Song of the Week w/c 5th May 2025

Short one this week! Last week the issue was Not Soup, this week the issue is soup. Ah well. I'm going to have to lie to you about my song of the week, because the song I want to choose is not available on spotify, and it's going to annoy me if I can't add it to the playlist. So we're going to have to do a bit of doublethink here. There are two song of the weeks, but there's only one, and everything's good, and it's fine.

So, my song of the week is the absolutely wonderful Cannibal by Marika Hackman. I've been really really enjoying this song recently, and there's nothing deeper to it, honestly. It is no surprise to regular readers that I really enjoy stuff that's a little weird, and gross, and off-beat, and this ticks all those boxes for me. Marika Hackman writes gorgeous indie alternative stuff (please, if you enjoy this ask me for more recommendations), but she hits on something especially wonderful in this track. It's one of her oldest, from 2013 if I'm recalling correctly. Clearly, she managed a winner right away. I genuinely can't put my finger on what instrument plays some of the tangled up weird arpeggiated melody - I think there's a crunched-up guitar involved, but there's also something that sounds kind of like nails on a chalkboard, or a saw, and I can't quite work out what's going on. And that is, of course, a trait that I love. It's alien and kind of creepy, this disharmonic hurdy-gurdy-esque drone, the delicately-plucked strings. I'm obsessed with all of the instrumentation. And then, another treat is layered atop --- Hackman's gorgeous voice and lyrics. She's almost slightly flat in affect on this song, and I think the detachment plays in really well to the subject matter. If you do give the song a listen, I will make the request that you listen to the lyrics very hard while you do so. "Have you seen my nose?/ I cut it off last night" she opens the song. It's graphic, and gross, and in your face. "As the blood runs down my chin/ I love that iron taste". I honestly don't even know what this song is about, really. I know how it makes me feel though, and I like that about it. It makes me feel a little on edge. A little bit scared. Anticipating, and exciting. Marika Hackman, I love you.

Interlude: let's talk about Car Seat Headrest. Good music: you agree. My current song I've been especially enjoying from them is the ever-popular Sober to Death. I know they're indie rock, really, but I like to think there's a definite medwest emo streak to their music --- which I am of course a massive fan of. Modern Baseball? The Front Bottoms? Whiny guys who can't sing that well? Oh yeah, that's what I'm all about. Anyway, Sober to Death is a shining example of the genre (to me) and I've been listening to it on loop a bunch. It's so kind of mopey, but then bursts into the always-catchy chorus of "Take your hands off your neck/ and hold on to the ghost of my body" and you can almost believe for a little bit that it's a joyful song. Ah, the little taste. I love it! This is a good moping around and feeling sad for yourself song, and it occurs to me that it is especially so if you have broken up with somebody recently. If you know anybody this applies to, please send it over. Because aren't you kind of just hugging the ghost of their body? The person who you thought they were? They're not, anymore, you know? Great song, oh yeah. "We were wrecks before we crashed into each other" he sings --- but then again, it's preceded by "What if it'll always be this way/ Not comforted by anything you say." Idk, that's the thing of it, isn't it.

So, my song of the week is the incomparable Suddenly Seymour performed by George Salazar and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez. Emily and I were discussing our favourite versions of musicals, and I mentioned this is my all-time favourite version of Little Shop of Horrors. Unfortunately, though (for example) we get George on the original cast recording of Be More Chill, they haven't put this cast up as an album on Spotify, so we have to make do with the YouTube link. It's a fantastic performance, but please make sure once they stop singing to cut off the video quick enough that you don't have to see James Corden bound onto stage. This is for your own safety. Anyway, I saw this iteration of Suddenly Seymour many years ago, and it's completely ruined any other version for me, which is a shame, because it's a song I like a lot. But George and Michaela's performance is just so gorgeous, it puts everything else to shame. I'm reading this very interesting article ("Trapped by the Body": see media page for more), and it got me thinking about queer performativity, which is discussed quite a lot. It's late and I don't really have time to do an in-depth exploration of my thoughts on the themes and how they intersect with Judith Butler's thoughts on the same and so forth, but just I suppose, know that those links are there in my brain. Anyway, as mentioned I think George is fantastic in really any of his roles, but it's Michaela who really shines here. Literally, first of all, because she's really gorgeous. But that's besides the point --- which is that she is the perfect Audrey. Again, we're not going to go into full analysis (because I've, sorry, actually never seen the full musical), but Audrey is already supposed to be this character who is meek, and feels unloved, and Suddenly Seymour is a love song that's about transformation, sort of, about how Seymour actually sees her. Anyway, she does fantastic in this role either way, but I've seen lots of discussions about the additional layers that she adds to the role as a trans actress, and I can see them. And it's not like, they have to be there, you know? You can read the character either way, and it's not a thing. But, if you want, you can read it. You can read the way Seymour sings not needing to hide, not needing to wear makeup, just showing herself. I don't know where I'm going with this. Hopefully you're getting me. Also, let's be clear here: Michaela has one of the most gorgeous voices on Broadway, and she is a gift from the heavens, and we should all sit back and listen to her sing. Near the end... when she hits that key change perfectly... Oh mein gott. I'm in love, etc etc.

(Also, it helps that this is one of the only versions I can actually sing along to... can we please not always give roles for women the most high pitched melodies out there ... please... )

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