#and i literally always say this when i rank albums

[ourstaturestouchtheskies]

AND YOU SHOULD SAY THAT!!!!!!!!!!!

it's very interesting to me when swifties rank taylor's albums and rank folklore higher and then evermore a bit lower or the other way around like how do you separate them? they're a package deal for me personally they're intertwined they must never be separated they're both my number ones how do you do it

[fagoutboy]

🤨?

[theloopus]

what did you think of the buffy musical episode :o

literally listening to the album rn and have been for the past like week straight. hold on this got so long i'm putting it under a read more

okay first thing out of the way. writing wise? chef kiss. i loved it. not much more to say. it's just really really good top to bottom.

but about the musical side of things!!!

funnily enough i thought the songs were kind of mid while i was watching? Amber Benson and Emma Caulfield are incredible singers but the rest of the cast is just like... okay (which is hilarious considering half of them ended up having musical careers. NONE of the men are good singers i'm sorry!!!). but then the songs got stuck in my head... they're just so catchy and well-composed and well-written... and SMG more than makes up for her just-ok singing ability with how much emotion she puts into her songs. i said this on twitter but when she sings GIVE ME SOMETHING TO SIIIIIIIING ABOUT so desperately it's so guttingggg. augh!!!!

i like that all the songs are in the style of classic musicals but they're also tailored to the characters who sing them :-) some are more subtle than others but still! the most obvious one is Spike's clearly but Tara's song being so Kate Bush-y is so good it's such an inspired choice like of course she's Kate Bush-coded. her little dance!!! important to me!!! magical floating lesbian sex is one of the craziest things i've ever seen on my tv. shame that it's also like. a little dark and i hate to say it but honestly also assault. because of the context. :(

anyway my official song ranking <3

Under Your Spell

Something to Sing About

Walk Through the Fire

Overture / Going Through the Motions

What You Feel + What You Feel (Reprise)

I'll Never Tell

Where Do We Go From Here?

Rest In Peace (don't let the low place in the ranking fool you though i'm kind of addicted to it. also last one of the ones i click on purpose vs. just let play when they come on)

Coda (short though!!!)

Under Your Spell / Standing (Reprise) (mostly because of Amber's parts being so so so beautiful. and the mash-up of both songs is really good!)

I've Got a Theory / Bunnies / If We're Together (fun but kind of a skip)

Standing (always a skip lmaooo sorry ASH)

and then among the little non-songs i like Dawn's Lament, Dawn's Ballet, and the End Credits variation! and i always skip The Mustard and The Parking Ticket lol

[fromtenthousandfeet]

Is the love and support for Jimin deep, but not wide? Did we succeed in growing his fanbase, or did we just get smarter? We were told to get Apple, which I did. I learned to properly stream Spotify and YouTube, which I do. I bought different versions of his album, which I don't need.

But what is the point of all these charts and wins and firsts? I'm not interested in a pissing contest with other K-pop groups, other BTS members, or Billie or Harry or Jade, or anyone else.

I would like to enjoy Jimin's music in the way I can enjoy the music of any other popular and successful artist. To walk into a store and hear Like Crazy playing. To turn on the car radio and start singing along to Who. Ah, serendipity!

Why is this too much to ask? Why won't they put him on the radio? How is he supposed to reach the GP if nobody hears him?

I'm tired of doing Hybe's work for them. I'm tired of enriching the pockets of these assholes only for them to mock and sneer at us. BTS is the cash cow, but so are we.

One line I haven't crossed: buying anything from a BTS store. Have never, will never.

And as for now, I will keep streaming--as pointless as it may feel--but I'm not buying any more albums. Enough. Basta!

Forgive my rant. I pretty much freaking worship Jimin, but I'm just so fed up with this Hybe/Geffen B.S.

Talk me down, please.

Hmm. Are you reading my mind?!?

I'm not sure if I'll be able to successfully talk you down, but I'll try.

First, let me start off by saying that I am in no way an expert on Korean culture and I'm basing what I'm about to say on watching an obscene amount of K-dramas (embarrassing but true) and newspaper articles I've read about the Korean educational system. Broad generalization - Koreans are obsessed with rankings to an extremely unhealthy degree.

BTS didn't just export K-pop to the rest of the world, they seemed to have exported the obsession with charts, superlatives, placements, accolades, accomplishments. I don't blame BTS per se, but more the fandom who have made it their life's work to make sure BTS always did well on music charts and music competitions. I see that it's both a labor of love and a means of expressing support to the group, but at what cost? And who really cares? All that stuff takes the focus away from supporting good music for good music's sake. And as long as the focus is on chart placement above all else, the general public will continue to view K-pop as fraudulent.

What's the point of literally billions of streams of songs that never make it to human ears? What's the point of albums sold that end up in landfills? And it's almost an insult to the artists who make the music. Can you imagine knowing your fans aren't even listening to your music, they just feel obligated to buy it, or worse, do it to compete with other K-pop acts. Yes, initially this effort was a way to bring attention to BTS outside of Korea when the industry ignored their existence, but at this point, the streaming culture and obsession with charts is a mental illness.

So who has the courage to say no more? What will it take to collectively agree that Jimin lovers will enjoy his music and his amazing performances and stop stressing themselves out over charts and awards? I don't know, but I do know that Jungkook's fake accomplishments are like fuel the fire in this situation. PJMs, wounded from the incessant gaslighting from the company and JJKs alike, aren't going to stop trying to prove reality anytime soon. Everyone needs therapy!

I do have a suggestion, though, and that is to focus all our efforts on getting radio for WHO. I think this is infinitely more important than mass streaming and buying. You are right that the Jimin fandom is deep, and while wide, it's not wide enough to accomplish what all the scolds on Twitter we do. There are a finite number of people who have both the will and means to stream incessantly. And the number of buyers will dry up. As my mother used to say, you can't get blood from a turnip.

Fans' money and labor is better spent getting the word out to the general public about Jimin's insane talent. He's met us half way with a song that appeals to the general pop music-consuming public. He's given us a compelling music video. It absolutely sucks that the onus to market him falls upon his fandom, but it is what it is. The powers that be at HYBE are definitely afraid of the success he would achieve with just the basic promo package.

Radio play means fans won't have to work so hard for charting and won't have to buy so much. But most of all, as more regular people recognize and compliment JImin's talents, the more confident PJMs will become. As it stands now, his fanbase is altogether too insecure. (Did none of you grow up with an older brother who teased you relentlessly? Was I the only one? Don't take the bait!)

So, what to do to get that garbage company to give Jimin radio? I hate that it already feels like we've lost too much momentum, but let's not give up. How many fans live in Los Angeles?! HYBE America's office is located at 2110 Colorado Ave STE 200, Santa Monica, CA 90404-3763. Any PJMs up for a little protest outside their office? Santa Monica is lovely. Maybe hit the beach afterwards? Trucks parked outside of HYBE headquarters? Tagging the songwriters and producers from WHO? Using shame and public humiliation seem to be the only tools in our toolkit. Twitter/X is pretty much useless these days.

Anon, I've been doing what you've been doing. I even bought from the BTS store, despite my better judgement. I agree with you, though. Enough is enough. Basta!

We are only two people, but change has to start somewhere. Let's encourage others to celebrate Jimin's artistry and accomplishments and stop playing the K-pop numbers game.

[joonggphilia]

❤️🤍After Party🤍❤️

———————————————————————

Top! Idol! Oh Seungmin x Bttm! Staff! Male reader Genre: smut cw: Mentions of alcohol, mentions of being high, hand kink, spit as lube. A/n: This fic is very much inspired by the song Kiss land by The Weeknd (highly recommend listening to it if you can read and listen at the same time) ALSO I’m manifesting all the awards for Livelock, man is the album great!

