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tiffanylamps · 1 year

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Top 5 movies and top 5 paramore songs! :^D

oooooh, these are very good, but also, very hard 😂

top 5

top 5 movies*: Pride and Prejudice (dir. Joe Wright, 2005) CINEMATOGRAPHY! The display of love and chemistry! Familial love is fully on display!! Yes, I know it's not a faithful adaptation and it softens a lot of the important themes of the novel annnnd Wright changed the time period because he doesn't like the fashion of the Regency era (which is super lame) and the hair was not great, buuuuuuut he also gave us the hand flex, that ballroom scene, that proposal, also one of my favourite sequences ever in cinema history (i.e, the oneshot take of lizzy being embarrassed by her family at the Netherfield Ball). Snatch (dir. Guy Richie, 2000) This film is hilarious, witty, and just soooo good. It means a lot to me for tmi reasons- but still, I recommend it as it's a stellar example of the heist genre. Everything Everywhere All At Once (dir. Daniel Kwan + Daniel Scheinert, 2022) Doesn't need explaining. Hot Fuzz (dir. Edgar Wright, 2007) One of the best films ever made by one of my favourite directors in one of my favourite trilogies brought together by one of my favourite trio of collaborators. Plus, there are BE similarities, which I find assuming. The Merciless (dir. Bung Sung Hyun, 2017) Thank you for convincing me to watch this film, I love it sooo much! It's fantastic! Everyone should watch it!!! (I recommend you watch Dear Ex. It made me cry, even though the ending is a little cheesy) *I found this almost impossible to answer. These are not a be-all-end-all top 5 for me, but they are the movies that came to mind.

top 5 paramore songs**: i can't decide, so this is a very hesitant list. i'm only linking live performances (if I can) because they're fantastic live (one of the best, imo)

Future The lyrics to this song!!!! 😩😩😩 for the longest time I wanted to get a tattoo of them, especially the last verse. I'm semi-glad I didn't, even though I love them, I don't know how I would feel having them now You First I know I've already sent this to you, but it's a super fun song and I looove it!!! Their latest album is just so perfect No Friend Not the most conventional answer, as most people don't like this song. But I don't care! I think it's one of their most experimental and beautiful songs, especially when paired with Idle Worship (which is basically its part 1). It is the only song not sung by Hayley, as its lyrics are written and performed by Aaron Weiss of mewithoutyou (WHO ARE BRILLIANT LIVE, BY THE WAY). Honestly, I've been lucky enough to see them perform this song and it was memorising. (the performance I linked is not the best out there but it is the performance I saw) Part II Let The Flames Begin and Part II are such cool songs and I love that they exist. The video I linked is of their Reading performance and even though Hayley was super sick (from what I can remember, she had laryngitis and had to cancel some of their tour to prepare for the Reading + Leeds festival), so she doesn't sound her best but she still gives it her all. Careful THE DRUMS. THE VOCALS. Honourable mentions: All We Know, Never Let This Go, Here We Go Again, Conspiracy, Emergency, When It Rains, Fences, Stop This Song (Love Sick Melody), We Are Broken, Hallelujah, When It Rains, Miracle, For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic, the new version of Crush Crush Crush, All I Wanted, Feeling Sorry, Turn It Off, My Heart, Anklebiters, Now, Interlude: Moving On, Idle Worship, Pool, Rose-Colored Boy, 26, Caught in the Middle, Forgiveness, Monster, Playing God, Decode, Thick Skull, Figure 8, Crave (especially with the live outro), The News, Running Out Of Time, C'est comme ça, Renegade, IGNORANCE, I CAUGHT MYSELF (especially live), Oh Star, TELL ME IT'S OKAY special shoutout to Daydreaming because I was there when they filmed the music video (the live parts)

** this was especially difficult to do 😂

This took me forever to compile together- oops, i guess lol. Thank you for sending me this ask 💛💛

#i don't know when to shut up lol #ask game #ask answered #thank you <3 #🥰 mutuals 🥰 y'kno??

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willowistic22 · 3 years

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Famous!newsies

Ok so here are my famous!newsies headcanons from an a modern au i thought of if newsies were celebrities/famous yknow bcs I couldn’t get this idea out of my head and idk what to do with it other than making a headcanon list nabsnzbsvsnsbz anyways hope yall validate me after not posting any original content for like…. awhile now hehe

btw it got longer than expected. And I mean r e a l l y long. So if yall wanna read this better sit down and buckle up!

Jack

He’s an artist on youtube

Like a modern day bob ross ig??

If yall know zhc on youtube just imagine that but not so rich (I don’t watch zhc btw but i do know that he does custom art on iphones and stuff and that is definitely not jack kelly)

Anyways Jack simply goes by Jack Kelly.

So jack does art challenges. Like does the weirdest requests from his fans left in his comment section and stuff

Or maybe challenging himself to make art from a specific theme or a specific media

Sometimes he vlogs too but his art videos are what his fans like the most

His merch is amazing because he designed the pattern/drawing/whatever yknow. It’s printed/sewed/whatever on the clothing and it’s good quality. It’s pretty lowkey for a youtuber’s merch bcs jack doesn’t like those merch that just smacks his logo on a hoodie

Davey

He’s a fantasy, YA, romance writer (he mixes it wisely ok?)

And goes by David Jacobs

Listen he’s a hopeless romantic and i’m pretty sure yall agree too

He wanted to stick to YA romance. The classic high school lovers yknow

But he wanted to challenge himself since he’s been writing about high school lovers since he was in high school

Thus the fantasy genre came in mind

So yeah he likes creating love in his own universe

Whether it’d be different worlds, universe, species, time periods, whatever.

He wanted to direct the movies based on his books, but he’s actually lowkey terrible at leading on his own. But he did stick to being the script writer and co-director (look idk how it works in the film industry i’m just making shit up)

Crutchie

He’s a solo jazz singer

Crutchie gives off Michael Buble and Jason Mraz vibes tho

And maybe a bit of frank sinatra? Yknow ‘cause he sings jazz

Also he riffs thank you very much :)

He goes by Crutchie Morris to everyone

He usually plays the acoustic guitar or piano on stage

Ok but he’s like really good with the piano

Makes the best jokes on stage too. Some are just sarcastic comments.

Crutchie asking through the microphone : “Oh, straight?”

A fan he’s talking to from the crowd : “Uhh… no, gay”

Crutchie : “no not you, the vodka”

Everyone at the concert : *laughs*

Crutchie, jokingly : “Oh, you’re drinking vodka! Straight? No gay”

(yes that was indeed inspired by that one video of Harry Styles and a fan in one of his concerts yall can’t stop me)

Kathrine

She’s a crime mystery writer

Think like the modern day Agatha Christie

Okok but she goes by Kathrine Plumber on her books :D

She chooses that genre bcs she’s a huge fan of Agatha Christie

Her favorite book from Agatha is Murder on the Orient Express

Oh and her books are sometime very gruesome alkjsfhakjsfb

Nobody check her browsing history, she’ll look like a murderer

Ok but I feel like she also has a youtube channel about books and stuff and sometimes like to vlog

She also has a writing tips series on her channel where she shares tips on some of the frequently asked questions about writing or her fans leave a specific question in the comment section and thought she could expand more to it in a full length video

Also she likes to vlog while she’s in a book convention

Her books are also turned into movies and she has done a great job directing it

Race

Yall would be lying to me if you don’t think this kid would end up being a twitch streamer and youtuber (like vlogging yknow. I feel like his gaming stuff would strictly be on twitch)

And ik it’s widely agreed by everyone in the fandom that he’s a dancer of some sort so yeah he’s also simultaneously a dancer

I don’t think I need to explain any further bcs it’s just so in character

He goes by Racetrack Higgins

Ok so he likes to vlog on his youtube channel

Sometimes does stupid challenges

Maybe he’d drag Albert to do a challenge which he always says no

“I’ll just be your cameraman dude, dw”

Race : *angery*

Since Al and Smalls are the skateboard peeps™ race is the rollerblade dude™ bcs I say so

He has three cats named Racecat Higgins, Spot Clawlon, and Romeow (i’ve mentioned it before and I will mention it again hehe) and his fans loves them endlessly

Albert

You don’t think this kid would also end up being a twitch streamer and youtuber like his bestie up there?? Lmao you thought wrong (again, gaming is strictly on his twitch)

He just goes by Albert DaSilva on the internet

And yes he’s also a dancer because I say so

On his Youtube channel he also vlogs

Half of his vlogs starts with him riding his skateboard

“Hey, guys! Welcome back to another vlog-” *falls off his skateboard for not paying attention to a curb*

It happens way more often than he’d like to admit let’s be real. His fans make a compilation of it and memes on reddit

Always wear a snapback

Snapbacks are an important element to him so his merch store is really boosting his snapbacks

And just for the wormsie discord server he has one with the word ranga on it after it being born from a stupid inside joke he, race, and both of their fanbases combined share (@ my wormsie fam thank me later)

Oh yeah, his youtube besties are Race and Smalls just so we’re clear here :) (I’ll get to Smalls in a bit)

So I always headcanon Albert having two big dobermans. So his fans always want to see a doggy update because Zara and Zoey are everything to them.

Doggo vlogs are fun. It’s usually Albert taking the two good girls to Central Park for playtime or teaching them new tricks

Spot

He’s a solo rock singer

Is an amazing singer like wow none of the newsies expected him to have that sort of pipes to reach high notes

And he does it amazingly with no sweat

Also his instrument is the electric guitar to go with his amazing singing ajsfhasjfhajhf

Anyways he goes by Spot Conlon still

And his songs are very lyrical. Like very.

A lot of metaphors. No one knows what most of his songs means.

So basically Taylor Swift songs if it switched genres to rock. And not even like songs from speak now or red. But like if evermore and folklore songs were to turn into rock songs with a little bit of reputation vibes sprinkled on top. And his concerts has the reputation era vibes but make it spot conlon (hey non swiftie fans reading this i’m so sorry i’m pretty sure yall don’t understand wtf i’m talking abt)

That is also the only way i know to describe his vibe i’m sorry but i don’t really listen to a lot of rock alkjhfasjk

Anyways it’s a known fact that he wears tank tops daily that it becomes his signature look. And also an inside joke among his fanbase

Now just picture the merch booth from one of his shows and there’s like endless tank top designs for his fans to pick and choose

He’s also crowned to be the King of Brooklyn bcs of obvious reasons

But the joke is he’s a pretty tough hardcore guy that’s a cat person

Sarah

She’s a badass female solo singer

Mostly does pop but the badass type of pop

Yes, she does go by Sarah Jacobs

Fans were really surprised Davey and Sarah are related

Because one is a hopeless romantic while the other is a total badass

Anyways she gives off Little mix, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and Selena Gomez vibes

That is literally the only way I can describe it

She’s very lyrical, with a lot of metaphors

When she dances on stage, she d a n c e s

All while holding a mic to sing. And she hits all those high notes like it’s no ones business (a literal queen i tell you)

She and Spot are besties and has been known to have done a few collabs together

Their fans were hesitant about their collabs since their genre is pretty different from the other but they make it work and it slAPS

And among all her boppy songs with full choreography and backup singers, she always have a few songs she sings while only being accompanied by piano or guitar (Either electric or acoustic) which she plays on her own

Finch

He’s an indie pop artist with his trusted acoustic guitar by his side

Just think of music by Wallows and Lewis Capaldi were to be blended in together and Conan Gray for the cherry on top

But it has a little bit of Ed sheeran, Lorde, and Lauv vibes to it too

His concerts are simple but his songs are mostly very boppy so his fans still have fun either way

And it’s usually in small venues but there are times where he had a concert in a huge stadium

He goes by FINCH (yeah all caps btw)

Finches are a very on brand thing for him obviously

Has been known to collab with Crutchie and they actually make a very good team

Somehow was able to combined both genres to produce a few boppy songs

Ok ok but Finch and Crutchie have made a collaborative album (and maybe they went on tour????)

Specs

He’s a history fiction writer

Yes this is inspired by the fact that he’s 100% a history nerd (no one change my mind i love this headcanon aight)

And he explores a lot of different histories from different parts of the world

He actually helps a lot of students understand history even further for school through his novels

Anyways he goes by Specs because I say so

No one knows why that’s his pseudonym and Specs isn’t interested in explaining either. No one other than the newsies need to know it was born from a stupid nickname the newsies gave him :)

His research mostly comes from history books because of his genre which wouldn’t be a problem since he has loads and will voluntarily buy more if needed

Also yeah he makes a great director for the movies taken from his books

Mush

He’s a chef on youtube

Goes by Mush Meyers

So think if Gordon Ramsey and his youtube channel but make it mush

Yeah that’s it really

Ok but Mush is a jolly and friendly person

Other than just food vlogging he does cooking challenges and cooking tips too

Sometimes he does the cooking challenges with a friend (mostly henry but i’ll get to him later on in the list)

But he also vlogs his life

Which isn’t really often but he likes to sometimes

He’s that big of a foodie he has a food blog too

And also a seafood restaurant so that’s cool :D

Henry

Like Mush, he’s a chef on youtube

Goes by Henry on the internet and in general

Ajkfhajfjska I’m thinking about how ppl would address him as Chef Henry kajhfkjlashfjklasfjklsf

He mostly does the same thing like Mush actually

Food vlogging and cooking challenges (they do it together so) sometimes cooking tips

But Henry vlogs his life a lot

And instead of a food instagram he has a food blog

He has a sandwich restaurant

Yeah it is inspired by his pastrami on rye with a sour pickle line from KONY get mad about it why don’t ya (well if i’m not mistaken henry was the one that said it but idk i have horrible memory)

Blink

He’s a youtuber

Ok so I have a specific headcanon that Blink majored in psychology but didn’t end up being a psychologist

So instead he becomes a psychologist on youtube

Who often vlogs jhgasjlfhs

The guy looks like he could cut you but his sense of humor once you get him talking is just *chef’s kiss* amazing

Which is why he also has a podcast because he’s also secretly great at talking

He just thinks mental health is very important, okay?

Romeo

He’s an actor

Mostly on Broadway but has worked with Hollywood before

He’s usually a supporting character but has been known to understudy for main characters

Ok ik these bullet points are getting shorter and shorter but these are mostly bcs some of these stuff are pretty self explanatory since it’s very in character

Like are you telling me a kid named Romeo isn’t gonna be in some way very dramatic and end up turning that personality trait into his career?? Plus he’s very good at that?

Yeah you’re lying to me

Also he’s a pretty frequent vlogger on youtube

Look he’s a fun guy, what did you expect?

