#can you tell i’m finally watching the zane lowe interview

[honeypie-styles]

harry’s voice scratches parts of my brain i didn’t even know i had

[havethetimeofyourstyles]

We’ll Be Alright

So I started writing this in November, kinda basing it off of the Zane Lowe interview, and stopped midway. But then I decided to finish it up yesterday and as I was rereading everything, this whole thing is very fine line!! so I recommend listening to fine line when you see the break: ••• is when you should start the song so it lines up!

*gif not mine*

It’s been a while.

Too long, in fact.

You feel like you’ve just experienced a series full of emotion and heartbreak, and you’re not quite ready to let go yet. Not ever.

Your chest feels like it’s carrying a ton of weight and you can’t quite put the feeling at ease. Everything was so simple, yet so chaotic. You wonder at the pain you’ve felt for years that if you’ll get a break from the uttermost feeling that’s been tearing you apart.

And you’ve been counting down the days when you’ll finally hear your heart beating rather than it breaking. When you’ll finally take that breath of fresh air instead of drowning. When you’ll finally be okay.

Truly okay.

You take a breath as you step onto the doormat that you used to call home; you feel your life coming back to you. All the memories that lie on the other side of the door, recalling in your mind as you reminisce on what was once yours.

Mornings with Harry were your favorite. How you would wake up a tad bit earlier than he would. You would lie on your side and admire how he looked in the early morning: so peaceful, calm, and safe. And sometimes before he would wake up, you would go downstairs to make both of you a cup, only for Harry to wake up and not feel you beside him.

“Ahh! Harry!” You squeal in surprise as Harry sneaks up from behind you and wraps his arms around your waist.

“Hello, my love.” He says in a raspy voice. You turn in his arms so you’re facing him. You’ve always loved the raspiness in his voice, especially in the morning. You don’t say anything, but smile at him. He smiles back and kisses you. The feeling of the kiss always seemed like it being the first ever. You loved the feeling of kissing him; it brought you back to the time of when it all started. You could do it forever.

Being with him was everything and more. The relationship was loving, supportive, and simply amazing. You didn’t know how lucky you got. How you’ve managed to get a guy like him. Being with him was so simple. Until it wasn’t.

“Don’t walk away from me! We’re not even close to being done here.” You say as he walks out of the room and down the stairs, you follow. “Hey!” Harry finally turns around as he’s feet away from walking out.

“I’m tired of this. We both need time to cool off. I don’t need this right now.”

“You don’t need this right now? That’s basically you saying you don’t need ME right now. We both promised to talk things through. This isn’t talking things through.” He looks at you for a moment and takes in your appearance: your lips are wobbling with tears threatening to spill out any second. You were right: you both promised to not walk out when times like this happened. For fucks sake, he was the one who brought up that promise. But he was right: he didn’t need this right now.

“I’ll be back later.”

You remembered that night clear as day. You waited for him the whole night, snuggled up on the couch as you looked for a movie or show to distract yourself from the pain you had to endure. All you wanted was for him to come home and be in his arms, telling you that everything was going to be okay; that you both will be okay, but you woke up to puffy eyes and damped cheeks as the door slammed shut at 6 am.

“Harry-”

“You’re still here.” He says straight away.

“I-Of course I’m still here. I was waiting for you all night.”

“Yeah, well, no one asked you to wait for me.” He says rudely.

“I was worried about you and was wondering where you were, and this is what I get?” Harry knew you were right. You were always right.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, you didn’t deserve everything that happened in the last 12 hours.” You were quite shocked at his apology because he doesn’t usually apologize straight away.

“Thank you for apologizing. But Harry, please talk to-”

“We have to talk about something.” He interrupts. You stay silent because of the fact that you have no idea what he might say right now. He takes the silence as the urge to keep going.

“We should end this.”

•••

You hear the door open and behind it was none other than the love of your life.

“Hey.” Harry looks amazing, as always. He’s wearing a colored checkered shirt with various food items on it, a white tank underneath, and some brown pants. You can see his swallows above his tank, with a bit of chest hair that you know he’s been growing out for some time. His hair looks amazing, which isn’t a surprise.

It feels like your breath has been taken away all over again just seeing how gorgeous he looks right now. He never fails to take it away.

“Hi.” You say softly.

“Come in.” He steps back slightly, opening the door wider to let you into his Malibu home that you both once shared. The memories that sit in the house suddenly hits you like a ton of bricks as you walk through his house. Everything from the beginning to the end; when you first stepped into the house to the last. Your eyes well up at the day of leaving his house for good.

“Would you like anything to drink?” He breaks from your thoughts. Harry can clearly see that you’re emotional being here, and nothing pains him more than seeing you cry.

“Just water is fine, thank you.” He nods and heads towards the kitchen. The tension between you two is so thick you feel as if you’re going to pass out. He comes back with a tall glass and hands it to you.

“Would you like to sit in the back?” He asks shyly. All you can think about is how he asked the exact same question when you first came over. So you nod your head and follow him to the patio. And of course, the first thing you see is the ocean you watched everyday, lying below the sun that is almost ready to start setting.

“How’ve you been?” You and Harry are sitting on the same side of the picnic table that overlooks the beautiful view of Malibu.

“I’ve been okay. Just been working and started working out lately. How are you?” You ask in return.

“That’s great. And I’ve been good. The album is done. Just waiting for the release day to come.”

“I’m happy for you.” You say truthfully. All you wanted was for Harry to be happy, and if he is then you’re happy.

He smiles at you in appreciativeness and you smile back with neither of you saying anything. Just enjoying the presence of something other than work. And it’s then when you realize just how much you’ve missed him. Sitting in front of him brought back all the times you had together. How you’ve missed having conversations with him and when there’s nothing left to talk about, he would just stare at you and admire your beauty, and you would do the same.

“I’m sorry for everything that happened.” He breaks the silence. “I know you’re gonna tell me to stop thinking about what’s best for you and to not make decisions for us both, but I hope you understand why I did it.”

“Y-You’re breaking up with me?” Harry doesn’t say anything as he looks down. “Just after a small argument, you decided you just want to end us?”

“Hey, me ending this is not over what happened last night. I’m doing it because it’s for the best.”

“Okay, please enlighten me on what you think the ‘best’ is.” You cross your arms. Harry sighed in frustration, not knowing how he’s going to put his heartbreak into words.

“I hear you, yknow? I hear you cry almost every night when you think I’m asleep. I know you cry about the fans, the media, and how I’m not home that often. But this is my job, I can’t do anything about it whether you want me to or not.”

“So that makes you entitled to decide what's best for our relationship? Harry, I can handle this. I’ve been handling it for the last 3 years, so don’t say you know what’s best for me.”

“But I do, don’t I? We both promised each other that when it got too much, we would tell each other. And it’s gotten too much, AND you failed to tell me.” He rubs his face as he tries not to break into tears. “I don’t want you crying anymore. Not about my career. I hate seeing you like this.” You see his eyes well up with tears, and it’s enough to make you break.

You take deep breaths as you’re trying not to sob loudly in front of him. He was right; it’s gotten way too out of hand that you’ve become remotely sad at everything.

Your breaths have become loud and heavy. He quickly walks towards you and wraps his arms around you; something you’ve wanted for the past 12 hours. Once he’s got you in his hold, you proceed to let it all out and cry into his chest.

“Shh.” He kisses your head and sways you, in attempts to calm you down.

“I’m- I’m just so tired.” You’re practically putty in his hold and without his arms around you, you could easily fall onto the ground. Harry sits both of you down into the couch without unwrapping himself from you.

“I know, baby. I know.”

You take a deep breath in. “I’m so tired.” You exhale heavily. “I’m tired, Harry.” You repeat into his chest, tiredly. Your head feels like it’s been pounding for the past week from all the crying, and all you want is for it to stop.

Harry can physically feel his heart break as he sees you completely lose yourself in front of him. It’s a sight that he wishes to never see again: you in physical, mental, and emotional pain.

“I understand why now. It would’ve been much worse if we had let it dragged on. Although it hurt like a bitch to hear that you were breaking up with me and I hated knowing you were making the decision for the both of us, I understand why it was for the best.” Harry nods.

“I want you to go through life being a little less worried, because ultimately everything will be okay.” You nodded, not just for the sake of it, but you agreed. You feel tears streaming down your face slowly, and you’re quick to wipe them. “I knew the pressure was getting to you and I know you didn’t want to say anything, which is why I broke things off.” It was true. The media and the fans were getting to your head, but of course you didn’t tell Harry. You didn’t want to make it seem like you couldn’t handle it.

“I agree. I see why you did it now, which is why I got into contact with you. I guess I just needed closure, in a way, and I wanted to see you.” Harry blushes at the last comment.

“You needed closure? Have you been dating?” He asks shyly.

“Oh god, no. I just needed closure to keep going. I’ve held in so much heartbreak for the last six months and I just needed to see you to reassure me that everything will be okay.” Which was true. Call it pathetic, but you do need to be told by your ex boyfriend that things will be okay. “Have you been dating?” You ask nervously.

“Uhh, I’ve been on two. Neither going anywhere passed the first date.” He chuckles softly and you feel nothing but relief.

“It’s difficult to move on from us.” You say honestly.

“We had an amazing time together, didn’t we?” He smiles.

“Yeah, we did.” You nodded as you wiped a tear quickly. “Can I ask you something?” You ask. You look out at the horizon, seeing the sun setting for the day.

“Anything.”

“Do you still… love me?” You ask slowly, dragging it out as you hoped the answer you weren’t looking for wouldn’t be said so quickly.

“Yeah, I do, yeah.” You look up at him, surprised and relieved by his answer. “Don’t think I would ever stop loving you, if I’m being honest. You were...are the best. The greatest person I’ve ever come to know.” You nod, taking in what he said. You feel so much weight being lifted off your shoulders and all you want to do is jump into his arms and kiss his face all over for the amount days you went without it.

“I… I just miss us.” You say as you look down onto your lap. The waves crashing onto the shore that can be heard over the conversation, seeming to calm you in some way.

He nods in agreement. “Don’t worry about it. Everything’s going to be fine.” You nodded again as you sniffle. You don’t trust your voice. You knew you would burst into tears if you spoke a single word.

Harry opens his arms and slides slightly on the bench towards you, and you slide forward, meeting him halfway. You wrap your arms around his waist and his arms around your shoulders. Your right cheek resting against his chest and your head fitting into his neck as you hear his heartbeat while both of you are facing the ocean.

You walked into Harry’s home feeling your heart break, but you’re walking out with your heart being reassured that it’s time to start healing. Whatever happens between the both of you, your heart would be okay for yourself and for Harry. You sigh deeply in contentment, missing the way he holds you. And Harry has never felt more relieved than this moment as he finally feels your presence against his.

But just like the ocean, Harry and his words helped you feel safe and calm. Just like the ocean, yours and Harry’s relationship went through tidal waves to the calming and beauty of how the ocean is. And just like the ocean, the love that is shared between the two of you will never run out. The love will always be powerful and beautiful forever.

After a few minutes, Harry lets go, causing you to frown slightly at how quick your moment with him was. But he places his hands on the side of your face, his thumbs caressing your cheek as the rest are laying on the side of your neck. He looks at you and is in awe of how beautiful you are, even after crying. He smiles at you and all you want is for his lips to meet yours, but you’re met with his words that start the process of your healing:

“We’re going to be alright.”

feel free to request anything!

MASTERLIST

[mindofharry]

Not fair.

In which Amy starts her own music career and Harry’s really proud.

WARNING: cursing. mentions of suicide, depression and drug addiction. Harry and Amy being cute :,)) I’m using lily Allen’s ‘not fair’ for Amy’s first studio song!! It just reminds me ALOT of her. Enjoy!

Amy was scared. so scared. She wondered what Harry’s supporters would think of her now. How she walked out on Harry just before tour. She couldn’t help but feel guilty, she shouldn’t of done what she did. Obviously she was going to quit at some point. But she never wanted it to be like that. After that day Harry and Amy didn’t talk. They were strangers. Amy hated it. But she was way too stubborn to call or text him. That’s one thing they shared in common. Being way too stubborn for their own good.

After posting some covers and original songs on YouTube she decided it was time to decide what she wanted to do. Did she want to travel around the world? Did she want to go to college? Did she want to pursue her music career?

An email decided that for her.

A few months later Amy was signed onto a record label that she adored. The people there were supportive and listened to every song she wrote or sung. They let her record her own music. She had told them immediately about her past with drugs and her depression. They didn’t turn her away they helped her. Amy was so grateful to have such a supportive team. She just wished it was with Harry.

After getting her first proper single done she decided to an interview. Zane Lowe has been in touch with her before, but now she was finally ready to tell her story. They did it in her apartment. It was all very calm and zane never pushed her for an Amy was very grateful for.

“You have a new single coming out in a few days. Tell me about it!” Zane said with a warm smile. She nodded and bit her lip “it’s not a sad one. This is a fun, really fun song. It’s called not fair. It’s about sex” she said smirking and he nodded “how different is it from your older songs?” He asked.

“Uh. It’s very different. My last couple of songs that I’ve only released on YouTube are really sad songs from really sad times in my life. I wasn’t well when I was writing them. I was really depressed and the only way I could express what I was feeling was I was through songs” she said and paused taking a breathe.

“I was on drugs from 16 to 20” she said and Zayne nodded letting her know it’s ok.

“My songs were all of my emotions. They were all me” she said and looked over to the tv. “They were about times when I nearly killed my self. Where my bipolar was so bad I had quit my job. Something I loved so much” she said smiling sadly.

“How did you over come your depression and addiction. Because it’s an incredible story”

“Thank you. I appreciate it. I- I was kicked out of my brothers house when I was 20. He had told me to get the fuck out of his house. Jesus did I deserve it. I was so off the wall. I can hardly remember any of it. There’s a few moments stuck in my mind. And I’m embarrassed. Really embarrassed. I remember going for my job interview with Harry. And I fucking looked a mess. But I had got the job. So I decided then and there, that this had to stop. I needed help” Amy said and rested her hand on her crossed knee.

“My depression is still here. She likes to come around December mostly. And sometimes around the time I got sober. But I’ve really gotten better. Sometimes I do just want to stay in bed. Or just have a bit of cocaine. Just a bit. But I never do” she paused and looked up at zayne “I’m forever grateful for Harry and the band. Because if i didn’t get that job, I don’t think I’d be alive” she said and straightened herself up.

“It’s really different being by yourself, right?” He asked pushing up his glasses.

“Yes and no. Although I miss the guys. A lot. I feel a lot more true to myself and free. It’s hard being by yourself all the time. But I have my brother, his wife and my little nephew mickey” she said smiling thinking about her family.

