#New Generation Hip-Hop Project

[bwops]

夜晚靠得住 我们不怕天黑

//

the night is dependable we're not afraid of nightfall

[black-dresses-band-fan]

A Guide to Black Dresses (Band)

Who are Black Dresses?

Black Dresses is a Canadian musical band, formed by two women, Ada Rook and Devi McCallion, who are both artists on their own.

The band was formed in 2017, following their first ever single - Paper Planes (cover of MIA). 

Devi and Ada started the Black Dresses project when they were friends, however they're currently in a relationship and implied to be married to each other.

They started the Black Dresses project, as a form of venting, and did not expect to blow up in the slightest. However, following the release of their debut album - WASTEISOLATION, they gained attention of the internet. With their unique sound palette, dark and vulnerable content of the lyrics, and general surrounding of enigmatic no-name artists, they started to quickly follow with underground cult following. 

Gaining much praise, getting a score of 9 out of 10 from Anthony Fantano, and especially, becoming viral over the song "IN MY MOUTH".

Unfortunely the band diss-banded after harassment that Devi received from the internet users after they found her online presence and internet footprint. Both Ada and Devi didn't really like the attention they gathered. So in 2020, they stopped making new material. But did in fact release old unreleased stuff all up to 2022.

In 2023 they announced working on their 7th album and making new music. Releasing more singles and uploading little snippets on them working. Confirming that way that they're a band once again.

The musical style

Black Dresses musical style is based on mixing a lot of genres. As an underground artists, Black Dresses are influenced by a lot of lesser known styles and genres coming from the outsider world of music. 

You cannot really explain their sound in simple words, but i'll try. Their genre is often described as "Noise Pop", but they're much more than that.

I'll try to describe their general sound, but i will go into more details following the guide's part about each individual album.

Most of all, Black Dresses are an electronic band, they do use real life instruments, mostly guitars and drums, but it's mostly electronical elements.

Black Dresses mixes elements of Pop, Industrial, Noise, EDM, Rock, and are mostly described as extremely experimental.

To lesser extent they also use hip-hop, ambience, metal, glitch, synth, and screamo.

Their vocals are rather amateur, which shouldn't really scare you, as it just adds to the charm. They're also notable for their usage of screaming vocals.

Themes of Black Dresses 

TRIGGER WARNING: CSA, Abuse.

The main themes of Black Dresses music are:

Mental suffering,

Living with mental ilness - such like depression or severe anxiety,

Coping with trauma - mostly from their childhood, and the sexual abuse they went trough from the hands of adults in their life.

Healing from those experiences, seeing hope in the future.

And environmentalism - raising awareness about the issues of global warming and pollution.

But there's ofcourse many more songs that don't follow these themes. 

Black Dresses often get accused of being "edgy", however you shouldn't perceive them like that. Their music is full of real struggles that both Devi and Ada are going trough. They do NOT romanticize or fetishize the themes of their music, nor they sugarcoat it or exaggerate it. 

Not to mention their music is full of hope for better tomorrow and wanting to improve, giving it all a positive message.

Release guide

2018 - WASTEISOLATION: Their debut album, definitely the darkest in terms of themes. Essential for every fan of the band, the best place to start. Mostly lighter in sound, doesn't incorporate as much noise as following releases.

Really accessible for newcommers.

2018 - HELL IS REAL EP: A 5 five song EP making a bridge between WASTEISOLATION and THANK YOU. It's a bit moodier than the previous project, but also it's a place where Black Dresses started to use more screaming vocals and noise elements.

2019 - THANK YOU: Second album, much more surreal in the sound palette, much noiser and more electronic. Black Dresses at this point got a little less personal in their lyricism.

2019 - DREAMS COME TRUE 2019: A sequel to their first ever project together, DREAMS COME TRUE 2017 which i'll mention later. It follows 3 WASTEISOLATION songs re-made and re-worked. As well as one brand new song.

2019 - LOVE AND AFFECTION FOR STUPID LITTLE BITCHES: Black Dresses (succesful) attempt at poppier sound. Much less crowded instrumentals and simpler, catchier beats. Doesn't belittle their noise elements and screaming ofcourse! 

2020 - Peacefull as Hell: Black Dresses most popular album after WASTEISOLATION, got an extremely positive review from Fantano and semi-blow up on the internet. A fan favourite.

Black Dresses production got more professional. 

The sound is much lighter and goes into the direction of electronic pop rock.

2021 - Forever in Your Heart: Black Dresses heaviest project to date. Ada and Devi at their most industrial and metal. A lot of screaming and noise. Another fan favourite.

2022 - Forget Your Own Face: Their latest album, as for the time of writing this guide. Their most disorganised project (which was intentional), full of distortions and noise and screams. It was a surprise release and is made from re-made unreleased material going as back as 2019. It contains some of fan favourite songs.

Other notable work:

2017 - DREAMS COME TRUE 2017: First ever released collaboration between Ada and Devi, a short 4 song EP.

2017 - LETHAL POISON FOR THE SYSTEM: A 3 song EP in collaboration with 99Jakes and Laura Les - a member of 100 GECS. Includes first single Under Black Dresses name.

2018 - CRUSH: Single, a cover of Tessa Violet.

2020 - 745 Sticky Remix: Black Dresses remix of 100 Gecs song that ended up on the official 100 Gecs remix album.

2023 - Shines: Single, a collaboration between the band Purity Ring and Black Dresses.

Merch and how to support them

Black Dresses ocassionally releases their albums on cassettes, however they were all limited and are currently unavaible. No official CDs or Vinyls were ever made.

You can buy at any time Black Dresses hoodies or T-shirts on https://black-dresses-merch-store.creator-spring.com/

(Ada also sells her merch on that)

You can buy their albums over Black Dresses bandcamp, or support them directly trough Patreon.

You can also contact Devi or Black Dresses trough an e-mail and show your support with words!

black.squares.media@gmail.com

blackdresses666@gmail.com

 (Please do not send this e-mail to anybody who could harass them) 

That's all, i hope you'll have a wonderful time listening to our gals! :DD

Black Dresses Extended Universe Guide

What's that? You're interested in checking out Ada's and Devi's solo stuff? Well, it might be much more confusing or interesting than you think, in fact, it's a whole rabbit hole. So let me introduce you to, what i like to call, the "Black Dresses Extended Universe" (BDEU or simply BDU). 

BDU is a collective of every side-project, nickname under which one of the girls released music, or any other band that contains either Ada or Devi.

Ada Rook's side of EU

Let's start with Ada Rook, since there's a little bit less going around her.

Ada started releasing her music in 2015, following her first OST for her game (as she's a game dev), and her first EP in 2016 "void memory".

Ada used the nickname "rooksfeather" or simply "rook", however after the release of "Parasite" she started using her full name.

Ada's solo discography follows 8 EPs, 4 Soundtracks, and 6 albums. 7th one on the way 

Her musical style is similar to Black Dresses, but more into industrial and rock side of things. Her older music used much more ambience and was darker, moodier. Her recent style incorporates much more screaming and poppier sound. However, in case similar to Black Dresses, each album have it own distinct sound. 

She also released one album with an artist called Deathirl, "DEATH IN REAL LIFE" and it's extremely rare media, not even listed on RYM. However reuploads of it exists.

She have one Alter-ego, called "Crisis Sigil" Under which she's doing extreme grindcore. Crisis Sigil released 2 EPs and 1 Album.

Ada is also a part of 2 other bands beside of Black Dresses,

"rook&nomie" is a collaboration between Ada and ESPer99, they released 2 albums. Their style is much more poppier than anything else that Ada does.

"Angel Electronics" is a fresh new band formed by Ada and Ash Nerve. They're doing power electronic rock, and their sound is more joyful. They released 1 album so far.

Notable Ada Rook releases:

"Shed Blood" by Rook

"Parasite" by Rook,

"2,020 Knives" by Rook,

"UGLY DEATH" by Rook,

"Rookie's Bustle EP" by Rook,

"GOD CUM POLTERGEIST" by Crisis Sigil,

"ULTRA PARADISE" by Angel Electronics,

"Superego Royal Jelly" by rook&nomie

Devi McCallion's side of EU

Wow, we are in for a heck of a ride... Oh well,

Devi started releasing her music since the age of 15, however most of it is probably lost media at this point. She's putting music out on her own label - Blacksquares, Under many different alliases and side projects, i'll talk about each one later.

Devi's style is mostly indie pop, influenced by sub-genres like dream pop, synthpop, ElectroPop and simply underground pop.

Her music is often simplistic and cartoony, but it's hard to explain her signature style in words. 

But it's worth checking out.

Devi rarely releases anything Under her real life name, mostly singles. But she did release 2 albums Under her real name together with Katie Dey, mixing production of both girls. 

Devi used many different nicknames trough her career, such like Dizzy Girl, Devi April McCallion, Vriska Serket, Walking Patriarchy and The Little Fears, however all of these names aren't connected to any specific releases, as far as im aware (Devi's music is a huge Rabbit Hole, full of lost media and rare material).

It's also worth mentioning that she released a compilation of her unreleased material Under the name "Blacksquares", it's titled "LIFE IS HELL (ASMR)".

Okay, so now we are going to talk about each one of her musical projects. We'll start with 4 of the most essential ones, then the more obscure ones, and we'll finish it all with Devi's other bands beside Black Dresses.

1. EAT BABIES? - A name she really doesn't like to be assiocated with, so it's better to treat this project as a fun fact, rather than the core of her career. EAT BABIES? was her first ever project (that we are awere of) Under which she released 2 albums and 2 EPs. It was much more amateur than what she's used to do now. And she doesn't like to associate this project with herself due of the fact she was much different person back then. 

2. Mom - is her second most popular nickname. It was her primary stage name for a long time untill 2015 when she came out with "Girl Rituals".

Mom released 5 albums. And semi-blow up with a song titled "joyfulthought". Mom is a time when Devi really started to work on her pop sound and signature style. 

3. Cats Millionaire - the third most popular Devi project. Cats Millionaire was active from 2011 to 2013. Released 2 albums, 4 EPs and 2 mixtapes. 

Cats Millionaire is characteristic for overall theme of My Little Pony, since Devi used to be a brony. The lyrics and aesthetic are all about MLP. The sound was much more soothing and toned-down than most of Devi's releases.

4. Girls Rituals - Devi's current main allias and her most important project that's still active from 2015 to this day. Under that name Devi released most of her music, and she really perfected and evolved her pop sound with each and every release. Beside of many singles, she released 2 EPs (one with Ada, one with 4lung, however the second one is since deleted because of the 4lung allegations), 1 remix album, 1 instrumental album, and 5 albums. With "Reddishness" being Girls Rituals fan favourite release.

Now, Let's get over every other side project.

