#forgot to mention in my original post I was looking at more indie music but thats fine

[sugar-peas-and-apple-bees]

I think burning CDs is very much still a thing, although likely not as big. I want to start doing that in the future

Def gonna take a look at some of these, focused more on indie music & bands im less familiar with to expand my horizons.

Music enjoyers of Tumblr share me your taste.

Im looking to buy some more CDs and Cassettes for my car and would love some suggestions.

What are some bands/albums of any genre that you love?

[musiconanironingboard]

6 January 2024: Shore, Fleet Foxes. (Anti-, 2020)

This purchase (and the one in the post after it) is shown out of strict chronological order because I forgot about it, probably because I don't consider them real purchases. This is a bit unfair, so let me explain.

In the Aughts, I still gave a toss about checking out new buzz bands. That ship has long since sailed, but nonetheless I discovered Seattle-based folk-rock group Fleet Foxes the year their self-titled debut LP and Sun Giant EP were released, and at the time I was transfixed by these records. I couldn't stand the precious circles of adoration that seemed to spring up around the band, but I thought these two records were very, very good, and when the follow-up Helplessness Blues arrived in 2011 I eagerly purchased that. It was good, too, but to invert Groucho Marx's quip about not wanting to belong to a club that would have him as a member, I didn't want to belong to a fanbase that liked bands I liked. This may sound preposterously pretentious, and perhaps it is, but with very specific exceptions I prefer my music obsessiveness to function in solitude. The accuracy of my thoughts on this are inscrutable, perhaps, even with an example, but I'll give one: in 2012 I was in a record store in New Orleans, and I noticed a ton of rare darkwave/goth albums on the wall, not necessarily my scene either, but cool, and I mentioned them to the clerk, who I took to be the owner. He said oh no, I'm not into that stuff, I'm more of a Fleet Foxes/Shins guy. That encapsulates it right there: for some of the fanbase of indie music it is nothing more than fashion. Are there parallels between Fleet Foxes and The Shins, other than they both recorded for a time on the Sub Pop label? Sure, but you have to stretch a bit to arrive there, and if a guy who was at least my age (I was 40 in 2012) is calling himself a "Fleet Foxes/Shins guy," what did he call himself six years prior before those bands existed? Maybe he was just using watchwords he thought a random tourist would understand, but that again proves my point. Here I go again being pretentious: I sank into those first two Fleet Foxes records deeply, and I think a lot of people just took them as the flavor of the day. Did Fleet Foxes ever appear on Good Morning America? Sure seems they must have. (I recently had occasion to look at my music logs for 2007; the list of bands I played that year contains way too many I never want to hear again in my life: the aforementioned Shins, Modest Mouse, The National, Spoon...Fleet Foxes do not fill me with the kind of disdain those names do, but the walk is not far.)

Okay, now that I'm done trashing the band's fanbase and, by extension, the band itself, I'll move on. Why am I buying four-year-old Fleet Foxes albums now? I guess it originates with my writing of a Top 125 Best Albums of the 2000s blog (I finished the list, but never got past writing the first 80 entries before I started to decide that kind of music writing was bullshit; you can see it at noyoucmon.com). Both Fleet Foxes and Sun Giant made that list (#95 and #82, respectively), and as part of writing those entries I scrabbled somewhere online into shady download territory, a place I've practically never gone, to find the band's self-released debut EP from 2006, the kind of thing they sold at merch tables but never released widely. Flash forward to 2018, and Sub Pop releases a Fleet Foxes CD box called First Collection 2006-2009, which contains the band's two official Sub Pop releases, a 23-minute disc of outtakes/B-sides, and the first wide release of that self-released debut EP. I'm surprised I even still cared in 2018, but I saw this box as a key opportunity to get a real copy of that EP and that year at Christmas, Santa dressed as my brother brought it to me. It took me four years to get to it, but in 2023 I spent extensive time with that box. That's how I've learned recently that I still greatly respect those first two Fleet Foxes records on Sub Pop, and after examining that box I carried on and re-examined the next two Fleet Foxes releases, Helplessness Blues (2011; also on Sub Pop but not in that box, sadly) and Crack-Up (Nonesuch, 2017). Helplessness Blues holds up very well and I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting it. My feelings on Crack-Up were the same as when it came out, and these were the feelings that led me to dump the band from my cares: I find the album impossible to parse, 55 minutes of meandering moaning and I can't tell when one song ends and another begins. Trying to even read the track list just baffles me more, with song titles like "I Am All That I Need/Arroyo Seco/Thumbprint Scar" and "–Naiads, Cassadies." I'd hoped I'd grown and the mysteries of Crack-Up would reveal themselves to me this time, but no. So why not just leave well enough alone? Why insist on carrying on with a band I obviously have trouble with? Can't I act like the rest of the world and just remember their first three albums fondly? Must everything be punishment? (The answer to that last one is yes.)

I vaguely remembered another album coming out after Crack-Up. I looked it up and it was appealing to me for the same reasons Crack-Up initially looked appealing. I really liked the artwork. It looked classy and like the kind of artwork you might see on a masterpiece. Sure, I thought Crack-Up was a mess, but maybe Shore wasn't! This wasn't a strong enough argument to get me to buy it. Then I found out there was another Fleet Foxes album after Shore. This other one I'd never heard of, A Very Lonely Solstice, was just bandleader Robin Pecknold playing solo live acoustic in a church sometime during the dark days of COVID. This intrigued me. When I saw the tracklist and that the album included things from Helplessness Blues, well, I just had to find out what that was like. But I can't just skip an album; if I want to have A Very Lonely Solstice I have to go through Shore to get it. (And if it's not plain already, I deal in physical product. I refuse to even acknowledge that I could have streamed the Solstice record and avoided all this malarkey.)

So, here I am with Shore. Yes, I think it looks classy. I'd have loved to see that artwork on big old vinyl to match my other Fleet Foxes records, but space is at a premium and I've taken to "demoting" bands to CD when the circumstances are questionable. (Demoting isn't the right term—I love CDs—think of it as a demotion in size, not in worthiness of the format.) I've heard Shore once and it's no Helplessness Blues; it's got some of the same issues I didn't like about Crack-Up, but it's also got some songs that stood out boldly rather than melting into an hour-long miasma of moaning, and I think the more I hear it the more I will like it. I'm a little queasy that I've gone all-in on Fleet Foxes in the year 2024, but then again at least I didn't buy this on vinyl with its, no doubt, half-inch thick spine and weighing two pounds. I can just hide the CD in a closet and forget this whole affair if I need to.

Above we see the front and back covers of Shore. Of course this package is so unwieldy and its cardboard so thick and stiff that to get the disc and booklet out you have to wrestle for 90 seconds.

Below is the opened gatefold.

Next up we see the front of the booklet.

Here we see one side of the all-black sleeve containing the CD.

Last, here is the disc itself.

[readingwebcomics]

Analyzing Questionable Content: Pages 1-50

And so it begins.

The very first comic of Questionable Content, posted way back in 2003 and what would eventually be Jeff Jacques’ claim to fame, the reason why everyone remembers his name and what has made him a wealthy man today.

…’s alright.

