"WE USED TO PLAY AS A TRIO BEFORE GRAHAM GOT THE ORGAN, WITH JUST ALTO SAX, GINGER AND ME."

PIC INFO: Spotlight on a group portrait The Graham Bond Organisation (GBO), British jazz/rhythm and blues group of the mid-1960s. This photograph was later used as cover art to the band's second studio album, also released in 1965, "There's a Bond Between Us."

L to R: Ginger Baker (drums), Jack Bruce (bass guitar), Graham Bond (vocals, keyboards, alto-saxophone), and Dick Heckstall-Smith (tenor/soprano saxophone).

PSYCHEDELIC BABY MAGAZINE: "Can you tell me briefly about how you hooked up with Graham Bond, Dick Heckstall-Smith and Ginger Baker to play in Alexis Korner’s band?"

JACK BRUCE: "Well, I’d sat in with Dick’s band at a May Ball in Cambridge, and then he spent a long time looking for me and when he eventually found me he said I should come and audition for Alexis. This was the original band with Cyril Davies, Dick, Alexis, Johnny Parker and myself. This was the most settled line-up, where Ronnie Jones off the US bases would sit in with us. Then Graham joined. That’s how it all started."

PSYCHEDELIC BABY: "What was the reason you guys broke away from Alexis’s group?"

JACK BRUCE: "I came in one day and Graham handed in my notice for me. He resigned Ginger and me. (much laughing from both Jack and me). I didn’t speak to Alexis for years after that, but that was the kind of guy Graham was. I was just a kid really, I was only about 19."

PSYCHEDELIC: "How responsive were the audiences to this new R&B group?"

JACK: "We used to play as a trio before Graham got the organ, with just alto sax, Ginger and me. That was enjoyable. Then we became just about the hardest working band in the country. We used to open loads of clubs, like the Hanley R&B club in about ’65 or so. But it was just the kids that used to come and see us and they’d just go crazy. We were funny looking too, we weren’t just some boy band."

Sources: www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2019/10/jack-bruce-interview.html & Sophology 101 (blogspot).

What's up babygirls (literally no one reads my blog) here's my March topster

This month was mostly shit I thought it would be interesting to listen... so lot of metal again. Also for the sake of my sanity I have 2 records that I genuinely don't know what the fuck I should do with.

Unrated: Current 93-I have a special plan for this world (Dark Ambient/Poetry): Arguably the best scary stuff I have ever listened but I never want to hear this again as once was perfectly enough. It gives a really disturbing atmosphere and the poetry part itself was interesting too. I highly recommend checking it out at least once. Slipknot-Iowa(Nu metal): I don't get it. The instrumentation is good but the lyrics are so god damned corny that it hurts. It doesn't help that it sounds like death metal for people who don't want to listen to actual death metal. I probably give it another chance later... not now tho I still can't take The Heretic Anthem seriously.

Alright now the actual tierlist begins:

14th: Combat Wounded Veteran-Electric Youth Crew(Powerviolence): I had a small journey and sat down to listen through the entire CWV discography (it's not that long definitely recommend it to get into powerviolence) and this is arguably the "weakest" of their releases. It doesn't really stand out and can be forgotten easily.

13th: CWV-This Is Not an Erect, All-Red Neon Body (Powerviolence/Grindcore): Idk it just doesn't click as well as IKAGWDCSP.

12th: Death-The Sound of Perseverance(Death/Prog Metal):Jesus Christ this album was a major disappointment for me. As a last Death album I expected it to be a last brutal yet technically extreme blast...but they just had to listen to 30 hour acid freeform jazz or some shit to get inspiration. This album has genuine fire songs, but they just had to fuck up the in the middle with a boring ass bass "solo" or someshit... Also the Painkiller cover is the worst song I heard this year so far, how the fuck can you ruin a perfect song when you are already a talented vocalist is beyond me.

11th: CWV-Duck Down for the Torso(Powerviolence/Grindcore): A short and sweet end for CWV's discography. Having it end on a Folded Space song was a great choice which gives an interesting feeling for the end.

10th: Stabbing-Extirpated Mortal Process(Brutal Death/Slam metal): Now this is a good slam metal album.

9th: Sematary-Bloody Angel(Horrorcore/Chicago drill): After Sems last EP I thought it was over... BUT IT ISN'T! It gives vibes of RB2 with RB3 mixing with some HAW mixed in. He can cook just let him do his thing :pray:

8th: Spycada-Hiking Lung(Psychedelic rock): It's good, great vibe, good tones, overall enjoyable. Looking forward to their next stuff.

7th: Magrudergrind-Self title(Grindcore/Powerviolence): THE grindcore album. Absolutely slaps, the sample use is interesting.

6th: Igorrr-Spirituality and Distortion(Avant Guard Metal/Breakcore) This... is Schrödinger's kitchen. I don't know if the kitchen is burned down or has served a 5 star menu, until I care to write an actual criticism of it. (Also the mixing of metal, break core and classical music is insane and the sheer heaviness this album gives is phenomenal, though it falls of gradually on the second half)

5th:Sweet Trip-Velocity : Design : Comfort(IDM/Glitch Pop) At least 200 people already circle jerk around this album, yes it is good, no I don't explain why I love it because I ain't talking about why breathing air is good.

4th:Have a nice life-Deathconsciousness(Post Punk/Shoegaze): Same as last time, people already told you enough why it's good, just fucking listen through it already. (side note some of the songs on this albums mixed weirdly quite for some reason, and it's kinda wack how the drone parts are the best, but still really good)

3th: Dead in the Dirt-The Blind Hole(Grindcore/Powerviolence) Jesus I listen to a lot of powerviolence this month... Anyways this is probably my favourite pw record yet. Probably the more understandable vocals help to lift it just a little bit above the rest for me.

2th:Mastodon-Leviathan(Sludge metal/Prog metal) Fun fact in the 2000's 2 whale concept prog metal albums came out, both of which are peak. I don't know how they got The Moby Dick nailed so well in metal form but they sure did with heavy riffs and amazing vocal performances.

1th: Electric Wizard-Witchcult Today(Stoner/Doom metal): I was afraid to check out the rest of EW discography after Dopethrone cuz it is too peak... However this album is probably as good as Dopethrone. Something about this album gives more OG metal vibes with less insanity.

on repeat

I was tagged by @starvels to do this On Repeat Spotify meme. thank you!

Rules: shuffle your “on repeat” playlist from spotify/the music service of your choice and post the first 10 tracks.

Laura Marling, Antony Green, Martin Slattery “Red Right Hand” - if I could pick one of my favorite Nick Cave songs for this group of people to cover, this wouldn’t be in my top 10. it would be in my top 20, though. (#1 would be “Mercy Seat” -- look for Cave’s acoustic version from “B-Sides and Rarities”.)

Moon Hooch, Tonio Sagan "Rise" - I’m not in any way qualified to do so, but if for some reason I was asked to pitch a song to be on the next Spider-Verse soundtrack, this would be my pick

Paul Cauthen "Slow Down" - this guy always puts me in the mood to write Dean Winchester (see also: "Everbody Walkin' This Land")

Moon Hooch “God’s Cone” - saxophones with inverted traffic cones over them to alter the sound. the band calls this type of jazz “cave music” and you’re meant to dance to it.

John Francis Flynn "Tralee Gaol" - a hoppin’ tin whistle folk tune. I started listening to it around the same time I first heard Dave Van Ronk’s “Luang Prabang,” and cool fact, you can pretty much sing the latter to “Tralee Gaol”

Odetta "Long Ago, Far Away" - a great Passover song. (uh, other than the Jesus parts, I guess? lol)

Hedy West "The Unquiet Grave" - between my partner and myself, we know a lot of artists who record trad songs. but Hedy West was a new one for us. (she herself is not new - our favorite album of her’s is from 1965.)

S.G. Goodman "Lungs" - what can I say, I’ve been doing a lot of work on my spn fic (see also: “The Way I Talk” is a Dean Winchester song, fight me)

Dave Van Ronk "Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down" - hmm. I don’t know that this would be my top pick for a version of this song, though there aren’t recordings that do the song as well as I think it could be. this also wouldn’t be my top pick to introduce someone to Dave Van Ronk. you could still do a lot worse for either, though, so give it a listen

Shirley Collins, Davy Graham "Hares on the Mountain" - I must admit, Shirley Collins is not usually my favorite. I love her arrangements but the execution can be same-y. this is a delightful song, though, especially if you’re into ships where no one is sure if they want more to fuck or murder each other. it’s full of innuendo, and the vocal style lends itself to the tone. If the young men could sing like blackbirds and thrushes / How many young girls would go beating the bushes?

oh gosh, I’ve been tagging a lot of people lately and I have no idea who has and hasn’t done this one. um @coffeecupandcorgi @fanfictiongreenirises @arukou-arukou @sineala @kiyaar @oluka @ghosthan and anyone else who wants to do it!

I actually have a question about dreamcatcher. If I were looking to get into their music, what is a good song/ep to start with?

Someone about to get into Dreamcatcher from me?!?!?!!?!? Ahhhhh yessss, come to the dark side!

Okay. So. In my very new-to-being-a-fan opinion, there are so many great songs across all their albums so it's hard to tell you which album to start with. So I'm gonna list some of my favorite songs and let you pick!

Their latest album/ep is Apocalypse: From Us and the whole thing slaps, but my favorite song is Propose (Dami is an incredible rapper. Like...I do not know how she does it sometimes. Is my bias showing?).

