#i usually listen to the OG version. it just has a different vibe to the Mikoto cover

[0809sysblings]

in my YouTube recap, two of my top songs are Monopoisoner and then Bathtub and Neon Tetra. so I guess my taste in music is just "fucked up abusive relationship from the pov of the abuser"??

actually wait yeah this tracks seeing as how I looped Loveit? and Love Cat god knows how many times

[lunar-wandering]

anyways as i mentioned earlier here is my absolutely nuts 'analysis' of Boboiboy having autism, and how each of the seven elementals kinda showcase a heightened version of an autism symptom-

so we're gonna go down in order (of manifestation for the elements)-

Boboiboy himself- he's just got the vibe, y'know? But also; it's been established he had no friends prior to moving in with his grandfather, which, y'know, is quite strange for a "normal" kid his age. He also tends to look at the people around him to know how to react in certain social situations (usually the person he looks to is Gopal which. Isn't always the best choice). Also the strong sense of justice is obvious (including that he goes so far as to help villains as well). (Yes this can be an autism symptom).

Halilintar (Thunderstorm). hear me out. Halilintar manifested due to overstimulation. I mean obviously the phobia of balloons is a huge factor here- but being in distress due to loud sounds is exactly one of the things that causes overstimulation for autistic people (could contribute to why he has this fear in the first place). One of the ways people might react to overstimulation is by becoming irrationally angry. Basically what I'm saying is that Halilintar spends most of his time on the edge of a meltdown-

Taufan (Cyclone). autistic joy. listen LISTEN. it's DIFFERENT from other people's joy, okay? a lot of autistic people experience emotions very intensely, it can full out take over you. also as far as i remember (it's been a while) he was the only one who had such an intense reaction to the mood changing potion- sure, the other people who had it were locked in one emotion, but none of them went as wild as he did- because he felt it a lot more intensely.

Gempa (Earthquake). i will admit, i struggled for a moment with Gempa- but honestly i think it's because he is, in my opinion, the one who's the most similar to OG Boboiboy. other than the heightened need to protect, which likely includes the sense of justice, I think Gempa is the one who masks the most out of all the elements. This is also why he seems to be the most neutral element.

Blaze and Ice. I'm doing these two together, because technically, their origin points are from the same thing: Burnout. It's just two very different responses to it. On the one side, Blaze is trying to, ironically enough considering the name, prevent burnout, by relieving stress (by doing things in the middle of night while no-one is looking and there's no pressure of social interaction). When there is too much stress, he falls into an overstimulated state similar to Halilintar's. On the other side, Ice represents the more depressed side of burnout- aka what happens after you actually burn out. It's why he's tired all the time.

Duri (Thorn). Okay so technically Thorn first manifested in battle but we're ignoring that. His tier 1 manifestation, as we all know, was mainly most definitely because Boboiboy got a concussion- but! Here's the thing; I don't think the concussion is why Thorn acts the way he does (though it's probably a part of it). I think, Thorn is just unmasked. The others all mask on some level, but Thorn just, doesn't. He doesn't really care how others might perceive him if he does 'childish' things or says things that no-one else understands because they didn't make the same connections he did, and he certainly doesn't care that deadpan telling someone their outfit is terrible might hurt their feelings, it doesn't even occur to him. He doesn't mask at all.

Solar. Again, technically manifested during battle. However once again we are ignoring that. It was established that the manifest condition for Solar (as Light), was for the elemental master (Boboiboy) to "expand their knowledge", and "read more". And, well, I know Boboiboy specifically read a bunch of science and history books and stuff, but honestly I don't think it really would've mattered what he chose to use to expand his knowledge, because Solar's main autistic trait is special interest. Because Boboiboy mainly focused on science and stuff, that became Solar's special interest, hence why he rambles off about formulas and stuff, and why he likes doing experiments. He hyperfixates on that stuff.

now. i could do the fusions... but honestly i haven't thought about the fusions enough to draw conclusions, so we're sticking with this

[lagtrain]

what are some of ur fav vocaloid producers and/or songs that use unique tuning rather than going for a more natural human-esque voice?

ANON HI HI HI ILY!!!! im so glad u sent this ask :)))))

im putting the recs under a readmore bc it got really long loll

ok so first up is producer recs!

Syudou- syudou is the producer who directly inspired the post i made about tuning (which is im assuming why u sent this ask lol)! the way he tunes vsynths for his songs tend to be very high-pitched as well as somewhat soft and quiet, which i absolutely adore. however, his unique tuning can be pretty offputting for some people (cough cough the insane amount of hate ive seen for jackpot sad girl & usseewa voca versions cough cough). if youre looking for good, unique tuning id defo say check out his stuff if u havent! specific recs are cute na kanojo and jackpot sad girl

Guchiry- guchiry is one of my all-time favourite producers, and has some of the most unique tuning for vocaloids ive heard. guchiry also usually goes for a high-pitched sound, but it's in a very different way. honestly, the way he tunes is kind of hard for me to describe?? idk... its definitely the type of vocals that a human could never replicate (this is proven by the fact that there's almost no human covers of guchiry songs LMAO). plus the way he tunes works extremely well with the intense, fast-paced instrumentals he usually goes for. honestly you'll just have to take my word for it and check out his stuff. specific recs are vanish and orthodoxia

Ayase- ayase's miku is one of my favourites ever!!!! he, like the two producers above, opts for a tuning in a higher range. there is also a soft quality to his mikus that i think is really nice. the thing that makes his tuning really unique is the fact that he leans into the robotic-ness of vocaloid! this style of vocals works so unbelievably well with the chill, electronic style of instrumental he often uses, and makes for some incredible stuff that human vocals just cant capture. specific recs are cinema and ghost city tokyo

sasakure.uk- if you thought that ayase embraced the robotic sound that vocaloids can produce, sasakure has practically buried himself in it! i think that sasakure's work is most notable to me for the fact that (in my opinion) his instrumentals stick out more than the vocals? and not in a bad way! not at all! its just that the way he tunes his vsynths is in such a fashion that they feel like part of the instrumentals. like, instead of the music feeling like it's a vessel for the vocals, the vocals instead blend into the instrumentals in a really unique way i havent heard with many other producers? the way sasakure tunes and uses vocaloids is something so distinct, and something that can really only be done through the medium of vocal synthesizers. specific recs are amara and future eve

Hiiragi Kirai- hiiragi takes flower, a vocaloid i find already sounds pretty unique, and goes fucking crazyinsane with her!! his flower tuning is so unbelievably cool and unique, ive srsly never heard someone use her in a way like he does. he makes her voice sound intense, harsh and growly which is seriously soooo sick :D flower's harsh vocals paired with the often intense instrumentals creates a vibe that's almost impossible to replicate with human vocals (the only covers i can think of that have managed to be on par with hiiragi's originals is ado's bocca della verita & loveka). specific recs are bottom and autophagy

Maretu- 😁😁😁 do i really have to say anything here. maretu perfectly utilizes the robotic sound that miku can produce, and makes her sound incredible with the chiptune & rock instrumentals he uses!! the vibes in maretu's original songs are so fucking good and ive (afaik) yet to find a cover that's on par with his og stuff. listen, you're asking for vocaloid recs on the maretu blog, this is a given. specific recs are koukatsu and white happy

specific songs recs now yayyyy!! im just gonna list the songs and give little blurbs abt them :-)

im not sure exactly how much this counts as unique tuning, but im putting it here anyways... the way miku and meiko are tuned here are different to how ive often heard them sound before, with a bit of roughness to their voices that you can only get via a vocaloid

really cool high-pitched tuning that expertly blends miku's & kafu's vocals! the vocals also work perfectly with the spooky vibes the rest of the song has! if you like this you'd probably also like unfriendly hater, which doesnt stand out quite as much to me as being unique but is still equally as good

i fucking love this song sm... miku's vocals are so robotic (i feel like ive used that word a lot...) which works suuuuper well with the instrumental and, with my incredibly limited knowledge of kagepro, works really well for ene's character!

the sheer insanity of this song can really only work with vocals provided by a vocaloid. listen to it and try and tell me that a human's vocals could improve on this... you cant (also pls listen to the song bc its really good)

p.h is an INCREDIBLE song, and it has such wild vocals. somehow seventhlinks manages to make flower sound more unique than she usually does, and it creates such a cool vibe for the whole song!

[lilacqueerr]

would you share the list of 10 better ones?

of course hun!

now as a toy educator i am biased against rabbit vibrators because i think they're usually badly designed novelties that don't work for non-normative vulval anatomy (which is actually the vast majority of vulval anatomy). so i am going to rec a few rabbit vibes if that's what you want and make the others just, better vibrators

rabbit vibrators

1. we-vibe nova 2

if you absolutely must buy a rabbit vibe, this one is the way to go! i consider this a next-generation version of the rabbit vibe since both arms move

2. gender x poseable rabbit

same reasons cute rose good design for longer vaginal canals!

