#Audio Antihero

[bandcampsnoop]

12/19/23.

Today is the 9th anniversary of this blog. There are over 2600 posts to peruse. Better get cracking.

I think I first heard Frog (New York, New York) on November 11, 2023. I immediately bought the CD and posted. Their S/T CD from 2013 suddenly was one of my favorite releases of all time. Every single song is stunning. Apparently, Frog has been building a following over the past several years. I don't think Dan (now joined by his brother Steve) Bateman ever stopped making music, they've just been receiving more attention. I mean, Pitchfork reviewed "Grog" in early December. They mentioned that David Berman (Silver Jews) was a huge fan and even wrote Dan a letter.

"Grog" is the newest release via Audio Antihero. And while this collection of songs didn't hit me as quickly as their S/T, I have no doubt this will be a favorite soon. Pavement and The Flaming Lips are still clear touchstones. This batch of songs are more traditional in length.

One thing I appreciate about Frog is that they're not shy about letting us into their family lives. Look at that young kid holding the CD - the pride in holding onto Dad's talent. So cool.

[reyaudsworld]

One of my favorite photos from the Frog concert this summer.

Immediately following the conclusion of their last performance (which happened to be "Wish Upon a Bar," a song I had specifically asked for), my partner guided me toward the exit, reminding me of our limited time before our train departure. As we head towards the stairs, I happened to glance upward and spotted Danny and Tom together. I came to a halt and captured this moment. It was the flawless conclusion to an unforgettable evening.

[innovacancy]

Frog Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA 28 June 2024

[schroettner]

song of the day: “extraordinary times” by my best unbeaten brother. file under: alternative, indie rock, lo-fi rock.

[putschki1969]

YKL vol.#20～Japanese Seal 20th Special～ Kanagawa Performance Broadcast

2024.06.09 Kanagawa・Kenmin Hall The second concert of this year's Yuki Kajiura live tour was broadcast last night on TBS Channel 1. The tour is titled “Special Japanese Seal” referring to the fact that no Japanese songs are performed. This exclusion does not apply to the encore section. User 蓝原延珠_ on Bilibili kindly provided their recording of the broadcast, you can watch it HERE. I was only able to download a 720p version (~1GB) of it but for the time being, it will do. I am eager to watch it and write a little report. Hopefully an HQ version will pop up in a few days. Without further ado, let's get going〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

overture〜アンチヒーロー〜Main Theme〜: Right off the bat, I'm noticing that the audio is quite dull and maybe even slightly tinny? Might be the specific recording but it's probably more a matter of the TV broadcasts generally having bad audio. That was clearly noticeable when you compared the Kaji Fes TV broadcast to the BD release. Anyway, we are off to a great start. Glad to see rito and Lino on stage from the get-go and not just for a couple of songs here and there. It always feels a bit awkward for them to have the status of "regular" members but only appearing on stage sporadically. I haven't listened to any songs from the Antihero soundtrack so this is all new to me. Classic YK, the type of song I will always gravitate towards. Beautiful harmonies. Enjoying the slight whine in Eri's voice, so emotional. Love when the epic part starts and you can hear an entire chorus in the background (maybe a bit too much studio magic going on here but I don't mind for grand sections like that). Must have been a real goosebumps moment at the live.

the four rings: Wow, this one is so good. Don't think I've heard it before. Not too familiar with the Heaven’s Feel OST tbh. Really getting goosebumps now. Although I will say that here, the post-editing is a bit overbearing, it seems to almost drown out the vocals of our songstresses. Don't get me wrong, it still sounds amazing and I am enjoying the hell out of it but I wonder how it was like at the venue (with presumably less studio magic). With six singers on stage, they can certainly achieve some powerful choral work but of course it would still pale in comparison to a larger choir. Nonetheless, this is an instant favourite. Hope they will perform it during the Asia tour leg. Although I kinda doubt it since they said that the setlist would be very different. But who knows, it's Fate/stay night so it's probably among the more-likely pieces to be performed among Yuki's huge repertoire. My guess is that they will stick to the most popular anime stuff because they know that will get the audience excited.

absolute configuration: Perfect transition. Never getting tired of this song. And I'm glad we are back to a more natural sound with less studio magic. Solid performance as always.

