#i could see the stars while at halsey yes but i want to experience & see what the star party is about and geek out with fellow astronomers

[sakizm]

aaaa the nebraska star party is during when i’m back at halsey this summer AND will only be an hour drive away so i can probs sneak out for a night!!

[lokisasylum]

Map of the Soul: 7 Album - First listen review

[I won’t bother reviewing the ones from PERSONA that were added, since I already did a post for Persona when it came out. Only the new songs]

#1. Interlude: SHADOW

WOW.... just when you thought the first version hit hard/differently. The extended version comes in to choke-slam you against the wall.

#2.  Black Swan

Our new Royal to take a spot in the throne of power along with Blood Sweat & Tears, Spring Day, Fake Love, and Outro: TEAR.

Do we even need to add more additional to what we’ve been saying since its release? As an artist, the lyrics still pull at my heart strings the same way they did the first time I heard it. Especially the verse that says:

‘If this can no longer resonate No longer make my heart vibrate Then like this may be how I die my first death But what if that moment’s right now Right now .’

This verse can be applied to ANY time we loose faith in ourselves or have to give up on a dream/passion and how that separation slowly kills us inside.

#3. Filter (Jimin’s solo)

....Not gonna lie, this song gives me TRUST ISSUES just because its Jimin LOL!

‘Cause I remember seeing & hearing Serendipity for the first time and it was such a lovely melody and the lyrics were so soothing like a lullaby expressing Love in its purest form.

But then you see the choreo and it all went Magic Mike SO FAST X”D.

Because on one hand the lyrics (at first glance) can be interpreted as Jimin seeing himself through Army’s eyes. How WE see his “Duality” - cute/adorable/lovely one minute and then sensual/tantalizing the next.

That boring expression of yours, boring feet Please look at me now Put down your phone, don’t even think about turning your head Let me know your type You can choose and use me yeah

Oh I cover your eyes with my hand Oh go towards the secret I’ll take you to a brand new world Yeah open your closed eyes now go!

Mix the colors of the palette, pick your filter Which me do you want? The one who’s going to change your world, I’m your filter Cover it over your heart

(Ok) How is it, do you feel it a bit? Is it still not enough? (Yes) Girl you have your chance I can be your Genie How ’bout Aladdin? I’ll become anything [for you] You can choose and use me yeah

That first part really does sound like how he would accommodating his “Persona” to make us happy.  And every-time something he does isn’t enough he changes again. 

Of course this doesn’t have to mean what he’s doing in the present, “Filter” could be just like “Lie” which spoke of his past-self and how he used to blame himself for the group’s failures. So maybe he’s expressing how’s he’s had to change himself throughout the years to please the fans as long as they understood and accepted who HE REALLY IS beyond the Idol persona.

Or y’know, this is just a very sexy number he wanted to try and shy away from his comfort zone XD. And I’ll bet all my money that the choreo’s gonna be SEXY AF and WE AIN’T READY FOR IT.

P.S. that moment when the music stops and he goes: “OKAY.” WITH HIS SEXY DEEP AF VOICE, JESUS!!!!

#4. My Time (Jungkook’s solo)

Kook’s solo not only reminded me heavily of “Begin”, but it also sounds like what “Decalcomania” should’ve been if he had released the full version.

He’s seeing himself not as an Idol, but not quite as Jeon Jeongguk either.

Like he’s just standing in the middle watching his two selves, his two Personas and trying to find which one is his. Which reality he is living in--or should be living in. Which part of his life belongs to his “normal/non Idol self” and which one is part of the mask/Idol self he puts up for the fans.

And yes, you know, yes. you know Oh I can’t call ya, I can’t touch ya Oh I can’t Let me know Can I someday find my time? Finna find my time Someday finna find my time 

This verse sounds like he’s still experiencing that loneliness that all artists experience during stardom very often (Note on how in Shadow Yoongi is the one who says: “Nobody ever told me how lonely it is up here.” ). Like how he sometimes wishes he could tell someone, but can’t?

#5. Louder than bombs

All rise for our National Anthem!

If Shadow hit hard while choke slamming you. Then this song is the overkill.

The vocals are insane, and the lyrics mixed with the music tell one story through two points of view. Actor in the spotlight and Actor as a Spectator.

This is BTS telling us how people view them and having to keep their emotions in check in the face of criticism from general audience and even antis, versus how they truly feel inside and behind close doors.

Break, unwind, let it out, breathe out, stand up, pray for better days and keep moving.

#6. ON

THIS👏SONG👏FUCKING👏SLAPS👏PERIOD👏!

The energy, the rap line, the vocal line, the CRAZY FOOTWORK AND INSANE CHOREO.

THE JIKOOK NIP-SLIPS

THE BODY ROLLS

THE TATTOOS---

THE SUBTLE “GO FUCK YOURSELF!”

I LOVED IT and it gave me such a strong throwback to NOT TODAY.

#7. UGH!

This is CYPHER_pt3 Killer, CYPHER pt. 4, TEAR & DDAENG’s lovechild.

This song is the Rap Line going like: “THESE MOTHERFUCKERS WANTED TO TRY ME (AGAIN) AND IMMA GIVE THESE BITCHES A CYPHER.

BITCHES LOVE CYPHERS.”

#8. 00.00 (Zero o’ Clock)

When I saw that we were having another Vocal Line unit song the first thing I kept praying for was: “PLEASE don’t let this be another Truth Untold...”

Because I absolutely HATED the hypocrisy that came out of this fandom ESPECIALLY the toxic Solo Stans who did nothing but hype up their faves while shitting on other members (I will never forgive those who went so far as to defame and even act as if Jimin wasn’t part of the Vocal Line, ya’ll are still trash for that).

But I gotta say Zero o’ Clock was totally something I can see them enjoying while performing. Despite, of course, the song talking about hardships and finding a new way to be happy throughout the tough times even when you don’t feel like smiling.

I liked it, the vibes are a bit like “2,3″ and “Magic Shop”. A song for HEALING.

#9. Friends (VMIN sub-unit)

VMIN

SOULMATES FOREVER.

I also LOVED that they added the voice messages Jimin & Tae used to leave each other since their recording schedules were different and they didn’t see each other. That was such a nice touch. T_T

That little “Hello my Alien” .... that made me emotional. I kept imagining those mischievous kids running around playing pranks on the other members, like that one time they made Hobi fall off the chair and got chased by him XD ...*SOBS*

#10. Inner Child (Taehyung’s solo)

All the time I kept listening to this song I kept imagining Taehyung sitting in a park next to his Younger Self, like the way a father sits with their youngest son and talks to them about life. What to expect, what will change and how to go about these changes.

Really heartfelt song.

#11. Moon (Jin’s solo)

Just like Tae’s song, “Moon” makes me thinking of all those moments when Jin kept doing his “Heart Event” where he kept pulling out hearts out of nowhere. Each time more clever than the first, just to show ARMY how much he loves us.

I wonder all of a sudden, do you really know yourself? Do you know how pretty you are? I will orbit you I will stay by your side I will become your light All for you 

This part in particular makes me think of Jin up on stage staring at a stadium full of bright little stars that are in reality Army Bombs.

#12. Respect (Namgi Unit-song)

Fave verse from this song is:

“Re-spect”, it’s literally looking again and again Looking again and again and you’ll see faults But despite of that you still want to look

And the fact that you have two members of different ages (Hyung/Donsaeng), in a sort of conversation that goes back and forth between what the real meaning of “RESPECT” is and how people throw the word around, even those who speak ill of others behind their backs.

And were they talking in Satoori in the end??? That was nice XD

#13. We are Bulletproof: the Eternal

Throw stones at me We don’t fear anymore We are we are together bulletproof (Yeah we have you have you) Even if winter comes again Even if I’m blocked off, I will still walk We are we are forever bulletproof (Yeah we got to heaven)

#14. Outro: EGO (Jhope’s Solo)

EGO is Jhope and Jhope is EGO in all it’s glory.

Like “Just Dance” i like the contrast how in EGO he’s doing a back-track to his younger self, how he used to dance to prove something TO OTHERS, where as now that he’s older he just accepts that everything that happened is just part of life. So he’s a happier now doing what he loves BECAUSE he loves to dance.

#15. ON (feat. Sia)

....WHY?

Like... I don’t wanna be THAT BITCH and drag nobody, but like... was this really necessary?

I mean atleast Nicki Minage and Halsey had their own parts that they owned like the bad bitches that they are.

But like...

Yeah, Imma stop right here.

[millennialbynature]

Is Rock Dead?

I don’t think there’s a single person who doesn’t love music. For me, music is an escape from reality where I can sit and listen to the rhythm of a song and really feel the composition, or connect personally with the lyrics, but it’s more than just “escaping.” Good musicians know how to bring a passion to their voice when singing, making you feel what they feel while they perform. This passion is what reels listeners in, becoming fans and branding themselves as such. Today, rock music is known for its angst lyrics and loud vocals, bringing an either dominating sound to the ears of fans, or showing their feelings to the world. Those feelings are about more personal demons the artists are dealing with and fans really connect with that, but lyrics used to be about social change and was the music behind movements. Now there doesn’t seem to be a focus on politics, so, in a traditional viewpoint, is rock dead?

