#and i was so stoked to discover they came out with a new album earlier this year

[razorsadness]

Nouvelle Vague (feat. Mélanie Pain, Raphael Chassin) - “Rebel Yell”

[robinruns]

My Top Albums of the First Half of 2019

2019 sure was front loaded with a ton of great music, and I think the best part was discovering some new bands that I’ve become a huge fan of in a very short period. So, to start off, here are my favorite albums and EP of the first half of the year.

Peach Club by Emarosa

I don’t remember the exact day I discovered Emarosa, but one of the singles was recommended to me on Spotify, and upon listening, I was hooked. I was thrilled to see that their album was gonna come out soon, so I pre-ordered right away. The band has declared themselves Pop Gods, and with this album, I’m not going to argue with them. I’d say that they are responsible for me being more willing to embrace bands that are self-described as pop bands, not so much alternative, and certainly not emo. I love this whole album, so it seems redundant to list my favorite tracks since it would be the vast majority of the album, but really the album starts out at a high point with Givin’ Up as the opening track. I’ve been crossing my fingers and not so subtly been requesting they come to Madison as a headliner some time soon. Hoping they announce something soon!

Marianas Trench – Phantoms

Oh. My. God. Phantoms is a masterpiece from start to finish. Marianas Trench is another band that I discovered randomly on Spotify this year. I had Astoria, the title track from their 2015 album, come on, and I decided to explore more. Seeing that Phantoms had just come out maybe a month before (honestly, it’s all such a blur at this point, who even knows), I decided to listen to that album first. When those vocals hit you on the first track totally acapella, I had chills head to toe. What was I getting myself into? I wondered. More importantly, who is Eleonora?! Here’s the thing about Marianas Trench if you’re new to them, which you likely are, and that’s a damn shame. Josh Ramsay is a musical genius, and his vocals are nothing short of INCREDIBLE. The power behind them is amazing. I am currently on record as saying The Death of Me may be the saddest song I’ve ever heard, but don’t jump ahead and listen to that track. This album, without a doubt, NEEDS to be listened to from track 1 to track 10 in order. Skip nothing, do not put on shuffle, at least not the first time. It’s a concept album and deserves that respect. By the time you get to the last track The Killing Kind, you will be fully ready for the epic conclusion that it offers. The song clocks in just shy of 7 minutes, and the first time I heard it I sat there stunned for a few minutes and wondered what the hell I was ever gonna listen to that would ever compare. Needless to say, I’ve been a bit obsessed since then, and fully recommend going back and listening to their other albums while you’re at it, I love Ever After especially. Cannot wait to see them live in September!

The Maine – You Are OK

Back in October of last year I got my tickets for Taking Back Sunday on their 20th Anniversary tour, and they announced that The Maine would be opening the date that I was going to. To be Frank, I was kinda hoping that my date would get Frank Iero as the opener, fulfilling about a quarter of my dream to see My Chem live, but that dream will have to wait for another day. But hearing that it would The Maine got me interested since I first heard of them back in 2008 and then promptly lost track of them (I was in college, I lost track of a lot of things back then). When You Are Ok dropped at the end of March, I was pleasantly surprised. To catch up on the last 10 years, I had listened to their other albums, and really enjoyed Lovely Little Lonely, and Take Me Dancing off the Good Love (The Pioneer B Sides) EP. Heaven, We’re Already Here is my favorite track off the album, as well as, My Best Habit

Frank Iero and the Future Violents – Barriers

On the last day of 2018, Frank finally announced his new band name after teasing just a few initials for a while and announced new music coming in Spring 2019. I was obviously stoked and waited impatiently for anything to drop. When Young and Doomed finally came out, the message of the song was briefly overshadowed by that infamous line, (”And I promise that I'm not okay/(Oh, wait, that's the other guy)”), but when you really give it a listen, the power of the song comes through. “When I hurt myself again/And l pretend it's just an accident/'Til I hurt myself again” is relatable as hell, whether its physical, or emotional pain you put yourself through. The rest of the album also delivers, especially Moto Pop, Six Feet Down Under and what may be my favorite track off the album 24k Lush. There is a blues feel that weaves its way though a few of the songs on the album, differentiating it from it’s predecessors Stomachaches and Parachutes.

Superet – How to Work a Room

This debut album is not one to miss. I got introduced to this band when I Don’t Know How But They Found Me announced that they would be the opener for their headlining tour this spring. In fact, the album dropped the day I saw them live, so it was awesome to get a chance to hear the songs earlier in the day before heading to the show. I’m still not sure when I got into this sort of 80s revival sound that a lot of bands are doing lately, and I don’t love the way everyone does it, but I really dig what Superet is doing. Bone Bag, Comes As A Relief and Go To Sleep Kimberly are all stand out tracks.

Simple Creatures - Strange Love

Probably my favorite EP of the year so far, until the release of their next one this fall which will probably take up the title (also happy birthday to me if the release date remains unchanged). Alex Gaskarth and Mark Hoppus really deliver with their take on American Trash Pop. Lucy is probably my favorite track off, but the singles Drug, Strange Love and Adrenaline are all awesome. The slower songs shouldn’t be discounted though! Ether comes through with one of the best lines of the year “youth is wasted on the dumb”. Couldn’t agree more.

[sinceileftyoublog]

The Versions of Shannon Lay

Photo by Denée Segall

BY JORDAN MAINZER

The story of how LA-based folk singer-songwriter Shannon Lay came to commit to music full-time is legendary. It’s akin to Radiohead seeing Jeff Buckley live leading to Thom Yorke’s heartbreaking performance on “Fake Plastic Trees”, but this time, it’s a different kind of inspirational folk luminary. Lay watched Jessica Pratt’s quiet, contemplative, yet all-encompassing music dominate a room; if there’s a demand for it, she, too, could do it, she thought after watching Pratt’s set. Lay decided to quit her job of 7 years at a vintage shop in August of 2017, the month being the namesake of her best album to date and one of the finest of 2019.

