#i just really fucking love this song--the lyrics remind me of A Sun Came style but ... it sounds nicer lmao

[justslowdown]

In the drop of the roller coaster

You see the ghost pass through your face

In the parting of forgiveness

Will you make a change?

We are only temporary students of the meeting place

[bxngthedoldrums]

a petekey reading of so much (for) stardust

aka you knew i'd do this aka i didnt take four literature classes in college for nothing aka make sure your tinfoil hat is SECURED to your noggin aka dear lord forgive me for committing sins of petekey in the year of 2023

look. i have to do this or i don't deserve this blog. amen

~ love from the other side

okay. yea, immediately the "you were the sunshine of my lifetime" thing is sort of sus, because we all know pete wentz and anytime sun or summer is involved it's Something. this is solidified in "summer falling through our fingers again" in verse 2, but it's interesting that he uses "ours" in this lyric bc i feel like recently most of pete's summer lyrics have been pretty self-inflicted. it's impossible to not note the whole "inscribed like stone and faded by the rain" in the bridge v. "the tombstones were waiting" line in bang the doldrums. i shant even elaborate u can pick up what i'm laying down!

~ heartbreak feels so good

i think this song is pretty light on petekey imagery but "light from a screen of messages unsent" kinda reminds me of "some nights it gets so bad i almost pick up the phone" in ginasfs but i could be reaching for Sure. let's be real that's all i do

~ hold me like a grudge

honestly i think this is one of the worst petekey offenders on the album. this one had me gawking at my screen as i read the lyrics. "thaw out my freezer burn feelings for twenty summers" ??? be SERIOUS pete... "part-time soulmate, full-time problem" yeah I GET IT I GET IT !!! the whole thing reeks of 2005 summertime fling

~ fake out

"do you laugh about me whenever i leave?" bonkers ass line,,this reminds me of pete's lj writing in those years after 2005,,,"my mood board is just pictures of you, but i'm not sad anymore" YEAH. this is SO pete holy fuck. that classic wentz obsession,,"we did for futures that never came and for pasts that we're never gonna change" this line's got me on the fuckin FLOOR. also classic pete!!! his perchance for nostalgia is just insane and he really feels it huh

~ heaven, iowa

i dont even know how to get into this one. "kiss my cheek, baby, please/would you read my eulogy?" SICK and TWISTED evil!!! evil!!! "i will never ask you for anything except to dream sweet of me" jesus h christ the melancholy is off the charts but holy fuck this song is so,,,tender? i dont know wht to say but i know this was written w summer of love intention. i know this in my heart. "scar-crossed lovers, forever" OKAY I KNOW !!! this song is DEVASTATING verse 2 is fucked UP and the bridge is too!!! "closed my eyes inside your darkness and found your glow"???? i cantr og on

~ so good right now

i can't really discern any particularly petekey lyrics in this one right away but the whole "i cut myself down to be whatever you need me to be" is pretty fucking wild

~ i am my own muse

there's some really sad lyrics in this one ab the whole future-not-going-as-planned thing that comes up so frequently in pete's writing but honestly the whole "let's twist the knife again, twist the knife again like we did last summer" thing made my head explode. every lover's got a lil dagger in their hands!!!

~ flu game

im not gonna sit here and type out ths whole fucking song but oh my GOD bro. this song to me is a really nice callback to pete's older style of lyricism but that comes with the self-deprecation and all the other really sad shit. it's beautiful! it's horrible! i love it!!! its about mikey i cant even pul out a few lyrics just LISTEN

~ baby annihilation

another fucked up one that literally anyone else in fob should have vetoed but OKAY?? "time is luck and i wish ours overlapped more or for longer" MAN SHUT UP. "self sabotage at best, under your spell/but you know what they say, if you want a job done right, you gotta do it yourself" ..........dude. if you're like me and you've poured over pete's oooold lj posts from the mid 2000s you already get it, but if you havent,,,go do it and get back to me bc this is TOO MUHC im unwell. "what is there between us if not a little annihilation?" i think i hauve covid

~ the kintsugi kid (ten years)

this song is really fucking sad actually. there's so much fear of being forgotten on this album and it's showcased really beautifully in this song,,,mayhaps not the most obviously petekey song but god damn

~ what a time to be alive

this song's about covid and quarantine n it's pretty easy on the whole suffering from a fling in 2005 thing! good job pete and fob

~ so much (for) stardust

this song is kinda suspicious but there's very few lines that really solidify it as a petekey song,,, altho "i think i've been going through it, and ive been putting your name through it" is a really interesting lyric. and OF COURSE, "in another life, you were my babe/in another life, you were the sunshine of my lifetime" happy xmas war is over

[diejager]

This isn’t really a request but I’m rambling to you instead!!! Idk if requests are open or closed atm, but I really needed to let my thoughts out, so sorry if I’m bothering. So like, I was rereading the stepdad!König + dbf!Horangi thing, yeah? And I was just picturing a multitude of scenarios in my head, and most of them are suuper specific or weird. Let me elaborate on that. I was getting major TUNNEL VISION vibes from the pair. And if you’re not too aware, TV is a song made by Melanie Martinez and that instantly reminded me of reader’s current situation, especially this part in the lyrics, “Yeah, you hold me like you’re rushing to my thighs, too fast”.

(And also, the MV for it came out 4 days ago as I’m writing this, and that’s when my first intrusive scenario came to my head: What if you’re privately dancing in your bedroom to this song and both HorHor and KoKo just so happen to be watching or smth? Maybe they’d get a little aroused…)

The song is basically about self-worth and I also began to wonder if they both really like the reader because of the ‘fun’, or if they genuinely care about them in some way.

Anyway. I really like dancing, so that’s probably the reason as to why I imagined said scenario in the first place. Singing, too— and I was also wondering how’d they react to a reader who likes to sing in dance. In private, of course.

Before I conclude though, I just wanna say (again) sorry for dumping my ramblings to you!!! I actually adore your works and the way you write is just… *chefs kiss* I aspire to become a writer like you someday— your stories bring me serotonin literally.

Lots of love from the Land Of The Rising Sun <3

Please take these spaghetts as a reward for reading through this messy hodgepodge I wrote. 🍝🍝🍝

Tunnel Vision, right??? The whole album is perfect!! I think the Portal is about new beginnings and self-care and worth, no? Like leaving the past and moving forward. And don’t apologise for rambling, I enjoyed reading it!

But Horangi and König do genuinely care about you, despite how fun it is to mess and fuck you, they truly care about you!

Ps. If you want to start writing, I’d recommend writing shorter and simpler fics and gradually increase the length. And don’t stress about finding inspiration in other people’s writing style and ideas, just let the writer know if you want to use their AU or prompt in case it’s very similar.

PSs. Thank you for the spaghetti!! Lots of love from me🥰

[fatimaah]

sunny Saturday

I wonder if the last days of school will feel the same, will we sit like this, will the teachers remind us of adulthood chasing, will the open window let the sun rays in, will the curtains danse with the wind making everything look cinematic, will my friends be late to school?

It was hot today, we went to a university nearby where some event was going on today.

While walking Fir was trying to memorize her biology stuff (I swear if I was her, I wouldn't be her like there's no way I will do me like that, I'm not a selfhater), anyway I was just singing songs in my head and walking with her until we came to the university.

I persuaded fir to stay outside because there was a huge crowd inside that it seemed like the oxygen is about to end. We stayed there a bit as she was telling me about some trees or whatever. and omg there was a gurl right in front of us and SHE HAD SUCH A COOL FUCKING STYLE OMG I CAN'T I really wanted to talk to her or at least tell her she looks so frickin cool. But she left haha.

Then we were fangirling over flowers and spring with firuza until we saw kamilla, later me and kmll went inside and thrifted some cool thingies universities were giving away and I love this newspaper pencil ♡

When we returned back we put some videos(song lyrics) at class and chilled there with girls. Frz and kmll are two TikTok addicts and I was sitting with both of them while changing my focus from one phone screen to another (I like it).

I love how it was so sunny and right now it's raining and there's a thunder outside. There's just something about thunders, they are so loud but when they come with the sound of rain in the background they sound soothing. I used to be afraid of rain when I was little because I watched a lot of movies about flood and I was always scared of floods. I still am actually. I can't believe that all we have can one day (God have mercy on us) just be wiped out by fire or water or wind...or bomb. Hate the idea of losing everything.

these days I'm thinking about money that I have.... it's around $170 in total. I can spend it on so many things but...more and more, everyday, I want to donate every single dollar to Palestine or Congo, or Sudan.... I can't stop thinking about it

I feel like if I don't do it right now and spend my money on some food or yarn or books or whatever, I feel like...I will betray myself, I know if I don't do this I will feel bad and will want to die. If I don't do it, I will be ashamed of existing.

It's not a big deal if I won't buy more yarn, if I will read online books, if I won't hang out with my friends. For the sake of people who can't even afford seeing their loved ones alive, for the sake of people who don't have a roof above their head, nor do they have food, nor do they have water...

Only faith, I swear those people only have faith.

I will do it, I am not able to ignore such things.

April 20, 2024

[maliciousmalfeasance]

If I typed a live review of my spotify discover would you read it? Too late- (Indie-rock/pop, punk, ???, mid-west emo, math-rock,etc Be warned I am a hater about some petty shit lmao)

Carousel- CJ the X 

This song is beautifully produced, the melody of “everything will be alright” sounding just slightly off kilter and perfectly fits the teetering vibes of the song. I love the carnival vibe- lyrics flow so effortlessly. The RUNS BRO. Really perfect window into a probably fucked up breakdown. Hope things got better CJ <3 “I don’t blame anybody but me/ You’re too kind, I am a disease!” oof.

A big brown dog named bagel- Nep

“I kind of wanted to bite-” I love the incorporation of bossa grooves into this indie rock, gay as hell love song. “I feel like we’re gonna marry way too quickly” This feeling. Really cute. Vocals are so sweet- you just kind of want to scoop the vocalist up and hug her. 

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN - QUEEF JERKY, ethan is online

The best of the worst or the worst of the best? The beat switch up had me actually grooving- good shit. "Go to the zoo and see some fish."

Spirit Week- happy trendy

So cozy, comfy, fuzzy. Whenever I hear fuzzy vocals it feels like my ears are being hugged idk why. Sad but in a kind of melancholy optimist way? If that makes sense. Chords got a little tired by the end but I forgive all sins for fuzzzzzzzz

Glow- Alice Phoebe lou 

Aussie vocals perhaps? "When you were dreaming, I looked in. I saw everything." What a sweet, dizzy tune. Sounds like getting drunk in a carpeted room that looks like it’s from the 70s. “I’m a lover, just never knew how” Relatable. Vocalist has this really nice vibrato that reminds me of judy garland or ella fitzgerald, such a nice warm tone. Lots of hug songs in here. I’m a lover of this one. C:

Wasteland- wooded fang

Surf rock type of vibe? Feels like something I’d listen to as the sun sets on a long car trip- about to have a delirious few hours outside of time. I cannot fathom my man’s lyrics but he’s got such a relaxed delivery it’s real fun. Good vibe. "dododododododododo"

Feelin down- primrose

Drum good. Fr the production/recording on these drums is so nice. I feel like im sitting in the drummers lap but in a comfy way- like the rest of the song is absolutely great also but man.. I appreciate the work that went into getting these drums so nice. Also love the moments where the band stops. Love a stop. Satisfying. Ngl the vocals are nice but I wish he’d put a lil more OOmf in it y’know? Just like SEND IT.

 I Fade Away- Tulips Ballad, M.E, CAT DAD

The high vocals really made this for me, just came in and I was like aaah yeah. Then together?? Lovely. Such nice harmonies. Only wish there was a little less repetition but Idk that might just be me listening too hard rn lmao. I like the more subtle production bits but like, the main guitar loop doesn’t have much movement and it left me a lil like… what if you did more? Bass good. I like the piano but what if.. different chord?

Grade A- Spill Tab, JAWNY

I… might be getting fatigued from listening to all this stuff but these chords at the end feel like the same as the last song bro I’m a lil disappointed. It’s just so quick and so… clean? In a bad way? Lmao I think it feels overproduced to me. So many production decisions that don’t feel like they serve the song and only a couple that really feel earned. (cheated and gave it a second listen because I felt kind of bad about having mostly negative comments. Both the vocalists are great and the quality of production is real nice, I just think the producer needed to pull back a bit and let the vocalists do their thing, y'know?)

Only At Your Convenience- Graham Kartna

Big Jack Stauber energy.. Perhaps… too much Jack Stauber energy? I can’t tell if this was a deliberate attempt to emulate the style as an experiment or not. The drowned chords, the vocals that jump down suddenly, all the little cartoon samples. OK I had a look and he’s def got a voice and a sound this song just happens to REALLY sound like it’s going for a Jack Stauber vibe, most of his other stuff is similarly drowned and sample heavy but like… distinct enough that I wouldn’t think to associate the two- it’s literally just this song so he is forgiven in my eyes. Peace and love on planet earth. Honestly I’d forgive him emulating Jack really hard too I mean fuck it man do what satisfies ya. (gave this a second listen and idk why I thought it was so close actually this is good and fine.)

easy - waveform*

Oh! I’ve def heard this one before, love the big warm acoustic guitar+sad vocal. Gay and cute. “I’m on the stairs in a beautiful gown, and you look so stupid your teeth on the ground.” Love the imagery in these lyrics. 

Diane- Dad feels, Yelle 

Holy fuck I hate this man. I haven’t listened to the song yet I’m just like- before I make any comment you have to know I’m severely biased against him lmao He sucks he makes me incredibly uncomfortable to watch. ANYWAY presses play hm. Ok. wow. BAD. First song of his I’ve ever listened to and holy fuck. Worse than I thought. Nothing to like about this. It's so low effort. I’m just trying desperately to tune this trash out while I wait for the next song. Holy fuck. OH THANK GOD

Kill your radio- Heartsrevolution

Cute! Feels like something that would play in a scene while a stereotypical girly character beats the shit out of someone. Is that insane? Idk man. maybe I’m just thinking about violence because of dad. It’s fuzzy. The guitars and vocals got that sweet high fuzz on them. This toes the line for me of being like slightly over produced also but I think it’s just my taste. 

