Jiwon's Alcove

Jamming to Musicians I Like for their Poetic Lyrics

I listen to a wide range of music, from rock and metal to some synthwave, hiphop and and K-pop. So while I'm not a genre purist, there is a common "vibe" among my favorite artists in that they put a lot of attention into the lyrics of their songs and aim to be more "poetic" than the norm of their genre.

I also like it when artists write about topics that aren't the same tired love song trope.

Essentially, this is the post in which I vibe to the lyricism of my favorite songs and artists.

Poets of the Fall

Of course, my favorite rock band of all time are self-proclaimed poets. Who else would I listen to? This alternative rock and rock ballad band is known for their songs War and The Poet and the Muse which were featured in the game Alan Wake.

While the two Alan Wake songs are excellent, I want to highlight their lesser known classic Locking Up the Sun.

It's a bad trip on a sinking ship, when no-one seems responsible
Scapegoat to rock the boat, yeah, we need someone expendable
...
Is there a hero somewhere, someone who appears and saves the day
Someone who holds out a hand and turns back time

Clearly, the authors are talking about how people react with societal crisis - sinking ships - in toxic ways, by either pointing their fingers to a "scapegoat" or blindly waiting for a "hero" who will fix the problems. Yet the author points out that such scapegoat or hero does not exist.

And in the emptiness...

Instead, the only way to solve such problems is collective action.

Just lookwithin yourself for absolution

MC Sniper

MC Sniper is a relatively obscure first-generation Korean rapper from the 90s, and someone who describes himself as a lyrical poet. I like his lyrical style of singing rap and his subject matter. His songs include tired love song tropes but also includes societal issues, disasters, and the perspective of life from a 40-something-year-old solely missing from the "Oh I'm so Rich and I Fuck Bitches" kind of rap songs.

One of my favorites is Night Flight, as it exemplifie his perspective as a now middle aged family man that he didn't realize in his youth. I'll just translate a whole section which speaks for itself.

Time is short when in you're in love
While tears are short in heartbreak
Life is seeing things that you didn't see
while you were in love, after the breakup

When I was young, I counted the stars
As an adult, I count only bills
If I bleach the grimes in my heart
will it also erase my concerns

I see my mother's hesitation
re-checking the price of the sweater
She couldn't buy it with 12-month installments
She kitted overnight instead

As she had done, I so will do
As life is like, I so will feel
I bet my life to protect my dreams
But to dream again, I must discard my dreams

Cavetown

This young pop singer has become sort of a transmasc icon. I like his song, though the song that I jam to the most is, by far, Home.

It talks about the guilt of being mentally unstable and needing special attention.

Often, I am upset that I can not fall in love, but I guess
This avoids the stress of falling out of it
Are you tired of me yet?
I'm a little sick right now, but I swear
When I'm ready, I will fly us out of here

The struggles of learning how to perform a new role and the difficult self-discovery process.

Get a load of this monster
He doesn't know how to communicate
His mind is in a different place
Will everybody please give him a little bit of space?
Get a load of this train wreck
His hair's a mess and he doesn't know who he is yet

And the truth that there is nothing wrong with him, and that he will find a home.

But little do we know, the stars
Welcome him with open arms