Of course, by modern standards it’s not very good. This was the early 2000s, the wild west of online artists who had nothing more than an art creation software and a dream. The Webcomic Review has a VERY good post about it right here, which explains what the landscape of webcomics were like around this time and why exactly Marten has a pet robot (tl;dr, EVERYONE had a pet robot in ye early days of webcomics because Megatokyo).

But aside from the… awkward art, this comic at least serves to set up the protagonist (as far as we’re aware right now, we’ll get into the roles of protagonists in QC later). He’s a lanky, assumedly average guy who hates where he is in life but doesn’t know what else to do or even where else to go…

…as he goes on to spell out two comics later. He’s unassuming, not really much you can say for or against him, miserable and stuck in a rut in his life that he’s too scared to escape. Sooo basically, freshly graduated college students – the exact kind of audience a RomCom like this would go after.

Oh, did I forget to mention?

Yeah, QC started off as a RomCom.

This young woman is Faye, and she immediately cuts through the bullshit with an aggressive but to-the-point introduction of herself and her intentions.

While aggressive and to-the-point, she’s also set up as someone who meshes with Marten and Steve’s interests well enough and quickly makes friends. This is probably best exemplified in the seventh page, which serves two purposes:

Purpose the First: Showcase Marten and Faye have a shared niche interest, immediately establishing chemistry between the two of them. Be it platonic or romantic, they’re quickly hitting it off and, being a RomCom, will serve as the first rope potential shippers can grasp onto.

Purpose the Second: Jeff is a MASSIVE indie music nerd and he wants the fucking world to know it.

Also Pintsize is there doing funny robot things because 2003 webcomic.

It’s not long before this initial relationship is set up that two issues serve to sew the seeds of initial conflict:

This, likewise, serves two purposes: To show where Faye works and create a believable life for her to exist in when she’s not in the story with Marten, and as previously stated to sew potential romantic conflicts in the future. Jeff employs this tactic many-a-time throughout the course of Questionable Content, beginning a conflict and letting the implications sit with the reader while life goes on in the regular comics. Is this good writing? I honestly can’t say. Is it always done well? Oh good God no, some plot beats are outright dropped or left to sit for so long the reader straight-up forgets it’s there with this method. But does Jeff make it work? It’s all on personal taste I’d say, but personally it sits well with me.

Also, for those of you wondering why it looks like the word “hump” is just pasted onto the text bubble in post… well it was. The original comic implied sexual assault much more overtly, using the R-word instead of “hump.”

*Away from mic* Wait, can-can I say [NOPE]? Better not to risk it? Alright, fair ‘nuff.

But yeah, this was pointed out by readers to be pretty fucked up and it was swiftly changed, for good reason.

Later that night, Faye asks Marten to dinner with her. Platonically, of course. And here I believe I should point out the dynamic of their relationship as it stands – Faye is the aggressor. Marten is basically a doormat. Whenever something happens, Faye is always the instigator, be it going out to dinner or tagging along with him when he’s getting shopping done. This will feed into their relationship dynamic and sets up a decent inter-personal conflict: Marten is far too passive to reach out to Faye and make the move to start something, but Faye, despite how openly and quickly she attaches herself to Marten’s life, never takes that step into making it romantic. The two clearly have the hots for each other, but their respective personalities make it so neither one crosses that threshold.

Yes I know this is basic character writing for a RomCom 101, but the fact that so much about these characters are said in 12 four-panel comics says a lot. It hooks the reader quickly and gets them on the page Jeff wants them to be, and I respect that.

And in the next page, Faye’s aggression takes on a new level, albeit extremely briefly.

This is an isolated incident of actual physical aggression rather than implications and threats in these first 50 pages, but it becomes a trend as we go along – one that feeds into Faye’s character, mind, so it’s not just physical abuse for humor’s sake – so just keep it in mind as we go along.

Also on a personal note the actual restaurant they go to is simultaneously the worst and best idea I’ve ever heard of:

This is horrible. I should not encourage this. And yet some dark part of me finds the concept utterly hilarious even though I know I’m a piece of shit for liking it.

Actually, now some part of me wants to do the exact opposite – advertise a place as a steakhouse only serve an all-vegan menu. It feels less mean but just as funny to me.

…oh right, the comic.

After sharing dinner, exchanging banter that establishes good chemistry and parting ways, we come to this comic that I’m only showing because I’m a slut for good puns and I will take any and all opportunities to share with people.

(Pintsize totally won that round with the John the Baptist zinger by the way, if I’m allowed to judge this.)

And one page later, we get the biggest shake-up in the comic thus far:

It’s established Faye herself ended up burning down the apartment because she burnt toast, but that’s not really important. I know, the fact Faye BURNT DOWN A BUILDING isn’t important sounds completely ridiculous, but follow me here – the important thing for this setup isn’t the how, but the why. “How did Faye’s apartment burn down?” isn’t the question Jeff, nor the audience, is intended to be asking, that’s merely a vessel into the situation we’re in – the answer of “Why did Faye’s apartment burn down?” which is, of course, so Marten and Faye can become roommates and facilitate future antics and further their relationship. Familiarity breeds into both affection and conflict, and the obvious case of “Well you two are already living together, aren’t you?” will serve to further the flames of their potential relationship with one another.

…granted, a better reason to create this setup would’ve been nice, and from a writing standpoint it’s ridiculous that Faye never suffers any consequences for burning an entire BUILDING down, one that had many more people than just her in it. If present-day Jeff wrote this plotline… actually. Now that I think about it, Jeff DOES re-do this plot point and make it make a lot more sense and have a lot more impact on everyone involved.

But we’ll get to that when we eventually talk about Brun…. Three thousand and something pages from now.

Either way, my point stands: This plot thread serves mostly to create the situation we’re facing now, one where Faye and Marten end up living together. This shake-up to the early comic settles us into the new status quo, one that we’ll be riding with comfortably for the foreseeable future.

Further evidence of Faye’s aggressive and troll-ish nature… one that may or may not play into future revelations about her, now that I think about it.

Remember what I said about sewing the seeds of drama? Well here we stand now – a misunderstanding, or the beginning of genuine conflict between these two?

The answer is… they talk it out like actual goddamn adults, avoiding a stupid, unnecessary fight.

Honestly? Kind of refreshing. But what makes it better is the following page:

Honestly? This moment never fails to make me laugh. The one-two punch of complete betrayal of the reader’s expectations as well as the utter dismantling and defusal of the romantic interest subplot between these two dorks – while denying some genuine romantic conflict that may force Faye into being more upfront with how she feels about the situation – is a fun denial of the kinds of RomCom clichés that one might expect to find in this story.

Sure, there are other stories that do this better, I’m not denying that. But isolated in a bubble, this stands by itself and, frankly, works well enough for the story Jeff’s telling.

Also say goodbye to Sara, once she walks out that door she goes to join the little sister from Family Matters and the big brother from Happy Days on the twisted Island of Irrelevancy, visiting the story only when she can spare the time to craft a raft out of banana leafs and... where was I going with this?

…okay, personal story time. The Walmart I’m doing contract work for this week has a CD display of new-ish albums, and honest-to-God I completely forgot music CDs were even a THING. MP3s have spoiled us, and I now feel old for some reason.

