Music Review: Blackpink star Lisa's ‘Alter Ego' is an ambitious, chameleonic solo debut
New York (AP) — Lisa, one-fourth of the K-pop juggernaut Blackpink, has officially stepped out on her own — releasing her first solo album 'Alter Ego.' Across rap, dance and pop, the project shows off a versatile artist ready to embrace her time alone in the spotlight.
The Thai rapper is the second member of Blackpink to release a full-length solo project after Rosé's sweet side-step from the band, 'Rosie.' The album arrives as Lisa makes her acting debut in Season 3 of 'The White Lotus' and prepares to perform at the Oscars — high-profile outings that will further her status as a global phenomenon.
After a series of single releases, 'Alter Ego' is the climax of those introductions — an evolution from the hip-hop-pop self-starter heard on her solo debut EP 2021's 'LALISA.' It's an ambitious pursuit, with mostly successful results.
As the title suggests, Lisa creates space for experimentation by adopting separate personas — Roxi, Sunni, the '00s pop-channeling Kiki, Speedi and the ferocious rapper Vixi — who appear across the high-concept songs. They allow the artist to jump between sonic languages, with varied attitudes of her vocals and productions.
Coupled with Blackpink's history as a cross-genre powerhouse, Lisa's genre-spanning foray into solo pop feels earned. And it works — mostly.
Like the band's discography, the tracks are upbeat and self-assured, with edge unique to Lisa: 'Elastigirl' and 'Thunder' are sensual and bold, the former punchy and light to the latter's moody groove. 'F—- Up The World,' featuring Future, is quick and aggressive, with an empowered message akin to some of Blackpink's hits. 'Badgrrrl' assures that this Lisa isn't to be messed with: 'I can be your bad girl,' she raps. 'Don't treat me like a lady.'
The dreamy 'Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me)' interpolates alt-rock band Sixpence None the Richer's 1998 hit 'Kiss Me,' lyrics reimagined to depict a Paris romance for a Gen Z audience. Lisa's 'Kiss Me' is glittery and sweet — losing some of the charm of the original, but fitting for a young audience that seeks fresh, catchy soundbites and feels nostalgic for a time before their own.
On five of the tracks, Lisa and her alter egos are supported by the hit-makers of the genres they inhabit. Along with Future, Raye and Doja Cat appear on the lush 'Born Again.' Megan Thee Stallion brings her confidence to 'Rapunzal.' Rosalía adds Spanish verses and backup vocals on the catchy 'New Woman' while Tyla offers her soulful vocals on 'When I'm With You.' At their best, the impressive roster of international stars allows Lisa to show off her chameleonic adoption of styles, as she and her talented peers riff on top of interesting pop productions. But by being so feature-heavy, the album also muddies its own goal of introducing us to a Lisa that stands on her own.
And when she does make herself known, she succeeds. 'Make way, make way, make way/Taking space up in the sky,' Lisa sings on 'Thunder.'