Just goes by Romeo on youtube

Elmer

He’s an actor

Has done his fair share in Broadway and Hollywood but started in Broadway

He can dance but thinks he’s pretty average in it yknow

Which his fans has no idea what he’s talking about because on stage he can do flips and turns like it’s no ones business yknow

But he can sing really good and takes pride in it

Elmer would play characters that is really far off from his own personality that fans couldn’t believe that Elmer played that character

He has done his fair share in main characters and supporting characters on Broadway

In Hollywood he usually does indie and rom-com movies

Buttons

He’s a fashion youtuber and basically an influencer

Let’s be real this boy is a fashion icon

He’s not really a model but more like a fashion influencer and also kind of a fashion designer

His clothing line is very *chefs kiss* amazing

He designed it all and sometimes likes to design for his friends as well

He also does fashion tips on his youtube channel

His instagram game is god tier level (along with Tommy Boy and Sniper I’ll get to them in a bit)

But yeah he also vlogs

And goes by Buttons Davenport

Jojo

He’s an actor

Mostly on Broadway but has done a few movies in Hollywood

He radiates main character energy and he does become the main character most of the time (on hollywood at least)

On Broadway he mostly enjoys being apart of the ensemble because this boy loves dancing

But he does play a few supporting characters

He has released one or two albums too because his singing is top tier

But isn’t interested in doing a lot of live concerts with his albums

Since no one has the time to say Josephino Jorgelino De La Guerra he turned it into Jojo De La Guerra (so much for ‘a special nickname only for friends and family’)

Mike and Ike

They’re a pop boy band and bcs of my lack of creativity it’s called Mike and Ike

At the start of their career :

“My name goes first because I’m older than you!” - Mike

“You’re only older than me by 13 minutes, holy shit!” - Ike

But Ike slowly accepts the fact that it’ll be like this yknow

Anyways they’re pretty great singers

They have one direction and new hope club vibes

Tho unlike one direction they can dance (i love the boys alright but i really think it’s funny that they can’t dancelkhjjlh)

They like to switch from the guitar (electric and/or acoustic) to the piano

The amount of times their name is confused by the candy is too many

But they like it like that lol

Anyways i’ve mentioned a headcanon where Mike has tattoos (not like from head to toe but it’s fairly noticeable to everyone) and Ike has piercings

So the only way their fans tell them apart is by that

But there are times where Mike has his tattoos covered or Ike took his piercings off in public alone. A fan mistakens them for the other twin but they still respond to the other name because they don’t feel like there’s a need to correct them since they’re mostly known by Mike and Ike anyways. When the fan posts it on instagram and tags the twin they thought it was the twin that was tagged would comment “wrong twin but nice pic you two”

Happens wayyyyy too many times. Their fans are officially scared to approach one of the two in public alone without their differentiating indicators on which is which

And yes it is widely known that they argue a lot when it comes to writing songs

Nothing out of the ordinary sibling squabble yknow but it’s a lot

But they do end up finding a solution to the topic of their argument and make a good team at the end of the day

Hotshot

He’s an actor

On Broadway, he’s one of those actor’s that is mostly good in just the acting and singing

He can’t dance to save his life sjdfghaf

So Jeremy Jordan yknow asj;oghajshf

No not really. He can dance a little bit

So he’s mostly the main character

But he’s widely known for his works in Hollywood

He does a lot of drama. Think stuff like Elite and Designated Survivor. Yeah those kinds of heavy drama (well idk i think those two are pretty heavy)

He wants to release his own music because he’s a pretty good singer but he can’t write songs to save his life either jgnjafjasf

And all the demo songs he was suggested by producers isn’t his cup of tea

So he’s no singer ladies and gents ://

The name Hotshot is used to name his social media platforms. He always adds a description in his bio’s that Hotshot is a nickname his friends and family use so his fans and the media refer to him with his name

I headcanon Hotshot’s real name is Tyler or some sort. No don’t ask me what’s his last name is because idk either lol

Sniper

She’s a model, beauty and fashion youtuber (I’m pretty sure those are two different things tho idk i don’t watch youtube religiously anymore), and just an influencer in general

Instagram game on p o i n t

I know most beauty youtubers go by their names but uhh… i don’t think i’ve ever thought of a first name for Sniper but I really think she really would just go by Sniper Wah on the internet (Idk she seems like an Ashley in my head but feel free to recommend headcanon names to me)

Anyways she’s very fashionable

Tommy Boy (i’ll get to him just wait aight?) and Buttons are her fashion besties

The three of them pretty much appear in each other’s Youtube video not Tommy’s tho bcs he doesn’t have one lol

Sniper’s brand are huge sun hats

I have no idea how or why but that girl has sun hats vibes I can’t explain any further I’m sorry

Doesn’t have a clothing line but does have a make up brand of her own. She calls it Sniper. Yeah that’s it akjfhjf

Smalls

She’s a twitch streamer and youtuber like race and albert

They’re a youtube trio everyone loves it

And yes she does go by Smalls

Oh and she also dances like her two stupid besties thanks for asking

Bubblegum is her brand (idk how to explain she just has the vibe)

She is skateboard chick

I’m imagining a video collab of her and Al on a skatepark doing stupid challenges

It’s her most viewed video

Tommy Boy

Ok ok he’s a model, influencer, and dancer

So think a male version of Gigi Hadid that dances

No he doesn’t have a youtube channel but frequently has made an appearance on Buttons’ and Sniper’s videos

Yes his instagram feed is also very amazing

He goes by Tommy Boy

People genuinely thinking ‘Boy’ is actually his last name and kinda think it’s strange but doesn’t complain

Tommy literally didn’t think people would think it was his last name. But they did anyways

Les

Let’s just get straight to the point : he’s a famous tiktoker

And yes, ppl are surprised at the fact that him, Davey, and Sarah are related to each other

To the people that made it through this entire list. Congratulations and thank you for your validation. Have a wonderful evening and stay hydrated

i will write at least one oneshot out of this au i promise!!

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seventeengoingunder-archive · 3 years

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Honestly I think with how fast she is at recording the albums - I think I had a vision for how the rollout would be

I get why love story was released on valentine's so that was lovely and the fearless should've been march/april and then with the numbers from that stupid Steven Colbert interview I thought may would be announced 1989 and then 1989 in July/August (July 9th was a Friday and I was wishing for wildest dreams/enchanted mashup because she has to have seen the demand from fans for 1989 tour versions of a lot of songs wanegbt and ikywt)

and then August 13 was a Friday and anniversary of the red era (the date wanegbt dropping) so it would be perfect date and it would be mad if she dropped the rock version

And October 22 is a Friday and middle of fall (unlike Nov 19 which is basically winter and also I get it's international men's day but whatever) October 22 is perfect date for red release

And then I thought it'd be 2022 spring like march time for debut and then September for speak now and then end of November would be perfect for rep

(basically the calender year this year lines up so many perfect Taylor numbers as Fridays so this would be great)

I'm okay with her not being able to record the albums faster, I just personally find the roll-out, and the motivation behind the rerecording process at all, confusing.

The way I saw it, there were two major reasons

Taking back songs that rightfully belong to her, and served as her diary for more than a decade

Stopping Scooter from profiting off of her work

And what I don't get is why are songs that are finished not out? We've had the Wildest Dreams snippet for months. So why not just drop it without the album?

She's been doing chapter EPs for album tracks. She could've just dropped an EP of songs with similar themes every 3 months or something. So she could record just 5 songs rather than a 30 track album and have them out there, and then compiled them once they were all done.

#this also plays into my hatred of the physical copies because like. why are we creating so much plastic for nothing. cars don't have cd #players. laptops don't have cd players.#if people are listening to things physically it's on vinyl but i feel like they could've just done the vault tracks alone on vinyl you #don't need 4 discs or however it is #anyway #different conversation but i'm going on many tangents rn #asks #anonymous

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i-want-her-midnights-ts · 5 years

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Okay so there’s just so many things pointing to Taylor being queer.

There’s the TIME Gala where she sang several songs. But most notably, her songs Delicate and New Year’s Day had slight lyric changes... the pronouns!!! “We can’t make any promises now can we babe, but she can make me a drink” AND “I want her midnights, I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year’s Day”

From what I’ve been able to find, the delicate lyric change has been happening since June of 2018, aka pride month. It also seems to only be during live performances. Here’s a link to where I’m documenting each place I’ve heard the lyric change occcur in: https://i-want-her-midnights-ts.tumblr.com/post/184750092965/delicate-taylor-swift

(It’s especially clear when you listen to 1-2-3 LGB compilations, since you can tell half the time she sings “you” and half the time she sings “she”)

Since then there’s been more and more things pointing to a queer Taylor. We also know something importants gonna happen in June cuz of the various date clues that’s been identified.

For ME! there’s the entire chrysalis theory right? And reinforced with all the butterflies and breaking out and growing into yourself. Then there’s all pastel rainbow aesthetics, and a ton of rainbow hearts, etc. Even in the butterfly mural thing for the single cover there’s rainbows breaking the glass around it. Then there’s the rainbow that’s breaking out of the sky. And her standing in rainbows? Oh and the transition between her in the dress and hair curled and very ladylike and Brandon being super traditional masculine, and then when she transitions into the suit and briefcases and everything. More of an androgynous look. (credit to Lauren Lipman, and their video “EVERY SINGLE Easter Egg You Missed In Taylor Swift’s ME! Music Video | DECODED”, since I got all this compiled info from them)

Okay and then like her posts, the videos (especially the lyric video) etc, like yes paste rainbow aesthetic, but also SO MANY BI COLOURS! And then for her FaceTime interview she literally is wearing bi colours! Like her shirt is literally bi colours! And when she’s talking about making the song into a duet she literally corrects herself from saying a guy to a love interest!!! And like all the recent press stuff is alsmot always bi colours, or has some component of bi colours/rainbow.

Even the EW cover where she’s wearing a pride pin and a rainbow hearts pin. The entire bi colours aesthetic is stil super prevalent, and even some pan colours in some of her recent press stuff.

ALSO, in that cover, EW explains the Easter eggs they chose to add using the pins, aka cats, tack 5, etc. but they said the other unexplained ones are the ones Taylor herself chose and wasn’t going to explain. And since EW didn’t explain the pride pins, it still adds up!!

Oh and for the Troye pin, I saw someone found the tweet where he said back in December that there’s more secrets he can’t tell again, which matches with the timeline of Taylor saying she recorded all of the songs in a span of three months. Oh and you know, he’s basically a queer icon? That too.

AND, in her Easter Eggs explained video also with EW, there’s just so many bi colours. And talking about butterflies breaking free an the snake being misunderstood, and like... misunderstood and a hindering reputation of being straight? Preventing opportunities of breaking free, coming out? And that links back or her delicate speech, especially since that’s the track where she chose to give the pride speech on REP tour??? And since that’s the song she sings in a ton of recent events!

Okay last EW part- the interview. So she says in it that TS7 is more vulnerable and personal than ever before, and how’s she’s more brave now! Also fits perfectly with coming out!

She also showed that she alludes to things in interviews and stuff right? So when she talks about lady gaga she mentions how she pivots and does the opposite of what you’d expect... aka, hmmmm opposite of what you’d expect from Taylor.. for her to be queer!

Okay and her outfit with the kaleidoscope shaker ring. Yes the kaleidoscope theory, but ALSO it’s literally bi coloured!

So my thought is, it’s not just that she’s breaking out of her shell and shedding her skin and becoming/accepting herself, she’s ALSO going to come out to us in this era at some point. I also think it’s either going to be incorporated into the album somehow or it might just be a pronoun change throughout TS7 and it might not be addressed. I was really hoping the countdown or the ME! video would’ve had her coming out, cause seriously I’d just love for this era to have a queer @taylorswift 💜💙💚💛🧡❤️

(I’m not too sure if I agree with this other theory I kinda have, which is that all the references and clothing choices of yellow (from Elle, to MV, red carpet, performances, etc) might represent her colour code being yellow, which is I think motivated by fun, which yes. I wouldn’t be surprised about. But also colour code and other personality tests and stuff are so stereotypical queer things!

There’s also this other iffy theory about the timing of this and her record label changing. Cuz maybe there was something in her old contract that made it so she kinda had to present as straight, or at least be straight passing? But that’s so speculative that I don’t rly feel comfortable putting it in the main theory part above)

#taylor swift #taylor #swift #TS7 #ts7 theories #am I close Taylor?#swifties #ts7iscoming #queer #lgbtqia+#delicate #new years day #lyric changes #theory #taylornation

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enz-fan · 5 years

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A track listing and description of the Enz of an Era compilation LP, released in 1982:

“Mushroom Records are proud to present “ENZ OF AN ERA”, the definitive Split Enz album that captures the very best of the band over their ten year history. The following is a track by track analysis:-

SIDE ONE -

HISTORY NEVER REPEATS (NEIL FINN) - CORROBOREE LP

There is an inbuilt irony in this track because it followed the huge success of True Colours. Neil had already repeated himself by writing two strong follow ups to ‘I Got You’, ‘One Step Ahead’ and this track. This one leaped up the charts all the way to #4 in three weeks. In a way, it sumps up the Split Enz philosophy about never repeating themselves, which “ENZ OF AN ERA” illustrates superby and it is therefore a fitting opening track.

MY MISTAKE (TIM FINN/EDDIE RAYNER) - DIZRYTHMIA LP

This was the first track recorded with Neil and Nigel and it came after the Enz shattering 1977 American tour where Tim, Eddie and Noel were left holding the fort after founding members Phil Judd and Mike Chunn decided to call it quits... that was their mistake! Produced by Geoff Emerick who had worked with the boys’ idols, The Beatles and he regaled them with anecdotes during the session... tales of McCartney’s bleeding fingers after 8 hour bass sessions. Neil was 18 years old and had never been kissed before, he had also never played an electric guitar, he did both on this session. This track pre-dated the ska revival by 3 years.

I GOT YOU (NEIL FINN) - TRUE COLOURS LP

“Shall we ask Neil to join?” “Nah, he’d be hopeless, he’s too young.” “He might have potential.” Two years and 8 weeks at #1 later plus sales exceeding 125,000, the boy wonder saved the Enz from extinction. Thanks Neil.

LATE LAST NIGHT (PHIL JUDD) - SECOND THOUGHTS LP

Split Enz have always had a vaudeville-music hall aspect to their music, this song with it’s twenties lilt captures this mood. This was the first song they ever did a film clip for. It was specifically recorded to come up with a single to spare Michael Gudkinski any more sleepless nights. In typical Enz fashion the hooks were lines and sinkers.

