#standard lyrics complaint
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Craig Jenkins' review is out!
Styles’s carefully cultivated coyness keeps us ever at arm’s length. But it’s this slipperiness that makes Harry’s House a real treat for the ears. Something the album handles incredibly well is recalibrating the sound underneath the singer’s vocals and lyrics.
Every album doesn’t have to talk about coping mechanisms and therapy and mass death and political disorder. It’s warm out, and a rubbery bass line in a carefree bop has its place.
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Book Review 68 - Babel by R. F. Kuang
Overview
I came to Babel with extremely little knowledge about the actual contents of the book but a deep sense of all the vibes swirling around its reception – that it was robbed of a Hugo nomination (if the author didn’t outright refuse it), that it’s probably the single buzziest and most Important sf/f release of 2022, that it was stridently political, and plenty more besides. I also went in having mostly enjoyed The Poppy War series and being absolutely enamoured by the elevator pitch of an alternate history Industrial Revolution where translation is literally magic. And, well-
It is wrong to say I hated this book, but only because keeping track of my complaints and starting organize this review in my head was entertaining enough to keep me invested in the reading experience.
The story is set in an alternate 1830s, where the rise of the British Empire relies upon the dominance of its translators, as it is the mixture of translation and silverworking, the inscription of match-pairs in different languages on bars of worked silver and the leveraging of the ambiguity and loss of meaning between them that fuels the world’s magic. The protagonist is pluckted from his childhood home in Canton after his family dies in a cholera outbreak and whisked away to the estate of Professor Lowell, an Oxford translator he quickly realized is his unacknowledged father. He’s made to choose an English name (Robin Swift) and raised and tutored as a future translator in service to the Empire.
The meat of the story is focused on Robin’s education in Oxford, his relationship with the rest of his cohort, and his growing radicalization and entanglement with the revolutionary Hermes Society. Things come to a head when in his fourth year the cohort is sent back to Canton to, well, help provoke the first Opium War, though none of them aware of that. The final act follows the fallout of that, by which I mean it lives up to the full title of “Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution”.
To be clear, this was technically a very accomplished book. The writing never dragged and the prose was, if not exactly lyrical, always clear and often evocative. Despite the breadth of space and time the story covers, I never had any complaints about the pacing – and honestly, the ending was, dramatically speaking, one of the more natural and well-executed ones I’ve read recently. It’s very well-constructed.
All that being said – allow me to apologize for how the rest of this is mostly just going to be a litany of complaints. But the book clearly believes itself to be an important and meaningful work of political art, which means I don’t feel particularly bad about holding it to high standards.
Narrative Voice
To start with, just, dear god the tone. This is a book with absolutely zero faith in its audience’s ability to reach their own conclusions, or even follow the symbolism and implication it lays down. Every important point is stated outright, repeated, and all but bolded and underlined. In this book set in 1830s England there are footnotes fact-checking the imperialists talking heads to, I guess, make sure we don’t accidentally become convinced by their apologia for the slave trade? Everything is just relentlessly didactic, in a way that ended up feeling rather insulting even when I agreed with the points Kuang was making.
More than that, and this is perhaps a more subjective complaint but – for an ostensible period piece, the narrative voice and perspective just felt intensely modern? This was theoretically an omniscient third person book, with the narrative voice being pretty distinct from any of the actual characters – with the result that the implicit narrator was instead the sort of person of spends six hours a day getting into arguments on twitter and for this effort calls themselves a progressive activist. The identities of all the characters – as delivered by the objective narration – were all very neat and legible from the perspective of someone at a 2022 HR department listing how diverse their team was, which was somewhere between a tragic lost opportunity to show how messy and historical racial/ethnic/national identities are and outright anachronistic, depending. (This was honestly one of the bigger disappointments, coming from Kuang’s earlier work. Say what you will of The Poppy War series, the narration is with Rin all the way down, and it trusts the reader enough not to blink.) More than that it was just distracting – the narration ended up feeling like an annoying obstacle between me and the story, and not in any fun postmodern way either.
Characters
Speaking of the cast – they simply do not sound or feel like they actually grew up in the 19th century. Now, some modernization of speech patterns and vocabulary and moral commensense is just the price of doing business with mass market period pieces, granted, but still – no 19th century Anglo-Indian revolutionary is going use the phrase ‘Narco-military state’ (if for no other reason than we’re something like a century early for ‘narco-state’ to be coined as a term at all). An even beyond feeling out of time most of the characters feel kind of thinly sketched?
Or no, it’s not that the characters are thinly sketched so much as their relationships are. We’re repeatedly, insistently told that these four students are fast friends and closer than family and would happily die for each other, but we’re very rarely actually shown it. This is partly just a causality of trying to skim over a four-year university education in the middle third of one book, I think, but still – the good times and happy moments are almost always sort of skimmed over, summarized in the course of a paragraph or two that usually talk in terms of memories and consequences more than the relationships themselves. The points of friction and the arguments, meanwhile, are usually played out entirely on the page, or at least described in much more detail. In the end you kind of have to just take it as read that any of these people actually love each other, given that at least two of them seem to be feuding at any given point for the entire time they know each other.
Letty deserves some special attention. She’s the only white member of Robin’s cohort at Babel and she honestly feels like less of acharacter and more a collection of tropes about white women in progressive spaces? Even more than the rest, it’s hard to believe the rest of the class views her as beloved ride-or-die found family when essentially every time she’s on screen it’s so she can do a microagression or a white fragility or something. Also, just – you know how relatively common it is to see just, blatantly misogynistic memes repackaged as anti-racist because it specifies ‘white women’? There’s a line in this that almost literally says ‘Letty wasn’t doing anything to disprove the stereotype of woman as uselessly emotional and hysteric’.
Also, she’s the one who ends up betraying the other three and trying to turn them in when they turn revolutionary. Which is probably inevitable given the book’s politics, but as it happened felt like less of the shocking betrayal that it was supposed to be and more just, checking off a box for a dramatic reverse. Of course she turned on them, none of them ever really seemed to even like each other.
As a Period Piece
So, the book is set in the 1830s, in the midst of the industrial revolution and its social fallout, and the leadup to the First Opium War (which is, through the magic of, well, magic ,but also mercantilist economics, make into a synecdoche for British global dominion more broadly). On the one hand, the setting is impeccably researched, recent and relevant historical events are referenced whenever they would come up, and the footnotes are full to bursting with quotes and explanations of texts or cultural ephemera that’s brought up in the narration.
On the other, the setting doesn’t feel authentic in the slightest, the portrayal of the British Empire is bizarrely inconsistent, and all that richly researched historical grounding ends up feeling less like a living world and more like a particularly well-down set for a Doctor Who episode.
The story is incredibly focused around Oxford as a city and a university. There’s a whole author’s note about the research and slight changes made into its geography and I absolutely believe its portrayal as a physical location and the laws about how women were treated and how the different colleges were organized and all that is exactly as accurate as Kuang wanted them to be. The issue is really the people. With the exception of a few cartoonish villains who barely get more than a couple pages apiece, no one feels, sounds like, or acts like they actually belong in the 19th century. The racism the protagonists struggle with all feels much more 21st century than Victorian, and the frame of mind everyone inhabits still comes across more as ‘unusually blatantly racist Englishman’ than 19th century scholars and polymaths.
This is especially blatant as far as religion goes. It’s occasionally mentioned, sure enough, but to the extent anyone actually believes in Christianity it’s of a very modern and disenchanted sort – this is a society that sends out missionaries as a conscious tool of colonial expansion, not because of anything as silly or absurd as actually wanting to spread their gospel. Also like, it’s Oxford, in the nineteenth century. For all the racism the protagonists have to deal with, they should be getting so much more shit from ‘well-meaning’ locals and students trying to save their (one Muslim, one atheist, one probably Christian but black and protective of Haitian Vodou on a cultural level which would be more than enough) souls.
Or, and this is more minor, it is a central conceit of the whole finale that if a few (like, two) determined revolutionaries can infiltrate Babel they’ll be able to take the entire place hostage with barely any trouble. This is because the students and professors there are, basically, whimpy bookworms who’ll faint at the sight of blood and have no stomach for the sort of violence their work actually supports and drives. Which – look, I really don’t want to defend the ruling class of Victorian Britain here, but I’m not sure physical cowardice is really one of their failings, as a group? I mean, there’s an entire system of institutionalized child abuse in the boarding schools they went to to get them used to taking and dealing out violence and abuse. Basically every upper-class sport is thinly disguised military drill or ritual combat (okay, or rowing). Half of them would graduate to immediately running off and invading places for the glory of the queen. I’m not sure two sleep-deprived nerds with knives would actually have been able to cow the crowd here, is what I’m saying. (This would stick out less if the text wasn’t so dripping with contempt for them on precisely these grounds.)
Much less minor are our heroic revolutionaries themselves. And okay, this is more a matter of taste than anything but like – the Hermes Society is an illegal conspiracy of renegade current and former Babel scholars dedicated to using their knowledge of magic and access to university resources to oppose and undermine the British Empire in general and the work of the school in particular. Think Metternich’s worse nightmare, but in Oxford instead of Paris and focused on colonial liberation (continental Europe barely exists for the purposes of the book, Britain is Empire.) So! A secret society of professional revolutionaries in the heydey of just that, with a name that just has to be Hermetic symbolism, who concern themselves with both high politics and metaphysics.
They are just so very, very boring. This is the age of the Conspiracy of the Equals, the Carbonari, the Seasons! The literal Illumanti are still within living memory! Where’s the pageantry, the ritual, the grandiosity? The elaborate initiation rituals and oaths of undying loyalty? They’re so pragmatic, so humble, so (and I know I keep coming back to this) modern. It’s just such an utter wasted opportunity. Even beyond the level of aesthetics, these are revolutionaries with remarkably little positive ideology – the oppose colonialism and racism for reasons they take as self-evident and so don’t feel the need to theorize about it (and talk about them with the vocabulary of a modern activist, because of course they do), but they’re pretty much consciously agnostic as to what world should look like instead. They vaguely end up supporting a sort of petty-bourgeois socialism (in the Marxist sense), but the alliance with Luddites is essentially political convenience – they really don’t seem to have any vision of the future at all, either in England or the various places they claim as homelands.