Right, getting back on track.

I wanted to show this comic to establish three things.

1) Marten is the kind of person who sits on things that bother him and lets them stew for awhile. As established in the previous image I showed with Marten and Steve at the music store, it’s been at least a day since what happened with Sara and Marten’s still thinking about it. This, for better or worse, becomes a core part of Marten’s character moving forward.

2) Faye, for all her faults, is a genuinely good friend who cares about Marten and knows when to channel her natural aggression into support rather than ribbing.

3) This is another comic that always makes me laugh whenever I read it. Yes I know that’s much less of a real reason than my other two points but let me have this dammit.

This particular page itself isn’t terribly important to the ongoing narrative but I wanted to include it because it introduces QC’s unquestionably best character, Jim. Hi Jim! I like Jim.

(He’s a minor character at best but he’s just so earnest and fun and every time Jeff brings him back he just gets better and better.)

Oh, and for those who were skeptical that the more-than-platonic interest was mutual between Marten and Faye, the next two issues serve to showcase that… yeah, both parties TOTALLY have the hots for each other.

The first of those two comics, by the way, gets called back to much later down the line. And the fact that Faye speaks in a southern accent is more than just a joke, it’s going to be touched on more later.

Jeff says in the description of this comic that this is based on personal experience, and it shows – this is the most backbone Marten displays to my memory.

And in the very next page, we’re introduced to a new character – although you wouldn’t guess it from her appearance.

That’s Raven. I like Raven. Her personality changes a ton once she’s properly introduced as a character and not a nameless employee, but for posterity’s sake: Here’s her very first appearance in the comic.

There’s only one more important comic to touch on in this batch of fifty, and it’s about both Marten and Faye’s families:

While this could be as simple as a “har-dee-har, my family drives me up the wall,” this comic serves to say a lot about both characters once we know more about their families. Both Marten and Faye actually have very good reasons why they don’t want to see their respective families or go back to their hometowns… Faye especially so. We’ll touch more on that when we get more into her backstory.

Before we wrap things up, I’d like to do a quick comparison between page 1 and 50 to see in what small, subtle ways Jeff’s artistry has improved:

There’s not a LOT of difference, but the small details really showcases just how different they look. Small changes from the placement of everything on Marten’s face, to the size of the eyes, the width of the eyebrows… It’s good shit.

Overall, what did I think of batch 1? Well… for an early 2000s webcomic, it’s engaging. The characters are likable, the plot is progressing at an enjoyable pace, and I’m already on-board to see if Marten and Faye will get together. I mean, I know the answer, but my point stands.

Also because I’m a freak or something and like data compilation I went ahead and kept track of who showed up in what comic and made some numbers for it:

Not counting the one guest comic and two non-canon pages, Marten showed up in 45/50 pages, being in 90% of the comic so far.

Faye was in 38/50 pages, taking up 76% of the comic so far.

Pintsize comes in third place being in 15/50 comics, taking up a paltry 30% of the comic thus far when compared to the screen time Marten and Faye have taken up.

Likewise, Steve has been in only 8/50 pages, making up 16% of the comic up to this point.

Sara was in 5/50 pages, making up 10% of these first 50. That percentile will grow smaller and smaller with each update, believe you me.

Jim was in 2/50 glorious pages, making up 4% of the comic up to this point. And that was the best 4% this comic had to offer, let me tell you.

Raven, although still unnamed, I’m counting – she’s in 1/50 of the first batch of pages, making up 2% of screen time.

Tune in next week as we continue onwards to pages 51-100 where we’ll be introduced to the next major character in the series, who’s mere existence will further the plot more than anyone we’ve previously met. See you then.

[buildarocketboys]

Tagged by @misscrawfords  Thank you! 

Rule 1: Always post the rules.

Rule 2: Answer questions that are given to you and then write 11 new ones.

Rule 3: Tag 11 people.

Rule 4: Let them know you tagged them.

Rule 5: Don’t change the rules. (What? Change ‘em if you want)

1. Recommend to me your favourite romance novel. (Or if you don’t read romance novels, favourite book with a good romantic subplot.)

I’m gonna say The Time Traveler’s Wife, because that is definitely a romance novel (as well as being many other things) but with the caveat that the romance itself is nowhere near my favourite part of it. I adore the prose, the way the plot is constructed, the chronology (which is intrinsically linked to the plot in a way I adore, and a way that is absolutely perfect for the subject of the novel, and is done so damn well). The romance sort of just provides the framework to tell that story. But it is so well done that it remains one of my top 3 favourite novels of all time (and the film was an absolutely travesty of an adaptation, just FYI).

2. You can become proficient in playing a musical instrument over night. What instrument is it?

Ummm piano or guitar probably. Just because I’d love to be able to play an instrument where I can sing a long and play my favourite songs. I play the viola passably, and while that’s fun and doing classical music is fun, I’d just really like to be able to just pick up a guitar or sit at a piano and sing and play along with other people.

3. First actor/actress you remember crushing on?

I actually had a big crush on Juni from Spy Kids when I was young lmao. Which is hilarious tbh. Also Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor (quickly and probably more strongly followed by David Tennant lol).

4. You can demand a sequel to any book ever written from the original author. What book is it and why?

Actually, I know I’ve already mentioned it, but I think it would be kind of cool to see a sequel to The Time Traveler’s Wife featuring Alba (the protagonists’ daughter). We do get bits of her future (but only up until she’s about 10) but I think it would be cool to explore that further, especially the idea that she actually has some control about where she travels, and if she ever decides to try and stop it.

5. Thoughts on the Harry Potter epilogue - 19 Years Later.

...Fine. I don’t know, I don’t have any particularly strong feelings about the epilogue. Which I guess is a criticism in itself, lol. I understand the Albus Severus thing narratively (which is the thing people seem to criticise most) although if JKR wanted to make a point about Slytherin being an okay house then she could have, I don’t know, had some developed characters in it who weren’t just wizard Nazis in training? Just a thought. Other than that...I don’t know. It was a way to end a book. All was well is a relatively satisfying ending I guess. But it’s just not very striking or particularly meaningful (apart from, again, the whole Albus Severus thing which was...controversial anyway).

6. Place you most wish to visit in your own country that you haven’t got round to visiting yet.

Scotland! I’ve never been to Scotland at all which is a big shame, I’d really like to. 

7. You’re going for a night out dancing and your friends are all on board with whatever you choose no matter how weird or obscure. What sort of place and style of dancing do you choose?

Probably a queer bar that plays indie/rock music, that’d be pretty great. Not particularly weird, but yeah.

8. Favourite musical of all time?

Tie between Les Mis and Jesus Christ Superstar. Although I’m kind of a fake fan, since I’ve only seen Les Mis actually performed live once and I still prefer the 2012 movie version, and I only really care about the 2012 Arena Tour of JCS.

