Beyoncé - BEYONCÉ

by: Golden

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Tracklist

1. Haunted
2. Blow
3. Pretty Hurts
4. Partition
5. ***Flawless
6. Drunk In Love
7. Mine
8. XO

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BEYONCÉ to many is an album that was driven by a surprise release that has visuals as its main focal point. The 14 track album with its accompanying 17 music videos came to the world as a shock and it is no surprise that the album managed to prompt a new global release schedule. However, beyond its impact and success lies a far more important story. It is the fact that BEYONCÉ managed to showcase a musical triumph unlike any other. Musical and personal growth are key aspects within the album as well as its underlying message about beauty and body shaming, love, feminism, sexuality, marriage, motherhood and pride.

That being said, handpicking just 8 songs for an album that was critically acclaimed and shifted millions upon millions of copy was extremely difficult when each song tells its own story and has its own sound. I tried to focus on picking songs that maintained Beyoncé’s personal agenda but also implementing songs that flow well into each other. I shifted from serious songs with important messages to more lighthearted and less serious songs. You could say my theme for this EP is, ironically, Beyoncé - songs with statements and messages she cares strongly about and songs that are so personal and have that distinctive Beyoncé sound we all adore.

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The track that opens the EP is a two-part song: Ghost and Haunted. The first part is Ghost, that begins with an audio file that symbolizes the start of Beyoncé’s journey and story as a worldwide famous superstar. Ghost mostly touches on how Beyoncé runs her business and her lack of trust in record labels. (‘’I don’t trust these record labels, I’m tourin’’ / ‘’All the **** I do is boring / All these record labels.. boring.’’) Haunted on the other side speaks about sexual desires and being haunted in love. Overall, Haunted/Ghost offer a completely different musical side of Beyoncé whose robotic and eerie vocals completely mesmerize you and swallow you into the song, which makes it the perfect fit as the opener for the EP. The song is as effortlessly non-commercial as it is endlessly listenable.


The second track Blow is oozing, filled with sexy vocals and a surefire club banger. The song is sexual and lyrically speaks about giving head. The reason I picked this for my tracklist is because it has Beyoncé written all over it. It holds firmly to her roots; R&B and Hip-Hop sounds. Blow feels like it could fit on B’Day right next to Green Light or Kitty Kat. It brilliantly describes the pleasures of oral sex. (‘’Can you eat my skittles, it’s the sweetest in the middle / Pink is the flavor, solve the riddle’’) Blow is an extremely fun song that will move you the instant you hear it.


The third track is Pretty Hurts. The song is a must on the EP as it is a beautiful powerhouse empowerment anthem. The song speaks about self-acceptance and feeling comfortable in your own skin. Beyoncé makes it clear that the key to happiness is choosing your life path on your own terms. (‘’What is your aspiration in life?’’ / ‘’To be happy’’). It is not to be missed on the album and that is exactly why it was chosen as a single at one point in the SELF-TITELD era.

The fourth track is Yoncé/Partition. A rather sexual song with a thrusting baseline and a heavy drumbeat. I chose this song because although lyrically it is quite raunchy, it carries a great message. It represents sexual liberty and confidence. The song also gave birth to another alter ago - a sassier, more care-free and more sexual version of Sasha Fierce.

The fifth track is the feminist empowerment song ***Flawless heavily carried by trap-beats and flawlessly (!) completed with an extended speech from feminist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. ***Flawless not only gave us the iconic catchphrase (‘’You wake up, flawless’’) but later also a terrific collaboration between Queen B and the Queen of Rap. The reason I picked ***Flawless is because it’s Beyoncé perfectly embracing feminism. She gets heavily criticised and judged as a feminist, but this song is a staple for feminist movements and acknowledges Beyoncé’s transition from a shy to a full-blown powerful feminist.

The sixth track is Drunk in Love. A carefree, light song and an ode to obscene drunk sex. I chose this song to be on my EP because, although the collab is not a Crazy in Love or a Deja Vu, it does have the unmissable Bey/Jay stamp on it. It combines heavy trap beats and hip-hop elements and with its amazingly catchy chorus and iconic lyrics, Drunk In Love is already one of Beyoncé's most recognizable and memorable songs.

