#every song on this album was a complete banger imo

[skepticalarrie]

Hello Allie! I would like to add my insight to the obvious Larry songs in 1D discography. This past weeks I finally dived into 1D songs for real as H and Louis’ solo songs and their songwriting (telling the same story) had priority for me as a still quite a newbie. Not like it’s the first time getting in touch with 1D at all, of course I knew songs which boys are performing but never got time to actually listen to albums. So now I am mixing Midnight Memories and Four on repeat and oh my, they are full of bangers! Like it’s a banger after banger after banger and I am obsessed! I am checking song credits for every song and of course if my larryradar rings those and that lyrics might be about them, those songs are really writen by H or Louis lol. But you know what? Maybe it’s me as I am too into their romance lol but even songs that aren’t written by them rings larry for me lol. Like You & I. I don’t know why and if there’s a story behind it but it’s such a larry song for me lol. And for someone who discovered this song just know, I feel so overwhelmed by it, idk why and that song really hits me hard and makes me emotional.

Anyway another very obvious larry songs for me are Steal My Girl - because it’s so H-coded and it’s just so obvious lol! Or 18 - as we know Ed has written this as “from one of the 1D member’s pov” (= Louis imo).

Aww! It’s because they’re love songs. It has definitely happened to me as well, thinking a completely random song was so larry coded hahaha I suppose that’s normal! I love 18, I completely forgot to mention that one. It’s one of the most larry songs, for sure! And the way they used to perform it?! Serenading to each other?? Devastating.

[paper--machete]

Re: Your tags on the post about writing you love, I'd love to hear your breakdown of music you like? Either "how do you personally breakdown music" OR "Here's a breakdown of a specific song/album"

well for example something I've always seen as very important when it comes to albums is sequencing, i.e. the order that the songs are put in on an album. in theory this shouldn't matter at all but sometimes putting the songs in just the right order can push an album to be so much greater

like for example a good opener can set the tone, but imo the greater task belongs to the opening three-track run to let the listener know what to expect from the rest of the album. a great example of this is death grips' the money store- track 1 is get got, one of the groups notably more lowkey songs with ride doing a much more toned down style of vocals. track 2 is the fever (aye aye), where ride brings out his usual angry-screaming vocal delivery but it's backed up by arguably one of the band's best hooks ever. track 3 is lost boys which is probably the weirdest they get on the whole album. the money store essentially does a perfect job of welcoming an unassuming listener into the world of death grips; it understands they're difficult to get into and organizes itself to become more accessible. it's kind of a winning formula tbh- track 1 is the opener, track 2 is the lead single, and then track 3 uses its similarities and differences with the first two songs to communicate the overall vibe. QOTSA almost always uses this formula; rated R, songs for the deaf and era vulgaris follow it pretty perfectly

as far as the full album goes I think it's important to take into account variety and sameness. one thing that always kills me when checking out albums I haven't heard before is when too many songs in a row are sonically similar and they all just blend together. I think a great album sequences it's tracklist in a way that every song plays off of the one that came before it. the new Kendrick Lamar album GNX did this really well imo. here's a summary of the tracklist for example-

confrontational and imposing opener

high energy banger

low energy chill song

low energy artsy song

low energy banger

mid energy artsy song

MUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD

chill banger

mid energy chill song

mid energy artsy song

weird song

very pretty and grandiose closer

the energy and vibes are always switching it up on a song by song basis, and no two songs of the same vibe are back to back. not to say you can't pull this off on an album, but I find it's so much more satisfying when an album is always trying to keep you interested and invested

I think the thing I've really come to appreciate lately with music though is execution; does this song/album do a good job of pulling off the idea it wanted to. I recently became a huge fan of arcade fire's 2017 album Everything Now which everyone haaaaaaated when it came out back then because the thesis statement of the album was "phone bad" backed up by a more electronic-disco-pop inspired shift in sound. but revisiting it today I feel like everything about that album was deliberately and perfectly executed to sell that album's ideas; Everything Now is sarcastic, it's commercial, it's electronic, and it's so so tired of capitalist life. the production from daft punk's Thomas Bangalter, the cheesy and at times cringe inducing lyrics from win butler, the deliberate shift towards pop sensibilities, all of it comes together to make Everything Now into a complete work that is greater than the sum of its parts

my train of thought stops here but basically there really is a lot more to music than what you're hearing. so many external factors play into how you end up interpreting it for yourself and me, personally, I'm trying to max that shit out. read David Byrne's book How Music Works if you want to go insane like me (I only read half of it but a lot of what he says really helped open my mind to eventually think about music this way)

[hinamie]

oh my god ok so i know im late I didn't talk about it because it happened during one of my Offline Eras but . but listen ok lisn the new former vandal album sent me THROUgh the FUCKINNG ROOF to be fair i knew it would like i joked about going upstairs to listen to it and cry when it dropped but i didn't think that every fucking song would hit me so hard in the kokoro it made me wail because I too have immense religious guilt ANYWAY im gonna rant incoherently and at length now hope u all missed me

ok first of all gotta shout out the fuckin album title i knew it was gonna be devastating when I saw it . fuckin. divine interference????? music for god's playthings indeed i eat that shit up i was like yoooooo hes also got a bone to pick with jesus go off bestie <333

so former vandal are artists visionaries kings so ofc tracklist is all mythology n religion-inspired (lazarus/goliath/ouroboros etc) and i think its so cool that theyre all in caps until u get to the end and the final song is denial and it's in lowercase and maybe its simple but i was like ART. ARTTTTTT. and it made me go back and look at the tracklist of their previous album and I realized that the whole thing was about vices and unhealthy coping with an overwhelming and forsaken existence but then the final song was Get Right (still my go-to comfort song to this day tbh tbh tbh) and it's like an acknowledgement that ok maybe none of this is the answer and something has to change anyway wrong album oops back 2 divine interference

i made a point of listening to the songs that hadnt been released as singles first so the first song i listened to was Lazarus and tbh probably my fav song on the album maybe tied with parables and maaaaybe even icarian. BUT LAZARUS SLAPS SOS SOSOOSO HARD god the theme of not knowing how to leave something behind even when it's bad for you,,, both criticizing but also mirroring the actual story of lazarus in the lyrics being like "wow kinda fucked up of god for resurrecting u without ur consent" but also acknowledging that he himself is guilty of holding onto the things that kill him.,,, GOD ITS SO FUCKING G GOOD I FDFGSADFGDG

salt also !!! BANGER not quite up there with the likes of lazarus but it gets bonus points because a. i lov the idea of starting to recognize that you're coming into yourself n an identity apart from your vices n traumas and b. for having two of the most RAW lines in the entire album imo which is reaaallly saying something: "now that everything's bright I guess I'm fine/but there's an art in the dark that took years to refine" and "the spark of divine intervention/that I'm still terrified I've left behind" (ALBUM TITLE DROP ALBUM TITLE DROP) god these two just dont miss and i love it but i am far too neurodivergent to contain myself they need to give me a break pls i am v i b r a t i n g

ok gonna move into the Chill(tm) tracks I think with goliath as well as shame/rotten I vibe more with the lyrics than the actual songs because i prefer my angsty alt pop to be Upbeat thank u very much but can i just say. the lyrics of these two songs ESPECIALLY SHAME/ROTTEN LIKE ok first of all i love the tonal shift halfway through that manages not to make them feel like completely different songs it's just jarring enough like there's been an acceptance of sorts,, like omg same i too am like 'god i feel like the scum of the earth might as well own it a bit',, "the fear of god/the need for blame" fuckin bullseye ow,, "I starve to feed the parts of me/far from who i oughta be/tell me are you proud of me yet?" FUCKIN BULLSEYE OWW

I know i just said i prefer my angst upbeat but crocodile tears (very upbeat very rock wuaw) is probably my least favourite track if i had to pick but it does have a lyrical BANGER of an opening verse ("holding the hand that's holding me under" g o d) i think i just don't dig the overall melody too much and find the ending a bit repetitive fr my tastes,, who knows though it took a while and many re-listens for ouroboros to grow on me maybe this'll b a similar story ,, but then again ouroboros had the advantage of echoing mine own mental health and self-destructive behaviours shdgj

ok so i was crying from the beginning right but the songs that made me ugly bawl were growing pains (very similar vibes to get right but in a "i know that i'm healing" way rather than a "i need to heal" way) and denial,, but starting w growing pains,, my god idk What they did with the mic/vocals after the bridge but it felt like the music was being injected directly into my ears secret direct path 2 my bloodstream god I hadnt felt chills like that in such a long time and idk just the whole Mood of the song having been hurting for so long and only now starting to recognize the damage you've done but also appreciate the progress youv made,,, i have so so many emotions but DENIAL (its funny saying it in caps bc its the only track in lowercase getit getit) oh my god ths going straight on the list of Songs That Make Me Think About My Relationship With My Dad but also Songs That Make Me Emo About All The People I've Grown Apart From and i think its so powerful to frame a personal transition away from faith as growing apart from an old friend and missing them despite any hard feelings holy shit though holy shit . the first listen by this point i had already been emotionally devastated by the Whole Album so i was like ok surely ill get a break by the last song lol nope sorry i ended up crying so hard i think i gave myself a headache

I think I must have yelled about the songs that they released as singles when they dropped individually but it's been so long that i forget what i said but honestly parables and icarian are still just as good as when i heard them for the first time (when parables dropped i spilled my tea on my fucking notes bc i was vibing too hard),, I love parables' msg of accepting the lessons ur (traumatic) past taught u and how it shaped u as a person even if u recognize that that person is someone hurt and in need of healing and maybe that has to happen alone! and i know for a fact i've gushed about icarian (still one of the most gojocore songs Ever imho dont fight me on this) but now looking at it in the context of the rest of the album i love that it's first cause it really frames the whole icarus thing of having flown too close to the sun or to god and getting burned and that pain essentially being the catalyst for the entire Journey tht the rest of the album outlines (obsessed w the fact that the next song is jaded like fr having these two songs one after the other is literally "fucked around/found out" gsfhjsh)

but all that being said not to b dramatic but this album destroyed me it rearranged something deep in my soul and i don't know who i was before it but i probably wont ever be the same :) i literally love these two so much im so appreciative of them its so rare to feel so Seen by a piece of media so to have an entire album hit so incredibly close to home for me and slap while doing so????? i feel so lucky . this entire album feels like taking the first step to address years of hurt and self destruction it feels like losing a friend it feels like finding yourself and i just . i love it so much

[its-a-rat-trap]

my huge fixation on the rats has come back again so out of curiosity, what are some of your favorite tracks, and why?