For by Yoohyeon is a great solo. ALL of the solos are great, but my other fav is: Beauty Full by Dami. Scream Jazz Bar (a bit of a different sound, but I love it) Sahara No More Odd Eye Don't Light My Fire BEcause Reason Bonvoyage Deja Vu Okay, so that's just some of their songs I love. Honestly, for me, you can't go wrong with any of their songs. And you gotta check out their music videos if you like their sound. There IS an order to watch them in because they all tell a story, but I can't remember what that order is. it's probably on google somewhere. Actually, I think I've reblogged it so I'll look for it.

Also their live performances are always a treat. They're nuts on stage (in a good way!)

And just because I adore it, here's one of my favorite videos of them. I used to hate this song, but by them I love it. And love seeing their dynamics in it.

And if you REALLY like them, several members have vids of them doing covers. Yoohyeon's are really good and Siyeon has a fantastic cover of Speechless from Aladdin, if you know it.

Okay. I gave you a starting place. Let me know what you think!!

Tim Buckey - I Can't See You 

Happy Birthday to Timothy Charles Buckley III, born on February 14, 1947. "I Can't See You" is the first song off his first album from 1966. From this album sleeve, he may look like just some random folksinger. The latest in a never-ending line of folkies at the time. But from the first crashing notes it becomes evident that no, this isn't your average 1960s folkie. Yes, it's semi-electric folk, but there's also jazz, punk, & avant-garde  elements here, in a tenor singing (his high school friend) Larry Beckett's  beautiful poetic lyrics. And as he did for the rest of his life, Tim Buckley broke the rules. Leading off this, his very first Elektra Records release with not the most commercial radio-friendly tune of the collection, but the least. Here is a youtube of “I Can’t See You” here: https://youtu.be/xDeE7TtoF1Q

I first heard Buckley at 13 years old, early in 1968, when my local Dallas "underground rock" station KNUS, the first of it's kind in Big D on the FM side of the dial that played at least one album cut from almost every new LP release of the time, & practically none of the Top 40, that dominated AM radio back then. It was where I first heard The Velvet Underground, The Jeff Beck Group, The Red Crayola, Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera, Condello, The Ill Wind, & on & on. I'd save up my lunch money allowance all week, & on the weekend head over to Preston Record Center & pick out an album by the coverart & what I'd heard on KNUS radio. One week they were playing Tim Buckley's long epic, "Goodbye & Hello", the title song from his more psychedelic second album. So that was what I picked out to purchase with my hard-hoarded cash & was introduced to the varied music of Tim. For some reason I never went back to this first album until much later in the 1970s. Maybe it was that folksinger cover. After the obviously drug-induced cover photos of "Happy Sad" & the likes, that first album coverart never struck my fancy until I later realized just how brilliant & different Tim Buckley was. But once I finally did investigate further, Wow!

But on to my own musical career. When I was finally putting together my last & possibly final musical project in 2017, my damaged hearing required a lower volume, different approach that started out as just a trio with my pals Eric Hisaw & Dan Hoekstra on guitars, & turned into a combo simply called The T. Tex Edwards Group, when we later added JJ Barrera on bass & Shawn Peters on drums. It had started out as a songwriting project with Hisaw. After years of mainly playing covers of semi-obscure 60s Brit & off-kilter C&W nuggets, I wanted to see if I could still write some meaningful songs like I had years ago with Mike Haskins in The Nervebreakers & Click Mort in The Loafin' Hyenas. I had started writing things down during a month-long rehab torture at Austin Recovery, & upon my release, contacted Eric about possibly getting together & putting some music to my scribblings. We cranked out a few songs & added a Tim Harden tune, a Bob Dylan song, along with some reworkings of some of my earlier Nervebreakers & Loafin' Hyenas originals. Plus this song from Tim Buckley, that I absolutely fell in love with upon my first listening all those years ago. When we later recorded our batch of originals, this song, (along with Gary Stewart's "Single Again"), were the only two cover songs that we recorded at those sessions. Hopefully sometime soon, those recordings will see the light of day...

hi <3 what r your fave records from ur collection and why. gotta ask

EEEEEEEK !! BESTIE THANK YOU !!! such an excellent question !!! thank god you said records because um,,, there’s a few let’s just say

left - stoneage romeos by hoodoo gurus. i remember very clearly seeing this in a record shop and being amazed at the album cover. i had no idea who hoodoo gurus were but i mean just look at that cover, how sexy does it look! i also remember being amused because on the back it says 'if you enjoyed this album, please help the band: get your friends to buy a copy not tape yours' like yeah expose some bitches!

right - pigbag self-titled. now i love myself some funky jazz instrumentals. pigbag is definitely one of those bands which i know no one has heard but pls, listen to them. i'd obviously go with the class 'papa's got a brand new pigbag' and then maybe we can start talking. anyway never in my wildest dreams would i imagine finding a pigbag record in my country, let alone in a town 30 minutes away. i had to get my dad to drive me there after school to get this record and obviously got bullied because of the name of the band but my god!!! the pure joy of holding this record, i found peace <3

left - of skin and heart by the church. OH MY GOD IT IS SO HARD TO FIND THE CHURCH RECORDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! most of my records used to come from ebay and there was always nothing. zip. like it was so ridiculous. SO this record store guy was like homie and knew about my struggle on finding the church records and he literally called me to say that he found of skins and heart. believe me, i got over there as soon as i could to grab this baby. yes my bank account did a little weep afterwards but it was so worth it. she's so beautiful.

right - waiata by split enz. idk i just love split enz so much and i found waiata with the pink colouring. i just feel like it's a very me record <3

left - the loved ones' magic box. so much gender on the album cover i mean look at all the colours!!!!! i barely have any records from the sixties because they are hella expensive somehow but when i saw this record at this record fair, i didn't even think just SWIPED it. i'm gonna nerd out for a second here - this is the STEREO mix of the album. now after around 1972 for some odd reasons i have no idea why but they basically started releasing this album in one side of the stereo completely gone. like there's a guitar solo that plays in one ear and suddenly just dips because, obviously, it goes to the other ear. the mixing is HORRIBLY which is such a shame because this band fuckign slaps!! anyway the guy selling it was explaining this to me and i just had to say 'yeah i know, the guy in the pink shirt??? yeah that's my grandfather!' :)

right - we never close by pink flamingos. let it be known that this was one of my first-ever purchases on ebay and started a trend of collecting records that will probably never stop. the guy in the middle below the album cover was the love of my life, yes he had been dead for nearly 33 years when i got into him but that's beside the point. i knew for a fact i was never gonna find this album anywhere because no one probably knows this band outside of new zealand, and i had never heard of them until i met the guy in the middle. so when i saw it on ebay i knew i just had to take the plunge and buy it. when it arrived i remember opening it up because it was a gatefold and being in awe of this tiny picture of the guy™. he was beautiful, i just stared at that picture for the longest time. had to take it into the living room because when i was watching tv because i missed seeing his face?? anyway 15 year old was on another playing field.

left - clockwork orange soundtrack. this album belonged to my mama because she's the coolest person ever. i have never seen clockwork orange but i love wendy carlos, she's such a pioneer of electronic music and when i got this album it just so happened to be around the time i got into electronic music. listening to it made me feel like i was in some dystopian wasteland of concrete and metal and hard labour. the best <3

right - dave dee, dozy, beaky, mick and tich's greatest hits. worst band to have ever existed. anyway, i was searching through an old flea market kinda deal and just kept thinking 'wouldn't it be funny if there was an album by dave dee, dozy, whatever band?' and sure enough i couldn't believe i actually found one. i brought a few other albums and it was definitely the cheapest one but honestly, i would have spent so much money on this album. it's worth gold in my eyes.

left - our favourite shop by the style council. their best album. i just love the album cover again because, as i've said before, it's a bit like one of those i-spy books. looking at the album cover you notice such small details like the rave magazines with the small faces on it or the coat hangers that features the face of george best and john lennon?? like how did that ever exist. also weller looks STUNNING on the album, like dear god sir what a face.

right - their satanic majesties request by the rolling stones. i'm a brian girl this is obviously my favourite album by the rolling stones. i feel so lucky to have this album because never in my wildest dreams would i think of even owning an original copy of it because um,,,, rolling stones are kinda expensive :(( but i just thought where else are you ever going to get this album again?? so i bought it. it doesn't have the cool 3D effect like it had but who cares?? brian is on top of his game here honestly, he made the album what it is. it's the best thing the stones ever produced. brian king i love u!!!

and of course last but not least <3

MY BABY OH MY BABY GIRL THE LOVE OF MY LIFE AN ANGEL!!! I KISS HER EVERY MORNING BEFORE I START MY DAY!! this was the only thing i wanted my parents to get me for my birthday one year, i remember saying 'just get me the stone roses self-titled debut album released in 1989 with songs written by some guy and god himself jonathan thomas squire and i'll be happy' AND YOU BEST BELIEVE HOW I FELT WHEN I SAW THIS ALBUM !!!!!! i can't believe lie, i would marry her if i could. she's the only album that stands proudly near my record player so everyone knows that i'm such a bad bitch. it's the perfect album, everything on it is flawless. like all songs are 1000/10. i'm just so happy to have this album in my collection.

Alright, back from the record store!

FINALLY came across Head Hunters today, and for a reasonable price too! My jazz collection is slowly but surely coming along strong <3 Also felt like picking up Doolittle since this is the first time I've seen a vinyl of it for sale, and Defector since it's about damn time I give this whole album a listen

Out of all of them though, it was an album in the $2 bin that ended up being the greatest surprise of them all! Tropea's Short Trip to Space; a masterpiece funk album that I used to listen to a ton on youtube. I just assumed it was some rare record that went out of print after the 70's, so to find it out of the blue for two bucks made me feel like I found the holy grail at a flea market!

