#I added the song and couple of other to my 24's playlist so that's why I guess

[noisyquokka]

Rainy Day’s||SKZ Hyung Line

Hey there friends! It's time I send myself into scenario/reactions mode. I'm finding it easier for me to get these out unlike drabbles and one-shots, so enjoy these more frequent postings for a while until I get the cogs turning in my head like I want them to.

Chan: I can’t keep my mouth shut about hIS HAIR!!! HE LOOKS LIKE A POODLE GUYS I LOVE HIM!

So I’m sure it’s obvious but...

a rainy day with Chan is like any other day

if you’re lucky, you’re able to convince him to stay home

but otherwise, the dude’s still gonna work!

whether this means mixing sounds or composing songs

adding finishing touches to an almost complete song

HE JUST WON’T SHUT DOWN!

like??? You’ve gotta sleep at some point, Chris!

of course, when you try telling him this, he shoots you a sympathetic grin

“Babe, being an idol is a 24-7 career!”

okay, but sleep is an eSSENTIAL PART OF A HUMAN’S LIFE CHAN!!!

you’re one to talk though, you’ve been studying for exams the past week

running on short fumes, coffee, and the realization that your grades make or break your future

you’re legitimately no better than Chan

huh, it’s almost as if you’re meant for each other

Woojin: This gif... why’s he gotta look so good for? Can I go crawl in a hole?

Woojin

smart, talented, handsome Kim Woojin

he’d wake you up with kisses, giggles escaping you once you open your eyes

then he’d wake you up with breakfast in bed

because he knows how hectic your week has been

and just wants to shower you in affection

so that’s what you do, picking a movie to watch while you’re at it

once you finish breakfast and the movie

Woojin would reach for the guitar sitting in the corner of the room

mindlessly plucking the strings while you listen intently

it’s a relaxing little tune, one that slowly lulls you back into a slumber

it only takes the sound of your soft snores for Woojin to realize that you’re no longer conscious

a smile tugs at his lips, propping the guitar back against the wall

he crawls back into bed next to you, pulling you into his chest

a sigh falls from his lips, falling back to sleep as you clutch onto his shirt

Minho:

A rainy day with Minho can be spent in many different ways

today, however, was a bookworm kind of day

the two of you were cooped up in the house, sitting on either end of the couch

novels in hand, it was pretty quiet for the most part

every now and again you or Minho would switch positions on the couch

until both of you are tangled up in each other’s arms

somehow still reading your own books y’all must be determined

just as you start a new chapter, you feel the hardcover of Minho’s novel atop your head

you turn your head to look at him, the playful smirk growing on his lips

“You’re such a child.” you mutter, stifling a smirk yourself

it isn’t long until you hear that infamous Lee Minho giggle

and he decides the books can wait, picking you up to place you in his lap

“I may be a child, but you love me either way!” he says, pulling you in for a kiss

Changbin: I just realized this is considered a rainy night??? oh well, let’s go with it

P L E A S E

tell me I’m not the only one who thinks Binnie would enjoy dancing around the house with you

If I am, then this might change your mind!

2am on a Saturday, empty take out containers litter the coffee table from earlier

your bare legs lay over Changbin’s thighs, his warm hands drawing shapes into your skin

his playlist thumps through the speakers, keeping both of you content on the couch

until you speak up

“You want some ice cream?”

and Changbin just smirks at you as you sit up, close enough that he could steal a kiss

he nods his head, watches as you pull your legs off his and slip off to the kitchen

the majority of your thighs covered by one of his shirts

he follows you moments later, snaking his arms around your waist

you chuckle, setting the ice cream scoop down and turning around in his arms

just as your favorite song comes on, resonating through the apartment

a mischevious smile finds its way to your lips and Changbin knows what's next

his hands settle on your hips, yours sliding from his chest up to his neck

and soon enough both of you are dancing around the kitchen at 2:38am

the occasional neighbor’s complaint is heard, knocks on wall and such

but Changbin could care less at the moment

he’s mesmerized by you

So here we have it! First scenario! A couple of these have the potential to be turned into a longer one-shot. Let me know what y’all think, and if you wanna see a part 2 (Maknae line) 💛

[thorsstorms]

Abroad Pt. 3

(Chris Hemsworth x Reader)

Summary: Being the Hemsworth Kids’ Nanny, you were vowed to keep it strictly professional for their sake, but do the stolen glances go unnoticed between you both?

Word count: 4k

A/N: After reading, leave me a little comment down below about what you would do if you ever had the chance to watch IW with a Chris!

Masterlist

He ended up sleeping in longer than normal, the flight from the day before wore him out. He woke up to find you and India were gone, but both boys were still sound asleep. He checked the time on his phone, 8:03 AM. He slowly brushed the boys off him so they could remain sleeping before he tiptoed his way out of the room. The sound of music playing in the kitchen was drawing closer. He turned slowly and saw you and Indy making breakfast dancing silly around the kitchen. He quickly snapped a short video of you both and sent it to his brother to show his wife, seeing as it was her song you both were jamming to.

Liam: nice, good taste of music!

Liam: Shes pretty too

Chris: I know

“Papa!” India yelled when she saw him standing there looking at his phone. You didn’t dare turn around, your face was probably tomato red and the thought that he caught you two being silly.

After breakfast, you worked with the kids for a few hours while Chris went to go meet with his trainer. The usual week day morning routine took place, quite calmly. When the boys were both asleep upstairs and Indy was occupied with a book, you walked back down to the kitchen to finish cleaning up the breakfast mess. The playlist on again as you started to pick up little toys and shoes that the kids had left around the house.

“Jamming to Miley again?” His voice startled you, not hearing the garage door because of the music. The teasing in his voice didn’t go unnoticed. He started to set his belongings down on the counter.

“Actually, you just so happened to catch me twice in a row. I have a lot of music!” You said matter of factly, turning around to him. You were starting to get good at not staring for too long, and not allowing his presence to catch you off guard. “Plus I don't know if you know this but I’ve been ‘jamming’ to Miley since I was like… 12,” you said adding air quotes. His eyes lit up like he was surprised, but decided to not say anything more. You returned to gathering toys and taking them up to the playroom.

Before Chris walked into his room, presumably to shower, you told him you and India were going to the grocery store and that the boys were asleep upstairs. Your mind wandered to his room, what it looked like. You had never seen it, as it was skipped over on your little tour he gave you when you first got here. But you always watched him disappear into it, your eyes following him till he was no longer in sight.

Chris had stayed home for about two and half weeks so far. After they finished filming the new MIB movie he was home very often. You both fell into little routines revolving around the kids, stolen glance included. Most of the time you both would do your own thing, India even came with you to see Bri in Gold Coast for lunch one afternoon.

She started to become your little companion, a little shadow. You surprised her father one night when she wanted to play in your makeup, doing it for you with a beautiful pink shimmer slapped across your eyelids and a dark purple lipstick to match. With identical makeup looks, you both snuck up behind him on the couch. Although he expressed how great it looked to her, you could see the wide eyed ‘why is my 6 year old wearing makeup’ look sent your way. You just shrugged and smirked, how could you say no to her?

This week was one of those weeks where Elsa was spending time with the kids at her place. She was in town for a few days and was spending every minute with them. When they left you almost felt sad, but quickly reminded yourself that you are kid free.

Bri came down on Saturday and spent the day with you in the sun and in the water. Chris was meeting his friends for a cookout a couple houses down, so you and Bri had the afternoon alone. You gave her a quick little tour of your loft space and then you both booked it down to the water. She was not shy on asking you a million questions about him.

“Other than the fact that I want to climb him like a tree 24/7, he is seriously just like a normal dad. He’s a good cook. He’s very involved so we end up doing a lot together,” you sat back in the chair, closing your eyes, enjoying the feeling of the sun on your skin.

“So… have you done it yet?” she said nonchalantly next to you.

“Done what yet?” you grumbled knowing exactly what she was getting at.

“You know, climbed him like a tree,” she said mocking you.

“Bri,” you said as a warning, not wanting this conversation to go any farther. You scolded her once again like you had done repeatedly in the past, that you were there for the kids not him, and it would be inappropriate. She never failed to mention that you were both single and living under the same roof. “I have to think logically about this stuff, it’s too good of a job to ruin.”

“Holy shit, is that him?” Your eyes finally opened from under your sunglasses to see three guys surfing not too far down the beach from you. You watched them for a minute, the current bringing them slowly closer towards you.

“Yes,” you mumbled, finally looking away. The internal fight you have to have with yourself on a daily basis was so tiring that you had to force yourself to look away. Bri on the other hand did not exactly cover her ogling when he started walking to shore towards you both.

“Bri check yourself,” you mumbled to her. She quickly looked away and tried to act casual by picking up her beer between the chairs.

“Ladies!” He said walking up to you both, dropping his board in the sand.

