#anyway i love this lyric i think its so clever

[endoferasandallthings]

'Achilles Lamenting the Death of Patroclus' by Gavin Hamilton // 'Coming Of Age' by Maisie Peters

[mellotronmkll]

i love apollo 18 but i have a few problems with it and one of the biggest ones is that i can never just listen to the fucking album because its impossible for me to hear this song without repeating it at least like 4 or 5 times

[changingplumbob]

🎶✨When you get this, you have to put 5 songs you actually listen to, publish, then tag others 🎶✨

Tagged by @eljeebee. Hmm, I'll see what songs/albums I've listened to recently. I'll try not put any TSwift because I'm sure you all know I listen to that...

So I've been looking at listening to newer albums by artists I listened to when they had original hits. I love the sound of Of Monsters And Men. They just have incredibly clever lyrics and good sound. Wolves Without Teeth is my favourite from its album.

Okay so I originally heard Set It Off from the album Punk Goes Christmas, where they got punk or similar themed bands to sing christmas carols, I love it. Anyway I investigated their albums and while I like many of the fast paced songs I have a soft spot for when they slow it down and strip it back like they do on Miss Mysterious.

Okay so spotify recommended that I listen to an album by First Aid Kit after I listened to I Found A Way, I think it's on my Life is Strange songs playlist? Can't remember. Anyway I like a lot on that album and I do love when King Of The World comes on.

This one was recommended to me from spotify years ago and I just love it. 6'2 is basically a song saying, hey god if you're taking requests I'd like my man to be x y z, but you know I'm good to wait if you're not bringing him to me just this second. As a romantic who is normally single (because who can focus on dating when you don't even have the energy to have a job) it keeps me hopeful and optimistic.

Originally heard this one on the Fall Out Boy mixtape Welcome To The New Administration, it was snippets of there music and others music and basically I loved Lake Effect Kid but it didn't end up on Folie a Deux. Fast forward a decade and they gave it it's own EP and I could finally listen to the full version and I am still obsessed.

So yeah that is five songs I do listen to. I'm feeling tag shy today (sorry) but like always I tag anyone that follows me who wants to give it a go because I am the tag octopus, just a shy tag octopus today.

[mrspark7777777]

looks like no pronouns in this little clip they just posted of who behind the scenes

https://x.com/kmgoogiemini/status/1818588397335638039?s=46&t=1vpxCz-hcEUUJGzw7h18UQ

Hello my lovely 😊

If you look at all the 'yous' they've been written over something that was erased.

I see jkkrs (like OP) saying the lyrics were originally "you" but that don't make sense to me.

So here's my theory:

Why on earth would our bisexual king (with a preference for men JK) change the lyrics to she? Right? So I 🙋🏽‍♀️ personally think that Jimin got the lyrics as 'she' and then he rubbed that off and wrote 'you' and 'your' but was advised? It would prolly be safer if he just went with 'she'

Guys, listen.

BTS care more about what KArmys think more than IArmys. There. I said it.

Idk if you guys remember but this is how JHope's festa logo looked like at first.

But then Karmys and some Iarmys like this one

(who i honestly think we're just following Karmy's suit) complained because the morons could not see that it was a clever way to write Jhope. The J and the H have been fused together. Its right there clear as day. But still, they complained and BH changed it to

And alot of us were absolutely fuming at this

BH did not have to listen to these complaints. Like at all. If they took a second to think about how involved members are in their work, they would have realised Jhope approved this. And they would have been able to identify the J inside the H.

Anyway, anon, what I'm I saying? I'm saying that a the end of the day, international Armys, as antis as some of us are, we would be more accepting of members being part of the LGBTQ+ You know what I mean?

But as long as SK remains as homophobic as it is, we will never be the priority. So when Jikook use "she" in their songs its more about Karmy than us. I mean look at their reaction to the Like Crazy choreo. Iarmy, we didn't care. We loved it. But they thought it was scandalous 🙄🙄

/sigh/

All this is to explain why Jimin would be advised? Against using "you/yours" which is why he took the direction he did with the MV. Having JK's eyes in it and what not 😂 amongst other things.

But yeah, the fact that the "you/yours' on the board look messy, says alot.

[omegalomania]

OMGGG I'm such an urban fantasy fan pls pls continue like I'm loving it

WHY I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED. also i learned recently that my inbox is uhhhhh broken in the sense that its Just Not There on my dashboard so if you sent me asks in the past couple months i literally did not see them because the last tumblr dashboard update like, removed the little letter icon. from my dash. and idk how to bring it back lol

ANYWAY this whole au was born from me thinking a very lot about the whole aspect of so much (for) stardust and tourdust's staging where it relied on a) tangibility and b) magic imagery. like the album cover and the staging are all focused on real, actual things that one could conceivably touch (the album cover is an oil painting with glittery clay letters, the stage's props are all actual, interactable props, etc). and whats more, there's the additional "magical" element at work here: the magic 8 ball, pete's magic trick midway thru the show, the whole love from the other side mv, and so on. and because my brain is Like This, pretty soon id spun up a whole storyline out of wholecloth and now im going to make it everyone's problem i guess

ive elected to call it the magic stardust au for perhaps obvious reasons.

the magic stardust au takes place in a world that's a little bit like our own in some ways, and drastically different in others. its our world but shuffled a few degrees to the left, so to speak. for example, the state of iowa still exists - but there's a literal city in it called heaven. there's an alligator prince in this world, and he happens to be literal, as in literally an alligator who also happens to be a prince. magic is a thing here, and its so thoroughly common that no one bats an eye. it's all deeply ingrained into the fabric of reality. magic is twined through each and every soul. it's in the air, in the molecules, in the architecture, in the landscape. ancient, enchanted forests stand shoulder to shoulder with floating cities and underwater palaces and dense metropolises. magic is really just stardust in a sense, and that's just what everything else is too, so is it any wonder that stardust can act upon itself in strange and unique ways? that's all that magic is: stardust.

it always comes back to stardust.

so what happens when magic starts disappearing?

well, people don't notice at first. people don't notice because this thing, this force that's seeping in through little fissures in reality and leaching away all the strangeness in the world - it's clever about its work. it's cunning. it gets people alone and then it drowns them in itself, mercury-slick and flowing, and when it recedes...that's the scary part. not only are people losing their magic, they're also losing the memory of ever having magic in the first place. it's siphoning away the collective memory of magic. it's draining the world of all its charm and vigor and since no one can remember what it's taken once it's gone, it seems like no one can possibly stop it. no one even realizes that it's happening.

i've opted to call this force the annihilation.