Rock music was born in the fifties, borrowing from rhythm and blues, country, pop, jazz, and other forms to create this intrinsic powerful sound. It developed during the political period of desegregation and then gained more heat during the Cold War. In 1951, a disc jockey from Cleveland named Alan Freed, coined the term “rock n’ roll” making Cleveland the “birthplace of rock and roll” (Orman 3). As rock music started to get more popular, so did the controversy of it. In 1955, older people, even some political elites, started overreacting to rock music and often related juvenile delinquency to rock n’ roll. “Soviets viewed rock n’ roll as another example of western ‘decadence,’ but right-wing extremists in the United States viewed the same music as part of a Communist conspiracy to undermine our society” (Orman 4).  So, rock n’ roll almost always was associated with so-called political agendas and a resistance in the youth against higher up’s. In his article, Young writes that during this era, “everything was questioned – from race to gender, from war to the environment, from consumerism to middle-class values, indeed the way of American life itself” (Young 453). Young people were starting to question their way of life, creating this atmosphere of rebellion.

There were many prominent musicians adding to the discourse of protest music during the Vietnam war and civil rights movement era.  Bob Dylan, who was influenced by Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches, was the forefront of the early 1960’s movement because of his political protest songs. “When Bob Dylan burst on the folk scene, protest music really took off” (Young 462). Dylan wrote songs such as “Masters of War,” “The Times They Are a’Changin’, and “Blowin’ in the Wind” that really added fuel to the movement. The “British invasion” included, “the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Animals, the Dave Clark Five, the Kinks, and numerous other British groups changed many things in America” (Orman 6). The Beatles in particular made rock n’ roll turn into a more dynamic term known as “rock.” British groups changed many things in America, and Americans started buying records and wanting to create their own garage bands.

“Three Days of Peace and Music” will forever be iconic throughout history. In 1969, Woodstock became the biggest attended festival yet in America with over half a million people in attendance. Fans, or otherwise known as hippies, crowded in the 600 acre field to hear musicians like Janis Joplin, Arlo Guthrie, The Grateful Dead, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and The Who. “The most memorable moment of the concert for many fans was the closing performance by Jimi Hendrix, who gave a rambling, rocking solo guitar performance of ‘The Star Spangled Banner’” (history.com). This festival was a movement in and of itself against the Vietnam war with most of the musicians performing songs showing their opposition to the war and with most of the fans sharing their views. The late 1960’s and early 70’s was the highlight of rock music because of the songs calling out societal flaws and music against the government. After this era, however, what happened to the political statements and movements rock music brought to their listeners?

In the 1990’s and early 2000’s, bands like Rage Against the Machine and Green Day wrote politically influenced songs. Rage Against the Machine’s song such as “Killing in the Name,” and “Bulls On Parade” speak against police brutality and governments war agendas. Green Day’s “American Idiot” talks about society mindlessly following media and the government. So, after bands like Rage Against the Machine, Green Day, and even U2 who is still currently making music, then what? Where has the politics and call for action within rock music gone? In an interview with Tom Morello done by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for their “Louder than Words: Rock, Power, and Politics” exhibit at the museum in 2016, he says, “100 percent of music is political. Music either supports the status quo or challenges the status quo. So every artist is political” (Rolling Stone). He then goes on to explain what he means by saying, “Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez probably don’t identify as political artists, but their music-while often very entertaining and loved by their fan base- is the bread and circuses of our times… if you’re not questioning authority, you’re tacitly submitting to authority...what you say and what you do matters” (Rolling Stone). Can this be said for today's rock music as well?

It’s commonly known that most pop music today would fall under the category of “submitting to authority” like Morello mentions, but is this true for rock music today as well? When one thinks of rock music, the vision they get in their head is of a group of men wearing leather jackets with tattoos and smoking cigarettes. Why don’t they think of resistance and what the genre was created for? Could it be because the genre is changing? The most popular rock musicians today, according to Billboards charts on “Hot Rock Songs” currently are Imagine Dragons, Bad Wolves, Foster the People, Alice Merton, Panic! At The Disco, Thirty Seconds To Mars featuring Halsey, and Walk The Moon. Later on down the list, we see bands that one might typically associate with rock music more than the bands at the top of chart as I have just mentioned. Those bands include Godsmack, Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin and Five Finger Death Punch. So why is it that the bands at the top of list could be somewhat controversial to people who identity as rock n’ roll listeners? Those bands are topping the charts of what Billboard considers “Hot Rock Songs” but are they actually rock?

Rock music started as a rebellion genre against the political machine and societal standards, so shouldn’t that be the standard used when determining if a song or artist today is classified as rock? In a Billboard article titled, “Is Rock Still Relevant In 2016?” the author, Carl Wilson, brings up a good point saying that, “consider how the new rock artists of comparable staying power or cultural significance have emerged since that decade’s [early 1990’s] alt-rock surge. Yes, there are well-regarded figures from the indie, emo and metal scenes, but few of them reach far beyond their niches-” (Wilson). In today’s world of music, what’s considered rock has drastically changed since the genre developed way back when. Wilson is suggesting that rock artist have to change their sound based on what’s popular with current society. For instance, Imagine Dragons has a more pop feel to their music. Before the death of Chester Bennington, Linkin Park’s new album had pop singers as featuring artists, but the most new sound of rock music is Twenty One Pilots. Twenty One Pilots bring a whole mixture of genres into one song and provides lyrics for their listeners to really think about. Wilson writes:

The one rock act that has crossed over in 2016: Twenty One Pilots, an electro-acoustic duo that owes as much to hip-hop and dance as to emo-rock forbears such as My Chemical Romance. Its sound is not amps in the garage but ProTools in the bedroom; its mood is sullen introspection rather than youth rebellion. “I care what you think,” goes part of the refrain from the hit “Stressed Out,” an inversion of Rage Against the Machine’s “F— you, I won’t do what you tell me.” Is this the face of new rock? Introspection rather than rebellion?

A few bands are bringing a “come back” for rock and metal music. The band Nothing More released their self titled album with their once drummer, now frontman, Jonny Hawkins singing thought provoking messages in their lyrics. In their song “This Is The Time” Jonny Hawkins powerful vocals calls to society to look closely how their leading their lives full of hate and trying to be better than next person. Also on the album, the songs Christ On Copyright and Mr. MTV call out politics and societal standards. Nothing More’s newest album “The Stories We Tell Ourselves” conveys the political and social agenda they started to tell in their album previously with songs such as “Do You Really Want It,” “Go To War,” and “Let ‘em Burn.”  So, is this the revival rock music needed? In an album review on “The Stories We Tell Ourselves,” Quentin Singer writes, “The band really wanted to make a point out of this song [“Let ‘em Burn”], by showcasing their thoughts on how political and social issues are filled with such tremendous dishonesty throughout today’s media” (Singer). Alongside Nothing More, Papa Roach recently came out with an album titled, “Crooked Teeth” with a few songs addressing politics today: “Born For Greatness” and “American Dreams.” Other bands who are bringing a “revival” to rock music would include Rise Against, Green Day, and what was originally Rage Against the Machine with lead singer Zak de la Rocha, but is now Prophets of Rage with a new lead man. So what does this mean? Why don’t more people know about these musicians?

Those who say “rock is dead” clearly don’t pay attention to new music and the messages the artists are trying to say. Do we need more rock artists adding to the rebellion against the political machine or do we need more people opening their ears and waking up from their coma induced state created by “feel good” music? Isn’t this the time to stand up against the political agenda and societal standards more than ever? We are grouped together by our generation, being called “those Millennials” with the roll of an eye just as the hippies were during the time of Woodstock. Should there be another Woodstock?

Is rock music dead? Definitely not. “A disobedient spirit is direly needed to balance out the economic pressures that push both music and media toward a narrow, survival-of-the-fittest emphasis on mega-pop” (Wilson). The “disobedient spirit” Wilson mentions is still alive through bands like Nothing More and Rise Against, but as well as current rap artists like Kendrick Lamar. Rock and metal music may someday not sound the same as it once did because of the ever changing culture and trends, but the “disobedient spirit” it created will always find its way into the lyrics of musicians regardless of genre.

Works Cited

Orman, John M. The Politics of Rock Music. Nelson-Hall, 1986.

Rolling Stone. “Tom Morello: 'All Music Is Political, Even Justin Bieber'.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2016, www.rollingstone.com/music/news/tom-morello-all-music-is-political-even-justin-bieber-20160520.

Singer, Quentin. “Album Review: Nothing More's The Stories We Tell Ourselves.” The Berklee Groove, 17 Oct. 2017, www.berkleegroove.com/2017/10/10/nothing-more-album-review/.

