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yumgrapejuice · 3 years

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An analysis on Ranboo’s lore playlist

okay y’all first of all, ranboo has a killer taste, i love him, and second, i couldn’t resist. i’m an analyst by nature. am i looking too deep into some things? did ranboo maybe choose some songs purely for the vibe? perhaps. do i care? no. let me have my fun.

I’m gonna drop my own analysis/interpretation based on these songs but feel free do use this yourself if you want!! And also feel free to disagree/correct me on anything!! I’m not a professional musical analyst lol and I did take some inspiration from already existing interpretations for the more lyrical songs.

here’s the playlist btw

“Introduction to the Snow”—introduction to the album. Fitting for the playlist’s beginning, seeing the tone. It’s mostly referencing (self-imposed) isolation.

“Dream Sweet in Sea Major”—this Miracle Music’s whole album is about dreams and reality, how they clash, loneliness and the wish to be close to someone, yet still remaining isolated. Very whimsical, metaphorical, melodic, and it has this vibe as if on the edge of consciousness. I’d say it fits quite well with c!Ranboo’s general vibe. This song in particular deals with sleepwalking(ha)/being in a dreamlike state, the line between what’s real and what’s not blurred.

“The Mind Electric”—oh this one fits Ranboo extremely well. First part is in reverse, the second in normal (mirroring), and it can get quite unsettling. Like you’re not sure what’s happening with the instrumentals, many different voices. Again, very metaphorical, but to put it shortly, the protagonist is being judged for a crime they’ve committed and, in their defence, they say: “Father, your honor, may I explain, my brain has claimed its glory over me; I’ve a good heart albeit insane”. They get “condemned to the infirmary” for that, where electric shock is used on them as a form of “therapy”. As a result, the protagonist loses grip on reality and themselves and truly does go insane. They beg for mercy and sympathy, but there’s no one to help them. “Someone help me; Understand what's going on inside my mind; Doctor I can't tell if I'm not me”—need I say more, really?

“Live and Let Die”—the phrase “live and let die” means to live your life how you wish and let others live how they wish without interfering. At first, you live by the phrase “live and let live”, meaning you have your ideals and you try to change the lives of others according to them, but as life progresses, you stop caring as much/try to distance yourself from others’ business.

“Turn the Lights Off”—dreams and nightmares. Mildly foreboding yet energetic. The actual meaning is about growing up (transition from childhood to adulthood), but we can take some other interpretations that’d fit with Ranboo’s character better. This Tally Hall’s album deals with differences, black and white, and how there shouldn’t be a divide between them. In this song, there are some noteworthy lines that I’d like to mention:

- “Bend the nightmare, you control it; Artful dodger, easy does it”—lucid dreaming, you have to be careful with it so as to not lose control.

- “Shut the closet, get under the covers”—you’re afraid of something and instead of facing it and seeing whether there even is something to be afraid of, you hide.

- “Turn the lights off”—confront your fears. It can also mean that in the dark, there’s no differences between people, going back to the album’s meaning.

- “And everybody wants to get evil tonight; But all good devils masquerade under the light”—this could mean that everyone has a darker part of themselves but those who actually indulge in their dark tendencies do so in plain sight by pretending to be someone else.

“Ruler of Everything”—the main theme here is time and how it’s the “ruler of everything”; time doesn’t matter about where it goes, and it will never stop. The second verse is most interesting to me—there are two singers, man and time, but for the sake of interpretation let’s just see it as two voices. One is obsessed about being liked, fitting in, constantly asking for reaffirmation (“Do you like how I walk? Do you like how I talk?”), while the second criticizes the first (“You practice your mannerisms into the wall”). They argue—”I’ve been you, I know you, your facade is scam; You know you’re making me cry, this is the way that I am”. The second is calling out the first for not being honest to himself. Tone is lighthearted but with an edge of unease.

“Merry-Go-Round of Life”—from Howl’s Moving Castle soundtrack. The title’s self-explanatory, I’d say.

“Killer Queen”—this one’s a harder one to interpret in regards to Ranboo lol. The song is about, based on an interview with Mercury, a high class woman that likes to indulge in her various desires (mostly sexual). I would doubt that’s what Ranboo was going for, so! Perhaps about a person that has no regards for their reputation and instead does whatever they feel like it? They have a certain image but still act however they like. Yeah, not too sure about this one :’) But that’s what I’ll go with for my later analysis.

“Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked”—quite straightforward. A person that performs bad deeds has reasons for them. Not excuses, but explanations, and you can sympathize with it. We all do “bad” things for one reason or the other, and, in the end, we’re all just trying to get by. Once again, plays into the theme of there not being a clear distinction between good and bad.

“The Bidding”—another harder one to interpret. On the surface, it’s about an auction where men are trying to sell themselves to women. They all present themselves in different images, and it’s remarked that the women care less about the date and more about the prospect of it, the pretty words. The date, actually, ends up being disappointing. Could be about expectations. Some men outright admit they’re assholes so whoever chooses them should know that. People can tell you what their intentions are from the start so if you end up hurt, you have no one else to blame but yourself.

“A Mask of My Own Face”—another interesting one! Unusual instruments, strong beat. They’re singing about how they have a desire to pretend to be someone else while secretly still being themselves. “I’d rob my own apartment and I wouldn’t give a damn; I’d blame it on the person that nobody knows I am”—implying they have no regard for their own livelihood and are just out to have some fun. Plus, that no one would be aware it’s all an act. “I'd wear it on Thanksgiving and I'd laugh in the parade; At all the people hissing, knowing I'm the one they hate”—they take delight in the idea of upsetting others and them not knowing it’s actually the singer that they should be hissing. “And at the big finale I would tear my face away; And smile as they grip their own and try to do the same”—everyone wears masks, and this person implies that their mask and their true self is not different from each other while others’ are.

“Stardust Crusaders”—soundtrack from Jojo. Action-packed? idk never seen it sorry lol

“I Can’t Decide”—oh, this one’s a doozy! One of the ones that do not fit c!Ranboo at all, but that’s what makes it interesting. A classic, the singer is out to have fun, very lighthearted and yet they’re singing about murder. The protagonist here is clearly mentally unwell and they’re indecisive whether they should let their enemy/toy/(up to interpretation) live or not. Some curious lines:

- “It’s not easy having yourself a good time”—in the context of the song, that “good time” implies something wicked.

- “I’m not a gangster tonight, don’t wanna be the bad guy, I’m just a loner, baby, and now you’ve got in my way”—they don’t view themselves as “bad”, however, the next two lines are paradoxal—the singer says they’re alone and yet decide to “mess around” with whoever comes up in their life.

- “No wonder why my heart feels dead inside, it’s hard and cold and petrified”—signifying lack of empathy.

- “It’s a bitch convincing people to like you”—they don’t actually want to do that and see it as a bother.

“Stranded Lullaby”—back to Miracle Musical, back to the theme of isolation. Super lyrical, super musical. They talk about how their memories float around aimlessly in their head, a sea, and may sometimes get lost. The protagonist, a sailor, is losing touch with reality and can’t tell apart what’s a dream anymore and what’s not. They question what they’re going through and why.

“Hidden In The Sand”—a song about longing, in my eyes. The protagonist sings about how “you” love things and how he wishes to love the same things, in the end admitting that “all I’ve wanted was you”. They don’t wish to be separated, they wish to have someone in their life that they could love.

“Now I’m Here”—euphoric. They sing about how they’re alive again, thanks to one specific person. I’m not gonna go too much into this one (partly because it’s a more difficult one for me again, partly because it’s Queen and I don’t wanna uhh talk nonsense on accident lol), but what I got from it is that when one one else saw them, someone did, and they made them “live again”, and now as a result the protagonist is devoted to them.

“&”—really highlights Tally Hall’s album’s theme of black and white and that there shouldn’t be a divide. The repetition of comparing opposites is present throughout the entire song (Weak & Strong & Wet & Dry…) and it’s heavily implied we should “say goodnight” to this mindset. But people love to choose sides, put things into good or bad categories. By the line “They took a lesson from their fathers” it’s implied that people don’t develop this mindset by themselves and are rather influenced by others around them. The whole album is titled “Good & Evil” and Tally Hall examines and criticizes this idea. If we keep dividing people into good and bad, eventually, we’ll all destroy ourselves.

“I’m Gonna Win”—a song about someone who’s struggling to get by. “Sometimes it can seem like a merciless dream”—life can get really hard and the protagonist wonders “what’s really worthwhile”. In the chorus, whoever, they declare that they’re “gonna win” no matter what. They might get “bloody and bruised” but they won’t give up until they “won’t be abused” and until they’re “laughing alone”. No matter how hard life/others kick them down, they’ll keep going. By the lines “It’s hard to be charming and smart and disarming; It’s hard to pretend you’re the best; It’s hard to fulfill everyone’s expectations; It’s hard to keep up with the rest” it’s implied that they find it tiresome to keep up appearances and be liked. It’s challenging to always fit everyone’s expectations, but they’ll continue doing whatever they have to to “win”.

if ranboo ever adds more songs to his playlist, i may add them here too :)

#dsmp #ranboo #dream smp analysis #ranboo analysis #song analysis #my analysis #ranboo ily ur taste is amazing brrr #this was a lot of fun but took so long rip #i knew like 90% of these lol

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njeancastro316 · 3 years

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The Night we met

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Ooops I did it again another little snippet. Not much sense but I wanted to give it a try .

Warnings: Nothing much swearing , fluffy and funny.

Bold italics mean my female reader’s thoughts .

Today I was inspired , felt the vibe , procrastinated a little bit but got it done, Im a libra ♎️ go figure🤪. Reblog, like , comment. 🤗😘

Remember english is not my first language yada yada yada.

Elijah was playing the piano alongside the jazz band . He smiled , he really truly was happy when he was playing music. After the song was finished he went to the bar for a drink and in came a gorgeous woman dressed in green medical scrubs. She made a beeline to the bar and signaled the bar keep for a drink. She was petite , athletic ,equipped with the biggest pair of dark brown eyes and a smile that could brighten the darkest room.

“What will it be my dear” ? the bartender asked “Bourbon and make it a double please and thank you”. She spoke sweetly smilling at the bartender.

Elijah couldn’t resist talking to her . “Rough day I presume”? Y/N turned her head towards the very pleasant voice . Her ears felt hot and she thanked God that she decided to straighten her hair today before her was a man that she could’ve swore was made by the gods. ‘Lord Jesus help me’ she thought before speaking. “You have no idea”she downed her drink with one gulp hissing as the warm liquid burned her throat. “Oh dear , that bad huh”? He smirked .

She sighed as she spoke “Haven’t you ever thought about giving up on something? , Something that you wanted badly”?

“Once or twice I must admit”. He bit his lip as if deep in thought. “Thinking about quitting your job”? He questioned quickly dismissing the sadness that suddenly took hold of him.

‘Damn... he bit his lip and did his tongue just swirled around it?, Stop,Christ Y/N stop looking at him like that and answer’. “What makes you think that”? She clear her throat. She signaled the bartender for another drink.

“Well... one must conclude that by the way you are going through those” he gestured to her second bourbon “and they way you are dressed it must be job related am I correct?”

‘Well I’ll be damned am I projecting my misery that bad .FML’

She ran her finger through the rim of her now empty glass “You are right , I have thought about quitting, its just” .. she paused, “ I love my job , I would gladly do it again if I had the chance to choose but sometimes it’s very frustrating”.

“Then why haven’t you?, if I may ask”.Enticing a look from her big doe eyes.

“Because I love to help people and even though the system is broken , to me the very definition of broken suggests that something can be fixed , don’t you agree”?She spoke softly.

His eyes widen in surprise he nodded .

“Its my incurable disease” she face palmed herself. “People tell me I should just work ,do what I can and go home. You know be selfish and think only about me and I just can’t , its not in my system . Im the shoulder that everyone leans on but where’s my shoulder. I often have asked myself if there is something wrong with me” she lowered her eyes to the empty glass and ordered another.

Elijah was baffled to say the least this woman not only was beautiful but kind hearted and his mirror image in every way.

Her frustration and sadness was tangible and he suddenly felt the need to comfort her.

“There is nothing wrong with you , you are just doing what it is in your nature to do . You are a healer and I think that you are an exquisite rare find” he said making her gasp.

‘Thats the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me’

“Thank you” she whispered while tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. Totally forgetting that they were beet red.

“Here you go dear”the bartender gave Y/N her drink and she down it quickly hissing again.

Elijah smiled again she was simply adorable blushing left and right “I think that’s enough for the night” he signaled the bartender to not serve her anymore making the old man smile.

“Yeah me too” she conceded , “Sir ... How much do I own you ”?

“Nothing dear , its been taken care off” he winked at her.

“Did you do this” ? she asked Elijah.

“Maybe” he gave her another smile.

Could this man be more gorgeous ,how was this possible he seemed nice and into her but , that couldn’t be it now could it? He was well...he was freaking delicious and she was nowhere near his league. She grew impossibly nervous.

Elijah felt her sudden distress, “Are you alright” ? concern showing on his chiseled face.

“Yes I can’t be here with you err I mean ,I need to go home” . Y/N went to get out of the stool when the drinks kicked in and she felt dizzy. She tripped on her own feet brazing herself for the embarrasment of the century but it never came . She was pulled impossibly close to his chest were she looked up at him . “Im sorry ... I’m a bit clumsy” he smelled so so good ‘was that cologne or did he smelled like that naturally’.

“May I escort you home?”He held onto her waist to steady her footing.

‘God yes , you may’

“Oh god no ... I mean its ok , I’m alright you dont have to” .She answered quickly cursing herself in her head .

‘Fuck I’m so retarded’

Elijah took her chin on his hand and lifted her face so he could look at her in the eye , “I insist, I want to make sure you make it home safely”his knuckles graced her cheek. She swooned.

‘ Yes .. baby take me home ... Oh god so much for alcohol encouragement’

“Thank you , really ,but its not necessary”. She suddenly felt like the room was small .

“It was a pleasure meeting you , thank you for the talk , for listening , for everything... uhhh yeah” blushed again .

‘You’re spiraling stupid , he’s way out of your league, walk away now and preserve your dignity’ She turned to walk away . When his voice stopped her again.

“Im Elijah by the way” he out stretched his hand for her to shake his. Once she did he took her hand and brushed his soft lips against her knuckles “Elijah Mikealson and the pleasure was all mine” he finished with a smirk.

“Holy fuck I’m never washing this hand again”

Completely speechless she nodded, turned and walked away from him towards her car the quickly .

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I couldn’t think of a title 🤦‍♀️help me, please. (Goes to hide while people read)

@elejahfanfic @eternityunicorn @hellotvshowtrash @elijahs-wife @ronniemikaelson @svnkissedskies @elijahmikaelsontvd-blog @idkhaylijah @kaiiiiiiparkerismyhusband @soul-revoir

#daniel gillies #daniel gillies has ruined me #elijah mikaelson #the originals #; mine #alternative universe #elijah mikaelson x reader

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texastheband · 3 years

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Texas V Wu-Tang Clan

Interview by Steven Daly Photography by Peter Robathan Taken from The Face - December 1997

It’s the pop story of ’97, the most unlikely end to a weird year: TEXAS collaborating with the WU-TANG CLAN. First, a Scottish rock band on the verge of slip-sliding away into a tasteful obscurity was reborn via a slew of hit singles and a glut of stylish imagery. Now, in New York, their Brit-cool meets hip hop in a mutually beneficial deal. For everyone concerned, it’s all they need to get on…

Sharleen Spiteri took the call in her front hall. "Yo, Peach," growled a strange voice over transatlantic wires. The gentleman caller was none other than Ol’ Dirty Bastard, court jester of New York hip hop dynasty the Wu-Tang Clan. Apparently Mr Bastard fancied working with Spiteri and her band, Texas. It all started in August, with one of Texas’ managers discussing Land Rovers with someone called Power in New York, who turned out to be the manager of the Clan. A video of Texas’ "Say What You Want" was dispatched, and prodigiously gifted Wu-Tang chieftain RZA signed on to do a re-recording of the single for a prospective single project. Original rapper OI’ Dirty Bastard was replaced by Method Man, the next Clan member with a solo album scheduled.

The hook-up with the Wu-Tang Clan is the perfect climax to a year that’s seen Texas rise from a tumbleweed-strewn grave to grab the pole position in British Pop. A year in which Glasgow’s Sharleen Spiteri has stared out, defiantly remade and remodelled, from every magazine cover and TV show. From a media point-of-view, Texas’ – Spiteri’s – reconfiguring of music and fashion has been the year’s dream ticket. Ever since Bryan Ferry took the innovative step of getting Anthony Proce in to design Roxy Music’s wardrobe in the early seventies, successive phases of pop’s history have thrown up performers who use the fashion photographers, stylists and designers du jour to present The Package. It is these performers who most often capture the youthful mood of their time: that’s why you can see the vulgar glamour of the Seventies in the cut of Ferry’s sleazy lounge-lizard jib; the naive aspiration of the early Eighties in the box-suited and pixie-booted "style" of Spandau Ballet; and the onset of the late-Eighties mixing and matching of different cultures in Neneh Cherry’s Buffalo Stance. When we look back at 1997 we will see in Texas’ sound and vision a new mix, all to do with living the high life but keeping it real. Catwalk and street, the designer and the understated, Prada and Nike; the slick and the cred. Ten years’ gone Scottish guitar outfit and this season’s bright young labels (in both senses). The setting too, has helped. Fashion, again, is big cultural business. Clever pop stars (Goldie! Liam!) want to be seen by the runway and hanging out at fashion parties; young designers yearn to be visible on the stage or the podium (viz. Antonio Berardi’s autumn London show at Brixton Academy). Factor in a paucity of self-motivating, button-pressing, songwriting, photogenic women in British music, and you have a ready-made media phenomenon.

