41. Perhaps the Most Important Album
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You can fight me on this all you want, but the Harry Styles album is absolutely stunning. I truly did not expect to like it, as even though I'd been into One Direction from the first album, I couldn't see myself enjoying anyone's solo work (apart from Zayn maybe). For the most, I have enjoyed their solo projects, but Harry and Zayn's albums hold a really special place in my heart. I had expected this to be a strange rehashing of a lot of really cool songs (kind of like the cover of Ultralight beam, which I honestly did not enjoy), but I listened to the whole thing the day it came out, and it's so devastatingly gorgeous. I love how it shows growth from not only the One Direction era, but throughout Harry's life (at least during the production of this album), too. The older songs, like Two Ghosts, are heartbreaking, while the newer ones, like Sweet Creature, sound like he's really come full circle and is at peace with his relationships.
This is mostly a record of why I love this album so much, so that if I ever foolishly forget, I can remind myself. It's not going to be what I think the songs were written about (because that would be a very long and very Larry-centric post, haha), but more so what they mean to me. Sonically, I don't think this album is really my vibe (I'm more into synth-pop), but lyrically, it's so beautiful. (And side note: I can't wait to listen to this in the fall; I had originally deemed this a spring album, but I think it's really just a chill-in-the-air kind of album.) This is the link to the album if you'd like to listen along: Harry Styles.
- Meet Me in the Hallway
This is definitely one of the best songs on the album; it's so airy, but there's still a kind of edge to it. It makes me feel like the coolest, sad person at a motel in a cool city. My favorite line is right at the beginning,
Give me some morphine,
Is there any more to do?
There's a dreamy desperation to this song that I think really sets the tone for the rest of the album.
- Sign of the Times
I'm gonna start off by saying that the first time I heard this song, I cried. It swings two different ways; I've taken the verses and bridge to be about a person, and the chorus to be an observation of the chaotic post-election, post-Brexit time. Even with it's different messages, the song flows so well together. The lines
You can’t bribe the door on your way to the sky
You look pretty good down here
But you ain’t really good
are so chillingly poignant. Overall, I feel like this song is just a good personal reminder to be good.
- Carolina
When I listened to the album the whole way through, this is the one that initially stuck with me the most. I listened to it on repeat for over a week straight. I think it's just so cool, and would work so well as a single. The beat is really sick and the la la las just work so well. The song just describes the girl I've always wished I were, and I can't get over how cool it sounds. It's one of those songs that's great to play in your headphones and walk around to. Apart from the la la las, I love the lines:
She's got a book for every situation
Gets into parties without invitations
How could you ever turn her down?
There's not a drink that I think could sink her
How would I tell her that she's all I think about?
Well, I guess she just found out
This song and the girl just sound so freaking cool.
- Two Ghosts
Tragically, I can't get my head around this song. Lyrically, it's really cool, but it sounds just a little too country for my taste. That being said, my favorite lines are:
We're just two ghosts swimming in a glass half empty
Trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat
- Sweet Creature
This song makes me really nostalgic for a lot of One Direction songs, and reminds me of a really terrible time in my life, but in a way that comforts me, if that makes any sense. There's an ache to this song, but it's also strangely comforting. Although the acoustics of the guitar make me a little anxious, this song really hits me in the heart, and I like it more every time I listen to it. My favorite lines are probably:
I always think about you and how we don't speak enough
- Only Angel
This is the only that I think I like less than when I first heard it. It's not bad, but I think it is the most generic song on this album. And this is just me, but the opening with "I saw an angel, I really saw an angel," is really eery to me, and it makes me weirdly uncomfortable. I do however think that these lines are really interesting:
Open up your eyes, shut your mouth and see
That I'm still the only one who's been in love with me
I'm just happy getting you stuck in between my teeth
And there's nothing I can do about it
Broke a finger knocking on your bedroom door
- Kiwi
Now this one is probably the most blatantly cool song on here. I love chorus-less stream-of-consciousness kinds of songs (like Lucozade), and although this does kind of have a chorus, it's so out there that the song still has that stream-of-consciousnes vibe. Also I love, love, love the fact that this song was written as a joke. I think it just adds to the weirdness of the song. It's a short song, but I can't think of anyway to extend it without ruining it. I love every single word in this song, but especially this part:
It's New York, baby, always jacked up
Whole tunnels, foreign noses always backed up
When she's alone, she goes home to a cactus
The lyrics combined with the snorting sound are just so artsy and cool. The whole song has some really nice background effects, as well as the screaming towards the end. I also feel like this has a very Arctic Monkeys rockstar kind of feel to it.
- Ever Since New York
This song took a couple listens to grow on me, but I really do like it. It sounds like something out of a movie, and I also get super autumnal vibes from it. The concept of praying after either a traumatic or magical experience is something that I can relate to and I think it's an interesting concept within the song. The lines I particularly like are:
Brooklyn saw me, empty at the news
There's no water inside this swimming pool
Almost over, had enough from you
And I've been praying, I never did before
Understand I'm talking to the walls
I've been praying ever since New York
- Woman
This is another really cool song on the album. The music is quite a bit darker than the lyrics, which are so pretty, and it makes a really cool contrast. I still think the layered effects over the note make it sound like a quack, but I'm really into this song. The opening sample, "'Should we just search romantic comedies on Netflix and then see what we find?'" is one of the absolute most wicked things I have ever heard. I love it. These lines especially are remarkable:
I hope you can see, the shape I've been in
While he's touching your skin
This thing upon me, howls like a beast
You flower, you feast
- From the Dining Table
This is 100% favorite song in this album. It makes my heart ache so bad, but that's what so lovely about it. His voice sounds so wrecked; it's as if he just finished crying started to speak, and added some guitar to the back. It's so raw and I'm absolutely floored by it every time. There's not a single thing I don't love about this song. I truly can't even pick my favorite lyrics from this song. It's just sooooo good.
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