Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today we’re featuring a SECOND playlist of holiday music. This one is curated by Music Library student manager Allison (class of 2022).
Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today we’re featuring a selection of holiday music curated by Eli (class of 2024).
Tired of hearing the same few Christmas songs over and over? I’m not! But in case you do wish to branch out, here are ten Christmas songs you may not have heard.
Editor’s note:Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.
Beyoncé in Formation offers a deep-dive into the lyrics and meaning of Beyoncé’s 2016 album Lemonade through a Black feminist and LGBTQ+ lens, creating a deeply nuanced and complex view of the Billboard #1 album.
Tinsley effectively combines her personal life, renowned Black feminist and LGBTQ+ artists, and Beyoncé’s album into one cohesive story wherein she breaks down the ways in which Beyoncé’s album is not only a Black-empowerment album, but an album that introduces complex feminist and LGBTQ+ ideas rarely seen in mainstream music.
I originally picked up this book because I love picking apart lyrics and delving into hidden messages in songs and music videos, however I quickly realized that it would be about much more than song inspection. I appreciate the way in which Tinsley was able to integrate her life into the greater story of Black feminism in a way that felt raw and real, much like the rest of the book. She doesn’t dance around any subject, and no subject matter is too grandiose to take on. Whether it’s gender and sexuality, racism, or the history of music, Tinsley covers it all.
Of course, this book would be nothing without the album Lemonade itself. The CD is also available at Parsons Music Library — feel free to check out both the CD and the book to heighten your experience!
Picture of the author (Eliana class of 2024) at a Beyonce concert in 2016
Welcome back to Parsons Playlists! Today we’re featuring a playlist of music by Japanese R&B/hip-hop artist Joji, curated by Music Library student manager Brianna (class of 2024).
George Kusunoki Miller, who goes by the musical pseudonym Joji, is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and comedian. He began his career in entertainment on YouTube, releasing comedic rap songs under the name “Pink Guy”, and various other videos where he would often star in multiple roles. In 2015, he retired from his YouTube career and began making the music he had always wanted, now going by Joji. When asked how this was different from his previous musical career as Pink Guy, he said “I guess that’s the difference, Joji’s just me.” His debut album Ballads I made him the first Asain-born artist to reach #1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in 2018. His most recent release from 2020, titled Nectar, reached a peak of #3 on US Billboard 200. Here is a compilation of my favorite songs from Joji.