(as you can probably tell, i like grabbing onto things from the #lore of the band's mythos rather than the personal stories of any of the members when it comes to devising aus. i love adapting lyrics, concepts, music video elements, and so on into stories, and grounding things into the concept surrounding the particular album or era i'm focusing on on as much as possible.)

anyhow, that's where our guys come in. or rather, that's where their stories all intersect. at the start, none of them have a whole lot of reason to interact with each other a bunch. all four of them live in the city of heaven, iowa, which as mentioned, happens to be ruled by our friend the alligator prince. stardust as an album is very preoccupied with the state of the world, voices a lot of general uncertainty and discomfort with the way things are run, and me being the way i am and having a baseline distrust of monarchy, i think the alligator prince is perhaps pretty honestly not the best at his job. his enforcers - well i'm not sure they'd strictly count as cops in this universe. but for simplicity's sake lets just call them cops and be content that they're probably not the best. corrupt, prone to favoritism, bad at their jobs. etc. this is important because it plays into how all of our guys end up getting to know one another.

hence, i introduce our four main players (featuring concept sketches i started throwing down once i realized this storytelling worm had burrowed into my head):

andy, as i've gotten into a little bit, is a rogue vigilante. he doesn't like the alligator prince. he's not keen on authority in general. he does what he does precisely because he's intent on giving people an alternative to the princes people. he's highly principled and completely unafraid to intervene with the prince's business if it means he's helping the people out. he lives alone on the outskirts of heaven, operates independently, and keeps his identity completely secret. he has a fearsome reputation in heaven but he's very well known. he's a little bit batman in that way - like, the guy's intimidating by default, but if you're in a pinch and you see him, you know he's going to help you out. and he's a hell of a lot better than a cop.

andy's magic, like everyone's in this universe, comes in two flavors: active and passive. his active magic takes the form of white lightning bolts, crackling bright energy that can shock, stun, and incapacitate in all sorts of ways. his passive magic comes from shadow, which is where his trademark hammer and massive, owl-like wings come from; they're actually solidifed shadow, and he can summon and dispel them at a thought.

(i can get into the specifics of how magic types differ if anyone wants to know details, but all you really need to know here is that everyone's got passive magic, which is their baseline, almost unconscious kind of magic, and active magic, which is the kind of magic that you have to work at. the annihilation steals both.)

joe is a freelancer. what this means is that he kind of ends up doing a lot of odd jobs based on whats being asked of him. this comes from a similar place from andy's motives - joe wants to give people an alternative to working with the prince's people. it's a job that requires wearing a lot of different hats, so to speak, so joe is a bit of a jack of all trades in that sense. joe of all trades? he's most frequently hired as a private investigator (again, an alternative to this universe's law enforcement), but he's also been called in as a bodyguard, a, uh "diplomat," and so on. he has a baseline familiarity with andy by virtue of having grown up in heaven and everyone knows about heaven's scary urban legend superhero.

joe's active magic takes the form of glowing blue knives, which he can use for aaaaall sorts of things. you can bet he uses them for every possible mundane use imaginable most of all though lmao. his passive magic is a procynoid form which, in plain language, means he can turn into a raccoon whenever he wants. because that idea from the love from the other side mv is too good to not use. said raccoon form can vary between a very ordinary-sized raccoon fella and a hulking, human-sized one. all comes down to how he feels.

pete is the sole proprietor and operator of pink seashell press, an independent news outlet. once again, this is in the interests of allowing people access to news that doesn't get filtered through the prince's people. it's a lot of hard and thankless work - pete is the only guy working this thing, so he's basically the whole staff. he's doing all the investigative reporting, writing, publishing, and distributing - but he believes in getting news out to people because it's important to get news from someone who isn't in the prince's pocket. he and joe are probably most familiar with each other since their work has a fair degree of overlap and comes from a very similar place. he's probably a big fan of andy lmao

pete's active magic takes the form of glowing green roses, which twine in thorny barbs and soft blooms alike. he can utilize them as both defensive/offensive and aesthetic/mundane purposes, which is nice! his passive magic isn't pictured in the below sketch because i hadn't yet nailed that down as an aspect of his character at the time of drawing, but it entails some partial skeletal physiology. he's got a skeletal arm and mostly skeletal abdomen. doesn't affect how he uses magic, but it grants him some invulnerability to stuff that might target internal organs that he, in part, doesn't strictly speaking have.

patrick is the odd one out here because unlike the others, he didn't grow up in or around heaven. he tends to be a bit of a wanderer, and heaven is just the place he happens to be passing through at the time. he keeps himself going with busking and gigs in small venues like cafés and bookshops as a local musician, and is incredibly cagey about his past. he's also very keen to avoid being noticed by the prince's people or authority in general. he's got the least familiarity with andy, joe, or pete, and is mostly interested in keeping his head down and making a self-sustaining little existence for himself.

this in huge part because of patrick's passive magic, which is a compelling voice. (inspired in part by the field of dreams quote that pete used to tease the upcoming stardust era, not long after the initial chicago tribune fob8 ad dropped: "but until i heard the voice, i'd never done a crazy thing in my whole life.") patrick doesn't actually have to sing for this to take effect. it can come from speaking too forcefully, making an idle suggestion, and a lot of different things. hence why patrick tends to get on people's bad side - he tries incredibly hard to keep this aspect from affecting his life, but once people pick up on this aspect of his voice, things fall apart fast. patrick's spent most of his life moving from place to place because of this. and yeah, he has no idea how much or how little he's influencing anyone at any given time. it's a complete nightmare.

his active magic is a tad more benign. it takes the shape of orange flames, which are fairly malleable and that patrick can reshape into instruments and such with a little effort.

eventually, of course, patrick does indeed get on the wrong side of heaven's authorities because of the same thing that always gets him in his trouble: that darn voice of his. this happens the same time that one of andy's jobs goes horribly wrong and he gets injured and caught. pete crosses the line one too many times, and joe just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. the bottom line is that at this point, all four of the guys end up in heaven's jail at the same time, and that's where their stories all properly intersect.

that's when the annihilation comes for them.

it leaks in through the cracks in the walls and around the grout in the windows and it starts gathering itself up - this horrible, awful force that they can all feel and just looking at it feels wrong. it's an inky swell of star-freckled black void, like a slice of the cosmos staring at them through the bars of their shared cell. it seethes hungrily for them.

the cops run, of course. they leave their charges stuck behind bars, at the mercy of this terrifying thing that - though they don't know it - wants nothing more than to sap their magic away.

the annihilation manages to get its claws into each of them, but only briefly because fortunately, the four of them work together to take matters into their own hands. they manage to bust themselves out of the cell and get the hell out of dodge, but not before the annihilation stains each one of them with its grasping, hungry force, forever altering their appearance. the annihilation leaves a silvery, ashy blotch where it bled onto each of them:

andy gets a massive splash of it on his chest that leaks up onto his throat. joe got splashed on the right side of his body, mostly on his right ear, neck, and adjacent shoulder. pete also got hit on the left, but it mostly consumed his left eye and left leg. patrick got stained on his left hand from the wrist down.

here's a quick and dirty doodle i did to kind of depict this. it didn't come out the way i wanted to and it's not set in stone yet, but it's the general notion.

the fact that these four guys got attacked by the annihilation but crucially managed to escape it before it completely consumed them has permitted each of them an incredibly unique trait: they can understand what it wants. it didn't succeed in draining their magic, so it didn't take their memories of magic either. the annihilation made a tremendous misstep in not isolating these guys when it targeted them, because in working together, they were able to escape it.

so they are in the unique position to realize what's happening, where no one else can.

whatever this thing is, it's old. and it's powerful.

and it's very, very hungry.

and that's the cliffnotes of how these four guys have to band together to save the world before all the magic is drained away for good.

