#but its like sort of like a solid layer of sound that works really wonderfully as bg vocals in some standard vocaloid song cover

[bmpmp3]

When teto sv was announced a lot of people kept saying genbu was obsolete, which I never thought was very accurate because WHILE I do think his brief sidehustle of vaguely impersonating utauloids (to... debatable results) is a bit funny, outside of like maybe five users that was never his main use-case as a vocal synthesizer. His primary purpose, at least from what I've seen in the greater vocal synth community, always seemed more like it was to be the only mid-deep toned masc Japanese synthv voice with a free version that people can throw in the background vocals of their other covers. His true rival was never teto SV so much as it is the lite bank kiyoteru will most likely release with. That school teacher might shoot him dead. He might kill him. He might kill him.

[hoeoctave08-blog]

Facelift surgical Treatment, Eye & Neck Lifts

Skin geek

Content

exists any Kind Of Downtime following treatment?

Fat Freeze Is remarkable

treatment

Cryopen Cryotherapy.

is There An Age limit For This type Of surgery?

Fat Freeze Is really good.

The proposition must consist of photos and also evidence that appropriate cryo-EM samples have currently been generated. Our complimentary software program as well as web site for remote control, tracking as well as logging of your Oxford Cryosystems device.

How many fingers means you're loose?

Then, removed it and inserted two fingers, followed by three fingersto assess tightness as compared to a single finger?” The rule of the thumb is that if you can insert your ring, middle, and index finger together into your vagina and cannot feel anything, then it is most likely that you're loose.

The example is applied to a grid, which is then frozen in liquid ethane and also kept in fluid nitrogen. Freezing should be fast sufficient to prevent the water existing developing ice crystals. Ice lattices will not only take in the electron beam of light and also obscure the image, but are likely to harm the sample's structures. If the example is frozen quickly sufficient, water solidifies as an amorphous solid and does not crystallise.

Does insurance pay for ThermiVa?

Please note: ThermiVa is not covered by insurance and pricing is subject to change. For your convenience, we offer United Medical Credit and Care Credit to help patients secure the funding they need for their healthcare procedures.

All of our products stay true to the goals of our creators; to understand the demands of our client, and to develop the maximum service. The GW4 allianceopened a ₤ 3.7 M center for high resolution electron cryo-microscopy at the College of Bristol. Photo evaluation is made it possible for by a high performance computer cluster moneyed by a BBSRC Alert 17 grant.

exists any Kind Of Downtime following therapy?

Every one of our therapies are strongly evaluated internal before we provide them to our clients to guarantee they are secure, effective and will certainly offer you, our fantastic clients, the outcomes you want.

We have extensive understanding and experience in the medical and aesthetic appeals sectors, but we understand that above all, the outcomes matter!

Making use of ultra-sound waves, the superficial muscular aponeurotic system is targeted.

Your happiness, health and also complete satisfaction are at the very core of every little thing we do right here at Elite Aesthetic appeal, and also as a result we will certainly never over-treat or perform a treatment that Dr. Shirin, considers unacceptable or hazardous.

This guarantees you have chosen the right therapy for your skin appearance objectives.

The SF HIFU Medication is unmatched by other non-invasive cosmetic devices, with its capacity to deal with the cells generally dealt with throughout medical renovations.

This implies you can constantly feel great that you remain in risk-free hands when you pick Elite Aesthetic appeals.

In time, collagen fibers start to shed flexibility, which consequently creates the skin to lose its suppleness and also start to sag.

The cells are heated up to a range in between 60-70 ˚C, hence the natural injury healing procedure is promoted to produce brand-new collagen and elastin.

They symbolize Air Liquide's scientific region and also have gone to the core of the business's activities since its creation in 1902. At PSS we pride ourselves on our customer service and are happy to provide as much help as required no matter the inquiry size. Improvements to skin disease such as psoriasis, dermatitis, acnes, and also acne. An all natural wellness brand like nothing else, the UK's very first electrically cooled down Cryotherapy chamber established by cosmetic surgeon Dr. Yannis Alexandrides.

How long does a vaginal rejuvenation last?

By the 6 week clearance appointment, the stitches should have dissolved and patients are cleared to resume regular activities. How long will results last after vaginal rejuvenation? The results of vaginal rejuvenation typically last for a lifetime, unless a new vaginal delivery reverses its affects.

This is a fantastic handheld device that enables you to proceed treatment in the house, in between sessions with ourselves. Swedish massage therapy is the most usual type as well as form of massage carried out in the West, and also it is where lots of people have their very first experience of enjoying the advantages of massage therapy. This type concentrates on the surface layers of muscle rather than deep-tissue massage therapy. Dermapen is a little tool that resembles a pen as well as is usually used for microneedling on people with skin issues as well as the end product is a tightened up, invigorated as well as beautiful skin. The ZO Red rug Peel is developed to exfoliate the skin by stimulating mobile turnover to improve complexion, structure and also quality. This treatment is best matched to customers that are experiencing discomfort, swelling inflammation in one certain component of the body.

Additionally, if you've lately had fillers, we recommend waiting 2 weeks before you have an ACTIVE CryoFacial. Unlike a conventional face, it's a quick, simple therapy that will certainly leave your face looking revitalized as well as glowing.

Fat Freeze Is remarkable

Occasionally healthy proteins embrace favored positionings that make 3D reconstruction difficult. Because of an absence of tarnish and for that reason an absence of contrast, pictures typically have a really reduced signal-to-noise ratio, calling for highly advanced discovery equipment and also photo handling. A major advantage of cryo-EM over x-ray crystallography is that the particle of rate of interest does not have to be crystallised.

treatment

Our tangential product is our range of single-stage and also two-stage GM coolers, which are finding uses in a series of applications, from our own XRD cryostats to use in radioastronomy and HTS magnets. Oxford Cryosystems specialises in the layout and manufacture of world-class cryogenic tools. Adipose tissue, or fat, is an anatomical term for loose connective tissue composed of adipocytes. Its major function is to store energy in the form of fat, although it likewise pillows and also protects the body. Excessive of this is not an advantage for consumers wishing to get rid of excess fat as well as attain that tone as well as interpretation they desire. The most sophisticated cryo-EM equipment remains incredibly costly. The growth of centralised facilities might have the ability to assist increase accessibility to cryo-EM devices.

Cryo-electron microscopy, or cryo-EM, uses electrons to research samples frozen at cryogenic temperatures. The Cryo Cabinet is a totally bonded, stainless-steel cryogenic cupboard freezer developed by Air Liquide based upon the current health standards from the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Team and also the United States Department of Farming. By utilizing Trimbio for all your medical and also non medical device testing, we can decrease the overall expenses to your company. We have proficiency with logistics, regulated temperature states, and also recognize the crucial value of preserving top quality and also standards at all times.

Yet opting out of a few of these cookies may have a result on your surfing experience. We make use of cookies on our site to give you one of the most relevant experience by remembering your choices and repeat gos to. By clicking "Accept", you consent to using ALL the cookies. Wonderfully crafted devices, providing the most recent developments in the elegance and also wellbeing area. Specimen prep work can be tricky-- not only to optimise ice thickness, however also to optimise bit distribution.

Cryopen Cryotherapy.

https://csgrid.org/csg/team_display.php?teamid=655120 ='text-align:center'>

exists An Age restriction For This sort Of surgical Treatment?

You might call for short term storage for stem cells, or require to keep certain samples or reagents offsite. We make use of cookies to guarantee we give you the most effective experience on our site. By continuing to use this site you are agreeing to our cookie policy. Photon Surgical Equipment sells new and pre-owned tools, as well as supplying maintenance and also repair services to the Veterinary as well as Human Medical Occupations at reasonable costs. We have a values of offering the most effective top quality products at cost effective rates and completely supporting them with our very own group of extremely competent as well as seasoned professionals as well as engineers. Please do not hesitate ahead with a clean face or we can offer a wipe to cleanse your face before the therapy; maintaining your makeup on is great too. In either case, you get the terrific advantages of an ACTIVE CryoFacial.

For a complexion that needs restoring opt for our Cryotherapy face therapy. The controlled system of -30 ° C cooled down air as well as pure CO2 assists to enhance oxygen degrees, aid the improvement of microcirculation, and offer optimum conditions for collagen and elastin excitement. These icy liquid-filled globes will assist move toxins that linger under the eyes, and increase oxygen circulation at the skin surface area. These borosilicate glass worlds are loaded with a non-freezing liquid, which indicates they can be rolled under the eyes as well as along the jawline, straight from the freezer. They're likewise especially great for holding over cystic outbreaks-- the amazing temperature will rapidly bring down upset inflammation.

This website makes use of cookies to improve your experience while you browse through the site. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are classified as needed are kept on your internet browser as they are crucial for the working of standard capabilities of the internet site. We likewise use third-party cookies that assist us assess and also recognize exactly how you use this website. These cookies will certainly be kept in your web browser just with your permission.

The air is supplied with premium fan aided air flow control, utilizing specialized followers able to stand up to extreme temperatures. Consequently, the air within is regularly circulated and also cooled down as well as gives an even temperature.

For the very best experience on our site, make certain to switch on Javascript in your browser. A globe leader in gases, innovations as well as services for Market and also Wellness, Air Liquide exists in 80 countries with about 66,000 workers as well as serves more than 3.6 million customers as well as people. https://turkeymist40.tumblr.com/post/633666945762328576/hifu-treatment-uk , nitrogen as well as hydrogen are essential little molecules forever, matter and also power.

What Are Some usual Facelift Faqs?

A Cryotherapy + Health center with a simple approach as well as a bespoke method to your details skin as well as body requirements. Blood retreats from the extremities and also is diverted to your core to protect your crucial organs. Blood begins to flow much faster, as well as your blood temperature may rise up to 40 ° C. For full Thermic shock to happen the head should be consisted of in the treatment.

How long does cryotherapy take to work?

How Does Cryotherapy Work? Essentially, cryotherapy delivers a short, sharp temperature shock, typically for a period between two and five minutes. Physiologically, the process leads the human brain, subconsciously, to believe that it faces a fight or flight situation.

set up an account, or crucial macromolecules simply can not be crystallised; others have their structures irreversibly transformed by crystallisation. Images of multiple copies of the molecule suspended in arbitrary orientations in vitrified ice are tape-recorded, based on the interactions of the matter with a beam of light of electrons. Newly established 'direct electron detectors' record better-quality images than older digital camera-style imaging. Large macromolecules and also subcellular structures have actually confirmed specifically excellent targets for imaging with cryo-EM. A few of the most amazing advances in the area have actually remained in figuring out the 3D framework of ribosomes, healthy proteins and infections, practically to the atomic scale.

Ada Ooi's tool sustains a temperature of -8 to -2 degrees, indicating it's perfectly topped to depuff as well as awaken the skin. It's the easiest one to make use of, as well-- simply roll the big, dimpled surface area over just-cleansed skin,, then adhere to with a lotion.

[johnnys-so]

I recall you saying you don't know Day6 well enough for an analysis, but what about now? If you can, we'd love one. Thank you!

HEYOOO! 

Umm a lot hasn’t changed on that front but I feel like the distance might be a good thing so I’m going to attach some small mini-analysis after the cut.

sungjin

Bob is literally the most dad friend ever and I think he really takes the cake (though GOT7′s JB comes a close second). He looks so constantly done with all of his members, and yet - probably the one who cleans the kitchen and makes sure to stock up on water/ramyeon/veggies etc.

I feel like he was born to be the hyung, you know? He is the responsible and primary caregiver type. Even though he doesn’t make a big show of it, it seems to be a big part of his personality that he takes care of other people

Also, my god his humour is just.... something commendable, truly. He can’t be funny to save his ass but atleast he keeps trying and i think THATS what so funny about him??? sungjin-ah.... never give up bby

I feel like he’s the least complicated of all members. He doesn’t seem to be the emotionally volatile type and seems very centred in his personality, he also seems oddly like he might have a sister? a younger one (does he? idk, mydays pls let me know). it’s just that other than the protective bear stereotype, he does seem emotionally well-adjusted. Maybe he’s just at that point in life where he can encounter a shitty day or some sort of hardship and look at it straight and say - ok, that’s fucked up. But I guess we gotta just work through it. (in comparison, wonpil would be shrieking through his lungs AND working through it)

in terms of a temper i think he most certainly has one but it takes him a while to get there and i don’t think he’d talk through it AT ALL. maybe cleanliness would be his pet peeve? (im just shooting in the dark here)

to wrap it up, sungjin is the sort of guy (in my opinion at least) who has a strong and steady value system and he’s sort of ok with dealing with the world as long as he has it figured out in his head. He knows who he is, and therefore there is little conflict he brings to the world. If he wasn’t playing in this band, I’d 1000% see him settle for the corporate life and clean9 to 5 job which lets him come back home by 7pm and have some cold beer while watching football and hearing his kids play in the living room

Jae

Aww man this skinny bitch. I feel like the fandom is sleeping on his ‘annoying prankster’ potential because i think  he’d give peeves a run for his money

derives great joy from the misery and anguish of others (probably has Wonpil maniacally laughing in the background)

on a normal day Jae is the sort of person who’s probably going through memes on the phone while everyone’s having a serious conversation about their tour or like their everyday schedules. He has a few things he cares about in life and is okay to take a backseat when it comes to the other shit. As long as he gets what he needs (a possible slytherin mofo?)

But that’s not to say that he’s easygoing or wishywashy about the things that he does care about. Music, matters a lot to him. Even though he’s not academically musically instructed (as young k is) he has spent a whole lot of time and effort into educating himself to the point that it really shows in their albums (i could wax poetry about the complexity of Day6′s music and how its so refreshing in it’s personality of being both goth and peppy i-). So Jae is most certainly determined, goal driven and very intrinsically motivated

Also, very much in his head. If he doesn’t have a strong pisces placement, I’m willing to eat my foot. I feel like while Young K is very intense about his emotions, Jae gets very emotional about the people he surrounds himself with.

With people: not very trusting of everyone. Has a chosen few that he goes to certain things about. Might be the kind of person who distributes his troubles by categories to various confidants. But also, trust is something that is earned with jae. But that is not to say that he won’t get along with other people. He’s cordial and is good in engaging a crowd (as a performer, MC, friend, VJ) but he’s also good at drawing lines and boundaries

the most incredible part of his personality for me has always been his work-ethic and his drive to be better. He’s always challenging himself through his existing skill set, but also pushing himself to learn new things. Sounds like a bloody workaholic to me. 

probably shit at figuring out his own feelings/emotions/attitude about certain things. But always up for being the wise advice-giver to other delinquents (read: jamie)

sarcastic wit to sass everyone for days. probably a loki over thor guy

Kink master extraordinaire. Likes cooking up shit and encourages people to sin.

