The Songs

“DVD Menu”

“DVD Menu” pulls me in right when it begins, the song filling my whole body because I can feel every note. The violin adds an entrancing eeriness to the song, and I can easily say it's one of the best instrumental songs I've heard in a while. Most would think it would be better with lyrics, but I believe that would ruin the mood the song puts us in.  

“Garden Song”

I love Bridgers’ voice; it reminds me of a mix of many different singers, but at the same time, has a unique sound. This is a great song for when you want to relax, although there isn’t that much to it that’s special and would make me want to listen to it again and again or put it on my playlist. What I do like about the song is that it reminds me of Bon Iver music. Phoebe is an amazing songwriter and is able to create a story with what she sings. Even though I don’t particularly like the song that much, I do love the lyrics and how subtly meaningful they are.

“Kyoto”

Kyoto is easily my favorite Phoebe song and I find myself singing it in my head constantly. Unlike “Garden Song”, this one immediately captured my attention and I love every second of it. The verse perfectly builds up to the chorus, and right when it comes, it feels like I'm floating. The chorus is so melodic and catchy, plastering itself inside your brain permanently. The song would not be as great as it is if Bridgers didn't sing those emphasized words with notes that compliment them perfectly in the chorus. It gives what she's singing more of an impact on your brain and how it interprets the song. 

“Punisher”

I love the melody of this song and the entirety of the background music. It complements Bridgers’ voice and fits with the lyrics, almost telling a story. It doesn’t overuse the echoing of her voice, and is the perfect song to listen to while driving in the countryside. 

“Halloween”

Right away the song reminds me of Fantastic Mr. Fox, which has a soundtrack I love, so I'm already excited to hear the rest of the song. I love the chorus; it's very calming and Bridgers’ voice sounds beautiful. The song is about how people can be anything they want, like on Halloween, so I understand the song isn’t about a Halloween night. Nevertheless, listening to this song makes me feel like it's Halloween, which is always a serotonin booster. It's a great night time car ride song for when you're just driving on the highway at night, pitch-black emptiness all around you except for the road in front of you.

“Chinese Satellite”

I like the idea of the song—how when you're looking at a star, it might actually be a Chinese satellite. Bridgers’ voice sounds very angelic in this; they did a great job with the reverb and such. I love the violin and drums that come in at the end because the song sounds much better with them. On top of that, the harmonies with other recordings of her voice sound beautiful in this song.

“Moon Song”

This would be a very Taylor Swift-y song if it wasn't for Bridgers’ and Swift’s very different voices. I personally prefer Phoebe’s voice along with her music; if this was a Taylor Swift song, I don’t think I’d like it as much. It's a very mellow song that keeps a similar tempo throughout. Nothing too special, but definitely a great song if you're looking for something calm with great lyrics. 

“Savior Complex”

I know I sound repetitive, but again she hits it out of the ballpark with the lyrics. The songs wouldn’t be as good as they are without them because the lyrics are what makes her songs. They’re always so original and clever, but also flow smoothly together without any awkward moments to try and fit a certain line in. This song particularly is one of her better songs lyrically, and creates a setting for the song, along with two characters with clear personalities, which is always hard to do.

“ICU”

The song is good—not great, not terrible—but good. I am, however, putting it pretty high on my rankings because of how the background music makes me feel. It reminds me of other songs I like, ones I can't quite remember but whose melodies are always stuck in the back of my head.  

“Graceland Too”

This song has a country music vibe, which I like because it makes it different from the other songs on this playlist. “Graceland Too” is definitely in my top 5 for the album: an engaging melody and pretty lyrics ensure you won’t get bored with the song while listening. My favorite line in the song is also my favorite line in the album: “Said she knows she'll live through it to get to this moment”. 

“I Know The End”

Again, this song seems very repetitive and reminds me of most of the songs on this album. At least, I thought that until I got to the end of the song. It was different from the others on the album and was a bit weird, which is always good. 

My Thoughts On The Album

Punisher is perfect for those occasional walks in nature or even the city. It's not an album I would listen to when looking for songs I want to actually get into, but rather for when I want some nice background music to listen to and let myself relax. Her abundance of songs with violin was what won me over, because it always gave the song the instrument it needed.

The album could have been so much more if Bridgers had broadened her horizon when creating her songs, since many of them are very similar to each other. Despite that critique on the album, quality-wise, the songs were all great, and a few of them I loved so much that I put them on my playlist. I do hope that in her next album, Bridgers switches it up a little bit and doesn’t have a lot of the songs sounding the same. Doing something different with her music will allow her to stand out more in the current music industry.