E.G.O: Have they ever performed this live for a home video release? I don't think so. It was included in one of the live complication albums (Fictionjunction 2010-2013) but I don't recall ever watching a live performance. I have to admit that I haven't even listened to the live audio track, must have dismissed it when I first got the album. I can understand why because it's not really my type of song. It's not bad but not my favourite either. Very old-school YK so that's fun. And there are a couple of nice Keiko parts, that's always a treat.

キッチン革命〜Main Theme〜: A completely new track from one of Yuki's most recent works. Definitely a perfect fit for a show called "Kitchen Revolution" XD Especially the percussion at the beginning. The harmony between Yuriko, Lino and rito works really well, they sound good together. Other than that, it probably won't become one of my favourite songs. Generally not a huge fan of Yuriko as main vocalist. No one does those gorgeous operatic higher harmonies like her but when the spotlight is on her, it's typically not my cup of tea.

voyagers: As far as I know, we only have the studio version and live audio from the compilation album as reference. No official live footage. The song has never really stuck out to me, it is okay but it's a bit too derivative of much better tracks from Yuki. Will keep it short so I don't trigger anyone. But it's definitely one of those songs where I prefer the version with Wakana. Joelle's vocals don't do anything for me here. But since I am not super invested in the song anyway, I can't say I care much.

Historia: opening theme: Beautiful rendition. Love that they brought all six vocalists back on stage for this. Naturally, I'm quite fond of Wakana's version once again (not least of all because this song will always have a connection to Kalafina) but Yuriko does a fanstatic job of singing her parts, admittedly, she has much better control so her voice sounds very crisp and lovely. Joelle provides great support here and their voices blend well together.

forest: Never been a fan. I didn’t like it when Wakana sang it and I don’t like it now that Joelle sings it. It’s not a bad song at all and Joelle sounds fine to me but it’s just not my cup of tea. Next.

My long forgotten cloistered sleep: Now THIS on the other hand I have always loved. I still remember everyone hating Wakana's live version during YKL Vol.#9 but I enjoy it quite a lot. It's true that it's probably not the best she has ever sounded but her vocals here certainly don't warrant all the nasty comments she has received throughout the years for that performance. Of course, I am also obsessed with that WaKei combo!! And you know me, I have a weakness for "lalala"s so this has definitely always been among my favourite YKL songs. As for this performance, I think both Wakana and Joelle are trying are little too hard to emulate Emily Bindiger's timbre. I personally don't think Emily Bindiger has a particularly nice voice so if anyone tries to sound like her, it's always a slight downgrade in my opinion. I'll just say this, if you are one of the people who say that Wakana sounds like a chipmunk in her version, you'll have to say the same thing about Joelle(¬_¬) Long story short, I don't mind this version with Joelle and Keiko. Still very enjoyable. Will definitely be listening to it on repeat.

I swear: Probably one of my least favourite Keiko songs but this is a decent performance. I might even like this more than some of the previous live rendition since it's a bit more delicate(?) I think.

fiction: Another song I could live without…The chorus is solid but it's not one of those songs I'd ever actively listen to.

I reach for the sun: Forever sad that they made Joelle the lead of this song. Keiko does a better job in my opinion and I like the song quite a bit more than "I swear". Overall, the English section has probably been the weakest so far, at least for me. I actually ended up fast-forwarding through most of it.