Please give this one a listen if you haven't yet, if not for me than at least for the astronaut frilled lizard's sake

...But what if I told you there was one more record that I bought today? Here, have a look:

Look at this fucking album cover. This is for a Lovin' Spoonful album, the "What a day for a daydream" 60's pop rock band! Or at least that's what I know them for

I know nothing about this record, but it would've been a crime not to pick it up just for the cover alone XD

Let’s talk about The Shaggs

Yep, I’m talking about this album cover again, why? Because some information, that quite frankly I should have looked up before posting this album cover as part of the Album Cover Wall of Infamy 2021 Advent Calendar has recently come to my attention. So, let’s talk about this information and why it makes this cover so much worse.

So, the first question I should answer is, “Who actually were The Shaggs?” and beyond just “The band behind one of the most infamous albums in rock history”. The Shaggs were a rock band formed in New Hampshire, and was composed of three sisters, Dorothy, Betty and Helen Wiggin. Now, one might believe that, it being the sixties and these three being kids, they heard some records and wanted to make their own music, and admittedly I thought that too, because I was, and really still am, an idiot. These girls were literally forced into being a band by their father.

Their father was a man named Austin Wiggin Jr. and when he was young, his mother did some palm reading and predicted three things about Austin’s future, two of which came true, and the third was that his daughters would form a popular band. So, when the first two predictions came true, Austin tried to make the third come true, and how did he go about doing it? Getting his daughters interested in music by buying records? Letting them go to concerts? Nope, he literally pulled them out of school and bought them instruments and made them become a band.

Despite this literally being the worst way to form a band ever, it’s also noted that Austin never let his daughters go to any concerts, or even really have much of a social life. Helen even said that he was “Inappropriately intimate” with her once. So yes, these girls were essentially abused into becoming a band to fulfill a prophecy from a man’s dead mother.

So, my comment about “These girls look like they hoped their parents didn’t see them on a rock album cover”, is almost apt, but I can’t say it isn’t somewhat accurate. They look like they don’t want to be here, probably because the quite literally did not want to be here, it is a very “We’re here because Dad would kill us if we weren’t” vibes, and I do think he would literally kill them, nothing makes a musician legendary like death. Austin seemed like the kind of man who would go that extra mile. However, and I am trying not to say “Thankfully” here, Austin had a heart attack and died at the age of 47. After the family moved out and sold the place, the person they sold it to believed Austin’s ghost haunted the place and donated it to the Fremont Fire Department, who used it for a firefighting exercise.

As an aside, I genuinely did not think you could have a crazier story in music than The Beach Boys, the band that had ties to Charles Manson. However, this surpasses all of that.

So, that is the end of this band right? Their father died and they disbanded? Well guess what, in the early seventies, some guy actually played a few of their songs on a radio show, and that man would somehow go on to have a music career. You probably think, “Oh, he was probably just some nobody lo-fi noise jazz musician”, but no, this man became one of the biggest names in avant-garde and rock fusion, in fact he was actually present during the PMRC hearings alongside John Denver and Dee Snider, yeah, Frank Zappa was a fan of this band, and is probably a major reason for this band’s cult following. You know who else liked this album? Just a little punk kid from Washington you’ve probably never heard of, his name was Kurt Cobain. Yeah, The Shaggs are partially to thank for the big Grunge explosion of the 90s.

So, is this still one of the worst album covers in music history? Yes, again, it has the ickyness of parental abuse on it, they look uncomfortable because they probably are uncomfortable. They didn’t want to be musicians, but because their grandma predicted they’d be a popular band, their father tried to make them into a band. It is kind of funny though, he never did live to see the prediction come true, because they are something of a popular band in some circles.

I guess my comment wasn’t the only ironic thing about this band, eh?

BACK TO SMALL’S LIVE

GARY GIBBS’ THRASHER ALL-STARS (Chris Potter, Emmet Cohen, and Vicente Archer), SMALL’S JAZZ CLUB, 29 APRIL 2023, 10:30 pm set

MIGUEL ZENON/LUIS PERDROMO, MEZZROW’S, 15 MAY 2023, 9:00 pm set

It had been a whole fifteen days since I’d watched a recent set of music from a New York jazz club and ten days since an archival recording due to some travel, end of the semester, and other reasons why I really should have listened to some music.

What better way, thought I, than to get back to it with the stellar band GARY GIBBS put together. Indeed they were all stars, but their leader is indeed a thrasher who covered up Vicente Archer (admittedly basses do get lost at Small’s sometimes) and who gave Emmet Cohen too little to do and who just wasted Chris Potter. Potter has a nice earthy side and has done Eddie Harris’ Cold Duck Time—and there was an Eddie Harris tune, maybe that one. But a lengthy cover of the Average White Band’s Picking Up the Pieces was too simple a riff, though it’s true that he could thrash. I suppose they did play the theme of Well You Needn’t, but it got lost quickly.

Seriously too bad because a Potter/Cohen conversation would be interesting and Archer always adds to the mix. I can’t tell, but won’t spend too much energy trying to figure out, whether Gibbs’ weaknesses are as a drummer or as a leader or in some conversation.

Undaunted, I came back the next night for sublime music that was the exact opposite—subtle, conversational, intimate—as MIGUEL ZENON and his “musical brother” LUIS PERDROMO ran through tunes they would be recording the next day (today as I write) for a project based on tunes from Latin America. I watched them perform a set of Puerto Rican boleros from a shuttered Village Vanguard during lockdown. The bolero is a form, like the blues, that is so structured that is opens up into countless variations. I think they explained it by analogy to the blues but one could also mention fado from Portugal or Greek rebetik music. So this set of music they grew up listening to at home (Puerto Rico for Zenon; Venezuela for Perdromo). Yes, throughly Latin, but not distinctively rhythmic. Instead Zenon wove beautiful melodies around Perdromo’s chords and countermelodies. It was not quite how Giveton Gelin and Sean Mason interact, but it is a wonder. A chamber music in its own way. My Spanish is non-existent so I have no titles (not that that would matter much) but did take down that at least Mexico as well as their native Puerto Rico and Venezuela were represented.

Let me be clear that this was jazz and not folkloric or archival. Zenon in particular is a wonder, lithe and melodic, patient and expressive. I had just written in my notes “MZ does not play fast” to echo Paul Desmond’s ad in some industry publication, but then he actually did play fast. I’m not at all saying that he reminds me of Desmond, but he is an exemplar of a long line. Perdromo is a lot less clunky than Dave Brubeck.

I look forward to the album and will likely indulge in the first set when it gets archived. They are what I hope for when I put on a stream and sets like Gibbs’ are very rare. I’m back at it.

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day. Welcome to the working week although, for those of you working in the NHS, welcome to just another day.

My weekend was very enjoyable! For a wide variety of reasons. Actually, I always enjoy my weekend. Whether I’m doing something or nothing, I enjoy my life. My life is good.

Friday was a very long day! I was up before 6.00, scheduled to teach from 9.30-12.30, then I had planned to help a student with his podcast from 1.00-2.00, but then the school asked me to cover another lesson from 4.30-7.30. So, when I eventually got home just before 9.00, I was cold, tired and hungry but, thankfully, my house was warm and there was Chinese food waiting for me.

I’m not well. I sound a bit like Barry White. Got a bit of a cough and a cold. More like Barry Green! Thankfully, the radio show went well. Many thanks to everyone that listened to the show live and those that will listen to it on MixCloud. The Letter M (Pt. 11) is this Saturday at 1.00 p.m.

On Saturday evening, The Trouble and I attended a 90th birthday party. The father of GaryColonel Henry. 90 years old? Crikey, if I make it to 70, we’re having a big fuck-off party! If I make it to 80, you are ALL invited! When I first met The Trouble in 1982, she was part of a lover’s rock called Prediction, which is also when I first met Gary. Because they were brilliant, I began managing the band soon after and, many years later, Gary and I wrote most of the songs on the second Dazzle album, so we’ve known each other 40 years and been through a lot together. It was a pleasure to catch-up with old friends and hear lots of them grown folks, old time reggae tunes. Delicious catering courtesy of Angie’s Kitchen, who gave me some take away boxes, which I will eat today!

On Sunday, The Trouble cooked-up a storm and we actually entertained Sunday lunch guests. Most Sundays, we do a huge fry-up but, this week, we got rice & peas, stewed chicken, macaroni cheese and BBQ ribs. Yes, yes, I know. I am spoilt rotten. During Sunday lunch with some of The Trouble’s cousins, we were talking about Caribbean people reaching 90-plus, and they agreed it was probably due to more ‘natural’ remedies (such a soursop and cerasee) being dispensed, as opposed to yet another drug prescribed by the local GP.

My diary has suddenly gone barmy but there is lots to look forward to. We are down in Hove this weekend, I am spinning tunes at a wedding on May 27th and joining the Bank Holiday party at The White Lion (Streatham) on May 28th. We have one dinner date on 31st and another dinner date on June 3rd, it’s The Trouble’s birthday on June 11th, ‘The A-Z Of Mi-Soul Music’ is coming live from Summer Soulstice on June 24th and then I’ll be doing the Mi-Soul ‘Concert At The Castle’ event in Windsor on July 9th. ‘Let The Music Play’ is back at Cinnabar (Stevenage) on August 27th and, at some point in September, we need to go to Jamaica for a family wedding!

Sad to hear about the death of Dave Brown, presenter of the soul show on BBC Radio Kent for many years. First met him in about 1982. Back in the day, before the internet, for the good folk of Kent, Dave was their essential guide to the newest soul, funk, jazz-funk and disco releases.