'I'll take my place up ahead.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Brian Wilson Learns to Smile
This story was originally published in the October 14, 2004 issue of Rolling Stone. Brian Wilson is waiting in the driveway of his Mediterranean-style Beverly Hills house, dressed entirely in brown corduroy, bouncing on his toes. More from Rolling Stone Watch Brian Wilson Play 'California Girls' and 'Good Vibrations' at His Last Concert Brian Wilson, Beach Boys Co-Founder and Architect of Pop, Dead at 82 Hear Neil Young Duet With the Beach Boys' Al Jardine 'Let's go!' he says, jumping into the car. 'Go down here, make a U-turn, I'll give you directions.' His silvery brown hair is uncombed, and he's unshaven, in a relaxed, Sunday-afternoon way. His face is tan; his smile is gentle, easy. Wilson looks good. 'We don't have to introduce each other, because we've met before,' he says. 'So, how you been?' 'Good. How about you?' 'I'm good,' he says. 'I'm great. Doing a lot of work. It's a big relief — whew! — because, you know, I've been through some rough times in my head, but I've been fighting it off.' Wilson is more active now than he's been since the Beach Boys were America's top group in the mid-Sixties. He tours relentlessly with his superb band; he released a solo album this summer, Gettin' In Over My Head, with cameos from Elton John and Paul McCartney; and now he's preparing to put out what may be his crowning achievement: an entirely new recording of the legendary, unfinished Smile, which was scrapped in 1967 and has become the most famous unheard album in rock history. Launched as the follow-up to the Beach Boys' classic Pet Sounds— and in response to the Beatles' masterful Rubber Soul and Revolver— Smile was intended to be the grandest, most complex rock & roll production ever: a loosely themed concept album about coast-to-coast 'Americana,' from Plymouth Rock to 'Blue Hawaii,' built from modular, cut-and-paste fragments of pop melody, orchestral instrumentation, recurring vocal themes and even the sounds of crunching vegetables and barnyard animals. Wilson, then twenty-four, described his epic musical tapestry as a 'teenage symphony to God.' Wilson's ambition, however, was undercut by intensifying, untreated mental illness as well as by drug use (including hashish and amphetamines) and pressure from the other Beach Boys and the group's label, Capitol, to stop messing around and start cranking out hits. Beach Boy Mike Love was the harshest critic, reportedly calling Smile 'a whole album of Brian's madness.' Wilson's behavior became erratic and paranoid. His Smile collaborator, the lyricist Van Dyke Parks, remembers going into Wilson's swimming pool fully clothed for a business meeting, because Wilson was afraid his house was bugged by his controlling father, Murry. One night, while recording a section of his 'Elements' suite about fire called 'Mrs. O'Leary's Cow,' Wilson distributed plastic fireman's helmets to the orchestra and lit a small fire in the studio so they could smell smoke. Later, Wilson learned that a building near the studio burned down and that there had been several other fires across Southern California. Wilson believed his music caused the fires, and he immediately stopped work on the song and locked the tapes away in a vault. BY May 1967, after more than eighty recording sessions, Wilson's masterwork was unraveling, and so was he. Smile was abandoned. Its best tracks — 'Heroes and Villains,' 'Wonderful,' 'Surf's Up'— turned up on subsequent Beach Boys albums such as Smiley Smile; bootleggers tried to piece together the rest. Some say Wilson never recovered from the monumental disappointment of Smile's failure. 'He was a man so lonely and so abused and maligned, ostracized,' says Parks. 'It was an outrage what he suffered.' Today he won't say much about that time except that Smile 'was too far ahead of its time, so I junked it.' Until recently, he didn't seem interested in revisiting the work ('Bad music, bad memories,' he told me in 2001), but a year and a half ago, looking for a new live project, Wilson's wife, Melinda, suggested trying Smile, and his bandleader, Darian Sahanaja, began to organize the project. 'It took courage,' says Wilson over steaks and Heinekens at the Mullholland Grill, near his house. 'We worked on it little by little, week by week, until finally we got it right.' 'You can hear that Brian has a glimmer,' says Parks, who worked with Wilson on the new SMiLE (differentiated in typography from the original Smile). 'That is what I think is wonderful about this project… It bathes Brian in some real redemptive light. It shows that he is very generous and very talented, and that he uses his talent to console, in a powerful way.' Work on the new Smile began in the fall of 2003, Sahanaja showed up at Wilson's house one morning with all the existing fragments of Smile he could find (both from bootlegs and the Capitol vaults) loaded onto his iBook. 