POOR BOY (TIM FINN) - TRUE COLOURS LP

A perennial song which stands up strongly against other Enz classics. Although never released as a single it was a hit nevertheless. This song was the first where a new writing technique was used. The whole band were instrumental in fleshing out Tim’s basic idea... one of Tim’s personal favourites, perhaps for this reason.

DIRTY CREATURE (TIM & NEIL FINN, NIGEL GRIGGS) - TIME AND TIDE LP

Everyone has demons with which they wrestle, Tim’s reared it’s ugly head in the weeks prior to recording Time and Tide, he decapitated it with this song. Noel Crombie’s first album on drums, his wonderful, spontaneous rhythms are the key to this song’s success. When first heard on radio this song was not instantly recognisable as Split Enz proving yet again the boys versatility.

I SEE RED (TIM FINN) - FRENZY LP

1978, a make or break year, everyone on the dole, London, depressing, cold, angry, frustrated... enter one David Tickle, 18 year old whizz kid, recorded at Startling Studios where Lennon lived for 5 years was obviously influenced by British punk, amphetamine music, but is nevertheless a true and honest statement of Split Enz huge frustration and mega annoyance. Has gone on to become an Enz classic, live and in the discos.

SIDE TWO -

SIX MONTHS IN A LEAKY BOAT (TIM FINN) - TIME AND TIDE LP

The biggest Enz single since “I Got You”, with sales of 50,000, a certified gold single. Split Enz have always maintained that melody is their forte and memorable tunes will win the day. The day was well and truly won when this haunting song hit the airwaves and screamed up to #2 all over the country. Charlene’s tenacies hold on the #1 spot prevented it going all the way. A durable song because of it’s universal appeal to all ages, from hipsters to spinsters, from headbangers to old sailors!

ONE STEP AHEAD (NEIL FINN) - CORROBOREE LP

Neil’s follow up to ‘I Got You’, much biting of nails in a Birmingham disco when Nathan Brenner announced to the band that it was steady at #65 on the Kent Report, however, 5 weeks later the song burst into the top 5 and came close to being a gold single. It created much interest because of the difference in style and proved beyond doubt Neil’s talent and versatility.

MATINEE IDYLL (PHIL JUDD, TIM FINN) - SECOND THOUGHTS LP

This was written in early 1973 and as such belongs to that first batch of songs which spawned the original Split Enz. The lyrics are strangely prophetic - “It’s not all first nights at all, the whole thing reeks of cheap strip-tease” ... “It’s not all bouquets and white crayon” show that even then Phil and Tim were not naive about the realities of show business. It’s been a great decade but it does pay now and then to go back to where it all started... Two 20 year old callow youths writing songs from the heart in Auckland. This song features the mandolin which was a distinctive sound for the Enz in those days, pre-dating the folk revival by 10 years.

ANOTHER GREAT DIVIDE (EDDIE RAYNER, TIM FINN, ROBERT GILLIES, PHIL JUDD) - S

The Chrysalis contract was looking dicey, 2 albums and minimal sales, so..... into the studios to create yet another hit single! Upon hearing the result, one Chrysalis executive was heard to mutter, “it would make a good album”. The song came from a jam in a dingy warehouse in downtown London and was the first song to use Malcolm Green on drums. Produced by Phil Manzanera who had just finished producing the Second Thoughts album, Tim remembers seeing Bryan Ferry during the session and when he asked him “What do you think of this punk thing?” Tim replied, “Probably the same as you,” and Bryan said “good”..... another great divide.

BOLD AS BRASS (TIM FINN & ROBERT GILLIES) - DIZRYTHMIA LP

Robert Gillies only lyric, Neil Finn’s only falsetto harmony. A positive, uplifting song which charms us with it’s goofy yet positive stance.

I HOPE I NEVER (TIM FINN) - TRUE COLOURS LP

Another recognised Split Enz classic, probably one of Tim’s finest songs. A russian film director was heard to say it reminded him of his homeland, a drunken bushranger was seen to shed tears when he first heard it, a 14 year old girl from Monee Ponds said it made her think of her mother’s funeral, and a 30 year old transvestite from Kings Cross said unrpintable things. Which all goes to show that this is a song for everybody.

GIVE IT A WHIRL (TIM AND NEIL FINN) FRENZY LP

Tim and Neil’s first official collaboration, another song which rejoices in the positive spirit, notable for the use of Hugh Padgham as tape operator who later went on to produce Time and Tide.

#splitenz #enzofanera #1982

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makistar2018 · 5 years

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10 Years Later, Taylor Swift’s ‘Fearless’ Still Slaps

When it was released in 2008, Swift’s sophomore album launched a thousand takes. Today, it’s best remembered as a simple time capsule

By LAUREN M. JACKSON November 12, 2018

Taylor Swift during the "Fearless" tour at Madison Square Garden on August 27, 2009 in New York City.

Theo Wargo/WireImage for New York Post

Like Propel water, The Scarlet Letter and mechanical pencils, Taylor Swift’s Fearless pairs well with the sporadic squeak of team-issued sneakers, overpriced hot lunches and the kind of angst that defines comfortably suburb-bound teenage years. Sliding open the album on Spotify with my iPhone 8, I can still feel my limbs stretched in all directions, hear the snap-crackle-pop of a dozen adolescent girls’ joints going through the motions of yet another warm-up to what would become the soundtrack of my high school varsity dance team’s inner and outer lives, as well as leave poptimism forever changed.

I am 27 now, still anxious but inflexible, no longer clinging (as) tightly to singular albums to tell the emotional landscape of my life — but back then, Fearless was god. Swift was barely into legal teenagedom when compiling her sophomore album’s original 13 tracks, but more than the happenstance near-synonymy of our ages (I’m younger by 1 year, 6 months, 27 days), the four-walled, high school claustrophobia induced by the album is a matter of skilled musical mood setting. From the first downbeat of the inaugural title track to the last flippantly rebellious “hallelujah” on “Change,” Swift traps us in the mind of an ungainly teen as she was once trapped, as I was, as so many others wading the ambiguity between comportment and desire that doesn’t quite end when gowns come on and caps fly up.

Like so many notebook pages on the golden screen, Fearless is filled with boys. Stans and haters have their theories, but I like to think of each song as an archetype, less true stories of relationships gone sour than a young woman’s true to life hetero-ethnography. There are the boys who do good — the “Fearless,” “Love Story,” “Hey Stephen,” “The Best Day” boys (the last a tribute to Dad) — the boys who nurture and love intensely. They do all the usual country boy things, all the usual cinematic things: driving slow, kissing in the rain, flouting archaic inter-familial squabbles. They honor their promises and, most of all, leave the narrator better changed for her affection.

These boys who do good are short-lived. By Track 2, “Fifteen,” we’re already checking in to Heartbreak Hotel for the upteenth time with an account of that age generic enough to warrant a fan-made montage of clips from Degrassi: The Next Generation. The song tells an allegedly universal story of freshman year woes, complete with riding in cars with senior boys who also play football (because of course). It’s saccharine, sung in the vernacular of normative coupling that would become Swift’s enemy in the gossip pages. But the limited lexicon is not necessarily untruthful. “Fifteen” has aged about as well as anyone would expect, but some of those refrains make me yearn for arms long enough to slap all the powers that be responsible for belittling the whims of young girls. And according to the greater duration of Fearless — tracks like “White Horse,” “Breathe,” “Tell Me Why,” “You’re Not Sorry,” “The Way I Loved You,” and “Forever & Always” — the greatest threat to the happiness of teen girls are boys.

November 2008 looks rosy from here. America had just elected its first black president, the man who promised too much hope and change to possibly be true, but faith felt good back then. Men had committed just five mass shootings over the past year with one more on the way in December (2018 has 307 mass shootings to its name so far). The nation boasted just under 150 recognized active white supremacist groups (that number would climb to over 1,000 during Obama’s presidency). Global finance was in crisis but cable networks were still winning Emmys. Amy Winehouse was alive. Kanye still made sense and a bright-eyed, hair-tousled new country darling was exclusively concerned with dating, rather than local politics.

Like any celebrity who is also a woman, but also in a lane quite her own, Swift’s relation to mainstream feminism wanes and waxes with the season. A female artist beloved by the girls for whom her songs are written, Swift and her music are therefore more scrutinized, more rigorously excavated for signs of harmful messaging than her male singer-songwriter peers. Fearless frayed Swift’s reputation in a way that wouldn’t let up for years, if ever, largely because of its critical success. Swift took home four Grammys at the 2010 awards, including Album of the Year, beating the Dave Matthews Band’s Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, The Black Eyed Peas’ The E.N.D., Beyoncé’s I Am… Sasha Fierceand, most egregiously, Lady Gaga’s debut studio album, The Fame. The perceived slight invited robust inquiry into this supposed album of the year, and the aesthetic discrepancy between the two quickly turned to politics.

Autostraddle’s Riese called Swift “a feminist’s nightmare,” the enemy of “brave, creative, inventive, envelope-pushing little monsters” everywhere. An accompanying infographic, “a symbolic analysis” of Swift’s works to date, cataloged her most damning motifs, including “virginal” imagery, “the stars,” “crying,” and the 2AM hour. At Jezebel, Dodai Stewart agreed that Gaga was the rightful winner, speculating that in a race between “Gaga the liberal versus Taylor the conservative,” the latter “makes the Academy feel more comfortable.” One joy of pop culture is the revelation of how melodramatically things can change. Last month, Swift announced her endorsement of Tennessee Democrats Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper for the midterm elections; meanwhile, Lady Gaga hews the path of glamorous respectability on her lengthy A Star Is Born Oscar campaign.

Feminist readings of Fearless weren’t wrong, exactly. Allies on the album come in strictly male form, while other girls are competition for Swift’s persecuted first person. Even the red-headed bestie Abigail becomes a lesson in chastity, losing her virginity — “everything”! —to the boy who broke her heart (the foil to Swift’s main character, whose dreams of living in a big ole city protect her from such a fate). The charting single “You Belong With Me” is a bouncy jaunt through the valley of me versus those other girls. The video that won Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards over Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” — to seismic effect — stars Swift as both the frizzy blonde, bespectacled weirdo in band and the sleek brunette cheerleader with the man (Lucas Till who now plays MacGyver on CBS). In true romantic comedy fashion, Good Swift, clothed in white, ends up with the guy in the end, defeating Bad Swift, whose only crimes it seems are great taste in footwear and not appreciating her high school boyfriend’s likely moronic sense of humor. Both the song and video became emblematic of a kind of Swiftian all-for-one girl power. Her 2017 video for “Look What You Made Me Do” resurrects and buries all sorts of Swiftisms, including the iconography of the uncool girl who features so heavily in the Fearless-era of her oeuvre.

Pop music exists not to elevate our souls or our politics, but to safely wade in the muck of our pettiest appetites, whether they come with trap drums or in serenades. Pop music deserves interrogation, but it will never exceed us. Fearless was a diary, sounding like the selfishness that bubbles up regardless of one’s intellectual or political guards against it. The debate it ignited wouldn’t happen were it released today, amidst all this. It’s a relic of a time when determining exactly what an album meant, culturally and aesthetically, was a crucial discussion to have in public, when nuance had stakes. Compared to the basic moral tenets we now expend so much of our energy defending, such communal acts of criticism feel small and regretfully scarce. Fearless was a moment, now relegated to a time capsule, no longer a prompt.

Rolling Stone

#taylor swift #fearless #rolling stone #2018.11.12

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projectalbum · 6 years

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Radio songs. 189. “Green,” 190. “Out of Time,” 191. “Automatic for the People,” 192. “Monster,” 193. “New Adventures in Hi-Fi" by R.E.M.

For R.E.M., signing to Warner Bros Records meant reaching more people, in the U.S. and abroad. It meant a bigger promotional push behind their albums.

It meant an exponential increase in their touring schedule, to the point where all four were pretty burned out by the idea after being on the road for most of ’88-’89. But for me, it was a move that meant my favorite music in existence was allowed to sprout from the fertile loam of commercialism.

If you’ll remember from my previous post, it was a compilation of songs from the WB era that first made me a fan. And it was the first few albums under that banner that made R.E.M. superstars, i.e. a band established enough that I would be aware of them growing up. It’s hard for me to grasp the amount of R.E.M. saturation that existed from roughly ’88 - ’94. By the time I was humming “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” and “Orange Crush” in high school, it was 2005 and the band’s incandescence had faded to the soft, respectable glow of “Dad Rock.” They were hipper than the Billy Joel & Electric Light Orchestra discs that they had replaced in my repertoire, but as far as my peers were concerned, barely.

The first Christmas after I had announced myself as a fan brought, in shiny happy gift wrapping, Green (#189) and Out Of Time (#190). A veritable Mandolin-apalooza: in the campfire folk trance of “You Are The Everything,” mournful character study “The Wrong Child,” and midnight hippie spiritual “Hairshirt” that are scattered through the mix of Green, and powering the über-hit that secured their legacy, “Losing My Religion,” on Out Of Time. My relationship to those tracks has dipped and risen through the years— I was much less open to strange acoustic explorations back then (or in the case of “LMR,” its overfamiliarity), so I tended to skip them. I grooved on the electric menace of “Turn You Inside-Out” and the poptimism of “Untitled.”

“World Leader Pretend,” in which all the band’s instruments, including Stipe’s voice, seemed tuned to a lower register than ever before (now THAT’S some counter-programming to the bubblegum of “Stand”), has become a God-level composition in my mind. It’s gained some resurgence recently, seen as a pointed critique of the venal and power-hungry who are obsessed with controlling geopolitical barriers. "I raised the wall / And I will be the one to knock it down,” the protagonist intones, and yeah, “the Wall” has a connotation for current events in 2018, as it did 30 years ago (roughly a year after the album’s release, Berlin’s concrete schism was demolished). But I hear the divided self in “World Leader Pretend”: the man erecting the walls of his own isolation chamber, shoring up his fragile ego against outer pain, denying the possibility for connection. "I decree a stalemate, I divine my deeper motives / I recognize the weapons / I've practiced them well, I fitted them myself.” In other words, I hear myself.

