#i stan patricks voice

[genuflecting]

the natural result of being very prone to crushes and also intensely private is that everyone who knows me well associates me with a different few blorbos, and almost none of them overlap

[taviokapudding]

You know what’s hilarious about the game awards as a Sonic and Genshin fan?

The Sonic community as a whole are still so incredibly pissed and are dealing with internal fighting but within the Genshin player base, the Scarantion voted and weren’t involved in the bs that went down between the Chinese Genshin fanbase and the racists within the Sonic Frontiers community. As a whole, the Scaranation are completely unfazed because there’s there’s so many of us who waited these last few years & voted to get rewards from Hoyoverse for the baby girl.

Myself included, I didn’t even hear about the full extent of what went down until 48hrs after the fact and I genuinely voted to obtain the big hat scrunkly because I still don’t trust Sega to respect the Sonic players still and actually give good in game rewards + I know the f2p farming in Genshin is hell.

It’s hilarious because there’s Sonic stans on here that are raging under the year end review ads on here that say “Genshin Impact Character” but if you look at the Genshin player replies, under the same ads, they’re not acknowledging the Sonic stans at all. And then there’s Scaranation talking about baby names, not giving an absolute fuck. It’s so funny.

[forbidden-sin-bin]

By Your Side - Chapter 4

Chapter 3 | By Your Side Series | Chapter 5 (coming soon)

Summary: You experience what it’s like being on a film production for the very first time, whilst thinking about home. Luckily, your fellow castmates and film crew seem friendly enough... 

Word Count: 2,772 words

---

February 18, 1998

---

“Alright,” the director clapped his hands together, bringing everyone in the room to his attention. “Now I know we all practically know each other by now, but since everyone’s here, let’s begin by introducing ourselves and our cast roles. I’ll go first, and then we go round clockwise from there.” He nods to the group and takes his seat down at the table.

“So! I’m Robert Rodriguez, and I’ll be your director for this movie.” He motions to the person sitting to the left beside him to continue, to which a young man with  speaks up.

“Hey guys, I’m Josh Hartnett, and I’ll be playing as Zeke Tyler.” He nods shortly. 

“Jordana Brewster, and I’m playing Delilah Profitt. I’m looking forward to be working with you all.” The gorgeous brunette flashed a brilliant smile.

Next was a tomboyish looking blonde, though you had a hunch it may have been stylized that way for her role. “Hi, I’m Clea DuVall, and my role is Stokely Mitchell. Cool.” The group shared a small chuckle.

“Uh, hi, I’m Shawn Hatosy, playing as Stan Rosado.” He quickly runs a hand through his curly hair as he spoke.

“Hello everyone! I’m Laura Harris, and I’ll be playing Marybeth Hutchinson.” Her gentle voice matched her kind looks as she offered a small smile. Beside her, one of the smallest of the group, perked up as he introduced himself right after.

“Hi guys, I’m Elijah Wood. Really excited to be here, and I’ll be playing Casey Connor.” He spoke quite self assuredly despite sharing most of the group’s slightly nervous jitters, having been on multiple film productions in the past.

“...”

“Uh, Y/N? That’s your cue.” Robert whispered across the table, and suddenly you realized it was your turn, but not before you caught Elijah’s eye as he gently prodded you with his elbow.

‘Oh shit.’

 “Oh shhh...oot.” You caught yourself at the last second, not wanting to look bad in front of your peers by cursing. “Yeah! Yeah, it’s my turn.” The table shared a lighthearted laugh, though you weren’t sure if it was meant to be comforting or not. 

“Uh... hi guys!” You introduced yourself, first name and last. “I’ll be playing as... Jordan Fulcher. Nice to meet you all.” A ripple of amusement sounded throughout the table, and you were half tempted to just lay your head down on the surface with embarrassment. 

Instead, you added: “Sorry, first day on the job.” A couple of people you heard responded with “Same here”, good naturedly.

Luckily or not, the person you sat beside - whom you’ve already been introduced to as Usher - took the attention off of you to charismatically introduce himself. 

“Alright, alright! How’s it going y’all? You might’ve heard of me, you might’ve not. But that’s aight if you don’t; You can call me Usher!” He pauses, letting the room quiet down after another round of laughs and playful cheers. “Usher Raymond, and I’ll be playing Stan Rosado, thank you all for comin.”

Half of you felt grateful that the fellow beside you was able to shift the attention off of you so quickly, though the other half admonished yourself for messing up within the first day of production. ‘Great job, dumbass.’ You thought to yourself.

Looking up, you met the eye of another castmate across from you; The kind eye of Robert Patrick gave you a slight nod of reassurance as he silently mouthed: “You’re okay.”

Feeling comforted as the far more experienced actor gave you his approval, you let yourself smile back. 

It’s always nice to know you’ve got THE T-1000 as a cast member to learn from, as well as other friendly-enough faces.

No longer cornered by your awkward first introduction, you gently prodded Elijah back with your elbow to whisper: “Just wanna let you know: You did a great job in Flipper last year.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, thanks! It was a ton of fun, I’m glad you liked it.”

...

Sighing in frustration, you forced yourself to take a seat once you entered your assigned dressing room’s chairs, after pacing around the room, nothing short of stressed and anxious. Unable to shake the feeling of uneasiness, you leaned down, burying your face into your arms as they lay atop the vanity table, not daring to look at yourself in the mirror right in front of you. 

‘How the hell did they decide to cast someone with a face like mine?’ You thought, running a hand over it.

Did anything go wrong today? No, actually, if any other person would be asked this question, the most agreed answer would be: No, things went quite well for the first day.

You weren’t any other person, unfortunately; Or at least, you concluded that you cannot be any other person even if you wanted. In fact, you still felt the absolute embarrassment of messing your introduction up; Anyone else would have long forgotten by now; you however, couldn’t shake the fear of wondering if people were about to use that slight slip-up against you, or if they wouldn’t let you live it down, or-

Someone called your name as they knocked on your door. “You doing alright in there?” Robert called, and you shot up, any admonishing thoughts upon yourself being flash frozen for the time being. 

“Uh... hang on just a second!” You called back, giving yourself a once-over in the mirror to rid yourself of any evidence of stress upon your face before beelining towards the door. “Ah, hey there sir.” You gave him a welcoming smile, hiding away your inner turmoil. “What’s up?”

From the initial look on his face, you had already guessed there was something else he wanted to ask. Still, he returned the friendly expression as he replied: “Just wanted to check in on you, also wanted to say that you did great today. Don’t sweat it, just take it easy and enjoy yourself, okay?”

Nodding, you gave him a thumbs up. “Noted. Sorry about that. I... just want to make sure I can give you guys the best performance I can, so...”

“Oh, no need to worry at all.” The director laughs a little. “Everyone’s been talking about how quickly you change into your character like this.” He snapped his fingers. “It’s just the table-read, but it already looks like you’ve got your character down just like that.” You slightly bowed your head in thanks.

“I do my best, and my best is what I can only give, even on day one.” You shrugged lightly. While his words did comfort your nerves somewhat, it’ll mean nothing if not applied to the final product. 

Robert gives you a clap on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit! Now, come on, you don’t want to be eating alone on your first lunch break on the job. Everyone’s been waiting for you!”

You sighed, this time with a bemused look. “Alright alright, as long as they don’t start applauding the moment I enter the room, I’ll hang around more often.” Quickly turning to grab your headset and walkman, making sure the cassette inside still held Marshall’s new EP that you’ve been listening to more often than you would’ve liked to admit, you followed your boss to lunch. “I appreciate it, you know.” You added, genuinely grateful.

“Oh, it’s no problem at all. Don’t burn yourself out by pushing yourself too hard. You’re gonna do fine, trust in the process and you.”

---

Several weeks later...

---

“What’re ye listening to?”

Raising your head to look at whomever interrupted your peaceful quiet time before another set of rehearsals, you gave Usher a deadpan look and replied: “Nothing your ears should be hearing.” 

He raised his hands in surrender. “I mean, if you know my kind of songwriting, pretty sure that means you’re listening to the HARD, hard stuff.” He angled his neck to try and take a peek at the cassette slotted inside to no avail. “You’ve been leaving us at a cliffhanger for like, what, two and a half weeks? I wanna know what’s made this tape so special, honest to god!”

“Now that,” Clea, having heard your response, came up and sat down beside you. “Is something I’m interested in knowing about; Considering you’ve shot down all of our guesses as to who you’re listening to.” 

Sighing, you groaned, facepalming. “Ugh... not you too, Clea.” Though, you couldn’t help but smile along as your two co-stars laughed. “At this point, you’re gonna get the whole gang in on the investigation-”

“Hold up, did I miss something?”

‘... Speak of the devil.’ You thought as Shawn sidles up beside Usher to look alongside him. “Are we finally gonna hear what you’ve been playing on that walkman?” He inquired.

“If I could, I would.” You replied, keeping your face stone cold with fake annoyance. “But like I said, give it time till this guy’s made it big enough for the mainstream, and then y’all won’t look at me and think: ‘Wow, this kid is a nutcase.’“

“Oooooh, so it’s a guy.” Clea leaned in a bit, raising her eyebrows. Meanwhile, the other two boys followed along with teasing “Oooooooh’s”, like a group of gossiping fangirls.

