Artist Shoutouts - My Favorite Artists !!

Elliott Smith

Favorite Album: Either/Or

"I'm seeing you there, with your hands in the air, waiting to finally be caught"

There's so much to say, I almost don't even have the words. Elliott Smith is maybe my favorite artist of all time. A songwriter of a generation, with deceivingly simple sounding compositions, that have so much talent and craftsmanship imbued into them. His intimate vocals, almost as if playing to himself in his room, is more powerful than a large stadium show. The emotions he expresses are poignant and cut deep into my core, weaving together a picture of heartache, substance abuse, that feeling like you could just disappear. His music is always there for me. He just gets it. I wish I could watch this video for the first time again:

It makes me so sad I'm too young to ever have seen a live show of his, I'd kill to hear him play just one song. The world is a worse off place without you, Elliott.

Courtney Love (Hole)

Favorite Album: Live Through This

"I want to be the girl with the most cake"

Courtney Love they could never make me hate you. It's a sin of humanity that such a real and strong woman's story was reduced to a true crime conspiracy. Courtney Love is not a perfect person, but she's also not a murderer. I can't imagine how someone could possibly throw so much hate onto a mother mourning the father of her child. Seeing performances she did while on tour within the same year are a heartbreaking and visceral display of real grief. Love never shies away from the raw truth, like she goes on stage and rips her heart out; showing it off to the audience screaming, "Here I am! Exactly as I am! Take it or leave it but I'm here!!!" She was diagnosed autistic as a child and I believe some peoples hate against her is probably due to the way we as a society tend to demonize neurodivergent women in general. We're too much, crazy, manic pixies, "bitches". But the truth is I think a bold woman might simply read automatically as a threat to some insecure people, and they hate her for that. Exploring issues of violence and misogyny against women, Love touches on what it's like being a woman who is broken and messy and hurt, but who still wants to be pretty and feminine; who is so angry at the world but also wants its validation, the confusing back and forth of seeking out both autonomy and acceptance, and somehow messily doing neither quite well. Inspiring, her energy, her stage power, she's the "crazy" girls' peoples princess. I am mesmerized by women who refuse to be snuffed out. Thank you Courtney for saying in your music what most are to cowardly to even look at.

My Chemical Romance

Favorite Album: Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge

"From the razor to the rosary, we could lose ourselves and paint these walls in pitchfork red"

Uhm. Theyre MCR? they fricken rock, obviously.