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videostak · 1 year

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this is really interesting the sound quality on this is really good for a boot but also u can hear what i was talking abt how despite how much they rock it isnt very like interesting compared to what kraftwerk was doing before, to what they would do later, and to what dinger and rother would later accomplish with neu. the music here doesnt sound very different from your typical late 60s psych rock and the most interesting part of it(florians flute playing) doesnt come up too often too much and is obscured by rothers guitar playing (which doesnt seem anywhere near as defined as both on the beat club performance and on neu’s stuff) apparently this performance was after their beat club performance just a month later apparently and they sound less experimental and just more straightforward rock which i guess makess sense that the earlier performance would still have stuff in common with their first album and for the later one to be more even more overtly rock. rother said in an interview that the beat club technicians didnt understand the importance of florians flute and mixed it much lower than his guitar and i think the same problem is here since u can hardly hear it :( aside from that the sound on this is insanely high quality. on their beat club performance tho rothers guitar sounds much more closer to neu and like v distinct but hear he sounds p generically fuzzy and overdriven in that psych rock way and idk why.. like listening to this stuff its amazing that the first neu album was as great and just perfect as it was. like i wonder what changed that led them to play the way they do on neu which is just so much more interesting than this all things considered. i did read that rother said from the start he wanted to make music that was different from the american and english stuff so maybe it just took him awhile to really develop a strong playing style that was different or maybe he forgot about that while playing with kraftwerk due to the energy of the performances n stuff or maybe it was just a matter of being in the studio that actually brought out that commitment to his goal(keep in mind neu never really had any regular live performances like this) and maybe conny plank really was the final ingredient in bringing out the best of them. its amazing to listen to this and to realize that they did neu only a year later considering just how at peace that music seems to be compared to this. i dont want it to sound like i hate this theres lots of strong moments and im still listenign to it atm so maybe the later songs are even stronger (im on ruckzuck rn) but like compared to neu it feels a lot more self-indulgent and jam-feeling as opposed to neu which i always thought closer to like really meditative terry riley esque stuff or like just almost proto-shoegaze type rock. like i dont think it can be understated how much above neu’s music is above simple jamming/soloing and above like the 60s psych rock before it as great as that can be. with neu and the motorik they acheived a real infinite sound like v modal where theres no need for tension or release unlike here. also funny how despite song names from kraftwerks debut most of these are wildly different songs. im kinda surprised that ruckzuck is actually the same song well sorta since it has rother so is way different but like its stll ruckzuck sorta. sucks florians flute is so low ... oh yea also i rewatched an interview with rother today where he actually looked at a bootleg of this album and was like “we werent that good and if you listen to hallogallo and then this u can tell that i improved alot by the time we became neu” which is liek real tru :O i wonder what happened between here and neus first album like with kraftwerk and studio albums and tours u have that growth chronologically there but with neu u just have their first album from the get go its interesting how much both rother and dinger changed by the time they did neu.

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justdyingslowly · 4 years

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1. Name justdyingslowly obviously come on

2. Nationality Australian

3. Age 22

4. Birthday nnnah dont feel like it

5. Zodiac sign (or your primal zodiac sign) Libra/Scorpio cusp

6. Gender wamon

7. Sexuality very very hetero

8. Your looks (add a picture or describe yourself) androgenous

9. What do you/did you study? Psychology (focus on sexology) and art.

10. What’s your current job like?/What job would you like to have? I am disabled you think I can work ha sexologist would be awesome. When I was a kid I wanted to be a fireman but Australias always burning

11. Your birth order head first

12. How many siblings do you have? 1

13. Do you have good relations with your family? yeah dads finally out of his abusive relationship, nearing age 70 and his emotions and his sexuality are finally opening up for the first time and that makes me SO happy.

14. How many friends do you have? what kind of fucked up question is this.

15. Your relationship status relationshipped. Fiance? got the marriage papers in a drawer somewhere with the car rego but can’t be fucked filling them?

16. What do you look for in a SO? empathetic, mature, calm. Always open to discussion. Prefers to be blunt rather than secretive. Emotional age over 14 (incredibly fucking rare apparently). Puts an importance on context and understanding other views above all else.

17. Do you have a crush? Hellll yeah Crush on my partner and got a crush on a mutual friend of ours who don’t even know hes cute af hehe one day partners gonna accidentally spill the beans and embarrass me coz hes shit with secrets RIP me.

18. When did you have your first kiss? You think I can remember this bullshit? Its not that big a deal

19. Do you prefer serious and meaningful relationships or casual dating/one night stands? One night stand sex almost exclusively sucks. Just. SUCKS. Because neither of you know what the other likes and it ends up being an awkward mix of trying to please yourself while trying to also be considerate.

20. What are your deal breakers? Plugging your ears to anything that feels gross, uncomfortable or disagrees with you. How can you grow as a person without introspection? How can you mold what you think and believe without taking in other arguments and comparing them to your beliefs to see how they stack up? Its pathetic.

21. How was your day? cute mutual friend had a fall this morning and were both worried about him. His back is bad and he’s getting a little older, he can’t be getting dizzy and having falls like that. other than that im anxious about seeing my gastro. He’s lovely but... specialists are specialists. Good at knowing what they know but not always great at listening.

22. Favourite food & drink you think im allowed to eat or drink? water and... foods a touchy subject.

23. What position do you sleep in? Usually on my side with a body pillow to grip so I don’t end up choking my partner in his sleep.

24. What was your last dream about? uuhhh...going to italy and being unable to get into this tiny basket boat properly.

25. Your fears does PTSD to medical shit count haha

26. Your dreams ... going to italy and being unable to get into a tiny basket boat thingy?

27. Your goals - get some sort of diagnosis eventually. Its been 3 years of trying and im tired. - get back to studying art part time for my bachelors. - pass JLPT N3. - go back to university for psychology. - do the dishes when I get home.

28. Any pets? two budgies. we also take care of any orphaned or injured birds.

29. What are your hobbies? feeling nauseous drawing writing a little bit im making a little gameboy game in C atm too

30. Any cool places in your area? i live next to a national park with waterfalls and koalas and emus and stuff

31. What was your last awkward situation? mutual friend made a comment on his chest i playfully smacked it (related to the comment) it was surprisingly hard “O-oh wow, thats... I didnt expect that” my partner laughed at me. it was awful.

32. What is your last regret? getting embarrassed at friends pecs stop making me think about it 33. Language/s you can speak english. N4 Japanese.

34. Do you believe in astrological stuff? (Zodiac, tarot, etc.) of course not what the fuck

35. Have any quirks? Quirkless. I do wiggle when im happy though apparently.

36. Your pet peeves open doors.

37. Ideal vacation spend a months chilling in an old japanese house in autumn hokkaido oooooof that sounds nice

38. Any scars? internal? yes

39. What does your last text message say? peepee poopoo ustinky

40. Last 5 things from your search history how do i find this

41. What’s your [device] background? Sam Porter Bridges walkin around Sam Porter Bridges cuddling BB-28 Louise while he sleeps my chicken

42. What do you daydream about? all might

43. Describe your dream home an old japanese house in autumn hokkaido oooooof that sounds nice

44. What’s your religion/Your thought about religion its a comforting thought having a parent-figure who cares about you and looks after all the big things you can’t manage yourself, but institutionalizing it runs a severe risk of becoming harmful cults. And it often does.

45. Your personality type me

46. The most dangerous thing you’ve done i saw the lost bunny that was on all the posters in the neighbourhood looked thin and patchy so i grabbed him to take him home. im allergic. sent me to hospital and I almost died.

47. Are you happy with your current life? feeling sick sucks and partners having a depressive episode but things are pretty good

48. Some things you’ve tried in your life living

49. What does your wardrobe consist of? blacks, reds, whites and pinks

50. Favourite colour to wear? at the moment pink. Red is always comforting though.

51. How would you describe your style? mix between lazy alternative punk, teenager with band shirts and harajuku peach kawaii uwu

52. Are you happy with your current looks? kinda wish i was a bit shorter but what can you do

53. If you could change/add something to your appearance - impossible or not - what would it be? bit shorter

54. Any tattoos or piercings? lol no PTSD

55. Do you get complimented often? by who? partner constantly, family haha are you kidding im australian so a friend’s version of showing affection is calling you a cunt and slapping your ass in public

56. Favourite aesthetic? all might

57. A popular trend that you dislike blocking because you disagree or find them distasteful. Ignoring all context to opposing thoughts and arguments. taking a personal feeling of disgust to mean something is evil. Blocking your ears to anything that isn’t a circlejerk of what you already think - and trying to isolate anyone who even just listens to something other then the noise of your sloppy dicks to have a thought of their own.

58. Songs you’re currently obsessed with? The Machine by Low Roar

59. Song you normally wouldn’t admit you like. why wouldnt i admit i like a song

60. Favourite genre? probably enka haha

61. Favourite artist/band/genre? probably enka haha oh and tatsuro yamashita

62. Hated popular songs/artists? why the hell would I hate something like a song? I hate aspects of the music industry as a whole I guess?

63. Put your music on shuffle and list first 5 which playlist they aren’t all together in one place

64. Can you sing or play any instruments? piano, saxophone... uh... partners good at making music and playing shakuhachi

65. Do you like karaoke? no.

66. Own any albums? yes? many?

67. Do you listen to radio? What stations? no. but triple J, ABC Jazz and Classical. sometimes they even play final fantasy and JRPG music on classical which is pretty neat. -

68. Favourite movie/series? can i make this about games because then the answer is Metal Gear Solid

69. Favourite genre of movies/books/etc ...shounen?

70. Your fictional crush/es if they’re over 40yrs old, male and happy and bubbily or grumpy and sad then there’s a big ol fat chance I wanna bone. Solid Snake from MGS4, All Might and pretty much anyone drawn by Tarou Madoromi.

71. Which fictional character is you? uh

72. Are you a shipper? List your otps, if so what does this even mean what language is this

73. Favourite greek god? idk hades seems chill

74. A legend from where you live that you like the story of Tjilbruke is funny and good. all Kaurna stories are good.

75. Do you like art? What’s your favourite work or artist? im in a big egon schiele mood atm.

76. Can you share your other social media? no i am incapable

77. Favourite youtubers? many

78. Favourite platform? not too high up. actually i like being a little lower than ground level in corners.

79. How much time do you spend on the internet? too much

80. What video games have you played? Which one’s your favourite? look i just want to say that MGS4 is the best one in the series and Death Stranding is phenomenally engaging.

81. Your favourite books (manga also counts) these are all so goddamn definitive how can I pick? Oh wait the answer is One Piece

82. Do you play board/card games? I play DnD atm and know 15 yr old rules to Yugioh

83. Have you ever been to a night marathon in cinema? that shit dosn’t happen here

84. Favourite holiday golden week coz its a week also easter because thats when all the glucose based sweets come back

85. Are you into dramas? what kind

86. Would you use death note, if you had one? no. thats called being a murderer.

87. What changes would you make in the world, no matter how impossible, if you had the power to? chill people out a bit. when people feel unsafe they get really depenfive and territorial and block their ears to everything, making in-and-out groups for themsevles that end up putting them in more harm.

88. Could you survive a zombie apocalypse? im disabled with a disabled partner. we arent funny sure we can survive normal everyday life when society is angled so sharply against us.

89. If you had to be turned into a paranormal being, what would it be? id like to be a mimi spirit

90. What would you want to happen to you after your death? spooky time

91. If you had to change your name, what would be your pick? toshinori yagi

92. Who would you switch your life with for a week? anyone healthy

93. Pick an emoji to be your tattoo that cursed one with the intense eyes and the hand

94. Write 3 things about yourself - only one of them must be true im me im not me im pee

95. Cold or hot? cold.

96. Be a hero or be a villain? both are distasteful ideas in reality

97. Sing everything you want to say or rhyme? i can’t do either partner speak sin bad puns and its hell, these both sound about equal

98. Shapeshifting or controlling time? shapeshifting. controlling time is eithe rmanipulative or lonely. shapeshifing is every other superpower at once.

99. Be immortal or be immune to everything aside from natural death? both are deeply upsetting ideas

100. ….. or …..? jiji or ossan? generally Jiji, but ossans can be lovely too.

#personal #stupid

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plasticflowering · 3 years

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Ranking Every ONEUS Song Because I Have Opinions

I guess it’s time for me to embark upon this task. Come along for the ride if you’re so inclined.

This is by no means a definitive ranking, because that’s impossible and the consumption of music is an intrinsically personal experience. But I personally like ranking things for arbitrary reasons.

Each song is ranked in order, and within those rankings I’ve assigned Tiers. Enjoy.

Note: this includes only studio tracks officially released by RBW or KissEnt, which means I’m sadly not including the Road to Kingdom songs. Actually, wait, you wanna know what? The real reason I’m not including Road to Kingdom songs is because I’m still salty that my favorite song from that show is one that didn’t get a studio release. Justice for Warrior’s Descendant.

Let’s begin.

I’ll start things off with the top tier, the best of the best, my absolute favorite ONEUS songs. Now what should I name a tier that represents the pinnacle of what ONEUS can offer us?

Black-Haired Seoho Tier

1. “Valkyrie”

This song goes places. It's the one that made me fall in love with ONEUS and it's still my favorite, oops.

2. “Blue Sky”

"Blue Sky” defies genre to me. The first time I heard it, I was blown away. It has some of my favorite vocals AND two of my favorite raps in their discography - I love Leedo and Ravn's "ballad raps" in general but this is my favorite.

3. “BingBing”

So full of personality. Such an earworm. Emotional and kinda unsetlling lyrics. Xion speaking French? OKAY. It's title track worthy, for sure, so it's a shame it gets so overlooked by casual listeners. I’m glad the fanbase has at least given it the legendary status it deserves.

4. “Lost”

Was not expecting this one to enter my top ten with turbo boosters, but I started to listen to it a lot last year and in the process I started to feel things for this song that I previously have only felt for “Blue Sky”

5. “Plastic Flower”

It me.

6. “Rewind"

It’s all about the synth hook, to me. I am pathetically manipulable where good synth hooks are concerned. Also, the cadence and arrangement of this song reminds me of “Lost” and that’s never a bad thing.

7. “Dizzy”

I just feel like this is where they all shine as a vocal ensemble. Their personalities shine through in Dizzy, and I'm a sucker for that emotive sort of performing.

8. “Incomplete"

Right in a row here, you’ve got two sets of “my favorite song on the album” followed by “what I believe to be the best song on the album”. “Incomplete” is the best song on “DEVIL”. The lyrics are amazing and, this may sound weird, but as a Human in Their Thirties the lyrics hit even harder. Bonus points for guitar, as always.

9. “Dead or Alive”

I’ll never get over how strange and wonderful this song is, and yes I do believe it’s the best song on “LIVED”. (Vee shouts through a megaphone again about how “Dead or Alive” incorporates musical themes or lyrical elements from every other song on “LIVED” and hopes someone listens). Also (vee voice) guitars.