Young K

emo baby af. But we all knew this so more on that later

The ultimate Onion of a personality. Young K, off the bat, seems like he hides so many layers. Not purposely at all, but simply because he’s unable to communicate the extent of his mental world to the public

one beautiful way he has found to channelise all of his thoughts and ideas about the world is clearly through his music and lyrics. But he’s also extremely creative in other ways (art and fashion). I feel like he’s the sort of person who feels most confident and assured in himself when he’s creating. 

socially, what a mess. I wouldn’t say he has trust issues like Jae does but im pretty sure he’s made some foolish mistakes about choosing friends and not realising how to navigate that friendship (friendships where he has demanded too much or has been demanded too much of??). But otherwise a jovial fool the kind of person who laughs the loudest (and dorkiest) at a dinner with friends

how’s his alcohol intake? I have this super funny intake of a drunk young k trying to write mini love poems for all his friends and sungjin being called to take him home and the call actually begins with “did he try to be poetic again?”

while im trying to paint a picture of him as a jester (because young k also needs to be seen for beyond his emotionality) he’s the kind of guy that would surprise you with how brilliant he is. An actual wisecrack/genius, and very underappreciated. I wouldn’t be surprised if he someday returns to teaching

Right. Emotionality though. If he isn’t some pisces (sun or moon) i will actually yell. He’s the definition of ‘someone who navigates an alternate plane, is open to a world that most people don’t even begin to understand exists’. i feel like speaking to him about abstract concepts - such as the existence of truth, the point of life, the definition of beauty, other existential phenomenon - would be so much fun because he’s have such an interesting and unconventional take on things. I feel like he’s make me humble with the words he has (he already makes me feel so secure with all of his lyrics because i realize, even if the world is shit what a relief that someone like young k exists)

probably would be a guilt-ridden but a wonderfully emotionally supportive boyfriend. Someone who understands your demons all too well and would go the extra mile to provide whatever help he can

1000% has high neuroticism scores that would be cause for concern. someone give him a Beck’s depression inventory right away.

HAHAHAHAH probably the fucking kinkiest mofo, after Jae

Wonpil

An actual baby!!

No ok but wonpil has matured THE most in all of Day6 and i really didn’t realise it until i notice how his expressions have become more closed during airport pics, and his voice has gained a new level of emotionality in live stages, and he’s also a lot more reserved these days on variety shows

still the most extrovert in the group. I just think the fame, the crowd, the possible betrayals as a result of their growing fame and having to be an adult in this tough situation - has gotten to him. But that’s inevitable really. None of us can be protected from the reality of life that leeches away at our innocence

such a vibrant soul. Such a giver. As a friend, he’s literal sunshine. Not much of a protector, but more of an amicable I’ll-always-be-there-for-you sort of person (though im guessing the amount of people he extends this courtesy to nowadays has probably reduced. 

fucking made to be an entertainer. He’s naturally funny and attracts all the energy (and eyes) in the room to himself. A very good mood maker if you will

in terms of neuroticism, I think he’d be more on the depression (from the constant stress workstyle and the increasing loneliness) than an anxious person. I think he probably is a bit volatile in his emotions but that’s because he gets lost in the moment. He’s literally someone who lives in the present far more than he lives in the past (sungjin or young k) or the future (jae)

don’t think he's intrinsically motivated much. Prone to a lot of lazy days, a lot of extreme gaming and just randomnly playing jokes and pranks on people. he’d need some strongly external guidance/deadlines to get his work ethic going

high extraversion and agreeableness, probably low on conscientiousness (especially discpline) but fascinated by aesthetic beauty (openness to experience).

Dowoon

Honest to god i cannot figure him out. I think it’s a case of - im trying to look deeper and harder but the truth is, it’s not even that complicated

underappreciated oppa potential 100000%

still comes through as a dork of a maknae. has zeROhand eye coordination outside of drumming. the kind of kid who breaks the glassware and blames it on his sibling (wonpil) and his parents totally believe him because he could do no wrong (aka sungjin grudginly yells at wonpil, again, about house rules)

just a man dedicated to his drums and his food. if he can play some solid beats, get some work done on the albums, play a nice set on a tour, have some chicken and beer while he is resting, have his hyungs fool around in the green room --> he good bruh

but by no means does that make him a fool (though i do think he’s a bit of a fool sometimes when it comes to picking up social cues about wonpil/jae making fun of him. he lacks the 눈치 you know what i mean)

Also (maybe I just love plot twists) but i think he’d be eerily good at picking up on people feeling sad/depressed/lonely/off in general. He’d be like that guy who just walks into the room and sees you just slinking away on the sofa and he thinks.... nah im just going to give them space and go get myself some food. But literally a few seconds later, he sits by you on the sofa, offers you food, and asks what’s on your mind. The silent supporter kind. Willing to listen, willing to be there for you

i don’t know much about dowoon so im just going to end this with: arms that can lift kids/ crush you in a bear hug/ pin you against a wall and leave bit marks on your neck

sorry if that didn’t cover much. I sort of only know day6 with their music. If im extremely wrong or way off about someone, please reach out and correct me!!

[theeverlastingshade]

Ashes Grammar- A Sunny Day In Glasgow: 10th Anniversary

Of all the artists that emerged throughout the prior decade, there wasn’t another quite as elusive, mercurial, and underappreciated as A Sunny Day in Glasgow. They released their debut record, Scribble Mural Comic Journal in 2007, and its homespun concoction of hazy atmospherics and sun-kissed melodies that peaked out from beneath layers of playful noise bridged the gap between Creation Records and Flying Nun, but it also established them as an island unto themselves. They seemed considerably more reserved than most of their peers, and not nearly as easy to peg. Two years later they dropped their stellar sophomore LP, Ashes Grammar, and all those points became even more pronounced. AG is a collection of 22 tracks that run from 11 seconds to just under 6 and a half minutes, and the sequencing is impeccable. Nothing sounds accidental or ill-placed, and while the idea of an album playing through like a single song is a tired cliché at this point, there are few records that fit that description as well as AG. The record is more fleshed out and stranger than its predecessor, and the palpable glee that the band have as they take immense risks throughout is infectious. It’s one long, joyful dream that finds the band upending the well-worn conventions of shoegaze and dream pop to delirious affect, and in the process creating a future benchmark for these respective genres.

 AG unfolds like a euphoric fever dream pitched somewhere between a religious ceremony and a twee dance party. ASDiG was a seven-piece band when they recorded AG, and so unsurprisingly there’s quite a bit going on at all times. There’s a sharp pop sensibility coursing throughout the record’s veins, but the band rarely engages that impulse directly, more often than not they tuck their melodies under waves of guitar distortion, four on the floor beats, and a wide assortment of texture. When the melodies are pronounced, as on “Close Chorus”, or “The White Witch” the results are simply breathtaking, and that playful sense of mischief that renders those moments far and few between is a large part of the record’s appeal. The vocals are consistently gorgeous but many of the actual lyrics are indiscernible, and so even when the vocals soar they still function as additional texture. On many of the songs the vocals don’t seem like the true focal point of the music, but there are plenty of stunning vocal melodies and harmonies throughout AG that negate the sense that they were an afterthought. And for a band that understandably scans entirely as headphone music, ASDiG provide these songs with quite a bit of infectious rhythm that you can actually dance to. The juxtaposition between the rhythms and the rest of the arrangements that their songs are composed of is remarkably fluid from start to finish, which gives AG on the whole a potential appeal beyond the the vast majority of comparable contemporaries.

The majority of the tracks that AG consists of scan far closer to sketches and interludes than they do proper songs. There are a few obvious high points that are far more fleshed out than the bulk of what’s here, but most of the songs on AG are just a few minutes long, and develop their ideas quickly without overstaying their welcome. In this way AG is more reminiscent of a Flying Lotus record in structure than most of the obvious shoegaze and dream pop touchstones that they’re building off of sonically, and that approach remains engaging because it consistently keeps the listener on their toes. No two songs sound alike, but they’re clearly the work of the same band, and more so than any other ASDiG record AG showcases a staggering amount of range from a fairly well-defined set of parameters. Songs like “Headphone Space” and “The White Witch” are among the best songs that ASDiG ever recorded, and necessitate their respective lengths to develop their exceptional melodies and mesmerizing arrangements. Most of the record is told through short, sweet bursts like the touching guitar drone of “Miss My Friends”, the stomp/clap rhythm and high-pitched synth squeal of “Canalfish”, or the alluring combination of bass, harmonica, and sleigh bells on “Loudly”. These songs succeed in building an engrossing patchwork of disparate pieces that, when listened to within the proper sequencing, showcase a staggering amount of growth from their relatively lean and more straightforward debut.

While every track on AG bleeds together superbly, there are a few songs here that loom large over everything else. Opening to clanging guitar riffs, a simple tom beat, and a gorgeous, wordless vocal melody, “The White Witch” takes a little over a minute to establish its presence before the arrangements break away to reveal a gorgeous dream pop song hiding beneath the squalls of distortion. The song chugs along for another two minutes steadily incorporating additional guitar overdubs before dipping into a mesmerizing outro with the surging guitar easing up for an emphasis on pure atmosphere. The following song “Nitetime rainbow” is one of the more interesting songs on AG, and opens to a rapid-fire procession of hi-hats while waves of bright synths wash over them. A hand-clap/kick drum rhythm emerges alongside scattered chants, faint harmonies, and jangly guitars that create an alluring framework, but everything dissipates shortly thereafter, replaced with nothing but a four on the floor bounce. That tension of building up their arrangements, and quickly cutting them back down persists throughout the following few minutes, and as the song concludes they bring everything back for a satisfying conclusion that transitions superbly into “Canalfish”. The 41 second interlude “Life’s Great” only exists for pure kindling, but it’s a perfect segue into closer “Headphone Space”, the grand culmination of everything that the band accomplished on AG. On “Headphone Space” ASDiG set colorful synths that explode like fireworks against a throbbing low-end while angelic harmonies triumphantly swirl around the chaos in pitch-perfect harmony.

While many of the songs on AG are among their best, the absolute best song that ASDiG has ever released is hands down “Close Chorus”. A quick burst of kick drums ignites an immediately entrancing vocal melody that the band lay softly over synths that swell with euphoria, jangly guitars, and a bouncing bassline. Shortly afterwards they add a hi-hat polyrhythm, and continue to build on this groove before everything drops away save for the vocal melody, a procession of heavenly harmonies, and a kick/snare rhythm. “Close Chorus” then hits a bridge that locks everything into a sort of spiraling stasis before a chugging hi-hat/kick rhythm comes barreling into the mix alongside the guitar, bass, and synth motifs from earlier. After the vocals return to build the intensity back up “Close Chorus” erupts into a fit of pure ecstasy propelled by their finest vocal melody to date. ASDiG then go into a legitimate guitar solo that flexes their pedal board acumen, and from there the song crescendo’s into one of the most cathartic moments in any song that I’ve ever listened to. It’s difficult to genuinely talk about a song as good as “Close Chorus” and do it justice without lapsing into hyperbole, but it’s the kind of song that you remember where you were when you first heard it, and it’s a perfect demonstration of ASDiG firing on all cylinders while making something that no one else could have.

After AG ASDiG continued to undergo several more lineup changes, most notably adding Jen Goma into the fold whose vocals played an increasingly large role in defining their sound on subsequent LPs. Following AG came their short and sweet Nitetime Rainbows EP in early 2010, their underrated third LP, Autumn Again, in late 2010, their masterful fourth LP, Sea When Absent, in mid-2014, the surprisingly heavy and too brief No Death EP in early 2015, and a solid double EP called Planning Weed Like It’s Acid / Life Is Loss in late 2015. They’ve never released anything that’s less than good, but their profile has never really seemed to rise above unanimous critical acclaim, and outside of specific music-obsessive circles they remain almost universally unknown. No other artist has managed to fuse shoegaze, dream pop, psychedelic pop, and experimental electronic music in a way that’s anywhere near as exciting or singular since ASDiG dropped SMCJ in 2007. While AG doesn’t quite sustain the immediacy of SMCJ, nor does it consistently impress with its songwriting like SWA, AG is nonetheless an impressive work of art that finds the fluid septet’s sound crystallizing into something wonderfully inimitable. ASDiG have always seemed to own their elusiveness though, and just like the rest of their records, AG seems meant to have been a lost secret brimming with colorful vistas worth exploring for those curious and patient enough to give them the time that they necessitate.

Essentials: “Close Chorus”, “The White Witch”, “Headphone Space”

[pivitor]

My Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2018

When it comes to music, ideas of "good" or "bad" or "best" are purely subjective. Frankly, it's ridiculous to suggest that any one person, or even any one group, has the authority to decide what the best albums of the year are, even if they did have the capacity to listen to every single release. But I love these kind of lists anyway because, at their best, they provide people the chance to gush about the music they loved in a year, the albums that challenged them, brought them joy, and helped reshape their lives. I don't necessarily think music should be ranked and judged, but it absolutely should be explored, examined, and shared.

The following is exactly that. These are my ten favorite albums of 2018, the ten albums I spent the most time with, got the most out of, and loved more than anything else released this year (that I had a chance to listen to, at least). If you've heard some of these albums before, I hope I can help you find something new to appreciate, or at least remind you why you liked them in the first place; if you haven't, then I hope you find a new song, band, or album here to love. 

Let's get to it:

10. MXPX -- MXPX: There were a few really strong albums competing for this final slot, but MXPX took it through sheer consistency. Every single song on this album is just an incredibly solid block of pop-punk, bolstered by some fun, yet often unexpectedly mature, lyrics. Mike Herrera and the rest of MXPX look backwards and forward simultaneously, reminiscing about their childhood and long history as a band, but also sharing the lessons they've learned along the way; on album stand-out "Moments Like This," Herrera specifically confronts the legacy he's leaving his family, and it's surprisingly poignant. MXPX is a blueprint for how any pop-punk band can mature without losing that youthful spark that makes the genre so dang fun in the first place. 

Highlights: Rolling Strong, The Way We Do, Moments Like This

9. Justin Courtney Pierre -- In The Drink: Two grueling years after the demise of Motion City Soundtrack (one of my Top Five favorite bands), former frontman Justin Courtney Pierre has returned with a solo album that manages to capture much of the spirit of MCS, but of course, with a more personal, intimate spin. Pierre still graces listeners with his intricate wordplay and earworm hooks, but also highlights some techniques and instruments that rarely took prominence in MCS (the bouncy bass in "Shoulder the Weight" is a personal favorite). In The Drink cuts right to the core of every song, especially in the exhilarating title track; the album is blistering, economical, and often ruthless, not just musically (only two songs clock in at over three minutes), but also lyrically, examining some surprisingly dark scenarios with the honesty and careful empathy fans have come to expect from Pierre. It's great to have him back (I still miss Jesse's MOOG, though).

Highlights: Anchor, Shoulder the Weight, In The Drink

8. Jeff Rosenstock -- Post-: The first album of 2018 (seriously -- Post- was a surprise release on 1/1/18) remained urgent, relevant, and relatable throughout the entire year -- that's not good for the world, but it's great for Post-. Jeff Rosenstock's social commentary is as sharp as ever, deftly mixing the political and the personal, especially in tracks like opener "USA," which dives head-first into the paranoia, apathy, and hypocrisy of modern American living. The frustration and hopelessness of trying to change a broken system coats this album like dew, but Rosenstock's approachable and energetic strain of punk make them seem manageable -- or at least bearable -- nonetheless, and closer "Let Them Win" provides much needed catharsis and hope; it's a rally cry for a better future. Post- wasn't necessarily the follow-up to Worry. that anyone expected, but it's certainly the one we needed, right when we needed it.

Highlights: Powerlessness, 9/10, Let Them Win

7. The Penske File -- Salvation: Out of all the albums on this list, Salvation by far was the biggest (and happiest) surprise. Having never heard of them before, I saw The Penske File open for (the irresistibly fun) PKEW PKEW PKEW back in October and was blown away by their harmonies, by Alex Standen's ability to balance drums and lead vocals at the same time, and most of all, by a song that dug its way into my head and wouldn't let go. That song turned out to be album stand-out "Spin My History" (easily one of my top favorite new songs of the year), and thankfully, all the best aspects of The Penske File's live show translated perfectly over to Salvation. The vocals are the perfect combination of intensity, melody, and harmony; the lyrics expertly capture and unpack moments in time; the music itself (especially when accompanied by harmonica, which pops up in a few songs) wonderfully reflects the mood of each song, be it the reckless abandon of "Lakeshore" or the aching nostalgia of "American Basements." Thanks to Salvation, I could easily see The Penske File following in the blue collar punk footsteps of bands like the Menzingers, and that's high praise indeed.

