#franklin payne

[mukuuji]

Franklin Payne - Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura

Thank you for supporting me, stellastra-san!

[raswells-official]

My 'ART' fun game photo for gamers😊🔥

[silliestcolressfan]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged from you! <33

Ooo, alr!! ^_^

1. The Madisons (bring them up, and suddenly all of my worries are out of the window, idc where we are I WILL YAP)

2. The original 13 colonies (I'm not even kidding I started tweaking in history once because I saw the 13 colonies in my history booklet)

3. Yapping about history (I love history if you couldn't tell)

4. 1776 (the exception being EDWARD RUTLEDGE. I hate that little man. I mean, if you're gonna dislike/hate on Adams, the least you could do is something cool (eg, rewrite the Bible, make the Liberty Song, establish a while ass bank, key and the kite in thunderstorm, etc) instead of not wanting to sign an important document just because it said slavery bad. Womp womp, cry me a river, Rutledge)

oh shit look at me yapping about my hatred for him, oopsie daisy ☺️☺️

5. Splatoon (one of these things is not like the others)

[donnahinkleystaceytroy]

[thesaltofcarthage]

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ― Margaret Mead

[lotusyiyen]

[rivenantiqnerd]

I love women in stem

do YOU 🫵 love women in stem??

[isupportzaynxliamxziam]

Saturday, 1 April 2023

Liam attends the fight between Anthony Joshua and Jermaine Franklin in London ...

... and posts about it on his Instagram Stories

During the night he poses with Joshua Franklin, which photo gets posed by DAZN Boxing: A FOURTH signing in two days? 🤯 @liampayne 📸 EddieHeam #JoshuaFranklin

Liam also poses with Jack Catterall (professional boxer) and Sam Jones (co founder of sjamboxing), who post the photo on his Instagram: AJ fight night 🚀 @liampayne @jackcatt1 #aj #02arena #joshuafranklin @markrobinsonphoto 📸

[yeoldenews]

For all my fellow name nerds out there, I am very pleased to present the second annual "Gloyd Roberson Memorial List of Actual Human Children Who Wrote Letters to Santa in 1920s/30s Oklahoma".

These aren’t all necessarily “weirder than Gloyd” but fall into three rough categories which I’ve dubbed: “that’s got a nice ring to it”, “if I used this in a novel it would be considered too unrealistic” and “you’ve got 5 seconds to name a character that lives in 1920s Oklahoma, GO!”:

Selvyn Atteberry

Dyer Banfield

Bert Baxter

Hilda Bender

Imogene Berry

Heloise Blakely

Burl Boyer

Clyda Pearl Boyington

Okal Brooks

Vada Jo Bricker

Deverett Brumley

Lee Roy Buck

Vivian May Burdue

Donnie Buster

Elmarie Button

Junior Buzzard

Melchor Caldex

Tycene Calhoun

Tiny Bell Callison

Dapalene Caywood

Edney Clopton

Buster Combs

Georgia Countryman

Vantruba Crockett

Alto Day

Buddie DeWayne

Violet Divine

Elwanda Downing

Cletys Durham

Thurlo Epps

Apple Fields

Floyd Fleetwood

Metherine Franklin

Ula Fay French

Wanda Jo Fronterhouse

Irline Fuller

Jack Gritzmaker

J. D. Grizzle

Billie Jean Gulley

Joline Hardcastle

Kaloolah Herrill

Thelias Hatfield

Elva Heavins

Coleman Hewlett

Helen Hillhouse

Virgil Holderby

Katymae Houston

Myree Huffstutlar

Estelline Hurrypack

Blondie Huhm

Lila Lou Jackson

Denver Jones

Vernell Lambert

Sonny Boy Lockart

Dinkey Long (autocorrect really wanted this to be Donkey Kong)

Bamma Lynn

Rep Madden

Standford Mann

Jack Mattingly

Goldia McGee

Madge Messinger

Mauzell Mullins

Jeffie Wayne Muskrat

Archibald Neighbors

Hazel Nickerson

Eulah Oakley

Lyle Oyler

Milburn Partain

Jackson Payne

Montana Phillips

Bobbie Dean Phoenix

Toots Putman

Madonna Mae Rickey

Cyprine Robertson

Juanelle Schneeberger

Billie Jean Sparks

Texanna Smith

Pansy Stetson

Patsy Ruth Stubblefield

Eldon Sweezy

Hoy Trotter

Pearl Vandorien

Leland Weems

Joe Bob West

Wayness Whitely

Buster Wyatt

John Ira Youngblood

Domby Zinn

[billboard-hotties-tourney]

Okay, folks, the mini-tourney is inching closer to the finals, so I'm going to give a list of the competitors in the Miss Billboard Tourney in order to give everyone a chance to submit more propaganda. The nominees are:

Lale Andersen

Marian Anderson

Signe Toly Anderson

Julie Andrews

LaVerne Andrews

Maxene Andrews

Patty Andrews

Ann-Margret

Joan Armatrading

Dorothy Ashby

Joan Baez

Pearl Bailey

Belle Baker

Josephine Baker

LaVern Baker

Florence Ballard

Brigitte Bardot

Eileen Barton

Fontella Bass

Shirley Bassey

Maggie Bell

Lola Beltran

Ivy Benson

Gladys Bentley

Jane Birkin

Cilla Black

Ronee Blakley

Teresa Brewer

Anne Briggs

Ruth Brown

Joyce Bryant

Vashti Bunyan

Kate Bush

Montserrat Caballe

Maria Callas

Blanche Calloway

Wendy Carlos

Cathy Carr

Raffaella Carra

Diahann Carroll

Karen Carpenter

June Carter Cash

Charo

Cher

Meg Christian

Gigliola Cinquetti

Petula Clark

Merry Clayton

Patsy Cline

Rosemary Clooney

Natalie Cole

Judy Collins

Alice Coltrane

Betty Comden

Barbara Cook

Rita Coolidge

Gal Costa

Ida Cox

Karen Dalton

Marie-Louise Damien

Betty Davis

Jinx Dawson

Doris Day

Blossom Dearie

Kiki Dee

Lucienne Delyle

Sandy Denny

Jackie DeShannon

Gwen Dickey

Marlene Dietrich

Marie-France Dufour

Julie Driscoll

Yvonne Elliman

Cass Elliot

Maureen Evans

Agnetha Faeltskog

Marianne Faithfull

Mimi Farina

Max Feldman

Gracie Fields

Ella Fitzgerald

Roberta Flack

Lita Ford

Connie Francis

Aretha Franklin

France Gall

Judy Garland

Crystal Gayle

Gloria Gaynor

Bobbie Gentry

Astrud Gilberto

Donna Jean Godchaux

Lesley Gore

Eydie Gorme

Margo Guryan

Sheila Guyse

Nina Hagen

Francoise Hardy

Emmylou Harris

Debbie Harry

Annie Haslam

Billie Holiday

Mary Hopkin

Lena Horne

Helen Humes

Betty Hutton

Janis Ian

Mahalia Jackson

Wanda Jackson

Etta James

Joan Jett

Bessie Jones

Etta Jones

Gloria Jones

Grace Jones

Shirley Jones

Tamiko Jones

Janis Joplin

Barbara Keith

Carole King

Eartha Kitt

Chaka Khan

Hildegard Knef

Gladys Knight

Sonja Kristina

Patti Labelle

Cleo Laine

Nicolette Larson

Daliah Lavi

Vicky Leandros

Peggy Lee

Rita Lee

Alis Lesley

Barbara Lewis

Abbey Lincoln

Melba Liston

Julie London

Darlene Love

Lulu

Anni-Frid Lyngstad

Barbara Lynn

Loretta Lynn

Vera Lynn

Siw Malmkvist

Lata Mangeshkar

Linda McCartney

Kate McGarrigle

Christie McVie

Bette Midler

Jean Millington

June Millington

Liza Minnelli

Carmen Miranda

Joni Mitchell

Liz Mitchell

Marion Montgomery

Lee Morse

Nana Mouskouri

Anne Murray

Wenche Myhre

Holly Near

Olivia Newton-John

Stevie Nicks

Nico

Laura Nyro

Virginia O’Brien

Odetta

Yoko Ono

Shirley Owens

Patti Page

Dolly Parton

Freda Payne

Michelle Phillips

Edith Piaf

Ruth Pointer

Leontyne Price

Suzi Quatro

Gertrude Rainey

Bonnie Raitt

Carline Ray

Helen Reddy

Della Reese

Martha Reeves

June Richmond

Jeannie C. Riley

Minnie Riperton

Jean Ritchie

Chita Rivera

Clara Rockmore

Linda Ronstadt

Marianne Rosenberg

Diana Ross

Anna Russell

Melanie Safka

Buffy Sainte-Marie

Samantha Sang

Pattie Santos

Hazel Scott

Doreen Shaffer

Jackie Shane

Marlena Shaw

Sandie Shaw

Dinah Shore

Judee Sill

Carly Simon

Nina Simone

Nancy Sinatra

Siouxsie Sioux

Grace Slick

Bessie Smith

Mamie Smith

Patti Smith

Ethel Smyth

Mercedes Sosa

Ronnie Spector

Dusty Springfield

Mavis Staples

Candi Staton

Barbra Streisand

Poly Styrene

Maxine Sullivan

Donna Summer

Pat Suzuki

Norma Tanega

Tammi Terrell

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Big Mama Thornton

Mary Travers

Moe Tucker

Tina Turner

Twiggy

Bonnie Tyler

Sylvia Tyson

Sarah Vaughan

Sylvie Vartan

Mariska Veres

Akiko Wada

Claire Waldoff

Jennifer Warnes

Dee Dee Warwick

Dionne Warwick

Dinah Washington

Ethel Waters

Elisabeth Welch

Kitty Wells

Mary Wells

Juliane Werding

Tina Weymouth

Cris Williamson

Ann Wilson

Mary Wilson

Nancy Wilson

Anna Mae Winburn

Syreeta Wright

Tammy Wynette

Nan Wynn

Those in italics have five or more pieces of usable visual, written, or audio propaganda already. If you have any visuals like photos or videos, or if you have something to say in words, submit it to this blog before round one begins on June 25th!

If you don't see a name you submitted here, it's because most or all of their career was as a child/they were too young for the cutoff, their career was almost entirely after 1979, or music was something they only dabbled in and are hardly known for. There are quite a few ladies on the list whose primary career wasn't "recording artist" or "live musician," but released several albums or were in musical theater, so they've been accepted.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 04/05/2024 (Taylor Swift, Tommy Richman, Kendrick Lamar's "euphoria")

Just a week after her album’s impact, Taylor’s been dethroned by… Sabrina Carpenter! She grabs her first #1 on the UK Singles Chart with the smash hit “Espresso” and welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

content warning: language, Yeat praise

Rundown

As always, let’s start with the notable dropouts, which are songs exiting the UK Top 75 - that’s what I cover - after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. Now this week, we bid adieu to: “The Tortured Poets Department” by Taylor Swift (it got three-song-ruled and dropped out from #3, more on that later), “act II: date @ 8” by 4batz featuring a remix by Drake (not his best week, more on that later), “Von dutch” by Charli XCX, “Kitchen Stove” by Pozer, “Whatever” by Kygo and Ava Max, “Murder on the Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and FINALLY, “Lovin’ on Me” by Jack Harlow.

As for our gains, we see healthy boosts for “Pedro” by Jaxomy, Agatino Romero and the late Raffaella Carrá at #60, “Outside of Love” by Becky Hill at #54, “Evergreen” by Richy Mitch & the Coal Miners at #46, “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed at #42 (yeesh), “These Words” by Badger and Natasha Bedingfield at #22, “I Don’t Wanna Wait” by David Guetta and OneRepublic at #20 - I guess obvious covers and remixes have a good week - then finally, a song hitting the top 10 I’m personally very happy with: “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey at #6. #1 incoming? Please?