[sunburnacoustic]

I'm preaching to the converted on this website, but Drones was a really fucking good album. Just because people don't really like Revolt doesn't take away from the fact that it's a solid album. There's long been this belief in the Muse fan community in particular that just because an album has one (1) song that's a bit different, or god forbid, poppy, the whole album is trash, or no OOS, the holy grail.

The singles on Drones: Psycho, Dead Inside, Mercy, Reapers, The Handler, Defector, Aftermath, are all fantastic (I think officially Matt was all, "do singles exist anymore?" but I'm counting anything that was released with a music or lyric video as a "single". 2015 was a strange time! Looking back, it makes so much sense that Muse, who had declared the album "dead" in 2014, would end up coming out with their first proper concept album in 2015, which Matt thought was the only real reason to be doing a traditional album format at all!)

The heavier stuff on Drones is flawless. The "poppier" stuff like Dead Inside, its last verse is gut wrenching ugh. So good. Aftermath as a whole just makes me sob sob sob. And I love Muse trying out new sounds. The sound on Defector and the Handler were a new type of heavy for Muse back in 2015: slow, chugging and heavy rather the faster stuff like on say, New Born or Stockholm Syndrome. It was great to hear them keep exploring and expanding their sound. Matt talked about how the bluesy stuff on Aftermath was completely new to him. I love them for giving it a try, and it works. Everything doesn't have to have a riff or a banger chorus to work as a good song.

The Globalist: epic! Clever! A 10 minute saga! That countdown riff! The whistling! The last piano section, ooh. So good. So classically inspired. And don't even get me started on the song Drones. Four Matts singing in 4-part voice harmony? Incredible. Wonderful. Love it.

Anyway this has been quite a throwaway post, I'll properly review Drones sometime but hey. It's a really fucking good album, and even if you really dislike Revolt, it's still an incredible album. Besides, what's not to like about Revolt. Let Muse have their summer guitar pop song. Let it be ;)

[headgehug]

streetlight manifesto: a comprehensive review*

*of one album

streetlight manifesto (SM) is an American ska band founded in New Jersey in 2002, consisting of several members of other musical collectives, such as Catch 22 and Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution. alright i'm done summarizing their wikipedia page. i just learned those things. let's review the album Somewhere in the Between (2007).

1. We Will Fall Together

physically impossible to start off stronger than this! the band is made up of so much talent, several members being former orchestra members, etc. WWFT is sort of your summary for the overarching themes of struggling with religion and fear of death.

If you listen to nothing else from this list, listen to this one! the brass is incredibly sexy (I say brass instead of being specific because there's horns, and trombone, and saxophone.. i mean it's kind of everything and i have a hard enough time telling the difference), the bass is simply devious, and the times it focuses on just guitar are so clever.

not to mention the lyrics! this song in particular is a sort of fuck you, when we go down, it'll be together, with those of us we trust and love.

And when we fall we will fall together No one will catch us so we'll catch ourselves

and in the face of a religion that is in practice only violent and threatening, when things seem this hopeless

They're coming after all of us with everything they've got With the fury of a soldier who will answer to his God So how will we fight? All we have is logic and love on our side

anyways! WWFT is simply maddening in its perfection. it's a rally, it's a war cry, it's a warm embrace in the dark. and how could the rest of the album possibly hold a candle to it? (somehow, it can)

2. Down, Down, Down To Mephisto's Cafe

this one starts out as if it's angsty 90s grunge, but oh, this is no Creep, this is no 1979. we're not lamenting loss of belief and alienation here, we're riding a sick bass line down to hell :)

I will say that in an album that is just so fast, the slower start can be a little jarring, but we're early on, and it's for a good cause, so it doesn't particularly bother me! especially not when we have such hard-hitting lyrics such as:

Someone shouted "Everything's for nothing" (Somebody shouted, "All is lost") But I can't buy that nonsense too

Even in the pits of despair, ostracism for one's lack of belief, facing the idea that there is nothing after this life, perhaps, everything is not for nothing.

This is a fun song in the same way Keasby Nights by Catch 22 is a fun song ("My my my how the time does fly when you know you're gonna die by the end of the night!" is so revitalizing to repeat over and over), because that whatever we're all gonna die, let's do a kickflip about it mentality is awesome, but the emphasis on love and kinship and atheistic morality is so, so important also.

Give 'er a listen here

3. Would You Be Impressed?

AGAIN! you would not think things could get any better after those two. Yet the song opens up with a fresh sound, grittier vocals, and a darker tone. the horns in particular are so eerily announcing... something. and with the song's condemnation of apathy, of cruelty and of detachment from the world, judgement day may not be too far off base.

the song progresses, proclaiming various horrors in the world, from "it's not my fault" to "it's all my fault," the former in protest of responsibility, the latter in stark realization once it's too late. well, that gets pretty dark, but the song itself is absolutely wild.

4. One Foot On the Gas, One Foot in the Grave

well, it was inevitable in an album full of 10s. OFOTG,OFITG is a solid 9 :/ if only because of the slow start, again! if this was your average mid 2000s pop punk/indie rock album, it would be par for the course, but this is ska, and so there's kind of a high demand for your music to be thoroughly adhd.

that being said, we do pick up speed relatively fast, and it's a plucky consideration of questioning one's ingrained beliefs. give it a whirl if you so please

5. Watch it Crash

oh boy, are we back to the 10s. we have some of the most rhythm guitar heavy moments in the intro, and it so suits the desperation and resignation of the lyrics:

It said "We can't just blame it on our mothers Claim everything they did was always wrong" And there ain't no turning back, when our train is off its track And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash

the resounding, nearly ironic cry for "Mercy, mercy me!" paired with this sort of watching it all burn feeling is so real? there's always a cloying desire for the security that religion offers, that there's some force watching out for you. and it can be hard knowing there's not.

but! at least we have watch it crash. listen to it :)

6. Somewhere in the Between

this is THE epitome of that thing that's like, emo/punk/goth is when life sucks and you ___ about it, and ska is off to the side like life sucks but we got a fucking sax solo! doot doot doot

We have an absolutely joyous brass riff throughout this song about how we are all going to die.

Maybe the times we had, they weren’t that bad And everything else was part of our path We sang: “I don’t know where we go from here” This is the anthem, the slogan, the summary of events And we all just idealize the past So you were born, and that was a good day Someday you’ll die, and that is a shame But somewhere in the between was a life of which we all dream And nothing and no one will ever take that away

not only that, but this quivering, sensual instrumental in the middle-- how's that for something amazing in the between? this song is a masterpiece honestly. like-- yeah!

7. Forty Days

once again-- how could you top SitB? well, with Forty Days. we've got this sultry, swinging riff opening a song about the haunting creep of past sins.

with regards to the vocals, i get a Mad Caddies vibe from this song, just with the way the singers sound. a little rough, discernibly edgy.

These lines are kickers:

What a way to begin, we inherit sin

the christian belief that we inherit sins from our ancestors, and that we are born into a sin that can only be cleansed by belief-- well what if you don't believe?

I've tasted seven sins, so they won't let me in I knock knock knock until my knuckles are bruised and raw Stuck in the middle with my blood in a puddle on the floor We made our beds, we'll judge ourselves

I love this set of lines for its rebellion, the "no one can judge me but me" attitude, the knowledge that one's lust for life will be one's eternal downfall.