10. “Lit”

“Lit” just rules and I don’t believe there’s much I can add that has not already been said about it

Leedo Face Scrunch Tier

Now for those songs that are still my favorites, and make the world an immensely better place for existing, but don’t quite crack the ultimate ONEUS songs pantheon.

11. “No Diggity”

I'm a simple person, okay? I love bright and poppy songs but I'm also weak for unapologetic bangers, and "No Diggity" is an UNAPOLOGETIC BANGER. I think the guitars are (unsurprisingly) what takes this song to the next level for me. The arrangement in general is so impressive, and it’s obvious that they balanced it well to make use of all the members’ individual strengths. RIP my bias though.

12. “Crazy & Crazy”

The "Crazy & Crazy" appreciator has logged on! When Ravn said "hakuna matata 원하면 이뤄져 bibbidi-bobbidi-BOO", I felt that!!! If I ever get to go to a ONEUS concert and god forbid meet any of you there, I cannot be held responsible for how HAM I will go during this song.

13. “Hide and Seek”

I’m weak for this funky little bass-driven bop.

14. “Red Thread”

I don’t ever feel like I truly have gone in hard for a group until I start proselytizing their ballads to my unsuspecting friends. Ballads have a high barrier of entry in K-Pop especially, but my god!! MY GOD!!! This is a god-tier ballad.

15. “808″

They threw every single synth possible at the wall with “808″ and it absolutely sends me with how well it works. It’s undeniably “a Japanese single,” if you know what I mean, but even with that I think it’s one of their strongest title tracks. The chorus is endlessly singable, too, and that means a lot to me while I’m listening to it while doing the dishes, which I do a lot.

16. “Leftover”

I believe that Seoho and Ravn team songwriting will save our souls, and this song is one more reason to do so. I love that their songs aren’t just straight-up R&B (not that I don’t love R&B), and that there’s something very playful and unique about them.

17. “Zig Zag”

I’ll never forget you, “Zig Zag,” or the way Keonhee absolutely owns your vocals. In fact, if I had to assign an image song to every member I would most likely assign “Zig Zag” to Keonhee. 18. “Lion Heart"

As far as “weird little song” vibes go, “Lion Heart” really wins. Has undoubtedly one of the weirdest moments in any ONEUS song in the first post-chorus, and I’ll never shut up about the implied lore associations.

19. “Hero”

In every ToMoon's life, there is that indelible moment when they first heard Seoho's pre-pre-chorus vocals on "Hero" and suddenly realized so much about life and love and the nature of miracles. And, less dramatically, I love a good rap that uses the word biscuit.

Road to Kingdom Era Xion Tier

I became a Xion bias in Road to Kingdom era, so this is not meant disparagingly. These are those songs that show so much promise and goodness, and make me love them, but are kind of an acquired taste so to speak.

20, “BBUSYEO”

I always love BBUSYEO when it shuffles up, but I never like... seek it out, you know? Even if it is a bop. It’s just a silly little hetero love song that includes toilet humor, and it goes. I love that for it!

21. “Come Back Home”

It's all about the build up here. This song has such a beautiful arrangement that builds to something, dare I say, epic. Good background music for taking a dramatic walk when it’s like, -this- close to raining.

22. “To Be Or Not To Be”

This song works in the context of ONEUS mythology and lore but I tend not to really put it on my playlists if I'm simply wanting to experience an emotion or bust out some fun jams. It is a very strange time signature for a jam, but it’s too up-tempo to really be a mood setter.

23. “Intro: Time"

This intro is like... beautiful, but also kind of slutty, and I love that?

24. “A Song Written Easily”

It's good! It's fun! I really like it, I think it's lovely. But it’s not a song I’m going to rec to a friend and assume it will give them an adequate view of what ONEUS is. If anything I’d expect they’d just be like “that was really fun, but it just makes me want to listen to Blood Sweat & Tears.” “and I’d go “yeah me too.”

25. “Twilight”

I overplayed the fuck out of this song when I was first getting into ONEUS, so forgive me for ranking it low. Also, there is a high barrier of entry here for casual listeners even if it is a classic. Do you ever really think about how weird “Twilight” is? Like, the song structure? It’s very weird. I love it.

26. “Stand By”

I decided to make "Stand By" my charity case after seeing a few people dismiss it as their least favorite off Fly With Us, and I wound up loving it so much. That bridge is crazy good! Vocal line blessing us.

27. “Intro: Fly Me to the Moon”

As far as intros go, this is god tier honestly. But it's still only an intro, and I always feel cheated out of a beautiful full song when I hear this. Like, even for an INTRO it feels short.

My Complicated Feelings About A Thousand Stars Tier

28. “A Thousand Stars”

I just made an entirely separate post about this.

That Overenthusiastic Thicc Ssam Ravn Made for Seoho That One Time Tier

Like, there’s a lot here. I like all the parts individually but something about them just doesn’t go down easily.

29. “Youth”

I’ll be honest, I love “Youth” and I think it’s an absolutely beautiful song with a great hook. I’m just firmly out of the demographic for it at this point and that’s a bit alienating. It’s also weak compared to other songs on “DEVIL”

30. “Intro: Devil is in the Details”

It’s a great intro that does some ambitious things, but on its own it doesn’t hold up as well. Intimidating.

31. “Intro: Lived”

I love Leedo and Ravn, but I don't like how this one opens. That said, I love the way this ends.

32. “White Night”

The fact that I had to rank this so low, when it's such a gorgeous ballad, drives home how many pure bangers ONEUS has. I love this song, but I don't really jam out to it, so it's lower in my ranking.

33. “What you doing?”

Please don’t judge me too harshly for this. I just feel like this song could have been performed by another group and there would have been no appreciable difference. I like Cosmik’s songs, but they’re not, in my opinion. the most ONEUS of the ONEUS songs. Which is weird since Cosmik is a bit synonymous with ONEUS. Anyway Keonhee sounds great in this song.

34. “Now”

Same as above, but this one has the added problem of never really going anywhere. That said, the bridge slaps.

35. “Airplane”

I guess one of the proper tracks on Lived had to rank low, and for me it's definitely Airplane. When I listen to it, I have fun, but it's very... how do I put this nicely? Generic. The stages elevated it, absolutely, and otherwise it might rank even lower sadly.

36. “I.P.U.”

I don’t know how to put this nicely, but the only way I want to listen to this song is if ONEUS is singing it in concert, at which point I can imagine it being very emotional. It’s a special song for special occasions and I’m not going to listen to it to have fun.

37. “Outro: Connect with US”

You’d think I’d love the government-assigned SeoJo song, wouldn’t you? I mean, it’s okay.

38. “Eye Contact”

By the time this song hits the chorus, it always gets me and I love it. But the verses leave something to be desired imo. It is firmly a mid-tier song to me, and I feel like this particular musical formula was much better in “Now.” Also please don’t make eye contact with me I have social anxiety.

ZigZag’s Cursed Live Audio Tier

Unfortunate.

39. “Level Up”

WHY is this song so low??? Every time I hear it start I get so hyped up, but I feel like it never delivers on that hype fully. It feels too mid-tempo and generic for what the mix promises. I don't know. I can't explain it. The bridge doesn't lead up to much and that always feels like a betrayal. And because it has so much potential I’m even more disappointed about that.

40. “Intro: Light Us”

I have absolutely no opinion about this intro

41. “English Girl”

I’m way too queer and old for this song. :/

42. “In My Arms”

I don't feel their personalities at all in this song, which makes it stand out from almost all their other tracks. It just doesn't sound like a ONEUS song, to me.

43. “Kiseki”

A rare song that I skip when shuffling through the ONEUS discography

44. “Koisii”

The other rare song I skip when shuffling through the ONEUS discography, but also I would fight it if given the opportunity.

#v.opinions #this took... a couple of weeks #enjoy i guess #v.text

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herefortayloronly · 3 years

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evermore first impressions 12/19

i think this is the perfect use of this meme for the situation we found ourselves in once again.

i don’t really know how to preface this. it’s a freaking taylor swift album. i’m here for it!! and disclaimer: i’m not doing like an in depth lyrical analysis on this post because i’m dumb. i’m just talking about how i feel about each song. here’s the rankings because i wrote a lot and i feel bad for making you guys read my nonsense.

don’t be fool by how low i’m placing some of the songs. i love them all so much especially marjorie, tolerate it and willow. champagne problems and coney island are slowly climbing but definitely gonna take some time but all the songs i place above them are too good. also, i literally just listened to the bonus tracks as i’m writing this little part so i’m not ready to rank them yet but right where you left me is probably gonna end up pretty high based on first impressions!

and here’s a little surprise folklore ranking.

willow: i am absolutely obsessed with the piano or maybe it’s the glockenspiel in this song. i think i saw someone said, if folklore is for fairies then evermore is for witches and i think this song is a great example of that.

champagne problems: you know, when i first listened to this one i thought of my best friend who’s in a really long committed relationship and she talked to me about how she doesn’t want to get marry yet. and for some people that would be a red flag. to be in such a long 5-6 years committed relationship and not want to get marry. but really it’s not about not wanting to get marry or not wanting to be with your person forever, it’s about the fear of the things that come after marriage. and she talked about being scared of divorce, her parents got a divorce because their relationship was really toxic and she saw how it really affected her mother. i think it’s very reasonable to have this fear about the next step of your life, i mean who doesn’t?

gold rush: i’m very happy we got a booty popping song in this album lol. i was literally thinking before the album came out, i hope we get a “horny on main” type of song that was missing on folklore. this song really delivers. And while I think this song is super fun, i can see the cynical and almost realistic side of this side. like no body wants to compete for someone else’s affection. that feeling of jealousy would be unhealthy.

‘tis the damn season: god anything with an electric guitar is just like GIMME MOREEEEEE!! Something about this song reminds me so much like a classic late 2000s soft rock song. Like the guitar sounds like something switchfoot or the fray (one of my favorite artists of all time btw) or john mayer would do but never did.

tolerate it: i’m almost sad that this is a first impression post because this song is slowly growing on me. i just think the piano is absolutely beautiful on this song. and the story of doing everything you and trying your best to be the perfect partner and you think it’s still not enough for that other person and at the same time maybe it’s all in your head.

no body no crime: i mean a true crime song hellooooooo? this is going to be an instant classic in taylor’s discography i believe. i’m a little disappointed that haim isn’t singing in the song more but i still think this is a perfect song. such a classic country pop song.

happiness: this one is probably gonna take me a minute. i feel like i’m still working through so many other songs that this song is getting put in the back burner. which sucks because i love the story of acceptance and as much as you want to hate this other person, you also want to remember and to be remembered for all the good times. and i love the bridge in this song, like no matter how many times you try to make the other person the bad guy, you know there’s no point in doing that because it’s gonna cause you even more pain.

dorothea: i don’t know why every time this song comes on i just want to put my arms up and sway. i love how it feels so breezy and easy and very relaxing. this song kinda reminds me of seven. it’s almost like hey remember our youth, remember the time when we just do whatever we want and friendship comes easy and we don’t have this cynical outlook in life. and the cynicism comes from dorothea being this big star and experiencing life outside of this town and this group of friends that she had.

coney island: something you guys don’t know about me but i love romance novels. and a lot of books i read are basically couples losing that love the relationship once had and are getting a divorce and eventually learning how to love each other again. and this song perfectly encapsulate those stories hahahaha. like neither of the narrators in this song hates each other. they just feel very indifferent about each other and wondering where did that love and magic go.

ivy: of course this song is about infidelity but i see it as a metaphor for trying to protect this precious relationship. i see a lot of similarity of this song with other songs like i know places and dancing with our hands tied. i also love seeing everyone’s interpretation of this song!

cowboy like me: best song on the album. hands down. first: the sound. i love how it sounds like it’s straight out of a dive bar. and taylor’s vocals (i feel like i didn’t talk enough about her vocals in this album), it’s so smooth and velvety. i also love the metaphor! guys i love a song that has a good metaphor. y’all know that’s why i love miss americana and the heartbreak prince so much. i love this imagery of two “cowboys” who spent their lives with the wrong people and playing the field and they ended up crossing path. once they crossed path, they fell in love. i love this song so much!

long story short: this song is so much fun. even though i really appreciate the deep and dark takes on how she’s feeling about 2016, i’m glad she’s able to kinda still have fun with it.

marjorie: i’ve said this before, my grandmother (from my mother side what a coincidence) passed always nearly 3 years ago and she was the only grandparent i knew all my life. i have such a big attachment to her. she babysat me when i was baby up until i was 5 and going to school. my parents worked a lot so she was kinda like another parent to me. she sang to me. she told me stories. i would play dress up with her clothes. out of all of taylor’s songs, this one really hits close to home. despite this song being very sad, there’s also a sense of joy. i take this song as more like celebrating someone’s legacy and your memories of them.

closure: i’m actually glad i’m writing this part for this song after i saw the zane lowe apple music interview. i think the mentions of loyalty in the interview is also very prominent in this song and in no body no crime. they address both extremes of loyalty. no body no crime you’ll do anything for your friend. in closure, that loyalty is broken. i love the emphasis on it being “your” closure. it has selfish intent and only meant to absolve one party of any guilt.

evermore: when taylor said that joe played the piano beautifully, she was talking about this song! i was actually worry about this song being just another exile. and while exile was very good, i felt it was just another good song, like it didn’t really stood out to me in folklore. but they really switched it up for evermore. when the tempo changed, i literally thought something was wrong with the song or it suddenly changed to a different song when i heard it the first time. but oh my god. literally chills. such a great use of justin’s higher register and i actually favored his higher register than his lower. the chaotic nature of the bridge and then bringing it back down at the end really allowed the song to open up. so if you guys don’t know, my favorite collab taylor has ever done is the last time. evermore is coming for her throat!!

so to talk about evermore as a whole, i think this album has the most interesting sounds and lyrics and musical structures in taylor’s entire discography. the imagery is so visceral, it’s almost too much to handle like there’s a lot things going on. and the storytelling is just as sharp as ever.

now to compare this album to folklore. i don’t really want to Hahahaha but I feel like it’s almost inevitable when you label this album as folklore’s sister album and releasing it so close to folklore. they’re pretty on par with each other. i think folklore works as a one cohesive album, you can listen to it top to bottom. it’s also more familiar and easily digestible. evermore can be a little harder to get into despite the fact that it does have more upbeat songs. i think evermore feels like there are a lot ups and downs emotionally but all the songs convey such a strong emotion. it’s less digestible because there’s a lot of strange tempos and structures that aren’t in your normal pop songs. i personally favor folklore more because i love the simplicity but i think each song just flows into the next beautifully but evermore is still a gorgeous album.

#evermore #first impressions

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peepeethepreformer · 4 years

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JJ Project is the music duo of jyp entertainment though this group did not have a long life time, they are now apart of Got7. Verse 2# was the reunion album they made just for fans. After this album though sadly they decided to not resign their contract, having this be the last album JJ Project has made. IM Jaebeoms is the leader of Got7, and Park Jinyoung is one of the vocalist of Got7 But he is also an actor.

