#also i learned how to play feel good inc on my bass

[meteor-moon]

2-D redraws cause gorillaz is the Best Band Ever

[emeritus-fuckers]

HI I LOVE Y'ALL'S BLOG SO MUCH!!! AAAA

Okay, I'll calm down now. I was wondering if you'd be interested by the idea of a newly summoned ghoul reader struggling to get to grips with their instrument and panicking about not being good enough for tour yet and being comforted by one of the ghouls?

I'm currently struggling to learn bass to get good enough for a band I have a chance to be in and it's really wreaking havoc on my mental health being so confused and getting it wrong over and over and y'all's writing in comfort scenarios always makes me feel better... So I thought I'd shoot my shot!

I hope you're having an amazing day, this blog brightens up my day every time! <3

Water ghouls helping a newly summoned ghoul learn their instrument

Chain (it/ghoul)

Chain is a fucking goofball.

Don't let its big, intimidating form fool you, Chain is a goofy dumbass who can barely keep up a "mysterious" act.

So when you come to ghoul and ask to learn how to play bass, it's delighted to help, all giggly and shit.

Ghoul's not the best teacher, he gets too excited and ahead of ghoulself, teaching you the "cool" riffs becore the easy ones.

It does get bonus points for being patient and hyping you up, though.

And the reward kisses. The reward kisses are nice.

Lake (he/him)

He comes accross very serious and when you ask him and you are pretty nervous.

He nods and gestures for you to follow him. He finds a cozy practice room well out of the way.

Despite his scary front he takes teaching you very seriously and is very supportive.

He's actually a really good teacher and takes time to show you good technique and teach you the songs you need to learn.

He rarely gives out compliments but when he does you know he completely means it.

Also when you get him to smile, either by a joke or playing well or just by being yourself.

You end up getting very close.

River (they/them)

They are a slut about it. A complete whore.

Every single dirty joke they can make while teaching you is made. Everything from fingering it correctly to thrusting with their own bass.

Shockingly, they are still a very good teacher. Only making the dirty jokes as you get closer to mastering each skill.

River definitely sits behind you to guide your hands on new notes and skills, hands on teacher when it’s needed. Only with consent of course.

Will absolutely bring you out for food after practice. They’re a slut but a classy slut. They buy you dinner before trying to get in your pants.

Cowbell (they/it)

It's a bit surprised to be your choice for bass lessons. After all, their only real performance was what landed them a name. And it was just trying to prank Papa.

But, the name stuck and it just couldn't go out of its way to change it, especially when you started to use "Cowie" as a cute little nickname that they just needed to hear every single day of its life.

But, fortunately for you, they just so happen to play bass as well, just like most water ghouls. They were just beginner level, but still.

You two practice together, figuring the instrument out.

It's a lot of fun, both you and Cowbell enjoy it a lot, even if it's a bit frustrating sometimes. At least you get frustrated together, right?

You end up better than it. Somehow, you end up tutoring them, instead of the other way around.

Mist (he/she)

He's thrilled to help out with that. Mist really likes alone time together, especially if you two just chill, enjoying a common hobby.

So she's happy to teach you guitar. Might offer playing Guitar Hero first so you can train your fingers a bit.

The first song you learn how to play is Gorillaz's Feel Good Inc., which is her favorite non-Ghost song. And the bass is very pleasant in the song.

He casually rests against your back, just listening to you play and giving small comments on what you can do better whenever you mess up.

There's this weird feeling of comfort during your practice sessions.

She starts a tickle fight the moment you put the guitar down.

Never let them know your next move type of shit.

Rain (he/she/ve)

He's a bit surprised when you ask, but doesn't see a reason to refuse.

But hey, ve's a good teacher! Really good, actually.

Rain sometimes even organizes classes for ghouls and Siblings who want to play bass.

She first gets you your own bass and lets you customize it with stickers. Not many people know this, but Sodo got the "YouSuck" sticker from her.

He's very patient with you, starting with basic notes and riffs before slowly moving to more complicated stuff.

Somehow, no matter who ve's teaching, her work is always excellent when it comes to teaching.

And he's very sweet with his rewards, if you catch my drift.

Storm (they/he)

They're chill with the idea. I mean, if you wanna learn, then who is he to deny you the fun that is playing bass?

Also, he doesn't say bass like the instrument, he says it like the fish, which is sorta funny during the lessons.

No, they will not be corrected on how to say it.

He's gonna sit you in his lap and show you everything, step by step.

They also let you experiment and play around, offering tips whenever you ask.

A decent teacher, not too great but not too bad, either.

~

Chain, Cowbell, Mist, Rain and Storm written by Nosferatu.

Lake written by Nyx.

River written by Death.

[strawglicks]

Sorry for the ramble in your inbox incoming- I'm a really huge fan of your analysis type posts like the ones about Cathal and recently Flint ;A; So I hope its ok to maybe throw in my own 2 cents about Cogs/their society- (Sorry this gets rambly I thought about this last night and writing this like an hour after waking up lol)

I think what alot of people kind of (I wouldnt say ignore- more of:) don't really get is that I dont believe characters like Cathal or Flint have bad tendencies because they really want to in a way, (I kind of worded that poorly but point is) but because their society rewards and encourages that type of behavior. I think you said something kind of similar on Cathals post- But especially for Flint, whose a Bossbot (Who are literally the embodiment of a toxic workplace and elitism. I believe a old snippet from the TTO magazines says "They have no real skills of their own, just the ability to push down others and stay on top!" Or something to that nature.) he has to be demanding and imposing. There is no benefit to him in being kind. (Like looking at Misty for example) And don't get me wrong I don't believe that if Flint and Cathal were removed from Cog society they'd be better/objectively nicer (Like Flint not being condescending to Toons and Cathal not making people do things for him and being encouraged to try) But I do wonder how much of it is pressure, or how much of it is egged on and rewarded. Atleast in the aspects it relates to how they treat others.

(..And also I wonder what happens to Cogs that don't get jobs and are seen as ..not functioning. Since Graham was freaking the hell out in "Meeting Of Two Minds" over the possibility of not getting the job. I have a whole thing about this actually in my oc lore but thats another thing entirely I'll write about someday I swear)

Also I gasped when I saw the doodle of Graham in the MSI shirt finally a MSI listener Graham truther. I think he'd like the album "How I Learned To" and of course "You'll Rebel To Anything". I associate him mainly with the songs "Lights Out", "On It", and "You're No Fun Anymore" :p (This has been my favorite band since I was like 13 and now I get to spill all my opinions xD) I always imagined him doing the guitar backbend their bassist does! And my final hc is that Flint plays bass and Graham plays the main guitar. I think it fits them .. some people overlook bass when its actually pretty hard to learn from what I hear and vital to the song. (Like heres Feel Good Inc w/o the bass.. feels wrong x_x)

Anyways thanks for reading ;A; take care and happy new year!

RAHHHH EATING THIS UP YUM YUM YUM YES YES YOU GET IT

THe biggest issue with Cogs Inc is that it REWARDS and ENCOURAGES these poor behaviors, worsening these characters as people. ESPECIALLY cathal considering the position of power they’re in. I’m sure it applies to a ton of other cogs too, but unfortunately I haven’t gotten to them yet bc I’m not as insane abt them . LMAO

And yeah since cogs are literally built for work, it’s a wonder what happens to those who can’t find a job as easily as others. Hoping that gets built on since it’s clear in MOTM that these cogs have to actually apply and go to interviews and probably face some trial and error to land a job, just like people IRL.

ALSO. THE BAND HCS. I love it and you’re SOOOO RIGHT about the backbend that is so grahamcore. And yes I’m pretty sure Flint does play bass, I think his creator mailman said smth abt that on their blog . AND IM SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP FEEL GOOD INC bc i did draw flint in a demon days shirt in that same animatic . And ive def drawn them in the same shirt a couple times in the past too . I’ve always imagined him to be a Gorillaz fan, maybe graham too

Anyway ty for these thoughts im eating them up and leaving no crumbs . I love when ppl come to ramble in my inbox bc discussing this stuff IS SO FUN and a good outlet for me esp when i might be having art burnout rn .

[gelmaah]

Starting a new hobby (?)

(look at this cat i found at the local park~)

June blog post (2022) 🌤

It's the end of the school year and I want to start a new hobby, maybe something related to music. 🎵

I feel like I've always wanted to do something related to music ever since I first listened to that one song that came to me in a youtube recommendation. I think that song was obenkyou shitoiteyo (a jpop song mixed in with rock elements)

I remember that I first listened to it during the earlier half of the first semester in 2021–it was a monday afternoon after late night classes. It was really uplifting for me at that time for some reason and when I relistened to it I kept feeling that way. So whenever I felt down I just repeated it and it somewhat calmed me down. (and I'm glad I found it too)

Apparently this is backed by research too:

'scientific research has shown that it can influence physiological processes that enhance physical and mental wellbeing.' 'benefits of music, including improved heart rate, motor skills, brain stimulation, and immune system enhancement.' https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8566759/

And I don't disagree, music helps a lot more than I thought it would.

As a person who hasn't ever taken an interest in music before this their entire life, the whole music culture and the idea of 'vibing' to something is starting to makes a bit more sense.

Surprisingly enough, thinking back, I've been surrounded by music more than I previously thought–playing the radio from the car and singing along to songs like broken (lovelytheband) and havana (Camila Cabello) and the like.

take a look at your spotify wrapped or the radio stations you listened to and you may be welcomed by a wave of nostalgia as you reminisce how you were back then.

