#i think they might just be the biggest arctic monkeys fans out there

[imsurroundedbytheocean]

I can’t stop thinking about this post Radio X made two days ago; specifically the caption.

[vqmprxz]

music i imagine creepypastas listen to

(a/n it is 5:12 AM and i cannot sleep WHY DID I TAKE AN 8 HOUR NAP)

ticci toby

he’s not super emo like ppl imagine him to be. the most emo he’ll go is like three days grace, but he prefers to stick to more popular grunge bands (foo fighters, nirvana, alice in chains, etc.) but he’s also secretly a huge blink 182 fan.

masky

this bitch is obsessed with divorced dad rock i just know it. pearl jam, pink floyd, alice in chains. sometimes he’s into heavy metal.

hoodie

either rock or rap. i don’t know why. his two favs are metallica and kanye west. that’s all i will elaborate on.

jeff the killer

jeff is not an emo boy and i will stand by that, this ho is the greasiest most pretentious metalhead you will ever meet. he’ll make fun of slipknot or korn fans bc it’s not “heavy” enough. (if im being honest idk any super heavy metal bands, but just pretend i said one and he listens to them.)

jane the killer

goth. she literally wears a mask with black lipstick. siousxie and the banshees, bauhaus, the cure. and maybe like type o negative. (she’s secretly a huge evanescence fan.)

homicidal liu

i kinda see him listening to like early fall out boy and early arctic monkeys and some underground bands like them. (and has a little obsession with the beatles). he might go to local shows. HATES new music.

ben drowned

maybe like linkin park, limp bizkit, icp, stuff with rap incorporated. but since he’s a kid/young teenager, he probably has a lot of influence from those around him (i hc that nina tries to turn him emo and jeff tries to turn him into a metalhead)

nina the killer

brokencyde and attack attack but also pierce the veil and my chemical romance. scenemo 100% (this girl has the most emo haircut in the world are we really surprised.)

clockwork

this girl is the biggest slowdive fan there is. i can also see her listening to radiohead, mazzy star, my bloody valentine (but don’t be surprised if there’s paramore on her playlist.)

laughing jack

do we really think he listens to music. (can you tell i don’t like laughing jack)

eyeless jack

he also doesn’t care for music all too much but when he’s stressed he’ll put on some to clear his head, stuff like nine inch nails, a perfect circle, tool.

sally

the mlp equestria girls soundtrack exclusively.

[should-know-better]

John Norris Interview (Part 1)

I was looking for this interview the other day and discovered that it's been taken down from YouTube. This is happening more and more and it's not good since it means that the past is being erased.

I eventually found it again on this website, but, just in case this is deleted in the future, I've decided to transcribe it here, for all posterity.

<<Music - The Age of the Understatement plays>>

John Norris: Hey, what's up guys? We're here today in my home, New York's East Village, getting set to talk to a band from much further east of here, the UK; only it's not so much a UK band, as it is a UK musical project. Alex Turner, the front man, whose rapid fire singing and playing have helped to make the Arctic Monkeys one of Britain's biggest bands, has teamed up with his pal, Miles Kane, from the Liverpool band, The Rascals, and they've created something they call The Last Shadow Puppets. I guarantee you it's like nothing any Arctic Monkey's fan might expect. These guys lift you up, transport you back about 40 years and drop you right into the middle of a technicolour 60's spy movie.

<<Caption: Part One: Puppets, Monkeys and Rascals>>

JN: As recently as a couple of weeks ago, when I first heard the record, it was called The Turner and Kane Project.

MK: Yeah.

JN: Right, I mean, how did this and when did this, Last Shadow Puppets name come about?

AT: We were like thinking about it for ages, cos like, we got like, we thought that'd be a good name for a band for a bit, due to this conversation that we were having on the phone, with one of our friends, and she was like making shadow puppets...

MK: There was this silk blanket over...

JN: Yeah, I'm not even sure I know how to do that, but I understand...

MK: And she was lying there with like a silk blanket draped on her...

AT: Doing a shadow puppet of a crocodile...

MK: On the wall.

JN: And the 'Last' part of it?

MK: Cockiness, arrogance...

AT: Arrogance...

MK: Arrogant little bastards.

AT: Stark arrogance.

MK: Yeah.

JN (to AT): Did you always have in your head that you wanted to do some kind of project apart from The Monkeys?

AT: Yeah, no, I never... I never like planned that. I think it were just like...

MK: It was more getting friends, I think before...

AT: Yeah, cos me and Miles became quite good friends since we met, and then, we kind of had that friendship before it like occurred to us to make an album together or anything. But like, people, some other people used to say like, 'oh, when you two do your record,' you know, like?

MK: Yeah

JN (crosstalk): Oh really?

AT: Without us like...

JN: They always kinda figured it would happen?

MK: Yeah, like a bit jokey, or a bit like, yeah, that was before we'd said like... 'when you go off and do your album.'

JN: Can I ask you Miles, cos a lot of people would say, your conventional wisdom would be like, if your band hasn't even put out a proper album yet...

MK: Yes, we've just finished recording it now.

JN: It's out in the summer, right?

MK: Yeah, June.

JN: That to do sort of a side thing,

MK: Yeah,

JN: before the record comes out, might sort of distract people from what your main thing is.

MK: Yeah but, I don't think it is, cos it's not really about that. It's just about the music really... and the fact that this is coming out before is because we'd recorded it in the summer last year and didn't want to sit on it for like a year, and not make it a thing, you know what I mean?

JN (to AT): And how is this working with your main relationship? I mean, the Monkeys - are you guys working on a record now, or...

AT: We did just record, like a few tunes the other week and that like. No, it's good. I think we were going to take it quite easy this year anyway though you know, cos the last couple of years, we've played like loads. But when we recorded this, I don't think we'd even planned to do like as much as what we have done.

MK: Yeah,

AT: We'd sort of see what would happen. And then, we were pleased with how it had turned out.

MK: It wasn't like a big plan to like put it out worldwide, you know what I mean? It was just purely music. Let's record them for our pleasure and they just turned out.

AT: Cos there was a certain... a kind of... a certain uncertainty to it like. We sort of had this idea, and to do a big album and dramatic and stuff, and have like, strings and brass, but we thought like, I dunno, how do you even do that? Is that even possible, sort of thing? So we never knew, with each step what it was going to be like, but then like, it turned out like, terrific, I think. And like, we both love it and so...

MK: Mmmm

AT: And it's like, we couldn't have sat on it a way...

MK: yeah that's the thing...

AT: We both write quite a lot of tunes...

MK: And if you'd have sat on that and then waited until we put it out after The Rascals record, then it wouldn't be out until like September, October, and it just, like, why should you have barriers in music?

JN: I mentioned before about the fact that obviously The Monkeys have broken through in this country to a degree, but not even comparable to what things are like back home. It's been incredible, even the last few weeks, you said it was supposed to be like a down year, for you guys, but like, from The Brits and the NME's and now people are just writing about you guys in the same breath as Oasis, in terms of British bands of a certain status, is that... does that kind of blow your mind a bit? To be talked about in the same...

AT: I weren't aware they were until you said.

MK: <laughs>

JN: Yeah, you weren't aware?

AT: Nah, freak out.

JN: Now The Brits, I didn't see any video from it, but I've read enough accounts of what happened. You said some stuff and they cut you off right? During the acceptance?

AT: Yes, sommat like that. It's all a bit hazy to be honest.

JN: I'm not that familiar with this Brits School place but...

AT: Neither was I until...

MK: I didn't, I thought they were all real people...

AT: Yeah...

MK: All from that school?

AT: I didn't know what that... what that was.

MK: But they're all from there?

{NB for context: I think here, they're referring to the people stood in front of the stage in the audience at The Brit Awards. At the time, people thought it was the general public who had tickets to go and watch the show, but in reality, the audience were pupils of the Brit School}

JN: For people who don't know, the Brit School is, erm, sort of a, performing arts school right?

AT: I think so. All the greats go there.

JN: Well...

MK: All the greats...

JN: I don't know about all the greats, but Adele and Kate Nash, and...

MK: They're brilliant, aren't they? All the best people...

JN: It's your call.

AT: I know loads of 'em were there that night.

MK: They're amazing.

AT: To be honest John, we were really struggling for stuff to say at that, like...

JN: You were? You haven't been? Was that the first time you'd actually attended The Brits?

AT: Yeah, we were struggling for speeches and stuff, I dunno.

JN: And you were decked out in some outfits, special...?

AT: Oh yeah, we had cracking gear on, but we forgot to write a speech or anything.

MK (whispering to AT): probably best.

AT: (whispering back to MK): probably yeah.

JN: Do you just have a sort of favourite band ever? Of all time?

MK: All time?

JN: Yeah, British band.

MK: The Beatles.

AT: Yes.

JN (to AT): Did you ever chance to meet McCartney?

AT: Briefly. Kylie Minogue were there as well, and like... I think he was more interested in talking to Minogue, which you would be anyway.

JN: Sure, yeah. I mean, I'm not saying anyone would be, but...

MK: Yeah you are John.

JN: No, I'm not, I'm not (laughing).

MK: You've got Al and Kylie Minogue in a room, who would you rather go over to?

<<Ends - 'I'm a ghost in the wrong coat, biting butter and crumbs' plays as outro>>

[blossoms-phan]

hi friends! since it’s been 3 months I thought I’d do a little updated about me :p

you can call me blossoms! 🌸 comes from the url obviously which I decided on in seconds when sitting in the middle of my bed making this blog at 3am bc I love dan and phil and cherry blossoms/japan/japhan etc etc

(as a side note I don’t share a lot of personally identifying info on here for a lot of reasons, don’t wanna be found out + professional reasons and tumblr is a great platform for having being a phannie as my main identity but I will occasionally overshare in the tags or random posts. for the most vague details I’m canadian and a poc ig? if you want to be friends or discuss anything in more detail im happy to share in dms just not in the general void lol)

some past fandoms I’ve been a part of tumblr or otherwise: avengers/marvel (this was in the peak in like 2016 and I followed it probably up until 2020 but dgaf anymore soz), marvel’s daredevil (their best show still love it), one direction/harry styles (harry was prob my biggest interest/fandom I was heavily involved in until like 2022 ish, i followed a bunch of accounts on my other blog and fan pages, went to his first solo tour in 2018, basically followed his every move- ik he’s not some underground artist but I lost interest when he kinda boomed and became SUPER popular I miss the early days of his solo era lol but still like his music), criminal minds, I think those are the main ones obv I lurk anytime I have a special interest lol

artists I like: twenty one pilots, arctic monkeys, the 1975, hozier, frank ocean, bad suns, muse, sufjan stevens, lana del rey, wallows, ed sheeran, lorde, zayn/hs/niall horan, paramore, the smiths, 5sos, kendrick lamar, fka twigs, fleetwood mac (this is off the top of my head just main ones ig there’s lots of other artists with specific songs I like and I also listen to my playlists from middle school often with p!atd and fob just the older stuff tho)

fave tv: derry girls, criminal minds, the office, gilmore girls, brooklyn 99, community, freaks and geeks, gossip girl, new girl, the end of the fucking world (short but a personal fave), fleabag, mindhunter- I like basic nbc sitcoms ok what can I say but currently watching Buffy and there’s lots of things on my watchlist like twin peaks I just never have time (aka always watching YouTube/dnp)

i like to think of myself as a cinephile when I really don’t watch as many movies as I’d like to bc of the same reasons listed above but I keep up with what’s happening in the film world and yeah some of my faves include: little women, sing street, before sunrise, aftersun, clueless, call me by your name, the perks of being a wallflower, big hero 6, la la land, zodiac, the social network, scream, the batman, bones and all, knives out, hp/twilight series

random interests: the scream franchise/saw/horror, until dawn (the game), youtube video essays, true crime content/criminology (in the most respectful way I promise I studied it and mean like actual data and researched podcasts not the weirdos that idolize certain people cough cough), perfumes/cosmetics, art, fashion, baking/food in gen, journaling, pinterest, reading (literary fiction/mystery/some ya)

idk what you were expecting this is literally all media but we���re all media consumers here lmao and I thought this might be a fun way to connect with other phannies if we share similar interests outside of dnp :3

[weezerfan123]

do u have any songs u associate with sweet dirt maychance ? i am making a playlist n i would luv to hear recs from madam sweet dirt herself thank u 💖🧡

Omg I’m so honored to be called madam sweet dirt!! Yes I have a whole playlist,, ⬇️

Here’s all the songs, accompanied by some lyrics that are Sweet Dirt to me…! ^_^

I REALLY REALLY love music and lyrics and analyzing them and attaching them to characters… so this is a long list… not sorry!

