#charlie k / main verse.

[goodheartt]

@starmore sent : an adoring kiss because the other is rambling / from Micah to Charlie K. teehee

"oh trust me, you can find all sorts of cool things down there !!" charlie says quite enthusiastically, hands waving around as he speaks. he's pacing too, back and forth as he talks, but his gaze is fixated on micah. he just returned from a trip to the sewers ( don't worry !! he showered off first, clean clothes and everything ) and headed right to his partners. he found tons of cool stuff today, and he couldn't wait to tell them all about it.

"some days are good days and others y' can't really find much y'know. but today !! oh micah i totally hit the jackpot today. i found like a ton of change down there, like so much. mostly pennies, but like ... i bet i found like forty dollars or something like that. and i found some cool rocks, i like always find some cool rocks, but these ones are super cool ... look !!" hands reach into his pocket to pull out a handful of rocks of various sizes and colors. some red, some grey, some brown, one that's speckled black and white. "i brought them with because i thought you might like to have one of 'em. oh !! and i found like this super cool necklace with like a really shiny thing on it ... like some sort of rare gem or something !! and i found this t-shirt, it's pretty nice. got some stains on it but i'm pretty sure i can get them ou "

he hadn't even really realized that micah had gotten closer to him, he was too focused on recounting all the treasure that he had found. eyes widen as their lips are pressed together, cheeks instantly heating up. eventually his eyes close, shoulders relax, and charlie's hands find their hips. after a few seconds he pulls his head back, giggling softly with a smile stuck to his face. "what ... what was that for, huh ??"

[seosejun]

a chronically online kpop stan explains ENCORE!NG lore

Today we’re going to talk about ENCORE!NG, the first subunit of boy group Encore. Formed from the 2020 survival show Last Act, the seven members were among the best the initial sixty contestants had to offer. After promoting exclusively with the group for two and a half years following their November 2020 debut, the members were free to promote dually as part of their own agencies’ groups. In the year that followed, only three members—Lifeng, Kiwon, and Jihyun—went on to debut in other groups. Three out of the four of the remaining members—Jaewon, Yoonsung, and Hyunwoo—are now part of ENCORE!NG. The last member, Minjun, is in a different situation we’ll discuss later.

THE LINEUP — It is highly speculated that the ENCORE!NG members would not have made a second debut otherwise. Jaewon—best known for his Kyochon Chicken CF that went viral mere days after being announced as Encore’s center—is represented by a modeling agency run by his aunt, the chaeol Danyoung Group’s Ahn Yeonso. As far as we know, he’s their only idol trainee. Yoonsung is the only independent trainee in the group’s lineup, and has no agency other than Encore’s Wake One. Hyunwoo is rumoured to have declined a spot in Cravity in order to compete on Last Act.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT — ENCORE!NG was first announced through Encore’s various social media accounts on October 17, 2024. The first teaser had four silhouettes, who were assumed to be the four members who had yet to redebut, including Minjun. There was no mention of a feature at all. While no release date was announced, we all happily anticipated it coming soon. It had been five months since the last time we saw Jaewon. We were in a drought.

MINJUN'S HIATUS — In a quick detour to the elephant in the room, I want to talk about Minjun. Two days after ENCORE!NG’s first announcement, Dispatch released an article accusing Minjun of using a ghostwriter for all of his credited lyrics. The main source of these accusations was a former SM Entertainment and Mystic Story employee, who said they worked with Minjun both when he was an SM Entertainment trainee, and later at Mystic Story, his current agency. The employee revealed internal messages between Minjun and his mother, another SM Entertainment employee, where they discussed ways Minjun could make himself stand out from the other Last Act contestants. Among the various messages was a PDF of specific lines, imagery, and rhymes reminiscent of the lyrics he’d supposedly written for his Last Act performances. The Dispatch article also compared segments of the PDF to Minjun’s verses in different Encore songs, in a thorough takedown of all of his credibility. Although some of the comparisons were stretches, a few of them were so similar they may as well have been plagiarized.

Minjun released an apology letter the day after the allegations surfaced. He’s been on hiatus ever since. Minjun’s parents, in conjunction with Mystic Story, have announced legal actions against the employee who released the messages.

For a long time, it looked like ENCORE!NG was shelved. This was truly the darkest time to be a Medici, and we’ve been through some shit.

ANCHOR — The name of ENCORE!NG’s debut mini album was finally revealed on November 12, 2024. The first teaser has since been deleted, and this new teaser, toting ENCORE!NG featuring a bunch of question marks, is the official beginning of the era. Teasers for the Encore members rolled out as normal, until the day before the album’s release, when the question mark feature was finally revealed. In what’s probably the greatest plot twist in kpop since K Will’s “Please Don’t,” former 1V1 member Sejun was revealed as the special feature. 

Pretty much every Encore fan had a hit tweet that day. One of my personal favorites is a quote retweet of Sejun’s teasers that said, “for non-kpop stans, this is like if charli xcx and lorde released a song together—oh wait that happened too.”

SEJUN — There are tons of videos related to the rise and fall of 1V1, and even more thinkpieces on Sejun and his solo career—or lack thereof—following 1V1’s disbandment, so I won’t get into all of it here. The most important facts are these:

Despite losing Last Act, the fifteen months of 1V1’s activities placed them nearly on par with Encore. Until ZB1 in 2023, Encore didn’t have any temporary survival show group rivals except 1V1. 1V1, on the other hand, probably had beef with everyone. If this video gets 10k likes, I’ll put together “a chronically online kpop stan explains every group 1V1 supposedly had beef with.”

Instead of returning to Starship Entertainment to somehow debut with Hyunwoo, Sejun signed with the then-unknown C Entertainment and debuted as a soloist on January 15, 2023.

He released two mini albums in 2023, and has spent the entirety of this year modeling, playing Overwatch, and refusing to hire a PR specialist.

To say he’s just a feature on ENCORE!NG’s album would be an understatement. He was part of every track, except the Jaewon and Yoonsung duet. He wrote most of the lyrics. He’s promoting alongside them like he’s the eighth Encore member. 

FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH — There are three constants in life: death, taxes, and Sejun talking about things he shouldn’t be talking about. If not for his YouTube livestream the day after Anchor released, we’d have a lot more speculation and a lot fewer facts. It’s probably better if I let him speak for himself. The relevant parts of his stream have all been cut and individually posted on YouTube with subtitles. 

“Everyone wants to know how I became a part of this,” Sejun says. “Can we watch the fucking music video first?” For a split second, his stream shows the recursive display of his OBS broadcast before he opens the music video for ENCORE!NG’s debut song. It plays for a few seconds, only enough time to hear the opening chords, before he pauses it. “You’ve all heard the song already? No shit. Aren’t music video reactions popular these days?” He falls silent to let his viewers respond as he leans forward in his seat. A 5000 won donation makes a soft chime, and Sejun reads the message out loud. “Everyone does reactions. No one shows the process.’” He laughs. “I'm not fucking buying that. You all like kpop. You know that's not true. I'll talk about it because I want to talk about it. “Hyunwoo-hyung invited me. I didn't know what I was getting into until I arrived at the fucking shoot for this fucking music video.” Sejun points at his computer screen, which looks a lot like he's pointing at his camera. “Jaewon-hyung taught me the important parts of the choreography in a few hours. I haven’t learned a dance that fast since Last Act. There’s not going to be a performance video on the same set because I didn’t fucking know the fucking dance.” “Hyunwoo-hyung told me later that I wasn’t their first choice for a feature. I wasn’t even their second fucking choice. Chan-hyung and I were both third choices, but I got it because I didn’t ask any fucking questions. I should’ve fucking asked. I can’t say who the first two choices were. If you like to watch survival shows, you definitely know who they were.” He pauses. “ZB1? No, but you’re not that far off.” Sejun covers his mouth, as if he can take his words back. “Shit. My manager is going to fucking kill me for that. He always tells me I'm not supposed to talk about other idols.” He keeps reading through the comments. “EVNNE? TIOT? Who the fuck is that? Let’s watch the music video now.” It plays for a blissfully uninterrupted forty seconds, until it reaches Sejun’s prechorus, and he pauses the video again. “I saw everyone wanted to know why I didn’t write any of my fucking lines in this song. If you weren’t paying attention, it’s because I became part of this at the fucking music video filming. “I wrote the other songs a few days after we filmed the music video. I know it’s a surprise for a lot of you, but my reputation isn’t that bad. Once I was confirmed to basically be part of ENCORE!NG, they let me rewrite as much of it as I fucking wanted to. I didn’t even have to win fucking Last Act.” He smiles at his own joke. “Honestly, I didn’t make too many changes. I could tell they removed all the shitty parts before I got there. I liked writing ‘Checkmate’ the most. Recently, I’ve been playing a shit-ton of chess with Alex. We’re both fucking terrible. We’ll play on stream one day once he learns how to make his fucking moves in less than fifteen fucking minutes.” He returns to the music video for only a few seconds before he gets another donation. “‘Do you know Minjun?’” he reads. “No offense, but that’s a stupid fucking question. I almost want to give you a fucking refund. Of course I know Minjun. He’s…” Sejun stops in the middle of his sentence, chewing his bottom lip. He shakes his head. “I’m not supposed to say anything else. It’s weird to see me think? Blink twice if I need help? Was I replaced with AI?” The left side of his mouth curves up in a smile. “I know how to fucking think before I speak. That doesn’t mean I do it all the fucking time. He was probably supposed to be in ENCORE!NG. I don’t know for sure because I’m not their fucking management.”

Shout out to Sejun for confirming a whole bunch of things. Like Minjun was supposed to be in ENCORE!NG. It checks out with the timeline between teasers and the official release. And why Sejun wasn’t part of the title track—because he didn’t know what he was going to be a part of.

He did almost start a witch-hunt for the other idols who were supposed to be the feature instead. The current most popular theory is that one of them was on Boys Planet, and maybe hasn’t debuted yet, especially considering Sejun’s casual dismissal of the show’s most popular groups. He offered no hints about the other second idol, other than that he was also part of a survival show. Until someone leaks Encore’s internal messages, we’ll never know. That was a joke, by the way. Please don’t hack Wake One unless you’re going to convince them to promote Kep1er better.

CONCLUSION — So there we have it. Everything we know or assume about ENCORE!NG so far. Since the album just released, I’m looking forward to everything else that goes down during this promotional period. Can someone please convince Sejun to live stream their waiting room at Inkigayo?

