Originally conducted this poll when polls first dropped, but now that we can add 12 options (and have been able to lol)…am gonna start this series over again 🤭

Just like before- pls feel free to rb and feel free to leave why you voted what you voted for! And pls feel free to leave any suggestions for the next poll!

Below the cut will be the albums just in case anyone hasn’t heard of some these albums before :)

The bad kids are an incredibly healthy and supportive friend group BUT OH MY GOD THEY SUCK AT COMMUNICATING!

Half of their problems would be solved if they talked to each other.

Fabian would GLADLY pay for Adaine's components and for Riz's tuition if they asked. He would even get his papa to change his trust fund conditions to include them. Or he would declare Riz and Adaine his nemesis.

They would figure out the reason for Fig's misfortune in a week max. They would march into hell, probably accompanied by both Gorthalax and Sandra Lynn, and demand to break whatever deal she made with whichever demon involved.

If Fabian even suggested he was lonely, the bad kids would organise sleepovers every night. He would circle between the Thistlesprings, the Gukgaks and the Mordred Manor. Lydia would pack him his own lunch.

Fig would immediately start promoting Cassandra's religion on all social media, and get her to thousand followers in a week. The rest of the bad kids would join without hesitation.

If Riz would finally admit the HUGE stress he is under, everyone, even Fig, would stop piling all the work on him and happily write their 10 page essays. They would convince him to see Jawbone, and enjoy his last years in high school. They would band together to find the rogue teacher within a day. They would make sure that Riz's resume is the most impressive CV that the universities have ever received.

They would all gather together to come up with music for Fig and Gorgug's new album. Fabian would choreograph their music videos, Adaine would come up with rhymes, Riz would bring a list of all their adventures, including motifs and connections made, to give her inspiration, Kristen would suggest to make parodies of classic camp songs from her old church.

Adaine would contact Aelwyn immediately to get dirt on Porter, to blackmail him. Gorgug would get permission for his MCAT exams by the end of the week.

And if she would stay on the phone a little longer and admitted how much she is struggling, Aelwyn would immediately return home along with her cats. Then she would drag her sister to Jawbone's door, and force her to give him the components list.

The problem is that even after all those years, after all those adventures, even after the forest of the nightmare king, they still each think of themselves as the weak link. As the person in the group that isn't allowed, doesnt deserve to take space, ask for help. Because they should be able to handle it on their own. Isn't that what adulthood is like?

They would abandon anything and everything to help someone else, as long as that person isn't themselves. As long as they dont have to show their amazing, incredible, powerful, and oh so compassionate friends how weak and imperfect they are in comparison.

—﹒ ∬ ﹒PLASTIC FLOWERS RETURNS TO BAR PERFORMANCES AT CHEEKY'S IN SEOUL!

—﹒ ∬ ﹒DESCRIPTION TAKEN FROM AN ALLKPOP PUBLISHED JULY 15, 2023.

In 2023, Plastic Flowers made their return to their hometown bar CHEEKY'S for a new era of live performances! Located in Gangnam, Seoul, the bar takes takes inspiration from the bar culture of Nashville and has been in operation since 2017.

Cheeky's popularity began to rise with the attendance of Plastic Flowers on weekends soon after their lead vocalist, Oliver, became a legal adult in 2019. Plastic Flowers performed there for three years straight ( 2019 — 2021 ) until their 16 month hiatus from public life. Since then, Plastic Flowers has become a mainstream success both domestically and internationally with multiple tracks peaking at number one since 2022.

In a surprise post from Cheeky's Instagram, they announced that the band would return on July 14, 2023 for the rest of the year. The five band members and even their agency were quick to repost the news to confirm.

—﹒ ∬ ﹒IF YOU WANNA GET IN, YOU GOTTA FOLLOW THESE RULES (TAKEN FROM A TIKTOK POSTED BY JUNYEONGLUVR ON JULY 18, 2023)!

"So, you want to attend a Plastic Flowers performance at Cheeky's in Seoul? Here is everything you need to know to avoid getting kicked out!

First: don't be weird with the band. They are normal people and are here to make money and have fun on stage. This is not time to have an Y/N fantasies about the members falling in love with you. Unless it's Junyeong, then you probably have a chance at sleeping with him.

They are keeping the same rules about requests from 2021! Unless specified otherwise, all requests are 25,000KRW. The more money you pay, however, the more likely they are to play that song sooner and you can request a specific member to sing that song! For example, back in 2020, I requested a cover of Clario's BAGS with SERIN as the lead vocalist and got it pretty quickly for 40,000KRW!

However, there are multiple songs that will cost 100,000KRW because they are requested at every show. This is often achieved through crowdfunding and is very rarely paid for by a single person. The songs that cost 100,000KRW are ANY OF THEIR TITLE TRACKS, FREE BIRD by Lynyrd Skynyrd, anything by DEATH VALLEY, and MIROTIC by TVXQ.

You can also buy the members drinks! They are always so thankful for this and every one has their own favorites. There will (hopefully) be a sign of all their drink orders at the bar since they have changed since 2021.

Don't be afraid of audience interaction! Oliver and Salem particularly love going into the crowd and taking pictures and videos with fans. Sing along and dance like an idiot, it makes them more excited to be performing if the audience is also having a good time."

—﹒ ∬ ﹒THE MUSIC.

Coming into the nights, Plastic Flowers does have a set list they prepare for the beginning of the show and requests are just starting to come in. If you like the darker side of Plastic Flowers music, this is the perfect place for you as they often cover old emo hits from the 1990s and 2000s. For the right price, they will truly play anything unless it's by nature controversial or a weird request.

The full set list has not been reveled yet and all the songs played are always complied by their many UPDATE ACCOUNTS across Social Media. Because of all the difference audience they play, no set list is ever truly the same and is either played in a different order or features completely different songs. Some common requests and songs played include: FOR YOUR LOVE, I'M ALIVE, READY TO FLY, 505, FREE BIRD, MAMA, NO SHAME, and BALLAD OF MONA LISA.

Depending on whose in the crowd, you can also get some COVERS of songs by their friends and other idols in the audience!

They also often play UNRELEASED songs that will either never be played again or make it into the next few albums, it's a fun guessing game with them! Songs previously unreleased that were performed here include: WAR , THE CHAIN , SINNERS & SAINTS , SOBER , and NORMAL PEOPLE.

Spacelab9 have revealed more details about the upcoming Dragon Age Vinyl box set. (It's a 70 track collection which will include songs from DA:O, DAII, DA:I, DLC and also some DA:I bard songs.)

I found this new info blurb about the cover art really interesting 👁️ (emphasis mine):

Deluxe package features all-original artwork by Dragon Age Concept Director Ramil Sunga and Lead UX Artist Danny Richardson, created exclusively for this album set. The beautifully detailed artwork presents a pictorial timeline following the lore of the Dragon Age series, beginning at the dawn of the Golden City, throughout the City's Fall and culminating in its re-emergence as the Black City, seat of the Old Gods. [source]

hello??? (the announcement blogpost for the vinyl contained the flavor text "From the land of Thedas, at the dawn of the Golden City".)

they also announced that the pre-sale for the box set was scheduled to begin April 27th (can't see it atm unless I'm missing it, maybe it's not yet started?) and that on the BioWare Gear Store it will begin on May 10th. each outlet will offer their own exclusive color variant of the vinyl.

lastly they also posted the full track listing (emphasis mine):

"DISC 1 SIDE A [DRAGON AGE ORIGINS]

1. DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS (2:49) 2. ELVES AT THE MERCY OF MAN (1:21) 3. RUINS OF OSTAGAR (1:18) 4. THE COMMON DWARF (1:24) 5. THE PARTY CAMP (0:44) 6. THE DALISH (1:18) 7. DARKSPAWN IN THE WILDS (1:13) 8. HUMAN NOBILITY (1:21) 9. URN OF SACRED ASHES (1:01) 10. JOIN THE GREY WARDENS (1:53) 11. BATTLE THE DARKSPAWN HORDES (1:05) 12. MAGES IN THEIR CHANTRY (2:01) 13. LELIANNA'S SONG (2:33)

DISC 1 SIDE B [DRAGON AGE ORIGINS]

