#collision course EP

[justyncase]

rossi saying that he'll pay reid's bail. love that man

[daeluin]

[6-and-7]

The Underwater Menace The TARDIS arrives on an extinct volcanic island. Before long, the travellers are captured and taken into the depths of the Earth, where they find a hidden civilisation — the lost city of Atlantis.

The Atlanteans worship a goddess named Amdo and use fish people — men and women operated upon so that they can breathe under the sea — to farm the plankton-based food on which they survive. A deranged scientist, Professor Zaroff, has convinced them that he can raise their city from the sea, but actually, he plans to drain the ocean into the Earth's molten core so that the resultant superheated steam will cause the planet to explode.

The travellers meet up with two shipwreck survivors, Sean and Jacko, who persuade the fish people to rebel and stop work. The Doctor eventually foils Zaroff's plan, but only by breaking down the sea walls and flooding the city. Zaroff drowns, but everyone else escapes.

Voyage of the Damned A spacecraft set on an apocalyptic collision course with Earth, a host of killer robot angels and an evil severed-headed mastermind — it's just another Christmas for the Tenth Doctor…

[neyafromfrance95]

so re: my favorite new delusion that the kiss will somehow be adar kissing galadriel to bait sauron, I remembered this scene happens at some point, either ep 6 or 7.

So Sauron is indeed reacting to stuff happening down on the battlefield during the day. Granted, a lot happens he could be reacting (slightly smirking) about. But the possibility is there. Maybe we're due for another controlled fury moment like he had when those numenoreans told him he wasn't good enough for her lol.

Honestly it's like... Based on story momentum, if Galadriel kisses someone romantically it either has to be Sauron or it's a kiss that's somehow still *about* them (which an Adar kiss would be if he's trying to taunt Sauron in a quick moment on the battlefield).

Or it's simply not a romantic kiss and just a cheek, forehead or hand kiss and this was all just a rumor that spiraled simply because Morfydd teased it.

There can't be other romantic kisses unless Celeborn appears out of thin air. Elrond planting one on her and revealing surprise romantic feeling that ultimately can't go anywhere would be a jarring, momentum killing story turn when the season is meant to be about a "collision course" between Galadriel and Sauron in the finale. If it happens in ep 7 as they're insisting, then the audience is suddenly confused and wondering what that was about instead of focused on the suspense building to Galadriel and Sauron's meeting.

Also notably, they never paired up Rob and Morfydd for the press tour, despite how much screen time Elrond and Galadriel shared this season.

(I truly think this wouldn't even be a conversation if the incel lorebores didn't have a habit of badly interpreting scenes like the face touch in the trailer)

oh nooo, don't feed my delusions even more, they will grow! (please do feed my delusions)

his reaction to the numenoreans joking that maybe one of them is more suitable for gal needs to be talked about more! bc it was the first and only time his mask slipped off and he was about to lose it! bro saw her ankle on that raft and it was jover! suddenly, a mere suggestion that she might in theory be with smn else made this ancient being skilled in deceit almost reveal his true nature! like, when i saw his reaction for the first time, i thought it was so weird and uncharacteristic! then he beat those same dudes to a pulp!

sooo, what i'm trying to say is that, if sauron were to see his warrior queen caged and then kissed by the orc that they both blame their misfortunes on, ohhh boy. it'd be jover for the middle-earth.

and listen, so far the writers haven't given me a single reason to doubt them. even if galadriel is married to celeborn, a sudden switch to their romance would be a poor writing, since the show was about sauron x galadriel relationship from the very start (literally, finrod's speech alluded to it and then celebrimnor's one about silmarils)! same goes with elrond.

also, the whole "the light reflecting your hair reminded me of the love of my life who is lady galadriel, of course" thing was so bold??? i can't believe they did that. so, i'm 90% sure they aren't chickening out after pulling something so sick and obsessive on his part.

so yeah, either it has to do with sauron, or it's a platonic peck that was overblown by the fandom.

and agreed, we wouldn't be wasting our energies on the half of the discourse happening rn if it wasn't for the incel lorebros forcing these conversations to divert the attention from sauron x galadriel.

[unholyverse]

waterparks // alternative press issue #341

(full article text under cut)

WATERPARKS

THESE POP-PUNK UPSTARTS HAVE CATCHY SONGS, AN ENDORSEMENT FROM THE MADDENS AND AN UNIRONIC LOVE FOR HAIR DYE AND FUNKY-COLORED JELL-O. THEY ALSO HAVE A LOT TO PROVE-AND THEY'RE READY TO GET TO WORK.

STORY: EVAN LUCY x PHOTOS: JONATHAN WEINER

Awsten Knight knows what you're thinking: This time last year, his band, Waterparks, were veritable nobodies. You'd probably not heard their two EPs (2012's Airplane Conversations and 2014's Black Light), and the band's SEO was likely so suspect, there's no way a Google search would place the Houston-based trio above their hometown Wet 'n' Wild.

What a difference a trip around the sun. makes. Since late last year, the group scored a record deal with Equal Vision, picked up Good Charlotte's Benji and Joel Madden as their managers, performed at the 2016 APMAS and even graced the cover of AP's Warped Tour issue-all before releasing their first album. Along the way, they've cultivated a passionate (and ever-growing) fanbase, thanks to an irreverent sense of humor, insatiable work ethic and saccharine-sweet pop-rock sound. But as their star has grown, so have the rumors and confusion about just how they ended up on a collision course with success.

"I saw somebody online say, 'Isn't this that industry-plant band? Like we were made by a label or something." Knight remarks from Los Angeles, where he and his bandmates are putting the finishing touches on bonus tracks for their debut full-length, Double Dare, and filming a video for the album's first single, "Stupid For You." "People are always like, "Where'd this band come from? This band blew up overnight! That's really not the case."

Indeed, it's been a grind for Waterparks, who formed back in 2011 and, after years of hustle and hard work, got signed last year after a demo serendipitously ended up in Equal Vision's online submission box. Even today, as Waterparks—Knight, guitarist/vocalist Geoff Wigington and drummer Otto Wood-seem to have an indefinite amount of momentum and a limitless future, there's always some humbling experience to remind them the big time is still a few steps away. Look no further than their method of transportation for this summer's Warped Tour: a modified Sprinter van handily equipped with sleeping quarters- but no air conditioning.

"The van didn't have A/C until we got to the North, Knight remembers. "We did Texas and Florida, the whole South, with no A/C. People thought we were in a bus. It'd be like, 'Oh yeah, when you guys go back to your bus…" He laughs. "How can you be egotistical when you're sitting there in a sweaty van going, 'Fucking kill me?'"

Lifestyles of the rich and famous it isn't, but that's fine with Waterparks. They're used to surprising people, whether it's with their origin story or their music. A testament to both their artistic vision and desire not to be pigeonholed as just another pop-punk band, Double Dare sounds like an album made by three men raised in iPod shuffle culture. The album opener "Hawaii (Stay Awake)" skews toward more standard pop-punk fare (a sound that definitely provides a backbone for the 12 tracks that follow), but the band are quick to add bits of pop, electronica and (surprisingly) hip- hop to the melting pot, leaving Double Dare feeling instantly reminiscent, yet wildly unpredictable. There's the unabashed pop charm of "Take Her To The Moon," a DeLorean ride back to the scene's neon days that's awash in glassy synths; the biting "Little Violence," which takes aim at "fake-ass band guys," along with the now-defunct site AbsolutePunk; "Stupid For You," a roller coaster of vocal runs mixed with razor-sharp hooks; and the jittery "Dizzy," which combines mile-a-minute rapped verses with a towering half-time chorus.

Knight, a textbook over-writer, wrote and demoed more than 40 songs for the album, which the group whittled down to the 17 or so they actually tracked in Los Angeles with producers Courtney Ballard and Benji Madden. What makes Double Dare such an engaging listen is not just the songwriting, but the way Waterparks dress it up. Throughout the album, Knight's voice serves almost as a third guitar, cutting in and out and swirling around the mix to give things added depth and a secret sonic weapon their peers lack.

