#and consider. that the songs are very catchy. and consider. that my boy frank knows how to Craft A Melody™.

[musical-chick-13]

It is such weird experience to go, “From an artistic standpoint, this piece of media is Not Good, but I truly, unironically love it.”

[heloflor]

Ducktales S2 episodes thoughts

So I finally caught up with Ducktales, since I stopped watching in the middle of season 2, right after “Whatever happened to Della Duck”; and I’ve decided to share my thoughts on each episode of the post-hiatus S2 and the episodes of S3 we have so far. So here is season 2 for those who are interested, and yes, this post is going to be long (this is definitely not the most practical way to do it but I don’t want to make one post per episode) :

“Treasure of the Found Lamp!” : not much to say on this one, aside from the fact that this is probably an ‘’’excuse’’’ to show more of the Beagle Boys (when you think about it, these guys barely show up after S1) and that the character of Djinn is pretty cool; I like him.

  “The Outlaw Scrooge McDuck!” : still a delight to see Scrooge and Goldie interact and see how these two are genuinely attracted to each other but their desire for gold prevent them from being together. Though honestly, you can’t convince me that they didn’t date at some point, unless one of the creators (*cough* Frank *cough*) says otherwise. I mean, in season 1, when Goldie is introduced, not only does Scrooge immediately calls her his ex but Goldie is also willing to kiss him 5 minutes into their first meeting in years. Seriously, in season 1, you can tell that these two know they are attractive to the other, they know the effect they have on each other, and it wouldn’t be surprising that they acted upon those feelings at some point, before betraying each other again. Hell, remember the best quote from this episode ?

“You love gold more than you loved me.”

“And that’s why you loved me.”

They’re literally admitting that they’re in love with each other, or at least loved each other at some point.

  “The 87 Cent Solution!” : this episode did not age well. AT ALL. But this aside, the scene with Glomgold showing up during the funeral was one of the most hilarious things this show has done. And speaking of Glomgold, I really like how threatening he was in this. It shows that when he has a plan in mind and the right tools, he can really pull it off. We need more of Glomgold being clever like that (though I’ll admit he is pretty hilarious the way he is and in season 3 we have our lot of serious/threatening villains).

  “The Golden Spear!” : And they were roomates ! But more seriously; speaking of threatening villains : Lunaris is amazing as a strategist villain ! I absolutely love the way he’s able to pass himself as the good guy and manipulate everyone to get what he wants, whether it be Della by asking her for the ‘blueprints’ or his own people by making Della a traitor to their eyes. Hell, even Penumbra is at a loss by the end of the episode and doesn’t seem to know whether she should obey or not. And speaking of Penumbra, her evolution throughout the episode is really great. I especially like how Della is just so oblivious to the hatred Penumbra has for her. Honestly this episode alone is definitely enough justification for the Penny/Della shippers.

As for the “B plot”, it was nice to see a bit more of Donald being a dad, especially with the kids starting to realize the impact their actions can have on him. Though, they made Donald such an interesting and tragic character in this show that I’m not that big of a fan of seeing him get hurt for laughs.

Oh and one last thing about Della : for some reason, that shot of her in the rocket, seeing the earth and crying while saying “mommy’s coming home” gets me very emotional every time I watch it. I think it’s because we know that she spent 10 years trying to get home to meet her kids, facing failure after failure; and finally, after all these hardships, she’s going back with nothing to stop her.

On the same note, Donald’s hope when seeing the rocket and his accidental launch were pretty heartbreaking.

  “Nothing can stop Della Duck!” : Ok, first off, that intro. It is waaay too early in the episode for such feels and I love it ! Although, on one hand I’m a bit disappointed that the boys accept their mom so quickly (I expected a bit more heartbreak) but on the other hand it works because they all have a different reaction that truly fit with their personalities.

Secondly, the way Della is in this episode. It’s perfect. She’s not a mother, this is something the fandom had realized ever since “The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!”. Della had children too early, at a time when she was too immature for such responsibility. And her ten years on the moon, most of them in total isolation, didn’t help making her wiser. So now she’s back, still as immature, but now she has three kids to take care of; and she has no idea what she’s doing. Also, like some people already pointed out last year (or at least it probably was last year), Della doesn’t immediately know about Donald leaving the mansion for a decade. To her, the triplets grew up exactly like she did, hence why she doesn’t think her scary story would terrify them that much.

I also really like how Louie was and how Scrooge and Beakley handled the situation. I like how one of the kids wasn’t completely sold at the thought of their mom being back, and Louie works as the insecure triplet there. As for the adult characters, I love how they both knew that Della needed to learn how to be a parent but at the same time she just arrived, so they kept their distance to let her be with her kids while at the same time being close enough to act if something goes wrong.

Finally, it’s sweet to see how Della is truly willing to learn how to be a good parent, although the road is still very long, even in season 3.

  “Raiders of the Doomsday Vault!” : Nothing much to say about the plot with Glomgold. It’s just Glomgold being Glomgold while Owlson and Scrooge are just done with his shit. As for Della and Dewey, it’s a great plot. We see Della trying to bond with her kids by doing what they like, and it was pretty obvious that Dewey would be the first on the list. After all, he was the first to wonder about his mom and they both share the same thirst for adventure. And it’s great to see how Della doesn’t know her kids’ abilities. So at first, she’s completely fine with putting Dewey in stressful situations; but by the end of it, she realizes how dangerous things are and what she could lose, while Dewey started to believe too much in himself due to what his mother told him, only realizing too late in which situation he put himself in.

So yeah, it was great to see Della discover what her kids are able to do during their adventures, especially their limits.

  “Friendship Hates Magic!” : So, when I watched in 2017-2018, I didn’t really understand where the whole Lena/Webby came from; but seeing this now, I was definitely blind (and it didn’t help that I used to ship Webby and Dewey until I discovered Ace Att//orney and the ‘found siblings’ relationship between Edge//worth and Fran//ziska). Also I’m a bit split on Violet. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a good character and I do like how she got interested in studying magic and her personality in general. But at the same time her personality kind of rub me the wrong way, not in a “she’s evil” way but more a “I don’t like her” way. It’s weird.

As for the rest, it’s sweet how Webby tried to be more normal because she’s afraid to lose a new friend, and her reaction to seeing Lena again was adorable. Lena was also really sweet in how much she cares for Webby and wants her to be safe.

As for the B-plot, it was nice seeing Beakley and Launchpad get along, and it’s pretty clever how what brought them together was their liking for heroism.

  “The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee!” : Firstly, the kids are still shippers, which is a nice touch.

Secondly, that scene with Beaks and the lasers was amazing. If the scene at Scrooge’s ‘funeral’ is the best Glomgold scene, then the scene with the lasers is the best Mark Beaks scene so far.

Thirdly, I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that Launchpad is pansexual. I mean, if a person can date anyone regardless of species, then gender shouldn’t be much of an issue. Also Launchpad mentions in his ‘list’ a wereduck and a ninja, which are often considered as male (by that I mean that, while werewolves and ninjas can be both male/man and female/woman, when you think of one of them you’ll have a tendency to see them as masculine, because that’s how they are represented in media most of the time). He also mentions a clone of himself, so another same-sex relationship; and a talking cloud of energy, which I’m pretty sure doesn’t have a gender to begin with. So yeah. Pansexual Launchpad. Or at least non-straight Launchpad. And speaking of Launchpad, I like how he can tell that Fenton isn’t smooth at all and puts some music on to prevent the duo to be forced to talk; it’s a pretty sweet gesture. Honestly it’s great how Launchpad is often seen as a complete idiot but then you have those specific ‘fields’ in which he knows and lot and can really shine (*cough* the next episode *cough*).

Update after lurking on Tumblr : apparently there’s an LGBT+ Ducktales event and a member of the crew made an art about Launchpad and all the people he dated (including his clone and the cloud of energy and I love this person for adding this); and given the appearance of several of them, it’s clear that this guy is pan. By the way if you want to see the art just time “Ducktales love is like a hurricane” on Tumblr and you’ll find it.

Fourthly, the “It’s a date” song is great and catchy.

Fifthly, the fact that DR. Atmosphere feels insulted by Fenton not giving much effort really works with him being a reference to Doofenshmirtz. After all, in Phineas and Ferb, we see that Heinz is just a lonely guy who truly likes Perry and takes their relationship seriously, between writing his monologues to making big musical numbers to complain when Perry isn’t there at the right time (and yes, by season 4, being evil is more of a job to him than an actual wish to dominate the Three-State Area).

Finally, the heart of this episode : Fenton. This episode worked well in how it develops how Fenton views his new role as a popular hero. We especially see how he struggles to balance his two lives and his relationships, wishing to be liked for who he is as a person instead of as a hero. It’s also interesting how much work he does as a hero, to the point of not really caring anymore about being dramatic and saying catchphrases and all that yada-yada. His relationship with Gandra is also pretty nice, although it is very predictable and by the end of the episode, I’m not even sure if they do end up together ? Like, Gandra talks about a second date but it’s just a trick to get Fenton to say the code thing; and though she does help at the end and give Fenton the right ‘formula’ (she draws a molecule so yeah, formula) for his invention, she still leaves without much words and seems to have taken the original ball (I think ?). Though, the idea of them dating could be very interesting in regards of her afflictions with F.O.W.L.

  “The Duck Knight Returns!” : so, first off, I never saw an episode of Darkwing Duck before seeing the recent fanart of the dt17 fandom. I more or less knew the show existed as a kid (there was a channel with old Disney shows in the early 2000s) because I remember there was another show than Ducktales that had Launchpad in it but I didn’t like his character at that time so I never watched. But I recently started watching and I have to say, the most surprising thing about it has to be the fact that Drake has a girlfriend because holy shit this show is gay ! Seriously ! Two guys, living together and raising a child together, having tons of domestic moments. Whoever wrote this show had no gaydar whatsoever ! And honestly this makes the whole thing hilarious. But shipping aside, the show’s pretty good. It has different villains with different goals and personalities, they decided to make the action cartoonish, which works well, and the show has some pretty good and hilarious quotes there and there. But what really makes this show a great one has to be the domestic moments, especially the relationship between Drake and Gosalyn. These two are adorable and their father/daughter relationship is both wholesome and feels realistic. On the same note, it’s great to see how a show from the 90s was breaking the gender norms not only by making a single father character (or, if you see Launchpad as a father figure too, you could say making two men be parents) but also by having a girl be a tomboy without it being seen as an issue by anyone (except for like one episode). So yeah, Darkwing Duck’s a pretty good show and if you like the duckverse and haven’t seen it yet, you should give it a watch !

Now, onto the actual Ducktales episode. It’s really great. I won’t talk much about it because pretty sure it’s been talked a lot already but yeah, it’s a great way to introduce Drake and give a backstory to Negaduck. Though my favorite thing about this episode has to be Launchpad. I love how he knows from the beginning that Jim’s plan is bad but still feels like he should roll with it because the guy’s his idol. I especially like the detail of Launchpad covering the eyes of the Scrooge logo while breaking into the studio. Also the “I’m trapped in a prison of guilt !” line. I also really like his interactions with Drake, especially at the end when he inspires him to become Darkwing. It really shows that, while Launchpad’s an idiot most of the time, when he’s truly passionate about something, a much more smooth and clever side of him shines (seriously during that part when he inspires Drake to become a hero, he sounds so smooth and yet it seems to come so naturally. And you can tell how much respect it makes Drake have for him with the way he looks at Launchpad when putting his hat on).

One last thing to say about this episode : there’s that scene right before Jim tries to trap Drake in which Dewey and Launchpad talk about how things are currently going for them; and when Dewey talks about how excited the whole ‘making a movie’ thing is for him, for some reason I absolutely love the animation of Dewey jumping into Launchpad’s arms while Launchpad tries not to drop him. I don’t know, it just feels really ‘fluid’ or something (I have no idea what’s the language for animation) but yeah, props to the animators for that moment.

  “What Ever Happened to Donald Duck?!” : First off, the highlight of this episode is definitely the speech about Donald going to a therapist to control his anger. It’s simply amazing to have a children cartoon show a character having issues and deciding to deal with them in a healthy way, and it’s great to see Dewey realizing how much Donald does for him and his brothers and being touched by it. It’s also a great lesson about how you can’t make your anger magically disappear but you can work to deal with it in the best way possible.

As for the scenes on the moon, between Lunaris being extremely manipulative and planning everything, Penumbra trying to do what she believes is best and Donald’s determination to go home and parental instincts shining through, it was a really enjoyable episode. Not much to say about Dewey and Webby though. It’s just Dewey and Webby being Dewey and Webby.

  “Happy Birthday, Doofus Drake!” : Doofus is still as terrifying as before, Goldie is still the same gold-driven robber as usual, Louie is still looking for an easy way to get rich, Glomgold is still doing weird schemes and Beaks is still relying on technology too much. So overall, not much to say aside from it’s a great and fun episode; the scene at the end with Scrooge and Louie is sweet and Boyd is a precious baby. Also I still love Goldie’s character and it’s great to see Doofus’ parents finally be free from their son’s creepy bullshit. Also also, seeing Della bond with Huey was really sweet, especially how she was willing for a while to stay with him and his garden despite how boring it was to her.

  “A Nightmare on Killmotor Hill!” : again, not much to say. We get to see more of Violet’s character, along with what the kids dream of, which is a good way to reinforce their personalities but also their desires and fears (I especially like Dewey’s dream having him cry on the moon, it’s a great touch given that he spent an entire season trying to find more about his mom). And obviously, we get to see more of Lena and how afraid she is to be a bad person. I also like how it’s unclear by the end whether or not she can control her magic, which left room for season 3 to expand upon. It’s also great how by the end of the episode, her biggest comfort didn’t come from her friends but from seeing by herself the state in which Magica currently is. I don’t know why but I’d say it makes the whole thing more realistic ? Like, there’s only so much friends can do to help you, but seeing your abuser being in a terrible state is a much more direct proof that there’s nothing to fear.

  “The Golden Armory of Cornelius Coot!” : again, not much. It’s a classic fun episode with the kids trying to solve a mystery while some bad guys are on their tail. Though, I really like the whole thing with Webby trying to be more like Della, with Della starting to be a bit of a mom to her. I also liked seeing Della and Launchpad interact more and it’s still funny to see how the ship that so many people liked in season 1 is slowly fading away as we see Della having a hard time accepting Launchpad and as we have Tumblr remember how much it likes gay ships with the introduction of Penumbra and Drake (by the way, I’m not saying that Della/Launchpad is a bad ship; it’s just that I find it funny to see how quick a fandom is to change their opinion on shipping, especially when ‘gay options’ are created).

Although, Della felt a bit uncharacteristically cold and aggressive towards Launchpad, especially when compared to how she was with Dewey in “Raiders of the Doomsday Vault!”. But I guess it has to do with how she felt like Launchpad replaced her, making her more protective over her plane and her talent as a pilot.

  “Timephoon!” : so I have no memory of Bubba (the caveman duck) from the old Ducktales so I can’t compare him. But from what I’ve seen in this episode, he’s fine. Not the best character but he works as a one-off character and I wouldn’t mind a cameo or two in the future (as long as it’s not an entire episode focused on him because that would get boring pretty quickly).

Now, for the rest of the episode, I want to talk about Della, because she’s clearly the most interesting part here. Della was gone for a decade, she barely knows anything about her kids, especially the mischiefs they can get into, and that’s what the episode plays into. Della discovers that her kids don’t just get into danger from adventuring, they can put themselves in danger, more or less voluntary. And the way she reacts to it (along with the season finale) makes it feels like Donald and her never or rarely got into these kinds of situations, although Beakley’s line near the end of the episode might say otherwise. And speaking of which, I really appreciate how Scrooge and Beakley were when Della scolded Dewey. At first, Beakley was ready to step in when Louie made the comment of Della not being better than him; but Della made it clear that she needed to do it on her own. And afterwards, we see both Scrooge and Beakley respect her decision and staying silent as Louie is pleading them to step in. They know that Della needs to learn to be a good mother so they respect and support her decision. Though, if you search the name of the episode on Tumblr, there’s a post about how Della went too far given her current relationship with Louie, though it isn’t her fault as she doesn’t know him enough. You should try finding this post, it’s definitely worth giving it a read ! And yeah, there’s also a lot of other posts talking about the issue with much more analysis than I do so if you’re interested, go read the discourse on Tumblr.

  “GlomTales!” : first off, they used the takeover as the intro and I love every second of it !

Secondly, Della….yikes. Yeah. Grounding Louie was the right decision to make but forcing him to stay trapped in a room with a dangerous robot guarding him and ‘taunting’ him with recordings telling him about how much he fucked up, all the while the rest of the family is in vacation in a place he dreamed of visiting…I think you get the point. They went way too far with the punishment, so it’s no surprise when Louie wants to join the bad guys who let him do all the scheming he wants. And while Della accepted his personality more by the end of the episode, these two still need to connect more.

Speaking of the bad guys, they were pretty fun in this episode. I like how their different personalities and knowledge led them to act with each other. I especially liked Magica trying to get back her former glory and overstepping on Glomgold for the role of leader, Glomgold who is still as dramatic and dumb as ever while having actually smart schemes and I love it.

  “The Richest Duck in the Word!” : while the structure of the episode was pretty cliché (character suddenly has tons of powers but doesn’t realize the responsibilities that go with it), the ending with Louie and Scrooge was really sweet and satisfying. Honestly the season is supposed to be about Louie having a company and yet he and Scrooge didn’t have that many interactions (they still had some, but they could have more) so it’s really sweet to see them solve an issue linked to Scrooge’s company together.

And let’s not forget that Owlson finally stood up for herself and quitted (good for her honestly, she deserves a job where she can be happy and get what she wants done) and that Launchpad actually managed to land a plane without crashing (and it’s not even acknowledged !).

  “Moonvasion!” : the season finale, aka the one that should have its own post. You know what ? I’ll put the review here and, eventually, I’ll split it into its own post if it’s requested.

So, Moonvasion. Where to start. Ok, first off, it was an amazing episode. Just like the first finale, this was possibly the best episode of the season (depending of your point of view though, tastes and expectations are different). It was great to see so many characters come together and fight together, all with different fighting methods. I especially like Fenton’s mom being a protective badass, Beakley being a total badass and Gyro with his clone army (I especially love his line when everyone is debating on what to do and he’s like “Simple. Clone. Army.”. I just love the delivery here).

Secondly, I really like how they expended on Della there. As we’ve seen in previous episodes, Della still doesn’t know her kids and their abilities; so in the face of danger, she’d rather flee to protect her. On the other hand, Donald trust the kids to defend themselves and immediately starts strategizing with them. And speaking of Donald, I love how they acknowledge how much and how well he took care of the kids with the line about Della’s lullaby. In general, that entire sequence on the island with the twins and their kids (no incest intended) was probably the best part of the episode, along with the big fight with everyone and that “Hey kids.” line from Scrooge near the end. Oh yeah, and also the space fight with the moon theme playing and the family working together with the twins fighting and Scrooge being happy to have his angry babies back. This entire sequence was also amazing. And when Penumbra shows up, I love how she’s using the original spear of Selene. Again, just like last finale, the crew outdid themselves.

Another thing that I can praise here is Glomgold. I really love how they made his weird schemes work out. I also love how not only did he do this to help but he also used the situation to spite Scrooge by trolling him. Also earth baby jail. Just earth baby jail.

And speaking of strategists, I absolutely adore Lunaris in this episode. This guy was truly prepared for anything Scrooge could send him and it’s great.

Another character that I’d like to mention in this episode is Drake. Basically, watching the episode again, I’m pretty sure that guy has no fucking clue on what to do. I mean, we see him show up at Launchpad’s place at the beginning of the invasion, then he’s at the meeting with the others and gives ideas that show he’s much more on the theatrics parts of being a hero, which is fitting with him being an actor (side note that I forgot to mention earlier : I really appreciate that they made Drake an actor. It really fits with how overly dramatic he was in the old show; and it could play with his ego as well, though DT17 Drake doesn’t seem to have that big of an ego). Then, before the giant fight, he’s on a car with Launchpad and once Scrooge takes his place in it, Drake still holds onto it. And by the end of the second act, he’s trying to fight with Launchpad helping him. In other words, Drake spends the entire episode glued to Launchpad. So personally, I interpret it as Drake not really knowing what to do so, since Launchpad is the one who inspired him to be a hero in the first place and is the only one taking him seriously, Drake is going to try to stay with him and have him as support. And yeah, overall, the joke about nobody knowing who the fuck Drake is was pretty hilarious.

Finally, because no episode is perfect, here’s a few details that, while not making the episode any less amazing, still bother me a bit.

- When Della left Duckburg on a gigantic plane, how come no Moonlanders tried to follow her ? Hell, we know they came to her specifically and we see later that Lunaris was able to see her position; so what gives ? And even when they’re in Egypt, though I can understand why they wouldn’t try to follow since they only have one ship. But still, Della was able to fly for possibly hours before getting attacked, and they only got attacked because they landed on a place that was about to be invaded !

- What happened to Drake after he fainted ? Like, don’t get me wrong, I understand while we stop seeing him. After Scrooge see the landing of the ship, we get into the third act, which seems to take place a few hours after the previous scene (given that several characters changed clothing and it started freezing). And I know that, since it’s the third act, they only wanted the main characters to play a role. But still, one minute we see Drake faint into Launchpad’s arms and the next Launchpad arrives alone saying everyone was captured. So what happened to Drake ? I see three possibilities, all with a few flaws : A) Launchpad ditched Drake/the two split up. Let’s be honest, this didn’t happen. Launchpad would never let an injured person behind, especially not someone he admires so much. B) Launchpad tried to find a safe place to hide Drake so that the guy can rest; but given that they’re in an invasion, finding such a spot could be very hard. C) During the time between the two acts, they got attacked by Moonlanders and either Drake was too weak to fight and got captured or he basically sacrificed himself so that Launchpad can go try to find Scrooge; with a “He needs you more than me” move. But, again, it would feel weird for Launchpad to abandon someone but then again, if it’s for the sake of everyone by trying to find his boss, I guess it could happen. This scenario would even fit with the “everyone got captured” line. Though, if Launchpad and Drake got attacked which led to them being separated, then we were robbed of a perfectly good action scene !