Sharleen Spiteri is holding court at a New York restaurant with a gang of Calvin Klein employees who’ve just accompanied her to the VH-1 Fashion Awards. The annual ceremony is a mutually convenient arrangement, a TV cluster-fuck where the music and fashion industries exchange credibility and cachet. Texas are contemplating just such an exchange themselves, having recently been given the OK by CK. (Tommy Hilfiger has also made overtures.) Spiteri is to have an audience with Klein himself; she’s already been bribed with a trunkful of CK merch, including the streaked black dress – "inspired by [the artist] Brice Marden" – she’s wearing tonight.

Someone suggests that Texas would be perfect for Fashionably Loud, an MTV special where models strut on stage as the hot bands of the moment rock out. "Forget it," quips Spiteri. "there’s only room for one star up where we play." If Spiteri were to join Kate Moss and Christy Turlington on the Calvin Klein payroll it would not, as she sees it, detract from Texas’ music. "Fashion and music have always been connected, and now more than ever," says the singer. "You couldn’t have one without the other. If there’s shit music at a runway show it just doesn’t work."

Meanwhile, there’s the songs. With "White On Blonde", Texas’ fourth album, the music takes care of itself. Radio-friendly unit-shifters abound, helped on their way by producers Mike hedges (manic Street Preachers) and Manchester’s Grand Central. The singles have been, in sequence, nu-soul fresh ("Say What You Want"), springy pop ("Halo"), Motown-sunny ("Black Eyed Boy") and winter warming ("Put Your Arms Around Me"). The B-side remixers have covered all bases in these dance-savvy late Nineties, ranging from of-the-moment talents like the Ballistic Brothers and Trailerman to old stand-bys like Andy Weatherall and 808 State. Texas, patently, lost their dancefloor cherry by cherry-picking the brightest and the best.

Of course, while the singles have all enjoyed heavy airplay and gone top ten, and while "White on Blonde" has sold two million copies (more than its two predecessors put together), the remixes haven’t necessarily helped those sales. As the go-faster stripes of credibility on the solid saloon car, though, they’ve still been essential to The Package; all part of the thoroughly modern mix.

So now, the Wu-Tang Clan. To many, though, this latest development could smack of opportunism. One group are renegade roughnecks who mythologise themselves in epic hip hop anthems; the others are fastidiously tasteful Scots with an eye for perfectly modern consensus-pop. The Wu-Tang Clan are certainly among the aesthetically correct names that Texas always drop in interviews, but can there possibly be a legitimate connection between the two? "A lot of the Wu-Tang backing tracks have the feel of soundtracks, and we’ve always gone for a cinematic sound," says Johnny McElhone, Spiteri’s genial songwriting partner and bass player. "And I’ve always liked Al Green, and they use a lot of Willie Mitchell, Al Green, that whole Hi Records sound, and make it modern. And Marvin Gaye: Method Man, in that duet with Mary J. Blige, used ‘You’re All I Need To Get By."

Having dominated the charts in Europe this year, Texas are now, logically, turning their attention to America: the country that has always inspired them, whether it’s the dusty, pseudo-roots sound of their first three albums, or the iconic-soul and post-soul sounds of Memphis and Staten Island that they give props to now; the place where success has always eluded them. Yet given the commercial momentum of "White on Blonde", their approach to the Wu-Tang Clan is surely not driven by desperation. They are, then, viewing the collaboration with a combination of fan-like wonder and disbelief.

"Method Man is just a wicked, wicked rapper," enthuses Spiteri. "I can’t wait to hear the combination of my vocals and his – I‘m really excited about it. I have a kind of sweet, virginal thing going on, and he’s got this dirty sex vibe. It could be the perfect marriage."

It’s a Saturday night in Manhattan, and ten storeys above Times Square, Sharleen Spiteri sits on the floor of a recording studio, tinkering with her latest high-tech gadget, a Philips computer about the size of a TV remote. Across the street, three ten-foot high electronic ticker-tapes provide testimony to Monday’s stockmarket crash. No matter how much Spiteri plays with her new toy, there’s still that nagging worry: what if the Wu-Tang Clan won’t show? They’re supposed to be on a tour bus returning from a gig in Washington, DC today, but these, after all, are the original masters of disaster. The crew whose normal modus operandi seems to be chaos. The band that recently quit a national tour because only five of the nine members could be relied upon to turn up.

The studio has been booked since six, so Spiteri and McElhone breathe signs of relief when RZA and his posse finally roll in around ten. Among the dozen-strong throng, they’re surprised to see Wu-Tang member Reakwon, a stout fellow with a Mercedes cap and a Fort Knox of gold dental work. Several cigars are hollowed out, their contents replaced with weed; bottles of Cristal champagne and Hennessy are passed around as the air grows thick with smoke.

Half an hour later, method Man makes his entrance. Stooped over, he looks deceptively short – maybe only six-four in his Hilfiger fleece hoodie. "I’m John-John," he tells Sharleen, referring to his alias, Johnny Blaze. Pulling out the big blunt from behind his ear, Method Man considers the job at hand. "She got a nice voice," drawls the laconic giant. "This band not exactly my type of listening material, but they going in the right direction, if you ask me, by fucking with us. I’m waiting for RZA to put down a beat, hear how the vocals sound melded with the track before I come with ideas. I’m one of those guys."

As his friends get on with the serious business of partying, RZA goes to work, feeding a succession of sample-laden discs into a sampler. He has a diffident, genius-at-work charisma about him as he sits with his back to the room, keyboard at side. With a flick of his prodigiously ringed hand he reaches out and conjures up a brutal bassline. The speakers pulse violently. RZA takes a sip of Hennessy. "Record this, right here!" he tells the bewildered-looking engineer.

RZA has decided to dispense with the original master tapes, shipped over from Britain. He wants a completely new version, recorded rough-and-ready without the standard safety net of a time-code. This convention-trashing, wildstyle approach to recording elicits some consternation from the studio’s engineer, a central-casting white guy who warns RZA: "You won’t be able to synch to this, you know." RZA waves him away and turns to Johnny McElhone. "This riff is in E," McElhone tells RZA. "Maybe we should try it in the original key, D." "What are you saying? I understand no keys," says RZA. "You want me to sing the whole song straight through?" asks Spiteri, trying to divine RZA’s intentions. He orders the lights turned down, and offers Sharleen some herbal inspiration. She politely declines and walks to the vocal booth. "What’s her name? Sheree?" asks RZA as Spiteri warms up. The engineer wants to know if he should maybe start recording. "Always record everything!" exclaims RZA. "Ready, get set, go! Play and record, play and record!" Spiteri rattles of a perfect new version of ‘Say What You Want’, grooving along by herself and passionately acting out every word, even the ones borrowed from Marvin Gaye’s ‘Sexual Healing". Now it’s time for Method Man, who at this point is so herbally inspired that he can hardly open his eyes. He jumps up and lopes around the main room, running off his newly written rhymes and clutching a bottle of Crystal. Method walks up to the mic and opens his mouth, and that treacly baritone sets a typically morbid scene: "Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest…" The Texas duo just look at each other, shaking their heads in awe.

The hours and the rhymes pass. Around 6am, things are starting to get a little weird. As Method Man snoozes on the sofa, RZA bounces off the walls, dancing like a dervish. "These are the new rhythms," he yells. "These are the new dances from Africa. I learned them when I was there last week!" McElhone and Spiteri crack up. The engineer probably wishes he were in Africa right now; he further draws RZA’s ire by making a mistake as he runs off some rough cassettes. As everyone says goodbye, RZA decides that he’s taking the studio’s sampler – he already has two of the $3,500 items, but at this point it’s all about the wind-up. The engineer, though, having last seen the end of his tether a good few hours ago, has had enough. By the commencement of office hours that morning, the rest of the session will have been cancelled and the band and Clan banned from this studio.

After a few frantic phone calls later that morning, a studio is found that is prepared to let the Wu-Tang Clan through the door. With one precondition: only two of them are allowed in the studio. Now it’s midnight, and four-fifths of Texas watch a trio of RZA-hired session men go through their paces. They shift effortlessly through a handful of soul and funk styles, and the Scots mutter approval. These are the kind of players that are so good they can get away with wearing questionable knitwear.

Soon, another couple of Wus pop in. Then another couple. In the control room RZA orders up a bottle of Hennessy and talks about hearing "Say What You Want" for the first time. "I didn’t fully understand the sound of it," admits the soft-spoken maestro. "It was obviously a popular song, a radio song, and my sound is the total opposite. But I thought that the artist had something, so I thought: "Let’s take her and rock her to my beat."

"Sweet soul, that’s what her stuff sounded like to me. Smooth. It reminded me of the Seventies: in those days, they did songs that would fit anywhere. If you went to a club getting high it would fit; if you was cleaning up your house it would fit. That’s when you’ve got a real great song right there." Whether or not "Say What You Want" is a great song, it’s not quite coming together tonight. Despite the best offers of the studio management, a full complement of Wu posse members ended up in the house. As the night drags on the trio of musicians don’t get with the track, and by eight the following morning there is little in the way of usable material. But everyone stays upbeat. Texas will work on the track in Glasgow, and send it back to RZA to finish, along with a new song based around one of his samples. After vowing to stay in touch, everyone stumbles out into the Manhattan morning light together, the Scots with an American name, and the Clan without a tartan.

From a distance the collaboration will continue. But it’s only a different kind of distance. Culturally, creatively, the gap between the Wu-Tang Clan and the old twang clan is considerable. Yet so it goes, this cross-cultural exchange programme. Whether it’s The Stones copping blues movies, Bowie digging the Philadelphia Sound, Lisa Stansfield getting soulful with Barry White, Sting getting doleful with Puff Daddy… Whether it’s Todd Terry reviving Everything But The Girl or Armand Van Helden making Sneaker Pimps the unwitting jumpstarters of speed garage, naked opportunism and risk-taking innovation have always been confused. Now, with genres blurred and tricknology proceeding apace, anything is possible and everything is permitted. Perhaps it is this, the sheer unlikeliness, that makes the Texas-Wu experiment the most illuminating collaboration of the year. Whether it works or not.

"If you play her stuff in a club, everybody be dancing, but it’s a clear room and you can see everybody’s face," RZA reflects on the departing Sharleen Spiteri. "But if you play mine, the room is smoky." And perhaps it is here, among the clouds and the clarity, between the smoke and the mirrors, where a new sound and vision lies.

Text originally posted on texasindemand.com

#article #whiteonblonde #wob #the face #the faculty #wutangclan #wu-tang clan #saywhatyouwant #texas #texasband #texas band #texastheband #texas the band #sharleenspiteri #sharleen spiteri

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doomedandstoned · 3 years

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Spelljammer Reveal Trippy New Vid, Talk ‘Abyssal Trip’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

Interview by Billy Goate

Cover Art by Aaron Cahill

Our week of big interviews continues as we meet up with the ethereal doom outfit from Stockholm SPELLJAMMER and premiere a new music video, from their just released second LP, dropped only weeks ago on RidingEasy Records and now the number one album on the Doom Charts.

'Abyssal Trip' (2021) is an enthralling listen from edge to center, with lavish textures, deep thematic content, and unforgettably emotive atmosphere that will stick with you for life. Enjoy it as you read the revealing conversation with Niklas Olsson (guitar, vox) and Robert Sörling (guitar) that follows as we unpack their steller new spin, talk nerdy gear shit, and contemplate humanity's fate.

And now, Doomed & Stoned is pleased to bring you the world premiere of the brand new video for that epic third track, "Among The Holy."

Give ear...

Spelljammer - Among The Holy (music video)

You guys have been a band now for damn near 15 years, maybe longer. Most bands don't make it past two years! What is the "key" to the band staying together for so long and continuing to find inspiration for creating new music?

Rob: I don’t think it’s been 15 years just yet but we are getting there, haha. None the less - that’s a really interesting question! Nik and I started the band much because we share the same taste in music, film and, well, art in general. I think that's the core keeping it all together. Also, there have been a few constellations of band members over the years, all with their own dynamic. I think these kinds of changes, and the new directions of the music because of that, is part of the inspiration. Maybe another reason is that we all live in different cities and because of that sometimes a lot of time passes between rehearsals, writing sessions and such, making us always craving for new Spelljammer jams and songs.

Nik: The craving yes. And another reason I think is the fact that we’ve never really been in a rush to get anywhere. Anything Spelljammer, the music included, takes time. If we had been set on making it, this thing probably would have fallen apart a long time ago.

Abyssal Trip by Spelljammer

How did the theme for Abyssal Trip originate?

Nik: I have always been more drawn to the feelings or emotions you get from a riff or piece of music than to any theme of a lyric. But I would say that any themes came in at the lyrics state, which is at the end of the process. But the themes aren’t that specific to any of the albums. I think I cast a pretty wide net in the beginning and stuck to it. For the next album perhaps we will venture more into unchartered waters. We’ll see.

What fascinates you about the Great Abyss of the ocean?

Nik: I totally get that the word abyss conjures up images of ocean trenches and, yes, the ocean is a fascinating and to a large extent undiscovered place. However, when I wrote that I wasn’t necessarily thinking of the ocean but more the abyss of our own minds. But I think it’s a word that evokes many things, like despair and doom, and it is of course totally open to interpretation.

Is mankind doomed or do we have time to correct our course?

Nik: I’m not as pessimistic of a person as the lyrics may suggest. I think we will be here on earth for a long time. Mankind is clever (perhaps too clever for her own good) even if there are a lot of people hell-bent on trying to screw up everything for everybody else.

Rob: Yes, and considering how ignorant and careless (some) people are acting during this pandemic, at least over here, makes you wonder if there’s any hope at all.

Nik: People are the worst. Ultimately, though, none of it matters because we’re all doomed.

Have you guys seen any good movies/documentaries or read any good books lately that inspired you or otherwise challenged your thinking about life, the present, or the future?

Rob: I can’t say that I’ve seen or read anything recently that challenged me significantly, I guess I’m getting too old to be that overwhelmed haha. The film A Ghost Story though was kind of cool though because it was different, slow and weird (in a good way), and for me it’s always inspiring to read/see/hear something that makes you think, "Man, I wish I had come up with that idea”.

Nik: Absolutely! Punch Drunk Love, Moon, and Office Space are definitely movies like that. I have watched so many movies and series through this pandemic and I can’t remember any of them right now. But I did just notice that there is a season 3 of Loudermilk on HBO! If you haven’t already, see it! I’m currently reading "Homeward Bound, The Life of Paul Simon” by Peter Ames Carlin. It’s a good read about one of my favorite musicians.

For recording this album, what kind of gear did you use and what production/engineering considerations did you have to take into account?

Rob: Since we did a remote recording in the countryside we had to use whatever stuff that we could fit into a couple of cars. I have a couple of old audio interfaces that I linked for a total of 16 channels. I also have a small collection of mics (nothing fancy) and we used them all and the rest was borrowed. We set up the drums in the living room and put the guitar and bass rigs as far away as we could (the adjacent rooms) to avoid bleed and just focused on getting the rhythm tracks done. The goal was to get us all in the same room and to catch the vibe from a relaxed rehearsal kind of situation. The bass rig used was a Orange Terror Bass and an Ampeg SVT 810 and the guitar was tracked through a Reval Mark I and/or Orange TH-100 and a Orange PPC 412. Of course there’s always some unforeseen problem lurking and this time it was the electricity in the old country house.

Nik: I don’t use many effects, just a fuzz. For this one I used a Supercollider from Earthbound Audio. It is exactly what the name suggests. That’s all you need really.

The album cover is amazing! It reminds me, in some strange way, of the creature in the old B-movie Robot Monster (1953). What's the story behind the artwork?

Nik: It definitely has a B-movie vibe that I really like. I’m afraid I can’t really tell you much about it other than the artist name is Aaron Cahill and you can find his stuff on Instagram under the name nghbrs.

I filmed your first US appearance at Psycho Las Vegas in 2016. Fans want to know: do you have ambitions of returning to North America once the world sorts out this pandemic?

Rob: Yes, that’s our first and only US appearance so far and we wouldn’t mind at all returning to Vegas or any other part of the US. For now it’s really hard making any plans at all. In fact, you would think that this kind of isolation would enhance creativity, and maybe for some it does, but for us it’s actually been the most unproductive period so far for Spelljammer. So I’m hoping that by the time this thing blows over we get the inspiration back both for writing/recording new music, and in time hopefully revisiting the US!

Nik: I agree, playing at Psycho Las Vegas was a blast. I hope we get another opportunity to come back some day.