"Listen to Kesha," Knight implores. "People have heard a lead guitar a billion times-no one gives a shit about a sick guitar lead. What's going to sound sonically cooler to the average human: a lead guitar- which people have been hearing for the longest time- or the literally unlimited sounds I can cut my voice up into and make it [serve the same purpose]? It just sounds cooler."

As a teenager, Knight studied raps by the likes of Busta Rhymes and Ludacris (he even performed a cover of Fergie's "Fergalicious" at an early show), and he thinks it would be "sweet" to be in a boy band. "You have to stand out, otherwise there's nothing interesting about what you're doing," he explains. "We've always tried to do different shit. A lot of our songs are a pop-driven thing, but it's a band. Girl-pop, to me, is the best genre [in music]. Even if you don't speak English and you hear a Kesha song or a Katy Perry song, it's going to sound so good. The melody is everything: It sounds so happy. Put those songs next to whatever progressive metal band and their fucking guitar sweeps. That's the difference between being a band people like and being a musician's band. [Adopts nerdy voice] 'Oh, that time signature change, blah blah! No one gives a shit except nerdy dudes, and nerdy dudes aren't going to buy your record, anyway. I want to make shit my little sister and her friends would be into."

If Knight is that unabashedly honest about his musical intentions, the words he writes take it a step further. At its core, Double Dare is the antithesis to the public image Waterparks have cultivated over the years. From their irreverent music videos to any number of off- the-rails interviews (including some from this summer's Warped Tour where Knight donned a wedding veil), the band's public persona is that of perpetual Peter Pans. While that might be true (Knight frequently drops words like "butthurt" in conversation), the open-book nature of his lyrics here reveals life isn't all fun and feces jokes.

As such, the songs on Double Dare read like pages ripped from a personal journal. Whether he's dealing with crippling insecurity ("I wish I was as brave as my last name"), self-doubt ("And I'm doing all right/ But is 'all right' enough?/Because I'm living my dreams, but I live at home") or true love ("If you died, I'd hope you'd haunt me"), Knight's words are blunt, painstakingly detailed and instantly relatable. He might project as a court jester, but he's deadly serious about his art.

"There's a time when Awsten can be serious, and that's when he's talking about his music, Benji Madden offers. "In order to sell records or magazines, people feel like they have to be sensational or play a funny game. If you talk to Awsten about anything other than music, you'll get totally jokey, bullshit answers-which I love. But if you talk to him about music, he's a really smart, intentional, thoughtful guy."

"Being honest about it is the best way to go about it," Knight says of his songs. "I've never liked the vague lyrics, like, [jokingly sings] "I've gotta find my way. I've gotta get out of this place! All my favorite lyricists are killer with metaphors or are able to uniquely describe things. I like getting into things and being specific." He references the acoustic ballad "21 Questions," easily one of the album's highlights, but a song slated for the cutting-room floor until Madden stepped in. ("I feel like that song could be one of those scene classics," the Good Charlotte guitarist offers.) It's hard to imagine the album without it.

Outside of being a steady hand in the studio, the Maddens are the perfect mentors for Knight, Wigington and Wood. After all, it was 15 years ago that Good Charlotte went through everything Waterparks are currently navigating, claims of being a test-tube band and all. They've learned everything is cyclical, and they're passing on the lessons they learned to the bands they manage.

"They're so wise," Wigington explains in a separate interview. "You shut up and listen. They've told us, 'Hey, things are going to start getting weird. There will be things you haven't been used to, especially if you're out on the road! But they've told us to look out for each other and have each other's back and helped instill a sense of camaraderie so we can deal with whatever weird shit comes our way."

If their current career trajectory continues, things will be getting weirder and weirder in the Waterparks camp soon. The band have secured the opening spot on Sleeping With Sirens' fall tour, and they're already making plans well into 2017. With a new album ready and the furthest reaches of the scene at their fingertips, it seems like there's really no limit to how big this thing can get. It's already surpassed their wildest dreams in the past year; imagine what one more could bring. Not that it would change their demeanor, of course.

"I'd like to be able to live comfortably to the point where I could ride a bike into a swimming pool filled with Jell-O and have it not be a big deal," Knight says unflinchingly, when asked what success would look like for him. "I was thinking blue or purple because I like cooler colors. Red seems messy. Not yellow or orange, because I don't like those flavors as much. I used to be allergic to blue dye when I was younger, so I'd probably pick that just so I could be like, 'Fuck you." alt

[pandasmagorica]

4 Minutes pre-ep 8 (Mon 9 Sept) musing on sad endings

I'm among those anticipating a sad ending to 4 Minutes. But what exactly is a sad ending in Eastern culture? This is a thoroughly Western take, so please feel free to correct me if I get it wrong.

This post contains spoilers for

Bungee Jumping of Their Own (Korea),

He's Coming to Me (Thailand),

Eternal Yesterday (Japan),

Until We Meet Again (Thailand),

Century of Love (Thailand),

To Sir With Love (Thailand),

55:15 Never Too Late (Thailand),

The Miracle of Teddy Bear (Thailand),

Something in My Room (Thailand),

Once Again (Korea),

and, of course, episodes 1 through 7 of 4 Minutes.

Mention in this paragraph or post does not necessarily mean the show has a sad ending - although there's a good chance of it - so this paragraph is not in itself a spoiler.

This is a long post.

I want to discuss three works that treat reincarnation as an important theme in the work: Bungee Jumping of Their Own, Until We Meet Again, and He's Coming to Me.

Here is the question: In cultures or individuals that believe in reincarnation, does death count as a sad ending?

The first time I had to ask myself this was many years ago after seeing the Korean queer-themed film Bungee Jumping of Their Own at the San Francisco Frameline Film Festival, one of the largest queer film fests on the planet. In this film, a man and a woman in love are engaged to be married. The woman is killed in a vehicle collision. The man remains single and becomes a teacher.

Sixteen and some years later, he becomes convinced that one of his male students, who is 16 at the time, is the reincarnation of the woman he loves. This ultimately turns out to be the case, and they begin a relationship which is roundly (and understandably) criticized by the people around them. At the end of the film, they commit suicide together by sabotaging a bungee jump. But we don't see them die, we see their spirits in conversation about what the possibilities would be for their reincarnation and reuniting, and that they will plan to be together as a same-aged couple, whether straight or gay.

So is this a sad ending on not? It's sad that they couldn't find a way to live in 2001 Korea - really, one solution would have been to wait until the student was an adult - but if it's clear they would likely be reborn and find each other once more, then it's merely bittersweet.

By the way it's a good movie if you can find it.

I understand Dew the Movie (Thailand) is a remake which starts with the gay couple who then get reincarnated as a straight couple, but I haven't seen it and can't comment on it.

Until We Meet Again (Thailand) is a sad beginning, opening with a double suicide of a gay couple sometime around the late 1980s. They get reincarnated, sort of, perhaps 13-15 years later, and ultimately find each other and instantly recognize their connection, even if they're not sure how or why. A better way to describe it is that their spirits kind of hitchhike with their new personas, as it ultimately turns out that they are both combined and separate from the new couple, who have their own personalities. But the spirits of the original couple are ultimately at peace and the successor couple are on their way to forging their own unique and happy relationship. So happy ending for a sad story.

He's Coming to Me (Thailand) is also a sad beginning. Med dies, and is somehow being prevented from being reborn, so is stuck as a ghost. He befriends a young man, Thun, who can see ghosts. Thun solves the blockers that are keeping Med from reincarnating, but in the meantime they've fallen in love, so Thun is heartbroken that he's going to lose Med. Sad ending for Thun, bittersweet ending for Med. But surprise, it's not Med's time to die yet, so they are reunited at least for now. Happy ending!

