#I think it’s 3 beatles songs and 2 pf

[asurrogateblog]

I know using a pseudonym online is normal but why do I even go by cleo on this blog when my real name appears in at least two beatles and pink floyd songs each

[pfreadsandwrites]

thanks so much for the tag lem <3 i miss you a lot even though i'm too busy for this place!

Name: call me pf! my besties know my real name

Pronouns: She/her

Where do you call home: hmmm my apartment haha but i'm partial to quiet beaches or bodies of water at night.

Favorite animal: lions and rabbits. aka the most different animals to exist lmao

Cereal of choice: I've got a childhood attachment to coco pops, but on the rare occasions I do eat cereal, I just eat this all bran granola

Are you a visual, audio, or kinesthetic learner: I think I lean more to visual/audio.

Fist pet: These two albino rabbits that i feel so bad for now when i think about them cuz we were too young and living in a different country to really care for them properly and they must have been scared and I just feel so bad when I think about them. My brother was 2 at the time and he used to think it was was so funny to play with them but he was scaring them and i was always trying to protect them, and my mother was strict about them being in the house etc so they probably werent getting all the interaction they needed.

Favorite scent: rose and other floral scents. I like sage too.

Do you believe in astrology: Basically, if I find things resonate then I go with it. I find things interesting to read about but I guess i don't believe it in *absolutes* or as a be all and end all. It's just an interesting reassuring thing sometimes if it does resonate with me.

How many playlists do you have on Spotify/apple music: I only have 3 or 4 that i created myself but the ones that I've added its probably like 30.

Sharpies or highlighters: They both ahve different purposes? confused. i enjoy writing with sharpies more

A song that makes you cry: UGHHH. In my life by the Beatles.

A song that makes you happy: good as hell - lizzo

And finally, do you write/draw/create: I haven't written in time but i'd like to get back into it. I like to cook and bake but i wanna develop my skill in these areas <3

i’ll tag a few folks i haven’t seen included but anyone can feel free to answer if they’d like &lt;3: @scaredlittlefoxy @dattblobbyfish @aerinth @mylittlesyn and @rookie98writes

@professor-of-naruto

@katwithakeyboard

thanks for the tag @foolishk

Name: lem

Pronouns: she/they; sometimes leaning more they.

Where do you call home: the deep dark woods or the deep dark ocean.

Favorite animal: grey wolf.

Cereal of choice: does kashi granola count? and no not just because of the name but because my grandmother used to let us have it on weekends as a treat.

Are you a visual, audio, or kinesthetic learner: kinesthetic tho i can fake my way as a visual.

Fist pet: the obese cat the old lady we bought our first house from when i was a kid couldn’t take to her nursing home. i begged my dad to let me keep her (he’s allergic) & he finally relented on the condition that she live outside & lose some weight. she became a very happy farm cat for more than a decade before she wandered off one day and never came home. <3

Favorite scent: sage. cedar. cinnamon. sandalwood. together or separately.

Do you believe in astrology: no, but i wish i did.

How many playlists do you have on Spotify/apple music: 55.

Sharpies or highlighters: fine tip sharpies for my bullet journal.

A song that makes you cry: “amazing grace” played on the bagpipes.

A song that makes you happy: “my love,” the bird and the bee.

And finally, do you write/draw/create: i sometimes write. sometimes draw poorly. sometimes embroider. used to make elaborate Halloween costumes & decorations & all other manner of arts & crafts.

i’ll tag a few folks i haven’t seen included but anyone can feel free to answer if they’d like <3: @pfreadsandwrites @howdoesoneadult @chemmerson @myaekingheart

[thedgreene-blog]

the TOP 10 albums I saved to my Spotify in 2017

Seasons greetings friends. I write to you from icy cold Vernon, BC. I’m fighting a sore throat, dried out sinuses, and an eye infection I got from the pool at the Vernon Lodge (formerly the Best Western, currently featuring a Don Cherry branded sports bar). But enough about me. Grab a cup of hot cocoa and kick up your feet. It’s time for another one of D. Greene’s horribly written year end top 10 lists.

10. The Guess Who - American Woman (also Wheatfield Soul and Canned Heat)

 We’ll start off with a perfect double whammy example of why you should stop reading this right now. Seriously. Ok well don’t say anyone even remotely recommended reading this all the way through. First off - These albums came out over 40 years ago. Second - I listened to them all 5-10 years ago. But guess what amigos - they weren’t saved to my Spotify library until this year. I have a beautiful memory of driving around getting together production requirements for a weekend of shooting Gritzmore Season One which is available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube and Funny or Die. With me were my friends Derek (listens to Black Sabbath and Queens of the Stone Age), Justin (listens to Tragically Hip and Anime music), and Melissa (listens to only Japanese folk songs and Lady Gaga(Zef if you’re reading this please DM me)). Despite our wildly different tastes in listening; all genres were transcended by the heavy yet clean and spatial Canadian dad rock majesty that is the Guess Who. While most dad bands force you to listen to a best of because of the sheer monotony of a pentatonic rock album produced in the 70s, The Guess Who’s albums hold up. You’ve got the sounds of jazz, hard rock, 60s referencing psych and more. I’m really running out of steam here and I’m still on number 10 oh my god. Be a good Canadian and listen to some Guess Who.

