#LIKE??? THE 80S VIBES??? AND THE MUSIC VIDEO??? LEARNING THE DANCE AS WE SPEAK

[hella1975]

and it goesss on and on and ON LIKE A NEVERENDING SONG ON AND ON LIKE A NEVERENDING SONG CAN YOU MAKE US STAY FOREVER? ARE WE DONE? CAN YOU MAKE IT PLAY ON AND ON AND ONNNNN

[olderthannetfic]

It's really surprising that you're so well versed in older fandoms and yet participate in new popular ones (that cdrama, kpop) is this by design? Im in my twenties and my interest turnover is already way slower than it used to be

You know, that’s a really interesting question. I wouldn’t say it’s by design exactly in that I do tend to just follow what strikes my fancy, and I can’t force myself to want to write fic for just anything. (I find it easier to like reading fic without serious involuntary emotional investment, but writing takes more. Vidding I can do on command most of the time, but I don’t usually bother unless I have a lot of feels or I’m fulfilling someone’s prompt.)

However, me getting into BTS was 100% due to me wanting to understand BTS enough to explain to people who weren’t very interested but wanted to know what was going on in fandom lately. Under normal circumstances, I run the dance party at Escapade, the oldest extant slash con. We borrowed vividcon’s thing of playing fanvids on the wall--all of them set to dance music--as the soundtrack for the dance party. This means I’m creating a 3-hour mixtape of fannishness, which has amazing potential to make people feel in the know about Fandom Today... and equal potential to make them feel alienated if nothing they care about shows up. Only about 100-150 people attend the con, so it really is possible to make a playlist that feels inclusive yet informative--it just takes a huge amount of work.

Every year, I do a lot of research on which fandoms are getting big and look for vids from vidders people won’t have heard of, so there is an element of consciously trying to keep up with things. Generally, I only get into these fandoms myself if I had no idea what they were and then suddenly, oops, they’re my kryptonite, like the buddy cop android plot in Detroit: Become Human, which sucked me in hard for like 6 months on the basis of a vid.

(So if you’re into cross-fandom meta and associated stuff as one of your fannish interests, you tend to have broader knowledge of different fandoms, old and new, than if you’re just looking for the next place you’ll read fic. It’s also easier to love vids for unfamiliar things than fic.)

But though I was only looking for a basic primer on BTS, BTS has 7 members with multiple names and no clear juggernaut pairing, not to mention that AU that runs through the music videos and lots of other context to explain. The barrier to understanding WTF was going on at all was high enough that to know enough to explain, I had to be thoroughly exposed... And once I was over that hurdle, oops, I had a fandom.

--

In terms of old vs. new, here’s the thing: kpop fandoms in English and c-drama fandoms in English right now feel a lot like anime fandom in English did in the early 00s. I had a Buddy Cops of the 70s phase in the middle, but my current fannishness is actually a return to my older fannishness in many ways.

What do I mean about them being similar?

Yes, I know some wanker will show up to say I think China, Korea, and Japan are indistinguishable, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the way that I used to routinely meet Italian and French and German fans, Argentinian and Mexican, Malaysian and Indonesian and Filipino too. English-language fandom of SPN or MCU may have all those fans from all those countries, but it feels very American most of the time. English-language fandom of a non-English-language canon is more overtly about using English as a lingua franca.

It also tends to attract people who as a sideline to their fannishness are getting into language learning and translation, which are my other passion in life after fanworks fandom. (I speak only English and Spanish and a bit of Japanese, but I’ve studied German, French, Russian, Mandarin, Old English, and now Korean.)

Nerds arguing about methods of language learning and which textbooks are good and why is my jam. This is all over the place in English-language fandoms of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean media. Those fandoms also tend to be full of speakers coming from a Germanic or Romance languages background who face similar hurdles in learning these languages. (In other words, if you’re a native Japanese speaker trying to learn Korean, the parts that will be hard for you are different than if you’re an English speaker, but you’re also usually not doing fandom in English.)

There’s also an element of scarcity and difficulty of access and a communal attempt to construct a canon (in the other sense) of stuff from that country that pertains to one’s fannishness. So, for example, a primer explaining the genre of xianxia is highly relevant to being a n00b Untamed fan, but just any old thing about China is not. A c-drama adapted from a danmei webnovel is perhaps part of the new pantheon of Chinese shit we’re all getting into, but just any old drama from decades ago is probably not... unless it’s a genre precursor to something else we care about. Another aspect here is that while Stuff I Can Access As A N00b Who Doesn’t Speak The Language may be relatively scarce, there’s a vast, vast wealth of stuff that exists.

This is what it felt like to be an anime fan in the US in 2000. As translation got more commercial and more crappy series were licensed and dumped onto an already glutted market, the vibe changed. No longer were fans desperately trying to learn enough of the language to translate or spending their time cataloguing what existed or making fanworks about a show they stuck with for a bit: the overall community focus turned to an endless race of consumption to keep up with all of the latest releases. That’s a perfectly valid way of being fannish, but if I wanted that, I’d binge US television 24/7.

Anime fandom got bigger, but what I liked about anime fandom in English died, and I moved on. (Okay, I first moved on to Onmyouji, which is a live action Japanese thing, but still.)

Hardcore weeaboos and now fans of Chinese and Korean stuff don’t stop at language: people get excited about cooking, my other other great passion. Times a thousand if the canon is something like The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, which is full of loving shots of food preparation. People get excited about history! Mandarin and Japanese may share almost nothing in terms of grammar or phonology, but all of East Asia has influence from specific Chinese power centers historically, and there are commonalities to historical architecture and clothing that I love.

I fell out of love with the popular anime art styles as they changed, and I’m not that into animation in general these days. (I still own a shitton of manga in art styles I like, like Okano Reiko’s Onmyouji series.) I’ve become a filmmaker over the last decade, and I’m very excited about beautiful cinematography and editing. With one thing and another, I’m probably not going to get back into anime fandom, but it’s lovely to revisit the cultural aspects I enjoyed about it via live-action media.

BTS surprised me too, to be honest. I really dislike that early 90s R&B ballad style that infests idol music (not just Korean--believe me, I resisted many rounds of “But Johnny’s Entertainment though!” back in the day). While I like some of the dance pop, I just don’t care. But OH NO, BTS turn out to be massive conscious hip hop fanboys, and their music sounds different. I have some tl;dr about my reactions in the meta I wrote about one of my fanvids, which you can find on Dreamwidth here.

--

But back to your comment about turnover: I know fans from the 70s who’ve had one great fannish love and that’s it and more who were like that but eventually moved on to a second or third. They’re... really fannishly monogamous in a way I find hard to comprehend. It was the norm long ago, but even by the 90s when far more people were getting into fandom, it was seen as a little weird. By now, with exponentially more people in fandom, it’s almost unheard of. I think those fans still exist, even as new people joining, but we don’t notice them. They were always rare, but in the past, only people like that had the stamina to get over the barriers to entry and actually become the people who made zines or were willing to be visibly into fanfic in eras when that was seen as really weird. On top of that, there’s an element of me, us, judging the past by what’s left: only people with an intense and often single passion are visible because other people either drifted away or have seamlessly disappeared into some modern fandom. They don’t say they’re 80 or 60 or 40 instead of 20, so nobody knows.

In general, I’m a small fandoms and rare ships person. My brain will do its best to thwart me by liking whatever has no fic even in a big fic fandom... (Except BTS because there is literally fic for any combination of them, like even more than for the likes of MCU. Wow. Best fandom evar!) So I have an incentive to not get complacent and just stick with one fandom because I would very soon have no ability to be in fandom at all.

My appetite for Consuming All The Things has slowed way down, but it also goes in waves, and a lot of what I’m consuming is what I did back in 2000: journal articles and the limited range of English-language books on the history of m/m sex and romance in East Asia. It’s not so much that I have a million fandoms as that I’m watching a few shows as an expression of my interest in East Asian costume dramas and East Asian history generally.

I do like to sit with one thing and experience it deeply rather than moving on quickly, but the surface expression of this has changed depending on whether I’m more into writing fic or more into doing research or something else.

But yes, I do do a certain amount of trying to stay current, often as a part of research for fandom meta or to help other people know what’s going on. Having a sense of what’s big doesn’t automatically mean getting into all those things, but I think some fans who are older-in-fandom and/or older-in-years stop being open to even hearing what’s new. And if you’ve never heard of it, you’ll never know if you might have liked it.

[callmebrycelee]

Album Review: Confetti by Little Mix

During one of the bleakest years in human history, Little Mix has delivered us pure joy and happiness in the form of their sixth studio album: CONFETTI. I became a fan of Little Mix, a Mixer is what we’re called, a few years ago when I clicked on one of my coworker’s Spotify playlists. The first song of theirs I can recall listening to is “F.U.” from their fourth album Glory Days. After looking up their other albums I then ventured over to YouTube so I could watch a few of their music videos. I instantly fell in love with the choreo-heavy “Touch” and the slumber party-themed “Hair”. I then started looking at their live performances and I was blown away. For me, Little Mix is everything I ever wanted out of Fifth Harmony. Now before I get some hate, Fifth Harmony is/was a great pop group and without them we wouldn’t have Normani, but whereas some of the girls in Fifth Harmony are/were more vocally talented than others, each of the members of Little Mix - Jade, Jesy, Leigh-Anne and Perrie - have amazing voices and those voices blend together so perfectly.

I’m so glad I discovered Little Mix when I did because it gave me enough time to binge their albums, music videos and live performances just in time for their fifth studio album LM5 to drop. If I had to rank the albums prior to CONFETTI, LM5 would definitely be at the top of my list. Realistically-speaking, the album didn’t perform as well as their other albums but the album is damn near perfect in my opinion. I then later learned the girls were going through a separation with their then-record label Syco which is a major factor in why the album didn’t perform as well as it could. 

CONFETTI is Little Mix’s first album since leaving Syco so many of us were very much looking forward to what the girls were going to deliver without having Simon Cowell standing on their neck. Our first taste of a newly emancipated Little Mix came in the form of the 80′s-inspired “Break Up Song”. They released their second single “Holiday” in the middle of the summer and their third single “Sweet Melody” was released a few weeks ahead of the album’s November 6 release. Being in the United States, I stayed up past midnight so I can listen to the album and since it’s release it’s been in heavy rotation on Spotify. I thought it would be fun to review the album and rate each of the tracks. There are 13 tracks on CONFETTI and I will be giving my thoughts on each track as well as a score based on a scale of 10. For those of you reading this, keep in mind, I am one of way too many Little Mix fans to count so if there are tracks that you like that I do not rate as high, just remember this is my opinion so forgive me, HAHA. Without further ado, here’s my review of CONFETTI:

BREAK UP SONG: The first track on the album is also the album’s first single. Break Up Song is not only a total vibe, it’s a total 80s vibe. I was delightfully surprised when Little Mix released this song earlier this year. I love that this song is yet another reminder of just how freakin’ talented these ladies are. My favorite part of the track is Jade’s bridge towards the end of the song. The song is bright and fun and I simply cannot resist busting out some serious 80s dance moves every time the song comes on.  Rating: 10/10

HOLIDAY: While Break Up Song gives up 80s pop vibes, Holiday sticks its toes in the contemporary pop pool. It makes sense that this song was released smack dab in the middle of the summer because it is the perfect summer jam. I especially love the accompanying music video which features the girls luxuriating in a spa somewhere on the moon or maybe Mars. It’s sugary and sweet and just like Break Up Song it’s one of those songs you can’t resist dancing to. It should be noted Holiday is the second single off of CONFETTI and it is one of my top 3 favorite tracks off the album. Rating: 10/10

SWEET MELODY: When I first heard the reggaeton-infused Sweet Melody, my initial reaction was meh. Thank God I listened to the song again ... and again ... and again ... because on the second, third and fourth listening, I realized just how truly epic this song is. The lyrics are quite brilliant with my favorite being the Perrie-led second verse: “He would lie, he would cheat, over syncopated beats.” Not only is the song a banger, the music video is one of the best visuals Little Mix has ever released. The choreography is fire and you can tell they put their blood, sweat, tears and spinal cord into their dancing. Sweet Melody is my favorite track on CONFETTI. Rating: 10/10

CONFETTI: Prior to the release of CONFETTI, this track was made available. This song gives me late-90s/early-2000s R&B vibes and I quite enjoy it. It doesn’t hit as nearly as hard as Sweet Melody but this is yet another song I can picture being played in a club. If Little Mix releases any more singles from this album, which I believe they should, I think Confetti is a strong contender. I imagine the music video will be very heavy on the choreo.  Rating: 9/10

HAPPINESS: Category Is: Songs That Could Have Been Released By Britney Spears in the Early 2000s. Happiness is yet another track that was released ahead of the album. Unlike the first three tracks of the album which are very much songs about relationships, past and present, Happiness is the self-empowerment anthem we never knew we needed, especially in the year of our Lord 2020. Happiness is a splashy pop song but it doesn’t elicit the strong emotions I felt when listening to Break Up Song or Sweet Melody.  Rating: 9/10

NOT A PROP SONG: One of the things I like about Little Mix is every so often they’ll release an acoustic version of their popular songs, i.e., Black Magic, Touch, Holiday. This song is acoustic rock and it is not a sound I was ever expecting from Little Mix. If there was a sequel to National Manthem, it would be Not a Pop Song. I like to think of this as Little Mix’s emancipation proclamation after fleeing the clutches of one Simon Cowell. My favorite lyric from the song is in the chorus: “No more singing songs bout breaking my heart or my lonely nights dancing in the dark.” I absolutely adore this song and it gives me early Kelly Clarkson vibes.  Rating: 10/10

NOTHING BUT MY FEELINGS: This song from beginning to end is an absolute treat. I love how lowkey the song starts off and after the chorus, you assume the song is going to keep amping up but at the start of the second verse it goes back to being lowkey again. I love a song that keeps me guessing. I especially love the theme of the song, the struggle of wanting to keep things super casual with someone when deep down you are developing strong feelings for them even though you know you shouldn’t. If there was any doubt the ladies of Little Mix are not grown, this is proof. Rating: 9/10

GLOVES UP: One thing I like doing whenever a new album by one of my favorite artists is released is heading over to YouTube and watching people’s reaction the albums. It seem likes Gloves Up is a favorite off of this album and I just don’t get it. I don’t like to skip tracks, especially on Little Mix albums, but admittedly this is the one I’m tempted to skip when I’m listening to CONFETTI. I like the message but the song is a bit cliché. I hope that repeatedly listening of this track will make me like it, especially since I have a very strong feeling this is going to end up being a single. Rating: 6/10

A MESS (HAPPY 4 U): If Break Up Song had a sequel it would be this track. I love the lyrics and I love the instrumentation. It’s a gorgeous track and again something unexpected from Little Mix. I love Jade’s falsetto on this track.  Rating: 9/10

MY LOVE WON’T LET YOU DOWN: I feel like in addition to giving us great dance bops, Little Mix also delivers when it comes to ballads. The gospel-tinged My Love Won’t Let You Down is absolutely gorgeous and will be the perfect closing song on one of their tours. There are Little Mix songs where I think, wow, I’d love to see what the music video would look like and then there are Little Mix songs where I think, wow, I’d love to see how they’d perform this. This track is definitely of the latter variety. All four of our queen’s vocals are on point.  Rating: 10/10

RENDEZVOUS: Remember how I said there are three songs on this album that are my favorite? Sweet Melody is my fave track on the album and Rendezvous is my second-favorite. Rendezvous is sexy and sleek and reminds me of something Ciara would’ve released early on in her career. I also love that it samples the song Sway. I cannot wait to see how they perform this song on tour and I would love for this to be a future single because I would love to see Little Mix turn up the sex on one of their songs. This song reminds me of Notice for some reason from LM5. When Little Mix does sexy, the do sexy right! Rating: 10/10

IF YOU WANT MY LOVE: Like Gloves Up, If You Want My Love is another meh track on this album which sucks because it’s literally sandwiched between two perfect songs on the album. Perhaps this is another one I’ll have to keep listening to in hopes that it will grow on me. Right now I’m feeling pretty blasé about the track. Rating: 6/10

BREATHE: Yay! We get not just one ballad on CONFETTI but two! This is the perfect close to a pretty awesome Little Mix album. I’m happy to report the album ends as strong as it begins. Of the two ballads, I prefer My Love Won’t Let You Down but that shouldn’t suggest I don’t like this song. I love it and it’s another one I’d love to see performed live. Rating: 10/10

ALBUM OVERALL RATING: 9

[sinceileftyoublog]

Georgia Anne Muldrow Interview: Rhythm Is A Form of Gravity

Photo by Antoinette A. Brock

BY JORDAN MAINZER

“The people keep you fresh. They keep you on your toes,” Georgia Anne Muldrow told me over the phone last month. The prolific L.A. musician, whose output ranges from experimental hip-hop to neo soul to jazz and everything in between, is releasing her fifth record in four years on Friday, and the third overall in her beats series. VWETO III (FORESEEN + Epistrophik Peach Sound) follows last year’s Mama, You Can Bet! (released under the name Jyoti), 2019′s collaboration with Dudley Perkins and VWETO II, and 2018′s acclaimed, Grammy-nominated Overload. Unlike any of the previous albums, it was put together with some “calls to action” in mind.

Thought some of the songs were around for longer, VWETO III as an entity was made last year, “over a course of time where things were changing in terms of different recording techniques I was trying,” said Muldrow, harking back to techniques and inspirations from her early years of music making. The record was also, obviously, formed during a global pandemic that caused folks to lock down, and Muldrow is conscious to giving listeners opportunities to reach out on her very active Instagram account. Each of the album’s singles have been paired with those aforementioned calls to action. “Unforgettable”, which combines 80′s-sounding synths with 90′s G-funk, calls for vocalists to submit performances to go along with Muldrow’s vocals on the song. “Mufaro’s Garden”, inspired by an illustrated folktale book called Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, asks for visual artist submissions. On the day of the album’s release, Muldrow will ask for dance submissions to “Slow Drag”, a throwback Hammond-guitar-piano ditty named after the juke joint dance of the same name. Next month, it’ll be “Action Groove”, with calls for turntable scratch ‘n’ sampling remixes from DJs. And it’s not just the singles that exemplify Muldrow’s desire to connect with listeners on a granular level. Many of the songs on VWETO III refer to or are inspired by specific eras, from the Afrofuturist jazz of “Afro AF” to the genre tribute “Boom Bap Is My Homegirl”. That the titles are clearly referential, too, like “Old Jack Swing” or “Synthmania Rock”, shows that Muldrow’s not winking and nodding or trying to fool us, earnestly inviting us to dive in.

Moreover, VWETO III is coinciding with what Muldrow’s calling the Teacherie, classes she’s trying to develop to spread knowledge of what she’s learned throughout her own career, everything from philosophy to instrumental-specific classes. Right now, from her saved Instagram story called “Teacherie!,” you can take an assessment to fill out what you’re interested in. “It helps me to see what skill levels people have and what they want to learn in the class,” Muldrow said. “I seek to continue to stay open enough to make relevant music and have relevant things to share with people.” Overall, Muldrow is the type of artist that uses online platforms the way they’d be used in an ideal world. Her use of NFTs, too, is noble; the album art by Cape Town-based Breeze Yoko is being auctioned off, with 50% of proceeds going to prison abolitionist organization Critical Resistance. Even when the offline world returns--Muldrow’s slated to play Pitchfork Music Festival on Saturday, September 11th--Muldrow’s created a blueprint for navigating an increasingly isolating digital world, by seeking out real connections.

