#also blur 1997 is such a good album

[moldy-mushrooms]

You’re so terrible

Happy sober better

Actually feeling so great

[rcubens]

TEN SONGS ON REUBEN'S IPOD 🎵—

in the days before spotify playlist were limewire viruses and handheld devices just for listening to music.

Reuben Sharpe has a white iPod Photo with 60 GB of storage (he enjoys music— sue me!). It gets the most use on the commute to work on the subway and at home in the iPod speaker dock in his living room, if he cranks it up high enough he can hear it over the running shower.

It's My Life - No Doubt | 2003 A favourite for the commute and morning alarm, especially on days where he's feeling particularly ambitious few and far between. Kind of a guilty pleasure but No Doubt is still acceptable pre Gwen Stefani's solo career...he'll get into that too in the future.

Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet | 2003 A certified 'bounce around an empty apartment' track. Not that Reuben runs all that often but this definitely is playing for the maximum 20 minutes he will spend on the treadmill if he so desires.

Slow Jamz - Kanye West | 2004 Reuben knows nothing about rap but he knows Jay-Z's producer is probably going to be massive soon. Someone definitely told him to listen to this and he added it to his Itunes library just so he could claim he liked rap. But its also a fantastic sample flip.

Spice Up Your Life - Spice Girls | 1997 Definitely a guilty pleasure. He has a physical copy of the Spiceworld album stashed away at Woodrow House but he is a Spice Girls fan in denial. Get him drunk enough and watch him body Stop at the karaoke bar without even needing to see the lyrics.

Deceptacon - Le Tigre | 1999 Met a riot grrrl in college he was obsessed with and was willing to do anything just to be in her presence. She taught him that punks like to dance and that'd she'd have more balls in her pinky toe than he'd ever have in his entire life.

Just Like You Imagine - Nine Inch Nails | 1999 Reuben has enjoyed being lightly edgy his entire life and there's no band that better encompasses being kind of a weird asshole for no reason than nine inch nails. Though Reuben would never step foot in a NIN concert, he's an enjoyer from afar.

Shimmer - Fuel 238 | 1998 Nothing feels more early 00s older brother core than Fuel 238. It's like if you threw the O.C. into a blender and then poured it into a vinyl mold. Reuben never particularly being a role model to anyone does however, enjoy feeling like one.

Porcelain - Moby | 2000 Perfect song for late night contemplative cigarette walks, which Reuben takes a lot of in D.C. (with or without the cigarette). Occasionally listened to when splayed on his living room rug asking what is he doing with his life. (existentialism waits for no one)

I Can Write A Book - Harry Connick Jr. | 1989 Sentimental song, his mom loved when harry met sally, even bought it on VHS. The song was the last favourite song of hers he ever got the chance to know.

All Day and All of the Night - The Kinks | 1964 One of his dad's favourite songs, allegedly was the song that played when they first met and was also played at their wedding. And come onnnn, who doesn't like a good power chord !

Not mentioned but is definitely on there: some Blur, Britney, Beyoncé, Black Eyed Peas, Maroon 5, The Killers, The Rapture, The Strokes and probably some 80s hits as well.

[thisaintascenereviews]

Usher - Hard II Love / “A”

It’s been 27 years since Usher released his debut album, 1997’s My Way, when he was just 16-years-old, but his career has had its ups and downs since then. Like a lot of artists, Usher has reinvented his career a few times over, including now. He’s making his comeback this year, whether it’s releasing a new album in a few days, or performing at the Super Bowl this weekend. Like with Justin Timberlake, and Man Of The Woods, I wanted to take a look back at Usher’s last record, 2016’s Hard II Love. I also wanted to include the 2018 collaborative album, “A,” with producer Zaytoven, because that’s technically his last album, although it’s not even a half hour, so I don’t know whether to count it, but we’ll get to that later. I really wanted to talk about Hard II Love, and this album’s place in his discography. At this point, Usher was an elder statesman, having already been around for almost 20 years, but his sound has changed with the times. His music from the early 00s, such as 2004’s Confessions, really helped to influence the R&B at the time, but his albums from the late 2000s and early 2012s moved into pop and electronic sounds. I personally don’t care for that, and most of those albums, while fine, they don’t fit Usher’s voice or sound. He’s got a classic R&B crooner voice, and he works well with that type of sound, not club ready pop music.

Hard II Love was delayed for a couple of years before its release, but this album is interesting, because it comes four years later off his last album, and it also marks a shift in his sound back to the classic R&B that he’s known for. It also has him moving into hip-hop a bit, as a lot of R&B began to have a symbiotic relationship with hip-hop more so. It always has, but by this point, the lines were really blurred. Usher also helped to bolster both his own image and the image of some newer artists for the time that appear on the album, including Future and Young Thug. Both of those artists are big names today, and by this point in their careers, they’re some of the old guard now. It was cool for Usher for showcase them on this album, and this album was very much a return to his Atlanta roots. Both Future and Young Thug are from Atlanta as well, so he wanted to put some local talent on the map, but this record really does blur the line between hip-hop and R&B. It features a good mix of his classic balladry, as well as some R&B tracks, and hip-hop adjacent songs.

I was pretty mixed on this album when it came out, but I also wasn’t familiar that much with Usher and his legacy / influence on R&B, and I think context matters sometimes when it comes to these established acts. Songs like “No Limit,” which features Young Thug, “Rivals,” which features Future, or “Make U A Believer” are more on the hip-hop side, whereas songs like “Missin’ U,” “Stronger,” or “Downtime” are some solid R&B cuts that show off Usher’s voice quite well. Before I go any further, I probably should talk about how I feel about this record, along with “A,” and despite being mixed on the album when it originally came out, I actually quite enjoy this album now. I wouldn’t say Hard II Love is a masterpiece, but it’s not true of its namesake. This album is quite easy to love, really, but it is a bit too long. It clocks in at around an hour, but this album didn’t need to be that long. I do enjoy a lot of the songs here, as they move between R&B, hip-hop, and even a bit of alternative R&B that started popping up at the time. It’s just that the album repeats itself a lot, despite not being bad, so the album almost runs out of steam at the 3/4 mark, but it’s still enjoyable.

As for “A,” the album he put out with Zaytoven, I like this record, too, but this one doubles down on the hip-hop sound and Usher sounds like the newcomers, versus one of the veterans. He does have his moments with songs that sound like stuff you’d hear in his repertoire, but he employs more of a braggadocios sound, as well as his lyricism. It sort of works, but it’s weird to hear him with lyrics that are more aggressive, versus of the more romantic variety. I will say, however, that he does sound great, both on this and Hard II Love. He is the best part of his music, which is how it should be, but whenever you listen to an Usher song or album, the best part of it is usually his voice. Hard II Love, in particular, is a great return to form for his voice. This is the best he had sounded in a long time, especially moving back to instrumentation that fits his voice. He’s one of the best R&B singers, both of today’s current crop, and of all time. Even when his material isn’t as good, or when Hard II Love or “A” specifically aren’t anything special, you can always count on Usher to sound great. He surely sounds amazing on his new material, so if there’s one thing I want people to take away from this review, it’s that I’m excited for his new album and these albums are pretty good.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #576

Top Ten Years for Music

Yeah I’m doing it again, and this was the hardest one to do. Because generally speaking I don’t really associate music with the year it came out. Almost all of the time I come to it a lot later – which is why there are hardly any recent years on this list. I’ll probably be into a half-dozen songs from 2022 in fifteen years.

Music, to me, was always a background thing. I never had a desire to seek it out or find out what I was into in the same way I’ve always wanted to know more about film. And as such, when I became a bit older, I felt very out of touch and ill-informed by what music was around. The first CDs I ever bought were soundtrack albums because I just didn’t know what bands I liked, and by then I was also infected by the teenage need to like the right bands. What if I accidentally bought something by someone who wasn’t cool? Or if I mentioned liking them but then exposed how I only liked them because I liked that one song of theirs that was in a Curly Wurly ad or something?

Despite this, we’re still going to see a whole lot of nostalgia on this list. Is it always the case that the music that really resonates is the music you listen to in your teenage years? Even if – like me – you weren’t going to concerts or buying tons of CDs, the music permeates your social consciousness from the radio, from hearing it played in stores, from seeing the artists on TV, and from your friends talking about it. I didn’t own a Blur CD until 1999 and I don’t think I’ve owned one by Oasis, but I could have explained the broad strokes of their music and their rivalry back when Country House and Roll With It released in the same week. So it all sticks and it becomes part of your DNA, the soundtrack to whatever dumb crap you were doing at the time.

Anyway, enough wallowing in the Our Price of history: let’s just look at the years of my life that I thought had the best music. And, yes, this is the most subjective because I think of all things, maybe music is the most subjective? So it’s stuff I liked. You don’t like it? Get your own blog, they’re free!

1984: yes! Seriously! 1984 continues to be one of the best years of all time. If it’s not enough that films like Terminator and shows like Transformers and comics like Turtles all came out, you’ve got the debut albums of both Bon Jovi and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – I mean, come on. Queen’s The Works gave us songs like Radio Ga Ga and I Want to Break Free. Prince made Purple Rain. Springsteen released Born in the U.S.A., for cryin’ out loud! Dancing in the Dark, people! We had Spinal Tap! And speaking of movies, Ghostbusters! I mean, can you imagine? Flippin’ ‘eck, what a year.

1997: it’s tough to single out one year from the nineties, because there’s a period – ’93-’98 really – that’s just chock-full of absolute iconic bangers for me. But this is probably tip-top. We’ve got one of Nick Cave’s best, most soulful albums, in Boatman’s Call, which features possibly my favourite song – Into My Arms. Foo Fighters’ The Colour and the Shape, Radiohead’s OK Computer, Savage Garden’s, er, Savage Garden. Robbie Williams – love him or hate him – did release two of his best songs, Let Me Entertain You and Angels. And a personal favourite of mine was Del Amitri’s Don’t Come Home Too Soon, the best song ever about football.

