#gate of your dream just sounds like they turned reverb and echo way up and called it a day. points for being more dreamlike!

[nonbinary-sticks-the-badger]

the official release of the NiGHTS into dreams ost is called the "perfect album" while the journey of dreams ost is simply called the "original soundtrack". this is in fact a reference to the fact that in comparison the journey of dreams soundtrack is shit

[prplzorua]

Sleep it Off

I've got a helluva head cold, so instead of y'know sleeping, I decided, why not write a sick fic with Remy? With the premise my fogged mind decided to give me. "Like what if he tries to hide it at first but then it gets worse and the entire mindscape starts to get slow and feel sluggish until the others find him?" Sooo ye, this the product if that lol. Sned halp I'm dying. ---------

It started off with a headache. A small thing that was easily ignored. It's not like it was the first time he had a headache, he could deal. Nothing was going to stop him from doing his job, no ma'am! Not today bitch.

Not tomorrow either.

...

Or the next day.

...

Or the next- look man, he had shit to do, places to see and people to be and all that...

Remy frowned, that phrase didn't sound right... places to see and people to be-wasn't it the other way around?

Remy raised a manicured hand and rubbed his tired eyes, but continued to stare forward into the Sand screens, sighing as he had to rewind them back for the few seconds that he had missed when is eyes were closed. He been at it for days, constantly searching. Searching for something, a disturbance, what that disturbance was he didn't know and that unnerved him.

He kept sensing it from beyond the gate, at best it could be a stray Nightmare at worst a particularly gruesome intrusive thought.

Turns out...

It was both.

-------

Fighting off the Nightmare was child's play compared to the fight the Intrusive thought was giving him, and that's wild to say, considering that the Nightmare had been the 12 foot version of Mothman and Godzilla's love baby.

Thankfully a perfectly timed Sand Spear to its heart downed the creature effectively, but that of course was after he got tossed around like a freaking ragdoll-

Hissing Remy dodged the shadowed claw aiming for his throat. That was the annoying this about Intrusive thoughts. Once they snuck their claws into you, once their shadowy bodies clinged and coiled around you, once they whispered in your ears...you were practically done for. Unless of course, you had strong will power, but that could only take you so far.

Crouching into a side roll, Sleep narrowly dodged again. The thing's shadowy form could stretch, allowing its claws to jab at him at any distance. It made things a little bit difficult- not that his job was ever easy.

Rolling once more Remy then pushed himself up, jumping to his feet and then bending back to avoid a swipe to his head-even though the movement was quick, the Guardian saw the swirling claw pass over the lenses of his sunglasses in slow motion- huffing he quickly threw his hands over his head, pushing on the grass below him to basically complete a backflip.

Once upright and now a slight distance away from the enemy, Remy smirked, lifted a finger and beckoned it closer.

The Intrusive thought, angered, rushed forward- only for Sleep to take a single step back- it ran into a wall of sand. Confused the Thought tried to go around in an attempt to rip the Guardian into pieces- except it ran into another wall...and then another...and another. And before it could even think to have climbed up, another wall was placed above it.

It was completely surrounded.

"What you thought I was rolling around for nothin'? Please, this jacket is too goddessdamn expensive for that. Everytime I rolled, I had my Sand spread out, enough to lift up into a cage. Nice trick don'tcha think?"

The Intrusive thought howled throwing itself against the walls of its Sandy prison.

"Thought so too", Smirked Remy, "alright then, lights out buddy!"

Sleep clapped his palms together- the Sand walls moved, closing shut and completely crushing the being it once held.

"Welp, that's all folks", mumbled the Guardian to himself. The annoying buzzing had finally stopped, but his head still ached something rude.

Wincing a bit, he headed back to the Dream Tower.

-----

Remy groaned.

He fixed the problem, so why does his head still feel like he got run over by the mob at Sb's when Pumpkin Spice first gets out?

Speaking of Starbucks, when was the last time he actually went there? Last week? Week before? Why can't he remember??

He'd been functioning on the castle's brew, which wasn't bad, just...not good.

Eh, fuck it.

Shower, coffee then a power nap, yeah- that's a good idea, it'll probably get rid of his stupid headache too.

One cold shower, a trip to Starbies and an iced coffee later...he was now on his bed with an even worse headache.

Grumbling to himself about 'stupid fuckin headaches', Remy downed the rest of his drink, tossed his cup in the bin by his door and proceeded to flop down face first into his pillow.

Maybe the nap would help?

------

It did not help.

He woke up, not even a half hour later, with his head pounding so hard he could feel his pulse though his eyes.

Placing a hand to his temple Remy winced and then groaned, "what-the-ever-loving-fuck?!"

To make matters worse, his phone began to ring.

The sound was so loud it made him jump and scramble to shut it up.

It was the ringtone he used for Thomas but he honestly couldn't bring himself to answer his Host. His body had near automatically curled up, hands pressed against his ears and his eyes squeezed shut. Remy honestly felt like his head was trying to explode, even the sound of his own breathing was too loud-

The phone rang again, Roman's ringtone this time. A louder, much more bass heavy song.

The sound echoed, the reverb practically shaking his brain into pained mush, tears pricked at his eyes and he could do nothing more than whimper-

Remy's sand then rose up immediately and just...ate?? the offending piece of technology.

Sleep found that oddly funny, the sand covered the phone...and then the phone was gone, like a magic trick...or like something getting swallowed up by waves off the beach. Funny, the sand was the wave this time. He wanted to laugh or cry or something! He didn't know, everything...everything just freakin hurt.

----

Roman frowned.

"He's not answering my calls either"

"Of course" mumbles Thomas, flopping down on his bed and throwing a pillow over his face. "Uggh! I'm so tirrreed!!

