FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WANNA GET RIGHT TO THE RATING -

Alright raters - it’s time to get our on…for the fourth time!

About two years ago, we completed our Holy Trinity of the best of the best when I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston won our third all-winners rate and joined Toxic by Britney Spears and Make Me Feel by Janelle Monae. Since then, we have had 50 more rate winning songs from 50…er actually 49 amazing rates (thank you again Halsey, for tying with yourself and fucking up the numbers for us). Now it is time for round four, where our Holy Trinity will turn into a Queenly Quartet or, to be gender neutral in the unprecedented scenario where a man wins, a…Qualified Quartet?

The 50 songs in this rate all came out on top in their respective bouts. Those battlefields spanned a range of genres and time periods. From video game soundtracks to reality tv. From #1 hits to this subreddit’s most beloved commercial flops. From an entire rate of unreleased songs to a rate where only half of the songs weren’t on streaming (*cough* City Pop *cough*). Now, it is time for these fifty champions to all get in the ring together, and unfortunately only one of them can stay on top. That is, unless Halsey can bring her tie-creating magic to this rate too.

I am beyond excited to be overseeing this hallmark rate with my two unbelievably talented, gorgeous, and hilarious co-hosts, and ! If you choose to participate in this rate, we cannot promise that you will like the results. However, we CAN promise you that the three of us will try as hard as we can to make the experience surrounding the painful eliminations as fun as possible. So without further ado, let’s introduce the 50 rate-winning songs that will be duking it out:

Rate Song List:

1. Alice Deejay - Better Off Alone

2. Ariana Grande - No Tears Left to Cry

3. Avicii - Levels

4. Beyonce - ALIEN SUPERSTAR

5. Beyonce - CUFF IT

6. Bjork - Pagan Poetry

7. Brandy, Monica - The Boy is Mine

8. Carly Rae Jepsen - Psychedelic Switch

9. Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loneliest Time

10. Carrie Underwood - Before He Cheats

11. Chaka Khan - I Feel For You

12. Chappell Roan - Red Wine Supernova

13. Christina Aguilera - Fighter

14. Clean Bandit - Rather Be

15. Coldplay - Viva La Vida

16. David Bowie - Modern Love

17. Florence + The Machine - My Love

18. Genesis Owusu - The Other Black Dog

19. Halsey - Easier Than Lying

20. Halsey - Honey

21. Jazmine Sullivan - Pick Up Your Feelings

22. Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

23. Kero Kero Bonito - Make Believe

24. LE SSERAFIM - Eve, Psyche, and The Bluebeard's Wife

25. Lil Kim - Not Tonight (Remix)

26. Lucy Dacus - Night Shift

27. Madeon - Pop Culture

28. Mary J Blige - Family Affair

29. Megan Thee Stallion - Savage Remix

30. Meiko Nakahara - Fantasy

31. MIA - Bad Girls

32. Ne-Yo - Closer

33. Neon Genesis Evangelion - A Cruel Angel’s Thesis

34. NewJeans - Ditto

35. Panic! At The Disco - LA Devotee

36. Paramore - Misery Business

37. Rihanna - Kiss It Better

38. Rihanna - Shut Up And Drive

39. Rosalia - SAOKO

40. Shania Twain - Man! I Feel Like a Woman

41. Shea Coulee - Your Name

42. Stevie Wonder - Superstition

43. Sudan Archives - Selfish Soul

44. Super Mario Galaxy - Gusty Garden Galaxy

45. The Avalanches - Frontier Psychiatrist

46. The Veronicas - Untouched

47. The Weeknd - House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls

48. The Weeknd - Less Than Zero

49. Timbaland - The Way I Are

50. Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue

Rules

• You must listen to and score EVERY song in the rate. Your ballot will not be accepted if you do not give a score for all 50 songs.

• You can give each song a score between 1 and 10, using up to 1 decimal place. So a 2.5 or 9.9 score is acceptable, but a 2.58 or 9.99 is NOT allowed.

• For the entire rate, you may give one song a score of 0 and one song a score of 11. If you choose to use these scores, which are optional, they should go to your most favorite and least favorite songs in the rate.

• It is not mandatory to write a comment for every song or even any of the songs in the rate, but we highly encourage it! You can use comments to explain what you like or don’t like about a song, describe a personal experience or connection you have with a song, or make a stupid joke about a song’s title! We welcome all types of comments, as long as they do not contain anything overly offensive or hurtful.