Below, read my conversation with Muldrow, edited for length and clarity, as she discusses making the record, being inspired by African rhythms, the influence of Digital Underground, and why her work logically extends into prison abolition. You can also catch her tomorrow on Bandcamp Live at 8 PM CST.

Since I Left You: Why did you decide this was a good time to revisit your beats album series?

Georgia Anne Muldrow: The people love it, you know? I always like to post beats on Instagram and share my poetry or state of mind of what’s going on in the world according to my people, and provide a place of joy and uplift. The voice of the people kind of determined what songs were on there. There are some songs that nobody’s ever heard. Different ideas, something a little bit more energized.

Something for the people. It’s really great that I have direct contact with them. Some of the songs are things I like to try based on the vibes I get from their feedback. It’s great; it’s a beautiful thing for me. I’ve gone through phases where critics love me, but the voice of the people that really support your work is really cool to hear. It’s like a little focus group. I just like sharing my music with folks because it’s my way of contributing love energy to the world in a direct, immediate way.

SILY: A lot of folks are still staying home and needing that connection. You’re connecting with them but also providing a platform for them to connect with each other.

GAM: Yes. I’m way into that and seek to be expanding that in an even more literal sense with my classroom project [Teacherie], like a live webinar sort of thing, that enables folks to speak amongst themselves. A more extended form of what I do on social media. An intimate look at what’s really going on in music. They can see where my emotions end and the music begins and try to make things seamless within their own music. Teach what I’ve picked up along the way, because I won’t be here forever. Spreading the love but the knowledge, too, with the music that I share. There’s a certain quality that you can achieve if you have patience.

SILY: Did you always know you wanted to do these calls for action, like for vocalists on “Unforgettable”? And how did you decide which tracks you wanted to do them for?

GAM: It’s definitely my way of trying to promote some sort of hip hop jam in lieu of the isolation that folks are weathering...I’m really inspired by the early age of hip hop where everyone had different dances. They brought their art books to the hip hop jams. The jackets with the art on it, the MCs rapping. The breakdancing, the DJs. All of the different things in place for it to be complete. That’s part of what got me hooked on production. One night years ago, [when I first played] my stuff, and folks started to dance, it got me hooked--to make somebody move. Somebody can rap over this, somebody can dance to this or draw to this. That’s the reason for the calls to action. Opening up a hip hop jam all over the world. I hope it gains some momentum. That would be nice, for more people to put themselves out there. But I do understand we live in different times right now and people are trying to get by. I still have to post some of the artists from “Mufaro’s Garden” and these rap videos from “Unforgettable”.

SILY: You’re giving people an opportunity, even if they’re just trying to get through the day, to take a break or have a beneficial creative exercise.

GAM: Yeah. Being creative together, and togetherness. The thinking that the songs aren’t complete without dance. Lyrics are a certain kind of fulfillment of music. But the movement of the body is another one. [It] goes back to gravity. Drummers harness the power of gravity and manipulate it so things can fall at a certain time. Same thing with dance--[dancers] don’t manipulate gravity, but interact with it and create an interdependence with it. When somebody’s dancing, they come back down to the ground, and you could let that go and let gravity guide what your dance looks like. Rhythm is a form of gravity--a form of gravity engaging with life. I feel like movement is the fulfillment of all the arts. I just seek to do my part.

SILY: You mentioned being inspired by a specific early era in hip hop, and there’s a lot on here inspired by genre or era-specific trends, like the G-funk in “Unforgettable” and “Boom Bap Is My Homegirl”.

GAM: [Boom bap] is one of the things that I specialize in. It’s a home base for me. In my experience, it’s a very African point of access. A lot of the boom bap rhythms are straight from Africa. Most of them are. Off the shores of West Africa. I heard so many of them, from The Gambia, Senegal, Mali. Over there, you hear so much of it. I want to be part of that. At the same time, I might wake up and make a free jazz record. I don’t feel like a traditionalist; I just want to preserve the culture of Black music from this hemisphere. I love traditional ideas, but it’s not like I’m gonna do this one idea for the sake of staying in a lane. There’s no place that Black music hasn’t influenced, molded, shaped, nurtured.

SILY: When was the last time you were able to perform in Africa?

GAM: I believe it might have been 2017. These years have started to run together. I don’t mind it, though. Keeps me young. [laughs]

VWETO III cover art by Breeze Yoko

SILY: How did the songs on here with vocals come together, whether the ones with your singing or the ones with featured artists? Did the words or beats/melodies come first?

GAM: The beats came first except for “Shana’s Back”. Shana Jensen is my sister; she’s the mother of my niece. Every time she’d come over and I had an idea to compose songs around her, they’d end up being huge songs. She’d be like, “Bye!” [laughs] I guess she wanted something a little more understated. I’d always end up doing big Motown sounds. There’s a song on The Blackhouse called “Shana’s Groove”. It’s a like a reoccurring situation and character. It’s kind of funny at this point.

The other ones, like “Unforgettable”, I’m very much matching the vibe, the punk-funk aesthetic. Sometimes a little hook just pushes it over the edge and gets them into the mindset I was in when thinking about it. Other songs like “Love Call” I just wanted to sound like it was in an arena. Arena rock, funk, Digital Underground-inspired, all the way.

SILY: Are you a big Digital Underground fan?

GAM: I think it shows in a lot of the music I make. I don’t think I can hide it. This record has so many examples of that. I love Shock G so much. He was so bad, as a thinker, a philosopher, a community builder, artist, pianist, maestro. The “Love Call” groove, “Unforgettable”, “[Old] Jack Swing”, you can hear it. I was raised with that kind of music in my head as a child. Unashamed to be funky and make a groove have extra grease on it. That’s what distinguished our sound from other region’s sounds. Getting greasy. While still doing the boom bap and all that other stuff. For me, it was always a goal to represent where I’m from in my music in a non-traditional way. Bringing what I love about the West Coast to whatever I was working on.

Shock G lives in all of us. He brought so many different vibes. A rhythmic pocket that breathes. Somewhat right under "Atomic Dog”. It keeps you moving. It has a breath of life in it. I’m so thankful to have lived in an era where I could hear and experience his work.

SILY: How did “Ayun Vegas” come together?

GAM: Ayun is my little brother. I think I’ve known him since 2014 or ‘15. He’s quite a talent. I love his style. He’s from [New] Jersey. I love his sense of rhythmic dynamic. His use of metaphor, double entendre. I feel like he’s really a gifted poet. He can do all types of different things. He’s an amazing MC--he just released a project with Jacob Rochester called Slaps & Hugs. I’m gonna lean towards people who are creative themselves and insert themselves into everything they do. 

Ayun is very secure in being different. He came out to Vegas, and I had this song. Usually, when I play leftfield stuff, MCs want that beat they can crush and not feel challenged by. This song is really old. I feel like it was made in 2016. I feel like that was the first time when somebody was willing to rap on an idea that was out of the ordinary. It’s not just in your face. It’s something different, but I want you to rap for your life on this. Something more like a movie score, where you find your character. He did it! He didn’t leave one beat behind. 

He’s rhythmically gifted and quite the poet. He almost went into pro football but he chose music. He’s a very enterprising brother, doing all types of apparel. He was working in the visual artist community, in the videographer community. Any time I can showcase what it is that he got to share, I’m there. He’s not afraid to speak the truth. This verse is impressionistic. It’s like somebody is taking a really big brush and making a beautiful image, strong-arming it. It’s dope. I love it.

We did another song together on the Overload album, but it didn’t make the cut. The Japanese version of Overload has a song called “What Can We Do Now”, and it has Ambrose Akinmusire, Ayun, and me. I’d love for that to be heard stateside, because it’s definitely about what’s happening over here.

SILY: Why did you choose to have the proceeds for this record go to Critical Resistance?

GAM: I’ve always wanted my music to be a tool for the motion of people. It doesn’t stop with dance and rapping and singing and drawing. It begins with that. Where it ends up, the movement of people coming into their powers, truths that in order to have a more humane society, we are going to have to throw some of this bullshit away. The spoils of enslavement. We’ve got to get rid of those spoils so we can get to a more realistic place of folks being cognizant of the activities that they take a part in. Jails ain’t gonna help people feel like they’re part of the community. They cage people and endanger their lives and run the risk of ruining somebody’s mental, emotional, and spiritual state even if they did commit the crime they’re in there for.

There’s a sense that all crime is committed from a place of fear. Many crimes people are locked up for is just folks trying to find a way. I don’t see how more fear is going to rehabilitate. The idea that punishment leads to enlightenment. People in the public school system are taught about some of the baddest people that ever lived--mass murders. But they’re not the type of people held accountable. They’re who brought over the imprisonment systems from their failed nations.

I don’t believe in reform at all. Critical Resistance seeks to abolish prisons as we know them. I love that their resolve is so sure and bold.

Photo by Antoinette A. Brock

[doomedandstoned]

King Buffalo Provide Respite For Pandemic-Weary Listeners on ‘The Burden of Restlessness’

~By Billy Goate~

Artwork by Zdzisław Beksiński

I confess, I came a little late to the KING BUFFALO party. I mean, I’ve known about them from their very first record on and have even picked songs to play on The Doomed & Stoned Show that's I've found particularly enjoyable. Regulars to the program know I’ve always been more a doomer than a stoner, though obviously relishing music from both worlds. Only recently had I given myself the opportunity of really baking in their music. It probably has something to do with the summer psychedelic kick I’m on lately, that and I’ve been getting a lot more sunshine, walking more, learning how to enjoy being human again.

Not only did I give the band's latest LP, 'The Burden of Restlessness' (2021) a solid listen, I've been spinning it non-stop! The title grabbed me right away, because I could very much identify with the uncertainty and fear of 2020 lockdowns, which eventually gave way to boredom and stoic despair. Depending on who you ask, it's their third studio album and it's got its hooks in me for damn sure.

Sonically, the sound is fresh and vital, every note captured prestinely by frontman/guitarist at Rochester's Main Street Armory between December and January. I don't know if he's a sound engineer on the side or what, but I really am impressed by how present the instruments sound, without excessive reverberation. After Sean finished recording and mixing, the tapes were sent to Grammy-nominated producer Bernard Matthews for mastering on the other side of the continent in Portland, Oregon.

Let's go through King Buffalo's release track-by-track, because I think there's plenty to talk about here.

1. Burning

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

I feel it falling apart Too many blisters and scars Are we the wick or the flame, are they just one in the same? Was it just doomed from the start?

The record opens with “Burning” and in those first dozen seconds of churning downtuned noise, we’re unsure what kind of song it’s going to be. An assertive riff-motif starts to dance to the accompaniment of a motor-like rhythm. The singing is as depressive as we’re bound to encounter from King Buffalo, with lyrics that express regret about “another year lost in the wasteland” and that feeling of falling apart while time stands still.

The members of King Buffalo have been on a steadily rising trajectory in recent years, so the sudden closures of concert halls and canceled tours wasn't just a bummer for a lot of professional musicians; it had immediate career implications, along with the obvious problem of no job = no money. It’s one thing to weather through a crisis when you know what the end game is, and at this time last year most of us still didn’t know what the hell was going to happen. We thought everything would open up and return to normal, then the summer of 2020 exploded all around us with social unrest. The album’s title speaks to the creative frustrations of being not only uncertain of when your band is next going to tour, but what to do in the meanwhile. For creative people, there’s a burden to create -- sometimes just to keep yourself from going mad with frustration.

2. Hebetation

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

I don’t know which way to run One thousand different ways but I can’t seem to live with one So I’m stuck where I’ve begun Another languid day, can’t seem to break away

“Hebetation” was one of the singles that emerged before the album was independently released toward the start of summer. It is the song I relate to the most, too. Vibrant Helmetesque riffmaking sets the song a sail, with a bit of a nod to Sabbath as well. The math-like interplay between drums, bass, and guitar have a vaguely krautrock aura about it, though the volume and tone is pure metal. Like the opening track, the words are frank and honest, addressing the weight of unfulfilled dreams, the jadedness that comes with disappointment, and suicidal thoughts that come floating into mind when it seems nothing's working out as planned. “Nothing’s changed at 35. Still every night I dream a million different ways for me to die.”

3. Locusts

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

Stifling the sun with wicked hands Everything undone with vicious plans

“Locusts,” as the name implies, is replete with bouncing guitar rhythm, with picking that seems to dart about like that swarm of grasshoppers that used to sweep through my poor pitiful East Texas garden mid-summer and shred everything in sight. Around the 3:30 mark, we’re treated to an extended high-end grinder of a B-section, with sweeping psychedelic gestures ala Kim Thayil -- and hearkening back to the melodic motif of another great song: “Sun Shivers.” When the A section returns, the rhythm is more deliberate, less dashing about in math or progressive fashion. The song ends with what could well end up an extended drone jam on just the right night as King Buffalo continues to roll through the U.S.

4. Silverfish

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

I stare at the cracks in the wall And melt into nothing A silverfish slithering away, from everything

“Silverfish” got a music video, which was a wise choice as the song is quite accessible and relatable, too (even if it did get a few people wondering if King Buffalo was having their own “The Sword Moment” stylistically). The main motif is a two-note broken interval from high note to low in an almost an ‘80s-style nod to the advent of computer generated music (to my ears it sounds like the guitar may either be taking on the action or playing in sync with the synthesizer).

Never fear, the heavy is soon here. When I heard those first crashing tripled-down chords, I let out an inner hellllll yeah to that shit. The quirky little melody from the start comes back, this time on guitar in a way that really works to convince you that it was a good artistic choice from the get-go.

Lyrically, it's another wistful line of expression: “I stare at the cracks in the wall, I think I’m unravelling...I think I’m losing my grip on everything, I’m drifting away.” This is also one of the few songs on the record with a strong melodic chorus. It comes towards the end, which works quite effectively in climaxing the song.

(BTW, anyone else freaked out by silverfish as much as me?)

5. Grifter

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

I make my way over the dunes Desolate and dry The remnants of empires past Too stubborn to die

“Grifter” returns to the everyman accessibility of “Burning” and “Hebetation,” with a notably despondent tenor to each line of the song. The calm singing over rhythmic verses so characteristic of King Buffalo’s writing gives way to a brutal grind sans chorus. Sometimes you don’t have words and you just have to work it all out with your axe or piano or whatever's your jam. There didn’t need to be a big, bloated angry chorus on top of it all. We feel that most adequately from the riffmaking itself, which plays out like slow burning frustration that intensifies with every round of the dirge.

6. The Knocks

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

Everyday I wake up on the floor Another useless day like every other that’s come before I can feel it creeping more and more Don’t think I wanna wake no more, don’t think I wanna live no more

“The Knocks” features the same keyboard playing as before, so now I’m sure it's either Sean or bassist Dan Reynolds on synth -- though the playing here is much more ornamental, at times adding an exclamation point to the sentiment of the lyrics. It might be a little much if overplayed, but here it’s dispensed judiciously. We have a bass, drums, and synth break where a chorus would normally be, followed by another shred sesh that’s feeling like Helmet or Prong love. A beautiful mid-range guitar melody intervenes, then things start to feel a distinctively robotic pattern announces itself around the 3:20 mark, joined in short order by the rest of the instruments. This leads to a melodious guitar sequence, with the dexterous kind of finger work that the one dude at shows likes so much when he pretends to shred next to the stage.

7. Loam

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

I’m shedding the burden of restlessness To rise from the loam of the nothingness

“Loam” hearkens back to my favorite King Buffalo album, ‘Longing To Be The Mountain’ (2018). A broken octave rhythmic pattern is plucked with drums and bass being all cool, saying just the right thing at the right time. Atop it, the jaded, sedated crooning of Sean McVay, which as both a musical and cultural Doomer I find appealing. A mean guitar lick lashes out like a whip atop bass and drums around 3 minutes, then tears into another voiceless psychedelic improvisation. It's a beautiful instrumental metal section with a hard rock appeal. The song returns to its opening vibe in an almost Toolesque fashion, then opts for more catharsis-giving mosh time and another plaintively sung extended note melody.

The verses give us a hint of hope, as Sean declares: "I’m shedding the burden of restlessness / To rise from the loam of the nothingness." I'm curious to hear the two other albums the band plans on releasing in 2021 (yes, you read that right!) and how they will pair or contrast with this one.

King Buffalo's The Burden of Restlessness holds a special place in my music library and its songs are a frequent highlight of my daily playlist. I suspect it will be a record you, too, will keep close at hand as the plague rages on. A balm for the weary soul.

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[allthefilmsiveseenforfree]

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

It’s always fun jumping into a movie I know next to nothing about, and this requested review for Wes will be no exception. All I know is that Girls Just Want to Have Fun is an 80s teen romp with the worst photoshopped cover photo I’ve ever seen. It looks like Michael Scott put it together. I know it stars girls, AND I know what those girls want. That’s half your narrative battle right there. So do they achieve the fun they seek? Well...

They do! A lot of weird shit happens along the way, but yeah, fun is had and that’s all that really matters. God, 1985 was a simpler time. I mean, I know everyone was living in constant fear that the Russians were going to invade Kansas and we’d be faced with a neverending nuclear winter, but in the face of all that existential terror you also get movies where the entire pitch is “So there’s this girl (Sarah Jessica Parker) who wants to be a dancer on tv, but her parents don’t want to let her. But she does it anyway! And her partner is chosen for her and, boy, they do not see eye to eye. But then they do! And they have to practice a lot. And then they win the dance contest!” 

You know some studio exec heard that and screamed at his secretary to hold his calls for the day so he could sign the contracts and then do a mountain of blow off them. 

Some thoughts:

It’s so weird to see Sarah Jessica Parker without curly hair! I was never a Sex and the City fan, so my exposure to SJP is purely Hocus Pocus based.

This dance sequence over the credits is incredible. Why do we not have shows anymore that are just a large group of young attractive people dancing in sync? No host, no dialogue, just the power of dance. I was born in the wrong decade. I would have appreciated the shit out of the 80s when I was alive.

Poor Helen Hunt - she must be one of those people who always looked like she was 35, even in high school. Granted, she was 22 when this was filmed and she’s playing a teenager, but still. 

Helen Hunt is wearing dinosaurs in her hair. 80s fashion was on a wavelength that I don’t think any of us living will ever see again.

Omg this rich bitch (Natalie, I guess? She’s not named for at least the first 30 min of the movie) had Claire’s closet from Clueless 10 years before the movie existed! This is already groundbreaking.

NOW SHE HAS A BUG ON HER HAT. A big plastic green grasshopper. This review is mainly going to be about the insane things Lynne (Helen Hunt) wears.

Speaking of - I’m getting big lesbian vibes from Lynne Stone and I am so here for it. The homoerotic tension when she acts like she’s gonna fight the rich bitch? Delicious. The immediate intimate connection she makes with SJP? Practically U-Hauling. 

I love an 80s dance montage, and this movie promises to contain basically nothing but that tied loosely together with some nonsensical dialogue in between. This is gonna be my new favorite movie. 

Ooh Nestle Quik syrup! I forgot about Nestle Quik. 

Favorite line: “There is a time and a place for calypso music, young lady.”

Ohhh I see what this is gonna be - Janey (SJP) is a classically trained dancer and gymnast, and Jeff (Lee Montgomery) is more of a rough and tumble music video kinda guy from the streets. You can tell cause he’s got a motorcycle and a leather jacket. And he wears cutoff sleeves! He’s a white guy in Chicago, who could be more street than that? And they’re butting heads! How will they ever be able to make it work for the big dance contest??