Fortunately, he concludes that it’s within his power to level these barriers he's constructed, and I feel I can learn the same lesson. There’s a triumphant slide guitar in the bridge, an iconically Country-Western flavor that the band returns to on one of the most indelible tracks on Out of Time— the descriptively-titled “Country Feedback.” Heartache on an epic scale, deliberate, hypnotic tempo but bubbling like a volcano, the words a stream-of-consciousness chant over Peter Buck’s searching electric guitar and Mike Mills funereal organ. “It’s crazy what you could have had,” Stipe laments, his voice rising, and then, “I need this. I need this.” Is it the confession that he needs, or the connection slipping away from his grasping fingers? He’s called it his favorite song in the band’s canon; they’ve performed it with Neil Young providing the wailing guitar counterpart, like a Dead Man end credits song that never happened, and there’s a clever mashup on the Unplugged set that bowled me over (I’ll mention it when I get there).

The acoustic arrangements and sonic experimentation continued on Automatic for the People (#191), with a purge of the bubblegum (“The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite” is a notable exception, but for a goof, it’s gorgeous.) Much has been made of the album’s apparent preoccupation with mortality and loss. For sure, there's the straight-forward teen suicide deterrent “Everybody Hurts,” predating It Gets Better by a couple decades; “Sweetness Follows,” about the steady, plodding journey through mourning, and the peaceful plateau you can reach; “Monty Got A Raw Deal,” a steely Western ballad inspired in part by the tortured, bisexual film actor Montgomery Clift. But it’s a hopeful album, not a dour slog.

To me, the common thread is The Past: that personal history that’s less about the agreed-upon facts and more about the feelings tied to events, coloring your reminiscence. “Drive,” the darkly insinuating opening track, takes inspiration for its rhythmic Beat poetry vocal from David Essex's “Rock On,” a song that Stipe might have heard as a teenager, one that itself looks back a further 20 years to the birth of rock n’roll. Add the string arrangement by rock royalty, John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, and it’s nostalgia brined in nostalgia.

We’re looking at the reflection of the old photograph as caught by the passing streetlights: several layers of removal from the events. But in looking back, our feelings strike us clearer than whatever life we’ve built for ourselves in the interim; we’re still dwelling on whatever innocence we think we’ve lost. "I have seen things that you will never see / Leave it to memory me,” are the parting words of a person at the end of their life in “Try Not To Breathe” (often in the running for my favorite R.E.M. recording). "I will try not to burden you,” they promise, holding in secrets of a time gone by in hopes that the listener will forge a new path.

“Find The River,” which draws the book to a close with accordion and harmonizing voices, is another in a line of R.E.M. songs drawing on the river as a symbol of lost harmony. In youthful exuberance, there was “Nightswimming,” but "The ocean is the river's goal / A need to leave the water knows,” and time moves inexorably forward. The past feeds into the unfathomable depths of the future. Automatic for the People draws its title from the slogan at a soul food joint in the band’s hometown. It’s that sense of their own history, 8 records in and on top of the world, that merges with their innate creative restlessness, compelling them to shoot off in a new direction. “I have got to leave to find my way."

This fuels their mission statement with each album since the WB era began: “Let’s write songs that don’t sound like ‘R.E.M. songs.’” If Automatic is self-reflective, Monster (#192) is about adopted personas. The sound of a middle-aged Art Rock band pretending to be a 20-something Glam Rock band, adding more neon and guitar distortion and posturing than you can shake a Mott The Hoople at. “What can I make myself be? (Faker!)”

The video for “Crush With Eyeliner” furthers that sense of playful irony: the band members pushed off to the corner of the bar as a new generation, from a different cultural background, expresses the song for them. The entire radioactive orange LP kind of encapsulates every messy teenage feeling I've had since high school. I'm still a "faker," pretending to sing this song. And looking good doing it. (Though, full disclosure, the first time I did karaoke I went with “Bang and Blame.” I don’t mind telling you I nailed it.)

Monster is marked by the most prevalent sexual overtones in R.E.M. canon, as if they were embracing that self-aware Rock Star trope. It’s hard to get more on the nose than the title “Star 69,” but “I Don’t Sleep, I Dream” wins the prize with “Are you coming to ease my headache? / Do you give good head? / Am I good in bed?” As the public debated Michael Stipe’s sexuality, he parried the question in the press and played with his image in the lyrics. The topic of his “Crush” is gendered “she,” giving hetereos like myself plenty to appropriate for our own impossible Cool Girl daydreams— never mind that it’s an ode to his friend Courtney Love. “King of Comedy” addresses a legion of Rupert Pupkins getting their big shot by whatever means necessary, but it also contains the lyric "I'm straight, I'm queer, I'm bi,” a few years before he revealed publicly where the needle pointed on that dial for him. “Tongue” is a lilting, falsetto performance: piano-driven cabaret written for a female protagonist lamenting her inconsiderate lovers. More masks for a closely-scrutinized celebrity to find freedom behind.

New Adventures in Hi-Fi (#193) felt as appropriate a title as any for my first year at a university— trading my hometown for a cinderblock dorm-room, starting down my career path with all the film courses they’d allow me to sign up for. The road-grit guitars, open road expansive sound, Stipe’s tour-shredded front man vocals: the album is alternately weary and electrified. Choruses and riffs fit to fill a stadium (as many basic tracks were recorded at live soundcheck) beside intimate 3AM tour bus confessionals. I scored this huge chapter of my young life with the strutting, T. Rex glam of “The Wake-Up Bomb,” arena-ready choruses of “Bittersweet Me” and “So Fast, So Numb,” felt inspired by the dreamlike inscrutability of “How The West Was Won and Where It Got Us” and darkly-reflective poetry of “E-Bow The Letter.”

I’m not overly surprised to hear that this LP didn’t hit with the same impact as the previous ones— it’s always felt like an acquired taste that I couldn’t impart to anyone else. “You haven’t heard 'Leave?’ Ah man, it’s over 7 minutes long, and there’s a constant siren loop in the background! But trust me, when you hear the acoustic riff from the opening interlude reprised by double-tracked electric guitar, the goose pimples will be visible from space.”

Where Monster boasted the straight-arrow torch song “Strange Currencies,” the hushed, surrealistic “Be Mine” seemed as if it emanated from my own bruised heart. "I'll be the sky above the Ganges / I'll be the vast and stormy sea / I'll be the lights that guide you inward / I'll be the visions you will see”— it’s a cross-spiritual devotional that funnels the tenets of world religions into a promise for total intimacy. I would pay top dollar for the raw footage of Thom Yorke’s guest interpretation.

Despite the public’s anemic response, the band’s estimation of Hi-Fi’s strengths is justifiably high. It’s an accomplished, energetic record that shows every member playing at his peak. It’s now frozen in history as the last document of the band as a foursome. In the next entry, I’ll delve into the CDs released after drummer Bill Berry retired and R.E.M. dramatically changed gears, rocketing into the 21st century.

#R.E.M.#michael stipe #peter buck #mike mills #bill berry #monster #new adventures in hi-fi #automatic for the people #green #out of time #losing my religion #what's the frequency #cdcollection #cd #cdcollector #album art #music blog #Rock Music #patti smith

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daegucrew · 6 years

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New BTS fan here and so I apologise for my complete ignorance. What was the era prior to Wings? Also, the concert was called Trilogy Episode 3? I need someone to break down the meaning behind this D:

First of all, welcome to the fandom! You’re in for an amazing and wild ride. :’) And no worries! It can be a little bit confusing and it takes us all a while to figure out what’s going on…and when it comes to all of the theories involved behind bts eras and the fandom trying to link them together, we still don’t really have a clue what is going on, lol. But before that you can get the basics of the eras down first. This got pretty lengthy so I’m gonna put it under a cut!

Beyond having each individual era in terms of the singles/albums they release, the albums are part of bigger eras as well, and the concerts, even more so. I’ll give you the major theme era, the album eras within them, and furthermore the single eras within those.The first overarching era started from bts’ debut in 2013 until 2014 and is known as the ‘School Era’. This is comprised of:• 2 Cool For Skool Single Album -> No More Dream -> We Are Bulletproof Pt 2 • O!RUL8,2? Mini Album -> N.O• Skool Luv Affair Mini Album (& Repackage Ver.) -> Boy in Luv -> Just One Day• Dark & Wild Studio Album -> Danger -> War of HormoneFollowing this is when bts slowly started to become more recognized as a competitor to the Korean music scene and really started to create a name for themselves. A lot of new people joined the fandom during this time and it’s overall just a very sentimental and emotional era. This next major overarching era is thus a sort of pride and joy of the fandom, “HYYH” (The Most Beautiful Moment in Life/In The Mood For Love) or “Youth” era, lasting from early 2015 to mid 2016.• The Most Beautiful Moment in Life pt 1 Mini Album -> I Need U -> Dope• The Most Beautiful Moment in Life pt 2 Mini Album -> Run• The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever Compilation/Repackage Album -> Epilogue: Young Forever -> Fire -> Save MeNext, we have WINGS era! This is the era that is sadly coming to an end with this last run of Wings concerts in Seoul, although it’s probably a bit confusing for you as it’s overlapping with the start of Love Yourself era. WINGS era goes from late 2016 to early 2017. They spent the majority of the year on a world tour for WINGS, and just did a last final hurrah in Seoul to close it out properly.• WINGS Studio Album -> Blood Sweat & Tears• You Never Walk Alone Repackage Album -> Spring Day -> Not TodayThe current era is Love Yourself. This is going to a part of a bigger 4-part series that bts will focus on in the coming year, and likely beyond. We were teased with this era with the release of the ‘Highlight Reels’ back in August, and although not directly related to the albums themselves, this is a thematic story line said to carry through until next year. There will be four albums in the Love Yourself series and Namjoon has specified that they won’t come in order. There is still a lot we are trying to decipher here, as it’s what ARMY does best. I will link you to this post as it does a great job at laying out what might be the general outline of the LY series. (The ‘Boy Meets WHAT’ that the op is referring to is at end of the Fire/Save Me music videos).

• Love Yourself 承 Her mini album -> DNA -> Mic DropAnd that brings us to now! I didn’t include Japanese releases here but they fit quite well into the eras of their Korean counterparts. Especially from HYYH era and on, you will start to be able to link a lot of things together, and your mind will be blown at how much things seem to be planned out from a long time ago, as you will find that many older MVs came to foreshadow what happens in later ones. I won’t go into theories here but there are a lot of long posts on tumblr or videos on youtube that you can search for if you want to try and wrap your head around it all.As for your last question about the concerts, bts has done a series of tours over the last few years and regards them as a trilogy. As per typical bts/bighit etiquette, nothing can ever be simple to understand or in order. The trilogy consists of:• Episode II: The Red Bullet Tour (2014)• Episode I: BTS Begins (2015)• Episode III: Wings Tour (2017)If you watch the concert dvds, and the VCRs in particular, you will see a story line being carried out. Red Bullet drops us in the middle of such a story and creates an interest for both explanation of how it got to that point and what comes next, thus Episode II is first. Think of Episode I as a sort of prequel, and Episode III as an ending. As to what they will do for the next round of concerts, I have no idea, but albeit being a new series/era, there always seems to be some way we can link it back to what has previously been done.Sorry for the super long post but I wanted to be as clear as possible! I hope it helped and let me know if you have any other questions. :)

#anon #replies #bts eras #tp*

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youcantfiremebecauseiquit · 4 years

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theguitardiary said: I love finding new music! Especially when you’re not expecting it. We seem to have similar tastes in music! Who do you listen to now in this modern age? There’s only a handful of bands I like but I’m convinced there’s more out there. They’re just not as well known.

Yes, it seems so! :)

Hmm, i don’t like that much of modern bands, if saying modern we mean completely new bands with young people being around for a couple of years. I’m aware that i probably don’t search enough, but these days i don’t even know where to look for bands, 2000-2009 days were much easier in this case. Maybe it’s just me, but sometimes i look at new trendy bands and just can’t treat them seriously, for example i take one look at this Youngblud guy and i don’t have to listen to him to know he’s just another variation of 5 seconds of summer or 21 pilots or Imagine Dragons shit. “New British rock poet” lol, i just can’t. Or Pale Waves, they dress like tumblr goths so you expect goth music, but they play watery pop and the girl says she wants to be like Taylor Swift and Avril Lavigne. I listened to Avril Lavigne in elementary school, but ever since i found lots of actual punk/rock artists and it’s not like it’s the best thing under the earth (anyone remembers times when Avril Lavigne was the biggest faux pas in rock circles?). It’s just some weird trend with people my age/younger becoming some “punk rock/indie queens” with edgy mall goth looks, and of course press falls all over itself in praises and calling them new punk rock princesses and whatnot, and it turns out they don’t listen to classic stuff, they all actually listened to Taylor Swift and want to be Avril Lavigne, each and everyone. This or hair metal bands. I’m not saying it’s neccesarily a crime, but it’s such a common thing, you can see how they compile clothes or videos or even straight up stylize their own songs after “Let Go” or “Under My Skin”. I’m all for nostalgia, but “imitation is the highest form of flattery” saying isn’t an explanation, all that flattery mostly ends up as clowning and copying rather than a wink to your influences. What’s with all that recent acceptance for copying and ripping off older artists? We reached the point where the world is obsessing over old cringe tumblr aesthetics sold as “new wave”, with skinwalking this rock star or another. Everybody claps and grins as if they haven’t seen it all somewhere else before. And then we have horrors like Starcrawler ripping off Katie Jane Garside look and everyone being fine with it. Develop some sort of personality, make up a new one if you dont’ have it, stop ripping off your teenagehood idols, ffs.

*End of a massive modern bands rant*

For the record, I’m sure there are some good independent bands, but i honestly don’t know where to find them and i admit i’m very picky.

Forever Still - at first they may look like a “throwaway Arch Enemy opera metal lady + a bunch of black-wearing random guys” type of band, but thankfully it’s not the case. Maja Shining has an actual personality and a pretty voice. They’re from Denmark, they play alt rock with melodic vocals, mainly a cross between calmer ballads and more metal songs, people compared them to Evanescence because of a trained vocals singer and emotional lyrics, but to me they’ve developed a thing of their own. They use elements of metal, but they actually have memorable riffs and melodies. There’s also a lot of piano in their music and on “Breathe In Colors” (and live shows) they use theremin, which is rarely used instrument in rock.

This band is very impressive, i followed them since their independent days, they eventually were signed by Nuclear Blast but they literally did everything themselves, from cover art to music videos to producing their music. The bass player was apparently an apprentice of Metallica producer/engineer, don’t remember which one though, and you can hear it, i believe they were recording stuff at home but their early songs were top notch in production. It’s funny how their first EPs and first album were self released and sold through internet and yet they sounded like a major label band! And they could literally go on without signing anyone cause they got fans and were selling CDs and merch themselves, but Nuclear Blast got interested in them and they got signed. For a modern day band, they’re doing pretty well which is impressive especially considering everything they achieved, they did it themselves. I think 15 years ago they would be bigger, blame rock’s role in mainstream, or lack thereof. If it was 2003, they would be MTV’s favourites probably. They take care about even small things and i’d say a part of the success is how they’re all in contact with fans instead of playing big rock stars. They toured with Lacuna Coil, Children of Bodom, etc.