The second to last track on the EP is Mine. Despite being a whopping 6 minutes long, it is most definitely one of the highlights on SELF-TITLED. Sonically, it is unlike any other Beyoncé song before. Lyrically, it is about love and all its highs and lows. It speaks about relationships going against rumours and stories and overcoming them. Jay and Beyoncé combined are seen as a huge power couple, but at the end of the day they’re lovers. I picked this for my EP because it is different, shares a great message and it is beautiful work done by Dreezy and Queen B. 



The last track on the EP is XO. I deliberately chose this song as the closer for my EP because it is a magical song that puts you in a euphoric trance. The song is dedicated to tragedy and reminds us to appreciate and love every second in life that you share with your loved ones. The chorus is pure pop-delight and amazingly captivating. XO is a song for a sold out crowd in a stadium to sing their heart outs with.

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SELF-TITLED, in my opinion, is the perfect mixture of Beyoncé's own personal experiences combined with political statements. The album grabs you 66 minutes long and in that short hour you delve into bits of Beyoncé's private life as it allows you to experience her world and the things she’s passionate about.

Taylor Swift - 'Enchanted'

By: Jorge (graphics also by me)



Tracklist:
1. Enchanted
2. Sparks Fly
3. Mine
4. Ours
5. The Story Of Us
6. Last Kiss
7. Dear John
8. Haunted

Taylor Swift is really known for writing about love and break-ups. She's also known for the story-telling in her songs, so I thought, why not combine them both?

I revised the Speak Now tracklist into a 8-tracks EP called 'Enchanted'. The theme of this EP is a love story with a tragic ending, something Taylor is great at writing about. The first half is about love, and the second one about a break up.

The first track is 'Enchanted', a fan favorite track, and also the title-track of this EP. I chose 'Enchanted' as the first track because it talks about how Taylor met a boy and fell in love with him, as she sings, "she was enchanted to met him". This track is the start of this love story.

Then, the next track is 'Sparks Fly', a song Taylor wrote when she was 16. This is also a love song. In this track, Taylor and the boy are already in a relationship, and Taylor just asks him to leave everything behind so he can meet her, because she feels something special when he smiles, as she tells us in the chorus.

The third track is 'Mine', the lead single of the original album; a love song too. In this track, they've already been in a relationship for a long time, and Taylor remembers some of the best moments they've lived together. "Do you remember, we were sitting there by the water?" And she also says her lover is one of her best things ever.

The fourth track is 'Ours', a track from the deluxe edition. In this track, Taylor shows that she'll love her lover even though the people that surround her try to change her opinion of him; but Taylor's opinion is more important than the others'. "Don't you worry your pretty little mind, people throw rocks at things that shine but they can't take what's ours".

After the first four tracks about the evolution of their love story, the story starts to get darker.

The fifth track is 'The Story Of Us', a quite underrated track, in my opinion. In this song, Taylor talks about how she used to think she would tell to everyone her love story, and it has some throwbacks to other tracks in the EP ["How we met and the sparks flew instantly," reminds us of Enchanted and Sparks Fly]. But even though they had a great relationship, everything went wrong, and now they try to avoid each other. In this track, Taylor talks about the topic with a more 'upbeat' tone.

The sixth track is 'Last Kiss', another fan favorite. In this song, we can notice Taylor's sadness perfectly. This track can remind us of 'Mine', because in these two songs, Taylor remembers moments with her lover, but in this one, Taylor talks with a sad tone, since she has lost him. This is like the follow-up to 'The Story Of Us' (in this EP), since their topic is similar, but this one is much sadder because she has finally realized they broke up, it isn't a story/fairy tale anymore.

The seventh track is 'Dear John', in this almost 7 minute track, Taylor blames everything on her lover. She names herself the victim, and we can notice the same emotion we hear in 'Last Kiss'. The song is just Taylor talking about how her lover used her, but she was too young to notice. In the bridge, Taylor talks about how she isn't the only one her lover has used, but she could escape before it was too late.

The last track, 'Haunted', is another break-up song. In this song, Taylor also talks about how she didn't expect to end like this "But I never thought I'd live to see it break". After 'Dear John', this song shows us how, even Taylor escaped from her lover, she's never going to forget about him, he'll always haunt her. This song is the most dramatic one on the EP, and it perfectly closes the album.