———————————————————————

Xdinary Heroes, a rookie group that slowly climbed their way up the ranks. M/n didn’t know how he got the job of being their makeup artist, not that he was upset. He loves doing makeup and boy, did he love a certain someone. Oh Seungmin, better known as O.de, was m/n’s biggest crush. It sounded cheesy, but he got butterflies every time the said male walked into the room. No one in the group ever says anything, but it’s pretty obvious the O.de is smitten with m/n to. Today was special for the group. They had just recently won a couple titles with their new album and the staff decided to plan a party for after their show. This party happened to be at M/n’s house. He was the only one with a big enough house, who was also free. He didn’t mind as long as it made everyone happy. M/n was currently making his way out of the dressing rooms and towards the parking lot. “Wait m/n! Can I get a ride to your house? I’m all ready to leave anyway.” M/n whipped around to see Jungsu running up to him. “Gunil brought me here and he takes forever to get ready. I want to leave now.” He looked over his shoulder, making sure no one was listening to him talk shit. “Yeah. Yeah! Of course, whatever you need” m/n bowed to the man in front of him. “Drop the formalities, let’s go party!” He cheered grabbing m/n’s hand and dragging him to the parking lot. ———————————————————————

M/n’s house was booming, literally. Red lights flashed and music blasted through speakers. The smell of smoke and alcohol was suffocating, almost unbearable, but no one cared. It’s a party after all. M/n sat on the couch, as he scrolled through his phone. “M/N! GREAT PARTY!” Jungsu screamed over the music. He slowly leaned in towards m/n and whispered in his ear “someone is eyeballing you. Go get him.” ——————————-NSFW————————— O.de may have been a little high, but damn was the party version of m/n doing things to him. He was hard in his jeans just watching him waltz around the room. The only thing keeping him from going feral were the party drugs and Gunil making a fool of himself on the dance floor. Things all changed when he made eye contact with the beautiful boy, who was making his way towards him. “You liking the party?” Asked m/n. “I’m actually really enjoying myself. Your house is nice.” He answered, trying to keep the conversation going. “Thanks. You might liked my bedroom if you like this part of the house.” M/n wasn’t thinking with his brain, he was thinking with his dick. A snap decision really. “I’m so glad you said that!” Said O.de, as he jumped down from his spot on the counter, following m/n down a dark hallway. M/n threw his door open, shoving himself and O.de inside, then locking it. M/n was immediately pinned to the door. “I really want you.” Breathed O.de as he kissed up m/n’s neck, threatening to leave little marks every now and then. “Me too. I’ve always wanted to get closer with you Seungmin.” m/n agreed as he let the other male have his way. M/n’s attention was slowly drawn to O.de’s hands, which were working on the buttons of his shirt. His hands looked like they were made of beautifully carved marble. They look strong. God, the things those fingers could do. Oh Seungmin played the keyboard and synth, and it showed. M/n was practically drooling as he watched O.de’s hands move to slip off his shirt. “You’re so gorgeous.” Spoke m/n who was now undressing himself. “Your one to talk, if I’m gonna be honest, I’ve always had a thing for you.” Confessed O.de as he picked up m/n and put him on the bed. He went back to attacking m/n’s neck, this time leaving prominent marks of love. He traveled down to his chest, then torso, stopping above is private area. “Let’s get to it, shall we?” O.de playfully asked. “Please.” M/n almost demanded. Seungmin pushed M/n’s legs to his chest and spit on his hole, then he shoved two fingers in. M/n slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle the horrid noises that clawed up his throat. M/n squirmed under the other male, his body reacting uncontrollably to each movement and pump of O.de’s fingers. “I love the way your body talks, but I wanna hear your voice to baby” He spoke, kissing the back of m/n’s hand. M/n moved his hands to the back of O.de’s neck. “Seungmin, I’m ready.” Said m/n confidently. O.de shoved his whole length into m/n’s hole, causing m/n to scream. No one would hear them over the blaring music. “I’m sorry. I’ve just been waiting for this for so long.” Groaned O.de, as he quickened his pace. His eyes never leaving m/n’s face. Tears began to prick in m/n’s eyes, his hands tugging at Seungmin’s Oreo colored locks, his back arching off the bed. “Your close aren’t you.” Grunted the top, as he reached over to m/n’s member to jerk him off. “Cmon, cum baby.” And he snapped, white spurts of cum splattered between the two. O.de came inside of m/n, the sight of m/n’s pure bliss sending him over the edge.

——————————————————————— The two slowly made it back to the living room, and to their surprise the party was still raging. Jungsu danced towards the two. “I know I was the one who helped you guys get together, but god, y’all are nasty.” He laughed, motioning towards the hickeys, swollen lips, and disheveled hair. “Whatever go back to dancing you asshole.” Shooed O.de. “You’re gonna have to cover these up Mr. Makeup artists!” Said O.de as he rubbed his neck. M/n only giggled in response.

[melit0n]

In no particular order, (or in order, if you can rank them) what are your top 5 Ethel Cain songs? 🎤

Oh Tonee, this is like opening up one of five music based Pandora boxes for me 😭 please forgive the rambling.

Family Tree from Preacher's Daughter

This song drives me MAD. I could talk about her vocals in every song, but her voice in this makes me buzz. The bass throughout is ominous and incredible: same can be said for the SFX. I'm a sucker for when artists add in extra things like that. The flies put me on edge (which links it to Ptolemaea and eventually Sun Bleached Flies) and the bell ringing out during the first chorus makes me feel like I'm attending a funeral. Literally 'for whom the bell tolls', which kind of foreshadows her death later on in the album.

I genuinely think the lyrics are the closets I've come to a religious experience. "They say 'Heaven hath no fury like a woman's scorn', and baby Hell don't scare me, I've been times before." Insane. Ate and left not a single crumb. Her dead tone on "I've killed before and I'll kill again", being a callback to Two-Headed Mother's "I've loved before, I'll kill again" is just. Ugh. I can't even describe it.

+ Special mention to Family Tree (intro). I haven't, and will probably never, get over "Jesus can always reject his father, but he cannot escape his mother's blood."

Televangelism from Preacher's Daughter

There's very few songs, to me, that encapsulate a painful yet quiet death well, and this is certainly one of them. It's a solemnly comforting tune. Considering lore wise, it's meant to represent Ethel's soul coming out of the basement after she's been killed, it makes sense.

The first half genuinely sounds like something the pianist in my Catholic School used to play before prayer started. The fact that it was entirely improvised is absolutely insane, too.

Plus, the incredibly smooth switch from August Underground to this is brilliant.

Ptolemaea from Preacher's Daughter

Literally every part of this song is amazing (pretty much all of Preacher's Daughter is a work of art to be honest). It's definitely one of the few songs that genuinely unnerves me; still has the same creeping, fearful effect after the hundreds of time that I've listened to it.

First, off: The title is a reference to the ninth and final layer of Dante's Inferno: betrayal. Ptolemy commits treachery (a betrayal of trust), which lands him in the ninth circle, hence its name. This is what Isaiah does to Ethel. It's a somewhat niche reference that I love.

Secondly, Death's monologue (some people also interpret this voice as Isaiah, the man who kills and cannablises Ethel by the end of PD, but I'm just generalising it as The Grim Reaper) is so, so eerie. The repetition switching between "Heard you, saw you, felt you, gave you" to "Need you, love you, love you, love you" with Ethel screaming and asking for him to stop in the background always gives me chills.

Thirdly, all the lyrics go hard in this one. "Calling me the one, I'm the white light: beautiful, finite", "Even the iron still fears the rot" and "I am the face of love's rage" are some of my favourites.

Honestly? The entire song puts me on edge. Listening to it, I feel like I'm millimetres away from the sharp point of a knife. The build up to her screaming "stop" is full of panic, but cathartic.

Two-Headed Mother from Inbred

The distorted guitar at the start mixed with her vocals itches my brain so well. Her tone and dictation in this is really 'soft' too, and more spoken than sang, which I adore. It sounds less like a song and more like being hummed an eerie tune as you drift in and out of sleep.

Overall, despite the topic (of both the song and album in general: it's called Inbred for a reason) the beat is an absolute groove. Never in my life would I have expected a song about trauma passed on from a mother so a daughter to have such a blend to it.

On the note of the topic, just, hello?? It mixes a mother's hatred and love and passes it down to a child who sees it in every man she sees. Let alone paints her lover in a horrible image in order to remove guilt from how badly she's treating him. Just how her dead mother still has dictation over her, she exerts the same amount of control on her lover. She knows very well that her two headed mother brought her here and can send her right back.