MC: This MC is quite interesting since Yuki asks her singers to share a story of something they are taking a break from right now. To explain the background of this question, it's a reference to the title of this year's tour: Nihongo Fuin = Japanese Seal ("fuin" basically means to seal up something. You are excluding it/taking a break from it/quitting it/etc). Lino says that despite being a huge lover of the sea, she has been taking a break from going to the beach and swimming in the sea during this summer because it might affect her voice negatively. Yuki has a funny response to that because she says that most of her songs have never really had a summer vibe and actually don't work very well in a summer atmosphere but for some reason, they have ended up always holding their annual tour during the summer time. Keiko has stopped drinking her beloved lattes for the past three months to prioritise her water intake. Gladly, she has overcome the worst parts of quitting already and is getting used to water. Yuki admired her stoic nature. Yuriko would typically refrain from certain things in preparation for a live tour but this year she has completely forgotten about that. About two weeks ago, she decided to quit ice-cream but she only did it half-hardheartedly because it was so hot that she ended up eating it anyway. So yeah, this is a big fail and it's really a "story of NOT taking a break from something" XD Joelle has stopped waking up early. Usually, she is the type to rise together with the sun but in order to increase her sleeping hours, she will wake up later when she is on tour. A restful sleep will help her body heal up and improve her voice. rito has quit chewing gum (and stopped eating certain chewy foods such as squid) because it's bad for your jaw and facial muscles. Kaori has taken a break from watching the drama "Anithero" (for which YK is composing music, the main theme having been performed as the intro of this live). Seems like the song is haunting her a bit too much and the story is getting to her. So once the tour is over and she is no longer singing the song, she will have an easier time watching the episodes. Yuki agrees that the main theme is quite haunting. Especially when she hears one of the singers rehearsing in the dressing-room right before a performance. Eri doesn't really have anything to tell the audience but she and Yuki briefly talk about the difficulties of learning so many songs with coined words.

Gaia: Wow, what a lovely song. Instant like. Really adore Eri here!! Such gorgeous high notes.

Credens justitiam: What a great team-up with Keiko, Eri, Yuriko and Joelle. Eri sounds great together here with Keiko. Does Yuriko sound a bit off here? I don't know. Not 100% into some of her parts.

hepatica: First time actively listening to this song. Very beautiful and tender. I feel like some of Yuki's KnK work might have been inspired by this song. Some parts immediately made me think of "Seventh Heaven".

godsibb: Waaah! Yes!! Always a joy to listen to this song. Glad everyone is on stage for a powerful finale.

Alone: I knew I would love this Pandora Hearts medley. I always do and this one is no exception. Flawless start.

Bloody rabbit: Some squeaky parts at the beginning but overall, solid.

Contractor: OBSESSED. One word. Perfection. There's a reason this is the performance I'm using for this post. I'm forever a slave to Keiko's solo part XD. Also, Eri is such a queen here! So cool!

zodiacal sign: This is the song where you can really tell that they are taking great care of Kaori's condition. No strenuous movements at all. How funny is it to see Rie joining the girls in their little dance?! Cute!! Super fun performance as always.

open your heart: Ughh, I do not like this song at all. They did "Sweet Song"/"paradise regained" for most of the other performances. Would have killed to get either of those two instead of "open your heart". Obviously, "Sweet Song" would have been perfect. From what I heard, the final concert with Kaori in July had an amazing and heart-warming performance of "Sweet Song".

En.Prologue〜このとほかやわらかい: Wish I could grow to love this song. It deserves my love, I know it. But I just can't get into it. But hey, it's a cool performance, I can't deny that. During her solos, Kaori sounds a bit nasal in my opinion. Nothing that takes away from the performance but it's certainly noticeable (throughout the live to be honest - at least during the few songs where she has a substantial solo part. I think you can also hear it during the main MC. Either she had a minor cold that day or it's just a symptom of her pregnancy. Lowered nasal resonance is actually a very common thing for pregnant women.)

En.Parade: Beautiful. No notes.

En.蒼穹のファンファーレ: Solid. Not a huge fan of the song though.

[wingdingdaddy]

batman the audio adventures is my new fav thing. batman sounds so corny ok. i can’t. it’s perfect. and it’s so modernized. miss tuesday is so gen z asjbjdnnwnwnkssnskn

catwoman is incredible she’s such an antihero i love everything about her her her voice actor is perfect she’s such a femme fatale and you can’t even SEE her

riddler sounds like merle from twd

im almost done w season 1

[lorepossum]

Against the World by Escaped Audios is so tonally batshit but I have literally NEVER seen a superhero series of any kind replicate the exact feeling of playing one of my favorite superhero themed tabletop roleplaying games so perfectly so for that (and many other reasons) I adore it.