"Um, We could always go look for him for you sport?" Tried Patton, a sympathetic look on his face.

"You could do that?"

"Well, considering that we can't really summon him since he's an Aspect and not a Side, that would be the best possible way of bringing him here", piped Logan from the Host's door frame.

Virgil, who was on the floor, shrugged. "I mean, I guess, we probably should check the nearest SB's first though"

Thomas chuckles "true"

The Manifestor removes the pillow from his face just in time to watch his sides sink down, hopefully they can find Sleep so he could actually get some decent sleep for once.

-----

The Personalities pop up in the Commons before climbing up the stairs towards Roman's room.

"Soo", whistles Virgil, falling into step with the prince, "where exactly are we going to find him?"

"The gate, first"

"But its day? I thought he only guarded it at night?"

"No, he guards it at all times, he's the Guardian of the Subconscious not a freaking night guard!"

"Woah easy Princey, go off on him not me-"

"No, no sorry, I just- he never ignores my calls, if he misses it, he calls me back immediately, we made a deal about it in case of emergencies...I think- I think something's wrong"

The other three exchange a glance at each other.

Roman pushes open the door a bright light depicting the portal to his Kingdom, the Mindscape itself. With a bit of concentration the light disperses, showing the image of the Dream Tower's entrance.

-----

The moment they step in, Roman freezes.

Everything feels off.

The air feels slow and sluggish and no one is moving around. As a matter of fact, no one was there at all.

Frowning, he climbs up the stairs towards Remy's room. Something was definitely wrong, the Dream Tower was always bustling with, Aspects, Figments and Emotions.

The others follow behind Roman as he picks up the pace-he almost trips.

There's a tugging, he looks down...sand, Gold sand is wrapped around his ankle.

"Shit!"

-------

"The Sand's not gonna attack us right? I've never seen it like this before"

"That's because it's worried about him, aren't your shadows the same way?"

"Uh, sometimes? I think? There a hell of a lot less sentient than this sand is, that's for sure"

Remy's room...would make the Sahara Desert cry.

Everything, everything was covered in sand. Well it was more like wrapped in sand? The glittering, gold dust didn't drown anything under it, the individual shapes of everything were clearly visible but it was a lot of sand.

"Will you two stop ogling at it and help us get him out of it. The infernal thing doesn't seem to realize the more it covers him the less of him we can actually hold-" huffs Logan, as he keeps trying to brush the sand off of Remy. Every time he did so more sand would crawl over it master, hissing at the Teacher as it did so.

Patton places a hand on his shoulder.

"Logan wait- I think the Sand doesn't want us to touch him"

"But that would defeat the purpose of it asking us to help!?"

"No I think it's for a different reason. I have an idea-"

"Patton we-"

"Hear him out L, none of us know what's going on-"

"Thank you Virge, Roman can you conjure me a thermometer?"

"Um, ok?" The prince holds out his hand and after a brief second of concentration, a new prepackaged thermometer appears.

Patton wastes no time in grabbing it and tearing pack open. Gently he turns Sleep's head- the Sand hisses at him for this.

"Shh, I'm just trying to help ok"

If sand could look sceptical...though it quiets and let's the Prominent personality slip the thermometer between Remy's parted lips.

It's kept under his tongue until it beeped-

"104.6°F"

-------

Bonus:

"Sleep"

"Ngh, where-?"

"Hey Sleep!"

"Mnh?"

Remy blinked his eyes open. His vision was blurry and his head pounded. Honestly he was consider going right back to-

"Sleep!"

Remy sat up with a gasp. Wincing as a cold rag fell into his lap. He picked it up. "What?"

"You ok there pal?"

Remy tensed, only just realizing that someone was in front of him, that someone being a very worried-

"Thomas?"

"Yeah it's me-"

"Where-?"

"You're in my room, and you kinda brought the Sides here too"

Ever confused, Remy could only squint and mumble. "Wha?"

Thomas simply pointed down.

From the bed that they were on, Remy could indeed see Thomas' main sides in all degrees of sprawled asleep on the floor. They did look quite peaceful though.

"Um?"

"Yeah...that was my reaction too-"

"You said I brought them here?"

"Uh, ye, about that...what do you remember?"

Sleep placed a hand to his head, wincing... "Um, your- your phone call I think and ...Roman's? But other than that, I have no clue"

"I-uh, I guess I could tell you what they told me?"

"Better than nothing, go for it"

-------

"Pat said you had a high fever and according to him, the others were helping to lower it, but-"

"but?"

"But you...kinda woke up? Roman said you were out of it, mumbling something about protecting me and a fence-"

"Gate"

"What?"

"It's a Gate, huge ass Golden gate that separates the conciousness from the unconsciousness, the literal division and final protection of your subconscious"

"...ok wow, I didn't, um"

"I still can't believe that you've been inside the subconscious, the damn Dream Tower itself and still haven't seen the Gate"

"In my defense, I almost died"

"Fair. Now continue, what did my apparently fever drunk ass do next?"

"Um, well Virgil said you turned into a zombie, you like stood up and were trying to get outside, Roman had to hold you back but you kept shuffling forward-"

"Oof. Yeah...been there done that-"

"What? This happened before?"

"Ohh yeah. One time I was sick and my girls at the Tower had to legit lock me in my room so I wouldn't keep working"

"And here I thought you were lazy?"

"I'm far from lazy hun, I'm just always late. I don't like hard work, doesn't mean I won't do it, I just don't like it. Besides I'm cool do you think anyone this fine could look like this by being lazy? Please gurl, my work schedule could put Logan to shame"

"And yet-"

"And yet I'm always late, yeah- yeah. Look my sense of time and direction, are like, complete shit babes, but at the end of the day, I get my shit done and it gets done well. Quality over quantity and all that."