3. budget option: fun factory ocean

if you think this'll match up with your anatomy absolutely go for it, the vibrations on this are surprisingly good for being 24.99 and little and it's so cute look at her

dual stim

4. snail vibe curved

every night she comes to me in my fuckign dreams. buy this toy if you like dual stim it flawlessly solved all the problems of the og

5. we-vibe sync

i hate hate hate the "couple's toy" marketing of these vibrators but they really do have applicable uses and i <3 remote controlled vibrators, this one is pretty good vibrations wise + adjustable (that's a theme here)

6. temptasia estrella strapless

look at me. look at me. if you or your partner has a vulva and is comfortable with being penetrated and you think it'll fit the anatomy buy this toy literally just trust me on this one this toy will save you. if it won't work for your anatomies buy a different vibrating strapless. listen to me- (i am dragged away by Big Rabbit Vibe)

simply better toys

7. tenga flex

beloved stroker of all time i love her? she's so beautiful to me. if you have a penis you may see shrimp colors with this one

8. satisfyer pro 2

if you have a vulva this thing will unlock new feelings. you'll see shrimp colors

9. uberrime rosae

genital-neutral grinding toy! also so cutes and can be made custom

10. fun factory volta

also genital-neutral and the vibrations are really good on this, i love this fucking design it's incredible you can do whatever you want with this thing

parting messages: don't buy from adam and eve. and remember, most toys are genital-neutral if you try hard enough

[jeonqkooks]

*quietly slides the door open* so what's new?? 👀

Heh, sorry I couldn't help myself and not say a few thing on MY FAVORITE BLOG ON TUMBLR ㅋㅋ Sooo 3D... I think we've been so spoiled by the tannies all these years that the moment western musicians are making a song with one of the boys it just sooo obvious, idk how to put it ... but as overall quality on a scale from 1 to 100, while bangtan's music (both group and solo) is 90 something to 100, songs like 3D are like an 8 😶 and it's not even the fact that it's explicit, it's just sounds eh. (I liked Seven more too)

I've seen so many people pressed about the fact that some don't like the og version with Jack and I'm like "????" As long as they're not straight up hating everyone should be allowed to like/dislike whatever they want, if sth really makes them uncomfortable they can always choose not to listen, it's not that big of a deal. We don't have to call anyone a prude or some other stuff I've seen for not liking a song 💀 and if we're being honest almost 90% of western music nowadays has something to do with sex so it's understandable that we're fed up with that.. and about the lyrics.... I won't even go there 😅 I have an entire playlist of sexy songs that have wayy better lyrics and vibe.

Anyways, we indirectly promised the boys that we're good with whatever they choose to put out, freedom i guess, however we might not always be in sync and that's okay. I'm sure they're aware that everyone has different tastes. There will be many years ahead of us, to do and try a variety of things. Once everyone accept this fact, it'll all fall into place.

Again, so sorry that you always have to listen to our rambles, Jen 😂 buy yourself something nice today so you won't get too stressed!

- 🎃

favorite blog asdfhkhfkas PUMPKIN 😭

an 8 lolllll i had to reread that to see if you meant an 8 on a scale of 1-10 but nope it's 1-100 😂 that's a fair assessment. i'll just say this as it is. basic pop and western collabs have little substance but they're easy to top charts, easy to rake in numbers, easy to push for awards (cough, grammys 😑) which seems to be what hybe is doing rn with jk. i guess they're succeeding so... good for them?

this fandom is so quick to tear people apart for not kissing the ground that the boys walk on lol. it's literally just music. tastes are subjective. what's not clicking? coming after someone just bc they don't like a song is dumbass behavior lol i'm sorry. wait till you hear that i haven't listened to seven since july 15 (it was released on july 14) 🤣 i'm sure there are people out there who wanna bring back the guillotine just for me

yes that's true. the boys can release any kind of music they want, but we as listeners - literal consumers - don't have to vibe with it. it's not mutually exclusive. not liking something they do / not liking a song does not and should not make you public enemy no.1 lol

pls i am always open to discourse! 🤣 i love hearing your different thoughts and opinions instead of just uniformed, robotic screaming all the time. i usually have a lot to say too hahahhaha i just don't wanna do it unprompted 😂

[strrykais]

I LOVE YOUR RATING AND I ALSO HAVE NIGHT ON THE FIRST PERSON, IT'S CHEF'S KISS💕😓 (although i absolutly adore christmas songs). my favs are in this order: 1. night, 2. falling up, 3. christmas love, 4. why, 5. saiyan, 6. aiwokuretanoninaze (i had to copy the title cuz ain't no way ima learn the name of the song😓), 7. giant and 8. chkchk boom jp version. honestly, i hope i don't get jumped, but giant tbh didnt completly... win me over. i mean, the mv is FIRE, but the song.. ive heard better skz japanese releases tbh (like all in, that song is UNBEATABLE🤕). i absolutly love the intro (my seungchan heart) and the chorus (all the members shone, i'm just talking about my favorite parts of the song), but somethings missing ig?? i believe whats missing is the high note one of the members usually has or maybe even the lack of beat change after the 2nd chorus for the breakdance/bridge. idk, something's missing imo, but it's still a very cool song that i'll stream a lot! now, chk chk boom is a very very slay song. in korean. this always happens imo, i'm used with one of the versions and when they change it into the korean/japanese version it lacks... the original sound of the words😭🙏 like, the songs good and its the same, but i feel the weirdness of the japanese words in the korean songs and vice versa. i mean, i'd prefer listening to the og chkchk boom rather than the japanese version. overall, i give the album a solid 9/10🔥🔥.

also cal is fire and im so sad it'll soon be over like noooo😓😓😭😭😔😔

~🐺

saiyan so low… JAIL!!! but im also the same way with when they change the language of a song. the flow is different and i never add them to my playlist 😕 i didnt even listen to chk chk boom japanese ver bc i knew i wouldnt vibe to it.

[erigold13261]

Hi Eri! Here is another song ask! Pls take your time and ignore this one if it’s upsetting. Nothing's Working Out (English Cover)【Will Stetson】for the FRAU.

How everyone is slowing breaking down post revolution fits the vibe of this song.

Tw for suicide idealization

Although this song has the lyrics “Wanna die,” the OG song does not have this.

It definitely gives off “I am so done with everything” energy for sure.

(Welp I definitely took my time with getting to this lol, it's been months with this sitting in my inbox which is a shame because that song is really good!)

Though I usually like listening to Vocaloid English covers, I actually prefer the OG version, at least the lyric video made by Kei Takahashi. I think that one fits the FRAU characters even more than the English cover you recommended (at least overall, if you select a few characters from FRAU the cover fits more).

Like, for both Neon J's, OG and FRAU, the line "It's a war in my head, though I stand tall" and "Trembling with fear, though I act tough" are both things that they do, just in absolutely different ways. OG acts tough in a way that he is strong FOR those around him while FRAU acts tough AGAINST those around him.

Both of them have their own wars in their head and their own fears. Some more active than others, and are trying to work through it. The main difference is that FRAU Neon's way of working through it is not working out.

The lines "Love me. Love me" and "'This is a mess lol' 'We've heard this before"" are definitely more close to Yinu and Eve. At least when you put those two lines together (which this song does).

It just makes me think of how Eve and Zuke, and Mama and Yinu keep playing a ring-around-the-rosie game. Eve and Yinu can see there is a fucking mess here but they just want to be loved.

Eve has probably tried to reach out to Zuke after Blue hurt him, but she got the same answer (Zuke running away from her). She has played this song and dance before with him and it's just a huge mess.

Yinu on the other hand sees her own family problems and tries to voice them at times but keeps getting dismissed by Mama thinking everything is okay and Yinu is worrying about nothing. Yinu wants to be loved and heard, but all she is hearing is the same thing from her mother over and over (though this is because Yinu isn't communicating as well as she needs for her mother to understand, but that is not Yinu's fault as she is still the child in this situation).

I also like the lines "In a field of inspiration and homages, // Am I supposed to search for originality or something?" It makes me think of Kul Fyra/Tatiana. Possibly also putting in the partial line "We've heard this before" into the mix to show that Tatiana is trying to look for a new way of thinking, but I can see her need for order being the same thing that broke up the Goolings years ago (in this AU it wasn't because she was too lax, but too strict, at least that's what I feel now, don't know if I had said otherwise before)

She isn't doing something new. She's doing the same thing she did before and hoping for a different outcome to happen. When it "did" have a different outcome, she was happy. However, the same thing is going to happen (an implosion), it's just taking it's sweet time to happen at NSR compared to the Goolings quick end.

If we go to the lines "This kid that's younger than me is getting popular. Ridiculous, right?" I can see that being for EVERY member of the Megastars (not counting necropolis or ex-Megastar DJSS).

Neon J is a bit bitter he was never able to make it himself when he tried earlier in life. He's probably the least bitter because he also just loves kids and is happy to see them becoming stars at such a young age (but also like, he is not happy how young they are because kids should still be kids).

Eve is absolutely not okay with seeing her younger half brother and someone like Yinu so high up in a field she had to claw her way into. I can see her believing Yinu is just born lucky and the Sayu Crew are just piggybacking off of her success and relationship to Remi (that might also be why she is so mean to Remi. She doesn't realize why she is so nasty to him so she picks apart something that will absolutely hurt him, which is his transness).

The Crew themselves are basically bullies in their own way (hurt people hurt people, am I right?) and choose Yinu as a target because she is so young and talented. Eve's belief that Yinu is just born lucky is something the Crew probably picked up on and let her know of it in a less than subtle way.

Yinu is just trying to play music (music she doesn't want to play anymore) while being an object of envy and hate by the older people in her life thanks to their jealousy. Thankfully though, it isn't as bad as it could be because Mama is there most of the time (meaning Yinu either has to deal with an over protective mother or backhanded compliments and insults).