I felt very inspired to do something about this after listening to their songs for such a long time. So I thought I might as well do something about it–express it.

A few weeks ago I tried to learn piano. Downloading booklets with practice sets and practicing an hour every day after school. But as a week passed I started practicing less and less until I it came to a point where I had basically given up. I think one of the key reasons I failed was that I didn't have a tutor–and also the fact that the piano was in the coldest room in the house 🧊.

Here's two other options–and I'm getting a tutor this time however expensive it is 💸:

It's pretty blurred because I kept it on the back of my phone for such a long time without looking at it. Still, I wrote this initially when the idea of learning an instrument came to me (it says 'drums' on the back) and I'd probably have forgot if I didn't do so

Write down your aspirations! Who knows when you might have the time to act on them––and writing it down turns your thoughts into actions, however little of a step that may be, at least you're going in the right direction ➡️.

So piano didn't work out, and drums seem complicated–well, all the foot-hand-leg-arm coordination jazz feels like a bit too much for what I can handle right now, especially with having to invest in an entire drum set or something of the like to be able to practice at home.

hmmm, by process of elimination bass seems like a viable option:

smaller than piano & drums (transportable and affordable)

the low bass tone (the low–deep feel of the bass is something I haven't explored very much and seems cool)

rhythmic and funky feel (e.g. Disco Yes, Billie Jean, and Feel Good Inc)

there are local tutors (very important if you don't want to give up and provides good motivation to practice)

lower barrier of entry compared to something like the guitar (lower initial investment to sound good, i.e. less complicated)

and stuff like this -> (2:35-2:50)

Also techniques like this (3:07) which vamp the song before the chorus–I like the idea of being the kind of unapparent but essential part of a song that comes up sometimes to do their job and returns back to jam with the rest of the instruments.

'The bass performs two basic and vital functions within a band or group:

Bass provides the rhythmic foundation. Bass provides the harmonic foundation.' https://www.studybass.com/lessons/basics/the-role-of-the-bass/

I'm not too sure yet, but I really want to do something about it. Just take a look at techniques like slap bass–wow.

Maybe i can be like that some day.

[transxfiles]

bailor as my scooby-doo mutual what instruments do you think the mystery, inc. gang would play and what are your thoughts on daphne as a bassist. there are no wrong answers i just want to hear your thoughts :]

first of all SO HAPPY TO BE YOUR SCOOBY-DOO MUTUAL... your scooby-dootual if you will..

second of all daphne on bass is SO SO SO SO GOOD i feel like daphne was definitely put in All The Extracurriculars as a child (that's partially how i excuse / make sense of the different writers on scooby doo constantly changing her personality) so she's probably tried out flute, violin, and piano but she eventually convinced her parents to let her do guitar lessons and got hooked, managed to ask them for a bass sometime in middle school and never went back, it completely fits her personality and i love it!! i could also see her rocking the saxophone

fred has major band kid energy i don't even know why i just KNOW that boy was in marching band. listen he may be canonically a cheerleader but scooby doo canon is such a mess i think this man was a percussionist i think it fits in with his many talents not to mention how he kinda is a soul of the group in the sense that he keeps them going and keeps them on their feet, like how percussionists set the rhythm for everyone else around them :) i think he was frequently put on snare and tomtoms but he secretly loved doing the bells most

i feel like velma has tried her hand at a few different instruments but none of them really stuck, definitely played the cello in high school but wasn't great at it?? she enjoyed it in theory but she never had time for it because she was so busy with her academics and most of her non-school life was devoured by her work with mystery inc (and she loves it, obviously) so she had to leave it behind. but she's also the sort of person who, using the skills she learned from orchestra, could probably figure out any string instrument pretty well within a few minutes messing around with it and manage to tune it and then pluck out a recognizable melody. fun party trick, for sure. not sure if this counts but she was also prob really good at the recorder in elementary school like SCARY good and she knew all the little songs and she didn't really make it sound /good/ bc it's the recorder but she was a quick learner and she can still whip out her recorder skills at the drop of a hat. it's all muscle memory.

shaggy definitely plays the clarinet. not sure if i need to elaborate.

[shigarakiposts]

league of villains playlist head cannons

Hey so this is my first love hc post on Tumblr, so if you like it please share and follow for more content. I am currently accepting requests for hc so feel free to drop a request. just remember all nsfw headcanons must be 18+!!!!!!

Shigaraki Tomura- first of all let me begin by saying Shigaraki is the type of guy that will hear a certain song he likes (that others think is not all that good,) and play it on repeat in secret while he broods and sips his ginger ale. This man does not really give a shit about music, and its not his fault. Tomura is just preoccupied with other things than music and the feelings that come with hearing a certain song that “strikes chords” in a heart. He may play music that is from his favorite video games, and maybe some movie soundtracks. He is more invested in listening to music without words because he just feels like all the emotion that stems from lyrics and people talking about their feelings and problems just irritates him and eventually turns music off because he just can't stand listening to the people talk about their lives, he couldn't be bothered with that. he just wants to listen to music so he can have some background noise while he thinks. he just is new to forming relationships, so music particularly love ballads don't register the way they would for others, he is also quite secretive about his music playlists, and does not like to share his feelings about certain songs to others. low-key will get hung up on one particular song for a few weeks and listen to it nonstop while in-between plf meetings, and middle of the night when he can't sleep. absolutely will not wear earbuds, and refuses to accept that they should even exist. he will only wear over the headphones, or bluetooth. fav music style: classical/instrumental 

Dabi- this m-therfucker Dabi is going to open his Spotify app in and play it in the middle of the night on blast (or at a plf meeting)  just in spite of the fact that people around him hate the song while he scrolls on his phone, lounging with a smug grin “I don't give a fuck if people like this, just the fact that they hate it drives me to play it every single time.” he is thinking this as he peeks over at Tomura, who is glaring at him from across the table. Dabi is listening to music that has a lot of self expression, and bass driven. He likes to listen to music that has long drawn out introductions, and sets the mood for the song. It allows him to have a simple distraction, and while Tomura listens to music to have background noise, Dabi likes to listen to the music for the sense of relief he gets when he lights up a smoke, and flips through his playlist, and can focus on the song and what someone else is feeling and he can relate to. it gives Dabi a sense of safety to know that he can forget about his own life and problems for a while and listen to someone else without the burden that comes with forming relationships in real life. Dabi finds some humor in the metalhead culture, and appreciates the piercings and tattoos people have that attend concerts. fav music style: he is attracted to the rock music sound, but also pop punk. 

Himiko Toga- so growing up in school, some of the girls that Toga went to school with had the iPods, and would share music together maybe during meal times, or walking home together. She did not have many friends to share devices with or talk to about music, so she awkwardly discovered her love of music as a way of trying to get along with other kids she went to school with. she is very good at sneaking, so naturally she studied her classmates social circles for a few days, and gathered some information (well you know..) on the music they enjoyed together, and all the concerts that they hoped to go to.. and of course their favorite crushes on all the stars. when she went home she would use youtube as a way to watch videos with the songs for free and also it allowed her to discover more music and eventually discovered the electronic dance music scene where she was inspired by all the people who gathered for the concerts and the costumes they all wore. Toga was impressed with the community of people in the edm scene because they called each other family, and this scene was inclusive of all people, unlike the one at her school which hyper focused music from the top charts, and was considered popular. due to Togas sometimes bashful nature, she finds comfort in the dance music as a counterpart, and allows her to be out of her comfort zone. Toga also finds that she is a part of a “family” as a raver, and enjoys the carefree fun that follows. she will also talk about her favorite groups and new concert coming to town with you for at least an hour, and before she is tempted to knife you, she is going to ask you first “want to come with me next time??” fav music: edm / house / dance 

Mr.Compress- okay so our man here is not only classically trained as a musician, he is ALSO a fking magician.....amazing! we love this guy. Compress has a relationship with music that far surpasses the others around him have with their simple playlists. this man has MULTIPLE playlists and he organizes them depending on their emotions and titles them appropriately. Compress has the widest variety in music as far as knowledge goes compared to his younger counterparts. He is also the only one in the league that has interpersonal relationships and is able to match his comrades with their own playlists and music he choses for them. He will play classical music for Shigaraki when they work on a mission together, or when they have time together because he knows it suits him, and he respects him for that. he will chuckle and wave his hand around when Dabi is blasting Slipknot in the middle of the plf meeting because he is proud he showed Dabi that song! he is always the one who offers to take Toga and Twice to their raves, and is starting to listen to hiphop now that he has worked with some people with the PLF. more often. Compress uses music as a way to communicate his appreciation to others. he is a true gentleman...we love him for that. fav music style: the one he enjoys with others 

Spinner- shuichi boi is so fking shy n soft that if you tried to get him to open up about what he likes, he will probably implode from terror of having to open up to someone. he is very similar to tomura in that aspect, he is private minded, and like to keep his playlist to himself. that being said apparently the one time toga swiped his phone and did catch a glimpse of his playlist, he had a strikingly similar taste in music to Shigaraki. he had the complete dark souls playlist downloaded offline from Spotify so he could listen to it on the go at all times like on missions where signal may be interrupted. He had a variety of video game soundtracks on his playlist, and occasionally a Muse song in-between to separate all the Hans Zimmer. If you want to sneak a peak at Spinners playlist, you may want to do it quickly, your best bet is to ask when you two are alone otherwise he will likely never show you in fear of being ridiculed by Dabi. Spinner will use his playlist as a way to push out some kind of emotion he is feeling that day. Spinner will regularly update his playlists, and enjoys searching for more music to add constantly. He is pretty quiet when he listen to his music, and prefers to listen to it during the afternoon, when he feels his mood shift the heaviest. fav music style: soundtrack 

