#Audio Antihero

[bandcampsnoop]

2/2/25.

I really think, especially now, it's important to celebrate and acknowledge happy times. I'm smiling as I listen to the two songs off the new offering from New York's Frog, "1000 Variations on the Same Song". Daniel and Steve Bateman are back (fairly quickly) after 2023's "Grog". I'm also going to get the chance to see them soon - March 23 at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco.

Few bands have enthralled me like Frog over the past 3 years. Some of there songs literally make me stop what I'm doing and pay complete attention. PItchfork called them alt-country. I couldn't disagree more. Yes, sometimes there songs employ banjos and acoustic guitars. And Bateman's wordplay can remind one of Townes Van Zandt, but come on.

To me, they have a very unique sound. I think they are in the universe of Animal Collective, Pavement and The Flaming Lips.

Audio Antihero is releasing this. This label, with yeoman efforts from Jamie Halliday, keeps churning out consistently great music. Check out Ciao Malz (unfortunately no physical release) - has a Mega Bog feel to it.

[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.

[natequarter]

Me on a date: The Sarah Jane Adventures lures you in with a closed-off and paranoid single woman living alone who slowly opens up to her much younger friends in an obvious parallel to the Doctor, particularly the Third Doctor (alone and miserable on Earth, which she cannot leave, unwilling to open up to her friends but slowly coaxed out of her shell); Sarah is the protagonist of The Sarah Jane Adventures, but she is not its hero. We see hints at her trauma, emotional repression, and paranoia over the course of the show; she repeatedly lies to her charges, to the point where they essentially have to stalk her to keep track of her, and she’s fundamentally incapable of relating to ‘average’ people, because she never really adapted back to life on Earth, emotionally or psychologically, and never learnt to grieve. All of this is a compelling, if implicit, storyline on its own, but it hits much harder if you’ve listened to the Big Finish audio series Sarah Jane Smith, in which Sarah is explicitly depicted as an antihero who willingly and recklessly endangers herself and her friends because she’s miserable without the adrenaline of danger and saving the world. Her heroics more often than not cause more harm than good; she cuts herself off from her friends just to solve mysteries (to the point it puts her life at risk), she throws herself into situations that nearly kill her multiple times, and many people die because of her intervention, some of them innocent. The only way she can rationalise the Doctor leaving her to herself is that there was some higher purpose. The artifice of prophecy pervades the entire series; time and time again it becomes clear that any instance of ‘coincidence’ or ‘fate’ are actually down to the machinations of time travel, Sarah, or the cult that has dedicated itself to fulfilling its doomsday predictions. Sarah in The Sarah Jane Adventures is an obvious Doctor stand-in for the narrative, but in Sarah Jane Smith it goes further than that: Sarah embraces his manipulative behaviour, his darker side, his tricks and bluffs. She pretends to be blind to outwit her enemies. She defeats her enemies through words and kills a villain through intentional inaction. At one point she’s forced into a moral dilemma reminiscent of the conflicts that the Doctor faces, where she must choose between the lives of thousands of innocent Londoners and her friend. In the end, it’s no question to her; she chooses to let her friend die. She’s willing to let both her friends die, if it comes down to it—and one of them ultimately does. Sarah is an unusual character; unlike most ex-companions, she’s fundamentally incapable of readjusting to normal life, and has pretty explicitly spent her life since leaving the Doctor isolated, miserable, and in constant peril. But she also doesn’t fit in with the companions who ultimately meet their doom travelling with the Doctor; unlike, say, Clara Oswald, she’s given the chance to back out before it’s too late, and she takes it. But it’s clear that she never recovered from leaving the Doctor, because the Doctor’s lifestyle is the only thing that makes her feel like life is worth living. Sarah Jane Smith clearly portrays Sarah as someone transformed by the Doctor into the Doctor. But this is not a good thing, and the series occupies itself with deconstructing the damaging psychological effect the Doctor has on both people in general and Sarah specifically—Sarah is not a nice person. She is not a better person for having known the Doctor; in fact it’s only made her worse. She’s a danger to the people around her. She’s irrational and obsessed with getting what she wants to the exception of all else. She’s sometimes outright cruel. It’s a fascinating play on a usually much kinder (if imperfect) character, and personally, I love it.

My date: What the hell?

[jollyhunter]

⚝ "Well, what we have here is a failure to communicate. 'Cause we're not trapped out here with you. You're trapped out here with us." ⚝ 𝕎𝕖𝕝𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕪 𝕙𝕦𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣'𝕤 𝕓𝕦𝕣𝕣𝕠𝕨 ♡ Jolly │ she/her │ 29 │ Taurus │ INFJ │ friendly, joyful, helpful, curious, anxious and silly yapping lass

Currently I write mostly for Jensen Ackles characters │ Dean, Beau, Soldier Boy │ (fluff, smut, fun, angst) I post 18+ content │MDNI !