Century of Love (Thailand) is more of a comedy all the way through once we've gotten past the sad beginning of the female romantic interest dying to save the life of the male lead. The male lead makes a deal with the goddess to live 100 years more so he can try to find the reincarnation of his love and break the spell or else die trying. When the 100 years is about to expire, he thinks he has found her in the guise of a morally gray young man. He has to work through his internalized homophobia and falls in love with the man. But then a woman shows up who might be the reincarnation. Ultimately, we never know for sure if either of them or both are the reincarnation of the male lead's original loved one, but it takes both the young man and the new woman to break the curse. Happy ending!

Again, I am commenting as someone who grew up in Western Judeo-Christian culture, so am at risk of overestimating how important a belief in reincarnation is to Eastern culture. But it does seem to play a big part. I'll acknowledge that Western culture has reincarnation stories as well, but I don't think they have the emotional hit that the Eastern stories I've seen do.

Moving away from reincarnation:

Eternal Yesterday (Japan) has a high school queer couple separated by a fatal traffic accident aka the white truck of death. Except that the impactee gets up and smiles and moves around. But he's still dead. This is the opposite of a scary ghost or zombie flick: he's kindly and they are still in love which each other and doing their best to cope with this change in events. But ultimately it becomes clear that the survivor is keeping the dead one alive, and it's too hard on the dead one to keep going. There was no way this could have had a happy ending, but it's incredibly life affirming. I'm moved to tears just thinking about this series, and would watch it again and again, already have rewatched it once. Don't fear sad endings. (Okay, it's your choice, but I don't fear them.)

To Sir With Love (Thailand) has the least mystical relationship with death, but there is a lot of it in the series. The ending is bittersweet. The queer couple is together, but the mother committed suicide to save them from the bad guy by tricking him into taking poison.

55:15 Never Too Late (Thailand) provides the redo by transforming the five 55 year old mains into their 15 year old bodies. On their way back to being 55, one of them dies, and the others face an uncertain future with the opportunity to try again. Bittersweet.

The Miracle of Teddy Bear (Thailand) gives a teddy bear life and love, but ultimately the bear relinquishes his life so that the human who gave him life could be reunited with the teddy bear's owner. But the owner could still show him love as a teddy bear. Bittersweet.

Something in My Room (Thailand) has a living human and a ghost fall in love with each other. They are ultimately separated, but reunited many years later when the human dies of a terminal illness. So they're together (happy) but the human is now dead (sad). Bittersweet.

Once Again (Korea) sends a young man back in time to meet the man who died saving him from a child abductor as a kid. They fall in love, and the time traveler tries to prevent his savior's death but the guy dies saving him again anyway and the time traveler is thrust back into the present. The savior sends a note through a friend to the time traveler telling him let's do this again every 7 years that some people have taken as being a time loop but which I take as just the savior trying to make the time traveler feel better about not being able to change the past. On the sad side of bittersweet.

Now lets get back to episodes 1 through 7 of 4 Minutes, and look at what beliefs might go into a happy, sad, or bittersweet ending to episode 8.

In the redo timeline, Great's father makes a reference to the three realms, Heaven, Earth, and Hell. Unlike Western culture where Heaven is eternal reward and Hell, at least in Christian culture specifically, is eternal punishment, in Thai culture they are waystops. Again, Thais please feel free to correct me if I'm off. But we don't know if redo Great's father is speaking from belief or experience.

We've also paid a visit to the 4:00 room where people go to - what? - be in limbo? wait to find out if they live or die? move on to the next life?

There's a bed in that room. Will Great and Tyme use it for sex? To nap together?

It would not be surprising for Great to live and Tyme to die, based on the circumstances of their respective entries into 4 minutes territory. Tyme has asked for Great's forgiveness - he would not now expect Great to give up his life just to be with Tyme. This would be sad or bittersweet. How far along that scale it would be would depend on what Great does with his life going forward, which would possibly be shown briefly with a time jump.

We don't know what role if any reincarnation plays in this series. It hasn't been mentioned but is related to the three realms belief. So, they could both die and be reincarnated in the next life, leading to a happy ending a la Until We Meet Again. Obviously with only one episode remaining, we would not get much of a picture of this, but remember Bungee Jumping of Their Own ended with the mains clearly in an unreal space and assumption of further reincarnation awaiting them. It could still be part of the ending. And it would be bittersweet - that they can't be together now but would have a chance to be together in the next life.

We probably are not going to get an unambiguously happy ending. Even if they were both to survive, the police chief would still be out to get Tyme and possibly Great.

Actually that would be a question if just Great survives.

I eagerly await Friday (Saturday for you folks who are ahead of me on the International Date Line) and the conclusion of this series.

[bengiyo]

The Novelist (2018) Ep 1 Stray Thoughts

At the insistence of @lurkingshan and @waitmyturtles I am giving this a proper watch. I skipped over it at the time based on the mixed reactions of others. I am watching via GagaOOlala. Let’s proceed.

Ah, a man on a bike. Must resist the urge to rant about sustainable urbanism and accessibility.

I need to do research on bicyclist insurance in Japan now. At least with a bicycle collision someone is less likely to die.

TRAIN SPOTTED!

Episode 1: The Awakening of Unknown Emotions

I like the novelist remaining unfazed about Kuzumi’s discomfort with the work.

I think the reason I like voiceover so much in Japanese media is because of how much it feels like their culture calls for repression. We need the internal monologue because characters cannot express things aloud.

I like the apartment, though. My dude has floor-standing speakers, a turntable, and a big TV.

This man said, “Grow up and do some research. I’ve clocked your tastes already.”

I need to draw attention to the fact that ya boy is sweating after cranking it, and falls back on the bed next to the book like they both just finished. I see what they’re doing here.

They keep putting this really specific shadow over Kuzumi’s eyes that I’m not sure how I’m reading.

Kijima’s glance there was so knowing.

I wonder if Gregg Araki has seen this? This is almost something he would have put into a film.

“I’m just teasing.” I see, so it’s going to be one of those things where I quietly scream about the line around the word “joke.”

Of course this man is left-handed. I will excuse him for messing with this dude because this is kind of funny.

I think I would have been far more embarrassed about the frank sexuality of this in 2018 than I am now. Now, I’m just intrigued by the psychological games being played with Kuzumi’s curiosity. I’ll continue!

[nextstopwonderland]

Masterlist of Bryan/Nigel content I've posted: part 1

Click here for additional masterlists:

Graphics

(Original post with the song lyrics / quotes)

(Original post with quote)

(Original post)

Video clips

Post-2 out of 3 falls match clip + protective Nigel supercut

“You don’t want to see Desmond Wolfe vs. Lloyd Boner?”

In which they slap each other then shake hands

Bryan Danielson & Nigel McGuinness’s promos ahead of their AWF WSW match “International Assault 2” - June 1, 2007

And another AWF promo

Bryan and Nigel’s entrance at NOAH in Japan July 2007

Video of Nigel talking about his love at first sight prior to diving into the Clamdigger origin

Promo after their first singles match

Those sexually charged handshakes tho

Nigel pulls Bryan’s pigtails while also calling him the GOAT

Nigel with Monkey ‘Brittle’ Danielson at All In Fanfest

“Oh he’s fine to wrestle now is he?”

“Nigel McGuinness has succinctly pointed out, many times at this point, that we have 206 bones in our body, and 205 of mine are perfectly okay

Bryan and Zack and Nigel and mox

Nigel meets yarn Danielson

“Yeah, darling, but it’s not your fault” - Bryan and Nigel, post last ROH match (includes photos)

“We’re both here for the same goal.” (Includes screencaps and gifs) aka the one that looks like a porn setup

Nigel and mox on wrestledream commentary

“If it weren’t for Clamdigger brittle Bryan Danielson I would’ve had that match”

“You need me to take care of this for you Nigel?”