Now to get into the review

———————————

Coming Home

~Instrumental

I really love how they chose to have live instruments for this song, it gives the whole song a different feeling. The bass part is very strong throughout the whole song, its very groovy and keeps you hooked. I liked how in the beginning it started off with a light waking up kinda tone and then the base kicks in when jaebum starts to sing. It’s a very simple method of writing but it works so well you wanna brake apart every part of the song

~Lyrics

The song is about a couple who haven’t seen each other in a while, hence why its called coming home. I think its very sweet, the verses talk about the struggle of waiting till the next day to see someone and how it feels like forever before you can see the one you love the most. My favorite line is

“Even if the night air is too cold

I thought of you who would wait outside

That’s how I endured and came this far

Now let’s never let go

The promise of seeing you when tomorrow comes

Becomes a lie

Just when I’m about to lose strength, I wake up

I wish I can escape from my dreams now”

It’s just a very cute song, its very simple but refreshing and impactful from what the norm is for kpop songs

~Album song placment

I think its perfect that they put is as the first song on the album considering that the second song “Tomorrow,Today” is the title song they flow into each other very nicely.

내일, 오늘 Tomorrow, Today

~instrumental

The song is also has live instruments in it too, its a very light hearted tone music wise. I feel like I’m going on a road trip lol. Theirs not much to say about the instruments though its a basic pop/rock groove music wise, but it suits the lyrics quite well.

~Lyrics

The lyrics in this song are actually very relatable and kinda heavy. They talk about the hard ships of growing up and choosing what to do in the future. Especially when your just leaving high school or college and you don’t know what the next step is. It’s kinda like how could I choose what to do with my whole life when I’ve experienced so little. A line in the song that really expresses that is,

“Why must I decide about tomorrow, today?

How should I know what tomorrow will bring?

My path and my dreams are fading

If I could turn back time and see my future

I would know which way to go

I would know where my path is”

Or this line

“Again today, there are questions I don’t know

I’m trying to answer but I’m not confident

Is it this way or that way?

I’m afraid of my decision

With an anxious heart heart heart heart

I’m standing in front of the next next next choice

Between paths that I’ve never gone on before

How can I find my way?

I’m afraid, day by day”

It’s very impactful though when Jinyoung sings “is it this way or that way” combined with the instrumental in the back. Honestly felt like crying its a great song.

~Album song placement

I think its a perfect title song sense its the second song on the album I’m happy put it as the second song because the flow from the first song to this lyric wise and instrumental wise is very prefect they did a really good job and I recommend everyone listen to this song with the lyrics.

On&On

~Instrumental

This song is very upbeat, just like the first song its very groovy but it doesn’t feel repetitive it suits the rest of the album very well. It has live instruments, the guitar in the beginning gives a very groovy vibe. I like the way its just Jinyoungs voice and a little bit of piano but the very strong guitar right off the bat. I love the clapping build up into the chorus when the main guitar melody comes back in its very powerfull. Overall the instrumental is beautiful.

~Lyrics

The lyrics for this song are low key very depressing haha, but its also very relatable. The song talks about society’s pressures on people to conform to the norms. They also talk about how people have their own standard for what they wanna achieve in their lives and others shouldn’t dictate what someone else does with their life. On of the lines that really sick out is this one

“I don’t know

If the path I’m on is the right one

I’ll find everything out at the end of it

When you get used to the dark,

You can start to see the path

There’s no answer but why are you making me

Look in the same place?”

But the song is very clever cause they say “On&On life goes on” like you gotta just do your own thing and not care what others are doing or what other people want you to do. Like the line says, “On&On life goes on, just put your glasses on” and I think its a very nice message

~Album song placment

I think it was perfect that they chose this to go after Tomorrow,Together because the themes are very simillar, like not knowing what to do with your life and its all scary and makes you anxious. But in the end you just gotta do what you gotta do and live your life the way you want.

Icarus

~Instramental

I love this song a lot honestly, I like how its just piano in the beginning and how it kinda feels like time stops before the chorus and then it gets very powerful after with Jaebeoms great voice. But after the chorus it goes back into soft piano and a little guitar it makes you feel like youre going through a lot of different emotions it’s beautiful. I also love the verse before the ending chorus how Jinyoung goes soft and the music gets softer, but you can feel the anger build up after towards the end again and the music getters lower again and then suddenly drops ending the song.

~Lyrics

The song is inspired by the Greek myth about Icarus. If you don’t know the story he was a boy who had wings made of wax who was locked up but one day he got out and flew towards the sun but because his wings were wax they melted and he died. This song shows a different persepective of the story which I love. Sense when you read the story for the first time they talk about how selfish he was. But in the song they sing that everyone kept telling him he couldn’t do it, and he wanted to try harder and harder to achieve what his main goal was. And also a lines I really love is this one

“Every time I get scared

For the people who believe in me

I will prove it

Every time I wanna close my eyes

I’ll picture me standing at the finish line”

And this line

“I’m not sure of this path

But I’ll fly, I’ll fly

I’ll follow the light and draw countless pictures

Even if I feel the limit”

~Album song placment

Honestly compared to the last three songs I think it’s refreshing brake from the rest of the music, it still feels the theme and tone of the album. But lyrically its nice to not have so much relatable life hardship songs overalll its very well placed.

Don’t Wanna Know

~Insturmental

The instrumental is very powerfull, they use electronic beats in this song. I don’t think that’s a bad thing though sense most of the songs on the album have been live instruments. I do have to say that the words that are being sang fit very well with the music because its a very powerful song lyrically. Otherwise theirs not much to say but its very beautiful, in its own way.

~lyrics

The song is about a break up, how its so hard to go one without their special person sense they’ve been toghter for so long.

They say

“I can’t acknowledge that you left

You still live in me

I know but I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna know

Not yet, please don’t leave me

Please don’t leave me no”

This is the chorus and he’s saying he understands the out come of the relationship, but he hurts so much that he doesn’t wanna know. He knows that he needs to move on but he doesn’t want them to leave him yet so he doesn’t wanna know and he wants them bad. It’s a basic breakup song sad slow song.

~Album song placment

It suits the theme of the album its kinda weird to be placed after Icarus lyrically but muscailly is very well placed. In comparison to Icarus sense the themes are so different lyrically is weird but if you don’t speak Korean it works well.

Find You

~Instrumental

The instrumental is so good in this song, the uplifting melody is really good, towards the end was the most beautiful part because that’s whe the lyrics became so sure of itself that they will get this person back and it’s honestly very beautiful. I love the ending so much because it shows how much they care about this person.

~Lyrics

This song is about trying to get back the person you let go and realizing how stupid you were for letting them down. It’s a very upfitng song ever good for the end of the album too. My favorites lyrics are

“When I look back at my days

There was never a day you weren’t there

Why did I take you for granted?

Every chance I get, I regret it

I know it’s me who let you go

I know it’s too late but just once more

Will you let me know where you are?

I’ll go run and find the times

When you were next to me”

I also love the lyrics

“I need you, I can’t breathe without you

Everything is meaningless

I’ll find you wherever you are, I’ll try

So we can smile like we did before”

The way Jaeboem sings this part gives me chills everytime he is so good.

~Album song placment

I think were they put this song us absolutely perfect I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s a really good album closer.

그날The Day

~Instrumental

I love love love the instrumental part in this song. The little bass riffs and the snaps and the guitar parts. Everything is so well put together. I also love the fact that Jinyoung said this is the type of music he likes to listen too. And I can really feel that in the song, its very jazzy and a nice clam song to listen to I love it so much.

~Lyrics

It’s kinda hard to pinpoint what this songs about but I’m pretty sure its about a past loved one or when he was younger. Theirs a lot of symbolism so its kinda hard to understand what he’s supposed to be talking about but I think Jinyoungs talking about his younger self. he tends to write songs like that a lot if its a solo thing nether the less the song is still really good and well put together. My favorite lyrics are

“If no one talks to me

Without a word

Without knowing, the only thing I look for

Is you

On top of this silent ocean

When the sun starts to set

On top of this difficultly set melody

I’m standing alone”

~album song placment

I think its perfect that its second to last sense its a solo song, compared to the rest of the album I think it works well Being at the end its like a special treat.

Fade Away

~instrumental

The instrumental is very R&B which is Jaebeoms style it suits the way he sings very well, he would know that though sense its his solo song. I love how it gives the song this kinda dark angry tone sense the songs about a break up. It also has this really nice distortion to it and it works very well with his voice

~Lyrics

The song is about an abusive partner. Someone who tells you they love but treats you with out care. And Jaeboem just talks about leaving this person and you can tell how upset and angry he is by the way he uses his voice and the lyrics its really good and interesting to read as well.

My favorite Lines are

“Just don’t blame it on me

It’s not my fault but ours

You only blame me, I tell you it’s not like that

But you cover your ears and you won’t listen”

I also love the lines

“I try to change myself for you

I try to hold it in

But you keep getting mad at me

Every chance you get, you doubt me

You trample on me till I disappear

I can’t do this no more”

~Album song placements

Contradicting to Jinyoungs slow song before Jaebeoms is more harsh and even though you can tell their styles and personality’s very well by each song it fits really well that jaebeoms song is after jinyoungs. Over all I thank it was best that Fade Away was the very last song on the album it wraps up the album very nicely, and it leaves you wanting to listen to the whole album over again.

Final Score

~Instrumental over all: 10/10

~Lyrics over all: 9.5/10

~Album song placment over all: 9.5/10

Overall score: 10/10

Last Opinions

I love this album a lot I’ve been listing to it for years now this is the first time I’ve analyzed it though. In all honesty some songs lacked some lyrical genius but its still nice to listen too and I will say that Don’t Wanna Know being after Icarus was weird but it’s something you can easily look over.

I still think this album deserves high praise though because it’s an album you can listen too without skipping a song, I could listen to it on repeat all day if i wanted it never gets old. Listening to any album without skipping songs is very important to me so the fact that I’ve never skipped a song from this album says a lot. Their for I recommend everyone at least listen to Verse2# once it’s really worth it. And thank you for taking your time to read this review.

#jj project #got7 jjp #jinyoung #got7 jaebeom #got7 jinyoung #kpop boy group #kpop #kpop review #music review

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immimidi · 4 years

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GFOTY - Ham Chunks and Wine

Girl Friend Of The Year (GFOTY) has released one of (if not) my favourite EP of 2020 so far.

Ham Chunks and Wine is such a creative collection of music; giving elements of experimental, dance, europop and pop.

The title of the album is the perfect amount of weird and intriguing. conjouringing images of experimental/weirdo music with the mention of Ham Chunk and images of classy pop music, with the addition of Wine, perfectly summing up album.

Most importantly this EP is the most fun I have had with an EP for a while and GFOTY comes across as someone who knows how to have fun with her music.

Track one: Wide - Wide is the most ‘PC Music’ style of song on the EP, the use of heavy pulsing bass synths and re-pitched/pitch shifted vocals are very reminiscent of most of PC music’s big hitters. The chilled out middle section breaks up the song perfectly allowing for a change in the energy when compared very tense chorus sections and the utterly chaotic final section, which to my ears is one of the most beautiful pieces of chaotic arrangement I have ever heard, In fact it made me shout “FUCK HECK YES!!!!” and pull that face everyone pulls when the beat drops.

The voice production in wide starts the EP off as it means to go on pulling the attention of the ears by providing the melody section due to the very heavy processing and re-pitching of the vocals. It sounds stellar giving it a nice futuristic vibe that tbh until this EP only SOPHIE had been able to create to such a standard consistently. This heavy vocal processing and the use of SFX and ASMRy...ASMR-esque sounds combine to make such a perfect vibe and production aesthetic for the track. While we are talking about the voice I do need to say that the lyrics of this song are inconsequential apart from the titular word, they to me don’t provide any extra context to the track, they are their purley to support the voice and provide more for the voice to do....They are perfect in this role. ‘Wide’ is the perfect word to be used for this song as despite all the sound and processing the mix has soooooo much room in it and the movement and panning create a suitably wide mix.

That 3rd section I cannot do justice by words. LISTEN TO IT. It is phenomenal and chaotic and I LOVE IT. It gets my Mwah chef’s kiss moment for this track.

4.75/5 /A+/ Big YES

Track Two: Magician’s Wand - What to say about Magician’s Wand, other than I wish it lasted longer.

That lazer gun bass synth that ‘BWAHHS’ its way across the low end of the mix being paired with equally lazery high synths and that ever present robot voice production that GFOTY is so good at - Keeping that amazing futuristic vibe that ‘Wide’ had but building on it by adding more layers and filling the mix out slightly. The chaos of the harmonic elements is a great for keeping the interest of the ear while very simple beat in both the intro section and the second sections seals the chaotic experimental sounds in a pop music shell, keeping the music palatable for non-experimental music listeners, something that GFOTY had difficulty with in the song USA -Which I adore but my friends found hard to listen to.

The vocal production is very similar to ‘Wide’ which is nice to see a consistent aesthetic throughout the first two tracks giving us expectations to be subverted in future tracks. A big plus to this tracks vocals is the lyrical content as it provides nice little sound bites that are kinda suggestive adding a bit of human in the robot aesthetic of the voice.

Mwah moment - the ‘BWAHH’ synth that truly sets the mood for the rest of the much too short track.

4/5 /A/ Big YES

Track Three: Rid Of All (Feat Count Baldor) - This track’s intro is the perfect change of pace from the last two tracks, subverting the expectations of another experimental PC Music style synth fest, by opening up with a clean held pad synth and a less processed vocal alongside it.

Describing the pad synth used in my notes I simply wrote ‘lovely pad’ but that doesn’t do enough justice to how soft and clean this pad is, if a pillow was a pad this pad would still be softer it is so cool to hear after the chaos and the ‘BWAHHs’ of the previous two tracks.

The break section with the whispers is so beautifully haunting and it serves as the perfect jumping off point for this song to take in any direction and GFOTY/Count Baldor jump off perfectly and unexpectedly into a 00s/eurodance style beat with perfectly cheesy bass synths (LGBT+ club music/my kind of music).

The voice in this new section is also unexpected and shouldn’t fit into this style of music but does perfectly. It shouldn’t fit in because its a metal guitar - I can’t figure out if its a talkbox or the single most processed voice ever recorded or if it’s a guitar and a voice with the same fx being cut between by Baldor and their amazing DJ skills, or if it’s all three, but tbh I don’t care it’s incredible and sounds so good in context with the rest of the track.

The eurodance section dies down and returns to that clean synth/vocal section, which reminds me of Imogen Heap and Bjork, in this section we can get a breather from the utter glory and madness that was the previous section and we get to hear the lyrical content and the lyrics are phenomenal in this section they are perfect for the eurodance/electro pop vibe the track presents and are most importantly FUN, something that in my opinion some pop music has been shying away from by trying to sound profound. I love the use of harp and SFX in this section further reminding me of Bjork and also giving the section a faux dream quality before adding the heavy bass synths in getting ready to drop us back into eurodance madness.

