#and its a very uplifting album is the thing

[sea-buns]

The new twenty one pilots album has me revisiting my love for the band and the themes throughout are really lining up with where I am in my own life atm. Viewing the passage of time through the lens of a band that you've listened to from such a young age and seeing how you've grown and changed alongside their library and I'm. I'm in shambles.

[stormblessed95]

who hugged me tightly

only you

who protected me

who only protected me

who held my hand

who held my hand tightly

who reached out to me

who reached out to me

who held out his hand

To you who looked at me greatly

🔗 https://twitter.com/jaksal_5813/status/1639683901571620865?s=46&t=6h2FRfv41Qg9RyUk25oCZQ

Such a beautiful song. I hate that it's only on CD. JIMIN YOU SAID ITS FOR FANS, GIVE IT TO ME SO I CAN STREAM IT THEN PLEASE?!

Here is my original post over Letter too, that I'll stick by what I said there and just add onto it in this post for now too:

During his live stream for FACE, he breifly mentions Letter, which the trans for that is here

The way I'm side eyeing the heck out of the way JKs involvement in this song is being completely ignored by BOTH OF THEM. LOL don't gatekeep please. Share with us!

Honestly the fact that it's named letter because he sat down and wrote his feelings out into a letter and then roughly transformed that into lyrics for a song and it turned out so beautifully. It's because Jimin is a GENIUS and he emotes so sweetly and his EQ is insane and translates so well. And so him just pouring his emotions into paper would of course turn into such a softly stunning song like Letter. 😭 he repeated many times that he emphasized honesty in this album, including letter. And that comes off so sincerely every time you listen.

It's a fan song, yes. It's also... more in my opinion. Because things can be more than just one thing. It's also interesting that the majority of Letter lyric wise is written in a more formal tone/language and uses honorifics. But when the bridge hits, aka when JK joins in for the more heavy backing vocals, the lyrics drop the honorifics and use more informal language from what I've heard. And with the call and receive way the backing vocals answer Jimins main ones, it almost sounds like they are talking to each other there, rather than the fans. Jimin is always so formal and polite and kind when he speaks to us. And jikook often over do the formalities when they talk, or they drop them totally. Which is a consistent habit of theirs. So could the last part of the song be more for themselves? Maybe. Could it still just be for ARMY? Maybe. Could it be for both? Maybe. Regardless, Jimin said it's a song for the fans and JK made it very clear that everyone had always known that he is hyungs biggest fan

Letter IS a love letter. To multiple people I believe. JK being one of them. And I think it was a really really amazing and sweet way to end the album. Hidden in the ending of Like Crazy, after all the emotions and pain and hurt and confusion he went through over the last few years dealing with everything the world went through and they themselves adjusting to a new future.... things like having to quarantine alone for 2 weeks everytime they returned to Korea... getting covid and then having emergency surgery at the same time and having to recover in a quarantined hospital room alone. Facing the upcoming changes for the band in chapter 2 and the uncertainty that came with it. And more. Yet there is still this uplifting and positive emotion that we find ourselves in at the end. Letter feels like love and safety and that feeling of coming home after a really long hard day. It feels like peace. And I like to think that Jimin is expressing those emotions through that song. He finds peace, love and safety in the end. He feels the happiness of being home and embraced. He feels that love from ARMY. And with his choice to include JK in that song, it's like he is saying he feels that peace and love in Jungkook too. That's his home.

LMAO and I have to end with the way he scolded us for uploading Letter everywhere anyway lmfao so cutely. He literally wagged his finger at us!

But the way he said it he saw it ALL. Man if he typed letter in either English or Hangul into the search engine, half the videos that pop up are jikook edits to the song. I know he saw those! 🤣 HE KNOWS YALL, I KNOW HE KNOWS 😅

Anyways, amazing song. I shared it with my non army friends and they were also obsessed. Jimin sounds heavenly on it. I will never stop asking for an official streamable verison of this song. We waited so long for Promise. I'll wait for Letter too!

Editing super quickly to add this clip of Jimin singing a snippet of Letter live to an ARMY on the FaceTime fan meeting calls 😭😭😭

[black-arcana]

“We knew if we stuck together, we would create great things.” Amaranthe have three vocalists and make music that resembles ABBA on a bloodthirsty rampage. They might just be the most extra band in heavy metal

Swedish metallers Amaranthe open up on a career - and a sound - like no other

Amaranthe’s Elize Ryd and Olof Mörck can clearly remember the night they met. It was 2005 during an evening at Gothenburg’s now-defunct Diamond Dogs rock bar. At the time, Elize was an aspiring singer who had sung on a track by local band Falconer, catching the attention of Olof, who was making a name for himself as the guitarist in power metal band Dragonland. That night, they talked about the bands they loved for hours, discussed the universe and watched the stars. By the end of the night, they’d struck up what Elize describes today as a “spiritual” connection.

“We just knew, if we stuck together, we would create great things.” That’s exactly what they did. Since releasing their self-titled debut in 2011, Amaranthe have become one of the hardest-working bands in metal, releasing six albums and touring incessantly. And in that time, they’ve established themselves as one of power metal’s most OTT operators, with three bombastic vocalists backed by an undeniably divisive blend of death metal, power metal, pop and electronica, resembling ABBA on a bloodthirsty rampage.

The band’s seventh album, The Catalyst, might be their most audacious yet. While the band have often, lazily, been lumped in with symphonic metal – no doubt due to the presence of a female singer – for the first time, this record sees them lean into that genre’s splashy inclinations. It’s also their most conceptual release, delving into themes of transformation. Veering from the abstract to the unflinchingly literal, the 12 tracks breathlessly explore everything from climate change to Artificial Intelligence to vampire transformation (see grandiose single Damnation Flame and its bloodthirsty video). On paper, it reads like the band chucked ‘change’ into a word cloud. On record, it’s a fizzy, bombastic riot.

“Maybe it’s our most dynamic and brave record,” chuckles Elize over Zoom. “But it was also fun. We always made jokes that Olof is a vampire because he’s never aged.” Born in Sweden, pop music is in Elize’s bones. Outside Amaranthe, she co-writes songs for Finnish pop band Cyan Kicks, while any song on The Catalyst could easily own the stage at Eurovision – in particular, Outer Dimensions riffs off the vocal melody of ABBA’s S.O.S. While Olof handles Amaranthe’s arrangements and lead guitars, and they write the lyrics together, she is in charge of the ‘toplines’, the hooks and melodies that define the band’s gleaming sound.

“There was nothing else like Amaranthe,” she insists of the moment they emerged, sticking out like a sore thumb, in the late 2000s. “And today, I’m not sure actually if there is.” Elize was introduced to metal by her older brother and long-time Metallica fan, Johan Carlzon, a “local celebrity” due to his renowned growls as vocalist in local doom band Abandon. It was Johan who encouraged Elize to pursue a career in metal, although he never got the chance to hear her sing as part of Amaranthe: he passed away at the age of 32, following an overdose. At that time, Olof was struggling with his own grief, having lost his father. Looking back, Elize sees how their mutual pain brought them together as friends and artists.

“It helped to write more of the uplifting stuff, to push ourselves,” she explains. Writing songs, she says, was a way for her and Olof to heal, as well as keeping her brother’s memory alive. To this day, they’ve never had an argument. “We’ve always found comfort and peace with each other. That’s why it can’t be broken or taken away, because it’s an organic thing. It comes from a very real place."

Holed up during the pandemic in 2020 and unable to tour, the duo started throwing around concepts for what would eventually become The Catalyst, landing on issues that had been niggling on Elize’s mind, including the lasting effects of Covid on society, the looming shadow of worsening climate change and the impact of the rise of AI on creative industries. While the recording of the album was way underway by the time Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the ensuing war has only compounded her sense of helplessness in the face of a world shifting on its axis.

“The album is not so much focused on the political, but more about the emotional aspect,” she says. “Even though the world is changing, how can you try to cope with it?” Watching the Ukraine war from afar has taken a toll: “I actually know people from Ukraine personally, so everything feels, for me, very close.” Yet that same attitude that first bonded her and Olof shines through in the music: “Love always wins over hate.”

From the beginning, Olof Mörck wanted Amaranthe to “provoke”. “When it comes to metal, fans are enormously conservative,” he says, when we speak to him on a separate Zoom call just before Christmas. Having wrapped up band business for the year, he chats to us from his Gothenburg home while gingerbread bakes in his kitchen. He remembers it being harder to cross boundaries during the band’s early days. “In 2008, it was infrequent for bigger metal bands to even have melodic choruses. There was a certain stigma to having really catchy hooks and that’s something that we challenged.”

In 2005, he was working a day job as a kindergarten teacher, but had released three albums with his power metal band, Dragonland. “I had gotten into law school... then we went to Japan with Dragonland and we got to headline this really cool festival and play in front of thousands of screaming Japanese fans,” he says with a chuckle. “It was the last nail in the coffin, like, ‘OK, let’s drop all the back-up plans.’ The trip to Japan was a total catalyst for me, for getting a kick in the right direction.”

Having grown up in Gothenburg during the city’s mid-90s melodeath boom, he had joined power metallers Dragonland in 1999, a band he’s still a studio member of now, although Amaranthe keeps him too busy to tour. But by the time he met Elize, he had envisioned a new band, one that blended pop gloss with power and death metal riffs, and had begun to flesh out ideas. He’s keen to stress, though, that Amaranthe are not “his” band.

“It was really only when I started to write music with Elize that the pop elements became good,” he says. “It went from zero to 10 as soon as she was involved in it.” What does the title of The Catalyst mean to him? “I think we are, as a collective species, going through a very transformative era right now in a lot of different ways, and a lot of them are not necessarily that positive,” he explains.