The only solace really is 1010 for Yinu, who don't care about her age because they were literally BUILT with musical skill and a cop-out way to easily sync up dances. If anyone were "born" lucky, it was 1010 who barely have to actually practice compared to Yinu.

Like all of this is here and I haven't even gone deep into 1010 themselves yet! Each one having their own damn problems with "solutions" that aren't working out for them.

Specifically the "Love me. Love me" and 'This is a mess lol' 'We've heard this before"" lines are also something that can fit 1010. As they all literally just want to be loved by Neon J (a feeling he is actively withholding from them because he doesn't want to see them as his kids even though he subconsciously already does).

None of 1010 even give a shit about the "love" from fans anymore because it barely charges them up due to the constant hate and negative emotions that they live with. Each one just becoming an isolated mess directing their hate at each other (and specifically Blue) all because they are stuck in a situation they can't legally leave.

Another line that I like is "I won't go back even if I hate it, over time I realized I'd assimilated" which makes me think of Tatiana and Neon J a lot. Like they tried to get away from shitty situations, but instead of actually leaving they became what they were running from (abusive assholes hell bent on controlling the people around them).

Like Tatiana is basically becoming her dad in this AU (or maybe she already is), while Neon J (though his family turned out better in this AU) is basically becoming/became what he feared his parents would be like to him before he came out.

The two assimilated into a culture of hate and hurt, and because of that they brought it into everyone else's lives around them. Thankfully Neon is actively trying to get out of it (but still doing a LOT of damage in the process). Tatiana on the other hand just dug her heels even deeper into the dirt to stand her ground, because to her there's nothing worse than being proven wrong.

There's also the kinda slower middle part of the song that I like a lot. Specifically the lines "Compromise just like that, frustration at full blast" and "Break up the party and act innocent, lol."

Those two lines are really good to me. The compromise one makes me think mainly of Yinu and how she is doing everything for her mother out of love. To her it's a compromise and not self destruction. Similar thing with Neon, he is compromising on his beliefs to try and get enough leeway to get 1010 out of NSR.

Like these two are not ACTUALLY compromising because they are giving things up without getting anything in return (but they think they are compromising), which is where all of the built up frustration is coming from.

The break up the party line (and even the "Dance, dance, dance, dance" part that goes along with it), just makes me think of NSR as a whole. They are putting up a show for the public, but behind the scenes they are fighting and hating each other. If at anytime a "party" breaks loose and fans start to see through the cracks, the artists have to back down and pretend to play innocent. Pretend nothing is wrong. Show that the failed revolution didn't actually affect them at all (when it absolutely has).

And finally, the part repeated so often. "Nothing's working out" goes to everyone as well. Each person in NSR (and outside of it) are literally just trying to move on with life in some way or fashion (even if it's a self destructive or hateful move) but nothing is actually working out because there is just too much toxicity.

Even for those who want to leave (or have left in B2J and DJSS' cases), nothing is really working out for them because of the long lasting effects that toxicity has done to them. Nothing in life is really working out at all. It sucks. Sometimes even starting totally fresh is not enough if you can't somehow mend the damages that happened.

Very few of the characters actually want to die, so that's why I prefer the sub version of the OG song than the cover. For those who do want to die, like truly die, I think it would just be Green. Like even Tila and Yinu have some kind of hope for the future, but Green is the only one who is truly ready to just give up (he probably doesn't even know why he is still trying at this point, just routine I guess).

Though is things continue to spiral down like they are, without something breaking the cycle (either another revolution, 1010 getting out, or something like that) then Tila and Yinu, possibly others, are going to want to truly die as well.

[aulupine]

One of those playlist challenges but actually tagged by a mutual this time

I see you @thunderdone Thanks for the tag! Rules: You can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. Put your playlist on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, and then tag 10 people. No skipping!

I much like thunder have a million fucking playlists and they all have different vibes so here's from my likes as well. Be prepared for whiplash, and no explanation because my taste is... wild xD

1. It's All Futile! It's All Worthless! - Lovejoy Wilbur, and indie-alt. Need I say more?

2. 4BLOOD - Kira, Hatsune Miku I got nothing... This can only be explained by the words: "Animation Meme Vibes".

3. Everybody Loves Me - OneRepublic Literal animation memes. Uh...., that and one hell of a smarmy character/confidence booster song lmao

4. Pushing Me Away - Linkin Park A bitch do be depressed

5. Killer Queen - Mad Tsai Uh, animation, storytelling but also savage spite revenge song vibes. And if anyone knows me, they know I like my sarcastic bitch vibes probably a bit too much

6. Roses Are Red (Violets Are Blue) - Jon Caryl A bitch do be depressed 2 electric boogaloo

7. Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off - Panic! at the Disco Vaguely edgy alt-pop with a hell of a sound. Idk, it's old P!atD so yeah vaguely nostalgic and has a good sound. Just... pleasing to the earbones *shrugs*

8. Hourglass - Set It Off We're just rolling through my edgy picks aren't we, goddamn! One of my "fuck it all and fight" vibe songs, when you want to wear stompy boots and tip your chin up at the world. Could accurately be described as: "everything sucks so fuck it, what else could go wrong?"

9. Until the Wolves Come Out - NateWantsToBattle It's his friggin original album, with P!atD mixed with FOB vibes, and a hint of "fuck it society won't listen so I'll make them" vibes. Good fucking shit. Not my favorite song from this album but definitely a good one! (check him out, did a lot of fandom stuff too, you've probably heard his stuff. I genuinely prefer his original stuff funnily enough tho lmao)

10. Songs for a Guilty Sadist - Crywank Blame Wilbur. Don't actually listen to this much at all, but it's what came up. I like the chords and lyrics, just not Crywanks specific version. One of those weird times I like a cover more than the OG Honorable mention: Pinch Me - Young Friend Idk alt-indie-pop kinda? Depressed but cheery, masking vibes. Love me some masking vibes.

Honorable mention 2 Electric Boogaloo: "Cosmic Dreams - Intro" - Jay Sarma, Ritorikal I like instrumental stuff, especially if it makes me feel like I'm in an edgy concept anime video, witnessing the end of the universe and the beginning of a new one, going through a metamorphosis one might say.

Conclusion: What I'm learning is that, wow I'm depressed and it *shows* xD

Tag Time! uh, Honestly I don't have 10 people I'd tag, lets try @baronazazel @littledreamsoflife @thepidgeonqueen @catzoomies @corveknight And uh, anyone else who wants to try lol. Also no req to do this and if you've already been tagged, feel free to ignore!

[number5theboy]

for fun, what would be your top 5 hargreeves relationships/interactions to see more of in s3?

YES AN ASK THAT’S NOT EMOTIONAL DEVASTATING LET’S GOOOO.

Allison & Five

Five & Allison

Numbers Three and Five

The Rumour & The Boy

Have I mentioned Allison & Five already??

Okay, jokes aside, we deserve to see more of their dynamic, I really liked the few moments we got in Season 1, and they didn’t interact at all in Season 2!!! I just think they’d be the most kickass dynamic, I love the two of them so much and I just think putting them together would just be so entertaining. They’re both ruthless and caring, they are both rational and usually smart, and also the other siblings would not stand a chance under the combined teasing wits of Allison and Five, so it is my top priority relationship that I need to see in Season 3. But here are the 5 that follow and why I want to see them:

Luther & Klaus We only saw them together when Luther was intoxicated and hungover, I think we deserve to see them sober, also because their two chaotic energies deserve to play off each other. Also Tom Hopper and Robert Sheehan both have impeccable comedic timing and chemistry, and I just really want to see them have a storyline next season, I think Luther’s caring nature could really help Klaus with the pain of Ben’s loss/seeing his brother’s emo version right after losing him forever

Five & Ben & Vanya Okay it’s pretty much impossible for us to get this one with OG!Ben, but the high numbers will always be the dynamic that got away for me, I wish we could have seen them together, as kids, as adults, it doesn’t matter. I love Vanya’s relationship with Five and Ben individually, and I think they could have been the best friendship in the show, if we could have seen it.

Diego & Klaus & Luther / Vanya & Allison & Five Okay, this is just purely to indulge me, but listen. Imagine the pure chaos that would come from Klaus, Diego and Luther going off on their own. We already know Klaus and Diego are an ice-cream-truck-disaster-dynamic, and Luther and Diego are a firework that goes off backwards but is still pretty, I just need them all to bro it out and be beautiful messes together. And it comes in tandem with another dynamic I NEED to see, which is Five and his sisters. We already know that he is soft with Vanya, and from the little we’ve seen from Five and Allison, the two of them vibe, and Vanya and Allison are a dreamteam anyway, so I want to see them all together!! Five deserves to hang out with the other Hargreeves with braincells, and Alison and Vanya deserve to reconnect with him. Also they might take over the world in the process. Accidentally. Love my powerful favourite siblings.

Luther & Ben We barely know anything about their relationship!! Luther thought to ask Klaus about Ben’s opinion before they time-travelled, but that’s about it!! Did they like each other?? Did they not?? Please tell me, I want to know!!

Allison & Ben Okay, this one is only below Luther & Ben because we know that Allison misses Ben, meaning that she loved him, in some way, and he pranked her!! What was their relationship, how did she react to the pranks? Did they read together? Another dynamic I wish we knew more about.

