The Archive’s Songs of the Week: 4/29/2024

Each week the Archive will shine a spotlight on our (my, I’m the only one on staff here) favorite songs. All songs are welcome, from swooning ballads and plucking folk ditties to pounding club bangers and sugary pop confections.

Genre(s): Alternative country, pop, R&B, dance/electronic, folk, Beyoncé

1. “Cowboy Take Me Away,” by Fire Swimmer: It’s a ballsy move to cover a Chicks song, especially one as ubiquitous and well-loved as “Cowboy Take Me Away,” the sweeping, majestic ballad from 1999’s Fly. My goodness, did Fire Swimmer pull it off in spades! A relative unknown at this point, Fire Swimmer’s cover popped up one random Tuesday on my TikTok feed, and I haven’t stopped listening since. Instead of the classic country vibe of the original, Fire Swimmer crafts a gauzy, layered piece a la Imogen Heap or Bon Iver, complete with harmonic vocoder and a percussion-free arrangement that relies solely on the beauty of her robotic voice. Splayed out like an Eric Whitacre piece, Fire Swimmer’s “Cowboy Take Me Away” plays more like we’re soaring through the “wild blue” our titular cowboy has thrust us into, with little clue when we might crash down to earth. Like some sort of AI programmed to love, Fire Swimmer aches with passion and yearning, pulling the song like taffy until it stretches to its limit while hitting the final chorus, an explosion of harmony. My only note would be that a slide guitar should be present, but I say that about a lot of songs, so I’ll let it slide to enjoy this stellar cover.
2. “Tyrant,” by Beyoncé: I will admit, I have a complicated stance on Cowboy Carter, the rip-roaring country opus by the magnanimous Beyoncé, and the second part in her three-act project beginning with 2022’s Renaissance. Despite my overall feelings, one thing is clear: “Tyrant” is an absolute banger. Stuck unfairly near the end of the 27-song project, “Tyrant” begins with an intro from the one and only Dolly Parton: “Cowboy Carter, time to strike a match and light up this juke joint!” Immediately, the blood is hot as Beyoncé goes into a heavenly harmony, begging the hangman to answer for their crimes against an off-screen lover like she’s marching into town in a Spaghetti Western, hellbent on revenge. What comes next is probably the best beat drop of any song I’ve heard, accompanied by a playful fiddle that swims through the bassy murk. It’s electrifying to experience this side of Beyoncé. “She’s a tyrant, every time I ride it,” she sings. “I don’t like to sit up the saddle boy, I got it,” she coos, a lyric that’s sure to mark Instagram posts the world over once the tour kicks off. “Tyrant” is near-perfect (my only issue is with some of the lyrics), and an absolute gem, a reward for experiencing all the songs that came before it, whether they be good, bad, or ugly.
3. “Real House,” by Adrianne Lenker: The opening to Lenker’s recent album, Bright Future, hits any feeling listener like a ton of bricks. Over sparse piano, just enough to guide Lenker’s delicate voice, she sings of the past in such a way that you almost feel the needle going in her (as she so painstakingly describes towards the end of the track). I will admit, the moment I heard this tune, I burst into tears, sobbing at my desk. The plainspoken lyrics centered around nostalgia and the love between family, accompanied by the airy production swathed in slight static like a record playing, is enough to evoke the deepest of emotions. “Mama, what happened? I never thought we’d go this long. Now thirty-one and I don’t feel strong, and your love is all I want,” she sings. Listening to this track to write this review is almost too much. “Real House” is a masterful song in its restraint, allowing the lyrics and Lenker to do the heavy lifting. It sets the tone for the entire album, only if you’re emotionally strong enough to make it past “Real House” and enjoy it.
4. “Can’t Be Tamed,” by Miley Cyrus: “Can’t Be Tamed” is fabulous. A nostalgia bomb for me like none other, I immediately go back to my teen years, where I’d sit and watch the music video on repeat, dazzled by the bird-human fiends traipsing alongside a feathered Cyrus through a museum. Back then, I would’ve called it a crush; now, I call it diva worship. As I revisit this song in the wake of JoJo Siwa’s failed Cyrus-inspired rebrand, I can’t help but feel “Can’t Be Tamed” set the stage for both Cyrus and the slew of ex-child star performers that came after her, bent on changing their stories. What sets “Can’t Be Tamed” apart from the likes of a Siwa-type is the edgy honesty. You feel through the song that Cyrus truly believes in her actions. Though a far cry from her explosive Bangerz era, and still dipped in Disney polish, “Can’t Be Tamed” laid the groundwork. “For those who don’t know me, I can get a bit crazy,” she sings at the start, near-cathartic for any stifled adolescent at that time, me included. Returning to this track after a decade or so, it’s not hard to see why it’s so iconic, cheesiness and all.
5. “Nasty,” by Tinashe: Tinashe is the Janet Jackson of our time. Yes, I know Janet is very much alive, and I am a huge fan, but in terms of carrying her sensual torch, nobody does it quite like Tinashe. “Nasty,” released to tease her next album, sees Tinashe admitting that she’s “been a nasty girl (nasty).” Accompanied by a dance-filled, desert-romping music video, Tinashe is at the top of her game. I thought that with the release of BBY/ANG3L, so I suppose there’s no denying Tinashe will just keep raising her bar. With slinky production and her signature sing-speaking, Tinashe begs the question: “Is somebody gonna match my freak?” She needs somebody with good technique! It’s a universal quandary. Will any of us find our perfect match? Perhaps not, but with a song like “Nasty,” it’s easy to keep searching, as long as there’s plenty of ass-shaking and crotch-grabbing in the process.