Both Aspect and Host paused and then instantly started laughing.

"Ok,ok, what happened next? How did we all end up in here?" Asked Remy as he gained his breath back.

"Uh, yeah, um apparently while you were struggling against Roman, Logan had asked Patton how he thought this would have affected me-"

"And let me guess, I heard him mention your name and just popped everyone here huh?"

"Yeah, pretty much, basically"

Remy shook his head at himself.

"Alright, why are they all sprawled out? I doubt that Roman of all people volunteered to sleep on the floor"

"Yeah...about that. When you brought everyone here, you kinda passed back out. The others were trying to explain something about the sand in your room, when this Gold sand just appeared from nowhere and Moana-Ocean-style came up to each of them in like the shape of a finger and just.. shushed them. Like literally went "Shhh"

"Oh, God-"

"And then before we could question it, it retracted, like it crawled back over you and turned into your bag- wait! Is that why you always have this bag with you?!"

"No duh? It's my sand, just easier to carry it around in bag form-"

"H-how, how does it change color like that?"

"It doesn't, that's just the color it takes when it's dormant and bright Gold when awake-"

"Cool, and what about your shades and Jacket?"

"That...is whole 'nother story, one I have absolutely no energy to tell tbh"

"Oh. Ok, well the guys kinda just drifted right off after your Sand became your bag, so yeah, that's the whole story I guess"

"A mess, but good to know-" Remy chuckled only to cut himself off with a wince. His head was still hurting like hell, even throughout Thomas' recounting- but now it just felt worse.

Watching Sleep in pain made the Host's stomach coil. He didn't like seeing anyone hurt, especially his Sides or Aspects in this case.

Gently he grabbed Sleep's shoulders and helped lower him back onto a pillow.

"Ok, why don't you lay back down-"

"Yeah, ok"

------

Remy lays back, settling himself on the bed...and then he pouts.

Thomas chuckles, already knowing the reason for that pout. He easily pulls Remy onto his chest, patting his back gently. The Aspect practically melts into it.

"And you call me clingy"

"Shhh!"

-----

Thomas is woken up early next morning, by the sounds of hissing and mumbled cursing.

Sitting up, he bites his tongue so as not to laugh at the sight before him.

A disheveled Roman was carrying a very much asleep...Sleep, bridal style. The Aspect had his face burrowed in the crook of the Prince's neck, seemingly relaxed, completely unperturbed by the events. Right next to Roman was Patton, who was holding Virgil quite similarly. Every second or so, the Emo's foot or arm would twitch before he resettled. Honestly between Virgil and Remy, Thomas couldn't tell who was snoring harder. The kicker though, was Logan, sleepily holding onto Patton's cat hoodie,slightly swaying as he rubbed his eyes. The Logical side was obviously not a morning person.

Patton waved at his Host, while Roman gave him a nod, Logan mumbled something, but Thomas could not decipher any of the other's sleepy jargon.

The Manifestor simply waved as they sunk down.

Once gone, Thomas flopped right back down curling up comfortably- what? He was sleepy.

------

AN:// Hi guys, I did a thing! I should probably take a nap tho XD. The Innerworks update is still coming, I've just been busy and tired, but it's coming, just hang in there. But you can consider this lil ficlet a part of the Innerworks universe, it just takes place after the events in Innerworks....so canon lol.

[soundofawesomeblog]

100 songs for the ultimate 2017 playlist: this is Estelle’s picks for the best DAMN. tracks of the year.

2017 is the year when everyone is tired of all the bullshit. It is the year when you can’t just be a silent witness. It is the year when whistleblowers brought horrible people down, some of which managed to keep a shiny facade for decades all while being pieces of crap behind closed doors. It is the year (Afro-)American football athletes acted like heroes. It is the year Australia voted in favour of same-sex marriage and realized that love was the answer.

Don’t get me wrong: 2017 was horrible in an awful lot of ways. But we need to look at the positive if we want to be able to advance in 2018. Many artists felt the need to address the state of the world as it is right now and managed to make diamonds from the coal. Some were confrontational, some were loving and caring. But all of the artists behind the 100 songs on this list helped on their own scale to make our lives more bearable. 

As usual, this is my personal list of the best jams of 2017; Léa's list of 100 songs and Mathieu’s choices are also available now. If you want more music, you can revisit my lists of 2014, 2015 and 2016. This time, however, the top 50 tracks will come with a short description so you can know what to expect from them.

100. Cardi B – Bodak Yellow 99. Nilufer Yanya – Golden Cage 98. Wolf Alice – Don’t Delete The Kisses 97. Priests – Nothing Feels Natural 96. Tove Lo – Disco Tits 95. Vince Staples – Crabs In A Bucket 94. Sampha – (No One Knows Me) Like The Piano 93. Future – Mask Off 92. Tops – Petals 91. Cuesta Loeb – Grass It Grows 90. Sleigh Bells – Rainmaker 89. Kesha – Praying 88. Tyler, The Creator feat. ASAP Rocky – Who Dat Boy 87. Father John Misty – Pure Comedy 86. Remo Drive – Art School 85. French Montana feat. Sae Lee – Unforgettable 84. Miguel – Told You So 83. MØ – Nights With You 82. SZA feat. Travis Scott – Love Galore 81. Methyl Ethel – Ubu 80. Carly Rae Jepsen – Cut To The Feeling 79. Alex Lahey – I Haven’t Been Taking Care Of Myself 78. Paramore – Hard Times 77. Jay-Z - The Story of O.J. 76. Charly Bliss – Westermarck

