” and “Why Don’t You Love Me” was jaw-dropping in person, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to hear those songs the same again. As I watch this night four clip over and over, I can’t believe I stood there in the flesh, sans-phone (trying to be more in the moment) to take it in fully. Incredible. One thing I will say is that the sound was so wildly loud, I sometimes couldn’t make out the words she was saying. (Even earplugs didn’t save me from a night of ear-ringing.) It was a little frustrating but still such an amazing show. And I’m linking the video again below because while I can’t make you click on it, I can sure try!

@afygiraffeShe altered my brain chemistry 😭 #whydontyouloveme #yaya #cowboycarter🤠🐝

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Thought #3:

Lately I’ve been seeking out the alternative electronic-experimental music of the 2000’s and 2010’s. Enter alt-J’s “Breezeblocks.” The chorus is wonderfully mysterious and quintessential alternative rock. To me, alternative music feels like indie’s avant-garde cousin. Though indie and alternative are used pretty interchangeably now, I think alternative music will always be a little weird. And if you love it, you really love it. If you’re a fan too, the rabbit hole has also brought me back to Phantogram’s “When I’m Small,” Arcade Fire’s “Rococo,” and Rumspringa’s “Shak‘em Loose Tonight,” all of which are joys to revisit if it’s been awhile. This one’s also another wonderfully fitting example of my love for song titles with obscure nouns.

Thought #4:

For whatever reason, perhaps and likely due to the tail end of tornado season in my hometown, I’ve had The Wizard of Oz on my mind. It’s always been my favorite movie, and every time I watch it, I remember just how much I love the music. I’ve specifically had stuck in my head “It Really Was No Miracle,” Dorothy’s first concussion-induced song.

The wind began to switch, the house to pitch
And suddenly the hinges started to unhitch
Just then the Witch,
To satisfy an itch, went flying
On her broomstick, thumbing for a hitch

Judy Garland’s singing style (or transatlantic accent?) is crisp and sort of percussive. I also love the rhyming of words that we just don’t use in 2025. I didn’t know a house could pitch, but it’s perfect nonetheless. But the shining moment of the whole number might be the ensemble singing “which was not a healthy sit-uation for the wicked witch.” It’s so good, and while it might not be the coolest example of lyricism, I’ll find it where I can. (Sidebar: The Suite Life on Deck theme song is garden path sentence perfection. “Let’s head out to see… what this world has for you and for me now.” Genius.)

Thought #5:

Lastly, I just want to share a niche connection I made last month. Kendrick Lamar and SZA released their music video for “luther” two weeks before HAIM released their music video for “Down to be wrong,” and both were filmed at the same hotel. The Westin Bonaventure. It’s also something of an LA landmark, so I was excited to recognize that as well. That’s all, just a little something for any fellow pattern-recognition lovers out there. Also the “luther” video is so visually beautiful, I really recommend giving it a watch.

P.S. — New feature! Drop some recs below if you feel like it!

Music Suggestion Box

This song gives love to something long underrated in the music-sphere… the instrumental hook. Synths are back in fashion, but something tells me that this album will feel more like a reinvention rather than a plain call back to 2010’s indie pop. And if Lorde herself wasn’t enough of a guarantee, I don’t know that there is much more reliable in this world than the drums of Dev Hynes (an anticipated album collaborator) or Jim-E Stack. Groove is inevitable.

I don’t think I have much else to say (right now). In the meantime, I’ll be listening to this song on loop.

Drums are the first thing I think about when it comes to groove. I think good drums get taken for granted too often, when it’s such a crucial piece of the sound. The drums in “Bleed” bring in more crash cymbals (and the quick-close hi-hat that I love so much) than many indie songs, which gives it an older sound. It feels like a 2025 indie version of “The Eye of the Tiger.”