“Having fun out there?” You said casually, not opening your eyes under your glasses. You were laying back once again and refused to look up and see what you might call ‘the end of all logic.’ You would, you knew if you opened your eyes to look at him you would probably jump on him.

“Aww yea, the wake is just perfect, you should check it out yourself,” he tried again to insinuate that you try to surf. He had tried to let you learn one day and you shot him down quickly.

“Oh no, I’m fine thanks,” you said quickly, shifting in your seat. You could feel his eyes on you, as you gripped the arms of the chair.

“Come one (y/n), it’s not bad,” he urged on. You felt a couple of drops of water hit your legs and you could feel he was standing closer to you.

“Chris, honestly….. No,” that was the best you could come up with as to reasons why you should not learn to surf. That’s when you felt your sun get blocked. Ok, eyes are opening. You squint your eyes open and saw him reach for your hands before grabbing and pulling your grasp from the chair.

“Chris I’m serious!” You yelled back at him, though it wasn’t very convincing, fighting his hands away from you. His goofy smile was bright on his face, ignoring your pleas. Bri sat quietly and watched with amusement as he eventually had you on your feet and over his shoulder in a split second and was already walking towards the water. Maybe it was the few beers you had, or the few too many that he had as well, but you both were enjoying this way too much. Even though you struggled against his grip, your goose bumps magnified 100% when you could feel his hands grasp on to your thighs, and the feeling of your hands holding on to his waist, scared you were going to fall. Through all the “Chris put me down”s and all the “the water feels great”s, you didn’t notice he was already almost waist deep before he dropped you in the water.

It wasn’t the cold water that startled you, it was the fact that you just stepped on something hard as soon as your feet hit the ground. As quick as they went down, they jumped back up.

“Fuck! I stepped on something!” You screamed and grabbed on to his arms to keep from going back down. He threw his head back and a loud laugh pulled from him as you tried your best to stay up, throwing your arm around his shoulder, searching the water below for whatever it was.

“Stop laughing!” You yelled at him, still looking around for whatever it was frantically.

“It…. It was my foot!” He barely spit out between laughs. His face going red. You watched his face contort into never ending laughter. Your heart thumping out of your chest when you realized that you were in fact, climbing him like a tree. You quickly pulled you arm off his shoulder and slowly touched the ground with your toes, making sure you didn’t feel anything in the sand. Your face was matching his color by the time you realized how silly it was.

“God, seriously,” you grumbled to yourself, pushing him away so you could walk to the shore. You heard his steps splashing and his laughs starting to die out as he followed you in. Now it was going to be impossible to stop staring at him. You made it to Bri quickly, immediately dismissing her stares and whatever comment was about to spill out. He followed up behind you still catching his breath from laughing. Of course Bri has to ask what’s so funny like she didn’t just see it. Chris couldn’t even tell her without laughing. You started to get annoyed at how funny he thought this was. You didn’t even want to go into the water in the first place, secondly it wasn’t exactly appropriate, not for you to have enjoyed it that much.

“Ok, yea while y’all laugh it out, I’m going to shower,” you were not in the mood to be around them right now. You were annoyed at yourself for the most part. You have tried so hard to stay cool around him like he doesn’t affect you but he blows the border completely. At least the kids were not there. The kids.

You sat down on the patio, not exactly wanting to go inside yet because you were still soaking wet. You watched as Chris sat down in the chair you were occupying. His head turning to Bri, listening to what she was saying. You groaned at the thought of her blabbering off to him about god knows what. You watched them for a little bit, them both talking back and forth, and once Chris turning his head back to see you sitting on the patio, though you quickly looked away and pretended to be occupied with your phone. What, were you a child? You felt so silly, like playing a game at this point: avoid eye contact at all costs. You looked up, deciding that that was stupid and saw him standing from the chair and grabbing your towel. Your phone buzzed in your hands.

Bri: RUN.

You didn’t know what it meant but you weren’t questioning it. You quickly stood up and booked it inside. You were already up to your room and starting the shower as soon as you heard the back door shut. Ok, so forget trying to act like an adult.

Bri was sitting on the couch with her phone in her hand when you got out of the shower. You ignored her and got changed into some yoga pants and a loose t shirt.

“So,” you called from your room, picking up some clothing. “What did you say to him?” You asked her, walking in front of her so she couldn’t lie to your face.

“Honestly it’s not even that bad-”

“What. Did you say?” you asked again.

“I told him that I hadn’t seen you this happy in a long time,” she replied, looking you dead in the eye. “I told him that you looked happy being here with him,” you groaned and plopped down next to her. “What? I told you it wasn’t that bad!” She defended herself.

“Well did you word it like that?!” you whined knowing she was telling the truth.

“(y/n) seriously, stop being so dramatic,” she sat back on the couch returning to her phone.

“Bri. Seriously. I can’t get involved with him,” you told her for the last time. You stood up walking away to grab a water from the mini fridge.

“And why the fuck not?” She started to raise her voice. “You can’t give me one reason!”

“The fact that he’s my boss is reason enough!” You snapped back at her. Her phone went off again on the table. “And who the fuck keeps texting you!” You said looking down at her phone. Confusion and then understanding quickly flooded your emotions. It’s a joke, right? Your eyes slowly lift from her screen to look at her in front of you.

“Tell him I said hi,” you spoke lowly. If death was a stare, this would be it. She just gave you a blank stare, not even trying to deny it. “You should go.”

“Really?” she asked, as if checking to see if you were serious.

“Really,” Your eyes followed her as she grabbed her things from the table and made her way to the stairs. “You can text me when your done fucking around with him, feel free to tell him the same,” ok, that was mean. You followed her down the steps, wanting to make sure she leaves, not sticking around to say shit to Chris.

“How about you call him and not hang up on him for seconds so he can actually talk to you!” She opened the door at the bottom and you watched her take a step out into the hallway.

“I told you years ago Bri! Anyone BUT him!” You yelled back at her as she opened the garage door. Your voice was cracking when emotions started to rise. you hated fighting with her but you hated her involvement with your brother even more.

“At least I’m honest with myself,” she said calmly as she walked away from you. You shut the door in front of you and turned on your heels to go back up stairs. Chris was standing there in the walkway to the kitchen, staring at you as you turned around. He watched you awkwardly as you reached your door. Small tears started to rise up behind your eyes, you always hated confrontation, you were never able to handle it well.

“Are you ok?” He asked quietly. Although the answer was known to him, felt compelled to ask anyway. You mumbled a ‘yea’ and ignored him as you started walking back up the stairs. He silently followed you up, but you didn’t say anything, though you should have. You walked straight to the wine cooler and pulled out a small bottle of fireball, setting it on the counter, staring at it. He came to stand next to you, resting his hands on the counter. He started to pull two shot glasses from the cabinet, but you just grabbed the bottle and took a quick gulp of it before setting it back down.

“Who needs shot glasses,” you mumbled walking away from the counter towards the couch. Chris followed you silently, grabbing the bottle and pulling a blanket from the linen closet, setting it on the couch between you both. He reached for the tv remote and kicked up his feet and unfolded the blanket, laying it across his legs. You watched him like he was out of his mind. He pulled up netflix and started to scroll through.

“What are you doing?” You asked quietly, still watching him, but he never acknowledged that you were staring.

“Just picking a movie,” he mumbled, unscrewing the lid of the fireball as his eyes scanned the tv screen. You settled back into the couch as he clicked through your recents.

“You don’t have to-”

“Ahh look, a great movie!” He cut you off. You looked at the screen and saw Ragnarok pulled up.

“Ok, no. I’m not nearly drunk enough to watch this with you,” you told him quickly. He just smirked and clicked out of it. You grabbed to bottle from his hands and took another drink, your face twisting in disgust as the strong cinnamon taste lingered.

“You know what, lets watch Infinity War,” you said, knowing you’ve got too many questions to ask. With a couple more swigs of fireball you knew you could handle the movie with him. 

“Really?” He was so surprised, but clicked on it anyway.

“Yea why not, Cap looks so good with the beard,” you added calmly. You pulled his blanket over your legs, nestling into the couch. You smirked when you felt his head snap in your direction.

“Great, now I’m not nearly drunk enough to watch this with you,” he mocked you, pulling the bottle from your hands, starting the movie.

“So,” you whispered as Thanos came on screen. “Is Loki really dead?” You questioned seriously. He just rolled his eyes and faced back to the screen. Both of you turned away from the screen cringing when Thor started yelling in pain. Chris, out of embarrassment. You, out of... yea, embarrassment. You passed the bottle to each other again.

When the Guardians music started to play you wiggled in your seat, a smile growing on your face. You were too excited to sit still. Every 5 seconds you would turn back to Chris’s face to see if he was reacting in any sort of way, knowing he was about to be on screen. You tried to hold in your giggles as you stared back and forth to him and the screen. As soon as Thor slammed into the wind shield and the racoon started yelling about wipers, your laughter wasn’t able to be held in any longer. It bubbled out of your mouth uncontrollably when Chris gave you the side eye. The whiskey just hit you hard. You watched the screen as Gamora was yelled at by Peter, your mouth was having trouble staying closed. Chris watched you from the side, as the lights from the tv illuminated your face. He was so content to sit here and watch you react to the movie like it was your first time seeing it all over again.