August exemplifies so much that Lay does well. The surprisingly linear spontaneity of opener “Death Up Close”--which starts with a misstep and eventually features a Mikal Cronin saxophone solo--is contrasted by the flaneur of “Nowhere”, an ode to enjoying the circular journey without an end, where her voice travels in the opposite direction of the song’s lilting melody. “Will I ever see through?” Lay asks, but not too bothered, layered over drums and hand claps. She sees the humor and delight in the smallest moments: Gorgeous and simple standout “Shuffling Stoned” is a scene in a record store in New York City, a customer buying weed from his dealer as small spider crawls on his stack of records. Many people would want the spider killed, but Lay sees it as no less a sign of life than anybody else. Most remarkable is “November”, dedicated to the woman left behind, Molly Drake, the mother of the late Nick. “Molly did you feel the sting / Of November songs gone quiet,” she asks, again not expecting an answer but knowing that asking the question, embodying another’s state of mind, is what’s important. 

Live last month at Lincoln Hall opening for Cronin, Lay and her band members (Denée Segall, Sofia Arreguin, and Shelby Jacobson) were effortlessly good. August songs like “Sea Came to Shore”, in studio just guitar and violin plucks, were much more forceful on stage, while old favorites like “Parked” allowed Lay to show off her finger-picking and English folk chops. The band ended their set with an a capella, almost unrecognizable version of Italo house classic “Everybody Everybody” by Black Box, further cementing Lay’s ability to adapt material to suit her style. The audience, even one prepared for the hell-raiser to follow, loved it. It makes sense; if anybody has experience slaying in front of all types of crowds, it’s Lay, who also plays in Ty Segall’s Freedom Band. She’s thankfully unafraid to call out talkers when necessary, as she told me over the phone earlier this year. “Nick Drake quit halfway through his first tour because people were talking during his set,” she reminded me. “People [who talk] don’t have empathy...they’ve never been up on stage,” she added. Ever the wise reader of people, but one too thankful to let it get to her too much, Lay moves on.

During our interview, Lay shared the stories behind some of the songs, videos, and lines from August, as well as explained her inspiration from The Simpsons, true crime, and Nick Drake and Karen Dalton. Read our conversation, edited for length and clarity, below. 

at Lincoln Hall

Since I Left You: A lot of the context of the album you’ve shared in other interviews or through the bio. Is there something else the listener might not pick up in terms of how August is unique as compared to your past releases?

Shannon Lay: I wanted this one to be overtly positive. Not as moody as my last ones. I think that was the main difference that I felt--this undercurrent of joy I had never really had making a record. There was always a heartache involved or a brooding of the state of the world. Now, more than ever, I feel like you gotta do what you want to do. Being able to experience and appreciate that and encouraging other people to do that too.

SILY: Did doing music full-time help you think about things in new ways?

SL: Yeah, for sure. It kind of freed up so much brain space that was taken up by the usual life stuff. It was cool to put all of my energy into one thing I cared about so much. It was a really amazing experience I had never really had.

SILY: What was your job?

SL: I was working at a vintage store called Squaresville. It was a great little store. I grew up there, working there from 19-26. Really formative years of my life. The store bought clothes from the public, so there were all these new faces coming in. The staff would have been an amazing sitcom. Everyone was just the most incredible character. It was a ton of fun. My boss at the time was just so supportive--always let me go on tour and come back. She was a huge reason I was able to do this in the first place.

SILY: That’s nice to hear. A lot of the time when you hear about these types of stories, it’s about escaping some sort of soul-sucking desk job.

SL: I was very lucky. I had a cool environment to be in.

SILY: Do you still keep up with them?

SL: Yeah, for sure!

SILY: The first song on the record--does that start with a recorded misstep?

SL: Yeah, it was a total accident. As we were going through the tape, I just fell in love with that moment. The song comes in so quick, it was kind of a “Roll it!” moment, and then the record just goes.

SILY: So it was something you just heard and were like, “We should keep that in”?

SL: Totally. When we were doing the mastering, they had taken it out, since they thought it was a mistake--we were like, “Put it back in! Put it back in!”

SILY: Where did you get the idea for the video for “Death Up Close”?

SL: Me and the director, Matt Yoka, we had been talking about that idea for a year. We finally had just enough money to pull it off. Matt’s the best in the sense that when he gets an idea in his head, he’s going to make it happen no matter what, so we just had the most fun ever. We built all of it. Everybody was so nice. Most of the people were just volunteering. The concept behind it was mainly the idea of having a safe space in your mind that’s never changing no matter how much you change. For me, that’s obviously The Simpsons, my total safe haven, end all be all childhood memory show, and something I still watch every day. It was amazing to become yellow.

SILY: Is there a specific line or joke from The Simpsons that you think about all the time?

SL: The one that comes to mind is such a weird deep cut. There are tons of them. [laughs] There’s one where George Bush moves into the Simpsons’ neighborhood...this is not funny to anybody...there’s one point where Bart comes over and George Bush yells to Barbara Bush, “Bart’s here, we gotta get him out of here,” or something, and she’s just like, “I’m making pies, it’ll be a while!” That’s the joke that I think of. [laughs] There’s so many. I also love the one where Lisa starts to play hockey and Marge has Milhouse’s teeth from the show before. I’m just like, “Stop showin’ us those.”

SILY: There are so many good Easter Eggs.

SL: Yeah, totally.

SILY: What was the story behind your video for “Nowhere”?

SL: I did that one with my house mate Chris [Slater]. He’s a great director. We just used our phones for that one. I found an 8 MM app that was available. We just went around our neighborhood taking some footage, and he put his editing magic on it. I really like the way that one came out. It was a cool visual moment.

I wish music videos had more of an impact, but I think they’ve become this weird thing. You remember back in the day, Making the Video, and they had a yacht, and it was this huge thing...the new Missy Elliott video totally harks back to it, like she has different looks and different dancers.

SILY: The song “November” references Nick Drake’s mother. You see a lot of songs about a prolific or important singer-songwriter who left too soon. Why did you decide to explore the perspective of his mom?

SL: I guess sort of the fact that he did live at home. It was just a normal night that he went to sleep, woke up, had a bowl of cereal, and took one too many pills. I just imagine his mom waking up in the morning and feeling this silence in the house. It just must have been such a crazy moment. I don’t think it was any secret he had some emotional problem, but you never expect anything like that to happen. Putting myself in her shoes for a minute, and feeling such a strong presence leave the world, it must have been really emotional and intense. At the same time, what he left behind was incredible. He’ll live forever. He’s more alive now than he’s ever been because of how many people have discovered his music. I was thinking about the inherent sadness of losing a loved one, especially someone where everyone outside of them could see their potential, but maybe they’re struggling. It’s a whole thing. [laughs]

SILY: I love the story behind “Shuffling Stone”. Do you like spiders?