'I knew Smile is not Brian's favorite topic,' says Sahanaja. 'And he had a look, like he was looking over the edge of the Empire State Building with no support.' At first, Wilson offered little reaction. 'He was quiet for a long time,' says Sahanaja. 'Then I played him 'Do You Like Worms?' and I thought he was going to freak out. But he went, 'That's pretty cool. We did that?' And it just started going, grouping different sections and songs together.' To Sahanaja's amazement, Wilson began to remember harmonies and arrangements that were never recorded. At one point, they were working on a portion of 'Do You Like Worms?' (now renamed 'Roll Plymouth Rock'), and Wilson couldn't read Parks' thirty-eight-year-old lyric sheet. 'We just couldn't figure it out,' says Sahanaja. 'Brian goes, 'Van Dyke will know.' So he picks up the phone — hasn't called Van Dyke in years — goes, 'Yeah, Van Dyke. It's Brian. Do you know the song 'Do You Like Worms?' What's this line?' ' The next morning, Van Dyke Parks showed up at Wilson's house to begin five days of work. Parks says his main goal was to bring Smile out of the past, to make it the work of a man looking back at his younger days, not to try and simply re-create material thirty-seven years old. 'It was important that this not arrive irrelevant and brain-dead,' he says. Parks made mostly subtle changes. At the start of 'In Blue Hawaii,' for example, Parks added the line 'Is it hot as hell in here? Or is it me?/It really is a mystery.' 'These words reveal Brian in the present tense,' says Parks, 'reflecting on this situation that happened to him all those years ago.' The new SMiLE was first performed by Wilson on tour in the U.K. in February, to rave reviews, then recorded at Sunset Sound and Your Place Or Mine studios in Los Angeles. It wasn't always easy. 'Darian's a perfectionist — he henpecks me,' Wilson says. 'It's hard work, but it's worth it.' Adds Sahanaja, 'Sometimes Brian was a little impatient. He would say, What do we need to do next? When am I getting my steak?' Sometimes I think he would have rather stayed at home, and, technically, he didn't have to be there a lot of the time. But he showed up, and, man, it was such a difference. Just his goofy way. We'd do a really beautiful version of 'Surf's Up.' We'd get to the last chord, and we're all there with our headphones on and we'd hear him scream, 'Right the fuck on!' That's so inspiring for us musicians.' Tonight it's hard to tell how excited Wilson is about SMiLE, but he's definitely excited about dinner. 'They have an excellent salad here; I think you should get it,' he advises, then calls the waitress over and orders two iceberg-and-blue-cheese salads and two rib-eye steaks, medium rare. Wilson seems relaxed — or as relaxed as I've seen him in recent years — as he drinks beer and talks about his courtside seats to the Lakers playoff games and about his four-month-old adopted son, Dylan. (just saying Dylan's name makes Brian burst out laughing.) 'Life's better than it's been in the past twenty years,' he says. Still, he admits that he works hard to keep depression at bay. 'Every day I have an anxiety attack,' he says. 'I can't explain why. It just comes on.' He takes medication for anxiety and depression, and he sees a therapist three times a week. 'I'm in bad mental shape, so I need it,' he says. A routine of work and exercise helps, too. Each morning before doing anything else, he spends an hour at the piano. He says he's written three new songs in the past week. 'The creative process blows me out,' he says. 'It's an amazing trip. Amazing. Just amazing. I'm older, wiser, more knowledgeable than I used to be, so I can get it together pretty quick.' He smiles, stares off for a while, gulps his Heineken, then looks up at me with pale greenish-blue eyes. 'I'll tell you something I've learned,' he says. 'It's hard work to be happy.' Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
10 songs to celebrate the life and legacy of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson
NEW YORK (AP) — The musical world lost a giant with news Wednesday that Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys' visionary and fragile leader, had died. He was 82. Attempting to distill Wilson's talent and influence in a few short songs is an impossibility; even just focusing on a few select cuts from The Beach Boys' 1966 album 'Pet Sounds,' routinely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, would feel shortsighted. (Lest we forget, there is no Beatles' 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club' without it, and countless other classics past and present.) Instead, to celebrate Wilson's life and legacy, we've decided to identify just a few songs that made the man, from the fiercely familiar to a few unexpected selections. Read on and then listen to all of the tracks on our Spotify playlist. 