#glam compendium

[coldshrugs]

io laithe: looks throughout the years

some friends and i have been talking about glam and hair journeys for our wols, so i wanted to share some key story outfits for io + a few faves at the bottom! [thank you for the template, @myreia!! 💗]

io is pretty casual most of the time. she prefers light armor and loves a bit of drapey fabric. thighboots are almost always a must. i love to dress her in items that have a dagger tucked away in a pocket or belt; she can't be a ranged fighter all the time after all.

[myreia]

Aureia Malathar ✦ Stormblood

A Realm Reborn & Heavensward glam compendium here

[thevikingwoman]

Meryta glam compendium

for ARR and start of HW! wanted to do this for bit, finally got around to it.

thank you @myreia for the template!

I look forward to adding more as her journey continues, it was fun to put these together.

[fabcurate]

Discover the Latest Blauj Designs: Elevate Your Saree Game

A blauj is what forms a part of the attire, and thus complements the traditional Indian saree. With time, the blauj design has undergone a lot of changes, transforming from just simple, functional pieces of clothing into fashion statements in their own right. Be it the latest blauj dizain, new innovations of blauj back dizain options, or simply some inspiration for new styles in blauj dijaen, there isn't any dearth of creativity and grace when it comes to blauj dizain. We are going to discuss the hottest trends and styles that are redefining saree fashion in this blog.

The Evolution of Blauj Desien

Blaujs have always been part of the attire in Indian fashion; however, their role has changed dramatically since recent times. From acting as humble coverings that matched the saree to being redefined by modern fashion as the ideal focal points of style and elegance, today's Blauj Desien is about fusing tradition with contemporary flair to offer infinite possibilities for customizing and making a statement.

Know the Latest Blauj Dizain

It's a compendium of the modern and the classical—the latest blauj dizain trends. Here's the list of some of the most popular styles that have rocked the world of fashion:

1. Sheer Magic

It is because of sheer fabric blauj dizain, which becomes a sensation, adding an element of allure and sophistication with any saree. They usually are made with the finest embroidery or detailed patterns which provide the minimal amount of coverage while it allows glimpses of the skin and adds an element of elegance to the overall structure.

2. Off-Shoulder Elegance

Off-shoulder blaujs seem to be the latest craze in town. This type of blauj design makes bold statements very well. Anyway, they lend a very modern feel to the age-old saree and can be opted for both formal and casual occasions. Wear an off-shoulder blauj with a high-waist saree, and it would be balanced.

3. Peplum Perfection

Another raging trend is peplum blaujs. In these blauj dizains, volume and a different silhouette have been added at the waist with a flared, frilly extension. They are perfect to glam up any saree with drama and elegance, making you stand out at any event.

Innovative Blauj Back Dizain Ideas

It is at the back of the blauj that the creativity of the designers across the world comes to the fore, and often what may seem like a simple saree can be turned into a masterpiece by the blauj back dizain. Here are some of the trending back designs that will steal people's hearts into a tizzy:

1. Keyhole Backs

The backs of Keyhole style are modest yet bold. There is a small, round or oval cut in the back with further decoration by fine embroidery or beading on it. This Blauj back dizain is an additional touch of sensuality without compromising on the elegance.

2. String and Tassel Details

Blaujs with string and tassel details at the back evoke a jolly and youthful vibe. Most of these designs detail multiple strings or tassels that are tied behind your back, making it look interesting. They can be worn to add a little fun to your outfit.

3. Deep V Backs

For bold statement seekers, deep V backs are the way to do it. A blauj back dizain is really bold and dramatic and would be perfect to brighten up special occasions. Try parlaying it with a high-neck front for balance.

Embracing Blauj Dijaen New Styles

Innovation is something that keeps fashion fresh and is going to be all about the pushing of limits in classic designs within the world of blauj dijaen new. Among others, some of the freshest and most creative ideas within blauj dizain new include:

1. Cape Sleeves

Cape sleeves are something that has come into the blauj dizain world pretty recently. This forms the sleeve portions that extend into flowing capes, rendering a regal, ethereal touch to your saree. They could be perfect for any entrance whatsoever.

2. Cold Shoulder Designs

Cold-shoulder blauj dizains represent an urban mix of modern trends brought out to exude an elite look filled with elegance that is steeped in tradition. They are blaujediator patterns with cutouts at the shoulders, updating the whole classic look of blauj into something quite eclectic and contemporary, teaming well with various styles for sarees.

3. Backless Wonders

Backless blaujs are for those people that do have the courage to be bold. Infused with detailed upfront detailing, these blauj dijaen new styles often leave the back completely open, that put forward a well-toned back and add a tint of sensuality to the saree.

Finding Your Perfect Blauj Dizain New

With the variety out there, it can get really overwhelming to find the perfect blauj dizain new. Here are some guidelines on how to choose the right one.

Think About the Occasion: The very first thing while choosing a blauj dizain is to consider the event. Be very stylish and sophisticated for formal occasions but bold and playful in design for casual gatherings.

Match Your Saree: Your blauj should match your saree in color, fabric, or even the style. Well-matched blauj can enhance the look altogether.

Focus on the Fit: Fit is very important when it comes to blauj. Ensure that it fits well and flatters the body structure. A well-fitted blauj will ever appear more gracious and stylish.

Conclusion

From the blauj dizain to the most innovative, latest blauj back dizain ideas, these blauj dijaen new styles bring a world of limitless creativity at your doorstep. Be it the latest blauj dizain, the most innovative blauj back dizain ideas, or fresh blauj dijaen new styles, there is something for everyone. Take on the trends, experiment with various designs, and find the perfect blauj to compliment your saree for women. Remember, the right blauj can really bring out the total look and make a person confident and beautiful at any type of gathering. So, go ahead and try out the world of the new blauj dizain, and let your sense of style shine!