Twice- okay well Jin is hands down the biggest Gorillaz fan you CANNOT convince me otherwise on this. He has the Plastic Beach album on repeat. Due to the Gorillaz eccentric style and sound, Jin is absolutely in awe of how great he begins to feel when the beat starts, and he can focus on the ever changing tempo, and sounds that are happening. he does not listen to music very much, and due to his quirk effecting him, he is usually preoccupied with other thoughts, and is not interested in learning new songs, or crafting playlists for anything in particular like compress does. Jin is listening to albums that he stumbles upon at random, or by recommendation. that is how he discovered Gorillaz, and ironically his fight with Skeptic only made that even more awkward after Jin found out his company was called feel good inc... you can imagine how upset he truly was inside. “what a douche” is what jin is thinking when he discovers this. on a good day for jin, he will sit back and Toga will set him up with some songs she wants him to listen to with a comfortable pair of “cat” earphones. he enjoys just the act of listening to music itself, and being alive. it makes him feel good, and he uses music as a way to ground himself to others. 

[millie-imber-vibes45]

Week 1: Tues 14th - Fri 17th Jan

On Tuesday, our first course of action was to finalise our setlist, consisting of 6 songs. We have also decided on the order of these songs, deciding to kick off the set in an upbeat way, slowly making out way to a more relaxed pace, before finishing up on a highly recognisable and dance-able song. These songs are as follows:

Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz

crushcrushcrush - Paramore (Replacing Girls/Girls/Girls - Panic! At The Disco)

Sidetrack - Catfish and the Bottlemen

Take It Easy - Eagles

Hey There Delilah - Plain White T’s

American Boy - Estelle ft. Kanye West

With our setlist determined, we then set out some deadlines to keep us on track in terms of rehearsals. This is in addition to the other deadlines that I listed in my previous post. All of the deadlines are now as follows:

Feel Good Inc. - Friday 10th Jan - Friday 17th Jan

CrushCrushCrush - Saturday 18th Jan - Friday 24th Jan

Hey There Delilah - Saturday 25th Jan - Tuesday 28th Jan

American Boy - Wednesday 29th Jan - Friday 31st Jan

Sidetrack - Saturday 1st February - Friday 7th February

Take It Easy - Saturday 8th February - Friday 14th February

TWO SONGS READY TO PERFORM - MONDAY 24TH FEBRUARY

HALF TERM [15th - 23rd February]

FINAL DATE: Sunday 23rd February

These dates are key to stick to, due to only having 5 weeks to perform the gig and complete the task. Providing that we’re able to stick to the schedule, we should be more than prepared for the gig! We’ve made sure to allow at least one week for each song, with the exception of Hey There Delilah simply because it’s a fairly easy song to learn, however we have already discussed changing it to make it our own, which I will mention later...

Feel Good Inc.

With everything set up, we began work on Feel Good Inc.! One of the first things we have chosen to do was to change they key of the song from E Flat to A. This makes it a much more comfortable range for our vocalist to sing, which is the most important thing when it comes to they key we choose. Additionally, we have chosen to shorten the introduction and also the ending. This is because a lot of the song is very repetitive and makes it quite a long track, and by the time we finish, our audience would most likely have gotten bored of it, which happens to be exactly the opposite of what we want. Keeping to the original tempo is our most likely course of action too, as it’s a very upbeat track and a good way to kick off our set.

By Thursday, we were able to complete a full run-through of the song, complete with the transitions from the verse to chorus, vice versa, and the endings. We did encounter a few issues during our rehearsals sessions, both in terms of playing and in terms of the equipment and the technical side of our performance. For me, I initially struggled with the drum beat, as I kept attempting to play with more bass beats than the song requires. For example, a single bar only requires 2 bass drum beats, however, since I was trying to follow the bass guitar riff, I kept putting in way too many. This was fixed by me listening to the track and playing only the snare and bass, then gradually adding in the high-hats again. Eventually, I was able to figure it out, which is crucial because it’s a key component to the song. It also helps me personally with my co-ordination between my hands and leg, because this is something that I can often struggle with. This was also key for the rest of the band, because it meant I could now play the rhythm, and everyone could follow along on their instruments without the use of the original track, in the original key. There, we could identify where we needed to improve and what sounded good.

Our main issues were working out how long the intro had to go on for, which was originally far too long, so we cut it in half. Then, it was working out the small bass riff before the chorus, and then working out the transition from chorus to verse. The Verse-Chorus transition was easy to work out, because it only lasted a bar and was a simple run-down of the notes, while I continued to play my bar, simply removing the high-hats. However, the Chorus-Verse transition was a lot harder because it’s two bars or instrumental following the end of the lyrics, but this was originally hard to pin-point, meaning that we didn’t all know when to come in and we were all guessing. So, we re-listened to the track and worked out that the vocals finished halfway through it’s bar, and then there was two more bars of instrumental after that. In total, it was 2 1/2 bars of instrumental before we went into the verse. From this point, it simply repeats, though the next Verse-Chorus transition is longer, has no bass riff to lead into it, and relies on an acoustic guitar instrumental of two rounds of the chords (8 bars) before the vocals come in. Then, the same Chorus-Verse transition, we do the final verse as the rap, and then end on the final 8 bats of the verse (Same vocals twice, then end).

The only other issue we encountered was our volume/amp/mix levels. We recorded a small snippet of our rehearsals of Feel Good Inc., and when we watched it back, we realised that the lead guitar was way too loud, and the bass and vocals way too quiet. As it would be greatly beneficial for us to be able to hear our individual parts playing all together, we will be making sure that next time, we take this into consideration when setting up our equipment.

In rehearsals, I think we were very productive, as we were able to get all of the song down before our scheduled date (Thursday instead of Friday), which means we’re very much on track so far. The part that took the most time was transposing and then working out the structure, but apart from that, everyone took the time to learn their songs quickly at home, making our rehearsal time in college more productive as we could then get more work done. Making sure that we’re all productive, on task, and even better - ahead of schedule - is part of my role as being the band’s manager, and currently I feel I am carrying out that role effectively, as shown by our current success of our progress with Feel Good Inc.

However, where I lack is in my attendance. Due to an illness, I was unable to attend on Friday, when we planned to have a meeting and begin work on our next song, crushcrushcrush. This was at very short notice, but I ensured to inform everyone the moment I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it, and advised everyone to give the next song a listen to see what start they could make. We rescheduled the meeting for our next lesson. This puts us pretty much back on our original timescale, as we could’ve been a day ahead had I been able to come in, so a personal goal for myself is to make sure I’m able to attend every scheduled rehearsal. This will greatly increase our ability to put on a successful show!

Finally, as manager, I’m responsible for making sure everyone is doing their jobs, from Musical Director to Promotional Material. Currently, everyone is on task with this - Gemma has been in charge of creating and organising the setlist, which has been done. Daizy has been actively using the band’s social media and has also taken charge of contacting venues. We currently do not have a scheduled date or venue yet, however this is being worked on closely. Manis has been taking photos and videos of our rehearsals, ready for us to put on social media for promotional usage, and Sam is working on a list of everything we will need for the gig.

Overall, I think we’re making very good progress, as we’re productive, we’re playing at a good standard and are on track for the final gig. As manager, I’m going to ensure that this continues so that we’re able to put on an enjoyable show for everyone!

More updates on our progress next week!

[zanrai-kid]

I have no legitimate sleep schedule, so take my list of my Top 20 favorite Gorillaz tracks

20: Momentz - In the same league as Feel Good Inc., don't at me.

19: Stylo - Mos Def and Bobby Womack absolutely devastating on the bridges. Hearing Jeremih perform this live was gorgeous.

18: Humility - Gorillaz made a summer jam, and it sure sounds like it. Damon's getting old, man. Just wants to retire, wants to have a few beers by the beach. 

17: Sleeping Powder - iwasgone I M B A C K ASDKJHAJSDHGSKDJHFGKJHASGLDKJAGSD

16: Feel Good Inc. - A legendary song in my formative years, and a soundtrack to the Bush administration as important as “American Idiot”. Only so low on the list because of oversaturation.

15: Rhinestone Eyes - This song is the embellished production of Plastic Beach in a moment. I once made a mashup with this song and "Kangaroo Court" by Capital Cities.

14: Re-Hash - First song on the first album, and it slaps.

13: Ascension - Vince Staples is such a brilliant voice in the latter half of the decade, and I'm pleased to see Damon Albarn recognize this.

12: DARE - Hot damn, this song is a jam.

11: M1 A1 - Hearing this song kick off a Gorillaz concert feels like getting shot by a cannon. It's the "most like the sound the pilliows exuded on the FLCL soundtrack" song in the Gorillaz discography, and for that, I like it.

10: Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head - When Gorillaz want to tell a horror story, they double down and get Dennis Hopper to tell a story of apocalypse. Demon Days is such an immortal album, and this song will live on as a ubiquitous reminder of one's mortality at the hands of greed. Good one for the pessimistic crowds of both 2005 and 2019.

