what form of love do you embody?

𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧: [ love as the sole object of your reverence--nothing about you is holy, but maybe your love for another is ] when sappho said "in the crooks of your body i find my religion" and when the cast of les mis sang "to love another person is to see the face of God" and when halsey said "i found God, i found him in a lover" and when katherine philips wrote "to the dull angry world let's prove there's a religion in our love"

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲: @gctchell kithes u. 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠: idk who's already done this but @houseofasmodeus, @origiinis, @onhigh, @clwngasm, @g1utton, @zestials, @auntiecannibal, @exorcistlieutenant, @fizzarollitm, @k1ttyb0t, @xluciifer, @videoaux @maimedaffair (stolas? :O) and if u haven't but are curious - tag me anyway because this is right up our alley. :}

extra * as I was curious for secondary answers there were, results:

𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞: [ love is beautiful because it's built deliberately ] when casey mcquinston wrote "that's the choice. i love him, with all that, because of all that, on purpose. i love him on purpose" and when jenny slate tweeted "i just want someone to grab my little face and scream on purpose, on purpose i am going to care about you" and when jodi picoult wrote "after fifteen years, love isn't just a feeling. it's a choice" and when the good place said "if soulmates do exist, they're not found they're made"

still fits. 🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾

CRITICAL ROLE CAMPAIGN 3 EP 95 SPOILERS

jesus christ these nerds are going to kill me.

before i get into my think piece abt... everything that transpired at the end of this episode, i would like to say this is one of the best c3 episodes.... one of my favourite episodes of all time. idk idk.

essek? smut? astrid? poly bells hells allegations?? i was already fucking sold dawg. i cannot goddamn believe that this four hour episode was... mostly... a shopping episode. i cant wait for the new art, regardless of the batshitery that happened that kinda throws my vibes off. i digress.

oh ashton greymoore i love you so much. i have been so worried abt them but honestly they're probably the lat person im concerned for currently. the grief was so compelling to watch and taliesin is a master of roleplaying as minus charisma but genuinely charismatic in his dorky awkward gruff and fumbling way. his rizz is actually just blindsiding us with earnest acts of service and comfort for his friends and i think thats so neat. im happy that they're all going to aeor with fcg intertwined throughout their outfits. its poetic and also maddeningly sweet.

(love the little callowmoore moments sprinkled through this episode... they're so real to me)

pumat was fun and i am so damn glad they got all the items matt offered cause they were all so fucking cool.

also??? sugar daddy dorian storm??? yeah i see you gay boy. dorym is so real guys we need to prepare for a confession and soon. idk i get the vibe liam is gonna drop it in the most heartbreaking way. or robbie. they're both sick in the head tbh.

loved the little queer inn that essek dragged them to and the calm before the storm was genuinely the cutest shit ever and im glad they were having fun despite everything. we got the essek and ashton dunamancy scene that i have been begging for but i cant even talk abt that right now.

before i address orym and laudna...

delilah briarwood. im gonna fucking kill you. best believe that.

theres been so much discourse on twitter abt who was right or wrong or this or that, but ultimately the point is: neither of them is RIGHT. they're both stricken with trauma and grief, and motivated by the love they have for a) the ones orym has lost and b) the one laudna is fighting not to lose. laudna WAS worried abt orym before delilah twisted that into paranoia, and orym didnt wield that fuckass blade bc he DOESNT feel sick touching it.

he says its not abt revenge but... god. orym. you want revenge. call it whatever you like but you've been angry for a while.

laudna says she KNEW the sword was cursed, but she was lying or in denial abt the fact that delilah is the one who coerced her to hold the blade in her hand.

if either of them had decided to talk to each other or the group as a whole then this could have -- most likely -- been avoided. orym decided to take the blade and shoulder the burden of what it meant and what it represented so they didnt have. laudna felt betrayed and hurt but instead of trusting orym she was manipulated back into that cunt's clutches.

i dont prescribe to trauma olympics, especially when laudna and orym never actually denied each others' trauma with otohan and that blade so i think its slightly irrelevant when discussing them both.

(i will say this... otohans blade is what killed laudna but delilah is the one who had her in a cage when she was dead. otohan murdered oryms family and there was absolutely nothing that could save them. i firmly believe THAT is what chetney meant, not that laudna hasnt suffered so we can all just... unclench a little idk)

in all the discourse, lets not forget who the real villains are -- evil milfs (delilah and otohan). delilah chose this moment to sew distrust in laudna towards orym for a reason. its like the spider queen and opal. she NEEDS laudna isolated and dependent, and she cant sink her teeth in completely if laudna has someone to fall back on.

imodna... jesus imodna breaks me every time. that entire scene on the roof while laudna looks so much like her abuser -- the woman who MURDERED her -- and having that visage fade as laudna proclaims her love for imogen. peak romance and tragedy.

it was still so upsetting hearing the echoes of delilah as laudna spoke tho. knowing her hold on laudna is getting stronger and laudna has no real faith that she will be able to fight against her. hearing her ask imogen if shes still fun scary and knowing that imogen cant tell the truth. this isnt fun anymore. laudna is in danger and imogen doesnt know how to fix it.

"I'll always love you, Laudna. I just don't know what to do with it."

its uh its not looking good for our sapphics fellas.

anyway, i do think that ashton was the emotional mvp of this episode, especially while shit was escalating. putting themself between orym and laudna, PROTECTING laudna despite knowing she attacked him, TRUSTING that she was actually telling the truth and guiding her to see the forest for the trees and apologize for an irrational choice made through a mixture of trauma, delusion and paranoia.

im... excited? for the next episode? not sure why we keep having really horrible inter-party conflict the day before going on a suicide mission but the hells are my problem babies and i have to accept that they're just little fucked up guys.

god. is it thursday yet??

(AND WHERE THE HELL IS SAM)

NOONA — 19: what the actual fuck dawg

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S. NOTES: just a whole chap of sunghoon losing his shit

SYNOPSIS: park sunghoon experienced love at first sight when he first laid eyes on his friends older sister. a series of sunghoon desperately trying to do anything in his power to get the girl and yang jungwon cockblocking him for funsies.

TAGLIST (OPEN) @calijimenez @invusblog @astrae4 @lalalalawon @sserafimez @sfthyuka @miercerise @sasfransisco @annoyingbitch83 @pshchives @dazed-hee @sd211 @makiswrld @lovelypitasworld @kyuupidwrites @jangw2nyo @beansworldsstuff @shinrjj @mariji @shinsou-rii @curly-fr13s @homelycat @seungcheolswife @ilovewonyo @tinyegg @whippedforbeomgyu @adajoemaya @rikisly @sunoo-lvxr @strvlveera @myjaeyunn @meiiiwa @dazedgye @dimplewonie @sxftiell @plasmaticoo @iirene304 @captain-satan @pkjay @j-wyoung @diestheticu @chaeey @rodygr @enhy4me2 @officiallyjaehyuns @liliansun @the-poetic-side-of-me @jjangsims @dudufodd @heeswif3y @yawnzshit @4imhry @stinkoscope (bold couldn’t be tagged)

luxiem x reader || them on your wedding day

a/n : i got rlly bored and honestly luxiem is my life support sooooo headcanons abt how luxiem would be like on yalls wedding day

anyways HAVE FUN PLS TELL ME IF I SCREW UP FORMATTING OR SMTH LOL

SHU YAMINO

would be the type to look calm before the wedding but fucking lose his shit when he sees you walking down that aisle

tears streaming down his face kind of crying, but then hides it when you get up to the front