Spelljammer at Psycho Las Vegas/a>

Some Buzz

“The vastness of everything is something that I think about a lot,” says Spelljammer bassist/vocalist Niklas Olsson. And it certainly shows in both the expansive, sludgy sounds and contemplative lyrics of the Stockholm, Sweden based trio. Following a 5-year break between their previous album, Ancient of Days — perhaps fittingly spent pondering said vastness — Spelljammer is back with an album that perfectly bridges the band’s earlier desert rock leanings and their later massive, slow-burning riffs.

'Abyssal Trip' (note: carefully reread that album title) takes its moniker from the perpetually dark, cold, oxygen-free zone at the bottom of the ocean. The 6-song, 44-minute album fittingly embodies that bleak realm with rumbling, oozing guitars intercut with dramatic melodic interludes. The songs take their time to unfurl, making them even more hypnotic. Likewise, the lyrics take a poetic approach to establishing the sonic scenery.

“The lyrical themes we address, like the ultimate doom of man, and the search and longing for new and better worlds, are still there,” Olsson says. “The concept of something undiscovered out there in vast emptiness is pretty much always present.”

The recording process for Abyssal Trip differs from previous releases in that the band — guitarist Robert Sörling, drummer Jonatan Rimsbo and Olsson — opted to capture the performances while holed up in the mental bathysphere of a house in the countryside near Stockholm. “The songs benefitted from the relaxed environment of being away from everything,” Olsson explains. Indeed, the album sounds confident and meticulously arranged, afforded by the band’s isolation. Sörling mixed the album and it was mastered by Monolord drummer Esben Willems at Berserk Audio.

Album opener “Bellwether” begins dramatically with a very slow, nearly minute-long fade in of rumbling distortion setting the stage for heavily distorted bass and guitar plucking out the lugubrious riff for another minute and a half before the drums begin, and likewise equally as long before vocals gurgle to the surface. “Lake” abruptly shifts gears, opening with an unusually fast gallop before rupturing into thundering doom that soon drops into a clean-tone Middle Eastern melodic breakdown.

The title track serves as the album centerpiece, opening with ominous film dialogue about blood sacrifice that launches into pummeling, detuned guitars rumbling over gut-punching drums and howling vocals hearkening to the proto-sludge of Pink Floyd’s “The Nile Song.” The dynamic relents briefly for a slow building clean guitar melody before all instruments lock into a jerking riff topped off by a trilling Iommi style lead. Throughout, Abyssal Trip is, just like its title suggests, an epic tour through desolate zones which yields much to discover.

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#D&S Debuts #D&S Interviews #Spelljammer #Stockholm #Sweden #doom #metal #doom metal #music video #HeavyBest2021 #RidingEasy Records #Doomed and Stoned

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azurowle · 3 years

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Songs to Vibe to While You’re Mourning Unus Annus

Not a playlist or anything, just...a couple of songs that might help with catharsis and mourning.

I’m not an artist or any sort. I don’t really write anymore. Even so...I do listen to a lot of music that’s cathartic. I’m not even sure if I picked the right ones, because I’m notoriously bad at extracting the correct context from...anything, really. But I thought the least I could do is share some of my favorites with you all, in the hopes that it will help those of you who are mourning the loss of the channel grieve and begin to move forward.

All songs are under the cut, along with some sample lyrics hopefully showing why I chose them. (I am going to put a mild trigger warning for suicide ideation and light spoilers for Umineko no Naku Kori ni, if you’re unfamiliar with it and want to see the whole thing.)

1. “Ricordando il passato” - Akiko Shikata (from Umineko no Naku Koro ni)

Riposa, riposa in pace. Nel racconto che ho scritto, puoi volare in libertà. Ecco il mio ultimo incantesimo, affinché la tua luce non conosca ombra.

(I think this song is just a really beautiful farewell in general - both in the context of the VN it comes from and for any lorekeepers - ”How many more mysteries would I have had to solve to save you?”)

2. “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” - Death Cab for Cutie

Love of mine, someday you will die But I'll be close behind and I'll follow you into the dark No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white Just our hands clasped so tight, waiting for the hint of a spark

If heaven and hell decide that they both are satisfied And illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks Then I'll follow you into the dark

(For some reason this song brings the “Unus” and “Annus” personas to mind. I’m not sure why. But there’s a very black/white image that comes to my mind when I hear the song and lyrics.)

3. “The Day That I Die” - Good Charlotte

We took a drive and We drove through DC To see the places we lived Long conversations We talked of old friends And all the things that we did Summer nights Drunken fights Mistakes we made Did we live it right?

You know the happiest day of my life I swear the happiest day of my life Is the day that I died

(Picked this mostly for the Goodbye livestream - talking about the things they did and saw, how the year went for them, that sort of thing.)

4. “Goodbye to a World” - Porter Robinson

Thank you, I'll say goodbye soon Though its the end of the world, Don't blame yourself now And if its true, I will surround you and give life to a world That's our own

(Another one for the “Goodbye” stream - my understanding of the original song is that it’s about an MMORPG whose server is shutting down. Which reminds me a lot of what happened at the end of the stream.)

5. “Say Uncle” - Vienna Teng

These days everyone cries, "say uncle" I retrieve the memories quickly as I can Add them to the portrait we all draw in our minds Your body gone, we shall keep the man

(What we have to do going forward - remember it and talk about the good times. Nothing’s ever really gone, if we remember it.)

6. “Shelter” - Porter Robinson

I could never find the right way to tell you Have you noticed I've been gone? 'Cause I left behind the home that you made me But I will carry it along

And it's a long way forward, so trust in me I'll give them shelter, like you've done for me And I know, I'm not alone, you'll be watching over us Until you're gone

(I’ve been seeing a lot of sentiments going around that this has inspired other people to do their own “Unus Annus” - to put everything they have into something they’re passionate about. For some reason I thought of this song.)

7. “Thank you for being born” - Dai (from Umineko no Naku Koro ni”

(An instrumental - the vocal version of this song is about a mother singing to her daughter and her relationship to her. Honestly, the title is the biggest sentiment here - the gratitude so many people expressed that this existed at all. The music just carries it.)

Bonus Track:

8. “Hope” - Dai (from Umineko no Naku Kori ni)

(Again - seeing a lot of people being inspirted

#unus annus #memento mori #we were there #goodbye unus annus #unus annus is over party #markiplier #crankgameplays

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gautier-desroches · 3 years

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▪︎ Gautier Desroches ▪︎

Bio down below ! 🔻🔻🔻

◦ ғᴜʟʟ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ◦

Gautier Desroches

◦ ʜɪᴘᴘʏ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ◦

Aurahaze

◦ ᴀɢᴇ ◦

◦ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ ᴏғ ʙɪʀᴛʜ ◦

October 22

◦ ᴢᴏᴅɪᴀᴄ sʏᴍʙᴏʟ ◦

Libra

◦ ɢᴇɴᴅᴇʀ ◦

Male

◦ ᴘʀᴇғᴇʀʀᴇᴅ ᴘʀᴏɴᴏᴜɴs ◦

He/Him

◦ sᴇxᴜᴀʟɪᴛʏ ◦

Gay

◦ ᴇᴛʜɴɪᴄɪᴛʏ ◦

French

◦ ʜᴇɪɢʜᴛ ◦

6’1” (185 cm)

◦ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛ ◦

135 Ibs

◦ ᴛᴀᴛᴛᴏᴏs/sᴄᴀʀs/ᴘɪᴇʀᴄɪɴɢs ◦

Nipple piercings. Usually wears long chain jewelry there. Also has a tattoo of a cat on his shoulder.

◦ ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀʟ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ

Gautier is the definition of a sweetheart. He’s constantly making sure the people around him feel comfortable and loved, and always offering emotional advice and moral support. Literally the first thing he asks someone when he first meets them is their preferred pronouns and any triggers they have.

Defense: “But the officers called me Mr. at the crime scene? I thought you knew that?”

Gautier: -comforting smile as he puts a hand on their shoulder- “Just ‘cause someone calls you something doesn’t mean it’s accurate. Also I use ‘dude’ and ‘man’ as a gender neutral term, but if that ever bothers you I can adjust immediately”

This kindness also seems to shine in court, as he even provides support for the defense when they’re feeling down.

Defense: -is super stressed out because they’ve gone on a wild theory and doesn’t know what evidence to present-

Gautier: “Hey man…just take a breath. Clear your mind, and the answer will come to you. I believe in you dude, you can do this”

Even his objections don’t hold much bite, as he usually points out the flaw in the defense’s claim gently instead of mockingly.

“Not to throw off your vibes, dude…I’m totally digging where you’re going with your theory but like…that kind of contradicts this evidence, right?”

This aspect of himself, while in his tender nature, is also due to the fact that he cares more about the truth than winning.

Gautier is a fun mix of your stereotypical teenage skater boy and hippy. The first because of his tendency to use words such as “Dude, bruh, killer, radical, etc” and the second because he’s very in tune with emotions and nature. He’s also a little stupid when it comes to stuff people usually know? A bit of a ditz, if you will.

Someone: “Are you the breadwinner of the household?”

Gautier: “Duuuude….I won bread? That’s like…so killer man. I hope it’s whole wheat…”

However, don’t underestimate him. Gautier is quite intelligent when it comes to tougher topics, like law, emotions, science, and other schooly subjects. It often throws people for a loop when he corrects them about certain facts in a long tangent.

Gautier, other than law, also loves music. It’s his side career. But while he knows how to play guitar and piano he isn’t trying to make a career out of them. He’s actually trying to become a famous kazoo player.

“The kazoo just brings so much happiness and laughter to people, man…it really speaks to me”

Gautier, surprisingly, tends to put off more people than he should. Mostly his coworkers. People see the way he acts so carefree and unprofessional and look down on him. Some also aren’t fond of his empathetic side, as Gautier is more sensitive than most. He is sometimes known to go in “Moods”, where he’s down about something he’s learned. These can range from actual dark topics, to the death of a bug on his way to work. As you may realize, this can be tough to deal with when you’re trying to get something done and he’s busy sulking.

All in all though, Gautier is a genuinely good dude, and more cooperative with the defense than he probably should be.

◦ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴛʀᴀɪᴛs ◦

◦ Empathetic

◦ Honest

◦ Passionate

◦ Intelligent

◦ ʙᴀᴅ ᴛʀᴀɪᴛs ◦

◦ Not common sense smart

◦ Gullible

◦ Sensitive

◦ Physically touchy

◦ sᴛʀᴇɴɢᴛʜs ◦

◦ Catching on to the little things in a case

◦ Noticing his witnesses emotions

◦ Making a witness that’s about to breakdown feel better

◦ Doesn’t lie, so never caught in any. Also has very lax body language, so hard to detect his nervous ticks unless he’s in a mood.

◦ ᴡᴇᴀᴋɴᴇssᴇs ◦

◦ Animals (Allergic)

◦ Easy for Athena to detect his emotions since he’s very open with them.

◦ Because he never lies, if he’s forced to he’s super bad at it.

◦ When in a mood, he’s a flurry of ticks. He gets a twitchy pouting lip, he rubs the back of his neck, he hides in his hair more, etc. When not in a mood, his nervous ticks are well hidden because they’re mistaken for carefree confidence. Ex, widened smiles, hands in pockets, blowing hair out of face. Of course, these are easier to see for the trained eye.

◦ ғᴇᴀʀs/ᴘʜᴏʙɪᴀs ◦

◦ Lighting & Thunder

◦ Darkness

◦ Background ◦

Gautier was raised in Seattle for his childhood days. His life was relatively normal, learning both of his mother’s behaviors and teachings as he grew. He was a very bright child, quick to learn and quick to make friends because of his carefree nature. As he grew though, children who were once fascinated by his connection with earth and its inhabitants started to find him strange. That only got worse when his family moved to France for his high school years.

Gautier stuck out like a sore thumb, not suited socially to the expensive school his parents signed him up for. They had wanted him to have wonderful opportunities, especially since his mom needed the family to move for work reasons. But that only backfired as he became a target of bullying. It didn’t help that the teachers saw him as a problem child as, despite his good grades, he had a tendency for violating uniform guidelines, had a ‘marijuana user’ way of speaking (not the nicest thing to overhear a teaching saying), etc.

The bullying took its worst turn on the night of the overnight musicthon. An event where musicians of the school would write a song overnight, and the best song would win tuition money for college. That night there was a dreadful storm, and his bullies had locked him outside on one of the school’s upper floor verandas, trapping him in the downpour. It only got worse when the storm left the school in a blackout. Now left in scary darkness, Gautier was panicked. He curled up on the floor, hoping to avoid the edge so he wouldn’t fall off.

That was when it struck.

A shot of lighting, just outside of the veranda.

The crack of light and overwhelming roar of thunder left Gautier in shambles. It’s strike resulted in a broken telephone wire, the edge slicing his shoulder and leaving a nasty scar. Despite the injury, Gautier was too scared to move. Even after the storm was over, Gautier didn’t move from his spot, hands covering his ears and eyes shut with fear. He was found by a teacher hours later, and quickly taken to the hospital.

His mother, Séraphine Desroches, came to the school the next day. Her son wasn’t telling her who did it, so she would find out herself. Being a prosecutor for years, it didn’t take her long to piece together what happened. She waited until her son was better to take action, demanding an audience with the principal, bullies, their parents, the teachers that were on watch that night, etc. Then she got to work, accusing the boys responsible with elegance, intimidation and hard evidence. Needless to say the boys were expelled once their actions were brought to light.

That incident stuck with Gautier in more ways than one. It left him with an extreme fear of lighting, thunder, and darkness. And it made him want to pursue being a prosecutor. The way his mom had pieced together her argument and gotten justice for him was inspiring, and an insane relief. He wanted to give that feeling to every person that had been wronged. So, after his last two years of high school spent in a less snooty school, he took up law in college (as well as therapy) and the rest is history.

◦ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ᴏᴄᴄᴜᴘᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ◦

Prosecutor and musician.

◦ ᴘᴀʀᴇɴᴛs ◦

Mom: Tilda Desroches (Auramother Soulquest) - 50 years old. Pet Groomer.

Mom: Séraphine Desroches - 53 years old. Prosecutor.

◦ sɪʙʟɪɴɢs ◦

None

◦ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴛɪᴄ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇsᴛ ◦

None

° VOICE HEADCANON °

Matthew Gallenstein

Ex. Finn from Life is Strange 2

#{ dude that's me! : muse art }#ace attorney #ace attorney oc #aa oc #ace attorney ocs #art #illustration #design #artists on tumblr #digital art #anime #manga #oc #original character

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fy-winner · 5 years

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[Rolling Stone India] The Art of Being Mino

The South Korean hip-hop star wowed critics and fans alike with his solo album ‘XX’; but is he any closer to discovering who the ‘real’ Mino is?

Understanding Song Minho is kind of like catching lightning in a bottle; impossible to do but the idea itself is so dazzling, you need to give it a shot anyway. Tall and blonde with bleached eyebrows and sharp features, Song–better known mononymously as Mino–cuts quite the intimidating figure. He’s intelligent, polite and forthcoming on every answer and there’s an elegance to him that’s instantly appealing. There’s one little thing that proves to be more charming than any of this, however, and it comes in the form of a little note he sends on email after the interview; “Thank you for your interest!” it reads cheerfully, accompanied by a smiley emoji. “I hope we do it again when Winner’s back!” It’s simple but sweet and suddenly there’s yet another dimension to the chic, fierce rapper we’re used to seeing onscreen.

Before sitting down with Rolling Stone India for a conversation in December, the 25-year old musician’s schedule through 2018 included the release and promotion of a full LP with his band Winner, a Japan tour, a more extensive Asia tour, a series of performances across his home country South Korea, starring roles in several variety shows and a feature on YG Entertainment labelmate and his senior Seungri’s viral hit track “Where R U From.” November was busiest for him with the release of his first solo LP XX, a 12-track feast of hip-hop, tradition, emotion and culture. December finally closed with yet another single with Winner and a series of year-end performances in Korea.

While a bit of a break is warranted after the whirlwind of activity, Mino confirms he has no plans to take it easy in 2019. “Winner will release a full album this year,” he reveals cheerfully. “I cannot talk about our plan in advance, but we are preparing a surprise gift with a great musician!” The four-member K-pop band are working on their upcoming third LP and have already begun their tour schedules in full force– they’re currently on a six-city run of the United States with stops in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago and New York.

Over the past year Mino has embraced the avant-garde with ease, stepping away from his swag-heavy hip-hop image and slipping into a more elegant avatar.

As an artist, Mino is full of surprises with an evolution that’s been thrilling to map. He started his career as a rapper in South Korea’s vibrant underground hip-hop scene back in 2010 (when he was just 16) but success took a while to come along. He debuted briefly in 2011 with a group called BoM before its premature disbandment in 2013, and then finally signed with leading music label YG Entertainment as a trainee. In 2014 he got his big break after participating in TV channel Mnet’s reality-survival program Win: Who Is Next and ending up as a member of the winning Team A–which would go on to form Winner and debut that same year. He shot to fame quickly this time around, gaining attention as a solo artist after finishing as runner-up on the fourth season of South Korean hip-hop survival competition Show Me The Money in 2015. With several eyes on him, he wowed with a more bluesy, melancholic persona on Winner’s 2016 EP EXIT: E. That same year he and YG Entertainment labelmate Bobby announced a duo project titled MOBB, which showed off a completely different, swag-heavy, fun-loving attitude, but in that EP he included “Body,” a solo single that blended sex and passion with angst and regret. Winner’s discography as of late has been bright, tropical and electronic-pop and he’s able to adapt to it effortlessly as well. His career trajectory spells ‘chameleon’ and even in times of trial there’s a sense of chill around him, as though deep inside he knows everything’s going to work out.

