#definitely has a whole playlist of songs that are just rock covers

[jdlover]

Archer headcannons

Let's begin with how the Party Crashers were formed

Bash (Archer's brother) went around to different places and collected party supplies

When Archer was 12 Bash decided to give him a small birthday party

But Bash wanted more and convinced other kids around his age to form the Party Crashers

Archer was against this but Bash was his brother so he couldn't do anything about it

They traveled around like that for 4 years

One time Poppy snuck him cake while he was in the Fungeon and he cried out of joy

'How come a completely different species who knew he was going to betray them treated him better than his own brother!?'

After the Party Crasher arc is over he lives in Branch's bunker

He and Branch grew close since they were similar

Branch once gave him a bracelet that said 'brother'

Archer never took it off

Picked up black smithing and has a SWORD

Has a pet critter bug named Glitz and he rides them like a hoverboard

Glitz can make music and tries to get Archer to sing more often

After TWT he learns about rock music and immediately LOVES it!

He tries to pretend he thinks it's fine but geeks out to Branch in private

He has a preference for punk and pop rock

The ACTUAL name of his species is the Lyrm

They're not really that closely related to bergens

Is a member of the redemption trio

I like to think when Archer meets Brozone he's very passive aggressive towards them when Branch is around

As soon as Branch leaves the room though

He's just aggressive

'Branch opened up to him and his brothers think they can just come back into his life like they didn't leave him for 20 years!?'

'NOT ON HIS WATCH!'

He was the second one Branch told about Brozone before TBT

He's rarely physical but when he does it's mostly Clay pushing his buttons too much

He's chill with Kismet and even teams up with them against Brozone sometimes

Prefers to go by Archer

Still has some habits from being a scout like figuring out things about people and he even still has some disguises left

[sofiaruelle]

Oh wow, I was not expecting a whole drawing of them trying the dance and falling around. It's very beautifully done, I rmmbr just staring in awe for a while at first 🩵

I have another odd question about the she trio/ass gang, which u don't have to draw

Cause I saw a little video of Harvey going hard; dancing to MiseryxCPR(xReese's Puffs) and it had me laughing for a long while, and I wondered who would be the ones singing the song if say the stardrop saloon had some kind of karaoke night

My head tells me both Sam and Abagail would end up doing Reeses's puffs, but that would leave one of the other songs without a host :/

Harvey would probably end up saying stuff about how cpr doesn't require mouth-to-mouth anymore or smthn, and Shane probably worried Marnie would walk in-or just, too drunk off his ass having fun to care 🤔

nah man i just have to draw them. and oh look I even have another essay under readmore! 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂

✨Also my commissions are open! ✨ if anyone is interested! :D< please reblog/share the og comm sheet ,if you can! it would help me a lot thank you!!!

Honestly i can imagine them all just being pissed drunk before attempting to sing the song😂. i know fersure the SHE trio would require more liquid courage for it (heck even to join/start a kareoke sesh!)

Shane gives of major Kareoke Tito (uncle) vibes~. Yknow that one tito who specifically sings “My Way” by Frank Sinatra and has a bunch of classic rock songs under his belt. He’s not good at singing perse but he can at least carry a tune. He and Sebastian would totally connect with singing Misery. but like Shane vaguely knows the song (he’s heard it on radio a bajillion times but he doesnt know the name of the song so its not quite on his playlists) so he when he’s super sloshed and can barely read the screen, he tries to sing it from memory and misses a couple of the words. but hey! at least he knows the chorus and is in tune.

Meanwhile Sebastian has Misery “secretly” on his go to playlist. He doesnt admit it (the songs is too main stream and overplayed but he stumbled upon a vocaloid cover and rest is history.) He definitely always chooses the song every kareoke sesh (although not his first choice) and he’s passionate about it even has a little performance too(lots of head bangs, fist pumps and that classic 2000s disney knees bent together, feet wide apart moment)! For his duet with shane he’s the first to shed a lil tear and that gets shane going and they cry through most of the song in their own lil misery world ignoring the chaos around them.

Sam is a fucking menace for singing CPR and I do agree He and Abigail would go off on Reese’s Puff BUT i can definitely imagine being commited to singing CPR (we all know he’d awkwardly twerk). Especially if it was to troll on Harvey who probably thought it was a wholesome song about doing CPR at a specific BPM. 😂

Harvey good lird poor harvey! He’s probably the most sober out of everyone. It doesnt help that he’s no light weight + lowkey becomes designated baby sitter everytime (he’s soooooooo going charge them extra in the morning if they come stumbling into his clinic asking for some hangover cure). He was so excited about adding a new song to CPR tempo list he was gonna teach at the nex first aid classes!! Who would have thought that a singer with a cute wholesome name like Cupcakke was just so… sooooo SCANDALOUS!!! He should have known Sam was up to something the moment he grabbed him by the shoulder!!! “This is medical malpractice, Samson!!!” He spends the whole trying to sush Sam who’s having so much fun laughing at Harvey’s reaction 😂

Abigal. F e r a l.

Help! Elliot has fallen over! He honestly just has a mild peanut allergy but he has been drinking and hooo boi. thats not good. thank goodness Harvey is sobered up (with the help of Sam ofc) and has an epipen on hand! Catch Leah cackling from her seat by the bar before assisting Harvey.

[k8-marsh]

songs that sound like chloe price sung them

okay so (naturally) i have playlists for most life is strange characters and i found a bunch of songs that sound like chloe sung them! :) it sounds more like her voice in 'before the storm' (rhianna devries) if anyone is interested. so yeah! i just thought it was cool! a lot of the songs also really suit chloe in their lyrics/genre too ^^

also i added photos to help you. visualise. hope you enjoy.

Sorority Girls - Mommy Long Legs

this one is so very chloe, especially with her hate for the vortex club (more specifically, victoria and nathan)

Hey, hey, hey, boys, let's go to the frat party The theme's white people, get your roofies ready Shoot their parent's money away And act like assholes every day!!!

I Threw Glass at My Friend's Eyes and Now I'm on Probation - Destroy Boys

honestly, for all of these songs the entire song sounds like her! this whole album in particular 'Sorry, Mom' is very chloe.

anyway i think this song could kinda be about chloe and frank ;

'Cause you're scary as shit, dude! Like I don't know really know what I can tell you You kinda freak me out, but we can be friends

Never invite me over ever again Just kidding, please do! I really wanna hangout with you

obviously NOT in a relationship way but frank was definitely a bad influence on chloe and someone she kinda looked up to. so i think it kinda fits!

Duck Eat Duck World - Destroy Boys (again)

okay... i'm about to put the whole album at this point, the singer's old voice really sounds like chloe!!!

this song seems like other people's criticisms of chloe;

Ever since you cut your hair You're so different, you don't seem to care Staying out late, X's on hands Since when do you like punk rock bands?

then this verse kinda seems like chloe talking about max leaving her -

I liked the girl with the long locks What's her name? I forgot Ten years and we haven't talked Well, there's a new girl on the block

and the 'new girl' is rachel!

Green eyes leaning in on me Green eyes, am I what you wanna see?

guess who has green eyes... that's right guys. rachel amber. are you seeing these links or what.

this analysis isn't, like, that i think that the artists wrote these songs about chloe, i just love thinking about songs in terms of chloe. as you can tell.

A few other songs from the same album that match chloe with their lyrics:

No Respect - chloe criticizing david!

You don't own everything I've been here for years Stop meddling in my affairs and I'll stop middling yours Get out of my face Such a typical dude Thinking that every tiny little thing is just about you

Goldilocks Spot

This one is kinda sad/subdued. I think this suits Before the Storm Chloe too, i mean she went through a LOT of shit.

My handwriting kind of looks like my dad's Tell me your story, it won't make me sad

...

I don't wanna talk about it anymore I don't wanna talk about it anymore I don't wanna talk about it anymore I don't wanna talk about it anymore So I won't

Junk

The title just gives me junkyard vibes, which is totally relevant to chloe :)

My car exhaust clinging to the base Shiny and lost with onion ring remains Precious flowers lost within the hour I guess you can say they were written to decay

Long and gone Long and gone, long and gone, long and gone Lost my junk again Lost my junk again

B.F.F (Actually from a later album!)

This reminds me of Chloe's breakdown in the junkyard. you know when she just started smashing everything. you can draw a correlation (fancy) between the title and max...

Nails through my baseball bat I'm telling you to step back girl, step back You're dead, you're dust, you're sewage now (< william!!!) You dug your grave and then you asked me how

edit: you thought i was done? absolutely not. i completely forgot about ashly burch's songs!!!!!!!!! MUAHAHAa.... okay. these are usually covers/parts of a show or play so they don't have as deep meaning. but obviously i'll find a way to relate it to chloe.

(Cover) Black Sheep by Metric

I love the second video so much, it's animated by this totally awesome dude on reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/lifeisstrange/comments/3nzxhc/animation_of_chloe_price_ashly_burch_singing/) but the video is private so I attached a different youtube link in case anyone wants to watch it.

Who's The Princess Now? (from Muzzled: The Musical)

The scream of 'who's the princess now, BITCHES??" is... very chloe to me. a little context, this song is from a very peculiar youtube musical episode series thing that ashly burch stars in, i watched it a few years ago and it's definitely something. it's actually got a bunch of popular youtube-musical people (like Joey Richter from Starkid) if anyone's interested. you can watch it here!

Song Battle (...also from Muzzled: The Musical)

okay. so for some reason i really love imagining chloe having a rap battle against victoria for this. someone please make it into an animatic. maybe i will.

How Do I Look? (you'll never guess where this one is from...)

i can also imagine chloe having a sick makeover and like chloe and rachel helping her. or something like that... anyways. rad.

Anyways. That's it for now, i hope anyone who remotely wanted this enjoyed it!!! i hope it helped if you wanted to create a playlist or animatic or anything or just have a little chuckle.... um. please let me know if you have any more ideas because my chloe playlist can never be long enough.