You didn’t say a thing, except look across the room where Kidada Jones was sitting, making eye contact, you gave her a pleading look of ‘help me’. 

Tragically for you, she just shrugged, grinning playfully. “Sorry babe, you know I’m just as obsessed as the rest of ‘em.” 

“Auuuugggghhhh.” Throwing your head back in exasperation, you called out your two other co-stars that weren’t even here. “Jeez, Laura? Josh? Why must you two not be here in this very moment to defend my pride?!” The group cracked up laughing at your dramatic bemoaning. It was all in good fun, you were hardly even offended at their sibling like pestering to reveal your secrets, but god, sometimes you really needed someplace more introverted than this.

Shoving your walkman back into your pocket and got up from the couch. “I’m being held hostage here, so I’m just gonna... make my escape. See ya.” Leaving the break room to find some other place to chill. 

”Only a matter of time!” Usher called as you left. You looked back and gave him a shake of your head with a smirk, determined to win this war.

Unknowingly to them, your muscles were sore from training on another movie production, set to start filming practically right after this one ended. If you could, you’d hole up in your trailer and sleep the rest of the day away. Stretching out your back with a wince, feeling your overworked sinews creak and stretch, you continued walking down the hall to find Elijah and Robert in another room, playing a game on the Super Nintendo.

“Hey guys-” You greeted before realizing what they were playing, your eyes lighting up. “Oh shoot, is that DOOM?”

“Yeah!” Elijah briefly turned to reply to you before focusing back onto the level. “You wanna try after we finish this level?” 

“Hell yeah, say no more.” Taking a seat on one of the chairs to watch the two play out their match, you stifled a pained groan as you bent your legs to sit down. “Man, I’m already feeling like an old person.”

Robert chuckled, his character reloading their shotgun shells. “You’ve got a long way to go before you actually start feeling that way, kid.” The room was comfortably silent as you watched them play, before he piped up again: “So, how was training with Ed and Brad? Tough crowd, huh?” 

You let out a single “Ha!” before responding:

“Honestly, I’d rather have everyone here pester me about my musical choices before having Mr. Norton urge me to keep going after like, twenty reps? Don’t tell him I said that.”

“Lips are sealed.” Elijah said, as his character turned the corner of a hidden path to collect a blue keycard. “Got it.”

You clapped your hands once. “Nice! You’re almost there.” 

Figuring you may as well resume listening to your music as you watched the gory video game, you quickly put your headphones back on to hear the middle of Just Don’t Give A Fuck, muttering along to the lyrics as if on instinct.

But if you see me on the street and duck ‘Cause you gon’ get stuck, stole, and snuffed ‘Cause I just don’t give a fu-

“Hey! Language.” Robert lightly reprimanded you, breaking you out of your trance.

“Oop, sorry.” 

“...Interesting music choice you got there.” 

You gave a grimace-sort of a smile. “Exactly why I’m not showing my cassettes off to anyone. Not for the faint of heart.”

“Pfft.” Elijah waved the warning off. “We’re all adults here, honestly. What’s a couple of swear words and dark topics gonna hurt anyone?”

‘Ohhhh boy, you have no clue, Eli.’ You thought, leaning back in your seat.

--- 

Another few weeks later, March Break, 1998... 

---

Your pager bleeped loudly within your pocket, taking you out of your well earned peaceful zone-out of just letting the world go by, watching Quinn play around in the grassy park fields.

Nearly deciding against checking, you reluctantly took your pager out of your pocket, unsurprised to see your agent’s number displayed on the little screen.

Unsurprised yet somehow not having the strength today to feel irritated, you just sighed and dialed him up on your phone. Pretty handy these days, despite being manufactured a few years ago, it was a worthwhile investment if it meant being able to take calls outside the house.

As soon as you heard him pick up, you didn’t let him have a chance to say hello: “I swear to god, you better have a good reas-”

“Pack your bags, we’re going to L.A.”

You blinked. 

“...Why?”

Usually you’d be far too happy to make a beeline for the airport, but Shaun specifically agreed to not contact you during March Break, just so you could spend some time alone with your family. Having him break that protocol, despite not having any written in agreement, well, let’s just say you had a right to ask why.

Luckily, your agent seemed both excited and probably in a slight state of panic as he explained. “You remember the demo tape I told you to give to me before you left for the first table-read, right?” Not waiting for your confirmation, he quickly got to the point. “Well, someone here wants you to get that song out ASAP, if you can, you get to perform live on the 31′st as THE opening act for another artist’s debut!”

Huh.

Running a hand over your face, you shut your notebook and began to pack your things to leave the park, phone pressed between your ear and shoulder. “Which one, exactly?”

“Florentine Garde- oh, no wait, that’s not what you meant - All of them! Well, pretty much all of them. Look, just, you got a song that’s pretty much done in there right? Which one is the quickest to be produced from now before the 29th this month?”

“Alright, alright, calm down. I know which one I’m gonna do. Just let them know I’ll be there hopefully by tomorrow.”

“Already booked your flight.”

“Wow, great. Thanks for doing all this stuff before letting me know beforehand so I can tell my parents and nephew-slash-son know that I’m going back to work whilst on vacation.” You snipped.

“Look, I’m sorry, I really am. It’s just... this is an opportunity you can’t miss if you want to make it big in the music industry. I told you before that I saw your potential in your songs you showed me, and now’s the time to show an audience what you’ve got! C’mon, please, work with me here. I promise, I’ll show you the best places there to get the best ice cream. I know you like ice cream, right?”

You just chuckled, zipping up your bag. “Alright. You don’t have to bribe me like a child, but now that you mentioned it, you better uphold to that promise or so god help me if shit goes south. I’ll see you tomorrow in L.A.”

Quickly bidding him goodbye, you hung up and called Quinn over, beckoning him to come tidy up and leave. He was fairly understanding every time you told him you had to go to work, which meant not always being able to pick him up from school or taking him outside to play like today, which you were grateful for. 

Hopefully, he would forgive you for having to leave so soon, once again.

‘I’ll be back home soon, baby boy. I promise.’

----

(End of Chapter 4)

----

A/N: GET READY FOR THE REUNION YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR IN CHAPTER 5. MORE MARSHALL CONTENT FROM THERE ON OUT LET’S GOOOOOOO-

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[wentzsmatchacup]

Honestly my favorite era of the sound of Patrick’s voice was after the hiatus where he finally found his actual voice and stopped being scared of it. I love hearing this especially in SRAR, PAX AM Days, and AB/AP. Some of my favorite instances, especially of the soulful, gritty, low notes, are in Death Valley, The Mighty Fall, Jet Pack Blues, American Beauty/ American psycho (the title track), Novocaine, Twin Skeletons, We Were Doomed From the Start, Love, Sex, Death, and American Made. Yes, I love the old sound too, and I LOVE Soul Punk, and I love MANIA and SMFS, but there was this era where, after his journey in his solo career, he implemented that power and confidence and HEAVENLY voice and experience into FOB’s more pop punk sound. SO GOOD. AB/AP is climbing the charts for one of my favorites- I’ll always be a Folie number one stan (I am listening to West Coast Smoker as we speak), but MAN the GRIT?? THE HINTS OF PRIMAL RAGE AND JUST SHEER CONFIDENCE??? HELLO???? Anyways live laugh love SRAR-AB/AP was the best era (I am biased lol) also, I need Patrick screaming back. All I’ve got is Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying and Jock Powerviolence by Weekend Nachos. …and kind of Death Valley- it has those raw qualities.

[dustedmagazine]

Dust Volume 10, Number 2

Ballister

It’s a leap year, so we all get an extra 24 hours to listen to February music.  Why not try some of these selections from our endless piles of when-i-get-to-its?  We’ve got unhinged beatmakers and noise-addled Canadians, smashing, grabbing jazz men and psychedelic post-punk.  And really a lot more.  February always seems long.  This year it’s even more extended.  Use your time wisely.  Play records. 

This month’s contributors include Patrick Masterson, Ian Mathers, Bill Meyer, Bryon Hayes, Tim Clarke, Jennifer Kelly, Jonathan Shaw, Jim Marks and Andrew Forell. 

8ruki — POURquoi!! (33 Recordz)

This ain’t your mother’s TTC. Bilingual Parisian 8ruki takes most of his cues from Atlanta, acting with a whole lotta Whole Lotta Red in mind and squeezing 22 songs into his third album — about right for contemporary hip-hop in this vein, which frequently abandons ideas after less than two minutes and leaves a trail of incomplete sketches in its wake; like others his age, 8ruki has evolved to consider this less a bug (especially for stans forever thirsty for the next “project”) than a feature, the default mode of working. I don’t know what good it would do to comment on a song called “Andrew Tate!!” or “Elon Musk!!” at this stage other than to suggest the guy’s just being (what the French call) a provocateur, but peek elsewhere and you’ll find an unexpected beat switch on “VAris//PIENna,” not to mention a world-shrinking reference to the Golden State Warriors; the high-pitched squeaks of “CA$h!!” and “GIVENCHY MARgiela!”; the string sample and rolling bass of “EDQuer!!”; and a whole lot more to enjoy. Ignore the annoying tendency to turn caps off halfway through a song title; this is a fun record with a lot going on that’s even better if you more than half understand it.