Oh man sorry it took me so long to answer this! It ended up being harder than I thought to narrow down a list of my favorite songs but here’s (some) of my current faves at least!

Lookin’ After No. 1 - A bit of a cliched inclusion but it’s still (imo) the best example of their early punk/post-punk sound, and you can really hear how well Garry and Simon meshed with their playing. Plus I’m an utter sap and it makes me very emotional to think of Bob going from writing “Don’t give me love thy neighbor / Don’t give me charity” to. yknow. putting on the entirety of Live Aid. 

(Also don’t eVEN talk to me about the Music Machine gig, every time I think of Bob singing “Don’t wanna be like you / Don’t wanna live like you / Don’t wanna talk like you at all / I’m gonna be like me” in the face of the neo-nazi skinheads who just punched him in the face I go INSANE)

Joey’s On The Streets Again - Look I know that if we’re picking “Top songs Bob wrote about the Ireland of his childhood” then Rat Trap is understandably always gonna be at the top of the list but consider: Joey is just a better song, especially the last verse of it.

Also the Self Aid Joey performance? SO FUCKING GOOD genuinely my favorite live performance of this song that they’ve ever done

Wind Chill Factor Minus Zero - The lyrics just do it for me. I feel like a lot of people don’t think of Bob Geldof as a great lyricist but he really is and this song is just full of little clever lines like “You start to laugh (No) / You say you’ve won (No) / It’s just I lost (No) / That’s not the same (No)” that just make it SO satisfying to sing!

Also gotta put a shout out to “Real Different” for the same reason, every time I hear Bob sing “I'll fill my pocket full of stones and I'll throw 'em at the light” I just go feral asldkfjals

The Elephant’s Graveyard - You know that quote about (I Never Loved) Eva Braun that describes the song as something like the happiest most upbeat song about Hitler you’ll ever hear? The Elephant’s Graveyard is exactly like that but for police brutality and the Rats fucking made it work. 

Obviously if we’re talking about social justice themes in their songs Mondays and Banana Republic are gonna top the list but listen. Listen. Bob wrote a song specifically about anti-black police brutality in Florida that calls out the double-standards of the US justice system (“Justice isn’t blind / It just looks the other way”), made the campiest beach-themed music video for it, and somehow they completely nailed the combination. 

House on Fire - IT’S JUST A FUCKING BANGER OF A SONG! Seriously between the brass instruments and Bob’s voice it’s just such a fun and funky song, and it’s a great example of the Rats playing around with their sound in their later albums in a way that just works perfectly for them. 

Also it has more good mouth-feel lyrics in it, like the line “Doing halo hula-hoops, executing loop-de-loops / Takes a lot of skill and bad taste” is just sooo satisfying to sing !!!

Trash Glam Baby - Obligatory COB inclusion alksdjfklas I almost went with She Said No instead but they really nailed that old-school rock sound with Trash Glam Baby and I absolutely adore it. I love the little references at the start of the song, I love the reprise at the end, the video absolutely fucks, this was everything I needed from 21st Century Rats and more!

Do The Rat / D.U.N. L.A.O.G.H.A.I.R.E. - Because I couldn’t pick just one, special shout-out to both Do The Rat and D.U.N. L.A.O.G.H.A.I.R.E. for being fantastic b-side tracks! I love that Bob and the rest of the band were having fun fooling around with their releases like this. I love all the puns in Do The Rat, and the little convo at the start of D.U.N. L.A.O.G.H.A.I.R.E. both makes me laugh and makes me a little emotional now that Garry’s gone.

[jazzically]

ok how bout i go through it (spoilers ahead for both the album and for tma!! i'd personally recommend going in blind and then reading this review)

lmao i say that like a question but you already know i will hold you here until you are done listening to me talk and talk and talk and t

SPOILERS BELOW!

1. spiraling down is an absolute VIBE. i am really really enjoying this

OHMG THEY SAMPLED MICHAELS LAUGH THATS SICK!!!!!! THIS IS GENUINELY INCREDIBLE. 8/10 because its a great song absolute banger but doesnt really mesh with the spiral/themes of insanity as much as it could imo

additional notes: omg how did i not catch the door opening/closing noises at the beginning and end of the song on my first listen. hello.

2. this is glorious ambiance. omg. OH MY GOD OH MYG OD THAT'S TERRIFYING

holy CRAP

HOLY CRAP DUDE JUST go listen to this i am BLOWN AWAY by the production quality and attention to detail

corruption is flawless so far

JESUS

that was 10/10 hands down glorious. very sinister. i wont spoil it for you but it's an experience

3. YAAAAAS I LOVE BREAKBEAT its chill in like a desolation type way

really really sick bass going on here holy shoes

THIS ONE IS ACTUALLY AMAZING I LOVE THEM ALL I LOVE THEMMM they're all different and magical and vibey in their own ways

ok im kinda getting the style of this artist now. i rescind my earlier comments about the spiral not being spiral-adjacent enough for me. for this style it's PERFECTION

DOES SHE FEEL IT!!!!!? BECAUSE IT'S ALL HAPPENED BEFORE!!!!!

4. OMG THIS IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. STRAIGHT FIRE

this is really reminding me of milwaukee protocol A6 (milwaukee protocol is another fantastic underrated album that i highly recommend)

5. the use of sfx in this project is completely insane it's gorgeous dude

OOOOGH

i can see you seeing me ...

oh my lord jons voice in the background

HOLY CHRIST THAT BEAT DROP

LITERALLY BONKERS

im in AWE *explodes*

this is what played during 200 actually. i make the rules

this is actually genuinely fantastic music though. i did noT expect it to be THIS good

6. WHOA I AM SPOOKED

i ADORE THIS ONE !!!!!!! IT'S PERFECT FOR THE DARK!!!!!

7. THAT WAS INCREDIBLE I HAV E NO WORDS it sounded like a lovely deep purple

8. WOW OK STRAIGHT FIRE RIGHT OFF THE BAT????

YOOOOOOOO THIS IS BEAUTIFUL

every time i think of the flesh as a fear i remember jonny saying he was proud of its justification (fear of being nothing more than your body, fear of being warped and horribly disfigured beyond recognition, fear of being hurt and of being chopped up and consumed) and YES JONNY I AGREE YOU SHOULD BE

anyway totally amazing

OH HELLLLLL YESSSSSSSSSS THEY USED A CLIP FROM KILLING FLOOR MY FAVORITE MAG (well it's the one i say is my favorite — definitely top ten at least)

IM GETTING ACTUAL CHILLS JESUS

9. AYE THAT WAS SICK

oooooh ???

HOLY FRICK.

THE USE OF DRUMS IN THIS IS BRILLIANT DO YOU HEAR THOSE RIDES CRASHING

the best way i can articulate my thoughts is this: these songs sound exactly like a poetic description of the fears they convey

OHHHH MYY GOOODDDD THIS IS SOOOO GOOODDD

!!!!!!you can tell a tonnnn of work went into these

im going to need to relisten to this all the way through,, oh my

10. i predict this one will either sound incredibly muffled or earsplittingly loud

hmm ok so far very mellow

OOOO STRINGS

this kinda beat is right up my alley

11. AAAAAAAbsolute vibe. loving it. lovvve. definitely very interesting

12. OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!!!!!! IT'S EVERYTHGING!!!!!! iT'S EVERYTHING I HOPED IT WOULD BE I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS IM SCREAMING AND SBBING DYING ON THE FLOOR i "fell" in love with the vast a while ago (he h heh) and i have NEEDDED something like this in my life this is the most amazing vast ambiance i have eEVER heard oh mygodoogodmy god new go-to unlocked 100000000000/10

13. OH M GEE LONELY IS PERFECT TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FLAWLESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this could work for vast too i think but it's more melancholy. it sounds like it would play in martin's domain. screaming screaming internally i feel so

its making me feel things bro

oh this is just gorgeous all around

im obsessed im CRAZY

the slow descent...into "maybe it's better this way".... the loss of self. so acutely conveyed through music.

that gentle pause that says i dont know what to do anymore now that im alone; i guess i just keep going.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I LOVVVVVE for the second half of the song they somehow made drums belong in the lonely hello??

THE ECHOES are hurting me in my soul this is BRILLIANT.

NNNNO STOP THEY ADDED MORE PAIN

14. TERMINUS!!!!!! LETS GOOOOO!!!!!!!!! oh i am fEELING this minecraft end dimension ahh sound ok get it

i really like that they put the end at the end lol

it needs no ritual, for in its infinite patience it knows inevitability

me when i slowly approach death with this playing

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

ENNNNDDDING NOTESSSS

this entire album is so so so beautiful please feel free to check it out 👍

tbh tma video game when?? and also please hire this guy for it??

HELLO. I GENUINELY CANT PICK A FAVORITE. i adore them all for different reasons.

i like how hunted is really long and sort of repetitive — it articulates that feeling of the never-ending chase. also its STRAIGHT FIRE so ive just been listening to it over and over

corruption is BRILLIANT for a variety of reasons i love love love that one

currently listening to ceaseless watcher because both the BASS and the BEAT DROP are INSANE im so normal about this audio art of this other thing that im also very normal about

ehehe thanks :D

guys btw i found this fabulous af tma fan album — fourteen tracks, one per fear — largely instrumental but it's ABsoLUTEly AMAZING. epicest ever. it's called "panopticon" and is by harvo.

[meme-streets]

omg what’s your personal ranking of the doors albums i’m so curious on your take

ok sorry this was so late! i realized i hadn’t actually listened to the live album yet (which i wanted to rank as well) and then i didn’t get the chance for several days. for the sake of ease i’m only going to do the ones released while morrison was alive. these are based on my preferences, not judgements of quality.