Street, J. (2001). Rock, pop and politics. Firth S., Straw, W., Street, J. (ed.) The Cambridge

“Top Rock Songs Chart.” Billboard, www.billboard.com/charts/rock-songs.

Wilson, Carl. “Is Rock Still Relevant In 2016?” Billboard, www.billboard.com/articles/events/year-in-music-2016/7616418/rock-relevant-2016.

[kpoprambles00-blog]

Spring comeback review [Part 2]

Alright, time for part two - I've put this off long enough as it is, so let's not waste any more time!

[This is a two-part review - part one can be found here!]

R.TEE X ANDA (안다) - WHAT YOU WAITING FOR (뭘 기다기고 있어)

~ MV link ~

For those of you that don't know, I'm quite a fan of EDM - and that applies to K-Pop, too. R.Tee has done some fantastic stuff in the past; when he's not producing songs for YG (he's done quite a few of BLACKPINK's best title tracks, like "Playing With Fire" and "KILL THIS LOVE", actually), he's doing his own thing and making his own music. (Hell, he's even collaborated with EXID's Hani before - "We Got The World" is a fucking great song, too!) But just like a lot of other celebrities and male idols, he unfortunately had to enlist earlier this year. So, before that, he decided to go out with one last bang and release his collaboration with Anda, "What You Waiting For." Now, if you've never heard of Anda, let me just say that you've been missing out. She's got an incredibly unique voice and an undeniable sense of charisma, and she's definitely one of the better K-Pop soloists out there. She recently was signed to YG after leaving Amoeba Culture, and it looks like this is her first proper song under YG.

Artists aside, as for the song itself... yeah, um, wow. It's fucking phenomenal.

When it comes to EDM in K-Pop, I always have an apprehensive side; I'm always worried it'll veer more into mainstream pop, instead of sounding like an actual EDM, bigroom-inspired song. But when R.Tee was put into the equation, those worries flew RIGHT out the window for me. He's got a fantastic knowledge of the genre, and he certainly uses it to his advantage here. That drop had me reeling the first time I heard it. I wasn't sure what the song was going to build up to, and I wasn't entirely sure if Anda would suit it, but goddamn was I wrong. This song is explosive, to put it lightly - that bouncy melody line and the staccato bass in the drop really work wonders. "What You Waiting For" has a sense of gravitas and power to it, and at no point does it ever feel thin or flimsy - it's powerful, raucous EDM at its best. AND I LOVE IT. What's even more impressive is how it never loses its momentum, either!

Like I mentioned, I wasn't entirely sure if Anda would suit this sort of song, but she quickly changed my mind on that. She carries her usual charisma and energy in every line, and her vocal delivery is nothing less than amazing (as is usually the case for her). Her delivery actually ties in nicely to the lyrics, too, which are very impatient and demanding. She knows what she wants, and she's tired of waiting for the person she likes to turn around and tell her they like her. On the other hand, you could look at them as an encouragement to her crush to take the leap that's needed to start a relationship. They can feel one-sided in places, yes, but overall they're definitely interesting, as well as a little bit different.

How slow are you? You're tiring me out Why are you so hesitant? You and I, we already know all we need to know

Thankfully, we were lucky enough to get a dance video for this song as well - and it's just as good as the song itself.

~ Dance practice link ~

I don't mean that on a choreography level - there's nothing incredibly mind-blowing or amazing about this choreo. It's relatively simple, but effective and hard to pull off. ESPECIALLY with those lifts. (Seriously, dynamic stuff like that should be included in K-Pop routines more often, it looks fantastic. I understand why it's not, but... yeah.) What REALLY blows me away about this routine is Anda herself. No, I'm not talking about that pair of twin backup dancers that everyone is fawning over in the comments. This is ANDA'S routine. She owns it. You can tell that the charisma she has is not just limited to her voice - she's a stellar performer, as well. From start to finish, she exudes stage presence and charm in a way that's very damn rare. Even though the choreography is nothing special, she makes it entertaining either way. She's a delight to watch.

And that is just another reason why this song is so damn amazing to me. It delivered in pretty much every way possible, and I still listen to it incredibly often. Don't be surprised if you see me mention this on my best list at the end of the year - it's looking like it'll be on that list, I'll say that much!

BLOCK B BASTARZ (블락비 바스타즈) - HELP ME

~ MV link ~

When it comes to subunits of popular groups, Block B Bastarz have always been one of my favourites. "Conduct Zero" was downright fucking fantastic, and "Make It Rain" was arguably even better - they're big, bombastic hip-hop fuelled songs that blew me away on first listen. I still listen to them, they're phenomenal. But it was clear from the teasers for their recent comeback that they were going to be trying something new, and a little more subdued. Not going to lie, I was worried, but out of the two songs they released, "Help Me" stands out the most. That's not to say I don't like "From Seoul" - I just wouldn't have a lot to say on it.

Between the two title tracks, "Help Me" has more of a traditional Bastarz sound. But just like the teasers indicated, it's heading in a very different direction sound-wise. It's still got hints of that bombast that we've had in the past with those booming synths and blocky violin chords, but there's something a little darker here than before - the bass guitar gives a great melodic lift (and a LOT of groove), but it's surrounded by very echoey 808 bass and subtle acoustic guitar notes to give a slower, darker vibe. The song very much switches between these two moods, going from bombast back to funky a number of times.

Even if I'm not a fan of that clunky trap section in the middle, the members themselves give great vocal performances that put the song's darker concept on display. Hell, their performances in the music video are great too. Now THAT was certainly fun to watch. If you're not good with blood I wouldn't recommend watching it, but this dark, almost action film-like concept really suits Bastarz well!

And nowhere is that darker concept more evident than in the lyrics, which... yeah, they're certainly weird. Whoever these lyrics are following is certainly a bit of a tormented soul, who's either stuck in a back and forth relationship, or - as the lyrics in the choruses suggest - may be doing some harm to their relationship thanks to alcohol or something of the sort. The back-and-forth in the lyrics certainly comes off as uneasy, but lyrics like this aren't seen in K-Pop all too often. They're certainly unique, and probably the most memorable part of the song when you take the time to find a good translation.

Lend me your body tonight, tonight I'm fucked up I'm gonna sleep holding you [...] Can you come to me tonight? Help me, baby

Even though we didn't get too many music show stages, we did get a dance practice for the song.

~ Dance practice link ~

And to be honest, it's nothing really to write home about. There's certainly some interesting moments - those staggered movements in the second verse look fantastic - but all in all, it's a fairly run of the mill choreography for the boys. It's the sort of thing they could probably do in their sleep at this point. But hey, it definitely suits the slower vibe of the song well! It's just not as complex or eye-catching as some other routines out there.

All in all, I do feel like this will be a comeback I'll end up forgetting about down the line. Yes, the song's got an interesting theme overall, the dance is okay, and the MV is pretty damn great, but it's just not... overly memorable, if you know what I mean. The annoying part is, I can't really figure out why. I am glad to see Bastarz experimenting a bit though, and I'm definitely excited to see what they do in the future.

BTS (방탄소년단) FT. HALSEY - BOY WITH LUV (작은 것들은 위한 시)

~ MV link ~

Welp, I knew I was going to have to talk about BTS on this blog at some point... May as well do it now!

I shouldn't need to explain to you who BTS are at this point. Even if you're not a K-Pop fan, the chances are that you know who they are. And I'm going to be completely honest - I was a big naysayer of BTS for a while. As controversial as it may be for me to say this, their releases from "Boy With Luv" onward just... disappointed me. I adored them when they debuted - "N.O." is one of my favourite K-Pop songs ever for its lyrics alone - and I loved the hard hip-hop sound they were going for. But for a while, it felt like they were making music that just... didn't appeal to me in any way. However, when "Not Today" came out, I had a bit of hope again. And not gonna lie, most of BTS's songs that have been popular in the west have been... iffy, if I'm being honest. I don't feel like "DNA" does anything to stand out, and I ended up hearing "Fake Love" enough that it eventually irritated me. But I admittedly loved "Idol", and was excited to see what they'd do next.

And then they released "Boy With Luv", and... I didn't like it. Yeah, this song is a massive grower. If you don't like it initially, just let it take its time. Don't think about it too much, and just try to enjoy it. That's what songs like this are for! It's very much a laid-back, breezy summer song with TONS of energy and colour. The funky guitar melodies, the cymbal-heavy drum line, the tambourine as part of the pre-choruses... It's one hell of an entertaining song. And it's honestly a breath of fresh air to see BTS having so much fun - it's one of the reasons I ended up liking "Idol" so much. And yeah, Halsey doesn't really contribute much, but I feel like she did all she needed to here. BTS are so big at this point that this was bound to do well regardless of whether or not they had a guest star. The members have enough charisma and versatility to pull this concept off well - it hasn't hit for me in the past, but there's something about "Boy With Luv"'s colour and vivacity that just nails it. Admittedly, I didn't like Suga's rap, but that's the only part of the song I didn't like. The rest of it is upbeat, melodic, and perfect to scream in a car. Trust me, I've done it. It's great.