- There’s a shot at some point where you can see Doofus and his family and I have two questions there : 1. Why are the parents still wearing the maid outfits (and why do they keep doing it in season 3) ? and 2. Can’t Boyd do anything to help them ? Like, I know he believes he’s a real boy but that doesn’t stop him from having some pretty powerful defense mechanisms.

Update (before the post was made; I know) : so I ended up wasting 4 hours of my life reading all of Frank’s answers that I hadn’t seen yet (the things asperger makes you do…) and apparently Doofus burned his parents’ other clothes. Still doesn’t explain Boyd tho.

- During the fight in space, when the Duck family started to lose, they took a few damages before finding themselves behind the rocket. So, if they were to take damage anyways, why couldn’t Della immediately pull them on the side to get out of the way instead of heading to certain doom ? And yes I completely understand that it was a very stressful situation so she did the first thing she had in mind. Honestly that last flaw is the one that bothers me the less in a characters’ standpoint, though it still feels like plot convenience.

  So that’s all for season 2 ! Again, I could put the finale on its own post if requested. As for season 3, it’d be in a second post. This one is long enough. The post for season 3 will most likely be split in half, with the last episode talked about depending on which episode airs last before the post is made.

[ducktracy]

167. sweet si*ux (1937)

disclaimer: the review you’re about to read entails racist content and imagery. i, in no way, shape, or form, condone or endorse any of the ideals depicted below—i find the content gross and wrong. however, it needs to be talked about. to gloss over it like nothing happened would be just as insensitive and tone-deaf. PLEASE let me know if i say anything wrong, it’s absolutely not my intent to say anything hurtful or offensive, and i want to take accountability for my actions if i do. thank you for understanding and cooperating.

release date: june 26th, 1937

series: merrie melodies

director: friz freleng

starring: mel blanc (coach, hiccup sfx, mohican)

another typical festival of dehumanizing caricatures and stereotypes, there IS one aspect of this cartoon that is rather atypical--this is the first cartoon to debut a little known song by the name of “the merry go round broke down”. the song is the second anthem for the looney tunes shorts, officially debuting as the theme song with rover’s rival, just a mere 4 months after this cartoon. with “merrily we roll along” already instated as the merrie melodies theme, implemented with boulevardier of the bronx in 1936, the merry go round broke down preface cartoons in the looney tunes series, later prefacing every cartoon after 1964 with the bill lava version instead. it would also be the song number for daffy duck and egghead (sung by daffy), as well as being sung by daffy AGAIN with substitute lyrics in boobs in the woods. needless to say, this song has its fair share of history, and has made quite a name for itself.

the cartoon itself is another parade of demeaning gags, caricatures, and stereotypes, as well as remaining relatively plotless: we get a glimpse of native american life, complete with celebrity caricatures, song, and dance performances.

i will give credit where credit is due--the opening sequence of the cartoon is executed very nicely, with some beautifully painted backgrounds, accompanied by a tranquil (and appropriate) underscore of “indian dawn”. we open to the silhouette of a native american perched on top of a mountain. as the sun continues to rise, marked by changing backgrounds, it’s revealed that the silhouette is merely a statue. 

wipe away to a pan of the village, lulling us into a false sense of security as things are uncharacteristically quiet. one of the “teepees” (looking more like a circus tent) reads CHIEF “RAIN IN THE FACE”, a take on warchief rain-in-the-face, noted for his crucial contributions in defeating general custer during the battle of little big horn in 1876. sure enough, a jerk of a pan reveals a stereotypical stoic native american sitting in front of the tent with a small stream of rain designated just for his face. the build up and reveal of the gag is clever, but the gag itself is tired and difficult to laugh at. 

more teepee gags after--one native pushes his teepee up like an umbrella, sitting contentedly beneath it in a lawn chair. the most elaborate gag, however, serves as a callback to a merrie melodies cartoon dating all the way back to 1932. from the top of the teepee pops out a bespectacled, cap wearing college student toting a ukelele. he bursts into a rousing rendition of “freddy the freshman”, a callback to the cartoon of the same name 5 years prior, directed by rudolf ising. seeing as friz himself received an animation credit on the short, the gag isn’t totally out of the blue. the song itself would become a favorite of stalling’s, used in many a cartoon. once more, stereotypes prevail as the song is broken to allow a war-chant interlude before resuming. overall, the timing is well executed, but, along with everything else in this cartoon, is diminished in appreciation on account of being so tone-deaf. two more brief gags follow--a hen giving a war-cry after laying an egg, and a hitchhiker hopping into a woman’s papoose as she strolls by. nothing remarkable, more uncomfortable than anything. the gags feel a tad bit forced and directionless in my opinion.

next, a fade out and in signifies some momentum in the story as we spot a native american on the lookout, his entire upper-body rotating 360 degrees as he keeps a sharp eye out. suddenly, he spots something--a wagon crawls into view. a closeup shows two cows lugging along a covered wagon, emblazoned with TRADER DRUM on the side in big, red letters, serving as one of the more amusing gags as we see it towing a modern camper from behind. 

particularly tashlin-esque camera angles pop up in this cartoon, especially during this sequence as the native american dashes over hill and dale, zigzagging in and out of the foreground. a good sense of audience immersion as we merely see his legs and the side of the cliff when he dashes alongside the foreground--frank tashlin would also utilize this camera/layout technique later on, this scene here particularly reminiscent of an angle used in now that summer is gone just a year later.

the native starts to write a telegraph--in the background, there’s an EASTERN ONION sign decorated on top of a counter advertising “90 words for 90 wampum”, the eastern onion sign a pun on the telegraph service western union. i’m more sympathetic to corny puns such as these, but the gag has definitely become rather obsolete and lost to the sands of time (since when was the last time anybody sent a telegraph?) the native hands it to a man behind the counter, who shoves the note outside of a hole in the tent and shows it to another native on the lookout. after reading the letter, he grabs a pipe and delivers the telegraph via morse code through the pipe. the sound of the pipe DOES align rather nicely with the underscore of “the sun dance”. and, of course, to top it all off, just as we’ve figured the telegram has ended, we get a topper of “shave and a haircut”, a hiccup sound effect by mel blanc capping it.

many a warner bros cartoon dons the catchphrase “calling all cars, calling all cars” from the 1933-1939 police radio drama of the same name, and this one is no exception. instead, however, the native american on the lookout drones in the same monotone voice “calling all braves, calling all braves, pick up a covered wagon at cactus canyon and red gulch. go get ‘em, boys.” 

thus sparks some much needed energy--natives run out and (shocker) perform some war cries, the sequence cut short in favor of one (of a few) dance sequences. i do believe bob mckimson gets an animation credit for this cartoon, and while i’m not certain, his hand would certainly explain the solidity and fluidity of this next sequence as a native dances in time to a drum beat, getting progressively faster and faster as the tempo picks up, eventually transforming into a mere whirlwind. again, credit where credit is due--the animation and the technique behind it is very well crafted. it’s a shame such talent had to be used on such caricatures and stereotypes. 

more high energy and more intriguing foreground camera angles as the natives dance around a fire. one woman beats both her stomach and her butt (makes me wonder about the hays code), another carrying her son in a papoose doing a war cry. eventually, the son carries the mother on HIS back, also doing a war cry. i wonder, did audiences then find the war cry gags as taxing as i do now? racism aside, it definitely serves as a crutch gag. 

and, of course, time for a celebrity performance: a busty caricature of martha raye, living up to her nickname of "the big mouth” as indicated by her giant caricatured lips, singing “goombay drum”. the song number is catchy and fun, but her caricature is certainly... questionable at best. cultural appropriation much? sexualized much? she would have only been 20 here. nevertheless, animation is fun and the song is very lively, but, as always, difficult to appreciate to its fullest potential. 

after her song number, animation of the natives dancing around the fire is reused as a segue between scenes. this time, two natives dance the hopak (because why not?). carl stalling’s score is certainly a highlight--his transition between music styling is wonderful as always. more fire dancing animation as another segue, this time used to fade out and back in. 

the next scene of the natives charging on horseback would be reused a year later in cal dalton and cal howard’s breakout cartoon porky’s phoney express. the natives cross the creek to get to the trader’s wagon (once more some nice foreground overlapping and animation, all things considered), where the trader begins to shoot at them while they circle the wagon. the scene (as well as underscore) is very much reminiscent of the equally (if not more so) deplorable 1936 jack king cartoon, westward whoa. 

an all out shootout occurs, the trader perching on a stool and shooting rapid fire as he spins 360 degrees, whereas a native fires back, spinning around his horse from the impact. there IS some rather unique and fun animation as a native fires his rifle, stars and sparks trailing behind. the novelty of the entire battle is lost rather quickly, however--it’s stretched too thin, too repetitive, too tired to be continually encapsulating. i will award points for creativity as the trader shoots at a line of canoes in the style of a carnival duck shooting game, but again the content of the gag is cringeworthy and uncomfortable. 

nevertheless, this is where history is made, following in the carnival theme. the natives circling the wagon suddenly lift up and ride their horses like a merry go round, underscored of COURSE by “the merry go round broke down”, marking this the first cartoon to debut the future theme song. funnily enough, tex avery would reuse this exact gag in his 1953 cartoon homesteader droopy. friz freleng’s gag has the advantage of using “the merry go round broke down” to further the gag, whereas tex at MGM had to use “man on the flying trapeze”. this isn’t the first (nor last) time tex would take inspiration from friz. coincidentally, the cartoon reviewed before this, freleng’s streamline greta green, served as the basis for tex’s one cab’s family. his 1950 the peachy cobbler is also spoofed from friz’s 1946 holiday for shoestrings. 

after the merry go round gag, the shootout resumes. we spot sidelined natives, “freddy the freshman” popping up as an underscore once more, observing the “game” as the coach paces back and forth, complete with a cheering section and everything. one native is shot right in the butt, prompting the referee to blow the whistle. the chaos screeches to a halt as two natives toting a stretcher, taking the injured “player” off the field. the minor key rendition of “freddy the freshman” does accentuate the gag rather nicely. stalling’s scores are probably the best thing about the cartoon, aside from the notoriety spurred on by the merry go round sequence. 

the coach enlists in the help of one of the sidelined players, switching from broken english (sigh) to yiddish? another gag that, at least for me, has been lost to the sands of time. the native american he’s enlisting in gives a drawling catchphrase of “ooooooohhhh yeaaaaah,” coined from tony labriola’s character oswald on the ken murray show, used in quite a few 30s warner bros cartoons (porky’s spring planting is the first example that comes to mind.) maybe a riot back in 1937, but the entire gag sequence is too dated (and again, the stereotypes of it all) to get a rise today. 

another tashlin-esque technique is employed as various footage is overlayed and reused to further the drama of the entire sequence. for me, however, this comes off as more of a tactic to fill up the time slot then to convey urgency and theatrics. this WAS the depression, so if you can reuse animation to save a buck or two, then by all means go for it, but this cartoon in general feels rather directionless and hollow, as if there was too much time left to fill and they had to think of a way to fill it up. and, of course, the overarching unpleasantness of the racism contributes to my unfavorable review. we get almost 20 seconds exactly of overlayed footage before things finally settle down.

at last, the shoot out has subsided. the animation is commendable for how fluid it is as two native americans pop up amidst the rubble, both crossing their arms. the first native is obviously surprised to see he has company, exclaiming in broken english (sigh) “who you?” the entire sequence is bogged down by cringeworthy, stereotyped dialogue. “me mohican. who you?” “me mohican.” the second mohican, obviously unpleased, grabs his tomahawk and socks his companion right over the head. i could be wrong, but the first mohican sounds like the vocal work of tedd pierce, the second one obviously mel blanc. the timing of the punchline is rather nice, i will concede, as the final line of the cartoon is “me last mohican.” an unarguably clever gag, soured by racism and stereotypes.

so, as you can obviously (or hopefully) tell, this cartoon is far from a favorite. it’s bogged down by dehumanizing and insulting stereotypes and caricatures, stereotypes and caricatures that have been done before and are awfully tired (as are all.) friz has worse entries under his belt, but he certainly has much better entries as well. this cartoon felt a bit loose and cobbled together for my liking, lots of extended scenes, reused animation, and directionless gags. it’s not quite a spot-gag cartoon, but i wouldn’t say it exactly has a concrete storyline either. it just seems to exist. there are, of course, some good qualities: carl stalling’s musical technique is creative as ever, and brightens up the monotony of many of the scenes. the animation was rather fluid in some parts, but the content being animated sours the appreciation for the full technique. not enough to save the cartoon, it at least does tote some notoriety and history with it being the debut of the looney tunes theme song (being instated as such only a few months later.) however, i can’t in good heart recommend this cartoon. too cringeworthy, too racist, too monotonous, too routine.

but, as always, i’ll provide a link. obviously view at your own discretion. 

[imagitory]

D-Views: Mary Poppins

Hello, everyone, and welcome to another installment of D-Views, my on-going written review series where I dive into and analyze movies from Disney’s extensive film library, and even occasionally those influenced by that library. For other reviews in the series for movies such as Frozen, Enchanted, The Little Mermaid, and Lacewood Productions’ The Nutcracker Prince, feel free to consult the “Disney Reviews” tag! And as always, if you enjoy any of my reviews, please consider liking and reblogging them!

Today, thanks to the votes cast by @karalora, @banana-9-pancakes, and @aceyanaheim, we’ll be looking at the story of a magical woman -- one who is prim, proper, and practically perfect in every way...Mary Poppins!

Production-wise Mary Poppins is in some ways the culmination of everything Walt Disney learned in his thirty-year-long film-making career. It adapted a classic, whimsical story as an charming, emotion-heavy screenplay, like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs -- it featured a fresh-faced, but extremely talented young singer in the title role, like Sleeping Beauty -- it seamlessly combined animation with live action, like Song of the South -- it had state-of-the-art special effects, like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea -- and it featured music by two songwriters who later went on to write Disney film scores for decades. But all of that started with a tiny, little spark. As a little girl, Walt’s daughter Diane had started reading the Mary Poppins books, and when Walt read along with her, he was absolutely enchanted by them and knew he wanted to adapt the stories for the silver screen. All the way back in 1938, one year after the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Uncle Walt had his first meeting with Mary Poppins’s creator, P.L. Travers, but as anyone who has seen Saving Mr. Banks knows, the two did not see eye to eye. Uncle Walt spent the next twenty years trying to convince Travers to give him the rights to her stories, but unlike in the film where they had a sincere meeting of the minds, Travers recalled their final meeting where she gave him the rights as being more like Walt “holding up a gold pocket watch and dangling it tantalizingly in front of [her] eyes.” Admittedly one factor in the situation was that Travers herself had been having some financial trouble, and Uncle Walt’s payment for the rights to her books, as well as a portion of the gross profits for a film adaptation, was a boost that Travers severely needed. Despite the rights being given to Disney, however, Travers retained script approval rights, and for the next few years of production, she had quite a few complaints about the product. Even at the premiere of the film -- which, incredibly, she had not originally been invited to until she shamed a Disney executive into action -- Travers was very vocal about how much she disliked the film. The animation, done by some of the best in the business? Had to go. The story, which created such memorable and likable characters? Lacked teeth. The score written by the young Sherman brothers, who later went on to win awards for both Poppins and their other works? Left her cold.

Now, here’s the thing...do I agree with Ms. Travers? No. Do I like her as a person? No -- one would be hard-pressed to really admire a woman who decided to adopt half of a pair of twins from a poor family, raise the boy thinking he was her biological son, and then try to prevent her son from seeing his twin when the twin came to see him. (Yes, she really did that.) Do I think she was a malcontent who probably wouldn’t have been satisfied with anything? Absolutely. But at the same time, I must acknowledge, as a writer myself, it can be very difficult to share your creations with others. It can be hard even letting others read your works, given how personal and emotionally resonant the things you create often end up being, but it’s even harder letting others add onto your work. In a way, it’s like giving your child to a babysitter, except that unlike babysitters, most filmmakers who aim to adapt books don’t have a great track record in respecting the author or their vision. And in regards to Walt Disney specifically, his studio has never exactly been very interested in “staying true to the original story” -- the Walt Disney Company adapts the heck out of anything it touches. Even more modern Disney projects based on books like Ella Enchanted and Tuck Everlasting are great examples of this (if you’d like to delve into those films as adaptations, please look up Dominic Smith/The Dom’s wonderful Lost in Adaptation episodes for them -- they’re both fabulous!!). And in a way, Travers never saw her magical nanny as something light and cheerful -- this was an immortal woman who in later books once took the Banks children up into the Heavens on Midsummer’s Eve. Like the famous 1939 film adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, there was definitely some dry wit and edge lost in translation from book to screen...and just like with The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins the film has largely taken the place of the original novels in the public consciousness.

But you know something? For what it’s worth...I think that, just like The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins succeeds in being a well-written, well-directed, well-performed, classic film, even if it’s so different than the book it was inspired by. And honestly, the world seems to agree. Mary Poppins grossed over $28.5 million at the box office, making it the most profitable film of 1965, and completely won over both critics and audiences alike. Even now at Rotten Tomatoes, it still boasts a rare 100% Fresh rating. It was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and won five (including Best Picture, which made it the first and only film Walt ever produced to win that honor) and also earned both a Golden Globe and two Grammys. Not only that, but the profits for the film were so high that they helped Uncle Walt fund his “Florida project,” which would eventually become Walt Disney World Resort. Mary Poppins later went on to inspire both a Broadway musical and a sequel, Mary Poppins Returns, and even today you can still meet both Mary Poppins and Bert in the Disney theme parks. So yes, “I recognize Ms. Travers had her opinion, but given that it is a stupid-ass opinion, I’ve elected to ignore it.”

PFFT, I’M KIDDING, ONLY KIDDING. Let’s talk about Mary Poppins.

Perhaps it’s appropriate that from the very beginning, the overture embraces us with the melody that will become the story’s main theme, Feed the Birds. The overture, like all the best Sherman brother overtures for films like Bedknobs and Broomsticks and The Sword in the Stone, is just a smooth, glamorous kaleidoscope of music. I also have to applaud the special effects team right off the bat with their overlaying of Julie Andrews as Mary onto the mat painting of London underneath our opening credits -- even now, when one can more easily guess how the trick worked, it’s still rather neatly done.

In this opening sequence, we also meet Bert, played by Dick van Dyke. The character of Bert was actually a compilation of several figures from the books, but that results in a very interesting, almost transient sort of character. This cheery, optimistic Jack of All Trades may have an accent that wouldn’t convince anyone, but is nonetheless unbelievably charming, and van Dyke’s physical comedy is so ridiculously on point. My mum and I have had a soft spot for Dick van Dyke for a long time because my late grandfather, although he was quite a bit older, resembled him quite a bit not just in appearance but also in attitude. Even now I look at Bert and fondly remember going to see the Broadway production of Mary Poppins with my grandparents, who ended up loving it and its music just as much as I did. It all the more makes me lament the end of the Soundsational Parade at Disneyland, which always concluded with a Mary-Poppins-inspired float covered in chimney sweeps and merry-go-round horses, one of which was ridden by Bert.

One of the changes that Ms. Travers was most disdainful of was the idea that the Banks family -- especially Mr. Banks -- had flaws that needed to be addressed and fixed by Mary Poppins. The flaw in the parents’ case is that they’re so focused on their own work and goals that they neglect their children’s emotional needs -- a plot point that would eventually get beaten into the ground in films that came later, but is not done half bad here. After all, the film doesn’t try to frame Mr. Banks’s job or Mrs. Banks’s activism as unimportant or bad in any way -- it’s just that the parents are solely focusing on those things. Mrs. Banks’s activism in particular, which is something that doesn’t appear either in the books or in the Broadway production, is something I really like. Sister Suffragette, which actually helped bring Glynis Johns on board to play Mrs. Banks, is just such a ridiculously fun song to sing. Although I wouldn’t ever say it’s the best song in the film by a mile, it’s still insanely catchy and entertaining, and I sing along to it every single time. WOMANKIND, ARISE!

David Tomlinson, who plays Mr. Banks, is easily the weakest link singing-wise, but fortunately he gives an acting performance that more than compensates for his poor vocals. From the very beginning, he comes across as incredibly pompous, self-centered, detached, and sexist, and yet he’s never shown to be an inherently bad person. He can be very cheerful, and even the way he’s framed makes it clear that a lot of his bluster is a front for his actual feelings, such as the way he falters when he realizes that Katie Nana has left the family. In the wrong hands, this role could’ve been despicable and shallow, but Tomlison handles it carefully enough that one can always see the emotion and suppressed softness in his eyes even long before he has his change of heart.

After an excellently paced entrance that involves effortlessly blowing away the line of nannies outside 17 Cherry Tree Lane, we are finally fully introduced to the magical lady herself, Mary Poppins. It is unbelievable when you remember that this was Julie Andrews’s first film role ever -- she’d previously only been a stage actress, but after finding success in both My Fair Lady and Camelot on stage and being denied the role of Eliza Doolittle in the film adaptation of My Fair Lady (which was later given to Audrey Hepburn), Julie accepted the role of Mary Poppins. Interestingly Julie was the only actor in the movie that P.L. Travers actually expressed some approval for, and honestly, I don’t blame her -- Julie is just flawlessly cast here. The role combines all of her performing strengths -- a great singing voice, expert dancing, inherent charm, sophistication, intelligence, pride, grace, and a touch of sass -- together in a cohesive, memorable character. Mary’s first song, A Spoonful of Sugar, really showcases Julie in her prime, spotlighting her flawless falsetto and precise pitch (as well as her impeccable whistling), and beautifully accompanies some of the at-the-time-revolutionary special effects. Although yes, it’s easy in the modern day to see how the effects were done, they’re never out-of-place or distracting, which is a testament to how much better practical effects can sometimes age in comparison to computer-generated effects. The things that tend to stick out most to my eyes are the green-screened stuff, simply because of how much that particular technique has been used in film and television since Mary Poppins’s release, but the nice thing is that it’s only one of many effects used, which helps in distracting the eye away from getting too used to one effect. Sometimes the effect will be stop-motion; sometimes the effect will be reversing the film; sometimes it’ll be green screen; sometimes it’ll be combining separate shots together. It makes it so that you would have to watch every scene several times and very carefully in order to pick out specific techniques, rather than just being able to go, “That’s fake, that’s fake, aaaaand...that’s fake,” the way you can while watching movies using only CGI.