He reaches for AI as an example. "Fifty years ago they were dreaming about a future where robots would do the chores and we’d be free to focus on artistic things, but lately it has proven to be the opposite. You have AI producing art and music while you have a human still doing the same chores that we did 50 years ago.”

Sonically, he describes The Catalyst as the band’s “most eclectic and diverse” album yet – quite a statement in a discography where every album has actively tried to leapfrog the record before it in terms of excess. “There’s some 80s, retro, cyber punk vibes on a couple of songs,” he says. “There are even some almost Gaelic folk music influences here and there. It’s not about limiting yourself, it’s about finding the path forward.”

Last year, Amaranthe played the main stage at Wacken Open Air in Germany, a place tantamount to holy ground as far as Olof is concerned. “That’s been a lifelong dream,” he says. “We played there twice before on significantly smaller stages.” During the lavish track Amaranthine, he was struck by the magnitude of the occasion. “You see 40,000 or 50,000 people waving their hands while you’re in the middle playing this guitar solo...” He smiles, describing the memory as an “ego moment”,  but also validation of how far the band have come.

Now their focus is on taking it further. When asked separately what the band have left to achieve, Elize and Olof’s answers are strikingly similar, citing collaborations with live orchestras (The Catalyst’s flirtations with symphonic metal are all via samples), and even, in a full 360 ̊ turn, an acoustic album. “I have so many dreams,” smiles Elize. “Something that we’re going to do now with The Catalyst tour, is more stage props, bigger production, more lights,” enthuses Olof, who cites the epic, battle-themed live show of fellow Swedes Sabaton as an inspiration. “In the future, lasers, more pyrotechnics...”

What they won’t do is change their genre-mashing sound, a product of that finger-up-to-the-purists mentality that has propelled them forward for almost two decades. It’s that attitude, Olof says, that has secured Amaranthe hard-won acceptance in the metal scene.

“We’ve always been outsiders in a way,” he considers. “With us still always trying to challenge conservatism and so on, I think it’s become much more obvious where Amaranthe belong as a band. People now feel more comfortable with listening to us and saying that they’re an Amaranthe fan.”

[michiruze]

Before Your Memory Fades - Thoughts

CW: Suicide mention, Suicidal Ideation

I'm back at the cafe! Now onto the third entry of the コーヒーが冷めないうちに book series by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.

But wait....this looks different, yet familiar. I am now at Café Donna Donna for more coffee, views of the seas, comedy, and....death.

And I wonder to myself, am I truly living in the present?

You can read my thoughts here for the first book and the second book. The series do gradually get better and that's why I'm back for more by reading the third book of this series! Even though it's still the same thing as the previous two books, I can see why these sequels exist.

They're saying something different, but ultimately arriving at the same uplifting conclusion each time.

And that's too good to be ignored, even though let's be clear, this book series is nothing special. There's already tons of 'reflexive' Japanese media like this one, and this book series seems to only offer its sci-fi elements to bring something new in the table. I mean come on, waitresses being living TARDISes hasn't even been explored in Doctor Who.

But the thing is....the formula works. If it ain't broken, just keep doing it. And yet, I still have tears in my eyes.

And so, once again, with the album "Steve McQueen" by Prefab Sprout still playing in my ears, wistful evenings in my home, and coffee in my desk, I am back at the cafe to think, to feel, and to go back to the past before the coffee gets cold.

As I finish this book, the cup of coffee in my mouth tells me to live in the present. Full (LONG) thoughts under the cut, as usual.

The first thing you need to know about this book is that while it's set in Hakodate instead of Tokyo, you still need to read the previous two books to get the entire picture. For starters, Kazu and Nagare remains as the main forces of the cafe.

This book opens with a direct reference to the fourth story of the first book due to the timey-wimey things in that story. So you're going to be lost if you haven't read those.

And even though the story is taking the reader into the breezy and calmer region of Hakodate with a new set of patrons and a new staff, the backstory of Café Donna Donna ties heavily to things about Kazu and Nagare's backstory that gets told in Book 1 and 2.

The new cafe is the first thing you see in the book. It has a better description that the Tokyo one and it looks rather unique, it actually makes me *want* to visit this nonexistent cafe in real life. The story being set in Hakodate also gives it a different, calmer vibe. I can actually picture myself sipping coffee in the balcony, looking at the rivers of Hakodate. "Bonny" by Prefab Sprout vibes wonderfully well with the new setting, in fact.

Something that this book also has in that there's a clear device that woven the stories. Several parts of the story contains snippets of stuff from the in-universe 'self-help' book “What If the World Were Ending Tomorrow? One Hundred Questions.” that I find interesting and adds to the message.

In addition, Reiji (the new waiter) and the patrons have little to no connections to the patrons of Funiculi Funicula in Tokyo so these are completely *new* set of people.

With a new set of stories, grief, and.....thoughts of death.

My love and I, we work well together. But often we're apart.... Absence makes the heart lose wager 'Till love breaks down, love breaks down...

New setting does not mean that we're starting from zero. The first story actually tries to subvert the typical formula that readers are accustomed to. Now, what if someone wants to go back to the past to curse and spit on someone for giving them a screwed-up life?

(this means that "Desire As" as Prefab Sprout immediately plays in my ears)

Although the way the story begins is pretty jarring, given that after pages of a normal day at the cafe you're immediately thrown with so much anger. The suicidal main character has so much pain and anger that her very reactionary personality and actions contrast heavily with the 'calm' setting. This, however, makes way for the story to turn into a Christmas Carol-like story where the main character sees the past and experiences a change of heart.

I admit, this was pretty damn effective for me. I actually cried at the end. The bleak, pessimistic main character with so much baggage....i feel her pain. I feel her woes and seeing her get better makes me tear up. It's such an escapist story by the end of the day, to go look at the core of your problems and actually face it --- and have it resolved.

And yes, it is one of those stories where the message ultimately boils down to "things will get better if you just admit your pain", but I feel so doomed and sick of everything right now and this story is a comfort and a reminder for me to keep going, and how things will get better.

If you thought that the first story is bleak enough, the second actually answers the burning question that every reader of Book 1 and 2 might have asked to themselves: "So, if you stay in the past and not go back to the present, you die and become the ghost in the seat? Wouldn't someone attempt to kill themself this way, then?"

And it answers the question with little drama. For starters, the main characters of this story are a duo of comedians. While the book don't get to actually show what kind of manzai act they are (probably because the author can't write manzai but what do I know about comedy anyway), this choice in writing highlights how even the funniest smilers could go down the drain when emptiness that the death of a loved one hits them. The suicide ideation is devastating to read. And it hits hard. With zero funny ha-has.

This is very much a story that we need today. Emptiness is devastating, and it can lead to terrifying thoughts and actions. Even the brightest and happiest people could fall victim to the void.

But this story tells you that no, the glass isn't half-empty. Moving on with the feeling that your passing loved ones are supporting you and helping you fills the glass. The glass is ultimately, half-full after all. And certainly people want to fill yours too.

Oh my, Oh my, have you seen the weather? The sweet September rain Rain on me, like no other Until I drown, until I drown

If you thought that this book will stop there, you're wrong. Third book directly tackles the problem of denying the pain from losing a loved one. The 'denial' phase of five stages of grief. Denial so great, that reality actually crumbles down.

Grief and Denial sometimes blurs reality that you'll run the risk of living in an invalid reality, and this book tackles this topic pretty well and concise enough without being too over-the-top. And it doesn't even add more fantasy elements (the TARDIS coffee is enough). It comes off as All Of Us Strangers (2023) without the fantasy elements.

The main character's pain is very hard to read, it's too real. There's nothing more devastating than dreaming of a passing loved one, thinking they're alive, only to wake up and find that they're no longer here. It really screws up your brain and it's not talked enough, and I'm glad that the third story brings this up.

Yes, the denouement and message of the story is corny. It's so schmaltz! it's so cheap! and yet, somehow, i -HAVE- to hear the message being said to me, as someone who had experienced a similar thing. It feels hopeful and got me rethinking about how to honor a passing loved one.

The fourth story is where it all wraps up. It's relatively less dramatic than the previous three stories as it suddenly shifts into something that you'd see in the first book: the pain of not being able to tell your feelings before it's too late.

What makes it different is that one of the problems that the characters face here is the inability to communicate well. Throughout the book series, this has been a source of many conflicts but most of the time the characters resolve this as soon as they get to do the time traveling bit. Here, it's still a problem even after the time traveling bit, and this leads to the book series's biggest message of 'living in the present' being reminded to the audience.

When love breaks down, the things we do, to stop the truth from hurting you, When love breaks down, the lies we tell, they only serve to fool ourselves.

SPOILER and TMI section!

The third story hit me the hardest because I understand Reiko's pain. You may recall in my post about the 2nd book where I mentioned that one of my best friends passed away.

I still dream of her months after she passed away. Then I woke up only to find that she's gone. It was a miracle that i did not develop any hallucinations during the early pandemic. Looking back, that was very strong of me, to not let 'invalid reality' invade my brain and distance me from people who support me.

For days, i couldn't accept reality. I cried for hours and again. There was a risk that my reality will break down and get me detached. It's a miracle that it didn't happen to me. But the pain made me numb. I feel pain, but i don't know what to do. I became aimless, in which I am facing the consequences from it today.

All because i couldn't smile because of her passing. It's actually pretty sad that it took me more than a year to finally accept my reality and stop moping and frowning over her passing --- through a hyperfixation that she'd be happy to see me showing joy out of. I once thought that my accomplishments would mean nothing now that she's gone, but so.....why shouldn't I be happy and proud? Why should my grief stop me from feeling joy? She would've been happy too, after all.