9. Painted Fruit - PF II

And now to completely stray from the previously mentioned guide lines seemingly rendering this piece of “journalism” more pointless than it all ready is. This album isn’t on Spotify but it is on Bandcamp. Painted Fruit are some old friends from the mother land, Vernon. I shot a video for them a while ago. It still kind of holds up even though it’s on YouTube in 720p. This album sports shiny reverberating guitars influenced by beach rock, drums caught up half way between garage and math rock, and vocals obviously influenced by Talking Heads or similarly uninhibited post punk wailing. My favourite track is “Primitive” it really heats up near the end. Very upbeat but dark. It’s not too common an album can keep you tuned in start to finish but the Fruit’s second album is mentally stimulating all the way through whether it’s on in the car or if you’re taking a more scrutinizing listen with headphones.

8. Fleetwood Mac - Future Games

If you’ve ever spent any time around me you know I don’t shut the fuck up about pre-Stevie Knicks Fleetwood Mac. I think I’m SO god damn cultured because I can say “ACTUALLY they started out as a blues band before transitioning in psychedelic and eventually soft rock”. Wow David. Mr. Rock and Roll trivia. You don’t know shit about what’s going on in the world politically or even in your own city for that matter. You don’t watch sports. You don’t even watch current TV and movies even though you claim to be a writer and director. But I bet you’ve got some sick ass trivia about Fleetwood Mac. They’re that band that does “thunder only happens when it’s raining” right? They’re pretty good - my mom has a few of their CDs. Whatever don’t tell me how to live my life. One day I’m going to get on Jeopardy and then we’ll see who’s laughing when I burn the fuck through the entire rock and roll trivia category and the $1000 daily double is “this guitarist played in Fleetwood Mac before departing and eventually joining the religious cult known as the Children of God” “WHO IS JEREMY SPENCER, ALEX!?” Anyway this album is really good and it’s finally on Spotify. And not to confuse you, Jeremy Spencer plays on Then Play On, which is not on Spotify yet. Danny Kirwan is on Future Games.

7. Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak/Graduation

Hey Kanye how you doing buddy? Seems like you’re thinking about a lot. Got a lot going on upstairs. Glad I got to see the Life of Pablo show before you cancelled the rest of the tour. If you need to talk or anything I’m right here. It can’t be easy keeping up with those krazy Kardashians. What happened to the album you said you’d put out by this past summer? Can we have a little teaser at least? I was going to DM you on Twitter but you deleted it. Well I just wanted to write and say that I was listening to 808s and Graduation and was thinking about how 10 years ago you literally laid the ground work for the majority of current pop and hip hop. Every dance track lately has the same synth sounds as Graduation. Even rock artists are writing easy listening yacht rock inspired songs again. And who did you sample on Champion? That’s right Steely Dan. You were pumping out vocoder and heavy minimal bass 10 years before Future and 21 Savage. You’re truly an artist my friend even if I compared you to dads who use Facebook last year. Gimme a call man let’s hang out - I miss you.

6. Once and Future Band - Once and Future Band / Brain

The best kind of satisfaction is the kind you didn’t even know you were after. I came across Once and Future Band and realized I had an itch for prog rock I didn’t know needed scratching. If you’ve ever rocked out to Yes, early King Crimson, late Led Zeppelin, Supertramp, I urge you to check these guys out. Every song plays for around 5-6 minutes. Each track an adventure. They even pepper in elements of classic rock and pop but keep you guessing with messy yet precise fills and time signatures. I just noticed their EP “Brain” isn’t on Spotify anymore which is a huge bummer but you should try and track it down.

5. Arcade Fire - Everything Now 

Arcade Fire are a band that “get it” in every sense of that expression. Lyrically I haven’t identified with songs like the ones on Everything Now since...I want to say ever. They’ve completely found their place sonically after the somewhat experimental “Reflektor.” We can all pretend the song you put out with Mavis Staples doesn’t exist, don’t worry. The singles off this album are perfect. The album tracks leave nothing to be desired. Your music videos - MOIA *kissing fingers hand gesture*, your concert OH MY GOOD GOD it was a work of performance art. It’s hard to put into words how Arcade Fire pleases me as a band so I’m going to stop now. Please keep making records forever. Also u kno Arcade Fire can get it ;)

4. Vulfpeck - Mr. Finish Line

This year I was introduced to one of the tightest bands of I’ve ever heard. I’m not using tight like I’m a snowboarder from 2009. I mean musically this band is tight. Vulfpeck is based around 2 guys who went to music school and became gods of building beautiful, happy, upbeat songs around a bass guitar and a drum kit. There is one fill in the track Baby I Don’t Know where the saxophone and the guitar walk down some sort of mind mending jazz scale that just about broke me the first time I heard it. I feel like I intended for this article to be funny but I’m getting really earnest with these entries which isn’t good because it’s not funny and it’s not written well why are you still even here. Hang in there. If you prove you read it all the way through I’ll shake your hand, look you in the eye, and say say thank you.