Also, bonus round: Top Five Sibling Relationships That We Have Seen Before But Deserve To See More

Allison & Diego & Five: I LOVED their Scooby Gang excursion in Season 1, and the dynamic has so much: Allison and Five teasing Diego?? Allison and Diego snarking at Five?? Semi-functional shenanigans?? Love and care about each other??? Please I need them back. 

Diego & Allison: in the lead-up to Season 2, I put them down as my favourite familial dynamic. They’re awesome together, their relationship is the most sibling-y out of all the Hargreeves, in my opinion, and them fighting together?? Awesome, beautiful and also hot, can we have more of this?

Klaus & Diego: I think we all want their dumbassery back, and if I were in charge, I would add Luther for maximum chaos, as said before.

Five & Vanya: I feel like by this point it’s cliché to highlight their relationship, but I love it SO much. The entire thing about Five and Vanya is that it’s two people who are failing to reconnect with someone they used to love, but that someone has grown and changed now. Idk, in the first season, Five easily reconnected with his other siblings, and if it was only through sass, but Five and Vanya are quiet and sad and loving and gentle and I adore them so much.

Vanya & Luther & Diego: I liked their moments this season, but also Vanya had amnesia?? I’d love to see them with non-amnesiac Vanya, I think they could be SO much fun together.

Also bonus to the bonus: The Hargreeves Relationship Nobody But Me Wants To See More Of

Five and Reginald: Five’s relationship with Hargreeves is absolutely fascinating to me because it’s very different from all the other siblings’, especially after Season 2, so I’d love to see them together again

[ragazza-paradiso]

my eurovision 2021 ranking (before rehearsals)

hey!! 🤍 i’ll try to keep this short & sweet (and bear in mind some of these are subject to change & depend on my mood) but this is my rough ranking of this year’s entries based solely on the studio cuts <3

dislike:

39. 🇩🇪 jendrik - i don’t feel hate: i knew this would be my last place since i first heard it. he seems like a nice guy but this type of music is just. not for me? in fact i don’t think i’ve ever even managed to make it all the way through since my first listen :/

38. 🇱🇻 samanta tina - the moon is rising: i love love LOVE samanta & think she is an absolute gem but this song & me simply do not go together. that being said i appreciate both her voice & the message

37. 🇵🇱 rafał - the ride: while this is slightly catchy & seems to be an ear worm for me, i cannot take this song seriously. rafał looks ridiculous in those sunglasses in the music video. the lyrics are awful too

neither like nor dislike:

36. 🇦🇱 anxhela peristeri - karma: this is very strange because usually i am the no. 1 fan of ethnic influenced ballads at eurovision, but i just do not get this one. i can definitely see the appeal but it’s not for me

35. 🇲🇰 vasil - here i stand: i think his voice is great however the song doesn’t do much for me. i find it quite forgettable & think he was definitely capable of giving us something better which is a shame

34. 🇫🇮 blind channel - dark side: i enjoyed this quite a bit when it first came out but it’s quickly slid down my ratings. the lyrics are too edgy for me & it’s a throwback to a genre of music that i don’t really enjoy anyway. but i can appreciate that it sticks out & does something different

33. 🇨🇿 benny cristo - omaga: i was a massive fan of kemama last year & while i liked this upon first listen, i have to say its far too generic to really stick out after a while. plus some of the lyrics are a bit creepy lol. having said that i think seeing him perform it live could definitely change my opinion

32. 🇸🇪 tusse - voices: another year, another generic well produced pop song from sweden. should we be surprised anymore? it’s okay, i don’t hate it, but i’m struggling to find anything i like about it. plus the lyrics are the most “eurovision cliche lyrics” i’ve ever heard

31. 🇬🇧 james newman - embers: okay while this is ranked relatively low, i have to say this is better than anything we’ve sent since 2017. it’s a nice song, i enjoy it when it’s on, but i don’t have an urge to play it, if that makes sense?

30. 🇲🇹 destiny - je me casse: i know this is probably blasphemy but i just do not understand the hype around this song. destiny has a great voice but i don’t see how this song sticks out in anyway that it’s the favourite to win? it’s another one that i won’t skip but i won’t seek out to listen to

29. 🇦🇹 vincent bueno - amen: i do enjoy this, but i wish it just had a bit more oomph. the lyrics for the verses are good but the chorus is just lacking something. i do think this could be a dark horse to qualify though

28. 🇸🇮 ana soklič - amen: i just realised the two amens are right next to each other on my ranking lol. anyway, this is only so high because of her amazing voice. the song doesn’t really do anything for me, but you have to appreciate that level of talent

27. 🇺🇦 go_a - shum: this is one i know i’ll appreciate more live, but i just can’t get into the studio version. plus i really liked solovey last year so this one seems worse in comparison

26. 🇲🇩 natalia gordienko - sugar: this is good but i think all “dream team” songs are a little bit dated nowadays. however saying that i love the music video & moldova always improve live

25. 🇵🇹 the black mamba - love is on my side: this has been a big grower. it’s not a favourite, but i think it definitely has its niche, and i can appreciate that

24. 🇳🇱 jeangu macrooy - birth of a new age: grow was in my top 5 last year, so it was always gonna be hard for jeangu to deliver something as good. this has grown on me, but i’m still not 100% on board

like:

23. 🇳🇴 tix - fallen angel: i didn’t like this at first because i was so heartbroken that keiino didn’t win the national selection, but i’ve gotten over it now lol. it’s cheesy but in a good way, i think this act doesn’t take itself too seriously either which makes it more enjoyable

22. 🇸🇲 senhit ft flo rida - adrenalina: it’s fun, catchy, even has a surprise verse from flo rida! probably san marino’s 3rd best entry ever (justice for complice & crisalide 💔)

21. 🇨🇾 elena tsagrinou - el diablo: it’s just a very good pop song. i’m not in love with it but it’s of a very good quality (well. apart from the lyrics). i’m sure the staging will improve it even more

20. 🇬🇷 stefania - super girl: greece is one of my biggest growers from last year, i think this is a MUCH better song than supergirl was. i’m really rooting for stefania

19. 🇪🇪 uku suviste - the lucky one: this has been such a big grower, it’s insane. i can recognise it’s not the best song but i just really like it for some reason.

18. 🇪🇸 blas cantó - voy a quedarme: i’m a sucker for native language ballads, and this is a pretty standard one, but it’s good to me. blas seems like a real sweetheart too, which helps :)

17. 🇨🇭 gjon’s tears - tout l’univers: this is another one of those songs that i really should love, and while i like it, i can’t really connect with it. gjon’s entry last year was my second favourite, and unfortunately this doesn’t scratch the same itch that did, it’s still a very good song & i completely understand why it’s one of the favourites to win

16. 🇧🇪 hooverphonic - the wrong place: i really don’t like hooverphonic as a band (actually it’s mostly alex callier that i dislike) but this is just a good song. i am still upset that luka didn’t get to go to eurovision though :/

15. 🇮🇪 lesley roy - maps: another massive grower! i much prefer this to her song last year. i really hope ireland can get their shit together & give this song the staging it deserves

14. 🇦🇿 efendi - mata hari: this is basically a carbon copy of cleopatra, and i guess i liked that so i like this. however i will say it has dropped in my ranking a bit. i’m ranking this solely on the song, efendi herself is a different matter & i’m not really educated enough on what’s happening in azerbaijan/armenia to comment but from what i’ve seen it’s not the best, let’s say

13. 🇱🇹 the roop - discoteque: i prefer on fire from last year, but this is definitely not a bad effort. i can’t see it as a contender for the win though. another one i will probably enjoy much more live

12. 🇷🇴 roxen - amnesia: i really like the message of this song. i just wish she would work on her english pronunciation, but that’s a minor complaint. but i really like roxen as an artist

love:

11. 🇷🇸 hurricane - loco loco: i love girl groups, and this is no exception. vocally they’re really good, i love that it’s in serbian, & i also just really love sanja vučić lol

10. 🇭🇷 albina - tick tock: i wish this was fully in croatian, but i think it’s a great song regardless. i loved her performance at dora so hopefully they’ll do something similar/even better at esc

9. 🇧🇬 victoria - growing up is getting old: i preferred tears getting sober from last year but this is still really good. the lyrics are some of my favourite of this year, they really resonate with me. victoria is a really interesting artist & i’m really glad she got introduced to me through esc

8. 🇮🇱 eden alene - set me free: the revamp has made this move like 20 places up in my ranking lol. she is so talented & i just hope they have a good staging concept!