SL: I do love spiders. Not when they’re on me, but I do like spiders.

SILY: “Something On Your Mind” was released before this record was even announced. Had you always planned on putting it on the record?

SL: I didn’t, but it just became clear to me that it sums up what I’m trying to portray and how I’m feeling. The amount of people who don’t know who Karen Dalton is--I’d love to spread more awareness of her. I discovered that song relatively recently and it really hit me, so I started playing it live, acoustic guitar and vocals. Whenever someone did know that song, they’d be like, “Dude, thank you so much for playing that song. I love that song.” I think it’s that kind of a tune. If you have a relationship with it, it’s incredibly special, and to discover it is a really beautiful thing. I hope it points people in her direction.

SILY: What made you want to sign with Sub Pop?

SL: When we first finished the record, I kind of did an email blast and sent the record to all the labels we like. Sub Pop got back so fast and were so stoked. I was surprised because they don’t strike me as an overtly folk label, but that was exciting to me to, to be like, “Hell yeah, let’s bring a new perspective to this established, wonderful thing.” Then I met some people from there, and they were the most wonderful people. I’ve never really experienced the resources they have before. There’s a social media guy, and a PR girl. Everybody is working so hard in their specialized zones. It’s amazing to experience and be a part of. They just seemed so down to earth while also being very professional and serious at the same time. They’re awesome.

SILY: They are pretty stylistically diverse even if they haven’t done much folk. Your sound fits just because of that.

SL: Totally, yeah. It opens a lot of doors in my mind of what I could do.

SILY: I read one review that said Jessica Pratt inspired you to dedicate all your time to music.

SL: The first time that I saw her play, I was super deep in the rock scene. I had always been in really loud bands, considering that people want to see that kind of music. I saw her open for Kevin Morby in LA, and the whole room was silent, and she was just captivating everyone. It was incredible to watch. I immediately went home and booked my first solo show. I had no idea people wanted this kind of music, and I had been making that kind of music, so let’s see what happens, let me book a show. She was totally the catalyst for that. I was so in awe of the simplicity and the beauty of what she was bringing to the table. Music like what she makes has a lasting power and timelessness where you can be anyone and anywhere in the world and people will be captivated. It’s amazing.

SILY: Is it hard for you to switch back and forth between your solo shows and playing in bands?

SL: It’s kind of easy. It’s a matter of mindset and what alcohol you’re consuming. [laughs] I always go tequila for the loud shows, wine for the quiet shows. We’re saying the same things, but in very different ways. It’s kind of nice to have both perspectives.

SILY: What’s the story behind the cover art for the new record?

SL: The guy who took the photo, Matt Reamer, mentioned he wanted to do more portrait photography. He had always a lot of live stuff. We took photos, and as I was going through them, I came across that photo. I love how ambiguous it is. I could be thinking about anything in that photo. It’s whatever you want it to be. I had the idea of getting people to do different versions of it, and it became this cool, unique thing of these different perspectives and the evolution of me in the past year. I’ve been doing a ton of cleaning house, checking in, and learning new things about myself and not taking myself too seriously. It’s been a hell of a journey, and seeing these four versions of me felt really appropriate for the record.

SILY: Are you the type of songwriter who’s always working on new songs?

SL: I’ve been kind of stuck lately, because I’ve had a lot of stuff to work on, but there’s always a ton of voice memos on my phone, little snippets I work on in the car. I look forward to when I have a block of time where I can sit down. I’ve written quite a bit of the next record, but I probably have 5-6 songs to go. I’m excited to get back into it.

SILY: Is there anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading lately that’s caught your attention?

SL: I just watched Euphoria. That was really good. It really inspired my eyeliner game. I’m always listening to a lot of true crime. I’m a big true crime buff. It fascinates me--the extremity of people’s actions. That’s what that song “Wild” is about on August--the things we’re capable of.

SILY: That line, “We are kind things capable of the most evil,” is very fitting. You kind of nail nature versus nurture in just that line.

SL: Yeah, totally. It’s wild. [laughs] The age old question.

SILY: Are you a Forensic Files fan?

SL: I am! Whenever I’m in a hotel room, I know it’s gonna be on, and I’m stoked.

SILY: My girlfriend and I struggle to find new episodes. It’s always our “before bed” show, and we’ll start one and midway through be like, “Wait, we’ve seen this one.”

SL: Have you ever listened to a podcast called Small Town Dicks? It’s the voice of Lisa Simpson, Yeardley Smith, and she has this podcast. It’s amazing because it sounds like Lisa Simpson doing a true crime podcast, but it’s also amazing stories.

Album score: 8.5/10

[costcohotdogslut]

Updated

November 2013

It was just another day at the Palm Woods, and Kendall was, once again, bored out of his mind.

These days, it seemed like Kendall was struggling to find ANYTHING to entertain him, and he could only go around his village talking to his villagers so many times (especially since him and Flurry weren’t on speaking terms at the moment), and he sure didn’t have it in him to do something like clean.

With a sigh, he launched himself up from the couch to see what the others were up to. He knew Logan had a study group over and that they were cramming for their upcoming final, but maybe they’d all be down to go and get some pizza for lunch? Kendall always liked making new friends, and if they were anything like Logan, then they were sure they’d be okay people.

With a rap of his knuckles, Kendall stood at their shared bedroom door waiting for Logan to answer. When the door finally cracked open, just enough for Logan to poke his head out and give Kendall a look of annoyance, Kendall spoke up.

“Sorry to bother you guys, just wanted to see what you were up to!” Kendall said.

“Studying… What do you want?” Logan responded, his question seeming more bothered than quizzical.

“Oh, well I was wondering if you guys wanted to get something to eat? It’s almost lunch time, and I’m sure you’d like to get some brain food to help with all that reading.” Kendall said.

“No. Like I said, we’re busy.” Logan barked back at him.

“Aw.. Too bad, well maybe next time?” Kendall responded, craning his head a bit to see three others guys sitting cross-legged with textbooks in their laps, who for some reason had nothing on their lower halves on apart from their underwear. Glancing down, he saw that Logan was sporting the same look. “Uh, is there a reason why none of you guys are wearing pants?”

“Goodbye, Kendall!”