2016: woah, we’re getting right up to date here! Can you believe it?! But it was a cracker, despite Trump and Brexit and everything else that was happening. Both Bowie and Leonard Cohen released their final albums, and in a way delivered their own epitaphs with Blackstar and especially You Want it Darker, the latter of which is an absolute masterpiece. “I’m leaving the table, I’m out of the game”, for goodness’ sake. If you really want it dark, Nick Cave’s Skeleton Tree was haunting beautiful but also a wail of absolute grief; “They told us our gods would outlive us but they lied”. Slightly cheerier was Foreverland by Divine Comedy, with its propulsive revolutionary undertones and superheroic love songs. And rocketing right to the other end of the scale from all the mournful ballads was Lonely Island’s soundtrack to Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. Is Finest Girl the funniest song of all time?

1996: yep, back to the nineties, and back to the Bad Seeds (Murder Ballads, which includes Cave’s famous duet with Kylie) and back to Divine Comedy (Casanova). Almost defnining my mid-teens, we had the Manics’ Everything Must Go and Spiders by Space, as well as the debut album from the Aquabats. Probably one of the most seminal releases – certainly for me at the time – was the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, featuring possibly my favourite song of the year, the Cardigans’ Lovefool. What else? Well we had two other big debuts: the Spice Girls and Eminem. What more could you want?

1993: still in the nineties and it’s back to another perennial year for me: ’93, the year of Jurassic Park and, well, tons of other stuff. Check out m other lists. Anyway, musically we had Bat out of Hell 2, which was nice as I wasn’t born when the first one came out. He’d do anything for love, y’know, but he won’t do that. Radiohead’s Pablo Honey gave us Creep, my favourite of theirs, because I’m basic. Crash Test Dummies released Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, a weird delight. We also got 500 Miles, Loser by Beck, Insane in the Brain – which everyone my age was singing in 1993 – and sort of Whitney’s I Will Always Love You, which technically released at the end of ’92 but dominated the early part of the year and was ‘93’s biggest song.

1995: sticking with the mid-nineties and it’s another belter. Alright by Supergrass; These Days by Bon Jovi; the Foo Fighters’ eponymous debut; The Bends by Radiohead. I could go on. And I shall! One of my favourite albums, Different Class by Pulp, gave us some corking class-warfare ballads like Common People. And, yes, it was Britpop’s holy year, with the Blur/Oasis clash and the release of both What’s the Story (Morning Glory) and The Great Escape. Quite possibly my favourite song of the year – sorry, Jarvis – was Alanis Morrisette’s You Oughta Know from Jagged Little Pill, one hell of an angry tune and my generation’s equivalent to The Winner Takes it All. But with a bit more swearing.

1982: right back as far as we can go in my lifetime, really, and it all starts off so well. Madonna’s first album! Bloody hell! And Jacko’s Thriller! Scary stuff. That alone could get it rocketing up the charts, but we also have one of my favourite Bruce Springsteen songs, Highway Patrolman, even if (whisper it) I kinda prefer the Johnny Cash version. Also there was Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast (spoiler alert: it’s 666), and Billy Joel’s Nylon Curtain, giving us tracks like Allentown and the phenomenal Goodnight Saigon. And – yes – Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger.

1998: another all-round classic year – Half-Life came out and I started going out with my wife – and the music wasn’t bad either. Space’s Tin Planet featured The Ballad of Tom Jones; we had Torn, Bittersweet Symphony, and You’re Still the One, just a bunch of stone-cold hits. Evanescence’s debt album provided turn-of-the-millennium action movies with great songs to cut scenes to. The Divine Comedy’s Fin de Siècle had some of the tracks that really drew my attention to the band. The hilarious One Week was a fast-paced good-natured highlight of a song, but let’s wrap up by lifting a glass to a genius movie ballad, Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing. I could stay awake just to hear them singing.

2002: another good year for Robbie, with probably – aw hell, definitely – his best album, Escapology, which has his two best songs (for me): Monsoon and Come Undone. Flight of the Conchords’ first album had so many all-time hilarious songs I don’t know where to begin. A Rush of Blood to the Head is my favourite Coldplay album, largely because of The Scientist. Avril Lavigne’s debut album was released, giving us both Complicated and Sk8ter Boi, and holy cats, can you get more millennial? But musically I have to say the year belongs to Johnny Cash and The Man Comes Around, an album full of incredible, emotional, resonant songs – including, of course, his cover of Hurt. 

1994: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ Let Love In gave us a lot of tremendous songs (including the haunting and disturbing two-part Do You Love Me) but really it should be known most for Red Right Hand, one of the biggest and most important songs of my life (I first heard in The X-Files!). Also there’s Green Day’s Basket Case, Blur’s Parklife (in both cases the first albums I had from both bands), and the biggest song of the year, Wet Wet Wet’s Love is All Around. It really was everywhere I go in ’94. Sticking with movies for a bit, two of the best soundtracks of my life: Pulp Fiction and The Lion King. Yes, musicals absolutely do count; maybe I should have tried to look them up in a bit more detail. Too late now!

I very, very nearly had 2006 in there at the end instead of another nineties number, but despite a few good tracks that year I ultimately decided I was letting the sheer cosmic weight of Arctic Monkeys’ debut lift the year up too high. I’ve always tried to find a good balanced spread when doing this and not stick a year in there just because there’s one or even two things I like, and ultimately the epoch-shifting excellence of I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor was not enough to champion the whole year. But I’m mentioning it now, in dispatches, so to speak, because it’s still probably the most exciting and impressive debut of my life.

[damonalbarn]

Hey I was wondering if you knew the article that Justine spoke about suzi in?!

It was in The Guardian in 2000. Here you go:

Sweet revenge

In the mid 90s, Justine Frischmann and Damon Albarn were the First Couple of Britpop. Then he used a Blur album to rake over their break-up, while she languished in obscurity amid rumours of heroin addiction. Now she's back with a new album, and it's her turn to exorcise her demons.

Caroline Sullivan

Friday March 24, 2000

As Alison Moyet once said, it's hard to write a decent song when you're happy. Rock bands thrive on romantic turmoil in their private lives, without which they would be reduced to padding out lyrics with football scores and the weather.

Thus it was for Blur's Damon Albarn in mid-1998 when he sat down to write what would become the 13 album. His eight-year relationship with Justine Frischmann of the chart-topping Elastica, whom he once described as **"the only person who's ever been completely necessary to me" **had just ended, at her instigation. Pained and humiliated, he decided to exact revenge by exposing their most intimate details to public scrutiny.

The outcome? Embarrassment for Frischmann, a number one album for Blur and a bit of a result for Albarn.

Break-up albums are by definition both embittered and yearning - in the case of Marvin Gaye's vindictive Here, My Dear, they're just plain nasty - but 13 got more up-close and personal than could be considered gentlemanly. Albarn portrayed his former partner as neurotic, even slipping apparent drug references into the single Tender: "Tender is the ghost, the ghost I love the most/Hiding from the sun, waiting for the night to come". Frischmann was the ghost, supposedly, who was on the verge of being consumed by what one music paper euphemistically called "the darkness at the heart of Elastica".

Frischmann's response can be found on a song called The Way I Like It, which appears on Elastica's first album in five years, The Menace (out next month): "Well, I'm living all right and I'm doing okay/Had a lover who was made of sand, and the wind blew him away".

This is unlikely to be her last word on the subject. As she ambivalently begins her first round of interviews since 1996, she's finding that everyone has the same three questions. Why did Elastica nearly sabotage a promising career by taking so long to follow up their million-selling debut? Had Frischmann taken leave of her senses when she walked out on Mr Britpop? And what about the drug rumours?

"One journalist said to me, 'Dahling, I heard you were on heroin - Mahvelous!' " she says with some amusement. "Drugs are around, but I'm not that interested and never have been, although there have been elements of party animal in my band. The rumours are a lot to do with rock'n'roll mythology, where people want to believe you're having a more exciting time than you are."

The only drugs on her person today, as she perches on the edge of an armchair in her publicist's north London living room, are Marlboro Lights. Her other indulgences are two cups of herbal tea and a Cadbury's Flake cupcake, which she nibbles with well-bred pleasure. Her dark eyes are clear, and her long, tanned body is a testament to the virtues of a daily swim in a pool near her Notting Hill home. Only Elastica know whether they really succumbed to heroin and hedonism after their self-titled debut made them more famous than they'd ever expected to be, but if they did, Frischmann, 30, seems little the worse for it.

Given the current predominance of damnable boy bands, the Britpop mid-90s are beginning to seem like a halcyon period for English music. It was a time when the underground went overground, and a self-described "little punk band" like Elastica could sell 80,000 albums in a week.

More than a few loser guitar groups saw Britpop as a licence to print money, but Elastica, led with cool elan by the androgynous Frischmann, were one of its gems. The Blur connection was a marketing godsend (Frischmann and Albarn met on the London indie circuit, she as guitarist in an early line-up of Suede and girlfriend of frontman Brett Anderson, he as a cherubic baggy hopeful), yet the spiky-haired Elastica LP embodied that euphoric time like nothing else.

Frischmann, guitarist Donna Matthews, drummer Justin Welch and bassist Annie Holland were unprepared for the album soaring to number one in its first week. When they signed their record deal, Frischmann, whose great-grandfather was a conductor of the Tsar's orchestra at the Summer Palace in Byelorussia, was five years into an architecture degree at London University. A liberal north London Jewish upbringing - her engineer father built the Oxford Street landmark Centrepoint - had instilled expectations of success, but the reality of being photographed in the supermarket and having her rubbish stolen was a shock. Fiercely independent, she also resented her unsought role as half of Britpop's First Couple.

There was more. Two of Frischmann's musical heroes, The Stranglers and Wire, decided that two Elastica songs were suspiciously similar to two of their own tracks, and won royalties. Meanwhile, there were malicious rumours that Albarn had done much of the work on the record. He hadn't, but he did find Justine's success in America, where she was substantially out-selling Blur, hard to endure.

"It was very hard for him to deal with and he's very confrontational," she says, with the flattering openness of someone who prefers interviews to be more like conversations. She admits she often says too much, but in an era of image control and spin, her honesty makes her a one-off. Not that she's likely to land herself in it too badly - she possesses the intellectual ammunition to look after herself, which must have been instrumental in attracting two of rock's more articulate stars, Albarn and Anderson.

She's been accused of being a professional rock girlfriend, though it was probably they who were lucky to get her. She spent the cab ride over reading the Sylvia Plath letters in Monday's Guardian, and muses on the irony of the poet's subjugating herself to Ted Hughes when she was the more gifted. (Her new boyfriend, by the way, is an unknown photographer, "though that'll probably change, because men seem to get famous when I go out with them".)