On Empire and Industrialization
The story is set during the early nineteenth century, so of course the Industrial Revolution is a pretty core part of the background. The Silver Industrial Revolution, technically, since the Babellers translation magic is in this world a key and load-bearing part of it. Despite the addition of miracle-working enhancers and supports to its fundamental technology, the industrial revolution plays out pretty identically to history – right down to the same cities becoming hubs of industry, despite steam engines using enchanted silver instead of coal and thus, presumably, the entire economic and logistical system that brought this particular cities to prominence being totally unrecognizable. This is not a book that’s in any way actually about tracing how something would change history – which isn’t a complaint, to be clear, that’s a perfectly valid creative choice.
It does, however, make it rather galling that the single actually significant difference to history is that the introduction of magic turns the industrial revolution into a Legend of Zelda boss with a giant glowing weak point you can hit to destroy the whole enterprise.
On a narrative level, I get it – it simplifies things and allows for a far happier and more dramatic ending if destroying Babel is not just a symbolic act but also literally sends London Bridge falling down and scuttles the entire royal navy and every mill and factory in Britain. It’s just that I think that by doing so it trades away any chance for actually making interesting commentary on anti-colonial and -capitalist resistance. A world where a single act of spectacular terrorism really can destroy a modern empire is frankly so detached from our world that it ceases to be able to really materially comment upon it.
Like, the principle reason to not take the Luddites as your role models is not that they were morally vicious but that they were doomed – capitalism’s ability to repair damage to infrastructure and fixed goods is legitimately very impressive! Trying to force an entire ruling class not to adopt a technology that makes whoever commits to it tremendous amounts of money (thus, power) is a herculean task even when you have a state apparatus and standing army – adding an ‘off’ button to the lot of it just trades all sense of relevance for a satisfyingly cathartic ending.
(This is leaving untouched how the book just takes it as a given that the industrial revolution was a strictly immiserating force that did nothing but redistribute money from artisans to capitalists. Which certainly tracks as something people at the time would have thought but given how resolutely modern all the other politics in the work are rings really weirdly.)
All of which is only my second biggest issue with how the book presents its successful resistance movement. It all pales in comparison to making the Empire a squeamish paper tiger.
Like, the book hates colonialism in general and the British Empire in particular, the narrative and footnotes are filled with little asides about various atrocities and injustices and just ways it was racist or complicit in some particular atrocity. But more than that it is contemptuous of it, it views the empire as (as the cliche goes) a perpetually rotting edifice that just needs one good kick; that it persists only through the myth of its own invincibility, and has no stomach for violent resistance from within. Which is absolutely absurd, and the book does seem to know it on occasion when it off-handedly mentions e.g. the Peterloo Massacre – but a character whose supposed to be the grizzled cynical pragmatic revolutionary still spouts off about how slave rebellions succeed because their masters aren’t willing to massacre their own property. Which is just so spectacularly wrong on every axis its actually almost offensive.
More importantly, the entire final act of the story relies upon the fact that the British Empire would allow a handful of foreign students seize control of a vital piece of infrastructure for weeks on end and do nothing but try to wait them out as the national physically falls apart around them. Like, c’mon, there would be siege artillery set up and taking shots by the end of week two. As with the Oxford students, the Victorian elite had all manner of flaws – take your pick, really – but squeamishness wasn’t really one of them.
On Magic
So the magical system underlying the whole story is – you know how Machinaries of Empire makes imperial ideology and metaphysics literally magical, giving expert technicians the ability to create superweapons and destroy worlds provided that the Hexarchate’s subjects observe the imperial calendar of rites and celebrate its triumphs/participate in rituals glorying in the torture of its ‘heretics’? It’s not exactly a subtle metaphor, but it works.
Babel does something similar, except the foundational atrocity fueling the engine of empire on a metaphysical level is, like, cultural appropriation. As an organizing metaphor, I find this less compelling.
Leaving that aside, the story makes translation literally capable of miracle-working – which of necessity requires making ‘languages’ distinct natural categories with observable metaphysical boundaries. It then sets the story in the 19th century – the era of newborn nation states and education systems and national literatures, where the concept of the national-linguistic community was the obsession of the entire European intelligentsia. Now this is not a book concerned with how the presence of magic would actually have changed history, in the slightest, but like – given how fascinated it is by translation and linguistics you’d think the whole ‘a language is a dialect with a navy’ cliché would at least get a light mention (but then the book doesn’t really treat language as any more inherent or natural than it does any other modern identity category, I suppose.)
As an Allegory
Okay, so having now spent an embarrassing number of words establishing to my own satisfaction that the book really doesn’t work at all as a period piece, let us consider; what if it wasn’t trying to be?
A great many things about the book just fit much better if you take it as a commentary on the modern university with Victorian window-dressing. Certainly the driving resentment of Oxford as an institution that sustains itself and grows rich off the exploitation of international students it considers second-class seems far more apt applied to contemporary elite western schools than 19th century ones. Likewise the racism the heroes face all seems like the kind you’d expect in a modern English town rather than a Victorian one. I’m not well-versed enough on the economics of the city to know for sure, but I would wager that the gleeful characterization of Oxford as a city that literally starts falling to ruin without the university to support it was also less accurate in the 1830s than it is today.
Read like this, everything coheres much better – but the most striking thing becomes the incredible vanity of the book. This is a morality tale where the natural revolutionary vanguard with the power to bring global hegemony to its knees through nothing but witholding their labour are..students at elite western universities (not, I must say, a class I’d consider in dire need of having their egos boosted). The emotions underlying everything make much more sense, but the plot itself becomes positively myopic.
Beyond that – if this is a story about international students at elite universities, it does a terrible job of actually portraying them. Or, properly, it only shows a certain type; just about every foreign-born student or professor we meet is some level of revolutionary, deeply opposed in principle to the empire they work within. No one is actually convinced by the carrot of a life as an exploited but exceedingly comfortable and well-compensated technician in the imperial core, and there’s not really acknowledgement at all of just how much of the apparatus of international institutions and governments in the global south – including positions with quite a bit of real power – end up being staffed by exactly that demographic who just sincerely agree with the various ideological projects employing them. Kuang makes it far too easy on herself by making just about every person of colour in the books one of the good guys, and totally undersells how convincing hegemonic ideology can be, basically.
The Necessity of Violence
This is a pet peeve and it’s a very minor thing that I really wouldn’t bring it up if that wasn’t literally part of the title. But it is, so – it’s a plot point that’s given a decent amount of attention that Griffin (Robin’s secret older brother, grizzled professional revolutionary, his introduction to anti-colonialism) is blamed for murdering one of his classmates who had the bad luck to be studying while he was sneaking in to steal some silver – a student that was quite well-loved by the faculty and her very successful classmates, who have never forgiven him. Later on, it’s revealed that this is an utter rewriting of history, and she’d been a double agent pretending to let herself be recruited into the Hermes Society who’d been luring Griffin into an ambush when he killed her and escaped.
This is – well, the most predictable not-even-a-twist imaginable, for one, but also – just rank cowardice. You titled the book ‘the necessity of violence’, the least you can do is actually own it and show that violent resistance means people (with faces, and names, not just abstractions only ever talked about in general terms) who are essentially personally innocent are going to end up collateral damage, and people are going to hold grudges about it. Have some courage in your convictions!
Translation
Okay, all of that said, this isn’t a book that’s wholly bad, or anything. In particular, you can really tell how much of a passion Kuang has for the art and science of translation. The depth of knowledge and eagerness to share just about overflows from the page whenever the book finds an excuse to talk about it at length, and it’s really very endearing. The philosophizing about translation was also as a rule much more interesting and nuanced then whenever the book tried to opine about high politics or revolutionary tactics.
Anyways, I really can’t recommend the book in any real way, but it did stick in my head for long enough that I’ve now written 4,000 words about it. So at the very least it’s the interesting sort of bad book, y’know?
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I saw your Beyonce/Taylor Swift post and What's wrong with "comparing two queens that are killing it". line? Isn't that what it comes down to with female artists? Why can't we just appreciate all female artists instead of the competitions?
I’m going to take this as you asking this question in good faith so here’s the short answer: No. There is nothing inherently wrong with that statement, and depending on the context, I agree with it. But here’s the long answer:
A lot of fandoms do take it upon themselves to start unnecessary, unprovoked beef between artists, especially female artists of color (i.e the Cardi and Nicki drama), consequently ruining the love a lot of people have for those artists. However, the Taylor and Beyoncè comparisons have a few problems I want to address that aren’t actually new when talking about female artists of color and their white counterparts. Firstly, the whole comparisons only started because of the uptick of insufferable swifties online discrediting all of the work, effort, and impact Beyoncé has had on people before and today (and Beyoncé fans are simply responding to these ridiculous claims). Secondly, swifties also have a strange tendency to compare her exclusively to objectively better black artists (Beyoncé, Prince, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and more) by diminishing their work and influence in order to prop her up. Noticeable so, they never really do this with Taylor’s fellow white peers. It begs the question: Why do so many swifties feel the need to put Taylor on a pedestal by discrediting arguably more popular, influential black and queer artists? While I do agree with the notion that female artists should be celebrated and giving the props they deserve, we can no longer pretend that black artists like Beyoncé don’t have to give twice the effort, twice the dedication, twice the energy, and twice the style in order to be given their credit. Meanwhile, an artist like Taylor is rewarded and worshiped for her white mediocrity and performance activism, never really pressured to perform to the degree other black artists are expected to, or forced to show allyship when it really matters. So for her fans to degrade Beyoncé’s high quality vocals, performance, and production—which has been consistent and improving over the years—and be rightfully told off just to resort to the corny “let’s just celebrate all women” is, in my eyes, the epitome of white feminism.