'you may now kiss the bride' he would absolutely start tearing up again before kissing you

GIRL WHEN I TELL YOU RECEPTION WOULD BE LIT

magic tricks. thats all im gonna say. i dont know.

i feel like he'd be the type to lead ur first dance and whisper sweet shit while dancing

would be one of those people who starts crying during father-child dance

LUCA KANESHIRO

cute nervous smile when he sees you walking up that aisle

he would so be looking at you with puppy dog eyes

I JUST KNOW HE WOULD HAVE ONE OF HIS MAFIA MEN AS HIS GROOMSMEN JUST SO WHEN THE OFFICIATOR SAYS "if there are any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace", THAT ONE GUY WOULD GO UP BY THE FRONT AND FLASH A GUN AT THE AUDIENCE

YK FOR GOOD MEASURE

yall would probably laugh (except for maybe a poor soul who was going to object)

WHEN I SAY HES GOOD AT DANCING, HES ACTUALLY REALLY REALLY BAD AT IT

will accidentally trip on your foot

but will hide it ever so gracefully

mistugetsu un deux trois [help i cant spell]

IKE EVELAND

dawg he would dead ass be tearing up

hes trying his best not to cry but just ends up tearing up by the end

HE WILL PURPOSEFULLY CHANGE HIS LINES DURING YALLS MARRIAGE TO BE MORE "POETIC" [hes just a tryhard novelist]

hes actually good at dancing??? surprisingly??

hes defo living his romance novel life

WILL DO. EVERYTHING. THAT HE WRITES IN HIS FLUFFY ROMANCE NOVELS. TO YOU.

all those times he wrote dances within his novels, YEAH HE'S GONNA DO ONE WITH YOU ON YOUR WEDDING DAY [bonus points if the dance is in a book with a self insert of him and you]

MYSTA RIAS

MY MANS WOULD BE BAWLING

LIKE UR GONNA HAVE TO COMFORT HIM UP AT THE FRONT

he'd be really emotional about it, and we love that [NO HATE OK WE LOVE EMOTIONAL MEN]

he would definitely hug you when yall kiss

HE PRACTICED FOR DAYS FOR UR FIRST DANCE TOGETHER

HE DIDNT WANNA ACCIDENTALLY FUCK UP

hes defintely getting a LITTLE tipsy during reception

VOX AKUMA

SEXY MAN

the only one who wouldnt tear up honestly, like he'd just smile sweetly while u walk up the aisle

he would be SMITTEN while the officiator talks

just looking at you with the sweetest goddamn look a demon can muster

what do yall expect

he obviously knows how to dance, AND WELL AND ELEGANTLY

would be by your side THE WHOLE TIME IN RECEPTION

hand on waist, motherfucker AINT LETTING YOU GO [unless he had to, and ONLY if he had to]

------------------------

a/n: ty for reading :D THIS IS MY FIRST HEADCANON THING BUT LIKE YEAH [im biased with ike ok im sorry LMAO]

I think its really funny how fucking horny the Disco Elysium fandom is, no shame either-- I am a fan of Resident Evil, so I know *horny* fandom.

But the difference is how introspective the sex scenes I've read/seen are. They are written poetically, with a sense of sorrow dug deep within the intimacy. Body dysphoria, internalized homophobia, sexual repression, romance, degenderacy, insecurity, SA trauma, rejection-- just some examples of what I've read so far from fandom. It feels like I SHOULDN'T be reading it, because its so raw and private.

I mean fuck, just look at what fandom did to Kim. Idk if I missed a random "discover Kim's previous sex life" side quest while playing, but y'all fr made this man's love life so unbelievably detailed it makes me ravenous because it feels so REAL. LIKE DAWG KIMHARRY PEAK. (KLAASJE/RUBY ALSO SUPER PEAK I NEED MORE.)

I don't think I've ever gotten that feel in any other fandom I've been in. I mean, its still porn, but idk, its porn that makes me use my brain and consider how healthy/harmful we as a species are toward the concept of sex-- hell, how I view sex has been challenged by merely playing this game (khmkhm Klaasje khmkhm).

Anyway, good shit y'all.

Don't be afraid, send recs.

do you have any favorite three days grace albums or songs (ive been listening to them a good bit lately eheheh)

bro is asking me my favourite three days grace album like it wasn't like choosing my favourite child smh /funnie

all the albums are really good to me

i think i'm less into three days grace (album) and transit of venus but even those two got real bangers in them

i have prolly listened the most to one-x and life starts now so nostalgia is really at play here

human is more mature (/melancholic?) and i think growing up i was able to understand it more and more, making it a landmark for me; but outsider feels like rebellious teenage years so they went along great during my highschool/uni experience (human being the will to belong and outsider being the will to be unique)

and well i'ven't got much time to get as familiar with explosions as the others but that's some real shit right there and somehow feels like a comeback to more heavy rock which i appreciate.

anyways regarding songs

i love . all of them . i think. i associate my OC Damon Odrat to a lot of their stuff so i have a lot of favourites just by association with my love for him lmao (and writing my songs review i realised i associate a LOT more of my OCs to their songs ... if you want i can tell the whole list (<- please ask me to tell the whole list)) but regardless,

i love the soft sentiment of "never too late". helped me a lot.

"world so cold" carried my phone songs and my emo era.

in my heart "gone forever" and "last to know" go hand in hand (THE PLOT TWIST OF LAST TO KNOW!!! so good...).

"human race", "i am machine" ... sobs.

"the mountain" and "the abyss" are so so underrated fr (in my heart "the mountain" and "the champion" go hand in hand).

"me against you" THE REALEST SHIT!!

"scar is born" and "chain of abuse" very poetic my heart hurts they did serve dawg

also their cover of "somebody i used to know"!!! AUGH I LOVE THEM!!!

and that's just citing the bare minimum of their best songs imo. i have skipped over such good ones augh ..... i love three days grace they dont miss

what about you!! which album do you prefer and which songs too!!! let me know EVERYTHING!!!