1. THE CHANTRY'S HUBRIS (3:16) 2. THE NATURE OF THE BEAST (1:30) 3. TAVERN BRAWL (1:15) 4. THE DALISH ELVES ENCAMPMENT (1:18) 5. FERELDEN AT WAR (2:57) 6. KING EDRIN (1:32) 7. CHALLENGE AN ARCH DEMON (3:12) 8. THE CORONATION (1:03) 9. I AM THE ONE (HIGH FANTASY VERSION) (4:02)

DISC 2 SIDE A [DRAGON AGE II]

1. DRAGON AGE II MAIN THEME (2:03) 2. HAWKE FAMILY THEME (2:00) 3. QUNARI ON THE RISE (2:04) 4. LOVE SCENE (1:39) 5. VISCOUNT (1:29) 6. TAVERN MUSIC (2:11) 7. KIRKWALL ARRIVAL (5:13) 8. ROGUE HEART (3:12)

DISC 2 SIDE B [DRAGON AGE II]

1. JOURNEY TO DEEP FEAR (2:55) 2. MAGE PRIDE (4:03) 3. KIRKWALL TOWN ACT 2 EXPLORATION (2:05) 4. DARK DAWN (3:22) 5. FENRIS THEME (2:30) 6. NIGHT ATTACK AND VICTORY (1:56) 7. DESTINY OF LOVE (3:25)

DISC 3 SIDE A [DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION]

1. DRAGON AGE INQUISITION THEME (2:52) 2. THE WRATH OF HEAVEN (5:25) 3. ESCAPE FROM THE FADE (1:14) 4. CALLING THE INQUISITION (1:59) 5. IN HUSHED WHISPERS (4:49) 6. THE WESTERN APPROACH (2:07) 7. JOURNEY TO SKYHOLD (1:48)

DISC 3 SIDE B [DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION]

1. THE DAWN WILL COME (1:58) 2. ORLAIS THEME (2:44) 3. THE SCAR (0:56) 4. SIEGE OF ADAMANT (1:14) 5. WICKED EYES AND WICKED HEARTS (3:35) 6. THEDAS LOVE THEME (1:59) 7. CHAMPIONS OF THE JUST (3:55) 8. SACRIFICE (1:01) 9. RETURN TO SKYHOLD (2:13) 10. EPILOGUE (1:10)

DISC 4 SIDE A (BONUS DLC TRACKS)

1. I AM THE ONE (DARK FANTASY VERSION) [DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS] (4:10) 2. MAIN THEME [DAI DESCENT DLC] (2:58) 3. AFTERMATH [DAI DESCENT DLC] (1:29) 4. DARK SOLAS THEME [DAI TRESPASSER DLC] (3:01) 5. QUNARI ATMOSPHERE [DAI TRESPASSER DLC] (2:41) 6. LOST ELF THEME [DAI TRESPASSER DLC] (3:58) 7. D'READ KODA (1:08) [HIDDEN TRACK]

DISC 4 SIDE B (DRAGON AGE: INQUISITION - THE BARD SONGS)

1. ENCHANTERS (3:23) 2. GREY WARDEN (2:12) 3. I AM THE ONE (1:58) 4. ONCE WE WERE (2:10) 5. RISE (1:26) 6. SERA (1:45) 7. FALL OF THE MAGISTER (3:01) 8. SCOUT LACE HARDING (2:08) 9. THE SLIGHTEST ONES (2:28)" [source]

👁️ Hidden track - "D'Read Koda"? ^^ Koda like a coda? (of interest here is that the recent Mass Effect vinyl collection contained some previously unreleased and some rearranged/remastered music.)

[source]

Fannish Year Review - 2023

snagged from @diplomaticprincess

1. your main fandom of the year: Star Wars -- after like three years of feeling way-too-sensitive about the series, I decided to take that whole Marie Kondo approach to fandom: keep what brings you joy and throw the rest into an active volcano (or...something like that. It's been a minute since I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, but I'm sure that's an accurate synopsis that Marie would be totally fine with on her book's dust jacket). And then I started writing fanfiction, which has been fun.

Though...though...I did revisit The Hunger Games this year and made my bestie into an HG fan, so that series has certainly played a part.

2. have u watched a film this year: I've only been to theaters twice this year -- once for the Return of the Jedi 40th anniversary rerelease, once to see Barbie. I don't think I've watched many new things this year, to be honest. Mainly rewatches.

3. your favorite book this year: Oof, my reading list is embarrassingly short this year. Probably Nine Liars by @maureenjohnsonbooks. It's the 5th book in a YA mystery series and love that entire dang series so much.

4. your favorite album or song this year:

Album: Stick Season by Noah Kahan

Song: Probably "Happier Than Ever" by Billie Eilish, but I'm honestly not certain

5. your favorite tv shows this year: I think I rewatched Severance twice this year, so...Haaaa...

6. your favorite tumblr community this year: Han/Leia, but I also follow some Little Women accounts that I've quite enjoyed.

7. your best new fandom discovery of the year: I did start watching Ted Lasso, but kind of forgot about it, though the show is delightful. I feel like I've been very hyperfocused on Star Wars stuff this year tbh.

8. your biggest fandom disappointment of the year: You know what, I rarely hate on specific ships publicly, but having one of my posts in which I was spitballing a headcanon involving Tarkin and Leia having an absurd rivalry while she was like 16-19 years old that was similar in tone to Jack Donaghy and Kaylie Hooper from 30 Rock (a relationship that is entirely not sexual on account of Kaylie being fifteen when she first pops up on the show) reblogged multiple times with Leia/Tarkin shipping tags might just have been the most disappointing fandom-related thing to happen to me personally this year. I don't even know if this is the type of answer the question was looking for, but uh...it was definitely the most disappointing.

9. your tv/movie boyfriend and/or girlfriend of the year: I'm...not entirely sure how to answer this tbh.

10. your biggest squee moment of the year: I've received a lot of really nice comments on my stories this year, but there have been a handful left where I really felt...seen? if that makes sense. Like, the commenters wrote something where I felt like someone fully understood what I was trying to do, which doesn't always happen, and those have definitely been exciting moments for me.

Self-service tagging today!

Fixing your heart: The triumphant return of My Chemical Romance

Aimee Hallsworth explores My Chemical Romance’s sensational comeback in light of their remarkable journey through pain and struggle

Aimee Hallsworth | Sunday June 5 2022 | varsity.co.uk

On an otherwise unassuming Thursday in early May, with little fanfare and no promotion, long-mourned cult sensation My Chemical Romance released their first single since the group broke up in 2013. This new output comes in conjunction with the beginning of the band’s global reunion tour and, as "Welcome to the Black Parade" re-enters the Billboard top 200, their explosive return to the music scene has been nothing short of a sensation.

“A sense of clarity and purpose shines through the song”

The new track, “The Foundations of Decay”, filters over a static noise, building quietly. A sober guitar accompanies the distorted singing of vocalist Gerard Way before the chorus swells into an explosively triumphant crescendo of noise, as Way’s fluting voice carries over the thundering drums. The song is both completely new and wonderfully familiar: like revisiting an old friend. Since the band’s last studio album, Danger Days, all the members, except bassist Mikey Way, have produced solo albums (multiple in the case of guitarist Frank Iero). While Way drew on Britpop influences for Hesitant Alien, Iero lent far more into his punk and indie-rock interests in his first album, Stomachaches. Guitarist Ray Toro’s 2016 alt-rock album Remember the Laughter is masterful, characterised by his soft vocals and wide-ranging musical ability: he plays the lion’s share of instruments on the record. An appreciation of the diversity of these efforts highlights the different influences each member brings to the band: from Toro’s subtle melodies to Iero’s explosive energy, all of which can be felt in their new song.