We also continue to see the rise or, rather, resurgence of Amy Winehouse’s catalogue due to the biopic, with “Valerie” with Mark Ronson at #38, “Back to Black” at #39, and a re-entry for “Tears Dry on Their Own” at #49, which peaked at #16 when Ye’s “Stronger” was #1 in 2007. On that same album, he says he hates Nazis, look how far we’ve come. Anyways, “Tears Dry” contains a sample of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, made famous by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, which didn’t chart in its original form for the longest time here. It peaked at #6 in 1970 but only in the form of a cover by Diana Ross, whose version charted whilst Freda Payne’s “Band of Gold” was #1 - just shows that we don’t really remember the bigger hits of the time. The Boys Town Gang reached #46 with their cover in 1981, Whitehouse and Jocelyn Brown both charted with covers coincidentally in August of 1998 - they peaked at #60 and #35 respectively - and finally, the original first charted at #80 in 2013, amazingly still its peak, and briefly re-entered earlier this year. “Tears Dry” itself was sampled the last time Amy made the top 40 in 2023, with Skepta’s #28-peaking tribute “Can’t Play Myself”.

As for our top five this week, we start in the dregs with “i like the way you kiss me” by Artemas at #5, “Beautiful Things” by Benedict Cumberbatch at #4, “Too Sweet” by Hozier at #3, then of course Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone at #2 and “Espresso” at #1. It’s an interesting one today, folks, with a lot of unique and frankly, fantastic stuff to cover, so let’s start with… Kygo?

New Entries

#75 - “For Life” - Kygo and Zak Abel featuring Nile Rodgers

Produced by Kygo, Nile Rodgers, Ollie Green and Franklin

I’m honestly a bit surprised Kygo is still notching chart hits, especially without a big name attached this time. Sure, Nile Rodgers is a legend, but he’s doing so much dance-pop garbage in his later years that I don’t think many people check specifically for his collaborations, so there’s got to be something in this that’s unique, right? Aaaaaaand it’s a sample. It’s a nostalgia bait sample of a 2000s EDM track because of course it is. French house act Modjo debuted with “Lady - Hear Me Tonight”, which spent two weeks at #1 in 2000 and is an absolute classic I still return to today, even if Modjo were basically a one-hit wonder. “Lady” of course is built on a sample of “Soup for One” by Rodgers’ own band CHIC, which comes from a 1982 soundtrack album, never charted and kind of been eclipsed by “Lady”, largely because the original is honestly pretty bad, uninteresting and surprisingly stiff for an 80s funk track, with some of the weakest and most slap-dash implementation of synths. “Lady” really took the best parts of that song - its undeniable guitar melody, that isn’t even put to great use in the original - and constructed an entirely new, incredible song out of it. So I can’t tell if it’s pathetic and desperate for Rodgers to try and reclaim it, or something that speaks to the power of musical transformation. Oh, what am I kidding? It’s Kygo, it’s just kind of boring. It’s a rote piano house track that goes for the same tropical atmosphere Kygo has been doing for years - a lot of the same festival synths are there, it’s all full of bubbly swooshing that actively sound like pastel colours. The only real hook of the song is taken from Modjo and re-sang by Zak Abel, with slight lyric modifications taken from the “I’m Good (Blue)” department of refusing to allow for fun in your dance songs, and even that just feels desperate. What did Nile Rodgers even do here, man? Sign a legal document saying you can use the hook? It’s not even his Goddamn hook.

#69 - “Solo” - Myles Smith

Produced by Peter Fenn

Myles Smith is a singer-songwriter I hadn’t heard of until today but has been active since at least last year and is making at least some consistent buzz so I was interested to see what his first slow-burning chart hit here has to offer and… are we just, IN, 2012, 2013 now? We had festival house with the last song, the next song is heavily Yeezus-inspired, and this is a full-on Aloe Blacc stomp-rock song. It isn’t bad either - I actually had to get used to hearing his richer voice on this kind of scattered clap-stomp-holler folk track, and whilst this is nothing unique given the solemn pianos, spattering of strings and of course, that jingling indie folk rolick, that doesn’t feel particularly organic on this one, it still is far from bad. The lyrics are somewhat generic but not in an awful way, and the “so low”/”solo” double meaning is somewhat clever or at least, would be if in the context of the song, they actually meant separate things. It’s a bit annoying that it’s the main conceit because both have negative connotations for Mr. Smith here, so it just feels like he’s repeating himself rather than elaborating on his feelings or presenting a dichotomy. I imagine it’ll be a lost on a few people due to botched execution, which bothers me because it was an active attempt at clever songwriting that gets kind of lost in sonic translation. This sounds like I’m picking apart the song’s flaws but it is really just a fine little woodlands jams with a great singer, infectious hook and by the end, a damn fine melodramatic string section. I can see it growing on me, especially due to its gorgeous outro, but for right now, I’m somewhat lukewarm, not going to raise a fuss if it ends up smashing though and in a Noah Kahan world, I suppose it’s quite likely.

#64 - “If We Being Real” - Yeat

Produced by Synthetic, Radiate, Fendii, LRBG, Perdu and Dreamr

So terrible news: I like Yeat now. I’m still not granting him his silly little umaluts, and I won’t go too in-depth here, mostly because there’s another song worthy of in-depth analysis, and every piece Yeat’s put out fits into the jigsaw of the album’s narrative as a whole… it would require a lot more time and space, and frankly words, that I’m willing to give #64. No track feels unnecessary on 2093, the atmosphere is consistent across all 24 tracks, and lyrically, it’s a concept album, which I would have never expected from Yeat and he pulls it off brilliantly both sonically and thematically without straining himself to areas he probably couldn’t reach like trying to be super lyrical or stepping away from rage pads. Given the album’s experimentation and length, I wasn’t surprised by the lukewarm commercial reception, but I did at least expect maybe the songs with Future, Wayne or Drake on the deluxe, to have charted by now, when this hasn’t even happened in the US. So when the penultimate track on an album that’s over an hour in its standard issue becomes his first solo hit in the top 75, I have to assume TikTok virality is involved.