The only problem with the 90th function was that it was held in a five-a-side centre, with guys playing football long into the evening. Needless to say, the male toilets were disgusting! What is it with men and toilets? All three stalls were clogged with toilet paper. Parents: do the world a favour and teach your boys how to use a toilet! How hard is it to take responsibility for your waste? Flush two and three times, if necessary. It’s not complicated.

Probably the funniest thing on Sunday morning was people on my timeline going, “Eurovision was rubbish!” Erm … Eurovision always has been rubbish and always will be rubbish. It’s a flawed concept. It makes ‘Naked Attraction’ look like good television!

Have a marvellous and momentous Monday. I love you all.

Album Of The Week: ‘Here’s Love’ By Hank Jones

Stand out song: ‘My Wish’.

Spotify wrapped doesn’t cover the end of the year and that is probably for the best. What it means by not covering the end of the year is that it doesn’t collate the hours that you may spend listening to festive period songs and it also doesn’t count those last ditch attempts to try and change who your artist of the year is and what your top songs are. The thing is though, by not picking up the last couple months of the year, a musical black hole can be formed. Your listening for this period is undocumented and as the year draws to a close, any new songs that you find at this time face the uphill battle of not only staying on your roster but also staying there as you move into the new year. What I have found in the past is that I have watched a film in December then I have become particularly enamored with its score and I will listen to it again and again before it falling off just before the new year and as a result that love affair isn’t caught in the Spotify algorithm. And yes, I will ofcourse remember that time spent with that music but it being left off the wrap up does mean that it doesn’t appear to be one of the key albums and experiences even if it was. Over the past week I have fallen, rather heavily for Hank Jones and his music from ‘Here’s Love’ and the question now is will this love transcend into 2023 and beyond. 

The short answer. Yes. Yes it will. At least, I think so. I think so because when I first stumbled across the gentle piano opening of ‘My Wish’ I knew that this was going to be one of my tracks. A track that would play in the jazz club that appears often in my daydreams. This is the sort of song and the sort of artist that feel as if they have occupied a space in my life for a long time despite only appearing recently. ‘My Wish’ is a bewitching song and is the perfect accompaniment to daydreams the same way that Coltrane’s down tempo work is. For me, ‘My Wish’ really cements its place on the roster when at around the two minutes and fifteen second mark it slightly changes its tone for a moment or two and from then on adds another element into the duration of the track which somehow makes it all the warmer and more comforting. If the song before this point was you walking to your home that point is when the door opens and you walk inside. It is that moment when after looking forward to seeing someone, they are suddenly there, smiling in front of you. Hank Jones’ track here is only, ‘only’, three minutes and thirty two seconds long however, it feels a lot longer. Not because it drags, it does anything but, but rather because you can get so lost in it when it does suddenly draw to a close you find yourself wondering where the time has gone as you reappear from the vision that it has taken you to. 

There have been over the past few months if not for entirety of the year, many albums of the week pieces that have featured Vapourwave records and for good reason. Vapourwave as a genre is a huge part of my roster and my day to day. A behemoth in my listening sphere however, I do occasionally take steps away from it to dip my toe back into other records and genres that I subscribe to. When it comes to jazz, or rather what I would refer to as down tempo, gentle evening, dreaming and reflection jazz (catchy I know), this is a full deep dive rather than just a dip. Jazz is always up there alongside my favourite genres of music as some of the music within its walls can be completely mesmerising and transformative. Hank Jones’ work on ‘Here’s Love’ and inparticular ‘My Wish’ completely fits that bill and is a shining example of why I adore the genre. As I noted uptop, ‘My Wish’ is the type of jazz track that feels, actually, I can’t quite say how it feels. I suppose in a way it feels like an extension of myself or am I a reflection of it. Either way, its the sort of song that I feel entwined with and that connection is there every time the needle drops. On and on and on. 

-Jake, a man coughing up a storm, 12/12/2023

CD Music Sales Based on Album Artwork, Cover Design

Have you ever purchased a CD solely based on the cover design, or been attracted to an artist, band, producer or record label based on their logo, poster or web site? I know I have many times

While it's true that browsing for CD's from major distributor store outlets like Towers Records has ended because people are using online music services for CD orders and individual song downloads, cover images are still being used to identify music on web sites, and some store outlets like FYE, Walmart, and others still have music sections where people browse CD's and DVDs.

Print and web design in the music industry is really about identity. What our audience, potential customer or client can expect to hear, feel, experience, or identify with is communicated visually. Although I will primarily be using CD design examples here, what I'm sharing can also apply to DVD and web design for music projects (especially with writers and performing artists making songs available for downloading on our own web sites).

I'm wearing two hats while writing this article: a songwriter and visual communications professional, so I'm writing with my feet planted in both worlds.

A talented designer understands the power of text (typography) and images, and knows how to use them creatively. Thebestcreative professional for your project is well-trained, familiar with the industry, your audience, and makes design decisions based on accomplishing specific objectives. A primary CD design objective is selling your music to customers or music industry professionals (e.g., securing a producer, crew, record label or other distributor through a demo).

Design plays a part in purchase decisions. When browsing for CD's, we usually pick up what visually attracts us and then look at the listed songs, unless we are looking for a specific artist or title. This process is the way a person gets a feel for the CD artist, mood, and vibe; and ultimately, hopes to be satisfied that the CD delivers what the design and titles suggest.

The first time I purchased music based on the design was an album called "Sky Islands" by a group called Caldera. Long island web design The album cover has a colorful picture of a volcano (caldera) erupting and I got the feeling the music by this group would erupt as powerfully as that volcano. As it turned out, the Latin-Jazz fusion album did. The cover design got me to buy it.

After that, I bought two CD's: Count Basic, "Trust Your Instincts" (see CD cover image provided), and Marilyn Scott, "Avenues of Love". What grabbed me on the Count Basic cover was the woman's face bolstered by the low cut dress she wore showcasing her significant cleavage, and a man behind her giving two major thumbs up! I wanted to be that woman.

As for Marilyn Scott, she is standing alone on a rocky shore, looking pensively at the ground, barefooted, wearing what looks like a full-length camel hair coat. The image paired with the title created an appealing pensive and serene mood, and I was stirred to buy it.

I was totally pleased with both purchases though they're quite different. Chalk up two more sales due to an energy, style, essence or visual message captured in an image that attracted me to the artist and the music.

Let the Music Take Your Mind

Music isn't defined as visual art, but sound does create mental imagery. Music videos wouldn't exist if this weren't true. One of the reasons I'm not glued to MTV or other music video networks, is that I prefer to give my mind complete freedom to conjure its own images in response to music. Music package design (CD and DVD) is a hors d'oeuvre, an invitation, and a precursor to a total sound experience-perhaps even a story or journey. When you work with a designer (or do it yourself), it's important to record the imagery in your mind to help the creative direction along. It's also good for the designer to listen to the music, so there's a healthy amount of imagery to feed the creative process. Between the two, a wealth of visual ideas will emerge.

Count the Ways

Music professionals use graphic design in specific ways and have definite ideas about what they want the designs to accomplish. Take Neil Alexander (leader for his band, Nail, and former keyboardist for The Machine, America's premier Pink Floyd tribute band).

Neil is primarily a performer/composer, but is also active in engineering, production and programming, and has P-Dog Records, an independent record label he uses to release his own discs.

He has a logo, stationery, CD packaging for his releases, packaging for a CD business card, posters to launch new releases, press releases, and a web site from which people can purchase directly. "I have always found that how CD packaging looks is a big part of its impact, its connection with the listener. Logos and other symbols can become part of the performer's identity. It is in my case. As with any business, consistent graphics help define the company's image and products for the consumer," Neil stated.

As for a strong web site, Neil had this to say: "A solid web presence is very important these days. Information (text, audio and visual) must be well organized and clearly presented. I found it desirable to hire a professional designer to put together a simple and easily navigated Web site."

Sweet Sight of Success

Use design factors to assess quality. There are well-established industry criteria for every product: logos, posters, CD's, business cards and stationery, advertising, and Web sites. To cover each one specifically in this article would take too long, so here are some main criteria to help judge a design success:

Is it unified with the content or message you are trying to get across? This creates an immediate connection and sense of belonging.

Is it unified with the content or message you are trying to get across? This creates an immediate connection and sense of belonging.

Is there an information and visual hierarchy? This means there's a focal point or image that grabs your attention first, and then your eye is led around the design in the order of what's important after seeing the main image or reading the main text.

Does the design have graphic impact? Is it distinctive or memorable? There are many CD's competing with yours for attention (lots of demos are sent out to producers, potential crew, record labels and distributors), so yours must be a major contender.

Is it appropriate for whom you want to attract and the environment in which it will be presented? A poster or CD for a country audience will not have the same look and feel presentation as for a heavy metal one.

Who can forget the strong identity between the Stones and that bright, red tongue sticking out logo? It's a very powerful example of a highly successful design. The Stones logo has graphic impact, is distinctive and memorable, and is appropriate for its rock audience.

For a web site, design and image success is measured by whether your goals for establishing the site are being met. Does it reflect your identity? Are you making sales? Is your visibility increasing? Is it easy for people to navigate and locate what they want? Are there lively and beneficial discussions or information being shared? Are people returning multiple times to your site?

Once the success criteria get established for your project, the real fun begins: designing it.

The Design Process: What To Expect

Professionals have processes to assist them creatively. There will be an initial consultation during which lots of questions are asked. Most designers use a design brief form. The questions on the form are designed to crystallize and solidify your identity and vision, so you and the designer are clear about it. Both get a copy, and sometimes you'll be asked to sign it to approve the accuracy before concept development production begins. You'll be asked to sign a contract and to return it with a retainer (a retainer is a portion of the total cost for the project that must be paid up front before any work begins).

