#if you did: great! listen to the rest of her discography!

[funnyborzoi]

i wish i knew more adrianne lenker fans. i don't know a single person that's listened to more than just songs!! all of my friends probably think i'm insane talking about bright future and hours were the birds and abysskiss and whatnot!!

[niniluvsainz]

labyrinth ☽ ln4

masterlist!

in which... he has one friendship bracelet and a dream.

pairings... lando norris x fem!singer!reader

face claim: sabrina carpenter (but you can imagine reader however you'd like!)

warnings... simp lando, cursing, reader is insinuated to be american in one comment but you can just skip past that, use of y/n, oscar is trying so hard to not be noticed as a y/n fan, reader is basically taylor swift, you probably don't know when reader and lando get together bcs even i dont know but i added dates so maybe that helps?, oh and labyrinth the version that tay sang at the eras tour on the piano bcs that is superior.

author's note... yea we're burning tf out of the whole taylor / travis situation, but i'm adding my twist to it hehe

lando: it's today people.

max: WE KNOW

george: someone is moody.

max: lando, if by some chance you get to interact with her, don't say anything stupid. you've waited too long to fuck it up.

pierre: oscar, how much does lando bombard you with anything related to y/n?

oscar: i've listened to her entire discography without my consent. and i know her entire lore.

carlos: mate just have fun tonight

alex: lily said if you by some miracle get to speak to y/n to tell her that her biggest fan, lily, is her biggest fan

lando: great. oscar i'm picking you up at four.

logan: wait OSCAR'S GOING?

oscar: again, against my will.

nando: if you get to say anything to y/n tell her im a big fan

charles: NANDO TOO?

---

17 august 2024.

yourusername

liked by landonorris and others

yourusername uk i loved you too much! 🩵 thank you so much for an amazing tour. the past year has been absolutely magical, and i' so happy i got to spend it with you all. i don't know, maybe add a few more shows for next year? ���

view all comments.

user1 mother

user2 WE LOST THE OUTSIDE AND CASTLES CRUMBLING UK YOU WILL SEE HELL.

↳ user3 HOW DARE SHE MAKE THESE THE LAST SONGS FOR THE TOUR

user4 how does a 24 year old sell out stadiums internationally. i've been with homegirl since she was in her country yeehaw era 🥲

↳ user5 she is the moment. she is the music industry.

↳ user6 so real

gracieabrams loved opening for u bbg 💞

↳ yourusername I LOVE YOU SO MUCH 💖

milomanheim great work out there lil sis 🖤

↳ yourusername thank u for being there every step of the way bsf 🥹

---

vanityfair

liked by charles_leclerc and others

vanityfair formula one driver, lando norris, has been spotted at y/n l/n's headline tour! the british mclaren driver has been associated with l/n after publicly announcing he's a major fan. oscar piastri (not pictured), the other mclaren f1 driver, also attended the concert with his teammate. link in bio for more updates of celebrities spotted at this world-revolting concert.

comments have been limited.

---

landonorris added to their story!

caption: i'm deceased.

replies;

↳ carlossainz55 amazing, mate! show me videos when we see each other again!

↳ maxverstappen1 i sure hope after tonight you'll stop talking about her.

↳ charles_leclerc lowkey...jealous

↳ pierregasly i already miss the lando before he went to this concert.

↳ logansargeant american talent rahhh 🦅

↳ georgerussell63 haha she didn't talk to u.

↳ oscarpiastri don't tell me you caught my screaming during dont blame me.

↳ alex_albon so did you talk to her?

↳ fernandoalo_oficial i liked her song 'nonsense'.

---

"Lando, great qualifying for you today." The interviewer spoke whilst Lando adjusted the microphone in front of him. "It seems you had a great summer break, and it helped you recharge for the rest of the season, we hope. The internet was crazy when they saw pictures of you," Lando laughed nervously, as he knew what was about to be said.

"Tell us, how was summer break. We of course know what happened, but what did you feel was good about the break?"

"Er, yeah." Lando adjusted his cap. "I had an amazing break, got to see the family. And my idol." The blush was recognizable on the Papaya driver. "Y/N L/N. I went to her concert in the UK, and it was an enjoyable moment." Lando knew if he went further, he would just ramble on and on about Y/N.

"But, did you get to interact with her?" This was the question that made the British's smile falter.

"No, I did not, unfortunately." If one dream (other than being in Formula One and winning a WDC) would to come true, it would be to even interact with you. You were his idol, the person he grew up listening to. From when you were thirteen and releasing country songs, changing to pop, and to this day he was forever your number one supporter. No other person would be able to change his love for you.

"I actually made a friendship bracelet with my phone number on it, and another one with the letters L, N and my racing number. Just to keep to myself. The one with my number was for me to trade with her." Lando chuckled. "I know she probably doesn't speak to people before or after the concert. I mean, singing for three hours-you have to save every ounce of your voice for that. At the time, I took it personally. But now, I got to understand."

"And if you were to say something to her right now, what would you say?" The interviewer asked again.

"Um..." Lando thought about his words carefully. "That she's my absolute daylight. And I hope one day she comes to a race."

"Thank you, Lando." The interviewer said, before Lando was off the camera and another driver took over.

---

25 august 2024.

etentertainment

liked by milomanheim and others

etentertainment after mclaren's f1 driver, lando norris, expressed he went to y/n l/n's "the eras tour" but didn't have the opportunity to speak with her before or after the concert, the singer-songwriter has now been spotted at the zandvoort grand prix.

📷 : gettyimages

view all comments.

user7 OH MY GOD OH MY GOD WHAT WORLD ARE WE LIVING IN

user8 I'VE BEEN WAITING ON MISS L/N TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT LANDO

user9 MISS MA'AM STARTED FOLLOWING SOME OF THE DRIVERS TODAY AS WELL

↳ user10 omg y/n in her f1 wag era 🫢

user11 she clearly is losing spotlight in the entertainment world so she has to seek help elsewhwere

↳ user12 i dont know maybe being the youngest artist to cover the top fifteen spots in the charts, sell out stadiums for her tour, is constantly being heard everywhere because of her songwriting or her songs in general all while still finishing her studies at university seems pretty successful to me but i mean, why would a thirty-year old man think that's more successful than sitting on a couch all day having something shitty to say about a woman who is thriving in life.

↳ user11 i work from the office.

↳ user13 dad, why are you fighting on the internet again.

---

oscarpiastri added to their story!

caption: lando's live reaction to seeing yourusername in the paddock

replies;

↳ maxverstappen1 no he fell to his knees mid-paddock when we were walking back to start the race

↳ user14 OMG Y/N IS IN THE PADDOCK?!

↳ user15 lando is seeing stars rn

↳ user16 he literally said in the interview yesterday after quali he wanted y/n to come to a race, AND HIS MF WISH COMES TRUE THE VERY NEXT DAY?

↳ yourusername awee where is he i wanna meet him 🫶

---

maxverstappen1

liked by yourusername and others

maxverstappen1 lando fell to his knees seconds after this picture was taken. checo tripped over him. y/n helped them up, and lando threw checo out so he could be the only one to hold y/n.

view all comments.

landonorris no that was all you.

comments have been limited.

---

yourusername

liked by landonorris and others

yourusername oh look at that

tagged: mclaren, landonorris

view all comments.

maxverstappen1 he actually made dinner good. it wasnt poisonous this time.

↳ landonorris i always cook well. you just don't like my impeccable classy taste.

carlossainz55 thank you for coming to zandvoort y/n i dont think i could've handled any more of lando's horrible cooking skills

↳ yourusername you all had yukitsunoda0511 ? isn't he the chef around here

↳ yukitsunoda0511 every one of them don't understand food. i'm unappreciated here.

↳ yourusername i appreciate you yuki 🥺

user17 i hope she gets close to the grid

user18 why do i lowk want her to date lando 🤭

↳ user19 girl we all do

charles_leclerc it was so nice meeting you, y/n!

↳ yourusername likewise, charles! but i think i liked your girlfriend better ;)

↳ alexandrasaintmleux im all yours babe

oscarpiastri it was fun meeting u or wtv

↳ yourusername lando sent me the videos and i will release them.

↳ oscarpiastri YOU WOULDN'T DARE.

---

7 september 2024.

kellypiquet added to their story!

caption: good day with good people

tagged: maxverstappen1, yourusername, landonorris

---

1 october 2024.

Another interview with Teen Vogue you were currently attending. It was a video for "Answering Fan Questions". The interview was going smoothly, until you got to a question that almost made you giggle.

