#give me it now would be a good 5th album name

[stillavoidingbaddays]

As much as I loved GMTF and the digital era they went through with euphoric synths, epic drums and robotic autotune, I AM SO READY FOR SADNESS AND HEARTBREAK from this new bastille album. Give me rising swells, give me cinemactic strings and composition, give me raw emotional vocals and harmonies, give me soft acoustics, give me peaceful lullabies. GIVE ME IT NOW!!!!

[should-know-better]

I put this interview through a translator - it’s a bit clunky in places but readable.

“If things were like when I started, right now I would be a billionaire"

With "One Man Band" (Modern Sky, 23) the one from Liverpool returned this summer to the direct, optimistic and resounding chorus songs he carries in his soul.

Through Zoom Miles Kane sounds exactly like his songs, or more specifically like his latest video, where he spends a great sunny day with his dog on the promenade of Brighton: a sympathetic and unmistakably British euphoria, as contagious as he is unpretentious stains his answers.

It is not that sophistication has not been an integral part of who is still half of The Last Shadow Puppets, but these days it's time to go back to the essentials. That in addition, one thing does not take away the other. In a few days he begins an extensive tour that will take him in March to Spain in an unprecedented format: electric but solo. It will be the 5th in Barcelona (Sala Bóveda), 6 in Bilbao (Kafe Antzokia), 7 in Madrid (Jaguar) and 8 in Valencia (16 Tons). Kane is excited both for the novelty and for returning to our country. And it's nice to talk to him.

We should start by talking about the title of the album and the song of the same name, which is one of the most representative.

Yes, it was the first one I composed for the album. With it I was proving to myself a little that I am good enough, that I am going to lead the way of my own trip, do you understand me? And with a lyric like that I sing about the good times and leave the bad out. It's a pretty positive song that gave me confidence to make the rest of the album.

It is full of a luminous and optimistic energy. What did you have in mind when you started recording it?

Well, exactly that! I fell in love with the guitar again. I was loving playing it again, and I wanted to make an animated rock album. With words that had a meaning, but in a simple way. Put my guitar in front with the catchy lyrics and melodies and look at the plan. That's the heart of my sound, so we got down to work. The idea was to make Miles Kane's ultimate album.

Did you get tired of the guitar, then?

A little yes, before making this album. I think there are times when it can happen to you. I love Motown, soul and that kind of thing. And I love what we do in The Last Shadow Puppets, with all the strings and the woodwind that gives it a rather cinematic air, of a soundtrack. All that freaks me out. The songs have layers, and they end up having a dramatic tone. But I think you can keep the drama in a simpler way. In this case I wanted my guitar to be there. It may not sound so sophisticated, but I think you still have that feeling. And that's what I've tried to do, strip everything, remove all the strings, the pianos and have only guitar, bass, drums and voice.

Do you think people have a hard time making optimistic music? I say it because there is a lot of dark music out there, it seems that it has more prestige.

Well, I write about how I feel. And I think people identify themselves because it's real. I write from my experiences. I'm already looking back at my life, love, friendship or the classic material that I suppose everyone composes on. It's just that. I do it my way, I really tell what is happening to me in every moment. That's what I've always done. I think my best songs come from there.

The second side of the disc is softer and more delicate. Why did you structure it like that?

The album begins with a song called "Troubled Son" but is very animated and heavy. And it ends with a song titled "Scared of Love" and it's just the voice and an acoustic guitar. For me it's the perfect ending of an album: we started very high, kicking the door down. And then I tried to take a trip between those two songs that summarise everything. I think it makes a lot of sense to start like this, then to end with "Scared of Love". It's like starting with the fifth gear and then going down to the first, I don't know if I can explain.

For your new single "Time of Your Life" (song included in a seven-inch that accompanied the special edition of the LP) you have made a great video. It's Brighton, isn't it?

Yes, it's Brighton.

There you are with your dog, enjoying time on the promenade, in the clothing store, eating "fish and chips", that is, enjoying the small pleasures of life. It has caught my attention because we are used to having only the negative, miserable image of your country.

Honestly, all I wanted was to drive to Brighton, spend the day there and take the opportunity to make the video. I took my dog. I wanted it to be very simple. I like the mod atmosphere of Brighton and we combined these ideas without thinking too much. In 3 hours we had recorded the video. Me with my dog, walking. I like fish and chips and I'm a mod, so it's a day in my life. That simple, no nonsense. It's basically what I like.

It's just that many times we tend to wallow in the mud, don't we?

Yes, we all have our moments of depression, don't we? I get it. I have them myself. Of course. It's normal. But it's an animated song, and I wanted a video that was very simple and animated, very much from real life.

I guess that in this world many people are afraid to look cheesy, I don't know.

Yes, because I imagine it can happen. There may be people who think that the video is. And that the song is sugary. But if you think about it, well, I don't care. I like it and that's what matters. And yes, I think you have to have balls to do it. The people who will seem cheesy are probably sitting at home spending the day miserably. And it seems very good to me, that they are still there.

In January you start a huge tour with dozens of dates. You start in the United Kingdom, don't you?

Yes, I start with my band in January and February. But the tour I'm going to do in Spain I do alone, which is completely new to me. I'm going to play with drum loops and my electric guitar. It's not going to be something acoustic, but hard, a little like Sleaford Mods. But I wear my guitar, so I will play my riffis and stuff. It's something new, but I think I can move it forward. And it hits with the name of the album, "One Man Band". I want to go out and test myself.

I guess it's quite a challenge. How do you make it work?

It's a challenge, yes. It's very difficult to know what it will be like because it's the first time I've done it. I've always had the idea in my head to do a little Sleaford Mods-like thing, with drum loops and playing my guitar on top. You will still have the Miles Kane experience. It sounds a little cheesy, but it's going to be sugary. I did a test when the album came out, a bit like a teaser. And next week I'm going to do a solo like this in Sheffield with the same format as when I go to Spain and the rest of Europe. I think it works and I'm working to take the format to another level. I think it's going to be super fun, it's going to be stuck and it's going to be rocking. I haven't played solo in Spain for centuries, so I really feel like it. I think it's something completely new, and that's why it's very exciting. It seems to me that in Madrid all the tickets were sold and the concert was moved to a larger hall. I'm looking forward to getting to Spain. It's an honour.

And in those solo concerts are you going to play a little of everything?

Yes, a little bit of everything. I'm going to play my best songs. The good thing about this album is that many of these songs have connected and I still have to play them. I haven't played in Spain for years. But I think some of the venues are already sold out. They are going to be small, but I really feel like it. And this album is very fun to perform live. And I will also play the old hits, so it's going to be a full-blown party.

How has getting on a stage changed for you?

Performing is what I like most in the world. Sometimes life makes it hard precisely because I can't perform. You have to wait, you can't play every night. I still have the same tingling as when I started playing the fucking guitar at school, as a child. When I grab the guitar and go on stage, I don't care if there are ten or thousands of people. I love it.

That's the attitude. And it shows: recently I watched Youtube how you faced "The Back of Love" by Echo and The Bunnymen, live in a studio and I told myself: this is how a version is made.

Do you like them? I love them.

I'm freaking out. But it's a very hairy song, with that sharp guitar and the crazy drum beat. Why did you choose it?

I love making versions. I have done a lot throughout my career. Especially live, I like to play versions. And Echo and The Bunnymen is one of my favourite bands ever. There are many songs I could have chosen, but I still remember when I heard that song in Liverpool for the first time. It's quite unusual, isn't it? You have a crazy battery and it's like very epic. It has something from Scott Walker and also a surfing side. And it's very rocky. So it seemed appropriate to me. When I recorded it in Liverpool with my cousins we remembered when we were younger and how much we liked it. We started to do it, and it's true that there are times when it doesn't work. But in this case we decided to make a punk version, it went well and it sounds very cool.

And how do you see the Liverpool scene these days? From here we have the impression that there are always things happening throughout the United Kingdom.

It's fine. There are many young bands knocking on the door. There will always be kids in the bedroom wanting to be stars or making songs, and it often depends on the attention you put on them. But I think it never disappears, it depends on whether people look or not.

You yourself started very young in this world, but things have changed a lot, haven't they?

Yes. Obviously, if things were like when I started, right now I would be a billionaire. Streaming doesn't seem fair to me, it's hard how things have been put. It can be hard. But I am grateful to be able to still be here after twenty years. It is true that it is becoming more and more difficult, but this album has brought me back to where I wanted to be. What is difficult after being in this for so long is that you already know how things are. But it reached the 5th position. It is the highest position that a solo album of mine has reached. So I'm freaking out with it. As a 37-year-old man I feel like I'm in a good place, let's cross our fingers. For me, going out and doing these shows next year is going to be super special, I have never wanted to do something so much in my life.

By the way, do you have plans to do new things with Alex (Turner)?

Not at the moment, but never say never again...

[iuteamstarcandy]

[INTERVIEW] CeCi (November 2013)

-Return of the Queen- The queen on stage is back. Not as a girl, but as a musician, with music different from others, more mature thoughts and with the name IU who is in her 5th year since her debut.

There are only a few days left to your comeback with your third full-length album, Modern Times’. How do you feel? (The interview was held on 2 October 2013.)

IU: I was fine until yesterday, but I just came back from a meeting for KBS Sketchbook and it suddenly feels very real. I think it's because it's my favorite stage and I want to work harder on it.

Does your heart feel heavy or are you excited?

IU: My heart feels so heavy. I've been controlling my diet for a few days ahead of my comeback, but I kept eating because I was on a roll today. After going on a food tour of tteokbokki, stir-fried spicy pork and stir-fried kimchi, I met (Yoo) In-na unnie at a cafe and we had cake, mixed grains latte and sweet potato latte. I really eat a lot. Sigh, I still have a photoshoot tomorrow, so I'm carrying a lot of guilt on my back right now. Later, I'm going to go to the practice room to relieve my sweat and guilt. (Laughs) I think I'm going to get more nervous every minute from this moment.

I didn’t expect you to be the type to get nervous before your comeback.

IU: I don’t really get nervous usually. However, the choreography of the comeback song ‘The Red Shoes’ is strong and the difficulty level of acting with my expressions is high. There is also the pressure of having to do many things that I have never tried before. Also, until just a year ago, I’m not the kind to get fat easily, but recently, I suddenly started to gain weight, which does make me worry. Looking back, perhaps that period was a rare exception instead though. I was always chubby, but I lost a lot of weight during the two years of ‘Good Day’ and ‘YOU&I’. At that time, no matter how much I ate for supper or stuffed myself, I was losing weight and I was stressed out to hear people call me ‘pitiful’, ‘starved’, or ‘elementary school student’, but now that I'm gaining weight, I wonder what’s going on. (Laughs) I started working out early this year, and I think I'm returning to my normal condition because my body is healthy. I don't know if it's something to feel sad or happy about.

I was surprised to hear that you're on a diet. You have a slim figure. Is it because as an artist, you want to be in the best condition before your comeback?

IU: Thankfully, I still benefit from the image of ‘IU is skinny’. But I’ve put on about 5kg more. (Laughs) If you take away the happiness from eating, you lose happiness, you know. Honestly, if I didn’t gain weight on my face, I don't think I'll ever be on a diet. I'm the type to gain weight starting from my face, so it's hard.

The <Modern Times> teaser was a hot topic. I thought the words ‘sexy’, ‘chic’, and ‘intense’ were far from the previous image of IU.

IU: I kept laughing during the shoot too. (Interviewer: It was funny?) There was no time for me to feel awkward because I was trying something I had never done before. It felt like I was acting as a certain character. I guess I just laughed when I saw someone I didn’t recognise standing in the mirror looking back at me. I kept asking the staff, ‘Is this good? It’s good? kekeke’ and tried my best to do as I was told. Seeing the reactions of people afterwards, some people liked it and some people felt that it was unfamiliar and got flustered, saying it doesn't suit me. The gap between the reactions was actually quite interesting.

