#NOT including live albums or compilations... that's something different

[previoustags]

I made a 7 hour long playlist of every single soundgarden release in chronological order btw. if you even care

[randomvarious]

1990s Drum n Bass Playlist

Back to the Sunday night electronic playlist-posting mines for the next good while. This week I've got a little update to my 90s drum n bass playlist, with something that's very dark and something that's much, much lighter.

The dark one comes courtesy of a guy from the UK called Ambush, whose career only consisted of a couple 12-inches and an album between '96 and '98, and is not to be confused with *The Ambush,* which is an alias of German electronic music legend Oliver Lieb. Ambush made his debut with a 12-inch called Gain on Possible Records, a dark dnb label that was founded by Mick Harris, who was the former drummer in famed death metal band Napalm Death.

Taking up the A-side on Gain is a tune called "Tracking," which would later find its way onto a Possible double-disc comp called Sonics Everywhere in 1997. "Tracking" is this steadily burrowing piece of filthy subterranean grime, with this constant no-give snare hitting on every other beat while a simply demonic, distorted sub-bassline rumbles mercilessly beneath it 😈; potential theme music for the single-most evil entity in the universe. Only has ~1,100 plays on Spotify.

And for the yang to "Tracking"'s Yin, we have something pretty dang unique. UK future jazz-funk band RSL are not known for making drum n bass, but it appears that, three years prior to their debut release, they first appeared on a South African compilation in 1998 called ReRooted: Beatz From Da Ground Up, with "Elungelo." This is a song that appears to be sampling soulful traditional African folk vocals and then pairs them with beats—first, a nice and chill-grooved, bare-bones trip hop one, and then a sudden shift to dnb. And to be honest, I kinda dig the trip-hoppy portions more on this one, but if something has a considerable amount of drum n bass on it, then it automatically gets categorized as a dnb tune; those are just the rules. Around 9,100 plays.

Ambush - "Tracking" RSL - "Elungelo"

And for the YouTube version of this update, I was able to add those two songs to it too, but I also added another one that can't be found on Spotify as well. And this is another dark one, from a master of those dark dnb arts himself, Technical Itch. In '98, this Birmingham, UK native applied his craft with a remix of Manchester, UK act Perfect Combination's "Remember." Scratchy and blown-out snares, wormy bass squelching, and an occasional eerie synth to remind you where you are, which is a place that you really need to escape from, pronto 😰. This remix has appeared on a double-12-inch called Partisan Volume One, one of the first releases in the catalog of Partisan, an ultimately short-lived label that was launched after a group of staffers acrimoniously split from dnb juggernaut Moving Shadow. Song has a little over 4,800 plays on YouTube across a few different uploads.

Perfect Combination - "Remember (Technical Itch Remix)"

And this playlist is on YouTube Music too.

So this update now brings us to 13 songs that total 84 minutes on Spotify, but over on YouTube, we're now at 30 songs that total 191 minutes! There's just so much more great, obscure 90s dnb in that YouTube one, including a handful of cuts from a compilation that's not even listed on Discogs called Now What Kind of Music Do You Call That?

And if you want something shorter, I've also got a couple dnb playlists that are specific to a certain year from the 1990s:

1997 Drum n Bass: YouTube / YouTube Music 1998 Drum n Bass: YouTube / YouTube Music

Next week, some breakbeat!

Enjoy!

More to come, eventually. Stay tuned!

Like what you hear? Follow me on Spotify and YouTube for more cool playlists and uploads!

[lil-melody-moon]

Hello Mel! I hope you’re doing well 🥰 I’ve seen that you reblogged the album ask thingy. I’m not sure if I have to give you the name of the album and a number or just the album and you answer all of the questions. So, If it’s not too much to ask, can you answer all of the 10 questions about Quadrophenia? I know how much you love that album and I’d like to know your thoughts on that one❤️ Also, you know how much I love to see your posts talking about the music you love hehe. Love ya <3

Hello, I've been doing so so but thank you for asking <3

The thing for it is to give a name for the album and some numbers, but what you ask for is perfect! I was hoping for someone to asking about "Quadrophenia", thank you that it was you! So without further ado.

1. Favourite and least favourite track?

Oh Gosh this will be difficult.

"5:15" is my favorite track of the whole album because of a few things. First being the fact that this was the first song I heard from this album. Funny story, mom wrote down a Depeche Mode song called "Little 15" and she wrote that it is a The Who song so I typed it in and "5:15" came up so we've listened. Mom didn't like it very much, but I fucking vibed - you can imagine my sheer surprise when I've found the album where this song was. Also, The Who's compilation CD I have has three tracks from "Quadrophenia" and "5:15" is one of them. Those three are never played quietly on dad's stereo system, never.

Now to the least favorite I actually don't know if I have one like that. I literally love every track on this album, but maybe I'll go with "I Am The Sea" because it's only an ambient of waves - which is very nice as an opening, considering how the story on album opens with "The Real Me", but ya know. Almost no music.

2. Side A or B? (for later releases: first half or second half; for doubles: A, B, C or D?)

This is a double so I have to choose between C and D - A and B are good too, but the rest of the tracks after "5:15" my beloved <3

And I think I'll go with C so that would include: "5:15", "Sea and Sand", "Drowned" and "Bell Boy". There's just something in those tracks that makes me get lost in music each time I hear them. I'm always missing the point where "Sea and Sand" ends and "Drowned" starts. Either it's so smoothly going from one to the other or I'm just so lost between notes. Plus there's "Bell Boy" come on, how could I not pick this side? XD

3. Thoughts on the cover art/packaging?

Just look at this beauty! Washed from colors, depressing with only Jimmy on the cover while the rest of the band is seen in the side mirrors. The cover speaks for itself. The first time I saw it I just felt I was up to listen to something good and damn, I wasn't wrong. I love the cover so much that I would be glad to have it as a poster in my room. I'm not joking, I even saw a similar big flag to buy and if I had money and space in my room for it, I would buy it - this album is my religion <3

4. Are any of the tracks important/meaningful to you? Why?

Oh God, the whole album is important, but if I have to narrow it to a few songs... I will talk about very personal stuff here.

"Cut My Hair" Now this is like an opening track to the beginning of the story, to see how Jimmy feels emotionally, but the tone and the entire setting of how his life looked, now that is what brought my attention right from the beginning. The guy just doesn't fit in, feels like an outcast and this verse right there:

Why do I have to be different to them? Just to earn the respect of a dance hall friend Have the same old row again and again Why do I have to move with a crowd Of kids that hardly notice I'm around? I work myself to death just to fit in

It reminds me of my days when i tried to fit in the society I live in. Now, I literally don't care how other see me, but I can see that with my clothing, interests, way of thinking I just don't fit in and I probably never will. But I gave up on "moving with a crowd" long time ago. And from here, my dear friend, things started rolling.

"I'm One"

This one is a simple matter, first verse bringing this in:

Every year is the same And I feel it again I'm a loser - no chance to win Leaves start falling Come down is calling Loneliness starts sinking in

Describing the loneliness Jimmy feels is very personal. I might not show it, but I'm a really lonely person, not being able to find the second half, searching for some understanding on that matter. I have the luck to have my mom who understands me because she was going through the same, but ya know. It ain't the same as having a boyfriend. Plus I just love how the last three lines of lyrics in this verse creates that autumn vibe <3

"Drowned"

Just because of the general tone and a call for freedom. The only ones truly free in this world are birds, we as humans are not. This chorus:

Let me flow into the ocean Let me get back to the sea Let me be stormy, let me be calm Let the tide in and set me free

Speaks exactly about it. Just to be free as the ocean's waves, it just sounds so nice <3

"Love Reign O'er Me"

I see this song as a call/prayer for love, for some understanding and affection. On top of that, it's also the emotional conclusion of the whole story, chaotic one, but so good to listen to every time. I think the most beautiful verse in this song is this one:

Only love can bring the rain That makes you yearn to the sky Only love can bring the rain That falls like tears from on high

I had the luck to discover this album and get first stage obsessed with it after watching a documentary talking about Keith Moon's death. I had the luck to fall in love with this song at that time and this verse which I quote here is exactly how I felt back then about it. Doesn't mean I feel differently about this song now, oh no, actually this song is the most meaningful to me from the few I've mentioned. I will sound insane now, but lonely heart searches for replacements and mine found such a one in this lunatic. Yep, I'm in love with Keith Moon. Can't help it, just like I can't help it but connect this song somehow to this weird situation.

5. When did you first hear the album?

UMN... September last year, I'm sure of it. Second The Who album I've listened to, wait a bit. ...23rd of September actually (month after Keith's birthday, can my discovering of The Who and him somehow become even more weird?). I had this album wrote down to listen to later after discovering "5:15" by accident as I've described above. I remember this day clearly.