Head in the Wall from Golden Age

This one just encapsulates so, so much religious based anger and debilitating depression. Every single lyric oozes with pain and I always have to like, sit down when this comes on.

Growing up a Catholic kid, in a not so nice religious environment, yeah. Just yeah. Misogyny was rife and "It's always my fault: girls will be bitches, and boys will be boys" resonates with me a lot. I could say a prayer wrong and be told to sit outside in Winter to do my work for the rest of the day, and a boy could chase me around the playground, pull my hair and try to punch me and it's still be my fault because boys will be boys.

The whole song just illustrates a very depressive mindset, being more angry towards yourself, and then moving on to environmental factors to try and shift blame in an attempt to stop feeling shitty. For those reasons, I don't listen to Golden Age or Carpet Bed all too much because they sucker punch me right in the chest a little bit too painfully, but HITW is still a favourite.

[harrys-toothpaste]

RANKING INVINCIBLE!!!!

16. invincible— ironic how the title track is actually my least fave off the album. i dunno. it lacks a lotta substance. that 🤌🏻michael🤌🏻 substance. if ya know what i mean. “why ain’t ya feelin’ me?” sorry love, i ain’t feelin’ ya. OOOHHH BURNNNN

15. privacy— the only thing i like about this song is the message. that’s basically it. oh, and slash. yeah. slash and the message. the message and slash.

14. two (two) thousand (thousand) watts (watts)— the voice ain’t that distinctive mj falsetto i’m used to… sorry. but the beat is sick, i must say.

13. threatened— YOU SHOULD BE. WATCHIN’ ME. YOU SHOULD FEEL. THREATENED. ahem. yeah, this song’s alright! i gotta give it to sony for pissing mj off enough to write a whole diss track about ‘em! this song kinda also sounds like if unbreakable had a b side!

12. butterflies— don’t hate me for such a low ranking! compared to all the other slow, melodic tracks on the album, this one just kinda sounds like a lullaby. okay, well, they all do, but this one would put me to sleep the fastest. but i absolutely love the vocals in this one. superb and supreme mj right there!

11. cry— invincible’s man in the mirror. great empowering track! though if i had to choose between this, heal the world, MiTM, and, well, all the empowering tracks on HIStory… all the others would win, hands down.

10. you rock my world— only because i’ve heard it so much, so it’s a smidge overplayed in my book. kudos to my local roller rink for playing it! they’re cultured folk i fear 👀

9. don’t walk away— this is where it got SUPER freaking hard for me to rank. i absolutely adore this song with all due respect, but out of all my top faves on this album, this one didn’t quite have enough substance to it as the others further up on the list, such as…

8. speechless— speechless, that’s how you make me feel, though i’m with you, i feel far away, and nothing is for real… ahem sorry! holy cow talk about melodic and YES THIS IS A TOTAL LULLABY FOR ME!!!! i love how half the tracks on this album could double as lullabies for kids, it’s super kid friendly, and i felt like michael took that into account when making the album, did he actually, i dunno. just my perspective!!

7. you are my life— what did i tell you? michael literally wrote this ABOUT his kids, FOR his kids (to have and to look back on when they got older, cause y’know, they were only three or four back then). i absolutely adore every single aspect of this song.

6. heaven can wait— right away, with that opening couple of notes, it sucks me riiiight in. and then it hits you with those melodic AF backings. and then michael’s voice comes in being all romantic and shit AH got me blushing like the HELL and then his voice coupled WITH the backing esp in the bridge got me like… DA. FUCKIN. HELL. NAH. this song has no right to be THAT good like BRUH. okay i’ll stop before the cringe meter flies off the handles.

5. the lost children— holy CRAP i close my eyes and listen to this one, and it almost feels like i’m being whisked off to a magical fairyland, one where nothing or nobody could ever hurt me. that’s the type of sensation i always wanna feel! and the children’s chorus at the end… gives me chillsss… michael wrote this with children in mind, and he once said this was one of his faves off the album (god i love that man). and i can totally see why!

4. break of dawn— oh my god. every time i listen to this one, i close my eyes and imagine michael and i on the most PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT romantic date like EVAAA!!! he’s such a romantic ham and this song clearly displays all his TRUE intentions! and people labeled him like they did… the fuck bro?!?! he just wanted to be a decent dude and take his love out on a picnic!!! he certainly had the money to travel all across the world and picnic on every hill and valley across timbuktu! idk if i even spelled that right but you get my point! bottom line, can michael please please please be my husband/lifelong partner please and thank you. it’s a simple request!!!

3. heartbreaker— hot take: michael walked so skrillex could run. don’t come @ me!!! fr tho, this song straight up SLAPETHS harder than… harder than… well y’all get what i’m tryna say here! holy fuckballs. holy shit. why is michael’s whole album so bleeding dope? and for what? what did we do to deserve this ??? straight up MASTERPIECE. of an album?!?!?! *takes deep breath in* and seriously, i don’t think a better track exists on this album.

1. unbreakable— oh wait, it’s the first one, SILLY! michael really started this album out with a BANGAROO, i love how four of my favorite tracks on the album are part of the first five songs you hear… and then the rest of the album straight up bangs! (like i wish mikezilla would do to me some day) AH WELL A GIRL CAN DREAM…

i hope you appreciated my chaotic review of invincible @someone-put-your-hand-out @applehead1988 @histendercaress LOLOLOL…

lmk if you want me to review more albums!!!

[disjenyamembra]

So, first of all this isnt going to be about albums that released this year. It's just going to be about what I listened to this year, so kind of all over the place. I wanted to do this for quite some time and thought no one would care and then decided, shit, I care. So I'm doing this odd personal thing anyway. This is ordered chronologically and in general this isn't a ranking of any sort.

With that being said

SZA - SOS

Absolutely loved this album and was in the exaxt right state of mind to listen to this (aka being in a very straining push and pull situationship). Favorites include Kill Bill, Blind (still gets me all misty eyed), Special, Open Arm, I Hate U, F2F. If it's not on the list it doesn't mean I didn't love it, just means the others got looped more in some kind of depressed daze I was in. I have BPD and I remember splitting HEAVY listening to some of those songs. Vocals are incredible as usual and the variety in genres SZA takles makes it feel very fresh. I mostly value emotion and storytelling when it comes to music and this delivered in spades.

TV Girl - Who Really Cares

Bouncy, fun and energetic break up music. Great to listen to if you're feeling bitter and holding a grudge, but want to be a bit playful about it. I originally heard it as a teenager all the way back in 2016, but it found me again in early 2024 and this time I really listened. Faves: Taking What's Not Yours, Song About Me, (Do The) Act Like You Never Met Me. Carried me when I got all in my feelings but didn't want to listen to really depressing stuff. Speaking of...

Frank Ocean - Blonde

Really depressing stuff, not in general necessarily but for me personally. Also absolutely beautiful and stunning, as expected of Frank Ocean. One of the most inspiring albums for me maybe ever. Great for ugly crying to. Favorites - Ivy (my first Frank Ocean song and also very resonant), Pink + White, Solo, Self-Control, Seigfried (kicks me in the gut every time). Also Channel gets a spot here even though it's technically not on Blonde because I'm bisexual. Sounds like going to heaven.

Black Dresses - Peaceful as Hell

I LOVE THIS ALBUM. I, in fact, love it so much that I got a tattoo of the album cover. Excellent copium for like everything in life. At some point I will do an album review for it specifically, but at the moment it just gets a highlight here. Love the production to bits, love the message and just in general love everything about it. Favorites - Literally every song. It's a ten for me. Kept me going during a really hard time in my life. Full of grounded optimism and immense love of the world.

charli xcx - brat

Yeah yeah yeah. Everyone and their mother listened to brat, but what can I say, the album is genuinely really good. I've been a fan of Charli for years and years at this point and I genuinely think this release is a life changing masterpiece. There's not much I can say that orher people haven't before, so I'll skip straight to the personal stuff. Favorites - Sympathy is a knife ("why i wanna buy a gun? why i wanna shoot myself?" i was at a low, low point), Everything is romantic (so pretty, feels like if a scrapbook was a song), b2b (song that made me leave my situationship), think about it all the time (a look at charlis vulnerable side).