Patrick Masterson

ALL HANDS_MAKE LIGHT — “Darling The Dawn” (Constellation)

The credits for this duo’s second release are deceptively simple; Ariel Engle (La Force, Broken Social Scene) as just “voice” and Efrim Manuel Menuck (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt Zion) as just “noise.” But there are whole worlds contained in voice and noise, and there’s a sonic, emotional, and political complexity here that makes it feel much weightier and more elaborate than the work of any two people. (It also had one of the best song titles of last year in “We Live on a Fucking Planet and Baby That’s the Sun.”) There are distinct songs here, even some refrains, but the whole of “Darling The Dawn” also feels like one long ebbing and flowing movement, culminating in lovely, shattered grandeur with the closing one-two punch of “Anchor”/“Lie Down in Roses Dear.” Shoegaze without guitars (although not without occasional strings or drums, from Jessica Moss on violin and Liam O’Neill, respectively), emotional noise music, kosmiche played in a paupers’ graveyard; it’s hard to know what to call what ALL HANDS_MAKE LIGHT does, other than impressive. Maybe voice and noise is enough description after all.

Ian Mathers

Ballister — Smash And Grab (Aerophonic)

In Chicago, the smash and grab game is strong. People aren’t just breaking windows but driving vehicles through them. Ballister apply that spirit of aggressive enterprise to performance on this memento of saxophonist Dave Rempis, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love’s reunion at the Catalytic Sound Festival in Chicago in December, 2022. The reeds wail and probe, the strings splinter and scrape, the drums smash rhythm in the air and reshape them. And that’s just in the first few minutes. Over the course of the set, they find ways to apply that assertive spirit to quieter passages and slower passages, fashioning rough thickets and inconsolable laments from the same rough material. While Dusted does not recommend literal application of the album’s title when acquiring it, we confidently predict that you’ll find the record sticking to your fingers, obliging you to return it to the playback device for another go around.

Bill Meyer

Cuneiform Tabs — Cuneiform Tabs (Sloth Mate)

The Sloth Mate label is the psychedelic tendril sprouting from the flourishing vine that is the modern Bay Area post-punk scene.  There’s certainly an affiliation with Famous Mammals, Children Maybe Later and others of that ilk, but there’s a tendency to stray from traditional idioms that is unique to the Sloth Mate catalog.  Violent Change, headed up by the imprint’s owner Matt Bleyle, is at the center of this sub-underground cabal, coming across like a garage punk band noisily banging out Face to Face-era Kinks jams after gobbling some mind-altering flora.  Sterling Mackinnon’s The False Berries on the other hand is a lo-fi ambient electronic project that recalls the early beat-inclusive work of Christian Fennesz.  Bleyle and Mackinnon collaborate remotely under the Cuneiform Tabs moniker (the latter musician is based in London, England).  The cross-pollination works incredibly well, with the most listenable aspects of each unit rising to the forefront.  When it appears, Mackinnon’s Dan Bejar-meets-Marc Bolan warble acts as a foil for Bleyle’s deeper crooning.  Similarly, the former’s atmospheric tendencies highlight the beautiful melodies hidden beneath the latter’s noise-baked tunesmithery.  Cuneiform Tabs’ psychoactive sonorities require work to decipher, but the endeavor is certainly worthwhile.       

Bryon Hayes

Mia Dyberg Trio — Timestretch (Clean Feed)

It’s tempting to take the title of Timestretch ironically, since this Scandinavian trio compacts a lot of action into 43.18.  There are 14 tracks, all but three composed by bandleader and alto saxophonist Dyberg. But more likely, it addresses this paradox; while the music never feels like it’s in a hurry, there’s a fair bit going on. Tonally, Dyberg shifts easily between slightly sour and just sweet enough, and her phrasing is mobile, but never busy. On a few unaccompanied tracks, she unburdens herself more directly, mourning for those laid low by conflict. Bassist Asger Thomsen anchors the music with stark, strategically placed notes, and adds dimension with occasional sparse, bowed comments.  But it’s drummer Simon Fochhammer who gives the music shape, sometimes with a quick rustle, other times by building an eventful structure around his partners.

Bill Meyer

Kali Malone — All Life Long (Ideologic Organ)

Swedish composer and organist Kali Malone takes a rigorous, structured approach to making music, crafting deliberately pared-back and laser-focused pieces that make the listener acutely aware of the shifting harmonic dynamics within thick layers of sound. This 78-minute album presents an intimidating edifice to a casual listener, but it is organized to allow curious immersion in more easily digestible sections. The longest tracks are organ pieces stretching to around 10 minutes in duration, aching with melancholy. However, there are also shorter vocal and brass pieces that deviate away from held drones into more spacious, overlapping progressions that are, on occasion, almost buoyant. All Life Long feels like music for a less easily distracted age; to be patient enough to bear witness to its full, solemn unfolding requires commitment, but how often do you hear music this awe-inspiringly pure?

Tim Clarke

 Michael Nau — Accompany (Karma Chief)

Accompany rides the line between cosmic country and garden variety indie pop, its gentle melancholy enlivened by radiant runs of twanging guitar. “It’s an impossible life to get over,” Michael Nau croons in “Painting a Wall,” sounding beaten down but not quite broken, grounded in the ordinary but yearning for transcendence. Nau, you might remember, fronted the indie chamber pop Page France in the early aughts and the slightly more countrified Cotton Jones in the late ones.  This fifth solo album hits its peak in plaintive “Shape-Shifting,” where an otherworldly echo sheathes both Nau’s voice and the rumble of piano, and a glow suffuses everything, making it more.

Jennifer Kelly

Note — Impressions of a Still Life EP (The North Quarter)

Manchester’s Note hasn’t been around all that long — the earliest traces of his Soundcloud only reach back to October of 2021 — but just within the last year, he’s demonstrated a knack for fusing airy, sultry R&B moods with the breaks n’ bass of UK dance music’s storied past. Late January’s Impressions of a Still Life EP out via The North Quarter imprint, helmed by Dutch producer Lenzman (himself a veteran of labels like Metalheadz, Nu-Directions and Fokus), is another fine example: Aside from the stirring “Vespertine” that debuted last summer and features poet and spoken word artist Aya Dia, plus “Cold Nights” that came in November, Note fills out the EP with three additional songs of varying speed and mood. The best might be “EVR,” which again features a vocalist, this time singer-songwriter Feeney. Employing deep bass, fluttering percussion and featherweight piano flourishes, the production here is top-notch Brit-inflected R&D&B. Watch this space.

Patrick Masterson

Plaza — Adult Panic (Self-Release)

The novelist and rock critic (and one-time Dusted writer) Michael Fournier spent the pandemic on Cape Cod with his wife Becca, he learning the bass and she the drums.  Adult Panic collects 11 spiked and minimalist cuts from this experiment, almost entirely instrumental (there’s a shouted refrain on “(The Real) Mr. Hotdog”) and rife with lockdown agitation. The drums are pretty basic, a skitter of high-hat with snare on the upbeats, but the bass parts wander and jitter intriguingly. The title track has a Slint-ish post-rock open-ended-ness, repeated riffs left to linger and shift in the air. “The Tomb of Santa Claus” moves faster and more insistently, letting surf-like bent notes flare from rickety architectures. The whole experience is rather dour and claustrophobic, right up until the end when “(The Real) Mr. Hotdog” clatters into earshot and the two Fourniers seem to be, finally, having some fun.

Jennifer Kelly

Caroline Polachek — Desire, I Want to Turn to You: Everasking Edition (Perpetual Novice)

I’m not gonna sit here and tell you all about how big Caroline Polachek’s 2023 was; if you were paying any attention to the conversation, you already know Desire, I Want to Turn to You was universally, justifiably acclaimed. The Everasking Edition tacks on seven additional songs, five fresh out the box, one an acoustic rendition of “I Believe” and one a cover. Regarding the latter: Anyone paying attention to the machinations of the modern music business will know the name Jaime Brooks, who was half of Elite Gymnastics and now works as Default Genders in addition to unflinching commentary on whatever the fuck is going on with Billboard charts and the ugly realities of how no one’s getting Spotify royalties. “Coma” was originally theirs from Main Pop Girl 2019, a beautiful, delicately skipping adrenaline rush of a love song. Polachek doesn’t radically reinvent what’s already great; instead, she leaves the music alone and takes ownership of the rendition with her lower pitch and breathy delivery. A heartfelt nightcap on an imperial year, you couldn’t have scripted that Valentine’s Day release any more perfectly.