The Eurodance sections do not fail to put a smile on my face and I love every second of them, I am happy that GFOTY/Count Baldor chose to break them up with some slower ethereal sections because it makes their inherent cheesiness even more happy.

Mwah moment - EURODANCE GUITAR VOICE MADNESS (the only way i can describe it)

5/5 /A+/ BIGGEST YES

Track Four: By My Side - This track slaps, simple as. It’s another track that made me shout ‘FUCK HECK YES!!!’ it is another track that knows how to have fun and puts a smile on my face.

The track opens with a simplistic and effective pop-house piano melody with pop voice production. Yet again GFOTY’s voice production is stellar the change from the robotic re-pitching to very subtle FX usage in this track works and it creates this nice pop music moment and proves our girl doesn;t need to sound like a sexy robot to sound incredible - though if you know any of her other work you already knew this.

The background synths in this section give a nice dance music vibe off especially those saw melodies and that when that liquid bass comes in and white noise generators hit I am transported to Ibiza, loving every second of the song...and then It happens, that sampled melody is used and I LOSE MY FUCKING BLOODY MIND. GFOTY may have used sampled melody better than anyone ever, GFOTY samples ‘I’m Blue (Da Ba Dee Da Ba Die)’ and it is glorious I don’t think I could ever put into words just how amazingly good the use of sampling is, how perfect the sample is and how happy and excited it made me (Mwah moment for sure). A counter synth is used and it is very true to the vibe of Ibiza dance but it just seems like it could do more that flick between chords - though a new counterpoint is used in the next sample section, YES IT HAPPENS AGAIN.

But before it happens again we are given space to breathe with a house section using the first counterpoint synth as a counterpoint chord synth with the classic house piano to take us from modern Ibiza to 1989 and then the trance-esque melody synth used in the background flings us straight into the 90s and the birth of trance music - kinda reminds me of ‘9 PM Till I Come’. This section is the perfect length of breather and is a credit (as is the rest of the album tbf) to just how good GFOTY is at arrangement of synth based music. I love her voice in this little breather section she sounds so good with this minimal (compared to the previous tracks) production and the fact she is singing in a lower register as well, I really love her voice here.

After a short build section we are given the treat of that sample again. The use of voice synth in the build section is very nice and a great callback to the previous tracks. But the only thing that matters is that sample and it hits just as hard if not harder the second time, as it has all of the synths surrounding it.

This track is a love letter to 90s-00s dance music and honestly I love every second of it.

Mwah Moment - THAT SAMPLED MELODY

6/5 /A++/ BIGGER THAN THE BIGGEST YES

Track Five: Here With Me - The perfect ending to a perfect EP, so perfectly subverts expectations the previous tracks have set-up and showcases GFOTY’s pop writing prowess, her prowess as a performer and that she isn’t all silliness.

The track opens on a gorgeous, musical theatre esque piano line. The piano has such a beautifully natural timbre which is expertly countered with a processed (I think re-pitched) vocal and it is phenomenal. Despite this heavy processing GFOTY is able to give a ridiculously emotional performance with the voice cracks and vocal fries being present making this robot character that the processing has created since the beginning of the EP appear even more human and broken - it is powerful songwriting and production intertwining.

The overall aesthetic of this track is very musical theatre, when making my notes I even wrote ‘Almost Disney’ it is just a pure performance being backed up with some of the strongest production I have heard in experimental pop music for a while. The Lyrical content is so beautiful and emotional and says a lot about mental health and how relationships and dependance can affect a person.

GFOTY’s vocal performance is entrancing I have already gushed about how much I love her singing in a lower register. In this track it is no different her voice in the low register is beautiful and when she lifts into her high notes they hit more emotionally to my brain because i can hear her strain and it makes her performance that much more satisfying to listen to.

The extra instruments that add phrases to the track throughout give a little bit of variation to the instrumental arrangement ensuring that the voice/piano combination doesn’t grow stale. As the track buidls and adds more instruments they don’t stick around to clog the mix up. A lesser artist (Me) would have left them in and keep adding instruments to keep building leading to parts of the mix and arrangement feeling clogged up, GFOTY knows when to add and lose instruments to keep the mix open.

The Guitars are really pretty touches in what feels like the final build of the track only for the build to die completely and become that beautiful haunting marimba section, with the string swells adding to the emotion and the theatre of this section before the perfect outro of just voice and piano - I almost cried.

Mwah Moment - That voice, That performance

5/5 /A+/ BIGGEST YES

Final Thoughts

Honestly all electronic acts should be scared of just how good this is.This EP spans the emotional range being Tense and Bone Crushingly hard in track one, Imaginative and Cool in track two, Silly and Fun in tracks three and four, and emotional and beautiful in track five. A testament to GOTY’s talent and just how good electronic music can be. I was smiling throughout, such a good EP

Mwah Moment - The arrangement of each track on this EP is fantastic and perfect.

Overall - 5/5 /A+/ BIGGEST YES

#gfoty #Ham Chunks and Wine #music #electropop #pc music #pretty wavvy #review #music review #ep review #opinion #Best EP Of 2020

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moriiyun · 3 years

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(sort of) first listen: day6's the book of us: negentropy - chaos swallowed up in love

i say sort of first listen because i've heard the first 3 songs on this album before, i just haven't heard the rest. and honestly, day6's music is so complex so this reaction definitely does not do it justice, so yea!!

also reminder these are just my opinions and takeaways pls don’t kill me thanks :D

everyday we fight

i heard this before but why am i noticing so many things now???? like the funky synth bit after the first chorus and the way the 2nd chorus transitions into the 1st part of the bridge wha,,,,,, and there are 2 sections of the bridge which are completely different and i was so baffled that i went backwards to hear it again because i couldn't believe it LMAO. only day6 things i guess. also dowoon is really doing the most on the drums because there is a lot of marching band snare stuff going on especially in the pre-chorus. that's interesting tho cos it's like a battle cry, the snare drum. plus at the end of the song there is a 'ding' which is like that sound when you win a boxing match and it's like 'everyday we fight' so day6 really said fight references this is genius i love this i think it's called wordsplaining?? idk

you make me

i've heard this so many times so now whatever is here is just me nitpicking LOL but seriously, there is so much detail in this there is so much to unpack geez. like first off structure wise there are so many music breaks it actually doesn't make sense but it does. idk. also the bridge literally goes straight from the 2nd chorus non stop and then we transition into a final chorus type thing (or is it a 2nd bridge?) and i have no idea what went on there but it is good. and the pre-chorus is like 2 lines long?? strange but it works so oh well who am i to complain. also on the instrumentation,,, there seems to be like 3 layers of drums, 1 is definitely an edm beat cos it's too fast to play so that's a synth thing, 1 is dowoon playing the legit actual drums during the chorus parts but the last one is strange. it's mostly used during the verses and pre-chorus, and in the background during the chorus. it sounds like a drum pad so not the actual drum kit but the black thing that works like a drum when u hit it, but during the chorus how do u play 2 drums??? like nani?? i suspect he plays drum pad during the verses and the chorus is just an edm synth track that they recorded before hand. either that or they used a loop machine thing for the drum pad sound. i really dunno cos there's no live stages so rip. if anyone asks why i pick up drums soundwise first when i learn guitar, i have no idea okay,, i just do lol. also can we give a shoutout for vocals for 5 seconds,, especially wonpil's falsetto-belt-falsetto in the bridge like damn. talent.

healer

okay i've heard this one before too and this song is. interesting. cos it made me realise that this album so far has basically been even of day's sound with fuller instrumentation. it's more synth than piano based and that's not bad, it's just new for day6 imo. this song is mostly interesting structure?? like the synth bit at the intro was funky and the verse dropping down into the pre-chorus before going up into the chorus just works?? idk. also i'm gonna take a moment to talk about the post-chorus because this is one of the most effective post-choruses i know. i'm not the biggest fan of post-chorus stuff cos it's kinda weird sometimes but this works idk. the synth melody that they play during that part is addicting and also for some reason very destabilising? like idk feels like i'm flying in the sky with peter pan or something. it works for me it sounds really nice. also once again the bridge is a strange one because it's basically a whole section of loud crowd-cheering type sounds and then 1 actual proper line and them BOOM chorus again. a bit like the bridge of shoot me except that bridge has 2 sections 1 cheering one actual singing. this doesn't really have that but somehow it works for the song. day6 are magic i don't make the rules. also can you imagine this in concert with an actual crowd T_T

only

what. WHAT. i haven't heard this one before and i kid you not my mouth was open for the whole song in SHOCK. remember when i said so far the album was very even of day style? well the intro of this song said SIKE and now i can't process SHIT. like what even happened???????? it all sounds good tho. this song is really calming and i will probably start registering it when i start listening to it more. but i'm just gonna talk about verse 2 for a second because ???????????????????????? im so shook someone sang in a low timbre and i was like ??? who this ?? and i was like oh maybe it's jae and i couldn't figure it out until the end of the verse TURNS OUT IT'S FREAKING BRIAN/YOUNG K WHAT EVEN THAT DOESN'T EVEN SOUND LIKE HIM ????????????? im so confused day6 vocal kings i guess. also the bridge...sungjin just kept climbing up and i was like wait his range isn't gonna make it to the end of the bridge but nO IT TRANSITIONS TO BRIAN SO SMOOTHLY AND ONCE AGAIN I AM BAFFLED HOW DO THEY DO THIS. many questions no answers. also outro bit was really nice and it led into a fadeout that i don't usually like but was expected for this song cos this song definitely needs a fadeout so yknow, it works. anywho good song still very baffled but good song. also last note i forgot about this but they were doing a lot of voice echoing like choir-esque bits and that was super cool.

above the clouds

first things first: the return of shaker, acoustic guitar and piano my beloved <3 like the sounds were so pretty and acoustic in the first verse i knew there was gonna be a drop somewhere but the drop came in a place i didn't expect and in a way i didn't anticipate - turns out it's the one melody i remember from the teasers and now it's gonna be stuck in my head forever because it's that good of a melody. i also didn't expect the drums to go that hard but they did and it works out so yknow what i can't complain. once again day6 are wordsmiths and musical geniuses because they started the song very softly with the sound of wind, as if you're flying in the sky cos 'above the clouds' but not only that they end with a similar windy sound and they also end similar to landed (by even of day) which is so poetic and ironic because landed = on the ground and this song is 'above the clouds' like seriously this is the biggest brain shit ever. the bridge has an ascending bit which is super cliche but idk this is one of those songs where you want them to follow the cliche melody??? idk but it worked for me and this might be one of my faves in the album so far.

one

this song ................... wack. it starts with an almost hip hop beat and i was like ??? but then it slowly layers more vocals and instrumentals and suddenly it sound like well, a day6 song. and i cannot explain how in love i am with the chorus, it feels like the rallying cry of the broken people, and it just reaches you in a very different way from the rest of the song and is completely different. also there is someone singing a lower harmony at certain parts of the verse and it is so LOW and i cannot figure out who sings it but it almost sounds like dowoon so like DOWOON MAYBE VOCALS???? idk but yea it is one interesting harmony because usually day6 layer upwards and not downwards, but this really adds depth, like so much of it and it works for that portion. also the bridge is super cool cos it starts right after the chorus but the drums cut out but then they come back in so you focus on that and then as it's building up it abruptly just stops. and the music cuts out for a good 3 counts and you're so confused and then suddenly mini drum solo !!!!!! and it makes you anticipate and look forward to the chorus that much more because it just stops and you're left wanting so much more, especially because it echoes off at the end and DOESN'T RESOLVE NICELY. it makes you feel like the song isn't done or is too short. overall it's an incredible song and it really is just that good aaaaaa

so let's love

woah. literally this song is so......idk anymore. it starts off super acoustic and just very mellow but it just suddenly cuts to what you think is the chorus but nO it's actually the pre-chorus so it feels like you false started and it's so mind boggling and suddenly instrument breaks everywhere and no proper second verse, we immediately get a pre-chorus and second chorus and then drum and electric guitar break ????? and then bridge which is CRAZY because we go from falsetto airy stuff to BELTING and suddenly it goes quiet and then INTENSIFIES WITH 2 LAYERS OF SINGING before quieting down and ending. and it really is such a fitting ending to the album because it encompasses the absolute chaos because there isn't a regular proper structure and yet it's beautiful and melodic and sings about soft things and it feels like a warm hug. basically 'chaos swallowed up in love' put into music. and it's so fitting and just works because this is just a day6 sound that is so. them. and it's what this album is all about, the strangeness of it all with something familiar, which is probably what makes it such a welcome listen.

edit

figured out why this song hits different: it’s desperate and sad as fk. hits you straight in the feels because it’s as if they’re yearning for something but it’s so out of reach that they just. stop. idk it really is just heart wrenching in every single way. someone compared it to ‘i need somebody’ but idk i feel like it’s same but different.

overall, day6 never disappoints and it's once again an epic album from them. this is my first ot5 comeback as a myday so this album is super special to me and to have such a beautiful tracklist is amazing. it's incredible what day6 do every single time, they are insanely good at what they do and i'm so glad that i have their music.

#the only disappointing thing is no dowoon vocals but it's okay we'll live #also yes i am reacting to music again!!#─ music #day6 #a: the book of us: negentropy - chaos swallowed up in love

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betterdaysareatoenailaway · 3 years

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Out on the Interstate: S’more Thoughts on Neil Young

I don’t have any fentanyl stories today, so I’m writing another Neil Young post. (Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to mention heroin. You’ll see.) I still have a ton of fent stories, don’t worry bout that. I just don’t feel like mining my memory for any right now. Instead, I wanna talk about my favourite Neil Young song ever. It’s called “Interstate.” This performance was recorded at Farm Aid 1985. Young’s backing band at the time were called the International Harvesters, which is a funny joke (International Harvester was a company that manufactured tractors and other agricultural equipment). Young was on a roll in the 80s with clever band names. Later on he would front Neil Young & the Restless. Anyway whoever is playing piano with Young was the perfect choice, plucking individual keys instead of slathering big chords all over the descending minor chord progression. Young’s guitar is tuned to drop D, a favourite tuning of his throughout his career, from “Cinammon Girl” to “World On A String” to “Be the Rain,” and you can hear the low D buzzing throughout, giving the song a raw off-the-cuff feel. Of course, Neil Young is known for his raw performances, especially on albums like Tonight’s the Night, but by the time the 80s rolled around he was making albums with a lot of processing and production like Landing on Water, along with silly genre exercises like Everybody’s Rockin’ and Old Ways.