Like… fr, barring the amount of the straight up murder… Against the World is basically just like listening to a game of Masks. (The only reason there ISN’T murder in Masks is because you’re playing teenage Heros/antiheroes). The tonal shifts make sense to me because every Masks game I have ever been in has been like this.

[brokehorrorfan]

Tod Browning's Sideshow Shockers will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 17 via The Criterion Collection. The set collects three films directed by Tod Browning: Freaks, The Unknown, and The Mystic.

Freaks (also known as The Monster Story, Forbidden Love, and Nature's Mistake) is a 1932 horror film written by Willis Goldbeck and Leon Gordon. Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova, and Roscoe Ates star.

The Unknown is a 1927 silent horror film written by Waldemar Young. Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry, Joan Crawford, and Nick De Ruiz star.

The Mystic is a 1925 silent drama film written by Browning and Young. Aileen Pringle, Conway Tearle, and Mitchell Lewis star.

Freaks has been digitally restored in 2K with uncompressed monaural sound. The Unknown has been digitally reconstructed and restored in 2K with a new score by composer Philip Carli. The Mystic has been digitally restored in 2K with a new score by composer Dean Hurley.

Raphael Geroni designed the cover art. Special features are detailed below.

Special features:

Freaks audio commentary by film scholar David J. Skal

The Unknown audio commentary by film scholar David J. Skal

The Mystic introduction by film scholar David J. Skal

Interview with author Megan Abbott about director Tod Browning and pre-Code horror (new)

Freaks archival documentary

"Spurs" - Reading of Tod Robbins' short story on which Freaks is based

Freaks prolgue, added to the film in 1947

Freaks alternate endings featurette

Freaks portrait video glalery

Essay by film critic Farran Smith Nehme

The most transgressive film produced by a major American studio in the 1930s, Tod Browning’s crowning achievement has haunted the margins of cinema for nearly one hundred years. An unforgettable cast of real-life sideshow performers portray the entertainers in a traveling circus who, shunned by mainstream society, live according to their own code—one of radical acceptance for the fellow oppressed and, as the show’s beautiful but cruel trapeze artist learns, of terrifying retribution for those who cross them. Received with revulsion by viewers upon its initial release, Freaks effectively ended Browning’s career but can now be seen for what it is: an audacious cry for understanding and a singular experience of nightmarish, almost avant-garde power.

The most celebrated and exquisitely perverse of the many collaborations between Tod Browning and his legendary leading man Lon Chaney, The Unknown features a wrenchingly physical performance from “the Man of a Thousand Faces” as the armless Spanish knife thrower Alonzo (he flings daggers with his feet) whose dastardly infatuation with his beautiful assistant (Joan Crawford)—a woman, it just so happens, who cannot bear to be touched by the hands of any man—drives him to unspeakable extremes. Sadomasochistic obsession, deception, murder, disfigurement, and a spectacular Grand Guignol climax—Browning wrings every last frisson from the lurid premise.

A fantastically atmospheric but rarely seen missing link in the development of Tod Browning’s artistry, set amid his favored milieu of shadowy sideshows and clever criminals, The Mystic provides a striking showcase for silent-era diva Aileen Pringle, who sports a series of memorably outré looks (courtesy of art-deco designer Erté) as Zara, a phony psychic in a Hungarian carnival who, under the guidance of a Svengali-like con man (Conway Tearle), crashes—and proceeds to swindle—American high society. Browning’s fascination with the weird is on full display in the eerie séance sequences, while his subversive moral ambiguity extends surprising sympathy to even the most seemingly irredeemable of antiheroes.

[regretisstoredintheme]

Hello! Can I be so humble as to request 2k12 Donatello with a gn villain/antihero reader who is really good with tech. Sorta like Reagan Ridley from inside job, if you know what that is?

Thank you in advance and have a amazing day/night!

Cruisin on down Main Street, you’re rel— HMMM???? 

What’s this??