Patrick Masterson

Proton Burst — La Nuit (I, Voidhanger)

When the wife of storied French comics artist Phillipe Druillet died in 1975, Druillet poured his grief and rage into an idiosyncratic graphic narrative, La Nuit (1976); it’s full of mutant biker gangs, Druillet’s signature fever-dream architectural forms and hair-raising violence. French thrash metal weirdos Proton Burst loved the book, and in 1994 they produced an album-length project, part response, part soundtrack to the comic’s maniacal intensities. I, Voidhanger has given that Proton Burst record a deluxe reissue, including the original music, an extended live performance of it from 1995 and a booklet including eye-popping images from Druillet’s comic and an essay. If you’re in this for the music, the real treat is the live set, which is nearly as unhinged as Druillet’s illustrations. The band rages, rants, foments and froths—and is that a harp? Who knows. Like the original graphic narrative, what matters here is the volatility of the feeling tone, more so than any sense-making (or sonic) throughway. Lose yourself in the violence of it. Maybe that feeling of dislocation gets closest to the irrational agony of loss Druillet drew La Nuit in the teeth of, some 50 years ago.

Jonathan Shaw

Mariano Rodriguez — Exodo (self-released)

Mariano Rodriguez is an Argentinian guitarist in the Takoma school tradition with a large and high-quality back catalog. He often focuses on playing with a slide but is equally adept at playing without one and sometimes incorporates experiments with sound, as on Huesos Secos (2020), and fuller traditional instrumentation, as on Praise the Road (2017), into his recordings. Exodo, released late last year, is a set of mainly guitar soli. The playing is typically inspired, impressive without being flashy, and the compositions are tuneful and well-developed. Included is a 12-string anthem (“Lazaro”), Rodriguez’s signature slide work (such as on “The Desterrados”), bluesy 6-string meditations (“Diaspora”), and a couple of experiments with studio effects and overdubs (“The River and the Blind”) and drone (“Mother of the Road”). Over all, Exodo is a fine set of tunes that flows cohesively.

Jim Marks

Twin Tribes — Pendulum (Beso de Muerte Records)

Pendulum by Twin Tribes

It’s unclear precisely which tribes are twinned here, but if the music on Pendulum is any indication, it’s the deathrock freaks (with their long-standing romance of moldering, undead bodies) and the coldwave kids (who like to dance in place, furiously, disaffectedly, bodies frosty for entirely different reasons). Twin Tribes hails from the bastion of moody electronic music that is Brownville, TX, and somehow these Latinx fellows have managed to survive their local cultural climate long enough to release three LPs, a live tape and a whole bunch of singles and remixes. Pendulum refines the essential sonic template laid down in 2019’s Ceremony: tuneful, shimmery synths; snappy, brittle rhythm tracks; baritone vocals about zombies at the disco. If that sounds like fun, it surely is—but you’ll have a hard time convincing the kids in black eye makeup to crack anything like a smile. This reviewer can’t help it. The songs are too good, the vibes are way too goofily gravid. Dance, you flesh-eating misfits, dance.

Jonathan Shaw

Volksempfänger — Attack of Sound (Cardinal Fuzz / Feeding Tube)

Attack Of Sound by Volksempfänger

Attack of Sound’s swirling boy-girl harmonies instantly call to mind shoegaze luminaries Slowdive, but Volksempfänger’s noise-strewn guitar latticework is more aligned with The Jesus and Mary Chain.  Furthermore, the Dutch duo’s melodic flavor is as sweet as 1960s AM radio.  Ajay Saggar (Bhajan Bhoy) and Holly Habstritt combine these disparate sonic strands to create tidy noise pop gems, which they wrap in Phil Spector sonics.  The wall of sound approach imbues each song with a pulsating thrum.  This is the beating heart of their sound, underpinning the delightful vocal harmonies, shimmering guitar melodies, and waves of coruscating feedback.  The pair attains a balance between saccharine and savory aromas: dream pop wistfulness (“What the Girl Does” and “Your Gonna Lose Hard”) interchanges with propulsive garage rock (“How We Made It Seem” and “Damned & Drowned”).  The album closes out with the kaleidoscopic psychedelia of “You’ve Lost It,” introducing yet another aspect of Volksempfänger’s oeuvre.  This last-minute shift in mood adds a quirky sense of quietude to an otherwise exhilarating journey.   

Bryon Hayes

Ian Wellman — The Night the Stars Fell (Ash International)

The Night The Stars Fell by Ian Wellman

Recorded in the fire swept forests and deserts of Southern California, Ian Wellman’s The Night the Stars Fell plays like a Disintegration Loops for natural disasters. Wellman’s treated field recordings encourage the listener to subsume themselves in the natural rhythm of the wind that fanned the wildfires much like Basinski’s seminal work. While Disintegration Loops drew its potency from the association with 9/11, Wellman’s project is a more deliberate meditation on destruction. He coats his field recordings of deteriorating human structures — railcars, homes — and landscape ambience with short-wave radio static and decaying tape loops. There’s a concentration on both the violence of the destruction and the desolation of the aftermath. Huge swells of sound are interspersed with howls of wind, coruscating swathes of static and the creak and crank of burnt timber both natural and manufactured. The Night the Stars Fell is an absorbing evocation of nature’s power. 

Andrew Forell

Wharfer — Postboxing (Self-Release)

Postboxing by Wharfer

Wharfer’s Kyle Wall has long made the kind of shadowy, pared down indie-folk singer/songwriter music that elicits comparisons to Bill Callahan and Will Oldham. This time out, however, he ditches vocals and verse chorus structure entirely and enlists Chuck Johnson (pedal steel), Ian O’Hara (acoustic bass) and Duncan Wickel (violin) for a set of ambient, piano-forward reflections. These tracks are quietly riveting as, like “Wishing Well in White Noise,” the blend the chalky, elegiac tones of the piano’s upper registers with limpid pools of sustained pedal steel. Not quite ambient, the piece swirls and rounds to its own subtle rhythms, a faint thunk of bass ordering it forward. “Alto” brings the long, bowed vibrations of violin into the mix, then a sprightly sprinkle of pizzicato strings. And in the title track, a ritual voice flickers in and out of focus, but only as tone and texture. The piano carries the narrative, as string washes build and bass notes drop in and seagulls cry in the distance. It’s a subtle but powerful voice on its own, and you don’t miss the words one bit. 

Jennifer Kelly

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

(Yes I still got OrangeJuiceVerse Stan on the brain)

It is so important to me that OJV Stan is the most accident prone loser on the PLANET! Like other than Kenny, he’s cooonnnnstantly a disaster magnet also fucking South Park (Patrick Stump Voice: “STOP BY THIS DISASTER TOWN”) this man just forever is a victim of minor injuries. Ojverse Kyle may be the one with chronic pain, but Stan is out here getting hurt in the dumbest ways.

Like he’ll show up to school with one of those cvs finger splints and Kyle will go “dude how’d you break your finger, football?” And Stan is embarrassed as shit like “nah I uhhh opened the door wrong” “how the fuck do you open the door wrong” “idk I just did” smh loser dumbass.

Not to mention that he’s Tall and tall people are very at risk of hitting their heads on shit, he’s definitely *bonked* himself on cabinets and doorframes, also the amount of concussions this man sustained growing up it’s a wonder he has any brain cells left.

Thank GOD the fucker gets sober at 25 because he’s even clumsier when he’s drunk, there was this whole incident in college where he and Kenny, absolutely plastered, wandered over to a nearby park to do drunk parkour while dressed in their Halloween costumes (Kenny was dr frankenfurter and stan was eddie, they did Rocky Horror that year) (also this was referenced here) Kyle was PISSED bc Stan bruised the shit out of his back and yeah he and Ken were in Trouble for like two months.

This guy has totally burnt himself starting fires on camping trips, cut himself washing a knife, got too excited about the sword he bought for his wedding and fully put a hole in the wall slinging it around like stan you loser that thing is SHARP goddamn who let this man get a sword just so he could cut the cake with it (that thing (he definitely named it something stupid) was under Sharon’s protection right up until the ceremony bc my queen knows her fantasy dork son would probably slice his leg open if left unattended lmao)

Literally he’s also such a horrible patient when he gets hurt enough to actually affect his life, like he falls down the Widowmakers in the SP Survivor college house and totally should be wearing a neck brace for a little bit but he WONT bc “marj chill out the dr said it was just encouraged” bruh it literally took Cartman telling him he was a “goddamn hippie-hypocrite” bc everyone knows Stan’s overbearing as hell when anyone else is hurt or sick. When Stan broke his arm in high school he absolutely tried to get kenny to cut the cast off way too early bc it was itchy and stupid lmfao Kyle caught them with a pair of pliers down the plaster and almost lost his shit smh the Disaster Duo is the sole fuel to his high blood pressure hdasfjdhkl.

