#but the pattern is wonky and it was a transition section

[kikiknits]

Deducing the problem in your lace pattern and debating whether or not to rip out…

Got off track abt 7 rows back.

I course corrected, but the entire thing is off by a singular stitch, and trying to figure out if I am bothered by it enough to rip all the way back.

[skimaskkass]

Pre - Jeri (album review) (breakbit music/ROFLTRAX classics #1) (re-formated)

https://jeri.bandcamp.com/album/pre A long time ago (2014ish) I slightly helped or maybe tried to help a label called Breakbit Music. I am no Breakbit Music master but maybe I will be one day. In the meantime I can reminisce about albums that are dear (or not) to my life as a music fan and other things. One of these albums is Pre by Jeri. I had heard someone I’m in contact with make a track similar to one of the tracks on this album, though not exactly. I wondered if she knew this album and she didn’t. I mention this because I am very proud of her because this album is not just dear to my heart but makes me realize more than 99% of music I listen to how special life and musical ability is.

The opening “Seq1″  is musical chaos to me. But it is not nonsense. It sounds like nothing else I’ve ever heard. I’ve heard some orangy (an alias Jeri had used earlier) tracks before and maybe this is a distillation of that. Jeri was a king of sampling and using them at the right moments. Every time that “woo!” plays you don’t know what to do and when it jumps out of the middle of a spaced out bar. It gets sandwiched by FM sounding percussion arpeggios with even more staccato drums and snares that without intentionally listening for a pattern doesn’t seem like there is one. It’s such a free track that somehow has order sonically is face melting. Musicians should take note how to create textures with the same sounds by placing them at different spaces like they are in this track. But remember this is just the intro. The next track “Toxic People” has this Nintendo 64 sounding echoing guitar over this seasick portable game system synth. It draws you in and the drums come in. The hi-hats sound like they could be on a high quality Amon Tobin track in their modulating pitches. The drums once again phase through different pitches, sounding irregular, FM sounding. Then this really low fidelity, reamped industrial drumming runs into the mix and the song’s baseline comes in (but it’s the kind of overwhelming thing that you hear in dubstep or grime tracks that just bubbles and soaks the mix (which is also somehow trombone that seems to have the suggestion of higher frequencies which maybe is why it coats the ears in ear candy)). The drums have sped up and become isolated. It sounds like industrial influenced ‘post-techno’ or something along those lines. Before you can make that thought the drums are run through a flanger. There’s a proper bassline that comes in that would fit a Nintendo 64 game (I will bring it up a lot). It’s wild. There’s reverb slowly being filled in the mix from the seasick synth. There’s some ring-mod sounding vocal cries and the track ends. “*SHOT*”: is playing and brace yourself for a lot of notes on this track. There is this percussive kind of 8-bit/bit crushed melody that sounds has the effect of dramatic fast horror movie-like piano playing. This track also has a sea sick synth. It sounds like howling ghosts now. The bass drums come in and are replaced with a bassline and then there is a ghost acid bassline and these ghost drums that are going at a fast tempo (ghost in this instance meaning low volume). It is at this point of the album where I say if you’ve ever been a fan of madness combat’s music. Listen to this album. It’s just bassline and the drums with some cuts of high pitched spooky sounds. There are these portamento woodblock sounds in the fast drums that might have echoing delay and/or vocoder on them but regardless they are an excellent detail. The 8-bit/bit crushed sound gets panned around and sounds ring modulated now. Every loop there are two slight notes that adds to the techno spinning inferno music, yeah it is quite tribal at this point. At 1:25 a great transition sound and more vocode-y drums and then this melody that I can’t describe the sound of. It’s like a synth lunatic singing as this synth squeal keeps pitching down. The piano stuff I was suggesting now completely reveals itself at a nickelodeon-fast speed...The track just keeps changing and changing and changing a bunch of distorted sounds come in over it and the after the bass kicks up and the sounds are being swiss-cheesed by distortion. The song falls into a loop where the drums change into that fm squeak and a formant camera-shutter with light melodies taken from sounds from before and it goes back to the consistent sound it started with. Except I notice a high pitched sound in the background now. The bassline bumps back and the percussion ghosts play in the background over a synth hi hat. The track ends. “Computer”: IDM crackling drums and deep town ball bounces over quiet strings. Insane synth 1 and 2 start descending both. Then gabber kicks and noise snare that are quiet play a hell-decent march over fm pads and synths that make creature-screams. Crackle and ball bounces come back and the synths. And back to the gabber hell-on-display.“Synop”: starts with a synthesized brass sound. A quiet high pitched pinging over absolutely beautiful resonant filter sweeping snares and expected character rich kicks. Then a really long melody starts playing that sounds like it’s for a Nintendo 64 game for robots. Then this high pitched club music melody comes in that I absolutely love. And a wandering synth robot starts to sing. It sounds like abstract vocoded vocals and high pitched hotel service bell sounds. There’s a high pitched sine wave sound that tells the robot to stop. Sometimes there’s some distortion in the robot’s singing. The music stops to focus on this part. It’s tremolo and then has a finish. There’s a lot relistening this track deserves. “Kesanspor”: starts with a formant synth for alien salsa over two notes of synth strings and a winding sound that’s revving up. Then a distorted roar. This complicated pad sound that sounds like 50 laser sounds suggesting a choir and an electronic church refrain synth ‘yeah’ are added.  A strange orchestral hit is added to the dead space between string sounds. This arcade sound that is loud but distant plays. There’s some hi-hats that come by to say hello. “Opalei”: Drums start: Kick drums that don’t sound like any kick drums I’ve ever heard personally. Noise snare and a synth-y but somehow metallic sound that’s almost a ‘hyuck’. At 0:05-00:6 there is a stutter in the drums that you gotta love the glitchiness of which is in the loop. Reverb-spaced out (a processed square-wave?) synth that suggests a string section come out. There’s harmonies of this sound and a pianoish, watery synth melody dripping nice through the mix. The melody loops and the drums switch up and then the melody goes to church organ mode and also formant squeals I’ve never heard before except maybe in a Rustie track. You now notice the side-chaining bass drum that is humble but starts rocking out to the magic. This is what bedroom producer synth-rock heaven sounds like. The synths go all filtery and flittery between high and mid tones. They start to take on a liquid quality as time slips. The string section comes back with a variation on the original melody, listen to that detail at the end of the sequence. It is a beautiful gated sound. Then a strange sound sneaks in that sounds like sitar and there are strumming sounds. “M0d”: A murderous string sound and a mid-range fm synth that’s like an electric guitar riff from DOOM over a kind of timpani drum beat. You’re getting ready to murder people to this song as wood block and congas add a playful touch to the track. There’s a slight high pitched triangle (the percussion instrument) sound there. Bursts of echo-y wavy synths start to add the melody to the track. The drums are now rock drums. There’s a turntablism sound at the end of the sequence. There is a slight variation to the sequence then a major one where it scales back and adds beautiful conga sounds and blatant triangle sounding noises with dynamic sound effect rustling noises. There is a cute synth doing a little boat toy whistle (it has an almost old video game / emulating-that-sound quality) after the echo-y wavy synths get more animated, excited and dramatic. I start to notice the bottle whistle sound. This sound starts to pan through the mix when more dramatic sounds are stripped back. Then the song switches up. The synth bludgeons that were echo-y and wavy go transform into searing hot jabs. N64-sounding acid bassline comes in. The bottle whistle transforms into an ore of noise. “Smoke Gogol”: Drums pan left and right. Acid like you’ve never heard it. Melodramatic portamento synths like cartoon character swoons. A sound like someone tapping on a stage mic to test it. Phone/Ringtone sounding synths and snares pan. It gets replaced with a resampled crossfaded type sound bobbing up and down from a low tone. The drums stand out more and variations abound including the phone sound pitched down. I noticed a synth pad that was behind the portamento synths when they came back. The structure is like poetry. First it goes A B A B then C D C D and loops back again. “Thez”: It sounds like a re-amped chop of When The Levee Breaks. Re-amped to make it sound just so beautiful. There’s that odd resampled sounding synth sound that seems to be speaking and singing to us. But that’s because there is a vocal sample in the background that’s grunting in an alien language. The synth goes up and now it really is singing. There is that constant note hammering way in the background that I love to hear in things in popular music. It gets isolated and moves up and down the scale with the drums. And then a N64 guitar comes in and acid nudges panned past you like you were driving past them. The guitar goes full wonky then the resampled sounding synth comes back. It is so unique. The resampled sound isolates and I notice the string sound that has been in the background maybe awhile. And in that isolating the sound shows you how wild it is. The track regains some layers and fades out like a dying candle. “Porta”: It sounds like a fm synth became a sad siren coming to retrieve a body. The snares are like snipps. The base drum sounds like a heavy object dropping on a metal plate. There’s another guitar-y sound. The track sounds like 5th gen video game music for a bad dream. There’s formant synths that harmonize with the siren. There’s a descending sound at the end you can hear at 1:30. It sounds like percussion of some kind. “Holtz IV”: Acid bassline that has an emulated sound quality to it which makes me think of it in a 5th gen gaming console. It’s on it’s own. Then this reggae melody string instrument comes in. More re-amped drums. More video-gamey sounds, this time an organ replaces the reggae melody. The organ comes back sounding more epic, perhaps it’s been layered multiple times. You gotta love it when it stutters. This is building up to the best part of the album for me. It’s not the medieval video game melody that comes in or the marching band beat that comes after it. Or the sick bass drum that comes in the second medieval melody starts. The drums flit around shortly as tastefully as any track of druqks. The glassy synth comes in (triangle wave I believe). And it’s one final surprise. There’s a bouncy club bass drum, I suppose it’s an 808. The squelching organ comes in to dance with the glassy arpeggio. Reverb at the end of the track. I didn’t know Jeri. We never talked. I knew a fair amount of the people on Breakbit Music though. He did a live set during the record label’s virtual music festival, ‘Bit Mania’. A pioneering thing for the early 2010s for sure. I remember the label’s founder mrSimon saying when the song Toxic People played something along the lines: “This is [jeri]? This sounds too good to be him”. Just a joke and Jeri said something in response. I know that being in that chatroom together was a privilege even though I never reached out to him like a fair amount of the people on the label. I didn’t really listen to the other albums under the name Jeri or too much of the Orangy stuff (which was too good to listen to imo). When I saw the cover for Pre I was entranced. It is beautiful and the album is... I view the outstanding musical genius of this album as a distant goal of what I want or imagine others to achieve as an artist. Anyone who can approach this kind of music should feel wonderful at their ability. People who know Jeri or are fans of him know that he passed away in 2014. I know his music will live on because of its power. But only if the effort is made to share it with the world.