Speaking of special effects, we have to talk about the sequence that made P.L. Travers the most upset -- the Jolly Holiday segment, set in an animated, living chalk drawing. Not only is the song just excellent, but the colors and energy of the piece are...well, practically perfect! It only serves to plus a song that was already pretty great and turns it into something amazing. Something else I like about Mary and Bert that I actually have to thank P. L. Travers herself for is that they are not romantically involved. Ms. Travers specifically indicated that that should be the case, and for a film made in the 60′s when male and female characters were almost always neatly paired off, it’s really neat that the two characters, despite some faintly teasing, flirty affects, never act like a couple. And really, having had both male and female friends since I was a kid, I really enjoyed seeing an attractive leading woman and man as friends. On the note of Mary, Bert, and songs I love singing along to, I would be very, very amiss if I didn’t also bring up Supercalifragalisticexpeliadocious. It’s really a very short number, but packed into it is so much energy that it feels like it never takes a breath. It’s like a sugar buzz, written into song form -- exuberant and big and loud and energetic...at least until the inevitable decrescendo as the rain wears away Bert’s chalk drawing and Mary, Bert, and the Banks children sadly return to the real world.

Our next adventure with Mary takes us to dear old Uncle Albert’s, where the aforementioned uncle, played by Mad-Hatter-voice-actor Ed Wynn, is rolling in the air laughing. This scene in particular showcases the various practical effects used in the film, whether hanging the actors on wires, putting them on one side of a seesaw, or even flipping the entire set on its side or upside down. Admittedly it’s very obvious that Katie Dotrice and Matthew Garber, who play Jane and Michael Banks, are having a harder time laughing convincingly than Dick van Dyke and Ed Wynn, which honestly is unsurprising given how many times they had to film this particular scene so as to get different shots. One story from the set of this film centers around Matthew Garber, after getting tired of recording the scene, receiving a nickle every time he had to go back onto the wires and in the end earning an “absolute fortune.” For child actors, Katie and Matthew aren’t awful, but it’s fortunate that they’re almost never the sole focus of a scene, as the more talented adult actors understandably overshadow them. And before you try to tell me it’s unfair to hold child actors to the same standards as adult actors, I grant that that’s true, but child actors can still give good performances that make them stand out as individuals...take Georgie Henley in The Chronicles of Narnia or Kirsten Dunst in Interview with a Vampire, for example. And as much as I’ll give Katie Dotrice and Matthew Garber credit for their performances, neither of them quite stands out that way. It’s admittedly a little harder for me to be that critical of Matthew’s performance, though, given that ten years after he retired from acting, he sadly passed away of pancreatitis at the age of 21. It’s very fortunate that thanks to his performance in Mary Poppins, Matthew will be remembered fondly for generations to come.

Walt Disney’s favorite song is frequently cited as Feed the Birds, and honestly, it’s little wonder why. As I touched on earlier, the song sort of sums up what the film Mary Poppins is trying to say -- that the smallest, seemingly insignificant gestures can mean so much. And isn’t that so integral to Disney, or even movies and entertainment in general? We all know of a character in a movie or TV show -- a line in a book -- a song someone wrote -- a simple smile from a stranger -- that somehow brightened up our whole world, that inspired us in ways we could never have imagined. And all of that comes back to sincere, gentle feelings, and how we can share those feelings with others. Mary Poppins, in short, is about compassion...and isn’t it little wonder why such a message resonated with so many people?

After an absolutely disastrous visit to the bank, the Banks children run out into the streets of London alone, where they’re fortunately found and walked home by Bert. Accompanying the jaunt back to Cherry Tree Lane is the Academy-Award-winning song Chim Chim Cheree, which is definitely catchy and, if I may say so, very fun to whistle. I admittedly am a little sour with Mrs. Banks that she doesn’t get a bit of a reality check when she ends up choosing to leave Michael and Jane alone with someone who’s effectively a stranger to her to go help her suffragette friends. It’s just fortunate that the “stranger” ends up being Bert and that Mary Poppins ends up coming back despite it being her day off, as otherwise Mrs. Banks’s negligent parenting could’ve had serious consequences. But the leap in logic does end up leading us into one of the best parts of the movie -- Step in Time!

Step in time, step in time, come on, matey, step in time! Hahaha, yes, this sequence easily has some of the best dancing ever recorded on film, right up there with the choreography in West Side Story and Singin’ in the Rain. It’s especially remarkable when you know that prior to Mary Poppins, Dick van Dyke had had no formal dance training, and yet he keeps up seemingly with ease with dozens of professional dancers. It blows me away every time. And despite the unending repetition of the song, it miraculously never becomes annoying due to the variety of the dance breaks and the high level of energy with which it’s performed. And really, despite the insane length of the song (it running over eight minutes all together), it amazingly never feels like padding. Perhaps it’s because the talent on screen is just so on display and integrated so perfectly with the building orchestrations and well-chosen special effects that it only serves to plus the musical action more and more and more until it finally culminates in the chimney sweeps escaping down the Banks family’s chimney and dancing off into the street.

As fun as everything has been with Mary Poppins and the chimney sweeps, however, Mr. Banks is now in danger of losing his job at the bank, and Tomlinson’s talent is made very evident once again in how, even after seeing all of his character’s mistakes and faults, we still feel very sorry for both him and for his family. Mr. Banks at first feels the impulse to blame Mary Poppins for his change in circumstances, but thanks to some pointed guidance from Bert and some compassion from his children, he comes to see the cracks in the foundation of his world view. And this goes back to the entire family needing help -- Mr. Banks is a very, very flawed man, but at the same time, as Bert brought up to Jane and Michael, he feels he has to handle absolutely everything on his own, and it’s largely thanks to the support of his children that he’s able to face the threat of losing his job with his head held high. Something I love a lot about the part where Mr. Banks makes his way to the bank alone is the Feed the Birds instrumental that accompanies his walk and that comes to a head when Mr. Banks reaches St. Paul’s, only to see the bird woman no longer there. Whether you choose to read it as the bird woman simply having left or having died or whatever else, it’s clear that every opportunity for charity and kindness we are offered is fleeting. Compassion is and will never be a passive thing.

Fortunately everything turns out for the best. Mr. Banks makes up with his children and he, Michael, Jane, and Mrs. Banks go fly a brand new kite in the park, alongside the film’s final song Let’s Go Fly a Kite. Mr. Banks even ends up getting his job back thanks to a joke that he told Dawes, Sr. the night we sacked. Even despite the cheer, however, it doesn’t feel completely saccharine and lacking of substance to me because Mary Poppins does still leave in the end. She doesn’t achieve the same kind of happy ending that she gave the Banks family -- instead she simply takes off into the air, presumably to give some other family help, with a faintly sad smile on her face. It’s remarkably mature of an ending for something that P.L. Travers thought was “all fantasy and no magic.”

Mary Poppins is not that much like the Mary Poppins books originally written by P. L. Travers. Perhaps at some points it sanitizes or misses out on what inspired Ms. Travers to write the books in the first place...but for all that is lost, I’m confident in saying that a lot was also found. There is a lot of heart in this movie, from a family growing and improving through the intervention of a wise, magical woman to finding deeper meaning in the seemingly insignificant things in our everyday lives. This movie is ridiculously fun to watch, but it’s not like the book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, where there was never supposed to be a point and it was just there to entertain children. There are lessons one can learn here, and they’re not heavy-handed or pretentious in their delivery. One can learn the value of a sunny disposition, resilience, and empathy in less than stellar circumstances and see how a family full of love is the wealthiest and luckiest of all. And the best part? Those are lessons that both children and adults could stand to learn and re-learn through watching this movie for many, many years to come. Mary Poppins is an immortal figure, and even if this film was made by human hands and so couldn’t possible recreate P. L. Travers’s vision of her, the film is just as eternally relevant itself.

[ridingbensolooooo]

Thanks for the tag @discordiavonsin it’s just what I needed to forget about stats for a little bit :) 

Put your music on shuffle and answer the questions about each artist.

Name of Artist:  Panic! At The Disco

What genre are they ? um honestly who actually knows at this point. 

How long have they been active ? since 2004 I believe

Have you ever heard them on the radio ? yeah high hopes still gets played every now and then around here 

Have they released any new music within the last year or two ? Yeah, Pray for the Wicked! Love that album to death, I’ve decided “Hey look ma I made it” is going to be my graduation song when I finish uni at the end of the year!! 

Do they have a male or female vocalist ? Male - Brendon Urie aka Beebop

Name of Artist: BTS

Would you recommend them ? Fuck yeah they’re my favourite band kids

What is your favourite lyric of theirs ? “The dawn right before the sun rises is darkest” I’m gonna get it tattooed when I save up enough money. I’ve wanted that as a tattoo for nearly 5 years now so I’m sure of my decision lmao just need money. 

What are their album artworks like ? Pretty but never over the top which is nice. The last few album sets have made a pattern if you buy all 4 versions and line them up which I have to saw I am a big fan of. 

If they stopped making music, would you be sad ? I would be absolutely devastated. They’re my favourite band! They said in an awards acceptance speech not too long ago that they were considering disbanding at the start of last year and I honest to god burst into tears right then and there. I’d be crushed. 

If you didn’t know what they look like, based off their music, what you guess they looked like ? I’d just have a stereotypical picture of pretty idol boys in mind. Which isn’t far off tbh but they’re so much more than that too. 

Name of Artist: Twenty One Pilots

How popular are they ? Depends on who you ask. They’ve had some very popular songs but people seem to forget about them when they’re not releasing new stuff? 

Have you ever seen them perform live ? I’ve seen them twice actually! Which is surprising, because I live in Australia and not a lot of bands make the trip here very often, so I’m very glad I’ve got to see them as many times as I have. They have an incredible energy when live, Tyler commands the space and Josh is fucking awesome on drums irl too.  

How did you find out about them ? I heard about them ages before I actually got into them, back in 2013 when my friend showed me this cover he was super obsessed with, and it was top’s cover of Can’t Help Falling in Love. 

What is their sexuality, if known ? They’re both in relationships with women so I’ll say straight but who knows really. 

Is their music easy to dance to ? Most of it is! They’ve got some really good beats in most of their songs, but also some of them are very slow and you just want to feel the music, not really dance. 

Name of Artist: GOT7

What instrument is the most prominent in their music ? Umm they’re a kpop band so computer?? Idk how pop music is made. 

Does your family listen to them ? Not at all, I’m the only one in my family who listens to kpop. They only listen when I make them lmao. 

Are they still making music today ? Yes! They’re coming to Australia to promote their new album which is fucking awesome because kpop bands barely EVER come here. Like I thought American and British artists didn’t come here often, but it seems like they’re here every 2 weeks compared to kpop artists TT.TT

Would you want to meet them ? I would love to! I’ve been learning korean but I’m not very good, but they have 3 members who speak fluent english so I’m sure we could manage a chat

How represented is this artist in your saved music / collection ? All of their albums are spread over like 4 or 5 playlists lmao 

Name of Artist: My Chemical Romance

When did you discover them ? I was very young, my mum is super into them and she used to play the black parade album all the time when I was a kid. I literally can’t remember when I heard them for the first time lmao. 

How many albums do they have ? 4 :( 

Which member of the band is closest to your ‘type’ / do you find the most attractive ? Frank Iero could punch me in the face and I’d thank him and tell him his tattoos look really nice that close. 

Have they gone through any line-up changes ? Um, fuck Bob. Enough said. 

Is their music more fun or serious ? The first 3 albums of theirs were very angsty and serious and like rock opera-y but Danger Days has very different vibes. More like, let’s make fun of how shit the world can be instead of wallowing in a pit of despair. 

Name of Artist: Fall Out Boy

Is the type of music / genre they play something you would typically enjoy or is their sound different for you ? Yeah man, I’ve never left my emo phase and I love their sound even as it continues to evolve. 

Based off of their sound, what would a human version of their music look like ? Hmm, depends which era you’re talking about. Early fob is emo Pete Wentz at his peak, but now their sound sort of reminds me of this instagram model I like, Vanja Jagnic.

Could you see yourself getting along with the members personally ? I feel like I would get along with them all very easily! I have it on good authority I’m a nice person, so hopefully that would carry through. 

Did somebody recommend this band to you ? Does my mum count? She likes fall out boy too and used to play them when I was younger as well, so I guess she recommended them to me in a way. 

Name of Artist: BLACKPINK

How many people are in this band/group ? 4 

When did they start making music ? 2016, I didn’t realise it’s been so long already! 

Do they have any well known songs, if so, which one(s) ? Umm not sure in western countries, maybe Jennie’s solo song? They’re pretty popular in Korea though. 

Do you listen to this artist regularly ? My housemate is obsessed with them so yeah I do listen quite a bit. 

How would you describe their music ? Pretty typical of kpop, they’re way more “edgy” than most girl groups though which I like. I’m not a fan of the cute/sexy/infant vibe that a lot of other girl groups have going on. 

Name of Artist:  Seventeen 

If they use a stage name, what is their real name(s) ? Wow this is really the wrong band for this. Okay so, S.Coups is Seungcheol, Jeonghan goes by Jeonghan, Joshua has a korean name but Joshua is his birth name so idk if it counts (it’s Jisoo though), Jun is Junhwi, Hoshi is Soonyoung, Wonwoo is Wonwoo so that’s easy, Woozi is Jihoon, DK is Seokmin, Mingyu is just Mingyu, The8 is Minghao, Seungkwan is Seungkwan although people do call him MC Boo (not sure that counts as a stage name), Vernon also has a korean name but Vernon is his birth name (Hansol is the korean name though) and Dino is Chan. Phew.

Do they regularly make pop charts ? They do in korea! They’re mid range popular, but they’re steadily getting more popular each year. 

Have you ever met them ? No, I wish lmao.

If they toured in your city, would you go see them ? I would! They did come to Australia, but I’m broke and couldn’t afford to go all the way to Melbourne to see them. 

Name of Artist: Red Velvet

Are they known for anything else besides music? Not really sure, maybe being from one of the big 3 companies in Korea? 

What is their nationality ? Korean! 

Are they a guilty pleasure ? A bit yeah lmao, I don’t listen to all of their stuff because a lot of it is not my taste at all, but the songs of theirs I do listen to fall into the category of annoyingly catchy. 

Which age group is this artist most popular with? My age and a bit younger I would say.

Has this artist ever toured in your country/state/city? Nah, SM artists don’t come here. 

Name of Artist: Falling in Reverse

Do you think it’s necessary or important to know about their personal life to ‘understand’ their music ? I feel like some of their songs are directly related to things that have happened in Ronnie’s life, so yeah to a certain extent, but a lot of the time you can get it from the vibe of the song. 

Have they ever gone on hiatus and did they return ? I’m not sure actually, I don’t follow them that closely. 

What instruments do they use ? Guitar, drums, bass, vocals, synth/keys.

What city are they from ? Las Vegas

What are your experiences with fans of this artist? I don’t really know anyone who has them as their favourite band so I’m not really sure what die hard fans are like, but everyone I know who is a causal fan seems super chill. 

I don’t really have that many people to tag lmao so I’ll just tag people in my activity recently @samanddean-winchesthair @unfade @blue-roses-and-red-rubbies @classylaughs have fun if y’all decide to do this! 

[xyloophones]

hi! :) music anon here - i just read your reply and pls give me allllll the (gay) music recs!!

this is gonna be a long list anon pls buckle up. also note that im not gonna link anything bc theres a lot but all of these songs are on youtube/spotify 

🌈 xylo’s super gay, super incoherent music rec list 🌈

the basics / the popular ones

troye sivan. i know. I KNOW. half the playlist was already him but listen ive been a troye fan since he put out happy little pill & let me tell u all his songs have such a VIBE. blue neighborhood???? an iconic album. got me thru my last 2 years of high school. to this DAY i cannot listen to suburbia without thinking about driving to watch the sunrise on my first day of senior year w my best friend, sitting in the parking lot in her car n holding hands over the center console bc we were so scared of growing up. he just EVOKES that kind of MOOD u know??

listen to: fools–– talk me down–– heaven 

frank ocean !!!! a bi ICON. i waited so long for new music n he blessed us with TWO ALBUMS. not only is his music spectacular and literally lyrically genius (”see both sides like chanel?? c on both sides like chanel???“ as a metaphor for bisexuality???? BEAUTIFUL. INCREDIBLE. LITERALLY AMAZING.) but he also just has sUCH an aesthetic. 

listen to: thinkin bout you if ur feelin soft;  ivy ––chanel–– nights if u want his newer stuff

lesbian jesus herself hayley kiyoko. anon. ANON. listen to me when i tell u that her music will change ur life. she is so RELATABLE and her songs are SO CATCHY. the girls like girls music video single handedly raised my gpa and cleared my acne. 

listen to: everything uhh girls like girls–– palace–– gravel to the tempo

kehlani. im literally so obsessed. shes again another #bi icon. her gf is really cute. im in luv w her. sweetsexysavage is her latest album n its honestly??? driving my life force???? her voice is also just so lush & smooth while also bein slightly gravely in a way that makes me blush in public a lot like how can i be so gay for just her voice??? shes also just so charming n has the cutest smile and, again, i’m gay

listen to: honey is my fav song bc it reminds me of my gf (AGAIN: IM GAY) but distraction is v cute n flirty n a longtime fav. listen to in my feelings if ur ex is awful. also: keep on –– piece of mind –– the way feat. chance are all really good. just listen to her entire discography honestly

DODIE. ive been a dodie fan since i, a repressed baby gay, stumbled upon “she” on youtube and was filled with such immense love that i immediately stanned and here we are, 2 EPs later. nothing more relatable than pining for ur str8 best friend. pls listen to “she” it literally kickstarted my gay awakening

listen to: ill say it again, she –– also sick of losing soulmates–– her cover of somebody else by the 1975 

against me. i dont know if ur into punk anon but even if ur not, consider checking out against me. lead singer laura jane grace is a super badass trans woman & trans dysphoria blues is an album with. suCH EMOTION. 

listen to: black me out , a song to plan a revolution to. im here, im queer, im angry and its a midterm election year #registertovote 

lesser known artists + singles + lgbtq+ artists that i know but am not a big fan of under the cut

let me go by tunde olaniran. i regularly cried listening to this song after a break up. if u wanna be emotional n gay this is a good one. 

somebody loves you by betty who. ok not specifically gay (i dont think???) but it was used in a rlly cute gay marriage proposal (look it up on youtube im begging i guarantee u will be smiling for the rest of the day) and they are. ALWAYS. playing this one at pride. a bop. 

boyfriend by tegan and sara. ok i know theyre technically popular but no one talks about their last album and boyfriend is a good song ok?? ok.

jenny by studio killers. another song about pining after ur best friend. can u tell i went THRU SOME STUFF in high school 

ok aGAIN i know that halsey is also technically mainstream but i didnt wanna write a whole paragraph about her. listen to strangers feat. lauren jauregui. #unpopularopinion but her last album was just “ok” dont @ me

HEART ATTACK BY LOONA. do u like k pop??? do u like gay girls???? do u like cute music videos???? my friend do i have the song for u

mary lambert. she did the hook in that macklemore song. pls listen to her other stuff its so good n soft n  “i cant think straight / im so gay / sometimes i cry the whole day” #relataBLE

everyone knows who sam smith is right?? anyway prayers is good. his entire last album is honestly so good but hes not a particular fav of mine.

elton john. a LEGEND. he’s like 150 years old but im hoping the sheer love of the gay community will keep him alive for another 150 years

ANGEL HAZE. ive been a long time fan.  v emotional n the lyrics r heavy but honestly?? so important??? one of my fav rap artists

i know a place by muna. i listened to this on the way to pride n almost cried in front of my mom, my friends, and an entire BART station full of pride goers. its a v upbeat song, im just emotional 

zolita. uhh not a big fan tbh, just not my musical style

girls/girls/boys by p!atd. ok also not technically gay (?? maybe??? there are some Bi Rumors but thats not my place to say) but anyways def a bi anthem. dont watch the music video its very “lets have two girls kiss for views” which is like. not the msg of the song but whatever i aired my salt about that in 2013 n im not going back now

idk what kina grannis’s sexuality is (again, not my business) but she does a lot of good covers and never changes pronouns. i like sweater weather and shut up and dance with me a lot. 

oh !! ben j pierce !! 2 v good songs about how gender roles r bullshit n heteronormativity is awful. hes also like my exact age n i luv his makeup tutorials. 

there are honestly so many more. also a lot im forgetting. im so sorry you had to read thru this long incoherent post w my awful typing 

anyway if u want my full gay playlist on spotify just msg me off anon and ill give u a link (this goes for anyone btw !!) im currently adding + taking things out n its a constant work in progress but u know, its at least not the same 8 songs over and over again (no shade at 8tracks tho….ha …) 

[black-arcana]

KRYPTERIA – AND THEN SHE CAME

Interview with AND THEN SHE CAME

Interview conducted Feb. 28, 2021 by Dan Locke

AND THEN SHE CAME Ji-In Cho (lead vocals), Olli Singer (guitars), Frank Stumvoll (bass guitar) und S.C. Kuschnerus (drums).

Ji-In, you are German-Korean. What is your upbringing?

JI-IN: Hello Dan, thanks for having us. My parents are both from Korea. They met in Germany where they married and started a family. I was therefore raised in a Korean manner in a German environment. You can imagine that this did not make for an easy upbringing or childhood. But it gave me the benefit of getting to know both cultures and maybe even the opportunity to combine what’s best of them.

How did you discover music?

JI-IN: I don’t remember a specific moment in my life. I remember our home as a home of music. My parents liked to sing or play guitar or piano and I remember dancing a lot to their favorite music. I am also told that I was singing all day long to songs I heard on the radio or tunes that I made up myself. So I guess that was the time where music became my inspiration.