I realized from your changing image that IU's ‘coming-of-age ceremony’ has started. You've had a big transformation.

IU: This time, people in each department of the company tried out new things and experimented freely. If I wanted to give it the grand name of a ‘coming-of-age ceremony’, I would have put more effort into it. Every teaser released has a different mood to it. ‘If I throw in multiple things, one of them would make it, right? It doesn't matter if none of them do, since we're having fun and the music is good.’ That's what I thought, so there isn’t any deep significance to the teasers.

People tried to interpret the change. Like it was supposed to be some kind of secret code.

IU: That was a trick, too. I wanted to draw attention and end it with good music anyway. The performance actually isn't exactly unconventional. I'm just going to perform with as much fun as possible and while working as hard as I can.

When it comes to making a choice, you gain something and you lose something. There will be people who want to stick to the existing image of IU.

IU: I don’t enjoy transforming, but I wasn’t nervous about it either. When it was revealed, I thought everyone would be like, ‘What’s this~ hahaha’ I thought it would be fun for everyone. If someone started laughing first, I would have laughed along while saying, ‘Is it possible for me to be sexy~?" It’s a relief that I didn’t become a joke, but kind of a pity too. My fans all gather because they like IU, but they are individuals, so they have different opinions. The reason they like me and the way they look at me are all different. It's hard for me when I talk to my fans too. I can't satisfy everyone perfectly, because everyone has different preferences. I feel especially apologetic towards those who like the cuteness or slyness that I showed in ‘YOU&I’ to the extreme, but I feel that it's time for me to embrace people with different preferences. I think celebrities should also know how to change little by little or transform deeply to satisfy people with other preferences. My fans know. Even the ‘girly’ look I have on stage isn't my real self.

Since you are a musician and a celebrity after all, do you want to become a different character each time to express your songs to the best you can and expand your image by showing that you can perform different types of songs?

IU: That's right. That’s the ideal celebrity, right?

If you are afraid of taking on a challenge, it will be difficult to expand your world of music.

IU: When it comes to my outer appearance, it's entirely up to my company, so that’s how I’m shifting the blame. (Laughs)

That’s unexpected. I thought you would be passionately arguing your way when it comes to music.

IU: When we’re recording songs, my opinion becomes stronger. I totally can't stand songs that I don't like being put on my album. Yet when it comes to things like the visual concept, which is outside of the music itself, there’s nothing I know about it, so I follow my company’s opinion. So if the reactions about things other than the music is not good, it’s like my ego leaves my body and I can pretend not to be myself and laugh along with others while pointing fingers at myself. Since it wasn’t my choice. (Laughs)

Thanks to the fact that you can objectify yourself, your can maintain a healthy mental state. The idea of borrowing from Charlie Chaplin's movie ‘Modern Times’ was also interesting. It was made into a silent film in 1936, during the 10th anniversary of movies with sound, and it was a work that encompassed the present and the past. In that sense, working with musicians like Choi Baek-ho and Yang Hee-eun becomes meaningful.

IU: The theme that my company wanted to included in the album since early on was the integration of the past and the present generations. In my previous album [t/n: Last Fantasy], I worked with Kim Kwang-jin, Yoon Jong-shin, Yoon Sang, Kim Hyun-chul, Lee Juck and Jung Jae-hyung, who are musicians representative of the 1980s and 90s. I also liked the analog emotions of that time period. I was really happy when we decided to collaborate with Choi Baek-ho and Yang Hee-eun, whom I respect a lot, in this album. In this way, I can work with people I respect under the concept of generational harmony? Oh yeah! Our company is the best! (Laughs) It sounds grand, but generational integration is great. I don't know if I will be able to achieve that.

It must have been such a meaningful project for you to be able to work with Choi Baek-ho and Yang Hee-eun, whom you respect.

IU: I learned a lot from them. When I looked up to the sky as someone so much their junior, I would only be able to see under their chin. I haven't even seen their eyes, nose and mouth yet. But even seeing under their chin was amazing.

Specifically, what was amazing about it?

IU: Choi Baek-ho was very passionate. During the recording, he went, ‘I’m sorry. I'll do it again.’ From my point of view, how could it be even more perfect than what I was hearing? I was so touched every time that it made my jaw drop. ‘IU-ssi, I really like your songs.‘ (t/n: in formal tone) He treated me with respect and I was so humbled that I felt like I was flying. If he spoke informally, I would have been happy thinking that we got closer. But it was like he respected a little baby like me. Not only do I respect him as a senior singer, I also felt a sense of awe towards such a wonderful adult. Yang Hee-eun is also very charismatic. I only felt frustrated, thinking that I failed, during the whole 3 minutes while I listened to the completed song, ‘Daydream'. My voice sounds so pathetic after seonsaengnim (teacher)’s voice. I was so shocked that my heart was in tatters. I know that I can't sing better than that even if I record the song again. That's the level of my skill. The depth of the song itself when we sing is different.

It seems that you've learned a lot.

IU: After the recording session, I received a heartwarming text message from Yang Hee-eun-seonsaengnim, saying, ‘I wish I could have put more sincerity in my voice.’ Actually, I don't know what sincerity is yet. I try hard to sing the song so that the composer, the lyricist and I, myself, will like it, but I don't think that's sincerity (t/n: authenticity). If I can sing like seonsaengnim, I want to try and be enlightened in that aspect.

Is that an answer that can only be found after you reach seonsaengnim’s age?

IU: No matter how long it takes, if you can find that depth, it's definitely a huge success. It’s conceited of me to try and compare my voice with seonsaengnim’s voice right now, but the difference is beyond the sky and the ground. It’s as enormous as the difference between the faraway ozone layer and the underground core of the Earth.

There are so many seniors who praised you. In particular, I remember Insooni saying, ‘Little baby, what's inside you?’ Compliments can even make whales dance, right?

IU: Of course, I think she was trying to encourage her junior. It’s scary if she really meant it. I'm afraid I’ll get caught and my real skill level will show, so I'm very scared of the moment that she’ll be disappointed when she finds out. I want to quickly improve my skills before I get caught.

Just like how she is curious about you, I wonder what words you would use to describe yourself?

IU: I think I have a high level of concentration within a short span of time. However, my concentration passes like a jet ski, so I can't stay awesome for more than a minute. I guess I was born as a human customised to cram things (t/n: within a short timeframe). There are also many foods that make me go out of my mind. I have a lot of loopholes. Also, I'm constantly hard on myself because I don't trust myself. I actually don't know what kind of kid I am. I change 120 times a day. I wonder what my real self is and whether someone has true colours. I'm different in front of my mom, brother and my friend. Depending on the situation, although I live through all those moments as who I really am, they're not all the same.

You wrote your own self composition, ‘Bad Day’, as a follow-up to ‘Good Day’. I watched the concert video and it was good.

IU: It was a song I wrote in my 3rd grade of middle school. I forgot about it for awhile and when I was wondering whether there was anything new I could perform at my concert, I pulled it out again. It was a very lonely time for me because I was a trainee back then. When someone treated me warmly with kindness, I felt like I've been twisted into inferiority and became colder on my own. It's like that when people are being foolish.

It's a stormy adolescence that everyone goes through right?

IU: I’m still like that once in awhile nowadays though. I don't like myself, so I don’t like other people either. I see everything in the world in a twisted way and lose my motivation. I ride that roller coaster once in a while.

It's okay as long as you can step on the ground and go up on your own (t/n: succeed with your own abilities).

IU: That’s right. Fortunately, I think that's why when I write songs, my emotions get expressed.

Thanks to your rollercoaster-like emotions, the lyrics must be quite dynamic.

IU: I started writing in a diary because of my loneliness when I was in middle school and I was a trainee. I still write everyday. If I don't have it with me, I have to at least type down a line on my phone to feel at ease. I feel like the day disappears when I fall asleep without writing a diary entry. It's very funny when I look at my old diaries. I could see my past, times when I was really pathetic and pitiful and moments that I thought were lovely. It's secretive and interesting.

In the lyrics of 'Everyone has Secrets’, the line ‘the truth isn’t important to people' left an impression on me. I wondered if it was something I felt in the commotion such as when a rumor news site caught you this time watching a movie with a friend, actor Lee Hyun-woo.

IU: It is something that everyone can relate to. ‘Everyone has secrets. How much do you really know about me?’ That’s what the song is about. When I sing the lyrics now, I think I would make them more powerful. "Did he write the song because of this?" or "Did he write the song for that reason?" I’ll have a lot more stories and better focus. I have no reason to oppose the effect that the lyricist wanted.

The title of ‘Love of B’, with lyrics that you wrote, was also interesting. Anyone can be ‘B’ (t/n: the one who tries harder) in a relationship, but it's a sad thing to hear from a 21-year-old woman.

IU: The one who gives more love will feel that he/she is in the position of ‘B’. In a relationship, it's best to be equal without ‘A’ and ‘B’. Everyone can't always be ‘B’ or always be ‘A’. One year later, the positions could be reversed. You can't be ‘A’ in every relationship either. But if you think about it, I don't think it's a bad thing for ‘B’ either. Of course, loving more can make you feel unfair and upset, but you’re experiencing the maximum feelings of love. There is a happiness that you are filled with by giving love. ‘A’ can't receive as much happiness from receiving the love that ‘B’ gives. When my fans heard the title, they expected it to be a very sad ballad. But the lyrics turned out to be childish and delightful. Someone wrote in a one-line review of the teaser, ‘I thought I was going to be hit and end up crying, but the slap flew away.‘ (t/n: The reviewer thought he/she was going to receive a great impact from the sad song, but it turned out not to be a sad song at all.) It’s a coarse expression, but it was a witty expression that explained the gap between the title and the lyrics.

It’s already your 5th year anniversary since your debut. How have you grown as IU or as a woman, Lee Ji-eun?

IU: I have a slightly higher self-esteem now. But compared to the others, I still seem to be lacking. (Interviewer: Why would you say so?) No matter how much people may belittle me, it can’t be worse than me belittling myself. That’s one thing I’m certain about. You could call it a complex, but on the other hand, because of that, I don’t become conceited, so that’s a good thing, right? It’s paradoxical, but I like the way I am. There are many fools who don’t realize they are fools. Whenever I meet such people, I feel really frustrated. Even if I call them a fool, they don’t realize that they are one. Anyhow, I’m a fool who knows I’m one, so it’s fine. Of course, it’s best to not do foolish things even though I know I’m a fool, but I think this is good enough.

In these 5 years, you’ve realized who you are. Isn’t that splendid?

IU: Also, there are many people who have come to love that side of me. In the last few days, I’ve heard from about 10 people that ‘I’m glad I’m a fool who knows you’re a fool.’ (Laughs)

That sounds like something people very close to you would tell you.

IU: Of course, I won’t show everyone that I’m a fool, but I’m very open in front of people I’m close to. 'I'm a fool, so please be understanding. My friend, you're a fool just like me.' (Laughs) Once we both admit that we're fools, it's a lot easier. Those who don’t know they are fools have a hard time, as they are always afraid of being caught messing up.

Does that bother you?

IU: I’m always feeling anxious. Even when I’m doing interviews like this. I might have a completely different opinion tomorrow. Recently, instead of ‘Yeah, that’s right’, I’ve been replying with stuff like ‘Yeah, I think so.’ I used to see that as being silly. ‘I think my name is Lee Ji-eun.’ I mean, what else could it be? But that’s actually being wise. The next day I might suddenly think, as if I had switched bodies, ‘Come to think of it, I’m not such a fool after all.’ If I go this and that, it’s like this or like that and end it like that, I’ll have to live with the responsibility of what I said. So from now on, I’m going to live with open endings. (Laughs)

Behind the Scenes

21-year-old IU did her cover photoshoot for 6 hours over a span of two days and a 1 hr 4 min 4 sec interview. The last question of the interview was, if the phrase ‘IU-ly’ appeared in the dictionary, what kind of definition would it have? "Someone might see me as a fool, or as a vixen. Each pair of eyes sees me in a different way. It’s just that currently from this viewpoint, I think I’m a fool who has a lot on her mind. That’s the way I see myself." The way IU smiles after she carefully considers and gives her response is really pretty. Just like she says, there are really many fools in the world. It’s unusual to find intelligent fools who admit that they are fools. This is an engine that will continue to be loved by many for a long time. A decent child, a cool person. Without a doubt, such a person will continue to shine brightly for a long time no matter what she does.