9. What film are you most looking forward to in 2019?

I don’t know, really. It mostly seems to be either remakes or sequels to Disney movies with a few other things thrown in. I just had a look at what’s being released next year, I forgot about the Downton movie haha! But to be honest, from the little I’ve seen/heard about that, I’m not particularly looking forward to it. Maybe the new Kingsman movie? I’m kind of sad it won’t have Eggsy in, but it’s gonna be set in the early/mid-20th century I think? And I’m always here for that era, especially if they keep the things I love about the first two films. 

10. They’re making new adaptations of Pride and Prejudice and Emma. What do the producers have to do to make these fresh and interesting adaptations for this generation?

Not even gonna go there with Emma because I couldn’t read the book because Emma just bugs me as a character so much, and I can only stomach the Romola Garai adaptation because I love Romola Garai so much. 

Pride and Prejudice? I don’t know, maybe going more into how the whole Lydia and Wickham thing is fucked? I watched the Lizzie Bennett Diaries earlier this year (I’m late on the bandwagon, I know) and I loved how they dealt with the whole Lydia plotline in that. But then it’s always hard if you’re making an adaptation set in the actual period and trying to make it a true adaptation, while also criticising that plotline. It feels like, you either ignore how fucked up it is and act like everyone gets a happy ending, or you change the plot, or you make it so while Darcy and Lizzie get their happy ending, the ending Lydia gets is...somewhat darker and not so happy. Of course, it’s been a while since I’ve read the book, so it’s possible that the book could actually be interpreted like that without losing the essence of what it is.

11. Copying @lavellenchanted: what is your flavour profile?

“You're a Spicy Rebel

You like it hot with plenty of red pepper and fragrant exotic spices. Bland, tasteless food is your worst nightmare, as you can’t help but spice things up in the kitchen. A fiery hot curry or habanero chili pepper is the best way to ignite your taste buds.”

This sounds pretty much right! I mean, I don’t like blow-your-head-off spicy, but bland tasteless food is my worst nightmare. So yeah.

My questions:

1. What is your favourite sitcom of all time, and what do you like about it?

2. What’s your favourite way of showing love and affection to friends/family/loved ones?

3. Do you like Shakespeare? If so, what’s your favourite play? If not, why not?

4. Is your room/house a good representation of yourself?

5. Would you rather write an essay or give a presentation on a topic (providing you have enough time to research/write/practise either)?

6. What are you proud of?

7. What food/s or flavours would you put in every meal if you could?

8. What invention would you un-invent for the good of society?

9. Tell me about whatever your favourite thing (show, book, hobby, character, interest etc) is right now.

10. What’s your favourite type of weather?

11. What’s a period/place/person in history that you think more people should know about?

Tagging: (obviously optional, as always) @williamvapespeare @flowers-not-weeds @zenyattasperceptrons @lyledebeast @belongtohufflepuff @judasisgayriot @cute-chamomile @ anyone else who wants to do it, tag me in it, I’d like to read your answers!

[kvndeathmusic]

THE BEST RECORDS OF THE 2010S PT 2 (THE TOP 10!!!!!!)

if you thought the last post was long, you just wait. ive also decided to actually number this list, but pls keep in mind my opinions change often and drastically so dont think anything is set here.

please read my other post too if you want to know about the records i like a little less than the ones here as well as some honorable mentions

#10: Some Rap Songs  -  Earl Sweatshirt (2018) 

This record is a perfect fusion of rap and lofi hip hop. Nobody makes a beat like Earl, and this record is a perfect example. Earl uses his samples to create layered soundscapes of distorted vocals and sounds, paired with his emotionally blunt flows. It’s short, but it really doesn’t feel that short, and frankly I could re-listen to it a handful of times in a row and probably not care that much. Not to sound like Todd Howard, but it just works dude. 

#9:  ゼロコンマ、色��りどりの世界   -  Mass of the Fermenting Dregs (2010)

According to Google, this record’s title translates to Zero Comma, Multicolored World. Which is interesting. I wish I knew Japanese just to understand this kind of stuff to be honest. But that’s besides the point.

Zero Comma, Multicolored World is a fantastic collection of tracks from my personal favorite J-Rock band, Mass of the Fermenting Dregs. Like for context, I got into this band around the same time as I got into Nirvana. I spent the entire summer of 2016 crying to In Utero, playing Overwatch while listening to MF DOOM, and jamming to Mass of the Fermenting Dregs. I managed to find a copy of their fantastic self-titled EP when I was in Tokyo a few years back. Anyways I’ve gotten off track. 

This record is a breathe of fresh air for those tired of American “alt-rock”, incorporating elements of shoegaze, post-hardcore, pop, and more to create a totally unique and explosive record. Every member of this band is playing out of their minds on some of these tracks, and lead singer/bassist Natsuko Miyamoto’s vocals are powerful and blend so well with everything else this record offers. At this point in most paragraphs I’d gush about some specific tracks but I don’t have a Japanese keyboard to write the track titles and I’m lazy, so just trust me and go listen to this record, their self-titled EP, the reunion record No New World from 2018, and their EP World is Yours if anything I’ve said interests you. 

#8: Fetch  -  Melt-Banana (2013)

This record melts my fucking brain dude. Melt-Banana is some of the most eccentric and weird music I’ve ever heard, blending noise, punk, and just plain absurdity to create music that I want to simultaneously describe as cursed and blessed. From the wailing walls of pure volume coming from the guitars to the sporatic and often manic vocals, this record sounds like no other I’ve ever heard. My personal favorite tracks are Hive, Candy Gun, Zero, and Schemes of the Tails. Seriously, if this sounds interesting to you, set aside 32 minutes to just appreciate this record. It’ll be worth your time. 

#7: Joy as an Act of Resistance - IDLES (2018)

On Joy as an Act of Resistance, British band IDLES offers up some of the best punk of the decade in a package that is full of hope, anger, and love. From singer Joe Talbot’s cries for unity in tracks like Danny Nedelko and Great, to self love anthems like Television and I’m Scum, Joy offers an alternative to their much angrier and sad 2017 debut record Brutalism, which I now realize I forgot to include on my fucking honorable mentions god damn it. Anyways, this record isn’t all sweet. IDLES tackles some heavier topics on this record as well, with songs like Samaritans dismantling toxic masculinity, Rottweiler tearing into sensationalist news and media, and the introspective June seeing Joe speak bluntly about his experience being the father of a stillborn. It’s also some of the unique punk out there at the moment, with jangly guitar “riffs”, Joe’s accent heavy shouts, and noisey drums. IDLES is definitely a band to pay attention to going into the 20s. 

#6: Adults!!!... Smart!!! Shithammered!!! And Excited By Nothing!!!!!  -  Bomb the Music Industry (2010)

Adults!!! is short, coming in at 21 minutes over the course of 7 tracks. And yet, this EP contains some of the catchiest and refined ska punk of the decade. The record acts almost as a condensed summation of BTMI’s entire career, featuring some of the repeated themes that has defined Jeff’s whole discography. Not only that, but some of BTMI’s best tracks are on this EP, from Jeff’s strained vocals on You Still Believe in Me?, to the peppy and depressing Planning My Death, to the defiant Slumlord and the explosive penultimate track, The First Time I Met Sanawon. I could wish it was longer, but I’ll be honest, with the quality of tracks here, I don’t care. It’s a near flawless EP that represents everything I love about one of my favorite bands ever.