9: Rock the House - BETTER THAN CLINT EASTWOOD. FIGHT ME. When Gorillaz sample audio, they make sure to make the most of it. The ten second sample of John Dankworth's "Modesty Blaise" carries Del the Funky Homosapien's bragging boogie rap through to another level with the tight bass riffs the self-titled album is known for. Echo effects, horn stabs, a fucking recorder. This tracks fucks me up.

8: Souk Eye - I think a track off of The Now Now is one of the best works in the Gorillaz discography. Primarily because following Humanz and The Now Now, Albarn and Hewlett are in a strange time of their lives. Both are now 50 years old, and Gorillaz has lasted 20 years. The concept has run its course for now. To hear this song close this chapter of the Gorillaz story feels fitting. A love song to the many miles taken, only to realize one must leave their current circumstances in order to survive.

7: Last Living Souls - It's a cliche to say a song builds, but when the track starts with little more than a drum machine, and leads to an acoustic breakdown and string section breakdown back-to-back, you can agree this song builds. A lush atmosphere of tiny bleeps and bloops coming together to become greater than the sum of all parts. The song sounds so down and muted on the album, but hearing it live, it feels like a war cry. Both interpretations fit the themes of Demon Days, and it's a good one to start off the album following the Dawn of the Dead sampled "Intro".

6: El Mañana - Hearing this song follow "Busted and Blue" accompanied by visuals of Noodle during the Humanz Tour is the closest I've come to a religious experience at a concert. The sudden immediacy of the situation following "Feel Good Inc" is made aware from sirens and Damon delivering a ragged vocal delivery. The track ebbs and flows in and out of deep bass and washed out highs. It feels like a sigh. It feels like crying. And if you're a Gorillaz lore sucker like I am, this track accompanies the death of Noodle, the single most important event in the canon. Also, the acoustic version reminds one how good Damon is at evoking very quiet emotion.

5: Tomorrow Comes Today - When those drums come in, man, you get teleported to the turn of the millennium. Dirty trip-hop was coming out of the UK en masse, Fatboy Slim released one of my favorites albums of all time "Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars", and Daft Punk's "Discovery" was still a year off. In between some of the most important music of my life being dropped, Gorillaz dropped their first single "Tomorrow Comes Today" at the end of the year and solidified their place for years to come. Slinking and sly, velvety and smoky. This is Gorillaz sending up a culture of basement shows and turntablism. If Think Tank is the first "Gorillaz album", this is when the transition was made manifest.

4: On Melancholy Hill - Ugh, this song. This song is pretty. Full stop. It's one of Gorillaz' very few love songs, and it still manages to capture the plasticine sadness of Plastic Beach. Plastic Beach was my first real and honest introduction to Gorillaz in college, as I only remember hearing about Demon Days from advertising in 2005, when I was 12. This track was just a treat to hear in spring/summer, and a reason I made so many (see: too many) of my finals about Gorillaz. Around the time Humanz was teased, I went back and realized this song had held up so well. It's just a universal sentiment about how the world we know is falling apart, but let's have this moment together. The acoustic version is an honest to God lullaby. Something I can play my future children. Not bad for only 16 lines of lyric.

3: Empire Ants - If "On Melancholy Hill" is about finding the beauty in ruin, "Empire Ants" holds a magnifying glass up to ruin, wondering how it came to be. Listening to the album, "Superfast Jellyfish" came just before. A satirical take on consumeristic meals leading into a song about how we are personified as ants, marching in tandem to complete our tasks and build ever outward, never truly satisfied until death. It is a reminder to look upon the greater picture that is our world and see the moments of tranquility for what they are. Sadly, these moments do not last, and Little Dragon's part reminds us we are part of a machine, ever moving, ever crumbling. It is beauty interrupted by obligation, and for a kid who was in college when this album dropped, and who is now 26 and facing a lifetime of having to make my own decisions, it's an anthem.

2: Hong Kong - I remember loading the entirety of Plastic Beach onto my iPod Nano, and having an iTunes gift card left to spend from Christmas/birthday/etc. Having seen the Demon Days Live concert, I knew this track had to be on my beautiful iPod Nano. That, and for some reason, "Dirty Harry (Schtung Chinese New Year Remix). I remember long car rides staring out the window, listening to this track as the scenery blew by. I remember reading up on this track's history, how it was released in-between Demon Days and Plastic Beach and it shows, how it's a tale of neo-industrial China and Hong Kong's place in both Chinese and British history. This is both a love letter and warning to the nation of the apocryphal train ride that inspired Demon Days. In a world where China seems to be ever rising, "Hong Kong" is a song that asks questions of how this will affect the world as a whole, using Hong Kong as a metaphor. That's nothing to say of the wondrous instrumentation, the piano part in particular on my wishlist of "Songs I Should Learn on Piano Before I Die". Many call it Gorillaz' most underrated track, and I agree full stop.

1: DoYaThing - I'M THE SHIT. I SAID I'M THE SHIT. Above all else, Gorillaz is a collaborative effort of hundreds of musicians from all walks of life. When you throw James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem, a band that rose in the same timeframe as Gorillaz, and Andre 3000, my personal pick for the G.O.A.T., magic happens. Uncut, unedited, 13 minute magic happens. Is it a bit of a meme? Sure. It is a shitpost disguised as a legitimate song? Why not. But sometimes, the goofy aspect of Gorillaz can craft audio gold. And aren't we all about memes on this blog? Albarn's at his most snotty white boy. Murphy's production and vocals are a reminder he was every music nerd's wet dream in the 2000s. Andre 3000 is just laying into every line with a confidence not heard since Stankonia. Everything about this song is designed and manufactured to sound like it it running off the rails in a fit of confidence. It is both wildly powerful and mournfully unaware. In short, to quote the great music critic Todd in the Shadows on the subject of LCD Soundsystem’s song “Losing My Edge”, "(It is) a critical darling... This was tailor made for critics. It is perfect music nerd bait, total pandering." DoYaThing, my favorite Gorillaz song of all time.

[last-living-imagines]

can we please get some lilith interacting with ace while her dads in prison 🙏🏽🙏🏽also maybe a bit of them visiting murdoc together & her seeing him all beat up and getting scared/sad 💚💚💚💚

I haven’t gotten to write about Ace much yet, so I’d be happy to! And you know I’ll write about Lilith any time~

-While Mudz was in jail, the band had brought in a friend of theirs, Ace, to cover for Murdoc on the new album. Lilith was a little apprehensive of him at first, but felt some sort of connection to him– maybe it was the green skin. Whenever Ace was around, Lil would always make sure Russel or Noodle was around to protect her since she didn’t know him yet. “He isn’t a bad guy, Lil! Ace is nice.” Noodle would say as Lilith hid behind her leg slightly, watching Ace move around the kitchen with 2D. 

- “Sh- crap!” Ace caught himself, knowing Lilith was in the room. “I can’t reach that spoon.” He was reaching down in the space between the refrigerator and the counter. He turned, a hopeful smile on his face. “Lilith?” He pointed down at the spoon. “You have smaller hands than I do. Can you maybe grab that for me?” Lilith came forward shyly, reaching out and picking up the utensil and placing it back on the counter. 

“Thank you missy.” He ruffled her hair, giving her a smile before turning back to what he was making. As she started to walk away, his voice called her back. “I wouldn’t go too far– dinner’s just about done.” 

-After that night, Lilith started to get more interested in Ace, seeing as he and her father had a few things in common. “Ace?” She spoke up from the doorway one night after watching him fiddling around with his bass. 

“What’s up kiddo?” He beckoned her inside, letting his arms rest on top of the instrument. 

“Before Daddy…went away,” She bit her lip at the memory, playing with the hem of her sleeve. “He was teaching me to play.” She pointed at the bass in his lap. “Can you…can you teach me a little?” 

-ACE WAS SO HAPPY THAT SHE ASKED. A grin stretched across his face as he made room on the sofa for her to sit next to him. “Sure can! I’d be happy to.” He spent about an hour and a half showing her how to play certain chords and had started teaching her the bass line to Feel Good Inc, which is what Murdoc had been teaching her before he was put in jail.

-After Lilith had warmed up to him, she found comfort in Ace’s presence– he heavily reminded her of Murdoc. Whenever she was in a bad mood or not having a good day, she found herself looking for Ace more than either of her uncles or aunt. When she got a letter from her father saying that she could come visit him, everyone immediately looked to him. “What? Why’re you all looking at me?” He glanced around at everyone nervously. 

“I think you should take Lilith to see him.” Noodle spoke for her bandmates. “We’ve all seen how good you are with her– you should go.” She smiled over at the little girl, who was busy rereading the letter Murdoc had sent with 2D. 

-The day that the pair went in to see him, it was a big surprise for Lilith. Wormwood had given Mudz permission to have a meeting out in the courtyard so he could interact with his daughter better. The only thing he was worried about was how upset his little girl would be when she saw his appearance. He had mentioned in his letter than he was thrown into the middle of a fight, getting somewhat hurt in the process. Though because he didn’t fight back and just let everything happen, his good behavior streak hadn’t been broken and he was able to get a special meeting.