[gg-astrology]

Hi thank you for quickly answering about my sun-moon combo and my ascendant 😊 I learned that I'm a second decan aries.. If you don't mind I have something to ask about some of my placements I have Jupiter retrograde in Leo in the 5th house opposite my saturn in aquarius in the 10th house, my saturn also squares my moon in Taurus in the 1st house, I have been having a really hard time.. My saturn return will be soon too 😭 right now I'm in a place where I dnt know where to go..

Hey there!! 💕💕💕 I’m so sorry I didn’t reply to this immediately :(( I jus saw it now, I hope things are going well for u!! I had to take a week off as well phew things have been Kicking My Ass 💕💕💕

So I gotta break this down a lil for me.... Leo Jupiter rx in 5th, 

Taurus Moon in 1st, square Aquarius Saturn in 10th 

Phew ok, so to address your saturn return (congrats for getting to this point btw!!💕💕💕) hopefully things will be better for you or at least, revert to something more manageable 💕💕💕 Depending on transit, it can be harder or easier for the person bc of the natal placement as well (Jupiter’s in Sag right now and Saturn is in Capricorn) 💕💕

When I do social planets (Jupiter/Saturn) I try to look at generational planet too. It has a strong impact/influence on each other, so somethings to look out for-- Uranus is in Taurus now and once it reaches an aspect with your Aquarius Saturn (square) that will be around the time you might be forced to go through unexpected changes. It’s a good time right now, to prepare for that. Try to prep yourself to be ‘open’ to things, flexibility, paths.

Long-term plan might change, and stability might get wonky, try not to rely too much on what you ‘know’ of the world, or your position or who you are-- often times Aquarius likes over-hauls. Overture of their personality, public reception or criticism, life paths and independence. That’s in essence part of their self-transformation and individuality.

It can be a period where you’re humbled to start finding different paths/structure for yourself again. Remember that Aquarius is one of the ruler of Saturn, but often time it’s rebellious (unlike Capricorn). The 10th house has to do with the public, so a lot of the time-- you may fare better if you prepare to be confident in yourself/your changes thus you don’t feel like you’re completely losing your footing in the public y know (as opposed to others opposing you, and then you start doubting yourself/feeling isolated/alienated again) 

The main key here is that the 10th house is the highest point in your chart, and often times when it’s going through some changes --- you’ll have to consider how ‘others’ are going to see your problem/situation too and will most likely judge you for it. In an ‘unexpected’ aspect (Uranus-Saturn) a lot of restructuring might surface, frustration and tension tend to rise.

Evaluate-- clearly, why little things rile you up or make you tense. This is a sign that you should probably start keeping checklists for yourself on what kind of changes, paths, restructuring you’d like to make because-- most of the time, the criticism/frustrations are valid. They are things that do require changes, because you are growing as an individual and you deserve to have a better path and goal for yourself.  

Of course things might get turbulent, but again-- try to believe in yourself and not others/what you materialistically have or has built up for yourself. You’re still growing, and this saturn return is going to have you humbling and starting from the ground on certain things if it gets to that (potentially/not always). 

There’ll be period where you’ll have to question the stressful system, limitation or restrictions you’ve been complacent/settled into. Think of this period as something to cut off the excess, to renew and revigorate yourself. Aquarius demands alot of hard disciplining lessons, you’ll have to be flexible and patient. 

Unlike Capricorn, it’s a period where you’ll most likely have to wait for things/circumstances to come to you and adapt/flex as you go (air sign after all, even if it’s fixed) Aquarius is self-made, even if it’s at the cost of the things it’s built for itself crumbling. 

Communicate, if you can-- and try to let others know what you’re doing along the way (doesn’t have to be the same people, new people who come into your life are often good choices too) build support for yourself with those who see, and can accept the changes you’re going through. Who has your best interest instead of those who clings to the old or has their own personal insecurity in mind. 

It’s completely normal to not-- know exactly where to go, or feel like you’re losing sight of things you knew were sure before (if that happens for you) remember it’s a period where planning and clinging onto the past will be faced with Taurus Uranus’s questioning-- most likely, there’ll be frustration to an extent. So try to be patient, flexible and open-mind about circumstances. And believe in yourself. You’re your biggest supporter here, so do it! 

Try not to resist the changes, or over-think too much. It’s a time and period where your Aquarius will be put through some test of patience. Think of it as a round of Taurus vs Aquarius boxing match, but instead of seeing it as black as white as that. Taurus is actually trying to make Aquarius manifest itself better by working as the catalyst for Aquarius to take action and get back into it’s original energetic form-- that is, believing in the self, being someone who can often think or see past old out-dated thinking, methodical planning but not exactly commitment, and working with the flexibility of air-- and the amusement of fixed signs. Try to reconsider that instead.

If problems start arising, restrictions starts forming and you can see that it’s causing you frustration. Deal with it or don’t let it settle into your new life with you, learn how to tackle these problems instead of ignoring it or letting it get to you. Remember, Aquarius can often ‘explode’ too, so make sure you deal with things the way level-headed Aquarius can do. 

Right, that’s probably not coming right now though... And we’ll be going through some Pluto shifting into Aquarius as well--- maybe that’ll catalyst something for you too. Make sure to consider your personal placements as well, but let’s get back to your natal??

Jupiter opposition Saturn can sometimes make the individual ---hmm swing between wanting something, having the other. It’s a matter of swinging between recklessness, spontaneously, ‘good things come when you act upon it/want it’ versus being too cautious, hesitant and serious that you end up don’t do things at all. Individuals of this position may often find themselves working between the two--- as they may find that having patience, perseverance and channeling their attitude forward tends to help them with situation a lot of the time.  

You’ll notice it, but both of these social planets makes the ‘public’ important to the individual, needing to seek approval or being seen can happen too (knowing how they’re seen) a certain way is always an important component. Through transits and whatever is happening (saturn return), it may become more prominent with you and you may feel frustrated that-- you act or say/seek things a certain way, when you really want to seek approval of yourself or find communication harder to bare, harder to be accepted, harder to beloved.

Realizing habits/behaviour pattern of yourself when you’re with others is common, Leo/Aquarius aren’t dumb and are very aware of how criticisms against their character can go. Often times you want to deal with internal problems like--- ‘no this is who i want to be/who i am’ yet at the same time, you keep acting in other ways. This frustration might be more prominent, particularly because it’s squaring your Moon that holds your emotions. Taurus here is at a position where it wants to be honest, open. But at the same time, the quarreling between Leo/Aquarius can be hard to settle in mutual agreement if you aren’t just shutting/suppressing them down completely.