#5: The Money Store - Death Grips (2012)

Like Fetch, The Money Store is similarly mind melting in completely different ways. This record is brutal. MC Ride’s “vocals” are like no other, with some describing them as the shouts of a drugged up homeless man. Paired with ear bursting, stereo busting beats, and esoteric dark flows, the picture this record paints is one of filth and primal violence. And I love every minute of it. And despite the harsh nature of this record, some of these beats fucking slap. This record features some of the weirdest uses of sampling, like seriously who the fuck finds Arabic Nokia ringtones and thinks “yeah let’s sample these in like half the tracks on this record” and make it sound this good. And at times I have no clue how they even managed to make some of the sounds they did. All of this is backed with Zack Hill’s extremely technical and wild drumming. I contemplated putting other Death Grips records in this spot, but The Money Store is the complete DG package. It also has Hacker on it. im in your area 

#4: Teens of Denial  -  Car Seat Headrest (2016)

I’m a fucking moron and I’ll tell you why. When I initially heard the first few tracks from this record when I was 17, I wasn’t that blown away. Like, I added Fill in the Blank, Vincent, and Destroyed by Hippie Powers to my big ass shuffle playlist and didn’t bother digging much deeper. Here I am now, 20 years old, kicking myself in the ASS for overlooking Car Seat Headrest for this long. I only gave this album a proper listen to back in January! And I LOVE it! Teens of Denial is a fantastic record, full of complex, multilayered tracks that are not only incredibly catchy, but full of heart and passion. Lead singer and songwriter Will Toledo has voice that sounds equally uneasy and leaking with confidence, and that confidence spills over into every aspect of this record. While not as emotionally intense as their only other studio LP as of February 2020, Teens of Denial is just track after track of some of the greatest indie rock made this decade. Including the songs I mentioned before, you’ve also got Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales, 1937 State Park, and the powerful Cosmic Hero. And if you like reading, the narrative of this record is interesting to follow.  And while I was working on this list they literally just announced a new record so like I’m fucking hyped dude. 

#3: To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar (2015)

Ok. Look. I know everybody is putting this at their #1 spot. And they probably have even more to say about this record than I do. There’s probably nothing I can say that hasn’t been said a million times by literally everyone. But that’s just a testament to the quality of this record. This is one of the greatest hip hop records ever made, if not the best depending on who you ask. Some of my favorite rap songs are on this record, Wesley’s Theory, King Kunta, Alright, The Blacker The Berry, and more. TPAB offers detailed glimpses into one of the biggest rappers in the world’s psyche and pain, mixed with profound social and political messages. The beats on this record are beautifully mixed with jazz and gospel influences, starting a trend many artists have since continued. And Kendrick’s signature flow from gkmc are at their absolute finest on TPAB. There is something to enjoy out of this record no matter your background, which would explain this record’s near universal appeal. To Pimp a Butterfly is just full of life, energy, and passion. It’s weird to think this record is only 5 years old, because it feels just as powerful as it did when it came out.

#2: Twin Fantasy - Car Seat Headrest (2018)

Twin Fantasy is a rare kind of record. The emotions expressed on this record are intense and laid flat out for you to hear, dissect, and empathize with. The entire record being structured around the idea of reflection works both as a fun way to organize a diverse and varied track listing, while also playing into a handful of the record’s motifs and themes. Speaking of which, each song on this album has a unique identity, both in terms of sound and feeling, and how it plays into the larger narrative of this record. Some songs have multiple tonal shifts, such as the epic Beach Life-In-Death, split into three distinct parts making it a song that, despite its 13 minute run-time, is a song I never grow tired of listening to. What each track shares, however, is the same fantastic songwriting, with layered instrumentals and some of Will’s greatest vocal performances. It also helps that all the tracks are just flat out catchy, like the fantastic Bodies, the chill Sober to Death, and the energetic Nervous Young Inhumans. While the 2011 original is great, the 2018 rerecording adds so much new complexity and clarity to this record. In addition to the original themes, the 2018 version adds new perspectives and meta commentary to the 2011 original, with Will reflecting on the feelings he was experiences at the time he wrote the original record, 7 years afterwards, adding an additional layer to this record’s larger narrative. The final 22 minutes of this record provides a strong emotional climax to the record, sending off a fantastic and absolutely classic record. There’s a good chance that, in 10 more years or so, I may look back at this record and put it above my #1 record. Hell, while I write this I really question whether or not I should do it. What I’m trying to say is, take that #2 with a grain of salt, because I love this record just as much as my #1 at this point. No record has managed to leave such a profound and strong impression on me this quickly after my first listen a few months ago, besides Twin Fantasy. Because Twin Fantasy is a rare kind of record. It’s a perfect record.  And now it’s time for my favorite record of the decade. It’s probably obvious what it is considering some of the things I’ve said on this list, so without any more delay...

#1: WORRY.  -  Jeff Rosenstock (2016)

WORRY. is my personal favorite record of the decade and of all time. It is an absolutely triumphant record. Every song here is a classic. WORRY. radiates pure, unfiltered energy that I haven’t been able to shake for the nearly 4 years this record has been out. Songs like Festival Song and Wave Goodnight to Me still get me pumped, and the so called “WORRY. medley” that spans the back half of this record rivals the medley of Abbey Road. And the opening track, We Begged 2 Explode, fuck man it’s a hell of an opener. Hell, I know every line spoken on this record. This record is a product of a man who has spent over 20 years perfecting his music, never compromising to trends or demands. Jeff has always been open about what he loves and what he believes in, and it’s no more apparent than on this record. Trying to describe every way in which this record works for me leaves me grasping for the right words to describe the feeling. It’s a record that makes you wanna chant along to it, move your body to it, and tell everyone you love about it.  So just listen to it. I don’t care if you don’t like punk, or ska, or ska punk, or just garage/indie rock in general, or if my enthusiasm hasn’t sold you. This is one of the best records out there and you can either realize it now, or regret it later. 

I know the record literally says that the perfect sound doesn’t exist. But it does. And it sounds like this.

And that’s it for this list. I’m excited to see what the new decade brings. If my mind ever changes about these records, or I get around to listening to a record that deserves to be on this list, maybe I’ll do an updated version, but like right now? This is how I feel.