[svftlove-a]

💕hi ily

ily the most. ♥ sasha & ellie ?? sdkfjg, i'll die on this hill.

ok but hear me out !!

charlie x nate in another life bc in his main verse nate is a part time s*rial k*ller, kinda like in jigsaw ? and i feel like charlie being a detective, it could be rlly fun to write. maybe they've been friends, or have even dated and charlie has been investigating a series of crimes that happened in their city, and it's just been nate all along ? idk, the angst that could come with it would be enough to k*ll me !!

lincoln x harper : maybe bc i can see him give her a sense of adventure that she's not used to bc of his own lifestyle. her life has been so boring bc her father is a sheriff and she's expected to be this perfect daughter and do things a certain way and his lifestyle represents that form of excitement that she so desperately craves. maybe in a romeo x juliet kind of way.

nate x myra : she's a paramedic so shes naturally included to help people. maybe they've had an on and off relationship where his anger issues have been an issue, she hates violence and hates that he constantly gets into fights, bc seeing him hurt is the worst thing. but every time he shows up all bloody and bruised at her place she can't help but care for him ?

[sophiabblog]

Module 8

“Alouette” (French Traditional Folk Song)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NySWw1U_1QY

“Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd (Rock) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LwcvjNJTuM

“The Bird” by Charlie Parker (Jazz) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYQCwoas3rk

“I’m like a Bird” by Nelly Furtado (Hip Hop) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roPQ_M3yJTA

“Last Dollar (Fly Away)” by Tim McGraw (Country) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvZ97ajpYOM

“Bye Bye Bird” by Sonny Blue Williamson https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=100&v=K-PhBryFuIM&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE

The theme I chose is “Birds” because the first thing that came to my mind when I read that the assignment was to find songs, was birds since they sound so beautifully when they chirp like they are singing. This theme has relevance to me because sometimes I do like to go on trails with my dad and bird watch. The first song I chose is “Alouette” which is a Folk song which means plucking the feathers of a lark songbird. It is often sung as a children’s lullaby and the song has simple melodies with repetitive lyrics. The Rock song I chose is “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd because it has the word bird in the title of the song. This song tells a story about a man leaving a woman because he doesn’t feel that he can settle down with her. Therefore the man is calling himself the free bird. My favorite part about this song are the guitar solos. For the genre Jazz, I chose “The Bird” by Charlie Parker because it has the word “bird” in the song title. This song has two interlocking melodies played by trumpet and alto. The structure of the song is ABBA. For Hip Hop I chose “I’m like a Bird” by Nelly Furtado because it has the word bird in the title and I do love her songs. This song is about the value of freedom and the structure is written in verse chorus form. For Country I chose “Last Dollar (Fly Away) by Tim McGraw because the lyrics talk about a bird and its wings. This song has an up-tempo tempo. For the last song its “Bye Bye Bird” by Sonny Blue Williamson because the title has the word bird. This song was played by a harmonica with a main rift.

[goodheartt]

charlie accepts the joint as it's handed to him, taking a drag and damn near choking on the smoke as it pours past his lips when red says what he does. cheeks turn a slight shade of pink at the compliment, nice to look at was not a way charlie often found himself described. "you're nice to look at too, y'know ..." the words are mumbled out, barely audible. he might be saying it to direct some of the attention away from himself, but he means every word.

he pushes himself up a bit more, now sitting with his legs crossed beneath him, staring directly at red. "love me ?? d'y know me, man ??" ever since he was young, love was not something that came easily to him. hell, he wasn't sure if anyone loved him. he was flawed in so many ways, was he really lovable ?? "i'm like ... not an easy guy to love, man. like ... i mean shit you know me. and like ..." his free hand is gesturing at red now, "... you're all handome or whatever and nice and funny and i'm just ..." he lets out a few grunts, gesturing at himself. "... i'm old and weird."

There weren't many perks that came with nearly being split in two under a thousand pound beast ; medical mary jane was one of the few ( since Red refused to join the after life and let the racetrack become his final resting place ). He held a little more money to his name under the Howard contract he was on, and Red tried to share the wealth were he could, and sometimes the currency was the drugs he was perscribed. So he and Charlie Kelly laid here in the sweet little work in progress house Red called home, fresh paint slapped on the walls, and the furniture messily placed in the middle of the living room. There's a drag of the joint and the blazing end buffers when Red let's out a small ' fuck ', fumes exhalesd and the paper roll passed onto Charlie.

" Know me. Could fall in love with a fuckin' flower. 'Sides, plenty nice things about you to look at.

But, yea.

Could love you if you let me. "

[shadowlover]

SUNDAY HEADCANONS

(nope, not sexy)

I was thinking about post K/DA Evelynn. What happens???

Barring she gets arrested for 35 counts of first degree murder, she definitely continues her music career. I think she'd also venture into a collaboration fashion line with Prada (this is personal preference as I love the Prada aesthetic and I have some Prada stuff 🥺). Also, I think she'd have her own makeup like. I'm not sure what she'd name it, but it's probably edgy (I came up with Angxl but idk).

As for music, her first solo album is definitely in the same vein as Villian. The lyrics and aesthetics are all still dark, mysterious, oddly threatening. I would anticipate 10-12 tracks with a host of features on the album, which I will now go in depth about.

Features

21 Savage: I think that most songs today have some sort of rap verse and 21 Savage matches Evelynn's aesthetic pretty well. Listen to No Heart, Runnin', or Bank Account by 21 Savage and you can see exactly why he would be the perfect guest verse on an Evelynn song.

Grimes: I think a Grimes produced track with a verse would be really cool for Evelynn. I like her songs New Gods, Darkseid, and Kill V. Maim and Evelynn would slay on a beat like Darkseid.

Rina Sawayama: Currently one of Pop Music's rising stars, Rina on a track with Evelynn would be a chart topping, instant pop classic, a massive hit.

Lady Gaga: Look, everyone knows Evelynn was hard based off of Lady Gaga during her Fame Monster/ Born This Way era. I am even slightly convinced that Riot tried to get Gaga for Evelynn's voice but couldn't afford her or scheduling conflicts happened. Giving Evelynn a Lady Gaga song would be so amazing and something that needs to happen.

Charli XCX: God this song would be sooooo cool. A dark pop/ hyperpop song would be a club banger to shake ya ass to.

As for Evelynn featuring on other people's songs, she would be very selective. Here's a list of people I can see her featuring for.

Anyone mentioned above.

Travis Scott: Astroworld, psychedelic beat with a 90210 off Rodeo type song would be so trippy.

Poppy: I think Poppy and Evelynn's aesthetics match a lot, although the bubblegum metal isn't Evelynn's thing, she'd give a verse over.

Playboi Carti: Imagine Sky or Vamp Anthem but with Evelynn on it. SLATT

Lorde: This would never happen, but an emotional bitch can dream.

Lana Del Rey: Only if she went back to a Born To Die/ Ultraviolence aesthetic. I didn't like Chemtrails Over the Country Club.

Kim Petras: Evelynn's song is literally based off of Kim Petras' stuff, so obviously.

Future Career

After Evelynn's chart topping record, she probably does her tour, interviews, and still kind of keeps to herself for a bit. A two year gap, then another album which is also a hit. This one is more experimental, but still really good. It's more dark pop, like bass focused.

After that, she starts a career in acting, although being typecasted as the main villain a lot. She refuses any roles that portray her dying, she only does movies where the villain wins (think like Jennifer's Body, Gone Girl, maybe even like Kill Bill). Music still gets released, but at a slower rate now. She does a few movies, maybe a season of American Horror Story. She does features for people as well, maybe she has like 3 more albums over 10 years before she kind of calls it on her music career and focuses more on her makeup, fashion, and acting career.

Would she do a K/DA reunion tour? Most definitely.

[improbabledreams900]

Welcome to my Eden!verse playlist!

If you’ve read the series, you’ve probably noticed that I’m a bit of an overachiever, so here’s a 48-song playlist covering the events from A Memory of Eden to The Redemption of Eden (the entire series). So yes, there are spoilers!

If you fancy a listen, you can check out the playlist on Spotify here or on YouTube here.

A lot of the songs apply to multiple scenarios/characters, so getting them all into some sort of order was a challenge! @doctortreklock​ helped a lot with that, and several songs were suggested by @manlymirrors​ and @idkipoststuff (hymlumé). Thanks, guys!

For the above playlist image in text form and with individual YouTube links, see below the cut. Links to the honorable mentions are also below the cut, though they aren’t on the assembled Spotify and YouTube playlists.

A Memory of Eden

Stand By You · Rachel Platten Through all the perils to come, Aziraphale and Crowley will stand by each other.

Two Story Town · Bon Jovi Crowley is restless in Midfarthing. Aziraphale can take the hit but can’t take the Fall.

Something I Need · OneRepublic* If Aziraphale is going to die, he wants to do it with Crowley.

Original Sin · Meat Loaf How Crowley likes to think Eden went down.

From Eden · Hozier How Eden really went down.

Everything You Want · Vertical Horizon Aziraphale begins to forget Crowley.

Who Wants to Live Forever · Queen Crowley and Aziraphale take a trip to London.

Loch Lomond · Peter Hollens Aziraphale takes the high road and Crowley takes the low road.

Pray · Sam Smith & Logic Crowley goes to Midfarthing’s parish church.

Hurts Like Hell · Fleurie† Losing Aziraphale is so much worse than Crowley anticipated.

Coldest Winter · Pentatonix On the first Christmas Crowley spends alone, he can’t imagine ever loving again.

Under the Milky Way · The Church On a rooftop on a remote island, Crowley admits that he doesn’t know what he’s looking for.

Interlude

Stuck Like Glue · Sugarland We ship books like Barnes & Noble.

(Don’t Fear) The Reaper · Blue Öyster Cult Aziraphale meets Death.

Spirit in the Sky · Norman Greenbaum Meanwhile, at the End of Eternity…

A Thousand Years · Christina Perri Aziraphale reflects on his relationship with Crowley.

Until the End · Quietdrive* Crowley and Aziraphale won’t forget each other.

Ghost · Ella Henderson Aziraphale goes to a river to try to distance himself from Crowley’s ghostlike presence in the mirror.

The Inheritance of Eden

Heaven is a Place on Earth · Belinda Carlisle Now reunited in Aziraphale’s Earth-like Heaven, Crowley and Aziraphale consider trying to find heaven on Earth instead.

Unconditionally · Katy Perry As Aziraphale and Crowley share a corporation, Aziraphale reassures Crowley that he accepts him as he is, and that there is nothing to be afraid of.

Snakes · Deva Mahal Crowley and Aziraphale return to Eden.

Last Kiss · Pearl Jam Now that he knows Heaven is real, Bert reminisces on Ann.

Keep Yourself Alive · Queen Aziraphale rushes the serpentine Crowley to a vet.

Through Heaven’s Eyes · Brian Stokes Mitchell (Prince of Egypt) In the Beginning, God made a Plan.

Born To Be My Baby · Bon Jovi God made Crowley and Aziraphale as complements to each other.

Miss You All the Time · O.A.R. Lucifer has spent eternity missing Ishtyr.