He really is such a hypocrite too, he’ll be out here running a high ass fever and ignoring it until he stands up and collapses and then he gets mad when someone else does the same shit. On god someone’ll trip and and skin their palms and Stan will be like “dude you gotta be CAREFUL when it’s icy outside” and then they’re just like “Stan I literally watched you eat shit in the parking lot racing Kenny to your truck like, yesterday.” Smh. Also this man does not remember to drink water ever he’s convinced any liquid counts and he SO fainted from dehydration at a student council blood drive in hs (Wendy was working the checkin station and got so mad at him lmfao he was like “wends pls don’t tell Kyle” and she told kyle and then the Red Cross worker is taping his stab hole closed while this boy she didn’t think would be a problem is getting chastised by both of them lmao. But of course he’s on Kenny’s ass to remember to hydrate. And lord during his stint as the school mascot for that one spring semester he’s out here at cheerleading practice reminding all the girlies to drink water and Bebe is like “pack it up Superman” (he totally looks like Superman) “did YOU drink water?” (This dumbass did not)

Anyway OJV Stan my sweet boy he’s well meaning but also accident prone and maybe a little adhd <3

[freelanceexorcist]

Some more comments on the demo.

I'm not able to play it because I don't have a PS5 and there won't be one in the cards for a while, but I at least found a good, thorough playthrough that didn't have some streamer yammering over the dialogue, so that will have to do.

I'm writing as a I watch, so there's gonna be a lot here.

Cut for Rebirth spoilers (and a Game of Thrones one) and length.

-I loved seeing Sephiroth act and speak so casually! Back then, he really was just a guy, huh?

-And holy crap, is that seriously Caleb Pierce doing the voice of Shinra Security Officer Who Is Actually Cloud? Kinda on the nose, but I like it. Maybe in Cloud's dumpster fire of a psyche, not only does he remember being the SOLDIER 1st Class, but he remembers Zack as being the security guard.

-OMFG, Master Zangan! LOL, this fuckin guy. Three seconds after meeting Cloud he's feeling him up! And man, he's got some huge Patrick Warburton energy going on.

-Only three beds in the room at the inn? Guess one of the boys is gonna have to double up with Sephiroth.

-Let me just state for the record that I really like Cloud as a character. That said, when he was a teenager? He was, uh...a wee bit of a creeper. His favorite spot to hang out just happens to face what I assume is Tifa's bedroom window. And what does he do when he knows he's alone in the house? Goes into her bedroom and starts going through her stuff. At least the ladies called his ass out for that this time, because that sequence never did sit right with me.

-I'll bet Sephiroth was ready to buy Random Villager Guy a drink. RVG keeping those looky loos and stans away like a champ! He even had to keep them away from the INN! I really understand why he wanted nothing to do with the "hero" role. Yep, let Genesis go be the Taylor Swift of the FFVII-verse and see how HE likes it.

-Tifa is so tiny next to Sephiroth! Then again, everyone is. Dude's a freakin' TANK.

-Wow, that photographer's an even bigger asshole this time around. Seriously, dude? Taking a picture not only without Sephiroth's permission but when his back is turned?

-The "oh...FINE!" body language when Cloud asked, though.

-And I reiterate. Sephiroth. SUCH a bro here. All I hear is Clark Kent when he talks.

-So it just occurred to me that Sephiroth was deliberately the first one to fall in the river because he knew he'd have to save everyone and he didn't even know how far of a drop it was. That bridge collapsed under the sheer weight of his balls.

-And his horror and devastation at losing one of his men will never not gut me. Everyone was dry by the time he got back, so you know he was out there looking for that dude for a LONG time, too. That's a huge change from "sorry for your luck, pal, but we have a mission to finish." That's what makes his tragic fall all the more inexplicable. In the OG, his coldness had you thinking "yeah, I can see this guy having a Face-Heel Turn easy." But here? With him so protective of those weaker than him and his emotional investment in his people? You don't go from that to "burn them all," even when a severe mental breakdown is involved. I may talk more about this later. ("Oh. Yay." --everybody)

-*Sephiroth has joined the party*-

-Serious question: is there anything in the lore that I missed that states there's no PPE that can protect from mako? Because when Sephiroth said "mako this thick is very dangerous," I thought "maybe bring some respirators next time then?" Yeah, probably no NIOSH rating high enough to filter out spirit energy.

-Yep, definitely no love lost between Seph and the sperm donor.

-Yeah, Barret, it's not making a whole lot of sense to me either at this point.

-"Am I even...human?" Fuck. It's going even harder in Rebirth.

-And the library sequence. Double fuck. The rage in his voice at the end. The madness. And that strange breathing after he glitched? I'll bet he was trying to fight off Jenova and he failed. Sorry, Vincent, but I think Seph is the one that should be able to take out Hojo.

Aaaand that's enough self-imposed psychological torture for the day. I can't watch what comes next.

Jenova used his anger, his devastation and his sleep deprivation to get a toehold. Which makes me think, what if in the trilogy's lore she started piloting him? No, I don't mean controlling his mind or even heavily influencing him? What if she's using him as a vessel? I mean like the deities, angels and demons on Supernatural. She's driving the boat now, and he's in the back of his mind screaming, because he's aware of the things she's making her new meat suit do and he can't stop it.

I'm not trying to let anyone's dirty rotten CGI girlfriend-ganking butt off the hook here if anyone wants to accuse me of that sort of thing. I'm merely saying that burning a village full of innocents is not the actions to expect from the Sephiroth we've come to know in the demo. Yes, he's a SOLDIER who has probably had to do some very unpleasant things under orders, but there was no reason for this. Going from zero to genocide straight out of the blue is inexplicable, I don't care how bad the mental breakdown was.

It's just the only thing that makes sense at this point. People like him get angry, sure. They rage, sure. They swear vengeance on the people who wronged them, sure. But they don't kill innocent people because of it and in such a horrific way. At their most violent, they may find Hojo and try to see how loudly and for how long he can scream.

Bog standard villains don't get this kind of "good guy" lead up to their nefarious deeds, and he's getting that treatment big time from both Rebirth and Ever Crisis. That's usually only reserved for the Chaotic Neutral and redeemable types that were supposed to like. There's nothing in that backstory so far to suggest that he was capable of a Nibelheim-level mass murder. Sure, there's headcanons that he was just a fuse waiting to be lit, but nothing official even hints at that. This came out of NOWHERE.

Maybe I'm not seeing the big picture or whatever, but the extreme change in behavior, the senseless violence...why would FFVII do that to the audience? To torture us? That's just cruel. Even Game of Thrones didn't do the audience that dirty with Danaerys Targaryen (if you didn't see her Face-Heel Turn coming from a mile away, you were watching a different show than me, because she was always a Heel. She just brutalized people who had it coming until King's Landing.).

And I'm out. If you've managed to stick around this long or even read this at all, thank you. If you want to argue, please save it for another day because I'm REALLY not in the mood. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go drink. A lot.

[popculturebuffet]

Next up for Nickelodeon era of shows, who is your favorite character from each of the early 2020s Nicktoons shows you've seen like: It's Pony, Glitch Techs, Kamp Koral, Rugrats 2021, The Patrick Star Show, The Middlemost Post, and Star Trek Prodigy? While the last batch had signs of it with The Casagrandes spin off and Pinky Malinky being on Netflix instead of Nickelodeon, this is when Nickelodeon really started to get heavier on Nicktoons based on the older IPs over original ones. This was also when they began premiering Nicktoons on streaming such as Netflix and Paramount Plus before the main Nickelodeon channel, likely with streaming getting more popular.

Okay to get this out of the way this time I haven't seen Glitch Techs (Heard it was good), enough of Middlemost post to properly talk about it, or Progidy, though I do want to see those last two. I also haven't seen shared between this and paramount+ show earthspark or the just release paramount+ show but counting it here since i talked about nick's other three tmnt shows, tales of the tmnt. By the last era we'd already cut the cord and most of these shows didn't last long enough or in progidy's case.. I've just procastinated. So i'll be throwing in two brucy bonuses to compensate.

Anywways

It's Pony: didn't see as much as i'd like, hope it's on plus, but I thought it had a nice cozy charm to it. Dont' raelly have a faviorite character but did want to mentoin it as it was quite good I just never had a chance to catch it.

Kamp Koral: Honestly Iike the fact the Sardines are a cabin.. larry may be close second as his fitness cabin is wholesome. But honestly.. .there isn't a lot here for me to grab onto despite having seen a LOT of this with my neice with watching her back when it first started. This show is meidocre at best which is disappointing as I LIKE a good summer camp set show (I'ts weird I never watched more of summer camp island with that in mind), or film, but this.. is just nothing. It has good ideas: the various other cabins, letting side characters like lady upturn, larry, kevin, or the sardines return or have a sizeable roll, and the retcons are at least given an explination (Sandy rewrote history). It's hampred both by the impressoin that this show happened quite ltierally over stephen hillenbergs dead body.. and just being mid as hell. The animation is cheap, as tmnt 2012 already proved nick COULD do a cgi show on a tv budget that looked really nice and would prove it again just a few years later. Without the expressivenes spongebob has in it's 2d form (something that sponge bout of water and the sandy cheeks movie were able to copy much better), this feels lifeless and it feels like they really didn't have a ton of ideas to do with this unique setting that hadn't been done before aside from the sardines episode. It's just kinda there at best. It's so boring.