[horror-movie-blog]

HMB: Repo! A Genetic Opera

Original Publishing Date: July 17th, 2015 

How much you wanna bet there's some snobby film critic whose already made the joke, "Genetic Opera? More like Generic Opera!". But in all honesty, Repo is one of the most creative films I have ever seen. Does it have problems, hell yeah, but overall I thought it was okay. The movie is set in a sort of post apocalyptic future where everyone's organs are failing and a company called GeneCo has cured this problem by creating artificial organs. The only problem is that those who can not pay the debt will be visited by a Repo Man, who will take back their organs. At first it seems like this movie is going to be a satire of healthcare and will be focusing on exploring this world, getting to know how it works, understanding its dilemmas and seeing how everything will turn out in the end. Nope. Instead the movie is about a young girl named Shilo who is kept away from the outside world by her father, a doctor, and secretly a Repo Man. But the CEO of GeneCo is dying, and does not want to pass down his company to his three children, so instead gets into contact with Shilo, the daughter of his former lover, so that she can inherit the company. Oh, and there's an opera singer named Blind Mag, who works for GeneCo and was the best friend of Shilo's mother. Mag's contract is going to expire, meaning she'll loose her job and her eyes, which were given to her by GeneCo, which means the Repo Man (Shilo's father) will be going after her. Also, the reason why Shilo's mom died is because she had a disease which Shilo's father thought he had to the cure to except it actually killed her, so that somehow made him go all Jekyll and Hyde and he now has like two personalities, one who does the killings for GeneCo and one who is more synthetic. This is a very complicated plot, but here's the thing, I was able to follow it better well. I don't know, the movie does a good job explaining it thanks to it's stylistic cut scenes, although, it's kind of annoying that right after they explain the backstories of these character it cuts to them singing about what we just learned. Oh and I forgot to mention, this is a musical. And you know what? Who cares! Seriously, why is being a musical a bad thing? Why is there this sourness towards musicals? Movies like Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods couldn't even promote itself as a musical otherwise assholes won't go see it. Why? You like music! You like movies! Put them together, and its suddenly "Oh, no way! Gross! Musicals!". Fuck you! Musicals are amazing!   In this musical (well technically its an opera, but so is Les Miserables and people still call that a musical), the musical choice is rock opera, pacifically heavy metal. I'm not a fan of heavy metal, but the music was fine, though granted there's only one song I actually like in this, that being "At the Opera Tonight". As for the singers, they are fine. Some sound like professional singers, well actually, they are! Sarah Brightman, the original Christine on The Phantom of the Opera, plays Mag. However there are some who do not sound so great, like Bill Moseley. Dude, you were great in Devil's Rejects, but you can't sing. But probably the most surprising performance was Paris Hilton, yeah Paris Hilton is in this movie, and until I was done watching this movie and researching it, I didn't even know it was her! And you know what, fuck it, I thought she sounded great! She wasn't the best singer on the ensemble, but I didn't plug my ears or anything. But unfortunately, its Paris Hilton, so she has to be the butt of everyone's jokes. "And the GOLDEN RASPBERRY for WORST ACTRESS goes to PARIS HILTON", laughter and applauds by people who think they're being so witty and funny. Fuck off, she did fine. And you know what, now that we're on the subject, let's talk about the feedback for this movie. As I stated above, there are thing wrong with the movie, however, but the critics hate it for different reasons. They don't like it simply because they don't like its style. Yes, the movie is catered to goths and heavy metal lovers. Why is that a bad thing? A critic's job is to set aside personal prejudices and opinions in order to really study to art of film and learn what makes a good movie. And guess what? Simply saying a movie is bad because you can't understand it is not a fair criticism. And when so many people look to your words to motivate them into watching someone's movie, then you have a bigger responsibility on your shoulders then you think you do. I mean, this is someone's life work we're talking about. This is their dream, whether or not they make films again all depends on how you advertise the movie. And yes, there are movies out there that will do well regardless if critics like it or not, but that kind of magic can't happen with indie and small film makers like this one. I'm not saying don't say anything if a movie is bad, but know the difference between opinion and criticism. And with that, I will summarize my final thoughts. I'm glad I say Repo. I won't call this a good movie, but at the same time its not a bad movie either. It's okay. I say give it a chance, if you don't like it, then fair enough, at least you gave it a chance. 

[icefireeclipse]

Ice’s Annual Post for 2017

Below is a list of cool/important/interesting things that I did during 2017 in order of month. They’re mostly in order by when they happened but a few may be out of order. The list is long so I put a Read More underneath if you’re interested. Enjoy!

January

Played Home is Where One Starts on Steam

Started watching Sailor Moon Infinity Arc

Started playing Pokemon Moon

Finished Jumin’s Route on Mystic Messenger

Had to drive to work at 6am because I forgot to return a button

Finished Seven’s Route on Mystic Messenger

Started re-learning my French just in case I move to Europe

Started considering moving to Europe after I finish college

Started my 2nd semester of college

Saw Hidden Figures in theatres

Met the woman my father began dating (spoiler alert: I like her)

Helped my mom and sister with tearing out the carpeting in the living room so we can get new flooring

Got a Robin Amiibo for an early birthday present

Cooked something for the first time this year that wasn’t ramen or hot chocolate

February

Celebrated my 19th Birthday

Got locked out of my car for the 1st time, coincidentally on my birthday

Got Pokemon Sun as a birthday present as well as a water bottle and some gift cards

Ran into an old teacher of mine from elementary school

Visited the World Market for the 1st time

Tried a candy bar from Britain for the 1st time

Learned how to make coffee

Started rewatching Ben 10 Alien Force

Finished my training at my job

Went to a seminar about refugee’s for my Diversity class

Signed up for a college tour that I ended up not going to because of Mother Nature

Played Awkward Dimensions Redux for the 1st time

Finally got into the main story for Mass Effect

March

Went to see Logan in theaters

Saw Finding Dory and Sausage Party for the 1st time

Got my dad a jar of herring for his birthday

Finally made a playlist on Youtube just for music

Started playing Penumbra Overture

Got my first $2 bill this year, and frankly first one in Many years

Continued to play Mass Effect

Bought a hot chocolate at a gas station for the 1st time

Purchased Mass Effect 3 off of Origin

Got a Origin account just to get this game

Spent the 1st day of spring getting a car wash

Rediscovered my love for Halestorm

Started listening to more music by Set it Off (instead of just 1 song)

Pre-registered for KitsuneKon 2017

Went to a Transgender rally for the 1st time

Went to a rally of any kind for the 1st time

Wacked a pinata for the 1st time in a few years

Played field hockey in a college room

Attended a girl choir concert for the 1st as a member of the audience

April

Finished Penumbra Overture

Started watching Season 2 of Shingeki no Kyojin

Came out as Queer to my Diversity Class (1st time I came out in public not to friends or family)

Decided to minor in Political Science along with my History Major

Joined Reddit

Downloaded  We Were Here and Medusa’s Labyrinth on Steam

Finished Mass Effect for the 1st time

Played through Mass Effect a 2nd time as a Renegade Sentinel

Attempted to use my debit card for the 1st time

Finally visited my great grandma’s grave after 7 years

Started watching Clannad

Got a gift card for Easter

Got free food at work because of Employee Appreciation Day

Started a test draft for The Fire Underground

May

Finally finished Huniepop

Started playing Serena but didn’t like it

For the 1st time, I have a friend of mine who works at the same job as me :)

Finished my (technically) 1st year of college

Played Super Smash Bros in order from 64 to Wii U for the 1st time this year

Redid the floors and got the kitchen walls painted at my mom’s house

Started working on painting and adding new floors in the living room too

Purchased Alan Wake on Steam during it’s Sunset Sale

Watched Tom Holland’s Lip Sync Battle (Yes that’s important)

Stepped into a Spencer’s for the 1st time (though it was only at the very front of the store to look at posters)

Started planning for my new Yarny cosplay for Kitsune Kon

Watched Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 twice in theatres

Bought a bikini for the 1st time (I usually only wear a tankini while swimming so wearing a bikini is huge for me)