As the door slammed with a loud bang, nearly hitting Kendall in the nose, Kendall stood at the door for a bit, wondering who he could ask to hang out next, and also trying to process what exactly he just saw.

As he was about to knock on Carlos’s door to see if he was home, he remembered him telling he had a few acting auditions he had today. They were pretty big ones too, apparently, and he had seemed to be pretty stoked about them.

It had been a few months since Big Time Rush was suddenly killed off (yes, yet another part of my fic describing what everybody’s up to dhsjfjsj), and things had definitely changed for all of them.

Carlos decided that he wanted to pursue acting, mostly because he had only had about two solos throughout BTR’s 3 studio albums and one Christmas EP, but also because he liked the idea of putting on a costume and getting to be a new person. Surprisingly enough, Carlos was actually good at it, and while he had gotten a pretty big break doing a TV musical, nowadays he was just doing low-budget holiday movies on basic cable, but he was happy with it, so Kendall couldn’t say anything.

Logan, who had never really been all that into the whole boyband thing, jumped right back into school, once again pursuing his dream of becoming a world-renowned neurosurgeon. This was expected, of course, since he had always said he’d go back to school if the whole being famous thing fell through, and he was easily able to adapt to the whole studying and homework and labs thing again. And when he had free time, he still liked tinkering with his different inventions, all of which never seemed to work as planned.

James… well Kendall hadn’t talked to James in a while. As soon as news broke out that Big Time Rush was on indefinite hiatus, the following morning new news broke out that James Diamond had signed onto an exclusive solo deal with Hawke Records. Within the first month, James had released his first single which was met with universal backlash. It was called amateur, horribly produced, and it sure didn’t help that he no longer had his three beautiful, much more talented band members to back him up and make him sound better by association. He also moved out of 2J immediately after signing his contract, and since then, nobody had had any contact with him.

And with Kendall… he still had no idea what to do with his life now. Going solo was never really an option to him/something he was interested in, and he had always told himself he’d try and go pro with hockey, but all that time he spent on the road, touring, performing, recording new songs, he felt like he was really rusty now and no longer at the top of his game. He was also never a fan of school, so he didn’t know what else to do. He usually just sat at home, playing video games and watching old reruns (he had just discovered The Hills and he and his mom were loving it!). Admittedly, he also did just binge on junk food and his mom’s home cooking all day (who was cooking a LOT more now that her baby boy was always home to appreciate it), and he had put on a tiiiny bit of weight (he was pretty skinny already, so that extra 20 lbs didn’t make too much of a difference he thought).

He always thought that being able to sit at home all day doing whatever you wanted sounded like a dream, but he was starting to realize just how boring and monotonous it can really be.

When all else failed, he usually just went downstairs, got a PINK smoothie, and lounged by the pool for a few hours, usually accompanied by the other residents of the Palm Woods, both old and new, and it seemed like this would be the case once again today.

Grabbing his phone and keys, he locked up behind him and walked down the hallway, hands in his pockets, so bored that he even decided to take the longer, more “scenic” route through the hotel which was only just a few more turns and doors.

As he was nearing the pool, he heard a little bit of clamor and what appeared to be a guy grunting. Poking his head around the corner, he saw the back of a man struggling to get his luggage through the door of what he recognized as Lucy’s apartment.

Getting closer to the stranger, he wanted to make sure that it wasn’t someone robbing her apartment while she was away on tour.

“Hey! You there!” Kendall semi-shouted across the hall, the unfamiliar figure turning around and greeting him with a smile and a glasses-clad face.

“Howdy Neighbor!” The stranger waved back, and upon inspection, Kendall deemed the guy safe. He wanted to figure out what he was doing moving his stuff into Lucy’s apartment, so he walked over to him.

“Hello! I haven’t seen you around here before, you must be new, so let me give you a warm welcome to The Palm Woods.” Kendall said, putting his hand out to shake, which the stranger met as soon as he put his bags down. “I’m Kendall.”

“Thanks! I’m Dustin. I just moved in today, so it’s nice to see a happy face around here.” Dustin responded.

“Need a hand?” Kendall asked, seeing the other male’s luggage laying around him, one suitcase overturned with clothes strewn all over, and Dustin eagerly nodded. “Sorry about earlier, if I came across too strong. It’s just that my friend Lucy actually lives here, and I wasn’t sure what someone was doing moving into her apartment.” Kendall said, helping the other male put everything back into his bags. “Still not sure, either.”

“Oh, right! Sorry, my bad, I really should have specified.” Dustin apologized, putting his hand out for another handshake. “Dustin Stone, I’m Lucy’s brother!”

“Oh! I’ve actually heard about you, Lucy mentioned you a few times before, but she never really mentioned you that often because… um.”

“The whole estrangement thing?” Dustin said matter of factly, but he didn’t seem to be mad at Kendall for bringing it up. “Yeah, I moved out of the house when I was 18, but me and Lucy reconnected recently and we’ve been great! I’m trying to get back on my feet, and since she said this place is for aspiring artists, she invited me to move into her apartment, at least until I can get established enough to get my own.”

“That’s awesome! And judging by that guitar case over there, you’re a musician too I assume?” Kendall said, helping him get the last of his bags into the cramped apartment.

“Totally! Haven’t really made a name for myself yet, but I’m hoping that can change soon.” Setting his bags down, his wiped his hangs and let out a sigh. “Thanks again for everything Kendall. You seemed like you were on your way to do something, so I don’t wanna hold you up. The rest is just a bunch of boring unpacking and clean up, so I think I got it here on my own now.”

“Yeah… well I don’t really mind helping you out! I didn’t really have any plans today, and I’d love to help a new friend out.” Kendall said, looking around him to see where to begin.

“Friend?” Dustin asked with a warm smile. “Well if you’re really sure, then great! Go ahead and start anywhere, there really isn’t any rhyme or reason to all of this.”

An hour had passed, and the two had gotten about half ways through everything.

Kendall had quickly gotten to know more about Dustin, and he was just such a cool person. He found out that he was 23 years old and an aspiring rockstar, and while he hasn’t done much but play small coffeeshops and some minor songwriting, he was eagerly awaiting his big break. He also got to know a lot of other things, too. His ideal weather is cold and rainy, his favorite flavor of sorbet is raspberry mint, he isn’t a big fan of the beach, his favorite show is Buffy The Vampire Slayer, his shoe size is 11 ½, and he’s farsighted. All of which Kendall found absolutely fascinating!