How did you end up attending the Dutch Grand Prix this year? You laughed lightly, unable to hide the small blush appearing over your nose and cheeks.

"Yeah, I had the opportunity to attend a Formula One Race this year. It was very fun."

Did you know one of the drivers attended one of your concerts? One of the team members from the magazine asked behind the camera.

"Two drivers," you corrected before trying to divert the answer back to the initial question. "And yes I did know of their attendance. I didn't at the time of the concert, but when I did, I got a message from another driver. Max Verstappen." You hid your face in between your hands because you knew you were about to look like a bloated tomato.

"Um, yeah--and he messages me on Instagram. He's like 'Y/N' and 'please answer me', and sent about ten messages before I noticed the messages. So I text back and I say 'oh hi'," you mimicked a high pitch voice. "And he ends up telling me how devastated Lando was that he didn't get to talk to me. So because he, and the rest of the grid, were absolutely annoyed about Lando talking about me, he invited me to the Dutch Grand Prix, because it was also his home race." The smile couldn't be stopped from spreading on your face. "And of course I'm sure the world of F1 saw how Max and Lando reacted. One fell and the other was crying," you laughed.

"But yeah, it started as a favor to his mate. And now we're all a tight circle. I think I have discovered my found family."

---

10 october 2024.

landonorris

liked by mclaren and others

landonorris oh my god! she's insane! she wrote a song about me... on the piano!

view all comments.

maxverstappen1 stop saying it. we get it.

↳ landonorris UH OH, OH NO, OH LOOK! i dont care

yourusername my number one supporter 😍

↳ landonorris since ‘09 baby 😘

charles_leclerc i helped her too

↳ landonorris um, am i supposed to thank you?

↳ user20 IM CRYUING

oscarpiastri can you both get off my timeline

↳ user21 remember oscuh, they both have blackmail material

↳ mclaren you're actually all about to traumatize him for life with these blackmail videos (we're gonna blast them at the next race)

georgerussell63 ew.

↳ yourusername shut up you literally are always all lovey-dovey-cuddly with carmie

↳ landonorris oh we also have blackmail of you and carmen

↳ georgerussell63 you are speaking with the blackmail ceo of f1, you know?

user22 AHH PARENTS FINALLY TOGETHER

user23 BEEN HERE SINCE KARTING LANDO SAID HE WAS A FAN OF Y/N

↳ user24 OMG SAME 😭

---

20 october 2024.

yourusername added to their story!

caption: austin time 🇺🇸 🏈, hacked bitches landonorris

comments have been limited.

---

12 november 2024.

yourusername

liked by landonorris and others

yourusername oh, i'm falling in love. thank u for being my muse, little lando. labyrinth out tonight @ midnight in honor of your birthday, noodles <3

view all comments.

pierregasly i cried.

↳ yourusername you screamed actually

↳ francisca.cgomes sent the video, babe 😘

lewishamilton so happy for you both

↳ yourusername i love you father

↳ lewishamilton go tell fernando that, i'm not that old

↳ fernandoalo_oficial yourusername hi lando didn't tell you but i'm a big fan

↳ yourusername i love you father <33

carlossainz55 lando was bold. he took a string with beads and was determined. i'll give him creds for that

↳ yourusername right like i had no faith in the man

↳ landonorris i can read the comments, you know

landonorris still starstruck but i love you so much

↳ yourusername i love you 👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻

↳ landonorris i dont like that emoji

alex_albon lily when are u writing a song about me

↳ lilymhe are the playlists i make with half of them including all of y/n's discography not enough for me to show you my love?

↳ user25 you're so real for that lily

logansargeant now that we're basically related, can you add more shows so i can go to a concert

↳ logansargeant oscar stop hacking my account

↳ oscarpiastri i didnt do that!!!

↳ yourusername staring at you like a damn hawk when you were typing and i got the notification. just admit u like my music is it that hard?

↳ landonorris i will catch him singing one of your songs. one day.

↳ oscarpiastri good luck.

↳ logansargeant soo are you adding any more shows?

idk maybe thinking of doing a small drabble of how oscar and lando were at y/n's concert? i feel like i built up that suspense lmao but hope u enjoy 🫶

tags: @ultraviolencesam , @topguncultleader , @peachiicherries , @towkstiles

(strikethrough means i couldn't tag you, or your user couldn't be found)

add yourself to the taglist!

[solarwynd]

The best thing about this album is the same best thing about all their album: the fact that it makes me want to listen to Jimin's full discography and I always have a great time.

I don't even need to talk about Face, but I feel like not enough it's said about Muse. I agree with most people that Face is overall better, but listening to Muse beginning to end reminded me of how good it is.

Rebirth it's such a pretty song, I really wish it was longer. Though funnily enough Running Wild is not even 10 seconds longer than Rebirth, and Promise is a similar length. Maybe it being called an intro makes it seem shorter than these other songs? Also, the fact that Jimin produced this song and it sounds this beautiful? I'm gonna need him to produce more in the future cause he's so talented.

Honestly, SGMB doesn't get enough love. I almost feel like the mv makes the song feel more 'childish' to people but when you listen to just the audio it doesn't feel childish, it just sounds fun and light-hearted. I love the little things Jimin and Loco say throughout the song, like "Let's talk about us/Just for you/Yes sir/Can't stop/Take it to the bridge" and the "tog" when they burst a bubble makes me giggle every time. And the "hmmm, I love you babe" is so stinking cute. Also, I don't know how properly describe it, but I love that sparkling sound in the pre-chorus and the bridge (the same one that's in the pre-chorus of Be Mine). I also like that, unlike what you might expect, it doesn't end with the chorus again and instead ends with an instrumental break, similar to Slow Dance.

Speaking of Slow Dance, also love it, it really does sound so romantic. I heard some people complain about Sofia but I actually like her voice, it's kinda breathy but also kinda deep, it's nice. And that instrumental break at the end, chef's kiss.

With Be Mine there's no need to say anything, I felt a connection with that song back when we only knew it's name and I remain a loyal Be Mine stan.

Who truly is pop perfection, Jimin came to prove pop can be good actually, everybody say thank you Jimin.

Closer Than This is the only song that I don't love, but I still like it. I think I'm just a little tired of fan songs (though I do love Letter) and it also feels a little too long. But it's still nice and I get why Jimin made it, specially with it being released back when he enlisted, that was a nice 'goodbye for now, but don't worry we'll see each other again eventually'. That was a good moment to release the song, I just feel that it was a little disappointing to have it be on the album instead of a new song.

But anyway, I love Muse, maybe not as much as Face cause I do love me some depressing music and Face definitely provides in that area, but now and then we can be a little happy, so I appreciate Jimin feeding both the angsty girlies and the romantic girlies, thank you Jimin again.

I realize that me giving a full review of Muse is kinda random and a few months late, but like I said, I listened to the whole album after listening to Happy and I just felt the need to gush about Jimin. Cause who are we as people if not gushers of Jimin? I'm sure you can understand.

I think it’s a given l to compare the rest of the members music to Jimin’s because in my mind, Jimin’s the standard for me. I don’t go in automatically thinking that their music couldn’t possibly be better than his or that I won’t like it better. Cause there’s always a possibility that it could be and I do.

The main reason I place FACE above MUSE is the story telling aspect of it. I don’t think I’ll ever get over how masterfully it was crafted. Jimin genuinely did such a good job it. A lot of times I think about how I lucked out in finding Jimin cause he’s tbh he’s perfect to me and his music really does just scratch my brain right.

[surrealisticduvet]

Album Review - The Prison: A Book With a Soundtrack (1974)

The Prison - Michael’s first album to be released under his own record label, and the first album maybe ever to be released with its own novella. The Prison’s concept is hard to explain (you either over-explain it or over-simplify it) but in a nutshell, it is about a man (interestingly named after Michael’s second son) who lives in a prison which he discovers is not real - he can walk out at any time he likes, and the prison will fade away. This is an allegory for the troubles of society; when one is entrenched in it, it is real, and constraining; when you leave, which you can do at any time, at great personal cost, you discover that it has been, all this time, a fabrication. The book itself is very interesting, but this review is about the album, and the music it contains; let us begin.

Favorite parts of the album:

It’s clear, between the album itself and the way he spoke about it, that this was a monumental production for him. It’s very different from his previous work, and much of his post-Prison work is influenced by it. The lyrics are very strong and poetic – which makes sense, considering that writing was his focus with the book. The instrumentation is wonderful too (I love the guitar and subtle pedal steel - yes, of course Red is on this record!). although the higher level of production can make it sound a little stiffer and more impersonal at times (compared to, say, And the Hits… where he did a huge chunk of the playing himself). I don’t think the album suffers for that, however - it’s a soundtrack, so the production is perfect. 