I was fresh after lunch, excited actually just by seeing the cover. Listened to it once and then it went on repeat. I had to listen to it three times to have enough for one day. And it played for the entire week without breaks. This was just the beginning of my obsession with it tho XD

6. Have your thoughts on the album changed since you first heard it?

Yep they did. From first: "This is great" to the now "Favorite album of the 70s" I had like three stages with this one.

First stage obsession was the first week that it played each day.

Then came the second stage at the beginning of this year, just after I've watched the movie.

To then come to the third stage when I'm playing this album whenever I feel bad or songs from it are stuck in my head. A religion, you should understand XD

7. Are you a fan of other works by the artist/in the genre?

Of course! I will not rank The Who's albums here, but every single one of them has something good in it. Every single one is somehow different. I don't know how did they pull this off, but they did and OH am I so glad for that!

Also, I can kind of call myself a fan of Pete Townshend, especially if it comes to lyrics, I fucking adore how he writes and honestly I can't wait to have free time to get to his solo albums <3

8. A lyric you like from the album

I actually talked about this one in The Who ask, but here, a fragment from "Bell Boy":

Some nights I still sleep on the beach Remember when stars were in reach Then I wander in early to work Spend my day licking boots for my perks

Love Keith's soft voice in this one, I adore it. There are no words that could describe what I feel when I hear him there.

9. How did you discover the album?

Like I've said, through my mom's mistake, but it was a day after I've listened to "Who's Next" that I went to see other songs by The Who and "5:15" started playing randomly. I recognized it immediately and I wrote down the name of the album, just to give it a listen a few days later.

10. Do you own/would you like to own a physical copy of the album?

I don't own a physical copy of it, but I want it, I really want it at home. It's as important to me as getting "Help!" and "Abbey Road" by The Beatles and those two were a must at home. Same with "Waiting for the Sun" by The Doors. All three mentioned are at home already, "Quadrophenia" has to be here as well.

But I will say this. I will feel sorry for my neighbors once I get it. I can't play the three tracks quietly, let alone the entire album XD

[ijustwantedtobeoneofthestrokesuk]

We Love Detroit Too!

Detroit

It turned out New York wasn’t the only city in the States reinventing rock ‘n’ roll and again, they broke it in the UK before their homeland…

Detroit’s musical heritage dates back for generations and each era gives birth to a new, diverse and unique sound thanks to a blend of cultures in the city.  From blues in 1920 to hip hop in the 1990’s, Detroit has heard it all (along with jazz, gospel and pop). Eminem was gaining momentum in the late nineties, as was Kid Rock but there was something special exploding across the city at the same time but nobody was talking about it.  

The Gold Dollar Bar, a 75 capacity-former strip club was where they all started, usually playing to just a handful of people (mostly the other bands on the lineup who would be supportive of one another). Once bands cut their teeth there, they would dream of playing The Magic Stick. The former bowling alley, which had been converted into a live music venue in the ‘90’s was the pinnacle for the scene. The White Stripes might be the biggest export from the era but Detroit was flooded with great music at the time, something Jack White would celebrate when he released the compilation album, Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit in 2001. 

The kind of story that came with the arrival of The White Stripes will never happen again as the 2-piece surrounded themselves in mystery. Having formed in 1997 they’d already released two albums before Jack and Meg White broke through with Hotel Yorba on White Blood Cells. The Detroit garage rock band was part of a scene that included The Von Bondies and they were unique in sound, style and relationship. Were they brother and sister, husband and wife, formerly a couple or was it all just a story? They kept us guessing! If this happened now they’d be an old Tweet or something online that would ruin their story. If you don’t want to know the ending you might want to skip the next sentence.  

They were… married. 

Aged 15, Jack White (real name John Anthony Gillis) was introduced to punk music when he was on an upholstery apprenticeship and formed a band with his manager, who played the drums, so Jack picked up the guitar. He loved music but, after his apprenticeship, he started his own business, Third Man Upholstery where the brand colours were yellow and black, something Jack would bring back with his record label, Third Man Records. Jack was skilled but lacked professionalism, writing bills with a crayon and putting poetry inside furniture wasn’t necessarily what people were looking for… 

He continued to play in bands around Detroit, he was the drummer in Goober & the Peas (his bandmates were the ones who nicknamed him Jack) before returning to the guitar. In 1996 Jack married Meg White and a year later they started playing together. ]

The White Stripes stood out, their sound was different. Jack, an amazing guitarist, Meg, a competent drummer (influenced by riot grrrl), no bassist, it was simple but it worked! What was most surprising was the fact that 1999’s self-titled debut and 2000’s De Stijl went unnoticed. Jack was heavily influenced by blues and garage rock but there was more to The White Stripes than their sound which made them timeless, their image. They only wore red, black and white, the same colour palette used for their artwork.  

From the very beginning, they said that they were siblings, they were young, white and played ‘black music’ but they cleverly used their relationship, their iconic colour pallete and the fact that they didn’t have a bass player as the novelty act. It was distraction tactics at their best, it would take marketing teams months to dream that up.  

In the early days the pair were inseparable. The first White Stripes gig took place at the Gold Dollar Bar in August ‘97 where they started to plant themselves in the local garage rock scene. Their early gigs weren’t great, Jack shone as a guitarist, leaving Meg behind, during one gig Jack asked if there were any drummers in the audience. Nobody would have predicted the success they would reach, they came across like a hobby, a side project for Jack. 

In June 1999 they released their self-titled debut album on legendary Californian-based record label Sympathy for the Record Industry which Jack produced himself. It was raw, well balanced and The White Stripes at their most authentic, birthing excitement into the Detroit scene. 

9 months later Jack and Meg got divorced, Jack presumed the band was over but Meg convinced him there was a future and a second album. De Stijl, came out a year after the debut and it saw the sound evolve. As the band started to gain momentum Meg gained confidence when performing live and the connection between the pair was on a different level. 

In April 2001 Sympathy Of The Record Industry released White Blood Cells, Jack and Meg’s breakthrough record but, like its predecessors, it was overlooked. The album was recorded in Memphis and to celebrate the release they headed back to The Gold Dollar Bar for a release party. John Peel started shouting about them on Radio 1 in the summer and the band recorded two iconic sessions with him. In August they played their first UK show at the 100 Club in London which could have been sold out several times over. Jack was in awe of the venue. Buzz started to happen around the band, then their Jools Holland performance in November gave them that extra bit of exposure while the mystery surrounding the 2-piece got the press talking and people listening, even the Daily Mirror hailed them as “the greatest band since the Sex Pistols”.  

All of the new excitement about the duo saw them re-release White Blood Cells after signing to V2. The backing of a big label helped them reach a new audience who were exposed to the charm and playful sounds of singles, Hotel Yorba and Fell In Love With A Girl. The success of White Blood Cells didn’t mark the start of luxury life for the band who continued to keep things organic. Jack produced the follow-up album and avoided the easy life of recording, using antiqued equipment instead. 

Detroit never left Jack, after the release of the Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit, a compilation of Detroit bands on his own label in 2001 he continued to support the scene as he appeared on Danger! High Voltage, the hit single from his mates Electric Six. At the time all parties denied his involvement, eventually, it was confirmed it was Jack on the record but he never received any money from it.

The White Stripes might have been the biggest export from Detroit, The Von Bondies, fronted by Jason Stollsteimer had success too, even if they didn’t start out as a Detroit band.

Jason “The Von Bondies formed from the (no wave) band The Baby Killers, after Don Blum joined.  Basically, The Baby Killers was a house party/basement show band with no structure to our songs.  After Don, The Von Bondies long-term drummer, joined it was obvious that something new emerged.  Both musically and chemistry-wise.  So, I renamed the band The Von Bondies. 

We were not originally a Detroit band, we were living in Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti. Keep in mind this is before the internet as we know it now.  So, I had no idea what was happening in the Detroit music scene.  We formed the Baby Killers in 1998 and I moved to Detroit around 2000/01.  I remembered that a lot of the bands I’d see did a ton of obscure covers.  And that mostly everyone was 5 to 15 years older than us.  So, we were children in age comparison.” 

It didn’t take long for the band to catch the eye of the Sympathy for the Record Industry label who put out their debut album, Lack Of Communication in 2001. The band hadn’t really thought about recording an album but Jack White (who was always at shows as The White Stripes were still relatively unknown at the time) and local producer Jim Diamond convinced them to.  

The line-up had only been together 6 months before going to the studio and they’d never rehearsed with a microphone or a proper PA so they didn’t exactly know how they sounded and were skeptical about going into the studio. The album was recorded and mixed in just 3 days, mostly recorded live so they can’t have been too bad! 