7. 🇮🇸 daði og gagnamagnið - 10 years: think about things was good but i think this is even better! i love the retro influences & the lyrics are so sweet

6. 🇬🇪 tornike kipiani - you: i might be one of the only people who adores this song. the lyrics paint such a clear picture of a simple, strong love. and i think it’s quiet but powerful at the right moments. i know i will be heartbroken when this doesn’t qualify :(

5. 🇫🇷 barbara pravi - voilà: i played this too much & ruined it for myself, but i love it again now. very authentically french but without overdoing it (cough 2017 staging cough), just a beautiful song

4. 🇮🇹 måneskin - zitti e buoni: i’m not a massive rock fan, but a song like this i just vibe with. it’s just so good. italy is always either my no. 1 or in my top 5 since they returned (apart from 2012 & 2014) and they’ve done it again. this is definitely a contender to win

3. 🇦🇺 montaigne - technicolour: this song is eclectic but i love it. i didn’t like don’t break me, but this is so much better, and so much more authentic to montaigne as an artist. i know it’s divisive, but i’m on the side that loves it

2. 🇩🇰 fyr og flamme - øve os på hinanden: this is just so fun. i love the 80s vibe, the performance at the national selection was simple but still very engaging. this is one i will play for many years after the contest

1. 🇷🇺 manizha - russian woman: where do i even start. native language, ethnic influenced sound, important message, charismatic performer. this song is amazing. and i’m so glad i’ve found manizha to listen to!

so that’s it!! if anyone wants to chat about their thoughts please message me!! 🤍

[noramachwitz]

i wrote a giant review post and i thought i’d keep the momentum going so here’s a giant review on skam nl under a read more

okay so i have to say i loved s1 and i think nl did one of (maybe even the) best versions of s1 i love isa so much and i loved the girl squad and i was super exicted to see their version of s2 since noah/liv were the only version that i didn’t dislike in s1 and i hate to say it but ... i find s2 pretty underwhelming. and i have for a while. i’m still keeping up with it but honestly i’m having some (kinda big) problems with the way it’s written

(and needless to say these are all my opinions and you can disagree it’s fine etc.)

what it boils down to are these points:

1) plot driven - this season is SO plot driven it drives me mad. somehow the entire plot just happens /to/ liv (and i’m not talking about the SA here of course but everything that happens before that) and somehow almost every decision she does make and where they’d finally show her having some agency is off screen?? i keep feeling like everything that happens happens because it’s the next step in the story and there’s little transition imo?? i feel like i always see plot point a then plot point b but a lot of the times i don’t know what actually happened to lead from one to the other for example i still don’t freaking know why liv actually went on a date with him?? or noah saying his brother can’t be trusted but then still believing him. i just feel like liv and noah both as characters just don’t fit into the way they’re going about this story

2) noah - i think noah as a character had a ton of potential to be really insteresting and different but ... NL changed the vibes around him completely and you have this artsy painter dude who seems quite charming and doesn’t take himself too seriously (which monk portrays perfectly ngl) but they just completely failed to adjust the story so it fits his character better. instead noah (in my opinion i’m very sorry lmao) actually behaves more like OG william than most other williams. he acts the same way, he justifies his actions the same way, he even says a lot of the exact same lines and ... why?? why not fully embrance those vibes and actually change the story as a consequence?? i remember soo many people in the fandom saying they can’t see noah beating up someone and it’s true i agreed but then it happened anyway and these moments just KEPT HAPPENING where i couldn’t see him doing something but he did anyway and i just don’t understand why.

so instead of changing things that were easy to change and would make noah better than william they change things that are unnecessary which leads me to one of the biggest plot devices i’ve ever seen: the death of noah’s mum. when i first realised that noah’s mum dies during this season i was actually pretty excited bc i thought they’d use that to explore him as a character more but!! no it was just a two week plot device to guilt trip liv?? and almost every clip we got during that time was just liv feeling guilty and guiltier and her staring at her phone constantly until she ends up at the wake and we find out actually noah wasn’t even close with her and it didn’t really affect him?? and it hasn’t been mentioned since either??? WHY!! instead of giving noah and liv a solid base for a relationship and use that time to idk get to know each other more and like just to talk it just feels to me like they took the easy way out writing wise

also it’s literally the penultimate episode and noah has had ZERO character development and we still know very little about him but we’re still supposed to be rooting for him and liv?? how am i supposed to do that when he’s so underwritten?? this is all such a shame goddamn it

3) time management/pacing - i have no idea if it’s because i binged s1 or not but you can tell so hard with s2 that they’re on a time limit and it always confuses me what they end up coosing to spend time on. prime example: the sleepover clip. we spend 3 whole minutes (yes i checked) with liv going around that wake having that weird conversation that literally adds nothing to anything and then she finally sees noah we see them sit next to each other and listen to a record and ... then liv talks to ralph on the phone and it just cuts to them getting ready for bed like why spend so much time on unnecessary stuff in the beginning and then when there are finally opportunities for development they’ve got no more time left!!!

in general when there finally is a moment of tension or conflict the clip usually ends and we have to wait a whole day or even 2 for another clip and it just really makes me wish we’d get less of these quiet moments (and while they’re definitely necessary too i just feel like nl actually has way too many of them) and just give us more plot movement instead so we can actually get somewhere. this is less of a problem if you only watch whole eps but since this is skam and real time narrative it just doesn’t work for me.

4) conversations - the lack of converstions REAL conversations between noah and liv is sooo frustrating to me. they’ve basically only had ONE real conversation so far and that was when liv broke up with him. that was the first time they actually /talk/ to each other and ... okay i know everybody keeps saying NL is prioritising liv since it’s her own season and that it’s about her and not her realtionship with noah but i mean that relationship is a big part of her story?? and i still don’t know why liv actually likes noah, i don’t know how she realised that she loves him and we haven’t actually like ... seen them bond??

the conversation i did actually really like was the one between liv and esra when she asks if esra has ever been in love but i was just kinda like where did that come from?? they’d made out twice at that point and that was it?? i guess this ties in with the fact that it’s just plot driven which means i don’t necessarily get a character’s motivations since they explore the plot and not the characters themselves. the other actual conversation was the one liv had with engel but there for me it was another case of Where Did That Come From you know? like engel gives liv this whole thing about how she’s scared of chaos which is true but from a storytelling point of view there was nothing to like ... trigger that realisation? i mean of course theoretically i know that the girls are all close friends and just know each other well but when you tell a story (even if it’s skam that’s based in realism and believability) you need buildup to things and i feel like that something that really lacks in skam nl

5) in general - to me personally it just feels a lot like nl shies away from proper conflict a lot because resolving it would take time which they don’t have but that means they don’t build proper tension that drives the plot forward. and i actually have the same problem with s2 in the OG as well don’t get me wrong but i feel like that’s something they could change but haven’t because nl just?? idk seems scared of changing too much?? they change the characters but not the plot but why? who knows, i sure don’t and it’s not they way i enjoy a story being told

okay to end this whole thing on a more positive note lmao here’s some thing i actually do like about this season:

soundtrack is a+ as always nl is good at that

the cinematography and general aesthetic is just ... so pretty (but ngl i feel like that sometimes comes at a cost of substance)

the girl squad! although i can’t say it’s the best as many other people do because i never would have thought iman missing would be this noticeable but for me it throws off the entire dynamic?? anyway but i do like them

esra!! she’s so great

i just love isa

okay that’s all

[misanthropecopy]

Thoughts on/during MSBE

So this isn’t a review, per say, but rather me just pointing out some interesting tidbits, discoveries and comments I had from watching the movie.

Let’s start with the overall feel of the film. It definitely seems much more akin to Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, than the English dub of the original movie ever was. Whereas in this one it is more apparent that Mewtwo is only lashing out his hate towards his circumstances at the world, rather than setting out to really conquer it. This of course made our angsty kangaroo much more sympathetic, in my eyes. That being said though, I think including his original prologue with Ambertwo, would have added MUCH more depth to his character. CAUSE THIS GENERATION NEEDS TO SUFFER LIKE I DID WHEN I SAW IT. //SHOT

Speaking of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein it was this take on the movie that made me realize Ash seems to parallel Robert Walton, a “protagonist” in the book who recklessly goes out to be an explorer, seeking glory or adventure without seriously thinking things over first. Sound familiar? 

Dragonite’s Muppet noises give me life. You can’t change my mind.

The fact that officer Jenny threatened to arrest those trainers going to New Island means they’re actions were screaming “F**K COPS”.

The rocket trio was cheesy as usual, and tried making the movie into a musical number. They failed. //SHOT

Brock was actually smart enough to recognize Nurse Joy BEFORE her hat came off, who knew he had some brain cells when infatuated? *SARCASM*

The animation was actually better than I anticipated. Mewtwo’s movements felt more alive and dare I say “natural”, the scenery was pretty breathtaking at some points and while the humans could be pretty jarring sometimes the Pokémon were often very visually pleasing to me at least. 

Brock has been drinking his “respect woman” juice, because he called the girl trainer QUEEN. Also he referenced his infamous “jelly doughnuts” sakjhfjkshg.

Also the soundtrack? They really went hardcore on the organ, there. Probably to add to the spoopy Frankenstein vibe.

Speaking of Frankenstein’s monster again, I noticed that BOTH of my psychic kangaroos canon stories somewhat reflect different points of the monster’s life. Not just because they’re artificial, whereas OG Mewtwo’s story focuses more on its creation/lashing out against world Newtwo’s story [mainly the prologue and before she found Pokémon who took care of her] is reflective of the time at the very end of Shelly’s book where the monster got watched his creator die and went off into the isolated arctic never to be seen again. Presumably to rid the world of his “abominable” existence. 

Meowth commented that the clones sleeping in their tubes was ‘cute’ and... well he’s not wrong.

The way Mewtwo responded to Nurse Joy after getting her out of his influence, seemed to suggest that he tried using her to figure out his own body as well and no I don’t mean that in a weird way, get your mind out of the gutter you THOTS.

“No matter who the Pokémon, there isn’t a Pokémon that can’t be caught!” Bro, if you only BEEN to the dynamaxed Mewtwo raid battles. 