How did you start to write music?

JI-IN: I wrote my first song when I was six years old. I always loved animals and I couldn’t understand why my father went fishing. When he came back with his haul I was very sad and refused to eat the fish. So I wrote my first song about not hurting fish.

Describe your music.

JI-IN: Well, I definitely didn’t write any more fish songs (laughs). On a more serious note, I can’t sit down and plan my songwriting ahead of time. Instead, I am more the spontaneous type who gives in to impulses, emotions, and inspirations from all around me. I try to channel those ideas, pictures, tunes, and feelings into my songwriting.

What was your first performance like?

JI-IN: If you mean my very first performance in my life, I played Maria, the mother of Jesus, in elementary school. I remember my first stage fright. After it was over I was very proud and I knew that I wanted to be on stage again.

What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?

JI-IN: It was called “I go fishing”. And no, I did not record it back then as a young girl but today I wish I had. It would be a nice memory to share with my future grandkids.

You started off in Become One a German Boy/Girl pop band, and then you were cast onto the German reality television show “Fame Academy”. Tell me about the time on the show?

JI-IN: Right after my studies at the Cologne University for Music and Dance where I was trained as a classical musician I suddenly got tossed into the pop business. As a participant in the German television show ‚Fame Academy,’ I endured three competitive months of singing, dancing, and acting. Every week we had to prepare live acts for the elimination show that was recorded and broadcasted from a studio set every Saturday night. In the end, I won the competition together with five colleagues of mine. We formed the band Become One and went on tour for a year. This is how I received my very first recording contract with a major label. It was a very stressful and emotional time in which I learned a lot about the reality of the music business.

You have appeared with the likes of Phil Collins, Sarah Connor, B3 and Ricky Martin. Did any of these artists give you any words of wisdom about the music business?

JI-IN: There were so many things to learn and to experience during the show. The personal time with the visiting stars was too brief for any chitchat or personal talk, though. However, I did spend some time with Lionel Richie during a show event that featured all ‚Fame Academy‘ winners from many participating countries. He said to me then that we should never give up if we really feel the need to be an artist. I think about his words every once in a while and to me they still ring true.

Let’s turn our focus to And Then She Came now. Guys, describe the band’s music.

KUSCH: It’s hard-driving drums, heavy guitars and intense singing galore. It’s Rock, it’s Metal, there are quite a few alternative vibes but also some pretty catchy hooks involved, too. Lyrically we tend to steer clear of your traditional boy-meets-girl topics, but rather go for a more sociopolitical approach. Let’s say there’s not a whole lot of stand-by-your-man stuff with this band.

How does the songwriting process work between the four of you?

KUSCH: Well, everybody chimes in with different creative ideas as we are lucky to have four very imaginative musicians in this band who all write and arrange. We try not to limit ourselves and instead toy around with all our combined influences and delusions. But apart from that, there is no clear-cut recipe as to how we create our songs. In Shecameville there’s a new adventure every day (laughs).

Do you belong to any to songwriters’ organizations like the International singer-songwriter association?

FRANK: We do. All four of us are members of GEMA which basically is the German equivalent to your ASCAP.

What makes a good songwriter?

JI-IN: In my opinion, there is no strict recipe. I know there are some songwriters who have fixed methods and procedures but that approach does not work for me. I have to feel free in the creative process and do not like to be limited in any way. In the end, the only thing that matters is the outcome. I think a good songwriter is able to somehow touch the listeners with his or her music.

KUSCH: I agree in the sense that a good songwriter knows how to connect with his or her core audience first and foremost. So even though the songs may not be all that good you’re obviously still doing something right and are considered successful at your craft. Now, a great or even transcendent songwriter is able to touch people beyond any genre confines. That’s when the likelihood we deem it ‚good‘ music increases significantly. But you can’t underestimate the importance of the performance itself and also whether a given song gets a chance to be heard. If „Bohemian Rhapsody“ hadn’t been a hit, would it be a lesser song? I don’t think so. There are probably thousands of gems out there that never got a proper forum.

You used to be in the band Krypteria. Why did you change up the band?

KUSCH: In 2012, following a killer Asian tour, Ji-In was about to become a Mom so we unanimously decided to put Krypteria on hold for an indefinite time. Then one day our bass player Frank was asked to create the soundtrack for a German-American movie. But instead of taking on this task all by himself, he brought in Ji-In, Olli, and myself. The creative process took on a life of its own, and all of a sudden we found ourselves working on songs for a full-fledged Rock album. Now, even though And Then She Came started out as just a movie soundtrack project, we just had to go on. Why? Well, I guess we’re just unable to get rid of each other even after all those years, aren’t we?

How did you first establish your band back in 2004?

KUSCH: The three original guys in Krypteria first had a band together in the Nineties and despite not working together all the time we never quite lost contact. So when the idea of starting something new came up in 2004 all we needed was an outstanding vocalist. Preferably a vocalist with a knack for energetic performances while not showing any signs of lead singers’ disease. Ji-In, who we had met during a studio session a year prior to that, fit that bill just perfectly so we asked her if she was interested in jumping aboard, and fortunately, she was. Then Olli was brought into the fold in early 2010 so the four of us have been working together for more than a decade now albeit under two different names.

Krypteria’s single “Liberatio” was used as part of a charity campaign to aid the Tsunami victims in Southeast Asia. What is the musical difference between Krypteria and And Then She Came?

JI-IN: And Then She Came is much rougher and it’s more about the synergy of organic rock instruments and electronic elements. We like to think that we still have good melodies, though. That’s really important to each of us.

KUSCH: The main difference between Krypteria and And Then She Came might indeed be the edgier and less theatrical touch that is particularly evident in the arrangements and our individual performances. I guess thanks to said more organic approach we were able to again turn it up a good notch in terms of sonic intensity, depth, and the overall vibe right off the bat compared to our prior releases.

What else did you change compared to your time with Krypteria?

JI-IN: We consciously made the choice to release our albums by ourselves. Yes, it may be tough sometimes because of the extra work and responsibility this kind of independence and freedom entails. Especially for a lot of stuff that, at least on the surface, has little to do with making music. That said, it’s a tremendous opportunity to shape our future as a band as we see fit. And as Kusch likes to say, if we screw up, then at least we’ll die by our own sword.

How did you come up with the name?

JI-IN: Actually, we chose And Then She Came because we wanted people to think, to find their own interpretation as far as the meaning of the name is concerned. Just as there is never only one point of view or one universal truth, there are many possible interpretations for this name. Sometimes it’s very funny how just one headline can lead to different background stories in one’s head. Even with all the information out there you still have to come to your own conclusion. That’s why we found And Then She Came as a name very interesting. For instance, I naturally think about the name in a totally different way than some men do (winks).

Do you think that your old fans will follow your new band?

JI-IN: I really hope our fans from back then continue to find us and are happy that we are back even though it’s with a different kind of music. And I really, really hope that they like our new sounds and songs.

Tell me about your debut album?

OLLI: You could call it the beginning of our creative rollercoaster ride. It felt like all the unused creative energy was suddenly breaking through. This and the fact that ATSC actually started as a studio film score project is probably the reason for the enormous amount of different colors in our music. Now, after the release of our second album „Kaosystematic“ and being in the middle of the process of writing new material for our third album, I can clearly say that starting this journey is the best thing we have ever done so far.

How was it to work with Arch Enemy’s Alissa White-Gluz and guitarist Jen Majura of Evanescence?

KUSCH: Well, we’ve known Alissa for a number of years now, and not only is she a killer performer, but she is an amazing soul as well. See, she’s a pro’s pro. She’s a warrior, she has to be. But as a friend, she is super sweet and she doesn’t mind going that extra mile. When we asked her if she was interested in adding that signature beast mode intensity of hers to our song „Five Billion Lies�� she didn’t even blink. Now, Jen, we have known for way over ten years, and it’s always great meeting her at a festival, a show, or a music fair. She’s such a sweetheart and an awesome guitarist, and we’re so proud of her for hitting it big with Evanescence. Her guitar solo on our song „Spit It Out“ is nothing short of spectacular. It’s amazing musicianship, creative cleverness and a fistful of good-natured cheekiness all rolled into one. Beautiful!

What is your favorite video of all time you have created?

FRANK: My favorite ATSC video is our 2018 tour movie „As The Lights Go Down“ in its entirety. It brings back great memories of a fun tour.

KUSCH: Good call! Aside from that for me, it’s a close call between “As The Battle Rages On“, “Sick Of You“ and “Public Enemy #1“. That said I like the respective messages behind „Perfect As You Are“, both the video and the tour version.

OLLI: Definitely “Perfect As You Are“. Actually, we did two videos for this song. It was an extremely demanding shoot, cause I literally switched positions constantly. Between performing and directing there was no minute of rest. But it was absolutely worth it. I really enjoyed Ji-In’s playfulness in her role as ‚Korean Marylin Monroe‘. Yet the second version is my favorite. It takes the original message of the song and projects it onto the ATSC team as a family. It is still heartwarming for me to see our crew’s performance in front of the camera during the whole video. We love you guys!

What are your feelings about streaming music?

FRANK: While streaming is very convenient and fast, for us musicians there is no significant advantage in my opinion. Granted, your work is available to more potential listeners, but the net is being flooded with new digital content ever since streaming took over, so making a name for yourself is even more difficult than it used to be. Also, the artists merely receive breadcrumbs for creating the fuel these platforms run on. You simply cannot support yourself through streaming. That’s why all the bands have to make their money on the road. It’s a vicious cycle. The author and performer should get a fair share of the profits when their music is being streamed, similar to what we had in the past with mechanical releases. The only winner in this so far is the big media companies.

If you couldn’t do music what would you like to be doing?

KUSCH: Too scary! So in true Rock musician’s spirit, I’d probably choose denial and stick with something along the lines of ‚damn the torpedoes‘ or ‚the best is yet to come instead.

Digital vs. vinyl?

FRANK: That’s a good question. It depends on your preferences and maybe your age. Back in the days I really liked listening to one side of vinyl on constant repeat while closely studying the sleeve. It made me feel like I was a part of it. Digital made everything easy, you can carry the whole world of music and movies on your cell phone. But can you really develop a deeper connection to the work a musician put so much time and dedication into? Maybe that’s why vinyl has been making a steady comeback recently?

What is the mental health situation of the World?

OLLI: Over the years we met a lot of people all over the world. And with many of them, we became close friends. It is heartbreaking how they all tell the same. Egoism seems to be overtaking everywhere. And this started already long before the pandemic. There are so many challenges for us as a species in order to build a better and safer future. For us, for our children, and for our planet and its entire ecosystem. But unfortunately, people always find reasons why they themselves don’t have to act. Ultimately this egoism leads to most of our problems we as human beings have to deal with these days.

What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what does that song mean to you?

OLLI: “Where Do We Go From Here?“ from our first album. Not only because it was the first song we ever played in front of an audience. But also because it sounds like a good headline for every single day of the last year.

KUSCH: In times of turmoil it can’t hurt to put on „What a wonderful world“ or John Lennon’s „Imagine“. With so much deception, aggression, and us-against-them in the world right now a healthy dose of positivity is what we need. And even if you don’t agree with everything Lennon said or did you really must be an all-out asshole to not share the hope that someday the world actually will live as one.

Do you feel the Covid-19 virus is going to affect the music business in the future?

FRANK: No doubt about it, as it is currently killing the whole industry. All touring activities unexpectedly got frozen, and there’s no telling when we will be allowed to return to our every day’s work. Nobody knows what will happen and who will still be in business when it finally starts to return to some sort of normalcy. But there will be a very different musical landscape for all of us, I fear. More like a “new normal” similar to what transpired after the 9/11 attacks.

What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?

OLLI: Learning. A lot about myself and my very own abilities to stay strong in order to be there for my family. It has been a tough year and it still is. But love and hope keeps me going. My thoughts are with the people who lost a loved one. But in the end I am sure that we can come out stronger than we have been before. For sure that will be the case with ATSC. Somehow we are growing together even more. But I guess that is what artists are like. Make them eat shit and they deal with it in their own ways. Nonetheless it’s a tough fight for our and our families’ existence. I can already say that this is obvious when you listen to our new material.

Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?

FRANK: I’ve been running a lot lately, more than ever before actually.

OLLI: Not a new one. But I had much more time for my biggest passion besides the music. I am an outdoor guy. I even live between lakes, forests and mountains. So whenever I can, I just grab my backpack and vanish into the wilderness for a couple of days. You can’t find me at home, in a tourbus or in a studio? Try looking somewhere in the wilderness. But maybe you wanna bring a thermal imaging camera. Stealth as stealth can be!

KUSCH: For me it’s more and more long walks in nature, minus the vanishing. Also I had the chance to follow the NFL season more closely than I had been able to recently. Plus, the lockdowns we’ve had over here allowed me to work on some old gear I still had sitting around. And while this is all nice I can’t wait to go on the road, meet people and enjoy the overall experience again. I really miss it.

95% of people said that they have changed the way they watch television. This includes people who don’t have television and use their computers to do streaming of programs and movies. Which is your favorite streaming channel?

OLLI: I am a huge movie addict. So streaming platforms became a good alternative to me. Especially since I am spending a lot of time on the road. Carrying a DVD collection wherever I go wouldn’t be realistic at all. But to be honest I don’t have a favorite channel. Each one has its strengths. And yes, I have subscribed to probably every one of the known platforms (laughs).

How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merch to them at the show?

KUSCH: Well, doing an interview with UnRated sure is one excellent opportunity to reconnect.

What about Holographic concerts in our living room?

KUSCH: Do we really need less incentive to get out of the house and interact with actual human beings? Or even more technology for that matter? Take Autotune or what CGI does to movies. What was created as tools to support the arts is now dominating them. For example, given the choice between 1982’s ‚The Thing‘ and what was supposed to be its prequel from 2011 I’ll pick Carpenter’s movie any day. Same with real-life concerts in actual venues with actual people on, behind, and in front of the stage.

How do you stay healthy while touring?

FRANK: Living on a tour bus and in venues for weeks at a time is obviously very different compared to being home. You need to get ready way before you go on tour and there surely are many ways to prepare.

My personal one is I run every other day. Now once a tour has started there’s always a big party happening on the bus after the shows with great loud music and you get your booze for the night. Come to think of it, maybe this is my personal way to stay not-so healthy while touring (laughs).

Is pay-to-play still a thing? Now pay-to-play also means things like playlist on the internet?

KUSCH: Well, I don’t know about the internet but in the touring business it is. That said, in Europe, it’s more that you pay your share of production, transportation or catering costs, things you actually benefit from. So it’s not like you dole out cash just to be allowed to perform in a support slot. At least we never had to.

Any new music coming up in the new year?

FRANK: Due to the situation surrounding the pandemic everything’s in limbo. But as soon as scheduling any concerts and tours make sense again, our third album will be out right away, be it this year or early in 2022. This band is never short on inspiration, after all within the first three years of our existence we’ve released two studio albums, a live album, a live DVD, and a tour movie. So naturally, we are writing all the time, exchanging ideas. If this Covid thing lingers on any longer we may end up with a total of 500 new songs. Good luck to us trying to decide which of these will make the record (laughs).

Anything you would like to say in closing?

KUSCH: Enjoy life cause it might well be the only one you have. And stay safe and sane out there cause we want our friends and fans to be healthy, so we will get to see you on tour at some point. For those of you who haven’t listened to And The She Came go and give our music a shot, you might actually dig it. And come and see us live if you can, but make sure to stick around after the show cause we’d love to get to know you better. And bring a friend or twenty (laughs).

JI-IN: Yes, we can’t wait to get out and meet you guys, and feed off your energy on stage. In the meantime take good care of yourself everybody!

[crosswhenandwhere]

Top 30 Most Underrated Albums!!

My top 30 favorite albums that I think are lovely and should be praised WAAAAY more than they are! Everything on here is great and I recommend all these albums!

30. Bon Iver - 22 A Million

Bon Iver takes his sound to the most experimental. Vocoder passages are super dope, 715 Creeks is an insanely underrated tune.

29. Siriusmo - Mosaik

Great kitschy synth music. Catchy, lighthearted, sweet and playful.

28. Bones - Useless

Best underground soundcloud rap album in my opinion. Cavernous, edgy, loud and depressing.

27. Mellowhype - Numbers

For an album with what I consider to be one of the best Frank Ocean features ever I hardly see it talked about in hip-hop circles. Great album.

26. Justice - Audio Video Disco

Grossly overshadowed by it’s monolithic older brother Cross, Audio Video Disco still serves bangers. Civilization is one of my top 10 songs of all time but On’n’on, Helix and New Lands should not be overlooked!

25. Gesaffelstein - Aleph

If I had to describe Aleph in a single word it would be brooding. Runners up include expensive, violent and scary.

24. Duck Sauce - Quack

If anything proves that we are long overdue for a full length A-Trak solo album, it’s this.

23. Yung Lean - Unknown Memory

Cloud rap pioneer Yung Lean’s opus. Volt, Sunrise Angel, Sandman and Blinded are all incredibly ahead of their time.

22. Playboi Carti - In Abundance

This one comes with a bit of a caveat considering it is a fan-compiled mixtape and not an official album but many of the songs on this project in my opinion stack up against highlights from S/T, Die Lit and WLR.

21. Dead Can Dance - Within the Realm of a Dying Sun

Referring to this album as moody and ambient don’t do it justice but for the sake of keeping  this list concise it will have to do. Dead Can Dance deserve the highest order of praise for this medieval epic.

20. Porches - The House

A melancholy and personal look into Porches frontman Aaron Maine’s experiences with social anxiety and depression. It’s groovy and will have you dancing with tears in your eyes.

19. Oni Ayhun - Oar003

Only two tracks long which makes it the shortest album on this list, Olof Dreijer of The Knife, under the pseudonym Oni Ayhun, makes curious, twinkling techno on Oar003.

18. Amnesia Scanner - Another Life

Abrasive and glitchy, german electronic duo Amnesia Scanner’s first album is not for the feint of heart but anyone who decides to keep an open mind (and the volume knob sitting lower than usual) will find some truly captivating moments of electronic brilliance on this record.

17. Mr Oizo - All Wet

Absolutely fucking hilarious album. With features from Skrillex, Boys Noize, Peaches and even Charli Xcx. All wet is modern dadaism and if you don’t believe me make sure you check out No Tony and Chairs in particular.

16. Crystal Castles - Amnesty (I)

I do not understand why this album isn’t  considered more when talking about Crystal Castles’ discography. It sounds related to their self titled trilogy but takes the band’s style in a less dance oriented, more experimental almost instrumental hiphop direction. Edith Francis’ vocals are great and the songs Ornament and Fleece stand out in particular, not to mention that the bonus track Kept may be one of the group’s best.

15. Simian Mobile Disco - Murmuations

Very low-key electronic music from Simian Mobile Disco, Murmurations features some flooring choral pieces backed by soft dance patterns. Great relaxing listen for fans of Caribou, Jamie XX and Chrome Sparks.

14. Mdou Moctar - Ilana (The Creator)

Where to even begin with this one! Mdou Moctar is a guitarist from Niger and Ilana (The Creator) is in my opinion his best work. Fuzzy rock music that sounds like it’s being played from 50-foot monitors in the middle of the Sahara.

13. Chemical Brothers - Further

Chemical brother’s second sleekest album after born in the echoes, Further has glamour that you’re seldom able to find elsewhere.

12. Boys Noize - Mayday

Absolute fucking rager of an album. Featuring Policia, Remy Banks and Hudson Mohawke among others, Boys Noize is in your face and doesn’t give a shit on Mayday. The remix of Birthday released after the album with Danny Brown is priceless.

11. Nico - Desertshore

Break out the tissues if you plan on listening to Desertshore today, this album is unrelentingly melancholic. Nico’s vocals sound almost ghost-like at times and the instrumentals on here are gorgeous.

10. The Newcomer - Earth Motivation

Sopping wet with OPN influence, Earth Motivation is glitchy but retains an emotional quality that will sit with you for a while after your first listen. Perfect for fans of Autechre, Oneohtrixpointnever and Venetian Snares.

9. Tami T - High Pitched and Moist

High Pitched and Moist is definitely not for everyone, but if you like your pop smeared with autotune and in-your-face sexuality then Tami T’s 2019 album is perfect for you! I recommend this one for any fans of Fever Ray and GFOTY.

8. Ryuichi Sakamoto - Async

From the jump, Japanese avant garde classical composer, pianist, electronic musician and synthpop legend Ryuichi Sakamoto hits you where it hurts on Async. The first tune Andata is one of the most beautiful and soul crushing instrumental songs I have ever had the pleasure of hearing, but the quality remains consistent throughout the entire record.

7.  Blanck Mass - World Eater

Holy. Fuck. Drop whatever you’re doing right now and listen to this album. I don’t care if you’re in a business meeting or getting lunch, World Eater demands the utmost attention. After hearing the transition from the end of Rhesus Negative to Please my life was never the same. I can’t sing Blanck Mass’ praises enough so you’re going to have to check this one out yourself but I guarantee you will NOT be disappointed.

6. Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxygene

French synth deity Jean-Michel Jarre’s intergalactic journey Oxygene is a record that soars above and beyond its compatriots (namely Mort Garson’s Plantasia and Jean-Jacques Perrey’s Moog Indigo) and will take you on an extra-planetary voyage from which you may never return. I recommend listening to this album with the best sound system you have available to really get the most out of it.

5. The Knife - Shaken-Up Versions

Technically The Knife’s last album before their retirement (not counting the Terminal 7 Live album), Shaken-Up Versions sees Karin and Olof Dreijer metamorphosing songs from all across their discography into dancefloor fillers. Electronic musicians retooling their material into more danceable, DJ set ready tracks is nothing new (See Alive 2007 and All Across the Universe) but the Knife’s catalog is already so impressive that hearing classics transmogrified like this is a phenomenal experience that I don’t want any dance music fans to miss out on! They reworked Silent Shout for christ’s sake how can you not love this.