1. morrison hotel. ironically has the highest volume of doors songs i don’t really like (which i like…2), but it’s the album i listen to straight through the most, i own it on CD, and as an overall whole i think coheres incredibly well. the callbacks to “roadhouse blues” in “the spy” and “maggie m’gill”, the callback to “waiting for the sun” the album in “waiting for the sun” the song, just in general the way the whole thing flows.

2. strange days. i expect this is an uncontroversial pick, given as it’s generally accepted to be a great album. “love me two times” and “people are strange” are of course iconic, “strange days” and “moonlight drive” are incredibly cool songs, and of course “my eyes have seen you” is probably my all-time favorite doors song. the album has a really cool sound overall and i think it holds together very well; another album i’m inclined to listen to all the way through and the one that got me into them as a whole. some of manzarek’s best keyboard work is on here imo, or at least my favorite. the fact it feels like a slightly more cohesive concept album also gives it a slight boost over the self titled.

3. the doors. a killer first album with an abundance of favorite songs of mine–“soul kitchen” (an old favorite of mine from childhood), “back door man” (makes me want to dance in ways that are not physically possible), “break on through”, “take it as it comes” (genuinely haunting), “light my fire”, “i looked at you”…honestly every single song on here is a complete banger. “the end” is an incredible finale. literally just a bunch of really fucking good songs so i gotta put it high up on the list.

4. absolutely live. their energy is incredible live, it flows super well, the mixed in spoken word poetry is fantastic, and also...jim morrison noises. the slight lyrical alterations to soul kitchen and how perfect of a closer it made. the emotions i experienced listening to this sure were something!!

5. waiting for the sun. maybe a strange pick, but despite being one of their lesser-appreciated albums i think it’s cool as hell with a really unique sound. “five to one” is a favorite of mine, “hello, i love you” is iconic, “not to touch the earth” is genuinely kind of terrifying (sounds like getting murdered in a funhouse imo), “the unknown soldier” and “yes, the river knows” are great, and despite it being a weird song, i have a particular soft spot for “my wild love”. i’m a sucker for sort of…campfire songs, almost. overall an incredibly cool album that doesn’t get appreciated enough.

6. the soft parade. another underrated one; between this and waiting for the sun i had to give the latter a slight edge just for how many songs on it i really like, but i love the orchestral sound of this album. “touch me” has been a favorite since i was a kid, and “runnin’ blue” is a weird but fantastic song featuring bluegrass breakdowns and what seems to be jim morrison’s surprisingly on point bob dylan impression. and of course, the final and titular track has the iconic “you cannot petition the lord with prayer” bit.

7. l.a. woman. ok, don’t eat me alive for putting this last–i feel insane for it–but despite it being an iconic album and having a couple songs i really really like (“the changeling” and “been down so long”)…it’s just not my favorite? i don’t find myself listening to it as much, though it was the last one i listened to out of the main 6 so that probably had an impact. i will say, their cover of “crawling king snake” is really cool, one of my higher rated ones (though nothing will ever top junior kimbrough for me), and overall it’s still a fantastic album.

this was incredibly hard oh my god. as obnoxious as i am about how hot i find morrison, i fell in love with the music first, and i adore (heh) most of the doors’ discography. even the songs i’m not as big on i don’t dislike.

[potionofinstantdamage]

hi for the love of god hello.. every time you post a new animation i add another song to my playlist ur taste is so good, please give music recs if u have em <3

WAHOO. listen to lord huron (<- my favorite band of all time) and amigo the devil and rainbow kitten surprise. specifically everything is fine by amigo the devil is my favorite album of his but all of his stuff is great. cocaine and abel is my favorite atd song but his stuff can vary wildly in tone so i recommend giving it all a try. i love literally all rks + lord huron songs but for lord huron id HEAVILY recommend listening in complete chronological order because their songs tell a story that carries across all of their albums (currently they have 4 full albums out). rainbow kitten surprise also varies in tone but their stuff is fairly consistent in overall sound composition so if you like one or two of their songs there's a good chance you'll like more of them. heavily recommend wasted and run and counting cards but all of their stuff goes incredibly hard. i don't know all of the family crest's songs but howl and beneath the brine are BANGERS. rico nasty is an inrecible artist if you like rap/similar i heavily recommend rage and OHFR. ALSO run the jewels are up there with my favorite rap artists their stuff goes SO hard. kind of a weird rec bc you might know his stuff already but i am a huge fan of a lot of leonard cohen's work especially his earlier stuff. every song off of 'songs of love and hate' is a fucking masterpiece. tame impala is also an artist i listen to a lot his stuff is more... electronic? heavily reccomend radiohead if you've never gotten into their stuff ok computer is an incredible album if you don't mind a bit of dissonance also spectre is one of their best songs imo. hail to the thief is also another very good album of theirs. hospice by the antlers is also one of my favorite albums ever although i have to give an obligatory warning for that it HEAVILY deals with themes of terminal illnesses and abuse so its a very heavy listen but if youre down with that i HIGHLY reccomend it. ok this reply is getting long as hell i will leave it there for now i. i listen to a lot of music

[riddlegecko]

Okay, I've given TCBOB a second watch, now for my big disorganized assorted thoughts post!!

Not really sure where to start, so I'll just say that the character dynamics were easily the best part of the show for me. I love watching these characters interact, it's a blast.

I spent 95% of my high school years homeschooled, and I barely did any theatre (choir, yes, theatre, not so much). So with that in mind, I think that Bethanne and Eric were the two most relatable characters to me. I think even if you take away the high school theatre stuff from the show, the gist of their characters is still there. And hey, I can relate to both "oh dear god, i have no clue what i'm gonna be" and "feelings are the worst, so what if i just Didn't".

I think Jean still ended up being my fave from a personal standpoint tho, she's great. I love her dynamic with Max (i'm not sure if they were intending to write in ship tease for them, but i certainly got that vibe at some points. whatever the case, really endearing friendship), Body Language was an incredibly fun and charming song, and her weird Thing for Theo was hilarious. I love one (1) jaded single threat dancer with questionable tastes in men.

This may be my favorite Clark soundtrack yet, every song was a banger. I loved the whistling in Chill, and the vocal warm-up section of Professional, I think they really gave those songs a strong identity. Alex's interludes (the "tony mango wants to thank you for all your work today..." bits, idk if they have names) are really great, I love how each one gets progressively faster and I hope they'll be on the cast album. As I said, Body Language was a fun and charming little bop. All of Cole and Bethanne's songs were really sweet, their budding romance was just really cute and interesting in general. I could go on, but this post'll be long enough as is. In short, great soundtrack, beats Spies by an absolute mile.

Two kinda nitpicky things that I do sorta hope get changed down the line, 1. Let Cole be present for the end of the party when Theo gets kicked out (just kinda felt weird that she was the only one not present imo), and 2. Let us learn the surnames of more than three characters, please.

On the subject of names, why are Joshua and Estelle just called "Freshman #1" and "Freshman #2" in the credits anyway? They have names, and they only go nameless for like the first 20-30 minutes.

🎵 "THAT'S ABSOLUTELY A FUCKING LIIIIIIE" 🎵

Garrett my beloved <3

Subtle joke that I thought was really clever, Estelle saying "I don't wanna play one of those characters that shows up and then disappears for the rest of the act", and then she and Joshua proceed to disappear for the rest of the act.

...I feel like I had more things to say, but my mind has just completely drawn a blank, whoops. Whatever the case, loved the show, can't wait to see how it evolves down the line!

[bisluthq]

So idk I am feeling conflicted bc you know how there’s a sect of the lgbt community who are all like “go listen to real queer artists and stop trying to make Taylor seem one of us through your lyric analysis” like.

I mean I get what they’re saying and it’s not even like Taylor presents as a great ally lmao but like... I feel like that argument just forgets that 1) closeted people exist and 2) straight people can write songs that can be analyzed through a queer lens

Like I mean there is a severe lack of out mainstream artists and I get we should absolutely support the ones that are Bc it makes it easier for closeted people to come out the more mainstream it is... but like... idk. I do think some people take Taylor’s sexuality too far and to consider her a gay icon is just like not it right now... but like her music slaps and you don’t have to be straight to relate to it. There are so many of her songs that I listen to and think of my ex gf when I do so it’s like? Maybe Taylor didn’t write DBATC for a woman but I ascribe it to one when I listen to it and like that’s the point of music you know?

Idk I get why some lgbt people are annoyed by her but like... I just feel like no one considers that being closeted is a thing and I think some lgbt people fall into the same default that straight people do and just assume everyone is straight unless they have a huge coming out announcement. And like that’s not fair to anyone tbh.

Yeah look I mean I have MANY thoughts on this:

1) shit doesn't need to be canonically gay in order for it to be relatable. Same as how straight people can and SHOULD relate to queer storylines too because WE ARE ALL HUMAN. No one is ever going to write a banger of a breakup song like Adele. Do I think she has a fruity bone in her body? I mean like maybe she's kissed a girl at a party one time but like all her songs are for her about boys. But they're not necessarily about boys for me. And that doesn't make them worse or less relatable. I'm allowed to ugly cry and listen to Turning Tables and I don't have to picture a bloke when I do that.

2) that's true for minority/majority art in general. Minority groups generally find ways to identify to majority groups, but I LOVE it when majority groups identify to my minority identities. Like yaaaaas goy straight bitches please go stan Broad City. The girls are SO Jewish and... so bi... but like I WANT YOU TO LIKE IT and relate. And most people I've spoken to feel that way regardless of identity. Like, obvi the point is not to appropriate but like yes I'm going to bop and sing to Formation and I'll not say the hair line when I'm singing it in my car - y'all should lowkey know by now Lemonade is like one of my favorite albums because I reference it that much - there are lines I skip but the PREMISE of like being with your group of girls is completely relatable to me. Do I get the nuance she's communicating? Cerebrally but obvi not like to my core, but it's a dope song, and I can have fun singing it.

3) those are two important sidebars and bring us back to Taylor. IMO it's okay to like Taylor's music in a gay way in the same way we queer people like Adele's or even in the way goy straight girls like Broad City. Like it's okay if she didn't mean it that way and she didn't mean to speak to us but did via the human experience and that's like beautiful y'know and makes her a phenomenal artist.

