#Submerged Sonic

[notanothersonicblog]

Why I like Sonic and Tails in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.

I was recently discussing AoStH, and one of the things I realised is how good the show is at showing Sonic and Tails as being friends. As opposed to the games where for the most part they feel more like co-workers.

The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog frequently sets up its plots and scenarios by showing Sonic and Tails hanging out - eating chili dogs, reading comics, playing games etc.; before finding out what Robotnik's scheme of the day is or discovering a problem that they wish to solve, usually via a guest character. They're shown as always on the move from place to place and it gives Mobius a feeling of deeper backstory and people.

As well as exposition, these scenes also establish Sonic and Tails as adoptive siblings who look after each other, with Sonic as the older brother, even going so far as to show them doing chores. It does a good job of selling these two as friends who like to hang out and travel the world in search of adventure. The little moments also serve as pauses/breathers in the runtime, which is why the idea of this show just being zany antics is somewhat misguided.

The game's idea of Tails meanwhile is an independent character who happens to be Sonic's superfan/friend, it's a good one but like so many SEGA ideas they half-bake it; past Sonic Adventure 2 Tails more or less only shows up with Sonic because the plot needs it, and serving as the exposition dump/tech guy (the latter role being filled by guest characters like Caninestein in AoStH). Like a lot of the things in the games their friendship feels like something that's told rather than shown. In fact it's one of the things I like about Sonic Unleashed where Sonic and Chip do similar "Let's go to this place and have a snack" moments.

In the games defence, there is an expectation that you don't take too much time away from the player, and what time you do allocate to cutscenes you want to fill with epic action or exposition dumps to move the plot forward. Certainly I wouldn't want a Metal Gear Solid length cutscene where Sonic and Tails are discussing this season's football transfers.

However, I don't think it's impossible to show these two doing something like fishing or watching a movie for a brief moment at the start of an adventure or between acts in a game, it would certainly sell them as friends more. As for the independence bit, to be brutally honest Tails fans it's called Sonic the Hedgehog not 'Middle Aged Man is Bothered by Annoying Teenagers', so Sonic is nearly always going to be central to the plot. At least until we get Tails Adventure 2: This Time it's Personal

[0vergrowngraveyard]

I have a random question, how does Sonic give baby Tails a bath or he doesn't since he absolutely despises water?

i actually think sonic is ok with shallow water and getting a little wet, but putting him in waist deep water is cruel and unusual punishment. to me, his fear stems more from the idea of drowning than just being in water. like he won’t go out of his way to get wet or anything, but if he has a reason he’ll survive

so yeah, he can give his baby bro a bath just fine lol. it’d just be his hands getting wet (and wherever the excess water on tails lands when he shakes himself out)

[beskarfrog]

Frog!!! Hope you’re well!! Perhaps Din + Grogu and cubism?

i am very well, thank you! lemme preface this with saying that this drawing was so far out of my comfort zone, also my cat caught a mouse while i was working on it so -10 points for emotional damage. But thank you for the prompt, esp with cubism being a canon mandalorian art style, i hope this is what you had in mind! <3

[sonknuxadow]

do you think sonic characters ever dye their fur. and if they do do they dye their entire bodies or just add highlights here and there

[niechys]

okay this cycle of whining is going to go on for a bit.

What's with feeling you can't do anything right. Like I know people makes mistake, but sometimes it's just mistakes after mistakes to the point you just feel like you are the stupidest person in the world or something.

I keep making all the stupid mistakes. I don't know what to do with all this crap anymore.

(no it's nothing big at all and really easy to fix. But all of them overtime just feel like okay I'm dumb, what do you want me to do about it? cuz the more nervous I am, the more I second guess myself, the more mistakes I make)

[sonic-gallery]

Silent and cold sky 🌙 Tails was looking up at the spectacular night sky show, where countless auroras were dancing and rippling from a corner of the Holoska Ice Field, which was submerged in the depths of night 🦊

"I wish I could turn these emotions into data…!" 📃

The light continues to grow and the night deepens 🌠

From the aurora-filled ice field #暑中見舞い !