Dirty Town - Mother Mother

“Yeah, I pinched my pennies and I put 'em down

And I washed my hands of a dirty town”

“My lady friend, oh, she don't need to pretend

She country

She cracks the crack of dawn with her crackin' whip”

Dig - Incubus

“We all have something that digs at us

At least we dig each other

So when weakness turns my ego up

I know you'll count on the me from yesterday”

Shutup You’re Stupid - That Handsome Devil

“Shut up, you're stupid

Just hold my frigging hand (hold my frigging hand)

Shut up, you're stupid, just kiss me

Shut up, you're stupid, just be my frigging man”

Skate - Silk Sonic

“I can smell your sweet perfume

Mmm, you smell better than a barbecue

Oh, superstar is what you are

I'm your biggest fan

If you're lookin' for a man, Sugar, here I am”

There’d Better Be A Mirrorball - Arctic Monkeys

“Don't get emotional, that ain't like you

Yesterday's still leaking through the roof

That's nothing new

I know I promised this is what I wouldn't do

Somehow giving it the old romantic fool

Seems to better suit the mood”

Mama Told Me Not To Come - Tom Jones

“Open up the window, let some air into this room

I think I'm almost chokin' from the smell of stale perfume

And that cigarette you're smokin' 'bout scare me half to death

Open up the window, sucker, let me catch my breath”

“The radio is blastin', someone's knockin' at the door

I'm lookin' at my girlfriend, she's passed out on the floor

I seen so many things I ain't never seen before

Don't know what it is, I don't wanna see no more”

Punk Rock Girl - The Dead Milkmen

“We went to the Philly Pizza Company

And ordered some hot tea

The waitress said, "Well, no

We only have it iced"

So, we jumped up on the table

And shouted, "Anarchy!"”

“We went to a shopping mall

And laughed at all the shoppers

And security guards trailed us

To a record shop”

“We got into a car

Away we started rollin'

I said, "How much you pay for this?"

She said, "Nothing, man, it's stolen"”

Shiver - Maroon 5

“You build me up, you knock me down

Provoke a smile, then make me frown

You are the queen of run-around

You know it's true

You chew me up and spit me out

Enjoy the taste I leave in your mouth

You look at me, I look at you

Neither of us know what to do”

Fire Water Burn - Bloodhound Gang

“I'm the root of all that's evil, yea, but you can call me Cookie”

I Will Buy You a New Life - Everclear

“I hate those people who love to tell you

Money is the root of all that kills

They have never been poor

No, they've never known the joy of a welfare Christmas”

“They might make you think you're happy

Yeah, maybe for a minute or two

They can't make you laugh

No, they can't make you feel the way that I do

I will buy you a garden

Where your flowers can bloom

I will buy you a new car

Perfect, shiny and new

I will buy you that big house

Way up in the West Hills

I will buy you a new life”

Trailer Trash - Modest Mouse

“Live in trailers with no class

Goddamn, I hope I can pass

High school means nothing

Taking heartache with hard work

Goddamn, I am such a jerk

I can't do anything”

Little Pistol - Mother Mother

“Up on my side, where it is felt

I pack a little pistol on my pistol belt

I think it might be fear

Of the world and the way it makes you feel afraid”

Harvest Moon - Phoenix Moon

“Come a little bit closer

Hear what I have to say

Just like children sleepin'

We could dream this night away”

“When we were strangers

I watched you from afar

When we were lovers

I loved you with all my heart

But now it's gettin' late

And the moon is climbin' high

I want to celebrate

See it shinin' in your eye”

The Moon - The Microphones

“And we went all the way up to the small town where I'm from

With foggy air and the wind and the mountain tops

And we clung to rocks and we looked off

You held my hand, you almost got to start feeling me

I finally felt like I was breathing free

And under swaying trees, we fell asleep and had the same dream”

Curl up & Die - Matt Maltese

“There was a time

When I worshipped the ground you walked on

There was a time

When I'd cut off my ear for you

There was a time

When I worshipped the towel you dried on

There was a time

When I'd kill all my friends for you

You're the only one

Makes me wanna cry

You're the only one

Makes me wanna beat up inside

You're the only one

Makes me feel alive

You're the only one

Makes me wanna go home and

Curl up and die”

“I was just the tag on your shoes

(Curl up and die)

And I liked being that

(Curl up and die)

I was just the germs in your flu

(Curl up and die)

And I liked being that

I was just the chip on your tooth

And I liked being that

I was just the me to your you

And I liked being that”

Street Carp - Deftones

“It's not that I care (truly)

But you're that girl (with sharp teeth)

Who grabs at the walls (and pulls me down)”

Little Boxes - Pete Seeger

Basically all of the lyrics to this song,, I associate it with Sweet Dirt because I have this headcanon that Scott is hates the government/the system/society etc.,

This also reminds me of them bc they wouldn’t want a typical “ticky-tacky” life together

Loving Machine - TV Girl

Also literally just this whole song. I think it’s really sweet. To me it’s about Sugar befriending Scott when he’s in the trauma chair. I think Scott would appreciate having her by his side through his recovery because she wouldn’t pity him or baby him at all.. I’ll write a fic abt this au someday.. I promise..

Freaking Out - Death

Idk why this one is on here,, them when they freak out i guess LMFOA I just like this song

Somethin’ Stupid - Frank & Nancy Sinatra

“The time is right, your perfume fills my head

The stars get red, and, oh, the night's so blue

And then I go and spoil it all

By saying somethin' stupid like, "I love you"”

“I can see it in your eyes

That you despise the same old lies

You heard the night before

And though it's just a line to you

For me it's true

And never seemed so right before”

Passionfruit - Drake

“Listen

Seeing you got ritualistic

Cleansin' my soul of addiction for now

'Cause I'm fallin' apart

Yeah, tension

Between us just like picket fences

You got issues that I won't mention for now

'Cause we're fallin' apart”

Everlong - Foo Fighters

“Tonight, I throw myself into

And out of the red

Out of her head, she sang

Come down and waste away with me

Down with me

Slow, how you wanted it to be

I'm over my head

Out of her head, she sang”

“Breathe out

So I can breathe you in

Hold you in

And now

I know you've always been

Out of your head

Out of my head, I sang”

P.U.N.K. Girl - Heavenly

“P is for the painful way she makes me feel some day

U is for Utopia, the other times with her

N is for the new wave dreams she had back in her teens

K is for the kid in her, my PUNK girl

She is honest and kind but in a way that people see

As telling lies and being mean

She has thousands of dreams but what they are I'll never know

I hope I figure in them though

I don't care if they can't see

Just how great that girl can be

But I wish, she'd find a way To act well, for just one day”

Take Me by the Hand - Flamingos in the Tree

“Dancing slow

While my heart beats fast

Should I tell you how

I've escaped my past

Take me by the hand back to your place

Show me how to dance and we'll embrace

Take me by the hand back to your place

Show me how to dance”

“Hold me close with your hand in mine

Let me be the one that you keep in mind

When you're laying there staring at the ceiling

And you need someone too”

[chaosincurate]

My month in music - April 2023

Little Simz - NO THANK YOU (relisten)

Whitmer Thomas - The Older I Get the Funnier I Was

Young Guv - GUV III

Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You (new)

Caroline Rose - The Art of Forgetting (new)

Blondshell - Blondshell (new)

Wednesday - Rat Saw God

beabadoobee - Beatopia (relisten)

Waterparks - Intellectual Property

mau from nowhere - The Universe is Holding You

Feist - Multitudes

Daughter - Stereo Mind Game

Ramones - Ramones

Alvvays - Blue Rev (relisten)

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Uprising

beabadoobee - Fake It Flowers (relisten)

Warm Human - Hometown Hero

Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare (relisten)

Waterparks - Fandom (relisten)

Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

Prince - Sign 'O' The Times

Björk - Post

Write-ups below

Little Simz - NO THANK YOU

A largely laid-back hip-hop album that still displays an ability to uplift when necessary, with great use of brass instruments in particular to introduce energy or glory to a song.

Recommended song: Gorilla

Apple Music link

Whitmer Thomas - The Older I Get the Funnier I Was

An indie slacker album that doesn't take itself all that seriously, with humorous songwriting throughout.

Recommended song: Rigamarole

Apple Music link

Young Guv - GUV III

Light, jangly, and airy, indie-leaning power pop. It's well produced and well executed, and worth a listen if that sounds like your sort of thing.

Recommended song: It's Only Dancin'

Apple Music link

Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

A diverse electronic pop outing from indie darling Caroline Polachek which casts a broad enough net to please pretty much anyone who likes the genre, which I think is the biggest reason for the hype and "must-hear" status amongst reviewers. Don't mistake my comments of broad appeal for accusations of blandness though, because there is a very satisfying identity to the album which, while not groundbreaking, isn't something that can be easily found elsewhere.

As the album art suggests, the album transports you to a paradise, so if you fancy an affordable holiday, and you like indie music, this album could be just what you need.

Recommended song: Bunny Is a Rider

Apple Music link

Caroline Rose - The Art of Forgetting

A great, expansive indie pop album which excels in personable lyrics, left-field pop production, and earning its melodramatic moments. Most of my favourite elements are present on Miami, particularly that explosion of sound towards the ending. Give it a listen!

Recommended song: Miami

Apple Music link

Blondshell - Blondshell

I don't know if I just have a warped perception of the alternative rock scene lately, but it seemed to me that Blondshell came out of nowhere with a polished sound, high-profile playlist spots (at least on Apple Music), and sudden credibility, but even if that makes me suspicious of where she came from, I'm glad she's here, because the album is good. The album has energy, unique themes, and a healthy dose of passion, making it exactly what you've come to expect from alternative rock, and it's executed well enough to not get boring.

Recommended song: Salad

Apple Music link

Wednesday - Rat Saw God

Another alternative rock album, but this one is a little more unique, blending the more expected sound of the genre with country and shoegaze, creating a noisy, harsh wave of sound, which lead singer Karly Hartzman passionately wavers over with vocals that can pump you up as well as they can tear your heart out of your chest.

I'll leave it at that because I don't think I could make a better case for this album than it's 8 minute epic Bull Believer can. I highly recommend giving it a listen if you're a rock fan.

Apple Music link

beabadoobee - Beatopia

beabadoobee always excels in charm, and this album is no different. Every song on this album, whether the ones I like or dislike, has this innate childish wonder about it. A nostalgic, innocent warmth and fun that you can only really instill in the art you care about. In this instance particularly, the album revolves around that childishness, as confirmed by the album title and artwork which was conjured by a way younger Bea.