“Tell me about your family” he asked and she took a sharp intake.

“Well my mum left when I was really young. I don’t blame her at all. She was really fucking depressed. I had blamed her for most of my teen years. But my brother had told me she was depressed only recently. I was hurt. But I stopped blaming her. I just want her to know that I love her. That we could’ve got help. But it’s all in the past. My dad on the other hand, I really don’t have the time of day for. He had left after things got too hard. And recently tried to get in contact with me asking for money. I used to really love him. He used to play stevie nicks for us everytime we would play outside or before bed. And be taught me how to play guitar. I’m grateful for whatever time we had together. But that’s it” she said and messed with her skirt.

“My brother is the best” she said laughing “he’s super fucking stupid. But I love him. It was just me and him for a while so he was basically mum, dad and brother for me” Amy said with a small smile “he done so much for me. I really don’t know where I’d be without him. His wife is the best and she’s like the sister I never had. Always helping me and supporting me. Mickey or Micheal. He’s my little angel” she giggled.

“He reminds me so much of me it’s unreal” she said and played with her hair “he loves Stevie as much as me and Harry love her” she said and zayne laughed knowing how much they both love her.

“Tell me about Harry” he smirked and she rolled her eyes with a small smirk.

“I really do love Harry. And really grateful for all he’s done for me. He’s made so many opportunities for me and I wish I could tell him how thankful I am for him. And the end of the day I wasn’t happy and my happiness and self love comes before anything else. Harry and I weren’t really on good terms anymore when I left. He had done something’s that hurt me. More than anything. But now, all I want to do is talk to him. Apologise for all the shit I caused, ya know?”

He nodded and put a hand over her hand “your story is remarkable. You should be really proud of yourself” he smiled.

“I am” she nodded “not fair is one of my favourite songs that I’ve wrote so far. It’s just so different. I can’t wait to get on stage” she gushed.

Soon enough not fair was released.

“NOT FAIR. OUT NOW. A!”

To say twitter went crazy was an understatement. She was really fucking proud of herself.

She was invited to jingle bell ball. And shit she was scared. She only had relased the song a few days ago. Although she had a few songs already she was nervous no one would know her. Or they’d be bored.

She wore red bell bottoms with a white heels. Her top was tucked in a bit of cleavage showing. Her hair was messy and so was her makeup. Amy really did want to make a good impression but she didn’t want force it, so she was herself.

She nearly cried when she found out Harry was going to be there too. “Mickey he’s going to be there”she groaned and mickey shook his head “stop being loser Aunty Amy” he said playing with his toys. She laughed and messed up his hair before heading to back to her spot.

Soon enough she was backstage with her brother and his family. And she had her manager sammy with her too. Sammy was a real life angel. She would be an absolute mess if he wasn’t around.

“Are you ready my love?” Sammy asked and she shook her head “no I think I need to check my guitar” she said and he nodded “ok, get everything done. Your guitar is just out of here and upfront. I’ll get your body guards to go with you” he said letting out a breath. Amy rolled her eyes which were full of eyeliner and mascara. She didn’t argue she just followed the men.

She soon came to meet all the backstage workers. She stopped to shake everyone’s hand on the way introducing themselves and letting them talk to her a few minutes. She loved this part of her work. Getting to meet new people. She loved listening. And she loved talking a lot. But not about herself. She loved to just talk. About anything and everything.

She could see her guitar leaning against some equipment. She squealed and ran over to it like it was a child. The body guards laughed to themselves as they watched her tune up with her band that was playing with her.

She started on cherry wine just her playing and singing to herself. Everyone was mesmerised by her. They didn’t crowd her, but they were listening. It was rare to see such a pure artist.

Harry had arrived to the beautiful song. He knew the song well. He played it a few times. Cried and smiled to it. He had watched the interview leaving him sobbing and guilty. She didn’t have to apologise he thought. He just wanted to hug her and kiss her.

she finished her song before smiling. And started talking to her band. Harry stayed put helping his own band.

Amy had spotted him. She smiled and decided it was time to grow up.

Harry looked behind him and saw her smiling coming over. She looked beautiful. The most beautiful women ever.

“Harry” she smiled pulling him into a hug he tensed before he relaxed putting his arms around her.

“hey- hi” he stuttered before she pulled away.

“Love the new songs h. You really did good” she smiled before walking back wards “good luck”

She was up first. She was shitting it.

“Hey” she said into the microphone and the crowd was loud in response. She smiled and started her guitar and started with cherry wine.

Then she did one of her older songs dead to me which was more upbeat. She walked along the the stage singing and dancing.

Her second last song was a cover of Rhiannon which people seem to enjoy.

And then she got to not fair. She walked down the cat walk and smiled at a girl who through up an lgbtq+ flag. Amy winked and pulled the flag around her.

“This is my last song. Thank you for having me. I love you” she said and started singing.

“When we go up to bed, you’re not good, it’s such a shame” she said dancing around in her heels.

“It’s not fair” she sang and pouted.

“And I think you’re really mean”

“I think you’re really mean”

The crowd screamed as she bowed blowing a kiss before she jogged off stage.

Harry looked at her and smiled.

It really isn’t fair.

[statusquoergo]

Alright, let’s do this.

As to be expected, we open on the afterglow of the Season 8 finale. I personally found this scene to be pretty cringy, but I have actual criticisms of the current Darvey relationship that’ll come up later, so I’m going to leave it alone for now; the only thing I’ll say about the scene with Louis is that I found the heavy-handedness of the sexual innuendo to be extremely childish and tediously predictable. Oh, and the whole “Wait let’s not tell anyone right away” thing is pretty much letter for letter the same rationale that Mike and Rachel used for keeping it a secret that they had moved up their wedding date; that is to say, little to no forethought and almost guaranteed to end up Not How They Planned. No, wait, one more thing: I can only assume that Harvey’s panic about Louis finding him at Donna’s apartment is the result of sleep deprivation and delirium because dude, if you need a place to hide out for awhile, the bedroom is right down the hall. Or fuck, crouch down behind the kitchen counter, I don’t care. Hide in the bathroom. You have options.

(Okay, one more thing: “You didn’t see what was right in front of your face for 12 years.” What. I mean… Seriously, what. Does time even exist in this universe?)

Next up, Alex introduces us, in a very much not-off-the-record encounter, to what I can only assume will be the driving conflict of this season: the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) has caught wind of the Ethics Committee hearing that ousted Robert Zane, and now they’re taking it upon themselves to restore the integrity of the firm currently known as Zane Specter Litt Wheeler Williams, by any means necessary, starting with the removal of Zane’s name from the letterhead.

This is bullshit.

The NYSBA is a voluntary agency with no actual legislative capability. As per the association’s website, “it does not license, regulate nor investigate an [attorney’s] ability to practice law.” New York Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 7.5 (Professional Notices, Letterheads, and Signs) prohibits Robert from representing himself as a practicing member of the bar, or a current partner at the firm, but it permits the firm to continue representing itself with his name, if they so choose. So the Bar Association has zero capacity to back up this stupid request, but more to the point, I have no idea why they even care. There are over 9,800 law firms currently operating in New York City; statistically, the probability that every single one of them represents the pinnacle of legalistic integrity is insanely low, and considering the amount of turnover and increasingly public turmoil at GSVD/PH/PD/PDS/PS/PSL/SL/ZSL/ZSLWW, it must be years since it’s been a remotely reputable institution.

Moving on! Samantha and Harvey land on a tangible outcome of Robert’s decision to take the fall for Donna and Harvey: The firm is hemorrhaging clients. Samantha determines that Eric Kaldor is responsible for the sudden turnaround, but honestly, I’m surprised the firm has any clients left at this point anyway. Thomas Kessler has the right idea when he walks out the door with the casual reminder that Harvey manipulated him into lying at the hearing (which, by the way, was conducted by the New York State Legislative Ethics Commission, not the Bar Association); instead of freaking out about this frankly inevitable outcome, maybe Harvey et al. should take a minute to appreciate the fact that Kessler isn’t seeking to have them all disbarred.

Special shout-out to Louis’s stellar one-liner: “I wanna check and see how bad our reputation is.” (Spoiler alert: It’s very bad.)

As it happens, Samantha is right about Kaldor because of course she is, which leads to a semi-violent encounter set at a hockey rink, for some reason, where we get to see some cracks in the purportedly strong allegiance between Samantha and Harvey, and Samantha reminds us the viewers that she’s a badass with a short temper as she shoves Kaldor up against the boards and I’m forced to wonder exactly where these claims of a unified front are coming from all of a sudden. Basically all of Season 8 was spent drawing battle lines up and down the firm, but now that Robert’s gone, they have some magical allegiance to one another? If it’s a direct result of Robert’s actions and subsequent departure, I have to assume these amicable feelings are going to fade as the adrenaline rush dies down; otherwise it’s just a convenient plot device, but to be fair, that’s pretty on-brand, so I can’t give them too much shit for it.

You know what I absolutely can give them shit for?

Darvey.

(Please, you knew this was coming.)

The first of my actual criticisms of them for this episode: Donna’s breakup with Thomas, and Harvey becoming an unwitting enabler of unfaithfulness. Way back in February, at the end of Season 8, one of the concerns aired about Donna and Harvey hooking up was that Donna was still in a relationship with Thomas, and infidelity, if I recall correctly, is a bit of a sore spot for Harvey. Korsh admitted that an explicit breakup scene was filmed for s08e16 and removed from the final cut, but the implication as I read it was that as far as the showrunners were concerned, Donna and Thomas had come to a mutual understanding that they were done and he was out of the picture, the poor guy. Not so! Now, retconning for the win, we have the privilege of watching them break up over the phone, which is of course the epitome of class.

True, that was tactless, but the real sticky wicket here is Harvey and Donna’s conversation about the breakup once it’s over and done with. Harvey is rightly alarmed at his role, but the thing that gets me, aside from how quickly he seems to just go with her assurance that everything is fine and he “didn’t do anything wrong,” is that his response to her revealing that she and Thomas were still a couple when he came over isn’t “Why didn’t you say anything,” it isn’t “Why didn’t you stop me.” It isn’t “You know how I feel about cheating.” No, it’s “I would never have.” It’s an apology.

Now, maybe this is narrow-minded of me, but I always figured that Harvey’s whole problem with cheating was the whole…cheating part. Apparently not; it seems that issues only arise when Harvey is the one doing the cheating (see: Paula [s07e11]), or in a position to accuse the cheater directly from a third-party perspective (see: Lily [s02e10], Mike [s02e12], Marcus [s08e05]). (For real, he almost beat the shit out of Mike without knowing anything beyond “there was infidelity involved here”; Mike, who was exactly in the position Harvey is in now—the third party sleeping with an otherwise involved woman—refuses to tell him how he got beaten up with no explanation but that it’s because of the story Harvey told him about Lily cheating on Gordon, and Harvey’s response is “You got off easy.”) The otherwise unattached participant gets a free pass. BUT WAIT! Harvey was furious with Bobby when he saw him with Lily (s05e10), and tried to throw him out of his parents’ house; there must be some other explanation. Maybe Donna is just the prettiest princess in all the land and the fact that it’s her doing the cheating is enough to relieve all of Harvey’s built-in trauma? Well if that isn’t just the laziest goddamn rationale I can think of. Oh, so maybe, just maybe, Harvey is going to get some real, actual therapy this season and do some honest exploration of his apparently much-more-complex-than-previously-anticipated relationship with infidelity!

Right. I bet that’s it.

It’s possible that this will come back again later in the season, but I can’t tell yet what direction they’re planning to take the Darvey trajectory, so I don’t want to start throwing out assumptions. Now that they’ve confronted it so blatantly, I hope they don’t abandon it like this, but who knows.

In the meantime, Louis is still trying to boost recruitment efforts, this time by badgering Professor Gerard into letting him be the keynote speaker at Harvard’s upcoming Ethics Conference. I don’t really have much to say about this subplot except that it’s one of the stupidest and most illogical things they could’ve come up with; can you just imagine Louis speaking at an ethics conference? Gerard is right that Harvard students won’t be snowed by Louis making some pretty speech about the firm’s integrity, and the Q&A would be a disaster! Not to mention, the conference probably has a keynote lined up already, and it’s not like there won’t be other speakers there; Louis doesn’t need to be top billing to get his five minutes, assuming anyone would listen to a single word he has to say. Oh, and am I seriously supposed to believe that they’re experiencing a sudden drop in top-tier applications now? As opposed to…the past, what, three years? Four years? However long it’s been in this nonsense timeline since Mike went to prison (after which point they were also bemoaning a lack of applicants). But actually, why wouldn’t students be applying here? If the firm is desperate for interviewees, it’s practically a sure thing that everyone will get through to the first round, so even if the students have no intention of accepting an offer, having the interview is great practice for firms where they actually care about getting a job.

Part II

[ssfoc]

Sour Diesel

Sour Diesel was released on 17 July 2018. It was co-written by Zayn, Robert Cavallo, and James Ho (Malay), and produced by Malay. Cavallo is known for his work with Green Day, but has won multiple Grammys and produced multiple platinum-selling albums and tracks with the Goo Goo Dolls, Fleetwood Mac, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, etc. Malay worked with Zayn on Mind of Mine, but has also worked with Lykke Li, Lorde, and Frank Ocean.

Sour Diesel comes fourth in a series of Z2 singles with accompanying cinematic music videos, suggesting a continuous movie plot: Dusk to Dawn (w. Sia, 7 September 2017, produced by Greg Kurstin), Let Me (12 April 2018, produced by MYKL), and Entertainer (23 May 2018, produced by Andrade-Burstyn).

Zayn says of this hypothetical album, in an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s Beats 1 (16 April 2018):

It’s going to be different than anything anyone has done before... It’s going to be interesting to see how the audience reacts to this kind of release. I wanted to try something different. I think it’s all going to make sense in the end when the album finally drops.

This is quite a vague statement, but I think it’s interesting that Zayn focused on audience reaction, rather than authorial intent. In my reading, Zayn is watching us carefully, and maybe with some worry, to see how we will perceive his music. At the same time, he is setting up the album as theater, rather than a confessional. 

We can see this in the four cinematic music videos. In addition to the videos having plots, heroes, antagonists, conflict, climax, etc., they show an abundance of disguises. The Sour Diesel cover is like the Iron Giant, or the Man in the Iron Mask, or Ironman: all steel, no expression. In Dawn to Dusk, we see his lady with a disguise:

Zayn’s character says this:

In Entertainer, his lady again in disguise, this time symbolic of her betrayal:

And in Sour Diesel, Zayn himself is a disguise within a disguise: a superhero character who is a disguised character of his character in the video. 