Watched Steven Universe: Wanted and fell in love with Lars all over again

Worked during Memorial Day, but got paid more because holiday :D

Got my 2nd smartphone ever, a Samsung Galaxy S7

Ate a sandwich with a square bun for the 1st time

Updated my blog theme for the 1st time this year

June

Witnessed a felony traffic stop with arrests and everything for the 1st time

Celebrated my cat’s birthdays by giving them catnip

My parent’s divorce was finalized, same day as my cat’s birthday

Played Emily is Away for the 1st time

Returned to Mirai Nikki, an anime I never finished

Only just figured out Patrick Swayze died via a documentary (oops)

Attended my friend’s graduation party

Finished my 2nd and 3rd simultaneous playthroughs of Mass Effect

Started playing Mass Effect 2 and Life is Strange

Finished Episodes 1 and 2 of Life is Strange

Found out what the Grapefruit Technique is for some reason

Donated to Markiplier’s Charity Live Stream for Ablegamers

Kathryn mentioned my name (Icefire), my comment and thanked me for donating! :D

Purchased over $59 worth of games during Steam’s summer sale including Bioshock, Mirror’s Edge & Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Edition

Finished Life is Strange Episodes 3, 4 and 5 in the span of a few days

July

Played Blade Ballet for the 1st time

Played Monopoly and hung out at irl friend’s house for 3rd of July

Purchased Gone in November on Steam

Started watching Big Brother with my sister

Made a Yarny doll for the 1st time

Used an ATM for the 1st time

Attended Kitsune Kon for the 7th year

Almost didn’t make it to the con because I had stomach issues the morning of the con

Bought a lot of buttons, posters and dvd’s, etc from the con

Debuted my Yarny cosplay at the con

Went swimming for the 1st time this year

Continued unpacking things from my dad’s apartment before he moves

Toured the college I’m attending in January for the 1st time

Had to redo my financial aid application

Learned how to transfer funds from savings account to debit card. Horray for adulting!

Discovered the joys of Etsy

Toured my dad’s new house for the 1st time

Attempted to expand my storage on my Mac as I’m starting to run outd

August

Discovered StoreEnvy

Finished Mass Effect 2 for the 1st time

Began my application for transferring to a 4 year college

Finally put my posters up in my room at my dad’s house

Went Up North with my mom’s family for a weekend

Wore a bikini in public for the 1st time

Purchased VIP tickets to the Evanescence Concert

Bought VIP tickets for the 1st time

Found out my dad got engaged

Found and caught my 1st ever Shiny Pokemon (Shiny Haunter in Moon)

Tried VR for the 1st time

Went camping with my dad, his girlfriend and her family for a weekend

Started my 3rd and last semester at the technical college I’m at

Purchased Layers of Fear, Bioshock 2 and Remember Me on Steam

September

Met my dad and his fiancee’s new cats Ying and Yang

Officially got Accepted into the 4 year college I applied to

Finished Mass Effect 2 for the 2nd time

Started Mass Effect 3

Downloaded Origin

Bought tickets to see Diavolo from America’s Got Talent

Suffered from allergies for most of September

October

Attended an Employee appreciation day at my job

Visited a Counselor regarding my transfer to a 4 year college

Ordered a Christmas gift from my job

Finished Mass Effect 3 for the 1st time

Pre-registered for Kitsunekon 2018

Ate a fried egg sandwich for the 1st time

Submited my AP scores to my new college

Found a spring jacket that I lost back in Spring

Found over $20 in said jacket

Got an unofficial tour of the campus I’m going to in January by friend

Went to see Diavolo on tour 

Played The Old City: Leviathan on Steam

My job got a bunch of renovations (paint, appliances, new products, etc)

Purchased Soma, realMyst, Plague Inc, Undertale and other walking simulators during Steam Halloween Sale

Attempted to play Penumbra Black Plague but dealt with screen resolution issues

Started playing Layers of Fear on Steam

Caught Primal Kyogre with just one quick ball in Pokemon Alpha Sapphire

Finally beat Pokemon Alpha Sapphire after over a year of not touching the game

November

Turned in my “final” report for my Technical Reporting class

Went back to playing Pokemon Moon

Signed up for my classes for January

Finally got to see Thor Ragnarok in theaters after 4 years of waiting!

Got my “final” report graded, 96%!

Got back into the Thor fandom

Got my mom some bubble wrap and salt water taffy for her birthday (she loved it)

Started playing Overwatch for the 1st time

Discovered You Suck at Cooking Youtube Channel

Purchased a bunch of games for Black Friday (Overwatch, Dragon Age II and Inquisition, indie games, etc)

December

Had my annual review at the Gas Station I worked at and got a raise!

Went to see Evanescence in Concert for the 1st time since 2011!

Went to Madison for the 1st time in about 4 years (last time was just a few days before I started my Tumblr account)

Tried sweet Sauerkraut for the 1st time, it tasted okay but it was kind of strange eating sweet sauerkraut

Got my best friend some bubble wrap as a gag gift for his birthday

Went to my sister’s holiday choir concert

Finished a final and got a 90% on it (Ethics Class)

Procrastinated on said final and other final project

Got introduced to Round Planet by BBC

Finished Season 7 of Overwatch Competitive with Silver Rank

Started getting invested in Yugioh (abridged and the manga) 

Got the Synthesis (Evanescence) album for Christmas

Also got Pokemon Ultra Sun AND Ultra Moon for Christmas

My dad officially got married so I now have a step-family as of this month

Didn’t get to go to their wedding (it’s a long story)

Worked in Receiving at my job for the 1st time 

[mariacorley]

How to be Black

My original reason for self-publishing a novel was to allow my protagonists, Langston and Cecile, the light of day. I started with the notion that if only a handful of people read my book, my beloved creations would still have lived and breathed somewhere other than on my computer. Publishers who cater to people like me used to be called vanity presses; there's some truth to that. It didn't take long before I began to dream of a larger audience, watching YouTube videos and absorbing blog posts that purported to show indie authors how to achieve unimaginable success. One of the most important parts of the plan seemed to be reviews, and so, emboldened by three 5 star reviews from total strangers, I asked everyone I could who had read my book if they would mind posting their opinions about it on Amazon. Some did, but many didn't, so I took it to the next level, paying to join a database that allowed me to contact random people who had demonstrated an interest in writing and sharing reviews.

I sent out numerous requests, but so far only a couple of those people have followed through. One of them is the inspiration for this post. Dr. Jacques Coulardeau sent me his review—two pages so full of inaccuracies and negative extrapolation that I was shocked that he gave me 4 stars—on Martin Luther King Day, a coincidence that I find ironic. Examples of his misleading statements include his portrayal of Cecile as “one who makes love with any boy available that is rather good looking,” for whom “pre-marital intercourse is a basic principle,” even though she has sex with exactly two men in the book, the first a one night stand during which she loses her virginity, the second her eventual husband. Coulardeau then glosses over the character's considerable internal conflict between her religious background and her sexual relationship with the “love of her life” by saying, “She does not realize her contradiction.” Um...not true. When Langston and Cecile meet, the reviewer says that Cecile “of course gives herself as if it were a question of life or death,” even though their relationship unfolds long distance. He even rebuts his own statement by adding “Cecile in a way makes the relation kind of satirical, humorous, un-serious.” Dr. Coulardeau states that Langston's decision to open a West Indian restaurant is simply because the cuisine is trendy. Um...nope. He also mentions that Langston's friends-with-benefits relationship, while in college, with the daughter of his Italian boss is doomed because of her father's disapproval, implying that Langston and Marietta aren't both aware, from day one, that their contact is a dalliance, and failing to mention an even more intense disapproval from Langston's Jamaican grandmother. And so on.