75. King Krule - Dum Surfer 74. The Courtneys - Minnesota 73. LCD Soundsystem – tonite 72. Jay Som – Baybee 71. Slowdive – Don’t Know Why 70. Charli XCX feat. Uffie – Babygirl 69. Lorde – Perfect Places 68. Kelly Lee Owens feat. Jenny Hval – Anxi. 67. Haim – Want You Back 66. Naomi Elizabeth – When You Got The Best You’re Like Wow 65. Japandroids – North East South West 64. Hannah Diamond - Never Again 63. Washed Out – Get Lost 62. BROCKHAMPTON – GUMMY 61. Mura Masa feat. Charli XCX – 1 Night 60. Lana Del Rey feat. The Weeknd – Lust For Life 59. Tkay Maidza & Danny L Harle - Bom Bom 58. Phoebe Bridgers – Motion Sickness 57. St. Vincent – Los Ageless 56. Charly Bliss – Percolator 55. Haim – Right Now 54. Real Estate – Darling 53. Pale Waves – There’s A Honey 52. Makthaverskan – In My Dreams 51. Julien Baker – Appointments

50. Saya - Cold Fire

Canadian newcomer Saya proves that the coolest pop happens North of the border with Cold Fire, the sonic equivalent to a dark thick and sexy cloud of smoke. And it feels just as dangerous as the title implies it.

49, Beach Fossils – Down The Line

Driven by a bouncy bass line worthy of Joy Division, Down the Line sees Beach Fossils revealing a 4am indie text message of a track, a low-key anthem to living a slacker life and trying to find someone to share it with.

48. Calvin Harris feat. Frank Ocean & Migos – Slide

Calvin Harris created with Slide the dancefloor number we always knew Frank Ocean had in him, with inspiration from Thinking 'Bout You's echoed handclaps and Nikes' pitched up vocal hook. More important, Ocean sounds fun in a way we rarely see in his solo work. Migos' verses only add more spice.

47. The Drums – Blood Under My Belt

One of the best songs of the summer, Blood Under My Belt is a catchy slice of effortless indie pop that should stand the test of time like The Drums' best material for decades to come.

46. Lorde – Supercut

Lorde embodies the millennial generation through one of our best guilty pleasures: supercut videos. The song feels as dizzying as the lyrics, with various moving parts stitched together better than any supercut you'll find on YouTube.

45. Kendrick Lamar – DNA.

Kendrick Lamar's attack mode is something to behold. On DNA. he raps about his blackness and attacks FOX News' divisive and clueless stances, all while riding one of the hardest beat of the year on the track's back end.

44. Selena Gomez – Bad Liar

Selena Gomez gets serious indie cred for sampling Psycho Killer's bass line, and the fact that it's pretty much all that backs her up on Bad Liar showcases her talent as a charismatic interpret for this year's best low-key pop moment.

43. Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - Over Everything

Two of the greatest slack-rock icons of today pair up for some serious hammock soundtrack as Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile stop time together in the chilliest of ways on Over Everything.

42. Björk - The Gate

"It’s about rediscovering love", said Björk to Dazed about her latest album, Utopia. Lead single The Gate showcases the veteran artist surrounded by reverb and deep love, pleading for the unnamed "you" to care for her until Arca's production finally takes over.

41. LCD Soundsystem - call the police

James Murphy and his friends have lost nothing of their dance-punk instincts and LCD Soundsystem builds another snowballing number with call the police, a track that becomes so manic you might as well text the cops.

40. Colour Of Spring - Love

Leeds' best-kept secret, Colour of Spring is yet to release a full album, but Love sounds like it came from a classic shoegaze band with years of experience, all while keeping the urgency of someone trying to break out into the scene.

39. Kelela - LMK

Kelela came of age on Take Me Apart, her first full-length album and LMK is the sound of an artist finding her own, unique lane. Here, Kelela mixes Smooth R&B vocals to a bass-heavy beat from the future.

38. (Sandy) Alex G - Bobby

(Sandy) Alex G's latest album was a little less lo-fi than his earlier works, but Bobby proves that he can still make charming and honest folk music when he wants. Emily Yacina's voice only adds more warmth to a track as comfortable as a blanket.

37. The War On Drugs - Holding On

Channeling the gods of classic rock and indie, The War On Drugs deliver one of the band's most immediate and blown up song of its catalogue with the urgent Holding On.

36. Mac Demarco - My Old Man

Freak folk icon Mac DeMarco realizes he is becoming like his father in the worst ways on My Old Man, but his trademark no fuss delivery renders his uh-ohs as charming as he can be.

35. Lil Uzi Vert - XO TOUR Llif3

The exact moment where grunge, SoundCloud, hip-hop and mainstream collided together, XO TOUR Llif3 is one of the most depressing but also fascinating singles to make it to the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

34. Kevin Morby - City Music

Even with a limited set of lyrics, folk rock artist Kevin Morby channels his inner Marquee Moon on the ambitious City Music, a musical trip that starts with a soothing guitar riff and turns into a damn fine jam.

33. Miguel feat. Travis Scott - Sky Walker

It's no news that Miguel can do sexy, but with Sky Walker, he injects a whole dose of fun and raunchy one-liners to his music for a smooth party number.

32. Alvvays - In Undertow

On In Undertow, indie pop darlings Alvvays' comeback single, the Canadian band sounds more direct and confident than ever. With its waves of guitar wooshes and Molly Rankins’ unique voice, it’s a real heartthrob. 

31. Frank Ocean - Chanel

Frank Ocean is on a streak; after releasing the outstanding Blonde in 2016, he came back with several singles in 2017. On Chanel, he blurs the lines between rapping and crooning, carrying the sparse production all the way over the high expectations he now has to deal with.