Becky- Be Your Own Pet

I’ve heard this one too! It’s just such an edgy teenage hatred song. Just real petty and fun to yell along to. Love the story and the little moments where the band all yells BECKY AAAAA. Good shit. 

Dark matter- Little Big League 

Oh such a sweet sleepy vocal with nostalgic guitars. Love the way the main vocal kind of leans around the notes, feels so effortless. The slight edge in the tone is used so sparingly but so well, such a cool voice. Oh man!! Sorry band you’re great too I just love these vocals!!! I want more growls but I’m feral for growls- the way that tone is used so sparingly to great effect is lovely. 

Better Go- Mel blum 

Familiar with this one too. Just a really catchy, chill tune. Love the stops and little rhythm guitar moments. “Guess I ain’t using my body anyway.” Yeah. Solid tune fr. Love the floaty vibe of the vocals.

Random Firl -Late Of The Pier

Glanced at the band bio and apparently the band formed when they were 16/17 which is cute. They haven’t released anything in a long while but I wanna believe they’re all still friends. Feels like a song I’d have played on repeat in 2015 when I was in a Smallpools phase. The vocal harmonies are very sweet, such a nice wall of sound. Left me wanting more!! AA

You Make me smile- Mamalarky

This squishy bass is fun. Another soft, floaty voice- I guess Spotify is recommending all of these because I listened to so much Stella Donnelly last year. Really like the structure of this song, the way that the synths swell and fall again to make room for the guitar and piano… Just really cool vibes. Love that blending of synth and ‘real’ instrument. Yeah. Just kind of vibing here. Adding this one to my likes for sure. I feel like what sets this apart from some of the others is that the instrumentation is interesting and thick without drowning or outshining the vocals which is hard as heck to do right!!

IDC- carpetgarden 

First few lines are like. Damn. Yeah. Lyrics are heavy but in a fuck this kind of way. Their vocals are so sweet and yet kind of bored sounding? Genuinely really like the vibes. There’s a great energy to the guitars that makes you wanna dance around, real sad but happy at the same time. Kind of song I’d listen to while on the way somewhere to get myself in a good mood lmao. “Worms in my brain and my eyes are full of daisies, My body’s melting and it feels a-fuckin’-mazing” 

Wicca Kids- Pacific Purgatory

This song is underwater! Pull it out!! AAA! Fr tho it’s so muffled it feels like I’m listening through a wall. Kind of a vibe? I do kind of want it a little less muddy tho. I really like the vocals- feels like they’re hiding I wanna drag them out to the front of the mix. This is prob intentional. It is nice, I’m just making grabby hands at all the high frequencies rn. Baby come back. 

Vampire- Lupin

The shades in that title and song name. Chefs kiss. These vocals are great, confident and straight shooting. They cut through really well. Oh no wonder I like this, he’s the vocalist from hippo campus. Solid song. Not super my current taste but it’s definitely hitting every ball it’s trying to hit… if you get me. Knows what it’s about. 

You’re Terrific - LoudFoxCult 

I love the way the two vocals play off each other. This came out in 2018, real cute highschool indie rock vibe and yet- like way better than you’d expect from a highschool indie band so like.. Yeah. Terrific, even.

Scott Pilgrim- Plumtree

Omg I love Plumtree. Punk girls from the 90s kickin ass. I love this band. This is a great song, I like In The Sink better tho. The main lick is super catchy though I can see why this is their most listened to.  “I’ve liked you for a thousand years” Repeated over and over and over because yeah dude I’ve liked you FOREVER. 

WasteUrTime- Kevin Walkman

Bassline hits. Licking my fingers baby this shit tastes GOOOOOD am I going insane? Idk man this song just has a really satisfying groove going, vocalist has a great laidback tone. Feels perfect for the vibe of the lyrics. Horny songs gotta have a goood bass line and y’know. This one did it. 

brittle (wake up)- Meltycannon

I know this band but can't place them. Really love the grunge/hiphop vibes??

When You Are Not Around- The Band Ice Cream

Breakup song if ever I heard one, “I like you more, when you are not around.” Angry and mean in a satisfying way, feels like a diary entry I wrote about an ex. Just like- raw and unfair amounts of bitterness, you know? Kind of shit you’d never actually say. Well idk maybe you would. I’m only mean in my diary tho. Mostly. Cough. “I don’t fucking care if it hurts you” 

How Could You Ever Think I Hated You?- Cloning

HAHA opposite vibes completely and holy shit a band from perth!!! The aussie accent feels so comfy to me in music mwa. Feels lik the accent is almost going american in parts- maybe that’s just the Perth accent tho idk any perthians. Jumpscared by the stop in the middle of the song lmao i was like NOO. Guitars are lovely, feels like a real lived-in sound. Love the vibe

Meet me in Montauk- Retirement Party

“Had a head so big it sank into the ground.” The noodles in the guitar always make my heart happy- very midwest emo. Just a very cozy angsty song. This is the type of music that turns my brain to like nostalgic goo. “I’m not sure if i don’t believe in a God or if he doesn’t believe in me” - something my 11 year old self would cry about fr. I love how raw and unornamented the vocals are- it’s a mark of the genre for sure but it just makes the lyrics hit even harder. 

I Dropped Out- And The Kids

Feels like I’ve heard this one a thousand times and yet it’s not in my likes. The vocals are swimmin' in reverb and they’re just- asufghdsuigifih I Love The Dreamy-ness. The “I went to graduation" line coming back with altered timing/tone always hits so good idk it’s such a simple thing but with the force of the band crescendo behind it- it’s like. Fuck yeah, you did!

Been thinking- Fishing In japan

SO laid back, these lyrics flow so naturally- the vocals sound half asleep in the best way. Solid band. Nothing really stands out to me more than the silly sleepy vocals which are a very good vibe, kind of wish the guitars were played a little less straight to emphasise the drag of the vocals. It’d be different song. Better? Maybe? But this song is nice too. 

And that’s all wowweeeee

[ilovefandoms]

Alastember free for all week

My Alastair playlist

and the lyrics of each song that remind me of him:

seven - taylor swift

And I've been meaning to tell you I think your house is haunted Your dad is always mad and that must be why And I think you should come live with me And we can be pirates Then you won't have to cry Or hide in the closet

dollhouse - melanie martinez

Places, places Get in your places Throw on your dress and put on your doll faces Everyone thinks that we're perfect Please don't let them look through the curtains

for the love of a daughter - demi lovato

Oh, father Please, father Put the bottle down for the love of a daughter son

broken home - 5sos

Hey, mum, hey, dad, when did this end? When did you lose your happiness? I'm here alone inside of this broken home

family line - conan gray

(I know this song is already a popular opinion within the fandom)

Scattered 'cross my family line I'm so good at telling lies That came from my mother's side Told a million to survive

[...]

All that I did to try to undo it All of my pain and all your excuses I was a kid, but I wasn't clueless (Someone who loves you wouldn't do this) All of my past, I tried to erase it But now I see, would I even change it? Might share a face and share a last name but (We are not the same, same)

matilda - harry styles

you talk of the pain like it's all alright But I know that you feel like a piece of you's dead insidе You showed me a power that is strong еnough to bring sun to the darkest days

devil in me - halsey

You said I should eat my feelings Head held high I won't take anyone down if I crawl tonight But I still let everyone down when I change in size And I went tumbling down tryna reach your high But I scream too loud if I speak my mind I don't wanna wake it up (x3) The devil in me

perfect - simple plan

I'm never gonna be good enough for you Can't pretend that I'm alright And you can't change me […] Nothing's gonna change the things that you said And nothing's gonna make this right again (Right again)

i’m not okay (i promise) - mcr

(this one's here just because I can picture Alastair screaming the chorus)

But I'm okay, I'm okay! I'm okay now, "I'm okay now," but you really need to Listen to me, because I'm telling you the truth! I mean this, I'm okay! "Trust me…" I'm not okay I'm not okay, well, I'm not okay, I'm not o-fucking-kay!

I HATE EVERYBODY - halsey

I'm my own biggest enemy Yeah, all my empathy's a disaster Feelin' somethin' like a scaly thing Wrapped too tightly 'round my own master [..] So I just keep sayin' I hate everybody But maybe I, maybe I don't

jet black heart - 5sos

The blood in my veins is made up of mistakes Let's forget who we are and dive into the dark As we burst into color, returning to life 'Cause I've got a jet black heart And there's a hurricane underneath it Trying to keep us apart I write with a poison pen But these chemicals moving between us Are the reason to start again

tolerate it - taylor swift

(the fact that this song fits for both Alastair's relationship with his father and Charles says it all)

You're so much older and wiser, and I I wait by the door like I'm just a kid Use my best colors for your portrait Lay the table with the fancy shit And watch you tolerate it […] I know my love should be celebrated But you tolerate it

29 - demi lovato

(just change the ages to fit Charles and Alastair)

Finally twenty-nine Funny, just like you were at the time Thought it was a teenage dream, just a fantasy But was it yours or was it mine? Seventeen, twenty-nine

paris - the chainsmokers

(remember when Cassie put this in her ChoI playlist and we clowned thinking this was about thomastair?)

If we go down then we go down together They'll say you could do anything They'll say that I was clever If we go down then we go down together We'll get away with everything Let's show them we are better

this is me trying - taylor swift

(another popular fandom opinion)

They told me all of my cages were mental So I got wasted like all my potential And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad I have a lot of regrets about that […] I just wanted you to know that this is me trying

be kind - marshmello & halsey

I know you need, I know you need The upper hand even when we aren't fighting 'Cause in the past, you had to prepare every time, yeah Don't wanna leave, don't wanna leave But if you're gonna fight, then do it for me I know you're built to love, but broken down, so just try, yeah

still learning - halsey

And you wouldn't believe Everything that I seen, no Comin' apart at the seams And no one around me knows Who I am, what I'm on Who I've hurt and where they've gone I know that I've done some wrong But I'm tryna make it right

only the brave - louis tomlinson

Pour mercy, mercy on me, set fire to history I'm breakin' my own rules, I'm cryin' like a fool

Charles/Alastair playlist

Thomastair playlist

[angelsndragons]

Okay, since I see a lot of people either straight up panicking or saying that Caduceus’ playlist is straight up depressing (neither reaction I get)....I’m gonna offer a different reading of the songs here, how does that sound?

Death Bed Salesman - This is straight up about Caduceus’ family and his upbringing. His father even says some of the lyrics almost word for word in ep 96. Growing up surrounded by death and all the rituals created for the living left behind made Caduceus into the person he is. ‘This is how it has to end/So love somebody while you can’ like talk about a thesis statement for Caduceus’ outlook.

How are You Doing - Wow this song is pulling double duty. Caduceus is not a character who likes burdening other people with his own problems, preferring to keep a calm, polite distance between others and his feelings. The style of this song harkens over to Jester, it’s very bubbly and sweet sounding. Of course, this is also one of Jester’s primary issues (someone please tell the clerics they can be people with problems too). Now, if you do what I did and go watch the music video for this song, two things will stick out. One is the increasing ridiculous scenarios the singers find themselves in while going about their day to day lives juxtaposed against their ‘nothing’s wrong, everything’s fine’ lyrics. Two is the fact that these singers come out at the end of the song together, they have triumphed over the madness and nothing stopped them from doing what they wanted and needed to do. This song encapsulates early Caduceus, while he was getting a feel for the Nein and being drowned every other second, ultimately his contributions to the Pirate Arc were fundamental to the group’s success. 

Vegetables - Honestly, this song just reminds me of that early conversation with Fjord in the Sour Nest. Caduceus is cooking omelets and just casually asks Fjord if he could look for veggies down in the torture chamber since it would ‘make a good root cellar.’ Fjord is so caught off guard by this request, and understandably so, he just repeats ‘Roots?’ Caduceus then just lists off root vegetables like Fjord’s an idiot. Oh, Cad. XD Honestly I like that the beat line is being made by vegetable chomping, it just feeds into the ‘Caduceus is a giant magical cow man’ vibes and I love it.

When the World is at Rest - Xhorhaus! In the middle of that street! Xhorhaus! In all seriousness, this song pulls double duty as well. ‘I miss the sun but the moons will do in a pinch’ anyone? The first and most obvious thing this song reminds me of is when the group is given the house and Caduceus asks, ‘are we putting down roots here?’ With the single act of planting that tree on the tower, Caduceus turned the house into the Mighty Nein’s home. Can’t get your deposit back after that, after all XD. I think of how this home in the dark has sheltered and protected the Nein so many times. I think of them befriending Essek and how that wasn’t part of the plan (you know, like Caduceus himself). I think of how their plans to end the war were hatched in darkness, how violated they all felt when one of their own was taken and when another was assassinated under cover of night, because the darkness had come to feel safe to them. I think of how much the Nein has blossomed since this house became their home, since they all had a place to go back to that was theirs. I think of how the Nein has given the world a breather, a chance to rest, all because they returned a beacon and befriended a traitor. 

Wildflowers - So, there are a couple of interpretations of this song. One is setting a lover or loved one free from your own feelings and letting them go. Another is that the singer is trying to find a place to bury a loved one (’that home by and by’ around where I live and grew up is a roundabout reference to heaven). Honestly, both interpretations are apt for Caduceus. He does his best to not burden others with his worries and feelings, he was the one who stayed home, which granted his siblings the freedom they needed to leave, etc. The second interpretation fits Caduceus as well because we know one of his secret hopes is that the Nein will let him tend their bodies and graves when the time comes. And now I’m gonna put on my TeaHaw hat for a goddamn minute bc holy heck, this is such a good song for both of them, Caduceus reminding Fjord that he deserves freedom and his beloved sea again, Fjord teaching Caduceus to follow his heart and embrace new experiences. ‘I have seen no other/Who compares with you’ really fits their complimentary and praise styles with each other. Thank you, Tal.

