#but it's just. so good and it happens to be fantastic on vinyl (again. ghost of you ??? hello???? yes i cried thanks for asking) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

moxfirefly · 4 years

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Oh... Bitch. #19 and I request Mikey. I wanna see your magic and well... His. 😏🧡

Oh yes, let’s get it!

Rated Explicit (18+ only)

Michelangelo was dumbfounded. Truly stumped at the sentence that rolled out of your mouth.

He must’ve misheard, it wouldn’t be the first time, his mind always running a hundred per hour but this wasn’t the case.

Michelangelo gripped your feet, massaging the soles as you spoke. The two of you sat on the couch in the truck. It had taken several weeks of begging but Mikey had managed to swear on a stack of Wu-Tang vinyls that if Donnie lended him the truck he would return it in its complete safe mint condition. The reason for this was he wanted to take his girl out for a drive, maybe park somewhere nice, watch the night life, the city lights.

It was gonna be a perfect date for sure.

After some driving around, totally showing off that he so was a responsible driver unlike what his brothers suspected, he had parked. The two of you moved to the back part and enjoyed every nifty little gadget for entertainment that Donnie had installed.

So now as the two of you settled and talked about everything, the topic had shifted to sex.

For Mikey, even if his actual reptile brain was vibrating at the possibility of sex, he knew some of these talks were a means for you to find your ground. The topic often came up, not to say things hadn’t gotten pretty heated between the two of you, but it never escalated above some heavy petting.

Tonight though, Mikey’s brow bones shot up over the reason why you were still apprehensive of taking that final step. The reason though, just left him feeling incredulous.

“What do you mean you’ve never cum from sex?!” Mikey sat up better, attention at high when you covered your face and laughed. “It happens, Mike. More often than one would like but the guys I’ve been with just...” You trailed off, the situation was embarrassing as if.

Mikey bounced the information in his brain, were you afraid he would be another on the list? Then again it could be understandable, this was his first serious relationship. You noticed his pensive gaze and scooted close. “Hey im not saying you aren’t gonna get the job done, but my experiences just haven’t been earth shattering” You grabbed his hand, thumbs pressing on his palms.

Mikey shrugged with a shy smile. “Well, I think I can change that string of bad luck” The confidence was there and you couldn’t deny it was something that often made you giddy on the inside. With no hesitation you pressed your smiling lips to his, you felt the tips of his fingers caress beneath your chin. If there was something the orange banded ninja felt confident about, it was his ability to kiss. Often a time had he seen that glazed, love drunk gaze on you after a particularly steamy makeout session. Wether a soft, ghosting of a teasing kiss to those more messier saliva exchanging kisses. Mikey simply just knew how to work his mouth.

And you would be a god damn liar if you hadn’t fantasized about said mouth doing other things.

There in the softly lit back of the truck, you let yourself fall into the familiar ache that his mouth caused you. A few weeks ago you had ridden his thigh to the point of your nethers throbbing with a terrible need. Mikey’s lips teasingly kissed towards your neck, carefully raking his teeth over the sensitive spots. His kissing alone was far superior than those of your ex lovers, Mikey’s attention to detail when it came to your sweet spots was critical for him. He knew your neck was free game, too easy but he’d learned about your shoulders, about squeezing your waist and pressing you against himself.

He was well aware of raining down some cocky comments against your mouth or ears would deliver fantastic results.

You pulled back just an inch, eyes scanning his. You caressed his face, thumbs running across his lips, shiny with the taste of yours.

“Okay, let’s try it out” You spoke softly, cheeks flushed but eyes so very certain. He felt his heart rattle inside of him, nervousness rose but he fought against it when your hands caressed him so lovingly. You could reassure him with a look often times but if you touched him, ran your hands over his cheeks or arms, whatever self doubt would melt away.

Everything melts with Mikey.

Just like now, somewhere along the various sounds inside of the truck and the soft music playing you got up and started to undress before him. Mikey’s frozen in place but not out of fear or embarrassment but more so because he doesn’t want to miss a second of what you are giving him. Intimate parts of you he’d only gotten his fingertips to brush or lips to kiss. He’s mesmerized, hypnotized truly. Watching jeans slide down your legs and a sweater fall somewhere near your shoes. He can’t take his eyes off of you, sweaty hands pushing down his own shorts as he kicks off his shoes, thankful for not being in his full usual gear.

Mikey swallows dryly when your knees hit the couch, straddling his lap and effectively trapping him in your scent. Lazily you feel his hands on your hips steadying you. The kissing picks up again and you’ve never felt more in tune with somebody.

Somewhere along the heat his fingers find the clasp of your bra, hand at the back of his head you give him that nudge to do what he’s so very much craved. Burying his face between the two fleshy mounds he inhaled and shuddered against softness. Biting your lip you try to grind down on him, lost in the content sigh that blows hot air against your sternum.

“Mikey...” It’s a whisper against his temple, felt so deeply within his soul that can’t help but tug you closer to him. “You’re like, beautiful” He’s punch drunk and you’re pretty sure he just said that to your breasts but it brings chuckling smile out of you. “You’re not so bad yourself either” You take your lustful moment to run your hands down his chest, enamored with the texture, aroused by the strength you feel beneath your fingertips. You take a daring second to lean down and lick a slow stripe up his neck. Mikey felt like he short circuited with just that, he wondered if the rest of you would cause more of those sensations.

So he can’t help but find out. He moves you to lay down on the cozy couch, settled between your legs he grinds against your clothed heat. You want him already, quiet little moans escape you and go straight to his hard on. His underwear is past his hips and yours is pushed to the side and that familiar burn knocks the wind out of you cause it’s never felt this strongly. The shape of him makes you lift your hips to seek him out further and Mikey moans something guttural against your chest when he bottoms out in you.

“Fu-uck, oh god” It’s so sincere and muffled against your left breast that you’re secretly proud you caused that in him. He’s wary of his weight, one arm above your head to grip the armrest the other dug beneath your low back. He keeps you just the way you want to and the rest is your legs tightly snug against his waist, the edges of his shell digging in. That first cautious thrust is accompanied by his lips around your nipple. You shudder against him, the overwhelming sensation catching you off guard. You watch the arm above you flex, muscle twitch with his next thrust. He’s hitting spots that no other lover had bothered to, tongue twirling around your nipple alternating between sucking and biting the flesh.

You cuss, feel yourself shudder and stick to him with desire. “Jesus just-god!” You’re a mess of words when he licks all the way to your earlobe and bites down. “Just what? Hmm, girly you’re so warm around my dick” You must be red, every inch of you must be crimson because hearing him talk like that shouldn’t affect you that much. Mikey’s clearly riding the high of it, noticing how you clench around him and pull him into wet warmth.

Soon enough he’s thrusting harder, quicker and the truck is filled with panting and praising. You run your hands up his plastron, enjoying how that makes him buck more. He finds you lips and kisses you with a need that can’t be measured, tongue entwining with yours. The hand that had been so viciously holding the armrest snakes down your side and in between both of yours moving bodies. You feel the pad of his rough thumb slowly circle your hardened clit and the feeling is enough to moan into his mouth. Mikey licks the roof of your mouth and recaptures your mouth and it’s dizzying. The soft but firm circles on your sensitive nub make you squirm and tremble. It’s too many feelings at once, his cock filling you up, lips on yours distracting and that’s treacherous little motion of his thumb.