Regardless, I’m glad it’s here because it’s brilliant. Sonically as a separate track, it’s one extended verse over a corrupted industrial beat that cracks in right after a mystical intro full of textured but meandering strings, that get swooshed out of existence by a cinematic, malfunctioning clunker incorporating Yeat’s inhuman ad-libs, manipulated behind vocal recognition, into infectious loops within the beat. This is one of few songs - another’s coming later - where I can understand the sheer amount of producers. Lyrically, the title refers to Yeat or more accurately, his psychopathic billionaire character, attempting to shed some of his CEO veneer and ultimately failing, adopting a lot of the violent, power-hungry rhetoric the rest of the album relies on, making it a pretty ironic and depressing title, especially when considering its place in the rest of the album, coming right before the… actually honest and heartbreaking closer, “1093”. In the backhalf of this album, Yeat’s bragging sounds increasingly monotone and routine, and him rapping in and out of distorted filters or going up and down from his traditional murmur to a choking yell, exemplifies how sick and tired he is of the lyfestyle he curated for himself. This song in particular ends with him barely on beat for a beat that doesn’t even really have a beat, becoming a factorial ambiance more so than anything coherently rhythmic. I have no idea why this song in particular is going viral - it doesn’t have a chorus or even really some of the catchier, more potent lyrics on the album, and its beat barely functions as such for the vast majority of the song - Hell, it’s not even one of the album’s integral moments like the opener, “Bought the Earth”, “ILUV”, “Shade”, “Riot & Set it off”, or really countless others, but I’m not complaining because the sound design, the care placed into thematic and narrative consistency, it’s all still here. This is a 10/10 album, and if this song gets more people to check it out, I really can’t be upset with that.

#58 - “Love Me JeJe” - Tems

Produced by Guilty Beatz and Spax

So what’s “Love Me JeJe” actually mean? Well, in Nigerian Pidgin, it means “gentle” or “tender”, and the use of a more regional term rather than the English actually contributes greatly to why I think this song works: Tems’ buttery voice has always been able to display both coldness and a sensual warmth, often at the same time, but on some of the bubbliest guitars I’ve heard over an Afrobeats rhythm since the genre started charting consistently, she’s fully in that second category. Hell, most of the lyrics are pretty basic here, especially the practically meaningless chorus, but that’s to its benefit because thinking too much about this song defeats its purpose: to be gentle. It’s a frankly adorable expression of love and care at its most optimistic extent possible. Despite the clean, tropical percussion, it still feels cute and homegrown. Hell, the second verse, after a nice back-and-forth choir vocal, even references the Nigerian electricity provider that’s apparently nationally infamous for its power outages, with the lyric comparing the love she feels with her partner to the feeling when electricity comes back on in the village and all her neighbours inform the locals. Combine that with how breezy this is, the easy-flowing bridge into an outro full of murmuring, chatter and reverb-drenched laughing, it just makes for a really cute, likeable song. Not necessarily what I expected out of a lead single from Tems, but a delightful surprise. Now to balance that with pure hatred.

#50 - “euphoria” - Kendrick Lamar

Produced by Cardo, Kyuro, Sounwave, Johnny Juliano, Yung Exclusive and Matthew “MTech” Bernard

There’s part of me that finds it quite funny that Drake gets into serious beef with an incredibly analytical and perfectionist rapper like Kendrick right after putting out his own exposé of himself. For All the Dogs is as much of a dissection of Aubrey Drake Graham, albeit perhaps unintentionally, as Kendrick or really anyone could perform, as long as you’re paying attention. It’s been like that (no pun intended) for a while, but his latest is the most obvious and desperate attempt at clinging to status and image that it places his insecurities fully on display. You could recite lyrics from that album on a jazz beat and call it a diss track, so the fact that Kendrick went back to back with damn near dissections of Drake’s paranoia - especially on the Instagram follow-up track he made that is chilling - as well as a myriad of different issues he has with Drake, simply because… well, he doesn’t fuck with Drake. One could argue that this feud is complex and storied, with so many different  beligerents… but the motives behind it are genuinely a lot simpler than most rap feuds, and the diss tracks that are made from it are way more straightforward. They just outline the reasons they dislike each other, almost systematically, it’s genuinely refreshing, or at least a lot more than what’s going on with Quavo and Chris Brown, yeesh.

This track in particular is as calculated as can be, acting as a dissertation on why K-Dot doesn’t really like Drake too much. It’s condescending, damn near academic, with its smooth jazz intro and categorical shoot down of each possible avenue you could hit Drake from. We have sextuple entendres on this thing, a total of three beats, two of which are cheap-sounding but absolutely murderous drill bangers, and Genius annotations that rival War and Peace when combined. I’m not a lyrical expert, and there’s so much in here that I didn’t get until I was pointed towards that direction by Genius annotations, Reddit, X, or, embarrassingly, YouTube Shorts. You don’t need to research or analyse for this to hit hard though, there are plenty of lines that aren’t going over anyone’s heads… until you look into the exact way the bars are constructed and suddenly they have 20 double meanings and hidden easter eggs. This is really sheer venom, filled with so many layers that I wouldn’t be surprised if he genuinely wins a GRAMMY for it - and it would be in character considering Drake doesn’t even nominate his songs anymore. It’s already having an effect too, that 4batz album came out today, and he’s not signed to OVO as rumoured. Ye’s on the record… but not the already existing and heavily-streamed Drake remix. Already, he may be losing some of that prestige.

