Sara Ahmed writes about how attempts to emphasize the affirmative and exciting elements of feminist theory can sometimes contrast these elements with an other, implicitly earlier and duller feminism, and so end up reinforcing the image of the boring, outdated feminist. I was reminded of this by how Girli’s excellent new single, “Girls Get Angry Too“, wilfully insists on being this “boring” feminist; without, of course, actually being boring. What I like so much about the track is that it’s direct and serious – it’s not jokey or cute – but it’s also full of wit and artistry, in the thoughtfully constructed and energetically performed lyrics, and the intense, exciting beat (I haven’t heard as pummelling an industrial clang since the early days of grime).
New Pet Shop Boys! I’m not sure how I feel about their new album, Super. The singles, “The Pop Kids” (especially) and “Inner Sanctum,” are great, but the rest of the album is less impressive. “Twenty Something” seems like an awkwardly strained attempt to write a zeitgeist song for a zeitgeist they’re not really a part of, and I don’t get the point of “The Dictator Decides” at all (it sort of looks like a political song if you squint a bit, but what aspect of contemporary politics is it actually supposed to be grasping?). Read more↴
I’ve compiled all the tracks I’ve mentioned this week into a mixcloud track, which you can listen to through the player above, and follow along with the post, I guess? The first track is the new Carly Rae Jepsen! Specifically, one of two new tracks from the new Japan-only remix album. “First Time” is great, could easily have been a track from Emotion, except that the extra-punchy synths are more reminiscent of Kiss. The other new track, “Fever,” is less immediately striking, but the lyrics are wonderful (“well that could work but I’m still hot for you”); the remixes are mostly whatever, although there’s a good disco version of “Your Type.” Read more↴
Like Patri Friedman, Pitbull apparently associates freedom with being on a big boat. Also with an acid house cover of “I’m Free,” made famous of course by the Soup Dragons. Which turns out to be a pretty decent song, and Pitbull’s joyful drag parody of masculinity is as charming as ever. Read more↴