Soon you start to feel it, a tightening, a tension that makes you seek his thrusts out more. You want to moan but his kiss muffles it, tongue so busy making you needier. Mikey rubbed faster this time, the salacious wet sounds mixed with the sounds of slapping. You’re teetering and it’s too much for you to be able to concentrate on the kiss. Your mouth opens and you gasp when that free fall feeling hits. Mikey rubs and pounds and you cum. Your eyes shut tight as you scream, gushing around his length and spasming. Your back arches, hands trying to grab or push at anything. Mikey jackhammers the last of what he can and cums hard only making you shiver and spasm more. He buries his face between your sweaty breast, harsh breaths hitting the skin.

You find feelings against in your legs and your heart allows you to relax in the post coital bliss. “Was...Was that good?” Mikey sounds dead but so deeply satisfied and you giggle, the movement making your chest vibrate and he happily nuzzles your chest. “More than good, I think I lost my vision for five seconds” He snorts and you smile as you affectionately caress the back of his head.

“...Wanna go again?” You ask shyly.

“Absolutely” He grins against your skin.

#tmnt bayverse #tmnt mikey x reader #tmnt michelangelo x female reader #michelangelo tmnt #tmnt michelangelo x reader #tmnt mikey #tmnt michelangelo #michelangelo x reader #mikey x reader #smut prompt #mikey #Michelangelo #ask #imthegreenfairy88 #ns*w

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vintagehellfire · 7 years

Text

Down The Rabbit Hole

Pairing: Ben Solo x Reader, Kylo Ren x Reader

Modern AU, Punk!Ben/Kylo - Baker!Reader

Prompt: Ben Solo x reader where they’re at readers 21st birthday party and they play a drunk 7 minutes in heaven.

Word count: 6.4K

Warnings: Profanity, drinking, getting drunk. Nothing else really.

Tags: @nightsofren @drtiberiussith

PART 1 | PART 2 |

The feeling of a cold spot on the bed woke you up. In a panic, you shot up and whipped your head around, heart falling into your stomach as if it was a hunk of lead. Your head pounded not only from how much you drank but the sudden hot feeling that came over it as the thought that Ben abandoned you echoed through your mind- the most intrusive thought that morning. Not even a moment later your loving whatever-the-hell-he-was pushed the door to your room open whilst holding two coffee mugs. The second he saw the look on your face he placed the mugs on the closest dresser to him and rushed over, gently capturing your face in his hands as he sat on the bed directly next to you. He pressed your forehead against his and you felt his pointy nose brush yours.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m right here.” He let out a gentle, deep breathy laugh that fanned your face. “I’m not going anywhere.” He assured you as he pressed his plush and full lips to your forehead. A small whimper and nod came from you, head pounding.

“I thought you left.” You breathed and placed your hands upon his forearms, gripping them firmly but not enough to hurt him. You wanted as much proximity and comfort that the man could offer you. Ben poked his nose into your cheek and gave it an Eskimo kiss.

“Never. I made us espressos to wake us up and to help with your hangover and besides, I haven’t even given you your gift yet. You’ll have to wait for tonight though.” You felt the man pull away and the weight lift off the bed you were both situated on, the dark sheets smoothing out just a tad as he got up to get your coffees. Your eyes trailed his tall figure and you sucked your lip into your mouth as you watched Ben. How had he made something so mundane and habitual look so elegant and thoughtful? He spun on his heels and presented you with the most heart-warming smile, dimples indenting his face and the corners of his eyes crinkling as he gazed upon you. Even in the state you were in, he believed you looked astounding. His weight was put into him leaning back against your dresser and he crossed his left ankle over his right, and he looked almost completely laid back. The glaze in his eyes spoke measures of love but it didn’t stop his anxiety. His eyes refused to meet yours but they remained on you nonetheless.

“Thank you, Ben.” Your voice was nothing but a whisper. You motioned for him to come over by scooting across your bed and creating a small spot for him. You peeled back the covers and let your eyes fall to the spot and you let yourself swallow, nerves slowly taking over. You heard a small huff of a breathy laugh come from the brooding figure before you and the careful padding of feet on the floor. The bed caved as Ben placed himself next to you and handed you your warm espresso.

“It’s doubled.” He promised you and slid an arm around your waist which caused you to lean your head on his shoulder. “You know, I’m really sorry that this is how- how we got together.” He turned his head and mumbled his words into your hair. “I wish that we didn’t have such an animosity at first.” He admit. He really didn’t enjoy that part of your history; the part where you both swore and spit at each other, got in one another’s faces, cursed, hit, and slandered the other. “I’m glad we’re here now.” He whispered before he turned and took a long sip of his coffee. You took this chance to take a very large swig of your own espresso before nearly screaming out as you burned your tongue. You couldn’t deny that it was a good brew, and you couldn’t deny that you were this close to offering Ben a job as the designated coffee brewer of your bakery. The hot drink slid down your throat and you hummed as the familiar bitter flavour exploded in your mouth. “What’s on today’s agenda?” Ben asks.

“Well, I’d run downstairs and make an appearance. I’m sure Poe and Rey took over seeing as I was hammered last night,” you glanced up at the warm man next to you, “no thanks to you.” You created an aside and Ben shot you a look of offence. “I think they’ve got it covered but I wanted to go in and check, maybe make some pizza buns and butter tarts and-” Ben cut you off by leaning over and giving you a quick kiss, letting a laugh slip past his beautiful lips and literally onto yours. You felt his smile which caused you to let out a breathy and full laugh.

“You need to slow your… Roll… s.” He dragged out his god awful pun which made you burst out into a full laugh, which resonated with him, causing him to create a mental note to make more puns in the future. “I have a proposal,” you hummed at your newfound lovers deep and attractive morning voice, “stay here with me, take the day off. You said something about those heavenly and divine macarons of yours. The ones you won’t let me have, seeing as I’m clearly a man straight from hell.” He teased you with the last part.

“Hey, you’re not-“

“Pomegranates are the fruit of the underworld, sacred to the Greek god Hades. Eat the fruit and you won’t be allowed out of the underworld. They’re appealing and enticing. They’re delicious and irresistible much like your baking. It’s bound me to you for eternity. Clearly, since I’m bound to taste those pomegranate macarons, I’m a man of hell and darkness.” The last bit was meant to poke fun, but some truth peeked through. He did want to be with you for all eternity, or at least as long as you’d let him be with you.

“You’re so fucking dramatic.” You barked out and snuggled closer to the other and you both finished your espressos in the silence and gentle heavenly light that barely filtered through your curtains. Your heart ached for this man, and his for you.

Music ripped through the serenity of your apartment and the blooming laughter of both Ben and you bounced across the walls as you both ridiculously danced around the kitchen, his feathering touch on your swaying hips and his step in tune with yours. The smile couldn’t be wiped off your faces as you both danced around to your Get the Knack record by The Knack. It was released in ’79 and your family laughed it off when you promised you’d take it with you when you moved out, but here it was in your possession. Every song was your favourite, despite the band being considered a one-hit wonder, and it showed. You’d sing lyrics at Ben and he’d sing the next lines or verses back, chasing you around as you both gathered ingredients for the fantastic breakfast you were collaborating on. Your specialty was the croissants and his was the coconut chia seed strawberry parfait. Both things were time-consuming and had wait times so you took pleasure in each other’s company and the pure bliss that it brought the each of you. Your hangover was virtually gone due to the strong brew you had earlier, and the copious amounts more that you had after you had both risen from the comfort of your bed.