A tragic ending to the perfect love story.

1989 Reconstructed


1989’s mission statement is to cement Taylor as a fullblown pop artist free of all country roots. Her music has crossed the divide between the cool and commercial, bursting with both infectious energy and instant likability. With that in mind, Taylor decided to rid this EP of any acoustic ballad-esque tracks (sorry Clean stans) that might hinder the consumer from receiving the all-encompassing pop experience. However, as 1989 is a drastic departure from Taylor’s original sound, the lyrical terrain meticulously maintained throughout her career thus far has remained in order to avoid alienating her fanbase. The EP chronologically represents the 3 phases of a relationship: the intoxication phase (the first 3 tracks), the breakdown/break-up phase (the following 2 tracks), and the flashback phase (the final 3 tracks).

Tracklist
1. Blank Space
2. Style
3. Wildest Dreams
4. All You Had To Do Was Stay
5. Bad Blood (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)
6. Out Of The Woods
7. I Wish You Would
8. Wonderland

The Pinkprint EP by: Arés



1. All Things Go -- Final Single (Not meant to be a hit, but a way to close the era.)
2. The Crying Game -- 2nd Single
3. Bed of Lies
4. Grand Piano
5. The Night is Still Young -- 3rd Pop Single
6. Anaconda -- 1st Single
7. Feeling Myself -- 4th Single (Crossover potential)
8. Want Some More - 5th Urban Single
9. Shanghai
10. Truffle Butter -- 3rd Urban Single (Crossover potential)

Reasoning

I chose this track listing because I feel in this particular order, the album/tracks flow better. So to start it off, All Things Go. Arguably one of Nicki's most personal tracks. And gives you an idea of where she is right now in her life. It's also good album open. ("THIS is the Pinkprint.")

So I figured for the next tracks #2 - #4, I could take the very best "heartbreak" songs from the album and put them in the order chronicling the eventual break up. TCG with realizing the arguing and domestic violence have become a vicious cycle. BOL calling her boyfriend out on his lies and betrayal, and realzing there's something broken that can't be fixed. GP with acceptance. The Nicki/SB break up was a prominent part of most of the album and promo so leaving these songs out is a no.

The center tracks, #5 - #7, are just feel good fun songs, the best of the album. After listening through all though sad/serious songs the particular section allows the listener and Nicki to have fun and just enjoy the music. These tracks are all good club songs people could just go off to when they come on.


#8 - #10 are Nicki's best urban/hip-hop tracks from TPP. These are tracks where the production just knocks and Nicki and her guest features are allowed to go off and talk their ****. This is something most of her fans love, her bragging and dragging. (in small doses)It's also something to remind the fans of where she came from, sound wise, and that she hasn't forgotten about her mixtape days. Especially Shanghai and Want Some More.

I included single availability in the tracklist, as you requested us to take that into consideration as well.

Lady Gaga - ARTPOP EP

Directed By: Bloomers



Tracklist:

1. Applause
2. ARTPOP
3. Sexxx Dreams
4. Venus
5. G.U.Y.
6. Jewels N' Drugs (feat. T.I., Too $hort, & Twista)
7. Do What U Want (feat. Christina Aguilera)
8. Gypsy

Designed to be as cinematic and entertaining as possible, the ARTPOP EP tells the story of, and celebrates, the love affair and eventual marriage of the pop musician and her art. The cover references Lichtenstein and his brand of pop art while also showing Gaga front-and-center ready for the show, both part of the art, and the one making the art. The tracklists's story is a big extended metaphor to describe the creative process and artistic process behind creating a record.