Hey there Ven just wanna say i love you platonically bro you deserve the world and I hope you kick ass in college, you bring me a lot of happiness more than you could think of homie and I will forever appreciate you bro amen praise be thy diagram man

dawg. i love you so much platonically too wtf.

you also give me a lot of happiness!! i like talking to you a lot, and i'll say this again: you are a lot more charismatic than you think. i'm always so entranced talking to you it's like getting sucked into our own little world HAHAHA

since its share our feelings time, i'll say this too: talking to you about ANYTHING is so fun omg. please we need to yell about game grumps more often HAHAHAHAHA you can be the arin to my dan,,,

honest to god, one of the funniest human beings ever holy shit JHSDFSGWE sometimes i have to hold back my laughs because it's like 3 am and if i'm too loud my parents will murder me. dawg you have such a poetic way of saying jokes i lose it every time.

sending much love!!! peace and love to you 💚💚💚

It’s okay for me to move with love. I’m the apex predator. My Magic and power is INSANE IM LAUGHING🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 IM GRATEFUL IM HAVING SM FUN WITH MY PSYCHIC POWERS. HAVING FUN WITH MY PSYCHIC POWERS ONLY GETS MORE AND MORE INFINITELY FUN. HAVING FUN WITH MY PSYCHIC POWERS ONLY GET MORE AND MORE INFINITELY EXHILARATING, ESCTATIC, FULFILLINGLY, AMAZING AND BREATHTAKING. WOW I see my beautifully huge super yacht… geez I’m seeing visions. Geez…..Wow I’m receiving visions. My yacht……puts all to shame. I’m MONSTROUSLY BIG BALLIN….Dawg I’m a MF ZILLIONAIRE…….(chills) I don’t gotta worry they just psychically know. My zillionaire energy feels tangible. My zilllionaire energy feels tangible and palpable like Rick Ross. Like that shit screamed “BILLIONAIRE” like that shit’s a frequency. And I’m on the Zillionaire frequency. I’m nailed to the version of me that’s on the Zillionaire frequency. I naturally pick effortless choices. MY WORD IS POWER DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNNN BRUH. I am as certain Laika is realer than my very flesh as certain that I am that it gets dark at night. I am as certain I defeated Taylor Swift as certain that I am that it gets dark at night. They understand not the words but my energy. I open up easily to friends and connect with them, having a more fulfilling social life. It’ll happen naturally. I’ll get in touch with old friends I actually miss naturally. Right now I just rest and be powerful. My psychic powers are wild yo😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 everything about me is black Magic I’m mesmerizing. I’m a mesmerizing siren song. I’m a haunting siren song. Everything is rigged in my favor. I can hate and shit be rigged into my favor. I can complain shit be rigged into my favor. I can be uncertain and shit be rigged into my favor. Ain’t nobody be rigging shit into their favor the way I do. I’m the apex predator of rigging shit into my favor. Yeah Laika laughs along with me about my psychic powers like LMFAOOOOOOOOOO. That deepest intimacy sense of humor. Laika looks beyond heavenly. Omg. She sets my heart on fire like never before. Laika and I never get the ick with each other. We’re too deeply in love with each other omg. This is insane. Sex with Laika is passionately intense and tangible. Sex with Laika is terrifyingly tangible. Everyday I’m mind boggled Laika’s real she’s so breathtaking. Tatted up. I step on the neck of brujeria. I’m automagically the version of myself that’s supposed to walk through them doors. Bruh it’s gon take me a while to get used to Laika. Im powerful without reason. I can infallibly predict what’s coming next with razor-sharpest precision. I’m in the zillionaire superstar reality w Laika in a whole ‘nother lifetime. I experience more and more infinite never-in-a-million-years moments. The way I speak is unbelievably poetic. Magic is disconnected from logic. Once I see signs it’s inevitably coming like my birthday. I trust my Magic figure it out like it always do. Me and Laika we have deep sense of humor. Like we both joke about how I’m God. My Magic’s so indisputable it’s LAUGHABLE. I’m my own favorite melody. I’m my own favorite melody. Because there’s nothing more attractive than one that’s tuned into their own melody. I’m unbelievably gorgeous as hell. It’s inevitably coming sooner than I think. It’s terrifyingly undeniable Laika and zillionaire superstar reality came sooner than I even thought. Fame came sooner than I think wtf. It all came sooner than I thought. I’m so painfully pretty. Laika’s cool as hell wow we got matching grills we’re a vibe. I’m Saweetie type fine. I’m the finest bro. My self-validation game only gets more and more infinitely terrifyingly indisputable. Laika’s gonna show up in 48 hours. Life only gets more and more infinitely surreal. Life only gets more and more infinitely tangibly unreal. I’m a doll face. I’m free cause everything’s rigged in my favor. I’m terrifyingly so fine it’s not even funny.

being vulnerable is the bravest fucking thing anyone could do instead of denying yourself love you so deeply crave and pretending you're above it and you don't need it. you really put yourself out there, heart on your sleeves, despite all the hurt and danger knowing that you're abundant enough to still give & receive love with full trust in yourself that even if this time you get hurt too, you remain vulnerable because it's not the end or the world. because you know the grief never ends but so does the love. ain't that shit just profoundly poetic dawg man I just love unapologetically vulnerable folks

dawg i cant even make this shit poetic rn I WANT YOU but i know for sure u dont want me and it makes me wna cry . bc i cant let go yet! but i will eventually .

👅🌍🍁✨

👅 fav inside joke?

GOD I know I have them but I’m so bad at thinking of them... OH I HAVE A GOOD ONE OKAY

So I have some irls and we’re very stupid. So basically one night we had stayed up late making dumb fucking what if scenarios like. What if Batman was bit by a radioactive spider. Would he be spider bat man? Bat spider man? Bat spider man man? Man man bat spider? And it kept going until we posed the question- what if Harry Potter became bat man after his parents were murdered and was also bitten by a radioactive spider? He would be man man harry spider bat. This is funny to approximately no one but us (also this was before we knew jk was a terf fuck her)

🍁 have you ever gone somewhere (ie a road trip stop, a tourist attraction) that was funny/you had something weird happen to you at?

I’ve been to Broadway and I got accidentally flashed by a rockette but like nyc is nyc ya know

I also had a gaytacular fucking time in washing DC when I was 14 because we had a school field trip and the dumbass teacher chaperones were like oh no we gotta keep the gays from gaying at the straight kids so oh I know let’s put them all in one room together... i was the only room with an odd number and it was my transhet friend and the guy who I ended up dating all through high school so this poor fucker third wheeled with us meanwhile we were holding hands in the air and space museum to the point we got mildly hate crimed (just some spicy slurs nothing physical) by some trump cucks but we were like nah we’re not dating it’s not like he’d ever like ME... morons... also fuck the military but there was one pretty memorial at night and it made me believe in love when I saw my friend in the lights of it at night but like love is dead now no more questions sorry moving on

Also my grandfather took a shit in the garden of a castle in Austria. LONG FUCKING STORY but he’s senile and does not realize it’s not the 50’s anymore and you can’t just shit in the bushes. Nobody caught him. I fear how that ended up. Also the funniest part is after our trip we had a lot of photos blown up and put on the walls and that particular castle is now on the wall of our bathroom so it really came full circle

I could go on man I’ve got Stories.. fuck dawg... that doesn’t even scratch the surface with swimming in sewage on accident at the Jersey shore, or being wanted by the lake police, or that time I went to a Weezer concert in Camden sick to my goddamn stomach in a rainstorm that turned all the lawn seats into a mudslide,

✨ whats a lyric to a song that you find really interesting?

Another one I could go on and on about... let’s see uhh

“And it is easier when you’re older to figure out he things that do and do not work / like my temper / like me and you in the back of my car”

‘And I’ll dig up your graves without skin on my bones / and I’ll carry you home / and I’ll carry you home’

Both from blue eyes like the devils water really ALL the lyrics of that song kill me so hard id recommend a listen (fair warning though there is much screaming lol)

then there’s this absolute classic which just speaks for itself... you cant get more poetic... makes me tear up tbh 

🌎 whats your LEAST favorite us state?