4) it's also important to realize that yes Taylor could be closeted but besties she's not like... revolving her life around it. She has made a choice to live a hetty presenting life and - here's where we get to the kicker - she has fostered the bullying of queer fans who pick up on themes in her music and ship while having no issue with hetty weirdos. And that makes me HOPE she's queer in some way and not homophobic because if you are an ally and you're letting people speculate about EVERY boy you're in contact with but lose your shit when it looks like you kissed your female friend, ehhh that's on you. You're a bad ally and a bit homophobic.

5) which brings me to "why I hope she's queer": fundamentally because it'd make her less stupid and more likable, and it'd make her faux pas missteps more understandable because it was like ~personal and she struggled, and it'd make the signaling she's done (and don't start this I never include ship shit I always talk about sus statements and flag usage etc and it's in my nat talks gaylor tag) more understandable.

6) if she's straight eh people have just as much right to queer read her songs as we do with Adele and Lana. It doesn't matter.

Maybe Taylor Swift is straight. If so she has a LONG way to go in terms of allyship, and a long way to go compared to just about every pop star who has come before her. Like she's a problem dudes. She's a homophobe because she's allowed a fandom which allows folklore songs to be assigned to HARRY but freaks at Wonderland being assigned to Dianna Agron.

Maybe she's bi, and I wish society would allow for that but I don't think it does especially not in her case.

Either way I wish hetlors would get off truthering because it doesn't matter.

So someone thinks she's gay. Cool. Make like Elsa and let it go, why can't that be the case? Again, I am CONVINCED Blake, Scarlett, Emma W, and a host of other celebs are straight. I won't truther someone who's saying Emma and Bonnie shared rooms together because I'd be like "lol Bonnie has the range but Emma doesn't but fair enough" and leave it at that.

Being OBSESSED with this issue is weird.

And before some anon says - I'm not obsessed. Maybe she's straight, I think she could be bi, maybe she's a lesbian dealing with comphet. I'm not her and I don't know! But what I am veeeery convinced of is she ain't no gold star.

[cursed-collections]

9 Albums that turned me into a metal head

I was a rap fan for a while, and I have listened to some metal samples on hip-hop songs. The best example can be — Slayer’s “Angel of Death” sample on Public Enemy’s “She Watch Channel Zero?!”. Rap and Metal are almost similar, they share many things in common — from headbanging beats to ‘PARENTAL ADVISORY’ stickers on their album covers. But it is during this lock-down, I got more into metal. In this post, I am going to share (recommend) 9 metal albums that turned me into a metalhead.

1. “Vol 3. The Subliminal Verses” by Slipknot

This was the very first metal album that I listened to and it sounded pretty average for me. The lyrics are lousy and they wear those stupid masks — my first impression of this band and the album is that they’ve got an image that automatically appeals to people who like bands for how edgy they look and act rather than their music. I can’t really say anything too negative on the subject matter of this album because I was completely new to metal at that time but to be honest, I couldn’t find one track that I enjoyed even slightly.

This album made up my mind to conclude that metal is not a genre that I should spend my time upon. But — I was wrong!

2. “Toxicity” by System of a Down

System of a Down is the most experimental metal band. The experimental nature of these four Armenian guys hasn’t always paid off. The metal community hates this band and their music so much, and I can see why they are hated. But for someone like me who is a rap fan, this album is like a treasure in the genre. There are some core metalheads who think that Toxicity is one of the very best metal albums of all time. System of a Down was not just another horrible Nu-Metal band. They had something else, something more. Again to be very honest, this is their only best album (IMO).

3. “Ride the Lightning” by Metallica

Metallica is considered as one of the Big-4 metal bands along with Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. This album is a damn impressive thrash metal album that rightfully deserves to be called a “classic”. The album starts off with “Fight Fire With Fire” which is a gentle acoustic guitar ballad, nothing out of the ordinary until that chaotic riff comes in and like an explosion rips the calm serenity into panic and discord.

4. “Vulgar Display of Power” by Pantera

I find it interesting when I see metalheads on Reddit hating this album and some even call this — “Most overrated album by the most overrated band”. But I think Pantera managed to distill down the powerful essence of metal. This album is best to feel motivated or powerful (lol!). Song for song, Vulgar Display of Power is a pummeling example of rock ‘n roll, well-deserving of its praise. I personally feel Pantera as AC/DC of metal. They are hated, but still, their albums are outstanding, the same as AC/DC in rock.

5. “Reign in Blood” by Slayer

Slayer is another greatest Thrash metal band and one of the Big-4 metal bands. This is a hallmark album in metal and one of the cornerstone thrash releases, coming out alongside “Master of Puppets” by Metallica and “Peace Sells” by Megadeth. I still can’t believe this album, It is very intense, and brutal. The album is generally shorter than any other metal album but still, it was like 35 mins of spending time with the devil. This album has everything a metal album needs — speed, aggression, and riffs.

6. “Rust In Peace” by Megadeth

Holy thrash! This album is really something. It was my first Megadeth album, and it totally got me hooked. The guitars are crazy good on this album. This album made Megadeth my favorite metal band (next to Black Sabbath tho!). a masterpiece with no obvious flaws, no fillers, and some of the most obscenely thrilling moments in all of recorded metal history. Holy Wars… The Punishment Due, Tornado Of Souls, and Hangar 18 may be the obvious highlights, but the entire record is a banger.

7. “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath is considered the very first metal band. They started and shaped the whole metal genre. ‘Paranoid’ may be the ultimate heavy metal album. Three of its songs — the title track “Paranoid”, “War Pigs” and “Iron Man” — are the genre staples. Every song of this album shaped a new metal sub-genre. Speed metal of Paranoid, trippy space blues track Planet Caravan, doom metal of Iron man, and many. They also have a sense of humor on the closing track. This album again is a masterpiece.

8. “The Art of Partying” by Municipal Waste

This is ain’t a classic band or ain’t even a famous one. But, if catchy thrash needs a definition, that may easily be Municipal waste. The riffs and thrash breaks are strongly influenced by classic bands like Slayer and Exodus. This album brain numbingly dumb lyrics and repetitive guitar riffs, but bands like this are so refreshing, as they do not take themselves too seriously, and it’s just pure fun!

9. “Ashes of the Wake” by Lamb of God

This album is brutal, skillful, and awesome. My bones and brain got crushed while listening to this album, lol. I liked their own style of metal and overall songwriting. The guitars and drums are just mind-blowing. The perfect balance among the drums, bass, guitars, and vocal is outstanding — not too noisy or heavy, but clean and powerful.

These are the albums that introduced me to metal. In my next posts, I will review all these albums and many more posts are about to come.

Until then: Stay safe, keep calm, and listen to f*ckin’ Metal! 😈

[capital-radio-three]

Alright, here's the song recommendations I promised to make if I can't go to sleep

I'll start off with the sequel of my favorite song to open a gig. Son of Rumble is a previously unreleased follow-up to Wray's 1958 absolute banger "Rumble". This song was officially released back in 2018, but I wish they'd released it way back on it's original planned release date, because imo, this song is the perfect sequel to rumble.

Next up, it's one of my favorite track by The Cars, Since You're Gone. This song is the second single from their fourth album, "Shake It Up". Despite it's warm reception, I've read some critics criticizing Ric Ocasek's vocal as "Impassionate". However, I feel like it's the best way to express the feeling of the character in the song, as heartbreak usually makes people feel Impassionate, even about the thing they love so much.

All I have to say about this song is, it's music video still scares me to this very day. But the music is fun to listen to, and I kinda likes it's lyrics.

Alright, next up is Somebody Got Murdered. In my opinion, this track is criminally underated despite it being featured on The Clash's live set quite often. In this song, Joe Strummer is inspired by an accident near his flat in London, where a man got stabbed after an argument over a small amount of money. This song is one of my favorite by The Clash, because it showcased the greatness of every member of The Clash in it, because of how well Joe wrote the narration, and because of how Mick Jones sang it with the right emotions.

And here's another tune by The Clash, Complete Control. My friends and I have been loving this song for a long time, and we also likes to call it 'The Anthem of Punk'. In a very Clash manner, the band wrote this in retaliation after their record label make them release 'Remote Control' -a song they considered not worthy to be released as a single- as a single.

Finally, a song that's not a rock song. Everybody Wants To Rule The World is a song by Tears For Fears which I discovered through one of my all-time favorite movie, 'Ready Player One'. In my understanding, this song is about how many people are hungry for power, yet they didn't know the consequences that comes with it. Ngl, despite it's catchy tune, it's lyrics are pretty... Dark

Can't believe I almost forgot to add Queen here. Released as part of the 'News Of The World' album in 1977, All Dead, All Dead is a super emotional song written by Brian May about the death of his cat when he was still a child. And yes, I've cried after listening to this song (and it happened several times)

This one is a Ramones cover of Bobby Freeman's hit , "Do You Wanna Dance". And The Ramones being The Ramones, they played fast in the recording, and played even faster when they perform it live. This one is probably one of my favorite Ramones song because it always makes me wanna dance when I hear it.

The last one is September because I'm making this post in the middle of the night on the 21st of September. Also because this is one of the few disco songs I actually liked.

[haus-of-wu]

Bonamana (미인아) 10th Anniversary Album Analysis/Rediscovery

Happy 10th Anniversary to Bonamana / 4jib !

I viscerally remember this album coming out when I was in the 8th grade and using my damn iTunes gift cards to buy the album tracks for my iPod nano. (WTF was streaming in 2010)

Bonamana was the first album of many in SJ’s discography that didn’t have the full lineup of members. Hangeng had departed SM, Kibum had announced a hiatus to focus on acting, and Kangin was starting off what would become SJ’s almost decade-long military rotation era.

We’ve come a long way, and we’re still out here !!

Track analysis and re-reaction below the cut - as a veteran ELF I find that middle school me fixated on certain songs (and was the biggest Ryeowook stan), and then completely forgot about entire other songs, so it’s always a fun time going back down memory lane.

Bonamana (미인아)

Even if you look and look, look and look, look and look There’s no one else but me.