[lacecap]

vocaloid 2023

my whole youtube playlist, including numerous songs not listed, can be found here!

as per tradition, here are some of my personal fav songs from 2023 :-) standouts are definitely kyoufuu all back girl by yukopi & hito mania by sasuke haraguchi, not sure if i've seen any other vocaloid songs reach these levels of virality as instantaneously since goodbye sengen!

listing has my favorites towards the top (but the ranking isnt that strict), bolded are my super favorites, & some extra ramblings will be appended at the very end. smiles

2023 standouts :-)

first, my no. 1 top song:

none other than the viral & wonderfully bizarre hito mania by sasuke haraguchi :-) !! its not often that a song as popular as this takes my number one slot! haraguchi has this talent for making sounds that should not ever be used in a song just... work. its so ridiculously catchy that i havent tired of it at all, even with the truly Massive influx of covers/remixes/mads/memes made since. its charm is precisely in just how eccentric, bizzare, and most importantly new it is. its something really fresh to the scene & im looking forward to more of haraguchi's vocalsynth stuff in the future!!

and with that stated, on with the listing!

the awesomeness begins

here are some of my favorite songs out of the more mainstream, or rather more-likely-to-be-recognized, bunch:

(x) | akotoba by sasuke haraguchi ft. miku

i have a dedicated bullet point describing my love for this song at the very bottom of this post LOL

(x) | babel by iyowa ft. teto

(x) | unpoison by sodeno arawa ft. miku

probably the most potent earworm on this list to me

(x) | actress by iyowa ft. hanakuma chifuyu

(x) | anta ni akkanbe by hifumi ft. miku

(x) | shinjinrui by marasy, jin, and kemu ft. rin

(x) | for dear life by niru kajitsu ft. flower

(x) | neruna spooky by picdo ft. adachi rei

(x) | fantasia by sasakure.uk & uk rampage ft. miku

(x) | girl a remix by nekobolo ft. rin

(x) | od by akagami de wa nai ft. kaai yuki & miku

why are you only a minute long stop doing that to your songs you are killing them...

(x) | √ (roots) by minato ft. xingchen

(x) | bouquet garni by niru kajitsu ft. flower

(x) | the exit 8 by eo ft. rin

(x) | a mysterious call by r-906 ft. rose & popy

(x) | tiny me by masarada ft. teto

(x) | voidroid by r-906 ft. haru, miku, & una

(x) | warning time by youman ft. gumi <- tuninggg

(x) | x.e.n.o by sasakure.uk ft. miku & kaito

(x) | hoiyoho by yukuewat ft. kochie, anna nyui, and mine laru

(x) | (not) a devil by deco & pino-p ft. miku

(x) | do not solve me by frog96 ft. rime

(x) | a drowned body wants to be lovey-dovey by lonepi ft. miku

(x) | passing gazes, overlapping words by frog96 ft. teto

(x) | chilly by yomitan akane ft. teto

(x) | idiotic communication by isonosuke ft. chis-a

this song is like hito mania's beautiful estranged cousin or perhaps sibling to me

(x) | rarehen wa by wanopo ft. rin & len

(x) | self proclaimed angel by kat ft. tsurumaki maki

(x) | ime-chan wants to become a guitar hero by ime44 ft. yuki

(x) | denki youho by inabakumori ft. miku

(x) | honto no by sasuke haraguchi ft. teto

kind of a genius response song to hito mania's immense popularity imo

(x) | frog phenomenon by adeliae ft. kaai yuki

(x) | hito mania remix by camelots ft. teto

you know the remix is good when they sample crazy frog

hidden gem/underrated section

now thisss. is where the really good stuff is hiding.

note: this may include songs that are decently popular but whose producers are less so; or the inverse i.e. producers who are popular but with overlooked songs (meaning this is very subjective!)

(x) | A⇌あ⇌A by subesakuhin ft. mine laru

an english original subeana styled song! geuninely so obsessed with these lyrics

(x) | chef's kimagure rock by inuha ft. miku

(x) | hanashi kawaru kedo by inuha ft. miku

inuha has such a charming way of playing with tempo in their songs; this one in particular has very surprisingly sweet lyrics

(x) | lethe by aliey:s ft. miku

(x) | tapir by saeki tatsuki ft. miku

ohhhh. ohhhh. i will cry. i will

(x) | sunk cost by aliey:s ft. flower

(x) | keep your headaches by ryo iogi ft. teto

(x) | potentially avant-garde girl by yumameane ft. teto

(x) | nothingness by liru jinzhi ft. kaai yuki & shian

(x) | my speakers broke by asanuko ft otomachi una, len, & miku

song of the summer

(x) | lies and the future by uwabe ft. adachi rei

(x) | 奴隷 by atokata ft. nene nene

(x) | dance hall end by aruseika ft. miku

all-in-one talent alert (musician, artist, animator) aruseika also has a making-of video detailing how they both composed & animated the song!!

(x) | goodnight cold sleeper by ro2noki ft. adachi rei

(x) | デバフ脳 by last 4 cigarettes ft. tsukuyomi-chan

(x) | pained. by minamo minato ft. yamine renri

(x) | hymn to the decadent life by ro2noki ft. teto

(x) | tentacle by midluster ft. kaai yuki

(x) | edo disco by yumameane ft. teto

(x) | 焦燥 by kinoue64 ft. miku

(x) | tenshi dattandayo by ft. ǢǪ ft. miku & xingchen

(x) | rot away by lvnarlii ft. teto

(x) | ▀ by 全ては裏で動く。ft. defoko

(x) | counting sheep by saeki tatsuki ft. miku

watch this for the mv! its a loop of an animation that lasts only a few seconds, but its both beautiful & incredibly impressive being that its hand drawn

(x) | 頼リタイアガール by midluster ft. kanade kanon

(x) | repeated poems by 全て私達の所為にするな。

(x) | final end roll by kinoue64 ft. miku

(x) | eyesight love by xaneiro ft. flower

(x) | migiwa rinshou by nakase miru ft. rime

(x) | ⋆ by ueil ft. miku

(x) | 墓場 by den9 ft. teto

(x) | -_- by egao ft. defoko

i did not know their name is egao thats funny as hell

(x) | 潜 by 全て画質の所為です。ft. defoko

(x) | いはないお約束 by xaneiro ft. flower

warning for intense glitching/flashing throughout this mv!

rambling section

beautiful year for adachi rei & teto enjoyers in my opinion... tetos synthv release really caused such a huge uptick in teto originals & rei is still riding off of that heat abnormal high lol its been wonderful to witness

i promise you i'm surprised only one project voltage song made the list too! i guess i really only enjoyed inabakumori's song. jin's song is in here in spirit too (trans miku + eevee... perfection) but ultimately i'm not the hugest fan of the song itself (it is sooo cute though)

so many songs under two minutes long So so so sad this isn't healthy for them. you have to stop. this is a phenomenon happening across music in general and not specific to vocaloid whatsoever but i think its funniest to blame this on surii

quite a few xx/subeana styled songs made the list this year just bc i got really into exploring the genre!! and my youtube recommendations helped out a lot lol. keeping in true spirit with the genre though a number of them have since been unlisted

i included kyoufuu all back in the introductory paragraph but excluded it from my actual listing and this was not a mistake. i have sadly grown somewhat sick of it. such is the way with immense popularity... it really is a cute song but oh my god is yukopi getting so much damn mileage out of it

iyowa really knocked it out of the ballpark earlier this year with babel & actress those are both soooo so so good. actress in of itself is just a really well executed narrative whereas babel is such a clever song celebrating teto's synthv release (it being a duet between her synthv & utau banks, her drills quite literally as an inverted tower of babel, babel because her synthv bank allows her to sing in multiple languages... a slight copycat of a cynosure madonna!!!)

but mannn synthv releasing Both teto & gumi banks this year, not to mention the kafu announcement??? insane. its like a vocalsynth monopoly up in here

RAMBLING SECTION SOLELY FOR AKOTOBA: what a lovely lovely lovely song. part of its charm for me is the fact that, being a haraguchi song, you go into it expecting it to veer wildly off course or incorporate some sort of bizzare musical twist; but the twist is that there is no twist! its instead just this really pure & beautiful build up to a vibrant & joyful chorus, no tricks. its so celebratory sounding!! & i find it charming how its still obviously a haraguchi song, complete with his signature strangeness (the scream sfx), but tempered into something sooo sweet. the proseka note haraguchi wrote for the song too really melts my heart; i know it was meant to be somewhat humorous but i find something so so so beautiful in the concept of a song made for the first time in a world where music has all but virtually disappeared... im glad that miku + teto + haraguchi are all still alive and well in the year 3023 lol. genius move to have the title be a play on ai kotoba too. genuinely cannot help but break into a wide smile whenever i listen to this song

now with all my praise for haraguchi out of the way, my actual favorite producer of this year has to be.... yukuewat! i found them beginning of january and have been in love ever since. my favorite songs of theirs weren't released in 2023, so they make scant appearances on this list, but they were one of the producers i listened to the most this past year! their tuning is perfection to me, i feel like they occupy this really intrinsic-to-vocalsynth niche where their tuning is both robotic AND emotional; having all the harsh consonants and precisce diction you can only get from a vocalsynth but arrested with emotions that feel organic, despite sounding distinctly nonhuman. that is what vocalsynth is all about to me!!! not to mention their style is both addictively catchy & unique, i don't think i can name another musician off the top of my head who makes music like they do. theyre a huge huge favorite of mine, and with their gradually rising popularity, i hope more ppl come to recognize them soon!!!

and with all that said too, apparently according to youtube music my top artist for 2023 was not yukuewat but asanuko!!! i guess i listened to the speaker song more than i realized lol

if you read all of this i love you with my entire heart

[padsmoony04]

For the very obvious reason that there aren't many fanfics or stuff related to Jack, I've decided to share with you how I think he is like, so i hope you enjoy it :)

Disclaimer: sorry if there are any grammatical error, english it's not my first lenguaje. Remember most of this is made up.

Jack Champion it's like...

First things first, he's a theater kid. He has said it in a few interviews so I'm going to a assume that he probably (most likely) also like musical theater and that goes to the other theory wich is that he likes Hamilton, and it's also most likely that he has a couple (multiple) of the songs in he's playlist.

I wish I could also said that he's a swiftie, but I big part of me says that he's not a fan, but what I do think is that he does likes a few song's, like the mainstream one, for example shake it up, you belong with me, etc, etc, etc.

He's a fan of old school rock or old school music, like the beatles, queen, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson and anothers. I meanly assume this for the fact that he's favorite song it's lest groove.

A true gentleman and no one can tell me other wise, that boy was raised by he's mom and he's mom alone, so I just know that he's sweet mother teach him how to be respectful to women and to treat them as equals.

He's a little dorky, but in a cute way. I mean have you seen the interviews..? Lmao.

Jack very confident: do you know what blowing a raspberry is? 😏

Bailey laughing her ass off: that's the definition!

Jack: What?...

Bailey: That's the definition..! *still laughing*

Jamie: But I still don't know what it is! 😀

Jack:..Oh...

