#Tracks From The Vaults Ep

[heystephen]

leaks and vault tracks are really the reason i feel like taylor needs to start releasing EPs. she has so many amazing songs that i understand why she cut from the full length album (weren’t the right vibe/too similar to one or more tracks she already had on the album/etc) but like.. still deserve to see the light of the day

[explosionshark]

2024 AOTY

by me! your pal, bri-bri

originally i was going to just write up the first ten albums or so, but then i had things i wanted to say about the rest of 'em so i just kept going. that made the list really long though. so here's just the numbered list, under the cut you'll find my extended thoughts n feelings :)

What I'll Leave Behind by Void of Vision

For Your Consideration by Empress Of

Sanshi by Ripped to Shreds

Coup de Grace by Seeyouspacecowboy

Aumicide by Atrae Bilis

Children of the Moon by State Faults

Ridiculous and Full of Blood by Julie Christmas

Absolute Elsewhere by Blood Incantation

Lonely People [EP] by Love Rarely

Cutting the Throat of God by Ulcerate

Infinite Mortality by Replicant

I Got Heaven by Mannequin Pussy

Valerie by Tei Shi

Forever by Charly Bliss

You Could Do It Tonight by Couch Slut

World Fighter by Angel Sword

Hicimos Crecer un Bosque by Fin del Mundo

Ephemera [EP] by Ben Quad

Stygian Rose by Crypt Sermon

Infinite Void by With Sails Ahead

Vault of Horrors by Aborted

Revelations by Sarah Shook & the Disarmers

Steps Ascending by Stand Still

The Tower by Urban Heat

AOTY 2024

Full list here: write-ups for specific albums under th cut. Ranked somewhat arbitrarily.

1. What I'll Leave Behind by Void of Vision (metalcore) - absolute bummer that this will be the final album by these guys, but I'm grateful for the fact that I was able to see them a few times before they had to call it quits. Been describing this as like a song missing from the Saw 2 soundtrack or something that should have been playing at one of the clubs in Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines or something. I feel like that's accurate - alt metalcore with its nails painted black and a profound love of Nine Inch Nails. Strong lyricism drawn from real trauma, enough fun electronics to make them stand out from more generic metalcore acts, plenty of hooks and some sick breakdowns as well to keep things heavy. I hope Jack Bergin's brain never explodes again and retiring from touring helps him lead a long and healthier life. "Gamma Knife" is the highlight for me

2. For Your Consideration by Empress Of (Pop) - my favorite pop album of the year. Lorely Rodriguez is so insanely talented, this album has a pretty diverse range of sounds without becoming too inconsistent. I love that there's raunchy club bangers like "Femenine" right next to sappy love songs like "Kiss Me" and more introspective tracks like "What Type of Girl Am I?"

3. Sanshi by Ripped to Shreds (Death Metal) - very good year for death metal but I think this is my favorite DM record of the year. I've always enjoyed Andy Lee's projects and Ripped to Shreds has been my favorite of them for years but expanding to a full band has taken them to a whole nother level. Killer riffage throughout, insanely fun lead swapping between Lee and Michael Chavez. "Horrendous Corpse Resurrection" is easily one of my top songs of the year

4. Coup de Grace by Seeyouspacecowboy (Metalcore) - this was a big big SYSC year for me, in large part bc I ended up seeing them live so many times. Honestly initially I struggled with Coup de Grace because it leans harder into the dramatic, theatrical MCR/P!ATD style of emo than any of their other work, and that's not necessarily to my taste. This still makes the top 5 despite regularly skipping several songs on each listen because the rest of it is so damn good. Could not stop listening to it this fall. Safe to say it grew on me. "Chewing the Scenery" and "Subtle Whispers to Take Your Breath Away" were two of my most played tracks for the whole year

5. Aumicide by Atrae Bilis (Death Metal) - one of the most underrated death metal bands active rn imo. No sophomore slump for these guys, this record absolutely smokes from start to finish. It's heavy and it's nasty, but it still grooves. There's enough melody to make it addictive but they're still able to maintain the harshness that makes dissonant death metal compelling. "Hell Simulation" and the closing track "Excruciate Incarnate" are perfect examples of the balance they strike between those two modes

6. Children of the Moon by State Faults (post-hardcore) - 2024 was the year I discovered State Faults. Very much the experience of finding a band that is so much Your Shit that it feels insane that you're almost a decade late to the party. Children of the Moon is the best post-hardcore album of the year imo and it's not even close. These guys draw from an incredible range of influences to create some of the most affecting work in the genre - brutal and beautiful and profound. "Palo Santo" and "No Gospel" absolutely blow me away every time

7. Ridiculous and Full of Blood by Julie Christmas (post-metal? Noise? Julie Christmascore) - anyone already familiar with Julie Christmas' work does not need me to explain why she's such a powerhouse and anyone not familiar will be done a disservice by anything short of listening to her music for themself. All I can truly say about Ridiculous and Full of Blood is that it's one of the most dynamic, interesting albums of the year and I just hope to God she doesn't make us wait another 14 years for her next solo record. The band she assembled for this album is insane across the board, but in particular it was a delight to see her collaborating with Johannes Persson again eight years after the absolutely masterful collaboration with Cult of Luna. If you listen to only one song out of all the stuff I'm recommending today, let it be "The Lighthouse"

8. Absolute Elsewhere by Blood Incantation (progressive death metal) - everyone won't shut up about this album but in this case the praise is absolutely earned. Cosmic, atmospheric, brutal, spacey, heavy as hell. With a Tangerine Dream collaboration no less! Essentially comprised of two long songs, Absolute Elsewhere is a record you need to make time for, meant to be listened to in full to get the most out of it, but it's so, so worth it to take the time. A stunning, transportive piece

9. Lonely People [EP] by Love Rarely (post-hardcore/math rock) - my favorite EP of the year. A very exciting band, they fuse hooky, math rock riffs with post-hardcore intensity. Courtney Levitt's vocals are incredible - a combination of throat shredding shrieks and powerful, emotional clean singing that makes you instantly sit up and pay more attention. "Say Yes" was on repeat for me all year

10. Cutting the Throat of God by Ulcerate (death metal) - an absolutely crushing, depressive, beautiful piece of dissonant death metal. Undeniably heavy, but on this outing we see Ulcerate lean into some post-rock esque melodicism that elevates their sound even further. It's such an atmospheric album - grim and unrelenting, but strangely delicate in places. Top notch musicianship throughout, but Jaime Saint-Merat's drumming is just mind-blowing. The title track is a must-listen song for anyone who gives a shit about heavy music at all

11. Infinite Mortality by Replicant (Death Metal) - I noticed in my write-ups for the other two dissonant death metal albums on this list, I took a moment to highlight and praise the melodicism therein. That won't be happening for Infinite Mortality. That's not to say there's zero melody at all but to emphasize how much that's not the draw here. This album is an altogether darker, nastier, more menacing affair. There's a grime here, a dizzying, sinister undertone of violence. My first time listening to this record was as background music while I was reading Crypt of the Moon Spider by Nathan Ballingrud and there was a scene in that book I was reading during "Orgasm of Bereavement" where the combination of the sounds I was hearing and the words I was reading gave me a full-body sensory experience: goosebumps, a faint sense of nausea, slight dizziness. I can't think of a stronger album recommendation than that.