JPEGMAFIA - I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU

Over the last two years I got way more into Jpegmafia to the point where he is one of my favorites of all time. I skipped out on the release cycle for this album, I wasn't doing great and it just kind of passed me by. When I got better I finally gave it a shot and I loved it. It's hard for me to pick favorites here because for me Peggy's albums are more of a united listening experience start to finish. I don't know how to describe it, but it mesmerized me. The production is incredible as always, the whole album has kind of an introspective tone to it. Great for dancing, working and looking inwards.

Princess Chelsea - Everything is going to be alright

This album feels like it's holding my hand and reassuring me very gently, the title is appropriate. The whole experience is very sensitive and soft, Chelsea's vocals are soothing and ethereal and the instrumental has a magical feeing to it. Favorites - The Forest, Time, I Don't Know You, Forever is a Charm and most of all Everything is Going to Be Alright (pt.2). This album says time heals and urges one to be patient and to find beauty all around you.

The Dears - No Cites Left

My current go to album. In truth I listened to it first a year ago or so and fell in love with it instantly, but this year it feels a bit different. It was recommended to me by a dear (haha) person who is no longer in my life of my own volition, and even though things turned out sour I still very much wanted to keep this album to myself. Despite being made in the early zeros to me it has an almost contemporary feel. Gets me emotional in all the right ways. I'm not a music reviewer so I dont have in me all that lingo to describe so many albums in interesting ways. I just recommend everyone go and give it a listen.

Favorites - We Can Have It, Lost in the Plot, Don't Lose Faith, Warm and Sunny Days, 22: The Death of All Romance (kind of an obvious pick for me, really), No Citites Left

That's all, folks! I listened to much more than that in 2024, but that's all I felt like writing about. Honorable mentions: chromakopia (didnt do this stuff because I already did brat and didnt feel like adding two very popular current releases to the list), overgrowth by cj the x (i loved it but its short and also painful to relisten), laughingfish (still need to spend more time with it), ghost hippies - призраки тоже плачут and kё - если я не смогу (two russian releases that i feel like should maybe be on a seprate list)

It's not a very efficient way to recommend music to other people, but that's not the point, I just wanted to talk about it all means to me.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed :)

[seraphirism]

Hello, 🐈‍⬛anon is here!!

Sadly, I don't have really an opportunity and mental strength to give akuneko enough time, work's taking a lot from me☹️I still didn't even read the Butler's Wedding Party, I'm so far from the fresh events, gosh... I guess I'll have to force myself to catch up otherwise I'm scared that I won't be able to do so and the game will be closed by the time I'll have enough time (sorry for the dark thought I just was scarred by how Senjuushi was closed TWICE and I didn't had enough time to at least read the main story😭)

Anyway, I'm really hyped up for the Sanrio Collab Halloween!! Very interested to know what happened that sanrio pookies suddenly came to the world of our butler pookies (is it bc the third ultimate bbgirl of this title Bellen woke up?/j)

hii, 🐈‍⬛–anon (*^▽^*)!! hope you’ve been doing well!

I totally get it. since the summer event (the cruise one) i haven’t been too active as well 😭 i just login from at least once in two-days so i can collect enough gems (the ones needed to unlock memories of the butlers in the album).

and I’d say many of the events are filler content with lore dropped in small bits. they’re not extremely connected so you wouldn’t be missing out on much if you read the recent events for now and leave the previous ones.

god, don’t scare me, 🐈‍⬛–anon 😱 aknk won’t end it’s services ✨ it’s doing very well (like its always on top 15 or above in rankings) so it should be very unlikely (devs, please don’t think about it 🙏)

you played senjyushi too?! I played it as well \(//∇//)\, not the older one but the Rhodoknight one that ended its services this year. it put me in such a slump when it ended its services. i knew it wasn’t doing the best (it was literally 31 in ranking 😭) but god i loved it too much.

i started playing it a month after the new game launched. what got me into it was Snider 😔💖

I have gotten obsessed with fictional characters from time to time (quite a few i can name) but very few can hold a candle to how i liked Snider ✨ (i read his entire affection story from the older game and my obsession became deeper.)

i literally had every single card of his besides his Halloween card (the purple themed one) + his first anniversary card. i didn’t spent a dime on the game but I grinded hard enough to have all his cards, unlock all event stories of his + anything with him. plus, of course besides Snider, i loved UK’s faction, Kathariste and France’s faction a lot 💞!

I didn’t get to read the last few updates of the main story either 😭 i read till the introduction of the third part of the main story right before the bomb dropped for Like-two—and then they announced EOS and it made me so depressed. Senjyushi R was the reason i tried to learn japanese—it was my favourite game. before senjyushi, afterl!fe had also ended its services so senjyushi was another blow to me.

but I’m glad it’s getting a switch release! better something than nothing! as much as i regret the fact that the story will end and i won’t ever get see Mark, Like-two, Jitte, George, Snider, Enfield and so many more characters again with new content again, I’ll have to satiate myself with what i have 😔

i literally started akuneko because i didn’t have another game to obsess over after senjyushi. i also left akuneko two years ago because i wasn’t able to focus on senjyushi with akuneko 😭 it’s my rebound partner.

back to akuneko, I’m excited as well for the collab! I’ll read the event story in the weekend if i can make time. silent hill 2 remake was released too so I also want to play that (or at least watch the play through 🌫️)

you know, you’ve stated the best reason for sanrio pookies coming into the aknk world—it’s the awakening of the ultimate baby-girl, Bellen. I’m not accepting the reason the writers will choose in the event story—the actual reason in my heart will always be the awakening of Bellen 💞

[everything-is-as-it-was]

Ranking all DnP videos 2024

Hello everyone here to hear me yap! Below I am including all of the videos dnp have released in 2024, rated from my favorite to least favorite. PLEASE NOTE that I actually do love all of them! And this is just a silly thing! But feel free to discuss or send me asks with your opinions :)

I'll start from the bottom up.

10. i have a spicy confession...

This one was lots of fun (wtf is wrong with yall with these confessions) but I'm not gonna lie Phil felt incredibly off in it and like... really performative? Like idk something didn't feel right to me and although he said some really sweet things it felt... off somehow. Not sure how to describe it. Funny though lol

9. HONEYMOON IN JAPAN!

I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW

It was a good video!! I just feel like it didn't have a lot of *those moments* that these other videos had idk. Like yes it was very sweet and a milestone for the sims universe but it kind of felt like that was it for me. The symbolism was inSANE but just strictly talking about the video itself yk. New pics released were nice though

8. Poppy Playtime Chapter 3

This one was a lot but it was SO nice to have such a long video- two hours long who??? That's tbh the reason this one goes above the honeymoon video- the length. The reason I put it lower is that although I am NOT complaining about the length, both of them were SUPER focused a lot of the time and not really talking much haha

7. Viewers Pick My Birthday Presents 2024

The only reason this one isn't higher is because all the ones above this I consider part of their *magnum opus* era. I loved the mini golden pig, the omatone, the shirt, and the Shrek smut. Always fun to see him surprised with cursed stuff loll

6. THE PUBLIC WOOHOO INCIDENT

Pretty self explanatory I think. Dan SCREAMING as Dab and Evan got it on made me actually piss myself. I can still hear it echoing in my head.

5. Phil's Birthday Livestream

Another case of "the only reason this isn't higher is because the ones above it are SO good." I loved the livestream, and was able to attend live for about the first hour. Such chaos. Such good. Amazing.

4. Dan and Phil Get Married, Have Kids, and Retire

Saw the notif while I was getting out of school and I literally snorted out loud, very embarrassing. They're just taking the piss at this point and I'm loving it. Phil's teasing him towards the end with "oh, I think I'll start another photo album!" GOLDEN. "Henry gives me that good dick." "Me and Susan have been rawdogging it." Amazing. Incredible.

3. Phil Pushes Dan's Button for 18 Minutes

A comfort video for REAL. When this came out I was SHOCKED that they had two BANGERS one right after another, but boy was I in for a surprise.

The slime? The slime on Dan's head while he's talking? Phil placing it on his forehead while he stares off into space? Hell yeah I want more of that slime I could look at it all day.