Over the past year Mino has embraced a life of avant-garde with ease, stepping away from his swag-heavy hip-hop image and slipping into a more elegant avatar. He seems more comfortable and willing to express himself in ways outside of music. He’s always had fondness for art but now seems to revel in it, regularly posting images of artwork he’s created on Instagram, participating in media projects, exhibitions and editorials. Last year, he displayed some of his own artwork at an exhibit titled ‘Burning Planet.’ The pieces were a combination of installation art with media and performance art which explored the idea of burnouts, stress and humanity’s exhausting pace of birth, work, death. It’s morbid, futuristic and almost prophetical in its warnings about the pressure society puts on young people and quickly gained critical acclaim. Mino remains modest in the wake of all the praise, saying, “I do not know if I have had any talent when I was young, but I painted as a hobby since I was a kid. So I have become interested in art naturally. It was a very good opportunity to exhibit ‘Burning Planet’ with [eye wear brand and collaborator] Gentle Monster. It was a good time to learn and experience many things.”

It’s this artistic and emotional evolution which seems to have had the biggest hand in the creation of XX. “I wanted to give a tweak to my existing image, which I guess has been heavy with hip-hop and rap. I wanted to start afresh,” he stated at a press conference in November, according to a report by the Korea Herald. XX is an extension of his performance art–dramatic, creative with an ambiguous title to boot (he’s explained he wanted his listeners to have their own interpretations of it.) The video for the lead single “Fiancé” features imagery around birds, dreams, fantastical landscapes and more. In addition to being involved in the entire concept, Mino also contributed to the set design–there’s a giant mural of a bluebird featured in the video which he painted himself. Several fans as well as popular YouTube channels like DKDKTV have attempted to decipher the meanings behind it and he’s thrilled to see all the various discussions. “It is one of the things I enjoy the most,” he says when I ask if he ever watches these theories. “Making parts that can be interpreted in various ways… I love watching them in various interpretations.” Could he tell us which theory got closest to deciphering his work? “I will never tell which one is correct or incorrect for more diverse guesses!” he teases.

“Fiancé” has also been appreciated for its unconventional combination of trot, a form of Korean folk music, and trap. To do this, the track samples Korean veteran singer Kim Taehee’s 1969 track “Soyanggang River Maiden” and blends it with bass-heavy, rolling trap and Mino’s drawling rap. “There was no intention to use ‘Soyanggang River Maiden’ from the beginning,” Mino says. “When the song was almost 80 percent complete, [YG Entertainment CEO and music producer] Yang Hyun Suk gave me an idea of putting a part of ‘Soyanggang River Maiden’ as a sample source, and it fit perfectly into the message and vibe of this song.” The haunting sample had younger fans enthralled and searching through YouTube to listen to the original track while applauding Mino for putting a limelight on Korean pop culture and history. Because in addition to the retro sound, the music video for “Fiancé” is a fever-dream blend inspired by the Korean Joseon dynasty and modern-day angst. In the clip the rapper wanders between fantasy and reality, dressed as an emperor as he searches the past, present and future for his one true love.

“I was getting to love myself, and everything [about that experience] is in this album.”

Is it possible that with younger artists like him using older genres like trot or paying homage to their history in music videos, it can help young listeners appreciate tradition a little bit more? Mino reveals that wasn’t really his intention at all. “In fact, I considered this song for older people than younger people,” he says, adding his plan was to erase misconceptions about hip-hop and ‘young’ music in the minds of older generations. “Even if the genre of hip-hop is popularized, it is still hard to catch up with higher age. So it seems like sampling of ‘Soyanggang River Maiden’ was a good plan for this song.” “Fiancé” has indeed added to the buzz around rappers defying expectations and stepping into traditional musical and visual territories. Hip-hop no longer has one definition and inspiration can come from anywhere. For Mino, the ideas for “Fiance” and XX came from several fragments of art. “I have so many things inspiring me, so I do not know which one to say first,” Mino says. “Among them, some works of (Italian painter) Piero Fornasetti, various plants–especially blue roses– and the Japanese anime Devilman were in my mind. However, it’s my inner self that affected it the most. I stayed alone in the studio every time so I could be deeply involved in my work and I looked back upon myself.”

XX as a whole has been well-received thanks to its use of complex metaphors, puns and double meanings in its lyricism, but for Mino, making this record was about finding his true self. “I got down to work in earnest in the beginning of 2018 for this album,” he says. “It contains various songs ranging from a song written two-three years ago to a song written two weeks before the album came out.” The rapper has written and composed each and every track, taking a dive into his own psyche to unleash several different sides of himself. In a video teaser right before XX‘s release, Mino explained he’d made the album by “grating [his] soul into it” and the result is an LP that is diverse, clever, saucy and undoubtedly one of the best hip-hop albums of 2018. Lyrically, he tackles everything from waiting for a lost love (“Fiancé”) to calling out obsessive fans (“Agree”) and bold eroticism (“Hope”). He gets emotional on “Alarm” and “Her,” exploring heartbreak, his relationship with his fans and self discovery. “I was getting to love myself, and everything [about that experience] is in this album,” Mino tells me. “I got a lot of thoughts and experiences from it and I am so proud of the production process.”

It’s clear from the get-go that wordplay is key; in the vicious introductory track “Trigger,” Mino uses syllables in its Korean title to play on the curse word ‘shibal,’ blazing through verses of self-praise with swagger, while on “Rocket” he drops references to art, Korean mythology and more. It’s the realest taste of what he’s truly capable of and it surprises and delights in equal measure. The impressive roster of collaborators on the record include YG Entertainment’s biggest in-house producers Choice37 and Millennium, comedian and actor Yoo Byung-jae and up-and-coming vocalist Blue.D, among others. There was one artist, however, that Mino was particularly excited to work with. “It was all fun, but working with YDG was extremely impressive,” he says proudly of his collaboration with the Korean hip-hop veteran on “Bow Wow.” “It was one of my dreams from my childhood.”

With XX being his first massive solo effort, Mino confesses there were hurdles along the way that he hadn’t expected. “The toughest part was familiarity,” he says, adding, “When I listened to songs hundreds of times to make a song, I always got confused. That’s the hardest thing to me.” Working alone means more pressure and he says he finds it more peaceful when he’s working with the members of Winner– Hoony, Yoon and Jinu. “When I work alone… I get sensitive because I am dissatisfied with any result. When I work with Winner, it’s really a load off my mind. Each member has their own roles, and I think we fit in nicely with each other.”

Mino’s journey has been wild, difficult, rewarding and a little messy–we’ve covered a lot of it over the course of the interview, but it still feels like we’re scratching the surface. He seems to agree; there’s a lot more he wants to consume and learn and a lot more he wants to show all his fans, old and new. “I am always thankful to fans who have supported me from the beginning and everyone who has known me since yesterday,” he says. “I will try to put a little more of my own personality and style on next album, and I also want to challenge something that no one expected.” While the search for the ‘real’ Mino continues, XX is a chapter in his story that marks a significant turn; he’s found a balance between the sexy rapper we see with Winner, the exuberant hip-hop dudebro he turns into with MOBB and the expressive poet he is as a soloist. It might not be lightning in a bottle just yet, but it’s pretty damn close.

#yg winner #winner #mino #t:article

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osakawise · 5 years

Link

OSAKAWISE002 TALK CONTENTS IN ENGLISH

Translators:Fu Kawashima and Tomoka Moli

Editor:Kota Tensaka

-8:40 Kota(K): Goon evening, for OSAKAWISE series two, I will be delivering from NOON+CAFE in Osaka, whilst welcoming a guest tonight. We actually met around 15 years ago when I first started going to clubs, as well working together here at NOON to organise parties, an artists that I admire; I have invited Taichi aka RHy-s. Taichi (T): Good evening K: Today, I’d like to interview Taichi regarding his performances of course, but also about his music production and recent activities. Oh and, Taichi, you’re the manager of NOON, correct? T: At the moment, although NOON is a nightclub in the night time, but there’s been efforts to open this place as a CAFE during the day. I manage the space in the evenings; when it turns into a nightclub, bookings for live events and managing the bar area. So yeah, you could say I’m the manager for the night time. K: I see. I’m guessing you’re interacting and meeting with a lot of local artists, as well as contributing to parties with variety of genres, so it’d be great if I could ask you about the Osaka music scene later on. For now, if you could explain briefly the equipment you’re going to use for LIVE show tonight, but I notice you don’t have your laptop with you? T: I went through a period of using a laptop, but I found that it was troublesome; in that there were probability that the songs would stop playing all of a sudden, I feel like the risks are too high to be using it for LIVE performances. Since it’ll be the end if the PC breaks down. Other than that, I mainly use two Electribe from KORG; the SX and MX. It’s three generation prior to the newest versions with vacuum tubes. I use SX as a main to create beats and put filters on the drums. With MX, I hardly hit the drums, but instead, I use the feature which allows you to produce 5 different synths to create that bass and upper sounds. I do use some sampler sounds from the SX, for example putting in speeches from films. Oh and, sampler using ROLAND SP-404; I don’t use the pre-recorded samples, but I record upper sounds without beats at home, then incorporate it in here and I use that a lot. K: Do you also record environmental sounds? T: oh yeah yeah, I remember last year when a massive typhoon hit OSAKA, I recorded downstairs at my apartment, and it had that `the end of the world` kind of sounds that I use a lot when playing LIVE. Lets give it a listen. -00:15:00

T: Sounds mad doesn’t it? haha Cranes nearby was swaying and made a melodic sound... I took my iPhone outside to record it... So yeah, I use SP-404 for things like this. Also I bought the ROLAND SPACE ECHO RE-20 recently, and I use it a lot; its pretty good for how it decays the songs, and by using it, I feel like it puts together the sound nicely. K: I see. Just started career using TAICH as his artist name for DJing, today I would like him to perform live as RHy-s. Later on, I would like to share with you facts and information on his music career, as well as party information in OSAKA. To all you listeners, you can download the Mixlr app and subscribe for an account, which will allow you to interact with us through the chat. If you have any questions to RHy-s, or comments, anything is welcome for us to make it a topic for today’s show. Before we move on to the LIVE, is there anything you would like to say to the listeners? T: Today I resembling the vibe from a normal LIVE set. I wouldn’t know how todays set would sound for you via internet, since I’ve only done it at home and at the nightclubs, but I hope you all will enjoy my LIVE set. K: I’m looking forward to this one! Let’s go!

-1:00:17 K: OSAKAWISE series two, delivering from here, NOON with guest RHy-s. Wow, that was phenomenal! T: Was I too keen? haha K: You just played for around 40 minutes, is this how long you’d usually play？ T: LIVE sets require focus so I usually only as for around 30 minutes. The longest was 90 minutes, but it gave me time to think haha K: For real! When I watch the set right in front of you, you’re always moving your hands and I do think it requires skills; but speaking of tunes, if you played them like in the first half, I reckon you could reach 2 hours?

Yeah I could do it, if the concept of the LIVE show was like you said, more like techno,dancey sounds. When I play for longer though, I’d have to assemble tunes to some extent, so I feel like the improvisation vibes will be diminished.

Yeah, since you’re playing in real time.

Fundamentally, There’s the sequences I already made, and use them to take it in and out or change them. Or even remake them.

Are you committed to the style of LIVE shows?

For sure!

At first, I wanted to make tunes that I’m 100% satisfied with, a tune where I know its good whenever I listened back to it, for my own sake.

But from then, I changed my views when I was performing live in front of crowd and organizing parties like DEPTH at NOON.It really influenced me through the party style and LIVE sets.

At that time,in heads and IDM locality, There were artists who made completed sick tunes that were played on the LIVE set performances. I also saw a lot of LIVE sets of artists abroad, but even if it was one of my favorite artist, how it just finished with just performing already composed tune on their laptops didn't feel right; I almost felt disappointed that I watched their live performances haha

LIVE sets really is all about experience. It’s important for audience to enjoy the good music, but there has to be that element of impact of stimulation on the audience.

By the way, the LIVE set that left the most impression for me is Ceephax Acid Crew.

It was like listening to a hard core band’s live. I would always want to see his LIVE sets.

I personally like how your LIVE set has that element of nervousness. There’s always that risk of making mistake, but there’s things that can only happen and be experienced in that space and time.

Hmm, its in that moment you know, that's why I wouldn’t want it to be recorded sometimes. But I think it would be interesting for those listening to the live set.

I think I can create the atmosphere of a sense of live to a certain extent.

The reason I started to produce dance track was when custom law of ‘dancing is prohibited’ was set. So I opposed by just creating dance tracks haha

Till then I was only focused on music that can blow minds.

So yeah, then that influenced the counter movement of dancing at bars, not just dance floor of clubs; left an impression not just on the environment but the production side too.

So I see, music production is influenced and inspiration are born from the environment too then.

A bit like the emotions trigger the production of tunes…

This is just my personal impression, but Taichi you’re usually sociable person, I just don't hear that side of your character in the music. I sense more darkness, anger and sadness.

When I’m working at NOON, from the external perspective, I feel like I have to be that person with responsibilities, and I am like that. But when its music related, I feel like I can do anything and its liberating; I can deliver a message about my thoughts and what I like through music.

How is your music production recently?

Not really sampling, but I have been using 1 bar patterns a lot recently.

I don't build up on that really.

Tunes I’ve produced before are all because there were deadlines for releases and what not, then there’s that sense of “I have to”, so then I finally finish making a tune.

When I have bookings, I always want to try out something new, so that gives me a reason to produce tunes.

Otherwise, when I feel real anger and sadness that can’t be expressed, I don't feel like producing tunes when I’m having a good time.

I can also escape reality for a bit when I’m producing music.

There seems to be some similarity with art and sports; allowing yourself to release them strong emotions through activity and feel refreshed after you know.

I know you buy quite a lot of vinyls; do you get influences and inspiration from other artists?

I see you dancing at other clubs and I know you go to other places other than NOON.

While on the job, there’s been times where I go out and have fun, I touch upon music that aren’t related to genres, but when I feel like producing tunes is when I’m listening to shit music haha

Isn’t that also anger though? Haha

You’re not wrong, anger does drive me to produce music. That's why I end up producing dark and scary music haha

When its from feeling happy, I use SP-404 to make a story-like snippets and save them like a diary, then I add on beats to that.

Not just dark stuff.

I see.

I heard that you were on the news years ago for someone reporting you for lost in the mountains, so does you’re hobby of mountain climbing influence your music production?

Actually yeah! It does! When I went mountain climbing in Canada. I’m gonna listen to it before the last half of the LIVE!

Known to only those who know, but it's a song I produced after I climbed a mountain with a DJ called Return Trip in Canada.

-01:18:35

-01:20:30

So it goes like that.

I don't remember it clearly, but Takaaai, a legendary member from the DEPTH was there, and I think I borrowed his NODE LEAD to make the tune.

The sounds of footsteps, rain and lightning while mountain climbing is incorporated into the tune too.

That time too, I was climbing without any plans, I challenged snowy paths and was faced with serious situations; really made me think how small human were and the greatness of nature.

It was that time, that feeling of soul beating by the nature which made it into this song,haha.

The song was a great acclaim by Return Trip too, I wonder how he’s doing…

Ahh Return Trip, feels sentimental.

So Taichi, you’re also organizing new parties as well as DJing, right?

Now, I’ve been doing parties called “moltal”, here at NOON, on a Thursday, once a month on a weekday.

There’s a hall with a decent sound system, but the party is based around the bar area with simply a DJ booth.

The concept is to have fun freely, not all about listening to the DJ or geeked out by the music.

Musically, we don’t really care too much about the genres either.

You’re close to the DJ booth anyway.

About the combination of yourself and guest artists, what kind of artists do you welcome?

Usually, those I see a lot at the club and get along well with.

There’s others that are willing to play and happily accept my offer.

I’m not all about the technique or the genre, but if their attitude and mindset are similar to mine, and can have fun with, then anyone is welcome.

Osaka scene is narrow, and even though you know their name and their face, there’s not much contact. Sounds fun if the party is open to whoever then you know.

When I started to go to clubs and parties ten years ago, there was an impression that genres didn't really matter; parties were put together by booking artists that varied in genres.

I wonder when that concept started to disappear…

Any thoughts on the Osaka clubbing scene now?

There are parts that I do like and don't like, but I’d like to make as many connection as possible. Without putting limitation on the genres to have fun.

You are hosting the other event that is held irregularly?

Yeah, “ECMN” short for ECM Night, which derived from a German Jazz label ECM established by Manfred Eicher; I was really into the ECM sounds, but realilsed that many people actually know the label ECM when I spoke to them about it.

Their artwork is unique, and the music has a vibe that can really be called ECM sound, really good.

