#Natural EP (Remixes)

[aanglican]

lists of changes in natla that make no sense vs are actually good:

the nonsensical

yue and hahn are not betrothed → yue has no duty to her tribe represented by her betrothal to hahn. i don’t really care about her being a waterbender or a priestess but hmmm why go as far as to do this? her whole character was about duty and sacrifice for the greater good.

katara not being the one to cause aang’s discovery

the winter solstice. i understand why there’s little roku (having him around more means the topic of the comet’s return will come up, which the writers want to avoid unless they get confirmation for s2) but hei bai? we spend his and roku’s episode with koh the face stealer, wan shi tong, and the three tailed fox instead. and for what?

kyoshi narrating the intro. god why. what was wrong with katara telling her own war story? who in the crew likes kyoshi so much as to do this?

aang not waterbending in a season dedicated to the element of water 🗿

the nwt arc being shortened (thanks for the 8 eps, netflix) and pakku not training katara before the attack by the fire nation

the good

the 41st division reveal AHHHHH *throws things around*

watching ozai play mind games with both his children and seeing him in the same frame as iroh, actually interacting with him

an earth kingdom soldier confronting iroh over his crimes at the 600 day siege of ba sing se… we needed that so bad, END THAT (self-forgiving) FRAUD!

remixing king of omashu + northern air temple + jet in one episode. it was fun and idgaf what anyone else says.

king bumi being as whimsical as he is resentful & showing us the bitterness that comes with age and a century of warring

the mayor of kyoshi island being suki’s mother & seeing the consequences of its isolationist nature on the people, especially suki

azula shown taking over omashu in the finale

the prologue. slay.

[anakinsafterlife]

Thoughts on WoT Season 2 (eps 1-5)

I finally caught up with all of the posted episodes of The Wheel of Time (until ep 5, which is where we are now), and the show has really exceeded expectations in every possible way. It has shuffled and remixed many aspects of the books in order, presumably, to fit such an extensive storyline into the limitations of a modern show. But the modifications have cut out so much of the filler that began to make the books dull for me over time. I do understand that as a strategic thinker, a graduate of a military academy, Jordan conceived of war on a global scale and all of the tangled politics that entailed, but what often ended up happening was that the main characters, to whom we have grown attached, were cut out of their own books. The show returns us to a narrow focus. The global scale is still present, but the drama plays out on a personal level.

As for that personal level, the showrunners and writers have done a magnificent job with my own favourite characters, Rand, Lanfear, and Ishamael. There's so much delicious tension between all three of them, and the actress that was cast for Lanfear was as stunning, as darkly gorgeous, as she was always meant to be. The scene in the dream when she speaks to Ishamael in ep 5 was absolutely breathtaking. She looked like a living doll. Yet we were also given fantastic glimpses of her monstrous nature when Ishamael releases her dripping in blood, as if emerging from the womb, and also when Moiraine cuts her throat. The tension between her beauty and her monstrosity is magnificently maintained throughout.

Most surprisingly of all, perhaps, is the great work that was done in humanizing the Aes Sedai. Moiraine's younger sister, who now appears decades older due to the slow aging of channellers, gives the story not only an entrance into Cairhienen high society, but also an insight into Moiraine's own sacrifices and hubris. I loved the woman that was cast as her sister. She portrays the power-playing noblewoman gorgeously. This is a character who is fiercely ambitious and who carries the burden of her own dashed dreams of channelling and the difficulty of seeing her sister age in half-time, even as she struggles to achieve her own goals in her twilight years. There are a number of hints of the early to mid 18th century European courts here, but the story also never lets us forget that it takes place in a distant, decimated future.

Then there's the tragedy of Liandrin, a character who was singularly unlikable in the books, but has been given here fierce and universally sympathetic motive for her actions. Her story is perhaps the most human of all in this new season, and one which is all but guaranteed to end in ruin.

[fandomsandassortedgoods]

Thoughts on new Frasier based on first 5 episodes:

keeping old short intro theme A+

keeping outro but remixed A+

keeping intro animation, outro silent skit, transitions cards A+

was wondering how the show was gonna deal with the og Frasier ending with Frasier moving to San Francisco even though it now takes place in Boston and I see he became a talk show host with a funny hat lmao

parallels of somewhat estranged father and son reconnecting after (in both cases) Frasier moved to their city and they move in together, I like it

MARTYYY AHHH ;-; flew out for his grandson..... I wonder if Freddie was inspired to become a firefighter from his grandfather

holy shit Frasier how much money do you have

called it Freddie was gonna be gay, then the show double subverted me with the baby which was pleasantly surprising, I'm usually good at calling sitcoms shot for shot but they got me lol

David is gonna be outright confirmed as autistic one ep just watch

I wonder how Niles feels that his son adores his brother lmao

YES you can very much tell this is Niles's and Daphne's child

idk how I feel about Alan, he's not annoying so far at least

Freddie is great grown up with a total 180 from the mini-Frasier he was as a kid

that said I'm glad they remember his intellectual upbringing and you can see that in stuff like the trivia night episode

delicious irony again in the father/son parallel but this time the dad is snooty and the son is athletic

so far imo David is the funniest character, love us an orphan

Eve is okay, not a huge fan thus far but I'm glad she's not just babybabybaby

Olivia is a bit crazy and I like that

glad we still have the emotional moments in between all the comedy, that first episode got heavy at the end and I'm here for it

overall it feels like a natural continuation from og Frasier even though it skipped what happened in the immediate ending of that show and jumped ahead, likely so we could have adult Freddie in the show and teenage David

not as funny as og Frasier but give it time, it still has that Frasier writing and charm even though characters like Niles and Daphne are very much missed