2. Who is the Real Daniel Howell?

Yall. We were fed GOOD today. Dan singing 'my lumps' absolutely DEADPAN while Phil looks at him in Awe? I WANT PHIL'S SWEATER IF ANYONE CAN TELL ME WHERE IT'S FROM I WILL BE GRATEFUL.

So? many shoulder touches? idk what that's about but i aint complaining ig

editing tips! *stuff* coming out your nose! etc!

This one had such a particular vibe to it- I think partially because it wasn't edited by the editor they've been using! To be clear - the editor has been doing a great job and I applaud them :) but sometimes it feels a bit over-edited, if you know what I mean? (For example the count-downs on the sims video going down the mountain felt a bit much) But having a video that was edited by Dan or Phil kinda hits different idk

WDAPTEO2024

I cannot, CANNOT say enough good things about this video. I cannot. I cannot. It holds my whole heart and soul and I have only rewatched it twice because I am trying to preserve the magic but GODDAMNIT I love their shenanigans. What a series.

I was very worried when they came out with this video STRAIGHT into 2024 because I was like, "WOW. that was amazing but idk how they're going to follow this up? will everything feel like a disappointment now that this masterpiece has come out?" (not that dnp uploading could ever be a disappointment, but I digress) BUT I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. Still though, wdapteo is 10/10 my fave so far.

I hope you enjoyed my yapping! I know many of you don't agree and that's okay lol, feel free to share your opinions if you so please ! And also with the ones that were lower ranked, the reasons I listed for the being lower ranked was NOT me complaining. Each video is different and awesome in their own right, this is just a ranking of how much I personally enjoyed each one!

Thank you and goodnight!

[hello-nichya-here]

There is such a strange obession with always having to humble Michael Jackson.

He fits like the extrem case of a Tall Poppy Sydrome.

1# His brothers (Jermaine) how they say he wouldn't be Michael Jackson without the Jackson 5. Kind of dismissing his talent and wanting them to be a part of his success.

2# People who claim Joe beat talent into Michael. And is success is thanks to his abuse. If that was the case. What went wrong with the others then?

3# The constant comparsions with todays artists. Who not only benefit from the streaming era but are also way below him talent wise or impact wise. Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Drake, Chris Brown... Them naming new King of Pops like Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles. The comparsions can be looked as a compliment that he is looked as the standard or as an insult because they try to dismiss him and put him om the same level as these artists not respecting he is a league on his own..

#4 These stupid lists billboard or rollingstone put out ranking him ridiculously low. Like tf you mean Michael number #86 on the best singers list. Or the 20 best Halloween songs doesn't involve Thriller eventhough it's the most recognizable one.

#5 Claiming Eagles Greatest Hits was the best selling album of all time back in 2018. Eventhough it was only in the US. ( allegedly) But of course these trash tabloids had to make it look like it was the world.

#6 The stupid allegations. If they put any effort into reading would know are bs. When their smear campaign failed they just made it look like "separating art from the artist" bs.

#7 Them reporting other artist broke his record. Eventhough it isn't comparable. You can't compare Drakes shitty number ones who are mostly features in it or he features in them to Michaels number ones where he is mostly on his own and also wrote most of it. The songwriting is also something they can't believe and try to dismiss aswell. Also Drake has the benefit of the streaming era. Michael didn't. Aint nobody buying a bus tickets to drive 15 minutes downtown and purchase an album of Drake.

Their pathetic attemps really knows to bound. They would literally choke if they just admit he is the greatest.

The one about his father's abuse being the thing that "made him what he was", as well as the unfair slander against MJ for accusations that were so ridiculously they were laughed out of court are, by far, the ones that piss me off the most.

Joseph abusing his son was not the reason why Michael was the greatests, it was one of the many reasons why we lost him so soon. I'm always EXTREMELY suspicious when people try to push that kind of narrative of "abuse is not that bad and has positive consequences if you're not a crybaby", especially when it's someone in a position of power, because it just screams "I want to get away with exploiting people AND I want to be praised for it."

The lies of "Michael was a pedophile" are just the kind of stuff that breaks my heart and makes me furious. And I gotta laugh when the same people that tried to destroy MJ because of stuff they KNEW was bullshit now pretend it never happened or, like you said, use the "separate art from the artist" argument. It just proves that Michael had earned so much respect from both the public and the few decent people in the industry, AND was so fucking talented, that those idiots were eventually forced to realize that they would have made much more money celebrating him than they ever made by tearing him down

And we all know THAT is why they did it, the good old business model of "Give the public a great icon, then tear said icon to pieces in front of them." The people that are still on the hate/devalue MJ train are split between people that are too proud to admit they fucked up, and the people that built their entire lives around telling the public which popular thing is actually not that good (be it in a "I'm too good for stuff that the masses like" way or in a cancel culture type of way).

Plus, we all know Michael was not afraid to openly trash the media and even his own record label when they pissed him off enough, and you just know some rich assholes that are not used to people talking shit about them and getting away with it and still hold a grudge for it.

As for the comparisons with modern idols - it's not just things like streaming that make said comparisons not just unfair, but downright nonsensical.

The very fact that people will go "Oh, this person is the new Michael Jackson/King Of Pop" is already a contradiction. The reason Michael has the status he has is because there WASN'T a "king of pop" before him. He had people who influenced him and there were artists that were HUGE, sure, but there was no one that fit the role of "The MJ before MJ" so to speak. The closest "match" I can think of is Beatle Mania, and even then, that was a group. Even when people talk about the "most important/famous" Beatles, it's always Lennon AND McCartney.

Michael Jackson's fame as a solo artist was on the level of "People legitimately did not fucking know someone could be this famous" and to this day nobody has done it again - which is a big deal since, like you pointed out, it is a lot easier to have acess to an artist's work now.

And yet everytime one of today's artists is called "The new king/queen of pop" in some internet article it just never catches on... yet the title of said articles DON'T have to add a "(Michal Jackson)" after saying the words "King of Pop" because if you know these three little words, you know the ONE person they refer to.

Another important factor here is that all of these "new coronations" so to speak happen literally every year - to more than one artist. We are TOLD "this random music critic saying this about this artist is a big deal" but it doesn't match what we're SHOWN because, again, to reach Michael's level of fame, one would need to be literally "The only artist that matters, everyone elsa can just fight for the title of second best." If everyone is "the new MJ" then no one is, not really. At most they're just "Super popular artist" and there's nothing wrong with that.

Things like the internet and streaming have also made the term "fifteen minutes of fame" much more literal than it ever was. So sure, you easily find people that went viral - but how many of them had any real, lasting sucess? How many times did an artist do something cool that pushed to everyone all over the globe, and then just a month later they were a has-been?

And even the well-stablish artists of today, even though who started really young, don't have the same kind of long career Michael had because most artist don't start singing at the age of five, spend their entire childhood and adolescence gaining more and more fans, and then spend their adulthood as the biggest thing ever because they put out the first AND second best selling albums of all time. Michael had already been performing, and been absurdly famous, for nearly two decades when he finally released Thriller - which just got a 40th anniversary edition because even after four decades since it's debut, and 14 years since Michael letf us, he is STILL such a powerhouse that the world just had to celebrate his music once again.

Comparing that to artists that have only had one or two decades in the industry is ridiculous because of course they're gonna lose, just like their modern songs are obviously going to be front and center instead of the ones made decades ago, from an artist that is deceased and whose sales did not benefit from streaming, or even CDs, for a long time. And once again, the fact that Michael STILL has a presence on Spotify, Youtube, TikTok and literally very platform ever speaks volumes of just how solid his legacy is. Meanwhile all these singers he's being compared to are still making stuff that will one day become their legacy. It's comparing apples to oranges.

And since I mentioned the (ungodly evil thing) that is TikTok, that brings me to yet another major difference between MJ fame and modern fame: how artificial it all has become. Don't get me wrong, musical trends and popular "formulas" to make a hit have always existed, but things today are often SO calculated to have "viral qualities" (a part the is guaranteed to become popular on TikTok, never going over a specific length, everything needing either a sped up version or a slow reverb version, etc) that they might as well have been made by algorythm.