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Young would eventually be sued by his own record label, Geffen, for making “uncharacteristic music.” David Geffen would eventually apologize to him, but he wasn’t wrong that Young’s early 80s records were a bit of a disaster. This performance, however, shows that Young hadn’t lost a single step when it came to live performance. His vocal is clear and convincing, world weary but still kinda defiant, like all his best songs. And whether those are real or synth strings, they sound great, and really tug at one’s heartstrings. They have the spook, that high lonesome train whistle feel. To my ears, all the best Neil Young songs are haunting and plaintive. There is a loneliness at the heart of most of Young’s best work (ever hear “Albequerque”? Prolly the saddest song to ever mention the eating of ham?) Neil Young doesn’t write carefree party music. Hell, he once recorded an entire album about the death of his friend and former bandmate Danny Whitten - and to a lesser extent, former roadie Bruce Berry who was fired for pawning instruments to buy heroin...told ya I’d find a way to mention the drug ;). What I’m saying is, Young is no stranger to sad songs. As to which song is his saddest, there are many contenders, but as Young’s biographer himself admits, “Interstate is Neil Young’s loneliest song.” I agree.

Young’s longtime producer David Briggs, who knew damn well that “Interstate” was a rare gem, tried to get Young to record it for 1991′s Ragged Glory, but in typical fashion, “[Young] acceded, but perversely,” eschewing the full-band format and recording a solo acoustic version instead. That particular version would eventually see limited release on the vinyl version of Young’s 1996 album Broken Arrow, a forgettable affair that was hammered by critics and disavowed by most members of Crazy Horse. You can find the solo acoustic “Interstate” on YouTube but I’m not gonna post it, simply because it is so freakin’ disappointing.

I love the line “I can hear a soft voice calling...telling me to bring my guitar home.” In the tradition of the Rolling Stones’ “Moonlight Mile,” "Interstate” is one of the all-time great I’m-A-Lonely-Rock-Star-On-Tour song. A more modern version of this idea can be found in Kurt Vile’s unimaginatively titled “On Tour,” a song where Young’s influence can be identified, especially in the way Vile tunes his lower strings to let them buzz, a technique pioneered by Young in the abovementioned song and most prominently in “Bandit.”

Thank God for YouTube, so that you can hear "Interstate” in all its gorgeous majesty. You can hear Young play the same guitar solo he’s been playing his whole career in minor key masterpieces like “Hey Hey My My,” “Like A Hurricane,” “Goin’ Home,” “Be The Rain.” Every time Young returns to it, you can feel the long shadow of his past, echoes of former greatness, the shambolic glory of his band bashing away at the chords, always emphasizing emotional delivery over technical proficiency. It’s a really really beautiful song, a song I treasure, and I hope you like it.

I’m also posting a rare version of “Shots.”

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In “Shots,” Neil Young returns to a technique previously used on “Cortez the Killer,” where he switches from a third person omniscient voice describing trauma and violence to a first person voice describing personal emotion. In Zuma’s “Cortez the Killer,” Young spends two or three verses describing the endeavours of genocidal explorer Hernan Cortes, and also the Aztecs: people worked together/they lifted many stones/they carried them to the flatlands/they died along the way/but they built up with their bare hands what we still can’t do today/and I know she’s living there and loves me til this day. Now, that’s not Shelley, but it’s an effective and jarring switch. Young tries it again in “Shots,” and for me, the effect is even better. For whatever reason, maybe his sharp right turn when he became an outspoken Reagan supporter, or maybe because of the Iran-Contra Affair, Young’s lyrics took on a particular preoccupation with crime, border zones, and desert iconography in the 1980s, manifestations of which can be heard in “Crime in the City (Sixty to Zero Part I)” “Rockin’ In the Free World,” “On Broadway,” and “Eldorado,” all songs that ended up on Young’s last album of the 1980s, Freedom. But because of the remarkable internal consistency of Young’s discography, you can also hear such sentiments in one of his first 1980s releases: “Shots.” Children are lost in the sand, building roads with little hands Trying to join their father's castles together again Will they make it? Hey, who knows where or when old wounds will mend? Shots ringing all along the borders can be heard Striking out like a venom in the sky Cutting through the air faster than a bird in the night But I'll never use your love, you know I'm not that kind And so if you give your heart to me I promise to you Whatever we do...that I will always be true To jump from depictions of border violence to gooey Hallmark card sentiments shouldn’t work, yet it does. The words might look silly written down, but the sheer conviction they are sung with, and the sheer power of Young’s loon-like vibrato, is what sells them, at least to my ears and heart. I’m not the first to make the loon comparison, Young’s biographer Jimmy McDonough has done so too. Young’s father Scott was the first writer to compare his son’s unique voice to the sound of the loon cry, a very Canadian sound, associated with Muskoka nights in summer, nights often soundtracked by Young’s vast and varied discography.

Disappointingly, the album version of “Shots,” which appeared on 1981′s Re-ac-tor, is pretty fuckin annoying, with its overblown machine gun affects (done by Young on the Synclavier), and Ralph Molina’s incessant marching beat. The song is already called “Shots,” Neil. You didn’t have to add machine gun sound effects. This isn’t audio verite. I’m not gonna post the album version here but you can find it easily. The album iteration has its fans though. Canadian blue-collar rockers The Constantines would cover “Shots” on a vinyl-only release with The Unintended, in which the Cons covered Neil Young and The Unintended covered Gordon Lightfoot. The Cons picked some weird songs, “Shots” among them, and you can tell they are referencing the Re-ac-tor version, not the superior one posted here. I’m not sure why Young slathered so many effects over the album version of “Shots.” The 80s definitely saw him taking his heavier music in an unpalatable direction. The Eldorado EP, in particular, has one of his most savage recordings ever, a song called “Heavy Love” where Young blows his voice out completely by the end of the song in an attempt to sing louder than the savage pulsing thrust of the band (the abovementioned Young & the Restless). The drummer on Eldorado was Chad Cromwell, not Steve Jordan who’d played with Young on his legendary SNL appearance where he played “Rockin in the Free World,” the definitive performance of that song, where Young tore all six strings from his guitar at its denouement. Unfortunately, SNL guards its content as jealously as a rabid guard dog, so I can’t post it. Maybe one day I’ll find a gif. I’ll leave you with two strong cuts from Eldorado. The first is “Heavy Love,” which is obviously a sister song to “Rockin In The Free World,” with its similar sonic texture and E minor riff. Listening is worth it just to hear Young’s voice go to pieces a la “Territorial Pissings” at the end (3:58 if you don’t wanna wait).

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And this is the title track “Eldorado,” which ended up on Freedom. Young employs a fingerpicking style redolent of 80s megastars Dire Straits, and he sings of mission bells and senoritas and golden suns rising on runways and Mariachi bands while playing the A minor chord, a chord strongly associated with Mexican music and Mariachi styles. It’s a cool verite approach, one that works much better than the machine gun effects of “Shots,” especially when the gun violence Young has been hinting at the entire song finally explodes in a shower of distortion at 4:40. Have you ever heard something so loud compared to the backing track? I remember showing “Eldorado” to my friend/bandmate James, and I told him to prepare himself for how loud it is. Afterwards, James said, “even though I was ready for it, that scared the shit out of me.” It is so fucking loud. Check it out @ 4:40. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

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One last point I’ll make...the Spanish-influenced guitar lick you can hear at 1:06 is really similar to the pre-chorus guitar riff Young plays on “War of Man” from Harvest Moon. I don’t consider stuff like that to be self plagiarism. I think it shows a consistency, but also it’s a way to reward fans for paying attention. Frank Zappa was known to do the same thing, re-introduce little musical nuances he’d recorded years or decades before. It’s cool. It’s what makes a discography live on long after the artist has burnt out or faded away. If you’re interested, here is a wonderful live early version of “Eldorado” titled “Road of Plenty” recorded with Crazy Horse in 1986: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By6_oLYfrYk

#betterdaysareatoenailaway #neil young #interstate #shots #ronald reagan #1980s #re-ac-tor #1981 #David Briggs #Scott Young #ralph molina #synclavier #steve jordan #SNL #bruceberry #danny whitten #heroin

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theblobmaster · 6 years

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17 songs of 2017

tagged by lovely @marinacourage, thank you <3

so this slightly killed me, i started with 29 songs and 3 full albums. i got it down to 14 songs and 3 full albums. i don’t care, the albums need to be on there in full because i’ve listened to them from start to finish so often.

i decided to only do kpop/kpop related and limit myself to songs released in 2017 otherwise roy kims whole discography would be on and i would have to cut down from over a 100 songs probably. all titles will be links if you’re curious :D

the first six are in order afterwards not.

1. Verse 2 - JJ Project.

this album okay. this fucking album. i fell in love with jjp in 2012 and during the five years it took them to comeback i’ve probably listened to the bounce single over a thousand times. this album is a 180 in music style but goddammit it hit me. this mellow RnB sound just relaxes me so much. the thing is that this is full of emotions that is conveyed through their voices and their voices compliment each other so much. and i think it has a lot to do with the fact that they were so involved with the making of the album. their solo songs fit them perfectly and i get feels every time i listen to it. i have listened to this album minimum once a day since it’s been released and i’m still not over it. will probably never be over it.

2. Stone Heart - Taemin

okay first of all the whole move album is amazing but stone heart captured me. his album came out while i was in korea or just before i left. for around four days during that trip i basically only had this song on repeat. the beat, the atmosphere, his fucking voice okay it’s just. so. good. it’s sultry in the best way. and now every time i hear it i can smell korea which is nice as well. i’m so proud of him and this album really cermented that, seeing him grow so much just warms my heart. but can he please just start wearing clothes that’s not see through or just put on a fucking shirt pls.

3. 7 for 7 - GOT7

another full album i know but i would make it into one song if i could alright? so good. first of all this feels like an /album/, this songs are consistent and have a red thread in their atmosphere. i don’t feel like i’m being jerked around in different directions when i listen to it which is a big plus for me. again the boys being so involved with the producing does a lot, it makes it more personal and i feel like it shines through. (jaebum miming along to the chorus of teenager fx.) also i get caught up in feels when i listen to it, it makes me want to belt out the songs with them and i have had too many loudly singalongs to this album. at work, at home, in my head walking the streets.

4. Cave Me In - Gallant, Tablo & Eric Nam

this song is just. wow. just fucking wow. listen to it, feel it in your body and then scream at how good it is okay. their voices blend so well and the flow of the song is so nice. it kind of invites you along. i also really like the lyrics. it’s a song where when it comes on i just kind of stop what i’m doing and listen to it, taking it in. it’s just amazing.

5. Hush - Primary feat. JB of GOT7

so this is probably also the year i fell in love with jaebum’s voice... i actually really liked the whole album. it was filled with some of my favourite kpop vocals of all time and i would’ve put the whole album on here but i had to limit myself. this song though made me realise how good jaebum could sound if his voice is utilized correctly. sometimes in got7 songs his voice can end up rather shrill which hurts my ears. but in this one it’s again kinda mellow and soft even when he goes into the higher notes. it makes it extremely pleasant to listen to. really well produced.

6. Circles - G.Soul

another full album, but the last one. i’ve always enjoyed g.soul’s voice. and i absolutely adored his dirty album. i have at some point since the release of this album had all of the songs on repeat. again it’s such a well produced album that even if goes from a party song like tequila to the more slow and relaxing beat of can’t it doesn’t feel out of place. you get to appreciate his vocals in a completely new way that you didn’t when he was under jype. it’s sultry and inviting in all the right ways and so relaxing. if you haven’t heard it pls listen to it.

7. Plz Don’t Be Sad - Highlight

their first comeback after leaving cube and it was perfect. beast were always consistent with their comebacks and it seems like highlight will be too. this is such a fun and happy song and it makes me smile when i listen to it. the music video made me chuckle. this is all in all just a song that makes me so happy and smiley. and they all looked so good, so so good.

8. Swimming Fool - Seventeen Performance Unit.

another happy song. this song is perfect for this unit because it’s a song that makes you wanna dance. it’s a song that has a vibe of being carefree and loving life. i just can’t help but smile when it comes on, and wriggle in my seat if i’m sitting down. i see swimming pools and the ocean in my mind when i listen to this song.

9. Artist - Zico

fun song, fun mv, fun everything. i want to sing along to this song when it comes on. i want to groove with the music and i let myself drift along to the playful beat. it so light and kind of airy?? i like the small sounds laying over the beat. the sax that comes in shortly and as always the way zico plays with the flow is incredible.

10. Really Really - Winner

i adored their last comeback with taehyun and i was worried how they would do without his vocals because their music before has relied alot on it. especially jinwoo since i figured there would be an increase in lines for him. he’s not the strongest vocal but wow i was impressed. the flow of the song, the blend of voices and the use of jinwoo’s soft warm voice really really (kekeke) got me. it’s a song that makes you want to dance, it’s a song that you can’t help but fall for.

11. Egoist - Roy Kim

this is probably my least favourite album from roy. which is evident in the way that i haven’t listened it to death. the title song though, so light and fun. it’s a song that kind of gives me the feeling of being full of happiness. his voice is soft and soothing and the melody and beat is playful. it makes me think of summer and that’s really what he does so well. making albums fitting each season that you can’t help but mentally teleporting to that season.

12. Not Today - BTS

i love this song. the beat that’s heavy but kinda funky? like it seems more based on a bass than a drum which yesh please. it flows so well and the chorus. again it’s a song that sweeps me along for the ride and i can’t help but sing along or mime and have fun with them. also i like making weird faces to this song which i have no idea why.

13. Ko Ko Bop - EXO

ko ko bop is a bop. so summer chill and relaxing. their vocals shine through. in the beginning i had a hard time with the breakdown because i enjoy the chillness of the verses. every time i hear it i sees light clouds on a blue sky. the styling tho why oh god why.

14. Oh Hey Yeah - Gikwang

this song again is so chill. i just want to lay down and listen to his voice. i was really excited for his solo comeback and i love the whole album. another example of a voice used right. he’s not the strongest vocal and his low tones a so much more comfortable to listen to and this is a song full of them. i kinda just melt listening to his voice in this song. it’s almost as if he’s whispering the song into your ear while you’re cuddling.

15. Honeymoon - B.A.P

first of i love this mv. the colours blew me away. what really got me with this song is their vocals. there’s not as many high notes in this song compared to their other titles songs. and while i love the high notes of daehyun, he’s deeper tones takes me to fucking paradise. also what’s up jongup when did your voice becomes so fucking amazing? it’s a song that makes me happy and think of the ocean (which is apparently happiness for me??) the rap blends in well and yeah. i’m in love with how all of their voices sounds in the song. gives me the feels.

16. Empty Road - Taeyang

i haven’t really been as excited over the different releases from bb this year as i usually am. i think the whole thing with tabi really threw me out of it. it’s really evident since this list is missing gd songs and only has a single yb song. i like the softness of this song and it kind of reminds me of my childhood. the guitar and melody feels familiar to me and it’s super relaxing. his voice doesn’t go shrill and he’s using a lot of his lower tones which is when i love his voice the most.