The nostalgia comes from the sound palette, but crucially, not the the sound itself. The sound palette is very reminiscent of the music her childhood-starved generation (which I also happen to share) grew up on: 00's alternative. She wields this sound palette in very peculiar ways, most clear with the first proper song on the album, 10:36 and later on Talk when distorted guitars are used, not in an aggressive way, but instead with a sort of sparkle. I think that sort of contradiction is how beabadoobee makes music that is so representative of this generation. It captures the anger, but centers the yearning for childhood as we retreat to youthful expressions and experiences, especially the idea of doing things simply because they are fun and offer reprieve. It's a false innocence. A distorted representation of a sparkle that our eyes have lost.

To be clear, I'm not saying that this was all intentional and that they necessarily knew the effect this small touch would have on me and potentially others, and even if they did, I'm not saying this is exactly why they thought so, but all the same, this is what it means to me. The reader decides why the curtains are blue, not the writer.

Apple Music link

Waterparks - Intellectual Property

Although it might be considered a hot take in some of the circles I usually find myself in, I like Waterparks. From their harder pop-punk style at the start of their career, through the poppier first few albums, to what I will call the hyperpop-punk style of their past couple albums... I think they're a great band that has evolved very satisfyingly up until this point, providing some rare pop experimentation.

This one though? I found this a big step back. The opener, ST*RFUCKER, promises a pretty high-quality retread of the last album's sound, which I would be on board for, but REAL SUPER DARK is a more accurate representation in my view. The album more broadly does retain Awsten Knight's ability to add interesting twists to common themes (such as turning a love song into a self aware obsession song), but the execution is almost always distractingly flawed. It also doesn't help that the mixing on this album is dreadful, particularly with the vocals being buried beneath generally unaffecting instrumentals. That latter point was so bad that I didn't even realize one of the songs had backup vocals until I relistened when the lyrics were added on Apple Music.

This was just a very disappointing listen, and I genuinely don't know who to recommend this to other than the people who would have heard it already. Greatest Hits is just way better if you haven't heard any of their hyperpop-punk style, Fandom is a better overall summary of the band's sound, Double Dare is the best example of their pop-punk stuff, hell, even Entertainment has some great stuff on there as the band start to experiment and find a more individual sound, and honestly I think INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY is the worst of them all.

Recommended song: ST*RFUCKER

Apple Music link

mau from nowhere - The Universe is Holding You

If I were to attempt to find a common thread throughout this album, I'd probably have to settle on something broad, like lo-fi, because it is one of those incredibly sprawling, artistically indulgent projects that I love to listen to, but hate to try to make a write-up for. Without doing a track-by-track, the most useful thing I can do is tell you that mau traverses many different styles with great ease, and recommend a handful of songs.

If a laid-back and poppy hip-hop jam sounds good to you, Haba Na Haba is a great choice. If you're after something with a little bit more energy, closer and title track The Universe is Holding You is a great choice in that style too. My favourite though is the straightforward lo-fi pop bop Refuse Refuge. The whole album is high quality though, and there's only a few I don't really like, so its well worth a listen in my opinion.

Haba Na Haba || Apple Music link

The Universe Is Holding You || Apple Music link

Refuse Refuge || Apple Music link

Feist - Multitudes

A singer/songwriter album with a warm, earthy tone and poetic lyricism. The album makes good use of sparse instrumentation that somehow still manages to fill the soundscape well and places the lyrics front and center.

Recommended song: The Redwing

Apple Music link

Daughter - Stereo Mind Game

I often feel like obscure indie music can fall into this trap where it sounds all light and airy, perhaps in the pursuit of that 'immaculate vibes' type of sound, but without realizing that it still needs a pulse to get there. It can easily be overlooked, because it's usually quite subtle compared to the flood of reverb and synths, but it is absolutely crucial, at least for me, to make the songs memorable and enjoyable.

Daughter fully understand this though. This album never left me bored because it is always moving forward. It is usually slow enough to still be laid back, but it's always moving forward and never feels aimless. It's a good album if verby and vibey indie sounds like it'd appeal to you.

Recommended song: Be On Your Way

Apple Music link

Ramones - Ramones

Okay, look, I know this is a classic. I know that I risk losing my punk fan license if I say anything bad about the granddaddy of the genre itself, but this just didn't do anything good for me. Maybe one day I'll look back and think I was a fool for this, but this album - this 29-minute album - bored the shit out of me. Every song sounded like the last except for some tiny tweaks, and it was a sound that was best executed on the title track Blitzkrieg Bop.

But that isn't a deal-breaker. Hell, some of my favourite albums are somewhat sonically homogeneous, but this didn't have anything else to make up for it. No interesting lyricism or themes, no experimentation with instrumental palette, nothing.

And yeah, sometimes if you aren't used to a genre or sound, it can all feel a bit samey to you, just through inexperience, but I grew up on pop-punk (an offshoot of this album's purer punk), and have listened to a bunch of comparable stuff since, and it doesn't help me hear much difference between tracks.

It was an okay listen for me, don't get me wrong, but it is just too flawed for me to respect it as a classic, and the group of people I can imagine recommending this to is tiny.

Recommended song: Blitzkrieg Bop

Apple Music link

Alvvays - Blue Rev

I've already gushed about this album enough on my post on Alvvays, but suffice it to say that this sprawling indie album is exceptional and must-hear for any indie fan. I love it dearly.

Apple Music link

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Uprising

I'd never listened to a Bob Marley album before this, but my brother recommended this album to me last month (as in April), and I was suitably interested, so I gave it a go. Naturally, it was my first reggae album and remains my only reggae album to this point, so I don't really have the adequate tools to speak at all critically on the album, but I did enjoy it. The messages are conveyed well, and the music feels as communal as the lyrics.

Apple Music link

beabadoobee - Fake It Flowers

This should be a quick one. Pretty much everything about Beatopia also applies to this, except the sonic diversity. Her first album is pretty focused in comparison, but retains all the charm, fun, and energy of her most recent effort.

Apple Music link

Warm Human - Hometown Hero

Warm Human describes their sound as 'sludge pop', and I think that works excellently to describe the sound of this album. It takes distorted guitars, drenches them in reverb and somehow delivers it in a way that sounds appealing in that particular pop way.

Recommended song: Daylight Savings

Apple Music link

Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare

I listened to this one to commemorate the anniversary of it's release. That should tell you I love this album, and this most recent listen changed nothing on that front. From the blistering pace of opener Brianstorm, to the cheeky, bouncy fun of Fluorescent Adolescent, and, of course, the album's patient swan song 505, along with plenty more, this album makes a great case for being the best Arctic Monkeys album for me, and by extension, one of the best modern rock albums.

Apple Music link

Waterparks - Fandom

Now I get a chance to be positive about Waterparks! On Fandom, I believe they strike the perfect balance between pop cheese, pop-punk melodrama, and otherwise meaningful artistic expression. Sure, sometimes the scales wobble a little, but it never feels like its falling far enough into one facet to noticeably undermine the others or feel bland.

I think this album probably also makes itself a great contender as the quintessential Waterparks album, with it being placed at their stylistic crossroads, and being so passionate and personal, so clearly cared for, that I struggle to see how any other could be placed ahead of it as a representation of the band. To paraphrase Awsten in future lyrics, they got everything they wanted on album 3 and it shows, with the band clearly demonstrating a radical self-acceptance, allowing the music to be cheesy at times, a tad melodramatic, impatient, as well as the more accepted traits like energetic, inventive, catchy, and fun.

I know Waterparks have their haters, but if you're willing to approach them with an open mind, this album is a great place to start if you ask me.

There. Now everyone is unhappy.

Apple Music link

Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

I should have gotten to this way sooner. I had heard Little Simz' name a lot since this album dropped, and always meant to get to it, so when I saw she dropped another album at the end of 2022 I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get into her music, but after starting with NO THANK YOU, which underwhelmed me, this album dropped down my list of priorities. That was a mistake.

This album is everything I thought NO THANK YOU lacked. It's full, energetic, fun, and had themes I was way more able to grab onto, as well as a far more satisfying execution of those themes when listened to as an album. Not only are interludes used to great effect to reiterate the broader themes, the albums thematic flow is so smooth, with it being pretty common for the last few lines of any given song to tie itself into the next song on the album.

I should have gotten to this way sooner.

Apple Music link

Prince - Sign 'O' The Times

This isn't the first time I've tried to get into Prince. My brother is nuts about the guy's music, and has tried to get me into it as well, to little avail. He got me to listen to two albums, Purple Rain and Dirty Mind. I appreciated both, but always felt like, considering his legacy, I was missing something. I loved the hits, and always felt like that they lined up with what people said about him, and I respect a lot about the guy, but I couldn't get into an album of his the way I thought I ought to, which was very frustrating.

That was all a while ago though, and seeing this album as I was looking through AOTY, I thought I'd give it one more go after listening to the title track. After all, my brother loves it, and the title track seemed up my alley, so maybe this could be the album to finally give me some understanding.

Early on I got concerned it'd be another album where I could take a few songs from it but ultimately be unfulfilled. I even considered calling it a day after 5 or 6 tracks, which I hate doing, but the incongruity between what I hear from other people that I respect about Prince, and what I hear from Prince is too frustrating for me to have an enjoyable experience. I'm glad I held out though, because I loved the second half of this album, and I finally had something sustained for me to latch onto. I don't think I'll be bothering to explore more of Prince's music, but I'm so relieved that there is a run of songs within an album that I can point to and say "this is Prince earning his reputation", especially considering my brother's passion for the music.

Apple Music link

Björk - Post

I've only been writing about music on a public platform for a few months, but one thing I've experienced a lot is the thought that, despite my passion and the potential for a good post about something I love and want to share, it isn't worth making because it's popular. Everyone has already heard about it, so it's just preaching to the choir. Hell, I even felt it to some degree talking about Arctic Monkeys earlier. But the fact that I hadn't listened to Björk yet and only really considered it when Mic the Snare did a Deep Discog Dive on her is one hell of a counterpoint to that. We all have blind spots, and it never hurts to help people find music they might love, even if it's kinda on their radar.

But enough about me, this album was an incredible listen. Experimental, full, and uncompromisingly weird in a way that just makes the emotion more palpable. It's largely cohesive, it's entirely unique, and always passionate. I could compliment this album forever, but I could never fully describe it, but I'll give it my best succinct shot: I once heard someone describe Lorde as essentially gay Radiohead, but from what I've heard from all three artists Björk fills that role way better.

Apple Music link

[bumbershots]

SUCK IT AND SEE

Author’s note: HELLO! This is my (very very late) part for the amazing Playlist fic challenge that @harrystylescherry put together. The song I chose is Suck it and see by the Arctic Monkeys. I had it ready back in April but I didn’t love it to be honest, but I do now, so hopefully you will too. In all honesty I loved it a little bit too much so this can be taken as the prologue for a new series, I will be posting the details for it next week :) enjoy!

Summary: Harry reflects on his decision to “Suck it and see” when it comes to his relationship with Selena. He decides that no matter how things turn out… good or bad it's worth the experience and gives him the opportunity to always be the person she needs him to be.

Word count: 2.3K

Trigger warning: mention of depression.

The Wellington is slowly filling up, Harry is done tuning his guitar, his eyes quickly scan the usual clientele. A sigh escapes his lips before he takes another sip of the pint he ordered. He needs to calm down.

It’s a quiet Tuesday night, so the usual elderly gentlemen and a few students occupy the place eating fish and chips and drinking as they argue about football, their families or their jobs. Harry sits by the small stage that is set across the bar, fiddling with the strings of his favourite instrument.

The door has opened at least seventy times, and every single one of them has the nineteen year old craning his neck to see if it’s Selena. But his stomach clenches after finding out, once more, that it’s not her.

“Mate it’s half past ten,” he hears Sarah’s voice from behind and he sighs again before nodding in acceptance and defeat.

“Let’s do it then.” Harry rises and stands close to his assigned microphone while the other two band members also join them in the small platform.