It’s true, true that my feelings don’t have a place to go. You know that I adjusted myself to fit you

honestly the best iteration of the “SJ Funky” sound that started with “Sorry Sorry” imo

an absolute headbanger !! if you aren’t already bobbing your head to the bass line and percussion in the first 10 seconds you are not human

this has just the right tasteful amount of autotune that makes it age a lot better than sorry sorry over the years

i’m sorry but the choreo absolutely fucks especially with kyuhyun going out there being like “you thought i was a main vocal? i’m in this fucking dance break”

re:choreo, it’s understandable that they’ve pivoted to the rock remix of this for super shows bc there’s a squat move they do that is not friendly on the knees at all

if you wanted a club BOP about a guy trying his hardest to figure out how to get a girl’s attention, this is it

donghae doing a magic trick for every music show performance of this, while looking fiercely in character while delivering his line as a man who is hella stressed about what to get the girl as a present

the way ryeowook and sungmin (tenor line !!) exchange lines

this song made me go feral in 2010

No Other

Hearing you tell me that you love me, I have everything in this world, You & I, You’re so fine, Is there someone like you? I love you Oh, please know it, to me there’s only you, That I stupidly see you As my everything 

that feel-good cute love song that served as the foil to Bonamana

the softest MV !!

just super chill and smile inducing

all the music show performances of this are just...so cute (also featured so many shenanigans like leeteuk yelling HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEENIM/GOOD LUCK SHINEE, and random members playing rock paper scissors in the middle of the performance)

probably has the most evenly split line distributions for the time (each member has their own verse of sorts)

contains one of my favorite hyukjae rap parts - it flows in such a relaxing way

Shake It Up (Remix Version)

Hey get up, (Hey get up) everyone come here (everyone come here) Just shake (all your thoughts) Just shake it up!

your everyday repetitive life, right now shake it up your repeated thoughts of sadness- right now shake it up Are you separated from the world? It all depends on you

SJ said shake it up !

chill club song with the touch of autotune, heavy synth, and weird background “oh OHs” of the time

the predecessor to the electronic chill vibe that Skydive has

they really told us to have fun and enjoy

honestly the song i didn’t realize i’d need in quarantine as i jam out at my desk

All My Heart

The words I still can’t say The words that got stuck in my throat I love you more than anyone else It’s still you and me, me me me me me me me me

In this moment I’m really happy I’m really grateful that you came to me The one who gives everything to me It’s only you and me, me me me me me me just you

a simple guitar instrumental with soothing vocals, a wholesome r&b

composed by LEETEUK AND HENRY? fuck me up fam

as a kid this was just the “nanana nanana na” song (that’s the me me me part of the chorus lmao)

this is the happy song that you’d like wave your lighters to maybe

hyukjae’s been singing “don’t wake me up” for eons

god this song makes me so soft

A Short Journey

My heart that loved you My eyes that looked at you Are still here

Oh baby say goodbye, for a short while goodbye I’ll go back to the place when I once was When I open that door and take one step So that I can stand in front of you who I missed

My heart that loved you My eyes that looked at you Will wait

Kangin going to the military tribute song composed by Donghae and lyrics by Hyukjae? they really had all the rights in 2010

god the lyrics really hit me in my ELF heart. like we really went through a whole decade of military service and said goodbye for now so many times

the opening piano intro? i hate you donghae i really do

hyukjae these lyrics man. why. why you gotta make our hearts hurt like this

another simple instrumental with soothing vocals, but this time it hits you in the feels a bit

if you weren’t listening to the lyrics, this feels like a song you’d watch your parents slow dance to in the house

thanks for triggering the “i miss kangin” hours G O D

Boom Boom

From head to toe you are wrapped with all luxury things Hoo~ so eye-blinding, who would ever dare to touch you?

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star I’m trying to get a hot girl, I’m drawn to her bad look look look am I wrong?

It’s nothing but such a beautiful sin

THE OTHER BANGER IN THIS ALBUM

yeah i feel like 13/14 y.o. me only was here for bonamana and boom boom back in 2010 which is like...pretty valid given the taste of your typical middle schooler in 2010

but literally. if you thought bonamana was about a guy desperate to get the girl, boom boom was legit like “shit she’s hot like sin and hooking up with her might be a mistake for me but oh well wtf why the hell not”

kyuhyun’s line at the beginning “from head to toe/머리부터 발 끝까지” is apparently used in a lot of lyrics, to the point where D&E were like, Bout You’s Korean title is gonna be that, AND it’s gonna be in the chorus. this was totally off-topic.

the whiplash in this album honestly. soft love songs to trying to get girls in the club to i’ll wait for you to finish military service. they have the RANGE

Coagulation

On the window and on my eyes Dew forms, tears form, a small stream is made Where they’re from and how they form over and over even I don’t know The only thing I know is that I just really hurt My formerly burning heart is slowly becoming cold It seems even I don’t know what to say, or how to hold on to you

time for a KRY ballad (can you BELIEVE they are finally having their first whole-ass album in june ??)

break up crying song included with the album of two absolute bangers

just close your eyes and get taken away on the sad rainy day ballad

Your Eyes

I want to erase all of my insufficient former self It seems like someone like me has nothing to give to you

Do you still remember, do you believe that it’s only you for me Do you know how long you can keep me by your side In this large world, there’s only one person (I only want you) Did you know this about me

sad piano r&b time !! brought to you by yesung and kyuhyun only

harmonies

kyuhyun’s bridge though

easily a candidate for some drama OST

i feel like this album really just had two sides - party rock central and r&b feels

My Only Girl

Even if I cover my ears I can hear it, even if I close my eyes, I can see it Even if I shut my mouth I keep calling out for you I am stupid I hate how I can’t get over you

we really opened this song with “cause i’m lonely” huh (screams at how applicable this still is for them TEN years later)

i love everything about this song except the chorus

the chorus is very underwhelming

My All Is In You

Even though I’m pretending to smile Without knowing why In truth I want to cry

It seems love is ending like this Before I know it our parting is approaching You say “goodbye” To me, letting you go is still difficult Please give me a little more time I can’t live without you My all is in you

another sad breakup bop why are you guys so good at this genre

the percussion comes in so nicely

little strings in the background that help accentuate the words (chef’s kiss)

KRY really were already yelling not even halfway into this song - perf

we literally are only in the second chorus folks

this song is great, it’s only sin was that it said “rap line you just don’t get lines”, so rip heechul, hyukjae, and shindong

Shake it Up!

the original - way less electro, more acoustic

has a very lo-fi beginning and then it amps up

has some interesting high pitched synth piano twiddling up there

a tad slower than the remix, but not by much if at all

dude the horns coming in behind hyukjae’s rap !! it fucks !

if the remix version’s vibe is people having fun in the club, this one’s vibe is a summer bbq party in the backyard

god i really love the horn line - it gives it such a nice vibe

another point in the “feel good” bucket

In My Dream

She’s walking away Embracing another person My chest’s like it’s being crushed under a heavy weight

I’m dreaming again, right? Cold sweat runs down my body It hurts to dream about things, I hate to remember

I wish I would fall asleep forever like this I wake up with her presence still… although I hope I don’t dream again, Like today, it seems I fall asleep with her presence

piano and string sadness here we go

bring back SJ KRY + donghae + sungmin

this chorus for this song stabs me in the heart every time

i’m mad where’s the MV for the heart-wrenching sad ballad

kings of emotional power vocals

we really are out here singing our hearts out about that ex-girlfriend that haunts us as we try to fall asleep

if they ever perform this all ELF in the vicinity would immediately die

One Fine Spring Day

A warm wind is blowing like it was that night The flowers you lovingly planted have bloomed Before I know it spring has come again I still want to deeply sleep like it’s winter

You are so very far, so very far To be honest I miss you every day Even the very small, very small trivial things make me think of you every day

still laughing the ryeowook brought up bonamana as his favorite album on weekly idol bc it contained his first ever solo track ;kasjf;aksdf king of promoting only himself

this is v soft, v much aligned with the little prince image that wasn’t even in the works yet

the imagery of the lyrics man. cute winter to spring yearning uwus

s o f t e s t

like this is literally the song that inspired every fanfic writer that’s ever written ryeowook as persephone in some greek god au

Good Person

When you laugh I feel good too, even when you say it’s just pretend You bring happiness to the days when I wait for you, the nights when I miss you Even when I’m alone it’s okay if I can just see you I’m always behind you, I’m always looking out for you, but it seems like I have to share

The difference between me and the person who makes you cry is that all I can do is comfort you

this song sounds like something that would be in the opening of an animated show that takes place in a high school

now that i’m looking at the lyrics, this is literally an upbeat sounding song accepting that they’ve been friendzoned and all they can do is support her relationship with the other guy

bittersweet nostalgia bop i guess

Here We Go

cue family/action movie credit music vibes

i don’t have much to say about it - i just isn’t something i’d listen to on the regular

it’s just happy-go-lucky finale type music

it has a really old-school hyukjae/shindong rap verse lmao

vocal line is out here yelling, very on-brand

[mccoys-killer-queen]

This Week’s Playlist (2/14)

Not sure how I got hooked on this idea- but this week I’ll be focusing entirely on 70s songs (and next week I’ll do 80s). Disclaimer: I’m not saying these are my favorite songs of the 70s (believe me that would be WAYYY too hard to narrow down), I’m just filling this week’s list strictly with songs released in the 70s.

I’ve also created a spotify playlist made up of all the songs I’ve used on playlists! I’ll update it every week (before I even post the playlist, so if you check at the right time the songs will be there!)

1.) London Calling- The Clash (1979) I like to define this song as the song that started my descent into classic rock. When I was in 7th grade I had this music teacher who would always play pop music of the late 20th century for class. This song was one of the first songs she showed us, and it became a trademark of the class. We used to get this song played at dances and stuff- so there’s a lot of middle school memory there. Guess we all wanted to be punks- and this is a great boppy song just for that.

2.) All Right Now- Free (1970) Am I being typical for picking this song...? Perhaps (because honestly, at least where I’m from, this is the only Free song anyone knows... yikes. It’s overused in media sometimes imo). But that doesn’t meant it’s not great! It’s got everything! An epic guitar riff that frames the lyrics, a sick beat, funny rhymes, a killer musical interlude with bangin piano and a guitar solo- all while being undeniably CHILL. This one of those chill summer songs to me; the kind you listen to on a hot, quiet, and sunny car ride through the country with the windows down while wearing sunglasses. That’s just the aesthetic I’ve always associated with this song.