WHERE ROZ

[youleftandnevercomeback]

Selena Gomez & the Scene

Kiss & Tell (2009)

Release: September 29th Hollywood Records

A Year Without Rain (2010)

Release: September 21st Hollywood Records

When the Sun Goes Down (2011)

Release: June 28 Hollywood Records

EP Naturally (The Remixes) (2010)

Release: March 9 Label: Hollywood Records

EP Hit the Lights (Remixes) (2012)

Release: January 20 Label: Hollywood Records

The Club Remixes (2010)

Released: December 21, 2010 Label: Hollywood Records

Artist Karaoke Series: Selena Gomez & Scene (2011)

Released: September 13, 2011 Label: Hollywood Records

[afrobeatsindacity]

BNXN IS REACHING FOR THE STARS

Can anyone tell at what exact point Bnxn became a household name in Nigerian music? Formerly known as Buju To Your Ears, or Buju, the silk-tongued serenader has made such a natural progression in the industry in the last four years that we haven't had time to track his progression. It seems now so long ago since he was the young twitter artist repeatedly begging for a verse from rapper Zlatan for an upcoming song. When that feature eventually came through, on 2019's "Spiritual", it became the catapult that pushed a niche artist into local popularity.

But it wasn't until he partnered with Burna Boy, the self-styled African Giant, that he could be described as a mainstream Nigerian artiste. The two teamed up on the remix of BNXN's 2019 single, "L'enu", where Bnxn was assured and daring, swimming in the confidence of his own ability, even though he was still in the lower rungs of Nigerian music ladder—"Tell me what I cannot do" he boasts on the chorus over Steph's spunky beat. The African Giant's verse came later, and by the end, the song's message was passed across, its theme unmissable: these men are gutsy in their own abilities and they intend to approach the next stages of their careers with an unwavering confidence. It was therefore no surprise that Burna Boy immediately signed Bnxn to his own label, spaceship records.

After a single song released under the label, "So Lovely" in late 2020, Buju parted with spaceship records after a year, choosing not to renew his contract. But his upward trajectory remained unhalted. In mid 2021 he was called up by Ladipoe for "Feeling", where Buju was charged with providing a sunny, falsetto-infused backdrop to the rapper's faster-paced hip-hop verses. It is a tried and true formula, and Bnxn's execution is near-flawless. His chorus, a depiction of a guy unbothered by stress and basking in a worry-free reality, rang from the lips of Nigerian youth as the unofficial song of the summer of 2021.

On "Outside", released in mid-2021, the crooner chose this time to delve into his work ethic and commitment to his craft as he sang about how he prioritises the work of creating new music over fun-seeking outings. He also took a moment to dwell briefly on his journey here, on the first verse, "Omo in the first stage, I made mistakes I swear". The slower pace and gentler tone of the song were evidently well appreciated, as "Outside" was a fixture on the top 10 of the different Nigerian streaming charts for weeks to come.

In late 2021, it was time for a debut EP, which Bnxn named Sorry I'm Late, with its title acknowledging his delay in releasing a debut project, which was indeed strange for a time when rising acts capitalise on their growing popularity by releasing an EP. What came as no shock, however, was the high level of confidence and talent on display. By naming the opener after himself, BNXN made a statement of self-assuredness and revealed an intent to make his mark on the music world. Lines like "You know my sound is on fire/ You know my melody on fire" may read as unnecessary braggadocio to a new listener, but day 1 fans are well acquainted with the dexterity of his songwriting and quality of his delivery—his melody really is on fire. The EP was altogether a resounding success and represented another milestone passed in the young singer's career.

While Sorry I'm Late cemented his place in Nigeria's mainstream, it was two features that arrived on both sides of it that brought the most momentum to his international career. First was "Mood", on Wizkid’s Grammy-nominated Made In Lagos, where the two produced a flawless collaboration, taking turns to glide on P2J's mellow percussion. Its mellow groove and slinky vocal duet drew parallels with "Essence", the Tems-featuring smash from the standard version of Made In Lagos, and while it didn't quit achieve those chart-topping heights, it became Bnxn's biggest international effort. That was until "Finesse", where Bnxn starred beside music producer turned music star, Pheelz, for the track that proved transcendental to their individual careers, establishing Pheelz's new status as an artist and providing thrust to Bnxn's international flight.

The song initially made waves as a viral tiktok snippet was eventually released in mid-March following a massive clamour from fans, and it wasted no time climbing up the charts, peaking at no 1 on the UK's official Afrobeats charts, with appearances on UK official charts proper and the novel Billboard Afrobeats chart. It was released barely two weeks after Buju officially became Bnxn, so it was an exquisite way of stamping his new identity. Another collaboration later in the year, this time with UK based producer JAE5 and rapper Dave for "Propeller", helped strengthen inroads to the UK scene.

As these songs pushed Bnxn's international profile, his position at home was similarly growing. In May 2022, the Headies, Nigeria's premier music award, announced its nominees for the year's honours and Bnxn got a nomination for the Next Rated category, awarded to the emerging artist who shows the biggest potential to place amongst Nigeria's biggest acts in the near future. Bnxn received a nod after the amazing year he had, but he was placed alongside Ayra Starr, Ruger, Lojay and Zinoleesky, all of whom had made excellent use of the year under review. With the Headies announcing that the winner would emerge with a brand new Bentley Bentayga, it added fuel to what was already a heated competition.

