Cardboard House: Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Bea Miller, FLO

This week: Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Bea Miller, & FLO! Alex starts us off by monologuing about the hard times of shoulder seasons, and masterfully equates the Nicene Creed to the lyrics of WAP. Grief runs through all of our songs this week in an interesting way, and Alex makes note of ways music gets us through our own individual griefs. His main point: you are not alone. We are singular, but not alone. We talk poets for a bit, Anne Sexton, Rumi, and more. Do songwriters write good poems? Jana is scared by that thought. She should unpack that. First, this week’s drink: \------------ **CARDBOARD HOUSE** - 1.5oz reposado tequila - 1.5oz manzanilla sherry - .75oz amaro montenegro Stir over ice, strain into rocks glass, garnish with orange peel! A twist on a Manhattan with some briny notes...perfect for summer. \------------ Man/Woman/Chainsaw starts us off with “Nosedive.” They’re a 6-piece British band with a violinist prominently featured, so Alex is already won over. The strings here are a highlight, with the double stops on the violin featuring heavily. “Baby get me back up over you” is repeated 22 times throughout, almost as a mantra, and it brings a meditative tone to it. The lyrics are abstract but gorgeous phrased and work with everything musically. We can tell this band is a great live band, and it shows through in the recording. Highly recommend. Next up, Bea Miller brings us “Born to Lose.” Be a has lived on the B-list of pop stardom for quite some time, and we think perhaps this project will not move the needle. Alex notes Ableton was probably used because it has that \*sound\*, which is not always noticeable. Vinyl crackle is featured as a texture here, and we hate that. Banish is as an effect, it’s played out. Bea’s voice is great, she can belt a note, and this trends a little bit country in vibe even. This song sounds like a radio song, and perhaps a dated one at that. It sounds a bit like “Counting Stars” by One Republic. Justin Trantor co-wrote this, and as Alex says, we expect smarter lyrics from that pedigree. We have a discussion about how pop stars need to have a mythos built up that also resonates with an audience. Some do it well. Some never find it. Maybe we are seeing that in action here. Last up is “Touché" by FLO, a London-based girl trio. Simply, it’s a bop. There’s a hole in the market for R&B based girl groups, and FLO is delivering. Alex loves the melisma line paired with the words, “I’m a c\*nt.” Pure beauty, really. The bass line and the beat are locked in and feel great. Jana uses the word, “stank face” (complimentary). Harmonies are reminiscent of Danity Kane, a reference Alex pulls out of the recent past. Pussycat Dolls and Fifth Harmony come up, but again…most of these groups are dormant right now. Lyrically we are reminded of Meredith Brooks’ “Bitch,” just a different genre, same topic. Overall, this is a vibe, and the whole FLO record is worth a spin. Need a random French word in a pop song? This is for you. \------------ As always, thanks for listening! Like, share, subscribe, review! **Alex's links:** Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowerboying TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@flowerboying Alex's Substack: https://alexanderdaoust.substack.com **Jana's links:** Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janapochop Website: http://www.janapochop.com Jana's Substack: https://janapochop.substack.com