10 Chains - only one instrumental album have been released. It's noise/ambience.

Doro Doro Dono/More Bears- Just one single released each for two of these projects,

traptraptrap - 2009. one album released. Despite the name, it's her usual pop stuff.

Triangle Giant - named after one of Devi's bands, only one EP released. ElectroPop.

Yellow Bile - 3 EPs released. Usual pop stuff. One of the EPs are lost media.

Tiny Magnesium - Really obscure stage name for her usual pop sound. 2 short albums released.

Leader Misty - Pokemon themed 2008 project, one instrumental album.

Holographic Rainbow - Only the soundtrack to the discontinued web comic (of the same name) have been released.

Hexi Wing - name she used to release her self-spoken erotic fan-fiction. You're probably not interested in that 👀.

Now, last but not least, Devi's multiple bands before and after Black Dresses.

Dr. Massive and The Headwound Extravaganza - was a 2008 electronic band that released mostly covers of rock songs. Only one album have been released and the band is 100% discontinued right now. Devi was responsible for programming, drums and vocals. There also were

Mike Will Smith - percussion and vocals,

Allan Burke - synthesizer and vocals, 

Jonathan Oscar Cianni - programming, bass,

And Sensitive Bear - bass and vocals.

Unfortunely i couldn't find any info about the band members.

Giant Triangle - A band where Devi used to do vocals from 2008 to 2016, the band had a lot of members that went and go, but it seems their only official release is an 2020 EP. Usual electronic and pop.

The Various Endeavors? - a 2009 band who's appearently still active? They released one synth punk album, and a compilation of unreleased tracks in 2021. John Bevier and Tyler Bruce are in the band along-side Devi.

VCF Freq - A collaboration between Devi and Boy Pussy, they're doing minimal techno. They're Technically still active but their only 2020 EP dissapeared from any streamings. It's thankfully archived on Soulseek.

Anarchy 99 - A collaboration between Devi and So Drove, they're doing electronic pop rock. They're still active from 2020 and actually release new material consistantly. A couple of singles have been released and one album.

Notable Devi  McCallion releases:

'Self-titled" by Mom,

"3" by Mom,

"Fun Fun Fun" by Cats Millionaire,

"Reddishness" by Girls Rituals,

"Im Desperate" by Girls Rituals,

"CRAP SHIT" by Girls Rituals,

"Cow" by Girls Rituals,

"Rockstar Super Heat" by Anarchy 99,

And that's all there is to BDU ;)) have fun Discovering it! ❤️

[yangtaros]

nct dream 00 line + mark reaction to you kissing them to shut them up

mark

so mark was in the kitchen making breakfast, or trying to

things were going okay until he smelt something

“oh no!” he totally forgot about the pancake on the stove

one side was totally burned and he ran out of pancake mix so he decided to cut the burnt pieces off

he’s trying to be a thoughtful boyfriend and make you breakfast in bed but realized he took on more than he can handle

“mark what’s that smell” you came into the kitchen looking at the messy counters and the burnt pancake

“mark what are you doing”

“well i was trying to make you breakfast. you usually do it but i thought i could try it out this time and i still have to cook the eggs-”

you cut him off with a sweet kiss on his lips and took the spatula from his hand

“i got it from here. thank you though”

renjun

renjun was your partner for your school project as well as your fairly new crush

this was neither of you guys strong suit so you definitely had some issues with coming up with a good project for your grade

renjun was getting a bit anxious over this knowing that he really wanted to do well on the project

“do you want something to drink?”

“um sure thanks can i have water?”

“at your service” you get up

things were a bit awkward as you’ve never had a boy that wasn’t a family member or family friend in your house before

you came back with two bottles of water and sat down next to him, you looked in his eyes, you could tell he was stressed.

“we’ll figure out something soon don’t worry”

“don’t worry? y/n this is 20% of our grade if we don’t have a solid idea by today we’re gonna be behind and i have to do well because-”

you pecked the corner of his mouth and shocked your own self when you realized what you did

“sorry”

renjun didn’t say anything else but instead hopped to his feet

“that just gave me an idea”

him being kissed by you somehow created the entire gist of your project

jeno

everyone in class knew jeno had a crush on you

including you

everything was painfully obvious

there was a rumor going around that he was going to ask you out today

once class ended jeno walked up to you

“y/n can we meet during lunch”

you nodded and walked to your next class

once lunchtime came you waited for jeno

“hi y/n” he jogged up to you, or so he thinks, it was more like running

“hi jeno”

you were smiling so much waiting for his question, little did you know it would take a while to get to the question

jeno went from a conversation about dogs to gummy bears to homework just babbling for a long time

“it was so hard but i think i did well what about you? you know you’re very smart i find that really cool how great you are at school you know i really find you cool in general um”

he was almost there but he panicked

“so what did you think about the lesson in math i was kind of confused but i think i got it after-”

you leaned in to meet his lips

he was shocked at first but then started to kiss you back

“you’re good at stalling”

you pulled back

“sorry i was nervous”

haechan

“yyyyyyy/nnnnnnn”

“what”

“can we please get something to eat i’m hungryyyyyyy”

“i need to finish my paper go yourself”

“nooooooo”

haechan was a very whiny boyfriend, but today it was extreme.

“pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee”

“haechan please leave me alone”

haechan gently grabbed your face and put it towards him

“y/n, i’m hungry!”

he let out a whine but was quickly silenced when you kissed him

“you” *peck* “are” *peck* “not” *peck * “five” *peck* “go fix something yourself

haechan rolled his eyes but then started to whine over something new, your kisses

jaemin

jaemin was your dance partner

you’ve known each other since you met at dance class in middle school

you guys are now in highschool and are hip hop dancers

“so do we turn then pop on 3 or do we turn pause and then pop on 4?”

“turn pause pop 4”

“okay”

you do the move infront of him to make sure your correct and he nods before moving on

the next part of the dance you two are facing each other, which is the stance you both are in now

“i really think we’re gonna win this competition jaemin, this is a great piece”

jaemin smiles

“plus you choreographed it and everyone knows you’re amazing at that”

“amazing? i’m not sure about amazing, getting there maybe but amazing? there’s much better people that”

you peck his lips, “stop doubting yourself”

jaemin froze and didn’t know what to do. he giggled lightly

“can you do that again?”

requests open

[diiwata]

my district 4 masterpost!

to me, district 4 is a mix of se/east asian, lat-am, and even a bit of black influence. had a bit of help from @blackoutdays13, creds to her too <3

let's dive in (joke intended). more below the cut!

CULTURAL TIDBITS

i like to think dance is an important part of the d4 culture. many artists that contribute to hip-hop culture originate from california, especially dances :) not to mention cultural latam dances, the dragon dance from china, and maybe even tinikling (projecting so hard rn)! movement is how they get through the day.

their diet may consist of mostly seafood, but grains are also a staple. rice, bread, noodles, and tortillas are often paired with meats and vegetables to make meals more fulfilling. of course, they aren't the same to the grains we produce now, but it's close enough to what they are able to get their hands on.

as stereotypical it is to asian culture, i like to think education holds some importance there, too. it doesn't just involve hitting the books, but also street smarts and survival skills. even if you're working, there's some downtime saved for learning/passing on knowledge from the older to younger generation.

there is a large sense of community in the districts. it's a staple in asian culture to identify with your community. your achievements and your failures are not just yours, but is a reflection of the people you identify with. this is touched more on my asian d4/d7 analysis.

since california legalized this, they definitely had... recreational uses for certain substances. you know. mary jane, the 🍃. it's a whole thing in the district and a "hidden gem". it's more popular with the lower class, but the capitol thinks it's used by the best of the best. they don't have to know, though ;)

LOCATIONS

their marketplace is concentrated in the docks! similar to the piers of santa monica and san francisco, there's a lot of street vendors, kiosks, and street performers.

the further away you are from the shore, the more impoverished you are. the people of the "inner lands" probably process the food for safer consumption, or travel to the shore to find work (hence the kiosks and such). grains could also be grown in the inner lands, which is how they're able to supply the district with rice and such w/o having to rely on d9 imports too much.

a train or trolley system helps large capacities of people travel to and fro their work. the trolley might be a bit more for tourists, though.

lots of cliffs. lots of mountains. houses on cliffs and mountains are seen as a privilege. I imagine the victor's village is somewhere here!

the houses in the victor's village look like italianate homes in san francisco (1). houses by richer folks look like malibu/southern californian beach houses (2). inner lands houses are either the older, fenced homes or apartment units (3)!

RELIGION

(i read these in some fics!!) considering that latinos are also big in california, and that a lot of asians share a catholic faith in the state, i could see them using rosaries or crosses. not because of a belief in it, but as an equivalent of a good luck charm.

to add onto this ^ they celebrate ash wednesday, but with their own twist. the ash on their foreheads is instead a reminder of who they lost.

speaking of holidays, the festival that they celebrate during the victory tour months probably closely mimics lunar new year! of course, they don't follow the lunar calendar, but their traditions and rituals to celebrate that day look awfully similar. red envelopes could be passed around, but I highly doubt that there's much in there if you're from the inner lands.

dia de los muertos is celebrated too! possibly during the victory tour months, too. imagine a festival that's just spilling with the golds and reds of lunar new year and the vibrant colors associated with dia de los muertos!

NATURAL DISASTERS

earthquakes. wildfires. droughts. those are the holy trinity of natural disasters in d4. protocols for all three are drilled into the minds of d4 citizens since youth.

thanks to the indigenous practice of controlled fires that persisted during the building of panem, they are often able maintain these wildfires. but sometimes, the wildfires do get out of control and turn the sky orange.

their structures are relatively stable to help accommodate for the earthquakes, but of course, damage will be done especially during a huge one that occurs in california every few centuries.

in my finnick/oc fic, "the big one" occurs before the 65th games. after finnick's victory, they paid more attention to d4.

droughts are not to be taken lightly in d4, especially in the inner lands. don't shower for more than five minutes. turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth. never keep the sink running. fix leaking faucets whenever you can b/c every drop counts.

a water limit is imposed on them. most of the water goes directly to the upper class and the capitol resorts by the coast.

CLASS DIVISIONS

the inner lands' lower class, the coast's merchants, the officials, and the victors are all classes in district four. the lower class harbors some resentment towards the upper class, and it's the other way around, too.

since most of the water travels to the upper class, that's where the main resentment lies. everything is for tourism and to maintain appearances.

because of this maintenance and carefully curated appearance, I can see the capitol citizens romanticizing d4 to an extreme degree. with finnick as the "face" of the district, it only worsens. they think of d4 as beaches, tropical fruits, and a sunny paradise. but once they take the train that passes through the rural lands and the poorer urban areas with the fog limiting their view, they realize that district 4 isn't all what they shaped it up to be.