-He was outside in the courtyard waiting by the time they got there. At this point, any bruising or cuts he had on his face were healing and didn’t look as bad as they did. “Daddy!” Lilith screamed as she ran across the courtyard into his arms, squealing as he caught her and hugged her tightly to him. “I missed you!” She pulled back to plant a kiss on his cheek, but stopped when she saw the still slightly bruised skin. “Are you okay?” She frowned and kissed his cheek gently, wrapping her arms back around his neck.

“I am now, little devil.” He hugged her tightly again, noticing for the first time that it was Ace that had brought her. Anger flared up inside him as he stared at his replacement. “What’re you doing here, you–”

“He’s my friend!” Lilith put a hand over Murdoc’s mouth. “Don’t be mean.” 

-This caught Murdoc really off guard. His daughter actually interacted with Ace? And liked him? He looked toward the other green-skinned man who was sitting on the other side of the table Murdoc had previously been sitting at. “I don’t want to interfere with anything.” Ace said, raising his hands. “She wanted me to bring her, so I did. I’ll let you have your time with her.” He pulled out his phone and proceeded to sit quietly after that.

-In the time that they had, Lilith had told her father about everything that was happening at home while he was gone. “Oh! Ace taught me some stuff on the bass, Daddy!” She clapped excitedly. 

The fact that she still wanted to learn to play warmed Murdoc’s heart. “What’d he teach you, love?” He smiled as she talked about how she was starting to play Feel Good Inc and that she learned a few new chords. He chuckled when she said that while she was trying to play along with Noodle one night and a string snapped, scaring the living shit out of them both. “We’ll have to play together when I get out of here then.” He grinned, earning a squeal from his daughter. 

“You mean it?” She smacked excitedly at his open palms, grinning when his fingers curled in to hold hers. 

-As their meeting as coming to an end, Lilith was starting to fall asleep in Murdoc’s lap. While she was nodding off, Murdoc took a moment to talk with Ace. “Has she been doing okay?” He lowered his voice as to not get Lilith’s attention. “She’s been happy?” 

Ace leaned forward so he was closer to Murdoc. “She’s been great– she talks about you every day.” For the first time since meeting him, Ace saw a hint of emotion that wasn’t anger or annoyance in Murdoc’s face. “You’ve got a good kid there, Mudz.” He smiled at Lilith, who was desperately trying to stay awake. Noticing through her lashes, she gave him a sleepy smile in return. 

-Murdoc shifted her in his arms so that he had a better grip on her. He smiled down at his daughter and kissed the top of her head softly. “Look out for her, will ya?” He said when he caught Ace’s gaze. “Make sure my little girl’s alright until I get out of here.” 

“I will.” Ace nodded in affirmation. “I’d never let anything bad happen to her or anyone else I cared about. You have my word.” 

-Murdoc followed Ace and the officer out into the waiting area where they would have to part ways. He cherished the moments he had to hold Lilith in his arms again, nudging her lightly to get her to come around. “Lil, darling. Wake up.” He smiled sadly. “Daddy’s gotta go now.” He said quietly.

“Nooo…” She cried, her tears welling up in her eyes. “I don’t want you to go.” She hugged him tighter, hiding her face in his neck. 

“You’ll see me again soon, promise.” He brushed his fingers through her slightly tangled hair, pushing it away from her face. “I love you, Lilith.” He kissed her cheek before wiping away her tears.

- “Okay…” She sniffled. “I love you too.” She hugged him again then turned in his arms. “Carry.” She made a grabbing motion toward Ace, who easily took her into his arms. “See you soon Daddy.” The two waved goodbye as she watched her father’s figure grow smaller as they walked out of the building. She gripped onto Ace’s coat as she hiccuped, some tears still spilling down her face.

“Lilith?” Ace murmured as he got her settled in the car. “Do you know what always makes me feel better when I’m upset?” At this, she shook her head, rubbing her fists across her eyes. “I always go and get myself a big cup of ice cream.” 

“Can we go get some now?” Lilith let a small smile show on her face. “It would make me feel a little better.”

“Anything for you, kiddo.”

[johnpornjones]

You've said you used to love Jimmy Page very much, I am curious your stories of what makes you in love with Jimmy Page and how you found out Jonsey is your love of your life.

First all, I really like Jimmy. More on the musical plan, than on the personality plan. Jimmy is brilliant. He considers he’s sloppy, but to me, a guitarist is able to play everything. Fast thing, slow things. And Jimmy pretty well understood this, through his guitar riffs.

Wizard. This word is even more matching Jimmy than “genius” to me. 

His riffs are magic, his solos are like his passion for Aleister Crowley. Jimmy is a passionate, and we can only understand that just listening to him. Just listen to Dazed And Confused to understand, just watch him use his violin bow. Just listen to Whole Lotta Love too, the theremin part, I don’t have any words to describe that… perhaps “sexual” ? And damn, one of his most famous guitars is the Gibson EDS 1275, and that’s not your ordinary guitar here. This is a monster, and Jimmy totally managed to masterize It !

Also, I think “Outrider” and “Coverdale-Page” were quite underrated.

Oh well, he also did very naughty things, and I’m not gonna list them because the groupies stories… erm, this is really dirty. His heroin addiction was, too. It lasted a long time, enough for people to call Led Zeppelin “dinosaurs”. But without Jimmy, no Led Zeppelin. Don’t forget the other members, too !

Also, what I consider like something not very kind is that for “No Quarter Unledded”, they totally skipped Jonesy and I don’t think they forgot his damn phone number, I think it’s more because the fans expected a Led Zeppelin reunion but they didn’t want to have a reunion, and so they toured, just the two of them. But even with that, they did well, this album is one of my faves ever. I Totally recommend It.

A quote by Jonesy about No Quarter Unledded : “One slightly naughty thing I was thinking as I was watching the MTV thing (giggles nervously) is how many people it took them to replace me, and how few people it’s taken me to replace them”

Fifty-One additional musicians played with Page and Plant on Unledded; John Paul Jones at the time was performing in a trio. The following year, Page and Plant finally performed with Jones again at Led Zeppelins induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

In his acceptance speech, Jonesy said : “Thank you, my friends for finally remembering my phone number.” (and now, that’s quite a meme lmao)

Several reunions has occured, but they were never as good at the time when Dinosaurs roamed the earth (to quote Jonesy even more here :D), and finally, in 2007 we had the O2 Arena show, and that was just like good ol’ times ! I think Jason is almost as great as his renowned father ! (this is only what I think, don’t hate me for this please !), but no one can replace the great John Bonham. Rob’ said that, and I think it’s accurate (once again, that’s what I think !)

That resume why I love Jimmy, even If don’t show It a lot on this blog, and this makes the transition. Now let me explain why Jonesy completely and literally dethroned Jimmy in my small heart that already suffered a lot in 25 years (that’s another story though).

There isn’t enough words to describe the immense talents of John Paul Jones (even Rob’ is saying It !). John started playing piano at a very young age, then started playing bass. The rest is history !

He can play literraly everything. piano, keyboard, bass, guitar (with more than 4 strings, please !), double bass, clavinet, Recorder, Hammond Organ, Mandolin, Mellotron, electric mandolin, fiddle, pedal steel, lapasteel, lapaphone… List goes on and on… 

John is such a passionate, and I don’t even think this word is strong enough either…. and I’m very passionate about Jonesy ! (No, really ? :D)

We easily can get how passionate Jonesy is, watching to live version of No Quarter, or more recently, to the end of the live version of the Them Crooked Vultures song “Spinning Of Daffodils”.

Each time, Jonesy manage to show us his influences. From classical music to jazz music, each night were differents, and that’s not Jimmy who’s gonna argue with me here :D

During acoustic sets, Jonesy lulled us with his mandolin (or acoustic guitar, on The Battle Of Evermore, where he also share vocals along with Rob’, rocked a double bass on Bron Yr Aur Stomp.

John is a versatile musician, and there were examples to illustrate this. And that’s why Jonesy is a excellent musician. But, in that case, why he is so underrated ?

He deserve so much more attention, and that’s why I’m here, on this blog, flooding you with pictures of Jonesy, sometimes videos. 

When I started piano , almost 2 years ago, my goal was, and still is to play a bit like Jonesy, ince he’s my main inspiration. I don’t wanna copy him, I just really want to have a feeling just like he has when playing piano. I’m still learning, and everybody states that piano is probably the hardest instrument to learn, and it’s ALMOST right. But did you try to play violin ? I do. I used to play violin before, starting when I was 4, until 11. My Mom’s a violinist. and we both got enraged (literally) when I showed to my Mom how John is good with a fiddle in his hands (Advice : go to see John play the fiddle on YouTube. it’s during a Them Crooked Vultures show). I stopped playing violin after I got frustrated by how hard learning an instrument in a music academy is. To me, learning music should be a pleasure, not a pressure. I hated It. and 3 years later when I reached 14, I started playing the guitar, but with not pressure, just passion. At first I tried to learn it all alone, but we can’t be all John Paul Jones, I certainly wasn’t, plus I have dyspraxia, even more contraining. Now, playing the guitar and piano is a real pleasure for me, even more since I found 2 excellent teachers to learn me the subtlety of each instruments.

To get back on tracks of why I LOVE Jonesy, should I have to remind you that he’s a great arranger too ?

The string arrangment on She’s A Rainbow from The Rolling Stones is a great example. And if I don’t get wrong there, he wasn’t credited at all. That’s quite a shame.