The way that I have seen how he's friendship with Trinity is, I'm going to say that he's a really gentle boy and honestly really sweet.

Also he does a lot of dad jokes or better said bad jokes. I mean, I saw a video of him when he was younger saying "do you know why the chicken cross the road?... to prove it wasn't chicken!".

He's very carismatic but I also feel that he has a shy side.

He loves to cuddle (something that he also said).

I have a theory that he's the type of boy that, when he has a crush, he does a lot of silly things to make he's crush laugh.

He didn't like scary movies until he was sixteen, but that doesn't mean he can get scared easily with some of those movies now.

My next assumption is that when he likes something he turns it in he's whole personally (and no, I'm not projecting wdym?)

He's a Scorpio, so I just know for fact that he doesn't have patience, like at all, and also he has a short temperament.

Loves dogs and cats, but I feel he's more of a cat person.

He definitely had that fase where he used to film videos for his "YouTube channel" like almost all 2000's babies did.

Cookie lover, don't ask me why I think this he just gives me the vibe.

Obviously he's a marvel fan, and he's favorite superhero it's Spiderman (and something tells me that when he got the role for spider he's brain associated the word immediately with the superhero)

He's Favorite holiday is Halloween.

He also gives me the vibe that he's a ride or die type of friend.

Definitely the one how's always joking around in he's friend's group.

When he gest nervous he laughs.

A completely softie.

Nature lover.

He said that when he gets older he would like to settle down and have a family of his own, and live close to nature in a really calm place.

He prefer small towns rather than big cities.

He gives the impression that if he gest a girlfriend/boyfriend (to not assume directly what he's attracted to) he would follow them averywhere like a little puppy.

Probably would like to post things about he's partner, but not too much to not over share with the internet.

Also a little bit clingy as well.

He also looks like he would used the pet name "baby" a lot.

He cursed almost all the time, but like unconsciously, it just comes from him naturally. And when he's not supposed to curse and can find himself to stop doing it he would cover he's mouth with both of he's hands (something that it's really cute if you picture it).

Even though he's carismatic, he would get all shy and smiley when someone gives him a compliment.

Anyways! I think that it's it! Hope you guys like and enjoy my little theories about the lovely boy Jack Champion <3.

If you have more ideas about him don't be afraid to share it, I would love to know what theories you have about him.

And again, sorry if there are any grammatical errors :)

[myjealouseyes]

What do you think Wolfstar!daughter would crave for while she was pregnant? I also think she would play music for her baby. Any particular type? And I can definitely see Harry speaking to her baby bump while they're in bed together 🥰

Wolfstar!daughter either craves normal things like baked goods, cheese, and fruits OR the most abnormal strange ungodly combinations known to humankind. Mustard on popcorn, mayonnaise and ketchup on pickles, tomatoes covered in olive juice, dirt, all of it! “You know what I’m craving right now?” Turn into Harry’s least favorite words.

That’s not to say that she eats all these things all the way through. Sometimes she eats one bite and just gives Harry a ‘why would you let me eat this’ look.

Remus and Sirius give her a playlist of songs to play their grandchild. Alternative, classic rock, jazz, you name it.

Wolfstar!daughter has woken up Harry talking to her stomach multiple times😭 he wakes up in the middle of the night and just starts having a whole conversation with their child.

[desire-mona]

dps boys (and keating's) favourite songs (aka me projecting because i love music) (also modern au because you cannot limit me to music before 1960 you just cant)

i made a playlist of all these songs in case you wanna give em a listen, you can find it here. if you totally disagree with me or wanna add more then absolutely let me know!

neil: talia - ride the cyclone (the musical)

yes i KNOW it's obvious to choose a song from a musical BUT. ride the cyclone is special, i think he'd really like the lack of an ensemble and enjoy the dark premise despite the comedic nature of a vast majority of the show. also i totally think his favourite performance would be by gus halper bc of the use of the projector. mischa or noel is definitely a dream role of his.

todd: vincent - james blake ('s cover, og by don mclean)

don mcleans lyricism is like catnip to poets and it has gone unacknowledged for far too long. a lyrically gorgeous, vaguely queer sounding song about a tortured artist, covered by someone with an ANGELIC voice. can you name anything more todd? not to mention the piano is so far beyond moving, nothing short of a masterpiece.

charlie: dear prudence - siouxsie and the banshees (again - a cover, og by the beatles)

firm believer that charlie was an avid beatles hater for a WHILE until eleanor rigby grew on him, much to his dismay. is now a casual beatles enjoyer, only due to the fact that their vocals annoy him. so a cover by siouxsie sioux (whom he most definitely has a crush on) is basically a blessing in disguise. loves the instrumentals, loves the vocals, loves all of it. insists that its better than the original and will ultimately die (correct) on that hill.

meeks: love on the line (call now) - her's

as much as i love and adore meeks, i have been loyal to my headcanon that he is an annoying music snob since day one. of course, this culminates in his favourite song being by THE indie pop/rock band that pretentious people love to bring up the death of. he is no exception, any time the band is mentioned he will without fail go "did you know that they died in a car crash?" either way, id be lying if i said this was a bad pick. the upbeat vibe mixed with the actual meaning of the song being about a guy wasting all his money on a sex hotline? it makes the whole song so fun, and thats right up his alley! super danceable too, which plays a huge part.

pitts: bad fruit - jean dawson

will mona ever shut up about jean dawson? signs point to no. anywho, if you've followed along with my pittsie musings then you KNOW that i consider pitts to be the most well versed music guy to ever step on welton academy campus. realistically, im sure his favourite song changes on a day to day basis, but he always comes back to this. jean dawson makes art that ive seen few do similarly, everything he brings to the table i find so incredibly unique and well crafted. definitely pitts' biggest music crush.

cameron: '39 - queen

absolutely, 100%, without a doubt, an extremely guilty pleasure. i take his parents as the type to ban queen in their household (for reasons that im sure youre able to pick up on) but i ALSO take cameron as a sucker for classic rock, match made in hell. of course, since brian may does the vocals on this song instead of freddie, he can listen on the dl and be fine. also, the concept of time travel in music is SO!!! INTERESTING!! would absolutely go on a 10 minute long tangent about the story and meaning of the song, which only mittsie would actually listen to.

knox: lavender buds - MF DOOM

fine, FINE. i'll give knox a proper headcanon, but i wont be happy about it. i think i would listen to MF DOOM a lot more if i was a former bully, but thats not actually based off anything so dont take that as an insult, avid listeners. honestly i dont really have an in depth explanation for this one, just look at the lyrics and youll understand.

(this repeats 3 times)

i also take him to be a big r&b/ blues enjoyer, also based off nothing at all, so the sample probably appeals to some sense of nostalgia.

keating: clair de lune - claude debussy

yes, even modern keating's fav song would be classical, you can rip that from my cold, dead hands. this song was based off the poem by the same title by paul verlaine, which i'll include because it is just so damn beautiful.

Your soul is a select landscape

Where charming masqueraders and bergamaskers go

Playing the lute and dancing and almost

Sad beneath their fantastic disguises.

All sing in a minor key

Of victorious love and the opportune life,

They do not seem to believe in their happiness

And their song mingles with the moonlight,

With the still moonlight, sad and beautiful,

That sets the birds dreaming in the trees

And the fountains sobbing in ecstasy,

The tall slender fountains among marble statues.

Paul Verlaine, 1869 (originally written in french, so this is a rough english translation)

now the song itself does SUCH a good job at capturing the beauty and moving parts of this poem, and it fits perfectly with a plethora of different emotions. i know without a shadow of a doubt that its his kryptonite. is that me projecting because i love this song and i love keating? absolutely, but i still think its true either way.

[numetaljackdog]

WILT 8/3/2024

spotify//youtube

and get this. song notes under cut

Limp Bizkit - No Sex: ahaha the funny bizkit band!!!!! except this song speaks deeply to some Themes 😐<-the seriouser. pretty sure i've talked about this one in past WILTs but it just continues to strike me as unusual to hear fred like this on significant other. it's such a shameful song, definitely with some large doses of deflection and passing the blame to the woman he's addressing in the lyrics, but it connects on a base emotional level that fred rarely operated on at this point in bizkit hiztory, and an emotional level which i operate on every day of my life. this is in my top 3 lb songs

Jerk - I Hate People Like That: whenever i'm listening to this song, it's the best song in the world. i discovered this through the "crazy-ass moments in nu metal history" instagram page and loved the live video (the singer looks so cool!!) but hearing the studio version for the first time was the real jaw-dropper. recommend the whole album, some of the crunchiest, tastiest, most australian industrial i've ever heard

Deftones - Lotion: FINALLY entering my deftones era with lots of around the fur. lotion came on shuffle whilst i was mightily zooted one day and i decided that this was, in fact, the best song ever. the little vocal riff in the chorus? wild. plus ngl i do feel sickened

Fabricoh - Arm the Left: what a cool hardcore band :)

Coal Chamber - Fiend: idrc about coal chamber that much but this shit bumps

Klokwise - Bounce With This: as i believe i mentioned, this is one of my current favorite tracks from a newer nu metal band. hype as fuck, good riff, lots of bouncing. one thing i like best about klokwise is that they have a catchphrase. fucking brilliant way to build a community around your band. people can just say WISE UP and if you're with it then you immediately know what's up

Faith No More - Jizzlobber: speaking of themes and topics. i have been getting more into fnm due to reasons beyond my control and well frankly they are so bangers. "banger" doesn't really cover this one though this is straight up freak shit those vocals are crazyyyy

Cradle Of Thorns - Flesh: before videodrone was videodrone they were a strange little diy industrial outfit that made some independently-released records throughout the 90s. i've much yet to explore from the back catalog but this is a jam that's a combination of sexy and nasty and funny. included in the youtube playlist is footage of ty what's-his-name flailing and screeching like a wet little loser faggot boy

Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us: i followed the beef from about the midpoint to the conclusion and i'm still marveling at how thoroughly kendrick lamar put that man in the dirt. and made some bangers along the way, this shit is in my head everyday

Faith No More - Digging the Grave: the singing so good. that's all i really have for this one rn, this is the newest addition to the rotation

Boskat - Boiler: honestly rudeboy really deserves most of the credit for this, like yeah boskat came up with a catchy riff but otherwise it's like barely their song. plus i checked out some of their other shit and it's mid as hell. really good nu revival track but seems like a total fluke unforch. plus idk why they shied away from just saying "dick" like grow up