The EP kicks off with the lead single and a round of A-P-P-L-A-U-S-E!!! A round of applause is the best way to open any entertaining show and the song also nicely introduces the lady and her mission statement for the EP: to entertain, and to melt art and pop culture and her. After, Applause spells out the mission statement for A-R-T-P-O-P, the title track bubbles up. The cool glide of ARTPOP (the song) finds Gaga longing, in the conditional tense, for the hybrid between pop and her work as an artist. The next track finds Gaga lusting after the vision in her Sexxx Dreams and gradually becoming more inspired and infatuated before requesting to be taken off to the planet of love – Venus. Venus, takes off after Sexxx Dreams and builds off it sonically. G.U.Y. finds Gaga at her best, when she’s in love and submitting to her art while trying to maintain the power in the relationship. Jewels N’ Drugs maintains the frantic energy level of G.U.Y. and leads into the finale of the EP. Jewels N Drugs finds Gaga benefitting from the relationship financially: red carpet events, money, and pancakes aplenty! Do What U Want (feat. Christina Aguilera) continues the relationship outlined in G.U.Y. and JND and serves as a bit of a comedown from those tracks. This Do What U Want finds Gaga a bit worn out from her relationship with art, admitting being tired from her shows (through the Legend of The United States), but still giving herself over to the relationship she chose. Finally, the conclusion. Gypsy closes the EP in a somewhat bittersweet but rousing and triumphant way. Gypsy is a song about touring life, a necessity for the pop artist; Gaga leaves her love of creation behind to travel the world and spread her music. The story here has no end, she has to leave, despite everything. She can leave it there and more on or possibly return, invigorated, to a fresh round of applause only to restart the creative process and rekindle her relationship with her music.

1. Government Hooker: I think the "Gaga, ga oh-ah" and the "Io ritorne" (coming back/returning) are the perfect lines to open the EP. The song is about female sexual empowerment and it flows perfect with the "be proud of who you are" theme.

2. Born This Way: This song is basically the epitome of what Gaga has been preaching since day one. It is the essence of the EP. You have to be proud of who you are (no matter your gender, sexuality, race).

3. Judas: We already talked about loving yourself. but what about loving others? even if it's someone that is not the best one, but you can't deny that the choice is not a part of you and who you are.

4. Bloody Mary: I decided to put the two songs with the most obvious biblical references right next to each other. This song is basically about staying true to yourself. Even if that person who you loved a lot is not here with you anymore, you are still as amazing as you were when (s)he was with you.

5. Scheiße: Being yourself can sometimes bring you problems, but you can take all of that ******** and become stronger.

6. Heavy Metal Lover: This song is about celebrating who you are. She even makes a reference to Born This Way.

7. Black Jesus † Amen Fashion: This song is about recognising your past, but accepting that it is not the only thing that can define you. You can learn a lot of things from new experiences too.

8. The Edge Of Glory: This song is about your last moment on earth. It is about living your life to the fullest like you were going to die tomorrow. I think you can only reach that glory when you die, if you stayed true to yourself through your whole life. and that's why is my closing song for the EP.

Ciara - Jackie EP
By Guero


1. Give Me Love
2. Lullaby
3. I Bet
4. Only One
5. Fly
6. One Woman Army
7. Dance Like We're Making Love


Give Me Love is a great EP opener as it's a great dance pop song that makes you want to get up and move. Taking charge, Ciara sings: "Boy I need you at attention, need you at attention baby" demanding that her lover be at his best or he gets nothing at all.

Lullaby is a switch to a more R&B side that Ciara excels in. This track shows off Ciara's confidence in the bedroom, which I love. "Cause you know that I'm the ****, this as good as it gon' get" letting her lover know that yes, she is the best!

The next three tracks we see Ciara showing us her strength in a different way by overcoming difficulties in a relationship and taking charge of the situation.

In "I Bet" Ciara sings about a man who cheated on her, but instead of being down, Ciara knows that one day he'll regret his decision. She boasts about how she doesn't need him to continue to survive and thrive, in fact, she helped better mold his life by introducing him to new things.

Every EP needs that one strong ballad, which Only One most certainly is. Ciara is growing tired of the lack of effort from her partner, so she gives him an ultimatum which is to either get his **** together or she's leaving.

In Fly, Ciara accepts the fact that a relationship, ultimately, isn't working out and decides to let him go... and she's fine with that.

One Woman Army is about Ciara laying down the terms of what she needs in a relationship. Learning from her troubles in the past, she won't accept anything less than what she's looking for. The song just screams of someone knowing what it is that they want.

From the vocals, to the production - everything is on point with Dance Like We're Making Love. Ciara's confidence continues to beam from this track as well: "So come and show me your moves, I got some things I can teach too" The song is one of the best, if not the best, from the EP. It's a strong, yet smooth way to end the EP.