“Dance Between the Raindrops” is probably the catchiest song on the album - starting here, and continuing in other tracks, is the trend of using a subtle background melody to drive your reading along. Amidst the lyrics and the music itself, it’s easy to get a little distracted at times, but having that baseline to keep you grounded is nice. This happens again in “Hear Me Calling,” where he utilizes a sort of “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” western shuffle deep in the background of the song. (He uses this again in the next album I’ll be reviewing – I’ll rave about it then.) 

“Walking Mystery” is another hit in my book (to be clear, none of these songs are “hits” - they would never make good radio songs, except perhaps on an easy listening station.) It has a mystical, ethereal quality and ambiance, which is again wonderful for reading along. This song and a few others almost have a touch of that dreamy 80’s synth - six years before the decade rolled around. 

Overall, the album flows beautifully, and is in fact long enough for you to read the whole book while listening. Which brings me to my critiques…

Critiques:

It may be my fault, for rushing out of fear that I’d run out of music before I ran out of pages – but in fact, it was the opposite: I finished reading long before the album ran out, and I certainly didn’t digest it well enough. Having read through once, I ought to go back and savor it this time, reading slowly and feeling the music throughout. I do believe that while reading, you miss a little of the music (I enjoy it much more when I listen on its own), although Michael said that if you’re experiencing this issue, you might just need to practice. That could be true – or maybe the songs just aren’t as memorable as some of his others. Perhaps; they weren’t made to be stand-alone hits (he had to change “Marie’s Theme” quite a bit for it to sound like a standard track on the Ranch Stash re-release), and they’re not as easy to sing along with as the rest of his discography. 

My next critique is about the book itself, which isn’t very fair to the music, but they are intertwined – it’s very theoretical and a little preachy (a symptom of his present state), which doesn’t ruin the experience for me, but I see why it wouldn’t necessarily be critically acclaimed by a casual listener/reader. Oh well. 

Finally – and this is the big one – Michael here is entering his “hamming it up” era, which gets better as the 70s fade out, but never really gets cured. For some reason, there are many lines which he sings in a half-spoken, comical manner, something that would be natural for “Mama Rocker” but absolutely not for a lot of these songs and those that he performs live or on other albums. (This phenomenon is extremely bad on Live at the Palais, which I’ll get to in a few posts…) I guess it doesn’t ruin the experience for me, but it does make me cringe. 

Conclusion:

I truly wish that, first of all, we had a recording of the ballet (?!) that was performed for this album (if I remember correctly from Infinite Tuesday) and that, second, he was not so insecure/embarrassed about this album in the years after it came out. In live performances he apologizes for making people listen to songs off of it (albeit surely half-jokingly) and teases himself about the outro of “Marie’s Theme” (that it repeats 602,417 times at the end so you have time to catch up on some reading, etc.) 

Overall, The Prison is not my favorite album of his ever, although I do really appreciate it – it’s just not one I tend to listen to often. But I think it was a very important one that paved the way for a lot of his later work - a definite timeline shift. His later work was obviously influenced and inspired by it, and it seemed to be a culmination of what his earlier work was leading up to, philosophically (if not so much musically - sort of separate schools going on there – but he was all about that sort of unexpected, conceptual genre-melding approach to music… and that’s why we love him!)

[doyou000me]

if you get this, answer with your top 5 music artists and send it to the last 7 people in your notifications Rose💜

This ask was more difficult then I suppose it's meant to be, because I mainly listen to songs, not artists. A lot of the time, I find one or two songs from the same artist that I really like, and then I have no idea what else they've done, so answering this required some thinking. Thank you @my-rose-tinted-glasses for making me sit down and actually think about what artists I like, and not just what songs I happen to vibe with at the moment!

Spoiler: it's a lot of Korean music, and what makes me come back to an artist is most often their voice.

Isaac Hong I found him through the OST for Strangers From Hell (along with The Rose, The Vane and Yaori) and then rediscovered him when I watched the reality show Super Band. I love his voice and I love the way many of his songs swell and sweep me along. He's done a few more OSTs lately, so if you've watched a lot of kdramas, chances are you've heard his music somewhere.

Give Childhood Memories 내 기억 속의 소년, Close Your Eyes and Ruin a listen!

LeeHi This woman has an absolutely amazing voice and can do widly different songs. She's got a lot of great songs of her own and has done a whole lot of fantastic collabs with various artists as well.

1, 2, 3, 4, FXXK WIT US and Breathe are some of my favourites, but be warmed: Breathe never fails to make me tear up.

Iniko What a voice!!! (Have you noticed a theme yet?) Their voice is otherwordly and all it took was a few seconds of a short clip for me to get goosbumps and be absolutely blown away. Their acapella videos are a treat. Their music is different and powerful and I love it.

Luna, The King's Affirmation and Jericho are definitely recommended!

Woosung and The Rose As mentioned, I first found the indie rock band The Rose through the OST for Strangers from Hell, and then some time later I found the singer Woosung and fell in love with his voice - and then it took me an embarrassing amount of time to realise that Woosung is the singer for The Rose, and his solo songs are what he did to stay active while the rest of the boys did their military service. (Yes, this is the level of research/knowledge I usually have about artists. Virtually none, that is.)

Sorry, Strangers and Wonder are some of my favourite The Rose songs, while Phase Me and Face are some of my favourite Woosung songs! Psst! I have been told that the piano key he's hitting in the Face MV is the G note...

Bibi Once more, as with all of these: The Voice!!! Bibi has a husky voice coupled with a bit of an attitude that I can't help but love! I found her through a show called The Fan (where I also found Car the Garden and Youra) and she keeps delivering!

Long Time Ago, Animal Farm, Vengeance are some of her songs that I think you should check out! The MVs are delighfully bloody, but maybe go for a lyric video if you don't want to see heads roll.

Long list under the cut, because I can't help but cheat:

BTS: the group that first got me into Korean music in 2016, when I'd previously only been interested in Korean movies. They put out so much music I can't keep up and they're possibly the only group where I've listened to enough of their discography to have a favourite album: Wings.

Mamamoo: a group of fantastic ladies who are excellent performers and fantastic singers! They know how to put on a show and how to have fun on stage. They're also challenging Korean stereotypes and norms, which of course gives them extra points in my books.

Jessi: now here's a lady who isn't afraid to speak her mind and who breaks Korean stereotypes for breakfast. She's a girlboss who raps and sings and does both hard-hitting hip hop and emotional ballads.

King Mala: a recent find, but what a find! So many good songs that made me feel like as absolute badass, and the lyrics are great fun and often delightfully kinky.

GSoul: a warm hug and a sigh of relief as you relax. Close your eyes and lean back and give his RnB songs a listen.

Jeff Satur: his music videos with his many different alter egos have given birth to the #jeffcest tag - need I say more? This guy sure has a vision and he seems to be having great fun doing what he's doing and we get to have great fun enjoying the stuff he puts out, so what's not to like?

Ten: now this guy is mainly on the list becuase of his performances, but what performances he puts on!! This guy can dance, and I don't know how many times I've rewatched his Devil performance from Hit The Stage which he did when he'd only just debuted. Apart from his individual songs, he's also part of NCT, so he's part of a whole lot of songs in a variety of different languages.

[fersauce47mediatalk]

About Doja Cat's "Scarlet" album

I’m ready to get this over with. I don’t dislike Doja Cat, but I’m tired of mentioning this in every other big post I make. I actually really enjoyed this album, but I feel like everyone would get tired of relistening to the same album over and over for a review. 

Doja Cat’s “Scarlet” is a good album. It was her most recent album, dropped on September 22, 2023. It has 17 songs and is 51 minutes long. Doja Cat has been rapping since 2013, and has made 4 albums so far. The longest track on this album is “Attention” at 4 minutes and 35 seconds. The shortest song on the album is “Ouchies” at 2 minutes and 2 seconds. 

I don’t plan on listening to her other albums anytime soon. That’s not because I dislike her, that’s because I don’t listen to much rap/hip hop. The people I usually hang around are all fans of that kind of music. They’re the kinds of people that are annoying with the kind of music they listen to and never shut up about it. Don’t get me wrong, I love forcing my music onto others and talking about it constantly, but I feel like fans of that genre take it way too seriously and are really closed minded to trying other kinds of music. I really should make a separate post about how much I dislike people who don’t try new things, especially music.