#Sonic

[rainychaoloveshack]

hiiii i stumbled across ur blog like a couple days ago and. ive been so obsessed with all ur posts theyre so yummy!!! (ESPECIALLY UR BOOM??? ik u mentioned u werent all that familar with him but,,, that one oneshot had me salivating oml)

anyways could i maybe ask for a sonic x reader where they give him a bath bc he's stinky 🤧 just modern/game is fine smile

ﾟ ⋆ ﾟ ☂︎ ⋆ ﾟ 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐠.

sonic had a nice adventure outside. unfortunately, remnants of said adventure were brought into your home. its bath time.

⋆°•☁︎ content . sonic x gn!reader, fluff, sort of shitpost-esque writing but i still did take it seriously i swear anon

☂︎ wc. 1.1k ☂︎ a/n. hueheh this request had me giggling. silly dirty ass mf 😭😭😭 i was messing around during it huehehe this is your reminder to not take me too seriously sometimes 😋still pretty short but i hope you like it ^^ def not my best work but i hope you like it regardless ^^'

likes, reblogs, and especially comments are extremely appreciated!!! (i like chatting to you guys!)

“You know I can take a simple bath by myself, right?” Sonic growls, watching you kneel down and check the water's temperature for him with your forefinger. Not too hot, not too cold. “Plus, I already took a shower. The dirt’s gone already. No need for a bath, right?” Now why is he acting like that bathtub is going to kill him? 

“Could’ve gotten it all out if you hadn’t pulled me out the shower.” He mutters. “If you had wanted me to take a bath at all, you should’ve said that bef-” You frown, interrupting his rambling by knocking on the side of the bathtub with your fingers in a way that’s telling him to hurry up and get in. You can still smell the mud on him.

And it’s not bad to take precautions. Plus, if the shower didn’t get every single spec of dirt out of his quills, the bath will. Having even one spec of dirt come back inside the house after Sonic’s grand entrance of mud-filled footsteps, and right after you had to clean said mess, might just make you go crazy.

“I already said I was sorry...” He trails off, peering into the tub before taking a step back. You mutter a short curse his way and tug him by his arm, refusing to take no for an answer.

Sonic winces slightly at the volume of the water in the tub but lets out a sigh once he sees your stern expression. “Oh, alright…” He grumbles, spitting out soft curses about his distaste for water as he slips off his gloves, following with his socks right after.

… Paw-beans.

“Hmm?” Sonic’s ear flicks at your small murmuring, turning your way just as he’s about to step into the bath. “You say something?”

You shake your head, trying to make him forget your small slip-up, and urge him into the tub with a small shove. The moment his foot enters the water, you can visibly see a shiver tremble through his body.

“Eugh.” Despite his little complaints, he takes another step in the bubbly water, slowly settling himself into it with unpleasant grumbling, the water reaching up to his chin. “Make it fast. Being submerged in water for too long makes me uneasy…”

Like him? Make it as fast as ‘Sonic speed’, some might say?

His head snaps in your direction, opening his mouth to say something back to your crude teasing, but it closes instantly as you cup water into your hands and pour it over his head, watching it run off his quills and back into the bath.

That shut him up quickly. 

And so it begins.

The water runs down and seeps into his fur, then drips off once it gets too soaked, mixing with the bubbly suds already present. You rub his ear in a slow motion, cupping water up from the bath and pouring it over to get any extra dirt out. So far so surprisingly good; the baths running fairly clear, besides the small bit of dirt or so. Maybe he did get all the dirt out after all? Or maybe it was just his shoes that were the problem? No, then you wouldn’t have seen all those specs of black and brown in his fur. What, did he roll down a hill or-

“Hey, be careful with my quills!” Sonic’s body flinches as you accidentally prod and pull too deeply during your thoughts. “Can’t you be a little more gentle? The bath’s been clear for the past half hour.” He clarifies. “At this point, I’m not sure if you’re still trying to get any dirt out, or if you just like pampering me.”

Oh. Well damn.

Your hand lowers from his head, and it dawns upon you that yes, for once Sonic is actually right about your behavior, and the embarrassment washes over your figure, staggering your motions as you go to unplug the drain, but he stops you with a small kick of his foot at your hand.

“I didn’t say you had to stop.” Sonic mutters, before putting on his best ‘I deserve the world’ act a spoiled child would have towards everyone else. “I’m actually enjoying the attention!” He puffs his chest out, trying to put on a smug face for you, but a splash of water in his face turns that smugness to irritation, shaking his head around like a dog would their body as water flings in every direction possible. You hold your hands up in front of your face, your soaking wet hands dripping onto your lap and the bathroom floor as you shield yourself from the blue blurs little water assault. Ugh. Looks like he’s getting a kick out of your annoyance.