She'd be joyful if I keep living after her passing, she'd be disappointed if I see her passing as the end of my everyday life, as something that stops me from living in the present.

Everything will be OK. Death is not the end. And she'll be happy to hear that.

When love breaks down, the things we do, to stop the truth from hurting you, When love breaks down, the lies we tell, they only serve to fool ourselves.

And this ties back into the books ---- the stories are touching the subject of suicide that comes from grief. It really, really is a very harsh problem. I get why this book had to do that. grief just kneecaps your life and progress if you don't know how to process it and if you don't know that you can overcome it by making your life grow bigger than your grief (while NOT denying it) and accept it as a part of life and move on.

A reason why I like this book series is for not overly-dramatizing grief, with the dramatic reactions being just reactions to it. the portrayal of grief gets realistic at times. and I've been there before.

Ultimately, installment is about....death and loss. There's a lot more death and the dread and grief that comes from it. The previous books are more about regrets, guilts, and goodbyes and now this one dives head-on to the topic of death...suicide ideation...emptiness....denial...and how living in the moment is the way to overcome that because we don't know when will death comes for us all.

As repetitive as the books are, the different themes of each book keeps it 'fresh'. each book has something different to say, and this is not an exception.

While I highly enjoyed the book, it's not the first work to tackle the topic of death this way. Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit had done this before with his masterfully devastating work Die Tomorrow (2017), tackling the similar topic on how death shouldn't be the thing that stops us from living our lives fully in the present. Death in serenity, as a closure, as the end of a chapter, as a fuel to live in the present.

This book is more focused on the latter. on how death shouldn't be something that stops us from living and doing better things.

Death shouldn't be a reason why you shouldn't find happiness and comfort. everyone dies in the end, after all. and the death of a loved one does not mean the death of our hearts and soul. nor does it mean that our lives are stopped in a stasis.

And also, we should not let death break love down.

Understandably, death can get people bewildered. Death can get people do baffling reactionary things to eachother. Death can change people for the worse. Death can cause guilt and depression. but now that we're still in the present...live in it as if death comes for us all.

Live as if the world is ending tomorrow.

SPOILER and TMI section ends.

When love breaks down, the things we do, to stop the truth from hurting you,When love breaks down, you join the rest, who leave their hearts for easy sex

There's actually a lot to love for this book, from snippets from the aforementioned  “What If the World Were Ending Tomorrow? One Hundred Questions.” book that can be fun for readers to answer themselves, seeing a duo of comedians with the name "PORON DORON", the sudden shift to 'dark mode' (black page + white text) in the printed edition to depict a blackout, to a random Connecticut mention halfway through. It's certainly an improvement from the second book.

However, if I have to mention weaknesses --- it's the new characters. The Tokyo patrons all have distinct personalities that are easy to tell. You can immediately spot what kind of people they're like, as much as I had a problem with how the first book was written. In this book, the new patrons don't really go beyond their occupations, though I feel that Kawaguchi wanted this book to be less stage-y and more realistic but certain characters feel undercooked.

And also, Sachi....Kazu's 7 year old daughter has a very...interesting (read: baffling) characterization. How is she 7 years old and reads philosophy, a book compiling academic discourses on Picasso, and quantum mechanics?? Couple this with Miki's lapses of keigo in the second book and it's clear that author Toshikazu Kawaguchi has....interesting ideas of what kids under 10 are like. He really, really think Shounibyou is the same as Chuunibyou. He really thinks that kids aged 7 are the same as 14-year-old pretentious teenagers.

(I'm sorry but writing Kei's daughter speaking old keigo at random and Kazu's daughter reading a doomerist philosophy book.....i'm assuming that Kawaguchi was like this as a child.)

I understood that it's a way for her to read the fictional book so that the book's message and stories can be brought together, but the fact that she's 7 years old makes it jarring.

(but like real though, he thinks that shounibyou is 'kids reading philosophy and difficult topics they deem cool' and not 'acting out their favourite cartoons'.....except that the former is chuunibyou which happens to *teenagers* because they are teens!)

Unfortunately, I have to address yet another weakness, because, again, we have yet another weird writing about 'giving birth is a wonderful thing'. Because I really do not think that the question of "if you're inside your mother's womb and the world ends tomorrow, would you kill yourself or stay born?" was necessary at all. This, however, is limited to two passages so it wasn't as egregiously weird as similar stuff in the previous two books. I do hope it's no longer a thing in the fourth and fifth book...

I do admire how the 4th story doesn't do the "and we're gonna have kids" thing. It ends with an immediate future promise and ends there. This feels like another attempt to address the criticisms of the 4th story in the 1st book, which is alright to me.

That aside, I had a great time reading this book. Yes, the book still felt like an 80s ballad in book form, as was the previous two books --- but darker, this time. And again, that's not a bad thing. It's definitely what the books was going for and I can feel it fully.

We have seen what people would do if given the chance to go back to the past. Now we see that people will try to break from the clutches of loss and pain of the past to be in the present.

And once again, that's arguably what we need today.

Take a sip, and go back to the past. Say goodbye to tragedy, and plant the seeds of the future in the present.....before the coffee gets cold.

When love breaks down, when love breaks down....

And that concludes the month of coffee for me. I will, of course, read the fourth and fifth book as soon as they get translated, so stay tuned for more...

Note (because I can't put this anywhere): If you notice something, I've been repeating "Appetite" by Prefab Sprout during my journey in reading these three books. Well, you can see that it's because that the song and album happens to have similar themes as this book series.

This is a good opportunity to tell y'all why am I even reading this book series. See, it all started a month ago, in a boring morning, with me doing 80s British music shopping. And then, I found this song. I thought it was beautiful, but then I listened to the album version....it's one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Before you know it, the song was on repeat in my ears. And then, I listened to Appetite, then the whole album.

I thought that "Steve McQueen" is a beautiful, if not underrated album. I was imagining the perfect movie for this album, a slice-of-life movie about a shop that sells interesting items. Records, clothes from past eras, used music instruments, accessories, and such, with the stories focusing on the shopkeepers' sad stories and the patrons taking refuge from their pain through these items --- to represent the sophisti-pop sound of the album.

However, the album having a production work by Thomas Dolby means that the story needed a fantasy element. The fantasy element could represent his 'shiny/キラキラ' keyboard work and synths, along with the album's curious structure and wistful feeling that he brought into. And so I thought, what if these items can send its' buyers back in time to the past, to make them face their pain and resolve it, to ultimately live in the present?

The story sounded perfect in my head....and then I was informed that there's an actual book with the exact same premise (and was adapted into a movie as well, with a J-Drama adaptation coming soon). I just couldn't help myself and bought a copy of the first book immediately. And now here I am, finished with the third book, wistfully thinking about my own regrets, grief, and emptiness, and how to get myself back in my own two feet. And I will come back for the fourth and fifth book. As for the forthcoming American movie adaptation...well....see below....

Last note: Apparently according to the Fifth Book's blurb (in Japanese), there's going to be an American film adaptation of the first book. Oh boy...can't wait to see them butcher the book (or improve, I hope they're fixing the first and fourth story).

But also, it's not an inherently bad idea. All Of Us Strangers (2023) proves that you *could* make an English-language adaptation of Japanese books pretty well...and knowing that, I kind of hope that the American movie adaptation of Before the Coffee Gets Cold will be as good as the former.....though I wish it's being adapted as a British production.

With that being said, hey producers, I have a request: All Of Us Strangers (2023) has two Trevor Horn-produced songs in the soundtrack. And so to make it even, Before the Coffee Gets Cold should have two Thomas Dolby-produced songs in it. Better when it's Prefab Sprout songs. Just throwing it out there.....If the former can have Trevor Horn, y'all can (and should) have Thomas Dolby. There's no excuse!

[edge-oftheworld]

Apple Music interview

“[There’s an] eerily similar melancholy,” Luke Hemmings tells Apple Music, comparing his sophomore album, boy, to his 2021 debut, When Facing the Things We Turn Away From. “And that really propelled the emotion of boy and these seven songs. A lot of the stuff I write is very existential and trying to understand who I am and why I am. At this time, I was very disorientated and maybe a bit emotionally lost, even though life was moving forward in a really great way.”

The two albums were conceived and recorded in vastly different circumstances. His debut came together in isolation under the cloak of COVID lockdowns, while boy was written as he toured the world with 5 Seconds of Summer, the Sydney band the singer/guitarist co-founded as a 15-year-old in 2011. Still, the pair have much in common: turns out you can feel just as alone spending months traversing the globe as you can sitting in your house waiting for the world to open up.

Part of the reason for that disorientation was the dawning realisation that he was entering his late twenties, leading Hemmings to reflect deeply on his youth while considering a potential future as a father. “You want to be the most fully realised version of yourself before stepping into that sort of role, which is a work in progress,” he explains.

Taking inspiration from artists such as Damon Albarn, Beach House, LCD Soundsystem and Richard Ashcroft, boy exhibits a dreamlike quality, one that bathes in melancholy without ever sinking into depression—witness the way in which opener “I’m Still Your Boy” builds from a whispered acoustic beginning into a grandiose and uplifting climax; or the sad-happy mélange of synths and dance beats that propel “Close My Eyes”. Here, Hemmings takes Apple Music through boy, track by track.

“I’m Still Your Boy” “This song really encompasses the ache I wanted to get across and the growing pains it took to become a fully realised adult version of myself. It’s only until I started thinking of having children of my own that I began reflecting on the struggles I had myself as a teenager who grew up in the public eye. This song is about understanding my youth that was marred with trauma amidst beauty, whilst trying to become a good man. ‘I’m Still Your Boy’ walks on the high wire between boyhood and adulthood, looking both ways.”