Thats why being confident, prepping yourself to be ready for your Saturn return is important. The earlier section-- also I hope you can read the Saturn post as well, might be helpful? 💕 Don’t rely too much on thinking ‘oh this is like my childhood’  -- certain things can stick and stay, leaving a taint/mark on you if you let it ‘settle’ into a norm for you. Dealing with things and small frustration, talking to people, helps a lot 💕💕💕 I hope this is helpful to you! 💕

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 188: Italo Funk

Italo Funk is a new compilation from Soul Clap Records presenting ten loved up and grooved out productions from an insane list of modern Italian artists. On the label’s Bandcamp, there’s an excellent write-up from compilation contributor Lele Sacchi that details the lineage of Italian dance music from its roots in American R&B and funk all the way through to 90s Italo-house. Within this vibrant yet underground house scene, a whole new generation of producers and musicians emerged, taking cues from their forbears while also pushing out into new and adventurous sonic territories and this 90s generation is where Soul Clap focuses their attention. But rather than presenting archival tracks and historical productions, the label instead asked the artists for new compositions and because of this, the compilation provides a welcome view into some of the far-out places the Italo sound has travelled in the intervening decades. And of course the music is pure fire, with a foundation of muscular disco rhythms colored over by an eclectic display of exotic shades and styles. There are many artists here that are old favorites, such as cosmic/balearic master DJ Rocca, vintage disco edit and boogie wizards Tiger & Woods, Dreamhouse Tropicana and sometimes Is it Balearic? contributor Deep88, and the Pastaboys-related Memoryman, Funk Rimini, and Capofortuna. But luckily, there are also a wealth of new (to me) artists such as Boot & Tax, LowHeads, Lele Sacchi, and Jolly Mare, each of which provides a whole new sonic universe to explore.

Soul Clap Records Presents: Italo Funk (Soul Clap Records, 2019) The most atmospheric cut comes first with “Macinare” by Boot & Tax. Sparkling cymbal taps cruise celestial waves of ambiance and blasted screams of static arc across the stereo field as enveloping bass pulsations are built from softly thudding kicks and subsonic currents. A wobbling jazz bassline walks through the mix and cut-up tom fills and wooden polyrhythms grow increasingly anxious while mystical horns blow muted sonic shadows and zany audial liquids slide across the mind. The song grows urgent once martial snare rolls and crashing cymbals start intercuting the flashing tom fills and as paranoid hi-hat patterns enter, everything comes together for a feverish hypno-groove where synths like alien woodwinds solo towards the sky…like spiritual jazz beamed in from another dimension. Capofortuna follows with “MA NU” and its low down synthbass hypnotics. Turntable scratches and bubbling voices samples join sampled crowd chatter while lofi cymbal and snare patterns glide through the air. When the disco kick enters, the filter opens on the bassline, revealing squelching synthfunk fire that supports the cruising double time hats. Cosmic pads stab out then flow in reverse while echo morphing, while vocal samples trail LSD tracers and psychedelic tones roll through the background ether. The slamming groove is also intercut by wild percussive transitions where tropical drum panoramas are overlaid by laser synths echoing eternally. And near the middle, we bust into a jammed out breakbeat that pushes the groove euphoria to a maximum while bending pads waver in place.

Tiger & Woods’ “Machete” sees snares splashing through puddles of gated reverb static while chugging electro-funk basslines sit beneath skipping clicks. Wiggling synth riffs scat alongside shuffling hi-hat patterns and tranced out snare rolls bring in drunken dreamhouse piano ascents, with several layers of ivory climbing together towards the sun. During hypnotizing drop-outs, the kick marches alone beneath French-touch filter clouds as the rest of the rhythms work back to full strength and sometimes the bass drums are sent through heavy high pass fx while island bongos drift in on a warm breeze, the groove growing airy and tropical while gliding on sunbeams. As when we smash cut back to the charged up disco fire, wonky resonant synth leads now converse with the radiant piano riffs. DJ Rocca compresses and crushes the drums of “Do U Lu Me,” while hi-hats and tambourines are mutated into blasts of white noise. An incredible vocal sample repeats the song’s title under spectral filtering until it is ripped into fractal shards…as if pools of neon fluid are dripping in all directions. All the while, a supremely psychedelic bassline sounding like a mutant clavinet growls down low and moves through the mix with hypnotic purpose. Vibraphones sitting under dubwise delay fx drop paradise melodies while flashes of horror movie atmospherics swirl beneath and sometimes the mix drops down to just the magical psych-basslines and panning hand percussion webs. And at some point, as the “do u luv me” vocal loop dances in the air, the rest of the drums slowly build back, eventually climaxing with a vibed out solo section of strange alien synth fx moving in ways that defy logic.

“My Brother” by Memoryman starts as marauding sub-bass currents work their way over some four-to-the-floor beat maximalism for an extended section of hard hitting club fire that is periodically brightened by nacreous synth vapors and organic woodblocks. Heady vocal samples diffuse through the mix while glowing house pads hover in place and off-time snare hits vibe out under layers of reverb. A charging tribal transition leads to a passage of pure propulsion, where birds flutter through layers of sonic mist and ghostly space synths descend and as the drums are reduced to just cymbals and snare and as the subaqueous bassline pulls away, gaseous electronics float alongside exotic synth trails through a wonderland of shadows. But eventually the swinging bass sorcery returns and the song rides high on a perfect paradise groove. Funk Rimini’s “Don’t Smoke” is deeply entrancing, as psychoactive voice samples and mind-bending ambient textures float over dusty percussion loops. Robotic disco beats emerge while alien bell tones float through the psychedelic clouds and a squelched and supremely fat MJ-style bassline drops acidic sunshine riffs. Ethereal pads diffuse into the mix before fading out and aquatic guitar loops riff towards the sunset while swimming through phaser clouds.  During a spellbinding section where the drums pull away, druggy voices chatter across the spectrum and fogbanks of colorful synthesis spring into and out of existence. Then, a glorious Rhodes performance brings the groove back home with its chilled and supremely soulful solo adventures.

LowHeads bring vibes of exotic sunshine with “Tsubasa,” as cymbals and hand drums pulse through a jungle of light. Robotic birdcalls pan ear to ear alongside liquid percussion textures and the kick drum pulls away almost as soon as it enters, allowing hypnotic organ riffs to work over the mind while hazy claps ring out. Electro-percolations underly massive bass stabs once the kick returns and we then find ourselves locked into some ecstatic ritual deep within a forest of groove. Hallucinatory drum fx pan around like the mating calls of extra-terrestrial fauna and at some point the kick drum again recedes, leaving behind a polychromatic world of synthetic nature sounds. As the fusion-tinged disco groove returns, ecstatic flutes fly through the humid air and attempt to converse with alien birds while beneath it all, thudding square wave bass sequences slide up and down the scale. Deep88 follows with a journey into the night, as “SP1200” revels in romantic deep house vibrations. City leveling kicks, panoramic claps, and thudding tom-toms nod out beneath balmy pads that hover like a twilight mist as harsh open hats keep the energetic groove gliding through space. Cosmic woodwinds rain down alongside interstellar mirage electronics…like glassy tones stretched into some sort of sinuous ether. It’s hard to overstate how massive the drums are, with the analog Roland tones dancing through subtle yet vibrant percussive patterns and overall, the song is mostly content to float endlessly on waves of dark fantasy, letting the hyper-active claps, cymbals, and snares control the drama while the soul swims through a cosmic ocean of sparkling synthesis.

A cerebral voice sample is cut-up and delayed in Lele Sacchi’s “Proud” while tropical bongos work over the mix. The bass drum pulls away as slapback shrouded snare and cymbal breaks jam out beneath euphoric rave stabs and once the kick returns, we find ourselves in a mediterranean paradise of gliding disco romanticism. Rapturous pianos rain down peace and harmony while flutes dart around like sunlight reflecting off water and it is impossible to resist the body moving rhythms and surrounding wonderland of soulful Italo melodics. The euphoric rave synths and ambient breakbeats return during a zoned out midtro and once we drop back into the paradise disco flow, it’s like sunshine raining down, blue waves crashing to shore, and bodies moving mesmerically as sea-foam tones and island dream atmospheres fall from the clouds. Jolly Mare’s “Dribbling” features a solitary splatter-kick marching through a new age wonderworld of arpeggiated electronics and feedback squiggles. Ebullient sequences fly over the uptempo kraut-disco stomp with springy tones of metal and glass while hyno-shakers pull the mind further into the groove. Oscillations move like clouds of cosmic dust, hand drums roll through infinite echo-chains, filtered conversations drift all through the spectrum, and evil twanging basslines emerge, eventually embellished by deep space squelches. Sometimes the song reduces to just kick drum, kaleidoscopic hand drum webs, and sinister bass riffs, as shakers evoke rattlesnakes and mystical desert vistas. Other times, everything cuts away, leaving the low slung basslines and psychedelic metal and glass sequences to intertwine with intergalactic broadcasts, radar transmissions, and disorienting alien liquids.

(images provided by Shine PR)

[paleorecipecookbook]

Instagram Outfit Round-Up

Happy Friday!! I woke up this morning moving a little slow and instead of finishing my work, I just looked at instagram for a solid 30 minutes. Let me clarify – I looked at the food section on instagram for a solid 30 minutes. And now all I want to do is make cookies this weekend. Shop for bathroom tile and toilets, and make cookies. I’m kind of craving oatmeal cookies. I know this is all super thrilling to you so I’ll get to the point: outfits. I haven’t shared an instagram outfit round-up in quite a while so I’m going to share some of my favorites! But if you want to see all of them, you can always follow me on the liketoknow.it app! So let’s get to it! Here’s an activewear look I recently wore to the gym. You can see it in action here! The material is crazy soft and comfortable!