Never did No Wandering - Don’t have much to add to what Taliesin said about the song. For once. I think of Caduceus’ loneliness in the Grove and his regret that he didn’t leave sooner. I think of how he could only leave in the context of duty, of just how much his duty as a grave cleric to Melora has defined and shaped his understanding of himself. I think of how long it took for him to voice his own desires and wants. I think of how he insists he isn’t wandering, that he is following a pre-ordained path. I think of how much work he still has to do when it comes to knowing what he wants and making peace with getting it just for his own sake. Also, hello more sailors.

When You Get to Ashville - Oof, so this song works both ways for Caduceus, both as the singer and the subject of the song. I think of him, home alone for ten years, wondering what was going on with his family, if they were safe (he knew they weren’t, he knew what it took to keep them from him), how he didn’t actually want to know unless he could help. As the subject, I see his family, having only been away for what was maybe two years for them, looking at the changes in him in awe and confusion. Nothing’s changed for them but boy howdy has Caduceus changed. The homebody has left the nest and saved them all and he very obviously doesn’t want to go home yet if at all. Caduceus has waited so long to get them back and to be a family again yet when the time comes, he can’t bring himself to return, as the singer implies about the subject. He knows his family will be there to catch him if he needs it but I think this episode is where it really hit him that he’d been trying to recreate a past that never could be again because he could never go back to being who he was. 

Fuck it I’m a Flower - Another Caduceus anthem. Upbeat with a few melancholy lyrics. You can take it as the singer divorcing themself from humanity or you can take it as the singer using flowers as a metaphor for their growth into someone who becomes more involved (the singer goes from not marching to taking on other people’s pain from their place of safety to fully embracing the movement to change things while they can). I don’t have any context for this song but it really freaking reminds me of those protest photos where a protester offers a flower to the riot police (fuck the police). Caduceus is blossoming into a man who genuinely cares about the wider world and the people within it. Not just abstractly, which I would argue he did back in the Grove. But being up close to the ordinary folks in the Dynasty, in the Empire, the Coast, has given him a new perspective on not just his place but where he wants to stand. I think of Jester’s conversation with him back in Oh Captain Who’s Captain, the world is much bigger and messier than Caduceus could have ever dreamed. I think of Caduceus befriending and being kind to their crew and Avantika’s. I think of ‘Nott, you went to find help, we’re here to help.’ I think of ‘one day someone will pray for a miracle and that prayer will be answered because you showed up, that’s what this is all about.’ From rescuing Yeza to saving Giants to shattering the chains binding two of his friends to bringing peace to two warring nations to separating justice from vengeance, just look at where he is now: no longer passive or uncertain of how they can contribute to the world, Caduceus and the Nein have brought so much good into it. Caduceus knows where he stands now. Some people say that he’s the Nein’s moral compass and I disagree with that entirely, he’s become the courage to act on their moral compasses. 

Oh Bury Me Not - Okay, so I know this is where some listeners start to get antsy with all the death talk in this song and the ones after it so breathe, it’s fine. Caduceus is a Grave Cleric, y’all. Tal says that this song is an expression of Caduceus’s religious beliefs, which, uh, yeah. There is no stained glass in the Blooming Grove temple, they do all their work outside the traditional structures of religion and civilization and do it gladly, etc. The ending Bury Me Not, okay, guys, Caduceus is the singer here, not the kid being sung about. It really drives home the Wildmother’s philosophy on death: when you’re dead, you’re dead and you have no say over what happens to the corpse left behind. I think of the corpse of the Great Hero and the founding of the Blooming Grove, the Menagerie, and the Kiln. I think of Caduceus’ onscreen death and how through it, he finds his path to the Kiln. I think of him reviving Fjord. I think of him and this island and how much of a perversion it is of the ‘natural order’. Also, just given how much Fjord has impacted has impacted Caduceus’ ideas of faith and signs and stuff, it’s so fitting that this piece is here. I also think cowboys and how Tal said he’d planned on using the Ocean Burial before he came across this, I see you, Tal. 

September Song - So that build up, huh? I think of Caduceus and the Nein readying themselves for a battle to the death to save Yasha and stop Obann. I think of all the close-calls and near misses. I think of how every day, these people choose over and over and over to stay together, in spite of the coming winter, in spite of the obvious danger, in spite how much safer they would all be if they went their separate ways and planted their heads in the sand. I think of how that, their time, is the most precious gift any of them could give the others. This is not a sad thing, by the way. All these people, who have been so badly wounded by others, who are so skittish and so distrustful and so guarded, choose to stay together over and over again. No matter the hardship. They choose to spend their lives together, they choose to be better together and for each other.

22 (Over Soon) - Guys, this is 100% an Episode 95-96 song. 100%, no question in my book. I think of what Caduceus doesn’t say to his family. I think of what he does say. I think of how overwhelmed he is when the Nein saves them, I think of how he can only muster ‘It’s been a long time.’ (All these years) I think of him trying so hard to be given permission to stay with the Nein without explicitly asking for it, the subtext of ‘would you forgive me if I don’t come home yet’ threaded through his every interaction with his family. I think of how Caduceus hands the seeds over to his sister and tells her to be the hero the Grove and their family needs. I think of how easily and willingly he gave up what he’s called his destiny and charge since the beginning in order to stay with the Nein. This is Caduceus saying good-bye once and for all to the dreams of things going back to the way they were. I think Caduceus had been hoping that his family had changed just as much as he had. I think if they had, he might have gone back with them. But they haven’t changed and he has. So he can’t go home. Not yet. He cloaks his desire to stay with the Nein once more in duty but make no mistake, it’s desire that’s keeping him with them, people who may not understand him but who try and who are there and who accept the new person he has become. The build-up Tal was talking about? This is it. The moment where Caduceus first puts himself and his desires above what he thinks is his duty. The moment that Caduceus fully realizes how much he has changed and what an earth-shattering revelation it is.

We’ll Meet Again - Meetings and Partings have always had a special place in Caduceus’ arc, especially metatextually. He was the character who replaced another, who was rescued from his static seclusion by three of the Nein and who in turn rescued the three captive members. I think of how this song is a promise that, come what may, the singer will do their damnedest to return and make that promise a reality. I think of all the weird and wonderful people Caduceus has met in his short time outside the Grove. I think of all the shop keeps who just love this pink fuzzball and how many times they tell him to come back. I think about the Dusts, the meeting and parting and sanctuary they gave him. I think about Reani and Nila and how his kindness to them has come back threefold (Reani escorting his family home, Nila protecting the Grove). I think about Essek. I think about how driven Caduceus became to reforge the sword after Yasha was taken, to bring her home. I think of Caduceus prodding the Gentleman into reconciling with Jester. I think of his delight in the coincidences that keep lining up between him and Fjord. I think about Caduceus and Beau and how proud he is of her growth. I think of his declaration in the dome that ‘We aren’t done until we’ve saved each other.’ 

Enjoy It - And we wrap up our playlist with another Caduceus thesis statement: don’t worry about the things you can’t change, find the goodness and light in all of your experiences. If it’s meant to be easy, it will be and if it’s meant to be hard, it will be hard. You’re the green bean and you can choose to become jaded at the storms or enjoy the water flooding your roots. This song also fits the lightness we’ve seen from Caduceus since sending his family home. His big quest, his reason for leaving home, has been fulfilled (so he thinks, pretty sure Molaesmyr will be calling in the Nein’s near future) so now he can just sit back, relax, and fully enjoy the ride.

TL;DR - Growing up and moving on is hard and painful but it is also triumphant and necessary. Learning to be who you are and to place yourself on your list of priorities is a journey full of quiet work that few rarely glimpse. Caduceus’ whole arc has been about who he is and what he’s going to do with the strong moral compass he’s got - Is he going to continue to live in the world, even with all the pain, struggle, joy, and goodness that comes with it, or is he going to retreat from it, go back to his little patch of green and forget about it? All signs point to the former, not the latter. In tarot, Death means transformation and sweeping change even more than it does literal death. Caduceus’ playlist is all about the transformation of his self even as he remains true to his core beliefs.

[wyattvsmusic]

Dave - We’re All Alone In This Together ALBUM REVIEW

At such a young age, Dave set the bar so high for himself with his 2019 debut album PSYCHODRAMA and has continued to dominate the UK Hip Hop scene ever since with amazing features and one-off singles. Anticipation for his new album We’re All Alone In This Together has been very high and now it is finally here and Dave is continuing to build on the incredible potential that he showed on such an amazing first album. Dave really sets the tone for this new album with We’re All Alone. The thing I love the most about this song is how he changes up his flow. I have felt that he has his go-to flow but he has shown that he is capable of doing different flows which he does on this song and it ends up being really good. Straight out the gate, he comes through with an amazing line where he raps “I had dreams of doin' architecture or sittin' through a Harvard lecture / How the fuck I end up bein' Harvey Specter?” and then from there goes into a scheme about Suits. The Gryffindor line was hard too. Dave raps about realizing the effects of his music on others and the position he’s been put in. This is only the intro but easily some of the best rapping he’s ever done. Verdansk is a good song but sounds exactly like his song Titanium. It has lots of good one-liners on this song like “I drop YGs, do it like Kehlani.” Dave always sounds great over drill beats and this Stormzy collab Clash is no exception Stormzy killed it and I love how the beat changes to a more grime-sounding beat in the middle. I did not see In The Fire coming at all. It’s a posse cut featuring Fredo, Meekz Manny, Ghetts and Giggs and it left me speechless. That is one of the best beats I have ever heard in my entire life, it’s so soulful and I loved how the drum patterns change for certain rappers’ verses. The sample is absolutely beautiful and each of the five rappers incorporate bars about fire or use fire as a larger metaphor for hardships in their respective upbringings which is so amazing. Everyone does their thing on it but Ghetts absolutely shelled it. He raps “So accustomed to the fire, I get shivers when I'm naked in the sauna.” Giggs is not always the most consistent but when he really tries he does great things on tracks and that is exactly what he does on this song. Every time he and Dave link up they make fire and he really showed up to rap on this song. I loved that line where he raps “Is this n***a trusty Or Sideshow Bob when he's creepin' on Krusty?”Dave has the last verse and really brings it home with an incredible verse. One standout line from his verse is “I could've been deported / That's the definition of a "Fight-or-flight.” We have not ever heard a posse cut like this in UK rap history so In The Fire is definitely a historic event. It truly is its own moment. The production on Three Rivers reminded me of Black. The song tackles the treatment of immigrants in different time periods over the course of three verses. The first is about Caribbean immigrants in the UK during the 60s, the second is about eastern Europeans in the 90s and the third is about ongoing conflicts in the middle east. I am assuming that the three rivers correspond to each region that is discussed in each verse. He does such a great job on speaking about how immigrants are treated in these three verses in a very precise manor but with great detail. He raps: “And every day the sun rises a little later / That's how it is when your oppressor is your liberator” He was spitting when he said that immigrants are “key workers, but they couldn't even get in the door.” Three Rivers to System was an odd transition but System marks a run of three Jae5-produced afrobeats-style bangers. Nigerian GOAT Wizkid joins Dave on System which is such a vibe and definitely one of the songs of the summer for sure. Wizkid never misses, especially coming off Made In Lagos which has become one of my all-time favorite albums in a very short period of time. I loved that clever line that Dave had about how “She wanna do SMS / Not save my soul, that's spend my savings” but then he quickly switches to talking about how the system is built against him. Lazarus is an instant favorite. This song has a beat so good that I have to wheel it up every time I turn it on. Jae5 deserves an award for this beat. I had never heard of Boj before this song but he did an amazing job on the hook, which is in Yoruba. I don’t understand it but for me, when it comes to enjoying music in different languages it’s all about the delivery and how you use your voice. I really liked Law Of Attraction. This collaboration between Dave and Snoh Aalegra. It’s a good change in vibe and Snoh sounds amazing. The one thing I didn’t like about this song was the line that Dave had where he says “I put your name on a necklace / That's a chain reaction.” That was a little corny. After that song, the album reaches a more subdued level compared to songs like Clash and Lazarus. Both Sides Of A Smile is a collab with James Blake who sounds amazing on the song about the two sides to a failing relationship. It reminds me of Wretch 32’s song His and Hers. I liked how when Dave was rapping from the woman’s point of view, he had a woman rap a portion of it as if she was talking to Dave. Twenty To One is definitely the worst song on the album. I didn’t like the hook at all. It’s not a bad song though. I liked that line about how “A good girl [is] like Pokémon / Easy to see, but hard to catch.” Heart Attack is a heartbreaking song about knife crime in the UK. Dave raps for nine minutes uninterrupted without a hook over a very minimal beat that cuts out for a portion of the song so Dave is just rapping acapella. Describing it is one thing but when you actually listen to it, you’ll understand what I mean. Survivor’s Guilt is a fantastic note to close on as he raps about feeling guilty about celebrating his successes because his friends that he came up with are no longer there to celebrate with him. He also talks about having anxiety as well as ending a relationship with an Albanian woman due to cultural differences. He raps “My ex has got ivory skin / Which is funny 'cause it's really the elephant in the room” as well as this gem: “Rum and Red Bull, it's a culture clash.” Jorja Smith contributes vocals to the song as well. We’re All Alone In This Together definitely differs from PSYCHODRAMA in terms of lyrical content but the albums share some similarities in terms of production which I guess is Dave’s sound. The production is great but both albums have the balance between hard-hitting bangers and afrobeats-style vibes along with long and reflective songs about how he lives in his own psyche. He also talks about relationships as well as more complex political topics as well. These albums are definitely not the same though. He gave so much of himself through the lens of his brother on PSYCHODRAMA whereas on this album he is in a different place of fame and notoriety where he is able to bring light to issues regarding the treatment of black people and immigrants as well as speak about his own mental health which has helped his constantly-growing fanbase. He may feel alone as David but he’s alone in this world together with his fans.