How did Natalie know Janey’s phone number? She specifically said it was unlisted. Unless she remembers it from overhearing it offhand after the dance tryouts...? That’s insane, I can’t even remember what I wore yesterday let alone a 7-digit number someone shouted in a crowd.

Lynne Fashion Alert: Is she wearing a belt made out of bullets? And a Davy Crocket hat. This is galaxy brain lesbian fashion. If the costume designer for this movie didn’t win 10 Oscars...

The music director on the other hand...not sure what is up with all these weird KidzBop covers of excellent songs like “Dancing in the Street” or the titular “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” but if you’re gonna include them, you gotta spring for the originals. This is just sad. 

I’ve never been at a party with an ice sculpture. I think that’s how you know you’re among the rich. 

Whatever happened to Jonathan Silverman? I miss when he was the nebbishy sidekick in every 80s movie. 

Who enters a party by catapulting through the damn window?? Punk does not mean that you no longer know how to use doors, sir! 

Who serves a full roasted turkey at a party? Is this how rich people live? This feels like the equivalent of using Google translate to identify rich people food in another language, then translating it back to English. 

Lynne Fashion Alert: Now I think she has space shuttles in her hair.

Wow we got a real 1-2 punch of sexual harassment in this club. Who wrote this Tune in Tokyo gag and was like “You know what would be hilarious? If this shitty little nerd convinced this girl to raise her arms so he can just grab her boobs full on, front and center. And then she gets upset and runs away. God I’m good at this *snorts another line*”

Lynne Fashion Alert: Now it’s two globes (like, two Earths) with crab claws on them? This is a choice that I don’t understand, but I think I may just not be seeing what it is clearly. I am digging her mirror sunglasses though. 

I know Janey is smart but when did she learn how to hotwire a security system? It’s not like Google or Youtube existed, and I doubt there was a library book about how to dismantle that specific system. MYTH BUSTED.

Oh god oh no I’m so gay for these Dixon sisters from Kansas City, these two gorgeous black women in tuxes and spandex leotards. They 100% should have won this dance contest. 

Why did guys stop wearing crop tops? Can we bring back slutty quarterback as a fashion trend for dudes? Seriously, the costume design here is everything. 

I really love Jeff and his little family - his sister and his dad are so proud of him and supportive. You never see that in dance narratives featuring guys. I like the reversal here of gendered expectations.

Did I Cry? No, but my heart was warmed at various moments. 

Honestly, why can’t more narrative arcs in movies be solved via dance battle? 

Lynne Fashion Alert: She’s now dressed as...Cleopatra? Wait why the fuck is there a horse here? 

Oh that’s it that’s the end! Man, you can’t be mad at a tight 90 min film like this - it gets in, it gets out, bing bang boom you’re done with enough time to read before bed. 

Is this a cinematic masterpiece? No. But is it good clean fun? Absolutely. Barring the brief [obligatory 80s] sexual harassment scene, there’s very little to be upset with here. Kids wanna dance, they’re told they can’t dance, they dance anyway! It’s the power of dance! You’re either into it or you’re not, but if you’re not, I ask that you search your heart and try to find one teeny tiny sliver of joy inside it. You’re gonna need to feed that joy if you wanna make it through 2021, and watching this movie is a darn good place to start. 

If you liked this review, please consider reblogging or subscribing to my Patreon! For as low as $1, you can access bonus content and movie reviews, or even request that I review any movie of your choice.

[daeunhye]

How would Chel teach SF9 Bahasa Indonesia?

Note: this is not real yorobun~ this is purely my imagination because i honestly miss teaching foreigners and learning together with them :(

I'm not a teacher or professor, I'm just an ordinary person; a student. I have this experience as a teacher/lecturer's assistant in teaching Bahasa Indonesia for foreigners (Bahasa Indonesia Penturur Asing/BIPA).

please excuse me if i made mistakes because i'm struggling with resources and knowledge too hahahaha 🤣

enjoy!!!! ✨

1. Youngbin

At first he was asking me first that he wanted to learn Bahasa Indonesia because he heard that there were a lot of baby fantasies from Indonesia. so we're arranging a 12x meeting (2 times a week, 2,5 hours) and he will use the last 30 minutes to do a live broadcast to present what he learned that day.

I can imagine teaching him in a chill and fun way. He would like to take notes very diligently.

the lessons that i teach him is just like how Indonesians would speak/write usually (this is also because i'm not an expert lol). at the 12th meeting, i'll give him a quiz about everything that he learned. his score would be 75/100 and i'll give him a special gift which is Indonesia's traditional outfit: batik! :D

2. Inseong

Since he's already good in English, he wants to expand his language skill too. so he's asking me to teach him Bahasa Indonesia. lessons with him were also fun and filled with lots of laughter because we're both kinda "struggled" with our own language lol xD same as Youngbin, 12x meeting but with a bonus 6x meeting for an Indonesian song that he will cover so he needs extra lessons to master the pronunciation and the song itself.

At the end, he released the cover and I also gave him a special gift too! Since he loves food, I give him Indonesian traditional snacks. (i give it on the day he recorded the cover so the staffs can enjoy it too~)

3. Jaeyoon

this guy is using the chance to level up his "I Can" series hahahaha XD

other than just teaching him language, he also learned how to make something. such as making and decorating a kite, doing batik, making Indonesian traditional games, and cooking Indonesian food too!

also outside the series, we would do 12x meeting just like the others and i would give him a quiz at the last meeting~

When he completes the series and the lesson, I'm giving him a set of Indonesian traditional ceramic cutlery (tea set).

4. Dawon

He was interested in learning Bahasa Indonesia because he saw a trending topic on Twitter. everytime we're doing a lesson, he's always turning on the live broadcast on his Instagram. He would also ask Fantasy to give suggestions of what he should learn next because we don't have fixed lesson. he also tries various of Indonesian foods like the ones he saw on TV. one day, on his usual vlive broadcast, I surprised him with a quiz. He wasn't prepared but he did his best doing it. he got 77/100 and Fantasy were flooding the comment section praising him and his skill.

as an appreciation (and because i love to spoil everyone too), i give him Ulos (Ulos is the traditional cloth of the Batak people of North Sumatra in Indonesia.)

5. Rowoon

He saw a movie recommendation and turned out it was an Indonesian movie so he asked me to explain the movie for him. He then became interested to learn Bahasa Indonesia. as usual, 12x meetings but without a fixed schedule because he's busy with his drama filming. The lessons are mostly outside the company like a restaurant or cafe. At the end of the lesson, I give him a mini quiz and also some notes for him to learn at home.

lessons with him is super fun! he's full of curiosity but not in annoying way~ he give me the vibe of my thesis advisor but more chilled and of course more handsome~

In our last meeting, we had the final quiz and he decided to turn on live broadcast while doing the quiz. He also accepted challenges from Fantasy such as re-enacting an Indonesian dialogue from a movie, etc.

because i love to spoil everyone with a gift (they've worked hard~ 🥺🥺) so my gift for him is the famous Luwak coffee.

6. Zuho

He just suddenly asks me to give him Bahasa Indonesia lessons because he wants to communicate better with the fans. since he's also a musical genius, i give him the idea of writing a song using some words in Bahasa Indonesia. he was so excited so he announced this news although our lesson hasn't been started 😅

In this case, we mainly focus on the words or sentences or sayings that are commonly used in Indonesia. Just like Dawon, he's doing a live broadcast while doing our lesson and he tries to write the lyrics (with Fantasys help too~).

when the song is complete, he's releasing it on his soundcloud. My gift for him is Indonesian traditional musical instrument: Angklung (Angklung is a traditional music instrument from West Java, Indonesia. Angklung is played by shaking. More info: https://authentic-indonesia.com/blog/5-popular-musical-instruments-of-indonesia/)

7. Yoo Taeyang

Since he's a dancer, I thought he was just interested in dancing. but turns out he wants to learn the language. so he's taking a course in Indonesian traditional dance and also learning Bahasa Indonesia with me. his dance lesson would be on the weekend, but the language lesson with me is set on a flexible schedule with 12x meetings including a mini quiz every end of the meeting and some notes for him to learn at home. In the end, he uploaded a video of him doing the dance and also introducing the dance using Bahasa Indonesia. Bonus: he covered an Indonesian song too!

The gift that i'll give to appreciate his hard work is a set of Beskap (Sundanese traditional clothes, more: https://greatnesia.com/sundanese-traditional-clothing/)

8. Hwiyoung

He read a pickup line comment using Bahasa Indonesia and he wanted to try to learn it. At first he just focused with those pickup lines or funny sayings but as time went by he grew interested to learn more. so he asked me to teach him. our lessons are mostly learning sentences and breaking it down word by word to know the meaning. We don't have any fixed meetings or schedules because he learns when he wants to or if he has time. although our lessons aren't that often, he's showing very good progress and the result is good too! He knows some Indonesian jokes too so he threw it to his members and Fantasy too because he said it's really fun.

in the end i give him a traditional wooden carving figure~

9. Chani

He was clueless because suddenly his members were combining Korean words with Indonesian. this time, i offer him the lessons myself. he excitedly said yes to the offer and prepared a lot just like a formal course 😅 same like Youngbin, i can see Chani is taking notes well and he's passionate in learning new things. and like Rowoon, this boy is also full of curiosities! He's the fun type of student that seems not serious but actually gives his best.as usual, 12x meetings with quiz at the end~ in this case, the quiz is given from the members. so they pick up to 3 questions and I will be combining it all as Chani's final quiz. Surprisingly, he got the highest score which is 80/100. now he can understand what the hyungs are saying hahahahah 🤣 I'm giving Chani a bracelet made from pearl originally from Lombok. (more about the South-sea Pearl: https://www.thejakartapost.com/travel/2019/03/16/home-to-south-sea-pearls-lombok-encouraged-to-sell-educational-tourism.html)

[buzzdixonwriter]

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood [SPOILERICIOUS]

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is now my favorite Quentin Tarantino movie even though I think a few of his others are better made films.[1] 

But, man, does it ever capture the era and the vibe.  In that sense it's like La Dolce Vita (and in another, like Singin' In The Rain).

I know this era, and I know Los Angeles of the time -- from the Summer of Love in ’67 through the year of unraveling in 1968 to the end of the era in ’69.

And while Hunter S. Thompson’s brilliant Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas marked the official death notice of the Swingin’ Sixties in 1971 (with a few die-hards like the Symbianese Liberation Army literally dying hard in 1974), the truth is 1969 was when it all came to an end.

Nixon won, thanks to his own now well documented treason behavior and to a few million white bigots voting for George Wallace instead of Hubert Humphrey, and (as Thompson himself noted two years later) “with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark -- that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.”

Now some of you are saying, “But wait -- how can little Buzzy boy -- a mere lad of 13 summers in 1967 and not yet fully 16 when he finally actually visited Los Angeles for the first time in 1970 – how can he know what Los Angeles was like in that era?”

Ah, for that, my friends, we can thank television.

. . .

For those of you too damn impatient to get into the meat of my review of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, just skip this block and go to the next one.

I’m gonna pull a Tarantino here and seemingly meander in order to set up what comes next.

Even though I lived in the rural South (Appalachia mostly but with a few years in the Piedmont of North Carolina), we had this invention called television, and on this invention were these shows.

I’m not talking about Shindig! or Hullabaloo or even The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (though the latter interestingly paralleled in real time the rise and fall of what we now call “The Sixties”).

I’m not even talking about that perennial American Bandstand which started in 1952 and ran a staggering 37 seasons, grinding to a halt only in 1989 at the tail end of the Reagan Era, a pop culture show that lasted long enough for the grandchildren of its initial audience to be watching it when they finally pulled the plug.

No, I’m talking about cheap-ass, under-the-radar syndication efforts like Where The Action Is (itself a spinoff of American Bandstand) and The Lloyd Thaxton Show a Bandstand imitation that relied more on whacky humor, proto-music videos, and local-to-LA pop culture icons.

We’d see these shows (briefly back-to-back during Where The Action Is’ short run) not as cheap entertainment for teens and tweens but rather as a glorious portal into that land of myth and magic:  Southern California.

In particular, Los Angeles.

(It’s not as if nobody ever did this before.  In all its variations from the mid-1950s through Walt’s death in 1966, Walt Disney’s Wonderful World Of Color seemed to make every 4thshow either about Disney Studios or Disneyland itself, thus by extension priming the national pump for interest in Southern California.)

Where The Action Is and The Lloyd Thaxton Show needed to squeeze the most out of their bare minimum budgets, and the cheapest way to fill screen time was to convince some local SoCal / LA attraction to let you shoot footage of young kids (with disposable incomes, one might add) having a good -- no, great time at said attraction while listening / dancing to top forty tunes lip-synched by an astonishing roster of talent.

Look, this was back when TV was big but before it became H*U*G*E.  Successful show biz folks made money but they didn’t make that much money, and popping down for an afternoon to lip-synch your latest release for Lloyd or Dick Clark was a sure way to guarantee a few thousand more sales across the country, a few more paid gigs in the hinterlands, so whyda hell not?

The Monkees tried covering the same territory on prime time, but as popular as that show was (and it stands up well to this day albeit more as an artifact of its time), it felt just too slick, too packaged, too ersatz compared to the scruffiness of Where The Action Is and The Lloyd Thaxton Show.[2]

Add to this almost weekly illustrated news and culture stories of SoCal / LA and the youth movement delivered to even the most remote rural homes via Life, Look, Time, Newsweek, and The Saturday Evening Post, and it was pretty much hard not to be aware of -- and influenced by -- Los Angeles culture in the 1960s.

And if like little Buzzy boy you were interested / intrigued / enthralled by that culture, there was a virtual tsunami of sights and sounds to wallow in, even if you lived 2,467 miles away.

On my first visit to Los Angeles in the summer of 1970, when I had just stepped off the airliner, when I was no further into the city than the gate of the airline terminal, I looked around, took a deep breath, and realized:  I’m home.

. . .

So here’s the plot of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood:  

Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), a fading TV star, frets over his career.  

Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), his stunt double buddy, tries to boost his spirits.  

Rick lives next door to Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), a vivacious young actress married to a world famous director.  

Cliff the stunt man bumps into members of a crazy criminal cult.  

Weirdness ensues, but everything ends happily (except for three of the cultists).

A conventional movie would have put points 1, 2, & 3 in Act One, made point 4 part of Act Two but then stretched that act out with a big pointless chase and a few small fights, and finished with point 5 as Act Three.

20 pages / 80 pages / 20 pages

Not our lad Quentin.

A screenwriting guru once observed It's A Wonderful Life has a traditional 3 act structure only it's constructed so act 1 occupies 80% of the picture. Likewise Casino opens with virtually a 45 minute documentary on the casino business so they won't have to stop and explain things as they go along with the main story. 

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is like that: Two hours to build up to a literal life-or-death moment in order to show that for all their sins and short comings, Rick and Cliff would not merely survive but be worthy of survival.

(Most "assemble the squad" movies have a similar structure only they disguise it by indulging in hijinks along the way viz The Dirty Dozen spending most of their movie just training.)

Points 1, 2, 3, and 4 above are Tarantino’s Act One, and based on the 161 minute running time, I’m guessing it occupies the first 130 pages of the script.

Point 5 is his Act Three, and I’d say 20 pages sounds about right there.

But what about Act Two?

That’s the beauty of this story.

Act Two is about ten minutes long and is told mostly with narration (provided by Kurt Russell, who may or may not be speaking in character as Randy, the stunt director).

The crisis point in Rick and Cliff’s story is not that they’ve intersected with the Manson family, it’s that Rick decides their friendship must end. 

Now, ostensibly this is because Rick’s new Italian wife, Francesca (Lorenza Izzo), wants to cut expenses and move out of his home in Benedict Canyon and into a condo in the San Fernando Valley, a move that we know from Rick’s earlier statements that he would find shameful and a mark of his slide in status , but the unspoken reason may be that the volatile Francesca learned of Cliff’s own troublesome past (see below) and wants nothing to do with him.

So Act One tells us who these two guys are, explains their relationship in part, hints at an elephant neither wants to acknowledge, and carries us to a point where they can no longer continue as once they had.

Act Two consists of the final decisions the two make as part of this friendship, not really wanting to break it off, Cliff clearly hurt by Rick’s abrupt dismissal, yet trying to have one last good time together before parting, ostensibly not forever but…yeah, forever.

Their respective decisions impair their ability to respond to the dangers posed by the trio of killers in Act Three.

. . .

Let’s talk about Rick Dalton for a moment.

Leonardo DiCaprio proves himself to be one of the gutsiest actors of all time, playing a whiny, petulant, rude, brusque, self-involved, over-anxious crybaby of a man…

…and getting us to admire him because despite his myriad character flaws, the sonuvabitch has two things going for him and the first is a fierce dedication to his craft.

A conventional movie would cut the scenes of Rick practicing his Lancer dialog all by himself.

Tarantino realizes the audience needs to experience that in full, because otherwise they won’t appreciate his frustration at blowing his lines during filming the next day.

And when he blows his lines, Rick erupts in a epic full-bore meltdown rage aimed at himself and himself alone.

And this points to the second thing Rick has going for him:  Rick knows when and how to accept help, and is thankful for it.

Without the lengthy scene of him practicing at home (and drinking too much in the process), audiences would dismiss Rick blowing his lines as par for the course.

We need to see Rick make a conscientious effort to prepare for his role, see him screwing up by getting hungover, see him blow his lines, then see him correctly shouldering the blame and taking positive steps to overcome his error and deliver an outstanding performance.

The help that Rick accepts in this scene comes from “Maribella Lancer” a.k.a. Trudi Fraiser (Julia Butters), a child method actress who refuses to break character between takes. (This is one of the most delightful scenes in the film and well worth the price of admission alone.)

Despite a rather awkward-bordering-irritating meeting, “Maribella” / Trudi feels empathy for Rick as he inadvertently confesses his own career anxiety by talking about a pulp Western he’s reading.

That he can accept this empathy from a child stands well in Rick’s favor.  It shows he actually listens to others and accepts their feedback and input.

And it pays off for both of them when Rick not only comes back from his lunch break meltdown all fired up and determined to give an outstanding performance (which he does), but also when we learn he suggested a bit of business for “Maribella” / Trudi that delights both her and the director (Sam Wannamaker, a real life actor and TV director of the era, played in this film by Nicholas Hammond).

And when “Maribella” / Trudi tells Rick that his acting was some of the best she’s ever seen, he’s genuinely moved to tears.

We may shake our heads at some of the stuff he does, but we like this guy.

. . .

Part of the headshaking is due to his relationship with Cliff, his stunt double / majordomo / best friend.

Rick often seems like an arrogant prick with Cliff, seemingly bossing him around, acting like Cliff is at his constant beck and call.

We’re about two thirds of the way into the film when we learn that without Rick to champion him, Cliff would pretty much be persona non grata in Hollywood.

Cliff is known throughout the town (and Hollywood ain’t that big, folks) as a wife killer.

While some (such as Rick) argue he was absolved of any criminal intent, there’s no doubt he deliberately and personally caused the death of his wife, he didn’t merely have an accident that left her dead.

He’s a wife killer.

Most of the people in town assume he got away with murder.

Francesca, despite being an Italian starlet, may have heard the stories from other Americans working in Italy and that is the real reason she laid her foot down re Rick selling his house and abandoning Cliff as his friend.

Hell, even nearly blind old George Spahn (Bruce Dern) holds him in contempt.

Cliff can’t get hired in town unless Rick asks for him to be employed as his stunt double.

Even then he runs into strong pushback, viz Randy the stunt director who is reluctant simply because he doesn’t like the vibe Cliff gives off, and is especially reluctant because his wife, fellow stunt coordinator Janet (Zoë Bell), nurtures an enormous hate-on for Cliff based on the presumption he did indeed murder his wife and get away with it.