As the song “Good Girls Don’t” came to an end, “My Sharona” started playing and you couldn’t help but tease the poor man by swaying your entire body side to side along with the rhythm of the song and rolling your shoulders back. Ben’s grin widened and his dimples became far more prominent than ever. His caramel eyes shining brightly as he watched you. He mimicked your movements then, somehow, in your gleaming eyes, moving in more fluid and elegant motions than you could muster. His hands ghosted over your hips as you backed away from him and to your living room while the dough and parfait chilled. You had both assumed a method of dancing that was far more in tune with that of the swing movement of the 30’s. You didn’t take Ben Solo for much of a dancing man but then again, neither of you knew what you were doing.

The movements were oddly fluid and suggestive, a beckoning finger here, a tug at the hips over there, your hands thrown into the young man’s hair, his hands roaming around your waist and hiking your shirt up until you were both intoxicated by one another and laughing to no end.

When the song came to an end, the two of you flopped onto your couch and let out a content sigh, Ben laying on top of you, his weight not enough to crush you, rather, it was welcomed and the way his head lay on your chest caused your heart to palpitate in odd rhythms. His dark locks were splayed all over the place and his face was gently flushed by the red tint that mirrored your own. One of your hands trailed its way to his back and the other tugged at his soft and thick curls while one of his hands was placed over your heart and the other on the small of your back.

“Who knew you could have that much fun.” He breathed out, his voice rumbling, it was clear he was completely dazed, never imagining this would have happened between the two of you. It’s as if his wildest dreams were coming true and to be frank they were.

“I did!” You tried to sound offended but the smile that seeped through your voice could be heard clear as day.

“I know, I’m just teasing, my love.” The last two words echoed back and your dream flashed before you vividly, only much warmer this time.

Soft rosy low light glowed and the crack of vinyl brought comfort and serenity to the scene. New Wave flowed through the air and swam around you, entrancing you in its distorted and messy melodies creating an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. You swayed, warm hands firmly on your waist, protective, loving, and yours on the person’s shoulders securely, reminding them that this is where they belonged. The warmth and happiness hammered into your chest and the smile that adorned your face hurt but you wouldn’t give it up for the world.

“You look lovely tonight, (Y/N).” A warm shiver ran down your spine as the deep voice spoke in a whisper next to your ear. It was almost sultry and suggestive but it was just the overlay. The undertones were innocent and honest. It moulded with the music playing. “Enticing, entrancing, beautiful. I had to tell you, my love.”

You had to bite back the large smile that threatened to split your face, but the hammering of your heart gave you away.

After breakfast, you got dressed, and then you let Ben take your room to change into an oversized men’s shirt you had picked up from the thrift store a few years back. It was massive and you thought he might need a change of clothes.

During that time you decided to bring out the macarons in order to give them to your new lover. You weren’t completely sure if that’s what you were. There was no designated title and you felt that Ben would shy away from labels, after all, Kylo seemed to be the kind of person who would and Ben and Kylo were one and the same, weren’t they? You scolded yourself for the snap judgement and brought the small maroon box from your cupboard. It was accented with a much richer red- that of the colour of the bittersweet fruit with which the macarons were made with, and on top of the box lay a small bow. You prayed that Ky- Ben would like it. You picked the colours to match not only the fruit but him and his persona, or the one you knew before last night at least.

“Hey, where did you get this shirt? It’s unbelievably,” he stopped in his tracks as he saw you, a red tint sprawled across your cheeks and the bridge of your nose and your hands fidgeting with the small box. He took several strides towards you and let his hands take yours gently in his, his long fingers grazing the box, “what’s this?” He pried as a smirk pulled its way across his face.

“It’s off the menu.” You whispered and closed the small gap between the two of you, capturing his full lips in a loving and gentle kiss. Unfortunately for the raven-haired man, you pulled away much too soon for his liking but while doing so, you gently pushed the box towards him.

“You were serious?” He raises an eyebrow at you, unable to fathom what came over you in order for you to save him your famous chocolate pomegranate macarons when your blood seemingly boiled at the thought of him stepping foot into your bakery.

“I was.” You whispered to him. “I had this feeling- I’m not sure what it was but… Okay, hear me out. I felt bad.” You admit. “I’ve been kicking you out of my bakery solely based on that one time where you broke a mug. I thought you were being such a dick- I mean, look at you! Dishevelled hair, half the time you wore ripped jeans, that stupid fucking leather jacket of yours and a loose fitting shirt. You practically called every goddamn person with the ability to see to come and drop to their knees and beg you for a date. You’re the classic punk but now- now that’s taken as people being dicks, and there are so many wannabe punks and I didn’t know how to distinguish the two.” You poured out. “That, and when we did interact I wanted to desperately believe you were being nice to cover up just how massive a prick you actually were. I didn’t think you’d actually be a sweetheart.” You looked to your feet. “Truth is, my last significant other cheated on me with someone from their work… And I caught the two of them together in my bed. That’s not even the worst part. I gave three years of my life to this person.”

“And I promise that you will gain those three years back, and many more, with me.” He took a small increment of a step closer to you and placed his lips to the top of your head, letting them linger there for a moment longer than they normally would have belonged. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you for not being a chauvinist pig and for caring enough about what happens to me that you didn’t let me do anything until I was sober.”

You led the man before you to the couch and as he flopped down, so did you. You shifted closer to him and draped your legs across his lap, bringing his face down to kiss his cheek, your bliss seemingly endless. You watched his face intently, linking every single beauty mark across his face and making a trail of constellations that led up to his soft eyes. Before he opened the maroon box, a soft smile tugged at his lips and from his peripheral Ben threw you a glance. His graceful fingers made their way to the lid and he tugged on the silk bow, watching it cascade down the sides, leaving the lid to be removed. Carefully and slowly he plucked it from the box, only to reveal six deep red macarons with a chocolate ganache filling. His hear swelled and he let out a small and breathy thank you before picking one from the box and offering it to you.

“At the same time.” Was all he needed to say and you understood exactly what he meant. It was a small gesture and it was meant to encourage him, rid him of any anxieties related to you watching him taste the delicacy but it was also a small push to see if you would do the little things that seemingly didn’t matter but spoke measures. You gently took the dessert, careful so that it wouldn’t break, and waited for him to choose another one. Silently, the two of you counted off to three and bit into the treats, causing Ben to groan.

“You like it?” You laughed out after having swallowed down your bite. You earned a frantic nod before he too managed to swallow and answer you.

“If this is what they use to trap people in the underworld, consider me sold, no need to keep me trapped, I’ll stay on my own free will!” He put the macarons onto your coffee table and pulled you onto his lap. “I’m already here on my own free will and I want you to come to the answer to my question on your own free will.” You tensed at his words. “What are we, or what do you want us to be?” Your breath caught at the unexpected question.

“I thought Kylo wasn’t someone who tied himself to labels.” You stated boldly but with your statement, you felt your eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“You would be wrong, and stop calling me that, it’s Ben.” He assured you. “Either way, it helps clear things up. I don’t like labels or being labelled as one thing or another. The good guy, the bad guy, I don’t like those labels. I’m neither, but sometimes labels help clarify.” He pressed his forehead to yours, his hair creating a curtain in front of his face and hiding all emotion he could just in case what you were going to say was to rip his beating heart from his chest.

“It’s a two-way street but if you agree, I’d really like to be your significant other, your partner in crime, if you will.” A chuckle came from the man before you, warm and welcoming.

“Bonnie and Clyde.” You hummed in agreement and took his face in your hands.

“And Ben? I’m lucky to love you too.”

A/n: I hope you liked it. I don’t have an intention for part 3 but can muster something up if need be. I also have a request to fill out which I’m excited for. So stay tuned.

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megabadbunny · 7 years

Text

if we let go (1/?)

(Even his other self doesn’t get it—are his senses really so dulled? Could he really be so human?)