The first thing you'll see is thumbnails (tiny sketched images) or roughs (larger hand-created or computer-generated) ideas. Thumbnails and roughs are concept development techniques. There will be anywhere from three-six (3-6) of them provided. You'll review them and choose one or two on which the designer will focus and make revisions. Once you approve a final design, it is ready to be printed. If it's a web design, it will be coded, programmed, and uploaded to the computer at the service hosting your site. You pay the balance due, and the process is complete.

Budget, Low Budget, No Budget

Pricing for different types of projects can range vastly depending upon the business structure and the length of time the business has been operating. The business can be a design studio, freelance or consultant, or a print shop franchise like Kinko's and have years of experience or be newly established in the industry. Two great resources for getting low cost bids on creating print or web graphics for you are Elance.com andiFreelance.com

I'm talking about pricing as low as $250-$500 for logos, CD's, DVD's, and web sites depending on your requirements. Most of the lowest cost design studios are located outside the U.S.

If you're interested in reviewing industry standard fees for graphic design, web design, or illustration, take a hike to Barnes and Noble bookstore and glance through. The Graphic Artist's Guild of America. It's the creative professional's bible, and includes everything you always wanted to know about fees, contracts, copyright, and other professional issues.

The fees quoted are based on nationwide surveys distributed to creative professionals. Standard fees are not cheap. The visual communications creative field is a highly valued, for-profit industry, so fees reflect our need to make a living at what we do. When someone gives you an estimate, make sure it details every service being provided to justify the cost.

There are other options to consider that keeps costs low. A few include:

Supply your own quality photos and/or illustrations. Photography and illustration are specialties requiring additional compensation.

Personally coordinate printing and CD or other types of duplication. Our time is money so coordinating printing for your project and getting your CD duplicated will cost you more.

Barter for service. We may reduce the fee or work for exchange if something you do is of value to us.

Contact your local college or university and request a referral to a recent graduate or current senior student. There are some extremely talented young people who are eager to get client experience and build their portfolio.

Where there is a will, there is a way. Carefully consider what you want the design to convey, who you want to attract, and what you want to accomplish. A marriage between sight and sound can only have a positive impact on your career. Just one look can be the start of a relationship.

hewwoo!! can i ask a hc for the main three boys (separately) with a fem idol!reader? she's an all rounder idol and visual for her group. like, what will they react to it? do they listen to her group's songs? do they collect her merchandise (like album, photocard, etc). and yeah something like that, ehehe. thank youuu!! have a nice day!

This was fun!! Thank you for requesting!! ❤️💜❤️

Midoriya Izuku 💚

-Of course Mido knew who you were!

-I feel like he always keeps up with the trends and always check out new groups, so yes, he knows you!

-When you first met, he was so excited, he asked for an autograph and pictures and all that jazz.

-The reason you met was All might. He heard so much about your group and when he got the chance to work with you, he just had to bring Izuku with him.

-Once he calmed down, chatting with Midoriya was fun.

-That and also teasing him, loving how he blushed and stuttered at your compliments.

-After you two talked for a bit, and before he got to leave, you two exchanged numbers.

-At first texting was a bit awkward, but soon it became fun. Sending each other funny stories, hearing him talk about his newly found info about heroes, telling him about the new choreography you were learning.

-When you started dating, you tried keeping it on the down-low. You didn't really want fans to drown you in questions, and you being an idol and him being an upcoming hero, you tried to keep everything private.

-But you two are always supporting each other, wether it's hero festivals or just your concerts, you two are always together, so you should've known that your cover will be blown sooner or later.

-But even then, all the fans supported it. You two quickly become couple goals, you're always talking about him in interviews, he's always wearing your merch, you two are just perfect!

Todoroki Shoto 💙❤️

-Honestly I think Shoto doesn't know much about today's music.

-The only reason why he has even just heard of your name is because of Midoriya and Uraraka fangirling over your group.

-Well that being said, he really didn't know who you were when he got invited to one of those fancy parties and your group was preforming.

-The night went by and when you came down from stage you just wanted to sit somewhere quite and calm, for you didn't want to deal with the fans right now, you're too tired.

-And oh well, it happened to be next to Todoroki.

-Of course you knew who he was, son of a famous hero, top student in UA, who wouldn't know him.

-Anyway, you started talking to him, it was difficult at first but by the end of the night, you did manage to get him to smile and even chuckle just a little bit over your joke.

-It didn't happen immediately, but whenever he was invited to parties he started hoping that you'd be there.

-And when you were, he got so happy. You two always hang out together after your performances to chat and just catch up, exchange numbers after, just have a good time.

-He didn't really realize he had feelings for you, he just thought ge enjoyed your company, that was before Uraraka and Midoriya started blowing his phone up one day.

-The day after your last party, pictures of the both of you were all over the internet, rumors saying that you two were a couple.... He didn't mind those rumors.

-So without really thinking, he liked some of the news, not knowing what that might imply.

-Then you texted him, something that got him blushing and mind racing.

-"So you liked those rumors Shoto? Is that your way of asking me out? Hahaha"

-"Yes"

-Yeah that's literally how you two started dating.

-Anyway, Shoto doesn't listen to your music in a daily basis, it's just not his cup of tea, but he always checks out new songs, compliment your dance moves, tell you how incredibly beautiful you are in the photoshoots.

-He doesn't wear your merch, but he does have a little keychain, or bracelet, or smth small like that, that when the fans noticed, thay couldn't help but find so sweet and romantic.

Bakugou Katsuki 🧡

-He knew you since before you debuted.

-In his free time, he likes to go hang out at his parent's styling agency, and it happened that they were in charge of styling your group.

-You always greeted him with a smile, and whenever he looked in a not too terrible mood, you'd try to strike a conversation with him.

-Which wasn't always successful, but after a while he warmed up to you.

-Just like his determination to become the number one hero, you had the determination to become a super star, and that's what he liked about you. That's why you two were friends.

-When you became an idol, your friendship didn't change. You're the same old Y/n who'd ask him to go get ice cream at 3am,and he's still the same old Katsuki who'd make fun of your hair before ruffling it.

-With everything going on with both of your lives, you two never took the time to think about your feelings and realize it was all more than platonic.

-Until rumora started spreading that you're dating another idol. And Bakugou couldn't helo the boiling of his blood when he heard that. The shattering of his heart, the coil forming in his stomach.... It all must be a lie right? So he texted you to see.

-And of course it was, you reassured him that you had no feelings for the other star, that you were nothing more than just friends.

-"Great, good. Because you know Y/n, you belong to me!"

-And yed that might sound a bit possessive, but the hesitation in his voice, the dark blush on his cheeks, the averting of his eyes, all told you that he was being sweet.

-You didn't try to hide your relationship with him, but people are so used to seeing you together, and Bakugou wasn't a fan of showing pda, so no one realized the shift in your relationship.

-But the longer you dated, the more comfortable you became with each other. You'd walk closer together, you'd smile more, even hug, sometimes hold hands, and on rare occasions, Bakugou would lean in to give you a little kiss. And that's when the fans' minds blew away.

-Of course he'd have all your albums, wether he listens to them or not, it doesn't matter, he just wants to support you. And you do the same for him; posters, figurines, books...

-The sweetest thing that has ever happened was when he was seen wearing a fan-gifted shirt that had a selfie of the both of you on it.

-Fans honestly are dying over your relationship, you're so supportive of each other, and clearly head over heels for one another, they can't help but love you!

In Plain Sight (knj)

Summary- After weeks of preparation and stress, you believed you were ready for the opening night of your restaurant. However, nothing could have prepared you for the sight of your ex waiting for you.

word count- 2k

pairing- idol!Namjoon x chef!Reader (feat. bff!Seokjin, brother!Jungkook)

rating- PG

genre- angst, exes to (maybe) lovers

warnings- none to note, Namjoon eats mincho

a.n- Happy birthday to my bae, Beezy @hobeemin​! I hope you had the best day and that this isn’t too late haha. I know you requested this for my March drabbles but I got carried away. Here’s some angst to heal your soul!

A huge shout out to @casuallyimagining​ and @missgarnet​ for beta reading! 💕

As always feedback appreciated, a reblog and a like goes a far way. Send me an ask! 💌

-

You sighed in relief as the first customers of the night started pouring in. This was it. This was what you had been working towards for the past ten years. After years of culinary school, slaving away as a sous chef and begging investors, tonight was the night that you unveiled your new restaurant.

You ran your clammy hands over your pants as you greeted your guests, the most radiant smile on your face, before checking in with the kitchen. Even before the grand opening, the fact that one of your investors was the beloved chef Baek Jong-won, had people excited about your restaurant. It had put a lot of pressure on you, but watching your head chef prepare the kitchen for the dinner rush calmed your nerves. It was comforting being in the back, the clatter of pans and shouts of commands made you feel at home.

“Checking up on me already, boss?” Seokjin asked, chuckling as he draped a towel over his shoulder. In addition to being your head chef, Seokjin was also your best friend, supporting you over the years to make your dream come true.

“Can never be too sure, what with your habit of getting distracted by your reflection,” you joked, earning a scowl and a whack from Seokjin’s towel. Pushing him back, you laughed as he yelled at you for almost killing him, his dramatics at an all time high, probably the same nerves churning through him as you.

Where the kitchen was chaotic, the front of the house was almost serene, a low rumble of conversation offset by a soft jazz playlist you had spent hours curating. Your nerves dissipated as the first orders arrived, the customers smiling and nodding at the first taste. 

Moving behind the bar, you checked on Jungkook, your younger brother and bartender. No one would have ever thought the two of you would end up working together, given the fights you had all through your childhood, the scar of one of them permanently etched on his cheekbone. 