Rugrats 2021: Hadn't seen this one either, still gets it's own entry as I tried part of the first episode.. but couldn't get into it. Not knocking the voice actors too hard, but It just never really caught on with me. We stan Betty being an out of the closet lesbian in this house and Susie getting upgraded to main cast, but it dosen't seem like there's anything I really want from this reboot not helped that I didn't appricate the original at the time, so why would I watch a version that was okay. Might watch it this holiday season for some reviews coming up but that's about it honestly. Still sucks it was removed from paramount +, hope they sell it to someone else instead same with something.. else we're going to get to

The Patrick Star Show: Squidina: she's adorbale, compliments pat well and while her inclusion is a retcon, honestly spongebob continuity is so paper thin it just dosen't matter. At this point how he met sandy has been changed entirely by time travel, patrick's had two sets of parents and another sister who dosent' exist. Making what I was shocked to find was an unrelated side character his nerdy adopted sister to make his show work better is fine by me. The first episodes were fine, just nothing really specail to me, but I heard the show did get better and do want to try it in this form as the soft reboot seemed to have worked and seems to be more in the spirit of the classic seasons while being i'ts own thing.

It's why while this show was also made over stephen hillbergs dead body, it feels less souless... Talented people did put genuine effort into saving it unlike Kamp Koral which is just.. there, and it seems to have worked. And honestly while I like a good camp story.. the patrick star show is the more unique concept. Kamp Koral is just "spongebob but a child at camp" . It COUDL work but it's hampred by using almost the entire same cast as the parent show.

In contrast while Spongebob, Sandy, and Squidward are also present here, their not the main focus. Patrick is. And while that honestly sounded like living in a living nightmare... in the pre revamp episodes it worked okay. Unlike planet sheen it's clear even in it's larval form, they got what made pat work as a character, so simply switched up the dynamics slightly: squidward is still annoyed by him, but the main foils instead the oft annoyed but far more patient with her big bro squidina. Spongebob and co are there.. but their there in support of patrick, flipping thingsj ust slightly enough and it makes sense his best friends would be there. It helps they have some really fun designs as teens. I love spongebob's slick backed hair and squidwards acne and shirt. Small changes on his and sandy's front but it' smore than kamp koral.. just making them smol and giving them outfits. So a show I honestly want to see more of as it geninely seems like it turned a corner. Could be wrong but evne then it's at least a worthy side dish to spongebob and feels less like digging up a corpse for money.

Big Nate: This one also DOES count in my eyes as it was reaired on the network, but is one I hope gets transfered somewhere. Faviorite is the boy himself, as they transitoined him well and ben giroux does a great job, though Gina as always as close. i've bene honest about loving comic strips before in this retrospective, and at the time this show aired big nate.. was fine. Stuck in a rut it's since got out of, but kinda stuck as some strips gets going through the motions and repeating gags that didn't work the first time.

Big Nate the cartoon... is a great adaptation in part because it takes some of the strips weaknesses and does away with them. Not all sadly as yelly outdated coach sterotype coach john and nate's stalker kim are kept for reasons I can't process. The former maybe, as he's useful for jokes and faculty plotlines, but the latter..

But for the most part it instead fixes a lot of aspects of the strip that didn't quite work anymore or needed a refresh: Nate's friends Teddy and Francis are more loyal and more resonable foils than "assholes who constantly insult him", with Francis in paticular being far less insufferable, instead being a truly fun friend group you root for. Gina is added from the jump and god bless them for it. I love that theater kid. (With Chad also there and pretty much a member of Team Awesome, as he should be). Nate's "hit on women like a jackass" tendnenices, while sadly relaistic to a 5th grader, are toned down, and his family gets more to do: Marty is still pathetic but it's not his oly schitck and dove cameron does a great job as his sister.

Overall the show was really good having a gorgeous peanuts movie style art style that matched the strip, it got the tone down right while adjusting it and while it wasn't always perfect I have a LOT of respect for it. Sadi it got screwed over. Hope it gets another chance

Fairly Odd Parnents: A New Wish : I need to watch more of this but... man is this good. Faviorite is Cosmo with Peri a close second as he was my faviorite in the og and that's still true as while he keeps the voice that can be mildy grating but is fine by me from the later seasons he's back to peak idiot and back to half a whohle idot.

After what I hear was a diaster with fairly odder, A New Wish is everything a revivial should be: it respects the original amazingly with TONS of callbacks I wasn't expecting thus far or have read about, and a premise that's so obvious i'm shocked it took this long to try it: Timmy's gone having moved on naturally at some point as the series constantly hinted would happen which is sad, as he looses his real parents, but means he's doing okay for himself as an adult instead, and we get Hazel instead, a new kid for a new decade. Hazel is the perfect foil too lacking Timmy's arrogance and selfishness , but still keeping the short sightness that comes when you give a child the power of a god. Hazel is a kind, wonderful little bean who like Timmy will often use her powers to help others, but due to the series having a heavier continuity, actually learns from her wishes.. it dosen't always work but it's nice that it's not a death loop of terrible mistkaes. Not saying that death loop wasn't funny, but it works better in this era

The show keeps the basic premise that works but weeds out the stuff that didn't: gone are the sadistic teachers (not saying those don't still exist but we've been there), and neglectful parents (the only one left is played dead seriously), kept is the magic hyjinks. It seems like the bulk of the cast from the original who'd make sense to show up (and i'm sure more could), do. The revamp of peri got a ton of buzz and rightfully so having him be the seemingly suave but really just very tired foil to both his own god kid and his parents is perfect, especially with wanda rest from the nag to half of a whole idiot and having the very plausable reason for him not having been around simply been them smothering him a bit much, which fits both perfectly. He dosen't hate them, he just wants to find his own way while honoring the family buisness.

As youc an tell by the several paragraphs.. I love a new wish. I hope it does well and gets to go on a while, the creators certainly have the ideas for it and frankly we could all use a little magic.

[trashbag-usa]

DO YOU LIKE CHARLES DICKENS?

DO YOU LOVE MUSICALS AND HATE CAPITALISM??

DO YOU NOT GIVE A SHIT THAT IT'S LITERALLY SPRING RIGHT NOW AND LOGICALLY AN INAPPROPRIATE TIME TO WATCH A CHRISTMAS MOVIE???

THEN PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GO WATCH ESTELLA SCROOGE TODAY.

I AM A RABID CHRISTMAS CAROL (book) FAN AND IM IN LOVE WITH THIS RIGHT NOW. IT'S A MODERNIZED ADAPTATION THAT ACTUALLY GETS THE POINT OF THE ORIGINAL TEXT.

MORE CONTEXT AND PLEADING BELOW

ITS A CHRISTMAS MUSICAL MADE OVER QUARANTINE ONE DAMN ACTOR AT A TIME IN A CGI ENVIRONMENT. ITS LITERALLY INSANE HOW MUCH EFFORT IS PUT INTO THIS THING. THE EDITING IS FANTASTIC FOR THE CRAZY AMBITIOUS THINGS THEYRE TRYING TO DO. YOU CAN SEE THE CARE AND HEART POURING OUT OF EVERY FRAME.

IF YOU'RE A THEATER KID (former or current) YOU WILL RECOGNIZE QUITE A FEW VOICES AND FACES.

ITS ALSO SILLY AND GOOFY IN THE MOST SINCERE WAY. DO YOU LIKE FUN TROPES DONE WITH AN ACTUAL HEART? YOU WILL LOVE THIS. THERES A FOUND FAMILY, GUYS.

THEY ALSO HAVE SOME OF THE MOST WILD DIALOGUE SOMETIMES, LIKE—

"Every moment of my life since we met has been full of you. You've been in every view ive ever seen since then.

In the clouds, in the light, in the darkness. In the sea, in the woods, in the streets.

'Til the day I die, you'll always be a part of my character. Part of the little good in me, and part of the bad."

??? THAT FUCKING KILLED ME DEAD INSTANTLY

PATRICK PAGE IS IN THIS YALL, (hear that, hadestown fans?? hunchback musical stans?? jingle jingle jingle-)

HE PLAYS A FUCKED UP DANDY AND HE DOES THIS.

I HAD TO MAKE THAT GIF BY MYSELF BC NOBODY KNOWS ABT THIS.

FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY GO AND WATCH IT RIGHT NOW IF ANY OF THIS INTERESTS YOU. OR IF YOU THINK IT WILL BE DUMB. I WATCHED IT BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE DUMB BUT IT TURNED OUT FUCKING FANTASTIC.

ITS FREE ON YOUTUBE RIGHT NOW!!!! GO GO GO!!!!!!!!!

OR GO TO THEIR WEBSITE FOR OTHER OPTIONS!!!

[decaydanceredacted]

i dont even like pax am days all that much (sorry to all the pax am stans out there) but i will listen to it just so i can hear patrick's gorgeous raspy voice and die badly over and over

.