After a year of playing in the most shitty and not so shitty places all over London, the band was offered a chance at a small record company. Tonight was the last show they performed at this place, soon they would be chasing bigger venues and dreams.

With that in mind the bass player, Yuri, steps up to his own microphone to speak. “It’s time for some music.” His sweet voice claims the regulars attention, just as Sarah counts to four hitting her drumsticks together and Mitch plays the opening chord for the first song of the night.

Three years ago, when the band was just a thought drifting around Harry’s mind, he would daydream about this moment, the last show because they’ve finally made it. Their usual fans would gather near the stage for a better glimpse and sing along the familiar tunes. He would finally master a solo and when it was all over, his eyes would meet a pair of familiar ones watching from the bar, she would be equally smiley, a proud look on her face as she claps and cheers louder than anyone.

In the last two months, that mental image has permanently settled on his brain. Harry Styles wanted success for his band more than anything, but not more than seeing her at the end of it all. Which is why after the set comes to an end, he refuses to look up. He knows she’s not there.

Had she come in at some point during their performance, he would’ve noticed, even with all the ruckus done by the now considerable crowd in the pub. If Selena had set foot on the place, Harry would’ve known.

“Thank you for everything, you’ve been amazing tonight and every night before,” Yuri‘s words pull him back from the trance, but he keeps his gaze away from the bar, he settles for the back of the bass player’s head as he speaks for the last time. “This isn’t the last you hear from The Cherry Blossoms!”

There’s a lot of cheering and applause and Harry is suddenly mad about not finding it satisfying enough. He knows he will hate himself for it, but before walking off the stage, he looks over at the bar.

She’s not perched on a stool like the first time they played in here, sipping on some soda because of her lack of tolerance to alcohol. She’s not skipping over to hug him. Where is she? Harry wonders what could possibly be more important than this.

I will be there of course. I’m your biggest fan, after all. She so smugly declared on their last phone call, a week ago.

The urge to call her is too much, but Harry knows that if for some reason, she doesn’t pick up the phone. He will finally lose it. Instead he joins his band mates for a celebratory drink.

Listening to Yuri gush about Sarah’s drumming and complimenting Mitch on his skills as well, lifts Harry’s spirits a bit. If only for the next hour, he’s going to enjoy and bask into their triumph. And he’s so sure that there’s a perfect explanation for her absence, that he does end up having a good time. He ignores the heavy feeling in his chest, a reminder of the power that girl holds on him.

◇

A sleepy Selena Lara mumbles nonsense, slowly waking up and becoming aware of an annoying ringtone blasting through the small flat, it stops for a minute until it goes off again and now she definitely knows the mobile belongs to her.

“Hello,” she greets so earnestly, despite the sleepy rasp in her voice, that Harry can perfectly picture the slow process that is her waking up.

He hears some rustling on her end and it plays like a movie before his eyes. The way she sits up, rubs her eyes and keeps them closed for about five minutes. Harry always gets out of bed before her, and it’s always him watching —watching her come awake, little by little, slow but sure. Harry wishes to be a witness of it more often, everyday if possible. Even if sometimes Selena takes a really long shower, or if some days she only mumbles some words before snuggling herself onto the sofa and falling right back asleep. Harry doesn’t mind, never will.

But he ignores the warm feeling he gets just by thinking about her.

“Where were you last night?” he says instead.

“What?”

“Last night, when the band played its last gig at The Wellington. You didn’t attend.”

“You thought I was going to be there?” Selena flops back onto her side, taking the duvet with her until she’s cocooned once again. “Harry I love you, but you know I couldn’t possibly afford a flight back home.”

“Why?”

She sighs, this conversation was bound to take place between them at some point. “The program at Bunka is… intense, to say the least. I almost failed a class so there is not a chance for a scholarship, I need to find another job if I want to be able to pay for tuition.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” They both know why. If Harry had known that she wouldn’t be there, he would have refused to even set foot at the pub.

“I was embarrassed.” Selena admits with a light shrug she knows he can’t see. “I know I don’t have a valid reason to be, I have proper housing, food, and a job. But I just feel so frustrated at this school.” She mumbles something at the end that he can’t understand, but it sounds a lot like her doubting her own talent.

After eight years of friendship, Harry knows pretty much everything about Selena and vice versa. They trust each other, with all they have. Which is why he’s hurt after hearing about this just now.

“How long have you felt this way?” He asks, not sure if the answer is something he will like.

“About four months.”

The silence that follows is deafening. Harry considers the merits of lecturing Selena, but he would never kick her when she’s down. Also he’s aware that Selena knows she should trust him with things like that, they’ve never been too shy to share their feelings with each other. It’s what brought them into this situation anyway.

It started two years ago, the last summer Selena spent in England, right before she moved to Japan and studied fashion design. It started with them going to that party, separating as usual, agreeing on a reasonable hour to meet at the door and leave together. It started with Selena wearing a skirt that made Harry want to do all kinds of things for her. It started with Harry offering to leave earlier and placing his hand on the small of her back all the way back home. It started with Selena kissing him in the dark and instead of a beginning it felt a lot like crossing the finish line of a marathon.

It kept going even after that summer, because Harry insisted on calling her all sorts of pet names and giving her kisses on the cab ride to the airport. It kept going because Selena got a Skype account and sent Harry an invite. And it is surprising to anyone and no one really that it lasted two years already.

The only problem is that they hadn’t talked about it. The I love you Harry whispered after that first night together and the I knew it! Selena triumphantly acclaimed before bursting out one of her unattractive laughs. To this day remains the only talk they had, Harry doesn’t know what to make of it.

“Shit,” Selena mumbles after checking the time, “I have to get ready for work.” She wants to say something to appease him, anything. Harry is waiting for the words to come out of her pretty mouth.

Selena is good with words, knows a lot of them in English, Spanish, French and Japanese. She was popular for speaking up against unfairness at school, and was running a monthly column at an online magazine. But she doesn’t have any right now. Selena doesn’t want to tell him how much she hates the program, how stupid it makes her feel, how she longs for the day she can finally be done and never look back on it. Selena doesn’t complain. She doesn’t get frustrated. She doesn’t quit. Ever.

“But we’ll Skype tomorrow, alright?” It’s better than nothing so Harry takes it.

“Of course, have a good day baby.”

Selena ends the call and groans. She doesn’t want to overthink about her relationship Harry, it’s the only good thing she has right now. With a shake of her head and a proper stretch of her limbs, she gets out of bed.

But it occurs to her in the middle of a three hour lecture, that she might have been cruel with Harry. He asked if she would attend the gig and she said yes, as if there weren’t thousands of kilometres between them. She knows he will never talk about this, and that she was already forgiven by him. She thinks about the fees his mobile carrier is charging him with all those calls he makes every week. She feels bad about not being able to love him the way he needs to be loved.

Because when it all started she never thought of it lasting past that summer when they made promises hard to keep. But Harry, always kind and attentive Harry, didn’t let her slip away. He gave her space to recharge when she needed it and she always came back feeling guilty about it, because she always enjoys the time apart. He always sent a care package at the beginning of the month with her favourite sweets. He praised all of her designs, no matter how much she insisted they were not even that good. You know nothing about fashion he would say with a roll of his eyes and Selena would smile, forever fond of his antics, forever fond of him and him alone.

It occurred to Selena that she always sort of had a crush on Harry —a crush everyone knew about. But even that didn’t stop her from being cruel to Harry, even that wouldn’t force her to answer his Skype call the next day or the one after that. She remembers how Harry claimed to be the more infatuated one with whatever they were doing. One of their last nights together, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut and breathed against the crook of her neck just how many times he’d dreamt about being with her like that.

Selena warned him, knowing that train of thought might lead to a conversation she didn’t want to have, not then. But he laughed and his hot breath against her skin made her dizzy. Sorry, but you’ve got such a pretty face I’m sure it’s going to break me a little. What else is there?

What else is there, Selena thinks now, as she closes her laptop after ignoring all of Harry’s Skype calls. She turns off her phone too, because she knows his MO well enough and that is his next resource. It’s the first time she does it and it feels cruel again. She wonders how much more of this will Harry endure, how long until he stops trying to reach her and finally realises that it’s not worth it. That she doesn’t want him to comfort her, that she is not going to talk about how tired of everything in her life she is. Selena can’t give up, not after everything her family is expecting her to achieve.

But she doesn’t know just how much Harry truly feels about her, how much he longs for her to know that the way she has of caring for him is enough and he will take it, will always take anything if it’s coming from her.

Harry knows that being apart is hard, so he always tries extra hard to communicate, be patient and endure. But having to sit alone at his flat, unable to do a single thing, a single damn thing for Selena, that is something he refuses to keep doing. Having to watch from half the world away, knowing he can’t do a single thing about it. That is enough to break Harry Styles. Without a second thought he opens his laptop once again, this time to search for the next flight to Japan.

He’s a fool, for spending so much money on a flight to see how his friend with benefits is doing. And suddenly he remembers all the times Selena’s been trying not to break his heart. But he can’t help wanting to be there for her, maybe after this, they will finally have that conversation. Nothing is certain as Harry packs a small luggage, nothing really is when it comes to her.

As he boards the aeroplane a day later though, the pressure on his chest disappears. Whatever happens now can’t be a bad thing, not when he’s seeing Selena anyway.

[love4hobi]

Okay this is gonna be long but I wanted to respond and put my 2 cents in about ur asks u got yesterday and discussion over bts recent music....okay so I read somehwere (I forget) that PTD was like their end to the trilogy thing of songs they were doing in that type of genre / English thing...Idk if that’s 100% true but it can give hope. Imo I actually liked butter and stuff PTD was just straight up bad but I liked butter and dynamite...is it their best work clearly not close but it wasn’t bad like PTD😭😭 also as I’ve been a fan for so fucking long (2015) I can say that for 2020-2021 bts KEEPS their success bc they’re such great perofmorers and bring it everytime despite the current music they’re releasing...(my opinion...) like I rememebr watching festa room live and being like holy shit they’re so good what the fuck and then realizing they were performing like all old b sides besides 2 songs😭😭 idk. To me they still perform and put on top level stages and that’s what keeps me interested and a fan to this day...also idk if you liked MOTS and persona but I liked both ...and BE was an okay album to me (not their best but come on KDKDKDKDKDKDD) also I think we as fans need to expect that every artist has their peak. Like there’s so many western rock /alt bands that I’m in love with their albums and then they release shit I don’t like after being together for like a decade and I just have to accept they reached their peak musically but am able to look back at their work they have done and still love them for what they did and released. Idk. I think bts can still bring it back musically as the time period of 2020-2021 isn’t that long in my opinion. Yes it’s been their worst year musically but it’s been like a year since dynamite so it hasn’t been THAT long. I think it feels like a long ass time tho so I get it....I’m giving them a lot of room and you obviously can disagree I’m just stating my opinion lol!! Cuz I do agree that PTD sucked and hybe is stupid...I mean take a look at what p dogg said a month ago when he said that it’s sad that bts songs are getting so incredibly short and the rap line can’t show their skills anymore to cater to the market and to check out their other music...(literally say that shit like word for word basically in a YouTube video....) like does this man (their long time producer) expressing these worries seirously have 0 say??? Like it really seemed like he is bummed about their recent shit too and bts are rich so you’d think they’d put their foot down and say no to anything...but I agree with you about how they’ve been grinding nonstop for 8 years and maybe they’re just fucking tired. Like it’s understandable. Anyway, I agree that this years music has been lacking (and honestly I lowkey feel that way about all kpop AT the moment)....like txt is the only group imo that is releasing good music right now...not to drag anyone else but twice disappointed me this year and nct and skz too 😭😭 but you know!! It is what it is!!! Back to bts tho, I personally still love them bc of their body of work that they have done and their stage performances and probably will feel that way for a long time. Idk, I’ve experience this with so many bands so it doesn’t shock me that much. Like for ex the band arctic monkeys had a perfect discography for me then they released an ass album and it sucked and I just accepted that maybe they just reached their peak 😭😭 idk...this was super long but oof

oh hmm i havent heard that about the trilogy but that certainly would be nice,, but then the coldplay collab is pretty much basically confirmed at this point and thatll probably be mostly if not all in english 🙄 and omg yes ur so right performing is definitely one of their biggest strong suits especially on tours whenever i go back and rewatch old concerts its just like theres no one else like them like theres lots of great performers in kpop but theres just something special about them altogether as a group!! and the thought and effort they put into end of the year stages always blows me away, but yea also smaller things like the festa room live are so nice,, they just work so well together on every level. but i do see what ur saying about them peaking cus yea i loved black swan and on and i could see how that would feel hard to top, but idk yea like i said in another ask they might just be tired and i think if they dont put out anything that great in the next year or two i feel like they might be able to get back together sometime after enlistement once theyve hopefully been a little ✨rejuvenated✨ and had time to rest n just live their lives for a bit (and bighit has hopefully moved on to txt and the new gg a bit more) and finally be able to to do something thats more them and just fits what they actually want to be doing at that point in their careers. but omg yea exactly what u said abt pdogg it kinda rly sucked to hear him say exactly what i was thinking in that vid and for His opinion to still not even have an effect on anything :( but also yea like you said and ive said in some other asks the pandemic has affected the music quality of a lot of groups/artists and theres always hope that things will get back to normal afterwards or maybe they really have peaked unfortunately theres no way to know we just have to wait n see ig :/