Requests are currently: Closed (You can still hit me with an idea though! I just don't have the time to write them atm as I'm fully invested in finishing the advent calendar challenge and planning two series)

Inbox is: Open! Talk or yap or just drop in, I don't bite and love to make new friends! 🦊 Need a moment? Take a nap in the backseat of Baby while Dean and Sam are in the front seats; talking, listening to music and singing ♡ (The music will start to play later, around 8mins... little... interactive surprise there for ya...👀)

✩ 𝔽𝕒𝕟𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕤 MASTERLIST ✩

Dean Winchester (x fem!reader │established relationship) Morning Petting ⚝ │( Smut, fluff │ One shot │Words 1,700 ) Thanksgiving Part 1 - Part 2 ⚝ │Dean Winchester at your family Thanksgiving ( Fluff, tiny bit smut│Imagines ) CURRENTLY ONGOING Kinky Advent Calendar Masterlist ⚝ │Dean and you are in a longterm relationship and try spicing up your sex life throughout December ( Smut, fluff, fun │ Series │ 16 / 24 parts )

Dean's Birthday Prompt-Game (No Deadline, Open for anyone!) ⚝ │Imagine, it. It's Dean's birthday and it's just you, Dean and Sam. On the road. You sleeping in the backseats, the rain's soothing pitter-patter, Dean's music playing in the background, Baby purring under your feet. ( Prompt / Imagine│Audio Intro! )

The Bad Wolf & The Sweet Vixen ⚝ │BadWolf!Dean x SweetVixen!Reader ( Vixen!Reader Intro / Drabble, smut │Words 1,200)

Beau Arlen / Dean Winchester The Broken Circle ⚝ │ ( Beau!Dean x Hunter!Reader │ AU "Supernatural" x "Big Sky" crossover, set after S15 of SPN │ Angst, Tissue material │Words ~4k │ One Shot Thanks so much for all the positive feedback! A sequel is planned ♡ )

Soldier Boy - The Boys

Project Ground Zero (INTRO) ⚝ │You’re an A-class supe. A Russian high value asset. And you’re anything but a hero ( Soldier Boy x Antihero!Reader │ Canon (as good as possible), set around season 3 │ Action, Plot, Enemies to lovers? │Planned as Series )

✩ ℂ.𝕒𝕚 MASTERLIST ✩

Dean Winchester Your PTSD therapy partner [ClosedOff!Dean] ⚝ │ Dean's forced to go to therapy for his PTSD and nightmares about his time in Hell. And he hates it. But then you're introduced as his therapy partner. Can you gain his trust? Your first night at the bunker [Comfort!Dean and Civillian!User] ⚝ │ The boys take you in after a demon possessed your father and killed your entire family trying to get to you. You have nothing left, the demon's still after you and nightmares plague your sleep. For now, the bunker is your new home. The images of your dead family keep you sleepless tonight, so you sneak out to the bunker's kitchen - where you bump into Dean. (He'll make you hot cocao ♡) Family Christmas dinner [Bf!Dean] ⚝ │Dean picks you up for your family Christmas dinner to join you as your partner! (fluff, flirty and sweet - roughly inspired by this imagine)

🥧 NEW! 🥧 BIRTHDAY SPECIAL 🍰 │ Be his birthday fling..? 💝 [Pre season 1 Dean!] 🍰 │ A rainy birthday on the road ⛈️ [Season 4 Dean!] Tangerine - Bullet Train Rivalry Team [Hitman!User - Mission / Flirty] ⚝ │ You're riding shotgun while Tan's driving through the traffic of Tokyo, looking for your target. So far everything's gone sideways, which led to you two getting teamed up to get the bloody job done, even though you are rivals.

Open for requests! ⚝ │ I love to create detailed bots lol, just hit me with an idea!

Do not steal, use, copy or repost any of my content, whether bots or fanfics or artwork etc. done by me, please. My hellhound will find you and hunt you down.

✩ Tidbits about me ✩

⚝ My Jolly vixen core 🦊 ⚝ I’m relatively new to writing fanfiction, and English is not my native language, so I’m still learning! I’m always open for writing buddies or just sharing and discussing ideas or ya know, yapping about SPN or The Boys etc. !!

⚝ Likes: foxes (my spirit animal ♡), rain, oldtimers, 70s/80s rock, cozy lights (candles and fairy lights ufff), pine trees, lore and monsters ⚝ Fav Themes: fluff, smut, funfiction, angst, action and found family, comfort (is that a theme?)

⚝ Main Fandoms: Supernatural, MCU, The Boys, maybe a little Top Gun / Maverick and Bullet Train 'cuz I won't ever let go of those movies / characters

⚝ Fav Movies / Series: SPN, MCU, The Boys, TLoU, Doctor Who, Good Omens, Umbrella Academy, Godzilla, Mononoke Hime, Top Gun / Maverick, Bullet Train, Gladiator (I+II) - and basically anything with Jensen Ackles and Pedro Pascal ♡

⚝ No Go's: No wincest, no proshipping, no rape or glorifying abuse etc.!

Please, please, always stay respectful and be kind! If you don’t feel comfortable or don’t like what you see, you may always close the tab ♡ Spread love not hate ♡

[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.

[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]

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]

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

[natequarter]

the sjs audios are the most interesting take on sarah imo; the sarah jane adventures are enjoyable but they don't deconstruct her as a flawed, self-destructive, paranoid antihero who's a danger to the people around her in the same way the audios do. it's sooo fascinating watching her use people and sacrifice them for the sake of the world then cut them off the instant they get in her way <3 all whilst being sincerely prepared to die for their sakes