That I’ve been to? It’d be low hanging fruit to say New Jersey and really that’s only NORTH Jersey south Jersey is really nice although they had alligator meat at the grocery stores which is some culture shock I guess man

Uh. I haven’t really been around much let’s see. People in New Hampshire give me sass sometimes when they see my New York plates but like I haven’t been enough for that to be a specific pattern lol  Also I absolutely fucking get it you see a New York driver on the road and you’re like aw fuck that is totally fair

I’ve never been further west than Pennsylvania so idk man. I hate Ohio in principle but like idk I’ve never been lmfao. Ohio get some more things wtf is even in your state

rhetorical analysis on Jesus Walks

Jesus Walks is a song co-written by Kanye West and Che smith. The song received quite a number of recognitions such as the 47th Grammy awards. In addition, it was rated among the best hip-hop songs by several social sites, radio and television stations. However, the song faced a lot of criticism especially from conservative Christians who were offended by the song. They argued that some scenes in the video were unethical and inappropriate. The video of the song, which was produced by Kanye West himself, addresses several issues that are affects Christian believers and non-believers. The central theme of the song is essentially spiritual as he states that Jesus ‘walks’ with both sinners and saints. In the song, Kanye West tries to convey a message of faith and hope to his audience. His target audiences are sinners such as killers, drug dealers and strippers. He uses several rhetorical appeals to convey his message.Unlike most mainstream hip-hop artists, Kanye West has no known criminal history. He credits his mother and faith in the Roman Catholic Church for directing his actions. This can be seen in the lines ‘’My momma used to say, Only Jesus can save us… I want to talk to God but I’m afraid cause we ain’t spoke in so long’’ By personalizing his massage, Kanye West attempts at convincing his audiences that he too is not perfect and needs the salvation of Jesus. This creative use of ethos and his less controversial history makes him the right person to put across the massage of hope and faith to the target audiences. Furthermore, Kanye West has heavily used logos in his song. Almost the entire song was inspired by Psalms 23. This is seen in the line ‘’I walk through the valley of the shadow of death’’ This chapter in the bible encourages Christian believers to pray when faced with trials and temptations.The creative use of pathos is evident in Jesus walks video. The video captures the agony face by sinners. He describes how non-believers find it difficult to associate with the rest of the society. As the video concludes, actors portrayed as sinners find their comfort in the church. Another example in the song where creative use of pathos can be seen is in the verse ‘’So here go my single dawg radio needs this… They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus… That means guns, sex, lies, video tape… But if I talk about God my record won’t get played, huh’’ He uses pathos to challenge radio stations to play gospel music. His strategy worked to his advantage because the song received significant reception and airplay in radio stations. Pathos is also seen in the verse ‘’Getting choked by the detectives yeah yeah now check the method…They be asking us questions, harass and arrest us… Saying, “We eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast”… Huh? Ya’ll eat pieces of shit? What’s the basis?… We ain’t going nowhere but got suits and cases’’ Kanye West is expressing his sentiments regarding police brutality and prejudice towards colored people.The use of figurative language is very visible in the song. Repetition as a poetic style, can be seen in a few lines in the song. The lines that have been repeated are ‘Jesus walks with me…’ and ‘God show me the way because the Devil’s tryna to break me down… The only thing that I pray is that my feet don’t fail me now’ These standout sentences have been repeated to grab the audiences’ attentions. Furthermore, the lines emphasize the central theme of the song and aims at establishing memory recall of the audiences. Kanye West used an informal language to target a youthful audience. Informal words used in the song include ‘yo,’ ‘tryna,’ ‘screamin’,’ ‘dawg,’ ‘ain’t,’ ‘’Cuz,’ ‘wanna,’ ‘kinda’ and ‘niggaz’.In an interview with Clash Magazine, Kanye West responded to those who criticized the song. The use an offensive language to express his opinions is contradictory to the central theme of his song. According to Reid, Kanye West contributed significantly as a producer towards the video shoot of the song’s three videos. Due to his contribution in the videos, he was nominated for Video Producer of the Year in 2005. In an interview with MTV, the director, Frey Hoffman, describes the challenges faced during the video shoot of the song. He states that during the video shoot, he had to climb over a barbed wire to enable him shoot from a rooftop of a garage.Ultimately, the two co-writers, producer and directors successfully employed rhetorical strategies to reach the target audience. The writers have creatively used of pathos, ethos and logos as rhetorical appeals. However, his rude responses to criticism and relatively controversial lifestyle, contravenes the spiritual theme of the song. Perhaps his target audiences were ultimate sinners such as killers and drug dealers. Furthermore, Kanye West made the song too personal, thus redirected his focus from his target audiences. As a result, the song fails to be as effective as it could have been. However, the video of the song appears to be more effective since it focuses more on his target audience. Kanye west has a history of using many rhetorical appeals in his songs and music videos to effectively portray the message he is trying to get across. One can see him as a master of this strategy. Which is why it confuses me why it lacks a clear understanding of this music video. Kanye is known to be erratic in his behavior especially when responding to criticism which is why I think ruins the message he is trying to portray in the song using pathos, ethos, and logos. I believe that the video did its due diligence in reaching the target audience but that Kanye’s response to criticism could have been more civilized to further the message in the song.

Kyo - Impressionist Vignettes: OFFICIAL REVIEW

Written by Kisai The Spooniest Bard

[Foreword]:

To begin, Mike Faris AKA Kyo (FKA Demon Eyes Kyo) is an artist I respect immensely. He is also a dear friend and someone I consider a kindred soul. I take every verse he writes, sings and/or raps as a chance to understand more of his worldview and thought process. That said, I'm extremely honoured (so much so I just spelled honored with a FARKING letter U) to have been chosen as one of the trusted to review this, his debut album. I am Darris Marcell Kisai Parker, and this is Impressionist Vignettes by Kyo.

[Track 1ne] - Yasiin (prod. by kaptain planet): So from the start we get a gritty, dark boom bap jawn produced by the impeccable kaptain planet. It's always lit when planet links up with Kyo because Kyo starts to slip into his particular brand of what he calls "sophisticated ignorance", a glorious combination of swagger, hyperbole, and good old-fashioned dark humor. In this instance, however, Kyo's lyrics are more sober, less grandiose. He chooses to lampshade how basic and one-note some artists tend to be in their portrayals. He even pays homage to one of his fellow CPC member's songs (Views by Savior Monroe). And most of all, Kyo just makes it plain how serious he is in this outing. This one is less about stellar bars and schemes and more about the human experience as interpreted by Mike Faris. I'm here for it. Quotable: "Ain't my fault if the truth hurtin' ya feelin's. You ain't puttin' work with writtens murkin' the rhythm. You just jerkin' the listeners like jamaican chicken."