“You gotta do it,” he watched as you turned to him when Thor jumped off the table. “Do it do it do it,” you chanted to him, sitting up on your knees shaking his shoulder with both hands, but watching the tv as Thor turned around and saw the Guardians. You watched him as he mumbled the ‘Who the hell are you guys’ and you were about to fall off the couch. That’s it, no more whiskey.

Chris never took his eyes off you, even when you turned back to the screen. His heart was so full watching you. He would say it to you every day for the rest of your life if it meant hearing you laugh like that, if it meant seeing your bright smile overwhelm your features, if it meant seeing you happy with no care in the world. Or maybe it was just the alcohol.

“Oooooo shit!” You yelled as Captain America came on screen, catching the weapon that was thrown at him after the train cleared. When his face came into the light you let out another holler. “Damn,” you mumbled to yourself, not being able to control your mouth anymore. While Chris sat next to you, looking annoyed as all get out.

Farther into the movie you got quieter, snuggling deeper into the blanket. Your head was spinning every time you tried to change positions. Some point into it, you were pressed against him, though you were almost ignoring him completely because the movie seemed more interesting to your drunk self.

Chris on the other hand was having trouble even looking at the screen. He was enjoying admiring you so close while you weren’t looking. His hand was rested over your shoulder, snaking under the blanket, his hand feeling the soft skin of your arm. He watched your profile. The way your eyes widened when something was happening and you couldn’t look away. They way the flickered across the screen with interest. The small smiles you would get when a joke was made. He eventually watched your eyes fill with tears as soon and Bucky fell. Your eyebrows were furrowed as you finally turned to him while some others where fading in the forgotten screen in front of him.

“What?” He grumbled quietly, concerned about the frown in your face.

“You know what,” you looked away from him as Peter was slipping out. “Your aim sucks,” you said with a straight face. He couldn’t bring himself to laugh, but he just squeezed over your shoulders pulling you impossibly closer. You mindlessly shuffled on to your side, your shoulder falling in between you both. Your head rested against his chest as your attention on the movie was fading away. Suddenly you were hyper aware of your surroundings.

You could feel his heart beating against you, and him thumb tracing lazy circles on your arm. You could feels his eyes that never left their gaze. You stayed there, not wanting to move, or not wanting to look at him, feeling him was enough.

“(Y/n),” he whispered as your eyes remained on the scrolling credits. His hand stopped moving against your skin.

“Hmm,” you acknowledged him, but you were afraid to move. Your alcohol ridden brain was over thinking moving from his grasp. All you had to do was sit up, but it wasn’t what your heart was feeling. His free hand lifted to your head, brushing the hair that falls into your face out of the way. You leaned into his touch, closing your eyes.

Chris wasn’t about holding out any longer. The need to taste your lips on his was overwhelming his senses. Against all better judgment he pressed his lips to yours. It was light, and fresh. He was quick to pull away brushing his thumb over your cheek bone, hesitating if this was a good idea or not. It wasn’t, but that was not what had your mind reeling. You quickly pressed yourself to him, eager to taste the cinnamon on his lips. Your hand grabbed at his wrist, holding him in place. With a swift intake of breath, his lips molded with yours perfectly. Everything around you disappeared but the intensity that you both put into each other. His arm around your back pulled you tight against him, his fingertips pressing into you. He dipped his tongue in, expertly drawing  the best pleasures from inside you. Your body lit up, a fluttering shock ran up your spine that turned you almost numb against his touch.

His touch that should not be on you. His touch that you vowed to yourself, you were going to avoid. You hurriedly pushed off of him with wide eyes. You sat up straight on the couch, your hands gripping the cushion to keep you steady from the head rush. “We can’t,” you mumbled to yourself more than him. He heard you, and knew it, but he didn’t want to. He wanted you to give in to yourself and let him hold you and let him kiss you. He knew that you could feel what that kiss did for you both. He sat up straight and ran a hand over his face, sighing.

“I want food,”- “I’m hungry,” you both mumbled at the same time, looking around the room aimlessly like you didn’t know what to do next. You tried to stand up, but about fell forward on to the coffee table before he grabbed your arm. You together carefully walked down the stairs, holding the railing.

“There’s nothing good,” he said to himself, looking to the fridge that was filled with vegetables, and everything that took an effort to cook. He grabbed a cold water bottle and checked the freezer.

You retreated to the dining table and sat down. “There’s pizza rolls in there.”

“You feed my kids that shit,” he questioned over his shoulder. You hummed in reply, not having much energy left to speak, much less keep your head off the table.

TL: @innerpaperexpertcloud @rosiethebaker

[touchlotsofbutts]

Tay’s fav new artists, songs, albums of 2019; decade favs too <3

Hello friends. I have listened to 20,000 songs this year (#brag). Some of them I have listened to more than once, and some of them are all together on one really good album I like. Here's some lists of the songs, albums, and people who make them that I liked a lot.

For your listening convenience: a Spotify playlist with the artists, songs, and albums in question. One song from each artist, one song from each album: checka me out

5 new artists from (roughly) this year (unordered)

Slayyyter

Slayyyter is the logical conclusion of the early 2000's pop wave, absolutely bubble gum but no longer pulling and punches with its sexual desire. "He wanna get in my guts" indeed.

100 Gecs

I love high energy, I love noise, and I love catchy. Synthesize major electronic musical movements of the last 10 years and then kick that in the dick and you get 100 Gecs.

Stef Chura

A consistent AF album, with great single songs and a slow procession as well, I'm very hyped for more!

Glass Beach

This band is cutting edge, they know a shitton about music, their hour long album feels like it's only 30 minutes, it teleports you away.

Nilüfer Yanya

Clearly someone who is making music with a succinct style and aesthetic, I find it great to see a full album form around (relatively) simple concepts like an imaginary mental health spa.

10 Songs from this year (ordered)

10. "Good News (Ya-Ya Song)" by MUNA

Unexpectedly a smash hit for me, this is such a simple song but something in the melody stirs a deep and warming feeling within me.

9. "Falling Down The Stairs Of Your Smile" by The New Pornographers

New Pornographers always have great singles. Their albums never quite capture the same feeling, and it breaks my heart every time. Still love the band.

8. "Can't Believe The Way We Flow" by James Blake

A many month throwback, this song was a go-to for the whole year. Seemingly forgotten by many (surely not Dave tho), this album and song really showed additional depth for Blake in my eyes.

7. "24" by IDK

Should to DJ Big Fan. This song is fun as fuck and has so many good one-liners. "She says she not a THOT she a nymphooo"

6. "Clarity" by Kim Petras

This song is a guilty pleasure, not because I am ashamed of its content or sound, but because Kim consistently works with Dr. Luke, the fuckhead who absolutely abused Ke$ha. This song absolutely bops though. Oof.

5. "All I Do is Lie" by Stef Chura

A very small sleeper hit for me, and a big regret when I missed Stef playing nearby, but I love the winding and twisting of this song and the simple mantras bouncing back and forth between meanings.

4. "Lark" by Angel Olsen

This song encapsulates all of Angel's album. It's the lead-in to the album, and it truly matches the scope and grandeur.

3. "Stupid Horse" by 100 Gecs

A song so strong I also want to beat the shit out of a jockey. Distill 100 gecs and for me, this song is at the center. High energy, nonsense, and just total fun. I don't feel bad saying I kind of wish all music sounded like this (sometimes).

2. "Jelmore" by Bon Iver

14,115 feet above sea level, I look out to the sweeping arc of the horizon, a cloudy sky blankets the landscape I left behind. Play this song on your rental car speakers when you choose to conquer fear and ascend a towering mountain.

1. "Gretel" by (Sandy) Alex G

I adore the slow fade in, the garbled vocals, the familiar guitar. The garbled mix slowly devolves into a clear message. Alex G has said he never looks up lyrics, that there is an ambiguity to all words in songs. Is that why he sings this with such clear conviction? There's no misinterpretation here: "good people got something to lose."

20 Albums from this year (ordered)

The first ten are great, but I didn't want to blurb for them all!

20. Clarity by Kim Petras

19. MAGDALENE by FKA Twigs

18. Midnight by Stef Chura

17. Miss Universe by Nilüfer Yanya

16. Dedicated by Carly Rae Jepsen

15. Two Hands by Big Thief

14. Assume Form by James Blake

13. basking in the glow by oso oso

12. Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? by Deerhunter

11. Pang by Caroline Polachek

10. Animated Violence Mild by Blanck Mass

I became stuck in place while listening to Blanck Mass on a plane this summer. One of the only albums I downloaded, it was all I had at 30,000 feet, thrumming engines piercing all the other music I had handy. The cacophony only added to this album, noise layered on noise but turning into melodies and stretching into songs.