Joey Valence & Brae - Packapunch: been bumping some jvb recently, which is where some of the beastie posting has been coming from. i'm a little cynical about some of their new stuff like ohhhh yeah i bet you want to add nu jazz and breakcore and w/e to your sound yeah i bet your online-as-fuck audience eats that shit up. but then also i'm part of that audience and i kind of do. so i guess they've got me there. plus danny brown! i'm serious about the beastie girls thing btw

Blondie - Rapture: another legitimate claim for the title of first-ever rap rock song! which is crazy bc it comes out of nowhere. like wow this blondie song is good in the way that most blondie songs are g- hey wait what. i love new wave and art punk and other stuff too. plus debbie harry's voice sounds realllll sexy when she sings the song title

P. O. D. - School of Hard Knocks: from little nicky. it's nu memtal

Insane Clown Posse - Hum Drum Boogie: oh goody! anyway me + the crew have been jamming this album recently and this song is so funny. MY BALLS

Charli XCX - Guess featuring Billie Eilish: i like girls :) this track strikes me as like a modern take on the paradigm of older club hits where there's like a male rapper who's the main artist and a female singer who's featured and does the hook and through the lyrics the narrative of performance is that they're gonna fuck down on each other. this is that but instead of pitbull or whoever it's billie eilish. and well that's kind of awesome. becuase of lesbian sex

Natalie Portman - Natalie's Rap: i don't give a fuckkkk about snl but i love when women rap and i love when it's violent on purpose

Chris Korda - Save the Planet, Kill Yourself: i got obsessed with the church of euthanasia recently after reading a bunch about the unabomber and that led me to chris korda's music which admittedly is not something i would give a fuck about if not for everything else going on with her. i would have added "i like to watch" instead of this but for some strange reason that i just can't fathom it doesn't seem to be widely available anywhere. weird!

Insane Clown Posse - I'm Ugly: actually awful song but soooo fucking funny. and then it gets kind of hard at the end and i stand by that

BONUS TRACK!

Trapt - These Walls: fuck these guys and their shitty band but also this song is kind of real as fuck....... like yeah man i would trade everything for this. however this was almost certainly purely incidental as all their songs sound like they were made in a lab

[rocksibblingsau]

Hi @rocksibblings, it’s me again! Today I am here to suggest some music inspiration! So I just saw the Broadway musical “& Juliet” for my birthday a couple weeks ago (loved it) and I was also taking some notes on how some songs might fit in with your fic. For context, & Juliet is a jukebox musical so basically, their songs are covers of existing music (mostly by well-known artists). A good amount songs are “pop” songs but I think the musical covers kinda lean more towards a pop-rockish vibe. I also have someone in the family in the acting community and they said all audition song requirements for the musical are “pop-rock” so I think it can work out pretty well. (I like the Broadway version better than the actual songs themselves, but I'm literally a musical theatre kid so I’m biased lmao)  Anyway, here are my top three:

“It’s My Life” (Genre - Rock), Mainly Romeo’s part, I feel like this song fits Branch so much, it could be used as a statement/declaration song for his newfound rock style of life. I can also see his found family filling in the other parts and “certain” pop trolls filling the part when Romeo interrupts at the end (It’ll make more sense when you listen to it). This is a cover of Bon Jovi which I didn’t listen to completely but I’d say it’s worth listening to. It can also be a good opportunity for Branch to say his first cuss word at the end lol.  (P.S. Romeo’s outfit has a stereotypically punk/rock vibe so you can check that out if you want) Out of all the songs, I highly suggest you listen to this one (10/10). "It's My Life" – & Juliet Original Broadway Cast Recording 

“Since U Been Gone” (Genre - Pop Rock) - Pretty Iconic Song, Original by Kelly Clarkson, can fit with Branch along with many situations. It’s not a stereotypical song for rock and sounds more pop to my ear, but I think it could work out in a way somehow (6/10). "Since U Been Gone" – & Juliet Original Broadway Cast Recording

“Fuckin Perfect” (Genre - Pop) - Orginal by Pink, Not bad as an emotional song. It is a pop song though but I think the title and the lyrics as well as the message it brings across could work out well, especially since we have an ongoing problem with perfection. Definitely can see someone singing this to Branch. Not high on my list, but I think it’s worth a try (7/10). "Fuckin’ Perfect" – & Juliet Original Broadway Cast Recording

Honorable Mentions: Stronger, Show me the Meaning of Being Lonely, Problem/ Can’t Feel My Face, One More Try

So yeah I really hope you get to listen to these songs, I love this musical and I highly suggest you check it out (it’s pretty much all i’ve been listening to). If you get a chance I suggest you listen to whole the playlist if you like the covers. But most of all I hope some of these songs help. That’s all for now, can’t wait for the next chapter and stay hydrated!

Thank you for the recommendations! When possible for any songs that appear in fic I'm going to be using the originals rather than genre changes (except in a few... special cases ;)) but as songs to listen to while I work I love these!

I really like It's My Life, namely Romeo's part! It's funny, the start of it reminds me of a boy band song that I can't remember (I wanna say Larger Than Life? but I'm too lazy to look it up).

Rock covers of pop songs always hit so hard. The cover of Bad Romance by Halestorm? Perfection.

I could see a couple people singing 'Fuckin' Perfect' to Branch!

[a-crow-is-white]

media with mads volume 1

OK I've decided that I am not going to wait until January to start this, so... I am going to open with an album I've listened to multiple times since 2018, but only actually was able to add it to my collection this year! (Because I wanted free shipping from Amaz*n Japan, and there was one copy of this album left in stock.)

Crying End Roll by indigo la End (listen along here)

I was first recomended 見せかけのラブソング (Fake Love Song, track 2) on sp*tify back in 2018 while I was making a playlist for an OC, and imediately this song made an impression on me. The vocalist's soft yet not forced head voice, the melodic guitars, the piano... I had almost fallen in love with a song. It's just soft rock, but it is rich and layered in a way that really makes you want to wrap yourself up in it.

From that point I went ahead and just listened to the entire album, and Enon Kawatani (vocalist/guitarist/songwriter) literally blew me away. (That I ended up also listening to his other bands, but that's a story for another day) Regardless my japanese is akin to a 2 year old so there's not much I can say about the lyrics themselves-- but his delivery is so full of emotion in this album I certainly feel something. I was moved! The album from start to finish is an easy listen, which I would liken to a sunny Sunday afternoon. Throughout the guitar and drums drive slowly but with enough intent that it feels like a leisurely walk through a park. While the album cover is blue, the songs feel more like a soft yellow with a tinge of melancholic blue.

"Melancholic Blue" is definitely a good way to describe the album as a whole-- The opening track 想いきり (Feelings) opens with 「私が何人目なの？」 (How many people have I been?) and the chorus's driven guitar chords chug out the wavering feeling of not being able to be commited to someone, but regretting it.

I think this sets the stage for the following songs, really coming to a head on the 5th track, 鐘泣く命... Which I feel like the title is really hard to translate for someone with no JP experience. Literally it reads as 'Crying Bell Life' but I think it means something closer to 'The Toll of Fate'. The opening drum roll and guitar riff really peak that melancholic feeling-- only slightly slowing for the vocal track. The vocals are a bit more rough than sung like previously, and the pull into the chorus is really 'pulling on heartstrings' to me! I choose to interpret the lyrics as a unrequited love song; loosing your chance to confess, but facing each day hoping that they will confess or show mutual intrest. The closing lines delivery really kick for me: "もっともっと愛させてよ/命を越える間際まで" (Let me love you more and more until I cross that edge) .... A little extreme, but I'm sure anyone who has a crush would understand the feeling!

Overall 'Crying End Roll' is a bittersweet, melancholic album about the central character's inablilty to comunicate their love to someone they feel strongly about. (Including the song about being a cat, which I think furthers this imagery hah!) The musical soft rock/pop/easy listening stylings really help push that narrative, which as a listener I felt compelled and touched, and think about my loved ones and how much I want them to succeed & to continue loving me despite my own hardships in communicating.

P.S. I love singing these songs at karaoke too because they're so easy to follow along with, despite Enon's vocals being so distinct (I personally love his voice ahha). I hope even just a little bit for my friends to listen along and enjoy this album as much as I have. 💗

[rattkween86]

Yes its me 😁 ive sorta been on and off a lot and not been the best at keeping in contact with everyone, lotta shit in my personal life, I'm on a writing Hiatus at the moment, but planning to come back soon hopefully.

I probably need to do another playlist clean out as well... after i make one for Billy and add all the songs we have discussed so far haha

Pour some sugar on me is so clichè for a sex song, but its hot and it works and Def Leppard is one of my favourite 80s bands by far, i think Billy would definitely be a Def Leppard fan, so many of their songs have a sexy vibe and thats Billy lol

That mirror scene where he shoves the colonge down his jeans lives rent free in my head 🤣 i think anything in the adult entertainment industry would suit Billy because he loves female attention and what better way to get it and the added bonus of money lol

Loverboy is such a good band, i definitely need to add more of their stuff to my existing 80s playlist.

Even though this one is a bit older than the 80s, i think Billy still would have heard it, I cant quit you baby by Led Zepplin.

I have never heard anyone call Aussie slang beautiful before, that's definitely a first haha

I'll have to make a post some day with some Aussie slang and tag you in it 😁

Here's one for the day:

We call a liquor store a bottlo pronounced bottle-o kinda like Jello haha

-🇦🇺 anon

Ahhh, yeah I totally understand. 💗 I took a pretty long break for a while and just recently came back, but the writing part is imaginary at the moment lol. I sometimes take a bit to post/answer asks because I'm usually scrolling in between schoolwork as a procrastination tactic, and it's bad lol. But I always love reading your work though, and I'm excited to see what comes next, but definitely take all the time you need! A break can be really nice. I know my brain always cooperates better after one 😅

I'm so excited for this playlist. I've been slowly adding things over the past few days as I listen to music while doing schoolwork, and it's a whole vibe. Billy would totally be into Def Leppard. I know he's into the heavier stuff too, but I always envision him also loving the glam rock/sexy summer songs. And he has to be into Led Zeppelin, that is a perfect idea. I've been listening to Cover Queen by Tesla, and I think it's something he would add to his tapes. I also hc that he's into ZZ Top even though it's a bit different from his usual vibe lol. BUT - I don't think he's a Poison fan. I'm not sure why, but that has never meshed in my mind.

The cologne asjdfl; and the stupid little face he makes when he does it is just....yeah, I hate that it does something for me, but it's real 😂 That man would have a lucrative adult entertainment career. He could be changing a lightbulb onstage, and I'd throw my money at him lmao.