30. Alice Glass - Without Love

God bless Alice Glass and her comeback. There was no better way to start the next chapter of her career than with such a devastating electropop single, one where she channels a mix of the darkest parts of Samus from Metroid and Grimes for unique results.

29. SZA - Drew Barrymore

Perhaps the biggest revelation of 2017, SZA exposes all of her flaws and insecurities on Drew Barrymore, an honest R&B ballad set to a gin-fuelled backbeat. Her skilful flow in the verses is only a bonus.

28. Miya Folick - Give It To Me

Miya Folick showcases a sweet voice over a sparse guitar riff until she really, really wants you to give it to her. Then, her voice launches into the stratosphere as goosebumps emerge from your entire body.

27. Slowdive - Sugar For The Pill

Sugar for the Pill is quite the ballad, but it is still the most pop Slowdive has ever been with Neil Halstead's voice front and center over the dreamy guitars.

26. Vince Staples - Big FIsh

Don't let the banging beat or an uncredited Juicy J fool you with its club-ready hook; Vince Staples is not praising partying, money and booze on Big Fish. He instead reflects on his past misfortunes and how he can try to leave it behind him.

25. Thundercat - Friend Zone

No one did groovy in 2017 the way Thundercat did. Friend Zone is the best example of this, with its dizzying synths, bouncy bass line and Thundercat's unique voice.

24. Jay Som - The Bus Song

Jay Som is a low-key girl. She makes bedroom pop and likes the bus. Yet on The Bus Song, she hints at bigger ambitions with her rich arrangements and undeniable sense of melody. 

23. Jay-Z - 4:44

One year after Beyoncé called him out for cheating on Lemonade, Jay-Z takes the blame and faces how he fucked up on 4:44. And unlike the wave of apologies that came out in the last few months, this one feels sincere. Oh, and it's got quite the beat too.

22, Waxahatchee - Never Been Wrong

Katie Crutchfield opens her fourth album as Waxahatchee with a solid rock single, ready to defeat someone who wronged her badly - and who is definitely going to regret it.

21. Screaming Females - Glass House

This post-punk number is driven by an incessant bassline and start-stops from the rest of the band while Marissa Paternoster gives an unforgettable vocal performance.

20. The xx - I Dare You

Oliver Sim and Romy's voices intertwine perfectly on I Dare You, pleading to fall in love over a Jamie xx beat that recalls the band’s early days.

19. Charly Bliss - Glitter

Real glitter is apparently as toxic to the environment than the relationship Eva Hendricks details in this track, one that matches powerpop and indie aspirations with melody, fun and one hell of a hook.

18. Pierre Kwenders - Sexus Plexus Nexus

Polyglot, Montréal-based Pierre Kwenders offers a smooth as hell mix of world music on Sexus Plexus Nexus, a track that should bring bodies closer to each other on any dancefloor.

17. Tyler, The Creator feat. Frank Ocean & Steve Lacy - 911/Mr. Lonely

Tyler, The Creator enlists Steve Lacy and Frank Ocean for a breezy complaint about being lonely on 911, a trend he flips on the Mr. Lonely part of the song. There, he quits playing games and admits that he can't even lie, he's been lonely as fuck.

16. Mount Eerie - Real Death

Death became a common theme in music lately, and Mount Eerie's mourning of his wife on Real Death might be the most honest, direct and arresting testament of grief yet.

15. The War On Drugs - Thinking Of A Place

It's not the first trick in the book to release a comeback single that runs for eleven minutes. But The War On Drugs pulls it off with Thinking Of A Place, a song that embraces classic and indie rock in a laidback way. After all, we've got all our time.

14. Slowdive - Slomo

Slowdive's Slomo is seven minutes of pure bliss. Three decades in the scene, the British band manages to bring a track that already sits up there as one of the best shoegaze anthems.

13. Khalid - Young Dumb & Broke

"Yeah we're just young, dumb and broke, but we still got love to give" sings the newly Grammy nominated Khalid. Here, he delivers a laidback anthem for a generation that has nothing else to do but get high and live its life like there are still plenty of tomorrows.

12. St. Vincent - New York

St. Vincent is now an insane BDSM lord, but her most powerful single in 2017 was still a tender ballad called New York. Is it a love letter to the city? To David Bowie? To her ex? No answer can be as satisfying as the way she says "motherfucker" in the track.

11. Julien Baker - Turn Out The Lights

Julien Baker knows how to strip naked her emotions in her songs. In Turn Out the Lights' finale, she lets it all out as she realizes she needs to get out of her lowest point on her own.

10. Julie Byrne - Natural Blue

Singer-songwriter Julie Byrne looks as peaceful as ever on the cover of her latest indie folk album Not Even Happiness, and highlight ballad Natural Blue feels just as comforting.

9. Japandroids - No Known Drink Or Drug

All Japandroids songs are propelled by a crunchy riff and a big rush of passion. No Known Drink Or Drug just happens to pack an unmatched level of it all, as rock and love triumphs in a truly life-affirming anthem.

8. Alvvays - Dreams Tonite

Dreams Tonite unfolds like a flower in Spring, with Molly Rankin's voice as sweet as a late-night milkshake for a soothing and timeless twee pop number.

7. Perfume Genius - Slip Away

The single most uplifting moment in a song this year comes exactly 49 seconds into Slip Away. Perfume Genius opens the curtains wide to show his love to the world in the loudest chamber pop number.

6. Kendrick Lamar - HUMBLE.

Kendrick never really left, but HUMBLE. hits harder than any comeback. Kung Fu Kenny's first solo #1 saw him take the throne and shut down all pretenders as hip-hop biggest force.

5. Lorde - Green Light

Lorde is all grown up now and she knows how to build a memorable, if quirkily constructed, hit single. Green Light is the sound of a popstar hitting her zeitgeist, a dance song that feels vital.