Fav Tracks: We’re All Alone, Clash, In The Fire, System, Lazarus

[bobdylanrevisited]

Blood On The Tracks

Released: 20 January 1975

Rating: 10/10

Often regarded as Dylan’s greatest album, and potentially the greatest album of all time, it’s hard to disagree. Released on Columbia Records following Bob starting a relationship with an employee whilst his marriage to Sara was crumbling following the 1974 tour, the record is actually two different recording sessions. One was in New York, with a much more mellow feel, the other was in Minneapolis with a backing band, following Dylan’s brother stating that the New York songs sounded too similar. Whilst the original recordings are available on the Bootleg Series Vol. 14: More Blood, More Tracks, and are fucking fantastic in their own right, the final product is a thing of inconceivable genius. It’s an album that perfectly captures the turbulence of divorce, love, longing, and self reflection, and is easily the most beautifully written collection of songs ever released.

1) Tangled Up In Blue - Once again, Bob opens the album with one his best ever compositions. A non-linear tale of love and loss which would rival the postmodern writing style of Kerouac and Ginsberg. The story he tells here is both sweet and tragic, filled with nostalgia and longing for a companion. Potentially partially biographical in nature, the lyrics are among his very best, relatively simple at face value, but filled with references and meaning that could take a lifetime to fully digest. His voice continues to sound more mature and even quite commercial, though his brilliant nasal twang is still present, particularly when he hits the title line. This Minneapolis version is astonishing, it may be the perfect song, though the slower and more chilled out New York recording is equally as brilliant. Although for me the defining performance is the one found on his 1984 live album ‘Real Live’, which completely alters most of the lyrics, something Bob carries on doing to this day.

2) Simple Twist Of Fate - A beautiful track about the cruel nature of fate and losing a soul mate. The song talks of the life cycle of a relationship, through metaphor and abstract imagery that wouldn’t be amiss on ‘Blonde On Blonde’, and feels like a dream sequence that ends with waking up alone and confused. The walking bass in the background and soft acoustic strumming create a relaxed and almost floaty tune that only elevates the vivid lyrics. As this is the ‘divorce’ album, the song ends with the lover being gone and Dylan deep in regret, and whilst he says this record is based on the work of Chekhov, I believe this is how Bob viewed and dealt with his separation. Sara came into his life through fate, and he let her slip through his fingers, it’s a moving song that is drenched in a need to understand the confusing and painful side of love.

3) You’re A Big Girl Now - Bob is begging for forgiveness here, promising to change and asking to be taken back as he sings through tears. I do take issue with the idea of Bob saying it pains him to see Sara walking away from him given his infidelity, however he does accept that it is entirely her decision and he is pleading his case. Ultimately, despite the brilliant performance Bob gives of desperation and pain, along with some great piano and guitar playing from his band, I do think this is the weakest song on the album due to the lyrics bordering on self pitying. It’s still a great song, I just don’t think Dylan comes across the best here. The rest of the record focuses on either anger, sadness, or regret, whereas here it seems he’s focusing on himself and almost being absolved of his own wrongdoings.

4) Idiot Wind - Though Bob claims this isn’t about the causes of the breakdown of his marriage, I think we all can take that to mean that it definitely is. It also happens to be the best song on the album, Bob is snarling his way through an epic poem of accusations and falsehoods, betrayal and bitterness. It harks back to his finger pointing songs of 10 years earlier, and it doesn’t hold punches against the press and those who had been circulating rumours about both him and Sara. It’s fucking amazing, Bob sounds genuinely enraged and yet also confused at the exaggerated actions he’s having to defend or downplay. Not only are the lyrics both chaotic and fascinating, the organ playing is superb. Throughout the 7:47 minute song, every time Bob sings ‘Idiot Wind’ it’s like a direct insult to those who meddled in his relationship, as well as another nail in the coffin of his once happy marriage.

5) You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go - It’s been argued as to whom was making Bob lonesome, is it Sara or his Columbia girlfriend? Either way, it’s quite a happy sounding song that’s actually a heartbreaking tale of loss and reluctance to accept life moving on. Bob invokes the poets Verlaine and Rimbaud’s turbulent relationship, with Bob very much being the Rimbaud of the 20th Century, to describe the breakdown of love and happiness leading to feeling alone and self-reflection. As with the whole album, the backing band sound great alongside Bob’s relaxed vocal style and joyous harmonica, and the song creates a tragic feeling of putting on a brave, upbeat facade as life goes on. It’s undeniably becoming much sadder and, as the title suggests, much more lonesome, but Bob attempts to carry on and learn from his mistakes. It’s a hard message to convey in under 3 minutes, but Bob’s pained and honest writing from this period manages it perfectly.

6) Meet Me In The Morning - Musically, this is the best song on the album. All the instruments have a brilliant bluesy feel to them, and Dylan’s voice matches this style, with his nasal tone elongating phrases and making him sound like the blues singers of old. From what I can gather, the protagonist of the song is asking his lover to a rendezvous, but waits from dawn to dusk with no appearance from her. Throughout the song he wishes they could be elsewhere, and compares his love and longing to the darkness of the night and the setting of the sun. It’s a difficult song to unpack as Dylan is the master of mysterious and metaphorical storytelling, but understanding every line really doesn’t matter here. The song itself is a joy to listen to, proving that Dylan shouldn’t just be applauded for his lyricism, but also his ability to compose and record with various musicians to achieve a specific and memorable sound.

7) Lily, Rosemary And The Jack Of Hearts - I’ll quickly mention that Dylan and his harmonica sound amazing on this song, as do the backing band who evoke the sound and atmosphere of the cabarets of old. However, it would be impossible to do the lyrics to this song justice in one small paragraph. This song is the ‘Desolation Row’ of the album, a sprawling epic poem featuring a host of characters in various criminal and romantic encounters. It’s an incredible piece of work, more interesting and exciting than most of what we see on the silver screen. I urge you to fully immerse yourself into the world Dylan creates here, as for nearly 9 minutes, he and his band weave a perfect story worthy of Homer.

8) If You See Her, Say Hello - This song reminds me of ‘Girl From The North Country’. It’s about passing on well wishes to a former lover, letting them know you’re still thinking about them, even though they’ve left your life and moved on. The lyrics are heartbreaking, as Bob remarks that the love still burns within him, but he wants to ensure this information isn’t passed on to her. A brilliantly moving and desperate song once again, with another beautiful backing arrangement and a pained voice longing to rekindle what he has lost.

9) Shelter From The Storm - A love song that focuses on being saved, clearly Bob is talking about Sara and his needing to be rescued from the hurricane of fame, drugs, and parting of 1965 when they met. It’s a romantic story featuring religious imagery, showing Bob’s true feelings towards how he viewed himself and the period of life that was now being ripped apart by his actions. The near angelical way he describes Sara, and his ending thoughts on how he still feels about her nurturing and caring personality, are a far cry from some of the earlier tracks on the album, but this feels like perhaps the most personal song on the record. The stripped back instrumentation allow the bittersweet lyrics to take centre stage, with Bob again sounding much more mature and accessible with his relaxed vocal style. Whilst this version is incredible, I’d also recommend the live 1976 recording on ‘Hard Rain’. The song is much rockier, Bob barks the lyrics, and it sounds fucking brilliant.

10) Buckets Of Rain - The album closes with a genuinely lovely track, both simple and sweet as it addresses a lover. The melody is delicate and Dylan’s singing is soft and full of warmth. There’s not much else to say about this beautiful song, other than it feels like Bob showing us that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that everything will work out in the end.

Verdict: I could happily just listen to this album until the day I die. If Dylan going electric is the most important musical moment of the 1960s, then this release is the 1970s equivalent. It’s pure art, it captures a feeling most struggle to internally process, let alone articulate in such a poetic and moving way at only 33 years old. The lyricism on this one record alone proves Bob is the greatest poet of the 20th Century. Even the outtakes from this album, especially ‘Up To Me’, are better than most artists creative peak. This may be Dylan’s most personal record (despite his insistence that it is not autobiographical), and I imagine it will be studied for centuries to come as his magnum opus. In typical Bob style, he would bizarrely head out on an exhaustive tour called the ‘Rolling Thunder Revue’, playing at small venues with a band that resembled a circus show, whilst his family life continued to disintegrate. But before he managed to capture the spirit of these carnival-esque performances, he gave permission for some mythical recordings from 1967 to finally be released.

[grimelords]

Hello I finished my July playlist a week ago but when I went to post it tumblr was down, and then I just plumb forgot! Anyway, here it is - properly sequenced this time for a very special listening experience that seamlessly delivers you from disco heaven to black metal hell and everything in between. Also I’m thinking of making these playlists a tinyletter that people can subscribe to that comes out on an actual schedule, rather than me posting them at a random time weeks after they’re finished. Is that something you’d be interested in? Who knows. Check back next month! Anyway, here goes:

listen here

Stay Away From Me - The Sylvers: You know when you’re listening to a song and the sample is super hot but the rest is just ok, so you think to yourself well why don’t I just listen to the original instead? That’s what happened to me with Final Form by Sampa The Great. That song is good but it’s also kind of not doing enough to convince me not to just listen to this super hit by The Sylvers instead. A fun thing with this song is to try to count how many instruments you can hear because it is surprisingly densely arranged for some reason. There’s a xylophone back there going off if you listen.

Sizzlin’ Hot - Paradise: The same thing happened with this song and Sizzlin’ by Daphni. I think they were going for an Armand Van Helden style distillation of the pure essence of the song, sampling the hookiest part and speeding it up and thickening up all the percussion and all that, which can work amazingly but for me it just made me want to hear the original and so I have been all month. What’s so good about being alive now is that in most cases it’s just as easy to access music from 2019 as it is to access music from 1981 where an original copy is apparently going for $1000 on discogs. Every day I thank god for inventing mp3s and putting them on the ark.

Manaos (Canzone) - Fabio Frizzi and Crossbow: I forget how I came across this, I was going through random Fabio Frizzi soundtracks for some reason. I just love the concept of a disco song about escaping from vicious assailants. Funkily singing ‘God help us, if they catch us we all are gonna die.’ as spears fly past you.

Holding On - Julio Bashmore: I think this is one of my favourite pieces of sampling ever. The way the vocals in the background are cut they don’t even sound like vocals. They just a strange contextless textural sound that works so well before eventually revealing itself as vocals in the run before the drop. It’s just so good.

Weight Watchers - Parallel Dance Ensemble: First of all I love this disgusting bass sound. It sounds like two different indistinct bass lines playing at the same time and they both drowned. I’m also mounting a change.org petition to bring back this kind of extremely naff Tone Loc flow, it rocks.

Dance - ESG: I found this incredible band while I was looking for the rapper ESG and I’m so glad I did. Their song UFO is one of those songs that’s been sampled so many times you think of it as more of a sound effect than a song, like it comes preloaded on a drum machine everyone has or something, but it’s also a good template for ESG’s sound. Every ESG song I’ve heard so far goes like this: a straightforward beat that doesn’t change for the whole song, a functional bassline that doesn’t change for the whole song, and good old fashioned simple lyrics about dancing and having a good time that sound more like schoolyard clapping games than anything. It doesn’t sound like much but over the course of an album it adds up to this incredible sort of hypnotic post-punk funk that I cannot get enough of. It sounds like kids who have 1 idea making a whole album out of it because that’s exactly what it is and it’s great!

Crave You - Flight Facilities: I love how elementally simple this song is. The vocals are hypnotising enough so everything else just quietly supports it. The only part that stands out is the thick bass synth halfway through which makes the short sax solo at the and all the sweeter, a tiny little cherry on top.

You - Delta 5: Get a load of this band bio: “Initially inspired by the success of local heroes The Mekons and Gang Of Four, Leeds, England’s Delta 5 later emerged as one of the key figures of the feminist new wave. Formed in 1979 by vocalist/guitarist Julz Sale, fretless bassist Ros Allen and bassist Bethan Peters.” Just going to gloss over them having TWO bass players before they even have a drummer?? Absolutely amazing. I love this song because it’s such a specific, targeted fury. Imagine being the loser at your girlfriend’s gig when she launched into this one for the first time. ‘who’s got homebrew with lots of sediment?’ oh fuck that’s me ‘who took me to the Windham for a big night out?’ oh fuck that’s me ‘I found out about you’ oh FUCK

Siren - Gong Gong Gong: I love the way the bass works in this, just looping and layering different variations of this noisy, stationary riff on top of itself - steadfastly staying in the exact same place the whole song and growing in power the whole time as it sits in its stubbornness.

Changes - Antonio Williams and Kerry McCoy: This came up on my Discover Weekly and I completely fell in love with it, then I realised it’s Antwan and Kerry McCoy from Deafheaven which is extremely intriguing collaboration and fell in love even more. The vocals are so good. The pure broken-hearted anguish, and the super blunt delivery that progresses to straight up yelling by the end of it combined with the Radio Dept type instrumentation is just so powerful. This feels like it’s a song that could really be a life-changing piece of catharsis for everyone in a 5k radius done live.

Fuck A War - Geto Boys: Absolutely in love with the conceit of this song: rapping a whole song down the line to the army drafter. The incredible part being of course that Bushwick Bill would be able to dodge any draft easily, being as he was both a dwarf and blind in one eye.

God Make Me Funky - The Headhunters: I found a lot of great songs going through the samples list for We Can’t Be Stopped by Geto Boys and this is one of them. I have so much love for any song that takes its time like this: nearly two minutes to set the scene and somehow taking deadly seriously the very funny lyrical idea of desperately praying to god to PLEASE make you funky.  The way this song escalates is also amazing, moving from a hot groove that sits in place to a full-on saxophone meltdown that feels like god placing his finger on your forehead and saying ‘so you want to be funky, do you?’ in a scary voice.