As far as it is sonically, it’s six minutes of murder, and Kendrick’s delivery is energised, violent, damn near deranged at times, to perfectly balance how, somewhat subtly through his meta commentary about his own bars and albums, the lyrics are basically an essay. It has an introduction, a conclusion, a hypothesis, written examples, he even presents counter-arguments and weaves them into his own analysis. By the time he was going extremely in-depth about his experiences as a father, and just repeating that Drake knows nothing about that, it almost felt like overkill. My personal favourite lines and ideas presented here are the concise slow dagger of the intro verse, the “Demun”/”throwaway” scheme, the voice and character he puts on between “Cutthroat business” and “I’ll explain that phrase” - he’s like a disappointed teaching assistant, obviously the YNW Melly line and its set-up, the incredible Daft Punk line that got a cackle out of me on first listen, then followed up by a mocking interpolation of one of Drake’s most revered songs, the straightforward rant about everything he hates that references an iconic moment of DMX’s trademark honesty (rest in peace), the “record” scheme in verse three, and when he started the fake Canadian accent, I just lost it. Drake’s biggest weakness here is that when he’s funny, I’m laughing at him, but when Kendrick’s funny, I’m laughing with him, and much louder. If he does respond, unless the man tells us that Kendrick’s whole life and career has been a farce, or he brings, like, the actual former President Obama on the track or something, I can’t see how it tops this. This is one of the best diss tracks ever in terms of sheer detail, and might honestly be one of the greatest throwaway rap singles period. It’ll be tough to beat.

#31 - “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” - Tommy Richman

Produced by Max Vossberg, Jonah Roy, Mannyvelli, Sparkheem and Kavi

This is the sudden breakout hit for Virginia rapper-turned-singer Tommy Richman, which actually comes in two versions on Spotify, the original and a more distorted “VHS” version. Also, this is brilliant. Sure, Richman just sounds like Brent Faiyaz, but a trend I haven’t been able to talk about on here necessarily but has been very exciting for me is the return of grittier, groovier synth funk and hyphy beats into underground hip hop and R&B, with this representing the more melodic end of that sound, which is typically restricted to Midwest and Dirty South rappers. The sound design on this one is actually even unique to that sound, starting with a bizarrely British-sounding Memphis rap vocal loop which I think isn’t a sample and is just him doing a bad impression, filtered below an infectious beat that actually took me by surprise. It even has cowbells and the type of punchy jabbing drums that I love from classic southern rap, but instead of the smooth-talking rappers you usually expect over this, we get a Brent Faiyaz impression that didn’t click with me until hearing this song. I never really got his appeal until I hear it over this and I start to realise the very distinct new jack swing element to his vocals, as he pretty seamlessly transitions from soulful double-tracked harmonies to much more rhythmic, half-rap flows. Now this ISN’T Brent Faiyaz… and I still don’t really like Brent Faiyaz, but hearing his wannabes I think helped me gather what was distinct about him, and the literal Richman North of Richmond here pitting his filtered splatter of vocal ideas and riffs over the beat in a very Devil-may-care fashion exemplifies the elements I do like about him, just with an instrumental that I personally like a lot more. Also, the VHS version is labelled as such but is really just like a bass-boosted version of the song that sounds like it was done in 10 seconds in Audacity, though the vocal mixing sounds a bit different too. I would love for someone to explain why that was the version I ended up adding to my playlist, because I couldn’t tell you.

#8 - “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” - Taylor Swift

Produced by Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift

I know I wrote my whole Taylor spiel last week, but I’m not bothered about this one at all, and I really did expect it to be a fan favourite, mostly because, as the one track I actually enjoy on the standard version, she’s having fun! The lyrics are actively vapid, which doesn’t feel like the intention when she’s singing over soppy adult contemporary but very much feeds into the almost childish character she plays here over synthpop with an actual pulse. The synths here sound like a theme park she’s taking the boy to, especially with the backing vocals and chatter samples implemented into the ambiance and classic Antonoff wonky synths - though some of this doesn’t even sound like it’s in his ballpark. Like were Marian Hill or Sofi Tukker ghost-producing this? Some of these loop choices and flashy sound effects are frankly ridiculous, in the best way of course because the song is camp and fun. Sure, some of Taylor’s lyrics still come off a bit awkward, mostly because of her choice of slower melodies sometimes clashing with the fast-paced patter of the synthscape, but that’s a nitpick. I do love this song, I think it’s fun, Hell, I think it’s funny which is something Taylor has always kind of failed to translate to me in the past, so that is something. I just don’t think we have the same sense of humour. Does she like Norm Macdonald? I don’t feel like she does. Correct me if I’m wrong, Swifties.

Conclusion

It should be incredibly obvious who gets Best of the Week, it’s Kenny, easily, with “euphoria”, and I’m sorry, Swifties, but Yeat better. “If We Being Real” takes away with the Honourable Mention pretty easily as well, though really, strong competition and strong week all around - Tems was close too. There can’t be a Dishonourable Mention in this climate so, Worst of the Week goes to Kygo and Zak Abel for “For Life” that “features” Nile Rodgers, it genuinely just is a lazy template of a song. As for what’s on the horizon, I’m not sure. Dua’ll have some impact, but outside of that, time may have to tell. For now, thank you for reading, long live Cola Boyy, and I’ll see you next week!

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

PERCY FRANCE, LE SAXOPHONISTE QUI A FAILLI ÉCLIPSER SONNY ROLLINS

“Percy was one of the tenor players that I had to compete with when I was making my reputation as a young saxophonist. He was probably the best player around at that time; I never could beat him. We were good friends, and I think of him as my brother.” 

- Sonny Rollins

Né le 15 août 1928 à New York, Percy France avait grandi dans les prospères communautés afro-américaines de San Juan Hill et de Sugar Hill, près de New York. France a fait ses études secondaires au Benjamin Franklin High School. Après avoir étudié la clarinette et le piano, France avait démontré de remarquables aptitudes pour les instruments à vent en bois. Grand admirateur de Don Byas, France s’était acheté son propre saxophone ténor à l’âge de treize ans.