1963: 'Surfin' USA,' The Beach Boys The song of the summer in 1963 — heck, the song of any summer, ever — 'Surfin' USA' at least partially introduced the group that would forever become synonymous with an image of eternal California bliss, where the sun always shines, the waves are always pristine, and paradise is a place on Earth. It's hard to imagine the beach existing before these wake-up riffs, the guitars that sparked a surf rock movement and then some. (Though it is important to mention that the song borrows heavily from Chuck Berry's 'Sweet Little Sixteen.') It's hard to think that surf music was once mostly just instrumental — even when Wilson and his cousin, fellow Beach Boy Mike Love, hastily wrote up their first single, 'Surfin,'' a minor hit released in 1961. 1964: 'Don't Worry Baby,' The Beach Boys Think of it as a response to The Ronettes' 'Be My Baby.' The hot-rod hit 'Don't Worry Baby' is the cheery B-side to 'I Get Around,' and has one of the most transformative key shifts in pop music history, from the man's perspective in the verse to the woman's response in the chorus. Brilliant! 1965: 'California Girls,' The Beach Boys Headphones on, stereo up. The Beach Boys' 'California Girls' sounds massive. It is no doubt the result of Wilson's love and admiration for Phil Spector's 'Wall of Sound,' which lead to the song's use of guitar, horns, percussion and organ as its overture. The song is a sunshine-y good time — and would later inspire Katy Perry's 'California Gurls,' among countless others. But most importantly, the song establishes the band — and Wilson's own — larger-than-life aspirations, where pop music could be both avant-garde and built of earworms. 1966: 'Wouldn't It Be Nice,' The Beach Boys Wilson's voice is the first one heard on the Beach Boys' unimpeachable 'Pet Sounds.' 'Wouldn't it be nice if we were older? / Then we wouldn't have to wait so long,' he sweetly sings on the album's opener. 'And wouldn't it be nice to live together / In the kind of world where we belong?' Optimism and innocence are the name of the game, and the listener is the winner. 1966: 'God Only Knows,' The Beach Boys If Wilson must be known for one thing, let it be his inimitable sense of harmony, perfected across his craft and completely unignorable on 'God Only Knows,' a masterclass in vocals, love, emotional depth, harpsichord and the intersection of all such forces. 'God Only Knows' is also one of Paul McCartney's favorite songs of all time, one known to bring him to tears. 1967: 'Good Vibrations,' The Beach Boys What kind of vibrations? Good, good, GOOD vibrations. And at a cost. As the story goes, one of the Beach Boys' best-known hits — and, arguably, one of the most immediately recognizable songs in rock 'n' roll history — was recorded over seven months, in four different studios, reportedly costing up to $75,000. And it is an absolute masterpiece of theremin, cello, harmonica and so much more. Pop music has never been so ambitious — and successful. 1967: 'Heroes and Villains,' The Beach Boys 'Heroes and Villains' might be one of the most complex songs in the Beach Boys' discography, and with good reason. It is the opener of 'Smile,' what Wilson called a 'teenage symphony to God,' a whimsical cycle of songs on nature and American folklore written with lyricist Van Dyke Parks. It was delayed, then canceled, then rerecorded and issued in September 1967 on 'Smiley Smile,' dismissed by Carl Wilson as a 'bunt instead of a grand slam.' In moments, 'Heroes and Villains' is psychedelic, in others, it embodies an otherworldly barbershop quartet. It is off-kilter and clever, as Wilson's band so often proved to be. 1967: 'Darlin',' The Beach Boys The late '60s are an undercelebrated time in Wilson's creative oeuvre — no doubt an effect of his declining mental health — but there are many rich songs to dig into. Particularly, the soulful, R&B, Motown-esque harmonies of 'Darlin'.' 2004: 'Don't Let Her Know She's an Angel,' Brian Wilson As the story goes, 'Don't Let Her Know She's an Angel' was originally record for his 1991 unreleased album 'Sweet Insanity,' but did not officially appear until it was rerecorded for his 2004 album 'Gettin' in Over My Head.' The song features a bunch of programming, synths and percussion, which might strike Beach Boys fans as odd. But trust us, it works here. 2012: 'Isn't It Time,' The Beach Boys This pick might come as a surprise for many fans. 'Isn't It Time' is a cut from 'That's Why God Made the Radio,' the album the legendary group put out to celebrate their 50th anniversary and left a lot to be desired. But within its filler, this song is undoubtedly catchy, with its ukulele and handclap percussion. ___ AP National Writer Hillel Italie contributed to this report.