12. I Got Heaven by Mannequin Pussy (Rock) - ANOTHER BANGER FROM MISSY DABICE AND CO. Mannequin Pussy keep getting better and better and it seems like they're finally (deservedly) starting to blow up with this record. It's a joy to listen to - snarky, vulnerable, earnest, clever, joyful and pissed off in turns. "Loud Bark" is already iconic, easily one of the finest songs they've written in an already stacked career of certifiable bangers

13. Valerie by Tei Shi (pop) - my second favorite pop album of the year! Tei Shi's first independent release. The breadth of songs on this album is incredible - bachata inflected pop kicks the album off with the explosively catchy "QQ (QUÉDATE QUERIENDOME)" and by the middle of the record we've somehow transitioned to intimate, heart wrenchingly vulnerable meditations on a painful miscarriage with "Falling From Grace." Frustration with the major label rat race as well as evergreen pop subjects of love and heartbreak fill out the rest of the album, but no matter the topic or the style of the song, everything feels honest and confident. The Spanglish version of "Mona Lisa" is one of my favorite pop songs of the year

14. Forever by Charly Bliss (Rock/Power Pop) - talking about honest, vulnerable music! Charly Bliss made their comeback this year and it's unsurprisingly one of the best albums to come out in 2024. Forever feels like a great marriage of the sounds on their other two LPs, Guppy and Young Enough. The band is still leaning into the pop sound that clearly enthralls them but there's a welcome return for fun guitar riffs too. Also there's no album on this list that has a stronger opening than the three song run of "Tragic" to "Calling You Out" to "Back There Now"

15. You Could Do It Tonight by Couch Slut (Sludge Metal/Noise) - okay enough pop music time for something gross and gnarly and almost guaranteed to give you some kind of disease. Couch Slut have always been here to upset you - and holy shit are they good at it on this album. Each and every song on this record is a provocative, stomach-churning vignette in its own right but none moreso than "The Donkey" where Megan Osztrosits recounts a horrifyingly fucked up story of a friend's drug-fueled bout of self mutilation in Chat Pile-esque spoken word over massive, dirty sludge metal riffs. It's fucking sick. "Here's what happened when my friends and I got fired from a haunted water park" - tell me you don't want to hear how the rest of this story goes, even knowing it will end in a grotesque, bloody mess.

16. World Fighter by Angel Sword (Heavy Metal) - okay enough edgelord shit now we're back to having fun. I honestly didn't think there would be a trad metal release that would top Razor Wire by Mean Mistreater, and then I stumbled into Angel Sword this summer. It's just candy, man. Extremely catchy 80s style riffs, incredible hooks, gritty yet charming vocals. This album is dripping in neon, racing down the highway at 90 miles an hour with two topless babes in the backseat telling you how cool your studded denim jacket and fresh perm look. "Vigilantes" never gets old for me

17. Hicimos Crecer un Bosque by Fin del Mundo (shoegaze) - kinda wild that this is the only shoegaze album that made it onto my list this year but it is what it is! And what it is in this case is the killer second album by Argentinian band Fin del Mundo. If you like fuzzy guitars and ethereal vocals, this is the record on this list for you. Although labeling them a shoegaze band is accurate, it fails to account for the ways post-rock, emo, and dream pop elevate the bands sound to another level. It's a record that's soothing and engaging at the same time, well produced, clear sounding without being too polished. "Vivimos lejos" brings a charming kind of ASIWYFA-style combination of gang vocals and emo instrumentals, resulting in basically four and half perfect minutes of music

18. Ephemera [EP] by Ben Quad (post-hardcore) - many bands are doing the throwback 00s emo/metalcore thing right now, but few of them are doing it as well as Ben Quad on this EP. This is basically They're Only Chasing Safety-worship but that's fine by me. Frantic, melodic, scathing and nakedly emotional, I love the intensity of this EP. I'd kill for a full record in this style tbh, but for now I'll be happy with what we've got. It's an incredibly short 11 minute runtime so I'd really recommend just listening to the whole thing but if nothing else, don't skip "Your Face as an Effigy"

19. Stygian Rose by Crypt Sermon (Epic Heavy Metal) - epic heavy metal, I'm sure, sounds like the stupidest genre name in the world. But like, listen to Stygian Rose and you'll immediately understand there's nothing else that describes it as well. Big, heavy doomy guitars, fast drumming, crazy soloing, nimble bass riffage, powerful heavy metal vocals and lyrics about like wizards and evil kings and stuff? Lie to yourself if you want, but I know the truth. This album fucks hard. "Heavy is the Crown of Bone" and "Glimmers in the Underworld" are crushing, face-melting works of fantasy bullshit. I can't get enough of this album

20. Infinite Void by With Sails Ahead (Post-hardcore) - I discovered these guys through a collaboration with Pulses. last year and I spent most of the intervening time eagerly anticipating the release of their debut LP Infinite Void. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It's an incredibly confident and fun first record - firmly on the Swancore side of PHC but lacking a lot of what tends to annoy me in that subgenre (insufferable songs about the male ego). Sierra Binondo's powerful and diverse vocal range really takes these guys to another level in a genre where extremely talented musicians are a dime a dozen. Go listen to "Ryn" right now and tell me you're not at least a little bit in love now

21. Vault of Horrors by Aborted (Brutal Death Metal) - it's Aborted! It's a cheeseburger. But it's a really, really, really good cheeseburger after you've been craving one for ages. This record has two gimmicks - all the songs are based on horror movies and each has a feature from a guest vocalist. Admittedly, I find brutal/tech death to be kind of wearying after a while and this tends to affect listenability for me, which is precisely why this album has a place on my AOTY list - I don't get tired of it. It's brutal and punishing but catchy and fun to listen to. Daníel Konráðsso absolutely does not sound like a human being on this. I bet his calf muscles are insane, because the double bass on this record is frankly disgusting. "The Golgothan" has my favorite riff of the record, but there's no bad tracks, honestly

22. Revelations by Sarah Shook & the Disarmers (Alt Country) - haven't really figured out a way to talk about this band that doesn't feel at least a little bit like deadnaming singer/guitarist River Shook but they've yet to change their band name so! Admittedly, not a very country heavy year for me, but if everything I've dabbled in, Revelations is the easy standout. Continuing the band's legacy of clever, honest lyricism and rollicking country rock musicianship, Revelations feels like the best version of their sound yet. "Motherfucker" is a straightforward, righteously pissed off ode to gross, predatory men in the industry, "Backsliders" is a good old fashioned broken-hearted ode to a bad relationship, while "Jane Doe" is the easy standout shot through with emotion, clever lyricism and brilliant guitar work

23. Steps Ascending by Stand Still (Pop Punk/Melodic Hardcore) - I was a teen in the 00s so I'll always be weak to that very Long Island melodic hardcore in 2004 sound that this album is evoking so perfectly. I love fast drums, I love posi philosophical lyrics, I love those melodic, angular guitar riffs, I love a guy shouting and I love gang vocals. Those things in combination just always work on me. "We Know the Score" + "Mysticism" are the perfect 'holler along at the top of your lungs in the car' combo

24. The Tower by Urban Heat (Post-Punk) - one of my most anticipated albums of the year. When they started the album rollout with singles like "Sanitizer" and "Right Time of Night" I had a pretty good idea that the final product would have a good shot at being one of my favorite records of the year. And of course I was right. Most Post-Punk isn't quite capable of keeping my attention, but Urban Heat are so damn good at songcraft. The songs on this record are incredibly dynamic, ranging from the snotty disdain of the aforementioned "Sanitizer" to the surprising tenderness of the New Wave ballad "Seven Safe Places." It's an incredibly strong showing from a really exciting band. I've heard they're killer live, too. Maybe if I'm lucky this coming year I'll get a chance to find out for myself.

And that's it! 24 for 24

Except for these also >:)

Honorable Mentions (aka albums it killed me to leave off this list so I'm cheating by adding them here)

Club Shy [EP] by Shygirl

Prude by Drug Church

It's Inside You by Candy

Sunrise Over Rigor Mortis by Beaten to Death

Verses in Oath by Hulder

Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force by Tzompantli

Agony & Wounds by Obscene

Cure by ERRA

Songs of Blood and Mire by Spectral Wound

The Cycles of Trying to Cope by Like Moths to Flames

Razor Wire by Mean Mistreater

I'll Drown on This Earth by Cold Gawd

Heaven Let them Die [EP] by Counterparts

Dark Superstition by Gatecreeper

[hooked-on-elvis]

ONE NIGHT WITH YOU OF SIN ❤️‍🔥

50s Elvis can't sing something like this!