Jason “The NME mainlined a way for our non-polished sound to reach the masses.  John Peel was the most important UK fixture that pushed the Detroit sound, in my opinion. We were fortunate enough to play the BBC/John Peel show multiple times.  

I think that the timing was right for a gritty, no-shits-given sound.  This was years before bands like The Libertines, who were attitude-wise a ton like the Detroit scene. 

Labels played a role in doing the things I personally hated. IE marketing, promotions, crap that I find annoying.  Yet, I know that it’s important if you want to get your message/sound out to as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time. Looking back, I now realise that our countdown to the end was started the moment I sang into my first mic.” 

Both The White Stripes and The Von Bondies had become favourites in the UK but they were still relatively underground. Elephant, which was, in many eyes, The Whites Stripes’ second album was about to change it for Jack and Meg in 2003, without “selling out”. Elephant still sounded raw and low fi but it was executed better. The reviews were great but they didn’t make it easy, they only sent on promo copies on vinyl, Jack said he didn’t want the album to be reviewed by anyone who didn’t own a record player. 

Although it was an instant success, nobody would have predicted that Seven Nation Army would become arguably the most universally sung songs of all time as there’s no language barrier to sing that guitar line.  

The Von Bondies had an opportunity to “make it” too after signing with major label Sire (Warner Bros.) who released Pawn Shoppe Heart in March 2004. The album was produced by Jerry Harrison from Talking Heads/The Modern Lovers, the label signed off the album but asked them to write 4 more songs for b-sides in the UK. The rest of the band were away so Jason was stuck in a hotel on his own writing and recording for 2 days, in his mind the album was finished and these were just throw-away tracks. He returned the 4 songs, one of them being C’Mon C’Mon, the most poppy song he’d written and despite Jason’s protests, the label not only put it on the album but it was the lead single and their breakthrough song for the band.  

As the album was a success the label made sure they toured it as much as possible. When they eventually made it into the studio things didn’t go to plan for album number 3.  

Love, Hate and Then There's You didn’t get released until February 2009 as Sire made the band record it 10 times with different producers, in different studios as they didn’t hear a hit. After Jason’s patience wore thin he asked the guy at the label what he wanted to hear, which was emo music as My Chemical Romance were popular at the time. This pushed Jason too far, he called a lawyer that night to get the band off the label which took a year and all of his life's savings in lawyer fees to be free.  

The album was finally released on Majordomo Records but the songs were old and had been over-recorded and Jason had started to fall out of love with music. 

NEXT CHAPTER

[mywifeleftme]

207: Atahualpa Yupanqui // El hombre, el paisaje y su canción

El hombre, el paisaje y su canción Atahualpa Yupanqui 1969, Odeon

Atahualpa Yupanqui was a titanic figure in Argentine music. As an ethnomusicologist who formed a bridge between various forms of Indigenous folk music and the younger artists of the nueva canción (new song) movement; a first-rate composer; and a political revolutionary imprisoned numerous times for his beliefs, Yupanqui is a fine representative of that era of Latin American creators whose artistic quality was equaled by the courage of their convictions. Due to his Communist Party affiliation, Yupanqui didn’t record much until he was already in his 40s, which robs us of the voice of his youth, but also enforces his image as a fatherly figure, a living link with the past.

Once he started recording though, the torrent was overwhelming—between his remarkable productivity and the tendency of labels to constantly repackage his work, forging a semblance of a linear discography is beyond my skills. I’m not altogether sure of the provenance of El hombre, el paisaje y su canción (The Man, the Landscape and His Song), a 1969 record I picked up on a lark a few years back that became an instant favourite in the Wifeleft household. There was an album of the same name released the previous year that shares four tracks, suggesting my Hombre may be a compilation—on the other hand, he recorded many of his songs numerous times, so it’s possible these are from an entirely different session. The album certainly sounds as though it was recorded in one sitting.

No matter, this is my favourite of the handful of Yupanqui albums I’ve heard to date. He is presented solo, as usual, accompanied only by his own acoustic guitar, and over a scant 30 minutes or so draws the listener entirely into his world. I feel as though I am watching the master singing for a small audience gathered on his porch, his fingers translating the weariness of the day’s labours into something more somber and romantic, his voice that of a man who understands his role is to witness and recount. The lyrics often look directly at the travails of working people, as on “Trabajo, quiero trabajo” (“Work, I Want Work”) and “Campesino” (“Peasant”), but there is also that mystical element common in Spanish poetry, as on “Guitarra, dímelo tú” (“Guitar, Tell Me”):

Guitar, you tell me Men are dead gods Already long collapsed Not even his dreams were saved Only the shadow has remained

El hombre also includes a pair of instrumentals that show off the expressiveness of Yupanqui’s playing to great effect—“El llanto” (“Crying”) is as poignant as its title suggests, while “Malambo” (named for an Argentine folk dance) reminds me a bit of the American Primitive fingerstyle associated some distance north with John Fahey.

I doubt there is such a thing as a poor-quality Atahualpa Yupanqui album, and I think any collection would be enriched by his inclusion. He makes a great entry point to South American folk, some of the most timeless and impassioned music of the 20th century.

207/365

[greensparty]

Album Review: Oasis "Definitely, Maybe (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)"

On August 29, 1994, Definitely, Maybe, the debut album from U.K.'s Oasis was released. It came out just as Britpop was making a splash thanks to bands like Pulp, Blur, Suede and Oasis (all one-word band names). It is hands down one of the best albums of the 90s. It came out a few months after Kurt Cobain's passing and the music world was ready for something new. After years of music groups bemoaning fame, here was a band that wanted to be famous and loved being rock stars, which seemed refreshing. As Oasis-mania swept the world, I actually got more into them in 1996, by which point they had oversaturated rock radio. I picked up Definitely, Maybe on CD and loved it. A lot of people say the best Oasis album is 1995's follow-up (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, which is quite good but isn't nearly as epic as Definitely, Maybe (later the name of a 2008 movie that I worked on too). Being released this Friday on the 30th anniversary (a day later) is Definitely, Maybe (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition).

original album cover

anniversary edition album cover

Through this blog, I've actually gotten to cover some Oasis releases including the 2021 live album Knebworth 1996 and the 25th Anniversary Edition of Be Here Now. Considering the band broke up in 2009, there is still an avid fan base wanting more compilations, live albums, documentaries and anniversary editions. The lineup of Oasis changed many times over the years but the heart and soul of the band has always been the brothers Gallagher: Liam on lead vocals and Noel on guitar and songwriting. Being in a band with your sibling can be both a good and a bad thing. I saw Oasis in 2000 and again in 2001 on the Brotherly Love Tour with The Black Crowes and Spacehog and the Gallaghers had the worst track records of in-fighting of any of those sibling bands.

the vinyl deluxe edition

After the band formed in Manchester, England in 1991 the lineup at this time also included guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs, bassist Paul "Guigsey" McGuigan, and drummer Tony McCarroll. This lineup was among their strongest. Easily! Disc 1 of this edition is the original album remastered. Every song rocks from the epic opening "Rock 'n' Roll Star" down to the acoustic kiss-off of "Married with Children". Disc 2 is the Monnow Valley versions (they first recorded at this studio and the sessions were scrapped, so you're hearing earlier recordings with these versions), Sawmill Studios outtakes (they recorded the album and Sawmill and these outtakes are ones that weren't used in the final recording) and an early 1992 demo of "Sad Song". The original album is a masterpiece and I don't use that term lightly. It was something that was truly of-the-moment: Britpop, Gen X, mid-90s and yet it was also retro with their Beatles' obsession not quite as overt as it would be on the next album, but also their love of Stone Roses, and yet it was also timeless. It's an awesome blast of Marshall amps in a melodic cocky made-for-arena sing-alongs! These new outtakes and alt versions don't really improve on the album, but it is kind of cool to hear the little differences of what it went from to what it became. Some are better than others, but it's short enough to enjoy what you're hearing as opposed to a box set with multiple takes of each song. We also haven't had any new Oasis music in over 15 years, which makes these unearthed versions seem more exciting than they'd normally be. As I was working on this review, news broke this week that Noel and Liam are reuniting with an Oasis tour in 2025 (no U.S. dates yet, but fingers crossed) and that proves how much these songs have stood the test of time!