“Shakes” “‘Shakes’ was written on a dreary evening in between long periods of travel and touring, so it easily came from an incredibly melancholy place. A feeling of yearning to be back home, of feeling lonely and emotionally desperate and depleted. There is a longing for love and self-acceptance in the lyrics, and I hope it to be a song that anyone listening [to] can find themselves in and attach their own story.”

“Benny” “This song is named after my brother, Ben, but in its entirety, it represents all of my loved ones and the guilt I feel being away from my family and living on the periphery of their world. It represents the mornings I wake up in a panic, anxious and worried that today will be the day I get bad news. News that would make my dreams of making music seem infantile and pointless. I’d do anything for the people I love.”

“Close My Eyes” “I wrote ‘Close My Eyes’ as I headed into my late twenties and felt an unavoidable wave of fear and anxiety towards the inevitable death of my youth. I found myself unable to sleep because every time I tried, it was as if a film of my life was projected onto the back of my eyelids—the mistakes, successes, everything that could have been and everything that was. I was sonically trying to tap into 2000s indie rock bands like LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture.”

“Garden Life” “I had the idea for ‘Garden Life’ when I couldn’t sleep in a hotel room somewhere in the world, sometime around 3am. The next morning, I went for a walk and wrote the lyrics on a park bench, watching life pass me by. It’s really just an existential love song to my happiest and safest place. The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve realised that sometimes the most beautiful and visceral memories in life are not the most grand and obvious ones, they can be simple and powerful. It’s not always the fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Sometimes it’s a Friday night sitting on the couch listening to your favourite person laugh.”

“Close Enough to Feel You” “This song was inspired by sounds from Cocteau Twins and my bloody valentine, who I listened to heavily during the making of boy. The beauty in ‘Close Enough to Feel You’ is all in the details, both sonically and lyrically. Sometimes when you suffer a big emotional loss, something so mundane and otherwise unnoticed can become earth-shattering. A glimpse of a photo out of the corner of your eye, a stain on the carpet, an old sweater, sends you into the foetal position. This song is about the willingness and desire to live in that pain in order to feel close to who or what you lost, rather than moving on.”

“Promises” “‘Promises’ was the song written for the EP that finally made me feel like I was really onto something. It started with merely a drum beat, which I find ironic as I’m not a drummer. But I think maybe it’s that naïveté that led to this song being created. It’s about a time in my life when I saw the world through grey-coloured glasses. I was a pessimist, struggling with depression and my mental health, who fell in love and started to see colour for the first time.”

[sinceileftyoublog]

Hurray For The Riff Raff Album Review: The Past is Still Alive

(Nonesuch)

BY JORDAN MAINZER

On The Past is Still Alive, the latest and best studio album from Hurray For The Riff Raff, Alynda Segarra looks back at a specific era of their life to pay tribute to chaos and imagine what could come from it. Their seemingly legendary but very real past is well-known by now: At age 17, Segarra left their home in the Bronx and hopped freight trains, played in a hobo band, and settled in New Orleans, a formative period of simultaneous struggle and freedom. That combined ethos has pervaded all Hurray For The Riff Raff records, but on The Past is Still Alive, Segarra's finally telling the tale, applying what they learned to the present day.

Notably, Segarra started recording The Past is Still Alive a month after their father died; while his voice appears literally on the album's final track "Kiko Forever", his musical uplift acts as a buoy for Segarra throughout the whole thing. Though they had worked with producer Brad Cook and drummer Yan Westerlund prior, Segarra had never recorded with the rest of the album's laundry list of stellar contributors, from Meg Duffy of Hand Habits, and Mike Mogis to guest vocalists Anjimile, Conor Oberst, and S.G. Goodman. That Segarra conquered a period of vulnerability to record the album with bonafide strangers is a terrific feat, but not necessarily surprising: This is a person who has the ability to treat even their fellow band members like the audience, recipients of some remarkable stories full of biography and symbolism alike.

Throughout The Past is Still Alive, Segarra alternates between timeless metaphor and hyper-specific details. On "Buffalo", they remark, simply, that "Some things take time," whether presently forming love or society's death-by-1000-cuts treatment of the oppressed. Segarra sings over strummed acoustic guitar and Mogis' pedal steel, the perfect accompaniment to earned wisdom. "Hawkmoon", on the other hand, is more electric, full of Duffy's bluesy riffing, akin to the epic sound of The Navigator, fitting for a song inspired by a lasting figure: the first trans woman Segarra ever met. As if to project to a stadium full of folks looking to honor Ms. Jonathan, Segarra sings a heartland rock-style salute: "She opened up my mind in the holes of her fishnet tights / Dildo waving on her car antenna and / I could've ridden shotgun forever." Pseudo title track "Snakeplant (The Past Is Still Alive)" juxtaposes both memories of chaos and lessons learned. As Segarra recounts shoplifting and having sex on top of an island of trash, they make sure to tell you what they took from a life among "the barrel of freaks": "Test your drugs / Remember Narcan / There's a war on people, don't you understand?" Duffy's distorted guitar and Matt Douglas's skronking saxophone create beauty from Segarra's warnings of disorder.

Some of the best songs on The Past is Still Alive are incredibly life-affirming. Opener "Alibi" is a plea to drug-addicted childhood friends, a promise that, "Maybe we'll start a band," on a song that introduces the swath of instrumentation present throughout the record, like gentle piano, steady drums, echoing guitar, and pedal steel. "Ogallala" and "Colossus of Roads" prioritize survival in a harsh world--Segarra compares themselves to the musicians still playing on the deck of a sinking Titanic--but not without a wish that the world itself would burn. Westerlund's crashing drums take the former to its logical conclusion, while the latter, inspired by the 2022 Club Q shooting in Colorado springs, makes the case for empathy along the way to the apocalypse. "Wrap you up in the bomb shelter of my feather bed," Segarra sings, fighting cruelty with compassion atop Phil Cook's mournful dobro and organ and Westerlund's funereal drum rolls.

It's a line in "Hourglass" that sticks with me the most among the lyrical and instrumental brilliance of The Past is Still Alive. Recounting feeling out-of-place among the status-obsessed, Segarra shifts their perspective. "Suddenly, a boulder's just sand in an hourglass," they sing. Though they spend much of the album concentrating on time and place, they recognize that our mark on earth is statistically insignificant, something we can use to our advantage rather than something that makes us feel small. What many in society consider important--celebrity, power, money--is volatile compared to the power of your own agency, of giving life to the past.

[udo0stories]

Introduction Meet Kacey Musgraves, a country music sensation who has captivated audiences worldwide with her authentic lyrics and bold style. Her unique blend of country, folk, and pop has set her apart in the music industry, earning her a dedicated fan base and critical acclaim. A Historic Grammy Triumph Kacey’s journey to stardom reached a significant milestone with her historic Grammy win. This achievement wasn’t just a personal victory for Kacey; it was a testament to her musical prowess and innovative approach to country music. The Grammy win catapulted Kacey into the global spotlight, cementing her status as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. The Birth of ‘Deeper Well’ ‘Deeper Well’ is Kacey’s sixth studio album, a project that reflects her personal growth and evolution as an artist. The album was born out of Kacey’s experiences and introspections, resulting in a collection of songs that resonate with listeners on a deep, emotional level. Each track on ‘Deeper Well’ is a testament to Kacey’s songwriting skills, showcasing her ability to craft lyrics that are both personal and universal. The Power of ‘Deeper Well’ ‘Deeper Well’ has made a significant impact on listeners worldwide, thanks to its relatable themes and powerful messages. The album explores a range of emotions and experiences, from love and loss to self-discovery and personal growth. Standout songs like the title track ‘Deeper Well’ and ‘Too Good to Be True’ have struck a chord with listeners, further solidifying Kacey’s status as a leading voice in country music. Kacey’s Evolution From her early days in Nashville to her current success as a Grammy-winning artist, Kacey’s career trajectory is a story of perseverance, creativity, and passion. Her evolution as an artist is as inspiring as it is impressive, marked by a constant drive to push boundaries and redefine the country music genre. The Deeper Well World Tour To bring ‘Deeper Well’ to fans worldwide, Kacey embarked on the Deeper Well World Tour. The tour was a celebration of music, connection, and storytelling, offering fans a chance to experience ‘Deeper Well’ live. From intimate venues to large arenas, the Deeper Well World Tour was a testament to Kacey’s ability to captivate audiences with her music and stage presence. Kacey Musgraves Top 10 Music Kacey Musgraves has released a number of popular songs throughout her career. Here are some of her most well-known tracks: “Follow Your Arrow”: An upbeat country song that encourages listeners to take risks and live life on their own terms. “Rainbow”: An uplifting ballad from her 2018 album, Golden Hour, that speaks to the power of hope and resilience. “Butterflies”: An upbeat, country-pop anthem that focuses on the idea of finding strength and resilience in the face of life’s challenges. “Merry Go ‘Round”: A mid-tempo country-folk ballad featuring acoustic guitar, piano, and a string section. “Good Ol’ Boys Club”: A song with a great deal of mystery in its implications. “Dandelion”: A traditionally-minded number that compared her crying reaction to the wildflower as the same emotion that happens when she thinks about her lost love. “Cup of Tea”: A song about how your life and your actions are not always going to be well-received by everybody. “Biscuits”: A song very similar to “Follow Your Arrow”, it’s about charting your own course in life. “This Town”: A song about the cyclical nature of life’s ups and downs. “High Horse”: A country meets disco song from her album, Golden Hour. Conclusion: The Future of Kacey Musgraves As Kacey Musgraves continues to make her mark on the music industry, fans eagerly anticipate what’s next for this talented artist. With her unique voice, authentic lyrics, and innovative approach to country music, the future looks bright for Kacey Musgraves. As we look forward to her next chapter, one thing is certain: Kacey Musgraves will continue to captivate audiences with her music for years to come.