“It’s not so bad.” Sonic says plainly, flexing his fingers in the water in front of him, before adjusting himself to rest his arms on the tub’s edge, resting his head down to let your preen and run your fingers through his quills, forgetting to scrub through them at all. “You know, I wouldn’t mind if you pampered me like this more often.” Sonic reaches over and drags a soggy, wet, finger across your arm, leaving small water droplets on your skin as he moves it up towards your hand, currently resting on your lap as the other one rubs against his shoulder briefly. “Think I deserve it a little, ya’ know?” He shimmies his shoulders a bit, yet his tail wags all the same under the water, eager for your answer, even if you give him a plain ‘no’.

Well, if he could be more aware of himself and clean up after his little escapades, you would. But for now, the punishment bath it is. Though, with the way he was acting at first, someone might’ve thought he was taking a small dunk in acid.

Sonic doesn’t utter a word at your own little joke, but he shakes his head disapprovingly, glaring at you for a few seconds as his eyes flick over you up and down, then he relaxes. “You’re gonna help me dry off after this too, right?” He chirps, and you shake your head, already firm in the belief that you deserve some rest after cleaning up the house. Not to mention the other house chores you’ve already done today.

“Aw man...” Sonic says softly, before growling under his breath in your direction, ears pinning down, obviously in a joking manner, and he flicks some water in your direction off his fingertips, splashing onto your shirt and lap. “You can’t just take me a bath and then chicken out once we’re almost at the finish line! Come on.” Another flick of water comes flying your way, this time hitting you in the face, and you scowl, cupping up some water in your palm to splash it back at him.

“Aw, hey, come on!” His tone of voice makes it sound like a complaint, but his expression is the complete opposite; a fat grin spreads across his muzzle and another small splash of water makes its way to you, soaking your shirt. Oh, so that's how it is?

“What? What’re you gonna do about it?”

Stupid hedgehog. Sometimes it’s a mystery how you haven’t gone crazy by now from all his antics.

… Oh well; time to fetch that towel.

[corneredcopia]

Incoming spoilers!!! I just wanted to ramble a bit about that stone scene:

I think the scene besides the final speech that broke me the most was definitely when Stone called Ivo to warn him about Gerald. (Keep in mind I’m paraphrasing some parts here bc I didn’t have their entire dialogue memorized and it’s 2am so I apologize if some of this is just incoherent lol)

Desperately pleading with Ivo to think twice about Gerald was a tricky play because I think Stone knew Ivo most likely wouldn’t listen to him and stubbornly ignore his warning. And yet…he still poured his heart out to him in the most heartbreaking way.

There were no “please, I need you’s,” and there were no attempts to get Ivo on his side by boosting his ego in that moment.

Stone had crawled through the mud, out of a giant mech submerged in the water nonetheless, just to say a few choice words to Ivo, “I’m not there to protect you,” and “I almost lost you once I can’t lose you again.” (Again, I’m paraphrasing)

Both of these lines have been eating at me for the past few hours because it’s so surreal to be able to see how much Stone cares for Ivo unfiltered. We hear him use ‘I’ instead of ‘you,’ not telling off the doctor but making his own needs clear in an attempt to get Ivo to realize what he can’t on his own.

If it wasn’t obvious to Robotnik from Stone’s delighted reaction to his return in Sonic 2 and the months they’ve lived together, Stone is making it obvious now. (Where Rob will realize later on) His loyalty is a bond beyond professionalism and sycophancy to the point where Rob’s safety is more important to Stone than anything else in the world. Even dissatisfying him.

Yes, he craves affection from Ivo and clearly knows how much Gerald means to him, though I think Stone would much rather have Ivo hate— absolutely despise the agent’s existence—than to ever know the doctor was in pain again.

And leading up to the ending, when Robotnik finally snapped out of it and had a few seconds to think over the entire past decade of Stone’s service to him, is where I believe Lee’s words fit.

“I think Robotnik needs Stone more than Stone needs Robotnik.”

In his “final” moments Robotnik’s increasing need for Stone was so apparent it melted down his own selfish core, and I believe that this was the driving factor to push him to save the planet.