I also imagine the upper class trying to dismiss the lower class because they don't look appealing enough to the capitol. they ARE a career district, after all. this could tie into the model minority myth, which I discuss in this post using hannah's ask, as well as the d4/d7 hc I linked previously. to summarize, reputation is ingrained in asian cultures. this need for a good rep could bring d4 to try their hardest to appeal to the model minority myth and keep up with the other career districts.

all in all, d4 is my little try-hard district rich with culture, mary jane, and the impending doom of "the big one". I love it with all my heart. if you have anything to add, or things you want me to touch up on, feel free to drop an ask or say something in your rb!

stream "california love" by 2pac 🙏🏽

[thehopefuljournalist]

unrelated- what's your favorite news story recently?

Hello, thank you so much for asking!! I've had a hard time because this week was actually full of news stories and I'm working on releasing them all to you guys!

But let me tell you about my favourite one from today :)

As an activist, working within my own country and out especially in climate-related themes, I believe in people-power, fully. I know, of course, that some people have more power and influence than others, but there's no denying that there's strength in numbers.

This recent, huge, protest in New York is such a hopeful turn, I think. I love seeing that I'm not the only one worried, that I'm not alone in my fighting. With numbers, we have a bigger chance of winning over our world leaders, and by doing that, to protect ourselves and our futures.

Well, this is my favourite news story from the past two days.

This past Sunday, 75K climate activists took to New York's streets in a “march to end fossil fuels”

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized the US continuing to approve fossil fuel projects, something which the Biden administration did earlier this year with the controversial Willow project in Alaska.

“We are all here for one reason: to end fossil fuels around the planet,” Ocasio-Cortez told a rally at the finish of the march, which ended close to the UN headquarters where world leaders will gather this week. “And the way we create urgency is to have people around the world in the streets.”

“The United States continues to be approving a record number of fossil fuel leases and we must send a message, right here today,” adding that despite record profits the support for the fossil fuel industry was “starting to buckle and crack”.

“This is an incredible moment,” said Jean Su of the Center for Biological Diversity, who helped organize the mobilization. “Tens of thousands of people are marching in the streets of New York because they want climate action,"

“This also shows the tremendous grit and fight of the people, especially youth and communities living at the frontlines of fossil fuel violence, to fight back and demand change for the future they have every right to lead,” she said.

The march came during Climate Week, as world leaders gather for this week’s UN general assembly, and a UN climate ambition summit on Wednesday.

On Friday, the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said Biden was not currently scheduled to take part in Wednesday’s UN climate summit. Biden has been praised by climate activists for last year passing a historic $369bn climate law but criticized for allowing oil drilling projects and the expansion of gas facilities in the Gulf of Mexico.

A decision for Biden to stay away from the UN climate ambition summit is “unacceptable”, said Su of the Center for Biological Diversity. “The time is now for Biden to lead on the world stage, and show he means it when he calls climate change the existential threat to humanity.”

During the march, the Rev Lennox Yearwood, head of the Hip Hop Caucus, likened today’s climate movement to the US fight for racial justice. 

Youth climate activist Vanessa Nakate, from Uganda, said: “When we say that we want climate justice, we’re not just talking about transitioning to solar panels. We are talking about leaving no one behind when you’re talking about addressing the injustices that come with the climate crisis."

Article published September 17, 2023 - The Gaurdian

Another article, interviewing a young climate activist

[venusorbits]

DOUBLE TAKE | CHAPTER ONE

pairing ; cho gue sung ( 조규성 ) x female! supermodel! british-asian! reader

summary ; You have been invited once again to the Korean TV programme 'I Live Alone' alongside the World Cup Heartthrob, Cho Gue Sung ( 조규성 ). Simple guests, who had to take double takes from each other, who could have seen it coming? No one was. Certainly, neither were the both of you.

genre ; romance, fluff, established relationship ( by second chapter cause i hate writing slow burn, i like reading them though ), angst.

masterlist

❝if you've got a girlfriend, i'm jealous of her. but if you're single that's honestly worse 'cause you're gorgeous it actually hurts.❞

You began your stardom career at the mere age of 17 years after an agent saw your photos posted through social media. The said photo was the cause of the tumbling domino effect, igniting and bursting into bold bright orange flames, into dipping your toes into the window of opportunity and universe of high fashion, colourful red carpets and long hallways of runways.

You were on your own. You were no kid, anymore. You’re moving onto big girl things like moving to the big city; flashing lights, fast-paced times, overwhelming anxiety-filled environment, big mysteries and savouring new moments. Tom Ford, catapulted your career further way beyond the horizon.

Chest squeezing. Heart thumping. Bright lights. Everyone’s attention turned to you— the clicks of their cameras. Gaze is fixed on the end of the runway. Conscious of your steps. God, you felt awkward. With the slight rock and sway of your hips, this movement didn’t come naturally as the other models did. You felt tiny. How were you supposed to showcase the intricately designed clothing when they might be snickering about how you walk?

A fellow model reassured you, ‘There was no such thing as perfection when you’ve only begun..’

Fake it till you make it they say. Well, years have passed at the age of 22, and you are now one of the most recognisable faces in the industry. You’ve walked for many runways on endless fashion weeks, been on the cover of Vogue, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, the face of Versace, representative of Swarovski and many more. Some even dare say, up and coming It Girl. You’ve accomplished a lot, all on your own.

Though, one unexpected thing came into your life, living in Seoul, South Korea. The thought never crossed your mind once. But you came to South Korea for a photo shoot with Vogue Korea back in 2019. Needless to say, you fell in love with the culture, the country’s generous and kind residents, the language, the atmosphere and — Well, obviously, the city itself. You have dedicated learning the language and culture in order to live smoothly and in harmony.

It was difficult having to fly out to New York thousands of miles away, the epicentre of jobs and Fashion Week. But, what can you say? You were used to it. Hopping onto planes needing to be somewhere by Friday? Oh, London Fashion week ends on this day but, Paris starts that day. No worries. It was painfully exhausting but that’s the life of a Supermodel.

Your life in Seoul didn’t change much. Though this time you’re receiving twice the jobs than you did before, many Korean designers have reached out to you to model for the clothing they have designed such as Rok Hwang, Eudon Choi, the duo Byungmun Seo and Jina Um and finally, Youngae Lee and Happly for their project ‘Hanbok Wave’. Not only were you attracting attention in the fashion industry but it extended to the entertainment industry, you’ve been invited to many varieties of shows to be featured in.

As your schedule began to fizzle down, you found the time to film for the TV programme you were featured in ‘I live Alone’. Dressed all chic and feminine, opting for the chunky loafers with a pair of long white socks instead of your Versace heels. Your hair is all done so beautifully. Smiling so brightly at all the familiar faces and jogging up to them for a quick embrace. A light chatter followed along with it, ‘how are you?’, ‘I’ve been doing well’, ‘It’s nice to see you again’. Strings of compliments flowed through.

“안녕하세요. I’m (First name).” You greet the man. Undeniably gorgeous, you couldn’t even focus much on what he was saying as he reaches in for a handshake, he introduces himself as— 

“안녕하세요, 조규성.” The beautiful angel marks dotted all over his face like starry stars across the wide peaceful sky. But, goddamn, he’s so bright like the sun and his beauty is also so blinding it hurts. His beautiful carved nose and the sharp angles of his jaw, high prominent cheekbones. Everything about him was a piece of art. He’s a delicate and classic painting deserving to be in a museum.

Heartbeat was skipping across the street. 

Filming starts at any second now and you couldn’t tear your eyes away from him. The soft fluffy brush glides across your face for the final touch-ups. Unbeknownst to you, Gue Sung also had to take a double take also stealing sweet glimpses, you had an addicting kind of beauty. It was much more than a drug. The kind of one that makes Aphrodite green as envy and red as rage. Eyes trail to every detail of your face. The way your eyes brighten as you joke lightly with your makeup artist.

“Please everyone get ready! Filming will start in 10!”

That was months ago. Time flies quickly; your home became littered with traces of him. He was everywhere you looked, in every corner, you breathed him. Gue Sung has now integrated well and was a part of your being. You have made space in your extensive closet just for him, he has his very own mug for his coffee in the morning, framed photo of you together on your bedside table, his own toothbrush and his very own corner for all the things he leaves.

Those months spent together have nothing been but elated, fondness and love. You have never been this happy, your whole entire life, you have never expected for him to come into your life at such an unexpected time. But, you thank God every day.

The sound of the familiar beeps and the sound of the front door opening echoed in your small apartment. 

“자기야, I’m home!”

Immediately, you tossed your phone aside, jumped off the sofa and came barreling. Gue Sung was kicking off his shoes as he slips his face mask off, he puts his bag down and his arm stretched out wide open. No hesitation, you crashed right into his warm loving embrace.

“Hi.” You mumbled nuzzling your face into the side of his neck and inhaling his scent. He awkwardly shuffles with you still practically glued onto him and clung onto him like a koala bear, Gue Sung peppers your temples and hairline with kisses. Running his hands up and down your back. You only snuggled further onto his neck tightening your grip around his large frame.

“Did you miss me?” He whispers softly voice dripping in honey, you pull away enough so, you could stare deeply into his eyes, and you rest your head on his shoulder. Gue Sung couldn’t resist but placed a quick kiss on your lips.

“Not even a little bit.” You tease, poking your tongue out at him playfully.

“Oh? I know you did. You can’t even think about not having me by your side that’s why you asked for my number when we first met.” Not exactly a lie but, not exactly the complete truth either. You gasped dramatically,

“I don’t appreciate you lying about my name like that.”

Gue Sung hums. 

“Did you eat yet?” You asked.

“No. I knew you were waiting for me.” It tendered your heart.

“Let’s go eat then. I’m sure you’re starving.” However, Gue Sung didn’t want to let go, his grip on you only tightened squeezing you against his torso. No matter how many times, you brush his arms away it would always ends up back circling around your waist.

“What? I can’t set the table if we’re like this.” You laugh light-heartedly,

“Have you always been this pretty?” Gue Sung almost coos, “우리이쁜자기 ( My pretty baby ).”

“Go take a shower! You stink.” You ushered him away towards the bathroom. Your ear pick up the sound of water splashing, you move around the kitchen, hands everywhere all at once to get the food reheated, plated and on the table before Gue Sung gets out of the shower. 

It has been a long day for him, you’re sure. You take upong yourself to sit while you await for your beloved, occupied by your mobile phone. Food all laid out on the table; all simple and quick whipped up meal, thankfully your boyfriend was no picky eater. He enjoyed a variety of dishes and scarfed everything down with gusto… Except meat. He’s particular about how it should be done. Not long after, he emerges from the shower.

You held out your hand for him to hand the towel. It’s a unspoken ritual at this point; he sits down and you dry off his hair. There was something weirdly intimate about it. Running the soft towel through his damp hair. Once his hair is relatively dry, you carded your fingers through his hair brushing it off his forehead, slicking it back. He lets out a sigh of relief and softens under your tender touch. 