3.) Rock’n Me- Steve Miller Band (1976) Just try not to bop. I dare you. This is a real dance-a-little-in-your-seat song with a GREAT, smooth flow to it. Killer rhymes and a fast, subtle beat you can’t avoid even if you try. Steve Miller Band is one of my favorite groups of the 70s and I wish they got more appreciation in general. I could’ve picked so many of their songs already for these playlists, but this one stood out to me this week because I feel like it’s very recognizable (I always heard this song as a kid and I feel like maybe some people on here did too). It’s so damn catchy that it’ll just stick with you, so listen and get ready for an earworm. Also a great road trip song.

4.) Once Bitten, Twice Shy- Ian Hunter (1975) No, this isn’t Great White!! This is the song we all know and love but this one’s the original! I feel like I need to educate anyone who’ll listen about this! *scoff* god, now I can see why Joe Elliott’s always shoving Ian Hunter in everyone’s faces- because he’s worth it! Maybe I’m a little biased, but I personally prefer this version over Great White’s for a bunch of different reasons. For one thing, I think this version focuses more on telling the story rather than trying to make the music over the top. The instrumentals of this one ROCK, but the way it’s constructed with the lyrics makes the story more understandable- essentially, it’s just more raw, and I like the raw sound to it, but that’s just me. You all probably know how the song goes at this point, but after listening to this version you’ll see just how much of it Great White changed. You take it upon yourself to decipher the meaning of the lyrics ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) I think we all know what “rock and roll” means at this point...

5.) Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’- Journey (1979) I don’t like to acknowledge Valentine’s Day, nor was I going to mention it in any way on this playlist- but let me tell you a story: last year on VD, I was driving home from school, and this song came on the radio. Then it hit me- I had completely forgotten about ANTI-Valentine’s Day songs! This is a PERFECT example of one. It tells of an unfaithful someone who gets bitten in the ass by someone else’s unfaithfulness. Talk about a SICK burn! This has gotta be my favorite Journey song as well. It’s like a flash-fiction song; telling a huge story while barely saying anything at all. My favorite part of this song by far is how each instrument has a crystal clear part, and you can very easily pick out each one. The intro of this song is just excellent. You can clearly hear the bass, drums, guitars, and piano all introduced in different ways. It’s just a gorgeous song through and through, and those 189 “na”s at the end just tie it all together (and yes, I counted). You’ll have all the words down before you know it.

6.) You’re All I’ve Got Tonight- The Cars (1978) Like I said last week, The Cars are one of the perfect combos of rock and pop. If you think about it, this one can be another anti-Valentine’s Day song. The lyrics have a sloppy and desperate feel to them- kinda like the speaker is drunk and throwing themselves at someone because they’re that desperate. “I don’t care if you hurt me some more, I don’t care if you even the score”- like oof man, you just sound desperate. This song is a banger in every way and let’s face it- the keyboard at the chorus is just the absolute best part. Strong points for these guys are always keyboards and guitars. It’s got this rock hard chill 80s vibe to it (despite it being a 70s song- new wave, you know), you’ll feel that you need to be doing something cool while listening to it.

7.) Rock and Roll- Led Zeppelin (1971) It’s so cliche of me to use this I know I know I KNOW- but can you blame me? On Sunday in a record booth at the market I found an original Zeppelin IV and I feel like this song has been following me all week because of it. This is unarguably one the most recognizable and famous rock songs of all time- because it was so expertly crafted in every way imaginable- just like everything else Zeppelin’s ever done. It’s ALWAYS the drums that do it for me in this song. l That filler at the end is- without question- the best part of the whole song. Bonzo just KILLS it. Overall, it’s a short-ish song that uses its time extremely well; it’s like all four of them went “let’s maximize every single element that goes into a bop, and make a song like that”. In some ways, this song is objectively perfect. If you want pure rock and roll in all its glory- what better song to choose than Rock and Roll itself?

8.) Keep Yourself Alive- Queen (1973) Another objectively perfect rock and roll song with a killer drum solo. I’m super biased towards Queen- but I cannot believe I never heard of this song until I was prepping my brain to see Bohemian Rhapsody! Honestly, who thinks it’s okay to keep this hidden? It’s the leading song off of their very first album- so this is almost like the song that INVENTED Queen fans! It’s a Brian May baby- and hell yeah does it show. I think everyone needs to know this song for artistic and historical reasons. It’s pure, power rock Queen through and through- despite being one of the earliest of their songs.

9.) Cum On Feel the Noize- Slade (1973) NO, it’s not Quiet Riot!! This is the song we all know and love but this one’s the original!! Again, I feel like I need to educate anyone who’ll listen about this! I get so angry sometimes that Quiet Riot gets all the credit for songs like this one and Mama Weer All Crazee now. Slade was super popular in England in the 70s- ahead of their time for sure but definitely one with the glam rock movement- but not as big in America. I never knew these guys existed until about five years ago and damn I felt like I had to be blind before learning that. Just listen to this song and then I think the sound of it’ll make a lot more sense, like “oh yeah- Quiet Riot’s version kinda DOES sound like it could be a glam rock song from the early 70s!” Just goes to show what geniuses these guys were, because their songs can be both glam rock AND heavy metal and work either way. Once you hear this version, though, I believe there’s no going back.

10.) Roll With the Changes- REO Speedwagon (1978) This was my favorite song for a few months when I was 16- it’s absolutely EPIC. The speaker is bursting at the seams with accepting a new found moral understanding of how they feel about trying to please or win over an apparent lover. They come to the conclusion that the other person just needs to keep on “rolling with the changes” and that they’ll be there for them whenever they decide to accept that perspective. The KEYBOARD is to D I E  F O R GUYS. Neal Doughty is a motherfucking SAINT- and SO IS GARY RICHRATH. This song sounds like it’s the finale of a musical or something! Possibly the biggest bop REO has ever created. It’s a groovy, extremely poetic, fast, theatrical, very slightly operatic rock and roll song and I’d highly recommend this to any person on the planet I love it that much. It’s lovable in every possible way.

[amoebo-id]

a o t d !!!

no more than 1 release per artist to keep it interesting. selection and ranking is arbitrary and would prob be wildly different if i did this tomorrow. also i only went down to #42 cause everything after that didn’t feel like real aotd status - at least as far as the specific relationships i built over the past 10 yrs with the music i was listening to

#1 laurel halo quarantine

nobody did machine-body dialectic like laurel halo in 2012. i loved everything else from her this decade too but every time i listened to Carcass it made me leave my body physically. absolutely unreal album art too

https://laurelhalo.bandcamp.com/track/carcass-2

#2 e+e the light that you gave me to see you

2012 was a good year. pop/ambient/noise/radio-dj-tag sound collage ascended to spiritual intensity. makes you feel like a child experiencing awe. also fire-gut used to have probably my favorite music video ever but i think it’s gone now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p-SSuwW9cw

#3 ilovemakonnen 5

not to be confused with Drink More Water 5, this one’s from 2010 during his mostly-forgotten diy outsider-pop phase. off-key singing and amateur beats and the sheer absolute joy of making cool songs. all 5 are perfect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORKpg_-z0Mk

#4 macintosh plus floral shoppe

would’ve made top 10 on album art alone. music, aesthetics, and cultural impact are inseparable here but going back to the album reminded me just how engaging its 2010s-updated chopped-and-screwed sound is, musically not just conceptually

https://vektroid.bandcamp.com/track/420

#5 jason lescalleet this is what i do 17

hard to pick a favorite from jason lescalleet’s semi-monthly document of his electroacoustic / field recording / tape loop practice but i’ve cried to multiple tracks on tiwid 17 so it gets the nod. couldn’t find any of them online so here’s something else of his

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t33x8OOm68E

#6 barrio sur बड़ा शोक (heart break)

dedekind cut guy’s weird one-off side project ended up being my favorite thing to come out of the last few years’ obsession w cowboy/western/country music/aesthetics. pure mystery

https://soundcloud.com/user-366783613/redemption-7inch

#7 cities aviv come to life

i think maybe people thought cities aviv was just another no-flow pseudo-”conscious rap” type rapper in 2014 but actually this album is nuts. hyper-energetic vaporwave rap? what if death grips were happy? idk

https://citiesaviv.bandcamp.com/track/url-irl-2

#8 beach boys the smile sessions

this cool fresh 1960s rock myth arrived fully formed and way more fun than the other ones. brian wilson’s concepts and songwriting got so unwieldy we had to wait 50 years to hear the sessions. i don’t care about conversations about his genius or whatever these songs kick ass

https://oldmasterpainter.bandcamp.com/track/surfs-up

#9 mindspring memories & intl. debris international memories

did this really only come out in 2017? i feel like i’ve been listening to it since i was born. tangential lateral kind of wormhole out of vaporwave into two meditative spiritual infinite-feeling loops that perfectly complement each other

https://noproblematapes.bandcamp.com/track/sad-horizons

#10 nyege nyege tapes sounds of sisso

absolutely obnoxiously insanely high energy high pitch high bpm dance music. i can’t believe this isn’t what people mean when they say future bass. set me down the path of historical and contemporary non-”global north” ideas about dance/rhythm/bass which i’m still on

https://nyegenyegetapes.bandcamp.com/track/mshamba-video-mster

#11 blithe field face always toward the sun

the most gorgeous implementation of the sorta-ambient guitar-looping vignette aesthetic. is this a real trope or did i listen to this album so much i convinced myself it was a thing? for me this is the sound of what its like to feel completely content with life and at ease in the moment

https://blithefield.bandcamp.com/track/zen-den

#12 anohni hopelessness

listening to this album and singing along while driving my car made me feel absolutely disgusting. unbelievable hooks, grossly hi fi sound design, and overblown drama add up to imo a scary effective type of explicitly political or ‘protest’ music

https://anohni.bandcamp.com/track/drone-bomb-me

#13 21 savage, offset, & metro boomin without warning

why is these 3 pop stars’ vaguely halloween-themed one-off collab my favorite trap album? 21 savage, offset, and metro boomin were all wildly corny in different ways but everything was perfectly balanced. i hope metro boomin makes like one seriously ambient album next decade