4. Geinoh Yamashirogumi - Ecophony Rinne

Katsuhiro Otomo famously tapped Geinoh Yamashirogumi for the soundtrack to Akira, but what some of you may not know is that, while working on the Akira manga, Otomo was listening to this record in particular which inspired him to collaborate with the collective for the Akira film. Ecophony Rinne is like nothing I have ever heard before or since. It’s got a tectonic quality to it that makes you think you’re witnessing an extinction event or the birth of a new universe while listening which is an experience I highly recommend, ESPECIALLY for fans of the Akira manga and film; this album sounds like how Akira looks and Akira looks damn good.

3. Buy Muy Drugs - Buy Muy Drugs

Slept on in every regard, Buy Muy Drugs is a triumph of experimental and industrial hiphop. The duo made up of rapper Denmark Vessey and producer Azarias are welding together grime, bass music and afro-cuban percussion into a dystopic and pummeling listening experience that gets better and better with every listen. To quote JPEGMAFIA, “Death Grips can’t do this shit”.

2. Susumu Hirasawa - Technique of Relief

This album is jaw-dropping. It’s pop, ambient, traditional-Japanese experimental choral synth music delivered with soaring, regal grandiosity. One of the closest things to musical perfection I can think of, Technique of Relief is an album that even now I am having a difficult time describing. Intensely emotional yet hopeful; groovy but substantive, Susumu Hirasawa penned an oeuvre with this record.

1. Daft Punk - Human After All

The number one spot goes to the black sheep of the world’s most beloved electronic music making androids’ discography. Panned on release for being “spread thin” and “too minimal”, (The Village Voice went so far as to call the album “ a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought “) Daft Punk’s third album Human After all is definitely different from it’s rhinestone studded predecessor but in the absolute best way possible. It’s groovy, dark, emotional, tragic, minimal, distorted and it yields some of the robots’ best tracks (Human After All detractors seem to forget that Technologic, Robot Rock and the title track do not actually stem from the Alive 2007 Coachella set but rather find their home on this album). Sleeper gems like Make Love, Emotion, Television Rule the Nation and Prime Time of Your Life range from introspective and moody RnB that would not feel out of place on a Sebastien Tellier record to blown out, gravelly rock oriented tunes that remind the listener of Daft Punk’s roots as french garage rockers. Phenomenal album, criminally underrated.

[sevenclowds]

ang's epic adventure 2k17

The extremely long-winded, full director’s cut, bonus edition of 4 days spent chasing round the country after Frank Iero. I don’t expect anyone to read all of this, but I wrote it for my benefit bc I don’t want to forget any details of my epic adventure. Warning: very long and emo. Scenes of crying & general fangirling.

LIVERPOOL Sept 21 2017

I got the train down from Edinburgh to Liverpool in the morning and arrived around lunchtime. It felt weird being on my own so far from home yet this area is where I grew up so I was both home and far from home and it was the oddest combination of feelings. I wandered around the city listening to the scousers and enjoying hearing that accent again. My hotel for the night was Parr St Studios, a really cool place that is still a working recording studio that has been used by the likes of Coldplay, Pulp, and The Smiths, but still manages to find space for a few hotel rooms. I have to say, even though I was forewarned about the noise on the website, it is without doubt the loudest, least restful place I've ever stayed in. Imagine trying to get some shut-eye on the floor of a night club and you might have some idea. I still loved the place, don't get me wrong and would stay there again in a heartbeat because it was so cool. I sat in my room that afternoon listening to the same guitar riff being played downstairs over and over and over for 2 hrs. It was pretty catchy until they added some autotune vocals which, if they want my opinion, sorta spoiled the vibe. But I was in Liverpool, the home of good music, in a literal recording studio, looking out at The Arts Club, where Frank and the boys would be playing that night. I was happy and buzzed. Life is good!

View from my window:

The Arts Club is that building with the checked brick design. From my perfectly placed spying window, I could see the band coming and going out the side door. Matt came out for a cigarette, Frank came out to make a phone call, Derek Zanetti came out in his floral sweater and hugged some random person, one of the Paceshifters crew paced and shifted. It was compulsive viewing. (If you zoom in really far you'll see Matt outside smoking.) I see you, Matt Olsson.

At 7pm I made my way down in the rickety lift (one of those old fashioned ones with the grille and concertina door that gives you a workout just trying to get in the damn thing) and walked next door to the Arts Club.

THE SUPPORT BANDS Paceshifters This Dutch trio consists of a pair of super-cute brothers with nice hair and a half-naked drummer. They've obviously listened to a lot of Oasis/Smashing Pumpkins bc the lead singer has a similar grungy nasal voice. Some of their songs go on a bit and have quieter contemplative moments that are probably great to listen to at home, but make the folks at the show head for the bar. Overall, a promising act. I liked them a lot but I think they were maybe just a little too nervous to project their presence fully.

The Homeless Gospel Choir Derek Zanetti, aka THGC, arrives onstage and instantly owns it. With his flowery sweater, slightly out of tune acoustic guitar, big earnest blue eyes, large glasses, and his heart on his sleeve, he proceeds through his set of "folk punk protest songs" like an endearing steam train, gathering speed and the audience's attention as he goes. "This is a protest song!" he yells before every single song, and we can't stop smiling and laughing and cheering him on. He's the very definition of punk: an outcast, no longer trying to fit into any mould, proud to be different, and reminding the room that we're "never gonna be normal cause you're a punk!" I luff him.

Dave Hause & the Mermaid So after all that excitement, on comes Dave Hause and his mermaid friends. I'd love to like this band, but for some reason they offend my musical sensibilities. To my ears, their sound is very middle of the road rock, the kind of thing I used to listen to in the late 80s/early 90s before Frank & co were old enough to invent good music. Perhaps that's my problem with them, they remind me of past times, and I've moved on from the Bryan Adams phase of my life and don't particularly need to revisit it. The band is competent enough, but I just wish they had some songs that made me feel alive and want to clap my hands of my own accord, rather than being forced to clap by a frantic Dave Hause whose sole purpose in life seems to be to make every single audience member clap along to every single second of the show while singing 'Oh-oooohh", which incidentally, seems to be the chorus of every song. Two identical blokes near the front pumped their fists and sang to every single word, so obviously my lukewarm opinion wasn't shared by everybody. Plus, Evan clearly enjoyed them, because I spotted him up on the balcony taking some video during their set:

FIATP Finally, to the dramatic strains of the Interstellar soundtrack, our heroes took to the stage. As the first guitar chords rang out, they were completely captivating as usual. Their set consisted of a mix of old and new, BFF and No Fun Club from the new EP, and Helter Skelter to please the Beatles fans in the audience. Frank told us, "We're going to play some songs tonight that we haven't played in a long time. There's some songs that we don't normally play. There's some songs that we do play a lot so, uh, you can just pretend to be surprised by all of them!" At one point someone shouted, "Matt Olsson is sexy as fuck!" to which Frank shot back, "That might not be true!" Nice to see some Matt love :) The crowd, although very enthusiastic, wasn't quite as lively as I'd imagined a scouser crowd would be, and nothing like as rough and bruise-inducing as the Glasgow crowds I grew up going to shows with. I think a lot of that was to do with the stage being so wide which made the audience seem a little sparse. Even at the back, there would be only about 10 people in front of you. Overall, though, it's a wonderful venue for being able to see the band because everyone is close and I got some great pics and video :)

Videos: BFF | I’m a Mess | Helter Skelter | Matt Olsson love

After the show, I wandered among the merch booths. The Paceshifter boys were looking a little sad and lonely so I signed up for their mailing list, took a sticker and told them I liked their stuff. I felt like a mother trying to give encouragement to her kids. You did great! Keep up the good work! I made Paul Paceshifter smile so my work was complete. Then I bought a 5 quid patch from the Homeless Gospel Choir and Derek was so appreciative you'd think I'd just paid off his mortgage. He asked my name, took my hand, looked at me with those piercing blue eyes of his and thanked me profusely for my generosity. I got a photo with him. "We're two peas in a pod!" he said. I'm not sure what he meant but I just laughed and agreed...

Then I noticed Evan on the stage, coiling up cables, and figured I'd annoy him next. I shouted his name and he came over and we chatted about the fact that I'd met him in Baltimore (I don't think he remembered me but whatever, I still consider him to be my friend dammit!) and that we'd had a conversation about Nando's being his fave British restaurant. I asked him if he'd had his Nando's fix yet and he said yes he'd eaten lunch there and then proceeded to natter about how good their chicken is and how he can't get it back home. He said he'd felt really off tonight because of jet lag and that he'd played probably his worst show ever. I told him I disagreed and that I thought he did great (again with the parental pep talk wtf). Then I remembered that @phantomseverywhere would kill me if I didn't get a pic of Future Husband™ so he came and sat on the edge of the stage and we got this pic:

He said he was so exhausted that he didn't think his image would show up in the photo. Bless. Poor Evvie.

I went outside and there were so many people out there. It's a busy night club district and apparently Thurs night is party night for Liverpudlians. I went back to the hotel briefly to get some wifi so I could send updates and pics. Then I came back down at midnight to see if the band were out yet. There were a fair number of fans standing around waiting but gradually they all trickled away until it was just me, a 14 yr old called Mia and her dad, and a small group of maybe 6 people. I struck up a conversation with Mia because she was sweet and had X's on her eyes. This was her first time seeing Frank and she was super excited. Then Frank came out, wheeling a box of equipment down the road and across the cobblestoned street (they must hate Europe!). Mia was like, "It's Frank! OMG it's FFRNAK!" and we got to shake his hand and get some photos and he said he'd come back out and chat after they'd loaded the van. He looked very cold with at least 3 layers, hood, hat and thick gloves. It wasn't actually very cold at all. Bless our Frank and his lack of circulation.

All the bands were loading their own equipment into the van. I guess I thought they might have crew to do that for them but they only had a skeleton crew. (So very proud of that joke! Sorry, couldn't help myself.) I kinda felt like asking them if they needed help (again, mom mode) but would they find that weird and I expect they're very protective of all their expensive kit and wouldn't want the likes of us touching it. A group of drunk girls walked past, and asked if they were famous. "Who are you? Have we heard of you? Are you famous?" To which Alex replied, "Yes, we're all famous!" but the girls obviously didn't believe him and walked off. I said, "Alex! I know you're famous. Can I get a photo with you?" and his little face lit up. He complained that no one ever recognizes the bass player, to which I reminded him that I did indeed recognize him and here we were taking a selfie and could he please shut up and smile ;)

Then Frank wandered over to us, clearly ready to sign things and chat. Mia had a sharpie so we all got stuff signed. Someone said they would be at the Glasgow show in Oct and he said that show is on the year anniversary of the accident. I asked him how his shoulder was and he said, "It suhks! I'm in constant pain." :( I asked him if he was getting massage therapy and/or physical therapy and he said he was getting PT. He told me he'd torn the tendon from the bone, so it sounds like a rotator cuff injury, which are notorious for taking many months and even years to heal :( He said he'd been offered surgery to fix it but didn't really want to go under the knife. "I don't want them to cut me." (OMG could he be more vulnerable and lovable?) He said, "Is it getting any better? No. But is it getting any worse? No. So I'm just going to wait it out for now." I left feeling so immensely grateful that he puts on shows for us and plays that damn guitar even though he's in pain. Props to you, kiddo! You're amazing!

I went back to the hotel and spent 2 hrs coming down from the high of meeting Frank. I'd finally met him. Bloody hell, it's been 12 years and I got there eventually, due to a gargantuan effort, meticulous planning, and much expense  in plane fares and hotel bills. Totally. All. Worth. It. I messaged my husband and he was so excited for me. He posted to Facebook, “If your wife’s going to run off with someone, it may as well be Frank. No shame in that.” Love that man and his tolerance of my weird hobbies :) At about 3.30am I eventually figured I might be calm enough to sleep, but the noise was un-fucking-believeable. My window was locked open which meant my room was freezing and all the nightclub sounds from outside in the adjoining building were so loud. I might as well have been outside. Even with earplugs, a hoodie, and a pillow over my ears, it was hopeless. I maybe got 3 hrs of low quality sleep and at 7am figured fuck it I might as well get up and go to Leeds.

LEEDS Sept 22 2017

Took the train to Leeds and checked into the hotel right next to the Key Club. I love a venue right next to a hotel. Makes things so easy :) It was a trendy hotel and I wasn't sure I liked this cricketer in my shower who freaked me out every time I used the bathroom.

I had too much nervous excitement to eat but I forced myself to have a bowl of soup for dinner. I wasn’t feeling that great tbh. The sleep deprivation was starting to get to me and I wondered if I'd be able to stand for the 4 hr show again that night. What was I thinking? Teenagers can do this night after night but can old people? Do I have the stamina? Was this all a big mistake?

I made my way to the Key Club and Paceshifters were already on stage. The venue was small (tiny!), long and narrow so that only a few people could be at the front. It was dark, cosy, and welcoming. Instantly, I was home again and I tucked myself into the crowd, all tiredness evaporating. I couldn't think of anywhere I'd rather be. I was living! How stupid I'd been to think I needed sleep! Nope, what I needed was 4 hours of live punk music. Yes!! I saw lots of familiar faces from the previous night. The two identical Dave Hause enthusiasts were there, fists pumping and heads banging during his set, and I got chatting to a couple of girls who had come from Canada and Germany to this show. Then FIATP came on and the room went fuhkin WILD!!! Congrats, Leeds. You definitely won the prize for most energetic crowd. Bloody. Hell. The room moved in waves and I didn't really stand a chance of doing anything but go with it. I impersonated flotsam for a couple of songs until I managed to extricate myself and get to the side of the room. Frank later informed us that it was a sold out crowd. Go Leeds! We were treated to Helter Skelter again, and also It Ain't Easy (a Bowie cover). Loving the covers, guys. During the encore break the crowd started chanting "Oh Jeremy Corbyn!" which was the greatest thing ever tbh. It was obvious that a bunch of Americans weren't going to know who Jeremy Corbyn is and Frank came out looking amused and confused. "To be honest," he said, "I have no idea what you guys are saying but it sounds fucking awesome!" Haha omg.

Videos: Oh Jeremy Corbyn! | It Ain’t Easy | Remedy

I didn't hang around to meet the guys after the show because 1) I didn’t want to bother them every night and 2) because I really needed to get an early night. The show finished at 10.13 and I was back up in my hotel room by 10.15. Get in!

THOUGHT BUBBLE Sept 23 2017

So this was going to be my day off. All I had planned on my itinerary was "Hang out in Leeds". The next show wasn't until the next day so I thought I'd have an easy day wandering around before getting the train to Manchester. But then I found out about Thought Bubble, a comic con which was happening. In fucking Leeds. The actual place I was already in. That day. The actual day I had off. So what's a girl to do but go see Gerard Way. Might as well meet half of mcr during this trip. I purchased a day pass and wandered off to find where Gee was. I found him in Leeds Town Hall, right in the corner, sort of trapped there signing things all day. Not sure how he does it, but it didn't look like the most fun a guy could have. I'd already decided not to stand in line to meet him because I'd heard someone say the queue snaked though 4 rooms in the building and down the stairs outside (I was hearing 5 hrs wait) and I'd already met him 2 yrs ago at NC Comicon. So I just snapped a couple of pictures from a distance, content with just seeing him in person, reassured that he was still real and alive and well. I wandered around some of the comic tables but I wasn't even in the mood for it. Turns out a comic con isn't much fun on your own. It didn't seem right to be there without my comic-loving hubby and kiddo.

There was still 5 hrs to go until the Young Animal panel. Why was it scheduled so late? If I went to that then I would have to get a later train to Manchester and would arrive in the dark, which isn't the best plan for a girl on her own. What to do? I debated for ages with my buddy @gerardwaay. Should I get the earlier train, arrive in plenty of time and get some much-needed rest, or should I attend the panel which ends late and travel in the dark and risk getting killed horribly in Manchester? So of course, I chose Gerard over my life. You would have done the same, right?

There wasn't exactly a queue for the panel yet, but I could see a crowd of what were clearly "my people", waiting outside the panel venue. I recognized about half of them from the Leeds and Liverpool shows lmao. There was a guy with a Black Parade jacket, so many girls wearing fishnets, people with FIATP and Umbrella Academy patches. Yes, I was in the right place. These were my people :)

After about 2 hours of waiting we were allowed into the auditorium and we all spent a very happy hour in the company of Gerard and co. The girls next to me in the queue had been laughing about the fact that they'd spent all day at the comic con and hadn't seen any of the comic stuff at all. All they'd done was literally queue up to meet Gerard and then queue up again to see Gerard. That man is single-handedly propping up the comic book industry lmao.

MANCHESTER Sept 24 2017

I spent the day catching up with an old friend of mine who I hadn't seen for 13 yrs. We had a great time comparing fandoms: she's into One Direction and Harry Styles. She's never heard any MyChem songs, but then again I've never knowingly heard a One Direction song either so it's all good. As we wandered around Manchester we saw many more of "my people" and I trained her how to spot them and inducted her into the secret world of the Frank symbol. This is how we communicate with each other, I said. Through the use of this symbol and the initials "FIATP". Does Harry Styles have a symbol, huh? Huh? I actually don't know the answer to this.

At 6.30pm we parted ways and I headed down to the venue. I had had very little to eat that day and was feeling hungry-sick but literally couldn't eat anything. It was a good job this was the last night because being on the road is tough. I honestly don't know how the guys do it, and once again I’m enormously appreciative and in awe of all they do for us.

The Manchester show was so nice. It felt like a big party. So many familiar faces, people starting to know all the words to The Homeless Gospel Choir songs, the Jeremy Corbyn chant popping up again, Dave Hause doing a tribute to Oasis by doing a few choruses of Wonderwall. I think this was my favourite show of the 3. I was getting into the swing of being on my own and I had an absolute blast! The only thing is that it was so HOT. Frank said he had trench foot because his shoes still hadn't dried out from the previous show. I don't think they'll be drying out anytime soon tbh.

Videos: Blood Infections | They Wanted Darkness | World Destroyer | Joyriding

After the show, I got a taxi back to my hotel and as I walked to the lift, a sudden wave of emotion hit me. By the time I reached my room I was a sobbing mess. I stood in my room crying, big wracking sobs, not of sadness, but of joy, gratitude and love for these special few days I got to spend with my band. I am so immensely grateful to have them in my life. Do they know how much they mean to me? DO THEY KNOW???! Thanks to @phantomseverywhere for letting me cry at you until I calmed down :) I was just processing a lot of emotions at once. It had been an intense trip, traveling on my own, trying to keep myself safe, meeting my hero and his lovely friends, and partying to my favourite music every night whilst surrounded by my people. Thank you thank you thank you. I am the luckiest girl in the world :D

[daydream-pixie-princess]

My Top Ten Songs

(I'm cheating a little because,in actuality,my top ten of almost anything changes all the time with one or two few exceptions so this is actually my top ten for the time being and some have been for a bit now. I'll give a brief comment on each selection.)

I was tagged by @neversatisfiedgirl (thank you for thinking of me and also check your DMs! Wrote you awhile ago,but don't know if you haven't had time to answer yet or if the site messed up and didn't notify you! If you're busy right now,no biggie...just wanted to give you a head's up! :) ) But,anyway,I am also eclectic in my tastes and like all types of artists and songs,genres and eras so some of these go way back! This is also in no particular order:

1) Thank You For Loving Me-Bon Jovi (Love Jon and love this band! One of my all time faves and I honestly love most of their songs so you can substitute this song for almost any other Bon Jovi song and it would still apply. My love for this band goes back to the beginning and,yes,I feel old now! LOL!)

2) Can't Help Falling In Love With You/My Way-Elvis Presley (See above for reason--except the from the beginning part (I'm not THAT old! LOL! ;-) ) --I also couldn't decide between songs to mention so I picked two (told ya I would cheat!). While Frank Sinatra's My Way version was good and I liked it,IMHO,Elvis' just seemed to have more passion in it and I liked his better. The other song pick is a classic love song and I think very romantic and my go-to!)

3) All Of Me-John Legend (Another romantic song and I think it's beautiful. Always makes me think of a special someone. I think it gives hope that there's someone out there for everyone and that someone will love you no matter what.IMHO,deep lyrics.)

4) Last Christmas-George Michael/Wham (While I do love George and most of his songs and I think this song,while a little sad,is very pretty,I think it made it to the list because it's embedded in my brain now because it plays constantly over the loud speaker where I work! LOL!)

5) I Got The Boy-Jana Kramer (She's a newer one for me so I'm not sure what you would classify her as if you wanted to. Pop,country,country-pop,pop-country,something else entirely? Don't know. Just know I think she's got a rich,melodic voice in this song and I enjoy the song tremendously. Makes me think of first loves and what they are like now. Glad I stumbled on to this song!)

6) Bad-Michael Jackson (Always liked him and thought he was a tremendous talent. Hard to pick a song again because I usually like most of his work.but I really like the beat on this song although,like before,you could probably substitute it with another Michael song and it would apply.)

7) Welcome To The Jungle/Sweet Child O' Mine-Guns N' Roses (These two songs from them are probably the two I play from this band constantly. Think they have a kiss ass beat--Jungle especially--and in Child,I think Axel showed that he could be an under rated singer even with his "scratchy" voice! LOL!)

8) Thunder-Imagine Dragons (This song also plays a lot where I work so it may have something to do with my picking it! LOL! I really like it though and think it's pretty catchy! I know it stayed in my head for awhile once I first heard it!)

9) Save The Best For Last-Vanessa Williams (Another one of my favorite romantic songs and a go-to. So beautiful and she has a beautiful voice and gives hope to people,I think. Again,makes me think of a special someone.)

10) Greatest Love Of All/All At Once/One Moment In Time-Whitney Houston (One of my all time fave singers from way back from the beginning! You can probably replace these with almost any other Whitney song and it would still apply,but these are the ones I'm still listening to the most right now. Once is a sad song too,but so pretty and melodic,Love I believe teaches an important lesson and Moment is empowering and her vocal range and prowess is just impressive and memorizing and it's such a hopeful song that makes you think you can achieve anything!)