Cliff blows his chance of working his way back into Hollywood’s good graces by getting in a fight on the set of The Green Hornet with Bruce Lee (Mike Moh) that caves in the side of Janet’s car.

But what’s crucial in that scene is Lee explaining his refusal to fight: “My hands are registered as lethal weapons. We get into a fight, I accidentally kill you. I go to jail.”

“Anybody accidentally kills anybody in a fight, they go to jail,” says Cliff.  “It’s called manslaughter.”

Sounds like Cliff may know what he’s talking about from personal experience.

When Lee learns Cliff is a wife killer, his reluctance to fight him disappears.

Nobody in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood disputes Cliff killed his wife, they dispute if he got away with murder or not.  In view of his comment on manslaughter to Bruce Lee, the coroner’s verdict may not have been murder or accident but justifiable homicide

We don't know what happened on the boat in the flashback scene with him and his wife (Rebecca Gayheart). 

If she attacked him with a weapon (the spear gun they carried onboard or a knife or a wrench or whatever) and he defended himself from her attack but unintentionally inflicted a lethal injury on her, then both a charge of manslaughter and verdicts of "not proven" or "justifiable self-defense" are possible.

We don't know, and that ambiguity is what makes Once Upon A Time In Hollywood such a morally and ethically complex film.

(When I next see the film, two things I'm keeping tabs on the contents of Rick's store room and when Cliff's various scars appear.)

. . .

And Sharon Tate, the third leg of this triad?

She is depicted in this movie by Margot Robbie as light and as airy and as harmless as dandelion pollen blown on the breeze.  She is a perfect wish fulfillment character, not merely because so many men desire her, but because she appears to live a blissfully stress free, rewarding, and happy life.

This is where real life collides with “reel life” and if you haven’t guessed by now, we’re up to our necks in spoiler territory.

You have been warned.

For audiences half my age, Charles Manson (Damon Herriman) is vaguely known in a Jack the Ripper-ish sort of way (i.e., a really, really bad guy who did some really, really terrible things but just what they don't fully know) while Tate is unjustly forgotten.

The glory of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is that for however briefly, for however artificially, it lets Sharon Tate come alive again and enjoy the happy ending she deserved.

What is that happy ending?

To be honest, we don’t know.

At the end of the film she meets Rick, recognizes him from his TV shows, and the implication hangs in the air that she’ll introduce him to her husband, Roman Polanski (Rafał Zawierucha) who in real life at this stage of his career had not yet descended to drugging and raping 13 year old girls.

I hope in “reel life” that never happens, just as I would hope that Polanski’s criminal moral failing would never have materialized in the real world had Tate and her unborn child lived.

We just don’t know.

We assume Rick will meet Polanski, and from that meeting his career would shift to A-list motion pictures, and his dreams of success and security would come true.

We just don’t know.

Would Tate herself have gone on to bigger and better roles?

The odds are not in her favor.

As the writer David Gerrold said:  “Hollywood uses up young women as if they're disposable.  It is one of the worst things about the industry.”

Very few female actors of that era enjoyed a sustained shot at A-films, especially if they were regarded primarily as eye candy.

By the time of her murder in real life, Tate had a good role in a minor but good movie nobody saw (Eye Of The Devil), a good role in a major bad movie everybody saw (Valley Of The Dolls), and provided eye candy in three mediocre movies (including The Wrecking Crew, part of the gawdawful Dean Martin “Matt Helm” series[3]).

Her career might well have stalled out as so many other promising young starlets’ careers stalled out.

We’ll never know.

But even a stalled career would be preferable to what really happened to her.

. . .

A lot of people get second chances at the end: The four[4] at the Tate house, for sure, but also Rick (who finally gets to move into Polanski's circle) and Cliff (who has atoned for killing his wife either by accident or a well staged murder).

But y'know who else gets a second chance?

Charles Manson.

Cliff sees Manson at the Tate house but never learns his name. When he visits Spahn Ranch, he hears constant references to "Charlie" but never meets him since Manson has taken the family's children on an outing to Santa Barbara.

He recognizes Tex (Austin Butler) and Susan Atkins (Mikey Madison) and Patricia Krenwinkel (Madisen Beaty; many people mistake her character in this scene for Squeaky Frome, played by Dakota Fanning in an earlier scene) from his visit to the Spahn Ranch, but for all he knows they've come after him for revenge after he beat up Clem (James Landry Hébert) at the ranch. 

Since Cliff was out of the country for 6 months stunt doubling for Rick in Italy, the lapse in time is accounted for: They waited until he returned.

When the hit team doesn't come back and there's no news reports of a mass murder, Manson knows his plan failed and has an opportunity to flee the LA area, either by himself, with a small group of followers, or the entire Family.

If the police do trace Tex and the women back to Spahn Ranch and they do confront Manson on this, Manson can feign innocence.  If they bring up Cliff's visit and fistfight, Manson can say he knew the three were angry over the incident but he never knew they plotted revenge.

With the three would-be killers dead and Linda Kasabian (Maya Hawke) presumably fleeing LA to escape the Family there's no link between Manson and the attack on Rick's house.

Manson is in the clear.  The police consider the matter closed (movie star kills three drug crazed hippies; why look further?) and Manson gets a breather to ponder his next move.

Maybe he realizes how close a call it was.  Maybe he realizes he's got a nice little scam going with the Family.  Maybe he focuses on that and becomes a garden variety cult guru who, with viral marketing, becomes a prominent New Age personality.

Stranger things have happened...

. . .

To be honest, I approached Once Upon A Time In Hollywood with some trepidation when I heard the ending would not synch up with reality.

Tarantino most notably did this before with Inglorious Basterds, but most of his movies occur in the Red Apple universe, so named after a popular brand of tobacco that appears in those films (I can’t remember if Red Apple products appear in Jackie Brown and have not seen either Kill Bill movie).

The Red Apple universe almost-but-not-quite synchs up with ours.

The biggest and most obvious deviations from the norm is Inglorious Basterds, where Tarantino wipes out Hitler and the Nazi high command in a fiery climax later echoed in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, but Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction suggest a world far more immersed in its own pop culture than we are.

The Hateful 8 is another Red Apple universe film (again specifically referenced in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) that strongly implies Abraham Lincoln survived the assassination attempt against him and negotiated a post-Civil War peace that saw the Confederate states reunited with the rest of the country much sooner than actually happened but in return saw them agree to full emancipation and equality under the law of all formerly enslaved people.  There's still a lot of racial tension in era of The Hateful 8 but there is also an explicit acknowledgment of equality under the law.

As such, race relations in Tarantino’s films Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood do not synch up with the reality of our own era.

. . . 

On the one hand, there’s not as much carnage in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood as there is in most Tarantino movies.

On the other, there’s just as much only we don’t recognize it for violence because it’s presented in the form of  “play acting”.

It’s not real.

It’s all a movie (or a TV show).

Or so we think.

Even Manson’s own killers debate this point, one of them arguing that all American TV shows “except for I Love Lucy” glorify in murder and violence, so why not visit murder and violence on those promoting it?

Really, what separates the violence of bounty hunter Jake Cahill (a name that’s an amalgam of two John Wayne Westerns:  Big Jake and Cahill, US Marshal) from Rick Dalton playing Jake Cahill from Leonardo DiCaprio playing Rick Dalton playing Jake Cahill from the violence of Leonardo DiCaprio playing Rick Dalton at the “reel life” climax?

And what do we make of Brad Pitt playing Cliff Booth who doubles for Rick Dalton (as played by Leonardo DiCaprio) playing Jake Cahill, especially in the end when Cliff’s under the influence of LSD and isn’t sure if what he’s experiencing is real?

You tell me.

. . .

Tarantino’s flamethrower beats Chekov’s gun

By this I mean if you need a flamethrower in act three, you set it up and pay it off in an entirely different context in act one or two, but you also establish however obliquely that it’s not impossible for it to be present though uncommented on in act three. 

We see Rick Dalton use a flamethrower in a film; we see a flashback and hear him say he practiced long and hard to master the weapon. 

This fits in nicely with Rick’s character, both poking fun at him for not being the tough guy he portrays onscreen yet establish his willingness to learn a dangerous skill if it enhances his performance.

After all, he could always request Cliff, his stunt double, handle the flamethrower in that scene.

Dalton is also established as a person who collects memorabilia about himself, reinforced repeatedly though not always blatantly thru the film (viz Cliff bringing in a huge framed poster of one of Rick’s Italian movies just prior to the climax). 

So when Rick pops out with a fully functional flamethrower at the end, our suspension of disbelief goes, “Yeah, he’d still have that”.  (When I next see the film, I’m paying close attention to the contents of the storage room prior to Cliff fixing the antenna; if we don’t see the flamethrower stored there, Tarantino missed a bet.)

Part of the genius of this film extends to the trailer.  

There is a big honking clue to at least part of the climax when Rick is shown using the flamethrower and the images freeze frames while a title announcing it as Quentin Tarantino’s 9th film is superimposed.  That’s brilliant marketing as it preps audiences for what would otherwise be a deus ex machina before they've even seen the movie.

. . .

re the flamethrower and Cliff’s scars: This is a film that will endure multiple repeat viewings just to catch all the details. There's a shot of Cliff driving down the 134 Freeway that if you aren't a Los Angelino you won't recognize he's driving past Forest Lawn, thus prefiguring the ominous background of the film. 

When Pitt goes to see the elderly George Spahn at the infamous Spahn Ranch, he passes by two photos of Zorro and the Lone Ranger -- both with masks over their eyes -- as Squeaky tells him "He's blind."

The background is filled with posters and billboards and books and magazines and memorabilia, some real, some ersatz.

That being said, I do not think it will age well.

To the degree it skillfully recreates an era, that will be studied.  

But as time puts more and more distance to the actual events, the impact of the film will lessen.

Casablanca loses some impact when we aren’t aware of how vicious the real life Nazis were, but in the context of the story they’re big enough bastards for us to understand why it’s important to stand up to them.

After The Fox is a delightful comedic romp that is hilarious even if you don’t know anything about Italian neo-realism, but if you do know anything about Italian neo-realism It.  Gets.  Even.  FUNNIER!

But you really need to know what happened on August 9, 1969 at 10050 Cielo Drive to fully appreciate what Tarantino hath wrought.

Like 2001:  A Space Odyssey, future generations of viewers will appreciate the skill and artistry employed, but they just won’t get why it makes such an impact today on many viewers.

 Gordon Dickson wrote a classic sci-fi story back in 1962 called “Three Part Puzzle”.  Without spoiling it, it’s safe to say a big hunk of the story’s appeal lays in the efforts of aliens to comprehend why human children are delighted by the old fairy tale of The Three Billy-Goats Gruff.

To the aliens, the story contains a simple, straight forward message:  Wait until your strongest team member arrives before engaging an enemy.

What they don’t understand is the morality behind the story.

To the aliens, goats and trolls are all equal, there is no reason to take delight in the victory of one over another.

But to humans…ah, to humans there’s a far deeper, much more important message than a mere tactical stratagem.

This is the risk Once Upon A Time In Hollywood will face in the future, that audiences as yet unborn will come to see it as a big, goofy buddy action movie in which two friends (and the wife of one and the dog of another) take on a trio of killers, dispatching them in spectacular fashion.

The catharsis may be lost, and in losing that, so will be lost the heart and soul of the film.

Enjoy it now while you can.

  © Buzz Dixon

 [1]  I rank Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, and The Hateful 8 above it in terms of cinematic quality.

[2]  In real life, for reasons too involved to go into here, Charles Manson actually got a courtesy audition for The Monkees; he was never seriously considered for a role and if I remember correctly, the show had already been cast by that point but the formal announcement had not been made. Nonetheless, if the quantum physics hypothesis of alternate timelines is correct, somewhere there’s a universe where Charlie Manson is a beloved 1960s pop culture icon and people still talk about the infamous Peter Tork murder cult.

[3]  Do yourselves a favor and track down the original Matt Helm novels by Donald Hamilton.  They’re far superior to the crappy movies.

[4]  There were actually five victims that night but Steven Parent, who had been visiting the property's caretaker William Garretson at the property's guest house, was shot in his car as he prepared to drive away. Garretson, apparently under the influence of drugs and / or alcohol, first claimed to have slept through the horrendous attack and was a prime suspect until forensics cleared him.  (Years later he admitted to witnessing part of the attack and doing nothing for reasons he never made clear.)  Tarantino left Parent and Garretson's presence out of the film presumably because it would have been too much of a diversion to explain them if they weren't going to be victims.

[shiroslefttesticle]

Doll, you have been waiting for like a month now and it is finally here! Hopefully it was worth the wait!

Lance

Lance is a musical boy

He totally knows how to play guitar

And he actually has a pretty good singing voice

Though he usually has fun dramatically singing out of key on purpose

So one day you’re chilling in your room, strumming and singing along and Lance walks in

He probably was gonna ask you for some help with sparring

He only gets to hear you for a few seconds before you screech at him

“WhY dIdN’T yOu KnOcK!”

The boy is too stunned to even respond but when he does, he’s so excited!!

Why didn’t you tell him you could sing and play???

Now all he wants to do is show off his rad guitar skills

Be prepared to be serenaded

You know that video of the principal being followed around by a mariachi band? Yeah that’s basically gonna be your life for the next few days

Please join in with his ridiculous antics

He would be so thrilled if you just strummed with him, you don’t even have to sing

Of course, he won’t make you sing in front of the other paladins if you don’t want to (even if he really wants to show you off)

He’d be happy with you playing when it's just you and him in your rooms

Once you open up about it and aren’t so shy around him, he’ll teach you a few songs from when he was a kid

Most of them are in Spanish and, assuming you don’t speak Spanish, he helps you with your pronunciation and because of it, you pick up a few Spanish phrases

They’re kind of like nursery rhymes equivalent to ‘You are my Sunshine’ or ‘The Itsy Bitsy Spider’ but he gets so happy when you play them

If you actually write a song for him???

Error: Lance.exe has stopped working

It could only be 15 seconds long for all he cares, he’s just so so happy

Say you sing it to him after he gets back from a particularly hard mission

He probably cries

God he loves you so much

Keith

As much as I would love to shitpost and say Texas!Keith can yodel, I can’t do that to him

If you guys want to imagine him doing that though, I’m certainly not going to stop you

Y’all know that he had to learn how to square dance at some point in his childhood though

Keith has never been good with instruments, he has a hard time reading the notes

But he can definitely appreciate good music when he hears it

He doesn’t even realize it’s you singing at first

He’s just kind of in his own thoughts and all “Oh hey, this music’s pretty good.”

Then it dawns on him

Pidge hasn’t built a music radio (as far as he knows anyway)

So where’s it coming from???

Boy has to investigate

He’s pretty good at being stealthy so you don’t notice him until you finish

Now you’re thoroughly flustered

“You’re really good.”

It’s simple but you know it’s sincere

And he’s got this cute little smile on his face

He gets so relaxed when he hears you sing

Sometimes he’ll just lean back and close his eyes and listen to you play

You think he falls asleep so you stop playing after a bit and he immediately peeks his eyes open

“Why’d you stop?”

Please sing to him whenever he returns from BoM missions

He needs it

He kinda likes the idea of this being something just between you two so he wouldn’t mind if you were so shy your audience was limited only to him (and sometimes the mice)

You get him to sing with you one day

He’s redder than a tomato and his voice is so quiet you can hardly hear him

But he’s good

Not spectacular by any means but definitely not bad

He’s so flustered and he swears to never do it again

If you had a particularly bad day though you might be able to egg him into humming for you

Very rarely you can get him to sing

And when he does, you’re sworn to secrecy

He would rather die than let Lance know he sings

Shiro

In between missions, in an effort to boost morale, Allura had everyone participate in a talent show

The original paladins decided to do a group performance

Ie Lance decided to force them all to do a group performance

You opted to be a judge with Allura

Their performance was one of the funniest trainwrecks you’ve ever witnessed

Lance had almost* everyone doing choreography and there was some singing

Almost* because Keith just kind of lazily moved his arms when he was supposed to dance

Anyway, the show is how you know Shiro can sing

“You’re Welcome” anyone???

It’s not like he’s hiding the fact that he can, and will, sing, it’s just that it’s not really something that comes up often

So when he hears you singing?

His reaction is kind of adorable

He gets that soft smile on his face and his eyes are all tender

“I didn’t know you could sing”

You flush at getting caught

Which Shiro thinks is insanely cute

Lowkey you’re just killing him atm

He understands if you don’t like singing in front of people but he can’t help but joke around

“If you sang at our talent show, we wouldn’t have lost to the mice”

Chances are if you do sing around Shiro, you’re doing it when you two are alone

While Shiro loves hearing you sing, you’re gonna love it more

Because Shiro will sing with you 97% of the time

His voice is just??? I’m swooning thinking about it

He’ll probably try dancing with you too and that’s cute af

I love him so much

He loves when you sing, he thinks you sound stunning and it allows him to be himself for a bit and not just ‘the leader of voltron’

Pidge

Pidge was never overly into music

She went to maybe three concerts back on Earth with Matt

one of those was definitely for a boyband when she was like 10

And she had a go-to playlist of fairly mellow music to play when studying

But other than that, yeah she never really paid attention to music or the talent or hard work it takes to be even mediocre at it, let alone good

That changes when she finds out you can sing

She doesn’t actually hear you singing

She was just rummaging through your room (with your permission of course) looking for spare parts when she found your instrument

Babe you never told her about this?

She kind of just plops down in front of you and looks at you expectantly

Y/n: “Uh? Can I help you?”

Pidge: “Are you gonna sing or what?”

Look she’s just very blunt alright

She’s kind of stubborn so if you clam up and refuse to sing, she’ll probably try insisting a couple more times but she’ll back off after the third or fourth ‘no’

Even though you won’t sing/play for her, she goes out of her way to learn a little bit about music

Not how to actually play an instrument or anything, Pidge could never do that

Actually, she can play Chopsticks on the piano but that’s it

She just kind of learns about the different genres and how they came about and what effect they had

Lance was her teacher for this and it was wild but she really does end up learning a lot

She’s got a new appreciation for music

A little while passes before she brings up your music again

Not in the pestering way she did the first time, it’s more of an offhand thought

“So like, will I ever hear you sing?”

She’s just curious

She really wants to hear it

I’m thinking that when you finally do play something for her, it has the same vibe as “A Shitty Gay Song About You” by Ezra

At first, she’s just thinking you’re playing a cute little love song

But then she realizes it’s about you and her

:o

She doesn’t even know how to react

She’s so happy but so flustered

How to Break Pidge 101

Matt

Matt can play the piano

Moderately well, he’s not out here busting out concertos or anything wild

So he knows how hard it can be to play an instrument

So anyone who can? He’s lowkey in awe

He’s such a big dork about music

Really about everything tbh

He will shamelessly belt out a tune at any appropriate time

Especially just to embarrass Pidge

Not a bad singer tbh

He sings cheesy 80s pop music

Matt probably already knew you were shy about singing before he even knew you could play an instrument

Just from all of the times he tried getting you to sing with him and you would blush and say no

He went to your room to grab something for you one day

He couldn’t find it right away though and so he had to rummage through a few things

That’s how he found your instrument

He’s excited!!