LEARN MORE ABOUT IObit [web_stories_embed url="https://stories.udo0.com/web-stories/kacey-musgraves-deeper-well/" title="Kacey Musgraves: The Captivating Story Behind Her Historic Grammy Triumph and ‘Deeper Well’" poster="https://stories.udo0.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/cropped-cole-schafer-and-kacey-musgraves-attend-the-2022-met-gala-news-photo-1673207494.jpg" width="360" height="600" align="none"]

[wobinbug]

Tagged by @kaiasky here to post five songs I actually listen to (which, I agree, is a very funny challenge name). I don't really have anyone I can tag, so I'm happy for (and encourage) anyone to continue the chain :)

MCR - This Is How I Disappear - I love this song; it's dramatic, dark and moody while having extremely addictive instrumentation (I'm still shook every time I hear the tambourine come in). I also find the lyrics really interesting. The whole Black Parade album is about a cancer patient coming to terms with their death and this song particularly focuses on the idea of being forgotten eventually, which is so ouch, but wonderfully cathartic. Alternatively, without that context, it's like the most dramatic breakup song you've ever heard lol.

TK from Ling Tosite Sigure - First Death - So, the best way I can describe this song is it makes me feel a very similar kind of way to 'This Is How I Disappear' haha. Of course, this song is a Chainsaw Man ED and the lyrics are pretty specifically tailored to the preceding events in the anime (which I won't spoil here, but they seem to reflect the inner thinkings of a certain character during a certain event). It's energetic and cathartic, with falsetto tones that remind me of ghosts which is so unique.

Takuto - All Categorise - This is ED for Young Black Jack and previously my alarm for several years. Why? Because I think it's a pretty uplifting and cute song, really gets me energised! The lyrics fit well with Black Jack as a character in the series: he's fairly idealistic, but the world is pretty strongly against him. That said, ultimately, he's pretty dead-set on becoming a doctor to help people. The lyrics of the songs itself, as far as I can tell, seem to be about trying to see the bright side of things and appreciate the beauty in life, even where it's hard to find.

Rie Fu - Life is Like a Boat - AKA my current alarm... I feel like I don't need to elaborate much with Rukia in my pfp here, but I just think this is a beautiful song and so nostalgic for me. It was probably also the first song I heard that combines English and Japanese verses, which I think it super unique. I don't have too much to say about the lyrics, but they certainly tug at the heartstrings... Idk, I just love it, it makes me want to start rhythmically waving my lighter in the air (a terrible idea for someone just waking up lmfao).

Ghost - Square Hammer - My friend really fucking loves Ghost and I absolutely do get it, their songs scratch a specific kind of itch. I kind of feel like this is how people in the 80's must have felt listening to 80's music drop (if that makes any kind of sense :')). Anyway, this is one of their songs that's made its way into my playlists because I just find it so easy to listen to (this is a good thing). I also like how, from an engineering perspective, the lyrics are absolutely asking the correct questions (sorry 😂).

[eulchu]

Also, the way we talk about dsmp lore will never stop fascinating me. We pull the most poetic things out of a bit of minecraft roleplay with clever dialogue at times and it just astounds me. There is a reason there are so many talented people in this fandom.

Where other fandoms have professionally produced content to work with, movies with high budgets and famous actors, books written by bestselling authors, we as the fandoms... I suppose you could call us artists, fanartists, animators and musicians "secondary creators??", we have to imagine the content in a different light. We are provided with good characters and dialogue, but its nowhere near as visually appealing as other media, there's an extra element of creativity that goes into creating fan content for a fandom like this. In a way, the fans and the community around them play a very integral role in the interpretation of the source material.

There's no way we would have been able to pull the amount of poetic meaning from minecraft roleplaying without the fan content running parallel to the source material.

This fandom has unironically made me so much better. It helped me drastically improve my writing, rekindle my love for reading and discover a passion for history as well as introduce me to so many great people.

People always look at fandoms very objectively, they don't see the way communities grow and uplift each other. We genuinely learn things in fandoms.

Yes, there are bad people in this fandom, but every community is like that. There is a reason this community is a great one and I'll stand with it.

(Titanic anon. Sorry for the long ask)

YEAHHHHH HONESTLY like what was that about writing an ENTIRE album and animating entire short movies .. insane talent😭😭

[monsata]

5 of 1001

Today's album: Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman (1988)

Right here, this is the heart of why i started this project.

An excellent album that I've never heard. I know the one song that everybody knows by Tracy Chapman.

Yeah, the one that's playing in your head right now as you are reading this.

And it would have been such a shame to have never given this album its due, because it speaks to a lot of things that are very near and dear to my heart.

That Things are Not Good. That Things Could Be Better. That Love is not nearly as easy (or as complicated) as it seems in the movies.

Simply put: this album really blew me away, and here, only 5 days in, I'm so glad i decided to try this insane 3 year long musical odyssey.

Talkin' Bout a Revolution- I really, seriously wish Tracy's revolution had come to pass. What a beautiful sentiment: the uplifting of the downtrodden, everybody getting their fair share. But nowadays, it mostly sounds to me like something that would be used as an ironic backdrop for footage of anti-fascist and anti-police riots from the last decade.

Fast Car- The only Tracy Chapman song that i could name off the top of my head. What more can be said that thang been said dozens of times already? It's such a pretty, sad song about how Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans.

Across the Lines- same basic sentiment as Talkin' Bout a Revolution, but not ironic this time. Prescient, in that this album came out a few years before the Rodney King beating would prove her 100% correct.

Behind the Wall- Cops have always been fucking useless parasites.

Baby Can I Hold You- so far the most dated song in instrumentation, this feels VERY late 80s. That said, WAIT, HOLD UP, IS THAT A SITAR!? Nice.

Mountains O'Things- feels very much like "in your eyes"-era Peter Gabriel with all the layered and intricate percussion with synthy "world music"-style woodwinds. "All of those rich guys better watch out once i'm finally one of them!"

Also, in a moment of serendipity, i listened to a podcast about Citizen Kane earlier today (shoutout to The Worst of All Possible Worlds) and i can't help but draw a few parallels to "depressed and unfulfilled poor rich people".

She's Got Her Ticket- wasn't expecting a reggae song today, but it works really well with her voice. That said, there's definitely a recurring theme of "she's gonna get the fuck out of here" throughout the album.

Why?- The other recurring theme on this album: EVERYTHING IS ABSOLUTELY FUCKING TERRIBLE, WHY ISN'T ANYBODY DOING ANYTHING ABOUT *ANYTHING*? WHAT THE FUCK ARE THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE EVEN DOING!? Damn, i wish Tracy's revolution had been more than a whisper.

For My Lover- honestly, feels like an anthem for the battered, and that feeling of "if i leave them, I'll have nobody."

If Not Now...- "now loves the only thing that's free, we must take it where it's found, pretty soon it may be costly" damn, what a line.

For You- a beautiful song about being truly lost in love for someone.

Favorite Track: oh it's still gotta be Fast Car. I can see why it was the single, and i can see why it exploded. Incredibly relatable, soulful, coming from a place of hurt, but damn it were gonna make the best of this hurt because it's all we've got.

Least Favorite Track: She's Got Her Ticket. While it's still a good song, it's really the odd one out of the album. The reggae styling kinda sticks out like a sore thumb here, and there isn't much in this song that doesn't get covered in a better way in other songs on the album.

[chaosincurate]

My month in music - April 2023

Little Simz - NO THANK YOU (relisten)

Whitmer Thomas - The Older I Get the Funnier I Was

Young Guv - GUV III

Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You (new)

Caroline Rose - The Art of Forgetting (new)

Blondshell - Blondshell (new)

Wednesday - Rat Saw God

beabadoobee - Beatopia (relisten)

Waterparks - Intellectual Property

mau from nowhere - The Universe is Holding You

Feist - Multitudes

Daughter - Stereo Mind Game

Ramones - Ramones

Alvvays - Blue Rev (relisten)

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Uprising

beabadoobee - Fake It Flowers (relisten)

Warm Human - Hometown Hero

Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare (relisten)

Waterparks - Fandom (relisten)

Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

Prince - Sign 'O' The Times

Björk - Post

Write-ups below

Little Simz - NO THANK YOU

A largely laid-back hip-hop album that still displays an ability to uplift when necessary, with great use of brass instruments in particular to introduce energy or glory to a song.

Recommended song: Gorilla

Apple Music link

Whitmer Thomas - The Older I Get the Funnier I Was

An indie slacker album that doesn't take itself all that seriously, with humorous songwriting throughout.

Recommended song: Rigamarole

Apple Music link

Young Guv - GUV III

Light, jangly, and airy, indie-leaning power pop. It's well produced and well executed, and worth a listen if that sounds like your sort of thing.

Recommended song: It's Only Dancin'

Apple Music link

Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

A diverse electronic pop outing from indie darling Caroline Polachek which casts a broad enough net to please pretty much anyone who likes the genre, which I think is the biggest reason for the hype and "must-hear" status amongst reviewers. Don't mistake my comments of broad appeal for accusations of blandness though, because there is a very satisfying identity to the album which, while not groundbreaking, isn't something that can be easily found elsewhere.

As the album art suggests, the album transports you to a paradise, so if you fancy an affordable holiday, and you like indie music, this album could be just what you need.