 Visualiser for My Chemical Romance's "The Foundations of Decay"YOUTUBE / MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE (HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=V2KWUJKRVVS)

“The Foundations of Decay” is an anthem of reunion and of healing. As with many of Way’s lyrics, it’s intensely personal and revisits the theme explored in the band’s very first track: “Skylines and Turnstiles”, where Way expresses the trauma of witnessing 9/11. They meditate on what kind of progress has been made since that moment, both on a personal and global level. There’s a sharp dissonance between the desolate state of world affairs and the mental stability that Way and the bandmates have achieved in the years since they split up. A sense of clarity and purpose shines through the song which lacks the escapism and fantastical theatrics that dominate the bulk of their discography. There’s a sense that music is no longer a form of life support or therapy that Way describes in the video diaries chronicling the band’s early days. It is not a song recounting a harrowing battle with trauma but an exploration of healing that anguish. By lying in the "foundations of decay", one can uncover the roots of the pain that must be healed in order to grow. When Way croons out "you must fix your heart", it is not stance but a stipulation – the heart must be fixed in order to live authentically.

“This is a group of people who have a deep bond with both each other and the crowd”

This celebration of healing is evident in the live shows the band have played so far, all of which have been jubilant expressions of love for everything that My Chemical Romance stands for. These shows have been some of the best in their already impressive career primarily because they are having so much fun. Not tied to an album, there’s room to experiment and change the set list each night. By mixing up their entire discography, lesser known B-sides like “Mastas of Ravenkroft” have been aired on stage alongside classics like “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)”, showcasing their talent without poor mental health and bad coping mechanisms looming overhead.

 My Chemical Romance's official music video for "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)"YOUTUBE / MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE (HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=DHZTNGAS4FC)

The band have all struggled with various mental health problems and addiction over the years. That rawness is reflected in their art. A dominating factor in their staggering success has been the connectivity between the struggles of the band and the struggles of their listeners. When Way rejoices with a crowd in being alive, it’s more profound than just basking in the moment, it’s a celebration of overcoming mental anguish together.

It’s extraordinary to see Way on stage, 45 and joyful, when at one point it was uncertain he would live past 25. The crowds waving at Mikey’s children and Toro kissing Way during one of the Milton Keynes sets crystallises the joyous affection which ripples through their shows. This is a group of people who have a deep bond with both each other and the crowd who exultantly chant their lyrics. In one of his various on-stage speeches, Way explains how he used to work the crowds at gigs before being able to release that self-consciousness, proudly exclaiming: “and now I just feel connected to f-ing every one of you.” The audience roars exuberantly in response. This joy and authenticity seems to be at the centre of My Chemical Romance’s journey moving forward; the band seem so delightfully comfortable in themselves after battling extreme personal hardships and mental demons for so long. It’s going to be nothing but exhilarating to see where they go next.

EXCLUSIVE: Young K sends ‘Letters with notes’ to fans in joyous return; talks about evolving as a musician, upcoming DAY6 anniversary

By Monica Yadav

“This time can’t be stopped / When the season changes / where no regrets are left / this time is aflame / followed by blooming spring / remember this time / never let it fade away / for all my life / let it be summer,” – croons singer-songwriter Young K in his pre-release track ‘Let It Be Summer’ from his full-length album Letters With Notes. As the 29-year-old multi-hyphenated musician is back from his two-year hiatus (as he was serving in the military), he compares his life to the changing seasons while expressing the desire to maintain youthful enthusiasm. The melodic pop-punk track definitely enhances the vocals of the gifted singer, who was missed from the music scene for the past two years. Over the past 8 years, Young K, birth name Kang Young Hyun, has about 160 songs copyrighted under his name. He has been the bassist, lead vocalist, and rapper in DAY6 and continues to excel as a versatile singer. He is easily one of the most valuable musicians of our time who often dabbles in different genres including rock, pop-rock, and alternative rock. Returning to the music scene after two years with Letters with notes, the 11-track album, which he was heavily involved in from scratch, sees him play with a lot of nostalgia. While ‘dreamer’ has influences of ‘60s rock-n-roll, ‘babo’ has elements of ‘60s rock with the groove of R&B; ‘waited’ has that ‘90s melodic modern rock rhythm, ‘playground’ infuses the elements of ‘60s Motown funk and rhythm and blues. He ended the song ‘Guard You’ from his 2021 album Eternal with ‘I’ll Hold You Until The End’ and begins with the same lyric in ‘nothing but’, the title track of his new album where he is unable to let go of the love. It is poetic how he uses a metaphor for the world ending in the first track whereas in his latest track, uses the same line as his world is collapsing. There is a reason Young K is called a gifted musician. He plays around with sounds and easily makes you go through varied emotions. This album takes you on a journey of different phases of love, which comes in any form, and the beauty and intricacies of it. Discharged from his military service in April 2023, Young K became the first Korean idol to join the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA). It is the branch of military service that requires applicants with fluency in English to a high degree and only recruits about 2,000 men every year. Between April and August, he had four months to prepare and complete the album. Addressing his fans over the three-day concert held at Kwangwoon University’s Donghae Culture and Arts Center in Nowon-gu, Seoul between September 1-3, Young K said, as per Korea Herald, “The opening to today’s set list is also the first track in my new album. While working on this song, I imagined the moment I finally stepped on stage to meet you. The first words that came to my mind were, ‘I’m nervous,’ and that’s how I started the lyrics. Then I wanted to ask if you’ve been well and eaten well. I’m so happy to be performing in front of you.” Before enlisting, Young K exclusively told Bollywood Hungama in 2021, “I learned to love more. The love My Days have shown made me think about it a lot and since I write and sing about it, I guess it was one of the biggest issues and concepts I tried to know more about. I can't say I know what love exactly is, but I did learn how to give more.” Now, as he returned, we spoke to him again and this time. He had a lot more to share about his craft and his creative process of making Letters with notes.

First and foremost Young K, welcome back. The music scene has missed you and your soothing vocals. How much have you missed releasing music for your audience?

Young K: First of all, thank you for the kind words. It's been a while, so I've waited for this moment quite a lot. As an artist, I thought it'd be important to come back with an album as soon as possible, so here it is.

Congratulations on the Letters with notes. One of the teasers said ‘6 sides of Young K’ and mentioned Hexagon. Symbolically, the hexagon also stands for harmony and balance. After your return from the military, what significance does this album hold for you and why was this an apt album title?

Young K: 'Letters With Notes' can mean the lyrics, which are literally letters that has notes. The sum of those letters turns into a song, which is an individual letter sent to the world. 11 letters all combined, the album itself became 'Letters With Notes'.

A full-length album is truly a heavy work. When did you begin to put together 11 tracks? Which was the first track and last track you worked on?

Young K: All of the recordings began after I was discharged, but I had been having ideas beforehand. So it's really hard to say when the exact album preparation began. All of the ideas were mixed up, so I don't really remember which one came first.

The pre-release pop-punk track ‘let it be summer’ truly narrates the youthful enthusiasm of life. Also, the song is so Young K, it’s great to see you back. Where do you draw the inspiration for a song like this one?

Young K: The track itself had a very powerful energy, so I wanted to narrate something that would match the vibe. I thought youth holds an explosion of feelings and emotions, so I tried comparing life to change of seasons, having summer as the most burning era.

There are 11 tracks on the album but you chose ‘nothing but’ as the main track. The blending of the '60s British sound with 80s American hard rock ballads is a truly unique way to approach the song. The song is about someone ‘unable to let go of love’. Tell me your approach regarding this track and how you decided on making it the title song.

Young K: Producer Jisang Hong and I were talking about how I tend to have a hard time letting go of things. And I guess this concept turned into a song. An example would be – sometimes me having a hard time leaving food behind even when there's no need to finish everything. After submitting all the demos, we went through a monitoring system to choose a title song. And ‘nothing but' was selected.

There are so many favourites on the album but one particular track that caught attention was ‘natural’ which signifies that you don’t have to be insecure in love. Am I right? What can you tell me about it?

Young K: The word 'natural' caught my attention for some reason, and I started thinking about what could be natural. Breathing, having a meal, the flow of time and such came to my mind. It added on to how it's natural to love, so there's no need to worry.

This album feels so personal in terms of how you go about the storytelling. When you work on an album on this scale where you have so many songs to create, what is the progression like? Is it exciting or does it get stressful?

Young K: It's always exciting and stressful at the same time. To make sure it's made at a good quality, even when it seems like it's over I feel like there has to be a point where you go through it. So I always check whether it's good to be presented or not. I'm not a perfectionist, but it's the least I can do.

Thematically, the album seems to be about different stages. What is it about “love” that excites and do you think you were able to showcase it through this full-length album?