[thealmightyemprex]

SCi Fi classics Revisited :Galaxy Quest

For the second sci fi classic Iam revisiting is a personal favorite as well as being beloved by many sci fi fans ,the 1999 film Galaxy Quest

The film follows the cast of the show Galaxy Quest,,a classic scifi TV show ,whose careers have kind of washed up and now mostly make cash by going to conventions and making personal appearences , when they are enlisted by an alien race known as the Thermians to save their people ,as they think they are real space heroes

OK the Premise is great ,but what I love about the film is itdoesnt coast on the premise ,it explores it.Like the obvious joke of the film ,is "What if the castof Star Trek where contacted by aliens who thought Star Trek was real",and while Trek is the obvious inspiration what works about the film is its a bit more then just a Trek parody .I see the film as a story of a bunch of actors becoming the heroes they are seen tobe and a love letter to the positive aspects of fandom.(Alao dont know where to put this but my favorite little refrence in the film is not to Star Trek,but to A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeare,as the lead character of the the show within the film is Commander Peter Quincey Taggert,named after Peter Quince ,the leader of a group of actors )

The filmis masterful in something I think is lacking in modern comedy ,the characters are funny, the situationslead to humor,but there is a heart to the story and the situation does have stakes .Part of that is the film really sells normal people in this sci fiworld,both in the writing (Like I love that they explain why the Thermians look humanoid ,they use translators and devices to appear humanoid when they are actually octopus like cretures ) but allso the effects.The film had the best of the best of that time,ILM for the visual effects and Stan Winston for the Creatures ,tomake the science fiction elements feel real.Alsofilm is fullofgreat set pieces

The cast helps make the movie ,aa the filmhas a calvacade of great performers and all work eachother beautifullly and all get their time to shine .I'm gonna devide the cast into sections

The Villain :Sarris is a severely underrated villain in my oppinion,in that he is the most serious character in the film ,a sadistic brutal warlord .Played by the late great Robin Sachs,I lovehis performance cause he is COVERED in makeup to make him the insectoid lizard cyborg beast ,and yet he feeels very natural ,with Sachs bringing tolife just this malicious monster and I adore his voice ,they way he barks most of his lines is effective.I also like that apart from really two moments ,he is played straight and not really comedically (With one of his comedic moments being fairly dark ).my favorite moment is when he finds out the group are actors and 1.He lets out this amused yet malicious chuckle 2.Forces our lead character Jason to confess to the Thermian leader Mathasar the truth and just softly says"He doesnt understand.Explain as if he were a child ".

The Thermians :The Thermians are a race of aliens that have mistooken the old Galaxy Quest TV show for historical documents ,and are so inspired that it has united theirpeople and modled their civilization on its ideals .I think what makes the Thermians work is their goofyness is sincere ,they are sweet goodhearted people who are just a little offfrom humans,and a lot of praise can be put at their actors ,with Jed Resse as Teb being particularly funny (Who has the funniest scene in the movie when a teleporter goes wrong) ,theres a sweet love story between Missi Pyle as Laliari and one of the heroes Fred ,PAtrick Breen as Queleik has a truly heartwarming relationship with Alexander Dane ,and Enrico Colantoni is so funny yet so lovable as the Thermian leader Mathasar,he is one of my favorite parts of the film.Also you get Rainn Wilson in his film debut.....Notmuch to say,just fun tosee him

The Crew:I love themain performers here.This is not only a great ensamble of actors ,its a great group of characters.This was not the only film to do the "Actor turned hero "type story (Fight Night comes to mind ),but what I think makes this stand apart is its not just about them being heroes ,it isabout them realizing their work mattersto people and them patching up relationships with eachother.Our main character is Jason Nesmith ,played by Tim Allen in what I think is his best role .Jason,wo played the Commander on the show , is a guy who can be egotsit and can showboat for the fans ,but is actually a lonely guy who has alienated hisformer castmates and has particularly strained relationships with Gwen and Alexander ,and Allan while still getting funny scenes gets toshow offhis dramtic skills ,particularly the scene where he confesses to Mathasar .Gwen DeMarco is played by sci fi legend Sigourney Wever ,really getting to show off her comedic capabilities and I swear she gets some ofthe funniest lines.ALexander Dane is possibly the most memorable character ,due to a brillaint performance by the late great Alan Rickman (In one of his best performances ) as a rather bitter Shakesperian actor who has come to resent being associated with this silly sci fi show ,and in particular,sick and tired of hearing his catchphrase "By Grabthars Hammer " said all the time ,he is dryly funny and yet gets a truly emotional subplot .Tony Shaloub is fantastic as Fred Kwan ,this mellow chill dude who takes all the weird space stuff in stride ,and even falls in love with an alien .The always awesome Sam Rockwell plays Guy Fleegman the second funniest of the main crew ,a guy who was a crewmember who was killed by one monster in one episode ....And he is damn proud of it ,cause he is a fan of the show but that also means he's the most trope savvy which gives him an existential crisis due to being the "Expendable " crew member .Finally we have Daryl Mitchell as Tommy Webber ,who was on the show as a kid .He has some great jokes ,and being the pilot there are some funny moments there

One last character to touch on is Justin Long (In his film debut ) as a Galaxy Quest fan , who also ends up helping save the day

So I have been praising the film a lot ,do I think its perfect ?No ,but my only problemis a nitpick and that is there are too many fake outsnear the end and by end Sarris is just a snarling bad guy,wouldve liked some banter

Overall this is 1.A great comedy 2.An enjoyable sci fi film 3.A wonderful exploration of fandom .If you havent seen this movie,SEE IT

@ariel-seagull-wings @the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland @theancientvaleofsoulmaking @goodanswerfoxmonster @princesssarisa @angelixgutz @amalthea9 @filmcityworld1

[musicman5234]

William Edward Chiaiese was born on October 20, 1934 to John and Emily Chiaiese(key-ah-tze) in Dorchester , Massachusetts . The family later moved to Squantum , Mass. John changed the family name to Chase, understanding that the Italian name Chiaiese was both hard to spell and pronounce.

While Bill was growing up his parents felt that he needed to broaden his horizons and arranged for him to take violin lessons. Bill did not even touch the trumpet, until the middle of his high school years. A newspaper clipping dated 1956 pictures Bill listed as a Corporal in the 26th Yankee Infantry Division Band holding a bass drum. Bill's experience as a drummer changed his life and the lives of many others. During a St. Patrick's Day parade he had to lug his huge drum for five miles enduring the miserably cold pouring rain. It hurt so bad that he decided never to do it again, he asked his father to dig out his old trumpet for him.

Not long after switching to trumpet, Bill was playing first chair in the school orchestra and classical music was his main love. Early 1950's a neighbor coaxed Bill to attend a Stan Kenton concert with him. This was the band with Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Childers, Conte Condoli, etc. After that night, Bill was hooked on jazz and high note trumpet.

As you can tell, this time period in Bills life is hard to decipher. Bill was doing so much playing, and he became very good so quickly, that the dates are very confusing. Since Maynard left the Kenton Band and headed to Hollywood in 1953, Bill must have seen Kenton before then. I can only assume that he switched to the trumpet around 1951 at about the age of 16.

Boston Globe writer Ernie Santosuosso wrote about Bill in 1971, “Bill Chase has been experimenting with sounds all of his life. As a youngster in the Fields Corner community of Dorchester , he was intrigued by the drums. Since he didn’t own a set, he’d improvise with the aid of a couple of galvanized steel rubbish barrels.

Bill’s backyard became his bandstand as he beat out precocious rhythms atop the inverted barrels. The little Italian lady, who sat at her kitchen window, regarded Bill as a pet but voiced emphatic objections to his make-shift paraddidling on the barrels. So, when Bill’s father, who played trumpet, decided to retire his horn, the boy’s curiosity inevitably led him to the instrument and away from the barrel- house. The maturation process as a trumpeter had begun for Bill.

The ex-drummer put his horn to work for St. Ambrose’s Band, then for Boston English High, Berklee, Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson, and Woody Herman. The little old Italian lady was given special command performances in her kitchen and she almost lit a candle in thanksgiving for young Bill’s return to his barrels and rubbish deposits.”

He started playing his fathers old trumpet the summer before his junior year in high school and showed a natural aptitude for it. He soon joined a Drum and Bugle Corps, along with his school groups. This, was prior to his stint in the Boston National Guard where he said he wrote music and played trumpet in 1957. He served for six months in the guard band, which honed his talents as a trumpeter and arranger.

Chase played lead trumpet with Maynard Ferguson in 1958, Stan Kenton in 1959, and Woody Herman's Thundering Herd during the 1960s.

One of Chase's charts from this period, "Camel Walk", was published in the 1963 Downbeat magazine yearbook. From 1966 to 1970 he freelanced in Las Vegas, working with Vic Damone and Tommy Vig. In 1967 he led a six-piece band at the Dunes and Riviera Hotel where he was featured in the Frederick Apcar lounge production of Vive Les Girls, for which Chase arranged the music.

