There are no shortage of breathtakingly stunning moments on Half Waif's newly-released album, Lavender, but "Back in Brooklyn" stopped me dead in my tracks the first time I heard it. Aside from its sheer gorgeousness, something about its overall mood felt familiar in a way I couldn't quite pinpoint. When I heard it in the context of the entire album and paid closer attention to its lyrics, the reference point I was reaching for finally clicked: Laura Nyro's 1969 masterpiece, "New York Tendaberry." Of course, I can't say for sure how much of an influence (if any) Nyro has on Nandi Rose Plunkett's songwriting, but the more I thought about it, the stronger the connection grew in my mind. Naturally, the former English major in me started itching to dig deeper into the parallels between the two tracks.

On a superficial level, they're both intense, smoldering piano ballads that subtly build up from hushed beginnings to a cathartic and raw moment of vocal release then retreat back to a near-whispered finale. Lyrically, where "Back in Brooklyn" is more tangible and straightforward, "New York Tendaberry" is more abstract and free-associative. Despite their different approaches, their themes are comparable. In a vast sea of musical odes to New York City, there's a rare intimacy in the way both Plunkett and Nyro tie their relationship to the city to very personal, very emotionally honest narratives rather than relying on generalities. In this way, they reveal that the city is more than just a place to them but an experience and a feeling, a piece of their own identities they wouldn't feel complete without.



Yet it quickly becomes apparent that their feelings are not as simple as pure, unfiltered love. Each song is just as much about the ways in which the city undoes their narrators because it's full of memories - good ones, certainly, but also ones that might be best left forgotten. As long as they remain in the city, no matter how much it means to them, they'll remain unable to shake the most painful parts of the past. In both cases, their immediate resolution is to run as far away as possible, find an entirely new environment where they can shake off their baggage and be someone else.


But, of course, the city soon beckons them to return, a temptation they seemingly give into without much struggle or hesitation. Its pull on them is too strong, its influence on their sense of self too intrinsic to deny for long. The songs diverge when it comes to the question of what specifically draws them back. It's interesting to note that the "you" in Nyro's song is the city itself and that the imagery throughout - "sidewalk and pigeon," "sweet kids in hunger slums," "Quakers and revolutionaries" - is more about her fascination with its culture and history. On the other hand, Plunkett's "you" is likely a single person, whether that be a friend, family member, or romantic partner. Her irrevocable attachment to the place, then, seems largely driven by her desire to remain close to this person.


Both songs appear to reach the conclusion that as tempting as it occasionally can be to escape as a means of avoiding painful memories, it's ultimately better to make peace with the past to prevent it from ruining the sacredness of one's most meaningful spaces. Although this "lesson" is expressed more opaquely by Nyro, it's summarized with staggering lucidity in the emotional climax of "Back in Brooklyn," where Plunkett admits that running away only causes her to lose sight of herself and that she is made stronger through her reckoning with past grief.


"New York Tendaberry" and "Back in Brooklyn" are both songs that transport the listener to a place so completely that one can see, hear, and feel it, even if one has never physically been there. They also transport the listener inside the narrator's head in a way that turns the personal universal. The emotions expressed feel familiar, even if they aren't, making it all too easy to relate. These are songs that bury themselves deep and refuse to let go. "New York Tendaberry" has already proven itself a classic, and I think "Back in Brooklyn" is capable of getting there, too - in my eyes, at least.

I know this is hopelessly late, seeing as it's already almost the end of May. To be honest, I had a very hard time forcing myself to finish this post and considered skipping it entirely, but my incessant need to maintain consistency talked me down from that. My reluctance to do the hard work of writing about them implies nothing about the quality of these tracks, which, in my opinion, remains excellent. I've also decided to re-brand these posts within their own proper category, as the original intent behind Top Ten Tuesday was more to get me thinking about tangible, interesting connections between songs, which the fact that I fell in love with them all in the same month is decidedly not. (it remains to be seen whether it will return to that purpose or be abandoned entirely).

10. Charli XCX - You're the One (Blood Orange Remix)



Listen, I've been fairly restrained about showing it here, but I haven't been able to stop listening to Charli XCX for a good six months now. After spinning the hell out of Pop 2, Number 1 Angel, and Vroom Vroom, I decided to lay off a bit before I wore them out entirely and dig into her earlier work. Unfortunately, I'm not too big on True Romance as a whole, but this song is probably my favorite from it, and I especially love this remix by Dev Hynes. It seems almost tailor-made for my current tastes in the way it straddles the line between Cupid Deluxe-era Blood Orange (the marimba/xylophone/whatever rhythms are reminiscent of one of that album's major highlights, "Chamakay") and some almost proto-Pop 2 flourishes (particularly the unabashedly heavy use of wavy auto-tune voice effects).

9. Kelsey Lu - Shades of Blue


A couple years ago, cellist and vocalist Kelsey Lu released a very promising EP entitled Church, and if "Shades of Blue," which I truly hope is the precursor to a larger project, is any indication, she's ready to deliver on that promise and then some. It's a jaw-droppingly gorgeous track that unfolds and expands with such patient, easy subtlety that it feels far more expansive than its sub-four minute run time would indicate. Over rich, lullaby-esque acoustic guitar strums, light brushes of percussion, and a late-arriving burst of cello, Lu lets her dusky, deeply emotive voice do the song's heavy lifting, adding infinitely complex layers of feeling to the simple declaration expressed in the chorus - "I'm not over you/Not over you/But I'm over feeling shades of blue" - every time it is repeated.