Taylor’s fans have even admitted that she isn’t the best singer, only marketing herself as a good “songwriter”. Ok, so an artist that can’t sing that well, can’t dance, has easily replicable lyrics we could get from other Indie artists, and has a very specific demographic as her fans is someone to be considered a legend? How is this considered the standard but influential black legends’ work are downplayed and diminished? Why does it hurt swifties to see black women be given their credit? Why does Taylor have to be included in every conversation (I.e the Lizzo situation at the Grammy’s where Taylor Swift fans took Lizzo’s appreciation for Beyoncé as hatred for Taylor or Beyoncé’s success on the renaissance tour being overshadowed by the eras tour). And when called out on this, why do her stans resort back to the fake “just support all women” take?
It’s why I can’t really stand by that one post up here that states we shouldn’t debate over female artists because at the end of the day, “they’re all female artists subjected to the harsh lens of the patriarchy.” That statement ignores the intersectionality present in the topic of female artists’ treatment in the industry. It ignores how the expectations of white female artists more than often than not tend to be different for woc artists. I see the “let’s just all get along” saying as a way to deflect from the valid criticism and complaints people of color have for white artists like Taylor Swift. And considering how Taylor’s online brand is playing victim and being the poor innocent white girl whenever she is called out on something, the behavior her stans exhibit are nothing out of the ordinary.
In summary, I don’t think comparisons between female artists are needed. Especially female artists in entirely different genres of music and style. But I do know a lot white Taylor Swift fans love to play the racism card and then hide behind misogyny to cover their tracks. Once again, something Taylor herself does WELL.
#ask#my first ask in a while and it’s this woman that’s super funny lmao#anti blackness#white mediocrity#beyonce#anti swifties#anti taylor swift#renaissance tour#the eras tour
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Is it just me or have popular sapphic books in SFF gotten kind of bad? There's never been a lot of them, so I should probably be happy to get anything (ha), but the few I've read lately have featured 3/4 of the following elements: purple prose masquerading as lyricism, incoherent worldbuilding that prioritizes style over substance, paper-thin characterization of the FMCs, and war crimes (with no one held accountable, typically - no, but why is "be gay do war crimes" such a thing?).
The way some people talk about sapphic books has gotten weird too. People who only ever read the most generic YA/YA-adjacent fantasy romance see one and go "oooooh" as if they'd ever read anything that isn't an ACOTAR clone. There's this aura of virtue and specialness hanging about, even a shield against criticism of aspects that have nothing to do with the romance. "Oh, you dislike the purple, ahem, baroque prose? How straight culture of you. You might find this more to your liking." *throws the newest Brando Sando"
Also, the relative lack of heat in some (not all) of these books gets talked about as if smut were unclassy and queer ladies too evolved for lowly forms of carnality lol. I hate it!
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I see this complaint often.
Maybe the smaller amount of content magnifies annoying trends that would exist but be avoidable in het romance. Maybe it's all because f/f is constantly held to some radfem-y standard of perfection. Possibly, people haven't looked hard enough for The Good Shit (though having looked some myself, I think, for once, this isn't a major factor).
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Just me loving all over Fire Emblem: Engage
Years after being so thoroughly disappointed and even angered by Fire Emblem: Three Houses — which, it must be said, is deeply popular and incredibly successful because that's how it goes for me — I've found myself loving Fire Emblem: Engage. I put off playing it because the online reception was so "meh," but I needn't have been so worried. My deep affection for the series is back.
Play as Aquafresh OR Pepsi!
The two biggest reasons I'm happy? Well, FIRST, my biggest complaint about Three Houses has been... not cured, unfortunately, but still significantly alleviated. If you want to remain adequately leveled/competitive in taking on strategic battles, you still need to do a bunch of side chores that amount to "running around your home base doing boring shit" between each fight. BUT. 1) The sheer amount of those chores is significantly less now, and 2) all the blind guesswork has been removed from increasing Support levels. You'll never be trying to helplessly guess what to say at some fucking teatime or in some classroom conversation where every response seems valid, nor will be you making your best guess on what food to serve people. Because the game just fucking tells you the kind of gifts or food each person likes! (And tea events/random interstitial convos are blessedly absent.)
SECOND, however? It's the quality of the writing. Yes, I know people have complained a ton about the writing in "Engage," but in my experience, they're primarily complaining because they felt the story is so simplistic. And, sure — I get that. There's so much emotional drama built into the setups of the last three games (Three Houses, Echoes, and Fates) that this tale seems rather bog-standard by comparison. The overarching story of Engage can be boiled down to a tale as old as the franchise itself — essentially "Evil Dragon gonna Do Evil." There are also some aspects of the worldbuilding/subtextual implications that don't quite make sense. But I'm not talking about the overarching plot when I praise the writing here — I'm talking about how the characters possess more detail/facets than usual, and the dialogue/banter between characters is so damn fun.
A woman I feel completely normal about.
I don't even quite know how to explain it. Maybe the humor is just more to my taste, but I've laughed so much more at this one. And by the same token, maybe I'm just digging deeper into these characters because their dialogue is endearing them to me. But after playing the past four games before this one (yes, I started with "Awakening" like some Filthy Casual, I'M SORRY), I don't recall any other game featuring characters with so much detail to them. In Engage, many chracters possess more than the usual "two noteworthy personality traits/talents" that are typically found in FE's enormous casts. I'm talking about people like Citrinne, Lindon, Yunaka, Clanne, Ivy, Gregory... I can easily say like FIVE things about each of them. And yes, I consider this to be an important step forward.
Okay, so: I like the dialogue, I like the characters, I don't like all the side busywork, the overall story is bland. (The Fell Xenalogue's story is kinda sick though?) But hold up, what about the actual MEAT of the game — the core gameplay of having strategic battles? That's not usually a problem, mind you. But how'd it go this time around?
WELL. I'd argue we've got some of the best maps and best ways to optimize characters that we've ever had. There are still some lame straightforward corridors in here, but by and large? You get a lot more freedom in how you lure enemies to you, how you can split up and flank them while simultaneously attacking from the front, how you can now disarm (or "Break") them during one turn so other allies can attack more easily/do more damage — it's pretty rad!
One of the earliest maps to make me go "Oh cool."
There's even a main theme with lyrics, and although it's never gonna be the inescapable earworm that "You are the ocean's gray waves" became, it's not shabby either.
I've put over 80 hours into Engage so far, and although I'm finished with the main story, I'm not yet finished unlocking stuff. There's a lot to love here. I'm just happy to be back.
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maysa monjardim (1936-1977)
* maysa was a brazilian singer-songwriter. born in the city of rio de janeiro in 1936, from a wealthy and traditional family. she spent her childhood years in a mansion, studied in a prestigious boarding catholic school and have always dreamed of being an artist. she was a rebellious teen who liked to smoke and drink in public, use short hair and masculine clothes, things that caused family fights. despite that, she was extremely feminine, well cared and romantic, enjoying writing songs, poems and love letters. she married at 18 with a entrepreneur who has 17 years her senior, he didn't like the fact that his wife wanted to be a singer and not a housewife, she divorced him two years after the marriage and pursued her music career, her first album was a success and she was invited to sing all across the world, including the usa and europe.
* her style was melancholic and histrionic, with songs about love and intense feelings, the genre that her and another women of the time (like angêla maria, dolores duran and nora ney) who sang songs in the same format was called "fossa" something deep and full of suffering and lament, also known as samba-canção, who was inspired by the french chanson, the jazz and the afro-brazilian samba.
* maysa's life was extremely chaotic, marked by many trips and also by many loves, maysa had several relationships, among them, the songwriter ronaldo boscôli who also dated two stars of the brazilian music: elis regina and nara leão. She was also known for her temperamental outbursts, her depressive crises and constant complaints noted in her diary about the loneliness she felt, which were clearly expressed in the lyrics she wrote. she was addicted to alcohol, cigarettes, sleeping pills and amphetamines, had scandals involving fights with her partners, cheating, nudity and mental health issues, she was a person with a strong and sardonic personality, very sharp by standards, but also very humorous and ironic. a lot of her brazilians fans compare her to lana del rey, since both of them wrote songs about feelings, love, desire, suffering and loneliness, were very influenced by the jazz and have tragic and melancholic styles, in addition to both having striking and controversial personalities.
* maysa unfortunately died in 1977, due to a car crash, in the city of niterói, she was not in the effects of alcohol. one of her latest diary entries was:
"Today is November 1976, I am a widow, 40 years old and a single woman. What will the future say?"
* maysa is a amazing brazilian singer whose legacy lasts until today, whether with her authorial songs like ouça, meu mundo caiu, tarde triste, resposta, adeus, felicidade infeliz, diplomacia, bronzes e cristais and o que? or with her covers like ne me quitte pas, dindi, eu sei que vou te amar and l'hymne a l'amour, between many others. she was a amazing and inspiring figure, very ahead of her time and my favorite brazilian singer besides nara leão, i highly recommend her albums ando só numa multidão de amores and convite para ouvir maysa. i think her music is great for those who like jazz, chanson, bossa nova and wants a sprinkle of sadness and melancholy on it.
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Nihilus Rex, Ch. 16: "...and Tragedy"
Pretty sure that title says it all, so I apologize in advance. Please don't kill me!
Co-written and beta-read by @baelpenrose, so he's partially to blame. But he did pick out the song lyrics!
Warnings for racism, hate crimes, off screen deaths of minor characters.
Save yourself a penny for the ferryman
Save yourself and let them suffer
In hope, in love
Mankind works in mysterious ways
Nightwish, “Planet Hell”
Lash
Despite Nils’ earlier errors, the conversation with my parents was going surprisingly well. At some point, Nils had let slip that he didn’t get along with his father, and Baba just let the floodgates open on how hard it was to deal with man. Apparently, Mr. - sorry, DOCTOR - Andover was a complete and utter bastard, even by Baba’s very forgiving standards.