What a waste! So many decent people at the gates

and when we all get to heaven- the challenging of traditional religious morality, the idea that a perfectly good person could be turned away for lack of belief.

and then while you contemplate all of this, we have a pleasantly clean but complex guitar solo. anyways, it's a must listen, i think.

8. The Blonde Lead the Blind

and we're back to cheerful ska riffs :)

this is a fairly stand-alone song, and can be about popular culture leading those who subscribe to it, or about religion and its affect on those who subscribe to it... well i guess they're both fads, aren't they?

the chorus is delightfully rebellious:

Did you lose faith? Yes, I lost faith in the powers that be But in doing so I came across the will to disagree And I gave up, yes I gave up and then I gave in But I take responsibility for every single sin

let's take a moment to wax poetic about the skill of this band, yes? let me be a hater for just a split second and say that it's a little disappointing to hear so much popular music that doesn't ooze musical talent. it absolutely requires technique and expertise far above my comprehension, but i kind of like to just hear a song where i know the people are ridiculously talented... like yeah these guys are Professional Musicians. okay i'm done lol. TBLTB here

9. The Receiving End of it All

i believe this song references the fact that SM was robbed not once, but twice on their tours of Europe... hence "That motherfucker, he took everything we had"... well considering the other lyrics, it's probably not that, but this is a fun and essential SM fact. no, i don't have any others. just preaching for the album lol.

this song stands alone just a bit, in that it's about a failed relationship. it may or may not relate to the themes of religious separation throughout the rest of the album. it does, however, go very hard.

10. What a Wicked Gang are We

any instrument that can trill is brrrilliant in my book, and this song therefore does not disappoint at all. This is the final track on the album, and holds the position well. it's a biting address towards America as a whole, evidenced by the use of "Tis of Thee" like, as in, "my country".

I mean, in that regard, it's nothing particularly unusual though, just about how the political class is running this country into the ground... pretty standard stuff in the punk sphere?

however, it does wrap the album up quite well. shifting the focus from religion and fear of death towards something that we can control is so smart, relevant in 2007 and unfortunately still relevant now! it's so terribly easy to get depressed in the wake of all this, but do please remember. at least we have killer sax solos.

to sum it up: yeah good album . i'd say more but tumblr is groaning under the weight of all my links. sure hope this posts.

[itrustmydiscoverweekly]

This week I listened to "I Don't Want You To Worry Anymore" by Mothé

⭐⭐⭐⭐(4 out of 5 stars)

another 4/5 stars! I've been liking some more pop stuff this past month and I think that is probably why my Apple Music is pushing more of it to me. I was drawn to listen to Mothé after hearing they'd be touring with Bears in Trees.

I liked this album a lot, lots of dreamlike sounds, very vibey with good bass and drums, and lots of variety.

I will be honest, I don't have a ton of insight this week, I was real busy and didn't get a ton of time with this album (hence the mid-Tuesday update, I wanted more time) but I know what I vibed with so I have some ideas. This album has banger after banger and I really enjoyed the time I did have with it.

Anyways, opinion time! (as always, not opinion order, just album order)

"Debt Collector" shares a name with a favorite song of mine by Jhariah but is way different and basically completely unrelated aside from the name but I digress. I like the guitar as the start, no idea what that sound is or what to call it but it is fun and wobbly. Cool drums on this track for sure. The chorus is catchy and then the screaming bridge is fun. I love how this song just gets louder as time goes on. Very fun and I think it suits its placement in the album order very well.

"Wrong Places" did not stand out to me the first few listens but definitely grew on me. I like the lyrics, they have a cool message. I like the switch between loud and quiet and I like the drums on this one a lot. I like the instrumental a lot, the bass is cool.

"Summer's Almost Gone" doesn't really hit as intended in the middle of June but it is very catchy and I love the melody of the verse with the guitar. The drums are basic but work really well as is the case with a lot of indie pop at the moment. I like this song and it captures the dreaminess of this album really well while still being more what I'd go for. The last chorus is done really well with the way it is just barely slowed from the rest of the song. This song is cool and definitely earns its place in my top 3.

Honorable mentions!! 🥳🥳🥳

"Isaac" I like the mouth percussion at the start and I'm always a whore for religious themes.

"Breathe the Air On the Moon" I love the vocals on this track a lot, I think she is very clever with the wording and just how the words sound rhythmically, especially in the first verse. This song sounds nostalgic. I like how it transitions through the 2nd verse and adds the little drum beat.

"Everyone is Everything" Sometimes my cavetown fan comes out and this song has noises and I am a big fan. Again, beautiful vocals.

I like this album a lot! She's definitely an artist I'm gonna be aware of from now on.

...if only BiT and Mothé were coming to my city :(

[kimtaegis]

hi i’m sorry i realize i am one of many anons to talk to you today, but i just wanted to say i really love and appreciate seeing these discussions! i’m so happy that this is a space where i can feel we can voice our opinions and not get shot in the head like on twt

anyways, i also am not a fan of 3d, but i was kinda seeing that coming. jack harlow gives me the ick and i didn’t really like the lyrical content. i mean seven was seven, and bts has done songs before where they alluded to love and sex, but seven and 3d feel so … shallow? at least seven is catchy, but idk. idk how to feel about this route jungkook is taking, of course i will always love him but i am really glad that i feel safe to say here that i want to take a step back from this part of the journey.

i think it’s fair that jungkook may want to show a more mature side of him, considering his journey and how much he’s grown in the industry, but going from my time and begin to this just feels … disingenuous, i guess? and i hope if/when he releases his album it’s not just full english songs about sex

thanks so much for telling me!! 🤍 it’s always reassuring and just generally nice to get such feedback. because tbh I often worry that YOU all find this super annoying (I mean. some definitely do, I always lose a couple of followers lol) but hearing that makes the bad conscience disappear <3

I must say, both Seven and 3D were instantly stuck in my head, they’re definitely earworms which is an art in itself and probably what they tried to achieve the most. still doesn’t make the songs good, though. the lyrics do nothing for me personally, neither did all the shirtless promo ahdhfj I don’t know I’m just not the target audience I guess! but there’re still sooo many who like this kind of sexy easy vibe and that’s totally valid. just as much as jungkook wanting to go more mature, I agree with you on that. it’s great to see he’s comfortable enough to talk about sex and the like, really! just, subjectively, it’s been too on the nose / done in a too superficial way for me 🤷🏼‍♀️ I’m sure there’re more clever yet still cheeky ways to go about it. and yes, just as you said, the prior solo work to chapter 2 jk pipeline is very confusing. it’s just so so so different and unexpected, but that could have its own charm for him as an artist too, right? to go 180 and surprise everyone

[celestialholz]

ok you already know what TF is going on!!!!

tm 45 venoshock (evil). tm 146 grass pledge (gay). tm 95 leech life (divorce snail). tm 156 outrage (eviler). tm 115 dragon pulse (because if nobody else does it i will).....tm100 dragon dance (🥰). do not feel obligated to do them all these are just a compilation of the concepts we talked abt

Oh Austro, darling. I'm about to murder you in cold blood. ;) A tale in three parts for you, my good pal. The last one of these three was also requested by dear @xfriki26, and the other two here will be under a read more to respect space. Cross-posted to AO3 here as chapters five, six and seven respectively, welcome to a miniature saga of just about every genre going, which we shall begin with by killing y'all stone dead with:

TM115: Dragon Pulse

Beep.