Also CONCEPT ALBUMS! They do concept albums. First album “Tied Down” was more emotion driven with ups and downs of a sort, calm and aggressive points, the newest one is much heavier and electronic. “Tied Down” is about depressed person going through some shit and then idk letting go of toxic stuff, “Breathe In Colors” album is much cooler to me, cause it’s darker and heavier and has that electronic cathastrophic decay feeling, i’d say it’s their “Blade Runner” record (i’d say the cover and “Breathe In Colors” video are direct references), especially since they said they were inspired by “Blade Runner” and “Akira”. It’s been released in 2019 and it’s cool, cause i really missed that sort of element in music, the “social fear of the future”/”digital era emptiness” kind of cyberpunk stuff that was in before turn of the century.

I’d say to listen/watch Miss Madness , Scars , Break The Glass Rewind Breathe In Colors

Bandcamp: https://foreverstill.bandcamp.com/

Destructive Daisy - that’s an all-girl grunge band from my country, Poland. Unfortunaly they no longer exist i think, they stopped posting/playing apparently... They were a big hype awhile back, cause they were the only grunge girl band in Poland (at least that we knew of), they’ve got some attention after they released EP and they even supported Mudhoney at their Poland show in 2013 or so. Then they recorded Ophelia’s Dreams album in 2016 and vanished. That’s a shame, cause althought i wasn’t so crazy about them at the time, they’ve got some nice songs and they had those L7 / 7 Year Bitch kinda grunge girl vibes and people looked up to them expecting some next move, but i guess everyone expected too much from them and they played for fun without big plans, idk.

I’d recommend Destructive Daisy EP. Haven’t listen to their stuff in a few years tbh.

Bandcamp: https://destructivedaisy.bandcamp.com/

Hmm, i only listened to select songs from Le Butcherettes and never cared enough to follow their new records, I like this video:

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But I like that weird crossover the chick (Teri Gender Bender? I think that was her name) did with... Melvins. I’m a simple man, I see Melvins, i click. The band’s Crystal Fairy and it’s been a bit of surprise to me. I don’t know if they tour/plan anything more, i suppose it’s a one-off project from 2017. But the album is dope. It’s very Melvins though, don’t know how much of guitar work is done by Teri, to me it’s 100% Melvins and she probably wrote lyrics and melodies, but i don’t know. “Crystal Fairy”, “Sweet Self” however sounds to me like Teri composition. Hard to tell, cause to me both bands have some “twisted blues” quality, it’s just Melvins are heavier. It’s basically Melvins led by a female. If anyone ever wondered how it’s like to have female-fronted Melvins, this is it.

https://crystalfairy.bandcamp.com/

I like Evanescence and Linkin Park, but that’s not exactly “modern” anymore, haha. When you know for example “In The End” song is 20 years old... crazy. Most surprising band i listen to is maybe Sum 41. All the older bands and punks hated them a lot before and call it pop punk, and yes, they had a few irritating happy boys songs, but they’ve got some darker “punk-metal” albums. They had the best guitar skills of those pop punk bands from 00′s, added a good deal of metal (”Chuck”) and piano (”Screaming Bloody Murder”) at some point, but they’re totally fine if someone likes that fast melodic punk like Green Day or NOFX.

Maybe also White Lung, i don’t know all of their albums and listen to it more casually, but it’s female fronted and they’ve got that various layered guitars sound.

Ok that’s it, if i were to tell you in person, i’d probably say 3 words, but in writing i always end up writing long essays :p

If anyone else following this blog has any recommendations of new bands, of course you can send me in ask!

#t #asks

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disappearingground · 4 years

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"I had no idea what kind of record I wanted to make, that’s why it took me so long” – HMV talks to Jenny Lewis

hmv.com July 25, 2014

"I had no idea what kind of record I wanted to make, that’s why it took me so long” – hmv.com talks to Jenny Lewis

By Tom...

There was a point about six years ago when the most common term associated with singer Jenny Lewis would be prolific. She was in the middle of an extensive tour with her country pop band Rilo Kiley in support of their album Under The Blacklight, working on a new solo album that would be titled Acid Tongue and be released that year, lending her voice to a role in animated flick Bolt as well as helping Elvis Costello out with his new album.

Cut to six years later and things are very different. Rilo Kiley are done, they broke up in 2011 and bookended their career with an epic compilation named Rkives last year, and her new solo album, which she began in 2010, is only just coming out.

Not that she’s been sitting around watching box sets, alongside working on the album, she released a record with her boyfriend, singer-songwriter Jonathan Rice, under the name Jenny & Johnny, which is titled I’m Having Fun Now. The pair also completed a film score for Song One, which stars Anne Hathaway, while Lewis also toured with The Postal Service on their hugely successful world tour last year, reprising her role as the backing vocalist on their beloved debut Give Up.

Now she’s back out on her own with a new album named The Voyager. Recorded over four years, it is largely produced by Ryan Adams at his PAX-AM Studios, but also features collaborations with Beck, Mike Viola and Rice, of course. Channelling the classic sound and swing of Rumours era Fleetwood Mac, Stax Motown and vintage Jefferson Airplane, it’s a brilliant record.

Speaking to hmv.com ahead of release, Lewis opened up about the album’s difficult journey into the world, working with Ryan Adams and why this album represents a clean slate for her.

This is your first solo album in six years, and your first release in almost four years, are you feeling nervous at all? “I’m not nervous. When you make as many records as I have, the butterflies start to subside. I’m really proud of the record and I know people will find it.”

How long did the record take to make? “Four years, in all four years. But that included many sessions that I scrapped. The main bulk of the record was produced by Ryan Adams at Pax-Am, that was the last stop of this Ferris wheel that was The Voyager.”

So what made the process take so long? Was it working with different producers? Getting the songs right? Or just not the right studio? “All of the above. I was producing the sessions with Jonathan Rice over a two-year period and we kept trying out different studios, different musicians, Dawes came in and played with us for a while, Mickey from Maroon 5, the Watson Twins, Blake Mills, they all came in and played, we just couldn't get it right. At the same time I was also working very intermittently with Beck, I mean like once a year we’d work on this song. Finally, I went in to PAX-AM with Ryan and he gave the songs an energy and a drive, a brilliant new perspective.”

What’s Ryan Adams like as a producer? “He’s a lot more like Phil Spector than not. He’s eccentric in the studio, you have to bend to his rule, there’s no room for you to be late or slack off, Ryan has so much energy and so much drive. His methods are difficult to understand at first, but by the end you’re like ‘This guy is an amazing producer’. He would wind me up, but always to make sure he got a good performance out of me.”

What’s PAX-AM like? “It’s amazing! It’s so f*****g cool. There’s so much beautiful vintage gear, beautiful analogue equipment, guitars everywhere and it's full of portraits of his cats and Star Wars paraphernalia. It’s right on the Sunset Strip, it’s really inspiring.”

How does it compare to other studios you’ve worked on? “I’ve recorded at Sound City, which I love and at some other great places, but this is by far the coolest place I’ve ever worked. This is Ryan’s personal studio, it’s not for the public, it was such an amazing space.”

In what you’ve said so far about the album, you’ve made it clear it was quite a difficult album to write and record, can you put your finger on why that was? “I guess I just wasn’t happy. I didn’t want to put something out unless it felt right. I struggled to get a couple of songs, actually when we finished at PAX-AM, Ryan instructed me to go home and write a couple more songs, one of which ended up being the title track.”

What kind of album is it lyrically? “I think it’s very diverse, they range and touch on lots of things. There’s not one through line.”

Is it a personal record? “All my records are I think. I’m always finishing songs in my head. For this batch there are the earlier tracks, and the ones I was told to write by Ryan. ‘Just One Of The Guys’ has been around for years though, I actually played that on the Jenny and Johnny tour, we work shopped it around before it ended up as the song it has."

Has the album come out sounding like you expecting it would when you started? “I didn’t know what I wanted, that’s why it took me so long, normally I have a really clear idea of the record I want to make and the story I want to tell. This time I had no idea what kind of record I wanted to make, that’s why it took me so long. That’s why I needed the guidance of a very strong-willed producer.”

Were there things you wanted to change from Acid Tongue? “No, I don’t think of records like that, they’re moments in time. I wouldn’t change anything about it, maybe the tracklisting, but nothing else. It was a wonderful time, a very fertile artistic time in Los Angeles, it’s a very honest portrayal of a moment. This record isn’t a moment in time, it was all about trying to make it cohesive.”

Given you’re the writer and arranger, how do you go about making sure you don’t add too much to track? “Ryan was an incredible gauge for that, he helped me assemble a band and he would give me two or three takes to get it right, and he’d say ‘You know what, if there are mistakes, they stay in there’. He kept it very limited, he wanted a live feel and it to feel like a band playing in a room.”

When did you settle on the title? “At the very end. Ryan told me to go home and write ‘Wonderwall’. And I was like ‘What? I can’t do that, that’s basically the most perfect song ever’. So I went home and wrote my version, it really resonated with me emotionally and it made itself the title.”

It sums up the album nicely, it feels like a real journey… “I think so, it bookends the whole thing so well.”

So after the record comes out, do you have much touring lined up? “So much. Lots of festivals, lots of shows, I want to make sure I keep busy and go and play to as many people as I can.”

What kind of band do you have with you? You’ve toured with quite a few different troupes over the last few years… “It’s actually all new people, with the exception of one of my guitar players, who played with Rilo Kiley years ago. I auditioned all these female players in Nashville, Megan, my guitar player and Natalie, who plays keyboards, they auditioned for me on their iPhones, they filmed themselves singing along to my songs. I couldn’t find players in Los Angeles, no one I wanted could commit to a year of touring.”

Have you enjoying start over with a new band? “I really have. I usually play with my boyfriend, or with Jason from Rilo Kiley, he's played with me for years, so it’s nice to be the boss, I’m the band leader, I decide the set list and it’s so much fun. It’s a lot of responsibility, but the best kind.”

Jonathan’s played with you pretty much constantly for the last few years, will it be weird to go on the road without him? “I hope he’ll visit obviously… I think it’s good, you can’t do everything together, you can’t be with your partner constantly. I feel like I can disappear into this new band a bit more, I can become the character in the songs, I’m not up there with my friends.”

You bookended your time with Rilo Kiley with the release of Rkives last year, was it nice to put that time in your career to bed? “It was so cool, so fun to go through all the old photos and songs, it took us years to put it together, I’m proud of those songs, I know why we didn’t put them on records, but I think they hold up really well.”

Now that’s all done, does that feel like a fresh start? “It does. There’s nothing looming, it’s just this record and I can do whatever I want. It’s scary and liberating. I could make a record with anyone, it’s very exciting.”

#publication: hmv #album: the voyager #year: 2014 #mention: recording process #person: ryan adams #mention: songwriting #song: the voyager #person: johnathan rice #mention: rkives

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recommendedlisten · 5 years

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The battle wounds of a DIY music blogger are directly reflected in the eye strain due to excessive screen time that such a human is subjected to, and this week, this writer is definitely seeing stars. This isn’t just because Solange and Carly Rae Jepsen are once again turning their sights toward global domination, or the fact that highly anticipated releases from folktale aliens Big Thief, blushing dreamweaver Hatchie, or hardcore angels Fury made great first impressions with their newly-announced albums. There was also scene heroes Emily Reo, Kitty and Potty Mouth doing things on their own terms, too, all the while up and comers BRUTUS and Jackie Mendoza continued to impress with intriguing new dimensions in their respective sounds. In short, this week’s music was very extra, and there’s still a heavy order left to discuss.

Here’s the best of the rest from the week of February 24th, 2019…

American Football feat. Elizabeth Powell - “Every Wave to Ever Rise” [Polyvinyl Records]

On March 22nd, American Football will release their third self-titled effort, and remarkably so, despite the long stretch between their 1999 genre-molding classic and the now, the Midwestern emo pioneers have evolved with the times rather than just rummaging through nostalgia in their sound. A major factor in that on this outing has been the inclusion of guest vocals beyond Mike Knsella’s own hum, as we recently heard third wave emo icon Hayley Williams of Paramore serenade the growing pains on “Uncomfortably Numb”. The LP’s latest preview “Every Wave to Ever Rise” is further proof of both, as it features Land of Talk’s Elizabeth Powell joining the quartet for a gorgeous listen of ghostly arpeggios that sparkles at the surface like refracted water, as Powell’s soft presence co-mingle a faint spell in layered langued. “Truth or dare / Love is the cross you bear / J'ai mal au cœur, c'est la faute de l'amour,” she sings in its chorus. American Football have also tacked on west coast dates to their North American tour, bringing along emotive next-gens Illumanati Hotties, Tomberlin, and Pure Bathing Culture with them.

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Control Top - “Chain Reaction” [Get Better Records]

It’s not very common for a band to have announced an album and its first single well into a year in advance of when it actually becomes slated on the release calendar, but that’s what Philly punks Control Top managed to do when they set “Type A”, off their forthcoming debut full-length Covert Contracts, into the wild last March. Despite the passing of time since, the trio -- comprised of frontperson and bassist Ali Carter, drummer Alex Lichtenauer of HIRS / Get Better Records’ and Bleeding Rainbows guitarist Al Creedon -- remain fiercely awake and confrontational on the LP’s second preview “Chain Reaction”. As Carter tells Stereogum, “The song takes place in the middle of an argument... Vitriol is flying and emotions are running high. With our culture’s growing appetite for anger and conflict, a petty disagreement can easily escalate into a full-out shouting match.” Knife-like guitar riffs daggering over even sharper angles are the vehicle for her choice words as thumping rhythm mimics the non-stop adrenaline drip that ensures emotions remain high and heated. “I'm looking for an open door / But all I see is a broken mirror I can't take it anymore / I wish I could disappear / What start,” Carter shouts, hurling herself at the edge of a point of no return. The album, by the way, officially arrives on April 5th, and they’ll be supporting Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers on the road this spring.

