Melissa Kacar

  "The Tortured Poets Department" // Taylor Swift The entirety of  The Tortured Poets Department is such a masterpiece, I can't even begin to express how incredible it all is! It's honestly still too overwhelming to even narrow down my favorite songs from the album so far and I have so many thoughts to share about it in my upcoming review. Until then, I thought it was fitting to first highlight the title track. It both captures the deep, raw emotions she was feeling at this moment in time, but also incorporating the hints of humor that are present throughout the entire album. It's a song that stood out to me from the very first time I listened to it and I haven't been able to get enough of it ever since. I still can't believe she released not one, but two, albums worth of music at once this month! "The Manuscript" // Taylor Swift Since Taylor technically released two albums worth of music this month, I feel it's only necessary to also includ...

"ME!" was released as the lead single off of Taylor Swift 's seventh album,  Lover , which in many ways represented a fresh start for her in her career. For better or worse, it also remains among the most divisive, but important, songs in Taylor's discography for many reasons. It's hard to believe it's already been five years since it's release - since then she has put out a total of nine albums and counting, which is crazy to think about. Clearly a lot has happened in those years and it felt like the perfect time to look back on this interesting blip in Taylor's catalog.  "ME!" is definitely a cute and uplifting song, meant to be a celebration of self-love and confidence. I appreciate the positivity and the sentiment behind making a song like this. With the  Lover  album celebrating every kind of love, it was really fitting for there to be a song about loving yourself on it like this, as cliché as it may be at times. When she announced the s...

Happy Record Store Day! Olivia Rodrigo and Noah Kahan released a special edition 7" vinyl single featuring covers of each other's songs recorded at BBC Radio1 Live Lounge to celebrate the biggest day of the year for independent record stores. This pressing is an indie record store exclusive released in April 2024 for Record Store Day , which is an event held twice with dozens of new and exclusive music releases special for the occasion. Olivia first recorded a cover of Noah's breakout hit "Stick Season" back in October 2023 and about a month later Noah responded with a cover of a song off of her sophomore album GUTS titled "Lacy". I first discovered Noah's music through Olivia's cover and I haven't been able to get enough of it ever since! It is such a beautiful song, he has such a strength for vivid storytelling through his music. It is a song that suits Olivia's strengths as an artist so well too.  Out of all the songs that Noah coul...

Happy Record Store Day! To celebrate the recent ten -year anniversary of their self-titled debut album, The 1975 released a limited edition live album that was recorded in February 2023 at a surprise intimate show in their hometown of Manchester. This is an indie record store exclusive released in April 2024 for Record Store Day , which is an event held twice a year to celebrate independent record stores with dozens of new and exclusive music releases special for the occasion. So much of this album is inspired by their time in Manchester as teenagers and early 20's, so the setting really is so perfect! With the release of this album in 2013 , they became one of the most influential rock bands of this generation. This record is a testament to how far they've come since then, but also a celebration of the musical journey this album took them on as a band. The 1975's debut album impacted me greatly and shaped so much of my musical taste from that point forward. It shaped so ...

Happy Record Store Day! This year's ambassadors for the semi-annual event is one of my favorites, Paramore ! To celebrate the occasion, they released a few special vinyl variants, including Re: This Is Why  pressed on vinyl for the first time. This is an indie record store exclusive released in April 2024 for Record Store Day , which is an event held twice a year to celebrate independent record stores with dozens of new and exclusive music releases special for the occasion. Paramore is newly independent themselves, so this is a great time for them to be the face of the semi-annual celebration of independent record stores!  In a press release Paramore said, "...The discovery of music was always meant to be romantic. Indie record shops are some of the only spaces we’ve got that offer a tangible, tactile experience of music discovery. In this world that feels more disconnected and hostile than ever, it feels important to remain in touch (literally) with what inspires us, empower...