So if Robotnik is now gone, Stone served his purpose for the man up until the very end. Sure he’ll live out Rob’s legacy as the doctor bestowed upon him, but he would do so as a changed man. A changed, lonely, man.

Their relationship ended up saving the world, yet, the world couldn’t end up saving their relationship.

[bespectacled-bookwyrm]

Man, I hate hunting Nibelsnarf.

It nearly took me HALF AN HOUR to hunt the one in the 3-star Village Quest!

It doesn't help that I can't figure out when to use sonic bombs. Barrel bombs, at least, are for when it charges and you make it eat it.

But sonic bombs?

No clue.

I tried using it when it was completely submerged in the sand, like when you're hunting Cephadrome or other burrowing monsters, but no luck.

Any tips for hunting a Nibelsnarf?

[sonic-the-hedgehog-2006]

The ancient submerged ruins of Tropical Jungle blatantly appear to have belonged to some manner of turtle society.

Additionally, the living turtles that appear within the ruins are one of many examples of extremely large versions of animals appearing in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, with other examples being the frogs found in Heroes' Frog Forest and the snake found within Forces' Mystic Jungle.

[son1c]

in my Brand New Original Sonic Movie Lore(TM), mobians and humans used to live in harmony on earth many, many, MANY years ago. like, way back when the egyptian pyramids were still being built. so, there's remnants of them in some places, like the pyramids*.

but that was almost 5000 years ago now.

the mobians' disappearance was caused by the echidnas. i've already said that angel island is on earth, but submerged in the bermuda triangle. well, thousands of years ago, the island used to be above sea level. it was the echidnas' home. then, the chaos controller (aka the One Person who can use the chaos emeralds' power) of their time was born as an echidna.

long claw's species attempted to take the child--who we would recognize as tikal--but the echidnas weren't willing to give her up. and why should they? who says the owls can be more responsible with that power than the echidnas? so, a war broke out. it lasted years. the echidnas grew tired of the conflict. they wanted the fighting to end, so they did something drastic; they called on their guardian deity's power to end the war.

chaos' power was successful at driving the owls away. that should've been the end of it, but one echidna--pachacamac--saw the immense power their deity held and got greedy. why stop at just the owls? why not keep chaos around to defend their island from all threats? well, when looking for danger, you will often perceive anything that breathes as a threat.

chaos grew wilder, its power more and more uncontrollable, but pachacamac--now the leader of the echidnas thanks to his earlier lobbying--still wouldn't relent. his mask was off: he was aggressive about expansion and wanted to conquer everything he could.

by now, tikal was a teenager. she saw the corruption happening right in front of her and refused to stand by and let it happen. she used her powers to seal chaos away, but doomed herself in the process. as a final farewell, chaos laid a curse on all the mobians of earth; leave, or drown alongside angel island. so, they left, fleeing chaos' curse to the far reaches of the stars...

[maareyas]

Once again getting the vague desire to Paint Water so

i could've put scourge as an actual option here instead of Other, but I think he would start having a violent chemical reaction if he comes in contact with Normal Water™️ not unlike that of pure potassium

the saga thus far:

[sonic-takeover]

Aw, don't worry Sonic, at least you have a life vest on in case anything goes wrong! Do you have any ideas for how to get poor Alice to shore though? She can't fly or swim, probably shouldn't be submerged, and she's too heavy for anyone to carry. 😬

Yeah, I know, doesn't make the water any less terrifying, though. *He's taking a breather near the pile of removed walls Knuckles is making when Shadow walks in, looking pensive. Sonic hurries over to him and takes his hand* Hey.

Hey. I just messed up.

Oh.. You okay?

Yes. I attacked Espio because he kissed Silver. Now Silver is mad at me.

.... Dude.

I know..

I love you, but you've gotta stop taking this so seriously. Just talk to him about it.

I know, I.. I will.

.... Would it make you feel better to know I'm not doing great either?

Of course it wouldn't. Explain.

I keep thinking about the water and it's psyching me out. I'm scared I'll drop someone 'cause of it.

Oh. *He glances at the water rising at their legs, then back at Sonic* I'll bring you to shore. You stay there. I'll pick up where you left off.

Wh-?? Babe, you don't have to do that. I was just gonna ask for a hug.