À l’époque, France avait un cousin appelé Jimmy Powell avec qui il avait l’habitude d’assister à des concerts de jazz. Avec l’aide de son cousin, France était même monté sur scène et avait joué de la clarinette avec Fats Waller. France avait également un camarade de classe appelé Sonny Rollins. Les deux jeunes, qui étaient du même âge, avait joué ensemble dans le groupe de l’école et étaient demeurés de grands amis durant toute leur existence. Faisant l’éloge de France, Rollins avait déclaré à son sujet: “Percy was one of the tenor players that I had to compete with when I was making my reputation as a young saxophonist. He was probably the best player around at that time; I never could beat him. We were good friends, and I think of him as my brother.” 

DÉBUTS DE CARRIÈRE

Après avoir décroché son diplôme du high school, France était devenu un saxophoniste et clarinettiste réputé. Après avoir fait ses débuts sur disque avec la chanteuse Betty Mays en 1949, France était parti en tournée pour la première fois avec une autre chanteuse portant le nom d’Elaine Kirby. France avait aussi énormément travaillé avec son vieil ami Sonny Rollins à l’époque où ce dernier avait formé un groupe de danse qui se produisait au célèbre Audubon Ballroom. Au cours de cette période, France avait également collaboré avec le saxophoniste baryton Sonny Payne, avec le batteur Michael Silva, avec les saxophonistes ténor Morris Lane et Johnny Griffin, et avec les trombonistes J.J. Johnson et Kai Winding.

Habitué du Minton’s Playhouse, France avait assisté régulièrement aux jam sessions dirigées par les musiciens bop après le retour de Charlie Parker de Californie en 1947.

À la recommandation d’un musicien non identifié. France s’était joint au groupe de rhythm & blues de l’organiste Bill Doggett en 1952. À l’époque, Doggett avait eu l’idée d’ajouter un saxophoniste à son groupe afin de mieux le distinguer des autres formation. Doggett avait vu juste, et son groupe était devenu une des formations orgue-saxophone les plus populaires de l’époque. France avait obtenu tellement de succès avec le groupe qu’il avait joué avec des formations avec orgue durant toute sa carrière. Le groupe interprétait également des standards du jazz et des balades. France était demeuré avec le groupe durant quelques années. Il avait non seulement participé à plusieurs tournées, mais il avait fait plusieurs apparitions dans les clubs avec le groupe en plus de collaborer aux premiers albums de la formation (il avait participé à pratiquement toutes les sessions de la nouvelle étiquette King Records). France avait même collaboré à quelques pièces de théâtre.

Faisant le bilan de sa collaboration avec France quarante ans plus tard, Doggett avait salué son "unique ability to be able to build a solo. He would start off simply... and pick you up and carry you with him with his solos, as a singer would do, just lift you, and you don't know what's happening to you, but you're enjoying it." Commentant le jeu de France sur le standard “The Nearness Of You”, Doggett avait ajouté:

“To listen to some of those interludes and little things that he played in his solo was just unique. We didn’t have to do much rehearsing at all, because I would just say, ‘Well, I’m going to make the introduction, and after that you pick up the melody line.  Or I would say, ‘Well, I got the middle and you got the last eight.’ I would play the chords.  And he would play the feeling.  And he played some of the most melodic solos that I had ever heard in my life." 

Durant le reste de sa carrière, France avait continué d’interpréter des pièces associées à son séjour avec le groupe de Doggett.

Après avoir quitté le groupe de Doggett, France s’était brièvement associé avec les disques Blue Note, notamment dans le cadre de sessions avec l’organiste Jimmy Smith (enregistré en 1960, l’album Home Cookin' était devenu son enregistrement le plus connu en carrière). Même si France n’avait jamais enregistré comme leader pour Blue Note, il était retourné en studio en 1962 pour enregistrer le premier album de l’organiste Freddie Roach, Down to Earth.

France avait connu une des collaborations les plus durables de sa carrière avec un autre organiste, Sir Charles Thompson, avec qui il avait enregistré l’album Thompson's And The Swing Organ en 1959. À l’époque, le groupe de Thompson partageait régulièrement la scène avec Count Basie. Ce dernier montait même à l’occasion sur scène avec le groupe.

GRAND RETOUR ET DÉCÈS

Victime de différents problèmes personnels et de la baisse de popularité du jazz, France avait mis sa carrière sur pause dans les années 1960. Déterminé à redevenir musicien à plein temps, France avait fait un retour  dans les années 1970 et 1980, se produisant notamment au West End Bar et dans d’autres clubs de New York comme leader de ses propres groupes, souvent en remplacement d’autres groupes comme ceux de Papa Jo Jones (Jo Jones and Friends) et de Russell Procope (Ellingtonia). Parmi les groupes dirigés par France à cette époque, on remarquait Rhythm & Jazz and Honky Tonk, Part 3.

C’est au West End que France avait rencontré le saxophoniste, compositeur et écrivain Allen Lowe. Ce dernier, qui adorait le jeu de France, n’avait jamais pu comprendre pourquoi il était si peu connu. Non seulement Lowe avait enregistré avec France à quelques reprises, mais il lui avait également décroché des contrats.

En 1982, France avait remplacé Buddy Tate dans le groupe Two-Tenor Boogie de Sammy Price (qui comprenait notamment Eddie Barefield au ténor). France était demeuré avec le groupe jusqu’en avril 1990, lorsqu’il s’était produit sur les ondes de WKCR-FM avec la formation. Le groupe avait également joué au Festival de jazz de Berne en 1987. France avait aussi enregistré avec Price dans le cadre d’une session dirigée par Lance Hayward le 28 octobre 1984. France avait également joué avec Hayward au club Village Corner avec qui il avait enregistré le 11 mars 1984 peu avant la fermeture du club. Au cours de cette période, France avait aussi joué avec les New Yorkers de Joe Albany et le groupe Jo Jones and Friends. France avait également fait une tournée en Europe en 1982 et 1983 avec le Oliver Jackson Trio, avec qui il avait enregistré un album sur l’étiquette française Black & Blue en septembre 1982.