To say Nils and Baba got along was a huge understatement. “Oh no, sir, I’m not offended, everyone knows that he’s a great surgeon and an amazingly mean person. I think there’s a running gag somewhere about not letting him near the patients until after they’ve gone under?”
Baba chuckled - practically a roaring laugh for him - and nodded, knocking one hand on the table. “Yes! The nurses are the only people who are not intimidated, and seeing them physically drag your father away from a patient is often the highlight of my day.”
“It’s probably the highlight of the patient’s day too, they just don’t know it. Trust me, waking up to that frowny, disappointed-Catholic face when you’re already in pain…not ideal.” Nils grinned.
Mama started to say something, but I didn’t hear her as the sound of broken glass made Nils’ head jerk over to one side. “Nils, it’s a cafe. Glasses break all the - “
“Something is burning,” he cut me off. “Chemical burning, not food burning.”
Just as he said that, another crash led to one of the aunties we had been watching earlier jumping up with a scream, beating at the hem of her skirt. Another auntie threw the contents of the nearest cup on it, steam pouring from what had been a burning piece of fabric. Nils stood, yanking me to my feet by my arm. “Start getting everyone out of here,” he demanded. “If you smell gas, find another exit.”
I grabbed my parents first. “Someone is setting the cafe on fire,” I explained. “We need to go. Find an exit that isn’t on fire, and go through there.”
They took off, grabbing people as they went. Usually, Uncle’s shop was wide open, with doors that rolled up rather than windows, but tonight was especially chilly, so most were closed and locked down. Each one I touched was scalding hot, and the only option was one that wasn’t on fire yet but reeked of gasoline. “Lift your skirts!” I shouted, heaving the door up and gesturing people through. “Don’t drag it in the gas!”
Another wash of heat from behind, and I heard Nils shouting something, along with Baba and Mama. Both my parents were determined to help get as many people out as possible: Mama hurling any available liquid on clothes as they caught, Baba carrying older women out and rushing back in for another. Nils had pulled his leather jacket’s sleeves down over his hands and wrenched open one of the latches on the rolling window shutters before shoving it up. Flames roared on the other side, and I saw my father pick someone up and rush through, shielding them from the heat with his own body.
Mama and I took the hint and started yanking cloths from tables and shoving them in a sink full of dirty water, ignoring complaints as we wrapped them around people who could not get out fast enough under their own power. Each one, Baba or Nils would lift and carry out while we found the next, dunking whatever cloth we could in any water we could find. “UNCLE!” I screamed. “You have to get out! UNCLE!”
I couldn’t see him anywhere. “Did Uncle get out!?” I shouted at Baba.
“He is not on the outside,” came the response as a young mother and her baby were wrapped and ushered through the flaming exits.
Smoke started filling my throat, and I dropped to the floor, coughing for cleaner air. Someone pulled at my arm, and I yanked it back without looking. “UNCLE!” I screamed again before another coughing fit.
“We have to get out of here!” Mama was pulling me, Nils was pulling. A blast of fire came from the kitchen as shocking cold, stinking water poured over my head. “NOW, Elakshi!”
Mama and I were ushered out by Nils and his singed leather coat, Baba on the other side. I fell into the cold night air, gasping thirstily for it, as Baba ran back in one last time, shouting something I couldn’t understand. My vision swam as I tried to look around and count faces, desperate to find all of them.
I was still frantically looking for a handful of people - Imran, Uncle, one of the aunties who constantly tittered at me and Nils - when I was shoved to the ground by an unearthly noise. I shoved myself from the ground, hands cutting on the asphalt, to see Mama hit the ground coughing, Nils barely standing and holding up Baba.
“Lash, help!” Nils was coughing. “Press your hand down, here,” He planted a point on my father’s thigh. “Broken glass hit him. Hold it down no matter how much he yells. I have to get a belt off and make a tourniquet or he’s gonna die.”
Hot tears streaked down my face as I did what he told me. Baba groaned, and I pressed down like I was trying to crush his leg into the pavement. Nils ripped Baba’s belt off and tightened it around his leg, hard, twisted it, pinned it there with a pen, hard enough to make Baba shout. “Sorry, hold it here. DO NOT TAKE THIS OFF until the doctors look at it. Please.” His eyes were blazing.
“Check on Mama!” I begged, cranking the tourniquet as tightly as I could, slamming my shoulder into Baba’s chest to both keep him from moving and hide my sobs. “She can’t breathe.”
Nils sprinted over and I couldn’t see what he did, but he seemed to be giving Mama an airway check, then water, and pulled her over towards me, slowly sitting her down away from the fire. “Your dad got the worst of it. Your mom needs oxygen when the medics get here, best I can do is keep her from overexerting in the meantime. Keep her calm. I’ll keep an eye on your dad.”
Frantically, I ran my hands over my mother, checking her for any hidden injuries. I took several slaps to the arms and two directly to the face, but kept checking. When I was satisfied, I turned to Nils and Baba, where Nils was doing the same I had done - pinning Baba to the ground with one shoulder while cranking the tension as tight as possible on the belt around his leg. A smaller explosion within the cafe snapped my head up, and I started running. “UNCLE!” I screamed, still not having seen his face outside the now-burning shop.
A hand darted out and yanked an ankle out from under me, just in time for a lanky, leather-clad leg to pin me down. “I have two horribly burned and wounded Botelhos right now. I do not need a third. You can’t help him. Your mother starts,” he coughed, then finished in a snarl, “screaming she’s gonna die. Her lungs can’t handle that right now. Keep her calm.” Nils' voice was furious, and panicked, but as driven as I’d ever heard it.
I nodded numbly, going to reassure Mama while glancing around frantically. The young mother Baba had practically carried out was bouncing her screaming baby, and my nerves unexpectedly started calming. I don’t know that I had ever been so happy to hear a baby scream so hard in my life, but it was the reality check I needed in that moment. Those of us out here were still alive, by inches or miles, and we had to stay that way to keep the bastards who had done this from winning.
I pulled Mama to a sitting position. “We need to keep everyone calm,” I told her, well aware of what drove her more than anything else. I saw Nils mouth something that could only mean ‘tell her not to start shouting’. “I am going to prop you up where you can keep an eye on Baba, and I am going to bring people who are upset but not hurt. Can you help me keep them calm?”
This woman - my magnificent monument of a mother - looked at me like I had deeply offended her and all my ancestors. “Set me right there,” she gestured to a spot close but in clear line of sight to Baba and Nils, “and bring them to me.”
I did exactly what she asked. As neighbors came down to bring water and blankets, Mama commanded them like a general with her armies so that I could focus on those who were injured and needed more. Even then, Nils would shout what people needed, and Mama would command if someone didn’t listen. Someone would start wailing, looking for a family member who was unaccounted for, and after Mama started coughing, I did my best impression of her.
“It is the living who need us now. We will attend the rest when these are in the hospital.”
Baba was the first to go in an ambulance, with Nils shouting down his objections. “You may have waited too long to save the leg already and I don’t want you throwing a clot. GO!”
Every argument of “damn the leg” was met with an aggressive “you could still die, and then who will make sure the babies stay still for an x-ray”, until Baba surrendered under a murderous glare from the three of us. After that, it was the elderly, burn victims, smoke inhalation victims - a whole new argument from Mama, one which required sedation - and finally those of us who were part of the walking wounded were left to lick our wounds in peace.
“You should go, Lash. Your family’s hurt.”
“I need to call Mori,” I responded before adding lamely, “My sister. In case you didn’t pick up on that. She… she’ll want to know.”
“I can drive if you need. Call on the way.” he paused, then added, “Since the hospital is on the other end of town, it’s…probably better if someone drives you anyway.”
I felt myself falling into my mother’s role, unexpectedly and out of a habit I hadn’t realized I had until now. “The apartment needs to be locked up. I need to do that. And I need to let Uncle’s widow know… she shouldn’t have to hear about this from strangers. Baba and Mama will ask, so I can’t go to them without doing those things.”
Nils looked at me. “Lash. If you don’t want to go yet, if you can’t face it, I won’t make you. But your sister can lock up if she lives with you. Since you’re calling her. And Uncle’s widow is another call you can make. It’s a bit of a drive, it’s on the other end of the city.”
“No,” I cut in. “Mori lives an hour away, with her family. And I don’t know how it works for your family, but I do not want Uncle’s wife hearing this from a stranger. I can - and have - faced what is happening to my parents. But, when they wake up, they will ask these things, and I have lied once today. I will not lie about something so important.” I drew myself as tall as possible and sniffed back a sob. “You may escort me, if you wish, and then drive me to the hospital. Baba is in surgery, and Mama is in triage, so I can do nothing for them right now. But I can do the right thing for other people.”
Nils looked at me for a long moment, then he nodded. “Come on, then. Call your sister on the way to meeting with Uncle’s widow. We’ll tell her first.”
His phone started ringing, and he glanced at it and hung up. I only barely made out that his father had called him. “Come on. Let’s make sure you tell who you need to tell.”
#nihilus rex#afterverse#prequel#traumatized characters#the miys#arcadian inquisition#original fiction#science fiction#original writing#original science fiction#writeblr#modern dystopia
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Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of A Seventh Son (REQUEST)
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (hereafter shortened to just Seventh Son because wow is that long) is Iron Maiden's seventh studio album, inspired by the novel Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card, which was in turn inspired by the folklore concept of the Seventh Son, who, in an unbroken line of sons, is destined to inherit mystical abilities. The abilities vary on different tellings, such as clairvoyance, supernatural healing, or even ailments like lycanthropy or vampirism.
Seventh Son is Iron Maiden's most successful steps into power metal, a soaring and esoteric concept album following the titular seventh son of a seventh son. There's a wide variety of sounds and atmospheres in the tracklist, which really helps the feel of an epic quest, or a life of significance. This one comes with a special kind of difficulty in reviewing, because I need to pay close attention to the lyrics to follow the story.
We'll get into that more below the cut.