9. Father of the Bride by Vampire Weekend

I don't know a ton about jam bands, but I definitely feel it when everyone else says this album was made in hopes of becoming one. This long ass album has some great highs, some charming lows, and honestly a really good chunk of Danielle Haim. Really a soundtrack to 2019 in a lot of ways. But it's really fuckin' long.

8. IGOR by Tyler, the Creator

Tyler's career has had the craziest arc. Rapping about killing women and progressing all the way to IGOR, which, is it even a rap album? The album contains such clear direction and vision, and far less of the reckless anger that Tyler became known for. The energy and sound has been honed down to a fine point, and there's a conciseness that sticks with you for hours after listening.

7. House of Sugar by (Sandy) Alex G

Alex G has always done so much for me. Bedroom music that has transformed each time into bigger and more detailed versions of itself. House of Sugar is no exception. While maybe a little less thrilling for me than Rocket, it's another evolution of this stripped down style, still laid bare but richer all the same.

6. U.F.O.F. by Big Thief

A lot of lists are going to feature some Big Thief. Big Thief is good, their music pierces you through the flesh and hits you in the bones. It stirs the spirit of a time now lost, sidelong glances through thickets of woodsy pines, listening to a friend play a simple song on their new guitar. It's great to celebrate a band and an album that puts a lot of pretense to bed and creates a simple, pleasing experience.

5. Charli by Charli XCX

Charli delivers an album after years of PC Music collaborated mix tapes and psuedo-album releases. Charli isn't some sort of second coming, but is the pinnacle of her expertise: fantastic collaborations, cutting edge beats, and familiar tales of her love and loss.

4. All Mirrors by Angel Olsen

Angel wasn't really known for her grandeur. Her songs and albums were dynamic, sure, with strong emotions, but All Mirrors dives into the direction of a grand pool, crystal clear and vast. "Lark" is a sweeping masterpiece, while "All Mirrors" has a methodical build and release. Angel is fully putting her voice and composition to work with an album this magnificent.

3. the first glass beach album by Glass Beach

My favorite description for this band is "post-emo." Many of my compatriots are not fond of band genres in generally, but for me this really nails it. It's a combination of an emotional, DIY scene with an online mentality, which I feel is representing the pace of the world. Also the music absolutely blasts, grand and epic and quiet and pensive, meandering as it wants.

2. Ghosteen by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Until about two months ago, I wasn't even a huge Nick Cave fan. Serendipitously, I happened to look into his backlog a couple weeks before this surpirse release. I spent a small amount of time looking into his older style, but when Ghosteen popped up, it floored me. That tangible loss, the grief that winds around you and grips you from within, it's on this album in full force. It's an album I know I will listen to sparingly, but lovingly, for ages and ages.

1. 1000 Gecs by 100 Gecs

I typically do not measure these kinds of lists by the number of listens. Usually albums with emotional weight or impact are not so accessible or listenable. This album is an absolute exception, it is crystalline and pure, it is powerful and subtle, its energy infectious. For me, it's a clear message describing the future of music I love.

Honorable menties, not conclusive or ordered, from this year:

Albums:

IDK's Is He Real?

Holly Herndon's PROTO

JPEGMAFIA's All My Heroes Are Cornballs

Battles's Juice B Crypts

Bon Iver's i,i

American Football's American Football (LP3)

DIIV's Deceiver

Anamanguchi's [USA]

Sir Babygirl's Crush on Me

Sharon Van Etten's Remind Me Tomorrow

Hemlock Ernst & Kenny Segal's Back At The House

Jay Som's Anak Ko

Florist's Emily Alone

Songs:

"Harmony Hall" by Vampire Weekend

"Superbike" by Jay Som

"Aute Cuture" by ROSALÍA

Many many others!

Roughly 10 of 2010-2019's best albums (unordered)

Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter

Encapsulate all of the indie rock I listened to and make it so dramatic it oozes lackadaisical energy.

The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do by Fiona Apple

The title is as long as the album is great. I am chomping at the bit for Fiona to follow this up with literally anything.

Carrie & Lowell by Sufjan Stevens

Many feel Sufjan could do no wrong, but it's not that he's unimpeachable, it's that he is able to shift his sound in pivotal ways at pivotal moments.

Cerulean Salt by Waxahatchee

Waxahatchee captured the post college ennui I was so suddenly thrust into, and continues to kick ass even after I got over the dread.

Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

This album kicks ass, but also I have an undying emotional connection to it since I listened to it on repeat the months after pops died! "We Drift Like Worried Fire" is entwined in my soul.

Good Kid, M.A.A.D City by Kendrick Lamar

There is a lot of great Kendrick to choose from, but the one absolutely stacked with bangers will remain my favorite (but I totally acknowledge the artistic merit and beyond of Damn. and TPAB).

The Monitor by Titus Andronicus

I only got into this album like four years after the fact, but it scratched the civil-war-concept-album-actually-about-the-Northeast I didn't know I had! Pumped it also taught me a cool Abe Lincoln speech.

E•MO•TION by Carly Rae Jepsen

This album guided me from toeing around pop music to going all in and finally have a good time in life.

Song of the summer:

"Steal My Sunshine" by Len

Remarkably, for the 20th year in a row, the song of the summer is Len's "Steal My Sunshine." What a powerhouse.

[ofmontys]

“ —  and if you’re just tuning in now, you’ve made it just in time for our ‘ sleep with me ’ segment. nightfall has sufficiently fueled my ego and i’m reared and ready to go, compiling a playlist curated to get one lucky, hand-picked bastard in bed with me. tonight’s submission comes from camila, age 18 2/3, from two towns over. ” rustling paper. a delighted scoff. “ tonight, as per camila’s request, i’ll be attempting to seduce vincent van gogh.  vince, this is acid ghost’s ‘ the artist’s high ’, also known as what i hope i can be for you. ”

or, alternatively :   yo yo, my dudes! the name’s linc (19/est/she&her) and you just witnessed an excerpt from bez holmes’s  radio show quite appropriately named, ‘ fuckin’ hell ! ’  that airs weekdays and sundays from 7pm to 8am! 

i am absolutely stoked out of my mind to write with all of y’all! beneath the read more you’ll find a very unapologetically messy introduction to my strange son, killian beelzebub holmes !

* TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET & CISMALE / / here we’ve got KILLIAN BEELZEBUB HOLMES , the TWENTY-ONE year old LOCAL RADIO HOST. with a reputation for being + SLY, + ANOMALOUS, - OSSIFIED, and - RECKLESS, it’s surprising we haven’t heard more about him. BEZ has been around faulk hollow for TEN YEARS, but they ain’t leaving anytime soon. you hear ME AND MICHAEL by MGMT? that means you’ll see ‘em soon. 

“road work ahead? uh, yeah, i sure hope it does!” ( alternatively: bez holmes, a roadmap. )

so bez is… kind of a nutcase. he’s just… he’s that guy in the bar who seems so desirable. voice like warmed honey, a smile that could kill – but dear lord, don’t get close to him. he’s fucked in the head. and unless you’re prepared for that, friendships/relationships with him can get... pretty darn overwhelming.

he’s a host at the local radio station, so he curates the music and talks through little segments throughout the day. well, i should say night -- because the show he’s known for occurs weekdays and sunday nights from 7pm - 8am. weird hours. weird guy. so it all clicks right into place! people tune in for the music ( a lot of indie eclectic vibes ) but also his personality. bez tends to veer off-script a lot, which both aggravates and amuses his superiors. he’s basically the only reason the tiny radio station is still alive & kickin’, so what are they gonna do to him, huh? fire him and take the whole station down with that bullshit move? not likely. so bez’ll keep doing and saying whatever the hell he wants on air, thank you very much.

can he get... a mfing... cinnamon raisin waffle???  dude’s friggin’ obsessed. don’t mess with his waffles, man. waffles don’t play.

has a knack for stumbling into stupid situations. y’know how there’s two kinds of people in this world? the kinds that act upon the universe and the kinds the universe acts upon? bez is that guy in textbook math probelms who has 42 apples for no apparent reason. he’s the dude in on top of spaghetti all covered with cheese whose poor meatball fuckin’ rolled out the door. things happen to bez holmes no matter how much he might try to convince you otherwise. his whole life is just a string of varied ( and usually nonchalant/unbothered/troublingly chill ) reactions to crazy shit.

case in point:  why did the holmes family move to faulk hollow? well. their old house had like... a freakin’ meltdown. yes, the house. it swallowed their dog. and their mom. casual... house-y things. but when people ask, bez and his father like to say they just wanted to “ see the sights ”. and apparently faulk hollow was one of those.