Mars · Sleeping at Last Lucifer arranges for the surrender of Hell.

Can’t Help Falling in Love · Elvis Presley A special song for a special dance.

Time in a Bottle · Jim Croce Crowley and Aziraphale reach an Understanding.

The Redemption of Eden

Somebody to Love · Queen Whoever said domestic bliss wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be?

Just One Yesterday · Fall Out Boy The Metatron wants to return things to the way they were before Crowley unFell.

One of Us · Joan Osborne Bert discovers a secret about Father Gilbert.

Hey Brother · Avicii Golgoth urges his fellow demons to rediscover the road to Heaven and seek Redemption.

Secrets · OneRepublic Zephrades confesses his sinful past to Golgoth and asks for his help.

You Say · Lauren Daigle Feverish and exhausted in Eden, Crowley trusts Aziraphale blindly.

When There Was Me and You · Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical) Ludwig confused his feelings for Richard with the truth.

Unchained Melody · Righteous Brothers Bert has been waiting to see Ann again.

Heaven · O.A.R. Golgoth hears a rumour that Heaven won’t let him in when he unFalls.

Bleeding Out · Imagine Dragons Michael confronts the Metatron.

Help! · The Beatles The Fab Four offer Crowley some much-needed help.

Be My Escape · Relient K Redemption is coming for us all.

See You Again · Wiz Khalifa & Charlie Puth Lucifer misses Ishtyr; meanwhile, Beelzebub has been a friend to him all along.

Listen to the Sound · Building 429 Zephrades begins to unFall and finally finds hope of his own.

Coming Home · Skylar Grey Golgoth unFalls.

This Goodbye · Beth Crowley Beelzebub decides to leave Hell.

Hold Onto Me · Mayday Parade† Shaken and plagued by nightmares, Crowley asks Aziraphale to stay near him.

Losing My Religion · R.E.M. Oswald Osbert Osprey struggles with his guilt.

Bless the Broken Road · Selah & Melodie Crittenden Despite the arduous and circuitous Plan, Crowley and Aziraphale are happy they ended up together.

Honorable Mentions (not included in the main Spotify/YouTube playlist)

Wish You Were Here · Neck Deep† Wake Me Up When September Ends · Green Day Running Up That Hill · Kate Bush† All of You · John Legend Who Says You Can’t Go Home · Bon Jovi Up the Ladder to the Roof · Everyday Rapture Don’t You Worry Child · Swedish House Mafia

* suggested by ManlyMirrors † suggested by Hymlumé

[goodheartt]

@starmore sent : ❛ kiss me again. ❜ / from Micah to Charlie K. :3

"again ??" charlie asks, small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he teases the other. he shifts on the bed then, moving to prop himself up on his elbow. he gazes down at micah with nothing but love and adoration shining in his eyes. free hand moves to gently cup their cheek, pressing a soft kiss to their lips before pulling back but not too far, their noses still touching. "well, i can do that."

he lets out a small chuckle, tilting his head up to press a kiss to their nose, and then their right cheek and their left. micah's forehead is next, then their chin, and one final kiss to his partners lips. charlie nudges micah's nose with his own, another soft giggle passing his lips. he felt like he would never get sick of this, never tire of showing micah how much he loved them. "and i'll kiss you again and again ... forever." for as long as we're together, as long as i can.

[airadam]

Episode 139 : Safe & Sound

"Give your mama enough money to bury ya."

- E-40

We've just about dragged ourselves to the end of the year whose name shall not be spoken, and we're not out of the woods just yet. The winter is drawing in, and so we have not a festive selection, but one which in many parts sonically fits the season. There are some deep album cuts, B-sides, and mixtape tracks here, making it one of those months where pretty much everyone is going to learn at least one new tune! Get those headphones connected and let's go...

Twitter : @airadam13

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

E-40 : I'ma Teach Ya How To Sell Dope

The title of this track from "Revenue Retrievin' : Day Shift" wrong-foots you, because this is A-grade "B-side of the game" material, as Ice-T would say. If you ever thought the drug game was glamourous, E-40 lets you know that it's a dangerous, paranoid, and depressing dead-end - even for the few who live long enough to make a bit of money. 

The Cool Kids : Tires (Instrumental)

This had just the right slow pace, boom, and space to form a bridge between the tracks on either side. The vocal version appropriately comes from the 2009 "Merry Christmas" EP and features Boldy James, but this instrumental is available as part of the "Gone Fishing : Instrumentals" mixtape (despite not being on the "Gone Fishing" album, so far as I'm aware!)

Jane Child : Loot$ville

Take the rhythm section alone and you could imagine someone like Above The Law or The Dogg Pound getting busy on this track. It's been a very long time since the release of the "Surge" LP, the last from Jane Child, but it still stands up! Child's production and playing skills, alongside those of Cat Gray have this instrumental growling along at the low end, and then her vocal elevates the whole package into a quality song.

Jay-Z : Where I'm From

A clear standout from "In My Lifetime, Vol.1", this is one of the tracks for the streets, and a stark contrast to the many songs on the album that were obviously aiming for mass appeal. Jay lays down the facts of life in Brooklyn's Marcy Projects over a menacing beat from D-Dot and Amen-Ra, with DJ Premier contributing the cuts.

Scarface : The Fix / Fixed

I decided to blend the opening and closing tracks from Scarface's "The Fix" LP here, since both are excellent, but also very short. Scarface and Mike Dean handle the production, and it would surprise many to know that Scarface is also the singer here! This musical motif was re-used by the great Pimp C for UGK's "Still Ridin' Dirty", which also featured Scarface - another track to check out.

Sean Price ft. Buckshot and General Steele : Apartheid

This tune from "Imperius Rex" is the exact kind of darkness and coldness that matches the current season, especially in a year like this. Crummie Beats provides the score, and Sean is accompanied by two of the absolute foundation BCC members to go all the way grimy with it. Check the video - as well as all the artist guests, Sean's wife Bernadette and daughter Shaun both make appearances.

Mad Cobra ft. The Geto Boys : Dead End Street (Instrumental)

From the early 90s, when all sorts of Hip-Hop groups were trying to add a little Jamaican flavour (to wildly varying effect), there were a few artists from JA with the budget to cross over the other way. This 12" had multiple versions of the GB-featuring gun tune headed by dancehall don Cobra, and this is the thumping instrumental to the main mix.

Bronx Slang : Copy That

Jerry Beeks and Ollie Miggs are back with a new single, which just had to be shared here. Beeks has been doing his thing for a long time and continues to tweak and refine his approach - his flow here is alternately conversational and then more dense, and shows a real level of comfort expounding on serious subject matter on the mic. Grab this either as a single or on the "Bronx Kill" mixtape!

Ghostface Killah ft. Trife : Be Easy

The horns on "Copy That" brought this track to mind, and it's a worthy follow-up. One of the big singles from "Fishscale", it's a triumphant Pete Rock blast flipping "Stay Away From Me" by The Sylvers (this info is already out there), and Ghost leading the charge over the top with an assist from Trife in the hypeman role.

Phat Kat ft. T3 and Black Milk : Danger

All the Detroit on this cut, which has appeared in a few places - Phat Kat's "Carte Blanche" LP, Black Milk's "Sound Of The City", and even the "Saint's Row" soundtrack. As "SOTC" was released two years before the Phat Kat album came out in 2007, I guess that kind of makes it Black Milk's track and may explain why he's on the first verse - although Phat Kat is a beast on the third verse cleanup. Black Milk is on the beat, of course.

Dilated Peoples : Clockwork

I'd somehow forgotten that DJ Premier had done this beat for Dilated, but it's a great bi-coastal collaboration between him and this LA crew! The "Expansion Team" LP, their second, is full of heavyweight production, with Alchemist, Da Beatminerz, and JuJu from The Beatnuts among the boardsmen on the project. This track bumps but has a kind of thriller film soundtrack energy at the same time, and Rakaa and Evidence do it justice on the mic.

Fingathing : You Fly Me

The pairing of bassist Sneaky and world-class turntablist DJ Peter Parker was not the kind of thing that was at all common when they started out, but their original concept went from sensational live performances to quality recorded output. This number comes from the first full album, "The Main Event" (which was preceded by the "2 Player EP"), and is a glorious mix of bass and strings with some jazzy drumming action.

Zo! ft. Phonte : Everything She Wants

Now this is how you do a cover version! The last track recorded for "...just visiting three", this was a left-field idea from Zo that Phonte loved, as he'd always loved the original Wham track and wanted to remake it himself! It's much slower than the original, and as Zo points out, it helps to maintain the focus on the lyrics, which were some of George Michael's best from that era. The multi-talented Phonte kills it on the lead vocal (as well as some choice ad-libs), and Zo has the beat sliding and slumping, with a great switch-up at the end if you go and get the full version... 

Freeway & Jake One : The Product

I hadn't played "The Stimulus Package" for ages, but it's still really good. When this was released, it seemed like an idea from a bygone era to pair one MC with one producer for a whole album, but one that was very welcome. Philadelphia's Freeway's addiction-themed lyrics are pretty much timeless, and as is usually the case, Jake One's beat nods to tradition while not being bound by it.

Sadat X & El Da Sensei ft. Bumpy Knuckles : 3 Rounds To Spar

Wall-to-wall rugged MCs right here, with the pairing of Sadat and El joined by the king of the third verse, Bumpy Knuckles for a pure mic workout over some heavy boom-bap (which is never a perjorative round here) by Divine Drummah - a producer I could only find this one credit for, but who definitely cooked up a track with the appropriate weight for the MCs on it. If you check the full version from the "XL" album, you can enjoy the intro where you hear the main sample in a more open form before the chops and drums come in.

Boot Camp Clik ft. Twanie Ranks : Smile In Heaven

This one probably snuck past most of you, as it was buried on the end of the Black Moon "Rush" 12" and didn't appear anywhere else except the "Collect Dis Edition" compilation in 2003. It turned up when I was digitising vinyl and I thought it was a fitting one to play mood-wise, with the contemplative street lyrics and the sombre vibes of the Beatminerz' instrumental underscoring it all. Twanie Ranks adds to the whole with his reggae-styled vocals at the end of the hook sections.

K-Def : The Final Thrill

One of those guys you could describe as a producer's producer, New Jersey's K-Def quietly has an amazing discography! I went back to his "Willie Boo Boo" album for this one, which is so short I had to loop it up a bit to make it long enough to work here - that said, there's no downside to hearing a beat like this for a little longer :)

Tribeca : Charlie Hustle (Pony Express)

With a sample that almost everyone will recognise, even if you can't name it, Tribeca does double duty as MC and producer on this 2003 12". On the mic, he takes on the persona/viewpoint of the former baseball player Pete Rose, who was banned from the major leagues for gambling, and as such is also excluded from the Baseball Hall of Fame (the "Cooperstown" you hear mentioned). When it comes to the production, he pounds the MPC in his characteristic fashion to supply the low end to complement the piano track. 