[Track 2wo] - Highland (prod. by Lé Real): An autobiographical stroll over a jazzy lofi road paved by a Castle In The Sky faithful, the uber-talented Lé Real. Here, Kyo talks about his old stomping ground, a place in Michigan called Highland. He highlights the rough yet sensitive nature of the milieu, the roaming opinions of passive observers looking in from the outside, the desperate grab for tough guy points by those who probably can't get into the Salty Spittoon otherwise, the ones who live in nicer areas, who don't really HAVE TO be in such an area. Kyo warns these folks about greenness of grass, and tells them in no plain terms to get a life of their own. This is the stuff I was looking for. And he delivered. Quotable: "A double-wide was like a luxury home! Havin' both parents there the rarest of luxuries tho and I know; I'm one of the lucky ones when it comes to that, Most of my homies wasn't tho, that's just the facts..."

[Track 3hree] - Flowers From The Old Vic Stage (prod. by Medical Nindo, guitars by Kyo):  Kyo sings, by the way! I feel like typically when artists try to be multi-layered it's an attempt to appeal to a public all too swayed by gimmicky shallow bullshit. But in Kyo's case, he really carries all the musicianship and artistry necessary to sustain the various mantles he's borne over the years. That said, on the singer/songwriter tip, Kyo is something to witness. But if you've followed his work at all, you've probably heard this on display on his previous work, "The Imposter's Muse". His poet's soul is on display here in track three, a somber, romantic ballad produced by the smooth/savage master himself, Medical Ninjutsu aka Medical Nindo. Some of y'all might know him as Diggz Da Prophecy. Kyo accompanies our resident "Hood Nerd Sage" on the guitar, providing weepy, melancholy-yet nostalgic licks that carry the heady tone of his musings. A song from the perspective of a tragic lover of a former star of the stage and screen, a person with whom our hero was enraptured, with whom he was close, a flame that perhaps burned too bright and sputtered into dying embers. "I wonder..." The words pass his lips several times over, each time a different thread carried on their doleful, mournful wind. Quotable: I'm not giving you one. Listen to the song.

[Track 4our] - Summer '09 (prod. by River Sanzu):  So, ironically, Summer '09 is a time of major importance to me because it was a time when I was ambivalent towards life. I was holding down a job I truly loved, but not seeing much of the money I was getting paid due to familial obligations, I was dating one of my current best friends, a relationship I look back on fondly even now. But it seemed like everything in the world conspired to keep us apart and as such I felt like I was failing her. I was writing some of the best bars of my life, but I had no way to record and couldn't afford to hit anyone's studio. I was dependent on music to keep me going and every month I had an issue with my mp3 player. I was finally seeing some measure of freedom, but at the same time I was constantly being appraised by family members as an adult acting like a child. As if they alone held the yardstick by which adulthood is measured and everyone's lived experiences were supposed to be uniform with the same milestones at the same times as if life worked that way. And to top it off, my father's genes were kicking in and I started to lose hair, just when I was getting ready to pimp my afro to the max! (RIP afro dreams). I just felt like I was languishing in some sort of middleground hell where everything was awesome but terrible at the same time. I constantly questioned whether I even wanted to be alive. Looking back, I always tell myself it wasn't that bad. It was just growing pains and every adult has them. But you couldn't tell me shit in the moment. I'd've said "Life is iffy af for me right now." On another side of the country, here is Kyo, driving drunk on his way to kick it with his friends. The same ambilavence towards the idea of continuing life present in his thoughts and actions. Instead leaving it to the "Most High" to determine his fate, he arrives unscathed at the function, has a rowdy old time with his buddies, the sort of things youths get into when together. "Freestyling and clowning", card games, even more drinking, some squabbles-nothing that really matters between friends however, and just being in the moment, then Kyo drives (possibly even more drunk) back home. Again he tosses the dice and leaves it up to higher powers to determine if he will make it home. And there you have it, a square out of the quilted tapestry that is Kyo's life. River Sanzu aka Lit Yagami AKA Ish1da creates a city pop-infused backdrop that perfectly encompasses the nostalgic feel of Kyo's ride through memory lane. One of my favorite songs on the album honestly. Also I'm really mad I didn't produce this because it's amazing. Not quite as mad as Ethos made me that one time but I may still turn into a dog for 3 seconds... GRRRRRRR (DAWG MODE) Quotable: "They say seeing is believing, these demons I'm seeing in my rearview mirror keep chasing, I stay weaving through lanes and I'm.... still thuggin' it, drunk in public and unequpped to handle the mental stresses I struggle with but it's just... One mo' night in Summer '09!"

[Track 5ive] - You Go To My Head (prod. by RealVenom):  Kyo’s strongest quality as an artist is his ability to depict the various aspects of his point of view without sacrificing impact. In “You Go To My Head”, he croons, raps and waxes poetic to the subject of his affection. It’s tender, but in a truly relatable fashion. I consider myself strongly in the romantic camp, so endeavors like these speak to me. I blame my soft heart. The warm lofi provided by RealVenom just makes you feel like you’re by a warm fireplace, keeping warm inside from the harsh winter. A glass of wine, a bag of marshmallows for roasting and some good-looking company and you’ve got a night. Kudos to both Kyo and Venom for making such a dope jam. Quotable: “And if you got me seein’ double... That’s twice as many chances to say I love you...”

[Track 6ix] - Moving To Detroit (prod. by Camp Phire Connection, guitars by Kyo): Here is a fully acoustic affair. Just Kyo, his trusty guitar, and us, the listener. In “Moving To Detroit”, he intimates the lonely predicament of a single man deciding to move to what is considered the saddest city in the country according to a study. He mulls over dating the local women hoping for a shot at love, relates his hopes that any local toughs don’t harass or assault him, and mentions his prior OWI (An incident he explained in detail to me in a conversation we had.) and the consequences thereof. “Moving to Detroit” is a somber, reflective look at both himself and his environment, and rather than feeling like a fly on the wall, we are put right there in the passenger seat as he takes us along for this ride. It’s an eye-opener, for sure. Quotable: “It’s not as bad as everyone says in the city, but every time I head home I feel such relief when I hit the freeway. If I move down there and my friends come visit me, they’ll also get to know how good that feels. I guess you’re welcome...” [Track 7even] - Vignettes feat. Savior Monroe (prod. by Camp Phire Connection): The only vocal guest feature on this album comes from fellow Camp Phire Connection artist and founder Savior Monroe. “Vignettes” is gorgeously produced, a shoegaze-y blues waltz number by Kyo and Savior. Both artists give amazingly heartfelt accounts of grace. of friendship and of humanity. The feeling is just abstract enough, just specific enough. Truly these are just vignettes. But that’s all we needed. Quotable: “But for now I can still paint you with an impressionist’s view. I might not remember the facts, but I still remember the truth.” [Track 8ight] - French Lessons (prod. by Camp Phire Connection, guitars by Kyo): Kyo’s trusty guitar returns once more, fair accompaniment for a sultry number about SEX. Yep. Sex. Who among us doesn’t simply long for the next chance to be intimate with a special someone. There’s something magical about when two souls connect, REALLY CONNECT, for those precious moments. Even sometimes when it’s empty, it’s still grand. Here, Kyo says it all. Quotable: “Sex is empty, sex is death, so baby please kill me then hold me in your arms until I resurrect. Sex is endless, sex is French, le petit mort, the little death, and rebirth and first breath and back again.” Track 9ine] - Snow (prod. by Lé Real): Snow, to put it plain an simply, is hard. Hard as pavement. Once more, we’re right there in the room with Kyo as he relates some tales from his life. I don’t even wanna talk too much about this one. It’s something that just needs to be heard. It’s too real for me to adequately put into words.  Quotable: None, just peep the song. [Track 10en] - Philip Seymour Hoffman (prod. by Kisai The Spooniest Bard): Iono who the hell this Kisai The Spooniest bard dude thinks he is, but we gonna fight because this beat is fire. He could have at least let me rap on this. Not that I’m salty because Kyo did his thing. But seriously this is a great closer. Something about that japanese jazz sample makes such a great backdrop for Kyo to compare himself to Vincent Van Gogh and Philip Seymour Hoffman (RIP to two of the greats). As artists our art is what we use to combat the negative feelings that dwell in our mortal minds. Not everyone can win this fight, but Kyo is dead set on winning. If I hadn’t heard this song before judging, I’d have told you that the beat used doesn’t fit the theme of the album, but I’d have been wrong. Kyo made it work like only he could and the result is a track that both producer and artist could be proud of. Quotable: “In a world of visigoths and vandals I’m Vincent Van Gogh, battle depression with insufficient ammo.” [Afterword]: Impressionist Vignettes is a ride, friends. Tonally, It starts low and ends high, moodwise it’s as human as we are. And from an artistic standpoint, it’s probably Kyo’s strongest work to date. I recommend you give it a spin. I learned something and so might you. One final note. Big ups to Savior Monroe on the engineering end. This album sounds great beginning to end. Kisai out. Ja ne~ Peep Impressionist Vignettes here!: https://campphireconnection.bandcamp.com/album/impressionist-vignettes

