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Charli xcx: Brat
Itโs a rare thing I openly tell people I enjoy anything popular. Itโs true, I donโt. I like popstars, though. The occasional dip into reality television because I love seeing gorgeous women, it girls, celebutantes. Charli XCX has made me aware of this because BRAT is an album that is self-aware of itself, what it โ read more
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Michelle Branch: Spirit Room
For the life of me, I wanted that blue Taylor 614ce. The one Michelle Branch held in old photographsโangled just so, girl and guitar gleaming like product and prophecy. I didnโt get the guitar. But I got the album. The Spirit Room. It came to me like most things did then: slowly, imprecisely, passed through โ read more
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Marina and the Diamonds: Family Jewels
I remember thinking Lady Gaga was referencing herโMarina and the Diamondsโin all those high-concept visuals, the performance art, the glamorous misery. Turns out it was Marina Abramoviฤ. Close enough. Iโve always been drawn to pop music that knows itโs pop music. Even when I was a scene kid in eyeliner and borrowed band tees, I โ read more