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!

[leschanceux]

"It works how I say it works, asshole." Charlie snorts, flicking Lex's ear in retaliation for the flick to the back of his head, "and I say we start counting backward at thirty nine."

Lex flicks the back of Charlie's head, a playful glimmer in his eye. "What are you, Benjamin Button? Pretty sure it doesn't work like that, genius."

[thecourtreportersportedjorts]

Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2017

In December of each year, Billboard publishes its list of the 100 biggest hit songs of the last 12 months. In response, I take it upon myself to decide which of these songs were the real hits, and which were the biggest misses. Last week, I tackled the worst, so here are the best. Let’s get started:

10. “Love Galore” by SZA feat. Travis Scott

When I see a fellow New Jersey artist rising up the charts and building a name for themselves, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a little too quick to douse them in praise. In 2015, I did it for Fetty Wap and Charlie Puth before they respectively waned in relevance and proceeded to pump out some of the decade’s worst music. SZA grew up mere minutes away from me, and after a few years just shy of the spotlight, she finally released her critically beloved debut album Ctrl in June. I took a few months to finally get to it, but once I listened to it, I found a beautifully produced, unflinchingly sincere record that delves into the nuances of youth, romance, mental health, and the various ways they intersect.

I wouldn’t even consider “Love Galore” an immediate highlight from the record, and yet it’s still an excellent song. I do have to take a point off for Travis Scott rambling about “ass and titties” in his verse, a needlessly juvenile moment in what’s otherwise a great slice of left-of-center-but-still-grown-and-sexy R&B. Still, his verse is fine altogether, and he sounds right at home over ThankGod4Cody’s production, which is built on off-kilter, reverb-soaked percussion and analog synths that aren’t too far removed from the Stranger Things score.

This is all well and good, but SZA steals the show all on her own, exploring the complications of reconvening with a former fling. There’s a core of darkness to the lyrics, making passing references to Valium and fetishes as she zeroes in on her partner’s seeming infidelity, but she can nevertheless enjoy the situation as “long as [they] got love.” And in a year chock full of godawful vocals excused for their “authenticity,” it’s so refreshing to hear a singer in the mainstream who sounds both organic and skilled. While I may not like this quite as much as “The Weekend” or “Drew Barrymore” or “20 Something,” it’s no less worth your time.

9. “Passionfruit” by Drake

It’s easy for me to start this entry the same way I did for “Too Good” last year, addressing how “Passionfruit” was a diamond in the relative rough of the lopsided More Life “playlist.” While there is some truth to that assessment, More Life is still a noticeable improvement over last year’s uncomfortable, overhyped VIEWS. Sure, it’s still questionable to hear Drizzy put on another new accent (I’d personally like to hear him attempt a Russian accent), but his curation of global sounds is sharper and more generous than ever, and with the exception of truly annoying cuts like “Nothings Into Somethings,” the lyrics are a lot less patronizing this time around. Despite this net positive, it still remains that “Passionfruit” is easily More Life’s best offering, and perhaps Drake’s best single since “Hold On, We’re Going Home.”

For one, “Passionfruit” is built on the same sort of subdued, late-night disco groove that made “Hold On” an instant classic. But the song goes for a stark contrast from the 2013 smash’s optimistic hookup, which is mirrored by the somber minor chords, gorgeous, muted synths, and what is apparently the manipulated sound of a flute. With the tempos of his songs seemingly dropping by the year, it’s good to hear Drake over something with a more propulsive groove again, and yet it still manages to mesh with his trademark atmospherics.

Of course, the lyrical content will always be the most contentious part of any Drake song, and it’s understandable to read “Passionfruit” as yet another retread of “Hotline Bling.” But where that song may have precariously toed the line between genuine concern and alarming possessiveness, the lyrics land a lot more comfortably this time. Even a lyric like “you got issues that I won’t mention” works far better as he seems to finally understand the consequences behind his words and his actions. The end result is Drake at his finest, low-key and calm while still navigating through the most challenging of emotions.

8. “Castle on the Hill” by Ed Sheeran

Now I know this pick will likely come as a surprise to anyone who saw my previous list, where I gave Ed Sheeran the thorough bashing he deserved. I ragged on him for his appearance, his awkward lyricism and his uninspired compositions. I’m sick of the guy at this point, but that’s because I genuinely want to like him. Ed has always shown a genuine talent for crafting songs with memorable hooks and interesting concepts, so doling out plodding love ballads like “Photograph” and cringeworthy radio ploys like “Shape of You” feels like the biggest possible waste of potential. So as tired as I am of hearing songs like these in 2017, “Castle on the Hill” was good enough to remind me why I cared in the first place.

If I could sum up the sound of “Castle on the Hill” in one sentence, it’d be that it sounds like what that mediocre last Mumford and Sons album wanted to be. Built on an insistent drum groove, warm bass, ghostly organs and guitar strumming that hurts my wrist just listening to it, the verses build up to a triumphant chorus indebted to Springsteen and U2. This is one of Sheeran’s more directly rock-flavored endeavors, so his aggressive howls on the chorus sound a lot better here than on “Thinking Out Loud,” and even his falsetto sounds more vivacious than usual.

And in the midst of an album cycle dominated by anonymous songs about sex and TV montage fodder that even Queen B couldn’t salvage, “Castle on the Hill” is the only (good) single that showcases Sheeran’s distinctive songwriting flair. It’s essentially a song about growing up, but where Lukas Graham got it all wrong, this song gets it right. Like on “7 Years,” Ed recounts his younger, troublesome self, running from authority and drinking with his friends. The difference is that he learns from his mistakes, thanks to the people and the town he was sought to defy in the first place. It’s the kind of vivid songwriting that Sheeran excels at, and if he keeps at it (which is a real possibility), he might very well regain a lost fan.

7. “HUMBLE.” by Kendrick Lamar / “LOYALTY.” by Kendrick Lamar feat. Rihanna

As I stated in my previous list, it’s been really interesting to see what the Billboard charts look like with streaming becoming a bigger part of the equation. I already addressed how album tracks can perform just as well as lower-tier singles. Kendrick Lamar’s excellent fourth album DAMN. boasts the best first week streaming numbers of any album released in 2017, and as a result, multiple cuts from the album remained on the charts for weeks on end. “ELEMENT.” and current single “LOVE.” charted high enough that if they had received the proper push as singles, I would probably be talking about them alongside the two singles that actually made the year end Hot 100, chart-topping “HUMBLE.” and the Rihanna collaboration “LOYALTY.”

“HUMBLE.” was the first proper taste of DAMN., which admittedly took some time to grow on me. Sure, the blisteringly sparse, piano-driven beat by Mike Will Made It commands direct attention to Kendrick’s coded, throne-claiming bars, but it’s a far cry from the rich history and experimentation that made To Pimp a Butterfly an all-time great rap album. Still, it’s important to remember that Kendrick - at least when he’s trying - infuses his songs with some really heady subtext. It’s easy to interpret this as K-Dot proving that he can do trap just as well as Future or Migos, if not better thanks to his skillful lyricism. In the context of DAMN., it’s also a warning from the Compton rapper to himself to not let his remarkable success eclipse his message or his roots. Coupled with an instantly memorable hook and quotables like “my left stroke just went viral,” “HUMBLE.” is a well-deserved first #1 for Kendrick.

Like its predecessor, followup single “LOYALTY.” is fairly skeletal in its production, based around a warped sample of “24K Magic” (of all things!). This time, Kendrick teams up with Rihanna, who continues to prove that she can come through with an impressive flow after “Bitch Better Have My Money” and “Needed Me.” The pair explore loyalty in regards to one’s friendships, relationships, faith and ambitions, creatively quoting Jay-Z and Ol’ Dirty Bastard in the process. While the lyrical content is certainly worthwhile, the main takeaway is that Kendrick and Rihanna have truly fantastic musical chemistry, which becomes all the more apparent when they trade bars during the verses. Like “HUMBLE.,” this track is further evidence that even with sights set squarely on the mainstream, Kendrick always aims high.

6. “Bodak Yellow” by Cardi B

When compiling these lists, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the critical acclaim or the social value a song might have. This works both ways - maybe this is what influenced me to place “7 Years” and “Treat You Better” as high I did on my worst list last year. But when Cardi B’s breakout single “Bodak Yellow” became the first single from a solo female rapper to top the Billboard Hot 100 since Lauryn Hill in 1998, I immediately wondered: is it a worthy successor? Considering how many critical outlets have named “Bodak Yellow” one of the best songs of the year (including Pitchfork and The Washington Post, who both named it the best song of the year), a lot of people seem to think so. And even though I wasn’t totally sold on the song at first, I’m now more than happy to join that chorus, because this song is fucking awesome.

In one of her legendary interviews, Cardi has stated that the title “Bodak Yellow” is a reference to rapper and awful human being Kodak Black, whose flow on “No Flockin” serves as the foundation for Cardi’s song. Unsurprisingly, she does an infinitely better job with his flow, not only because she doesn’t sound like she’s having an asthma attack, but because she also delivers each bar with such boundless energy. Unlike Kodak, she also knows when to switch up her flow, capping off both verses with an impressive, Migos-esque (!) flow. A lot of hip hop traditionalists might deride “Bodak Yellow” for a lack of originality, but it’s not about who did it first, it’s about who did it right.

Even the production on “Bodak Yellow” stands out from the trap pack. Sure, it’s built on a simplistic 3-note melody, but it alternates between octaves, creating an alluring sense of unease against the changing hi-hat progressions. But what really surprises is how restrained the song first seems in its low end, using the trademark sub bass kicks fairly conservatively. It gives you the impression that it’s building up to something, and then it happens: as Cardi speeds up her flow, the kicks return in full force, resulting in one of the hardest-hitting moments rap had to offer in 2017. In a year where women deserved so much better, Cardi B is a true force of good, proving that she can go harder than so many of her male contemporaries.

5. “I Feel It Coming” by The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk

If you’ve read any of my lists in the past two years, you probably felt this coming (pun very obviously intended). I’ve raved about The Weeknd so much since then that writing a fifth (sixth if you include “The Hills” from my honorable mentions in 2015) entry about him probably scans as blind fandom or ass-kissing. Truth be told, his 2013 major label debut Kiss Land hasn’t exactly aged well, and Starboy was an overlong, frequently redundant affair with occasional flashes of innovation. But the latter album’s closing track, “I Feel It Coming,” feels like a major change of pace, and perhaps a premonition of The Weeknd’s future.