You were so deeply lost in your task, you fail to notice Gue Sung’s blatant fond, affectionate and loving stare. He admires everything that you are from your head and down to your toe. He likes everything that you do to him.

“What?” You ask with a stupid smile on your face leaning to his level.

“Nothing.” Gue Sung shook his head.

He cups your face peppered kisses. From your forehead. Eyes. Nose. Cheeks. Finally on your lips.

One love, one house.

[burlveneer-music]

Red Hot & Ra - The Magic City - Meshell Ndegeocello puts her spin on Sun Ra's compositions, with performances from Immanuel Wilkins, Marshall Allen, Pink Siifu, Darius Jones, and more. Cover art by Cécile McLorin Salvant!

Red Hot + Ra: The Magic City is a profound musical journey curated by Grammy Award-winning bassist-composer-producer Meshell Ndegeocello. Recorded with a diverse ensemble, including the legendary 99-year-old saxophonist Marshall Allen and hip-hop/punk-jazz vocalist Pink Siifu, this album transcends traditional covers, offering entirely new compositions inspired by Sun Ra’s philosophy. With a multi-generational cast of community musicians, the project recontextualizes Sun Ra’s work, avoiding clichés and presenting a brighter perspective than its predecessor, 2023’s Red Hot + Ra: Nuclear War. Immerse yourself in the dreamlike and soulful interpretation of Sun Ra’s composition as The Magic City marks the third installment in the Red Hot & Ra series. With it’s upcoming album release on April 5th, 2024, and vinyl release on April 12th, 2024, this album is a testament to Ndegeocello’s visionary approach. Meshell Ndegeocello, an iconic singer-songwriter and artist, brings forth a present-time experience that honors Sun Ra’s legacy while navigating the complexities of our society.

[freshthoughts2020]

No More Big 3! What's Cole's Next Move?!?!

No More Big 3! What's Cole's Next Move?!?!

July 11, 2024

If you haven’t read my previous article, scroll down on the freshthoughts2020 tab and check it out. In that article, we discussed whether Kendrick’s feud with Drake might be pointless if he doesn’t aim for the commercial number one spot. With a clear task ahead for Kendrick (whether he follows it or not), we’re left to ask: What is Cole’s next move?

I.Cole's Strong Start in 2024

Cole came into 2024 in a great position in the power rankings and was a strong front-runner to take the lead. He outperformed Drake on “First Person Shooter,” went bar to bar with him again on “Evil Ways” from the “Scary Hours Edition of For All The Dogs,” and just completed a successful national tour.

II.The Apology and Its Aftermath

Cole was set to answer the call when he released his “Might Delete Later” EP. However, moments later, his infamous apology came, leading many people to write him off and not wanting to hear from him for a while. Then he reappeared on the bubbling New York sensation Cash Cobain’s track “Grippy,” which has been regarded as one of Cole’s worst verses. The verse wasn’t even bad, but if it wasn’t mind-blowing post-apology, any verse he penned was going to get panned anyway.

III.The Dismantling of the Big 3

The idea of the Big 3 has been dismantled. The world waits on a new K-dot album, ready to crown him as number one, while the Drizzy hive stands patient awaiting Drake’s inevitable return. Again, what is Cole to do?

IV.The Two-Part Plan for Cole's Comeback

I believe Cole has to do two things to ensure a great comeback and even get his name back into that front-runner conversation. We know he’s been hyping up his album The Fall Off, which is in a worse position post-beef. Here’s what he should do to make sure his album isn’t swept under the rug when it drops.

First, Cole has to address Symba. Why Symba? People may have forgotten about that freestyle he did on the “Control” beat, but it needs to be addressed. He sympathized with letting Nas down but went on to say he left Bas and Cozz down, the whole squad down. He slammed him for the apologies. Cole has to address how he didn’t have to clout beef with Kendrick, and most importantly, he has to spank Symba for even thinking he can say that. There are a few angles he can go with, but I probably shouldn’t reveal that. If Cole is capable like I know he is, he should know the angles too. There are plenty of lyricists who will probably make fun of that apology moving forward with general bars, but he needs to make Symba the poster child of what happens when you disrespect Cole.

He needs to do this because Symba has enough lyrical respect from peers and elder statesmen of hip-hop that he’s worth addressing, and because Symba doesn’t threaten Cole in popularity. It’s like Pusha T with Drake. Symba can scorch Cole until he’s blue in the face, but modern rap is a popularity contest, and Cole would never lose that. However, for this to be effective, Cole would have to scorch Symba as if he’s going up against JAY-Z himself—no mercy! If Cole does this, half of the two-part plan to dominance will be secured by everyone taking mental notes: “Maybe we shouldn’t mess with this guy; that apology stuff doesn’t really mean anything.”

The second thing Cole must do is very simple: hits on hits! He has to get into his Forest Hills bag. That’s far from my favorite project from him, but it’s his most commercially successful album, and his sound isn’t compromised! He should re-listen to that album hard while creating The Fall Off and study the singles from Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. He needs smashes—songs for the radio!

With these two things working in unison, we’ll quickly forget the same people saying they “...never want to hear him again,” “he’s soft,” blah blah, will be the same people saying “oh Cole’s the G.O.A.T., Cole’s the G.O.A.T.”

These are only suggestions, and he can take these suggestions and stuff them up Rubi Rose’s ass for all he cares. But if he still cares and wants to get back in that conversation, he’s got to do something along these lines. It’s not even much, but it’ll be more than enough. Trust!

Visit gettothecorner.com

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[w3bgrl]

predebut history

synopsis: an in depth look at kang juyeon’s life prior to debut, including both information known by the public and unknown by the public.

a/n: bold is public information!

kang juyeon was born may sixteenth nineteen ninety nine in daegu to her parents, sangjun (b. 1963) and miyoung (b.1965), and her older sister minju (b.1993). her father worked as an english teacher at a high school in daegu and her mother took care of the girls until he got home before leaving to clean businesses after closing. growing up her family was always very affectionate and close, often spending time going on trips and sleeping all squished together in bed. to this day, juyeon cites her positive upbringing as her source of strength in life.

unbeknownst to the general public, grief struck her family early into her life concerning her older sister, who was 10 at the time. on november fourth, 2003, kang minju passed away after suffering an accidental drowning while at a friends house. this period of her family’s life was very difficult and lead to her parents exhibiting overly-protective tendencies, a likely factor in juyeon’s fear of water and anxiety around new people.

a few years after this incident juyeon’s parents decided to begin enrolling her in a sport, which happened to be dancing - per her choosing. she attended a hip hop academy that was only a short ride from her house and joined their “junior crew” for dancers aged 6-10. even though she had no prior experience with dancing other than with her family and friends, juyeon quickly fell in love with her newfound hobby and attended every practice and performance diligently. only a few months after starting to dance she found an interest in music and singing, deciding to join her school’s band and later choir teams.

in january of 2010, only a few days after new years, her father was called by choi sutae, president of songwon university in gwangju. he was offered a job as a professor in a few different english courses and quickly accepted this opportunity. the kangs were relocated by the end of march and though juyeon was sad to leave her friends behind in daegu, her mom did prior research to find her a suitable new dance academy. in hindsight, this may have been one of the best decisions for juyeon. her new academy offered her expertise, hip hop, as well as other styles she hadn’t been able to explore before such as jazz, ballet, and contemporary.

after settling into her new environment, juyeon fully dedicated herself to her after-school practices and weekend performances. she tried every style offered and often went home going over the choreography again. her efforts were noticed by the teachers in her classes and juyeon was able to make her way to the center position, where her priorities changed from simply learning the choreography well to perfecting her presence on stage. after diving so far into her passion for dancing, juyeon then began thinking about making her own dances, which led her to thinking about making her own music.

juyeon’s first ever song was created on the laptop she had received for christmas in 2011, and it had been completed with a choreography by mid-january of 2012. although she never posted her very first song on soundcloud like she would later into her musical journey, juyeon described it as very beat heavy and less focused on lyrics. she spent many sleepless nights on this project and especially fatigued her body after already attending her dance classes. for the next few years after this initial song her inspiration for music shifted from choreography focused to actual music focused. she started out building a beat from nothing to something, leading to a lot of her songs sounding pretty similar, but her real artistry started once she found out what samples were.

after finding samples from around the internet, juyeon was able to not only work the rest of a song around it, but it was also a good way for her to find examples of what she could recreate in her own way.

at this same time, due to her dad being a college-level english professor with his expertise in english-speaking cultures, juyeon’s proficiency in the language was held at a high standard. and although she sometimes struggled with this expectation it eventually lead her to the opportunity to exchange to america for a semester.

from september to mid december 2013 juyeon lived with a host family in eugene, oregon, where a lot of international students attended the university of oregon. her host family was also korean and had a daughter the same age named mina who was considered a best friend by the time she had to return to korea. juyeon went by billie during her time in america, leading to her eventual stage name. this time was certainly hard for juyeon; she missed her family and friends, she wasn’t attending any dance classes, and every day was an overwhelming culture shock after another. however, juyeon looks back on this time fondly. she made some good friends that she still talks to and cites this experience as a big growing point for her as a person. alongside the english language, juyeon learned a lot about the american culture, history, and people. it really changed her perspective on the world and opened her mind to greater possibilities.

after returning to korea for christmas and new years, juyeon finished her second year of middle school and began her last. as a celebration for juyeon’s hard work in america and graduating her second year, she and her family took a short trip to seoul and spent most of their time wandering around and finding shops and restaurants to stop at. during one of these days out with her parents, juyeon was approached by a jyp staff member and offered the opportunity for an audition. she was given a card and told to call if she was interested.

juyeon’s parents were a little iffy about the idea at first. their image of idols was not as admirable as their daughters, who had been a fan of quite a few artists over the past few years such as; wonder girls, f(x), 4minute, shinee, and exo. however, juyeon was certain she could convince them. during her process convincing her parents juyeon revealed the music she had been working on which happened to be the straw that broke the camels back. her parents saw her interest as well her potential and finally gave in late april, stating that as long as she kept studying english diligently and didn’t let her grades drop, she could join as a trainee on her 15th birthday. obviously, juyeon did exactly as told and joined may sixteenth, 2014.

in june 2014 juyeon met the first member of the now permanent group stray kids. after a dance class juyeon was getting her stuff together when an older boy came up to her and complimented her dancing. juyeon, who had been shy all her life, was still new to jyp and very embarrassed by this sudden recognition. however, to compensate for her awkward nature, she was extremely friendly to this stranger and ended up going to the cafeteria with him for dinner (which ended up being a great decision). during this dinner, juyeon learned that bang chan joined in 2010 from australia. their numbers were exchanged, and after furthering their friendship, they began making music side by side, offering constructive criticism and suggestions for each others productions. chan and juyeon’s friendship was the foundation for what came after - 3racha and subsequently stray kids. this is also the reason why her place in their group meant so much, as netizens at the time of the survival show didn’t understand why she needed to be in the group.

the group, formed by chan with help from juyeon, was completed just a few months prior to filming the survival show. although this process was in no way official, it made it easier for chan to take his ideal debut team to evaluations, which they passed. however, their excitement was short-lived as now they had to prove their worth directly to jyp. while on the show, juyeon faced a lot of stress in order to be competent enough to debut within their hand-made group. jyp stated that her opportunity to debut in the ‘boy group’ depended on her ability to not only meet his expectations but exceed them. she couldn’t just be as good as their best member, she needed to be better. the majority of these days were spent working constantly in fear of not meeting the standards, and the blood sweat and tears she put into debuting was recognized by jyp at the end of the show. juyeon, as well as all of the other members, were granted their debut and finally, on march 25th, 2018, stray kids debuted as a 10 member group with district nine.