Buzz Feed
2 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
31 Amazing Products You'll Wait By The Window For
A TikTok-famous microwavable popcorn popper that's basically a must-have if you've often considered ordering popcorn from the local AMC on Uber Eats. All you have to do is add the kernels, place a slab of butter on the lid, then microwave your way to theater-worthy popcorn. A piercing bump solution formulated with jojoba, grape seed, and rose to help keep any annoying keloids at bay! It can help shrink bumps and reduce scarring by promoting skin cell turnover and adding an extra dose of moisture. A set of press-on nails that requires ZERO messy nail glue — the adhesive is already on the nail!!! Just peel the backing off, press it, and forget it! Oh, and don't worry about accidentally ripping these off five minutes after you put them on — several reviewers say they're durable enough to survive everything from showering to furiously typing a passive-aggressive e-mail. A pair of teeth-whitening pens, which are SO much easier to use than traditional white strips. Just swipe it on and let the gel sit for 30 minutes — and eventually, you'll see years and years of stains start to disappear. This is a must for all my fellow coffee connoisseurs. An Ogx air-dry leave-in cream, which will give you Sephora-level results at a drugstore-level price. Now you can stop dreaming of buying one of those $400+ blow-dryers — this lets you air-dry your way to bouncy waves! The coconut oil and shea butter add extra moisture, while the citrus oils help add shine to your curls. A Stash Scrunchie that would be perfect for Gretchen Weiners, because it's full of secrets. There's a helpful little zipper pouch so you can stash some cash, keys, or the lip balm you always leave behind. Welcome to your new life, where you no longer have to carry your giant tote bag around just to carry a few essentials!! A sleek and ultra-portable facial shaver that'll remove the pesky peach fuzz that's stopping your foundation from seamlessly gliding on. It's also great for tackling that one stubborn chin hair that even the best tweezers can't seem to tackle. It's become a must-have gadget for more than 102,000 raters. An exfoliating glove with immediate results you can actually see. Seriously, the dead skin just clumps up and rolls right off of your body. It's somehow satisfying and gross at the same time. A set of makeup sponges that'll make you question how you ever spent top dollar for a Beauty Blender. You can get five of these for less than $10, and reviewers say they blend everything from foundation to concealer like a dream. A carbonated clay mask from K-beauty brand Elizavecca — it bubbles up into a thick layer of foam that's infused with charcoal powder to mop up any excess oils. It'll also basically turn you into one of the trolls from Frozen, so get ready to take all the selfies. A grossly adorable Shrek-shaped toothpaste cap so you can start and end your day like the ~All Star~ you are. It'll also remind you to watch Shrek 2 every day, though I assume you already do. A hydrating OGX mist that basically does the impossible — gives you frizz-free, bouncy waves without any extra weight. You can thank the nourishing coconut oil and bamboo extract for that. The beloved Hard as Hoof nourishing cream made with beeswax and jojoba oil to condition brittle nails and cuticles (on your fingers AND toes!) and have them looking as shiny and fresh as they did before that gel manicure did its damage. It's designed to sink in quickly (a rare feat in the world of cuticle oils) and it also smells like coconuts. I probably should have led with the coconut part. 🥥 🤤 A pair of light-up "chop sabers" so you can bring a touch of The Force to every meal — and have a post-lunch lightsaber battle afterward. These are BPA-free and designed to be easy to hand-wash, so you might just reach for these every day. A highly rated cream-to-powder eyeshadow that's not only super easy to use when you're in a hurry, but it'll basically pull your whole look together in just a few swipes. There's even a built-in smudger, so you can touch up while on the go without bringing an extra brush with you. Oh, and the vitamin E-infused formula is designed with sensitive skin in mind! A Saucemoto dip clip for everyone who knows fries taste SOOOOO much better on your way home from the drive-thru. This absolutely genius invention clips right onto your vent and holds your sauce at the perfect level, meaning you can easily dip while you're stopped at a red light. A double-sided Maybelline liquid lipstick that's designed