Bnxn would eventually emerge the winner of this tight contest, and a week before the ceremony, he provided even more proof of why no one was more deserving. This came in his second studio EP, Bad Since '97. Here Bnxn built on the themes of his debut—his unwavering belief in himself and his music talent—with his writing and exquisite vocal delivery once more providing both the vehicle and for this substantiation of his self-confidence.

On his latest album, Sincerely, Benson, released earlier this month, Bnxn reiterated all of this self-belief, fulfilling the promise he has displayed all of his career. On the 15-track LP, Bnxn chronicles love and heartbreak, but approaches this subject from a mature, not often seen perspective: as the man making a sincere apology to the woman he loved and hurt. Songs like "Pidgin And English", "Regret", "Sweet Tea" and "Realize" tie into this narrative, yet Bnxn finds room for his characteristic cockiness: his very first words on the album are "Leave am for me/ Emi lokan", warding off the competition and propping himself up as a maestro in the music space.

As Bnxn continues to soar, old promises of potential become fulfilled even as he forebodes more to come. His next goal would be to establish his name indelibly in international markets, but If his four years in the industry thus far have shown us anything, it is that the next step always comes just as surely as the last for Bnxn.

This article was written by Afrobeats City Contributor Ezema Patrick - @ezemapatrick (Twitter)

Afrobeats City doesn’t own the right to the images

[studentofetherium]

i think everyone who cares about copyright should know this song, because in a way, this song is an important part of copyright history

prior to 1991, Negativland was mildly successful for an indie band. they were popular in culture jamming subculture for their eclectic brand of pop culture sound collages. however, despite their niche nature, several years prior, they made national news when it began to be reported that a teenager killed his parents with an ax after listening to their song Christianity is Stupid. this was a fabrication of the band, but no one bothered to check the story and it blew up anyway. this gave the band a new burst in popularity

in 1991, they decided to release a remix EP featuring a mix of U2's hit song, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For combined with a leaked profanity-laden rant by radio host Casey Kasem

due to the packaging, the band U2 claimed that it violated their copyright. the band wanted to fight this in court, as they claimed that this was under fair use, but rather than fight it, the band's label immediately stopped selling the EP and settled the issue

suffice to say, Negativland were pissed. they were already a group of commie pinkos who believed in an extreme approach to copyright, but this only further radicalized them. while copyright was a minor part of their ethos before the U2 incident, it quickly became one of their driving focuses. they spent the next two years trapped in a legal battle with their label that finally ended with their freedom, and once they were free, the band began focusing on copyright

while their first release after leaving their label was the appropriately named and themed Free, they would soon after release a book and accompanying album, Fair Use: The Story of the Letter U and the Numeral 2. the book detailed their lawsuits with U2 and their label as well as information about copyright and how the original release fell under fair use

over the last decade, with the rise of automated takedowns on websites such as youtube or twitch, copyright and fair use have become much more notable controversies for normal people. Negativland, as prescient as they ever were, beat the public to that thought by over two decades. this isn't exactly some big dramatic story that will completely change the way you look at copyright, but i recommend looking more into the U2 drama and Negativland in general if you want some insight into a band who was always three steps ahead of the rest of the world

[possibilistfanfiction]

your latest rebloghad me snickering i never have understood the obsession with her. anything youve been listening to lately that you rec for someone looking for something new?

ok before anyone comes for me lmfao i do want to say that i generally find her music mostly fine, sometimes good, occasionally a song will make me absolutely feral for no discernible reason lol. i think she's an eco-terrorist basically but like... her music is fine & ppl being normal fans is... normal lol

what is BEYOND to me is when ppl will literally like... post abt her like she's their friend, or defend her music when like sometimes artists u like make mediocre shit! that's fine! lol like i have two lorde tattoos & i do think overall as a project solar power is beautiful & cool but was it earth-shattering like pure heroine or melodrama? no! which is fine! i don't need it to be! i also have no idea what lorde is doing day to day lol

also i will say i love pop. i love being a fan of pop. i think the world runs on pop music & it should! i named my dog after charli xcx! not everything i listen to (or consume in general) aligns with my personal politic of a free palestine & a free world! my ultimate weakness is drag race! so the level of insanity surrounding taylor swift (& beyonce tbh) by (at least in my community) gay white men (or gay men trying to perform whiteness / gain proximity to it) is just... bonkers! i could go on about this forever but i will not lol. [if u like podcasts tho, a bit fruity did an ep on the political power of taylor swift which is quite interesting. their episode becoming a woman with miss benny also talks abt gayness, femininity, & pop (in an illuminating way!!) -- check them out if u want!!]

ANYWAY SORRY. some stuff i'm currently loving:

tierra whack's new album whack world. super funky, smart, heartfelt, she's the weirdest in the game & we are all better for it

BRAT ERA BABEY aka charli xcx's new singles. my favorite is club classics atm but B2b & von dutch (& the remix w/ addison rae) are summer bops. can't wait to be drunk on the beach listening to them

constantly going back to ethel cain's preacher's daughter, especially when i'm in nature w/ char. it's one of my favorite albums of all time; so fucking beautiful. hymns.

as the world's no1 bangerz apologist, & bc of jojo siwa being absolutely delulu & kind of iconic lately, i've been returning to 2013 miley for a laugh, & bc that album is so good. feels rly sad now? idk. her cover of jolene ate so hard no one will ever come close, sry

random but a cover of breezeblocks by taylor rae

honestly also whatever i loved II MOST WANTED lmao. it's gay. the only reason ppl are saying it's not is bc beyonce is on the track. it's gay i will die on this hill

lastly listening to a lot of lonnie holley

[fantastickkay]

Album Review of the Week: Selena Gomez - Revelación (2021)

In 2021, Selena Gomez released her first prominently Spanish collection - Revelación. If you have heard her contribution to the 2012 remix of Selena (Quintanilla's) Bidi Bidi Bom Bom, you know this is a huge improvement! I am not a native speaker, but fluent enough to know that was pretty bad. Anyway, this time around she sounds much more comfortable with the language!