I've been following you since wayyyy back when (i think for about 5 years now, started back when u were super into lifting & still worked at the magazine) & i'm just really happy you're still here. i don't wanna patronize u about the shit ya went through bc when stuff sucks it fucking SUCKS & there's making it poetic or whatever enough to not SUCK, but...you did get through it. you're still here. and i'm just really happy about that. thanks for stickin around dawg.

Yknow what? None of it feels patronizing but almost everybody who has offered support to me is very obviously walking on eggshells trying to be polite and not intrusive and it has ALL been welcome without a second thought. Even the anons i bullied yesterday who wanted to know why i got a divorce—like i thought it was just a silly question, i wasnt actually mad or hurt. So your words mean a lot to me, and the fact that you’ve followed my bizarre life for so long means a lot to me!! Thank you!

GEMCAT’S 15 BEST ALBUMS OF 2017

2017 is almost over, and it has been a great year for music. We’re counting down some of the best and my favourite records from this year, and why they stood out to me as fantastic!

HONOURABLE MENTIONS Best Compilation -BADBADNOTGOOD Late Night Tales Mix

All 5 King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Albums released this year are worth a listen!

THUNDERCAT - DRUNK

ST VINCENT - MASSEDUCTION

MAC DEMARCO _ THIS OLD DOG

15-10 These first ten albums are listed in no particular order. 15 RATBOY - SCUM

Ratboy’s Grungy debut record was one of the most fun albums to come out in 2017, with it delivering equal parts quality music and immature wit. It stands out to me due to its sincerity as a record, Jordan produced a album that is unapologetically him, wearing its influences on its sleeve and being proudly DIY. Check it out here LISTEN

BEST TRACK - TURN AROUND M8

14 PARAMORE - AFTER LAUGHTER

I’ve never been a Paramore fan, the limited work I’d heard from them never wowed me, so After Laughter and its sheer brilliant sound really caught me off guard! Paramore gave us probably one of the best mainstream pop LPs of 2017, full of sleek bouncy production, consistently powerful vocals, and some amazingly well crafted, bittersweet lyrics. My only complaint is that the album isn’t longer! Check it here LISTEN

BEST TRACK - FAKE HAPPY

13 FATHER JOHN MISTY - PURE COMEDY

Let’s be honest. The past few years have been a bit shit. A LOT of horrible stuff has happened, and it can sometimes feel like the world is on its last legs. Pure Comedy ,as a record, captures that mood like no other. 

It’s moody, cynical, lovelorn, emotive and funny. FJM pens some of his best songs yet, and gives some of his most powerful vocal performances too. As challenging a listen it can be, boasting 2 songs over 10 minutes, Pure comedy is some essential listening if you enjoy singer-songwriter music. Listen HERE

BEST TRACK - BALLAD OF THE DYING MAN

12 ARIEL PINK - DEDICATED TO BOBBY JAMESON

Ariel Pink is a pretty eccentric and annoyingly pretentious musician, seemingly on the levels of Zappa and others from that era. Yet, he and his albums are extremely endearing. I only discovered him this year, Listening to 2014′s POM POM over the summer and becoming quickly obsessed with his personal brand of surreal nostalgic music. 

I then learnt of this new album, and it did not disappoint. the charm and nostalgia for something you were never part of comes in droves and results in another technicolour beautiful mess of a record. HUGELY recommend, especially as an introduction to Ariel. LISTEN

BEST TRACK - TIME TO LIVE

11 SZA - CTRL

On her Debut studio album, released through Kendrick’s label TOP DAWG, SZA proves she is one of the best new RnB artists out there, and one of many amazing new independent female artists. 

One after another Ctrl dishes out brilliantly moody, introspective and sexy ballads, each of which have some pretty unique choices musically, giving the record a standout sound. Another album you NEED to hear. Check it LISTEN

BEST TRACK - DREW BARRYMORE

10 COURTNEY BARNETT + KURT VILE - LOTTA SEA LICE

The perfect combination of musicians!!!! US based singer songwriter Kurt Vile and Melbourne indie rock hero Courtney Barnett join forces for the best collaborative album of 2017, and possibly the best indie rock album of 2017. Both artists bring out the best in each other lyrically and musically, and have a perfect chemistry that leads to a 9 track LP that just oozes warmth and charm, a great autumnal record. Listen HERE

BEST TRACK - OUTTA THE WOODWORK

9 CHARLI XCX - NUMBER 1 ANGEL

Charli XCX is my favourite pop artist right now, period. She has somehow cracked the ever-present issue of writing music that can both top the charts and stay creative. This record is her pushing the boat creatively, and realising the masses of potential shown with her Vroom Vroom EP. 

With the help of PC music, she delivers a mixtape of varied and catchy bubblegum pop, a cocktail of new and old pop music staples. Theres some brilliant features too (shout out to Cupcakke!) Check it out here LISTEN.

BEST TRACK - BABYGIRL

8 KENDRICK LAMAR - DAMN.

The GOAT, K-Dot dropped out of thin air his latest project, a record like nothing else he’s released. DAMN. is aggressive, dark, muddled and personal, rough around the edges in an incredibly fitting and artful way. This record offers curveballs at every corner, from a U2 feature to outright pop rap tracks, near vicious vocal delivery and the ever presence of “NEW KUNG FU KENNY!”

While it isn’t the grand statement To Pimp a Butterfly is, I don’t think it set out to be. DAMN is a record that’s surprising and brilliant. LISTEN

BEST TRACK - XXX

7 ALT J - RELAXER

Relaxer is the much anticipated third album from ALT J, who have continued to prove to me why they are one of my all time favourite bands. Despite it being their most sporadic and genre hopping record, it is an album that twists and turns in such creative and unpredictable ways. 