As he was sorting a box labeled “Prized Posessions”, Kendall picked up one of the contents of the box and let out a loud gasp, which made Dustin turn his head to see what happened.

“No way… you have the complete series of As Told By Ginger on DVD?!” Kendall exclaimed, his eyes wide as he held the holy grail in the palm of his hands.

“Yep! Limited edition boxset and all!” Dustin said, walking over to look over it with the blond.

“That’s SO cool! I used to love this show, we need to watch it some time!” Kendall said.

“Well,” Dustin said, putting one of his boxes off to the side. “Why don’t we watch it right now? We already put a pretty big dent in all this unpacking, aaaaand” glancing down at his watch – “It’s already gonna be 4. We can order in a pizza and kick back, my treat after all the help you gave me today. Know any good places?”

“Definitely, I’ll start giving them a call!” Kendall responded.

“Cool!” Walking over to his box of prized possessions, Dustin dug around until he finally found what he was looking for. “Hey Kendall! Not sure if you’ve ever watched it but I also have Braceface on DVD! Maybe we could binge it too?”

Upon hearing this, Kendall nearly dropped his phone.

It was nearing 10 o’clock already, and after devouring an entire large pizza between them, the two were starting the third season of As Told By Ginger. Lucy’s thermostat wasn’t working, so they were wrapped up under a blanket on the couch, since it was November and starting to get cold (by Los Angeles’ standards).

Letting out a sigh, Kendall glanced over at Dustin who lifted his glasses and was rubbing his eyes.

“Getting tired? Me too..” Kendall said, who was starting to yawn too.

“Yeah, I’ve been up since 5 this morning and all that unpacking didn’t help either.” Dustin responded, readjusting himself on the couch and going back to watching the screen, his eyes half-lidded and sleepy.

“I had a lot of fun today, though. It’s been kinda lonely around here and I’m really glad I got to spend the day with someone as awesome as you!” Kendall said, which brought a small smile to Dustin’s face.

“Thanks, I couldn’t agree more.” Turning himself over a bit, Dustin was looking at Kendall now. “And you’ve really been feeling lonely? You have all these awesome people living here though, and I’m sure you must be a hit with all of them!”

“Yeah, don’t get me wrong, a lot of the people here are cool and they’re all my close friends. But they’re all busy and don’t really have the free time I do lately, so it can get kinda boring. But you-“ Kendall said, putting a finger on Dustin’s chest. “You made today one of the most fun ones I had in a while!”

As the pair giggled, they eventually went back to watching TV, but not even 20 minutes later, they were both snuggled together under the blanket sound asleep.

Rubbing his eyes, Kendall stirred on the couch as he looked around the unfamiliar room, taking a second to realize that he was still on Dustin’s couch instead of his bed back at home. Oops, he thought to himself, he hadn’t even realized that he had knocked out last night during their little binge session.

He figured that he ought to get up and get going, but he was WAY too tired for that, so he remained in the same position for the next few minutes, looking over and seeing that Dustin was still asleep.

Might as well watch a little TV, since his phone was halfway across the room. Looking around the immediate area for the remote, he felt something rock hard and VERY large poking his ass. Glad he found it without having to get up, he reached for it and was a little surprised when Dustin let out a moan. Not thinking anything of it, he continued to pull, figuring it must be wedged in the couch.

The other male was starting to stir, and through hazy eyes he smiled over at the blond, greeting him good morning.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the gesture, but I didn’t think you’d be wanting to do this so soon.” Dustin said, biting his lip as he tried his best not to let out another groan.

“Well yeah, silly! I wanted to watch the morning news. Now can you move your leg and pass me the remote?” Kendall replied.

“Uh… the remote’s over there on the coffee table.” Dustin said, pointing over at the gadget that was in pretty clear view.

“Oh! Then what was that under the blanket?” Kendall said, reaching over to pull off the garment before Dustin quickly stopped him, suddenly flushed red.

“Wait! How about you, uh, make us a pot of coffee?” Dustin quickly blurted out.

“Sure!” Kendall responded, as Dustin let out a sigh of relief once he was out of sight. “Actually, I don’t see any over here. I don’t see much of anything, really.”

Seeing as how Lucy had been on tour for the last two months, it made sense that she hadn’t stocked up on groceries before she left.

“I’ll probably have to go to the grocery store then.” Dustin said.

“Want me to come with you?” Kendall asked, smiling when Dustin nodded yes. “Well you know what they say, the early bird catches the worm! Let’s get going now.”

As he reached over to pull Dustin up to his feet, he had to quickly stop him again.

“You can start getting ready if you want, but I’m…. gonna need a minute.” Dustin said, gulping as he glanced down to his lap.

After spending the morning going shopping with Dustin, Kendall finally got back to 2J around noon, seeing Logan, Carlos, and Katie playing Mario Kart 64, the three of them arguing over what appeared to be who’s turn it was to use Princess Peach, while his mom sat in the armchair adjacent to them, staring intently at her tabloid magazine.

“I’m finally home guys!” Kendall yelled out to the four, only to be met with silence. “I said I’m home guys! Who missed me!?” Kendall repeated once again, figuring that they must have been too focused to hear him the first time.

Still no reply. Kendall made his way over to the living room, awkwardly standing there as everyone was oblivious to his appearance.

“Fuck, I guess I’ll bite.” Jennifer thought to herself. Putting down her magazine, she let out a gasp. “Kendall sweetie! I didn’t even hear you walk in, oh my goodness!”

Standing up to give him a hug, she was shocked but happy to see the huge grin plastered on his face. “My my someone’s glowing, and I can sense you have some news to share!”

“I do!” Kendall beamed. “I made a new friend yesterday and he’s literally the COOLEST person ever!”

“That’s great, honey! What’s his name?” Jennifer asked back.

“Dustin. He just moved into the Palmwoods yesterday, and turns out, he’s actually Lucy’s older brother! He’s really down to earth, and I bet you’d all really like him!” Kendall said in the other three’s general direction, who continued to ignore him. “Hey, are you guys playing Mario Kart? PLEASE tell me I get to use Peach! I always get stuck with Luigi and I am SICK of it.”

“NO!” The three of them shouted in unison. As Kendall joined in on their bickering and Jennifer went back to gasping at the Who Wore It Best section, everything in 2J was how it was supposed to be.