Here. *Shadow hugs him tight. Sonic smiles, letting off a breath of a laugh as he buries his face in Shadow's quills*

Mmm.. You smell nice..

Mhm. *Shadow kicks Sonic's legs out from under him and scoops an arm beneath his knees, picking him up bridal style. He skates out the door and across the water toward land*

Hey! Rude??

*Shadow sets Sonic on a log of driftwood sticking out from the sand. He kisses his forehead* Stay.

... Okayy...

*Shadow nods and hurries back to the ship to retrieve the remaining passengers*

[flightyalrighty]

I love the mini aus where they're actors and it's like. a film or whatever. and I just had the mental image of sonic being told 'you're gonna be Covered in blood' and he doesn't even hesitate to canon ball into the fake blood bucket submerged.

it would be super funny if someone started doing an AU of Infested where they're just actors, like, commentating on what happens weekly.

[itz-pandora]

Oh nooooo!

Wanna talk about some of your headcanons you have for your Sonic AU?

Perchance....

I'll just do ones I can think of off the top of my head

(image isn't mine)

Sonic doesn't like being indoors, it's hard for him to focus when being cooped up inside. He'd much prefer to be outside whenever he can. Ofc he can be inside, doesn't mean he has to like it tho.

Sonic likes being by water, and will only go into the shallow parts unless he needs to go fully submerged.

Sonic doesn't usually sleep for 8 consecutive hours, it's more like two 4 hour naps a day.

Sonic's eyes used to be dark brown. they turned green the first time he went Super

Tails is dyslexic, and he struggles to read. He's still down for a good book, he just takes longer to finish it.

Tails gets an attitude as he gets older, but he's still nice. He's more quippy.

Knuckles is a big history nerd. He loves learning about cultures and the past. Of course he's partial to Echidna culture, but he's still interested in other places

Knuckles is a vegetarian. He only would eat stuff that's renewable on Angel Island.

Knuckles is left handed, also his lil spikes are apart of his hand hand.

Amy is near sighted plus has pretty bad night vision.

Shadow's knowledge of Earth, prior to SA2, was through TV and novels. (Think like the captain in WALL-E, but with a lot more context.)

Shadows knowledge of slang is super outdated. He thinks gay just means happy lol

A lot of Shadows body language was built around Maria, so he can get pretty physically affectionate when comfortable (even if he finds it embarrassing.) Purring, tail wagging, etc. He also would get cuddly if he wasn't embarrassed.

Terios is Shadow's genetic donor

Rouge has two moms who run a casino together :)

Silver is pyrophobic. He's scared of fire because of the future with Iblis. Fire makes him anxious.

Silver has a bad leg from an injury that was never healed properly. He can't run as fast or as long because of it. He learned how to fly with his telekinesis as it was healing. His injury flares up with anxiety.

Blaze's ponytail is a headdress cuz I said so :)

Espio is fully bilingual with Japanese and English, and it's his accent sounds fluent but for both since he learned both at a young age. He'll sometimes talk in Japanese to himself (it's his preferred language)

Male Mobians tend to have longer quills/hair/whatever than females.

Hedgehog have lighter quills as they're young, they darken as they get older.

Ik I've said some of these before

I might add more later?

[musicollage]

Belong — Realistic IX. 2024 : Kranky.

— 

New Orleans-based duo Belong set a high bar for themselves with their 2006 debut album, October Language, a masterpiece of deep, formless, textural drone that sounded like shoegaze with every last trace of song subtracted, leaving behind just the beautiful and mesmerizing sound of the dust on the record needle. The group introduced more structure to their sound from there, with their 2011 sophomore album, Common Era, having discernible vocals, rhythms, and melodies rather than just thick blurs of guitar noise. Realistic IX, Belong's first new album in 13 years, refines their abstract sound world even further, landing somewhere between frayed, deconstructed guitar rock and submerged ambient fuzz. The mystical, whammy-bar riffs, cooing vocals almost inaudible in the mix, and steady drum machine beats of songs like "Souvenir," "Realistic (I'm Still Waiting)," and "Jealousy" sound like more obscured takes on the My Bloody Valentine style, in particular the songs that showed up on their pre-Loveless EPs Glider and Tremolo. The sound is so similar to the classic shoegaze template that it gives these tracks a nostalgic, familiar feeling, but also renders them somewhat generic. It's the way Belong ties together these relatively straightforward tracks with more repetitive, caustic ones that keeps Realistic IX interesting. "Bleach" is little more than a dubby kick drum and hi-hat pattern barely holding together overlapping loops of brittle noise, and "Crucial Years" buries its minimal rhythm so deep beneath waves of sputtering, decaying sound shrapnel, it becomes easy to lose the tempo completely, much like the blissful confusion of a Gas track. Belong rides the line between dreamy songs and noisy nightmares expertly throughout the album. Most of the band's records are best experienced in full, front to back, and Realistic IX is the same but in a different way. Taking any one song on its own wouldn't reveal the tension, uneasy wandering, and moments of resolution that all play out when these disparate pieces interact and disagree with one another, and that captivating balance is what continues to set Belong apart from any number of shoegaze revisionists. — Fred Thomas