Like the previous single, the chart-topping title track from Starboy, “I Feel It Coming” is yet another collaboration with famed French house duo. While “Starboy” sounded a lot like the duo’s own “Doin’ It Right,” a collab with Animal Collective’s Panda Bear and a notable outlier on Random Access Memories, this song is more akin to the warm, nostalgic disco that dominated the rest of that album. Hell, the robots even use their trademark vocoders on their own voices this time! As unstoppable as the groove of “Can’t Feel My Face” is to this day, never has Abel sung over something that sounded so happy.

Fortunately, he seems up to the challenge of matching this energy. Normally, The Weeknd albums end on a dour note - even the bombastic “Angel” was profoundly melancholic. In one of his most effortless vocal performances to date, Abel shows that he is finally ready to commit to a serious relationship. And while the potent sexuality is still right there in the goddamn title, it comes across as a moment of real, unadulterated joy rather than simply going through the motions of tour life. The Weeknd has proven time and time again that he can switch up his sound and still come through with smash hits, and if “I Feel It Coming” is any indication, that’s not changing any time soon.

4. “Redbone” by Childish Gambino

Holy shit, have I been waiting for this. I’m not necessarily talking about “Redbone,” Childish Gambino’s greatest success to date, but rather that success in and of itself. Like so many people, I discovered Donald Glover’s hip hop project after enjoying him as Troy in NBC’s Community, one of my all-time favorite TV shows. But despite his knack for solid hooks, colorful instrumentals and outright hilarious bars, it always felt like he was close to breaking into the mainstream without ever getting there. Maybe it was the polarized critical response to Camp or the obtuse production of Because the Internet, but it was only with last year’s funk departure “Awaken, My Love!” that his music clicked more universally.

“Redbone” wasn’t that album’s lead single, but it was by far its most successful, charting for nearly a whole year and peaking just outside Billboard’s Top 10. Arguably, it’s the weirdest hit song we’ve had this year: weird enough that it spawned one of the year’s more creative memes. As a whole, the song maintains a rare balance of paranoia and sensuality, the former of which is felt instantly with the intro’s distant strings and gently thumping kicks. But any sense of dread is mitigated by the slap bass, glockenspiel and the generally lush atmosphere. With perhaps the exception of SZA, mainstream R&B in 2017 hasn’t sounded this organic and alluring, even with the inclusion of the crunchy guitar leads or the muted, creepy-as-fuck background vocals in the intro.

Amidst all the window-dressing, this is still undoubtedly Donald Glover’s song, and his vocal and lyrical contributions capture the same balance just as exquisitely. Many have pointed out that he doesn’t even sound much like himself on “Redbone,” rather emulating Macy Gray’s trademark rasp. Despite the obvious point of influence, it’s still one of the many vocal performances on “Awaken, My Love!” that oozes with color and personality. It doesn’t distract from the unsettling lyrics, though, which double down on Gambino’s oft-critiqued insecurities about relationships and racial identity, but through a more mature and knowing lens, with a chilling mantra of “stay woke.”

And while it didn’t have an impact on its placement on this list, the particular case of the song’s success is worth celebrating. “Redbone” first charted out of anticipation for the album, but it returned to the hit parade thanks to its masterful use in Jordan Peele’s excellent film Get Out. Then came the memes, where the song was sung by various characters and played from a range of different spaces. It had a distinctive sound that somehow suited it to both uses, thus making it Glover’s highest charting song. This is the rare case where a great song isn’t rejected for its idiosyncrasies, but instead rightfully embraced.

3. “Slide” by Calvin Harris feat. Frank Ocean and Migos

But then again, Childish Gambino wasn’t the only one finding long-overdue chart success this year. Obviously, I’m not referring to Calvin Harris or Migos - the former has been pumping out hits since the turn of the decade to diminishing returns, and the latter had a banner year in 2017, with their very good single “Bad and Boujee” topping the Hot 100 for three weeks. “Slide” was partially Frank Ocean’s affair, too. After last year’s excellent, understated Blonde seemingly rebuked any desire for conventional pop stardom, the R&B crooner and former Odd Future affiliate proved that he can still write a fantastic pop song that can stick with just about anyone.

What’s particularly interesting about Frank’s contributions to “Slide” is that they aren’t even far removed from the music on Blonde. He still favors a more low-key vocal delivery, and he still manages to draw compelling character portraits in his lyrics. This time, it’s about a one-night stand where the protagonist isn’t so much interested in the sex itself, but vicariously living their partner’s more opulent lifestyle, referencing jewelery and Picasso’s famous Garçon à la pipe painting. But there’s still an underlying feeling of emptiness, exemplified in the line “wrist on a wrist, a link of charms, yeah / laying, we’re still a link apart.”

Complicated emotional situations have always been a characteristic of Ocean’s lyricism, for which he sets the scene with details that frequently read as non-sequiturs. But what makes “Slide” particularly interesting is how everybody else around him is up to the same task. Quavo and Offset of Migos appear for two insanely catchy and energetic verses, but the content feels peripheral to the established theme of the song. But these guys are part of one of the most in-demand rap acts of the year, so for Frank’s character to be rubbing shoulders with them does more to establish the scene. “Slide” is also further evidence of Offset’s skillful, malleable flow, and if his recent joint album with 21 Savage is any indication, he has great potential as a solo artist.

But what about Calvin Harris, the main artist responsible for this song? “Slide” was the lead single for his excellent album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1, and served as a dramatic departure from the more conventional EDM he’d been producing for years. Sure, singles like “This Is What You Came For” and “How Deep Is Your Love” flirted with organic instrumentation and classic dance grooves, but the shimmering keys, palm-muted funk guitars, and the irresistible bassline add up to one of his best tracks to date. It’s a perfect summer song that provides an opulent backdrop for Frank and Migos, and it still sounds fantastic in the dead of winter.

2. “DNA.” by Kendrick Lamar

Don’t think I forgot about this one. Over the course of this year’s lists, I’ve already gone on multiple times about the impact of streaming on the year-end charts. All of this is especially true when it comes to “DNA.,” the first full track from DAMN. Despite receiving an incredible music video starring Don Cheadle, it was never released as a single. And considering the aggression on display, as well as the lack of a real hook, why would it be? Nevertheless, thanks to Kendrick Lamar’s staggering popularity on streaming services, it landed a respectable spot midway on the year-end Hot 100. It’s another landmark worth discussing, but more importantly, “DNA.” is just a goddamn incredible song.

Rather than just dissecting the individual components of the song, I’m going to do my best to explain “DNA.” in a more linear fashion. Kendrick breaks through the gate in full-force, once again accompanied by Mike Will’s hard-hitting blend of trap drums, warped synths and ominous guitar loops. The first half of the song can be boiled down to K-Dot asserting that he was born for his current status as a rap god, even comparing his own birth to the immaculate conception. He recalls all his struggles growing up, living in the projects of Compton and encountering all the “murder, conviction, burners, booster, burglars, ballers,” etc. the city had to offer, crossing everything off as effortlessly as one would do for a shopping list.

Then, “DNA.” nears its two-minute mark. After a dazzling extended verse packed with personal detail, a sample of sleazy Fox-News-correspondent-cum-sexual-harrasser Geraldo Rivera actively dismisses Kendrick’s self-justification. He claims that Kendrick exemplifies everything wrong with young black culture in an unabashed show of victim-blaming. Then another sample comes in: the countdown from Freedom 7’s takeoff in 1961. As this happens, Kendrick speeds up his flow, and the beat changes, leading into what might be one of the greatest musical moments of the decade.

At this point, the production becomes even more sparse and dissonant, built mainly on a Rick James sample and the thickest, most face-melting sub bass imaginable. K-Dot offers an intense, well-deserved rebuttal to the thinly-veiled bullshit his critics ever-so-gleefully dole out. He knows that his success was earned through blood, sweat and tears, not “sex, money, murder,” and proceeds to “[curve] all the fakes” and others who seek to undermine him or his message. In an age where Donald Trump and the GOP have been nearly given carte blanche to oppress whoever the hell they want on any given day, it’s so cathartic to hear some resistance to their rhetoric in our popular music, especially when it’s this stunningly well-crafted.

And, just like last time, before I unveil my pick for the best hit song of 2017, here are eight honorable mentions:

“XO Tour Llif3″ by Lil Uzi Vert: “XO Tour Llif3” marks the first time Uzi’s music truly connected with me, capturing both the hedonism and the mental trauma he experienced while on tour with The Weeknd atop a fittingly off-kilter beat. His vocals are among the most impassioned I’ve heard all year, making the decision to nudge this off the list in favor of SZA a particularly tough one.

“1-800-273-8255″ by Logic feat. Alessia Cara and Khalid: Speaking of mental trauma, Logic’s breakout hit exists to lend a hand to those dealing with suicidal feelings. It sees the rapper and guest Alessia Cara acting respectively as a caller and a receptionist for the titular suicide hotline. Top that off with dramatic string swells and Khalid’s potent outro, and you have a song whose impact can’t be undermined, even by the shouts of “who can relate?”

“Sign of the Times” by Harry Styles: This is undoubtedly the best solo single to come out of the 1D camp, a power ballad reminiscent of David Bowie’s best that nails the particular desire to escape that we’ve all felt at some point this year. Cut the runtime by about a minute and you’ve got the perfect template for what mainstream rock should sound like in years to come, rather than whatever commercial filler comes from Imagine Dragons.

“Mask Off” by Future: I wasn’t wild about Future’s decision to release two overlong albums in the span of a week, but both albums had their highlights, and “Mask Off” was one of them. The beautiful “Prison Song” sample is the closest thing to old school hip hop in the mainstream this year, and Future delivers a sticky hook and the sort of secretly personal lyrics that have become his forte.

“Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd feat. Gucci Mane: Mike Will Made It hit a stride of excellence between “Formation” and “DNA,” and this song was caught in the middle of that period, boasting a dark, pounding beat topped with alien synths that sounded like little else in the Hot 100. Rae Sremmurd and Gucci Mane don’t really do much different from the norm, but the hook has an insanely catchy melody, and I’ll take anything over “Swang” at this point.

“That’s What I Like” by Bruno Mars: Look, pretty much everybody was hopping onto the trap bandwagon this year, but Bruno Mars made the sound his own by incorporating more organic percussion and a classic soul chord progression. The same goes for the lyrics about “strawberry champagne on ice” and “everything 24 karats.” You know, because the album and its lead single were both called “24K Magic”...

“Love on the Brain” by Rihanna: It’s the final single from Rihanna’s great comeback album Anti, and while I still think “Kiss It Better” should have been a lot bigger than it was, this is a perfectly fine piece of retro soul. 2016 was the end of the Meghan Trainor era, so it was only fitting that we ushered the new year in with what a song of hers might sound like if it were any good.

“Green Light” by Lorde: This didn’t make the year end Hot 100, so by my own arbitrary rules, I can’t formally include it, so I’ll just include it in the honorable mentions out of spite. How the fuck was this not a hit?