[thechanelmuse]

My Top Albums/EPs of 2023

It's that time.

It's a tradition of mine to post my end-of-the-year music list. I used to get music questions + recommendations all the time. This goes back to the days of the Hypster Music Player we used to have on our pages (remember those lol) before the DMCA roll out.

As a heads up, I'm a violinist with a BFA in Music and Audio Production. I'm a timbre listener first 🤷🏽‍♀️. No surprise there. Some people listen to music for the lyrics first, melody first, a catchy hook first, etc. I'm a tone color and texture person as it relates to vocality, instrumentation, and the arrangement/combination of frequencies altogether. (For more on that and how you can confirm/discover what kind of listener you are, this book, which I reviewed, is a go-to.)

Here's my list of albums you may know and some that'll be your first introduction. I had a number of honorable mentions, but this is already long enough 🙃 lol. Enjoy!

JAZZ

Adam Blackstone - Legacy: The Instrumental Jawn and The Legacy Experience Live (2 albums)

André 3000 - New Blue Sun

Brandee Younger - Brand New Life

Braxton Cook - Who Are You When No One is Watching?

Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band - Kings Highway

Christian McBride - Prime

Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah - Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning

Fred Hersch & Esperanza Spalding - Alive At The Village Vanguard

Jason Moran - From the Dancehall to the Battlefield

Jeremy Pelt - The Art of Intimacy, Vol. 2: His Muse

Jonathan Blake - Passage

Joshua Redman - where are we

Meshell Ndegeocello - The Omnichord Real Book

New Breed Brass Band - Made in New Orleans

Roy Hargrove - The Love Suite: In Mahogany

Samara Joy - Linger A While (Deluxe Edition)

Theo Croker, Ego Ella May & D'LEAU - BY THE WAY

SOUL/BLUES (ROCK)

Baby Rose - Through and Through

Christone "Kingfish" Ingram - Live in London

Cleo Sol - Gold

Cory Henry - Live at the Piano

Danielle Ponder - Some of Us Are Brave (Deluxe)

Durand Jones - Wait Til I Get Over

Gabriels - Angels & Queens (Deluxe)

Ghost Hounds - First Last Time

Junior Wells & Buddy Guy - Live in Hiroshima 1975

Nina Simone - You've Got To Learn (Live)

October London - The Rebirth of Marvin

Various Artists - Written in the Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos 👈🏾 7+ hours of goodness 🤌🏾

Wyn Starks w/ Fisk Jubilee Singers - At the End of the River - EP

GOSPEL

Anthony Brown & group therAPY - Affirmations

Jekalyn Carr - The Living Word

Jonathan McReynolds - My Truth

Kirk Franklin - Father’s Day

Tamela Mann - Overcomer (Deluxe) — 2022 album I missed

Tye Tribbett - All Things New (Live In Orlando)

The Walls Group - Four Walls

COUNTRY

Caitlyn Smith - High & Low

Chapel Hart - Glory Days ("Redneck Fairytale" track gotta go tho cuz chile what 🙃)

Chris Stapleton - Higher

Colbie Caillat - Along the Way

Dalton Dover - Never Giving Up On That

Darius Rucker - Carolyn's Boy

Ingrid Andress - Good Person (Deluxe)

Kelsea Ballerina - Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (For Good)

Luke Combs - Gettin' Old

Megan Moroney - Lucky (Deluxe)

Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Taylor's Version)

The War and Treaty - Lover's Game

FOLK/AMERICANA

Billie Marten - Drop Cherries

Eva Cassidy - I Can Only Be Me

Kara Jackson - Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?

Kina Grannis & Imaginary Future - I Found You

Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

Noah Kahan - Stick Season (We'll All Be Here Forever)

Sunny War - Anarchist Gospel

HOLIDAY

Brandy - Christmas with Brandy

Gregory Porter - Christmas Wish

Samara Joy - A Joyful Holiday

BLENDED GENRES

chlothegod - Nearly Straight

Jamila Woods - Water Made Us

Kali Uchis - Red Moon in Venus

Kelela - Raven

L'Rain - I Killed Your Dog

Little Dragon - Slugs of Love

Niia - Bobby Deerfield

Prince & The New Power Generation - Diamonds and Pearls (Super Deluxe Edition) 👈🏾 7+ hours of goodness 🤌🏽

Prince & The New Power Generation - Live at Glam Slam

Sampha - Lahai

Various Artists - Birthright - A Black Roots Music Compendium

R&B

Aliah Sheffield - These Songs Are For Anyone Sick of Earth

Cleo Sol - Heaven

Coco Jones - What I Didn't Tell You (Deluxe)

Emily King - Special Occasion

Kenyon - The R&B You Love

Kyra - as things grow

Leon Thomas - Electric Dusk

Madison McFerrin - I Hope You Can Forgive Me

PJ Morton - Watch the Sun Live: The Mansion Sessions

The Shindellas - Shindo

Terrace Martin & Ashley Isley - I Left My Heart In Ladera

Victoria Monét - Jaguar II

RAP

Black Thought and El Michels Affair - Glorious Game

BLK ODYSSY - DIAMONDS & FREAKS

Duckwrth - Chrome Bull DLX

Killer Mike - MICHAEL

Mick Jenkins - The Patience

Nas - Magic 2

Nas - Magic 3

Nick Grant - SUNDAY DINNER

Noname - Sundial

Oddisee - To What End

Tyler the Creator - CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale

POP

Birdy - Portraits

Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

Ellie Goulding - Higher Than Heaven (Deluxe)

Hozier - Unreal Unearth

The Japanese House - In the End It Always Does

Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!