For info on Definitely, Maybe (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

Original album: 5 out of 5 stars

Anniversary Edition: 4 out of 5 stars

[maelwife]

Hii, could you share your pete seeger album colletion? And what are your favourites? I'd like to get some and I know it's totally up to personal taste... but there's so many different albums and compilations that my brain just shuts down when I have to choose one to buy

(Also i just want to see some more pete seeger love on this website)

I’D LOVE TO. Ok so I was in a very similar situation when I got into Seeger cause god it’s true he has so many albums. My collection is about half and half records I specifically sought out because I knew I liked them (I jumped around his discography on Spotify when I first started listening to him), and albums I find in the dollar bins at record stores (lol).

These are my 8 fave albums of his in my collection!

From his 70s stuff; Waist Deep in the Big Muddy and Rainbow Race are Vietnam era anti-war albums, and Banks Of Marble is a pretty straightforward collection of political songs if you want something that’s got a little of everything.

My favorite album in the first image is With Voices Together We Sing which was recorded in the mid 50s at the MOMA to an audience of like 500 college kids wherein he led everyone in a sing along of folk songs from around the world- including one where he uses an axe and log to keep time. So fun.

The two Gazette albums are topical songs mostly pulled from Sing Out! Magazine in the late 50s and early 60s. It’s a really interesting window into the politics of the era and touches on Jim Crow era voting policies, the benefits of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s hydroelectric power plants, nuclear testing in the American Southwest, etc.

Sing Out! Hootenanny and Talking Union are the collections with the most union/labor material. Hootenanny also has some comical songs about being questioned before the House Un-American Activities Committee which is why I like this one so much.

This is the rest of my collection mostly picked up from dollar bins. I really like Seeger’s live stuff, so I tend to go for that over other types of material. I do want to hunt down more American Ballads albums though cause they have such varied subject matter.

Also!! If you’re looking to collect Seeger albums I recommend looking for his releases on the Folkways label! Folkways releases usually included multi-page booklets with lyrics and context behind each track, and it’s great if you’re wanting to know more of the history surrounding a song. Even secondhand the booklets are often still right there in the sleeve🌜✨

[jules-has-notes]

Beautiful Low mashup — VoicePlay music video

One of my favorite aspects of a good mashup is when the lyrics of the component songs are placed in conversation with one another. For this arrangement, the guys combined two different perspectives on struggles with self-esteem and the ways external factors can affect the way we see ourselves.

Whether the greatest influence is something intimate like the disolution of a personal relationship leading to depression, or something more pervasive like the judgment of society at large for physical diversity that doesn't match arbitrary beauty standards, it can be difficult to feel self-love in the moments when it doesn't feel like anyone else loves you either. But even at our lowest, there are people willing to help lift us up. Sometimes in the form of a song.

Details:

title: Scars To Your Beautiful & All Time Low mashup (feat. J.None)

original songs / performers: "Scars to Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara; "All Time Low" by Jon Bellion (see also: acoustic version) [NOTE: The original lyrics are more explicit than VP's version.]

written by: "Scars to Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara, Warren "Oak" Felder, Sebastian Kole, Andrew "Pop" Wansel, & Justin "DJ Frank E" Franks; "All Time Low" by Jon Bellion, Mark Williams, Raul Cubina, & Travis Mendes

arranged by: Layne Stein & Hannah Juliano

release date: 1 February 2017

My favorite bits:

the back-and-forth panning on Layne's opening electronic-inspired percussion line (best experienced through headphones if you can)

J's crisp descending run on ♫ ⇘ "nooow" ⇘ ♫

the strategic lyrical substitutions to keep things PG-13

the earnestness in Earl's voice and expression when he takes over the lead vocals

those backing harmonies from Geoff, Eli, and J under the second verse, alternating between stacatto plucking and short crescendos

Layne's descending riff in the middle of the second chorus

that gradual layering and weaving of lyrics during the bridge until they reach the climax of the last chorus

Geoff's smooth slide to kick off the ending section

those soaring harmonies on the final ♫ "beautifuuul" ♫

J's little fanfares in the outro

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by J.None 🧈🎶 🎙📝🎬🎹🎸📽🤣 (@itsjnone)

Trivia:

This recording was part of the audition process for VoicePlay's new member to replace Tony. Since J had already been performing in that capacity at live shows with the guys for a couple months, he was tapped to go first. Consensus among many of the YouTube commenters was that he was a great fit.

The lyrics were particularly resonant for Earl, which made him a little nervous on the eve of filming day.

J recorded his vocals with Layne at Rayne's Room. He was surprised at not having to memorize his part first, and how freeform the process was, allowing him to noodle around with different dynamics, rhythms, and riffs. I'd say he adjusted to VP's methods pretty well.

The guys usually coordinate their own clothes for non-costume outfits, but for this video they enlisted a local stylist named Tanya Buzu. J.None certainly seemed to enjoy his wardrobe.

The video description on YouTube reiterates that "You should know you're beautiful just the way you are." Very sweet of them.

A fan was inspired to create drawings of some of the guys.

A couple weeks after its initial release, this mashup was played on University of Nebraska – Lincoln's campus radio station during their weekly Vocal Chords show that features a cappella music.

They garnered a bit of praise from their friend and colleague, Tim Foust. (Sadly, the potential collaboration didn't happen, but most of the guys did get to attend the Home Free show that brought him to their hometown.)

This track was later included on VoicePlay's "Citrus" album, which compiled most of the songs they recorded from 2017-19. Because the individual songs had already been made available digitally, that album is exclusively a physical item that can only be purchased at live shows or through their website.

[dichromaticdyke]

🗣 - still struggling with Bookklok BUT I did buy the complete box set so I can watch it without ads now! (Plus got some Special Features bonus vids 🤗 sad that it doesnt come with all of them :()

Anyway, been thinking about Number 1 Toki Fan Skwisgaar Skwigelf (Not mutually exclusive to HM!Toki but I'm thinking of it in that universe)

Like, Toki being a huge Skwisgaar fan is the worlds worst kept secret. Everyone knows that Toki loves/obsesses/fans over Skwisgaar. It's in interviews, it's in photos, it's in the merch. Its like the fan communities running joke that Toki is Skwisgaar's biggest fangirl before she's a guitarist. But what they don't know is that Skwisgaar is an even bigger fan of Toki but that secret is sealed tighter than the nuclear codes for every country. You know that fanart of Toki listening to Skwisgaar's solo #1,697 or something like that and it's Toki's favorite? That's Skwisgaar on an old walkman with all of Toki's "failed" takes on various guitar parts of different albums and songs. They aren't the polished, practiced pieces she can play, it's something completely raw and different. She can't get enough of it and goes to sleep listening to them when no one is with her (AKA Toki). She has some of Toki's old guitar picks in a locked jewlery box. She watches Toki compilations on Youtube (Specifically "Toki being a cutie pie for 15 minutes", "Toki being better than your man for 15 minutes", "Top 10 best Toki's performances (Not Solos)", and "Toki Wartooth Interviews Compilation" She's replaying her favorite parts and blushes like shes spying on her high school crush. It's all very cringe but it puts Skwisgaar to sleep feeling giddy every time.) She has to hold herself back when she hears other people say Toki is bad at guitar because SHE is allowed to say that; she works, lives, and fucks her but other people? And especially if they don't play guitar? She'll give you the ol' one-two but she cant let too much out, otherwise people might ~speculate~. Toki may love watching her practice but when it's reversed, Skwisgaar WILL find a way to record it and spend hours obsessing over it even after the practicing is done.

On the flipside of this, Toki absolutely has scrapbooks solely dedicated to cut out pictures/interviews/advertisements/promotional stuff of Skwisgaar that she keeps under her mattress and pulls out when she wants to oogle.

OH that’s so cute. yes yes i love it! i definitely do feel like skwisgaar would have that mindset, not just because of their complicated relationship, but-

sigh. you haven’t finished the whole show yet. GRRR okay i’m putting spoilers under the cut for DSR and AOTD, but i’ll try to get out my non-spoilery thoughts first.

there was an interview where brendon was asked who toki’s and skwisgaar’s favorite guitarists were. brendon said toki’s favorite was skwisgaar, and skwisgaar loves “every shredder who’s ever lived,” reinforcing skwisgaar’s absolute passion for guitar in general.

that “favorite” would include toki. toki’s a shredder, and her ability to keep up with skwisgaar makes her the second fastest guitarist alive. so behind several layers of jealousy and fear that toki will get better than her has to be admiration of some kind. skwisgaar’s just too proud and probably sees this exact admiration as a weakness. skwisgaar is the god, not toki—toki should be the one idolizing skwisgaar, not the other way around. she could easily hide her admiration under the veneer of criticism, but these are criticisms that only skwisgaar can make, which, in my opinion, is for one very spoilery reason:

SKWISGAAR DISCOVERED TOKI. skwisgaar has the mindset of “i can criticize toki but no one else can” because of THAT. skwisgaar is extra hard on toki because she knows what toki is capable of, but no one else does. even though the rest of the band was at that audition, none of them could possibly understand what it was about toki’s playing that moved skwisgaar so much as to make her go back on her proclamation of them being a one-guitar band.

and then there’s AOTD, the only time in the show we see skwisgaar actually encouraging toki to be good. skwisgaar has ALWAYS thought of toki as talented, and that’s the exact reason skwisgaar is so hard on her. it’s not to be a bitch, it’s because skwisgaar wants the band and every musician in it to reach their full potential. it’s why she practices basically 24/7 (that and her guitar being her ultimate comfort and stim object) and why she gets so mad at the band’s laziness—they’re the most beloved band in the world, they’re all talented. she doesn’t want that talent to go to waste.

but to anyone else who might criticize the band or toki? they’re peons who don’t understand music the way skwisgaar does. they should be lucky to even hear this music.