Beep.

Brassius thinks he may be going mad. He’d thought that a multitude of times during his ice-cold, static darkness, but this is a different form of insanity: a hammering, a fractured, desolate, desperate despair.

Beep.

Beep.

He wants the beeping to shut up almost as deeply as he cherishes its rhythm, its sheer brilliance. He could wax artistic lyrical on how fervently he cherishes the machine that affixes his sun to its true orbit at his side, paint it in the yellows and oranges of joy and the purple of dragons for its remarkable cleverness – wide, tender brush-strokes, gentle gratitude poured into every trembling sweep.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

How ironic, he muses darkly, that Hassel’s heart should be the thing to fail – that loyal, stalwart, core of sunshine, that is so achingly full of acceptance and understanding and vibrance, that had dragged his beloved back from the depths of the shadows.

Between them, now, they can barely make a decently functioning pulmonary system. The breath of life, the heart of the matter – both irreparably scarred, merely patched over with bandages and craft glue and hope and the most blinding, frantic adoration. They’ve operated upon his love, as though he is a mere tapestry, sown and stitched and patched -

Hassel is not meant to be fixed. He should never be broken in the first place. He’d thought they understood one another very well, after fifteen years together. You stand tall, querido; I fall, me. Not you. Never, ever you, because how am I supposed to -

He chokes back a panicked breath, squeezes dull, greyed eyes closed. He doesn’t have contingency for this – he was never supposed to make any. This isn’t his role. And perhaps that makes him the world’s most selfish bastard, perhaps he’s awful and leech-like and unworthy of such light, but perhaps he’s also saved because he would swap them, swap them every single damn time – you already have my lungs, take my wretched heart as well, it’s better than watching this –

Beep.

Beep.

… He hasn’t even gotten around to asking him to marry him, after all this time. They’d had forever - what was the rush? The gap in Hassel’s family is glaring, he doesn’t want to invoke painful memories of people who would never wish to attend, and they are husbands in all but name nevertheless, promise rings long since sculptured from crystals and worn against their hearts anyway.

He hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t expected the chance to be possibly lost for all time -

Beep.

Beep.

Gods, how the hell does he deal with this every time it happens in reverse? How many hours has his world watched his own slowly fade away?

“It doesn’t matter,” Hassel had told him once, tears glistening in warm, adoring eyes. “It simply doesn’t matter. You are worth every moment of the agony, darling. You coming back each time is the only thing that counts.”

He tries, physically shaking, to hold such sentiments against his core, because his dragon’s always been entirely right. He is damaged goods too, now – he can empathise, now. And later, when muted sun meets frosty moon once again, all will be harmonious in the celestial sphere. The stars do not lament; they celebrate a joyous reunion, the return of gravity to a uncertain universe, an essential dual orbit.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

His role, flipped, is now to support – to shine himself, to endure, to treasure a recovery Hassel will make. You will make it. I need you. Always have done. And I will look after you, smotheringly, achingly. Oh, you’ll hate it, even though I will see the smile in your beautiful gaze and understand that you love it.

He breathes a quivering laugh, stumbling across his own tongue.

… Well, it is night-time. It’s his shift anyway.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

He clings to his sunshine’s hand as though it’s all that tethers him to the earth, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Come back to me,” he pleads, infinitely soft. “Come back and be my husband, won’t you dearest?”

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

TM146: Grass Pledge

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

“… Br…”

Brassius snaps awake from a light doze on their fifth night in the hospital, as though bidden by hope alone, to find a weak Hassel staring straight at him. Sunlight stabs at his frozen heart, piercing its outer shell instantly, and he breaks, fragments of ice shattering down around him.

“D-dear,” he whispers, heat pooling immediately in his gaze. “You’re here, you’re back -”

“Mm,” his beloved murmurs, coughing softly. “Just… just about…”

Water is poured by trembling hands, held to lips, tipped up ever so gently even as Hassel blurs before him, rendered briefly invisible by tears and heat and relief and gods, thank you -

"Br..." Hassel clears a now lubricated throat, and Brassius immediately meets his gaze - sunshine swathed by shadows, the darker moments before sunrise. As deeply grateful as he is to see the light, he curses its lack of luminence.

"Yes, my love?"

"... You okay?" He coughs again, and despite the sun's dimness, his concern is clear as day. "You... are too pale."

Brassius stares at him for a second, aghast, before dissolving spontaneously into tearful laughter, exasperation and absolute joy, and he's trembling, and dear heavens, why would it matter what he looks like -

"The sun came back out," he tells him eventually, as a weak hand clings to his as tight as it can, as he's watched with soft worry. "I'd been beginning to think it would never stop raining. I'll... I'll be fine, now."

"Good," Hassel murmurs, reassured; even as his eyes droop closed once more, and a thread of anxiety rushes back up his lover's spine, a gentle thumb runs against his in silent promise. Alright, now. "Wouldn't do... for us both to be old and broken, d-darling."

"You are no such thing," Brassius protests immediately, heart rebelling against the mere thought. "Look at you, querido. Sunshine incarnate."

Hassel murmurs a small laugh, cherishing the water that he's once more offered.

"Funny, you say that," he whispers after a further drink, a wonder held in his gaze. "I only... see one source of light, here."

Even as he's tenderly kissed, even after he drifts back off to much-needed rest, inspiration strikes his beloved, a sparkling of genius.

Oh, you clever, wonderful, miracle of a man. You conductor of moonlight. Where the sun meets the moon...

He makes plans, as he falls asleep himself: gentle, loving, delightful schemes, tears slipping beneath closed lids as he nods off.

/////////////

He prepares quietly, when they get home; sets the stage as Hassel recovers, buys the equipment, purchases the perfect jewellery, bides his time. Doting on his beloved is by far the more pressing matter, and thus it takes him weeks, but eventually...

They finish a homemade casserole lovingly prepared, just as day begins to shift; just as it begins to turn to night, he asks his beloved to head outside with him, into the garden that overlooks the shimmering beauty of the East Paldean Sea.

"My dear, where on earth are we g -"

Hassel stops instantly at the sight before him; at the ring boxes, at the arch strung over with vines and lights, at the strands of green and purple cord that sit between it all, tearful eyes slowly drawing to his nervous partner's.

"Is that...?" he swallows a sob, utterly rapt.

"It is," Brassius confirms, eyes scanning him, gauging his thoughts, reading softly a man he knows the soul of better than his own. "Should you wish it to be, anyway -"

He gets no further for a long minute, damp kisses pressed to his lips, over and over.

"'Should I wish it,'" he repeats, laughing shakily in disbelief. "And at dusk, no less. Where the sun meets the moon, you brilliant, brilliant individual."

Brassius chuckles, similarly breaking. "You'll forgive me my poetry, I'm sure."

"I will forgive you anything, my darling." He chokes down tears, conscious of time, conscious of his lover's artistic vision. He can cry later, and he will - oh, he will. He doubts he'll stop for hours.