Perhaps that’s controversial, but I really do think “Bleed” is a seemingly subdued relative of the classic hit. Maybe it’s subliminal messaging from the music video, which features Malcolm Todd in a boxing ring, but the song could soundtrack a sports movie training montage. (In other related news, I finally watched “Rocky” and maintain my previous statements about “Safe In Your Skin,” though perhaps it’d be more fitting in a modern remake’s redemption arc scene.) The only similarity may well be the punchy drums. It could even be as simple as “punchy” = boxing, but I like to think my rationale more complex than that. Anyway, naturally I made a playlist of songs with a similar sound, so if you’re a music supervisor for Rocky VII(?) or just a fan of a good snare feel free to check it out. (Also, most of the songs in the playlist mention bleeding, fighting, training, etc. so clearly there’s a wavelength to be on.)

But onto the next element. I could honestly talk about the guitar forever. The guitar bends that punctuate the first verse (specifically on the upbeats) are an important hook in the song’s memorability. And so good. The guitar riff that runs through the post-chorus (more like a chorus) feels like just as much of a refrain as “how my heart bleeds.”

While the percussion momentarily drops out, Omar comes in singing — ethereal as always. When they rejoin for the chorus, all elements are back. The last line repeats over again, though instead of getting tired, it just makes me want to snap my fingers to the rhythm a la “Beat It.” As it begins to fade out in classic 80’s fashion (more on that another time), the guitar ends the song abruptly reminding you that this is 2025 and (with all due respect) faders have switches. It’s a successful homage to and reimagining of 80’s songs, complete with new elements and production of today’s indie music. And certainly well worth the listen. Happy Bleed-ing!

I decided long ago that negative album reviews had no place to occupy my brain space, and that’s a belief I continue in this endeavor. (Pitchfork, I love you, but wholeheartedly disagree with every 6.5-8 album ranking on the principle of subjectivity). So, in my reviews here I won’t be tearing apart your favorite albums, because art is mostly subjective.

Second, the Oxford comma lives long here. Sorry AP Style Guide, some things are too sacred. There’s a whole article somewhere about occasional situations in which an extra comma actually creates further confusion, but here at Liner Notes HQ, we’ll just take it case-by-case.

Third — sentences will begin with conjunctions. They’re often just more powerful. Also, while we’re talking about sentence structure, I love parentheses and use them intentionally. I’ll write a whole new sentence in parentheses (like including the period) because sometimes a thought is disparate enough to be somewhat removed, but not so far unrelated that it should be all the way in a footnote.

Fourth — I will get into the weeds. (See above.)

Most importantly, for me this is mostly just journal entries bordering on essays. Generally speaking, writing helps me to clear things up, summarize them, and read them back when things don’t make sense. So this space is simply the things I’d write for myself, shared with all of you lovely people. Thank you for being here!

And — always feel free to drop song recommendations, questions, poems about the state of the world, whatever you see fit.

Just some songs I love…

Link Heaven

This part is a kind of glossary of music links and references to things that fill my head. Plus, I do love lists, so here is their time to shine. (To be updated periodically)

Live Performances I Love:

• Fiona Apple - “I Know”

• Harry Styles - “Ultralight Beam” cover

• Dijon & Mk.gee - “Big Mike’s”

• Hozier - “Do I Wanna Know” cover

• Kendrick Lamar - Super Bowl Halftime Show

Greatest Hits:

• Vanilla Ice explaining that riff (kind of)

• This music map website that details genres, their roots, and timelines

• The New York Times Diary of a Song series

• WhoSampled

• WhatSong - needle drops from tv/film

• Radiooooo - music from around the world through time

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Until now. I’ve been listening to her 2005 album, Speak for Yourself and received quite the shock on track five. Perhaps you’re well-aware, but it was her song “Hide and Seek” that served as the inspiration (and song-defining sample) for Jason Derulo’s “Whatcha Say.” I was in fact not aware. The sample was also popularized by a 2007 SNL digital short titled “The Shooting AKA Dear Sister” (“Whatcha Say” was released in 2009), and I fully watched that skit years later thinking “oh it’s the Jason Derulo song.” I’m not a Jason Derulo hater, but given the sample has always been my favorite part of the song, I’m shocked I didn’t know sooner. Though I suppose it’s simply good news for me that there’s more of it. (Side note: if you’re a fan of the vocal styles of Caroline Polachek or The Japanese House like I am, you might just find that you like Imogen Heap too.)