17. Here Comes the Regrets - Epik High feat. Lee Hi

i haven’t heard this song as much and mostly it because it hits so hard. the emotions in their voices kills me. first of all lee hi and her gorgeous voice. the chorus gives me goosebumps. tablo and his voice, first of fuck you how are you so good at heartbreak, second so good i love you. mithra rapping in english?? omfg wow okay i’m so impressed by everything. then that beat tukutz why. so many fucking feels. so good. i just can’t fucking handle it. also can we just talk about the brigde? the deepness of her voice unf.

honorable mentions because i need to: lip & hip - hyunah, ganisha - sunmi, red flavour & peek-a-boo - red velvet, crazy sexy cool - astro, lalala - babylon feat. chungha, bling bling - ikon, 365 fresh - triple h, rumor & oh nana - kard, i’m good - henry feat. nafla, sleepover - hayley kiyoko, milion eyes - loïs nottet (he’s a dancer and it’s a beautiful dance music video. watch it).

i want to tag: @thechoi-choi, @divaaboo :D

#i've realised some things from this #i don't like shrill voices and happiness = ocean #wut #btw i just rediscovered stromae another belgian you need to check out if you don't know him. his mvs are fucking amazing #quand c'est fucking hurts so beautifully

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connorundertale · 7 years

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Red Pill Blues Review (from your local Maroon 5 fan)

Best For You- i dont like the subject matter of Best For You, but the music itself is fuckin good, adam's voice is real nice. 6/10

What Lovers Do- an awesome dance song. not super great lyric wise but i dont think thats what they were goin for. sza's a great addition to this and fits in well. 7.5/10

Wait- I really like what adam's doing with his voice. good music. its soothing to listen to, a chill song, reminds me of driving on the highway full of neon signs at night. 6/10

Lips On You- WHOAAAAAAAAAA HOLY SHIT!!!!!! IM DOWN FOR THIS SONG HOLY SHIT ITS SO CHILL AND SPACEY AND IT GIVES ME SWEET TOOTH VIBES I DIDNT EXPECT THIS!!! Adam's voice is awesome when it's low, i hope he keeps his range mid to low range, personally. 10/10 !!!

Bet My Heart- Im not in love with this song yet, but i wouldn't hate hearing it on the radio. It's not bad!! But nothing really stands out, other than adam's low voice again. I have a feeling this'll get stuck in my head though lol. 5/10

Help Me Out- As much as i prefer Adam's low voice i still gotta admit he does his high notes pretty well. Anyway, pretty good song. Julia fits in very nice in here. Chill tempo song again but is also pretty upbeat still if that makes sense lol. 5/10

Who I Am- My man! I like the jive of this song a lot!! Kinda reminds me of the 80s and early 90s music! Finger-snapper for sure. Lunchmoney's verse felt out of place but it was short enough to not lose a point! 8/10

Whiskey- I like that most of these songs are pretty mellow/chill. It's a nice song. Adam feels like he's running over his lyrics a little though. A$AP i think would have been better without the autotune part, because his voice would fit nice in a song like this. 6/10

Girls Like You- I dont know if this is like sacrilege or something to say, but it reminds me a lot of bob marley in some parts for some reason, so it's getting me nostalgic. Lyrics are basic, but WOW the music is AWESOME. Love that shit, man. 9/10 (the music really influenced that score LOL)

Closure- Getting a real deep blue feeling from this song, reminds me a lot of In Your Pocket (i LOVE that song). I dont know how to describe this song? Sandy, motion blurry, light and airy, but heavy, spacious, dancing. SORRY LOL i dont know how to describe it. And the end reminds me of Daft Punk (POINT BUMP) 8/10 WAIT A SECOND THIS IS 11 MINUTES LONG, I'LL COME BACK TO THIS also it sounds almost exactly like Contact by Daft Punk but theres probably sampling going on on both ends lll

Denim Jacket- Popish song, cool tempo. im not impressed yet, but it's not terrible. probably wont listen to it much unless i assign it to characters or just change my mind lol. kinda bored. 3/10

Visions- Ooh, funky. BG music kinda reminds me of animal crossing lol. Im in love with the mood of this song, it's another late night drive song. Kinda reminds me of Donovan. Damn, i love this music. 9/10

Plastic Rose- SPEAK UP BITCH I CANT HEAR YOU! It wasnt doing anything for me at first, but as usual the music kicks in and im like FUCK. reminds me of light airy powder, pastel pink at some parts. Nice beat, toe tapper. 6.5/10

Don't Wanna Know- I heard this one live!!!!! It has a super special place in my heart, we got to hear it before it released on the radio when they would usually sing lost stars! That being said, I wish adam would have gone lower in some parts, and i wasnt a fan of kendrick's lines. a nice bop, brings a smile to my face still. 8/10

Cold- I LOVE THIS SONG. It came out on the radio when we were moving into our new house in February. Future's part is excellent in this song. Awesome ass song, I cant not stop what im doing to get into this song. I also think of the smell of this house when we first moved in when i hear it lol. 10/10!!!!!!

IN CONCLUSION

I really really liked this album. I can't compare it to other albums or really place it anywhere yet. I love what M5's doing with their music, it gets better every time I hear it. I also love that Adam's getting his voice in such a low territory. I hope i hear these songs on the radio soon!! I also hope i can get some good concert tix in texas;;

Would I buy this and the deluxe edition if I didn't have spotify? YES. And I'll probably buy the physical version anyway.

OVERALL SCORE: 9/10?

whats a perfect 10 to me?

#album review #long post #i added a read more so i hope to god it works lol #maroon 5 #soda reviews

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geebabie · 5 years

Text

◁ do you love me? ▷

𝓟𝓪𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰: Kim Seokjin X Reader

𝓦𝓸𝓻𝓭 𝓬𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽: 2.2k

𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮: angst, smut (kinda), fluff

𝓦𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓼: cursing, argument, on the border of ‘implied sexual content’ and ‘smut’.

𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓽𝓼: “Don’t tell me you love me unless you mean it.” -- “And when you’re not around I keep thinking I might cry.” -- “I made breakfast, but I didn’t know what you liked so I made enough to probably feed a small tribe.”

𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂: ❝Jin hasn’t seen Y/N in 10 days and she decides to confront him about it.❞

10 days. It has been 10 whole days since Y/N and Jin last saw each other in person. They had FaceTimed a couple of times during these 10 days and even Skyped once when FaceTime was particularly finicky. But they hadn’t gotten together. They hadn’t been dating very long. 5 months. Which felt like an eternity to Jin who had never been able to keep a relationship whether that be for personal reasons of because his career wouldn’t allow it. 5 months to him was like a decade to most ‘normal’ people. This fact alone only emphasized how long 10 days apart was. In ‘Jin time’, they had spent 250 days apart. Now Y/N knew very well that ‘Jin time’ was a very unstable unit of measurement with little to no scientific backing. However, she had nothing better to do while waiting for him to call her beside create a measurement system named after her boyfriend. She also figured out that there are 6 normal minutes in a ‘Jin minute’. Her source is how often he said he felt like he was on stage for 30 minutes when it had been 3 hours.

It had been 60 ‘Jin Minutes’ (how many ‘Jin minutes’ in a ‘Jin hour’ is still unknown) since he had texted her.

6 hours. She quickly decided the Jin Measurement System is a waste of time, but aren’t all distractions.

Y/N knew very well that Jin wasn’t busy. Or at least he didn’t need to be. There were no performances coming up, no album deadlines, no birthdays, no holidays, no meetings about an upcoming collaboration. He should be completely free to text his girlfriend. The woman he claims to love so dearly. But he hadn’t made her phone light up with a notification since a ‘morning’ text at 9:30 AM. Which, in overthinking, Y/N noticed was an hour and a half later than her usual text from him. And Jin was a man of routine. As much as one could be in his hectic lifestyle.

Also, departing from the usual ‘good morning my love, I miss you so much, have a good day’ template was today’s text that simply said ‘morning’. Y/N can hardly remember receiving one-word texts from Jin. She’d even get two or three words when she was letting him know she arrived at his apartment.

Something was very, very wrong.

And Y/N was determined to find out what it was. Now, she knew, somewhere in her panicked mind, that she couldn’t just show up to his apartment. She also knew there was a chance he wasn’t even there. As much as she would’ve loved to storm in and yell at him, the security guards still weren’t 100% comfortable just letting her come and go as she pleased to the superstar’s apartment. So what was she supposed to do? Let him come to her? Absolutely not, it’s been 10 days of waiting for him to come to her. She needs to take action soon.

[9:23 PM] Y/N: we need to talk

Okay, now Y/N knew Jin would probably have a minor cardiac event reading the text every person regrets getting. But she also believed it was well deserved.

READ 9:26 PM

Y/N stared at her phone screen until it had dimmed just staring at the read receipt until, right before her phone screen went completely black, it lights up again.

[9:29 PM] Jin: come over?

This isn’t exactly the preferred method of finally getting to see your boyfriend after 10 days of him being less than 20 minutes away at all times. But it’ll do.

[9:30 PM] Y/N: i’ll be there in 15.

It only took 10 minutes before Y/N was parking in Jin’s reserved guest parking space. She’s not sure if traffic was unexpectedly fast or if she had been speeding. But at 9:40 she was knocking on Jin’s door and she had hardly removed her hand before he opened. “Hey, long time, no see.” He smiled as he let her in, she could tell he was freaking out inside and her moving past him without a word, hug, or a kiss and just setting her purse down on his coffee table was not soothing his nerves. He felt like he was waiting for the Grammy Nominations.

“W-what do we need to talk about?” Jin asked, remembering some breathing exercises he had learned, not knowing Y/N was doing the same.

“I haven’t seen you in over a week, Jin.” She starts, taking a deep breath before continuing. “You’ve hardly texted me or called me and that’s not...that’s not what usually happens.”

Jin sighs, a weird sense of relief that she didn’t outright start with needing to break up. “I’ve been busy.” He decides on his usual excuse, the one he gives anyone and everyone when someone like this happens.

“Don’t lie to me.”

“It’s not--”

“I know what you have to do. You’re not prepping anything. This is practically a vacation compared to a month ago. Don’t insult me by lying to me.”

“Baby, you know I wouldn’t purposefully ignore you. I love you so m--”

“Do you?” She cuts him off, staring into his eyes looking for any clue to his feelings.

“Do I what?” He had hoped she wasn’t asking what he thought she was asking.

“Do you love me? Don’t tell me you love me unless you mean it.”

“Of course I mean it!” Jin raised his voice, the noise even scaring him slightly. “Of course I love you, are you insane, Y/N?”

“Don’t yell at me, Jin.” Y/N tried to keep composure, the last thing she wanted was a screaming match and the possibility of neighbors hearing and who knew what they’d do.

“You just accused me of not loving you! Of course, I’m going to yell! I’m upset!”

“Discuss it like an adult and calm down.” She could feel herself getting heated as she spoke.

“Like an adult? Like an adult! Do adults come in without even saying hello and accuse each other of lying about their love? I don’t think that was very--”

“Because you don’t show it!” Y/N yelled, cutting him off. Jin stayed silent, letting her continue. “People in love don’t practically ignore their significant other for a week and a half. People in love don’t leave the person they love waiting for a text for hours on end and going to sleep at night wondering what the hell they’re doing. That’s not what love is, Jin.” Tears line her lower lashes as she speaks. “You can’t just throw me away when you don’t want to deal with me anymore.”

“That’s not--that’s not it, Y/N. I love you, I love you so much. You know that.”

“You don’t love me! You don’t fucking love me, you only love me when it’s convenient to love me and s--” Jin pressed his lips to her own, cupping her face in his hands.

“Don’t say that again.” He mumbles when he separates from her. “Don’t ever say that I don’t love you.” Y/N wraps her arms behind his neck, pulling him into another kiss. “Did you start this argument so I’d fuck you?” Jin wraps his arms under her legs and picks her up on his waist.

“Baby, I--”

“I think you did.” He starts moving to his bedroom, surprising himself that he didn’t bump into anything. “I think you just wanted to make me angry.” He lets her down on the bed, rather harshly before climbing on top of her. “Wanted me to fuck the hell out of you, so you decided to say this dumb shit, huh?”

“Jin…” She nearly moans his name as his hands rub up and down her thighs.

“Tell me, baby,” he pulls his shirt over his head, leaning back on his knees, “tell me what you want.” He unbuckles his belt, the metal hitting the floor with a loud noise.

“Please, baby.” Y/N reaches out to touch him, sitting up slightly before Jin uses one hand to push her back down flat on the bed.

“Use your words. You seemed to have so many trying to fight with me. Go on.” With one hand holding her down, gently grazing her collarbone, Jin starts tugging her pants down her body.

“I want you to fuck me.” She says, voice breathy, she’s not sure she’s ever seen the look in his eyes before.

“Good girl.” He smirked, removing his hand from her to pull her shirt off. “No bra and this sorry excuse for panties.” Jin messes with the waistband of a thin cotton pair of underwear. Y/N isn’t sure if Jin was that angry or is always so strong, but in one smooth motion he ripped the fabric off of her and she was surprised she didn’t cum from that alone. “I’m gonna give you what you want baby, give you everything you want ‘cause I love you so much.” He tells her.

And he does give her everything she could ever want.

His hands roaming her body, placing kisses everywhere he can reach as she whimpers and gasps for him. His own low groans and deep grumbles harmonizing. He watches how she comes undone for him, the same way she does every time. And he always watches with the same admiration and finishes soon after.

Both panting, looking longingly into her eyes, Jin moves to lay on his back. He beckons her to lay next to him. Holding her close, her head resting right above his heart. “I love you.” He tells her, voice soft.

“I love you too.” She whispers.

“I love you more than you’ll ever know. And it scared me.” He sighs, she looks up at him as best she can in her position. “That’s why I was ignoring you. I was scared, so was scared of not being enough, my career dragging me away or pulling you away. I’ve never been in love before.”

“Jin, I…” She falls just short of finding the right words.

“You mean so much to me. I realized it so much more when I went on that week-long promo. I realized how much you keep me grounded and when you’re not around I keep thinking I might cry. That’s how much you mean to me.”

“I’m sorry.” She says, sitting up to look into his eyes. “I’m sorry for accusing you of not loving me. I was scared too. You’ll always be enough for me, Seokjin. I promise.” She lightly kisses his lips.

“How about we turn in early, okay?” He suggested and Y/N nodded, laying back on his chest as he pulled the covers up over her.

Y/N wakes up to sizzling. A sound she’s not used to hearing in the morning. She looks around to see the bed empty and clothes still discarded on the floor. She lightly laughs at herself when she remembers the night prior. She can’t quite make out what the clock in the corner of the room says and she realizes she left her phone in her purse. Which is still in the living room. She stands with a stretch and pulls on Jin’s shirt. Her panties lay in a pile of fabric on the floor. She sighs at the loss but knows Jin will find himself “making up for it” by buying her a lot more even though it’s mostly an excuse for her to try them on for him.

“You’re awake! Good morning, love!” Jin greets her, sleep still in her eyes as she walks into the kitchen. Her boyfriend wearing only a pair of sweatpants as he stands at the oven. “I made breakfast, but I didn’t know what you liked so I made enough to probably feed a small tribe.” He motions toward the vast array of food selections. Y/N giggles at the effort he’s gone to at 8 in the morning.

“I’m sure the boys will enjoy the leftovers.”

“I’m sure, but I’m not going to see them today.”