Recommended song: Bunny Is a Rider

Apple Music link

Caroline Rose - The Art of Forgetting

A great, expansive indie pop album which excels in personable lyrics, left-field pop production, and earning its melodramatic moments. Most of my favourite elements are present on Miami, particularly that explosion of sound towards the ending. Give it a listen!

Recommended song: Miami

Apple Music link

Blondshell - Blondshell

I don't know if I just have a warped perception of the alternative rock scene lately, but it seemed to me that Blondshell came out of nowhere with a polished sound, high-profile playlist spots (at least on Apple Music), and sudden credibility, but even if that makes me suspicious of where she came from, I'm glad she's here, because the album is good. The album has energy, unique themes, and a healthy dose of passion, making it exactly what you've come to expect from alternative rock, and it's executed well enough to not get boring.

Recommended song: Salad

Apple Music link

Wednesday - Rat Saw God

Another alternative rock album, but this one is a little more unique, blending the more expected sound of the genre with country and shoegaze, creating a noisy, harsh wave of sound, which lead singer Karly Hartzman passionately wavers over with vocals that can pump you up as well as they can tear your heart out of your chest.

I'll leave it at that because I don't think I could make a better case for this album than it's 8 minute epic Bull Believer can. I highly recommend giving it a listen if you're a rock fan.

Apple Music link

beabadoobee - Beatopia

beabadoobee always excels in charm, and this album is no different. Every song on this album, whether the ones I like or dislike, has this innate childish wonder about it. A nostalgic, innocent warmth and fun that you can only really instill in the art you care about. In this instance particularly, the album revolves around that childishness, as confirmed by the album title and artwork which was conjured by a way younger Bea.

The nostalgia comes from the sound palette, but crucially, not the the sound itself. The sound palette is very reminiscent of the music her childhood-starved generation (which I also happen to share) grew up on: 00's alternative. She wields this sound palette in very peculiar ways, most clear with the first proper song on the album, 10:36 and later on Talk when distorted guitars are used, not in an aggressive way, but instead with a sort of sparkle. I think that sort of contradiction is how beabadoobee makes music that is so representative of this generation. It captures the anger, but centers the yearning for childhood as we retreat to youthful expressions and experiences, especially the idea of doing things simply because they are fun and offer reprieve. It's a false innocence. A distorted representation of a sparkle that our eyes have lost.

To be clear, I'm not saying that this was all intentional and that they necessarily knew the effect this small touch would have on me and potentially others, and even if they did, I'm not saying this is exactly why they thought so, but all the same, this is what it means to me. The reader decides why the curtains are blue, not the writer.

Apple Music link

Waterparks - Intellectual Property

Although it might be considered a hot take in some of the circles I usually find myself in, I like Waterparks. From their harder pop-punk style at the start of their career, through the poppier first few albums, to what I will call the hyperpop-punk style of their past couple albums... I think they're a great band that has evolved very satisfyingly up until this point, providing some rare pop experimentation.

This one though? I found this a big step back. The opener, ST*RFUCKER, promises a pretty high-quality retread of the last album's sound, which I would be on board for, but REAL SUPER DARK is a more accurate representation in my view. The album more broadly does retain Awsten Knight's ability to add interesting twists to common themes (such as turning a love song into a self aware obsession song), but the execution is almost always distractingly flawed. It also doesn't help that the mixing on this album is dreadful, particularly with the vocals being buried beneath generally unaffecting instrumentals. That latter point was so bad that I didn't even realize one of the songs had backup vocals until I relistened when the lyrics were added on Apple Music.

This was just a very disappointing listen, and I genuinely don't know who to recommend this to other than the people who would have heard it already. Greatest Hits is just way better if you haven't heard any of their hyperpop-punk style, Fandom is a better overall summary of the band's sound, Double Dare is the best example of their pop-punk stuff, hell, even Entertainment has some great stuff on there as the band start to experiment and find a more individual sound, and honestly I think INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY is the worst of them all.

Recommended song: ST*RFUCKER

Apple Music link

mau from nowhere - The Universe is Holding You

If I were to attempt to find a common thread throughout this album, I'd probably have to settle on something broad, like lo-fi, because it is one of those incredibly sprawling, artistically indulgent projects that I love to listen to, but hate to try to make a write-up for. Without doing a track-by-track, the most useful thing I can do is tell you that mau traverses many different styles with great ease, and recommend a handful of songs.

If a laid-back and poppy hip-hop jam sounds good to you, Haba Na Haba is a great choice. If you're after something with a little bit more energy, closer and title track The Universe is Holding You is a great choice in that style too. My favourite though is the straightforward lo-fi pop bop Refuse Refuge. The whole album is high quality though, and there's only a few I don't really like, so its well worth a listen in my opinion.

Haba Na Haba || Apple Music link

The Universe Is Holding You || Apple Music link

Refuse Refuge || Apple Music link

Feist - Multitudes

A singer/songwriter album with a warm, earthy tone and poetic lyricism. The album makes good use of sparse instrumentation that somehow still manages to fill the soundscape well and places the lyrics front and center.

Recommended song: The Redwing

Apple Music link

Daughter - Stereo Mind Game

I often feel like obscure indie music can fall into this trap where it sounds all light and airy, perhaps in the pursuit of that 'immaculate vibes' type of sound, but without realizing that it still needs a pulse to get there. It can easily be overlooked, because it's usually quite subtle compared to the flood of reverb and synths, but it is absolutely crucial, at least for me, to make the songs memorable and enjoyable.

Daughter fully understand this though. This album never left me bored because it is always moving forward. It is usually slow enough to still be laid back, but it's always moving forward and never feels aimless. It's a good album if verby and vibey indie sounds like it'd appeal to you.

Recommended song: Be On Your Way

Apple Music link

Ramones - Ramones

Okay, look, I know this is a classic. I know that I risk losing my punk fan license if I say anything bad about the granddaddy of the genre itself, but this just didn't do anything good for me. Maybe one day I'll look back and think I was a fool for this, but this album - this 29-minute album - bored the shit out of me. Every song sounded like the last except for some tiny tweaks, and it was a sound that was best executed on the title track Blitzkrieg Bop.

But that isn't a deal-breaker. Hell, some of my favourite albums are somewhat sonically homogeneous, but this didn't have anything else to make up for it. No interesting lyricism or themes, no experimentation with instrumental palette, nothing.

And yeah, sometimes if you aren't used to a genre or sound, it can all feel a bit samey to you, just through inexperience, but I grew up on pop-punk (an offshoot of this album's purer punk), and have listened to a bunch of comparable stuff since, and it doesn't help me hear much difference between tracks.

It was an okay listen for me, don't get me wrong, but it is just too flawed for me to respect it as a classic, and the group of people I can imagine recommending this to is tiny.

Recommended song: Blitzkrieg Bop

Apple Music link

Alvvays - Blue Rev

I've already gushed about this album enough on my post on Alvvays, but suffice it to say that this sprawling indie album is exceptional and must-hear for any indie fan. I love it dearly.

Apple Music link

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Uprising

I'd never listened to a Bob Marley album before this, but my brother recommended this album to me last month (as in April), and I was suitably interested, so I gave it a go. Naturally, it was my first reggae album and remains my only reggae album to this point, so I don't really have the adequate tools to speak at all critically on the album, but I did enjoy it. The messages are conveyed well, and the music feels as communal as the lyrics.

Apple Music link

beabadoobee - Fake It Flowers

This should be a quick one. Pretty much everything about Beatopia also applies to this, except the sonic diversity. Her first album is pretty focused in comparison, but retains all the charm, fun, and energy of her most recent effort.

Apple Music link

Warm Human - Hometown Hero

Warm Human describes their sound as 'sludge pop', and I think that works excellently to describe the sound of this album. It takes distorted guitars, drenches them in reverb and somehow delivers it in a way that sounds appealing in that particular pop way.

Recommended song: Daylight Savings

Apple Music link

Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare

I listened to this one to commemorate the anniversary of it's release. That should tell you I love this album, and this most recent listen changed nothing on that front. From the blistering pace of opener Brianstorm, to the cheeky, bouncy fun of Fluorescent Adolescent, and, of course, the album's patient swan song 505, along with plenty more, this album makes a great case for being the best Arctic Monkeys album for me, and by extension, one of the best modern rock albums.

Apple Music link

Waterparks - Fandom

Now I get a chance to be positive about Waterparks! On Fandom, I believe they strike the perfect balance between pop cheese, pop-punk melodrama, and otherwise meaningful artistic expression. Sure, sometimes the scales wobble a little, but it never feels like its falling far enough into one facet to noticeably undermine the others or feel bland.

I think this album probably also makes itself a great contender as the quintessential Waterparks album, with it being placed at their stylistic crossroads, and being so passionate and personal, so clearly cared for, that I struggle to see how any other could be placed ahead of it as a representation of the band. To paraphrase Awsten in future lyrics, they got everything they wanted on album 3 and it shows, with the band clearly demonstrating a radical self-acceptance, allowing the music to be cheesy at times, a tad melodramatic, impatient, as well as the more accepted traits like energetic, inventive, catchy, and fun.

I know Waterparks have their haters, but if you're willing to approach them with an open mind, this album is a great place to start if you ask me.

There. Now everyone is unhappy.

Apple Music link

Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

I should have gotten to this way sooner. I had heard Little Simz' name a lot since this album dropped, and always meant to get to it, so when I saw she dropped another album at the end of 2022 I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get into her music, but after starting with NO THANK YOU, which underwhelmed me, this album dropped down my list of priorities. That was a mistake.