Well, this is something I just found out. That's why I love listening to Elvis' songs and researching on them. We always can learn interesting things that took place during the recording sessions, which makes EP's songs much, much precious.

I was listening to "Elvis: From the Vaults 50's" album, released as part of the 60-CD set "Elvis Presley: The Album Collection" (2016) — I love the "Elvis: From the Vaults" trilogy to death, by the way — when I crossed something very interesting.

The song "One Night (With You)", that Elvis performed with such passion during the '68 Comeback Special, was recorded by him in the 50s and originally had a slightly different lyrics.

The most known version, the "light" or "family friendly" (per say) version of the chorus of this one song goes like this:

"One night with you is what I'm now praying for."

The "explicit" version tho, as originally written by Dave Bartholomew and that came to be a R&B hit for Smiley Lewis in 1956, the version of the song Elvis recorded in 1957, actually sounds like this:

"One night of sin is what I'm now paying for."

I mean, the lyrics is clearly about sex in either words, but why the change in the words actually happened really intrigued me. I, as usually, looked for answers in one of my favorite books, and that's what I'm gonna share with you now.

So, Elvis was recording songs for the '57 Loving You movie soundtrack when the song was recorded. "One Night" was meant to be featured in this soundtrack album but it wasn't. The track went through a long way before it was put out there to Elvis' audience. To give you an idea, Elvis released the Loving You soundtrack album (June 20, 1957), recorded the songs that were featured in the Jailhouse Rock movie (there wasn't an official soundtrack album out for this movie), released one Christmas album ("Elvis' Christmas Album" - October 15, 1957) and the King Creole soundtrack album too (September 19, 1958), all of this before "One Night (With You)" could be finally released in October 1958, moment he was already officially "Private Presley", serving the US Army while stationed in Germany. But... what happened? Why this song wasn't featured in the Loving You movie and its soundtrack album released in 1957? Why the lyrics changed?

LET'S DIG INTO IT:

SOUNDTRACK RECORDINGS FOR PARAMOUNT’S LOVING YOU - JANUARY 15–18, 21–22 (PARAMOUNT SCORING STAGE) AND FEBRUARY 14, 1957 (RADIO RECORDERS, HOLLYWOOD) (...) When Hal Wallis asked for a few more songs for the movie, Elvis and the boys spent some time rehearsing cover versions of Fats Domino’s current hit "Blueberry Hill" and Smiley Lewis’s "One Night (Of Sin)," written by Domino’s musical partner Dave Bartholomew and credited in part to Bartholomew’s wife.

LISTEN TO SMILEY LEWIS’S "ONE NIGHT (OF SIN)":

So, Elvis first covered this song, and it was recorded in studio, as originally written but the official song he performed had a new lyrics. Let's understand why he recorded the song again before putting it out there for us to listen to.

STUDIO SESSIONS FOR RCA JANUARY 19, 1957: RADIO RECORDERS, HOLLYWOOD (...) Both the Colonel and RCA had serious reservations about the words of the song, but Elvis liked it so much that they appealed to Hill & Range to negotiate with the song’s copyright holder, Lew Chudd of Imperial Records, for permission to rewrite the lyrics.

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STUDIO SESSIONS FOR RCA FEBRUARY 23–24, 1957: RADIO RECORDERS, HOLLYWOOD (...) Meanwhile the new, bowdlerized lyrics for the Dave Bartholomew song had been produced as requested; "One night of sin is what I’m now paying for" became "One night with you is what I'm now praying for," and the deal they'd prayed and paid for freed them to pencil the song in for the Loving You album. In the end, the rewrite was a fortunate stroke. The discerning listener might have missed the more direct lyrics of the original, but Elvis's performance on the new version made up for it: Freed from worry about the song itself, he was all intensity and command. "One Night" was so good, in fact, that it was eventually dropped from the soundtrack and picked as a single with "I Beg Of You" for some indeterminate future date.

So, yes, the song needed the change in the lyrics because of its content. It was too sexual, too explicit to Elvis' audience, mainly composed by teenagers. Elvis apparently wasn't bother by this. He liked the song anyway, even with the new lyrics. He liked the idea of releasing this song but although "One Night", as recorded by Elvis in 1957, was considered a fine material for a new single, Elvis was such a perfectionist he used to redo many of his recordings before he considered they were proper to be released. He was the man picking his own singles, so they always needed his approval before they were out. He wanted work some more in "One Night" because he was not satisfied with the result, but other songs came in the way.

One work after the other, there wasn't time to redo this track recording before Elvis became a soldier in 1958. When "One Night" was finally released it was against Elvis' will. It was not about the new lyrics tho, he just thought the song could sound much better than it was. Even so, the RCA and Colonel Parker, his manager, had to make choices without his consent once his main focus was in being a soldier, between 1958-1960. Elvis used to work "by demand", that means if there was a movie to be filmed, soundtrack recording sessions were made specifically for it, if there was a new Elvis album planned to be released, then recording sessions were scheduled specifically for the new album. They didn't use to work on recording sessions to "save" tracks to be future released. Very few songs used to surplus from each recording session and that only happened when some of the tracks originally planned to be featured in one specific release weren't considered good enough, concerning the quality of the material, or due to contractual deals that weren't still set by the time that specific LP (or EP) needed to be released. When Elvis was officially inducted in the US Army, in March 1958, there wasn't enough material for 2 years of future releases and this caused a lack in songs for the RCA and Colonel Parker to work with considering they needed a certain amount of new tracks to fill an album. For 1958 and 1959, there was a certain lack in new recording material to be out but they needed to keep Elvis' name in the spotlights since there was still a huge demand for him and they couldn't miss the chance to make money just because the US Army would keep their golden boy busy to work in his records for the next couple of years, besides Colonel had promised Elvis (and of course it was his interest as well) that when he came back from the Army he would still have a career to linger on. They chose to release "One Night "as a single, the way it was recorded in 1957, even if Elvis himself didn't agree with this. It was needed.

THE RELEASE (1958):

As you can notice, plans change. The same way "One Night" wasn't featured in the originally planned "Loving You" album in 1957, when the song was released as a single the opposite track wasn't "I Beg of You" as planned previously, instead they picked "I Got Stung" as the A-side.

1958–59: GOETHESTRASSE A new single had to be chosen, and both Sholes and the Colonel were still pulling for "One Night" over Elvis’s objections; the publishing company had made a deal for part of the royalties, but the deal depended upon the song’s release as a single and couldn’t be extended past October 31, 1958. The Colonel felt it would be foolish not to take advantage of the deal, and at last he persuaded Elvis to agree. With "I Got Stung" from the June session as the B-side, the new single caused an immediate sensation. DJs clearly preferred the A-side, but both cuts shot up the charts right away, eventually reaching number four and number eight, respectively. Split airplay may well have been what stopped "One Night" from going to number one on the charts, but the single sold several hundred thousand copies more than the last two releases, even matching "Don’t"/"I Beg Of You."

All the excerpts comes from the book "Elvis Presley: A Life in Music" by Ernst Jorgensen. Foreword by Peter Guralnick (1998).

Singles "One Night" and "I Got Stung". Released October 21, 1958. Recorded on February 23, 1957.

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AFTERWARDS:

As far as I know (and I say this because I am still studying Elvis' career and many things can come to my knowledge in the future), ever since released, Elvis performed the song as it was officially out, leaving "One Night (Of Sin)" to be heard only as a posthumous released track, after 1983 as it came out featuring the album "Elvis: A Legendary Performer (Vol 4)".