Translated by IUteamstarcandy

Source: [1]

[chimini3]

MAKEUP THE BREAK UP

Park Jimin | Chapter 4

SERIES MASTERLIST

Pairing: Park Jimin x OC

Synopsis: What happens when Park Jimin's biggest what if comes back into his life? His friendly neighbor, childhood best friend, high school lover, and now his makeup artist?! Amidst the 2020 outbreak, the last thing he needed was Seong Areum making his heart skip a beat and fill his stomach with air. What will he do when unspoken words threaten to slip past his tongue? Would he take the chance of ruining a healing past? Or would he let her slip away once more and let himself get lost in the lights?

Note/Warning: Messy Timeline with real events (once again), not beta read, chapters are going to get shorter now since I’m only writing a few chapters ahead from the ones getting released. I’m posting the next chapter on weekends to slow it down and give me time to finish more chapters :))

Word Count: 2.3k words

A Welcomed Fever Dream

Behind The Scenes of BigHit’s Group Photo

(For better context on the events happening in the following chapters, please refer to the link above)

[2020] Late January

“Everything can change at any moment, suddenly and forever.” - Paul Auster

That was a quote I read from a book Namjoon left unattended on the desk of the BTS waiting room.

I was growing fidgety as I waited for the other members. Most of us had barely slept last night just from the excitement for today’s photoshoot, though it was also partly due to remnants of jetlag and our bodies refusing to rest after extensive Map of The Soul: 7 promotions.

We were all working hard to achieve the goals we had set for the album, though we still wanted to do it moderately and planned to work harder in the last weeks of January to compensate for a break for a late celebration of the Lunar New Year in February. We all had planned personal trips for that week just to spend mentally healing and perhaps fit in a trip back to Busan.

Cue the 5th of February 2020 and it would be BigHit Entertainment’s 15th anniversary, a milestone worth celebrating as the company managed to reach for the stars despite everything it had gone through. It was also time to celebrate the newest addition to our small yet happy company family since TXT was only over a month away from their one-year anniversary since their debut, and from what we can tell they were doing great.

So it was decided for us to do a cute family photo shoot with all BTS and TXT members and the oldest of BigHit artists, Lee Hyun. We also planned on going for dinner after the photo shoot, but we hadn’t confirmed if the rest of the artists and staff were free for the rest of the day.

I stood up from my seat at the corner of the room as a few staff members looked in my direction though I only took my phone to place inside my front pocket before taking steps to leave the waiting room.

“Ya, where are you going?” Namjoon asked as I turned back to look at him sitting beside Hobi with makeup artist noonas touching up their hair.

“I’ll just check up on Lee Hyun Hyung’s waiting room.”

“Wait for me—“

Jin added though I already took a step out of the room as soon as I explained my leave. I laughed and looked back at Jin groaning at me before I went through the hallways of the warehouse in which our photoshoot was taking place.

We had three sets for the day so we expected it to go through smoothly despite the volume of members in the photoshoot. We were always used to just being the seven of us, but now we had Lee Hyun hyung and five TXT members that had to all cooperate for the shoot. Yet at the same time, I was filled with excitement as this is time spent getting to know old and new artists. Lee Hyun hyung has always been a good friend of ours since before our debut and we’d met TXT around the studio and backstage of our tours in the past year, so it wasn’t at all going to be awkward.

I opened a door that had Lee Hyun’s name on it and went through a small corridor as a cameraman followed behind me. I could see a glimpse of the solo artist standing in the center of his room with a staff member fixing his clothes whilst simultaneously adding more pieces of clothing over his black turtleneck.

“Wow! You look so…”

I didn’t finish my statement as I couldn’t stop my cheeks from rising. Lee Hyun greeted me with a handshake as I took a look around his waiting room. It was only a little smaller than ours but a lot more spacious considering a soloist doesn’t have members and their own makeup artists working around.

“I’m not even fully dressed yet! You can’t judge my look right now!” Lee Hyun had a smile on his face though I made no move to leave the room and wait for him to get fully dressed.

As far as I can tell, he still had a white button-up to put on and a dark gray suit jacket on top of his turtleneck and jewelry. His clothes were hung on a rack to make sure no wrinkles appeared before he wore them and there was a box of glasses and jewelry sitting on the sofa, similar to the boxes staff gave me to choose my jewelry. However, I opted to go for a cleaner look for the first set.

I wore a fully black attire. Chelsea boots, fitted pants, a fully buttoned-up suit jacket with a black button-up as my undershirt, and a sparkly black tie that I thought of putting on at the last minute as it caught my eye as soon as the staff brought in options that could spice up our planned outfits. My neck, hands, and wrist were bare, and the only jewelry I had was the earrings I had on my ears. Like I said I wanted to be clean, and my full black attire puts emphasis on my blonde shadow roots.

I sat backward on one of the empty chairs in front of the mirror before watching Lee Hyun get suited up.

“I’ve never seen you dressed like this. It’s amazing and weird.” I teased with a smile on my face as it was meant in goodwill. Lee Hyun was just someone I wasn’t used to wearing such formally dark attires.

“Why? Is it like looking into a mirror?” He teased back and I couldn’t help but laugh.

It has been a long time since I’ve seen the artist, though we regularly kept in touch. He is one of the few artists I can tease and not feel as though I have disrespected them in any way. That is just on how much we’ve known each other and gained respect towards each other through the years.

“Are you going to put some glasses on?” I asked as both our eyes settled on the box of glasses on the sofa.

“I don’t know yet… I don’t think glasses will fit me.”

“Try them out! You just need to find glasses that will fit your head shape.”

I walked towards the box and picked out a few that I thought Lee Hyun would fit the most, though I wasn’t forcing him to wear them for the photoshoot.

I set the glasses aside beside him before going back to the chair I sat on and we continued exchanging jokes and jumped from topic to topic.

“Didn’t you have much longer hair?” I said just in time as Jin walked into the room with his unfinished attire.

I knew he wouldn’t be able to wait to join us. After all, Lee Hyun was Jin’s fishing buddy. Most probably his only fishing buddy considering none of us willingly went on a fishing trip with him.

“Ooh, are you a composer? More like a conductor. You look stunning.” Jin teased.

“Composer or Conductor?”

The more I thought about it, Lee Hyun did look like someone who would lead all BigHit members to perform a choir or something like that.

“It’s like I’m wearing my dad’s clothes.” Lee Hyun looked at himself in the mirror as Jin fiddled with something in his ear.

“Is that a clip-on?” I asked as a metallic ring looped around his Conch.

“Yeah.” Lee Hyun nodded.

Maybe I should get a conch ring.

“Ah hyung, are you free tonight?” I asked as I was reminded of the dinner we planned.

“Why? Are you taking me out on a date?” Lee Hyun joked as we laughed along with the staff letting out a chuckle under their masks.

“Seriously though.”

“Yeah, I am. Why?”

“We were planning on going out for dinner after this. With TXT and the staff.” Jin explained as the eldest formed an o shape with his mouth before nodding.

“You know, I’ve never properly met them before. Dinner would be nice.” Lee Hyun smiled.

“Let’s not get too drunk though? We need to act professional.”

“We are professional, Jin ah.”

We chuckled as we knew deep down that we were most definitely not the most professional people out there.

“Ten minutes.” A man spoke at the doorway of the waiting room.

“You look professional though. Clothes really do make a man.” I said while I stood up after seeing a makeup artist point to me before gesturing for me to come to the BTS waiting room.

“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment.” Lee Hyun said before we laughed and parted ways.

It always felt great reconnecting and talking about light subjects that weren't heavily focused on work.

I walked on our first set of the day. It was an all-white floor and background with white steps and shapes for us to lean or sit on. It wasn’t anything special though it definitely made our black attires pop out from the white backdrop.

The five TXT members were already on set lined up as if they were about to formally greet us like they did the first time we met, though thankfully that didn’t happen and only bows and words of greetings happened.

I leaned on one of the white center block pieces, only a few paces away from Hobi, Taehyung, Yoongi, and Namjoon as the TXT members mostly stayed on the other side of the set. We were now only waiting for three other members to start the shoot.

Jungkook was still waiting for his shoes to arrive. Apparently, he called for his pair of Prada Chunky Sole Combat Boots instead of the planned more formal look of Oxford shoes, Loafers, or my personal favorite… Chelsea boots. But we’ll let him do whatever he wishes.

Jin and Lee Hyun were most probably still busy chatting and getting the layers of their attire all sorted, so we still had a few minutes to touch up our makeup and get a feel of the set, or as much of a feel as we could get as the set was filled with staff, cameramen, security, stylists, and makeup artists.

However, once everyone was ready and on set, everything was bound to be smooth sailing.

Except for a few bumps and loose hats…

After a slight camera adjustment we were forced to pose with a look to the side and I might've not seen it happen but when a manager called to stop the photoshoot for a touch-up, I couldn’t help but look around for the person who needed it especially in the middle of the shoot.

Jungkook to my right was ducking in his position to tie up a loosened lace of his boots. Hobi to my left was fixing his suit jacket and cleaning up a piece of lint he saw. TXT’s Taehyun to the left behind me was comfortably resting his hand in his pocket whilst sparring a glimpse at Beomgyu behind to the right of me.

“Can someone pin Beomgyu’s hat to his head properly?” The camera director sounded a bit annoyed as his momentum of photos had to stop abruptly as I turned to look at Beomgyu behind the space in between me and Jungkook.

He was crouched down on the floor to pick up his black Brenton Sailor hat that had seemingly fallen off his head during the shoot. He stood up straight with a cringed smile on his face though sending apologies to us and the staff.

I smiled at him to reassure him that it was no problem at all before I turned back to face the camera. Little did I know that what I was about to see would make me believe in that quote Paul Auster wrote.

It was her.

Not once had she crossed my mind in the seven years we had split. Perhaps being an idol left no room for such thoughts.

She was different, but I know her eyes when I see them.

Doe dark brown eyes that always shined and made my insides curl more than the workout I’ve done in my debut days.

She carried a packet of black hairpins as I removed my legs from her path in between the props to reach the TXT member behind me. Another makeup artist followed behind her with an unplugged though already heated straightening iron.

She had her dark hair kept in one big braid that ran behind her neck to her back and a striped white and blue sweater over a pair of dark jeans. She wore a thin white mask though it was a bit too big for her face so it laid lower down her nose and made the mole right on the side of her nose bridge visible to confirm that it really was her.

Why did I feel the need to take note of every detail about her? I don’t know.

But her walking past me with a scent so unfamiliar yet similar felt surreal. Like a fever dream that wasn’t unwelcomed though uncalled for.

“The pins don’t hurt, do they?”

I can hear her faint voice speak to the younger member before getting drowned out by the chatter around us. I’ve never wanted to yell shut up to a whole room before, but I shouldn’t, it was unreasonable.

I clearly hadn’t expected this. I mean, who would?

The last time I heard of her name was when my parents informed me that she and her whole family had moved to the States. It wasn’t as if it was that big of a deal before either. I merely shrugged at my parents before replying something along the lines of “good for her” before I excused myself since I didn’t particularly feel like eating dinner when it was already closing into my debut and abs were needed to perform a routine.

I hadn’t thought much of it. The news even came as a relief to me.

At least, we broke up face-to-face instead of having a long-distance relationship. I don’t think 17-year-old me would do well in that. I’d probably hurt her more than I already did by prioritizing my passion over her. The fact that we were bound to break up anyway comforted me through all these years.

So the question lies on what the hell was she doing here?!