{ Crop Top | Leggings | Sneakers }

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{ My Sizes: Top – Small | Leggings – Small | Sneakers – TTS }

I wore this look in Colorado Springs when I stopped in at the Broadmoor. I want to go to their Sunday brunch there soooooo bad. But instead, I just posed for a photo. Same thing. If you need a super comfortable sweater that is great right now but will be super cute come spring, this sweater is for you! Plus it’s on sale and comes in 3 different colors! And these jeans are on sale right now!

{ Top (40% off) | Similar Jacket | Jeans (40% off) | Booties | Similar Purse | Earrings | Necklace }

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{ My Sizes: Sweater – Small | Jeans – 2 | Booties – TTS }

This is me and my $1.9 million walk up home. Would you like to come in? For some reason my key doesn’t work, but I’ll keep trying. But for real, this condo was the cuuuuutest. So cute that I stalked it on zillow like a real creep. Loving this look for spring when temperatures are still a little wonky out. I love a skirt-cardigan combo!

{ Similar Top (40% off) | Bra | Cardigan | Skirt | OTK Boots | Similar Purse | Earrings | Necklace }

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{ My Sizes: Top – Small | Skirt – 26 | Cardigan – Small | Boots – Went 1/2 Size Up }

This may be my favorite dress of all time! It’s stretchy, comfortable and so incredibly flattering. Especially in the spring season when we are lacking a little color on the legs. And in my opinion, they could be charging way more for this dress! It’s the best!

{ Dress | Bra | Heels | Earrings (40% off) }

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{ My Sizes: Dress – 4 | Heels – TTS }

But if you’re a little more on the conservative side, this dress below is a great option! It has a higher neckline and it comes with pockets! I’m hoping I have a special event come spring and summer to wear this to.It comes in a couple different patterns, but I’m a fan of the solid navy.

{ Dress | Earrings (61% off) | Similar Purse | Similar Heels | Bracelet }

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{ My Sizes: Dress – Small  }

If you’re looking for an incredibly affordable outfit, this is it! This dress is only $28, then vest is only $32 and the booties are on sale for 37% off. Oh, and the belt is even on sale!! I think this would be such a fun change up at work or an outfit for happy hour!

{ Dress (only $28!) | Vest | Belt (40% off) | Booties (37% off) | Necklace }

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{ My Sizes: Dress – XS | Vest – XS | Booties – TTS }

Yay!! More sales! This jumpsuit is currently on sale and it also comes in red! It’s stretchy so super flattering! And if you want to see the back, I shared it in this post.

{ Jumpsuit (40% off) | Bra | Necklace 1 | Necklace 2 | Bracelet | Earrings | Heels | Similar Purse }

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{ My Sizes: Jumpsuit – Small | Heels – TTS }

Here’s another dress I absolutely cannot wait to wear come spring! It’s so flattering and comfortable. And it’s such a cool color! Plus it’s under $100!

{ Dress | Bra | Heels | Earrings (61% off) }

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{ My Sizes: Dress – 4 | Heels – TTS }

This will be a great look for transitioning in to spring. The length is great since it covers most of the leg then you can pair it with a jacket and a scarf to stay warm. When I took this photo, it was about 20 degrees and windy and it still held up. Sure, it wasn’t appropriate for 20 degrees, but I made it through. Definitely ready to wear this look in 50 degree weather instead.

{ Dress | Similar Jacket | Sneakers | Similar Scarf (only $12) | Purse }

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{ My Sizes: Dress – XS | Sneakers – TTS }

Another matching activewear set! And another one I can’t get enough of! This color is so beautiful and it has lace detailing in the back. You can see the lace and see this outfit in action in this post. The material is super soft so it’s great for workouts like yoga and pilates but it still holds up through lifting!

{ Crop Top | Leggings | Sneakers }

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{ My Sizes: Top – Small | Leggings – Small | Sneakers – TTS }

This is an outfit I could wear day after day. And that says something because I HATE jeans. But these jeans are unbelievably comfortable. If you don’t own them, get them. They will change your life! I go two sizes down from my normal size in these jeans, just a heads up. And Be sure to click on the shirt link to see the back of this shirt. It’s so damn cute! And on sale!

{ Top (40% off) | Jacket (40% off) | Jeans | Booties | Similar Scarf | Earrings }

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{ My Sizes: Top – Small | Jacket – Small | Jeans – 24 | Booties – TTS }

Last but not least, ANOTHER super affordable outfit! These super stretchy jean shorts are only $20 and this camo pullover is only $20, too! And if you’re looking for some comfortable sneakers, this slip-on ones are the best! I wore them all last year and they are back in stock this season!

{ Top | Shorts | Sneakers }

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{ My Sizes: Top – XS | Shorts – 2 | Sneakers – TTS }

I hope all these looks give you some inspiration in your wardrobe and get you excited for some warmer weather ahead! Thanks for checking the blog out this Friday and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

______________

I may be compensated through my affiliate links in this post, but all opinions are my own. This compensation helps with expenses to keep this blog up and running! Hope this gives you a little wardrobe inspiration!

The post Instagram Outfit Round-Up appeared first on PaleOMG - Paleo Recipes.

Sourse of this article: http://paleomg.com/

[notpreparedblog]

Introduction

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King had been on my radar for a little while. It had the appearance of a sort of Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past clone, which was quite fine by me, but also a nice looking art style that differentiated itself from the Zelda series. Originally released back in March 2017 by developers Castle Pixel, LLC and published by FDG Entertainment, I ended up getting my shot last month when the game was on one of the Nintendo Switches now seemingly signature indie sales.

Blossom Tales is a story being told to two children by their grandfather.

Story

Blossom Tales begins with two young girls and their grandfather. It’s bedtime, and they want to hear a story before heading off to sleep. The ensuing game is created by and narrated by the grandfather throughout the duration.

This gets comical and interesting during the game and becomes a game mechanic in of itself. At times, you would enter a room with a chest that has no opposition, just for one of the young girls to chime in and complain. The result is that the grandfather changes the ‘story’ on the spot and gives us as the player a different situation to work through. It worked for this type of game, you just need to roll with it and not take it seriously.

One of a handful of references to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Once you get into the game, you’ll notice some distinct similarities to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The house that you begin the game in is almost exactly like the beginning house of A Link to the Past. The first task you’re asked to complete is to head to the castle at the center of the kingdom (familiar again). There, you must prove yourself by going into the basement and killing a bunch of rats (get it yet?) and once you succeed, you find that the courts wizard has gone rogue and wants to destroy the kingdom (now we are just hitting things over the head). I’m being overly ridiculous, but this must have been intentional.

The king is put to sleep and you are tasked with fetching the three sacred ingredients to awaken said king and save the day.

Gameplay

The gameplay is very similar again to the Legend of Zelda series. One button is mapped to your basic sword attack, while the other two are open to two sub-weapons of your choice. The main difference that I felt from the Zelda series, is that you are a bit more mobile and sporadic with attacking.

By hitting the sword attack button three times, you go into this combo of slash – slash – spin attack. With that, you can keep pressing forward to have forward momentum. At times, this felt great and intuitive. Other times I felt that restrain was needed which broke the flow of battle. For example, if I walked forward towards an enemy to hit them with this combo, I would land the first attack, miss the second because I was now too close, get hit which bounces you backward, then entirely miss the swing attack. You have to sort of attack, pause, attack again, move forward and land the spin attack. It’s fine, but like I said, the flow never really felt satisfying here.

Hmm, to break the entire room of pots, or not to break the entire room of pots?

Another stand out mechanic with Blossom Tales is that your sub-weapons are attached to your energy bar. Every time you use a bomb for example, it reduces the energy bar instead of traditionally needing a bomb to use one. Same with your bow and arrow, and everything else. The energy bar recharges after time so you’re never out of ammo of any of your sub-weapons for a long period of time. You just may need to again, restrain yourself and use them strategically.

Staying on sub-weapons, they got a bit wonky for me. The bow and arrow requires you to hold down the button for a split second before being able to fire. Makes sense given what the weapon is, but I felt that registering inputs here was hit or miss. You’re in the frantic heat of battle and it felt like more a burden to use at times.

Bombs and picking up and throwing items in general was a big one for me here. If you aren’t moving, you can drop a bomb where you’re standing. If you’re holding a directional button while trying to drop a bomb, you throw it. The problem ties into what I was saying about the bow and arrow and inputs maybe not registering.

There were dozens of times where I felt like I was holding a directional button to throw a bomb, and I just didn’t. Instead, you drop it, and if you hit the bomb button again, you pick it up again, but you must reset the directional button to then throw it. So you get into this comical loop of fighting this big bad guy and you’re just sitting in the corner picking bombs up and putting them back down repeatedly.