— 

Belong is an underrated group. Initially having been around just long enough to put out two EPs and two LPs, including the phenomenal Common Era, they seemed to flicker like embers in a dying cathode ray TV, some cellophane ghost escaping in powdered silver nitrate. Their sound was on the noisy end of shoegaze and dream pop, calling to mind groups like Astrobrite and loveliescrushing, taking the sonic experimentalism of Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine and applying the same gothic sense of haze and decay we might associate with William Basinski, This Mortal Coil or the like. That final album of theirs, Common Era, has been a mainstay of mine since its release, hovering like a ghost, scoring the process of finishing writing a novel that was more like an exorcism and some periods of intense inward turmoil that made me feel like I was boiling alive. Then, they disappeared.

So when I saw 15 years later they were back I actually, no shit, cried. It felt for me similar to the return of Duster from their long slumber and, similar to that esteemed group’s return, Belong’s new record feels like a fitting continuation of their legacy, neither slavishly adoring of their own previous successes nor so radical a shift that you wonder the wisdom in sharing the name. The most shocking shift present on this record is the sudden presence of, gasp, songs?! That’s right; despite their earlier material positioning them as stalwarts on the bleeding experimental edge of the fusion of noise, dream pop, ethereal wave and even glints of internet-savvy micro-genres such as witch house and the like, all forms that typically evade the easy categorical of songs, this new set, at least initially, has clearly structured work that wouldn’t feel out of place on a modern My Bloody Valentine record.

It forms a strange complaint, especially given that much more esteemed group’s prolonged silence despite teases of activity, Belong’s own long slumber and, to be frank, the incredible strength of this material. Originality is overrated anyway; genre workouts are amenable to anyone with open ears and an open heart so long as the art compels, and this does handily. That said, it is a great relief when, as the tracks ease on, you are overcome by waves of roaring noise, amorphous clouds of rattling hiss, lapped at by the waters. In a certain sense, it’s hard not to still yearn for the proper songs on the LP to be covered in a bit more affected grime, but this is fantasy football, not criticism. The structure of the album still allows that always intriguing sense of disintegration, material pockmarked by burned holes in the tape, with it fraying into wild noise and the shapelessness of the malevolent sea by the end.

The key aspect they have maintained, after all, is that image-rich substrate that motivates this kind of music. Rhythms punch and hiccup and scrape in a very tactile way; the uses of noise and synth pads and layered sound feel like how dissociation feels, struggling to remain yourself inside yourself (through the drugs, through the anxiety, through the depression, through the deathward tug of sleep). The thing that made their early work so powerful, that intense and immediated sense of imprinting a whole interior world on their abstract soundscaping, is still preserved here. There is a subset of the world and its listeners who treat material like this as the Bible, not because of some abstract critical greatness but because of how in its sinews one can see, like a strained and striated mirror, clear reflections of some interior self. It’s the same thing that makes The Cure at their best not just the best goth rock band of all time but one of the best bands, period, this mystical sense of depth, like stepping into a puddle that takes you to some undreamable drowning world. — Langdon Hickman

— 

After more than 13 years of silence, Belong (aka Michael Jones and Turk Dietrich) return to where they left off in the past decade. While the duo has always been close to noisy textures, it was their last LP, Common Era, that began utilizing them into pop songs. While that record may have left off some of the entrancing atmospheres of their first album, it was definitely an interesting change of pace, one that probably required a bit more time to fully bloom into a really satisfying record. Fast forward—quite—a few years and you’re now listening to Realistic IX, the LP that expands upon the seed that the duo planted a while back with Common Era.