4. Charli XCX - Boys

My favorite emoji lately has hearts in lieu of eyes and Boys sounds like its favorite song. Here, Charli gets lost in her pretty boys' fantasies, laying in a bed full of heart-shaped pillows, and forgets about her problems, one game coin sound at a time.

3. Lana Del Rey - Love

After years of dark and bleak songs, Lana Del Rey decided in 2017 to look out for us. For the first time, she sounds happy and bubbly: Love was the unexpected rush of hope we so desperately needed this year. "Don't worry baby..."

2. Vince Staples - Yeah Right

With boundaries-pushing production from SOPHIE and Flume, Vince Staples provides the most forward-thinking rap song of the year. Add Kendrick flexing one of his best flows in a guest verse and you've got the biggest banger you haven't heard yet on Yeah Right.

1. Sorority Noise - No Halo

Written by Cameron Boucher as he pulled off in front of his friend's house, forgetting he passed away a year ago, No Halo is emo's most essential single in this decade. An arresting number, the song reaches a whole new level on its gut-wrenching chorus.In a year when our heads spun out of control in all directions, No Halo is a reminder that life is short and that you should tell your close ones that you love them before it’s too late.

This is it for this year, one in which I found myself toying with the top 10 up until the very last minute. If you want to listen to these songs, I encourage you to check the Spotify playlist at the bottom that should contain almost all of the tracks you’ve seen here.

[jessicakmatt]

8 Songs that Belong in the Reverb Hall of Fame

8 Songs that Belong in the Reverb Hall of Fame: via LANDR Blog

Reverb is vital. It’s such a useful audio effect because it’s incredibly flexible.

Why do those vocals sound so heavenly? How is that guitar tone so dreamy? Why do I feel like I’m being transported to an actual space where these instruments exist??

It’s because of reverb.

This audio effect is as much a technical tool, as it as a creative one. Reverb creates emotion, a vintage feel, space, depth and even punch (check out no. 7)! It’s used to craft both natural sounding spaces and totally surreal atmospheres.

So to celebrate the tracks that refuse to take reverb lightly, here are 8 tracks of different genres that use reverb in masterful and original ways. Get inspired, then hit the knobs!

1. King Tubby  “Dub You Can Feel”

Osbourne Ruddock a.k.a. King Tubby was a key figure in the Jamaican soundsystem culture of the 50s.

His production and sound engineering work was pivotal to the development of dub and reggae in the 60s and 70s. He’s well known for his innovative technical work and for essentially inventing the concept of the remix.

Reverb is one of Tubby’s signature secret weapons—and what makes dub sound so special. Jamaican 45s often press the main track on one side, and an instrumental “version” on the other.

Reverb is one of Tubby’s signature secret weapons—and what makes dub sound so special.

When producing a ‘version’ without the vocal track, Tubby would take a lot of creative liberty. He’d accentuate this or that instrument, add some delays, echoes and reverb—a major innovation at the time. This would soon be known as remixing.

A perfect example of Tubby’s deft touch for reverb is present on the track “Dub You Can Feel.” Listen for the reverb on the snare — it’s the classic spring reverb “boing” effect common in dub music.

2. Joe Meek “I Hear A New World”

Joe Meek is a notable British sound engineer, record producer and songwriter active in the 50s and 60s. His experiments with effects like overdubbing and sampling are also foundational to space age pop and psychedelic outsider music.

In his cult classic album I Hear a New World from 1960, Meek uses various types of effects including pitch shifting, panning and natural reverbs.

One of Meek’s most famous techniques was using different reverberant spaces in his studio and house for recording instruments with natural room sound—like under his staircase or in his bathroom.

Listen to the different kinds of spaces he creates with various reverbs, especially the uniquely spacey reverb on the backup vocal line: ‘I Hear a New World.’

3. Led Zeppelin “When The Levee Breaks”

This Led Zeppelin song masterfully uses multiple effects.

The drum performance is central to the track. It was famously recorded on a brand new Ludwig kit in the hallway of a three story staircase at Headley Grange. Two Beyerdynamic M160 microphones were placed at the top of the stairwell for the recording. This gave it its distinctive natural sounding ‘big room’ reverb and muffled sound that makes it standout from other drum recordings.

Listen to the end of the song for the famous ‘swirly’ effect achieved with a reversed harmonica, a backwards echo, phasing, flanging and panning. This gives the impression that all the instruments are spinning around Robert Plant’s vocals which remain in the middle.

4. Grimes “Venus In Fleurs”

Reverb and vocals work well together, especially in the ethereal dream-pop side of things.There’s no better way to add a dramatic, angelic effect to a vocal track.

Canadian producer, songwriter and vocalist Grimes has undoubtedly popularized this style of vocals in experimental pop of the 2010s. For this approach to production, understanding what the lyrics say isn’t the focus. It’s all about the feeling and the ambiance created by the vocal melody and reverb.

It’s all about the feeling and the ambiance created by the vocal melody and reverb.

In ‘Venus In Fleurs,’ the reverb places the vocals in the background, almost as a far away ambient layer. The reverb on the drone guitar adds to the washed out distant effect.

Grimes epitomizes a generation of bedroom producers from the last decade who’ve taught themselves the ins and outs of DAWs, intentionally pushing effects to the max and creating their own stylistic mark. This is the punk approach to pop!

5. The Drums “Down By The Water”

The sound of Indie Pop band The Drums is modern mix of The Beach Boys, The Smiths and Joy Division. Their track “Down by the Water” is an especially beautiful example of what reverb can do for a performance.