Young K: "Love" can be in countless different forms. Love for your family, love for My Days(fans), love towards music, etc. Without love in our lives, I feel like it'd be very difficult to go on.

Are you someone deeply romantic? Is this why the majority of themes of your music reflect that emotion?

Young K: I consider myself a storyteller as I'm writing, and I guess I wish to talk about various stories from many different views. In music, I don't think I want to define that storyteller as someone in a certain way. So yes, sometimes romantic, sometimes maybe not.

Are you someone who is hyper-focused during the process of album making or someone who enjoys a good balance between work and life?

Young K: I would prefer a good balance of work and life. I don't feel like I need to be intensely focused on album-making only for a period of time, but when I am at the session, I am focused.

What do you enjoy more – songwriting or producing? Are there any times when you feel words aren’t flowing how you wanted? In those times, where do you seek inspiration from?

Young K: Whenever I get a writer's block, I take a break. Short or long. I try to refresh my mind and look around. If nothing found, I try to let my mind take me anywhere to come up with something that's adequate for the music. That's also why in my everyday life I let myself be open to all the ideas that come to me. For now, I consider myself a singer and a performer most importantly. And the rest, I'm good with anything.

The fans are so happy to see you back doing radio. That gives so much joy to everyone but also showcases your relaxed side. Are you elated to be back? Do you enjoy being on the radio?

Young K: Radio lets me look into bits of many lives. I get to communicate with lots of new people and think from different perspectives. For example, a kid says she really doesn't want to go to school. The next person says she also doesn't want to go to school, but this time, it’s coming from a teacher. Another merit would be me being able to send my voice to My Days and my parents every day. How can I not be elated?

DAY6 will complete 8 years on September 7, a day prior to my birthday, which I am always pumped about. Interestingly, the album drops in the same month. Is this month special to you? Have you ever sat back and wondered about your musical journey over the years?

Young K: Happy Birthday! From time to time I tend to look back on what I've done. I realize what I've done good, and what I’ve lacked. I learn from the mistakes and grow. The more I get to know, the more I see. Never perfected it, but it was the best that I could do.

I have often wondered if you ever had a chance to watch any content from India or heard any of the artists. If yes, what or who are they?

Young K: I'm still not quite familiar with artists from India, but I'm willing to know more! Please give me recommendations!

The last time you left a message for Indian fans of DAY6, they were extremely delighted and also praying for your safe return. Is there a message you want to leave for fans on this comeback?

Young K: I gotta say thank you for all the support. The only thing I wish for you guys is to stay healthy and happy. Hope I get a chance to visit you guys too!

Happy 61st birthday to The Proclaimers Charlie And Craig Reid born on 5th March 1962.

Growing up in Edinburgh, Cornwall, and the Fife town Auchtermuchty, they listened to early rock & roll and country, gravitating toward artists like Jerry Lee Lewis and Hank Williams. After playing in various punk bands during their school years, they formed The Proclaimers in 1983 and… 

Growing up in Edinburgh, Cornwall, and the Fife town Auchtermuchty, they listened to early rock & roll and country, gravitating toward artists like Jerry Lee Lewis and Hank Williams. After playing in various punk bands during their school years, they formed The Proclaimers in 1983 and quickly developed a regional fan base with a particularly devoted following in Inverness. As an acoustic duo singing -style harmonies in the mid-‘80s.

After touring with the Housemartins the Scottish duo were signed by Chrysalis records, they were immediately compared to the Everly Brothers. Considering their energetic, melodic folk-rock, the comparison made some sense, even though the Proclaimers didn’t really sound like the Everlys. Instead, the band was a post-punk pop band, aggressively displaying their thick accents on sweet, infectiously melodic songs about love, politics, and life in Scotland. After two albums in the late '80s,This Is the Story and Sunshine on Leith, the second featured one of my fave songs by the twins, My Old Friend The Blues, a Steve Earle song about depression.

The band disappeared for several years, suffering from personal problems and severe writer’s block. When their 1988 song “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” was used in the 1993 film Benny & Joon, the duo began to receive massive radio airplay in America, sending them into the Top Ten in the U.S., as well as the rest of the world; it was their first taste of worldwide success.

Luckily, the band was close to completing their third album at the time, Hit the Highway, leaving them in a position to capitalise on their success. The single Let’s Get Married received little attention, and the band pretty much disappeared in the eyes of the general public, but diehard fans like myself knew they were special and still had loads to offer.

They made various contributions to several movie soundtracks – Dumb & Dumber and Bottle Rocket – during the latter part of the decade, but family priorities took full scale.

The new millennium gave us a much more fresh sounding Proclaimers. They inked a new U.S. deal with Nettwerk, and Persevere marked Craig and Charlie Reid’s fourth album, and my favourite. It was a return to form; singing about the grim and glory of their native Scotland, but also a sign of the prime of life, my pick of the album being Scotland’s Story which drew parallels between historical migrations to Scotland and arrivals of more recent immigrants. The song list included the beautifully crafted My Act of Remembrance, which paid tribute to their late father, if you haven’t listened to it please do on the YouTube video I have posted.

Arms of steel, hair of gold Royal blue eyes, with a rebel soul You scared me, you still do But I loved you More than you ever knew….

The band’s fifth effort, Born Innocent, appeared on their own imprint Persevere in February 2004, produced by fellow Scot Edwyn Collins, Restless Soul followed a year later, the song When Love Struck You Down is another strong song by the brothers. Life with You in 2007 gave us the song of the same name which is a karaoke favourite in Scotland. I sing the older songs from the 80’s myself.

The Proclaimers have given us 12 studio albums and they tour worldwide, my favourite wee anecdote from the Reid's is regards their song Throw the R away. The record companies who were keen to sign them told them unless they ditched the Scottish accents they would not be successful, the song tells us

You say that if I want to get ahead The language I use should he left for dead It doesn’t please your ears.

In an interview a couple of years ago Charlei commented “it was a conscious thing, because we were singing about where we live, our experiences and it just felt stupid to sing in an English or American accent.” Quite right too.

In 2020 Craig and Charlie are amongst fellow Scots Bill Paterson, Rebus writer Ian Rankin, and bizarrely Irish-American actress Saoirse Ronan, who have lent their voices to a new audio guide for Edinburgh Castle. I have never used the guides myself, but may do so on my next visit to see how they sound.

The boys have now released their 12th studio album, Dentures Out featuring 13 songs clocking in at a lean, tight, focused 34 minutes.

Charlie and Craig are in the middle of a world tour just now, having played North America they are now in Australia, then onto New Zealand before heading home for dates in Wales and England, then gigs in Kelso, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The song I have chosen, I hope reflects the Scottish attitude that we welcome all immigrants into our country with open arms.

selected albums ive listened to in 2024

this year I'm just posting the highlights so itll be shorter

[1] [2]

January

1/ VHS Head - Phasia (2023) first new album of '24 for me! "Strange Food" that zap pew beat is a delight! title track is p good, floaty. "Phocus" this is very vaguely leaning into…funk? i really like it. possible highlight? wondering why it shares the title of a different album.

---

4/ VA - FM Synth 2 (2017) yeah i love fm "Mach 5 Fusion Force X" is a god damn tour de force. insane! "Work Without Rules" second fav of mine for its smoov smoov swingy wobs

---

7/ Skee Mask - C (2024) first 2024 album in the list! dusty, crispy, chillout. analogue. deep bass when needed, never too thick of a presence. delightful chillout music. at worst, its a bit varied, as if it were an anthology. probably because it is. highlight: "Bassline Dub"

---

12/ (all OCRemix posts from 2017) all over the place ofc some insano selections: "Multi-track Drifting" N R G!!! "Big Room Gobi" funny but in a goes hard way also: Star Salzman's Katamari mix!!! i keep coming back to that in particular

----

15/ VA - Adventure Time, Vol. 1-5 (2019) they have extended versions of some sc cuts!! "Party With the Chief" esp(!) the biggest thing I noticed overall: this soundtrack is so…wack. meandering. ADHD in control of a quirky ensemble. continually amazed that this's from a hit show

---

16/ Diverse System - JAPAN 2 (2023) a mostly rly good grab bag of bangers with a japan flavor! i adore the koto mixed in with tight electric beats. big big standouts with "灯火" !!! and the much more electric "Amatsu"

---

17/ Patricia Taxxon - Bicycle (2024) laid back (mostly) textures n vibes. instant fav in "Frat Claws" and "I Do" specifically! i really like the FEEL within the sounds. i keep coming back to "Chipshop" and "Boys". visceral.