Zayn seems to be playing with the idea of perception and reality, and to be hinting at a reality that underlies the fiction. It’s interesting that he chooses to tell it in the form of a superhero story. A superhero story is a archetypal journey, not about the villain, but about the hero. The superhero story is usually a story about the hero overcoming his own flaws, and finding a way to overcome his fatal weakness to defeat the monsters inside and outside. 

The outside monsters in these music videos are portrayed in a cartoonish, outlandish way. They speak in clichés and they look like typical villains. The femme fatale looks like her archetype, of the woman who betrays. 

The hero of Sour Diesel, however, is also a woman. She is a personification of Sour Diesel, the marijuana strain, which is a purportedly unusual strain and has a medicinal use. Sour Diesel has been used to treat anxiety and depression in lieu of traditional anti-depressants. (If there is discourse about Harry’s song Carolina, there is no coyness about Sour Diesel. Zayn makes it easy for us by using the drug as the title. And-- he doesn’t play around with the mere implications of sex. He states it as a matter of fact, up front, using weed as a metaphor for sex and orgasm.)

Zayn also spoke on Beats 1 about his anxiety:

You’re not a musician. You’re just in the limelight, or you’re just doing a job that people don’t necessarily deem acceptable for you to have anxiety or confidence issues. I think it’s very important, you know, that we talk about it... The main thing is just admit it, and overcome it, and speak about it, is the main thing and, once you do it that, it kind of like, diminishes its power.

The song starts from the perspective of the woman:

Walks in the place, hands on her waist Gun on her thigh, big shooter game She did this before, murdered to gain Promised her ma she won't kill again

She got it and she know she got it I'm takin' off like a rocket Spaceship, so high I can't stop it

Hands on waist, gun on her thigh, big shooter game, takin’ off like a rocket-- all part of a phallic metaphor, but also descriptive of the drug. 

Sour Diesel, the weed, is uplifting. Zayn doesn’t pass up on this sex pun. The phallic metaphor continues. Sex is described in a few lines-- and the conflation of Sour Diesel-the weed and Sour Diesel-the woman is unmistakable. 

The look's on her face, back in my place Legs in the air, all dirty again Smokin' some more, I'm in her space She touches me there, then I do it again

She got it and she know she got it I'm takin' off like a rocket Spaceship, so high I can't stop it

Musically, Sour Diesel’s instrumentals are crisp, deep, sparkling-- old school funk rock, with a background of an arching synth wash (like the hum of a rocket as it takes off on its parabolic flight). The keyboard synth with its horns also evoke an old time sharp, funk rhythm. 

The funk rock influence comes from many directions, from Snoop Dogg:

To the Red Hot Chili Peppers:

Prince:

Hendrix covering Sgt Peppers (go to the end, it’s worth it):

In all of these influences, Zayn has absorbed the funk-blues-rock tradition that goes back sixty or more years, and incorporated contemporary synthesizers and engineering. 

If I have a criticism, it’s that the song is too smooth. It’s a song about anxiety and release, and it shouldn’t be pretty, it shouldn’t be cinematic. It should break the fourth wall and be raw and ugly, somewhat. In cinematic terms, it shouldn’t be filmed by a long lens and have a glamor filter. Sour Diesel sounds crisp, and sharp, and focused, and it’s almost there. It just needs that extra little edge. 

[topweeklyupdate]

TØP Weekly Update #62: They’re *Really* Back (9/14/18)

We knew going into this week that there was a real storm coming, and that was an understatement. Though the complete Trench album is still waiting to be released, it really feels like the band is back more than ever. 

This update is a novel-sized doozy. Grab your new merch, and let’s dive into it.

This Week’s TØPics:

A Complete Diversion in London Brings Trench (and a Flaming Car) to the Stage

The Boys Speak to the Press: Rock Sound and Alt Press Announce Special TØP Issues, and the Boys Hop Back Onto Radio

First Details Emerge About “Neon Gravestones”, “Pet Cheetah”, Clancy, Nico, and More As the Press Hear the Album for the First Time

Major News and Announcements:

The big one finally hit: after over a year, Twenty One Pilots returned to their home on the stage. They started making flex moves before the show even started. They arrived in London two days in advance, rehearsing and playing soundchecks into the night that die-hard campers could hear from outside the venue. They arranged for folks in Bandito uniforms to dispense 150 tickets to those that showed up at the box office.  The venue delivered food to the queue, and the Clique in turn donated their blankets and duvets to a local soup kitchen. Pretty darn sweet.

The real event was even sweeter. 

Twenty One Pilots did not quite pull out all of the stops for their first performance in over a year. The set was just over an hour, did not debut any never-before-heard songs, did not include any special guests, and mainly stuck to the skeleton of the Blurryface Era setlist. And you know what? There was absolutely nothing wrong with that. If anything, Tyler and Josh keeping things focused on dusting off the old gears and introducing a few new elements for the Trench era resulted in a tight and emotional return for today’s greatest band. (Shout out to Ohio Clique for editing fifteen different Periscope and Instagram Live streams together to make a cohesive concert movie.)

Highlights of the show include:

There were no screens present in the smaller venue, but the production crew did make sure to bust out a ton of other great production elements, including tons of lights and, most notably, the car from the  “Heavydirtysoul” video that bursts into flames at key points during certain songs- including, at one point, when Tyler was standing on it.

The Clique brought the production value in the crowd, too: beyond all the folks dressed up as Banditos and Bishops, you also had plenty of people bring in yellow screens for their flashlights and yellow flowers and petals to offer Tyler.

The setlist was pretty sensible, with the four new Trench singles plus all of the songs that you would have expected them to play at an old festival show (minus “Guns for Hands” and “Tear In My Heart”, no I’m not sweating, why?). It is interesting that “WDBWOTV” and “The Judge” were played, but I suspect that it was mainly to justify bringing out the ukulele for “Nico”; if there are more uke tracks on Trench, I would not be surprised to see one or both of these songs dip out of the regular rotation.

Tyler had to stop the show twice to help people out of the pit- it was that kind of show.

The show opened with Josh coming out on stage in full Bandito regalia, torch in hand, looking like a badass. After sitting down at the drums and playing a few simple sequences, a masked man with a bass guitar walked out on the stage, started playing “Jumpsuit”’s gnarly riff, and yelled for the crowd to “GET UP!” Awesome. Twenty One Pilots is back, mate.

Tyler stumbled over a few lyrics in “Jumpsuit” and “Levitate”, but he successfully played it off- only the most diehard fans would have caught that he wasn’t just pausing for breath or to hear the crowd.

Tyler actually yelled “Why’d you come, you know you should have stayed?” at the end of “Heathens”, and it sounded damn good. Hope it sticks for future shows.

Tyler’s “WDBWOTV” pre-speech was a pretty good inaugural address for the Trench Era. He let the rabid audience know that he had been watching them since before the concert (both literally and metaphorically), joked about needing to get back in “show shape”, and thanked London for being a home away from home for them. In gratitude for hosting them, Tyler even announced that they were adding a third arena show at Wembley and joked that Mark should tweet it or something (he did).

Prior to playing “Nico”, Tyler adorned a bright yellow jacket over his usual uke kimono; Josh helpfully banged the drums dramatically for every successful button.

Tyler and Josh did the handshake during “Nico”, because of course they did.

For “My Blood”, Tyler drew from the old playbook and attempted to direct the two halves of the audience to sing harmonies. It worked even better than it used to with “Doubt”, much to Tyler’s evident glee- his smile and little dance to everyone singing his new song back at him was probably the best moment of the whole show.

The Trees Speech was short and sweet, with Tyler promising that he’s written “pages and pages” of things he wants to say, but for now all he can say is that they’ll be coming back on the new tour with “things we’ve never seen before” and that the fans look so good.

#YellowConfettiConfirmed

In the last bit of major news: new merch (that Josh stitched himself, be nice) and a new yellow Trench vinyl that I’m sure won’t immediately sell out. Have fun spending your life savings, kids!

Other Shenanigans:

The band was active in other spaces this week, of course. After Zane Lowe broke open the floodgates last week, both Rock Sound and Alternative Press announced that they would release some exclusive Trench Era Content (tm). Rock Sound’s came in the form of a thirty-page mag featuring a lengthy 22-page feature comprised of the first interview the two bands gave together since before the hiatus, Tyler and Josh’s first full photoshoot in over a year, and tons of awesome posters and Clique art. It definitely is not available in any form on the Internet that I’m afraid to link to lest I get pegged for copyright and sent to jail. Highlights of this interview that I certainly haven’t read include:

Lots of typical Rock Sound purple prose, in which the writer goes off on more tangential metaphors than even Tyler Robert Joseph.

The reporter describes Tyler’s house as “quite stunning” (yeah, with that Blurryface money combined with Columbus real estate values, I should hope so).

Josh laughs at the memory of some of their old costumes. “Those suits were so hot,” he says, as if those heavy coats aren’t a billion degrees inside.

Tyler: “There’s something healthy about realizing that the world keeps turning. Sometimes it can feel like the whole world is revolving around you- I think we all selfishly get to that point. When you have those moments, when you stop and realize that even if you weren’t there those other people would be, it lifts a weight that can feel very heavy. It motivates you to want to come up with a reason why you’re here.”

Tyler says they cut out social media during the hiatus in part because “removing the ability to run straight to it was important. For me, writing music is the thing I want to run to when I feel compelled or inspired. Whether it’s frustration or anger or compassion, whatever it is that I wanted to express, I wanted it to live somewhere new. I didn’t want one drop of meaningful expression to live anywhere else.” Additionally, they did want to test whether the Clique would stick around, and even kinda hint that they wanted to shrink how crowded some of the rooms they entered were becoming.

We are assured, however, that the next “hiatus” will not be the exact same as this. Tyler: “Going away broke my heart. It hurt that we weren’t able to tell people why we had gone, but I’m an advocate of showing people what I’ve been working on rather than telling them how hard I’m working. [...] That said, though we don’t know what the timeframe will be or if we’ll take another break, the manner in which we left... we’ll never do that again.”

I’m just gonna leave this here: “He tells us also of the beautiful relationship he has with his wife, Jenna, and the role that she played in helping him unlock the words and the sounds that would form the basis of this new chapter; of the times he would hand her the phone while behind the wheel of his car to allow her to record anything from melodies to simple poems.” Yeah, will someone sweep up all the pieces of my heart that are just lying on the floor, that’d be great.

Tyler has long had the idea to tell a geographic story, much longer than since the end of the last cycle, and he didn’t always intend to tell it through music. “I feel like in our mind there are places we learn we shouldn’t go.”

Tyler says that there are lots of songs that he writes that never see the light of day because he has moved past the season he wrote them in by the time it comes to record them.

Rock Sound is positively glowing in its brief advance review of the album, saying it is undoubtedly the best project of 2018, “a labor of love”, “a varied, often spectacular collection” with some of the band’s all-time greatest moments. It will be even more sonically diverse than we’ve come to expect: “Morph” is described as “old-school R&B”, “The Hype” “anthemic indie-rock”, “Pet Cheetah” has “stomping beats and a fiery rap verse.” The highlight, though, is apparently “Neon Gravestones”, “a piano-laden spoken word masterpiece” with lyrical content that “will save at least one person’s life”. Damn.

Alt Press will also be releasing a 24-page cover feature on the band and were even nice enough to include a fun video ad from the boys. They’re so cute, and I’ve missed them so much. (Also, Tyler’s checkered pants are a quality meme.)

After the Complete Diversion, Tyler and Josh performed a mini-press tour. First, they gave five-minute interview with Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1 and an Instagram Stories AMA on the station’s account. Highlights of this quickie include:

Josh and Tyler joke that specifying the exact number of months they’ve been away sounds like a mother saying their kid is “14 months” instead of a year old.

Tyler notes that this was the first performance in a long time that they’ve felt truly nervous, as they could no longer rely on muscle memory to carry them through after the long break, particularly with the new songs.

Annie references her last interview with Josh, where he confessed to be nervous about whether the fans would return. When asked if the first show helped them overcome those nerves, Tyler replied honestly, “To an extent, yes.” They chuckle about it, but the implication remains thick: the dedicated fanbase certainly turned up, but there is no assurance that they’ll have long-term mainstream success in the future. They seem cool with that.

Tyler states that they chose London specifically to make their return because, besides Columbus, it’s the only city where they have played in every size of venue, from the Barfly club to the Ally Pally and everything in-between over the course of fifteen shows. That type of home atmosphere made it feel right to start the new era there.

Josh says they played a bowling alley in London once. He did not wear bowling shoes in the set nor when he bowled afterward, which, as Tyler points out, is very punk rock.

Tyler reflects on how this show represents years of preparation and practice teaching them how to “trim the fat” and master the tempo and flow of the concert to appear as confident as possible and bring the audience along for a well-planned journey.

“My Blood” is one of the most challenging songs for both artists to play, particularly Tyler, as he has to balance the difficult falsetto with keeping that bassline groovy and consistent.

The IG answers were mostly just the dudes trying and failing to answer basic questions like “Are you happy to be back?” and “What’s it like to be famous?” in as few words as possible without giggling, hugging, and tickling each other. Best Q/A: Why did they watch the Grammys in their underwear? “We didn’t have air-conditioning.”

South African DJ Rob Forbes from Radio 5FM also conducted a truly fascinating interview with the band, the first that dives into the lore and one that gives us even more of a glimpse into some of the future songs. Additionally, Mr. Forbes briefly posted the tracklist w/ time-codes, revealing that both “Chlorine” and “Bandito” go over five minutes- get hyped, kids. Highlights from this interview include:

When asked about Clancy, Tyler responds with a pregnant silence before asking how the the interviewer knew about him. DJ Forbes stutters an answer about having listened to the record, but Tyler replies that Clancy’s not on the record. All he does say about Clancy is “I’ve heard about him, and I know we’re from the same place.” What is up with your cryptic nonsense, Tyler Robert Joseph?

The band intentionally left the Trench Trilogy open-ended to be able to continue it in the future. Tyler did not mean to make the timeline confusing, but did note that its cyclical nature left it open for the Clique to pursue that interpretation.

Tyler is careful with choosing his words to describe Nico. He admits the whole thing is pretty confusing (his grandma asked him once, “What’s a Nico?”), but that was his intention: he wanted to give the Clique a lot to think about and discuss as a reward for waiting so long. He does seem to confirm that Nico is Blurryface, or at least an aspect of him that represents how much more familiar Tyler has become with the nature of his own insecurities as he writes about it.

Tyler denies that the final verse of “Neon Gravestones” has a specifically political bend and actually sounds a little offended that something so important to him could be cast in that light. No idea what that means, I need to hear this song.