• Scores and comments MUST be formatted like the example below. Any other formatting will not work with our rating program and will cause your ballot to be rejected.

  • Pick Up Your Feelings: 11 Don’t forget to come and pick up your second rate win!

• Below are a few examples of INCORRECT formatting that will not be accepted.

  • Untouched: 2.1728493627: I wish this song could untouch my ears

  • Man! I Feel Like a Woman: Man! This feels like a 7

  • A Cruel Angel’s Thesis: (1) In this cruel rater’s thesis I will…

• Lastly, you must score the songs in this rate honestly based on how much you enjoy them or how good you think they are. Purposefully altering your scores to manipulate the results (aka sabotaging songs) is NOT acceptable. If we suspect anything nefarious about your ballot, we reserve the right to reject it or request that you provide more of an explanation for your scores via comments.

After you submit your ballot, you can change your scores and comments up until the due date. The best way to do that is by messaging on Reddit about what you want to change, but you can also message any of the three hosts on Reddit or Discord and we will take care of it for you. Our Discord usernames are bleepbloopmusicfan, impla77, and trailblazer_l. We are all active on the official

Rate Playlists:

(Thank you for the amazing playlist cover!)

Note: The Spotify and Apple Music playlists are both missing the following songs, so you will need to listen to them on YouTube or other platforms:

• Madeon - Pop Culture

• Meiko Nakahara - Fantasy

• Super Mario Galaxy - Gusty Garden Galaxy

This rate will be due in September. We have not set a specific due date yet, but we will update this post ASAP after the deadline has been decided. We will reveal the results the weekend after the rate is due. We hope to see as many of you there as possible!

Lastly, make sure to do these other very slay rates that are currently accepting ballots!

Introduction

Sometimes I think it’s funny, when I think about what a ‘singer-songwriter’ is. In this rate’s context, and in some contexts of labelling and genre-describing, it certainly takes on a whole new meaning of someone with vocal chops and writes their own lyrics. Even ChatGPT could write a generic love song on its own, but when it comes to singer-songwriters that most people think about, they don’t have glitzy, over-produced instrumentals or high-energy riffs and beats to hide behind. Sure, the instrumentals are not completely barebone (well, at least not always) —they can be pretty, sometimes even beautiful; they can get your head nodding and are certainly imbibed with pop sensibilities—but the attention is on the singer and their lyrics. Singing that is not so opera-esque as it is quiet yet beautiful, and lyrics that are raw, vulnerable, introspective, sometimes even gut punch after gut punch.

Singer-songwriters have always been rather prominent in the music sphere, but rarely had they ever stepped into the forefront of the mainstream. People know Joni Mitchell and Elliott Smith, and to date they are still legends, but rarely if ever do they chart or land on the radio. But slowly but surely, and especially more true for female singer-songwriters, folks like Alanis Morissette and Norah Jones started to earn more general audience attention with their work. The rise of indie music in the 2010s also showed that people could appreciate more ‘alternative’ pop girlies like Lana Del Rey and Marina and the Diamonds and Halsey.

Perhaps it’d all come to a head when Taylor Swift released folklore—a rather radical shift in Taylor’s sound from straight up synthpop to ‘cottagecore’, or rather a serene blend of country and folk and indie. Its success cannot be understated, given how people’s attitudes shifted greatly in that era to one of deep appreciation and lauding for her pen game and songwriting prowess. Combine that with an audience starting to recognize more and more indie-based artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo, and Ethel Cain, and suddenly singer-songwriters are probably more popular than ever.

In 2023, three particular singer-songwriter records were released, all of them garnering critical acclaim and commercial success that some mainstream pop artists might get jealous of. This rate features these records along with a certain other record that immediately followed folklore and flowed in the same vein. And without further ado, my cohost and I proudly present…

- &

What started as a mutual friendship between three incredibly talented singer-songwriter, indie-sy/folk-sy/kinda rocks-y women and a joke as a ‘pipe dream’ eventually had one thing lead to another, and formed a supergroup between Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker. Formed in part to dispel the notion of ‘women in rock’ being an anomaly and due to the abundance of ideas they’d had together, boygenius released a self-titled EP in 2018 before, 5 years later, releasing a full studio album, the record.