"One Night Of Sin" and "One Night" were featured together in the 2006 Follow That Dream (FTD) label re-issue of the "Loving You" soundtrack album. On the previous year (2005) FTD re-issue of the same album, there was only "One Night Of Sin" in the album, as it was supposed to be if the lyrics hadn't changed and the song had came out in the album it was meant to be in.

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LET'S DISCUSS IT:

First of all, I totally understand Colonel Parker's fears over the lyrics. "One Night (Of Sin)" would have been a risky song for Elvis in the 50s to perform/release and, the way I see it, the change in the lyrics came as a way of not giving munition to conservative people to "cancel" Elvis, to cause an even bigger fuss on his already pretty "stained" image as a "troublemaker", a "rock and roller rebel", an "imoral young man who's such a bad influence on the America's youth". Let's face it, have a conservative parent heard their kids listening to "One night of sin is what I'm paying for" there would have been "Loving You" LPs being burned in trashes all over the US, a lot more of badmouthing Elvis' name scenes with older folks using this song as an example of Presley's kind of "antics" and "imoral behavior", and maybe even the Loving You movie could have been forbidden if the song was performed in it, suffering boycott fired up by church leaders and all.

I wonder if that song was in fact in the movie tho. The Loving You movie is very, very "family friendly", all cute and sweet. I can't even imagine Deke Rivers singing "One Night Of Sin" onstage, since we know Elvis performed songs using not only his voice but his whole body. I mean, of course he performed "One Night (With You)" with the usual sex appeal inherent of him but the original lyrics would add much more sensuality into the performance, no doubt. I wish I could've watch him performing this son,g with its original lyrics, in the 50s... it would be something else, I tell ya. But it would also be quite scandalous for his image back then. Even so, I can't quite understand how that song was never performed by him the way he recorded at first, "One Night of Sin", during the '68 Comeback Special - or any other Elvis performance. He had no more reasons to try to play the "cool and nice southern religious boy" anymore by then, so why Elvis didn't sing this song the way it was originally recorded? I guess, concerning the '68 TV Special, this time it was a matter of being on television - you know... the sponsorship for the show would probably not agree with such "explicit" lyrics considering it was supposed to be a Christmas TV special, again, family oriented. Maybe he never performed the song with its original lyrics because nobody heard him sing it before since it was only released for the public after Elvis died. Such a shame.

As far as I know, Elvis never performed One Night Of Sin live but it would have been EXTREMELY suitable for his late 60s/70s stage persona. It wouldn't be a shock, you know? Like when he sings Steamroller Blues and a bunch of other tracks with lyrics under that sexy vibes. It feels like Elvis. Anyway, I personally would give almost anything to watch him singing this song in the 70s, really but I guess it is what it is. The timing wasn't that good when this track came to him — or it actually was because, if you think about it, now we have two versions of that song by Elvis. What could be better than one Elvis song than two (and hundreds more) of them?

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You can listen to "One Night (Of Sin)" by Elvis Presley on:

"Elvis: A Legendary Performer" Vol 4. (1983)

"The King of Rock’n’Roll – The Complete 50’s Masters" (1992)

"Loving You" (2005) – FTD (re-issue)

"Loving You" (2006) – FTD (re-issue)

"Elvis: From the Vaults: 50's" (2016)

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UPDATES - JUNE 6, 2024: This article has been corrected on the typos and general English grammar errors, plus the year Elvis was inducted into the Army, which I originally confused 1958 with the year he was discharged, 1960, and just now I realized that. I also added a few other personal comments.

I'm sorry a few of you "had to" share this article with its errors but THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING ANY WAY. I appreciate it when you engage with the content I share because, first and foremost, it means you liked it. It makes me feel like it's worth spending time here. I love you guys. Oh, by the way, if you see anything that could be improved in this or any other post on my blog, make me know it. I would like to leave accurate and easy-to-understand articles about Elvis for future fans to read. Of course they have all the Elvis library available but it's fun to read things straight from other Elvis fans too because we know exactly how El makes us feel. So let's keep building a safe community, saving easy-to-reach material about Elvis Presley for future generations together, shall we? ♥

[strawberryblondebutch]

Back by unpopular demand, it's my top albums of 2024! Same rules as always: everything on this list is a full-length album (no EPs) of generally previously unreleased material (no reissues, no cover albums, no Taylor's Versions) arranged in an intentional manner (no B-sides, no rarities, no mixtapes).

10. Bayside, There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive

I have the least to say about Bayside’s effort here than anything else in my top ten, and yet I couldn’t find a reason to replace it with another. Not even Foxing’s self-titled (more on that below). The New York scene veterans are the definition of a blue collar pop punk band: they tour constantly, and every few years they see fit to release a perfect melodic album. It’s the kind of album where you can’t ask me to pick a favorite – it will change with every track.

9. Full of Hell, Coagulated Bliss

I don’t like grindcore. There, I said it – as if that’s even a remotely controversial position to take. It’s a genre that exists as a joke, from the microsongs to the gross-out lyrics. It’s easier for me to argue that Coagulated Bliss is a hardcore album than it is to swallow my pride and admit that I actually enjoyed a grindcore record. This was the last album added to my top-ten, supplanting Foxing’s self-titled (which is also a masterpiece in genre redirection, going from twinkly emo to full-tilt rowdiness), but Full of Hell accomplished what no one else could: they made a (albeit very, very begrudging) grindcore fan out of me.

8. Sleater-Kinney, Little Rope

Longtime readers of this column will take S-K’s position here for the surprise that it is. Path of Wellness was my worst album of 2021, and I was terrified that the collapse in songwriting ability that had followed drummer Janet Weiss’s departure from the band would continue unabated. This year’s follow-up record proved me wrong in all the right ways. Carrie and Corin sound sharper and more in sync with each other, and more than anything, the record has a point. It needed to be released. Thank God for that.

7. Les Savy Fav, Oui, LSF

Les Savy Fav had a difficult task in releasing their sixth studio album. Their last release, Root for Ruin, came out in 2010. In that time, the band was better known for their live antics than their music. Those antics haven’t stopped (at the Union Transfer in June, vocalist Tim Harrington handed me the microphone to carry the chorus of “World Got Great” while he drank from my beer), but they can’t carry a studio album. Oui, LSF is an art-punk masterpiece from a band who wants you to hear them as much as they want you to watch out for their goblinesque frontman.

6. Kneecap, Fine Art

On the subject of difficult tasks, Kneecap is the unlikeliest story of the last few years. How does a rap trio, whose music is almost entirely in the Irish language, accumulate such a cult following? Part of it is spite – their rage against the British occupation of their Belfast home speaks to anti-imperialist sentiment across the globe – but the rest is talent. You don’t have to know the language to nod your head along to the beats and flow.

5. Leprous, Melodies of Atonement

Some artists have a place on this list penciled in the moment that they announce an album. Leprous is one of them, their specific brand of symphonic progressive metal filling an underserved niche in my listening. It would be easy to file them in somewhere between 10 and 6 just for releasing a full-length, but Melodies of Atonement vaulted itself by breaking through with a raw edge to it that Leprous’s last two LPs lacked. Einar et al. are more confident in their abilities, surer that they have something to say – and that people will listen.

4. Better Lovers, Highly Irresponsible

Every Time I Die and The Dillinger Escape Plan: two bands often imitated and never surpassed. Although the circumstances leading to the marriage between these two bands are less than ideal (Keith Buckley’s sudden hostile departure from ETID forced his brother Jordan to seek out the talents of longtime Dillinger vocalist Greg Puciato), the members of Better Lovers made the best out of a bad situation, pushing forward with the chaotic precision both predecessor bands did so well.