---

23/ Aleksi Perälä - Starlight 1 (2018) surprisingly solid, albeit a bit all over the place much love for the smooth sounds of "UK74R1823040" much love for the stepfiltered "UK74R1823090" not as much a fan of the techno flavors this time but still!

it's hard to recommend this artist in general but ive been listening to a lot of AP music. just give those two highlights a try and see what you think.

---

February

25/ BT - The Secret Language of Trees (2023) THE GOOD STUFF Producer's Cuts especially!!! "k-means clustering"……. the clicks in "Time Moves So Fast"…. if you ever wished ppl made more music from 2007, here it is. a return to the binary universe.

----

40/ Tom Bragl - Regainable (2024) a few crunchy niceities, but just a few imo. "Klamra" f.ex. feels very 2007, which IS a delight. for anyone who wishes they made more music from 2007. here it is. funny it's marketed as "80s esque" lol. i hear it tho.

----

43/ µ-ziq - 1977 (2023) mike has a very distinct style that stands out from a lot of his peers imo. i wasnt sure about this but the reverbed minimalist drum machine in tracks like "4am" and "Belt & Carpet" win me over. I think those two and the weirdly hazy house of "Houzz 13" are my favs. "4am" especially, with those ethereal (newage?) chopped vocals

----

44/ Autechre - 2005-4-15 Glasgow (live set) apparently there are some old soundboard recordings laying around!!! this is super good. quaristice stuff. i love love love the multiple variations of chence9! the fast version of IO is rly good too. ez fav but still.

----

March

47/ STAFFcirc vol. 9: MIDI MODULE FANATIX (2024) oh hell yes, midi AND rompler!!! "Thunder and Strawberry Wine" is otherworldly. i get how it was made but also. How? ooooghhh… "30 Domcaster St" delightful ooooghhh… "Cascade rev.2023" authentic zest "Yakumotatsu" god i love this trend of pushing msgs midi to the max "tunnel7_r35b" listen i love chimeratio and he brought his slapping

----

57/ Fields Of Mist - Biospore Farmers (2024) try not to compare to boc challenge: impossible. it's lush damnit. but the perc is way way more analogue drummachine. its wall to wall good. that opening track would have blown my mind in 2007. they dont make it like that anymore, except i guess they do!

----

60/ pilotredsun - Achievement (2016) an album misplaced in time. pristine early 00s bedroom musician vibes.

----

And the Bells Were Ringing Out on Megmas Day - Holiday 2023

A while ago one of my best friends sent me a text:

I noodled on this for a while, made lists and everything. A few months later I replied with:

(Yes, these are the kinds of conversations you can have with me if you have my contact info).

Anyway, if you're familiar to the Megmas back catalogue, you know that Fairytale of New York has been a long time staple of these mixes, both the original and a ton of great covers. With the passing of Shane MacGowan this year, I couldn't help but pay tribute to one of the best punk songs and one of the best holiday songs of all time––uncomfortable language and all. And so, the title of this year's mix is from the chorus of Fairytale of New York. And the album art is a slight nod to the album cover for the single.

I thought about putting a cover or live version of Fairytale of New York on this mix, but in the end, I decided to just go with the original. And, in a wonderful stroke of luck, one of the other songs on this mix references the song with the line "This is the fairytale of nowhere."

This year's mix is a return to form in a lot of ways: it has more pop-punk than in recent years, more silly songs, and even a Hanukkah song! There were also so many wonderful new Christmas songs that were on my radar this year, I hardly had to dip into my unused archive.

As always I hope you enjoy the mix and share it with people who also like non-traditional holiday songs.

1 Afraid of Heights // Tom Fletcher 2 Christmas (I Won't Be Home) // The Lottery Winners 3 Festivus! // Mountain Songs 4 We Won't Come Home at Christmas Time // The Reds, Pinks and Purples 5 Might Ruin Christmas // New Rules 6 Is This Christmas? // The Wombats 7 Christmas at 22 // The Wonder Years 8 It's Christmas Time // Vista Blue 9 I Wear My Leather Jacket at Christmas // Department of Creative Affairs 10 All I Want For Christmas is a Rock Show (feat. Kyle Gass) // Grizfolk 11 Xmas Blue // Safe Ferris 12 Merry, Merry Christmas // El Gato Roboto 13 Christmas Dirtbag // Wheatus 14 Snoopy's Christmas // Smash Mouth 15 Saul: The Hanukkah Narwhal // The Zach and The Jess 16 Merry Spidey Christmas // Patrick Stump 17 Pass The Good Stuff Around // Make Like Monkeys 18 I Never Cared for Christmas // Old Mountain Station 19 Merry Christmas Everyone // Punk Rock Factory 20 Xmas Time of the Year // Green Day 21 Missing You This Christmas // Theory of a Deadman 22 All Hang The Lights On Christmas // Nick Phoenix 23 Angels We Have Heard On High // Bayside 24 I'll Be Home For Christmas (If I Can Be There) // The Oh Hellos 25 Christmas Magic // The National Parks 26 No Christmas Bells // There Will Be Fireworks 27 Fairytale of New York (feat. Kirsty MacColl) // The Pogues 28 All I Want For Christmas Is New Years Day // Hurts

Listen to And the Bells Were Ringing Out on Megmas Day on Spotify

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 24/02/2024 (Dua Lipa, Djo, Calvin Harris/Rag'n'Bone Man)

Guess we know who’s winning the Civil War - Beyoncé’s “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” usurps Vermont on the throne of the UK Singles Chart. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

It’s kind of calming to have a week where outside of some new entries, of which there are only a handful to begin with. So, as always, we start with the notable dropouts, which are songs exiting the UK Top 75 (what I cover) after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, we bid adieu to a small selection of songs but some of which are pretty important. Sure, I guess we can say good riddance to “MY EYES” by Travis Scott (featuring uncredited vocals from Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and Sampha) and “Body Moving”  by Eliza Rose and Calvin Harris without much fret, but we also see dropouts from the Barbie soundtrack with both “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa leaving, as well as Sam Fender’s “Seventeen Going Under” making yet another exit though I’m sure it’ll be back soon enough.

There isn’t much to speak of in our gains, either. The biggest story is probably our list of returns, since the new documentary, Bob Marley: One Love has people rediscovering the reggae legend’s catalogue. His greatest hits album is at #6 on the albums chart and two of his songs with the Wailers return to the top 75. Both songs peaked in 1980, with “Could You be Loved”, now at #51, peaking at #5 whilst Odyssey’s “Use it Up and Wear it Out” was #1 and “Three Little Birds”, now at #56, only peaking at #17, whilst “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by The Police was #1. Marley would pass just one year after, of course, and it is pretty poetic to have his grandson in the top 10 right now, but just so this episode has some cool chart history trivia, how about we go through the several times these songs have charted? Different recordings of the two songs released in 1984 and 1985 peaked at #71 and #76 respectively. Joe Cocker’s cover of “Could You be Loved” peaked at #86 in 1997, and as far as I can find, no other covers of either song have charted, which kind of surprises me. After all, the latter was recently covered by Maroon 5, I figured they’d hitch a chart spot on name recognition but nope, not even a child singer Connie Talbot could do it in the talent show boom in the 2000s, so I guess Marley’s original really can’t be replaced.

As for the rest of our gains and returns, “Thank You (Not So Bad)” by way too many people who should know better is back at #73 and “Coal” by Dylan Gossett returns to #61. The gains include last week’s debuts, “Made for Me” by Muni Long and “Birds in the Sky” by NewEra at #48 and #44 respectively, “Lil Boo Thang” by the GOAT Paul Russell at #35 and, despite what the Official Charts Company would want you to believe, “Grey” by Yung Filly is at #33. There was an Aitch remix.