"I reacted the way a lot of women do, by being passive," she continues. "He put a lot of pressure on me to give up Elastica. He said, 'You don't want to be in a band, you want to settle down and have kids.' " In so many words? "In so many words. He kept putting on pressure till I started to believe him." She adds bemusedly: "I've met his new girlfriend, and one of the first things she said was that he wanted her to give up travelling with her work to stay home with the baby [Missy, born last autumn]. I'm surprised he's got away with being thought of as a nice person for so long."

After 18 months, during which they did seven American and three Japanese tours, Elastica came off the road to record company demands for an immediate second album. Annie Holland's response was to quit the group, while Donna Matthews became renowned for hard partying on the nocturnal west London scene. They lethargically recorded some demos, but their heart wasn't in it. By 1997, when a second album should have been ready to go, Frischmann and Matthews were barely speaking, and there was nothing useable down on tape.

Holland's replacement, Sheila Chipperfield (of the circus Chipperfields), was deemed not good enough and left by mutual consent. By 1998, their continued lack of productivity was being likened to the Stone Roses' lengthy and ultimately self-destructive holiday between their first and second LPs.

"I didn't think Elastica were going to continue at that point, and we did kinda split up," she says, absently stroking her publicist's cat. Frischmann is a cat person; she's owned a tabby called Benjamin since she was 10. "Unconditional love," she coos. The pet's place in her life is so assured that prospective boyfriends are subjected to his feline scrutiny before she'll go out with them.

On top of everything else, in early 1998 her relationship with Albarn was in trouble. Frischmann retains enough of the indie ethic to detest the phenomenon of celebrity couples, and was dismayed when they became one. "I really hated the tabloid interest, and I went out of my way not to be photographed with him. Only about three pictures of us together exist, I think. In many ways, I think the media interest broke us up, because it made me feel the relationship was quite ugly, and I had to get away from it. There were other factors, too, obviously, because we were together for eight years, and I finally felt it was better the devil you didn't know, really."

Albarn's ego seems to have been severely undermined by having a girlfriend who was nearly as successful as he was, and something of a sex symbol to boot. Despite adopting a resolutely boyish T-shirt-and-jeans uniform, she's thoroughly feminine, a mix that got her voted fifth most fanciable woman in a lesbian magazine.

"I'm completely heterosexual, so I didn't know how to take that. It scares the shit out of me, the idea of being with a girl. I'm glad I've narrowed it down to half the people in the world."

She seems to view Albarn with indulgent exasperation these days, simultaneously praising his intelligence ("The Gallaghers just couldn't compete") and ticking off his flaws. "Damon adores being in the press, and sees all press as good press. He orchestrated that rivalry thing with Oasis. He really wanted kids, and I didn't feel our relationship was stable enough. He was a naughty boy, and he wasn't the right person to have kids with. I had this cathartic moment..."

At which point they split up. Albarn wrote 13 and then met Suzi Winstanley, an artist. "She was pregnant within three months," Justine observes wickedly.

Of the acclaimed 13, she's tactful, describing several songs as "really lovely". She studies her cigarette for a while before adding, "but I'm cynical about selling a record on the back of our relationship". But you're doing the same now. "It's true, but at the time I had no right of reply."

Elastica finally pulled themselves together last year, just as the music industry was about to write them off (their American label had already "very kindly let us go", as she puts it). Holland rejoined, Matthews went to Wales to sort out her life and the band banged out an EP and played the Reading Festival. Things came together quickly after that. They spent the last £10,000 of the recording budget on re-recording a dozen tracks, finishing the album, after years of procrastinating, in six weeks. They've called it The Menace "because that's what it was like to make".

It's dark and resolutely uncommercial - all wrong for 2000's pop-oriented climate. It's unlikely to match the success of the first one, which is fine with them. Call it (though Justine doesn't) their White Album. Its 70s punk aesthetic brings to mind angry girls such as the Slits and the Au Pairs, although the defining mood isn't anger so much as catharsis. None of the songs is specifically about Albarn, she claims. "The dark feeling is due to the sense of isolation, tasting success and getting frightened by it. I was questioning whether I wanted to be in a band any more, and there was no one I could ask for advice. Getting success and everything you ever dreamed about is hard to handle, and makes you question everything."

She's better prepared for success, if it comes again, this time. Already the privacy-preserving barriers are in place. The next interview of the day is with Time Out magazine, which wants a list of her favourite restaurants. "I'm not telling them where I eat," she says reflexively. "I'm gonna lie."

[songtwo]

Okay I need to get into blur so where should I start with that 🫶🫶🫶🫶

omg yasss i would recommend starting w their self titled album bc it's my favorite<3 and it's their most important album as it showed their evolution from their previous britpop sound to a more alternative rock/lo-fi sound and it literally saved them as a band and anyway it's just a really great album<3 then I'd say 13 which is also their best alongside blur and this one is very sonic youth / pixies / husker du etc but also the sound is rly unique and one thing about blur is that they will go from one completely different genre to another from song to song and 13 is their most experimental album and an amazing and devastating one (check out Miranda Sawyer's review of it truly truly effervescent it will make u throw up and die just like 13 should) and i rly hope u like this one bc 13 is the u either love it or hate it kind of album but honestly it's just wonderful and so underrated. then go with modern life is rubbish which is seen by many as britpop's starting point and it's also a great album and it's crazy that it was released in 1993 as the themes are more relevant today than ever and it has crazy guitar riffs and it's just so good and underrated. finally check out parklife which for some reason is the critics' favorite and it's good just a bit overrated imo but it has great moments like girls & boys and this is a low and here Damon creates a bunch of characters on each song which makes it an interesting and fun album to listen to and there's also leisure which was their debut and gets a lot of underserved hate bc it's good it's obviously not their best work but it's not half as bad as most ppl (Damon) make it seem and i just love the shoegazey sound and sing (which was part of the trainspotting soundtrack) is simply one of their best songs truly effervescent. and the great escape is their worst album with only a few good songs like the universal or best days but a fun one nevertheless, think tank which is more of a gorillaz album than blur as graham had left the band (he's only on battery in your leg which is 100% the best song there) and it's not a bad album it has good moments but yeah it doesn't feel much like a blur album (bc it isn't really) and finally the magic whip which was their first release as the classic four piece since 1999 in 2015 and the highlights include my terracotta heart (gay asf) and ghost ship and it's good but definitely not comparable to previous material like blur or 13 (aka their best work) and this is saur long omg but in summary: start with blur 1997, then 13, then modern life is rubbish and then parklife as that's their best work sorry I can't give a normal answer i hope this was helpful 😔

[sibelin]

how about some of your fave 90s bands?

hi anon!! once again ty for asking <3

this is a very biased opinion but let me scream about recoil once again. unsound methods (1997) changed my brain forever and oh my god. it's so good. i've been obsessed for months

i'm also contractually obliged to say nine inch nails since i was born the day the downward spiral was released :')

for bands that i used to listen as a kid and still listen to nowadays, i'd say placebo and the smashing pumpkins were/are both so influential for my music taste. and i mean have you seen brian molko......

same goes for alice in chains. it's very nostalgic but i remember listening to would? on loop when i was a kid so their songs are like old friends to me!

obsessed with corpus delicti, it's a french goth band from the 90s and all their albums slap.

and for more i'd say: deftones, sneaker pimps, nirvana, rammstein, massive attack, the prodigy (also one of the best concert i've been to!!), fugazi, miranda sex garden (particularly fairytales of slavery), blur .... and probably a lot more i'm forgetting about :)

[sick-sad-little-world]

The Hapless Albums of 1995 and 1996

What is a Hapless Album?  It’s an album that has been overlooked or forgotten for whatever reasons.  It may have followed a monster album.  Or, it was followed by a monster album.  Or, it came out during a tumultuous time for the band.

It’s not the same thing as a Trainwreckord.  Most Hapless Albums aren’t career-enders.  They’re at least moderately successful and produce a few hit songs.  And, they’re often every good albums.  They’ve just been forgotten.

I first learned of the term from this very good review of Soundgarden’s Down on the Upside.  And, that got me thinking about other possible Hapless Albums from alternative rock.

As I started putting a short list together, I started to notice a common denominator with most of these albums.

They came out in 1995 and 1996.

Aside from the aforementioned Down on the Upside (itself a 1996 release), I also came up with Alice in Chains’ Tripod (1995), Radiohead’s The Bends (1995), Blur’s The Great Escape (1995), Pearl Jam’s No Code (1996), and the Chili Peppers’ One Hot Minute (1995).  All from the same two year period.

Tripod followed two monsters (Dirt, Jar of Flies) and is overshadowed by Layne’s worsening addiction.  The Bends didn’t produce a “Creep”-sized hit and was followed by two monsters (Ok Computer, Kid A).  The Great Escape was caught in-between two monsters (Parklife, Self-Titled), was overshadowed by the Oasis rivalry, and is disliked by Damon Albarn.  One Hot Minute was also caught in-between two monsters (Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Californication) and is overshadowed by the band’s tumultuous time with Dave Navarro on guitar.  No Code was a significantly harsher and less accessible album than the previous three (Ten, Vs, Vitalogy) and marked the beginning of Pearl Jam becoming more of a cult band.

Why did 1995 and 1996 produce so many Hapless Albums in alt rock?

Those years were a transitional time for rock music.  The Alternative Boom of the early 90s had started to fade after Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994, but the plastic pop and nu metal that would eventually take over wouldn’t come to prominence until 1997, at the earliest.

Grunge was very much still a thing, but radio and MTV increasingly started to favor it in the form of bands like Bush, Candlebox, Collective Soul, and Live -- mass-produced butt rock that sounded vaguely similar to the original Seattle bands, but was in a more marketable and radio-friendly package.  The real grunge bands were too messy and adverse to fame for radio and MTV to continue caring about them.

Meanwhile, Britpop that wasn’t Oasis had a difficult time even getting a foot through the door in the US, while the Smashing Pumpkins sucked up a lot of the oxygen from other American bands.  (The Mellon Collie singles completely ruled alt rock radio in 1996.) 

And, there was a big wave of “pop alternative” like Hootie, Alanis, Counting Crows, Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews, etc, that had some of the trappings of earlier college rock but was repackaged into lightweight, easily-digestible soft rock.  The commercialization of alternative was in full-swing.