[rainydawgradioblog]

boyGENIUS!!!!

boygenius, a superstar trio of indie artists including phoebe bridgers, julien baker, and lucy dacus, recently released their debut album, and it is truly nothing short of genius. in a moment that was about as culturally significant to me as the signing of the declaration of independence, these three women utterly changed the course of my life and the lives of thousands of other melodramatic girlies. this lil post, despite being a healthy 3-ish weeks after the actual release of the record, will compile some of my standout thoughts on each track of the album. hope you enjoy! ;)

1: without you without them 

one thing about me, i LOVE some boygenius harmonies. in a similar manner as my beloved favorite track from their 2018 EP, ketchum ID, without you without them provokes a deep sense of peace and emotion combined. “speak to me, until your history’s no mystery to me” is the cutest cleverest little lyric. the perfect opening track. 

2: $20 

0:01 seconds in, any seasoned boygenius fan immediately goes “julien!!!” her signature heavier guitar and drums sets her apart from the jump and creates the catchiest hook. plus the screaming at the end?? oh my god??? (that video of phoebe recording I KNOW!!!!! YOU HAVE!!!!! 20 DOLLARS!!!!!! has actually not left my head since i saw it)

3: emily i’m sorry

i will forever be unapologetically weak in the knees for phoebe bridgers. she captures so many emotions so beautifully in this, between loving someone so much it destroys you and feeling completely out of control of your life. i love the progression between “i can feel myself becoming someone only you could want” and “i can feel myself becoming somebody i’m not, i’m not” between the two choruses. 

4: true blue

more songs about platonic love!!!! PLEASE!!!! this track is devastatingly adorable. “i can’t hide from you like i hide from myself,” is the perfect lyric to make you think of that friend who will tell you that you don’t have to say “its ok” when you’re miserable over something. the bridge also makes me feel like i’m floating. i love lucy!!!! 

5: cool about it

WOW. unquestionably in the top three, immediately. i’m a sucker for a boygenius song where they all have equal verses (souvenier-esque) and this one HITS. i’ve seen so many different interpretations of this one, including but not limited to: 1: the feeling of knowing an old friendship is slowly drifting apart, 2: a heartbreak that you swallow and smile through for the other person, and 3: clinging to someone that you know is bad for you because you can’t imagine yourself without them. all of them are so fitting, and i find so much beauty in the open-endedness. 

6: not strong enough 

LUCY AT THE END. LITERALLY JUST. LUCY’S PART AT THE END. 

makes me go actually crazy every time. they ate this one up. a depressing song in an upbeat major key melody is an incredible combination. sneaks up on ya.  

7: revolution 0

this is such a genuinely beautiful song. another one where they just nailed the harmonies. “i used to think if i’d just close my eyes, i will disappear”  reminds me so much of “i used to think you could hear the ocean in a seashell, what a childish thing” in phoebe’s single “sidelines.” definitely a lie on the floor and ponder existence while tracing the cracks in your ceiling type jam. 

8: leonard cohen 

i love a short little song. and this is a fantastic one. “i am not an old man having an existential crisis at a buddhist monastery, writing horny poetry, but i agree” is incredibly boygenius-coded. their tendency towards the occasional silly little lyric is something i can always get behind. my favorite fact about this one is that the story at the beginning is 100% true-and that phoebe was the one driving the car. 

9: satanist

as the text that my best friend sent to me at the release of the album reads, “satanist BANGS” and it’s true. satanist does in fact, bang. another distinct julien standout, it provides a sick little head-bangy intermission to all the introspective, staring-at-the-ceiling pondering. “will you be a nihilist with me? if nothing matters, man that’s a relief” has got to be the realest thing i’ve heard in a minute. 

10: we’re in love

dunno if this song has too much of a tinge of sadness to be my first dance song at my wedding…..but i certainly want it to be. i’d have to claim this one as my favorite from the album. everything about it is just stunning, from the lyrics and the story they convey to the vocals and simple instrumental backing. the verse about finding each other in the next life actually made me tear up in the public record store where i first heard the album. “i can’t imagine you without the same smile in your eyes, there is something about you that i will always recognize” ARE YOU KIDDING?!! so heart-stoppingly beautiful. 

11: anti-curse

i’d love to drive down an empty highway with this song playing. there’s something so magical about a song that has a dramatic build-up, and there’s nobody that does a dramatic build-up better than these three right here (shout out not strong enough again). the instrumental swells at “i guess i did alright considering” and “i’m swimmin back” feel like such a true release of emotion, you can’t help but feel it alongside the band. 

12: letter to an old poet 

INSANE. easily a standout track, between the parallel to the past “me and my dog,” from the band’s debut EP, to the gut-wrenching lyricism delivered in phoebe’s smooth vocals, it’s seriously unforgettable-especially for old fans of the band. “and i love you, i don’t know why, i just do” is a poignantly simple capture of a feeling we’ve all faced at one point or another. the combination of love, hurt, and rage is such an intriguing combination and draws the listener in from the first moment. also a BIG fan of “you don’t get to tell me to calm down.” remember to never let anyone invalidate how you feel, my friends. and also remember to…

STAY COOL!!!!! 

K-MURPH

listen here:

[buckevantommy]

in primary school (age 10-ish) i remember touch screen technology being the coolest sci-fi thing that was in the near future and i couldn't wait. They soon came out with ipods - which were cool, but not touch screen. In high school folks had indestructible nokia bricks, flip phones, and those keyboard slide phones that looked like mini gaming consoles. i remember the first generation iphone and the first touchscreen ipod around the same time I remember the new (last?) Harry Potter book coming out and lunchtime was weirdly quiet because everyone had their noses in the book wanting to finally read the story but also wanting to finish first. i remember bringing high school assignments into school on floppy disks - we're talking mid 2000s - because usb drives were quite new and too expensive. not many people had touch phones by the time i finished high school but if they did you knew their families were rich. only rich families and tech-loving people had ipads. laptops were still expensive and not something every student had, again just the rich folk and computer science kids. i remember going for walks wearing a certain hoodie/cardigan with a pocket big enough to hold my CD Walkman. i remember walking to my local video rental store - Blockbuster or Video Ezy or that independant place that had the coolest vibes - years before i could drive to rent part 1 of a tv series, season 1 part 1 with the first 4 of 12 episodes in one dvd case. i remember not being allowed to rent ma15+ or r18 movies. i remember having to do battle around the tv at certain times bc different family members wanted to watch different things and we only had one tv - a staticky, bulbous thing, not a flat screen and not a smart tv bc they didn't exist yet - bc there were no streaming services in australia yet - ipads still weren't really an affordable thing yet so people watched dvd movies on desktop computers and laptops and portable dvd players and dvd players plugged into these non-smart tvs. 

i remember finding the workarounds to burn dvds. i remember whittling down playlists to fit music onto burned blank cds. i remember refusing to pay $2.99 for a song on itunes and instead browsing the sales at the local Sanity or JBHIFI store for certain artists compilation albums and unfolding the poster art to pin to my wall or read through the lyrics booklet. i remember the old printers that were slower but didn't rely on wifi and bluetooth and they always worked. i remember the cosmic screech of dial-up noise on the landline phone - yeah the one attached to the wall and with a curly cord connecting the reciever - if someone was using the internet. i remember MySpace and its customisation long before Facebook took on and eventually became the untraversable hellscape it is today. i remember Youtube before the ads. i remember the early days of social media and as everything got good for a while before they all started emulating the censorship shitstain that is Tiktok. i remember playing snake on my Nokia brick and the ringtones made via button tones.