Kelly Clarkson - chemistry (Deluxe)

Madison Beer - Silence Between Songs

Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS

Paramore - This Is Why

P!nk - Trustfall

Sabrina Carpenter - emails i can't send fwd:

Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor’s Version)

ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS

HAIM - Days Are Gone (10th Anniversary Edition)

Janet Jackson - Discipline (Deluxe Edition)

Luther Vandross - Live at City Music Hall (Expanded 20th Anniversary Edition)

Mariah Carey - Music Box: 30th Anniversary Edition

[rappacciniscompendium]

🥀🍄🌷Contributor Artist introduction 🌷🍄🥀 🌹  Eva Smith  🌹

Hi, I'm Eva!! I love classic art so I try to add a bit of its aesthetic into my illustrations. If it has lace, glam or ink I'll be all heart eyes for it ♥︎

Please look forward to meeting Begonia in this hauntingly whimsical compendium!

Find me here:

Tumblr / Twitter / Instagram

[bloodybells1]

Motley Boo: The Dirt 2019 and a Tertiary Failure to Reframe the “Baddest Band”’s History within Patriarchal Discourse

It’s difficult to overstate the impact Mötley Crüe made on the history of heavy metal with their 1981 debut album, Too Fast For Love. Raw, phlegmatic, and, yes, fast—it clocks in at less than 40 minutes—the album dropped into the world of heavy metal like a megaton anvil (or a turbocharged racer, depending on how you looked at it). The repercussions were conclusive and far-reaching. Shortly after the release, the band would support established acts like Kiss on the road, and later followed up the record with an even bigger smash hit, Shout at the Devil, permanently engraving them into the annals of heavy metal. 

What distinguished this freshmen effort in the larger context of the metal scene, however, was the band’s—well, really, Nikki Sixx’s—intelligent cross-referencing of glam rock optics within the giant soundscape of the Marshall amp set. Almost a decade before Guns’n’Roses would introduce a similarly decadent soupcon of glam rock attitude into heavy metal’s DNA (more in the form of LA dispossession, but you know what I mean), there stood Crüe, bow-tying the cranked distortion of heavy metal with an androgynous, lipstick-smeared pucker.

Yet, the record was more than just a public relations gambit to redesign heavy metal in the image of T. Rex. After all, it seemed the band had actually made a great album. It was good enough to make it into the mixtapes of LA punks and New York skinheads, at least, as well as those of breadbasket-America headbangers—quite a feat for a band that cared little for the punk scene’s headier nihilism. Punks, for their part, looked past the cockrocking and focused instead on the record’s straightforward production and live sound. As it turned out, it was a good sign that a band like Crüe, for all their apparent fluffiness and ostensibly commercial leanings, had gained the favor of this more reticent community, having passed the “canary in the coal mine” test of punk rock’s preoccupation with authenticity.

And yet, I bet the first thing that comes to mind when prompted by the name of Mötley Crüe, at least to that of the layman, isn’t the infectious speed of “Live Wire”’s thunderclap-opening riff, but rather the band’s notoriously depraved extracurricular reputation. In fact, the quartet was already infamous for debauched hedonism prior to their even getting signed, the lore going back to their salad days as local lotharios at the Viper Room in downtown Los Angeles. Right out of the gate, they were as famous for fornication and drug abuse as for their music. 

Far from discouraging the storyline of excess, Crüe seemed right at home with their association with drugs and sex. The emphasis on carnality became a career-long feature of their mystique, both as a marketing strategy and as a core element of the philosophy implied in their music. Ultimately, they would enshrine this element in the form of a tell-all, committing all the sordid details of their exploits to paper in their aptly-named 2001 anthology of licensed sin, The Dirt. 

Couched as an entry of the confessional genre, the volume was jointly written in equal parts by each band member, offering long, anecdotal chapters, written in an extemporaneous, oral style. The accounts dove deep into the cesspool of their origins and the progress of their career. Obviously, the band didn’t write an exhaustive account of their entire story up to 2001, when the book was published, on their own; journalist Neil Strauss adroitly arranges their tracts with a wink and a nod. Not satisfied with a simple tell-all, though, he weaves the band members’ submitted drafts and “journal entries” into a grand narrative fabric that belies not only Strauss’s objective’s gaze, but a teleological vision of the price of fame, a tale steeped in storied entries of similar abasement, perhaps dating all the way back to Joris-Karl Huysmans’ A rebours.

Despite The Dirt’s clear insistence on the prevalence of moral transactionalism, it has nonetheless become known as a foundational text for the “sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll” trope of decadence. Readers seem to cherish the opening chapters of early hedonic excess without making much of the larger morality play laid out through the book’s end. The earlier chapters are so naked (excuse the pun) in their reportage of the band’s debauched activities, they’ve been taken as advertisements for that behavior. This rendering misappropriates the book’s real value—as a text on moral cosmology—by turning it into further glorification of rock’n’roll’s early hedonistic credo. Those early chapters are really a set up for what the book truly is, and should be known for most, that is, a discrediting of that credo.

The Dirt makes a clear case that the band has paid for their excesses—Vince Neil loses his daughter, Nikki Sixx almost dies, Mick Mars fights his way up to become the true sage in the band, Tommy Lee keeps getting divorced. These facts are laid out convincingly through a simple prose style: diaristic reportage of the self that, through careful pacing, mines deeper and deeper levels of personal pain and reckoning. Strauss is methodical in doling out these sojourns into the moral deep, making sure not to preempt their trials with hints of the future (never mind that we know how the story ends). This, along with the distinct voice of each band member, has the added effect of keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.

The supranarrative that emerges by the final page, one that supplants the traditional one that the unsuspecting reader no doubt imports into the book from decades of formulaic pandering to baser perspectives, states the fundamental primacy of Fate, that even the world’s most riotous band could not escape cosmic will. Mötley Crüe, as authors of the commodity known as “Mötley Crüe,” and through the media amplification of commodity fetishism, have become godlike and must be thrust down, made human again. Fate will make a human out of the man no matter how demiurgic he becomes. 