It offers everything you want from ALT J, a set of artful, weird, haunting, beautiful, pretentious and poetic songs that stick in your head. Also 3WW is one of the best songs ALT J has ever made, it’s brilliant. RELAXER is ESSENTIAL listening for 2017, preferably live. Listen HERE

BEST TRACK - 3WW

6 PRINCESS NOKIA - 1992 DELUXE

The past few years have seen a resurgence in Independent and strong female artists being recognised for producing amazing RnB, Hip Hop and Soul music. Artists like SZA, Kali Uchis, Tommy Genesis and Anna Wise have been able to break into the mainstream from underground success. 

Though all of these women are FANTASTIC, for me the artist and album that has best embodied this badass feminine, strong willed approach to music is Princess Nokia on 1992 DELUXE. This album is varied collection of new and old hip hop staples, from lofi hip hop to trap, all created with a clear underground flair, and a strong sense of confidence and humour. Princess Nokia deserves all her success and more. Truly Badass Divine Energy.

check it HERE.

BEST TRACK - ABC’S OF NEW YORK

TOP 5 These albums are my five favourite albums of 2017, with number 1 being my favourite release of 2017.

5 IGL☉☉GHOST - NEŌ WAX BLOOM

The only truly electronic record in this list, Neō Wax Bloom is the best thing to come out of the genre this year. IGLOOGHOST delivers 40 something minutes of pure high energy breakbeat style dance music, soaked in sugar and mystique. Each song is incredibly dense and colourful, bringing elements of free Jazz, UK Garage, PC Music, IDM, Techno and rave together into a neat and well crafted package of music . 

Complimented by equally stellar artwork and a surreal astrological backstory, Neō Wax Bloom is truly truly unique. LISTEN.

BEST TRACK - SUPER INK BURST

4 TYLER, THE CREATOR - FLOWER BOY

Tyler has been one of the most unique artists in mainstream hip hop for a long time, with a loyal fanbase ever since the creation of OFWGKTA. He is also someone who as a person I have a great deal of respect for, because of his proud sense of self and creative motivation. Despite this, he hasn’t always been a good musician in my opinion, even looking past some EXTREMELY questionable lyrics over the years. 

However, With Flower Boy, he’s proved himself to be someone truly special, something he’s had potential to be since day one. Flower Boy is his most thoughtful, mature, introspective and creative album to date. Tyler plays to his strengths, and offers a near perfect hip hop/RnB album, chocked full of fantastic features. Another ESSENTIAL 2017 listen.  Check IT

BEST TRACK - BOREDOM

3 REX ORANGE COUNTY - APRICOT PRINCESS

Off the back of his stellar features on Flower Boy, I decided to listen to Rex Orange County’s Debut studio album, and somehow its pure charm and musical talent made it just surpass Flower Boy in my favourites list! To quote a FADER interview tagline “Rex Orange County Is Teenage Joy Personified” And he truly is. Apricot princess effortlessly blends RnB, Jazz, London Rap and Lo-Fi rock across 10 tracks of bittersweet bliss. One of the best new artists out there. Listen HERE

BEST TRACK - TELEVISION/SO FAR SO GOOD

2 BROCKHAMPTON - SATURATION TRILOGY

These 3 albums share the number 2 spot, as some of the best hip hop of 2017. Brockhampton is a LA based 17 member Boyband (and yes, they are a boyband) creating music 100% themselves, and it is lyrically better and better produced than 90% of mainstream Hip hop from 2017. 

If that doesn’t convince you, it’s also extremely diverse and fun to listen to. I hope this is the start of more AMAZING independent Rap, music and ART, breaking the mainstream. Do yourself a favour and don’t sleep on this fire! 🔥

BEST TRACK(S) - SWEET, STAR, 

1 KING KRULE - THE OOZ

The OOZ is my favourite record to come out in 2017. Which is a big surprise to me. I only heard of King Krule a day after this album came out, and I decided to listen to it off the back of the fantastic singles. And it blew me away. its so unique in its approach and sound, combining Post Punk, Jazz, lo fi Rock, Ambient music, Trip Hop and outright Crooner vocal delivery (Its almost like someone told Archy some of my favourite genres and this was the outcome). The OOZ was made for me.

 Further than his though, This record has a haunting and poetic beauty to it, flowing almost like slime, with its constant woeful and meandering sound, twisting and turning between styles, and combinations of emotionally potent and nonsensical lyrics. This album sounds like its cover, it sounds like the colour blue, it smells like cigarettes and saltwater. it’s a midnight masterpiece, and my favourite album from 2017. LISTEN

BEST TRACK - SLUSH PUPPY

A totally timely and significant review of Rancid’s “...And Out Come The Wolves”

(I honestly don’t remember when I wrote this, maybe 2015. Definitely just got jacked up on something and decided that I needed to write a track by track review of an album I loved when I was a cool punk teen. It has just been sitting in my Google Drive patiently waiting to be posted.)

 I remember the first time I ever heard/saw Rancid was when the video for “Salvation” off of their second album “Let’s Go” premiered on MTV. Such an 80’s/90’s kid thing to do, discovering a new band by seeing a music video on TV, ugh. I thought the leather clad mohawked bad boys were amazing and perfect and so cool...that I immediately tried to spike my hair using gelatin (tru punx only) and got a leather jacket (did not look that cool and was very sweaty).  When “...And Out Come The Wolves” came out the next year (1995, I’m old AF) I was totally enamored and had found my #1 favorite album of all time (that lasted for like a year until music got better).  I was supposed to go see Rancid at a big show in Omaha, I lived in a small town called Columbus that was roughly 90 minutes away from the big city...but the day of my mom didn’t let me go because I had bad math grades.  I reacted the way any entitled white teen did, by laying in the garage and crying and playing their album.  That show wound up being a huge to-do when fans tore up seats in the venue and threw cushions at the band leading to Rancid not playing Omaha for a long time.  I missed out on some cool bad-ass punk rock shit, first world problems. Fast forward to today when I decided that I, Ian Douglas Terry, needed to write out a song-by-song review of this quintessential punk album.  I’m a real music nut, and obviously very good at structured writing...so here we go!  (Rock on)

1. Maxwell Murder - Oh boy, this one starts with like a subway train sound and then the beginning of a killer/complicated Matt Freeman bass line.  That dude SHREDS the bass, and even has a wild solo in this song.  That’s tight.  Why did they stop letting him sing?  He sounded like a fun Muppet on their first album and I loved his songs.  Maybe he wanted to focus on just shredding the bass and using tons of pomade.

2. The 11th Hour - This song is great.  It is poppy and upbeat and about a woman having dreams and demanding answers.  Hell yeah.  I love good punk music that supports women and feminism and figuring out where the power lies (spoiler alert, it starts and ends with you).  Remember how Brody from The Distillers left Tim Armstrong for the dude from Queens of the Stone Age? And then he got all fat and got a beard?  I can completely relate to that, and have been there sans beard.