TRACK 1 - MOONCHILD
We don't really get any time to acclimate before Seventh Son dives straight into its themes and overall vibe. The lyrics are roundabout with a general aesthetic of "lots of occult words," and allegedly come directly from Satan himself. He accosts the mother of the Seventh Son, promising her he'll make her child serve him. The synth line after an acoustic opening very quickly sets our tone as a power metal epic, and everything to come in after that just keeps elevating the sound. There's a minute and a half of mostly just sound before the main melody and lyrics come in, and it adds a special something to the scale of the story.
Excellent introduction to the world and sounds, just alright as a song. The synth opening is the best part, but the solo's good too. 7/10.
TRACK 2 - INFINITE DREAMS
This is our first song from the Seventh Son (the first one) himself, recounting the torment he feels from his clairvoyant dreams. As is customary with power metal concept albums, no two songs blend together; the tone and scene of Infinite Dreams is a much more intimate and proggy experience next to Moonchild. This song very nearly lost a ton of points purely by virtue of putting "unbeliever" and "neither" in consecutive lines, but not pronouncing them with the same inflection on the ie-ei syllables. That one hurt my feelings.
Every part of this one is a treat, even with that glaring issue. 9/10. The guitar never stops moving, and never rests on the same feeling for any prolonged time.
TRACK 3 - CAN I PLAY WITH MADNESS
This one feels most like your standard late 80s heavy metal, with a lot of major chords and hopeful tones. The Seventh Son (still the first one) visits a prophet to inquire about the impending birth of his seventh son, but he's not really saying anything decipherable. My personal theory is that what he sees in his crystal ball is incomprehensible, and impossible to communicate beyond "yeah, dude, you're going to hell."
I'll always have a soft spot for that nostalgic late 80s heavy metal sound I grew up on, 8/10.
TRACK 4 - THE EVIL THAT MEN DO
Like I said before, no power metal epic has two songs that start the same. The Evil That Men Do has a slow, ambling intro, with some of the most evocative playing on the record. The song is about God and the Devil both wanting to claim the child as their servant on earth for his powers, hence the lines about balancing on a razor's edge. This has some of the best lyricism on the album, and is arguably the most immediately "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" track, if that makes sense.
Bonus points for the Shakespeare quotes. 8/10
TRACK 5 - SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON
Lo, the miraculous cataclysm of his birth is upon us! Title track! As a power metal record, there's an obligation for at least one nine minute song with very few lyrics of substance. This isn't a complaint, it's a staple of the genre and I'm glad it's a thing. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son marks a turning point, both in the story and in the structure of the record itself - we've just passed the halfway point out of our eight songs. The chugging guitar and powerful vocals do well to communicate the air of significance this song holds in the story.
This is probably higher than it should be. Favourite solo on the album at the end of the third minute, saving it from receiving a 5 or lower. 7/10
TRACK 6 - THE PROPHECY
The title here bothers me, because the first, like, three songs were also a prophecy. That being said, this one's different! The Seventh Son (of the Seventh Son) manifests his supernatural abilities, and foresees a disaster coming for the village. The intro solo is awesome, and another one comes in after the first chorus. By the start of the second verse, it's clear this solo was representing/happening in conjunction with the disaster he prophesized. The second verse is his true realization that his abilities are a curse, not a blessing.
Thematically great, but the sound isn't anything to write home about outside of the intro. 4/10
TRACK 7 - THE CLAIRVOYANT
The Seventh Son can now control his visions, and is a fully-fledged seer. It seems that Iron Maiden have foregone the traditional legends about the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son as a healer in favour of clairvoyance, which is much less prominent but still has its foundations in folk concepts. This song has an ironic tinge to it, with the general concept being that for all his power and insight, the Seventh Son can't foresee his own death. This foreshadowing doesn't really set anything up, though.
The sound is occasionally great, but it's aimless. The tone and style change frequently, and without warning. This should have been multiple songs. 3/10
TRACK 8 - ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG
The Son realizes that his service will stay thankless, and for every prediction he makes, he'll receive only more blame from the village. He's foreseen more calamities, and he knows he can stop them, but to do so would mean a great sacrifice. The title here alludes to his decision in this song; he'll die young, but only if he stays good. He leaves the village behind to live a life of indulgence and comfort, presumably never using his abilities again. The good in him died young, and his sinful and selfish side carries on living. The song closes off with the same mantra the album opens with.
I suppose that's our answer to the argument at the start of the album, about whether he'll be claimed by God or by The Devil. 6/10
RETROSPECTIVE
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son has a lot of great ideas, but the execution is a little rough around the edges. The story is prioritized over the sound, and the album as a whole suffers for it. Investment in the story is a lot harder when songs like The Clairvoyant are a slog to listen through. The highs are very high, but the lows are genuinely difficult to sit through on their own. I can and will listen to a lot of this album again, but the songs that don't hit really don't hit.
If you're interested in the story, I'd just recommend reading the lyrics over listening to the album the whole way through. It's more good than bad, but the bad is really hard to look past, unfortunately. I'm still comfortable giving it a 7/10 for the opening half, but I can't see it going any higher than that. This hurts me more than it hurts you, Seventh Son. I really want to love this record!
#7/10#music#album review#request#iron maiden#heavy metal#power metal#concept album#seventh son of a seventh son
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Pretty Series song reviews: Get music!
Song
I love this song. It might not be the most impressive thing the Pretty Series has ever put out, but, but... the instrumentals. I think that it's very well put together.
The intro with the strings and bass drum immediately creates a magnificent and invigorating feeling worthy of a character like Bell. It's so good I almost want it to be longer, but having it be any longer would just cheapen it. The instrumental part with the violin sounds elegant and evil. And the part where the theremin (?) comes in sounds really nice, too – slightly odd, but also perfectly fitting somehow, and it made me fall in love with the song even more.
Of course, with this being a relatively standard Pretty Rhythm song, the instrumentals are quite simple compared to the songs that appear in newer series. They also aren't tweaked too much to sound varied or realistic – the beat is very consistent, the violin has no traces of that signature screechy quality, etc. But honestly, the song doesn't need anything more. It's fine the way it is: an addicting pop song with a smooth quality.
Since I'm really sensitive to sounds, most songs – even songs I like – have at least one part I find irritating and just have to grit my teeth through. But Get music! has none of that. I like every single part of this song. Nothing in it hurts my ears. But it's also not boring. And that's why I ended up listening to this song on in full, on repeat, at least 7 times. (Not in a row, though.)
Vocals
I don't know why people never mention Bell when talking about Pretty Series girls with deep voices. Bell's voice is amazingly deep and mature.
Her vocals are VERY smooth, strong and stable. But they're almost too stable, to the point where they lack expression. It would've been nice if she did something expressive... singing softly for a moment, or singing something in a rough way, just anything... but she never does. Even if it's boring, it suits Bell's character as a perfectionist. She needed everything she did to be perfect, even if imperfection would be more interesting.
Lyrics
Again, they suit Bell's perfectionism very well. There's a sort of brutal sense of optimism... a sense of running down a path and refusing to ever turn back no matter how painful it is. It's very much the mindset of someone who would do anything to win.
Choreography
It's a dynamic and energetic dance that's fun to watch and looks like it would be fun to do. There are a few parts where there's a bit too much action, or the movements are too busy compared to the song, but you know, it kind of works. It's still on-beat, even if the beats aren't strong. Oh yeah, and the part where she dabs, lol. She was three whole years ahead of the trend.
Visuals
I love how the sparks fly and the camera starts moving when the beat drops. Very impactful.
Her first outfit and final outfit suit the song perfectly, but I'm not sure about her second outfit, the pink one with the hat. At the very least, it's not wildly unfitting.
My only complaint, which is a big complaint, is that they did NOT have to do that with the angles. Though I do love when she performs in her Seventh Coord and the angles stop looking creepy because the outfit design just doesn't allow it. Also, the spins looks really good in that dress.
Good points: Nice instrumentals
Bad points: Vocals lack variation
Rating: I think most people would probably only say 7/10?
Personal rating: 8.5/10
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Album Review:
Veteran (JPEGMAFIA, 2018)
(First Listen)
Veteran was Peggy's "breakout" album, so to speak. The annoying and pretentious "experimental hip-hop" crowd heralds it as an "essential" album up there with the likes of The Money Store and Yeezus. If you can't tell by the subtext, I don't really like those guys. But given my growing interest in JPEGMAFIA, I figured I'd finally cave in to them and give Veteran a shot.
I'll start by talking about the highlight of Veteran, by far; the production. The production is very non-standard, but also varied. In some tracks it is loud and off putting, but in others it is more reserved, quiet, and even close to being normal. 1539 is the most digestible production on Veteran, which almost feels like Peggy deliberately trolling anyone not familiar with him. What follows this intro however is anything but digestible, with ridiculous beats like Thug Tears, Rainbow Six (sampling Best Cry Ever? What??), Baby I'm Bleeding and Dayum, and I just love the approach Peggy took with the production on this album. It's weird, it's nonsensical a lot of the time, and it's great. The beats on Veteran make it special to me.
I don't normally talk about sequencing, but that is one of my few complaints with Veteran. Outside of 1539, which felt quite deliberately placed as the album's first track, nothing else feels like it was placed with any real care in mind. Is this inherently bad? Not in this case, but it is a personal peeve of mine, and I'd prefer if the sequencing was a little more thoughtful.
Let's talk about Peggy. Peggy spends 80% of Veteran (and to be honest, all his music) talking shit, and when he's not talking shit, he's probably bragging about something or flexing the fact that he's 26 with no children. The targets of his insults range from the alt-right, domestic abusers and Donald Trump to NeoGAF, gentrification and neoliberalism. Nothing is safe from Peggy's disses, and while some of them come off as hypocritical in light of recent events, they're still rather funny to listen to. JPEG's unique brand of chronically online bullshit adds character to all of his music, though I feel as if it's strongest and most evident on this album.