He also played with a great lot of musicians. Different styles of artists and music

Diamanda Galás, Seasick Steve, R.E.M., Jars of Clay, Heart, Ben E. King, Peter Gabriel, Foo Fighters, Lenny Kravitz, Cinderella, The Mission, La Fura dels Baus, The Harp Consort, Brian Eno, the Butthole Surfers and Uncle Earl and the list goes on and on…  He’s so versatile !

He often joins other artists on stage, and if I was one of those artists, even confirmed, I will definitely be petrified if John Paul Jones suddenly appears. 

By the way, other artists seems to really like him, and I can only agree with them. If suddently I was gonna put out an album, and that John Paul Jones wanted to produce It or making arrangments in it on it(thing that will never happen) I’ll say YES already ! :D

I’ll add that his personality plays a great role too, I mean, I love how humble, quiet and shy John is. And his offbeat sense of humour makes me laugh so hard sometimes. And damn, he’s married since more than 50 years with Maureen, whith whom he had 3 daughters, and god himself knows how many times he became grandpa. 

He seems to be a true sweetheart, even if he probably did bad things when he was in Led Zeppelin, but as far as I know, Jonesy wasn’t thrilled by creating a mess everywhere the band were, and stayed far away from their bollocks.

You want a proof ? There you go ! 

Jonesy clarified the reliability of this rumour that the Led Zeppelin song “Royal Orleans”, from their album Presence, is about an experience he once had on tour in the United States. The song is about a person who mistakenly takes a drag queen up to his hotel room, who then falls asleep with a joint of marijuana in hand, lighting the room on fire. Here’s the quote. 

“The transvestites were actually friends of Richard Cole’s; normal friendly people and we were all at some bar. That I mistook a transvestite for a girl is rubbish; that happened in another country to somebody else… Anyway ‘Stephanie’ ended up in my room and we rolled a joint or two and I fell asleep and set fire to the hotel room, as you do, ha ha, and when I woke up it was full of firemen!”

That’s a very long story there. Hope you enjoyed It. It’s a pleasure to write It (even if my goddamn old shit of a computer is quite overheating, and I had to rewrite It all… 3 times)

[steelmagnoliamusic]

14 October 2020

Music Recommendation: Crimson Apple

These cuties! They’re gorgeous and badass, and one of my new favorite bands. Crimson Apple is a 4-person band made of sisters Colby, Carthi, Faith, and Shelby Benson. This synopsis is directly from their official website: “CRIMSON APPLE is a band of four sisters from Hawaii, based in Los Angeles, California. Their sound, an epic and cinematic dark-pop, is fused with a wide variety of influences including alternative, indie-rock, K-pop, and J-pop. 

While many assume that the sisters have been playing music together since birth, Crimson Apple formed the summer of 2012. The girls have always viewed the formation of the band as an act of fate; each sister picked up their respective instruments and found their love of music at different stages in their lives. One day, they realized that together, they made up the perfect pieces of a whole band.

After performing in numerous venues in their beautiful home of Hawaii, the sisters decided to relocate to Los Angeles in 2015 to further pursue their music careers. Within a year of the move, they became regular performers for Disneyland and shortly after signed recording- and management deals with Amuse Group USA, Inc. 

Crimson Apple has since been making music and touring multiple festivals and venues across America, opening for major acts such as The Chainsmokers, The Plain White T's, and All Time Low. Their passion can be felt in their hard-hitting live performances and their debut EP, "Somebody", where the band has worked devotedly to create a strong, cohesive image and sound that reflects their bond as sisters. 

With the release of "Break Your Heart Worse" on May 22, Crimson Apple uses a dark, twisted love story to introduce the next phase of their evolution as a band.

CRIMSON APPLE is: Colby Benson - Lead Vocals; Shelby Benson - Guitar / Vocals; Carthi Benson - Bass / Vocals; Faith Benson - Drums / Vocals” (https://www.crimsonappleband.com)

And I can attest that their sound is definitely anti-pop and epic and awesome. Trust.

I found these ladies on Tik Tok. They came up on my FYP, and I thought that they seemed cool, so I checked them out, and I liked their sound and their vibe. They had also posted a little Tik Tok of them as “the female 5SOS,” which I saw after I already listened to them and liked them, and you know me, I was sold. They are so incredible and talented. I love watching the videos where “Faith [catches] that beat” cause no matter where or when, homegirl drops some sick beats. Honestly, I wanted to learn the drums because of Ashton. Now I really wanna learn the drums so I can feel as cool as Faith.

And did I mention these girls are stinking stunning. This has nothing to do with their talent and abilities. I just think they’re pretty.

Okay, but let’s get down to business (to defeat the Huns). (I have no regrets.) Crimson Apple is not a “new” band, but they only just started releasing their own music. Out now is their Somebody EP, which includes “Shower,” “Can’t Get Out Of Bed,” “Sorry Now,” “Somebody,” “Mr. Maker,” and “Who Knows,”and it was released in 2019, and their latest single, “Break Your Heart Worse,” which was released earlier this year. It’s only 7 songs, about 23 minutes all together, but they are some bomb ass songs. Not gonna lie. It’s so anti-pop and makes me feel like a badass when I listen to them. My favorites that I’ll talk about are “Can’t Get Out Of Bed,” “Shower,” and “Who Knows.”

First up is “Can’t Get Out Of Bed.” I relate to this song hard core. If you’ve ever dealt with depression, I think you will too. It’s literally about those bad days when you have no energy to do anything and all you want to do is just stay in bed until it passes. People try to tell you that it’s in your head, and that you should take some medicine and drink water, then you’ll be fine, but it’s like “not that simple, my dude.” But you know yourself and you know that this slump comes and goes and you just need some time to feel the sadness before you feel better. That’s what I get from the song, and I’ve mentioned before, I have depression, anxiety, and PTSD, and the past few years have been rough, this year especially and rightfully so. So when I heard this song, it described exactly what I go through going into, during, and out of my bad days. It was in WORDS. And I’m sure there are plenty of you out there who have heard or saw something and had that “THIS IS ME” feeling. That was one of mine. What else I like about it is it’s about depression, but it’s not depressing. It reminds me of the Twenty One Pilots song, “Not Today,” because of that bit where it’s like “Listen, I know/ This one’s a contradiction because of how happy it sounds/ but the lyrics are so down.” I just love it.

Okay, second is “Shower.” This is also one of “Not Today” dark-pop songs that I love so much. Literally, if you have ever just took a hot,steamy shower because you/ your family and/or friends/ the world feels like shit, and you just want to stay in the heat until it runs cold so that you can just forget your problems for a bit, then this song is for you: “So she run, run, run, runs to the shower/ Off with the clothes, out with the sour/ Run, run, run, runs all the water/ Down til it's cold, up there for hours/ Woah, washing away/ Woah, let it circle the drain.” Like CGOOB, this “Shower” is just so relatable, and who doesn’t love a good, relatable song that accurately describes your thoughts or feelings about something to jam to. Honest, it’s the best. *Chef kiss*

Finally, let’s bring up “Who Knows.” This closest I’ve been to dating a guy was this one guy I talked to and really liked, but he kept being dramatic and started acting like a piece of shit, and I knew that if I stayed I was gonna get hurt. But I still find myself thinking about him and what would have happened if I stayed seeing and talking with him: “You try to pull me closer, I start to fall again/ Tell me you still remember, cuz I remember/ Baby we were fire in the rain/ Burning through the night just to fade/ When you say I coulda loved you longer/ Who knows where we could have gone?/ It's a lie if we stay/ Living for the past and the pain/ When you say I coulda loved you longer/ Who knows where we could have gone?/ (Who knows?) Who knows what we shoulda done/ (Who knows?) Who knows where we coulda gone/ (Who knows?) Who knows what we woulda done/ (Who knows, who knows?).” I really like“Who Knows” because it kind of puts the feelings I have into words and reminds me that I’m still better off without him. Something everyone needs to hear every now and again. All the claps.

Oh my goodness, y’all. Crimson Apple is just too good. The sass, the bad-assery, the darkness, the relatability: it’s perfect! 10/10 recommend that you check them out. It’s absolutely worth the time to hear it, even if you only listen once. I wanna throw it back to another artist that Crimson Apple’s talent reminds me off: Sierra Deaton. Random, I know, but you know, she hasn’t released anything after “Don’t Hurt,” and I wish she would because she’s so wonderful. I say this because both acts: top notch. I want to hear more! Bet your ass that I will be here when they do!

For the love of music,

Chavela

[cultofreedus]

Alexandra Owens

| 30 Aug 2017                                              

NEW YORK – Even before Norman Reedus became known as an actor, starring in The Walking Dead and Boondock Saints, he found a means of expressing himself: photography. What began in junior high and high school photography classes soon developed into a more serious occupation when Reedus moved to Los Angeles in his early twenties and put on art shows with friends from Otis College of Art and Design. Now, photography is a passion Reedus pursues as he travels the world. Many of his fascinating images – at once intriguing, unsettling and playful – can be seen in his debut book The Sun's Coming Up… Like A Big Bald Head (Authorscape Inc.), and two of Reedus’s works will be offered in Sotheby’s 28 September Postwar and Contemporary Photographs auction. Ahead of the sale, we spoke with Reedus about the allure of the macabre, his ongoing fascination with masks and his favourite artists.

NORMAN REEDUS SELFIE WITH THE WALKING DEAD CAST. PHOTO: COURTESY OF NORMAN REEDUS.