The interviewer says that Tyler calls his “Pet Cheetah” “Jason Statham” within the song itself in a fun rap verse. Tyler laughs and says that came from an inside joke between him and Josh that he was excited to bring to life. I am SO confused, you have no idea.

Tyler says that they had plans at one point to come to South Africa for a show that fell through at the last second, but that they’re still interested in going at some point in the future.

Additionally, the music production interest site Mix did a small spotlight on the producers behind Trench. We already knew that Paul Meany was handling main production duty; Darrell Thorpe, whose credits include Radiohead, OutKast, Paul McCartney, and Foster the People, joined him as an engineer while the band captured the album’s drum tracks at United Recording Studios in LA, the only studio they used outside of the one in Tyler’s home. It’s always cool to see the dudes who bring the band’s music to life, but, to be honest, the best part of this short little article is Tyler’s dad socks in the photo.

Oh, and music video director Andrew Donoho told Billboard that he can’t spoil the album or Tyler will burn down his house. So... yeah, okay, moving on.

Chart Performance:

After its first full week of sales and streaming, “My Blood” secured a debut at #16 on the Billboard Bubbling Under chart ranking the songs that have yet to reach the Hot 100. The song gains at all metrics, and according to some industry sources like Headline Planet, it is receiving a concentrated marketing push to pop and adult contemporary markets that its predecessors have not. “Jumpsuit” continues to fade, but its run was respectable, and I remain optimistic about Trench’s commercial prospects going forward, especially in the midst of this hype wave.

Whew. That was a long run. Congrats to everyone who made it all the way to the end. We’re so close to Trench, you guys. Keep powering through. Stay alive. And power to the local dreamer.

|-/

[kidseesgoats-blog]

Kanye West

I was recently lucky enough to watch the Kanye-Kimmel interview, and as always really listened to what he had to say.

I’ve watched a lot of Ye interviews as his music has always been a great source of inspiration to me, from the powerful melody in Devil in a New Dress to the soul-grabbing hook on Ghost Town. I think the first time I saw was when he spoke with Zane Lowe on the BBC, and I first discovered his philosophies away from the music. I think the thing that most resonated with me from this interview was when they discussed the song I Am A God from Yeezus. The misconception in this song seems a perfect metaphor for peoples mislaid opinions on Ye. Everyone thought he was being arrogant as usual by this massive ego he displayed, but his actual ambition was to have everyone singing along to it to be saying to themselves “I am a God!” – yes, he has self-confidence, but he’s doing it for the people, building everyone else’s self-confidence to his level.

I next saw his interview on the Ellen show. Though there was a lot of generic chat-show humor, he had a five-minute soliloquy. Here he discussed being likeable, and how he had the ideas to change the world from his own creative ability. You never see his haters quote this interview because of how selfless he is actually being. I finally understood why he was venturing into the apparel industry – it’s not just to make money, it’s to end bullying. The only reason his clothes are expensive now is so that he has enough capital to bring the price down himself, he wants to be able to sell Yeezy’s for $20 a pair, so everyone can feel fresh wearing them.

The TMZ meeting was interesting, I had never seen this side of Kanye. An employee famously argued with him from across the room about him not being real, so Ye waked off the interview and went and spoke to him, apologizing for disappointing him – not real? Sure, he said some questionable things which I personally don’t agree with, but I understood the message behind it. In my opinion he is a futurist, he said hate has been tried in the past, but it didn’t work, so why not try love with someone like Donald Trump? He wasn’t agreeing with Trump’s policies, just giving him a chance so that he would be able to change him in a different way, saying Fuck Donald trump isn’t doing anything – why not try love? This is the outside-the-box thinking that puts Kanye up there with people like Jobs and Einstein, he is our modern-day answer to game-changing philosophy.

Next came his interview with Charlamagne tha God. The premise was to shed light on everything that’s been happening to him, and sort of explain where he is coming from, as well as his plans to create a community in Wyoming. If I were in a powerful position somewhere, I like to think I would try and get Ye to design for me – his sneakers changed the footwear industry, his songs changed the music industry, and I’m sure his architecture is going to change the world in a similar way. From this interview I have drawn so much inspiration. He talks about his mental illness being a superpower, and because of my own history of mental illness it brought light on it in a whole new way for me. I now see what happened as defining of my character, it has brought me out of the dark to total self-awareness. If I’d never been through this stuff I wouldn’t be where I am now.

Now on the recent Kimmel interview, one thing really struck me as profound. He talks about a little boy jumping on top of a coffee table. Everyone in the restaurant yells “teach that kid how to act” – so from a young age you’re already trying to calculate how to act in a world where we strive for freedom – how backwards is that? A kid can go from feeling like a superhero to being told to sit down and following suit. And now as he grows up he is in a world of coffee tables, constantly doing what is expected of him, what if we let kids do what they wanted? How much would they change the world? If you’re ‘crazy’ you get the most people hating on you – but the crazy ones are the people that change the world.

The media constantly shows him as a fairly smart, but definitely crazy person. Search for the Kimmel-Kanye interview on YouTube, you’ll see the third or fourth result being “Kanye is STUMPED when Kimmel asks him about Trump.” When you actually watch the interview or any other, he perfectly explains his reasoning for supporting what Trump stands for. His thinking is so revolutionary and different to what everyone is safe with that the people that don’t understand write him off as crazy, or looking for attention. Can you imagine what he’d be capable of if we all supported him? Choose love over fear.

“People always tell you, 'Be humble. Be humble.' When was the last time someone told you to be amazing? Be great! Be great! Be awesome! Be awesome!”

[kelphero47]

The Marvelous Adventures of Echo Zane - Chapter 7

Another chapter for whoever is still reading this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was safe to say that setting down the Bounty somewhere outside Ninjago City would have been a better idea than trying to avoid crushing cars in their current situation. The group had decided to go shopping since they were running low on food and other necessities. Nya was at the controls as Cole and Kai lent over the rails on deck giving her directions, yet somehow even with three people involved the task was no easy feat. Echo was certain they had already scratched five cars.  

Nya huffed in annoyance as her said 'left' yet again before saying 'right a little', this was getting old. Before either of the ninja on deck could say anything, she cut power to the engines allowing the ship to finally rest on the ground (squeezed between a couple of cars). She may have heard the sound of at least six car alarms go off as the ship shook the ground but she chose to ignore it.

The Ninja gathered on the deck together in a line with Echo standing behind his brother. Wu stood in front of them, "We all know how this goes. We shop for what we need then leave, quietly, and try not to destroy the store... Again." Echo already knew the story of what happened at the graciously named, 'Battle of Bargain Bin', in which the Ninja had accidently wrecked the store after another group of teens insulted Kai and then put gum in his hair. They hadn't been allowed back since, mostly because the store was still trying to repair the giant hole in the roof.

The group nodded, with Kai looking sheepish at the mention of said mishap, and left the ship quietly. They stood in front of the store as Lloyd spoke seriously, "We all now our missions?"

"Me and Cole are on sanitary duty." Kai looked over the list he'd been given, why they needed so many different soaps was beyond him.

"And snacks!" Cole added enthusiastically as he held up another list of his own, this one somehow longer than Kai's.

"Echo and I will be handling groceries." Zane smiled as Echo nodded in response, the younger being distracted by all of the people passing the group. He still wasn't used to big crowds.

"That leaves Jay and I to get everything else." Nya held up their list, turns out 'everything else' wasn't all that much.  

Jay took the list from her hand the glance over it quickly, "Who wrote 'coffee machine'? I thought we already had one, did someone break it?" He looked over his friends questioningly.

"I broke it by accident." Cole admitted quietly before continuing, "I was trying to make coffee and my hand kept going intangible so I ended slapping it off the counter." The others fell into an awkward silence at his admittance, making the black ninja shuffle nervously.

Lloyd cleared his throat to get back on subject, "Anyway, since we all know what we're doing we should get going."

"Wait, what are you doing Lloyd?" Echo asked as the green ninja turned away from the group.

"I've gotta get this stuff for Sensei at the store down the street, so I'll see you guys later." Lloyd replied holding up his own list. He left the others to watch him cross the street and disappear behind another building. None of them really knew what to say so they left it alone and instead proceeded to finally go inside.

The store itself was quiet. The few people that were milling about moved at slow, relaxed paces as they went about their tasks. Without much prompting the remaining Ninja split up leaving Echo and Zane on their own with their shopping cart. Echo took the job of pushing it alongside his brother as the older gathered the items on the list and instructed him where to go next. The pair fell into a comfortable quiet, exchanging words only when needed, as they shopped.

After a while Echo lost interest in just solely looking at the cart and the various objects placed in it. There was so much to look at in the store that he just couldn't help but wander off, if only for a moment.  He stepped cautiously down the aisle and moved into the next. With how quiet the room was he could faintly hear the sound of a generic pop song playing in the background, which given his solo circumstance was actually kind of unnerving.  

Turning yet another corner into the next aisle Echo chanced upon a lady struggling to reach something from the top shelf. Echo watched for a moment as she gripped the edge of the shelf, as if to try and boost herself up. Not wanting to allow her to struggle he closed the gap between them to reach over her head for the can she had been reaching for. She gave a huff returning to her normal height as Echo held out the can in front of her.

Echo smiled apologetically as she took the can from him. "I apologise if my actions insulted you in any way, but you seemed to be struggling."

The lady laughed waving him off, "No harm done, I appreciate the help. My wife usually grabs the stuff from the top shelf but she ran off earlier. Leaving me with half a shopping list." She gestured to the basket on her arm, "Most of it was on the lower shelves. The name's Jean and you are..."

"Echo, it is very nice to meet you." He held out his hand which she shook slowly.

"Say, have I seen you somewhere?"

"Most likely, my brother is one of the Ninja." He watched as her face lit up with recognition.

"Oh yeah, the white one. My nephew loves them." She nodded, then looked at the list in her hand frowning.

"Is something the matter?" Echo spoke in concern as Jean shook her head.

"It's nothing..." She sighed before glancing at the top shelf, "I'd hate to bother you but... Would you mind helping me with some of this?"

"I would be happy to help."

**With Zane**

He had only turned for a second. A second. Echo was gone. His little brother was missing in a place where who knows what could happen. He'd been pacing next to the cart of who knows how long before he was suddenly jerked back into reality by the realisation that his foot was stuck. Frozen in ice, to be more precise. "Okay..." He spoke to himself taking in shaky breaths, "Okay... Just calm down... And breath."

After a couple of seconds of listening to his own instructions and doing just that he watched PIXAL pop up at the edge of his vision. She looked worried, reaching out in front of her as if she wanted to comfort him, and he smiled in return. They fell into a comforting silence for a while before the sound of someone walking quickly came from around the corner. The sound was followed by the appearance of Kai and Cole skidding past the corner entirely and out of Zane's line of sight. The couple smiled as the pair came back into view nearly tripping over themselves.

Cole was nearly hidden under a mountain of soap, hair products and various kinds of snacks while Kai leant on the side of the cart. Neither ninja spoke for a minute as they caught their breath. Kai was the first the recover looking at Zane worriedly, "You okay man? I felt it get cold in here for a second and thought you might be in trouble."

"I could use some help..." Zane gestured to his still frozen feet, "I let my emotions get the better of me for a moment."

"Woah, what happened?" Cole asked as Kai moved to thaw out his friend's lower legs.

"Echo is missing."

"Wait, what?!"

**Back with Echo and Jean**

"So, you're telling me you lived on an island by yourself for months and never considered leaving until last month?" Jean questioned as they wandered through the aisles. They'd discussed various things, including Jean's wife among other things, and were now onto talking about Echo's life. The android nodded silently, not really knowing what to say. The pair fell into a tense quiet as he passed her another thing off the list, almost jerking away in fright when she spoke again. "Why?"

"I... Um... Just didn't really question my father's departure and rather chose to accept it." He looked at the floor in interest, somehow unwilling to look at her.

"What about a mother or something?"

"Well, there was Gizmo but he wasn't much for conversation. I'd compare him more to a dog but don't tell him I said that..." Echo explained growing quieter with every word, "I never actually had a mother." He finished as a whisper, feeling that lump in his throat he'd previously felt at the interview. He finally looked up at her to see Jean smiling sadly at him with tears forming in the corners of her eyes.  

She reached out to pat him on the head lightly before enveloping him in a hug, "Well if it makes you any better, I'd be happy to be your mom." She whispered back pulling back to look him in the face and let out a small laugh as Echo stood there in shock. "Well technically you'd have two moms since there's my wife, who you still have to meet."

"Okay..." He nodded at her drastic change in emotions, humans were so confusing sometimes. Yet the thought of having more people to call him family made somewhere inside him radiate with warmth.

"Oh, I just had a lovely idea! We should have you round for dinner someday, I make a mean Mac n' Cheese." She nudged him playfully in the side with her elbow making them both laugh, "You'd have to ask your brother of course."  

Those words brought all of his other thoughts to a grinding halt. He has completely forgotten about Zane and the others. What if they'd already left? Finished their shopping and went back to the Bounty without him. The idea didn't sound like something they'd do but they hadn't come to find him yet so... What if they had? The thought made Echo's legs feel less stable, as if someone had replaced them with paper. His distress must have been written on his face because Jean was shaking his shoulder to try and snap him out of his own thoughts. "You okay?"

Echo spoke shakily as if his voice wanted to match how his legs felt, "I'm fine... I just expected to see Zane by now, and..."

"And?"

"Do you think they left without me?" He felt stupid for saying it out loud, his fears were completely unfounded but somehow he just couldn't help it. Echo put his head in hands as his legs finely gave out allowing him to sink to the floor. Jean followed him down as she kneeled in front of him, she smiled at him despite everything. "It's okay to doubt things you know." Echo looked up from his hands at her statement, "Like people do it all the time, it means we have insecurities... Fears. I'm no psychologist but I think it's sweet that you care enough about your family that you're afraid of losing them."

"Really?" Echo seemed unconvinced.

"Of course, why else would you be on the floor of a not too busy store with me otherwise. Besides from what you've told me about your brother he's probably in here looking for you right now." Jean spoke as she got up and dusted herself off. Not knowing what else to do Echo followed her lead with standing up before she patted him on the shoulder. "Now, since you helped me I think it's only fair I help you. And so... We're gonna find your brother."

"You don't-"

"Pfft, no buts." With that she looped her arm around his and with a surprising amount of strength began dragging him down the aisle. "Now if I was a ninja where would I be?"

Echo took a moment to recover from yet another drastic change in emotions from the other. Feelings are so complicated. Yet he found comfort in the fact she was willing to help him and smiled, "Produce."

