She Took The Midnight Train

Don't Stop Believin

When was the last time you heard Don't Stop Believin'? Was it on the radio or in the pub? At a festival or a wedding? Was it sung by Journey themselves, the cast of Glee, a fan on YouTube, a choir of schoolchildren or a drunk friend on a karaoke machine? Mike DeGagne of AllMusic has described "Don't Stop Believin" as a perfect rock song and an anthem, featuring one of the best opening keyboard riffs in rock. It is the best-selling digital track from the 20th century with over 7 million copies sold in the United States. 

"Journey performing Don't Stop Believing"

"Cover of Don't Stop Believing by the Cast of Glee"

Love Myself

BTS

I clicked onto YouTube’s home page and there, in my recommendations, was “I Need U” by BTS. I was already a K-Pop fan, but this was a totally different experience. Both the song and the video embodied the paralyzing feeling of being at your worst. When I heard lines like, “The sky is so blue, the sun is so bright, so you can see my tears so clear,” I felt like they understood what it felt like to feel defeated. These seven strangers were singing about something I was going through, and though what we were all feeling was bad, I was reassured because I wasn’t the only person who felt this way. The video’s visual symbolism, including Jungkook zoning out in public, Jimin sinking into a tub and Hoseok throwing his medication into a pit of fire, was similarly sad, but it also made me feel less alone. Most of the K-Pop I was listening to at the time was upbeat and happy, so there was something comforting about seeing this kind of vulnerability. And the fact that they were making music about experiences that I shared—and that had been making me feel alienated for years—made curious about who these seven guys even were, as artists and most of all, human beings.

I Was Filled With Poison, But Blessed With Beauty and Rage

What struck me as strange was how she's managed to make so many people feel nostalgic for a time they haven't even experienced first hand. I was completely taken in too. It's all very captivating - the slightly blurred, sepia tinted depictions of kids skateboarding, teens at prom night, and other shots of vaguely peaceful, transcendental settings like fields, streams, and rivers, all of which seem very nice and airy fairy.

Her music suits this imagery. She has a nice voice - it's deep and sexy, particularly when she makes it fade out or adds a hint of vibrato - but judging her as a singer and answering "what's so great" about her means listening to her independent of everything else. The best way to do this is to check out her live performances.

My personal opinion is that while her voice is good, she lacks range, and a lot of her imperfections that are otherwise hidden on record become apparent. The fade outs and vibrato are not done with as much skill, and her songs sound a lot less tuneful. 

But what seems really striking is the lack of feels - she seems bland and insipid when you take everything else away. And then you realize that this is somewhere a part of the act.

Even in her videos, her face is devoid of any expression. The facial contortions that usually accompany the hitting of high notes are completely absent, because she never approaches those notes. This gives her a strange invulnerability.

Imagine someone singing their heart out - they may be singing well or badly, but the point is that they're trying. Now imagine going up to them and telling them that they suck. Their reaction will likely be one of hurt and anger. But you cannot hurt Lana del Rey like this, because she's above all that. Her music is of great personal significance and is only for meant for others who can empathize and find meaning in it. She's too free and surreal to care about your praise or criticism.

There are plenty of musicians and bands who create "aura" music, meant to stimulate the imagination. One that comes to mind immediately is Opeth. Thing is, they don't rigidly adhere to that weak, vague notion of melancholy, and they always explore other themes and moods in their music confidently, painting vivid mental pictures through the use of different scales and instrumental tones.