So, 1995 and 1996 weren’t good years for alt rock.  The genre was starting to fade from popularity, and a lot of great albums ended up getting lost in the shuffle.  Undeservedly so.

[crowdvscritic]

round up // JANUARY 21

New year, not-so-new Crowd vs. Critic! It’s another batch of films, TV, music, and reads that were new to me this month and think you would enjoy, too. As we cozy up inside for the winter, nothing warms you up like a good piece of pop culture.

January Crowd-Pleasers

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Does this sequel reach the heights of 2017’s Wonder Woman? No, but I wish more superhero movies were like this one. I explain why at ZekeFilm. Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

21 Bridges (2019)

A solid action crime thriller with a solid Chadwick Boseman at the center. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

The Lethal Weapon Series (1987-98)

I watched the first Lethal Weapon in 2017 for ZekeFilm, but now I’ve a decade’s pleasure of progressively over-the-top action sequences and progressively more absurd ways to destroy Roger Murtaugh’s (Danny Glover) house. The Murtaugh/Riggs bromance holds this progressively sillier series together, and an supporting cast of charismatic actors (Jet Li, Darlene Love, Chris Rock, Rene Russo) are game for whatever comes their way. Joe Pesci is the true MVP. Series Crowd: 9/10 // Series Critic: 7/10

The High Note (2020)

Tracee Ellis Ross’s Grace Davis is a diva in every sense of the word. A high-strung and highly successful singer, she’s also highly demanding of her assistant Maggie (Dakota Johnson), who wants to step out of her shadow and become a music producer. This rom-com-adjacent flick is one of the most fun escapes I’ve had from a 2020 movie, and it’s perfect for a girls’ night in. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10

Double Feature—Rom-Coms With a Magical Twist: Just My Luck (2006) + When In Rome (2010)

Disclaimer: These movies are not good. In fact, they’re junk, but they’re my kind of junk. In Just My Luck (Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 6/10), Lindsay Lohan loses her life-long lucky streak when she kisses schlimazel Chris Pine. And When in Rome (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 6/10), Kristen Bell attracts unwanted admirers (Will Arnett, Danny DeVito, Josh Duhamel, Jon Heder, and real-life future husband Dax Shepard) after she steals their coins from a wishing fountain. To their credit, both of these movies know they’re silly, which means you have permission to just sit back and laugh along with (or, honestly, at) them.

WandaVision (2021)

I sometimes fear for the world of entertainment when I think of how much intellectual property Disney has gobbled up, but WandaVision is evidence the company is a benevolent dictator at least for now. This odd delight is a send up and a tribute to sitcoms like I Love Lucy, I Dream of Jeannie, and The Brady Bunch, and Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen are so charming and weird I don’t need whatever mysterious sub-plot they’re building.

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

If you want to make the most of watching Robin Hood: Men in Tights, first watch Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), an action flick I saw last February and didn’t include in my monthly Round Up. This Mel Brooks spoof is a direct response that self-serious Kevin Costner adventure, even down to copying its costumes. While I wish I could find a Mel Brooks comedy with any substantial female character (in every movie I’ve seen so far, the joke is either, “She’s got a great rack!” or “Wow, she’s an uggo!”), I still couldn’t stop laughing at this 104-minute version of the Robin Hood scene in Shrek. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

Aliens (1986)

Peak ‘80s action. Peak alien grossness. Peak girl boss Sigourney Weaver. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/.510

Big (1988)

After talking about Laverne & Shirley with Kyla on SO IT’S A SHOW?, I had to check out Penny Marshall’s classic. While a few moments haven’t aged so well, its heart is sweet and the script is hilarious. And that Tom Hanks? I think he’s going places. Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

Unstoppable (2010)

I’ve laughed at SNL’s spoof of this movie for a decade, so it’s about time I got around to enjoying this action thriller very loosely based on the true story of a train that got away from its conductor. Denzel Washington (“You’re too old!”) and Chris Pine (“You’re too young!”) are our heroes in this over-the-top ridiculousness, and their chemistry is so extra it makes me hope they team up for another movie again. Crowd:  9/10 // Critic: 7/10

January Critic Picks

Double Feature—‘90s Space Adventures: Apollo 13 (1995) + Contact (1997)

I have no desire to join Tom Cruise as he films in space, but I know I’ll be pumped to watch whatever he makes because I love sci-fi and space  adventures. Apollo 13 (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9/10) tells the story of an almost-disastrous NASA mission in the ‘60s, and it taps into our hope for the human spirit to overcome obstacles. Contact (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10) surmises what might happen if we received communication from extraterrestrial life, and it taps into our struggle to reconcile faith and science.

McCartney III by Paul McCartney (2020)

I spent January catching up on the albums on Best of 2020 lists, and the one I listened to for hours and hours was Paul McCartney’s latest solo album. Catchy, thoughtful, and musically surprising, it ranges from pop to rock to folk in 45 minutes and still feels like it’s over too soon. Like Tom Hanks, this Paul McCartney guy is going places!

The Thin Man Series (1934-47)

Like Lethal Weapon, I watched the first installment of The Thin Man awhile back, and Kyla and I even covered the series on our podcast. But thanks to a full series marathon on TCM earlier this month, I’ve now laughed through all five. When you talk about great chemistry, you’ve got to talk about William Powell and Myrna Loy, who make Nick and Nora’s marriage feel lived in and romantic as they solve crimes together. Witty, suspenseful, and jaunty, this series is still sexy cool over 80 years later. (Also, Asta? Still one of the cutest dogs in cinema.) Series Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

The King and I (1956)

Here’s your regularly scheduled reminder Hollywood works differently now, and many casting decisions of the ‘50s wouldn’t fly today. What has aged well in this film: The Rodgers and Hammerstein music and the sumptuous costumes and set design. I love extravagant musicals of yesteryear—perhaps it’s time for Hollywood to revisit and remake The King and I for modern audiences?

Inauguration Day

In a year with no major televised events with celebrities in a room together, Inauguration Day felt like the most exciting cultural event in ages. We’ve been missing major fashion, but then we got Lady Gaga! We’ve been missing live performances, but then we got Amanda Gorman! And I got a lot of tears during that poem—not just me, right?

Good Reads

Writing that made me think and smile this month:

Steven Soderbergh’s list of everything he read, watched, and listened to this year, Extension765.com (2020) – An indirect inspiration for these monthly Round Ups!

“My Year of Making Lists,” NewYorker.com (2020) – I made a lot of lists in 2020, so I feel this author’s #mood

“Betty White Says She Will Spend Her 99th Birthday Feeding Two Ducks Who Visit Her ‘Every Day,’“ CBSNews.com (2021) - “Betty is a treasure,” I say as I watch The Proposal for the 99th time

“A Sculpture’s Unusual Journey to SLAM [St. Louis Art Museum],” SLAM.org (2020) – With a casual mention of an attraction I never knew about in St. Louis

“The Culture Is Ailing. It’s Time for a Dr. Fauci for the Arts.” WashingtonPost.com (2020) – An idea that occurred to me a few months ago: Why don’t we have an Arts Cabinet?

“The Arts Are in Crisis. Here’s How Biden Can Help.” NYTimes.com (2021) – Partly in response to that Washington Post piece, a historical look at how artists have made it through difficult times in the past and how we can revive artists’ livelihoods mid- and post-pandemic

“The Right’s Message to Silicon Valley: 'Free Speech for Me, But Not for Thee,'” TIME.com (2021) – A more thoughtful and less reactionary take on a volatile moment in the history of modern technology

“'It Makes Me Sick With Grief': Trump's Presidency Divided Families. What Happens to Them Now?” TIME.com (2021) – A study on how politics has done damage to family dynamics in America

“Help, the Only Cinema I Can Handle Is Zac Efron Prancing Angrily in High School Musical 2,” Vulture.com (2021) - In a lot of ways, same

“50 Easy Things To Do When You are Anxious,” ShopTwentySeven.com (2021) – I especially endorse coloring, puzzling, and watching happy movies!

Double Feature—Miss Marple Mysteries: Murder at the Gallop (1963) + Murder Ahoy (1964)

Remember when I was all like, “Watch these Agatha Christie movies so you’re not sad Death on the Nile is delayed”? Remember when I said I was just a few movies away from becoming an Agatha Christie junkie? Well, I think I’m there because I can’t stop with the murder mysteries! Margaret Rutherford is a treasure whether she’s solving a murder at a horse ranch or on a boat, and a cast of colorful supporting characters (including Rutherford’s husband) makes these breezy instead of heavy. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8/10

8½ (1963)

File this with 2001: A Space Odyssey—I don’t know if I really understood this film, but I think I liked it? Federico Fellini’s surrealist, male gaze-y drama blurs the lines between reality and imagination, love and dysfunction, and the past and maybe some future that involves clowns? What resonated with me was the story of a director with creative block, wondering if he’s already peaked and if he’ll create anything worthwhile again. Crowd: 6/10 // Critic: 9/10

Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay and Diaries by Emma Thompson (1995)

Sense and Sensibility is not just one of my favorite Jane Austen adaptations—it’s one of my all-time favorite films. One of the co-hosts of one of my favorite podcasts has raved many-a-time about Emma Thompson’s journals from the making of film, so it was only a matter of time before I read them myself. Witty, informative, and all-around lovely, Thompson’s journals are an excellent insight into the filmmaking process and how novels are adapted.

Also in January…

I reviewed the new-ish documentary Flannery for ZekeFilm, which is all about the writer Flannery O’Connor and feels a little like going back to high school English class.

In addition to the Lethal Weapon and Thin Man series, I rewatched all of the X-Men series this month. You can see everything I am watching on Letterboxd, including favorites I love returning to (i.e. X-Men: Days of Future Past) and the movies I try that don’t make my monthly recommendations (i.e. The Wolverine).

Photo credits: Paul McCartney, Zac Efron, Sense & Sensibility. All others IMDb.com.

[tiesandtea]

THE LONDON SUEDE - interview with Simon Gilbert (1997)

Interview Featuring Drummer Simon Gilbert, Who Is Actually a Nice Guy Unspoiled by Success

By Daiv Whaley, MOO Mag. Archived here.

One of MOO's many mottos: "When you can't interview the main member of the band, grab the drummer. He's always starved for attention." Daiv Whaley talks with The London Suede’s beatmaster Simon Gilbert.