A BOTTLO, I LOVE IT. I just think it's creative. All the other slang people have are usually just shortened versions of words or words that mean something totally different and just have a metaphorical context. Aussie slang says "we're just gonna make up a whole new series of sounds for this and go with it," and it's really the best.

If you do make that post, please do tag me, I would love to see all of it lol.

[mvsic0]

the 2nd anniversary update for project sekai has put my standards high for 3rd anniversary so here’s some things i hope could be added for 3rd anniversary

1. ALT COVERS FOR VERY OLD SONGS!!!! this is my most wanted thing

i know that they already give alt covers to songs from like 5 months ago but what i mean is dappou rock tsukasa alt cover

other than a solo tsukasa dappou rock, i would also LOVE to see..

- bocca della verita mafuyu solo

- doctor = funk beat solo from either (or both) akito or toya

- maybe alt covers for newly edgy idols or ready steady

that’s all i have right now, but i hope if this would be real they would do more

2. ability to see where your friends are in event rankings

i always wonder what placement they’re in and i think it would be fun

it could either be in the friends tab or a separate section in the event rankings tab

3. added 3dmvs for songs that originally dont

this goes both for comms and covers cause for a lot of songs i dream about their 3dmvs

because while the 2dmvs mean you get the full song i Really don’t like pjsk 2dmvs.. even the recent ones like darling dance and phony still have all of the problems i have with their 2dmvs, but this isn’t about that 😅

there’s already full choreographs for songs that don’t have 3dmvs from the connect lives and those stage concerts, for example the infamous king 3dmv

so they could just use that choreography and just have to make the sets, effects, and camera work

i do think the recent 3dmvs for pjsk are really cool and wonderful so i would love to see 3dmvs for songs get added

(and i now just remembered awhile ago there was a leak for how some songs will get added 3dmvs.. and like it was real because someone was able to get the data for dramaturgy 3dmv and show the world and i saw it.. does this possibly mean my hope can be real?)

updating on 8/18 more stuff i would want

4. as someone said cross unit covers and comms would be SO cool and i think most rhythm gacha games do this so i would want pjsk to start doing this too

they can at least do these covers and songs in context of a story i just want more

5. SIBLING STORIES ARC AGAIN

before 1st anni they all had mixed events with each siblings (saki as focus w/ tsukasa [and toya], akito focus w/ ena and shizuku focus w/ shiho) SO for the duration from 3rd anni- 4th anni i would love for them to do like an “update” of those events and they just switch the focus to the other sibling

so they will have a mixed event with tsukasa as the focus and saki, ena focus with akito, and shiho focus with shizuku

updating 8/24 I HAVE MORE IDEAS

6. FULL VERSION OF THE ALT VOCALS

they can just post them on their youtube channel and i will be so happy

they definitely can do full versions of solo/duet alt vocals as they posted a hated by life 2dmv during the start of the game that uses kanade’s solo alt vocal AND ITS THE FULL VERSION!!

the only alt vocals that we have that are the full versions not including hated by life is just when the whole song is in the game already

SO i need full alt vocals

updating at 9/5

7. MORE STUFF TO DO ON THE MINI MAP

on bandori there USED to be a thing called lounge convos where it would just be the characters having a conversations like live that you watch and they actually move and react to the convo but anyways THATS WHAT I WANT PJSK TO HAVE

i would love for even just another shop be added

also i would love if they could do that idea of where you’d choose which sekai you’d want to go to through this playlist and you’d click on whatever song belonged to the sekai cause i think that was a really cool idea and would make the world feel more.. fun?

(context an image is in the game files from when the game was still in development of where it showed this playlist menu and you picked whatever song belonged to whatever sekai and it seemed that sekais were locked until you reached some point in the main story for each unit)

8. costumes for past 4 stars

this is probably the most unlikely as they would have to model so many outfits but.. wonder magical showtime nene needs a costume

that’s all i can think of for now.. i may edit this post to add more but talk about your ideas!!!

[bittersweetresilience]

songs from my playlist kitty section would listen to

ROSE LAVILLANT

arch enemy – reason to believe

You are more than they'll ever know Like sand through your fingers Don't let your life slip away This prison of glass can't hold you back no more Self hatred I know it well, it's dragging you down Listen to me now There's a reason to believe again There's a reason to go on

starting strong with a female screamer, clean vocals, power ballad. rose is an inspiration

august burns red – float

We all move like spirits in the wind We've been stripped of what used to be within If everyone had more soul Maybe we would have more control We're the ones to blame if everything stays the same Stays the same Where's the fire, the desire An inherent right to stand up and fight

she sees metal as empowerment. she and juleka would listen to this band together

LUKA COUFFAINE

polyphia – chimera

he is a guitarist next question. math rock and technical death metal would be his home

animals as leaders – red miso

he loves picking apart instrumental tracks and experimenting with rhythmic and tonal variations. he loves when each member of a band has their own unique flavor and contribution

JULEKA COUFFAINE

dream theater – panic attack

Why do I feel so numb Is it something to do with where I come from Should this be fight, or flight I don't know why I'm constantly so uptight

one of the most impressive basslines in progressive metal and self explanatory subject matter. juleka uses music to express her emotions

la dispute – king park

i don't have anything to say for this one. heavy content warnings.

IVAN BRUEL

slaughter to prevail – bratva

russian deathcore, guttural vocals, and powerful drums. what's not clicking here

slipknot – psychosocial

Sinking in, getting smaller again I'm done, it has begun I'm not the only one And the rain will kill us all Throw ourselves against the wall But no one else can see The preservation of the martyr in me

stoneheart moment for real. do you see this guy's shirt and the poster he was holding in révolution

ADRIEN AGRESTE

avenged sevenfold – the stage

Who is the crowd that peers through the cage As we perform here upon the stage? Tell me a lie in a beautiful way I believe in answers just not today Hope my wheels don't abandon me now Seeing that I'm out here alone I'm running out of fight And the wind speaks a comforting voice Guiding me to her arms Mother, I'm alright

luka showed him this song to ease him into the genre. adrien isn't sure how he feels about it but he definitely feels something

oceans ate alaska – hansha

Detached from everything that lives and breathes Emotions just words on a screen So fabricated is the life we lead So fabricated is the life we lead Side by side You'll watch the whole world pass you by

another fantastic introductory piece. he's really getting into it now

MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG

as i lay dying – my own grave

I thought I was an architect, but I was just moving dirt Stacking mud over malice covered up, forming nothing but a pile of hurt I hadn't been building The time was spent digging Boring the barriers that kept others away The deeper the walls, the less anyone could hear me fall So now I know there is no one else to blame

a bonus for all fellow season finale enjoyers. this girl wore skulls on her prom dress

(playlist masterpost)

[moorearoundtheworld]

Top Albums of 2023

Look at this, its my latest list ever, but better late than never right?!

2023 was definitely the musical year of the sad girl for me, this will come as no surprise to those of you who have followed the list before, but they seem to have amassed in a way this year that had not previously been as dominant.  That's not to say that there aren’t some really fun albums on here, and as discussed in my radio appearance last summer sad boy/sad girl/sad they/them music doesn't all have to sound sad right off, but the underlying themes for many artists in today's social media era is that they struggle with self image, understanding fame, relationships, ect.  

That brings me to my other consummate theme, honesty. For me musicians that present something of themselves in their art just brings things to another level.  While I like a good sing along anthem as much as the next guy, if you're gonna make an album that makes it into the top 10 of my yearly list, you have to have something to say (or just be purely infectious for no apparent reason).  One theme that is finally missing from the list is pandemic albums, there's still a stray song about how our world turned upside down a few years back but it seems most bands are ready to move on to the next chapter of their creative careers, and I definitely think that is a good thing.

For those of you who are new to the list, a quick synopsis of how I go about this, first of all an “album” in my definition is something over 6 tracks and 30 minutes long, there are a lot of EPs and LPs and singles out there that are a ton of fun, but I still support musicians putting together a collection of music in a specific order that has meaning beyond the playlistification of our modern music scene (yes I will be encouraging you to listen to a playlist below and the irony is not lost on me).  I take all the albums I listened to in the past year and put them in one big playlist sometime around October/November and listen to them all as much as I can to try and rank them (see below for this monster playlist). Then I write a little blurb about each and I pick one track from the album as the “Top Track.”  Those go into another playlist with a mix of songs that also came out last year but didn’t make it onto an album to make my Top 100 Tracks of 2023 which is a great place to start if you are looking for some new music or curious about my musical wonderings for the year but can’t be bothered to read a whole article about them.  And...without further adieu, onto the list, enjoy!

Top 100 Tracks of 2023

Top Albums In Total Playlist

60. Hozier-Unreal Unearth

It's hard to believe that Unreal Unearth is only Hozier’s third studio album, after the mega-success he endured on his album in 2015, he has delved into more of his Irish roots here while sticking with the similar sound listeners have come to know and love.

Top Track: Damage Gets Done (Feat. Brandi Carlile)

59. Murder By Death-As We Wish

This short but fun cover album from the Indiana Folk-rockers features a TLC cover, an Elliot Smith Waltz, and a cover of Highwayman.  Though a diversion from their typical musical stylings their versions of these songs are oddly infectious.

Top Track: Waltz #2

58. HARBOUR-To Chase My Dreams, or to Just Lie Down?

The fourth full length release from Cincinnati native HARBOUR features their trademark high energy indie rock capped off by lead singer Ryan Grant’s powerful head voice vocals.  This album is a fun ride that signifies that they are in fact not lying down any time soon.

Top Track: I Can’t Stand It

57. Hannah Jadaju-Aperture

This year's first sad girl on the list, Jadaju’s first full length release is a bit more polished than her acclaimed 2021 EP recorded entirely on her iPhone 7.  The increased production value helps the listener focus on her skilled vocals and allows her to play a bit more with bigger sounds.  Much of the album remains relatively spare with simple guitar lines and drum machines as on her previous releases but the added range of sounds lets her play a bit more with the structure and feature her production prowess.

Top Track: Say It Now

56. Matt Wertz-Recently

Matt Wertz is Married could be a secondary title for his eighty full length release and first since his late 2020 nuptials.  Though his musical style remains a similar mix of gentle vocals over plucked guitars, the content has definitely shifted away from searching for love and toward appreciating it.