I.e., Rose gets a choice, even if she has to carve it out for herself. In this chapter, she fights for Donna to get a choice, too.

***

a journey’s end fixit (of sorts), dedicated to @travelingrose , who reignited my love/hate relationship with this episode/storyline. (i believe this also fills some rose x tentoo / tentoo day prompts from @doctorroseprompts and @timepetalsprompts ?) heavy angst, but also lots of flirting, fluff, romance, some adventure, and some smut; sfw versions on tumblr & ff.net, nsfw versions on ao3 and teaspoon.

***

prologue | chapter 1 | chapter 2 | chapter 3

chapter one: all the survivors singing in the rain

The word Felspoon has just left Donna’s mouth and that’s only the second-strangest thing that’s happened this millisecond, because the TARDIS doors swing open and slam shut and when the Doctor glances over, Rose and his other self and suddenly inside instead of out.

Blood drains from the Doctor’s face, leaving him shocked with cold.

“No,” he mutters, blinking in disbelief. He shakes his head like the motion will dislodge the stowaways from his vision, but his sight is a Polaroid photo and they just come into sharper relief. The Doctor pushes off his coral strut leaning-post, advancing toward Rose before he has a chance to think better of it.

“Doctor—”

“No,” he says, sharply this time, the word harsh even to his own ears. He points to the doors behind her. “Get out.”

Stunned, Rose falters. “What?”

“You heard me,” says the Doctor, anger and adrenaline and fear racing through his veins, because she can’t be here, not after he just sent her away, not after he just made one of the worst decisions in any of his cursedly long lives. “You’ve got to get out. You can’t be here, Rose. I’ve already made up my mind.”

“I’m sorry—you’ve made up your mind?”

“Yep! We both have, actually,” interjects Donna. “Though I suppose we should have known better—he keeps sending you away, but you never seem to stay there, do you?”

The Doctor shoots her a dirty look and she just shrugs. “What? You can’t honestly be surprised.”

“We’re not,” says the other Doctor tiredly.

“Stop it,” the Doctor snaps. “There’s no we in this equation, understand?” Glaring at each of them in turn, he continues, “No we, no us, no I in team but there is a me and that’s all that matters here, just me, and my ship, and my rules that I put in place for very specific reasons, very good reasons—”

“Cos you just get to make the decisions for everyone?” asks Rose.

“Yes!” the Doctor shouts, and everyone in the room jumps.

Rose crosses her arms, staring steely-eyed at him. “Yeah, that’s a problem.”

Huffing in frustration, the Doctor turns on his heel, back toward Donna and the console—he hasn’t got the time for this, Donna hasn’t got the time, and at any rate, he’s got to hold onto this anger, got to stave off the crumbling of his resolve for as long as he possibly can, and the more he looks at Rose, the more difficult that gets.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter at this point, does it?” he asks through gritted teeth. “Too late to turn back—the holes have sealed up properly, no returning now. So I suppose congratulations are in order—you’ve successfully stowed away, against my express wishes, never to see your mother or brother or father again, and you did it just in time to watch Donna die!”

The other Doctor’s head snaps to attention, and Rose’s mouth falls open in shock. An uncomfortable silence settles over the room, thick and heavy, rife with static, the air before a thunderstorm.

Laughing, Donna waves one hand dismissively. “Oh, don’t listen to him,” she says, fiddling with buttons on the console. “He’s exaggerating for dramatic effect. I’m fine. There’s just a little wrench in the works, is all. Just a hitch. A hiccup.” She pulls a switch with a flourish, a cheerful smile plastered on her face. “A pickup. A pickaxe. An axel,” she continues, shooting the new Doctor a wink. “A castle. A passel. A vassal. A vessel. A mortar and pestle. A Nessalemian Chamber floating off the Isle of Baroo. An igloo. A hullabaloo—”

A sharp intake of breath cuts her words in half and she stops, eyes blown wide. Donna looks up at Rose with the ghost of a pleading grin, but the Doctor notices that she won’t meet his eyes—not for either of him in the room. Rose glances over his way, and he can see in his periphery that her gaze is full of concern. He ignores it.

“Donna?” Rose asks cautiously. “Are you all right?”

“‘Course I am,” Donna lies with a watery chuckle. “Never been better. Nice of you to worry about me, though.”

Leaning in, she says, in a conspiratorial stage whisper, “He’d never say it, but he always liked it when you worried about him.”

“And how do you know that?” the Doctor asks.

“Because it’s in your head. And if it’s in your head, it’s in mine!”

He locks eyes with his other self. The other Doctor does not look away; it’s unnerving, the sensation of watching your reflection blink a second out of sync with you.

“And how does that feel?” the other Doctor asks, his voice soft.

“Brilliant. Fantastic. Molto bene!” cries Donna. “Great big universe, packed into my brain. You know, you could fix that chameleon circuit if you just tried hotbinding the fragment links and superseding the binary—binary—binary binary binary—”

The Doctor closes his eyes. Gods, he wishes he could close his ears, too, that he couldn’t hear Donna’s life force draining away with every passing attosecond, her voice rising in pitch as life drips out of her like water plinking from a leaky faucet. She’s a broken record, now, the needle jumping furiously over the same vinyl groove in perfect metronome, regardless of the friction (fiction, fixing, mixing, Rickston, Brixton—)

Donna sucks in a ragged lungful of air. She sounds like she might be sick. “Oh, my god,” she whimpers, slumping over the console.

The Doctor frowns as Rose dashes to Donna’s side, steadying her with a hand to the bicep. “All right,” Rose says firmly. “We’re getting you to the medbay—can you walk?”

“That isn’t going to help, Rose,” says the other Doctor.

“Well, it’s better than just standing here, doing nothing,” Rose retorts. “Come on, get over here and help me—both of you!”

Neither Doctor moves. Looping Donna’s arm around her shoulders, Rose glances between the two Doctors, growing more incredulous with each passing second. “Now!” she shouts.

“Do you know what’s happening?” the other Doctor asks Donna.

She nods miserably. “Yeah.”

“There’s never been a human-Time Lord metacrisis before,” says the Doctor. “And you know why.”

“Because there can’t be,” Donna whispers.

“That’s not true,” Rose hisses. “Or—I don’t know, maybe it is. But whatever’s going on, we can fix it. We just have to try.” She inches toward the medbay, her free hand clasping Donna by the waist as she shuffles along. “Or don’t you remember what trying is?” she shoots over her shoulder.

“What’s the point when it won’t make a difference?” snaps the Doctor. “You’re only delaying the inevitable—either her memories go, or she does.”

“Bollocks!”

The Doctor’s eyebrow shoots up in surprise. “Beg your pardon?”

“You just said it yourself, there’s never been a human-Time Lord meta-thingy before,” Rose grits out, heaving with effort as she half-helps, half-drags Donna down the hall. “So how do you know what’s gonna happen?”

The Doctor looks to his other self for help, hands spread open in a silent plea, but the traitorous half-human just responds with a shrug. “She’s got a point,” he admits, darting over to support Donna from the other side.

“No,” says the Doctor angrily, hands balling into fists as panic rises in his throat. “No, no, no! You’re wasting all the time she’s got left!” he shouts at their retreating forms. “If we don’t extract the foreign elements now, she’s dead—we haven’t got time for anything else!”

“We’re Time Lords,” his other self replies. “We’ll make the time.”

Approximately 3.17 seconds pass as the Doctor, frozen in place, watches the three humans stumble down the corridor, getting further away from him with every labored step. On a better day, Rose and his other self may have fared better supporting Donna between them, but Rose clearly hasn’t slept for days, the other Doctor exhausted from the trauma of regeneration, and progress is slow, stumbling.