[bwops]

就让那些烦恼随风去吧 随着稻香飘过的地方 耶 哎哟喂

[ultrakdramamama]

To size up the impact South Korean superstars SHINee have had on music is a difficult task. With a panorama that spans both K-pop and the world’s stage, the band’s dominance has grown exponentially since their debut 15 years ago. With their latest album, it’s also clear that SHINee’s future could only get even brighter. 

When someone goes around muttering, “Hard like a criminal, hard like the beat” under their breath for about two months straight, it’s bound to attract a few stares at the workplace. Especially when you yell, “We go HARD” when your colleagues enquire about your state of mind. But that’s SHINee’s effect for you. The lyrics from the title track of the legendary band’s eighth Korean language studio album, fittingly titled HARD, tend to imprint themselves on the listener’s temporal lobe. But this isn’t a new phenomenon for SHINee. Fifteen years since the band’s debut, it’s safe to say that they have created K-pop’s (and pop in general’s) most satisfying earworms and anthems, from Replay (2008) to Ring Ding Dong (2009), and Amigo (also 2008) to View (2015), to name a nanoparticle of songs off a daunting discography. ONEW, KEY, MINHO, TAEMIN – and the late beloved JONGHYUN – together form one of the finest, most well-rounded groups to emerge from South Korea’s competitive music industry, and their longevity speaks volumes about their talent and relevance. This includes solo projects, too – each of their individual offerings is a class apart.

So, how does one even begin to dismantle SHINee’s hypnotic hold on both their Korean and global devotees? To be honest, there is no need to divide them because once a ‘SHINee WORLD’ (the name given to the band’s beloved fanbase), always a SHINee WORLD regardless of age, gender or geographic distinction. With their vocal prowess, stage mastery, and dexterity of movement, they’ve filled stadiums worldwide through the course of a 15-year-long juggernaut. ONEW possesses one of the most iconic voices known to this oeuvre, with a dominant baritone and operatic tenor. KEY’s aura and presence is impossible to translate into words. MINHO’s a towering personality in terms of both talent and charisma. It’s also not hyperbole to state that TAEMIN is the king of movement – an unparalleled dancer, and a star. Together, they’re extraordinary. Solo, their personalities jump off the screen too. They’re each lovable matrixes of sass, humour, gravitas... clumsiness (the fans will attest to this). If one were to sum them up, ‘real’ would be the word to choose. Even though they’re revered in the industry, and active in all its different aspects – variety shows, musicals, performing on OSTs, solo projects, etc – they’re as humble as the day they started.

In this email interview, three of the band members dive into their music, providing perspective on the landscape they inhabit. ONEW, the leader of the band, is currently on hiatus for health issues. (However, he did send out a message to fans to reassure them of his rest and recovery and his imminent return.) One thing is for sure – it’s SHINee’s world, and we’re happy to be living in it.

You’ve always been completely ahead of the curve when it comes to genre, often blending several sonic elements in one album. In this album, for instance, you have wobbly drum and bass and soulful vocals on The Feeling, a really fresh take on the clear drum breaks of ’90s hip-hop on HARD, and dance-pop on Identity. Yet, you can tell a SHINee track from a mile away. How do you connect so many diverse sounds to the SHINee colour, and what – in the first place – would you say is SHINee’s colour? KEY: Rather than defining SHINee with one colour, I believe SHINee’s colour consists of all the colours each one of our fans sees us as. MINHO: SHINee is quite an interesting team because we have the ability to make any song into SHINee’s own colours. It’s our biggest weapon. We’ve built up this skill since our first album, and it only strengthened as we tried out various genres and concepts. Now, all our members know how to make any track SHINee-like. TAEMIN: SHINee’s colour is a combination of the various music styles we’ve experimented with. Without being limited to a specific genre, we capture several different colours and find SHINee’s own way of uniting everything into one.

Having said that, can you reveal the most “SHINee” song on this album for you, and explain why that would be your pick? KEY: For me, that would be the title track Hard, because it shows best all the efforts we’ve put into the visuals, performance, and recordings to demonstrate the genre of hip-hop. MINHO: It’s hard to select just one track. Many might say The Feeling but, rather than selecting one, I’d like to say this album in itself is “SHINee”, and it opens up our new chapter. TAEMIN: I’d say Satellite, because it shows the harmonious vocals of SHINee.

SHINee has a way of tapping into a collective sense of nostalgia – whether we go back to View, Married To The Music, or 1 of 1 even. Yet, you somehow manage doing this in a future-forward way with both your look and sound. How do you access and communicate a wide spectrum of emotions for people across borders and gender? KEY: Songs and melodies are very effective in expressing emotions and conveying messages to different people and genders. Though the lyrics might be interpreted differently depending on one’s culture, I believe a melody has a relatable power for everyone. MINHO: We try to convey emotions directly instead of hiding them. One of those characteristics is being upfront about how one feels and not hiding one’s emotions. TAEMIN: Even if we do not speak the same language, it’s the energy we’ve poured into this album that makes it possible for us to connect and communicate with those who listen to it.

Often, when you’re with a group of people who end up knowing you inside out, it helps you to see yourself more clearly. How would you say the close bond that exists between all of you has affected or changed you? TAEMIN: I was able to learn a lot from my (fellow band) members since they are all very talented. The bond we’ve formed through our time and experiences together is such a valuable gift to me.

People say there is always one side of the brain that’s more dominant. The left brain vs right brain – largely the analytical vs the creative. The artistes in you must make use of the right brain, but, to navigate this industry and learn from it, the left brain has to come into play. Given your successful ongoing careers, how do you balance the two sides? KEY: Balance is something I’m constantly thinking about not only as SHINee’s KEY, but also as an entertainer on variety shows so that I can continue to better myself and grow. MINHO: This is an interesting question that I’ve never thought of before. I probably use my left brain more since I’m always thinking about things that others might not have done yet or tried before. TAEMIN: When I tested myself, I found that my right brain functions better than my left!

Is it possible, as an artiste, to be happy and satisfied at the same time? MINHO: I’m not quite sure if happiness and satisfaction can be felt at the same time, though it’s different for each person. Even if I’m happy, I might not be satisfied, but I think that’s because I’m a bit of a perfectionist [laughs].

Can you talk about how the performance aspect of music has evolved for you over the years? Does it feel more poignant being on stage together again after a break? [The members of SHINee fulfilled their mandatory military enlistment duties, staggered, over the last five years.] KEY: I’m not sure if this properly explains it, but I’d like to think of our growth as ‘still strong’. As the years add on, there is a sense of pressure from wanting to show our best selves and great performances but, through this album, SHINee was able to show persistence and strength. Whenever I step on stage, it’s an overwhelming feeling. MINHO: You can see just how much we’ve grown through our performances. Compared to before, we’re more experienced so there’s a sense of ease. Yet we do feel more nervous when we return to the stage after a long time. ‘Will I be able to perform well on this stage? What if I make a mistake?’ These are the kinds of thoughts that run through my mind but that’s what brings out a perfect performance. The most important thing in all of this is to look as if you’re not nervous! [laughs] TAEMIN: The K-pop market has grown, and we’ve also benefited from that. The lifespan of K-pop idols has also increased compared to before, but I believe it’s (everyone’s) hard work that’s made this possible.

What sort of music are you gravitating towards right now? Do you connect music and movement given how proficiently you link the two? TAEMIN: I usually listen to calm music. I also enjoy humming or dancing along to whatever I’m listening to.

Fifteen years down the line, what is something you know now that you wish you had known then? KEY: That I don’t need to have any regrets because I’ve done my best throughout. MINHO: There are many things I wish I had known but, since I didn’t know anything at that time, I’d want to keep them a secret [laughs]. TAEMIN: What we’ve learned throughout holds greater value and meaning because of the process. If I were to say one thing to my past self, it would be to travel around the world more and study English.

Does the desire to experiment and the ability to actually be able to follow through with ideas become easier with time? KEY: It becomes harder with time but that’s why I make sure to put in more thought and effort to bring out the best I can.

As the world evolves at an almost breakneck speed, music evolves with it; you’ve also been witness to the shift in the influence of K-pop. How would you say the K-pop industry has also changed over these years as it has become a global phenomenon? KEY: From training to performing, everything has become very systemised and specialised. There’s also a wider variety of messages that can be delivered through performances. MINHO: K-pop has changed rapidly and, as a part of the generation that has seen that process of change, it is quite fast. The best development is the fact that the whole world can see what I’ve uploaded in seconds! TAEMIN: As a person who has been in this field for quite some time, I am amazed by K-pop. There have been a lot of changes through the years, changes that I did not realize at the time!

Looking back to when you started, would you say you are where you want to be as an artiste at this stage of your life? MINHO: I’m getting closer to where I dreamed I’d be when I debuted, but there’s still quite a way to go to get there.

How does the future look? KEY: SHINee will always remain the same. MINHO: The future will always be SHINee. TAEMIN: I’d like to live a happier life by giving back to our fans with good music and maintaining the precious relationships we have together. And I hope to perform overseas more often.

Would you please send a message to SHINee WORLD in India – any thoughts you’d like to share? KEY: I’m very much looking forward to the day we’ll get to meet our fans in person. Thank you for always showering us with love. MINHO: I’ve been to India before, but have not had the opportunity to perform. I hope that chance will come sometime soon, so please wait for us! TAEMIN: I really want to meet our fans in India and I’m sorry we haven’t been able to visit. I promise you we will create precious memories together!

[cherrylng]

Muse Disc Guide - Origin of Symmetry [STYLE Series #004 - Muse (August 2010)]

Origin of Symmetry

IN MUSIC

As the band tours the world with their debut album, performs at festivals and opens for their seniors to experience the ‘outside world’, they reaffirm the direction they should be pursuing. In other words, they strengthened Muse's unique character that is unlike any other.