to last for a whopping 24 hours without caking or flaking, so you can say goodbye to constantly touching up your lip color every time you take a much-deserved coffee break. One side of the tube has the longwear lipstick, while the other side has a moisturizing lip balm so you can add some extra shine on top of your color. A jewelry-cleaning stick so you can quickly and easily add some bling back to your rings and make them 🎵 shine bright like a diamond 🎵. You can use it on basically any of your accessories that need a good sprucing-up — just twist the pen to dispense some cleanser onto the brush, then gently swipe on your jewelry to let the microfine cleansers wipe away dirt and oil. A blank acrylic dry erase board if you need a ridiculously chic place to write down all of your to-do lists, goals, or those weird dreams you've been having from falling asleep with your fave true-crime podcast on. TruSkin Naturals vitamin C serum to give you that coveted ✨ glowy but not greasy ✨ look that'll have you feeling like a Winx fairy. It's packed with vitamins C and E and botanical hyaluronic acid to help fade dark spots and add a radiant sheen to your skin. It has 94,000+ rave ratings, with many reviewers saying it instantly brightens and absorbs quickly. A popular heated massager with three adjustable speeds so you can fit in some much needed self-care during your workday. Its compact design allows you to easily use it on your back, neck, legs, and feet. A nifty device that can turn hot coffee into iced coffee in 60 seconds, so it's perfect for the coffee connoisseur who drinks iced beverages year-round. It can also be used to quickly chill wine, which honestly might be even more useful. The unique design keeps the ice completely separate from the liquid you pour inside, so you'll get a chilled bev without diluting it. A trendy monogram necklace that's perfect for anyone looking for a statement piece with a personal touch. It's the perfect go-to gift for the jewelry lover who has everything. So basically, it's a perfect gift for yourself. A folding tabletop mirror with some impressively bright lights that will have you saying, "Hey, guys, welcome back to my channel!" like the glamorous beauty influencer you were meant to be. There's even a helpful storage spot on the stand so you can keep your go-to products ready at all times. A rechargeable electric lighter with a flexible neck that lets you easily reach down to the bottom of all your most-loved candles — and prevents the dreaded "oh no, my lighter is out of fluid!!!" moment all my fellow candle lovers have experienced more than a few times. You can recharge this with a USB cable, and each charge lasts for 600 uses! A Waterpik water flosser — your dentist called me and asked that I personally recommend this to you. It's racked up 111,000+ rave ratings from reviewers who say it does a phenomenal job of blasting away trapped food particles that traditional floss may leave behind, and that the massage mode feels ah-maz-ing on the gums. A reading light you can hang right around your neck so you won't disturb your partner during those nights when "just one more chapter" accidentally becomes a three-hour-long reading session. It has three brightness levels ranging from "trying to be discreet and polite on the airplane" to "are my keys hiding underneath the couch??" and it lasts for up to 40 hours on a single charge. A semi-permanent hair dye made without peroxide and ammonia, so you won't have to worry about damaging your strands when you feel like switching up your color. It'll work best on pre-lightened hair, but many reviewers say it also provides an impressive tint on dark hair as well! A soft-serve maker to turn frozen fruit into an ice cream-like dessert without all the hassle of making actual homemade ice cream. Just add the frozen fruit of your choice to the chute, push down with the plunger, and watch as a creamy, soft-serve-like concoction makes its way into your bowl. Reviewers say it's perfectly creamy and easy to use. A set of 12 bath bombs in various relaxing scents and vibrant colors so you can take your bath game to the next level. Watching these little fizz balls swirl around is almost as relaxing as actually soaking in the tub. A set of three owl-shaped plant pots that perch upon their very own bamboo stand to offer wisdom and guidance while keeping your succulents looking their best. It comes with everything you need to easily assemble it, and it even includes drainage holes for easy maintenance. You, stalking the UPS truck: Reviews here have been edited for length and/or clarity.