Realistic IX shines most when it opts for this pop approach, which is a welcomed step forward, as I said, I myself preferred the duo’s more ambient type of tracks, but on this new record the tables have turned, as it is the pop songs that impress the most. They’re always really catchy, nice and direct tracks, they seem to know that there’s no need to do anything particularly fancy when their main riffs and hooks are just so solid. The sound of these cuts is also pretty alluring, the guitars are quite lo-fi and give the songs this really textured feel that makes them pop; that being said, the production is always clean, so even these rougher tones end up being smoothened out in the end, giving the whole LP a bright sound that’s especially noticeable in how snappy the drums are.

On the other hand, there’s also a lot of atmospheric tracks here. They aren’t quite purely ambient pieces, as even in these instrumental cuts you still have drumbeats playing; truthfully, I do believe the percussion hinders these tracks sometimes, as it prevents them from really setting an atmosphere, but there are exceptions to this rule, especially with the final track “AM / PM,” which I’ll get to later.

For starters, the opener “Realistic (I’m Still Waiting)” is easily one of Belong’s best songs. The way it kicks off right off the bat makes it a great way to open up the record, and I just can’t help but be dragged in by how quickly the song develops; just 10 seconds of introduction and the track has already moved into its first verse, and it does so really smoothly, as every chord change throughout the song happens as sharply as this initial switch up does, so you’re constantly getting a new motif to hum along to. And speaking of, the riffs in this track are the catchiest on the whole record, they’re so straightforward and simple that they operate in a really ’90s shoegaze fashion, where it doesn’t really matter how sophisticated the playing may be when the sound is so satisfying on its own.

The following “Difficult Boy” is rather similar with its approach, but it lays off the vocals entirely, only offering some crunchy and energetic guitar playing to keep the momentum of the opening song. Following with “Crucial Years,” the album goes even deeper into this purely noisy instrumental approach, leaving aside any guitar riffs and focusing purely on the noise; there’s still some tonality here, mainly with the background chords that are what ultimately keep the track so gentle and soft, instead of letting it be a chaotic noise fest.

“Souvenir” strikes back with yet another catchy shoegaze hit. It is pretty similar to “Realistic (I’m Still Waiting),” but it’s a lot cleaner and smoother than the opener. It doesn’t strike with super dense guitar riffs nor with the same immediacy of its sister track, instead it’s quite a bit brighter and punchier, especially with how snappy and almost plasticky the snares sound here. The piece is just as catchy overall, but with a quite different feel, as it is a pleasant and ethereal track instead of an immediate blast.

The two following tunes, “Image of Love” and “Bleach,” don’t particularly spark as their siblings do—they can’t quite settle a proper atmosphere due to their background grooves. The noise in both tracks is pretty satisfying, more notably in “Bleach,” which really emphasizes its chord changes, they become really apparent due to its repetitiveness and each one comes as a new wind blowing in favor of the track. Still, both pieces feel a bit timid, as satisfying as their noise may be, it does end up being tiring after a while.

The record picks back up with its last two tracks, with “Jealousy” being yet another effective shoegaze number, and the last track in particular being quite the change of pace. “AM / PM” is not far different from tracks like “Crucial Years” or the just mentioned “Image of Love,” as it opts to make the noise its key element. Where it switches things up is in its rhythms, because instead of offering some catchy drum beats to keep energy levels high, “AM / PM” decided it wanted to be minimal techno when it was a kid, and there it is now. While a really simple track overall, the use of noise on a techno beat like this isn’t quite the norm, as often times you get some really clean and slick futuristic pieces in this style; “AM / PM” stays true to the sound of its LP, and instead makes minimal techno noisy, still as atmospheric as most minimal techno is, but with a bit of spice to it. It’s a really satisfying combination, and the noise is really really good as well, with these big pads that almost seem like they were taken from a messed up recording of an ambient piece.

Generally speaking, Belong’s return with Realistix IX is quite a success. They improve significantly on where they had left off and also make use of their noisy aesthetics, combining the two into a satisfying sonic collection. The rock numbers do, indeed, rock, while the atmospheric cuts don’t quite capture the feel of what was on October Language—truth be told, you’d be in the wrong thinking they’re trying to, as almost nothing on this album is trying to be atmospheric and solely atmospheric.