En 1988, à la recommandation du disc jockey et historien du jazz Phil Schaap, France avait été recruté par la maison d’édition Simon & Schuster pour improviser des intermèdes au saxophone pour une série de livres enregistrés de l’auteur de romans policiers Mickey Spillane. C’est l’acteur Stacy Keach qui faisait la narration. En 1990, France avait aussi joué dans un club appelé Showmans, où il s’était produit avec un trio comprenant Bobby Forester à l’orgue (on n’en sort pas !) et Tootsie Bean à la batterie.  

Après qu’on lui ait diagnostiqué un cancer en 1990, France avait cessé de se produire à New York. France marchait sur la rue lorsqu’il avait été frappé mortellement par un véhicule le 4 janvier 1992. Mort dans le plus complet anonymat, France avait seulement soixante-trois ans. France avait toujours vécu à New York.

Caractérisé par un jeu très soul (il se spécialisait notamment dans les ballades), France avait une sonorité très chaude et très sensuelle. Décrivant le jeu de France, le producteur Michael Cuscuna l’avait qualifié de “one of those big-toned tenor players who blended muscle with vulnerability in his soulful performances.  Like Ike Quebec and Buddy Terry and so many more, his exquisite voice did not extend beyond the New York metropolitan area, but fortunately his work was captured on a number of recordings.” Pour sa part, le critique Sascha Feinstein avait décrit le jeu de France comme “an irresistible combination of integrity, confidence, swing, and soul.” Quant à Phil Schaap, il avait déclaré: “Percy France played the way he spoke, which was heartfelt and soulful… He was philosophical in a very warm and human sense.  He wasn’t overly spiritual or religious, but he was very, very soulful and straightforward.  And he could kind of convert you to whatever he was trying to impart to you just by saying it, or by playing it.”  Rendant hommage à son ami, le collaborateur de longue date de France, l’organiste Bill Doggett, avait commenté: “He was a wonderful man, a wonderful friend, and a wonderful musician.”

©-2024, tous droits réservés, Les Productions de l’Imaginaire historique

SOURCES:

JOHNSON, David. ‘’Out Of The Shadows: Percy France.’’ Indiana University, 10 août 2022.

‘’Percy France.’’ All About Jazz, 2024.

‘’Percy France.’’ Wikipedia, 2024.

SCHAAP, Phil. ‘’A Biography of Percy France.’’ WKCR, 11 janvier 1992.

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Members of the Newspaper Women's Club visit President Franklin D. Roosevelt, seated at left, at his home on East 65th St. in 1934. Standing from left are Anne Lee, Ethyl Mocker, Charlotte Payne, Deborah Corle, and Marion Clyde McCarroll.

This is a very unusual picture of FDR in that it shows the braces on his legs. He normally did everything he could to conceal his disability.

Photo: NY Daily News

[rewritethisstxry]

Hello and welcome to my mixed mosh little corner of tumblr. Here I write for a variety of fandoms and characters. Primarily will be featuring drabbles with the occasional longer piece. Headcanons will feature from time to time.

At the time I do NOT consent for my work to be translated or posted anywhere else.

Below you will find some more information on who and what I write.

MINORS DNI. Due to the nature of potential content, only 18 and older are allowed.

Characters || Rules || Masterlist || Slasher/horror writing blog : @slxsherwriter

What I will write:

Angst

Fluff

Smut

Platonic relationships

Alpha/Omega dynamics

What I won’t write:

Snuff

Rape, rape play, non con

Underage

Inc*st

Real person fic

Marvel: Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Alexei Shostakov, Peter Parker, Victor Creed, Deacon Frost, Peter Quinn, Frank Castle, Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson, Bruce Banner, Brock Rumlow, Nathan Summers, Eddie Brock, Cletus Kasady, Otto Octavius

DC Universe: Bruce Wayne, Harvey Bullock, Jim Gordon, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Jonathan Crane, Clark Kent, Arthur Curry

Stranger Things: James Hopper, Steve Harrington, Jonathan Byers

Stargate Atlantis: Rodney McKay, John Sheppard, Ronan Dex, Carson Beckett

Sons of Anarchy: Jackson “Jax” Teller, Harry “Opie” Winston, Filip “Chibs” Telford, Juan Carlos “Juice” Ortiz, Lincoln Potter, Galen O'Shay

The Walking Dead: Rick Grimes, Shane Walsh, Negan Smith

What We Do in the Shadows: Nandor the Relentless, Guillermo de la Cruz, Laszlo Cravensworth

Resident Evil: Karl Heisenberg, Albert Wesker, Chris Redfield

Ted Lasso: Ted Lasso, Coach Beard, Jamie Tartt, Roy Kent

Good Omens: Gabriel, Aziraphale, Crowley

Video Games: Connor RK800, CaptainJonathan Price, Simon Ghost Riley, Sniper

Movies: Finn Brody (Godzilla), Raleigh Becket (Pacific Rim), Terry Malone (Black and Blue), Abe Guevara (Point Blank), Bobby O’Neill (The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard), Guy Clifton (The Crash), Roy Pulver (Boss Level), Sloan (Into the Ashes) Braxton Wolff (The Accountant), Ethan Sawyer (Those Who Wish Me Dead), Bradley James (Grudge Match), Sam Rossi (Sweet Virginia), Mr. McCarthy (Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl), Grady Travis (Fury), Griff (Baby Driver), Adam Frawley (The Town), Buddy (Baby Driver), Clyde Brenek (The Posession), Patrick Sullivan (The Accidental Husband), Harvey Russell (Rampage), Jude Fisher (Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding), Luke Vaughn (Heist), Franklin Clay (The Losers), Max (The Resident), Nicomund the Red/Santa Claus (Violent Night), Doug Dennison (Sleepless), Frank Masters (The Equalizer), Hellboy (2019), Alex Baldr (Max Payne), Matt Graver (Sicario), Douglas Hunsiker (The Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Steve Emmett (Boa vs Python), Joe Braven (Braven), Lee Christmas (The Expendables), Deckard Shaw (Fast & Furious)

Musicals: Jack Kelly (Newsies), Dewey Finn (School of Rock), Hades (Hadestown)