In which Nigel is finally confronted on collision by Kevin and Tony about wanting to wrestle Bryan

“You know, Nigel doesn’t like him.” Danny talks Bryan, Daddy Magic brings up Nigel

Tag team comedic gold in ROH

“Are you okay?” - wxw clip

“Looking at me like that!” - in which we get our first official aew interaction

“Does it hurt??” - interaction number 2

“I would love to wrestle Nigel … I worry about fan expectations” - in which Bryan finally addresses Wembley this year, and lies some

“The other night after Collision ended Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness and I sat in the back and talked for an hour.” - Tony S talks about Bryan & Nigel

Video compilations/fanvids

2023 Bryan and Nigel talking about potentially facing each other again (intercut with some 2006 clips)

“There’s something about Bryan Danielson” (video/audio edit)

🎶two of a kind, we’ll find a way🎶 - fanvid set to Slide Away by Oasis

Video compilation of the nigel talking about Bryan parts of aew unrestricted podcast

Pre and post match moments - first in-ring match (trios)

Compilation of Bryan and Nigel talking about Bryan’s 205 good bones + how magic and professional wrestling are intertwined

Nigel being unhinged on commentary

“That’s Dragon’s favorite perch”

Death match supercut

Collision roast supercut (feat ZSJ)

Supercut of Bryan and Nigel from Wrestling Road Diaries (and Nigel once again talking about that certain something of Bryan’s)

Another wrestling road diaries supercut (mostly Bryan) with some screencaps

Tag team supercut

“You’re obsessed with trying to one-up me, aren’t you?”

“I’ve seen that look on Dragon’s face before”

“You don’t meet many people like that…”

Compilation of Bryan parts of Nigel’s HEY(EW) ep

“Yeah darling but it’s not your fault.” - yet another camera angle of this moment, edited with other footage

“Out of the ring, we bicker a lot.” - another compilation of some WRD clips

Audio posts

Nigel’s favorite career moment of course features Bryan (includes interview text, January 2023)

Nigel talks about Bryan's charisma, clamdigging, and how only one of his bones is broken (August 2023)

“I had this very strange sensation” (May 2021)

Sweet nothings from Nigel (circa 2009)

“I enjoy making fun of him.” (Audio edit, February 2024)

Part 2

[the-new-anime-girl]

Buddy Daddies OP analysis

We begin with a city skyline shot as the sun goes down and the city lights turn on. The next shot puts us in the middle of the city;

Rei and Kazuki walk into screen, Rei cold and unflinching while Kazuki looks around quizzically. This could be symbolic of entering the world of hitmen; Rei was born and raised here, while Kazuki was an outsider. This is also why Rei is the one leading the charge, and he is also wearing his mission-suit; a recurring theme in the OP.

Next we see Miri running in the opposite direction of where her papas are walking, she is on collision course with them. Just like in ep 1 she is the one who pusher her way into their lives. Behind her we see a Ferris wheel, the same one I think appears at the end of the OP.

This is also matched to the lyrics “Is it insincere to want to be loved -what should I do”, so the answer to the question is the creation of the family!

The we get her running away from them, just like in the multiple plays of tag she has. I love the title integration here!

Running after (presumably Kazuki) we have Dorothy and Carol (the women from the casino), and following them two people shooting. Is this foreshadowing that the two women will play bigger roles? I don’t think so, but it could be symbolic of what Kazuki and Rei are running from in chasing a family-life with Miri. Rei from the world of hitmen which won’t let him go, and Kazuki from his own demons and bad coping-strategies (gambling).

After that we see some domestic scenes; Kazuki cooking, Rei dazedly waking up in the bath (in his normal hoodie) and Miri on a swing, just like when the family visited the playground. Here I just want to point out the amazing credit integration, I appreciate the extra effort!

Then we have some more credit-integration and cool literal framing with Kazuki and Rei literally carrying a frame along the river as the characters from daycare run behind and through it. If I read into it I’ll say Kazuki and Rei together create the framing in Miri’s life she lacked before, creating opportunities for her to have a normal life with friends and participation in normal society.

Some more domestic scenes of them eating together follows, then some scattered pictures of Rei gaming and Kazuki working on his PC wile earing -how typical of them! Then a picture of Miri sleeping on the couch matched with the lyrics “And then you appeared suddenly..:”

Then the domestical scenes are overtaken by the hitmen-cases thrown over Miri’s picture intruding on their life.

Right after we see who I think is Rei riding his motorcycle. Then my favorite cuts in the OP as a car window rolls down and we see Ogino

With the way Rei is ‘trapped’ and reflected in the window as it rolls down to reveal Ogino it shows who Rei could have become, what his boss wants him to become, someone who likes killing and does it without an afterthought. Someone Rei almost became when he was “like a robot” only moving forward, except Rei never liked killing, he just tried not to think while following orders. There is also a contrast as Rei is inside a bright cityscape, while Ogino is sitting in a dark car.

Ogino turns to look at the viewer, and we get a cut of Miri’s mum, Misaki, singing.

Then we see Kyutaro in the ‘restaurant’ working, before looking up to face Rei’s shitty father. This cut is matched with the lyrics “You shattered my heart” (this is not just the subtitles, the Japanese singing also matched the lyrics to this shot), and since Misaki is shown right before that, she might be part of the meaning too.

So who is breaking who’s heart? Is it about Rei’s father breaking his, Misaki breaking Miri’s and Kyutaro (eventually) breaking Kazuki (since Kazuki seems to be close to him with the nicknames and all that), or is it referring to how the boss will try to split up the family and break all their hearts, or to how shattered they will be if Kyutaro betrays their trust?

The boss is framed with a bloody red sky as it rains, his goons and their cars surrounding him. He strikes an intimidating pose: we can’t see their faces clearly, which adds to the unease and shows his insidious intentions, but it also fits the organization; just like Shigeki (the boss) said, they work in the deepest shadows.

I think these cuts are about the pressure put on Kyutaro to collect information for the boss, and since Kyutaro at first seems reluctant to look up, I suspect its specifically about collecting information about Kazuki and Miri. The boss doesn’t want any ‘bad influence’ on his son, and Kyutaro as of ep. 9 hasn’t been very quick to deliver (it’s been almost 2 months since Rei’s birthday and the initial request by that point).

The shot is replaced with a city-central shot which Kazuki overtakes with his reckless driving as his car screeches into the scene. We’ve seen him driving like this multiple times throughout the anime, always to ‘rescue’ or otherwise reach Miri. This shot is very stylish, but also works to show the desperation Kazuki would feel to keep Miri from harm both in the situations we’ve seen so far and possibly in the future.

The car brings with it the next rolling shot of Rei stoically shooting. He is back in his suit, and I read this as also representing Shigeki’s goal; an emotionless killing machine.

Throughout the whole next part Miri is acting like any hyper 4 year old, running through the different squares while Kazuki searches for her.

Meanwhile Rei is resolutely walking forwards in the bottom row staying on his path, while Kazuki switches to the top row.  

It’s been some time in the OP since the domestic scenes; the further away Rei is from a normal life, the more he is a tool who only follows commands and doesn’t stray from his path. While Kazuki and Miri are free to dress colorfully however they like, Rei is wearing the same suit he wears on missions.  (Side note: When Miri enrolled in kindergarten Kazuki picked out a new suit for Rei despite the old one working just fine, because the old one symbolizes conformity to his father’s expectations).

In the other squares wee see named characters like Miri’s friends running, but also this man:

Who tf is that? Will he be important, or is this just filler? If anyone knows who this is, please share!

Continuing the search Kazuki is still running on the streets, and he looks distressed. This is probably an homage to when Miri got lost and they both went looking for her -Kazuki much more frantically.

But when the family is together again its turned into a fun game of tag where Kazuki is genuinely smiling (while Rei looks his normal self).

They catch up to her and walk along the same river they carried the frame in. this is the first time Miri is in physical contact with either of her papas in the OP; Kazuki pics her up and she wraps herself around him -precious!!! Rei hunches over and walks a little behind then, but he seems to be the one to start a conversation and suggesting or asking something (“Dinner for three?”)

Then we see a stuffed teddy bear and a cake being destroyed by a bullet (among other stuff the family owns like the bicycle with the child-seat); the epitome of the threat the organization poses. Destroying their domestic bliss with violence.