Later that night, when dinner was done and everyone was settled in for the night, Jennifer began delivering the fresh piles of laundry to their respective owners. Lightly knocking on her son and Logan’s shared bedroom door, she heard giggling coming from inside. Hearing Kendall call out for her to come in, she walked in on her son laying on his stomach with a landline phone next to him, twirling the cord around with his finger and looking up to the ceiling cheerfully.

“Haha, nooo! You’re thinking of Beethoven’s 2nd! Beethoven’s 3rd is when him and the family go on the road trip in their RV. Duh!”

“Kendall sweetie, do you know where Logan went?” Jennifer asked as she separated the piles of laundry between the two roommates. Luckily, all of Logan’s clothing was hand embroidered with “Hortense” across the tag, so it was easy to distinguish what belonged to who. Plus the fact that Kendall wore a large and Logan wore a 2XL.

“Something about a party? I don’t know, me and Dustin were talking about our favorite Disney Channel original movies so I didn’t pay much attention to him.” Kendall responded, and as Jennifer went back to her folding duties, she heard the blond let out an audible gasp when the other voice on the line mentioned a Zenon girl or something.

“Okay, well try not to stay up too late talking to your new friend, sweetie!”

“Okay mom! Goodnight!” Kendall said, waving goodbye as his mom shut the door behind her. “Ugh! I love her to DEATH, but sometimes she can be SUCH a Nosey Nancy!”

“Aw, I think it’s cute!” Dustin said on the other line, making Kendall smile.

“Yeah, I guess so….” Kendall replied, suddenly letting out a yawn and realizing his eyes felt heavier than usual. “I’m actually getting kinda sleepy over here, but I don’t want to end this conversation!”

“It’s fine.” Dustin said. “We can continue this tomorrow. Besides, I think I’m ready to go to bed too. Goodnight, Kendall!”

“Night!” Kendall said, and as he held the phone to his ear, he heard the other male still on the line. “Okay, I really need to go to bed, so hang up!”

“No way! You hang up first!”

“No, YOU hang up first!!”

“Okay how about this, on the count of three we BOTH hang up!” Dustin said, which Kendall eagerly agreed to.

As Dustin slowly counted to three, a few seconds went by as there was silence on each line. “……..hello?” The pair said in unison, which caused them to go into a giggling fit, and it took them a good twenty minutes before the conversation was finally over.

Three Weeks Later

It was a chilly winter afternoon, but luckily Kendall and Victoria found themselves nice and warm inside the mall this fine Saturday.

It was the beginning of December, and the festivities all around them were sure to bring a smile to any face. Holiday décor was strung throughout the many storefront, nearby sat Santa Claus asking every kid what they wanted for Christmas, and spirits just seemed to be high amongst everyone walking around (apart from the retail workers who hated their jobs, especially during this shitty period of time).

“So shooting starts in a few weeks, and I’ll be leaving for NYC pretty soon!” Victoria excitedly said, craning her neck a bit to see how much further the line extended.

“That is SO awesome! You’re finally getting your own TV show! Again!” Kendall replied, truly feeling genuine happiness for his bestest friend in the whole wide world.

“Thanks. I’ve already done a read through for the first script and it sounds AMAZING. It’s like this mystery-thriller type of genre and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before. I’m so excited! Plus it’s going to be airing on this new late time block MTV’s doing, so it’s definitely something a little more mature.” Victoria replied.

“As you should be! I’m picturing you wearing that hacker headset on the show and I’m already kinda screaming!” Kendall said, causing Victoria to lightly chuckle. “There’s literally NO way this will get cancelled after its first season!”

“Right?!”

The two were getting a head start on their Christmas shopping, stopping at Justice for Katie, Gamestop for Carlos, and Bath And Body Works for his mom (and also himself!). Of course, ALL that shopping was bound to work up an appetite, so they had also made a stop at Cinnabon to indulge in some HEAVENLY mini buns. They had to high tail out of there though when Victoria stole a second sample from the platter when the underpaid girl at the counter wasn’t looking, so they kinda BOOKED it from the stall, adrenaline rushing through both of their veins.

In their mad dash to get away, they had actually ran into Logan, who was carrying bags upon bags from Hot Topic, which was certainly a little uncharacteristic from his usual Banana Republic finds. They didn’t have a chance to say hi (seeing as how mall security would be looking for them in the crowd), but Kendall could have sworn that Logan had a small pair of black studs in his ears, too.

As the two currently stood in the same line, the conversation continued.

“So, what are you doing on Monday? I was hoping that maybe you’d help me with a line reading? I’ll even throw in a pint of Skinny Cow!” Victoria said.

“I would, but I already made plans with Dustin to visit the La Brea Tar Pits! He thinks dinosaurs are pretty cool, and I’ve never been.” Kendall replied.

“Aw nuts, well how about Wednesday?” Victoria asked again.

“Yikes, busy that day too... Me and Dustin were actually planning to make this lasagna recipe we saw Giada De Laurentiis had on her show.” Kendall said, causing Victoria to groan.

“Ughhh…. Well what about Friday? Or do you and Dustin have something planned that day too?” Victoria said.

“Actually, I was gonna drop my mom off at her bikini wax appointment.” Kendall responded, Victoria nodding understandingly. “Buuut… Dustin asked me to come over later that night to help him finish Donald Duck: Goin’ Quackers.” Kendall said, noticing Victoria giving him a bit of side eye. “What?! The game is really hard!”

“Uh huh. You and Dustin sure have been spending a lot of time together, practically every day, really.” Victoria said, chiding the blond a bit.

“Well yeah, he’s super cool! And I still want you to meet him!” Kendall said defensively.

“I’d love to!” Victoria said, staring straight ahead. “So, have you told him you have a crush on him yet?”

“DBSHFJKDSBFKSB” Kendall blurted out. “Ummmmmmm, ahaha, you say some pretty wild things sometimes, you know that?!” Kendall mumbled, the candles in his bag clinking together as he shuffled awkwardly.

“Well I love to have fun. But you didn’t deny what I said, it’s totally okay if you like him, Kendall.” Victoria responded, comfortingly putting a hand on this shoulder that he shrugged off.