He immediately brings your instrument to you

Completely forgets to also bring what he was originally supposed to

You two are completely alone in the hangar, working on upgrading some of the emergency pods

So after a minute of him giving you puppy dog eyes, you pick up your instrument and play…

Never Gonna Give You Up

Look in order to be with this dork, you have to be just as dorky if not more so

He’s torn between laughing and crying and just being so in love with you

After the initial “Babe did you just rickroll me in space?” reaction, you bet your ass he joins in with you

Pidge probably walked in without either of you noticing and took a video of it

She thinks of sharing it with literally everyone you’ve met but she’s not that cruel

She does send it to Matt though and he cherishes it so much

Matt probably tries to play your instrument sometimes

He’s terrible at it and so you start giving him lessons

It’s one of his favorite things to do with you now

At some point, Matt is going to joke about starting a family band or something

He gets these dorky starry eyes anytime he hears you sing

He just thinks you’re incredible ok?

[lifejustgotawkward]

My Favorite Albums of 2018

Now that we’ve reached the end of December, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite albums from this year. I’m particularly proud of the emphasis that I placed on listening to new music by women, which will be obvious as you make your way through the post. As I hope is the case every time I make these annual rankings, my goal is not so much that anyone should be awed by my short paragraphs of explanation (doubtful since my schedule didn’t allow me enough time to edit my writing too closely - let me know if there are any weird errors!), but rather that my mentions of these artists will spread positive awareness of them. If I can share my appreciation for a singer or band and subsequently inspire someone to become a fan, the work will have been worth it. Have a good time with this, everybody!

Tagging @shadowfaxstables, @entrancedintime, @mr-top-secret, @walkingwiththemoon, @thehoodedone, @yung-lawsuit, @oystersaintforme - I hope you enjoy the music!

15. Seinabo Sey, I’m a Dream

Standout Tracks: “Never Get Used To,” “I Owe You Nothing,” “My Eye,” “Truth,” “Breathe,” “Good in You”

I might never have heard of Gambian-Swedish singer-songwriter Seinabo Sey if I didn’t regular check out Pitchfork reviews, although luckily I started listening to I’m a Dream before reading Katherine St. Asaph‘s piece, which unfairly marks Sey’s album with a 6.0 grade. Sey’s second album, following Pretend (2015), continues her interest in marrying soul/R&B with pop, moving through different tempi to exhibit her perspectives on romantic and familial relationships. Most inspirational among the songs is “Breathe,” an empowering reminder from Sey to herself that no matter what hardships she endures, she is valuable and magical.

14. Black Belt Eagle Scout, Mother of My Children

Standout Tracks: “Soft Stud,” “Keyboard,” “Mother of My Children,” “Yard,” “I Don’t Have You in My Life,” “Sam, A Dream”

There may not have been a more impressive debut single in 2018 than “Soft Stud,” a searing ode to unrequited lust. The rest of Katherine Paul’s album is fairly quiet by comparison, but her first full-length project as Black Belt Eagle Scout burns with longing. A self-described “radical indigenous queer feminist,” Paul draws from her experiences growing up in the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community in Washington to tell stories both deeply personal to her and universal in the desires they communicate. Album closer “Sam, A Dream” is the best example of how Paul blends those two concepts, taking a minimalist lyrical approach to expressing her love for the song’s subject before spending a solid two and a half minutes on a guitar solo to finish the record, a sound so beautiful that you feel like you’re floating when you hear it.

13. Blossoms, Cool Like You

Standout Tracks: “Cool Like You,” “Unfaithful,” “How Long Will This Last?” “Between the Eyes,” “Lying Again,” “Love Talk”

For those of us who love a good tune that pays homage to 80s New Wave and synthpop, Blossoms are your band. They don’t seem to have made anywhere near as much of an impact in the US as they have in their native UK, and British critics weren’t exactly bowled over by this sophomore album (despite it hitting #4 on the charts), but I’ll bet that most of today’s young American bands would kill to put out a single half as catchy as “Cool Like You,” or anything close to the upbeat yet still sort of bittersweet perfection of “Love Talk.”

12. Shannon Shaw, Shannon in Nashville

Standout Tracks: “Bring Her the Mirror,” “Broke My Own,” “Leather, Metal, Steel,” “Love I Can’t Explain,” “Cold Pillows,” "Make Believe”

Stepping away from her role as frontwoman of Oakland, California’s surf-punk outfit Shannon and the Clams, Shannon Shaw’s debut solo album Shannon in Nashville is an entrancing collection of songs deeply inspired by 60s girl groups, Roy Orbison and, of course, Dusty “Dusty in Memphis” Springfield. Even if you’d never heard Shaw’s voice before now, it would instantly become iconic to your ears thanks to melodies that sound just as timeless as their predecessors from half a century ago.

11. Say Sue Me, Where We Were Together

Standout Tracks: “Let It Begin,” “But I Like You,” “Old Town,” “After Falling Asleep,” “About the Courage to Become Somebody’s Past,” “Coming to the End”

Korean-American indie rock band Say Sue Me have a sweet, light touch that makes both their snappy power-pop efforts like “But I Like You” and “Old Town” and also somewhat more serious-minded guitar showcases like “Let It Begin,” “About the Courage to Become Somebody’s Past” (an instrumental that gives me real “This Magic Moment” vibes) and “Coming to the End” equally appealing. I don’t speak or understand Korean, so I don’t know how lead singer Sumi Choi’s lyrics of “After Falling Asleep” translate, but the fact that I love it anyway is a testament to the fact that fantastic music always transcends barriers of language.

10. Robyn, Honey

Standout Tracks: “Missing U,” “Human Being” (feat. Zhala), “Baby Forgive Me,” “Send to Robin Immediately,” “Honey,” “Ever Again”

I didn’t expect to love Robyn’s newest album upon first listen back in October, but now I do, so here we are. A couple of months spent absorbing her woozy beats has made me appreciate Robyn’s ability to evoke moods that feel specific to her particular talent as an artist. The loss that inspired the album - the death of one of her closest friends, Christian Falk, in 2014 - pervades nearly all of the tracks, but they are relatable and will still make you want to dance, closer to light than to darkness. Even in songs like “Human Being” and “Baby Forgive Me,” where the rhythms and (to cite the latter’s credits in the album liner notes) “sad robot voice” play with notions of human artistic creation juxtaposed with machine-manufactured products, Robyn herself is always in front and center, and in the album’s crown jewel, the title track “Honey,” her maturity as a storyteller is evident.

9. cupcakKe, Eden

Standout Tracks: “PetSmart,” “Cereal and Water,” “Garfield,” “Prenup,” “Blackjack,” “A.U.T.I.S.M.”

All Hail Queen cupcakKe. On her second album of the year, following January’s Ephorize, the Chicago rapper continues to show why she’s one of the best women in the game. “PetSmart” starts things off incredibly, exhibiting one entertaining brag after another, then the rest of the album displays more of her often laugh-out-loud humor, endless pop culture references, a bunch of her quintessential sex-centric jams (”Garfield,” “Typo,” “Blackjack”) and a song dedicated to people on the autism spectrum (”A.U.T.I.S.M.”). Every now and then there are moments that indicate that cupcakKe still has room to grow, like when she uses the R slur on “Garfield,” but ultimately her heart is in the right place; besides the aforementioned “A.U.T.I.S.M.,” she has also recorded songs in support of the LGBTQ+ community (”LGBT,” “Crayons”), so I am certain that she’ll eventually learn from her mistakes. As one YouTube commenter wrote on one of her videos: “She should be where Cardi B is.” Indeed.

8. Chelsea Jade, Personal Best

Standout Tracks: “Ride or Cry,” “Pitch Dark,” “Colour Sum,” “Laugh It Off,” “Over Sensitive,” “High Beam”

New Zealand-based singer-songwriter Chelsea Jade has not yet hit it big in America like her younger compatriot, Lorde, but there is an ample proof on Personal Best that Jade can craft earworms with memorable hooks and intelligent lyrics. (Seriously, when was the last time you heard the word liminal used in a pop song, as Jade does on “Laugh It Off”?) She has her foot in the door in America as a lyricist, credited as one of the writers of this year’s Chainsmokers single “You Owe Me,” but one hopes that the “Accidental Dream Pop Hero” of Auckland, NZ will claim her own chart-topping stardom one day.

7. Beach House, 7

Standout Tracks: “Lemon Glow,” “L’Inconnue,” “Black Car,” “Lose Your Smile,” “Girl of the Year,” “Last Ride”

I thought I knew what to expect from a Beach House album after following their career for the past few years, but “Lemon Glow” and “Black Car” hit me like gorgeous sledgehammers anyway when they were released earlier this year, still taking my breath away every time I hear them. I don’t know how Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally manage it, but they keep finding sophisticated ways to update their mining of the same musical territory in a tried-and-true comfort zone. Beach House’s secret seems to be that they have deduced all the algorithms necessary to hypnotize listeners. 7 is perhaps less exciting to me than the duo’s last album, Thank Your Lucky Stars, since the freshness of first being introduced to their music in 2015 has faded, but I’m glad to report that their new songs are absolutely worthy of praise.

6. Soccer Mommy, Clean

Standout Tracks: “Still Clean,” “Cool,” “Your Dog,” “Last Girl,” “Skin,” “Wildflowers”

Nashville, Tennessee’s Sophie Allison, who performs under the moniker Soccer Mommy, wowed me with this ten-track album full of indie rock gems. At age 20, she is ready to take the music industry by storm, evoking her heroes Liz Phair and Mitski while always maintaining a recognizable individual style. This is most apparent on the more upbeat tracks - “Skin,” for example, is a brutally honest articulation of yearning, and if ever there was a year that needed a blistering takedown of abusive relationships like “Your Dog” as its rallying cry, it’s 2018.

5. Courtney Barnett, Tell Me How You Really Feel

Standout Tracks: “Hopefulessness,” “Charity,” “Need a Little Time,” “Nameless, Faceless,” “Help Your Self,” “Sunday Roast”

It took a while for Courtney Barnett’s latest album to sink in with me. Tell Me How You Really Feel is the definition of a slow burn; it has just as much of Barnett’s trademark dry humor, but it also brings to the surface a sensitivity beyond what she revealed on her breakthrough album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit (2015). Most of all, I think she’s enjoying exploring what she can do with her melodies, like the guitar solo on “Help Your Self,” her incorporation of Margaret Atwood’s famous “men are afraid, women are afraid” quote in the chorus of the #MeToo/#TimesUp anthem “Nameless, Faceless” or the amount of time it takes her to reach the “Keep on keeping on/You know you're not alone” part of “Sunday Roast.” Listening to new music by Courtney Barnett is as rewarding an experience as any modern-day alternative rock fan could want.

4. Caroline Rose, LONER

Standout Tracks: “More of the Same,” “Jeannie Becomes a Mom,” “Getting to Me,” “To Die Today,” “Soul No. 5,” “Animal”

I was magnetized to Caroline Rose’s music from the intriguing opening notes of “More of the Same,” the first of many riffs that LONER gifts to us. My favorite track is “Jeannie Becomes a Mom,” which continues a classic singer-songwriter tradition of relating the ups and downs of another woman’s life, especially her dreams for a brighter future. She also moves through a few genres besides indie rock with skill, employing elements of trip-hop on “To Die Today” and R&B on “Talk” and “Animal” in engaging ways. (According to Rose in a press release, LONER is “as much inspired by Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears as it was late-’70s punk,“ which I can believe.) Rose’s sense of humor might be the best part of the album, though, as seen in her sharp wit and sarcasm on “Money,” “Soul No. 5” and “Bikini,” the last of which is a bouncy number mocking the industries that compel women to become sexualized puppets tailor-made for public consumption.

I also find this Out Magazine quote from Caroline Rose about how she incorporates her own sexuality enlightening: “When I was first starting, I was kind of afraid to make being queer a part of my identity for fear that it would consume it, because that happens to a lot of artists, unfortunately. When you’re first starting, that is the way people identify you cause that’s all you get. You get one elevator pitch and if you’re lucky, a 30 second clip of what your music sounds like—and that’s the pitch. But I hit a point where I was like, ‘That’s dumb.’ People should be as much of themselves as possible, ‘cause then everyone would be super unique. No one else is you. You are independent of other people and you can do whatever you want with your identity and your body and the way you dress and the way you act. I realized I should just be myself—middle fingers up and no fucks given, ‘cause life is really short. My life is zipping by and I’m okay with that, but I want to make sure I do it right.”

3. Wild Moccasins, Look Together

Standout Tracks: “Boyish Wave,” “Temporary Vase,” “Longtime Listener,” “Missing You (the Most),” “No Muse,” “Waterless Cup”

Few bands that I discovered in 2018 have dazzled me quite like Houston, Texas’s Wild Moccasins. When the pair at the heart of the group, vocalist/keyboardist Zahira Gutierrez and guitarist Cody Swann, ended their romantic relationship a few years ago, they turned their complex jumble of reasons and reactions into art. But Look Together isn’t a mopey breakup record; “Longtime Listener,” the song that immediately turned me into a fan, is a slice of New Wave heaven, while “Missing You (the Most)” and “No Muse” are just as jaunty but dig into the more personal side of the duo’s songwriting. “Missing” ends with a repetition of the lines “You only want me if you get the chance to change me/You only want me if you get the chance to save me,” while “No Muse,“ a pointed examination of how men (especially artists) undermine and belittle the women in their relationships, features this cogent chorus: “I’m no use to you unless I’m undressed/I’m no muse to you/You cut me in two unless I say yes/I’m no muse to you/And you can sing about it all you want/I must not want it bad enough, bad enough.”

2. Miya Folick, Premonitions

Standout Tracks: “Thingamajig,” “Premonitions,” “Stock Image,” “Stop Talking,” “Deadbody,” “Baby Girl”

Thanks to Pitchfork, I first heard of Miya Folick when her single “Deadbody” came out this past March. It immediately struck me as a manifesto for our new age, where women can move forward with confidence thanks to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. That song alternately demonstrates subdued menace and loud, unapologetic anger, but “Stock Image” and “Premonitions” show that Folick has a strong leaning towards modern pop music; “Stop Talking” is so commercially accessible that it’s as much of a bop as any sugary confection by Carly Rae Jepsen. Folick’s debut album - after having released a number of EPs and standalone tracks over the past few years - showcases a woman whose voice and songwriting abilities have limitless potential, and she’s only just getting started. To quote some of Folick’s lyrics from “Stop Talking,” seemingly a summary of her artist’s statement: “You have to make a choice/Don’t be an accidental voice/We have to speak with grace/We will become the words we say.“

1. Mitski, Be the Cowboy

Standout Tracks: “Geyser,” “Me and My Husband,” “Nobody,” “Pink in the Night,” “Washing Machine Heart,” “Two Slow Dancers”

It’s no mistake that so many end-of-year best-of lists have placed Be the Cowboy at the top of their rankings. Mitski’s fifth album finds her wading through deep pools of emotion in brief, lovely bursts of song, with twelve out of the fourteen tracks running two and a half minutes or shorter. It was pretty difficult for me to pick only a handful of highlights from an album that is so impressive in every conceivable way, so just know that every cut is a masterpiece. She puts words to the feelings we all carry inside, diamonds that glisten for fleeting moments but linger in the memory for a long time afterward.

HONORABLE MENTIONS (alphabetical)

Cher, Dancing Queen (”Dancing Queen,” ”Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight),” “The Name of the Game,” “Waterloo,” ”Fernando,” ”One of Us”)

Farao, Pure-O (”Marry Me,” “Get Along,” “Luster of the Eyes,” “Cluster of Delights,” “Gabriel,” “Triumph Over Me”)

Florence + The Machine, High as Hope (”Hunger,” “Big God,” “Patricia,” “100 Years,” “The End of Love,” “No Choir”)

Juliana Hatfield, Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John (”I Honestly Love You,” ”Physical,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” “Xanadu,” “Dancin’ ‘Round and ‘Round,” “Make a Move on Me”)

Marie Davidson, Working Class Woman (”Your Biggest Fan,” ”Work It,” ”The Psychologist,” “Day Dreaming,” “So Right” [although the extended version is even better since the opening lines are brought back in the last thirty seconds, making the song’s ending even more effective], “Burn Me”)

HONORABLE MENTIONS #2: EPs (alphabetical)

Ellis, The Fuzz (”The Drain,” “Frostbite,” ”What a Mess”)

Hatchie, Sugar & Spice (”Sleep,” ”Try,” “Bad Guy”)

King Princess, Make My Bed (”Talia,” “Upper West Side,” “Holy”)

Margaret Glaspy, Born Yesterday (”Before We Were Together,” ”One Heart and Two Arms,” “I Love You, Goodnight”)

Sevdaliza, The Calling (”Soul Syncable,” “Energ1,” “Human Nature”)

[suadabdelrahman]

100  facts about me

1. Name -Suad Abdel-Rahman

2. Age -20

3. City that you live in -Accra

4. What do most people not know about you? -I was born with a lisp

5. What do most people know you for? -My social media presence

6. Hobbies -Watching series, listening to music

7. What are your passions? -film directing

8. What do you search for in a significant other? -Kindness

7. What are you most proud of? -My growth

8. When was the last time you had a significant conversation with someone you love? -Cant remember

9. Have you ever collected anything? What was it? -Wine

10. List 10 things off of your bucket list. - Get a nose piercing - Learn to swim - Get more tattoos - Travel all around the world - Direct a movie/ music video - Fly in a hot air balloon - See the Northern Lights - Publish a book - Go stargazing - Speak in public

11. What was the last thing you learned? -Dispute settlement at ICSID

12. How many relationships have you been in? -3

13. Turn ons -Nice perfume

14. Turn offs -Dirty feet

15. Favorite food -Kelewele

16. Favorite drink -Cranberry juice

17. What is the best birthday gift you have ever received? -A painting of myself

18. Are you optimistic or pessimistic? -Realistic

19. Do you sleep during class? -No

20. What is the most expensive thing you own? -I dont know

21. What is the cheapest yet most useful thing you own? -Eyebrow pencil

22. How many times a day on average do you check your phone? -50

23. Text or call? -Text

24. Opinion on long distance? -It can work if you both want it to

25. What is your definition of success? -Making money from doing what you love

26. Favorite song? -Like by Reekado Banks/Tiwa Savage/Fiokee

27. Favorite artist? -The Weeknd, Travis Scott

28. Celebrity crush/crushes? -Drake, Hector Bellerin

29. When was the last time you read for fun? -Last week

30. Favorite flower? -No preference yet

31. What is the best gift you could receive right now? -Money and diamonds

32. Any guilty pleasures? -WAGS Miami and Superstory

33. What is one thing you would like to change about yourself? -Laziness

34. What do you search for in a friend? -Vibes

35. How many times have you said “I love you” in the past month? -Cant remember

36. Where did you last go other than your room/home? -School

37. Why do bad things happen to good people? -Life isnt fair

38. In your opinion, what hurts more? Being left out or being stabbed in the eye? -Being stabbed in the eye

39. How many green shirts do you own?

40. Do you like anime? -No

41. What do you invest the most time in? -Watching movies

42. What was the name of the last book you read? -Ho Tactics

43. What’s the difference between loving and liking someone? -I think love is a deep feeling of care for someone and like is enjoying someones energy so much that you want to be around them.