**With Zane, Cole and Kai**

The three sped through the store Zane hastily grabbing items from his list while Cole tried to sneak more things into his cart without Kai noticing, the second task being easier than the first with the fire ninja more preoccupied with finding Echo. They'd already had to stop him from climbing on the shelves to get a better view, Zane insisting they wouldn't be able to support his weight. So they settled for speed walking past people to cover as much of the store as they could.

"Do you see him?" Cole asked as Kai looked around the corner into the next aisle.

"No..." Kai sighed putting his hand under his chin in thought, "I don't get it. We've checked everyone aisle and he isn't anywhere."

"Perhaps it would be wise if we stayed in one placed and waited for him to come to us." Zane suggested crossing off things on his list, "Since I have finished my portion of the shopping there is no reason for us to move now anyway."

"I guess it could work." The trio stood there waiting for something to happen, the low chatter of the store surrounded them. Cole began humming as the minutes went by this then developed into tapping his foot, patting the side of the cart and nearly reached him singing before Kai cleared his throat beside him. The earth ninja sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry." They fell into a quiet again, Cole still lightly tapping his foot.

Zane however was focused on his surroundings as he glanced up and down the aisle they were currently situated in. An overly excited female voice caught his attention as another meeker voice replied in kind, a voice resembling his own if not slightly gravelly due to the lower grade speakers used in his construction. He watched in tense anticipation as a duo came from a nearby aisle wrapped in a conversation, despite it seeming quite one-sided.

Echo giggled at Jean's story as the two of them walked through the store. She was about to continue when she gasped. He was going to ask if she was alright but instead focused on the direction she was looking. Jean was staring at none other than Zane, as the nindroid stood beside a pair of packed shopping carts along the ninjas of earth and fire (both of whom seeming very bored).

Neither android hesitated in moving towards each other to meet in the middle for a hug, before Zane quickly pulled away to inspect his brother for injuries. Echo smiled at Zane's protective nature as he was given a thorough look over only to brought back into another hug. They parted for the second time as an 'aww' sound was let out behind Echo. They both turned to see Jean smiling at them and shyly waving as they focused on her.

Zane glanced between his brother and the strange until finally settling on Echo, "Where have you been? Do you know how worried I've been?"

Echo smiled sheepishly as he looked at Jean, "I've been helping Jean with her shopping. I'm sorry for wandering off..." Zane sighed as Echo watched her walk over at the mention of her name.

"It's my fault really, your brother was helping me reach the top shelves." Jean admitted, "But he's safe and sound, I promise."

"I can see that", Zane patted Echo on the shoulder. "Thank you for watching him, things like this don't happen this often."

"It was no problem, a pleasure in fact. He's a helpful young man, you should be quite proud."

"I am." Zane smiled admiringly at Echo as the android gave his best impression of a pout. "We best be going now, thank you again." Zane turned to leave while Echo gave Jean a small wave goodbye.

"Oh wait!" Jean made them pause as she pulled out her shopping list and a pen from her pocket. "Almost forgot... This is my phone number, if Echo ever wants to come around when you guys are busy just call." She handed the slip of paper to Zane, "I'm usually free." The ice ninja nodded before leaving with his brother to meet up with Kai and Cole, who were sitting on the floor waiting.  

Kai looked up at the pair before glancing quickly behind them to see Jean leaving as well. He smiled at Echo, "Looks like someone made a new friend." Echo nodded to himself thinking, 'And maybe something closer'.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shopping is the best and worst thing ever.

Until next time...

[sheilacwall]

Jesus Walks… in Adidas

Jesus Walks… in Adidas

Jesus is King has finally dropped. This is Kanye West’s first Christian rap-gospel album since turning into a born-again Christian in April after the hedonistic indulgence of Coachella.

The Lucifer, Mercy and New God Flow producer has given up secular music and has now turned his career toward the servitude of God.

However, his return from hospital and new found faith will flow nicely into his plans to expand his fashion, music & entertainment empire as well as possibly delivering him the top spot in the White House. This is a man not to be underestimated.

Saint Pablo

‘Ye recently turned around a personal debt of $53 million into a nearly $50m profit. Back in 2016, ‘Ye went out cap in hand to Mark Zuckerberg for $1bn for his ideas, but was promptly ignored. Zuckerberg was raised in a Jewish household, although his wife is a Buddhist and he hasn’t publicly stated his faith. But, this wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by ‘Ye and may have pushed Kanye toward his born-again Christian position.

Soon after, the “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” star seemingly finally started listening to his wife.

“My wife said, I can’t say no to nobody, and at this rate we gon’ both die broke,” West raps on Saint Pablo. “Got friends that ask me for money knowin’ I’m in debt, and like my wife said, I still didn’t say no.”

Stronger

Whilst facing the cold shoulder from Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey – the Square & Paypal founder who was raised a Catholic, offered to invest in Kanye early on.

Jay-Z also kicked in a loan of $20m triggering tensions between the two ending in a public feud.

Here’s Jay-Z on “Kill Jay-Z”:

“You dropped outta school, you lost your principles / You gave him 20 million without thinkin’,” Jay-Z raps, seemingly confirming the rumor that he lent West money. “He gave you 20 minutes on stage, f–k was he thinkin’?”

Recently, Kanye has tried to dead the beef with the recent track “Brothers” with Charlie Wilson.

Power

‘Ye never got that billion from Zuckerberg, although they apparently became friends and even performed karaoke together, but it appears West has now healed his own financial woes: His apparel brand Yeezy is a billion-dollar empire, according to Forbes and over the past 12 months, Forbes estimates West has earned over $150 million before taxes. His wealth is due largely to Yeezy’s Adidas deal, a line that is expected to top $1.5 billion in sales in 2019.

The Jordan line does approximately $3 billion in annual sales, so the Yeezy line is catching up fast. If he can latch onto the Christian vote, sales could explode even more rapidly.

Touch the Sky

Christianity is the most adhered to religion in the United States, with 65% of polled American adults identifying themselves as Christian in 2019. This is down from 85% in 1990, 81.6% in 2001, and 12% lower than the 78% reported for 2012. About 62% of those polled claim to be members of a church congregation.

Kenneth Copeland is the number one pastor in the USA and his net worth is $300m. After the backlash for supporting Trump, the natural progression seems to be for Kanye to target the Trump supporters and Christians who make up the large majority of America with around another 20% of the population perhaps open to conversion back to Christianity. It is a huge target market… and that is just America.

Christianity is by far the world’s largest religion, with an estimated 2.2 billion adherents, nearly a third (31%) of all 6.9 billion people on Earth in 2010.

Jesus is King

The new sound track has been carefully crafted to be sung by large audiences to worship god. With tracks such as “Follow God” and “Use This Gospel”, Kanye is on a mission to convert. He has brought the Church to the streets and into the hills… No Church in the Wild.

His carefully chosen purple hair and purple cloths are to portray himself as an Emperor, clergy-like figure, if not Jesus himself, I don’t think it will be long before Kanye professes himself as a Prophet of some sort.

Kanye pronounced himself “I am a God” back on Yeezus.

I just talked to Jesus He said, “What up, Yeezus?” I said, “Shit—I’m chillin’ Tryna stack these millions” I know he the most high But I am a close high Mi casa, su casa That’s our cosa nostra I am a god I am a god I am a god

Rappers as Jesus

This isn’t new in rap. Check out the images below from Kanye, Nas, Tupac, DMX and The Game.

Jeru the Damaja, who follows the Nation of Islam, like Wu-Tang, Rakim & Brand Nubian, famously wrote a song “Can’t Stop the Prophet”.

Rappers have always seen themselves as street prophets, telling war stories, from Rakim, Nas & KRS-One right back to Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five in The Message.

Purple Robes

Throughout history, purple robes were worn by royalty and people of authority or high rank. Many believe this to be true because the rare occurrence of purple in nature made it one of the most expensive color dyes to create.

Purple and violet represent the future, the imagination and dreams, while spiritually calming the emotions. They inspire and enhance psychic ability and spiritual enlightenment, while, at the same time, keeping us grounded.

At the time of Jesus, the dye used for making the colour purple, extracted from shell-fish and was one of the most expensive dyes. The colour-fast (non-fading) dye was an item of luxury trade, prized by Romans, who used it to colour ceremonial robes, usually worn by Emperors. The very fact that purple was an expensive color made it affordable only to the royals. That Jesus was made to put it on before his crucifixion, implies that the Romans were sending a strong signal to the Jews against any coup.

A.D.I.D.A.S.

ADIDAS was founded by German, Adi Dassler (Adolf Dassler). In fact, one of the founders, his brother Rudolf Dassler later went on to found Puma and started a bitter rivalry between the brothers. There is a popular myth among fans (not true) that Adidas stands for All Day I Dream About Sports, whilst in 2003, Killer Mike dropped a hip hop track called A.D.I.D.A.S. (All Day I Dream About Sex).

Like many of their fellow citizens, the brothers joined the Nazi party after Adolph Hitler came to power in 1933. Their shoe business remained modest until 1936. In that year, Germany hosted the Olympics.

In an ironic twist, the two party members got legendary African-American runner Jesse Owens to wear their running shoes while competing. Owens went on to win four gold medals during the games. The exposure of their product gave Dassler Shoes a huge boost in sales. You can read more in Sportsweek History.

It does seem ironic, given Kanye’s sex addiction that he would align himself with this particular shoe and his plans are to get the shoes made in America and give “second chances” to inmates.

But, he is going to run into problems with the media as the average wage of a prison inmate ranged between $0.23 and $1.15 an hour  – According to the International Labor Organization, in 2000–2011 wages in American prisons 

In Texas, Georgia, and Arkansas, inmates aren’t paid at all for their labor.

The “New Slave” indeed. I initially thought another way to make money would be to make inexpensive Jesus style sandals and sure enough, I found that is exactly what ‘Ye is planning. They are called “slides” in America and Adidas will be making these from injection moulding and it hasn’t gone unnoticed from Twitter that they are basically prison shoes, but now they are being remarketed as a high fashion item for children of rich kids. That is marketing genius.

Why do the yeezy slides look like the slides worn in prison.. pic.twitter.com/LsR8dbFyqE

— Cyn ☕️ (@Kingxxcyn) October 17, 2019

ADIDAS YECHEIL

The first shoe in Ye’s collection is the Yecheil, which is a Hebrew masculine given name meaning “May God live” or “God shall live”. Several people in the Bible also have this name.

ADIDAS YEEZREEL

For the second shoe of ‘Ye’s collection, there is the“Yeezreel”. It has no exact translation but it seems he might’ve been inspired by the word “Jezreel” which was an ancient Israelite city and fortress originally within the boundaries of the Tribe of Issachar, and later within the northern Kingdom of Israel.

ADIDAS YESHAYA

The third shoe is called the “Yeshaya” which directly translates to “God Is Salvation”. The name Yeshaya (Yesha’yahu) translates from Hebrew to English as the name Isaiah, who was one of the four major prophets of the Old Testament, and the author of the Book of Isaiah. He was from Jerusalem and probably lived in the 8th century BC.

Many of these shoes use Adidas “Cloud” foam, so ‘Ye and his fans are figuratively walking on clouds.

Click the pic to get the best prices on Adidas below

Through the Wire – Prison Reform

Kim Kardashian announced her decision to study law back in April. Since then, she’s met with President Trump to discuss prison reform, teamed up with the 90 Days of Freedom campaign, and is producing a documentary on the subject.

CNN reported that Kim Kardashian West helped free 17 inmates in 90 days.

Kanye West has donated $1m to prison reform, but is now getting US prison workers to make his shoes at 25% of the cost of having his shoes made in China, unless somehow, he is quadrupling the prison wage.

There will be Church factions and sections of the media who will most likely attack Mr. West for essentially using slave labour in prisons to increase profit. Chinese factory workers are now getting paid more than ever: Average hourly wages hit $3.60 in 2017 compared to around $1 for an American prison worker.

Kanye West’s Interview with Zane Lowe

If you don’t want to watch the lengthy interview below, scroll down for a quick summary.

In the interview Kanye talks about the following:

How billboards are guilty of sex trafficking

How he became a born-again Christian in April after Coachella

Why he wants to create jobs and bring jobs back to the USA

How he experimented with Domes & living in them then “the man” tore them down as a metaphor for tearing down his ego

How his farm will be growing cotton & wheat

He will employ prisoners to make his shoes as a “second chance”

His respect for founders, especially Warren Buffett, Amancio Ortego (Zara), Elon Musk, James Turell (artist concerned with light & space) and Jack Dorsey (Paypal)

He calls himself a Christian innovator

How his daughter North drives his passion for church

How Sunday Service may become a church and how he may become a Pastor

He is asking people to fast & not have premarital sex

How he had a porn addiction due to seeing Playboy at 5 years old & his sex addiction

People should pray together, fast together, stay together to increase power

Getting stumped by Zane Lowes question on whether he had to work for his 4th house

How white owners controls hip hop

How God is using Kanye to show off

Compares himself to Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, diagnosed of Bipolar disorder. This was also the ship in the film The Matrix which “woke” people up

According to the Bible, Nebuchadnezzar II was king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, who reigned c. 605 BC – 562 BC and conquered Judah and Jerusalem and sent the Jews into exile.

How he will become the President of the United States, perhaps as early as 2024

How Facebook & social media is a disease

How porn is ruining marriages and brainwashing children

How to keep the eternal, imaginative 3 year old at all costs

How he’s undeniably the greatest artist of all time, no question!

How wearing the red cap was a joke on all the liberals as well as Drake living four blocks down from him was also a joke from God.

I guess him wearing blue fur whilst talking and making a blue record is also a joke on the liberals

How he will now rewrite and censor all his old songs for performances

How some of the merchandise money will go to the church

How the Louis Vuitton boss reneging on a handshake to make him the LV don and his wife getting robbed helped put him in a mental hospital

Jokes about being the pastor at Drake’s wedding

How he objects to the censorship of speech of the left

Jesus is King is out now on Spotify, mp3, vinyl & CD

Jesus is Born, another new album, is arriving on Christmas Day this year.

Kanye West’s Journey

There is a bigger story here. How hip hop can be cathartic. Hip hop is bashed left, right and centre in the mainstream media daily, mainly times rightly so, for enforcing stereotypes. But, real hip hop can be a spiritual journey.

Some artists have found solace and teachings much earlier on in their lives such as Rakim, Wu-Tang Clan, KRS-One & Jeru the Damaja. Other artists take longer to mature. It seems to me to be better rapping about street crime then taking part in it. This is something most non-hip hop heads seem to not understand.  Hip hop is way out the streets, just like a sports contract.