[akwardlyuncool]

Sitting To Know Your Collection February Roundup

Week 6 (February 5th - February 12th)

Album: BLOOM by Troye Sivan Play Count: 4 Top 2 Tracks: Bloom (Track 4) Plum (Track 5)

Another library save for week 6 and it was a VIBE! I’m not new to this album, I’ve known and been into several tracks since it came out, but getting back into it and finding new stuff to enjoy was well worth it. He knows how to make people dance and fall in love with what he’s doing, but maybe even him. It’s enticing for sure. On that note, Seventeen (the opening track) makes me want to protect him from all the harm in this world.

PS: My CD player was iffy about when it would let me play this one, so I had to use Spotify for a few of the listens. That being said Spotify has the album tracks out of order, so to play it in order, you might want to queue them up instead of just pressing play.

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Week 7 (February 13 - February 18th)

Album: Fortress (2000) by Sister Hazel Play Count: 4 Top 2 Tracks That Aren’t “Your Winter” Cause That Always Been A Favorite: Thank You (Track 3) Shame On Me (Track 7) Your Winter is one of my favorite songs of all time, shout out 10 Thing I Hate About You, so I was excited to dive into the actual album that song comes from. Now I knew they were country but Fortress drove that point home, especially the country of the late 90’s and early 2000s. It’s definitely giving high-waisted mom jeans, but also conversations on back porches with a guitar. I love the sound, it made me happy to listen to it and continues to prove how much I do like country music. Yoncé is Yoncé but this is where home is at.

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Week 8 (February 19th - February 25th)

Album: From The Bottom To The Top (2000) by Sammie Always Play Count: 4 Top 2 Tracks: Crazy Things I Do (Track 4) I Like It (Track 2) When we talk about what is actually a throwback, this is the one for me, every single time. I remember being in elementary school and being so in love with Sammie because of this album. When I put it on I get that hint of nostalgia and all the words come back to me instantly. I have so much love for this album, however in my 30’s after so many listens, I just wanted to put on some GROWN FOLK music lol. There was also lines throughout different songs that I thought were repeats of one another and with it being almost a full hour long record, I might have just been getting lost. Again this album makes me so happy and any time I put it on it just works for my mood, but I don’t know that I could do this much binging of it again, at least not for a long while. But hey Sammie is still making music for me to crush on, so maybe that’s where I need to spend my time.

Side Note: I absolutely believe that tweens need more tween crush music and just more tween ish in general, cause there’s not enough of it and that solid in between stage is fading quickly. As long as they realize you can, not spend “every dollar to your name” on somebody at 10. Lol!

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Week 9 (February 26th - March 3rd)

Album: Alright Still… (2006) by Lily Allen Play Count: 5 Top 2 Tracks: Littlest Things (Track 8) Not Big (Track 5) Alright Still… is like watching OG British Skins or even a little bit of the the BBC show Misfits. I think a lot of that came 1) from having seen both shows and 2) the music videos themselves. I didn’t even have to revisit the videos because when the song would play, the images would already be reeling in my head. I’m not gonna forget creepy puppets or smashing his vinyl records or even giving him laxatives lol. The full album listen was fun and only a little over a half an hour so it wasn’t a struggle getting to 5 listens, which I haven’t done in several weeks. It’s poppy with a little bit of that crude edge, so if you missed out or just want more from that era, go take a listen and tell me what a good time you had.

PS: The Littlest Things plays during one of my all time favorite romantic comedies and if you haven’t seen Celeste and Jesse Forever, I can’t recommend it enough. The first time I watched it, as soon as it ended, I immediately started it over. I loved it that much.

Here's a mini 2013 review I did on the movie if you're interested.

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And thus concludes February. Any you'd pick?

Stay tuned for March.

[hermioneismyrealname]

SKZFLIX HM.

Here’s my skzflix theory as a relic stay, I don’t know the damn name of what type of stay. Im the bitch who listened to 42 from 3racha from back in the day and decided to stick with them.

1st. Lino died.

That’s a fact. This is from the B Me (non-existent) mv. Lino? Yeah, that dude is dead. Fight with Hyunjin after On Track. In that universe, he is dead. This I believe is the beginning of Felix's turmoil. This is the start of all the universe jumping.

2nd. Resolving conflict.

Felix wishes for nothing more than for them to get back together. This we see in OH. Perhaps OH is the in-between universe. This is where they fought but nobody died, but no one is together.

Felix begins to wish for nothing more than for them to be together.

Going back to B Me and see what the conflict was. He was examining the tape.

He fixes another universe but this time he doesn’t exist and the fight between Hyunjin and Lino doesn’t happen. I.N.makes sure Hyunjin’s place is in production but Felix replaces Lino in life (skz album for B me). At the end we see Felix where Lino started but also linking I.N. from B Me.

3rd the constants.

The constants are Han, Chan, Seungmin and Changbin.

This is intentional. Roles might be slightly different but they are there from the start of the production and more or less have the same amount of importance as before. We see Chan holding the boom stick.

We see Seungmin writing.

We see Changbin with effects.

We see Han with papers, directing

and most importantly, running. We see Han constantly chasing Lino in a sense.

Why? I don’t know. Cant be bothered at this point? Nuanced romance? Hah, I don’t trust JYPe but I wouldn’t put it past SKZ for giving the fans what they want. Am I aware of minsung? Of course I am. Been here since the tempo pacing hand holding 1st elimination survival show bullshit. Am I going to touch the subject? Yeah. They have their own private life and if they wrote that script like that, good writing on them. None of my fucking business or anyone else's. “I’ll find you in every lifetime.” my ass.

Seriously though, the heck? I'm not homophobic. I'm just chronically single. I'm just felix here.

We also have bus.

Back on topic. The other constant is Felix making sure Lino is in the production. In a way, this is his send off. “Leave” the title of the short film and I think it will be the final installment of this universe, hence the "leave" MV. Im betting on it being the short film they made.

He walks Lino down the path were Han would spot him.

Even then, the focus is on Lino and a blurry Felix.

By the end of the shoot, Felix is almost out of shot.

Lino was in the story Felix lived. “I have to go back.” Jeongin says and Felix does.

The cake.

The cake is the most simple thing. Call it catalyst or call it a cake. It the constant that links the universe and created the bridge in the first place. It’s a simple wish that both I.N. and Felix make. I.N. doesn’t want to be left out, Astronaut, and Felix was them all together. I.N. was left alone at the end of Astronaut.

Their wishes happen to coincide. This may be a stretch but in Scars, I.N. watches a star shoot across the sky.

Their wishes are parallel.

4th maintenance

I.N. is wearing Lino’s leather jacket. He is the cool guy in this one. They end it in a theater instead of a drive in cinema. They bring cake together instead of Felix alone. The setting. B Me had a lot of concrete but SKZflix has a lot of greens.

5th basketball.

The heck do I know about basketball. All I know is that there are two hoops and SKZ are not the tallest. Is this heightist? For sure but warmth I guess. Basketball was in On Track, B Me, OH and now SKZFlix.

6th. My final point in my skzuniverse theory.

The universe affected is in this order,

Grow Up - On track - B me – Oh – SKZFlix - Leave

How it is affected?

Well remember in district 9, it almost felt like SKZ were in a lab. Especially in their “I am not” era. This was only solidified in their “Yellow wood” with side effects and voices. Perhaps, I.N. and Felix are the result of this experiment. They can alter and travel universes. So HOW the universes change are via these MVs;

Levanter (step out of cle).

Astronaut (owners of cle).

Maniac.

Scars.

Cheese.

DLC.

Why did I add Cheese? Remember I.N. tied up?

Yeah he might have gone a little bit loco and needed Felix to reel him back in again. DLC is where Felix brings I.N. back to sanity and safety. In paris? Meh.

There were also hints in Venom where Lino was seen as two different people. One in the broken mirror and another walking away. Felix and I.N. are also playing chess.

Another one would be in Lonely St. were Lino is the only one that wakes up and where Felix aims the gun at his shadow.

What about "the view"? Ah that is both Felix's and I.N. dream. It is their ultimate goal but it is also a dream. There were a lot of similarities and parallel scene between blueprint and the view. This is because Felix and I.N. have their blueprint, the members, in order to build the(ir perfect) "view".

In conclusion. FINALLY B ME MV! HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN ASKING? TOO FUCKING LONG. YOU ARE LOOKING AT A STAY WHO HAS BEEN HERE SINCE THE BENINGING. IS THIS A TYPO OR REFERENCE TO A VINE, YOU DECIDE. I AM UNHINGED AND HIGH THANK YOU VERY MUCH NOW WHERE IS MY TEA.

if jype realizes this is the entire skz universe in a nutshell i might get all my social media revoked. hah, thanks tumblr isnt a real social medai. ahahahahahah.

CHEERS TO CHAOS.

Any additions or rebuttals are welcome but not always entertained. too tired to look at reblogs. Goodnight.

[sentavoarts]

Laufey album thoughts.

so today laufey posted a LOAD ton of new songs and i'm here to say what i've felt from these songs!! (caution this will have a lot of ramblings and some mentions of some irl stuff of mine so excuse me)

1st- Dreamer

so dreamer is the first on the album and honestly i LOVE it. It gen HITS like how the acapella hits at the start then the instrumental comes in gently is so MMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

This song feels like recovering from a heartbreak and finally gaining hope again and the ability to continue dreaming. Overall its amazing and it may have climbed it's way onto my favorite songs.

2nd- Second best

now this is where the irl stuff may come in. Generally the song has a gentle start and somewhere halfway some more instruments start playing. And the way that the strings kick in give it such a chill giving factor that i love in her songs.

This song reminds me of when i had this really big crush that i was so delulu about because i thought he was giving me so many signs (spoiler he didn't like me at all he liked my friend instead). Anyways this song feels like the haze after crying your heart out and the strings part is the climax of it all when another sudden wave of tears and sadness hit you and leave you so so tired. Overall the song is another BANGER.

3rd- Haunted

i find this song pretty interesting because the chord progression sounds similar to Bewitched but in a lower tone (idk i think im just crazy) and i find that so... brillant? if it actually is similar i find it gen so great considering how the songs are almost polar opposites.

and so i think that Haunted and Bewitched is like two sides of a relationship. Bewitched being the high of it and Haunted being the lows of it. "I know he don't love me quite like I love him" Is a lyric that i gen think that. This song feels like the doubts you can have in a relationships. I also perhaps think that he could refer to the other party or the doubts. Overall i really like it it has a jazzy kind of feel to it.

4th- Must be love

this song is another hit for me. I love the almost vintage vibe it gives off and how gentle it is at the start then slowly getting more confident at the end. the backing vocals and the pizzicato is so GOOD.

This song is actually amazing. At the start the gentleness is as if they really are asking "Must be love?" and the end getting louder in a way is as if they've solidified their decision as if saying "Must be love." completely sure that it is,indeed love. Overall amazing again.

5th- While You Were Sleeping

THIS IS SO FUCKING GOOD. It has a warm tone to it with again gentleness and a bit of bashfulness? It genuinely is so good like the structure and how all the instruments come and deliver the same message.

This song is genuinely so me. This reminds me of the time i somewhat realized i fell in love. I remember that night after talking to them for so long i laid in bed and LITERALLY THOUGHT OF THEM. I thought of how it would be like to be with them and realized that i indeed love them. This song gives off that vibe of daydreaming of them going on a date with you during fall while in the afternoon's softer sun. Overall amazing it made me remember all the indescribable feelings i felt that night.

6th- Lovesick

This song IS SO... SO SO SO... AMAZING. gen started crying tears. everything is so PERFECT in this. It really describes how it feels to be so hopelessly in love with someone and constantly on the high from them talking to you.

This song feels like running around in a field of flowers and grass while holding hands. Then resting against a large rock and having a picnic as you watch the golden rays of the sun illuminate their eyes as they turn to you with those precious eyes so full with joy and love for you as they hand you a sandwich they made for you. UGH IM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS!!! i would name my fiRST BORN CHILD AFTER THIS.