i remember roadtrips of gazing out the window long before parents gave an ipad to each kid in the back seat. i remember bringing physical books on roadtrips and long train trips bc smartphones and ipads didn't exist or, again, were only for the rich families. i remember LayBy being a very grown up thing for people with credit cards (re:parents) long before Afterpay existed. i remember using cash to pay for everything including bus fare when i forgot my paper school pass that lived in that little wallet with the plastic window. i remember using a payphone to call friends and home because i ran out of texting credit. i remember waiting to be picked up from an after school sport of weekend game by a parent with a previously agreed upon time and place bc i didn't have a mobile phone. i remember pocket-sized digital cameras and memory cards. i remember when GoPro became a thing. i remember going somewhere new for the first time and not knowing much about it bc Googling It wasn't always possible - we got our information from stories and visitor brochures bc few places had websites let alone social media pages and you couldn’t look them up online if you were on the road. 

i remember yearning for the near future where personal tech became real and then accessible; but personal tech has brought problems along with its entertainment value and multi-tool features. i remember feeling lonely and broken as a kid and a teenager bc i didn’t have access to online communities; but online is still no replacement for irl social interaction. i remember wishing there was more media for my interests and relatability; and now i’m flooded with choice in numerous streaming services that promote bingeing (fast! now! consume!) while mistreating creators and hoarde content to hoarde gold. i remember wondering how other people lived their lives day-to-day bc i was curious and bc i needed hope that i wasn’t alone but also that it could get better; now social media is raising generations of young people with neurosis to share every day of their lives and training all generations to consume content in fast-paced bite-size pieces as we doomscroll and numb ourselves to irl experiences. 

i remember all of this and i’m 30 fucking 3 years young. 

[randomvarious]

Today’s compilation:

Now That's What I Call Music! 2 1999 Alternative Rock / Adult Contemporary / Pop-Rock / Teen Pop / Pop / R&B / Hip Hop

Back with another dispatch from the early run of the US' Now That's What I Call Music!, with the second installment from this gargantuan, neverending series. Take yourself all the way back to 1999 with this great ad for it!

Now, I definitely have not kept up with Now for a long while, but as a series that's known for repackaging huge chart hits on CD, I think this might have been its most unique volume of all, because a lot of these songs did not end up charting all that high in the US—at least not on Billboard's Hot 100—and a number of them actually fared far, far better in the UK, which is where Now originated from, with its first ever release dating back to 1983.

A prime example here is Robbie Williams' great pop hit, "Millennium." Williams is regarded as an absolute pop superstar in the UK, but he's only charted twice as a solo act on the Hot 100 in the US, and both of those singles have failed to reach the top 50. This one, which pairs recreated dreamy strings from James Bond's You Only Live Twice theme with a hip hop-type backbeat, only made it to #78, but it was a #1 hit across the pond! And I think outside of all that well-made, Swedish-produced teen pop/boy band fare, this one very well might've been the best pure pop song of the entire late 90s. The use of those epic Bond strings smacks of The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony" too, which certainly suggests that there's something about Brits and those damn strings.

And another #1 UK smash that didn't do nearly as well in the States was Fatboy Slim's irresistible big beat summer classic, "Praise You," which sampled from a lot of different places, including a Disney disco record, a JBL test album to get those iconic keys, Steve Miller Band, the Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids theme, and a song by Chicagoan Camille Yarbrough called "Take Yo' Praise," from which Fatboy Slim took the lyrics. There was a whole undercurrent of this big beat stuff that was coursing through a lot of our commercials and movie and video game soundtracks back then, led by acts like Fatboy Slim himself, the Chemical Brothers, and The Prodigy. But it never went super mainstream like it did in the UK. Fatboy Slim's singles only charted twice in the US on the Hot 100, and "Praise You" was the best-performing one, making it to #36.

By the way, I have a really killer turn-of-the-millennium-type summer playlist on Spotify that has a bunch of songs like "Praise You" on it. It's called "An Endless Capri Sun or Juicyfruit or Starburst Commercial From Like the Summer of 2002," which will hopefully give you an idea of the type of vibe that I was trying to channel with it. God, I love that sun-shining big beat stuff!

And color me surprised to hear Jay-Z on here, because until 2001, Now pretty much seemed to purposely go out of its way to avoid hip hop altogether. I guess it makes sense though, since the music usually has explicit themes, and these albums are typically targeted at kids. But they really just couldn't help themselves when it came to Jay-Z's first real, true breakout hit in "Hard Knock Life" here. Mark the 45 King's novel sampling of the song of the same name from Annie made this one feel very kid-friendly and fun to sing along to, despite the numerous lyrics that had to be censored from it to get it on radio in the first place. Funny, though, that in a very American 90s way, and in a pre-onset-of-mass-shootings era, that they'd let a line like, "when my situation ain't improvin', I'm tryina’ murder everything movin'" slide through without any kind of edit. I mean, if they're playing this song on radio now, I'm thinking that that line gets hit with some kind of sound effect. But it didn't in '98 and '99, and that feels pretty remarkable in hindsight, especially since hip hop verses were constantly censored on radio, MTV, and BET, so much so that some songs felt like the track was getting jammed up at certain points 😅.

So, honestly, this might be the most unique release that Now ever put out in its main US series, as it seems to be the volume that's the least concerned with overall chart success among its selections. It still comes with some staples you'd expect, from Britney's "...Baby One More Time" to Everclear's "Father of Mine," effectively running a small radio gamut from the poppiest of pop to the most banal of alternarock, but acts like Robbie Williams, Fatboy Slim, Garbage, and even Cake are on here, and as an entity that's chiefly known for presenting the *biggest* pop hits of the day, those are probably some names that you wouldn't typically expect to be on a US release from this series.

And it closes with that odd Baz Luhrmann spoken-word advice column about wearing sunscreen that you might have totally forgotten about too. That one's probably the most ephemeral song of all on here; the ultimate entry in any sort of 'only 90s kids will remember these songs' type of list.

Hopefully you get a sweet memory-jogged nostalgia rush from some of these other songs I didn’t make mention of.

Highlights:

Britney Spears - "...Baby One More Time" New Radicals - "You Get What You Give" Robbie Williams - "Millennium" Semisonic - "Closing Time" U2 - "The Sweetest Thing (Single Mix)" Fatboy Slim - "Praise You (Radio Edit)" Garbage - "I Think I'm Paranoid" Cake - "Never There" 98° - "Because of You" Mýa & Blackstreet feat. Ma$e & Blinky Blink - "Take Me There" Everclear - "Father of Mine" Sublime - "What I Got (Clean Version)" Backstreet Boys - "I'll Never Break Your Heart" Jay-Z - "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) (Edit)" Baz Luhrmann - "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) (Edit)"

[giftshopfestival]

Christmas Gift Guide: Perfect Presents for Your Boyfriend

It’s that magical time of year again! The holidays are around the corner, and you’re on a mission to find the perfect Christmas gift for your boyfriend. But where do you start? With so many options out there, picking the right present can be daunting. Fear not! We’ve compiled an ultimate guide to help you find a gift that will make his holiday season extra special—whether he's a tech enthusiast, an outdoor adventurer, or a sentimental soul.

Why Choose the Perfect Christmas Gift for Your Boyfriend?

Choosing the ideal christmas gift for boyfriend isn't just about giving something nice; it's a way to show your love and appreciation. A thoughtfully chosen gift can strengthen your bond and create lasting memories. The goal is to find something that resonates with his interests, makes his daily life easier, or adds a touch of joy.

Tech Gadgets That Make Life Easier and More Fun

Smartphone

When it comes to tech gadgets, one of the best Christmas gifts for a boyfriend is a smartphone. Smartphones have become essential in our daily lives, and having one with the latest features will surely make your partner happy. When selecting a phone, consider his tastes and lifestyle. For instance, if he's an avid gamer, opt for a phone with a high-performance graphics card. If he enjoys taking pictures or videos, look for phones with great cameras and larger storage capacity.

Popular models include iPhones, Samsung Galaxy phones, Google Pixel phones, and OnePlus phones. They come with various features, from excellent cameras and storage options to powerful processors and large displays.

Laptop

If you're looking for the perfect Christmas gift for your boyfriend, consider a laptop. A laptop can be an ideal choice to help him stay connected and productive on the go. Whether he needs something portable like a MacBook Air or a gaming powerhouse like an MSI GS65, there's sure to be something he'll love.

For those always on the move, a laptop with a lightweight design and long battery life is essential. The Apple MacBook Air is popular for travelers, offering convenience without sacrificing performance. If he prefers a desktop experience but still needs portability, consider the MSI GS65 Stealth. It offers powerful performance with its Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card.