3. The Lemon Twigs - Do Hollywood

A studio band built around 2 kids who were 17 and 19 or something when this came out. I’m not a real journalist do your own fact checking. I just know when I saw them play at the Cobalt they weren’t even close to old enough to drink in Canada. The Lemon Twigs are part of a fascinating group of LA musicians who seem to all be associated with Johnathan Rado - member of Foxygen, produced this album for the Twigs, produced Tim Heideckers album that came out this year. (How Tim Heidecker is spending his time creatively recently is very questionable. Wareheim remains my favourite. Also Tim and Eric shaped modern comedy but that’s a different essay). Rado also worked with Diane Coffee, former Foxygen drummer, former child actor - like the members of the lemon twigs. The Twigs went to the same high school as Billy Joel which probably doesn’t mean anything but hey isn’t LA neat? In their circle as well is Alex Cameron whose latest album is pretty fun. Basically what I’m getting at here is I’m a big Hollywood wannabe who feels left out of the fun. I just wanna be famous ok? Dammit. This album is great check it out.

2. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell Live

Sufjan Stevens is a fascinating artist and person. Who would you sit down and have a 4 hour conversation with if you were given the chance? Sufjan Stevens is on my list. I want to know his creative process, how he spends his days off, how he decides what clothes to wear, why he would cover Hotline Bling live (not complaining - it was incredible to see in person). I got to see Sufjan in concert twice last year and while the experiences were almost too good to be true I was left both times with the bittersweet feeling that I may never experience this or something quite like it again. It’s definitely not being there but if any of Sufjan’s work needed a live recording it was Carrie & Lowell. 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

HAIM - Just the song You Never Knew. Devonte Hynes is one hell of a producer and song writer. I think I tricked myself into liking HAIM just because I have crushes on all three of them. When I get to Hollywood I’m going to ask Alana on a date.

John Lennon - Mind Games

There’s so much post Beatles music I feel like I’ll never get through it all. I’m usually turned off by Lennon’s cynical lyrically driven basic rock songs but there’s some really good stuff on this album.

Kevin Morby - City Music

New music that sounds old. This album is great and led me to listen to a bunch of his old stuff too. If you don’t know Morby listen to Singing Saw, Harlem River, and follow him on Instagram.

LCD Soundsystem - american dream

I’m more into dance music than I’ve ever been. Not EDM but music by bands that makes you dance. Also my friends got to see them live in New Orleans and I’m definitely not jealous and didn’t have FOMO the whole time they were there and I was back in Vancouver.

Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffit

Zeppelin’s best album that isn’t made up of songs completely stolen from black musicians.

Loving - Loving

Cool easy listening woozy Mac DeMarco rip off tunes.

Nick Hakim - Green Twins

Cool soulful spacey psych music that doesn’t cross into sounding like Hozier.

Paul McCartney - Pure McCartney

Best of Paul who is the best Beatle.

Shintaro Sakamoto - various

Awesome Japanese psych pop.

Steely Dan - Aja

The best of all dad/yacht/jazz rock there is. The bench mark for easy listening melodic rock. I listened to I Got The News probably 200 times this year.

The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding

I call bullshit on every music writer who put this in their year end list. No one has played this album past like track 5. It all sounds the same.

NUMBER ONE BEST THING ON THE SPOTIFY OF 2017

Mac DeMarco - This Old Dog

I love Mac. I want to be his friend. Actually I just want his life. I follow him and Kiera on Instagram. His cover of Wonderful Christmastime he just put out is great. I hope Mr. DeMarco keeps making music for decades. What a guy. He doesn’t even shave or dress up when he goes on network late night talk shows. Unfortunately I don’t go to his concerts anymore because they used to be $20 and now they’re like $60. Anyway man keep doing your thing. I don’t care if I come across as a mindless hipster who happens to also roll up his pants. I like your songs. You write great lyrics about love and life. You can shred guitar. Your live cover of Reeling In The Years is amazing. I still laugh about the time I saw you cover Enter Sandman and Smoke On the Water. Mac 4ever.

Well that about does it. Hope you all had a great Christmas and a great time reading this. I’m gonna go put visine in my eyes and watch Elf.

Love, David. (go watch Gritzmore Season One and email it to all those network executives you’re secretly friends with)(here’s a picture of me in my dad’s old clothes)