Everything in “Down By the Water” is essentially drenched in an enveloping hall reverb that glues it all together. The transients of the snare, tambourine and vocals linger with a dreamy, intentionally muddy quality. This gives the track a vintage sound and intensifies the emotion of the song. Listen to how the song ends: a long reverb tail lingers until it fades and comes back reversed.

Everything in “Down By the Water” is essentially in an enveloping hall reverb that glues it all together.

This song exemplifies a certain kind of indie pop sound from the 2010s which revisits New Wave and gives it a dream pop quality, soaking up your tears with 100% wetness.

6. Shinedoe  “Cosmic”

Chinedum Nwosu a.k.a. Shinedoe is a DJ and producer based in Amsterdam. Channeling the melodic richness of Detroit techno and Chicago house, she crafts lush tracks that create a sense of depth and weight.

With clear dub influences in its rich reverb, the track “Cosmic” makes an interesting use of the effect on synths pads, vocal samples and claps. The decay extends the harmonic content of chords, turning them into an enveloping ambient layer. It glues multiple synths together and creates a cohesive whole.

The decay extends the harmonic content of chords, turning them into an enveloping ambient layer.

In the club, reverb is the purveyor of transformative and enveloping club experiences—from dub techno to psytrance. Nice reverb heard on a Funktion One? Anytime.

7. Phil Collins “In The Air Tonight”

This chart-topping pop hit by British singer-songwriter and drummer Phil Collins is the most famous example of gated reverb. This type of reverb has a very short decay trail that enlists the help of a noise gate.

The gated reverb heard on “In the Air tonight” gives a punchy, big sound (listen for it on the snare and drums) that remains tight and clean.

The cool thing about gated reverb is that it doesn’t try to replicate a natural sounding effect—It would be impossible to find a reverb like this in a real space.

Instead, it lends epic drum solos incredible power. Thanks Phil, for giving us the most melodramatic drum break ever.

8. Blake Mills “Shed Your Head”

Blake Mills is a guitarist, songwriter and GRAMMY award winning producer. He has credits on albums by the like of Sky Ferreira, Fiona Apple, Alabama Shakes, John Legend and Perfume Genius.

The track “Shed Your Head” from Mill’s solo record Heigh Ho is an impressive example of re-creating realistic space with organic reverb. The reverb on the song creates convincing room subtlety.

The reverb in this track places all the instruments in a natural sounding space, adding a warm texture to the entire performance.

It goes to show that reverb does not always need to be blown out or excessively wet for effect.

Mill’s guitar tone sounds so much richer and velvetier with that reverb on it. The reverb in this track places all the instruments in a natural sounding space, adding a warm texture to the entire performance.

As Mills recounts in an interview “Guitar has such a history of flashy playing. I was impressed by it too…”

But after spending more time with records by Nina Simone and Thelonious Monk, he soon dropped his desire to be an ‘impressive’ player: “I just wanted to be a moving player.”

Could part of this magic also be the right reverb?

Many Shades of Reverb

As these examples demonstrate, reverb is extremely versatile—whether you’re making techno, rock, pop or experimental music.

Reverb knows no genre boundaries and it’s as much a technical tool as it is a creative one. It’s the ultimate shaper of moods and spaces.

Get inspired by these songs, artists and their unique take on reverb to test out all the flavours of the effect in your own productions.

The post 8 Songs that Belong in the Reverb Hall of Fame appeared first on LANDR Blog.

from LANDR Blog https://blog.landr.com/8-reverb-examples/ via https://www.youtube.com/user/corporatethief/playlists from Steve Hart https://stevehartcom.tumblr.com/post/166333313729

[sometimesalwaysmusic]

HARD SCIENCE

Hard Science is the performing alias of Arturo Brisindi, who earlier this summer, put out his debut full-length called “Dreaming in Stereo”. A multi-modal artist, Hard Science combines audio and visual aspects in live performances and harkens back to a sound in the 80s when analog synths were all the rage. Give his record a spin and catch his upcoming set at Pressed Cafe on October 19th.

VITALS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hardscienceav/

Web: http://hardscience.ca/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/le_douche/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hardscience

Latest Release: Dreaming in Stereo (Album, June 2017)

Upcoming shows: Thursday, October 19 - Hard Science, Jack Moves, Markian. 8PM. Pressed Cafe, Ottawa ON.

SA: How did Hard Science as a project come to be? HS: In a way, this project really dates back to my creative renaissance - around 2008 when I got back into analog synths. I had taken a bit of a hiatus for three or four years, instead focusing on playing drums in my band at the time, My Dad vs Yours, and helping to run a recording studio. That year I picked up my trusty Roland Juno 60 and Jupiter 4, and so began my journey into vintage synth obsession. 

But if you want to get technical, I would say that Hard Science as an entity really began when I actually started using the name in 2012. I was just starting to perform live techno with my modular synth and had just started getting into video. Before then, anything I did outside of My Dad vs. Yours was a bedroom project that I’d mostly keep to myself, or share with a very select group of trusted friends. 

Hard Science is me, whether it’s synth-pop, live modular techno, video, interactive installations, all of my creative work falls under the Hard Science umbrella. It has been a work in progress and is constantly evolving. 

SA: What bands, musicians or artists would you cite as the biggest influences on your sound? HS: There are so many artists and bands that have shaped who I am creatively and beyond. But for this album in particular, I think some of my biggest influences include Air, Boards of Canada, Röyksopp, early Washed Out, Com Truise, Twin Shadow, and Neon Indian. 

I think you’ll notice a common theme among most of these artists. They all employ sonic qualities that produce a heavy sense of nostalgia, specifically those of the 1980s. That sort of thing is a consistent influence on my sound and aesthetic. This might sound really hipster of me to say, but I’ve been obsessed with the 80s…since the 80s. 