Top Track:Recently

55. John Mark McMillan-DEEP MAGIC

Contemporary Christian Alt-Pop McMillan dazzles with his wobbly baritone and unique and honest lyrical style that invites in fans of slightly odd musical stylings across all genres. And just when you think this is just another alt pop album the Saxophone intro hits on Atlanta and it takes a fun turn as he sings to his wife.

Top Track: Deep Magic

54. BAILEN-Tired Hearts

The NYC based Indie-folk sibling trio’s second studio release is packed with haunting triple harmonies that can only come from a literal lifetime of singing with each other.  Wrap that in a package of deep bass lines, string arrangements and synth lines and you get a soft yet striking mix of talents.

Top Track: Nothing Left to Give

53. Garrett Kato-Nighthawks

The Canadian born Aussie livin producer is starting to make a name for himself as an artist sharing his inner-monologues in a 6 song EP that speaks of god things to come from the singer-songwriter.

Top Track: Losing Touch

52. Handsome Ghost-Handsome Ghost

The self-titled third full length from the Boston based indie-folk duo is full of half whispered vocals over buzzy but quiet electric guitar riffs and piano lines and semi jazz styled drums.  Definitely verging into the sad boy range, but there is enough going on that you don’t get lost in the sadness.

Top Track: Neptune

51. Timecop1983-Searching For Tomorrow

The latest release from retrocore/synthwave electronic musician Timecop1983 features more instrumental tracks and less Josh Daily vocals, which for someone who is so interested in the human element in music, I was surprised I didn't miss the vocals more.  He still adds an important element to break up the synth heavy tracks, but the curated 80s vibes definitely overpower everything else.

Top Track: The Chase

50. Ed Tutlett, Lowswimmer-Lack Thereof

The prolific English singer-songwriter, better known for his collaborative projects like Novo Amor and Hailaker, put out two solo albums this year, this is the more stripped down one featuring just Ed’s voice and an acoustic guitar. His signature metronomic vocals are highlighted by the spareness of the guitar accompaniment creating a haunting and introspective invention that is more spare than anything he has done to this point.

Top Track: Lack Thereof

49. Kylie Minogue-Tension

Four decades in and showing no signs of slowing down, she had the dance hit of the summer in “Padam Padam” and a whole album that really holds up on today's electro-pop scene in a way that feels like she is the fountain of youth.

Top Track: Padam Padam

48. Fenne Lily-Big Picture

The third studio release from british folk singer-songwriter Lily is a summation of her solitary existence in Bristol fleshed out by herself and her touring band in a North Carolina studio.  You can imagine how tracks like “Lights Light Up'' went from spare explorations to a little more fun with playful guitar lines and upbeat snare lines.  Lily’s impact drips on every track though through her dark alto vocals with folky overtones ever present.

Top Track: Pick

47. The Chainsmokers-Summertime Friends

With their fifth full length Alex and Drew (sounds cooler if you just call them The Chainsmokers) deliver more of what you love from them, big, bold, dance-pop hits meant to be played loud on big speakers.  They squeeze plenty of power into just 8 tracks here with help from the likes of ILLENIUM and Nicky Jam and somehow with fewer tracks cover more musical ground than some of their previous releases.

Top Track: Think Of Us

46. Josh Gauton-Slow Resistance

Canterbury, UK native Gauton is a classically trained musician turned alt-folk wonderer.  His sophomore release features songs of searching and some finding clearly influenced by this post pandemic world we live in and his faith.  Josh frames his thoughtful lyrics with progressive layered guitar lines, simple piano plucking and a few hand claps and lets it all build to the big and bold “Love In the Time of Madness.”

Top Track-Love In the Time of Madness

45. Gregory Alan Isakov-Appalosa Bones

South Africa born Colorado livin Isakov has become one of the darlings of the Indie-folk scene in the last few years.  His latest release verges into a slightly darker tone overall exploring more of his low range vocals but with maintaining much of the spare, romantic, and poetic nature to his song structure that his fans have come to love.

Top Track: Sweet Heat Lightning

44. Sufjan Stevens-Reflections

Early last year Sufjan put out another of his all piano outlets “Reflections,” I can only imagine that he uses these as a creative outlet for the parts of himself that he doesn’t feel like he can put in his studio albums, and also to flex a bit on us mortals who can barely play one instrument.  Don’t worry, he’s still my favorite and has another album featuring further up the list.

Top Track: Reflexion

43. Birdy-Portraits

The British indie-pop sad girl has fully shed her skin and moved away from the brilliant covers that dominated her early career into a full fledged album of original music that feels entirely her own.  She has mastered the energy and power of her operatic vocals and to present a big and dark sound on her fifth studio album.

Top Track: Ruins II

42. Echosmith-Echosmith

Chico, California native sibling trio Echosmith put out their third studio release is a fun pop junt through their now well established career, sister Sydney’s vocals clearly define the band these days though their bouncy bass style is clearly featured as well.  Most of all I have to shout out the vocal break where they discuss their favorite gelato flavors, whats not to like there? Top Track: Sour

41. Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway-City of Gold

Her second release in a row to top the US Bluegrass charts clearly the combination with Golden Highway has Tuttle meeting the hype that has followed her career to this point.  City of Gold pulls no punches and is one of the most fun bluegrass albums you are gonna listen to, Tuttle can hold her own as one of the best bluegrass guitarists out there, but filling things out with the backing band leads to a bigger sound that puts even more strength behind her creations.

Top Track: Next Rodeo

40. PVRIS-EVERGREEN

Power Pop sad girl Lynn Gunn returns with her fourth album front-lining the Boston based rockers PVRIS.  Depending on where you look Gunn is either a solo act at this point or still has help from bassist Brian McDonald on writing and recording, but either way she is the driving force of this dark and forceful album that bridges electro pop and hard rock.

Top Track: I DON’T WANNA DO THIS ANYMORE

39. Bruno Major-Colombo

Major is a modern day crooner with swoony intimate tracks that feel like your sitting across the table from him just listening in awe.  You can feel the influence of his jazz roots in the depths of the bass lines under his delicate vocals and spare guitar and piano lines, a true songsmith in his own words.

Top Track: Trajectories

38. JFDR-Museum

Icelandic electro-folk artist and another skilled sad girl, Jófríður Ákadóttir’s (I had to copy and past that cause there's no chance I could get all the accents right) third full length solo effort is a rollercoaster ride of ethereal electronics mixed with her haunting layered vocals that don’t always go where you think they should keeping you slightly on edge even though the music itself is soft and gentle, it is a very curious and enjoyable juxtaposition.

Top Track: The Orchid

37. Wye Oak-Every Day Like the Last

This is a compilation album that combines the past few years of singles the Durham, NC indie folk duo put out and the nine tracks that feature here give us the best of the range that Wye Oak can show while clearly displaying sonic exploration.  It is a big sound for just two people to manage but Jenn Wasner’s lead vocals reign over the host of instruments they command through mixed time signatures and pacing that leads to a unique but comforting style.

Top Track: Fortune

36. Gus Dapperton-Henge

This album was probably the biggest climber on my re-listen playlist, initially it felt a little overproduced but after spending more time with it Dapperton’s effortless falsetto and creative electro-pop songwriting is as captivating as his fashion choices, which I of course as a now old man don’t understand, but can appreciate.  

Top Track: Midnight Train

35. Husbands-Cuatro

Dreamy surf rock is not necessarily what you would expect from an Oklahoma City based band, but these four (sometimes 5) guys are here to prove you wrong.  Their brand of landlocked coastal music has an authentic sound with a bit of a grunge/garage rock edge to it and their enthusiasm for how lucky they feel to make music for a living shines through.

Top Track: Super New China

34. Noah Gundersen-If This Is the End

The latest release from Washington native and prolific singer-songwriter Gundersen comes out of a time of confusion and frustration with his place in the music industry.  He used the experiences and emotions of the last few years when he worked more construction jobs than musical ones to write a vulnerable and raw album about finding his way.  Lucky for us the industry didn’t break him and he's able to share that music with us.

Top Track: Swim

33. John Vincent III-Songs For The Canyon

Vincent returns with his third full length release and a slightly more refined sound that echos the singer-songwriters of the 70s that he undoubtedly has been influenced by.  Not sure if the canyon in reference is Laurel or Joni’s Ladies of the canyon, but either way the sound is similar with his soft, often high pitch lyrics feeling something like a more melodic less poetic Dylan. 

Top Track: That's Just How It Is, Babe

32. Boy & Bear-Boy & Bear

With now five albums in a row in the top 10 of the Australian charts Boy & Bear have cemented themselves as a mainstay as the Aussie indie folk scene.  If you haven’t heard of them I would liken them to a folksy version of Alt J with Dave Hoskins wobbly vocals melding will with the driving synth and drum lines. 

Top Track: Strange World

31. BOYS LIKE GIRLS-SUNDAY AT FOXWOODS

Close your eyes and think back to 2006..The Great Escape is screaming out of your car speakers as a testament to teenage angst and post-pop power punk. In the blink of an eye its 2023 and with their first album in over a decade the Massachusetts natives have survived pandemic canceled tours, losing members, and have emerged into a very different music scene than they started in with an album that echoes their former selves but is smart enough to not try to reproduce it. It is a really fun pop rock record that is mature enough to speak to their old fans and exciting enough to open up to new audiences.

Top Track: NEW LOVE

30. ILLENIUM-ILLENIUM

The fifth full length album from Denver based DJ ILLENIUM, aka Nicholas Daniel Miller, doesn’t stray too far from what fans have come to expect, big bold multi-genre hits with featuring artists varying from Avril Lavine to All Time Low.  Miller definitely takes some influence from his personal life as a newlywed on tracks like “All That Really Matters” and “With All My Heart” but covers the tougher parts of life plenty over 16 tracks.  He has definitely secured a spot as one of the most successful producers and DJs on the scene today.

Top Track: Other Side

29. Caroline Polachek-Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

With her second full length studio solo album Polachek has fully shed her Chairlift skin and metamorphosed into an outsized version of herself as an artist.  Her version of unapologetic female alt pop is as entertaining as it is curious at times and seeing her live at Kilby Court BP this year was an experience for sure.  It really feels like she is just getting started on her solo musical journey which is fun to think about since she is exactly one day older than me, there's still more fun to come!

Top Track: Billions

28. Bombay Bicycle Club-My Big Day

These four Londoners have come a long way from winning a contest to open V Fest in 2006, and their sixth studio release marks over a decade and a half as a band.  Impressively they have been able to maintain a huge amount of integrity of the sound that attracted people to them from the early days.  Their brand of indie rock/folk with a splash of eastern influence is on full display in their latest effort in a way that is really fun on a first listen and contains enough depth that it rewards continuing to stick with it over and again.