Use Me - Bill Withers: Fortunately and unfortunately, because of how this song was in Anchorman and because I’ve seen Anchorman one million times I can’t listen to it without hearing the noise Ron Burgundy makes when he sees Veronica in the first few seconds. Anyway, this song is so horny. The part where he has to explain to his bro how good this shit is? Doing all kinds of weird dom shit like ‘getting him in a crowd of high class people and then acting real rude to him?’ Weird. And the escalation into the claps at BABY! is amazing, he’s just going off powered by horniness and god bless him for it.

America! I’m For The Birds - Nicolas Jaar: Unbelievably, the deluxe edition of Sirens is possibly superior to the original. It’s a whole new tracklist, new songs interspersed throughout rather than the usual ‘three new songs at the end’ and it really gives it a whole new feel. This song is my favourite of the new ones and it’s a song I had in my head for a solid week. A perfect song to sing to yourself because the lyrics are so indistinct that you just end up mumbling pleasantly exactly like he is.

Cable Guy - Tierra Whack: I’m finally catching up on Tierra Whack and everyone’s right: she rocks. The sheer restraint in these songs is amazing, they just get in and out with only the good parts and no bullshit. It reminds me a lot of To The Innocent by Thingy which is one of my favourite albums for the same reason - the economy of the songwriting just serves to amplify the feeling of it. They both have this total irreverence in the lyricism where the songs are kind of about nothing but they’re so short and heartfelt that you dig for the feeling underneath it.

No Drug Like Me - Carly Rae Jepsen: I’ve previously written that what I love the most about the Carly Rae Jepsen is how horny it is and I’d like to double down on that sentiment here. I love how slow this song is, it’s the perfect tempo between danceable and ‘fucking’.

Con Calma (Remix) - Daddy Yankee, Katy Perry and Snow: I’ve been on a european holiday for most of this month and I would like to report that across Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, France and Germany this is the absolute song of the summer. It is completely inescapable and personally I can’t get enough. Informer is one of the greatest and strangest one hit wonders of all time (it’s also canada’s highest selling reggae song of all time and Snow is thusly named because he’s white) and I’m psyched to hear it reworked by Daddy Yankee like this. Katy Perry being on the crossover attempt remix isn’t a good sign for her new album but she kills it so maybe that’s all that matters.

Chase The Devil - Max Romeo and The Upsetters: Here’s the other half of my short lived dub phase from the end of last month. This is a good example also of how completely beguiling lyrics can still be so effective. I have no idea what he means by putting on an iron shirt but it rhymes and he’s saying it with conviction so I’m nodding!

Glass - Bat For Lashes: The new Bat For Lashes songs have got me revisiting Two Suns which is an all time great five star album and this is my favourite song from it. Maybe the most powerful opening track of all time, it does as much worldbuilding as most fantasy novels do in 1000 pages. In fact almost every line in this is a viable fantasy novel title. A Thousand Crystal Towers. The Hand Of The Watchmen. A Knight In Crystal Armour. A Cape Of Rainbow. The way she sings ‘to be made of glass’ is.. incredible. I love Natasha Khan and I cannot wait to see what she does next.

Unsquare Dance - Paddy Milner: In searching spotify for other interpretations of Unsquare Dance after getting obsessed with it last month I came across this absolutely bonkers version. It’s maniacal, it feels like you would be physically and mentally drained by the end playing it because I am just listening to it. Need a little lie down.

Gimme Some Skin, My Friend - The Andrews Sisters: My girlfriend has turned me onto The Andrews Sisters lesser known hits recently and this is the best one: a song from when high fives were a novelty that those wacky blacks over in Harlem town were inventing. Extremely odd but an undeniable banger. The thing about The Andrews Sisters is one of them was an absolute force of nature as a performer and the other two were complete wet blankets and it’s kind of funny they were together as a group for their whole career because anyone with eyes can see where the real star is. The way she sings ‘baby’ at 1:25, and that whole run really, is absolutely amazing and so much better than this extremely dumb song deserves.

Kids On The Run - The Tallest Man On Earth: The piano sound alone in this is just so beautiful. This song could be about anything at all and it would still make me cry, and luckily for me: it basically is!

King Of Spain - The Tallest Man On Earth: Good song I had in my head the whole time I was in Spain. It’s incredible that his voice is so good. It feels like if it was even the tiniest bit different, slightly rougher or tinnier he would be completely hilariously unlistenable but instead he’s amazing. Plus the fact that he leans into it with the purposefully lo-fi trebly production is just so confident you can’t help but love it.

Romeo And Juliet - The Indigo Girls: A great cover I wasn’t aware of before that I heard in this great documentary Wildwood I was watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOWxnh012J0. The way she absolutely flies off the handle and nearly tears the song down around her near the last chorus is pure power and I love people who can do that in an acoustic song without it feeling overblown, just getting totally swept up in it and taking everyone along with you.

On The Bus Mall - The Decemberists: Definitely the number one song about gay teenage prostitutes who love each other and are optimistic against the odds.  

White Fire - Angel Olsen: This song feels like a piece of dark magic. It feels like a 4am moment of clarity, speaking everything true in a five minute monotone and then instantly falling back to sleep with only a dim memory in the morning.  

Glass Eyes -JW Ridley: JW Ridley is a genius and I cannot wait to see what he does with an album. Every song he puts out seems to be better than his last. The central melody in this is just beautiful, and the whole thing has so much space in it it feels so much longer than 3 minutes. It’s like a song you can live in.

Nullarbor - Floodlights: I love how rough this song is, and driving across australia because you’ve got nothing else going on and want to rattle your own cage is a Huge mood.

Made Too Pretty (Audiotree Live Version) - As Cities Burn: I’m so glad As Cities Burn are back, because it means they get to do good shit like this Audiotree session where they absolutely killed it.

Dirty Hearts - Dallas Crane: I think I’ve put this on a playlist before for exactly the same reason: it’s a song I wake up with in my head fairly often for some reason and it’s a very fun slice of pub rock that doesn’t overstay it’s welcome.

Ruin This Smile - The Number 12 Looks Like You: Did you know The Number 12 Looks Like You have reformed after 10 years away and haven’t missed a step at all?? I’m salivating. This song is as good as anything they’ve put out before, and feels like it fits somewhere between Mongrel and Worse Than Alone which is fantastic news for me who always loved those a lot more than their earlier more explicitly grindcore stuff.

Nutrient Painting - Yellow Eyes: A special thanks to my friend and yours Powerburial for linking this song on his twitter. There’s something about the guitars in this song, in almost every riff, where it sounds like they’re playing backwards somehow. Like the structure of the melodies is backwards. It doesn’t make sense but that’s what it sounds like to me and it’s very disconcerting.

Jejune Stars - Bright Eyes: I think this an underrated Conor Oberst era, when he became a sort of buddhist for a while and wasn’t sad anymore but just observed earth from outer space instead. I also love the instrumentation of this song, Bright Eyes and blast beats a match made in heaven. Also the strange sample about pom’granite at the end is one of my favourite things ever. A very strange album to retire the Bright Eyes name on but a very good one too.

At The Bar - Dirty Three: When I was overseas I was thinking about cultural music, and Australia’s place in the world and things like that. I ended up thinking about Dirty Three who I think along with The Drones make the most distinctly Australian sounding music to me. Just the vastness they manage to conjure from such straightforward barebones instrumentation is incredible.

listen here

[playlistmusings]

Golden

Artist: Harry Styles

Album: Fine Line

1394 Words

A/N: I just wrote this! Not very proofread so don’t judge! This is less directly related to the song than my last story, mainly because this song doesn’t have as much of a structured storyline imo. Anyways, I hope you like it, I love this song and the vibe it has but I also feel like there’s this kind of despair in the lyrics, especially in the context of the rest of the album, so I thought I’d try to highlight that in this story.

 I wanted to live in this feeling forever.

It wasn’t quite perfect– because anything perfect is always much more trouble than it’s worth– but it felt exactly how a good cup of tea on a rainy day felt or a cool shower after a day in the sun. It was so present, and I was just there surrounded by a fog made up of my own happiness, the happiness that comes from feeling so comfortable that there’s no room for sadness or anxiety or anger.

As I looked at her from the passenger seat of the car, wisps of my hair getting in the way, I understood that I was fucked. Completely fucked. What else would you call it when you knew you were falling in love with someone who was destined to leave—because that’s what everyone would inevitably do, right? She wasn’t even unattainable or out of my league or even just uninterested, she was here and perfect and definitely-not-straight (which was good because all the feelings I had for her were 100% not straight too) and she liked me too. It all just made everything so much worse because I knew how this would turn out, but I couldn’t help myself, I just wanted to give into my temptations—so I just let it happen and I felt myself fall further as she smiled and sang along to the radio.

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She was like an angel, not in the oh she’s so pretty and perfect way but in the if I look at her for too long the light she brings burns my eyes a bit and I realize how much she actually scares me way (which is very decidedly the worse way because loving something you know you should be scared of is just tempting fate to fuck you over). I almost expected her to fly away, to escape and leave, to magically disappear with a sudden flash, warm light filling the room revealing her to be gone before my eyes adjusted to the darkness again.

She was the kind of person that you just expected to leave, because why the hell would someone who would just look over and smile like that—like somehow you were their whole world—and would whisper sweet nothings into your ears just to she you blush and would hold your hand even when it was sweaty just because she wanted to be close to you… why the hell would someone like that stay (after all she was an angel and I was just me).

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We were dancing to soft music, my head on her shoulder, swaying slowly in the living room (it was all because I had admitted I had always wanted to just dance with someone just because we could—sue me for being a secret romantic), when I realized it. She wasn’t an angel or the moon or the sun or a goddess—which all makes me sound like I’m insulting her, but I swear she could be all of those she just wasn’t. Looking up at her, her soft smile coming into focus, she reminded me of the candle that illuminated the room— bright, stunning, safe, but also private and mine. She was all the room had, in the context of the universe and all of history she wasn’t necessarily revolutionary or remarkable, but here, in this small dark room, she was all I had to rely on, a bright flame that illuminated everything it needed to, interrupting the darkness and leading me to the light.

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That year was full of spontaneity and joy, the kind of bucket list, just-go-for-it kind of living that reminded me of teenage years and the kind of life I prayed for when I was lost and broken and young. That year she brought out everything in me that I thought I had lost or had never had. She made me realize I was free and happy and so much more.

It reminded me of a montage, looking back on it all, the kind of montage in a music video filled with clips recorded just for fun and not for the intention of becoming a product. It was filled with imperfections and lens flares and shakes and bumps but there were also things like her smiling back at me while we hiked in the fall, her hair messy from her beanie hat, her cheeks rosy from the chill. But even in the midst of all the glowing moments I knew it would end—because anything this good wasn’t made to last.

There were less montage-y moments as well, like sitting on the couch looking anywhere but at her when she said she was scared of her heart breaking, of us breaking. It made me realize how real it all was, how nothing could be a montage because the montage cut out the clips that didn’t fit while we just had to make it work.

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As I fell further she made me relish being around people, something I’d never liked. Looking back on it, it wasn’t a good thing, instead of being an oh I’m comfortable with other people thing it was a shit I can’t be alone with myself thing, but I was blinded by her and everything she made me feel, so I couldn’t see that.

I couldn’t tell her that though, because even as deep as I was, I knew saying I couldn’t be without her at that point would come off as more creepy and clingy than romantic. How was I supposed to be romantic when I was with someone perpetually scared of things falling apart (and the more I think about it, it’s hard to tell which one of us that really was).

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It was late in the fall when I really, really fell, like the whole kind of past the butterflies because she smiled and onto the just feeling right when she was around. It was the kind of falling that happens after you thought you had already dropped as far as you could, only for a false floor to open up and instead of being scared you just accept it and let the wind rush past your face with your eyes closed, wondering if you’ll ever touch the ground again (and not caring if you don’t).

Suddenly, everything made sense. Phrases like “my other half” and “my missing puzzle piece” and “we just click” finally made sense to me. Because it wasn’t that I was missing something before she was in my life, it was that she took all the parts of me that I didn’t want and replaced them with good things. Loving her (and her loving me) fixed me and made me better.

At least that’s what I thought at the time (now I realize that I just finally gave myself a reason to make myself better, which is a lot better than getting “fixed” by someone else).

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The beginning of the end was on a humid March evening. Her light was as bright as ever, blinding me even, but as I shared everything, breaking down and trying my best to explain everything I knew we needed to work on—because only a fool thinks you only need a spark to keep a relationship—she just stared, before leaving the room, claiming she needed to sort out her feelings before we talked, because she didn’t understand how I could just be so open.

Even in that moment she was a light, a flame in a dark room. Even as I realized seeing her as a light wasn’t enough and the feelings from the beginning, of being hopeless and undeserving and being completely fucked, came back. Even as I sat alone, wondering how to tell the sun that she wasn’t enough, because I don’t know how I ever thought one single person would be my single source of light, of hope.

Leaving her was nearly exactly how I expected it to happen at the beginning, nearly word for word (“I do love you, this just isn’t good for me”, “I swear if there was any other way I’d do it”), except it was role reversed, because, between the fleeting moments that fit into my montage, I realized that this whole thing wouldn’t last because I grew up and realized I needed more than what I found her to be.

[bloodraven55]

V6 Soundtrack Review

Here it is... my more organised thoughts on the soundtrack. This is of course just my opinion, and music is very subjective, so feel free to disagree. I’ve covered each of the full songs including the acoustic and remixes individually, and then briefly mentioned some of my favourites from the instrumental pieces at the end since there are a lot of them and I’m not an expert on composition or anything.

Anyway... enjoy!