While I prefer AMHAC, Veteran is still a very strong showing from Peggy that I enjoyed quite a lot. The production shines through and through and Peggy's stupid-ass lyrics are oddly charming. I really like Veteran! (But those "experimental hip-hop" people are still annoying)
1539 N. Calvert - 8/10
Real N*** - 9/10
Thug Tears - 9/10
Dayum - 7/10
Baby I'm Bleeding - 9/10
My Thoughts On Neogaf Dying - 7/10
Rock N Roll Is Dead - 8/10
DD Form 214 - 8/10
Germs - 8/10
Libtard Anthem - 8/10
😱 - 8/10
DJ Snitch Bitch Interlude - 7/10
Whole Foods - 9/10
Macaulay Culkin - 7/10
Williamsburg - 8/10
I Cannot Fucking Wait Until Morrissey Dies - 7/10
Rainbow Six - 8/10
1488 - 7/10
Curb Stomp - 9/10
Favorite Song: Thug Tears
Album Score: 7.9/10
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A New Jersey judge is under investigation for posting TikTok videos of himself lip-syncing to songs with profanity, graphic sexual references and racist terms.
In some videos, Judge Gary Wilcox is also seen in his judicial robes, according to the state's Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct.
The complaint says the judge's conduct "brought disrepute to the judiciary".
His lawyer said the music was by "mainstream performers".
Superior Court Judge Wilcox, who has been practising law in the state since 1989, allegedly posted to TikTok under the alias "Sal Tortorella".
The account, which reportedly garnered some 100 followers, appears to have been taken down.
Among the videos cited in the complaint are those that show Mr Wilcox in his judicial robes and partially dressed while lying in bed.
In one post, it says, the 59-year-old walks through the courthouse in a Beavis and Butt-Head T-shirt while the song Get Down by Nas, based on the trial of two black men, plays in the background.
Two other posts singled out in the complaint allegedly show the judge in his chambers, pretending to burn cash to the tune of Sure Thing by Miguel and mouthing the racy lyrics of Jump by Rihanna.
It says that in another post, the suited judge - with his law books visible behind him - allegedly lip-synced along to an unidentified song with the words: "You think you can run up on me and whip my monkey [expletive]? Come on. Come on!"
"By his conduct in posting these and similar videos to TikTok, [Judge Wilcox] exhibited poor judgment and demonstrated disrespect for the Judiciary and an inability to conform to the high standards of conduct expected of judges," the complaint reads.
It goes on to allege at least three violations of the state's code of judicial conduct.
Judge Wilcox's attorney, Robert Hille, did not immediately respond to the BBC's request for comment, but told the New York Times: "I don't think that at the end of the day anybody is going to believe there was any desire to do any harm here."
"These are mainstream performers," he added. "This is music that's out there in the public. And clearly it elicits a different response depending on who is listening."
Mr Hille said he is reviewing the complaint and will file a response.
Pending an investigation, the Advisory Committee may choose to dismiss the complaint, privately or publicly discipline the judge, or file formal charges against him. Forms of discipline include censure and removal from the bench.
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the title of this make it sound like he was producing klan content or mra shit
Among the videos referenced are one in which he walks through the halls of Bergen County Courthouse wearing a Beavis and Butt-Head T-shirt while Get Down by Nas is playing.
Many other videos contained him lip-syncing to explicit rap songs.
He's lip syncing rap music, that's the complaint
“The song contains explicit lyrics concerning a criminal case and a courtroom shooting as well as derogatory and discriminatory terms, drug and gang references, and the killing of a doctor in a hospital who treated another gang member,” the complaint says.
@chrisdornerfanclub @meanmisscharles @karpad
this is the judge who's behavior is objectionable
“By his conduct in posting these and similar videos to TikTok, (Wilcox) exhibited poor judgment and demonstrated disrespect for the Judiciary and an inability to conform to the high standards of conduct expected of judges,” the complaint stated.
not the multiple open bigots and various creeps, the rap lyric tiktok guy
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Can you maybe (only if you want to) rank Taylor’s albums and maybe also explain why you’d rank them like that?
oh okay ill try
evermore - my beloved, i love how every single song has such a strong identity if that makes sense. like there's this common debate that evermore is the better album but folklore has better songs? i think folklore has a strong identity as an album but the songs dont as much as evermore. every song is so unique and lives in it's own world and i LOVE taylors voice with real instruments and her storytelling is peaked here.
folklore - everything that i said about evermore basically but slightly less. i love the vibes she was able to capture and the whole album paints such a picture- i've always felt like taylor is at her strongest when she's doing something new and this being such a new place for her (genre and writing wise) shows how refreshed she must have felt.
speak now - the most dramatic, messy and honest album in my opinion. its so late teens/early 20s to me in terms of subject matter and i love when she uses some rock influence in her songs and theres so much guitar in this album i love it. also the fact that it's entirely self written insane.
1989 - a modern classic. this also strengthens my theory that taylor is at her strongest when she's doing something new and challenging. i cant believe the first time she tried pop she came out with style, ootw, blank space, etc.... like wtf. the lyrics arent as poetic as one would hope but there still good and very impressive.
fearless - my baby. there's just something so bittersweet about this album and it's so solid. there's not a lot i would cut (from the standard version... vault tracks are different) and its so wholesome and full of whimsy. i love the production on it too, i think it works with her voice so so well and it's aged beautifully.
midnights - okay heres the thing, every criticism ive seen about this album makes sense and i agree but for some reason after seeing it live... idk i like it a lot. there definitely are skips and i get why people were just unimpressed truly... but some of the songs are so insanely catchy and i like the way her voice sounds... cant explain it.
red - i think this album is really good when you're in a certain place in your life or a certain mood, it's not an everyday album for me. i think it has some of her best ballads/slow songs but the upbeat ones lack for me. the best ones are holy ground and state of grace tbh. plus with how long red tv is... it's a bit overwhelming.
debut - she's cute but she could be improved upon and it's her first album so we can cut her some slack, i love iomwiwy, tim mcgraw, picture to burn, should've said no, our song, etc. she has standouts she's nice.
reputation - this is where we go into the negatives outway the positives. this production is way too much for me, like i said her voice sounds it's best with real instruments underneath is to me- so this really fake manufactured production just doesnt work. it also aged sooo badly to me. this album live is a different story tbh but recorded it's just not my fav. when she's performing it live she adds real instruments and im praying that she does that with the rerecording because it helps so much. the only songs i would literally die for her not to change is lwymmd, dress, so it does, and ready for it. i think dont blame me is so overrated and dont understand why people love it.... im sorry. it's so basic to me... we've seen the whole 'your live is my drug' this so often and the production is basic too... i feel like anyone could be singing it.
lover - my god what this album could have been. this has some of her best and some of her worst. my list of complaints is long. i dont like the production- same reasons as reputation, way too fake and clunky. some of the lyrics are.... wild. the setlist is strange, i would cut like 4 songs tbh. i love cruel summer, inthaf, sygb, lover, london boy and false god.
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another Itzy album, another Red review, so hi, welcome, buckle up for--
Born To Be Album Review
Born To Be
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Starting off the album with a loud, brash, gut-punching anthem. Fanfares to herald their arrival, and explosive vocals to as boots hit the ground.
I'm going to be honest, before this album, I was going to have a bone to pick with how Itzy arranged an album. Kpop in general had me nitpicking people who tastefully put together and arranged their songs on an album so I could enjoy them from start to finish without shuffling, and those who just made good songs and threw them together. (Note to the reader: my general standard has become Stray Kids in the kpop world of album arranging) But then! Itzy released this! And this is how you open an album-- comparable to Megaverse and Hall of Fame and Cheese by Skz opening up and setting the stage for what to expect from an album, Born To Be boldly and powerfully sets Itzy's standard of self-confidence and power. Lyrically, the first listen had me a little critical of the English lyrics, but it's grown on me in the way Itzy has always been upfront and blunt about who they are and the message they're trying to send. I will listen to "aespa concept copying" only to say that this is reminiscent of their debut era choreo, that's grown and modified styling from an era that aespa has left. Itzy's dance styles have always caught my attention, because individually they've got such complex skills and talents, and they sacrifice that individuality (like most members in a group do-- we hear more often about artists having a "group" vocal tone and an individual vocal tone) for a strict, angular, stiffer group movement. Watching the interview done with the choreographer, it was satisfying to hear him say that he often makes choreos and then has to modify them for the group's skills, but Itzy has such a strong dance base that he was able to flush the choreo out to his contentment. Do I love the choreo? For a dance on it's own, not particularly, but as a performance? Damn, I watched every stage, it was larger than life and powerful, and those high kicks O.O XD
Untouchable
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She took the sultry beat of I Want That by gidle and made it a Boots Are Made For Walking, chin held high backtrack, while also maintaining a cladenstine spy operation, that's the only way I can describe this track.
One complaint before I begin-- why do all my favorite titles from Itzy feel like they have the least amount of plot T-T Cheshire and Untouchable, my loves, I LOVE YOU MORE.
NOW COMPLAINT ASIDE-- WHAT A BOP. This is Itzy listening to "Aw, I miss the old Itzy" and smashing them in the face with power concepts. I was worried they might just re-hash a Japanese release, and take from that musical plot they were developing, but no, they took their darker concept and made it sound like it was coming from a matured Itzy. The vocals, the harmonies (that they sing live *chefs kiss), and production, all lean into a dance group that's confident in what they're doing. A note to "I miss the old Itzy"-- the back and forth between the summer fun concepts and the darker mature winter concepts are precisely the "Old Itzy" for a developed group. They can't go back to making fun kids dance songs, because this wave of kpop standom wouldn't stand for it (I say as I look over at my lovely StayC, going strong in releasing music for the fun enjoyers. keep at it girls T-T). They've separated their image into the two fundamental pillars that make them up, and honestly, they're doing it well. Even against my own complaint-- the mv highlights their stage presence and dance movement as a group, and focuses on cementing their confidence, both lyrically and visually. (Also. I adore their dresses in their solo sets and shots. *chefs kiss*) (Also also, cannot wait to see what Lia brings to the song when she returns!)