De Una Vez serves as the opening track as well as the lead single. It is a calm and breezy tune, perfect for a "chill" playlist for a spring day. It makes good use of her laid back vocal styling.

Buscando Amor brings in those reggaeton beats that have been popular the last few years. While this song sounds good, it is a bit trend chasing and lacks its own unique sound to separate it from the crowd and make it memorable. Her vocals are also a bit tight in this one, something about it sounds off although that can happen naturally when using a different language.

Baila Conmigo features Rauw Alejandro whose voice I do not like, although I do enjoy the general melody. It does not have the tempo of your standard dance track, but I like that it seems more slow and deliberate. I can picture two people sparring on the dancefloor, daring the other person to break the tension.

Dámelo To' is probably my favorite song on this EP. Something about this one does stand out from the crowd. It is almost like the previous track was a warm up so that you will be ready to dance to this one! It's still on the slower side but the beats are heavy enough that your hip can't lie - they gotta move!

Vicio is another one where her voice sounds kind of weird, though it may be the mixing this time. Other than that, this one is decent enough but again just doesn't really stand out.

Adiós sounds quite similar to the previous track in terms of production and melody, just more upbeat. I do like the delivery of "Ad-ios" throughout, that puts some more fun and sass into it which I like to see! There are also more interesting things happening with the instrumentation and vocals at the 2 minute mark as we get a hint of a bridge (this whole EP is the victim of the 2020s bridge drought).

The EP closes out with the bilingual track Selfish Love. This one has a really nice beat, with accents that make it sound like this belongs in an H&M - but that's not inherently bad! I enjoy it.

Overall, this is a nice EP and a great milestone for Selena's career and discography, but it seems more doing trendy Spanish songs for the sake of doing trendy Spanish songs since there isn't really anything different or groundbreaking happening if you compare it to what is popular in the genre, more chasing trends than building upon to create something new.

[jkflesh]

For this special occasion, we are pleased to present 'Veneer of Tolerance' Mix recorded by Justin K Broadrick through his JK Flesh moniker. A sonic immersion into the two intense projects curated and released with the Birmingham-producer.

A 62-minute mix of sounds including some tracks from 'Veneer of Tolerance' EP released in June 2022 and the reinterpretations featured in the recently released 'JK Flesh Remixes'.

JK Flesh - Will All Be Done

JK Flesh - Will All Be Done (Psyk Remix)

JK Flesh - Human | Nature (Reeko Remix)

JK Flesh - Empty Words (Rrose Remix)

JK Flesh - Urge

JK Flesh - Veneer of Tolerance (Steve Bicknell Remix)

JK Flesh - Veneer of Tolerance (Zadig Remix)

JK Flesh - Veneer of Tolerance (Steve Bicknell Outro)

JK Flesh - Empty Words

JK Flesh - Empty Words (Huren Remix)

JK Flesh - Veneer of Tolerance (Samuel Kerridge Remix)

JK Flesh - Human | Nature

JK Flesh - The Stranger (JK Flesh Revisit)

[joemuggs]

Albums of 2023 part 4

RIGHT where were we? Continuing from part 3... Let's get through this before January is out shall we? Last stretch... Listening to this 10/10 LP I realised that the only real peer Kristin Hersh has is J Mascis: always different but always the same, always tapped into the eternal flow of weird, sad, America, always writing, playing and singing brilliantly year-in-year-out.

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭you can hear Ryuichi Sakamoto breathing on this 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Talking of always different always the same, Slowdive were built to age gracefully weren't they? Even so, though, it's pretty startling how they continue to do work right up there with their very best all these years later. Proper safety blanket of an LP this.

In a golden age for soul/R&B, Mahalia is royalty. She just keeps growing as an artist and this is easily her best album yet - perfectly hits that sweet spot between R&B, neo-soul and pop and just sounds *classic* from head to toe. World class.

I would watch the absolute shit out of the Tarkovskyan meditation on scale and emptiness that this amazing instrumental album by Vince Clarke would be the soundtrack for. The void staring back at you! ⚫️👀⚫️

Kerfuffle aside, Róisín was firing on all cylinders here. This doesn't have the deadly focus of Róisín Machine (what could?) - rather, like Hairless Toys and Take Her up to Monto, it takes time to unpack - but it's a sprawling wonderland of a record, brilliantly structured, and a fine addition to her immense discography. Interviewed her (pre kerfuffle) for the Substack...

It baffles me how consistently Loraine James is able to sonically express complex emotions that don't have names - and how she's able to use all the tropes of "cerebral" music, but smash the ivory tower and make it feel like it has purpose out in the world and is just a natural way to communicate.

Before, on her EPs, Yaeji built her tunes on house, hip hop or other recognisable grooves - but on her debut album, it's an explosion of everything. The confidence to transcend the myriad influences and create something so pop, so weird, and so singular is incredible.