“Did you invite him?” He asked as he shook a drink, the ice rattling obnoxiously in the metal container. 

“Who?” You asked, your nose scrunching at the aggressive way he made the drink. You swore if he broke another glass you were going to take it out of his paycheck, shared gene pool or not. 

“Namjoon,” he whispered theatrically, using his eyes to point towards the corner of the room. The sound of his name set you on edge, your heart in your throat. 

You hadn’t thought of your ex for over two years, since the night he walked out on you and you vowed to never let anyone take control of your happiness and leave you broken on a whim. However, that didn’t stop you from following your brother’s eyeline to the more secluded tables of your restaurant. 

He looked different. So different that it cracked the carefully constructed armour around you, a frown etching onto your features as you took him in. Dressed head to toe in black, you wouldn’t have noticed him if it weren’t for Jungkook.

He looked out of place, anxious, as he drummed his fingers on the menu, staring at it intently. The hood of his oversized jacket was atop his head concealing his dyed blonde hair, and his black mask was pulled low on his chin, leaving his bare face on display as if his new album wasn’t currently at number one. 

He was biting his lip, his brows scrunched together and it sent you back to two years ago, the memories flooding your brain as the ache you’d worked endlessly to ignore reared its ugly head once again. 

“We should break up,” Namjoon said, his lower lip between his teeth, as he stood in the doorway. He was still dressed in his outfit from the shoot he had returned from; a shiny silver bomber jacket adorned atop a plain black outfit, his makeup still on perfectly. It gave him an ethereal look, all flaws hidden from view as he looked at you in your striped blue pyjamas, hair up in a messy bun, face puffy from sleep. 

His words felt like you had been hit with ice water, like you were skating on a frozen river and it gave way from under you plunging you into a panicked cold that felt akin to a burn. You didn’t know how long he watched you, your face neutral after you demanded an explanation. 

“It’s not fair to you, Berry,” he said, voice soft and broken as he finally made his way to the bed. He sat as far away from you as he could and the distance seemed to stretch on for miles. You were confused by his sudden change. Just yesterday he had arrived home with smiles and cuddled into you immediately, just as he had done for the past three years, but today you were hard pressed to find that warmth, his gaze never meeting yours. 

“You don’t get to decide what’s fair to me,” you stated. “We are not breaking up.” Decision made, you slipped the cover over yourself as you reclined back into your supine position. 

“I can’t do this anymore,” he muttered, almost silently but the quiet of the room gave him away, his distraught weaving itself in your skull. 

“Juniper, let’s talk about this,” you pleaded, a hand reaching to grab onto his that he shrugged off. 

“No. If we talk about this you will convince me to stay and I just can’t do this anymore.”

“What did I do?” Your voice was soft, as if you spoke any louder it would startle the seemingly broken man in front of you. 

“It’s not you, it’s me,” he spoke the cliche, his dimples making an appearance in the sad smile he gave in your direction. You didn’t understand what was happening. Namjoon was a man of many words, slinging together poetry out of thin air in seconds, inspired by the mundane. He continued, talking over your thoughts, as he explained the reasons he was hurting you, the reasons he was a bad partner. All reasons that you have never even conceived - a product of his overthinking, anxious mind. Every time you would argue, he would counter with his own failings, like how he couldn’t make it to your culinary school graduation and how his fame made him unavailable to go to whenever you needed him. 

Namjoon cried, inconsolable even when you tried to assure him that his failings were in his imagination, that you were happy, content. But he had a notoriously one-track mind, and the only conclusion he could come to was that he couldn’t bear to be with you any more. 

“Seeing you always waiting for me breaks my heart,” he whispered as he held you, your face in his hands as he smiled for your benefit. You didn’t know how to convince him otherwise, but the way he kissed you, tasting of salt and regret, you knew it would be the last time he would do so. 

When he left that night, you finally cried, mourning a relationship that he snatched away from you, before the tears turned to rage, heartbreak manifested into indignation. 

“Are you going to talk to him?” Jungkook broke you out of your reverie just before you could further relive the sorrow. 

“No. Absolutely not. He can enjoy his solo dinner,” you replied, turning on your heels to go into your office, your excitement for the night overshadowed by Namjoon’s sudden reappearance. It wasn’t bad enough that you had to see him in your restaurant but as you turned on a random playlist fate decided that you would hear him too as he talked about your break up on his new single. His sultry vocals rapped about his self loathing and need to please only to realize that he left the only person who loved him for himself. You were bitter that he had this epiphany, bitter that he was monetizing on something that was as much your heartbreak as his. 

But what Namjoon wants, Namjoon gets, and as the dinner rush ended and the crowd dwindled with last call, he was still sitting in the corner table, sequestered away from eyes as he played with his dessert. He must have known that the chocolate bon bons were inspired by him, dubbed Juniper like you had called him all those years, and extra mint added just to spite him. The same way he had named his new song Back to Berry, an homage to no one else but you. 

When he refused to leave even after Jungkook asked, you had no choice but to act civil and make your way towards him. He gasped as you unceremoniously settled in the chair in front of him, eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost. As if he had not been waiting three hours for this exact moment

“What are you doing, Namjoon?” You asked, arms folded across your chest as you glared at the face you once thought you couldn’t live without. 

“I’m eating dessert,” he answered, averting your hardened gaze to poke his fork at the food. 

“We’re closing,” you said, your hand waving to your wait staff that had started clearing tables and sweeping the floors. “And you hate mint chocolate,” you added as he took a bite. 

“It was calling my name,” he chuckled humourlessly, before he sighed pushing the plate away. He finally met your eyes then, a soft smile on his face, his dimples poking their way from his cheeks into your heart. “Congratulations. You did it.”

“Yeah. Alone.” You were bitter. He had left you, practically ghosted you for two years and now he thought it was okay to waltz back in?

“I’m sorry,” he said, dropping all pretenses as his hand reached towards you. “I’m so sorry, Berry.”

The use of his old nickname for you broke your heart and your facade as you looked at his hand placed directly in front of you on the table, a finger slowly caressing your forearm, almost out of reach. You couldn’t help the way your eyes glistened at his touch, tender and apprehensive. How could he think it was okay to come here? How could you think you wouldn’t forgive him if he asked?

In that moment all you wanted was to run back into his arms, kiss him, delve back into that chaotically beautiful brain of his, but your pride was stronger than all the apologies in the world. 

“It’s too late,” you said as you stood up, his head dropping as he retracted his hand back into his lap. “We’re closed. Goodbye, Juniper.” You gestured to the door, waiting for him to collect his bag, watching as he dropped much more money than his bill on the table before he made his way to the door. 

Turning around he looked at you, catching you staring at him with tear streaked cheeks. “I’m not going to give up, Berry”

“You never do, do you?”

“Never when it comes to you,” he said, covering his face with his mask and adjusting the hood atop his head before disappearing into the quiet street. 

That night you felt your defences weaken a little when you got a message from an unknown number. 

I forgot to tell you. I still miss you. Even after 708 days.

-

taglist: @cheesecakes-randomshitz​, @aroseforyoongi​, @awhnamjoon​, @agustdjoon​, @codeinebelle​ 

I hope you enjoyed the angst! For more fics of mine check out my masterlist

Blurb #9

Pairing- Spencer Reid x Female Reader

CW- none

Author’s Note- this comes from this ask by @leahblackk thanks so much for this love!! it was so much fun to write 💛 also sorry if it looks a little wonky I’m on mobile!!

Word Count— 2K (not really a blurb)

-

Studies show that the music we listen to at 14 years old is the most influential on our personality and development. Naturally, there’s some exceptions to this. Spencer, for one, tended to listen to classical music or the Beach Boys records his mother had around the house as a teenager. He still can’t listen to jazz without the bittersweet memories of Ethan coming back to haunt him. His music taste, in his opinion, didn’t really develop until Derek made him listen to his CDs on rides during their commute.

It wasn’t until he met his neighbor, Y/N that he learned just how impactful music can be on someone’s life. Spencer, despite Derek and Penelope’s efforts, doesn’t really enjoy modern music. There’s one expectation to that though: Y/N. Everytime she drags him over for late night dinners and movie nights, she always ends up putting a Taylor Swift album on her vintage record player. It’s like a ritual that either comforts her, hypes her up, or softens her heartbreak. Through the months that they’ve been friends, Spencer’s come to enjoy the music nights. There’s something about the way that she sings about love and life that is so familiar to Spencer. The day he realized, it hit him like a ton of bricks. Y/N makes all those magical, heartwarming, Taylor Swift songs make sense.

So everytime he goes over to her apartment, before he knocks he’ll listen for the music. It’s hard to not let his profiling instincts kick when he does this. Thanks to his eidetic memory, Spencer can recognize any of the songs with only a couple seconds of the lyrics.

On a sunny Monday, Spencer listens closely for the record player. He can hear the upbeat, dance tunes of New Romantics. Okay, he thinks. If Y/N is listening to that song, she’s probably happy. So he knocks on the door, a big smile on his face ready to listen to the happiest Taylor Swift songs with the girl he’s pining for and try not to reveal just how much he wants her to love him back.

“Spence! Come on, we’re dancing” Y/N shouts loudly above the music. Spencer doesn’t want to burst her bubble by telling her he doesn’t dance, so he takes her hand and dances his heart away.

In between the jumpy and laughter the song shifts. Y/N must be playing it from her Alexa because the next song is from a different album, Paper Rings comes on next. A song dedicated to the kind of love that probably makes the most sense to Spencer. He’d marry Y/N without any kind of ring- and that’s a terrifying thought.

“I love this song!” Y/N says, closing her eyes and dancing wildly, “You like this one too, right Spence?” she says above the loud music.