Admittedly, the lyrics aren't anything too special. They're standard pop song fare, all about being in love and how happy you are whilst in a relationship. RM's rap is admittedly the exception, because that has some downright gorgeous fucking lyrics that might be some of my favourite of the year so far. But yeah, the rest of it is fairly standard, but I'm not too bothered by it. For a song as casual and laid-back as this, the lyrics don't need to be overly complicated - they do their job perfectly fine. 👌

But your pain is my pain - when I realized that I vowed to myself, with the wings of Icarus you gave me Not toward the sun but toward you, let me fly

Of course, we have a dance practice to look at here, too. And since it's BTS we're dealing with, you KNOW it's going to at least be good.

~ Dance practice link ~

And yeah, it is! Considering how laid-back the song is, it's hardly going to be as intense as some of BTS' other choreos - but it's really damn pleasant to watch regardless. There are a few little details in the positioning and movements of the members that really stood out to me, like the gentle little hops that are scarily in sync, or the alternation of members moving up and down. It's a very satisfying choreogaphy, and really lets BTS show off just how much raw charisma they actually have. (And it may be because he's my bias, but goddammit Jimin looked amazing this comeback thank you very much.)

While "Boy With Luv" certainly wasn't my favourite song when I first heard it, it's grown on me an AWFUL lot and I really do appreciate it now. Hell, I even managed to find and buy the album in a shop! A K-Pop album! In a shop! In Ireland! What timeline are we in?!

The best one, clearly. LET'S HAVE THIS BE A THING MORE OFTEN SO I DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR SHIPPING ALL THE TIME THANK YOU.

TIFFANY YOUNG - LIPS ON LIPS

~ MV link ~

I don't really know what to say about Tiffany's solo career at this point. Time and time again, she'll release a new solo, I'll get my hopes up thinking that she'll finally release something I like, and I immediately have my hopes dashed when I listen to the song. "Lips On Lips" is no different.

I want to like what Tiffany is doing, I really do. She's a great performer. She's got a unique voice, good dancing and a boatload of stage presence. But... goddamn, her music is not showing that. At all. My main problem with "Lips On Lips" is the fact that it's unoriginal. Now, of course songs are going to sound similar every now and again, but who decided it was a good idea to give Tiffany a clunky, autotune-ridden ripoff of Maroon 5's "Girls Like You"?! That is NOT a flattering concept for her. The autotune is so thick at some parts of the choruses that it sounds like she's off-tune. That's nooooot good. Whoever she's working with on her vocal production needs to fix that.

Hell, whoever she's working with on her production needs to fix what they're doing period. To say this song is blocky is an understatement. The melody is repetitive to a point where it starts to tire before the end of the song, and that's not a good thing coming from me. I can normally put up with the most repetitive of songs, whether it be in pop or K-Pop. But "Lips On Lips" just... overdoes it in that regard. It feels rushed, both in melody and production. The filtered, overly condensed violin plucks and completely unneeded trap snares and blaring synths do NOT help either.

Nothing about this song sounds balanced. It's like every element of the song is trying to compete to get your attention by being as loud and irritating as possible. It tries to come off as sweet and melodic, but it ends up being the exact opposite. It's grating. And just like how the melody was repetitive, the lyrics are too. I understand that that's normal for pop songs, but I think it's exacerbated by how repetitive that melody line is. They're pretty inoffensive on their own, but with that melody they become a pain to listen to.

Only one I choose, ride or die with you Trust I speak the truth, darling, I get weak when you Put your lips on my lips, when they're touching like this, no, they don't ever lie

I'm now at the point where I think I'm going to stop reviewing Tiffany's solo releases on this blog. At the time of writing, she's recently released "Magnetic Moon", and it's not much better. I'm sorry, Tiffany. I DESPERATELY want to like what she's doing, but she's just making all the wrong moves with her solo music so far. Unless she drastically improves, I won't be reviewing her music here in the future. Not if it's as bad as "Lips On Lips". Sorry.

KEY (키), SOYEON (소연) - I WANNA BE

~ MV link ~

And now, for a solo effort that is fantastic in just about every way.

People REALLY need to stop sleeping on Key's solo stuff. I feel like people only pay attention to him when he's a part of SHINee, and even then, I feel he gets overlooked. When he released his solo album "Face" last year, I had no clue it came out - so much so that I didn't even know that "I Wanna Be" was the title track from the repackage! I thought it was just a mini album or single!

And that's a crying shame, because this might just be one of my favourite songs of the year so far. If I had to describe "I Wanna Be" in one word, it's anthemic. This song has such a fantastic sense of presence and atmosphere to it, and that atmosphere is one of absolute joy. The instrumental is downright magical in places with those synths chords and snapping percussion beats, and it never clashes against the more dance-influenced choruses - or the drop. The drop in this song may feel a little out of place initially, but when that ending comes around, it is stunning. The way the drop layers over the instrumental and Key's adlibs is enough to give me chills - and that it does! "I Wanna Be" is the kind of song that took me so much by surprise when I first listened to it that I immediately listened to it again. It's THAT good. It's breezy, it's uplifting, and it's a very cheerful and enthusiastic punch to the gut. To say it took me by surprise is an understatement.

That goes without mentioning the performers themselves. As I've mentioned, Key is being slept on, and that applies to his skills as a performer as well as his music. He's got a very magnetic presence behind the microphone, and he really pulls you into what he's singing immediately. Then there's the fact that Soyeon is on this song, which... she doesn't need any explaining at this point. She's one of the best (if not the best) female idol rappers in K-Pop right now, she's got her own precedent. And she unsurprisingly kills it here too. Her rap section may be short, but it's effective and impactful regardless.

The lyrics, too, are a nice surprise. In case you aren't aware, this is the last song Key released before his military enlistment. When you take that into account, the lyrics are probably enough to make any long-term Shawol tear up a little - hell, I got a little misty-eyed reading them once that final drop kicked in! They've got a celebratory mood that's tinged with the sadness of parting from someone you care about - but they're celebratory because you know you'll eventually get to see them again. They're just as genuine as the song itself, and they're a breath of (very welcome) fresh air.

Think of me when you're feeling alone Even before this song ends Always inside your heart, I wanna be

Unfortunately, apart from some edited fancams, we don't really have a proper look into the choreography for this song. I've seen bits of it here and there, but not enough for me to give my full opinion on it. I don't feel like I'd be giving an opinion that's fair, since I kinda like to see the whole picture before commenting. Regardless, "I Wanna Be" is a goddamn fantastic song that deserves way more appreciation than what it got. I can bet right now this is going to be on my favourites list at the end of the year. It's brilliant, and I hope that we get music of this quality once Key returns, too. 😊

CHERRY BULLET (체리블렛) - Q&A

~ MV link ~

Wanna know what one of my favourite things about K-Pop is? DEBUTS. I love seeing a brand new group with a shitton of potential come out of nowhere - it's probably why I like so many rookie groups. And while Everglow may still hold the title for the best rookie this year in my opinion, Cherry Bullet are another girl group who managed to thoroughly impress me with their debut.

When I heard that Cherry Bullet's concept as such was going to be video game-based, I was worried. I wondered if it was going to be stereotypical, or if it was even going to catch my attention at all. I didn't want it to just be superficial - and y'know what, they fucking nailed it. "Q&A" suits this video game concept incredibly well, thanks to the electronic synths scattered throughout the instrumental, as well as some of the phasers and effects that are used throughout. It sounds very retro and gamey, for lack of a better word, and it's as if chiptune and tropical house had a baby. A very pleasing, delightful baby. Weird metaphors or no, the song is good. It's catchy, and WILL get stuck in your head, it's bright, it's uplifting, and it's cute without feeling over-the-top or cheesy. It just feels like a genuinely bright debut, full of potential and excitement.

And that's particularly apt with Cherry Bullet, since some of these girls have pipes. Seriously, they can SING - Bora and Haeyoon are the obvious standouts here. The melody in "Q&A" is very litled and hard to sing in places, and yet these girls sound like they could do in their sleep. Hitting high notes is one thing, but doing it well is a completely different can of worms. And yet, each of the members has a very distinctive sound to her voice that sets everyone apart, and while I feel like some of the rap sections could have been a bit better, the harmonies and vocals really do make up for it in my opinion. I bet these girls would be amazing live - I'd LOVE to see the energy they bring. Speaking of energy, the lyrics are full of the energy you'd expect from a debut like this one. They're very much about love whilst being playful and cheery, and they get the job done just fine.

I act like I'm not interested I keep beating around the bush I'm playing hard to get, it's how I play my love games

So everything's looking pretty damn good so far - what about the dance?