3. Kendrick Lamar, GNX

Can I tell you a secret? Before this year, I would not have called myself a Kendrick Lamar fan. I enjoyed individual songs of his, but I largely found his talent at the mic undercut by his pen and his devotion to overwrought conscious rap, exemplified by the laughably drivelous “BLOOD.” in 2017. I grew up on the feuds of the 90s, Biggie and Tupac firing barbs from coast to coast. It’s one of the reasons I praise Meg so highly – you can tell she cut her teeth in battle rap. Well, K.Dot went to therapy and became more spiteful, and GNX made a fan out of me.

2. Amigo the Devil, Yours Until the War Is Over

I discover bands in a few ways: playlists, recommendations from friends, opening acts, and entirely by accident. Amigo the Devil is the latter – while enjoying a lunch break at Riot Fest some years prior, I was captivated by Danny Kiranos’s storytelling and sense of humor on tracks like “Murder at the Bingo Hall” and “I Hope Your Husband Dies.” His most recent effort has those in spades, with tracks like “I’m Going to Heaven” and “Once Upon a Time at Texaco, Pt. 1” weaving darkly humorous narratives. But what Yours Until the War Is Over has over his previous works is heart. Pathos. “Cannibal Within” has an earnestness to it that I couldn’t imagine him employing before, and “Stray Dog” is a love song with no wink or nudge.

1. Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties, In Lieu of Flowers

Every five years, Dan “Soupy” Campbell of The Wonder Years adds to a story of his – Aaron West. Ten years ago, Aaron’s father died, his wife asked for a divorce, and things got worse from there. It’s tempting to torture Aaron further, and the last decade has not been kind to him. In Lieu of Flowers covers the years 2019 to 2024, as he struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic anxiety of being a touring artist, and a descent into the family trade of alcoholism. But Campbell – and Aaron, by extension – never lose hope, and if this is the last chapter of his story, it ends as it should: with him looking up and letting go.

[6-and-7]

The War Games The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe arrive on an unnamed planet. At first believing themselves to be in the midst of World War I, they realise it is one of many War Zones overseen by the War Lords, who have kidnapped large numbers of human soldiers in order to create an army to conquer the galaxy. Infiltrating the control base, the Doctor discovers that the War Chief is also a member of his own race. The creeping realisation sets in that the Doctor cannot solve this problem alone, and that his days of wandering may be at an end…

The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone The enigmatic River Song hurtles back into the Eleventh Doctor's life, but she's not the only familiar face returning — the Weeping Angels are back! Following River's calling card, the Doctor is recruited to help track down the last of the Angels, which has escaped from the Byzantium starliner and into the terrifying Maze of the Dead.

There's no way back, no way up and no way out. Trapped by an army of Weeping Angels and an ever-growing mysterious crack, the Eleventh Doctor and his friends try to escape through the wreckage of a crashed space liner. Meanwhile, surrounded by Angels, Amy faces an even more deadly attack, as she's forced to find her way through the forest vault, eyes closed.

[taylor-on-your-dash]

how do ya

think will be the debut and rep vaults? number of tracks, titles, etc..

for rep we only have Family as a title, so I guess that one. honestly I'm not being super confident on it bc the title is so charged, and after Joever... yeah. I'm thinking that the Kimye songs will be more than the Joe love songs... if there's one thing that Taylor is super good at, is changing the narrative. she already tried on the Time magazine when she described rep as a gothic revenge album or whatever. I have like 0 faith in rep TV. she will probably put like 5 vault songs to limit the topics, and she'll divide them in 2 records to minimise cost production.

For Debut the situation is very different. she said she chose which songs to rerecord out of around 40 songs. we have 24 of them (plus should've said no which was obviously not counted at the beginning cause it was made last minute). the thing is that a lot of them were released over the years. we obviously have the 3 deluxe songs. the 2 beautiful eyes ep songs. the 2005 songs from fearless vault. we know that she wanted to release I'd lie, revenge, dark blue Tennessee, permanent marker, making up for lost love had merch, what do you say was rerecorded (but the label was more interested than her so I can't see that being rerecorded again), so I guess probably those. I'd say that Beautiful Eyes and I Heart? will be tucked after the OG 14 like today was a fairytale, and then for the vault I'd say that Dark Blue, Making Up and I'd Lie (feat Saving Jane) are strong candidates. BUT ALSO PRAY FOR NASHVILLE TO BE RELEASED

[jakeyorbit]

Taking the Leap: Reflections on Orbital and What’s Next

Hey there, friends, fans, and fellow music lovers!

First off, I just want to say a massive THANK YOU for all the incredible feedback on my debut EP, Orbital. Seriously, I’m floored. Whether you streamed it once, had it on repeat, or even sent me a DM saying, “This slaps,” every bit of support has meant the world to me. You’ve made this whole leap-of-faith journey so worth it.

For as long as I can remember, producing music has been my favorite escape. It started as a freetime activity—a way to experiment, unwind, and make something I could call my own. But this year, I finally decided to stop being “that one friend who’s always tinkering with beats but never shares anything” and start putting my creations out there. Let me tell you, hitting that “release” button for the first time felt like jumping off a cliff. Thankfully, you were there to catch me (and by “catch,” I mean hit play).

Looking ahead, I’m beyond excited about what’s next. Not only am I working on fresh material, but I’ve also started opening up my old vault of tracks—those unfinished ideas, weird loops, and half-baked experiments from years ago. It’s been a wild ride revisiting them, and it’s amazing to see how I can rework or polish them with the mindset and skills I’ve developed over time. Who knows? That one random synth line from 2017 might just end up in my next release.

To everyone who’s taken the time to listen to Orbital, I’m so grateful. And to those of you who’ve followed me on social media—whether it’s Instagram, X, YouTube, SoundCloud, or Bandcamp—you’re the real MVPs. Your support fuels this whole journey, and I can’t thank you enough for being part of it.

Stay tuned for more music, more stories, and maybe a few more awkward jokes along the way. Until then, keep vibing, keep listening, and never stop chasing what sets your soul on fire.

With all the love and beats,

Jakey Orbit

jakeyorbit.com

[normanjdroid]

VAST BASTARDS - 2008/2010

Vast Bastards is a two-disc compilation album set by the Critland rock band the Critters. It was originally released as two separate volumes on March 7th, 2008, as part of the first issue of the band's catalogue on compact disc. The albums contains all songs released commercially by the band that were not available on the Critters' 12 original CL albums or the US Magical Mystery Tour LP. (Save for a few tracks here and there) It was compiled by Critters historian Mark Narrations, who also wrote the liner notes.

The Contents

The majority of the Vast Bastards set consists of A- and B-sides from the band's singles, including single versions of songs that appeared in a different form on the band's albums. Also included are the full contents of the CL-only Long Tall Sally EP, two banned tracks, a song recorded for the American market, and a track released on a charity compilation album in 1998.

Tape Box from a US exported release, circa 2012 (note how the sequence has been altered to have the english version of "I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams" instead of the german sung version, as well as omitting "Halt Meine Hand" from side A ending the side with "Georgy Girl".)

Although Vast Bastards is not a studio album and is instead a compilation, it is considered to be at the time the Critters' 14th (and final) major release until the Archeology line in the 2020s. This occurred when the Critters' core catalog was standardized in 2007, followed by the official re-releases in 2010.

History

A Collection Of Critters Oldies is considered

The original idea for this set was to simply re-release the 1996 album A Collection Of Critters Oldies with a new disc contanining their 1996-2000 material crammed in for good measure. But upon seeing the ghastly cover once again, it was aptly decided a new less "fruity" album was needed for the grunge filled 2000-2010 era.