Spencer, unable to fully articulate how much he loves this song, decides to grab Y/N by the hand and twirl her around and around. She’s laughing and smiling, happy as she could be. Spencer’s thoughts shift from how beautiful she looks, to how easy this is. How simple loving her could be, but how hard telling her is.

The music slows, turning to Lover, a song that Spencer has dreamt of dancing with Y/N to on a white veiled occasion several times. This must be her happy playlist, Spencer thinks as she pull him close. They’re slow dancing and if Spencer closes his eyes and quiets his mind, he can trick himself into thinking she loves him back. Afterall she holds him like she does.

“I like this one the best,” Spencer whispers, his eyes still closed as he and Y/N sway to the beat of the song, “It’s comforting,” he explains.

“It’s a good wedding song,” Y/N says, resting her head against his shoulder, “like a first dance song,”

“It is,” Spencer says, “It’s actually in the proper beats per second to be a waltz, which is a common dance for a traditional first dance at a wedding,”

“Yeah,” Y/N says, pulling herself in closer to Spencer as she pets small circles into his soft cardigan. The spot where she touches leaves her mark; his heart has belonged to her for awhile now, but Spencer’s ready to give her whatever else she wants, “but dancing like this is also very nice,”

“Hmm,” Spencer says, not trusting himself to say anything else. The music switches again, and Spencer knows the song, probably before even Y/N. Dress comes on and Spencer really isn’t sure how he’ll get through listening to the sultry song that croons about pining after your best friend. Part of him seriously thinks he’s being stalked, because those songs perfectly encapsulate his love and his admiration for the girl next door.

“Oh, I got asked out on a date,” Y/N says, seemingly shocking Spencer out of his daydream, “at the coffee shop. His name is John, he seems nice,” she tells him, sounding a little nervous.

“That’s great, Y/N,” Spencer says, trying to put on a smile for his best friend, but fails to do so, “I’m happy for you,”

“Well it’s, you know. I think I just need to put myself out there and stop waiting around for my wild dreams to come true. Because after all your wildest dreams are just that, dreams,” she says, a little sadly.

“Call me after, Y/N, just to make sure you get home safe,” Spencer requests, he squeezes her hand, in what he hopes can be seen as a friendly gesture, despite him not wanting to let go.

“Of course, Mr. FBI,” Y/N teases, “Alexa, shut up! Hey, Spence, you want to order pizza. It’s been like a week since I watch Long Pond and I’ve got that itch that only listening to This Is Me Trying while stuffing my face with pizza and white wine can fix,”

“Sure, Y/N,” Spencer says, smiling through his heartbreak. He tries to not let Y/N see the tears that prickle in the corners of his eyes when the 1 comes on. It would have been fun, if he could have been Y/N’s “1”. Even in heartbreak, Taylor Swift can capture exactly what Spencer feels.

--

He almost didn’t bother checking by her apartment because he knew it’s her date with Jake or John, or whatever his name was. Spencer’s not a man to get jealous, he knows that Y/N doesn’t owe him her love just because he loves her. He knows that, but that doesn’t lessen the hurt of her falling for someone other than him.

As he walks by, Spencer’s ears catch the music coming from her apartment. He hears the unrecognizable twangy strum of the guitar and knows it’s going to be back news. Without thinking, Spencer rumages into his pocket, looking for his spare key to Y/N’s apartment. He unlocks the door and is greeted by Y/N’s cat, August, meowing at the door.

“Where’s our girl?” Spencer says, picking up the cat as he slips off his shoes, “hey, Y/N. It’s Spencer. I heard the music and I just thought I’d check in. I thought you were going out on your date?” he asks, finding Y/N curled up on the couch, with piles of tissues littered around her.

“Please, Spence. I’m a mess. I don’t want anyone to see me like this, especially you,” Y/N tells him, mopping her eyes up and petting her lap for August to jump up.

“Hey, hey, honey. You don’t have to worry about being a mess in front of me, I already think you’re amazing,” Spencer says, softly. He tries to gracefully avoid the spoiled tissues, he might be in love with Y/N, but he’s not in love with her used tissues.

“He-he stood me up,” Y/N stutters as a new wave of tears floods her face. Spencer leans over, shutting Alexa off. The sorrow, regretful tunes of Dear John turn off, leaving Spencer with the thought that it probably was an appropriate song to choose.

“I don’t even know why I try any more, Spence” she says, leaning into his body as he puts a comforting and protective arm around her upper half, “it’s useless. I’m doomed to be alone,”

“That’s not true, Y/N,” Spencer says, mumbling into her hair, “not at all. You’re amazing. You’re kind and so smart. You’re beautiful and you have great taste in music. Anybody would be lucky to date you,” he finishes, forgetting himself for a second as he kisses her hair. She smells like green apples and ivory soap.

“You’re just saying that because you’re my friend,” Y/N says. The emphasis on ‘friend’ giving Spencer a little hope at what she is subtly implying.

“What-what if I wasn’t? What if I wasn’t saying this as just a friend?” Spencer asks, daring to be bold and brave for once in his life. He couldn’t be bold and brave for Y/N, then who is he?

She must be thinking, because Y/N doesn’t say anything. Spencer’s mind instantly switches into full gear, thinking of how he’d get out of here all while sparing his feelings.

“Please don’t say those things, Spencer. Don’t say those things unless you mean it,” Y/N tells him, her voice sounding cold and far off, like she’s trying to put some distance between themselves to protect herself. Spencer’s mind ventures to take it as a good thing, when she doesn’t physically distance herself. She decides to stay with Spencer’s arms wrapped around her upper half and his hands drawing shapes on her back.

“I mean it, Y/N. I really do mean it,” Spencer says, sounding terrified, but feeling braver than ever. “I’d never lie to you about how you make me feel. Not anymore at least,” he explains, waiting for Y/N to respond.

“Can I show you something?” Y/N ask, her voicing sounding an awfully lot like Spencer’s with the mix of fear and tension and love fighting for dominance.

“Of course,” Spencer says, nodding into her hair and letting her go.

He watches and waits as she grabs her phone from the coffee table. Y/N launches her music app, but covers her phone so Spencer can’t see which playlist she’s choosing. Y/N has very curated Taylor Swift playlists kko that help her to either middle through her dark days or celebrate her happy ones.

The music starts and just within the first few notes Spencer can tell which song is playing. “Gold Rush,” he asks, of course getting it correct and making Y/N smile.

“I knew I kept you around for a reason,” Y/N says, scooting in closer to Spencer so his chin rests over her head. “I don’t think you’ve heard this playlist yet,” she says, handing him her phone.

Spencer looks at the phone, reading the playlist title Songs That Remind Me of Spencer, but ends up having to do a double take.

“This song always reminded me of you, Spence. I think it just captures how beautiful you are and how scared I am that you’ll find someone that will make you feel that way. Someone that’s more beautiful and better for you—“

Spencer can’t hear it anymore so he does something that was only a figment of his imagination: he kisses Y/N. He holds her head in his hands, brushing gently on her temples. It’s wonderful and magical, and Spencer thinks that he could kiss her for his whole life. He wants to know what makes her whimper and whine or make her flush. He wants to know everything about her because he is her 1, just as she is his.

“You made a playlist for me?” Spencer says, breaking away from Y/N’s lips to kiss her face. All over her forehead, her cheeks and eyes. He kisses her like he can’t get enough and is only encouraged by Y/N giggles for approval.

“Of course I did, Spence. You’re just everything to me and I couldn’t quite say it myself. So I left it up to the best songwriter I know,”

“I’ll make you one, today. Tomorrow, everyday,” Spencer says, kissing Y/N’s hands and wrists, “I just want to make you happy and know how loved you are. Because I love you, Y/N” Spencer says

“Spence,” Y/N says, not quite able to articulate how much she loves him, kisses his forehead, “I love you. God. I love you so much. And I may or may not have re-written Hey Stephen as Hey Spencer,”

KAORU PERSONAL INTERVIEW SPECIAL HEADBANG VOL.27 TRANSLATION 2/2

The ideal figure that the guitarist who leads the band as a leader got while struggling, and the reason for his unstoppable pursuit. “Without ‘BLUE BLOOD’ I wouldn’t really be who I am now” “After all, I’ve always liked dark and hopeless stuff, that kind of things” “I’m the type of person who wants to be affected by cd jackets and lyrics” "Sometimes I can do it. A song with a very pop and bright atmosphere"

Notes before reading: This is the second part of the personal interview of Kaoru from the magazine Headbang Vol.27 released on 18th August 2020.  The interview is 11 pages long and this part covers the last 5 pages.  As Toshiya and Die’s interviews, 2nd part is focused on his roots as a guitarist.

You can get the magazine at Amazon Japan or CDJapan. Read Toshiya’s interview here Read Die’s interview here

Feel free to correct me if you spot any mistake or any confusing. Links or credits to this post when the content is reposted or captured in other SNS is appreciated :) ----- Text by: Yohsuke Hayakawa (First part here) “Without “BLUE BLOOD” I wouldn’t really be who I am now” -Then, the topic of the talk changes from here.  I would like to ask you about the story behind the 20 albums that you selected regardless of era or reasons but, you chose 10 albums from Japan and 10 foreign albums.