Its fitting then that the next shot is a somber and devastated Kazuki in the rain; he can’t even meet the camera’s eyes. This being placed right after the family’s stuff being destroyed could show Kazuki’s fear of losing his family again.

As we enter into his core through his back, we see what’s behind the happy façade; the deep sadness of losing his fiancé and child. Kazuki stands in the same rainy weather he both met and lost Yuzuko in. In the image Yuzuko is facing away from him, holding the umbrella she had when first meeting him, and when dying, framed by the flowers from the garden she loved where they first met. The shot is beautiful, with the flowers almost blooming around her. The image expands, like how a raindrop’s moisture expands on paper. The rain, the tears and sadness is inside Kazuki’s heart as well. 

The reason Kazuki is so emotional about the family and invested in taking care of Miri is because that’s what he would have had with Yuzuko, but never got. Miri is like his unborn child, and that’s why he so quickly became so attached to her, as she can kind of ‘fill the hole in his heart’. And Miri is exactly what fills the next three shorts as she looks around. The last one with her looking up, and the following shot of Kazuki and Rei looking down and meeting her gaze.

Wrapped around her finger indeed.

Then multiple scenes fly across the screen; the dichotomy of their hitman jobs with goons shooting and the domestic life they’re leading with chores and Miri playing. It ends with a goon falling down and losing his machine gun.

In quick succession we see Rei zipping up his hitman bodysuit, Kazuki looking distressed, a zoom up of Misaki’s crying eye and then this shot of Miri grabbing onto Rei’s fingers.

Multiple people have pointed out that this is the same as in ep. 9 when Miri grabs Rei to join in the daycare-contest. Amid the sudden despair it’s a very tender moment as Rei, but this also symbolically applies to Kazuki, is pulled back to their apartment home.

The shot of the apartment goes from dark night to daytime, mirroring the beginning of the OP when the city went from day to night.

Then the dark night is over, and the sun shines on the family as Rei and Kazuki look at a Ferris wheel while Miri faces the viewer. Her stance is confident, and almost triumphant. We can’t see Rei or Kazuki’s reactions, but Miri who is looking away, as always obvious to the danger around her, is smiling. It makes sense she would be optimistic about the outcome (and gosh, do I want to believe like her).

Considering this is the second time the Ferris wheel appears in the OP, we might see the story’s climax here (I’m calling it!)

The last shot is of a common breakfast in their household; French toast. And Kazuki just couldn’t stop himself from adding some fruit to make it more balanced.

If the end of the OP is to be believed, everything will work out alright for the family (Or maybe that’s just my wishful thinking).

(Thank you for reading, I ended up with around 1800 words, apparently I had more to say about this than I thought. We’ll see of some of my predictions come true. I bet there are some grammatical mistakes here (and squished pictures courtesy of Tumblr) but I’m too tired rn to check…)

[dangermousie]

Objectively it's wrong that SR sneaks out to meet SY one last time after she finds out that their betrothal is not to happen and that he is to marry Crown Princess, who he thinks she is. Not only is it against societal rules (and how badly it is viewed and can be punished we can see shortly, in ep 4, when SY almost loses his head) and against the promise she gave the Crown Princess, it is unkind to SY - it was one thing to pretend to be the Princess when she thought she was checking out her future spouse and the most that would come out of it is they would meet at the betrothal or wedding and she'd go "pleasant surprise to yooooou!" But she knows now he's engaged to someone else, someone else she's impersonating, so it's going to be horrible for him. But I still don't blame her at all - she's young and confined and in love and just wants to be happy one last time. And honestly, that one mundane sunlit little date is going to help them hold on through some unimaginable horrors later so...

I love this scene of them hiding from someone tracking them just because it's gorgeous and also beause you see SR experience a frisson of sexual awareness. If you think about it, given the rigid confines of societal rules, this is probably the first time she's even been this close with a man who is not her relative, a man whose fingers are touching her mouth, even if it's to hush her.

I couldn't hate the Crown Princess even after she did something indubitably cruel - instead of letting SR apologize to SY for deception, she made her hide in the room, called SY and revealed she's the Crown Princess and his future wife and that girl he's been meeting is a lady-in-waiting she made to dress as her and to never seek her out. The joy on SY's face slowly changing to shock and despair as he sees the Crown Princess kills me and yet I can't hate the Princess - she's fighting for her family's survival. She doesn't want to marry SY, she doesn't fancy him - in fact before it was explained to her she and her brother needed the Kims to survive, she went to beg her father to cancel the marriage precisely because her cousin fancied him and because she knew no happiness for her could be found in a marriage started under these circumstances.

He storms off and we get the confrontation between the cousins, and I just love this shot so much.

You know what struck me during this exchange? It is yet another way sheltering young women is hobbling them and controlling them. EVERYONE knows Sejo is eyeing the throne and will take it once his weak brother dies. But the daughters of the King and Sejo did not. Because they are to be sheltered and protected like hot house flowers but ignorance is not bliss - in that society, it is dangerous and life threatening not to know these things. But a woman who lacks knowledge is easier to control and mold.

A lot of the narrative for Se Ryung is about her losing her faith in her father, her rose colored glasses. The man will make a great king, and he's not even a horrific monster by the standards of the time (yes, he wants to rule but as is made clear, it is also self-preservation. If he didn't go after his nephew, his nephew would go after him and it would be his family on the chopping block) but SR's vision of him as righteous is utterly wrong. The problem that happens is that they taught SR to be virtuous and to have honor and to obey the king and blah blah blah and then her father went "psych! only when it doesn't contradict what I want" and her morality can't take it (in a lot of ways, she is like a female Rin from The King Loves - where the character is full of honor they'd been taught and then finds out the family only means "well, it's all a sham until we can get power" and it puts them on a collision course.)

Oh, and one last comment about Sejo. For all his talk about how SR is the apple of his eye and his genuine fondness for her, ultimately she's a pawn for power the way anyone is. He tells her it's OK the marriage to Seung Yoo fell through, he will get her someone better. But the person he betrothes her to, our loathsome SML - Sejo knows nothing about him as a person; his one "great husband" quality is he comes from a family Sejo wants to ally with.

[mariacallous]

In 1999, American bombers accidentally blew up China’s embassy during an attack on Belgrade, killing three. The Chinese reacted with outrage, demanding reparations and official apologies. To prove their seriousness, they made nationalist speeches that whipped Chinese citizens into a frenzy, culminating in tens of thousands of protesters throwing rocks and encircling the U.S. embassy in Beijing.

For Chinese leaders, this was par for the course. In responding to international crises, China long hewed to a simple playbook: stoking anti-foreign protests to show resolve and pressure the other side to desist.

But today, something has changed: Chinese leader Xi Jinping, hardly averse to invoking nationalism when it suits him, has nonetheless eschewed stirring up frenzied protests when facing international crisis. During the biggest foreign-policy crisis for China in decades, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 2022 visit to Taiwan, Xi did not encourage Chinese protests—in fact, nationalist fervor was met with online repression, including a temporary shutdown of social media. Instead, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) carried out a series of unprecedented exercises to punish Taiwan and redraw the cross-strait status quo.

Xi’s avoidance of anger on the Chinese street is not a one-off. In the past decade under Xi, crises have not abated but accelerated—yet they’ve been matched by the effective absence of anti-foreign protests in the streets and frequent displays of military force. The reasons for Xi’s shift away from protest bargaining are multifaceted, rooted in domestic politics and a preference for showing strength both at home and abroad. The result of a new crisis-signaling playbook is a China that shows resolve in crises not through anger in the streets but through warplanes and the fleet.

Chinese leaders, facing wave after wave of crisis over the past three decades, have long turned to protests to bargain. The turn of the century brought not just Belgrade but the 2001 EP-3 incident, where a lethal collision between planes resulted in Chinese diplomats threatening their U.S. counterparts with the rage of the Chinese streets if appropriate amends were not made. Throughout the 2010s, China and Japan feuded repeatedly over the status of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, most notably in 2012, when Chinese government-stoked protests in reaction to the Japanese government’s purchase of the islands from private hands resulted in thousands of protesters engulfing 85 Chinese cities.