The band's previous album had already developed a distinctive style based on alternative rock, incorporating classical elements and exoticism, but this sophomore album takes it even further, expressing each characteristic in a richer, more dramatic way. The guitar, which is trying to surpass Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello, is even louder and noisier than on the previous album, while the Rachmaninoff-esque piano on track (3/ Space Dementia) runs wildly in all directions. The band also experimented with new instruments such as the mellotron and the church pipe organ used in the solemn track (12/ Megalomania), resulting in an even richer diversity of sound and arrangement.

The majority of the songs on this album were written during the tour, and many of them were performed live before the album was released through repeated trial and error, reflecting the experience gained through live performances. The more dynamic swings between stillness and movement in (1/ New Born), (2/ Bliss), (4/ Hyper Music), (5/ Plug In Baby) and (6/ Citizen Erased) reflect the band's emphasis on exchanging heat with their audience and the catharsis of ‘building up, building up and then exploding’, which they knew first-hand. It was a natural progression for them. The lyrical themes of the first album were mainly about the pent-up feelings of youth in a small provincial town and the anguish of love, but this album is also characterised by a broadening of the range to include (anti-)religious views and more metaphysical themes.

In the UK in 2000, the debut album [Parachutes] by Coldplay, a leading lyrical band, and Radiohead's electronica-leaning fourth album [Kid A] both reached number one in the UK. The trend towards ‘de-rocking’ was accelerating. This album appeared to stem the tide, reaching Number 3 in the UK and marking an important turning point in the future of UK rock music. —Imai Sumi

-

2001 Hit Albums

The best-selling studio albums of the year were Linkin Park's "Hybrid Theory" and U2's "All That You Can't Leave Behind," both released the previous year, but it was the hip-hop/R&B artists who were generally stronger. For example, JAY-Z's (A/ The Blueprint), now the king of rap, won both the US and UK charts, as did Alicia Keys' memorable debut album (B/ Songs in A Minor) and Destiny's Child's "Survivor" (led by future JAY-Z wife Beyoncé Knowles), both of which were widely received outside R&B listeners. In the meantime, the song was also a big breakthrough in the US. Among the UK acts that also made it big in the US were Gorillaz, a new project of Blur frontman Damon Albarn that took the unique form of a fictional band featuring cartoon characters, and Radiohead, who also enjoyed great success in the US with "OK Computer" and "Kid A". Although they were two completely different types of band, they were received with intelligent and artistic personalities. In contrast, Blink-182, known for its tattoo-covered drummer Travis Barker, recorded a hit following "Enema of the State" with a distinctly American pop-punk feel. Also in the United States, The Strokes, featuring Albert Hammond Jr., the son of singer-songwriter Albert Hammond, broke through the UK. Good Rock'n'Roll was highly praised by discerning adult listeners and critics alike.

-

IN LYRICS

In an interview at the time of the release of this album, Matthew said that the lyrics were ‘a mirror image of myself’ and that ‘this is a positive piece of work’. On the other hand, in an interview conducted at the time of the release of 'Absolution', when he was able to look back at the album with some objectivity, he said, ‘It's a projection of my chaotic self at the time’. In the case of 'Showbiz', ‘I’ and ‘you’ could have converged in a delicate romantic relationship, but in the case of this work, ‘I’ tends to try to separate ‘you’ from ‘me’. If you read such a ‘you’ in terms of the extraordinary touring life, music business and social reality…… you can see how lonely and chaotic Matthew himself and his muse were, but he was also conscious of something that was lost in the process.

The ‘you’ depicted in track (8/ Screenager), the quietest number on the album, could be seen as a lost ‘me’ in the sense that it retains its beauty in the past. It would be somewhat sentimental to call it a rite of passage for growth, but if Muse's next leap forward was promised by the fact that they had not lost their ability to look at themselves objectively in the midst of their rock star binge, then the meaning of the song is quite profound, despite the subdued nature of the song.

The song (6/ Citizen Erased), ‘I'm sure I used to be so free’, can also be read as a story about the ‘me’ that is being lost, as it depicts a sense of danger of being tamed by something. However, when examined in conjunction with the title "Citizen Erased" and the illustrations in the booklet that suggest citizens being led into chaos, a worldview similar to George Orwell's "1984" emerges. Looking back on this work, which also shows the budding of a science fiction world, it may have been a drop in the river that would open up towards 'The Resistance'. —Abe Kaoru

-

YEAR 2001 January - Mail that was stored in the 'Post Capsule 2001' back at the International Exhibition, Tsukuba Japan in 1985, finally started to be delivered. (T/N: This information is only found on the Japanese language Wikipedia. It's a time capsule of sorts, where people who attended the exhibition will post letters into the mailbox and it will only be mailed out by the post office 16 years later to either their future selves or somebody else. One such example was that of Yasuhiro Nakasone, the Prime Minister of Japan in 1985, who posted a letter to the future Prime Minister of 2001. Yoshiro Mori was the one who received said letter before he was succeeded by Junichiro Koizumi 3 months later.) - George W Bush became the 43rd President of the United States. February - The Ehime Maru sank after colliding with a US Navy nuclear submarine. March - Osaka Universal Studios Japan opens. April - European tour begins. - Junichiro Koizumi became Japan's 87th Prime Minister. May - Sapporo Dome has completed construction. - Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, was founded. June - Sapporo Dome, home of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, is opened. July - "Origin of Symmetry" is released. - Japan tour begins. Live performances are held in Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo. - Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away is released. - Beijing was chosen to host the 2008 Summer Olympics. August - A test aircraft is launched from the Tanegashima Space Centre. September - Tokyo DisneySea opens. - September 11th attacks. The terrorist attacks in the USA shook the world. Four planes are hijacked by al-Qaeda, two of which crash into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York and collapsed both buildings. One crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC, and the other remaining one crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. October - US forces launched the invasion of Afghanistan. - Apple Computer's iPod was launched. November - Second tour in Japan begins. Live performances are held in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka. - Suzuki Ichiro, playing for the Seattle Mariners in the USA, won the Rookie of the Year and MVP titles. December - Birth of Princess Aiko.

Translator's Notes: I had to edit some parts of the article, especially with the Year 2001 part covering September. In the article, it was written as "The terrorist attacks in the USA shook the world. Four planes are hijacked by Arab groups", which... yeah, editing had to be done for very good reason there.

[theninthdoor]

What will the future hold for SM, JYPE, YG, and Hybe in the next five years?

SM || ten of swords, eight of pentacles rx, the empress: So, either their artists will all stop renewing with the company (unlike what we've seen over the years) or we'll see some more public lawsuits/other legal issues/scandals coming for them. Their projects might start losing quality, too, and, as a direct consequence, receive increasingly worse results. The company's reputation is really at stake here. On top of that, I see their girl groups doing a lot better than the boy groups and/or a woman might be called in to save the company - either way, there's a very strong and abundant feminine presence here, which seems to carry their only chance to keep their status as a top company. SME will have to reevaluate and reorient their whole structure + business and creative approaches within the next few years, for sure.

JYPE || three of pentacles, eight of cups, knight of swords: JYPE will be standing on their own, focused on what makes them unique + the path they want to forge for themselves; they'll stop looking for comparisons or to follow what other companies are doing, just for the sake of trends/hype. This might result in a decrease of exposure, but it also cleans the slate for them to find their identity once again - also, their groups seem to be getting more involved behind the scenes, too, and that might play a big part here. I would just be wary of them developing tunnel vision regarding some projects or ideas, since that can lead them to lose their grip and fall back into incertitude and lack of direction once more.

YG || the magician, the emperor, ace of swords: There are a lot of legal elements here, so they might either acquire or establish a new subsidiary OR they might merge with some other big company - something new will result out of this, for sure, but YG will still exist as it is; it's just an add on. I see them acquiring stronger leadership, looking to build connections that are more beneficial for them (financially, specially). The company will start relying a lot more on the internet and rise of AI, I believe, and could even look to go with concepts that are a bit more futuristic from now on. They might also pull some of the original hip-hop elements from their early groups, revamp them and create a whole new experimental, ultra-modern yet timeless image for themselves and their groups.

HYBE || the chariot, the sun, ace of wands: HYBE will keep on acquiring more companies or businesses as the years come. They'll still be at the top, setting trends, winning many accolades and coming up with the next "big thing". With the Sun here, it worries me that they might keep training and debuting younger teens - there's a feeling of them wanting to continue on with the fresh, youthful craze that NewJeans started for them. Their target demographic going forward seems to be younger people, too, and whatever they put out then will certainly influence that new generation immensely (in style, tastes, behaviour, etc.; even more than before).

(Disclaimer: Based on current energies! All readings are alleged and for entertainment purposes only.)

[literally-online]

Hello! Today marks the release of a new musical project I've been working on for the past month or so: Sleep Buddy! Ambient music to help you focus or just get some sleep.

Available now on Spotify and Apple Music!

You can read more about where the project came from below:

After dropping out of college, joining a band, moving in with the band, watching the band fall apart, and then subsequently finding myself with an increasing amount of pent-up musically creative energy, I decided I wanted to make something of my own.

I was also about five years deep into a stint of severe insomnia — from my first year of high school onward I generally only slept about an hour or two each night. After my friends would fall asleep and there was nobody left awake to play games with or text or talk to on the phone, I'd spend the quietest hours of my evenings teaching myself how to produce music.

The blend of these two issues manifested itself into a love of producing and listening to ambient music, and I set out with the goal of creating an album that would help me fall asleep each night. It was freeing to break away from the verse-chorus song structure I'd become so acclimated to, allowing myself to let long droning synths reverberate for hours into the night or searching for field recordings of windy plains or rainy farmhouses to see how I could incorporate the sounds of nature into my compositions. I'd write a song, load it onto my iPod, hop into my car, and cruise around empty New Jersey streets to hear how it worked as a soundtrack for the drive. In the span of about three weeks, I'd finished and released my first solo album under the artist name Boqeh: Halcyon.

Halcyon saw the beginning of a new habit: Almost every single day I'd open up my laptop and throw some nice sounding synths and chords together and let them loop endlessly while I worked on other tasks. Usually these project files would get deleted at the end of the day, but every once in a while they'd be saved and fleshed out into a full track for a hypothetical future album release. My next few ambient albums as Boqeh all followed that same songwriting process, but I eventually got more into the habit of deleting files than saving them. Slowly but surely, I stopped releasing music altogether as my career and other creative endeavors took center stage in my life.

Although I grew into the habit of deleting my daily project files, I never kicked the habit of starting a new one almost every morning. In 2018 while discussing the rise of ten-hour relaxation YouTube videos and 24/7 lofi hip-hop beats streams with a friend, I wondered aloud why I wasn't using the huge volume of music I was creating and disposing of daily to do something similar.