RISING

Rating: 9/10

Favourite lyric: Love’s the choice we made

Thoughts: I love the shimmering synths at the start and just the general energy. Especially the way the groove picks up with the second verse. Speaking of that part, Casey's deeper vocals there sound amazing. And the rapid beat of the bridge is a surprise but a very welcome one. The lyrics are very uplifting and I like the use of nature imagery. Maybe my favourite opening song.

MIRACLE

Rating: 9/10

Favourite lyric: Desire to preserve life/Is powering the light

Thoughts: I absolutely love the way the opening builds with the drums, piano and guitar combining. And Jeff and Casey's alternating vocals are brilliant. The brass touches are wonderful and very catchy. The creepy, almost discordant bridge is extremely chilling and I like the tonal shift a lot, especially with the way the upbeat section then takes over again almost like the song being taken back from pessimism. The lyrics perfectly embody the show's theme of hope in the face of adversity and they make me feel optimistic.

ONE THING

Rating: 9/10

Favourite lyric: A single light, a single friend/But you’ve made that end

Thoughts: I feel incredibly sad for Neo after this song. I think it was an excellent choice to give her a song since she has no voice or way of expressing her feelings in the show. It really gives her depth and makes me feel a lot of empathy for her. It has a good rhythm and a very memorable melody. I love the way the instrumentation cuts out on “What a sweet release/When you rest in peace” to really add to the impact of the line and emphasise the harmony of the vocals. Also Casey's overlapping vocals on the final chorus are a great addition to enhance the ending of the song. Apart from that the other thing I'm taking away from it is that Cinder is so very dead 😄

LIONISE

Rating: 8/10

Favourite lyric: Watch them fall as I am glorified

Thoughts: I really appreciate how dark and twisted this song sounds. It's the perfect match for Adam himself. Jeff's vocals are almost unhinged and nearly screeching at times, and it fits Adam's mindset well. The lyrics paint a very accurate portrait of how arrogant, narcissistic and self-centred Adam was and how he only wanted power for himself and revenge on all of humanity rather than to truly help the Faunus or to gain equality for them. In particular the shift from “we” to “I” over the course of the song is very clever and a good representation of that. All in all it's not one of my absolute favourites sonically but it's an interesting look into Adam's backstory and a very good track.

BIG METAL SHOE

Rating: 8/10

Favourite lyric: You would be great and terrible but only if you had a brain

Thoughts: The music box intro is wild but it's unique and it makes sense with the nursery rhyme/fairytale lyrics. The guitar riff kicks so much ass and this song just has an amazing groove. Again Casey and Jeff taking turns on the mic creates this wonderful back and forth exchange that really adds to the track. I love all the nursery rhyme and fairytale references in the words and given I didn't expect to like it that much I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I'm a fan of this song.

NEVERMORE

Rating: 10/10

Favourite lyric: Nevermore/You’ll torture my heart and my head

Thoughts: This song just contains so much relief and freedom and it makes me so emotional. Adam had haunted Blake and Yang for so long and they didn't want things to end the way they did but he left them no choice. This track just feels like a release of so much emotion for both of them and it's so intense. They've suffered a lot but now they can finally move forward together without that shadow hanging over them and it's a lot. The references to Lionise with the sole purpose of tearing it apart, plus the use of dialogue from the confrontation in the show, are all fantastic touches to make it even more meaningful too.

Musically, I love the mixture of Blake and Yang's individual styles/themes with the piano and the guitar and the sound of the song really lines up with the lyrics and creates this hugely cathartic anthem for them overcoming their personal demons. Especially the way the music softens and quiets as Blake looks back on her hopes for Adam and the WF that never came true before it kicks back in with a vengeance as she accepts what she has to do to end all the pain that he's caused.

INDOMITABLE

Rating: 10/10

Favourite lyric: Though our body is weak and breakable/The spirit is indomitable

Thoughts: I cried. A lot. It sounds breathtaking. Casey's performance is spectacular. You can feel how much everyone involved in the show and the song love Monty in every second—every note—and it's probably my favourite on the album. I don't know if I can say any more without getting emotional but yes, it’s absolutely beautiful.

FOREVER FALL

Rating: 9/10

Favourite lyric: You’re my forever fall

Thoughts: I cried at this one too. I miss Pyrrha. She didn't deserve the ending she got, but also she died doing what she felt she had to do and she wouldn't have regretted it. She was a true Huntress through and through. I feel so bad for Jaune as well. It's just a whole mess of emotions but it’s a gorgeous song.

ARMED AND READY (ACOUSTIC VERSION)

Rating: 10/10

Favourite lyric: There’s nothing that I won’t do for her

Thoughts: BEEHAW! Okay but seriously it's just crazy and hilarious and brilliant. It's so out there but Casey sells it completely and I love it. Her and Jeff's dual vocals on the chorus remind me of a father/daughter country duo and I can't. It was the last thing I anticipated but I am not complaining at all.

THE TRIUMPH (KAIRI REMIX)

Rating: 7/10

Favourite lyric: We’ll be the ones to touch the sun/The triumph will be ours!

Thoughts: Not much to say here. Remixes are very hit and miss for me but I quite enjoyed this one.

THE PATH TO ISOLATION (HEAVENVIEW REMIX)

Rating: 6/10

Favourite lyric: Mirror, help me/Who am I?

Thoughts: This is one of my favourite RWBY songs of all time in its original form but this version didn't completely do it for me. It just felt a bit weird to me but I didn't mind it, it just wasn't really my thing.

FAVOURITE INSTRUMENTALS

Protecting Each Other - every part of this is so powerful, but the triumphant reprise of the Nevermore melody near the end is what always gets me thought the melodies from This Time, Lionise and Armed and Ready and the choral vocals are great too.

Silver Eyes - it's very calming but those Red Like Roses and This Will Be the Day motifs have me fucked up.

A Delicate Balance - the almost ethereal vocals are awesome and it has a really grand feel that I like.

Our Creation - it's very mellow and chill for the most part but the sudden reprise of Divide and the eerie strings near the end caught me off guard in a good way.

Down the Cannon - it's just straight up badass with the guitar and the choir and the use of Bad Luck Charm is noice.

Trouble Aboard Argus Limited - it's just very epic and bombastic and it gets me hyped.

Flight to Atlas - it's a really nice closer with several character themes included and a cool dramatic ending.

Jaune's Arc - I love the way it swells and the hint of Rising at the end.

OVERALL RATING: 9/10

[stevie-baby]

Oh pleaseeee share your dreams, i got curious :(

Okay, so before I start I’m gonna drop a little disclaimer: I kinda believe in the idea of soulmates (platonic and romantic). I’m still pretty skeptical but I sort of buy into it a little, ya know? That’s very contradictory of me, but I need to let y’all know that before I get into this so I don’t sound completely insane and delusional. Now, on to the interesting part (I’m putting it under cut-off)…

I’ve had dreams since I was really little (like 6 or 7) about another life. In the dreams I was myself, but I didn’t really look like me. Ya know? I was a grown woman and I was dressed like a hippie (very different from the second grader who lived in hoodies and plaid shorts that I was in real life). There was also a man in a lot of these dreams. He was an eccentric singer with curly brown hair who also wore outdated clothing. I never really saw his face or heard his name, but I did know his name started with a J. The dreams were usually about watching him perform in clubs or other venues. Sometimes we would just be in our little apartment, reveling in some good ol’ domestic bliss. Anytime I looked at J I felt this intense love and pride and that feeling only got stronger as I got older. He was my everything; my sun, moon, and stars (he sure was a star and I know that the only time he ever got bashful was when I would remind him how spectacular he was). The love was mutual. J was always doing these grand romantic gestures and calling me sickeningly-sweet pet names. He was also very prophetic, he’d talk about how the universe brought us together and how I came to him when he needed inspiration most. That specific dream, when we were sitting on our balcony and he told me I was his muse, that dream fucked me up. I woke up crying, wondering where J was. It was all too real.

So to summarize the content of the dreams: I was the girlfriend of this singer, we were very much in love, and I assumed it was the 60s or 70s based on how we and the people around us were dressed. It was weird. The dreams didn’t come to me as often in high school, I don’t think I had another dream about my “other life” or J from the age of 13 until I was about 16. In that time I’d started to develop my style, I tended to dress more boho and I got really into older music. I also started to physically look more like I did in my dreams, but I didn’t realize that until I dreamt about the other life again. It was near the end of junior year (the beginning of 2017) when I had another dream. This time I felt different, I didn’t feel like the person I was in the dream was different from the person I was in real life. I almost thought it wasn’t another dream about the other life… until I saw J. Like I said, I had kinda forgotten about the other life, but as soon as I saw J (who I was still face-blind to) all of the emotions came flooding back. We chatted for a long time and before I woke up he leaned in and said “I’ll see you soon mama” …Do you see where this is going yet? 

Well, about a month after that dream I heard Greta Van Fleet for the first time. I thought they were pretty cool and their music was really good. Like I said in the tags of that one post, Flower Power completely kicked me in the chest when I heard it for the first time. It is such a beautiful song. The tears would not stop and honestly, I thought I was just crying because my hormones were all out of whack and I was Going Through Some Things™ at the time. That still very well could have been the case. I could definitely feel something magical(?) about the band, but I didn’t immediately connect the dreams with them. 

When I first got into GVF, I was sooo into Sammy boy. He is my type, or at least what I’m typically attracted to just alternate timeline versions of myself if I’m being honest. Also, Josh was cute but I didn’t immediately think of J. At the time, Josh had the undercut and rat tail and his wardrobe wasn’t as outlandish. I tried to put off actually getting into the band for so long. Like, I listened to their music and I also vaguely knew names and faces (I knew Sam’s at least) but I hadn’t watched any videos of them off stage. I was like “I don’t know if I have the emotional capacity to be obsessed with another band”. So when I finally cracked and watched an interview of theirs? Whew, my subconscious was going OFF. It was the beginning of 2018, I had known of the band for about a year (I had also tried to get tickets to see them in LA, but alas my parents said no. The first of many attempts to see this band. Still haven’t seen them btw). Josh had grown out his hair a bit by then and when I heard him talk, my brain just kind of shut down and said “that’s my sun, moon, and stars right there”.

The latest weird coincidence between the dream realm and GVF was when they released Always There. I was diligently trying not to listen to the snippets of the song or look at the lyrics that were floating around because I wanted to experience it when it was released. Alright, so I was enjoying another dream with J and toward the end of it he just said “soon” and I was sooooo confused. The next day I went on Tumblr and saw that everyone was saying that the band was releasing a new song that night. When I finally listened to the song I couldn’ t help but wonder if that was the “soon” that J was referring to. This is a kind of lazy connection, but I mean the song is about a woman in a dream.

Could my brain be projecting these weird dreams I’ve had onto this poor unsuspecting singer? Maybe. Probably. Do I think that Josh Kiszka is 100%, undoubtedly my soulmate? No, but it’s always fun to entertain the idea. I’m just saying there’s a lot of coincidences. 

[thats-the-teen-spirit]

Bring Me The Horizon - amo album review

I’ve been a fan of BMTH since the late-There is a hell era and obviously they surprised me once again. I’m gonna go song by song on the album because each of the songs have something in them that differs from the one before.

i apologize if you feel something, the first track is already a lot more different than the previous BMTH albums. It begins as a typical intro with long silences between the melody. Then Oli starts to sing on a really high pitched poppy autotuned voice. You can hear no instruments whatsoever except the synth that plays the melody. Then it changes to this ambient style that somehow suits the band’s music but feels awkward without the guitar and drums. When I first heard this song I already realized it was nothing special, just a little intro that might hype up the crowd before they start performing.

MANTRA, the first single of the album is a little less heavy than the That’s The Spirit era songs. A lot less heavy if you think about how Oli’s vocal style changed since 2015. It finally has drums and heavily distorted low tuned guitar and even screams in the background but it still feels like an alternative rock song just because of the verses and the high pitched bridge. The guitar riff is banging, the chorus is catchy, not a bad song afterall but it will still disappoint the old fans of the band.

nihilist blues is definitely the weirdest song on the record. It’s basically a trance/europop song that divides the listeners to two types: the first one would say: what the fuck is this shit, i’m not listening to this album anymore, and the second one would be: wow they’re brave as hell for doing this, I’m looking forward for the rest. I’m not a big expert on europop or trance or whatever electronic music genres there are but it really reminded me of an Armin van Buuren beat and apparently they copied a little from a relatively new Evanescence song as well. Grimes is featured in the song and her vocal style fits it really well. It has a creepy feeling that makes the song feel like you’re in a club full of drug addicts and the only thing left for you to survive is becoming an addict (for the music). Personally I think probably something like this was on the band’s mind when they wrote this. You definitely won’t like this one unless you like electronic music. You can hear the drums and guitars in it (they’re playing the electronic distorted thing with a tremolo pedal probably) but it’s barely recognizable.

in the dark, the next song has a really strange feeling. It sounds like a pop song because of the samples it uses but it still has the guitar (both clean and distorted) that reminded me of Doomed from the previous album. Both the guitars and the vocals are catchy as hell and after the first few listens you can hear what was the point of writing this song, here that “gateway band” thing begins that Oli mentions in a lot of his recent interviews. They want to be a gateway band that shows people the grand spectrum of music from electronic to heavy metal (or metalcore if you’re a genre-nazi) and do the same thing that Linkin Park or Limp Bizkit did for popularizing the crossover of rap and hip-hop and screamy, heavy rock music. It has the same experiencing feeling that got me into Linkin Park and even tho the song and its lyrics are kinda forgettable, the intention is clear and I personally like it a lot.

wonderful life, the second single of the album is without a doubt one of the heaviest ones on it. The intro seems like a classic BMTH style guitar intro with a little less distortion and a really weird, progressive time signature (for my ear at least). The main riff is simple, heavy and you can definitely bang you head to it. The chorus is catchy, the lyrics are relatable for the emo kids, it has a squealing scream from Dani Filth, which makes it seem like the metalcore days are creeping on the band. The outro chorus reminded me of their song ‘Oh No” from the previous record just because it’s so monumental but maybe that’s just me.