“Oh?” She raises an eyebrow as she goes to check her phone.

“I’m going to spend the whole day with you, I’m yours all day long. No meetings, no recordings, no dinner with the boys. I’m all yours!” Everything about his body and tone says pure happiness.

“You didn’t need to do--”

“Aish! Don’t finish that thought. I want to spend time with my girl, I haven’t shown her I love her and I plan to. So think about what you want to do, baby.”

“Well, there is that new exhibit at the zoo.” She muses.

“Perfect! Now sit and eat, I’m almost finished with the pancakes!” Jin demanded, pointing at an empty chair with his spatula. As she gets comfortable, Jin lays the last warm, fluffy pancake onto the plate and softly kisses her forehead. “Tell me about this exhibit?” He asked and she was soon rambling on and the light in his eyes never dulled as he listened to her.

#bts reactions #bts scenarios #bts reaction #bts scenario #btswriterscollective #bangtanarmynet #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #bts imagine #bts fan fic #my writing

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itsclydebitches · 7 years

Link

Summary:

Just days after Balem returned to his adult self, Jupiter is thrown head-first into another adventure - one she, frankly, really doesn't have the energy for. But when has the universe ever taken her desires into account? Mysteries, promises, and desperate moves forward; bees, splices, and awkward family dinners. It's enough to make even her seasoned head spin.

...which doesn't even include the chance to play at 'Mother' once more. Only question is: will Jupiter take it?

(DIRECT SEQUEL TO "ROCK THE CRADLE")

Fandom: Jupiter Ascending

Words: 9,779 so far

Warnings: Will eventually mention previous neglect/abuse of children

Pairings: Jupiter/Caine

Where to Read it: Below the cut or on AO3 (AO3 recommended for formatting)

Chapter Six

“This went from ‘kind of cool’ to ‘seriously annoying’... oh, twenty minutes ago?”

Jupiter irritatingly swatted at another cloud of bees (careful not to actually hurt them) as they made a desperate dive to try and burrow into her hair. Another batch was settling in all the crooks of her body (collarbone, beneath her chin, in the hollow of the backs of her knees), while still others seemed to seek actual skin contact, bypassing her already covered arms and legs to flit up beneath her shirt. Jupiter grit her teeth at the feeling of foreign bodies crawling everything, stupidly glad that her skinny jeans didn’t allow them to burrow anywhere else.

“Enough of you,” Caine growled, mimicking her swat with a lot less patience. Jupiter caught his hand and brought it into her lap instead.

“It’s fine,” and no sooner had she sighed it than the bees were back, landing wherever they could and taking whatever she was willing to give. Jupiter wondered if she looked somehow regal like this—or if she was just a cheap monster out of some low-budget horror flick.

Kiza’s expression suggested the latter. Her phone click-click-clicked as it took a million, horrible photos. No way was she buying her a better phone. This girl did not need more storage space.

Jupiter thought about pointing out the obvious though, that there was no photo album to fill anymore. Or there was, but it was gone, and she doubted Balem wanted her to send updates. The mere thought of him painstakingly adding pages to the back of the book and gluing in new photos was so ridiculous it had Jupiter releasing a slightly hysterical laugh.

Kiza slowly lowered her phone. “You okay?”

“Not really.”

“Yeah. Yeah I feel that.”

The whole party was largely off kilter and a massive swarm of bees invading the living room was only part of the problem. Jupiter was high-strung of course, and Caine had a tendency to follow her in all things, even emotions. Same with Kiza and Stinger now that she thought about it, some hereditary loyalty rising to the surface as they honed in on their queen, and okay, shit, was everyone in a bad mood just because she was?

Three pairs of eyes stared at her intently. Huh. Maybe “I feel that” was less a common phrase and more a literal expression of truth. Jupiter mustered up a smile.

“Whoooo’s gonna explain what’s going oooon?” she sang.

Stinger sighed, throwing up his hands. He obviously needed to do something with them though, and without a weapon to point at a concrete enemy he just ended up fiddling with everything in reach: the throw draped across the couch Jupiter sat on, the edge of his shirt, a pencil he’d stuck haphazardly behind his ear. In the end Stinger settled on pouring her another cup of coffee even though Jupiter had barely touched the first.

That done he spread his arms. Whole strings of bees followed the movement.

“You’re more equipped to answer that than I am, Your Majesty. You say you were visited by a fox splice?”

Caine nodded. “One sent by Kalique. You think there’s a connection?”

Kiza snorted. “Between her suddenly changing the game and an attack on our house? Absolutely. Though what the hell would she want with our honey?”

“Nothing,” but Stinger’s hands made fists just thinking about it. “She has the resources to pull off a theft like that of course, she could hire any group she’d like, but why the hell would she want to? There’s no commercial value to it—at least not compared to her own vast wealth—and as for personal reasons...” he trailed off, shaking his head. “It makes no sense.”

Jupiter scoffed. “When has anything involving Kalique ever made sense?”

“The fact that she’s actually the most logical and methodical of the three is kinda sad. And by ‘sad’ I mean hilarious.” Kiza dodged Jupiter’s whack to the head.

“You didn’t hear anything?” she pressed. “Earlier?”

“Nope. Slept in, did my chores, went to do more chores outside—” Kiza sent a nasty glare her dad’s way. Stinger challenged it stiffly—”finally got to the hives out back, called you, and discovered... that.” ‘That’ was clearly the missing honey, though Kiza made the absence sound like a foul addition instead. Like an enemy. Or no, something that grew. A cancer.

Jupiter felt Caine shifting on the couch beside her. She gave his hand another squeeze and was relieved to feel him doing the same.

“We’ll figure it out,” she said. “I promise. And not to make light of that situation, but...can we focus on one emergency at a time?”

“Dinner,” Caine said solemnly.

“Politics,” Stinger countered.

“Food,” Kiza finished. “Wasted. Which I am very happy to eat for you anyway.”

“You’re welcome to the steaks,” Jupiter sighed, like she didn’t already know that Kiza had squirreled them away for a late night snack sometime. The girl’s appetite was easily the most alien thing about her. “You’ll all come then?”

Stinger’s hand settled on her shoulder. “Don’t be foolish, Your Majesty. Where you go, we follow.”

She actually wanted to say something appropriately thankful in response, but the movement was—once again—ruined by a flash from Kiza and an exaggerated “Awww.” She raised her phone in the air as Jupiter rubbed at her eyes.

“I like this one,” Kiza announced.

“Good for you,” Stinger said. “Caine. With me. I won’t be going into another Entitled’s lair blind. Not again. Kiza? Entertain your Queen.”

“Sir, yes sir,” she said and as the two boys went off to discuss super cool space weaponry she threw herself onto the couch beside Jupiter. A massive cloud of bees rose up like a wave.

Jupiter carefully extracted a bee that had gotten caught in the belt loop of her jeans. “Can you make them go away?”

“I’ve tried.” Kiza actually sounded apologetic about it. “They’re really... just...” she blew out a slow breath. “They need this right now.”

“...and so do you,” Jupiter said, realizing the words were true as soon as she’d said them. Kiza was pressed shoulder-to-shoulder with Jupiter, much like how the bees themselves were seeking her touch. If Jupiter focused, she could feel the lightest tremble running through Kiza’s body. She lifted an arm and settled it around Kiza’s back. The younger girl nestled there, vulnerable.

“It probably seems stupid to you,” she muttered, face now pressed into the fabric of Jupiter’s shirt. “Just honey, yeah? Got plenty of that. And sure, sure the bees themselves are fine, which is the important thing, but... it’s an invasion, you know? Someone was here. In our home. They took something that didn’t belong to them!” Kiza was trembling harder now and it had little to do with disquiet. “Ugh. I sound like dad. I know he’s super mad too, even if he’s better at controlling it. I’m a second generation splice. I love our bees, alright? But even I’m not connected to the spirit like he is.”

Jupiter’s fingers had found their way into Kiza’s hair. She paused there before resuming her slow, soothing movements. “Spirit?”

Kiza hummed. “It’s not really a religion, like you have here on Earth. You gotta remember its all tied up in our biology too. It’s more that we understand all the layers.”

“Like onions,” Jupiter intoned and was relieved when Kiza shoved her lightly.

“Don’t quote Shrek at me. But yes, layers. Or—or connections. Like how one bee isn’t just a bee. They’re part of a hive, an ecosystem; they’re connected to you and to me. It’s the same with honey. It’s not just a food source, it’s something they made. It’s exploration and life and they always create more than they need so we can have some too and—” Kiza drew in a massive breath. “It’s just important, okay?”

“Okay,” Jupiter agreed. She sometimes forgot just how young Kiza was, not only compared to her but their group at large, everyone either in a genetically enhanced middle age or outright ancient. Kiza was the little sister Jupiter had never, but who she was thrilled to have now that she was here.

She also felt a little like a daughter.

Jupiter twisted her earring.

“Good talk,” she said, because Jupiter was nothing if not awkward when it came to heart-to-hearts. There was a little part of her mind that whispered, ‘I love dogs’ and she firmly stuffed it into the deepest, darkest pit she could conjure up. “So… whatcha got there?”

Still curled against Jupiter, Kiza had her phone out again, though for once it wasn’t pointing and clicking. It looked like she was online, though what website needed such a violently blue background, Jupiter didn’t know. She shooed a bunch of bees out of the way to get a better view. Kiza helped by tilting the screen.

“Tumblr,” she said, like that explained anything at all.

“Tumbling?”

“Tumblr. Don’t you ever waste your life online?”

Jupiter considered. “Yes, but you’re talking to the girl who grew up in a poor, super large family that always monopolized the one desktop. Also, excuse you, but I’ve been busy. Saving the world? Or did you forget?”

To Jupiter’s horror, an unexpectedly evil grin stretched across Kiza’s face. “Oh, I didn’t forget, Your Majesty. I documented it.”

“You—wait what?”

Over the next mind-boggling ten minutes Jupiter got a crash course in current social media, complete with the distinction between those parts of the website that humans had access too, and the sprawling, galaxy-wide network that catered to everyone else. Scrolling through pictures, news articles, and GIFs of funny cats was one thing, finding out that Kiza had been blogging about Queen Jupiter on the equivalent of Space Facebook was something else.

“You’ve made me kind of famous,” Kiza said, sounding infuriatingly smug about it. “My follower count skyrocketed when I started posting these pics. I mean sure, we get the stupid anon or two, but pretty much everyone else is supportive. They want to know you, Your Majesty. It’s the classic rags to riches story, plus you’re the first Entitled in, what? Ever, who isn’t a dick? You should totally start your own blog. Provided I help, of course.”

“Oh my god,” Jupiter whispered. Her finger felt numb as she scrolled through an endless stream of stories, questions, and, yes, pictures of her. Most of them were candid, shot when Jupiter had been otherwise engaged. There was one of her upside down on her bed upstairs, a half-piece of toast dangling from her mouth. She couldn’t even remember when she’d done that, let alone how Kiza could have gotten a pic without her noticing. The ones of her and Caine were particularly popular, at least according to the number of ‘notes’ each one had. Jupiter was torn between flattered and mortally embarrassed.

She scrolled down further and found a picture of her holding Balem. Jupiter snapped her hand back.

“You’d be good at it too,” Kiza was saying, oblivious. “You’re pretty, famous, and rich, the trifecta for getting a good following. Plus half of what you say is basically shit-posting, so.”

“Kiza—”

“I can—”

Whoom.

Too late for talk: at that moment a massive crash sounded from somewhere outside; too short to be an earthquake, not quite large enough for an explosion. Still, it knocked Kiza back into Jupiter’s shoulder, the both of them slipping halfway off the couch and their cloud of bees scattering with worry. The two filled coffee cups splattered onto the carpet. The throw fell down across their backs. Jupiter ended up jarring her hip and watched as Caine and Stinger store sideways into the room.

What now? was her first and completely justified thought.

Jupiter pushed up quickly, righting the boys in her vision. They looked ready to take on a whole army together. Which tended to happen when you carried whole armloads of weapons into the room.

“What the fuck?” Stinger growled. He’d already hefted something large and glowing blue over his shoulder, marching towards the door. Caine stopped only long enough to pull Jupiter to her feet.

“My thoughts exactly,” she grimaced.

“You’re okay?”

“Fine, fine. Do we know what—?”

Whoom! Again, but closer and with a bit more... solidity. This time Jupiter felt the foundations of the house shake.

“Oh, but it’s never boring with you, Your Majesty,” Kiza breathed. Jupiter watched with a mixture of disbelief and respect as she began composing a new post.

“We’re talking about this later,” she said and grabbed them both by the arm.

Careful of what they might find, Jupiter, Caine, and Kiza followed Stinger out of the house.

#JA #Jupiter Ascending #Rock the Cradle #When the Bough Breaks #JAfic #its been a productive fic day!

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daggerzine · 6 years

Text

Coming in first.....Jeremy Jensen opens up about The Very Most.

I definitely haven’t heard enough of Jeremy Jensen’s music, but what I have heard (under the name The Very Most) I really like. I went over to his Bandcamp page and noticed a plethora of releases so yeah, the dude is prolific. If you’ve listened then you’ll know that Jensen likes melody and I’m assuming he’s got a few Beach Boys and Beatles’ records in his collection. His songs have plenty of hooks but have this dreamy background and for as many songs as the guy’s written over the years he manages to make each one unique. Some are quite grand while others are quite low-key and simple. We’ve been Facebook friends for quite some time and I enjoy his posts, but wanted to find out more so I shot him some questions and he was more than happy to answer.

Were you born and raised in Boise? I was born in Roosevelt, Utah, raised in Nampa, Idaho (a suburb of Boise that had about 30,000 people in it when I lived there and now has around 100,000) and have been living in Boise for over 20 years now.

What are some of the best things about Boise? It’s a city I’ve always heard good things about and been very curious about, but have never been there. Boise is a high-desert town on the edge of the largest stretch of forest in the lower 48. My favorite things about Boise are the Boise River and the surrounding foothills. I’m not a huge outdoor enthusiast, but the river is so nice to walk along. We’ve got miles and miles of trails called the Greenbelt that run right along the river. I also love that Boise has plenty to do as far as an arts and music scene goes, but it’s not such a huge city that commute times are out of hand. It’s also affordable compared to Seattle, Portland, and California, but it is becoming less affordable as we grow, and we’re growing really fast. There’s plenty of good food here too. The schools are good here. It’s a really good place to raise kids. David Lynch loved living here when he was a kid in the late 50s - early 60s. We put an exclamation mark after the word “Library” on the signs for all our libraries. I’m not making that last one up. Also, it’s pronounced “Boy-see”, not “Boy-zee,” and anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong.

What was the first song you remember hearing that really knocked your socks off? Dog and the Butterfly by Heart. This was probably in 1981 when I was five. It was just so pretty and Ann Wilson has a really great voice. I also loved the LP artwork, which was vaguely Chinese-themed.