This week’s top 5 is actually pretty notable in terms of some shifting tides. We begin with ACR - search it up - striking Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” down to #5, and then one of a few big debuts with Dua Lipa at #4 with “Training Season”, followed by gains for some white dudes making big moves: “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims at #3 and “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone at #2, and finally, of course Queen Bey at the top. Now, we don’t have that wide of an array of new entries, or really, many at all, of which I’m pretty grateful for, so let’s zip through them.

New Entries

#66 - “Soaked” - Shy Smith

Produced by BeatBusta

Alright, I’ll bite… who the Hell is Shy Smith and why did they go with that… uncomfortable cover art? Well, this song is actually from 2021, and I assume through TikTok has gone viral, but this isn’t some indie artist as we typically see, this is a Canadian social media star, which makes this song seem a bit more like a joke. That’s a relief since despite being three years old, it sounds like Ciara made this in 2006 with the glassy synths, blocky Timbaland-esque production and squarrelling synth buzz, that is much more “in” now than it ever has been. Part of me understands completely therefore why this is charting now… but then another part of me doesn’t understand why this is charting at all. There’s really nothing to the stifled groove of the beat and it sounds like it actively strains Shy Smith to try having a personality. It’s so clearly going for semi-goofy seduction, but clawing actual intimacy out of this is as hard a job for me as it would have been for the vocal engineers, so I’m really not understanding this one.

#53 - “Whatever She Wants” - Bryson Tiller

Produced by TylianMTB

I always forget Bryson Tiller exists until he shows back up again, and I mean no offence by that as nothing has given me the impression that he’s not talented or a good person, but not a single song has clicked with me, despite having a lot of respect for his mostly singular lane and pioneering of the trap-soul sound. I can think of people who perhaps want to be Bryson Tiller, but I can’t figure out who Bryson Tiller wants to be other than, well, Bryson Tiller, and even if the music doesn’t resonate, I’m happy with that. Problem here is that he’s obviously trying to be Drake. He’s always been the easiest comparison to make with Tiller, but other than the more Detroit-influenced percussion, which really sounds like a typical trap rhythm with a Detroit choice of sounds more than anything, other than an elegant Orion Sum sample… this is just a Drake song. He goes for Drake flows, Drake melodies, even Drake’s uncomfortable whispery ad-libs. You could argue that the influence is mutual, but it is really difficult for me not to see a Drake fan taking the acapella, running it through a Drake voice AI and making something completely believable. Even the content is a slightly less embarrassing Drake riff, which just shows to me that he may be a unique singer, but not so much a rapper. Tylian’s beat is pretty good on this, I will admit, but I’m compelled by Mr. Tiller enough as a unique presence to care much about this. The train-like way the song keeps to an uptempo chug is actually pretty interesting though, it doesn’t feel like it ever wants to stop and take a breath, and Tiller does contribute to that, he’s not a total dud on his own song. He’s not really improving it either, though.

#19 - “Lovers in a Past Life” - Calvin Harris and Rag’n’Bone Man

Produced by Calvin Harris and watt

The petty part of me wants to say “2018 called” but this collaboration isn’t dated on arrival: Rag’n’Bone Man is another one of those artists I always forget about until they show up and I think this will just be a repeat of what I said about “Giant” all those years ago. He needs a rough layer of grit under him, not this flashy, sugary house track that he sticks out like a sore thumb over. Now it may not be dated on arrival but it is in execution: this is a tropical house song, and whilst Calvin Harris has always been good at mixing and making his stuff sound professional, this actually detracts from the character-void guitar and four-on-the-floor programming that all just feels rote. He even goes for an ATB-like guitar lick in the drop amidst the house pianos that just doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t dislike this - or at least not that much - I’m just confused by how either artist felt the need to make it, because it really does not work.

#11 - “End of Beginning” - Djo

Produced by Adam Thein and Djo

How do I even begin to pronounce that? Is he D-J-O, Duh-Joe, Joe, Sho? Oh, who am I kidding? It doesn’t matter, you know him as Joe Keery from Stranger Things. He was in a psychedelic band for a while but left and has solo work as a musician out now, with this taking from his second album and not actually released as a single, just a breakout solo hit. Is it good? Well, listen… I wish he knew he wanted Steve. The only buzz I had heard about this is that it sounded just like Mr. Lacy’s “Bad Habit” and well, I actively laughed when certain elements of the song came in because they hit nearly exactly the same way as in that song. This is most likely an influence and definitely not worth suing anyone over, but that’s primarily because neither song is any good. The lyrics are largely about his connection to his home city of Chicago as well as the acceleration of his acting career, making a point about how well, he’s still from Chicago! Whatever version you get of him, Chicago’s still in him. Yeah, it’s safe to say it doesn’t have the lyrical intricacies or at least, intriguing moments, that “Bad Habit” does, or even, and it pains me to say this, its sonic depth, so surely I should like this even less? Well, no. Djo Mama’s voice is a lot less pursuant and awkward than Steve Lacy, who also came up with some actual earworms that I respect but never want to hear again, whilst Djo here is just yapping over some synthpop. Which is fine. Have your fun. My opinion doesn’t matter at the end of the day. Just… maybe make acting a priority.

#4 - “Training Season” - Dua Lipa

Produced by Kevin Parker

I wish Dua found an interesting way to be good. This is a great, funky pop song, a worthwhile follow-up to “Houdini” with some excellent atmosphere mostly found in the dynamic mix that I’m sure Mr. Tame Impala had a lot of involvement with. It may not be a psychedelic song by nature, but there are transitory phases that absolutely show he was on the boards for. This feels like a sequel to “Houdini”, if that’s not already the intention, as Dua isn’t being the carefree love-them-and-leave-them anymore, she’s genuinely frustrated that she doesn’t have a more consistent and intimate relationship. She’s sick of being in control in these relationships - if they can be called such - and wants someone to go there, to actually mean something to her and put that effort in. Yet it doesn’t hit as much as I want it to… it may be the replacement of the rubbery bass from “Houdini” with a focus on soaring psychedelic synths and a guitar tone I’m not really big on in the chorus. Maybe it’s just that this funk-pop sound isn’t all that new and in that case, it’s impressive that Dua has made it this far without sounding boring.

Conclusion

With that said, she still obviously gets Best of the Week because good God, this was a mediocre set. Honourable and Dishonourable Mentions would be overly charitable probably, but I am going to give Bryson Tiller some benefit here, specifically because “Whatever She Wants” does have a decent instrumental, whilst Djo takes the Dishonourable Mention for “End of Beginning”, God, even the title is awkward. As for the worst, Shy Smith I think takes this handedly for “Soaked” but… will it even last a second week? I don’t know, it’s easily the least essential and least likely to last song that debuted. As for what’s on the horizon… I don’t know. Thank you for reading, rest in peace to Steve Wright and I’ll see you next week!

Best review under the Worst album 2023, No.5 is for the Mars record was:

" At this point, what can be said that hasn’t already? For any long-time Echelon hoping for this to be a return to even the Flood era of the band’s sound, they would have a better time platting their own piss. No, 30STM have made it abundantly clear at this point, doubling, tripling and now quadrupling down on the same mission they’ve been trying to accomplish for the last ten years now. What’s the mission I hear you ask? Well, it’s to create the most sanitised, vacuous, cheap and creatively insipid record of their career, one that’s completely devoid of human emotion – methodically calculated to amass the current day trends, with cost-efficiency being absolutely paramount. (After all, those Mars Island “experiences” the Leto brothers set up for The Echelon [aka 14-year-old girls] every year aren’t cheap, are they?) Thankfully, after a decade of staunch obstinance, the boys have finally gone and done it – they’ve gnawed and clawed their way to the apex of their own demise. It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day has such a richly prestigious one-dimensional sound, it makes even the worst Justin Bieber album look like a worthy addition to the Humanity’s Greatest Achievements list.