Anyway, I guess it’s um… all for the best.

Just for kicks, some other songs that I didn’t know were covers until recently include:

• “Killing Me Softly” (Lori Lieberman, then Roberta Flack, then Lauryn Hill)

• “Nothing Compares 2 U” (Prince, then Sinéad O’Connor)

• “Valerie” (The Zutons, then Amy Winehouse)

• “Swingin Party” (The Replacements, then Lorde)

But above all, this is my favorite sample story… The Unlimited Singers covered “Michelle” originally by The Beatles, which Masego flipped, which was then used by Drake. Who knows who will use it next.

The song starts off with a steady, even drum beat. Kick, snare, kick, snare, in 4/4 time. It’s pretty simple, but there’s something really perfect with this song’s simplicity. Other details like hi-hats accent each “up” beat, and an extra kick drum hit gives it some swing, but overall it’s an easy rhythm to follow. For the second verse, that familiar rhythm gets filtered. Creating a muffled sound, it gives the song some variety and sonic depth. Also I just really love an auto filter. All things aside, this whole mini essay is really about three extra drum hits. The drum fill I’m talking about occurs at exactly the two-minute mark, after the drums return in full for the second chorus. It’s a subtle missable moment, even possibly a last-minute add-in during production, but this little drum fill makes me love the song so much more. I’ll listen to the whole song over just to hear that moment again. It’s a repeated chorus, but the slight variety gives it more energy behind it this time. It’s often easy to love music’s “big” moments, from a shrieking guitar solo to an outrageous quick-paced drum fill, but I’m forever in defense of the subtle.

P.S. — Another song with a little drum fill I love is “Why” by Dominic Fike. It occurs twice (timestamps 0:48 and 1:37 to be exact). Although “fill” may not be the best descriptor because it’s more like two spaced-apart drum hits. With the second occurrence before the chorus, those two drum hits create an ever-so-slight brief pause. It’s another little moment that makes me love the song, and makes it a bit more spontaneous to listen to.

Before I dive in, I highly suggest a listen first. Here, in its glory, is “Safe In Your Skin.”

Title Fight wasn’t a name I knew until I saw Billie Eilish repost a TikTok of two guys waiting for the drop in their most popular song on Spotify titled “Safe In Your Skin.” The drop came and they both commenced a slow head bang. The slow head bang (it’s decidedly more than a nod) is a motion I believe to be more mighty than the traditionally-known hard rock head bang. It’s a sign of reverence for a song that shows beauty in the slowness, in the quiet. I’m a big fan of the slow head bang, as you can tell. This drop deserves it.

The so-called drop in “Safe In Your Skin” arrives at the 1:03 timestamp. I think a drop is subjective, especially when you’re not in the electronic music scene. It tends to be defined by drums, but sometimes guitars signal one too. The point is, we all know it when we hear it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but a drop is only as good as the things that surround it. The lead-up and build. No vocals precede the drop in this song. Just overblown static-sounding guitar, and a subtle click leading into a near-clean guitar riff. The overblown guitar part echoes a bit in the background, then blends together when the drums come in. I think the whole of this song is absolute perfection. It feels like it should be in a “Rocky” movie (I’ve never seen “Rocky”), fist raised in the air in quiet triumph.

Spotify seems to categorize the song as “midwest emo,” which to me, just seems like a label to tell you how it’s supposed to feel. The lyrics sound “sad” I guess, but there’s a kind of exhausted hope present in the song too. Anyway, if you’re not really a midwest emo listener (I wouldn't really consider myself to be), don’t feel like that’s all it can be. There are many country-leaning songs that I really like because they sound a little tropical too (Faye Webster for one). You might not even like the song, and that’s fine too.

I could describe it forever, but it kind of defeats the purpose of a song and doesn’t do it nearly enough justice. In general, at least now we know that I will never run out of music things to write about.