Highlights: Spin My History, Come What May, Blessed Unrest

6. Joyce Manor -- Million Dollars to Kill Me: Joyce Manor has never been a band content to make the same album twice, and Million Dollars to Kill Me not only continues the musical evolution that began on 2016's Cody, but manages to run an entire musical gamut in under 25 minutes. Million Dollars to Kill Me shows off Joyce Manor's impressive range, leaping from something approaching hardcore ("Up The Punks") to shoegaze ("Gone Tomorrow") to ballads ("I'm Not the One") to even doo wop ("Silly Games"); lead singer Barry Johnson likewise moves between the frenetic, frantic yowls of "Up The Punks" or "Big Lie" to the gentle, sing-songy joy of "Wildflowers," revealing new facets to his voice and thus finding new notes for Joyce Manor to hit. Underneath it all, though, lies some wonderfully classic emo, with Johnson channeling intelligent, introspective, and bittersweet lyrics into each and every track. Not every song on Million Dollars to Kill Me is going to work for every listener, but every single one of them is guaranteed to leave an impression. 

Highlights: Big Lie, Million Dollars to Kill Me, Wildflowers

5. Bad Moves -- Tell No One: On first listen, it might be Tell No One's flawless harmonies that most catch your attention, or perhaps the bouncy, infectious melodies of its early tracks. Spend some time with it, though, and Tell No One has so much more to offer. Bad Moves makes some truly ambitious musical leaps here, especially on tracks like "Out of Reach," whose bridge and outro layers several different, contrasting harmonies over a darkly ominous riff; it's the musical equivalent of standing at the edge of a hurricane, and it's exhilarating. Ultimately, though, it may be Tell No One's lyrics that leave the greatest impression. Bad Moves creates anthems for those on the outskirts of society; Tell No One features songs about dealing with disappointing your family, forbidden romances, dark family secrets, growing up queer, facing police harassment, and the toll hiding parts of yourself can take on you, but also some uplifting tracks about using everything you've got to make life better for everyone around you. There's albums I liked more this year, but I don't think there's any lyrics that hit home for me harder than the ones on Tell No One.

Highlights: Spirit FM, Out of Reach, Missing You

4. The Get Up Kids -- Kicker: Kicker is the Get Up Kids record I've wanted for more than a decade now; it's a band recapturing lightning in a bottle. The first three tracks channel the pop-punk glory of the Red Letter Day/Something to Write Home About era without copying it wholesale (there's a rawness to the guitars and Matt Pryor's voice that was absent on those releases; it's very rock and roll), and the lyrics take that trademark Get Up Kids earnestness and update it for 2018, with Pryor and Jim Suptic tackling topics like regret, responsibility, and family with the same honesty and emotional intensity they once saved for tales of adolescent love and heartbreak. And then comes the closer, "My Own Reflection," which sounds like nothing the Get Up Kids have ever done before, a track driven by one of James Dewees' best synth-lines, some propulsive drums, and a striking, surprising bit of profanity. It's somehow upbeat and downbeat simultaneously, totally bittersweet, and thus emo in a nutshell, while also transcending so many of the genre's (and this band's) most common cliches; if these four songs are the future of the Get Up Kids, then it's a bright one indeed. The main reason Kicker isn't ranked higher on this list is because it's an EP rather than a full record (it's harder to keep this level of quality up for 12 tracks instead of 4), but let's not mince words: every single song on this EP is perfect.

Highlight: My Own Reflection

3. Save Face -- Merci: Merci would be ambitious even if it wasn't Save Face's debut release -- it's a concept album about addiction and the way it can destroy lives and relationships, accompanied by music videos for each and every track, linking together to form a visual novel of sorts. What's even more impressive than all that ambition, though, is the fact that it all works -- the overall concept forms a compelling narrative on its own, but should still resonate with anyone who's dealt with addiction or mental illness, with heartbreak and loss, with self-hatred or self-destructive habits. All those ideas are packaged within some truly explosive tunes -- Save Face's riffs are so big it's a wonder they can even be contained within the record, and singer Tyler Povanda's voice cracks with passion and mania, accompanied by some cathartic, soul-piercing screams, yet Povanda also has the range to capture the smaller, more nuanced emotions beneath all the outsized drama. The simple melodies reveal more and more layers the more you listen to them, creating a record I've returned to over and over, consistently, throughout 2018. Merci is almost as addictive as the substances its songs highlights, although in this case, that's a feature, not a bug.

Highlights: Bad, Plans, Love

2. Saves the Day -- 9: There's a line from their song "It's Such a Beautiful World" that sums up both Saves the Day and their newest album, 9, perfectly: "Let them say what they say/we're gonna play what we play." That instinct has proven polarizing at times, but as an absolute Saves the Day fanatic, I've always found it a joy and privilege to join the band as they follow their muse, and thankfully, 9 is no exception. 9 is an investigation and celebration of Saves the Day's history and legacy; some listeners have criticized this as being self-indulgent, but Saves the Day has always been a band that's channeled very specific scenarios into relatable and cathartic emotion, and at its best, 9 does just that, from the power and joy of friendship ("Side By Side") to nostalgia and the way our experiences help us change and grow ("Rendezvous"), all of it wrapped up in the power music has to bring people together (and if that last point's not something you can appreciate, then I'm not sure how you even found this list). Meanwhile, "Rosé'" provides a classic Saves the Day diss track that wouldn't feel that out of place on Stay What You Are, while the 22 minute "29" transforms frontman Chris Conley's entire life story into a sprawling epic that needs to be heard to believed. 9 also provides an opportunity for each and every member of the band to show off; lead guitarist Arun Bali continues to highlight his ability to shred in increasingly cool and unique ways, Rodrigo Palma sneaks fun bass flourishes into every song, absolutely taking charge of "1997," and Conley stretches his voice to unexpected heights, be it the yowls of "Side By Side" or the falsetto of "Saves the Day." Hell, they even kick 9 off by writing their own theme song. If you can't appreciate that, this probably isn't the album for you, but man, that is my exact kind of jam.

Highlights: Side By Side, Rosé, 29

1. The Wonder Years -- Sister Cities: I can't remember the last time I've seen an album become an essential part of a band's canon as fast as Sister Cities has, especially considering how far The Wonder Years are into their career at this point. Sister Cities is undeniably a Wonder Years album despite sounding almost nothing like what's come before, and in large part, that's due to Dan Campbell's sheer skill as a storyteller. The songs on Sister Cities pick up the ideas of compassion, connectivity, and home introduced on previous albums and take them global; Campbell discovers the similarities between his relationship and the relationship of a homeless couple despite all their differences, finds a lifeline from his overwhelming grief half a world away, and just overall finds power in exploring what holds us together as human beings rather than what splits us apart. Even the music videos tap hard into these ideas; last winter I wrote about how the video for "Sister Cities" finds power in connection, and its follow up, "Raining in Kyoto," expands upon this by cutting back and forth between life in Kyoto and Philadelphia, showing how, no matter where you go, people are just trying to live their lives the best they can. Lyrically, Campbell just keeps getting better and better, creating vivid metaphors and word pictures and finding perfect turns of phrases; he's straight-up the best in the biz at knowing just when and how to use profanity to the maximum effect (seriously, nobody else should be allowed to use the word "goddamn" in a song until they can do it even half as well as Campbell does in "Pyramids of Salt" or "Flowers Where Your Face Should Be"). Musically, Sister Cities takes big risks, and finds success, in going small more often than not, but reaches its greatest heights in closer "The Ocean Grew Hands To Hold Me," a song that just builds and builds until it reaches this epic swell of pure catharsis that just washes over you like the ocean. Honestly, Sister Cities is so emotional that it can sometimes be hard to listen to. That kind of power is that makes it my favorite album of 2018.

Highlights: Sister Cities, Flowers Where Your Face Should Be, The Ocean Grew Hands To Hold Me

[earwaxinggibbous]

Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2018

As I geared up to make the list of hits for 2018, I was prepared for difficulty, and I wasn’t wrong. Hence why there are a few little cheats here and there. Really anything that even had the potential to be a hit got on this list because the Hot 100 was fucking barren and I figure I’d rather give some exposure to some good artists that didn’t get what they deserved.

I do discuss alcohol/drug use briefly in my number 9 + 6 and abuse in my number 4. Let’s get this shit on the road.

10. Mine - Bazzi

This song is dumb. And I love it.

Mine by Bazzi, who no doubt will not show up on the charts next year, is a song that all of you know even if you think you don’t, because it’s the one with the memes.

You so! Fuckin! Precious! When you! Smiiiiile!

Yeah, it’s that one.

There’s not much to say about this one. It’s a quick and easy listen at only a little over 2 minutes. Bazzi has a nice enough voice, and the production manages to stand on its own. Honestly the reason it’s here is because the lyrics are adorable.

It feels very teenage, but not in the obnoxious way that Lucid Dreams is. It’s just very innocent despite the second line being about hitting it from the back. It’s a kind of innocence I can enjoy mostly unironically.

Like, whatever man. Just enjoy life.

9. Betrayed - Lil Xan

So I wasn’t actually sure when this song charted. I believe it was either late 2017 or early 2018, possibly with some crossover, but I’m counting it because I love this song so much.

Betrayed actually shares a lot of similarities with Juice WRLD’s Lucid Dreams. They were both towards the bottom on each respective list, they both have videos made by Cole Bennet, and they both have a sneaky anti-drug message.

Ironic considering his name is Lil Xan. Also I lied it’s not very sneaky at all. Which is good, if you’re gonna be anti-drug then just fucking do it. The beat is chill, the bars are chill, it’s all super chill. That’s probably in part due to the fact that Lil Xan has a super calming voice. This is weed music. Like Car Seat Headrest. And good weed music can be enjoyed when you’re sober, which Betrayed can be because it just sounds nice.

A good chunk of Betrayed is about the pitfalls of the rap game, and how suddenly everyone turns on you and wants your money, which is kind of neurotic but not entirely inaccurate.

This was actually the plot of a Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake song called Holy Grail from a few years back. And I hate to say it but this song does it way better, because it’s not trying to make fame out to be some horrible demon priestess who’s sucking your soul out of your ass, but rather, more of a lifestyle with very different complications.

Which is what it is.

So Jay-Z got outdone by a 12-year-old with face tats named Lil Xan, and if I heard about that my ego would be deeply, deeply bruised.

The only reason it isn’t higher is because, uh.

Oof, Lil Xan. Come on now.

8. King’s Dead - Jay Rock ft. Kendrick Lamar, Future and James Blake

So a lot of people actually didn’t like this song. Which... I kind of get.

Also apparently this was on the Black Panther soundtrack. I never saw that movie, but a lot of the lyrics on this, at least according to lyric genius, relate to that movie. Which I guess is why I have no clue what it’s about other than the average rap music cliches. The only thing I knew about King’s Dead for god knows how long was this gif of Kendrick eating corn in a palm tree.

I feel like the best argument against this song (other than Future’s high-pitched sampling of Slob On My Knob that made me lose my shit) is that there’s nothing really special about it. I mean yeah, Kendrick has a voice that’s smooth like butter, but King’s Dead has a generic beat and bars that just don’t stand out.

But I don’t know. I just love it.

This is just a nice fun song to chill out to. I can put it on, throw myself into bed, and let the cares of the day shloff off of my body as Kendrick whispers to me in the language of the ancient ones. This is nowhere near his best work, not even remotely close to it. All it is is nice and small and easy to listen to without being completely boring.

Maybe I also just like it because it’s been forever since a rap song really sounded like one. This is partially the fault of Future, who is on this song, and doing the same shit he usually does, but at least the rest of the song sounds like words. It feels like it’s been a whole decade since rap music wasn’t just an autotuned jumble, and while I’m easier on mumble-rap than most, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss good old fashioned regular rap.

Regardless of whether it’s blind nostalgia or some level of actual quality, I enjoy King’s Dead for what it is. It may just be a rock and not a diamond, but it’s my rock and I love it.

7. In My Blood - Shawn Mendes

So like, what the fuck happened with Shawn Mendes? He just kind of got really good all of a sudden. Like when every genre, every artist, every newcomer and every single is shitting the bed, it’s Shawn Mendes of all people to bring it home. That’s like if Charlie Puth turned out to be the savior of music. It’s like if Chingy developed into a rap legend. And this song, In My Blood, is about something we all wanna do! Giving up.

Okay, so that’s not exactly what it’s about. It’s about the feeling of wanting to give up, but refusing to, in a very chronological way. With the verses representing the low points and the chorus representing the swell of energy that forces one to get back on their feet. It’s an incredibly well put-together song where Shawn’s voice is actually put to good use instead of him gargling pus like he did on Treat You Better. I’d be lying if I said he didn’t emote wonderfully on this.

I haven’t heard any of the other singles he’s released around this song, but I’m definitely interested in doing so because In My Blood is an experience, kind of in the same way that like, a really good Panic! at the Disco song is. It just punches you repeatedly. You ever been punched by a song? It feels great. I wish more songs would punch me.

In a lot of ways In My Blood is also nostalgic for me, since it brings me back to an era where I actually got excited about pop music because it was important to me some-fucking-how. And I don’t mean like, I was interested in pop like I am right now. When I was littler my parents basically raised me on old alternative music and jazz, and while I definitely enjoyed it I had literally no idea what other kids at school listened to. The first pop song I remember hearing was Pokerface by Lady GaGa, I was on the school bus, and it sounded like nothing I’d ever heard before. Over time my sister began playing the radio so that her friends at her new school would stop goofing on her for not knowing any pop artists, and hearing all this new music was kind of an experience. Of course after awhile we both moved into individualized tastes and neither of us really listen to the radio unless it’s during the holidays, but hearing In My Blood somehow reminds me of a time when being a hit actually meant something.

It’s a song where you put it on and it just owns the room despite its minimalism, and with tons of easy listening alt-crap hitting the stations nowadays, it’s nice, albeit surreal, to know that Shawn Mendes is the one who gives a shit.

6. Genius - LSD

In case you didn’t know, LSD is the combined efforts of rapper Labrinth, singer Sia and producer Diplo. I hadn’t actually heard of this group until pretty recently, and I wish I had because if you know me, you know about my wretched obsession with Sia. Maybe I’m too forgiving, but I can’t remember a single bad track she’s put out. And Genius is no exception.

Lyrically this song’s a bit lacking, despite the title. But soundwise it sticks like gum, with a layered production. I always say that they should have Sia work with one of these sing-rappers, so having it finally happen is proof that god might be listening to me.

It’s like bubblegum for your brain, it’s sweet, it tastes good, it’s fun and it sticks. Even after only one listen I couldn’t get the tune out of my head. And god knows I just want the charts to be fun for once. No, I don’t think this song charted, which is an absolute shame. LSD should absolutely have the star power to hit the top 100, but I guess this just wasn’t a good year for them.

Regardless, I have heard that LSD plans to do a full project, and after listening to the rest of their short album I am more than excited. The only reason this isn’t higher up is that, judging by the group name I was expecting it to be way more of an acid trip soundwise. It’s definitely hard to compare LSD’s Genius to any other type of pop in recent years, but I feel like that’s moreso because Diplo and company have taken all sorts of elements from all sorts of pop music and sneakily fused them together.