Here's a weird one I only just came across as the year was ending. Mary Lovett, straight outta Norfolk, makes more unique, grown-up electropop: but this is mystical, insinuating, mischievous and very peculiar indeed. Feels like a subversive cabaret of the mind.

While we're on peculiar, grown-up, mystical Norfolk electropop - ah ok maybe more gothy postpunk with a bit of rave thrown in - Maria Uzor smashed it out the park with this. Makes me want to do really jerky interpretive dance in a room full of misfits - and made us want to shoot/interview her for the Substack!

Another artist who just grows with each release - Nabihah Iqbal hit new levels here. It's so deluxe, so poetic, so morning after the rave, really tapped into deep historical streams of New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Slowdive and co, but resolutely not retro...

I have listened to this Yazmin Lacey record SO MANY TIMES, it's just vibes upon vibes upon vibes, also I keep playing fantasy football with dream remixers for each song, also she radiated charisma and wit on stage at We Out Here. A star.

Amazing voice, amazing poetry, witty af ("dickhead blues!") yet stab you in the heart serious, ancient yet modern, lo-fi yet lavish, INCREDIBLE arrangements, absolutely staggering stuff from Kara Jackson.

This is both a deep, literate, endlessly fascinating songwriter LP that you can pore over endlessly, and taps into the very purest essences of house music - what more could you want? Interesting political / environmental / regional backstory too. AMCA absolutely rule.

In a year of phoned-in, arbitrarily-sequenced rap albums, CasIsDead's Famous Last Words stood out like a skinned thumb: this is an A-L-B-U-M album - with narrative, leitmotifs, a view on life that's the definition of "unflinching", gorgeous music, wordplay for days, and a finale that'll make your heart fall out... just stunning.

Almost forgot this was 2023 as Tuulikki gave me the LP at a festival in Oct 2022 - and I’ve had it on rotation ever since including in DJ sets. Modernist folk-classical composition for accordion +++ - really special and gets under your skin.

In a year riddled with great grown-up electropop / dance pop albums, Hifi Sean and David McAlmont were kings. This is what bittersweet accumulated life experience sounds like and it's WONDERFUL. Proud to have interviewed them both - Sean here / David here - for the Substack about it, and both were amazing value.

TWO stunning meditative records from Beirut coming up, both epitomes of Soft Music for Hard Times. First Mayssa Jallad on the new Six Of Swords label with an amazing dark but weightless singer-songwriter album - imagine a Lebanese Windy & Carl? A real experience of taking a step into someone else's dream record, this.

And then puppeteer (!!) Yara Asmar with mostly instrumental soundscapes which like the Jallad album exist in an isolationist dream space and are impossibly sad and lovely with glimmers of forlorn hope, laments for a broken world etc etc, just wonderful stuff. Also the THIRD appearance for Brighton's Hive Mind label in this list.

Another very grown up record! Ever-thoughtful Scrimshire was clearly in brooding mode in the studio, lots of darkness to this - but it's gorgeous too, and you know what, it's up there with Yussef Dayes as far as UK jazz versatility and ambition goes!

AND FINALLY!!!! 32 minutes of - yes - PURE PLEASURE. So so good, and so needed in bleak times, to hear Janelle Monae cutting loose with total fun and confidence like this, I just LOVE it.

That's it... 95 records. All have given me joy in the last year, and I hope some of them do you too.

[igazikutya]

Zajok a nappaliból - 2023 TOP12 LP és EP/Single megjelenései

Top 12 LP – 2023

1. NVST - Filled with Oil [2023, Les Disques Magnétiques][LP] 2. Beau Wanzer - A Dead Person's Monologue [2023, iDEAL][LP] 3. The Orb & David Gilmour - Metallic Spheres In Colour [2023, Sony][LP]

4. Flesh & The Dream - Choose Mortality [2023, Everything Forever][LP] 5. VC-118A - Waves Of Change[2023, Delsin][EP] 6. Judgitzu - Sator Arepo [2023, Nyege Nyege Tapes][LP]

7. Years Of Denial - Suicide Disco Vol. 2 [2023, VEYL][LP] 8. PANGAR - Position [2023, Pangar][LP] 9. Benedikt Frey - Fastlane [2023, ESP Institute][LP]

10. Anatolian Weapons - Earth [2023, Subject To Restrictions Discs][LP] 11. Deadbeat - Kubler-Ross Soliloquies [2023, BLKRTZ][LP] 12. Ultramarine - Send And Return [2023, Blackford Hill][LP]

13. Artefakt - Floodplain [2023, Semantica][EP] 14. Totek – ttk. 1 [2023, Darker Than Wax][LP] 15. Paul St. Hilaire - Tikiman Vol.1 [2023, Kynant][LP] 16. Cosmo Vitelli - Medhead Remixes [2023, Im a Cliche][Rmx-LP] 17. Scotch Rolex & Shackleton - Death by Tickling [2023, Silver Triplet][LP] 18. African Head Charge - A Trip To Bolgatanga [2023, On-U Sound][LP] 19. Harmonious Thelonious - Cheapo Sounds [2023, Bureau B][LP] 20. Legowelt - The MidiVerb Chalice [2023, Axumisia][EP] 21. Labelle - Noir Anima [2023, InFiné Éditions & Eumolpe][LP] 22. Pris - Phantom [2023, Resin][LP] 23. Saint Abdullah & Eomac - Chasing Stateless [2023, Planet Mu][LP] 24. Andrea - Due In Color [2023, Illian Tapes][LP]