7th- California and Me

Laufey is so genuinely evil for putting this after lovesick because LET ME TELL YOU HOW IT HURTS. This song is so gentle and hurtful. it feels so raw and i love that.

This song's gentleness feels like giving up after trying so hard to keep everything together and even after trying so hard to be perfect for them you feel the hurt and the sting of still not being chosen. (it reminds me of A glass wife/ that Vyn ff on tiktok during the early stages of the reader) It's like sitting in a dark room against a window as it softly rains outside. Overall i love it but whoever hurt Laufey like this WILL PAY I SWEAR.

8th- Nocturne (interlude)

i found it. The song i want to walk down the aisle too. Its as it says an interlude. Its a wonderful mix of California and Me, Bewitched and i think promise too? Even though it doesn't have lyrics it's still so full of emotion.

This song fills me with so many emotions i can't even explain. It's so good. Idk if ya'll will find it weird but i think songs without lyrics can hit harder because sometimes there's never the right words to explain how you feel and music like this is feels like the key to understanding. Stories can be told without uttering a word at all and sometimes leaving things unspoken is a path to understanding.

9th- Promise

oh boy. I LOVE THIS SONG. the build up, the start, the vocals she delivered, EVERYTHING. It genuinely feels like hopelessness and hope at the same time and it does it so well. THIS HITS DEEP IN THE FEELERS.

this song really does a good job at delivering what it's supposed to. It really makes me feel the isolation and how you want to distance yourself but not being able to stop the urges that keep pulling you back. Overall AMAZING AGAIN.

10th- From The Start

i LOVE this song. Its really jazzy?? in a way and really light despite how it talks about desperateness and unrequited love. It's really good like every time i hear it i want to start doing a little dance.

This song is really catchy and is so real tbh. It really feels like your in love with someone with the lightness of it but your not trying to make a big deal or a show about the unrequited side. Like your trying to convince yourself it's fine. Overall i love it (i love it so much i technically have a ff in the makes named after it).

11th- Misty

It sounds so serene. Like it doesn't take place on this world. It feels so cold and somewhat warm in a confusing but comforting way. Its so jazzy and i LOVE that. The way she delivers everything in such a silky smooth way is PERFECT. the " I i in love"part SCRATCHES MY BRAIN

This song makes me feel unexplainable things. Like it feels like a blanket wrapped around you during the cold times while drinking hot cocoa while snuggled up on the couch watching a movie or reading a book. Overall im IN LOVE with the whole thing and her tone.

12th- Serendipity

this song hits. My thoughts when i first listened made me think that it would be so heartbreaking in a sad way but it isn't. It's heartbreaking in such a fluffy way. Like the gentleness and the love in her tone is making me cry.

This song sounds like my midnight talks with them and how the midnight talks are so comforting and soft. Like a soft hug on a chilly morning. It feels like the early hours of the morning when both of you are laying in bed staring at the ceiling while softly talking to each other about anything at all. Talking about that time you tripped and hurt you knee or that time you accidentally got mistaken for someone. It just feels so warm, like its home.

13th- Letter to My 13 Year Old Self

my exact thoughts when first listening to this was as followed: "im scared ooohh? this sounds interesting aw oh oh. oh this hurts OH. THIS HURTS."

This song is so so so comforting. It's like she's a parent reassuring her child expect she's actually caring for herself in the past. I love how its all completely calm and stays like that until the end. I love how everything in this song complements each other.

This song makes me remember when our teacher made us write letters for our future selves to come back and read. When i get mine back i wish to write a letter responding to everything my past self has worried about and asked to let them and myself know that it's okay. That we've grown so much and that the worries will all be okay for us. Overall it's so heartbreaking in a comforting way.

14th- Bewitched

LET ME TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVEEEE THIS SONG. its my everything. it's all so full of love. i want to propose using this song and have my wedding dance with this song. Everything delivers so well to convey the pure emotion in the whole song. The pure love and admiration being expressed.

This song makes me cry every time i hear it because of how sweet it is. This song feels like being content with your life and slow dancing with your lover at night as you both stare into each other's eyes and smile like idiots. But again as i said in the Haunted part of this, this song feels like the good side of a relationship. This song is like it portrays the relationship that people crave and fantasize about. Overall I. Love. This. Song.

-Overall on the album

Overall i really like this album and how it feels like a rollercoaster of emotions. It feels like falling in love then going through heartbreak and recovering. my overall rating of this album is def 10/10 i loved it and every song was a BANGER.

anyways that's all from my yapping session today!!! byyeeee

[retiredtothebriars]

@tradedsymmetry​ was interested in hearing my thoughts on different qualities of music (thank you!!) so on these things I brought up in the tags, plz excuse the thought dump: Melody I can’t explain why melody is so important to me, I think this is a very personal thing. Maybe because my mum only had two albums, a Michael Jackson album and an ABBA compilation album. I went for the ABBA album, but idk if it was innate because from the beginning my favourite song was Chiquitita, which is probably one of their richest in melody. I like that kind of “soaring” melody - it feels like it just lifts your whole spirit with it. My fave Perfume Genius is full of it and he knows how to orchestrate it to maximise those. All my favourite artists write great melodies.. Beirut - Zach Condon has talked a lot about how melody coming first for him. You can’t understand him half the time. Cocteau Twins! You can’t understand them all the time. Sigur Ros! Even Fall Out Boy as my first favourite band - the melodies on FUCT and IOH are gorgeous and I don’t think they would have been my favourite band otherwise. MCR similarly. Death Cab’s Plans is so simple but so moving and I think it was mainly the melody (and the lyrics). Rhythm is entwined with melody but I’m not as aware of it unless I hate it (I hate a constant crotchet/half note melody, it’s like banging your head against a wall. Oddly, although my partner is a drummer, he seems not to be bothered by this at all). There are a few notable instances though. I love when everything just stops. And there’s something incredibly satisfying about triplets. That opening rhythm from Be My Baby by The Ronettes I think is one of the most striking and eternally referenced rhythms. And speaking of the Ronettes, I wish harmonies were more at the forefront these days. I have to mention the Beach Boys if I’m talking about melodies and harmonies don’t I? Anyway melody is just absolutely indispensable to me. Many people have recommended to me Beach Fossils for the vibe and the vibe is solid but the melodies are bland to me (soz). If I don’t like the melody I simply don’t fill connected to the song.

Tonality and chord progressions

Now here I really wish I knew more about chords but I only have the knowledge of a music school dropout. There are some chord progressions that are SO beautiful, and I wish I could identify them. I will happily eat up that 1-4-5-1. But a beautiful chord progression can really make a moment. The Libertines/Peter Doherty’s bands have gorgeous traditional chord progressions...I feel like there’s something bluesy about them that makes them so but I’m not sure. Mitski REALLY opened my mind with her unusual - I don’t know if these are  chord progressions or just dissonances - on Geyser and A Pearl. It’s so powerful. I’ve always leaned towards the minor keys. I find something kind of sickly about the major keys and a complete lack of dissonance. I hate Mozart. I find it childish. Too much dissonance is intimidating and alienating, and requires work. I (affectionately) hate Bartok. Debussy is that beautiful middle ground for me. So for contemporary artists I name Owen Pallett and Bjork. I’m on my 5th listen of Fossora and I feel as though my ears are finally accepting it. In addition to dissonance, there is plain singing and playing off key. PAVEMENT - how do they do it and sound so good? Going back to melody - I want to mention Dirty Projectors here because they have some of the weirdest and most dissonant melodies and harmonies I have ever heard, in addition to being incredibly sparsely textured. I am constantly in awe of how it works together. Vibe - timbre, texture These three things really give an artist their unique sound. I think for me that the vibe of a song is a very transporting thing. There are artists I listen to with the intention of being taken somewhere, or some time - Hawk and A Hacksaw, Beach House, The Cure, New Order, Wavves.

I remember being completely taken by Not Sure by Hatchie feeling like I was in a Lizzie McGuire movie, in a more compelling way than any of the actual songs in Lizzie McGuire movies - I think this is a notable song because those other aspects like melody and rhythm aren’t so strong on this song but the vibe is SO strong (and I am SO disappointed by the rest of that album). But I will happily listen to a song that doesn’t have a strong vibe. Vocals This is mostly timbre but I’ve also been thinking about this lately since someone posted about it - I appreciate when artists aren’t afraid to not sound pretty. Screaming, crying, etc. makes me scream, cry, etc. I refer to my fever dream obsession with Pulp. Honorable mention - Conor Oberst/Bright eyes. Dashboard Confessional. Actually, yeah a lot of emo bands hahaa I feel like most bands will Go For It live though. Production On thinking more about this, I think production may be one of those aspects you don’t appreciate unless it’s really really bad (unless you make music yourself). When it’s so terrible you can’t hear any of the other qualities of the song properly or it’s so clean and squeaky it’s cloying. Absolutely absolutely hate when a heavy band has clean production. Why does your distortion sound manufactured. wtf Lyrics Now I appreciate lyrics but it’s completely dispensable to me. I’ve noticed this lately - there are some lyrics I hold so highly eg, Paterson & Leo by Pinegrove - but when I go to look at them, I’m surprised at how simple and un-evocative they are on the page. I still think these are great lyrics - but they need the melody to bring them to life. Another one of my favourite songs goes here - Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks. would love to hear your thoughts too. anyway this just makes me so excited to listen to new music!!!!

[daisiesandgiggles]

Hello everyone! Welcome the 2nd edition of This Week In Music for Feature Friday! Here is what’s news this week in music.

Spotify is shutting down its music trivia game Heardle. This comes less than a year after Spotify purchased the game. It will officially shut down on May 5th.

Reba McEntire is set to return to The Voice next week as this season’s “Mega Mentor”, beginning April 17th. 

Doja Cat and SZA released a new collaboration, a remix of SZA’s “Kill Bill” from her SOS album. If you haven’t heard of SZA before, or haven’t heard the SOS album I highly recommend giving it a spin. It’s such an eclectic but well written and produced album, and IMO probably the best album of 2022.

A report released Wednesday by the Recording Industry Association of America shows that in 2022, Latin music revenue exceeded $1 billion for the first time. It also saw a 24% annual increase, outgrowing the broader industry. The majority of Latin music revenue almost entirely comes from streaming at 97%. If you haven’t heard of Bad Bunny yet, please go do yourself a service and give him a listen. You’ll find out why he’s at the top of Spotify’s most played artist (it;s not even close, Taylor Swift is a distant 2nd). 

CD and vinyl formats has seen a significant increase in revenue in 2022, according to Billboard. CD revenues are up 60% to $3.1 million and vinyl revenue is up 67% to $9.1 million. Permanent downloads decrease by 15% over the same time. What’s old becomes new again.

This Week in Music History

1963 - The Rolling Stones played at The Crawdaddy Club, Richmond. All four members of The Beatles were in the audience. The name of the club derived from Bo Diddley's 1960 song 'Doing the CrawDaddy', which The Rolling Stones regularly performed as part of their set. In turn the club would inspire the name of the American music magazine Crawdaddy!

1969 - The recording of 'The Ballad Of John and Yoko' took place, with just two Beatles, Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Paul played bass, drums and piano with John on guitars and lead vocals. The song was banned from many radio stations as being blasphemous. On some stations, the word 'Christ' was edited in backwards to avoid the ban.

1994 - Kurt Cobain was cremated at the Bleitz Funeral Home, Seattle. The death certificate listed Cobain's occupation as Poet/Musician and his type of business as Punk Rock.

2005 - Mariah Carey released The Emancipation of Mimi, the album entered the US chart at number one, going six times platinum in less than a year, and subsequently became the most successful album of 2005.

2015 - American R&B and soul singer Percy Sledge died of liver cancer at his home in Baton Rouge aged 73. The inspiration behind his 1966 US No.1 hit 'When a Man Loves a Woman', came when Sledge's girlfriend left him for a modelling career after he was laid off from a construction job in late 1965.