Then, I was bored of listening to dance music, so MITSUKI, COTA, TSUTOMU and I started an event so we can listen to ECM in decent environment.

At the same time, I was watching a film at home while playing ECM music.When I switch tracks like DJing,it was like making soundtrack for films but ECM sound.It was quite fun, so we decided to do this at the club, I think haha

We just hung a screen on the stage and projected films, the DJs produced soundtracks in real time behind the screen, can even control the sound of the film; that was the format.

The floor had sofas haha

This year marks the 50th anniversary, so we should definitely do an EMC Night!

For sure!

It almost time for the second half of the LIVE. However the online chat has been faulty today, and I have contacted the UK mixlr office, the chat should be up and running by tomorrow so I will be replying then.

RHy-s is gonna do second live set for the next 20 minutes, then we will be delivering you some information on parties in Osaka as usual.

Please Taichi-kun(RHy-s), take the stage!

-01:31:05

-01:54:35

Love that; really enjoyed listening to that, haven’t felt this way since maybe February when I listened at Mole music. Taichi-kun, the atmosphere of your sound doesn't blur, but you can really play a lot of different sets.

Organisers and promoters should check him out.

Thank you very much. I would love to play in different situation to be honest.

Now, I’d like to deliver some party information for this week.

Umm, although we have just started, organisers of parties and events especially, if you could DM us your party information on OSAKAWISE Instagram, or directly through email. I reckon there’s more people out there doing fun things. Please don’t hesitate!

9/6(Fri)TUFF DISCO feat.LUCRETIO from The Analogue Cops at daphnia 9/7(Sat)2×4 at CLUB STOMP 9/8(Sun)HIGH TIDE at 和歌山Bagus 9/12(Thu)moltal feat. YAMADA the GIANT & MITSUKI at NOON 9/16(Mon/before holiday)Happy Monday feat.Prins Thomas at CIRCUS

So yes, many parties to come this week! I would love for you all to go out and listen to the music at the sites and have fun!

Next week OSAKAWISE on Wednesday 9/18, we will be inviting DJ AKIHIRO as our guest.

Taichi-kun, thank you very much for today. Even offering up NOON as the streaming station for our program today.

No problem, I also had fun!

To those who came on site to listen to his LIVE, and those listening over the radio, thank you all very much for your patience.

I hope you look forward to the next LIVE on 9/18! And for now, good night!

【日本語版】

-8:40 Kota(K): こんばんは、OSAKAWISE第2回、本日はゲストを迎えて大阪のNOON+CAFEからお送りします。私がクラブで遊び始めた15年ほど前に出会い、ここNOONで共に働き、パーティーを共にオーガナイズしてきた、尊敬するアーティスト、RHy-sこと太一君をお呼びしています。 Taichi(T): こんばんは K: 今日は太一君のライブパフォーマンスは勿論、音楽制作や活動内容について聞いていきたいと思っています。あと、太一君は今NOONの店長なんやっけ？ T: NOONは現在、夜のCLUB以外にCAFEの営業にも力を入れていて、僕は夜のCLUBやライブイベントのブッキングやーバー周りを管理したりして、まー夜の店長という立場です。 K: なるほど。たくさんのローカルアーティストに出会ったり、幅広いジャンルのパーティーに関わっていると思うので、大阪のシーンについても後ほど話てもらえればと思います。じゃあとりあえず、今日のLIVEで使う機材のセッティングについて簡単に説明してもらえればと思いますが、今日はラップトップないね？ T: 一時期は使ってた時もあるけど、ラップトップはトラブルで音が止まっちゃう可能性があってLiveメインで活動する身としてはリスクが高い、PCが止まっちゃうと終わってしまうので。。他はメインにKORGのElectribe2台、SXとMXを使っています。これは真空管の入ってる最新のから三世代くらい前のやつ。 SXでメインのビートを作ってドラムにフィルターをかけたりして、 MXではビートをほとんど打たず、代わりにシンセが５本出せる特徴を使って上音やベースを出してます。 SXのサンプラーも少しだけ使ってる。映画のセリフとか入れたりして。あとはROLAND SP-404のサンプラー。打ち込みには使わず、これは家で録ったビートの無い展開のある上音なんかをここに入れてたくさん入れてます。 K: 環境音とか録ったりしない？ T: あーそうそう、去年大阪にすごい大きな台風がきた時に自宅マンションの下で録ったこの世の終わりみたいな音があるんやけど、これはマジで頻繁にライブで使ってるね。聞いてみましょうか。 -00:15:00 T: やばくない？笑この近所のクレーンが揺れてるとこからなってるメロディーみたいなんが。。。 i-phone持って外出て録ったね。。まーSP-404はそんな使い方で、あとは最近買ったROLAND SPACE ECHO RE-20、これも結構使ってて音の減衰の仕方がいい感じ。あとこれを使うと音がまとまったように感じる。 K: なるほど。 TAICH名義でDJとしても活動を始めた太一君、今日はRHy-sとして今からやっていただこうと思います。後ほど活動内容や、大阪のパーティー情報なんかも共有して��きたいと思います。聞いていただいてる皆さん、Mixlrのアプリをインストールしてアカウント登録していただければ、チャットに参加できます。RHy-sへの質問でもなんでもいいんで、コメント入れていただければ後ほどのトークのネタにさせていただきたいと思います。なんかライブ前にリスナーに伝えたいことありますか？ T: 今日は普段のライブセットに近い感じでやります。家やクラブ以外の環境で聞くとどんな風に聞こえるのかわかりませんが、各々楽しんでいただければと思います。 K: じゃあいきましょーか！よろしくお願いします！ -1:00:17 K: OSAKAWISE第2回、RHy-sを迎えてNOONからお送りしています。いやー素晴らしい！ T: ちょっと飛ばしすぎたかな？笑 K: 40分くらいやったけど、いつもこれくらい？ T: 集中力いるんで大体いつもは30分でお願いしてます。最長で90分ってのがあったけど、途中で考える間を作る時間があったり笑 K: そーなんや！目の前で見てるとほんとずっと手動かしてるから実際は大変やと思うけど、曲調とかで言えば前半の感じでゆっくりはめたりしたら2時間とかいけそうやけど？ T: まーそういう感じのコンセプトでやりませんかって話があれば出来なくも無いけど。長時間やるとなるとある程度組んでやる必要があるので、インプロ感はちょっとなくなるかな。 K: リアルタイムで打ってるからね。 T: まー基本的なのは作ってるのもあってそれの抜き差し、打ち替えとかもあるけどね。弾き直したりとか。 K: このライブスタイルに対するこだわりやっぱり強い？ T: あるね！最初期は自分が100%納得のいく完成された曲を作りたいと思ってて、いつ聞いてもいい曲だと自分で思える、自分のための。そっからNOONでオーガナイズしてたDEPTHってパーティーの影響やライブで人前でやるってのもあって変わっていった。当時はヘッズやIDM界隈でラップトップで完成された超かっこいい曲を披露するライブパフォーマンスが多くて、 NOONで働いてたこともあって海外のアーティストのライブもたくさん見たけど、好きなアーティストでもラップトップで最高の曲を披露して終わりっていう、、どーも上がり切らないというか。ライブ見るんじゃなかった、、って残念な気持ちになって笑ライブはやっぱり体感型でないといけないと思ったね。いい音楽を聴かせることも大切だけど、ライブにはもっと刺激的な要素が必要だと。配信してる今も現場で聞くのと、家で聞くのとでは環境が違うだけで変わってくるし。因みに印象に残ってるライブはCeephax Acid Crewのライブ。曲のどこがかっこいいということじゃなくて、ハードコアバンドのライブ聞いてるみたいやった。彼のライブは毎回見た��と思う。 K: 僕は太一君のライブは緊張感がある好き。ミスる可能性も常もあるけどその場でしか出せない展開や感覚があるとこ。 T: うーん、まーその場の思いつきやから記録とかに残っては欲しくはないけど笑　ライブとしては聞いてる人は面白いかなって思う。現場の空気感を出せてるかなっと。あとダンストラックを作るきっかけになったのは風営法によって"踊ってはいけない"ってことになったことが大きい。じゃあ踊れる曲しか作りませんっという方向になった笑　それまではぶっ飛べる音楽しか意識していなかったけど。。そーそれで当時はその影響でクラブのフロアじゃなくてバーとか、今まで踊る場所じゃなかったとこで踊って遊ぶカウンター的な動きや環境も制作面での刺激になったね。 K: 楽曲制作には周りの環境なんかもインスピレーションになってるというわけですね。感情が制作活動を掻き立てるという、、個人的な印象だけど、太一君は普段すごく社交的だけど音楽はそんな感じには聞こえにくい。暗黒の闇と怒り、悲しみって感じ。 T: NOONで働いてる時なんかは対外的には立場上ちゃんとしないといけないという気持ちもあるし、そんな感じだけど、音楽に関しては何をやっても許されるし解放される、自分の好きなことや思いを音楽を通して伝えることもできるんじゃないかと。 K: 最近の音楽制作はどうですか？ T: サンプルというか1小節のパターンはめちゃくちゃ作ってる。それを曲に組み立てることはあまりやってない。これまで出来た曲は、リリースの話や締め切りなんかがあって、そーゆーのがあるとなんとしてでもという気持ちになってなんとか作り上げるって感じ。ブッキングが決まった時なんかは新しいことやりたくなるので、曲作りのきっかけになったり。他はやっぱり自分の怒りや悲しみなんかの感情の起伏が大きい時、楽しい時はあんまりそういう気にならない。音楽制作を通して現実逃避になってることはあると思う。アートやスポーツも似たようなとこあるかもしれないけど、そういう感情を行動で吐き出してスッキリするっていう。 K: レコードも結構買ってるみたいだけど、他のアーティストから影響を受けたり、触発されるみたいなことはあんまりない？太一君はいろんなとこ行って、他のクラブでも踊ってるとこよく見るけど笑 T: 仕事上いろんなとこで遊ぶ機会があって、ジャンル関係なくいろんな音楽に触れるけど、曲を作りたいって気持ちになる時はめちゃダサい音楽聴いてる時だけ笑 K: それも怒りからなんじゃ笑 T: 怒りが制作の原動力となってることは間違いない。だからこんな怖い曲になる笑楽しさきっかけでは、SP-404にネタ的なのを日記みたいにバンバン保存していってて、そこにビート乗っけたり。ダークなだけではないのよ。 K: なるほど。昔遭難届け出されてニュースに出たって聞いたけど笑、趣味の山登りも制作に関わってくることもある？ T: あっ！ある！カナダに山登りいった時の。ちょっと後半のライブの前に一回これ聴いてみよ！これは知る人ぞ知るReturnTripというDJと昔カナダで登山して帰って来た時に作った曲です。 -01:18:35 -01:20:30 T: こんな感じです。これははっきり覚えてないけど、TakaaakiっていうDEPTH伝説のメンバーがいて、多分彼にNODE LEADを借りて、それを使って弾いたと思う。登山途中の足音とか、雷とか雨降ってたのでその音とかも入ってます。その時も相変わらず無計画で登っていて、スニーカーで雪山に挑んだりして大変な目に遭って、自然の偉大さ人間の小ささを体感しましたね。その時の自然にぶちのめされた感覚を曲にした感じですね笑　ReturnTripにも大絶賛していただいて。元気にしてるかな笑 K: ReturnTrip氏懐かしいね。んでTaich君は今DJもしてて新しいパーティーもやってるよね？ T: 今ここNOONで月一平日の木曜日に、"moltal”というパーティーをやってて。 NOONはしっかりしたサウンドシステムのあるホールがあるけど、あえてバー周りで簡易ブースを置いてやってます。これは音にハマったり、DJを聴かせるというかは気軽に遊ぶ感じをテーマにやってます。音楽的にもジャンルとかあまり硬いことは考えずやってます。 K: DJとの距離も近いしね。 Taich君とゲストって感じの組み合わせだけど、どんなアーティスト呼んでるの？ T: 基本的にクラブでよく見かける人や気が合う人。あとはやらしてほしいっていってくる人も喜んで受け入れてる。技術やジャンルというより姿勢やマインドが合って、一緒に遊べる人だったら誰でも。 K: 大阪は狭いシーンで顔や名前知っててもあまり接点ないってのもあるからそーいうオープンなパーティーもいいですね。 T: 僕がパーティーなんかで遊び始めた十数年前は結構ジャンル関係なく混ってる印象があって、ジャンルが異なるアーティストがブッキングされていながらもまとまっていたり。あれはいつからなくなっていったんやろか？ K: 今の大阪のクラブシーンについて思うことある？ T: 自分も好きなものとそうじゃないものとがあるけど、それでもいろんなところで繋がりを作っていけたらなっと。音楽ジャンルで遊ぶ幅を制限せずに。 K: もう一個不定期のパーティーやってましたよね。 T: “ECMN”、ECM Nightってい言うのをやってて、ECMってのはドイツのManfred Eicherって言う人のJAZZレーベルで、個人的にツボに入ってめちゃくちゃ好きになったんですが、周りにいる人に話したら意外とECMの名前を知ってる人は多かった。アートワークが独特で、音楽もECMサウンドと呼べる雰囲気もあって最高。んで当時ダンスミュージックに飽きていたこともあって、俺、MITSUKI,COTA,TSUTOMUでECMを聞くイベントを始めた。同じタイミングで、家で映画なんかの映像を流しながら音はDJの音みたいにして遊んでて、これをクラブでやろうと言うことになった、多分笑家遊びやね笑ステージに幕はってプロジェクターで映像を映して、幕の裏でDJがサントラをリアルタイムで作り、映画の音声もコントロールできるって言う形式。フロアにはソファ笑今年はECM創設50周年なんで絶対やろ！ K: やろやろ！じゃあーそろそろ後半のライブをやってもらおうと思いますが、実は今日チャットが使えなくなってて、今UKのmixlrオフィスに問い合わせたんで、明日には返事が来て次回からは復旧するかと。このあと20分くらいライブやってもらって、いつも通り今週のパーティーの告知をされていただきたいと思います。それでは太一君よろしく！ -01:31:05 -01:54:35 K: いいねー！久しぶりにじっくり聴かせてもらいました。今年2月のmole music以来かな。太一君はサウンドの空気感はブレないけどいろんなセットできるね。オーガナイザー、プロモーターはチェックしてみて下さい。 T: ありがとうございます。そうやね、もっといろんなシチュエーションでやってみたいね。 K: それではここで今週のパーティー情報をお知らせします。えっと、まだ始まったばっかりってこともあるけど、パーティーやイベントの主催者には是非、各々のパーティー情報をOSAKAWISEのインスタからメッセージもしくは直接メールで送っていただければと思っています。ここで紹介するパーティー以外にも僕が知らないだけで面白いことやってる人たちはたくさんいると思うんで。よろしくお願いします！ 9/6(金)TUFF DISCO feat.LUCRETIO from The Analogue Cops at daphnia 9/7(土)2×4 at CLUB STOMP 9/8(日)HIGH TIDE at 和歌山Bagus 9/12(木)moltal feat. YAMADA the GIANT&MITSUKI at NOON 9/16(月)Happy Monday feat.Prins Thomas at CIRCUS と言う感じで今週もパーティーは盛り沢山！できる限りみんなには遊びに出て、現場で音楽を楽しんでもらいたいと思います！そして次回のOSAKAWISEは9/18水曜日、DJ AKIHIRO氏を招いてお送りいたします。今日は太一君ありがとうございました。NOONという場所まで提供していただいて。 T: こちらこそ！楽しかったです！ K: 配信現場まで聞きに来ていただいた方、長くお付き合いくれたリスナーの皆さん、ありがとうございました。次回は9/18！お楽しみに〜　おやすみー！

#osakawise #rhy-s

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whatintheactualworld · 5 years

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The Words You Sing

“I must say honestly, there isn’t anything in the world quite like it.”

I spoke the words in a somber trance, eyes fixed on something beyond your physical presence in the scantily populated cafe we sat in. As I listened to you pluck the strings of a crafted, wooden guitar with a subtle touch, my words stopped short of clarity and were embued with the honeyed rhapsody that permeated my ears.

“Quite like what?” He asked.

I just watched you, feeling helpless. I asked myself how life has turned into some sort of inconclusive and disproportioned dream. How a moment of passion turned to an unfavorable vicissitude as if the laws of physics could flip on its axis. I was watching life in its truest form: a caterpillar turned to a butterfly, forgetting the traumas of a childhood tethered to the predators of the soil. Every note strung by your fingers and every chord progression that flowed from the next weaved a divine tale with accidental correctness. My eyes could not look away.

“Music,” I said. “It inspires a feeling so powerful, it’s like magic.”

“What do you feel?” He asked.

I asked myself why you’d ask a question that follows so naturally when most people feel no need to skim below the surface of a person’s psyche. Your eyes remained fixed on me while you continued to play what my mind could only interpret as a whispered serenade. The soft melody slowly unfolded over a relaxed arpeggio of chords. Then I asked myself why you were looking at me when there were many other marvelous things to look at. You looked as though you had just left the beach, billabong t-shirt and shorts, black and white vans. Your messy, sea stroked hair remained true to its thick, smooth texture, not a hint of discoloration in its absolute black hue. I just contemplated the whole picture sat in that lovely cafe.