Mr. Vampire
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[Inhales deeply] [Screams]
An afternoon high tea even in the 21st centry, off the shoulder dresses, straightened hair pinned up, winking over your shoulder, the siren luring the sailor in broad daylight.
I am discovering that I absolutely adore Itzy's growth in this genre they've carved for themselves, of softer, summer breeze type songs. Yes, Ryujin as a vocalist slays, absolutely, but also could hear Lia's fingerprints ghosting my mind in ever part of this. This track instantly became my None of my Business for the season, it's absolute perfection. Yeji mentioned how she didn't know how all their voices would meld cohesively in a track like this, and was surprised at how well it turned out and YES. There's something about this that highlights their voices and even cheeky, alluring tones individually, and together make it sound like an even richer track. Love! Adore! Claimed! (This is mine, everyone else back off, I own this track now XD)
Dynamite
Itzy's debut era b-sides reborn! "What I want" has a sister! My "noisy" music enjoyers, this is a stage sparkler, a flare you dance with at a night party, neons at a party. And all the way through, an Itzy club and workout bop.
Crown On My Head (Yeji)
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"Someone said I'm like a leopard / Hell yeah, I'm untameable, I'm born to be wild."
Crawling, pouncing, claws, but also gritty in wiping the blood from your cheek with the back of your hand, tying your sweaty hair from your face, and cackling in the middle of a volcano.
Yeji and a rock song are just fitting. Her voice and vocal style just complement a harder song so well, and this track really leaned into her strengths. Lyrically and visually, this felt like Itzy Yeji meeting a middle ground with all her solo projects, and feeling the firey core she has an artist. Lyrically it definitely felt like a template Itzy song in just stating what it is and wants to tell you and accomplish, but it lends itself to the image and message Yeji puts forward.
"Even though I hit a barrier / I'm not afraid, be bold, ay / I know my way / Got no limit, I go straight, ay"
Blossom (Lia)
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"How was I like? / How was I like? / How was I, How was I, How was I like? / We weren't alike / We weren't alik / We weren't a- We weren't a- We weren't alike"
A spring greenhouse, dewy and sparkling in the morning, where a young heiress hides and talks to the little creatures that give her the time of day to dream.
"Hunched up, curled up / Even if I endure everything without blooming / It's not late, not late to give me love / I'd love to be a flower too"
Going to be honest, lyrically, this made me so sad when I first heard it. Maybe because it was fresh off Lia announcing her hiatus personally, but there was something raw and crying out in the lyrics, that made me think she could use this hiatus as a way to leave the group, and if she did, I would have been happy for her and her freedom of being held under the critical microscope that's followed Itzy and burned her for not fitting an image of the group that people have come to expect. But since the album's release and the firm assurance of her return from the Itzy members, it's felt hopeful and quietly reflective. It's lyrically soaked in doubt that's given way to patience, and the imagery it brings is so fitting to the image Lia puts for herself vocally and visually in her collab and cover projects. I was expecting more of an RnB track, but as the only track with her voice on this album in an era she's completely hidden from public speculation, it's a little like gems hewn into stone, and a soft breeze on a wild field, and makes me await her return all the more hopefully. The vocalist solo album of a group always holds the highest expectations for me, and I think Lia will not only exceed them, but bring a sound to kpop that we don't hear enough. Girly's set to be on the same level as Taeyeon in my head, idk yall.
"Cause I really want, I really want / I truly want to be blooming"
"Actually the words I wanted to hear / 'You're beautiful'"
Run Away (Ryujin)
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"It flew like the cigarette smoke / There will be nothing left, as if it was a dream."
The anti-hero to her own story, the grey morally complex character who spirals into a descent of madness that everyone sees coming, a trainwreck no one looks away from, because despite it all, you're still rooting for her.
It wouldn't have been a Ryujin solo without her actress side bursting through, as it does in everything she does, and it burst through in an array of splattering oil paints. While the English lyrics it opens with come off a little cringey, she follows in the shoes of several western artists and through her lyrics, paints a very distinct and vivid picture. The complicated story of taking the fall for a relationship that's doomed, but also making the main character all the more soaked into the image of a "bad" girlfriend-- Ryujin nailed it. The track also draws out the absolute best in her voice. We don't hear the lower voices sing much in kpop, and to hear her range and the emotions she's able to trill between in the bridge is absolutely skillful. While she lacks the refinement of experience, she pulls powerfully from the getgo, and makes me excited about where she'll take her solo projects as they unfurl.
"If you're afraid, I will be the villain / If you really can't say it, you can blame it on me"
Mine (Chaeryeong)
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"I've been looking for somebody / like you / I circle around you again and again / All of my attention / will always find you / I circle around you again and again"
A doomed and haunted mansion, candelabras and crystal chandeliers, and a playful corpse bride laughing at you through ornate mirrors and little hand watches.
The people have spoken that Chaeryeong is Sunmi's daughter, and I'm inclined to agree. I was expecting something a little cutesier for Chaeryeong voice and taste (hello number one SNSD fangirl XD), so the sound of this track came out unexpected and out of left field to me, but then paired with her AOTM image and the alluring innocence of her voice, the track brings out something in her character that still feels like the Chaeryeong we've known and watched grow from Kpop star. The quality of her voice and the way it melds and echoes off itself are enchanting and charming. Cute, in an unexpected way.
"Forever mine, already mine / Just say it / du-du-bi, du-bi, da / Forever mine, already mine / Not a secret, du-du-bi-di, du-bi-di, du, la-la"
Yet, But (Yuna)
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"Nothing matters, it's all about ya / Flawless, that's what you are / I mean, maybe you don't know yet, but / Not yet, huh"
Bursting bubble pop, a bright encouraging fairy in the mirror, skipping through the mall in a cute outfit and a pep band behind your back, and glittering diamonds in your hair, eyes, and smile.
" After passing through the painful times / (No matter, no matter what they say) / I’m waiting for your perfect time, ooh / Oh, hot like a fever!"
I want to know if Yuna had creative direction for her mv. I need to know. Because from first watch, girlie is READY for a solo career, I swear-- and I'm sorry, but she was the last person I expected, but she really burst in and filled the space! We already knew she was Nayeon's baby, but HOT DAMN POP! DIED AND WAS REBORN IN YET, BUT XD This solo preserves everything we know and love about Yuna and bursts out in confident joy I was afraid kpop standom had killed in her. It's talking into the mirror to herself, and to all the girlies who are stumbling in doubt in the places she's been already. Learning "not yet but" was a wordplay, on korean "I'm pretty," and then the fifty-eight cuts of a diamond-- lyricism was just the cherry on top. Everything, from her pop voice, to her cute and fun visual aethetic, to the simply complex lyrics themselves, everything is bubble pop perfection! I love! Well done Shin Yuna!
"Fifty-eight ways to shine / For you who will meet your most perfect time / Not, not yet, but"
Escalator
Another debut era and Checkmate bside cousin, we're literally riding the Dalla Dalla escalator in darker leather and those big kpop stomper boots. And maybe some nice big shades. With the cute sparkles on the sides. Leveling up in a video game, the popular trendy girl winking as she passes by.
On a whole, the promoted three songs absolutely hit expectations, and the solos exceeded and made me excited for their upcoming touring schedule and whatever lies ahead of them. I wished they would've pulled a Twice in the way they handled Lia's hiatus, but I can imagine the strain was truly too much for her to not even record her voice in the title and bsides and not have a small feature in the mvs. I wonder if they'll perhaps recosider their promotion schedule and not go back to back to back (Korean-Japanese-Korean comebacks, it was mentioned they prepared for Born to Be right after Cake promotions ended) in the second half of the year like they have been, and perhaps pacing themselves out a little more? But however they do it, I am listening, and await their growth musically as individual artists and a group as a whole.
Lingering final thoughts on Itzy-- I have been hearing a lot of hate for JYP and Div 2 and whatever people and the girls say about management, the thought hasn't left me about how much less protection and promotion they would get if they left, and how they would probably not be signed together anyway, and Got7 hasn't taught me much, but they've made me hope Itzy doesn't get discouraged and scared off to leave the company. Not renewing is as good as disbandment, it seems. Like with Twice, I hope they're able to get themselves more satisfactory contracts, maybe... but we'll see!
Anywho, if anyone listens or has thoughts on the album, I would love to chat! January is looking to be Quite the comeback month, and I eagerly all the music for the upcoming semester :3
#Youtube#Spotify#red's week in music#red's thoughts#red's album dissections#red's album listen-thru#itzy born to be
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Interview with Kazuki (ザアザア)
"The part-time experience that destroyed my wrong belief that I'm not good at communicating with people"
Artists of the visual kei genre, captivating day and night with exquisite melodies. They've come a long way before they appear on stage in front of us. In this series we will talk about the experiences that usually remain behind the scenes.
True to their concept, ザアザアcontinues to attract a loyal audience. Vocalist Kazuki, known for his emotional, soul-searching performances and who writes the band's lyrics, gave us an interview in which he talked about his experience working part-time. We asked him about his earliest part-time jobs in his hometown and his life-changing encounters in Osaka.
“In my first part-time job, I learned standard greetings and the importance of taking notes.”
Int: What kind of part-time jobs have you had?
Kazuki: In chronological order, it's working in a fast food cafe, sorting side dishes, in a family restaurant, in a clothing store, and in a second hand shop.
Int: Why did you choose a fast food cafe as your first part-time job?
Kazuki: I started moonlighting because I needed money to live on. At that time, I just thought about the fact that I liked the food from this cafe, nothing more (laughs). I came in as a kitchen worker and worked for about two years. But in general, in any part-time job I had, I worked for more than a year.
Int: This was your first social experience. What were your impressions?
Kazuki: I had almost no etiquette, so I got scolded a lot. I couldn't even say 'good morning' properly, they were teaching me about life (smiles sadly). Other than that, however, they didn't point my wrongs out much, and all in all, I think it was a good experience.
Int: Not like at school or at home, right?
Kazuki: Yeah. Also, that's where I got used to writing everything down. At first , when they showed me what my tasks would be, I just nodded along, but I didn't remember anything (laughs). From then on, at every part-time job, I wrote everything down.