Thank you @daisiesandgiggles and @thedangeldorpher for allowing me to have a little fun and spread some music love every Friday! Take care of each other friends, have a great weekend! ✌🏻

Lots of good stuff here my friend @acermice75 ! Can't wait to see what you'll bring us next week.😘🤗❤️🌼 @thedangeldorpher I'll turn it over to you now.

#Feature Friday #Daisiesandgiggles #One Hit Wonders

[mimikittysblog]

Get to know me game!

Wasn't tagged by anyone but saw @end-hyphen do it sooo here I am doing it :3

Tagging: @hello-stranger24 @tfwheeseung @heeverseblog @dearsugarrush @hee-pster @jaysbiceps @seohotonin and anyone else who wants to doooo thisss!

Birthday: April 5th

favourite colour: Purple! But pink is slowly becoming my favorite. Or I could just say both lol

do you have pets?: YES! Have a toy poodle! His name is bubble :3

how tall are you?: Genuinely not sure- I guess I'm 155cm according to my friend? but I think I'm a bit taller than that so lets say 157cm

how many pairs of shoes do you own?: Oh.. a lot some are still in my old house- But I have well over 10.

favourite song: LITERALLY TXT JUST CAME OUT WITH THEIR NEW ALBUM AND DEVIL BY THE WINDOW HAS ME IN A FUCKING CHOKEHOLD- So yes. that. But Same Scent by Oneus is also one of my all time favorite along with A Song Written Easily!

favourite movie: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets hehe or Dead Poets Society

who would be your ideal partner?: Anyone who can love my dumbass and be patient with me 🥹 But making me laugh is the way to my heart so- someone who has a similar humor to me is almost an immediate 10.

do you want children?: Yes yes I doooo! Hopefully one day :3

have you gotten in trouble with the law?: Nope-

what colour socks are you wearing?: currently not wearing any

favourite type of music: Any really- if I like it, I like it. I say I typically like any conventional song if that makes sense- but if its catchy and I like it.. then I like it. Obviously rn I'm very into kpop but my music taste is all over the place. Like I still listen to some My Little Pony songs- CAUSE SOME OF THEM HAVE NO RIGHT BEING THAT GOOD.

how many pillows do you sleep with?: 5 and one long bolster. I actually just use one but I have 5 on my bed lol.

what position do you sleep in?: I sleep on my back, I used to sleep on my stomach but now I sleep on my back lol.

what don’t you like when you’re sleeping: Uhm.. bright light I guess?

what do you have for breakfast: I don't typically eat breakfast but whatever is available and I'm craving it lol, sometimes rice, sometimes a sandwich, sometimes its soup, sometimes its noodles.

have you ever tried archery?: Noooo I have not! But I've ALWAYS wanted to try! Looks so cool and fun! Wanna live out my Narnia dream :3

favourite fruit: Strawberries :3 but I also like grapes a lot! and pineapples!

are you a good liar?: I would have to say yes- or at least I'm decent at it

what’s your personality type?: INTP but it might've changed

innie or outie?: I think overall I'm more of an innie, I like just relaxing but recently I've been going out with friends more and that's been fun :) (but if this question is actually referring to my belly button then it's an innie)

left handed or right handed?: Leftieeee

favourite food: I would have to say Mac n Cheese overall lol- love cheesy things but an Indonesian dish called Rendang is so so good and also one of my faves.

favourite foreign food: Hmmm Teokpokki is really good :3

am i clean or messy?: Somewhat messy yes, I'm not like super messy, if it gets too much I'll clean up but I get lazy to clean up and put things away too often

most used phrase: Usually curse words (in english and Indonesian) but other than that its Nauurr, omg, woi, bener (correct in indonesian), gak gitu konsepnya (thats not the concept), beb, I wanna die and love

how long does it take for you to get ready: Depends, but roughly an hour for normal days. sometimes it can just be 30 mins.

do you talk to yourself?: Oh yes all the time. Bad habit really.

do you sing to yourself?: Of course I do, randomly burst into song like I'm in a musical too often.

are you a good singer?: Not even in the slightest. It's why I would rather swallow and shit out razor blades than sing for my idols at concerts. Yknow how idols sometimes gives the mic to a fan and ask them to sing? yeah no. pls don't let that ever happen to me.

biggest fear?: What happens after death- idk its scary to think that it just ends like that. I mean I do actually believe in an afterlife but.. still scary to think about.

are you a gossip?: I just sit and listen- I love gossip but I'm not the one to spread it lol. Mainly cause truthfully if no one tells me directly- I would literally never know. Like my campus- it's known as the gay campus 😭 I literally didn't know that until last semester cause my friend finally told me.

do you like long or short hair?: I prefer short cause it's easier to manage, however I like both. Cause you can have more hairstyles with long hair.

favourite school subject: English and PE

extrovert or introvert: Introvert

what makes you nervous: People. My mother and family. Idk a lot honestly 😭

who was your first real crush?: A guy from my middle school lol was my first love too

how many piercings?: Twooooo Want more thoughhh

how many tattoos?: Don't have any but I'd really like to have a few one day.

how fast can you run?: No clue but not that fast- thats for sure

what colour is your hair?: Ok- this is hard to explain- but I had my hair in a split dye, but for my aunts wedding I dyed it back to black. I dyed it twice cause after the first time I missed a few spots. So the first time I dyed it I actually mixed it with my purple conditioner, second time I did not. After my aunts wedding I washed my hair thoroughly because for the wedding I had to have my hair in a specific traditional hair style that requires a lot of teasing and hairspray. So most of the black hair dye got rinsed off and somehow- it left the top half of my hair green and the bottom part purple. But thats only for half of my hair so- my hair is black purple and green rn-

what makes you angry: Slow walkers and people who don't wait for people on the bus/in elevator to get off first before getting in.

do you like your name?: Yes very much so :3

do you want a boy or a girl as a child?: Any is fine :)

what are your strengths?: I'm pretty smart and understanding. But I'm brutally honest. and I'm very loyal.

what are your weaknesses?: Too loud

what is the colour of your bedspread?: White with like- a london pattern 😭 like it has the england flag and big ben and stuff on it.

colour of your room: Bluuuuueee! light blue!

[midnight-star-world]

#CountryMusic

Dylan Scott - Livin' My Best Life (Still)

So today on the MSR (Midnight Star Review), I would like to talk about the latest album release from Country Music Singer Dylan Scott. The new CD is titled "Livin' my best life" was released on Friday August 5th, 2022 and the deluxe edition with the title "Still" added was released on March 29th, 2024. There are 26 tracks on the new 2 disc CD. But as usual, we will talk a little bit about the artist before we dive into his new project.

Dylan Scott has scored 4 number ones on my weekly list MSR (Midnight Star Report) which combines both CMT (Country Music Television), the Billboard Country Music Airplay Charts, & even myself. Some of Dylan's biggest hits include songs like "My girl", "Hooked", & "Crazy over me". But he is still new to us, and he does have 16 tracks on this new album. Let's talk about some of the tracks that stuck out in my opinion from the new project next.

His current singles "New truck" has already gone number one along with another song from the album "Nobody". Other songs that you should listen to include "Can't have mine (Find you a girl)" which has also gone number one, "Static", & "Boy I was back then". The title track is also one to listen to "Livin' my best life", "Tough", & "Good times go by too fast". The stand track in my opinion is "In our blood" which features Jimmie Allen, & another single he released a little bit was "Nothing to do town".

But now since there is 2 discs on this album. Other highlights of the album also include "This town's been too good to us", "What he'll never have" which is a standout in my opinion, & "Boys back home" with Dylan Marlowe. "What I'd want mine to say", "Heartbeat of America" which is another standout track, and now about some of disc 2 highlights. "Lay down with you", "Killin' some time", which is another standout track, & "Hell out of me". And there is also 2 remix version of 2 tracks from this project. Here is the rest of the track list now.

Track list. Disc 1.

This town's been too good to us.

What he'll never have.

Boys back home (With Dylan Marlowe).

Me and my kind.

I'll be a bartender.

What I'd want mine to say.

Heartbeat of America.

Getting out alive.

New truck.

Amen to that.

Can't have mine (Find you a girl).

In our blood (Featuring Jimmie Allen). Disc 2.

Static.

Lay down with you.

Boy I was back then.

Livin' my best life.

Killin' some time.

Ain't much left of me.

Leave her alone.

Tough.

Hell out of me.

Nobody.

Good times go by too fast.

Nothing to do town.

Good times go by too fast (Vavo remix).

This town's been too good to us (Vavo remix).

That's a wrap for the track list. And on the MSR (Midnight Star Report), I would give this album a 5 out of 5 stars. There is a lot of songs for this project which means there would probably be something on this album for anyone. And Dylan co wrote 13 out of the 26 tracks. And he also had help from some of our favorite names in Country Music. Those include Hardy (Michael Hardy), Morgan Wallen, Brian Kelley, Tyler Hubbard of FGL (Florida Georgia Line), Thomas Rhett, & Mitchell Tenpenny. Thanks for taking the time to read this review. See ya all next time.

[musicreveiwsbyezti]

It's end of April so toaster of my month. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Topster 1 imploded due to schizophrenia. That's funny tbh.

This month I only listened to metal (and Sade) because I love metal (and Sade).

Idk how to rate: Morbid-Year of the Goat (Black metal): This is the most trve kvlt shit out there. The sound quality is so doghsit on two-third of the record that I had a headache after finishing this. However this is arguably one of the best bm record out there. Dead's vocal delivery was truly something else, it's a shame what happened to him.

8th: Carpathian Forest-long ass name (Black metal): Key word for this short critique is "boring". It has good ideas but it doesn't really stick that well.

7th: Sex Prisoner-Tannhauser Gate (Powerviolence): Oh my God this is great. It's powerviolence so it has some rough edges but Lullaby is perfect.

6th: Black Sabbath-Master of Reality (Heavy/Doom metal): I like this record but I can't see why most people consider this to be the best Black Sabbath, or even best doom metal record. Probably just didn't click for me for now.

5th: Melvins-Bullhead (Sludge/Stoner Metal): "Yeah drug addiction kinda sucks plays the most sludge metal riff ever" It's great. I tried getting into Melvins a while ago, but I didn't really vibe with the album I checked out. On the other hand, now with my second try I definitely see the appeal. Probably will check out their other stuff now with a better view.

4th: Thy Catafalque-Róka Hasa Rádió (Avant-guard metal): I almost cried about how good it is. Something about hearing good Hungarian music after the storm of shit really touched my hearth. Also the second song is like 20 minutes long and is kinda weird conceptually but still is the best song on the album.

3rd: Sade-Love Deluxe(R&B): I would kill for this woman. No Ordinary Love has to be one of my favourite song ever.

2nd: Candlemass-Epicus Doomicus Metallicus(Epic Doom Metal): This is probably the most doom metal album ever. Also it makes me feel like a wizard. 10/10

1st: Boris-Boris at last, Feedbacker (Drone Metal): The heaviest album ever conceived. At my first listen I felt like I melted into my bed. Something about it just works so damn well. Drone has to be one of the hardest to get into genre but god damn it's really good if you're willing to give it a proper chance.

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to The Fifteenth Amendment (1870), Akarova, John Astin, Warren Beatty, Joey Castillo, Tracy Chapman, Eric Clapton, Daisy Coleman, Robbie Coltrane, Miles Davis’s 1970 BITCHES BREW LP, Celine Dion, Graeme Edge, Francisco Goya, MC Hammer, the Jeopardy game show (1964), Norah Jones, Charles Lightroller, Lene Lovich, singer-songwriter Don Malliband, Hayashibara Megumi, Kacey Musgraves’s 2018 GOLDEN HOUR album, Walter Piston’s 1951 4th Symphony, the 1946 Arlen-Mercer musical “St. Louis Woman” w/Pearl Bailey & the Nicholas Brothers, Ximo Tebar, Jay Traynor (Jay & The Americans)—good to have met you, Vincent van Gogh, Randy VanWarmer, (the original) Sonny Boy Williamson, and the great American singer-songwriter Frankie Laine. Born of Italian parents, Laine was influenced by opera and blues, particularly Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong—who Laine called “my idol.” Laine’s early career had many setbacks and let-downs and, after threatening to quit music at least six times. Then in 1946 he was “discovered” by Hoagy Carmichael, which led to Laine’s breakout hit “That’s My Desire” (now a jazz standard). Concurrently he discovered a niche singing in films. 