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWv-bR_X-VM&list=PLC1uUM4twa8i6zsD_Sn1LRUq4vhl_PLCx&index=11&t=0s

#14 laura les big summer jams 2018

‘crying in the club’ type bangers with no fear of ugliness and no fear of beauty and no fear of wildly unfashionable tropes like skrillex-y dubstep and guitar solos. so much input from other trans/queer artists it felt like a big t4t party

https://osno1.bandcamp.com/track/the-river-feat-scum-yung-skrrt-and-99jakes

#15 triad god nxb

the other triad god tape from 7 years later is just as good. what was this man doing in the intervening time? i just imagine him riding london public transit while it rains or something. i love knowing that most of his cantonese spoken-word/rap parts are insults and jokes rather than like, melancholy observations

https://soundcloud.com/hipposintanks/triad-god-remand

#16 dj koze knock knock

what if pop music sounded like this? somehow every song on here is wildly danceable, wildly sing-alongable, and also wildly detail-oriented. feels like a transmission from an alternate present where things are okay

https://djkoze.bandcamp.com/track/club-der-ewigkeiten

#17  ocora world of traditional music

box set of “world music” recordings from the label that french electronic composer pierre schaeffer started in the 1950s as a project to teach people in rural west africa how to dj. ethnography can be a fucked up idea but afaik ocora is one of the good ones and if you can sorta try to disengage from the tropes/cliches that get imposed on it, the music is phenomenal. hard to find a track specific to this box set but here’s another from the label

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJm8rn6gW5I

#18 oneohtrix point never replica

opn feels like an artist i’ve ‘grown out of’ i guess but samples never felt more alive or more dead than they did on replica. set a template for the kind of melancholy ‘soundscape’-y vibe that i spent years trying to find more of after

https://oneohtrixpointnever1.bandcamp.com/track/power-of-persuasion

#19 rihanna anti

the most perfect imaginable pop album. i keep trying to move it higher up. i almost put club chai vol 1 on this list purely cause of the Woo remix but then i remembered the original is better

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dDCUKElEwk

#20 colleen a flame my love a frequency

colleen’s ultra deadpan singing and wriggly rhythmic synth put me in a trance. everything sounded dry as hell even though it was covered in reverb. i think maybe some people were put off by the corny song names and lyrics

https://colleencolleen.bandcamp.com/track/separating

#21 dj paypal drake edits

back when drake seemed like a sorta-shitty dude rather than seriously creepy, dj paypal used the power of footwork to expose both the melancholy-ambient modality and the serious-bass-music modality latent in his voice and beats

https://mallmusicinc.com/track/brand-new

#22 huerco s. for those of you who have never (and also those who have)

not really as ambient as it first seems imo, but rather like a really intense focus on what we mean when we describe things as ‘static’ or ‘dynamic’. i know it’s corny but i wanna say these tracks are fully both and fully neither

https://brianleeds.bandcamp.com/track/promises-of-fertility

#23 girls rituals reddishness

for a track so deliberately shitty-sounding I Know had no right to be so fucking danceable. persona and production synthesized into the only ‘singer-songwriter’ music i could really get into

https://temporaryenjoyment.bandcamp.com/track/i-know

#24 chromatics kill for love

fakeass 80s retro melancholia digitized and pushed so far past pastiche it turned into pure slime. the phone call in There’s A Light Out On The Horizon came straight from the void

https://soundcloud.com/johnnyjewel/chromatics-kill-for-love-album

#25 actress ghettoville

the only genuinely post-apocalyptic music. specifically the postapocalypse in wall-e but if there was no wall-e to clean it up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcCPdfUFq6k

#26 playboi carti die lit

every beat on this album was reducible to a 4-second loop that perpetually demanded its own repetition and playboi carti somehow knew exactly what to do with them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2pjiKmhlAI

#27 charli xcx vroom vroom

the charli xcx that came after this was fun, but there was black hole levels of power compacted into when she said vroom vroom on Vroom Vroom

https://soundcloud.com/vroomvroomrecordings/charli-xcx-vroom-vroom

#28 pacific breeze: japanese city pop, aor & boogie 1976-1986

it’s kind of amazing to think that this compilation only exists because vaporwave aesthetics made ‘japanese grocery-store kitsch from the 80s’ a marketable thing in the us. anyway every single one of these is an absolute bop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl91bvEKj20

#29 young thug barter 6

i can’t get enough of listening to young thug’s voice. i’ve seen his rhythmic-melodic-textural sensibility described as virtuosic and i don’t know really if that term means anything but it feels right to me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg9ZxQKSDuw

#30 magic eye babylon

smeared dreamy lo-fi guitar music w wistful buried melodies pushed to an extreme. every song sounded the same and i wish there was more than the one cassette

https://magiceye.bandcamp.com/track/flame

#31 tirzah devotion

you could say this was ‘stripped down’ r&b but i think more accurately what separated it was that every sound stood exactly and only for itself

https://tirzah.bandcamp.com/track/basic-need

#32 mount eerie clear moon

it’s amazing how well mount eerie navigated the move from a lo-fi sound/mode/affect to a hi-fi sound/mode/affect. clear moon wasn’t his first attempt but it was the one that most embodied the feeling of the new possilibities that had been opened up

https://pwelverumandsun.bandcamp.com/track/through-the-trees-pt-2

#33 kelela aquaphoria

this mix was such a good idea it immediately seemed shocking nobody else had tried afaik. and kelela executed it so well you forgot the tracks already existed in other contexts

https://soundcloud.com/kelelam/aquaphoria

#34 james ferraro skid row

not sure what it means that the only james ferraro i really love is also the one i think of as the least abstract/conceptual. his recited lyrics had a rare spoken-word-poetic power

https://breakworldrecords.bandcamp.com/track/to-live-and-die-in-la

#35 salyu x salyu s(o)un(d)beams

absolutely unbounded sense of joy and creativity and possibility hovering between bangers-lite and ‘soundscape’-y electronic manipulation

https://soundcloud.com/snouu/salyu-x-salyu-s-o-un-d-beams

#36 dj rashad just a taste vol 1

double cup got all the press but it was so smoothed-over it could never have done something as absurdly beautiful as Ghost or even Go Crazy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZuHPAbte9U

#37 yves tumor serpent music

i’m sorta put off by the high-gloss sheen of music like this but serpent music somehow had the right combination of total cohesion and a ridiculous density of impactful moments

https://soundcloud.com/pan_hq/yves-tumor-the-feeling-when-you-walk-away-pan-73?in=pan_hq/sets/yves-tumor-serpent-music-pan

#38 maral mahur club

lo-fi beat collage elevated to something that could actually genuinely be called world music

https://astralplanerecordings.bandcamp.com/track/avesta-khani-reggaeton

#39 lucki ecks watch my back

did not expect this super low-stakes sadboy trap to end up on this list but i love his min-effort flow and somehow every beat is exactly the vibe even when the tracks aren’t volume balanced

https://soundcloud.com/boob7/leave-wit-you-prod-plu2o-nash-clams-casino?in=boob7/sets/watch-my-back

#40 arca stretch 2

not sure why i get more out of arca’s nonsense broken-beat non-rap than any of her later projects

https://unonyc.bandcamp.com/track/tapped-in

#41 klein only

a new way to do fucked up noise w pop leanings. ‘audacitycore’

https://klein1997.bandcamp.com/track/pretty-black-2

#42 city arcadia

another mysterious transmission, this time w lots of harp

https://soundcloud.com/halcyon-veil/city-arcadia

[theyneverblindmedarling]

whats your ts album/song ranking and hs album/song ranking

Woooof I'm soooo bad at album rankings and it changes frequently but I'll try my best.

So for Taylor I think in terms of favorites for me its 1. 1989 2. folklore 3. Red or speak now 4. fearless 5. lover/evermore 6. debut/rep

1989 will always be that girl for me even if its not objectively her best work in terms of songwriting. Like as an era its cohesive, shiny, fun and poppy and so light and breezy in every way I love and the songs (besides bad blood) all hold the most special places in my heart.

folklore has some of my favorite taylor music ever on it like the way that album makes me feel as a whole? unmathched. the lyrics? unmatched. It was an album released at the right place right time for me and imo is a valid contender for her greatest album ever.

red and speak now I'm soooo conflicted about okay hear me out. The rerecording gave me the biggest red fever like I was revisiting songs I slept on like starlight and I almost do etc. and enjoying them like it was the first time. I genuinely love red and while its not super sonically cohesive and not all the songs do it for me I think the ones that do (plus the nostalgia I have for it) make it high in my ranking. Speak Now I'm tentatively placing next to red because I've been revisiting the hits off that album and god thats some of her best work. Speak now has a list of hits that are god tier songs and its not my fav album simply because like red, not all the songs do it for me in the same way like 1989 and folklore do. But I think the rerecordings of speak now are really gonna catapult that album in similar ways the fearless one did (but hopefully to higher heights bc we don't speak about speak now enough).

fearless is a cute little darling. It is a very cohesive album that I didn't acknowledge much until the rerecordings. There are some absoultely darling songs on there and the whole album makes me feel all glittery inside. It is not without some songs that I simply don't listen to though which is why its lower than some. Like many of taylors albums I find that the songs that hit, hit and the songs that don't, don't as much. But basically any album that has the way I loved you can't be lower than this I'm so sorry.

Okay now we get controversial I feel. Lover as the individual songs I enjoy from it hits. There are like three categories of songs on lover for me. The absolute bangers, the fun for the times, and the unlistenables. An album with high highs and low lows in my opinion. Its like a frustratingly non cohesive project and I feel that that may have been the point? but at the same time like she sets up such an interesting concept for an album with daylight which feels like a conclusion to a completely different album than what we got in my opinon. Idk unlike red the non cohesiveness does not lend itself kindly to this one and its got too many misses to go much higher on this list for me imo (also some of the political insertions are so contrived and cringe and ruin even good songs for me like its just forced.) To be fair evermore could easily be above lover for me. In fact it probably should be. Its got some of my favorite writing from her much like folklore and the hits be hitting. I have this problem with evermore though where I don't listen to a lot of the songs on it. I love the songwriting and the concepts behind them but the songs are almost more lacking than I want them to be. I lovee tis the damn season and gold rush and evermore ( and some others) but its not as much of a full yes as some of the others on here. Maybe its a grower and I haven't given it a chance which is why I do believe this can change.