Int: Do you have any memories of this cafe?
Kazuki: It was like an endless battle with time. I tried desperately not to keep anyone waiting for me. However, gradually my efficiency increased, and I was glad that I learned to cook quickly.
Int: After that, you got busy sorting out the side dishes.
Kazuki: Garnishes from large cardboard boxes were distributed to the stores. The work started at 4 a.m., so the night rate (before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m.) was higher. During that period, I combined my job as a sorter with working in the family restaurant.
Int: Was it hard?
Kazuki: I also started activities in my first group at that time. I worked as a sorter in the morning from 4 to 8 in the morning, then there was a short break and from 11 until late in the evening I worked in the restaurant. There were times, from about 7 p.m. me and my band would have rehearsals. We had to live on something, plus the studio and recording cost a lot.
Working in a restaurant, I've learned the pros and cons of the restaurant business
Int: At the family restaurant, did you also work in the kitchen?
Kazuki: I was a waiter there.
Int: And you couldn't say hello either? (laughs)
Kazuki: I learned at the cafe (laughs). However, since it was my first encounter with the restaurant business, a certain communication ability was needed. I became more conscious of how I speak and how I look when I come into contact with people.
For example, if a complaint comes from a customer, at first I would just say 'excuse me' in a monotone, but when I started to put feelings into it, the way I said it and even my facial expression started to change. I was learning how to make contact with people in practice.
Int: After that, you moved from Kochi Prefecture to Osaka, right?
Kazuki: Yes. In Osaka, I wanted to do something I liked, and since I liked clothes, I went to work in a clothing store and second hand from the beginning. I loved working in a family restaurant, and I thought I would go to a place like that again. It's true that in the clothes shop I found it hard to talk to people again.
Int: You give the impression of someone who is afraid of strangers.
Kazuki: Rather, I'm almost not interested in people (smiles sadly). That's why it's hard for me to come out of my shell right away in private. However, when it was necessary for work, receiving visitors and communicating with them worked well for me. I never thought I would be good at it, but it happened thanks to working in a restaurant.
Int: You're not going back to square one?
Kazuki: If that happens, I start talking very quietly and quickly. Really, it doesn't have any effect on the actions, so usually no one notices anything. Even now, if I'm talking really fast during a concert, that's it (laughs).
That period when my part-time job was more important in my life than the band's activity was hard, but it created a spirit of resistance in me.
Int: What was it like at the second hand?
Kazuki: I was in the garment receiving and selling business. I liked to look at things there and sometimes buy myself something at a discount for employees.
Int: Even then, the activities at ザアザア became your main focus. Wasn't it difficult?
Kazuki: I wasn't resting, of course, but it was as it should be. It's true that during that period when moonlighting came to the forefront of my life, I also thought, "I'm working for the band, but what am I doing now anyway?" To put those thoughts aside, I tried to think positively, and the fact that I've nurtured a spirit of resistance in that way is really great.
A colleague from a second hand shop made costumes for Xaa Xaa in a short time.
Int: Were there any special introductions you had to part-time jobs?
Kazuki: During that period when I was working in a second hand shop, I became friends with a colleague who was into alterations of clothes. She helped make the costumes for "コワイクワイ".
Int: What was it like?
Kazuki: She was telling me about wanting to open her own clothing store one day. I talked about my band. When I started complaining about costume problems, she said: "If I can teach you something, tell me, I'll do it."
We needed costumes for the music video shoot, but because there was very little time, she was always nagging me (laughs). In three weeks, right at work, she made the costumes for all the participants. Usually it costs a lot of money to make costumes, so I was eternally grateful to her for her help. When I was able to show her the clip, she was very happy for us.
Int: What did you do with the other clips?
Kazuki: At first, I made the costumes myself. That girl taught me how to use a sewing machine. We'd buy classic costumes, and I'd alter them and re-stitch the sleeves to varying degrees.
Int: Did your interest in clothes increase at that time?
Kazuki: All my thoughts are invariably about music. I think that even five minutes of it can move me to tears.
Int: What a beautiful point of view. What other expenses have you had related to music?
Kazuki: I cut my living expenses for a month to buy a 50,000 yen microphone. I remember wanting a certain model, but there were so many different ones in the music store that I still needed the help of a salesman (laughs).
The most important thing is the relationship with people. Comfortable is the communication in which both are attentive to each other.
Int: In each of your part-time jobs you have worked for at least a year. What do you think is the most important thing for working so long?
Kazuki: Relationships with people. What kind of people are around is much more important than the essence of the job being done. Subordination is important, but when people shout at you "Do as I say", it's not very nice (laughs). And also with "do please" and "try". Especially good team was in a family restaurant. There I wasn't afraid to ask questions when I didn't understand. There were also times when I diligently chose words in conversation to demonstrate a good attitude. In any situation it is important to be attentive to each other in the first place. A sincere thank you can change the mood of the person you are talking to.
Int: What do you think was good about your part-time job?
Kazuki: Reflecting on it now, I remember being really happy when I was thanked for what I was doing. I was getting a direct response to my actions.
Int: To some extent, you get direct reactions to your actions at concerts too, don't you? (laughs)
Kazuki: Indeed (laughs) If the concert is good, you can see it in the faces of the audience. Just like if you serve a customer in a restaurant well, he will smile and thank you. There are similarities in that respect, indeed.
Int: Finally, give some advice to those who are about to start a part-time job.
Kazuki: You can make a lot of new acquaintances through part-time work. I think there are great girls and guys out there too. So have a great time at work!
Int: You decided to talk about dating girls? (laughs)
Kazuki: Well yeah (laughs). There was a time, I was unrequitedly in love with a girl at work, but we didn't communicate much (laughs). Anyway, acquaintances, of course, will be. And in my case my part-time job helped me learn how to communicate with people, which is a plus somehow.
#xaaxaa#xaa xaa#xaaxaa translation#ザアザア#kazuki#reiya#haruga#an#visual kei#visual kei translation#interviews
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Source: the Citrus College Clarion, 21 April 1988
Les Miserables, the enormously successful musical play based on the classic novel by Victor Hugo, is coming to Los Angeles. It promises to revitalize the interest of jaded theatergoers with a big stage, big story, big score production that harkens both to the past and the future.
I recently saw the Broadway version during the Citrus Springtime New York Theater Tour. If the Los Angeles production approaches the overall quality of the New York show, it should enjoy a very long run.
Les Miserables is the story, familiar to high school students nearly everywhere, [was it really?] of Jean Val Jean, [almost] a French citizen who goes to prison for stealing a loaf of bread, escapes and starts a new life only to be pursued by a relentless detective.
Set during the French Revolution, [no] the story has a majestic historical sweep, depicting the plight of the lower classes in the midst of social upheaval. It offers a gleaming ray of hope, a dramatic commentary on the indomitable resiliency of the human spirit.
The novel Les Miserables, at first thought seems an unlikely subject for a musical. Dark and somber [I mean yes but not how I would describe it at all], it portrays heartbreaking situations of imprisonment, poverty, injustice and oppression.
However, as adapted for the stage by Frenchmen Alain Boubil [sic] and Claude-Michael Schonberg, Les Mis sets new standards for musical drama that lesser efforts can only dream of.
The musical is remarkably faithful to the text. Almost all the intricacies and subtleties of both plot and characterization are kept intact; [how can you just say that if you’ve never read the book?] no small feat when transforming a historical saga to musical entertainment.
The entire story is told in song, with the musical score by Schonberg and English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. The technique that Kretzmer uses, an original and stunningly creative method of setting such a complex story to verse, is brilliant.
As for the musical score, I have some reservations. Not being schooled in opera, I was not particularly enthralled by the melodies which in many places seemed repetitive and monotone.
I imagine that fans of opera will be entranced by the score, but as a Southern Californian raised on the unforgettable tunes of Gershwin and Porter, I was slightly disappointed to leave the theater without really remembering any one melody line as totally memorable.
That minor complaint pales, however, when measured to the astonishment and genuine awe that I felt for the sets, costumes and makeup. Seemingly produced on an unlimited budget, the sets designed by John Napier were as spectacular and extravagant as anything ever seen since the days of Cecile B. Demille.
The stage itself seemed as large as a soccer field and included a revolving center that was nearly full stage width. It was used with marvelous effect to symbolize the passage of time with its many slow revolutions.
The enormous scale of the barricade set, nearly three stories tall, was truly breathtaking as it was slowly lowered onto the stage, a two-story jumble of logs, timbers, wagons and debris that served as a centerpiece for the peasant’s battle against the soldiers.
The sewer scene was particularly imaginative, giving the illusion of rapidly swirling water without a drop actually used.
The costumes by Andreane Neofitou were equally extravagant and theatrical. Their authenticity and variety made the passage of time and the growth of the characterizations completely believable.
To appreciate the makeup, one had only to look at the program and realize that the entire cast bore very little resemblance to their stage characters.
From a technical standpoint it is hard to imagine that it could have been done any better.
The singing, dancing and acting were equally impressive. The entire cast maintained energy, conviction and utter professionalism throughout. It was an ensemble show and any faults that the cast had were invisible to my prying eyes.
One performance deserves special mention. Gary Morris as Jean Val Jean gave a stunning performance, keeping the drama, tension and tenderness at the perfect level. The excellence of his voice, his control and projection, show why his talents are in great demand.
One problem that American playgoers may have with Les Mis is its length. At three hours and 15 minutes running time, it is substantially longer than the comfortable endurance of many patrons. Les Mis is never boring but verges on being trying. Some judicial cuts could make this fine show even finer.
Currently Les Mis is being staged in London, New York, Toykyo, Tel Aviv and Buda-pest. Productions are being scheduled for Los Angeles, Boston, Paris, Madrid, Ankara, Copenhagen, Toronto and South America.
The play is an international success with a universal theme: man’s spirit will prevail. Doesn’t that alone make it worth the ticket price?
by Ron Secor Entertainment Editor
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