Regardless, Genius is a highly enjoyable listen. Sia’s at top performance as per usual, Labrinth sounds really nice beside her and Diplo’s production is solid. Also I seriously recommend the music video. It’s super weird. I wish animated music videos were more common with pop, to be honest.

5. Better Now - Post Malone

I almost feel like I’ve sinned putting a Post Malone song above a Kendrick Lamar song, but god do I love Better Now.

The Post Malone conversation is still very much underway, with a lot of people saying they hated Psycho because it was boring (which I can get even though I don’t agree) and that they hated Jackie Chan because it was just really really stupid. But, much like Candy Paint, I have yet to hear anyone say they dislike Better Now. And I do honestly believe that he hit it out of the park on this one.

This one’s sort of the reverse of Genius. It has pretty basic trap production, but really nice lyrics. Possibly building on the story from I Fall Apart, though with a slightly more mature outlook, Post talks about an ex-girlfriend who he misses, trying to drown his feelings in alcohol, drugs and expensive stuff in the wake of the relationship.

A total bummer, but Post sells it pretty well.

Like damn. That’s a detail right there.

I mean, I could argue that nobody has a specific drawer for socks they don’t like, but who cares really.

Anyway, unlike I Fall Apart, which was a turn-off for a lot of people because it felt spiteful and juvenile, Better Now doesn’t really place the blame on Post or his ex, which is a much more realistic scenario. Because really, his ex isn’t at fault for no longer being in love with him, but Post isn’t at fault for pining. He’s only human. Judging by the lyrics, the story is that Post was dumped for being a druggie in this song.

Though Lyric Genius also argues this is a reference to the death of Lil Peep, who was close personal friends with Post Malone in real life. If this song is somehow in a weird roundabout way an ode to Lil Peep, honestly it does feel like it’s a good send-up to him from another rapper. Like yeah, a love song might seem weird as a tribute to a dead friend, but it definitely does feel like a mournful, sad song about longing for a close person who’s gone for the long run.

Whether this is a tribute to Lil Peep or just a breakup song, it definitely carries the weight of the emotions, partly since Post just generally sounds sad all the time. And in a year full of pissy break-up songs, this is the one that hits home more than any other for me. If Post is going off of past experience, it shows, and if he isn’t he’s just a really good actor I guess.

4. Freaky Friday - Lil Dicky ft. Chris Brown

This song is the bane of my fucking existence.

Why do I laugh at this? Why do I laugh at jokes about Lil Dicky having a small penis still? Why am I losing my shit at the idea that a white guy in a black guy’s body would immediately wonder if he can say the n-word? Why am I, a grown man with presumably mature tastes, going ‘hee hee hoo hoo’ over the phrase “I’m DJ Khaled! Why am I yelling?” And why the fuck, in the year 2018, am I actively enjoying a Chris Brown song?

Lil Dicky I have a soft spot for. We’re both Jews, we’re both stupid, we both look dead inside in every photograph taken of us. We’re basically like long lost twin brothers. Plus I do think he’s a skilled rapper, with his greatest track easily being Professional Rapper featuring Snoop Dogg, and if it had been my choice, that song would’ve been his first big hit. But no, it had to be Freaky Friday. A song that, for all accounts and purposes, is about as funny as an early Your Favorite Martian song, and yet still makes me roll into a screaming fit laughing my ass off.

I’m not gonna sit here and pretend I’m over the Chris Brown drama just because there’s plenty of worse artists charting right now. Forgetting it would be an offense to everyone involved. Do I think he’s probably matured since? Maybe. But that doesn’t excuse or explain away what he did. But for me to pretend I don’t enjoy this song would be disingenuous, and it breaks my heart to actually enjoy a Chris Brown song. In 20-fucking-18.

Everyone hates this song. And they’re valid, honestly. I just like the chorus, maybe? I don’t know. It’s hardly Lil Dicky’s best work, but fuck me. Of course I had to be the one suffering with the curse of enjoying Lil Dicky’s Freaky Friday to the point that I put it above a ton of songs that are probably objectively better, all because I laugh at dick jokes and love a catchy chorus.

But I will give it credit, this is the first popular comedy song in a long time I’ve been able to get down to. Selfie and What Does The Fox Say made me wanna scoop my eyes out with a melon baller, but of course the fucking Chris Brown comedy song makes me shriek in body-wracking laughter as if I’ve never heard a joke before.

It’s been at LEAST a year since I felt this shitty for enjoying a song, but that’s life I guess. Just enjoying bad music by bad people for bad reasons.

3. High Hopes - Panic! at the Disco

How is it that we’re having a Panic! at the Disco hit in 2018? Whatever, I’m not mad.

I mean, come on. A swelling Brendon Urie anthem about finally being able to achieve your dreams and shit? That’s really all I need on a bad day, isn’t it. Thanks 2018.

I don’t even remember if this song has good production or not. It’s really loud. Everything is loud. Do you think I care if it sounds good? I mean, Brendon sounds good, but like. Biz Markie’s Just A Friend fills me with emotion and it sounds like it’s being sung by a donkey. My standards are not high. Maybe I’d need higher standards to not like this song.

Frankly, I don’t care if the production is bad. Because this song is just good mood music, and I like that it’s loud. I want Brendon to scream in my ear about having high hopes. Do you think I care how it sounds?

No but really. It’s a perfectly well-built song, Brendon performs well on it. Bless this shit though. If there’s anything that represents hope in my mind, it’s Brendon Urie skittering up the side of a building while singing about having high hopes and his mama and whatever whatever. In a year full of dour break-up songs and people dying and abusers getting famous, all you can really have is high hopes. And that’s all there is to it.

2. Neva Lavd Yah! - Dusty Ray Bottoms

Can we all agree RuPaul’s Drag Race is kind of a hack show at this point? I mean, Season 10 was a disaster and so far AS4 has been a disaster too. I’m not even sure why I still watch it at this point.

Anyway, this is kind of a cheat. Neva Lavd Yah! charted on Billboard LGBT, and actually charted pretty high. Not the actual Hot 100, but do you think I care anymore?

So we’re all mad that rock music is dead, and that the only remnants we have of it is Imagine Dragons and other similar garbage. But don’t fret (unless it’s on a guitar) because Dusty Ray Bottoms, queen of my heart, is here to solve that problem. Full electric guitar and drums. No autotune. Just pure Dusty Ray on the track here to kick ass.

I guess Neva Lavd Yah! is a generic “fuck the haters” anthem, but for once I actually believe it. Maybe it’s because it’s being sung by a 50-foot-tall gay man with dots all over his face. Maybe it’s just because, with every drag queen doing techno music, Dusty Ray has done something completely different. God knows I was sick of every drag queen doing overproduced electronica about nothing at all.

Neva Lavd Yah! isn’t polished or clean. It’s screaming and loud and full of passion. Sometimes you’re just a 50-foot gay who wants to yell, sometimes you’re a 5-foot gay who wants to yell. Maybe you don’t feel like yelling right now, but you’ve probably been in that mood before. Neva Lavd Yah! is for when you wanna chill in a garage with an electric guitar and write songs and then scream with your shitty garage band and it’s the 90′s and you’re gay.

Damn right.

And before we move forward,

let’s hit those honorable mentions.

I Like It - Cardi B ft. Bad Bunny and J Balvin

This song really did almost get on the list, and I mean it was like a baby dick’s length away. I almost feel bad that I let Mine on instead. Cardi I am so sorry.

Nice For What - Drake

This was the only good song Drake released this year, and while Drake talking about “strong women” on the same album as I’m Upset seems like bullshit, I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t at least kind of a banger.

Now or Never - Blair St. Clair

This was the only other big drag queen hit I remember this year. It was released in the wake of Blair St. Clair coming out about a sexual assault, and while I do think it’s an empowering song, I don’t like the way it sounds that much.

Pray For Me - The Weeknd ft. Kendrick Lamar

How I liked King’s Dead more than this I can’t even explain to you. The beat on Pray For Me rocks my tight ass though. Plus let’s be honest, The Weeknd and Kendrick are a fucking dream team.

I Love It - Kanye West ft. Lil Pump

I can’t hate this. Fucking look at it. They’re in roblox costumes!

Famous Prophets (Stars) - Car Seat Headrest

Not a hit, which is the only thing that kept it off of here. Consider Song of the Summer by Remo Drive, Humanity by Gorillaz and When You Die by MGMT also in this spot.

On to number one, and if you know me you probably know it already.

1. Kamikaze - Eminem

Listen. I don’t care if this didn’t chart. I don’t care if it didn’t get close. I don’t give two fifths of a fuck if Eminem isn’t as good as he used to be. I don’t give a single rat’s ass.

Because I fucking love Kamikaze.

(The song.)

The album was fine, I wasn’t huge on the whole “call out everyone” angle it took. Sure sometimes it landed, but other times, like with the Tyler the Creator diss, it was completely pointless and kind of petty.

But the title song? It bangs.

The lyrics are good, obviously, it’s an Eminem song and he hasn’t been struggling with lyrics since... Revival I guess. The production on Kamikaze is interesting, the chorus is catchy. I just love it. It puts me in a good mood for reasons I cannot explain using words of the English language.

Maybe I just love Eminem too much. But in a year of stolid depression like 2018, all I wanted was for my favorite rapper Eminem to say “fuck” and yell a lot and just be kind of motivational in his weird way. And he did it. And I understand if people don’t enjoy Kamikaze (the song or the album) but I just can’t not love it, it makes me so excited every time I hear that intro. I feel like a child almost.

I saw Eminem live for the first time this year at Governor’s Ball. It was an experience. My feet were killing me because to get good spots, my sister and I had to sit through Chvrches. (Didn’t like them very much.) It was loud and crowded. It started raining, I was cold as shit and tired and this enormous drunk guy in a wifebeater nearly elbowed my head clean off of my shoulders just due to a lack of spacial awareness. And I didn’t even give a shit until it was over.

The music ended, and I realized I was freezing my ass off. And that’s what good music does to a guy I guess. And being able to download a new, really good Eminem song was like capturing that moment in a bottle. A bottle of white boy spite, but a good bottle nonetheless.

Of course I’m biased. God knows if this song is actually better than something like In My Blood or Genius, but I love this song too much to put it any lower than number one.

Whenever I need motivation or I’m just really pissed, this song is here for me to listen to, so I can lose my shit by the side of a man who I’ve literally begun referring to as my dad at this point. And that’s just what I want. A song that I can feel next to. A song that can feel with me. And as good as some of these other songs are, I don’t feel with them like I do with Kamikaze.

See you next year, I guess.

[evergreenreviews]

Top 20 Songs of 2017

Spotify Playlist

Long post under the cut

20. ‘Laps Around A Picture Frame’ - Broadside

In my AOTY post, and throughout this year, I commended Broadside on their ability to write fun, upbeat songs, so it surprised me that ‘Laps Around A Picture Frame’, one of the album’s darker tracks, ended up making this list. This song is more interesting - both musically and lyrically - than a lot of Broadside’s other work, and it still really stands out to me as a fantastic piece of songwriting.

19. ‘There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back’ - Shawn Mendes

If I had any sort of shame whatsoever, Shawn Mendes would be my guilty pleasure. As it stands, I unabashedly love his music, particularly this song. It’s considerably less depressing than pretty much everything else he’s ever written, and it’s an unbelievably fun and catchy song. I dare you to listen to ‘There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back’ without at least tapping your foot.

18. ‘Guilty Melody’ - ROAM

ROAM has got to be one of my favourite current pop punk bands, and I remained loyal to them despite the disaster that was Backbone. That loyalty paid off because their second LP, Great Heights and Nosedives, is full to the brim with great jams, none more so than ‘Guilty Melody’. Although the two singles that came out before this one were also really good, this track was the one that restored my faith in ROAM. It’s pretty much a perfect pop punk song, with an unerringly catchy tune, solid lyricism, and a vast improvement in singing ability from both vocalists.

17. ‘The Line’ - Foo Fighters

Although Concrete and Gold was generally a disappointment, ‘The Line’ is an absolutely fantastic soft rock song. It’s super laidback and chill, the melody is simple, which to me (as someone who knows nothing about rock instrumentation) seems to complement the slightly more intricate instrumental parts, and it sounds more like Foo Fighters than anything else off this record.

16. ‘The Last Of The Real Ones’ - Fall Out Boy

While I will readily admit that I’m not the biggest fan of Fall Out Boy’s new sound, this song is brilliant. It’s a great electro-rock anthem while remaining a recognisably Fall Out Boy song. The keyboard part works perfectly under the melody, which is simultaneously very simple but also quite interesting. I also love the contrast between the anthemic chorus and comparatively relaxed verses.

15. ‘One Foot’ - Walk The Moon

After being absent for a year or so, Walk The Moon returned in September with this indie pop bop. ‘One Foot’ has all the hallmarks of a classic WTM song - it’s super upbeat and very catchy with a solid melody and instrumental and synth parts that work perfectly underneath the vocal line. While it may not be the next ‘Shut Up And Dance’, it’s a fantastic pop song and the perfect tune for Walk The Moon to return with.

14. ‘All My Friends (feat. State Champs)’ - Hoodie Allen

It may surprise you to see a hip-hop song on this list - I feel the same way - but this song is just too good not to include. While ‘All My Friends’ may not be Hoodie’s best song, the way he and State Champs manage to blend their very different sounds is incredible and works surprisingly well. From the hip-hop beat during the verses to the almost breakdown in the bridge and the build-up to the explosive last chorus, every aspect of this song ties in wonderfully with the others and creates a very interesting and very fun song.

13. ‘Scatter My Ashes Along The Coast Or Don’t’ - Seaway 

While I’d be hard pressed to pick a favourite song off Vacation, ‘Scatter My Ashes...’ would definitely be in the top three. It’s a ridiculously fun song, with some not so fun lyrics hidden under the upbeat melody and catchy riffs. It also features Caleb Shomo of Beartooth on a fantastic guest vocals spot. His voice works so well on this song and complements the Seaway boys’ perfectly, and it really just gives the track that extra boost.

12. ‘The Man’ - The Killers

I’ve never really listened to The Killers that much, and I think I only listened to this song in the first place because of Brandon Flower’s bicep in the thumbnail for the music video on YouTube. But thank god for that because ‘The Man’ very rapidly became one of my favourite songs. It’s got a lyrical theme that I’ve never seen before, as the band explores what it means to be a “man”, and it’s all laid over a funky 70s-esque disco beat with a fantastic melody.

11. ‘Hearts Don’t Break Around Here’ - Ed Sheeran 

This may be a slightly sappy choice, but I’ll admit that I love a good romantic ballad, and by God if ‘Hearts Don’t Break Around Here’ isn’t exactly that. I feel like this song didn’t get the credit it deserved and was kind of brushed aside in favour of ‘Perfect’ but from day one this was my favourite track off Divide. It’s a perfect relaxed, stripped back, typical Ed Sheeran love song with very simple instrumentation and a gorgeous vocal melody that I can’t help but sing along to.

10. ‘Bad Behavior’ - The Maine

Lovely Little Lonely is made up of wall to wall jams, and none more so than lead single ‘Bad Behavior’. It’s an irresistibly fun song, that you can’t help but dance along to, and it’s impossible not to smile when you’re listening to it. It’s an incredible pop rock song, with that alternative edge that The Maine do so well. You might worry that after 10 years they would’ve stagnated, but this song is proof that The Maine are better than they’ve ever been.