Jessica Chen Weiss, in her groundbreaking study of Chinese protests, examined more than 80 orchestrated protests in the quarter century preceding Xi’s ascension to power. She argued that protests are China’s attempt to do what economist Thomas Schelling called “tying hands”—increasing bargaining power by showing that one can’t back down.

Just as democratic leaders can point to polls as proof they’re fenced in at home, China can allow protests to rage in the streets to show the people will turn on it if it doesn’t get its way. China’s opponent will fear the effects of unrest that could become regime-threatening instability; considering the alternative, just letting Beijing have its way is preferable.

Yet few, if any, examples exist of Xi stoking anti-foreign protests during his tenure as president. In fact, he has worked actively to suppress such protests. While prior Chinese leaders frequently leveraged domestic protests as bargaining tools, Xi is hesitant to use nationalist uproar as his default option. Instead, Xi is more comfortable showcasing the PLA’s military power in major coercive demonstrations while suppressing nationalist movements at home.

To the extent that the people have mobilized under Xi, it has been for government-orchestrated “boycotts” that attempt to pressure other countries economically. Genuinely outraged Chinese citizens were discouraged from physically protesting during the deployment of a THAAD missile defense system in South Korea in 2017. Instead, Chinese consumers were encouraged to boycott the major retail conglomerate Lotte, which eventually drove the South Korean company out of China.

The new approach can be explained by several shifts within China over the past decade.

First, China’s leadership has changed. Xi is as confident about his nation’s strength as he is paranoid about the stability of his rule. As China’s unchallenged chairman of everything, Xi has consolidated control over all facets of Chinese society, presiding over the decimation of collective leadership, anti-corruption campaigns that have neutered elite opposition, and a massive surveillance network.

But this is not compatible with bargaining through protests, which inherently involves both telegraphing and accepting political vulnerability, requiring Xi to suggest that his power has limits and can be imperiled. Stoking protests constitutes evidence of Xi’s precarity among the elites or the population and is too risky to accept. Xi, knowing that his road to absolute control was paved with the ouster of all rivals, has installed himself as ruler for life; for such a leader, the prospect of being ousted is legitimately existential.

Second, China’s approach to foreign policy has changed. In previous decades, protests were an appropriate tool for reacting to a crisis foisted upon China, a weaker country telegraphing to the other side that it needed to cease the unwelcome behavior.

Xi Jinping, however, has moved away from former leader Deng Xiaoping’s mantra of “hide and bide” as China has grown increasingly powerful. Old territorial disputes have been dusted off: China has attempted to expand control of the South China Sea, harassed India on the countries’ shared border, pushed Japan in the East China Sea, and exerted unrelenting pressure on Taiwan.

Many of these disputes amounted to “crises”—only this time, they were initiated by China, making domestic protests a less effective tool to coerce weaker countries compared to military harassment by air and sea.

China, due to its rapid growth, also no longer sees protests as useful for telegraphing domestic weakness. China used to self-identify as a non-threatening developing country, and protests were helpful in advancing this image; the United States had no reason to worry about China dominating Asia when the country couldn’t even control its own streets. Yet today’s China advertises itself as a real power, proclaiming that Mao Zedong made Chinese people stand up, and Deng made them rich, but only Xi made them strong. This strong China is at the center of what Xi calls the rise of the East and the decline of the West. Such a country is not liable to be brought to its knees by anger in its streets.

The young people who make up the bulk of protestors are also a more volatile tool than in the past. From the May 4, 1919, demonstrations onward, Chinese university students have historically been reliable sources of nationalist anger directed at Japanese or American imperialists. But today, China’s younger generation lives in what has been called “an age of malaise,” confronting a whirlwind of economic and political problems ranging from slower growth to a collapsing real estate sector and widespread youth unemployment. Young adults are motivated more by frustration over the COVID-19 pandemic’s aftermath or the desire to “lie flat” in the face of persistent joblessness, hardly concerns Xi wants to be vocalized.

The protests today have also simply lost effectiveness as a bargaining tool. China’s successful deployment of the method relied on it credibly tying its own hands, suggesting that leaders bucked public opinion at their own peril. But if China can simply ignore or suppress protests, or is perceived as capable of doing so, there is not much credibility in hand tying and, thus, in the threats.

Xi’s success in concentrating power at home has accomplished just that. Improvements in the effectiveness of the repressive domestic apparatus have removed any credible constraint that could be believed by a foreign country. Xi’s tenure has intersected with a remarkable revolution in surveillance and censorship technology, with the world as its witness. Over the past 10 years, China has built the most monitored society ever: Eight of the 10 most surveilled cities in the world are Chinese; of the world’s billion surveillance cameras, half are in China. Online, private group chats are constantly monitored by algorithms and live agents, with real-world arrests frequently made.

As such, Xi’s campaign to centralize power and muffle opposition has eliminated any collective action that can be even remotely considered regime-threatening and, along with it, any prospect that protests could be used as a bargaining instrument. While previous Chinese leaders could reasonably point to popular or intra-political constraints, akin to an American president tied down by the U.S. Congress or polls, the omnipotent chairman of everything will struggle to convince others of his impotence.

The 2022 White Paper protests, set against a decade of popular passivity, were a clear moment of assertiveness and the most forceful domestic demonstration against Xi. But foreign onlookers saw that even the worst case for Xi—unrest spurred by something as aberrational and impactful as COVID-19 policy—could nonetheless be contained. If so, then smaller displays, such as anti-foreign demonstrations outside embassies, undoubtedly can be managed too. The alacrity with which China managed the White Paper protests has also fed the perception that they were a one-off: Protesters themselves were surprised by the degree to which China responded and held participants responsible, with one noting that “it’s going to be very difficult to mobilize people again.”

At the most basic level, Xi’s increased emphasis on military displays means international crises will run a greater risk of accidents. Military exercises, missile launches, and close encounters at sea or air are not risk-free, given the proximity in which the U.S. and Chinese militaries operate in the Pacific. If each military crisis is a roll of the dice, more crises mean rolling the dice more frequently—with more opportunities for something truly catastrophic to happen.

But more fundamentally, repeated military crises prime both sides to always reach for the military option, viewing anything less as a weakness and a retreat. Should China try to telegraph to the United States that its interests are at stake, the United States, well-accustomed to displays of force, may assume China’s response is cheap talk, absent a coupling with something more muscular. Consider the Pelosi visit in 2022. Xi’s repeated verbal warnings were dismissed as a bluff, and the United States persisted, which boxed Xi into sweeping military displays: a simulated blockade of Taiwan, firing a ballistic missile over the island, and commencing what has now become regular incursions of the Taiwan Strait’s median line.

In an ideal world, policymakers on both sides would recognize the dangers created by Xi’s new playbook and actively work to limit crises. Given the deep-seated interests involved on both sides, this is unlikely. But even without behavioral changes, policymakers would benefit from recognizing that assumptions from previous decades of crisis management no longer hold. This should provide the impetus for renewed stability dialogues: discussing redlines to avoid flashpoints, sharing insights on how each side views crisis management to manage disputes, and building firebreaks to contain incidents that risk spiraling out of control.

The alternative is continuing down a dangerous path, where future crises begin where the prior ones left off and Chinese leaders feeling pressure to not just repeat but one-up their previous response. Once a line has been crossed, uncrossing it appears weak and unthinkable. But as both sides climb the escalation ladder, fewer rungs will remain. As noted in these pages, this creates a new normal that leaves both parties living on the “edge of chaos”—permanently.

[citylighten]

List 5 facts about a favorite sim of yours, and send this to simblrs whose sims you adore 💜

Wow this was shamefully late because I couldn't decide who to do, but in the end I chose Sal! Since we're gonna be seeing a lot of him on my blog again!

Hearing Collision Course EP from Jay Z and Linkin Park changed his life when he was a kid.

A fan of monster films, Godzilla is his favorite. There's been moments in the past where he's sent Eve fanart of Mothra and Godzilla, lowkey implying they have the same vibe.