25. Maps and Diagrams - A Study Of Ends Or Purpose[2023, Handstitched][LP] 26. The Black Dog - My Brutal Life [2023, Dust Science][LP] 27. Tolouse Low Trax - Leave Me Alone [2023, Bureau B][LP] 28. Actress - LXXXVIII [2023, Ninja Tune][LP] 29. Marmo - Epistolae [2023, Utter][LP] 30. VHS Head - Phocus [2023, Skam][LP] 31. Froid Dub - Deep Blue Bass [2023, Delodio][LP] 32. Fire & Adrian Sherwood - Fire [2023, Salgari][LP] 33. Mioclono - Cluster I [2023, Hivern Discs][LP] 34. Cristian Vogel - Fase Montuno [2023, Edition Mille Plateaux][LP] 35. Vanishing Twin - Afternoon X [2023, Fire][LP] 36. Suzanne Ciani & Jonathan Fitoussi - Golden Apples of the Sun [2023, Transversales Disques][LP]

Top 12 EP/Single – 2023

1. Orphx - Revenant [2023, Self-Released][EP] 2. Univac - MagnetFunk [2023, 30D ExoPlanets][EP] 3. Toribio - Tongue In Cheeks [2023, BDA][EP]

4. Djedjotronic - Smog on the Dancefloor [2023, Italo Moderni][EP] 5. Khidja - Transmissions Part 1 [2023, Malka Tuti][EP] 6. Laksa - Body Score [2023, RE_LAX][EP]

7. Al Wootton - Vitus [2023, Optimo Music][S] 8. Talaboman - Bosca Bosca - Bosco Bosco [2023, Night Land][S] 9. Coco Bryce - Canaan [2023, MYOR][S]

10. Humanoid - Sweet Acid Sound [2023, De_tuned][EP] 11. Viels - Distorted Reality [2023, Dynamic Reflection][EP] 12. Na Nich - Black Soil [2023, Delsin][EP]

13. Ancient Methods - The Third Siren [2023, Persephonic Sirens][EP] 14. Civilistjävel! - Fyra Platser [2023, FELT][EP] 15. Jerome Hill - Crude Appraisal [2023, Super Rhythm Trax][EP] 16. Pugilist - Negative Space [2023, Of Paradise][EP] 17. Jeff Mills - X-Ray Zulu [2023, Axis][EP] 18. Rhys Fulber - Brutal Nature Redux [2023, FR][EP] 19. Priori & Al Wootton - Flaw [2023, Trule][EP] 20. Orphx - The Way Through All Things [2023, Sonic Groove][EP] 21. Lew E - Touched / Teardrop [2023, Basic Spirit][S] 22. Yaleesa Hall - Newman [2023, Will & Ink][S] 23. DYL - Fjord [2023, Nous'klaer Audio][EP] 24. Ayaz - Unpinned [2023, phase group][EP]

25. nueen - Link [2023, 3XL][EP] 26. Blawan - Dismantled Into Juice [2023, XL][EP] 27. Sepehr - Diaspora Cocktail [2023, Planet Euphorique][EP] 28. interferenc - pH4R [2023, Self-Released][EP] 29. Khidja - Transmissions Part 2 [2023, Malka Tuti][EP] 30. Soreab - Maschera [2023, Baroque Sunburst][EP] 31. Sabatoj - I.C.U. [2023, Katharsis][EP] 32. Terrain - Corners [2023, Varmal][EP] 33. Luke Slater & Dubfire - The Dissent [2023, Mote-Evolver][EP] 34. Dino Sabatini - Opera Quattro [2023, Outis Music][EP] 35. Domenico Crisci & Retina.it - Diorama [2023, Semantica][EP] 36. Benedikt Frey - Recall [2023, Malka Tuti][EP]

[still-single]

HEATHEN DISCO ep. 335 streaming now

HOUR 1

Mark – For Your Own Personal Ends

Cymande – Dove

Vaughan Mason & Crew – Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll Pt. 2

Natural Information Society – Immemorial

Invisible Man’s Band – Rent Strike

Jane Inc. – 2120

Astaron – St. John’s Fire

Total Control – Paranoid Video

Chasms – Parallel

Rob Mazurek / Exploding Star Orchestra – White River

Ron Morelli – Tangled Trap of Love

HOUR 2

Curve – Coast Is Clear

DAF – El Que

The Flowerpot Men – Beat City

Bastro – Recidivist

Access Denied – No Way Back

The Good Samaritans – Gaskya-Kace

Shawn Maxwell – Appointment with…

Invisible Man’s Band – All Night Thing

City Boy – 5.7.0.5

Guy – Spend the Night

Tristan Disco – Social Dance (Krikor Remix)

Maurice Poto Doudongo – Passport Train

Shudder to Think – X-French Tee Shirt

Fire-Toolz – Paraclete Bhishajyati

Jana Horn – In Between

HOUR 3

Cherubs – Dreamin’

Connections - Lorraine

The Sundays – A Certain Someone

Morgan and the Organ Donors – So Dark

Hard Stuff – Jay Time

Cherokee – Girl, I’ve Got News For You

Dust – Chasin’ Ladies

Rock Island – I Keep on Tryin’

Sir Lord Baltimore – Lady of Fire

Crabby Appleton – Go Back

KVL – Absent Crash

Budgie – Breadfan

The Gun Club – Sex Beat

Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys – Nobody Else

Television Personalities – This Angry Silence

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions – My Bag

HOUSE of ALL – Dominus Rumine

[bestgorillazpoll]

hello gorillaz nation!!

