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    7 Stellar Songs for a Saturn Return

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    Inspired by Kacey Musgraves’s latest single, hear tracks by No Doubt, Stevie Wonder, R.E.M. and more.Gwen Stefani.Kevin Lamarque/ReutersDear listeners,“My Saturn has returned,” the 35-year-old singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves announces at the beginning of her stirring new single “Deeper Well,” the title track from her upcoming fifth album. “When I turned 27, everything started to change.”I know what she means. While I’m not much of an astrology person, I am something of an expert on the Saturn Return, the time when the ringed planet approaches the spot it was located when a person was born. It’s generally thought to be a moment of tumultuous upheaval and, eventually, of great personal transformation. Since Saturn’s orbit around the sun takes about 29-and-a-half years and stays in a particular sign for two-and-a -half years, the first return begins around one’s 27th birthday.It was music that first taught me about this concept: specifically No Doubt’s searching 2000 album “Return of Saturn,” which I listened to obsessively when it first came out. Gwen Stefani had written much of the material while she was going through her own Saturn Return, uncharacteristically depressed and questioning her place in the world. At 13, this sounded quite profound and adult to me.When I began mine years later, I researched the concept extensively and wrote an essay trying to understand why the idea has been so resonant for so many people. Is the Saturn Return just a fancy astrological name for the existential anxiety of turning 30? I’ll leave that for you to answer. But I tend to think that any framework that provokes self-reflection and a consideration of ourselves as part of a larger whole can’t be all bad. Plus, over the years, it’s inspired some pretty great music.Today’s playlist is a short compilation of songs either directly or indirectly inspired by this astrological event. It includes the aforementioned Musgraves and No Doubt, but also R.E.M., Hayley Williams and Stevie Wonder. It does contain a few notable omissions from this very specific musical canon, but I personally — forgive me — am not a fan of Katy Perry’s saturnine ballad “By the Grace of God,” and I also felt that an eight-and-a-half-minute Tool song would disrupt the flow of this particular playlist, even if it does feature Maynard James Keenan growling, “Saturn comes back around again to show you everything.” You are of course welcome to listen to those songs on your own time.I did, however, want to highlight a lesser discussed aspect of the Saturn Return: It does indeed keep coming back around, so you can expect a second one in your late 50s and, if you’re lucky, a third in your mid-80s — which means we’re in for a doozy of a Kacey Musgraves album in approximately 2074.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Billy Joel’s Long-Awaited Return to Pop, and 8 More New Songs

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      Hear tracks by Camera Obscura, Yaya Bey, Paramore and others.Every Friday, pop critics for The New York Times weigh in on the week’s most notable new tracks. Listen to the Playlist on Spotify here (or find our profile: nytimes), and sign up for The Amplifier, a twice-weekly guide to new and old songs.Billy Joel, ‘Turn the Lights Back On’In his first new rock song in nearly two decades, Billy Joel sings about striving to rekindle a romance that has faded to indifference or worse. He blames himself; he longs for forgiveness; he wonders if there’s a second chance; he vows not to give up on “trying to find the magic that we lost somehow.” It’s a stately piano ballad, an heir to “Piano Man,” with Joel’s forthright, unmistakable voice and an orchestral buildup to match the narrator’s rising heartache. JON PARELESCamera Obscura, ‘Big Love’“It was a big love, she said,” Tracyanne Campbell sings on Camera Obscura’s new single. “That’s why it took 10 years to get her out of your head.” It’s been 11 years, actually, since the beloved Scottish indie-pop band released its last album, “Desire Lines,” but Camera Obscura is back in fine form here, combining foot-stomping percussion, electric guitar embroidery, and the clarion tone of Campbell’s voice into a lightly country-tinged sound. A new album, “Look to the East, Look to the West,” will follow on May 3. LINDSAY ZOLADZParamore, ‘Burning Down the House’We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Hayley Williams Is Fueled by Teas, Thrifting and Terrifying Films