They’re not going to get Donna to the medbay in time.

Silently, the Doctor curses them both—they don’t understand, but then, how could they? They aren’t cursed with his gift; they can’t pluck stray timelines out of the air and skip to the end, read how the fairy tale ends; they’ll just follow the breadcrumbs and end up at the gingerbread house regardless, warnings and common-sense be damned.

(Even his other self doesn’t get it—are his senses really so dulled? Could he really be so human?)

From far away, he hears Donna slip and fall, pulling Rose down with her. A scuffle, a curse, a shout, and Rose is yelling for Donna to wake up.

Right on schedule, the Doctor thinks miserably, swallowing the lump of anxiety lodged in his gullet.

“Doctor!” cries Rose. “Help!”

Her voice cuts through him, sets him trembling with indecision. Probably she’s talking to the other one, the one closer to her, the one who so foolishly stepped forward to help like it would actually do anything—the one who trusted her, the Doctor tries not to think—but the thought that she might need him still tugs at something deep in his gut, still sends his body screaming for her.

The Doctor bites his lip so hard he could draw blood.

Damn it. Damn it all.

“You, help me,” he says roughly to the other Doctor as he surges forward, bending down to scoop Donna’s limp body off the floor. “And you,” he says to Rose, voice sharp, “Stay out of the way.”

He only glimpses Rose’s face long enough to see it darken with hurt. “Like hell I will.”

“Yeah,” mutters the Doctor, and his other self rushes to his aid, supporting the unconscious Donna between them, “I know.”

***

Previous: Prologue | Next: Chapter Two

#ficandchips #tenrose #tentoorose #doctorrose #doctordonna #angst #picandchips #journey's end fixit #mbb fic

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alwaysjaimee · 7 years

Note

1-100 ;)

wow alright!!

1) Sexuality?

Straight

2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

Alison Sudol, Emily Blunt, Taylor Swift, Emma Watson

3) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

‘forehead. If it hadn’t been for Voldemort, Harry would still….’ - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling

4) What do you think about most?

Everything. Anything I can stress or worry about mostly

5) What does your latest text message from someone else say?

its the crying face emoji…

6) Do you sleep with or without clothes on?

with Pjs

7) What’s your strangest talent?

um I don’t even know tbh

8) Girls…. (finish the sentence); Boys…. (finish the sentence)

‘Girls can conquer the world’

‘Boys can drive you insane’

LOL

9) Ever had a poem or song written about you?

Not that I know about

10) When is the last time you played the air guitar?

prob yesterday in the car to annoy my friend

11) Do you have any strange phobias?

I don’t think any of them are necessarily strange… Although I have a fear of Hyenas yet there are none anywhere near me or have I ever really been around any…

12) Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?

I don’t think so..

13) What’s your religion?

technically atheist. but I do think there is a god out there

14) If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

Reading or hanging out with friends or my dog

15) Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

I like both

16) Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

A Fine Frenzy. That counts as a band right?

17) What was the last lie you told?

Im not actually sure

18) Do you believe in karma?

Yeah a little

19) What does your URL mean?

‘Always’ is from Harry Potter and ‘Jaimee’ is my name

20) What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

I think my greatest weakness is; animals (

I think my greatest strength is; my judge of character

21) Who is your celebrity crush?

Eddie Redmayne and Zac Efron

22) Have you ever gone skinny dipping?

nope

23) How do you vent your anger?

many ways. Song writing, dart throwing, crying and sleeping etc. depending on the situation also bottling it up for later

24) Do you have a collection of anything?

I have a collection of snow globes and keyrings from places I’ve been. I also have a few Pop Vinyls. I also collect all the movie tickets and concert tickets that I’ve attended.

25) Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

Depends on the person

26) Are you happy with the person you’ve become?

sort of. I don’t think Im fully to the point I want to be just yet

27) What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?

Hate; Balloons popping, scrapping of forks/spoons on plates, nails on a chalkboard etc

Love; waves crashing against the shore, pianos, acoustic guitars, laughter etc

28) What’s your biggest “what if”?

‘What if I had the courage to do that’

29) Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

yes to a degree

30) Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

right arm; Book

Left arm; Pillow

31) Smell the air. What do you smell?

The coconut ‘Victoria Secret mist’ I sprayed earlier

32) What’s the worst place you have ever been to?

um idk

33) Choose East Coast or West Coast?

of America? or Australia?

America; Seen the West Coast, not the East so ill go with East

Australia: East

34) Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?

Voice wise Michael Buble

35) To you, what is the meaning of life?

Love. Family and Friends

36) Define Art.

Everything. The essence of the world. A way to make everything okay, even for a little while

37) Do you believe in luck?

sort of

38) What’s the weather like right now?

coldish

39) What time is it?

1:55am

40) Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

Yes I do drive. NO I haven’t crashed

41) What was the last book you read?

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban

42) Do you like the smell of gasoline?

sort of

43) Do you have any nicknames?

Scout

44) What was the last movie you saw?

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

45) What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

cracked my head open

46) Have you ever caught a butterfly?

Ive had them land on me but not ‘caught’ them

47) Do you have any obsessions right now?

Im low key obsessed with Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

48) What’s your sexual orientation?

straight

49) Ever had a rumor spread about you?

yes

50) Do you believe in magic?

Yes. Makes you believe anything is possible.

‘Without even the possibility of magic, you’ll never find it’

51) Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

If what they did was bad enough, then yes

52) What is your astrological sign?

Aries

53) Do you save money or spend it?

spend. but if I have something to save for I’m generally quite good

54) What’s the last thing you purchased?

a birthday present for a friend and face wash (riveting I know)

55) Love or lust?

Love

56) In a relationship?

not right now

57) How many relationships have you had?

none that were very important

58) Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

nope

59) Where were you yesterday?

Out for lunch and shopping with one of my friends

60) Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

my slippers, iPad, pillow, lamp and a box

61) Are you wearing socks right now?

Nope

62) What’s your favorite animal?

Dog

63) What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

humor/wit/sarcasm

64) Where is your best friend?

at her house asleep

65) Spit or swallow?

LOL

66) What is your heritage?

Australian, New Zealand, English, Irish, Scottish

67) What were you doing last night at 12 AM?

Watching Youtube videos

68) What do you think is Satan’s last name?

um wtf

69) Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?

some questions just shouldn’t be asked

70) Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

I think so

71) You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

Save the dog. Couldn’t live with that guilt. If your boss still fires you after that, they’re not a good person to work for

72) You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

a) Thats hard. I think maybe? but then thats a lot to put onto someone

b) Spend as much time with everyone as possible. See nature, read, try new foods etc

c) To an extent, hell yes

73) You can only have one of these things; trust or love.

GAH THATS HARD.

love. if someone really loves you they will strive for your trust and vis versa

74) What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

‘Blow Away’ A Fine Frenzy

75) What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?

76) In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

Trust, love, communication

77) How can I win your heart?

Being genuine, funny, kind hearted and trustworthy

78) Can insanity bring on more creativity?

honestly it can

79) What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

moving on

80) What size shoes do you wear?

between a 9-10

81) What would you want to be written on your tombstone?

something like

‘family and friend. kind to everyone’ or something

82) What is your favorite word?

Serendipity

83) Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.

break

(darker than I would have thought)

84) What is a saying you say a lot?

‘bless’ and ‘anyway’

85) What’s the last song you listened to?

‘Lifesize’ - A Fine Frenzy

86) Basic question; what’s your favorite color/colors?

