This was my last full 100 reviews. I was definitely getting more tired, and I had technical issues, but I nonetheless managed to mostly get two reviews a week and to listen to lots of new bands.
Looking over the names, one of the first memories that popped up was how much I hated Stever. That hatred means more to me now.
As I was trying to incorporate more diverse artists, using key months as a guideline, I did focus on some women artists for the last two weeks of March, Women's History Month. Two of them were great, and had come from recommendations through a feminist web community that I really liked. The daily songs will start and end with them. Another was not terrible, and then there was Stever.
It was not merely that I didn't like her music; I didn't, but that wasn't really the problem.
It was not even completely that she was trying to do great things without apparently having much of a clue or realizing that a clue was lacking. That would merely be annoying.
No, it was really the way she took her inspiration from autism -- without studying autism -- so it could just be her metaphor of how she thought things should be.
There are real people who have autism. There is lots of bad information out there, that often corresponds with abusive treatment of real people.
I bet Stever loves Sia.
It is perhaps important to note that I was starting to become better versed in ableism at this time. I started caring deeply about racism and sexism fairly early. It took me longer to get there on homophobia and transphobia, and longer still on ableism.
That doesn't mean it was previously okay with me, or that I would not have responded to blatant discrimination. For me, it was just a matter of learning more and listening to more voices. It was learning more about the kind of harm that happens, and how and why.
If I had reviewed Stever in 2014, I still wouldn't have liked her, but her name wouldn't still make me mad. I would just shrug.
Therefore, perhaps it makes sense that for those other two artists that were great, well, the songs have very progressive themes, let's say. Also, something I have learned, and I think I got there around 2018, is that you can't fight bigotry while still holding on to some. It just doesn't work.
I should mention it was not convenient that I was becoming so much more radically aware while my life was falling apart, but really, there is no way for either of those things to be convenient. In some ways, my life falling apart did highlight a lot of inequities, but that was more 2019.
I will say that when I was physically assaulted at a concert that I really needed for respite, I was completely aware of the socio-political roots of that specific interaction, but it didn't help.
Daily songs:
“Fight Like A
Girl” by Emilie Autumn -- Electrifying. That was my first reaction. There is also a version where the song is combined with Rowan Farrow's reporting that also works well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvOXuZwOEvM
“Song That Needs to be Sung” by Songs That Need to Be Sung -- It was never clear if this was supposed to be one band or many bands working together. They clearly wanted to have a channel of protest music, and they got two songs. I get why they wanted it though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I8HkL5GpmQ
“These Train
Tracks” by The Alpacas -- I appreciated the emphasis on coming together and reconciliation via nature and for the purpose of growth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYv5kws2wd0
“Bang the Lid”
by Delta Deep -- I love the guitars and rhythm on this. It's not always deep.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zoet081rbsY
“Believe” by
Palaceburn -- I felt like I should have known about the band sooner. Very powerful. Glad I found them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ORFuNGANaE
“Superficial”
by Sharp/Shock -- I started listening to them in advance of the concert, and really liked them. Somehow it is just a relief that it didn't ruin my liking them, because I still like Alkaline Trio, but what happened is always at the back of my mind with them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVgk2XAScxg
“Antipatriarca”
by Ana Tijoux -- Theoretically, I could choose this for the title alone, but there is more to it than that. Rhythmically great, but great message.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoKoj8bFg2E
Related posts:
https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2018/03/band-review-stever.html
https://www.newsweek.com/music-sia-movie-autism-controversy-maddie-ziegler-1569289
https://sporkful.blogspot.com/2018/10/concert-review-alkaline-trio.html
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