I won't dispute every incorrect statement, but—call me Donald Trump—I can't leave his final conclusion about my protagonists alone: “They definitely tricked their life-treks and they ended lost in some kind of tasteless, heartless, mindless deculturated wasteland.” His evidence? The characters are neither black nor West Indian enough for him. They eat West Indian food, but they don't speak the way he thinks they should (he is apparently a linguist; I'm merely someone who grew up as a Canadian West Indian). Further evidence of lost cultural identity includes Langston's decision to cook a  jerked turkey with mango salsa at Thanksgiving. I forgot to mention that the expert on what West Indians are supposed to be is an elderly Jewish man, who also took time out to pass judgments on Cecile's Christian journey in ways that my devoutly Christian readers did not. Huh?

These days, it's rare that a white person is overtly paternalistic enough to publicly claim knowledge of who black people should be, which is pretty much the same thing as informing us of our proper “place.” For obvious reasons, these kinds of statements are not nearly so uncommon in the black community. For example, the inability to “code-switch” is seen by some melanated people as proof of being an oreo: black on the outside, white on the inside. What does that mean, though?

Being an immigrant changes things, whether your relocation is voluntary or involuntary. Isn't it both natural and human to exert and receive influence as a result? When Dr. Coulardeau rails against the evils of multiculturalism, I think he may mean that distinct ethnic groups shouldn't lose touch with their cultural heritage. I support this idea, however, what does that include and exclude? Am I allowed to like only a particular kind of music, or cook a particular kind of food? If I am allowed to like things that aren't native to my ethnic group, a concept that has become hopelessly tangled, in most cases, by intermarriage (and here I mean even Jamaicans marrying Nigerians), how much should we like those things? How often can we indulge in them? What if we understand some of our ancestral language or dialect, but aren't fluent? Do we all need to repatriate to a country of cultural origin? Can we live in the suburbs? Or should our entire lives become a kind of performance art?

Coulardeau noted that “Canada is the best representative of multiculturalism and New York (where Cecile attends Juilliard) is one of the most diverse melting pot or salad bowl in the world,” calling the references to the various cultures there “anecdotal.” First, Canada is a vast nation, and I can assure you that most of it isn't particularly multicultural, although Toronto, where Langston lives (in Little Jamaica!), certainly consists of distinct ethnic enclaves. My main focus in writing the book, however, had to do with issues of personal growth that people can confront regardless of their race. Nevertheless, one reviewer said, “The issue of race is an important sub-stratum of the story and adds to its depth.” Another take: “How refreshing to encounter complex people who deal with racism and nonetheless dream beyond the limits of what's realistic. Unlike a lot of prime time television, Letting Go's characters defy stereotypes and earn your trust as a reader.” This reviewer, who is an African American female activist, also said of Cecile, “She's confident in her blackness and even when she's down, she's not out.”

Enough self-defense. I am more drawn to people's internal lives, so people who are looking for detailed discussions of place may be disappointed; my references to setting have a tendency to be secondary. That said, my book is semi-autobiographical (SEMI!), and I certainly could have included more of my own experiences with race and culture, including the very self-conscious efforts made by me and my black friends to reject as much as possible that wasn't considered “black,” whether it was by claiming to hate most of the music on the radio in our overwhelmingly white town, or never wanting to say a white person was attractive, because black beauty was so undervalued that it seemed wrong to add to the problem by endorsing the prevailing notions, even slightly. Some of my other formative experiences with my culture included learning about slavery and segregation, both in America and the West Indies, being sent to classes in West Indian dance, joining the Junior Afro-Canadian society consisting of my siblings and friends (to mirror the Afro-Canadian society my parents had joined), annual visits to Bermuda with my mom, and learning Jamaican folk songs from my dad. I also felt especially proud of hall of fame quarterback Warren Moon and the similarly storied hockey goalie, Grant Fuhr. Then again, was it “black” to even be aware of hockey? Or was that, too, the result of losing touch with my roots? Was it breaking down a barrier or assimilation when Arthur Mitchell founded the Dance Theater of Harlem? And if ballet is okay for black people, should Misty Copeland have ended up in a predominantly white company?

To be fair, I suspect Dr. Coulardeau might have been okay with Cecile's focus on classical music if the book had followed up a conversation about the need to incorporate music by black composers into her repertoire— something I endorse and have put into practice—with concrete examples. I admit to dropping the ball on that one; I was more interested in her character's awakening as a self-confident woman, just as I was interested in Langston's need to confront the fears that kept him bound, but although the book is already 500 pages long, a few sentences here or there would have made my novel richer. Them again, why should any black person, real or imaginary, have to define him or herself by someone else's cultural standards, which are higher, in this regard, than the bar most white people need to reach? One answer is that everything about black people has been denigrated so much that we need to affirm our identity. The thing is, we're still human, which means we're not monolithic. Will black people ever earn the right to just be, in all of our complex variations and manifestations? Or should all books feature black protagonists who speak mainly the vernacular, ideally in the inner city, during slavery or the Civil Rights era? Will melanated people always have to earn their “black card,” even if they're fictional?

Coulardeau sarcastically refers to Langston “so black...that his first girl friend is a white woman.” I put that relationship in my book is because seeing a black man with a white woman still produces a twinge in my gut, even though I realize that the importance of race has been inflated by a history of hate. If I'm honest, I must confess that I have some litmus tests of black authenticity: Clarence Thomas doesn't pass, for example, because his Supreme Court rulings and other statements have shown what looks to me like evidence of self-hatred. Still, I don't think it's reasonable to assume that every black man who gets involved with a white woman has fallen for the false notion that their pale skin makes them the biggest trophy of all. I want black men and black women to heal the deep wounds inflicted by injustice, set down the resulting baggage, and truly embrace each other. Still, it is my firm belief that we can love ourselves without climbing into a box. At least, I hope so, because the opposite of multicultural is homogeneous. Even if it were possible to retreat behind impenetrable racial and cultural fences, is that advisable? Can't I be black and still cook a damned turkey? Especially in Canada, where Thanksgiving isn't connected to its ancestral sins against aboriginal people (which certainly exist), but rather the thought that having a day off to sit down with your family and express some gratitude sounded like a good idea?

People have mentioned finishing my book and wondering what the characters did after it ended. Despite everything I just said, if I do write a sequel, I may just go into more detail regarding culture, which is something I don't always analyze deeply unless affronted. So even though I find Coulardeau's  comments presumptuous, misleading, and at times completely inaccurate, they did make me think.