~ Dance practice link ~

Turns out it's pretty great too! The biggest thing about it is how the choreographer obviously took advantage of the number of people on stage at the one time. There are a lot of groups out there with members in the double digits, but very few of them use each member effectively in their choreography. Cherry Bullet are a fantastic example of this. Every member plays a part in the choreography (which unfortunately cannot be said about the song's line distribution... ouch), and the girls are very well in-sync to match. Combined with some of the more intricate elements going on here, it's a very pleasing choreography to watch. The girls each bring their own energy and vibe to the choreo, and even though I have no idea how Bora is dancing in those shoes, they all kill it.

Cherry Bullet have so much potential, it's astounding. If FNC can keep it up and actually give these girls some proper momentum, we might have another big rookie girl group. And I really hope that's the case, because they deserve it! They really could become something great, and I have every faith that they will.

Hopefully they don't become TOO good though, because I stan way too many groups as it is. It's getting ridiculous at this point. Seriously. Cherry Bullet, I love you, and I want you to do well, but if I end up buying all your albums, then we'll have a problem. My wallet can't take much more at this point...

TAEYEON (태연) - FOUR SEASONS (사계)

~ MV link ~

What else can really be said about Taeyeon at this point? Her solos have all done incredibly well, each being more successful than the last. But with "Four Seasons", Taeyeon seemed to knock it out of the park for most people. The song was hugely successful for weeks on end, and to be honest, when you dig a bit deeper into it, you begin to see why.

"Four Seasons" is Taeyeon doing what Taeyeon does best - lyrically complex songs with a tinge of emotion that only she can really add. The instrumental is lavish and very unique, even if I do feel like the percussion line is a little overblown at times. It never overshadows Taeyeon's voice, which is a huge thing. If you overshadow the performer, that's a problem, and it's a problem "Four Seasons" thankfully never has. The muted guitar lines keep the pace steady as well, and the interchanging lyrics in the choruses keep the song feeling fresh and interesting. It's got a very interested, slightly stilted melody - it's paced very uniquely, and it makes the entire song very memorable and strangely catchy. The quality is high, and the memorability is high as a result.

The lyrics themselves are probably my favourite aspect of the song outside of Taeyeon herself, who gives a great performance as always. She's always so emotionally charged when she sings, I love it. But the lyrics here are referencing a breakup, and how tired and stale the now-ended relationship became. I love how they've got the slightest tinge of sarcasm and scorn to them in places, since it helps the song border on the edge of being a flippant kiss-off, and yet stops it before it crosses that border and allows for a bit more reflection and contemplation. They're deep, to put it lightly. And when they do have that scornful tinge to them, they're admittedly really entertaining! I kinda just want to see Taeyeon do a completely savage break-up song some time - I feel like she'd excel at it.

The four seasons come and go I gave you my winter, I gave you my summer You were my whole world, but I'm letting you go Did I really love you?

While I may not like it as much as some of her other solo releases, "Four Seasons" is still a solid solo from Taeyeon that really shows her versatility. She's had a fair amount of success so far this year, and long may it last! She's one of the best in the business, and "Four Seasons" only serves to highlight her strengths.

TXT (투모로우바이투게더) - CROWN (어느날 머리에서 뿔이 자랐다)

~ MV link ~

So, I sung the praises of Cherry Bullet earlier on - what about TXT? Arguably the biggest debut this year in terms of sheer popularity, TXT were kinda destined to be successful from the get go. Say what you will about them being under the same label as BTS, I'm going to review their debut like I would review any other group. (I do kind of feel like they were destined to be successful no matter how good or bad their debut was anyway, but that's a debate for another day.)

At first, I really wasn't sure what to think of "Crown". The bouncy synths are certainly inviting upon a first listen, and the morse code certainly piqued my interest. Which, for the record, it spells out "CROWN" and I find that insanely adorable. Cryptic messages aside, the song's pretty standard fare for a boy group - you've got trap percussion in abundance, you've got the upbeat energy of a debut, and you've got a pretty nice progression with some of those synths and vocal samples. But at times, the song can end up feeling a little overcrowded, especially in the choruses. It's hard to know what to focus on because you've got so many elements overlapping at once. I'd certainly prefer listening to a song that's too busy rather than one that's undercooked, but it's just something I noticed.

But honestly, the song itself has grown on me. What hasn't grown on me is the lyrics. Now, I'm a particular fan of creepier concepts in K-Pop - hell, I'm a massive Insomnia. So to start reading the lyrics and have the hints at a possible tormented love story going on here? I was enthralled. I wanted to know where they were going to take this - would this be the unique little detail that would give TXT's debut a real spark? But nope. As soon as you reach the first chorus, we're back to being lovey dovey and talking about how the other person in the relationship makes having the pain of having a (metaphorical) horn on your head go away. I wasn't massively disappointed or anything, but I couldn't help but think about what could've been. There could've been something really damn unique and creative here, and I feel like the idea was just thrown out when the lyricists didn't want to put the work into fleshing it out. It's sad. But apart from that, the lyrics are fine. They're nothing too special, there's some nice imagery here and there, but they're just fine.

Are you my salvation who found me deserted Are your wings [in] the same pain like me There's a horn rising up on my head, but I love it You become my crown

Dance-wise though, I went into this with VERY high expectations. It's BigHit, they're known for making very hard and complex dances. But "Crown" might have one of my new favourite routines - simply thanks to its creativity.

~ Dance practice link ~

There are moves here which you will probably never see in another group's choreography. They're so goddamn unique and stylish, and one after the other they continued to blow me away. The position, the staggered movements of the members, the playing with levels, the formations... all of it is a fucking feast for the eyes. That's helped by the fact that all 5 members are superb dancers, which, again, is no surprise coming out of BigHit. Regardless, this is one of my favourite choreographies of the year, and I really hope TXT carries this high standard into the future when it comes to dance. This is amazing!

All in all, "Crown" was a good debut. It's certainly not a new favourite for me or anything like that, but it was a strong debut as a whole. Where they go in the future will be interesting, though, and it's something I intend to keep a close eye on. Regardless, hopefully the boys can overcome the myriad of bad luck and health problems they seem to be facing and successfully come back later this year - seeing a rookie group be so heavily affected by health concerns this early on is heartbreaking, whether you like them or not. Fingers crossed!

DIA (다이야) - WOOWA (우와)

~ MV link ~

Okay, so, we immediately go from one of my new favourite dances to one of my new favourite songs.

If you've never listened to "Woowa" before - which I suspect many of you haven't, because this song is criminally underrated - SIT THE FUCK DOWN AND LISTEN UP. DIA are about to show you how to do 90s-inspired dance-pop.

First off, I feel like I need to highlight my favourite (and the best) element in "Woowa" - THAT BOUNCY SYNTH. I honest to God wasn't sure what to expect going into this, because I've never paid DIA much attention. But holy shit, that synth. I nearly fell out of my goddamn chair. It's big, it's brash, and it smacks you across the face with nostalgia in a way not many songs can. When "Woowa" gets going, it's a monster of a song. The choruses are huge, the instrumental and melody are infernally catchy, and that synth keeps on coming back around to bring it all together. I'd be lying if I said I liked that strange flute-driven section right after the first chorus, though; it does feel a little jarring and out of place. But the rest of what's on offer here is an absolute banger, and really deserves a hell of a lot more love than what it got. I mean, JUST LISTEN TO IT. Please. I'm begging you.

I sure as hell wish the lyrics were as interesting as the song, though. They're standard girl group fare in every way possible - being uncontrollably in love with someone, and wanting them to actually say something and possibly kickstart a relationship. It's nothing you haven't heard 20 times before. It's just a shame, since the song itself is so explosive and full of potential. The lyrics very well could have been the same, and they just... aren't. Not to me, anyway. 😔

You don't have to do anything You could just stand there What else do I need? I just want to look at you in front of me

And unfortunately... The dance isn't much better. Not by a long shot.

~ Dance practice link ~

Yeah, this is a disappointment in about every way possible. I was maybe hoping we'd at least get something interesting and retro to match the style of the song - you know, some wacking maybe? That'd be nice. But no - instead, we get a really sluggish, unfitting routine. I don't know who came up with that main point dance, but it is NOT good. It looks uncomfortable to do, the girls are barely moving, and it really just... doesn't work. This is a really boring routine overall, honestly. There were MOUNTAINS of potential here, and not a single bit of it was capitalized upon. And that makes me sad. There are probably fan-made choreographies out there that are better than this, honestly - and that says a lot.

Now I'm possibly starting to see why this song got so overlooked - the lyrics and the dance are just... not very good, or interesting, for that matter. It's a major disappointment, especially when the song is THIS killer. MBK have always had a bit of a... rocky history, so to see such a good song pretty much wasted breaks my heart. Please, if you haven't heard this before, go listen to it. The elements surrounding the song may not be anything special, but the song itself? It's one of my favourites of the year so far. Let's hope MBK steps it up a bit for DIA's next comeback, because if they keep this sound, and improve the dance and lyrics? Pretty sure I'd lose my damn mind.