44. Where are you most productive? -Depends on the activity

45. List 3 things you enjoy doing with friends. -Playing games -Partying -Swimming

46. List 3 things you enjoy doing alone. -Sleeping -Watching movies -Eating

47. Do you believe world peace will ever exist? -No

48. Do you have any allergies? -Alcohol intolerance

49. When was the last time you cussed at someone? -Cant remember

50. What was the last promise you made? -Cant remember, i rarely make promises

51. What was your last dream about?

52. If you won a trip to Hawaii and you could take 5 people with you, who would those 5 people be? -My family (4) and Kuukua

53. How many countries have you visited? -Two

54. What is your favorite medium of art? (Music,dance,painting,etc.) -Music

56. When was the last time somebody complimented you? -Yesterday

56. If you switched bodies with someone, how would you recognize yourself? -I dont think so

57. Do you consider yourself mature? -Yes

58. How many days in your life do you think you have wasted on tumblr? -100

59. What is your favorite quote? -Its a tie between “Knowing is better than learning so because i know i wont learn”- Kuukua AND “A plenty talking cannot let a dead man hear you” -Bukom Banku

60. If you started a new religion and you had to create 3 rules or commandments for your new followers to live by, what would those 3 rules be? - Do not force people into the religion - Be reasonable not radical -Be your brother/sisters keeper

61. What is your greatest accomplishment? -Wait on it

62. Do you believe in the death penalty? -Yes

63. What are your goals for life? -To be happy -To be rich -To be healthy

64. What do you think your soulmate is doing right now? -Probably relaxing.

65. If you could live anywhere, where would you live? The place can be in an imaginary, fantasy, or the real world. -Some peaceful island

66. What were you like in 2013? -Naive

67. Do you have a job? -Not yet

68. Tell us a story about your childhood best friend. -Her name was Lady Shudy (not sure how it was spelt) She had a brother named Rocky. One time we snuck out of class to play on swings and got into trouble. Thats literally all i remember about my first best friend

69. If you could change one thing about society, what would it be? -The unwillingness to listen

70. How many all-nighters have you pulled before? -Too many to count

71. Is tumblr your favorite website? If not, then what is your favorite website? -Its a tie between Tumblr and Pinterest.

72. What is the craziest thing you would do for a million dollars? -Almost anything (not murder or anything like that)

73. Does money equal happiness? -It can

74. How many times have you experienced true happiness in your lifetime? -Not even sure tbh

75. How many times have you experienced true sadness in your lifetime? -Not sure

76. What is the funniest joke you have ever been told? -Honestly i cant pick one, ive had too many laughs

77. When was the last time you looked at the news? -Cant remember, not a fan

78. If you could say one thing to the world, what would you say? -Stfu

79. What is your favorite animal? -Goldfish

80. If you could earn a million dollars by pretending to be dead for 3 years, would you do it? -Yes

81. What is one thing that everyone is bad at? -Listening to understand rather than reply

82. What time do you normally sleep? How many hours of sleep do you usually get? -It all varies

83. Does age necessarily equal maturity? -No

84. What is your favorite clothing store? -Dont have one.

85. In the winter- beanies or gloves? -Beanies

86. Would you rather have wings or a fish tail? -Wings

87. If you had the power to erase one person from the world so that nobody remembered him or her except you, would you do it? -Yes

88. What do you fear the most? -Regret

89. How many digits of pi can you recite? -3

90. If you could travel back to one year and relive it again, which year would it be? -2016

91. Describe yourself in one word. -Complicated

92. Describe your last victory. -What i learnt came in my exam

93. What is the weirdest thing you have ever seen? -Cant think of anything

94. What is something you will never forget? -The day my illness kicked into full effect

95. Would you rather forget all of the past or remember everything in vivid detail? -Remember in detail

96. Have you ever broken a bone before? -No

97. Is it harder to love or to hate somebody? -Love

98. Coffee or tea? -Coffee

99. What are some little things that you do that have changed your life in a positive way? -Drinking water, eating less junk and not drinking soda.

100. How many hours have you spend on tumblr today? - About 2

[rosedalemike]

“The Mood” blog #4: “The Giant has Awoken”

(Written Sunday, April 1st to Wednesday, April 4th)     Never have I grinded so much in one week as I did this past week. I just had so much drive to get things done and dig deeper with the dialogue & presentation of the show. I wanted to create something that would make people grab onto every second of the show more than ever by creating paragraphs of motivation with some smooth little intros to segway from song to song while I change guitars/tune/water etc. So pretty much every morning I'd start with making a little intro session for a song while jotting down notes about what I want the world to know about (kinda like these blogs). Then I'd finish the session at around noon, stem it out, drop it in the live show and export it for video editing while I went to the gym. Then I'd edit some projector video footage for it when I got back. It was super fun picturing myself on stage in front of a glowing-eyed audience giving them something more than just my songs.

     Between all of that, I was in and out of the garage repairing the light bar towers and re-programming the new replacement light that I picked up almost two months ago (see blog #3 about procrastination), taking care of the many booking odds and ends, and finishing drums for demos before the rented cymbals were due back on Saturday. 

     It was pure crunch time Wednesday before the Hamilton show. I made one last intro for Sustain and then I picked up Austin (local kid who lives to learn about gear and help with any live production) to help me with the final rehearsal with the new rig. There were still some Axe FX presets/scenes to be made and layed out as well as some last minute lighting issues that popped up. So actual new-rig-soundcheck and rehearsal did't get rolling until around 10:30. I dropped Austin off at two then programmed some lights for This Dissonance until about 3:30am.

     Thursday in Hamilton was stressful but amazing! I picked up all the new merch in Scarborough, loaded up the van, and was an hour late for the load in! My vocal coach, Tom Oliver, came out which is always great! I have a lesson with him this Tuesday night and I can't wait to work on some things that I'm sure we both noticed needed work. I could tell Tom loved the new show much more than the Rosedale shows he's seen in the past. He ran up on stage after my set, hugged me and said "Mike! The Giant has Awoken!" I knew exactly what he was talking about. What I really like about my lessons with Tom is that he knows exactly what useful exercises and knowledge I need to be reminded that singing is mostly a mental skill; its an easy skill and there's no reason to make it hard. He also teaches useful techniques for connection with audience/being present. So I know he was loving the new between-song-moti. 

     That between song motivation is so damn hard to memorize, though. It brings me back to the neurotic days of memorizing monologues for Drama class. I knew it was not gonna go word for word at the Hamilton show. I forgot about 80% of it but at least touched on the topics with those intros and videos doing justice. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the scripted banter. I don't want it to come out like I'm reading a script in my head (or even too rehearsed) but I know that it definitely beats me trying to wing it. And when it's right on point, the message is much more vivid and powerful. I just gotta put more time into it to get it more solid. Plenty of time to do that on the thousands of miles of driving ahead of me.

     Speaking of long drives, Friday was one hell of a mission to Montreal. About two hours into my drive Bryan called me. My aux input in my van isn't very loud so I had my phone in one hand while driving (totally illegal, I know. But I was watching the road just fine and straight in my lane.) Then a red car pulled up beside me and started yelling/mouthing "Get off your phone! Get off your phone!" They were getting pretty close to me and would not pass. It was actually getting pretty dangerous. I was explaining to Bryan what this crazy couple in the red car was doing and he couldn't believe it. Then I noticed the guy in the passenger seat got on his phone and made a call. I sped past them to get away from their nonsense. I had a pretty good feeling that they were calling the cops on me. So I ended the call with Bryan and sure enough, a couple miles later, an OPP car pulls off the shoulder and starts following me, puts on his lights, and pulls me over.

      "The reason I'm pulling you over is somebody reported you holding your phone making a call while driving." He said. I fed him some BS: 'my phone was clipped up here on the dash for GPS and my friend kept calling me so I had to keep hitting reject so I could see my GPS. I saw the crazy couple pulling up beside me super close so I sped away from them as I didn't know what they were gonna do next...' Just as he let me got, my GPS sang "Police! reported ahead!"... He asked if my GPS was telling me where cops were. I explained to him that the GPS app, Waze, lets fellow drivers report cops on the road, red light cameras, hazards, traffic etc. "Does it cost anything??" he asked. It was like the biggest epiphany ever for him. He was a pretty cool guy. I felt bad feeding him my BS and that I had to take that call but I've DEFINITELY done some much more dangerous things while driving. I actually felt pretty safe and alert talking to Bry about Saturday's plans with both eyes on the road. And it was a pretty crucial time to make up some believable BS. I've never had that happen before, though, it was a trip. The whole time the cop was taking my licence and insurance info I was just thinking "Goddammit, Ilan Musk, lets get this Google Ai driving stock in all vehicles already..." Come to think of it, that technological advancement/approval alone will basically create that extra 4-5 hours a day I was dreaming about in Blog #1...and if it messes up, it me$$e$ up!

      The Montreal show went extremely well. Other than my PTLS (Post Traumatic Leaving Stress) rattling my nerves as Worst Case Scenario's fans said their goodbyes right after their set, I was pretty confident with my crowd that we were gonna have some fun with my new show/rig's first headlining set. The crowd was super responsive; singing along, clapping, shouting out requests, dancing. I was once again extremely impressed with Montreal's vibes and really proud to have such awesome fans. The four doors and 46 winding stairs to get up to La Vitrola were, as usual, well worth the grind. It is the perfect venue with the perfect staff. I'll load my insane amounts of gear up those steps any day if that venue and scene continues to be that awesome. Also, Worst Case Scenario, The Moon and Back, and Summerled made it all possible by not only playing incredible sets and bringing out their awesome fans, but also helping me load my Big Dirties up and down those Death Steps. Jon from Summerled, especially, saved my life by sticking around super late to help me load out and letting me crash on his couch.

      I had to leave Montreal at 9:30am Saturday to get back to Toronto for my family's 4:00 Easter dinner at my cousin's. I left early to pick up Bryan from his cousin's (literally 5 minutes down the street) and head to Hard Luck for our 6pm load in. Another good 30 stairs to tackle at Hard Luck. Plus rain.

      But was it ever worth it! A bunch of people I haven't seen in years were showing up! Friends of family friends, people I went to high-school with that were a couple years younger, fans that finally got to come check out their first Rosedale show! The stage was a bit of a nightmare from the headliner's sound check, but I definitely put my foot down and took charge making sure the show didn't get pushed back too far and my set did not suffer. That is one of my biggest fears; when there is a good crowd at a show and it's time to really shine, you end up working with amateurs who are unobservant and inconsiderate. So I was putting out everyone else's fires from 6pm-10pm so that my set could be at it's best. And, as much as it was frustrating to deal with, I was really seeing it as an example of how going out of your way to help the less experienced is necessary to showcase your own creation. I also had a lot of help from friends getting my gear to the stage quickly.

    After the show, some friends were offering their help pack up my insane amounts of gear. This is a common offering that I really do appreciate, though it is hard to communicate that it is easier/quicker to do myself than to teach. Once everything is packed, all hands on deck definitely decreases the burden. But that's usually about an hour after last call. So I have to politely decline and somehow explain that it isn't a trust issue, it's just that I have some weird casings and windup methods to make it all fit and so the next day's setup as tight and smooth as possible. Some people get it, some don't. But in any case, I appreciate them being there for the show more than anything.

      I really don't mind doing the entire pack-up by myself all that much. I often get into this conversation with the venue staff as they impatiently watch my mad scientist maneuvers with wrenches and Rubbermade containers. 'This is the third most fun thing on my agenda' I'll tell them. Allow me to break it down: Order of most fun to least fun activities in Rosedale's common agenda: 

playing the songs (live/rehearsal and/or writing/recording etc.) 

hanging out with the people who were involved (saw the show, ran the session etc.)

gear management/assembly/load out 

driving (often involves eating / listening to music...but usually it's boring and time moves slow...and Red lights have my number)

going to the gym (many assets, but a miserable process)

promoting/booking/marketing. (Last and least. By far.)

     I guess it could fluctuate depending on the circumstances, but usually that's how I look back on the day in my head. And when I break down that list to venue staff, they definitely start to believe that I'm more sane than they initially thought. And if you guys could only see some of my inbox (on Facebook and Gmail especially) you'd see why promoting and booking is,by far, last on the list. Should there be anything else thrown into the agenda, it's definitely gonna be better than promoting/booking.

      I get thrown into the deepest darkest holes especially when I set out to promote. I don't take it so hard anymore if a venue or promoter throws their doubt stones at me. If anything I understand it more than ever because of the lack of respect/appreciation some of my once-most-loyal fans have these days. Don't get me wrong, I love my fans and want nothing more than for them to succeed and be inspired by what I do. But when they start doubting (by giving me their lame/fake excuses) or giving me shit for simply inviting them to a show instead of making conversation, that is just petty millennial bullshit that literally turns me whiter than my piano keys (hence the lyrics for Quicksand and Grey).

LYRIC PARTY, NARC STYLES:

I turn whiter than a song in “C” as I watch the room empty, “Nooo!” just press on, believe - “Quicksand” - ROSEDALE

If I take this world by the throat and I make it through what seems impossible; won’t be grey. ‘Til then, I’m alone “Grey” - ROSEDALE

      I'm starting to really believe that I get too personal with fans. I tend to consider them family and want to help them with anything they need especially if they just saw my show. And I can tell that they want to help me at the time and it's a great bonding feeling. But it seems like, these days, we gradually forget how much we want to help those people over time. Myself included. I mean, on one had I know I can't flip open my laptop everyday for 2 hours (humbly..) messaging every single Rosedalien personally asking them how their day went. But the other part of me really wants to show that I do genuinely give a damn about their lives and that they still matter to me. It's the reason I personally message them to come to shows! But over the past couple years it has really backfired. I have a folder entitled “WTF” on my laptop of screenshots from fans that either ignored me entirely or basically cussed me out for simply asking 'how are you?' or inviting them to a show. Some of these fans I've even driven home from shows so they didn't have to walk/uber, had long deep conversations with them about their lives/struggles, lent them my music for their own art projects, saved their letters/pictures etc. So it's messed up when I build a solid friendship with these people and then they ghost me or cuss me out when I let them know I'm in town performing again. It actually sometimes makes me wonder why I even still try.

'Why don't I just delete all my social media accounts and make music for myself to enjoy? Seems to be that way anyway.'

    That's another reason I started this blog and the between-song-moti. I feel like the reason these family/friends/fans get petty and insecure is that they are so invested in their friendships that their true purpose in life/goals lack attention. I definitely tend to over invest feelings with people I meet all the time, too. But because I'm so driven and focused on my goals, I don't need to see a message from them for me to feel like they care. I know they are my new allies and I have a mission in life to accomplish. I know that it is magnetic- accomplishing my goals is only gonna motivate them to get to work on theirs. But I'm often misunderstood because I get too personal with them. If I message a fan about a show, they feel like they're just another $10 bill at the door. Furthermore, fans see a picture with another fan and get jealous that they haven't received any recent Rosedale attention. Believe me, it's even more ridiculous than it sounds.

      So I've decided I'm not gonna be so personal anymore. I’ll just lay everything out publicly. Because these fans that get petty over me inviting them to shows are not actually interested in my art. They just want to feel extra important to somebody that is out tackling their goals. They need to feel like they matter more than other people, like it's a contest.

     Don't get me wrong, this isn't all fans. I still have a good group of fans/family that respect my absence from their inbox. They are happy/understanding to see me building my following and will make every effort to come see me in their area. I'm just saying there is a real phenomenon happening on the other end of the spectrum where fans feel like they're owed something more than the additional attention they already received from their fellow artists. And if they don't get it (OR if they now have a new source to fill their attention void), they're no longer interested in the evolution of that artist.

      I've been finding that the most genuine supporters I have, I've never really had to personally invite to a show. Weather they think Rosedale is a bigger deal than it is- or they just genuinely appreciate my art and that is enough for them; they come out to the shows almost every time and usually end up bringing some friends along too. I want to tell them how grateful I am for their support in more than just a 'thank you', but history shows that giving them anything more could create a reverse effect. They might even say things like "don't forget us when you're super famous" and now I laugh and say "don't forget me when I'm not famous by next tour".

      It's a really odd generation we live in today with social media. But maybe it has been this way for years. Maybe the reason why successful artists no longer go hang out at Taco Bell with their fans post-show isn't because they grew a big head; maybe it's simply because they now have a strict routine/schedule that has made them successful. Maybe hanging out at Taco Bell after the show and snapchatting their hours away wasn't getting them anywhere so they developed self discipline and new work ethic. And maybe those hangouts, as fun as they were, were actually creating a diminishing effect on their growth/Starlight/legacy to those fans.

I'm sure there's a word for it... Star Power sounds silly but maybe that’s kind of what I’m talking about?     

     Ever notice that, for most big bands, you won't even see the lead singer before the show? He/she is nowhere in sight! We used to joke about that all the time with the Zawacki's (Virginia Bandmates) back in 2013. They'd insist that as much as it would work for a tall frontman like me to hide in the van/backstage until showtime, I could never pull it off because I'm literally hanging from the ceiling and onstage getting all my gear in order before the set time. Fans and other audience members see me setting up all show and 99% of them subconsciously think "Ohh, Rosedale is just like the local bands...meh!"

    Bryan coincidentally brought that up on the way to the Toronto show Saturday. I laughed and told him he had a very good point. We laughed at how backwards most people are. (You'd think fans would see me going above and beyond the other local acts with my setup and think 'wow, we're in for a show tonight! We love our DIY hero!' ...but most don't... They just think I work at the venue!) Anyway, I've always thought that was interesting and relatable to the fact that I "lower myself" by personally inviting every one of my "fans" out to that given city's show. Again, though, don't get me wrong; I've also got some incredibly cool fans that actually come out and thank me for the invite/reminder. Most of them are in other bands, though.

      Anyway, I just had to rant that as both sides were pretty prominent in these hometown shows. Everyone goes through phases, too, myself included. So it's no longer surprising when a fan comes out from under the rocks and starts to turn on the support jets. And I'm sure those phases are conducive with my phases (online marketing streaks, live streams, authenticity etc... Whatever floats their boat!) ... (conducive...did I just use that word for the very first time correctly?? ...just googled it...looks right, yeah?)

       So I'll end it there! Sometimes authenticity takes multiple paragraphs! And I just realized a bit of a pattern; every second blog/week I eat like garbage and get all whiney and cynical in my writing/mood. (Hope you don’t mind. If you do, let me know.) I do hope you actually enjoyed this long rant/journal/blog and found some insight and inspiration! Go out and crush it regardless of how many fish fall off the boat! There are plenty more fish in the sea, just keep crushing it!

P.S I just ate two fortune cookies (cus I’m a pig) and they BOTH said this: 

[zire-7]

A Totally Biased Review Of Violet

A Totally Biased Review Of Violet

Fourscore and 12 years ago, my entire world changed on the way to school one morning. My sister’s friend lent her his copy of Violet and I, being cognizant of the limited battery life of my CD player, was listening to the song I was currently obsessed with before turning it off to conserve the precious batteries. When I regretfully turned it off, it was my sister’s music I was understandably wary, my eardrums were assaulted with the line “two of them are sisters. I’m a murder tramp, birthday boy” I think I said “I’m gonna bash them, bash them in” I think he said”

The Birthday Massacre has owned my soul ever since that fateful truck ride to school. Now, I will confess to taking a shine to just Happy Birthday. I know, what you’re thinking. WTF?! How could you only like just one song?! To be fair, I was teenager at the time and was still in the ‘liking only one song from an album’ phase and Happy Birthday was a song about murdering a bunch of kids at a birthday party. I envisioned all of the bullies at my previous schools and the ones at school being violently murdered at said birthday party. Don’t judge me, its how I got through most of my days at school. Anyway after school I did try to listen to the rest of Violet, but alas I couldn’t make it passed Horror Show. Though I did like some aspects of Lovers End, I remained completely and utterly in love with, you guessed it, Happy Birthday. A couple months later, I revisited the Violet album and literally thought to myself: “What the fuck, this is fucking awesome. My younger self was stupid.”