This album is everything I thought NO THANK YOU lacked. It's full, energetic, fun, and had themes I was way more able to grab onto, as well as a far more satisfying execution of those themes when listened to as an album. Not only are interludes used to great effect to reiterate the broader themes, the albums thematic flow is so smooth, with it being pretty common for the last few lines of any given song to tie itself into the next song on the album.

I should have gotten to this way sooner.

Apple Music link

Prince - Sign 'O' The Times

This isn't the first time I've tried to get into Prince. My brother is nuts about the guy's music, and has tried to get me into it as well, to little avail. He got me to listen to two albums, Purple Rain and Dirty Mind. I appreciated both, but always felt like, considering his legacy, I was missing something. I loved the hits, and always felt like that they lined up with what people said about him, and I respect a lot about the guy, but I couldn't get into an album of his the way I thought I ought to, which was very frustrating.

That was all a while ago though, and seeing this album as I was looking through AOTY, I thought I'd give it one more go after listening to the title track. After all, my brother loves it, and the title track seemed up my alley, so maybe this could be the album to finally give me some understanding.

Early on I got concerned it'd be another album where I could take a few songs from it but ultimately be unfulfilled. I even considered calling it a day after 5 or 6 tracks, which I hate doing, but the incongruity between what I hear from other people that I respect about Prince, and what I hear from Prince is too frustrating for me to have an enjoyable experience. I'm glad I held out though, because I loved the second half of this album, and I finally had something sustained for me to latch onto. I don't think I'll be bothering to explore more of Prince's music, but I'm so relieved that there is a run of songs within an album that I can point to and say "this is Prince earning his reputation", especially considering my brother's passion for the music.

Apple Music link

Björk - Post

I've only been writing about music on a public platform for a few months, but one thing I've experienced a lot is the thought that, despite my passion and the potential for a good post about something I love and want to share, it isn't worth making because it's popular. Everyone has already heard about it, so it's just preaching to the choir. Hell, I even felt it to some degree talking about Arctic Monkeys earlier. But the fact that I hadn't listened to Björk yet and only really considered it when Mic the Snare did a Deep Discog Dive on her is one hell of a counterpoint to that. We all have blind spots, and it never hurts to help people find music they might love, even if it's kinda on their radar.

But enough about me, this album was an incredible listen. Experimental, full, and uncompromisingly weird in a way that just makes the emotion more palpable. It's largely cohesive, it's entirely unique, and always passionate. I could compliment this album forever, but I could never fully describe it, but I'll give it my best succinct shot: I once heard someone describe Lorde as essentially gay Radiohead, but from what I've heard from all three artists Björk fills that role way better.

Apple Music link

[deathfavor]

A little music ramble before i start writing. but i LOVE the band Citizen Soldier. Anyways, their newest album coming out is called ICU. Which is such a clever thing. So for context for those who’ve never heard them. They focus on mental health with their music. They have a mix of uplifting ones, but also some very real and raw ones that expose the ugliness a lot of people try to avoid or feel but can’t say. 10/10 recommend though, they’ve got something for everyone. ANYWAYS. ICU. As in Intensive Care Unit, but also if you say it, it’s “I see you.” as in the band is there, the band sees your struggles and are there for you.

Jake is the lead singer and the band came about because of HIS struggles. Some of his best songs he says were written in his worst moments. But Jake genuinely cares so much for his fans, the whole band does. They answer comments, and Jake always makes it a policy to answer people who message him. Maybe not right away (sometimes they do, they’ve answered me on livestreams before), but he does. He genuinely cares so deeply, they always try to reply or at least like every comment, comment on people’s reactions to them. He sees the fans. He sees the struggles, he’s even written songs at popular requests on if the band could cover certain mental health struggles. I just.

I genuinely love this band so much. Some of their songs hit so accurately it hurts but in the good kind of way you know? Like it hurts to be exposed but also its so nice to be seen and understood.

[stormblessed95]

Hi Stormy! If you've talked about his before I apologize 😂💜

I just can't watch the Serendipity MV without thinking of KM. The date in the corner, the sun, Jimin's eye (like JK's eye in DNA), the calico cat (sudden 🐾 on Twitter), the colorful swirl in Jimin's eye (again like the DNA opening in JK's eye. These are also tied as the trailer and title song), the eclipse, the moon and Ooooh it's so YELLOW 💛

How much influence do you think Jimin had on this MV? Or is is just yet another "coincidence" even though he literally starts the song saying it isn't 😂

Lol I wish I could be more fun and theorizing with you on this one, but I'm not on board with any of these theories 😅 but that's just me!

For start, I too, was originally confused and thought the date in the corner was a nod to JK from Jimin. But that's been corrected and talked about in this post here

You can find Jimin talking about Serendipity MV in the MV making film from memories, which you can watch in full here. It's only 8 mins

And you can find RM talking about the lyrics and making of the song here, with the reminder that RM wrote the song totally here, not Jimin

SO with all these things in mind... the connections with the Serendipity MV and the DNA MV were probably done very purposefully by the directors as a way to connect the music videos for the album. The Intro song MV and the Title Track MV. It being jikook who both have it pan into their eyes is simply because Jimins solo is the intro and JK starts off DNA. If a different member had the DNA opening, it probably would've panned into their eye instead. The calico cat was something that Namjoon came up with for the lyrics and that quickly became Jimins favorite part of the song and one he resonated with and started calling HIMSELF a calico cat. The paw prints showing up were because Jimin calls JK his puppy prince and that is a totally seperate thing. Plus the paw prints started showing up in 2016, pre Serendipity anyway. Lol post over puppy prince paw prints here:

The songs were written with nothing to do with jikook specifically but to convey the overall message that BTS were wanting to tell in the album as a whole, and to kick off the story they wanted to tell through their Trilogy of albums as well. So I don't think those connections mean anything other than connections to the album.

All the yellow could simply be about how it Warm and uplifting colors. Plus matching Jimins blonde hair at the time, or that its one of Jimis favorite colors. Lol I don't think Jimin made many choices in the efforts of what happened in the MV. He stated that his favorite part of filming was with the cat, and his least favorite was showing his feet off and that he even tried to talk the director out of it at first, but he insisted and Jimin really doesn't mind. He then just worried about wanting to make sure his feet were extra clean 🤣

The reason I connect Serendipity to jikook is because they do it themselves, not because of any hints in the Song or music video dedicated it to each other. But because AFTER the song came out, they claimed it as their own. Which I talk about in this post:

Hope that helps 🥰 you are all free to believe whatever you want of course too.

[velvet-umbrellas]

Top Ten Bon Iver Songs (cause I've been thinking about it for too long, also first post!)

10. 33 "GOD"

I may not be the biggest fan of Vernon's later work just because I'm not engaged with the autotune, but something about this one always just hit hard.

"How to know who to write / How to know how to cull up all these questions"

9. Perth

Bon Iver's sophomore, self-titled album is an improvement on the very first (FEFA) album in almost every way. That's apparent from the very first track, "Perth." Keeping in the signature falsetto, but adding badass new drum beats really makes this song one worth listening to.

8. Skinny Love

The most popular one (and a song that's spawned a million covers) is still really great. Love how Vernon sounds like he's desperately putting together the pieces of a once whole relationship:

"Come on skinny love what happened here?"

Won't say I haven't been in that position before ;)

7. Michicant

A beautiful and soft lullaby that puts me to tears as well as it can put me to sleep (really a compliment). It's such a beautiful and memorable tune where Vernon's falsetto really shines.

6. 29 Strafford Apts

As I've said before, I'm not the biggest fan of Vernon's later work. After working with Kanye, he loses a lot of that acoustic sound that hooked me in the first place.

However, "Apts." takes full advantage of a more experimental and grand production. It's a memorable wave of sound that manages to overwhelm with its vulnerability:

"I know you buried all your alimony butterflies."

I may not appreciate the "unique" beauty of 22, A Million quite yet, but I feel I will soon.

5. Holocene

Ahh yes a classic favorite. The acoustic plucks at the beginning and the message of taking in the grandeur of life when feeling insignificant is one that's gotten me through uncountable tribulations.

As I'm sure it is to many people, "Holocene" is a personal song to me. A delicate light in dark times. One that seems like it needs to be gently held or else it'll be smothered by the all-consuming darkness.

4. Towers

Bon Iver's one true rock song; Towers is a rather uplifting and joyous entry in Vernon's canon.

Again another personal song, but Towers is more triumphant and energetic. It's just a fun thing to listen to when I'm down.

3. Re Stacks

Used emotionally at the end of HouseMd's famous episode "Wilson's Heart" (where the doctor sidekick's misunderstood girlfriend dies one of television's most gut-wrenching deaths), Re Stacks seems to be the anthem of delicate and somber loss.

Once again another very personal song (probably a distinction I'll be making for every song from here on out to be honest), but Re Stacks is particularly special. It's elusive lyrics yet emotionally resonate sound makes it a favorite to cover. And it's one that brings me to tears every time for some reason.

2. Flume

"I am my mother's only child"

A simple, homophonic ballad that introduced us to the natural cottegecore world of Bon Iver, Vernon's "Flume" sings his heart out.

It's very simple, but yet still very powerful. Partially due to its lyrics and partially due to just how effective it is in delivering its simplicity.

1. For Emma

Emma isn't a person, it's a place.

Iconic for its triumphant trumpet accompaniment and somber lyrics, it's a juxtaposition that's become the classic anthem for loss and forlorn nostalgia. It perfectly hammers home Vernon's "cabin in the woods" feel that is established throughout the whole album and on the cover itself.