PARK BOM (박봄), SANDARA PARK (산다라박) - SPRING (봄)

~ MV link ~

Lastly, we have the song I'm probably the most nervous to talk about.

Back in 2013, when I first discovered what K-Pop even was, 2NE1 were one of the first groups who really blew me away. "I Am The Best" was one of those videos that showed me that there was something for me, that there was a group and concept that I legitimately enjoyed and wanted to see more of. So I, like everyone else, cried a LOT when YG fucked them over. I'm still admittedly upset about it to this day, regardless of if BLACKPINK have begun to fill that 2NE1-shaped hole in my heart. It'll never quite be full, not with how 2NE1 ended.

But the members have tried to at least be active after they left YG - Minzy's solos have been... hit and miss, though. So when it was announced that Bom was finally going to be re-debuting solo under her new agency, and Dara was going to feature on the song, I was both elated and terrified. After the hate that Bom had received, and the "controversies" she'd been thrust into, her comeback was one I was worried about. Nobody had a clue how Korea was going to react. But y'know what? It went down really well - she nearly even won on a music show or two. And with a song like "Spring", I'm not necessarily surprised.

This song is an empowerment anthem at its finest - it's pretty simplistic, but in a way that comes across as elegant and beautiful. The tempo is slow, the instruments are organic, and the melodic swells are perfectly timed. It really does give off an essence of grandeur, which - for someone as experienced as Bom - is very well-fitting. But it's the lyrics that REALLY steal the show here. These lyrics hit home, mainly because I feel like they're touching on depression. And they touch on it a LOT. If you've experienced it, you'll know that from reading them straight away. They're incredibly sincere, especially given all the controversy and hot water Bom found herself in back in 2014. And yet, as depressed as these lyrics may be, there's a ray of hope permeating throughout them. And THAT is what makes me emotional. She may have basically been public enemy number one for a number of years in Korea - simply for trying to treat her own mental illness - but "Spring" shows us that she's finally ready to step back into the spotlight and prove everyone wrong. For a comeback song like this, they couldn't be any more fitting.

I feel like I am alone, tied to you I think I'll be forgotten this way The times when I'm awake, I'm suffering, always

Since this is a ballad, there's no real choreography to speak of here - it's more of a Mariah Carey-esque saunter about the stage. Which I'm okay with - a song like this is certainly befitting of that. To say "Spring" is a triumphant return for Bommie would... probably be the understatement of the century, let's be real. She's certainly come back with a bang, and I know for a fact every single Blackjack is right behind her, cheering her on. Long may this last, because getting to hear her voice again was a fucking delight. 😊

•••••

...well that only took about two months to finish.

ALL THE SOURCES FOR THE ENGLISH LYRICS I USED IN THIS REVIEW:

What You Waiting For (뭘 기다리고 있어)

Boy With Luv (작은 것들은 위한 시)

I Wanna Be

Q&A

Four Seasons (사계)

Crown (어느날 머리에서 뿔이 자랐다)

Woowa (우와)

Spring (봄)

Border with pink and white flowers from PNGTree

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 21st October 2018

Ughhhhhhhh

Okay so we have an episode of REVIEWING THE CHARTS. All this week I’ve not been in either the right physical state or mental state (and I’m probably still not in either of those) to do basically anything and I’ve felt like keeping up with this is a chore. It’s late as all hell, but here is a shorter – and probably crappier-written – episode of RTC. There’s going to be a Halloween special on a Charlie Brown special sometime near Halloween so check that out but let’s just stop wasting time.

Top 10

To my nonexistent surprise, “Promises” by Calvin Harris and Sam Smith replaces last week’s debut and returns to the number-one spot for what I believe is its seventh week.

“Funky Friday” by Dave and Fredo, however, has not moved as much as I thought it would have, dropping only one space down to the runner-up spot.

“Happier” by Marshmello and Bastille, however, is not moving at all at number-three.

“Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper moves up two spaces to the top five at number-four.

There’s a debut at number-five – yep, that’s “Woman Like Me” by Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj, the lead single from their upcoming fifth album, also the first time their lead single hasn’t gone to #1 initially in a while.

“Let You Love Me” by Rita Ora, meanwhile, is down a position to number-six.

The meme seems to be wearing off at number-seven, fortunately, where “I Love It” by Kanye West and Lil Pump featuring Adele Givens is down three spots, although it may rebound soon due to either YANDHI or Harverd Dropout, whenever the hell they’re dropping that is.

“In My Mind” by Dynoro and Gigi D’Agostino is down a spot to number-eight.

As is “Electricity” by Silk City and Dua Lipa at number-nine.

Finishing off the consecutive trio of one-downers is “All I Am” by Jess Glynne at number-ten.

Climbers

There aren’t many, but they’re bigger than I expected, actually. “Always Remember Us this Way” by Lady Gaga is up eight spots to #31 – I think this may be because of a video? That’s also probably why “Girls Like You” by Maroon 5 featuring Cardi B is up six to #25, after God knows how many weeks. “Taki Taki” by DJ Snake, Ozuna, Cardi B and Selena Gomez, the Godawful trash volcano that it is, is up 12 spots to #21. Meanwhile, “No Stylist” by French Montana featuring Drake inexplicably has a 10-space boost into the top 20 at #19. Guess the Drake verse is all you need these days.

Fallers

Fallers, on the other hand? Oh, trust me, we had plenty. Let’s start with pop and dance:

“Eastside” by benny blanco, Halsey and Khalid is down five to #16, “breathin” by Ariana Grande is down eight to #26, “Thunderclouds” by LSD (Labrinth, Sia and Diplo) is down 12 spots to #29, right next to “Body” by Loud Luxury and brando down 11 to #30.

We had a pretty sizeable handful of rock or rock-adjacent hits getting hurt too, like “High Hopes” by Panic! at the Disco is down five to #18, “Shotgun” by George Ezra is shot down six spots to #20 and “Falling Down” by Lil Peep and XXXTENTACION is doing just that to #33.

Hip-hop and R&B suffered too: “Venom” by Eminem is down seven to #23, “Best Life” by Hardy Caprio and One Acen is down five to #35, right next to “Drip Too Hard” by Lil Baby and Gunna down eight to #36, as well as “Lucky You” by Eminem featuring Joyner Lucas down 14 to #37, and “Taste” by Tyga and Offset down 13 to #38.

Dropouts

We didn’t have any returning entries this week, and I don’t know if we had any dropouts either, to be honest, because the website that I can quickly extract that info from has yet to update in weeks. I can tell for a definite “KILLSHOT” by Eminem is gone but otherwise I’d just be guessing or checking other websites and examining the info and I don’t want to do that, I have some common sense, and I don’t want this episode to be out any later. New arrivals.

NEW ARRIVALS

#40 – “Advice” – Cadet and Deno Driz

For our weekly dose of tropical faux-dancehall faux-grime, we have a dude who sounds like a mixture of Swae Lee, Sean Kingston and MC Smally, and his more aggressive friend and/or dodgy uncle who relies on ad-libs to finish his rhyme scheme. Honestly, despite the nonsensical premise of roadman Sean Kingston and his uncle talking about girls they get on Instagram, I kind of like this actually. I love how they trade bars in the pre-chorus, and they’re giving each other advice about picking up women, kind of like “Without Me” by Shaggy and RikRok but British, if that makes sense. The steel pans and cheap synths can’t back up the admittedly pretty fun content and energetic flows from both Cadet and Deno Driz (no, I don’t know which one is which and I don’t care), however, and it ends incredibly abruptly. If these guys got better production, I can see myself enjoying them in the future. For now, well... Cal Chuchesta and Rob Scallon did it better. Just saying.

#24 – “Thursday” – Jess Glynne

So this is the break-out track from Jess Glynne’s sophomore effort, Always in Between, and what I imagine she’s pushing as the next single due to its success. I figured it would be a dance track like Glynne does best, but no, the label seems to be pushing a strong almost ballad-type song, with an incessant acoustic guitar riff that just continues in a building up of airy, foamy synths, until after the first chorus, we get a cheap-sounding but effectively nonexistent instrumental; yes, I complain about production being so bland it’s basically not there, but here, it works, putting more emphasis on Jess Glynne’s powerful vocals here. They’re not fantastic or even pushing her voice to any limits as such, but they feel raw, fitting in with the desperate lyrics, with the chorus reading “I just want to feel beautiful”. Yes, it’s kind of cheesy, yes, it’s kind of “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten (that should always be your go-to adjective for this type of song), but you know what, it just clicks. I don’t appreciate the “oh, oh, oh” repetition in the hook because it feels unnatural despite all of what I just said, so that kind of disappoints me, but if there were any empty spaces for the instrumental here, this wouldn’t exactly feel like a song. It’s on very thin ice and I feel like with just one more touch, this could easily be made either awful or awesome, but for what it is as it was released, it’s pretty good. Maybe I should check out that album after all, I mean, I heard “These Days” is on it and I loved that.