Meanwhile, Michael became the biggest singer ever because the priority when making anything was to make sure it was GOOD, no matter the style, length or topic of the song. Michael often said his approach when making records was to have no songs you can skip - compare that to artists and labels trying to make 20 seconds of a song catchy to blow up on TikTok, rest of the thing be damned, and you have yet another reason why MJ's legacy is solid, while plenty of promising new artists disappear overnight.

And, finally, we that brings us to the final difference between Michael and plenty of artists today: how he COMPLETELY altered the industry, in every way.

Michael Jackson is the reason why Superbowl performances are a thing, why music videos have all kinds of cool aesthetics and even enough plot to be considered short films instead just being an artist dancing to their own tunes on camera. He was the first black artist to ever have his music videos air on MTV. Fans passing out during his concerts was a regular thing. Plenty of artists all over the globe have him as a reference to how they should sing, dance, dress, or even just stand on stage because Michael had such presence he could stand on stage without moving for an entire minute then slowly, dramatically remove his sunglasses, and people would still be screaming their heads off.

Once again, let's look at Beatle Mania: it was a level of fame nobody had seen before, for artists that were breaking all the rules. But nowadays a group of young men playing love songs and having seemingly every teenage girl in the country following them around is nothing out of the ordinary, and while their songs are still fantastic, plenty of bands over the decades have done awesome things with rock music that are just as revolutionary, if not more.

Meanwhile, Michael is still THE reference, and his music is still the definition of "quality." If you hear his biggest hits, you can totally tell which bits modern singers were inspired by - yet if you didn't know who he was, you could wrongfully assume some of these songs are modern because they were SO ahead of their time they still sound groundbreaking today.

Seriously, there's a reason NONE of these artists that was ever compared to Michael tried to actually claim his title: saying you're as good as him is one hell of a bold claim that gives people a ton of impossibly hugh standards that you better meet, without flaw and making it look effortless, otherwise you look like the most arrogant person who has ever lived - and nobody wants to deal with that kind of pressure.

[jayfeathersstick]

Ranking the songs in every Enhypen album with no explination

:D

Yes this will include intros and outros but most of them will be at the bottom of the list

BORDER: DAY ONE

Flicker

Given-Taken

Let Me In (20 CUBE) *ʸᵉˢ ᵖˡᶻ ᵇᵉ ᵐʸ ᵇᶠ*

Outro: Cross The Line

10 Months

Intro: Walk The Line

BORDER: CARNIVAL

Drunk-Dazed

FEVER

Mixed Up

Not For Sale

Intro: The Invitation

Outro: The Wormhole

A/n Hey Tayo started playing💀 MOOD CHANGE

Is it just me or is billy poco actually a good song?

Hey Tayo Collab (should i count this?...too late i am)

Billy Poco

Hey Tayo

BORDER: 儚い

Forget Me not

Given-Taken - Jap Ver

Let Me In (20 CUBE) - Jap Ver

DIMENSION: DILLEMA

Attention, please!

Just A Little Bit

Tamed-Dashed

Upper Side Dreamin'

Blockbuster feat. YEONJUN of TXT

Interlude: Question

Intro: Whiteout

DIMENSION: ANSWER

This is technically a part of dillema but...

Blessed-Cursed

Polaroid Love

Outro: Day 2

DIMENSION: 閃光

Always

Tamed-Dashes - Jap Ver

Drunk-Dazed - Jap Ver

MANIFESTO: DAY 1

Future Perfect (Pass The MIC)

ParadoXXX Invasion

SHOUT OUT

TFW (That Feeling When)

WALK THE LINE

Foreshadow

Fun fact: both of the intro/outros in that album are my personal favorite out of every single one :D

定め (aka the fish eye lense album cover)

Drunk-Dazed - Jap Ver

Blessed-Cursed - Jap Ver

Future Perfect (Pass The MIC) -Jap Ver

Forget Me Not

Always

Given-Taken - Jap Ver

Let Me In (20 CUBE) - Jap Ver

Tamed-Dashes - Jap Ver

DARK BLOOD

Karma

Sacrifice (Eat Me Up)

Bite Me

Fate

Chaconne

Bills *ˢᵒʳʳʸ ⁿᵒᵗ ˢᵒʳʳʸ*

ORANGE BLOOD

Still Monster

Sweet Venom

Sweet Venom -Eng Ver

Orange Flower (You Complete Me)

Blind

Mortal

Sweet Venom feat. Bella Poarch

DARK MOON SPECIAL ALBUM ✨MEMORABILIA✨

Lucifer

Fatal Trouble

Teeth

Scream

CRIMINAL LOVE

One In A Billion

This one isn't an album but,

Singles, collabs, remixes, and random songs

CRIMINAL LOVE

BLOSSOM

I NEED U - (BTS Cover)

ZERO MOMENT (Sung by Heeseung, Jay, Jake) (Prod.tearliner)

Brought The Heat Back (Feat. Ava Max)

One and Only (Pokemon Collab)

One In A Billion

Every XO (Only If You Say Yes) remix because why are there so many😭

I Need The Light

A Kind Of Magic (Coke Studios Collab)

Sweet Venom (Seeb Remix)

What Makes You Beautiful (cover)

Keep Swimmin' Through (Baby Shark Collab) *ʷᵉ ᵈᵒⁿᵗ ᵗᵃˡᵏ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ᵗʰⁱˢ ᵒⁿᵉ*

ROMANCE: UNTOLD

Brought The Heat Back *LITERALLY ON REPEAT?*

Your Eyes Only

Moonstruck

Paranormal

XO (Only If You Say Yes)

Highway 1009

Royalty

XO (Only If You Say Yes) Eng ver. Ft JVKE

Hundred Broken Hearts *im sorry 😭*

[silverlininghills]

top 10 death cab songs i want TØP/tyler to cover:

(put in album order bc no way am i ranking them skjldfdskl)

passenger seat

when you feel embarrassed then I'll be your pride when you need directions then I'll be the guide for all time

what sarah said

love is watching someone die so who's gonna watch you die?

talking bird - demo

but oh, my talking bird though your feathers are tattered and curled I'll love you all your days til the breath leaves your fragile frame and it's all here for you as long as you choose to say it's all here for you as long as you don't fly away

unobstructed views

there's no eye in the sky just our love no unobstructed view no perfect truths just our love, just our love and there's no verse no monument of words for our love for they can't hold all I know about my love, about my love

st peter's cathedral

st. peter's cathedral built of granite ever fearful of the answer when the candle in the tunnel is flickering and sputters and fading faster it's only then that you will know what lies above or down below or if these fictions only prove how much you've really got to lose at st. peter's cathedral there is stained glass there's a steeple that is reaching up towards the heavens such ambition never failing to amaze me it's either quite a master plan or just chemicals that help us understand that when our hearts stop ticking this is the end and there's nothing past this

(literally pasted the entire song bc i just love it so goddamn much skdjfdskl)

you've haunted me all my life

you've haunted me all my life through endless days and countless nights there was a storm when I was just a kid stripped the last coat of innocence you've haunted me all my life you're always out of reach when I'm in pursuit long winded then suddenly mute and there's a flaw in my heart's design for I keep trying to make you mine

when we drive

climb into the back seat and close your eyes I've got the wheel and dream of all the places only we will find I can't expect you to be honest or to be faithful every day 'til the end I just need you to always be a friend until the engine kicks and sputters until we roll the rubber off the tires know I'll always need you by my side when we drive

man in blue

can you hear my voice? in a high, lonesome rejoice sing a song for you in and out of tune and I just want to understand you I don't need to be your man in blue I just want you to see yourself the way I do I don't need to be your man in blue

rand mcnally - acoustic

with this rand mcnally atlas, dog-eared and frayed like old testament verses that don't make sense in this decade don't let the light fade I won't let the light fade chasing these roads into dawns I won't let the light fade falling asleep in their arms and I'm holding on

i'll never give up on you

I've given up on confrontation and I've given up on every politician too and I've given up on affectations and the dilettantes they all consume but I'll never give up, never give up I'll never give up on you

and for anyone unfamiliar w these songs/death cab in general:

[cosmicalily]

stray kids 'ate' album review and ranking!

ugh omg i always say this about every album BUT THIS IS ONE OF THEIR BEST. this is going to change lives and literally be more influential than the renaissance, mark my words. i love skz's mashups because its so fun to piece together all the bits and pieces when you listen to the full album! from the very beginning, i claimed 'i like it' as my track because it had me going feral just from the snippet and i am OVERJOYED to say that it is still my favourite probably because i can lowkey relate to it which isn't actually a good thing help but we live and we love. the whole album is absolutely delectable and the title track is STUNNING! every track feels like it's literally the highest quality and i adore that, that's one thing skz never skimp on and i loved seeing how they talked about how they wanted to release the album earlier but didn't to work on the songs. i feel like not enough bands in kpop do this (not the fault of the bands, the fault of the companies) and they end up releasing really low quality music because it has a very limited timeframe and they're releasing tracks so often, so to see skz put so much effort (as they always do) to really make sure the album is the best it can be is so reassuring to me that there's a reason they are and always have been my number one and stood out to me. anyway, remember that this ranking is entirely my opinion and honestly there were NO misses in this album. they truly ate, if you will. feel free to disagree and let me know your faves in the comments!