It's taken ten years since the release of Halcyon for me to feel confident enough to make it happen, but I'm finally done erasing the work I create.

Enter Sleep Buddy.

Sleep Buddy is both a new project and revitalization of the intention behind Halcyon — albums of carefully crafted and original ambient music with the goal of helping listeners fall asleep or relax while working on other tasks. Today marks the release of the first album: Intro.

Intro is a thesis statement. Available as a ten hour YouTube video (of course), on Bandcamp, or through your favorite streaming service like Apple Music or Spotify, it contains just under two hours of original ambient music covering a wide variety of ideas I plan on drilling further into for future releases. Almost the entirety of the album was written and produced over three weeks in January of this year, and in the time it has taken to distribute Intro to music platforms, I have already finished a followup for release sometime next month. If all goes well, expect a new Sleep Buddy release monthly in 2023.

In the meantime I hope you'll give this first album a listen, and if you do I hope it helps you relax.

You deserve it.

Head to sleepbuddy.online for more. <3

[accio-victuuri]

LOL what the hell is this hot search, and it’s #1 on both main and entertainment. Uhm. Wang Yibo is apparently the Lord and Savior of Chinese Domestic Box Office. If he can’t save “sports” themed movies then no one can. Thank you for your optimistic view of Yibo and his projects. All his starring movies are well made and he will do more that increases the quality of Chinese made films.

THE ARTICLE ITSELF, which prompted the HS is from China News Weekly. To be fair, it’s not blaming Yibo or anything. It actually presented other factors that affects the box office especially with this theme but of course they would use that title to lure people. I’ll quote one part of it that said:

According to industry analysis, the box office of "One and Only" fell short of expectations, and it is not because the creators and actors are "incompetent". The main reason is that sports-themed movies are still "niche", which has even become a "structural problem".

The whole article is below if you wanna read it. It’s a long article but has a good perspective ⬇️

Among all the summer movies, "One and Only" starring Wang Yibo and Huang Bo was generally favored by the industry before its release. Judging from the market feedback after the screening, director Dapeng has made significant progress visible to the naked eye, and the film has won a good reputation, but under the combined effect of internal and external factors, this sports-themed movie failed to get too much cake from the "big market" in the market. The box office was far from expectations, and it still did not escape the "curse" of sports-themed movies. Can't the popular star Wang Yibo save Chinese sports movies?

A group of comedians acted in an inspirational film? "One and Only" is directed by Dapeng, written by Su Biao, produced by Chen Zhixi, starring Wang Yibo and Huang Bo. Although the tone of the announcement is a comedy, it actually tells an "inspirational story" about hip-hop in sports. Director Dapeng believes that street dance is both competitive and entertaining, and it is a novel carrier that can directly participate in narrative and emotional construction. In this film, Chen Shuo (played by Wang Yibo), whose family has suffered a change, still insists on his street dance dream under the heavy pressure of life, and meets Ding Lei (played by Huang Bo), a hip-hop coach and a bole of life. Under multiple obstacles such as withdrawal of capital by the funder and suppression by opponents, the "two male protagonists" work together to lead the team to "pass through the trials and tribulations", achieve mutual success, and finally reach the other side of victory together. Attentive audiences found that "One and Only" is still Dapeng's way of telling stories, portraying characters, and presenting its value to society in the way he is good at. In Dapeng's past works, you can almost find "shadows" similar to the "two male protagonists" in this film: the little people from the bottom of society are all working tirelessly for their favorite careers and ideals, and they always have the belief that "hard work pays off" (The slogan of the film's street dance team "exclamation point")... Film critic Mu Yi commented on the acting skills of the actors: "Specifically speaking, Ding Lei starring Huang Bo is very contagious, and the sadness and helplessness of the little people are moving. Wang Yibo's breakthrough performance is also great, the several scenes between him and Huang Bo are delicate and vivid, especially the scene where he hides behind a pillar and watches his mother sing and weep quietly, which can easily touch the heartstrings of the audience."

With the presentation of the hip-hop competition, Dapeng filled the "flavor of gunpowder" again and was praised by the industry. It is understood that this film brings together many top hip-hop practitioners across the country. During the performance, they "fought and danced" with each other's arrogant expressions, dedicated to the difficult movements of "exploding", coupled with the light and shadow creation of the big stage and the hard-working shouts of the audience, the whole process was full of "exciting" and "cool". . Mu Yi believes that Dapeng's shooting of the hip-hop competition is so "bright and colorful", which is a reflection of his significant improvement in camera language expression and large-scale scene scheduling capabilities. The inspirational story is well told, and the presentation of the big scenes is impressive, but after watching the whole film, the audience's perception of "Enthusiasm" does not seem to be very funny.

Huang Bo, Xiaoshenyang, Yue Yunpeng and other comedians didn't seem to be too "burdened" throughout the whole process, and they didn't contribute many impressive golden sentences. In this regard, Dapeng made an interpretation in the road show. "We have invited a lot of very talented actors for comedy. They all have their own comedy ideas and styles, but they have well balanced this comedy performance in this movie. They not only act in comedy, but also Let everyone see your ability to shape life outside of comedy." In fact, the reason why "One and Only" is more passionate and inspirational, and it doesn't make too much effort to be "funny", it is a "propositional composition", long before it was released. It is not unrelated to obtain "official certification". According to official information, "One and Only" was jointly planned by the Propaganda Department of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee and the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games Organizing Committee, and was exclusively authorized by the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee. This film is based on the Hangzhou Asian Games to be held in 2023.

In the end, the main creators decided to use the newly added street dance project (the official name of the project is Breakdancing) as the theme for creation. In the film, Dapeng shows the cityscape of Hangzhou in accordance with relevant requirements. In addition to the landmarks and scenery such as the West Lake Long Bridge and the foot of Phoenix Mountain, the final "decisive battle" in the film is arranged in the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, which is one of the main venues of the Hangzhou Asian Games. "As an old athlete, watching this movie is very emotional."

During the road show of the film, Li Lingwei, a member of the International Olympic Committee and vice chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee who was invited to watch the film, spoke highly of the film: "Break dancing is not only It is a new event in the Asian Games, and it is also a project for the Paris Olympic Games next year, so breakdancing will receive a lot of attention; watching "One and Only" will also help young people cultivate their spirit of persevering and working hard for their dreams." 

On July 28, it was officially launched. Before its release, "One and Only" has been shown as the closing film of the Shanghai International Film Festival in June this year. Compared with other works in the summer file, "One and Only" has a sufficient time window, and has the advantage of gaining word-of-mouth in the market in advance. As of press time,Word-of-mouth box office is still not improving. For "One and Only", the film industry is more regretful: it seems to have the right time, place, and people. Word-of-mouth, popularity, and praise have all gathered in advance, but the box office performance is still difficult to meet expectations. "One and Only" seems to have no Escape the "curse" of sports movies. "I thought it would be a hit, but the screenings were not as good as expected, and the follow-up was weak."

A person who has worked on the release of many Wang Baoqiang comedies told China News Weekly, "The reasons are very complicated, related to the subject matter, and also related to the recent fierce market conditions. .”

According to the publisher, before the release of "One and Only", many distributors and film critics were very optimistic. They believed that a box office of 1 billion is a conservative figure, and 2 billion is the impact target. The official endorsement, with Wang Yibo and Huang Bolai starring, is also the reason for the industry's confidence. One of the planners of "One and Only", film critic Nan Rumin published an article on his personal public account "Poisonous Milk Movie" on July 21, predicting that the final box office of "One and Only" will reach 5.8 billion yuan. You know, the final score of "Changjin Lake", which ranked first in the box office of Chinese film history, was 5.775 billion yuan. The aforementioned issuer stated that although Nan Rumin made such a prediction, although there is no lack of exaggeration and "marketing" elements, the goal of "Hot" is to become the "C position" and the biggest blockbuster in this summer, "its ambition is definitely not small." But the reality is still far from the expectation. According to the box office statistics on the first day of the release of "One and Only", the total box office box office of "Dianying" plus pre-sales exceeded 200 million yuan. god".

Looking at the follow-up, "Hot" only earned 487 million yuan at the box office in 5 days of release, and only 776 million in 15 days of release. At present, major platforms have lowered the expected box office of "One and Only", predicting that its total box office will just exceed 1 billion.

What's more unfavorable is that the market environment has become more intense and complicated during the summer vacation. "One and Only" has not had time to try to further break the circle, it has been a bit marginalized. First of all, during the same period, the voices of "Fengshen" in the market began to increase. In addition, "Megalodon 2” starring Wu Jing was released on August 4, and "Desperate" began to be screened on August 5. Encountered the dilemma of "enemies from both sides" and severe damage to the filming space, the box office will inevitably be "divided". Among them, the large-scale pre-screening of "All or Nothing" caused controversy in the industry (15% of the films scheduled for the first day of the screening, and more than 20% of the films scheduled for the next day). A manager of a theater in Beijing told China News Weekly: "This is equivalent to treating the screening as an official release. For the two feature films "One and Only" and "Fengshen", it is indeed a bit 'non-martial arts'." However, another school of opinion believes: "It is the unsatisfactory market performance of several pre-prologue films that gave "All or Nothing" the confidence to "grab money" in advance. This is the so-called "killing you while you are sick." The publisher told China News Weekly, ""All or Nothing" has caught up with the current enthusiasm for events in northern Myanmar, and the schedule is staggered with "The Missing Her". Although the quality of the film is not perfect, it is not bad. The prequel film also has to find its own reasons " It's hard to write pictures because of spirit, hard to make movies because of sportsWhere is the reason for "One and Only" itself?

According to industry analysis, the box office of "One and Only" fell short of expectations, and it is not because the creators and actors are "incompetent". The main reason is that sports-themed movies are still "niche", which has even become a "structural problem". For sports-themed movies, Wang Fangfang, the director who filmed "My Heart Is Flying" based on the Winter Olympics champion Yang Yang, said helplessly: "If you really go to the theater and watch the movie, you will know that it's not how much the director made it. Poor, this is not a simple issue of film distribution." Chen Kexin, director of "Win the Championship", and Deng Chao, who filmed "Chinese Ping Pong", also have a deep understanding. Both works have impressed many audiences with their passionate spirit, and the Douban scores are both 7.1 points, which shows that the audience recognizes them. But when it comes to the box office, it's hard to say... "Win the Championship" ended up with a box office of only 836 million yuan. The total box office of "Chinese Ping Pong" released in February this year was only 100 million yuan. Why do Chinese audiences not buy sports movies? Zhang Bin, founder of Sunyao Sports, told China News Weekly: "The broadcast of sports events on the Internet and TV media is the embarrassing reason for sports movies. Realistic sports movies must come from real sports events, and the sports events themselves may be full of dramatic tension. , but the ending is nothing new for the audience, so sports fans don't buy it. Movie fans generally think that sports movies are too realistic and boring, and they don't want to watch them. What's more, the themes and narratives of Chinese sports movies have always been too single. The taste of chicken soup and preaching is too strong."