Seriously though, it takes real dedication and belief in one’s self to apply this level of effort into your craft. I mean, I don’t know how Jared does it. When he’s not out there making premium-quality comic book movies, he’s at home walking around in front of the mirror in his glittery cape and Lady Gaga shades, punctiliously planning his execution for the greatest artistic statement yet. All I know is, I’m eternally grateful for these talented chaps’ efforts, because It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day cured my insomnia. Now I use that insufferable “oh-woah-oh” Jared uses – you know, the one he utilises every twenty seconds when he can’t think of anything meaningful to add to the song – as a lullaby for when I’m trying to catch up on my beauty sleep. The fun doesn’t end there though – oh no, you’d be so lucky, my friend! That painfully hackneyed autotuned “oh-woah-oh” is just the sweetener in this acrid sh*t cake. Leto’s quasi-inspirational lyrics about dreams, rebellion, kings and… pain(?), they’re the bastion of unrivalled platitudes and go in accord with the little tick Leto has. All of this is a chef’s kiss of unfettered brilliance so far, but keep up now; don't lose sight of the prize. We can’t just talk about our venerable frontman when there’s a plethora of tenuous, lazy, repetitive guitar and synth melodies to unpack over a banquet of dry, brittle drum cracks that echo limply in this empty shell of a soundscape. The instrumentals on this thing are so nondescript, austere and samey, it’s almost a talent in itself getting them to draw out this high-quality level of ennui from the listener, witnessing one baron, elemental track bleeding into the next with very little distinction. Incredible work.

In short, It's the End of the World but It's a Beautiful Day is the summation of the band’s passing. An affirmation that lets every 30STM fan know; they’ve taken their rapacious, pretentious sensibilities to a new solar system here. If you’re the type of music fan who loves every facet of their music to be vacant of genuine emotion, creativity and expression, this album will satiate your cravings, you hungry listener. Eat the slop, peasant, and hopefully, if you’re very good, the boys will come back in five years’ time and give you… even more slop served as high art.

Sheer brilliance. Here’s to next time, fellas."

😂😂

God damn... 😭

I hate to be That Guy (who starts the queue)

(but somebody has to do it)

I'm trying to keep this brief because I need to sleep so I can do this again tomorrow.

2023.12.09 – Tavastia-klubi, Helsinki

It's cold. I decided to start hovering by the door at 5:15, though I'd already been standing around outside since 5. (Doors were at 6:30.) I can't feel my toes. Why am I like this???

Janne pops out and is going to the mall across the street (he returns later with a bag of food from the supermarket). He thanks me for the miniature and says it's "fabulous".

Senpai comes out carrying a backpack and says hi to me, then goes down the street the other way. I assume their hotel is over in that direction, as I saw three more band members exit carrying bags and going that way.

The space feels so small now, now that I've been to several newer and bigger clubs. I'm dead centre and I don't remember the barricade being so close to the stage in here. I can literally reach over and swipe a set list if I wanted to. When it's this close, being in the centre is no good for taking pictures of Senpai but that's okay today because I'm mostly trying to get more pictures to match my miniatures.

Leo's got an invisible microphone, lol :P

Senpai asks who's coming back tomorrow. A bunch of hands shoot up into the air. "IF ONLY WE COULD HAVE ACTUALLY GOTTEN TICKETS!" "YOU SHOULD DO A THIRD SHOW!!"

Yes my too-much-gesturing is 100% Senpai's fault

Too many of them wearing sneakers today

The Regular Groupies were talking to ... somebody who waves at me. "Hello!" she calls. It's her again!! "HOW DID YOU GET IN TO TAMPERE!??" I don't recall actually seeing her there last week but she'd have known because miniatures appeared there (and she's definitely Teemu's significant other, as the two of them left holding hands).

Janne says that "the set list is the same [tomorrow] but the atmosphere will be different". It won't be the first time I see them on a Sunday and yeah Sunday crowds are generally a bit more subdued.

I also asked him to suggest a song for me to learn next (with the caveat that I might not take it up). He named one of the old old songs; it's in the music book so I wouldn't have to work out the chords/melody. ("Have you learned all the songs from the book???" What, no :D ) He says it's fairly easy but still has interesting subtleties, and that he wrote it with Teemu so it's also, like, written on a piano and thus more playable on a piano.

"But if you want to do a new song..." he continues, "there's the one that we haven't performed yet? Don't remember the name, it goes like..." He's thinking of Jamesin takki and I think it's funny that I'm filling in the song title for him. "It'd be really challenging, I'd say it's the hardest song on the album. It has the modulation and it's in a difficult key...E-flat minor or something?" ("I'd transpose it, I'm lazy :D")

But oh no I know. It's the one that made me seriously reconsider my silly idea to learn the entire album on the piano, which I came up with before I listened to the whole thing.

Yeah I dunno about that song.

(Edit: I just checked my notes, it starts in F-sharp minor, which is much more reasonable. He was probably thinking of Ilman mua, which IS in E-flat minor and which, yes, I did transpose but could just as easily learn in the original key.)

I also think it's funny that they have to take all the equipment and the barricade and everything down just to put it all back up tomorrow. The equipment I understand, to keep it under lock and key, but I think the barricades come down so they can get the stuff out the door? Dunno.

I'm feeling lazy, here's the set list. (It is also on my arm as usual but I've had to come up with new symbols and I wasn't sure I'd remember what they meant by the time I got home.)

[Concert write-up archive and master calendar]

WIPS & 2024 Plans!

Hey ya’ll. So as hinted at I have a lot of ideas and works in progress so wanted to kind of do a little summary and tease some of the stuff I’m currently throwing around and kind of give and make a plan of action for the coming year regarding my content here.

I finally finished the office kinktober prompt after nearly two months of it being half written as said in the authors note, I am giving up on the idea of kinktober/kink til Christmas altogether. But there are still a few ideas that came from that list I do really want to write which will be included in the future ideas portion of this post but yeah… let’s just start with the current WIPs and what’s gonna come first.

Current WIPS (with summaries)

In order of completion with rough estimate of posting!

Spiders and Lace

1920s Mob Spider-Man Au where Peter starts dating a young socialite in order to get to her criminal brother.

(First Part releasing this December)

The Secrets We Keep

A Jeb Pyre (Under The Banner of Heaven) multi chapter story. Jeb is starting a new job in a new town after the Lafferty case where he meets an old school friend. Both of them are running from their hometown and hiding secrets, but will those secrets crush this new budding romance?

(Series starting in January, date to be announced)

WIPS Currently On The Shelf

These have all either been teased and parts not posted or one or two parts posted then currently abandoned. I have stuff written for these and aim to go back to them at some point I just don’t know if or when.

I Will Always Find You

A multiple part Pedro and Oscar character’s fic featuring different linked AUs looking at the idea of past lives and reincarnating with the same souls.

(I keep picking this up and putting it back down but I love the idea and it means so much to me and I want to do it right, so until I can do it justice, it’s on the shelf.)

Metanoia

When Mando takes on a job to retrieve a kidnapped young senator, the two of them end up on a journey that has Mando questioning his whole way of life.

(I have posted the first chapter of this but may take it down as I don’t know when I’ll go back to this idea and I think I want to adjust it anyway. This is basically just a story to really go into what I wanted from Mando’s journey meeting other mandalorians and how it makes him question his creed seeing how other mandalorians live and getting to really explore that inner turmoil.)

Future/2024 Ideas

Some of these may get written some time next year, some of them may come later, some may never get written at all, but I wanted to share my thoughts anyway.

No Body No Crime

Based on the Taylor Swift song, this is a murder mystery that would feature multiple crossover characters from Dave York (the murdered husband), Joel Miller (the accomplice lover), Jeb Pyre (the detective) and possibly a few other characters from across the Pedro, Andrew and Oscar character lists. I love this song and I do have a whole list of ideas just based on Taylor Swift songs which may become their own mini series with a song for each album, but I really want to write a multi chapter fic based on this song.

Untitled Joel Miller Fic

I already made a post with this idea. Inspired by the Mummy, as I feel Rick O’Connell and Joel Miller give me similar energy. However instead of fighting Mummies we’d be fighting Infected to hunt down different artefacts a particular bookish main character wants to protect and preserve. Think road trips, myths, history and unlikely allies with ridiculous sexual tension.

Triple Frontier Boys One Shot

I’ve been fantasising about a very naughty TF boys one shot which is pretty much straight smut and one rocking night for reader. I did start writing some bits for this a few nights back, but didn’t like it the next day but plan to return to it at some point.

Tis The Damn Season

Another of those previously mentioned prompts inspired by Taylor songs, Tis The Damn Season is a Frankie Morales one shot that may come sooner than we think as it’s an idea set at Christmas. Frankie goes back to visit his parents one time a year and always ends up back at your place on Christmas Eve like your very own Santa Claus.