Covert Contracts by CONTROL TOP

Deafheaven - “Black Brick” [ANTI-]

It would seem that for every reaction, there is an equal and opposite reaction in Deafheaven’s catalog. Last year, the band released the listmaker Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, a listen that you could arguably consider their most accessible work to date in the way they focused on elements of slowcore, shoegaze, and even some gothic balladry thanks to an assist from Chelsea Wolfe, but make no mistake about it -- Deafheaven can be depended upon delivering a reminder that they’re still a metal band despite what the purists hate on them with whenever they push the genre’s corners out a little further into the experimental unknown. “Black Brick”, a new one-off single, is a sharp-toothed epic doing just that by ferociously pulverizing itself up through a scorched earth as George Clarke’s black metal howls damn us all to their intense hellscape. The listen will come in use beginning next week when the band heads out on a co-headlining tour with fellow metal outliers Baroness and avant outfit Zeal & Ardor.

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Ex Hex - “Rainbow Shiner” [Merge Records]

Mary Timony’s Ex Hex is another one of the many artists with new music out on March 22nd, as the glammed out indie rock trio led by the former Helium frontwoman will break their five year stretch of silence since 2014′s debut Rip very loudly with the release of its sophomore follow-up It’s Real. So far, we’ve heard Timony, bassist Betsey Wright and drummer Laura Harris spin us through an intergalactic romance and toughened us up with a pep talk with their power-pop licks, but with the album’s latest advance listen “Rainbow Shiner”, the trio go full-on Detroit Rock City with a hair metal twist in their glittering of arena-sized riffs that’s got a big swagger to it. Cheap faux leather, studded vests, tatted arms, and chipped nail polish white-knuckling a vintage muscle car with the windows down may come to mind when taking this one in, which is to say, it’s smashes through the stereo with an effortless, dangerous cool.

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Nothing - “Heavy Water / I’d Rather Be Sleeping” [Relapse Records]

Shoegazing shape-shifters Nothing outdid themselves once again with one of last year’s best heavy albums in their third studio effort Dance On the Blacktop. Over the years, however, the Philly punk band has amassed an impressive string of covers released in the interim between albums, showcasing a malleable side to their sound in applying textures of loud echoes in the dark to listens you may not originally deem adjacent to Nothing’s own sonic vortex. If you ever wanted to have them all in one place, then you’re in luck, as Nothing’s takes on Concrete Blonde, Low, New Order, Ride, and their latest, a feedback-drenched interpretation of Grouper’s “Heavy Water / I’d Rather Be Sleeping”, will appear on Spirit Of The Stairs – B-Sides & Rarities, due out on March 6th. The compilation includes those listens alongside B-sides, demos, and live versions of songs that stretch the full span of their catalog, making for an essential listen for anyone who considers them a completist. Like many, Nothing heads into SXSW as they tour throughout the entire spring, with one leg featuring CANDY and Tony Molina, and another co-headlining with Basement, supported by Gouge Away and Teenage Wrist.

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PUP - “Free At Last” [Little Dipper / Rise Records]

Stefan Babcock is upping his Debbie Downer game for PUP’s upcoming third studio effort Morbid Stuff. Now that he’s made it perfectly clear to the “Kids” that life is meaningless (but it’s what you make out of it), he’s piling on the self-loathing and destructive habits with the album’s second preview “Free At Last”. The listen is characteristically wild and reckless in axe-edged riffs and beefed up drum crashes that topple charging versus into big chorus sing-a-long -- in this case, the deprecating, “Just ’cause you’re sad again, it doesn’t make you special at all...” -- that lifts Babcock’s gloomy sneer of reality into a comforting rallying cry of a punk anthem. Preceding its debut, the band released the lyrics and a basic chord chart to its fans asking them to record the song without hearing it, and those results are now the now the basis of its music video. Charly Bliss’ Eva Hendricks and celebrity stan Finn Wolfhard make guest appearances throughout the altered edit final instructional as well.

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Show Me the Body - “Madonna Rocket” [Loma Vista]

Art-minded hardcore trio Show Me the Body have signed on with major indie Loma Vista for the release of their forthcoming Chris Coady-produced sophomore effort Dog Whistle, due out on March 29th. A slicker side of the studio as well as a cohesiveness in the trio’s carnage has already been defined through the crunchy static of the album’s lead single “Camp Orchestre” and again resurfaces through the collision of fast moving walls of ‘80s-era British post-punk and NYC hardcore of its second preview “Madonna Rocket”. It’s a dash that barely makes the three-minute mark over wiry guitars, relentless drumming and frontman Julian Cashwan Pratt snarling over the sea-sawing teetering that intensifies as the listen wears on. “When I meet someone that’s good, I want to die with them / Dead friends / I still want to say goodbye to them / Aside from me, aside from them / All I have is family / I will die with them” his words thrash into bodies. That he finds in the track’s accompanying visuals, a dual shot performance clip recorded at the band’s Corpus DIY spaces in LA and New York City.

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War On Women - “The Ash Is Not the End” [Bridge Nine Records]

The great feminist punk band War On Women were also among one of the creators of last year’s best heavy-hitting albums with their sophomore effort Capture the Flag, an album built around unabashed socio-political anthems and a controlled grip around melodic hardcore aggression. Their screams for activism and change in a current climate that could stand to be burned to the ground by their plight continues on “The Ash Is Not the End”, the Baltimore quintet’s contribution to Adult Swim’s Singles series. What’s most noticeable about this listen, as opposed to the gritty firestorms of earlier, is how a greater degree in pop heroics akin to Paramore’s rockier moments in turn pronounce Shawna Potter’s time’s up declaration. “It’s all just a matter of time,” she spears through crisp cut riffage. You’ll be able to catch War On Women all over the world this spring and summer, including dates opening for Jawbreaker’s east coast tour.

#the best of the rest #american football #control top #deafheaven #nothing #ex hex #pup #show me the body #war on women #Songs #new music & videos

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blackkudos · 7 years

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Wilson Pickett

Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American R&B, soul and rock and roll singer and songwriter.

A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100. Among his best-known hits are "In the Midnight Hour" (which he co-wrote), "Land of 1,000 Dances", "Mustang Sally", and "Funky Broadway".

Pickett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, in recognition of his impact on songwriting and recording.

Early life

Pickett was born March 18, 1941 in Prattville, Alabama, and sang in Baptist church choirs. He was the fourth of 11 children and called his mother "the baddest woman in my book," telling historian Gerri Hirshey: "I get scared of her now. She used to hit me with anything, skillets, stove wood — (one time I ran away) and cried for a week. Stayed in the woods, me and my little dog." Pickett eventually left to live with his father in Detroit in 1955.

Early musical career (1955–1964)

Pickett's forceful, passionate style of singing was developed in the church and on the streets of Detroit, under the influence of recording stars such as Little Richard, whom he referred to as "the architect of rock and roll.

In 1955, Pickett joined the Violinaires, a gospel group. The group accompanied the Soul Stirrers, the Swan Silverones, and the Davis Sisters on church tours across the country. After singing for four years in the popular gospel-harmony group, Pickett, lured by the success of gospel singers who had moved to the lucrative secular music market, joined the Falcons in 1959.

By 1959, Pickett recorded the song "Let Me Be Your Boy" with Florence Ballard and the Primettes as background singers. The song is the B-side of his 1963 single "My Heart Belongs to You".

The Falcons were an early vocal group bringing gospel into a popular context, thus paving the way for soul music. The group featured notable members who became major solo artists; when Pickett joined the group, Eddie Floyd and Sir Mack Rice were members. Pickett's biggest success with the Falcons was "I Found a Love", co-written by Pickett and featuring his lead vocals. While only a minor hit for the Falcons, it paved the way for Pickett to embark on a solo career. Pickett later had a solo hit with a re-recorded two-part version of the song, included on his 1967 album The Sound of Wilson Pickett.

Soon after recording "I Found a Love", Pickett cut his first solo recordings, including "I'm Gonna Cry", in collaboration with Don Covay. Pickett also recorded a demo for a song he co-wrote, "If You Need Me", a slow-burning soul ballad featuring a spoken sermon. Pickett sent the demo to Jerry Wexler, a producer at Atlantic Records. Wexler gave it to the label's recording artist Solomon Burke, Atlantic's biggest star at the time. Burke admired Pickett's performance of the song, but his own recording of "If You Need Me" became one of his biggest hits (#2 R&B, #37 pop) and is considered a soul standard. Pickett was crushed when he discovered that Atlantic had given away his song. When Pickett—with a demo tape under his arm—returned to Wexler's studio, Wexler asked whether he was angry about this loss, but denied it saying "It's over". "First time I ever cried in my life". Pickett's version was released on Double L Records and was a moderate hit, peaking at #30 R&B and #64 pop.

Pickett's first significant success as a solo artist came with "It's Too Late," an original composition (not to be confused with the Chuck Willis standard of the same name). Entering the charts on July 27, 1963, it peaked at #7 on the R&B chart (#49 pop); the same title was used for Pickett's debut album, released in the same year. Compiling several of Pickett's single releases for Double L, It's Too Late showcased a raw soulful sound that foreshadowed the singer's performances throughout the coming decade. The single's success persuaded Wexler and Atlantic to buy Pickett's recording contract from Double L in 1964.

Rise to stardom: "In the Midnight Hour" (1965)

Pickett's Atlantic career began with the self-produced single, "I'm Gonna Cry". Looking to boost Pickett's chart chances, Atlantic paired him with record producer Bert Berns and established songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. With this team, Pickett recorded "Come Home Baby," a duet with singer Tami Lynn, but this single failed to chart.

Pickett's breakthrough came at Stax Records' studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he recorded his third Atlantic single, "In the Midnight Hour" (1965). This song was Pickett's first big hit, peaking at #1 R&B, #21 pop (US), and #12 (UK). It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.

The genesis of "In the Midnight Hour" was a recording session on May 12, 1965, at which Wexler worked out a powerful rhythm track with studio musicians Steve Cropper and Al Jackson of the Stax Records house band, including bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn. (Stax keyboard player Booker T. Jones, who usually played with Dunn, Cropper and Jackson as Booker T. & the M.G.'s, did not play on the studio sessions with Pickett.) Wexler said to Cropper and Jackson, "Why don't you pick up on this thing here?" He performed a dance step. Cropper explained in an interview that Wexler told them that "this was the way the kids were dancing; they were putting the accent on two. Basically, we'd been one-beat-accenters with an afterbeat; it was like 'boom dah,' but here was a thing that went 'um-chaw,' just the reverse as far as the accent goes."

Stax/Fame years (1965–1967)

Pickett recorded three sessions at Stax in May and October 1965. He was joined by keyboardist Isaac Hayes for the October sessions. In addition to "In the Midnight Hour," Pickett's 1965 recordings included the singles "Don't Fight It," (#4 R&B, #53 pop) "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A,)" (#1 R&B, #13 pop) and "Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)" (#13 R&B, #53 pop). All but "634-5789" were original compositions which Pickett co-wrote with Eddie Floyd or Steve Cropper or both; "634-5789" was credited to Cropper and Floyd alone.

For his next sessions, Pickett did not return to Stax, as the label's owner, Jim Stewart, had decided in December 1965 to ban outside productions. Wexler took Pickett to Fame Studios, a studio also with a close association with Atlantic Records, located in a converted tobacco warehouse in nearby Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Pickett recorded some of his biggest hits there, including the highest-charting version of "Land of 1,000 Dances", which was his third R&B #1 and his biggest pop hit, peaking at #6. It was a million-selling disc.

Other big hits from this era in Pickett's career included two covers: Mack Rice's "Mustang Sally", (#6 R&B, #23 pop), and Dyke & the Blazers' "Funky Broadway", (R&B #1, #8 pop). Both tracks were million sellers. The band heard on most of Pickett's Fame recordings included keyboardist Spooner Oldham, guitarist Jimmy Johnson, drummer Roger Hawkins, and bassist Tommy Cogbill.

Later Atlantic years (1967–1972)

Near the end of 1967, Pickett began recording at American Studios in Memphis with producers Tom Dowd and Tommy Cogbill, and began recording songs by Bobby Womack. The songs "I'm in Love," "Jealous Love," "I've Come a Long Way," "I'm a Midnight Mover," (co-written by Pickett and Womack), and "I Found a True Love" were Womack-penned hits for Pickett in 1967 and 1968. Pickett recorded works by other songwriters in this period; Rodger Collins' "She's Lookin' Good" and a cover of the traditional blues standard "Stagger Lee" were Top 40 hits Pickett recorded at American. Womack was the guitarist on all recordings.

Pickett returned to Fame Studios in late 1968 and early 1969, where he worked with a band that featured guitarist Duane Allman, Hawkins, and bassist Jerry Jemmott. A #16 pop hit cover of the The Beatles' "Hey Jude" came out of the Fame sessions, as well as the minor hits "Mini-Skirt Minnie" and "Hey Joe".

Late 1969 found Pickett at Criteria Studios in Miami. Hit covers of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (#16 R&B, #92 pop) and The Archies' "Sugar Sugar" (#4 R&B, #25 pop), and the Pickett original "She Said Yes" (#20 R&B, #68 pop) came from these sessions.

Pickett then teamed up with established Philadelphia-based hitmakers Gamble and Huff for the 1970 album Wilson Pickett in Philadelphia, which featured his next two hit singles, "Engine No. 9" and "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You", the latter selling one million copies.

Following these two hits, Pickett returned to Muscle Shoals and the band featuring David Hood, Hawkins and Tippy Armstrong. This lineup recorded Pickett's fifth and last R&B #1 hit, "Don't Knock My Love, Pt. 1". It was another Pickett recording that rang up sales in excess of a million copies. Two further hits followed in 1971: "Call My Name, I'll Be There" (#10 R&B, #52 pop) and "Fire and Water" (#2 R&B, #24 pop), a cover of a song by Free.

Pickett recorded several tracks in 1972 for a planned new album on Atlantic, but after the single "Funk Factory" reached #11 R&B and #58 pop in June 1972, he left Atlantic for RCA Records. His final Atlantic single, a cover of Randy Newman's "Mama Told Me Not to Come," was culled from Pickett's 1971 album Don't Knock My Love.

In 2010, Rhino Handmade released a comprehensive compilation of these years titled Funky Midnight Mover – The Studio Recordings (1962–1978). The compilation included all recordings originally issued during Pickett's Atlantic years along with previously unreleased recordings. This collection was sold online only by Rhino.com.