Top Track: Just A Little More Time

27. Daughter-Stereo Mind Game

One of the saddest sad girls out there is back after frontwoman Elena Tonra’s solo exploration with their first studio release in 7 years.  The London based trio gives us more of their deep, dark, and thoughtful brand of electro-folk with Tonra’s haunting vocals and raw lyrical style framed by swelling string arrangements driving snare lines and various electronic effects that keep you on your toes.

Top Track: Be On Your Way

26. joan-superglue

It's hard to believe that this is the debut album from the Little Rock based pop duo, after releasing singles and LPs for the last 6 or 7 years joan finally brings us a full dose of their light and airy synth pop style that feels like it is nostalgic for 90s and early 2000s pop when things felt so much simpler.  

Top Track: feeling like dancing

25. Darlingside-Everything is Alive

When All Songs Considered describes somebody as “exquisitely arranged, literary-minded, baroque folk-pop” it's probably gonna work for me.  The Boston based quartet tenth album is a spare collection of dreamy folk tunes with layered harmonic vocals and more instruments that I can count in the mix.  Their ability to buck conventional time signatures and still sound like something nostalgic is very engaging and keeps listeners coming back. 

Top Track: Eliza I See

24. Fly By Midnight-Fictional Illustrations

These guys just know how to make popular music, it's nothing revolutionary or never heard from before, but the make catchy songs that explore the struggles of relationships underneath driving synth lines and saxophone solos.  This is already the 6th full length release from the NY native LA livin duo who feels like they are still pretty new to the scene, notably without any featuring artists this time around showing off their talents as a duo.

Top Track: What If I Wasn’t Done Loving You?

23. Blondeshell-Blondeshell

Blondeshell aka Sabrina is a force, her debut full length (under this moniker) pulls no punches, her brand of indie rock is as loud as it is sad girl.  She is unapologetic about the difficulties young women face in today’s world and uses big guitar licks and frank lyrics to get a rise out of those that may disagree with her.  Overall the 9 track ride is really fun with some tongue in cheek style remarks and big dark sound that still hits the high notes.

Top Track: Salad

22. Chelsea Cutler-Stellaria

The third full length release from Connecticut's own happy sounding sad girl is an exploration of her difficulties navigating life and relationships as a now 20 something in a post pandemic world, and I would say she's doing alright at it.  Her gentle soprano vocals juxtaposed with her starkly honest lyrics like “I’m undressing for my lover and hoping she don’t hate all my skin like I do” and “No one hates me more than I do” is an artful contradiction that always gets me.

Top Track: Your Bones 

21. Indigo De Souza-All of This Will End

The third full length release from the America-Brazillian Asheville,NC native found the greatest critical and commercial success of her young career.  De Souza calls it like she sees it with lyrics that are descriptive and conversational “I can’t believe I let you touch my body” and “..wanna turn my brain off, wanna turn my shame to dust..” Her talk-sing vocal style won’t land with everyone and once you start paying a bit more attention to the lyrics she verges more into sad girl territory, but as you probably know by now that lands with me.

Top Track: The Water

20. Ben Folds-What Matters Most

Ben Folds is back with his first solo album since 2015 and probably the first you've heard of him since around 2005. I think it is fair to call this his “post fame” album or at least I think that is a story he is trying to tell.  The album is full of classic Ben Folds prose and beautiful piano driven songs that span across genres from the alt-indie “Exhausting Lover” to the old-timey intro of “Paddleboat Breakup” Ben gives us a window into his life telling stories as only he can do, and it doesn’t sound too bad.  Even with his retrospective “Back To Anonymous” that sounds a little low in tone but in reality represents a positive turn into a quieter life where he can do more of the things that he enjoys, and good for him.  

Top Track: Winslow Gardens

19. The Band CAMINO-The Dark

The second full length release from the Memphis based pop-rock trio is another absolute banger, it feels a little more mature in that they stay in a slightly smaller lane trending to a slight reggae feel in the blend and letting their two distinct vocalists balance each other more effectively. The subject matter still falls into the classic pop rock tropes of women and relationships gone wrong but they manage to make old themes feel fun and new.

Top Track: Afraid of the Dark

18. Glen Hansard-All That Was East is West of Me Now

Well I guess you could call this Glen’s fifth full length solo release but that doesn’t even begin to capture the depth of what is a prolific career for someone who absolutely has to be in the conversation for one of the best Irish musicians ever.  If you have followed Hansard’s career at all you will know that it has been fueled by the heights and depths of fame and passion for the world around him.  At 51 years of age Glen became a father for the first time in 2022 and while being happily married with a son certainly changes a man you will still find plenty of his grit and heard spilled over harsh acoustic guitar strumming. Oh and for those keeping score, I saw them perform live together this past summer and he is definitely still in love with Marketa.

Top Track: Bearing Witness

17. The National-The First Two Pages of Frankenstien

My second favorite band gave me two albums this year, this was the first that came out in April and features the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift, three of the most influential pop artists in the world.  But the real victory here is that these mega stars featuring on their songs in no way overshadows their work, Matt Berniger’s lead vocals still manage to sound like a letter from an old friend framed perfectly by Dessner and the Devendorfs instruments.  Well come back to these guys in a minute.

Top Track: Your Mind Is Not Your Friend (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)

16. Killer Mike-MICHAEL

Atlanta’s own and every rapper’s favorite rapper Michael Render feels like he is finally getting the recognition he deserves.  With the success of Run The Jewels, Mike’s first solo album in a decade was critically acclaimed and found commercial success.  Mike’s artistry speaks for itself, his flow is second to none, the production and managing so many featuring artists is incredible, but the biggest thing is how much you can tell he puts into his music.  His activism is a huge part of his personality and he channels this desire for a better world, especially for Black Men in America, into powerful tracks that genuinely feel like they are making a difference.

Top Track: MOTHERLESS

15. Gatlin-I Sleep Fine Now

Ok, and now back to the sad girls with Florida native Gatlin Thorton who put out a 7 track LP full of happy sad songs baring her life on our speakers for communal catharsis in the Taylor Swift mold.  Gatlin exists in the more delicate singer/songwriter mode but plays up with some synth backing on a few tracks, overall her quietly powerful layered vocals combined with almost too honest honesty are a very enjoyable combination.

Top Track: When You’re Breaking My Heart

14. Abby Holliday-I’M OK NO I’M NOT

The second 7 track album in a row and second of sad girl Abby Holliday’s young career is showing a lot of wisdom and promise for a 20 something year old.  Holliday’s production of songs that build and grow and then drop out at a moment’s notice are mini-masterpieces that capture her emotions and lay them bare for us all.  They get a little over produced at moments and can be a bit hard to access for some I’m sure, but she definitely checks some of the right musical boxes for me.

Top Track: Ohio Laundry Room

13. Midnight Kids-The Long Way Home

Pop-retro core duo Midnight Kids are a group that I really don’t know much about but their light and airy electro-synth pop was a really fun discovery late last year.  They write anthems for the kids who aren’t afraid to stay up all night for a good time and they use heavy bass and snare beats with driving synth lines to make you feel like you wanna stay up with them.

Top Track: Your Way

12. Hayden Calnin-The Turning of The Tide Side A and B

Australia's Calnin put out two EPs that I’m smuggling into one album for the purposes of the list here.  Hayden’s music is gentle and mystical and feels like you're lying face up in the ocean looking at the stars as the waves slowly wash you back to shore.  I really appreciate his restraint and ability to make his songs spare enough that you feel each element individually, he clearly has the talent to make bigger and bolder songs, but he holds back and slowly builds an atmosphere around his songs that in some ways makes them more impactful.

Top Track: Gravity Find Us & Bring Us In

11. Nightly-wear your heart out

Nashville based Alt Pop trio Nightly are back with their sophomore album, and it is definitely a diversion from the sad energy that often drives my listening.  Their tenor vocals and beachy electric guitar vibes mixed in with some light synth lines makes for a really fun pop rock with typical themes about girls and one about being boys.

Top Track: the feeling

10. boygenius-the record

The first full length album from sad girl supergroup, the boys, aka Phoebe Bridger, Julian Baker, and Lucy Dacus, took the alt pop world by force this year winning 3 grammys on 6 nominations. It makes sense for three women who have ascending solo careers, but rarely is such a combination this much greater than the sum of its parts.  The coolest part about the whole boygenius experience is just how much fun the three of them are clearly having playing together, I didn’t go see them live but the media coming out of the tour and what I heard from folks who did sounded like a pretty amazing experience.

Top Track: Not Strong Enough

9. Ben Howard-Is It?

The fifth album from fellow former Devonian Howard retains the slightly odd musing elements we are accustomed to with him but with a lot more continuity than previous albums.  He recorded this all over the course of 10 days at a Chateau in France and uses the songs to explore his experience with a medical event the year prior that affected his speech and memory, scary thing for anyone but particularly pointed for a performer as nuanced as Ben.  Lucky for us he appears to be doing well and channeled his talents into a thoughtful and thought provoking indie album.

Top Track: Life In The Time

8. Del Water Gap-I Miss You Already + I Haven't Left Yet

The sophomore release from the solo project of Brooklyn based artist S. Holden Jaffe stands as a principle example of a modern pop album.  Jaffe lays his personal life bare for us in an even more raw expression than Taylor could ever claim.  His high tenor vocals are as piercing as his honestly as he works through his struggles with depression and substance abuse and of course failed relationships with no line more stinging than “...she says I think your music got worse, since you went fully sober, at least now you won’t kill yourself…” Heres to using art to express your feelings and not letting them devour you.

Top Track: Beach House

7. The National-Laugh Track

This is supposedly the “left over” tracks that these guys surprise released at the end of the year off the back of The First Two Pages of Frankenstein, I don’t know exactly what it says about me in particular but these leftover tracks hit more for me than the real album! It helps that Bon Iver and Phoebe Bridgers are still hanging out here and that the Bon Iver track is the best on both albums in my opinion.  Out of the two this album is a but more reserved and quite, but still with the poetic substance of the sad dad energy we expect from these guys.

Top Track: Weird Goodbyes (feat. Bon Iver)

6. Sufjan Stevens-Javelin

Through career that has now spanned over 20 years and taken many twists and turns musically, Sufjan has consistently been my favorite artist of my lifetime.  His latest effort is no different, an emotional gut wrenching at times examination of his life and the life of his late partner framed as only he can. It starts with a goodbye that is gentle at first but then builds in Age of Adz format into a big electro refrain.  Most tracks on this album stay more spare with reverence to the topic until the crescendo on the 8 minute second to last track masterfully crafted to not feel like a mega song but more of a journey, much like the album itself.