"So, you will, then -"

"Yes, I will," Hassel tells him clearly, fondly, adoringly, trembling hand coming to a precious, flushed cheek. "Arceus himself could drag neither of us away, despite his best efforts."

They marry, as the warmth of ambient sunset glazes over them; hands wrapped in cord of alternate colours, the draconic for the biological and vice versa; they whisper nonsense vows, straight from their cores, babbled and pure and perfect; they adopt glistening emeralds or dazzling violets as the moon takes reign, and there are tears enough to proclaim the sea that spectates them flooded.

"Why now?" Hassel asks his husband afterwards, tears still glistening in his eyes, his forehead gently pressed upon his beloved's. "All these years..."

"I thought we had forever," Brassius tells him simply, voice thoroughly raspy by this point, clinging tightly to him, as though he might fall to his doom should he ever let go.

"We do, my love," comes the replying whisper, the utter certainty. "I'm sorry, for frightening you so deeply..."

Brassius sobs into him, believing him with his whole heart, and shakes his head.

"You were worth every moment of the agony, dearest," he promises him truthfully, burying himself into soft folds of fabric, and the softest man of all.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

TM100: Dragon Dance

It’s difficult to practice for a celebration, when one’s heart or lungs have had their cracks filled in as though via liquid sunshine; an astral kintsugiri leaves one less willing than they might have been to put their beloved through physical stress.

“Well,” Hassel notes tiredly as they take seats together, “come the moment, darling husband, we could just vibe with it.”

Brassius glances at him, bewilderment strewn through his grey gaze.

“You know, as in do our collective best, dependent on our emotions at the time?” Hassel’s expression creases in thought. “I think that’s what my students mean by it, anyway…”

The pair burst into soft laughter, hands automatically finding one another’s and gripping on tight.

“Everything will be wonderful, querido,” Brassius whispers, “because you will be there, and I will be right there with you.”

Hassel takes a gentle breath, and melts into his side, stinging eyes closing as he smiles warmly.

“Indeed,” he murmurs, content. “That’s all I’ve ever needed.”

“And I.”

Hassel kisses him, swallowing his tremulous voice, assuaging his lingering anxiety.

/////////

It is beautiful if mad, their celebratory dance. They don’t say vows – they already have, the words for them and them alone, sparkling in the intimacy of the dusk. They simply host a small gathering, fairy lights strung up across their whole garden now, Grass types mingling between fauna, guests somewhere between buffet tables, wine refills and comfortable garden furniture. Lilligant develops a quiet, blushing crush on Katy’s dear Heracross, who flexes happily for his smitten acquaintance; a far too competitive Breloom attempts to spar with a far too competitive Staraptor, who promptly and triumphantly puts the bird to sleep the moment he gets too feisty; Flapple doesn’t leave the side of her fathers, chirruping happily as a laughing Hassel feeds her cake with a wink and an indulgent promise that she’s only allowed a little.

“Have a heart, kid,” Larry announces dryly, as he plucks her phone from a whining Iono, who has been attempting to livestream the event. She tries to snatch it from the air, which goes about well as such a height difference might imply.

“Awww! Just tryna share the joy!”

“Enjoy it, instead. Live in the moment. Pick up tips for the future, when someone feels like putting up with you for long enough.”

“Hey!”

He smirks down at his pseudo-daughter, his face softening. “Trust me,” he mutters, glancing warmly at Katy, who’s giggling at her Heracross. “If I can find them, anyone can.”

It’s endearingly awkward and inaccurate when their dance comes, when they take centre stage; steps misaligned at points, gentle amusement tripping from their lips. Shoes are stepped on, but the twirls are dramatic, and the audience appreciates their stars nevertheless, cheers, sobs and applause raising from their friends.

“Doing well, my love?” Brassius whispers as he swept up from their bowed finale, being drawn into a gentle, loving kiss.

“Doing perfectly, my darling,” Hassel promises tearfully after a moment, nuzzling his forehead to his husband’s. “And you?”

“Can’t complain,” he teases, and they both burst out laughing until tears stream down their faces in utter joy. Breath is briefly pulled from lungs, exhaustion reigns, but nothing ruins their harmony, their victory, their perfectly imperfect wedding reception.

They may have to take tomorrow slow; they may have to take the rest of their lives at an easier pace, a gentle stroll into forever instead of a sprinting wildness - but take it together they will, every step of the way.

Got a request for The Technical Festival, which celebrates Ephemeralart and Vanillacupcakes through the medium of TMs? Take a look here; my askbox is open!

[aberfaeth]

Ooh top 5 albums?

EE YAY

folie a deux by fall out boy aka THEE album of all time. bangers top to bottom not a single skip to be found on her. disloyal order, coffee's for closers, shipped gold standard, & she's my winona are faves but honestly it's hard to pick!!

DISCIPLINE by the garages (the blaseball band). the release of this album altered me irrevocably as a person. the harmonies added on in the feedback, remastered fight gods, BEAUTIFUL DAY! RISE! RUBY TUESDAY! RIV! MORNING IS COMING! GODSPEED REPRISE! EVERYONE THAT'S LEFT!!!! i genuinely think the garages is one of the most creative music endeavors of all time and the way they play with lyric and leitmotif makes me want to curl into a small ball and weep. this album is GOOD

the incredible true story by logic! this is my fave concept album of alllll time it is so clever and fun and the last thirty seconds gives me goosebumps every single time i listen to it. please literally go listen right now spike spiegel's english dub actor is in it

dirty work by all time low, i think i picked this as my fave atl album when i was in middle school because of the quirky girl tendencies but ykw i stand by baby me's choice. on what other album do you have get down on your knees and tell me you love me (bitter banger) followed DIRECTLY by my only one (gorgeous, weeping)

doomsday diaries by emily axford. and its NOT JUST BECAUSE IM GAY, OKAY, ITS BECAUSE THE LYRICS ARE GOOD, anyways rapture survivors guilt and evacuation i have listened to... infinity times

[applesfallingfromblondehair]

Ahhhh thank you for answering my Ask! I am so looking forward to being able to read the completed work from start to finish, although I really don't want it to end at all.

I was starting to feel for George after the big reveal, the big confession, the opening up etc but you've turned that on its head again for me this time. I know it's not as simple as just being the lyrics to that song contradicting what George has said to Matty, I know George is struggling with all those big feelings as well but I loved the use of the song as a clever tool to fuck it all up again. And yes, I don't think he's as innocent as his reaction would have us believe. Conniving, much?

The song was always going to be used because the timing was too perfect for me to pass up on it 😎 that's why I kept asking if people were keeping up with the dates hehe

Anyway re: George's innocence or lack thereof, I can't confirm nor deny. I will however let him say his piece soon enough.

Stay tuned!

[junk-story]

When u get this u have to put 5 songs u actually listen to, publish. then, send this ask/tag 10 of your favourite followers✨️🎶

Aaaaaa thank you so much to @kurumeki for the tag 💕

In a similar fashion, since I actually listen to a Lot of music I’m going to share the ones I am really binging lately

恋をこれから (Love from Now On) by 20th Century - Of course this is on the list. These guys are really the only idol group I care about with V6 now being disbanded, and of all the songs they’ve released since then, this is the one that I think best utilizes their talents. They are really my comfort music so I’ve listened to them a lot in recent times. It captures that feeling of the moment when you know you’re going to love someone so well for me.