Past Masters to Vast Bastards

After Oldies was once again locked away in the vaults to not see the light of day again, the team at Shabby Road Studios went back to the drawing board until they came up with the title of Past Masters however, one day Bryan Bubbaphant came by the studios for a visit, and upon hearing of their ideas and the title, he suggested instead the new albums be titled "Vast Bastards" in a joking manner given the songs on it would be mostly from B-sides and other material mostly not found on albums therefore in his words would be "albumless bastards".

The team ran with it, as in those days the word of one of The Critters was considered close to holy in terms of what to do with their work. Draft covers were designed before settling on a pure black cover with white text for Vol. 1 and a white cover with black text for Vol. 2

The Albums

Release History

Vast Bastards was originally issued as two separate CDs, Vast Bastards, Volume One and Vast Bastards, Volume Two, on March 7th, 2008. The two volumes were included in The Critters Box Set. A double LP set, titled Vast Bastards, Volumes One & Two (also titled simply Vast Bastards), was subsequently released in the US on October 24th, 2008 and in the UK on November 10th, 2008. Both volumes were also released as a double cassette bundle on March 7th, 2008.

Vast Bastards Volume One

Contains recordings originally released between 1992 and 1995:

Eleven tracks from Critland singles (including B-sides)

Both tracks from the German single "Halt Meine Hand" / "Ich habe einfach die Liebe meiner Träume weggeworfen" (Hold My Hand/I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams)

All four tracks from the Long Tall Sally EP

The US-only track "Hash Pipe", from the album Critters VI (although the song was also on the 1996 A Collection of Critters Oldies album

Love Me, Dude - A - Side, 1992 (With Catnap on drums)

From Me To You - A Side, April 1993

Misty - B Side, April 1993

She Loves You - A Side, August, 1993

Baby, Let Me Be - B Side, August 1993

I Want To Hold Your Hand - A Side, November 1993

This Boy - B Side, 1993

Halt Meine Hand (Hold My Hand) - German March 1994 Single

Ich habe einfach die Liebe meiner Träume weggeworfen (I Just Threw Out The Love Of My Dreams) - German March 1994 Single

Long Tall Sally - Long Tall Sally EP

Georgy Girl - Long Tall Sally EP

Surf It Up - Long Tall Sally EP

Matchbox - Long Tall Sally EP

I Feel Fine - A Side, November 1994

She's A Woman - B Side, November 1994

Hash Pipe - US Critters VI track, included on A Collection of Critters Oldies, 1996

It's Looking Good - I Must Be In Love B Side, April 1995

O' Girlfriend - Help! B Side - July 1995

Vast Bastards Volume Two

Contains recordings originally released between 1995 and 2000:

Fourteen tracks from Critland singles (including B-sides)

The "Wildlife" version of "Across the Universe" from the charity album No One's Gonna Change Our World

The new 2000 stereo mix of "Money Game Pt. 2", which had only been previously available on a limited edition 2001 EP

Day Tripper - Double A side, December 1995

We Can Work It Out - Double A side, December 1995

Paperback Writer - A side, June 1996

Rain - B Side, June 1996

Sky High - US A Side, August 1995

Money Game - US B Side, August 1995

Washing Machine Heart - A Side, March 1998

Money Game Pt. 2 - B Side, March 1998

Open Arms - US A Side, May 1998

Warrior Of The Mind - US B Side, May 1998

Hey Jude - A Side, August 1998

Hey Mister! - B Side, August 1998

Get Back - A Side, April 1999

Don't Let Me Down - B Side, April 1999

Across The Universe - Wildlife December 1999 Version

You Gave Your Love To Me Softy - US B Side, January 2000

Get In The Water - A Side, March 2000

Six Hundred Strike - B Side, March 2000

Listen to the album here!

[therecordchanger62279]

MILES DAVIS IN BLUE

Record labels are doing me no favors by jacking prices up so high that I can no longer afford to buy anything more than a cheap CD (and even those are getting scarce). But some of these special projects they create for high-grade vinyl pressings make great playlists.

I've been buying Miles Davis albums for more than 50 years, and I have just about everything he's released along with several bootlegs. Miles died in '91, and the labels have been repackaging his catalog, and digging through the vaults ever since for every scrap they can find to separate fans like me from what little is left in their wallets. But at this point, they can't find anything for release that I don't already own. All they can do is reconfigure what there is, and wrap it up in a nice, neat package with a big red bow ('tis the season), and slap an exorbitant price tag on it.

Sorry guys. You're not getting my money. I already own whatever you're peddling. But thanks for the playlist ideas! In November of this year, Prestige (or some facsimile thereof) released Miles '54, a set of the Dark Prince's recordings for the label in 1954, remastered, sequenced, and presented on 2 CD's at a reasonable price or 4 LP's (or "vinyls" as the kids call them) at an outrageous $125 bucks. I already had every track - including the alternates. So I simply collected them all digitally, and recreated the entire set as released for an iTunes playlist. Sounds great, and it didn't cost me another dime.

I enjoyed that so much, I took my Take Off: The Complete Blue Note Albums set, and made another playlist of that. I even changed the title of the CD set in the playlist to reflect the three original releases. The songs are listed according to the title of the original 10" LP releases. It makes a great 70 minute playlist.

Last night I saw that Analogue Productions, another of those high-end vinyl pressing outfits decided to collect the four tracks the Miles Davis Sextet (you remember them from Kind of Blue - everybody's favorite Jazz album) recorded in 1958 before cutting their sole masterpiece in 1959. Those four songs, "On Green Dolphin Street", "Fran-Dance", "Stella By Starlight", and "Love For Sale" are now available in a limited edition, numbered, blue vinyl pressing (which I understand sold out before it ever reached the market) that will be followed by a standard, un-numbered black vinyl pressing, for, presumably, a couple of dollars less than the $52 list price they slapped on the four track EP. But those four tracks are readily available in any number of compilations - the simplest being the Miles Davis-John Coltrane Complete Columbia Recordings which has all four. By the way, Kind of Blue is also in that set. So, I liked the idea of putting those tracks in front of Kind of Blue for a Miles Blue playlist. Nine songs, and 78 minutes of Jazz heaven.

What did that playlist cost me? Nothing. Call me cheap. I think I'm smart. I see YouTubers in the Vinyl Community making videos every day where they talk about some "new" vinyl pressing they just bought with songs they already had on 32 other releases, but they had to have this new one because this 195? recording sounds better than it ever has, and you haven't heard it until you've heard this version! Nonsense. Clean it up all you want. But I don't need to hear the blood coursing through the veins of the musicians in order to enjoy the music. And I won't go into bankruptcy for a shiny piece of product with music on it I've owned for decades. Would I like to have something like this Birth of the Blue set? Sure. It's a nice looking set. Probably does sound great. But some of those Vinyl Community people get this stuff free in exchange for a review and a plug on their video. The rest of them aren't trying to put food on the table, and pay rent on the paltry money Social Security offers. I love the music, and I might be old, but I'm not ready to just go sit on my couch and watch reruns of Dark Shadows on Tubi. I want some new music. And I want to hear the old music in new and different contexts. I just don't want to pay for it for the umpteenth time. The principle is the same for me with streaming. Why should I pay to stream an old television show that I watched for free with commercials for 30 or 40 years? You got your money. It's all paid for. Stop knocking on my door with your hand out.

It's been an interesting year. I've had to get creative in order to continue to pursue my favorite hobby. Nobody is giving me more money. I got a small bump in Social Security for '25, and a Medicare increase took most of it already. And prices at the grocery store, and at the pump are NOT going down. Don't kid yourself. Prices NEVER go down. If you want to be entertained, you have to get creative. Because entertainment is always going to run a distant third to food, and housing. But these Miles playlists bring something new to the table, and I'm still getting good value for music I paid a fair price for 30, 40, 50 years ago. Just say "no" to piracy.