'i like it' - NOT THE SITUATIONSHIP TRACK?? for some reason, i always fall in love with the dysfunctional relationship tracks (see: "collision" and "chill" being two of my all-time faves), and i think i'm realising it's because i relate to them in a way that's probably not good (there's this boy i've been very on and off liking and he might like me back but the mixed signals we're sending each other is so confusing) anyways, my gosh this track is absolutely delicious! when i first heard it in the mashup, i knew it was going to be the one i became addicted to. i listen to all of skz's songs pretty regularly, but there's a certain collection of songs, usually one per album, that just have something that has me fully addicted and unable to avoid. i get this feeling as soon as i hear the song in the mashup track and just immediately KNOW that its my 'one'. i'm seeing skz's 'dominate' tour for my birthday with my stay mama and they BETTER perform this song or i will be contacting people, and i'm not even kidding. there's a reason i befriended all the eshays in my school; we will take over jyp if i don't get to hear this live.

'runners' - I ADORE A WHOLESOME 'teamwork makes the dreamwork' ASS SONG AND SKZ HAVE BEEN WORKING OVERTIME HANDING THEM OUT LATELY! this is my lego batman movie track (sorry @thevampywolf) like it just gives 'teamwork makes the dreamwork' and i adore that. it reminds me a lot of 'blind spot', which is a song i hold very close to my heart, and the whole vibe these tracks give me is just nostalgia. 'lego batman movie' is the only way i can sum it up, but hear me out; that's my all time favourite movie, and i feel the same way about that movie that i do about these songs. i feel so proud (everyone's overcome so many challenges and come together!) and also so comforted (we've been rooting for them the whole time and they made it!). when i heard those vocals in the mashup, i knew this was going to end up being an album favourite. it's always the final chorus that gets me, 'blind spot' did the exact same thing. i love this so much. i love skz so much. if this is the outro song at the concert, i'll probably start bawling (i will regardless).

'chk chk boom' - i hate my brother. HATE HIM. he was watching the mv with me (he's also a stay) but had the nerve to say 'it lowkey sounds like dame tu cosita'. HE DID NOT. i won't be able to listen to it without thinking of that now. but i love this song, so i think i can cope. it's an absolute BANGER and feels so skz but also so different which i love! it's different, which skz always do, but also catchy. it's really difficult to create a track that is simultaneously super new and out there but also very memorable and easy to listen to, but skz have nailed that balance. i love the chorus, but the in between verses actually stuck out to me more for this one! the beat is so addictive and jisung in particular really stood out with his raps in this for me; he always feeds us good but this felt like it unlocked a new level of iconic. felix looked absolutely magical in the mv, and i'm so happy to see his freckles out and about! jeongin...don't even speak to me about him. it's reinforced the reason why i ended up with three biases: there's literally no way i can choose between him, minnie and hyunjin. my mum (minho bias) was also super excited to see minho get chorus time in the teaser! they all did so, so well and i'm so proud of my boys. the wait was well, well worth it.

'twilight' - the way this went straight onto my comfort song playlist was crazy; i was so excited to find out the piano sample in their teaser videos was actually in a song because i LOVE tracks like this! although i play a lot of high energy music, chill stray kids songs are probably the ones i end up listening to the most, because they're so comforting, especially when i'm going to sleep or overwhelmed. the beat for this is also really nice, and i like how simple the instrumental is, which allows their vocals to really shine through. i hope they do a live performance of this at the concert as well, it's so beautiful and feels so dreamy.

'mountains' - i'm not a huge shouty chorus fan, but when the mood is right, the mood is right, and THE MOOD IS RIGHT. will be screaming this at the top of my lungs when (not if) they perform it; it's such a banger and it was the PERFECT intro song for their album. the tracks skz select as the intro tracks are always so well fitted in setting the mood for the full album, which i think is so important (the worst thing is an album that lacks a consistent concept and theme). also, the background vocals are absolutely ADDICTIVE. as soon as i heard them in the unveil for this song, i lost my mind. i adore skz's vocals, i adore skz's raps; when they combine the two, i go ABSOLUTELY FERAL. this sticks with me the same way 'maniac's chorus does.

'stray kids' - don't. i'm going to cry. felix's soft vocals starting the song?? (no joke, when he started singing more and not just rapping, it felt like there was a whole new member's vocals in there; they're such a contrast to his usual and so angelic). this feels like another 'lego batman movie' track in the way it makes me feel so nostalgic and comforted; this song feels like watching a montage of their biggest, happiest moments and I FEEL SO PROUD OF THEM. i've been with them for so long, and know it's gonna take the world to stop me for me to leave.

'jjam' - I KNOW, YOU KNOW, LEE KNOW?? thank you skz for keeping that joke alive!! i know that the 'megaverse' and 'freeze' enthusiasts are going to lose their mind over this. ill admit, i don't usually listen to this kind of music since i find i have to be in a specific mood for it, but this would HIT SO HARD when i need it to. also only stray kids could write a song about condiments and make it slap so hard; part of me was expecting it to just mean 'jam' in the music sense and not necessarily literally but i love them using a double meaning. i was expecting a track similar to 'ssick' (because of the double first letter) but it's super different and i actually love that. slapped.

'chk chk boom festival ver' - LMAO NOT THE CLUB REMIX but on a serious note this does absolutely eat with the style of the song, skz are always very good at picking the right style of a remix to do for their songs (unlike producers that spam remix albums that sound so cheap COUGH 'one spark remixes' COUGH 'smart remixes' COUGH 'moonlight sunrise remixes') like this and the rock ver of 'lalalala' both work very well in their albums and this would go hard at a rave (acting as if ive been lmao) !!

[headdaze]

for your lil ask post: (if that doesn’t work just imagine me flopping around like a fish outta water all sad and emo like bc i hate mobile)

I’M NOT INTO ANY SO JUST ANSWER WITH ONE OF YOUR FAVS (if you wanna <3)

FISH ILYSM YES IT DID WORK LOLLL yeah mobile is a pain (mostly bc I hate texting RIP) so I feel u, like I have to add tags onto posts so they don't get buried but it's so annoying to type out all of them and then add the little hashtag to actually make it a tag so these days I literally just do "reblog now" and then later on desktop i'll add tags 😂

ANYWAYS

now those of you who have been stalking my recent reblogs will probably expect me to yap abt svt and believe me I could & I would but im gonna take this chance to yap about my current fav gg my beloved 💖 KISS OF LIFE 💖 for the ask game - for those of yall who don't know they're under S2 entertainment (not one of the "famous" companies to my knowledge), have four members, and debuted pretty recently in 2023!!

✦ my first bias: belle her vocals literally make me feel like i could die happy. also she's so competent (i love competency) & just so unintentionally funny sometimes and always slays so yes i love her so much

✦ my current bias(es): ot4 😭 i feel like sayinh anything else is a CRIME, imo they're the best when they're together and vibing bc the way they all just hang out and have fun together reminds me a lot of my own friend group 🥹

✦ my album and/or era ranking (or favorite of each): they're newer so not too many eras to choose from & also all of them are SLAYS SO here's the best from each for me - kiss of life (debut album): I'm weak for belle's countdown (prechorus SLAYSSS) & shh is surprisingly addictive / born to be xx: all of it. amazing. says it is really beaitufl and calm, but bad news always gets me hyped!! / midas touch: it's a single album so only two songs BUT THEY GO SO HARD!!!