Although, I’m not sure if I have room to talk when it comes to rap/hip hop music. I’m saying rap/hip hop music because if I’m being completely honest, I don’t know the difference. I don’t know if there is a difference. I’m very sorry if saying that is insensitive, I’m just ignorant when it comes to the genre. 

I usually only listen to rap albums during the day with my homie Kenneth. I’ll give him an ear bud during 4th period and we’ll listen to an album since that’s the longest period. Seriously, it’s like 1.5 hours long. Ridiculous. Anyway, since he’s a mainstream fan we’ll listen to whatever rappers we feel like. Right now we’re going through Kendrick’s discography, 3 more albums to go. Maybe I’ll talk about some of them if they stand out to me. 

Back to Doja Cat’s Scarlet. When I first listened to it, I only listened to the first, like, 6-7 songs. I listened to that first half or so and I was like “Wow, this is great! Why do people hate on Doja Cat, this album is fire!” and then later I listened to the rest of it, and it was mid. I think I liked the first half more because it was less serious and more upbeat as far as beats go, and then it got serious and less lighthearted. Doja Cat stopped being silly, and started talking about more serious things that actually mean something. It’s not that I don’t like serious music, but I just personally prefer when people talk about things that don’t matter. That’s just me though, I’m picky with music that covers serious things. 

I do think that Doja cat is a talented lyricist. There were a few lyrics that I really did like, for example: “I ain’t got no skeletons in my luxury walk in.” I won’t dissect that, it’s just a good example of her being fun and being braggadocious. Is that a word…?

I won’t force you to listen to this album, especially if you dislike rap/hip hop. I will say that if you don’t listen to the whole album, at least listen to these 5 songs that are listed below. Or listen to the first 8. These are in no particular order. 

1- Paint the town red: It’s the most popular song on the album, and if you haven’t heard it already, you really should. It really captures her self confidence.

2- Demons: It subverts the style of the rest of the album in a creative way. I just think it’s neat.

3- Fuck the girls- Good flow, sounds very confident. Sounds like it could be a diss track, but I don't think it is. It’s not aggressive, but it is powerful, if that makes sense. 

4- Ouchies: This also subverts the style of the album. I prefer it over demons. 

5- Love life: Good flow, almost sounds like lofi. It has the same vibe as Let the party die by Kendrick Lamar IMO. 

In conclusion, you don’t have to listen to this album. If you like female rappers, I really think you should. I finally get to stop postponing this, yay! 

[whoiskt]

I didn't do my end of the year questions last year and it messed up the year for me so HERE YA GO:

1. What did you do in 2024 that you’d never done before?

Man, I don't know really? I feel like I used to have so many each year and now I'm struggling to think of any. I went to LA for the first time?

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't know what my resolution was but I'm pretty sure I didn't do it.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No, but basically yes. That's me being a touch dramatic but like, it really does feel like a certain someone died.

5. What countries did you visit?

None.

6. What would you like to have in 2025 that you lacked in 2024?

Clear skin.

7. What dates from 2024 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

None, shit memory, nothing crazy happened this year.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Surviving. It was a bit of a rough one.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I would have liked to achieve more and be more confident in myself by now. It's mostly many small failures in that way. Like, I'm still mad at myself for not presenting my finals well. I did fine in class overall but it was a bit of a bummer at the end there.

Also like, my financials in general are very not great.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Not really, which is good. I had the flu which was scary for a hot second because I had a 104° fever that wouldn't break, and I ain't got no health insurance so I was worried I was going to be forced to go to the doctor and pay out of pocket, which lead to me having a panic attack while already fevering. But I was fine in the end.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I barely bought anything this year that wasn't rent, credit card payments, or tuition. Or Celsius.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

God, I don't know. Let me know. I would like to know.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled?

Not naming names....... but rest assured there was appalling behavior.

14. Where did most of your money go?

See #11, lol.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

School. But I won't make that mistake again. I think school is bad for me mental healths. But we stay silly.

16. What song will always remind you of 2024?

The entire Arcane soundtrack.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?

SADDER FATTER POORER

the holy trifecta 😎👍

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Make money.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Doubt and despair.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Went back home. My second oldest sister was with her in-laws on Christmas Day, so we shifted our Christmas to the 26th. So, on the actual day of, I was just kind of chilling with my folks, we had lasagna, watched The Holiday, and played some games.

21. Did you fall in love in 2024?

Oh yeah, always falling in love babey.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Arcane, Blue Eye Samurai, Dungeon Meshi, What We Do in the Shadows, Law and Order: SVU were my lifeblood. Also rewatched Danny Phantom. Started a lot of good shows I'm yet to finish--literally took a TV history class and I have a huge To Watch list.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

(weary sigh) No, I'm not cut out to hate people.

24. What was the best book you read?

Honestly, most of my reading was academic this year so I didn't finish many books. But House of Leaves was pretty wild and fun. That is one of maybe 3 books I finished this year ahahahaha.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I didn't "discover" Will Wood this year but I finally gave in and listened to more of his discography, discovered many bangers, which is how he ended up as my #2 on Spotify Wrapped.

26. What did you want and get?

Feedback on my art. Got to go home during summer which was nice too.

27. What did you want and not get?

Better. Wait, is that too general of an answer?

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

The Wild Robot.

29. What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Not dying?

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2024?

Whatever doesn't have holes in it (and some things that have less obvious holes too)

31. What kept you sane?

Friends.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Well, I support that guy who shot that insurance CEO... Don't know if I'd go as far as 'fancy' though.

33. What political issue stirred you the most?

God... I don't know. I feel like the world is a ton of bricks and we're getting pelted by it all the time. And it was fucking election year, and look how that turned out...... but I will try not to fall into despair.

34. Who did you miss?

I miss my bro-in-law :(

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2024.

I learned something big and important but I can't remember how I articulated it. I've been having issues with self-worth, and often I fall back to old failures to make things worse, and I've learned that focusing too much on failure doesn't just prevent more failure, it prevents any movement at all including progress or success. So, I've been doing better with that.

So, I guess I've been learning to let things go more.

36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

I had the perfect lyric for this but I can't remember what song it was anymore. It was like literally one random line in a song.... gr... this will bother me. If I think of it, I'll let everyone know and update it.

For now you can have this:

[thisselflovecamebacktome]

So I'm stealing this from @tayloralisonswift and you should definitely check out their version, but I'm going to listen to and rank all of Taylor's songs album by album (and then maybe her non album songs at the end).

Some minor changes: I'm going to be doing all of each album in one post (so 11 - 12 posts all up), I will be adding the Beautiful Eyes EP to debut (because truth be told I think it'll be part of debut's vault tracks anyway), I will be starting at debut and going forward in Taylor's discography, and I will be ranking them out of 10 not 13. I'm also making note here that I am ranking the versions I like best. So for example, I hate Girl At Home (Taylor's Version) but love the original, so the original is the one being ranked because that is what I listen to (noting that I own all the CDs so don't @ me about that). Anyway with that in mind, let's get started with debut.

Tim McGraw: Does this song get nostalgia points? Yes, yes it does. It was the first song I listened to given debut had not even come out yet at the time and was the one time I remember really bonding with my maternal grandfather over something (country music). But even outside of that nostalgia, it genuinely is a great song and great business move to have this be her first single. 9/10.

Picture To Burn: I understand the controversy of the changed lyrics, but honestly despite not being straight, they never bugged me and just felt very teenagery 'If you tell everyone I'm undateable, I'll do the same'. Ultimately a bop but one I don't listen to all that much. 7/10.

Teardrops On My Guitar: God have I never felt older than at Eras Melbourne night three when most of the people in my section were giving me weird looks for knowing this song. I swear it used to be one of her most known songs. I do prefer the RED tour version of this song but overall a great song that I feel is one of her most universal. 9/10.

A Place In This World: I know this is (or at least was during Taylor's earlier days, I feel it's less so nowadays) a fan favourite but it just never hit for me, sorry. Like there's nothing wrong with it, but realistically I can't tell you the last time I listened to it and it's never been a song I've been drawn to. 5/10.

Cold As You: The OG track five! I can't call her underrated because I feel a lot of people love her, but it's deserved. By far one of the debut songs I have listened to over time, even if I don't as much anymore. 8/10.

The Outside: So this is one of those songs I feel like I should relate to more because I was an 'unpopular' kid and had a falling out with one 'popular' group. But Imma be real, at my school, all of the 'unpopular' kids formed a big group plus I had friends in other years so yeah... Again another song I couldn't tell you the last time I listened to (despite it being a fan fave at one point) and just really one I'm not fussed on. 4/10.