Post-Atlantic recording career

Pickett continued to record with success on the R&B charts for RCA in 1973 and 1974, scoring four top 30 R&B hits with "Mr. Magic Man", "Take a Closer Look at the Woman You're With", "International Playboy" (a re-recording of a song he had previously recorded for Atlantic), and "Soft Soul Boogie Woogie". However, he was failing to cross over to the pop charts with regularity, as none of these songs reached higher than #90 on the Hot 100. In 1975, with Pickett's once-prominent chart career on the wane, RCA dropped Pickett from the label. After being dropped, he formed the short-lived Wicked label, where he released one LP, Chocolate Mountain. In 1978, he made a disco album with Big Tree Records titled Funky Situation, which is a coincidence as, at that point, Big Tree was distributed by his former label, Atlantic. The following year, he released an album on EMI titled I Want You.

Pickett continued to record sporadically with several labels over the following decades (including Motown), occasionally making the lower to mid-range of the R&B charts, but he had no pop hit after 1974. His last record was issued in 1999, although he remained fairly active on the touring front until falling ill in 2004.

Pickett appeared in the 1998 film Blues Brothers 2000, in which he performed "634–5789" with Eddie Floyd and Jonny Lang. He was previously mentioned in the 1980 film Blues Brothers, which features several members of Pickett's backing band, as well as a performance of "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love."

Personal life and honors

Pickett's personal life was troubled. In 1991, he was arrested for allegedly yelling death threats while driving a car over the front lawn of Donald Aronson, the mayor of Englewood, New Jersey. Pickett agreed to perform a benefit concert in exchange for having the charges dropped. The following year, he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend.

In 1993, Pickett struck an 86-year-old pedestrian, Pepe Ruiz, with his car in Englewood. Ruiz, who had helped organize the New York animation union, died later that year. Pickett pleaded guilty to drunken driving charges and received a reduced sentence of one year in jail and five years probation.

Throughout the 1990s, despite his personal troubles, Pickett was repeatedly honored for his contributions to music. In addition to being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, his music was prominently featured in the film The Commitments, with Pickett as an off-screen character. In 1993, he was honored with a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.

Pickett was a popular composer, writing songs that were recorded by many artists, including Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, the Grateful Dead, Booker T. & the MGs, Genesis, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Hootie & the Blowfish, Echo & the Bunnymen, Roxy Music, Bruce Springsteen, Los Lobos, the Jam and Ani DiFranco, among others.

Several years after his release from jail, Pickett returned to the studio and received a Grammy Award nomination for the 1999 album It's Harder Now. The comeback resulted in his being honored as Soul/Blues Male Artist of the Year by the Blues Foundation in Memphis. It's Harder Now was voted 'Comeback Blues Album of the Year' and 'Soul/Blues Album of the Year.'

He co-starred in the 2002 documentary Only the Strong Survive, directed by D. A. Pennebaker, a selection of both the 2002 Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals. In 2003, Pickett was a judge for the second annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

Pickett spent the twilight of his career playing dozens of concert dates every year until 2004, when he began suffering from health problems. While in the hospital, he returned to his spiritual roots and told his sister that he wanted to record a gospel album, but he never recovered.

Pickett was the father of six children.

On September 10, 2014, TVOne's Unsung aired a documentary on him.

Death

Pickett died from a heart attack on January 19, 2006, in Reston, Virginia. He was 64. He was laid to rest in a mausoleum at Evergreen Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky. Pickett spent many years in Louisville after his mother moved there from Alabama. The eulogy was delivered by Pastor Steve Owens of Decatur, Georgia. Little Richard, a long-time friend of Pickett's, spoke about him and preached a message at the funeral. Pickett was remembered on March 20, 2006, at New York's B.B. King Blues Club with performances by the Commitments, Ben E. King, his long-term backing band the Midnight Movers, soul singer Bruce "Big Daddy" Wayne, and Southside Johnny in front of an audience that included members of his family, including two brothers.

Discography

SinglesAlbums

It's Too Late (1963, Double L)

In the Midnight Hour (1965, Atlantic)

The Exciting Wilson Pickett (1966, Atlantic) US: #21

The Best of Wilson Pickett (1967, Atlantic) US: #35

The Wicked Pickett (1967, Atlantic) US: #42

The Sound of Wilson Pickett (1967, Atlantic) US: #54

I'm in Love (1967, Atlantic) US: #70

The Midnight Mover (1968, Atlantic) US: #91

Hey Jude (1969, Atlantic) US: #97

Right On (1970, Atlantic)

Wilson Pickett in Philadelphia (1970, Atlantic) US: #64

The Best of Wilson Pickett, Vol. II (1971, Atlantic) US: #73

Don't Knock My Love (1972, Atlantic) US: #132

Mr. Magic Man (1973, RCA) US: #187

Wilson Pickett's Greatest Hits (1973) US: #178

Miz Lena's Boy (1973, RCA) US: #212

Pickett in the Pocket (1974, RCA)

Live in Japan (1974, RCA)

Join Me and Let's Be Free (1975, RCA)

Chocolate Mountain (1976, Wicked)

Funky Situation (1978, Big Tree)

I Want You (1979, EMI) US: #205

Right Track (1981, EMI)

American Soul Man (1987, Motown)

Wilson Pickett's Greatest Hits (1987, Atlantic)

A Man and a Half: The Best of Wilson Pickett (1992, Rhino/Atlantic)

It's Harder Now (1999, Bullseye Blues)

Live and Burnin' – Stockholm '69 (2009, Soulsville)

Live in Germany 1968 (2009, Crypt Records 2009)

Funky Midnight Mover: The Atlantic Studio Recordings (1962–1978) (2010, Rhino)

Wikipedia

#Wilson Pickett #03-18 #01-19

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213hiphopworldnews · 5 years

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How ‘Black Panther’ Became A Real Contender For Album Of The Year

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The first time a Kendrick Lamar song plays in Black Panther, T’Challa is in the club. As the doors to the underground casino in Busan, South Korea swing wide, the song presses outward like a hand: “Tell me, who’s going to save me from myself?” It thrums across the room as T’Challa, the king of Wakanda, played by Chadwick Boseman, and his companions, Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and Okoye (Danai Gurira), survey the scene below from a second-floor balcony.

The song — “Pray For Me” — is the closing salvo of Black Panther, the soundtrack companion to Ryan Coogler’s Marvel juggernaut. In December, the record, produced by Kendrick Lamar, landed eight Grammy nominations, making it the most-nominated project at the 2019 awards this month. Among its eight nominations is one for Album Of The Year, where it faces off against Cardi B’s Invasion Of Privacy and Kacey Musgraves’s Golden Hour. Though they’ve been nominated 14 times, film soundtracks have won Album Of The Year just three times: in 1979, for Saturday Night Fever; in 1994, for The Bodyguard; and in 2002, for O Brother, Where Art Thou?. This year, Black Panther looks especially well-positioned to become the fourth: It’s got Kendrick Lamar, it’s got blockbuster momentum, and it’s got precedent. All these soundtracks operate in parallel with the films themselves, using their themes as a framework, but they also stand apart from the movies, eventually becoming entirely their own thing, unmoored.

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This wasn’t always the case. For much of Hollywood history, film soundtracks were largely, indelibly affiliated with the movies they came from. “In the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and into the ’80s, for a little while, if you were a fan of music soundtracks, you were talking mostly about the underscore music — that is to say, the instrumental music that was recorded in the film,” like those for Star Wars, The Mission, and Breakfast At Tiffany’s, explained Daniel Carlin, the chair of the screen scoring program at the University of Southern California who worked as a playback engineer on The Bodyguard. Movies really only focused on songs, rather than score, if they were outright musicals — The Sound Of Music, for example, or West Side Story. When the transistor radio came around, though, it set a new standard: Film characters, like people, had to be playing music on the go, longtime music supervisor Maureen Crowe told me.

Then came Saturday Night Fever: Two years before the Grammy for Best Disco Recording made its debut, the same year as Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” was released, and the year after Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell turned Studio 54 into a nightclub. It was the zenith of mainstream disco, the era depicted at the beginning of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights. Saturday Night Fever opens with “Stayin’ Alive” — John Travolta saunters down a Brooklyn street, grabbing a slice on his way to work at a local hardware store, Barry Gibb’s crooning falsetto instructing, “Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk, I’m a woman’s man, no time to talk.” The Bee Gees wrote “Stayin’ Alive” specifically for the film — along with other now-immortal disco tracks like “How Deep Is Your Love” and “You Should Be Dancing.”

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When it was released, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack proved inescapable. “We weren’t on the charts,” Maurice Gibb said at the time, according to Rolling Stone, “We were the charts.” Saturday Night Fever, per the same story, topped the charts for six consecutive months; the magazine described the soundtrack as the “ne plus ultra of mainstream disco.” It marked the ascendance of the Bee Gees as the popular faces of disco — despite the genre having emerged as the soundtrack of nightclubs frequented by queer people and people of color. (The co-opting of a music form emerging from Black, Puerto Rican, and queer discos by white musicians and fans in the ’70s is the theme of the film’s climax: After winning the top prize at a dance contest, Travolta’s character, Tony Manero, gives the trophy to the more deserving black couple who would have won, he explains, were it not for a racist panel of judges.)

The soundtrack’s astonishing success led The New York Times to remark that the Bee Gees “are getting as big as The Beatles,” underlining the “increasingly important commercial links” between music and film. There was a “well-orchestrated plot” to ensure the success of both soundtrack and film, film music historian Jon Burlingame told me recently. “It was a remarkable campaign that worked like gangbusters,” he said. Disco, while ubiquitous, had just crested its peak — under the surface of its mainstream success, the scene itself had already begun its inexorable decline; in a way, Saturday Night Fever captures this tragedy — but the band was only about to reach its own.

“Instead of driving a trend, it’s sort of capitalizing on a trend,” said Crowe, whose music supervising credits include The Bodyguard, True Romance, and Wayne’s World. Likewise, these soundtracks — the most successful ones — don’t tend to discover artists, but they do present an opportunity for established artists to make more music with a broader platform. When production began on The Bodyguard, Whitney Houston was already a household name, having put out the smash hits Whitney Houston and Whitney and I’m Your Baby Tonight, which went four times platinum — a falter, compared with her previous albums.

For fans of The Bodyguard, the swelling chorus of “I Will Always Love You” is perhaps forever entangled with the final kiss between Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, but the half-life of the soundtrack’s hit has vastly outpaced that of the film itself. In the film, Houston plays Rachel Marron, a major pop star whose manager, after death threats culminate in an assassination attempt, hires a new bodyguard (Costner) to beef up her security. During the film’s climactic scene, Rachel wins the Academy Award for Best Actress, a gentle irony considering Houston and Costner both won Razzies for their own efforts. Still, despite its critical reception, the soundtrack — basically a new Whitney album — went on to become the best-selling soundtrack of all time. (The second? Saturday Night Fever.)

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“The film gave it its platform; it gave it its context,” Crowe said. Whitney Houston had been nominated for, but had never before won, the Album Of The Year Grammy; she’d be nominated again, for the Waiting To Exhale soundtrack, but The Bodyguard would remain her only win. Name recognition alone might not do it — Prince made a soundtrack for Tim Burton’s Batman that topped the Billboard charts upon its release but was not nominated for a Grammy — but they don’t hurt.

In the month before the 2002 Grammy ceremony, where the soundtrack to the Coen Brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? would win Album Of The Year, several of the artists involved with the record took the show on tour. Down From The Mountain sold out as it traversed the country; two years later, it birthed a sequel, the Great High Mountain tour, with songs from both O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Cold Mountain. Produced by T Bone Burnett and featuring Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, and Gillian Welch, the soundtrack reimagines traditional bluegrass, folk, and blues tunes from the Appalachian region, setting classic tunes to modern recordings.

The film itself operates in much the same way, setting Homer’s Odyssey loose in the Depression era, with more George Clooney. But, while the film itself was not a particular commercial hit, the soundtrack absolutely was. “It was was this remarkable collection of roots and folk music that people fell in love with and somehow reminded us of our musical heritage,” Burlingame said. Outside of Grammy voter circles, T Bone Burnett might not have the same pop clout as Whitney Houston or the Bee Gees, but the soundtrack shared the same kind of internal logic — a study in vintage Americana, where the others drill into disco or power ballads or hip-hop’s most exciting contemporary voice — that allows it to function inside, and independently of, the film.

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Grammy wins certainly didn’t precipitate mainstream recognition of pop music from films, but they’re representative of a broader trend that’s continued to gain momentum since Saturday Night Fever first won in 1979. (The Grammy has occasionally also been granted as a corrective for previously overlooking an artist. Like Whitney Houston, Kendrick Lamar has been nominated for Album Of The Year multiple times — for every album, in fact, since 2012’s Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City — but has never won, despite a Pulitzer win last year, for DAMN.) The soundtrack for Guardians Of The Galaxy, a wide-ranging compilation of retro sounds, was 2017’s third-highest-selling vinyl, after two Beatles records.

Even more recently, Billie Eilish has said “When I Was Older,” her Roma song, was written “from within the narrative of the movie”; it was a tenuous connection and was greeted with some confusion online, but the song has nevertheless amassed more than 15 million Spotify streams. It’s probably pretty safe to say Roma has not been played 15 million times. A Star Is Born — whose Barbra Streisand incarnation came out in 1976, just two years before Saturday Night Fever — has burst once again onto the charts; “Shallow” earned nominations for Record and Song Of The Year while “Why Did You Do That?” is a whole entire meme. There is now, of course, a deeply commercial connection between an album’s promotion and its sales and awards success — what was novel for Saturday Night Fever is now de rigueur. But, as a film like Suicide Squad — a flop for the DC Comics universe, with its incidentally scattershot soundtrack — demonstrates, a strong publicity campaign can only take you so far.

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But Black Panther, like its predecessors, consistently reflects its film’s themes in a way that also gives it some structural integrity on its own. This isn’t always the case: Sometimes, the random assortment of songs that make up a movie soundtrack sound, feel, well, random, when set loose from the film itself. “Some soundtracks exist solely to capture the mood of a film; the best, however, have an excitement all their own,” Briana Younger wrote for Pitchfork in a review of “King’s Dead,” the second single off the Black Panther soundtrack.

Part of Black Panther’s success as a discrete album has been its association with Kendrick Lamar, the artist. It doesn’t just bear his name; his fingerprints are all over it. It’s brimming with artists drawn from Lamar’s own Top Dawg Entertainment and from across the black diaspora — like South African rappers Saudi, who mostly performs his verse in Zulu, and Yugen Blakrok, a female rapper who goes toe-to-toe with Vince Staples. It fits: The film is “a day-glo, big-budget, action-packed depiction of the same conflicts that animate Lamar’s career,” NPR wrote in a review last year. Just as Coogler was able to make a Ryan Coogler film inside the Marvel universe, so too was Lamar able to compose a Kendrick Lamar album from inside T’Challa’s catsuit. The relationship is symbiotic, at once elevating music and movie.