He signed to Mercury Records, then switched to Columbia, and the hits (and royalty checks) rolled in. He was heralded as an innovator for his unique vocal technique and masculine tone. Like Bessie Smith, Laine’s voice projected and could fill a hall without a microphone. One critic described Laine as “a big lad with steel tonsils who belted out torch blues while stomping his size twelve feet...he owed nothing to Crosby or Sinatra...” In contrast to the smooth balladeer of the era, Laine would bend notes and sing around the chordal context of a note rather than to sing the note straight, and he stressed each rhythmic downbeat. Like Johnnie Ray, Laine was first cast as an R&B/jazz singer and is now regarded as a forerunner of rock & roll, influencing Elvis Presley and Ray Charles (who admitted to mimicking Laine), and Laine was later name-checked by The Beatles. Laine, however, was able to branch out into folk, gospel, pop and, famously, the Cowboy/Western theme songs imbedded in pop culture: “Gunfight at the OK Corral,” “Rawhide,” “3:10 to Yuma,” and many more. His Campbell Soup “Manhandler” commercial hasn’t been on the air for decades, but people are still singing it. In his long career he had more than 70 charted records, 21 gold records, and global sales of over 100 million records. He was still performing at age 93 when he passed away in 2007.

Laine’s 1949 cover of the folk-spiritual “That Lucky Old Sun” became his 5th gold record, perhaps because a lot of working people could relate to it. The lyrics of the song contrast the toil and hardship of the subject’s life with the obliviousness of the natural world. Yet he sees a silver lining and God's deliverance behind it all. Inspired by “Ol’ Man River,” “Lucky Old Sun” was written in 1949 by big band musician Beasley Smith and prolific Tin Pan Alley lyricist Haven Gillespie—who also wrote "You Go To My Head" (another favorite of mine). “Lucky Old Sun” gained presence with me after hearing Brian Wilson's 2007 concept album based on this song. In 2020 I added it to my set list for when I perform in assisted living homes. My arrangement blends the definitive Laine recording with the soul of Louis Armstrong's cover (in 1949 both artists released "competing versions"). Meanwhile, HB Frankie, and thank you for giving us years of amazing songs.

#luckyoldsun #GreatAmericanSongbook #OlManRiver #BeasleySmith #HavenGillespie #BrianWilson #LouisArmstrong #FrankieLaine #gospel #work #river #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge

[anosci]

(31-45 albums etc that I’ve listened to this year, copied from twitter) (now with art. [1] [2] [3] [4])

names and thoughts below cut

31/ Atom™ – Hard Disk Rock (Don't Stop) (2000) minimal electro? fun beats :)

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32/ Bund Deutscher Programmierer - Stoffwechsel (2000) crispy :) there are a few questionable decisions (why are we playing an entire samba(?) song at +3 octaves?). but overall this is the atomtm beats i enjoy. alias those chords aw yea

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33/ Icarus - Squid Ink (2001) light breaks… light guitar. lots of light and dry sounds. soft glitches. is this squarepusher inspired? I'd believe it.

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34/ Bolz Bolz - Human Race (2001) raw sound! the title track was…… meh but beyond that, it had really solid vibe. "Soul" and "Ballooning" stand out as surprisingly strong atmospheric-beat tracks. the latter could fit in frank klepacki's hands. good stuff

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35/ Santos - R U Shakadelic? (2001) filled with rough edges. little dissonances and odd mixing. it's often a bit offputting. but also… there's plenty of rad filterwork and general bangers here

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36/ Telefon Tel Aviv - Fahrenheit Fair Enough (2001) there are a few details that can REALLY elevate chillout beats and one of those is having tiny crackly stuttery percussive elements. this pulls that off. its a treat.

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37/ Santa Muerte - Eslabon (2023) sometimes i listen to a song and solemnly nod my head in approval, not particularly enraptured by the song but not rejecting anything I hear either. … so yea it's ok. I feel like I need to give this a second listen with headphones.

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38/ Skrillex - Quest For Fire (2023) new skrilex?? (!!!!) …the number of features here is alarming to me. i braced for a mixed bag but it's filled with good, to my taste! for the most part! especially the joker feature HOLY SHIT

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39/ Junipher Greene - Friendship (1971) MAN i wish i were less picky about vocals. because there are a few unassailable bangers on here, but im struggling to enjoy them. "Take the Road Across the Bridge" is a huge standout, even with the vocals. "Try to Understand" tho… i love that flute :(

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40/ Skrillex - Don’t Get Too Close (2023) this is exactly what I was afraid that the first album would be like :\ it'd not "bad", it's just not for me

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41/ Orbital - The New Abnormal (2023) lots of little oddities here. still plenty of shine though. the highlights feel like just enough to harken to my fav classics without feeling like rehashes.

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42/ Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery (1973) so why am i fine with these vocals? that aside, it's a really fun sound in here. no wonder it's considered iconic. i can hear uematsu being inspired in real time.

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43/ Stacey Pullen - todayisthetomorrowyouwerepromisedyesterday (2001) breaks and synths. exactly dry enough. high quality music to drive to. I'd like to specifically highlight "tiznit" for its funky lean.

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44/ Quantic - The 5th Exotic (2001) it alternates between "nice boombap :)" and "man i am just not feeling this". it does best when its that kinda… somber chill chords on top of beats ig? "The Picture Inside" is strange bc it stands far above the rest of the album. eh……..

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45/ Praful - One Day Deep (2001) vibessss this excels when its chillout + breaks… AND synths. the acid feel (Morphic Resonance) especially appeals to me but just a bit of swirling pads is cool too

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[lossantosdaily]

CELEBRITY INSIGHT: CHANEL VENTURAS

After the amazing feedback and reviews of our first Celebrity Insight: Grey Party, we are excited to announce that we will be continuing our Celebrity Insight feature magazines every week!

Issue 2's Celebrity Insight is super exciting and Los Santos Daily is delighted to announce that Chanel Venturas is our Celebrity Insight for this issue.

Chanel was happy to answer the questions asked by fans, and us. We are thrilled to be able to share these answers with you!

Keep reading to hear interesting facts and advice from Chanel herself!

What made you want to become a singer?

"Well, quite simple really I could sing! I'm kidding, it's always been my passion and music is something I love listening to, and then I realised going in the studio and creating music was even more fun! So yeah, it was mainly the love I have for music that made me become an artist."

Did anybody inspire you?

"Haris Pilton was one of my inspirations for sure. She's literally made her way through pop music and she changed the game in music! I love Cenzo East and Nathan Perry. I could name many! They have all kinda shaped me as an artist."

What is your favourite part of your career?

"My favourite has got to be my very first mainstream concert "A Night With Chanel". It went bigger than. I thought to be honest! When I peeped, how many people actually attended was insane and is now one of the biggest concerts in the music industry and I'm so proud of it. I definitely have to do more of them." If you could change anything, what would it be?

"If I could change anything in my career, it would probably have to be starting music way before I did. It's my talent in the community and I really do feel alive when I'm performing or writing music and creating art! I love it!"

If you could give any advice to fans, what would that be?

"My advice to fans would probably be to do what you love and be yourself. Always fuck what people have to say! I spent so many years in the community worrying about what people think when really it shouldn't matter. Everyone should just stay out of shit. I do what I wanna do, period."

Will there be any upcoming tours?

"Well, I'm currently on a hiatus. I'm very quiet recently, I think you get to a point where you just get tired of the same shit, and everyone needs a break at some point! But I'm of course making more music and in the studio constantly. I will be going on tour for my next album, I was doing a tour for my last album, but it never worked, but the next album for sure! Tour is happening and not just a tour, a WORLDWIDE tour."

If you could choose any artists to collaborate with, who would they be?

"Oh wow! This is hard! I love so many artists and you know what I've been told I collab with way too many artists, but I don't care. I love working with different artists! But the top 5 people I'd love to work with would of course be Missy Dada, Haris Pilton, Zadonica, Athea, and the 5th would probably be Libras. I've always had some kinda love for them, I don't know I think they're a cool band."

What do you think of music that isn't the genre that you produce? "Honestly, the music genres are well...let's say interesting! I do love me some hip hop though, like Kardi B, Nashe Ménage, and Athea, all the girls give what I need, like the attitude and everything, OBSESSED! And the guys kill it also like Rxch, Cenzo etc. I'm not exactly a fan of the rappers that think they're amazing when they clearly aren't like babe you haven't even made one hit yet, give it up and go to the slums where you belong"

Before you were famous, what was life like?

"Before I was famous, life was pretty wild for me. My attitude back then was even worse than now! Like, I did not care! I'd literally argue with a wall, but I was mainly known for being really good friends with Thailee Keener and Jen Clermont. They were my girls for so many years! And still are! I mean me and Jen don't really talk now after our disagreement, but I will always have a love for her." If you could change one thing, what would it be? "If I could change one thing about being in the community, would probably be that I wish I never took things to heart. At the end of the day, it's not that deep and I used to just take things too far."

Other than music, are there any other hobbies that you enjoy?

"Other than music, I love modeling and fashion, it's really my bag I love it! My style is very simple, but classy. I love changing my style, it's fun in a way!"

Thank you for reading this week's Celebrity Insight! Be sure to stay tuned for next week's issue!

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[deviousdemonzzz]

Hihi! Just found your blog and I absolutely adore it! Your aesthetic is like WOW

If I may request a yandere!Asmodeus fic with a female mc that would be great. If you could include dumbfication and spit, even better! Maybe marking and monster fucking? I hope it's not too much to ask.

Thanks in advance, have a lovely day!

𖤐 — 𝐘𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞! 𝐀𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐮𝐬 𝐱 𝐀𝐅𝐀𝐁! 𝐒/𝐨

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: I saw the words "Yandere Asmodeus" and I immediately became interested. Yan! Asmo definitely treats his darling like a precious little doll that he can dress up and pamper. Just tell him how much you love him and he'll do ANYTHING for you. Anyways - thank you so much for the compliment and the request! I hope that this is what you were looking for. And I apologize for the wait! Personal stuff gets in the way sometimes y'know?

𝐂𝐖: NSFW, Yandere, Obsessive behavior, Non-sexual infantilization, Monster fucking, Spitting, Marking, Biting, Dumbification, Aphrodisiac, Dubcon-ish...yeah, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

𖤐 — 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐛𝐮𝐬? 🕯

Yandere! Asmodeus who can't stop thinking about you no matter how desperately he may try. Textbooks are riddled with your name, declarations of love for you are carved onto the walls and the wood of his vanity, food and water only touch Asmodeus' lips if you have touched it beforehand, even the gallery on Asmo's phone and photo albums (usually dedicated to just pictures of himself) are now filled with nothing but you. Gifts? the narcissistic 5th born practically smothers you with them. His time? Just say the word and Asmodeus is by your side. Feeling down? Don't worry, Asmodeus is the first to reach you for his amber eyes are always watching you from afar, waiting for the moment that you'll look his way and run into his open arms. His heart and soul? Take whatever is left! It's yours!

Yandere! Asmodeus who can handle anything but the thought of you with someone else. Someone who would cling to you and laugh with you and smile at you and kiss you. More jealousy than blood would run through Asmodeus' veins at just the thought of it, pink and green nails always dangerously close to breaking skin as he'd claw worriedly at the nearest surface at the mere possibility of you being stolen away from him and his charming advances. But, Asmodeus is not a monster, he would convince himself, he would give you many chances to love him, his smile always being the first and last thing you'd see during the day when he would inevitably hide you away from prying eyes, a glorious cage surrounding you as if you were a rare and special bird that could and would only sing for Asmodeus. “Don’t cry, angel,” he’d coo, soft hands and manicured nails caressing the skin that chains had managed to turn sore and raw, “you have me. Isn’t that enough?”