Jeremy and the gang

How old were to when you first picked up an instrument? Was it parental pressure ro did you want to do it? I did 5th grade orchestra in school. I played violin for those first couple years and then switched to string bass, which led to electric bass, which led to guitar. I wanted to do it. My dad claims he had a rule in the house that every kid was required to play a musical instrument, but I was unaware of the existence of that rule. Maybe I didn’t need to be.

What was your introduction to the punk/new wave/indie music scene? When was the transition and how did it happen? Well, my mom bought U2’s The Joshua Tree, which I really loved, and which helped me learn of bands like R.E.M. She also enrolled me in the Columbia House CD club, where my first purchases included their album Green. I guess this would have been about 1990. Around ‘91, my friends introduced me to The Violent Femmes and The Smiths, and, like so many others, The Smiths were my platonic ideal of what a band should be. In 1993, I heard Built to Spill on a local college radio show. Their song “Three Years Ago Today” sounded like pop from another planet to me, and it blew me away that a band from Boise was making those sounds. Not only did that experience lead me to K records, which led me to indiepop, which changed my listening habits forever, it also made me believe that I could make good music, even though I was from a podunk town in Idaho. A lot of us Idahoans have inferiority complexes. Built to Spill will always be heroes to me.

Had you been in any bands before The Very Most? Yeah. I led a band called The Yukon and You with my wife and a friend of ours. I was also in a surf-rock band called D.O.L.L. The very first high school band I was in was called Thrush. Later, all three of my kids would get thrush when they were nursing. I’ve also played a lot in my brother Elijah’s bands over the years: Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive (named after the Beat Happening song) and his current project With Child. I’ve played in a few other local bands over the years too. Never a cover band though.

How/when did you form The Very Most? What was the initial inspiration? I started accumulating recording gear around 2000. I guess I wrote a bunch of songs. I don’t remember ever writing them though. I started recording them and when I finally finished an album in ‘03, I needed a band to play them so that I could sell CDs at shows. I actually started playing as The Very Most in ‘02 before the album came out, but the intention was to have a band ready for a record release show. The band started as a duo with my sister Rachael who was living with my wife and I at the time. Over the years, the band has gone through a lot of mutations both in number of members and instruments. We got a drummer, a female singer, a keyboardist. For a while we had a full-time vibraphonist. I think something like 12-15 people have been in the band for at least one show or more. As recently as a year ago I was playing a solo synth-pop set as The Very Most, but now I don’t play live as The Very Most at all.

What are some faraway places that the band has taken you to? What are some favorite foreign cities? Well, we haven’t gone on any really long tours, but we played the UK (including Indietracks) and I’ve played in Glasgow and Dublin three times. Glasgow and Dublin are my favorite cities in the world that I’ve been to. I’m not as fond of huge megalopolises that are basically 50 different cities glommed together (kinda how New York and London are). Glasgow, Dublin, Portland, and, also, Bristol in England kind of have a unified feel to them. (Boise does too.) It’s like the difference between a concept album and a epic White-album-style album.

How does your songwriting process go? Does it start with a riff from you or something else? It almost always starts with a guitar or keyboard riff. I come up with these little main ideas for songs and record them really quickly in my software. Then I revisit them and decide which ones to flesh out into real songs. The order usually goes like this: riffs, basic tracks, a few ornamental type parts like keyboard leads, writing the lyrics, recording the vocals, and then usually adding a few more ornamental parts and backing vocals.

How active is The Very Most these day? Any upcoming plans? The Very Most is inactive live, but very active in the studio. I’m working on a new album, but haven’t played live for about a year. I think once my album is done and ready to release, I’ll probably get a two or three piece version of The Very Most ready to play a few shows.

Is your label, Coming in Second, still active these days? Not really. Two or so years ago I had some grand plans to get it going again, but we haven’t released much. Just a couple download-only things. There aren’t any plans to release anything else at the moment through that label.

Tell us about your involvement with the band The Hermit Crabs. Well, I think it was 2010. The web label EardrumsPop had this compilation called “Between Two Waves” where the idea was that people from two different bands combine forces to create a new song, hopefully with a new band name. I decided to get in touch with The Hermit Crabs, from Glasgow, Scotland, so we could do that song together. The name of the project was Baffin Island and, in addition to the song for EardrumsPop, we ended up making an EP and a few other songs for compilations. We did it by emailing files to one another. Anyway, that’s how I got to know Mel, the leader of The Hermit Crabs. She came from Glasgow to Boise to record a Hermit Crabs album in 2012. That album, In My Flat, didn’t get released until 2015 though. Since then we’ve done a couple Hermit Crabs tracks together internet-style for the Rose Melberg tribute compilation and also a Matinee Records compilation that hasn’t been released yet.

Any current Boise bands that we need to know about? With Child, Canal Canal, Bruce Robert, Sleepy Seahorse, Central City Music Company, Bonefish Sam and His Orchestra, Idle Chatter.

What are some new bands/records you’ve fallen in love with? THE GOON SAX!! Best new band in quite some time. Unfortunate band name, though. I don’t think we left enough good band names for the next generation. Starry-Eyed Cadet and Space Daze are two really great new-ish bands too. My daughter’s favorite band Boy Pablo is really nice. Kinda like a cross between Prefab Sprout and Mac DeMarco.

What are your top 10 desert island discs? In no particular order: Jonathan Richman - Rockin’ and Romance Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds Some sort of Debussy box set Built to Spill - There’s Nothing Wrong With Love Belle and Sebastian - Push Barman to Open Old Wounds Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career R.E.M. - Reckoning The Softies - Holiday in Rhode Island The Aislers Set – The Last Match

Any closing comment? Final thoughts? Anything you wanted to mention that I didn’t ask? I just want everyone to wish me luck in making the new The Very Most album. I think it’ll be as good as the other ones. Different, but as good or better. At least I think.

https://theverymost.bandcamp.com/

https://cominginsecond.bandcamp.com/]

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ketchupwithmyinspirations · 6 years

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Personal Review of Love Yourself 轉 'Tear' (Pt. 1)

I will be doing this in two parts just to make it a bit easier to read.

I’ve had the whole weekend since the release to immerse myself in listening to this album, and since I was very passionate about listening to MAMAMOO’s new direction of music, I decided to make a post about BTS’ recent release. I honestly did not want to be too hyped for it, for I think the last release fell a bit short (I do have favorites though), but the Intro and the news that it was going to be more R&B and hiphop had me intrigued. Also, I’m already attached to the group so I could not just look away that easily.

Thank you BTS-Trans.tumblr.com and other ARMYs that help international fans appreciate BTS’ lyricism.

1. Intro: Singularity - I love all the members, but most of the time I gravitate towards V’s personality. So listening to this track via music video release made me really proud of him. He really showed how all-around talented he his. Vocally, V’s voice is so deep and spacious, like those caverns you’d see in movies like Journey to the Center of the Earth. This track sounds sensual, but when the lyrics are regarded, it makes the track seem like a calm realization that the real self can’t be hidden forever. Initially, I interpreted the lyrics as a self-sacrifice in order to love someone else, but after reading it a couple of times, I concluded with more of an internal struggle between the persons one makes within. An inward self-sacrifice. I love these lyrics because of how it’s written as a short narrative and as well as me having had to interpret it in two different ways.

Using Stigma as my reference point, I shouldn’t be surprised that V would sing a track like this, but I’m glad he did it anyway because you can tell he has improved a lot and I think he used his tone the best here.

2. Fake Love - What got me to like this song is how anthemic the hooks are. I can feel how tiring it is to keep up such kind of love. I think I wouldn’t have noticed it if I’m not going through personal thoughts that are so similar to the lyrics.

I like how smooth and kinda dramatic the pre-choruses are. The raps don’t stick out to me as much as if I’m too slow to pay attention that they had rapped at all. They go over my head.

Overall, I don’t know why I keep expecting them to release an edgy title track when I should have been used to this since maybe HYYH era. It felt more pop.

3. 전하지 못한 진심 (The Truth Untold) ft. Steve Aoki - I think it’s obvious that this was the most unexpected song on the album because seeing Aoki’s name next to it, one can assume it could be another EDM hit. This track has got to be one of my favorites because I occasionally listen to ballads that grabs your soul and squeeze feelings out of you. The vocal line sounds like they’ve improved a lot and I’m glad they’re able to showcase their vocal strengths this way. I’m also happy that JK didn’t sound breathy for once in the lower ranges and even throughout the song. I love how simple this song with the subtle piano chords playing throughout until the last minute of the track. During this last minute, there’s more instrumental that sounded grandeur which builds up to this glaze of electric beats and electric guitar. “Ah, that’s where Aoki is probably,” I thought. This had me believing that the vocal line can pull of some rock ballad...maybe someday, haha.

Lyrically, it felt a bit painful because there’s conflict between wanting to show the real self towards someone else, but there’s a lack of confidence that’s preventing the truth to come out, which makes me sad but very reflective on how this song sounds: lonely and desperate.

4. 134340 - The instant this track played, I immediately thought LO FI. I watch a lot of Artist Youtubers and they’d play lofi music while showing their speedpaints.

The raps were cool, smooth, and lax to match the rhythm of the song. The chorus made me feel a bit nostalgic. Something about the melody made me think of the old songs my parents would play whenever we go on road trips. Overall, 134340 is an easy groove.

I enjoyed reading the lyrics as it compares the protagonist to Pluto, the dwarf planet. The feeling of being forgotten resonates with me. I kinda like the juxtaposition between the lyrics and the sound. It’s like looking up in the stars in the middle of a road trip, and suddenly feeling insignificant by comparing sizes. I can also imagine the solar system doing it’s thing of revolving around the sun during the chorus, now that I know they’re singing “All I’m doing is circling around you.”

5. 낙원 (Paradise) - By this track, I realize that this album (so far) reminded me of how MAMAMOO shifted their sound towards what’s trending in the KR&B and KhipHop scene. The vocals here made me wonder off to comparing them to what VIXX and MONSTA X’s latest releases. The only difference I have thought of is that BTS’ vocals sound more rough and “down-to-earth”, while VIXX’s vocals sound more prim and proper, and MONSTA X would sound in between BTS and VIXX. I don’t know how to describe, but BTS seems to have a better lower range because of V. So if I were to put each group in order of high range to low range, it would be VIXX, MONSTA X, then BTS.

Anyway, I love the group vocals by the end. There is so much going on instrumentally but it didn’t feel like a mess. An organized mess? Haha. Those chords and bass effects makes this song feel light and dreamy. The high hats weren’t overplayed and obnoxiously loud. This sound really suits the group because the rap verses flow felt so natural and then the vocals felt collective and supportive, rather than having each member sing a line.

Ah, I fell in love with the theme of the lyrics. It wouldn’t be BTS without encouragement of dreams, may it be something so simple or difficult to reach. I kinda like the idea of taking the time of enjoying and taking in life as you go along. And I say kinda because let’s be real, there are things that are better done at a certain time than later, but that is a different topic for another day.

After knowing about the lyrics, I can imagine this song being played during their PUMA ads.

There is a Part 2 to this...

#personal

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myday6universe-blog · 7 years

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Reviw [16] B1A4 - Rollin’

1. Rollin' 5/5

This was probably the first time I've ever listened to a B1A4 song and I really loved it from begin to end. While it is pretty mainstream, they somehow put an own spin to it so it did sound a bit more unique. I really like the distribution of Solo Lines, them singing together and the rapper. It is very well mixed together. I like how CNU started the song in a kind of laid back way but it quickly jumps on a higher tempo. The build up with the little choir singing "Rolling" all over again sounds really nice and thus bringing us into the little drop before the awesome rap that gives the whole song a little bit of a different feel. The tempo change in the bridge was pretty nice with the little acoustic/slight electronic guitar, it actually made me enjoy the song more and their vocals were really good. 2. You Need Me 5/5

A bit more slowed down compared to Rollin' but they start off with a really nice high & low harmony which I really love. It quickly jumps into a more upbeat beat before actually jumping into the song with some really nice vocals that flow well with the instrumental. It's actually so catchy. The build up for the chorus is great. The chorus is kept pretty high tempo without any big drops or pauses in between the singing. They continuously sing throughout it with just a short break and then finally at the end a little drop with some vocal edited bits. Followed by a rap for the 2nd verse which changed the tempo of the song a bit which was really enjoyable. Here it repeats again what it did before with the build up and chorus (but without the drop) followed by a nice little slowed down bridge with a nice piano and a rather short rap. 3. Love Emotion 4/5

The beginning is already pretty jazzy and laid back. The whole song feels more chill compared to the 2 before which is a nice change up. We have some more light hearted vocals without pushing them too much. The first verse was very chill and brought us into the chorus real smooth, again it's very catchy. The chorus being a bit more up tempo than the verse gives it a nice touch with the addition of the instrumental part at the end of the chorus. Seems that they always put the rap for the 2nd verse which doesn't get boring at all because he delivers his lines quite well. I love the little electric bits in the instrumental. The bridge isn't too different than the verses with a little nice high note introducing us to the 3rd chorus. I feel like the end drop drags itself a bit too much. 4. Smile Mask 5/5

The intro with the guitar sounded so great. With a fast build up to some nice electric guitars and this definitely sounds like a perfect pop rock song. The electronic guitar is pretty active during the verse which is supported with some nice vocal harmonies and a bit more rough vocals. It quickly gets into a bit more pop with the "oh yeah" parts. The little pauses in the build up are a nice way to keep the tension for the chorus. Which isn't all to different to what we heard in the beginning. The rap changed the tempo and feel of the whole song, with an addition of only an piano but again when the electric guitars came in and he went a bit faster with the rap it got it's old feel again. I love the drums for the build up and throughout the chorus. They added some really nice high vocals for the bridge in the last part of the song which just sounded amazing. 5. Call Me 5/5

This track is addicting as hell. We have a nice edm-ish intro before jumping into the actual song. But the vocals in this are so damn good. They really play with their range a lot here because everyone of them is going higher and lower throughout the verses. With a nice drum instrumental that is supported by the same but more toned down edm-ish sound from the intro. I love the rythm they sing the verses, it doesn't line up with the instrumental but the mix up is so nice. The higher range build up for the chorus is a nice change. While the chorus is a bit on the shorter end with the addition of repeated words it feels a bit longer tho. The rap, again, changes the tempo of the song quite much going a bit slower again and getting faster with the same toned down instrumental. It goes a bit more "hip hop" for the 2nd build up with some harder hitting drums. I love how they go a bit more crazy with their vocals, like "screaming" some notes at the end of notes which sounds awesome. It ends rather surprisingly with a fast drum beat. 6. Like A Child 4/5

The most slowed down track in this album and it's such a nice track after the 5 upbeat tracks before. It lets you chill out for the last time and just slow down and listen to the amazing vocals and soft instrumental that is actually kinda focusing on the drum beat a lot. There isn't too much to say about the instrumental since the same one gets played throughout the song they rather focus on creating different sounds with their vocals. For the 2nd verses & rap they changed the instrumental up with a piano but the old one picks up rather quick again.

Overall: 4.6

Perfect Album!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhGVMK2T5AU&t

#b1a4 #kpop #album #review

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