[ tw: death, murder mentions ]   basically, faulk hollow offered a place for them to disappear, since the disappearance of bez’s mother couldn’t exactly be explained to and/or believed by police. bez’s father is wanted for her murder. so they friggin’ skrrt skrrted out of iowa and plopped down here, under the radar. “holmes” is an adopted last name.

so bez has been here since his 11th birthday! honestly, he probably earned a reputation pretty quick for being that kid who’d, like, “hey buddy!” at all the insects on the playground.  “ do you believe in magic? ” was often his best icebreaker.

so... fun fact. he accidentally inherited his dead dentist’s vintage jukebox. yes, i know how that sounds, and it’s exactly that. but dear lord, that thing has just been infinitely fucking with him since the day it showed up on his doorstep three months ago. more about that later!

an example of a normal occurrence in bez’s life: “hey. so, uh… i know we just met, and maybe this is moving fast? but i saw this keychain in walgreens and it made me think of you. so… yeah. here. tell anyone i did anything nice for you and you’re dead to me tho.”

he seems smart. he seems so cunning, you guys. like, holy shit, he makes these deep ass statements on the air and curates music that makes people feel things. but don’t be fooled. he’ll drive wearing shades at 10pm just to look cool, all while bumping 80′s glam rock from his blue ‘67 impala. he’ll do that cliché head bop at stoplights, encourage other drivers to join in.

don’t call him killian!! killian who?? his parents gave him “beelzebub” as a middle name to be funny and fuck with his mother’s father, who was a pastor. what they didn’t bank on was four-year-old bez insisting on being called by it – you can guess how well that went over with his teachers and his peers. so to appease them, he accepted the nickname “bez” and has gone mainly by that ever since. most people probably don’t know his true first name, since he goes by “bez” on the air. but close friends and trusted individuals might occasionally call him “kill” or something to that effect.

pets are not bez’s thing. every houseplant he’s had has died. succulents wilt in his presence too, and he thinks maybe at this point, it’s a running joke among plantkind because his birth name has the worldkill in it. still, even with his track record, he has a fish named nigel. nigel dislikes affection and bez. they engage in staredowns and silent mental warfare. bez often “forgets” to feed nigel or change the water in his tank, but that fish just will not die. nigel’s probably just truckin’ on to spite him.

aggressively writes the wrong date for like… 8 months following new year’s. so he finally gets it right for the final ¼, and then the cycle begins again. additionally, cannot keep the days of the week straight. he’s started a multi-song alarm campaign in an attempt to rectify this situation. bez’ll report his findings in a week. if he remembers.

one time he got pulled over for speeding back from the radio station at 7 in the morning, and you know what he did? he freakin’ offered the cop some hard shit from his flask and some of his opened bag of funions. so the two of them got tastefully buzzed in bez’s car and talked about the kardashians for two hours. and it was through that very conversation that bez learned he’d been doing a very shit job of keeping up with them.

scared of birds. yes. those things? with the wings? terrified. how dare they occupy space above his head. how dare they swoop and swerve all around. no. his neighbor in iowa had a parakeet. maybe that bird finally went missing one day, while they were on vacation. maybe it escaped. to like, the afterlife. maybe bez helped. maybe.

he’s really bad at like … taking care of himself? funions, candy, and takeout forever.  what do you mean raisin bran crunch isn’t a wholesome, well-rounded meal? you mean you’re not supposed to pour the entire carafe of syrup on your waffles every time? someone… pls fix that.

hella prone to bullshit! like… did you know aliens are real? yeah. really. hey did you check your horoscope today? what zodiac sign are you? he’ll pretend to know what zodiac he is like: hey, uh… listen .. . if your zodiac is asparagus don’t even bother being my friend… i’m a caprisun & it’s just not gonna work out. sorry.

memorizes commercial jingles. will sing them to prove points.

“what the fuck’s a kanye” - bez holmes, 2k18

“a mug shot? i don’t even drink coffee.” ( alternatively: more pointless headcanons because apparently i think this is necessary. )

don’t be fooled by the title of this section. he drinks coffee. a lot of coffee. with a lot of sugar added to it. could probably kill a horse, tbh. he’s not sorry.

his signature half-smirk drives folks mad. he also has a collection of faithful listeners who like to call in and tell him how soothing his voice is.

lowkey writes his own music? lowkey was in a band called ashes when he was 13; it lasted about 6 seconds. lowkey has a few things recorded on his laptop? but he’ll never actually do anything with ‘em.

owns an unironic walkman! enjoys it immensely! i know!

catch him in the local 24 hour diner spending his life savings on cinnamon raisin waffles and dimes for the jukeboxes! because LMAO, he’s not using the old one at his place!!!

convinced said old, stupid, 1947 jukebox in his apartment lays host to goblins. that thing shakes and quakes at odd hours. it’ll play shitty pop music that isn’t even in the dumb catalogue. sometimes it lights up when he trips over his own feet or accidentally burns his microwave popcorn. the fuckin’ thing is possessed and it’s mocking him. so, naturally, what is there to do but appease the tiny beings inside it?? he makes biweekly sacrifices to it – mainly consisting of snack foods, candies, a casual sprinkling of his own blood. y’know. casual.

super into space? honestly would love to grab sushi with an alien sometime?

uh…  he’s convinced everyone he sleeps with kind of mysteriously dies exactly 53 hours after. maybe that was inspired by like... two isolated incidents. but you can see how this is… kind of a problem, for a guy who likes to sleep around from time to time. is he a murderer? uhm, no, not exactly – but he’s grown kind of immune to the guilt at this point. he stalks obituaries a couple days after his one-night-stands, just to check. so far, it hasn’t been a 100% consistent thing, but... he’s worried. he’ll still leave the bar with you tho. ;)

he’s trying out this whole new thing of like… not going all the way? trying to save lives? but it’s really difficult and he’s losing resolve. he also can’t exactly tell his buddies, “ stop introducing me to your hot friends; if i fuck them, they’re dead. ” that probably wouldn’t go over well. he’s got enough crazy on his plate trying to appease the damn goblins.

consistently blindsided by genuinely liking other people? so if he’s into you... he’s gonna look awestruck and baffled like 99% of the time your face is within a 1-mile radius.

he’s always running his hands through his hair, which just adds to his #indiegrungeaesthetic, if i’m honest.

“girl, you’re thicker than a bowl of oatmeal!” (alternatively: wanted plots.)

childhood neighbor / best friend.   i would love to have a person ( or several )  who knew him growing up (from age 11 on), and kind of got to bear witness to how strange he’s become? maybe even be weirdos together? i dunno, let’s talk. we

past relationships.   i imagine he’s had his fair share of flings in the past. he’s made many mistakes for sure. let’s uncover them.

close friends.   #squadgoals. but really, though. i’d love for bez to have a tightknit group of 3-4 people who he just clicks with. they wreak havoc, but it’s all in good fun.

enemies.    i would love to have an enemies plot that’s actually hilarious? like one tiny thing catapulted these two into a mutual, deep, to-the-bones kind of hatred. it’s irrational, but they’re so infuriated by one another’s presence that all they can do is think of stupid quips and glare from afar. i imagine their public interactions bring onlookers a lot of poorly stifled laughs, because it’s just like… they’re so obviously trying so hard to hate one another with absolutely zero grounds.

miscellaneous.  maybe they got his mail and returned it to his door, and it sparked the beginning of a beautiful friendship. maybe they met in the park when this person’s dog peed on bez’s shoe. maybe they’re a frequent listener to bez’s show and they bonded over that? or perhaps they both enjoy engaging in semi-friendly grocery store competitions to see who can get to the ripest apples the quickest? anything’s possible!

chris! is that a weed?!  smoke with him, my dudes!! or like, anything? my guy’s not shy about investing in “life enhancements”.

but yes come message me on here for plots or hmu for my discord! so hype!

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 10/04/2021 (Olivia Rodrigo, Demi Lovato)

Well, I guess it’s a pretty slow week – at least more than I had predicted – given that I thought Demi Lovato and Olivia Rodrigo would make a lot more of a genuine impact high up in the chart than they actually did. I can’t really predict the chart accurately at all in those conclusion segments considering I write and release these episodes even before first-day streaming numbers are released, but I at least expected Rodrigo to debut in the top 10. Alas, we have kind of an unexpected filler week, before Taylor Swift impacts the charts next week – I think that prediction’s enough of a safe bet to be right, right? Anyways, Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)” stays at #1 for a second week that I didn’t see coming, and let’s just start REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

Now I talk about music that is purposefully out of my comfort zone on this series – the music is accessible, sure, because it’s charting music but not all of it is in genres and scenes or by artists I know a hell of a lot about or have listened to repeatedly. Hence, I don’t tend to talk about my own music taste often on here, because of two reasons: one being that I’m unsure it even exists and can be summed up in a sentence, and two being, well... according to Spotify’s “On Repeat” playlist, I’ve been listening to “Paralyzer” by Finger Eleven an obscene amount this past week – if you had to make a Cactus Chart, it would probably debut at #1 15 years after the fact. Now, ignoring the fact that I kind of do want to make that chart, which I probably can with last.fm, I’m sure that will quell any need to talk about my own deeply embarrassing musical habits on this page ever again. Now, moving from the Cactus Single Charts to the UK Top 75, which is what I cover, we can see that there’s been some minimal action on all fronts.