because i have far too much time on my hands, i thought it would be fun to make a poll for gorillaz songs, pitting them against each other in a fight to the death until the one true best gorillaz song emerges victorious.

this poll is made up of 150 songs total, comprised of every song from the main 7 albums, as well as the fall, d-sides, some songs from g-sides, and the various EPs and side songs that have been released throughout the years. it does not, however, include laika come home, or any live or remixed versions of songs already featured on the poll.

this poll will not include a bracket system, because i don't want to. after every round is completed, the remaining songs will be once again sorted into new randomised pairs, to try and make things as fair as possible.

round one will be released in several parts across multiple days, to make things less overwhelming for both myself and all of you. whenever possible, I will include a screenshot of lyrics from both songs on each poll, in case anyone is unfamiliar with the songs and/or their titles.

find the current song matchups below! i'll see you all at the beginning of round one.

5/4 vs. 911

Intro (Demon Days) vs. Hallelujah Money

The Swagga vs. Captain Chicken

Interlude: The Elephant vs. The Joplin Spider

White Light vs. Bill Murray

MLS vs. Out of Body

Spitting out the Demons vs. Simplicity

Pirate Jet vs. Andromeda

Sweepstakes vs. Rock the House

Tomorrow Comes Today vs. Punk

Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach vs. Revolving Doors

Detroit vs. Humility

Momentary Bliss vs. Strobelite

The Lost Chord vs. Some Kind of Nature

Interlude: New World vs. Momentz

Tranz vs. Phoner to Arizona

Sex Muder Party vs. Last Living Souls

Chalk Tablet Towers vs. The Apprentice

Superfast Jellyfish vs. Fire Coming out of the Monkey's Head

We Got The Power vs. The Sounder

Charger vs. Dirty Harry

M1 A1 vs. Empire Ants

Plastic Beach vs. All Alone

Feel Good Inc vs. Idaho

O Green World vs. Halfway to the Halfway House

Ticker Tape vs. The Tired Influencer

Cracker Island vs. California and the Slipping of the Sun

Silent Running vs. How Far?

Déja Vu vs. Little Pink Plastic Bags

Stop the Dams vs. Let Me Out

Every Planet We Reach Is Dead vs. Controllah

Carnival vs. Possession Island

Ascension vs. Glitter Freeze

Rockit vs. Double Bass

12D3 vs. Désolé

Aries vs. Interlude: The Non-Conformist Oath

68 State vs. The Pink Phantom

The Parish of Space Dust vs. Baby Queen

Submission vs. Interlude: Elevator Going Up

Skinny Ape vs. Dracula

Meanwhile vs. Busted and Blue

Sleeping Powder vs. Kansas

Stylo vs. Magic City

Man Research (Clapper) vs. One Percent

Sorcererz vs. Hip Albatross

Amarillo vs. Kids with Guns

Doncamatic vs. DARE

Hong Kong vs. Highway (Under Construction)

Saturn Barz vs. The Valley of the Pagans

White Flag vs. Slow Country

El Mañana vs. Hollywood

To Binge vs. Interlude: Penthouse

Strange Timez vs. Oil

Jimmy Jimmy vs. Broken

Fire Flies vs. Aspen Forest

Orchestral Intro (Plastic Beach) vs. Tarantula

Friday 13th vs. Sound Check (Gravity)

New Gold vs. Opium

Circle of Friendz vs. We Are Happy Landfill

New Genius (Brother) vs. She's My Collar

Clint Eastwood vs. Re-Hash

The Snake in Dallas vs. Starshine

Murdoc Is God vs. Ghost Train

Demon Days vs. Lake Zurich

People vs. DoYaThing

Bobby in Phoenix vs. November Has Come

Tormenta vs. Garage Palace

Pac-Man vs. 19-2000

Hongkongaton vs. Left Hand Suzuki Method

Shy-Town vs. Cloud of Unknowing

Don't Get Lost in Heaven vs. Seattle Yodel

With Love To An Ex vs. Interlude: Talk Radio

Dead Butterflies vs. Severed Head

Souk Eye vs. Faust

Rhinestone Eyes vs. Crockadillaz

[affairesasuivre]

Lauren Duffus’ music is a lesson in exploding gracefully

Lauren attributes her musical inspiration to two principal sources: American trio Salem, and her old Yamaha keyboard’s classical build-ins.

Listening to her productions, it’s clear that the uncanniness of these inspirations is right on brand. Tangible are the bad-dream atmospherics, chopped ‘n’ screwed beats and irreverent tone which paint the witch house genre (grey); as well as the cinematic drill instrumentals typified by Chicago rapper, Chief Keef. But far from the codeine’d quality of Salem’s quasi-noise productions, the antagonism in Duffus’ music is often appeased with blithe glimmers, sometimes even choral singing. Her music’s equal proclivity for both caustic indignation and moments of tenderness justify previous comparisons to the likes of aya and Loraine James, both of which extend to her fusion of prismatic club beats and soft melodics.

‘From a very young age I was always drawn to sad or scary music’, Lauren reflects. ‘I remember loving the soundtrack for the fairytale, Peter and the Wolf. I love all genres though from black metal to pop but I will almost always only enjoy the songs that have a moving element. That’s why I love Chief Keef, his instrumentals almost always feel really sad to me’.

For Lauren, making music is a form of therapy, and satisfaction only comes with a production process informed by hardship. Her self-proclaimed inflexibility when it comes to making music solely informed by her own selfish inclinations doesn’t stop her hoping that people will share in the emotion she pours into its creation. Nonetheless, she finds less comfort in doing so herself. ‘After making something and putting it out I very rarely listen to it. Either I really don’t enjoy it and it tends to upset me’.