Finds it hard to be a legit stan for male musicians or bands because he feels they always do things that let you down.

Prefers small dogs over big dogs because he loves feeling like he's their protector. (That and he likes when they lay on you or sleep on you)

Cannot stand movies like T*xi Driver and J*ker. He wants to kick both of the main character's asses. Generally, [white] men who mope and lament about society rub him the wrong way.

[ragingbullmode]

tagged by @crookedcherryblossoms for 6 albums ive been listening to ! i forgot to post this from my drafts my bad 😅

collision course (ep) - jay z & linkin park (2004)

bizaar - insane clown posse (2000)

out of time - REM (1991)

sinner - drowning pool (2001)

sonder - the wrecks (2022)

smile - skindred (2023)

oh right uhhh i tag whoever lolll

[found--family]

Helluva name for an ep! I'm thinking it's a trifecta: 

Steph dealing with her father - again, though hopefully less heartbreaking than last time; maybe something happens and he comes around to her way of thinking ie. her mom needs professional help. (I hope Steph gets someone on her side) 

Duela's mom visits her for her birthday - she got out of prison, maybe escaped? Or maybe Duela goes to visit her for her birthday. Either way, Duela's mom reveals The Joker is not her father. (I'm still on the Duela Dent train but I don't know if they'll reveal that as well; if Duela's father is fugue!Dent, her mom might leave clues for her to figure it out for herself which would mean a second reveal maybe at the end of the season, maybe just before or after Harvey's Two-Face incident leaving a cliffhanger for season 2.) 

Harvey encounters his father. The way it's worded - 'collision course' - is intriguing. Will he encounter fugue!father? Will fugue!Harvey encounter his father? Did he think his father was dead? We've only had scraps of his past and whatever the comics say, GK is doing it's own thing so who knows what could happen. If his father is alive and it's a surprise maybe fugue!Harvey will kill him? But there's still the possibility that fugue!father is in league with the owls somehow (how else would they know about the piano trigger? Unless fugue!Harvey himself gave it to them..) 

I love the crew's passion for creating this story! They care about good storytelling, they care about the details, they want to entertain and surprise us! They're taking the best bits of the DCU and giving us something new! I'm very excited for the possibilites of this ep. This story continues to keep me guessing, has me caring about the characters, and keeps me invested in how things will unfold. 

[newmusickarl]

5-9’s Album of the Month Podcast – Episode 3 Out Now, Episode 4 Coming Soon!

Just a reminder that the latest episode of the 5-9 Album of the Month Podcast is now available, reviewing some of the best albums we heard in March. As ever I take a seat alongside 5-9 Editor Andrew Belt and Check This Out’s Kiley Larsen to review five high profile album releases from the past month in music, and ultimately name one as our Album of the Month at the end of the discussion. With some divided opinions between us, which one reigned supreme?

Then for our April review episode dropping in early May, the five albums we will be discussing are:

Language by Circles Around The Sun

Fuse by Everything But The Girl

72 Seasons by Metallica

First Two Pages of Frankenstein by The National

Garden Party by Rose City Band (Poll winner!)

If you want to listen to the latest episode simply click the link below, but also be sure to follow 5-9 Blog on Instagram and Twitter for more news and polls relating to the podcast, along with other great content like film reviews, sports articles and more.

Listen to the March 2023 episode here

Album & EP Recommendations

A Kiss For The Whole World by Enter Shikari

I feel like I say this every time Enter Shikari bring out a new record, but they really are one of a kind. When they first released their incredible debut Take To The Skies back in 2007, the euphoric collision of trance and metal was unlike anything I had ever heard. As a teenager at the time that record was everything and whilst many (including shamefully myself initially) wrote them off as surely being a flash in the pan, the St Albans quartet have just gone from strength to strength.

Across six brilliant albums, their rave/metal fusion has since evolved to include more elements of grime, pop and punk, whilst their lyrical messages both social and political have also grown in scope alongside their sonic ambitions. Their musical journey has been nothing short of a triumph and album number seven feels like them taking stock of just how far they’ve come.

When we last heard from the Shikari boys, it was at the height of lockdown when they were found revelling in the abyss on their most ambitious outing to date - Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible. Now with A Kiss For The Whole World, it’s like the band have re-emerged from those depths, this time filled with hope, positivity and gratitude. There’s a sense of optimism in the songs here, with the band also referencing their previous work multiple times (“You’re still standing like a statue” on the title track, “Wish I was back at the Dreamer’s Hotel” on Jailbreak and “I went to live outside to find myself” on Giant Pacific Octopus to name just a few easter eggs).

It presents an interesting dynamic at the heart of the record, almost like the band know how dire the world is right now, but on the flip side they are just so grateful for their fans and the career that they’ve been able to have until now. With these contrasting emotions driving forward the writing, it all makes for a thrilling 30-minute listen that’s impactful yet joyous, and also plays out like a love letter to their fans.

The kitchen sink of ideas thrown at Nothing Is True… has also been refined a bit more this time too, with this album seamlessly flowing from one track to the next. As ever with Shikari, the singles for the record sound better in the context of the whole, as electronically-charged thumper (Pls) Set Me On Fire and motivational anthem It Hurts both hit much harder now. Leap Into the Lightning is then a dubstep-induced message of encouragement to make bold choices, whilst Dead Wood is a string-tinged adaptation of Pinocchio, with Shikari seemingly getting in on the Hollywood trend of revisiting that story but of course doing it in their own unique way.

If Dead Wood is their Pinocchio then Jailbreak is their Papillion, as the band repeat their mantra “I hope I keep hope intact” during the euphoric outro. It’s already one of my favourite Shikari songs and it leads seamlessly into Prodigy-inspired banger Bloodshot. As great as the main part of that song is, the Coda for the track that follows may be one of the most beautiful arrangements the band have ever put to record – an utterly stunning orchestral composition that successfully brings out all the goosebumps. It all then gets brought to a rousing climax with the poignant closing two-parter Giant Pacific Octopus, where frontman Rou Reynolds questions “I don’t know you anymore - or maybe I never did?”

When I get asked what Enter Shikari’s best album is or am asked for suggestions on where someone should start with their catalogue, I always struggle to find an answer. The reality is each new album is always as good as the last one, with the band yet to deliver a misfire across their 15+ years doing this - even when their batshit crazy, genre-bending sound is almost tailor made to serve up a misstep or two. With each new release and each new triumph my respect and admiration for the band only grows stronger and it seems with A Kiss For The Whole World, the feeling is mutual. One of Britain’s most underrated bands and I really hope they finally get their first number one album later today – fingers crossed!

Listen here

MTV Unplugged (Live) by Twenty One Pilots

Whilst not for everyone, I’ll be the first to admit I love these MTV Unplugged sessions. From Nirvana serving up an all-time classic live album with theirs back in the mid-90s, to incredible recent releases from some of my own favourites like Placebo and Tash Sultana, these sessions have given us some great music over the years. So when I saw that mainstream superstars Twenty One Pilots had released their own MTV Unplugged live album, I was naturally intrigued as to what they might do with the concept.

As opposed to simply taking the easy route and busting out a few acoustic versions for fans, the duo of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun instead use the Unplugged concept to present their live show in an interesting new format. Rather than just using a pre-recorded track as they would normally, the pair use hands-free looping and sampling to build their songs out in front of the crowd in real time – even using the audience themselves at points as their instruments. Not only that, but the arrangements of their biggest hits have been reworked, some mashed up together whilst others simply remixed into a new alternate version.

Altogether it makes for a fascinating 30-minute listen, with the duo using the audience members as their drum kit on a cool mashup of Ride / Nico And The Niners, whilst also elsewhere serving up awesome live versions of Shy Away and Stressed Out. However, the pair save the best moment for last, combining two of their best songs in Car Radio and Heathens into a spectacular grand finale.

Listen here

Exotico by Temples

If you are looking for a summer indie rock record bursting with catchy melodies, glistening guitar solos and trippy instrumentals, then look no further. English Psych-rockers Temples recently returned with their dazzling new album, Exotico, which is just a whole heap of fun.