Tied Together With A Smile: To be honest, I feel very similarly about this as Cold As You. I know it's a fan fave, but it deserves all the praise it gets and has arguably been the debut song that's gotten me through the most so I just love it. I don't listen to it as much nowadays, but it'll probably always have a fond place in my heart. 8/10.

Stay Beautiful: It's a cute song. I like it, but it's not a favourite. 6/10.

Should've Said No: A bop. The live version with "whoa oh, you shoulda said no baby, now everybody knows!" lives rent free in my head as one of my favourite live performances. 7/10.

Mary's Song: My OG stan song. My favourite debut song to this day. Did you all know she wrote this about me and my first partner; she left out the part where I head butted him in between daring him to kiss me and running when he tried though (joking). But yeah from the minute I heard that line, let alone the rest of the song, it was over for 11 year old me who had a crush on her brother's best friend (later becoming my first partner). We're still super close to say the least and are raising a child together, so yeah, the song just means a lot to me and probably always will. 10/10.

Our Song: This is one of those songs I feel everyone else likes more than I do. Like it's fun, it hits sometimes, but it's never been a favourite of mine. 6/10.

I'm Only Me When I'm With You: Another cute bop. Not something I listen to often but a good time when I do. 6.5/10.

Invisible: I feel like this song gets outshone by Teardrops On My Guitar having similar themes and being on the same album, but I still love it dearly. Taylor dedicating it to a fan who has a queer reading of it is still one of my favourite things she's done. I genuinely feel like this is the most underrated track on this album and I hope it gets the love it deserves one day. 8/10.

A Perfectly Good Heart: This is and always has been the song I'm most excited for the rerecording for because god are the vocals the worst part of this song as it stands. It just sounds very grating to me, and while I don't think it ever would have been a favourite of mine, it definitely would have had more of a fighting chance had the vocals been better. 3/10.

Beautiful Eyes: To be honest, I don't remember the last time I listened to this, but I like it now more than I remember liking it before (not a high bar but still). It's nice. 6/10.

I Heart ?: I yearn for the day this is on spotify because I have so many playlists I want to add it to. A bop through and through. 7/10.

Final Score: 109.5/160 - 68.4%

[orchidsangel]

okay so i’m usually more of a silent follower (i’ve only like sent one ask ever) but i kinda love your posts/talks about things that you love (even if it’s not necessarily something i care about,,i just love it when people talk about their interests it’s amazing),, so i’m kinda curious about why do you think sos should have won over midnights,,, not saying that sos is bad or anything i actually love the album and sza but i was rooting for midnights honestly and personally think it deserves the title for many reasons,,, like i’m NOT saying that sos didn’t deserve to be aoty on the contrary, all the albums that were nominated are amazing and all had their big impact and the title is very subjective and ngl, this is one of those years where the nominees are all so good it’s actually quite a tough competition to choose between, but personally i found that midnights deserved it the most so i’m actually really curious to know your opinion on why sos should have gotten it

(i’ve already seen so much discourse about this for the past week on twitter but obviously. it’s twitter. so they don’t have any valable reasons except just pure hatred, misogyny, slut shaming and obviously racism)

Okay, so first off, thank you for sending in this ask and allowing me to speak about something I care about!! Second of all, when you added racism in the "don't have any valuable reasons section" what did you mean by that? I'm not coming for you or anything. I'm just curious if you meant racism towards Taylor or if you mean racism towards SZA.

anyways, now for my thoughts.

So, while I obviously agree that SOS is a great album, the part I disagree with is Midnights being a good album. I don't like it; I never did, and I probably never will. And this isn't me being a Taylor hater; I am a Taylor Swift enjoyer and have sat down and listened to a few of her albums. While none of them absolutely stunned me, I do think she's an overall good musician and can make a relatively good body of work. Midnights is a snoozefest. It's boring and doesn't hold a candle to the rest of her discography, which I feel fine saying because I know there are a significant amount of swifties and non-swifties alike that agree.

To me, midnights is nothing special, and most of the songs blend together. It's not completely bad, though; it has its good moments, but the many cons, i.e., boring instrumentals, mediocre lyrics, no super deep meanings, etc. outweigh the very few pros, i.e., Snow On The Beach ft. Lana Del Rey, but more importantly, Snow On The Beach ft. more Lana del Rey. And I just can't get behind Midnight's winning album of the year after being the pinnacle of mediocrity.

Now, if you wanna talk about impact, let's talk about impact. Midnights broke tons of records, most notably taking up all ten top spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a feat that no other artist has managed to accomplish. But that wasn't because the album was good or because the general public was tuned in; it's because of streaming culture, because, like most fandoms these days, swifties are rabid and reaching for the charts. That, combined with the sheer size of Taylor Swift's fanbase, means that the album was bound to do well regardless of whether it was good or not.

SOS, on the other hand, obviously didn't chart nearly as well as midnights (although it definitely did chart, like, let's get that straight bc Snooze didn't leave the chart at all last year). But that doesn't automatically mean that it was less impactful, because charts aren't that reliable these days so you have to find other means of calculating impact, and this is when we turn to social media.

(I'll be using tiktok for reference as I feel that since the app relies on music as its #1 source of content, that's the best representation for my argument)

So I'm an avid TikTok user, chronically online, way too invested in drama that doesn't involve me, a loser, blah blah blah whatever, who cares. The point is that I spend enough time on TikTok to be able to observe many different trends going on at the same time and their musical origins. There are so. many. songs. on SOS that trended on tiktok. You could not escape SZA on that app, not even if you wanted to.

Kill Bill, Seek & Destroy, Low, Blind, Snooze, Ghost in the Machine, Shirt, I Hate U, Good Days, etc.

All songs that I've heard on TikTok at one point or another, some of them having their own designated trends to go along with certain lines, and I'm sure there's more I missed.

This specific point means so much to me because I need you to understand that I didn't listen to SOS in full until WAY into 2023 (the album came out in 2022 for reference), and each track was so familiar because I had already heard so many of them on TikTok.

Now, I'm not saying that there weren't any songs on midnights that trended on TikTok. Obviously, there were. i.e., Karma, bejeweled, Midnight Rain, that one part in The Great War, etc., but when I say that most of the songs from Midnights that trended on TikTok were pretty much always used in the context of Taylor Swift, I mean that. I cannot stress this enough. If there was a song from Midnights playing in the video, then I can guarantee that Taylor was being mentioned in that same video, whether it be the eras tour, speculation about her and Joe Alwyn's breakup, her and Travis Kelce, speculation about which Taylor's version album was coming out next, or literally anything pertaining to her at all.

You might think that this is a stupid point, but to me, it's a good example of the fact that it wasn't an album the general public was interested in. And I think for an award like Album of the Year at the Grammys, the album in question should be one that is either objectively good, incredibly poetic, and thoughtful with a deep message, or beloved by the general public, and midnights wasn't any of those.

As for the misogyny and slutshaming, I'd never in a million years agree with that and don't condone that by any means. Pure hatred, if unwarranted, isn't something I really care about either because I'm a hater at my core and have a lot of one-sided beef with people who don't know me. But I will say that most people I know who don't like Taylor Swift do actually have one or two valid reasons. It's not that hard to find them, what with white feminism, not using her platform for good, dating a known racist, and committing ecological warfare, amongst other things.

If the racism you're referring to is in regards to people bringing up her privilege as a white woman, and it bothers you that people are bringing it up, then I'm sorry, but I'm not the person you want to talk to about that because I won't agree. The Grammys have a history of snubbing black and POC artists in general to favor their white counterparts; in fact, the entire music industry has a history of it, and this situation isn't any different in my eyes.

Anyway, that's most of all I have to say. Thank you for asking again, I'd love to hear why you thought Midnights should have won.

[thepopcloud]

Dua Lipa's Radical Optimism is a nice departure from her previous sound - A review

Disclaimer - Keep in mind that this review is extremely subjective and that I would not bother reviewing an album from an artist I did not like.

Dua Lipa's album opener End Of An Era sets the tone perfectly with the line "Another girl falls in love, another girl leaves the club." However, as the rest of the album indicates, this girl still has one foot inside the club and isn't ready to say goodbye. Rather than doing a full 180 (pun intended), Radical Optimism feels like a transitory album between Future Nostalgia and whatever will come next in the singer's discography. The album doesn't offer anything better than the hard-hitting Houdini and Training Season, which is unfortunate because Lipa and Parker's collaboration has not been exploited to its full potential.