Also the clone’s popping out of the machines don’t look like a Rhyhorn giving birth now, so that’s nice. 

Also the whole palace -whistles- that is some top-tier gothic architecture man.

Charizard is a hot-head like usual, but his cgi form gives me Toothless, making me want to squish his face.

“Humans, I have no desire to cause you harm. Simply go home.” Wow that is surprisingly non-jerky of you Mewt- *Opens gate up to reveal HIS typhoon* “That is, if you can make it through the storm. >:3″ Aaaaand never mind, you’re an a-hole. 

If you listen closely you can hear og Mewtwo’s anger slowly increasing, each time his shots fail to hit Mew. 

“A Pokémon’s REAL strength comes from the heart you say! Well mine’s full of rage and emotional trauma!” 

You can climb down that wall Ash! Just believe that you’re Spider-Man! Or whatever version of him you have, in your universe.

Aaaand you failed.

Pikachu and Pikatwo fight, aka Jordon Peele’s Us. 

“Living things won’t give up their territory, to other members of their own species. That means-” “They’ll battle until the other is defeated, until only one remains.” OW, okay just thinking of that possibility ever occurring between him and Psyche, the implications PAINS ME TO NO END.

CHARIZARDTWO GAVE ASH’S CHARIZARD A LIZARD KISS, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! THE VULPIX ALSO GAVE EACH OTHER APOLOGY LICKS!

Okay seriously some parts of the movie’s soundtrack are GOOD, y’all. Also the art in the credits are gorgeous.

OG Mewtwo -glancing back at his clones- “...Oh crap, I’m a father now, aren’t I?”

Finally, GF if y’all are hinting that you might be making a cgi special in returns, may I humbly ask that you hint at Newtwo’s existence more. Plz and thank. 

[airadam]

Episode 140 : ...in his land, a ruler.

"Either unmarked or engraved - hey, who's to say?"

- MF DOOM

Wow, January has been a long year (!)

On the very last day of 2020, the Hip-Hop world was stunned to hear of the passing of Daniel Dumile, later known as Zev Love X, and eventually as the legendary MF DOOM. It had actually happened some time before but his family wanted to maintain some privacy, which is absolutely to be respected. In his memory, we play some tracks from the DOOM catalogue, plus some throwback favourites and a few recent releases. The bulk of the show is pretty uptempo, so one for the runners out there!

Twitter : @airadam13

Twitch : @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

MF DOOM ft. Pebbles : Doomsday

We start things off with the smoothness, the first full track on DOOM's debut LP "Operation : Doomsday" - which is still my favourite. A chunk of the album sounds like he just went right to the 80s soul crate and loaded the whole thing into the sampler, and this sets it off right. It certainly hits you differently now hearing him speak about his grave, and reuniting with his brother, the much missed DJ Subroc. This track gives you a window into some of the path DOOM walked on the way back to the industry after a traumatic set of personal circumstances, and is packed with references if you understand what you're hearing.

Dela : Dizzy

Quality production from "The Robert Glasper Beat Tape", doing great work with a piano sample and really changing the vibe. Check how he reinforces it with that fuzzy bass that plays along with parts of the main riff.

Tall Black Guy & Ozay Moore ft. Ohmega Watts : Har Hanz

A celebration of Hip-Hop here, with Ozay Moore and Ohmega Watts taking the mic atop the production skills of Tall Black Guy that is still getting regular headphone time from me three months after release. The sample at the start is discussing the late Latin jazz percussionist "Hard Hands" Ray Barretto, and is taken from the essential Hip-Hop documentary "Style Wars". Essential.

Edgar Allen Floe : State Of The Art

Taking it back to the early days of 9th Wonder and the Justus League crew, we have a track from the "WJLR Radio, Volume 2" mixtape, which you'll be lucky to find these days. EAF is a very skilled MC and, very characteristically of the time this was recorded, the topic here is the state of Hip-Hop and respect for artistry. 

Busta Rhymes ft. Q-Tip : Don't Go

Bringing it back to a recent release, the new "Extinction Level Event 2 : The Wrath Of God"  from the tail end of 2020 - unlike the first "ELE" release in 1998, the title seems to fit the age this time around... Anyway, this is a highlight, with the classic pairing of Busta and Q-Tip over a great Focus beat. The bar layout is a bit unusual, so it made the mixes on either side a little weird, but worth it to share this track.

Doc Ish ft. Joe Budden, Talib Kweli, Sean Price, and Angelica C : Is It A Dream

Dallas stand up! Texas producer Doc Ish brings in a trailerload of vocal talent to grace this beat, one that bumps along and still envelops you. I can't find any info on Angelica C, who does the business on the hook and outro, but she comes correct, and while all the MCs put in solid verses, Sean P is - as almost always - the star. Get this one on the 2010 "The First Treatment" album.

Grap Luva : Rocking With Elegance (One For Damu)

Hitting the SP-1200 here with a nice beat from Mount Vernon's Grap Luva from the "Neva Done" release. Drums and piano on a nice head-nod vibe with some little accents to make the beat complete - it's a great demonstration of not overdoing things when you have a groove that works!

Whodini : Five Minutes Of Funk

Not the whole track, so roughly three minutes and fourteen seconds of this specific funk. I wasn't able to get any Whodini onto the last episode, so it's this month that we pay tribute to the late John "Ecstasy" Fletcher. This track is taken from their sophomore album "Escape", and Ecstasy and Jalil kick their vintage-styled rhymes over the familiar instrumental courtesy of Larry Smith. You may recognise the beat as the theme for Ralph McDaniels' "Video Music Box", or any number of break/turntablist tapes! RIP Ecstasy.

KMD ft. Brand Nubian : Nitty Gritty

When I realised I could work this transition, it had to be done! This was the first KMD track I ever heard, and possibly the first Brand Nubian as well, after it was played on Pete Tong's Rap Selection show on Radio 1 back in the day. The lead MC of KMD was Daniel Dumile, then going by Zev Love X, and later becoming MF DOOM. All the MCs are dropping references from their respective religious organisations on this one, and this self-produced track from the debut KMD album "Mr Hood" is an absolute winner thirty years after its release! 

Eric B & Rakim : Pass The Hand Grenade

This is one of my favourite cuts from the excellent 1992 "Don't Sweat The Technique" album, the final release from Eric B & Rakim as a duo. As per usual, it's a microphone clinic from Rakim, with the density of the lyrics smoothed out by his vocal control and easily keeping up with the break-driven production.

Ice-T : New Jack Hustler

Never mind all the swing on the soundtrack for "New Jack City", this was the highlight, which also stood up strongly next to anything else on Ice-T's crowning "OG : Original Gangster" LP, on which this also appears. An encapsulation of the speed, violence, and chaos of the streets as they were then, and as always with Ice, an acknowledgement that it all comes to a sticky end. The hectic production from Ice and legendary LA turntablist DJ Aladdin creates the perfect dense high-octane menace to go along with the iconic lyrics.

[DJ Premier] Gang Starr : Bless The Mic (Instrumental)

At the tail end of last year we got an instrumental release of the "One Of The Best Yet", which itself was the surprise release of 2019. I didn't realise how much I missed the combination of Guru and Preemo, but the beats even stand as good listens by themselves!

Jeep Beat Collective : The Bomb Drops

A gem here from mid-nineties Manchester, and the brainchild of scene veteran Dave the Ruf, who you might know from JBC, Mindbomb, or if you're local, the Scratch Jam sessions he and DJ Rasp put together! This is uptempo, sample-packed, and topped with very serious cuts, which made it a worth inclusion on Bomb Records' original "Return Of The DJ" album.

Donald D : Rage Of The Rap Renegade

Staying with the 90s vibe, we wind it back to 1991 and the second album ("Let The Horns Blow") from Donald D out of the Rhyme Syndicate crew. No frills, just skills, with the Syndicate Sniper busting off lyrical shots over Bilal Bashir's heavy drums and sampling of a well-known bassline. 

Motion Man : Come On Y'all

This track from "Clearing The Field" is an excellent tribute to/take on "My Part Of Town" by Philadelphia's Tuff Crew. KutMasta Kurt on production creates a 2002 version of the beat for Motion to get busy on. Definitely check the video - it's definitely one of the more original ones I've ever seen!

Mega Ran & Storyville : React

Teacher, MC, and now published author Mega Ran is definitely a man to check in at least one of his chosen disciplines! While he may be in Phoenix now, he's a Philadelphia native who combines here with his hometown compadre Storyville - both of them were former members of the RAHM Nation crew. The "Soul Veggies" album from 2015 is just solid, nourishing quality (part of the reason for the title), and so I thought we'd come back to it - I last dropped a track from this four years ago! Uptempo double bass action drives this one, the mic work is on point as always, and the cuts in the hook season it up lovely.

DJ Spinna : Rock

There have been many versions of this track, but this is the original from the Brooklyn don Spinna! You can find this one on 12" with "Watch Dees" (not the DJ!) on the flip.

MF Doom : I Hear Voices

The last full track on "Operation : Doomsday" is the last track for this month's show as well, and it's one of my personal favourites from the album. It's just flavour, pure MC talent and writing skills, no hook, and a beat that isn't weird, but is somehow pretty unique. I could maybe have heard Ghostface doing something with a track like this, but DOOM stamps this one indelibly.