Many of your images have an unnerving, almost macabre element to them. What attracts you to dark subjects? I didn’t realize I was doing that until people told me. I really didn’t. I’ve directed a couple of short films, and people said the same things about those. In acting, I’ve always said that I like seeing the contrast. I like it when angels stab you in the back, and devils break down in tears. A lot of times, maybe because of the way I look, I’m cast as a murderer or somebody with a troubled past. Finding the good qualities about those characters is more interesting than playing a one note bad guy. I think I kind of do that with photography. I like to find the beauty in images or situations that seem sort of macabre or grotesque even.

You mention contrast. Many of your photographs have an innocent, charming or even funny quality alongside that unnerving element. Is that juxtaposition important for you as an artist? There’s something playful to those grotesque images. In one photograph I took off set, I have a girl covered in fake blood sitting on a sofa in my trailer. It was fucking hysterical shooting that. I had all the teamsters yelling at me, because I ruined the sofa and there was blood all over my trailer. Some of those images might look grotesque to a viewer, but they’re all very fond memories.

What do you hope people take away from your photographs? I don’t know if I hope they take away anything. I’m not trying to sell anything. I feel like the whole point of all of it is to just make people take a step back, get quiet for a second, and think. They can come to their own conclusions after that.

LOT 84. NORMAN REEDUS’S PHOTOGRAPH SUB-BASEMENT OF MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON IN MOSCOW WILL BE OFFERED AT SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK ON 28 SEPTEMBER. ESTIMATE $5,000–7,000.

How does your technique contribute to your photographs? I noticed you use a lot of close-ups, stark shadows and dark exposures. A while ago, when I was trying to learn bass, I asked a friend who plays in a rock band what kind of bass I should get. He said to get the one that feels the best in your hands, because you’ll use it the most. I do the same thing with cameras. I pick up a camera and use it for a couple months, then I’ll find a new one and play with that for a while. But I’ve always fucked with shadows and the contrast with light, because sometimes you’ll find different things in there. It will change the mood.

Looking through your book, a few motifs jumped out at me – masks in particular. What do they symbolise to you? I’ve always been into masks. I probably have 1,000 at home. I put them on little kids, animals. Sometimes a smiling face even resembles a mask, if you shoot it at an angle. There’s just something about them. I think it’s weird that if you look in the mirror you see one version of yourself. Then if someone looks at you dead on, they see a different version of you. I’m also interested in the way you carry yourself behind a mask. I’ve always liked horror films. My favourite movie as a kid was The Omen. In grade school I liked to pretend I was Damien and stare at my teacher until I scared her.

LOT 85. NORMAN REEDUS'S PHOTOGRAPH EXERCISE YARD OF MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON IN MOSCOW WILL BE OFFERED AT SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK ON 28 SEPTEMBER. ESTIMATE $5,000–7,000.

Tell me about your two photographs in the Sotheby’s sale. Both were taken in a Russian prison – is there a story behind that? I was doing a movie in Moscow and St Petersburg with Chris Solimine and Andrei Konchalovsky. Konchalovsky is like the Francis Ford Coppola of Russia, and he got access to a lot of places that I normally never would have seen. One of those was a max-security prison. One thing is for certain – I never want to go to jail in Russia. We were shooting one day down in this sub-basement there. The walls were this crazy green colour. I could see two prisoners who were working in the kitchen peek around to look at what was going on. Every time they did, a guard would come bang his stick and yell at them. And they’d run back around the corner. So as soon as that guard left I whistled. Right then this kitten ran around the corner and both the guys peeked around the corner. The guys looked like supermodels. The photo stood out to me because I didn’t know what I was going to get, but it looked like a staged photograph. That was one of those lucky accidents where you go with your gut.

What about the photograph you took in the prison's exercise yard? I was walking around the exercise yard with the director, and we could see these tiny windows all around the prison. There would be a face barely visible or a hand hanging out or smoke coming from one. The feeling was so fucking dark. I took a bunch of those photographs walking around. It was an interesting contrast because the night before we were at a military base and all these young kids were sticking their hands through a fence to shake my hand. They were super friendly and wanted to talk and trade cigarettes. The next day at the prison it was the opposite feeling. I chose this photograph because you don’t know the story of the person who owns that hand. He knew I was taking pictures. That’s all he chose to show me.

To discover which works from Postwar and Contemporary Photographs caught Norman Reedus's eye, click below.

[jackcarson-foxfutureworks]

LIMBO | Trailer Re-dubbed - Analysis #4 (Final)

I’ve come to the end of my Limbo trailer assignment and so I’m going to go over everything one last time. 

At the start of this assignment, I set out to take Limbo, a game with an already mysterious narrative but one that is quite obscure overall, and transform the theme into one of a clear psychological nature. This required an explicit approach. No subtlety here.

This leads me to my very first ideas of having a narrator. The narrator served the important role of relaying to the audience the theme of the trailer, by delving into the mind of the protagonist, who openly expressed his questioning thoughts about reality and his purpose. This not only captured the essence of the psychological but applied character to a normally silent protagonist. Although my techniques are largely meant to present an explicit tone, I don’t feel at any point I have spoon-fed the audience information as a smaller sense of mystery and obscurity lingers over the trailer.

Besides the non-diegetic narrator. Another aspect of retaining that psychological feeling was the diegetic sounds and making sure they were somewhat grounded in realism but had a little hum of the fantastical. Ambient sounds of animals in nature, or hollow woods, allowed me to teeter on the edges of the real and surreal. This helped me to imagine sounds the insects shown in the trailer would make, especially the spider. I’ll go over this in more detail in my technical section but this again was following on from my idea of grounded realism with a sense of surrealism by creating sounds that I thought a spider would make if it were that large. Without the exaggerated visuals, I believe the sound is enough to convey an extraordinary, large and dangerous beast.

The inclusion of a soundtrack was another decision based on keeping the theme clear. I wanted something that played along with the visuals, ramping up the tension as the trailer did, but not diverting into music you’d find accompanying an action trailer.   

How I put this all into practice was another matter because, despite the plethora of equipment and studios available to me, I wanted to set a very personal challenge. I wanted to work under my own limitations. This is something that developers and designers have all experienced, and so it wasn’t just wanting to follow that experience, but it gave me a wonderful avenue for some very surprising experimentation.

The challenge was this; any sounds for the trailer that I was going to produce had to be made within the confines of my bedroom. The limitations to this are quite obvious as I wasn’t going to bring in a slab of my lawn to imitate grass or leaves. My ideas turned to what items in my room could possibly imitate such a sound, so I started to look around for something crunchy. I fell upon a recently empty crisp packet. At first, it didn’t sound all too convincing, but after some alteration to the way I crunched the packet and pitch editing here and there, I got the sound I was looking for. This started the journey from crisp packets and tapping my desk, to using deodorant cans, a dog collar, and my own voice to imitate objects and their sound. Like I said, I wanted to balance realism and surrealism, but also give the world that much-needed physicality, despite the fictional connotations. I won’t explain every last sound as that can be found in my previous posts but I do want to say how satisfied I was with each and every sound I made. I think I’ve nailed the challenge I’ve set myself as each sound matches the intended target in a way that compliments my realism/surrealism approach. I’ve also learned a great deal about experimenting and utilising sound in various ways. The aforementioned crisp packet is a highlight, as it not only supplied the sound to my grassy footsteps but to other sounds such as a wooden box splintering, glass shattering, and sloshy mud thanks to some small edits here and there. Most of the production came from altering the way I used the sounds of the objects in my room and through pitch editing on Sony Vegas. I actually learned a few new little skills on the way I can alter pitch besides the very simple volume and bass of it. Audacity pretty much worked as the gateway rather than an extensive audio editing software, which was down to requiring very minimal editing to capture the sounds I needed. 

I am proud of what I’ve accomplished with the limitations I gave myself and believe I’ve proven that you don’t always need top of the line equipment and studios to design good quality audio. Just a spark of creativity.

In conclusion, I am incredibly satisfied with how this assignment has progressed. I’ve achieved my own set targets, and I believe I’ve conveyed a new psychological theme through an explicit narrative and a realistic/surrealistic approach to diegetic audio design. I believe that by working with limitations, I have not only proven that producing good quality audio doesn’t require a good quality set of tools but rather some creativity and experimentation. It's even helped me learn some new techniques in the process. 

Finally, here is the definitive version of the trailer.