Slight spoilers on items you receive, but the second dungeon’s main item is the boomerang. It acts as you would expect; it goes out and comes back. There are sections in the second dungeon where you need to throw the boomerang to hit switches, pretty standard. The problem is when you hit a switch that triggers a door to be unlocked, the camera stops and pans to that door to show you what you’ve done. The boomerang however, doesn’t stop. While your little cut-scene is playing, the boomerang is heading back towards the switch you just hit, which then locks the door again. It’s really frustrating, and I couldn’t figure out why they wouldn’t just program switches in that case to just stay activated.

Other Points

Puzzle Variety: Variety of puzzles always seems like a sore point for me when it comes to indie games lately. I recently reviewed a turn based RPG called Shadows of Adam which was fantastic as a whole, but the puzzles turned me off every time I encountered them. There were a handful of mechanics that were repeated over, and over and over again which led to boring gameplay. I feel the same here with Blossom Tales.

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Most of the game heavily features three puzzle types; memorizing ‘sound stone’ patterns where you hit the stones in the correct order, your standard moving blocks onto specific tiles and then walking puzzles where you can only walk on specific tiles once, but need to walk on them all.

World Map: The world map in Blossom Tales is very compartmentalized. The map is broken down to that same sort of grid system that you are used to from top-down view Zelda games. Unlike many of those games, you are really barred from progressing to other areas of the map besides those involving the next objective. This really limited exploration and it became more boring than fun. The joy of exploring the map in a game like A Link to the Past was finding something that you couldn’t get to, then trying later to piece together a strategy with new items that you’ve received. There’s a little bit of that in Blossom Tales, but strangely, the game felt very linear despite having this open world map.

One other point regarding the world map is that there are some really oddly placed enemies when transitioning from screen to screen. There were at least four or five times where I transitioned to the next screen and immediately was hit by an enemy, bouncing me back to the previous screen. I felt that there could have been a little more strategy involved in how these enemies were placed on each screen.

Enemy Composition: This brings me to the next point I want to talk about, enemy composition. Around the first temple, I started notice a bit of tedium setting in. One thing I really appreciate about The Legend of Zelda series, is that enemy placement always felt intentional and thought out. There were some situations in the original game where you have 10 Iron Knuckles, but situations like that felt few and far between and acted as sort of skill checks in dungeons five and eight. In Blossom Tales, you just get hammered by 10+ enemies room, after room, after room.

One example of a cluster of enemies being thrown at you.

There’s one room in particular that you need to shoot your arrows to light torches. In the same room, there are around ten quick enemies floating around that bounce off walls like that DVD logo on the school TV carts. They stop arrows dead in their paths, so while it should only take a few seconds and a few arrows to complete the puzzle, you smack enemies instead which prolongs the situation. Situations like this aren’t fun or challenging, they just feel like they are there to inflate the game time.

This continues throughout the entire game.

My favorite area ended up being the last quadrant that you’re allowed to traverse. The combination of setting and music honestly gave me these weird Shadow of the Colossus vibes as you approach the final colossus. But even as I write this, I sort of want to talk myself out of calling it my favorite because outside of that tone and feeling, it’s yet another area that just throws every enemy the game can handle at you. Each of the six main screens in this zone have dozens of enemies.

Waypoints: A welcome addition for me were the waypoints. There are various locations throughout the world that have teleportation tiles that you can use to traverse from place to place as you discover them. Cool. The extra bit that I enjoyed was that each of the dungeons also include teleportation tiles. One after the mid-boss, and another right before the main boss. This makes things easier to take down in bite sized pieces instead of needing to invest an hour to tackle one dungeon.

One of the waypoints that you’ll find in Blossom Tales.

Temple Linearity: I spoke a bit earlier about how the world map even feels linear. The temple’s don’t fair much better. Even though you may weave around temple’s room to room, there is typically just one path for you to go down. At times, there may be one large room with four sub rooms, but you are still just moving in a straight line and progressing forward. There’s never a sense of trying to figure out the space you’re occupying. You don’t receive keys to find the locked door. You get a key in a room to unlock the next room, and that’s that.

An example of the linearity you should expect in Blossom Tales.

Ledge Wars: Blossom Tales is really obsessed with knocking you off ledges in every imaginable way, to the point to where it got comical. There are around a dozen rooms that are set up in the same way; player walks through a room or along a pathway, avoid objects and enemies, avoid floor falling behind you and if you’re knocked off you start over. I’m going to leave a gallery of some that I captured during my playthrough once I noticed what was happening.

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Final Thoughts

Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King was really hit or miss for me. There’s really a barrage of game mechanics that didn’t sit well with me. Things like bombs and arrows felt wonky, there were repeated puzzles, there’s world map and temple linearity, enemy density can be ridiculous and misplaced as well as the ‘ledge rooms.’

However, I did enjoy the integration if the grandfather and children into the story. Having rooms change in front of you based on the narrative of one of the children was fun, and I would like to see more games with that sort of mechanic. I also felt that the sprite work is great and while I wish the world map was handled differently, it does look colorful and varied.

I don’t know if I can say I really enjoyed the experience. It’s around a ten hour game, maybe a bit more if you want to collect 100% of the collectibles. The thing is that it does hit some nostalgia notes of A Link to the Past, but when I think about it, I would rather just go play A Link to the Past instead.

New review for Review: Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King! #nintendo #nintendoswitch #zelda #alttp #actionrpg Introduction Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King had been on my radar for a little while. It had the appearance of a sort of…

[thekingofgear]

To commemorate the announcement of The King of Limbs on this day six years ago, here is a full rundown of the percussion and beats which so strongly characterize the album. It was written in response to the following question:

“Hey TKOG, I've always been fascinated by the sound of the drums in TKOL (specifically in Feral) and I was wondering if you have any insight on how the drums were (digitally?) manipulated to sound so blippy. Thanks, you guys are the best.”

Most of the beats on TKOL consist of layers of short loops of Phil's acoustic drum playing. The looping itself was done with the 'Looping DAW' Max/MSP patch which the band created specifically to record the album.

Acoustic Percussion

The core of the sound of the drums isn't the software. Rather, it's a combination of Phil coming up with a good drum pattern for the song and playing it well on a good sounding kit and of Nigel mic'ing and processing the kit well.

Acoustic snare drums are particularly prominent, serving a significant role on Bloom, Morning Mr Magpie, Little by Little, Feral, Lotus Flower, and Separator. The snares on Morning Mr Magpie and Lotus Flower sound like the same snare drum, while the snares on each of the rest of the tracks sound distinctive. The extra-punchy snare on Separator is the core to its driving character. Little by Little probably has the most unconventional percussion of any song on the album, and Phil’s use of a trashier sounding snare drum helps to keep the overall drum character in odder territory. Likewise, Bloom’s heavily filtered snare drums are key in evoking the ethereal, pelagic atmosphere of the track. Phil’s hi-hat playing is only slightly less important, serving a foundational role on Morning Mr Magpie, Feral, Lotus Flower, and Separator. The acoustic percussion seems to have been close-mic’d. This allows each percussion part to exist very distinctly in both the frequency spectrum and the stereo spectrum. It also means that EQ and reverberation can be applied to each drum individually as desired. Generally, the reverb is just enough to make the drums sound “natural”, but occasionally more is applied (such as during the “slowly we unfurl” section of Lotus Flower). Separator is the only song on which the kit sounds like a cohesive unit – Phil clearly played all of the drums in each loop at the same time, rather than multi-tracking each part of the beat. Nigel panned all of the drums center, and probably mixed in some of overhead and room mic’s to give it an extra cohesive character.

Recording and Software

Once all of that was done well, the band just needed to get the drums onto a computer, select a measure on which Phil's playing was particularly good, and loop it with the 'Looping DAW'. Given that the band almost always records to tape, then transfers it to a computer for any further processing, I suspect that Nigel recorded Phil's drumming to tape, and it was transferred onto a computer via the line inputs on an audio interface - perhaps Jonny's Metric Halo 2882 i/o. When sitting in for Jarvis Cocker with Colin and Adam Buxton, Jonny mentions that someone described the ‘Looping DAW’ itself as a “wonky, rubbish version of live” (youtube). The patch likely does something similar to Ableton Live’s session view, the loop-centric interface which Live is most distinctive for.

Phil could have easily played the drums on Separator all of the way through, giving the beat a feel more similar to his In Rainbows-era drum patterns, particularly those on Weird Fishes / Arpeggi and Down is The New Up. Looping is what makes Separator’s cohesive drum beat and takes it into distinctly TKOL territory.

Electronic Percussion

While Phil's acoustic playing – particularly of snares and hi-hats – is the core of the drum sound on every percussion-driven song on TKOL (everything but Codex and Give Up The Ghost), all of the percussion-driven songs also feature additional electronic percussion.