[dailytomlinson]

“I probably shouldn’t be talking about this but f*** it,” he tells me now. “My point is, I clearly wasn’t in the best frame of mind, you know? And the situation definitely got out of hand and people were goading me. It wasn’t my finest hour but it was a difficult time. I was already on edge and, in that headspace, it got the better of me.”

By “that headspace”, Tomlinson means that he was grieving. The airport incident took place a few months after his mother Johannah’s death from leukaemia at 43. (In March last year, his 18-year-old sister, Félicité, died from an accidental overdose. Quite reasonably, I’ve been asked not to bring this up.) Tomlinson, who is now 28, says his experiences of grief in the public eye have been “really tough. There have been mixed emotions. I’ve hated the fact that everyone’s talking about it, but that’s the way it is. I didn’t like the idea of people feeling sorry for me. But I’ve also felt the support from fans and people reaching out on social media or whatever… and I do feel I’ve got this ability to see the glass as half full. Because what else am I going to f***ing do?”

I meet Tomlinson in an upstairs room of a pub in a residential corner of London’s Notting Hill. He is dressed in jeans, a red tracksuit top and trainers. The only visible evidence of his previous life in One Direction, the biggest boyband in pop history, is his hair, which is artfully swept sideways as if he’s standing in a wind tunnel. An old hand at winning over interviewers, he greets me with a hug before sitting down, leaning back and putting his feet up.

Tomlinson is on the promotional trail for his debut album, Walls, which has been four years on the making. It includes “Two of Us”, a ballad which lays bare Tomlinson’s loss (“You’ll never know how much I miss you/ The day that they took you, I wish it was me instead”). In a change of mood, it also contains the Britpop-flavoured “Kill My Mind”, a throwback to his mid-teens and the indie night he’d go to with his friends in his native Doncaster.

Tomlinson grew up listening to Oasis and Arctic Monkeys, though right now he can’t get enough of Catfish and the Bottlemen: “I like anything with big guitars and a big chorus.” He reckons “Kill My Mind” will struggle to get on the radio but he doesn’t care since, musically, “I’ve often been swimming against the tide.”

He puts the album’s long gestation down to creative insecurity. “A good two years [was spent] treading water and trying to work out exactly what my sound was, and what I was capable of.” Clearly, One Direction, who sold 50 million albums, are a tough act to follow, though Tomlinson has also had to contend with his former colleagues putting out solo work before him (Harry Styles is already on his second LP, while Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Liam Payne have all released debuts). But he rejects the suggestion that they are all in competition, remarking, “I don’t like to look at it that way.”

I ask if he and his ex-bandmates have a WhatsApp group. They don’t, he replies, “and we should, but we’ve never got around to it”. But he says they are frequently in touch, which must be something people ask a lot since, entirely unbidden, he gives me a breakdown of their recent activities. Let the record show that he spoke to Liam two days ago; he and Niall exchanged texts a fortnight ago; and Harry sent him a congratulatory message when he released his last single. There is no mention of Zayn.

Tomlinson says the face he presents to the public and journalists these days is fully unfiltered, a change from his One Direction days when he had to be careful not to cause inadvertent upset within the band or with fans. “No one was saying ‘Don’t do that’, but there was the [pressure] of being role models. So it took a second to understand that [as a solo artist] I could get away with completely being myself, even though I can sometimes be a bit of a dickhead.”

In fact, there are two Tomlinsons that emerge throughout our chat. There’s boyband Louis, full of sweet but bland blather about self-expression, his gratitude to fans, and the luck that he’s enjoyed as an artist. But another version of him frequently comes through who is funny, sweary and thoughtful about his decade in the limelight.

Tomlinson has had four years to digest his time in One Direction which I note, from the outside, looked a bit like being held hostage. But even with the fan fervour, the police escorts and the nonstop media glare, he says he wouldn’t change anything. “We were always in control of our destiny,” he explains. “We rose to fame pretty quick and, because of that, we had some power and some say within the record label and with management.” The sheer pace and drama of their day-to-day existence was, he says, “like a drug. It’s that feeling of heightened emotion and every day being manically busy, and the hysteria. Although you might complain about it, none of us said, ‘No we don’t wanna do that.’ We were just in it. We were f***ing loving it.”

Still, he says, the initial 18 months were hard as he struggled to see his value within the band. “I would wonder, ‘What difference would it make if I was there or if I wasn’t?’ Under the spotlight that was difficult, but that’s what gave me the fire in the belly to get right into it.” It was through songwriting that he found his place and his confidence – he has writing credits on 37 One Direction songs, more than anyone else in the band. “That’s something I’m really f***ing proud of,” he says. “Now I can say I made a difference.”

The end of One Direction was a shock to Tomlinson, even though he knew it was coming. “We’d done such a lot of work in a short space of time so a break was inevitable. But I don’t think I was necessarily ready for how long. We had a band meeting and everyone just said, ‘Maybe we’ll put it on the back burner for a bit,’ and I felt a bit petulant about that at the time. It actually hit me like a ton of bricks.” Now the band are officially on hiatus – “even though that’s a stupid f***ing word”, he says. “Truthfully, none of us truly know [if we’ll reform]. I just know what my gut says and my gut says we will get back together at some point. I think it was too magical for all of us to never do it again.”

The eldest of seven siblings, as a child Tomlinson says he was “well-mannered but a bit of a show-off. I was a lot cockier than I am now. Being in One Direction made me realise I’m not always the coolest kid in the room”.

He wasn’t good academically at school but enjoyed performing and, for a while, toyed with being an actor. Before auditioning on The X Factor, he did a string of jobs at weekends and in school holidays for some extra cash. One summer was spent as a waiter at his beloved football club, Doncaster Rovers. Another yielded a stint at a well-known cinema chain dispensing popcorn. There, he tells me unexpectedly, he was earning “an extra wage”. An extra wage? “As in taking a few quid from the till,” he says with a grin. “It all started because there was a McDonald’s over the road and I wanted money for my lunch.” His trick was to hand customers two boxes of popcorn but only put one through the system and put the money for the second in his pocket. “I didn’t want to short-change the customer,” he explains. “I’d take from the company. I’m a man of the people.”

It was his mum’s idea for him to try out for The X Factor, though it took three attempts to get through to the televised auditions. He says the experience of going on stage in front of the live audience, under the glare of the lights and with four famous judges looking back at him, remains the most terrifying of his life.

We talk for a bit about Tomlinson’s return to The X Factor in 2018 as a judge alongside Simon Cowell plus Robbie Williams and his wife Ayda Field. He asks what I made of the show so I decide to be honest and tell him that I thought the whole thing looked tired and Cowell appeared bored out of his mind. “Well I couldn’t possibly comment on [Cowell],” says Tomlinson, good-naturedly, “though I actually loved it. But yeah, I feel that, as a show, it needs a rest. There’s a place for a show like it and I’ve got my career to thank for it, but we’ve had a lot of it, so let’s just let it rest and make people want it again.”

Life has slowed down since the madness of One Direction but he still can’t find the time to read a book or watch a box set. Where, in his pre-fame days, he struggled to hold down a job, now he’s happiest when he’s busy. Should the singing career stall, he would like to run his own management company. Five years ago, he launched a record label, an imprint on Cowell’s Syco label, but life got in the way and his plans to create a girl band fell at the first hurdle. Originally he had gathered a list of 20 acts that he was keen to sign, and points out that “like, four or five of them are signed [elsewhere] now… I think I have an instinct for these things”.

I ask, rather unfairly, if the solo career of a former boyband member is ultimately a doomed endeavour – for every Robbie Williams, there’s a Howard, Jason and Mark whose careers sink without trace. For a moment Tomlinson looks stumped but then he prevaricates like a pro. “Of course, there are days where I might have unreal expectations and when I have to tell myself to stay grounded,” he says. “But I had a breakthrough moment last year about what success really means and I think I can look at it for what it is now. I have to look at how happy I am and remember that I’m lucky to be doing what I’m doing.”

[louistomlinsoncouk]

The last of the One Direction lot to release his debut album, Louis Tomlinson took his time making his first full-length.

"It's taken me the best part of four years to finish it, so naturally, you know, there's a lot of heart in it," he considers, "a lot of emotion, a lot of honesty I think. And the most important thing for me, whenever I'm writing a song, is that the lyrics are really important to me. I just want to make people feel something, and through honesty, that becomes a little bit easier, you know? So I feel like, hopefully, I've made an honest and interesting record."

A lot has happened for Louis in the past ten years. He was catapulted into stardom as part of One Direction in 2010, left that group in 2015, returned to The X Factor in 2018 as a judge, became a footballer for a bit, and sadly lost his mother in 2016 and sister Felicité in 2019. A lot of those themes make it onto 'Walls', the latter forming the lyrics for the record's lead single 'Two Of Us'.

"Honesty and vulnerability at times is relatable, and it's important sometimes talk about certain things. I'm always conscious of being as transparent as I possibly can to my fans and to any listener."

Of course, his first solo ventures, 'Just Hold On' with Steve Aoki and 'Back To You' with Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals, are miles away from the music he returned with in 2019, but he maintains the change of direction was for the best. "I just don't think that those songs are true to the artist that I want to be. Although they were right to me at the time, if you put them in the middle of this album, they would definitely stand out."

Where Harry's albums channel 70s rock and artsy pop, Niall's debut had the singer/songwriter vibe a la Sheeran and Capaldi, and Liam and Zayn opted for chart-friendly R&B pop, on 'Walls', Louis goes back to his roots, doing his best to emulate the Northern indie rockers he grew up on. "I feel like a lot of influence happens subconsciously. It's what you're listening to at the time or what you've grown up with. In terms of who I look up to, Alex Turner and the way that he writes as a lyricist is incredible, especially in the early Arctic Monkeys stuff. I always talk about Amy Winehouse's level of detail, again as a lyricist, and how descriptive she was was incredible. Obviously, I'm a massive, massive Oasis fan that goes without saying."

Chatting to Louis, it's easy to forget he was part of one of the biggest groups of all time, because he just comes across as a down to earth and, well, normal bloke. It's like seeing an old school friend in the pub and having a catch-up.

