A Stage Without A Show

Jenny Hval “The Artist Is Absent (89 Seconds Rewrite)”

This is kind of a “Outdoor Miner” situation, if you know what I mean. The “89 second rewrite” version of “The Artist Is Absent” is a minute longer than the proper version, which is basically the same but more terse and a little less emphatic. In the context of the lyrics, which list a series of artistic notions that are left incomplete, I get why Jenny Hval would favor the brief version on her album. She wants to make you feel the parts that are missing like a ghost limb. I appreciate the concept, but I simply prefer the version that gives the music space to spread out and resolve a bit.

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Emjay “Flash y Pose”

“Flash Y Pose” is a sexy and unhinged banger about being sexy and unhinged, rapped mostly in Spanish over a frantic beat and grinding electronic noise. Emjay switches to English briefly midway through the song to introduce a list of “3 very important lessons to become what you’ve always wanted to become – the bitchiest bitch ever.” She switches back to Spanish for the list, but it includes “if my nails are longer than your dick, I’ll cut it off.” Yeah, pretty bitchy! But incredibly charming, and essentially the Spanish language equivalent to Yelle’s classic “Je Veux Te Voir.”

Buy it from Amazon.