MOO: Alright, so Suede has returned to the airwaves after a two-year absence with Coming Up. What's different about this one? Simon: Well, it's a lot more direct and easier to listen to than, certainly, Dog Man Star; a lot more rhythm-based ... MOO: Which is great for a drummer! Simon: Oh yeah, it's great for me -- we spent about six weeks just doing the drum tracks; we took a lot more time than we normally do. Plus, it's got a lot of keyboards on it cuz we've got a new keyboard player, Neil, who's my cousin. MOO: Um ... was that a riddle? Or an interview question? I don't know who your cousin is -- I'm supposed to be asking the questions! Simon: No, Neil is my cousin.

Hugely entertaining, 20/10. Full interview under the cut.

When British upstarts-with-attitude Suede first burst onto the fertile London music scene in the early 90s, they were note only performing and recording a statement against the tranced and lethargic shoegazer scene (remember My Bloody Valentine, all you mod listeners?), but also fueling frontman Brett Anderson's love-affair with all things glam-rockish; i.e. Bowie, T-Rex, leather posturings, androgyny, ass-shaking audience flirtation, and potent pop rock. Melody Maker, the "Big Ben" of English music culture, even named them "best new band" of 1992. Then, they changed their name to the London Suede due to technicalities, got all arty on Dog Man Star, and performed a submarine dive from public view as Oasis and Brit-pop rose to the surface of the toilet ... er ... the pond of the microcosm which is the British rock scene, though several critics credit Suede as being the forerunners of Brit-pop, anyway. Now it's 1997, and the London Suede have risen again to deliver their third full release, Coming Up. Whether the "coming up" refers to Suede's bank account figures or a vomitous reaction from their fans at their new sound is a subject MOO's Daiv Whaley tries to discover, oh-so-politely, as he chats with drummer Simon Gilbert, all the way from the gray shores of England.

MOO: Alright, so Suede has returned to the airwaves after a two-year absence with Coming Up. What's different about this one?

Simon: Well, it's a lot more direct and easier to listen to than, certainly, Dog Man Star; a lot more rhythm-based ...

MOO: Which is great for a drummer!

Simon: Oh yeah, it's great for me -- we spent about six weeks just doing the drum tracks; we took a lot more time than we normally do. Plus, it's got a lot of keyboards on it cuz we've got a new keyboard player, Neil, who's my cousin.

MOO: Um ... was that a riddle? Or an interview question? I don't know who your cousin is -- I'm supposed to be asking the questions!

Simon: No, Neil is my cousin.

MOO: Oh, sorry.

Simon: So, we have some very good pop songs on it -- there's going to be five singles, and we could have done seven or eight, to be honest. It's just a much more accessible album, and it's opening people's ears who haven't been listening to Suede before, particularly in Europe and Britain. We're selling a lot more records than we ever have before.

MOO: That's riffing.

Simon: Yes, it is riffing.

MOO: So then, is Suede a pop band or a rock band?

Simon: We're a prock band!

MOO: My fave songs on your discs are always the audio-experimenia ones, like "Dandy's Speeding," "Introducing the Band" or "Moving" ...

Simon: That's one of the first tunes we ever recorded! We don't play it live anymore -- the drum bit's too fast for me nowadays.

MOO: Well, those types of songs really seem to distance you from the more plebeian, predictable, 90s-modrock types of bands. Are those kinds of songs written with that type of production in mind?

Simon: Well, "Introducing the Band" certainly was -- it was one of the last tracks we recorded for Dog Man Star, and after we heard it, we just thought, "What was that?" But it was intentional to make it a bit weird.

MOO: Did Brian Eno approach the band about doing an incredibly long version of the tune ...

Simon: That incredibly long, incredibly boring version? No, we approached him for some bizarre reason, I don't know why. I'm not criticizing the bloke -- he does amazing work, but at the end of the day, all we were left with was the reverb; he took everything else out but the echo ... I was expecting a little bit more of the original version -- I bet there's not one person in the fucking country who's played the whole thing all the way through. I know I haven't!

MOO: Yuk yuk. Your former guitarist and co-songwriter Bernard Butler ...

Simon: Bernard Buttocks!

MOO: ... exited Suede after recording Dog Man Star and has been replaced by the very young Richard Oakes. What, is he 19 now?

Simon: No, he's actually 20 now and getting up in the double digits!

MOO: This is the first disc he's done with Suede. Was he up to the task?

Simon: More so than we'd ever expected, to be honest. We did a few demos before the album and after three or four, it was just no problem with him at all. Easy peasey! For someone so young and so inexperienced, I don't know how he did it, but he did.

MOO: Did you just say "easy peasey"? Never mind, what about this new keyboardist? Some cynics say that when a guitar band takes on a keyboardist, the band's death knell has begun, and now your own cousin, Neil Codling, is an official Suedester. "Codling," what a great last name.

Simon: Yeah, Codling, like in "molly codling." Have you heard that expression?

MOO: Yes, I studied English literature, with a minor in advanced cybernetic design.

Simon: Hmmnn. But about those cynics, they're wrong, at least in Suede's case -- Neil has done nothing but improve upon what we can do and the limits we can reach on our albums. Also, live, our sound is so much fuller. And we can still fuckin' rock out as well. Now, if we got a brass section, that might kill a band.

MOO: I've heard that Bowie is a fan? Has the band had any dealings with him as of yet?

Simon: Yes, he is. Um, we played with him last summer, in Spain, in the Pyrenees Mountains. He requested we play and we opened for him and he watched the whole gig from the sidestage, which was a bit nerve-racking. But yes, he's a big fan and he's fifty years old now.

MOO: Rockstar, painter, actor and Suede fan ... What more can you ask?

Simon: Not very much!

MOO: Speaking of playing live, you guys toured America for Dog Man Star -- how would you say a US audience compares to a British crowd?

Simon: Well, it really depends. I couldn't really generalize that much, because in L.A. or someplace like San Francisco, they're probably wilder than a British audience, but then you look at some place in Texas ... they sort of spit on us, they don't really like us there. It's a bit different in America, but there are some parts of it where it feels like you could be in London.

MOO: So, I take it while you're almost worshipped in Britain, America really hasn't caught on yet?

Simon: Hasn't caught on yet ... we're not saying we're giving up on it at all, but we're just playing it by ear. I believe that's the expression for it. We're gonna come over and do 10 dates and see how the album is received, but there's no real point in banging your head against a brick wall. If America on the whole doesn't get it, then fair enough, but I really hope they do, cuz it's a great album, a lot more America-friendly as well.

MOO: I've read Brett describe the band as being "political." I know Suede had been involved in the animal rights movement, and gay rights, and freedom issues. Do you find American music to be more or less politically-motivated on the whole than British stuff?

Simon: Well, I'd say that quote was probably taken out of context ... We're a political band in a human sense, not in a government politics kind of way. Yeah, we'll stand up in the House of Parliament and say, "This is wrong and blah blah blah," and we'll protest like that, but in the songs, there's no political manifesto of any kind -- it's purely human "politics" in our music. As for American bands, I really can't say ... I'm very stuck in the 60s and 70s in terms of music, and I don't really ask myself if this or that band is American or British, but rather, are they good or bad bands?

MOO: There's been a bit of a buzz in the US over the Brit-pop scene -- particularly Oasis and Blur. Where does Suede seem to fit into that whole genre, anyway?

Simon: Blur? They're shitty. Oasis is actually pretty good. Suede doesn't really fit into that scene at all; it was lucky we were away when it sort of kicked-off, and luckily we weren't lumped into that whole thing, cuz now the scene is dead, there's no such thing as Brit-pop anymore in England, and when a scene dies off, all the bands die off with it. So America, don't bother with it. It's really just the media sticking another tag on some scene -- it's useless crap, really.

MOO: Okay, how about the whole androgyny/bisexuality slant of a lot of Suede's songs -- if it's not just image-mongering to get attention ...

Simon: No, it's not.

MOO: So, why is Suede so revelatory about their sexual preferences?

Simon: Because the people we hang around with ... we hang around with each other, we're all friends, and the other people who come from lots of different areas of society, and at the end of the day everyone's aware of sexuality and the different types of sexuality, and consequently Brett writes about the people we hang around with and the way we live. It's just about being open and honest, really.

MOO: Right -- skinstorms together and all that.

Simon: Exactly; singing about things that other people don't sing about -- we don't sing about birds and flowers and the sky and things like that.

MOO: Speaking about singing -- there's lots of stories and rumors about your Brett Anderson. He seems like a real character.

Simon: All the stories are probably true!

MOO: Considering he'll probably never see this interview, what do you have to say about Mr. Anderson?

Simon: About Mr. Anderson? He's become one of my best friends; he's perceived as being aloof and stuff like that, but at the end of the day, he's one of the most genuine people I know. He's a lovely bloke, that's my honest opinion, and make sure he doesn't see that or I'll become really embarrassed.

MOO: Last question. Before '92, critics and clubs seemed to hate you. Then, you end up on the cover of Melody Maker, your disc goes to number one and beats out Depeche Mode, and you're big-time rock stars. What happened?

Simon: Well, that Melody Maker cover did help, let's be honest.

MOO: The power of the press!

Simon: Yeah. But even before that ... I don't know what happened. We played at this place called the Falcon in Camden, which is a famous sort of indie hangout. We played there one weekend to, like, eight people. Then the next weekend we played there again and the place was packed. All these stars came down there, people like Morrissey, and things just started to happen. I really don't know what happened -- I think people really got bored with the scene at the time, there was a lot of techno and shoegazey stuff going on and the indie scene was boring. We kind of laid that stuff to rest when we got going. There were people who I think were bored with not seeing real entertainers up on stage, and we were a band that was entertaining, which might have been why people didn't like us at the time -- they were so used to seeing the shoegazing stuff going on.

MOO: Yeah, let's look at our sneakers for an hour and play guitars!

Simon: Right, how entertaining is that? Might as well just sit at home and listen to their records.

MOO: And the rest is history, as they say.

Simon: Yeah, something like that.

[shoegazingmaniac]

Top 50 Best Shoegazing Albums

In this list, we looking deeper into some shoegazing bands and the precursors of the genres. If you have any album recommendations what albums which we write on the next list, write down on the comments! 😉 Thank you for reading!