Smartwatch

Smartwatches are a fabulous gift idea, especially for the tech-savvy boyfriend. They offer a great way to stay connected and monitor health and fitness levels. One of the most popular smartwatches is the Apple Watch, featuring a large Retina display, advanced sensors, and powerful processors. The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active is another great choice, offering features like an onboard music player and voice-activated Bixby assistant. The Fitbit Versa 2, with its advanced sleep tracking features and onboard Alexa voice assistant, is also an excellent option.

Unique Gifts for the Outdoor Enthusiast

Drone

Drones are becoming increasingly popular for recreational use and make great gifts for the holidays. A drone might be the perfect present if you're looking to surprise your boyfriend this Christmas! Drones can be used to capture stunning aerial photographs and videos, allowing him to explore the world from a different perspective. They are also great for honing skills like focus, coordination, and problem-solving. Ensure you get the right drone for his skill level and check compliance with local flying regulations.

Sentimental Gifts That Tug at the Heartstrings

Custom Photo Album

Custom photo albums make wonderful gifts for your boyfriend. Not only are they a thoughtful and sentimental way to show you care, but they can also be customized with photos of you two together. If the album is meant to chronicle your time together, consider adding photos from all the special moments you share. If you have artistic skills like scrapbooking, customize the photo album with decorations and other embellishments like stickers, washi tape, and ribbon. You can also make it interactive by including prompts for your boyfriend to fill out, such as the date the photo was taken and a fun memory associated with it.

Engraved Accessories

Christmas is when we all want to show our loved ones how much we appreciate them. Consider getting him an engraved accessory if you’re looking for a perfect gift for your boyfriend. Whether it’s an engravable watch, a wallet card, or even a custom photo album with pictures of your most special moments, there are plenty of options available to make this Christmas one they won’t forget. By getting an engraved accessory for your boyfriend, you show that you put extra effort into finding the perfect gift and that it was made just for him.

Custom Artwork

Custom artwork makes an excellent gift for your significant other, especially during the holidays. Presenting them with something tailored to their tastes and interests is sure to be appreciated. Whether it's a photograph of your time together or a painting inspired by their favorite movie, custom art can make for a unique and thoughtful holiday gift. Working together with the artist or photographer will ensure that the finished product is exactly what they're looking for.

Christmas Mug

If you're looking for a cozy and festive gift, a Christmas mug is an excellent choice. These mugs come in various styles to fit any personality, from traditional holiday designs to funny sayings or cool graphics. A Christmas mug will not only make a great addition to his favorite cupboard but also bring some extra holiday cheer to his special occasions.

Consider pairing the mug with some gourmet coffee, hot cocoa mix, or even a set of matching coasters to create a complete gift package. Your boyfriend will appreciate the thoughtfulness and enjoy sipping his favorite beverages in his new favorite mug.

Personalized Christmas Bottle

A personalized Christmas bottle makes for a unique and thoughtful gift. You can tailor the bottle to your boyfriend's favorite things, such as his preferred alcoholic beverage or a special saying or photo on the bottle itself. This gift is not only practical but also serves as a keepsake that he can cherish forever.

To make the gift even more special, consider pairing the Christmas bottle with additional items that cater to his interests or hobbies. For example, if he's a wine connoisseur, include a corkscrew or bottle opener. If he's into sports, add some customized team gear or memorabilia. These extra touches will make the Christmas bottle even more appreciated.

Stylish Sunglasses

Sunglasses are a practical and fashionable gift for any occasion, and they're especially ideal for Christmas. They provide protection from UV rays and glare while looking stylish and sophisticated. Whether your boyfriend loves to keep up with the latest fashion trends or prefers classic designs, there's sure to be a pair of sunglasses that fits his style.

For the tech-savvy boyfriend, consider investing in high-tech sunglasses with features like polarized lenses or blue light blocking capabilities. These special glasses are designed to protect the eyes from digital screen radiation, reducing eye strain and improving visual clarity.

Custom Wallet

A custom wallet is an ideal choice for a unique and personalized gift. From leather wallets to canvas prints, you can customize almost any item with your own artwork or photography. A personalized wallet with an embossed monogram or initials makes a thoughtful and lasting present that will be cherished for years to come.

When selecting a custom wallet, consider your boyfriend's preferences and lifestyle. Opt for a design that suits his taste and meets his practical needs. A well-chosen wallet will remind him of you every time he uses it.

Trendy Shoes

Shoes make an excellent gift for your boyfriend during the holidays. Whether you're looking for something stylish, functional, or comfortable, there's surely a perfect pair of shoes out there to fit his needs.

For a dressier look, consider oxfords or loafers in classic leather materials. They look great with suits or dress pants and can easily transition from work to evening functions. If your boyfriend prefers a more casual style, sneakers are always a popular choice. The variety in the sneaker world ensures you'll find something unique and stylish to fit his personality.

For the adventure-loving boyfriend, hiking boots are a practical and fashionable choice. They'll ensure his feet are taken care of no matter the conditions, making them perfect for outdoor enthusiasts.

Elegant Jewelry

Jewelry is a timeless and meaningful gift that can express your feelings and make your boyfriend feel truly appreciated. There are many pieces to choose from that can make him feel special during the festive season.

Consider statement jewelry with bold, eye-catching designs or personalized pieces with his name or initials engraved onto them. If you've been together for some time, choose jewelry that celebrates your journey, such as eternity bands or promise rings. For the man who loves luxury, sophisticated cufflinks or a sleek gold watch will make an elegant statement.

A piece of jewelry is a thoughtful gift that will remind your boyfriend of you every time he wears it. With so many options available, you're sure to find something that he'll love for years to come.

Custom Belt

A custom belt provides a stylish, practical, and affordable gift option for your boyfriend this Christmas. Made to fit any size and style, a custom belt can be tailored to make the perfect statement piece.

Leather belts made from quality materials like calfskin or suede offer a classic and timeless look. For something more casual, canvas or webbing belts come in a variety of colors and patterns. Adding embellishments like studs, chains, or buckles can give the belt extra flair.

Consider personalizing the belt with a message or initials for an extra special touch. A well-chosen custom belt will be a stylish and practical addition to your boyfriend's wardrobe.

[chorusfm]

Liner Notes (June 15th, 2024)

Another week, another newsletter. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here. If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here. A Few Things * I know there are a lot of media tracking apps, and Sequel gets a lot of justified praise, but for my needs, I’ve grown to like the stock Trakt app. I recently realized how customizable the app was. Being able to customize the bottom tab bar and put all the common places I visit in the app is a nice feature. And it’s got a nice widget that I use on my “Days Over” focus mode. But, the killer feature for me is still the “check-in” feature, which is used when you start watching something and it puts it on the lock screen as a live activity. Then, when, predictably, I need to see who is in the show/movie we’re watching, I can tap it and quickly check the cast section. It’s also updated pretty frequently with new features. Letterboxd has a (much) better community and reviews section, but I think Trakt’s the better app. * Quick note: Blue Sky now lets me auto-post to it, so I’ve set up the Chorus account to pull in our news posts. Hopefully, Threads will follow suit soon. Sponsor Laika Songs has released the new song “Field of Vision” featuring Onelinedrawing. The song comes from the new album Slowly Spiraling Towards the Light available for digital download and vinyl pre-order at Bandcamp. Follow the band on Instagram, Spotify, and Bandcamp. In Case You Missed It * Interview: The Early November * Review: Underoath – They’re Only Chasing Safety * Adam Lewis of Fenix TX Passes Away * Riot Fest 2024 Announced * Something Corporate Tease New Music * Hopeless Records Announces New Compilation * The Used Announce New Tour * Alkaline Trio Announce New Tour * Spotify to Launch New Premium Plan * Albums in Stores – Jun 14th, 2024 Music Thoughts * It’s a pretty fun week for new music. The Early November’s new album is out, and it comes highly recommended. I know this may be blasphemy to some, but I actually think this might be their best album. Exceptional front to back. Just a damn solid alternative rock album that we don’t see much of these days. Great vocals, excellent songwriting, and an awesome entry into the band’s catalog. It’s right up there with In Currents for me now. * Florrie’s new album, The Lost Ones, also came out yesterday. It’s one of the best pop releases of the year so far, and so exactly in my wheelhouse, it’s comical. For fans of Sigrid, Carly Rae Jensen, or just summer’s here let’s dance pop music. I’m over here begging the world to take notice. * The new Said the Sky single featuring Boys Like Girls is a lot of fun. Their last album flew a little under the radar but had a lot of known collaborators on it. * The rest of my week was spent with a whole bunch of old favorites. The news of Adam Lewis’s passing had me returning to FenixTX’s discography. RIP. (Lechuza holds up so well all these years later.) It was also a big week for Allister’s Last Stop Suburbia. That’s one of those albums that screams “summer” to me. A quintessential pop-punk classic. They’re one of those bands where I could never really get into the rest of their discography. While they all had some good songs scattered throughout, I always thought they lacked the same fun vibes as this one. And I also had a fun time re-visiting Unwritten Law’s Elva this week. This one brings me right back to my freshman year of college and blaring this in the dorm with my college roommate. * Other albums that caught my eye this week included Talker’s 2022 release, In Awe of Insignificance, and Carly Cosgrove’s latest. I need to listen to the new Decemberists album, but I haven’t had time yet. The Stats: Over the past week, I listened to 37 different artists, 54 different albums, and 543 different tracks (634 scrobbles). Here is my Top 9 from last week, and you can follow me on Apple Music and/or Last.fm.… https://chorus.fm/features/articles/liner-notes-june-15th-2024/