It is a both a fulfilling and a promising return, and if Belong were to expand even more on their pop songwriting, I’m sure that great things would be ahead for the duo, considering that Realistic IX is already a really solid and firm step into that direction. — Igloo Magazine

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For the uninitiated, some facts about the band Belong: (1) their moniker does not adhere to any degree of nominative determinism at all as they don’t “fit” anywhere, (2) they take their sweet, sweet time with things, and (3) they really don’t like to label their music as shoegaze.

Turk Dietrich and Michael Jones have been making music together as Belong since 2002, but this is only their third LP in that time. 2006’s debut October Language is a wonderful collage of soundscapes and experimental compositions that weave and ebb, rapturously conjuring up ideas of meandering nothingness in the manner of Tim Hecker or Stephan Mathieu. Its exquisiteness is juxtaposed with a suffocatingly haunting sense of melancholy, and it needs your attention if you haven’t yet had the pleasure. 

By 2011’s sophomore record Common Era, there was a more defined sense of drive to the band’s sound. There were still hazy waves of distortion deep within an obfuscated audio mix, but there were also signs of – gulp – structure, and what might even be called “songs” (chord progressions, recognisable hooks and all!). “A Walk” has echoes of bleak early 80s goth like The Cure and Christian Death, while the splattering drums on “Make Me Return” sound like a New Romantics version of Joy Division. Common Era divided many as some saw it as a bold departure, others just wanted more of the same. October Language feels like serene disorder, whereas its predecessor was more linear, more purposeful.  

The eight tracks that make up Realistic IX lean more on the Common Era template, but there’s also a melding of the sonic approaches of both of the band’s previous records here. Although it’s clearly *not* shoegaze (according to Dietrich and Jones, remember), any reviewer would be hard pressed not to mention My Bloody Valentine or the early work of Medicine as reference points. “Image of Love” would have been the best thing on MBV by some distance, for example, but that’s not to say that Realistic IX is derivative – it’s exploring the same aural boundaries as Kevin Shields’ lot, for sure, but in their own way. However, it probably works best as a body of work if you know something of the back catalogue and Belong’s journey to this point. In this way, the point reached feels more organic, perhaps even more wholesome.

Album opener “Realistic (I’m Still Waiting)” has a distinct earworm riff, with an almost pop sensibility to it, albeit one hidden by washed-out guitars and almost imperceptible vocals. The interplay between the cold drum machine patterns and the lackadaisical voice is interesting, highlighting the dualities at work at the heart of the record. There are many juxtapositions here, whether it be the territories covered by the two previous records and re-explored here, or the relative creative pull of the duo at the core of the work, that runs through the veins of Realistic IX. 

After sitting with the album a while, you begin to realise that it flows in a different manner depending on your mood and ability to focus. “Bleach” is a blissed out ethereal wall of noise with a clipped, minimal beat behind it and this subtle element doesn’t always come to the fore as much on each listen.

The playfulness between freedom and restriction is central to the album as a whole, the dichotomy of structure and disorder resonating throughout. This is felt most on album closer “AM/PM” which would sit perfectly on October Language. There’s a nostalgic feel to it, and its shimmering nature brings to mind ideas of sepia toned film stock of nothing in particular. One main gripe here is that at a little under eight minutes long you feel robbed of really being able to lose yourself in the track as it easily could have been three, maybe four times longer. 

There’s a directness to tracks such as “Jealousy” and “Souvenir” which is quite unlike anything Belong have put to tape before. The underpinning drums on both tracks add a sense of moderne kosmiche musik, and the chord progressions offer a sense of quiet optimism – something entirely lacking from the band’s output to date. The hazy production on “Difficult Boy” masks its post-punk riffs, while “Crucial Years” adds a Fennesz style sense of electronica that takes us off into another direction. 

Not only do the flow and the mood of the album change on repeated listens, so do the inevitable comparisons to Loveless. As landmark albums go, few sound so disparate and apart from others under the same label. So, when you press play on Realistic IX there’s no denying that maybe this album is as close to Loveless as any other band (heck, maybe even My Bloody Valentine) have got. Yet with each listen these obvious comparisons fall away bit by bit, leaving Belong to explore the same territory but from a slightly different angle – same terrain, different path. Realistic IX is a wonderful record on many levels, just don’t say it’s shoegaze. — Todd Dedman