Purple, blue, light green/pastel green, pink, black

87) What is your current desktop picture?

iMac; Golden Gate Bridge at sunset surrounded by cloud

Laptop; Yosemite with a pink/purple sky

Phone; Me and my friend before she left to move to London

88) If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

wow. um no one. well I mean, no one Im actually gonna write…

89) What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

hmm thats tough

90) One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?

scream and cry without a doubt

91) You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?

Telekinesis

92) You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

probably something with my parents when I was younger. Like a party or game night or something like that.

93) You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

the stuff that happened in 2012

94) You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

Does Zac Efron count?

95) You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

London

96) Do you have any relatives in jail?

Not that Im aware of

97) Have you ever thrown up in the car?

I don’t think actually in the car. but outside the door, yes

98) Ever been on a plane?

Yep

99) If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?

STOP HATING ON EACH OTHER. ACCEPT EACH OTHER. HATRED AND ANGER DOESNT SOLVE ANYTHING. WE ARE ALL HUMAN. WE ALL BREATHE THE SAME, BLEED THE SAME, DREAM THE SAME. NO ONE IS BETTER THAN SOMEONE ELSE SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THEIR GENDER, RACE, SEXUALITY OR ANYTHING ELSE. STOP KILLING EACH OTHER, STOP BULLYING EACH OTHER. LET PEOPLE LOVE WHO THEY WANT. HELP PEOPLE, DONT HURT PEOPLE. PROTECT EACH OTHER. BE KIND TO EACH OTHER. BE KIND TO ANIMALS. PROTECT ANIMALS. PROTECT NATURE. BE KIND TO OUR PLANET, ITS THE ONLY ONE WE’VE GOT

yep basically.

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newyorkermusic-blog · 8 years

Text

A Little More Than Just a Spoonful of Sugar

TL;DR: The only way to motivate me to write is when it’s about something I love

WARNING: If you thought my Marvin Gaye article was just me sucking on someone’s dick, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

It shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that Spoon is one of my favourite bands. I talked about them a bit in my piece on lyrics, but today I want to talk about them in a more general sense, because there’s a lot I feel is worth saying about this band in particular.

If you’re not a fan of this kind of self-indulgent article from me, I’d recommend turning away now, because this becomes very ramble-y.

Firstly, it is worth repeating that Britt Daniels has one of my favourite lyrical styles in the world, so much so that his style is a major influence on my own (something I talk about in the aforementioned article). The way he plays fast and loose with traditional lyrical convention is simply exquisite. Sometimes he follows conventional rhyming scheme, sometimes conventional rhythmic structure, but rarely both. He can speak of emotion largely through metaphor, or he can tell a story in a more literal sense, or he can do a bit of both. He’s not above being a bit funny or clever, and his lyrics above all else have excellent personality.

Having said all of this, good lyrics are only one part of the puzzle. Another thing I adore about Spoon is their evolving style. I’m perhaps writing this article a bit early, as their next album is set to release in just a few weeks, but each one released so far has its own style, both in instrumental sound, and in general personality. Gimme Fiction is very distinct from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, which is very distinct from They Want My Soul, etc. This is something I look for in particular with the bands I listen to, and is something I can cite as positives for bands like Foals, Klaxons (although their final album... eugh), and Cage the Elephant, whereas it’s a complaint I have about bands like The Heavy and Gnarls Barkley (both of which I really like regardless). I’m certainly not the type to complain about a band’s sound changing; on the contrary, I think that’s really important.

What’s worth pointing out about Spoon in particular though, is the way they’ve predicted how indie rock and art rock (two of my favourite genres, if you haven’t noticed) has evolved over the years. Gimme Fiction feels like an intimate storybook, and in my opinion predicted the sort of stuff Kings of Leon, Modest Mouse, Foo Fighters, and even Coldplay started doing a few years later. Then Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga had a more Van Morrison/folkish (major emphasis on the ish) feel, and then a few years later bands like Mumford and Sons, and Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats started getting major attention. And then They Want My Soul was more electronic, a little more pop, and certainly more atmospheric or space rockish in style, and that’s the direction Twenty One Pilots, and Florence + The Machine have gone. Hell, I’m excited for Spoon’s next record just to see what the commandment is for rock in 2020.

It’s a real testament to their sound that Gimme Fiction, which is almost 12 years old now, sounds brand fucking new and wouldn’t be out of place among what’s being released today. I mean, Simon and Garfunkel just released a live album, to literally every-fucking-body’s surprise, but you know what I mean.

If there’s something I’m a little apprehensive about with Spoon, it’s the parts Jim Eno comes up with for the drums. Now, I am full of respect for Eno. He’s a really good drummer, and an equally excellent producer. Sometimes, though, he comes up with parts that are just boring, especially for me as a drummer. One of the reasons Foals is my favourite band is that Jack Bevan, their drummer, always manages to find parts that don’t just fit the song to a T, but are also interesting to play and to listen to. Jim Eno doesn’t always manage this, and I think part of the problem is him approaching a song as a producer rather than a musician. Some of his parts are really fun to play, but some just feel like a bit of a cop out. “They Never Got You” is an excellent example - it’s one boring beat for the entire song, with no changes ever, not even a fill. That’s five minutes of doing the same exact thing. One of the reasons I found Divine Fits - which is the Spoon side-project with half of the members - so refreshing is that you got Spoon songwriting with (usually) more interesting drums, because Jim isn’t a part of that band. Again, I like Jim Eno, and some of his stuff is amazing, but some of it gets uncomfortably close to ACDC levels of simple, and I’m not always a fan.

The other thing with Spoon is that while they’re extremely good at nailing a feel and personality for each of their records, they’re pretty bad at things like song order and effectively opening and closing a record. If you’ve heard or read essentially anything else I’ve ever done about music, you know these are things I value highly. The composition of a record is really important to me, because that’s what sets apart the men from the boys. If something like song order is given as high a regard as the composition of each song individually, it shows the sort of care and effort being put in by at least one person in the band.

Having said all of that, Spoon has had a really good ending song for an album exactly twice, with Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga’s “Black Like Me” (doubly so with a trick they pull on the vinyl release) and They Want My Soul’s “New York Kiss” (which happens to be one of my single favourite songs ever). Gimme Fiction ends terribly, as does Transference, and Kill the Moonlight. Girls Can Tell’s ending song, “Chicago at Night” is up for debate, but 2 out of 6 (seven if you include their really-not-good-at-all debut record) isn’t a great batting average. As far as openers, again Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is champion with “Don’t Make Me a Target”, but otherwise their albums just get straight to brass tacks without any of the build-up stuff that I personally prefer. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since an album like Demon Days by Gorillaz takes almost too long to get going, but I think it’s worth pointing out.

Within the records, song order still isn’t always fantastic. They Want My Soul goes into “Inside Out” for song #2, even though that’s a third or fourth song by any realistic standard. Bringing down the energy entirely into an experimental song #2 like this isn’t new for them (“The Ghost of You Lingers” from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga almost ruins the opening) but it’s still not a good practice. You should be sucking me in during the first two-three songs by being energetic and fun, which is why the Heavy know to save their first ballad for song #4, a lesson Spoon seems to have ignored. Gimme Fiction actually does this really well, by not getting truly weird until, you guessed it, song #4. That record goes through some cool changes with songs like “Two Sides/Monsieur Valentine” (another of my all-time favourites) and “I Turn My Camera On”, but at least it doesn’t immediately kill the vibe with a fucking synth ballad for song #2. On the other hand, I’m not sure that album even has a ballad, not to mention the fact Spoon doesn’t do traditional ballads like at all. This song order issue is a problem that carried over into Divine Fits, so maybe Britt just knows something I don’t, but it’s certainly a little frustrating for me.