“Well I’m not gay! I had a girlfriend before, hello! Does Jo ring a bell?” Kendall said, gulping as Victoria gave him a knowing glance. “I also don’t have a problem with gay people either! Dustin’s gay, actually, and I’m okay with it. I’m just straight!”

“You never told me he’s gay! Even better, now I can’t wait to meet him! You know how much I love gay people!” Victoria said, pointing to the rainbow badge on her denim jacket that said ALLY. “And if you’re not gay, then I’m sorry for insinuating that you were.” Victoria added, Kendall giving her a weak smile. “But HYPOTHETICALLY,” Kendall giving her a look, “if you WERE gay, you know I would have absolutely no problem with it. You’re my best friend in the whole world and I love you with my entire heart.”

“Well…. Thanks.” Kendall said, reaching out to give the brunette a firm hug.

“Excuse me, could you guys please hurry up? We have a birthday party event coming up in twenty minutes that we need to prep for, and you guys are holding up the line.” The Build-A-Bear employee said, the duo embarrassed as they apologized as they quickly paid for their purchases and walked out of the store.

After a few more stores, the two parted way, and as Kendall drove home, looking at the Build-A-Bear box in the passenger seat next to him, he had a lot to think about regarding himself and his true feelings. He had knots in his stomach about it, but it also could have been the 12 mini cinnabons he had eaten earlier.

[alexanderking]

Another top 20 Albums of 2016

So I didn’t post any of my old lists up here but...

...’Another late list of last years albums for yer! I’m going strictly with albums this year... 

“Have I left anything out?”- Albums et al of 2015: 

Nicholas Payton- Letters: Nicholas Payton follows up ‘Numbers’ with ‘Letters’; music written and played for each letter in the alphabet. While this didn’t blow me away, there were some nice pieces on here. I really like ‘B’, ‘I’ and ‘X for Patrice Rushen’

Native Dancer- EP Vol. 1: This is a name I see on the live circuit a fair bit. I initially neglected going to their shows (surprise, surprise), but they appeared at the Jazz Re:Fest last July and delivered some truly impressive music; I was kicking myself for about a minute for not listening to their stuff earlier... 

...Errr...I can’t think of any more...please feel free to make suggestions here...

...2016:

20) Ab-Soul- Do What Thou Wilt.:

I did like this slightly more than ‘These Days...’. I find this album as Ab-Soul sharing various thoughts and ideas without fully committing to them, although there is a fair bit of questioning gender roles on here. My favourites include ‘Huey Knew THEN’, ‘INvocation’, ‘Beat the Case’ and the vulnerable ‘Evil Genius’.

Random Note: If Black Hippy were the TMNT, I reckon Soul would be Mikey... 

19) Josef Leimberg- Astral Progressions:

I got on to this one pretty late; I came across this on Bandcamp’s top 100 list. Some nice melodies and some strong playing on here. Unfortunately the song that caused me to buy this album (‘Interstellar Universe’) is by far the best musically for me. ‘As I Think of You’ and ‘Between Us 2′ are pretty good runners up...  

18) Derrick Hodge- The Second:

Derrick Hodge gives us another solo album with ‘The Second’. This album has elements of Hip-Hop, Blues, a bit of Folk, Jazz (obviously), Soul and a strong element of the modal sound present in a lot of electronic influenced music (I’m referring to artists like ‘Floating Points’, ‘Kelsey Lu’, ‘Little Dragon’, and so on...). The last quarter of this project is the strongest part for me. Shouts to Freda for bringing this to my attention...

17) Danny Brown- Atrocity Exhibition:

‘Some interesting experimental Hip-Hop to be found on this project. The subject matter comes across samey at first, but a few listens and some research into Danny Brown has me concluding that this album is be a reflection of his drug fuelled days...I could be wrong...

16) Terrace Martin- Velvet Portraits:

I felt that the really stand out tracks are blocked out by a fair bit of filler. However, the strong pieces are those that I’ve gone back to quite often over the year. ‘Favourites are ‘A Tribe Called West’ and ‘Think of You’...

15) ScHoolboy Q- Blank Face LP:

I initially ignored this album (shock horror -_-), but my friend Dan had tweeted about how good this album was. It encouraged me to check it out: I wasn’t disappointed. ‘Definitely the strongest offering from TDE last year. ‘Kno’ ya Wrong’ and ‘Ride Out’ (one of Sounwaves hardest beats in a while) are standouts.

Random Note: If Black Hippy were the TMNT, I reckon Quincy would be Raph.

Another Random Note: This thought trail is based on my tendency to associate Hip-Hop artists (usually groups) with colours, and loosely based on the model sheet ‘The Line Animation’ did for their vine of the TMNT. If on the off chance’ you’re curious...: 

http://thelineanimation.tumblr.com/post/153342691923/turtle-assemble-progression-reel-and-model-sheets

...But I digress...

14) Incognito- In Search of Better Days:

Although by now I feel pretty clued up on what to expect from this band sonically, I ended up really enjoying this project more than recent offerings; their best since ‘Tales From The Beach’, although feature spots from bassist Stuart Zender, drummer Richard Spaven, and vocalist Vula Malinga, help in revitalising their sound...

13) Collective Peace- Introducing Collective Peace:

While I didn’t find much new in the Neo soul sound Collective Peace bring, I did find myself coming back to this album quite a lot. This album makes it this far up the list on the strength of ‘Sun Chaser’. ‘Let the Music Play’ and ‘Track IV’ do really well on a clear day also... 

12) Aisling Iris- Night Time Moves:

‘Another recommendation from Miss Laidlaw; She shared this album on twitter. I clicked the link and: I always forget how much I like Drew Horley’s production until I hear it again. Some strong melodies and Aisling Iris touches on love, loneliness, lust, being true to your dreams and the current political climate over these 13 tracks...

11) David Bowie- ★:

Over the past year and a half, I’ve done slightly better at taking recommendations from friends (even though I discover most things through someone else o_O). During the wake of Bowie’s passing, this album had received a lot of kudos and so on it went. I found myself sucked into the melodies and some of the soundscapes, particularly ‘Girl Loves Me’ and the title track. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised as Bowie was always quite forward thinking in his approach to musical trends...   

10) Nicholas Payton- Textures:

It’s no secret that I find Nicholas Payton- The Blogger quite cantankerous and unnecessarily miserable when speaking on music (there were quite a few points I agreed with in that ‘Black Messiah’ blog, but the delivery... *sigh*). The Musician however, has some pretty good ideas. This album was composed based on the textures an artist painted. Musically I can hear Odd Future (‘Hard’) or Terence Brown (‘Fuzzy’/‘Sticky’) creating something like this...