It’s no surprise that, with heady matter like this associated with a known commodity like Crüe, an early film deal sprang out of the publishing of the book. The Dirt came out in 2001, 20 years after Mötley Crüe came on the scene, and it has taken almost as much time for its dramatization, in the form of a Netflix biopic, to emerge. That’s a long time for a movie based on a book to come out, and there has understandably been a lot of anticipation.

Through the years, I’ve come to loathe biopics, which with few exceptions turn out to be the mere regurgitations of original texts, authored under viably artistic circumstances and trademarked, but then repeated by a committee of capitalist shills for a waiting audience eager to consume the brand anew. This explains why almost every biopic is a formulaic compendium, lacking any vision or direction, since its objective in the first place is to provide brand pornography for consumers of established texts.

It’s quite sad that the cinematic dramatization of The Dirt is no exception to this rule. It so exemplifies the craven absence of real art in the modern biopic as to appear almost comical at times. Indeed, when I looked at the image on my Netflix home page of the movie, I initially thought that perhaps someone had given Mötley Crüe’s inimitable story the Christopher Guest treatment.

Alas, no.

The movie is a sorry parade of every single biopic cliché that was ever established in the history of biopics. I won’t go into just how pathetically—shamelessly, even—this movie panders to the basest titillations of brand pornography. That sad fact has been firmly established by the critical consensus. (It carries a 43 percent Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes, a rating I, in fact, find charitable.) My point in writing about this infuriating piece of exploitative pablum is to direct the reader to the incredible missed opportunity of this movie.

As I’ve already written, the book’s greatest accomplishment is not the lascivious proxy to bad behavior its protracted tales of sexual promiscuity and substance abuse offer the more upstanding, less adventurous reader. It’s the successful reframing of the “sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll” narrative as a cautionary tale. Granted, we’ve seen this story inscribed into the annals of pop stardom before the publishing of The Dirt (hello Buddy Holly movie, Walk the Line, et al). Yet, its innovation lies not in the mere fact of the reframing, but in its offering the pen to the miscreant author: The Dirt is perhaps the first bad boy memoir: a behind-the-scenes tell-all yes, though of the Gore Vidal sort, and repurposed for the headbanger set with a moral edge.

By 2001, it had long been understood that this snot-nosed gang of aging rockers no longer had a decent recording in them (that’s no criticism if you believe, as I do, that the artform of rock music entails an inherent expiration date).  Instead, they produced a memoir that, shot straight from their shaky typewriters and notebooks, reinvents the band as willing atoners. In so doing they reemerge as personal subjects of a grand, cautionary tale, a heavy metal story for the era of Oprah, if you will. Mötley Crüe, then, performed a more authentic act in the writing of this book than any album they would have dared record.

Yet, along the current of its blood-soaked river of retribution, The Dirt, misses one crucial point of reckoning, one that positively begs for further exploration. 

Thanks to the #MeToo revolution, we are now given a critical apparatus to judge the excesses of the past committed in the name of patriarchy. Prior to this revolution, texts containing sexist, heteronormative givens were accepted reflexively by the zeitgeist. These were mythologies that historically debased and objectified women as the enslaved recipients of male lust, simple organs of the hedonic will of masculinity. We might have laughed at the music video for “Looks that Kill,” which features, among other debasing tropes, a gaggle of women in generic Neanderthal livery, but today we laugh harder—and more painfully. We no longer turn our eyes away from the now obvious rooting of this imagery in patriarchal attitudes.

The Dirt admittedly has almost nothing to offer by way of a #MeToo moment. (Early kudos, though, to Mick Mars who dedicates many of his paragraphs to the ludicrousness of male promiscuity.) But this isn’t necessarily a shortcoming of the book, anymore than that we may fault any number of classic stories and records that import similarly unexamined masculine, heteronormative givens into the 21st Century. As late as 2001, our eyes were yet glazed over with the unquestioned spectacle of male desire. Furthermore, the book is rife with vulnerable emoting and painful rumination. It thereby confers it an atmosphere of thoughtfulness. To a certain extent this vitiates against accusations of insensitivity.

But this potential forgiveness isn’t possible in cinema, where the taut storyline and shorter format require a more conclusive, unshaded verdict. Never mind that in 2019 it’s positively inexcusable. The #MeToo movement has today firmly established a visible discourse that supersedes antique notions of male desire, yet the movie seems to have taken no note of this seismic occurrence. To name but one of the movie’s baffling examples of cultural myopia, there are at least two scenes portraying women materializing out of the darkness underneath dining room tables, complete with satiated visages fresh from a round of clandestine fellatio. This is only one of the movie’s dated pickings from pre-#MeToo boilerplate, but it is perhaps the most glaring.

The film seems to conflate factual verisimilitude and hindsight objectivity; to which the simple response is that portraying something “as it was” doesn’t inoculate you from the sins of the past. One need only watch a couple seasons of another Netflix offering that traffics in garish ‘80s pop-cultural paraphernalia, GLOW, to witness a successful handling of these two elements. Many of the antique notions that were part and parcel in the ‘80s are now clearly offensive from today’s standards of race and sex discourse. These are reframed as racist and sexist mythologizing by the show’s deep dives into the family life of one of the African American wrestlers.

There’s nary a hint of this sort of wokeness from the film version of The Dirt. You really have to scratch your head as to how the committee let this fly, not to mention how desperate anyone would need to be in order to ignore such profligate tone-deafness under their collective noses.