Top Track: Will Anybody Ever Love Me?

5. Josiah and the Bonnevilles-Endurance

One of the most successful American Idol contestants that you didn’t know was on American Idol, Tennessee native Josiah Leming still has plenty of stories to tell.  Depending on how you count this is his 9th or 12th album and 4th in the past three years following up a really fun cover album earlier in the year.  Leming’s blend of folk, bluegrass, and country provides depth to a genre of music that some can suggest lacks it, his effortless poetry blending with his acoustic guitar and harmonica prowess to produce a fun and beautiful blend of country folk.

Top Track: Burn

4. Eighty Ninety-Bowery Beach Road/Eighty Ninety

Minimalist pop darlings Eighty Ninety put out two albums this year and honestly I’m not sure how to separate them. They are both compilation albums of sorts with songs that they have had out for a few years and a couple of new tracks.  Luckily the confusion of what is going on doesnt detract from the artistry that these two brothers put together mostly centered around smalltown heartbreak, their viral hit “Three Thirty” from a few years back is here and its haunting pucky guitar speaks to all the missed connections you’ve had in your life. Bowery Beach features a little more variety in the production and song structure while the self-titled Eighty Ninety has more traditional pop tunes.  Together they represent a strong offering in a crowded pop rock duo era, looking forward to hearing more from these guys.

Top Track: Next To Me

3. Petey-USA

Sometimes I baffle myself with the artists peak my interest, Petey is one of those, hes a tik tok star that makes music, and kind of out there music at that, but I don’t know theres just something about the energy that he puts into his music that transcends the lack of melody in some of his songs and represents a “serious” side of him that works as a really fun foil to his comedy career.  His songs still have an air of unseriousness surrounding them but below the surface there is still “..if you never showed me bambi, I could breathe instead of panic, I’d provide for a family of six.” He finds a way to approach his mental health without it sounding like a therapy session and definitely finds a distinction from his other life.

Top Track: I’ll Wait (This is probably also my song of the year)

2. The Japanese House-In The End It Always Does

Amber Bain is back with her sophomore album and first post pandemic music and let me say it was worth the wait.  A lot has happened in Amber’s life in the past 4 years and she is not afraid to tell us about it.  She has multiple songs about the two women in her life, her dog Joni Jones and her girlfriend, she is living her best life and actually recently got engaged and moved to LA, so I’d say things are looking up.  Her delicate layered vocals and multi instrumental mastery helps her craft songs that feel entirely her own, she feels a little less androgenous on this album which I think is fitting for the content, but even in all that is going right, sad girls are still gonna sad girl, because In The End It Always Does.

Top Track: Boyhood

1. Holly Humberstone-Paint My Bedroom Black

This one honestly snuck up on me I had Holly on my list last year but apparently that was a compilation album so this counts as her debut album and what a debut it was.   This young lady from a middle of nowhere town in England just has a way about her song structure, honestly, and being lonely in hotel rooms that just resonates with some part of me.  I think she really solidified things when I was driving around England in October and her Bon Iver with a little more structure just felt like the right soundtrack under somewhat gloomy skies and country lanes. Her strength of autotune production is impressive and combine that with a lot of deep synth lines its just made for me. She has been a featured artist on a bunch of tracks I have heard this year already which is really cool to see the industry at large recognizing her more as a legitimate player.

Top Track: Into Your Room

[inner--islands]

Interview with Channelers (December 2021)

Steve Targo, of Nimbudala, interviewed Sean Conrad about his latest Channelers albums on Inner Islands. The interview was conducted in a Q&A format over email.

1. What made you decide to pick up the guitar again? Was it the desire to learn finger picking?

It was really a matter of working with my limitations at the time. At the time I had a rehearsal space that I could get loud in (where I recorded a lot of Isles Beyond), but it was shut down because of the lockdown. And my apartment is a very small one bedroom that I share with my partner, Rosa, so it’s usually a bit of a hassle to set up my gear and then tear it down every time I want to play. So acoustic guitar is pretty much the only instrument that’s compact enough to leave out, that I can casually just pick up and play for a little bit. I was inspired to try fingerpicking with my whole right hand (as opposed to the two-finger method I used to employ) while reading the book Dazzling Stranger, about Bert Jansch and the ‘60s folk revival. More fingers means more possibilities!

2. How come you stopped playing for a while? It seems that guitar was prominent in your early music as Ashan & gkfoes vjgoaf.

I kind of phased out of playing as much guitar around 2013 when I got my dulcimer. That really satisfied a lot of my acoustic desires and was a new sound to play with. I also got much more into making electronic music. At this point I’m less interested in electronic pursuits and just want to play tactile instruments.

3. Despite the gentle, soothing nature of Another Entrance, you sound re-invigorated in your playing. Was it because of the guitar or was it more from being inspired by 60s British folk music?

It’s probably a combination of things. I’ve been listening to a lot less atmospheric and ambient music and more to folk, rock, pop, and other more attention-centric musics. Also, I composed the majority of the pieces on AE before recording them (except the two piano pieces) and spent a long time practicing them. I feel like I was able to bring a lot more energy and confidence to the performances when it came time to lay them down on tape.

4. What is it about that scene, that music, that inspired you?

I love that so much of that music has these threads which trace back into antiquity. There is such a rich heritage to that folk music. It has always been in flux: people changing lyrics, changing tunes, and passing those along (most orally/aurally) for generations. It’s constantly in evolution and there is no such thing as a definitive version of any of those pieces. When people started collecting those songs in the late 1800s and writing them down and recording them on wax cylinders and such, people were in a preservationist mindset. Those tunes kind of stagnated for decades and decades and in the 1960s musicians were decidedly much more free with their interpretations of that work and breathed a new life into it and wrote new music in the spirit of those tunes. I think it’s that new breath in confluence with a lot of other things that were happening at the time.

5. Really, you released two Channelers albums on 10/22. Were the songs on Messages From One of Deeper Within recorded the same time as those on Another Entrance? How did you decide which song appeared on which album?

Side A of “Messages” was recorded at the same time. Side B is a track from the “Isles Beyond” sessions and a track from the “Faces of Love” sessions. I made a lot of different playlists for possible versions of AE, which all told different narratives. The narrative I went with was the one that I felt most dialogued with the album cover. There were a lot of other pieces from those sessions still to choose from for “Messages” and I just picked tracks that were mostly focused on the performance of a solo instrument.

6. You have developed a unique & captivating style in your role as artist. How do you create the illustrations you use for album art? Is it 100% digital? If so, why & what program(s) do you use?

I use Adobe Photoshop and sometimes Illustrator. Yeah, it’s all digital. My laptop has a touchscreen, so I’m also able to use a stylus for some human touch.

7. What projects are you working on now?

I’m wrapping up a collaborative album with Rosa. Hopefully it will be out early next year! I’m finishing another collaboration with Matt and Ash from Flower Room. And I’m always working on new material with Michael Henning for our Skyminds project. We get together every week and work on tracks. We have about six hours of unreleased material at the moment and we’re hoping to release some of it soon! I’m also beginning to work on another Channelers album.

8. Let’s talk about Inner Islands, which is 11 years old now! What keeps you going in your role as head of the label? What does the future hold for Inner Islands?

It’s kinda wild how long it’s been going now! And I’ve been running it for 8 of those years, which sounds way longer than it’s felt. I feel like Inner Islands is my musical home; it’s this sacred and deeply comfortable space for me. And what Inner Islands “is” is both this unchanging thing, this field that Braden established at the outset, and yet the manifestations of that are always changing and developing. I get a lot of joy out of teasing out that thread! The future holds a further unraveling of that musical journey.

9. What inspires you right now?

Moving my body every day! I’ve also seen a lot of heart-centric TV shows this year, which has been enlivening: Star Trek (Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager), Ted Lasso, and Pose, among others. Musically, I just went through a deep phase with King Crimson and related projects. The McDonald and Giles album was a revelation. My friend, Noah Klein, has also been a part of setting up the FLOATING outdoor show series in Los Angeles and I got to play and attend a couple of those in October. They were fantastic! I hope to see more music outdoors soon.

10. What words of wisdom do you like to recall in times of need?

I am the creator of my own experience. I always find that to be an empowering idea.

Channelers is the work of Sean Conrad. He recently released Another Entrance and Messages From One of Deeper Within on Inner Islands on October 22nd on vinyl, cassette, and digital formats. The albums are available from our Bandcamp page.

[lovphobic]

1 2 5 23 and 30 for sildraste perhaps 👀

oooo thank u thank u :D

1. are they associated with a certain color? what color do they wear the most?

loren id say would associate shades of orange and greens with her! thats really the only association id say matters to her, because no one in her life for years has been as close to her as loren has. but the colors she wears the most would be mostly browns and deep greens. perhaps a cream from time to time. always nice to update the wardrobe a bit!

2. what sort of music would they like? have you thought about what genres or bands do they lean towards? do they have a favorite song?

this question is kind of hard to keep in line w the whole. dnd thing. im not gonna be like OMG she LOVES a lute FJKDSHFNFJD so id say she probably likes a bit of rock! lots of songs she can be angry and broody to.. but i dont think she has a favorite! in place of that though, just off the top of my head (because i cant sit and listen to her playlist right now and doing that might change my answer), id say a song that is Her song is the cover of anti hero by fame on fire! like to a T

5. how do they typically dress? does their wardrobe lean more towards practicality or aesthetics?

she dresses very androgynously actually! she doesnt want to come off too feminine or too masculine. so with that being said id definitely say she dresses practically more than aesthetically

she doesnt really get invited anywhere where she'll need to dress up though, so theres nothing more to really add. just a very common person dressing style

23. how would you describe their voice? can they sing?

this is probably the hardest one to answer because i dont think ive put any thought into it, so take this with a grain of salt because its Brand New Mint Condition information! id say she has a mid-to-deep range feminine voice. like. shes pinged as a girl, but she has a deeper voice than average. i can say this to you youll understand it. probably like. probably like a tenor? which is so funny that i say that because i do imagine her having a nice singing voice, ironically. i think she could probably hit the high alto notes in songs :)

30. do they smell like anything notable?

yes!! probably dominantly wood oils and linens and firewood embers.. with citrus and sugary undertones which are definitely of loren's doing