*snatches paper*

“Hello! Can I be so humble as to request 2k12 Donatello with a gn villain/antihero reader who is really good with tech. Sorta like Reagan Ridley from inside job, if you know what that is? 

Thank you in advance and have a amazing day/night! “

A/N: Hello, humble anon! Why of course!! I love writing 2k12 ;) and might I add I hope you have an amazing day/night too!!

-

Donnie x Villian/Antihero!Reader Whos good with tech 

Warnings(?): Donnie being the “wabadubadubaduba” audio, mention of the situation with Leo and Karai (no, I don’t ship it), and I have seen the character but not Inside Job, itself. So if you meant personality-wise I��m so sorry ���😭 I did my best.

-

Donnie didn’t have many flaws, the thought. 

One was hiding his feelings, and the other was handling stress. 

You, my dear, just happen to push at every button he has.

With how tech-savvy you are, he didn’t even try not to nerd out over you.

That was until his brothers scolded asked him to stop

If you take an interest in him/target him with your tech, he starts freaking out, begging for backup from his brothers 

He can’t stop overanalyzing the situation because of the stress

Blabbers about you nonstop once they defeat/escape you, talking about how he has to figure you out because you “won’t give up.”

Someone mentions him acting like how Leo acted with Karai.

BOY DID THAT GET HIM CRANKY

Hes yelling at them and won’t stop denying it until he’s like “here I’ll prove  you wrong!” And he draws a ven diagram of the differences.

As he’s writing it out, he realizes— 

There isn’t a lot of differences. 

There are big ones, like Karai literally being their sister, but not a lot of them. 

Leo suggests that since Karai realized her error, maybe Donnie should try to convince you!

Donnie mouths off to him about how the only reason Karai was good was because she was living a lie. 

Don storms off and Leo just watches him leave like o_o ( he turns to Mikey like “what did I say?” 

Donnie leaves the lair in a huff, and unfortunately for him, runs into you. 

After a thrilling battle, (him evading your tech while trying not to freak out about it) he starts off some banter, indirectly getting to know you— the brain he so desperately wants to pick.

Without thinking, he slips in a comment asking about why you would want to be corrupt with a brain like yours.

His reaction is different based on what you say.

If you ignore him with a sort of falter and try to change the topic, his interest is immediately piqued, he’s full of curiosity, now. There’s nothing stopping him from evading attacks when he knows you have something he wants. He shoves away the idea of his brothers teasing him over doing what Leo did, and just focuses on getting you to talk. 

If you give a chaotic neutral response, (“why not?” Etc.) He’s barely evading your attacks, trying to yell at you the millions of reasons he just came up with on the spot. Any way you evade his argument just makes him angrier, and eventually, he smoke bombs away, entering the lair even angrier than when he left it. 

Later when they fight you, he’s just trying to get it over with. He will deny the fascination he has with you and your tech, but inside he knows he wants to know more. Your banter throws him off, making some attacks hit him a lot easier, and eventually, he starts feeling a little warm in the face when he hears you talk

“I’m telling you, sensei. Everytime I think the shock factor will wear off, It just keeps giving me more symptoms!” He rants to Splinter, who knew exactly what had happened. “It seems to me, Donatello,” he muses, a hand to his beard, “It is a fracture in your mind. You should meditate on it.”

Splinter knows damn well what is going on, but doesn’t want to encourage “fraternizing with the enemy,” espECIALLY if that enemy shows little to no remorse for what they do. 

Donatello doesn’t know what else to do, so he listens. 

He sits, and he takes deep breaths, and he thinks about you and can’t seem to calm that fluttering ‘anger’ in his chest. 

You twisted him up inside, and it pissed. him. off. 

“Focus.. I just gotta focus!” 

—

A/N: HI! I hope this was something like what you wanted— I feel like its not as good as my other ones— but then again I don’t know 2012 as well as rise- not to mention i dont know Donnie that well either 😭 I did my best I hope it’s up to your expectations, you wonderful anon!!