K: Is that true? (laughs). It's a coincidence, but it was very difficult to narrow down when it came to choose again. So, I chose mainly the ones I listened to a lot before I started the band and when I started doing it. They are just albums that influenced me. -I have the impression that Japanese music was a kids who read WeROCK’s thing. K:  Hahaha. Yes (laughs). -First of all…. COLOR's mini album "FOOLS! GET LUCKY !!" (1989) is also included. I have to ask about why you picked this one. K: Well, I really love it (laughs). Even though it was "X in the east, COLOR in the west"*, I was really into it, so I went to see their live performance. I like their punkish songs and they have many fast songs. At that time, if a song wasn’t  fast, it was a “no” for me. I also liked ROSE ROSE. *(This makes reference to X Japan being from the Kanto region (East) and COLOR being from Kansai (West) as both band emerged around the same time.) -Then D'ERLANGER. DIR EN GREY participated in D'ERLANGER's tribute (announced in 2017 ‘D'ERLANGER TRIBUTE ALBUM  ~ Stairway to Heaven~ "). Was the album "LA VIE EN ROSE" (1989) a shock for you?

K: That’s right, “LA VIE EN ROSE” too but also CIPHER (G) himself. Well, I think it was at ”BURNN! JAPAN”, CIPHER appeared in a solo photo on one page in colour.

-Oh, it’s a shot in which you can see him standing with a flashy Les Paul guitar. It was before kyo (D’ERLANGER vocalist) became a member. K: That’s right.  I though “What on earth is this person?” After that, they were releasing a CD ("LA VIE EN ROSE") , so I made a I made a reservation right away.

-Also, a band you can't miss from those times is DEAD END. It never gets old because it’s respected across generations. K: I chose "Shambara" (1988), well, it's a masterpiece. Just listening to the opening song "EMBRYO BURNING" made me sick. When I first started listening to metal music, I was a bit reluctant but with DEAD END, the melody that MORRIE sung got me very quickly, I got into them without any resistance. I didn’t have the impression that DEAD END was so-called “metal”. Since I started playing in bands, I was overwhelmed by the seriousness of YOU’s guitar technique. - Next is ZI: KILL is "ROCKET" (1993). Initially, the dark positive punk style was strong but with that last album, their musicality expanded dramatically and there are even piano jazz songs. K: It’s an album that feels like something has been reached. I got into ZI:KILL since the early albums and after making their major debut, I got the impression that their albums got milder. However, when I listened to "ROCKET", it seemed like an insanely cool album. I still listen to it. -Including a horn in their arrangements was ground-breaking. K: Yes, at first I hated it! But somehow, I didn’t care about it at all. Still, TUSK (Vo) lyrics and the songs were addictive. It made a deep impression on me, that’s why I read ZI:KILL lyrics carefully as well.

-Do you care about the lyrics when it comes to Japanese artists? K: I check the booklets properly. After all, the lyrics reach my ears at the point in which the words make you feel something.

- And, needless to say, you also chose X's "BLUE BLOOD" (1989). At the Vol. 20 of this magazine, you chose it as a “metal album that changed your life”. So, as expected, if you choose an album from X japan, would be this one? K: Without this album, I wouldn't really be who I am now.

-You were influenced by everything, both the music and the guitar play….is that so? K: The guitar too, right? Well, it’s not at that level anymore.

-Ah, that’s not the level (laughs) K: I was just listening to it earnestly and thinking “amazing!”, it just something that I like, there is no particular reason (laughs).

“Western music  (I listened to) was also greatly influenced by HIDE. That’s why everything it’s related to HIDE (laughs)”

- On the other hand, Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi and Cocco are also included. K: I've always liked Nagabuchi. Like "Tonbo" (1988), there was a tv drama about that. *(”Tonbo” (Dragonfly) was also a tv drama  in which Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi played a member of a yakuza gang  who is trapped in a violent existence.)

- Oh, after that was "Shabontama" (1991). K: I also like the movie "Orgel" (1989), I was really into Nagabuchi at that time. The "Showa" (1989) album I chose this time is the album that got me hooked. The masterpiece "Gekiai" which is my favourite song was recorded around that time.

-You liked Nagabuchi’s drama series. K: Yes, they are rather dark series. I don’t know much about the brighter/cheerful ones.

-The ones like "Family Game" (1983)? K: That's right. Those are not the ones that I prefer. After all, I’ve always liked dark and hopeless stuff, that kind of things. -(Laughs) However, the radical portrayal of Nagabuchi’s drama shocked your heart as a young boy. Probably such a drama couldn’t be made in this era. K: Yes, you can’t. There isn’t even a rebroadcast of these ones.

-Certainly.  Also, I remember that Cocco was around in the scene at the same time than HIDE (g). K: Yes. When I listened to her album, it didn’t feel like I was listening to a Japanese cd. I felt like it was a western heavy band, so I got into it with that kind of image.

-I feel that foreign music, the alternative vibe is overall stronger, but do you like that? K: After all, HIDE’s influence in foreign music (I listened to) is huge. At that time, I was buying various magazines and looking for some more, I checked the names that appeared in HIDE’s articles and I’ve been listening to the ones I liked all the time.

- I have the impression that HIDE had a great influence on you listening to bands like Jane's Addiction at that time. What about Vanessa Paradis and Japan ( English new wave band)? K: That was also due to the influence of HIDE. That’s why almost everything is related to HIDE (laughs). Also, this album of hers (released in 1992, “Vanessa Paradis”) was produced by Lenny Kravitz, who liked to go to her lives.  She's still good, but I especially like her early days, I'm attracted to that voice.

“I’m the type of person who wants to be affected by cd jackets and lyrics”

- So that's it. The only work related to HIDE that you chose was with X Japan but, what about his solo works? K: Well, of course I like his solo, but in my case, I like HIDE in X Japan the most.

-Other than that, I can tell that you like strong sounds, heavy riffs and industrial. K: That’s right. As I was always seeking fierce things, I came to like strong riffs such as Pantera and Ministry.

-What about the so-called European German metal? K: Especially at that time, it wasn’t my cup of tea (laughs) - Then, some of the foreign music you chose…. "Psalm 69: The Way To Succeed And The Way To Suck Eggs" (1992) by Ministry. This album was already mentioned in this magazine before as an important metal album for you. K:  At that time, there was a foreign-related CD shop called WAVE at  Umeda Loft in Osaka. I think that I found it there and listened to it. I was like “what the hell?”, so I bought it right away. I listened to it at home again. That night I went to a acquaintance’s house and I said “Listen to this!”, and I forced him to listen (laughs). -I can tell your excitement (laughs) K: Then I listened to all the other albums. Above all, I like this one the most.  -And you also mentioned Nine Inch Nails. K: The first thing I heard from them was a single or something. At that time, I thought, "Wow, that's amazing," but when I listened to the songs on that album, I felt like I was listening to something I had never heard before. It's dark, but it sounds very aggressive. But it’s not like european music dark feeling.At that time, I wasn't sure if  they were a band or not (laughs).  -You wondered if it was a one-person band. K: That’s right. I was like “Is the same person doing everything?”, “Is he playing drums too?”. Everything was a mystery. Information was not available as soon as it does now, so I was wondering “Who is this person?”. I also wondered if the cd jacket had something to grasp, like it was a cd jacket that I didn’t really understand. Like the logo. It was all mysterious and addictive. I myself am the type who wants to be influenced/affected by cd jackets and lyrics, so I look at every corner. Everything up to the back of the wrapping. Then, when I looked at the back, I thought, "Isn't there anything attached?" (Laughs).  -(Laughs)There are many things that are totally attractive, including elaborate art books.  K: Yes. Especially for Nine Inch Nails, I went looking for some place that sell T-shirts of them.  "Sometimes I can do it. A song with a very pop and bright atmosphere"  -Among these works, isn't there any in particular that has an easy-to-understand influence on the songs that you make with DIR EN GREY? K: Well, I don't know that .  - Some of the works you chose this time have a strong melody…. For example, on a 2017 tour focused in “MACABRE" (2000), you played “Taijou no ao” for the first time in a while. I mentioned in this magazine before that "If you change the arrangement of a song to your current style, you can still play it ", but is there a desire to make a song with that kind of melody now? K: I don’t have a particular desire to do it. I think that it feels like something from that time, it’s an image that doesn’t make me feel excited now.  -By the way, do you usually listen to music with melodies like that? K: I do, I do.  Rather, I’ve been listening to pop music all the time lately.  I am not listening noisy bands at all.  -Noisy ones (laughs). K: Hahaha. -However, it's a little hard to think that you are going to make songs like that. K: Yeah, it doesn't happen very often sometimes, but there are times when I can do it. A song with a very pop and bright atmosphere. So, when I tried to start to work on songs, one turns out like “this is what I have done”. But maybe then I think that it’s a little different from what I do with DIR EN GREY, so I have to mess with it, fix it or just store it. - Eh! Do you make that kind of songs? I would like to hear a song like that from you now. That’s why the melody of “Taijou no Ao” that I mentioned as an example is not only pop but also suffocating. Faintly scented lyrics. I wonder if that it’s your true self. K: That's right.The first thing that influenced me was  the New Wave*. Pet Shop Boys and so, I liked that kinds of thing. That’s why there is a bit of that “kind of atmosphere” sometimes. It's not just pop. *(New wave is a broad music genre that encompasses numerous pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s) -There is also a sorrowful side. K: So, if I had to pick one, Europe is better in that than America. Well, when it comes to the songs I make, I’d like to make them more interesting, but I don’t feel like doing something that is off the point/wrong.  -I have to ask you about the melody part now. K: If you have any concerns, I will answer them…  - What if there is something clear for you like, “this song has this kind of image”? K: After that, Kyo has several ways to sing so I will combine them in my own way and propose new melodies. Like “I think in this way would be cool”.   -Oh, that’s how you do it. In any case, now I'm looking forward to the day when I can listen to a new song again. Will the album be completed in 2021? K: That's right.  -By the way, Kaoru-san's hard disk has already material for the new album…. K: Well, there's something for the album……there is, but it’s still not the whole thing at all (laughs).