Drawing shades to the likes of Tame Impala, MGMT and Life Is Yours-era Foals but with that vintage 70s psychedelic sound, this is Temples at their bold, cinematic best. Single Gamma Rays already feels like it could be one of the songs of the summer, whilst the title track plays out like the soundtrack to a futuristic Western. The first third of the record really is all killer and no filler, with early favourite Oval Stones boasting the catchiest orient-inspired groove.

Of course, at 16 tracks and pretty much an hour in length, the less patient few may find listening to Exotico front to back in one sitting a bit of a challenge, especially within the current trend of shorter 30–40-minute albums. However, Temples do reward those who stay the course, with the hypnotic synths of Giallo, the mesmerising tropical guitars of Inner Space and the paranormal sonic vortex that is penultimate track Afterlife, just some of the delights in the latter half of the record.

I’m already finding a lot to enjoy in this new Temples record, and I can’t wait to return to it on those hazy summer days that are (hopefully UK weather!) coming up.

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Forever Means EP by Angel Olsen

And on the shortplay front, American singer-songwriter Angel Olsen recently returned with a spellbinding new four track, 15-minute listen. Opener Nothing’s Free is my personal highlight, a haunting ballad centred around Olsen’s soft vocals with a light jazz-blues inspired arrangement. Once those horns arrive towards the back-end, you’re sure to be swept away.

The title track also leaves a big impression, featuring a simple guitar backing and Olsen’s aching falsetto vocals with some slight shades to the late, great Jeff Buckley. The folksy Time Bandits is equally gorgeous, before Holding On offers up the fist-pump-the-air, triumphantly defiant finale, full of big rock guitars as Olsen heartbreakingly sings “Couldn’t see the light you brought to me, now you’re gone and I can see.” An excellent EP that continues Olsen’s typically fantastic recent output.

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Garden Party by Rose City Band

“There’s no better way to describe Rose City Band, and this new record especially, as the tightest, most enjoyable first set the Grateful Dead would perform in the late-70s - one in which we’re treated to the best freeform guitar interplay that’s still reigned in before the sun sets on a second set full of surprises. “Porch Boogie” invites the dirt churners to groove as Paul Hasenburg’s keys work (phenomenal throughout the album) fills the gaps of Johnson’s psychedelic solos.

As much as Earth Trip fit the times in which it was crafted, Garden Party returns to the carefree picnic days of Summerlong and builds upon that feeling for their best record. Letting the Rose City Band catalog breathe on the road has opened the door to the complete capabilities of Johnson’s vision for the project, and his supporting cast is absolutely locked in right now.”

Read Kiley Larsen’s full review here

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Also worth checking out: 72 Seasons by Metallica, Fuse by Everything But The Girl, Plus Ultra by Chappaqua Wrestling, Multitudes by Feist, Intellectual Property by Waterparks, Big Picture by Fenne Lily, Stay Teenage EP by Billy Tibbals

Tracks of the Week

Couldn’t Make It Up by Ben Howard

Two years since his last release Collections From The Whiteout, singer-songwriter Ben Howard has announced his new album Is It? will be released fairly imminently this coming June. With Ben you never really know what to expect from his albums other than they are usually a fascinating listen, but he’s given us a bit of insight to the album’s possible direction with this jangly summer number that will serve as the album’s opening track.

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A Child’s Question, August by PJ Harvey

Also announcing a new album this week is the legendary Polly Jean Harvey, whose tenth album will be coming this July and is titled I Inside the Old Year Dying. Interestingly it will also be her first independent release since 1992, having recently signed with Partisan Records. In her own words, “the album is about searching, looking – the intensity of first love, and seeking meaning.” The first taste is A Child’s Question, August, a typically stirring folk track led by ritual-like drumming and Polly’s choral voice.

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The Score by Grian Chatten

The Fontaines D.C. frontman also made a splash this week, releasing his debut solo single - The Score. There’s no official word on a full length yet, but this first taste of what Chatten’s solo material could deliver is mighty intriguing, a sunkissed and string-tinged acoustic number written on a lustful night in Madrid.

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Mermaids by Florence & The Machine

Last Friday, Florence quite unceremoniously reissued her acclaimed 2022 album Dance Fever, this time titled The Complete Edition and featuring a couple of reworked versions and a few new tracks. One of these new tracks is Mermaids and it is already one of my favourite Florence & The Machine tracks. Powered by rumbling horns, exquisitely written lyrics and an anthemic refrain of “Cheerful Oblivion”, it’s a phenomenal track that I can’t quite believe didn’t make the original album cut.

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This Is A Photograph II by Kevin Morby

One of my Top 20 Albums of 2022, Kevin Morby’s This Is A Photograph was an incredible project, autobiographical and reminiscent whilst also sonically invigorating. Now, the Texan singer-songwriter is releasing a new companion project to that record, titled More Photographs (A Continuum). The album will feature reworkings as well as completely new songs, with this first taste a sort of a mix of the two – a funky and cinematic sequel to the original album’s brilliant title track.

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Love Make A Fool (Orchestral Version) by James

Mancunian indie legends James have begun their much-anticipated new tour this week, where they will be joined by a full orchestra and gospel choir on all dates. Alongside the tour their new orchestrated record Be Opened By The Wonderful is due out in early June, celebrating the band’s 40th anniversary. Although it will predominantly feature reworked versions of their greatest hits, there is also this new gorgeous new track, Love Make A Fool. Wonderfully arranged with poignant lyrics, it serves as a welcome reminder as to just how James have managed to still endure after all this time.

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Double Fantasy by The Weeknd featuring Future

It won’t be long now until The Weeknd’s HBO show The Idol hits our screens, due to premiere this June. Naturally I’m expecting the show to have a killer soundtrack, and this atmospheric, neon-soaked collaboration with Future is a good indicator that my expectations are correct.

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Mother by George FitzGerald & SYML

Hot off the back of his brilliant 2022 album Stellar Drifting, electronic musician George FitGerald has announced a new four track EP titled Not As I will be arriving this June. Mother is the first single from the project, a beautifully ambient groove featuring American musician SYML on vocal duties.

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High Life by Bloc Party

It has become tradition for indie legends Bloc Party to release a standalone single following the release of an album, with gems like Two More Years, Flux and One More Chance gifted to fans over the years. Whilst High Life isn’t quite to that standard, it’s a great upbeat summer tune with a danceable central guitar riff and a catchy chorus.

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Children by Opus Kink

A band who released my EP of the Year in 2022 with ‘Til The Stream Runs Dry, ska-punk outfit Opus Kink have a new EP on the way in May titled My Eyes Brother! Children is one of three tracks to have been released from the project so far and is my current favourite, a wonderfully maddening sensual barrage of snarling vocals and cacophonous trumpets.

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The Analyst by pecq

And finally this week, electro indie duo pecq have recently released their latest single from their forthcoming EP, Amnesia’s Ritual, which is due out in early May. Offering unique, entirely self-produced soundscapes, pecq blend ambient electronics, ethereal vocals and field recordings into tracks that are quite special. The Analyst is a perfect example of this, and a good way of introducing you to their dreamy sound.

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Also worth checking out: Ribs by Rachel Chinouriri, Don’t Let Me Down by Gus Dapperton & BENEE, Rescued by Foo Fighters,The Canary Trainer by Smashing Pumpkins, Jealousy by The Xcerts, Three Drums by Four Tet, Time (is a healer) by Keir, Life Is Yours (Dan Carey Dub) by Foals

REMINDER: If you use Apple Music, you can also keep up-to-date with all my favourite 2023 tracks through my Best of 2023 playlist. Constantly updated throughout the year with songs I enjoy, it is then finalised into a Top 100 Songs of the Year in December.

Add the playlist to your library here

[multitrackdrifting]

cant wait till its 2024 so i can post "collision course - jay z / linkin park is 20 years old" to make people feel old. on that note, that EP is 19 years old.