#01: Loveless - My Bloody Valentine (1991)

#02: Souvlaki - Slowdive (1993)

#03: Mezcal Head - Swervedriver (1993)

#04: Nowhere - Ride (1990)

#05: Gala - Lush (1990)

#06: Chrome - Catherine Wheel (1993)

#07: A Storm In Heaven - The Verve (1993)

#08: Whirlpool - Chapterhouse (1991)

#09: The Comforts Of Madness - Pale Saints (1990)

#10: Taste - The Telescopes (1989)

#11: Heaven Or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins (1990)

#12: Honey's Dead - The Jesus And Mary Chain (1992)

#13: Blonder Tongue Audio Baton - Swirlies (1993)

#14: Quique - Seefeel (1993)

#15: Playing With Fire - Spacemen 3 (1989)

#16: The House Of Love - The House Of Love (1988)

#17: Yerself Is Steam - Mercury Rev (1991)

#18: Strange Free World - Kitchens Of Distinction (1990)

#19: Giant Steps - The Boo Radleys (1993)

#20: Leisure - Blur (1991)

#21: In The Presence Of Nothing - Lilys (1992)

#22: Ocean Colour Scene - Ocean Colour Scene (1992)

#23: A Catholic Education - Teenage Fanclub (1990)

#24: Shot Forth Self Living - Medicine (1992)

#25: Dopplegänger - Curve (1992)

#26: Amanita - Bardo Pond (1996)

#27: ...XYZ - Moose (1992)

#28: Methodrone - The Brian Jonestown Massacre (1995)

#29: Peng! - Stereolab (1992)

#30: A Glided Eternity - Loop (1989)

#31: Ultra Vivid Scene - Ultra Vivid Scene (1988)

#32: Lazer Guided Melodies - Spiritualized (1992)

#33: Bowery Electric - Bowery Electric (1995)

#34: Further - Flying Saucer Attack (1995)

#35: Antarctica (The Bliss Out, Vol. 2) - Windy & Carl (1997)

#36: Gold - Starflyer (1995)

#37: Butterfly Girl - The Nightblooms (1992)

#38: Stereo Musicale - Blind Mr Jones (1992)

#39: Things Come Apart - The Charlottes (1991)

#40: Cold Water Flat - Revolver (1993)

#41: Eva Luna - Moonshake (1992)

#42: Erotica - The Darling Buds (1992)

#43: Against Perfection - Adorable (1993)

#44: Copacetic - Velocity Girl (1993)

#45: Killing Time - Bleach (1993)

#46: Delaware - Drop Nineteens (1992)

#47: Afrodisiac - The Veldt (1994)

#48: Bloweyelashwish - Lovesliescrushing (1994)

#49: Loved - Cranes (1994)

#50: Turning Into Small - All Natural Lemons & Lime Flavors (1998)

P.S: Yes, Blur, Teenage Fanclub, The Darling Buds, Cranes and Stereolab were shoegazing bands. Blur were shoegazing on their 1991 debut album, Leisure which corporates with both shoegazing and baggy, their shoegazing songs would be "She's So High", Teenage Fanclub were shoegazing on released of their 1990 debut album, A Catholic Education with their shoegazing hint on one song called "Everything Flows" and their second album were shoegazing but it contains more power pop melodies and the shoegazing song that we can found on Bandwagonesque was "Star Sign" however, The Darling Buds were shoegazing on their 1992 final album called Erotica, their previous album were more indie pop stuff but Erotica had some shoegazing on it with one of the tracks called "It Makes No Difference" and some dreamy-indie pop type, "Sure Thing", Cranes were a more of gothic and dreamy pop type on their previous works but their 1994 album, "Loved" used the elements of shoegaze, dream pop, darkwave and alternative rock in their 1991 album, Wings Of Joy, the album was a pretty much have a shoegazing hint on some of the songs, Stereolab were also a shoegazing band before moved on to Britpop and Post-Rock, in their 1992 album, Peng! was a good example of shoegaze because one of their song called "Super Falling Star", it contained some ethereal voices and the guitar sounds.

[randomvarious]

The Nineties 1997 Alternative Rock / Brit Pop / Heavy Metal / Pop

I genuinely have no idea why this compilation exists. The majority of the songs are good, and none of the choices are obvious, but for a gigantic major label like EMI to take these ten songs from their catalogue and try to present them as somehow representative of the cream of the 90s crop is just fucking asinine to me. You're EMI; you have so many songs to pick from, and these are the ones you decide to choose?

In 1997, EMI celebrated a century of recording and releasing music. The label itself didn't really start until the 30s, but there was a merger back then with another company that had started in 1898, the Gramophone Company. And so, to mark their first 100 years, EMI re-released a lot of classic albums, and they also put out a series of four compilation CDs, all of which tried to condense gigantic pools of tunes from long periods of time into a series of ten-song discs. The 60s and 70s got one disc (???), the 80s got another, a disc was also reserved for classical music, and then there was this 90s disc.

Now, I'm all for decade retrospectives, but to attempt to winnow a decade, or in the case of the 60s and 70s disc, two decades (!!!), down to ten songs is such a foolhardy idea and it makes one wonder why EMI would even choose to undertake a project like this in the first place. It doesn't really matter what you choose because you just cannot nail a decade down, especially for a label as big and varied as EMI's is, in just ten songs. And while I dig a bunch of the alterna-rock tunes that happen to be on here, its two bookends are a pair of now-super dated, schmaltzy vocal pop ballads. Yeesh.

A concept that was doomed from the start and was bound to please absolutely no one.

Highlights:

Blur - "The Universal" Babylon Zoo - "Spaceman" Dubstar - "Not So Manic Now" Radiohead - "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" Thunder - "Love Walked In" Supergrass - "Caught By the Fuzz"

[shefanispeculator]

Muller's first taste of professional film came working as a third assistant on the 1984 horror/thriller Company of Wolves. She then went on to work for International Film and Video, honoring her for her editing, producing, and directing skills.

Muller's goal was to become a successful director in her own right, and her big break came through a chance meeting with John Stewart (brother of Eurythmics' Dave Stewart) and Billy Poveda of Oil Factory, an established film production company.

She has directed over two hundred music videos and has been a longtime collaborator with Sophie Ellis-Bextor, No Doubt, Shakespears Sister, Garbage, Blur, Annie Lennox and Eurythmics. Her work with Annie Lennox won her a Grammy for the Diva video album. She also picked up an MTV Video Music Award for Lennox's 1992 hit "Why", and was also Grammy nominated for the Eurythmics' 1987 Savage video album. In total, Muller has directed over twenty videos for Lennox and Eurythmics and has a long time collaboration with producer Rob Small.

The video for "Stay" by Shakespears Sister in which she directed was spoofed by many British comedians at the time including French & Saunders and Mr. Blobby as well as winning the BRIT Award for Best Video and also The Music Week Award for Best Video at both of the ceremonies' 1993 Awards.

She has directed eleven videos for Sophie Ellis-Bextor including "Take Me Home", "Murder on the Dancefloor", "Catch You", two versions of "Music Gets the Best of Me" and "Love Is a Camera".

Muller has also directed nine videos for No Doubt as well as nine solo videos for Gwen Stefani. When No Doubt's "Don't Speak" won the award for Best Group Video at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards, Stefani thanked her extensively, saying "I'd like to say that Sophie Muller is a genius." Stefani has also stated,

Sophie Muller is one of my most talented friends. She can and will only do projects that she is inspired by. She is driven by creativity and the love for what she does and as a result she never compromises. I consider her a true artist. I was a fan of Sophie's work before I even imagined working with her. She has a very pronounced style and taste that drew me in. I think she has the gift of being able to bring out the artist's personality, emotion and style. After working with her for the first time on our "Don't Speak" video, we became close friends [...]. On the set her direction is humble and simple, but she knows what she wants and knows when she gets it. A woman in charge in the male-dominated world of filmmaking makes the whole experience that much more exciting. [...] She has a way of making every cut have a reason and meaning. The videos have a life of their own and become better each time you watch them. I am always in shock the first time I see them and then after a few more times I am actually amazed. She has taught me a lot and I feel very lucky to have worked with her.[1]

The artwork for The Jesus and Mary Chain's 1994 album, Stoned & Dethroned, and the singles accompanying it, is composed entirely of stills from the video to the group's song "Sometimes Always", which was directed by Muller. She also directed the video for "Come On", which also appears on the album.

Muller states that her only ambition is to continue directing to her own high standards and to never grow bored. In 2004, she directed the socially aware video for Sarah McLachlan's "World on Fire",[2] where all but $15 of the entire $150,000 video budget was donated to charities. Recently, she has directed videos for Shakira, Mika, Kings of Leon, Brandon Flowers, Tom Odell and the critically acclaimed video for the Dixie Chicks, "Not Ready to Make Nice". 

]

2010

Sade – "Soldier of Love"

Sade – "Babyfather"

Armin van Buuren vs. Sophie Ellis-Bextor – "Not Giving Up on Love"

Cheryl Cole – "Promise This"

Cheryl Cole – "The Flood"

Brandon Flowers – "Only The Young"

Kings of Leon – "Radioactive"

2011

The Kills – "Satellite"

Ellie Goulding – "Lights"

Noah and the Whale – "L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N."