Electronic kicks, though mixed lower on this album than the acoustic snares and hi-hats, are also foundational to the beats on most songs. Morning Mr Magpie, Little By Little, Lotus Flower, Codex, and Give Up The Ghost all feature distinctly electronic kick drums, although on Lotus Flower and Codex at least the kicks sound as though acoustic ones were layered with the electronic. Other electronic percussion is used much more sparingly. The clicking sounds on Feral, discussed later, are probably electronic. Most of the percussion on Little by Little is acoustic, but it's the only song in the album to feature electronic hi-hats (1:31-2:20, 3:20-4:17).

On most songs, several percussion instruments create a thick rhythm which repeats for most of the song, which a few other percussion instruments appear briefly or in bursts. This is particularly true on Lotus Flower. A fairly simple pattern of looped electronic kick, acoustic snare, and acoustic hi-hat provides the underlying beat. On top of that, we get the eclectic clap, furious bursts of electronic kick drums (such as at 0:42, 0:45, and 0:49), Thom’s maraca (1:25-1:30, 1:47-2:00, 2:31-2:47), and an extra snare drum (hard left, 2:44-3:20).

Phasing and Other Effects

The last feature which contributes to the unique TKOL sound is the use of phasing and effects. Perhaps to counteract any (f)rigidity imparted by having an unchanging audio loop as the percussive foundation of a track, Radiohead went all out in their efforts to modify the drums loops. By phasing, I don't mean the LFO-driven guitar effect, but rather the technique of overlaying identical loops slightly out of sync which composer Steve Reich helped to pioneer (on the 2012 tour, Thom quoted Reich’s most famous phasing piece, “it’s gonna rain”, during several performances). The sound of phasing is responsible for the snare drum bursts which mark several of the transitions in Lotus Flower (0:49, 1:31, 2:00, 2:40). It’s also used frequently on Feral, as I’ll discuss below, as well as most other songs. The band's considered use of reverb was discussed previously.

Phil’s drum setup for the 2012 Radiohead tour, in support of The King of Limbs. It’s optimized for live performance, but it gives some indication of Phil’s particular preferences at the time. Note that the Dave Smith Instruments ‘Tempest’ wasn’t released until a year after The King of Limbs was made available.

Morning Mr Magpie

To illustrate, let's take Morning Mr Magpie as an example. The track starts out with a kick, snare, and hi-hat pattern. The kick is mostly masked by the bass guitar, but you can hear it clearly when Colin drops out at the start of the “bridge” (2:03-2:16) and at the end of the song. At 4:10-4:13, they increase the decay time of the kick and manipulate its pitch – perhaps done with the Elektron Machinedrum’s “parameter locks”. The hi-hat pattern is made-up of two separate recordings of Phil’s acoustic playing: one panned hard left and one panned slightly to the right. The one panned to the right is a static loop, repeating the same pattern for nearly the entire song (it drops out for the bridge). The one panned hard left varies noticeably on nearly every measure, suggesting that Phil likely tracked that part live for the entire song. Like the first hi-hat pattern, the main snare drum is a loop of Phil’s acoustic playing that repeats for the whole song aside form the bridge. I don’t know whether it was recorded in tandem with the hi-hat, but the two are always present together. Additionally, the second loop of Phil’s acoustic snare playing enters at 3:19, continuing until 3:44 when the entire pattern changes slightly.

The bridge of the song features a few instances of percussion making brief appearances, such as the snare drum at 2:14-2:16 and the closed hi-hat (?) at 2:46-2:58. Phasing is present at 3:20-3:21. This phasing is at a very short delay-time (only a few milliseconds), essentially creating a ‘flanging’ effect.

A photo of Jonny and Phil from The King of Limbs newspaper album, in which Phil adjusts an Elektron Machinedrum while Jonny manipulates one of two laptops in front of him. Jonny is monitoring through AKG K271 headphones.

Feral

You asked specifically about Feral, so let’s discuss each component of that song’s percussion.

The most prominent percussion on Feral is the kick drum – it’s really punchy! It sounds to me like an acoustic kick which has been heavily compressed. The kick itself is actually panned slightly to the right, and there’s a crunchy, trebly clicking sound panned to the left which always sounds in tandem with the kick drum.

The acoustic snare drum fills out the mids with a pattern that is partially in sync with the kick drum, but keeps going between kick hits and helps to maintain the momentum of the track. It’s mixed lower than the kick, but Nigel carved it out a space in the mix so that it shines through very clearly. It almost exclusively occupies the region of the audio spectrum from 1kHz-4kHz.

From about 5kHz to 20kHz, the audio spectrum is really really thick. The acoustic hi-hats are partially responsible, but they’re mixed quietly and only stand out on the eighth 8th-note of each measure. Shakers are responsible for most of this, probably a couple of overdubs to really thicken the sound. They’re sharply high-passed so as to thicken only the high-treble region. We see this reflected in the live arrangement of the song: Phil plays the hi-hats constantly (mostly softly, accenting primary the eighth 8th-note of each measure) while Clive constantly shakes three maracas at once.

There also seems to be some electronic percussion layered with the acoustic throughout the song. This percussion becomes prominent at 2:52, when most of the acoustic percussion (save for an acoustic kick drum) drops out and the electronic percussion is mixed up. In addition to the left-panned clicking sound, which is now much more audible, there is an electronic snare-like sound. These electronic sounds may have been created with the Electron Machinedrum, which Phil is pictured programming in the TKOL Newspaper.

There’s also an acoustic floor-tom briefly present at 0:51-0:52.

So those are the basic building blocks of the percussion on Feral. All of them are more-or-less present on the live arrangement, so why does it sound different? Part of it is just the character of each sound: in addition to more extensive production (EQ, compression, etc), they likely employed overdubbing and layering of similar sounds to produce a thicker sound for each component of the beat. The sounds are also mixed in quite a claustrophobic manner, with very little reverb. I imagine that if Nigel had wanted to, he could have mixed the live percussion to be closer to the studio recording, and less like its sound in the room.

Volume “automation” is also very important. Most of the percussion is looped for almost the entirely of the song (with some fills interrupting), but the relative levels of the different parts of the beat change as the song progressed. There is also subtle “ducking” applied to all of the percussion to make dynamic space for the bursts of Thom’s vocals and other sounds.

As for effects, the “phasing” mentioned above features strongly at a few points. Phasing is applied to the snare drum very clearly at 0:49-0:56. In this case, it is at a longer delay-time, so it sounds less like a fixed flanger and more like a jumble of percussion sounds. It is applied more briefly to the snare drums at many other points in the song, often at different delay-times for only a second or two. A good example of this is at 1:19-1:25.

Conclusion

There's no one thing responsible for the sound of the percussion on The King of Limbs. The beats on the album are a complex web of live playing and drum machines, loops and automation, mixing and EQ, and effects of all sorts. They represent the coalescence of all of the varied percussion techniques that Radiohead had experimented with since Thom started looping beats from Public Enemy songs for On A Friday demos.

Radiohead released very few photos from the recording of The King of Limbs, so here’s a bonus image from the newspaper album of Thom with a large mug of tea(?).

[talkstarwars]

STAR WARS NAMED AS THE BEST-SELLING TOY PROPERTY OF 2016

 At forty years old, Star Wars is still ruling the roost when it comes to toy properties. 2016 saw an increase in US Star Wars toy sales on the year prior, with the toy industry as a whole seeing a 5% increase.

Research firm NPD Group said Star Wars sales totaled nearly $760 million in the U.S. alone last year, beating 2015 by $60 million. That made Star Wars the top property in the toy world, based on dollar sales. The perennially popular property has seen resurgent interest thanks to two recent films, 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and last year’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” Both were released late in the year, during the toy industry’s peak holiday shopping season. And with more films to be released in subsequent years, Star Wars is poised to remain a hot toy property for many years to come.

The LEGO Group’s product range continues to be a significant portion of Star Wars toy sales, as the traditional action figure line from Hasbro becomes less relevant to current consumers. Star Wars is the only licensed theme that has not been put on hiatus since its inception in 1999, demonstrating the property’s longevity.

A nice little story but in my opinion this has mostly to do with Lego who are the world leaders in all toys, not just Star Wars. They promote, distribute and sell their products like no other company on the planet.

Compare that with Hasbro, terrible distribution, awful product, they seem to put figures out not caring about the quality. Hasbro has always had its minor issues, but then again most companies do. However the prevalence of problems should never be as apparent in so many ways as they are with Hasbro.

Recently consumers have noted they have been displeased in a variety of ways, from the figures themselves, all the way to how the products have been distributed. Unfortunately I absolutely have to agree with them. Fans on several forums (such as YakFace) have been quite outspoken with their views.

There is a problem, and Hasbro is either unaware, or does not care to fix these issues.

I picked up a figure from Toys-R-Us, there were only two "new" figures on the pegs. The other older figures have been there for months. The inclusion of two new figures can be attributed to a new store procedure. Toys-R-Us has started to split up cases between stores. They no longer send out solid cases of twelve figures any more.