太陽とイカロス (The Sun and Icarus) by BUCK-TICK - This song really nails what makes me love this band so much. The song itself has an upbeat tempo and feels happy in an almost frantic way, which pairs with the lyrics so perfectly. I hear it as a sort of love song to the sun from Icarus, even as the lyrics talk of him burning, a broken body bathed in crimson. The lyrics are not complicated, but every word does its part to craft the beauty and tragedy of this love. I spent the whole day it released listening to it and thinking of how we hurt ourselves for love, what it says about us, what it means. BUCK-TICK are truly masters of their craft, I can’t say enough good things about this band.

裸の心 (Naked Heart) by Aimyon - I stumbled on Aimyon maybe a year back and I really love her music. She’s a very clever lyricist and her songs are easy to listen to. In the case of this one, I also love it because it captures some rawness of emotion that I think English fails to offer. The mix of earnestness, hesitation and fear that comes from sharing your love for another person with them is so potent in this song.

Blue Jean by GLAY - This is always a song I like to listen to when the weather starts to warm up! It feels like warm sunshine to listen to. GLAY is such a solid band and I wish that I listened to them more, to be honest.

Pink Spider by hide - I’ve listened to this song so many times that I sometimes go years without listening to it now, but lately I’ve been in the mood for hide. Pink Spider has been a song I often listen to when I feel hopeless because I’ve related to the spider since I first understood the lyrics. Knowing that you might, perhaps probably, will fail in the pursuit of your dreams and choosing your dreams anyway because the alternative feels unbearable…although the song doesn’t present the situation as hopeful, I find it motivating. And when I fail, I think again, もう一度飛ぼう、この糸切り裂き、自らのジェットで…

If you made it this far, thank you for reading! This was a lot of fun 💕 I’m going to take the easy way out and tag anyone who wants to do this, mutual or not. And tag me in your answer so I can hear about your lovely music too!!

[daedalusdavinci]

ao3 wrapped

taken from here. i thought this would be fun!

1. How many words have you written this year?

i published 316,173 words this year, including the drabbles i only posted on tumblr. if i added wips... i dont even want to think about it.

2. How many works did you publish this year?

i wrote 62 tumblr drabbles and posted 31 works on ao3, amounting for a grand total of,, 93 works..... theres.. theres no way..... oh jesus christ

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

you know what i think it has to be hollow americana. i really wanted to write a fic that captured how i felt on roadtrips, and how empty a roadstop in a desert can feel. i wanted something that was haunting and melancholy and hung you up on all of the little details, and i think i pulled that off perfectly. its exactly what i wanted it to be

4. What work of yours has the most hits?

this year home intrusion got 4,033 hits, which i guess makes sense, since its batfam and also not a part of the jdau.

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

ummm all of the jdau, basically. it was such a niche idea and i really just wrote it because i was fucking obsessed with harvey and jason and tfz and its amassed more of a following than i expected it to

6. Favorite title you used

i like “son of dent” because its a direct reference to traditional jewish headstones and i think im soo clever for that, and i love “hollow americana” because it fits the energy of that fic so well. i think “like an oil-stained phoenix” is pretty good, if a little pretentious, but my favorite is definitely “the mystery of the old boathouse” because i really really wanted a title that references old mystery books i grew up reading and ties into the detective au theme, and it fits well!

7. If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most?

i dont think i ever used song lyrics for anything other than like. titles. i hope i didnt anyway. i know “sharp edges” in “lost days” is a linkin park song, and “temporal shenanigans” is part of the homestuck soundtrack. thats literally it tho

8. Pairing you wrote the most for this year?

i dont even have to look to know that it was bruharv.

9. Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?

actually probably jason/nico. theeen bruharv

10. What work was the quickest to write?

one of the drabbles im sure. sometimes i just shit those bitches right out and theyre often under 1k so its liek. lol

11. What work took you the longest to write?

fucking level 2. unless you count the jdau series as a single work, in which case, that

12. How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

one :’) just the one. and im not sure yet if ill keep it

13. What’s your longest work of the year?

i dont even have to look to know that its level 2. level 2 is 126,596 words and 23 chapters long and its my biggest regret

14. What’s your shortest work of the year?

one of the drabbles im sure. but on ao3 its out of sight, a very very short harvmatches drabble i posted before i started posting drabbles on tumblr

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

theee only one in my docs. wdym. its supposed to be another part of the jdau, which i guess is also a massive wip? but i dont like to think of it as that

16. What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag?

im sure it was fucking “Harvey Dent Adopts Jason Todd” this year

17. Your favorite character to write this year?

harvey and 2f clearly, theyre like babygirls to me. but writing jason (grace and todd) is also very cool

18. The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

bruce. that insufferable old whore. maybe if dc could just stop being stupid and give him af ucking consistent characterization, i wouldnt have so many PROBLEMS. im out here merging different sources like its a game. build your own bruce. i hate it here.

but also harvey ive done so much goddamn research to try and write him right and i sitll worry all the time that its not enough

19. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

personally i want to explore some bitches /j

no but like idk man im really tired and writings been really hard lately and ill be happy to just write anything and feel good about it after

20. Which work of yours have you reread the most?

i reread the stupid jdau all the time just so i dont fuck up the next installment

21. How many kudos in total did you get this year?

3,145, apparently!

22. Which work has the most comments?

level 2 has the most comments at 31. which is kind of surprising, because it did not do very well otherwise!

23. Did you do any collaborative works this year?

nope

24. Did you write any gifts this year?

i wrote literally dozens of requests which are all sort of gifts i think, but in terms of literal gifts on ao3, i gave @roomfulloferidans many

25. Did you receive any gifts this year?

nope. things were not written for me nor was i given an Ao3 Gift(TM). but eri drew some very nice pictures for me! they drew equius from ammfh and my ocs and i have them saved on my computer so i can come back and look at them all the time

26. What’s your most common category?

its M/M because im gay and i think men are hot

27. What do you listen to while writing?

i listen to white noise if im really struggling to focus, otherwise ill loop a playlist or a single song. its switched around a ton over the year but right this second im looping an arcadian wild playlist i made that has other bands with similar sounds on it in addition to the entire arcadian wild discography

28. Favorite work you wrote this year?

also hollow americana, for reasons i already said

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

bro. im grabbing you by the shoulders right now. i wrote 300k words. i promise you i do not know the answer to that.

i know i like some of the headcanon stuff i put in starting over and hollow americana has a lot of good lines but i cant think beyond that even tho there are probably some real bangers because i wrote 300k words and i cant remember all of them

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

now. this may blow your mind. but. did you know. that if you dont like your ocs. you can just... get rid of them. and start over? still reeling from that one tbh

[thedeependofalittleocean]

My Top 10 Albums of the Year (So Far)

We're over halfway through the year, and an insane amount of good music has come out so far. For the last year or so, I've started each day by listening to a new album, so I'd like to think I've listened to a good chunk of new things. Of course, no one asked me, but if you haven't heard of any of these artists, maybe this post will put them on your radar (although a number are from artists you've absolutely heard of).