In 1971 he started a jazz rock band named "Chase" that mixed pop, rock, blues, and four trumpets.[5] The debut album Chase was released in April 1971. Chase was joined by Ted Piercefield, Alan Ware, and Jerry Van Blair, three jazz trumpeters who were adept at vocals and arranging. They were backed up by a rhythm section consisting of Phil Porter on keyboards, Angel South on guitar, Dennis Johnson on bass, and John "Jay Burrid" Mitthaur on percussion. Rounding out the group was Terry Richards, who was the lead vocalist on the first album. The album contains Chase's most popular song, "Get It On", released as a single that spent 13 weeks on the charts beginning in May 1971. The song features what Jim Szantor of Downbeat magazine called "the hallmark of the Chase brass—complex cascading lines; a literal waterfall of trumpet timbre and technique." The band received a Best New Artist Grammy nomination, but was edged out by rising star Carly Simon.

Chase released their second album, Ennea, in March 1972; the album's title is the Greek word for nine, a reference to the nine band members. The original lineup changed midway through the recording sessions, with Gary Smith taking over on drums and G. G. Shinn replacing Terry Richards on lead vocals. The third album, Pure Music, moved the band toward jazz. Two of the songs were written or co-written by Jim Peterik of the Ides of March, who also sings on the album, along with singer and bassist Dartanyan Brown.

Chase's work on a fourth studio album in mid-1974 came to an end on August 9, 1974. While en route to a scheduled performance at the Jackson County Fair, Chase died in the crash of a chartered twin-engine Piper Twin Comanche in Jackson, Minnesota, at the age of 39. The pilot and co-pilot were killed, as were keyboardist Wally Yohn, guitarist John Emma, and drummer Walter Clark.

Source: Kevin Seeley/Wikipedia

[ink-and-dagger]

Tagged by @silcoitus and @juniper-sunny

🦆About me🦆

Nickname: Inky

Sign: Virgo

Height: 5ft 6"

Last google search: "Queen Elizabeth thumbs up" (I needed an image to troll @euaveri)

Song stuck in your head: right now it's Happy Together by The Turtles so that's kinda nice

Followers: Yeah I have some of those

Sleep: Yeah I'd like some of that

Dream job: I'd love to be a traditionally published author because I love writing obvs, but more so because I love the idea of doing talks and panels about writing and storytelling at cons and lit-fests etc. I'd also love to be one of those people who clean old oil paintings with a toothbrush because that looks hella satisfying.

Wearing: Turtle neck jumper, mum jeans, red courd jacket, and lace-up boots.

Favourite song: Bat out of Hell - Meatloaf

Favourite instrument: Honestly, the human voice. But I also think oboes are really cool and underrated. I'm a big woodwind stan 🎺🎷

Aesthetic: Tough one to describe. I'd say androgynous academia with an 80s and 90s twist. I wear a lot of tailored waistcoats and trousers, turtle necks, waist-tied shirts, and high-waist jeans. And boots. Always boots, even in summer. (Hi-top converse if it's hot). Normally a cute lil 3-inch heel lace-up or gogo style boot.

Favourite author: Can't name just one I have so many, and I enjoy them all for different reasons. Sarah J Maas, Ursula Le Guin, Patrick Ness, V E Schwab, Jonathan Stroud, Laini Taylor, Kristin Cashore, Katherine Arden, Angela Carter, Madeline Miller, Derek Landy, Elle McNicoll someone make me stop

Favourite animals sounds: I'm a sucker for anything feline. But I particularly love when house cats scream bloody-murder for attention like feral little goblins.

Last song: Apple Music won't tell me but I 100% guarantee it was a Ghost song

Last series: Currently re-watching Breaking Bad 🧪

No pressure tags: @chickenparm @lemonemlyn @sherwood-forests @skywarpie @a-gal-with-taste @designfailure56

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[sketchy-scribs-n-doods]

ughh ty for ur amazing tags it was so disgusting how they were 1. telling on themselves claiming poc and fat people aren't attractive and 2. wishing racism and body shaming on an actor in the name of justice(??). not that im surprised anyway their crowd was the one that demonized lucas and ignored caleb for years. one of my favorite characters is patrick and he wasn't allowed even a nightmare sequence he was just forgotten by the narrative and brushed off. a Black victim of abuse not even given a voice, just forcibly suppressed and used to move the plot along to fuel jason's satanic bullshit. he is ignored by the large majority of the fandom that focuses all their attention on white boy of the week but think hating billy is enough to compensate for their favouritism and racism. i hate how poc are treated in this show but its not enough for ppl to just direct all their performative criticism on a character they want actual racist harassment directed at them too. so disgusting.

i don't normally beef on the internet (i much prefer throwing hands irl actually, but ppl seem to enjoy hiding their shit behind a screen lol), but i really did such a hard double take at those tags.

i really can't fathom tearing down another character because your fav gets shit. i fully understand that characters like lucas and argyle don't get a lot of attention and that's likely a combination of a) the duffer's own bias sidelining those characters, and b) fans' bias in ignoring poc. that doesn't mean i'm gonna throw hands with your average eddie or steve stan or whatever, i don't find that productive. i'd rather engage with fans that already enjoy my fav or are open to consuming content about them and encourage (in this long winded example) eddie stans to enjoy argyle content without making them feel guilty about their blorbo.

same goes for every time i see someone thinking that if they kick down billy it will elevate nancy or lucas or max or eddie or steve. it's petty, it doesn't work, and the only things that result from it are a) an echo chambers where all your fellow salty mutuals will yes man you, or b) ppl who like what you just talked shit about are gonna roll up asking what your damage is. lo and behold.

even putting all of the dumb nancy vs billy nonsense aside (and for the record i think the duffers badly wrote both characters in different ways), those fucking tags were just. SUCH an accidental slip reveal of what that person really thinks. i don't think they're a horrible person or whatever but they're definitely a dick and think that as long as they hate the right character they're correct and good.

like you said, wishing bigotry on a person/character just because you don't like them is a weird fucking thing to say. at that point i barely care what the context of the post was. can you imagine saying that out loud in a room full of fat ppl/poc? i don't think any of them are gonna come to the conclusion that you mean it as a roundabouts insult against a popular hot white actor/character and go 'oh yes haha you're so right i totally think fans hating him for being brown/fat is preferable'. i personally would have torn down whoever said that shit to me irl, that's some white ass performative activism i don't have time for, but it seems like ppl don't think about how the shit they say would sound out loud irl to the very ppl they seem to be trying to support

nevermind that any given piece of billy fanfiction and an awful lot of fanart explores the trauma billy has gone through more than it goes 'ah yes blonde boy hot'. we can have tho conversations without being pricks saying shit in bad faith about it. like, most billy fans i see are huge fans of patrick and mourn his lost potential. because we know how the duffers treat their abused characters.

this shit isn't a contest, but often the shit you say about a character affects ppl who are similar to/identity with that character. if in your pursuit to hate and spit about a character, you say shitty things that make poc, fat ppl, abuse victims, etc., feel like you're insulting them or just using them as props for your wokeness, then you need to take a step back and ask yourself if maybe you needa chill and reevaluate what you're doing. it's not a good look, and neither is the mindset that revenge and punitive 'justice' should be prioritized above healing, growth, and connection.

(like c'mon we can redeem fictional war criminals but we can't let an 18 year old being abused by his dad work through his racial biases? like the latter isn't a much more common situation that happens irl to real abused teens with bigoted parents? alright)

anyway, i'm glad you appreciated my tag rambles, i really was just word vomiting in a fury lol

if you love patrick and enjoy the idea of patrick and billy interacting, i have a # patrick mcckinley tag and a # kingr*ve tag for each respectively (i lump all my patrick and billy stuff under their ship whether platonic or romantic bc patrick stuff is scarce enough as it is). cheers!

[spongebob-connoisseur]

Ok I am so tired. My brain just isn't working today so heres some random thoughts:

The guy who write The Animated Peter Lorre book is the first Slappy stan account. Not ME

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH😭

I mean good for him and all. He collects Peter Parodies like chaos emeralds for his book. He was a single force fighting for slappy before my obsessive ass got on board. He's been onboard since Birthday Blowout. I only joined in when the Patrick Show first came out.

Anyways I like checking up his Facebook because sometimes he posts new parodies he found and before I found the book, that was my main method of finding more to watch.

That aside, I just wish he'd change his pfp. Of all the pictures of slappy you gotta have

There's a lot of nicer pictures of Slappy to chose from😭 yo I got like 900 screenshots of Slaps(don't ask me about this) There's so much better things to choose from. PLEASE

Oh and there's one more thing: in the book and even on his page there is a mention of an animation called "The Monday Night Mystery Theater". Even in his book, there are concept art and rough animations of it (the only few pictures in the book actually) Was it ever actually made? I can't find anything about it online. I want to watch it. Was it just not made? Was it an abandoned project? From what I've seen of the test animations, it looked pretty good. My only issue is why did they give a Peter Parody a receding hairline. I guess there's a first for everything.

Just as I was typing this I found it! Well an incomplete version but it had voice acting and stuff. It was hmmm wild. I like the little homicidal peter parody tho. He was balding but he did the right thing :D

[fox10927]

I would like to see Stan Thompson appear in the new version of Family Guy, Stan Thompson would look exactly like the other character Patrick Pewterschmidt only difference his hair is black.

New Character

Voiced by: Daran Norris