In addition, the difficulty of sports movies is that they cannot get out of the circle to empathize. Zhou Chao, chief editor of Sina Sports and a senior boxing reporter, told China News Weekly: "In the United States, boxing movies are the most awarded sports movies in Oscars, such as "Rocky", "Raging Bull" and "Million Dollar Baby". Because boxing It can best express the process of a person's resistance to injustice and self-struggle.

But in China, audiences are not familiar with boxing, and they don't understand many operational behaviors of professional boxing, and it is even more difficult to empathize with such works." On the contrary, movies like Wang Baoqiang's "In the Octagonal Cage" that have nothing to do with sports but are essentially pan-social themes can make people empathize with "truth". ", the protagonist finally won the game, but still has to go to work and return to ordinary people's life. This ending can touch people's hearts." Zhang Bin analyzed, "The reason why "Let's Wrestle! Dad" became a dark horse in 2017 is because of empathy On the one hand, although many ordinary people do not understand the subject matter of boxing, topics such as national honor, personal dreams, family emotions, and even gender equality can arouse the thinking of audiences of all ages and circles. It can be said that everyone has found common ground in it. In this way, if a sports movie wants to win word-of-mouth and box-office success, it is not enough to just tell a passionate, inspirational and moving story.

Only by continuing to dig and find the "empathy point" recognized by the market and the audience, can the "vicious circle" of "not daring to shoot, not wanting to shoot, not doing well, not being popular" can be fundamentally reversed. "If the box office of "One and Only" can finally break through 1 billion as predicted, it may still be far behind the film's own expectations, but it can still break the box office record of Chinese sports movies. I think it still has reference value." Zhang Bin said "If a sports movie wants to be a blockbuster, in addition to interpreting sportsmanship, it also needs to incorporate more types of elements on the basis of localized narratives, such as comedy, action, suspense, love, and social topics. It is easier to achieve results and be recognized by the market.”

[rabbitechoes]

definitely a less eventful week than the last, but still some interesting songs dropped. one of these songs is one of my favorites of the year!!!

to see last week's post, click here!!! also feel free to follow me on rate your music and twitter <3

"SIN MIEDO" - JPEGMAFIA

◇ released: July 15, 2024 ◇ genres: experimental hip hop, hardcore hip hop, rap rock

For the last JPEGMAFIA single, I wrote a long-winded diatribe about how irritated I was with his ongoing antics - I don't feel like doing that for "SIN MIEDO" too. I'm not absolutely in love with this track, but there are some good ideas here. For one, the beat is unreal. He sits comfortably in the upper echelon of experimental hip hop producers. I'm not crazy about Peggy's lyricism on these new singles though, it just feels way too generic for him. Like he's playing into his hallmarks rather than pushing himself further. Anyway, I do like this song! It seems like there's a new album of his on the way so maybe these songs will hit harder in the grand scheme of things, but for now they're just decent.

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"HOODLUMZ" - Denzel Curry feat. PlayThatBoiZay & A$AP Rocky

◇ released: July 16, 2024 ◇ featured on King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2 ◇ genres: trap, southern hip hop

Denzel Curry's new album drops this week and this single "HOODLUMZ" dropped a few days prior. This is another solid cut. Curry seems to be getting back in touch with his roots on this project and he sounds reinvigorated. Not that he ever "fell off" per say, but he just sounds so energized here. PlayThatBoiZay and A$AP Rocky also offer good verses here. Looking forward to listening to and reviewing the full album!

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"I Am Dog Now" - Chat Pile

◇ released: July 16, 2024 ◇ featured on Cool World (not yet released) ◇ genres: noise rock, sludge metal

After bursting onto the scene with their 2022 album God's Country, The Flenser's Chat Pile are gearing up for the follow-up. "I Am Dog Now" is the lead single for their new album Cool World releasing this October. The pieces from the last album are all hear, but everything sounds more claustrophobic. There were moments on God's Country you could seek shelter from, but "I Am Dog Now" offers no such respite. It cranks up the intensity a lot, it's really cool. I'm curious to hear if that's the case for the rest of the album. This is a good single and I'm really looking forward to this new record.

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"Satellite Business 2.0" - Sampha feat. Little Simz

🥇 BEST SONG OF THE MONTH

◇ released: July 16, 2024 ◇ genres: alternative r&b, UK hip hop, neo-soul

Oh, boy. Sampha's masterful sophomore album Lahai was one of my favorite albums from last year and it's only grown on me ever since. Hearing he was going to be releasing this new version of the 1-and-a-half minute "Satellite Business" with Little Simz got me incredibly excited. This is as great as I thought it would be, perhaps even greater. Two of the brightest artists of today firing on all cylinders together. For starters, the production here is immaculate, it sounds otherworldly. Sampha's verses have this funky-ness to them, they just have a strong groove. This isn't one of the Sampha songs you sink into and relax to, this is a banger. The verse from Simz is incredible too, further proof that she's one of the most unique rappers currently active. This is amazing. Please go out of your way to listen to "Satellite Business 2.0." One of the best songs you will hear all year, trust me.

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"In the Night" - Childish Gambino feat. Jorja Smith & Amaaerae

◇ released: July 16, 2024 ◇ featured on Bando Stone & the New World ◇ genres: alternative r&b, alté

The second single for the final Childish Gambino album that drops this week is drastically different than the previous. "In the Night" goes in a more R&B and alté direction which is pleasant, but it never reaches a second gear. Jorja Smith and Amaaerae give the song some extra depth though. I'm curious to hear how many different directions the album goes in and if it'll come together in a coherent way - I'm also curious about the accompanying film itself for that matter. These two tastes we've gotten from Bando Stone & the New World are cool, but nothing extraordinary. By the time this post comes out, I will have probably already formed an opinion on the actual album itself so ... I guess we will see!!!

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"Brush Pile" - Diary

◇ released: July 16, 2024 ◇ featured on Speedboat (not yet released) ◇ genre: indie rock

I came upon this single randomly, I had never heard of Diary before, but "Brush Pile" rocks. Just a confident, sort of throwback indie rock cut that harkens back to the lackadaisical vibe of early 90s Sonic Youth - just significantly less noise rock. Their influences are evident and, while this song is very good, I'm hoping the band can carve out their own sound beyond that. Regardless, Diary seem to have all the right tools and I'll definitely be sure to give their upcoming EP Speedboat a listen.

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"Detective Alice" - Alice Longyu Gao

◇ released: July 17, 2024 ◇ genres: trip hop, pop rap

I was first introduced to Alice Longyu Gao through her abrasive Let's Hope Heteros Fail, Learn, and Retire EP from last year. It was certainly a unique project, but I never found myself revisiting it too much. "Detective Alice" has her popping up on my radar once again and this is fun! Gao sings about using Instagram as a dating app and spying on people's exes. It's tongue in cheek, I do wish it had a bit more substance though.

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"that's what time does" - Oso Oso

◇ released: July 18, 2024 ◇ featured on Life Till Bones (not yet released) ◇ genre: indie rock

New York indie rockers Oso Oso are back with a new album dropping in a few weeks which I was totally unaware of. In high school, I really liked Basking in the Glow for like the span of two weeks or so. It was just what I needed for that time! I just lost track of them since then, but this new single "that's what time does" is a solid track. Their music sounds brighter than I remember, there's a shimmer to it. I'll definitely be sure to check out Life Till Bones, I'll try not to lose track of you next time!

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"Lets Get On Dey Ass" - Lil Yachty

◇ released: July 19, 2024 ◇ genre: trap

Lukewarm off of a middling collab album with James Blake last month, Lil Yachty has returned to old stomping grounds with a trap song - a genre he has talked condescendingly towards ever since his psychedelic rock record Let's Start Here. from early last year. The single's cover art harkens back to some vague 90s rap aesthetics, but the song is nothing like that. This is just Yachty doing trap again, it just kinda rolls along leaving no lasting impression. Made even worse by his aforementioned dismissal of the genre he made a name for himself in. Total snoozer, but I guess it isn't offensively bad.

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"15 MINUTES" - Madison Beer

◇ released: July 19, 2024 ◇ genres: dance pop, slap house

My interactions with Madison Beer's music have been brief outside of checking out her album Life Support back in 2021. I was pretty unimpressed by that album, but "15 MINUTES" kind of impressed me. Mainly due to its transfixing production. It puts in a trance almost. Beer's presence is understated, but not bad. Definitely wish she could've brought a bit more, but this is a solid track. Not enough to get me stoked for a future Madison Beer project, but she's on the right track.

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"into place" - Midrift

◇ released: July 19, 2024 ◇ genre: shoegaze

Midrift is a band of teenagers from California making some pretty decent shoegaze tunes. They've been at this for a couple years, and while I haven't ventured through their other work, it definitely sounds like they've grown confident in this sound. If you're in the mood for some no-frills shoegaze, give "into place" a quick listen. The future seems bright for them - which seems ironic because shoegaze is a bit of a dour genre, but still.

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"Work It Out" - Joe Jonas

◇ released: July 19, 2024 ◇ featured on Music For People Who Believe In Love (not yet released) ◇ genre: pop rock, new wave

Joe Jonas is embarking on his second big solo run with this unremarkable, sanitized brand of pop rock. It's not bad, it just isn't particularly exciting either. I mean ... it's Joe Jonas - I wasn't expecting this to be great. After hearing "Cake By The Ocean" and that one big Jonas Brothers hit from a few years ago literally everywhere, I was expecting something way worse so maybe it's good that this is just bland rather than irritating!

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"Alexander" | "Guitar Song" - Rex Orange County

◇ released: July 19, 2024 ◇ featured on The Alexander Technique (not yet released) ◇ genre: bedroom pop, indie pop

Besides being taken to courts on six counts of sexual assault - in which he was seemingly found innocent - Rex Orange County has had a relatively uneventful last couple of years. I remember around the big Flower Boy boom of the late 2010s it seemed like he was the next big thing. Hell, I used to love his music to death - but then I grew up. Every project I've heard of his since has lead me to one conclusion; I've grown up, but he hasn't. That remains true on these two new singles, the leads to his upcoming album The Alexander Technique. Mopey bedroom pop that's overly earnest and exhausting to my ears now. I don't know, I think I'm just past this. I do think there are some cool parts in the arrangement for "Guitar Song," like the instrumental break for example, but it's not enough to make it super compelling. Can't say I'm too excited about this new record.

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psssst. i made a discord server called COSMIACORD ... if u wanna join and have fun, talk about music, play fortnite, or whatever here's the invite :3 https://discord.gg/rsHMenTU