SA: Thus far in the project's lifetime, what has been your biggest success? HS: In all honesty, I think the biggest success in this project’s lifetime is the release of Dreaming in Stereo. It’s weird to admit, but there was a time when I wasn’t even sure that I was going to release it. There were a lot of twists and turns in the making of the album – a lot of stepping away to do other things and coming back to rework. It took me almost 10 years to complete the album, but I feel good about it, and I’m really happy that it’s finally out there. 

SA: On the other hand, what is the biggest challenge you have faced, and how have you dealt with it? HS: The biggest challenge for me with respect to this album was getting over my own self-doubt. I knew there was appeal for the music I was making. I knew that, despite it being a somewhat niche album, there was an audience for it, but something inside of me just kept convincing myself that nobody would like it. I really struggled with the idea of putting it out there in the open for everyone to hear. I feared criticism and rejection. I think this is pretty common among artists.

I tried to really focus on what people who had listened to the album were telling me. I focused on friends whose tastes I trusted, and who I knew would be completely honest with me. I also had an intense desire to leave something that I was proud of behind as part of my legacy. I think as one gets older, you start to think a lot more about your place and contributions to this world and our culture, and how you want to be remembered. 

SA: How do you approach the song-writing process? HS: My approach to songwriting is to start with a blank page. I usually sit at my Juno 60 and play around with different chord patterns, melodies, and sounds. Often times I try to shape a sound on a synth and build a song based on that. If I’m satisfied and feel whatever I’ve done warrants working on any further, I’ll record it. Once I’ve got a solid foundation, I’ll either try to figure out other parts, like a chorus or bridge, or just focus on the one part and build on it by adding bass, drums, melodies, space echo, or whatever. 

These days I’ve been working on short loops. I’ve got a mini project where I make short animated loops on my computer. I accompany each video with an audio loop of its own. For the purposes of this project, the pieces are meant to be 10 to 15-seconds long, but I plan on revisiting them in the future. You can check them out on my personal Instagram page (@Le_douche).

SA: What are your thoughts on the Ottawa music scene? HS: If I’m at a show these days, I’m usually working or performing. I will say that doing live video and being a part of Switched On Synths has exposed me to some top notch music and has allowed me to work and share the stage with some incredibly talented artists. There is no shortage of talent coming out of Ottawa/Gatineau. 

SA: You recently played the Outdoor Electronic Music Festival (OEMF) at the Parc des Portageurs. What was that experience like, and what does it say about the electronic music scene in the region? HS: I love that festival. I make a point of going every year, whether I’m performing or not. It’s about the only thing I look forward to at the end of the summer. Kerry (aka VJ Daisy) and Michael Caffrey, the organizers, have an amazing thing going. This year was awesome! The weather was terrific, the crowd started forming pretty early too, so I had a good amount of people by the time my set started (I went on first), and those rocks make for a really great projection surface for the visual artists. 

This festival has been going on for years, and I think that says a lot about electronic music in Ottawa/Gatineau. Although very small and niche, those involved are dedicated and passionate about it, the music, and the experience. I’ve gotten to know a lot of people who make and play electronic music, either through OEMF, Switched on Synths at House of Targ, Possible World events, and through the Ottawa Synths Facebook group. There are a lot of incredibly talented people in our midst and I’m hoping that more and more people start to recognize it. I hope that more labels start forming, more venues and promoters start putting on electronic and experimental shows. I think we’re just starting to scratch the surface and I’m really happy to be a part of it. 

SA: I feel as though certain songs off your debut album would feel right at home on Stranger Things, and you've spoken about your love for '80s inspired synth sounds. How do you create music that inspires such different emotions, and ushers back to such an era? HS: There are a few factors for me. First, I am a child of the 80s. And although I was probably too young to really grasp much of what was happening around me, what I did absorb really stuck, mostly in a glorified, fantasy sort of way. I am a very nostalgic person, and like most people, my nostalgia is triggered by music and sounds. I often try and incorporate that nostalgia into my own music. It all comes down to the equipment; the synths, the drum machines, the tape echoes, the gated reverb, and the recording techniques. All of those things really shape my sound, literally and figuratively. 

SA: You have the chance to sit down for a meal with three musicians, dead or alive. Who are they, and why?  HS: 1. Chuck D (Public Enemy) – My very first favorite band was Public Enemy, back in 1989. I was 10 or 11. I was completely ignorant of his politics, but Chuck D’s lyrics had an effect on who I am and how I see the world. He exposed me to the struggles and the perspective of black people in America at a very young age. It would be amazing to sit down and chat with him about politics, life in the 1980s NYC hip hop scene, Flavor Flav (wtf?!?!) 

2. Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) – What can I say? I love Pink Floyd. One of the main things that drew me to them was Roger Waters’ storytelling. It would be pretty cool to sit down and pick his brain over a sandwich. 

3. Bob Moog – Though he’s not a musician per se, he revolutionized music in a way that I feel is unmatched. It would be an absolute honour to speak with him about his work. 

SA: What comes next for Hard Science in 2017, and beyond? We wish you all the best, and good luck! HS: At the moment I’m going to focus more on playing shows. I have a show lined up in October at Pressed Cafe (details are still being ironed out). I’m also going to be focusing all of my time on improving the visual component of my live shows. So right now I’m in full on video mode, working on my analog video machines and my software video programs creating as much content as I can. It’s actually the first time I’ve tried to come up with dedicated, premade video for my own music. I’m really excited about it! I’ve also spent a lot of time over the last year chipping away at my next record. I like to have more songs with vocals, so I will be hitting up some friends to see if they’d be up for lending their voices. I already have a few who have expressed interest! Other than that, I’d say most of the music has been written and just needs those final touches.