Also, huge disclaimer, this list is absolutely not exhaustive and is greatly skewed by my personal taste in music. I mostly listen to pop/alternative/rock music, so that's what will be most represented on the list! Anyway, in no particular order, here are my favorite 10 albums of the year so far.

We're kicking it off with a stellar debut album from the London-based band, The Last Dinner Party. I remember hearing the first single from this album, and the band's debut single, Nothing Matters, and being absolutely swept away. I was shocked to find this song came from such a young band, and praying the following album would live up to the song. This sparkling baroque pop album does that and more. It's absolutely as grand and beautiful as promised.

I Got Heaven is raw, messy, and bursting with energy. Philadelphia rock band Mannequin Pussy doesn't waste a single second of this album's short run time. It's a burst of adrenaline and speaks to some of the most visceral emotions I've been feeling this year. Not to mention, I Got Heaven and Loud Bark are two of the strongest album openers of the year.

Okay, I'm sure you've heard of Beyoncé, and you've probably even listened to this album. Really, there's nothing I could say about this amazing piece of work that hasn't been said. If, for some reason, you've been hesitant to give Cowboy Carter a try, let me assure you, it's absolutely worth your time. With every album, Beyoncé continues to prove she's in her prime, and she has a lot more to say.

Rachel Chinouriri wasn't on my radar before the beginning of this year, but I'll be a fan for a long time to come after this debut album. If you love devastating songs that you can't help but dance along to, What A Devastating Turn of Events is for you. This Brit-pop album has incredible hooks, clever lyricism, and great variety. Rachel Chinouriri is a star, and she'll be opening for Sabrina Carpenter next year. I have no doubt she'll be blowing up, so jump on board now.

I have to admit, this is where my biases really stand out, but I truly believe Twenty One Pilots hit it out of the park with this one. I wasn't a fan of their last album, Scaled and Icy, but I was pleasantly surprised by the singles from this era. Clancy truly feels like a culmination of a lot of the band's work so far. The album has several standout moments that took my breath away. Not to mention, Midwest Indigo is one of my favorite songs of this year.

Big Ideas is Remi Wolf's second album, where she sharpens her songwriting abilities while still treading new ground. I loved Wolf's debut album, but Big Ideas feels so much more refined, while still keeping Wolf's humor and eclectic style intact. This album has only been out for a week, but it proves that Wolf is one of the brightest and most unique stars in pop.

What can I say, Clairo never disappoints! Charm is such a wonderful breath of fresh air this year. Its soft but catchy melodies and jazz-pop instrumentals are incredibly soothing. Of course, Clairo's lyricism is strong and intimate, pulling her listeners in closer than ever before.

If you see a "Top Albums of the Year" list that doesn't include BRAT, you should probably stop reading. Okay, maybe that's dramatic, but it's hard to talk about music this year without talking about the phenomenon that is BRAT. Charli is so raw and honest on this album while crafting some of the most delicious beats I've ever heard. You'll dance, you'll laugh, and if you have a heart you'll cry during So I.

HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is another album that simply doesn't waste any time. It's Eilish's most polished album to date. Like other albums on this list, it's raw lyricism stands out. I'm not sure what it is about this year, but it feels like pop stars are really interested in being the most honest version of themselves in their art. I love to hear the vulnerability on this album, and the songs are incredibly well crafted.

Last, but certainly not least, Only God Was Above Us was one of my most anticipated albums of the year, and it paid off, to say the least. It's been said before, but this really is the most Vampire Weekend the band has ever felt. It's full to the brim with references to the band's works, but it's also fresh and new. The band is looking backward while still walking forward, and that's not an easy feat. Even if you've never liked Vampire Weekend before, you should give this album a shot.

[thedaveandkimmershow]

In other news...

There was just a ton of motion in the last few months. Not only in our lives but throughout Linzy's career that includes rehearsals and performances with The Little Lies and Midnight High. Serious bands. Big crowds. Enthusiastic crowds. Great sound, harmonies, layers, solos. Classic on-stage moments. And fantastic stage effects.

Now.

Way way way way way waaaaaaaaaay in the background of all that motion (and even a little more motion) is a brand Linzy's trying to launch.

Dream Patrol.

It's her outlet for cinematic pop that features layers of vocals and leans harder into emotion. Some songs move. Some songs seriously move. And some songs dive deep into the human soul.

The difference between the Linzy Collins acoustic brand and Dream Patrol is an interesting one, still being defined. One way of thinking about the difference is that the acoustic version of a song might sound sad, might be a lament. That same song under the Dream Patrol banner might be expressed as ethereal.

And dark.

The songs that move and seriously move are propelled forward by catchy melodies, clever lyric work, and multi-layered vocals. There's a production quality and complexity in Dream Patrol that's easily identifiable from Linzy's acoustic brand that aims to do something different for her audience, something more straight to the heart, if you will.

Now, Dream Patrol isn't a band, it's a brand wrapped around Linzy herself. Which raises an interesting question.

What is a live Dream Patrol performance?

What's the experience?

What does it look like?

Yeah. Still working on that.

Some of the thoughts swirling around obviously lean hard on tech. Not just sound tech but visual tech. Lights, sure. But also imagery. Plus, everyone's gotta smart phone in their pocket. They're walking around with a screen and a speaker. Meaning in a club you might have two to four hundred such screens and speakers.

How can those be harnessed into the service of a live show?

Definitely makes me wonder.

Anyway.

It's an interesting challenge to take the stage as a solo performer. In this case more of a conductor. The idea, though, is to avoid a DJ experience while definitely not trying to recreate a band experience with one person.

Can't be done anyway.

So.

What does that leave?

Seriously.

What does that leave?

Well...

You'd be surprised.

And you're gonna be surprised is all I can say right now.

In the meantime, it's exciting to consider what's manifesting in the background of all this motion. What's taking shape, what's taking place, while we're all looking the other way.

Dream Patrol, by the way, already dropped its first EP: Made For TV.

It streams everywhere and you can certainly find the songs here.

Unfortunately, the EP got a little lost in all the motion rushing through Linzy's life.

What's interesting, though, super interesting, is that the difference between the songs on the EP and the songs taking shape for the album, well... the difference is light years. And I like the songs on the EP.

There's also a special Halloween release to give the coming week's parties a serious shot of club energy and holiday spirit. Which you can find here. I'm absolutely in love with the song. I was begging Linzy to release it this month. A friend of hers is actually working on a remix that I'm also stoked to hear.

It's all good, all good, so far. If only a bit overshadowed by the motion of other bands in her life.

But what's coming at us from the future?

Yeah.

It's a whole other deal.

Cinematic pop that features layers of vocals and emotion. Some songs move. Some songs seriously move. And some songs dive deep into the human soul.

The songs that move and seriously move are propelled forward by catchy melodies, clever lyric work, and multi-layered vocals.

The songs that dive deep will take your breath away.

Just a heads up from me to you that there's so much more going on behind the scenes in Linzy's Hundred Acre wood. A lot of balls in the air.

And under the heading The Best Is Yet To Come?

Yeah.

That would be Dream Patrol.

☺️☺️☺️