And now, for what I consider to be the best hit song of 2017:

1. “Praying” by Kesha

When I wrote my entry on the loathsome waste of space known as Kodak Black, I introduced it by addressing that content doesn’t exist without context. Sure, “Tunnel Vision” is a thoroughly unpleasant listening experience, but what makes it all the more abhorrent is how he lackadaisically prods at the very real allegations against him, all the while taunting those who want to see him lose. While that song is a very unfortunate reminder that rape culture is very much a real thing, it’s at least comforting to see a song from the other side of the spectrum.

Of the few criticisms I’ve seen of Kesha’s triumphant comeback single “Praying,” the only one that comes close to holding any water is if the song would hit nearly as hard if the details of the singer’s abuse at the hands of human shitstain producer Dr. Luke weren’t so well publicized. But for me, a song of this caliber can’t really be performed - let alone written - without this kind of experience. Over somber piano chords, Kesha recounts the feelings of uselessness and trickery she felt under Luke’s wing, only to overcome these feelings and make herself stronger as the haunting mellotron swells behind her. Her message is made all the more stark in the line “I hope you find your peace fallin’ on your knees.”

If this were all “Praying” was, I’d still adore it for its bold sincerity, but what certifies this song as the best of the year is the way the song builds. About halfway through the second verse, Kesha’s voice leaps an octave, and her tone shifts from vulnerable to utterly strident. Gradually, strings, backing vocals, pounding drums and horns enter the fold, giving way to the deeply moving second repeat of the chorus. And then the bridge happens, and after her crushing conclusion that “some things only God can forgive,” she lets out the note heard around the world. Though Kesha’s brand was established on semi-satirical autotune pop, it’s this moment that proves all her detractors horribly wrong in their assertion that she had “no talent.”

And while the high note is remarkable in and of its self, its potency is matched by the very end of the song, where the music fades away. As Kesha delivers her final lines, you can hear her crying as she steps away from the microphone. This moment is one of the rawest concentrations of lived-in emotion I’ve heard in the mainstream in years, and all the more evidence that this is real. Some people might call “Praying” the best Adele song that she never sang, but this is Kesha’s story. Unfortunately, it’s the story of far too many women in our society as well, but as more and more powerful men are being exposed and cancelled for their unacceptable treatment of women, this song couldn’t exist at a better time.

Thank you for reading! I’m considering writing about my favorite albums of the year, so if you’d like to see something like that, please let me know!

[melpomenecokr]

﹟ ♡  THIS MONTH IN MUSIC  :  MAY 2019.

                                  ♡♡♡

May was a month that happened and I guess we need to talk about it. 

As barren as the month seemed for impressive releases, there were a few diamonds in the rough, thank God, and as I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, it’s my job to bring them to light, and talk about why these hits stood out among the many (many) misses this month of May had to offer. All complaints aside, I present to you my top five musical recommendations for the month of May. 

Just as they always are, links for purchase and streaming services will be provided at the end of each segment for their respective release. Please remember to support these artists and their music so we can hear more from them in the future. 

#005. “DDU-DDU ddu-ddu (뚜두뚜두)” - SINGLE BY ETUDE♡ (습작) RELEASE DATE: 03 MAY 2019

You all often like to joke with me that I am, for the most part, boy group illiterate, so it may not come with much shock when I say I’ve only knowingly heard a few songs from this group in the past. I tend to listen to almost anything and everything that drifts into my recommended or that I stumble across while browsing MelOn and the like, and I believe that’s how I discovered ETUDE♡ existed in the first place. In the case of “DDU-DDU ddu-ddu” (like the professionals we are on this blog, we’re going to shorten that to just “DDU-DDU” from now on, thank you), however, I actually sought this release out after seeing the video teaser the day prior, because it seemed very intriguing -- and for once, I wasn’t deceived. 

(Just to preface, we’re only going to be talking about the title of this release since this is not an in-depth review, but I would definitely recommend listening to the other two songs, if you’ve got the time.)

“DDU-DDU” is a pop-rap song heavily influenced by trap and EDM with its heavy bass and almost peculiar-sounding beat. Right from when the song starts and the group screams their name into your ear on the first beat drop, you get the sense this is going to be a power anthem about how great and capable they are and how they’re better than everyone else; and as eye-roll worthy as that sounds, that’s actually what makes the title track of this single so great. It knows exactly what it is and it accomplishes its goal perfectly with gutsy raps and surprisingly solid vocals. 

The aforementioned raps are really where this song finds its footing because the chorus isn’t much, but that’s perfectly fine, because with a song like this, the chorus doesn’t have to be groundbreaking. The first rap is delivered by member Yejun, with a slow and suavé kind of flow to it; the kind of rap you would expect to play while the final boss of a video game or the big bad of an action movie makes their first appearance. The punchlines are a little weak, but I think the way this rap flows in itself makes up for that in earnest, it just sounds so good, you don’t really care much about what he’s actually saying. Then, the second rap, delivered by member Saint, follows the chorus and it’s the antithesis of what the preceding rap was; it’s fast-paced, hard-hitting, and really drives home the point of the whole song. I still don’t know that ‘that ddu-du ddu-du du’ is but I fully believe I was hit with it. 

Not to undermine the vocalists, though, because they really did an outstanding job, despite this type of beat and vibe being more fitting for rappers. The main vocalist, Seongwoo, stood out to me because of the way he sang his lines. It’s hard for a lot of k-pop vocalists to portray bravado and confidence with their voices because they are trained to sing in very distinct ways, but he captured that vibe perfectly while still managing to sound stable and light. “DDU-DDU” is the kind of song you play when you need a confidence boost, no doubt about it, and it’s definitely made its way onto my playlist. 

Listen to “ DDU-DDU ddu-ddu (뚜두뚜두)” here and stream the music video here.

#004. “BLAME IT ON YOUR LOVE” - SINGLE BY CHARLI XCX AND LIZZO RELEASE DATE: 15 MAY 2019

These two getting together was completely unexpected on my part, but it was the match made in Heaven that I never saw coming. A snippet of this song actually leaked sometime last year, which had many living in the XCX-verse on the edge of their seats waiting for the project to come back ‘round, and Charli and Lizzo made quite a wave on Twitter when they announced they were doing this piece together. Though I was definitely thrown, I was excited; both artists have a way of being so wonderfully simple and straightforward with their lyrics, but combine that with complex arrangements and composition and messages that it leaves you trapped between two different feelings, and it’s great when music can evoke that strong of a response. 

“Blame It On Your Love” is no exception to this formula these two ladies employ in completely different ways, and their radically different styles come together with a harmony that makes this such a good, and unique song. I wouldn’t be against them forming a duo or doing a collaboration album, to be honest.

Anyway, “Blame It On Your Love” is an eccentric pop song about nervous jitters and different wavelengths making a relationship difficult -- the feelings seem unrequited but it’s hard for Charli to tell because she can’t get close enough to the object of her affections without turning into a nervous wreck, and sabotaging herself when it comes to opening up. Charli’s vocals are broken and slow and create a sense of nervousness and tension that the listener can resonate with, while Lizzo is confident and straightforward (as always) while delivering her short verse near the end of the song. She seems to be giving a completely opposite message than Charli, but because her high-energy rhymes are so different from Charli’s cautious vocals, it works. It’s not detached, either -- it doesn’t seem like it comes out of nowhere, as the production sets the dong up perfectly to have Lizzo give Charli this reality check. Her banter-like ad-libs really make this song so fun and enjoyable, too; despite Lizzo’s contributions seeming relatively small on the surface, she really did her part to make this song the summer-night anthem that it is. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this release, as I knew it was going to be great the moment they announced via social media that they were working together, even if I didn’t immediately know what to expect. I hope these ladies collaborate again in the future; I think when wildly different artists come together and vibe the right way, it can make a memorable spectacle. We need more of that. Some artists are way too full of themselves these days. 

Listen to “Blame It On Your Love” here.

#003. “DEDICATED” - STUDIO ALBUM BY CARLY RAE JEPSEN RELEASE DATE: 17 MAY 2019

If I could only recommend you one underrated artist to stan this year, it would be Carly Rae Jepsen. This is the first time I’ve discussed her on my blog for a while because she sort of fell off the radar after “Call Me Maybe” had the whole world singing in 5-syllable sentences for the better portion of 2012, however she came back onto my life on a better note when “Cut To The Feeling” was pretty much the Pride Anthem of last year. I went back and listened to pretty much everything I had missed from her and when I tell you this girl is not only talented, but pretty much dedicates her career to true retro-esque pop music, I mean it, and I couldn’t mean it more. While I’m sure none of us were as excited to hear “Dedicated” as my best friend’s boyfriend, there was a lot of anticipation surrounding Jepsen’s fourth studio album via her cult following. Now that it’s here, I can verify it was not only worth the wait, but that it didn’t disappoint in the slightest. 

Carly (I’m going to call her by first name for the rest of this segment because I feel foolishly close to her) has the energy and ambition of a pop star with the innocence and modesty of the girl-next-door, and I absolutely love that about her. As much as I need to hear a good, old-fashioned pop song about having sex with a stranger in the back of a stolen SUV every now and then, there’s something so refreshing about Carly’s innate curiosity about love and how desperately she wants to experience it as a young (33 is young, shut up) woman with a big heart. I believe “Dedicated” is the clearest glimpse into her world she’s ever given, and with that, the songs I would like to highlight from this 13-track (not counting the bonus tracks) wonderland of an album are “Now That I Found You”, “Right Words Wrong Time”, and “Real Love.” 

If you haven’t heard “Now That I Found You” by now, I want you to know that I am deeply disappointed in you. This song is everything you’d expect from CRJ and more -- the retro vibes, the high-energy, the stellar vocals and the addictive lyrics blend together to make this not only the song of the summer, but the song of every summer. The delivery of the lovesick lyrics is so earnest and bright that it not only puts you in a great mood, but makes you want to go outside and dance in the rain, regardless of who’s watching, or your high chances of catching a cold. This is exactly the kind of pure, unadulterated pop that Carly delivers consistently without getting stale; it’s so easy to get lost in her world that you won’t even realize 3 minutes and 20 seconds has gone by and you’ll want to replay it 20 times on your drive to work or while sniffing melons at the supermarket. I know this sounds oddly specific, and that’s because it is. I listen to every piece I review 3 times over at least, and this was one of the easiest songs to follow that rule with to date. 