#13 – “MIA” – Bad Bunny featuring Drake

A Drake debut not in the top 10? Preposterous.

Okay, when I first saw this song, I figured it meant MIA as in a member of the armed services, because Drake likes to make up this little “gangsta” persona for himself. Then I saw “MIA” and thought maybe Bad Bunny and Drake were going to compare their girl to an independent, strong, not afraid to experiment (I figured Bad Bunny wasn’t above making Katy Perry references, I guess) and incredible woman and artist, M.I.A., the rapper we all know for “Paper Planes”... although, then I looked into it, “Mia” is a female first-name, right? Is Bad Bunny seriously just name-dropping his real-life girlfriend or ex in the song? No, well, “mia” means “my” in Italian, so it’s just about “everyone wants my girl, but she’s my girl, so step off, fellas”. Maybe I thought too much into the title but damn, it has so many possible meanings, and hell it could mean all of those things but I highly doubt Bugs and Daffy put that much thought into it. This whole title ramble is me trying to covering up how I have nothing to say about the song other than I think I actually really like it. It has a pretty nice groove, albeit almost completely drowned-out by the watery synths (which, yes, I like to). Bad Bunny’s voice has always appealed to me, especially his little “I’m a dog who just went out in the rain and I’m washing it off by just spreading it and flapping my fur” ad-lib. You know the one, the “bgdrrrhr!” Mostly, however, they’re gone, instead he has a really sweet high-pitched vocal harmonising with him and Drake, who sounds beautiful on the hook, by the way. Yeah, didn’t expect to like this one, but maybe I should check out more Bad Bunny. His song “Amorfoda” is one I dig too, check it out, I’ll be talking about it on my worst list as almost a comparison piece for what my #1 did wrong, hopefully that doesn’t spoil my incredibly predictable choice or anything.

#11 – “ZEZE” – Kodak Black, Travis Scott and Offset

“ZEZE, do you love me?” No, frankly, you’re quite boring, although D.A. Doman’s production is pretty competent, at least. I guess the steel pans don’t do as much for me because I hear them every week on this show, but it’s still alright, I’m pretty sure he produced “Taste” too so I’ll check out what he does nowadays, he can be pretty good. Everyone else ruins it, though. How can you get such a cleanly-produced, airy-sounding beat and just puke all over on it with ad-lib madness? Seriously, with the vocals, this feels cluttered as all hell. The bass is overpowering but Travis and Kodak Black’s autotune both make everything so hard to listen to, especially with the amount of reverb-addict ad-libs throughout. In Kodak’s typically off-beat verse, there’s extra vocal harmonisations as well, that I think are the same guy from “Taste”, to be completely honest. Offset raps well but the ad-libs, again, are too much, it’s just way too much in so little time, like a shoddy BTS song by a rapist and a homophobe. Oh, yeah, and it was a meme three weeks before it released, leading it to debut at number-one in Canada, because Canadians seem to have lost their capability to both make AND listen to good music this year. Sad.

#5 – “Woman Like Me” – Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj

This new album by Little Mix, (lazily) titled LM5, is going to be women and women only! Just female stars and vocal powerhouses on this record, baby... until you realise two frat boy-looking dudes are on the bonus track and this song was written by Ed Sheeran. It’s safe to say I’m never excited that much for a Little Mix album, and the addition of Nicki Minaj as a feature has never given me much to write home about since “Monster” by Kanye West, so expectations were low, and somehow I was still disappointed... because it leads me in with that sassy guitar and intro, before immediately plunging me into suck. The trap beat kicks in, with a badly-mixed autotuned Jesy rapping pretty awfully, to say the least, before sloppily cutting to the pre-chorus with that guitar, but also the trap percussion and “whoop!” vocal effects, and that ear-piercing falsetto note that acts like a synth during the drop, where the bass overpowers everything. Hell, everything about this song is sloppy. They take vocals from other takes and make no effort to connect them together in any comprehensible manner. The autotune constantly put on Jesy is not only unnecessary because she and all of the girls have great voices but it feels cheap. When Nicki Minaj comes in, it actually gives me some space to breath with the empty space between “b****es is my sons” punchlines and a blunt, boring flow as she simply states, “I want all the money”, without any jokes or any wordplay or anything, just she wants all the money. Why does Nicki have to come in during the last chorus and outro, too? Why is everything so all over the place in this song? This is an atrocity. What a half-hearted failure. Steve Mac produced this? What—actually, no, that explains a lot, in fact, it makes me believe anyone on this song tried, because when Steve Mac doesn’t try the end result is listenable (i.e., “What About Us”, “Shape of You”) but when he does we get stuff like “Alarm” by Anne-Marie, “Rockabye” by Clean Bandit and this? Wait, Steve Mac also produced “Thursday”? Well, that explains the shoddy vocal mixing present in both, but God, he’s not having the best of weeks. Take a few months off, Mac. You need it, and maybe during then, don’t try at all so you get into the habit of phoning everything in. That’s the only thing you’re good at.

Conclusion

Little Mix and Nicki Minaj get Worst of the Week for “Woman Like Me”, no question, but I didn’t expect to give Best of the Week to Bad Bunny and Drake for “MIA”, with Honourable Mention going to Jess Glynne for “Thursday” and Dishonourable Mention to Kodak Black, Travis Scott and Offset for “ZEZE”. What a messy week, and quite a few pretty messy songs, actually. Few of these songs feel like they were made by competent producers, honestly. See ya next week!

[makeuptips10-blog]

Every Celebrity Couple Who Got Back Together in 2018

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Every Celebrity Couple Who Got Back Together in 2018

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Taylor Swift’s song “We Are Never Getting Back Together” couldn’t be more untrue for these Hollywood couples who somehow found their way back to each other. After public breakups and messy dating rumors, some stars just can’t seem to shake each other off. Over the years, couples, like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, have shattered our hearts and hopes of any successful Hollywood relationship. However, these eight celebrities prove to us that maybe there is a chance at true love.

Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik

Photo by: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images.

Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik first started dating around November 2015 when the supermodel had just cur ties with her ex-boyfriend, Joe Jonas. Three months prior, Maik had broken off his engagement with Little Mix member, Perrie Edwards. The seemingly perfect couple attended multiple red carpets together after becoming official, and their bond was clearly strong, especially when they posed for Vogue together in 2016.

In March 2018, Hadid and Malik announced their breakup social media, taking the internet by surprise. “Gigi and I had an incredibly meaningful, loving and fun relationship and I have a huge amount of respect and adoration for Gigi as a woman and a friend,” Malik tweeted. “She has such an incredible soul. I’m grateful to all of our fans for respecting this difficult decision and our privacy at this time, we wish this news could have come from us first. We love you all. xZ”

Hadid echoed Malik’s sentiments in her own tweet, explaining what the longterm relationship meant to her.” Breakup statements often seem impersonal because there is really no way to put into words what two people experience together over a few years.. not only in the relationship but in life in general,” she tweeted. “I’m forever grateful for the love, time, and life lessons that Z and I shared. I want nothing but the best for him and will continue to support him as a friend that I have immense respect and love for. As for the future, whatever’s meant to be will always be. xG”

However, a month after their breakup, the couple was spotted making out in April. Since then, the two have hinted at their reunion in Instagrams. One clue happened in June when fans thought Hadid posted a picture of Malik on her Instagram story. Though Malik’s face wasn’t visible, the tattoos and bleached hair in the picture led fans to believe it was him.The couple hasn’t confirmed anything yet but their PDA and social media clues are enough confirmation for us.

Bella Hadid and The Weeknd

Photo by: Donato Sardella/Getty Images.

The Hadid sisters seem to have one thing in common: They don’t mind rekindling with their past loves who also happen to be award-winning musicians—just FYI.

Hadid and The Weeknd started dating in 2015 but ended things in November 2016 after their work schedules reportedly became too busy for their relationship. Not too long after, The Weeknd started dating Selena Gomez.

In April 2018, Gomez and The Weeknd broke up, and it didn’t take long for rumors to fly that he reunited with Hadid. Just the other day, The Weeknd posted a special birthday tribute on his Instagram for the 22-year-old supermodel. He wrote “happy birthday Angel” under a video of the two making out in front of a bar followed by some iconic pictures of the two throughout the years. The couple has continued to drop hints after being spotted kissing at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Halsey and G-Eazy

Photo by: PA/PA Images via Getty Images.

Halsey and G-Eazy made their relationship official in August 2017 when the two performed their then-unreleased song “Him & I” in New Orleans. After the performance, G-Eazy yelled “That’s my boo!” to the crowd, confirming their relationship. The famous singers traveled the world and flaunted their relationship on-stage together.