Without further ado, the songs…

Prologue; Lovers End

38 seconds of weird mystical-y creature and water through a drain sounds before it bleeds into the mesmerizing synths of Lovers End’s intro. Which is fantastic even with the Violet album being TBM’s second record, the synths are haunting and remind me of a broken music box. Then those drums creeping in… pure magic. Lyrically this song goes back and forth between a lullaby and a hellish nightmare. A lovesick teenager goes out to find their lover but is unaware that they have a psychotic imaginary friend that killed said lover. The chorus hits you like a freight train with the way Chibi delivers it. You can feel the fear and despair shrouded in each line.  

Favorite Lyrics: Calling for the other, searching for her lover, secrets she discovers, drain her face of colour. 1…2…3…4…Underneath cellar floor, 5…6…7…8…Lover will suffocate.

Rating: 20 Violets. The whisper-y tone used for the verses is the heart and soul of the song.

Happy Birthday[Or The Birthday Massacre]

This song was originally titled The Birthday Massacre. For any newer fans that have yet to learn this little tidbit, TBM used to be called Imagica. It came from Clive Barker’s novel Imagjica. Now I know what you’re wondering, why’d they change too The Birthday Massacre. Well, another band was called Imagika with a K and they got all sorts of pissed off about it. So the most awesome and kind hearted people you’ll ever meet, TBM, changed it. But why did they pick 'The Birthday Massacre’? Simple it was their most popular song at the time. However, it was also a better fit according to TBM because its two things that don’t go together. Which is very true of their music; juxtaposition of sweet and sour, life and death, good and evil.

Speaking of juxtaposition, murder and mayhem at a birthday party. Lovers End and Happy Birthday bleed into each other. [This album has a lot of Bleeders, its one of many things that I happen to appreciate about it as a whole.] The instrumental interlude, this band does them a lot and does them well, has a powerful blend of synths, drums, and bass. This one will get your fingers drumming along to the synths, you’ll also want to sing, and dance. The verses are sung in a whisper that caress your ears drawing you further along to the song’s imagery. Chibi’s vocals are strong and powerful, growing more intense with each chorus. This whole song builds on the subtle elements until it bursts into a stunning crescendo at the beginning and the end of it.

Favorite Lyrics:  I think my friend said, “Don’t forget the video.” I think my friend said, “Don’t forget to smile.” “You’re a Murder Tramp, Murder Tramp,” I think he said. “You’re a Murder boy, birthday boy”, I think I said.

Rating: It introduced me to The Birthday Massacre, it is my favorite out of all of them. It gets all the awards. I would happily listen to it until my ears bleed, if I could only have one song on the magical ipod that never dies with indestructible headphones on the deserted island this be that song, and I will never tire of it; repeat for eternity.[It hurts my soul when any of my family members skip it when I don’t have control of my ipod or they ask me to, I’m too nice to say no.] So it can’t be rated, if its already got the highest rating it can get with me.

Horror Show

You will dance, you will sing, and this song will make you its puppet. Chibi’s voice is angelic throughout. [Honestly I was super disappointed in my younger self for not loving this fun energetic anthem.] Did I mention that you will sing? This song is an accurate AF depiction of what happens when a popular kid falls from grace. As well as the losers, and freaks rising above such pettiness and working to include the outcasts; though not really. [Outcasts are former popular assholes at the bottom of the pecking order. They don’t get made fun of because us losers and freaks are better than that.] Or how hard it is to ever forget a bully that tormented you because you confessed to liking them, they then proceeded to make your life a living hell. It backfires and the both of you are tormented now.  The synths are crazy and so on point. The 80s vibes are strong with this one especially that interlude; it reminds me of A Night At the Roxbury.  

Favorite Lyrics: They shut the door. We fell far behind. We try forgiveness, but they cross the line.  And now the moment has passed and we can’t rewind. We are dead long before we run out of time.

Rating: 40 Violets. I’d be surprised if you make it to the instrumental interlude without moving your head to the beat. [You lie!] The interlude will break you.

Violet & Red

An explosion of synths opens Violet before a true blending of instruments and synths ushers us into this violet ballad. For it is a ballad of love gone wrong, of longing, of empty wistfulness for feelings starting to fade. The synths and drums accompanying the melancholy vocals of the chorus is breath taking. You’ll definitely want to sing along to this one as well as dance to the drums and synths. Seriously, you won’t be able to help it, this song will get you to sing and dance to it. [Fight me!]

The synths slowly fade getting softer and softer before bleeding into one of two instrumental tracks. Red is a nice little tune with very pretty synths that are a breath of fresh air from the ups and downs of Violet.

Favorite Lyrics: Past uncertainties combine, bringing tears to sleepless eyes. Memory runs the course of time, blood runs cold beyond the violet prison for violent visions.

Rating: 60 Violets. An emotional roller-coaster ride that brings us down to make us get up and dance to the beat.

Play Dead

Red sweeps us into my second favorite synths on the album and my favorite drums. My second favorite vocals, they just have so much power over me. [It was with this song that I wanted to go back and hit my younger self over the head while saying; listen to the whole album] This song was and still is a fast favorite, I connected with it so much because of the story the lyrics weave. [Its how I often felt after a day of elementary school and middle school. Hell its how I felt about school in general.] A tale of a witch granting a boon to a gender queer personage. The boon is a spell to make everyone play dead, forever. As I said the vocals are amazing, but are epic for the last chorus after the instrumental interlude. You now that moment, where your soul is screaming 'YEAAAAAAAAAS’, and the singer is giving their all; you share a moment together. [This band gives 110% to the power of INFINITY!!!]  

Favorite Lyrics: And boys are so cold, they speak without meaning. The only time they talk is in their sleep. And girls are a bore, their touch without feeling. Their secrets always far to grim to keep. And up until now, you’ve lived in their shadows trying hard to please them. But they’ll never change, as long as their breathing.  I’ll cast you a spell, a magic were everyone plays dead forever.

Rating: 70 Dead Violets. This song will get you to sing along and dance to it. I know, I know, but I only speak the truth.

Blue

Play Dead crashes us into Blue, and my favorite synths on the album. They are epic and magic and misleading in combination with the harsher edge to the opening. All the verses are sung in a sweet airy, like cotton candy, tone that unsurprisingly enhance the song. Than wham into the chorus with growling vocals. [Fun fact, the band referrers to the growling as Chibi’s snake man voice.] Granted the growling is not for everyone but, I love it so. There is not enough of it in my opinion. Throughout these gritty and fairy tail esque refrains the instrumental music reminds me of a twisted music box. The synths on the chorus are twinkle-y bells…

[Wait…peeps, I’ve listened to the Violet album so much, that I memorized the lyrics without ever glancing at the lyric book or looking them up. My sister put the album on our computer and then gave it back to her friend; I didn’t have my own copy for awhile. Any ways, I just realized that the synths on the chorus and in the opening, are a xylophone!!!]

so yeah there’s a xylophone, it rocks. It meshes so well with the music. [I love this even more now.] Those. Instrumental. Interludes. Though…

Demented tea party song or a dark interpretation of Toy Story???

Favorite Lyrics: Black tongues speak faster than the car can crash. You supply the rumors, and I’ll provide the wrath. Romance is breaking every heart in two, casting shadows in the pale shade of blue. Fate changes than the death of light. You supply the envy, and I’ll provide the spite. Reflections cutting every face into two, casting shadows in the pale shade of blue.

Rating: 80 African Blue Lilies. This song will not only get you to sing, you’ll growl along too, even if you can’t growl. You will do so. Tis the heaviest song on the album. [Really wanted to go back in time and smack my younger self for missing out on this amazing song too.]

Video Kid

Like something right out of a Mario World start screen or the sound effects from The Ping Pong Video Game, but softer, these opening and closing synths: NEED TO BE IN BAND HERO 4. [I want to play them on the key board, damn it! All of TBM’s songs need to be in Band Hero 4.] Easily my third favorite synth sounds on the album. Every time I listen to the song, I go back and forth between deciding what I like better, the music or the vocals. True, its all music, but peeps there is a whispered bridge that is magnificent and on point drums, guitar, bass, and synths. I just can’t pick what to fangirl about to get you to listen to it. Just listen to it. Do it.

Favorite Lyrics: Got a voice like something I heard before. The message misleading. We’re lying, we’re cheating. We’re only repeating the motions, preceding.

Rating: 90 Violets. Dance, sing, and do your own version of The Robot; the song commands you.

The Dream & Black

Video Kid doesn’t quite bleed into this song, but it transitions beautifully into some weird synths that I don’t know if I like them or not; even though this record has killed many, many, many, batteries. [Before killing my ipod battery too.] I am permanently on the fence about these synths, I don’t love them, I don’t hate them. Anyways a strong drum presence as well as enjoyable synths. They are softer for the verse getting more intense in the chorus. Them vocals with 'just so’ synths in the background makes my soul very happy. I’m weak for the bridge with Chibi bring down the rafters, there are no singer friendly octaves to be had here. Not that you’ll care when trying to sing it, you’ll sing it anyway.

The music of The Dream pulls back, leaving you in the star filled night sky. Where you drift on soothing waves of synths.

Favorite Lyrics: She flies over clouds in twilight skies, nothing to bind her, no one will find her this high. Far above the rainy weather, all plans have come together, and for the first time she feels just fine.

Rating: 110 Violets. There will be singing, you will sing, and dance or at the least you won’t be able to sit still. This album is catchy AF.

Holiday

Black sets you on the ground as the first rain drops of synths fall. Lighting up the darkened streets before you’re swept along in the lyrical melancholy tide. From the drums to the guitars, the song is a true follow the Will-O-Wisp to another time and place, where its always night time and raining.   With every line sung you are taken further and further away from the chaos around you to a peaceful abode.    

Favorite Lyrics: Deadlight Holiday killing time to make us stay,  hollow as the promises of yesterday. On and on the music plays memories in paraphrase falling past my window like the morning rain.

Rating: 120 Violets. I have to say it, I have to, you will sing, and maybe you’ll dance. But you will sing along.

Nevermind

Holiday fakes you out, all like: “nah, I’m going to get all quiet and totally not going to blend with the start of the next song. “ [Off stage whisper: 'Lies and Deception’!] Don’t be fooled its a bleeder like the last three songs. However, unlike The Dream, Black, and Holiday this song is an abrupt, but not unwelcome, departure from the nice little three song tale you were in. There’s a rich family throwing an X-mas party at their winter villa in the middle of nowhere, where everyone is trying to stab each other in the back. [The Lannisters.]

I love the vocals, they are unapologetic and carve themselves into your ear drums, helped immensely with the beat of those drums. [I couldn’t resist.] By far it contains my third favorite instrumental interlude; Blue’s are second and Happy Birthday’s is first.  

Favorite Lyrics:  Now your conversation’s scholarships and occupations, you look so different than before when…nevermind…anyway this reckless violation, tarnishing my reputation has left me nothing kind to say

Rating: 130 Violets. I officially dubbed this TBM’s Karaoke album. It will make you want to sing every damn song. Every. Single. One.

Score:  

50 Shades of Violets [I had to.]

Ahh…once more we have come to the end of another Biased Review of another TBM album. This time it was more personal for me, as I was introduced to The Birthday Massacre with the Violet album. I will freely admit that my younger self was unbelievably single minded in her focus on just one song. Albeit a life-changing song, but it took a brush with a knife for me to revisit more than that one song on the Violet album. [I did not draw my own blood that day, it was a near thing, and I AM OKAY. AND I HAVE BEEN OKAY FOR A LONG TIME NOW. DON’T WORRY FOR ME.]

Oh boy, guess I have some explaining to do. What I’m about to say is the unvarnished reality of myself, I mean it when I say this; The Birthday Massacre saved my life. You’re rolling your eyes and going: “pfft, yeah you and everyone else in the world.” That’s just it though, you weren’t there in that kitchen, feeling the cold seep into your socks from the linoleum, with a knife held over your arm, waiting for the last note of music from Happy Birthday to end so you could drag the metal clean through the skin with a shaking hand, you didn’t let that interlude speak to you, and you didn’t allow the thoughts to surface.  Thoughts that said, ���man, these guys are going to make some fucking awesome music. Its too bad that I won’t be around to hear it.” and “I want to see them play live.”

Those were my thoughts that day. A day I have never forgotten, a day that I gave to another person, I let them in, and they threw it back in my fucking face by bad mouthing The Birthday Massacre.  They also weren’t there when I took my sandwich back to the room I shared with my sister, still feeling like I wanted to use that knife to make me bleed, and the only way I could think of to silence those thoughts; listening to the Violet album from start to finish.

And guess what? I was right, they have made awesome fucking music. Are there songs that I dislike, you bet your ass there are. I dislike, 8, 8 songs out of 119. They are a amazing to see live, I’ve seen them 3 times. I saw them on their Pins & Needles tour [Nov 22, 2010], the tour with Black Veil Brides, I saw them on their Superstition Tour with New Years Day and The Red Paintings [ Dec 09, 2014], and I saw them on their Under Your Spell Tour with Army of the Universe, and Sumo Cyco [May 26, 2017].

They are my favorite band, their music saved my life, and lent me the strength to fight off my demons. Which is why I will always be a fan of The Birthday Massacre.

[onestowatch]

REI AMI Is the Saddest, Baddest Bitch [Q&A]

The first time I came across REI AMI it was not through a well-intentioned pitch e-mail or by way of an eerily well-calculated Spotify algorithm. It was during an interview with FINNEAS, the sole producer and brother to Bille Eilish, and it was during that conversation above Hollywood Forever cemetery that I came to discover what exactly excited him so much about the up-and-coming artist with only three singles to her name. 

At her core, REI AMI is an artist of duality quite like no other. It is not a duality carefully explored through a large body of work or multiple online personas but one expressed with a reckless abandon, often in less than three-minute outbursts. REI AMI takes the appeal of Gen Z’s distaste for strict genre conventions and sees just how far she can push it. "

MAKE IT MINE,” her debut single, opens in haunting fashion, painting a transfixing picture of ominous pop perfection. Yet, on the same track, we are introduced to an entirely differently REI AMI. Gone is the siren with her cutthroat delivery. Instead, we are thrown down the rabbit hole, left to dance a psychedelic waltz that quickly sputters out of existence. The effect is all the more pronounced on “SNOWCONE,” which balances an impressive chaotic bravado and acoustic melancholic bedroom pop with inimitable ease.  

I had the chance to speak to REI AMI, on the set for an upcoming music video, about Sailor Moon, living a double life, and the importance of being both a sad and bad bitch. 

Ones To Watch: Who is REI AMI?

REI AMI: REI AMI is me. I grew up watching a lot of Sailor Moon. There are two characters, Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury. Sailor Mars, her name is Rei, she's like the more hot-headed, very direct, blunt, bad bitch. Then there's Sailor Mercury, Ami, and she's still a bad bitch but like, she's more sweet and sensitive and reserved, and I thought those two characters best represented like, the two polar sides of my personality. I was like this is it! REI AMI sounds so dope. I have an emotional attachment to it. There's value in that and also it just represents duality. It's not having to choose between this or that. It's about embracing both and I feel like I can do that in my music. The transitions, they make sense because I can go from twerking to crying (laughter). Bad bitch to sad bitch, you know?

This idea of duality, from your name to your music, is outright impossible to ignore. 

REI AMI, this is who I am, I don't have to pick and choose just like, let's fucking go. With "MAKE IT MINE," "SNOWCONE," and "DICTATOR," they all have transitions, so those are like straight REI AMI tracks. Some currently unreleased songs that I have are straight REI tracks or AMI tracks, and if I want to do both it's REI AMI. But I know that, especially with "SNOWCONE," my producer Elie and I wanted a drastic switch-up because I go through highs and lows, and I'm not alone in that. 

“I want you to feel, and I want you to go from twerking, being a bad bitch to knowing it's okay to be sad. It's okay to be a bad bitch and still be sad.”

I think it's a very human experience that everyone deals with, and I thought it would be really important and really cool to sonically represent that and allow my listeners to experience what I go through on a daily basis. The reception it's gotten and the DMs from people telling me how much it meant to them was like the most validating, rewarding thing, because shit like, my song made you feel some type of way. That's the goal. I want you to feel, and I want you to go from twerking, being a bad bitch to knowing it's okay to be sad. It's okay to be a bad bitch and still be sad.

Yeah, it really gave me the vibe of this girl killing it at the club and then going home and crying in her pillow.

Yes! Like, "Ugh, I hate my life!" Shit like that, we all go through it.

I discovered you in relatively unconventional fashion. FINNEAS, who loved your production—

—and co-signed the fuck out of me!

Yeah, it was an immediate co-sign! He was like, "I only have one One to Watch right now, and it's REI AMI."

Oh my God, I'm fucking dead. I just... What the fuck is going on in my life? Like, of all the people, the first song I ever heard from Billie was "COPYCAT," and I've been following her since. She's obviously a worldwide superstar, and FINNEAS, they work exclusively together, so that story was already so beautiful and appealing, and that's very much like my producer and I. I work mainly with one collaborator because it works. You know, don't fix what's not broken. Obviously, I'm open-minded to working with other people, but what we have is so special, and I feel like I really see that in Billie and FINNEAS' relationship. So, it was just a very validating thing to get it from FINNEAS. From all of the people, FINNEAS was like, "Yes, REI AMI is that bitch!" Thank you FINNEAS, thank you for understanding!

How did you start making music with your producer?

So, freshman year of college, which was like 5 years ago, so I've been recording and writing for five years. I didn't release anything up until this year just because I felt that I wasn't ready, and I was still trying to figure out who I was and what kind of message I wanted to spread. You know, I was a dumb bitch, and I was making a lot of sad, heartbreak R&B songs, because I thought that's what people wanted to hear. R&B is the new pop, I love R&B, and I grew up on it. I was playing it so safe. I wasn't taking risks. And for the longest time, I wasn't having fun making music. Then I went through some real fucked up shit in my life earlier this year that spiraled me out of control and put me in a bad place both mentally and physically. I wanted to quit. I was like, "I haven't released shit so it doesn't fucking matter, no one's going to know or care." But then Elie was like, “No, pull up.” 

I went to the studio, I got shitfaced, and he started making a beat. I had a hook written down and it ended up being "MAKE IT MINE." And the weird breakdown in between was because I was so shitfaced and he intentionally did that so I would stumble on it because he wanted to know what drunk REI would say, and that's what happened. We shot the video the same night—he literally got up from his producer desk and was like "Uh, so do you want to shoot the video tonight?" I was like, "Say less." 

“Why would you want to make another song that sounds like 10 other songs out there? No, just fucking be you. There is no recipe, there is no equation.”

I love it! It feels so organic—all of your music does. 

Literally, it's just us fucking around and bullshitting. And that's how it should be. That session was the most fun I've had in years, and that's when I realized like if you're not having fun writing, recording, if you're not enjoying the process, you need to step back and re-evaluate your whole fucking approach. Like, what's wrong? What's good? And for the first time in such a long time, I felt so... myself. And take to mind, the production sonically, everything, is very left-field from what I was making, so I initially did not like the song. I was like this is so different, this is so weird. But then I was like wait, this is how it should be. Why would you want to make another song that sounds like 10 other songs out there? No, just fucking be you. There is no recipe, there is no equation. Fuck the equation, fuck what you want to hear. I want to make the shit that I want to listen to on the daily, on repeat for a week at a time.

I think that’s exactly what Billie and FINNEAS strove to do, and it seems like that’s where you’re headed with your music. There's no one else out there where I've been like, "Shit, she's a pretty good rapper," right before throwing me into a sad bedroom pop spiral.