He's never lost his accent, and his dedication to his hometown of Doncaster is unmatched. He's returning to the Doncaster Dome on tour, was signed as a Doncaster Rovers player, and even in his early solo days, took Bebe Rexha to the Keepmoat Stadium for a video shoot.

"I always try and be as true to myself as I can. I've always been very aware of where I've come from, and very proud of where I've come from. I fuckin love Doncaster. My family still live there, I go there all't time, well, not all't time, but as much as I can. Those influences that I've grown up with were vital on my first album, they're definitely part of it's DNA.

"This was always where my heart lies. I mean, I spent most of my youth in Priory, back when it were ten quid all you could drink – which was fucking mint. That really pushed me towards big choruses and guitars, basically - you know, like a Catfish and the Bottlemen kinda record, that's the sound I really love."

Likening his experience of finding his feet after 1D's disbandment ("hiatus") to that of a brand new artist, it took Louis a while to get comfortable with the music he was making.

"A lot of developing artists when they first start their career, they spend two, three, maybe even five years in the background developing and waiting for that one moment, that one song, that one album. And I kind of had to live out that whole development period in the public eye. Naturally, after coming out of One Direction, it was a bit of improvising, a bit of trial and error and working out exactly who I should be as an artist. It took some time, I didn't want to rush it."

He did dip his toe into the songwriting waters during his time in 1D, if getting a writing credit on 37 of their songs counts as dipping a toe, but felt he needed time rediscovering himself.

"It was really important to me; it was only from the third album onwards that we really got trusted with having a real influence on the songwriting. It's something I'm really proud of, and they're definitely skills that have helped me in the solo career."

Funnily enough, One Direction's third album seemed to be the point where their music took a stadium rock-ish turn, which never really let up for the remainder of their career (see: 'Midnight Memories', 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go', 'Drag Me Down'). Maybe Louis always had those big choruses in him after all.

There are plenty of references to walls and fences on (aptly titled) 'Walls', which could easily be read as feeling like he needed to break out, but he says that's not necessarily what he means.

"I normally shy away from metaphor, but it was relevant in the song definitely. I'm sure that's how some people might interpret it. But it's more about general growth in life and any problems or mistakes that you make along the way. It's more about realising that, and I'm very proud of my One Direction roots, massively."

Strangely, he says joining One Direction humbled him. As a cocky teenager, being thrust into the spotlight and feeling like a small fish in a very large, Simon Cowell-controlled pond affected the boys in different ways.

"I was a bit of a show-off, really. I came into One Direction with a bit of an ego; I did think a lot of myself, I'm not gonna lie. It was quite a sobering experience. I was a bit of a show-off when I was a kid to be fair, like I love making people laugh and all that. I wasn't very hardworking. I'd say I'm hardworking now, but I definitely wasn't when I was a young lad."

And does he feel like he's changed much since finishing with the group five years ago?

"It feels like it did in One Direction, just a diluted version really. I'm lucky I still have a certain amount of hardcore fans who follow my every move. So in terms of the difference in like privacy and stuff, that hasn't really changed too much. But, you know, it is what it is. It's what I've signed up for, apparently."

It doesn't come across like the fame gets to him, perhaps in a way it has done in the past. He seems relaxed, confident, more candid than he was on any 1D press run (e.g., he's allowed to swear now), and like genuinely, despite everything, he's in a good place.

"I have the luxury of being a positive person and seeing the glass as half full. Whenever I reflect on those times of me feeling a little bit emotional, I always do see a light at the end of the tunnel. It's just extending that idea that you know, trying to induce hope."

Louis Tomlinson's album 'Walls' is out 31st January.

[elceeu2morrow]

Published: 2:45 pm, January 30, 2020  Words: Abigail Firth.

The last of the One Direction lot to release his debut album, Louis Tomlinson took his time making his first full-length.

"It's taken me the best part of four years to finish it, so naturally, you know, there's a lot of heart in it," he considers, "a lot of emotion, a lot of honesty I think. And the most important thing for me, whenever I'm writing a song, is that the lyrics are really important to me. I just want to make people feel something, and through honesty, that becomes a little bit easier, you know? So I feel like, hopefully, I've made an honest and interesting record."

A lot has happened for Louis in the past ten years. He was catapulted into stardom as part of One Direction in 2010, left that group in 2015, returned to The X Factor in 2018 as a judge, became a footballer for a bit, had a child, and sadly lost his mother in 2016 and sister Felicité in 2019. A lot of those themes make it onto 'Walls', the latter forming the lyrics for the record's lead single 'Two Of Us'.

"Honesty and vulnerability at times is relatable, and it's important sometimes talk about certain things. I'm always conscious of being as transparent as I possibly can to my fans and to any listener."

Of course, his first solo ventures, 'Just Hold On' with Steve Aoki and 'Back To You' with Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals, are miles away from the music he returned with in 2019, but he maintains the change of direction was for the best. "I just don't think that those songs are true to the artist that I want to be. Although they were right to me at the time, if you put them in the middle of this album, they would definitely stand out."

Where Harry's albums channel 70s rock and artsy pop, Niall's debut had the singer/songwriter vibe a la Sheeran and Capaldi, and Liam and Zayn opted for chart-friendly R&B pop, on 'Walls', Louis goes back to his roots, doing his best to emulate the Northern indie rockers he grew up on. "I feel like a lot of influence happens subconsciously. It's what you're listening to at the time or what you've grown up with. In terms of who I look up to, Alex Turner and the way that he writes as a lyricist is incredible, especially in the early Arctic Monkeys stuff. I always talk about Amy Winehouse's level of detail, again as a lyricist, and how descriptive she was was incredible. Obviously, I'm a massive, massive Oasis fan that goes without saying."

Chatting to Louis, it's easy to forget he was part of one of the biggest groups of all time, because he just comes across as a down to earth and, well, normal bloke. It's like seeing an old school friend in the pub and having a catch-up.

He's never lost his accent, and his dedication to his hometown of Doncaster is unmatched. He's returning to the Doncaster Dome on tour, was signed as a Doncaster Rovers player, and even in his early solo days, took Bebe Rexha to the Keepmoat Stadium for a video shoot.

"I always try and be as true to myself as I can. I've always been very aware of where I've come from, and very proud of where I've come from. I fuckin love Doncaster. My family still live there, I go there all't time, well, not all't time, but as much as I can. Those influences that I've grown up with were vital on my first album, they're definitely part of it's DNA.

"This was always where my heart lies. I mean, I spent most of my youth in Priory, back when it were ten quid all you could drink – which was fucking mint. That really pushed me towards big choruses and guitars, basically - you know, like a Catfish and the Bottlemen kinda record, that's the sound I really love."

Likening his experience of finding his feet after 1D's disbandment ("hiatus") to that of a brand new artist, it took Louis a while to get comfortable with the music he was making.

"A lot of developing artists when they first start their career, they spend two, three, maybe even five years in the background developing and waiting for that one moment, that one song, that one album. And I kind of had to live out that whole development period in the public eye. Naturally, after coming out of One Direction, it was a bit of improvising, a bit of trial and error and working out exactly who I should be as an artist. It took some time, I didn't want to rush it."

He did dip his toe into the songwriting waters during his time in 1D, if getting a writing credit on 37 of their songs counts as dipping a toe, but felt he needed time rediscovering himself.

"It was really important to me; it was only from the third album onwards that we really got trusted with having a real influence on the songwriting. It's something I'm really proud of, and they're definitely skills that have helped me in the solo career."

Funnily enough, One Direction's third album seemed to be the point where their music took a stadium rock-ish turn, which never really let up for the remainder of their career (see: 'Midnight Memories', 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go', 'Drag Me Down'). Maybe Louis always had those big choruses in him after all.

There are plenty of references to walls and fences on (aptly titled) 'Walls', which could easily be read as feeling like he needed to break out, but he says that's not necessarily what he means.

"I normally shy away from metaphor, but it was relevant in the song definitely. I'm sure that's how some people might interpret it. But it's more about general growth in life and any problems or mistakes that you make along the way. It's more about realising that, and I'm very proud of my One Direction roots, massively."

Strangely, he says joining One Direction humbled him. As a cocky teenager, being thrust into the spotlight and feeling like a small fish in a very large, Simon Cowell-controlled pond affected the boys in different ways.

"I was a bit of a show-off, really. I came into One Direction with a bit of an ego; I did think a lot of myself, I'm not gonna lie. It was quite a sobering experience. I was a bit of a show-off when I was a kid to be fair, like I love making people laugh and all that. I wasn't very hardworking. I'd say I'm hardworking now, but I definitely wasn't when I was a young lad."

And does he feel like he's changed much since finishing with the group five years ago?

"It feels like it did in One Direction, just a diluted version really. I'm lucky I still have a certain amount of hardcore fans who follow my every move. So in terms of the difference in like privacy and stuff, that hasn't really changed too much. But, you know, it is what it is. It's what I've signed up for, apparently."

It doesn't come across like the fame gets to him, perhaps in a way it has done in the past. He seems relaxed, confident, more candid than he was on any 1D press run (e.g., he's allowed to swear now), and like genuinely, despite everything, he's in a good place.

"I have the luxury of being a positive person and seeing the glass as half full. Whenever I reflect on those times of me feeling a little bit emotional, I always do see a light at the end of the tunnel. It's just extending that idea that you know, trying to induce hope."

Louis Tomlinson's album 'Walls' is out 31st January. 

[midnightiscoming-kasabian]

Tom Meighan interview: I bought Serge's record. He's still got to sign it for me

Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan speaks to Sky News about ET, snacks and social media - and the band's plans for after lockdown.

Gemma Peplow - Saturday 20 June 2020

Tom Meighan is in his mum and dad's garden, pointing out his DIY lockdown hair cut to his phone camera on a video call.

"Do you like my hair? It's very short, isn't it? I tried to cut my hair off with scissors but it went wrong… so my missus shaved it off, bless her. I hope it looks all right."

Although he's missing his Kasabian bandmates "like mad", the band's lead singer, a man known for his boundless energy and mile-a-minute chatter, is finding the quiet life at home surprisingly enjoyable.

"My lockdown's been pretty amazing, actually. I've been planting seeds and stuff in the garden. It's kind of like going back to old times, isn't it? And ET was a botanist, and you know how much I love ET."

Meighan really loves ET. After finding out it was up for sale, he has been the proud owner of the actual bike used to fly in the 1980s classic film for several years. Get him on to the subject of ET and he'll talk for hours.

But we're here to talk about Kasabian instead.

This Saturday, Meighan and his bandmates should have been returning to Leicester's Victoria Park to play a huge gig in their home city - with the bonus of being able to sleep in their own beds afterwards.

While coronavirus has put paid to their plans, Meighan has found another way to hold court; instead, he will be taking part in an online Q&A session with fans.

You can ask him anything, he says. Well, pretty much anything.

"I think it's nice to be speaking to people online, because I'm not doing the gig. For me it's a boost, a bit of morale. I think it's going to be hilarious. I can't tell too much can I, gotta keep my mouth shut on some things. You know, no naughty tales from the bootcamp. But I'm buzzing for it, it'll be great. And what a day to do it as well."

Kasabian were "absolutely brokenhearted" when they had to call the gig off, he says, but he thinks it was meant to be.

"I believe things happen for a reason. So I'd imagine we'll be back next year to play Vicky Park when the restrictions are all gone. But I can't imagine any rock'n'roll music being played till at least next summer.

"It's a bit of a kicking but we'll be back, it'll be stronger. There's people who have cancelled weddings, lots of things. It's just one of those things and unfortunately, coronavirus, what's happened to the world is very serious.

"I can't wait to go back out there and play rock'n'roll music again. But you've got to be so careful. And it's not media hype or anything, this disease is real."