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

  Check out this episode!

[sailor-freak]

Halestorm: Reimagined - Album Review

(image source)

This was a lot cos I had a wasp problem towards the end but MY WIG IS GONE SO LET’S GO.

I Get Off - From the couple of previews they put up I was SO excited for this one. And you know what, IT FUCKING LIVED UP TO WHAT I WANTED OMG. The chorus really stands out, cos it’s not overly heavy but it’s not as dragged down as other songs off this EP, and the way Lzzy switched the vocal tones, in the original singing higher and having the lower harmony in the background, but here the lower part is the main part and the original higher part is the background harmony. Also the way she extends the end of “I do for me” is just WOW. I feel like I’m mainly talking about the vocals but I also love the different way Joe uses the guitar in this one, the echo effect sort of replaces the main riff in the intro and it works really well 😂. So yeah, a very fucking solid start 😂.

I Miss The Misery - OMG THE INTRO OF THIS IS GENIUS since it’s their most famous song, they open sort of with the way the music video opens, the original song plays super quietly with some sound over it, idk what it’s meant to be but it adds to the effect. It does just sort of go straight into the reimagined version then, but I love that intro 😂. I guess it’s mostly an acoustic version of the song, but they do add some structural effects that give a different later to it than just “an acoustic version”. The drums also for some reason give me Into The Wild Life vibes, since that was a very vibey album the drums make it sound like this version of the song would slot seamlessly into that album 😂. Unfortunately it does end pretty abruptly, but I guess since they usually extend the outro for this song to like 10 fucking minutes why not 😂. It’s not my favourite, it’s good, but I think since this is my favourite song I have super high standards for it 😂.

I Am The Fire - This kind of has a similar reimagining concept to I Miss The Misery but it kind of pulls it off better? Somehow the way Joe uses the guitar it actually sounds kind of... flamey 😂. Am I making any sense idk it just seems to fit the idea of the song better 😂. Also it sounds like Arejay’s playing a fucking marching drum I have NO idea if that’s the case but it sounds like it, so it almost gives it a soldier vibe, again fitting with the song. Lzzy’s vocals as well here WOW she uses her voice so much softer here, but it slays my liiiiiife I love it 😂. It does get heavier at the bridge, there’s a switch to electric guitar but not for the rest of the song, it’s just used when it needs to be there 😂. Although I prefer OG I Miss The Misery to OG I Am The Fire, I think I prefer Reimagined I Am The Fire to Reimagined I Miss The Misery 😂.

Break In (ft. Amy Lee) - Already done a post on this so you can read that there but yes we love Amy this is so good haha.

I Will Always Love You - Mm not impressed again, it is NOTHING against Halestorm I just don’t like this song 😂. I do love the way Lzzy starts off acapella, but I think they do it live that way anyway 😂. Okay wow sorry this bit I’m typing now is a couple of hours when I left sorry things happened lmao anyway yeah idk what to say cos I just don’t like this song and while Lzzy slays she just can’t save it enough for me to want to listen to it 😂.

Mz. Hyde - I THINK THIS ONE’S MY FAVOURITE like... holy CRAP this one’s good. It definitely does strip some things back but it NEVER loses how dark and cool this song is. It’s almost got some electronic sounds in there but it WORKS 😂. I absolutely love how the backing vocals are used in here, it almost gives you the idea of an old monster film where the entire townsfolk are screaming over this scary monster that is Mz Hyde 😂. While in the original there was a contrast between the verses and chorus to create the Jekyll and Hyde effect, this almost goes directly for the story and it works just as well. Also the way the bass is used here is so effective, Josh really adds that dark underlayer that keeps the song dark where the heaviness of the electric guitar is missing. Oh, and the “it’s me Lzzy i swear”, always slays me, but that one was low key adorable 😂. Yeah, pretty sure this one’s my favourite from the EP 😂.

Overall thoughts, this whole EP mostly did give off an acoustic covers EP, mainly with I Miss The Misery and I Am The Fire, but there was so many different elements and layers added to songs it felt a lot more than that. I think as an EP it’s a great opportunity to listen to new interpretations of the songs you like, and also if you aren’t crazy on the original versions it’s something different for you. Absolutely glowing review from me lads, but what else did you expect from me, it’s Halestorm 😂.

[thefantasysuite]

Arie’s Bachelor Preview

Finally. Maybe it just seems longer because I didn’t post much during ette or paradise, but it’s about time we got some new info on the OG of dating shows. The cast has finally been released. I’m going to assume that like me, your heart skipped a beat when you got that google alert stating as much. I glanced at a few pictures, but have held off reading anything about any of the ladies to make sure I captured first impression. You wouldn’t stand out there greeting each as she comes out of the limo and then get black out drunk and not remember what you first thought the next morning. Unless of course you are a contestant on this show and have already stalked the bachelor for months on end. In that case, pass the alcohol.

If you’ve followed this blog at all you know I like to stay away from off season drama. You had your 15 mins of fame. As Mr. Wonderful eloquently puts it:

But since it’s the season of giving I’ll give you a quick update on last year’s bachelor, Nick. Him and Vanessa broke up. The end. But seriously, this is what they looked like right after they were able to make their ‘arrangement’ public:

Yeah. Good job convincing everyone that was going to last.

Alright Moving right along. The bachelor this year is Arie Luyendyk:

I don’t remember feeling strongly about Arie one way or another when he was on. I do remember feeling strongly about the bachelorette that he was chasing after however:

Back to Arie. He comes from a family that likes to race cars. The F1 circuit to be precise. For all intents and purposes I’m going to group that in with NASCAR because the jokes are easier. Matt and Trey got 22 minutes out of making fun of NASCAR:

I can do a season of the bachelor.

Arie’s bachelor announcement doesn’t come without some controversy. He may have broken up with girlfriend right before he became the bachelor:

http://www.etonline.com/exclusive-arie-luyendyk-jrs-ex-girlfriend-says-she-was-blindsided-bachelor-casting-their-breakup

It also appears Arie has a type when you look at his ex compared to the former bachelorette:

Enough about Arie. Let’s see the skanks that will be racing after his heart (get used to a bunch corny puns relating to his former profession)

Ali

Ali is a personal stylist. Got a quick tip for Ali. Next time ABC offers to have their professional stylist help you out before your headshot, don’t say “I got this”. The most embarrassing thing she listens to is Nickelback. While unrelated, please check out this clip of another Chad Kroeger fighting his local government to keep house parties a god given right:

The Beastie Boys would be proud

Amber

3 people dead or alive you’d like to have lunch with. You can tell a lot about a person in how they answer. Starting your list off with Kim Kardashian says more than enough. What can you possibly ask her in which the honest answer isn’t “sex tape”? How did you get so famous? Sex tape. How did you break into the industry? Sex tape. What drove your step dad to become a woman? Sex tape

Annaliese

I feel like Annaliese misunderstood the question 5 things you can’t live without. She listed 3 different types of food and 2 emotions. I think the producers are looking for you to say something like wi-fi and your favorite hoody. She also listed Miley Cyrus and Chrissy Tiegan as people she would want to be. Guessing there isn’t much going on upstairs with this one

Ashley

Ashley looks super boring. Doubt she makes it past night 1. She hates doing laundry because it takes her a week to go from washing her clothes, to folding, to putting them away. Pft. I leave that shit in the dryer and go grab a pair of socks and underwear as needed. Amateur

Becca K

Becca has quite the jawline on her. Hopefully she has a smokin hot body. Becca is a publicist. You know who was also a publicist? Fucking Shauna:

Something tell me Becca is publicizing people more like Johnny Drama and less like Vincent Chase

Bekah M

Bekah is very intriguing. This might be a first, but her age isn’t listed in her bio. And I really want to know what it is. Her profession is nanny so I would assume she’s pretty young. But past contestant Corrine also had a nanny and she was pretty old. I know it’s because of the hair, but I’m getting a Morena Baccarin vibe:

I’ve got my eye on this one

Bibiana

I’m guessing Bibiana has quite a bit of personality. This has to be the girl other girls hate, right? She’s an executive assistant and former NFL cheerleader. I vote Bibi as most likely to tell everyone that she isn’t there to make friends and to start calling Arie her man

Bri

Bri is a sports reporter. I needed to look it up to be sure:

Now I’m not saying someone that’s already been on TV can’t fall in love with someone else on TV. But if she gets to the final 3 this season, fans like her, and a sideline job happens to open up with ABC she may have her eyes on a prize other than Arie

Brittane J

At the risk of making an off(on)-color joke, I’m going to guess that is a new way to spell Brittany. And is she winking? Lunch with 3 people dead or alive she went with Whitney Houston, Bernie Sanders, Beyonce. When the bill came Bernie made sure that Whitney Houston’s estate paid for her meal before the new tax bill gets rid of the death tax. (Hey. She got political, not me)

Brittany T

Seeing her listed as Brittany T confirms that the previous girl does pronounce it as Brittany. This Brittany would like to have lunch with Chris Evans, Hillary Clinton (shudder), and Beyonce. When Chris Evans goes on a coke binge he better hope he stays away from the bathtub to relax afterwards (See Whitney Houston above). Also, do you think Hillary ordered a side of beef at lunch? I remember when she got chucked into a van like a side of beef at a 9/11 memorial ceremony:

#neverforget

Caroline

I’m out on Caroline. She doesn’t have a dog yet, but can’t wait to find someone to “co-parent” a dog with. You would be a dog owner, not a parent. I bet she also can’t wait to “play house” with Arie. She’s going to be that girl that Arie tries to have a serious conversation with and can’t stop giggling while talking about how much fun they have together

Chelsea

Chelsea is boring and generic. Sticks out in no way. Not pretty. Not ugly. Thinks France is the most romantic city. Listed grade school sports as something she did competitively (read: unathletic). Likes warm weather, but not too warm. I don’t see anything here. I suspect an early pass (racing jokes) from Arie

Jacqueline

I’m trying to figure out who Jackie looks like. Right now I’m stuck on a poor (very poor) man’s Winnie Cooper:

I don’t think that’s the right answer, so I am open to suggestions. I also kind of wanted to look up Danica McKellar so I’m not mad. This will never work out though. She keeps talking about her career and how important it is to her. Career first women don’t win. They usually become the bachelorette. Not that I’m suggesting that will happen. Just that she has no chance

Jenna

Jenna is a social media manager from Indiana. Speaking of, I need to fire mine. When she eventually reads this post I expect https://twitter.com/thebachtweets to be updated with the new season flair. Jenna’s favorite show is Friends. I’m going to diagnose her as Monica. Looks like she is bubbly, can provide some comic relief when necessary, and probably has a nerdy brother named Ross that keeps finding ways to screw up everything with his much hotter girlfriend. How you doin’??

Jenny

Jenny’s most afraid of picking the wrong person to marry. I guess you can’t make that mistake if the bachelor picks you. She probably has nightmares about being the bachelorette. Many of her answers indicate that she’s outdoorsy and loves adventure. She looks just the opposite. Maybe her idea of camping is hanging out in a motor home watching netflix while a fire burns outside

Jessica

Jessica’s occupation is television host and I immediately couldn’t wait to look up which show. Then I saw she was from Canada, which isn’t real tv. Is Degrasi still on? But then I looked her up and it’s worse than Canadian tv host. She has a youtube channel called Jessica Carroll TV.......(So what if I watched the video ‘Get Pool Party Ready). So we have smoking hot girl living in LA that’s used to the camera. Guess who might get called out first for not being there for the right reasons

Kendall

I feel like Kendall has a drink in one or both hands of this picture. This chick is weird. If she could be any animal she went with bat. Most romantic gift was an alligator hand holding an iron heart in a jar because she collects taxidermy. As long as it wasn’t an alligator holding a human hand. Carl Weathers would have been pissed:

Krystal

Krystal is one of those fitness nuts. I feel like that’s a profession/hobby that never does well on this show either. She says she is most afraid of unused potential. Lol. She must moonlight as a life coach. Trying to remember back to when Arie was on the bachelorette he didn’t strike me as a real go getter. I feel like Krystal is going to push him to be better and Arie will end up channeling his brother in name and hit her with:

Lauren B

I think Lauren B goes far. Pretty girl. No weird answers. What is my first rule about going on this show? Don’t be weird. She has a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. By the way, whatever happened to Billy Blanks?

Lauren G

Lauren has the real descriptive occupation of executive recruiter. Her favorite tv show is ‘This is Us’. I’ve never seen an episode, but based on the people that watch it and from what I’ve heard it sounds like one long ass chick flick. It’s like tv networks needed to try and scoop up the ‘Parenthood’ audience that loves mushy feel good/make you cry stories and we ended up here. Those shows are the worst (And no, the bachelor is not the scripted reality version of those shows).

Lauren J

Lauren is honest. Asked if she’s neat or messy, she concedes to being messy. Doesn’t like playing games with guys, just tells them how she feels. Eats full meals in bed. Can’t live without mascara. She’s also 33 so no time to beat around the bush. I think she’ll end up getting super jelly when she sees Arie making out with other girls. I’m gonna say she ends up in the top 5. Arie wants a young girl to parade around for a little while. Lauren is probably trying to have kids tomorrow

Lauren S

The run on Lauren’s continues. We’ve got another social media manager on our hands. It’s funny thinking back to the first season of the bachelor and knowing how that job wouldn’t have even existed. When asked if she could be anyone in the world she went with ‘anyone in Taylor Swift’s girl squad’. You wouldn’t want to be....I don’t know....Taylor Swift instead? Not very lofty girls for this one. She’s an early out

Maquel

Maquel? Whatever. Guess we are just making names up at this point. Her favorite holiday is Halloween. She loves dressing up and creepy/scary stuff. I’m guessing she is more Cady and less Regina:

Marikh

Maybe the weirdest answer to a question that I’ve seen:

What? So you don’t want to accidentally confirm an incorrect assumption? Keep in mind that she was asked this question, had time to think it over, decided to go with that. I think Marikh might break down if asked where she wants to go to eat. “I love Olive Garden but I hate their breadsticks and salad and pasta so let’s go there”

Nysha

Nysha looks like she’s embarrassed to take this photo and have an official Bachelor headshot that will live forever. I don’t see Nysha doing real well this season. Her answer on favorite tv show and fictional character comes off as a bit “I don’t need no man”. Try not to make a scene when you don’t get a rose

Olivia

Olivia is 23. She looks even younger than that. Favorite book is 50 shades of grey. Not sure she was old enough to read that when it first came out. Do you think she secretly hopes Arie has a sex dungeon? Probably would have been a good intern for Matt Lauer. 

Seinne

I’m going to guess that Seinne is this year’s Rachel (you know what I’m getting at). Favorite tv show is Game of Thrones. I don’t care for the show. Watched the first season and couldn’t believe I wasted that much time. Don’t get the appeal at all. If I hear Dilly Dilly one more time I’m going to fucking lose it

Tia

Tia could win this year, be the girl that everyone hates, or be the next bachelorette. I’ll know by the end of the first episode, but right now I have no clue. I’m looking for key things in her answers and she says ‘sassy’ as well as having gone to a swingers resort. I’m going to go with the one everyone loves to hate. But I reserve the right to change my mind

Valerie

Valerie is a server in Nashville (failed country music artist). She’s 25 and has over 50 Halloween costumes. Maybe she celebrates it multiple times a year. I just hope she doesn’t have that thick twang when she talks. That’s so annoying

There they are. The desperate fame whores looking to make their mark January 1st. I do wonder about airing the premiere on the 1st. I know there isn’t a ton of crossover between individuals when it comes to the bachelor and college football, but I can imagine a fight or two between couples when it’s the football semi-finals vs bach premiere. The game airs on ESPN which is of course owned by ABC’s parent company of Disney. I would suggest holding off a week but the national championship game is played that next Monday. 

See ya after the premiere

- Nick

[67chevy-imagine]

Maybe this can help someone: 

Hey! I usually don’t post about my personal feelings and shit but oh my god I need an outlet to rant, and I think of you all as my family/friends, so I trust you all. (Plus, none of you know any of my irl friends!) 

But damn. Like, I am realizing shit and I thought hey, if I’m going through it, probably someone else is, and maybe my ranting will help clear up someone else’s situation to them -- if that makes sense to you. 

Here we go:

I definitely thought college would be different. When I started my first EVER semester, fresh out of HS I was like, shit this is so cool! I’m going to meet a bunch of people (my high school ruined my life, mental health, everything, so it was crucial I met new people immediately and immersed myself in healthy relationships) and that I would start fresh and show off my personality I knew I had inside me but which my high school stuffed back down. And it went great; I made a huge group of friends. For tons of people, they stick and it’s great. For me -- I fell out with a bunch of them and only like one. One. One of six close-knit-what-i-thought-were-forever-friends. Dead ass, I thought we would grow up to be like the OG F.R.I.E.N.D.S (I’m obviously Chandler). Shit hit the fan though as soon as my best friend since middle grade (who was part of the crew) fought with my personal close friend in the crew and from there everyone began to become wary of each other and these weird ass alliances grew? And I’m here like, why??? Just fucking love each other and apologize and grow the fuck up because who has time to spew hate!! 

[Insight to my personality: I’m super chill. But, I have mad anxiety, so I’m like a super chill mom. I do what’s best, but I also have fun. At this point in the semester though, all the good vibes I’m trying to spread and just be like literally a fucking hippie, are getting totally shat on because people just aren’t at the same mental maturity I am (i’ve been called a 40 year old wine mom on several different occasions) and I know how to get my shit together unlike them. Also, I’m honest. Brutally. No, not rude. But I will put someone in their fucking place if needed be -- don’t take this as advice to roast people. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying I can stand up for myself if the situation begs for it. Don’t insult people, one thing you say can stick with someone forever, way past the time where you can even remember you say it.]

Moral of this messy ass rant: Don’t be afraid to drop friends who are “toxic” to you just because you’re scared of being alone. You can always start fresh. But, if you do think the relationship can be healed -- work on it. Make sure work is put in on both sides. 

I also thought I would be extremely close with someone who turned out to be different than expected. So, just know where you stand with people. Not everyone is going to be your best friend. Each of your friends may play a different role in your life. One may be there for your sad days when you need someone to call, others are there for going out and partying. Some though, if you’re lucky, are there no matter what. And that takes time and building. So don’t be afraid to start from scratch. It’ll be worth it in the end. I’m in the middle of that process, message me we can do it together! 

Love you all. xo. 

        P.S,

listen to Be As You Are - acoustic version, Mike Posner