Rep I'm honestly bitter towards. Its got hits, the tour was cool, but goddd it just feels sooo....i dont even know like it does not work with me. I think the message behind the era was interesting but the way the concept was explored doesn't resonate with me the way it does with seemingly everyone else. Also the really trap production notes fall flat for me like most of my critiques are just in the backing tracks of the songs like some of them I wish were done quite differently because parts are great and others im like begrudgingly listening to like the corniest dialogue over the crunchiest goddamn bass synth i've ever had the displeasure of listening to. Maybe this will be fixed in rerecords? but I doubt it and yeah thats why its not higher sorry. Debut is down here simply because...shes cute and thats it. I never listen to her and like its not a bad project its just kinda there for me like idk it doesn't stack up as well against what shes done since and thats fine like its her first album and she was like a fucking baby or whtv when she wrote it so of course its not her best you've got to start somewhere.

For Harry I'm less opinionated I feel but I struggle ranking as well

I think at the moment its 1. Harrys House 2. Fine Line 3. Harry Styles

BUT this changes frequently and the reason I have trouble ranking his albums is for a reason dissimilar to taylor. The reason is because there are songs I love individually on say Harry Styles 1, that I love a lot more than some on Harrys House. Same with Fine Line. Like Fine Line and Harrys House are much more cohesive albums which I repsect whereas Harry Styles 1 was much more emotional. That all being said, the songwriting on his earlier albums resonates with me a lot more than it does on some songs on Harrys House. Idk its hard to describe like Harrys House is definitely more geared towards sounds I like listening to but fine Line is a much more balanced emotional, interesting and cohesive project. If anything fine line feels like the fine line between his other two albums, balancing the production and fun of harrys house with the emotions of HS1. Idk I don't hold the same emotions about harrys house as I do fine line or harry styles but I listen to it the most bc I like the songs on it a lot thats the best way I can describe it.

[trislosherfan25]

Radiohead Fun Facts <3

Fun fact about Radiohead: I know none of the names of the guys and i only know what the one singer guy’s face looks like bc i saw it once somewhere

Fun fact 2: I should probably learn about the individual guys but I don’t because I dont really care that much

Fun fact 3: i should learn abt the bassist tho bc im a bassist and he’s a pretty good bassist so maybe i could learn a thing or two (like this guy is a REALLY good bassist)

OKAY NOW IM GONNA TALK ABT THE ALBUMS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER BUT ONLY THE ONES IVE LISTNED TO

Pablo Honey (1993) - this one is Radiohead's first album and tbh it’s not very good. even if you don’t listen to this band or care about them you probably know the song Creep which is on there. tbh that’s probably the best song on the album and the Radiohead guys themselves don’t even like it that much. They were like “Creep? more like Crap!” (tbh the song isn’t *that* bad, just nowhere near as good as their later music) I’ve tried to get through this album a couple times but i could never do it bc it’s just not that good!!! It seems like it was riding off the grunge wave that was really popular at the time. This means not only did the album not have that much of an original sound but also there were tons of other bands doing this sort of thing and doing it better. Creep is probably the song that has the most unique sound compared to the rest of that album. Also grunge (while more of an era than a genre) is mostly known for who it was sparked by, Nirvana, and Nirvana is punk rock through and through. The Radiohead guys are way to big of nerds to do punk rock. The Bends (1995) - this is Radiohead’s second album and I like this one a lot. It bares some similarities to Pablo Honey in terms of keeping with a little bit more of a rock sound but it doesn’t feel like it’s trying to copy anybody. The lyrics on this album are WAYYYYY better. Like a vast vast improvement. The guitar solos are much better too. The most popular songs on this album I’d say are High and Dry as well as Fake Plastic Trees, these also are probably my least favorite songs on the album because they’re slower and I don’t like the vocals in them as much as other songs. My favorite songs from this album are Just, My Iron Lung, and (Nice Dream), these ones all have more of a rock element than the ones I mentioned previously and the instrumental parts are So Good! Even though I think this album is a vast improvement from the first it still doesn’t completely have it’s own unique sound just yet. I don’t see that as much as a hinderance on this album, just something that puts it below some of the later albums.  OK Computer (1997) - THIS ALBUM! This is the album where Radiohead really comes into their own sound, it still has that rock element but it feels different. All the little details and textures in their sound come together in this great album and puts Radiohead on a clear track for where the rest of their sound ends up in later albums. This album seems to be *The* Radiohead album that most people would know them for beyond knowing them for the song Creep. This album also is pretty special/nostalgic to me because it was the first Radiohead album I listened to. Deadass I spent most of my middle school years listening to that album on and old hand-me-down mp3 player my dad gave me that just had his old music saved to it. I don’t know if i have a least favorite song on the album, all the songs on this album are really good if I’m being honest. If I had to pick a few favorites I’d say they would be Exit Music (For A Film) and Paranoid Android, I like these songs because they feel like they’ve got a lot of story to them just shown through the instrumentals and everything. Also fun fact! I know the bass part to Paranoid Android, it’s still difficult at some parts for me to play but I still love it.  Kid A (2000) - Okay ngl I still haven’t given this one a good listen just yet. I’ve listened to the thing in full maybe once or twice but I don’t remember it well. I have listened to the songs Everything In Its Right Place and How to Disappear Completely quite a few times tho and these songs are amazing. From what I’ve heard from this album/remember from it it seems like a pretty logical next step sound wise from the last album going into the next one. It’s not completely different from OK Computer but it’s definitely it’s own unique thing. The songs on this album are a bit more depressing and more of them seem to be slower and more experimental. You also see a stronger ambient element enter Radiohead’s music here. Amnesiac (2001) - DREAD!! DEVESTATION!!!! This album is really good, I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite album but by god it is a good fuckin album. I’ve listened to this one in full quite a few times in full but it’s been a while since I’ve done that (I’ve just been listening to a song or two from it every so often) because when I first gave this album a full listen I was at a pretty low place. This album has the strongest ambient element Radiohead’s music has had so far, the sound is slower, darker, and heavier. It feels like you’re sitting in the cold rain just soaking wet and not moving at all. The songs are even more depressing too tbh. Once again I don’t have a least favorite song on this album, at least not one that I can remember. My favorite songs would probably be Knives Out, I Might Be Wrong, and You And Whose Army? Top 10 bangers to listen to while absolutely falling apart imo 10/10

Hail To the Thief (2003) - This album is also really good, I actually own this one on vinyl. This album sees that distorted rock element come back a little but this album does have some of the ambient vibe to it as well. It feels a bit more experimental and emotions wise it feels angrier than other albums, not in a punk rock kind of way but just in feeling. I think this album starts to have some crazier rhythms, I’m not sure how to describe it. It feels more advanced than some of their previous music. Some of the songs on this album I’m not the biggest fan of but they’re still good songs it’s just some of the other songs on this album really outshine some others. My favorites from this album are 2 + 2 = 5, Backdrifts, There, There, and Myxomatosis. If I’m being honest while I do like this album a lot I don’t have too many strong feelings about it.

In Rainbows (2007) - OH MY GOD!!! THIS ALBUM!! OH MY GOD!! I love it so much it’s so beautiful. It really encompasses everything I love about Radiohead it’s almost hard to describe. The rhythms are hypnotic, the lyrics are great, the vocals are stellar, the instrumentals- just oh my god I love it to death. I own this one of vinyl and it puts me in a trance whenever I listen to it. There are different emotions in each song on this album but it never falters. It reminds me of something my dad said once where we were listening to a song and he said “just ride the wave” - this is that type of music, the kind of music where you just sit back and ride the wave. I love every single song on this album but Weird Fishes/Arpeggi and Jigsaw Falling Into Place are my top picks for this album. I’ve been working on learning the bass part to Jigsaw Falling Into Place and while I’m not musically literate enough to express exactly what’s happening in this song because I’m not a fucking nerd but I can say that playing this song is like riding the wave, it’s not exact or repetitive but it moves and flows perfectly with the song. Learning music like this as a bassist has taught me to think differently about my own playing. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite Radiohead album for many reasons but if you put a gun to my head and made me choose one I’d say this one is it. 

A Moon Shaped Pool (2016) - There’s a big time skip here because I haven’t listened to The King of Limbs which came out in 2011 but the sound of this album is definitely something that seems like a more evolved version of what Radiohead did on In Rainbows. Holy shit though, this album. THIS ALBUM. This album fucking knocks it out of the park it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever listened to. A lot of people like to say this is Radiohead’s most depressing album, they’re wrong, I can’t speak to albums I haven’t listened to but I can say that Amnesiac is much more depressing than this album. I would call this Radiohead’s saddest album, it has that feeling to it but it’s not draining to listen to in the way that depressing music can be. While the album is sad it also brings me a feeling of peace when I listen to it (though this could be in part because of the associations I have with this album from the first time I listened to it). While In Rainbows is like riding the wave I’d say this album is like floating in dark water, its got that sense of flow while being more gentle about it. The first song on the album, Burn the Witch, doesn’t seem to fit in perfectly with the rest of the music but it’s not a completely jarring difference from the rest of the songs either so I don’t see it as any sort of hindrance on the quality of the album. Once again I love every song on this album, they’re all beautiful and ethereal, but my top picks would have to be Decks Dark and Present Tense. One of my most favorite things about this album is how every song seems to flow into the next, it really is the sort of album that’s meant to be listened to in order and as an entire piece of art. I really appreciate albums that do that sort of thing.

Alright those are my Radiohead thoughts for the time being. I haven’t listened to In Rainbows (Disk 2) or The King of Limbs in full, I haven’t really listened to Kid A much either but I figured it was important to mention anyway bc people talk about that one so much. I also didn’t mention any singles or EPs just bc I haven’t listened to all of them and didn’t feel like talking abt the ones I have listened to. 

IF YOU READ THIS FAR WE CAN MAKEOUT!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU THANK YOU FOR READING!!!