All in all, I chose these songs because they show off who Ciara is as a person: a strong, confident woman who isn't afraid to take charge. I also feel like this is an amazing mix of songs from both the R&B and Pop genre's, which show off the versatility that Ciara can produce.

Beyoncé - 4: The EP
By: rl231


Love on Top, Countdown, Schoolin' Life, End of Time, Best Thing I Never Had, I Was Here, I Miss You

1. Schoolin' Life
2. Love on Top
3. End of Time
4. Countdown
5. I Miss You
6. Best Thing I Never Had
7. I Was Here

1. I started with Schoolin' Life because I wanted to portray a story of Beyoncé, so the beginning of the story goes with her being at the top of her game and how she's "schoolin' life." The fun braggadociousness of the song makes it a nice beginning to 4: The EP.
2. Love on Top is incredibly special because it shows Bey's love for her man and how he reciprocates it to her. Also, it's a personal favorite of mine because of the crazy vocal range that she shows towards the end of the song. I wanted to choose it after Schoolin' Life because I wanted to show a story of Bey being at the top of her game and finding love too, plus I feel that they flow well together.
3. So Beyoncé is still in love in End of Time and she wants to share it with everybody. I chose End of Time because it's so damn catchy and fun. To me, it's an album highlight since Beyoncé is showing her absolute passion in this song. I put End of Time after Love on Top because I wanted to show her vocals off as quick as possible, and I thought that thematically they flowed well together.
4. Well, surprise, Beyoncé is still in love in Countdown, but she's recognizing that there are things that her significant other and her have to recognize in their relationship and fix. However, through all the bad, they'll still be together since they love each other. I chose this song because I think it's a brilliant song about loving through everything that comes to a couple's way. I put it after End of Time because they flow thematically and sound great back-to-back. Also, I wanted to make a hint that with the countdown, there'll be a shift in how the songs sound and in what the songs are about.
5. I Miss You, to me, has such an interesting production because it's very sparse yet complex at the same time. You can feel the passion in Beyoncé's voice when you hear this song. I chose this song for a few reasons. One reason is that Frank Ocean co-wrote this song, and another is that it's just a gorgeous song. Finally, for the reasons of how I wanted the EP to flow out of Countdown, this song works because it's a change of pace and a change in theme since Beyoncé has now lost her love and is contemplating if she wants him back, which leads to...
6. Best Thing I Never Had is about how she sees right through her former flame and how she's glad that the relationship is no more. It's a great midtempo ballad that totally shows Beyoncé's strength in her vocals and her emotional power. I wanted to pick this song after I Miss You because it flows well into the theme of the EP, in which after Beyoncé was pondering whether or not to go back, she ultimately doesn't because he's not right for her and has done wrong to her. Also, they flow well together with their sounds.
7. I love I Was Here. It's a powerful song that shows how Beyoncé wants to continue to create change around the world and impact others in a great way. She's moving on and wants to be remembered as someone amazing. I chose this song because, for one, I love it, but I also feel that it's a great EP/album closer with the heavy, dramatic drum beats at the very end of the song. Finally, it shows off Beyoncé's amazing vocal prowess.

Rihanna - Side Effects EP
Brought to you by Rider



Tracklist:

1. Lost In Paradise
2. Diamonds
3. Numb (Interlude)
4. Nobody's Business
5. Get It Over With
6. Stay
7. What Now
8. Love Without Tragedy/Mother Mary

side effect
noun
plural noun: side effects
a secondary, typically undesirable effect of a drug or medical treatment.

In the case of the EP, the drug or medical treatment is the sentiment of love which in the revised tracklist is like a rollercoaster. We get to see the good effects, the bad effects and the realisation of it all in the end.

The opener of the Side Effects EP is Lost In Paradise is the perfect one as I said this will be themed on the rollercoaster that is love in many cases. The song proclaims the GOOD even though she can already see the bad it still feels like paradise.

I can see the storm, I can see the sky
I can see the darkness, flashing lights
All my fears gone tonight
Let me stay, I'm lost in paradise

Diamonds again, proclaims the good of the relationship. The acceptance of love and as the EP is a play on the side effects of a medicine, we have in the song the use of drug terms like ecstasy.