9) Solange- A Seat at the Table:

‘Don’t Touch My Hair’ was doing the rounds and so, having enjoyed ‘Solo Star’ (yep. That long ago...), I gave this a listen. I adore the subject matter along with the honesty to keep in mind “Not everyday ‘woke’, somedays take it easy”. I found a lot to enjoy on this project...

8) Claffy- Claffy:

Alexander Claffy presents us the stages of going through a break up; from travelling alone once more, to removing his things from his exe’s flat, to acceptance...only to lament once more with my favourite break-up track this year, ‘Epilogue’...

7) Robert Glasper Experiment- ArtScience:

While this band has been quite consistent with their output this year, I enjoyed this album the most. ‘My favourite works from the Experiment since ‘Festival’, and so great to see the whole group (particularly Casey) even more involved in writing the music. ‘No One Like You’ is my go to track on here.

Random Note: ‘You’ is used a lot in the track listing...Is ‘You’ the new ‘Love’?...

6) A Tribe Called Quest- “We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service”:

I pretty much agree with ‘The Guardian’s’ review of this album: “...loses focus in the last third, but the first two takes no prisoners lyrically or musically!..”. Nairobi comes correct with his bars on ‘The Space Program’. ‘Solid Wall of Sound’ and ‘Dis Generation...’ has the tightest super rapping I’ve heard since ‘Move yer Self’ by the Procussions. ‘Kids...’ is my favourite on here with tight solo verse followed by tight cyphering.

Side Note: The liner notes are definitely worth a read...

5) Corinne Bailey Rae- The Heart Speaks In Whispers:

‘Another artist I ignored while she was doing the touring circuit last spring. Hearing that she worked quite a bit with the Strother sisters (KING) caused me to check this album out. ‘Green Aphrodisiac’ was on repeat (I was relieved to find that this song wasn’t about smoking weed). ‘Loved the vulnerability in ‘Hey, I won’t Break Your Heart’, the synths in ‘Taken By Dreams’ and the echoey acoustics of ‘Night’.

Side Note: I found that this album feels more complete without the bonus tracks...

4) Kev Choice- 88 Steps to Eternity:

This musician/emcee has been pretty relentless with his output since ‘Oakland Riviera’ in 2014. I was stoked to hear that Kev was releasing an instrumental album and was impressed with what I heard. This album takes from Jazz, Soul, Hip-Hop and Trap. I found the A-Side was superior to the B-Side... 

3) KING- We Are KING:

‘We Are KING’ has been five years in the making. Despite hearing bits and bobs over the wait, I thoroughly enjoyed the complete product. My favourites include the glistening ‘The Right One’ and ‘Red Eye’, although ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Story’ feel very much enhanced with their introductory movements. This was another project where I found the A-Side more compelling than the B-Side...

2) Soweto Kinch- Nonagram:

Soweto returns with a 96 minute journey of instrumentals and some rap tracks that attempts to convey ideas around the nine sided Nonagram. While I couldn’t quite figure that out, I have found myself replaying this album often too. Many of the instrumental pieces bring images of being at the start of some kind of challenge, whether it be building something, solving an equation, or just living...Had I not got this in November, I’m sure that ‘Soul Bearings’ would’ve been my most played track this year... 

1) 

Esperanza Spalding- Emily’s D+Evolution:

After this album’s release in March, I heard very little discussion about this project from other outlets. I myself however revisited this project throughout the year. ‘Emily’s D+Evolution’ shows a somewhat departure to the soft, sunniness we got from ‘Radio Music Society’, to deliver a Jazz/Rock fusion LP with the straight ahead attitude of a pop record. My favourite is ‘Noble Nobles’; this reminds me of something Thundercat might write. A very close second goes to ‘Ebony and Ivy’; ‘bonus points for the fact that my nieces enjoy this song too.

Random Note: This was another project in which I found it felt more complete without the bonus tracks...

Honorable Mentions: I’m only going for 10 this year; my previous lists have seen the honourable mentions list be longer than the top 20 list itself...

Yussef Kamaal- Black Focus:

‘An electronic/broken affair. The standouts are pretty great but I enjoyed the above more...

Anderson. Paak- Malibu:

...I’m sorry to say I have yet to fully get Anderson. Paak. There were definitely some strong pieces on this album, but I wasn’t that enticed by the rest...His live performance was brilliant though...

Chance The Rapper- Colouring Book:

This deserves a mention fully on innovation and general positivity musically.  This wasn’t something I revisited that much however...

Kanye West- The Life of Pablo:

This album is effectively a culmination of all of Kanye’s stages so far. There’s an element from each earlier album on here. While I’m not feeling all of this album I cannot deny Kanye’s ideas...

Isaiah Rashad- The Sun’s Tirade:

This album goes from hip-hop to trap influenced hip-hop...or is it hip-hop influenced trap?...I found the latter more intriguing, although ‘Bday’ gets a shout... 

Hiromi- Spark:

The Hiromi Trio project grace us with another project with sounds ranging from ferocious to gentle and everything in between. I just enjoyed the above more...

Chantae Cann- Journey to Golden:

There some lovely melodies and vocals on here. I felt like the 11 tracks are actually more like 6 or 7 pieces of music and so I felt a little cheated...

Music Soulchild- Life on Earth:

As far as standard RnB goes, there’s a fair bit to like on this album. I’m really feeling the head nod factor of ‘Heart Away’. I was a bit confused with the message in ‘The Girl’. I still enjoy that track as a slow jam though...

Kendrick Lamar- Untitled. Unmastered.:

Kendrick gives us what is effectively an anthology project containing demos from the ‘Butterfly’ sessions. Untitled’s 1-3, 5, 6 and the first half of 7 are strong. I found ‘Untitled 08′ paled in comparison to the live performance. I haven’t found myself returning to this that much...  

Random Note: If Black Hippy were the TMNT, I reckon Kendrick would be Donnie (Be honest. Who thought I was going to say Leo?)

Childish Gambino- “Awaken, My Love!”:

My relationship with funk is flaky at best. To illustrate the point, the standouts for me are ‘Riot’ and the reflective ‘Stand Tall’...