However, after almost a year of dating, Halsey announced their breakup in July. “I normally keep this kind of thing private but provided our public nature I feel I need to inform my fans. G-Eazy and I are taking some [time] apart. I’m eager to continue the upcoming passage of time dedicating myself to my art and career, and the duration of my tour. I wish him the best,” she wrote on her Instagram story. A month later, Halsey was seen breaking down at a concert while singing the lyrics, “Someone will love you. But someone isn’t me,” from her song, “Sorry.”

In September 2018, the couple reunited and became Instagram-official yet again with a selfie of them on vacation. Recently, the 24-year-old singer posted more photos of her man with captions, including “Sweetness of my whole damn life” and “Life is grand”.

Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin

Photo by: Ricky Vigil M/GC Images.

There’s Instagram-official, and then there’s married. Yes, that’s definitely a big jump. All summer, the buzz has been circulating the now-married couple, Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin. The two became engaged in July 2018 before tying the knot three months later.

The couple first confirmed dating rumors after Bieber instagrammed a picture in January 2016 of the couple making out. It followed a series of vacation pictures from the month before. However, by August 2016, the couple seemed to have broken up after Bieber moved on to model Sofia Richie. Fast-forward two years later and the couple is walking around New York, while making out and laughing in public. Fans were shocked when the couple got engaged, considering that Bieber was seen rekindling with his ex, Selena Gomez, only months earlier.

Nothing is more official than a huge engagement ring to verify the couple’s commitment—oh yeah, and the marriage license.

Source: http://stylecaster.com/celeb-couples-reunited-2018/

[suspiciousyetconvenient]

Continued Q&A!

[Editor's Note: You might say, “This is unnecessary,” or, “Nobody asked for this,” or, “You just did one of these like a month ago and nobody asked for that one either,” to which I say... ok, yes, that might be true, BUT. Consider: Here it is anyway. Gratuitous Q&A below the cut.]

1. You woke up naked next to the last person you texted sent a magical communication,  what would you say?

Let's see, that would be... Desi. I'm not sure which of us would be more horrified.

2. Was your last kiss drunk or sober?

Entirely sober but still somewhat regrettable.

3. Have you ever wanted to have someone but you messed it up?

Yes. It's... probably not worth trying at this point. Who knows when (if?) he'll emerge from whatever shadowy cocoon he's trapped in.

4. How many times have you kissed the last person you kissed?

Just the one occasion.

5. Do you think relationships are hard?

Maintaining them takes care and frequently leads to complications, neither of which I really have the time for right now. Maybe sometime when there are fewer than four immediate threats to my city's existence...

6. If you could go back and change something in the past 5 months, would you?

Absolutely. Immediately. Are you offering? Because I would like to go do that right now.

7. Would you rather it be sunny or rainy?

Rain. Bad weather keeps people indoors and out of trouble. Sometimes when it's drizzling in the early morning, the city looks almost peaceful.

8. Do you think you will be in a relationship 3 years from now?

Yes, assuming I'm still alive.

9. Would you prefer a relationship or a fling?

I'm more interested in a stable, long-term relationship.

10. Are you a simple or complicated person?

I don't think any person is really, 'simple'. We're complex creatures with myriad desires and ambitions and obligations. There are always more threads to pull.

11. What song are you listening to?

“Control” by Halsey

12. When you say you’re sorry do you mean it?

Probably. I don't really keep track. Usually, I express remorse through actions instead of words.

13. Is there a girl that knows everything or almost everything about you?

I assume Dancing Eel has a fairly extensive file on me. Mara probably has a pretty comprehensive idea of what I've been up to.

14. What made you start liking the person you like now?

I appreciate grand gestures. He cares about the world in a way that I can respect.

15. What is wrong with you right now?

Everything is fine. I can deal with this. Don't worry about it. (Exhaustion, poisoning, extreme dehydration, bleeding from the ears, despair, panic, desperation, madness, corruption, regret, displacement, unrequited feelings...)

16. Would you date someone right now if they asked?

If I had a reason to do so. I can't imagine the person I like asking me and neither of us is really in a position to 'date'.

17. Has someone recently told you something you didn’t want to hear?

Yes, assuming a first-age artifact mirror counts as a 'someone'.

18. Anyone you’re giving up on?

Not yet.

19. What do you carry with you at all times?

Just the essentials. A pocket knife, a needle, a corkscrew, a compact mirror, some incense, some playbills from Ydana, darts, some vials of glowing liquid, citizenship papers and noble seals for a variety of countries.

20. Do you think you can last in a relationship for five months?

I assume so. I've done it before but that was years ago.

21. Would you rather pay to get your nails done or do them yourself?

I would rather talk the manicurist into doing them for free.

22. Do you have a job?

Yes, they pay me and everything. I'm not sure how this happened.

23. Are you closer to your mom or your dad?

I remember being closer to my father. My mother and grandmother were usually locked in some power struggle over where to take the business next and it was the easiest way to remain neutral. I spent a lot of time around my father's family while my mother didn't really talk about her past.

24. What were you doing last night at midnight?

Traveling through the Underworld to Champur, wishing I were going somewhere else.

25. Have you ever passed out from drinking?

Several weeks ago, Sky and I passed out in that alleyway from something but neither of us remember the night before terribly well. Exhaustion? Liquor? Who can say. We both have fairly high tolerances but it had been a long night and many, many bottles of wine.

26. Are you religious or spiritual?

I follow the Path of the White Star. Ireni's arrangement has always been an inspiration to me.

27. What is a relationship deal breaker for you?

Being written off as doomed to romantic tragedy by fairly reliable sources.

28. Would you ever take back someone who cheated?

It would depend on how it all turned out.

29. How do you feel about sharing your password with your partner?

Negatively. Some things are secret for a reason. I have enough messes to clean up as it is.

30. What kind of parent do you think you will be?

Supportive. I'm planning on waiting to have children until I have the time to devote to raising them. I'd probably hire private tutors for them because I can't trust any school system designed by Desi to treat them fairly. Maybe I'll buy back the house I grew up in, assuming they'd be safe in the city.

31. If you are in a bad mood, do you prefer to be left alone or have someone to cheer you up?

Left alone with something productive to do to keep my mind off of things. Unfortunately, some of the people most likely to try to cheer me up are also some of the people most likely to put me in a bad mood.

32. Are you confrontational?

It's so much easier when disagreements can be resolved on their own without needing direct interference.

33. Would you relocate for love?

Temporarily, perhaps. I'd prefer to live in Iluvar but I could make other arrangements if that wasn't possible.

34. What’s the one thing that people always misunderstand about you?

I don't keep secrets for my own amusement. I do it because it's necessary. There are some things that don't need to be known. I'll tell you when it's relevant.

35. What did your past relationship teach you?

Choose your people with care. The ones you get too close to will also get too close to you.

36. What’s on your bucket list this year?

Survive. Avoid (further) international incident. Crush some fuckers.

37. What do you define as a family?

The people who are there for you, with whom you share some tie of blood or experience or caring. The people who depend on you.

38. What relaxes me?

These days? Not much. There are so many events happening at once, and that's only counting the ones we know about. Every time I let my guard down, something awful happens that I could have prevented if I'd been paying attention.

Alcohol, I suppose.

39. What will people say at your funeral?

Depends on whether Desi gets to write the eulogy. I'd prefer to have Sky give it- He'll know what to say and what to leave out.

40. If you lost everything tomorrow, whose arms would you run into to make everything okay?

Most of the things I have that I value are not possessions that could be taken away from me. I suppose I could lose my titles and my official position, but that wouldn't necessarily be more than an inconvenience. If I lost the esteem of those around me, I wouldn't have anyone to run to.

Well. I suppose I would have someone. I probably wouldn't run towards them, though.

41. What were you doing when you last lost track of the time?

We were eating breakfast and I must have stared off into space or fallen asleep but suddenly a woman on a horse was jumping out the window somehow. Apparently we'd had quite a lengthy conversation with her but I can't remember any of it.

42. What did you want to be when you were a kid?

A clever merchant, a skilled negotiator, a generous patron of the arts... I wanted to be everything my parents were and more. I grew up hearing the story of how my grandmother charmed a Raksha and negotiated the deal our family business was built on and how I would be the one to go out and renew that contract. Some set of my father's relatives were always passing through the house, filling the halls with laughter and music and I remember being so proud to think that I would one day be another rock for my family to rely on.

Ah, well.

43. Describe the next five years of your life, and your plans, in a single sentence:

It isn't what they're expecting but it's what they need.

44. Do you consider yourself the hero or the villain in your story?

The hero, of course. I've literally been appointed by the Unconquered Sun himself to perform his works in creation and have fought against the forces of the Fair Folk and the Neverborn. I've helped bring peace and stability to the region where I can.

Even if I've made mistakes or taken the wrong path, I have still done some good. I'm sure there are worse choices I could have made.

45. How much control do you really have over yourself?

Some. Less than I'd care to admit.

46. When did you last push the boundaries of your comfort zone?

Very recently, unfortunately. Sometimes comfort zones have boundaries for a reason. Sometimes there's nothing to be gained in venturing beyond them.