Everyone has their own journey and Kanye’s has taken him into Christianity. If record sales pick up, it will turn into a bigger movement. Time will tell what happens if it “All Falls Down”,  streams sour and Adidas sales start to Fade. In such a scenario, it may be very hard for Kanye to stay on the straight and narrow, but I wish him luck. Time will tell.

I’m looking forward to see how he reacts surrounded with Angels in future fashion shows singing his new songs.

I’ll leave you with the last verse from Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five’s “The Message”, possibly still the greatest hip hop song ever written. The message is as relevant today as it was back in 1982.

A child is born, with no state of mind Blind to the ways of mankind God is smiling on you, but he’s frowning too Cause only God knows, what you go through You grow in the ghetto, living second rate And your eyes will sing a song of deep hate The place, that you play and where you stay Looks like one great big alley way You’ll admire all the number book takers Thugs, pimps and pushers and the big money makers Driving big cars, spending twenties and tens And you wanna grow up to be just like them Smugglers, scramblers, burglars, gamblers Pickpockets, peddlers and even pan-handlers You say I’m cool, I’m no fool But then you wind up dropping out of high school Now you’re unemployed, all null ‘n void Walking ’round like you’re pretty boy floyd Turned stickup kid, look what you done did Got send up for a eight year bid Now your manhood is took and you’re a may tag Spend the next two years as an undercover fag Being used and abused and served like hell Till one day you was found hung dead in a cell It was plain to see that your life was lost You was cold and your body swung back and forth But now your eyes sing the sad sad song Of how you lived so fast and died so young So, don’t push me cause I’m close to the edge I’m trying not to lose my head It’s like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder How I keep from going under It’s like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder How I keep from going under

Watch Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five – The Message

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[oh-star-how-the-mighty-fall]

After Laughter review

Warning: Obvious spoilers ahead, so be wary if you have yet to listen to Paramore’s new album!

At long last, Paramore has released record number five, titled “After Laughter”. Hayley explains, “After Laughter is about the look on people’s faces when they’re done laughing. If you watch somebody long enough, there’s always this look that comes across their face when they’re done smiling, and I always find it really fascinating to wonder what it is that brought them back to reality. So, that’s what After Laughter is.” I think that’s pretty cool.

Any Paramore fan knows all about the hard times that the band has been through over the years (yes, pun intended). So, it’s not any wonder why 90% of the lyrics on this new album are quite heavy on the dejected side. Personally, I love how honest Hayley was about her feelings and emotions while writing the lyrics, and isn’t afraid to show it on this record. She has always written honest, raw, emotional lyrics about the tough moments in her life and in their band. All We Know Is Falling was mainly about Jeremy quitting for a while, while Brand New Eyes was largely about the tension between the Farros and the rest of the band. Writing After Laughter about Jeremy’s second departure from Paramore, and the subsequent lawsuit, only makes sense.

I thoroughly enjoyed the juxtaposition of Hayley’s emotional lyrics and Taylor’s (and, on some songs, Zac’s), often upbeat compositions. It keeps the album from being far too depressing. The beats and riffs are catchy and easy to tap your feet to, which I love. I can picture myself dancing to the live versions of these songs (especially now that we know that a US tour is indeed happening soon!)

And now, a track-by-track breakdown. Please note that I am not a musician, so if you want detailed opinions about Taylor’s intricacies, talk to someone who knows more about that. I’m just your average music lover. I don’t even know if my personal ratings (out of ten) are accurate to how I feel about the song. You’ll notice that nothing here is a perfect ten. I’ve always had difficulty assigning a perfect score when people ask me to fill out ratings on surveys, so the same applies here. Maybe there is always room for improvement. Or maybe I just don’t know how to rate things properly. Shrug.

But I digress. So, without further ado…

Track #1: Hard Times Walking around/With my little rain cloud/Hanging over my head/And it ain't coming down Rating: 7/10

Ahh, our first foray into the After Laughter era. I knew to keep an open mind when I first heard that Paramore would be going in a different direction with their new music. No more hard hitting, heavy guitar riffs (at least we will always have their older pop-punk material to satisfy that craving). And sure enough, this track’s opening line is played on steel drums. I remember turning to my fellow P-more fan friend at this part, joking, “are we in Jamaica?!”. I’ve heard people say, before the album came out, that this was quite a departure from their usual sound. And at first, I agreed. But after a few more listens, I realized that it actually isn’t that much different - sound-wise - from, say, Ain’t It Fun. It sounds different enough where it’s certainly no Ignorance (or even Riot!’s heavier b-side, Decoy), but it’s still got that familiar hard drum line (oh how I’ve missed Zac’s drumming) and a recognizable Paramore riff. Sure, it’s a bit more 80s than anything they’ve ever done before, a quality that’s reiterated in their music video, but who says that’s a bad thing? Got to love the reference to “Don’t you ever wonder how we survived” in Monster (intentional or not, just something I noticed), made in Hard Times’ lyric, “And I still don’t know how I even survive”. I LOVE when bands reference their older songs in lyrics. Might be a big reason why I loved Part II so much. PS, can we also talk about that last final shot of Taylor awkwardly walking off-screen in the Hard Times music video? I rate that an eleven out of ten.

Track #2: Rose-Colored Boy I want you to stop/Insisting that I'm not/A lost cause/‘Cause I've been through a lot/Really all I've got/Is just to stay pissed off/If it's all right by you Rating: 8/10

This song opens with a cheerleader-esque chant, “low key, no pressure, just stay with me and my weather”. I have to admit that I’m not the hugest fan of that little part. I can’t quite put my finger on why. Maybe it’s a bit too cheerleader-y. However, the rest of the song is quite solid. Hayley put a bit of attitude in her vocals on this one, especially on the mini runs (“And oh, I’m so annoyed”). That, along with her lyrics, perfectly conveys the frustration upon meeting someone who is just. So. Damn. Sunny. Like, come on, not everything in life is sunshine and rainbows (add in an eye-roll). We’ve all been there: we are in a funk. We want nothing more than to go home, pull down the shades to complete darkness, and wallow in our rotten mood. But oh, no, of course we have to see the one person who makes it his personal mission to pep everyone up. Take off those damn glasses, man. But the melody is happy and upbeat…again with the confusing juxtaposition, which I find such a clever disguise. Also, I saw a graphic floating around Tumblr that compared the lyrics in the bridge, “You say my eyes are getting too dark now”, to Hate To See Your Heart Break’s, “I hate to see your eyes get darker as they close”. Again, it might not have been intentional (or maybe it was, because there are several more references sprinkled throughout this record), but either way, yasss.

Track #3: Told You So I know you like/When I admit that I was wrong and you were right/At least I try/To keep my cool when I'm thrown into a fire Rating: 8/10

When this song came out before the album’s release, I loved it (and still do). At first, I loved it just as much as Hard Times (which, was a lot). But then, I started to find myself playing it more than Hard Times. Not to say I disliked Hard Times, but out of the two early-released songs, I prefer this one. I love the music video as well (great job writing and directing, Zac!). In this article, it explains, “He based it on the band’s car rides after recording sessions in L.A. ‘Zac noticed that my anxiety and overall state was just a lot more peaceful on those drives,’ lead singer Hayley Williams told The FADER, ‘and mentioned to me that it made him happy to see me rest for a moment. It means a lot that they conceptualized a video around a passing moment we had as friends.’” Oh, my heart.

The music is so catchy, especially with the use of a xylophone (watch the video the band posted on social media of Taylor recording that part, if you haven’t already). And the intricate guitar riffs during the pre-chorus of “I hate to/say I told you so/but they love to/say they told me so”…and during the chorus (“say they/say they/told me”)? Wow. Major heart eyes, Taylor.

Track #4: Forgiveness And I don't pick up when you call/‘Cause your voice is a gun/Every word is a bullet hole/Shot a hole in the sun Rating: 8/10

This track is one of my favorites. Hayley’s voice is SO on point here. I love the vocal melodies she wrote in the verses, and how the beat isn��t constant. The beat between “another heart attack” and “if I lay on the floor” are shorter than the others. Does that make sense? (See? I told you I’m not a musician!) But if you’re following me, then maybe you’ll agree that it makes this song more interesting. I like how the vocal melody is simple but still catchy. The harmonies are great too.

Track #5: Fake Happy You think I'll look alright with these mascara tears?/See I'm gonna draw my lipstick wider than my mouth/And if the lights are low they'll never see me frown Rating: 9/10

This one might be my absolute favorite on the record. The opening verse starts off slowly drawn out with a simple guitar, and an effect on her voice that makes it sound like it’s coming through speakers. And then the beat picks up, and wow. The bass lines on this track might be one of my favorites (shout out to JMJ!). The lyrics are so sad, because they seem the most real to me: during the self-titled era, the band put quite a bit of emphasis on the fact that they were doing much, much better after the drama with Josh several years prior. However, now that we’ve heard this song….we have to ask ourselves: was that all a ruse? It seems so. The line in the bridge, “I know I said that I was doing good and that I’m happy now” seems like a direct reference to their Self-Titled Deluxe released demo, Tell Me It’s Okay (“tell me it’s okay to be happy now/because I’m happy now”). So now that they once again assure us that they’re better now (in part two of the Zane Lowe interview), are they really? We might never know. By the way, the teacher side of me can’t help but cringe at the incorrect grammar in the bridge. But okay, for you, Paramore, I will let that slide. Something something, “artistic license”. (I will bite my tongue to keep from pointing out that the word “well” would have totally fit fine).

My favorite part of this track may be the chorus. It seems to be the most upbeat song on the album, perhaps the most danceable. It may be a strange thing to dance along to such a catchy song while simultaneously singing, “Oh please don't ask me how I've been/Don’t make me play pretend/Oh no, oh what's the use?/Oh please, I bet everybody here is fake happy too”. Again with the confusing rollercoaster of emotions this band is putting us on….

Track #6: 26 Reality will break your heart/Survival will not be the hardest part/It’s keeping all your hopes alive/When all the rest of you has died/So let it break your heart Rating: 8/10

The first time I heard this song, I was pleasantly surprised to hear a finger-picked guitar-centric ballad. True ballads like these are somewhat rare for Paramore; I can count on one hand the number of slow songs that they have (Misguided Ghosts, In The Mourning, Hate To See Your Heart Break, am I missing any? The Only Exception picks up at the end, so I’m not including it in this list). My point is, this song is gorgeous. Apparently, Hayley was just waiting for Taylor to send her a finger-picked ballad like this. That makes two of us, Hayles. As for the lyrics, when I listened to them the first few times, I was sad, but it took about four or five listens before I unexpectedly started tearing up (same thing happened with Tell Me How, but more on that later). I believe that was thanks to the combination of the lyrics and the dejected but beautiful manner in which Hayley sings the song (but really…her voice though. Damn.). Yet another reference to an older song, Brick By Boring Brick, is made in 26 with the lyric “after all wasn’t I the one who said/keep your feet on the ground”. I love that. Also, I would be remiss in not mentioning one of my favorite parts about this song: the strings. Oh, God, the strings. I am a sucker for the brilliant use of strings in a slow song (I blame Copeland for that). On this song, the swelling violins (and probably other instruments? Viola? Cello? Someone more knowledgable, please help a girl out) do a wonderful job of ripping out your heartstrings (ha, ha) and mushing them haphazardly back into your body. The feeeeeels.

Also, I heard two brilliant covers of this song from some mega-talented Paramore fans, and it didn’t help my heart any. Major ouch.

Track #7: Pool And I wonder is it better to get it over with?/The illusion can shatter before we begin Rating: 8/10

After the emotional experience of 26, we’re back to upbeat songs. What a relief! Pool is After Laughter’s resident love song. The lyrics are interesting because they correctly describe the reality that any relationship - not just romantic, but also platonic and familial - is usually something that at times brings you both immense joy AND heartbreak. Taylor said in the Zane Lowe interview, “It’s always the coolest thing about hearing what Hayley writes. She’s being honest. There are so many love songs that say, hey man, everything is perfect and beautiful, and everything about you is awesome and this is all great. But Hayley always writes for the people who can’t relate to that, and they’re saying, man, I love this person, but I am dark, and this feels dark. And I always love that because that’s real. With songwriting, we’ve all figured out that it’s not always the things that you want to communicate, or you want to come out. It’s the things that need to.” Right on the nose with that one, T. It’s quite interesting to compare the sentiments of Pool to Paramore’s other love songs, such as Still Into You and The Only Exception. This seems to be the more grown-up version of those songs. The honeymoon period is over, and Pool seems to be the result of what comes next.

Right off the bat, I love the sound of the bells. It’s something that I don’t really ever think I’ve heard in a song, and it gives it a nice touch. Paramore is certainly experimenting with new sounds this time around, and I’m totally here for it.

Track #8: Grudges I know you're shaking my hand like it is the first time/Are we alright?/Are you recounting all my faults?/And are you racking your brain just to find them all?/Could it be that I’ve changed or did you? Rating: 6/10

Grudges is one of my least favorite songs on the album. That’s not to say that I outright dislike it; I like every song on the album. But something about this track just doesn’t quite do it for me like the others do. Zac had a hand in writing this song, but I know that that’s not the reason why it’s one of my least favorites. I mean, have you heard his other band HalfNoise? If not, check out French Class or Know the Feeling. Zac is a great songwriter. I think one of the reasons why I don’t love this song is that it seems like the lyrics are crammed into the verses, and they don’t seem to fit as seamlessly. I do enjoy the actual content of the lyrics, however, and I’m glad that they wrote a song about welcoming Zac back into the band. Plus, hearing Zac himself sing in the bridge was a treat; his voice is quite good (again, listen to HalfNoise). I’m happy that he’s back in the band, and in an article, he says that the Farros’ departure in 2010 had more to do with Josh than Zac, which I figured. Anyway, back to the song: the chorus is catchy, and I admit that I found it stuck in my head on more than one occasion, but overall, I prefer other songs on the album to this one.

Track #9: Caught In the Middle Nostalgia's cool, but it won't help me now/A dream is good, if you don't wear it out Rating: 6/10

Caught In the Middle is another one of my least favorites, but again, I don’t dislike it. In fact, I don’t think Paramore is capable of writing a song that I outright disfavor. The song seems a bit elementary to me, if that makes any sense. I do enjoy some parts of the song, such as the lyrics in the bridge, “I don’t need no help/I can sabotage me by myself” (which, by the way, always reminds me of Twenty One Pilots for some reason. I don’t know their music well, but it just seems like a vocal melody that they would write). The bass line in the chorus makes it feel like we’re in Jamaica again.