“Right Words Wrong Time” is the second-to-last song on this album, and I think that was done with a concerning degree of intention. It’s a slow, melancholic track about a relationship that just isn’t working because the two lovers are on two different wavelengths. It rings consistent with Carly’s desire for passionate and confident love, as she’s frustrated with her lover for not prioritizing her enough to know what she really seeks in their relationship until its too late. I was considerably surprised by this track, but I think it works so perfectly for this album’s overarching layout and themes because it teaches the listener that you should never settle in a relationship, and you should know when you’ve given enough chances. It’s not a song you could break out in a full-choreographed dance to at any given time, but it doesn’t need to be for the message it’s trying to convey. Carly’s soft vocals and the simple, tastefully-repetitive beat amplify what she’s saying in a way that really resonates with the listener, which is exactly what the lyrics of this song demand. It works perfectly. 

Remember that point about “Right Words Wrong Time” intentionally being toward the end for a reason? Well, “Real Love” ends this album and that same concept must have been employed here, too, because this song ties this album together so perfectly, it could honestly work as a formal outro. It sums up what Carly has always been about, wanting “real, real love” in a cold and unforgiving world when she doesn’t know who to trust or who is telling the truth. It’s such a wholesome desire that I think most people can relate to in one way or another, because at the end of the day, a lot of humans just want real, honest relationships that give them a reason to get out of bed on a particularly tough day, or to reassure them that they’re worth something when the world gets them down. This energetic pop song and earnest ballad hybrid showcases just how much CRJ makes music for normal, everyday people who aren’t glamourous rich pop stars constantly feeling like they’re the best. It’s so honest and I can feel how naked she must have felt writing and putting out a song like this, and it shouldn’t go without appreciation. 

Listen to “Dedicated” here and stream the music video for “Now That I Found You” here.

#002. “90s BXTCH” - SINGLE BY KKUMA (꿈아) RELEASE DATE: 26 MAY 2019

If I had been on top of my game this month, this song almost certainly would have missed the cutoff date to be included in this list -- so I guess my turmoil was a blessing in disguise (though it could have always been included in next month’s, I know, but I like to be optimistic sometimes). 

Kkuma is one of those artists that, even if by some tragedy you don’t like her, you have to respect her because of how iconic her style is, what she stands for, and the fact that she’s probably produced some of your favourite Korean artists’ biggest hits. She’s really been outdoing herself this year by releasing so much music after leaving her fans with very little the last year and a half, and nothing she’s put out has been bad. Period. 

(The reason I haven’t been reviewing them all individually is because I’m nearly certain that she’s gearing up to release an album this year, by the way. I’m not a fake stan, I promise). 

“90s BXTCH” stood out to me this month because of how utterly Kkuma it is -- she’s basically pioneered the 90′s aesthetic in the Korean music industry and she knows that with a song like this, from the descriptions of classic 90′s aesthetics and imagery to the way this song sounds like it could have been ahead of its time during its release in 1996. The chorus references “Sade,” though I’m not entirely sure if it’s referring to the solo artist or the band she was in that was named after her -- either way, Sade is a 90′s icon known for her soulful vocals and unique style, and Kkuma mirrors that in 2019 in a way that is indescribable. It’s a perfect allusion.  

As the single description states, the track is an ambitious mix of 90′s R&B and contemporary hip-hop, and it works so beautifully, showing that old trends really never die because they always come back in one way or another. Kkuma makes it clear through this song that while she’s a simple woman, she isn’t basic; she enjoys the finer things in life but they’re not all she cares about. The song has an underlying message about being true to yourself no matter what everyone else is doing, and also that it’s a beautiful life when you mind your own business and do things your own way. The seamless blend of vocals and rap is done so well that it’s nearly undetectable when she’s switching from one to another, and I love that this woman literally has no rules when she puts out a song -- that she can do whatever she wants and still make something incredible. 

The beat of the song is just as relaxed and confident as the lyrics, and given that Kkuma writes and produces her own music, I’m not surprised by this, though I am impressed by how in-tune she is with her own aesthetic and her own music. Kkuma prioritizes aesthetics a lot in both her visuals and sound, and “90s BXTCH” is like the final boss as all of that culminates and she shows you exactly who she is and what she’s about in just one song. It takes strength, confidence, and self-awareness for an artist to do that, and Kkuma’s got all of that and more. I really hope to see this included on a future album of the same caliber. 

Listen to “90s BXTCH” here and stream the music video here. 

#001. “DUSK V. DAWN (황혼 대 새벽)” - REISSUE ALBUM BY NINEBANG (나인뱅) RELEASE DATE: 03 MAY 2019

If you’ve spent more than five minutes on my blog at any given time after NINEBANG’s debut in May of last year, this probably is no surprise to you. Especially when his age bracket and status as a rookie is considered, NINEBANG is one of the best artists out there right now, and the best male vocalist in the industry, by far. I was elated to see that his second mini-album “Eclipse” was being repackaged into a full-length album, and boy am I satisfied with the new material sprinkled into an already-great work. 

Whenever K-pop artists do repackage albums, I get a bit nervous that they’re either going to add bland remixes or re-hash the same song structure they had in the initial release, or completely destroy the synergy of the original release, if it had any to begin with. As much as I admire NINEBANG, I couldn’t evade those worries with him, and I was pleasantly proven wrong as the new material fits like a glove among the original material in terms of themes and structure. Whoever arranged this tracklist deserves a gold medal, as I especially appreciated how the new songs weren’t just tacked onto the end like an afterthought. 

So, that considered I want to exclusively focus on the new material, as I reviewed “Eclipse” in the past. The songs I have selected to pitch to you are, of course “WANT”,  “Artistic Groove”, and “Nightdrive.” 

Starting with the title track, “WANT” is perhaps the best of this dark, sultry image NINEBANG is exploring with both this album and it’s initial release. It’s a contemporary R&B and Pop hybrid, drawing the listener into NINEBANG’s sultry charms and powerful yet versatile voice. The lyrics are actually pretty simple and somewhat repetitive, but the way they are delivered makes this song the great listen that it is. I actually recommend you watch live performances of this song, too, because they are really something. I’ve never been a good dancer but watching someone not only outsing the industry but move so fluidly while doing so is beyond my realm of understanding. Anyway, “WANT” does its job to make you horny but it also incites this sense of curiosity in the listener, too; like the feeling you get when you know you’re about to indulge in a sinful pleasure but you wonder what the consequences will actually be, and if they’ll even be worth worrying over in comparison to the pleasure itself. This song spells out temptation with bold letters between NINEBANG’s seductive vocals and the spell-like lyrics. It’s not a listen for the faint of heart, but it’s a great song by a great artist, and that’s always worth your time.

Next is “Artistic Groove,” and if you thought “WANT” was a little dirty, we’re just getting started. This song is packed with innuendos and suggestive tones, to the point where my eyebrows were almost flying off my face the entire time I was listening to it. It’s so good, though; the way he lays out his sexuality and sensuality for the listener to explore. It, in turn, can make the listener feel confident and sexy, on top of being the kind of song you just have to move to. It makes a fleeting attraction feel like something deep and profound, like the excuses you make in your head before a hookup, and while that can be a little dangerous for the weak-willed (like me), it’s the kind of unapologetic self-expression and view into the artist’s mind that I like to see in music. I like to know that I’m listening to a person sometimes, and not some untouchable god, as much life as that can give me, too. 

Finally, let’s end this segment right by talking about Nightdrive. I actually wasn’t sure how I felt about this song the first time I listened to it, but it grew on me by the second time, and by the third, I was belting out the chorus to my neighbours’ dismay. This track features another great vocalist, June of GEMINI, who you may remember from last months’ TMIM post. I can tell these two are friends because they work together really well; their singing styles are pretty different and wouldn’t work together in even a slightly different setting, but they made them work in this suave R&B track about a blossoming attraction in the confined space of a car. The way the verses and bridge build up to the loud and funky chorus via both the lyrical structure and the arrangement of the song itself is so smooth and easy on the ears, while it simultaneously builds anticipation in your chest, and I really enjoy getting invested in a song like that. Their chemistry is really what makes this listen so enjoyable, because I honestly feel as though if anyone else released this song, it wouldn’t have been that great. It just goes to show how specific music can be. 

Listen to “Dusk V. Dawn (황혼 대 새벽)” here and stream its music videos here and here. 

This concludes May’s installment of “This Month in Music”! I hope you found something new or learned to appreciate something you may not have before through these recommendations. Please remember to support the artists by visiting their respective links, and enjoy their music legally. Also, be sure to tell me about your own recommendations from this month in the comments, and feel free to respectfully discuss any of the points I’ve made here, whether you agreed or disagreed. 

Love always, see you next month!  ♡ 

[reeses-picks]

EXO’s Don’t Mess Up My Tempo is polished to a fault

EXO is back on familiar ground: their fifth album proper Don’t Mess Up My Tempo is a polished yet middling mishmash of brawny electropop and mid-tempo R&B, accompanied by vocal performances so polished they sometimes border on insentient. The best moments of the album reveal brief glimpses of a human touch, but they are few and far between.

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

As sad as it is to say, EXO and their fans are no stranger to drama, especially surrounding the makeup of their group. A turbulent 2014 (ironically, the year after their breakthrough) saw two of their four Chinese members sue their management -- megacorporation SM Entertainment -- and their resultant exits from the group; the following year, a third one would leave as well. Coupled with the fandom’s growing distrust with the agency, it is no wonder that EXO-Ls smelled blood in the water when it was announced that Lay -- the only Chinese member left -- would not be participating in the production of and promotion for their fourth album, The War. Also unsurprising is their relief once rumors started swirling that he would return for their 2018 comeback, Don’t Mess Up My Tempo.

What eventually materialized is probably the biggest let-down in recent K-pop history. Lay’s part in the comeback amounted to a split-second cameo in the music video for “Tempo” (he fares better in the Chinese version, but not by much) and a total of five lines on the entire album. Unlike EXO’s previous release, which saw the group embrace the spirit of grand experimentation to varying success, Don’t Mess Up My Tempo bears more resemblance, musically and aesthetically, to their last release with Lay, their third studio album Ex’Act. But while that album saw the boy group settling into their newly mature sound, this attempt feels a lot safer, not to mention a bit dated (which makes sense considering the majority of the songs here were formulated in a writing camp two years ago, right around the time Ex’Act was released).

As standard practice for SM Entertainment artists since the turn of the decade, Don’t Mess Up My Tempo is the product of a collaboration between the Korean artists and a diverse team of international musicians (the agency arguably pioneered this practice). As a result, the influences present on the record are predictably omnivorous. “Ooh La La La,” probably the most obviously trend-chasing track here, takes cues from Latin pop, while “Gravity” gets its futuristic feel from Daft Punk’s soundtrack to Tron: Legacy, although it sounds more like what the past thinks the future would sound like than the future itself. This extends to the three additional tracks on the repackaged edition, the best of which, “Trauma,” is inspired by the sound of Maroon 5’s inoffensively sounding yet unfortunately named Red Pill Blues. Aside from external influences, some tracks also draw from EXO’s own collection: “Gravity” includes some of the sound effects on the crowd-pleasing, Olympic stadium-filling “Power,” and “Sign” and “Damage” recall a similarly aggressive cut on Ex’Act, “Can’t Bring Me Down.”