In terms of our drop-outs, we do have a couple notable ones, including both of Fredo’s songs as ACR cuts their streaming numbers and hence, rather unfairly and inaccurately, “Money Talks” with Dave and “Ready” featuring Summer Walker both exit the top 75. I guess they were on their way out eventually, and some ACR-affected songs have indeed survived this week, but it’s still annoying to see for songs that are contemporary and still popular. Otherwise, we have “Wants and Needs” by Drake featuring Lil Baby exiting, as well as some genuinely big hits from this Winter, those being “Good Days” by SZA, “Whoopty” by CJ – finally – and “you broke me first” by Tate McRae after 35 long weeks. Now the charts are no longer addicted to blue cheese, what’s filling in the gaps?

Well, we only have one returning entry, that being “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, a song that seemingly cannot stay dead, not that I’m complaining. What’s more interesting is what’s on the chart itself, as we do have some notable climbers and fallers. For the notable losses, we have “Good Without” by Mimi Webb at #23 off of the debut, “Patience” by KSI, YUNGBLUD and Polo G at #24, “Anyone” by Justin Bieber at #31, “6 for 6” by Central Cee at #37, “Blinding Lights” by the Weeknd still here at #38, HVME’s remix of Travis Scott’s “Goosebumps” at #39, “Head & Heart” by Joel Corry and MNEK finally dropping out of the top 40 at #41, “What’s Next” by Drake continuing to collapse at #49, taking “Lemon Pepper Freestyle” with Rick Ross at #51 along with it, “telepatía” by Kali Uchis at #56, “Mood” by 24kGoldn and iann dior at #62, “Sweet Melody” by Little Mix at #66, “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi finally making way for an exit at #68, “Bringing it Back” by Digga D and AJ Tracey at #69, “Cloud 9” by Beach Bunny sadly at #70 off of the debut and finally, “You’re Mines Still” by Yung Bleu featuring Drake at #72.

What’s shocking to me is the little impact that both Demi Lovato and Lil Tjay had, showing that people might just not care about these artists past their singles. Sure, we got some tracks from both of them – that are already being pushed as singles – but on Lovato’s side, “What Other People Say” didn’t move an inch and we only got minimal gains for Lil Tjay’s “Headshot” and “Calling My Phone”, which I expected to go back into the top 40 and top 10 respectively. In terms of our actually notable climbers, well, we have “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers going for a fiftieth chart run at #67, “Beautiful Mistakes” by Maroon 5 featuring Megan Thee Stallion at #60, “Don’t You Worry About Me” by Bad Boy Chiller Crew surging up to #53, Tom Zanetti getting his first top 40 hit with the garbage “Didn’t Know” at #40, “Black Hole” by Griff at #33, Majestic’s remix of Boney M.’s “Rasputin” at #29, “Ferrari Horses” by D-Block Europe and RAYE at #22, and that’s about it other than our single notable change in the top 20, that being “Millions” by Russ Millions and Tion Wayne up to #13 off of the debut, despite being an absolutely worthless song. In fact, it’s looking pretty dire in the top 20 in general, I’m starting to hope that my Cactus Charts actually had any impact. Regardless, we still have eight new arrivals to discuss, so let’s start right at the bottom.

NEW ARRIVALS

#73 – “Film out” – BTS

Produced by UTA and back number

Now, BTS occasionally releases songs for the Japanese market, a common practice for K-pop bands – as far as I know – and this one in particular was marketed only in Japan for a Japanese film. Therefore, I think I was pretty reasonable in thinking this wouldn’t even get close to charting, but I should never underestimate the power of BTS fans buying digital singles. After all, that’s what kept “Dynamite” on the chart for as long as it had its run. Now, I’m not well-versed in J-pop at all other than some brief dives into city pop and picopop – both of which I enjoyed thoroughly – so I didn’t really know what to expect but it does make perfect sense to me that the boys are crooning over a cleanly-produced, theatrical piano-lead instrumental. Given that there’s a post-chorus consisting almost entirely of “ooh-ooh, la-la-la-la” about 45 seconds in, I gave up entirely in terms of lyrical content, although reading some of RM’s translated lyrics in particular makes it seem oddly poetic. How does it sound? Well, exactly as I’d described it: the boys are reigning themselves into to a more subtle instrumental and whilst some of the multi-tracking is distracting and each of the parts don’t really flow as well as they wanted it to, especially due to the loud vocal mixing which definitely overshadows the impact of the wonderful string swells in the final chorus and gives you enough audio-wise to completely ignore the trap-adjacent percussion. The song’s fine and I do like the inflections of acoustic guitar especially, but I’m not really impressed by this, not that I was supposed to – it’s a Japanese soundtrack song, it’ll be gone tomorrow and I’m sure the audience there is enjoying it more than I can.

#64 – “Summer 91 (Looking Back)” – Noizu

Produced by Noizu

Now if you don’t know how Noizu is, I can’t blame you as neither did I. I quickly found out he was another house producer and this track that had been released in January had just gained enough steam to debut this week. The guy has been in EDM production for a while and was immediately cosigned by people like Skrillex and Diplo, and he seems to hide behind this cartoon character for branding and anonymity’s sake, which I can’t blame him for when I consider the public images of both Skrillex and Diplo. The song, originally just called “Summer 91”, was remixed for a major-label release on RCA, and it’s about what you’d expect. It’s a deep house track with a driving 90s MIDI piano melody, uncredited female vocals that can’t even get close to the power of those diva house vocals from decades before and a anti-climactic drop with some cheap percussion. The chorus actually sounds a lot like “Body” by Loud Luxury and brando from one or two years ago, so it’s not even that original in its main hook, though I can give it credit for the synth-work being more sci-fi and kind of interesting, and its song structure being increasingly disjointed, even moreso than the typical house-pop track that debuts low on these charts, which means a lot less when the song has so little tricks up its sleeve. And no, the 220 KID remix isn’t any good either, in fact, it’s a lot worse.

#63 – “Run it Up” – Lil Tjay featuring Offset and Moneybagg Yo

Produced by Josh Petruccio

I tried to listen to that Lil Tjay record and within five tracks decided it was absolutely not worth my time, so I’m glad we only have a single song from the album debuting, though I am surprised that it seems to be the borderline posse cut that runs for nearly four minutes and I’m immediately disappointed. I know how all three of these guys can flow and how fast and high-energy all of they can be, as well as how smooth Offset always is, so why is this beat such a dull, piano-lead sludge with gross bass mixing? Why is Lil Tjay wasting my time both content- and delivery-wise, flubbing rhymes to the point where he doesn’t even bother finishing the line, even when he cops Roddy Ricch’s “The Box” flow in the middle of his verse? Why is the chorus just “Run it up” repeated ad infinitum with no energy? Okay, so it’s not all bad – Offset impresses flow-wise as he always does, trying his hardest to inject some energy into this with his ad-libs and constantly changing flow, because at least he has a personality and some charisma, but even he stops trying by the end of his verse. Moneybagg Yo channels 2 Chainz but without anything that makes 2 Chainz a worthwhile presence for a verse that somehow ends up as the best, most consistent here, and, yeah, I now know me skipping the majority of this record was a good choice.

#59 – “Runaway” – AURORA

Produced by Odd Martin and Magnus Skylstad

I know nothing about AURORA, and I was pretty confident I wouldn’t need to past her John Lewis advert success and her part on the Frozen II soundtrack of all places, but alas, she’s charting again with no kind of visual phenomenon attached to it. AURORA is a Norwegian singer-songwriter on the same wavelength as Bjork and hence the eye of a lot of critical success that doesn’t necessarily translate always into album sales. She has seen intermittent success with singles so I assumed this had just been somewhat of a breakout single from her newest record... but no, it’s from her first album and the single was released all the way back in February of 2015. So, naturally, you’ve got to assume TikTok and you would be correct, but is the song good? Well, the vocal loop double-tracked to act as a synth melody and eventually a choir is kind of a cool idea, and AURORA herself has this frail, accented delivery that’s definitely endearing. The song itself is about escapism and running away from confronting your emotions and the writing is good, even if it tends to be a bit messy if more attention is placed onto it, particularly in the verses. That’s not to distract from the fact that this is absolutely a song from 2015 as if you couldn’t tell from the percussion you can tell from the future bass-esque that’s almost cringeworthy in its anti-climactic entrance and doesn’t even really work at all, especially when it just disappears prematurely. I get going for a glitch-pop thing but it just does not make sense in a ballad like this, in fact, I’m finding it hard to find a part that could be used in a TikTok. The second drop works a little better because AURORA has more conviction in her desperate vocal delivery that sounds legitimately great, but I still think there’s such little impact in the percussion that the blend of synths and strings becomes ultimately just a distraction from what could have been a decent piano ballad. It makes it more interesting, for sure, but also more frustrating. Much like Ryn Weaver’s “Pierre”, also a 2015 indie-pop track suddenly charting six years after the fact a couple weeks ago, there’s a good song hidden somewhere in shoddy and awkward production. I really wish I could have liked this more.