You didn’t receive a response, but you didn’t concern yourself with it. You turned back to the guitar and strummed away to your heart’s unfettered song. But the response I had yet to give still troubled me. Because I am a man and so are you, but when I heard the lyrics you hummed so gently from your softened lips, I could have mistaken you for something other than a man. An angel, a genius, a god; but none of those things really. Just endowed with a natural glow and a magical touch. Every time you glanced my way I saw a flash of it in your eyes, one of heaven’s most precious gifts shimmering in your honey-tone eyes. A spiritual vibe pulsed through me at the mere gesture of your gaze, and your sharp nose aimed toward my brows that creased to understand you. Being drawn in by the force within you, I thought for a moment you too had leaned in closer to me. And feeling my heart effervescent with your pinkish cheeks, the serum in my coffee set in and the truth expelled from my lips.

“I feel laughter, I feel sorrow. I feel hope, and I feel love.”

Your reaction was cool, and your eyes remained fixed on some point deep within the center of me. Funny thing is, it took you no time at all to say...

“I feel it, too.”

At that moment, all I could do was indulge in the soft sounds and the warm coffee and the pleasant atmosphere cooled by the summer sea breeze. To speak further would have strained the air. But when I closed my eyes, the disturbance had to be made among the heavenly music that filled my headspace.

“I feel you,” I said.

Eyes still closed. I heard the arpeggios slow and the humming melody lowering to the faintest whisper. Then I felt your lips touch mine for a brief moment. Just one simple kiss infused with the power of God and all of Nature’s divine wonders, and all of my fears were washed away. Years of cynisicm replaced with a “maybe this time;” a mind plagued with demons now upheld by angels. The laws of physics turned on its axis. My heart remembered what my mind had forgotten as your lips fell easily into mine.

When I opened my eyes, I saw you conclude your handsome serenade. Your eyes followed the last few chords as they returned to their home key. Then we parted ways to two different lives on two different sides of the universe. As I walked the long way home from the center of my vibrating heart, I said to myself...

“It felt so real.”

#prose #spilled ink #romance #love

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musicalmukebox · 6 years

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Let’s Get (Back) Together | l.h. (3)

Ctto of the gif!

AU: Parent Trap Dad!Luke

Summary: A strong love which led to a strong marriage and twin daughters. Yet in the end, it didn’t turn out so well. You strongly refuse to encounter him ever again. But what happens when both of you coincidentally send your twin daughters to the same summer camp in Florida after 10 years?

Word Count: 4.8k

Warnings: SLIGHT sexual content and swearing

A/N: This is where the real story takes off. Also here and onwards, the italicized story in the beginning is a flashback. Enjoy, my loves!

- Brielle

I don’t own Parent Trap and its ideas. It’s only used as inspiration.

1 / 2A / 2B / 2C / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15

Feedback/Questions/Others? Here.

2019, Los Angeles

“Shut the fuck up, Luke!” You exclaimed, throwing your pillows at the annoying, child-like manchild that is Luke, who kept distracting you from reviewing for your French final exam by singing a mix of his and All Time Low songs really badly.

Ever since the Valentine music video shooting more than a year ago, you two kept in touch. You both would find your middle ground time (since he’s always abroad) so you can message or call to talk, and hanging out when he’s in L.A., which is pretty common now. In fact recently, you joined him on the North American part of the band’s tour last summer when you were on break. That really bonded you both, which made the other 3 guys suspicious.

“Aren’t you guys cute?”

“Stop making me single when you guys are around.”

“Jesus, someone get me a girlfriend.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t fucked yet.”

“Hey cupid, you forgot me!”

“Something tells me that this friendship isn’t just a friendship.”

Those were some of the things they would say. Yeah, you’ve both been annoying to each other out of stupidity, open when you rant to each other about any bad things that occurred, and touchy too yet nothing like that makeout scene in Valentine. Well, yet.

“Oh, come one, (Y/N)! You still have tomorrow. I mean your exam is at 3 pm!” He defends himself.

“I know, but I have to really need to memorize these words and their conjugations if there’s an essay portion, you know?!”

“But I’m here!”

“You could’ve been with the boys drinking!”

“But I’ll be seeing them for a good 6 months on tour!” He argued back.

“You know very well that I was going to be studying tonight!”

“At least I get to spend time with you though.” He gave a wink, which isn’t surprising because he knew that it annoyed you, sometimes.

“I figured though that you would be gone after we ate Panda Express a while ago.” You assumed, only to be wrong.

“Nah, I need some chill time right now, and you are the chilliest person ever.” He shares his opinion, resting his body on your couch and shifting a bit to be more comfortable. Sometimes, you could be dense, wondering whether if he was flirting with you or just giving you friendly comments. For Luke though, his feelings for you remained platonic, but recently, he’s been feeling something more with you, especially during tour. He couldn’t be too sure just yet whether it’s just a phase or it’s really legit.

“Sadly, you’ll be getting some quiet time too.” You bluntly say, looking back at your notes.

“I’m not leaving until you’re done so get used to me.”

“Luke, I’ve already accidentally saw you butt naked on tour. I think I’ll be fine.” You finished the conversation, resuming to scan through your notes. You also put on your reading glasses to further comprehend the words that you have written on those index cards.

“Devenir, Revenir, Monter, Rester ..” You read in your mind.

Luke stood by his statement, bound to bring out his phone to seek immediate gratification. However, he didn’t feel it in his back pocket and to make things worse, he didn’t bring any bag that would hold it. Standing up, he looked around frantically in the room, which was quite distracting as you were memorizing. You thought that this was a trick, but you weren’t going to give in. “Okay, where the fuck is my phone?”

“I don’t know, in your pocket?” You bantered, sticking your tongue out.

“Ha, very funny (Y/N), but really now.” He walks over to your deskside area, making you scoot over.

“Luke, what are you doing now?” You asked the nervous boy, pacing back and front in your dorm. “Did you hide my fucking phone?”

“No, I’ve been talking to you the whole time without moving my butt on this chair!” You pushed him out of your minimum space.

“Fuck, I can’t find my phone!” He yells, looking through your couch and bed.

“It’s just in my room for sure, unless you placed it somewhere else right?” You tried to calm his nerves, putting your hand on his shoulder.

“Wait, we did just come from the garbage bins outside right to throw away the pizza box right?” He remembered as he scratched the back of his head out of stress.

“You didn’t.” You narrowed your eyes, realizing what he’s up to. Without a second more, he took hold of your doorknob, twisting it to the right to open and making a run for it before things get worse.

“Goddamnit, Luke.” You say, smacking your palm to your face in stress, before running after the lanky boy. Your mind was already drained, and your legs were sore from your workout session hours ago. Breathless, you made it outside your dormitory building. Walking in the dark with very dim lighting emitting from the post lights, you caught sight of a tall guy rummaging through one garbage bin at a time in search of his phone. As you got to his side, offering him help to find, he beat you to it.

“I found it!” Luke yanks out his phone from the garbage bin, grinning from ear to ear like a child. He looked cute triumphant.

“You’re stupid, you know that?” You teased, punching him in the arm and heart rate still racing. Well, for two reasons.

“Yeah, it is a fact. Tell me something I don’t know.” He challenges, his gaze on you intensifies as he puts his phone securely on one of his front pockets of his black jeans.

“Do you really want me to answer that, Hemmings?” You straightened your back, giving him a strong, badass vibe as you also crossed your arms.

“I dare you.” He insisted, taking one step further towards you. As you were to open your mouth again, his phone rung abruptly, the song “Bail Me Out” by All Time Low ft. Joel Madden playing. Bringing out his phone swiftly, he checked to see that it was from Ashton. Upon answering it, his competitive mood switched to a more stressed mood.

“Hey Ash, what’s up? … No, why? …. Fuck why, you’re so stupid. … I’m with (Y/N), hanging out in her dorm. … Is it urgent? … Fine, I’m on my way…. No, nothing happened, bye see you in 10.” He hung up.

“What happened over there?” You asked nicely, trying not to tick him off like he already is.

“Ash lost his key to the house, and needs to get in now, but I’m still with you.” He pouts like a child.

“Dude, go back there and help him! I bet he hasn’t packed yet.” You hypothesized, getting a strong laugh from him.

“True. But when I leave, I’m seeing you in like half a year.”

“There’s always Facetime and iMessage, Luke. It’s not like we’re not seeing each other ever again.” You emphasized, playing his fingers so his nerves won’t get the best of him. He is a reserved guy after all, wherein he keeps so much to himself yet you see through his eyes and actions that he just needs to calm down.

“I don’t know, love. I just got used to you so much.”

“I’ll still be here when you’re done, and when you are, we’re going out to drink and get high like always except today. Besides, I’ll drop by some tour destinations when I got the time, just as long it’s in the U.S.” You reassured, patting his shoulder for his comfort.

“Now, that’s something to look forward.” He pondered, his arms reaching out for you for a hug. Returning such, you felt him lift you a bit and when he brought you down, he kissed your forehead.

“You’re honestly a best friend to me just like the boys, (Y/N).”

“Your best friend? I’ve only known you for more than year, Luke. You’ve known the boys since you were 15-16.”

“In our case, sometimes time doesn’t matter if you really vibe well with someone’s character, (Y/N).”

---

2034, Los Angeles

Waking up with a hangover is the worst thing for you as a working actress and mom. But in your defense, you haven’t had alcohol in a while. Rubbing your eyes to make yourself more awake, proceeded in standing up and walking to the stairs. First thing you already see as you got to the ground floor is Mark toasting some bread.

“Morning, Mark.” You greeted, stretching your tense arms. Mark didn’t bother to ask what happened because by the pitch of your morning voice, it could be two things: over fatigue or hungover. Could be both. “It’s more like good afternoon, Miss (Y/N).” He corrects, making you look the clock.

12:37.

“Looks like I really slept in last night. But hey, at least I only have one interview, which is at 4 pm!”

“Let me guess, wine was the culprit?” Mark wiggled his eyebrows playfully. “Whatever, Mark. Anyways, I know it’s late but can I have some pancakes and bacon? Maybe some coffee too.”

“Of course, miss.” He follows, grabbing the ingredients of flour, milk and others from the refrigerator and other cabinets. As you expressed your thanks, you take a seat and brought out your phone to check on any texts from Gina.

Gina: Hello, Miss (Y/N)! Today, aside from your interview with Vogue, you’ll be having dinner with your other co-stars in Take Me or Leave Me, like Timmy Chalamet, Miles Teller and Cami Mendes at 7 at the Maximillia. See you later!

You: Alright, got it. Thanks, love!

Putting your phone down, Mark serves your desired food to your table mat. You view of the pleasing meal and inhale at the sweet and salty aroma, excited to dive in. Taking that first bite of the pancake side by side with the bacon is alleviating your hangover so quickly, really treasuring every bite.

“Thank you God for this meal.” You praised, not realizing that *Stella* just breezed through the dining room, sitting right in front of you. Mark served her spaghetti and meatballs, with orange juice on the side. Unlike you, she looked fresh and awake, dressed in better clothing while you still wore your outfit from last night since you passed out on your bed as soon as Timmy left.

“Hi, mom. I see you’re finally awake.” She commends, sipping on orange juice while looking at her phone, in which you spanked her hand away. “Hey, what gives?” She hissed in pain, putting it down.

“No phones while at the table.” You reminded, getting an exasperated sigh from her. Why would she not follow that rule? It’s been established ever since she got the phone last year. “But you used it before I came in here!”

“But it was only me in the table. Unless someone is with you in table, no phones.” You reinstated, hoping she doesn’t argue any further. “Using your phone is still using your phone, mom!” She budged, ticking you off more. This and dealing with a hangover? It won’t end well.

“Don’t raise your voice on me, or I’m confiscating it, Stella.” You argued back, your fatigue getting the best of you. But come on, she wouldn’t stop. Her temper was so identical, almost like his.

“Whatever, mom. Phone is out of my grasp.” She placed her phone on the other side of the table, continuing her consumption of her meal. As you took a sip of your coffee, feeling less and less hungover by the second, you noticed something different with Rebecca as you observed her facial features. “Are you wearing eyeshadow, bub?”

“Why? You’ll ask me to remove that too?” She rudely responded, rolling her eyes in annoyance. You weren’t having this disrespect from her, not today or ever. So you stood up and walked to her side, grabbing her phone away from her vicinity.

“Mom, what the heck?!” She grumbled, dropping her utensils loudly on the table before she also stood up trying to reclaim her phone. Her blue eyes darkened with anger and annoyance. But you raised your hand higher so she wouldn’t bother to try getting it. You pointed right at her, your eyes narrowed.

“You don’t disrespect me like that, okay? Because of that, I’m confiscating your phone for the day.” You concluded the argument, heading back to your chair on the other side and putting her phone on your pocket. “Ugh, you are evil!” She raged, stomping her feet on the way to her room, banging the door too.

“What is up with her lately?” You pondered, loudly. Were you being too strict? Did you let your stress out on her? “Miss (Y/N), all she did was forgetting a rule and you handled it too seriously, but she grew too aggressive as well. Don’t wanna intervene here, but she feels bad I know it.” He is right though, wherein your take was harsh but to recall, she retaliated fire with fire.

“Ugh, I just want to go back to sleep.” You sighed, going back to your room to get ready for the day and placing Rebecca's phone under your bed so she would never find it. Scrolling through your closet, your back slouching because of the fatigue, you settled on a black romper with black open sandals. Not even bothering to put on makeup since there are makeup artists at the interview anyways, Timmy texted you that he was at the venue already, anticipating your arrival to give you some “stress relief” since these interviews and everything else are getting too overwhelming.

“Your car again?” You replied, giddy at the frisky opportunity. It flatters you highly at how by the thought of you, he is so aroused.

“Yes. Now hurry, I can’t hide this boner any longer.” Laughing, you raced downstairs to your car, putting on the first pair of shows at your sight, which were ballet flats. Getting to your car, you quickly revved on the engine and drove off so you wouldn’t be late. What a way to wake up.

“Ugh.” Rebecca groaned as she banged her door, locking it as well. She mindlessly jumped on her bed, lying down and pressing her face to a pillow to soften her shouting. As much as you pissed her off just minutes ago, this was something she has never felt with Luke. Yeah, they had their fallouts but to have it with you, her mother, felt different. Luke has never reached that level of arguing with her because it wouldn’t end well, so they would equally wait until they were calm to solve the problem. But with you, it was fire vs. fire. And discreetly, she felt glad that she had this kind of dilemma for the first time. It was like a weird way to bond with you.

“Stella.” Rebecca’s daze was interrupted at the voice of Mark, knocking at her door. Still filled with annoyance, she reluctantly got up from her cozy position and turned the knob on her door, revealing Mark holding some clothes.

“Hey Mark, what’s up?” She casually says, crossing her arms in front of her butler as she wasn’t finished releasing all that stress in her.

“Firstly, young lady, doe these jeans belong to you?” He unfolded one of the jeans, the black one which is ripped on one side by the knee. “And this shirt as well?” “He unfolded the black shirt to reveal the words “5 Seconds of Summer” with a picture of lips above it. Shit, she could get caught by now.

“Actually, yes. I traded some clothes of mine with the same girl from New York in camp. Thank you for giving them to me.” She got hold of the clothes, turning her back on him as she walked towards her bed to refold them again. Assuming Mark was going to leave her as is, he didn’t. He leaned by the door frame, one brow raised. “That New Yorker friend of yours, she’s into music of old bands?” He asks with a hint of interest.

“Yeah, she got that interest for 5 Seconds of Summer from her mom she said. That shirt is practically vintage, but I traded my denim skirt for it because it looked cool.”

“That’s pretty cool, huh? I mean wow, being familiar with 5 Seconds of Summer to kids like you decades later? They really did it.” Mark commends them. This made Rebecca’s heart flutter to hear positive words about Luke because she knows that he wholeheartedly deserves it, especially after everything he has been though.

“Also speaking of that New Yorker friend of yours, how long were you guys talking last night?” He continued on, growing suspicious. Does he know something you don’t?

“I don’t know, around an hour?” Rebecca said on the spot, praying to the heavens he would stop. She already had you to deal with drama that day, not Mark too. “Hmm, so at 10 pm here, why would she be awake at 1 am?” He pestered.

“Well, she texted me first that she couldn’t sleep so we just talked. Nothing wrong with that, right?” She came up, feeling a drip of sweat from her forehead out of nerves.

“Hmm, the talking to friends isn’t, but going at it that late? You’re only 11! Take care of yourself now, okay?” Mark prompted, releasing some fatherly vibes at Rebecca out of concern. Although Luke will never replace him, it felt refreshing to have a piece of home at the moment.

“Okay, Mark. Sorry about that.” She apologizes, putting down her pride and turns around to face him so he could see how sorry she really was.

“Nah, it’s okay. But you should be saying sorry to someone else though.” He straightened his posture after leaning too long. “Mom? Ha! She overacted over a simple rule I forgot. I am human, I forget things!” She reckoned, her pride slowing growing on to her again. It’s without a doubt bad trait she inherited from Luke.

“I know, but cut her some slack at least? She’s tired from doing interviews and press stuff, not to mention having an Australian premiere next week? Just spare her.” He rationalizes again. Rebecca was reluctant, but he did have a point. A strong one.