Honorable mention: Outlaw You-Shooter Jennings (Catchy song--though considering what the song is about,he might not like me saying that! LOL! ;-)--and he reminds me of the older country artists but with his own twist...especially reminds me of his Dad. Fun fact: this/he was recommended by Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns...so when two giant pro wrestlers tell you it would be good to listen to someone,it might be a good idea to pay attention! They just might know what they are talking about! LOL!)

So...there's my list and already I'm thinking of all the others I love that I didn't include (Oh to be able to go back and rediscover Poison and Warrant again!)! I listen to so many different kinds of music though that it would be impossible to list them all. Everything from old-school,to boy bands to hair bands to rock to metal to pop to country and even dabble in some R&B,instrumental,opera,rap and gospel and pretty much everything else in between (even theme songs! LOL!)! Anyway,I'll tag @mrkittyinmytree @sjwrites22 @i-kneel-for-king-loki @therealfivefeetoffuckingfury @basicdeanstan @dirtydeedsdean and anyone else who would like to do it! Thanks again to my girl @neversatisfiedgirl for the tag!!!

[the-e4b]

Deafpony Retrospective: The Perfect Pear.

Hallo hallo, how low, guys.

It’s the Deafpony here.

So a while back, I told Jojo and AWG about this idea I had, where while focusing also on the morons of the fandom that give it a bad name, why not do something about the fandom?

Since MLP recently came back from it’s small Season 7 hiatus, why not talk about the episode that shook the fandom because nobody expected it to be this good.

THE BACKGROUND INFO

Let’s get it out of the way:

THE ORIGIN OF APPLEJACK’S PARENTS.

Something that was hinted in A Royal Problem (which was a very subtle dream scene where two ponies held a baby AJ) and something fans have been dying to be acknowledged for a long time.

Throughout the show’s history, there was never a full blown explaination on AJ’s parents and their whereabouts. Sure we’ve seen the other Mane Six’s parents, but AJ’s?

Never.

Not even in the Family Reunion episode, where hints were through that they were long gone, something show artist Sibsy even confirmed on Twitter.

There was also the line from “Crusaders of the Lost Mark” where AJ tells Bloom “If mom and dad were here...”, which hinted at a passing.

Even Lauren Faust herself had played with this idea and mentioned on her deviantArt that the original idea was to either have them dead or be travelling salesponies.

But it being Lauren Faust, she said to take her words with a grain of salt.

Second is the casting for this episode: Felicia Day (who voices AJ’s mother) and....William Shatner?

...Well, we had John DeLancie who voiced Discord, so why complain?

As for who he plays, we’ll discuss in the plot part.

The episode was written by both Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco, a partnership that have contributed to great episodes like “Top Bolt”, “Gauntlet of Fire”, “Celestial Advice” and the aforementioned “A Royal Problem”. The only specific dud they wrote was “Rarity Investigates!”, but other than that. A solid record.

So we have two brilliant actors and two writers on board that gave us two good Season 7 and 6 episodes. Did it work?

Brilliantly.

PLOT.

So what IS the story of this episode?

After buying pear jam from a nice old colt from Vanhoover named Grand Pear, Bloom ends up presenting it to AJ and Big Mac for breakfest, only for the two to freak out because of the long implied (and parodied) feud between the Apple Family and Pear Family.

...Which AJ and Big Mac have NO IDEA why though.

Deciding not to bother Granny Smith with this quest, the siblings decide to go find out the truth of the feud.

Also this:

I was dying. 

The plot however takes a turn when the Apples go to confront Goldie Delicious (last seen in Pinky Apple Pie) who reluctantly discusses the truth with them: As it turns out, the Apple Family and Pear Family farms were right next to each other, and they obviously weren’t the friendliest to each other. All except..two ponies:

Bright Mac and Pear Butter.

The Apple Parents.

...Hoooooo boy this is gonna be a sad one.

ANALYSIS

For one thing, the episodes are presented in flashbacks as the stories begin to be explained by the ponies who knew Bright Mac and Pear Butter (or Buttercup as she was nicknamed for...something to be revealed near the end).

The flashbacks are presented respectively by four ponies to say the least: the aforementioned Goldie, Burnt Oak (Bright Mac’s best friend), Mrs. Cake (Buttercup’s friend), and Mayor Mare (for something also near the end). And while I do believe it gets a bit tedious to have the flashbacks presented repeatedly by different ponies, I do think the purpose was to have the story flow better from ponies who knew the parents, especially if the Apple siblings don’t want to get their grandmother involved.

Both flashbacks are presented well enough and showcase all the good traits that the parents had (Bright Mac being honest and strong, something AJ and Big Mac inherited, Pear Butter always looking to help others, something Bloom inherited) and even show the effects both ponies had on their friends, Burnt Oak especially considering he becomes rather emotional when Big Mac asks to hear more stories of his father:

That’s totally not the face of a pony missing his best friend...

Anyway, during Mrs. Cake’s flashback, we have a song number “You’re In My Head Like a Catchy Song”, where Pear Butter sings about her love of Bright Mac (as a gift on their anniversary of their first meeting) and quite frank, for all the songs of MLP I tend to skip, this one...who boy..

Where do I begin?

It’s heartwarming, it’s touching, and it really works well for the story, as we see the progression of their relationship leading to the point, from the passing of the seasons, to their parents refusal to allow them to see each other, just anything that can stop them from being together, but Pear Butter still does so, because she loves him.

Felicia Day, you really know how to pack an emotional punch. Oh and this scene:

Adorable and points for trying.

Of course with any loving relationship (with some Romeo and Juliet esque drama), it all comes to a boil when Grand Pear announces he’s moving the farm to Vanhoover as a business decision (and because he won’t see the Apples again). So yes, it’s literally a decision of ripping the two apart.

Cliched...but hey it works.

Anyway, remember how I mentioned that Mayor Mare was involved as well?

As it turns out, she was the one who approved of Bright Mac’s decision to not have Pear Butter leave Ponyville: ELOPE!

.....Wow, eloping? On a kid’s show?

...Shit that reminds me of Boy Meets World when Topanga and Cory almost eloped.

And that was from a 90s-early 2000s show. 

Right on, writers. Right on..

Oh and good continuity too with Mayor Mare having Pink hair:

Lovely.

Anyway, the two get hitched right as Granny Smith and Grand Pear discover their secret wedding and Grand Pear issues the ultimatum to his daughter after she declares that the Apples are now her family: To chose over being an Apple or be a Pear.

You can already tell what Pear Butter decides and well..it ends tragically.

Grand Pear basically disowns his daughter and storms off, leaving Pear Butter crying in Bright Mac’s arms only to be confronted by Granny Smith, who seemed to have had a change of heart.

..Wow..that’s..dark.

I mean sure, he probably didn’t disown her but the fact he up and left her in Ponyville and moved to Vanhoover...damn.

I know some have probably noticed as to why I haven’t mentioned William Shatner’s role in the episode?

Well..it boils to the ending:

Shatner played the role of Grand Pear, and while his performance during the “Flashback” Grand Pear was more of a controlling father who literally abandoned his daughter over a stupid feud..the end of Act III?

Total fucking regret.

When the Apples (Applebloom specifically) confront Grand Pear over his decision of returning to Ponyville, the poor old colt begins to cry and admit that he was so angry and in a sense, to reconnect with his grandchildren.

Remember guys...this guy never reunited with his daughter, and considering the show is vague about it...we know the truth:

The Apple Parents are long gone, as mentioned above.

He never once got to reconcile or even say goodbye.

The worst fear of any parent, and Shatner’s quiet, somber mumbles in contrast to his usual exaggerated behavior is pretty refreshing for this parts of the episode. 

The episode ends with Granny Smith and Grand Pear finally reconciling (and Granny apologizing to her grand children for never telling them keeping everything a secret) and the siblings showing the two something Bright Mac and Pear Butter left behind (which they did in their wedding) to “remember them by”: An entwined apple and pear tree.

Cue the credits.

Conclusions

Ho boi...

This episode was something indeed.

Everyone had been longing for an episode involving the backstory of the Apple Parents and we got it. BOY DOES IT DELIVER.

The story, while a bit cliched, is great, and the characterization of Bright Mac and Pear Butter is a stroke of heartwarming, especially in the voice acting department with Felicia Day and Bill Newton, Newton especially with giving a natural southern drawl at that.

Again, Shatner’s performance is arguably one of the best elements of the episode, he doesn’t “ham” it up or be all exaggerating his performance, he keeps it gentle, saddening, and full of regret in the end when apologizing to his grandchildren over what he did. I’ve read (TV Tropes specifically) that there are parallels of Shatner’s dialogue and his own regret with tension between his old Star Trek cast mates over his own actions. I can’t really go into details with that since I never really got into Star Trek, but I do believe the subtext helps with the emotional impact of the episode. 

I know some people probably are gonna have problems with the fact nobody ever told the Apple siblings about the feud and their parents, but it was probably to protect them and not reveal the drama/painful events that lead to Pear Butter losing a part of her family, which is understandable. Plus it had one of those “You will known when you’re ready” type of thing.

Overall, this was one of my favorite episodes of Season 7, and a great way to return from the hiatus (even if it did leak early because DAMN TIMING :D).

Also this final scene..

Aaaaaaand feels.

- deafpony.

NOTE: This was again guys, my first “retrospective”. It sucks I know, but thanks for reading <3. I’m hoping to do these a bit more just to focus less on angry crap and more optimism. 

Oh and don’t expect concrete retrospectives like on every episode, just episodes I feel I’d put thoughts on/make snarky commentary on because whynot.

[daylightarchives]

JULY REVIEWS: AMINÉ, ARCADE FIRE, AVEY TARE, JAPANESE BREAKFAST

AMINÉ/GOOD FOR YOU, AND THE TYRANNY OF THE QUAVO FEATURE

How many variations on the same ideas and themes can the new faces of hip-hop in 2017 release before they find themselves retreading old ground creatively? Maybe this will come off grumpy or nostalgic, but I remember a time when major releases in hip hop were portraits of artists teeming with ideas and opinions that they could barely fit into their verses. I’m not talking about ’96 - I’m talking about fucking 2013. Remember when Acid Rap, Yeezus, Born Sinner, Watching Movies With The Sound Off, Doris, Long Live A$AP, Wolf, Old, Trap Lord, and let’s just throw in Nothing Was The Same all came out in the same year? Every single one of those albums represented to me at least an attempt at differentiation from the pack, with each album I mentioned (and a whole bunch of others) being pretty unique stylistically and having some sort of unique artistic statement to make. (Note: I don’t mean to imply that I think 2013 or any other year was some perfect year for hip hop, and really didn’t like Eminem, Jay-Z, and Pusha T’s records from that year; I’m simply using it to illustrate a larger point about the rap landscape in 2017 versus just a few short years ago.) 

Now, since we’re discussing Aminé’s debut, let’s take a look at debuts of 2013 vs. debut albums in 2017: Chance the Rapper (discounting 10-Day) came out with a breathlessly excited record overstuffed with influences ranging from juke to gospel that was produced almost entirely in house by a team of incredible producers. Earl Sweatshirt, bless his heart, took Odd Future’s adversarial approach a step further with an album that rejected the mainstream at every turn and instead showcased verses from his friends, full of adolescent provocations. Big rap debuts in 2017 have, at least to me, been a lot harder to distinguish from one another, and believe me, I know just how gross and grumpy and uncool that sounds. Whether it’s Lil Yachty stumbling over beats from the big Atlanta names (Metro Boomin, TM88, etc) with a pop exception (Diplo), 21 Savage stumbling over beats from the big Atlanta names with an occasional left-turn (Jake One), or, now, unfortunately, Aminé doing more or less the same (albeit with production assists from admittedly exciting names like Malay and Frank Dukes), I can’t help but feel like these new guys (less notable, but similar cases include Post Malone and the collected works of XXXTentacion; notable exceptions include D.R.A.M., and, by technicality, Brockhampton, who aren't really rapping about anything new, but are commendably doing everything in house) are painting themselves into a corner by focusing on the meme-iest qualities of their music and not on the ideas or unique approaches that put their peers on the map in the first place. 

I don’t want to be unfair to Aminé here. This is a guy who put himself on the map with a pretty strong indie sensibility, impeccable taste, and an ear for catchy hooks (all of which figured big in the success of his breakout single, “Caroline.”) I feel for this guy, and anyone who’s paying attention can tell he’s taking a stab at cementing himself as a serious name in hip hop: he’s doing a newspaper at the release parties in the big cities á la Frank Ocean’s Boys Don’t Cry magazine, and refers to himself as a student of André at least once on Good For You (he wishes.) And, I definitely hear at least an attempt at conveying all of the unique aspects of Aminé’s artistic personality on Good For You. Unfortunately, the indie cred is shot at and missed on the Girlpool featuring “Hero,” which fails for me because, I don’t know, bringing in a feminist folk punk band would feel like a more genuine move if the next song wasn't a generic exercise in “I can’t trust these hoes” on “Spice Girl,” a song that itself doesn’t feel particularly genuine about its subject in the first place. Frankly, it’s within that dichotomy, of making attempts at crossing over and developing inroads with other audiences versus shamelessly pandering to the /r/hiphopheads crowd, that illustrates exactly what doesn't work for me about Good For You: Aminé sacrifices so much of the unique, charming personality that made “Caroline” exciting to deliver so much more of the same shit that was getting boring to me last year when everyone was still obsessed with Future and Young Thug (and, as someone who honest to god likes those artists, it doesn’t feel good to say that).

Seriously, I can’t imagine how contrarian this review must come off, especially considered in context with the increasingly entrenched meme status of Aminé, 21, and whoever else I might have shit on in the process of writing this review. But the major label debut’s of 21 Savage and Lil Yachty did not sell well, like at all, and who’s to say how well Good For You will end up doing for Aminé; still, I wish him the fullest financial and artistic success, and I think every successful artist in the financial sinkhole that is the 2017 music industry is a miracle. I just feel like the time has come to question the sustainability of the model: tweet worthy one-liners, Quavo features, and throwaway beats from Metro Boomin seem to be doing less and less in terms of providing new hip-hop artists in 2017 any sort of commercial success or artistic longevity. And as much as I hate to say it, for all of its commendable qualities, Good For You to me is an undeniably homogenous record that loses too much of its personality in the quest to be a hit in the model that Future established after his incredible mixtape run in 2014: heavy on mantra-like hooks, almost monotonously consistent sonically, and almost totally bankrupt of lyrical ideas beyond the bare minimum (to quote Hov, money cash hoes). I just wonder if it ever occurred to Aminé that Caroline blew up precisely because it didn't sound like anyone else could’ve done it.

What do you guys think of Good For You, and the hip-hop landscape of 2017 on the whole? Does everyone sound the same? Are we settling for less in the name of hyper-modernity? Am I totally full of shit? I wouldn’t be entirely surprised, but, hey, who knows. Are you guys getting more out of this record than I am? I’m looking forward to learning more, but in the mean time, I hope Aminé and anyone else hoping to break out in rap is taking some time to figure out what they can do to set themselves apart from the pack and make a truly unique statement. (unfortunately, NOT VERY GOOD)

Great Songs: STFU, Sundays, HeebieJeebies (feat. Kehlani)

ARCADE FIRE/EVERYTHING NOW

Everything Now, Arcade Fire’s followup to their 2014 album Reflektor, ditches the urgency of that last record, which is a blessing and a curse. I didn’t necessarily want to hear a rehash of the sonics and lyrical concepts of Reflektor, but Everything Now is an admittedly solid addition to the Arcade Fire discography, and it fortuitously corrects the mistake of the last record by being way less overt about attempts to replicate the most anthemic moments of Funeral and The Suburbs. The workaround w/r/t that anthem thing is that Arcade Fire is pretending to be way too mired down in the “everything now” sensory overload concept (like The Suburbs, this album has three title tracks and two “Infinite Content(s),” and the genuinely catchy tracks are very short) to focus on trying to write another “Wake Up.” Of course, like most other Arcade Fire albums, Everything Now is really about paying lip service to the concept (over and over again), more invoking the idea than ever engaging with it, and then letting the listener fill in the blanks.  Sometimes, it works: two-part centerpiece “Infinite Content” is awesome (the second one might be my favorite Arcade Fire song in years), and lines evoking “clouds of Ambien” on “Put Your Money On Me” are almost affecting enough to distract from how cheesy that song is. But the things that didn’t work on Reflektor (attempts at dancehall, Win Butler trying to sound cool) don’t really work here either - “Chemistry” and “Peter Pan” are really just outright clunkers, is basically what I’m saying. I admire Everything Now for its commitment to songcraft over being pointlessly anthemic, and for honing in on what worked on Reflektor - but like U2, or any other “big statement” rock band, Arcade Fire pretty frequently leaves me wondering how necessary they really are in the broader musical landscape. (MEH/GOOD)

Great Tracks: Infinite Content, Infinite_Content, Good God Damn

AVEY TARE/EUCALYPTUS

After two or three albums worth of hyperactive insanity with Animal Collective and another with a one-off joke band (Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks,) it’s a pleasant surprise to get an Avey Tare album as clear-headed, serene, and classically psychedelic as Eucalyptus. Gone are the overstuffed arrangements, awkwardly fast tempos, and sonic mush that polluted albums like Centipede Hz and Painting With; on Eucalyptus, the pace stays breezy, the instrumentation stays simple (acoustic guitars, occasional hand drumming, and a wealth of psychedelic sound effects shattering across the mix,) and the songs themselves are presented relatively unadorned and free from unnecessary added fat. Furthermore, Tare’s strength for heartrending melodies is here in full force, providing tracks like opener “Season High” and album centerpiece “In Pieces” with a lot of emotional heft - I don’t think that I’ve been this charmed by an Animal Collective record on the strength of its melodies alone since, shit, Feels? Since this is an Avey Tare record we’re talking about, there are some pitfalls to be expected that, unfortunately, Eucalyptus does fall into: extremely esoteric lyrics, strange mixing decisions, and highly unorthodox song structures are all over this record. Animal Collective fans are used to/love that anyways, though. (GOOD)

Great Songs: Season High, In Pieces, When You Left Me

JAPANESE BREAKFAST/SOFT SOUNDS FROM ANOTHER PLANET

Another month in 2017, another mind-blowingly good release from a breakout female-fronted indie act - let’s hope that trend keeps up! This might speak to my ignorance of Japanese Breakfast, but I went into Soft Sounds expecting a pretty standard, low key indie release; what I got was an incredibly bold, ambitious album containing shades of shoegaze, ambient, ‘60s style chamber pop, and even a straight up disco song. Did I mention it’s also kind of a concept album? Japanese Breakfast bandleader Michelle Zauner effortlessly strings together song after classic sounding song, jumping from genre to genre with ease and consistently impressing with the strength of her lyrics and songwriting: “Diving Woman” doubles as a driving post-punk epic and a solid mission-statement opener, “Road Head” is a sleek, sexy vocal showcase for Zauner’s incredible range, and “Machinist” is that disco moment I mentioned, complete with a spoken-word intro and copious amounts of autotune (trust me it works); I could keep going, but those are literally the first three songs on the album in sequence, and I could speak that highly of almost every other track. The album does have its issues, however minor: while I love the melodies behind Zauner’s vocals, her singing hasn’t impressed me too too much, and her delivery on some of the more intense tracks is a little breathless; and, while the ambient interludes are nice, I don’t know how much I’m personally into the decision to end the album with one. Still, do yourself a favor and throw this whole album into your summer playlist. Support intersectionality, support women in music, and, most importantly, support GOOD music - Japanese Breakfast is all of those things, and especially that last thing. (GREAT)

Great Songs: Road Head, Soft Sounds From Another Planet, ‘Till Death

[ducktracy]

163. clean pastures (1937)

disclaimer: this is the third entry on the censored 11. while there are more cartoons out there that are just as vile, if not moreso, than the cartoons on this list, this is a good indicator of what we’re about to see. this review contains racist content, imagery, and ideals. i do NOT in anyway endorse any of the depictions here. they are gross and wrong. however, it would be just as wrong to gloss over them like nothing even happened in the first place. these cartoons need addressing. i hate reviewing these just as much as you hate seeing them, but these cartoons need awareness. PLEASE let me know if i make any mistakes or say something wrong or hurtful. it is NEVER my intention to do so, and i want my mistakes to be known so i can correct them and own up to them accordingly. thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

release date: may 22nd, 1937

series: merrie melodies

director: friz freleng

starring: the four blackbirds (vocal groups), danny webb (various), mel blanc (satan)

not a fun time in looney tunes history--the cartoon released right after this one, uncle tom’s bungalow, is another censored 11, so we have 2 back to back. nevertheless: phil monroe receives his first animation credit (he would have been only 20 at the time), one of my favorite animators. he traveled around quite a lot, working for friz, bob clampett, frank tashlin, chuck jones, and so on, even directing his own cartoon the iceman ducketh alongside maurice noble. the title is a parody of the 1936 film green pastures, and footage from this cartoon would be traced over in yet another censored 11 entry, bob clampett’s tin pan alley cats in 1943. many elements borrowed from friz’s 1934 goin’ to heaven on a mule, clean pastures chronicles the struggling economy of pair-o-dice, and what can be done to ensure hades inc. doesn’t prevail.

to give credit where credit is due, the opening montage is hardly anything less than impressive. harlem is bustling with night life, as displayed by the blinking neon lights of various clubs, ballrooms, restaurants, etc. the animation of a line of dancers is absolutely to be commended: very complex, very high energy, very fun with a lot of energy. stereotypes are, unfortunately, perpetuated as we see the hand of a man shooting craps and snapping in frustration as he misses his shot. another shot limited to just hands, this time preparing cocktails. the use of just hands, no faces or anything else identifiable, is certainly clever directing on friz’s part, adding an air of mystery and excitement. more dancing from a happy (and stereotyped) couple as we get a variety of overlays--the women dancing at the beginning, the couple dancing, and the word HARLEM in big bold letters for all to see.

more very clever animation as the HARLEM spins away, revealing the surface it’s on to be a globe: the earth. the earth gets smaller and smaller as we zoom out into space, complete with details such as shooting stars and other planets. the opening is wonderfully executed in approach and is undeniably very well thought out, though the stereotypes and content itself obviously cannot go unnoticed.