Apart from tales of his lockdown, what other questions does he think fans will ask? It's often stories from backstage, he says. "Or they might ask me what my favourite pants are, or my favourite crisps. And I like that."

Like ET, favourite crisps - favourite snacks in general - is a subject Meighan can get on board with. For five minutes, he wants to discuss.

"I'm going to be naughty here: Seabrook's," he says, picking his crisp of choice; the "naughty" referring to the fact that, as a Leicester man, he should be picking Walkers, which are made in the city.

"They were around in the '80s and I used to have them in the British Legion when I was a kid. They're filthy crisps, if that makes any sense.

"And do you know what I've really taken a fancy for at the moment? I've got back into Wotsits. I kinda left them behind for a bit and now I've recaptured it. But the beefy ones, I think the steak flavour, they're unbelievable. My daughter loves them."

Then, a curveball: "Here's one for you - do you like crabsticks?" Umm... "Fake fish, that's why I like them. And what about Peperami? And what are you saying about chocolate? Don't say Galaxy..."

To put it on record, Meighan used to like Creme Eggs, before they changed the recipe. "Now, I like just a whole bar of Dairy Milk. A big one. And Starbars."

But back to Kasabian. One of the biggest bands to have come out of the UK this side of 2000, sitting up there alongside the likes of Coldplay, Muse, Arctic Monkeys and few others, the band was formed by Meighan, songwriter Serge Pizzorno, Chris Edwards and Chris Karloff (who left the band during the recording of second album Empire) while they were still at school in the 1990s.

They rose to fame with the release of their self-titled debut album in 2004 and are now six albums in (five of them number ones) after more than 20 years together.

"We need a seventh baby," Meighan says. "We're going to try and make a new record as soon as we can but we can't really do anything while we're restricted. Serge has been writing songs for Kasabian so it's all good."

During the band's first proper extended break last year, Pizzorno released his first solo album as The SLP - his initials; his full name is Sergio Lorenzo Pizzorno - which Meighan, his best mate as well as his bandmate, describes as "f***ing amazing".

"I'm always proud of him. I love him dearly and I miss him, I miss the boys, I miss the camaraderie and all of it. But yeah, I'm proud of him. He's so clever, Serge. So clever.

"And I bought his record. He's still got to sign it for me."

Meighan says he has also been writing his own solo songs.

"I'm writing loads of music at the minute. We'll see what happens. I've got a few cookies in the jar... they aint bad, you know. It's very autobiographical, like the story of my life. It's kind of… heartbreaking. Well, not heartbreaking, just to the core, you know. Very real.

"And you know, when Sergio did his thing last year, everyone was like, 'how do you feel about it?' I love it. Why wouldn't I? And his music was incredible…

"He's doing his thing, I'm doing mine but Kasabian are still solid. You know, it's just a bad time at the moment, for rock 'n' roll. For human beings in general."

Meighan says he has been writing his own material for years.

"I'm logging my life, like a diary. And I was like, these songs aint bad, really. I think they're all right. We'll see what happens."

In the meantime, Kasabian are doing their bit in lockdown. Pizzorno recorded a special performance and donated his guitar to the Leicester Hospitals Charity, while Meighan recorded his own video of acoustic covers as a thank you to the NHS.

"My mum's a nurse," he says. "I thought it would be a nice thing to do… for workers, the people who put their lives at risk. I'm so grateful to [those] people."

And not just healthcare workers, he says. "It's taxi drivers, people working in shops. People doing everyday things who can be forgotten about.

"But it's good how people are bonding and helping each other. I think this has given humanity a lesson, in my opinion. I'm not trying to be Mother Earth, peace man, but I think it's a lesson learned.

"You take things for granted and it's taken from you" - he snaps his fingers - "like that."

Meighan continues: "It's all now, now, now, isn't it? There's no patience. And it just seems everyone's addicted to their phones. It's the new addiction, isn't it? Mobiles. Social media. Can you cure it? Can you treat it?

"I don't know because we're so consumed with our own sh*t. So bothered about what he's doing or what she's doing or what's going on. I'm not trying to be a preacher or anything but we've forgotten about what's real."

The singer has his own public Facebook page, but doesn't run it.

"I'm not allowed!" he laughs. "I think it's important someone else does it for me. 'Cus if I ran it... well, I'm more intelligent than you'd think, actually, to be honest. But I think it's probably a bad idea."

So no personal Facebook posts, but he will answer your questions, live on Saturday.

"Within reason, you know. I'll be as honest as I can get.

"Our supporters, our fans, you know, our army, our religion - which I do call it that. I think it's great, I think they're going to enjoy it. I'm going to enjoy it."

Source: Sky News

[hlupdate]

The last of the One Direction lot to release his debut album, Louis Tomlinson took his time making his first full-length.

"It's taken me the best part of four years to finish it, so naturally, you know, there's a lot of heart in it," he considers, "a lot of emotion, a lot of honesty I think. And the most important thing for me, whenever I'm writing a song, is that the lyrics are really important to me. I just want to make people feel something, and through honesty, that becomes a little bit easier, you know? So I feel like, hopefully, I've made an honest and interesting record."

A lot has happened for Louis in the past ten years. He was catapulted into stardom as part of One Direction in 2010, left that group in 2015, returned to The X Factor in 2018 as a judge, became a footballer for a bit, had a child, and sadly lost his mother in 2016 and sister Felicité in 2019. A lot of those themes make it onto 'Walls', the latter forming the lyrics for the record's lead single 'Two Of Us'.

"Honesty and vulnerability at times is relatable, and it's important sometimes talk about certain things. I'm always conscious of being as transparent as I possibly can to my fans and to any listener."

Of course, his first solo ventures, 'Just Hold On' with Steve Aoki and 'Back To You' with Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals, are miles away from the music he returned with in 2019, but he maintains the change of direction was for the best. "I just don't think that those songs are true to the artist that I want to be. Although they were right to me at the time, if you put them in the middle of this album, they would definitely stand out."

Where Harry's albums channel 70s rock and artsy pop, Niall's debut had the singer/songwriter vibe a la Sheeran and Capaldi, and Liam and Zayn opted for chart-friendly R&B pop, on 'Walls', Louis goes back to his roots, doing his best to emulate the Northern indie rockers he grew up on. "I feel like a lot of influence happens subconsciously. It's what you're listening to at the time or what you've grown up with. In terms of who I look up to, Alex Turner and the way that he writes as a lyricist is incredible, especially in the early Arctic Monkeys stuff. I always talk about Amy Winehouse's level of detail, again as a lyricist, and how descriptive she was was incredible. Obviously, I'm a massive, massive Oasis fan that goes without saying."

"Coming out of One Direction, it was a bit of improvising, a bit of trial and error"Louis Tomlinson

Chatting to Louis, it's easy to forget he was part of one of the biggest groups of all time, because he just comes across as a down to earth and, well, normal bloke. It's like seeing an old school friend in the pub and having a catch-up.

He's never lost his accent, and his dedication to his hometown of Doncaster is unmatched. He's returning to the Doncaster Dome on tour, was signed as a Doncaster Rovers player, and even in his early solo days, took Bebe Rexha to the Keepmoat Stadium for a video shoot.

"I always try and be as true to myself as I can. I've always been very aware of where I've come from, and very proud of where I've come from. I fuckin love Doncaster. My family still live there, I go there all't time, well, not all't time, but as much as I can. Those influences that I've grown up with were vital on my first album, they're definitely part of it's DNA.

"This was always where my heart lies. I mean, I spent most of my youth in Priory, back when it were ten quid all you could drink – which was fucking mint. That really pushed me towards big choruses and guitars, basically - you know, like a Catfish and the Bottlemen kinda record, that's the sound I really love."

Likening his experience of finding his feet after 1D's disbandment ("hiatus") to that of a brand new artist, it took Louis a while to get comfortable with the music he was making.

"A lot of developing artists when they first start their career, they spend two, three, maybe even five years in the background developing and waiting for that one moment, that one song, that one album. And I kind of had to live out that whole development period in the public eye. Naturally, after coming out of One Direction, it was a bit of improvising, a bit of trial and error and working out exactly who I should be as an artist. It took some time, I didn't want to rush it."

He did dip his toe into the songwriting waters during his time in 1D, if getting a writing credit on 37 of their songs counts as dipping a toe, but felt he needed time rediscovering himself.

"It was really important to me; it was only from the third album onwards that we really got trusted with having a real influence on the songwriting. It's something I'm really proud of, and they're definitely skills that have helped me in the solo career."

Funnily enough, One Direction's third album seemed to be the point where their music took a stadium rock-ish turn, which never really let up for the remainder of their career (see: 'Midnight Memories', 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go', 'Drag Me Down'). Maybe Louis always had those big choruses in him after all.

"I have the luxury of being a positive person"Louis Tomlinson

There are plenty of references to walls and fences on (aptly titled) 'Walls', which could easily be read as feeling like he needed to break out, but he says that's not necessarily what he means.

"I normally shy away from metaphor, but it was relevant in the song definitely. I'm sure that's how some people might interpret it. But it's more about general growth in life and any problems or mistakes that you make along the way. It's more about realising that, and I'm very proud of my One Direction roots, massively."

Strangely, he says joining One Direction humbled him. As a cocky teenager, being thrust into the spotlight and feeling like a small fish in a very large, Simon Cowell-controlled pond affected the boys in different ways.

"I was a bit of a show-off, really. I came into One Direction with a bit of an ego; I did think a lot of myself, I'm not gonna lie. It was quite a sobering experience. I was a bit of a show-off when I was a kid to be fair, like I love making people laugh and all that. I wasn't very hardworking. I'd say I'm hardworking now, but I definitely wasn't when I was a young lad."

And does he feel like he's changed much since finishing with the group five years ago?

"It feels like it did in One Direction, just a diluted version really. I'm lucky I still have a certain amount of hardcore fans who follow my every move. So in terms of the difference in like privacy and stuff, that hasn't really changed too much. But, you know, it is what it is. It's what I've signed up for, apparently."

It doesn't come across like the fame gets to him, perhaps in a way it has done in the past. He seems relaxed, confident, more candid than he was on any 1D press run (e.g., he's allowed to swear now), and like genuinely, despite everything, he's in a good place.

"I have the luxury of being a positive person and seeing the glass as half full. Whenever I reflect on those times of me feeling a little bit emotional, I always do see a light at the end of the tunnel. It's just extending that idea that you know, trying to induce hope."

Louis Tomlinson's album 'Walls' is out 31st January.

[feitania]

I'm just gonna add international shit in here and I'm gonna be incredible specific about it

Shinichiro listens to juanes because he thinks it's girl-catcher music, backstreet boys, boney M., miki matsubara And Ne-Yo

Emma would absolutely adore every girl group in this world especially Wink,

I'm gonna say it; Izana might like queen but his favorite Band is omega. Gyöngyhajú lány is is favorite song - every Version of it, the english, the german one but obviously the original Version is the best. Otherwise obviously radiohead

Hina likes metal. I'm so sorry but I just feel like this woman has a lot of rage inside her she needs to let out. Only her close friends, mother and naoto know about this but baji once met her at a concert in a moshpit and was flabbergasted

Baji isn't too educated in music but kazutora and his mom showed him Bands like nine inch nails, deftones, korn and rammstein. But he also hears Ikimonogakari and lo-fi

Chifuyu listens to shit like hikaru utada and 00s Pop. Of course he listens to all the things baji likes too and started enjoying the black eyed peas

Kazutora is an indie and rock fan I just know. Biggest fan of the arctic monkeys, interpol, TNBH and kings of leon.