“W-wait, an Australian premiere?” She stammers at the new information, hoping it doesn’t ruin the plan. “Yeah, next week? You’re going with her, and you have a dress that’s being delivered?” He answered, giving you a questionable look, exemplifying “Did you forget?”

“Oh yeah that! I forgot for a moment, but now if you don’t mind, I will be fixing this and my room, might take a nap too.”

“Alright, Stella. I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.” He stated, slowly walking away only for his name to be called out again to stop him. “Thanks, Mark. For everything.” Rebecca sends him a hopeful smile, feeling calmer than earlier.

“No problem, bub. Always here to help you out.”

---

2034, Sydney

The heat down under was unreal, and the best way to unwind was swimming. Stella couldn’t wait to jump in and feel refreshed. Well, again if lunch 2 hours ago wasn’t enough. As much as she loved swimming back home, Sydney would feel a lot better because there were times the cold breeze there would leave her in shivers that would make her sniff a whole lot.

Meanwhile, there was a nervous couple waiting for the 11 year old’s arrival in order to lay down the news once and for all.

“Luke, babe, are we really telling Rebecca about us today?” Sierra dreaded, lying down on poolside bed and drinking a beer Luke gave her earlier. She knew Rebecca since she was born, yet she had problems that reached to the media, which made her nervous as to what Rebecca thinks about her. Especially since she will be her new mother. Likewise to Luke, he wanted his little girl about the news as soon as possible so it is over and done with.

“Today, Sierra. She’s just dressing up into her swimsuit before meeting up here.” Luke reassured Sierra as he was sat on the edge of the bed. Well tried. “Shit, I want her to like me. Well, she does as an aunt but still.” She worries, drinking more of the beer than usual because she always drinks it slowly. Her fingers tremble while at it, spilling some of them on her blue dress.

“Yikes, Sierra. Let me take that.” Luke grabs the beer from her, putting on the table beside her. He put one hand on her thigh and the other on her cheek, brushing away some of Sierra’s hair behind her ear to see her face clearly, filling him up with so much admiration.

“Even when you’re nervous, you still look gorgeous.” He complimented, making Sierra blush and bite her bottom lip. “God, you’re distracting me from my thoughts.”

“You like it, though.” His hand was still at by her cheek, bringing her closer to his lips. “More like I need it.” She chuckled, being the one to go closer this time, eventually closing the gap between them. Their lips crashed, moving in sync to the album of Daniel Caesar playing through the speakers of the pool area. Luke’s hands lowered down to her waist, while Sierra’s arms tangled to his neck and legs remain at his lap. This was nothing compared to the heat they were facing. Sierra shifted her legs to his waist, hands rubbing under his red floral shirt, feeling his fit abdomen. Luke bit her lower lip as they kissed, knowing damn well how much she liked it.

“Fuck.” She moaned, feeling Luke’s pointer finger dangerously near her core as he trailed it along her inner thigh. She wanted it badly, but to her dismay, he let go first.

“You tease!” She protested, pouting at the chuckling man in front of her.

“You know I wouldn’t hesitate to fuck right here, right now, but my daughter could be here at any second and I don’t want her to be scarred at this.” He directly says, urging Sierra to unlock herself from him. “You owe me, big time.”

“We have the whole afternoon, when Felicia goes to the grocery and Rebecca swims.” He kissed her temple, then at his peripheral view, he sees a blonde girl wearing a blue one-piece and black round sunglasses, running to the stairs. “Finally, here’s the little poppet!”

Undoubtedly, Stella was excited to swim but she grew confused to see another person at the area. She wasn’t there a while ago. “Rebecca, you remember aunt Sierra, right?” Luke reintroduces, Sierra looking up from her black hat to face the little girl.

“Rebecca! You grew a few inches taller after camp, huh?” She began, shifting from lying down to setting on the edge of the bed. “Uh, yeah. Doing a lot of sports does stretch limbs, I believe.” She adlibbed, internally cringing at that random fact she gave.

“Ooh I see! That’s really interesting.” Sierra comments, turning to Luke and giving him a “you should tell her” look, just like Rebecca with Timmy and you previously. Luke got the hint, kneeling to Stella’s level.

“What’s up, dad? What’s with looks you’ve given each other?” Stella asks curiously, her interest skyrocketing. “Well, poppet. We have something to tell you, which is very important.”

“What is it then, dad? You’re scaring me.” Am I caught already she thought. Luke looks at Sierra again, with a smile of reassurance with some nerves.

“Rebecca, your aunt Sierra and I are getting married.”

Stella was dumbfounded. Uncle Timmy and you dating was news that she still couldn’t comprehend, but now dad and Aunt Sierra getting married? Like in a church, saying “I do” and all was much more challenging to handle. It’s an actual commitment that can’t be messed with. Well, you and uncle Timmy is a commitment too, but who knows things may change? Yet, she put a fake smile for her dad and sucked it up.

“Wow, that’s amazing! I love you both, you guys have made each other happy all these years.” She lied, knowing well that only you can make him very happy. Luke and Sierra were astonished as they received a better response than what they expected. Out of that emotion, Luke gave Stella a warm hug.

“Thank you, poppet! We should celebrate this with some drinks.” He rejoiced.

“Uhm dad remember, I’m only eleven.” Stella realistically confronted. “Hmm, I’ll just get you a soda perhaps.” As he runs back to the house to get drinks, Stella is left with Sierra, feeling forced to talk to her. Her blue eyes eyeing on her short blue dress, exposing her legs. She went here for another reason maybe. Nonetheless, she kept her cool luckily.

“So Aunt Sierra,” She instigated, removing her shades and putting them on the table. “My dad, huh?” “Yeah, he’s a great guy. I mean, I’ve known him for like 20 years?”

“Oh wow, that’s long. Anyways, how old are you if you don’t mind me asking?” Stella fired another question, wanting to know more of this woman who may be her future step-mother.

Switch that “may be” to a “would never be” if she and Rebecca change that.

Stella took a few steps to the edge of the pool, sitting there momentarily as she awaits Sierra’s response. She laughs at first at the question, but not hesitant to hold back. “I’m 42, love. And let me say this, you are just as great as him. He talks highly about you a lot.” She compliments, making Stella’s heart flutter despite the compliment being meant for Rebecca.

“Oh he does? Well, we only have each other in this life.” Stella stood up then jumped right in, splashing some water on Sierra. She flinched and shrieked in disgust, trying to wipe off any excess droplets.

“Oh shiz, did I get any water on you, Aunt Sierra?” Stella put her hand on her mouth, half genuinely apologetic and half impressed at her intended act of mischievousness. Let’s see what how she’ll react, will she be fake or real?

“Well, just a little bit, love. But that’s alright.” Sierra gave her a fake smile as she grabbed a tissue to wipe a second time. Stella had a gut feeling she was right about her intended action; she was being fake about it.

“So, aunt Sierra, what did my dad have to say about me?” She wondered, grabbing a donut floatie and lifted her body to lie down there. Sierra settled once again on the poolside bed, avoiding the wet spots to touch her dress.

“He said that you’re just as into rock as him, playing the guitar and piano, and also football.” She says slickly, hoping to win her favor. So far, Stella was still questioning such. “Aww, thanks you’re such a great girl, but,”

“But?” Sierra widened her eyes, eager to know what the eleven year old is prompting. Was she still lacking something?

“Do you really wanna know what’s up?” Stella playfully trails, liking how one word can really make someone interested. She was ready to fill her with lies. Naughty.

“Tell me what’s up then, Becks.” Stella cringes at her calling Becks at first, but continued on.

“Well, you’re not the first girl he’s liked in this way in a long time and not the first time a girl of his talks to me like this.” She affirms, floating along with the water.

“Oh r-really?” Sierra stammered, astonished again. As much as she and Luke have been friends been for so long, has he missed any details about him or this girl is just trying to get rid of her?

“Truly. He’s done this before; he invites the girl on a few dates, then to his house, and in a few months, breaks up because he’s never happy. That’s one flaw about him sadly. But you should’ve known that since you’ve been friends for long. Hey though, you made it this far, to the level of marriage, which is impressive! Maybe another glass of wine or beer and consider yourself really lucky.” Stella shrugged, noticing how convinced Sierra was at her white lies. To top off the cherry on the sundae, Luke returned to the scene, holding a few bottles on both his hands.

“Here babe, another bottle of beer, and Rebecca, I got a bottle of rootbeer for you. So that we’d be the same, having the word beer in it.” He bantered, handing it to her whilst still in the donut floatie.

“Oh my god, dad.” Stella cringed at the dad joke. After all, he is one and takes any opportunity to annoy her with that kind of jokes. She then looked at Sierra, raising her bottle to her.

“Cheers, aunt Sierra, or may I say, step-mom. Welcome to the family.” She smirked at her, receiving another fake smile from her. “See, I told her she’ll like you.” Luke beamed at the bonding, clinking her beer at her.

“Yeah, I’m sure she is.” Sierra kept in that smile, annoyed at the little girl who will be her step-daughter.

“I need to get rid of this brat.”

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ohn1m · 5 years

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The Art of Being Mino

The South Korean hip-hop star wowed critics and fans alike with his solo album ‘XX’; but is he any closer to discovering who the ‘real’ Mino is?

Mino's journey is an ongoing one and 'XX' is a chapter that marks an artistic coming-of-age on this wild ride.

Understanding Song Minho is kind of like catching lightening in a bottle; impossible to do but the idea itself is so dazzling, you need to give it a shot anyway. Tall and blonde with bleached eyebrows and sharp features, Song–better known mononymously as Mino–cuts quite the intimidating figure. He’s intelligent, polite and forthcoming on every answer and there’s an elegance to him that’s instantly appealing. There’s one little thing that proves to be more charming than any of this, however, and it comes in the form of a little note he sends on email after the interview; “Thank you for your interest!” it reads cheerfully, accompanied by a smiley emoji. “I hope we do it again when Winner’s back!” It’s simple but sweet and suddenly there’s yet another dimension to the chic, fierce rapper we’re used to seeing onscreen.

Over the past year Mino has embraced the avant-garde with ease, stepping away from his swag-heavy hip-hop image and slipping into a more elegant avatar.

“I was getting to love myself, and everything [about that experience] is in this album.”

Mino at a press event for ‘XX’ in November 2018.

Mino’s journey has been wild, difficult, rewarding and a little messy–we’ve covered a lot of it over the course of the interview, but it still feels like we’re scratching the surface. He seems to agree; there’s a lot more he wants to consume and learn and a lot more he wants to show all his fans, old and new. “I am always thankful to fans who have supported me from the beginning and everyone who has known me since yesterday,” he says. “I will try to put a little more of my own personality and style on next album, and I also want to challenge something that no one expected.” While the search for the ‘real’ Mino continues, XX is a chapter in his story that marks a significant turn; he’s found a balance between the sexy rapper we see with Winner, the exuberant hip-hop dudebro he turns into with MOBB and the expressive poet he is as a soloist. It might not be lightening in a bottle just yet, but it’s pretty damn close.

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#⟨ ✕ « info »▕ ▏ʏ'ᴀʟʟ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇᴡꜱ? ⟩#/ it's so damn long.#a l e!!! musiałam bo to ważny wywiad.

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happymetalgirl · 6 years

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Doro - Forever Warriors, Forever United

I can’t hate Doro, in fact I quite respect the hussle and dedication she’s had to this genre and how she’s given so much of herself to her music, and for the incredible amount of time she has done so. But I can’t say I was excited at the prospect of a double album from her spanning nearly a hundred minutes in length. I just don’t really think Doro’s formulaic brand of old-school heavy metal has the stamina to make it across two discs of material for a single album, and at such a late stage in her career.

My anticipations were largely correct for this album. And while it’s not an offensively lazy or incompetent release, it’s nothing I would ever find myself listening to again, definitely not in full. There was not enough to justify such a massive slog of songs for this project, and I think at least 75% of the album should have been trimmed and honed, if not cut completely.

I will give the album credit where it is due first. Doro’s voice is still on point after all these years and she still hits some impressive high notes. The instrumental parts of the songs, even if they aren’t composed all that interestingly, are performed adequately and certainly channel that old-school metal vibe in more ways than one so that at least the whole thing isn’t super homogeneous, because I would really have hated an hour and forty minutes of the same damn kind of song. And that life-saving diversity, as mild as it is, on this album is what allows for a few highlight tracks to stick out, one of which being “Turn It Up”, a hard-rocking and energetic track full of the kind of vibrant attitude that made Doro so captivating at her best. Helge Schneider’s saxophone contribution on “Backstage to Heaven” is fitting for the song style and provides a vital spice to the album at its place, even if the rest of the song is average at best. The strings on “Black Ballad” are another cool instrumental addition and the subtlety of the percussion underneath it is very tasteful. It’s a song though, where Doro’s repetitive vocals and lyrics are the weakest parts of it. “Fight Through the Fire” also stands out as significantly more crunchy than the rest of the album as well. The album’s highlight ballad does show up in the form of “Lift Me Up”, which sounds like it might be a bit inspired by the instrumentals of early 2000′s alternative metal. It’s probably the most emotive performance on the whole album.

But, the album’s weaknesses do still outweigh its moments of quality. The songs do still fall into a few distinct and predictable categories pretty much unanimously, which takes away from the thrill an album like this should maintain. The basic sentimental lyricism is rather corny and not in a way that adds to the appeal of the album; it’s just amateurish lyricism that characterized metal’s early days, which the genre has largely moved on from. But the album falters most in the compositional department, with not nearly enough in the way of interesting ideas to justify the length across the twenty-five tracks. I’m not expecting some genre-defying avant garde experimentation, there just needed to be tighter songwriting on an album like this, because that was the crux of classic heavy metal back in the early 80′s, and that’s what shot the likes of Priest, Sabbath, and Maiden to fame. So many songs on here, as much as I’m sure Doro did put a fair amount of effort into, don’t sound complete enough. For the few featured musicians brought onto the project, it still doesn’t feel like they make enough of a positive impact, and it feels like the album still needs to bring in more outside help to breathe some energy into it (which is not a great feeling to have about an album). The Johan Hegg feature is kind of wasted on the repetitive love song “If I Can’t Have You - No One Will”, and Doug Aldrich’s talents are similarly underused on “Heartbroken”. The ballads are by far the worst category of songs on the album; songs like “It Cuts So Deep”, “Soldier of Metal”, and “Love’s Gone to Hell” just drag on at painfully slow paces with none of the feeling they’re supposed to have.

Overall, it was just a really predictable stumble from the metal queen, like watching a dude announce that he’s about the perform a stunt he’s obviously not qualified for. I still respect Doro’s legacy as an early icon of heavy metal, but that also means not lowering the bar for her, and holding her to the same standards of acts like Judas Priest. While I highly doubt Doro will be reinventing herself any time soon, if ever, it would have been nice to hear something unique to her discography to liven this album up, and if she is going to stick to this vintage sound, she needs to focus on making it as thoroughly as possible because an hour and a half of filler is not going to accomplish what she wants.

#doro #forever warriors #forever united #heavy metal #metal #new album #new music #album review

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pupuplatters · 6 years

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DANNY KIRWAN :: Second Chapter ~ 8.7 | Midnight in San Juan ~ 8.0 | Hello There Big Boy! ~ 4.5

DJM | DJLPA-1

DJM | DJF 20481

DJM | DJM-22

Even before Danny Kirwan passed away, I thought about reviewing his albums because I consider them to be obscure gems. Now seems like a good time to pay tribute to a musician who always seemed to be unfairly overshadowed. Although Danny was never a prolific lyricist, his melodies stick in your head and his songs were always a cut above thanks to the unique touch of his guitar playing and the magical mojo that Fleetwood Mac laid down on albums such as Future Games and Bare Trees. "Sands of Time," "Tell Me All the Things You Do," and "Bare Trees" are perfect studies in economical songwriting, and Danny also excelled at heartbreakingly beautiful instrumentals, as "My Dream," "Earl Gray," and "Sunny Side of Heaven" prove. He was able to establish an atmosphere with music like no other.