9. ‘On My Own’ - Niall Horan

On an album full of beautiful ballads and acoustic slow jams, ‘On My Own’ stands out as the most upbeat song of the lot. It’s an Irish folk influenced anthem for the happily single, about having fun by yourself when you’re young. It may not be Niall’s strongest vocal performance on Flicker, but it shows the diversity in his writing and provides a welcome interlude from all the slower songs on the album. It’s another song that you just can’t help but nod along to, and perfectly blends the style of pop rock on One Direction’s later albums and the folk and country influences of Niall’s solo work.

8. ‘Soap’ - As It Is 

This is arguably one of the most musically diverse and interesting pop punk songs of the decade. ‘Soap’ is a spooky, sinister, slightly aggressive track which is totally unexpected of As It Is. It probably wouldn’t sound out of place on a gothic horror movie soundtrack and is a fascinating take on the genre. The vocal performances from both singers are fantastic, with Patty effortlessly transitioning from the subdued verses to the almost screamed choruses. The guitars in the intro perfectly set the tone for the rest of the song, and the rumbling bass sounds incredible under everything else. ‘Soap’ is, without a doubt, the standout track from January’s okay. and possibly As It Is’ discography in general.

7. ‘Drowned In Gold’ - Boston Manor

This is a very late addition to this list, seeing as it only came out earlier this month, but in the space of 24 hours it had already pushed its way up to this position. I reviewed ‘Drowned In Gold’ when it was released, and all of the sentiments in that post still ring true today. The “choose life” lyrical structure of the verses is still one of the most interesting writing techniques I’ve heard in a while and I really can’t get over the creepy sound Boston Manor manages to create with the instruments in this track, and the musical progress they’ve made in the past year.

6. ‘Hurt’ - Trophy Eyes

This is probably the most depressing song on this list, and easily one of the most emotionally evocative. ‘Hurt’ is Trophy Eyes’ first release since their album Chemical Miracle last year, and you can tell they’ve put that year to good use with immense improvements across the board. The most noticeable improvement is John’s vocals. As far as I can remember (correct me if I’m wrong), this is the first song on which he’s only done clean vocals, and he sounds better than I ever imagined he could. ‘Hurt’ almost has a kind of stadium rock type vibe to it, and I, for one, love it.

5. ‘Praying’ - Kesha

‘Praying’ is the eagerly anticipated comeback track from beleaguered pop icon Kesha, and the perfect song to show not only how she’s progressed as an artist, but also the struggles she’s faced the past few years. The song alludes to her legal battle with her producer, but it is mostly a song about personal growth and overcoming your struggles. It’s a beautiful stripped back, piano-laden ballad which really lets Kesha’s immense vocal talent take the spotlight. ‘Praying’ is an incredibly powerful song, which has the ability to draw a huge amount of emotion from its listeners - if you haven’t cried listening to this song, you’re probably not human.

4. ‘Gone’ - Knuckle Puck 

I don’t think it’s any secret that I love Knuckle Puck, but if you’ve been following this blog for a while and read my review of Shapeshifter, it’s also no secret that I wasn’t its biggest fan. However, I absolutely adore ‘Gone’. It may just be because it was the first thing to follow the hugely disappointing Calendar Days/Indecisive release earlier this year, or it may be because it’s a brilliant song. It has attitude and a certain aggressiveness that I love. It’s got the lyricism we’ve come to know and love from KP, and it’s unbelievably catchy. The duel vocalism works amazingly on this track and the slightly dotted rhythm in the guitar riff provides another interesting layer to the instrumentation.

3. ‘Atlantic’ - Grayscale 

I can honestly say that this song has been the soundtrack to my 2017. Grayscale very quickly became one of my favourite bands this year, and their album Adornment was even my Album of the Year. ‘Atlantic’ is definitely what one could refer to as an anthem, with a powerful chorus that contrasts perfectly with the relatively chill verses and bridge. It’s a very mature sounding song, showcasing a writing ability far beyond what one would expect of such a young band, although there are a couple of very minor issues in the vocal line. But overall, this song is a brilliant piece of writing that I can imagine aging very well.

2. ‘Out Of It’ - The Story So Far

The excitement that I felt when this song dropped truly cannot be expressed in words. I still feel the same excitement every time 'Out Of It’ comes on, and I don’t think I’ve skipped it once since adding it to my playlist. It doesn’t stray too far from the classic TSSF sound, and probably wouldn’t sound out of place on The Story So Far. I love the change in rhythm between the verses and choruses, which isn’t something I’ve really seen that much in this type of music, and the punchy tune is just perfect for the attitude of the song. It’s just a shame Parker Cannon still can’t annunciate his words properly.

1. ‘In Bloom’ - Neck Deep

From the day ‘In Bloom’ was released I knew it would be in competition for my favourite song of this year. After listening to it maybe 4 or 5 times in a row, it was promptly named my favourite Neck Deep song and I stand by that decision. It’s the most musically interesting song they have released, and it’s so unique from the rest of their work. It showcases so well the improvement Ben has made in his vocal performance over the past couple of years - did anyone see that high note coming? - as well as the progress that the band has made as a whole in terms of their songwriting ability.

[largemaxa]

Bill Stewart, Walter Smith III, Larry Grenadier at the Village Vanguard 4/29/17

It's scary to think that I almost didn't go to this concert. My original plan for the 29th was to see Lage Lund at Cornelia Street Cafe. I had seen him play a brilliant show last August and I was filled with longing for more of that sound. I thought about making a long weekend of it, and the trio of Bill Stewart, Walter Smith III, and Larry Grenadier, playing at the Village Vanguard the whole week, seemed to be an interesting enough secondary attraction. Closer to the date, though, I found out that Lage's show was cancelled. At that point I set aside the idea of the trip, feeling mere-absence instead of those earlier longings. But late in the week I felt a different familiar feeling - that desire for the abstract quintessence of "jazz" which is somehow tantamount to the desire to experience the subterranean rumblings, geometry, and music of the Vanguard. I hoped that Stewart-Smith-Grenadier could be an adequate object for that desire, one that could justify and support the trip. But I didn't have explicit knowledge of what I might expect. Like any show, it could turn out wonderfully or horribly for any number of reasons.

In fact, I found the bill a bit puzzling, and felt alternatively curious and fearful for the potential of the gig. Because to an educated modern jazz fan,  this billing seems, a priori, to be almost arbitrary and yet extremely specific. Bill Stewart and Larry Grenadier are about half to one-and-a-half generations older than Walter Smith III, who doesn't run in their immediate circles. That's not a problem in itself, as jazz musicians play in bands of mixed ages and scenes every day. But two factors made this billing stranger. The first factor was the specificity of the saxophone trio. An ensemble of four or more is large enough that any member can be generic with respect to the role he/she plays. The most vivid examples of that principle for me have been a handful of sets where I've seen pianist Matt Mitchell acting as more or less a "straight ahead" sideman, a stark contrast to his thorny, meticulous work as a leader or as "specialist consultant"-sideman with, say Tim Berne. But in a trio, the individual personalities of each musician take on paramount importance.

The second factor beyond the format was the reality of the venue. To pick out a trio for a week at the Village Vanguard, one of jazz's premier venues, is is a deliberate artistic choice. And I wondered - why Walter Smith? Why not one of Smith's peers like Dayna Stephens or Jimmy Greene? Or a same-generation pairing like Mark Turner or Chris Cheek? Or a guitar, alto, or piano trio? The juxtaposition seemed to suggest to me, at best, that the three men had discovered and cultivated some non-obvious sympatico which might have come about through a chance rehearsal or deliberate seeking. At worst, on the other hand, I wondered if the band could be a stunt to "revitalize" Stewart's music with a younger player, leading to an unfruitful dissonance of dialects and concerns.

Curiosity and desire compelled me through the drive, and I was happy to find that the gig was extremely successful. There was, in fact, a special chemistry between the three men that did not sound forced or "intergenerational" in the least. It just sounded like an excellent saxophone trio, reaching the heights of intensity through threaded swinging and breadths of variety through limited texture of which the format is capable.

Drummer Bill Stewart was the bandleader, and his touch was evident throughout the gig.  During the gig, and the next day listening to his 2008 disc "Incandescence", I realized that I had completely misread Stewart's personality as a musician. I had known Stewart before as a backing musician in a variety of settings and knew he was impeccable. But in those earlier experiences, my listening priorities were usually elsewhere. (The first time I ever heard him was likely saxophonist Chris Potter's "Lift: Live at the Village Vanguard"; being a junior in high school at that point, I was fixated on Potter's winding staircases and vertical ascents.)  I first really checked him out as a member of guitarist Peter Bernstein's band. The role fit him so well that from then on I assumed that the essence of Bill Stewart was the sort of sober responsibility necessary to compliment Bernstein's gravitas and "adult emotion" (to borrow Stanley Crouch's phrase).

In this course of listening more intently to Stewart's personal conception, I saw that I had overgeneralized from his work in Bernstein's band. There is, in fact, the "sober accompanist" in him who always does what's best for the music and never, ever plays gratuitously or distastefully. But that by itself would produce something much more dour than what I heard on the gig and CD. Stewart is rather a player and writer of specific, but restrained, enthusiasms. There's an attention to detail, but it's not the heaviness of "internalizing a vast swath of musical material" nor a perverse fetishism for technical materials. There's a consistent intensity but it's not a high-energy animalism (in the manner of Animal from the Muppets). Each beat is articulated, not in such a way that it "sticks out", but rather serves as another instance in an indefinite and delightful stream; the groove is somehow re-established with each pulse that comes at you.

As for his conception as a bandleader, a quality that came to mind - and this is reaching - was the apotheosis of "the 90's", or maybe even a sort of "Adult Nickelodeon" with its late-nite feel and dark-neon tones. Something somehow adult and sophisticated made from transmuting the raw sensations of glowing orange, green goop, and the tactile reveries of, say, Legends of the Hidden Temple. This quality comes out more on "Incandescence", which startles from beginning to end with Larry Goldings' spaceship organ set against Kevin Hays' acoustic piano. But I could hear it in the gig too, albeit muted by the more texturally familiar context of the saxophone trio: odd, slightly oblique intervals were employed frequently, used not for their dissonant but rather but their quixotic quality; uptempo tunes were never purely "burning" and always had one or several quirks or knots; pure funk grooves were played at a slightly lower intensity level than normal, left to simmer.

Larry Grenadier's bass was integral in setting up those feels. Grenadier, of course, is at highest level of jazz bass achievement, most famous as a founding member of Brad Mehldau's trio. His fates will certainly not rise or fall with the praise/dispraise of this Tumblr. But I will say that I went from being relatively neutral towards his playing coming in to being thoroughly convinced of his merit by the end of the night. The most apparent feature of his sound is the raspiness, rattle and distortion that comes from his gut strings. That quality always sounded to me like a pure drawback, the downside of a tradeoff for the other virtues of gut strings. But as I listened deeper over the course of that evening, I started to see that seeming "harshness" as inseparable from the totality of his sound, and even pleasant. It occurred to me that that rasping of the gut is a way to get a similar sort of effect to the over-amped quality of the 80's jazz bass, the "dreaded bass direct" (a phrase made famous by Delfeayo Marsalis' liner notes). The "bass direct" gives a tremendous boom and heft, but no depth (depth, once again, not of timbre, but the way that it cuts into the time). The gut, including the rasp, gives him access to all of those things plus the depth. There's a deep solidity to his playing, a feeling that he cuts into the deepest possible layer of the time and plants something there.

Grenadier-Stewart is an impeccable rhythm section that can make anyone sound good. But going in, I knew that the x-factor of band's success would be saxophonist Walter Smith's playing and his interaction with the rhythm team. And before the concert, I couldn't imagine mentally how he would fit in with the other two players. I had known and admired Smith's playing mostly from his work with trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire's band. Akinmusire has been heralded as one of the most brilliant young musicians in jazz' latest generation, and Smith's contributions to his band fixed him as a worthy counterpart. I enjoyed the expressive, almost springy qualities of his playing, which were enabled by an almost absolute rhythmic and harmonic flexibility. In a 2014 interview, MacArthur award-winning pianist Jason Moran commented on some of the concepts that these young players are reaching:

I was just talking with Ambrose Akinmusire and Walter Smith III after they'd sat in with Eric Harland's band at the Monterey Jazz Festival and they played this tune and I was like, [laughs] yeah, see my generation we weren't messin' with that. That's something that is just y'all. And all the cats in that generation know how to move into music like that. There's a lot of flexibility and flow within it and when I play a tune like that with y'all its like, whoo! I'm struggling to keep up.

To interpret this statement, one needs to know that Moran is a virtuoso in his own right, and he is certainly not engaging in false modesty when he says that the younger players are getting to rhythmic levels that are hard to match. Smith's solo on "Richard (Conduit)" from Akinmusire's 2014 release "The Imagined Savior is Far Easier to Paint" is a perfect example of this style. The beat operates in multiple layers with some mysterious principle of synchronization; rhythmic resolutions are all implicit. The band seems to get to the total rhythmic freedom that characterizes free jazz, where "pulse" can only be thought in terms of successive waves; however, here there is undoubtedly total integrity of a regular - in the sense of "regularity" - concept of pulse that could be mapped out if one chose. Every so often the band proves this by coalescing into agreement on the groove which tantalizes the listener and anchors further exploration. Smith is completely at home here, gliding and gearshifting; he employs long, lyrical phrases equally with precise shredding runs, not utilizing either as especially climactic techniques but simply as choices that can be made to communicate at any moment.

But on the 29th, Smith's playing had a different quality. To say that it was "more swinging" would be untrue, because Smith's other mode is equally swinging; to say that it was more "traditional" or "conservative" also seems unfair because Smith had access to all the same resources and conceptions as usual. I can only describe it as perhaps more "grounded". Rather than weaving and dodging around rhythmic goalposts, he seemed to line up on many downbeats, even if there were subtle distortions around the edges (which is always true of real jazz rhythm). Yet he still sounded like himself. Let me be clear - there's no particular value judgement to the term "groundedness", and the opposite quality is not the pejorative term "ungrounded". I want both sides of Smith, the aerial, acrobatic approach I hear in his work with his peers, as well as this other mode, which had a different sort of husk and depth.

After the lights dimmed and the band came on, the set opened with an uptempo piece starting with oblique intervals in a punchy rhythm and following with a squirelly cellular line. Smith opened his solo with several references to the cell, then went into extended threading. At a certain point came back to the cell, running multiple permutations as Stewart upped the rhythmic tension. Throughout the improvisation, I heard the "insistent" quality of Stewart's ride which renewed the entire feel with each pulse. The saxophone solo wound down quickly into a bass solo with a much sparser texture, featuring Grenadier examining augmented chords and tritones. They continued with Walter Smith's "Apollo", a waltz that felt like a stroll in the park on a partly cloudy day when you aren't sure if it will rain. Long plaintive sections were bit by strident intervals which smoothed out quickly. The core of the song was a plaintive but calm pentatonic chant doubled between the sax and bass. At this lower gear, the insistent quality of Stewart's beat felt like a stoic smile.

The third song was Bill Stewart's "Don't Ever Call Me Again," introduced jokingly as a "love song".  Stewart anchored with a 6/4 funk rhythm with multiple levels of care and detail. The song felt almost kitschy and might even be misheard by non-jazz-fans as such. But when the band got into the groove of jungle-like pleasure, it could be heard in the context of the evening's aesthetic as having a sort of restrained but simmering fun. Next was Stewart's "See Ya," a ballad in free rubato time, featuring a melody moving in rotating spirals of three beats. Grenadier's solo was wonderful, going off on flourishes up and down the bass while maintaining the barest hint of propulsion needed for this type of rhythm feel. The cymbals and occasional faint sax tone provided a hint of support.