✦ how i got into them: this is a really weird story that I'm just gonna tell bc I can and I will -- I saw Jii (cover artist on Youtube) uploaded a short of her Chinese cover of Midas Touch & Jordan Orme (also a youtuber) analyzed the music video… but tbh I was annoyed to see it everywhere RIP LOL and then eventually watched Jii’s short and was like “wait this is actually so banger” so I watched the Midas Touch MV then watched Jordan Orme dissect it .. then idk how but eventually I just went on a KIOF listening spree, listened to all their discography and the rest is history >3< I will say I feel like the moment I was like "yeah i love them to death" is when I watched their midas touch part switch dance; i feel like it really showed off their fun energy and made them feel very real, in a way.

✦ which member would be my best friend: oh help i actually don't know since i don't know TOO TOO much abt each of their personalities - maybe natty?? maybe i'm biased bc i have a best friend whose name is pretty similar to hers 😂

✦ something i associate with them (or with a bias/any member): shimmery metallic pink, X's, hearts, anything NEAR midas touch/greek mythology as any concept :D

tysm fish again for letting me yappp ily/p 🫶💘

[northwest-cryptid]

oh mann. squeaking of music. you got any artists with slow relaxy type music you like? and what's your favorite instrument? and what are your top 3 video game ost's? ...three questions at once, the terrible tripler... but as a beast who loves music, i am always ravenous for music opinions...

Not gonna lie this is kind of a hard ask not only because it's a lot to answer about a topic I tend not to talk about much but because I don't really know artists so much as I know songs, and to top it all off I don't really do "top" stuff, or "favorite" stuff; it's hard for me to pick or rank a lot of the things I like, I use the term "one of my favorite" or "among the best of" when I talk about things I really like because more often than not I'd say that about ANYTHING I really like, I don't really have a favorite artist or a top OST or anything.

Most of my music consumption is random, I'll listen to playlists on youtube or soundcloud or bandcamp and such. A lot of the time an artist is less of a concern to me because majority of my experience has been that they have one song I really like, followed by about 12 more in the album that are kinda just okay but lack the style that I enjoyed so much.

That being said I'll do my best to answer since I do enjoy getting asks and you actually took the time to send me this so I will respect that by taking the time to answer it :D

Let's start with the chill relaxing stuff!

As far as Artists go if you don't mind some more kinda weird tones in your relaxing music I think Monster Rally is a great artist.

A few core examples of their vibe can be heard in Lovely You:

as well as one I really enjoy, Color Sky:

They have a very unique sound in my opinion and I have a lot of interest in this kind of music since it hits a weird spot for me somewhere between acoustic jam session and weird vaporwave-y daydream music.

Almost all their music is between 1 and 2 minutes and contains these short loops and layered instrumentals with occasional lyrical influences. It's pretty fun and keeps my ADHD at bay with no song being too long.

For something a little more pop-ish I also enjoy TV Girl though I don't know if their music counts entirely as "Relaxed" since it can be a little faster. I've listened to them for years, a lot of their music reminds me a lot of my time in an indie band. They play a lot of the "soft punk sad boy" type music I'd see a lot in the indie scene. I often find myself singing or humming along to these whenever I'm cleaning the house or cooking dinner.

A few tracks I like a lot are Birds Don't Sing:

Lovers Rock:

and The Blonde:

Though to be honest I like a good bit of TV Girl's music so I'm trying to not list entire albums here lol. I try not to get hipster about it because for whatever reason it became oddly popular as of the last couple of years and I heard someone refer to it as "weirdcore" once and nearly died on the spot. I don't even dislike Weirdcore I just have a lot of thoughts on the idea of what the hell a genre is at this point.

Important note I am also 100% the sort of person who chills out and relaxes to Happy Hardcore and Eurobeat. So please consider the fact that my idea of relaxed varies wildly from like lounge jazz to club hardcore depending on the day. (There's literally a song that came out 7 years ago called Chillcore and it summarizes my thoughts on the subject perfectly I'd have been 21 when that song came out and I still occasionally hear it and go "yea" to this day.)

As far as favorite instrument goes I'm very partial to drums, drums of any kind. I think they're overlooked so much but then I'm bias because I'm a drummer so like of course I love drums. Any song that makes good use of drums is okay in my book. I will never forget how hard I cringed when the Bassist in my band once said "Bass is more important than Drums any day of the week, I mean literally who has ever heard of a drum solo?" I just sat there like "dude why are we even in the same band if you don't value my contribution" though she was something else in terms of like... superiority complexes. Regardless!

I may not have a top 3 Video Game OSTs since there's so many good ones out there and so many good options depending on your mood, but I will list a ton of good ones depending on the kind of mood you're in.

To keep with the theme of chill tunes let's start with a banger and one of my favorite game OSTs as to also kind of answer top 3.

VA-11 Hall-A has an amazing OST and I'm going to do the really basic bitch thing of saying you gotta listen to Every Day Is Night:

I used to listen to this a lot whenever I worked my night shift, it gave the title a very literal meaning to me. The synth jazz was the perfect companion for long nights on the job when I needed to chill out and vibe for a bit.

Keeping in line with the relaxed but perhaps a bit more anxiety inducing; I've spoken about it a lot, you know it; you love it, it's Lobotomy Corporation's very own No Warning:

Lob Corps whole OST has some absolutely beautiful tracks, everything from techy synths and chimes to entirely orchestral sweeping performances. I have a soft spot for this game and it's OST, as well as the OST of Library of Ruina, it's sequel, for which I'd like to highlight Malkuth's Battle Theme:

Specifically the third tier emotion level of this song, never before have I heard "battle jazz" done so well, not only is it classy; but it KICKS ASS. There's so much I could say about this game and it's OST in terms of themes and such but I digress, for now we'll move on because I got a lot to go through.

Next up we're looking at a more fantastical setting with Mabinogi's OST, which has a ton of genuinely amazing music, but one I want to highlight is the major main theme of the game which will always give me chills and make me cry a bit from nostalgia. More specifically the version performed by the FILMharmonic Orchestra:

This song means more to me than I can properly explain, there's so much emotion behind it for me as someone who has played this game for half my life, who met my partner through this game; and who's life has no joke been absolutely changed by this game. The OST has always been a part of my life, we even play music from this game while decorating the house for various seasons. The entire OST is so varied and expansive and there's almost always something to fit my mood.

However when I'm looking for something more upbeat, and I need to get my blood pumping I turn to a bit more action oriented music, which is where games like ULTRAKILL absolutely fit the bill. I cannot warn you enough this song is the musical equivalent of shoving shrapnel in your ears, and I mean that in the most admirable way possible.

Heavy techno and metal vibes, you got electric guitar that's basically fighting the synth lead for the spotlight despite the two working in perfect harmony to encapsulate this absolutely disgusting rhythm.

However sometimes I want to be upbeat without the sensory overload which is when I turn to Xenoblade (takes place on Earth) to fill the niche. I've been really vibing to the jazzy upbeat nature of XC3's OST lately, and the game has been pretty fun too :D

Now see this is why I dislike answering all this in one ask, I can only post 10 videos per post. So now I just gotta link things like this:

Xenoblade 3 OST - Brilliant Wings AKA This Jazz Band Is Fighting For Their Life

I'll cut this short since Tumblr is an ass and won't let me keep posting videos, but I cannot stress enough that when it comes to music with me there are no "top 3" OSTs, or favorites. Music is a mood setter, it's a tone; it's a vibe. I gotta listen to the right music at the right time, if I'm not feeling up for it then I won't like it.

To me there's so much out there I love, and to limit myself to a top 3 is hard because it depends entirely on the day. If I'm going through a chill phase then I'm going to favor tracks with more relaxed and chilled out influences, if I've been mowing down hoards of demons in ULTRAKILL for the last 5 days straight you better believe I'm not listening to anything other than like DOOM OST and extremely thrashy techno.

I hope this answer is satisfactory regardless!