Danny's solo albums are a natural continuation of where he left off in Fleetwood Mac, dropping the emphasis on the hot bluesy guitar solos of early Mac and honing the streamlined pop he began to explore before leaving the band. Second Chapter is a carefree romp and marks the beginning of what should have been a more fruitful era in Danny's career. His guitar is never really showcased as it was in Mac: it's typically low in the mix, and solos are brief. A struggle between pursuing what he was incredibly gifted at and not wanting to be a "rock star" is apparent. Second Chapter is certainly his most musically diverse solo album; a lot of colors are thrown at the wall and they all blend well together. One thing that strikes me about this era is a lyrical shift towards nature: water, fish, birds, rainbows, and seasons are all observed in the lyrics. The album cover is overflowing with grass and blooming flowers. Clearly Danny was inspired by the world around him, but this new focus also hints at isolation. As the title and album artwork suggest, Second Chapter is a bit of a story through different vignettes of love, and his affection for the natural world seems to win over interpersonal affairs as the album’s second half turns more quiet and inward. The soupy production is Spector-ish with soothing strings, honking horns, ragtime pianos, and down home banjos creating a garden in springtime where the listener's mind is free to wander. A tasty lead fiddle welcomes you to a great big hoedown in the opener "Ram Jam City,” a song that contains the spark that makes Kirwan’s best songs so magical. As it unfolds, Danny playfully chases a frisky filly while guitar and fiddle dance with percussion that sounds like horses clomping in time. The joy of the moment can almost be touched as a choir of harmonized aahs leads the parade home. I don’t think Danny sounded so exuberant before or after. It’s a magnificent production, courtesy of Martin Rushent. The playfulness continues with some wonderfully weird scat singing punctuating the vaudevillian "Odds and Ends," a quick little snapshot of an eccentric junk shop. "Skip a Dee Doo" contains some fine country guitar pickin' during the break and strengthens the case for Danny's versatility (see also "Sometimes" from Future Games). The title track is a very British-sounding easy rocker that Al Stewart could have brought to the Top 20. “Lovely Days” and “Silver Streams” both showcase Danny’s skill with gentle, folk-influenced ballads. I'm not sure why "Best Girl in the World" was omitted from the US pressing of the album (the version I grew up with), but it’s a bit of a trifle and removing it from the record accentuates the attention toward nature. "Cascades" contains a gorgeous weave of acoustic, lead electric, and what sounds like a baritone guitar with a lyric in the chorus that suggests loneliness, a theme that would continue on the next albums. I've always wondered about the strange oscillating panning on "Hot Summer Day" and a couple other cuts. It sounds like someone's kid snuck into the control room and started turning knobs without anyone noticing. The production borders on overkill (one or two less string arrangements would be nice), but Second Chapter is the strongest representation of Danny standing tall as a solo artist. Released in 2000, Ram Jam City collects raw mixes and alternate takes from the Second Chapter era. For fans, it's a real treat to listen to, containing false starts, clearer vocal harmonies, and instrumental parts that didn't make the album. The CD presents its title track in two different forms and confirms its status as a brilliant little nugget. The instrumental version sounds just as good as the album cut, and the second version sounds like an alternate mix of the original recording at the correct speed, a touch slower and less manic than what appeared on the record.

Midnight in San Juan is Danny's best sounding solo album: bright, natural, and uncluttered. Other than the occasional bongo and keyboard, the instrumentation is strictly drums, bass, and guitar. It's a bit looser too: you can hear Danny count off in a song, and in another, it sounds like he's humming to himself. The quality of the material is not far from its predecessor, but the lack of any bells and whistles shines a light on the lyrical thinness of the songs. The sonic cleanness of the breezy opener "I Can Tell" is as refreshing as its numerous hooks, and Danny harmonizing with himself on the vocal is wonderful to hear. It may be his attempt to write his own “Take It Easy.” "Life Machine" evokes a heavy, late '60s psych vibe, while "Rolling Hills" and the title track continue the haunting mood of Kirwan's Mac-era instrumentals, although they aren't quite as impactful. The latter sounds like funky movie music with some very '70s synths as the focal point. His reggae cover of "Let It Be" is OK and confirms his McCartney influence, but I would have preferred a Danny song. It happens to be in the same position in the track listing as Second Chapter's "Mary Jane," another reggae exercise that is superior to my ears. The gently swinging waltz "Angel's Delight" is truly a delight, containing some essential Kirwan poetry and beautiful interplay between bass and lush guitar in the instrumental breaks. The introspective "Misty River" opens with an acoustic guitar playing the melody, but oddly, synth takes over for the solo section. Although Danny didn't seem to want the spotlight, he still made all the pieces fit. The remaining songs are generally strong, but I get the sense that Danny went on autopilot at this point. The balloon of inspiration lost some air. The outro of "I Can't Let You Go" contains some of Danny's final hints of lead guitar brilliance on record and the track fades far too quickly. He seems to be on even footing for the duration of the album, but the hallucinogenic closer "Castaway" veers off the course. I've always found this track to be disturbing and its placement on the album metaphorical, a tumble off of the wagon after a period of stability. A creepy droning synth is featured heavily, and Danny's almost freaky guitar vibrato is used to maximum effect. Tension builds as the beat goes to double time before skidding into a manic refrain: its screaming guitar part and confrontational vocal sound like a genuine descent into madness. The song may have been intended as an official sign-off by Danny. It certainly feels like it, even though he owed DJM one more record.

Midnight in San Juan was released as Danny Kirwan in the States, and this version of the album contains some thoughtful liner notes by Richard Hogan. An excerpt:

A consummate pop craftsman, Danny couples layers of instruments with poetic conceits depicting the magic of a world many are too busy or jaded to notice. His new songs couple spring-clean the airwaves - you forget you're indoors when you're listening to them. Shafts of sunlight, forest creatures, romantic encounters surface and re-surface as emblems of hope on the singer's horizon. But the nature imagery isn't artificial, doesn't become frozen in a still-life tableau - rains fall, winds blow as if Kirwan knows he has no control over the things he finds idyllic.

1979 was a weird time for the Fleetwood Mac family. Tusk was a brave double-disc curveball from the corporate headquarters. Jeremy Spencer went hippie disco-folk on his album Flee. Bob Welch tried sparse new wave on The Other One. According to various reports (including an anecdote in Mick Fleetwood's autobiography), Danny Kirwan was homeless. His last album, Hello There Big Boy!, is an unintentional portrait of mental illness. He doesn't look well on the album sleeve, and the record itself seems to represent giving up: side 2 is rather brief and just sputters and dies at the end. Danny musters all the emotion that he can, but he seems detached and less focused. The record contains only four new Kirwan compositions. Producer Clifford Davis was likely the mastermind of the album's vibe: a more straightforward, smooth late '70s sound with background singers, electric piano, and the occasional string arrangement. The backstory of Danny's struggle is hard to ignore and makes the album an uncomfortable listen, but I treasure its highlights. "Wings of a Dove" is signature Kirwan, deceptively simple (only one verse and chorus, repeated) but completely enchanting. Even at a low point, he was capable of magic. Equally intriguing, "Spaceman" cruises in a similar vein and sounds like it was written and recorded in the same session. Danny's hope circles the drain in "Caroline," a painful dirge about a failed relationship (reportedly, his marriage) that's oddly followed by a goopy ballad that opens with "You are the one who makes me happy." Continuing the awkward track sequencing, "You" is followed by "Only You," a high-octane blues-rocker from the Fleetwood Mac days that's given the neutered yacht rock treatment here with wah guitar and Vegas horns. Compared to the fire of the original and lacking the killer guitar hook it contained in the refrain, it falls rather flat and was a poor choice for a single. I wonder if recording the song was suggested by Danny or a tactic by Clifford Davis to keep Kirwan engaged in the album. Hello There Big Boy! is rounded out by material from a few of the musicians who played on the album. The best of the outside material is probably "End Up Crying," a convincing lite rocker that would have had a decent chance on the radio. For me, the highlight of "Gettin' the Feelin'" is the very obvious bass guitar bobble at the top of the 2nd chorus. "California" is a simple little ditty contributed by Clifford Davis and vocalist Dana Gillespie. That's an odd collaboration. When Gillespie made her vocal contributions to the album, Davis could have asked her if she had any song ideas because he was so starved for material, and they may have patched "California" together on the spot. A rather lovely homage to the Beach Boys, "Summer Days and Summer Nights" is a duet with Gillespie and it concludes the record somewhat strangely. At the close of the song, Danny ends his vocal phrases quickly, as if he was dying to get out of the studio. The final repeated line "Now it's time to say goodbye to the magic in your eyes" makes the album's finale (and the end of Kirwan's career) that much more sad. It would have been nice to have Christine McVie instead of Gillespie on the track to provide some closure and give the album a bump in exposure, but at this point, it may have done more harm than good. It seems Kirwan wasn't equipped to deal with fame, and unfortunately, it either caused or irritated his personal problems. Clifford Davis claimed to have utilized 87 musicians to get the album done, but the credits list only one rhythm section with several additional musicians on vocals, guitar, and keys. I have to think that it's a fairy tale because he has been quoted as not liking the album and it makes for a funny story in that context (unless he was referring to string players who are heard on several tracks), but it's worth noting that his own work on the project didn't exactly elevate it. The mix at the beginning of "You" is head-scratchingly bad, and several production choices on the album are highly questionable. The album is such a far cry from the euphoria of "Ram Jam City," which kicked off Kirwan's solo era with great promise only four years earlier. After his third solo album, it was clear that Danny was not coming back. I was very sad when I heard that Danny Kirwan passed away. It was odd to see the online articles about a seemingly sensitive and private man who hadn't been heard from in decades alongside the shallow media fodder of today. I'll always remember many years ago when my dad and I were driving around my hometown in December looking for a Christmas tree with my cassette dub of Danny's music providing the soundtrack; around the same time, being complimented on my developing drumming skills as I played along to "Midnight in San Juan"; a bit later, being thrilled about hearing some true rarities on Ram Jam City. My record collection has experienced quite a bit of turnover through the years, but I've never considered parting with my Danny albums (including my highly treasured test pressing of Hello There Big Boy!). Everyone holds certain artists in high esteem because their music means so much more than a faceless tune you whistle along to in the car, and Kirwan is one of a few of those top-shelf musicians for me. To this day, I consider his body of work to be very underrated, but thanks to being part of one of the most popular bands in history, his obscure solo work will be in a good position to be found and loved by curious fans.

July 5, 2018

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abstractanalogue · 3 years

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Ann Scott interview

I first came across Ann Scott’s music in 2018 and wrote about her Venus To The Sky (2013) album at that time here. She is a singer-songwriter but in the main she collaborates with what sounds like a full band at times so her sound can be vast when needed. Since then I have really gotten into what she has been doing and collected her other albums and none of them disappointed me in any way. I guess her main strength is the quality of the songs and she has a knack for finding the most suitable instrumentation and collaborators to really make them take-off. For me she is of the same calibre of an artist such as PJ Harvey and I wish she was as well known but such is the nature of life. Sometimes these things take time but her music is built to last.

I have been posting about her regularly on the AA FB page and decided to make contact with her for an interview to tie-in with her outstanding new album Lily. I have many favourites from it but here I’ve selected ‘River’ and ‘One Step Fall’ as good examples to show the two sides of the album, from a full to a more sparse and minimal sound. For me, there were a few songs I instantly connected with but the whole album is a grower and worth the effort. While it hasn’t been such a long wait for me, older fans haven’t seen a new album in about eight years so I thought she’d have something interesting to say. It’s great to hear something of how the album came together and about her background, reactions to the pandemic and more. You can sample and purchase Lily on Bandcamp here.

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How did you first get involved with music, were you always interested in singing and writing since you were very young? What were your early passions and influences (not just musical)?

Early on I just lived and breathed books. As a child, I remember the radio being on 24/7. I thought music was just an awful racket and associated it with detergent jingles and ranting talk show guests. I think I longed for silence really. That all changed in a positive way, in first class when our teacher encouraged us to dance on the tables along to Peter and the Wolf. Then came Top of the Pops as a weekly religion. In the eighties music had massive relevance, everybody was madly taping songs off the radio. There was a small selection of vinyl at our house and I spent many hours with a pound shop microphone stuck into the stereo – or was it the back of the VHS player ?- and even back then the big red button meant ‘record’. So, there were hours of fun overdubbing sci-fi movies and blasting along to Madonna long before the first 4 track arrived.

What was it like for you in those early days, what are your memories of starting out playing live etc? Did you get some recognition?

I first began busking around in the nineties and it was around about then I started writing songs, but I took a long time to finish and perform them. Initially I was just enthralled with that very primal thing of live singing. In Dublin the International Bar on Wicklow Street was the hub for songwriter talent, experienced and novice. There was a massive amount of it around and it was a magic time. Every Tuesday evening the upstairs venue there would be heaving with the motley crew of Dave Murphy’s songwriter guests. Dave curated an open mic ‘but with no mic’ kind of an evening and mentored, more or less, the whole singer songwriter scene at that time, which today accounts for many of Ireland’s household names. There was some A&R interest around but I didn’t have much of a knack for the schmooze and all that, I think I realized I was still developing a craft and probably wasn’t ready for committing to anything, whereas the industry was and is still obsessed with ‘new’ and ‘young’.

Even from your first album, in my opinion, you had very much developed a signature sound and voice. I guess this could just be you being yourself or is it something you really had to work on? Are you very self-critical, how easy is song writing for you? Going purely by your album covers, it appears you take on a different image/persona for each album. If I’m correct, is this part of your process for song writing as well?

You’re kind of born with the voice you have. All of your ideas and inspiration have to be influenced by the world around you. In my case, love of language slowly gave over to love of melody and expression of ideas but it was hard to marry the two. I am critical as hell and tend to do things slowly and mull over them and revise lots of times. Many songs are image heavy or take on personas, as you say, and I would throw in lots of characters and animals, maybe as metaphors for things, or sometimes not. I’ve always had a soft spot for odd tunings and gypsy sounding stringed instruments and gravitating to keys like C sharp or F sharp has not made me popular with fellow players. But in terms of a sound, in particular, the first few albums, my ideas were very much interpreted and realized by Karl Odlum.

Even though you are known as a solo artist there is a collaborative process for you to go through to get your music completed. Do you have regular people you work with or do they change with each project? How do you select your collaborators?

I’m happy to goof off on my own for a stint and write and record and layer music but you can’t beat that buzz of the idea exchange. Karl Odlum has a fantastic adaptable approach that he brings to everyone he works with, so I’ve been lucky to be able to tap into his expertise...and synth collection. He is a brilliant bass player, and a powerhouse of production ideas, and although I go at the Protools myself these days, Karl is still the linchpin I’d say. In terms of band, when budget allows the more the merrier. Touring with musicians you get to know people and give each other a dig out so I’m happy to barter with other songwriters when it comes to lending each other random ideas or vocals.

I felt things were really beginning to change for new artists around the very late 90s. The beginnings of MySpace and later YouTube and all of the promise (potential worldwide exposure!) that seemed to bring. As far as sales went, there was a kind of vacuum I felt from then until iTunes and digital sales became more firmly established with platforms like Bandcamp. Some of the traditional music print media also began to disappear or become unrecognisable from what it had once been. But live gigs and festivals became more popular (and good for selling music directly or so the theory goes). What was your experience as an artist that emerged right in those uncertain times of change?

Music has been a victim of its own success really. The technology which emancipated musicians (home studios, digital distribution etc) also kind of devoured them. There was suddenly a flood of independents all vying for the same shrinking media pie, and then the ‘subscribe a little and stream absolutely everything’ model (eg Spotify) came along and just about killed off album sales entirely. Back in the nineties an independent musician could be making a humble living and tour based on selling CDs at gigs, but that is all complicated now with the new medium. Additionally, many of the traditional opportunities such as the festival slots you mention are offered as unpaid promotional opportunities to up and coming artists. But if that is more and more the actual model, then you have to ask, what exactly is there to be up and coming to ?

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You started a Patreon in the last year or so, what was your experience of that? I get the impression this helped the album along.

Patreon is the brand new world. It got me back into a discipline of finishing and releasing music, which for somebody who likes to spend months or years on single line lyrics, is a necessary thing. Also, it got me just back to connecting with people, and I was surprised by what subscription tiers worked or what people wanted to hear that I would not necessarily have thought of. Without listeners it is hard to make the music come alive. And that rabbit hole gets deeper. So, after a long gap between albums it was a great way to put the heartbeat back into things.

What can we expect from the new album, Lily, and what format will it take? Could you collaborate with different musicians this time around? What are your hopes for gigs, promotion etc. I suppose inevitably your new album (just like any album released this year) will be seen as a lockdown album, do you think the pandemic influenced your music or would it have still been more or less the same?

Lily is a digital only release, although I had a yearn for a vinyl pressing, I thought green is clean. The pandemic greatly paved the song selection, in that I couldn’t collaborate with other musicians last year even if I wanted to, so there is a lot of minimalism. There’s barely a click track anywhere on the album with many of the songs performed more or less as live takes. There are also fuller tunes with more featured artists which predated lockdown but overall, the lonely live intimate vibe is the prevailing wind. With everybody cooped up inside, it might sound counterintuitive, but it felt like the right time to release a live sounding record. When it does come to going back out to gig, I should have a selection that I can hopefully reproduce easily enough in a live context.

Due to the pandemic we are potentially in a very precarious time for music as we have known it. I know there is no crystal ball but how do you think things are going to work out for musicians and the industry itself?

Very odd times indeed, but the music industry is kind of eating itself anyway. In terms of gender and diversity balance, I hope that is one thing which can be addressed. I think the really obnoxious televised talent competitions have to go (or are they gone already?). Music had a very cringey tv moment for a while there. The keyword for the future music industry has to be - like all world industries at the moment - sustainability.

I read on your website that you moved to the countryside. What has your experience been?

Moving to the countryside has been a major change for me and, also becoming a parent, so lots of things all fell into place and out of place, and lots of songs always fall out of change. I might miss being by the sea sometimes, but trade off in the deep countryside is the sky. All those thousands of super bright stars at night and those 360 degree sunsets. Plenty to space off to there...

Thanks for your time. You will find Ann’s website here and she is also on Facebook and Twitter.

#Ann Scott #lily #interview

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