#sweetbleu7

Thank you Lash Legend you were my stand-out pick and didn’t disappoint!!!

Liv’s on TOP where she belongs.

And…

The Great Impersonator

Stand-outs

Only Girl in LA

Ego

I Believe in Magic

Darwinism

Lonely is the Muse

Arsonist

Hurt Feelings

Lucky

Our girl has done it again!

Being a lifelong Tumblr Girl™️, Halsey has always held a specific spot in my subconscious. Whenever she pops up with a new project, I pay attention. I was mostly consuming the album rollout through her makeup looks impersonating other celebrities. I wasn't too sure if I would take the time to listen to the album. I'm at a point in life where I don't listen to the radio. I have a paid music streaming service now and I listen to what I want. I don't stray from what I like and I don't often get served new music. I am trying to change this. Still, this album was on the road to passing me by like many others.

If I'm being honest it was the Pitchfork review that enticed me to give it a listen. If I’m being extremely honest, it was D’Angelo Wallace’s video on the Pitchfork review that made me listen. Although I probably won't listen to TGI front to cover often, it serves as a statement. I don't care to know why Pitchfork gave it such a low review. So I haven't read it. I want to take the parts that resonate with me and focus on how that makes me feel instead.

The album starts with Only Girl in LA. Listening to this song feels like laying on the floor and staring at the ceiling when you’re too high. It begins with the charm of any acoustic, introspective, ballad. Slowly more ad-libs, sound effects, drums, and electronic instrumentation fill the spaces. It's still fairly stripped down in terms of what you do hear and still at some parts feels cluttered. I think this is on purpose though. It feels like I've stepped into her mind. The lyrics plainly say she is lonely, yet anxious and overworked. The song kind of feels like a low-grade headache in that way. It ends with vocalizations and pounding drums almost like she's soothing herself through the noise. It's not my favorite for easy listening but I wouldn't look at some of Van Gogh’s art and think “Man this painful art just makes me so happy”.

I knew that I liked Ego after hearing her perform the song at this year's VMAs. Ego is a high-energy pop-punk single that details Halsey’s struggle with remaining true to herself and the discomforts surrounding her life’s trajectory. The lyrics are catchy and more relatable compared to the rest of the album. That sounds negative but in no way is that a bad thing. As personal as it can get on TGI, Ego’s relatability lends itself to replay value.

Darwinism is reminiscent of the rock operas that were popular in past generations. Halsey’s voice is hauntingly beautiful in this song. Her vocals are light and airy as she laments about becoming a part of the universe again. Space dust.

One of the most received songs on The Great Impersonator is Lonely is the Muse. Not every part of this song is as relatable as Ego. (no platinum airline status here…yet?) At its core, this song is about feeling small and used by others. It captures how angry and isolated that can make you feel. Despite your accomplishments, you will never be impressive enough to not be taken advantage of for just existing because you provide value that is being disregarded and undercut. Or at least it feels that way. Not to be dramatic or anything 😅

Hurt Feelings, in my opinion, is the most personal song in the collection. There are many that detail or allude to deeper subject matters (like Life of a Spider), but this song means so much to me. It may be due to our similarity in age, location, and possibly upbringing. Was everybody’s mom obsessed with maintaining a clean stove? Was everybody’s dad an asshole? It's so specific in its lyrics. The production sounds like the type of music I would have listened to on my CD player in 2001 while I was drowning out an argument going on downstairs.

Britney Spears was my life when I was a little girl. I had her first three CDs. I still haven't forgiven my father for sitting on my copy of Britney. This songs borrowing the chorus from its namesake doesn't hinder its power. This song feels like an homage to the late 90s, it does not feel like it’s trying to be a remake. The added sample of Angel of Mine by Monica only multiplies that.

The Great Impersonator is also a “concept album”. Different Genres and eras are represented on the album. The song Letter to God has 3 variations differentiated by different years: 1974, 1983, and 1998. Each respectively marks the mood’s inspiration. The beginning is folky and acoustic-heavy. The middle builds itself through electronic, rock, and punk influences. Lastly, it serves its listeners with the glittery sounds of the late 90s and Y2K.

Disregard how you feel about Halsey, Fame, or celebrity. She had reason to believe she would succumb to her lupus and a blood disorder diagnosis. She is a person and this album feels like a collection of diary entries that outline what she's been going through since If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. It serves as a vehicle for vulnerability and sharing struggles specifically that of sickness, death, family, and love. Halsey said in an interview that this may be her most personal album since Badlands and as a fan of both I would have to agree.

Similar Energy

1. Everybody’s Fool- Evanescence

2. Black Star- David Bowie

3. Lucky- Britney Spears

4. Operator- Jim Croce

5. Batman- The Front Bottoms