8. Empress Of - In Dreams



Since releasing Me in 2015, Empress Of (aka Lorely Rodriguez) has shared only a handful of standalone tracks, but they prove that she is quickly growing as an artist. "In Dreams," the b-side of her latest two-song single, is less high-energy and more melodically subtle than almost anything she's done in the past, but it's worth the pay-off of multiple listens to unpack its intricacies. Its lyrics alternating seamlessly between Spanish and English, the song has a hypnotic, mesmerizing effect, its pulsing electronic backdrop perfectly synchronized to Rodriguez's commanding yet delicate vocals. Rodriguez has yet to announce if this song and its companion, "Trust Me Baby," are the first taste of a bigger release, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

7. Blood Orange - The Complete Knock



Speaking of Blood Orange, I decided to continue my backwards exploration of his discography with Coastal Grooves. It's neither as immediate as Cupid Deluxe nor as lingeringly impactful as Freetown Sound, but it's still got its fair share of earworms and is actually quite charming in how comparatively lo-fi and tentative it sounds. "The Complete Knock" is an undeniable highlight, a preview of the complexity and versatility displayed on later releases. It expertly builds up from a minimal but propulsive bass line to a groovy, highly danceable whirlwind of electric guitar, synth and dreamily overlapping vocals, with a surprise robot twist near the end. As accusatory as it is, Dev Hynes' wounded complaint, "I just don't know what the hell is wrong with you," sounds almost sensual in his soulful wail.

6. Sky Ferreira - I Blame Myself


When Sky Ferreira released her debut (and, so far, only) album Night Time, My Time in 2013, I listened to a few songs, but I wasn't as open-minded about pop music back then and quickly dismissed it as not my thing. But I've lately come across it again on my quest to revisit some of the recent pop touchstones my past snobbery caused me to miss out on. And you know what? It's an incredibly addictive album that quite ingeniously melds contemporary pop perfection with eighties rock pastiche. "I Blame Myself" was the track that most immediately got me scrambling for the repeat button. The instrumental backing is delightfully retro, Ferreira's voice oozes charisma, and it's got the kind of instantaneous, undeniable hook I can't imagine anyone being able to stop themselves from wailing along to after even a single listen.

5. Solange - Lovers in the Parking Lot



Apparently I spent much of the last month fixated on a very specific sound because Solange's True was co-produced and co-written with Dev Hynes, which means it essentially sounds like Solange fronting Blood Orange, a combination I am absolutely here for. Almost every song on the EP is a jam of the highest order, but there's something special about "Lovers in the Parking Lot." It strikes that perfect balance of sounding simultaneously classic and forward-thinking, blending a more traditional piano melody with futuristic synths for an insidious combination. Of course, Solange's voice is the star of the show, and it goes down as smoothly as ever, gliding through the verses with effortlessly laid-back cool and achieving maximum impact in the fluttery, soulful chorus.

4. Ariana Grande - No Tears Left to Cry



Of all the current mainstream pop sweethearts, I have the biggest soft spot for Ariana Grande. While she may not have the most charismatic presence, her powerful voice is nearly enough to make up for it. Coupled with an ear (whether on her or her team's part) for insanely catchy melodies that sit just slightly outside the norm, it's almost certainly enough. I'll admit, I wasn't sure about "No Tears Left to Cry" the first time I heard it; the vast, rich, and soaring classic pop chorus seemed at odds with the more urban-leaning refrain that follows it. But it didn't take me long to decide that the unexpectedness of this juxtaposition is what makes the song just refreshing enough to stand out. It also doesn't hurt that I had said chorus playing on a loop in my brain within 24 hours and still haven't shaken it.

3. LIZ - Super Duper Nova



LIZ is a musical chameleon, in that she sounds like a different type of pop star in almost every single one of her songs. While an identity crisis isn't typically something to be praised, she largely makes it work on the basis of her music being so damn catchy and immaculately produced. Her latest single, "Super Duper Nova," casts her in the role of a bubbly and flirtatious extraterrestrial ingenue, and the result is as bizarre as it is infectious. Book-ended by a blaring approximation of a spaceship lifting off, the song features vocals auto-tuned and pitch-shifted into cutesy alien chirps, sparkly intergalactic washes of synth, about three different potential hooks, and way too many space-related euphemisms to count. It's just really, really fucking cute and really, really fucking weird, and I can't get enough of it.

2. Let's Eat Grandma - It's Not Just Me



Judging by its first three singles, Let's Eat Grandma's upcoming sophomore album, I'm All Ears, is aiming to shoot straight to the top of my AOTY list, an outcome I definitely could not have predicted at the beginning of the year. "It's Not Just Me" gives "Hot Pink" a run for its money in terms of sheer quality, but sound-wise they're almost entirely opposite. Where the latter is dark, metallic, and cold, the former is an effervescent and frothy summer synth-pop bop. This contrast is especially interesting considering the production is handled on both tracks by Faris Badwan and SOPHIE. (Bet you thought I'd managed to keep her name out of my mouth this time around, didn't you?) This seamless sonic versatility, as well as the youthful vocal charm that elevates both tracks, leaves the direction of the rest of the album excitingly wide open.

1. Hop Along - Not Abel



On paper, Hop Along is a band I should very much be into, but they've never managed to click for me beyond a couple songs. That all changed by the end of my first listen to their recently-released third album, Bark Your Head Off, Dog. I'll save my more sweeping praise of the album, other than to say that it's near flawless, for later and instead zero in on the track I haven't been able to shake from my head for weeks. On "Not Abel," Frances Quinlan seems to channel her inner Joanna Newsom both vocally and melodically. Her throat-straining warble conveys a cryptic but chillingly ominous narrative, drenched in biblical allegory ("Shirt blood-stained and yet it was not Abel/But Cain who got to hear/The voice that for so long had been a stranger") and reaching its climax in a bruised and bloodied submission to fate ("This has happened/This will happen/This is happening").