The band followed with Maceo Parker's "Shake Everything You Got", featuring another detailed funk beat, and a fun if not particularly memorable run through the standard "Nature Boy" in (mostly) 5/4 time. The set closed with "Think before you Think", another Stewart original with quizzical intervals, a bass vamp in whole notes that felt like the final level of an arcade game, and a punchy rhythmic hook that served as the end of several phrases and sections.

The second set opened with Stewart's medium tempo "How Long is Jazz", featuring long saxophone lines and slightly jarring intervals; only second or third section did it reveal itself to be a blues. Smith called out and attempting perfect harmonic-rhythmic landings on top of the steady groove. They continued with more original compositions in the evening's consistent dialect, Stewart's "Incandescence" followed by Smith's "General George Washington Buttface".

But as happens so often, it was the end of the night when things really crystallized, promises were borne out, and, for this writer, hypotheses were validated. George Shearing's "Conception",  the only straight-ahead 4/4 standard of the night, served the purpose that standard material so often does in jazz, that of clarifying individual approaches. The more grounded quality exhibited by Smith earlier was abandoned in favor of his aerial approach, and he dodged, smeared, and gearshifted virtuosically with a lighter tone. In contrast, Stewart and Grenadier swung impeccably, Grenadier's walking pulses landing like mounds of fresh earth. After that was "Calm", a ballad featuring some of Grenadier's most compelling work of the night.

They finished the night with a second take on "Think before you Think". The highlight here - and more or less the highlight of the evening - was Smith's solo, which grew and maintained tremendous levels of energy. But not energy for the sake of excitement - rather energy that radiated as an effect of something purely swinging and joyous. He worked up to shredding, sweeping arpeggios, a device which he must have gotten from Coltrane-via-Mark Turner, but didn't sound hastily borrowed or unearned. I wanted the solo and the show to go on longer, and when the night thrust me back up onto Seventh Street and then into the subway I was already thinking about my next night at the Vanguard.  

[templified]

Masonry Grid WordPress Themes for Amazing Portfolios, Blogs and eCommerce Sites | Templified

New Post has been published on https://templified.com/masonry-grid-wordpress-themes-for-amazing-portfolios-blogs-and-ecommerce-sites__trashed/

Masonry Grid WordPress Themes for Amazing Portfolios, Blogs and eCommerce Sites

Divi

By now, you’ve probably heard of Divi in your search for a fantastic WordPress grid theme.  If not, welcome.  Divi is Elegant Themes’ premium WordPress page builder theme.  It’s fluid, responsive and well appointed, the visual page builder plugin (Divi builder) lets you make a website that has every feature you need, with a fun and easy to navigate grid layout for your images, video clips, artwork or other posts.  Divi is a real go-to multi-purpose theme.  Divi, the ultimate designers tool?  Could very well be.

For support, you’ve got access to the knowledge base that Elegant Themes has already amassed, but there’s more.  An online community of Divi developers is constantly making Divi better and better.  You can use a predefined layout, including a beautiful and user friendly grid design, create your own layout or download one of the community sourced design templates.  Each one is professional, beautiful and easy to use.  Check out the demos with the link below and find out if Divi is the right theme for your next project.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Uncode

The Uncode WordPress theme offers so many different customization options it can be considered a true shape shifter in the realm of one or multipage website design. Its modern appearance and supreme functionality let even non-developers easily create a stunningly feature-filled site with all the latest elements displayed well, animated effortlessly and laid out to best showcase all the textual and graphic content. Uncode succeeds as a theme for web presence in any industry because it is truly appropriate for multiple uses. To make it even easier to launch, Uncode comes packaged with multiple premade one-page template demos and tons of widgets and elements you can customize in no time at all.

This modern WP theme was built on the powerful HTML5 and CSS3 coding with Bootstrap technology that facilitates the seamless design options of a truly dynamic website. No coding knowledge or experience necessary to change the layout or add content. Choose one of the professionally designed demos or create your own structure for whatever message you want to send site visitors. The Uncode theme is 100% responsive for smooth views on any size screen. The overall impression is one of polished harmony and a perfect marriage between content message and design.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Notio

Want a fun theme with grid layout and easy to grasp, minimalist style to make a really memorable first impression on the folks who come to your website?  Yeah?  Me too!  Well, Notio is a theme that might be a fit for what you need.  Notio is a high end portfolio theme which also allows for WooCommerce sales of any kind of products, from digitally downloaded files to stuff you normally find in a brick and mortar store.  Notio is easy to use too, simple enough for beginners but fluid and dynamic enough for expert web designers.  I think you’ll find that it’s simple to get started and there are plenty of options to make the site look like you want it without being too arcane.  Tweak the settings, give it a try.  We think you’ll love what you find.

Installation is a cool and easy process, thanks in large part to Notio’s single click installer.  Yeppers, it is what it is.  One click gets the job done.  Get started now, not in a few minutes.  Pretty, pretty, pretty cool.  Visual Composer, which allows you to change up the layout rapidly, is what powers this theme.  Lots of the very best templates on the market are using this powerful tool and it has no limits to what can be build.  No fences.  Notio looks great on any device thanks to retina ready display and that means your WooCommerce driven store with grid layout is going to look amazing and behave even better.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Wonder

Looking for a clean and crisp, powerful and modern grid portfolio theme with tools and talent enough to help you create an attractive and professional portfolio in minutes?  Then Wonder may be what you’re looking for.  This template is complete with several portfolio types, so you can showcase images, video, sliders and even audio clips.  The minimal look is seductive and the WordPress Live Customizer helps make it really easy to adjust settings on everything from colors and logos, blog options and more.  It’s a one stop control panel for your entire website.  Wonder is a responsive theme that includes half a dozen free plugins too to integrate social media links, pricing tables and more.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Vulcano

Vulcano is a Tesla Themes original, wonderfully well suited to make a great blog, portfolio, creative agency site, photography portfolio page or home-page for any kind of creative small business. Vulcano is creative about it’s layout too, allowing for various sizes of images on each page, sort of like a metro style theme.  The Tesla framework assures you that this theme will have fast load times and won’t bog down even as your website, and your traffic, grows.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Kappe

Kappe is a theme by artists, for artists.  Any sort of creative will love the flat geometric style design, the full background images, the infinite scrolling options and trendy masonry grid layout.  I think this one will be great for your photos, design work, illustrations and whatever you want to throw at it.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Petal

This grid layout portfolio WordPress theme is flexible, user friendly, spectacular, feature filled and well built, it’s adaptive, perfectly coded and feature filled, ideal for promotion firms, boutique design firms, graphic designers, advertising agencies or commercial photographers. A well designed portfolio theme can really help you make a lasting first impression.  The best drag and drop WordPress page-builder plugin is called Visual Composer, which is probably the most effective and quite adaptive method to generate the kind of website you are looking for with the design and features you’d like to have.  Visual Composer supports the major third party plugins like both Gravity Forms or Ninja Forms, WooCommerce, Contact Form 7, Essential Grid and Layer or Revolution Sliders. What’s best of all is how this beautiful WordPress theme so incredibly flexible, so your portfolio page will look as good as can be on any device.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Kalium

Kalium is wonderfully well crafted and attractive, modern grid theme with a glossy and appealing design, it’s also incredibly lightweight and exceptionally responsive, just like all WordPress creative multipurpose themes should be.  The optional ability to set up an online shop and portfolio is also a great touch. Kalium is a robust and sound design alternative for webmasters who don’t want the hassle of managing any coding but need to craft innovative sites that are contemporary in a grand fashion, while remaining capable of efficiently conveying information to a comprehensive variety of demographics in a huge, on-line crowd.

To that end, Kalium sets up the superior Visual Composer page builder to facilitate the whole customization procedure, joining it with the engaging and animated power of LayerSlider plugins and the Revolution Slider for good measure. You are going to discover Kalium’s capacities are distinctively powered by a robust treatment of grid fashions including the masonry that is configurable and most modern layouts in the marketplace now, with the capacity of presenting a variety of content in an appealing, first, organization that is customizable. Strive Kalium and let everything where it should be be!

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Infinity

Infinity is an uncomplicated, spotless, and fashionable portfolio theme that adjusts to virtually any screen quality. It really is one of the better ThemeTrust themes. Set full screen background photos to conveniently supply every project, blog post, or web page it’s own attitude. Successfully flip a grouping of imagery into a slideshow. Instantly alter components of the theme with a built in features panel. Choose and post your logo image. Every Theme Trust theme which you invest in offers life time support.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Ink

Ink is a very simple, fresh, and chic portfolio theme that changes to virtually any screen pixel resolution with it’s responsive design. This is probably the best ThemeTrust web templates. Set full screen back-ground illustrations or photos to simply bestow every photo, post, or webpage it’s very own special personality. Readily transform a collection of photos right into a slideshow. Rapidly change parts of the theme with an internal options panel. Pick and post your logo graphic. Every Theme Trust theme which you buy comes with lifetime guidance.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Rinjani

Creating a blog than needs a special dose of wonderfully constructed masonry grid layout?  Or perhaps you’re looking for a highly structured, geometric and solid, strong layout for a portfolio, and you’d prefer the high levels of order and visibility that a grid WordPress theme provides?  Well, look no further than Rinjani, a wonderful, slim and sleek, modern and orderly, neat and clean WordPress grid theme.  Want to blog about your favorite hobbies, arts and crafts, travel or design?  Want to make a little money while you’re at it?  (Who doesn’t?)  If you want a theme that can do all of that and more, then have a look at the advantages Rinjani offers you.  Whether you’re blogging about a personal story, you’re marketing your company online or blogging for a corporate entity, Rinjani is a great choice, thanks to it’s ease of use and high level of custom features and looks you can give it.

Rinjani is completely responsive, meaning it looks great on every device, every screen size, every browser, every time.  The grid style layout means even on a mobile device, the readability and impact is high, the presentation is attractive and the reader will stand up and take notice of what you have to say, every time.  Rinjani offers ACF formatting, a crafty plugin that offers you immense levels of control over custom field data, which means there’s no end to the level of custom experience you can provide. The strong administration panel allows you to customize Rinjani to suit any look, giving you full control over every aspect of the style.  Rinjani empowers you, gives you the freedom of color choice, font choice and other basic CSS options that fit your website’s desired style or your company’s existing lookbook.  Rinjani’s developers spared no expense in creating an SEO optimized theme to help power your website higher in the search engines, like Yahoo, Google, Bing and others.  Rinjani offers an amazing treasure-trove of documentation to let you install, develop and customize your site quickly and with no need to learn how to code.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

This is our collection of the absolute best WordPress grid themes around. With this collection, you’re going to see a whole bunch of different options for creating a stunning website that’s well organized and that looks great for any type of content. You’re going to want to bookmark this page and check back often, because we update all of our collections constantly to ensure that they have all of the best and newest WordPress themes. So, here we go, the absolute best WordPress grid themes anywhere.

Divi, Elegant, Premium Quality WordPress Theme

This is Divi, among the biggest, best and most popular themes on the web.  It’s no surprise that Divi has some outstanding grid layouts that you can use to build blogs, portfolios and even eCommerce sites.  Divi uses the powerful divi drag and drop page builder for let you have tons of flexibility.  You can add any of the dozens of different content blocks, move them exactly where you want them to be.  Click and drag to resize them, change fonts quickly and adjust things like padding and margin.  Anyway, you should really check it out, it’s a pretty awesome system for building websites.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Notio, Tranditional WordPress Theme With Grid Layout

Notio is a great looking, deluxe portfolio theme with a very clean, almost minimalist layout.  This is a superpowered portfolio theme that offers support for video backgrounds, you can play videos on cursor hover, inside a lightbox and even in sliders.  But it’s not just about video, Notio uses the same great grid layout for portfolios and blog posts as well. Notio comes with several different demo styles that can be installed quickly and each one delivers awesome performance.  For more video themes, we’ve made a collection that could be really useful for you.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Tumli, Grid Layout Travel Blog WordPress Theme

This Tumli theme is a WordPress theme for personal blogs with a great-looking masonry grid style. It’s an intuitive theme to use, perfectly suited for any type of website. But I think for video bloggers and tradition lovers, this choice is one of the best. it offers one click demo installation, the theme is perfectly optimized for speed and offers automatic free theme updates. This theme is completely responsive, you can hide or show featured image for article pages, the pinterest-style layout is a real attention-getter and it’s incredibly simple to customize.

DemoMore Information Get Hosting

Ultra, Page Builder WordPress Theme for Grid Blogs

Ultra is another great looking grid theme that automatically adapts its layout depending on the size of your screen. This is a portfolio theme with a lot of features, including quite a number of customization options that will allow you to set up your website just the way you want it to be. Ultra is a flexible and powerful theme, it allows you to create any sort of site quickly and beautifully. Of course, the result will be perfectly responsive. You’ll have full control over your website’s design from the header to the footer and everything in between. This is a must have theme for divine looking websites for developers and designers.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Megatron, WordPress Grid Portfolio Theme

The Megatron WordPress theme is a multi-purpose WordPress template with 30 different than Le home pages, over a hundred 50 reusable elements, full support for all of the most popular plug-ins and it comes with visual composer page builder, the Bootstrap 3 grid system and multi-language support. If you want to set up a shop, you’ll have access to WooCommerce, the best solution out there for building the great looking shopping website. There are multiple layouts included and I’ve highlighted the grid design in the image above.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Kappe, High Quality WordPress Grid Theme

Kappe is a full screen portfolio and blog WordPrewss theme with beautiful layouts and plenty of features.  You get a strong Admin panel for adjusting your settings.  That allows you to create a custom look for your site.  It’s all very intuitive and you don’t have to touch the code to make it work right.  The masonry blog layout is a nice one, it sort of reminds me of Pinterest, which is still going strong after a few years on the market.  Kappe uses Ajax pos pagination, there are unlimited sliders and color schemes, among the multitude of features that Kappe offers.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Lookbook, Engaging WordPress Grid Portfolio Theme

Lookbook is a mosaic portfolio theme that can beautifully display your posts, images and projects in one lovely page.  This theme does all it can to be visual.  Getting all of your information on one page is a huge benefit for portfolios that need a highly visual navigation setup and I think that’s one thing Lookbook does as well as any theme on the market.  This responsive theme is easy to customize, you get multiple post formats and you can even sell products like photographs and prints.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Gridlove, WordPress Blog Theme with Stylish Grid Design

Gridlove is one of the most popular and well-respected grid design WordPress themes out there. This theme is perfect for portfolio’s and blogs alike. if you’re looking for a premium quality theme that is easy to use and has all the features you need to start a successful website, this one is fantastic. There are quite a number of different pre-made design styles to choose from and you can always create your own. customization is a snap and it’s going to produce a really fantastic user experience that everyone who comes to your site is going to appreciate.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Overton, Creative WordPress Grid Blog and Portfolio

Creating a portfolio that has it all, that’s the stated goal of the Overton theme.  This theme has a number of different pre-made layouts and designs.  I’ve highlighted the masonry portfolio style, but there are demos for more ordered grids as well as more traditional designs.  For creative agencies and individuals, Overton has a massive amount of portfolio layouts, you can use the vCard template to highlight your personal experiences and announce upcoming projects on the coming soon page.  There are parallax layouts, split screen layouts and more.  This is a solid overall grid theme.

DemoMore Information Get Hosting

Cre8or, WordPress Theme for Grid Layout Portfolios

Cre8or is a dead simple theme, it’s really easy to use, it’s well organized and the clean, professional style makes your content stand out.

DemoMore Information Get Hosting

Sugarland, WordPress Lifestyle Blog with Grid Layout

Sugarland is a sweet personal blog and magazine theme with a front page that’s memorable for it’s highly organized grid layout.