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      As Paramore releases its sixth album, “This Is Why,” the singer and songwriter chats about playing in a maturing band — and the music, mushrooms and tinctures that have aided that journey.Hayley Williams is only 34, but she is already two decades into her career as the dynamic frontwoman for the pop-punk band Paramore. “I was just saying to the guys, we’re too young to be old, but too old to be young,” she said with a laugh last month, referring to her bandmates, the guitarist Taylor York and the drummer Zac Farro. “There’s people that think of us the way I think of artists that have been doing this way longer than us. Part of me feels 85, and the other part feels like I have no answers to life.”Aside from the fiery hues of her signature hair, Williams is a very different person from the teenager who formed Paramore in 2004. She has survived a painful divorce, the acrimonious exits of several band members (including Farro, who quit in 2010 but returned in 2017), and delved into deeply personal material on two solo albums released in 2020 and 2021.Likewise, Paramore’s sixth album, “This Is Why” (out Friday), bears little resemblance to the howling emo of its youth, reveling in the spiky new wave and funkier syncopations of its 2017 LP “After Laughter,” all topped by Williams’s lush, versatile voice. The group’s latest single, the hyper “C’est Comme Ça,” nods to its maturity: “I hate to admit getting better is boring/But the high cost of chaos?/Who can afford it?”“We’re much better friends to each other,” Williams said. “I remember calling my manager two Christmases ago and being like, ‘I didn’t get you a gift other than to say that we finally figured out how to talk through our problems.’”As she prepared for “This Is Why,” Paramore’s first album in six years, Williams credited her first solo album, “Petals for Armor,” with building confidence in her own musical prowess. It also empowered her to look outward as she grappled with the trauma of the pandemic and processed racial injustice near her Nashville home during lockdown. “Mostly, the lyrics are a disdain for resistance to progress,” she said. “We went through all this, and people are still absolute [expletive] to each other.”From Farro’s rental studio in Nashville, where Williams’s goldendoodle, Alf, hunted for crumbs, the singer and songwriter shared what has inspired and comforted her as her band revved up once again. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.1. Mushrooms I feel like something happened when [the film] “Fantastic Fungi” came out. It opened up a lot of people’s minds to all the ways mushrooms can be used. [The chef and writer] Sophia Roe has this amazing Instagram account and a new show called “Counter Space,” and she uses mushrooms a lot for plant-based cooking. Mentally, too, the effects that they can have on someone — I’m not speaking from experience here, but I’m very excited to do a guided session and see how it affects my journey with depression and PTSD. And “The Last of Us” is blowing my mind; I love that mushrooms have become such a thing that now the zombies on a TV show have mushroom faces. Taylor and I were watching it the other night, and I was like, I’m the first person to turn. I take this coffee alternative called Everyday Dose, and it has all these cordyceps. I’m definitely a goner.2. Starface Zit Stickers When I would break out in my early 20s, I was petrified for any show or photo shoot. We opened up for No Doubt, and I remember trying to ask Gwen Stefani, like, “Did you ever have acne?” She was like, “Oh, I think I struggled when we toured in the van.” I wasn’t a big makeup-wearer so I didn’t know what to do. I love that there’s this new generation of skin care that’s like: Celebrate it. Decorate your face. Connect the dots.3. Jonah Hill’s “Stutz” We watched this documentary in the front lounge of our bus on this last run, which was our first tour in a very long time. I was having anxiety around not being home. It was so meaningful. I love that Jonah Hill is a very well-respected actor, a great filmmaker and he’s like: I’m going to take care of myself before I worry about being a product. That’s why we took four years off. We’ve never gotten to experience the world through any other filter than Paramore, and that’s privilege. People might say, “Yeah, well, you already had success.” But it’s very hard to walk away from opportunities. I’ve done some pretty intense therapy.4. A24 Horror Films I grew up with my grandfather taking me to Blockbuster. We would rent “Pet Sematary” or whatever, and we would run around the woods behind his apartment and search for ghosts. What I love most is when the genre takes on social issues, like “The Babadook” or Jordan Peele movies. And Ari Aster’s films for A24 are some of my favorites: “Hereditary,” obviously, and “Midsommar.” A24 feels so artistic. I was even into “Lamb.”5. Rozi Plain’s “Prize” Basically, this is the first record that I’ve had on repeat since SZA’s album came out last year. Taylor introduced me to her music. It’s got such warmth to it. I listened to all of Jessica Pratt’s records throughout the pandemic, which was so comforting, and Rozi Plain feels like that.6. Pique Tea I love herbal tea. My favorite is rooibos. I attended a Moroccan tea ceremony right before the pandemic hit, and I wanted to learn more about what tea means in different cultures. So I ordered a few things from Tea Huntress here in Nashville. But Pique Tea is great. There’s all this science and ritualization that goes into it that I found really helpful.7. DYEposit I’m a little horrified because it’s a product that my hair dye company, Good Dye Young, released last year, but I genuinely use this once a week. [The actress] Jane Asher was the poster on the walls of my mind as we were planning looks for this tour — a little bit strawberry blonde. I use copper DYEposit, and it keeps me from having to re-dye my hair all the time.8. Alexis Smart Flower Remedies It’s kind of like Bach Rescue Remedy. You can go on her website and pick these tinctures based on where you’re at, not where you want to be. I purchased a few for social anxiety, as we’re getting ready to be around people again, and for any time I feel impostor syndrome. I wish I’d known about this for “Petals for Armor” because I would have been like, “Yo, can we make a blend?”9. Pre-Owned Clothes Growing up, the guys and I shopped at thrift stores almost exclusively. In high school, everyone wanted to look like, I don’t know, Phantom Planet. I didn’t have money, and it was cool. Now it’s for the planet. I hate buying something without any thought and then getting rid of it two months later. I collect vintage T-shirts. I made a decision that when I buy for my personal closet, I will go to Depop or B.Real. It’s a way into sustainability for people that really love fashion.10. “Play Time” Solange just composed this beautiful music for a ballet called “Play Time” that was choreographed by Gianna Reisen. I’m going to take my mom to New York in May before we get busy on the U.S. tour. My mom was a ballerina and was injured early on. Later, she worked for the National Dance Institute under Jacques d’Amboise. My 10,000 hours has obviously gone in a different direction, but ballet resonates so much with me. More