[natequarter]

would love for a romana iii story where she isn't the antihero/straight up villain president of gallifrey. to be clear i am not against this characterisation (romana ii does this. often) i would just really like romana back in the gallifrey audios and for romana iii to feel like a natural successor to romana's core heroic traits

[steelbluehome]

I really wish they would stop saying that Thunderbolts is Marvel's Suicide Squad. Without knowing much about Thunderbolts, I can tell that there are significant differences!

Forbes

Marvel’s New ‘Thunderbolts’ Trailer Is Actually Fantastic

By Paul Tassi

For reasons that remain totally inexplicable to me, Disney decided to wait a full month after a leaked copy of the first Thunderbolts trailer from SDCC circulated around the internet before finally putting the real one online.

The first trailer for Thunderbolts lets you now hear the actual audio and see it in more than 180p quality, and it is excellent, though how the film performs without true marquis heroes remains to be seen. But in the current state of the MCU, an genuinely great movie would go along way.

Thunderbolts will function as a sort of variation of DC’s Suicide Squad, minus the bombs in everyone’s heads. The roster we see in the trailer is:

Yelena Belova

Red Guardian

Bucky Barnes

Ghost

Taskmaster

US Agent

While the film may gloss over the finer points of their origins, to get the full backstory set-up here you should probably watch:

Black Widow

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Every Captain America movie

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Disney has said they want viewers to need less backstory to watch new entries but uh, here, not so much maybe. The idea here is that these “bad guy” antiheroes are being assembled to take on a greater threat, which in this instance will be Sentry played by Lewis Pullman after Steven Yeun dropped out of the part. They are corralled by Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, who has served as a sort of mirror world Nick Fury to assemble these team across a few projects now.

The film looks funny to be sure, but the action? The sequence where Yelena throws a knife and it bounces through everyone before making its way back to her is excellent. The same for every time we see Bucky in action.

The trailer very much positions Florence Pugh’s Yelena as the lead, which is probably a good idea since…Florence Pugh is amazing. Sebastian Stan’s Bucky looks to be a secondary lead before his storyline runs into theirs, but I think Yelena will still ultimately be running the team. Ghost and Taskmaster have both gotten questionable costume redesigns, and I have questions about who this Taskmaster actually is, given the events of Black Widow. I wonder if that will end up being a meaningful reveal.

I do not know how this movie will perform when Marvel’s box office is so all over the place these days, and this does not have Spider-Man, Deadpool or Wolverine in it. But if it’s good, that’s all I care about and this trailer does in fact look very good, and it seems most fans agree. Thunderbolts arrives in May 2025

[bandcampsnoop]

11/11/23.

Another day, another amazing release. Frog's S/T release must have escaped a lot of people, because there are still 5 CDs left from the original pressing. Frog are a New York, New York band and this CD was originally issued on Monkfish Records and now is being handled by Frog's new label, Audio Antihero.

Listening to "Jesus Song" and "Rubbernecking" made me think of what Pavement might have sounded like if they were weirder. I mean this is definitely indie rock, but sometimes this has a country feel, and at other times it rocks hard but without a typical song structure to keep you knowing what's coming next.

This also recalls Chronophage, Danielson, Pere Ubu and maybe Meat Puppets. One more...the vocals remind me of Jason Cassidy's work in The Party and Viking Skate Country. You can kind of tell I'm all over the place. Listen to this.

[reyaudsworld]

Frog

8-11-23

The Broadway, Brooklyn

[innovacancy]

Frog Warehouse XI, Somerville, MA 16 March 2024

[authorofcelesti]

More animatic ideas I don't have the skill for

Pitiful children-be more chill, ESMP2 Sculk plot (Cub, Shelby, Bratwurst)

Antihero-Taylor Swift, DL!Pearl

It tough to be a God-Road to El Dorado, ESMP2!Joel, Bdubs, and Pearl

People will say we're in love-Oklahoma, Shubble and Wilbur

Bonus:

Say hi buddy audio from tik tok, Impulse and Gem getting Grian to do the back of his base

[thiefpodcast]

Why aren’t you subscribed to and listening to “THE THIEF” yet?

You listen to full-cast audio originals, right? You like Downton Abbey, right? You like roguish low fantasy, right? You like antihero assassin heroines, right?