Communion

Now I know that's right!!!

So, again, you still can't answer to the fact that people in this thread are clearly, objectively arguing for: ? Your habit of trying to run cover for far-right elements and far-right arguments by offering completely different arguments than the ones actually being made doesn't work if.. people have eyes! "Oh so you're denying Muslim countries are homophobic??? So now people are racist if they think Islam is homophobic? Stupid leftists!!!". Meanwhile, you have people like the above arguing for race science and that people who aren't white can't even be culturally European. Your argument of "well [x country] is more homophobic than [y country]" makes no sense in the context of immigration and is a misdirection. Why would it matter if a Muslim country is more homophobic than a European country when... why would people leave a country if they completely agree and are fine living in that country? The idea of "far-right Islamism is being imported into the West" is circular logic that falls apart when one simply realizes.. if Muslim countries are deeply conservative and homophobic... conservative and homophobic Muslims wouldn't be the ones leaving them. They have no reason to leave!

...yes, the Lebanese-German, German national Abdul Ballout, born and raised in Germany? Are you suggesting people who are... not ethnically European can never be true citizens of European nations?

Ddd I did say it was a loaded comparison! I also personally don't think the music is alike. I think the shift in their careers is what is similar. Anti was the first Rihanna album that felt "artisan". Like as though there was a concerted effort to try different and weird things. Do to something left field, even though the material itself isn't incredibly different sonically from past releases. It was the first Rihanna album to feel "elevated" and "accomplished" artistically in the way this differentiates itself from past Ariana projects. Similar context to in that Anti is seen as Rihanna reaching a new artisan level of artistry despite, upon release, it wasn't universally acclaimed, sitting at a 73/100 now on Metacritic despite it being universally seen as Rihanna's most realized work in retrospect.

Notice how this got no response. Wasn't the recent terrorist attack in Berlin committed by a German national?

This is quite literally the foundation to the idea that immigration laws must discriminate on the basis of religion and ethnicity, so…yes they have?

There were literally reports of substantial numbers of Ukrainians living now in Western Europe uncomfortable and distraught over the visibility and acceptance of LGBTQ people. This is why the idea that there are some kind of universal "European" values is a racist dog whistle. Like this: Are you suggesting that somehow a religious, non-degreed Eastern European household would be more progressive than high income, educated households in higher income African nations? This is why the generalizations are inherently reactionary.

Yas! I wanted to mention Anti but it's now so universally loved it feels like a loaded comparison. But a lot of where Ariana sits on Petal vs her past albums feels like the turning point Anti brought for Rihanna.

"You're so…what's the word? Unappealing? Unattractive?" "Do you got a personality disorder?" She's so funny

Wait Bad Thing is sort of giving crack. Why am I being delulu and feel like it could be her As It Was or Blinding Lights if released? Need: 1st Single - Hate That I Made You Love Me Promo Single - Petal 2nd Single - Bad Thing 3rd Single - Oh Well (Remix ft PinkPantheress & Oklou)

I think you're confusing the mechanics being used - because the artist is actually the one making her own music - for sonics. There's no way to say Positions and this, for example, sound alike. Positions is warm r&b while this is purposefully disjointed, glitched out cold electronic synths (often times veering into rock or guitar-backed alt r&b).

Max co-produced the lead and Stay. He did vocal production on the title track. Everything else is produced solely by Ilya…..who had nothing to do with that album and whose only work with Taylor was in putting his signature buzz saw synths on Bad Blood and End Game.

The video is looking to be like she apparently violently kills a bunch of men commenting on her looks, saying she's had too much plastic surgery and about her body, so she probably just wants to send a message ddd.

Do people need the experimentation to only be based in the sonics and genre-based? (Which is ironic cause I feel like her two records that strayed the most in terms of genre - Sweetener and Positions - got huge negative initial feedback for straying so far off from the Top 40 pop fans usually want) I just can't imagine people listening to stuff like Warning Signs or even the title track and not being hit with what she's doing. Are y'all listening on like... speaker on your phones? Girls, put on the headphones! It feels like she's found a sweet spot she enjoys with ES+BDA and this album is her taking that sound and bending it in unconventional ways as not just a singer but a craftswoman fully embedded in the creation of her work. The way her voice is used as an instrument, the very specific intention of the lyrical content, the production on her vocals, etc. Petal has the synth that reminds people of 7 Rings but take that away and it's shocking as a single choice. I can't imagine her falsetto or the stereo-crunching synths at the end playing on a car radio. There's an artisanship to the actual music never really there before. It's a tired reference but it really feels like an Ariana Grande album put through a funhouse mirror (Ariana Grande seeing how far she can twist Ariana Grande™ the brand - someone saying anti-pop feels right). It's Ariana Grande but distorted and mutated in ways that sometimes look and sound unfamiliar and that's.. naturally gonna be divisive. There's gonna be people who go "...oh! that's not what I expected or what I think I wanted," but then there's going to be people who are like "this is the thing I've wanted to make her entire career". (Me )

Excuse me? GOOD THINGS CAN REPLACE DYSFUNCTION OBSESSION FRIENDS I USED TO NEED BUT NOW THE BAD GUYS ALL GO TO HELL GOOD THINGS CAN REPLACE DYSFUNCTION OBSESSION THANKS BUT I'LL SEE YOU RIGHT OUT GOOD LUCK ON YOUR WAY TO HELL OH WELL