In truth, when you do hear the songs on the record, the creation process seems somewhat transparent—as they’d put it, that seeds of ideas would be brought by somebody, before being developed together as a group. Perhaps it’s because of the lead vocalists being solo for a good half of the tracklist, but especially for Phoebe’s songs (and because I haven’t listened to Julien or Lucy’s solo stuff (sorry!! ><)) they do feel like tracks that could’ve easily slotted into Stranger in the Alps. And so while there are definitely tracks that still feel like group efforts, the sound palette is satisfactorily diverse, transiting through each artists’ signature styles while being threaded together as one cohesive, introspective, somewhat melancholic, somewhat hopeful album.

Even if boygenius is now on an indefinite hiatus (understandable given their solo careers), it truly is a gift to them and all of us that a lightning-in-a-bottle moment was captured so well—the album itself is as lush as it is raw, lyrics that would have you poring over them like a contemporary poetry book, and with songwriting and singing that are immaculate enough to put any modern ‘rock’ band to shame. Critics and general audiences’ love for this album (like three Grammy wins? Come on!) have definitely affirmed this album’s success and accessibility—including importantly, the chemistry between the three women here, as if their solidarity in each other has melded musically into one, into specifically the record.

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Frankly it’s been remarkable what a lift in her career that Lana has experienced, ever since her days claiming to be the Nancy Sinatra of today, with her trip hop / baroque pop style she debuted with a decade ago. Somewhere in the late 2010s she’d decided to shed her sad-girl-bad-girl, America-flag-draped, tragic backstory image, and with it came too the shedding of some of the lo-fi, trap / hip-hop / grittier parts of her style. Years after putting her handprint onto the pop landscape with her own melancholic, vintage, nostalgic twist—stark against the maximalist, club-friendly tunes of the time—she’d release Norman Fucking Rockwell with the help of Jack Antonoff. The sonic palette was more lush, classy, orchestral and larger than life when it needed it to be; her singing had gotten better and her songwriting more mature; and suddenly audiences and critics could unite in praise and throw their flowers for her.

Did you know… (Did you know this album could’ve been an even longer title than what it is right now and Lana had to be talked out of it like girl only one of us can be Fiona Apple and it ain’t you), the latest addition to Lana’s increasingly celebrated discography, is one of her most interesting, to tell the truth. Once again it has garnered critical acclaim across the board, albeit to a softer tune compared to NFR, but what really feels distinct about it compared to most of her early discography is how understated it is. Yes, there were some low-key cuts on NFR, and Did you know… has its fair share of ‘bangers’ (the main one, obviously, being its highlight in A&W, especially with its breakdown near the midpoint of the song). But with tracks like Kintsugi and Paris, Texas Lana finds a way to dial in her sound even further, stripping it down until there is but a piano, some guiding instrumentation behind her, and her voice. The result is, at worst, pretty to hear in the background, and at best, beautiful and glimmering in the same way NFR’s best moments are.

To date Lana’s nominations for the Grammy for Album of the Year have been for NFR and this album, and while that may not necessarily mean that much, it’s a good barometer for not only how quality they are, but how accessible and widely recognized they are as wonderful entries to the Lana discography. Perhaps, too, there is an acknowledgement for all the influence she’s had all these years for pop artists to explore indie or more downtempo angles. And yet, it’s remarkable that she’s still managed to carve her own lane, and stick with it whilst maintaining a remarkable art and class.

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In frankness Mitski is an artist I’ve always scratched my head at. She’s been at the game for a decade at this point, and with records like Bury Me At Makeout Creek and Be the Cowboy has earned praise and acclaim from critics and fans alike. I suppose it is a combination of her voice being rather unique and needing time to get used to, and her indie rock and pop sensibilities not quite clicking with me. But Mitski’s always been one of those artists that have united a specific but not insignificant portion of the music scene, from indieheads to tumblr core dwellers to critics alike. It’s undeniable that there is a vulnerability to Mitski that it’s connected with a wide audience.

I’ve always wanted to say I actually love a Mitski record, and with The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We, I finally can. A short and concise record, yet remarkably consistent in its raw, singer-songwriter palette all around, featuring some of her most lush production to date—The Land… is so beautiful yet vulnerable that it lets Mitski’s talents and best features be served on a silver platter with no frills.

Perhaps it’s the fact that this is her first album with a full band behind her, that gives her these organic, no-nonsense almost folksy-countrysy instrumentals that gives her this space. In some ways it reminds me of the more recent works of Weyes Blood, that it glides over somewhat lo-fi, americana-tinged guitars and strings, but with its fair share of orchestral and choir-backed pops of light that give this record a remarkable accessibility. Not to mention, fans and critics alike have noted that it might just be her most raw, love-focused, melancholic heartfelt record to date—etched with lyrics that would be a match made in heaven with this stripped-back music this record aims for. Broken promises, the ephemerality of love, introspective regrets; it’s quite a feat for Mitski to pack so many raw moments in such a short span of time.