Again, but this is probably my single most personal song in Vernon's entire discography. I've listened to this countless times. When I'm happy. When I'm sad. When I'm tired. When I'm horny. When I'm thinking about the future. And more often than not, when I'm thinking about the past.

Emma is not a person. It's a time. It's a place that harbors all of my pain, pleasures and all the tricky emotions in between.

Do I know how to navigate them? No. But it sure seems easier with a song that can bring them all to light as effectively and emotionally as "For Emma" does

[musicarenagh]

Behind the Music: La Need Machine’s Uplifting Journey with “The Mountain” I was able to listen to La Need Machine’s latest track “The Mountain” and I must admit that this sounds like a rather strong piece of music. This particular group from Seattle has gone a notch higher with this one, their newest release. What I noticed as soon as I tuned in to “The Mountain” is how La Need Machine manages to merge different genres and subgenres. It has some elements of American music, some Indie Rock, Folk Rock, and even the bit of of Alternative Country. With this, it is easy to see that the combination can become intricate when in the wrong hands, but they manage it exceptionally well. The song begins with this beautiful strings part accompanied by a chilling piano that sets the mood right off the bat. It creates an engaging mood right from the onset. What is most prominent, however, are those catchy tunes and soaring harmonizations that have been trademarked to La Need Machine. But when it comes to lyrics, “The Mountain” has quite a kick. It is all about the ability to be selfless – a message which seems quite meaningful at the moment especially given the divisions that seem to be growing in many societies. The chorus is catchy and memorable: “I’ll climb the highest mountain, I’ll swim the widest sea”. It is a very strong form of affirmation of the desire – and the intent – to give of oneself, whether in terms of time, affection, or encouragement. Fortunately, I was able to communicate with the band members about the song, and it was interesting to know more about its creation. The band has always been popular for its contribution to charity which makes it easier to feel the same giving tone while playing this piece of music. We also talked about how their sound has changed with time. One thing’s for sure, they are not complacent – they challenge themselves to create new and important narratives in their music. If you are into deep, progressive rock music with a message, definitely, check out ‘The Mountain’. This tells a lot about the direction La Need Machine is taking and I am eager to find out what more they have in stock for us. Listen to The Mountain https://open.spotify.com/album/4n9rM989sAfDwyvSzRcFZO?si=kuXZGDuLSPefGQqHW_2pOg Follow La Need Machine on Facebook Spotify Bandcamp Youtube Instagram Tiktok         What is your stage name La Need Machine Is there a story behind your stage name? Al: La Need Machine represents our opposition to greed. Brian: La Need Machine is supposed to stand for humans and how we all have instinctive needs that are driven by our basic survival instincts. Where do you find inspiration? Elise: I draw inspiration from personal experiences, or things that feel important/have had a significant impact on me. What was the role of music in the early years of your life? Brian: Early on in life I was obsessed with making my own compilation CDs called "Brian's Favorites" that would be songs taken from various CDs that my parents had. Are you from a musical or artistic family? Elise: My family is very musical, on my mom and my dad’s side. Al: Yes, my mom always sang in church and encouraged me to play guitar. Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry? Elise: I feel like it was a path that I wanted for myself. But I did grow up watching and even performing with Tim Noah and Cyndi Elliot. How did you learn to sing/write/to play? Elise: I initially started learning piano from my dad, but then I started taking actual lessons from Cyndi Elliot. Cyndi was also my first voice teacher. I’ve had many different voice teachers over the years. And I first started songwriting lessons with Tim Noah. Brian: I started piano lessons when I was 5 and then did choir all throughout high school. I got a guitar when I was 14 and then wrote my first song when I was 15. Al: I taught myself because I loved Rock and Roll so much I was not going to be denied! What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform?

Elise: I think it was Kenny Loggins. I only remember him singing “Your Mama Don’t Dance and Your Daddy Don’t Rock and Roll” though. Brian: My first concert was Lifehouse back in 2010 at the Evergreen State Fair and it was a fantastic first show. Al: Elton John! How could you describe your music? Al: We don’t like to be confined by boxes or labels, but we have a mix of Americana, Folk Rock, Early Rock and Roll, Indie Rock, and Alternative Country. Describe your creative process. Brian: For me songs usually come very suddenly to me, so whenever I get them in my head I almost feel that I have to rush to make sure that I get all the ideas in my head out there before they leave. What is your main inspiration? Elise: I’m mainly inspired by my Grandma Helen, who was an excellent piano player and singer. What musician do you admire most and why? Elise: I really admire Carole King. She was a hired songwriter starting in her teens. Most people probably don’t know how many hit songs she wrote for other artists. She wrote Locomotion and Natural Woman, among others. Brian: Probably Nick Drake. I just think it's clear that he always put the art first when it came to his creative process. He put out three perfect albums and even though a lot of people never understood him while he was alive and wanted him to take a different route with his music, he never compromised. To me that's the most beautiful thing that an artist can do. Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career? Al: I would say it has evolved as the music I listen to has evolved. We started out as a punk band, became more Rockabilly, and now have meshed into Indie Rock and Americana. Who do you see as your main competitor? Brian: I don't really see us as having any competitors specifically. I am very much a peaceful soul and competition to me is frivolous. What are your interests outside of music? Al: Distance running! And I really love relay races like Ragnar and Hood to Coast! If it wasn't a music career, what would you be doing? Elise: Maybe a historian of some sort? I’ve always enjoyed learning about history. Brian: I am currently working as an Uber/Lyft driver. What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music? Al: getting attention from people in the industry, and then having them follow through on what they say they will do. If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be? Elise: How restricting it is with artist creativity. I also don’t like that you more often than not need a lot of money to get to a professional level. Brian: Something needs to be done about paying artists better than streaming services do, but in order to have a better system to pay artists a lot of restructuring of the entire music industry would need to take place and I don't see a better system coming along for the time being at least. https://open.spotify.com/artist/4UaGLUDjXzApaYjvBRpzuD?si=yCzDNXEjTzmR6_NgxZIj4w Why did you choose this as the title of this project? Al: Well, we live in Seattle and Mount Rainier is omnipresent. And when you think of tasks that you could do for someone, I think everyone can identify with climbing a mountain. Why would you do it – because they needed you to. What are your plans for the coming months? Elise: Touring! Brian: Live gigs and recording some new songs. Do you have any artistic collaboration plans Al: Sure we have many collaboration plans, but our co-collaborators don’t know we exist right now. We would love to do an Indie Americana song with Taylor Swift! What message would you like to give to your fans? Elise: If you struggle with mental health, you’re not alone.  

[thebandcampdiaries]

PRESS RELEASE

Kutchuli presents "Tune Park”

A well-rounded album featuring international guest vocalists and a blend of hip-hop, soul, and R&B

Italy, June 28, 2024 – Italian rap artist Kutchuli has been cutting his teeth creating hip-hop instrumentals. However, he decided to take an ambitious leap and finally released his first non-instrumental album, "Tune Park." 

This highly anticipated studio work marks a significant step forward in Kutchuli's career, showcasing his dynamic style and innovative approach to music. Although the artist has been focused on instrumentals for the most part, he actually came up with the melodic vocal hooks for this album (excluding the rapped parts,) highlighting his ability to create hooky, catchy, and memorable parts that stand out.

This album has its roots in the old-school rap aesthetic. Having said that, there is a lot more going on under the hood. The songs on this release explore a wide range of genres, including soul, R&B, and electronica. As a result, the songs on the album feel very personal and kaleidoscopic, allowing not only Kutchuli, but also all of the other performers involved, to leave a mark with their personality and vibe.

"Tune Park" unfolds over the span of 11 songs. Kutchuli himself composed them and wrote the melodic lines, but let the rappers come up with their own verses, bringing more variety to the album. The album also features aspirational themes, with lyrics that are very positive and uplifting. The songs discuss the importance of self-esteem and encourage people to believe in themselves and rise above their challenges, even when people around them seem to doubt them or try to put them down. As mentioned earlier, the album is especially intriguing because it features contributions from many artists from all over the world - 17 artists, to be exact. The songs include rappers and singers from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Nigeria, and more. As a result, each song has something to offer, and the album amazes listeners with many twists and turns when anything can happen. From warm old-school beats to synth-based melodies and soulful vocal arrangements with a neo-soul touch, anything is possible. In fact, one of the many standout aspects of the album is indeed Kutchuli's objective to craft stunning top lines and vocal melodies that will fit the instrumentals perfectly.

Among the best tracks on the album, it's impossible not to mention "Dreameaning," a song that allows a saturated lo-fi tone to seamlessly merge with R&B elements. Another excellent example of Kutchuli's artist is the song "Push It To The Limits." With its melodic and cinematic approach to the beat, the song also treats the audience to a very empowering message, as the title suggests.

"Baby I'm Your Kite," which was previously released as a single, takes a different direction with a stronger focus on electronic elements, such as synthesizers with an analog flavor. It's impressive how the songs on the album explore different directions but are bound together by the underlying R&B and Hip-Hop elements that pervade this release.

"Tune Park" is an impressive piece of music, which is also remarkable because of the quality of the mixing and engineering on the album. It is not an easy task to enable songs with such different influences to coexist together so well. However, Kutchuli really knocked it out of the (Tune) park with this one! Silly puns aside, his engineering is just as fitting as the composition and the performances by the guest artists, who brought their passion and focus to the table with every song. This release comes highly recommended to fans of artists as diverse as Dr. Dre, J Dilla, Mos Def, RZA, Massive Attack, Fatboy Slim, Flying Lotus, Nose Thing, The Alchemist, and Chemical Brothers, only to mention a few.

Find out more about Kutchuli and listen to "Tune Park," now available on Spotify and other digital streaming services.

Connect and listen: