Texan Mosaic

by: MATT MOLINAR/Opinion Editor

In a free album written by Miley Cyrus dedicated to dead animals and marijuana, you wouldn’t expect the emotional element she delivers.

Cyrus hosted the 2015 Video Music Awards. At the conclusion of the award show, Cyrus performed a song titled “Dooo It!” featuring the lead singer of “Flaming Lips” and a large number of dancing drag queens.

She ended the show by announcing her latest album, “Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz,” had been released for free on the online music-sharing platform, “soundcloud.com.”

The new album, in collaboration with “Flaming Lips,” features a very wide range of interesting sounds, from soft, emotional songs, to loud, obnoxious songs. The music is inspired from pets that Cyrus lost during her life.

The first song on the album is titled “Twinkle Song.” The song was written after Cyrus’ friend’s cat, named Twinkle, died. The lyrics of the song make absolutely no sense and seem to be just a random assortment of sentences. However, the vocals Cyrus delivers through the song are absolutely beautiful. Halfway through the song, Cyrus begins screaming the verse, “What does it mean? I had a dream.” She maintains full control over her voice, making the song more enjoyable.

The third song on the album is called “Pablow the Blowfish.” If you didn’t already guess, the song was written about a blowfish named “Pablow.” Cyrus wrote the song prior to releasing the album after her aquatic friend died. The song talks about how she loved the fish and wishes she could have given him a better life. The song also seems to connect with her past love life with actor Liam Hemsworth. Toward the end of the song, Cyrus begins crying while singing.

The eighth song is named “Lighter.” This is my personal favorite from the album. Although the lyrics talk about smoking marijuana, I think the lyrics are one big metaphor for finding love, which makes it beautiful to me.

“You lift me to the moon and back. Back into your arms. I won’t let go
until I know how much you really love me, baby.”

Not only do I enjoy the lyrics of the song, the melodic styling makes the song even more beautiful. If the album was not free, I could see this song being the number-one seller from the album.

Another emotional piece on the album is the ninth track, titled, “I Get So Scared.” The lyrics that go along with this song are very somber. It makes for the perfect break-up song. Cyrus shows her vulnerability in this song by singing lyrics about “getting over” somebody. The song also shows how Cyrus is becoming afraid of love. This song from the album is another one of my favorites for its beautiful sound and beautiful lyrics.

Following “I Get So Scared” are many of the songs on the album I choose to avoid. The songs titled “I’m So Drunk” and “Slab of Butter” give me anxiety.  The two songs are noisy and have no lyrical direction. Cyrus sings about alcohol and ,of course, marijuana.

“Karen Don’t Be Sad” is another one of my favorites from the album. Although I don’t particularly like the strange keyboard sound throughout the song, the lyrics definitely make up for it. Cyrus sings about not paying attention to what everybody thinks about “Karen.” I think “Karen” is symbolizing Cyrus and how she has become a target for hate. She also tells Karen, “The world can be beautiful, but that part’s up to you,” which I find encouraging.

Although “Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz” has some terrifying tracks, most of the music is fun to listen to and has emotional themes. I really enjoyed listening to most of the album.

I give the album three out of five stars.