Sonically, Don’t Mess Up My Tempo is split between the kind of brawny electropop that EXO is known for and mid-tempo R&B with a few surprising touches that do not quite land, the former of which is evidently stronger. Title track “Tempo” follows in the genre-blending spirit of post-2013, combining elements of R&B, funk, and house; despite this, the end result sounds far more cohesive than its radically disjointed predecessor. Meanwhile, “Ooh La La La” deftly navigates Latin pop over an understated flamenco guitar but does not stray too far from EXO’s musical wheelhouse, which is more than their juniors NCT 127 can say with “Regular” (also their most conspicuous trend-chaser) -- both songs raise questions about cultural appropriation and ownership, on which K-pop does not have a particularly great record. This forceful approach has its limits, however. “Damage” turns up the aggressiveness dial to a 10, and it is here that EXO’s usually superb vocalists falter: Baekhyun particularly struggles to match the energy of the production, but pretty much all of the singing members fail to catch up with the song’s pace.

On the other hand, the R&B half of the album contains some of its weakest songs. On “With You,” the vocals move leisurely on a garage beat that goes at least twice as fast, but the two never reconcile; ironically, when the rappers finally pick up the pace to match the beat in the bridge, the beat disappears. “24/7” reaches for an effortless mood not unlike “Ooh La La La,” but without an effective low end like the flamenco guitar, the track just floats without a discernible climax and might find a place among the 148 indistinguishable songs on Spotify’s Chill Vibes playlist. Still, none of this quite prepares you for the snoozefest that is “Smile on My Face,” the token ballad of the album, whose thesis statement -- “I did it all with a smile on my face” -- feels akin to equally empty attempts at authenticity, like Charlie Puth’s “Through It All,” and whose soft-touch production sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the LP.

As usual, the vocal performances on this record are near-perfect. Main vocalists Baekhyun, Chen, and D.O. remain the ones to beat when it comes to vocal technique and continue to be at the forefront of these tracks, but other members are getting their moment in the spotlight too, especially Kai, who has always been more appreciated for his dancing than his singing, but whose unmistakable timbre is now prominent on virtually every cut. All of the voices on EXO are very individual, but they also work incredibly well in harmony, and they are almost peerless in this respect; it is precisely what made the hook of “Call Me Baby” such a delightful listen, and what now makes the acapella section of “Tempo” virtually inimitable. However exceptional their vocals, there is still no getting around the utter lack of personality that looms over the record. On many occasions, the songs sound like extremely polished demos, their voices merely a stand-in or a guide for others; at worst, they amount to little more than disembodied voices. EXO’s stunning vocals, among other factors, have always served as a sort of personal stamp, ensuring that EXO songs are instantly recognizable as EXO, but that is less certain for the lesser cuts on this album: Monsta X would have been a far better choice for “Damage,” and “With You”’s garage beat could similarly find a more fitting companion. It certainly does not help that the songwriting here feels particularly uninspired: the guy-gets-girl, guy-leaves-girl (or vice versa) motifs start to get exhausting three tracks in, let alone three albums in, yet that is what almost all of EXO’s songs have been about since Ex’Act, and the trend continues here to increasingly dull effect.

The few, brief glimpses of a human touch coincidentally (or not) appear on the strongest tracks of the LP. “Oasis,” the album’s closing track, features the members essentially singing to one another about moving forward no matter the difficulties (something they obviously have experience with): “And we go even further / On this road with a long way to go / Runnin', I'm runnin', chasing the sun.” Here we can actually feel the members reach further down than surface level, and they sound noticeably more earnest than they will ever do on the record, especially Baekhyun, who presents a career-best performance in the bridge. But the only truly memorable track on Don’t Mess Up My Tempo is “Bad Dream,” which begins and ends with a soft guitar riff, but whose main musical character is ordinarily horrendous Chainsmokers-esque synthesizers that work surprisingly well here. Rounding out the middle section, the song possesses the richest imagery of the album, evoking a sense of helplessness and even claustrophobia -- “I’m trapped in you as you rage around me” -- and its swooshing synths help depict the raging hurricane in the main character’s mind.

In an interview with Billboard breaking down the songs on Don’t Mess Up My Tempo (and its repackage Love Shot), Patrick “J.Que” Smith, who composed and arranged “Sign,” compared EXO to Clark Kent and Superman -- polite and mild-mannered young men who become titanic performers on stage -- and felt compelled to write songs for the latter. I might not be very well-versed in superhero canons, but it has long been common knowledge that things are a lot more complex than that; from the quintessential superhero story of Clark Kent and Superman to the recently critically acclaimed Logan, the best superhero stories have always been informed, at least in part, by their personhood, and its struggle with their powers. There would be no Iron Man without Tony Stark, no Captain America without Steve Rogers. It is a lesson that EXO and SM Entertainment would do well to absorb.

[nfcomics]

Night Flight Comics—6222 South State Street Latest Arrivals: Wednesday—March 29th 2017

ADAM STRANGE FUTURE QUEST SPECIAL #1 ADAM STRANGE FUTURE QUEST SPECIAL #1 VAR ED AFAR TP ALIENS DEFIANCE #10 ALIENS VS PREDATOR LIFE AND DEATH #4 ALL NEW X-MEN #13 [R] ALL NEW X-MEN #19 ALL STAR BATMAN #8 [R] ALL STAR BATMAN #8 CAMUNCOLI VAR ED [R] ANIMAL NOIR #2 (OF 4) ANIMOSITY #6 ASSIGNMENT #1 (OF 3) CVR C DALTON [R] ATTACK ON TITAN GN VOL 02 [R] AVENGERS #5.1 BACK TO THE FUTURE BIFF TO THE FUTURE #3 (OF 6) BACK TO THE FUTURE BIFF TO THE FUTURE #3 (OF 6) SU VAR BATGIRL ANNUAL #1 BATMAN ANIMATED BATMAN BEYOND AF 3 PACK [R] BLACK HAMMER TP VOL 01 SECRET ORIGINS [R] BLACK WIDOW #12 BOOSTER GOLD FLINTSTONES SPECIAL #1 BOOSTER GOLD FLINTSTONES SPECIAL #1 VAR ED

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Night Flight Comics—6222 South State State New Arrivals: Wednesday—March 29th 2017

[goodheartt]

@starmore sent : ​❝ let’s go get hot chocolate then go for a walk. ❞ / Phoebus and Charlie K. :]

eyes light up at the suggestion and charlie instantly begins to nod his head. "yes !! oh that sounds like so much fun." he raises his arms, doing small little punches in the air. "i like love hot chocolate. and it's like ... the weather's startin' to get less hot y'know. it's like the perfect time to go for a walk !!" and not to mention he would be spending more time with phoebus. charlie had enjoyed getting to know them more, thankful and happy that they seemed to be enjoying his company as well. "d'ya think i could get whipped cream on my hot chocolate ?? that would be like ... so badass."

[goodheartt]

"yeah it's like ... really expensive. and what if i make somethin', and i don't end up liking it ?? don't wanna waist it." charlie was particular about the food he enjoyed eating, he had the main things that he went to. everything had to be the right texture, it couldn't be too complicated. and as phoebus places down the bowl in front of him, charlie stares at it for a moment with wide eyes. he had never had any food like this before. even with the anxiety on if he would enjoy it or not charlie still had a smile on his face. eyes glance back up to phoebus then, nodding his head. "yeah !! some help learnin' to cook would be really nice. whenever works best for you, don't wanna push you. i'm ... not doing much most days." he says with a small laugh, focusing back on the pho now.

he takes a small bite, carefully chewing. "woah ..." charlie mumbles with his mouth still full, quickly glancing back at the other. "this is ... this is really good !! like the best soup i've ever had." he adds after he finishes with his bite. he continues to eat away, happy that the food was so delicious and that they had taken the time to prepare it for him.

"oh grilled charlies ?? eh ... they're kinda silly." felt weird talking about one of his favorite foods when he was eating something like this. but he pushes away the anxiety and explains anyway. "so y' gotta use white bread to make it, right ?? and you need american cheese. you lay two slices of that in the pan and heat it up so it's all bubbly and crispy. then you butter a piece of bread, but you put the buttered side up. you lay that on top of the cheese." the pace of his words picks up a bit, talking faster, getting excited about his favorite food, letting out a small giggle. "and here's where it gets really cool. you add chocolate syrup to the buttered side of the bread. once everything is all made up y' just kinda push it all together so the cheese is on the outside. the final step is spreading some peanut butter to one side of the crispy cheese. it's ... basically a grilled cheese but even better."

there is great comfort in cooking that phoebus acquired when they were four and a half years old. it was meant to be learnt to just help micah and the system live still, yet, over time, the chore became more of a passion. it deeply warms phoebus seeing their starmates be fulfilled because of the meals that they make. it makes themself feel just as much in peace. phoebus is honored that they can do more for those outside of the system who any starwakers adore.

for charlie.

phoebus is co-conscious with micah in most times to found he have a strange, and at times more concerning, diet. the system had a similar experience before phoebus got into culinary, so they can imagine how he must feel being treated like this while they serve him a bowl of pho, a favourite soup of micah's. their lips twitch into a near smile, though, despite the frigid demeanor they often carry, their gaze is soft enough to tell charlie that they are content with him.

"please, it's my pleasure," phoebus assures charlie, placing their own bowl on the table and sitting before him. "cooking can be expensive and complicated, overwhelming," they state coolly, more than understanding his position, "so i don't blame you for knowing on how to make only grilled charlies." phoebus can assume what he mentioned is some form of a sandwich. "i can teach you how to cook a few easy meals when we feel better and are free from work."

phoebus made micah take the entirety of july stepping away from working for break beyond force to recover from the massacre event, so it agitates them thinking that the force will not let micah rest more than a few days. their annoyance is hidden well, however. instead, phoebus gestures toward their dinner meals, inviting charlie to feast. phoebus had cooked with adoniram and warlock before, although they never taught anyone but their starmates how to cook anything.

the idea of helping charlie expanding on his culinary knowledge ...

it makes phoebus feel the excitement that they so rarely experience.

"what is grilled charlies, if you'll care to explain your dish to us ??" they ask him after the pair had a few consumptions, feeling sweetly warm from the ingredients. the inquiry isn't of judgement, but true curiosity as they try to encourage charlie to share a part of him to them, even if he feels ashamed about it. phoebus does want to learn more about charlie from their end. "it sounds special." they mean this. "i don't recall micah ever having it, so we'd like to try it one day."

the system agrees with an internal hum.