ouch is a cheap interlude in my opinion. It’s not even 2 minutes, the samples get boring in the end. It has a drum and bass kind of feeling to it. It reminded me of Cure For The Itch by Linkin Park, just because of the placement and the “drum” beats on it. The nanana thing that goes on in the chorus also gets boring really quickly. The lyrics are about Oli’s ex-wife Hannah Snowdon and it has a nice throwback to their 2015 song, Follow You with the “under your spell” lines, and it’s clear that he left that time behind with this song.

medicine, the song with the weird-ass video is the next one on the album. If you haven’t heard a single BMTH song in your life and you’re into the more pop-ish side of alternative you’ll probably say: holy shit this is a banger. The first couple of lines in the chorus are really far-fetched in my opinion, it’s the “we’re edgy and cool kids” vibe that is either cringy or makes you feel like the band got old and they still want to appeal to teenagers and young adults. The message of the song is the same as the previous one. The melody of the chorus and the vocals overall are not that bad, they’re catchy, but just like the intro of the album, it still misses the guitars, although this one has some really quiet clean guitars in the background. It’s clear that the vocals are in the focus and it’s stressed by shoving autotuned Oli’s voice down our throat.

sugar, honey, ice and tea is one of my favorites off the album without a doubt. The riff is heavy, the song still feels like an alternative rock song but this time the guitar tone for me seemed like an old HIM song that’s mixed with a That’s the spirit era beat, lyrics and melody. It has the same feeling when I heard Happy Song for the first time but this one has a Throne-like chorus with the samples going instead of Oli’s voice. In the outro Oli goes crazy and lets out Count Your Blessings-era styled screams which definitely help the song appeal to older fans. It’s gonna be played at concerts for sure.

why you gotta kick me when i’m down, oh boy where do i begin. Imagine Post Malone writing a song for a no name alternative rock band. Add overdistorted guitars and a mumble rap beat and lyrics. You’re done, you get this song. It shifts genres so fast that it seems like Oli went from ‘Lil Sykes’ and back to himself a couple times in just 4 minutes. It’s not a terrible song but if you don’t like the style of modern soundcloud rappers and the whole mumble rap mixed with guitars thing you’re gonna hate this one. 

fresh bruises, after the mumble rap song the boys in the band were probably like: hmmm what’s the next popular thing in 2019 that has nothing to do with rock. That’s right:”lo-fi hiphop for sleeping and studying” radios. The lyrics are only 2 lines, the beat gets faster but it’s still boring, even for an interlude. Definitely the most forgettable song in the album.

mother tongue, is the last single before the album came out. It’s the most honest love song from Oli that he’s probably ever gonna write. For personal reasons right now I can relate to it but if you can’t, you’re gonna forget this song even after a couple of listens. It has a powerful chorus, a radio friendly pop beat, cute ass lyrics and the most important thing: it has the potential to infect the radio stations and get the band even more recognition. The chord progression is really popular, (has the same chords as Africa by Toto), the vocals (with the help of autotune) are great. It has the Follow You vibes all over again but here you get an impression of a happy Oli Sykes that is in a fulfilling relationship and has a stable mental state. This progression is really respectable even if you don’t like the song itself.

heavy metal is my most favorite track from the record. It’s basically a huge “fuck you” to the oldest fans who only play Medusa and Pray for Plagues on repeat to this day, 13 years after their release. It’s got that middle finger in the lyrics that makes you think: damn this band really wanted a change and nothing can stop them. The song made me feel like Meteora days Linkin Park once again because of its beatbox styled bridge and the dropped, heavy guitars. This song shows the new direction of the band once and for all: they wanna make all types of music for both new AND old fans (listen to the last couple of seconds for the Pray for Plagues style vocals from Oli) but still says that nope we’re not gonna change, we grew up, we still like our old songs but you’re not gonna hear them from us because we’re different people now. Big props to the band to be this brave and say: this shit ain’t heavy metal.

i don’t know what to say, the last song on the record for me seemed really off topic from the album until I read what it’s written about. It’s about a friend of Oli who passed away from cancer. Oli didn’t write a song posthomously but the lyrics make it seem like he did. The song itself would sound like an 80′s power ballad from a classic rock band for me if I wouldn’t notice Oli’s vocals and the modern drum beat at some places. It even has a damned guitar solo, an acoustic guitar throughout, and orchestra. (which again reminded me Oh No, the closing track of That’s The Spirit) The song is forgettable for me, even though the message is really touching and meaningful. For a closing track it’s good but since it’s really different from the rest of the album it seems that they only put this song on just to honor that friend that it’s written about.

The album is one of the weirdest concepts I’ve heard from any rock band since A Thousand Suns by Linkin Park. The band put their heart and soul in it, you can tell by the level of production. On some songs it’s really well executed, others seem cheap and boring. My summary is that old BMTH is dead, they’re still gonna play rock music as they did with their previous records but they’re gonna expand and experiment to other directions, making it as progressive as possible just to keep the music entertaining.

[rhiezus]

               1989 As Our Ships, Moments & Characters.

Welcome To New York

This song is kind of annoying but it’s a classic, of course that I thought of Kim Yura and Abe Chiyo first because... c’mon, first Yura was born in New York and second the lyrics is very them... Also a little bit of WNDR? Because of their tour? I mean they getting famous and coming to America, it also reminded me of them a lot because it’s like fame is been waiting for them.

Walking through a crowd, the village is aglow Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats Everybody here wanted something more Searching for a sound we hadn't heard before

I mean you can see why I mentioned WNDR right?

When we first dropped our bags on apartment floors Took our broken hearts, put them in a drawer Everybody here was someone else before And you can want who you want Boys and boys and girls and girls

Also Kim Yura and Abe Chiyo forgetting their past to be together and shit.

Blank Space

Okay I have no idea, I thought of Linlin but... I don’t know, the thing is this album has a lot of “personas” created by Taylor so it’s hard to tell which one of them is who. I have no idea, seriously, let’s just listen and think together. 

Style

I was thinking about this one while I was washing the dishes, that’s why I decided to do this today, hehe. Okay so hear me out, first I remembered this whole album I tried to associate with Nayoung years ago but then I was remembering our ships and came up with Julie and Valak, but I was like? Not so much because they are very dragged only by each other, so I don’t know. Then I though of 2sun, I was like, yes? Very much. But then, finally out of nowhere I was... Oh my god this is Ruy and Hai.

The lights are off, he's taking off his coat (mm, yeah) I say, "I heard, oh That you've been out and about with some other girl" Some other girl He says, "What you heard is true, but I Can't stop thinking 'bout you, and I" I said, "I've been there too a few times"

Right? I mean... It was exactly why i thought about them.

Oh, you got that James Dean daydream look in your eye And I got that red lip classic thing that you like And when we go crashing down (and when we go) We come back every time 'Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style

The gays literally never go out of style, that’s why we keep making them.

Out Of The Woods

Oh my baby, I love this song. Funny thing that when this about first launched, I didn’t like this song because I thought it was too repetitive but then when I came across while we were in the mood “nayoung x keun breakup fiasco thing”, I just fell in love with it. Because it’s literally Nayoung’s mind, I just- Yeah. I also I was just thinking about how it reminds me of Danbi and Daehyun too, somehow?

Looking at it now It all seems so simple We were lying on your couch I remember You took a Polaroid of us Then discovered (then discovered) The rest of the world was black and white But we were in screaming color

It makes so much sense, yes. I don’t have much to say about 1989 this album just speaks for itself, I just point the people that it speaks to.

Looking at it now Last December (last December) We were built to fall apart Then fall back together (back together) Your necklace hanging from my neck The night we couldn't quite forget When we decided, we decided To move the furniture so we could dance Baby, like we stood a chance

December? Does it ring a bell? Haha, we knew. 

Also, I gotta add this description by Genius, again: The repetitive nature of the chorus reinforces the idea that the fear and nerves that came with the relationship were overbearing and completely took over her thoughts. 

When you started crying, baby, I did too But when the sun came up, I was looking at you Remember when we couldn't take the heat? I walked out and said, "I'm setting you free" But the monsters turned out to be just trees When the sun came up, you were looking at me

I wanna cry this is so Nayoung and Keun, for god sakes... Finally they out of the woods kkkjkjk

All You Had To Do Was Stay

Anna and Kuen, I literally just thought of it. Before I thought of Haneul and Hyuntae, but honestly? Totally Anna and Kuen, I can literally see.

People like you always want back The love they gave away And people like me wanna believe you When you say you've changed The more I think about it now The less I know All I know is that you drove us Off the road

Yeah, I mean, I’m still out of words, I’m just trying to make my point cross effectively. 

Let me remind you This was what you wanted You ended it You were all I wanted  But not like this

Yes?? Also, she repeats the “stay” like a hundred times so, yeah.

Shake It Off

It is still Hailey to me, or just WNDR being goofyes in the dorm. Literally what Taylor says about this song just speaks to WNDR in a nutshell: I really wanted it to be a song that made people want to get up and dance at a wedding reception from the first drum beat. But I also wanted it to be a song that could help someone get through something really terrible if they wanted to focus on the emotional profile, on the lyrics.

But I keep cruisin' Can't stop, won't stop groovin' It's like I got this music in my mind Saying it's gonna be alright

So yeah, nothing more to say. 

I Wish You Would

I literally can’t stand the connections between Taylor’s songs and Harry anymore on genius, but here we go. This song is about while he was in the car making the decision to get out the car and see her, she was sitting in her bedroom, wishing he would make the move and go back to her and just pitch up at her house. She compared it to a classic John Hughes movie where both parties want the same thing but neither has the guts to say anything.... So it did kinda reminded me of Nayoung and Keun, can you blame me, no? BecUASE LITERALLY ALL THIS ALBNUM Oh MY gOD, This is so Bonghu and Sanchan breakup days too... 

I wish you would come back Wish I never hung up the phone like I did, I Wish you knew that I'd never forget you as long as I live, and I Wish you were right here, right now, it's all good

Like, shut up?? It’s totally young Bonghu and Sanchan, okay? Okay.

It's 2AM in my room Headlights pass the window pane I think of you We're a crooked love in a straight line down Makes you want to run and hide But it makes you turn right back around

Hahahah, I soooo I’m right, I don’t knowkkjl.

Bad Blood.

THIS IS CHIHYE AND INNA. OH. MY. GOD. THIS IS SO CHIHYE AND INNA. ALSO. THIS IS 7SINS TO JULIE. KKKK IM DYING. Are we friends, or did she just give me the harshest insult of my life?‘ she did something so horrible. I was like, ‘Oh, we’re just straight-up enemies.’ .... 7SINS ABOUT JULIE, AND CHIHYE AND INNA ABOUT Hmm NothING THEY JUST BITTER (MAYBE BC BOTH MARRIED PYONGHO AND ONE LITERALLY FOR NOTJISNJKJ)

Did you have to do this? I was thinking that you could be trusted Did you have to ruin what was shiny? Now it's all rusted Did you have to hit me where I'm weak?

I mean Julie literally kind of destroyed 7sins so I can see the point of anger, and Chihye is just a bitch so yeah...

Band-aids don't fix bullet holes You say sorry just for show If you live like that, you live with ghosts

Yes girls, that’s why them, in the end, make peace with each other is all good SPB is the bitch here c’mon... And I mean Chihye and Inna were never “friends” again because they never really saw each other again but Inna always made an effort and still wanted Chihye to be alright? So it’s true she lives with ghosts, she went nuts... But I wonder now if their friendship never ended because off status and guy problems, maybe... just maybe... Chihye would have moved on for a better life and maybe even Nayoung wouldn’t have been born and things would be good. In the other hand, 7sins was built to break because SPB was poor and hanging by a string, so all that shit just was the point of the iceberg so it was fine judging Julie for a while because she didn’t take it personally and when things were revealed that it indeed was for the best, they didn’t share grudges and just moved on with their lives like they were supposed to. 

Wildest Dreams.

We literally just talk about her, I mean Chihye is every tragic story about Taylor.. But, in a way, this could also be about Inna and Pyongho, or Lian and Chihye, it depends on the day. ALSO COULD BE OH MY GOD ARAKI AND KAYNKKKJ, yes. 

He said, "Let's get out of this town Drive out of this city, away from the crowds" I thought, "Heaven can't help me now" Nothing lasts forever But this is gonna take me down

OH, YES BRING ME THE TRAGIC BRING ME THE PAIN BRING ME THE SAD AND MEMORIES AND LONG LASTING LOVE AND YEEEEAAAAH. I’ll shut up.

He's so tall and handsome as hell He's so bad, but he does it so well I can see the end as it begins My one condition is

This just applies to Lian and Kayn, oh what a combination. Maybe not even them because they are nice too.

You'll see me in hindsight, tangled up with you all night Burnin' it down Someday when you leave me, I'd bet these memories Follow you around

Yes, Araki and Kayn & Lian and Chihye all in one song. Maybe I was just crazy with Pyongho and Inna, I don’t know, I get crazy all the time. This verse made me want to answer one of smutty times between Araki and Kayn, because literally all they do is fuck and miss each other.

How You Get The Girl

Finally, you are here Haneul and Hyuntae, I’ve waited to talk about how much this song is them because... You will see it. First Taylor says: It’s written for a guy who has broken up with his girlfriend, then wants her back after six months. But it’s not going to be as simple as sending a text like, ‘Sup? Miss you.’ That won’t work. You need to do all the things I say.

Stand there like a ghost Shaking from the rain, rain She'll open up the door and say, "Are you insane?" Say it's been a long six months And you were too afraid to tell her what you want

It wasn’t exactly like that, but a girl can imagine and not everything has to be right. First, because that’s literally Hyuntae realizing he did things wrong and missed his timing to explain things, but Haneul is just pissed at his ass. 