However, that doesn't stop Dua from surprising her listeners with the standout B-side tracks Watcha Doing, a groovy pop song with funk and disco elements where she sings about how her sense of control is being challenged upon entering a new relationship; its sexy follow-up track and my personal favorite French Exit which shows Lipa leaving a relationship without properly breaking things off; and Maria where Dua shows appreciation for her partner's ex for making him a better lover. Illusion unfortunately still pales in comparison to the other singles and is joined by Falling Forever, where Lipa delivers Tarzan-esque belts in the chorus, as the weakest links of the album.

These Walls is a nice addition to the album, with captivating instrumentation and a really groovy chorus that invites you to vibe along with it, though I do not understand why it's being pushed to be the next single.

Anything For love starts off slow with Dua delivering beautiful vocals against a piano backdrop before it picks up the pace to earn a few approving head nods from you, only to be cut short at 2 minutes and 21 seconds. (How hard could it have been to write 4 lines for a bridge and then sing the chorus one more time?)

The album is closed by Happy For You which offers lyrics as positive and optimistic as the rest of the album but doesn't deliver anything exceptional sonically. It is one of those songs that you feel like you've heard a hundred times before, and only stands out with its packed production and great vocal delivery. The key to enjoying Radical Optimism is to stop judging it by how good it is compared to its predecessor but rather by how well it captures the sound it is trying to convey.

Final Verdict: 7/10.

Songs that will be on repeat: Houdini, Training Season, Watcha Doing, French Exit, Anything For love, Maria.

Songs that might climb up my charts: End of An Era, These Walls. Songs that I will unapologetically skip: Illusion, Falling Forever, Happy For you.

[vexx-ation]

12 Albums of 2023

The nature of my current job means that I have pretty long periods where I'm doing hands-on but mindless work. Since I'm working with samples that can't be contaminated, being able to mess with my phone to adjust my music is out of the question, and so I entered the world of Youtube playlists and full albums, giving me hours of uninterrupted jams. Because of that, I've widened my music taste quite a bit and found a ton of new albums, so I thought it would be fun to highlight some of my favorites from this year!

TECHDOG1-7: Patricia Taxxon

There isn't anything I can say about this album that encapsulates the experience of listening, except to assure you that about a third of the way in I could feel new neuronal connections happening in my brain. This album puts all of her talents on display, reaching an almost divine level of vibes. Drawing on all her experiences and previous work, this feels like a beautiful medley of all the things that made her previous albums so beloved. The lush quality of Taxxon's music is all-encompassing, stimulating the senses so thoroughly that I can't recommend anything but sitting back, closing your eyes, and letting the album itself guide you.

Note: Including TECHDOG1-7 is a bit of a cop out on my part, as this is a compilation of 7 albums released in succession by Taxxon. They're all great though, so you can't do wrong picking any one of them :)

2. Music for Animal Cafes: Nobonoko

Though I find Animal Cafes to be one of many absolute bangers in nobonoko's discography, there's something to be said about this album in particular. It has all the brightness and joy present in their other works, and vibes spectacularly throughout its hour runtime. The established mood is jazzy and comfortable, and serves as a great entry point into the rest of their music.

3. SEPPUKU: chocomilk-chan

At almost two hours in length, SEPPUKU is easily the longest album in this list (not including the TECHDOG compilation). It uses that time effectively, effortlessly changing timbres and textures throughout its run without ever losing its core. The harsh, almost crackly drum synths provide an effective foundation for whatever new components chocomilk adds on top, from lush chords to piercing chimes. This is an album that experiments with sound while focusing on maintaining momentum, smooth enough to chug along in the background and complex enough to intrigue anyone who wants to listen more deeply.

4. arc,regn: greenhouse (Halley Labs)

I don't think Halley Labs has ever produced anything but great albums, and this is no exception. Right from the beginning, you're met with lush chords and masterful use of panning, which continues throughout the entire album like a lifeline. Not only is the music rich with complexities, catchy lines, and musical talent, but there is an obvious mastery of the medium itself on display. The album creates a world all its own as it weaves through new sounds and arcs. I wouldn't bother putting this on as BG music, as the layers of sound here are more likely to draw you in like it did me!

5. Pawprint Panic!: Napcast

This album absolutely jams. Calling to mind indie DS-era titles, the bouncy and bright synths are kept moving by a groovy bassline and funky drums. Jazzy melodies soar overhead on toybox-esque synths and piano, maintaining a grounded but playful quality. Expertly unified, it truly feels like an OST dredged from the 00s golden age, imbued with an infectious rhythm and bangers that make you wonder how this isn't on every VGM playlist. Listen in an open room, because this album WILL make you want to dance.

6. anemoia: kurokocchi

This album is all about contrast. The piano melodies wouldn't feel out of place in a lofi jam or a music box, but thrashing beneath is a drumbreat that lends an almost manic energy to the songs. With simple, looping lines that encircle and chase the frenetic percussion, anemoia captures the essence of gleeful, uncontrolled anxiety. The bursts of sound and wild motion makes the album pass by in an instant, leaving you breathless with its memory when the final beat hits. Don't listen after a cup of coffee-- your heart might stop.

7. Mage's Cauldron for Sweet Dreams: Tottomori

And now for something completely different! A reprieve from the endless list of high energy beats and breakcore that I just recommended, Mages Cauldron instead creates an overwhelming sense of calm, relishing in the stillness and silence. With sparse melodies and long stretches of quiet, Mages Cauldron soothes and placates, seeming to slow down time itself as it constructs its ambiance. Building as the album continues, you can see the forest take shape in your mind's eye through the melodies. This is an album to sit by the fire with-- let yourself be invited to the world it creates and relax.

8. Lucky Tiger: Telenights

Ever listen to an album that just *vibes*? If you like that kind of music, Lucky Tiger might be your jam. With steady grooves, carefully placed pads, and a subtle yet confident mastery over sound design, Lucky Tiger creates an atmosphere like no other. The albums slides effortlessly back and forth between more ambient qualities and forward grooves, encouraging you to move along with it. Disparate elements from classical guitar to jazz sax to hiphop percussion hold hands, nothing overpowering the other as the album fuses these styles to create something all its own. Take a sip: it goes down smooth.

9. Sun Colored Eyes: Mabisyo

In the same (vapor)wave as Telenights, Mabisyo delivers expertly with snazzy beats and a concrete atmosphere throughout the mixtape. This album serves as a highlight to the refinement of their production process, expertly blending samples and making great use of their sonic toolkit to elevate the experience. Each song builds on the last, adding more layers and using samples in entirely new ways that form a melodious, cohesive whole of all the disparate parts. TLDR? This thing bangs.

10. music for bugs - camiidae

Light, airy, and with the cutest accompanying visuals I have ever seen, music for bugs wins my vote for most delightful album of the year. Laying the bells and piano with nature sounds gives the album a friendly and soothing ambiance, which carries the soft melodies and sparse chords. A great album for a nice walk

11. Meadow Theatre - Gumboot

In the same vein as music for bugs, Meadow Theatre creates a naturalistic, quiet ambiance accented by soft, hiphop beats. Drawing from a myriad of samples and mixing them with elegance, the album creates the ideal environment for quiet contemplation, settling into looping sections at the end of each track that know just when to change things up before they overstay their welcome. It's a nice album to settle down with

12. Seasons - Kate Short

Rounding out the list is the only non-instrumental album, which maintains a sweet and soft acoustic quality throughout. With poignant lyrics and a masterful understanding of space and silence, Short creates an album that glides along with poise. With lush instrumentals and a clear voice, this album becomes nothing short of transcendental

[mediaconsumernightwriter]

driver's license: A Music Retrospective

2021 was the year. We were still knee deep in the global pandemic and needed some drama to entertain ourselves. Then it came. A newcomer to the music industry, Olivia Rodrigo, dropped her first single (outside of her work in the Disney show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (yes, that’s the real name of the show)) and it was called driver’s license. It immediately resonated with people, especially teenage girls, and her talent was evident in the track. However, people wanted to know, as they always do, who this emotional song was about.

So the people dug through the mud to find him. And find him they did. This person was Joshua Bassett, Olivia’s co-star in HSMTMTS (I’m not writing that full name again). And who was “the blonde girl” Rodrigo sang about? None other than Sabrina Carpenter, who was seen close and personal with Joshua. This is the simple run down of the characters in this piece.

Since it all started with driver’s license, we will start with Olivia’s music. Most of SOUR is about her relationship (and her break up) with Joshua. Some songs really work for me and others not so much. I’m not one for the ballads and “sad girl music”. But some of Olivia’s vocals and harmonies, combined with the simple and direct lyrics, make great sad music. In retrospect, I do like GUTS better than SOUR, but it’s pretty solid for a debut. It is noticeable through her lyricism that Joshua really hurt Olivia, whether he meant to or not.