Birdy – "Skinny Love"

Sade – "Love Is Found"

2012

Alicia Keys – "Girl on Fire"

No Doubt – "Settle Down"

Beyoncé – "I Was Here"

No Doubt – "Push and Shove"

Labrinth feat Emeli Sandé – "Beneath Your Beautiful"

2013

Rihanna – "Stay"

Tom Odell – "Hold Me"

Garbage and Screaming Females – "Because the Night"

Lana Del Rey – "Young and Beautiful"[7]

Pink feat. Lily Rose Cooper – "True Love"

Birdy – "Wings"

Sophie Ellis-Bextor – "Wanderlust" (Álbum trailer)

Sophie Ellis-Bextor – "Young Blood"[8]

John Mayer featuring Katy Perry – "Who You Love"

Robin Thicke – "Feel Good"

Katy B – "Crying for No Reason"

2014

Sophie Ellis-Bextor – "Runaway Daydreamer"

Tim McGraw  – "Lookin' for That Girl"[9]

Birdy – "Words As Weapons"

Katy B – "Still"

Garbage – "Girls Talk"

Sophie Ellis-Bextor – "Love Is a Camera"

OneRepublic – "Love Runs Out"

Gwen Stefani – "Baby Don't Lie"

Gwen Stefani – "Spark the Fire"

Labrinth – "Jealous"

Beck – "Heart Is a Drum"

Sam Smith – "Like I Can"

2015

Garbage – "The Chemicals"

Selena Gomez – "Good for You" (Version 1)

Selena Gomez featuring ASAP Rocky – "Good for You" (Version 2)

Misty Miller – "Happy"

One Direction – "Perfect"

Gwen Stefani – "Used to Love You"

2016

Gwen Stefani – "Make Me Like You"

The Kills – "Heart of a Dog"

Gwen Stefani  – "Misery"

Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Familia album trailer

Sophie Ellis-Bextor – "Come With Us"

Sophie Ellis-Bextor – "Crystallise"

Gwen Stefani" – "Kuu Kuu Harajuku" (Theme Song Music Video)·

Noah Cyrus – "Make Me (Cry)"

2017

Wolf Alice – "Don't Delete the Kisses"

Sophie Ellis-Bextor – "Wild Forever"

London Grammar – "Big Picture"

The Kills – "Whirling Eye"

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill – "Speak to a Girl"

Sophie Ellis-Bextor – "Death of Love"

Morrissey – "Spent the Day in Bed"

Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line – "Meant to Be"

2018

Kylie Minogue – "Dancing"

Julia Michaels – "Heaven"

Echosmith – "Over My Head"

Kylie Minogue featuring Gente de Zona – "Stop Me from Falling" (Remix)

Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – "Bad Dreams"

Kylie Minogue – "Golden"

Bebe Rexha – "I'm a Mess"

Cheryl – "Love Made Me Do It"

Gwen Stefani feat. Blake Shelton – "You Make It Feel Like Christmas"

2019

Marina and the Diamonds – "Handmade Heaven"

Dido – "Give You Up"

Lil Pump ft. Lil Wayne – "Be Like Me"

Marina and the Diamonds – "Orange Trees"

Blake Shelton – "God’s Country"

Shakespears Sister – "All the Queen's Horses"

Tiësto, Jonas Blue & Rita Ora – "Ritual"

Easy Life – "Earth"

[maysmusic-blog1]

Post #3: Blur, The Band of Britannica, Visits America Sonically

Review of: Blur by Blur, released 1997

Recommended Track: “Look Inside America”

It's not uncommon for British musicians to make it big in America, just think of the British Invasion or any modern pop artists like Adele or Gorillaz (which was created by Blur's lead singer). However, Blur never quite had the luck, remaining one of the few 90s Britpop bands to not make it big across the pond. After being forced to tour the US in 1992 for 2 months in order to get themselves out of debt, Blur started to miss home and resent the music industry's overnight shift towards grunge and Americanized pop music. After returning they went on to write and release 3 quintessentially British rock music, using British iconography and referencing places in London throughout their songs as well as heavy use of British slang. So when Blur spent 2 years to create an album that not only parodied aspects of grunge but took influence from emerging noisy Lo-Fi American bands like Pavement, it came as quite a (pleasant) shock. What came as an even bigger shock was that their only American hit “Song 2” (or more easily identifiable as the WooHoo song) was their parody of the American grunge music they hated. Despite this ironic outcome, this album was a much-needed step in a new musical direction and Blur made it their own.

Rather than Blur’s usual lyrics that follow to story and idiosyncrasies of a character this time around the lyrics are much more personal and emotional, often being written in the first person for the first time. On their self-titled, it is the first time we get a song sung not by Damon Albarn the lead singer but exclusively by the guitarist Graham Coxon. Coxon’s song titled “You’re So Great” describes his struggles with hangovers and alcoholism. On a less serious note Blur’s “Look Inside America” addresses their long mess relationship with American culture. Similar to how they would reference iconically British things Albarn sings “Annie Hall leaves New York in the end/ Press rewind and Woody gets her back again,” referencing the well-known pivotal American movie. As a big fan of their overtly British records, I love this different lyrical direction and I think it did Albarn and the band good because it allowed them to open up more musically and tackle the subject they themselves were/are dealing with.

Unlike their previous albums, Blur employs the help of a drum machine on one track and sprinkles textured electronic effects all over their guitars and keys creating this rugged and gritty feel on some songs and a void traversing journey on others. I really haven’t heard any other albums like this before, which is surprising but also makes this album that much more special. This sonic aesthetic often elicits in me images of exploring grimy New York City alleyways or subways on a rainy night. I don’t know how to express how much I love it when an album is able to conjure up such specific images in my head, but trust me when I say I have gladly listened to this album many times while spending late nights downtown.

Blur’s most recent album release was 2015 however between then and their album without Coxon in 2003, Albarn went on to create the Gorillaz which became a bigger hit in America than Blur ever did. Meanwhile, Coxon went one to record and release 8 of his own albums, all of which I adore and highly recommend. In a different direction, bassist Alex James went on to start a family and run a farm, and drummer Dave Rowntree eventually became a politician. Despite this, they all remain very close and have performed a few songs together since 2015. All I can say is that I hope they never stop.

[benthemusicalbeard]

5 Dec 2018

Hello there! I trust you are well and thanks for reading! Three more songs to give a listen to and, especially for you this week, I tried an extra 17% harder to find some new music so you can thank me later! Shall we begin?!

Opening song tonight and a super-group who released one album in 2012 and I was kindly reminded of them this week. The group were called Rocket Juice & The Moon and comprised Damon Albarn off of Blur, bassist Flea off of Red Hot Chili Peppers and drummer Tony Allen, an early pioneer of Afrobeat music. The album itself is very quirky but given the right time and the situation it is a great listen which is great fun to listen to. With additional input from the likes of Erykah Badu and Thundercat, the opening song ‘1-2-3-4-5-6′ sets you off on a crazy West African style funk/psychedelic journey heavily inspired by Flea & Allen. The song I have chosen to share is actually one of most subdued on the album but equally well written nevertheless and is one of the ones with Albarn on vocals, not all have him at the helm. The album is best listened to after a few beers or late at night, it just makes more sense that way! Listen to ‘Night Watch’ and you’ll see what I mean!

Rocket Juice & The Moon - Poison - https://youtu.be/eHkQTBpjReY

Second tonight and a band I have seen more of than any other whilst never ACTUALLY going to see them, if that makes sense! Doves were the support act when I went to see Oasis, Travis & Coldplay and having seen them three times I thought I had better learn a bit more about them. Being a student at the time and in the habit of buying all kinds of music to build my ‘collection’ I enjoyed both the albums I purchased, namely the two first released by the band the 2000 ‘Lost Souls’ and the 2002 ‘The Last Broadcast’ which contained some outstanding indie hits ‘Here It Comes’, ‘Pounding’ and ‘There Goes The Fear’. The band also threw in some instrumentals which fitted well in amongst the more conventional singles. The next two albums released before the band went on a hiatus seemed to be trying too hard in my opinion, with only the odd song which I really enjoyed. Give them a listen and see what you think though! Their fourth album ‘Kingdom of Rust’ however contains a hidden gem for me! A song which was never released as a single but I love more than any other previous Doves song, I thought it warranted a share. 

Doves - Compulsion - https://youtu.be/4SEJmBhF1Eg

Finally this week and Rodriguez. Full name Sixto Diaz Rodriguez and hailing from Detroit, Michigan this guy has one hell of a story! He released his debut album in 1970 entitled ‘Cold Fact’, hands down one of my all time favourite albums but we’ll come onto that. His initial career proved short lived in the US as his album was not a commercial success and he quit the music industry in 1976. Unbeknown to him his album was reasonably popular in Australia but massively successful and influential in South Africa to a generation of people who had adopted many of his songs as anti-apartheid anthems. It was in the early 1990′s that a group of Rodriguez fans in South Africa tried to find out what had happened to him as it had been reported, incorrectly, that he had committed suicide shortly after the release of his first album. Little was known about him, it was his daughter who found a website dedicated to him in 1997 setup by fans hoping to get in touch with him. One thing lead to another and later that year he was in South Africa playing concerts to thousands of fans, he had been totally unaware of his popularity. Now I discovered all this by watching the multi-award winning documentary ‘Searching For Sugar Man’. I’d never heard of him or any of his songs but after viewing the film about him I listened to the album Cold Fact over and over and over again, it is a brilliant album full of urban commentary which essentially is how the album gained such popularity. I could write a whole post dedicated to just this man but give the documentary a watch, and enjoy the album!

Rodriguez - Sugar Man - https://youtu.be/E90_aL870ao

So there we have it, another week’s worth of music to hopefully keep you entertained. Missed a trick, I should’ve done a musical advent calendar for you all......maybe next year! Have a good week all.

[pagesoflauren]

A Thousand Years (vampire!Jack x reader AU) - Part 11

“Please,” Y/N sighs, her hand coming to rest on her face in exasperation, “I’m not looking to steal anything or-or hurt , I just need to get in contact with him.”

She had spent weeks trying to find the right medical school in Belgium, going through about a dozen departments and people who don’t speak English before finding the apparent only secretary on the entire campus that could understand her.

“Sorry, miss,” she apologizes again, “I can only say he graduated in 1997.” “Okay,” she sighs, “thank you.” “Of course. Good day.”

The line goes dead and her head falls onto the table as her shoulders heave. She feels Ash dig his palm between her shoulder blades. “Chin up, love. What happened?” “They can’t disclose any information other than his graduation year,” she sighs. “Is it a privacy thing?” Lily asks. “Yeah. Something about needing consent because he’s now a medical professional and has access to private records and all,” she explains. “I mean, I get it, I probably should’ve known better than to call them.” “But it wouldn’t have hurt, at least you tried,” George consoles, trying to keep her hopes up. “Shouldn’t there be a registry or something for vampires?” “You really wanna submit an application and wait for approval and then dig through files and files to find the right one?” Maeve asks rhetorically. “That’ll probably take months,” Ash adds, turning his torso to face Y/N.

Y/N huffs. “You’re right. Maybe I should just get him a new record player or something.” “No way!” George says, “This can’t be the end, there’s gotta be something else.” “What else is there, George?” “Well, I know Garrett hoards a bunch of crap in the basement of his house,” Ash states. “Yeah, Jack does the same.” “You can look through there.”

Y/N’s nose wrinkles.