#50 – “Dancing with the Devil” – Demi Lovato

Produced by Mitch Allan

Okay, so our next two songs are both from Demi Lovato’s comeback album, Dancing with the Devil...the Art of Starting Over, an album that if anything I am glad exists as it is a catharsis for Demi Lovato that needed to be released as it discusses her overdose, rehab, last relationship and everything both leading up to those events and the aftermath of them. The album isn’t perfect but feels open, revealing and most importantly an honest release for Demi Lovato and I think that’s worthy of praise in itself. As a 19-track album, it is bloated but does have enough sonic experimentation in the pop sphere for it not to grow stale, and I think there are great songs in there – it’s a good album – but you can already tell it’ll be dated soon enough, not that that’s really a problem now in 2021, but might hurt future revisits, especially with some of the production that already sounds awkward. Thankfully, we get two pretty down-beat and dark tracks from the record, which is where it usually shines, the first being the (half-)title track, released just a week before, and it’s pretty excellent. This soulful track builds itself on echoed percussion, subtle piano and Demi stumbling purposefully through verses detailing her mindset when she drinks alcohol and soon enough ends up “dancing with the Devil” and taking harder drugs like cocaine and heroin in the second verse. Musically, the chorus does struggle with some awkward mixing that makes the strings and instrumentation kind of pile up in a blend that sounds a lot louder than it should be, especially when everything is layered up to make each instrument indistinguishable and unrecognisable, pushing Demi’s vocals to the middle and forcing each multi-tracked ad-lib and vocal run to barely fit in the mix. I love this song from a songwriting standpoint even if it tends to be a bit blunt, but it definitely suffers from this production, which is mostly fixed in...

#44 – “Met Him Last Night” – Demi Lovato featuring Ariana Grande

Produced by Xavi and TBHits

This is my favourite song on the record by a fairly big margin, as everything seems to work here, in a way that doesn’t happen across the rest of the album. The song goes for a similar metaphor with the Devil being illicit substances, something that’s been done before and will continue to be done for eons, but Demi and the songwriters do go for a more unique take on it, picturing both Demi and Ariana in a bar or some kind of late-night hang-out as they “see the Devil” – really, seeing themselves at a low point partaking in substance abuse, which is a really interesting and potentially heart-wrenching perspective, especially if we’re going to get the duality of the chorus being self-aware of these vices but ultimately indulging in them anyway, compared to the verses and bridge where Ariana acts as Demi’s consciousness, vowing and pleading with her never to let drugs “take advantage of her innocence” again. The bridge is just wonderful in how the interplay between Ariana and Demi leads to Demi confronting these vices and promising that she won’t ever end up this bad again, before the truth is revealed by Ariana twisting the pre-chorus. Originally, it’s a threat to “the Devil” – that she can see right through the initial appeal of taking hard drugs and will try her hardest to dismiss them – but with the added context of that bridge, becomes a pretty telling response to Demi’s confidence, shutting her down by saying she sees through this facade of willpower and that she’ll still resort to substance abuse once again... which is sadly reinforced by that final, striking chorus that doesn’t change at all from the first, constructing a narrative that ends up going full-circle as Demi is back to where she started. It helps that this instrumental is downright demonic as well, with those menacing 80s synths sliding over some gorgeous violins in the intro, before all of that cuts out for the pre-chorus as that leering melody is whispered by both singers, and the chorus continues to rise with the strings, synthesised brass and the sparse percussion, which drops in Ariana’s verse to become a booming, drill-adjacent beat not afraid to cut out for Ariana’s multi-tracked humming. In fact, I love how organically this beat moves despite it being so obviously programmed, with the swelling of those strings before every impact and the intricate vocal sequencing making sure every gorgeous vocal run and ad-lib is heard. I’m almost glad I’m confident in this not becoming a hit because I would have already talked it to death here before it gets a chance to top my best list, as this is one of the most brilliantly-constructed pop songs I’ve ever heard and absolutely deserves your attention.

#43 – “Nice to Meet Ya” – Wes Nelson featuring Yxng Bane

Produced by Ayo Beatz

And now for some guy featuring some other guy produced by another guy. To give full credit, this beat is actually very well-produced, especially with that gorgeous piano lead in before the reggaeton-esque drum rhythm kicks in alongside those squeaky horns. It’s everywhere else where this song collapses in on itself, as Wes Nelson’s voice is drenched in so much Auto-Tune and reverb that it just sounds grossly cheap, with some comical ad-libs and some comically bad lyrics in this chorus, which I’ll repeat to you now. In a rather Shakespearean tone, our lead artist plays poetic word association with the hedonistic lifestyle of one Wes Nelson, excitedly greeting the listener with a “Nice to meet you”, before striking our deserved attention with his simplistic albeit bitingly effective rhymes. “Stepped in froze, freezer. Christian Dior, huh? Christian Dior, Jesus.” I don’t expect Nas from this guy but I at least expect bars that makes some kind of sense and don’t sound like juvenile attempts at early 2010s Drake-esque hashtag-rap. The song continues to waste the potential of its pretty great production as Wes Nelson strains his voice and somehow still ends up mumbling in his off-beat flow and janky cadence. Yxng Bane is, I hate to say it, probably the best part of this track, as at least he can convincingly sing and his detailed description of him messing around with a vegan girl (which has no relation to what he says, but he still says it) is at least more interesting lyrically than whatever Wes Nelson’s saying. “I met her in Victoria’s Secret then she let me into her Victoria’s secrets” is about as awful as a line when sang as it is read, and I mean, Wes Nelson’s falsetto doesn’t do him much justice in the unnecessary third verse either, so, yeah, this is a pretty crap attempt at riding a great beat. Give this to Rema or Burna Boy and something could have been done with this.

#27 – “deja vu” – Olivia Rodrigo

Produced by Dan Nigro

Finally, we have the follow-up single to Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license”, a song I liked, and I’m glad I did because so did Olivia herself and her producer Dan Nigro, as here we have essentially a sequel if not a reboot to that song. Here, Rodrigo starts to question the authenticity of Joshua Bassett’s new Disney-ordered relationship with Sarah Carpenter—I mean, her unnamed ex-boyfriend’s new fling with another woman. It’s an interesting take to have Rodrigo in a place where somewhat sympathises and pities the new girlfriend, as she’s not getting anything unique or new from her ex-boyfriend anymore. In fact, a lot of this song is really confrontational as she demands the boyfriend to tell his new girlfriend that all the stuff he’s doing with her is what he did with Rodrigo. That’s all fine and good but how does the song sound? Well, it’s got a bell-based instrumental, almost one that’s childish and intimidating, which is perfect for the petty selfishness of the content. In fact, the song as a whole seems to attempt to go for that, with the hilariously multi-tracked and echoed fake laughter in the first verse, as well as all of the extra inflections and backing vocals throughout. The song builds in a very similar way to “drivers license”, but drops earlier into a killer indie-rock groove with a squealing guitar and incredibly distorted drum pattern, almost reminding me of a Flaming Lips song if that’s not too far-fetched of a comparison. This song ultimately does enough to derive and distinguish itself from “drivers license” and whilst it’s not as smooth of a powerful pop track as that one was, and the mixing here is definitely more awkward, we get a different side to Olivia Rodrigo that we’re not to have as much sympathy for. Sure, we know how tough the feeling of being replaced is, but she’s noticeably pettier and arguably kind of unlikeable especially in that bridge, which is a lot more fast-paced than the rest of the song and also has somewhat gratuitous swearing because this is still a formula. Overall, I think this is a pretty great song and I might ultimately prefer it to “drivers license” just out of how it sounds and I’m always happy to see more genuine rock on the chart, so I’m glad we end on a good note.

Conclusion

And on said note, Olivia Rodrigo cops the Honourable Mention for “deja vu” – not that there was much competition – with the Best of the Week going to “Met Him Last Night” by Demi Lovato featuring Ariana Grande. For Worst of the Week, it’s really not that easy as I thought it would be as not much here is that bad at all. I guess I’ll give it to Lil Tjay once again as “Run it Up” featuring Offset and Moneybagg Yo is just joyless, with a Dishonourable Mention for Wes Nelson and Yxng Bane for just crapping all over a great instrumental on “Nice to Meet Ya”. Anyway, here’s this week’s top 10:

I’m not sure if I can make any confident predictions for tomorrow, other than the impact of Taylor Swift, Twenty One Pilots and, if I’m getting my hopes up, BROCKHAMPTON? Regardless, thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week!

[supersugatrash]

D (W!FTWBTS) , S, and T :))

jeonggukstop said:Oh also F lol whoops (I have a feeling I know which one it is haha)

Let’s see how well you actually know me. :’)

D: Is there a song or a playlist to associate with W!FTWBTS?