Tv shows: Ike Evans (Magic City), Jason Crouse (The Good Wife), John Winchester (Supernatural), Mason Baldwin (Elementary), Colton Fisk (The Equalizer), Kevin Tidwell (Life), Declan Murphy (Law & Order: SVU), Eugene McGillicutty (Royal Pains), Chuck Martin (ER), Dickie Flood (Th Practice), Malcolm Bright (Prodigal Son)

Tolkien: Boromir, Faramir, Eomer

[sporadiceagleheart]

Start of September edits Rachel Marie Jones Arana, Ana Rose “Nortie Grace” Huntley, Ahnika Elaine Clark, Heather Michele O'Rourke, Judith Eva Barsi (1978 - 1988), JonBenét Ramsey, Meika Dawn “Peeka” Jordan, Sara Sharif, Charlotte Figi, Olivia Pratt-Korbel, Liliana Marie “Lily” Peters, Saffie-Rose Brenda Roussos, Audrii Danielle Cunningham, Norah Lee Howard, 5-year-old Mercedes Losoya, Little Lucy Morgan, Sloan Ella Mattingly, Destiny Arianna Kay Riekeberg, Louis XVII Dauphin of France, Athena Presley Monroe Strand, Pauline “Paultje” Adelaar, Angellika Nicole “Angie” Arndt, Niña Sophia Gabrielle Corullo or Sophie,Charlotte Helen “Char” Bacon, Charlotte Louise Dunn, Kylie Ann Rosset, Naomi Reese Dunmire, Deborah Anne “Debbie” Bricca, Kyleigh Rampley, Kyleigh Leann Rampley, Eliahna “Ellie or Elle” Torres, Layla Marie Salazar, Alexandria Aniyah “Lexi” Rubio, Tess Marie Mata, Makenna Lee “Kenna” Elrod Seiler, Jacklyn Jaylen “Jackie” Cazares, Ahnika Elaine Clark, Ana Rose “Nortie Grace” Huntley, Rachel Marie Jones Arana, Emilie Alice “Em” Parker, Grace Lillian Ford, Three-year-old twins Aisha and Lailani Ford, Leiliana Wright, Arabella McCormack, MCKENNA CLAIRE WETZEL, Olivia Rose “Liv or Livie” Engel, Olivia Twenty Dahl, Olivia-Leigh Picton, Jaquita Mack, Bella Skye “Bellz” Edwards, Natalia Victoria Wallace, Bella Claire Callaway,Delyza Alyze Ortiz Hernandez, Mia Ugalde-Jorris, Mary Beatrice “Mary Bea” Perez, Hope Arismandez, Angel Hope Herrera, Danielle Marie “Danny” Franklin, Emma Catherine Grace Thompson, Katelynn Elizabeth Stinnett, April Sue-Lyn Jones, April Marie Tinsley was an eight-year-old, Cody Paul Chama, Star Hobson, Karla Isabelle Ruth “Karly” Sheehan, Opal Jo Dace Jennings, Amber Rene Hagerman, Lois Janes, Sarah Payne, Alicia Lynn Clark, Tristyn Bailey, Rosalie Avila, Elizabeth Shelley,

[beardedmrbean]

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (WNDU/Gray News) - - Police in Indiana are investigating a scheme where multiple restaurant employees allegedly used stolen money to bail out inmates from jail.

The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office said employees from a Hardee’s restaurant used stolen money from customers to bail out the inmates.

According to the sheriff’s office, jail staff noticed last month that suspiciously large amounts of funds were being placed into the accounts of inmates at the county jail from a source outside the jail.

The same inmates were reportedly bonding out of the jail almost immediately and leaving with the remaining balance on a jail-issued debit card.

This led to an investigation, where officials discovered a fraud scheme involving multiple employees from a Hardee’s restaurant in Michigan City, as well as several other people.

Police did not provide the address of the restaurant, but the WNDU reported the only Hardee’s restaurant located in Michigan City is at 5223 Franklin Street.

Officials say the Hardee’s employees involved took photos of customers’ debit and credit cards that paid in the drive-thru and were fraudulently using those cards to place money into inmate’s accounts that had low bails set.

The inmates would then bond out of jail, take the jail-issued debit card with the extra money left on it, and withdraw the remaining money from an ATM.

Deputies said a total of $14,700 was charged fraudulently, and the victims are working with their financial institutions to get their money back.

Authorities said ten suspects are facing several felony charges, including fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, and criminal organization activity as a result of the investigation:

Darrien Ward – Fraud (Level 5 Felony) and Criminal Organizational Activity (Level 6 Felony)

Prince Arnold - Fraud (Level 5 Felony) and Criminal Organizational Activity (Level 6 Felony)

Kristin Vanschoyck - Fraud (Level 5 Felony) and Criminal Organizational Activity (Level 6 Felony)

Madison Zuk – Conspiracy to Commit Fraud (Level 5 Felony) and Criminal Organizational Activity (Level 6 Felony)

Anisa Higginbotham - Conspiracy to Commit Fraud (Level 5 Felony) and Criminal Organizational Activity (Level 6 Felony)

Hollie LaChapelle - Conspiracy to Commit Fraud (Level 5 Felony) and Criminal Organizational Activity (Level 6 Felony)

Carissa Bealor - Conspiracy to Commit Fraud (Level 5 Felony) and Criminal Organizational Activity (Level 6 Felony)

Lawrence Armstrong - Conspiracy to Commit Fraud (Level 5 Felony) and Criminal Organizational Activity (Level 6 Felony)

Moesha Monique Savanna Payne - Conspiracy to Commit Fraud (Level 5 Felony) and Criminal Organizational Activity (Level 6 Felony)

Dylnn Scott - Conspiracy to Commit Fraud (Level 5 Felony) and Criminal Organizational Activity (Level 6 Felony)

Police say Scott is the only suspect who has not been arrested yet.

Anyone with information on Scott’s whereabouts should call the Fugitive Apprehension Street Team (FAST) at 219-608-9572 or Michiana Crime Stoppers at 800-342-7867.