Instead of relying on a good mix from the manufacture, Toys-R-Us must now take distribution into their own hands, and split the cases themselves. This presents two issues, both of which hurt the line. The first being that the products are easily damaged in transit, and that consumers will not be able to purchase as many items in the toy isle.

The variety to shop from is simply not there. There are two or three other figures in the wave that Toys-R-Us received that I would still like to purchase, however there is a zero percent chance of them arriving on local shelves now. Furthermore, what "has" recently been on the pegs in the past year are figures that no one wants, which oddly enough, still ship to stores under Hasbro’s supervision. Whether it is a distribution or availability issue, either way it is going to hurt the appeal of the product when it shows up on store shelves.

This brings me to my next point, poor initial distribution, which threatens to harm the line as well. In the first wave of figures that shipped, there were several characters that were poor choices. Not only were they characters with no consumer demand, but they were also carry forwards in just about every case that was distributed. Not only were they peg warming during the first case that hit stores, but they were included in every case after that. In a short amount of time all that was available became limited to one or two characters that were moving slowly from the shelves (if at all). The figures no one wanted had essentially clogged the pegs for any future releases, and even then in-demand figures we not carried forward, and were single packed in a case. An even further problem is that many times these figures that have been haphazardly put back together actually share the pegs with figures that have been there for years. These products have seriously not sold since they shipped in 2015.

Almost every store I can visit within a two hours driving distance stocks a mixture of products from several different lines, none of which have ever been clearanced out or sent back to Hasbro to make way for new products to be stocked. This further complicates the problem of smooth distribution, as many stores seemingly have a plentiful stock of Star Wars figures.

In the UK the only place you could find the rarer figures of the 9 inch black series was Asda (through parent company Walmart). Now even there are very short on any Star wars product. I went in 12am on Rogue Friday to find nothing and talking to the store manager, he knew nothing about it.

Another issue with the figures themselves is that Hasbro apparently recently switched production plants in China, so the vast majority of action figures had horrible paint applications. Many items I have seen first hand were either missing huge sections of paint, or had wonky eye syndrome (like gluing googly eyes to anything and everything). Overall, consumers were forced to cherry pick what figures looked the best, and because distribution was so bad, this became increasingly difficult. Quality control is not what it used to be for the line, and it definitely shows.

If you’re wondering what else Hasbro can make that few people are asking for, then you may have guessed gigantic static vehicles (though I’ve heard big vehicles aren’t child friendly/don’t sell well to collectors). In past years the big H has also produced a large X-Wing that isn’t to scale for any of their available lines, as well as a Millennium Falcon that doesn’t do anything.

In the past Hasbro has made the argument that childrens’ play patterns have changed over the years, but I don’t think it has devolved into doing nothing with their toys. I don’t think these were good choices to produce, especially when there is such a demand for playsets or other large vehicles such as Jabba’s Sail Barge.

On the topic of vehicles, Hasbro has also downsized the molds they use for their starships. Now Imperial walkers and anything else that is large from the Star Wars universe is produced at a fraction of the size it should be (or even has been in the past). This so-called Hero Vehicles line is anything but something that stands for a positive company goal. Not only are the toys sized smaller than ever before, they have also risen in price by around five dollars.

Though I’m sure most collectors would pay a premium price for more properly scaled vehicles. In fact, I think most were probably hopeful that this dream would eventually come true, however with the new trend of tiny proportioned vehicles, this seems highly unlikely.

The recent vehicles have been highly priced white elephants which have quickly been reduced. The At-Act is now being sold for under $80.

By taking all of these factors into consideration, I don’t believe the Star Wars line seems too healthy. That is to say in comparison of how it used to be,  especially between 2007 and 2012. As mentioned before, that seemed to have been the best time to have been collecting the line, as not only were figures of extremely good quality, but they were also of characters that had been long in demand.

Distribution was not a major issue, and the line was seen with a positive view.

By taking this once bright past into consideration, and looking at the current state of things, I don’t think many collectors have smiles on their faces.

These people are not only displeased with the products on the shelves (or lack thereof), but they also have an intense hatred for what Hasbro has done to their once appreciated line.

These fans no longer have the desire to help carry what shows up at retail, as many have now turned to purchasing their figures online, and only in a limited amount.

Personally, I think this may be one of the worst times that Hasbro has handled their line. The company has been producing figures from Star Wars since the late 1970’s, and by now they should have enough information or know-how to accomplish the task of pleasing their fans, especially when they can easily access a great amount of commentary on dozens, if not hundreds of online forums.

I understand the limitations they face, and that they must keep other consumer groups in mind, as well as their bottom dollar.

However it it is always strange to compare how the license was handled in the past to how Hasbro has recently dealt with the line.

The Star wars contract is up in 2020 so we may find another company taking the line to bigger, better places..... One can only hope.

Maybe Lego could branch out.  

Thank you for reading.  

BlueHarvest

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 170: Haruomi Hosono & Tadanori Yokoo

My coverage of Light in the Attic’s Haruomi Hosono Archival Series resumes with Cochin Moon from 1978 (past reviews: Philharmony, Paraiso, and omni Sight Seeing). This is one of Haruomi’s most mysterious albums and the liner notes describe its genesis in a trip he took to India with illustrator and fellow fourth world mystic/UFO-ologist Tadanori Yokoo. As they travelled the southern parts of the country alongside essayist Katsuhiko Ohta, Haruomi spent a lot of time recording snake charmers, street musicians, and Quaran recitations. But as his body withered away due to illness, his vision of the album and his journey started transforming. He put down the recorder and treated the sickness as a sort of purification ritual and upon returning to Japan after this cleansing, Haruomi felt reborn and decided to combine impressions of his Indian journey with a growing interest in sequencers and synthesizers, due in large part to discovering Kraftwerk and witnessing Hideki Matsutake’s computer systems. The result is a fantasy world of electronic experimentation, influenced by the Berlin school and krautrock pioneers but also sitting totally in its own strange universe. It overflows with a sense of adventure, “the kind of energy you’d expect to come from a baby,” with kaleidoscopic sequencing intermingling with heavily effected field recordings. Together with future synth legends Ryuichi Sakamoto and Hiroshi Sato, Haruomi created an enigmatic collage of alien sonics and mind-bending sequences less interested in evoking the explicit musical forms of India than in inhabiting a world of dream impressions and fever hallucinations.

Haruomi Hosono & Tadanori Yokoo - Cochin Moon (Light in the Attic, 2018) The A-side is titled “Malabar Hotel,” which we are introduced to via “Ground Floor....Triangle Circuit on the Sea-forest.” Alien insects and extra-terrestrial birds converse via brain piercing synth chirps and shrieking noise bursts. And as waves crash to shore, garbled intergalactic broadcasts hover above thunderous bass pulses and oscillating feedback lasers intermingle with cyborg voices until it’s all interrupted by an ascendent wall of harmonized light. This blast of sound gives way to throat singing morphed into dream synthesis and high pitched organs droning underneath electronic helicopter blades. This is the background ether of “Upper Floor….Moving Triangle,” which also sees wobbling sequences locking in as shadowy voice incantations give everything a feel of dark ritualism. Maddening robot percolations move across the brain, liquid insectoid sound streaks filter through galactic expanses, and following a sharp cut, wild wonky portamento leads detune before falling apart into Sun Ra free jazz explosions. The mix is overstuffed with exciting electronic patterns…resonance overloading…morphing into pure starlight…as anxious cymbals, playful bass melodies, and sorcerous chants dance within an electromagnetic storm. Eventually the pulsating rhythms are consumed by static, leaving only gurgling noise textures, wandering voice mysticisms, and synthetic starshine.

Our tour through the Malabar Hotel ends with “Roof Garden….Revel Attack.” We fade in on the sounds of flies buzzing through LSD filters and find ourselves yet again surrounded by a hypnotizing tapestry of electronic insects and birds. Fractal vapors spew from unseen vents in the ground and voices struggle to be heard amidst the bleeping radiophonic madness…as if satellites are calibrating for interstellar communication and primitive computers are making advanced calculations at light speed. There’s a strange passage of fields recordings, film snippets, and elusive conversations…everything time-shifting and detuning strangely…like fever dreams or DMT flashbacks. Then we transition into softly acidic sequencing backed by jittery white noise cymbals and strange wiggling oscillations. Dreamtime melodies work in counterpoint…as if interstellar harps are ascending towards a realm of light…and exploratory synthesizer solos move through mirage-like voice repetitions. It’s a dancing world of color and imagination featuring sections of pure experimental revelry, as Haruomi delights in weaving layer after layer of blissed out sequential magic…like some madcap sound scientist from a planet of pure electricity. And as the dizzying electro-panorama recedes, it leaves behind modulated throat singing and massive gongs whose decay trails are artificially shortened and manipulated.