Yeah! And I love hip-hop, I really got into it in high school when my friend put me onto Kendrick’s Section.80. I don't know much about that genre, because there's so much to learn and so much that I need to understand and really dive into and study, but Section.80, in terms of storytelling and his vocal abilities, like Kendrick is not just a rapper, he's a vocalist. The way he delivers vocally was so new to me, and it had such an impact on me. So, I've always been a huge fan of rap and hip-hop but I never thought I could do this until this year. 

With "DICTATOR," when I first wrote it, I had gotten my wisdom teeth taken out and I was high as fuck on Vicodin and I was like, "You know what, Imma fucking spit bars because I feel crazy right now." The first half of "DICTATOR" was all written by myself, me in my room, high as fuck. I ripped a beat off of YouTube, I was like, "I'm going in!" and then I sent it to Elie and he was like "Pull up this weekend, it'll be produced out and we'll re-record it, and that's what happened.”

What does your day-to-day life look like compared to this crazy music life?

(laughter) I am Hannah Montana. I have a full-time day job and they have no idea. I work for a custom packaging company and our biggest client is Sephora, so I oversee all of their international and domestic programs. It's a nine-to-five, but it's such a lax company that I can do music and be here and be places, but they have no idea. I'm the youngest in the company by like... a lot! So like they're not going to be like, "Hey girl, what's your Instagram, like add me!" (laughter) Like no one's doing that shit. They think I'm just chilling in LA.

So, what's next for you?

So I have a series of singles coming out next year with videos and then there's a fuller length project—a mixtape dropping around May-June, followed by some live shows. It's crazy, a lot of people are like, "When are you going on tour? When are you performing? I want to see you live!" And as much as I want to perform, I want to get it right. And being the neurotic person that I am, I'm not going to put on a show that's half-assed. If fans are paying money and coming, giving me their time, I want to make sure it's worthwhile and the energy I give out, I want it reciprocated. As much as I hate making them wait, like, hey, good things take time and I promise you, it's going to be such a wild experience. I'm so excited like, oh my God I cannot wait!

With 2019, coming to an end, what was your favorite thing about the 2000s?

Well, okay, I'm sorry but early 2000s pop and music in general I mean come on, the classics like "Milkshakes," 50 Cent’s "Candy Shop," "Moneymaker" by Ludacris and Pharrell, the Pussycat Dolls, Fergie, old The Black Eyed Peas, you know. I think that obviously molded my sound like you know, Missy Elliot and Destiny's Child and Beyonce—oh God when she was just rising and becoming that fucking monster you know? I think I miss 2000s music so much, and it always puts me in a good mood.

What's your 2020 resolution or goal?

Okay, I mean I want to do COLORS, I want to do Genius videos, I want to do the Teen Vogue Playlist of Your Life, Pitchfork’s Over/Under, Song Association on Elle. I want to do all of those things because those shows on YouTube are how I found some of my favorite artists. I want to go on tour and I just want world domination. I want to go internationally like, ugh I have so many ideas. I want to release the dopest merch where my dog is the brand mascot. I guess touring would be like the ultimate, whether I go on a headlining tour or a supporting tour. Just to be able to go out there on the road and meet my fans. That's an experience I've never had, and I'd love for 2020 to be the year where I do that.

What's the one thing you wish you could tell 18-year-old REI AMI?

Stop giving a fuck. Just stop. At the end of the day, if you're not happy doing what you're doing, especially when it comes to the music, stop, grow the fuck up and do what you want. Fuck what other people have to say. It took a long time for me to get there, and I believe synchronicity is very much real and timing is everything, but I just wish I cared a lot less about people and their opinions of me. Be a boss bitch! Goddammit! Stop being a little bitch. That's exactly what I would say. "Stop being a little bitch, bitch!"

Who are your Ones to Watch?

Ant Saunders. Ant fucking Saunders. His voice is fucking incredible. "Yellow Hearts." I haven't been able to stop listening to that. It just puts me in such a good, uplifted, happy mood. His voice is just so rich and so mature.

[iheartmoosiq]

I HEART MOOSIQ interview : GRYFFIN 

ID10T Music Festival + Comic Conival 06.24.17

-interviewed by Nick

We'd like to thank Los Angeles based multi-instrumentalist and producer Gryffin for taking the time to speak with us after his killer ID10T Festival set and after coming off a tiring weekend of closing out stages at Fire Fly Music Festival and EDC Las Vegas.

GRYFFIN: My (EDC) set was at 4:30am. I had the sunrise set and I had just come from Firefly Music Festival the night before.

IHM: So you flew across the country.

GRYFFIN: Yeah, it was really intense. It was fun though. It was so late though. I got into Vegas, soundchecked in the afternoon, and we didn't sleep from the night before from closing the dance tent there, and I had to sleep or else I'm not going to be energetic at all for this 4:30 set. So I didn't get to see anyone. I bailed the next day. Well, I saw a little bit of Slushii, but that's because he was on right before me. Man, it was so hot.

IHM: When I came back from EDC to the Bay Area, I was thinking it's going to be cooler weather. But it was still like 100 degrees over here.

GRYFFIN: Oh yeah, wasn't there recently a pretty extreme heat wave.

IHM: Today's basically the first day that's cooled down. We're thankful it's only low 80s finally.

GRYFFIN: My parents were talking about that too. They were saying it was like 95 degrees here.

IHM: Like I said, not much of a change from Vegas. Was that your first EDC experience?

GRYFFIN: It was my first one. Well, I guess I've done the other. I did EDC Japan, so I guess the big one really is the Vegas one so I'd consider it my first one. It was freakin' awesome. I always heard that you know EDC is going to be crazy but I didn't really understand it from a production stand point. How many people actually show up and go to it. I don't know. You kind of have to go and experience it to understand how big it is.

IHM: I remember our first time seeing you was at SnowGlobe.

GRYFFIN: That was actually my first live show that I had ever done and it was literally like minus 5 degrees outside. And I'm like trying to play the guitar and I can't even feel my fingers on the fret board. And this is ... if I can make it through this then I can make it through the live shows any where else. Man, it feels like such a long time ago, but I love that festival and I love Tahoe.

IHM: So you play a bunch of instruments. Were you self-taught or how did you learn?

GRYFFIN: Em, well, kind of. I started taking classical piano lessons when I was seven. I played all the way through high school. In that sense, I wasn't self taught. I learned classical music playing Mozart and all that kind of stuff. Maybe when I was 11 or 12 I was getting really into rock music. Ironically Weezer, maybe we'll see them here tonight (at ID10T Music Festival), and that kind of music. I decided I wanted to start jamming, playing guitar and with friends, and that was self taught by just looking online for tabs and videos on how to play guitar and stuff. Then in high school I'd jam around with friends. So that's really where all the music kind of came from. 

Then as I got to college that's when I really started to get into dance music. I remember listening to Daft Punk and Chemical Brothers and that kind of stuff, and I was into it, but it wasn't until I got to school that I got into the big players like Swedish House Mafia, Avicii, when he was coming up. And I remember the first time hearing Skrillex, it was like, “oh my gosh, what is this music?” It's so insane, it's so futuristic sounding, and that's when I decided I should try to make it just for fun.

IHM: Would you go to a bunch of shows?

GRYFFIN: Yeah I did. I would go to the shows at The Shrine, HARD Day of the Dead...

IHM: So basically all these SoCal shows?

GRYFFIN: Yeah.

IHM: And it's pretty awesome, for music, in LA.

GRYFFIN: Yeah it is. For that scene it was bubbling at that time, I mean it still is, but it was cool going to Together As One. I went to Coachella. I remember being at Coachella when DeadMau5 revealed his mask that lit up for the first time. I was in the crowd thinking, "Oh my God, this is insane." That was when I was like, "I want to try and do this." Not as a career necessarily, it was that same mentality as in high school where I just wanted to make music.

IHM: Well you still have White Panda don't you?

GRYFFIN: I'm not part of it anymore. I don't talk about that too much. That was really where everything started, making mash-ups in college. Then I realized I wanted to do more than make sample based music, because, I know how to play instruments. I want to make music and I don't want to just sample stuff. That was how the Gryffin project spawned.

IHM: Gryffin is obviously a play on your name, but does it symbolize anything to you. Are you a big Harry Potter fan?

GRYFFIN: Hahaha, I wasn't at the time but I am now. My girlfriend is a huge Harry Potter fan. And I'm glad I picked the good one, GRYFFINDOR right? It's not like I was Slytherin or anything. But yeah, I based the name off... well it is my last name, but a griffin is a mythical creature. It's majestic, and since it's a half eagle it conveys a lot of flight, uplifting, soaring type of energy themes. That's what I try to do with my music is make it uplifting and beautiful, kind of a sort of floating feeling. That's why I went with this creature, because I love everything that it represents and the mythology behind it. It just felt like a good fit.

IHM: And with your Flight Log mixes, that's perfect.

GRYFFIN: EXACTLY. I'm still trying to figure out the debut name of my EP. I still want to keep the aviation flight theme going so if you guys have any ideas, let me know. I'm going to bring back the Flight Logs this summer actually. I've been getting a lot of flack from fans about it, "it's been a year dude, like come on."

IHM: I've been telling my friends too, "At least he did a Night Owl Radio mix".

GRYFFIN: I did do that! But I want to do another Flight Log because I have a lot of new music I want to put on there. A lot of remixes of the singles and stuff. And that's definitely going to come this summer.

IHM: How far along are you with that EP?

GRYFFIN: It's almost done. So it's three of the singles that have already come out and three brand new singles. I actually played one of them tonight, or a snippet of it. But they're basically done from the production stand point. I got to find a vocalist for one of them.

IHM: How do you go about that? Do you hear a voice and you're like, "I got to have that"?

GRYFFIN: Yeah, at this point in the record, the production and the songwriting is finished. It's just the singer, she's a songwriter and she has no aspirations to be an artist. She just wants to be behind the scenes, which I totally respect, but she's got an amazing voice. It sucks because she sounds amazing on the record. Now I'm trying to reach out and talk with other artists and getting them to take their impression of the song and put their own flavor to it and see if it's the right vibe. So I've been doing a lot of sessions in LA when I'm not on tour. But it's basically done and I'm hoping to put everything out in August.

IHM: So have you started reaching out to people asking them to remix certain songs?

GRYFFIN: Actually, no. Not for the new records. But the 'Feel Good' remix package is coming out next week, which there are some really good remixes out there.

IHM: Do you get in contact with artists or they reach out to you to do a remix?

GRYFFIN: It kind of goes both ways. So half the remix EP was people that reached out to me or cold submitted it and I just loved them. And the other half, I personally asked Crankdat, I personally asked Brooks, and they have really sick remixes.

IHM: Great! So we're here at ID10T fest, and it kind of feels weird that it's comics and music put together. It kind of feels like a segregated crowd.

GRYFFIN: Yeah, it was definitely a bit eclectic. I was talking with Hugo earlier and they were asking me right as I got off if it was alright. And, you guys are right. It is segregated where some people came here for the comedy but others came here for the music. But the fans that came here for the music are fans of all three of us (Gryffin, Jai Wolf, Madeon). 15 minutes into the set I look back to David who's doing video and I'm like, "Yo, this is pretty lit. People are really into this right now." It ended up being... and I didn't want to downplay the festival, but the crowd was awesome and Jai Wolf and I were saying the hospitality's been really good by the festival.

IHM: Jai Wolf is playing right after you. At Lollapalooza you guys are doing an after party together.

GRYFFIN: Hell yeah!

IHM: How does that come about?

GRYFFIN: We’ve been homies for awhile. We have the same agent, and when I was living in New York he was living in Long Island, and I went over to his house several times. We kind of just became friends. That whole crew of Manila Killa, Louis The Child, Jai ... I'm like super tight with all them now. I love seeing them and doing stuff with them.

IHM: You're friends with Brett [Blackman] right? (URL2IRL CEO/founder, mgmt Moving Castle for AOBeats, Manila Killa, SAKIMA, Hotel Garuda)

GRYFFIN: Yes! I love Brett!

IHM: Brett is awesome!

GRYFFIN: He is the man. I'm going to see him in LA. Manila has a show at El Rey Theatre in like a week. I haven't seen Brett in months.

IHM: I'm going to see Manila Killa at The Regency Ballroom on July 8th.

GRYFFIN: Yeah! It's going to be amazing. I love Chris (Manila Killa), dude. I would honestly say he's one of my closest friends out of producers. He's a really good person.

IHM: I love watching him on stage, even when he's not performing. He's a really good hype man.

GRYFFIN: But yeah, Jai [Wolf] and I were briefly talking about what kind of production we wanted for that. It should be a really fun show.

IHM: Can we expect any b2b?

GRYFFIN: I'm going to start off the night, then he'll come on. Depending on how the vibe is we may come on together. We just want to make it a fun vibe because we're homies outside of music.

Gryffin is looking forward to time off next month. He’ll be spending it in the studio working on new music and preparing for his tour this fall. He’s also released an official remix today for Kygo & Ellie Goulding’s First Time, which can be streamed via Spotify, here. Watch the video for his latest original with Illenium, Feel Good, featuring Daya, below.

We had a great time chatting with one of our favorite artists, a versatile songwriter, dexterous musician, and captivating performer. His scintillating live performance in the Mad Decent dance tent at Chris Hardwick’s ID10T Music Festival + Comic Conival was colossal. Thank you, Gryffin!

You can catch Gryffin’s live set at Lollapalooza in August. We’ll be on the look out for further details regarding his tour later this year! 

Gryffin: Website / Facebook / Soundcloud / YouTube / Twitter

[butimnotacriticthough]

My Bae Monday: Janelle Monáe - Dirty Computer

Are You a Dirty Computer?

Written by: Na'cha Saeed

It’s the year 2719 and you’ve just stumbled upon a time capsule filled with a select few memorabilia intended to reminisce on the glamour that is the 2000s era. Inside, you discover: Soulja Boy “Crank Dat” YouTube videos, a bag of Migos Rap Snacks, an .html screenshot of Black Twitter as the head of national news, entertainment and lifestyle in media and most importantly Janelle Monáe’s third studio album Dirty Computer. The latter is a contemporary stroke of genius in every sense of the word. Wanting to gain a broad understanding of this daring, musical composition--accompanied by a 46-minute visual picture--you grab your rap snacks, take a seat and swan dive into the world of Monáe’s creative, alter-ego Cindi Mayweather.

Dirty Computer--released on April 27th, 2018, reaching Number 1 on Billboard’s R&B Chart--can be described using three words: funky, nonconformist and afro-futuristic AF. From the captivating, narrative film project self-titled as an “emotion picture,” to the energetic press roll out chock-full of multiple singles and video released that honored the work of art in the most exciting way, Monáe managed to give us all the feel good vibes of music and fashion from the 70s and 80s while simultaneously challenging our views of gender, race, sex, capitalism, class, socio-economics and politics. We all love a liberated, social-justice warrior that expands our way of thinking, especially when they deliver the perfect balance of past and present, objectiveness and subjectiveness. One the coolest parts of design within Dirty Computer are the choice of collaborators featured throughout the music. On the intro of the album “Dirty Computer,” you hear the legendary Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson’s harmonies setting a very sand-and-swimsuit-ready mood; bass guitarist and singer Thundercat, acclaimed for work on Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer prize winning album To Pimp a Butterfly can be credited in track 3 of the album “Take a Byte”. Fast forward to one of my favorite satire-filled tracks “Screwed” and you’re introduced to Zoë Kravitz along with a spoken word piece on inspiring song “Stevie’s Dream” from Stevie Wonder himself. Pharrell and Grimes also make a noteworthy appearance in drum-filled, dance banger “I Got The Juice” and sexually liberating song “Pynk” respectively. Sleepy Brown on track 11 “I Like That” and Isis Valentino from Wondaland Records signed St. Beauty Band based in Atlanta on track 11 “Don’t Judge Me” also adds vocals to the pot of collaborators to help create the right vibes.

To help understand the roots and influence of her latest album from the standpoint of a new listener, one would need a short summary describing the four-part Metropolis Saga and a description of science fiction character Cindi May weather’s plight. Janelle has made a career of dishing out very, well thought-out, conceptual albums that create an epic story for fans to follow--a task that not many artists have been able to successfully do during the 21st century. Inspired by Fritz Lang, Janelle’s sci-fi tale is introduced in her 2007 released EP Metropolis: Suite 1 (The Chase). It should be noted that her first body of work The Audition is not a part of the chronology but includes mention of themes and concepts further explored in later works. Moving forward, we learn in track 1 of Metropolis through a spoken word piece “The March of the Wolfmasters” that Android No. 57821 b.k.a divergent android Cindi Mayweather has fallen in love with a human named Anthony Greendown and is susceptible to disassembly by droid bounty hunters in this dystopian society. The supporting songs and videos give context into the dissatisfaction of life that individuals in this cyborg society seem to experience. Cindi Mayweather appears as the voice of the people, calling for a change in the belief of the power of Love.

From there, critically acclaimed debut album The ArchAndroid: Suite II & III released in 2010 shows us a more confident Cindi Mayweather finding her calling as the savior of her city. Ultimately, she decides to flee the city to protect her lover and herself and become a hero of many. This album received Grammy nominations for Best Contemporary R&B Album as well as Best Urban/Alternative Performance for lead single “Tightrope” ft Big Boi of Outkast. Next, in 2013 Monáe released Electric Lady: Suite IV & V which offers us a deeper journey into Cindi Mayweather development. Here, she is fearless, she is unstoppable and she is challenging the status-quo. The features in this album are vast: including collaborations from Prince, Erykah Badu, Solange and Miguel.

Enter Dirty Computer and in pure theatrical honor, Monáe makes the album’s complementary “emotion picture” an extension of her fantasy world. In the visual configuration, the plot is set with Monáe (Jane 57821) being “cleaned” in a sanitary facility by a totalitarian government ruling that states anyone with a unique characteristic is a dirty computer and deserving of a special rehabilitation. The film shows two government do-boys working to clean Jane’s memory while funneling through her flashbacks that double as the music videos that were released during the album’s promotional run. This was a brilliant move by Janelle that encapsulates your understanding into an array of heightened emotions that draw you closer to the character’s Zen (Tessa Thompson, Cindi’s love interest)--who we learned recently is the real-life boo of Janelle--and Ché (played by Jayson Aaron), the second lover of Jane 57821 in the short film. The inclusion of the leather studded jackets, the advanced technology, the Black Panther, woman-warrior uniforms of rap single “Django Jane” is very purposeful to her storyline. There are MLK sound-bites and many tributes to pop icons like Prince--Monáe’s late mentor--such as the sexy, liberated feel and guitar riffs of “Make Me Feel” as well as to David Bowie, that you can only be sure are smiling down on the spirit of this album.

The most important takeaways are the anecdotes of sexual freedom and solidarity in every song. Janelle raps about gender equality and living out your true purpose. She shows us a side of we’ve never seen before; one that is transparent and vulnerable. We learn of her struggle with wanting acceptance in her surroundings but trouble in finding the voice to demand it in songs like “Don’t Judge Me” and “So Afraid”. Her confessional serves as a modern-day snapshot of what so many individuals currently go through--the desire to feel normal and loved in such a hateful society. Dirty Computer speaks volumes for every marginalized person. You’re left to feel remarkably empowered after grooving to this project. When you think about it, we all exist as dirty computers. There is no use in fighting a reality that was never meant to be changed. This prompts me to ask listeners, what is it that you’re really afraid of? With the current state of the nation, who are we to not live our lives as authentically free and creative as possible? Isn’t that, after all, the American Dream?