Perhaps people will have differing opinions about which Mitski album is the best, but for me—well, frankly, for anyone who hasn’t listened to her at all and is looking for an accessible, easy to listen and digest yet filled with layers of meaning and production to strip back and appreciate, the choice is clear; The Land… by far would take it for me.

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Something was truly in the air with Miss Swift back in the early 2020s (besides… you know, the virus). After the Lover era, and admittedly one of the less successful eras in the Taylor discography, at least comparatively, and the pandemic struck, Taylor made quite the bold move to record an album and collaborate remotely with The National’s Aaron Dessner, let alone taking a hard left into indie, folk, singer-songwriter territory. When folklore was released in the middle of 2020, clearly something had worked—one of the realest “pandemic albums” out there, not only did it garner critical and commercial acclaim alike, starting probably what was a comeback, upwards trajectory for her career, but it seemed like Taylor just had more and more ideas. Perhaps it’s the novelty of having worked with Dessner and having stripped her sound down so much, but nevertheless, the folklore era was so successful (and garnered her her 3rd Album of the Year Grammy, no less) that she’d decided to release a sister album, evermore.

It’s difficult not to listen to evermore and think that it is folklore part 2 (because it pretty much is) or that it is a bunch of folklore rejects (because it isn’t). Where folklore was determined to maintain a soft, even somewhat melancholic vibe throughout, evermore while still firmly In The Cottage In The Forest seemed a little more willing to reach out and play with different song structures and production structures. No Body, No Crime hearkens back to a slightly grittier country twang and with lyrics of revenge against an unfaithful man; Closure features quite the unconventional, Charli-XCX-esque abrasive backing against a serene piano forward melody in 5/4; Champagne Problems features then-partner Joe Alwyn’s lo-fi, almost pedal-muted I-V-VI-IV piano chords as the sole instrumental for Taylor’s vocals.

While perhaps overshadowed by its sister album, evermore is quite the formidable entry into Taylor’s discography, earning similar critical acclaim and general public agreement for its quality. It’s as confessional as a record Taylor fans have come to expect by now, but with the sense of maturity earned from a decade in the limelight and the focus to round things together into a cohesive sonic palette. Maybe one day Taylor will return to this sound, after the most recent two records of mostly Antonoff-smudged synthpop, and if so perhaps we’ll get more of these magnificent rays of beautiful light from her.

THE RULES

• You must listen to every single song and assign them a score from 1 to 10, 10 being the most positive score you can give. Ballots with scores missing won’t be accepted.

• You may use up to one decimal spot in your scores, meaning that you can give a song a 7.8 or a 6.9, but not a 8.472 or a 6.66. If you do use decimals, remember to use a dot ( . ) and not a comma ( , ).

• You may give ONE song an 11 and ONE song a 0 across the entire rate. Use these on your favorite and least favorite tracks, respectively.

• You are highly encouraged (though not required) to leave comments alongside your scores! To leave a comment, simply type a space after the score of a song and type to your heart’s content, like so:

dorothea: 10 We have no choice but to stan Dororthea Arnault von Fire Emblem Three Houses wbk

• You can also leave a comment on an album by adding a colon ( : ) next to it and writing your thoughts about it! Here is an example:

Album: the record: I thought this boy was a genius wtf is this album title bruh

• These are the ONLY correct ways to leave comments. Any other format will break the rate program and I will be very sad. Please remember to format them properly!

• Use the pre-filled message found to submit your scores. If the previous link does not work, you can use the backup pastebin to fill out your scores and send them to .

• If you want to change any scores you have after submitting, simply DM one of the hosts and we’ll change it for you!

• If you have any other questions, feel free to ask the hosts either on Reddit or on Discord @__avaritia (2 underscores; same as on reddit) or @9to6 ()

• Keep in mind that your ballot isn’t confidential! Every single score and comment will be revealed to the public and attached to your name so keep that in mind when rating evermore...

• Sabotage will not be tolerated, and we'll reserve the right to ask you to change scores, write more comments, or straight up reject your ballot if we're suspicious you’re trying to mess up the results.

Due Date:

TBA

Reveal Date:

TBA