The B-side is credited to Haruomi’s alter ego Shuka Nishihara and in “Hepatitis”, a bouncing bass sequence grows amidst indescribable electronic layers while twinkling patterns fall from the sky. A triumphant squelching square wave lead wanders through a big band jazz paradise, surrounded by ecstatic sliding ascents and blasting lasers and electronically simulated floor toms and timpani drums lock into a rhythmic march as joyous sequences push everything into realms of smiling sunshine. What’s more, a sweeping key change sees every sonic layer moving up the scale in tandem, as the triumphant brass melodies dance high in the sky and decay like slow motion shooting stars. Then comes “Hum Ghar Sajan” and its ebullient Indian music samples fading in as far-out liquids drip into glowing pools. Vocals sing in unison…an otherworldly choir morphed through phasers, harmonizers, and ring modulators and bouncing tablas are transmuted into gurgling rhythmic abstractions alongside synthetic bass accents and sputtering noise. Indian folk melodies are played on future flutes and searing synths while the hypnotizing drones of harmoniums and tamburas are evoked by heady pads under imaginative filtering. And there are thrilling moments where the song explodes into full color as luscious string pulses sweep the heart and mind to paradise realms of golden light. But eventually the cinematic vibrance fades away and everything slowly transforms into a droned out cascade of mystical voice spells, mutating percussion, and cerebral layers of oscillating chaos.

As the liner notes explain, Haruomi was sick and wasting away until receiving care from the Madam Consul General of Madras. He claims she saved his life and so in tribute, the final track on Cochin Moon is named in her honor. Smashing percussion smothered beneath a ceremonal haze and thick amorphous drones support Heldon-esque sequences surfing through the cosmos. Futuristic synth patterns join in, working in and out of vague Japanese folk melodies, the whole thing like lustrous electronic gemstones arranged in hypnotizing arrays. As the mind merges with the eternal percolations, drone blasts wind their way through the maelstrom while searing sirens and atonal pads generate a blinding feedback light. Nothing seems to line up melodically as Haruomi executes harmonizations that are only intelligible to beings from strange faraway worlds, yet there is a sort of ecstatic euphoria induced by the unyielding loop cycles. Uncountable layers of synthesis undergo slow motion modulation as the whole panorama constantly vibrates despite being locked into militant repetitions. And after a climax of fifth note bass harmonies and sparkling sequential clusters following their own time signatures, the electronic layers of disorientation subside and we return once more to an alien meadow, surrounded by millions of unseen insects and weird screeching birds swooping down from the sky. Through it all, wavering romantic prog melodies call out across the cosmos but eventually the mix is destroyed by deeply physical and far-out waves of noise.

(images from my personal copy)

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 158: Consequential

In this golden age of obscure reissues and archival digging, Vanja Todorovic’s and Luka Novakovic’s Discom stands out for their focus on unearthing synth-pop, kosmische, fusion, post-punk, and cosmic disco from Yugoslavia and I am particularly enamored with their Yugoslavian Space Program collection of Yugoslavian space music as well as the recent adventure into the brilliant mind of Max Vincent with Beograd (featuring one of my favorite tracks all year…the over the top madness of “Gospodar Snova”). Discom’s newest set is perhaps their best yet as they take a deep dive into the work of Consequential and one of Yugoslavia’s first studios oriented primarily towards electronic music. The list of gear used by Zoran Jevtic and Nikolaj Bezek on MicroComposed 1980-86 is seriously impressive and the music they produced with it overflows with unbridled excitement and joy. There is a sense that the freedom offered by the studio, synths, sequencers, and samplers allowed the duo to realize the music of their deepest dreams and the ten tracks here carry me away to worlds of Kraftwerk-ian wonder, Italo hypnotics, Hi-NRG magic, and perfect synth-pop mesmerism.

Consequential - MicroComposed 1980-86 (Discom, 2018) In “I Love Her,” squelching bass loops, ascendent choirs, and powerful Berlin school sequences come together for an intro that would fit on Wolfgang Bock’s Cycles, though the vibe soon grows triumphant, with space age melodies rising through wild layers of overwhelming cosmic synthesis. Fiery Italo basslines pound away while melancholic vocoders and glorious leads encircle the swinging drums and it eventually locks into some dark and dystopian vision of Kraftwerk’s futuristic proto-techno. A hyper-energetic bass sequence leads “Magic Key,” with its gun fire repetitions underlying bell tones and bubbling kosmische acid lines. The voice incantations have shades of occult 60’s psychedelia as interpreted by androids from the future and the synths are so physical, almost violent, comprised of starlight drones and whooshing space noise. Tom fills fly out over a majestic prog bridge dominated by dark castle melodics and as we smash back into the electro-intoxication, the Kraftwerk vibes appear yet again by way of subtle string synths playing against the propulsive synth rhythmics. Cymbals decay endlessly over alien flutes while mystical desert synth patterns sit under a hallucinatory haze. This is “Behind the Soul” and we soon drop into a swaggering heavy prog plod hovered above by vocoded choirs seeking out a technological heaven, Arabic melodies heard through a mirage, and textured percussive pings and pongs. And there is a midtro of cosmic exotica leading to a total break down, as ominous string synths float untethered and robots sing shadowy lullabies. 

Our first taste of Hi-NRG comes with “Vasiona Desire” and its uptempo four-four, cracking snares, resonant tom cascades, and octave bass propulsion. An exultant melody repeats through several synths and spaghetti western whistles soar over epic arpeggiations…like a cinematic gallop through an extra-terrestrial vista. The phrase “I feel ready” repeats alongside crazed oscillations and angel choirs during a moment of rest, but we soon blast back into the pure cosmic heat, as if hearing the exercise music for beings of pure light. “Tokyo” features a journeying sequence accented by a cut-up drums with cymbals blasted into static, massive resonant toms, and snares splashing under water. Sub bass currents join in with cyborg voices as the drums grow muscular and jammed out, but then the rhythms pull away, leaving wobbling brass ascending over flashy cymbals and stumbling kick drums. And as we effortlessly transition back into the electro cosmic militance, satellite transmissions and interstellar ghosts fly all around the mix. We are back in the land of space disco energy for “Love to Me,” with a four-four and electro-shakers underlying the dazzling melodies and their galactic adventures. It’s energetic yet restrained…a methodical journey through the starry sky, and as the snare hits and the hand drums start bouncing, whirling synth winds move in slow motion around fantasy chimes and polysynth dreams, sunset strings are shrouded in deep phaser fx, and intergalactic brass melodies and their sky-seeking fanfares are joined by new age pan-pipes.

Huge kicks and wonky basslines support the fluttery synths and blissed out guitar lines of “Daydream,” which hits that mix of 50s pop dreaminess and futuristic electro that Chromatics would perfect decades later. Bright searing strings and brass chords merge into a flow of sunset bliss while chimes dance around the phrase “daydream,” which is repeated narcotically and trailed by soft polysynth streaks. Major key arps seek the soul of the stars while fuzzy synth leads dash and descend and flashing funk percolations background the smashing rhythmics. And towards the end, the track seems to lose itself in a futuristic meadow of heart-aching pop melodies as positive vibrations whirl all around. As good as the preceding tracks are, things really kick into high gear with “Danger Lover.” After a funked out intro of breakbeats, banging synthbass, and clavinets from another dimension, epic fantasy melodies intertwine with spaceage laser fire and joyous singing. The track heads towards ever more ebullient waters, with a playful bounce and loving positivity glowing off the robotic synth pop effervescence. Feminine mermaids and floating pad magic eventually transition into sultry sensual perfection...the kind of gorgeous and timeless melodies I dream about flying over pure propulsion and there’s no choice but to merge completely with the awesome stellar perfection. And as vivacious bass synths flow around percolating melodies of paradise fantasy, everything comes together with so much emotional exuberance as to reduce me to tears. 

Zoran and Nikolaj hit even harder with “Happy Together” and its smashing disco energy built from four to the floor kicks, crushing snares, tambourines, and 16th note hi-hat fire. Soaring strings carry away all fears...all bad energy…and there are sections where synthetic marimbas and vibraphones dance around each other. The vibe is of kingdoms in the clouds and forests glowing with golden light and this must be one of the earliest sampling’s of the “you make me feel so good” line from Mikey Dread’s “Comic Strip” (which most recently came across my radar on that hot Deep Dean 12”). A secondary diva sample is interwoven alongside, and there are so many gooey romance soaked melodies flying from all corners of the mix that it’s hard to keep up with it all. In the end it’s better to just surrender to the anthemic and uplifting clouds of melodic magic reaching straight into heart and the masterful synth pop rhythms gliding like shooting stars. The final track “Future” has multi-layered sequences colored in twilight shades diffusing into balearic futurescapes drifting above exotic rhythmic boxes. Polysynth strings and shimmering arps ride alongside further spaghetti western melodies played on wigged out ring modulated synths while hushed pads harmonize. Bells move across the stereo spectrum and there are melodic hooks for sunset drives in a flashy convertible that lead to a bridge of dark melodic sorcery and storming cosmic power. The track then breaks down completely into weird synth fx and sci-fi strangeness before launching back into the seaside body movements. 

(images from my personal copy)