Hakkai listens to love songs from all around the world but everytime mitsuya comes over he turns on Red hot chili peppers even though he doesn't even like them

Ran listens to jazz, classic music especially Tschaikowsky club music that sounds like it was made in the red light district and fergie

Rindou loves rap. Soulja boy and 1TYM, JINUSEAN and eminem

Mikey likes nightcore and nothing but thieves

Sanzu likes the sound of babies crying

I feel like mochi, shion and mucho all get inspired by rindou and listen to rap while kakucho gets forcefully pulled into ran's endless candle light bath jazz playlist

Hanma is super into rap but also into beyonce, indie (thanks to kazutora) and movie soundtracks - his favorite artist are kitty Kat and mickey avalon :,)

What music do you think other characters listen to? Or maybe what instruments they play? I have a lot of headcannons like that and i am not going to list them lol but my sibling insists that Hanma religiously listens to Hollywood undead and deuce do you agree?

Right I think I'm going to open this one up to anyone who wants to contribute since there are a looot of characters and possible hc's from this. But my own are

Shinichiro listens to cheesy pop songs, mainly love ones though he refuses to actually admit he enjoys them. Emma and Mikey can hear him when he loudly sings them in the shower though.

Emma lies about liking some rock bands Draken likes at first until she actually listens to them. The songs start reminding her of Draken and so she starts actually liking them.

Hina plays the keyboard, Naoto does not appreciate it whenever she practises.

Speaking of Naoto he gives me classical music vibes. Though he actually prefers supernatural podcasts to music anyways.

Takemichi wanted to learn an instrument to impress Hina, he picked the triangle.

Smiley and Angry have opposite music tastes to what you would think. Angry prefers louder faster songs while Smiley prefers slower and quiter songs.

Rindou likes the opposite of whatever Ran's listening to. He also loudly complains about Ran's songs choices even if he secretly enjoys some of them.

Luna and Mana like the idea of being popstars when they grow up and spend a lot of time running around belting out songs, Mitsuya is their biggest fan.

Kazutora missed a lot of new music both times he was imprisoned so has an older sense of music taste compared to the others. At least until he has a chance to catch up.

Mikey likes slow sad songs.

While touring in the bonten timeline Hakkai discovered eurovision, he was both intrigued and slightly scared by it.

Taiju listens to those Christian rock songs.

Senju likes musicals.

Chifuyu's favourite song is the opening song from the anime of his favourite manga.

Ryusei likes the world Cup anthems and listens to them on repeat.

Kakucho likes Queen because of Izana

Both Akane and Seishu have great singing voices, Koko has always found them to be comforting.

Kisaki had a playlist to study to but Hanma deemed it to be boring and hijacked it, adding more random songs on there. Kisaki complained but still listens to it.

Hanma listens to a little bit of everything.

The mizo middle 5 talk about starting a band a lot despite none of them being particularly proficient with instruments.

Sanzu likes the sound of violins and has always secretly been interested in lessons.

And of course as we know Mitsuya likes the red hot chilli peppers and the rolling stones. I'm pretty sure he got Draken into these bands too.

[radramblog]

on Franz Ferdinand and their new song

I’ve thought about doing a whole discography run-through with Franz Ferdinand like I have with some other bands, but I really do not have that much to say about them in general. But there’s still enough that I think I could get one post out of it, and maybe another if I decide to talk about their first album. Which I still might do.

Seeing as the band just released a new single, their first new music since their 2018 album Always Ascending, I thought this would be a good time to take a look at it and a bit about them too.

Franz Ferdinand has always struck me as a very fun band. Lead vocalist Alex Kapranos has an charming, almost seductive delivery to a lot of his tracks, that really helps carry the energy along- It’s the most consistent part of the band’s music as a whole, and while I could see it turning one off, I can at least confirm I’m a fan of his. And as a whole, the band has this sort of rich prick at a party energy- the kind of guy who’s plenty suave, but clearly an asshole behind the facades, you know? This isn’t something against the group, it’s just the vibe I get from their music, particularly the first album. I think there’s a trinity of mid-00s British alt-rock bands that play a lot of music about going to clubs and parties- with Franz Ferdinand being the posher, slightly more pretentious and artistic upper-class group to Hard-Fi’s just-making-it-by working-class destressing and the Arctic Monkeys’s younger, more middle-class roots. This might only apply to each band’s respective first albums, particularly with Arctic Monkeys (AM might sort of fit this angle, but Tranquility Base sure doesn’t) (oh also I’ve not actually listened to the other Hard-Fi albums), but Franz Ferdinand has at some level kept that vibe going for their entire careers.

The new track, Billy Goodbye, absolutely does not deviate from this norm. It’s got that pubby bass, very fuzzy guitars, and Alex Kapranos doing his thing all the way up and down the track. It does incorporate some of FF’s later ideas- particularly a section with synthesized instrumental that feels very Always Ascending. The track isn’t the most incredible thing in the world- it’s fun, probably pretty danceable, and the both the song and the music video feel nicely retro.

Retro, in this case, definitely also means retrospective, because this song is very much trying to do something I’ve never seen before (which is not to say it’s never been done, of course). That is, Billy Goodbye is the new single attached to a Greatest Hits album (titled Hits to the Head) rather than a body of new work. And while obviously that’s been done before, and done well- Fortune Faded is my favourite Red Hot Chili Peppers song and Mein Land might be my favourite Rammstein one, and both of those are only on greatest hits records- but Billy Goodbye very much seems to be about being a greatest hits record. The lyrics aren’t particularly complex, but it definitely seems like it’s going “Hey, don’t forget about all of these songs, we might be moving on but definitely remember our best work!”.

Which is pretty interesting from a band in the pseudo-one-hit-wonder camp.

Take Me Out is unquestionably Franz Ferdinand’s greatest hit. Off their first album, the track is almost an entire order of magnitude better known than anything else the band ever put out, dwarfing next biggest hit No You Girls by over 800% monthly listens on Spotify alone. I’m not going to act like the song doesn’t deserve it- it’s an incredibly interesting track that goes unbelievably hard and just has this massive, swaggering presence that’s hard to deny. But as I and the band have clearly noticed, it completely overshadows all of the rest of their work, a lot of which is genuinely really great.

They had other hits, of course. Even on that same first album, The Dark of the Matinee and This Fire were both moderately successful, and their second and third albums both sold pretty well off the top of my head (all of this is off the top of my head, researching is for nerds). But when you have a hit as impossibly huge as Take Me Out, nothing you ever do is going to knock you out of that shadow unless you’re one of the lucky few to keep making hits that big- and I don’t think any alt-rock act was going to be doing that after 2004.

And their albums are all good! Yes, even Always Ascending. They’ve managed to keep going strongly as a well-respected rock band in spite of their lack of further mainstream success (again not researching this don’t tell me otherwise). I suppose, then, the idea behind this best of album is to try and expose some of the tracks that people who just know them from Take Me Out aren’t going to be aware of, and that’s an admirable effort, I suppose. I’m not sure it’s going to work, as I don’t know that anyone who knows them from Take Me Out exclusively is going to see this being a thing (or care enough to listen to it), but I respect them for trying. It has to be such a frustrating thing, but I’m also sure they can’t be resenting the song that much. Hard to feel too bad about the thing that got you huge and which you could probably live a very comfortable life off of alone.

Anyway, I suspect I, personally, won’t be picking up Hits to the Head. Mostly because I, er, already have all the other albums, so Billy Goodbye would be the only new one on there. Maybe if we get more new songs on there, but I kinda doubt that’s the case. Prove me wrong, Alex.

With that said, if Billy Goodbye is as future-looking as it implies, I’m excited to see what Franz Ferdinand have coming next. Hopefully, Billy Goodbye isn’t a wave goodbye to the band as a whole, and just the start of a new beginning. You probably don’t make a greatest hits album if you don’t have something else to produce and hype for, right?

[binbunmusic]

My vinyl records (11-15)

Another post about my vinyl collection :)

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FKA twigs’ album ‘LP1′

This front cover of this album always impresses me - it looks SO GOOD as an LP! But as for all of my vinyl records the actual music on the album is what determines wether I want to add it to my collection. And this is a masterpiece in every way. If you know FKA twigs, you probably know what I’m talking about ^^ She’s one of my favourite artists of all time, and I knew this was one of those albums I had to add to my collection at some point, so I finally decided to do it at the beginning of 2018 - I actually think was the first album I got in 2018 :D So I guess this marks the point where I started obsessing and spending way too much money on LPs c:

Favourite tracks: Pendulum and Two Weeks

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Nothing But Thieves’ album ‘Broken Machine’ - Special edition tri-colour vinyl

This is one of those albums that I saw you could pre-order, but they had only released one song (Amsterdam) when they announced the release of the special edition LP, so I didn’t feel good about buying it - and I regret that. I loved their debut-album, but I was afraid they had changed their sound too much, or that I wouldn’t like it. It was sold-out very fast, so I didn’t get a chance to order a copy for myself, and I was devastated when the album was released and I heard how great it was. I managed to find the special edition LP on discogs, so I bought it from there.  I had never bought from Discogs before, so I wasn’t sure wether it was a trustworthy site. I was relieved when I got it, and it was exactly what the seller had described. I had never bought from Discogs before, so I wasn’t sure wether it was a trustworthy site. The original cover for ‘Broken Machine’ is white, but because this is the special ‘Deluxe edition’ it’s black, and the record itself has three colours. I’m so happy I got it, ‘cause this one’s a must-have!

Favourite tracks: Live Like Animals and Sorry

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Michael Jackson’s album ‘Dangerous’ (2LP)

I bought this one at the same ‘plademesse’ I talked about in my last post - only, this was in 2018. I was looking for this one the first year I was there, but no one had it. Apparently it’s pretty rare - or so they told me. I was there this year with my boyfriend, and we were asking one of the people selling, if they knew if someone had it. He said he didn’t think so. Then we turned around, and there it was! The first place we looked :D I bought it right away without really looking at it - that was a mistake. I didn’t consider that some of these LP’s were used, so I didn’t think to check the quality. But I probably would have bought it anyway, since I had been told it was rare. But the thing is, we found another copy of it later, after I had bought this one. I’m not sure if that one was better quality, but I should’ve been more careful.  Either way, this is my favourite Michael Jackson album :) I used to be a huge MJ fan, and for some reason I stopped listening to his music, but he is my biggest idol, and that’s why I was so quick to buy this one - I couldn’t not have this album in my collection. Maybe I’ll replace it with a better version, if I find one, but for now I’m just happy to have it ^^ (Once again, sorry for the quality of the pictures. I really need to take some new ones, at some point :/)

Favourite tracks: Who Is It and Will You Be There

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Arctic Monkeys’ album Humbug

This one was bought at the same ‘plademesse’ as Dangerous. I went kinda crazy and bought 3 LP’s at the same time... As I said, this was went the obsession kinda took over c: Humbug is one of those albums you have to listen to a couple of times before you start to get into it. At least that’s how I feel about it. I want to say it’s the best Arctic Monkeys album, but in my opinion nothing beats FWN. But it’s a close second! 

Favourite tracks: Dangerous Animals and Pretty Visitors

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Michael Jackson’s album ‘Thriller’

What can I say. This is one of those you have to have if you collect vinyl records :) Actually I don’t know about that.. I was really on the fence about weither I should buy it or not, but then I got a really good price, and I just couldn’t say no c: Objectively, this is one of the best albums of all time, so I definitely don’t feel bad about having it in my collection. I just wasn’t planning on buying it (especially since it’s used), but I’m glad I did ^^ This is also one of those, that I might replace, if I find a better version, but we’ll see. I’ll let you know if I do :)

Favourite tracks: P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) and Human Nature

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Two more posts after this, and then we’re up to date with all the LPs I have as of now, July 2018. After that I promise I won’t spam you with posts about my vinyl records.. I just wanted to get these out of the way :)