The Dirt in 2019 truly encapsulates the most tragic outcome of a band like Mötley Crüe. The film’s failure as a work of art is not surprising when you consider that most biopics fail in that regard (Bohemian Rhapsody, anyone?). But the movie’s failure becomes truly irretrievable, of a completely different order of magnitude, when you consider that Mötley Crüe missed another opportunity to reframe themselves along the contours of contemporary discourse. They were successful in 2001, when, during the era of Oprah, they took their foundational text of rock’n’roll hedonism and reframed it as a personalized descent into Orphic confrontation. This gave us cause for hope in 2019, during the era of #MeToo, when the missing piece of that story, the accounting with the greater societal harm caused by unexamined patriarchy, was given an incredible opportunity to be placed back into the spine of the band’s legacy. Unfortunately, as Netflix and Mötley Crüe have made clear, the hope was misplaced.

[khalfan113366-blog]

Having it all in social media, self branding , fashion bloggers

Done by: Khafam Almamari

Amjad Alshukaili

Nov 4, 2018

The Glam Life

A separate yet related way that fashion bloggers unsettle the binary between labor and leisure is through their staging of “the glam life,” characterized by global travel, invitations to exclusive events, and access to luxury goods and swag.

By taking a photos and videos for the lifestyle on their Instagram accounts, the bloggers in our sample engaged in what Marwick has described as, an attention-seeking practice whereby an individual presents herself in a high status social position .

Promotion to the brands

In many cases, these products were famous from designers and publicists as part of a mutual incentive structure that mobilizes the activities of social influencers .” The practice of “tagging,” or linking to a branded product in one’s blog or Instagram feed, stands as public recognition of a commercial.

It is perhaps not surprising that designer goods are also central to bloggers’ staging of “the glam life”, the blogs and Instagram feeds we analyzed displayed a compendium of Valentino pumps, luxury goods offset by the occasional thrift store purchase or product identified with a discount retailer.

The gendered nature of this intimate social sharing must be historically contextualized, as Victorian era demarcations between public and private were guided by assumptions about masculine and feminine realms, respectively.

Sometimes bloggers frequently shared personal details by, for example, acknowledging the support of parents or partners, Because they want to show social responsibility, thus increasing the number of followers, and increase the impact. So, that back positively for them.

Bloggers and leisure time

Some people work for some production companies, advertising and global promotion. These people may not have time to enjoy their time, and do not have the leisure time to enjoy with family and friends because they are constantly working for the company that offers them money,

While some bloggers enjoy their time through their work, they spend time with family and friends and do not have pressure through work.

While there are self-employed bloggers who are not affiliated with an organization, they enjoy their time and organize their time as they wish

self branding

Social media has contributed to the making of a personal brand. There are many persons who have benefited by getting a large number of followers, so they have become famous and influential in a certain category, thus creating a personal identity for themselves on social networks. They subsequently benefited from the commercialization of production companies. The bloggers translated their voices and into lucrative and seemingly fulfilling careers.

The Author: Brooke Erin Duffy & Emily Hund

July-December 2015: 1–11

Place: USA

[goodbysunball]

Best of 2017

Countering the truly embarrassing news cycle of the past year was the deluge of great new music released upon the world, so much so that I’m leaving a good chunk of more than deserving albums hanging. To simplify everything, this is a compendium of what was played most around here, along with a handful of new-to-me reissues/archival releases.

I skipped doing the rap recap this year because my list was so pathetically brief, and doing so seemed both short-sighted and irrelevant. That being said: Quelle Chris’ Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often was my favorite album, followed by Starlito’s Manifest Destiny and Playboi Carti’s vapid, relentlessly fun album. Goldlink’s “Crew” featuring Brent Faiyaz and Shy Glizzy was my favorite song, like everyone else.

Full list of 30 records below. We’ll do better next year.

LP

12. Mount Trout, Screwy (self-released)

This unassuming, digital-only gem crept up on me as the months turned cold. Scraps of paper with notes written on them are held afloat by spare guitar lines; elsewhere winds whip in and chaos overtakes clarity. Lots of the lyrics sound like half-thoughts that forced themselves out after extended periods of solitude, sometimes peaceful, sometimes anguished. Screwy rewards patient attention without dragging you through the mud - but it’s there, should you need to cool off.

11. Group Doueh & Cheveu, Dakhla Sahara Session (Born Bad)

The intriguing pairing on Dakhla Sahara Session turns out to be one of the best surprises of the year, and easily one of the most listenable. Cheveu’s robotic yet effervescent contributions are immediately recognizable, as are Group Doueh’s swirling guitar lines and sweeping vocals; the two fit in and around each other, explosion welded together into a foundation for a colored smoke tower.

10. Leda, Gitarrmusik III-X (Förlag För Fri Musik)

The two people behind Neutral put out a lot of music this year, most of it well worth hunting down despite its highly limited, premium price barrier. I can’t claim to have heard everything, but by my count the two best were Neutral’s När mini-LP and Leda’s limited-to-100 Gitarrmusik III-X LP. Most of this sounds like King Blood collaborating with Robert Turman, looping machinations mixing with heavily distorted shredding, all of it recorded in a metal-walled bunker. Doesn’t sound like much on paper, but when you arrive at “Gitarrmusik VIII” and “IX,” time just about stops. (If you missed out, “Gitarrmusik I” and “II” are available here.)

9. The Body & Full of Hell, Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light (Thrill Jockey)

The first collaboration between these two heavyweights was a slow grower, both bands clearing the land by seeing how far out they could push their respective versions of extreme metal. Ascending, then, is the sound of the two bands communicating as one. The immediate standout is “Farewell, Man,” exactly what comes to mind when one imagines what kind of song the Body and Full of Hell could write together. But tracks like “Our Love Conducted With Shields Aloft,” all free drumming, violently humming noise and sandblasted vocals, hint at a broader, uglier horizon.