—————————————————

So those are my current WIPS, ideas and plans. Let me know which you’re most interested in.

"I'm done filling a cup with a hole in the bottom, I'm taking an axe to the tree. The rot at the roots is the root of the problem, But you wanna blame it on me." - the tree, maren morris

“They want me to do what?” Dex had to clarify, hear the words one more time just to be sure. He was holding his phone close to his ear, clutching it, really, as he sat on the couch, fingers ice cold.

Marla, his manager, was always confident and collected. She was kind when needed, and firm when needed. A stronghold of a ship in any storm. Yet, she was hesitant as she repeated herself, “He’s receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the CMA’s this year. They want you to be part of the big honorary presentation. Ideally, they’d love for you to be one of the performers that sings one of his songs.”

The CMA’s. the Grammys for Country Music. The biggest event of the year. Growing up, the month of October was often overshadowed with award show prep and press for his father for the November event. Dex had even walked the red carpet a few times himself. There was always some sort of big achievement award. Lifetime or Decade or Icon. The wording changed but it didn’t matter. The presentation was always the same. A group of just as famous artists would take turns singing the songs of whoever the award was going to, honoring them, their legacy, and their contribution to the genre. It was always touching. And easy marketing fodder. Of course they wanted him to come back, of course they knew it’d made for a great story; The wayward son returning home. It felt almost as pandering as their desperate Taylor Swift jokes each year. If they couldn’t get Taylor, maybe they could get Dex Finley to come out of retirement for his father.

His ears were ringing. Ever since he got to New Athens it felt like Dex had been planting roots, growing stronger and surer of himself everyday, shedding all the old leaves and branches and growing them back anew. But, there were still a few stragglers, branches he was scared to let go of just yet. He knew this one would come back to bite him eventually, he’d just hoped maybe it’d take a few more years.

“And it’d fit perfectly with the timing of the single dropping.” Dex said quietly, a stoic wiseness in his voice as he rubbed his temple. It’d been almost a year now, quietly working, head down, happily lost in the throws and joys of his own creativity. He’d signed with a record label, with mild murmurs and fanfare across the internet at the news. And between subtle weekend trips to LA, quiet zips into New York City, and working with Carly producing in his own makeshift studio, a full album was about eighty percent finished. The first single had been picked out and was planned to be released in November. Then based on the response, some small pop up shows come the new year, and the album in early Spring.

“Yes.” Marla continued, putting her manager voice back on, “It’d be a perfect little bow to send off the last of your old image you’re trying to shed, while also being a perfect first performance for a comeback. The two of you don’t need to fully make up, or for you to even like it, but it’d do the job.” Despite being on the phone, she lowered her voice like it was a secret, “But, you and I both know you don’t have to say yes. We can find plenty of other promo for the single rollout instead. I’d just be remiss if I didn’t at least pass the invitation along.”

Dex sunk into the couch. “Does he know about this? Or is this just some Producer-induced idea for ratings?”

“He had to okay the list of possible performers and make any adjustments before they reached out. So…yes. He’d know you’re an option.”

Thinking about his father always left a twisting, uneasy feeling in his stomach. Keith Finley was never an angry man. He was known for a lot of things: his iconic love songs, his signature white cowboy hat, his passionate love for University of Texas football, but anger wasn’t one of them. Dex had never heard his voice go above a concerned, slightly raised tone. He was the reason Dex was an insufferable hopeless romantic, why he knew how to cook, and he'd kiss every cut and scrape Dex endured before putting a bandaid on it. The first lesson he taught Dex upon becoming famous was to always say thank you, even to the smallest of helpers, and always remember their names if you could. Dex had looked up to him, and more than anything, he taught him how to be kind, respectful, and generous. Which is why his slow descent into whatever he was now felt all the more jarring.

However, he’d been unusually silent the past six months. What once was an ignorant social media post or Twitter rant every few months was now a sight nowhere to be seen. Dex guessed he’d gotten a new Publicist who finally took his accounts away from him. But either way, it still left him uneasy, unable to gauge what this meant or how it might go. At least the bigoted behavior was steady and reliable.

He realized too late that he was already chewing on his lip, leaving it chapped and raw. “Who’s said yes so far?”

“Uh,” He heard her rustling some papers. Marla rattled off a list of names that made Dex squint, skeptical. Dex’s godparents were to be expected, but everyone else? Very opposite of his right wing, conservative home base. It reeked of a desperate, PR re-branding. A narrative he was unsure about contributing to.

But, something small in the back of his heart tugged ever so slightly. The stupidest, tiniest sliver of hope. Dex held his breath, then exhaled.

“I’ll do it.”

I agree this is an altered version of the Merrick plot, but i hope books 2-6 haven't happened already. I need to see Rockstar Lestat in the age of social media, dammit! Obviously Daniel being human and never publishing IWTV are indicators that the timeline's different, but I wonder how this alters Lestat's story, or if Louis knows if he's alive or not. Is he in a coma downstairs? Is the interview even partly an attempt to reach him or rouse him? SO many questions, idk how I'll survive till s2!

Hey nonny!

Haha, yeah, youtube music videos ftw! (And big *hug*, I know season 2 is soooo long yet... but filming will start in April so there should be some news incoming soon?)

Personally, I would love it if Daniel had interviewed Lestat in his rockstar era... and that is why he was "that is his voice?" in that weird tone... :))) Imagine. Maybe he even has some old interview video somewhere in his Dropbox. LOL

But yeah, they changed the timeline by never publishing IWTV. So. Theory-time!! (I am in favor of some things having already happened, I'll try to list up why here...) Now, I think some of the Devil's Minion has to have happened. Which would also mean that Louis and Armand likely parted ways for a while/at times. In this timeline, Lestat fell off the tower near Paris sometime in 1945? Maybe a bit later. He needed years to return to New Orleans, and then spent a few years there before he went to the ground. Armand and Louis traveled during that time. The music might have still woken Lestat, and even without a published book detailing their secrets... Lestat loves music. He does have the experience with Akasha and her waking to the violin. He was supposed to reunite with Marius after living out his "life". Maybe, in this version, he starts the band to wake/rouse Akasha and thereby draw Marius to him, as promised. And of course it has the nice sideffect that he can reach those he cannot reach directly.

The timeframe of the rockband in the 80s would fit with Daniel returning to his actual job after the decade plus of ... running around with Armand. Maybe what made Armand wipe Daniel's memories had nothing to do with Akasha. Daniel then could have really gone and interviewed Lestat. Who, in turn, might have... noticed something?! (I'd love that).

Queen of the Damned could have happened then, more or less as planned. It's something that could be easily told by those in the Dubai apartment, too (and those that we have not seen yet. But Marius is somehow part of it already, and if Marius has been around...). That big apartment at the end of the book, where they all sit around the table... you need big (panorama) windows for the canon ending of that book - something that fits very well with the Dubai apartment, don't you think?^^

That apartment could become the Night Island/Trinity Gate mixup after. (Who says it's only one level... and there's so many shopping centers in Dubai?!)

Now. Merrick, as in story Merrick could easily be pulled up here to after QotD (imho). Either that, or the "other" books, aka TtotBT, Memnoch and TVA have already have happened as well. It really depends a lot on where Lestat is and what Louis' plan is with the interview. If QotD has already happend I am in favor of TtotBT and Memnoch to already have happened as well and Lestat downstairs in a coma. I think with the groan that is likely.

If QotD has not yet happened though... Maybe we're in the middle of Lestat's rock-career reawakening. Maybe TVL will be told through music videos (and if so, Daniel Hart, I want the whole album including videos you hear me). Maybe Louis is in fact trying to reconcile Daniel with Armand while also trying to reach Lestat. (BUT I don't think that would fit with the suicide hints we got. Or the diaries.).

For me it would make a lot of sense to have a huge storytelling gap between what we get to see in story that is told... and the story unfolding in Dubai. Because it affords us to see the relationships as they will become, while also seeing them as they were. Observe the jarring discrepancies. Feel the passage of time, in a way.

Imagine Lestat telling of his encounter with Armand in Notre Dame and then Armand heatedly arguing against it. The painful discussion about Nicolas. For example. I'd LOVE that.