Ultimately, however, Spoon is still one of my favourites, maybe even my second-favourite after Foals. There are a lot of things here that are major influences on my music and the way I think about music, and I will always be grateful if only for that. Spoon are among an esteemed group of things I will always remember as an essential, nostalgic part of my college experience.

I’m going to leave you with “Do You”, one of their all-time bests, because I’ve committed the blasphemy of not putting any gifs in this one at all, on top of the totally unnecessary nature of this article in general.

youtube

Spoon’s just really fucking good, so give them a try.

Peace.

#spoon #music #music article

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gigsoupmusic · 4 years

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GIGsoup Interviews Holiday Music

Formed at the back end of 2014 by multi-instrumentalist Mike Hlady, the Austin-via-Boston outfit Holiday Music has its origin in the Massachusetts indie scene of the late 2000's. Notable amongst this scene were Magic Magic, hailed at the time as one of the 50 best new bands in America by the Boston Phoenix. Despite receiving air play on BBC Radio 1 and having their self-titled debut distributed by legendary UK indie label Rough Trade, strangely and disappointingly a record deal didn't follow suit. After a few more releases and the creation of Hanging Horse Studio, Magic Magic faded quietly into the background and the newly formed Holiday Music came to the fore. Their debut album Atlantis arrived soon after their formation in 2014, and this was quickly followed a year later by Brain Waves Are Real? via Disposable America. Spending a little longer on their third album, John Wayne Syndrome was released in 2017. After another three year gap, their latest and fourth album Certified Ailments arrived at the end of February via Super Wimpy Punch. It was certainly time well spend as it’s their best work to date. Clocking in at under 30 minutes, its eight tracks are packed with a catchy and energetic blend of lo-fi, alt-rock, garage punk and a hint of psychedelia. GIGsoup recently caught up with Holiday Music vocalist and guitarist Mike Hlady to ask him a few questions about their latest album and how life under lockdown has been so far. First of all, congratulations on the new album. Can tell us a little bit about the making of Certified Ailments and inspirations behind it? The title is based on things that are bad for you. Things that make you feel good, but might not be good for you. I started recording the year before last doing demos. Then, last year I brought a couple songs to a friend of mine and really focused on overdubbing and finalizing everything. Mixing was a collaborative effort between myself, Evan Wynn and Daniel McNeill. We got the single ‘Expire Medicine’ mastered by the legendary Greg Calbi. It’s cool all the nice feedback we’ve gotten from everyone on the album. I do think this one finally represents ‘our sound’. http://youtu.be/aX8JQ_-C7KE Did you get to tour the new album much before venues started locking down? We didn’t. It seemed to come at such a poor time. I had been wanting to put this album out for a while, and finally after coordinating with Super Wimpy Punch we decided to on February. We had an album release show on the day it came out with our friends in Spirit Ghost, and then that was that. We had a bunch of shows set up for SXSW with lots of cool folks from out of town. It was a bummer because we haven’t seen some of the bands in a long time. How has life under lockdown been for you so far? How have you been occupying yourself? What music have you been listening to? Yeah, going a little crazy but trying to remain a stone statue as I usually do. Reading more, working on mixing music for friends, and video gaming. I watched Pink Floyd live from Pompeii on YouTube and it was insane. It’s awesome having the time to do that. I'm trying to let other stuff inspire me so making music comes more naturally. Right now, while writing this I'm listening to 'Venus in Furs' by Velvet Underground and 'Hurdy Gurdy Man' by Donovan. Some bands new and old I’ve been listening to are Guided by Voices, Minutemen, Pixies, Disq, Broadcast, Bowie, Thin Lizzy, Kate Bush, Unicorns, Cocteau Twins, Pearl Jam, Modest Mouse, Stephen Malkmus and Roxy Music. More artists have been opting for cassette only releases in recent years, what was your thinking behind putting Certified Ailments on tape as opposed to vinyl or CD? I actually always think to do vinyl but it’s so expensive. Vinyl is for the real collectors. CD is fantastic too. I’m all about CD’s but CD players are harder to come by I think. Tapes are cool and as I’ve collected more myself I think they are efficient and get the job done. They are definitely a desirable medium. http://youtube.com/watch?v=z6CV65Jsxqk I saw that you were involved in the creation of Hanging Horse Studio with some friends a few years back. Is it still operating? It’s not. It disbanded and everyone shifted more to doing their own thing. Which is cool. There ore recording studios or home setups all over now. Also, more music coming out from everybody. I did the first two Holiday Music albums there which you can definitely hear it in them. Brainwaves Are Real? especially. Hanging Horse was initially more of a recording studio rehearsal space for Magic Magic. Those were some really amazing times. Being a big fan of your work with Magic Magic I have to ask, what happened with the band? Are you all still in touch? Your debut was one of the best albums of the 2000’s for me personally, and among the great ‘lost’ records of my lifetime. It slowly fizzled out with time I guess. I’ve learned that time is more crucial than you think with art or a band. John and I still will work on stuff all the time to this day. All of us do still collaborate actually, under whatever moniker. It doesn’t matter what, it’s just the creation process everyone needs in their life. John and I work really well together at creating. When we are all together with Brendan and Dylan, it all clicks again too. Over time, we all just got pulled in different directions. We did a new Magic Magic record a couple years ago but never really finished it. Maybe it’ll see the surface at some point. How do you think the virus will affect touring and the live music scene when things gradually start to open back up again? I’m not sure, but I’m hoping we stay closed for a while to be safe. It’s not easy to say that because I work in live music. I want to play out in the world again dearly but I guess we’ll have to stick with livestreams for now. I’m doing a livestream on Monday 4th May via Super Wimpy Punch which will be on their Instagram (3:30pm CST / 4:30pm EST). You can follow Holiday Music on Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Their latest album Certified Ailments is available via Super Wimpy Punch. Read the full article

#HolidayMusic #interview

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joementa · 7 years

Text

Week of March 27, 2017. I Fell In Love With The Band At The Rock Show.

As I write this, I’m sitting on my couch with Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall on the turntable. This is one of my favorite non-summer Saturday night albums, and definitely my favorite MJ album. Yes, I just said that. Off The Wall is definitely my favorite MJ album, and it’s not even close. And yes, I’ve heard them all. This is one of those albums that’s just perfect for kick-starting your weekend. Take a look at this FIVE song run that opens the album. It’s almost hard to believe how good this is. “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”, “Rock With You”, “Working Day and Night”, “Get On the Floor”, and “Off The Wall”. These songs deal with Bruce-like issues with a ‘70’s soul vibe that sounds like the good part of disco (i.e. TSOP) and not the lame cheesy part. If that opening run doesn’t put you in a good mood and ready for your weekend, I don’t know what will. And make sure you check out “It’s The Falling In Love”. What a song!

On Friday night, I had the pleasure of seeing The Menzingers play a sold-out hometown show in Philly. Oh my lord. What. A. Show. I have not been to a rock ‘n roll show like that in a long, long time. The energy. The sense of community. The band totally rocked the show, and the crowd, including me, rocked just as hard. There was lots of movement throughout the entire set, and it’s shows like this that are my reasons for exercising as intensely as I do. Sure, I could scale back on my workouts which would mean I would have seen the show from further away. But when you are in a pit with hundreds of people singing and dancing to some of the best new rock ‘n roll, you realize there’s no other way to enjoy it than being in that pit.