Pain is palpable in Duffus’ music. After boredom led her to download a free trial of Logic in the height of 2020’s lockdown, tracks quietly began to surface on her Soundcloud page, such as ‘Stir Fry’ which would later resemble one third of her debut EP ‘SULK’. The snideness of SULK’s title matches its tone. Unequivocal though it may be – this is an expression of pain – it is resolutely not an attempt at self-indulgence. Despite its melancholy (‘Soho Road’ is subtitled ‘Crying Song’ and is mainly composed of gut-wrenching sobs), Lauren’s music almost seems to laugh at itself, deftly conveying the coexistence of both devastation and self deprecation in depressive episodes.

Whilst Stir Fry’s choral singing, chipmunk vocals and dancehall-indebted rhythms bare stark resemblance to Sinjin Hawke’s symphonic ‘First Opus’ LP, the self-released ‘Anxiety‘ is distinctly cold, with brittle percussion and a playtime 173 seconds, as if not meriting anything more.

‘I’m still on the journey of learning how to deal with my emotions in a way that’s not destructive’, she responds when I ask about the description written underneath her AD 93 release ‘Dubplate 07’. ‘Exploding gracefully just means pouring that energy outwards as opposed to bottling it up and destroying myself’.

She admits the difficulty she’s found in compromising her own release schedules in favour of working with labels. ‘I want to share as soon as I finish a skeleton of a song because there’s so much pent up energy Ive just put into it and I feel like it’s squirming in my laptop needing to be let out’.

Lauren also struggles with attempts to categorise her music, admitting she sometimes gives into labelling tracks such as ‘Permanence‘ as ‘ambient’ given their pulselessness, despite the term not resonating fully. Her dual inspiration of both drill and classical music reaches its most prominent form on her third most listened-to SoundCloud upload: a monasterial remix of ‘Inner City Pressure’ – the experimental grime track by London producer, Cold.

When I asked whether she detected a sense of place in her own music – whether she considered London to be its natural home – she reflected that, despite the dancehall sounds she grew up surrounded by, that actually ‘the fact that I exclusively create in my childhood home which holds a lot of painful memories is more of a factor than the city I’m in. I can be a bit crap socially so I really don’t feel like any immediate community influences my sound’.

When we discuss her fusion of hard-hitting, industrial electronics with ornate choral arrangements, she meditates on classical music’s liberating tendencies. ‘It inspires me to not be rigid and have no rules – that probably sounds stupid because its seen as such a rigid, traditional genre filled with rules – but I like the constant tempo changes, the expression, and the movement within the songs that tell a story. It’s so fluid. I enjoy challenging myself to turn off the metronome and just play stuff expressively’.

Lauren’s penchant for story-telling translates into a desire to take up film scoring, so much so that she recently partook in an online course. ‘I just love the freedom it gives you in terms of structure and the challenge of not sticking to a tempo or traditional structure’, she tells me. ‘It was so much fun writing music with a visual prompt and hit points etc it was the most creative I’ve felt’.

Having only been producing for a matter of months when she created ‘Stir Fry’ – now her most notable release – it’s clear that world-building is something innate in Lauren’s musical inclination. It’s rare to find an artist whose music engulfs you in such a way as hers, and warrants comparisons to the enchanting immersion of Björk or the cinematic allure of Enya. At once appearing to bare all yet be fiercely guarded, it’s a deeply complex treatise on life’s hard times.

[warren-j]

2, 3 and 30 for the music ask meme because i completely forgot to send this ask last night LOL

That's fine! I figured one was coming at some point

2. an album you wish you could hear again for the first time

There's a couple options for this, but I so wish I could hear Every Open Eye by CHVRCHES for the first time. I don't really remember when I started listening to the album, but I know that my brain has kinda made the songs second nature. Like, yeah, the bright synthpop of tracks like Never Ending Circles and Keep You On My Side, the anthemic bliss of Bury It (ft. Hayley Williams on the deluxe version remix), the melancholy of closer Afterglow; all of that feels natural to me, and I wish I could revisit it all with fresh eyes.

(You could say that about pretty much the rest of CHVRCHES' discography, it's all THAT good!)

3. a song you really like by an artist you otherwise don’t listen to very much (whether that’s because you usually don’t like their music, or just because you haven’t listened to the rest yet)

Oooh, that would be Closer by Rebecca Black. Rebecca is an artist who I've come to admire from a distance, but I've never really gotten into any of her stuff. There's the classic Friday, of course, along with her big 2021 comeback EP "Rebecca Black Was Here", and the (admittedly slightly disappointing) debut album "Let Her Burn".

However, none of that really stuck out like Closer did, off of the double-sided Self-Sabotage/Closer single from 2020. It has this sort of upbeat, yet melancholic feel to it, and the feel of the production (synthpop, yet very EDM like) gives it something that I couldn't stop listening to. Plus, it helped to have new stuff to listen to in, y'know, 2020.

30. name an album you really love that you haven’t listened to in awhile

I kinda stopped listening to it because I got burnt out on it, but Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay was one of my lifelines during the first summer of the Covid pandemic. Obviously, you have the BIG big hits in Paradise and Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall, but you've also got album cuts like Hurts Like Heaven, Charlie Brown, and Don't Let It Break Your Heart. I had a whole big Coldplay phase across those summer months, and this album was a big reason why.