References

Peter Gundry (28/05/2014) “The Dream Snatcher” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NBYVnOjM98

Nille (21/12/2009) “Nature Ambiance” http://soundbible.com/1263-Nature-Ambiance.html

Yo Mama (21/12/2009) “Traffic Jam 1” http://soundbible.com/1609-Traffic-Jam-1.html

Apple Inc. (05/09/2007) “Alarm” https://www.apple.com/

Playdead (10/05/2010) “Limbo - Trailer” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4HSyVXKYz8

“I won’t scatter your sorrow to the heartless sea” “Why are we still here? Just to suffer?” - Kojima Productions, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

“Where does a thought go when it’s forgotten?” ― Sigmund Freud

“We forget very easily what gives us pain.” ― Graham Greene, The Ministry of Fear

[phantasmagorighoul]

so my dad and i sat down last night with the intention of watching a few gorillaz videos and wound up watching all of them and even before that we had a gorillaz filled night so here is some interesting stuff i found out/happened

ya girl actually has been raised on gorillaz her whole life!! i thought maybe i imagined that up (even though i did know that i’ve definitely been a fan since i was 5), but he was like really shocked that i couldn’t remember watching clint eastwood/19-2000 with him; he forgot that i literally was a lil babe. our favorite was 19-2000, he said, and i believe him bc he hasn’t heard that song for years and still knew every word (and loved pointing out that noodle was singing lol)

his favorite actually has always been russel!! i told him i would’ve bet money it was mud, and he said he’s close second and always thought murdoc was cool as hell. but rus was always his. this was when we were in a barnes & noble in their records section and i was like ‘wow i’m actually really surprised you remember all this stuff about them’ and he was like ‘of course i remember ghoul, of course’ and it made me so happy

additionally we found plastic beach’s vinyl and i noted how it was my favorite, and his too, and he got real nostalgic and went real quiet, ‘it is......... it sure is.......’ and then went ‘oh!! yep for sure there’s stylo’

he sang melancholy hill to me on the way home and bc of my habit of projecting paired with one of my favorite headcanons (that i’m writing the fic for right now) i almost cried but didn’t, i made it lol

“yeah feel good inc wasn’t exactly the most appropriate music video for a 5 year old girl....... but you never noticed. it went right over your head. you just liked his eyes”

oh i forgot, my dad used to have a dark red bass he used to try and teach me how to play; he said he wishes he still had it so he could learn the bassline. we also had a conversation about how the drums to feel good inc would work--our family is all drummers by nature so we immediately figured out that the animation wasn’t quick enough to show all of the movements. now that i’m thinking about that’s probably one of the reasons rus is his favorite

he pointed out to me so many fine details in the stylo video that i would have never noticed if it weren’t for the fact that i went through it with a fine-toothed comb months ago. like when he pulls cyborg back through the window, waves bruce willis on, or the “it’s bruce!” thing

he went ‘look at how different he is!!!’ at murdoc since this came on right after 19-2000

“why’s he so bitter?” - my dad @ murdoc in doyathing

if my dva bodysuit doesn’t come in time for halloween he might dress up with me as stylo mud and cyborg

[all-gorillaz-imagines]

ok so i had an idea and its probably gonna be shitty but idk. imagine that 2Ds s/o was one of the girls on set for the feel good inc video that were all over mudz, and obvs he gets jealous whilst pickle man is loving it

WARNING

VIOLENCE DOES OCCUR

 ~ You were so excited, 2Dhad gotten you a part in the new Feel Good Inc. video. “Oh my god! Thank youthank you thank you, Stu!” You hugged him tightly. He laughed at yourexcitement, “Ya wel’ome, love.” He gave you that signature grin. You couldn’thelp but kiss him. “Bu’ ya need ta ge’ rea’y, we’re leavin’ soon.” You ran upto your room to change into some leggings and a plain t-shirt since you assumedthey would be dressing you up.

~ You walked onto setwith Stu and you couldn’t believe your eyes. There were so many people, yousuddenly felt a little nervous. You held onto 2D’s arm and he looked down atyou, “Don’ ya worry, ya’ll do grea’.” He kissed your cheek and set you offtowards the makeup team.

~ It felt like you hadfive pounds of makeup on your face, but you still felt great. Next waswardrobe. They gave you these olive green shorts to slip on, then they gave youthis black crop top. You weren’t exactly comfortable with showing so much skinso they gave you a black tank top instead. You felt much better. They also gaveyou a cropped leather jacket. You felt super badass and when you looked intothe mirror your reflection confirmed it.

~ “Now just stand herenext to Murdoc, darling.” The director was pulling you up to Murdoc. Yougrinned and said, “Long time no see.” He smirked back at you then laughed, “Ohthis’ll be fun.” You suddenly got worried about what you would have to do.Someone walked up with Murdoc’s bass and he suddenly took his shirt off andthrew it at them. Oh no… Murdoc smirked at you again.

~ “Keep your hand on hischest like this and try not to move it. You can make it look like you’restroking his chest if you want and place your other hand here on his shoulder,good.” The director was placing you on Murdoc. You felt awkward but that damnpickle man was having a ball. “Try not to get too frisky, love.” He winked atyou. You wanted to punch him in the face but you had to behave for 2D’s sake.Speaking of 2D, you looked around at found him over on the opposite wall in athrone-looking chair. You would much rather be with him. “Here get in nice andclose.” The director pushed your body against Murdoc’s. You made a face at himand he just laughed.

~ Finally the filming hadstarted, you stroked Murdoc’s chest and tried so hard to look like you werearoused. Luckily, Murdoc didn’t look at you much, he was more focused on hisbass playing. You looked over 2D once the cameras were off of him, you lovedwatching him sing. You admired your boyfriend from afar while still attached toMurdoc. But then 2D saw you out of the corner of his eye and immediately turnedto look at you. “WHA’ THA BLOO’Y HELL IS THIS?!” He screamed and ran over.Before you got a chance to saying anything, Murdoc said, “We’re just over herehavin’ a good time.” Murdoc winked at your again and pulled you closer to himby your waist. 2D’s face was red and he looked like he was trying to killMurdoc with his eyes. “Tak’ ya fuckin’ hands off her.” He said in a low voice.You tried to push away from Murdoc but he was having too much time. “You needto learn how to share, 2D.” Murdoc laughed and stroked your cheek. Out ofnowhere, 2D punched Murdoc right in the nose. He hit him so hard that Murdocfell backwards. He was just as shocked as you were. 2D held you by the waistand said, “I said fuck off, mat’.”

[bigboystateofmind]

music

One of the many forms of art in this world of ours is music. It can do many things like bring people together, help learn new things, give different ideas, improve the creativity of a certain person and so on and so forth. There exist different genres of it. Each one of them plays a different role. Let’s take heavy metal as an example: this sub-genre of rock fills the person listening to it with excitement. You feel much more pumped than ever. It relives anger and stress in a way. That’s way a lot of people, mostly teenagers connect with it. But of course there are gonna be a lot of people that will hate it. Saying:”It’s just noise. It’s too loud. The lyrics don’t make sense”. A lot of the times it’s mostly true, but let’s analyse this. Metallica is the king of heavy metal right now. Founded back in 1981, they still play shows at 50-something years of age. There has been a rise and fall of the band. It’s not the topic of this so-called story. On the bands earlier work we can different influences from classical music such as Bach, on songs like Damage Inc. Because of this heavy metal fans brighten their horizons in music and start listening to other genres. This classical music influence is also evident in bands such as Megadeth and Iron Maiden.

Personally, I listen to anything. It can be any genre or sub-genre. But, unfortunately I started of really weird. When I was a mere child I listened to mostly pop music and music which was targeted to kids the ages of 4-10 years. A couple of years passed, Iron Man became a big thing in Russia(yes, I’m from Russia) and it’s soundtrack was everywhere. That’s is exactly how I got into rock, by only listening to AC/DC and Queen. Yes, I know, I was sort of an idiot. Anyhow at the age of 14 or 15 I experienced one of the darkest periods of my adolescence… I WAS A WEEABOO OF ALL PEOPLE. WATCHING ANIME ON A DAILY BASIS AND LISTENING TO THE OPENINGS AND RECITING DIFFERENT QUOTES FROM ONE PIECE AND NARUTO. Phew, sorry for that rant. Trying not to get off topic. At that time I only listened to Japanese songs, ranging from openings, endings and other material from the artists. I was a bit ashamed of myself, until a saviour came. His name was JoJo. Why JoJo? Well, it is because of the handful of music references it had to rock, rap, pop, Japanese, classical music. I was really interested in the characters named after different bands and songs, so I decided to listen to a lot of the music. This got me into rock again, mostly classic like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Eventually I found three of my favourite bands because of this manga. Which are RHCP, Foo Fighters and SURPRISE Metallica. This turned me into a bit of poser. I only listened to rock. Then metal came into the picture. Time passed and THANK GOD I got into other genres like hip-hop, r&b, electronic and classical.

Changing the topic, right now music is playing a big part of my life. It helps transmit my emotions, it influences me in every way possible and it even made love playing on instruments again(in the past I was forced to play the piano and hated it. But now I’m playing on a bass guitar and it’s amazing oWo). Now let’s talk about the emotion part of my tale. Music helped me out a lot with my emotional troubles: depression, breakups etc. But it also reminds of the good things that happened. I have about 4000 songs in my library, which is a lot and I don’t listen to all of them all the time. Doesn’t matter. A lot of the songs I have correlate with a different friend or person I’ve met in life. The memories can be good or bad. Still brings joy to my face. Songs like Yesterday, The Unforgiven or Say it ain’t so help with tough times. Everlong by the Foo Fighters and Under the Bridge by RHCP remind people of the good stuff. Pantera, System of a Down and other similar bands relieve all the stress or in my case help me with exercises. Frank Ocean or ATCQ put into a zone of relaxation. The main point of this is that music plays different roles in a person’s life. For better or for worse I don’t know. It’s up to you to decide.

The music charts are now dominated by Pop and Hip-Hop. I don’t have a problem with Hip-Hop. I like it most of the times. But stuff like lil pump and migos just show the bad side of it. Pop music on the other hand, I think, doesn’t have any soul or effort put into it. I’m not an elitist. There was a time where I liked pop like Shakira and other stuff. But today it all sounds the same and I don’t see a difference. I’m not here to say:”LISTEN TO THIS OR THAT”. Listen to anything you want. As long as you like it and it inspires you to be creative.

                                                    THE END