Yet just three of Black Panther’s fourteen songs are featured in the film itself; instead, the soundtrack is modeled on those of ’90s films, for which musicians “would take themes and make music inspired by the themes,” Coogler told Fact magazine last year. “You almost never see the phrase ‘music from and inspired by the film’ anymore, but that was always the catchall, starting in the ’80s and the ’90s, for people who wanted to put out a soundtrack and threw a bunch of songs in that weren’t necessarily in the film,” Burlingame told me. “In a way, Black Panther is almost in that tradition.”

The movie leans on the score, composed by longtime Coogler collaborator Ludwig Göransson, and existing pop music to set the scene; Lamar’s songs hover across the two categories, written specifically for the film yet used within it like any other club hit. And they could be any other club hit, because Black Panther is as much a Kendrick Lamar album as The Bodyguard was a Whitney Houston album or Saturday Night Fever was a Bee Gees album; it’s as much a survey of a specific facet of hip-hop as O Brother, Where Art Thou? was of a certain type of roots Americana.

So, in Black Panther, when arms dealer Ulysses Klaue instructs a lackey to “put some music on,” it’s only natural that the cue is Kendrick Lamar.

source https://uproxx.com/hiphop/grammys-black-panther-film-soundtracks-album-of-the-year/

#hiphop #hip hop legend #hip hop history #hip hop #music #trending #hip hop news #ballin #hip hop scen

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stormyrecords-blog · 6 years

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march 29th new arrivals

in on thursday restock on these lps - HEXADIC III $24.99ben chasney currated lp of current amazing guitar players on drag city CAVERN OF ANTI-MATTER Hormone Lemonade $28.99still the clear vinyl version!!! JAY DANIEL - Audire Vol 1 Watusi High cassette $9.99beats tape by local dj/electronic magician who has been running with the Wild Oats crowd for years. Debut release from Detroit super-duo 'Audire', comprised of Jay Daniel & Ajamu Yakini. Raw work of art combining World, Jazz, Hip-Hop & everything in between. Limited to only 100 cassettes.Running Time 28 mins. JAY DANIEL - School Dance ep on Watusi $8.99it's wonderful to be in a place where we get to meet young people with the dream of making music. and to watch them work hard and grow and realize their dream of putting out records and performing all over the world. it can also be hard as they age to see them and see they are older, and know that means we are older too. we're proud to be able to play some small part in the lives of musicians like jay, who so truly loves what he does. Following releases on Theo Parrish’s Sound Signature imprint and Kyle Hall’s Wild Oats label, ascending house DJ and producer Jay Daniel has decided to step out on his own, unveiling the first release on his new Watusi High imprint. The two-track School Dance EP collects a pair of muddy, slow-chugging house tracks from the man himself. Funkadelic: Free Your Mind LP $31.99"Funkadelic's second LP, originally released in 1970, is another straight up masterpiece from the stoniest, strangest funk and R&B group of all-time. Opening with the 10 minute title track complete with a shredding keyboard solo from Bernie Worrell and, of course, the six-stringed insanity of Eddie Hazel. One of George Clinton's finest sets of songs and another essential part of the Parliament-Funkadelic catalog reissued on blue starburst vinyl in a deluxe gatefold jacket." Atobe, Shinichi: Butterfly Effect 2LP $29.992018 limited repress. Shinichi Atobe has managed to stay off the grid since he made an appearance on Basic Channel's Chain Reaction imprint back in 2001. He delivered the second-to-last 12" on the label and then disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a solitary record that's been selling for crazy money and a trail of speculation that has led some people to wonder whether the project was in fact the work of someone on the Basic Channel payroll. That killer Chain Reaction 12" has also been a longtime favorite of Demdike Stare, who have been trying to follow the trail and make contact with Atobe for some time, whoever he turned out to be. A lead from the Basic Channel office turned up an address in Japan and -- unbelievably -- an album full of archival and new material. Demdike painstakingly assembled and compiled the material for this debut album. And what a weird and brilliant album it is -- deploying a slow-churn opener that sounds like a syrupy Actress track, before working through a brilliantly sharp and tactile nine-minute piano house roller that sounds like DJ Sprinkles, then diving headlong into a heady, Vainqueur-inspired drone-world. It's a confounding album, full of odd little signatures that give the whole thing a timeless feeling completely detached from the zeitgeist, like a sound bubble from another era. This is only the second album release on Demdike Stare's DDS imprint, following the release of Nate Young's Regression Vol. 3 (Other Days) (DDS 007LP) in 2013. Who knows what they might turn up next? Mastered by Matt Colton at Alchemy. Messthetics: S/T LP $18.99cd also available $12.99"The Messthetics are an instrumental trio featuring Brendan Canty (drums), Joe Lally (bass), and Anthony Pirog (guitar). Brendan Canty and Joe Lally were the rhythm section of the band Fugazi from its inception in 1987 to its period of hiatus in 2002. This is the first band they've had together since then. Anthony Pirog is a jazz and experimental guitarist based in Washington, D.C. One half of the duo Janel & Anthony, he has emerged as a primary figure in the city's out-music community. The trio's debut includes nine songs recorded at Canty's practice space throughout 2017, live and mostly without overdubs. It's a snapshot of a band dedicated to the live ideal, where structure begets improvisation." Perry, Jordan: S/T LP $17.99"Much needed reissue of the extremely limited 2017 debut LP by Virginia guitarist, Jordan Perry. We were turned on to it when Chris Guttmacher at Blue Bag Records in Cambridge told Kassie Richardson of Good Cry (who did the initial 100 pressing) to send us a copy. He thought we might be into it, and halfway into one spin we knew he was right. There have been several fat boatloads of acoustic guitar players floating across our turntable the past few years. And to be honest, we've dug the majority of them. Seems like there must be a lot of good stuff in the water, or something. Despite this, a preponderance of the players we've enjoyed have definitely been in the American Primitive mode. Lots of swift modal aktion with a folk/blues base, invaded by various foreign agents. Jordan Perry's approach to his guitar is quite different. Although there are some basic völk sonorities in his playing, Mr. Perry's brunt combines these with more avant garde note selections and compositional gambits, as well as a string attack with classical qualities. While there's a gentleness to the melodies at which he eventually arrives, Perry's journey crosses prickly patches of tone clusters, and has a circular logic that defies pop logic. A few passages recall moments on All Is Ablaze, our recent album with experimental player Julia Reidy (FTR 338LP), while some of the open strumming has a beautifully languid quality verging on mid period William Ackerman. All of which makes this a record very deserving of much personal headspace. Give Jordan Perry some room and you'll be very glad you did. We promise." --Byron Coley, 2018 Edition of 300. Plastic Cloud:S/T LP $27.992018 repress. "Plastic Cloud recorded, quite simply, one of the greatest psychedelic albums ever made. This is a record with few equals, full of foreboding melodies and lovely hippie harmonies, as well as some of the most superb and trippiest, Eastern sounding fuzz guitar ever recorded. There is no point singling out a specific track, they are all excellent -- one is equally as good as the next. Take for example the album centerpiece, the ten-and-a-half-minute 'You Don't Care,' an insane piece of social commentary that features terrific back-of-the-mix fuzz guitar as an elusive focal point to its extended pounding-drum laden instrumental breaks; with a great chorus and a plaintive melody in the verse, it doesn't overstay its welcome, winding its way to a final freak out. Essential psychedelia!" 180 gram vinyl; Edition of 400/ Comes with lyric insert and replica vintage press release. Phew: Voice Hardcore LP $26.99"Living legend Phew follows up her brilliant Light Sleep album with another masterwork -- Voice Hardcore -- comprised entirely of her iconic, instantly recognizable voice, twisted, folded and layered over six mesmerizing tracks. Recorded at home in summer 2017, this release finds Phew exploring an idea she first hatched while recording her debut single 'Finale' in 1980 -- to, in her words, ' make new reverberations that I have never heard before, using only my body.' 37 years later, Phew proves herself again to be the exception to the rule -- a veteran artist with an estimable catalog spanning decades who, rather than repeating herself or playing it safe, charges headfirst into uncharted territory. Phew's self -- released tour CD of Voice Hardcore was voted # 23 Best Album of 2017 by The Wire Magazine. This Mesh-Key vinyl edition features a silver foil stamped cover and a double-sided, full color insert, and comes with an mp3 download card." Morrow, Charlie: Toot! Too LP $26.99Recital present the first vinyl LP by composer/event-maker Charlie Morrow. Toot! Too culls performance recordings from 1970 to 2014. It focuses on his "Wave Music" series, which are compositions based around swarms of like-instruments; i.e. sixty clarinets, conch choruses, and army of drums and bugle horns, etc. The 1978 piece, "100 Musicians With Lights", was performed at dusk in Central Park. One hundred players (brass, reeds, percussion) congregate and march in spiral formations, playing their instrument with penlights attached to them. The piece dissipates and ends as each player marches through the park to their respective homes. The sound is fascinating; a tape recording made by an audience member swirling and dancing through the performance. Charlie is an organizer: one of instruments, with the pieces that landed on this LP and dozens more; one of events, through decades of public solstice celebrations across the world; one of publications, including New Wilderness Audiographics and EAR Magazine; and, one of friendships as Charlie has kindly introduced me to many fascinating players in this quirky game of ours. He views networking as an art form, always connecting friends with other friends, building a larger web for everyone to dance throughout. Label owner Sean McCann on the release: "In working on this LP over the past years, Charlie Morrow and I have become close. It has been a joy to have him in my life. At the age of 73, he is determined and creative and as positive as ever. Each time we speak, new projects arise -- like a mysterious soup boiling up fresh aromas. One of my favorite memories with Charlie was us staying up 'til the wee small hours of the morning drinking a bottle of sweet potato shochu, me listening to him tell funny and poignant remembrances. I am happy to share these lovely recordings, just a pinky toe in his artistic footprint, but wow, such a gorgeous toe!" Includes 20-page, 8.5x11" color booklet with scores, writings, and photographs; Includes download coupon; Edition of 500. Spacemen 3: Dreamweapon 2LP $39.99"August 1988, Spacemen 3 embark on one of the strangest events in the band's already strange history. Billed as 'An Evening Of Contemporary Sitar Music' (although consciously omitting the sitar), the group would play in the foyer of Watermans Arts Centre in Brentford, Middlesex to a largely unsuspecting and unsympathetic audience waiting to take their seats for Wim Wenders' film Wings Of Desire. Spacemen 3's proceeding set, forty-five minutes of repetitive drone-like guitar riffs, could be seen as the 'Sweet Sister Ray' of '80s Britain. Their signature sound is at once recognizable and disorienting -- pointing as much to the hypnotic minimalism of La Monte Young as to a future shoegaze constituency. On this double LP reissue, Dreamweapon is augmented by studio sessions and rehearsal tapes from 1987 that would lead up to the recording of Spacemen 3's classic Playing With Fire album. 'Spacemen Jam,' featuring Sonic Boom and Jason Pierce on dual guitar, is a side-long mediation on delicate textures and psychedelic effects. Includes download card and new insert with liner notes by Will Carruthers."

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Collective Soul Shine Lyrics

"Shine" is the debut single by the American rock band Collective Soul. It served as the lead single from their 1994 debut album Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid. It was released a week before the album was released. "Shine" would remain the band's most well known song and a hallmark of 1990s alternative rock. It became the #1 Album Rock Song of 1994, and won a Billboard award for Top Rock Track.[1] The song also reached the top of the Album Rock Tracks for eight weeks. The song then went on to peak at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 for one week.[2] VH1 would later rank "Shine" at #42 on their list of the "100 Greatest Songs of the '90s." Due to the song's lyrical themes, particularly the mention of "heaven", Collective Soul was often early on regarded as a Christian band. Frontman Ed Roland elaborated, "I remember around the time ["Shine" came out] getting into an argument with a writer who said, 'You're a Christian band.' I said, 'No, we're not.' 'Well, you have the word heaven in your song.' And I said, 'Well, so does Led Zeppelin. I don't remember anyone saying they were a Christian band.'" He went on to stress that such classification would unite the bandmates' beliefs and that a particular doctrine cannot speak for all its members.[3] Roland did note, however, his religious background and the fact that his father is a Southern Baptist minister, but that this does not justify a Christian label.

Collective Soul rhythm guitarist Dean Roland has called the song's chorus "basically a prayer" and noted that the uplifting single was released during an odd time amidst heavy grunge. He noted that, despite the song's unique feel, this circumstance wrongfully pigeonholed the band as being grunge.[4]

"Shine" features guitar with a slight distortion and mellow atmosphere throughout the verses. Its chorus pounds with staccato riffs before brightening up with the lyrics "Heaven let your light shine down." Later, the song's bridge modulates into double-time behind a hard rock guitar solo before returning to its previous state of calmness "Shine" has remained a symbol of 1990s alternative rock. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic regarded the song "a tremendous guilty pleasure, built on a guitar riff so indelible you swear it's stolen, blessed by a sighing melody that makes this a fine album-rock single that would have sounded as good in '74 as it did in '94."[5]

Due to its popularity among 1990s music, "Shine" has been included on various era-themed compilation albums including VH1: I Love the '90s, Whatever: The '90s Pop and Culture Box, Big Shiny '90s, and The Buzz. Live versions have been included on the Woodstock '94 and Much at Edgefest 1999 compilations. Phish poked fun at the song with their short version of "Shine" in the middle of "Fly Famous Mockingbird" at Madison Square Garden on New Year's Eve 1995 with songwriter Tom Marshall on vocals. This version can be found on the live album Phish: New Year's Eve 1995 - Live at Madison Square Garden.

Dolly Parton recorded a cover of "Shine" for her 2001 album Little Sparrow with members of the alt/bluegrass band Nickel Creek. Parton's recording of the song earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

The Holmes Brothers recorded a cover of "Shine" for their 2004 album Simple Truths.

Pillar recorded a cover of "Shine" for their 2009 album Confessions.

The Smashing Pumpkins played parts of "Shine" during their 2010 tour.[7] Billy Corgan has expressed his hatred of the song and noted its similarities to the Smashing Pumpkins' song Drown.[7] Corgan lost a lawsuit in the mid-1990s to Ed Roland after Roland was able to produce a demo tape featuring "Shine" that preceded the Smashing Pumpkins' release.[citation needed]

A video uploaded by Girl Talk's Gregg Gillis titled "Collective Soul Cat" became popular in 2012 which featured the cat singing the famous "Yeah!" in the song's exact key

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