[mywifeleftme]

178: Various Artists // The Paths of Pain: The CAIFE Label, Quito, 1960–68

The Paths of Pain: The CAIFE Label, Quito, 1960–68 Various Artists 2021, Honest Jon's (Bandcamp)

One of my favourite reissue compilations of recent years, Honest Jon’s The Paths of Pain: The CAIFE Label, Quito, 1960–68) collects recordings discovered in 2013 in the offices of impresario Carlos Rota after his death. The Quito, Ecuador-based CAIFE label had gone out of business more than 40 years before, and while at its height a number of regionally popular stars recorded for the label, its growth potential was hampered by the fact that few Ecuadorians owned record players in the 1960s. Based on the photographs and descriptions in the vivid liner notes by Ramona Stout, Rota was a compulsive hoarder (and general scoundrel), but despite the chaotic state of his storage, the tapes are uncannily pristine. (Being restored at Abbey Road no doubt helped as well!) When I hear traditional mestizo folk music, it’s nearly always on a battered 45 or through a rime of tape hiss even a diligent remastering engineer has failed to eliminate. Though with my inexpert ear I’d have guessed a vintage for these songs closer to the ‘30s or ‘40s than the ‘60s, the sound is crystal clear and untouched by contemporary studio gloss. Like unearthing a perfectly preserved music box from a fossil bed, there is something magical about hearing this delicate music with all its detail intact: intricate Spanish-influenced guitarwork, lovelorn vocal harmonies, quavering organs, even the occasional twinkle of a xylophone.

Stout attempts to hunt down information on all of the artists featured on the compilation with varying degrees of success. Of Biluka y Los Caníbales, she is able to not only share that the strange cartoony whistling sound featured on the recording is the artist blowing over a Ficus leaf laid flat on his tongue, but that he could play up to eight songs on each leaf before it became unusable. Of Los Iñaquingas, an Andean flute duo, she can tell us nearly nothing. In the case of Romany-Italian émigré Raul Emiliani, who contributes violin to a Gypsy jazz-inflected duet with pianist Héctor Bonilla, tracking down his still-living widow provides material for a wryly amusing miniature biography, including the detail that he once stole label head Carlos Rota’s car to settle an unpaid debt. These musicians’ individual stories weave together the narrative of Rota’s family (Carlos’s son Daniel headed the restoration project) with that of the musical era captured on these tapes—both a ‘pure’ distillation of Ecuador’s unique musical heritage, and one largely abandoned by younger generations in a more culturally globalized era.

The songs are sublime and sublimely sequenced. If there is a theme beyond their common provenance it is that the compilers have chosen to stick to songs of sorrow. While the album’s frequently chipper melodies makes for light, even easy listening, the translated lyrics helpfully provided tell a different story. Try “Sangrante Corazon / Bloody Heart” (performed by Hermanas Mendoza Suasti):

The bloody heart which you hold in your hands is granted eternal life when I may kiss your temples. Captive like this, I want to live. I exist in anguish, fearful of abandonment. In my martyrdom, sacrificed on the altars of oblivion, downcast, nonetheless my soul beams, when you’re near.

Or better still, “Desesperacion / Desperation” (Benítez y Valencia):

You live enchained to my memory, but still the poisoned claws of pain constantly dig into me. Ever since you crossed my path, like a hallucination, my fate is to follow you. Since then all I can think about is seeing myself in your wide eyes, suns of passion. Even if it impossible to adore you because my heart is in ashes. My pain makes you out dimly, like the shadow of a cloud. In the end, if you leave, my darling, you abandon me to pain, and so I hide, in despair, crying for love. In the end, without your love, I’ll die in desperation, from love, from pain.

Goddamn. But the searing intensity of the lyrics’ anguish isn’t a great leap from the jaunty English murder ballad, or the wave of drownings and vehicular suicides going on in contemporaneous American pop. The songs on the CAIFE tapes hold on to something luminous in loss—and like all beautiful lost things, give off an unmistakable glow to those who find them.

178/365

[oneadaymadonna]

Love Don’t Live Here Anymore.Like a Virgin.Madonna.

Madonna: The One-A-Day Complete Discography

Significance and Analysis of "Love Don't Live Here Anymore"

"Love Don't Live Here Anymore," originally by Rose Royce, is a soulful ballad that delves into the heartache and desolation following the end of a cherished relationship. The song's enduring appeal lies in its raw emotional honesty and the universal experience of love lost. Its lyrics articulate a profound sense of abandonment, encapsulated by the imagery of a home now devoid of love.

Why Madonna Chose to Cover It

Madonna's decision to cover "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" for her "Like a Virgin" album stemmed from a suggestion by Michael Ostin of Warner Bros. Records. Despite initial apprehensions, Madonna and producer Nile Rodgers saw the song's inclusion as an opportunity to diversify the album and explore deeper emotional territory. Madonna's personal affinity for the song also played a crucial role in its selection. This choice highlighted her willingness to tackle challenging material and demonstrate her artistic versatility.

Cultural and Thematic Significance

Originally not a disco track but rather a soulful ballad, "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" carries significant cultural weight for its emotional depth and the innovative use of the Pollard Syndrum, lending it a distinctive sound that resonated with audiences. 

The Pollard Syndrum is an electronic drum synthesizer, notable for being one of the first electronic drums that allowed musicians to play synthesized drum sounds in real-time. Developed in the mid-1970s by Joe Pollard, the Syndrum offered a range of sounds that went beyond the capabilities of traditional acoustic drums, including synthesized tones that could be adjusted in pitch, tone, and decay. This meant that drummers could produce sounds ranging from traditional drum sounds to completely novel, electronically generated tones that were not possible with acoustic drum kits.

Within the song "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" by Rose Royce, the Pollard Syndrum serves a significant function by adding a distinctive electronic texture to the song's arrangement. Its use in the track was innovative for its time, providing a unique sonic character that helped set the song apart from other soul and R&B tracks of the era. The Syndrum's sound reverbs contribute to the emotional and atmospheric depth of the song, enhancing the overall feeling of melancholy and loss. The ability to adjust the pitch and decay of the drum sounds allowed for a more expressive and dynamic percussion part, which could mirror the song's emotional nuances more closely than traditional drums.

In essence, the Pollard Syndrum enriched "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" by offering a new palette of sounds for the producers and musicians to work with, enabling them to craft a more textured and emotionally resonant musical backdrop that complemented the song's themes and vocal performance. Its inclusion is a testament to the song's innovative production and the willingness of its creators to experiment with new technologies to achieve a specific artistic vision.

The song's themes of love, loss, and emotional vacancy are timeless, making it relatable across generations.

Differences Between Madonna's and Rose Royce's Versions

Madonna's rendition, while faithful to the emotional core of the original, introduces a slightly different melodic arrangement, especially evident in the 1995 version featured on her compilation album "Something to Remember." This version employs classical instruments and a more pronounced use of violins and Uilleann pipes, adding a layer of dramatic intensity to the song. Additionally, Madonna's vocal delivery—ranging from high-pitched tones to a soulful depth—along with the inclusion of modern remixes, showcases her ability to reinterpret the song while maintaining its heartfelt essence.

Critically, Madonna's version received mixed reviews, with some appreciating the emotional depth she brought to the song and others critiquing her vocal performance. Despite this, the song's inclusion in her discography and its subsequent music video directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino demonstrate her commitment to artistic expression, even when exploring the works of others.

Conclusion

"Love Don't Live Here Anymore" stands as a poignant exploration of love's aftermath, with both the Rose Royce and Madonna versions offering unique interpretations that resonate with listeners. Madonna's decision to cover the song reflects her artistic curiosity and her desire to engage with complex emotional landscapes, further cementing her status as a versatile and emotionally attuned artist. While differing in arrangement and production, both versions maintain the song's thematic core, capturing the universal experience of navigating through the remnants of love.