Track #10: Idle Worship Oh, it's such a long and awful lonely fall/Down from this pedestal/That you keep putting me on Rating: 8/10

Idle Worship, aka: the closest thing to a rap song that Paramore’s ever done. I haven’t seen Hamilton, but Idle Worship makes me think of Lin Manuel Miranda. I’ve heard a few of the musical’s songs, and Idle Worship’s verses remind me of it. Will any Ham fans agree with me? Upon first listen, I wasn’t sure what to make of this song. The verses seemed a little frantic. However, as I sat with it, I came to really enjoy it. The chorus is strong, and the lyrics are creative. My favorite lyrics are probably, “Remember how we used to like ourselves?/What little light that's left/We need to keep it sacred/ know that you're afraid to/Let all the dark escape ya/But we could let the light illuminate these hopeless places”. Brilliant. Also, speaking of brilliant, Taylor explains in the Zane Lowe interview that the sound that opens the song is actually a modified sample of a real-life sound that results from the wind vibrating through a metal grate atop a skyscraper in Manchester, England, called the Beetham Tower. Who thinks of these things? Oh, that’s right. Taylor York. Raise your hand if you’d like to live in his brain for a day just to see the kinds of genius things that pass through it. *Raises both hands enthusiastically*.

Track #11: No Friend I’m no savior of yours, and you’re no friend of mine Rating: 8/10

No Friend is the first and only time that Paramore has invited a guest vocalist to sing on their record (not counting the Self-Titled Deluxe cd…sorry, Joy Williams, but the deluxe wasn’t an official studio release). Since Hayley is completely absent from this track, you wouldn’t even know it’s a Paramore song if you hadn’t heard it on the album. I will be the first to admit that I am not a big mewithoutYou fan. I can appreciate their talent as musicians, but their often post-hardcore music isn’t in line with my tastes. However, Aaron Weiss’ spoken word on No Friend combined with Taylor’s composition just…works. It’s definitely the most interesting song on the album, what with Aaron’s vocals being very low in the mix, to the point where it’s difficult to hear what he’s saying (but thanks to the wonders of the internet, I can look it up). Aaron and Hayley apparently co-wrote the lyrics, and though I don’t know who wrote what, I will say that these lyrics are the most clever and deep on the entire album. “So throw your pedestal of stone in the forgetful sea/As protection from the paper-thin perfection/You project on me.” And again with the references to their older songs. I won’t put them all here; consider it a scavenger hunt of sorts. I also quite enjoy the way the instruments slowly fade out at the end until all that’s left is Aaron telling a story about accidentally grabbing a bear in a river.

Track #12: Tell Me How Of all the weapons you fight with/Your silence is the most violent Rating: 8/10

I’ve decided that as much as I LOVE Paramore’s heavy pop-punk guitar riffs, I’m always here for a P-more ballad that isn’t afraid to stir some real emotion inside you. Like 26, this track randomly hit me several listens into it, when I suddenly found myself with goosebumps on my arms and tears in my eyes. Whew, my heart hurts just thinking about it. Are we to assume that this song is about Jeremy? “I know you think that I erased you/You may hate me but I can't hate you/And I won't replace you” suggests that notion to me. They were friends for a very long time, and after all they’ve been through over the years, despite what’s happening right now between them, I can’t imagine they’d just cut him out of their lives, just like that. Paramore is resilient, and no stranger to drama, and it makes them stronger artists for it. I think they needed to write this album, and get some things off their chest, and I don’t doubt that in a couple of years, maybe after this whole thing blows over, they’ll reconcile with Jerm just like they did with Josh. Only time will tell. But Tell Me How manages to twist your heart with its honesty and desperation, and accompanied with the simple piano in the beginning, just really fits.

So there we have it. Track by track, more or less my thoughts. I could have gone into more detail about each individual song, but I think honestly, most of them speak for themselves. This album is really solid…and I’m not just saying that as an obvious Paramore fan; the lyrics and mood of the album are very truthful, and I consider it akin to a diary of their life as they’re living it now. Like I mentioned earlier, we as fans of the band are all too aware of the current unfortunate situation they’re faced with, and we each have our own individual opinions about it, but I feel like few bands would let us take this deep of a look at just how much they are (or were) hurting. They’re not wearing a mask anymore. Their self-titled album was all about how much better their lives were, and now after hearing After Laughter, we realize that it was mostly just a facade. Many people hide their emotions; it’s human nature. But to let those walls down and expose the extent of your pain is a very vulnerable thing to do, which is why I’m grateful that this band trusts us enough with this album.

Overall, my favorite tracks are (and this is subject to change at any moment) Fake Happy, Forgiveness, and 26. My least favorite songs are Grudges and Caught In the Middle. But all in all, I very much enjoy the album as a whole. I’ve listened to it, from start to finish, way too many times to count, and I’m no where near done. Thank you, Paramore, for releasing this gem. I’m proud to call myself a fan and thankful that you haven’t given up on yourselves, or on your Parafamily. I hope you never will.

[sueboohscorner]

#Suits - Season 9, Episode 5 “If the Shoe Fits”, Review/Recap/Spoilers

#Suits - Season 9, Episode 5 “If the Shoe Fits”, Review/Recap/Spoilers

Rating:  9/10

(Air date 8/14/2019)

Mike Ross Returns :

Harvey brings Donna’s favorite pizza home because he thinks she’s going to be there and they can watch “his favorite show” together (“Survivor”).  She tells him she can’t because an old friend called.  As Harvey goes to his kitchen, low and behold his buddy Mike Ross is waiting for him.  Mike teases Harvey about how long it took him to finally realize he should be with Donna and that he’s really happy for both of them.  But Harvey knows that isn’t the only reason Mike came across the country.  Mike tells him he’s representing a basketball player named Jeremy Wall who wants out of his contract with Harvey’s former client Brick Street Athletics.  Brick Street Athletics is the client that Harvey gave to Samantha (a couple of episodes ago).  Apparently Jeremy went overseas to visit one of the factories as a goodwill trip and finds that Brick Street Athletics is exploiting the overseas workers.  Their deal stipulates that no harm will come to Jeremy’s image; and exploiting the workers is harmful. 

When Samantha finds out that Harvey set up a deposition without telling her she’s not happy about it.  She’s even more ticked off when Harvey tells her they’ll work the case together because Mike flew all the way from Seattle to pick a fight with Harvey.  Samantha could care less about that!  Harvey tells her not to underestimate Mike, “he’s just as good as you or me.”

Jeremy’s deposition works to Harvey and Samantha’s favor.  They find out that Jeremy visited the factory six months ago, but he was contacted by an activist a year prior about the conditions and Jeremy didn’t do anything.   Harvey then accuses Mike of bringing this up now because he knows he can’t fight the way he’d like because of the Faye situation.  Mike says then they’ll have to fight fair; anything that can get them disbarred or in prison is off-limits.  And they agree that no matter what happens they end on good terms, no matter who wins.

Donna finds an ad that claims Brick Street Athletics puts profits before people she tells Samantha.  She suggests that maybe she can cut a deal with Mike, because Mike is family.  Samantha doesn’t care that Mike is family (after all he is married to Robert Zane’s daughter).  She goes to talk to Mike and when he won’t back down, she hits him with a defamation suit.  Harvey isn’t happy about that and tells Samantha she was wrong.  Samantha tells Harvey then they’ll waive a jury trial and go before a judge instead.  That way Mike can’t get a sympathetic jury.

At Brick Street Athletics’ deposition, Ray Haskins give Mike the upper hand.  He yells, “I don’t care how many people kill themselves” (because of the poor working conditions), “this has nothing to do with my company.  We abide by the law.”  Next thing you know, “I don’t care how many people kill themselves” is printed on Jeremy’s t-shirt during an interview, which of course somehow goes viral.  Harvey realizes he and Samantha got set up!  Mike doesn’t care about the story anymore, he cares about results now.  Jeremy wanted out of his contract and wanted to use the money to start his own company.  Harvey accepts the loss and takes credit for what Mike did and beating Harvey at his own game.  Mike learned well from Harvey.

However, Samantha isn’t Harvey and she definitely does not like to lose.  Donna and Harvey had planned to have drinks with Mike at Harvey’s place, but Mike is too angry.  He tells Harvey that someone bribed the activist to say Mike roped him into this scheme and Mike can’t say anything because they are on record saying that the activist is nothing less than a saint.  Harvey tells Mike it wasn’t him, which means it had to be Samantha.  Mike wants Harvey to come forward.  Harvey refuses.  Harvey does tell Samantha he doesn’t respect what she did.  He defended her to Mike but he doesn’t trust her anymore.

Lurking in the shadows is the ever sneaky Faye.  She can’t hear everything but she knows that someone did something they shouldn’t have done.  She goes to Samantha and tells her she knows that Harvey fabricated evidence and Samantha is covering up for him.  Samantha says, “Harvey didn’t do anything, and that is all I’m going to say.”  Faye then deduces that it was Samantha who fabricated evidence and even though she doesn’t have any proof, Faye tells Samantha to pack up her stuff because she is fired.

Louis goes to see Mike, at Donna’s insistence.  He reminds Mike about when Louis and Harvey were in the bullpen and their rivalry.  He also tells Mike not to let that get in the way of their friendship.  Mike agrees.  He gives Louis a gift that Rachel.  Louis opens it and there is a onesie for baby Litt.  The onesie says, “You Just Got Spitt Up”; Louis is beyond excited.

Louis and Sheila:

Louis and Sheila are one odd couple!  We know that they two do a lot of roleplay in the romance department.  And apparently they have one called “Cinderella’s Dirty Redemption” complete with glass slipper!  Well, the slipper didn’t fit!  Louis says her foot will shrink once she has the baby.  She yells at him that it won’t.  Unfortunately for Louis he starts to focus on the glass slipper costing $9,000 which leads Sheila to think about the $50,000 donation she lost earlier that day by calling the man the wrong name during a meeting.

Louis goes to see Alex the next day for advice.  What can he do about Sheila?  Alex’s wife has had two babies…what did Alex do?  Alex tells Louis, “Don’t do anything,” just listen and be there for Sheila and tell her you love her.  But we all know Louis, don’t we?  Can Louis do nothing?  That’s right – he has to do something. 

So Louis goes to see Benjamin.  He apologizes to Benjamin and even brings a bag of bacon too.  Benjamin asks what Louis wants.  Louis wants Benjamin to make a donation look like an anonymous donation.  He wants to donate $50,000 anonymously so Sheila doesn’t find out it’s from him.  Unfortunately for Louis, Sheila figured it out because donations of that size do not come in anonymously.  Louis then comes up with another idea, a therapy session with Dr. Lipschitz. 

During the session Sheila admits that Louis’ donation made her feel trapped in her job.  She feels pulled in two directions; and even is considering giving up her job in favor of being a full time mom. She’s worried that Louis won’t want her anymore if she changes who she is.  Louis tells her, “No matter what you choose to do about your career, I support it 1000 percent.”  He also tells her that her being a warrior has nothing to do with her job.  Being a warrior is who Sheila is.

Katrina:

Donna approaches Katrina and tells her she thinks that Katrina hasn’t picked a new associate because she hasn’t moved on from Brian.  Katrina disagrees but Donna insists and to prove it she tells Katrina to call Brian.  One of the funniest scenes happens when Katrina tries to call Brian.  Katrina calls and keeps deleting her messages and trying again because everything she says comes out wrong.  She finally writes a script and ends her message with “cordially.”

Katrina goes to Donna and tells Donna that she’s right.  Donna tells her they are going out for drinks.  While out drinking, Donna tells Katrina that Brian was Katrina’s soul’s way of telling her there is more to life than work.  She tells Katrina she needs to start doing things for herself at least once a week.  Later Katrina does exactly that.  She tells Donna that she signed herself up for ballet class and she received a voicemail from Brian.  Donna asks what he said and Katrina tells her she deleted it without even listening to it.

Highlights:

Highlights from Katrina’s messages to Brian:

“B-dawg, it’s kitty Kat.”

“Hi Katrina, it’s Brian.”

“It’s your buddy, your friend with a capital F, your F buddy.”

“Just tell her you love me and that it’s over!”

Disappointments:

This is the final season and there are only 5 more episodes.

Thoughts?

What are your thoughts about this episode?

Next Week:

Suits 9x06, "Whatever It Takes":  Harvey makes a play to get Samantha’s job back; Katrina faces off against an old friend.

Thanks for reading Suitors!!

[theseventhhex]

JK Crowe Interview

JK Crowe

Hailing from Northeast Georgia, JK Crowe is on the fast-track to gaining further creative momentum with his resilient songwriting in the wake of his captivating EP ‘Buried’. Forming songs laced with emotive outlooks has resulted in some dense, subtle, smooth arrangements with a certain ache and a backbone of heartfelt vocals. Crowe’s expressions are intimate and intense and he has found a way to marry methodically thorough instrumentation with genuinely appealing compostions… We talk to JK Crowe about building ideas on his phone, being premiered by Zane Lowe and classic SNES games…

TSH: What sort of intentions and aims did you have in mind when you conceived of this project?

JK Crowe: I wanted to get something out into the world and sail off a bit of the personal turmoil that shaped this whole thing. I needed to see where the pieces would fall.

TSH: When it comes to the instrumentation and soundcsapes that you cover, what sort of styles are you drawn to?

JK Crowe: An eclectic bit, really, but most everything is rhythmical at its core. Even some of the classical music I listen to, Akira Ifukube, is bass heavy and thundery. Old Motown and Japanese Funk. Blur, MF Doom, Lemolo, QOTSA.

TSH: Are your lyrical perspectives stemming from certain avenues in life?

JK Crowe: A lot of it is self-contained existential open book type stuff, but the perspectives can change over time. I find myself relating differently to songs as they age.

TSH: What’s your creative process like when you’re fleshing out new tunes?

JK Crowe: Mostly, I take short ideas on my phone and build on them, but some nights scotch or something can lead to placing the synth on a plynth. Each idea goes through a few changes and transformations. After I have some songs, I try to outline the story. The process is learning how to tell it.

TSH: What are the origins of a song like ‘Buried’?

JK Crowe: It is one of those songs that has grown along with me. It was tough times in a room covered in green light. People grow apart. You forgive and you carry on.

TSH: Moreover, what sort of motivations do you draw on to pen a track like ‘What Fades’?

JK Crowe: Fear of failure. Being stuck where I am. The song itself is not unlike its release. It’s a call out in an attempt to rectify disappointments in the search for truth, or something like that.

TSH: How did the surroundings of your grandparents’ house near the Appalachian Mountains impact your musical outlooks?

JK Crowe: Where we lived, we were a bit secluded, and I think it had some effect on me growing up and learning myself. I feel leaving that place definitely influences my introspections.