8. Bad Breeding, Divide (Iron Lung/La Vida Es Un Mus)

One of the year’s nastier hardcore records, and a reminder that the shitstorm at home extends across the Atlantic, too. The band’s got enough chops to rip through every track here - check out that stuttering riff on “Anamnesis,” and how it comes roaring back after a quick respite - but the best songs close each side. The screaming of “Now what?” that concludes “Leaving” is chilling, and serves as one of the best summations of this mess of a year.

7. The Terminals, Antiseptic (Ba Da Bing)

I’ve been hankerin’ for more Steven Cogle ever since that self-titled Dark Matter LP, and if that’s one of your favorite records of recent yore like it is mine, you oughta get your mitts on Antiseptic. The long-running band is absent Brian Crook, but he is ably replaced by Nicole Moffat, who also appeared on Dark Matter; her violin seeps into the empty pores, creating a dense, beautiful atmosphere ripe for Cogle’s powerful vocals. The deal’s done by the time “Edge of the Night” hits.

6. Taiwan Housing Project, Veblen Death Mask (Kill Rock Stars)

Wrecking crew led by Kilynn Lunsford and Mark Feehan brings the heat, here as two parts of a six-piece ensemble. The ten tracks on here range from caustic to catchy (”Eat or Be Eat” into “Luminous Oblong Blur” for the former, “Multidimensional Spectrum” for the latter), accentuated by sax blurts and ever-present static grime. If that ain’t enough, lyrics acidic enough to melt bone make Veblen Death Mask a complete meal worth droolin’ over.

5. Sida, s/t (Population)

The Theoreme LP that came out last year turned into one of my favorites this year, syrupy-thick industrial body music from one Maissa D. She fronts Sida, and she turns in the vocal performance of the year on their first LP. She seemed more restrained as Theoreme but that’s all out the window here; "Qu'Est-Ce Qui T'As Pris?” ups the ante and things don’t slow down from there. The band, for their part, turn in a burly and caustic punk/no wave hybrid that does all it can to keep up. An aural steamroller.

4. Omni, Multi-task (Trouble In Mind)

It was a real mistake to not include Omni’s deceptively catchy debut Deluxe on my year-end list last year, so when they came back and made an even better record, credit is due. Not sure how Frankie Broyles doesn’t sprain his wrist or let melodies go off the rails, but his snappy drumming and spindly guitar work are the stars of the show. The lyrics slyly present a general malaise with modern romance, and when it all clicks, like on “Supermoon” into “Date Night,” strap in.

3. Bed Wettin’ Bad Boys, Rot (R.I.P. Society/What’s Your Rupture?)

Ready for Boredom was a great album full of weary-headed anthems, and it looks like growin’ up hasn’t come any easier for these bedwetters on Rot. The Boys left their glam rock tendencies (i.e., “Sally”) behind this time, and they stick to making gruff pop songs for people whose weeks slip by uneventfully more and more frequently. Songs like “Plastic Tears” and “Device” are urgent and unbelievably catchy, and whoever did the vocals on “Work Again” needs more time at the mic. The Replacements are still a good reference point for these guys, but after two rock-solid albums, it’s time they get to shed that flattering-yet-overbearing label and lay claim to this sound that they’ve perfected.

2. Dreamdecay, YÚ (Iron Lung)

Man, Dreamdecay are so good. They’ve softened the edges from N V N V N V but they’re even more potent this time around, figuring out how to include big slow-moving guitar riffs in a nominally punk framework. Songs like “Mirror” just about leave you on the floor with the guitar theatrics, while “IAN” is a one-way ticket to the stratosphere. All of it sounds incredible, and I think Andrew Earles said it best, so I’ll let him do the honors: “YÚ could easily rearrange how someone thinks about music… in that unforgettable way that stays with the experiencer forever.”

1. Aaron Dilloway, The Gag File (Dais)

What more can I say about The Gag File? I have gushed. Not only a complete statement of an album, but one of the only records to force a localized shutdown when it’s on, keeping everything else at arm’s length. A world unto its own. Clear the cobwebs out.

7″/12″

Anxiety, Wild Life 7″ (La Vida Es Un Mus)

There’s a good bit of cornball humor present in Anxiety’s lyrics and credited band member names, the sort of thing that has persisted/pervaded a lot of modern punk and hardcore. But these guys sell it, and more: with better (read: less juvenile) lyrics, sly and self-deprecating; a monster vocal performance (”Dumped” especially); and a blistering intensity that oughta put their peers on notice.

Bent, Mattress Springs 7″ (Emotional Response)

Bent’s been on my radar since their Non Soon tape, and this year they dropped the Snakes & Shapes LP, every bit the shifting, shambling and at times annoyingly silly experience Non Soon prepped me for. The Mattress Springs 7″ came soon after, and compressed all the best parts of the LP (including “Mattress Springs”) into several minutes of leaky roof drums, hypnotic bass lines and smothered, frantic guitar parts.

Crack Cloud, Anchoring Point 7″ (Good Person)

Whereas Bent are happy to let their songs droop and flow, Crack Cloud come across as almost militaristic in their approach. Perfectly rehearsed, not a hair out of place, and yet as urgent as anything released under the banner of post-punk in the past however-many-years. The first three jagged and dense tracks whip in and cut out, just in time but somehow just too soon; “Philosopher’s Calling” is the payoff.

Hothead, Richie Records Summer Singles Series 7″ (Richie)

The Richie Records Summer Singles Series once again distinguished itself in a household where 7″s aren’t really given the time of day. Sure, Writhing Squares Too breathed life into krautrock in 2017, and David Nance’s "Amethyst” is kingdom come on the right day, but Hothead? Their shambling take on two covers (and a quick sketch) netted them the gold.