[thisselflovecamebacktome]

So I'm stealing this from @tayloralisonswift and you should definitely check out their version, but I'm going to listen to and rank all of Taylor's songs album by album (and then maybe her non album songs at the end).

Some minor changes: I'm going to be doing all of each album in one post (so 11 - 12 posts all up), I will be adding the Beautiful Eyes EP to debut (because truth be told I think it'll be part of debut's vault tracks anyway), I will be starting at debut and going forward in Taylor's discography, and I will be ranking them out of 10 not 13. I'm also making note here that I am ranking the versions I like best. So for example, I hate Girl At Home (Taylor's Version) but love the original, so the original is the one being ranked because that is what I listen to (noting that I own all the CDs so don't @ me about that). Anyway with that in mind, let's get started with debut.

Tim McGraw: Does this song get nostalgia points? Yes, yes it does. It was the first song I listened to given debut had not even come out yet at the time and was the one time I remember really bonding with my maternal grandfather over something (country music). But even outside of that nostalgia, it genuinely is a great song and great business move to have this be her first single. 9/10.

Picture To Burn: I understand the controversy of the changed lyrics, but honestly despite not being straight, they never bugged me and just felt very teenagery 'If you tell everyone I'm undateable, I'll do the same'. Ultimately a bop but one I don't listen to all that much. 7/10.

Teardrops On My Guitar: God have I never felt older than at Eras Melbourne night three when most of the people in my section were giving me weird looks for knowing this song. I swear it used to be one of her most known songs. I do prefer the RED tour version of this song but overall a great song that I feel is one of her most universal. 9/10.

A Place In This World: I know this is (or at least was during Taylor's earlier days, I feel it's less so nowadays) a fan favourite but it just never hit for me, sorry. Like there's nothing wrong with it, but realistically I can't tell you the last time I listened to it and it's never been a song I've been drawn to. 5/10.

Cold As You: The OG track five! I can't call her underrated because I feel a lot of people love her, but it's deserved. By far one of the debut songs I have listened to over time, even if I don't as much anymore. 8/10.

The Outside: So this is one of those songs I feel like I should relate to more because I was an 'unpopular' kid and had a falling out with one 'popular' group. But Imma be real, at my school, all of the 'unpopular' kids formed a big group plus I had friends in other years so yeah... Again another song I couldn't tell you the last time I listened to (despite it being a fan fave at one point) and just really one I'm not fussed on. 4/10.

Tied Together With A Smile: To be honest, I feel very similarly about this as Cold As You. I know it's a fan fave, but it deserves all the praise it gets and has arguably been the debut song that's gotten me through the most so I just love it. I don't listen to it as much nowadays, but it'll probably always have a fond place in my heart. 8/10.

Stay Beautiful: It's a cute song. I like it, but it's not a favourite. 6/10.

Should've Said No: A bop. The live version with "whoa oh, you shoulda said no baby, now everybody knows!" lives rent free in my head as one of my favourite live performances. 7/10.

Mary's Song: My OG stan song. My favourite debut song to this day. Did you all know she wrote this about me and my first partner; she left out the part where I head butted him in between daring him to kiss me and running when he tried though (joking). But yeah from the minute I heard that line, let alone the rest of the song, it was over for 11 year old me who had a crush on her brother's best friend (later becoming my first partner). We're still super close to say the least and are raising a child together, so yeah, the song just means a lot to me and probably always will. 10/10.

Our Song: This is one of those songs I feel everyone else likes more than I do. Like it's fun, it hits sometimes, but it's never been a favourite of mine. 6/10.

I'm Only Me When I'm With You: Another cute bop. Not something I listen to often but a good time when I do. 6.5/10.

Invisible: I feel like this song gets outshone by Teardrops On My Guitar having similar themes and being on the same album, but I still love it dearly. Taylor dedicating it to a fan who has a queer reading of it is still one of my favourite things she's done. I genuinely feel like this is the most underrated track on this album and I hope it gets the love it deserves one day. 8/10.

A Perfectly Good Heart: This is and always has been the song I'm most excited for the rerecording for because god are the vocals the worst part of this song as it stands. It just sounds very grating to me, and while I don't think it ever would have been a favourite of mine, it definitely would have had more of a fighting chance had the vocals been better. 3/10.

Beautiful Eyes: To be honest, I don't remember the last time I listened to this, but I like it now more than I remember liking it before (not a high bar but still). It's nice. 6/10.

I Heart ?: I yearn for the day this is on spotify because I have so many playlists I want to add it to. A bop through and through. 7/10.

Final Score: 109.5/160 - 68.4%

[triste-guillotine]

EURYNOMOS "The Trilogy" Compilation CD 2016

1. Intro (Opening Vault) / Unchained from the Crypt 2. Banshee Calling 3. Witchryder 4. Eurynomos (Beast of Hades) 5. Invisibile Rays 6. Eye of the Pantheon 7. Fierce Alliance 8. Spell of Necromancy 9. Ferropolis (City of Iron) / Closing Vault 10. Gone Down in Flames

Tracks 1-3 : "Unchained from the Crypt" 7" EP 2015 Tracks 4-6 : "Eye of the Pantheon" 7" EP 2015 Tracks 7-9 : "Fierce Alliance" 7" EP 2016 Track 10 is new

[songstuckinmahead]

Ranking Taylor Swift's albums based on how many songs are in my playlists:

Number of songs that are in parentheses are additional songs that were not part of the original album rollout (soundtracks, remixes, vault tracks) and will be listed after the original album songs.

Okay, Let's go:

11th: Taylor Swift (self-titled Debut) - 0

It's common for an artist's first album/EP to simply be a collection of the songs they made so far and that's what this is. This isn't really an era but more just a beta test of Taylor.

But i do have a feeling that Debut tv will have the biggest amount of rerecordings as well as the biggest change in the vocals which scares me.

10th: Folklore - 1

The first of Taylor's depression decade starts with a typical COVID-19 lockdown depression yearning for a cottagecore escapism.

Following the dip of Lover and the lack of publicity due to quarantine restrictions and a surprise release made this album appear in low profile but between the times and the message of the songs it was better for it.

Songs: Cardigan.

8th (tie): The Tortured Poets Department - 2

Despite me being fully on the Eras Tour/the rerecordings/Midnights hype train, TTPDs double album and several variants started to feel a bit too much. It just felt being the 50 kg cherry on top of the thousand flavor, million calories oversaturation dessert.

This is an adult album written by an adult woman for adults. Rawdogging real life as it is with all the problems and each problem with it's own bullshit. And also a lot more swearing than before.

Songs: Fortnight, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.

8th: (tie): Fearless - 2

The princess of the midwest waiting for her high school prince find out that she exists. That's Fearless, this album invented the cliche of removing the glasses of the shy nerdy girl to see and show the world how pretty she is.

Unlike Debut's truck country genre, being a princess in an all american high school fairytale seems to work better with her songwriting skills.

Songs: Love Story, You Belong With Me.

7th: Speak Now - 1(+2)

It makes sense for being known as the Enchanted era as this underrated album feels the least like a "Taylor Swift genre" and the most like other popular 00s grudge rock subgenres of the time, similar to Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Paramore and Fall Out Boy (which the latter two appeared in the album).

Songs: Better Than Revenge, Electric Touch, I Can See You.

6th: Evermore - 2(+1)

Jack Antonoff once said that Taylor wrote Willow in 20 minutes it was quickly followed by the decision to make a second "COVID-19 lockdown depression yearning for a cottagecore escapism" album, and thus Evermore was born.

Honestly considering how much the two album share the theme, mv continuity, and release year. Folkmore should have been a single double album from the start.

When you read this treat the two Folkmore reviews as one in two parts.