Yandere! Asmodeus who treats you like a special little doll. Ribbons, bows, and outfits that showed enough skin to make you embarrassed would be lovingly placed on you, Asmodeus reminding you to just sit and still and be good ringing in your ears as he'd dress you in any way he liked. Makeup and skin care products would be applied to your skin, your hair would never go un-styled, and rose-scented baths would become almost routine, for there was no greater joy to Asmodeus than walking into his room and seeing you so obedient and so dolled up just for him. But, much like a doll, Asmodeus would also treat you as something fragile, something that would break at even the smallest amounts of pressure. Feeding yourself? What if you choke! Asmodeus should feed you instead. Carrying something? But oh darling what if you get hurt! Just let Asmodeus carry it for you. Drinking tea? What if it's too hot! Better let Asmodeus blow on it for you. Brushing your own teeth? Just let Asmodeus do it for you just this once and he'll stop crying over it, he promises!

Yandere! Asmodeus who knows that you can't resist how his aphrodisiac-infused spit makes you feel. Teeth will clash and your lips will risk the chance of becoming swollen and bruised at the force of which Asmodeus will kiss you, tongue entwining with yours until his amber eyes gleam at the way you're squeezing your thighs and rolling your little hips into his own. “Hehe, you look so cute,” Asmodeus would breathe, hands already reaching to rip away your clothes and reveal the cute lingerie that he had put on you earlier that morning, “I’m the only person you need. So, just let me make you feel good, okay?”

Yandere! Asmodeus who tells you that he knows you can handle the length and thickness of his demon cock, delicious ridges and all. Soft hands will be quick to fold you into any position they desire, amber eyes raking over you like a beast staring down prey as Asmodeus would rub the tip of his cock teasingly against your cunt. "Beg for it- tell me how much you need me," Asmodeus would gasp, hips already desperately trying not to hump into your wet heat and fuck you dumb like he knows you want him to deep, deep down.

Yandere! Asmodeus who never fails to tell you how cute you look fucked brain-dead on his cock, his words of praise desperate and muffled as he would say them between nipping and licking at your skin. "Feel that?" he'd hum, hands reaching up to apply pressure on the bulge his cock made in your stomach "Only I can make you feel like this, right? Right!?" and once Asmodeus would see you nod dumbly to his questions, already too tired and under his influence to say no, he would be quick to smile, his cute fangs practically gleaming as he would reward you with sloppy kisses filled with aphrodisiac. "Good girl, just don't pass out yet, okay? I still want to play with you some more."

You gave a startled yelp when Asmodeus’ soft hands grabbed at your hips suddenly, the skilled appendages spinning you over so that you lay across your front. Your breath caught in your throat at the swift movement, mind taken aback by the effortless strength Asmodeus possessed. Your mouth opened to speak but was silenced  just as quickly as hands then positioned you up onto your hands and knees. From this position you couldn’t see Asmodeus but you could feel him, his ominous and large presence settling at your back like a mountain. You were too vulnerable like this. Too open and powerless. 

Heat surged through you at how animalistic and primal the two of you must have looked with the avatar of lust mounted up behind you, like you were some kind of bitch in heat. A fist clenched around your throat and you gasped, your head being pushed down until your face was buried against silk sheets, your ass listed and completely at Asmodeus’ mercy. Fear surged down your spine, causing you to tremble. You whimpered, uncertainty growing within you. Maybe giving in to Asmodeus’ constant begging for your time wasn't a good idea after all…In fact, part of you couldn’t even remember how exactly you ended up like this, so bare and desperate.

It had only started with an invitation, an innocent one at that, that much you remember. All day your D.D.D seemed to have rang and buzzed with notifications of messages from the 5th born, all of them asking - no, begging - for just a fraction of your time. 

[Asmobaby]: 

Come on, just one night, please? ;( 

You’re not spending another day with stupid Mammon, are you? It’s not fair! 

Hellooo?

Don’t ignore me. 

I promise you won’t regret it! I even have a surprise for you! ♡

So please? Say yes? 

Some of the texts had been strange, unnerving even, but by the time your phone had buzzed for the umpteenth time, you had agreed to spend the night with Asmodeus. A self-care night. A special night, Asmodeus called it, a winky-face and heart following the text like always. But, it wasn’t until you were bombarded with the taste of cherry-flavored chapstick against your lips and strong, heart covered arms that held you against the door that you knew something was wrong. “Asmodeus!” you had gasped, head still reeling from the suddenness of which pink-tinted horns and unfurled black wings had greeted you, “What are you doing!?”. However, your question had not been answered, instead it was smothered in the form of a sloppy, tongue-filled kiss, a giggle of “just relax, cutie” being the only response you received before Asmodeus’ tongue continued to messily entwine with yours. 

An explosion of heat began to bloom in your belly then, quickly spreading out until your entire body was burning with it. Your mind went completely blank at the sensation – the confusion and surprise of being forced to be treated in such a way fading first into an afterthought before disappearing altogether. Within moments, you were completely overwhelmed, unable to think, unable to reason. Your cunt was pulsing, hot and slick up against the confines of your bottoms, wanting to be exposed and be touched, to be stroked, fucked, anything, anything at all. And before you knew it you were face down on Asmodeus’ bed, a wild, unhinged look in his amber eyes.

“You’re mine,” Asmodeus purred, his hot breath blowing against your nape as he hunched over you from behind. “Promise me. Come on, I want to hear you say it.” Something rough and thick prodded against the entrance of your pussy then, seeking entry. You froze, head whipping around to try and grasp the speed of what was happening around you. But it was too late–The tip of Asmodeus' cock already breached your walls, sliding in, stretching you. You cried out at the burn it caused, hips wiggling to ease the pain of the unusual pink and precum covered head entering you so suddenly. Asmodeus gripped your hips from behind, bracing against you. Preparing. You clenched your eyes shut, your body bracing for him to begin fucking you, hard and fast - he seemed the type who liked it rough after all. You reached back blindly, trying to grab for Asmodeus, to push him back. "Wait, hold on," you breathed in alarm, "It's too much! You're too big!" Yet even as you pleaded the words, your body seemed to delight in the feeling of every single movement.

Your muscles clamped around him, sucking him in deeper even though your mind panicked at his inhuman size, each ridge that sunk into you causing you to shake and gasp. Asmo's mouth found your ear, his voice strained as he panted and moaned sweet nothings, his image of being sweet and gentle suddenly diminishing right before you as his hips stuttered with lust. "Promise me!" the demon reminded you again, his voice demanding yet so temptingly sweet “I know you love me, so why won’t you just say it?” “You aren’t thinking about anyone else, right?” “Just me? Only me?” “I don’t need to fuck the thought of every other man out of your head, do I?” “Will you tell me you love me then!?”  One after another, questions flew at you so fast that you could hardly process them, fear slowly emerging once again within the pit of your gut only to quickly be diminished by the throb of Asmodeus’ cock that in one smooth movement, slid all the way into you until fully seated to the hilt. You screamed, stretched to the maximum, unable to do anything except accept him and moan. When he drew himself out again, you could hear the wet sucking noise your joined bodies made, your wetness coating his length all the way to the inhumanly thick base. In and out Asmodeus buried himself, roughly, almost desperately, as if he had finally pushed away all his remaining self-control and human-like qualities. Still fully behind you, his hips slapping up against your ass.

Delirious, you whined and pleaded indistinguishable words to him. Trying to push your weight back against him, wanting more, needing more. Asmodeus moaned at the feeling, his fangs scraping against your shoulder blade, nipping the skin gently. "Hehe, feels good doesn’t it?” Asmodeus questioned, fingers travelling nice and slow, leaving red marks in their wake as they traveled down to the V between your thighs, your sudden squeals of overstimulation doing nothing but creating more welts against your skin as Asmodeus’ skilled fingers suddenly began brushing against the hard nub of your clit as your eyes closed and your cheeks flushed. “I knew you’d love it, Darling” He coo’d “Who knew you’d look so cute all drunk on my special little kisses~” 

You wanted to respond then, to ask Asmodeus what he was talking about, but you could not, for the orgasm that ripped through you had you screaming into the blankets. Your cries echoing around the room as your pussy contracted around his hard flesh. Another climax followed, and then another. Each one stronger and more mind-shattering than the last, but never once did Asmodeus falter in his pace. Sure and confident, he took everything from you. Every little moan, whimper, spasm and plea. A firm hand fell upon your back, pressing down, making you arch so he could go deeper still. Demanding more.

Every nerve was on fire. Your body was so sensitive and raw that you didn't know how much more you could take from him. Completely lost, you looked up over your shoulder to him. Asmodeus' tall shape loomed above you, his back hunched like a wild beast in rut as his wings flared out behind him, his glowing eyes almost completely covered by his champagne-colored hair that fell in untidy strands. "I promise," you whispered to him, encouraging him. Brain too far gone to want anything but the pleasure that cascaded over you. You tried to remember what used to turn your ex's on during sex, of what used to make them wild in hopes that it would do the same for Asmodeus. "I want you to cum inside of me. I want you to, please!" So many emotions flashed across Asmodeus' face in that moment, his bright and fiery amber eyes opening wide as you begged. Surprise. Amusement. Lust. A hint of vulnerability. And then starkly cruel determination.

Asmodeus' eyes became deadly then, his pupils morphing into nothing more than a tiny dot, narrowed with dark intent and hunger. You wriggled, taken by surprise only for Asmodeus' entire length to plunge into you, finally and completely breaking the unknown barrier between your hearts and your bodies. His weight settled upon you, pinning you down, offering you no mercy. His sharper teeth clashed against the skin of your shoulder, breaking the delicate skin despite how often the demon whined that no harm should come to it. For what seemed like an age, he refused to let you breathe, to let you move or think. You were completely captured by him, relying on him for air and life itself.

His hips took up their pace again, the raw flesh of your pussy awakening and blazing to life as Asmodeus rammed into you, grinding in deep, riding hard, taking his pleasure. Your hands gripped the sheets with strained knuckles, your fingernails digging into the fabric. Asmodeus broke away from his rough kiss on your shoulder with a snarl, practically growling in your ear. "You're mine and only mine," he warned, Asmodeus' hand reaching for and tightening at your neck as if in reprimand. "I won't let anyone else have you." "I don't care!" you gasped, arching into him. "Take me! I'm yours!"

You don't know why you said it. Or how Asmodeus shuddered at the words. Or how his cock twitched in anticipation. All you knew was that you were on the brink of falling into an abyss of euphoria, completely lost to the world and reality. If he wanted to love you like this, then you would let him. If he wanted to destroy your soul, then you would let him have that too. Asmodeus succumbed to another growl, a sound more like a wild animal than a man. 

Your legs were spread wider by powerfully strong hands, whimpers of bliss leaving your lips as Asmodeus’ demon cock drove so deep that he brushed against the neck of your womb. His shaft throbbed, growing thicker within you, stretching you further. He's was close. He was going to cum. The fact alone was enough to send you hurtling over the edge and a white-hot orgasm flashed through you again. You wailed into the room, hips jerking as your sore pussy clenched around him. Asmodeus gave a snarl in return, hissing in warning before he began to spasm inside of you, his hot semen filling your channel and leaking out to seep down the curve of your thighs.

For a moment you feared it would never end. Yet at the same time, you hoped it never did. Your walls kept contracted around him, milking him.Shaking, sweaty and half-dead to the world, you slumped back against the covers, feeling thoroughly used. Satiated.

Through the din ringing in your ears, you heard Asmodeus speak to you, soft whispering against your ear, his words incoherent yet so sweet and caring. You didn't understand a single word. However, what you did understand was the sight of chains being locked around your wrists, the cool metal against your skin shocking you back to reality. 

“Hehe, now I can play with you as much as I want. Aren’t you excited, Darling? ♡"

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