This show was a real treat, and if you haven’t seen The Menzingers on tour yet, or heard their fantastic new album After The Party, I cannot recommend it enough. Run, don’t walk, to your local record store right now and buy the album. Stop reading this, and immediately go to their website and buy tickets to their show. You won’t regret it. The band has such a great time on stage. And the crowd does too. As I told everyone I would, I went absolutely nuts during “Lookers”.

This was a special show for me. It felt like the old TGA days for me. There were so many of my friends at the show. It really hasn’t been like that since TGA went on their break. It was fun to watch my friends in the pit, rocking as hard as possible. This is one of the things I like most about music. I love seeing everyone else so happy.

It’s crazy to think that I nearly missed this show. Let me explain. In 2012, TGA was touring their great album Handwritten, and I went to a ton of shows on that tour. The Menzingers were opening at the Philly show on November 27. At that time, I had never heard of them before. A few of my friends told me that I needed to make sure I saw The Menzingers, so I did. And nothing happened. I didn’t get it at all. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t think they were terrible. Not by any means. They just didn’t do anything for me.

Flash forward about seven months, and I was talking to a great friend of mine about music. We both love TGA, so were talking about them, and then started talking about other bands. He mentioned The Menzingers, and I told him that I had had trouble getting into them. He stopped me dead in my tracks and insisted that I buy their third album On The Impossible Past. I did so. And I LOVED it. It hit me so hard, and I was instantly in love with the band’s music. I’ve followed them ever since. After the show on Friday, as I was literally out of breath from singing and dancing and fist pumping so hard, and counting down the minutes until I got back to my hotel so I could change out of my sweat-drenched clothes, I felt so lucky that my friend and I had had our conversation almost four years ago. Imagine if we weren’t talking about TGA on that day. We may have never discussed The Menzingers, and if that had happened, I might have continued to write them off. I might have followed their new music. And worst of all, I could have decided not to go to this show. That would have been a terrible decision! I’m glad the opposite happened, and I’m glad I have great friends who are not afraid to be persistent about telling me about truly great music.

The next day after The Menzingers show, we had a few hours to kill in Philly. Hm. A few free hours in Center City. I think I know how to fill those hours….RECORD SHOPPING! We ended up at Long In The Tooth, one of my favorite stores in Philly. They have a great selection of new vinyl and you can find some real used gems if you spend the time digging. Luckily, we had the time to do some digging and as a result, I found some really great gems, a few of which were on my want-list.

Dave Hause – “Time Will Tell” 7-inch This comes with two non-album songs, including a cover of the Souls’ “Ghosts On the Boardwalk”. Not a bad deal for under $4.

Blood Orange – “Dinner” b/w “Bad Girls” 7-inch I didn’t even know this existed. I LOVE Blood Orange, and neither of these songs are on any Blood Orange albums.

Miles Davis – Tutu What an album! This is a great late-night Saturday night album. I was doing some research on this album and I read that this was originally planned to be a collaboration with Prince. Can you imagine an album with Miles Davis AND Prince?!

Angel Olsen – Burn Your Fire For No Witness

And now the fun begins. Long In The Tooth had a TON of Prince vinyl. Unless I already had it, or there were visible scratches on the used vinyl, I bought all of it.

Prince - Batman My Dad got me into Prince, and he loves this album. We listened to this on CD all the time when I was a kid. Check out “Trust”.

Prince And The Revolution - “Anotherloverholenyohead” b/w “Girls & Boys” 12-inch

Prince - “Letitgo” 12-inch

Prince And The Revolution - “Let’s Go Crazy” b/w “Erotic City (‘Make Love Not War Erotic City Come Alive’)” 12-inch

Here is a list of some of the music I’ve been listening to the past week. Format: musician – album title, or musician – “song title” (album title).

Bob Dylan – Triplicate

Ryan Adams – Prisoner

Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart Part 4”

Craig Finn – We All Want the Same Things

Laura Marling – Semper Femina

Dave Hause – Bury Me In Philly

Conor Oberst – Salutations

Crystal Fairy – Crystal Fairy

The Shins - Heartworms

The Menzingers – After The Party

The Menzingers – “Lookers” (After The Party)

The Pretenders – Learning to Crawl

Counting Crows – “A Long December” (Recovering The Satellites)

Camp Cope – Camp Cope

The Cure – Three Imaginary Boys

John Mayer Trio – Try!

Wilco – Summerteeth

The Cure – The Head On the Door

Miles Davis – On The Corner

Miles Davis – Tutu

Sam Beam & Jesca Hoop – Love Letter For Fire

Bob Dylan – Fallen Angels

Bob Dylan – Shadows In the Night

Wilco – A.M.

Ryan Adams – “Do You Laugh When You Lie?” b/w “By the Way” and “I’m In Love With You”

Ryan Adams – “Blue Light” b/w “On My Life” and “I Lost My Fucking Mind”

Michael Jackson – Off The Wall

Prince – Batman

Blood Orange – Cupid Deluxe

Lissie – Back To Forever

Nina Simone – Let It All Out

Hootie & The Blowfish – Cracked Rear View

Music is not only fun to listen to. It’s also fun to read about! Hear are a few articles that I’ve read recently, which I think are worth your time.

- JM (John Mayer) has a new album coming out on April 14, called The Search For Everything. The NYT did a feature article on him on March 26. The link to that article is below. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/23/arts/music/john-mayer-search-for-everything-interview.html?ref=todayspaper

- (F)JM (Father John Misty) has a new album coming out the week before JM’s new album. It’s called Pure Comedy and I can’t wait to listen to it. The NYT did a feature article on this (F)JM, and the link to that article is below. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/14/arts/music/father-john-misty-pure-comedy-interview.html?ref=todayspaper

- Dave Hause’s new album Bury Me In Philly is one of my favorites so far from this year. I discovered his music in 2012 when I saw him touring in support of his debut solo album Resolutions. He recently did an interview with Xtra Mile Recordings about that album. You can (and should) read that interview by clicking the link below. http://www.1.xtramilerecordings.com/dave-hause-on-resolutions/

- Last week I mentioned Dylan’s Q&A with Bill Flanagan. I think it’s so good, and hilarious, that I will mention it again. Carve some time into your schedule to read this. http://www.bobdylan.com/news/qa-with-bill-flanagan/

- Jack White is one of those musicians that you just have to love if you’re a music fan. I wish all musicians had his passion and love for music. The New Yorker did a feature article on him recently, appearing in the March 13, 2017 issue. The link to the article is below. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/13/jack-whites-infinite-imagination

- New Miserable Experience by the Gin Blossoms was recently reissued on vinyl. It is a great summer album (check out the song “29”), filled with catchy choruses and ‘90s guitar riffs (never a bad thing). A lot of people know some of the Gin Blossoms hits, but not many people know about how they were close to never being popular at all, and yet at the same time had the potential to be one of the world’s biggest bands. This story explains some of that. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/gin-blossoms-new-miserable-experience-at-25-w473690?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=032917_12

- The New York Times Style Magazine recently included a feature article on Tom Waits, Kendrick Lamar, and Beck, discussing their creative process and the urgency and emergency they feel when creating. That’s quite the group of talented and creative musicians right there. A feature article of each of them discussing their inspirations and creative process is bound to be worth reading. I’ve read it, and it is. Take some time to read it. Here is the link. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/01/t-magazine/beck-tom-waits-kendrick-lamar.html?_r=0

Now I am listening to Dylan’s great new album Triplicate on the turntable. This is an album that was meant to be listened to on vinyl. And it’s a great Sunday album. So after you listen to MJ’s Off The Wall on a Saturday night, you can listen to Dylan’s Triplicate on a Sunday. You can always find the connection in music!

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