Looking for more personal blog themes for WordPress?  Try our full collection.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Petal, WordPress Grid Blog and eCommerce Theme

Petal is a creative theme that perfectly blends clean, modern layouts, eCommerce support and all the features that any creative company could use.

Want to see some additional minimalist WordPress themes?  Check out that full collection of amazing themes.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Kalium, Clean Isotope Grid Gallery Theme

This is Kalium, a creative and professional WordPress theme that’s as powerful as it is popular.  Kalium gives you multiple ways to use it, thanks to over 20 different premade concepts that can be installed with just one click.  That’s not just homepage styles, but entire websites premade and ready for your content.  Agencies and hotels, architecture sites and weddings, bookstores and restaurants, education and blogs.  There’s a little something in there for everybody.  Kalium isn’t just popular, it’s well loved too, it’s got one of the highest ratings for any theme that’s been downloaded over 30k times on ThemeForest.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Rinjani, WordPress Masonry Blog Layout Theme

For personal blogs, for content marketers, for magazines and creative websites, Rinjani is a theme that has a lot of features to help make your website a success.  The layout is pure masonry, you get a well organized method for posting your stuff.  I think the masonry layout is particularly well suited for folks who want to blend images with text, letting them share the stage with equall billing.  Captivating images and interesting headlines can help draw people in to read a second article after they’ve finished the one that got them to your site.  That can really help to build traffic in the long run.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

MF, Highly Rated WordPress Grid Portfolio and Blog Theme

MF is still among the most popular WordPress multi-purpose themes out there. This template comes with a number of different premium plugins included for free. You get wpbakery page builder, slider revolution, essential grid and several different packages for WC bakery page builder add-ons. There are a number of different header and footer versions, a powerful admin panel for customization, one click to import of any of the pre-made styles, this is theme is a powerful, seo-friendly thing that works in any language. you got 36 portfolio layouts, a different blog layouts and full support for woocommerce, allow you to build a great-looking online shop. The reviews for this team are incredibly positive, nearly everyone who has purchased it has given it a perfect 5-star rating.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Universe, eCommerce Theme with Grid Layout

Universe is a strong option for portfolios, for creative agencies, for business or phoography sites and anything else that needs a clean, well organized grid layout for displaying content.  Universe is modern, it’s responsive and all of the customization options are powered by the Tesla framework, which makes it quite simple to adjust and adapt the generic installation to work right for your needs.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

Mellow, Simple, Modern WordPress Grid Portfolio Theme

Making your content look incredible is what Mellow, from Themetrust, is all about.  This is a portfolio and blog theme that offers smooth scrolling, masonry or traditional grid portfolios, custom backgrounds and more.  You get quite a few shortcodes to create buttons, toggles and other fun stuff.  No need to after market plugins, it’s all right there.  The theme options panel letsyou upload your logo, add custom CSS and swap out colors.  Everything is responsive and ready for any language, thanks to localization support.

DemoMore Information Get Hosting

Luminary, WordPress Grid Layout Photo Portfolio Theme

  Demo More Information Get Hosting

Proton, Minimalist WordPress Design Portfolio Theme

  Demo More Information Get Hosting

Huntt, WordPress eCommerce Theme with Masonry Product Grid

  Demo More Information Get Hosting

Wonder

  Demo More Information Get Hosting

Vulcano, WordPress Creative Blog and Portfolio Theme

  DemoMore Information Get Hosting

Shape, WordPress Grid Blog and Portfolio Theme

  DemoMore Information Get Hosting

Ukiyo, Clean, Creative WordPress Grid Portfolio

  DemoMore Information Get Hosting

Newspaper 9, WordPress News Magazine Grid Theme

  DemoMore Information Get Hosting

Create, Drag and Drop Grid Theme

  Demo More Information Get Hosting

Mondrian, Grid Layout WordPress Portfolio Theme

  Demo More Information Get Hosting

Shutter, Clean WordPress Photography Theme with Grid Layout

  Demo More Information Get Hosting

Nerduck, Minimalist WordPress Portfolio Grid Theme

  Demo More Information Get Hosting

Gallery Pro, Genesis Framework WordPress Grid Theme

  Demo More Information Get Hosting

Roua, Minimalist WordPress Grid Themes

  Demo More Information Get Hosting

Sera, Simple, Organized Grid Portfolio Theme

  Demo More Information Get Hosting

Core, Simple, Attractive Grid Blog Theme

  Demo More Information Get Hosting

Kabuto, Highly Organized WordPress Grid Theme

  Demo More Information Get Hosting

Margo, Creative Digital Agency Theme with Grid Design

  Demo More Information Get Hosting

Uncode, WordPress Theme for Business and Creative Sites

Demo More Information Get Hosting

UberGrid

UberGrid most be one of the best grid themes, right?   Just check out that name!  This theme has a style that is somewhat reminiscent of the Pinterest style layout, it’s got that free flowing masonry layout and that’s something that’s pretty popular these days.  It’s a little surprising to see how long UberGrid has been around, it was first released back in 2013.  But since then, the developer has done a solid job of keeping UberGrid updated.

Ubergrid, exclusively available on ThemeForest, is a retina ready portfolio theme that packs a lot of features into a simple, minimalist design package and does it all at a reasonable price.  This beautiful, reliable, well-built, flexible and contemporary WooCommerce WordPress theme will allow you to market old products, contact buyers, develop your online business, launch new items and manage shipping and your stock and more.  UberGrid comes included with a page builder, a powerful and easy-to-usefront-page manager and theme manager pages.  Infinite scrolling options are handy too, if that’s something you’re interested in.  All this and demo content installed at the click of a mouse?  Perfect!  Here are some more WooCommerce WordPress themes.

Demo More Information Get Hosting

[dawnajaynes32]

Solid Air, Liquid Earth

Solid Air, Liquid Earth

By Tom Wachunas

   “To a nonpainter, oil paint is uninteresting and faintly unpleasant. To a painter, it is the life's blood: a substance so utterly entrancing, infuriating, and ravishingly beautiful that it makes it worthwhile to go back into the studio every morning, year after year, for an entire lifetime.” – James Elkins

 “The secrets of alchemy exist to transform mortals from a state of suffering and ignorance to a state of enlightenment and bliss.”

― Deepak Chopra

      EXHIBIT: in the whisper of silence / paintings by Mona Brody, on view THROUGH OCTOBER 27, 2017, at Main Hall Art Gallery, Kent State University at Stark, 6000 Frank Avenue NW, North Canton, Ohio / viewing hours Monday-Friday, Noon-5 P.M. 

 http://www.monabrody.com/

     Early in her gallery talk at Main Hall Art Gallery on October 6, visiting painter Mona Brody - currently Professor of Art at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York - described her methodology. Several times she used the term alchemy in an overarching way. It’s a wonderfully loaded term in this context, useful as both a practical and philosophical descriptor. Without traveling too far into painting arcana, suffice it to say that Brody is an alchemist extraordinaire.

   Start with regarding alchemy in the sense of transmuting common, ordinary materials into uncommon ones, or a process of changing one thing into another. Here I’m not talking about using paint to make merely prosaic illusions of plastic realities. Yes, there are certainly indications of terrestrial or celestial metaphors to be seen in Brody’s paintings, such as animal forms and aerial views of landscapes, or volatile skies. But in her process of altering pigments and oil to transport us beyond their innate materiality, Brody constructs altogether discrete sensory experiences, independent of recognizable nature, and stunning on their own terms. 

   In considering alchemy as it might be applied to making abstract imagery, think of it as the practice of reconciling dualities or opposites: temporality and timelessness; permanence and ephemerality; the apparent and the implied; the literal and the metaphorical. Brody’s paintings are on one level really about the paint and, paradoxically enough, the paint transcending its paint-ness in the same way poetry employs words.

   The linear elements in such works as the magnificent diptych, “Keep Out,” might be seen as bleeding, or crying, or simply an overflowing, like rivulets  of emotive energy. They’re a drawing out, which is to say an identification, memory, or preservation of pathways - an intuitive sort of cartography to navigate through all those surrounding organic forms. Some of those forms  are in turn indeterminate, cloudy and vaporous, while others are relatively more substantive and defined. 

   As in many of the other paintings here (15 in all), these amorphous structures bloom toward us and also fade away simultaneously, all the while hovering or perhaps incubating, as if waiting in our present moment. The intimate scrutiny that they invite reveals a subtly mesmerizing depth of entities both veiled and exposed – a layered history of gestures and responses, of diaphanous things emerging and changing, or hiding in plain sight. 

   Throughout her paintings, Brody has incorporated a product called “interference paint.” This remarkable product’s name seems somewhat antithetical to its purpose of causing certain colors to change right before your eyes - with varying degrees of opalescence, iridescence, or otherwise translucent shimmering - depending on your proximity and viewing angle to the work. Maybe it should be called something more relevant to its effect, such as ‘augmentation paint’ or ‘enhancement paint.’  In any case, there’s often the delightfully uncanny sense that parts of the canvas surfaces are being illuminated from the inside. Brody uses the effect judiciously.  It’s most apparent in those hints of warmer and more verdant colors, or little flashes of metallic accents, that seem to lurk underneath a palette dominated by off-whites, muted greys, browns, and intermediate earth tones.

   So as the title of this exhibit tells us, Brody is not shouting. The sensations evoked here are not exclaimed via hyperbolic hues or heavy impasto, but uttered, even sung, quietly. Gazing at all the paintings, especially “Keep Out,” I went in. And what I heard when I got there was the exquisite sound of my looking. That’s alchemy.

   PHOTOS, from top: 1. Keep Out  2. Indistinguishable  3.  Leaning Into the Wind  4. In There  5. Layered Soil and Bone  6. Artist talking, photo by Jack McWhorter      

Solid Air, Liquid Earth syndicated post

[tinymixtapes]