You’re a shooting star I see
A vision of ecstasy
When you hold me, I’m alive
We’re like diamonds in the sky

The Numb Interlude would consist only of Rihanna's parts and it would only be an interlude because it's not talking specifically about love, but it's perfect for the whole vibe of the EP.

Ecstasy... in the air
I don't care, can't tell me nothing

Nobody's Bussines and Get It Over With is the proclamation of love but by the couple this time as we have both female and male voices in these tracks. Basically they're in that moment where they don't care about anything or anyone and they just feel the love. People should get over their relationship, perfect or not.
Again in Get It Over With we have that drug inducted vibe that goes perfect with the title of the EP and the theme.

You'll always be mine, sing it to the world
Always be my boy, I'll always be your girl
Nobody's business, ain't nobody's business

When I'll feel the pain, now baby I won't complain
I'll hear you saying, look up the sun it's just a cloud away
And I was so afraid to cry
But when you need a way to ride, that's the way
You keep thundering thundering
I'm wondering wondering, why you keep thundering

With Stay the love takes a turn. They are realising the bad of the love but they still want the other one to stay, even if it's bad. Again, we have the perspective of the couple as we have both male and female voices.

Not really sure how to feel about it.
Something in the way you move
Makes me feel like I can't live without you.
Yeah, it takes me all the way.
I want you to stay, stay.

What Now comes as a reflection and contemplation of the past love and all the confused feelings that she feels right now. What's going to happen now after such a big love?

I don't know where to go
I don't know what to feel
I don't know how to cry
I don't know oh oh why

So what now?


Love Without Tragedy/Mother Mary comes as the perfect closing track for the EP.
Look where we first started with Lost In Paradise, look at what the relationship went through and look how the EP closes. It's a rollercoaster.
The track starts as again the contemplation of the past love and with Mother Mary we have the desire of change and finally moving on.

Mother Mary I swear I wanna change

Britney Spears – Femme Fatale (EP)
By: Ivory.


The cover is by Eros from Coverlandia.

Tracklist:
1. Hold It Against Me
2. Seal It with a Kiss
3. Up n' Down
4. He About to Lose Me
5. Inside Out
6. Trip to Your Heart
7. I Wanna Go
8. Till the World Ends

Reasoning:
I chose Hold It Against Me and Till the World Ends as the intro and outro respectively because I thought they were the most defining songs of the album. The EP’s (and the album’s) songs mostly fall under one theme: love/lust at the club, so I thought why not make the two songs that most resemble that theme the first track and the last track.

I chose Seal It with a Kiss and Up n’ Down mostly because of how well they flow into one another, and with their similar production and lyrics, they seem to be a perfect match for each other. I chose He About to Lose Me and Inside Out also because of how well they flow into each other and I thought it would be fitting to put the song about not being able to let go of a toxic relationship after the song about a girl feeling her current relationship start to end and wanting to cheat as a result.

I chose Trip to Your Heart and I Wanna Go mostly because I needed two more songs and I happened to like these two more than the others. Neither of them sounds too out of place on the EP and they seem to flow very well into each other.

Overall, my EP’s tracklist was mostly decided by what the lyrics were and how each song flowed into the next sonically.

by Element

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The album which inspired this EP, PRISM, is named after a multi-faceted glass object that is able to break light into its different spectral colors. I was inspired by this theme, and I wanted to dig into the various colors of the light spectrum, and their meanings. By doing so, through color psychology and symbolism, I am able to show the diverse sides of Katy Perry as a person and an artist -- just as a prism has many different facets, so does Katy. Each song on this EP has been selected to represent a different color of the light spectrum, as well as a different side of Katy. Throughout this journey of color, Katy will display how each color lives inside of her, and how she interweaves that color into a soundtrack of shimmering hues and shades. What qualities and colors will Katy find deep within herself? Each colored panel links to the audio for each song.

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As Katy's prismatic journey comes to a close, she has now embraced a new era of herself. She has discovered new sides to her spirit and character, and has painted her spectrum for the world to enjoy. Each song is a true hue of Katy Perry, with the ultimate goal of inspiring others to discover and live out their true colors as well.

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