Songs: Willow, Marjorie, Carolina.

Top 5:

5th: Midnights - 3(+1)

Now this is a type of depression i can relate to! culture counters culture and Midnight's more upbeat songs were perfectly made to counter Folkmore's cottagecore calmness. Beyonce released Act i Renaissance around the same time a bit after the COVID-19 pandemic because "the world needed to dance" and Taylor saw that regarding Midnights as well.

As much as i like the retro vibe of the album, I haven't really been able to define it (undefined vibe can be better than defined), especially with the Midnights era being the eras tour era.

Songs: Lavender Haze, Anti-Hero, Bejeweled, Karma (remix feat. Ice Spice).

4th: Red - 6(+1)

The most Taylor Swift album. Period. The perfect combination of the three archetypes of Taylor transitioning from the 00s country to the 10s pop while having both happy upbeat songs and sad poetic songs.

2011-2013 is a critically iconic time period and it wouldn't be the same without Red. I consider We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together as one of the holy trinity of iconic 21th century pop songs.

Between the rise of the breakup songwriter reputation(a justified reputation considering she has a 10 minute breakup song), screaming goats, and her influence reaching global levels, Red is the most important album of the Tay-lore.

Songs: State Of Grace, Red, 22, I Knew You Were Trouble, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Everything Has Changed, Message In A Bottle.

Top 3:

3rd: Reputation - 8(+1)

The more famous you are, the more haters and scandals you'll have, and once you reach that global stardom there's no way to avoid that. And after what happened between Taylor and Kim and Kanye, the only way to stop it was to vanish.

The pre-reputation blackout was a "you had to be there" moment when she cleared all of her social media, the snake teasers, Game Of Thrones' season 7 finale, all leading up to the 2017 VMAs.

The Look What You Made Me Do MV and the other reputation MVs was the first time she personified and dress-coded her past hits and doing it by killing them all.

Another important part of Reputation lore is the counter to the big strong bass in Delicate, her showing her vulnerability to the public hate of the past few years, while showing mostly the heavy mental toll being famous does.

If it seems like it might be my favorite album of her then how it is only 3rd place? Well we just have to wait for the rep tv vault tracks (clowning here but i never stopped loving the idea of Ready For It remix feat. BLACKPINK).

Songs: Ready For It, Look What You Made Me Do, Gorgeous, End Game, I Did Something Bad, Delicate, So It Goes..., This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, I Don't Wanna Live Forever.

2nd: lover - 8(+2)

Culture counters culture and Lover was conceived to counter and balance Reputation. Replacing the grim rainy cold metal cities with a pastel sky full of candy clouds. All the frustration was unleased with the last big machine album leaving an empty slate for her loved ones and onwards to deal with real life political problems.

And an empty slate is exactly how the album starts with I Forgot That You Existed which feels like the after therapy of This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things.

Lover is very simple, positive feelings like love, happiness and friendship as well as not to overthink your anger.

Songs: I Forgot That You Existed, Cruel Summer, Lover, I Think He Knows, Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince, Paper Rings, You Need To Come Down, ME!, To All The Girls You Loved Before, Lover (remix feat. Shawn Mendes).

1st place:

1989 - 7(+4)

This is it, global stardom has been reached and now she's a superstar, and as one she a bit outgrew the previous genre and city she had and was ready for a rebirth.

Taylor Swift was born in 1989 and was reborn with 1989.

Embracing pop and shedding her fake southern accent has only brought main pop girl hits while also criticizing the industry she just joined and worldwide people's reactions who were just exposed to her (Shake It Off criticized her genre transition, Blank Space criticized her breakup songwriter reputation, Bad Blood criticized the industry's "feuds").

However, even though i was there during the 1989 era, afterwards i kinda forgot the definition of the era and couldn't really remember. It just felt like the transition between Red and Reputation until i remembered it's true meaning when 1989 tv came out. It's just a main pop girl music, this was her Please Please Please (the song after the song that placed her at the top).

Of all the rerecordings across all albums Wildest Dreams had the biggest upgrade and Bad Blood remix had the biggest downgrade.

Songs: Welcome To New York, Shake It Off, Blank Space, Style, Bad Blood, Wildest Dreams, New Romantics, Bad Blood (remix feat. Kendrick Lamar), Slut!, Now That We Don't Talk, Is It Over Now?.

[liketaylorswift]

i have been thinking for ages that she might eventually try her hand at a full christmas album and put the sounds of the season ep tracks as from the vault. pray with me 🕯️

[likeadevils]

I'm a very old Millenniul and want every streaming exclusive on a CD and will do stupid shit and pay big bucks to get it, especially 3am plus You're Losing Me plus other vault tracks from that era like mini EP's of all these songs on actual Disks would be great and I get terribly twitchy when people release "loose" singles and don't put it on a CD afterwards and am not fit for this Streaming reality we're in right now and I wish to not be like this but I am

NO THEY ALSO STRESS ME OUT LIKE THEY JUST FUNDAMENTALLY DEFY CLASSIFICATION on my spreadsheets IN A WAY THAT STRESSES ME OUT

[lynsburner]

love me a good spreadsheet! would you be willing to share with the class?

Hello Hello! I will absolutely link you to the spreadsheet in a private message/chat but since it's on my google drive it’s connected to my personal email and privacy and all the jazz.

BUT I will happily explain my findings in a typical too-long answer from Lyn.

So, there is this website called BMI/Songview where artists go to register their songs specifically for copyright purposes, whether or not they get an official release. Ofc, Andrew's got a page. Someone showed me this a few years ago and I've been frequently checking it every few months or so out of boredom, adding to my spreadsheet because you can see, in Taylor Swift terms, songs from the vault ™

Songs are in alphabetical order and do not have a date associated with them for when they were uploaded. BUT there are work ID numbers, and the higher they go, the more recent they are. Also, if you compare the numbers with songs that have been actually released, it goes like this: starting with 17-18 is self-titled, 28-31 is W,b! and 61-63 is UU.

The bonus songs for self-titled have fun names. I would really love to hear "Pagliacci's in town" like that really drew my eye.

This site is also used for like... different versions of songs. There's a "talk" and "talk refined", "The love of" and "the love of v2" and there's a version of Uiscefhuarithe called "UISCE". I recommend just going through the site, it's really fascinating (also it shows the writers for each one. The "performer" tab is iffy)

So the last time I checked before this month was December. There was nothing new. BUT THEN I was curious and a new entry immediately caught my eye: Wildflower and barely

(I'm sorry if the quality is bad. Tumblr sucks lmao)

And that caught my eye specifically because 1. These lyrics were revealed YEARS ago in some magazine so I had been wondering when it would be added and 2. Allison russel was attached, and that's his tour opener for this new leg.

So I kept scrolling and found a few more recent ones, including "July", "Hymn to Virgil" (which he mentioned when the album came out), and "Don't Want the World".

There are also two others that remind me of the lryics of who we are, called "Edge of knife" and "Falling like water" and I'm more inclined to believe they might be who we are alternatives, but who knows.

Anyway, like I said, I have a whole spreadsheet tracking everything over all his albums if you're interested.

But when he said recently there was four song EP next month... and one of them was Wildflower and barely with Allison, I really think those other 3 will be the rest.

[kaylor]

i mean some from the vault tracks didn't really predate the albums (like fearless platinum tracks, twaf, ronan, etc etc). i'm guessing she just goes off vibes. whatever. i wish she could just release singles as singles and the 3am tracks as an ep. like sure if we think abt it fearless got a bunch of versions back in the day too but this is... Too Much. i am done with all the diff versions of every album

yeah exactly there's a few where we know there's old demos on the internet somewhere, a few where it's like sure this sounds like it was rejected for understandable reasons at the time, and then a few where it's like. you wrote this in 2020/1 and you can't fool me.