3. Roots Radicals - This song RULES.  I had to look up what “Moonstompers” were and who “Desmond Dekker” was.  I remember trying to relate to this like it could somehow compare to living in a town with 20,000 people and the nicest Wal-Mart in the tri-county area.  Remember how there was that Spanish language cover of this on one of those “Give Em The Boot” comps that Hellcat put out? That was real tight.

4. Time Bomb - Hit single baby!  This had a huge hand in getting punk kids into reggae/ska for sure.  Killer organ solo, lots of rude boy shit going, I loved it so much.  Tim Armstrong totally re-used lyrics from the song “Motorcycle Ride” from the previous album...which is hilarious.  Like c’mon dawg...you should know your own lyrics.  I learned how to do the solo from this and felt like a guitar god (it is a very easy solo, like almost too easy).

5. Olympia, WA - I love songs like this that are about cities that the band isn’t from...so you have to fire up your imagination (or just read the lyrics) and be like, “What went down in Olympia, Washington????”.  Turns out it was mostly hanging out on different streets in New York and playing pinball with Puerto Ricans while wishing you were with a person who you were sleeping with in Washington.  Hell yeah, just like Shakespeare.

6. Lock, Step & Gone - Songs about docks were HUGE in my youth.  Dropkick Murphy’s had like eight songs about boys on them, and this Rancid song alludes to them.  I loved all of the blue collar, working class ideology that had nothing to remotely do with my comfortable upper middle class (not sure if that’s accurate because my parents were teachers, and like is there even a middle class any more?) life. This song definitely sums itself up at then end when it says “There’s a whole lot of nothin”.

7. Junky Man - Another theme that I could definitely relate to in a town of 20,000 people with like ten people who did meth...Junkies!  This song is pretty great because the dude from the Basketball Diaries does some sick poetry in it...that movie was nuts.  I like that song that he later wrote/sang about all the people he knew who died. The only way poetry can be cool is if the person is an insane drug addict with cool/sad stories to tell. Otherwise it is just loud diary reading.

8. Listed MIA - At this point I wholeheartedly agree with this song, “I’m checking out”.  I don’t know if I ever really liked this song or if this was just part of the “I accidentally left it playing after the first four songs that I liked were over”.  Lars says the derogatory f-word for homosexuals in it, because people called him that word...that doesn’t seem cool man.  I get that it rhymes with “maggots”, but maybe give white dudes in the Midwest less reasons to sing that word out loud.

9. Ruby Soho - This is one of the best songs ever, hands down.  It is beautiful and you can barely understand what Tim Armstrong is saying but it is wonderful.  I feel like deciphering his lyrics led me to be able to understand most speech impediments, so hell yeah.  This song is about loving someone a lot but having to leave them because it isn’t working out. This song was the blueprint for every romantic relationship I’ve ever had in my entire life so it might be a gypsy curse.

10. Daly City Train - Oh hell yeah, fun Reggae drums!  Through punk and ska I grew to appreciate Reggae, but through being bummed out about that culture’s deep seated homophobia and the fact that most of it is super repetitive and boring and for dad’s on vacation.  I’m just glad that 311 taught me to love those smooth Caribbean sounds again (oh god am I joking or am I serious, I can’t tell any more please save me).

11. Journey to the End of the Easy Bay - I can still play this bass line and was very proud of myself the first time I half-way pulled it off.  It doesn’t sound as smooth and nuanced as the way Matt Freeman plays it, but goddamn it I think that was the height of my skill as a musician.  This song rules themes about needing to belong and finding a place with people who thought and felt the same as you...and then losing it as everyone grows out of it.  This was most of my early 20’s. I grew up in a scene with similarly minded people, it eventually ended and I still have contact with some of those people but that point in my life will never be replicated. I finally belonged somewhere and was part of something bigger than me.  Now I do comedy and it is bleak, entitled, and sad and mostly alcoholics talking about their dicks.  Please take me back.

12. She’s Automatic - This is not a bad song but a very confusing way to describe a woman.  I get that it means she is effortless in “the way that she moves” but maybe I’m not giving Lars any poetic license because he looks like a guy who punched books. This woman sounds great though, and I’m sure they dated for three months.  Revisiting this and that era reminds me that I almost had sex with a girl at the first X-men movie...man, being punk ruled.

13. Old Friend - Back to the Raggae!  This song is pretty great, but they really missed an opportunity of selling this to a heartburn medicine company.  “Good morning heartache, you’re like an old friend come and see me again”...that would be perfect for a commercial of a guy eating a giant plate of lasagna and making a “Oh boy, I did it again!” face.  The Transplants sold a song to that fruit shampoo, maybe this is something I can retroactively help negotiate.

14. Disorder and Disarray -  I love when punk bands have songs about “business men” being evil and the industry being bad.  Like when Against Me were part of an Anarchist collective and then on a major label putting out really bad music.  Rancid was at least on Epitaph, which while arguably not “cool” it was at least run by a kind of punk dude who is responsible for the biggest/shittiest corporate garbage of a festival, The Warped Tour.  This song has a part towards the end where they talk to each other like David Lee Roth would do in Van Halen songs, that rules.

15. The Wars End - I get that this is a song about little Sammy being a punk rocker but at this point I think they should have admitted this album was fine with 10-12 songs and maybe some of these were super repetitive and unnecessary.  It's like you’re forcing it. I can’t imagine the dude who recorded it had a lot of fun and he probably fell asleep and was startled awake and had to pretend like he’d been paying attention the whole time.

16. You Don’t Care Nothin - This starts out with the exact chord progression from Journey To The End Of The East Bay….c’mon guys. You Don’t Care Nothin about being succinct and making your songs individual expressions of art! The themes even seem like something they’ve already gone over.  I’m going to eat some soup, brb.

17. As Wicked - Is this a different song or a weird breakdown?  Oh, it’s a different song.  Well...this soup is pretty good.  Chicken Noodle, but the chunky kind.  It isn’t amazing but it is good. I should really cook more.  Maybe I’ll order Chinese later.

18. Avenues & Alleyways - I don’t really have a problem with this song because it has the “Oi oi oi” chant that the bands I was in during High School would do and we had no idea why other than popular bands doing it.  It is very catchy.  It sounds like the other two songs were just building up to finally getting your attention back. Plus it has a breakdown with people clapping, that is always fun.  This has to be the last song right? It is the perfect last song on an album!

19. The Way I Feel -  FUUUUUUUCK!  What? Really should have ended the album on that last song, it had a good “anthem” vibe and at least wrapped this up into a somewhat sensible endeavor.  This song could have been stuck in the middle somewhere, or maybe just not recorded with about seven others?  The Way I Feel about this album is that there are some parts that hold up and are still fun to listen to, but the rest of it just seems like I’m being forced to read my own teenage diary and it is boring and sad. Nostalgia is a bummer, I can’t imagine having Rancid still be my favorite band.  I’d probably still wear a chain wallet and spiky bracelet and be one of those obnoxious old drunk weirdos I see at shows that stick out like crazy sore thumbs. Bummer dude.

    Oh wow, what a journey (to the end of the east bay, am I right?)...I’m glad I was finally able to get this review out so people could finally know what this album means to me and my generation of lazy weirdos. This took me six months to write and I should be congratulated for being a journalist with tons of integrity and great taste.  True punks never die, they just eventually chill out and shop at Kohl’s.