segue into a musical number provided by the four blackbirds, an original titled “half of me (wants to be good)”. the vocals are too wonderful and lovely to belong to such a nasty cartoon. i digress--a horizontal pan takes us further into space, where we spot a trail of empty milk glasses. a wonderful take on the milky way that only took me two watch-throughs to get. above the milky way are the golden gates themselves: pair-o-dice. pair-o-dice was referenced in the moral monstrosity that is goin’ to heaven on a mule, another friz cartoon from 1934.

hone in on a forlorn, elderly angel, saint peter himself, reading the newspaper: pair-o-dice preferred hits new low as hades inc. soars. sure enough, a glum glance at the stocks assert the newspaper’s credibility: the line representing stocks on the board literally goes out of bounds and onto the floor. saint peter checks his ticker tape: results are bleak. the underscoring song comes to an end as he decides to make a call.

and, of course, we are greeted with yet another insulting stepin fetchit caricature playing a trumpet. he’s more concerned about the foul notes he occasionally blats from his trumpet instead of answering the off-screen phone. saint peter on the other end loses patience, angrily pressing the buzzer in conjunction with the underscore. there IS some clever animation as the fetchit angel’s wings pick up the phone and tap him on the head. he answers and gives the affirmative (the whole time speaking in a cruelly stereotypical dialect), a sudden burst of energy prompting him to run to whatever task he needs to tend to.

friz certainly seemed to enjoy the lingering suspension brought on by this cartoon, with the introduction of the segmented hands gambling and pouring drinks and now the confidential phone call prompting the fetchit caricature to plummet down to earth off of a diving board. the animation is very fun, loose, and weightless, all things considered. while the fetchit angel plummets down towards the earth, saint peter places a pin on the globe in his office, right on the spot marking harlem.

more overlays of the bustling harlem nightlife we saw at the beginning, dissolving to focus on the fetchit angel peddling in the streets, trying to get more people to come to pair-o-dice, indicated by the sign on the platform he’s standing on: COME TO PAIR-O-DICE — BE CONTENT. to boot, there’s another sign à la uncle sam with the elderly angel pointing at the audience. “PAIR-O-DICE NEEDS YOU!”, as well as listing a number of commodities promised at the venue. most insulting on the list is the promise of watermelon. very tasteless, offensive, and deplorable. while the angel struggles to properly advertise, we’re met with an interlude of a random passerby tap-dancing. the synchronization between animation and sound at least provides some benefit.

another one of the passerby’s is mister al jolson himself (the blackface caricature of him, anyway. remember, jolson WAS white), singing “i love to singa” while he strolls down the street. as he mentions about wanting to sing about “a sonny boy”, a little ventriloquist puppet randomly plops down from the sky, right on jolson’s knee, the puppet greeting him “hello, stranger!” “sonny boy” was a popular al jolson song, whereas the “hello, stranger!” was taken from jack benny’s radio show. the same catchphrase and i love to singa song were both used in, of course, tex avery’s i love to singa just a year before.

as jolson wraps up his routine, he strolls into a nightclub (named the kotton klub :wince:), much to the fetchit angel’s chagrin: “you can’t go in there! i’m supposed to keep you out of those places!”

back to pair-o-dice, where saint peter and a variety of celebrity caricatures watch from above: fats waller, jimmie lunceford, cab calloway, and louie armstrong. cab calloway would be caricatured in a number of looney tunes cartoons, perhaps most memorably in porky at the crocadero, and fats waller would be rechristened as “cats waller” in tin pan alley cats, which traces over animation from this cartoon. as always, the caricatures are grotesque and one dimensional. there are so many other fascinating aspects to caricature, like fats waller’s eyes, and yet it’s always the lips that get the most exaggeration. 

what engages next is a wonderfully catchy musical number—as deplorable as this cartoon is, the music score is wonderful and doesn’t deserve to be in such a hateful cartoon. the celebrities all chastise saint peter for his poor business practices, and how rhythm in your soul, rhythm in your feet, etc. is the way to properly recruit more people. the patter song, the snappy, lilting tempo, the energy, it’s all wonderful and is certainly one of the better musical numbers we’ve heard in merrie melodies thus far. it’s a shame it has to be dampened by such grotesque imagery. the animation is rather nice though, all things considered.

the angels all go down to harlem where they play the big jazz number of the cartoon, “swing for sale” (this is footage from the cartoon itself, so be warned), on the platform the fetchit angel had just been peddling on, with cab calloway providing the primary vocals. calloway’s closeups and animation in general is very smooth, flowing, and fun, and the call and response aspect of the entire song between calloway and the angels is a lovely touch. the backup angels have their own soft interlude, gathering around a microphone, making the mouth trumpet noises present since the harman-ising days. 

fats waller provides a double piano solo, reused from goin’ to heaven on a mule where his angel wings play on the piano behind him. the close-up of waller after another scat solo from cab calloway would be recycled in tin pan alley cats.

after waller, calloway points to louie armstrong, who sings a few lines of the song and launches into a trombone solo. once again, the animation is very nice, thinking in technical terms. whoever does the celebrity impressions are quite good at them. a nice little detail is louie’s face turning purple and his eyes bulging as he pushes to get the notes out—i can only imagine the extremes this would be pushed to if the cartoon were made 5 years later. 

the song ends, allowing a transition to pair-o-dice, where the golden gates open to let the angels back in. a lovely up-shot of the gates, as well as the constantly moving background as the angels, still performing, traipse along the starry trail and prepare to enter. they’re not alone—a whole line of new recruits follow, wagging their fingers and dancing. the animation of the lead couple was reused from sunday go to meetin’ time, another deplorable freleng piece from 1936.

now, pair-o-dice is bustling. lovely choice on friz’s part to be looking inside pair-o-dice from outside the gates, the golden gates partially obstructing the view of the busy streets. angels line up to get their halos, distributed from a machine. saint peter contentedly places a NO VACANCIES sign on one of the doors, beaming with pride.

suddenly, a knock. he opens the little door window at the top to peer at his visitor. mel blanc’s gravelly voice grunts “may i come in?” saint peter disregards his own sign. “sure. there’s always room for one more!”

with that, satan himself marches inside, prim and proper, hands clasped together, providing a knowing side-eye to the audience as we iris out.

this cartoon is much livelier than the previous censored 11 entries, and its musical score is undeniably fantastic. with that said, this is a terrible, offensive, grotesque cartoon that parades a number of stereotypes and caricatures. it’s not in my place as a white person to decide what is racist and what isn’t, but this is a slight step above from the previous entry, sunday go to meetin’ time, which was just plain cruel. this cartoon is slightly more light-hearted, if that’s at all possible, but still lacks any sense or compassion. 

there are a few things that do deserve praise. the animation, again, in technicality terms, is very nice. lots of closeups, lots of flowing animation, lots of intricate hand movements. cab calloway’s animation during the big jazz number and fats waller’s animation playing the piano with his hands and wings are both to be commended. the music score is wonderful, fun, and lively, much too good for the cartoon it’s in. the layouts are also stellar, especially the scenes in pair-o-dice. but still, there’s no way in good conscience that i can recommend this cartoon. you’ll be fine without watching it. it’s certainly polished, but it still remains inexcusable. 

yet, like always, if you want to watch this for educational or historical purposes, here’s the link. obviously view this with discretion.

[newgeekcity]

New Geek City is Live Blogging MST3k The Return

Once a upon a time there was a bored kid. He just moved to a new place where he didn’t know anyone. Hair was coming in weird places. His face looked like it came from a rare Garbage Pail Kid card.

Other things were changing for the kid, namely his tastes. To him everything started to be so childlike. His books, Full House, even Saturday morning cartoons. There wasn’t anything that really appealed to him anymore.

Except for Batman the Animated Series, that was still awesome.

So one day while trying to avoid the Smurfs or some shit, the kid flipped on Comedy Central. Gamera was on. Everything sucked, but he wasn’t too big for Toho movie monsters. 

Just look at it...

And see those guys on the bottom? They were cracking jokes, making astute observations. Then they would do silly musical numbers. It was the best, and for years after, no matter what, the kid would tune in to see what crazy schlock the boys of MST3k would do next.

And yeah yeah, the boy was me. Twist ending, M. Night Shyamalan style. Blah blah.

Since MST3k came into my life so early, sometimes I wonder where it started and I begin in the soup of neurons and my memories. Am I sarcastic and love terrible movies because it brings me back to my safe space? Or am I drawn to MST3k because I am sarcastic and I love 1960s Godzilla movies.

I don’t think there’s a real answer to that question. However, after a long long departure. MST3k is back and on Netflix... so lets dive into the first episode which is called... episode 1? Seriously guys? Way to be descriptive.

We got movie sign after the jump

00:00 - Hold on I need more coffee. 

00:00 - Alright, back. Lets see what’s up. I’m really curious about the opening. If I remember right the opening song was sung by Mike Nelson. So lets see how this stacks up. 

I’m not looking for a perfect recreation, but something in the same spirit.

1:39 - People? There’s other people in this universe? I thought there was like 10 tops in the entire world in the original series. Then there’s Wil fucking Wheaton. I don’t mind the people, but I do mind Wil Wheaton, that fucking guy. The DIY effects and models are really great though.

In what looks like the Gizmonic mission control, the staff are puppets. I love that.

Wait I know that lady... She’s Erin Gray. Colonel Deering from Buck Rogers. When I was 5 I wasn’t sure if I was going to marry her or Princess Leia. 

Hey it could have happened, I was a cute kid.

But seriously, Fuck. Wil. Wheaton. 

2:00 - I have to admit, I’m sort of liking Jonah. He has the same affable quality as Joel and Mike. 

4:30 - Gypsy could talk? Like for reals? Weird.

I also did like the opening sequence, a lot. Its different. It feels like that’s what the sequence should have been for the movie. But I really liked it. Great work Joel. 

8:00 - Invention exchange is back. Patton Oswalt is perfect as TV’s son of TV’s Frank. Although I was doubting Felicia Day, I have to admit she is charming here. 

The movie doors are different, you could tell they used a computer for this one. Not sure if I like that, But whatevs its minor. 

The bots voices are actually pretty good too. Crow sounds like Crow. Tom sort of sounds like Tom. I do have to get used to Jonah though.

9:00 - Its not skin, its beef. Just saying.

Delicious ground beef.

10:30 - Tom can fly! He can fly!!

13:15 - We have Super Dragon reference! Also one of the best MST3k songs 

14:00 - “You know an aquarium is just a pet store that doesn’t sell anything.” Made me lol.

14:41 - Gypsy showed up and made a quip. I already forgot what it was. I wonder if it’ll be a thing.

16:35 - I’m hoping the movie picks up. I doubt it because its MST3k. But they did a “commercial break” just now. They repeated the name of the movie and showed I guess would be the Deep 13 House Band. 

I think a skit would have worked better. Its not like they have to fit in actual commercials. But they’re probably trying to keep as close to the original format as possible.

18:30 - Scientist 1: “I envy that young man.”

Scientist 2: “He will be busy now.”

Me: Yeah with your daughters, you Dane weirdo.

20:00 - Who just keeps an electric eel in a tank in a hallway? Nothing is gonna go wrong there. Nothing at all....ARRRRRGHG 

22:00 - I’m having a really hard time picking up who’s speaking. Particularly with Tom / Jonah. 

But Jonah’s Monster Mash / Reptilicus cover was definitely out of the Joel Robinson playbook. 

25:00 - Can someone tell me if that Dane blonde, scientist daughter has a single daughter along the R line? And that wound looks like pudding. Just saying it looks like delicious reptile pudding.

27:00 - Ok the skit break is this kaiju monster rap. The bots, particularly crow are more animated. He’s able to move his arms around now.

The song itself is way different from the original series. Which I’m giving it a thumbs up. It fits well into the original ethos. Its catchy, fun. Its a good update. Nice work modern MST3k writers.

32:00 - One thing I’ve noticed is the actual filmic quality of the movie. In the old MST3k’s you could still see the scratches and dust, and the warping. It looks like that this is a restored film. 

Its not awful or really a distraction. But its just something I noticed as a long time fan.

35:00 - Dickweed. It makes me laugh every time.

36:00 - Of course the goofus stuck his hand in the electric eel tank. You know comedy. It had to happen. Like the sun rising, and the rain falling in the amazon.

38:00 - I wish netflix would have some way that it counts up instead of down. It would make my life easier here.

Another “commercial break” I was wrong, in the new series its Moon 13 and Patton Oswalt gave a fun fact about the doors. The house band is playing at the same time. Its very Svengoolie.

39:00 - Xanadu reference. Not sure how many youngin’s would get it. I barely do because my dad had a bootleg VHS tape. 

It was awful.

41:00 - I was about to say a lot of the jokes are falling flat, but when that scientist “screamed” and one of the guys dubbed it with Opera, that was brilliant. 

43:00 - I get that MST3k was never really about plot when it came to the host and bots. But they seemed to jump into the riffing really quick. I was expecting some sort of intro for Jonah, like he’d ask questions about why he’s there throughout the movie and the bots would fill him in and he’d grow into the host role. 

I think it would have added some sort of dimension to it. But I would get why they would just jump right into it. 

45:00 - Also I’d expect the Mads would show up more by now. Maybe in the next skit sequence?

47:00 - No Mads, but the cloning of Tom Servo in the “genesis tank that’s conveniently off camera” was real classic MST3k. 

So far, Jonah I would say earned his spot. He nailed it. 

Crow, yup classic Crow. 

Tom, well. He’s not awful. He’s funny but I just can’t get past the voice. Kevin Murphy really owned the character. I hope its just matter of getting used to it. Like when Kevin originally took over in Season 2 (I think) of MST3k.

51:00 - Hold on I need a gif of that.. give me a few minutes.

Ok, I couldn’t get a gif. I’ll have to check into that. BUT I did grab a screenshot.

Single handedly this is my most favorite special effect ever.

54:30 - Although another stray observation, when the people are in frame, the film is alright. Like no scratches (for the most part) but when the monster is up it looks like someone went through it with sandpaper. 

Which lazy bastard only did half a restoration?

55:00 - It feels like Tom should have had that ability to fly all along. His bottom always reminded me of a hovercraft.

56:00 - Yup the commercial breaks definitely is reminiscent of Svengoolie, Paton Oswalt should just show up on that set one day as TV’s Son of TV’s Frank. 

It would be some great cross promotion.

BTW, go watch Svengoolie. Its not as funny as MST3k, but it’s really charming and fun.

Occasionally they show a good movie. Which I guess defeats the point, but whatever.

60:00 - We’re about at the halfway point. So far, I will admit the new MST3k is... I don’t want to say a worthy successor but Joel Hodgson really did something special. This definitely feels in place with the originals. Almost like it never went away. 

I do want more Mads for this episode. Where are they?

62:00 - How did they get letters? This is like the first episode in almost 20 years. How many 8 year olds could sit still long enough to watch reruns? Aren’t they making methlabs and sexting? 

63:00 - Just a note, I know nothing about modern children.

71:00 - Have you ever wondered why Kaiju are impervious to tank shells? Think about it, they’re designed to punch through concrete, steel plating, etc. I don’t think they’d have a problem with reptile skin, prehistoric or otherwise.

74:00 - Another thing I noticed is that the guy and the bots are more animated compared to the originals. They’ll move around, fly by, bring in barrels to interact with the screen. 

I know the originals did similar, but it seems to be more frequent here. Its not unwelcome. Its actually nice.

77:00 - Another commercial break. Its a TV seal of quality with the Moon 13 house band. I’m still liking them.

Patton talked about how Kinga established some TV group, probably to make profit. 

Its not so much how the joke was clever, I just liked how they used that to add some background of the world of MST3k. Because we really don’t know much about it, besides the SOL and Deep 13 and such. 

I never thought it was missing, but now that I’ve seen some glimpses into the surrounding world I am interested in learning more. Does the world know about the Forresters? Have they always run in secret? Or they make their intentions known and the government is powerless to stop them. Who is the government there anyway?

Are they considered brilliant or total fuck ups? Are they part of something bigger? Like SMERSH or the illuminati or something?

78:00 - They’re freaking out about getting a gallon of some sort of lizard knock out drug. Do Danes know how much a gallon is? It’s not that much, if it was like an oil drum’s worth then you got problems.

80:00 - The gallon is really just a beaker. So I guess Danes don’t get the imperial system after all.

83:00 - Seriously the guy playing Crow is really good. If I close my eyes I’d have a hard time telling the difference between him and Trace Beaulieu.

Although I noticed the mouth movement on Crow isn’t as pronounced as it was in the originals. Its a little detail, but it went a long way in figuring out who was talking.

85:00 - Monster’s dead, yay I guess.

86:00 - “Push the button Max” doesn’t have the same cachet as “Push the button Frank.” But I’m glad they brought that back.

87:00 - The end credit song sounds like it was made with a real orchestra. It gives it some gravitas. Its rather lovely. 

88:00 - They’re repeating the monster rap. Not bad, still cute. 

89:00 - Wait, in the end credits, They gave the proper name for the Moon 13 House Band, they’re called “The Skeleton Crew.”

I like Moon 13 house band better.

90:00 - Nice touch--

And of course--

The end tag. Its nice to see some old standbys come back.

Final Thoughts - 

I suppose if you really wanted to you could say its worse or better than the originals. I guess its like how you wanted to fight over Joel vs Mike. 

They’re different. They had their own styles, and they were very funny in their own way. 

MST3k The Return is a lot like that. There’s enough elements of the originals that it feels familiar, but stylistically its been updated. I personally think its a good thing. 

With the bigger budget, and more modern delivery I feel a lot of the fun, DIY, anarchic, lo-fi qualities that was so mind blowing about the original show is very much here. 

I like the new cast, except for Wil Wheaton (fuck you Wesley Crusher), and I think they’re as charming and clever as the previous casts. Just... different.

So if you loved the originals as much as I did, I definitely think its worth binging with your kids. Personally I plan to make this a Saturday morning thing like I did way back when.

One last last thing. From what I saw of the preview for the next episode it looks like Pearl, Bobo, and Brain Guy are visiting. Hopefully Mike shows up too.

I. Can’t. Wait.

[obtusemedia]

Top 10 Albums of 2016

Better late than never, right? 

2016 was a slightly down year for music overall, with lots of albums that I found to be decent-but-not-great. Sure, there were a few that blew my mind (we’ll get to them), but it certainly paled in comparison to 2015′s sterling batch of modern classics. Lots of albums featured incredible singles but diluted the product with too much filler (looking at you, Starboy and Blank Face LP).

However, I will say this: 2016 might not have had quantity, but it certainly had quality in small doses. This year’s top album is arguably the second best of the decade (first prize is pretty much guaranteed to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, since that’s possibly my favorite album of all time). And it was certainly better than the bland wasteland of 2014, which had maybe three albums I still revisit occasionally (that would be Bleachers, Run the Jewels, and Spoon). So while the honorable mentions and bottom couple picks of my Top 10 might not have reached my year-end countdown in a stronger year like 2010, 2013, or 2015, they’re still very solid albums that deserve some praise. Let’s dig in.

(Also: Run the Jewels 3 will not be on this list. I’m counting it as a 2017 album, since it only existed for the last week of 2016, and the physical copy came out this year. My list, my rules.) 

HONORABLE MENTIONS

>Anti by Rihanna: I never expected to enjoy most of a Rihanna album front-to-back, but here we are. Ri’s got far more of an artistic vision than I realized.

>Welcome The Worms by Bleached: If it didn’t limp to the finish line with a few weaker songs, this collection of razor-sharp pop-rock tunes would’ve earned a top 5 spot easily. Aggressively Los Angeles in the best way possible.

>I Had A Dream That You Were Mine by Hamilton Leithauser+Rostam: It feels a bit like Vampire Weekend gone Americana, and it doesn’t work occasionally, but sometimes, you need some pretty chamber pop in your life.

>Atrocity Exhibition by Danny Brown: Maybe it captures the feeling of losing your sanity to drugs a little too well to be listenable sometimes, but when Danny’s on, he’s on. Aggressively Detroit in the best way possible.

>Pretty Years by Cymbals Eat Guitars: There’s not a bad song here in this Springsteen-worshiping garage rock album. Unfortunately, outside of a few standouts, there’s nothing really mind-blowing either. Consider this the #11 pick.

#10: Human Performance by Parquet Courts

Parquet Courts have written individual songs better than anything here — shoutout to “Borrowed Time” — but Human Performance strings together a collection of songs that at first seem mismatched in both musical stylings and lyrical themes, and somehow make them fit seamlessly together. “Steady On My Mind” would make for an excellent wedding first-dance ballad, and it’s on the same record as the spiteful breakup title track and “Berlin Got Blurry,” about a troubled long-distance relationship. Songs like “Outside” or “Keep It Even” are simple, catchy, almost folk-esque tunes that could’ve been written in the 70s; Meanwhile, “I Was Just Here” is a discordant, alien tune about a Chinese takeout joint disappearing that would’ve freaked out most fans of The Band. One song is about dust (yes, literally), another song is about dead cops.

The wide range of subjects and sounds on Human Performance are all tied together by both Andrew Savage’s monotone vocals, as well as the fact that life itself is random. Your brain can jump to and from many different subjects and emotions throughout even one day, let alone a year or two. Human Performance describes a vast berth of scenarios, and ties them all to catchy indie-rock tunes that merge New York cool with Texas swagger. Besides, it was about time somebody wrote a song about dust.

Best 3 Songs: “Berlin Got Blurry,” “Human Performance,” “Steady on My Mind”

#9: Still Brazy by YG

In 2014, I was mildly annoyed by YG. He wasn’t the worst, but I viewed him more or less as DJ Mustard’s house rapper, and I was sick of Mustardwave that year. Luckily, YG ditched him and got to play with some superior production that leans much closer to classic 90s G-Funk. If there was a Most Improved Award this year, YG would easily be in the running (there’s a couple other contenders we’ll get to in a bit).