Next we will examine Sabrina’s responses, plural, because one was more successful than the other. I must say I’ve been a fan of Sabrina since Girl Meets World (another Disney show and, yes, a spin-off of Boy Meets World) and her music really is more my style. So musically, I will be biased to her. However, her first response to this drama was to release Skin, a not so polished song that feels like a diss track against Olivia, including the line “maybe blonde was the only rhyme” (referring to the “blonde girl” lyric in driver’s license). As I stated before, it’s clear Olivia was really hurt by Joshua and Sabrina’s relationship, so releasing a song where you brag about having the man on your arm instead of her doesn’t seem like a smart move. Fortunately everyone forgot about that release and she was able to create her album emails i can’t send and her new response to the drama. And I say “response to the drama” and not to Olivia, because the song this time is much more focused on the aftermath of driver’s license. because i liked a boy is a really well constructed and, more importantly, well thought out song, where Sabrina unleashes her frustrations with what happened to her because of Olivia’s song. Death threats were sent to her and Olivia did nothing to stop them, while Joshua appealed to the goodness of Olivia’s fans. Sabrina’s only crime was, as she sings in the chorus, liking a boy. And she also reveals that “when everything went down, we’d already broken up”. Sabrina’s side results in a near flawless pop album (where not all of the songs are about Joshua) and it’s better than SOUR in my opinion, but it’s almost like she’s been doing it longer than Olivia.

Joshua’s side was the latest I arrived at and, to be honest, I’m glad I did. Let the ladies get their versions out before I analyse the man’s in the situation. When I did research on this topic (because I didn’t know what songs to listen to on Joshua’s part), the song Lie Lie Lie showed up the most. It feels like a slap to Olivia’s face. It’s evident that Olivia was pouring her heart out into her art and Lie Lie Lie just downplays it all. Then, I listened to the rest of Joshua’s discography and found some other songs that could apply to the situation, though I’m not sure they are about Olivia. Only A Matter of Time is also about how this person is lying about a certain situation (“you twisted your words like a knife”) that could be applied to Olivia’s album. Crisis is a more inward look into the drama, claiming Joshua also suffered from this whole affair. The lyrics seem to implicate Olivia’s album and attitude after the release of her music, with lines like: “If you get to tell your truth, so do I”, ”Messing with my life as a career move” and “You sensationalise, keep fanning the flames for the headlines''. And finally, the song SHE SAID HE SAID SHE SAID refers back to the drama, the rumours around the couple and Sabrina and how it’s all “he said she said” and we’ll never know exactly what happened with these three. Musically, Joshua’s side is the weakest, in my opinion, and he doesn’t have the lyricism and production that the girls have. It’s not my type of music, even less than Olivia’s, this style of “sad boy music” is getting tiresome to me.

To finalize this analysis, I want to say that I don’t hate any part involved and if anything good came of this, it was the amazing music. Go stream all of the sides and decide for yourself who “won” this drama, or just enjoy all sides equally. I can’t tell you what to do, I’m not your mother.

[declanlikesmusic]

Listening Highlights: Episode 001

August 13th to 20th, 2023

Hello! Just as soon as I've started a new series, I've decided to put it off and make a new series! (Expect this.) Trying to keep up with daily posts was simply not worth it. Much as I was so excited to kick that series off, I thankfully decided to turn it off before it became too much of a chore for me and I'm glad that I did. Because now, we have a different format to substitute it!

Welcome to Listening Highlights, where I go over what I've been listening to as of recently! There's no set time for each episode, I just talk about music when I feel Autistic enough to do it. I also wanted to be more selective with what I talk about this time around; for the most part, that didn't happen, I'm just so Autistic that I went over pretty much all of the past week. So let's go!

Drake – If You're Reading This It's Too Late (2015)

The first thing I listened to after the last Today's Listens episode, I spent that morning with the 6 God himself, the man behind such classics as Way 2 Sexy and that one line where he calls himself a lesbian. He's one of the most popular figures of music right now and it's to the point where either you detest his trajectory as one of the most bland musicians going or you're LosPollosTV. I'm in the former camp and I do not look forward to having to try out his latest records any time soon, but at least I have this mixtape to fall back on whenever I need a reminder that Drake can spit. This turned out surprisingly great & consistent. I especially loved most of the beats on here, especially the ones that were sampled on I'll Try Living Like This (a cool album & also vaporwave). The energy is great and Drake even has some touching vulnerable moments as well. I highly recommend it and probably no other Drake release.

7.8 / 10

Highlights: Legend, Energy, Know Yourself, No Tellin', Madonna, 6 God, Now & Forever, You & the 6

The rest of that day was not too interesting. I listened to Western Digital's lost signal, which was a decent vaporwave and broken transmission EP. I bring it up because its closing track, glowing (disintegration), is one of the most haunting, harrowing and almost hopeless pieces of plunderphonic music I have ever heard. I highly recommend it for that alone, it sounded like distantly watching the world burn and collapse in front of you while bunkered away. I then finally gave a listen to lilien rosarian's second album every flower in my garden, which I didn't care all too much for. As much as I appreciate the production & the pretty soundscapes, they felt much less like songs than her 2019 debut. After that, I took another very slow step in conquering waterfront dining's monotonous discography with the FEELS 感じている EP, which was actually his first release in general and not his debut album that I rated before. I cared for it even less; it was a much rougher batch of vaporwave that was particularly underproduced & repetitive.

billy woods & Kenny Segal – Maps (2023)

So I decided to go through with another 2023 release and this one I wasn't too particularly excited about. Abstract Hip Hop has been hit or miss for me most days and that's usually to do with the production, so when I heard that billy woods was joining up with producer Kenny Segal again after 2019's Hiding Places, I was even less thrilled at the idea, because I did not like that at all at the time and I only now think that album was okay. But holy shit, Maps blew my expectations way out of the water! The beats are far better here, by miles, the samples are awesome and the beat drums are consistently excellent. billy woods continues to be a great rapper but it's not usually the lyricism that sells a hip hop record to me. It's the production that helps make me wanna look into the lyrics and this album handily succeeds at letting billy shine like that. I came out of this record with so many favourites, way more memorable highlights across the board than on most other billy records I've heard so far. Extremely high recommendation, genuinely makes me feel like I've been missing something from billy's records all this time.

8.4 / 10

Highlights: Soft Landing, Soundcheck, Blue Smoke, Babylon by Bus, Year Zero, Baby Steps, The Layover, FaceTime, Houdini, Waiting Around

Skimming through some more albums here, you'll notice one of them is home to one of the biggest vaporwave & future funk songs of all time, Private Caller. This is SAINT PEPSI's split album with ショッピングワールドjp titled Winner's Circle. I wanted to give this another fair shake, just in case SP's overshadowing of JP's side comes off as undeserved. But no, that first side is genuinely some weak & weirdly produced mallsoft-ish vaporwave. Not my cup of tea in comparison to the great second half. Speaking of giving lower vaporwave albums a fair shake, when christtt tells you this is one of the best vaporwave albums of all time, it's always a coin flip as to whether that's even close. Careless Messenger Recordings✆ (division under Comtex)'s sole album Suddenly Mega is not close at all. It's one of the slowest & most lethargic listens I've had in a vaporwave album and some of its many cuts are especially poorly produced.

Skymmr – your new home (2017)

Back in 2017, there was this group of very tiny vaporwave & plunderphonics producers who were given the password to a Bandcamp page and told to run wild with it. It was a practice that, in many ways, was horrible in hindsight, with how shoddily it was managed and how toxic some of the people in the group were. But underneath all of the gunk they shoved out, one record by fellow Aussie Skymmr stood out as not only a captivating example of the extremely abstract ethos of the music released there, but also was great & conceptully fascinating. your new home is a 7-minute 7-part suite of experimental plunderphonics & vaporwave sound collage and it's very cryptic about this theme of entering a new home and it not being at all what it seems. The result is probably the only record of that collective I ever regularly came back to and it even held up for me today. It's not my highest recommendation, this is definitely a more personal thing to me, but if you're curious, do check it out.

8.4 / 10

Highlights: gazing through the window, the man in the bathroom pipe cleaning (he isn't what he says he is), isn't this your new home?