Mordecai, What Is Art? 7″ (Sophomore Lounge)

Mordecai is one of America’s great treasures, ain’t no way around it. Their Abstract Recipe LP on Richie from this year is great, reclaiming the highs of Neil’s Generator while pushing further from their influences - but the two disparate sides of this 7″ compress everything great about the band into a tidy package. The A-side rambles out of the gate in the same way Abstract Recipe does, whereas the B-side goes all Don Howland: low fidelity, downtrodden but toe-tapping. Buy everything they’ve recorded.

Mutual Jerk, s/t 7″ (State Laughter)

“He’s really a nice guyyy” begins the A-side track “He’s Harmless,” and hoo boy you better sit down for this one, because that bass line is not quitting anytime soon. Feeble excuses pile up, a disinterested defense of a friend presented with a mocking snarl until the constant pummel causes the dam to burst. The flip cynically covers comfortable suburban lifestyles and macho hardcore, two new takes on No Trend's vast influence, but not quite reaching the impossible heights of song-of-the-year “He’s Harmless.”

Neutral, När 12″ (Omlott)

Neutral’s self-titled LP quickly turned into a favorite here in the early months of 2017. The duo kept busy all year, eventually releasing this mini-LP that favors electronics over guitars. The brittle backbone is the perfect support for Sofie Herner’s fragile yet mechanical vocals, a fitting soundtrack for a walk home so cold your eyelashes freeze. Shadow music that lacks a distinct time or place but leaves a flood of sensory overload in its wake.

Scorpion Violente, The Stalker 12″ (Bruit Direct Disques)

“The Wound”’s slow ooze remains one of my favorite musical moments of the year; there’s a reason it’s the only one you can’t stream via Bandcamp. Pay up, because if any modern label deserves your money, it’s Bruit Direct Disques.

The Shifters, “A Believer” b/w “Contrast of Form” (Market Square)

Brilliant little single of downer pop from the Shifters, whose self-titled cassette gained them a lot of Fall comparisons and was previously mined for a 7″ by It Takes Two. But it looks like they’ve got ambitions beyond the record nerd cadre: both songs are immediately satisfying without imparting a sticky sweetness - who can find fault with that?

Straightjacket Nation, s/t 12″ (La Vida Es Un Mus)

This is the punk record of the year for me, one that maybe got lost in the deluge of releases from La Vida Es Un Mus. If you wanna learn about effective vocal delivery in hardcore, please see “2021.” Eight tracks, all meat. Please tour the US.

Reissue/Archival

I don’t really feel too qualified to comment on music largely made before I was born, especially since I am the owner of several 2017 reissues with flowery press kits that I will probably never listen to again. But if you’re gonna be a sucker, let a sucker clue you in to these tried-and-true slabs deserving of any and all accolades. Unrepresented here, somewhat criminally, is the Black Editions, a label doing really amazing work reviving the P.S.F. catalog.

The And Band / Perfect Strangers, Noli Me Tangere split 7″ (Look Plastic/Noisyland)

Noli Me Tangere is two sides of barely-music from early ‘80s Christchurch, with this new edition featuring extensive liner notes from George Henderson, he of the And Band (and perhaps more recognizably, the Spies and the Puddle). Both sides showcase a coupla outcasted NZ bands supporting each others’ avant-scrawl, as inspirational as it is baffling.

Byron Morris & Gerald Wise, Unity LP (Eremite)

Freedom music, full of raw intensity (”Byard Lancaster did push-ups when not playing”) and fiery exchanges. The two sidelong pieces are demanding of your full attention, repaid in kind with chills so deep you’ll swear a spirit passed through ya.

Cosey Fanni Tutti, Time to Tell LP (Conspiracy International)

Gorgeous reissue with a foil-stamped gatefold and a huge booklet full of ephemera from the recording period. Less Throbbing Gristle menace than new age shimmer, especially on the B-side; the gentle ascent is the natural conclusion once you’ve lived through the stunning title track. Cosey, take me away.

Die Tödliche Doris, “ “ LP (États-Unis)

Brutally minimalistic post-punk from early ‘80s Germany, painstakingly restored by the Superior Viaduct sub-label États-Unis. The A-side is full of blistering, manic bursts; the flip smoothes things out, allowing ideas to stick around, proving this approach works in both short- and long-form. Call it ZNR meets DNA.

Harry Pussy, A Real New England Fuck Up LP (Palilalia)

Two live sets, one on each side, both monstrous and in shockingly high fidelity, especially given the circumstances detailed by Tom Lax and Tom Carter on the sleeve. The show from T.T. the Bear’s is the performance I always want (”Harry Pussy took the stage and sandblasted the night into oblivion”) and rarely get.

Khan Jamal Creative Art Ensemble, Drum Dance to the Motherland LP (Eremite)

Capping off a brilliant year for Eremite was a beautiful reissue of Drum Dance to the Motherland’s cosmic transmission. All of the hyperbolic reviews ring true when “Inner Peace” stumbles into a groove, but my favorite part is the almost painfully shrill horns on the title track.

Meat Thump, “Metal Gun” b/w “Left to Rust” 7″ (Coward Punch)

Coward Punch Records kept the memory of Brendon Annesley alive with a couple of archival Meat Thump 7″ers this year. The earlier one was good, but didn’t quite hit home; here, “Metal Gun” could be twice its length, and “Left to Rust” rambles down my spine in the same way that still-great “Box of Wine” 7″ does.

V/A, Oz Waves LP (Efficient Space)

I did not have more fun this year than when I was dancing along to this record like a poorly operated marionette, which was every time “Will I Dream?” started. Efficient Space continues to deliver the goods I didn’t know I needed.