The Compton rapper finds a precarious balance of gangster stories and legit issues in his lyrics. Sure, he’ll have a blast turning up and repping his Bloods, but he also has multiple tracks about his growing paranoia. Did he make a huge mistake by entering the gang life? Now he’s got a permanent target on his back, both by cops and by rival gang members, and ever since his rap career blew up, he’s had obnoxious hangers-on begging for scraps. He even got shot! 

At the same time, YG is reluctantly willing to be a major political voice in the music scene with the tour-de-force final three songs on the album. The final two, “Blacks and Browns” and Police Get Away With Murder,” are about systemic racism in general, while the infamous “FDT” is a direct shot at our new President. It’s a ballsy move, and one that I’m sure got him on Secret Service watchlists, but as a visceral expression of anger towards a broken system, it’s absolutely worth the controversy. In a year where it would’ve been nice to see more mainstream rappers tackle the toxic political climate, YG was able to step to the challenge without getting preachy. 

Best 3: “Blacks and Browns,” “FDT,” “Why You Always Hatin?”

#8: Psychopomp by Japanese Breakfast

Fun fact: A “psychopomp” is some sort of a deity that guides souls of recently deceased people into the afterlife. 

Another fun fact: I just looked that up five seconds ago. 

The title certainly makes a lot more sense now, but even without that context clue, Psychopomp is very clearly an album about the aftermath of tragedy, in this case, the death of a mother. Michelle Zauner, for whom Japanese Breakfast is a solo project separate from her old gig in Little Big League, focuses more on how that grief and trauma can reverberate through the rest of one’s life, particularly one’s love life. The music sounds like fog feels: cloudy, fuzzy, and dense. The only thing that cuts through the walls of ambient synths and chiming guitars are Zauner’s high-pitched, emotional wails. It’s quite haunting.

Psychopomp also somehow manages to be both a perfect album at noon and midnight. Nocturnal, hazy songs like “The Woman That Loves You” and “Jane Cum” are right next to sunny, more guitar-driven tunes like “Rugged Country” and “Heft.” But both the night tunes and the day tunes work in the other environment as well. Psychopomp isn’t bright or pitch-black: it’s grey with neon tinges. Just like one’s mind after being rendered numb from emotional trauma. Japanese Breakfast’s debut is a gorgeous slice of shoegaze-flavored indie pop, and hopefully a follow-up can be a bit longer than Psychopomp’s under-30 minute running time.

Best 3: “In Heaven,” “The Woman That Loves You,” “Rugged Country.”

#7: Blonde by Frank Ocean

I’m normally allergic to quiet, contemplative music with minimal percussion. My tastes generally lean towards songs with grooves, or something that features powerful emotion. Give me Japandroids over Norah Jones any day. If something is going to be low-key, it better be damn good to grab my attention. This does happen occasionally: I adored Sufjan Stevens’ Carrie & Lowell in 2015, and Frank Ocean’s Blonde also falls in that category.

The songs here are fairly formless and wandering, but it works well with Ocean’s stream-of-consciousness lyrics. This sounds like a diary being read aloud, put to breathtakingly gorgeous melodies, and backed up with music that yes, is quiet for the most part, but is still powerful. Although it does get too slow in a few points for my taste, Blonde is a total tear-jerker. It’s the kind of album you have to just lie down and let soak in. He takes some obvious influences — Prince in “Ivy,” the Beach Boys in “Self Control,” the Beatles in “White Ferrari” — and somehow makes them feel fresh and novel.

Blonde achieves something rare: It creates a sound and feel all its own. This isn’t the best album of 2016, but it’s definitely the most unique, and probably will be the one that will inspire the most artists moving forward.

Best 3: “Self Control,” “Ivy,” “Nights”

#6: Puberty 2 by Mitski

I just have to say, this might’ve gotten a bump if it was named Puberty 2: Son of Puberty or something like that. The best sequels have ridiculous titles!

Jokes aside, Puberty 2 as a title is dead-on: All of the songs here describe the period of one’s life that Mitski calls a “second puberty.” In your 20s, you’re confused, overly emotional, and everything seems to be collapsing. Pretty much the same thing you go through in your teens, except this time, you have to take care of yourself financially. Yikes. 

Mitski writes songs like a surgeon performs surgery: Precise and cutting. There were few lyrics this year that sums up one’s 20s as well as “I want to see the whole world/I don’t know how I’m going to pay rent/I want to see the whole world,” and that’s just one example out of a countless many on Puberty 2.

There’s also “Your Best American Girl,” the album’s centerpiece showstopper about racial identity and how it conflicts with both a one-on-one relationship and American society as a whole. It sounds complex, but she somehow distills it into a 90s alt rock power ballad that would make Billy Corgan cry. Puberty 2 doesn’t reach that high at any other point, but it comes quite close multiple times with other complicated subjects. 

Like Frank Ocean did with Blonde, Mitski poured out her soul with Puberty 2, and the final product is a gut-punch that leaves a lasting impact.

Best 3: “Your Best American Girl,” “Happy,” “My Body’s Made of Crushed Little Stars”

#5: The Life of Pablo by Kanye West

I realize that this album has been argued about to death over the past 11 months, so I’ll keep this brief. 

Yes, Pablo has some major flaws, like the 2nd half of “30 Hours,” a few embarrassing lyrical missteps, and how the album feels way too long. Still, at the end of the year, I kept coming back to Pablo and I realized something: It’s not without its massive issues, but it’s very, very entertaining. Love him or hate him, Kanye is the kind of person you can’t stop yourself from paying attention to, so even his weakest albums are going to necessary listening on some level. 

And for all its flaws, Pablo’s highs are INSANELY high. There’s a reason why “Ultralight Beam” is already a new gospel standard. There’s a reason why the drop of “Father Stretch My Hands” instantly became a classic meme. There’s a reason everyone loses their minds and raps/sings along to every word when Kanye starts playing “Waves” (and “I Love Kanye!”) at a show. 

At the end of Kanye’s career, Pablo won’t be recognized as one of Yeezy’s peaks by any means, but it’ll be remembered as a noble mess that contains some of his all-time best tracks. 

Best 3 Songs: “Ultralight Beam,” “Real Friends,” “Famous” (the Aziz Ansari/Eric Wareheim video for this might be Kanye’s greatest video ever, FYI)

#4: Lemonade by Beyoncé

Alright, alright, I give in. Beyoncé made a masterpiece with this one. I will always be a sucker for albums that tell a story, and Lemonade’s is a doozy. Jay Z cheated on Bey? And now Bey is going to bring out her “Irreplaceable” character, but in real life this time? And, somehow, she deigns to forgive him and try to make the marriage work? I find it fascinating, especially because Beyoncé adds details in her songs that really flesh out the whole story, both musically and lyrically. “Don’t Hurt Yourself” might be one of the best fuck-off anthems I’ve ever heard with its earth-shaking, furious garage rock sound (Beyoncé should seriously consider doing a rock album), “6 Inch” both captures the highs and lows of independence, and “All Night” captures the ecstasy of reuniting with a past love with perfect precision. 

Of course, Beyoncé ventures outside the central story for a few tracks like the country-flavored “Daddy Lessons” and of course, “Formation,” which I don’t need to tell y’all is untouchable. Oh, and she also manages to squeeze in discussing the realities of living as a black woman in an oppressive society without being overly on-the-nose. It’s both radical, yet catchy enough for your Republican parents to not care. I don’t know how she pulled it off, honestly.

Normally, I find praising Beyoncé to be sort-of obnoxious and overdone (and let’s be honest, some Beyhive people take it a bit far), but with Lemonade, Beyoncé is finally as flawless as her obsessive fans claim she is. A sterling exclamation point on an increasingly legendary pop career.

Top 3: “Formation,” “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” “Sorry”

#3: I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it by The 1975

*insert obligatory joke here about how awful that album title is*

If you ignore the title, The 1975 came through with the best pop album of 2016, and in a year that featured career-best albums from Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Frank Ocean (and a seriously underwhelming Gaga album...sigh), that’s no small feat. 

It’s crazy to think that less than a year ago, I thought of them as some C-list boy band who had a couple solid tunes, but weren’t any more special than other semi-okay pretty-boy bands like The Neighbourhood. They obviously proved me wrong: I like it... is Reagan-era pop perfection. They might be The 1975, but they sure sound like 1987.

With 17 songs (!) and a 74-minute runtime (!!!), on first glance, it seems that I like it... would suffer from the same symptoms of other overlong, filler-stuffed pop albums from this year, like Views or Starboy, but shockingly, they really did have 17 killer pop tunes. Okay, maybe more like 15, the last two acoustic-guitar ballads are audio NyQuil, but .882 is an incredible batting average for an album this long. This album stays fresh due to the band’s varied inspirations. It’s like a big costume party, where they dress up as INXS, My Bloody Valentine, Chromatics, Huey Lewis, and Blur in the 19 era. And somehow, they pull all of them off. 

Sure, the late 80s weren’t the greatest time for pop music, but Matt Healy and Co. take that spotty source material and transcend it to create a narrative about drugs, girls, religion, selling out, and mental illness that’s somehow still catchy as hell. Old-school pop music doesn’t get much better than this, folks.

Best 3: “The Sound,” “Somebody Else,” “A Change of Heart”

#2: Coloring Book by Chance the Rapper

I love it when an artist’s potential is actually realized. How many talented young rappers have started hot and then collapsed down the stretch, never to deliver a fantastic album? As much as I enjoyed “Trap Queen,” Fetty Wap is still seeking his flawless full-length project. B.o.B. lost his mind. A$AP Ferg followed up a super-promising debut with a complete try-hard disaster of a sophomore record this year. Those artists that finally meet expectations ascend to the level of greats: Kanye reached it with Late Registration. Kendrick reached it with Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City. Drake reached that with Take Care (and is currently squandering it). And Chance the Rapper, after a stellar breakout in 2013′s Acid Rap, and a slight setback in 2015′s forgettable Surf, finally became the top-tier rapper we all knew he could be with Coloring Book, the best hip-hop album of 2016.

Chance’s exuberance has already been well-documented at this point, but that still doesn’t lessen how “No Problem,” “Blessings,” and “Finish Line” (with T-Pain!!!) put a giant grin on my face. He certainly doesn’t shy away from the darkness, discussing Chicago’s violence problems and growing apart from old friends in subtle and poetic ways. Because Chance’s overwhelming chipper-ness can be a bit much sometimes, I also appreciate how he was willing to slow it down for a few songs and get a little more dour. Hell, the best song here, “All Night,” is about him being annoyed on a night out. The man’s got more range than we gave him credit for.

2016 was a dark year, which is exactly why a cheerful, optimistic, yet realistic album like Coloring Book is exactly what we all needed. 

Best 3: “All Night,” “Angels,” “Same Drugs”

#1: Teens of Denial by Car Seat Headrest

I don’t know if I’ve heard an album that’s so meticulously specific, yet bracingly relatable, as Teens of Denial. 

Like Lemonade, Teens tells one story for its entire run time. Here’s the synopsis: Singer/songwriter/guitarist Will Toledo (using the pseudonym “Joe”) has depression. His friends and parents don’t really care, tell him to get over himself, and say it’s all his fault anyways. He becomes dependent on alcohol and drugs to numb the pain, and after a while, they begin to make him feel worse. That makes his friends hate him, his family chastise him, and even Jesus himself shows up in a cameo to pile on the guy and inform him he won’t go to heaven. He makes a pledge to himself to turn his life around, then immediately drives drunk, gets arrested for a DUI, and breaks down in the cop car. He has a existential crisis that involves a lot of screaming at the universe, and his mind blocks out any comfort from others and replaces it with a raging, loud “FUCK YOU.” Overwhelmed by the stresses of the world and everyone’s expectations on him, Toledo decides to just give up on life. That doesn’t mean suicide, by the way — it means to just do whatever he wants. Roll credits.

Sounds like a long, winding story, and obviously, it’s a bit too extreme to be 100% relatable to my own personal life (luckily, I’ve never driven drunk or dropped acid), but how Toledo conveys his emotions through meticulous, reference-heavy lyrics and visceral lo-fi guitar fuzz is so cathartic, that you find yourself relating to some part of it. And even if you don’t, you’ll get sucked in by Toledo’s masterful storytelling and his indie rock anthems that cross Pavement’s gritty guitar tones with U2′s stadium-sized emotions and choruses (as someone who loves both angsty 90s music and massive 80s music, this is my heaven).

Yes, Teens of Denial is incredibly depressing, and to be honest, kind of melodramatic at points. But some people get melodramatic when they get depressed; I know I do. Toledo stated he was inspired by 90s indie rock in terms of the sound, but lyrically, he took inspiration from emo acts. This marriage results in an album with the raw, unfiltered emotions of something like My Chemical Romance or Simple Plan, but from the perspective of a down-and-out 20-something rather than a hormonal teenager (and with much better music to boot), so its a bit less embarrassing. 

I can’t talk enough about how Teens of Denial perfectly mirrors how a certain subset of recent college graduates feels about life. In a way, it represents angsty Millennials like In Utero represented angsty Gen Xers. As an angsty Millennial, this was tailor-made for me, and it’s easily my favorite album of 2016. 

Top 3: “Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales,” “The Ballad of the Costa Concordia,” “Destroyed By Hippie Powers” (but the whole album is flawless, so just listen to it all)

[placetobenation]

The Three Caballeros

Release Date: February 3rd, 1945

Inspiration: N/A

Budget: N/A

Domestic Gross: $1.595 million

Worldwide Gross: $3.335 million

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

IMDB Score: 6.5/10

Storyline (per IMDB): A large box arrives for Donald on his birthday, three gifts inside. He unwraps one at a time, and each takes him on an adventure. The first is a movie projector with a film about the birds of South America; Donald watches two cartoons, one tells of a penguin who longs to live on a tropical isle and the other about a gaucho boy who hunts the wild ostrich. The second gift is a pop-up book about Brazil. Inside is Jose Carioca, who takes Donald to Brazil’s Bahia for a mix of animation and live action: the two cartoon birds sing and dance with natives. The third gift is a piñata, accompanied by Panchito. A ride on a magic serape takes the three amigos singing and dancing across Mexico. ¡Olé!

Pre-Watching Thoughts: We move onto the next film in the Disney canon which is the second of the package films released during this time, and also you could say “unofficially” the first sequel in the canon as this builds off of Saludos Amigos. Unlike the previous film which was more a behind-the-scenes look at Disney’s trip to South America surrounded by a few shorts, this one has more of a linear story behind it told in a bunch of different segments. It does also blend the lines of animation and reality as well which will be interesting to see, and hopefully this ends up being a solid film and one I end up enjoying.

Voice Cast: So for the second film in a row, we have a combination of voice actors coupled with some actors that appear on screen in live-action scenes. We have a few regulars return as Clarence Nash returns to voice Donald Duck and Jose Oliveira voicing Jose Carioca, and Sterling Holloway also returns to voice the narrator for “The Cold-Blooded Penguin” and Pinto Colvig provides sounds for the Aracuan bird. We had two newcomers in this film as voice actor Frank Graham serves as a narrator for the film along with Fred Shields who narrates the short about the flying donkey, and finally Joaquin Garay voices Panchito Pistoles and he brings a lot of energy to new character. As mentioned, we do have some live actors appear as well mainly as dancers which include Aurora Miranda and Carmen Molina, and finally we have Dora Luz in a solo performance and these ladies to a great job in their roles for the film. Considering this would be the last film to be part of the canon that features live-action scenes, those involved did a good job in showcasing the culture of Mexico and Latin America.

Hero/Prince: N/A

Princess: N/A

Villain: N/A

Other Characters: For the purposes of these reviews since I am looking at the animated canon, we won’t include any live-action appearances so all of the dancers along with the soloists will not be mentioned in this specific category. We did have a few other characters involved as we are introduced to the third Caballero in Panchito Pistoles, the wise-cracking rooster from Mexico who becomes friends with Donald and Jose. We also had Pablo the penguin from the short where he longs to leave the cold and find a warm island to live on, and while he doesn’t speak he shows his determination to find a new place to live which he finally does. Finally we have the unnamed Guachito and his new flying donkey that he comes to love, and they have a good relationship that sees them win a race only to be disqualified since the donkey can fly. While there weren’t as many characters in this film as previous ones, it worked out since this was much like Saludos Amigos as it was more about showcasing the culture of Latin America.

Songs: Much like Saludos Amigos, the songs that are featured in this film are more done in a way to celebrate the culture and customs of Latin America as opposed to being memorable in the canon of the films. We do have a fun theme song with “The Three Caballeros” which is sung in the beginning of the film and then Donald and his friends sing it during the film, and it is a good song to put over their friendship and companionship. We then have Jose singing “Baia” as he sings about Brazil and they dance as part of the samba in “Os Quindins de Yaya”, and they are both good songs and catchy tunes that makes you want to dance. Next, we have “Mexico” sung by Panchito Pistoles as he sings about Mexico in the same vein that Jose sang about Brazil, and finally we have the centerpiece song “You Belong to My Heart” sung by Dora Luz and she does a beautiful job in singing this ballad which draws Donald to her.

Plot: So much like Saludos Amigos, this film was more of a showcase of the culture of Latin America based off of Disney’s trip to the region, but unlike the previous film this was more of a look at the culture as opposed to being a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. In this film, Donald Duck receives a bunch of gifts from his friends Jose Carioca and Panchito Pistoles, and first he learns about the different birds of Latin America before seeing a story about a penguin who wants to go somewhere warm. After watching a short story about a boy finding a flying donkey and becoming friends, he is eventually joined by Jose and Panchito as they go on a trip visiting various areas of Brazil and Mexico while participants in various events which include Donald falling in love with numerous women. It was basically a typical Donald Duck cartoon just extended to 80 minutes as opposed to a normal short and anyone who was a fan of Donald would more than likely enjoy it.

Random Watching Thoughts: Ahh, the Radio RKO Pictures logo is back after being MIA in the previous film; It is pretty cool to see Donald Duck in a full-length film as opposed to a short; Of course Donald’s birthday would be on Friday the 13th, The old gifts-within-a-gift-within-a-gift gag; Only Donald can make opening up a video screen a laborious process; A penguin that hates living in the cold, if that’s not an oxymoron I don’t know what is; Only penguins can make living in the Arctic like living on the beach; Bowling for penguins; I can’t help but feel like I’ve seen this specific short before when I was younger, but I can’t for the life of me remember when; Ahh, puns and the visual adaptations of them; I love how Pablo is so scared when his ice boat melts and he doesn’t want to get in the water when as a penguin, he can swim with ease; So Pablo finally gets to be on an island like he wanted only to then become homesick and miss the cold; I wouldn’t be surprised if this segment about the different types of birds inspired “The Enchanted Tiki Room” at the theme parks; I feel like the Aracuan was very similar to Woody Woodpecker even though they are two completely different birds; The narrator puts the Marrequito over as a skilled builder yet it can’t even make a nest; That’s a crap load of flamingos; The narrator goes from hunting wild ostrich to hunting condors; Is a flying donkey a big thing in Latin American folklore?; The way he has the donkey tied up makes it seem like he’s flying a kite; So the donkey can whistle like a bird?; I’ve noticed that they like using the word “gay” for happy a lot in these last few films; Did he really think that they could win the race without being accused of cheating due to the fact the donkey could fly?; How is the narrator able to do this narration if he hasn’t been seen in a long time?; Good to see Jose Carioca back for another film; Jose sings this epic song about Baia to Donald only to have never been there himself; That’s a lot of tracks to choose from and they just have the whole train separate; It is pretty cool seeing live-action mixed together with animation especially in the 1940s; Fun fact is that Aurora Miranda is the sister of Carmen Miranda who became well-known for her iconic fruit hat; It is a bit weird seeing a cartoon character pine over a real woman though it would be a running theme for Donald throughout this film; One slight flaw with this is you can clearly tell the live-action actors are in front a green screen as the animated scenes are obviously faded behind them, but it was the 1940s so technology was still relatively primitive in that aspect and it would look a lot better in 2020; It’s a good thing Daisy Duck wasn’t included in this film as she wouldn’t put up with Donald’s antics; The early days of a dance-off; So Jose can grow using black magic while Donald screws it up and inflates his whole body like a balloon; You figured that Mexico was going to heavily featured in this film after being absent in Saludos Amigos; Panchito Pistoles certainly has a lot of energy even more so than Jose and he’s got quite a set of pipes to hold that last note for so long; It is always pretty cool to see how different cultures celebrate Christmas; I always thought that the pinata was more synonymous with birthdays as opposed to Christmas; Jose and Panchito took great pleasure in teasing Donald by pulling the pinata away from him repeatedly; That was quite the loaded pinata to have all that stuff inside of it; As much of a history buff that I am, I never knew that Mexico City was built on top of a lake and had such a rich history and lore behind it; It’s so interesting seeing Mexico so glorified in 1945 knowing how different our thinking of it is in the current day and environment; I could only imagine what it was like for the filmmakers when they were filming all this footage featuring these old Mexican traditions and dances; Always love seeing the stylized animated maps of countries; Donald really didn’t want to leave that party and then they bring him to Acapulco where he sees plays around with the bathing beauties; Dora Luz does have a really beautiful voice; These last few minutes feel like a really strong acid trip; I wonder if the scene where Donald dances with Carmen Molina was the inspiration for having Gene Kelly dance with Jerry Mouse in “Anchors Aweigh”; Talk about going out with a bang at the end with the fireworks display.

Overall Thoughts: Overall, the second package film for Disney coming off of Saludos Amigos was a slightly better effort than the previous one though it again was nowhere near the films that preceded both films. As mentioned, it was pretty much just a Donald Duck cartoon extended into an 80-minute film while also being a showcase of the culture of Latin America, and this was the second film to be included as part of Disney’s look at the Latin American culture. We were coming to a crucial point as World War 2 was nearing its end and many of those who were drafted to help the government were about to return to the studios, and it will be interesting to see if they continue with the package films or if they revert back to the standard style of film. As for this film, it was a step up from Saludos Amigos though it was still just an average film at best even for me who has always loved Donald Duck and while it was fun, it was fairly forgettable.

Final Grade: 5.5/10