mewithoutYou - [untitled] e.p. & [Untitled] LP (2018) Album • Page 203

Here to post another line that I think about a lot

"Through the eyes of machines, viewed emaculate scenes that have already passed me by"

 

Megalomania's only mania if you're wrong

 

Not a one-liner, but as someone who loves apocalyptic imagery in music, not many artists are better than mwY:


“scenes from old air raid on screens in blue dusk
perfumed neighborhoodsgraveyards the breath feels like
flies in my lungs, voice like ambulance
sirens whose light floods the ground
(praying mantis spreads arms said the lines of whose palm?)
skyline shifting like clouds became airplane descends
fade to scenes on the ground
human foreheads all smashed, foreign cars upside down,
insect mouths open wide I stared down a huge insect
bright red-glowing eyes,
does it feel wrong to say a thought metastasized?
legs on both highway sides,

said insect was mechanized!”

 

In fact, I’d classify pretty much all of Pales Horses and untitled as “apocalypse songs”

 

I like to think of Pale Horses as the events leading up to the apocalypse, with Untitled being the aftermath.

 

Very few lyricists as good at it as AW

 

Very few lyricists as good as AW

 

True. He’s a top-5 ever for me, for sure. Probably top 3.

 

i dunno, i dont think there is anyone better.

 

I think that i put Joanna Newsom on the same level, and her lyrics are actually fairly similar to Aaron’s in terms of the imagery employed. There was a time I’d put John Darnielle up there, although idk if he still is for me. Craig Finn is another. The guy from Silo’s Choice also writes some great apocalypse songs.

I have to delineate between hip-hop lyricists and indie/rock lyricists, personally.

 

my top 3 are probably aaron, aesop rock and he who shall not be named.

 

aarons lyrics dont make any sense to anyone but himself like 75% of the time. theyre good because theyre not boring.

 

idk, most of his lyrics make sense to me, the only album I really struggle to make sense of at times is the Untitled.

 

top 3 in no order is aaron weiss, christian holden, and a vaccant spot once held by the lyricist of the disowned band

 

can't think of a modern lyricist whose worked on the scale aaron's worked on over the last three mwY records, especially ten stories. he's one of the best ever just for that imo

all of my favorite lyricists are canadian except for him. something like 1. gord downie 2. tie between joni mitchell and leonard cohen 3. aaron weiss?

 

oh wait, paddy mcaloon, the guy from prefab sprout, i may rate him slightly as a lyricist over aaron. but only slightly

 

John K Samson, y'all. easy

Leonard Cohen was the GOAT without a single doubt tho

 

scott hutchison

 

Julien Baker, Adrianne Lenker, and (as a recent addition), Michelle Zauner are all up there for me

 

Stephen Malkmus

 

Same and then yes John K Samson

 

David Berman. Aaron is up there.

 

Del tha Funky Homosapien

 

No mention of Conor Oberst yet? Huh..

 

David Bazan