Live Blog: FYF Fest 2017

FYF Fest 2017 Exposition Park; Los Angeles, CA [July 21-23, 2017 ] by Derek Smith on 08-07-2017 FYF Fest popped another cherry this year, adding a third day upon which they splayed a virtual cavalcade of musical ingenues stacked so thick that navigating from set to set felt like a continuous game of Sophie’s Choice. Almost immediately earning forgiveness for the cruel joke of starting anything, let alone a major festival, at 5 pm on a Friday in Los Angeles, FYF brought Björk to the main stage a mere few hours later, soon to be followed by Slowdive and Missy Elliott. There were simply too many amazing acts to stay mad at the occasional shortcoming. Any of the festival’s three days would have made a fantastic month of shows separately, but together, the lineup both contrasted and complimented itself in a variety of strange and wonderful ways. Whether or not the growing pains of the fest’s expansion in recent years are gone forever remains to be seen, but this year was, for me, the most fun and rewarding FYF. --- Day 1: Ascension Photo: FYF Fest Goldenvoice Media Having braved the traffic to catch the fest’s often-solid lineup during early-bird hours, I started with Royal Headache, four Aussie garage-rockers whose consistently solid, yet not particularly remarkable, output has yet to land them much of a following on this side of the pond. Lead singer Shogun’s fiery, soulful vocals were too low in the mix, but once that was sorted out, the band made the most of the brief set. Their infectious blend of melodic, brutally efficient songwriting and a generous tendency to bleed one song into the next led to an increasingly large and receptive crowd. Like their albums, a little of Headache’s feverish energy goes a long way, making their 40-minute set a perfectly succinct boost of energy to get everyone’s juices flowing at the start of the weekend. On my way to swing by the Outer Space stage to catch what I could of Kelly Lee Owens’ set, I faced my first major dilemma. I wanted to see K-Lee work her magic but also wanted to get as close as humanly possible to Björk at the typically packed main stage. And although I spent about half of the 25 minutes I caught of Owens checking the time and worrying about the next set, her infectious beats and soothingly ethereal vocals eventually ran through my blood like an aural xanax that allowed me to lose myself for a few minutes. And then it was onto Björk, a moment I’d been dreaming of since I was a teenager. The meager 45 minutes I waited for her felt like an eternity, and the anticipation of what she would play, what she’d sound like, and if she’d even show at all was enough to give me a heart arrhythmia. To say this was a holy-grail show devalues how important Björk has been to my growth as a fan of music and art in general. Björk was my musical gateway drug to everything from Kate Bush to Aphex Twin, but more importantly, her music opened a portal to untapped and unexplored thoughts and emotions. And her music videos were consistently thrilling in their inventive, experimental cinematic techniques, helping to open my mind to new possibilities of visual art. Photo: Santiago Felipe for FYF Fest It’s difficult to express the feeling of watching someone so important to you walk out on stage for the first time, especially as in the third row, this was probably as close as I’d ever been to an idol of mine. But there was a constant chill running down my spine, a sense of wonderment ― both at what exactly her multi-colored shower exfoliator-style dress with neon green see-through Predator/Venetian mask was all about, and the fact that she was right. fucking. there ― filling my soul, and a consistent feeling of being outside myself. From the first note of “Stonemilker” to the final note of “Hyperballad,” I was in awe of how powerful and penetrating her voice is. Backed by a full orchestra and a screen with clips of her videos, Björk was everything I hoped she’d be and more. My only small gripe would be that none of the 15 songs she performed were from Vespertine, but there were samplings of most other albums, the highlights of which were “Joga” and “Unravel” from Homogenic, “Isobel” and “Hyperballad” from Post, and “Come to Me” from Debut. It was a masterful, transcendent performance by one of the most important artists of the last quarter-century. To follow Björk is indeed a Herculean task, one only an immensely talented outfit like Slowdive should ever take on. Although they were performing on a different stage, they functioned as a perfect comedown from the emotional high that preceded. That’s not meant as a slight on Slowdive, who also are one of my favorite bands and who I’d only seen once before a few years back at FYF 2014. Their set was dependably impressive, with neither surprises nor missteps, and their dreamy, shimmering guitars filled the night sky in a way that invited contemplation, which allowed for a brief reprieve from the intensity of the festival. They played exactly what you’d want them to play ― “Catch the Breeze” off Just for a Day, “Allison,” “Souvlaki Space Station,” and “When the Sun Hits” off Souvlaki, and a healthy sampling of their fantastic new self-titled album. They do what they do really fucking well. Missy Elliott was sadly underwhelming, but the quality of the prior bands left me unreceptive to Missy’s incessant self-flagellation, which went so far to include several minutes of interviews on the big screens with artists talking about how visionary she is, and repeated mentions of Janet Jackson, Beyonce, and Tyler the Creator being in the crowd. To be fair, I got there just after the set started and was a couple hundred yards from the stage, so it was ultimately like viewing a spectacle that someone filmed on a cell phone. Still, in the brief stretch I saw, “Get Ur Freak On” and “Work It” were quite a bit of fun so maybe I would’ve been down for more had she not taken five minutes between songs to chat about herself. --- Day 2: In the Shit Photo: FYF Fest Goldenvoice Media Of course my dog would choose the first night of FYF to have a case of explosive diarrhea that led to me getting very little sleep, four hours at the emergency vet the next morning, and a nice fat $500 bill hovering over my head. I was exhausted and by the mid-afternoon, I’d accepted that day 2 would likely be a wash. I don’t deal well with sleep deprivation and the fest’s setting, Exposition Park, surrounds USC’s Coliseum on all sides so there’s a good four-to-five miles of walking to be done each day. But I had a plan for the day and, unlike Frank Ocean, I don’t bail on festivals. The day began with Built To Spill playing Keep It Like a Secret so things turned around for me pretty quickly. This is the first time I’ve seen them play live as a trio, with Doug Martsch providing the only non-bass guitar. While their sound was slightly thinner sans the layered guitars that helped define their sound, the stripped-down approach worked wonderfully in the context of covering one of their best albums. I made sure to get there early enough snag a front-row spot, and it paid off. Their set was surprisingly intimate; it helps when most of the songs are flat-out brilliant, but with Martsch having to do a lot of heavy lifting, it gave me an even greater appreciation for his skills as a guitarist and song-writer. In the kind of major tonal shift you only get in the festival environment, I headed over to the main stage to catch A Tribe Called Quest since, as Q-Tip would confirm, this is possibly the last time Tribe will be out making the rounds. But damn, did they make sure it was a hell of a show even without Phife on-stage. It was respectful to his legacy and importance as a founder, but also was as much a celebration of Tribe as a mourning of his loss. Q was especially on fire, spitting verses like he was 27 not 47, and the breaks he took to talk about Phife were humble, thoughtful, and moving, adding a layer of emotional resonance to Tribe’s performance. The crowd was incredibly receptive to the remaining trio’s still-brilliant chemistry and uncanny ability to flow from one song to next, as a building energy flowed through their killer encore of “Can I Kick It?”, “Award Tour,” and “We the People…”. As amazing as the set was, it makes Phife’s passing sting even more. Like Björk, Erykah Badu’s voice live is even better than you can imagine, and she took remarkable command of the stage. It was a true work of Baduizm as she set a positive, contemplative vibe upon which she laid out her psychedelic soul with a measured intensity. As painful as it was to check out early, Frank Ocean was up next and unlike 2015’s FYF and seemingly most other live dates, he showed up to this one. To get a feel for the oddness of Frank’s performance, you have to imagine how gargantuan the main stage is. Its huge monitors and enormous backdrop, with several football fields of pavement in front of which one performs to a sea of people, is a spectacle, and Frank transformed it into something completely different. Walking out on a platform between the VIP and GA sections, Frank began singing with just a keyboard and a microphone on stage with him. Even the monitors were off at first before eventually being filled with footage currently being shot by the two cameramen around him. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop when he wasn’t singing ― an eerie feeling when you’re surrounded by thousands of fans waiting with baited breath. It was a performance boiled down to the essentials ― a voice, a keyboard, and the occasional guitar or bass from his small backing band. In other words, the transition from the vibrant Channel Orange to the introspective Blonde is complete. “Thinking About You” is the only song from the prior album he played, and even that was performed with a more minimal arrangement. It was heavy on Blonde tracks, touching on all its heavy hitters like “Solo,” “Nikes,” and “Pink + White.” He even cavalierly brought Brad Pitt on stage during “Close to You” because Spike Jonze was filming the performance, presumably for a music video. But there was no mention of it, no hype, no excess. It wasn’t an overwhelming performance, but it certainly was an admirable one, and when Frank wasn’t happy with the way his debut of two new songs, “Runnin Around” and “Good Guy,” sounded, he apologized and asked if he could do them again. It was like watching Frank Ocean perform in his bedroom, if his bedroom were the size of an aircraft carrier. --- Day 3: Innerbody Experience Photo: FYF Fest Goldenvoice Media By day 3, I was rested and fully hydrated. I had never seen Iggy Pop live, but his energy and antics as a live performer precede him beyond merely “inventing” the stage dive or laying the groundwork for punk with his three albums with The Stooges. Like Björk, Pop is an icon, a figure whose presence is magnetic whether right in front of you or on a 5-inch screen. And when that presence burst on stage to “I Want To Be Your Dog,” he might as well have been shot out of a cannon. I was a few rows back but still close enough to count the wrinkles in his leathery skin, and the second he was visible, a wave of people rushed forward like moths to a flame. It was already packed, but that first two minutes was a thrilling combination of adrenaline from the explosion of energy on stage and a bit of fear at the unknowable insanity that threatened to swallow me whole from behind. And where Björk’s performance was something of an out-of-body experience, Pop’s was raw and physical. Even during lighter tunes like “The Passenger,” there was an overarching sensation of aggression, as if the crowd was waiting to release its collective tension in an awkward combination of swirling, gyrating, and jumping bodies. Pop also stuck a microphone down his pants and skipped around, and there was a crowd-surfing panda and an obscene amount of fist-pumping. For an hour, the crowd was putty in Iggy’s hands and, for an hour, we were rewarded with a furious onslaught of powerful, jaw-clenching music. Nothing quite matched the fire-breathing intensity of the “I Wanna Be Your Dog” opener, but “TV Eye” was fantastic (and nearly half the set consisted of Stooges songs) as was, of course, “Lust for Life,” but there wasn’t a moment where the magic dimmed. Realizing that Pop is still up there jumping around like a maniac at 70 is inspiring. It also makes me feel incredibly lame for complaining that my feet hurt after walking 3-4 miles, but we can’t all be Iggy Pop. Drenched in sweat, I climbed out of the sea of bodies, dazed and ecstatic from the catharsis. I had already got what I came for, but I powered through to the little stage where Blonde Redhead happened to be performing my favorite album of theirs, Melody of a Certain Damaged Lemons. I haven’t listened to much of the band in the last decade, and I’m fairly certain I didn’t get to even a second spin of Penny Sparkle or Barragan, but to my pleasant surprise I took right to them. It happened to be the perfect chill, nostalgic comedown after the draining fever dream which came before it, and the band sounded as good live as I had remembered. And as nice as it was to hear songs I once loved and hadn’t heard in years; as soon as they finished the Melody album, I meandered over to the nearby chicken-and-waffle place while their new music played them off in the distance. Photo: FYF Fest Goldenvoice Media As great as FYF was as a whole, going out on an insanely high note was not meant to be. I have friends who are die-hard Nine Inch Nails fans, and while I really enjoy about 1/3 of their music, I’m fairly indifferent about the rest. But their fans are fiercely loyal, so there was a bit of second-hand fandom flowing through my lungs once Trent & Co. took the stage. It doesn’t hurt that Reznor has, in recent years, been involved with some pretty great film scores with Atticus Ross and, more importantly, appeared with Nine Inch Nails in one of the greatest television episodes of all time, the 8th episode of Twin Peaks: The Return. And while I went in part because there wasn’t another option, they ended up being pretty damn entertaining. Every time they veer toward whatever their nu-metal sound is, I checked out, but “March of the Pigs,” “Something I Can Never Have,” and “Closer” were all wonderfully rendered. And in a moment of quietude, Reznor paid tribute to David Bowie with an achingly tender, minimal rendition of “I Can’t Give Everything Away.” The set was only 2/3 over, but there wouldn’t be a better note to end on, so there I left through the mass of people to the outskirts of the fest, where I’d wait for my Lyft home with the final notes of yet another fest dwindling ever-so-slightly in the distant background. See you again another year, FYF. I only hope the best is not now behind me. http://j.mp/2veKl5g

[the-grumpy-panda]

Call The Landlord... There's A Goomba Afoot!

A fun (arguably speaking) mix of sweet and salty, moist and crunchy this time around! I'm still only about half way through all of the junk aligned on my counter top. Lots of crackers and chips and frozen treats and doughnuts to be reviewed at some point. My intent was to go sweet first, then savory/crunchy, but as it turns out, I care not about formulated decisions, and merely pounce onto whatever strikes my fancy when I feel like a snack. So dive in with me as we discuss... My dormant plumbing skills! Who knew? My Kitchen Sink Basket (it's a thing!) was old, faulty and leaking. I replaced it! I did it! It was rather simple, really, so don't call me for a real plumbing emergency, but for a guy who rents his abodes for the express purpose of never having to fix anything he didn't personally break, I'm quite pleased with myself that I decided to just be proactive this time. As a reward, I ate... -Firework Oreos! With popping candy! Well, if you're going to keep upping the ante on junk foods, this is certainly one way to do it. First off, no matter how you eat this, it will end up tasting of a regular Oreo, so if there's any fear about trying this one, fear not. In order to obtain the effect of the popping candy, it's best to just eat the cream on its own. It takes a small amount of time for the cream to give way, but the finishing notes are the fizz and pop you're looking for, and that's it. No other flavoring at play, and the fizz/pop is quite weak. If you put a whole cookie in your mouth and let it dissolve into a sludge consistency, the pop and fizz will show up at the very end after you've swallowed and if there happens to be some candy left on your tongue. Obviously, the cream and cookie parts get in the way of what the candy is supposed to do. Your level of enjoyment will depend on how much effort you want to put into it. I wouldn't say this one is a dud, as ultimately you're eating an Oreo, but it's certainly not as fun as one would hope. -Mountain Dew Spiked Lemonade from Taco Bell! I'm throwing this in here because of how yummy I found it to be. Grown men say yummy. Shut your mouth. I didn't know this was a thing until someone handed me one. If this were a permanent Dew flavor for mass market sale I'd probably keep a case on hand during the summer months. The Taco Bell website tells me it's a Dew lemonade spiked with Prickly Pear juice. It's lovely, and has a wonderfully tickling carbonation level. Grown men also say wonderfully tickling. Shut your mouth double. I had the soda version, but it also comes in a Slurpee like version. ***Quick addendum. I've just learned that this Dew lemonade, along with a raspberry version are available in singular, 16 ounce cans. Be on the look out! -Little Debbie Red, White and Blueberry Creme Rolls! It took me a moment to pin point exactly what the smell and flavor of these reminded me of. Then days after trying it, it finally dawned on me out of nowhere. The taste of the cream is very reminiscent of blueberry yogurt. Make what you will of the fact that part of my days were spent pondering a snack cake. Yogurt in a cake roll, though? Does it work? Yeah, it's alright. It's a cream consistency, though. I don't want anyone to think it's as runny as yogurt. The blueberry is a bit too artificial tasting, and it's not the best Little Debbie has offered, but as a weird little attempt to have a new item to offer, it's worth a purchase to try. This is a very solid item, too. It's thick, bulky, and surprisingly dense. One roll will definitely do ya. -Little Debbie Maple Buns! Whoa... quite an aroma to this one. Upon opening it your face is smacked with a cloud of cheap syrup smell. Taste wise, it's essentially a honey bun dipped in some cheap syrup, so exactly as promised. Your level of enjoyment will vary factoring in your appreciation of honey buns and cheap syrup. I wouldn't make this my go to choice, but if all else failed, I'd have no problem eating one again. -Little Debbie Peanut Clusters! A salted caramel and peanut cookie, covered in chocolate and halved peanut pieces. A nice sized cookie. A very dry treat, all things considered, but the cookie part maintains a pleasant crunch even though it's topped with caramel and chocolate. I won't dare scan the ingredients to see how many chemicals make this possible. I think this would be better if it were a caramel and peanut butter layering on the cookie covered in chocolate, but it still serves it's purpose, and I do find the crunch of the cookie satisfying. -Marshmallow Fruity Pebbles cereal! I have no clue how new or old these are. I had never seen them on shelves before, so it's a new product to me. Not much to say about them, really. It's Fruity Pebbles with essentially Lucky Charms marshmallows tossed in. I liked it, but I do think I prefer my Fruity Pebbles without accompaniment. What can/should be discussed is the marshmallow shapes... and what they actually look like. The Sharkasaurus looks exactly like a dolphin. Which when broken down, is actually a bit impressive. The Starfish... well, alright. It looks like a star, hard to muck that one up. The Giant Clam looks like a UFO or a kid wearing a helmet. You decide! The Jellyfish looks like a flower. The Shark's Tooth looks like a piece of broken off marshmallow dropped on the floor and found two weeks later. The Turtle looks like... I don't know, but distinctly not a turtle. And what this grouping of "shapes" has to do with Fruity Pebbles is beyond me. -Thomas' Banana and Chocolate Chip bagels! What type of tomfoolery is this? There is no banana taste, there is no chocolate chip taste, even when I decidedly take a bite that has chips in it! None of what's supposed to be here comes through in the flavor profile whatsoever. This tastes merely of a plain bagel. So much so, that I double checked the label, and inspected each of the bagels in the bag. All the same, all festooned with chips... but with NO FLAVOR! Luckily enough, I like any kind of bagel, so it's not a loss. All things being what they are, if a bagel complaint is the roughest my day gets, I should keep my fool mouth shut and enjoy this cushy existence. -Utz Sweet Corn potato chips! No weird or obnoxious smell upon opening the bag, just a normal chip smell. No corn flavor is really apparent either. They almost taste like a regular chip, but there is some sort of dusty coating to them that comes into play. I imagine this is supposed to be the sweet corn flavoring, but it just simply doesn't come across at all. We're left with a chip with a weird coating that neither adds or detracts from the chip. So... just buy a bag of regular Utz. This is just simply a dud, which makes me feel a bit bad, as it's not a failure that is revolting, it's just... a chip that inflated its resume and got caught. Tsk tsk. -Wise Grilled Cheeseburger potato chips! Smell of those microwaved one dollar burgers you can find in the frozen food section, which simply can't be anything but processed chemicals, right? Taste like a chip dipped in a weird sauce made of cheap ketchup and leftover burger grease. To my surprise, though, I found them to be okay. Not to the point where I'd eat a whole big bag, and there's something a little cheap about these, but they luckily weren't as disgusting as a chip that tastes like greasy ketchup could have been.   -Wise Korean Barbecue potato chips! Pretty big smell of old fast food restaurant ketchup wafting out of this bag. Taste wise, they merely taste like a salt and pepper potato chip, and if you try real hard you can sort of taste a wee bit of onion as well. Mix up at the factory, Wise? A little disappointed there's not something weirder to rave on about. Although I think I've learned I'm not a big fan of Wise potatoes. I think it's safe to assume most potato chips are made relatively the same, but there's something a little off about the Wise brand. Maybe its the kind of oil they use, maybe the soil their potatoes are grown in is a little more acrid (or whatever, I don't know agriculture, my junk food grows right on the grocery store shelf all packaged up as far as I know) but their chips just come across as weak and cheap. Still perfectly edible, of course, but not a brand I'll ever make my first choice. -Hostess White Fudge Ding Dongs! Sooo many puns and innuendos waiting to be made. I'll keep it classy, however. I don't know what all makes up the white fudge Hostess uses, but I think I'm a fan. The other treat utilizing the coating was a white fudge and marshmallow Twinkie, which was delicious. This Ding Dong is also quite tasty and very moist. It consists of a yellow cake mixture, whereas a normal Ding Dong is a chocolate cake. Maybe therein lies the secret to its tastiness. Come on now, Hostess, how long will I have to wait before you give me a regular, chocolate Ding Dong with a white fudge coating??? Oh me, oh my but that sounded salacious as hell. Why do I now want a wearing nothing but an apron Daisy Ridley to mix me up some cupcakes while I, uh, "watch?" -Let's end this one how it began... with cookies. Always cookies. Cookies and soda, the undeniable crutches that keep me teddy bear soft. But that also makes me cuddly. Come on, Daisy, put away the cupcakes and cuddle me. Wait... bring the cupcakes with you and cuddle me. What was I thinking? Anyway, we now have Waffle And Syrup Oreos! Hmm. These are actually quite tasty, although I don't think I could pin point waffles and syrup if pressed. They smell and taste a lot like the Cinnamon Bun Oreo. Or maybe even a little like the Gingberbread Oreo. Hmm. (two Hmmm's in one paragraph. These are a thinker!) I'm going to go with my first instinct and say these are right on par with the cinnamon bun one. So they're good, but not the flavor we were promised. Which sums up my life! Thus concludes another adventure-less adventure. Time now for a nap and a cuddle. Come on then, me, you lovable oaf.