I want you for worse or for better I would wait forever and ever Broke your heart, I'll put it back together I would wait forever and ever

Like I said, it wasn’t exactly like that but it was pretty similar. 

Remind her how it used to be, be, yeah-yeah With pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks, cheeks Tell her how you must have lost your mind, ooh-ooh When you left her all alone And never told her why, why

I meAN, I MEAN??? CmOn. I love the “pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks” because it’s so cheesy and so Haneul and Hyuntae when they were dating, they probably do have pictures like that on their cellphones and at a time Haneul’s cheesy ass must even have one framed to give to Hyuntae. AND YOU LEFT HER ALL ALONE AND NEVER TOLD HER WHY, cmOn, yeah?kkjk Also lost your mind, yes, it was the anxiety talking, not Hyuntae, makes sense...

Anyways, I love this cheesy song because the beat, the lyrics, everything reminds me of Haneul and Hyuntae’s relationship not only as lovers but as friends too, you know? Yeah *sobs*

This Love

Oh, it’s Lian and Chihye again. Okay, let me think... yeah, can’t... Yeah. Also I was just about to go to the other song, when I thought “maybe this is Taewoon and Hojin” and then all of sudden... This is also Hansol and Chan-u.

This love is good, this love is bad This love is alive back from the dead, oh-oh, oh These hands had to let it go free, and This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh

The sad melody, the way Taylor is whispering? I mean, almost makes me wanna cry because I love young Lian and Chihye just trying to survive. (( I also love young and innocent Hansol with wicked and confused Chan-u, how they managed to survive and still get married and shit? wHO KnoWS

Tossing, turning Struggled through the night with someone new And I could go on and on, on and on Lantern, burning Flickered in my mind, only you But you were still gone, gone, gone

Totally Chihye about being with Pyongho but wanting to be with Lian... LeT IT GO, GO IN TO THE LIGHT CHIHYEEEEEEE

Your kiss, my cheek I watched you leave Your smile, my ghost I fell to my knees When you're young, you just run But you come back to what you need

*sOBS*, this part is so sad what the fuckkkjk. DIE CHIHYE DIE I CANT TAKE YOUR SADNESS IN THIS ALBUM ANYMOre for god sakes. “when youre young, you just run but you come back to what you need” sounds like a board name,, OH MY GOD THIS COULD ALSO BE TAEWOON AND HOJIN OH MY GODKKKJK shut up ..... Hansol and Chan-u got married and Chihye is dead, get over it, life is good xd

I Know Places

I don’t really listen nor like this song, but the lyrics reminded me of Julie and Valak, i’m telling this album is about the terrible and twisted people. ALSO YURA AND CHIYO TOO BECAUSE THEY ARE GAY AND MEDIA IS A BITCH.

You stand with your hand on my waistline It's a scene and we're out here in plain sight I can hear them whisper as we pass by It's a bad sign, bad sign Something happens when everybody finds out See the vultures circling, dark clouds Love's a fragile little flame, it could burn out It could burn out

This is also jenkai. 

Baby, I know places we won't be found And they'll be chasing their tails trying to track us down 'Cause I, I know places we can hide I know places, I know places

For Julie and Valak the place is his car, that’s my theory. And Yura and Chiyo is just Japan... (jenkai is that park at midnight & jongin’s car). Oh my god, when Julie and Valak were discovered by dispatch imagine everyone like “valak drives?”

They are the hunters, we are the foxes And we run Just grab my hand and don't ever drop it My love

I’m addicted to this song now. 

Clean

My god I don’t know 2/4 of this album. It’s... Hansol and Chan-u, now that I remembered of them I simply won’t forget.

The drought was the very worst  When the flowers that we'd grown together died of thirst It was months and months of back and forth  You're still all over me Like a wine-stained dress I can't wear anymore

See? I mean their relationship is very complicated, but according to genius this song is about getting over a heartbreak and moving on with your life to rediscover yourself and like Taylor said: When it did hit me, it was like, ‘Oh, I hope he’s doing well’. And nothing else. And you know how it is when you’re going through heartbreak. A heartbroken person is unlike any other person. Their time moves at a completely different pace than ours. It’s this mental, physical, emotional ache and feeling so conflicted. Nothing distracts you from it. Then time passes, and the more you live your life and create new habits, you get used to not having a text message every morning saying, ‘Hello, beautiful. Good morning.’ You get used to not calling someone at night to tell them how your day was. You replace these old habits with new habits, like texting your friends in a group chat all day and planning fun dinner parties and going out on adventures with your girlfriends, and then all of a sudden one day you’re in London and you realize you’ve been in the same place as your ex for two weeks and you’re fine. And you hope he’s fine. The first thought that came to my mind was – I’m finally clean....... Also, it reminded me of Haneul and Hyuntae. 

Ten months sober, I must admit Just because you're clean, don't mean you don't miss it Ten months older, I won't give in Now that I'm clean, I'm never gonna risk it

I’m speechless for both ships. Also they both risk it so... hHAHAJKk Oh my god this is so Kaili getting over Julie too jkjkk jeez But finally what she says in the end sends me: The hidden message to Clean is “She lost him, but she found herself, and somehow that was everything.” This song is not just about losing someone you love – it’s also about losing yourself. Being clean is about moving on as a person and really taking care of yourself mentally.

Wonderland

How many songs are left for this, oh god... At this point I can only point Hansol and Chan-u too, I’m tired I’ve written to much. But because too: It is a description of a toxic relationship, from beginning to end. It uses the story of Alice In Wonderland as inspiration for the highs and lows of enjoying this state of relationship wanderlust, irrespective of negative consequences.

Didn't they tell us don't rush into things? Didn't you flash your green eyes at me? Haven't you heard what becomes of curious minds? Ooh, didn't it all seem new and exciting? I felt your arms twistin' around me I should have slept with one eye open at night

I seriously can’t take the Harry Styles on Genius anymore... You read this, you tell me who ship it is: https://genius.com/4254518

You Are In Love

I love this song *michael’s meme*. Seriously, ugh. Dedicated to all my lovebirds with a happy and healthy relationship who had been missing here because this album is so so very tragic and I haven’t got my time to mention them properly. Specially: Zeev and Eleanor, Kaili and Raye, Mark and Hana, Minhye and Jukan, Jinhyung and Kyungri... Who else?

Morning, his place Burnt toast, Sunday You keep his shirt, he keeps his word And for once, you let go Of your fears and your ghosts One step, not much, but it said enough You kiss on sidewalks You fight and you talk

This reminded me of Eleanor and Zeev... 

One night, he wakes Strange look on his face Pauses, then says "You're my best friend" And you knew what it was, he is in love

And this... Minhye and Jukan.

You can hear it in the silence (silence), silence (silence), you You can feel it on the way home (way home), way home (way home), you You can see it with the lights out (lights out), lights out (lights out) You are in love, true love

And this... Jinhyung and Kyungri.

And so it goes You two are dancing in a snow globe, 'round and 'round And he keeps a picture of you in his office downtown And you understand now Why they lost their minds and fought the wars And why I've spent my whole life trying to put it into words

Okay the “office downtown” reminded me of Keun and Nayoung... I’m telling, I love this song I just can’t pick one ship for it. Also this song Taylor wrote for her friends who are in love and this comment just cracked me up: Isn’t it much more likely (and adorable) to imagine Jack looking at a picture of Lena while he produces music in his home studio? kkkj 

New Romantics

THE BEST WAY TO FINISH THIS FINALLY CAUSE IM SO TIRED. LETS JUST LISTEN AND APPRECIATE FOR God sakes its been an hour.

just appreciate me screaming the lyrics of this song in telegram when it cames.

[amicizics]

jay / sunsct’s first of many ship playlists : learning to die ( a ghost verse playlist for tiny / @othcrness)

this was almost too easy for me to make. i love every single one of our babies and just found myself thinking about what it would be like to compile the good, bad, and ugly of life as a ghost. i think i’ve successfully done that with this. (or at least i hope... it’s a whopping twenty-nine songs long!)  duration: 1 hr 49 m / listen here. explanations under read more. 

001. ‘R.I.P 2 my youth’ - the neighbourhood: it’s all about death and losing yourself. what better way to start than this? the push and pull between escaping death and anticipating it all the while. many of our muses can relate. “put me in the dirt, let me be with the stars.” 

002. ‘angel’ - the weeknd: chosen mostly for the song title but the eighties vibes of the song remind me of phaedra. 

003. ‘when you’re smiling’ - louis armstrong: an antonio centric song. this song is telling of the kind of music antonio listened to later in his life. 

004. ‘liability’ - lorde: centers around the way the women in this group feel. at one point or another, they’d been made to feel useless and worthless (mostly by men). this song is about those feelings of helplessness and loneliness. “you’re all going to watch me disappear into the sun.” 

005. ‘you’d be surprised’ - eddie cantor: antonio centric. an upbeat song of the 1920s that i think is kind of comical for someone like tonio to listen to. later half of the song reminds me of vincent as well. “he’s got the face of an angel but he’s got the devil in his eyes.” 

006. ‘shallow’ - bradley cooper & lady gaga: vince and vivian centric. mostly because i couldn’t do without letting vivian’s voice be heard in this playlist. also, i think ‘in the shallow’ is exactly how a lot of the ghosts feel being trapped in this in-between stage. 

007. ‘Записка’ - klavdiya shulzhenko: inessa centric. with extensive research done on russian music in the thirties and forties, i figured someone who pushed the envelope like inessa would probably listen to russian women sing rather than men. 

008. ‘kiss of fire’ - georgia gibbs: alexei centric. one of the reasons why i chose this song was for its intense sounds but upon research, i also discovered that the artist was the child of russian immigrants so even though this wouldn’t have been common knowledge, i couldn’t help myself. 

009. ‘do i wanna know?’ - arctic monkeys: david centric. modern as fuck but this is beat and some of the lyrics remind me of nothing but david. “have you no idea that you’re in deep? i’ve dreamt about you nearly every night this week.” 

010. ‘jailhouse rock’ - elvis presley: vincent centric. being that this was a song in the 50′s i think it’d be the perfect look into vince in his youth and what kind of music he was inspired by. (he won’t tell you but he wanted to be a smooth lady killer like elvis.) 

011. ‘ghost town’ - adam lambert: also chosen for the title but also an upbeat take on this otherwise dead playlist. (pun intended) 

012. ‘what’d i say pt. 1′ - ray charles: alexei centric. i think he’d listen to sultry iconic beats like this. also it’s ray charles so i couldn’t resist. 

013. ‘i’ve got you under my skin’ - frank sinatra: david centric. david is a fancy boy and therefore, this is the kind of song you’d catch him dancing to. i also think the title is clever as fuck (hellooo?? killer!!!)

014. ‘ghost’ - sky ferreira: chosen for the title. i love this song and the soft guitar. 

015. ‘raindrops (an angel cried)’ - ariana grande: an interlude of sorts for me. strangely befitting of the kind of theme i’m going for. 

016. ‘i can’t get no satisfaction’ - the rolling stones: vincent centric. sixties, vince is suddenly into rock and wants to be cool. 

017. ‘these boots are made for walkin’ - nancy sinatra: frances centric. the kind of music she would have listened to in her teens. songs like this heavily shaped the path that ended in her demise. 

018. ‘young and beautiful’ - lana del rey: antonio & inessa centric. this version was made for the great gatsby so some of the sounds are very twenties which i like. i also think that it’s very telling of their love. 

019. ‘another one bites the dust’ - queen: phaedra centric. a quick jump into the eighties to liven things up. you mentioned phaedra’s love of rock when she was alive so i thought i’d pay homage to that with such a timeless jam. 

020. ‘fear and loathing’ - marina and the diamonds: mallory centric. just thought i’d throw one song in there which i think captures the scary creepy vibes associated with ghosts. could pretty much apply to everyone involved which i also like. 

021. ‘angel of the morning’ - merrilee rush: francesca centric. this came right as francesca died and i think it’s a song that reveals that softer side of her. beyond being the radical feminist of her time, francesca really only craved what everyone else loved even if just temporary. 

022. ‘sign of the times’ - harry styles: i simply couldn’t go without adding this song because the lyrics just really remind me of our babies. “you can’t bribe the door on your way to the sky. you look pretty good down here, but you ain’t really good.” 

023. ‘a million years ago’ - adele: i think this also works perfectly for the vibes i’m trying to go for. this song just really reminds me of the struggles with being stuck. “i miss the air, i miss my friends. i miss my mother i miss it when life was a party to be thrown but that was a million years ago.” 

024. ‘angel’ - madonna: chosen with phaedra in mind but i think is also the perfect happy telling of the honeymoon phase some of these ghosties will be going through when they first meet / fall for each other which i think is a lighter outlook on everything they’ve gone through. 

025. ‘young god’ - halsey: francesca & alexei centric. not only do the vibes fit perfectly for this playlist but i also think the lyrics really remind me of what it’s like for frances to be with lex romantically. also these lyrics? lex. “he says ‘oh baby girl don’t cut on my edges. i’m the king of everything and oh, my tongue is a weapon. there's a light in the crack that's separating your thighs and if you wanna go to heaven you should fuck me tonight"

026. ‘lust for life’ - lana del rey & the weeknd: just a really pretty song that i think encompasses ghost vibes even though it’s mainly about wanting to live. i think once everyone meets their match, they’ll want nothing more than to continue basking in this in-between space that they’re in. 

027. ‘ghostin”- ariana grande: chosen mostly for the title but it’s also about moving on after the death of a loved one so i thought it was fitting. “he just comes to visit me when i’m dreaming every now and then.” 

028. ‘autumn leaves’ - ed sheeran: another heartwrenching song about death. always makes me cry but a necessary component to build up to the next song. 

029. ‘heaven is a place on earth’ - belinda carlisle: another 80s jam! wrapping up this playlist with a happy bow a la tiny.