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      Hayley Williams, All Alone With Her Memories

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      AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyCritic’s PickHayley Williams, All Alone With Her MemoriesParamore’s leader has surprise-released her second solo album, “Flowers for Vases/Descansos,” and all the music is hers.On an introspective album recorded entirely by Hayley Williams in her home studio, the Paramore frontwoman explores a more delicate sonic palate.Credit…Tim Barber for The New York TimesFeb. 5, 2021Flowers for Vases/DescansosNYT Critic’s PickThe pandemic has fostered music of solitude and self-reliance. For most of her years as the singer and central songwriter of Paramore, the multimillion-selling, arena-filling punk-pop band she formed as a teenager in 2004, Hayley Williams insisted that she had no interest in making a solo album. But her new, surprise-released “Flowers for Vases/Descansos” is her second solo album in less than a year, and it’s more solo than ever.“Flowers for Vases” was entirely written and performed by Williams and recorded at her home studio. Separation and loneliness suffuse the songs, as Williams contemplates the aftermath of a breakup, surveying memories and what-ifs, regrets and accusations and, especially, the ways attachment can linger. Williams was divorced in 2017, after a nearly decade-long relationship and a year of marriage, from Chad Gilbert, the guitarist in the emo band New Found Glory. “Flowers for Vases/Descansos” suggests she’s still working things through on her own — away from her ex, away from her band.“I’m scared to lose what’s left of you,” she sings in “First Thing to Go,” the album’s opening song, wistfully adding, “I just finish my own sentences the way you used to.” In “Asystole” — the title is a medical term for heart failure — she sings, “I want to forget/But the feeling isn’t something I can let myself let go of.” In “KYRH,” she sets up layers of undulating, Minimalist piano chords and cello tones as she sings “Keep you right here,” contemplating stasis. In “No Use I Just Do” she struggles with longings she’d rather push away. And in “Good Grief,” she sings, “Pretty sure you don’t miss the way I put all my demons on display/To your pretty music.”Williams recorded her first solo album, “Petals for Armor” from 2020, before the pandemic, working with Paramore’s guitarist Taylor York as producer along with other songwriting collaborators and backup musicians. They helped Williams decisively break free of punk-pop, as she toyed with electronics, disco beats, glossy pop, jazzy intricacies and indie-rock introspection. The album relied on her gift for melody and her careful emotional balancing: rage and self-criticism, insecurity and conviction. And while Paramore had allowed itself an occasional ballad, with “Petals for Armor” Williams proved emphatically that she didn’t have to shout.“Flowers for Vases/Descansos” has a narrower, quieter palette, though Williams easily handles guitars, keyboards and drums on her own. As on Taylor Swift’s 2020 quarantine albums, “Folklore” and “Evermore,” many of the songs have a folky acoustic guitar, strummed or picked, at their core. Williams opens some tracks with snippets of lo-fi demo versions, hinting at the many steps between songwriting and recording. The songs on “Flowers for Vases/Descansos” are finely polished: every vocal phrase, guitar tone, piano note and studio effect has been thought through by Williams and her engineer and producer, Daniel James.Williams’s pop-punk skills resurface, only slightly subdued, in “My Limb,” which methodically sets out riffs on guitars and piano while it envisions a breakup as an amputation: “If your part of me is gone now, do I want to survive?,” she wonders.But more often, she starts songs as solo reflections, then tunnels inward. “First Thing to Go,” a slow-strummed acoustic-guitar waltz, gathers hovering voices and a syncopated electric-guitar undertow, the parts wafting in like inescapable memories. “Inordinary” is almost countryish, as an opening declaration — “I don’t want to be your friend or just one of the guys/I am nobody’s” — gives way to autobiographical memories of moving to Tennessee with her mother and meeting her soul mates in the band, as echoes and resonances drift up around her.And in “Just a Lover,” she reconsiders most of her life, from growing up as a music fan to pouring her troubles out for millions of listeners: “I feel my heart crack open, one last chorus.” The track opens with quietly tolling piano chords but builds to a full-band electric stomp, only for Williams to question her own path forward: “No more music for us. Or the masses,” she sings, as full-throated as she is anywhere on the album. “I know exactly what this is/Or whatever it was.”Her deep uncertainty is the album’s final note. But at the same time, the music makes something abundantly clear: Lonely or not, she didn’t need those guys. Hayley Williams“Flowers for Vases/Descansos”(Atlantic)AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More