[nemnuoc]

Slam Diego padres shirt

Slam Diego padres shirt

Buy it: Slam Diego padres shirt

That MJ store closed in the Slam Diego padres shirt 2010s and fashion’s pendulum swung away from tacky glitzy glam to the nun-chic austerity of Phoebe Philo’s Céline. But the pendulum swings back. Teenage dreams of fashion are what fuels Marc Jacobs’s new collection, so aptly titled Heaven. Launched yesterday and priced between $45 and $395, Heaven is a compendium…

[lizzy-frizzle]

Still trying to get the hat, but this is what I have for Elizabeth so far, which would work better as a scholar or summoner glam, since you could get a decent Persona Compendium out of them

I've made a Chie glam in FFXIV, and now I'm working on an Elizabeth one, but I gotta enter copied factory hell until I get my elevator attendant hat

[myreia]

✦ F F X I V L E V E L 9 0

—compendium

[66whitedressesforgirls]

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[davinadancearttextiles]

“Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student To Stage” is now on Amazon.com

Hey Gang!  My 2016 was DOMINATED by two publishing projects. The largest was the production of the belly dance book, “Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage.”  This stagecraft handbook is the result of a very successful collaboration between four belly dancers.  

• Sara Shrapnell: http://letsbellydanceusa.weebly.com/ • Myself, Dawn Devine ~ Davina: http://www.davina.us/blog/home/ • Alisha Westerfeld, Photographer: http://alishawesterfeld.smugmug.com/ • Poppy Maya: http://www.poppymaya.co.uk/

This book is a compendium of tips, tools, and techniques to help belly dancers take their performance game to the next level.  Our team came from four very different backgrounds and worked together from Jan of 2015 until November 2016 to put together this information and image-filled book.  It’s over 402 pages and has nearly 1000 images, more than 700 taken by the talented Alisha Westerfeld.  Our friends and dance family members joined us for photos and we were lucky enough to be able to illustrate the scope of women and men who dance.  From new beginners to seasoned pros, pale to deep, thin to thick, glam to fusion, our book lavishly captures the entire spectrum of dance looks, shapes, ages, sizes, and more!   

***THANK YOU*** to everyone who supported our Kickstarter Campaign!!  In November of 2015, we met and exceeded our target goal by double!!  This influx of funds helped us take our finished manuscript from a mere .pdf to a finished printed text.  And although we would have preferred to produce a book in full-color, we choose to keep the costs down for our students and readers by making our interior images black-and-white.  The MSRP for “Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage,” is $42.95, which is a deal for a book of its size and scope!

Sara Shrapnell was our glorious leader, and she crafted a manuscript that covers most of the situations that dancers will run into from those pre-show jitters before their debut, to professional pitfalls of working the restaurant scene.  The title “From Student to Stage” describes the scope of the book, which Sara addresses directly with the warmth and honesty.  She likes to describe herself as your “Teacher in Absence.” She has more than 20 years of belly dance teaching experience to pull from and has taught, quite literally, thousands of students in two different countries. Her approach is at once nurturing and supportive, and yet frank and direct.  She currently teaches in the San Francisco/Bay Area and via Skype worldwide.  She also is part of the faculty at the “Belly Dance Business Academy.”  (She’s got a few free classes there - so visit the site and check them out!)

Poppy Maya is a third generation professional dancer who has performed on three continents. Poppy is also a triple threat. In addition to being a stunning and glamorous dancer (watch her here on YouTube) she is an accomplished event hostess and promoter, as well as an up-and-coming couture costume designer!  Poppy became our principle model, working closely with Sara and I as stylists and Alisha the photographer to create polished, and frankly, stunning, looks which are scattered throughout the book.

Photographer Alisha Westerfeld joined the team to work with me to create the visual content for the book. She wore many hats in this project from taking pictures on photographic sets and in dance studios, to traveling to a wide variety of venues throughout the Greater Bay Area. In addition to taking more than 20,000 images of 60+ dancers, she became a model herself, allowing me to take a few photos of her for the book.  Alisha has traveled the world taking stunning photos abroad, and she brought to this table a refined eye and aesthetic from a lifetime of image creation.  

In addition to her photography work, Alisha spent more than a decade as an event promoter sitting on the board of the San Francisco/Bay Area chapter MECDA.  During her time with the organization, she was instrumental in hosting a series of Gala shows and one-day festivals that brought dance luminaries to the Bay Area for workshops and performances.  Stars such as Morocco of New York, Princess Farhana of Hollywood, Mesmera of Los Angeles, and Shoshanna of Arcata are just a few of her favorite dance celebrities she and her team brought to our area.  She is very active on Instagram where you can see much more of her photography. 

I came to this team as the facilitator and worked in many capacities, but the biggest project for me was assisting Alisha with the photography and photo prep for the book and then laying out the book.  As a self-published author with dozens of books under my belt, I was responsible for merging the 80,000-word text and the 1000 images into a cohesive 402-page book.  It took me just over a year of full-time work to craft this book. It is by far my largest and most complex book layout project to date.  Of course, I also helped with the writing and illustration of the three costuming chapters, served as photographer and photo stylist, and did a fair bit of modeling myself!  I made Sara a wardrobe which we featured in our DIY Costume Chapter, which is filled with useful, stylish, and most of all, cheap fast and easy, costume ideas.  

As you probably know if you’ve gotten this far and are still reading, I’ve written the best-selling belly dance costume book, “Embellished Bras,” as well as the seminal book on assuit, “The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut.”  I’m an independent author and publisher and my collection of books is available on my website, Amazon.com, and on Etsy.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my latest book “Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Studen to Stage.”  I hope you will keep it in mind when you are considering books to add to your belly dance library or to give a dancing friend as a gift.  

[myreia]

✦ S U M M O N E R

Summoning does not come easily. Though she understands the principles and geometries, even crafted the arcane ink required for codices, she still could not summon. It is embarrassing, in a way, to have mastered all other forms of magic but to be stuck on this one. She devours text upon text, determined to move past whatever roadblock prevented her from enlightenment. There must be some book here, some tome that will unlock the secrets, teach her in a way she understands. She just needs to find it. —level 90 compendium