TSH: What sort of non-musical features are you mostly inspired by?

JK Crowe: I really admire EE cummings' misplacing of grammar. Stephen Gammell's illustrations in the Scary Story books. Bruce Lee is a hero. Bill Hicks was guiding light in my teenage years. Chuck Palaniuk was there. Ben Hampton paintings always take me somewhere.

TSH: How pleasing was it for you to have your track ‘Someone Told Me’ premiered by Zane Lowe?

JK Crowe: I was grateful and relieved. I'm not good with introductions, I don't think. Things like that take a while to set in, for me. I was hugely nervous, though. Much more than I've been for any show.

TSH: What are your primary passions when you’re not immersed in music?

JK Crowe: Photos and video, which can and usually does tie in with music. Painting, which is oddly similar to my songwriting style. Sometimes just writing. Meteorology.

TSH: Did you manage to find some downtime and get lost in Gran Turismo on the PlayStation 1?

JK Crowe: I usually find some time to pick up a Camaro (and good tyres) and clear that GT League one race at a time.

TSH: What are you favourite SNES games?

JK Crowe: To Play: Super Street Fighter II or Mega Man X. To Watch: Chrono Trigger or Super Metroid. To Remember with Rose Colored Glasses: Super Godzilla, Darkhorse: Act Raiser, Saturday Night Slammasters. Gimmies: Super Mario World, Link to the Past and Ultraman.

TSH: When was your last YouTube binge? And what did you watch?

JK Crowe: Last Binge was not long ago, and it was Skip Talbot's El Reno Tornado incident observation video and several following chases. Before that it was probably a Crimson or Andertons guitars or Bob Ross or One Bite.

TSH: Finally, what’s the best advice that you adhere to?

JK Crowe: We make choices and we live with them.

JK Crowe - “I Am Nowhere”

Buried - EP

[sheilacwall]

Jesus Walks… in Adidas

Jesus Walks… in Adidas

Jesus is King has finally dropped. This is Kanye West’s first Christian rap-gospel album since turning into a born-again Christian in April after the hedonistic indulgence of Coachella.

The Lucifer, Mercy and New God Flow producer has given up secular music and has now turned his career toward the servitude of God.

However, his return from hospital and new found faith will flow nicely into his plans to expand his fashion, music & entertainment empire as well as possibly delivering him the top spot in the White House. This is a man not to be underestimated.

Saint Pablo

‘Ye recently turned around a personal debt of $53 million into a nearly $50m profit. Back in 2016, ‘Ye went out cap in hand to Mark Zuckerberg for $1bn for his ideas, but was promptly ignored. Zuckerberg was raised in a Jewish household, although his wife is a Buddhist and he hasn’t publicly stated his faith. But, this wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by ‘Ye and may have pushed Kanye toward his born-again Christian position.

Soon after, the “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” star seemingly finally started listening to his wife.

“My wife said, I can’t say no to nobody, and at this rate we gon’ both die broke,” West raps on Saint Pablo. “Got friends that ask me for money knowin’ I’m in debt, and like my wife said, I still didn’t say no.”

Stronger

Whilst facing the cold shoulder from Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey – the Square & Paypal founder who was raised a Catholic, offered to invest in Kanye early on.

Jay-Z also kicked in a loan of $20m triggering tensions between the two ending in a public feud.

Here’s Jay-Z on “Kill Jay-Z”:

“You dropped outta school, you lost your principles / You gave him 20 million without thinkin’,” Jay-Z raps, seemingly confirming the rumor that he lent West money. “He gave you 20 minutes on stage, f–k was he thinkin’?”

Recently, Kanye has tried to dead the beef with the recent track “Brothers” with Charlie Wilson.

Power

‘Ye never got that billion from Zuckerberg, although they apparently became friends and even performed karaoke together, but it appears West has now healed his own financial woes: His apparel brand Yeezy is a billion-dollar empire, according to Forbes and over the past 12 months, Forbes estimates West has earned over $150 million before taxes. His wealth is due largely to Yeezy’s Adidas deal, a line that is expected to top $1.5 billion in sales in 2019.

The Jordan line does approximately $3 billion in annual sales, so the Yeezy line is catching up fast. If he can latch onto the Christian vote, sales could explode even more rapidly.

Touch the Sky

Christianity is the most adhered to religion in the United States, with 65% of polled American adults identifying themselves as Christian in 2019. This is down from 85% in 1990, 81.6% in 2001, and 12% lower than the 78% reported for 2012. About 62% of those polled claim to be members of a church congregation.

Kenneth Copeland is the number one pastor in the USA and his net worth is $300m. After the backlash for supporting Trump, the natural progression seems to be for Kanye to target the Trump supporters and Christians who make up the large majority of America with around another 20% of the population perhaps open to conversion back to Christianity. It is a huge target market… and that is just America.

Christianity is by far the world’s largest religion, with an estimated 2.2 billion adherents, nearly a third (31%) of all 6.9 billion people on Earth in 2010.

Jesus is King

The new sound track has been carefully crafted to be sung by large audiences to worship god. With tracks such as “Follow God” and “Use This Gospel”, Kanye is on a mission to convert. He has brought the Church to the streets and into the hills… No Church in the Wild.

His carefully chosen purple hair and purple cloths are to portray himself as an Emperor, clergy-like figure, if not Jesus himself, I don’t think it will be long before Kanye professes himself as a Prophet of some sort.

Kanye pronounced himself “I am a God” back on Yeezus.

I just talked to Jesus He said, “What up, Yeezus?” I said, “Shit—I’m chillin’ Tryna stack these millions” I know he the most high But I am a close high Mi casa, su casa That’s our cosa nostra I am a god I am a god I am a god

Rappers as Jesus

This isn’t new in rap. Check out the images below from Kanye, Nas, Tupac, DMX and The Game.

Jeru the Damaja, who follows the Nation of Islam, like Wu-Tang, Rakim & Brand Nubian, famously wrote a song “Can’t Stop the Prophet”.

Rappers have always seen themselves as street prophets, telling war stories, from Rakim, Nas & KRS-One right back to Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five in The Message.

Purple Robes

Throughout history, purple robes were worn by royalty and people of authority or high rank. Many believe this to be true because the rare occurrence of purple in nature made it one of the most expensive color dyes to create.

Purple and violet represent the future, the imagination and dreams, while spiritually calming the emotions. They inspire and enhance psychic ability and spiritual enlightenment, while, at the same time, keeping us grounded.

At the time of Jesus, the dye used for making the colour purple, extracted from shell-fish and was one of the most expensive dyes. The colour-fast (non-fading) dye was an item of luxury trade, prized by Romans, who used it to colour ceremonial robes, usually worn by Emperors. The very fact that purple was an expensive color made it affordable only to the royals. That Jesus was made to put it on before his crucifixion, implies that the Romans were sending a strong signal to the Jews against any coup.

A.D.I.D.A.S.

ADIDAS was founded by German, Adi Dassler (Adolf Dassler). In fact, one of the founders, his brother Rudolf Dassler later went on to found Puma and started a bitter rivalry between the brothers. There is a popular myth among fans (not true) that Adidas stands for All Day I Dream About Sports, whilst in 2003, Killer Mike dropped a hip hop track called A.D.I.D.A.S. (All Day I Dream About Sex).

Like many of their fellow citizens, the brothers joined the Nazi party after Adolph Hitler came to power in 1933. Their shoe business remained modest until 1936. In that year, Germany hosted the Olympics.

In an ironic twist, the two party members got legendary African-American runner Jesse Owens to wear their running shoes while competing. Owens went on to win four gold medals during the games. The exposure of their product gave Dassler Shoes a huge boost in sales. You can read more in Sportsweek History.

It does seem ironic, given Kanye’s sex addiction that he would align himself with this particular shoe and his plans are to get the shoes made in America and give “second chances” to inmates.

But, he is going to run into problems with the media as the average wage of a prison inmate ranged between $0.23 and $1.15 an hour  – According to the International Labor Organization, in 2000–2011 wages in American prisons 

In Texas, Georgia, and Arkansas, inmates aren’t paid at all for their labor.

The “New Slave” indeed. I initially thought another way to make money would be to make inexpensive Jesus style sandals and sure enough, I found that is exactly what ‘Ye is planning. They are called “slides” in America and Adidas will be making these from injection moulding and it hasn’t gone unnoticed from Twitter that they are basically prison shoes, but now they are being remarketed as a high fashion item for children of rich kids. That is marketing genius.

Why do the yeezy slides look like the slides worn in prison.. pic.twitter.com/LsR8dbFyqE

— Cyn ☕️ (@Kingxxcyn) October 17, 2019

ADIDAS YECHEIL

The first shoe in Ye’s collection is the Yecheil, which is a Hebrew masculine given name meaning “May God live” or “God shall live”. Several people in the Bible also have this name.

ADIDAS YEEZREEL

For the second shoe of ‘Ye’s collection, there is the“Yeezreel”. It has no exact translation but it seems he might’ve been inspired by the word “Jezreel” which was an ancient Israelite city and fortress originally within the boundaries of the Tribe of Issachar, and later within the northern Kingdom of Israel.

ADIDAS YESHAYA

The third shoe is called the “Yeshaya” which directly translates to “God Is Salvation”. The name Yeshaya (Yesha’yahu) translates from Hebrew to English as the name Isaiah, who was one of the four major prophets of the Old Testament, and the author of the Book of Isaiah. He was from Jerusalem and probably lived in the 8th century BC.

Many of these shoes use Adidas “Cloud” foam, so ‘Ye and his fans are figuratively walking on clouds.

Click the pic to get the best prices on Adidas below

Through the Wire – Prison Reform

Kim Kardashian announced her decision to study law back in April. Since then, she’s met with President Trump to discuss prison reform, teamed up with the 90 Days of Freedom campaign, and is producing a documentary on the subject.

CNN reported that Kim Kardashian West helped free 17 inmates in 90 days.

Kanye West has donated $1m to prison reform, but is now getting US prison workers to make his shoes at 25% of the cost of having his shoes made in China, unless somehow, he is quadrupling the prison wage.

There will be Church factions and sections of the media who will most likely attack Mr. West for essentially using slave labour in prisons to increase profit. Chinese factory workers are now getting paid more than ever: Average hourly wages hit $3.60 in 2017 compared to around $1 for an American prison worker.

Kanye West’s Interview with Zane Lowe

If you don’t want to watch the lengthy interview below, scroll down for a quick summary.

In the interview Kanye talks about the following:

How billboards are guilty of sex trafficking

How he became a born-again Christian in April after Coachella

Why he wants to create jobs and bring jobs back to the USA

How he experimented with Domes & living in them then “the man” tore them down as a metaphor for tearing down his ego

How his farm will be growing cotton & wheat

He will employ prisoners to make his shoes as a “second chance”

His respect for founders, especially Warren Buffett, Amancio Ortego (Zara), Elon Musk, James Turell (artist concerned with light & space) and Jack Dorsey (Paypal)

He calls himself a Christian innovator

How his daughter North drives his passion for church

How Sunday Service may become a church and how he may become a Pastor

He is asking people to fast & not have premarital sex

How he had a porn addiction due to seeing Playboy at 5 years old & his sex addiction

People should pray together, fast together, stay together to increase power

Getting stumped by Zane Lowes question on whether he had to work for his 4th house

How white owners controls hip hop

How God is using Kanye to show off

Compares himself to Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, diagnosed of Bipolar disorder. This was also the ship in the film The Matrix which “woke” people up

According to the Bible, Nebuchadnezzar II was king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, who reigned c. 605 BC – 562 BC and conquered Judah and Jerusalem and sent the Jews into exile.

How he will become the President of the United States, perhaps as early as 2024

How Facebook & social media is a disease

How porn is ruining marriages and brainwashing children

How to keep the eternal, imaginative 3 year old at all costs

How he’s undeniably the greatest artist of all time, no question!

How wearing the red cap was a joke on all the liberals as well as Drake living four blocks down from him was also a joke from God.

I guess him wearing blue fur whilst talking and making a blue record is also a joke on the liberals

How he will now rewrite and censor all his old songs for performances

How some of the merchandise money will go to the church

How the Louis Vuitton boss reneging on a handshake to make him the LV don and his wife getting robbed helped put him in a mental hospital

Jokes about being the pastor at Drake’s wedding

How he objects to the censorship of speech of the left

Jesus is King is out now on Spotify, mp3, vinyl & CD

Jesus is Born, another new album, is arriving on Christmas Day this year.

Kanye West’s Journey

There is a bigger story here. How hip hop can be cathartic. Hip hop is bashed left, right and centre in the mainstream media daily, mainly times rightly so, for enforcing stereotypes. But, real hip hop can be a spiritual journey.

Some artists have found solace and teachings much earlier on in their lives such as Rakim, Wu-Tang Clan, KRS-One & Jeru the Damaja. Other artists take longer to mature. It seems to me to be better rapping about street crime then taking part in it. This is something most non-hip hop heads seem to not understand.  Hip hop is way out the streets, just like a sports contract.

Everyone has their own journey and Kanye’s has taken him into Christianity. If record sales pick up, it will turn into a bigger movement. Time will tell what happens if it “All Falls Down”,  streams sour and Adidas sales start to Fade. In such a scenario, it may be very hard for Kanye to stay on the straight and narrow, but I wish him luck. Time will tell.

I’m looking forward to see how he reacts surrounded with Angels in future fashion shows singing his new songs.

I’ll leave you with the last verse from Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five’s “The Message”, possibly still the greatest hip hop song ever written. The message is as relevant today as it was back in 1982.

A child is born, with no state of mind Blind to the ways of mankind God is smiling on you, but he’s frowning too Cause only God knows, what you go through You grow in the ghetto, living second rate And your eyes will sing a song of deep hate The place, that you play and where you stay Looks like one great big alley way You’ll admire all the number book takers Thugs, pimps and pushers and the big money makers Driving big cars, spending twenties and tens And you wanna grow up to be just like them Smugglers, scramblers, burglars, gamblers Pickpockets, peddlers and even pan-handlers You say I’m cool, I’m no fool But then you wind up dropping out of high school Now you’re unemployed, all null ‘n void Walking ’round like you’re pretty boy floyd Turned stickup kid, look what you done did Got send up for a eight year bid Now your manhood is took and you’re a may tag Spend the next two years as an undercover fag Being used and abused and served like hell Till one day you was found hung dead in a cell It was plain to see that your life was lost You was cold and your body swung back and forth But now your eyes sing the sad sad song Of how you lived so fast and died so young So, don’t push me cause I’m close to the edge I’m trying not to lose my head It’s like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder How I keep from going under It’s like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder How I keep from going under

Watch Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five – The Message

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