I’ve never actually thought about it too much, since I don’t really listen to music other than those smooth/morning jazz compilations on YT while writing, but I’m gonna list a couple of songs that would work well with it. Pretty much any BTS song could work, so other than Dope I will leave them out. Some of these will not make sense right now, but (seeing as i probably won’t get this question again) I’ve added them anyways. There are/will be scenes when I think of these songs, even if it’s just snippets that fit. Also in no particular order.

BTS - Dope (duh)

Blue October - The Feel Again (Stay)

Blue October - Jump Rope

First Aid Kit - Silver Lining

Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra - Kiss the Sky

James Blake - Retrograde

The Coral - Put the Sun Back

Stefanie Heinzmann - In The End

And probably more, but I’m kind of stuck right now so these should suffice.

S: Any fandom tropes you can’t resist?

Shy Kook. Dunno why, it’s just fun messing with him; 4D Tae. I started using him to break the 4th wall and now I can’t stop; Vulgar Yoongi. Because same; Sunshine Hoseok. We all need a little light in our lives and his bubbly side is actually quite fun to write; Big Mama Jin. It’s just a great trait to have, so I put the focus on that one most of the time when writing him. These are just a few you’ll usually see in my fics. This post is already long enough, don’t need to add more.

T: Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?

Writing Yoongi as lazy. Can you blame him for wanting to rather stay in bed instead of running around all day after he’s been composing, writing and producing songs pretty much 24/7? I wish I was half as productive as that guy; Making Jin bland as fuck. My god, he’s anything but bland. He’s sassy, he’s caring, (he’s worldwide handsome ffs), he’s a foodie, he’s charming af, a great actor, singer AND DANCER. And those are just a few to choose from.

You see, I have a lot of things to say. If you’ve got the time, I could easily write you a 20k essay on it.

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

1. Do you now? 2. Thanks for making me look over all those god damn finished fics and WIPs to find the one I like the most. Definitely didn’t take me forever. (Taken from “I love you.” “I love me too.”)

“So,” he cleared his throat and threw his leather jacket over his shoulder, “same time next week?”

“Good night, Namjoon.” Both of you knew the answer already, it’s been the same way ever since you started seeing each other. But for some reason, you never managed to simply say yes. He walked past you and with one last gaze, it was as if there had never been an us.

It’s weird, even though I use tons of dialogue in my stories, I actually prefer the words that have been left unsaid. That’s why I’m somewhat proud of this drabble, because this was the first time I’ve managed to convey a dialogue that was never meant to be.

Send me a letter!

[radgeorgie]

~~~tag game~~~

shoutout to @pastel-sk1es​ for thinking my blog was cool, and also tagging me in this

im tagging @samiramueller bc i wanna get to know you better!

1. What Time Is It Where You Are?

3:48 (Michigan, USA)

2. Current Energy Levels?

85%, i slept for 12+ hours last night surprisingly

3. Song That You’re Obsessed With At The Moment?

any song twice has come out with

4. Other Kpop Groups You Stan That Aren’t BTS?

tooooo many (that you can find here lmao) but I stan these religiously:

TWICE

Red Velvet

Monsta X

SEVENTEEN

ASTRO

5. Bands Outside of Kpop That You Stan?

Little Mix mainly, but I do like a few american pop songs

6. Cats or Dogs?

cats! but i did volunteer at a dog shelter not to long ago...

7. Favourite Sound?

stereotypical white girl but rain? the sound of my own snoring? lmao

8. Something That Made You Laugh In The Last Couple of Days?

thinking about how im gonna get through college? im so royally screwed?

9. Favourite Thing About Your Bias?

how he never stops trying. He keeps trying to be a better person for himself and his members and his fans.

10. Apps / Sites that you use often?

tumblr (obliviously), twitter (kimsjoonie), snapchat (cronuss-ampora)

11. Where Are You From?

born & raised in the usa

12. Are You More of An Introvert or Extrovert?

introvert

13. Since When Have You Been Into Kpop And How Did You Discover It?

2012, but I didn’t really get into it until august 2014. I was scrolling through tumblr for playlists & found snsd’s the boys (eng ver). I really fell in love with it wanted to research more, but I was young & didn’t really like listening to music that didn’t ing to music that wasn’t in english (lmao) so I kind of forgot about it? It wasn’t until Jessica left SNSD that I really wanted to get into KPop, bc I was falling out of the anime fandom lmao. I decided to nosedive into KPop and here we are now!

14. Who Was The First Kpop Group You Got Into?

Girls Generation! (with SHINee following very close after)

15. Do You Have Any Pets? If Yes, Which One(s)?

one, a dog named bo (also known as bobo, bobo pet & bobo baggins)

16. Tea or Coffee?

neither, I hate both lmao

17. Day or Night?

~~~night~~~

18. What Kind of Movies Do You Prefer Watching?

horror mostly, i don’t watch movies that music

19. What Is Your Biggest Wish For The Future?

another stereotypical white girl answer, but to be happy. im sick of wanting to die all the time

20. What’s Your Way of Being Creative

photography & music

21. What’s Your Dream Job?

idk at this point in the game. im going to college of photography so i guess that? thats what i wanted to be when i was younger too

22. Which Country / Countries Do You Desperately Want To Visit?

any, I wanna visit every country at least once

23. How many languages do you speak?

one bitch I live in the whitest country ever

24. What was your favorite subject in school/college/university?

history, although only a little, i hate that place with a burning passion

25. Do you play, or have you played, any musical instruments?

i used to play trumpet back in 7th grade, but my band teacher bullied me out of it so I dont play it anymore

26. Do you believe in horoscopes/zodiacs?

yes bitch tf

27. Is there anything you really want to learn or to do?

i really wanna learn another language, but im tired & lazy

28. How many times in your life have you moved house/city/country?

twice, once when I was 5 & again when I was 15

29. Would you rather have no children or a lot of children?

no children, fuck em

30. Are you religious/spiritual?

no

31. Do you drink alcohol?

im the lamest bitch ever, no

32. If you got to spend a whole week alone with your idol, what would you want to do? (apart from sex… ¬_¬)

I’d love to visit their hometown with them. meet their family, see where they grew up, meet their childhood friends & eat at the same places they love. I’d love to see them happy & healthy surrounded by friends and family.

34. If you could be the best in the world at ONE thing, what would it be?

something that would make me successful & happy

35. What Are Your Passions?

sleeping.......death........

36. What are your pet-peeves?

slow walkers, people with annoying laughs

37. Favourite Anime / Manga Movies?

i haven’t watched anime in 20 years, but ouran high school host club still has me feeling some type of way

38. Favourite Anime / Manga Tv Shows?

isnt this just a repeat of question 37?

39. What is your favourite season?

fall~~

40. If you could have whichever nationality you wanted what would it be and why?

i mean...being american kind of sucks, but i dont think id change it.

41. Would you rather visit outer space or the deep sea and why?

outer space, id love to visit the stars & see planets from an outside view

42. Greatest fear?

another white girl answer, but being lonely (lmao bitch tf @ me wtf)

43. What was the most memorable moment of your life?

starting high school. i cried for two days & wanted nothing but death.

44.  Something you can’t live without?

sleep & my phone

45. If you were granted one wish, what would it be and why?

to matter to someone on a personal level

46. What would you say to your idol if you met them?

tell them that I love them & hope they remain healthy & happy for the years to come

47. Somebody you care about a lot?

my friend & namjoon lmao

48. Life lesson you learned?

it fucking sucks & the best deal to deal with it is tough it out

49. What would you say to your ten year old self?

remain happy as much as you can & fuck what everything has to say

50. What are you most thankful for?

nothing really????? im sorry?????

51. Have you ever been to a K-Pop concert?

ive been to a dumbfoundead concert, but I don’t know if you’d consider him k-pop...

52. What are your goals for next year?

in ill be in college, to make friends

53. Who are your role models and why?

prolly namjoon lmao. just his life struggles, how he went with what he wanted in life not with what he was the best at, his goals & his accomplishments I could go on but honestly nobody cares lmao

54. What motivates you to keep striving towards your goals?

the idea that ill have a good life once i achieve them

55. If you could be anyone for a day who would it be and why?

like a 95 year old that lives in a retiring home so I can sleep 4ever lmao

56.  Who is your bias list wrecker?

i have too many, but in BTS its def suga

57. If you could listen to only one album for the rest of your life what would it be? Why?

quite surprisingly, but FOB’s album Save Rock & Roll, I love every song on that album & the impact it has.......holy shit dude

58. What’s your favorite food from your home country? (because I honestly love food so much)

holy shit.... honestly...america has stolen like half of its menu from other countries, but im in love with chicken pitas, and i think thats an american thing? I could be wrong tho.

ADDED QUESTION:

59: do you watch tv often? what tv shows are you obsessed with recently?