“What?” “Well…spiders.” “Oh come on!” Ash exclaims, drawing some attention from the students at the surrounding tables in the cafe, “You gotta put on your big girl pants and just do it! Is Jack not worth it?” “I don’t know, to be honest.” “Oh shut up, you know he is.” She’s quiet for a moment as her friends look at her expectantly. “Shit, you’re right,” she groans.

Y/N tiptoed into the basement after Jack left for work. She made sure to feed Socks to keep him occupied so that he doesn’t wander in after her.

She’s surprised at how organized Jack is. There’s a few boxes labeled “1990s” towards the back of the room, which she’s relieved to see. Maybe it’ll be easier to find that letter than she originally thought. She navigates her way across the room, stepping over boxes and ducking under some clothes hanging from the pipes so that they don’t wrinkle in boxes.

“Stupid jacket,” she mutters to herself when a sleeve hits her in the face.

She finally makes it to the boxes, pulling one to the floor and sitting down next to it. She digs through the contents, finding Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC albums. She laughs to herself before replacing the box on the shelf and grabbing the next one. In it, she finds a neon orange jacket and a colorful windbreaker, along with a denim jacket and some old bands shirts. She folds the clothes again, trying to imagine Jack putting up a grungy front in the 90s while also listening to dramatic boyband songs. She pulls out the third box, squealing when a spider crawls out and disappears under another stack of boxes. She shakes it off before opening the flaps through the box, finding exactly what she needs on top.

It’s almost heartbreaking that the stack of letters on top, but she could just be overthinking. She imagines Jack coming down here when she’s in school, reading and rereading these letters, clinging on to what he has left from his friendship with Thomas. She feels an ache in her chest, interrupted by Socks meowing from the door.

“Hang on, baby, don’t come in,” she says, hoping to God he’ll actually listen to her. She quickly flicks through the envelopes, finding one from Belgium and taking a picture of the address. She carefully places the letters back in the box where they were, lugs the box back on its place in the shelf and hurries to the door to find Socks beginning to come down the stairs. “No, no, come on,” she says, using her hands to scoop the feline up, “Oof, you’re heavy aren’t you? Getting fat from all your food?”

Socks seems to meow in protest and she laughs.

“Are you getting your dad to feed you a lot more when I’m away? Hm?”

He meows again and she sets him down on the coffee table before picking up her laptop to search the address from the envelope, finding the landlord and her contact information. She looks at the clock; it’s almost 8:30, not too late, but it might be late enough. She decides if anything, she can leave a voicemail. She dials the number and waits as it rings, anticipating a voicemail message before a woman with a French accent answers the phone in English.

“Oh, hello. Um, my name’s Y/N.” “Bonsoir, madame. My name is Bernice.” “Bonsoir, Bernice. Um, I was wondering if you knew a man by the name of Thomas Morrison.” “Oui, I did. But he does not live here anymore.” “Yes, I know, but I was wondering if you knew anything about him?” “Um, not much. He left in 1997, I believe. And he worked in the medical field, um…”

Y/N hears her mumbling to herself, trying to find the right word.

“Pédiatrique. Children.” “Oh pediatrics?” she asks, looking for confirmation. “Oui. He worked some nights in a hospital nearby; he would walk me to my car when I was leaving the office and he was going to the hospital. Here, I’ll tell you the name…”

Y/N types out the name as the letters come to her through the phone, sighing in relief that Bernice has so much information. “Is there anything else you need, madame?” “No, no. Merci beaucoup, Bernice. Merci,” she says, a smile on her face. “De rien, Y/N. Bonsoir.” “Bonsoir.”

Y/N hangs up and cheers as Socks stares at her with wide, confused eyes.

“I’m so close to finding him, Socks!” she explains excitedly.

Socks doesn’t do anything other than rub against her legs in a request to sit in her lap. She moves her laptop to the side and picks up a book so that the space is open for Socks to lie there. Around midnight, she goes to bed, cuddling into Jack’s pillow and pulling to duvet up to her ear in an attempt to get warm.

Jack returns from work around two in the morning, the house dark and quiet apart from the two heartbeats and breathing patterns that come from Y/N and Socks. He hears Y/N softly snoring as he quietly climbs the stairs and smiles when he sees her sleeping, the yellow light of the lamp on the bedside table casting a familiar yellow glow on her. He sheds his clothing, pulling on a pair of sweat pants and a sweater to cover his torso so that the jarring icy feeling of his skin doesn’t awaken her. Clicking the lamp off, he climbs under the covers next to her, feeling the warmth that had gathered in the little cocoon of blankets. He slides up behind her, burying his face in her hair and breathing in the smell of her shampoo and wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Goodnight, my love,” his whispers, pressing a kiss under her ear.

A few days later, Y/N stands at the counter while Socks waits patiently at the corner where his food bowl will be placed in front of him, tail swaying back and forth against the floor. She’s almost done making his food when she hears a faint meow. She looks up, then at Socks, whose tail has stopped moving. She ignores it, thinking it was just her imagination.

She hears more meowing and they seem to be coming from the hallway, not the dining room. She finishes making the food and places the bowl in front of Socks, who begins eating. Walking over to the hallway, the sound gets louder when she stands in by the front door. She unlocks it and opens it slightly, enough for a blur of orange to bolt past her into the kitchen. She shuts the door and locks it before rushing to the kitchen to find another cat, a tabby one, eating out of Socks’ bowl. Socks’ eyes are wide and he’s looking at her. What the fuck? he seems to be saying Who is this and why are they eating out of my bowl?

Y/N doesn’t know what to make of the situation when she hears footsteps coming down the stairs, “I hear an extra heart beat,” Jack says, poking his head between the banister rails. He comes into the kitchen and sees the extra cat.

“WHAT THE FUCK!” he shouts.

Socks looks confused, Y/N looks a little guilty and their unexpected dinner guest is still eating.

“SOCKS YOU LITTLE SHIT, YOU BROUGHT A FRIEND?” “No, it was me, I let him…her…it,” Y/N’s waving her hand as she says the pronouns, not knowing which one to settle on, “in. I heard meowing and opened the door and it just ran in.” “What?” “I didn’t know it was gonna run in!” “Well what’d ye think it was gon’ do, eh?” Jack says, his accent getting thicker, “Deliver a package as part of some new cat unit at the post office? Ask ye ‘f ye wanted to become a Jehovah’s witness!?” “Jack Andrew Lowden do not talk to me that way!” Y/N says, her brows pulling together. “Yes, dear,” he says, looking down and his voice lowering. “We can take it to the vet,” Y/N says, “have it checked out, make sure it isn’t injured and then leave it at the shelter there.”

Jack sighs, scratching the back of his head, “Aye. We’ll just let ‘em finish first.”

“It’s a boy,” the veterinarian says after running a few tests. “He’s about eight months. We gave him a good wash and vaccinations, though I recommend showering thoroughly and washing your clothes and the area he walked around as soon as possible to prevent flea infections. You said your cat already has his vaccination?” “Yes,” Jack says, “He got it done about two months ago.”

“Great. There shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Now, we do have space in the shelter, but, forgive me for any assumptions I might be making, but you both seem like very competent pet owners and if you’d like to take him in, we’d gladly let you off the hook for the vaccinations and the bath.”

Jack quickly looks at Y/N, who’s only looking at the kitten.

“Um,” she says, tugging at the sleeves of her sweater. “We’ll take him,” Jack says, grabbing Y/N’s hand. She looks up at him, smiling. “Thank you,” she says happily, jumping up to kiss his cheek. “Wonderful,” the vet says, “Let me go get the paperwork and you’ll be on your way.”

Once they filled out the paperwork and ushered the cat back into the carrier, they were on their way home. Y/N and Jack followed the vet’s instructions and hopped into the shower, giving themselves a thorough scrub and put in a load of laundry. Jack cleaned the kitchen floor and washed Socks’ food bowl, since fleas posed no threat to him.

They sat in the living room watching reruns of Unsolved Mysteries and debated on a name for the new addition to the family.

“Maybe we can name him Junior,” Y/N giggles. “Why Junior?” “Because look,” she says, picking up the Scottish fold munchkin and holding it next to Jack’s face, “You’re like twins. Gingers and Scots.”

Jack’s face turned into a scowl while the kitten held a sweet, innocent looking face.

“We look nothing alike.” “True, you’re very grumpy and he’s sweet looking.” “Oi!” “I’m kidding.”

They spent the next few days trying to think of a name, while Socks had taken the kitten under his wing and taught him to steal and hide Jack and Y/N’s socks. “Maybe we should name him Socks Jr.,” Jack says, beginning to pull the couch away from the wall to grab the socks behind there.

“No,” Y/N says, “Socks should have his own identity. Plus he’s not that much of a junior for Socks.”

She watches as Jack’s face twists up in confusion before he bends down to retrieve something. He pulls out Y/N’s navy beanie with a pom at the top, her go-to piece of headgear when the air gets colder near the end of fall.

“Hey, I’ve been looking for that!” Y/N says, “how’d that get there?”

Just then, Socks returns with one of Jack’s socks and the kitten following him, who immediately runs over to Y/N and begins jumping for the beanie. She giggles, sitting on the couch and setting the beanie down, watching as he hops on and circles the hat before lying on it.

“Oh, you like my beanie, don’t you?” she asks, grabbing the kitten and holding him above her, “Maybe we should call you Beans.” “Beans?” Jack asks, his hands full of socks that had been missing for a month. “Yeah, cuz he likes my beanie,” Y/N says, sitting him on her lap. “Socks and Beans,” Jack says thoughtfully, “maybe we can feed him beans on toast instead of cat food instead, too. Just to reinforce the name.”

Y/N laughs, cuddling the kitten in her arms before Socks meows indignantly at her feet, adamant to not be forgotten. “Aww, don’t worry, Socks,” Y/N says, scratching behind his ears, “You’re still my baby.” “Yeah, don’t worry, she still likes you more than me,” Jack grumbles. “Don’t be such a grump, then maybe I’ll like you more,” Y/N quips back, laughing when Jack scowls at her. “Jeez, you meet a girl in a bar and she stays for your cat and makes you adopt a kitten.” “Yet for some reason, you’ve let me stay,” she says cheekily as Jack chuckles and presses a kiss to her forehead.  “Of course. Can’t have any other bartenders making you crappy drinks, can I?” 

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A bit of a filler; sorry for the lack of Jack in this chapter but I’ll try to get something up tomorrow to make up for it!!

Tagging: @albionscastle :)