The next day, I felt like kicking off the morning with some metal and one of my girlfriend's highest recommendations was Between the Buried and Me's Colours. It was a damn great time with some incredibly high energy throughout. After that was Ariana Grande's Sweetener, not my first full-length experience with her music, but one that I decided to rate first here anyway thanks to my favourite discog diver. That evening, me and my girlfriend decided to do a discog diving listening party ourselves by listening to every song netbooks.WRLD publically released to Bandcamp, which amounted to only two and a half hours. It was an excellent time and constantly high energy & fun. I recommend his debut album ENDLESS STAIRCASE for getting into his currently short but incredibly promising catalogue.

The day after that, I slogged through DJ VLAD's frankly exhausting Hardvapour. double mix. It was an okay time with some highlights, but it frankly served as a reminder of why that submovement of vapour burned bright & fast with toxic fumes. A few months back, I was recommended You're Doomed. Be Nice. by Rob Crow's Gloomy Place and to my pleasant surprise, this was a genuinely great indie rock record. The riffs & choruses were shockingly well-written and pretty catchy, through my only gripe was how understated the majority of it sounded. Still, I fully loved my experience with that album, unlike Facade by one of vaporwave's earliest come-and-go producers Psychic LCD, which I only loved about half the time. This was a full detour into progressive electronic ambient music and hoo boy, it sure sounds like it. It's definitely an ambient album with hints of progressive electronic music. It's decent, but I just don't think it should necessarily be noticed.

stab something – the art of copyright infringement (2014)

The end of that day, I tackled the final multi-track release by the early 2010s duo of stab something, which comprised of then-upcoming vaporwave legend christtt alongside then-upcoming beloved trans songwriter & producer Jamie Paige. They went on their separate ways after this particular EP, but my god, at least it still they had the magic in them together. Their full-length self-titled album is frankly astounding; it's some of the creative, upbeat & fun glitch hop / plunderphonics records I have ever heard and while this EP is much more small-scaled by comparison, it continues what made the duo so good. It's only 15 minutes, 5 tracks but it's just as creative, upbeat & fun with glitch hop & plunderphonics as that album, albeit without fully-fledged cohesion, which is kind of in its nature. I dearly recommend both of these records, at least the sole album itself.

8.6 / 10

Highlights: in and out, cheesecake

What else have I heard this week? Well, there was this one time two vaportrap icons VAPERROR & COCAINEJESUS collaborated under the Love Potion duo moniker with their album XXX. That was amazing at the time and even now, it's still an incredibly consistent and great wave album. I also listened to non-canon by Late Arcane after hearing their great album PreQuel from this year. This was more of the same punchy and creatively chopped together vaporfunk that was provided there, although on first listen, it's a lot lesser for me by comparison. There was also the first of a series of EPs by Street Sects, Gentrification I. It was mid. Whatever magic they were forcing through on their debut album End Position might just be a fluke after all these years.

There's about five more records that I heard after that, but at this rate, I kinda don't want to say much about any of them? Not because they're bad, not really, I just cannot say any notable things about each of these records, not even as much as I already did the rest of these. I adore Everything Everything as a band, but A Fever Dream is easily one of their weakest efforts, even if it's still a bit great. This weird STAR GIRL alias I heard many years ago put out the weirdly fascinating RNBW EP almost a decade ago (what the fuck) and I decided to finally listen to its predecessor, STAR. It was much less captivating & interesting despite being kinda similar in concept.Rebecca Peake was another side-project of death's dynamic shroud members, but even when compiling songs from the first two months of recording a song every day for a year, The World's Strongest was so inconsistent that I can hardly tell you what to make of it. Bladee & Ecco2K's Crest was just not a good listen to my ears. There's a 9 minute song that felt like 6 different tracks, I had to check what I was listening to multiple times. Plus, aside from Ecco clearly singing the higher passages, for the most part, I could not tell these two apart. Call me a not-member of the Drain Gang, I guess. Finally of this batch, I checked out bodyline's ファンタジーモニター、which was another healthy serving of really deceptively simple but clearly well-produced vaporwave. I do love what they're often going for, but this was just barely my least favourite so far; still very damn good.

I wanna close out this retrospective with two albums. First being Anderson .Paak's Oxnard, which is in my opinion, one of the most underrated albums of the past decade. Not that .Paak is not popular, he clearly is, that Silk Sonic album was excellent, but before that, people were dying for another Malibu from this guy and while they ended up getting that in the form of Ventura, it was not before the music community got "let down" by Oxnard and they dragged the album for it. I think it's a great album with some excellent singing, rapping, songwriting and producing across the board. It was really slept on. Lastly, Blank Banshee just incredibly recently dropped his fifth mainline album 4D. I have a lot of thoughts that I don't even think are cohesive yet on just one listen of this brand new thing, so that's why I've decided to give it its own review on RateYourMusic that you can check out right here.

There you have it. Where I've been with music for the past week! Will I do something like this again? Hopefully! Will I talk about a full week's worth of music again? Hopefully not! Until then, stay safe and tie your shoes!

[married-2-the-music]

K-pop Discography Deep Dives: (G)I-DLE

I was planning, when I first started Tumblr, to be a lurker, but then I began an office job and needed something to listen to to keep myself occupied. And then, I started going through entire K-pop groups’ repertoires, album by album, and jotting down my thoughts. And then, I stumbled into K-pop tumblr and decided, you know what, there’s at least four people on this hell site who would read in depth rants about these discographies and at least five who wouldn’t read it and then get mad because it’s kind of our job as K-pop fans. My lukewarm takes should be taken with an entire silo of salt and the knowledge that this is completely for fun and occupying my very bored, very neurodivergent brain. With that being said, enjoy!

So, I decided to start with (G)I-DLE because one of my mutuals (@thestrangeworld) suggested it due to their decently small discography. Let me lay out my credentials: I’ve been a casual fan since around 2020 and a Neverland since a little after “I Burn” came out. I even used HWAA as the inspiration for an art piece I had due. So none of my criticism I say is an attack on them; I’m being harsher than usual because this is a review after all.

(G)I-DLE is unique for a K-pop girl group, both by being mainly self-produced and by not having a consistent genre. Over the years they’ve dipped their toes into tropical Moombahton (DUMDi DUMDi), trap (Oh My God), traditional Chinese balladry (HWAA), tango (Señorita), and hip-hop (Uh-Oh), just to name a few. They’ve sung in Korean, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and English, with member Minnie even doing some covers of their songs in her native Thai. The members themselves represent four countries and usually do translations themselves, which means that their different versions are often true to the original. The members are Soyeon, Minnie, Miyeon, Yuqi, and Shuhua, with Soojin, their sixth, having been kicked out after false accusations of bullying in 2021.

I started from the beginning, with HANN, “I Am” (Latata), and “I Made” (Señorita), which I classified as kind of like the same era. Just starting out, not completely self-produced yet, and while the songs are good, they don’t quite have a (G)I-DLE feel to them. Like, I feel like besides HANN, other groups could have recorded those songs and while it wouldn’t have been the same, it wouldn’t have felt “wrong” to me, which definitely isn’t the case with their later work at all.

(Time for a confession: I never got the hype around Latata. Maybe it’s that it was overplayed or overhyped but it just never clicked with me the way songs like Lion, Oh My God, or HWAA did.) Something else I noticed from these eras is that the title tracks far outshine the rest of the albums, which aren’t bad or anything, but again, don’t have that much of an identity to them. From “I Am”, I liked Hear Me, and especially Miyeon’s high part. From “I Made”, Put It Straight is a definite stand-out, and the Nightmare Version stage elevates it even more.

This gets us to the next stage in (G)I-DLE’s discography: the post-Queendom era. This starts the mostly darker turn in their music, with “I Trust” (Oh My God & Lion), “I Burn” (HWAA), and Last Dance, barring DUMDi DUMDi and Uh-Oh, which are both welcome breaks, but I confess I think that they and Last Dance get a bit overshadowed by the rest of the songs from this part. As in, I’m not going to search for them but I’m also not going to start a tantrum when they come up on shuffle.

“I Trust” has probably the best title tracks (the double header of Lion and Oh My God is a killer), but the rest of the album is a little forgettable. It’s the only one where I don’t have a hidden gem. Many of these earlier albums tracks and also later title tracks have some really great parts (the outro in Queencard or the pre-chorus in Luv U, for example), but the rest of the song doesn’t live up to them. Lion, however, defies this completely, and is one of the best songs in their entire discography: it’s fierce, unapologetic, and loud, and also damn catchy. It’s rare that K-pop girl groups get to be justifiably angry and this song pulls it off so well! Hats off.

All of that is completely untrue for the next part. “I Burn” is where, in my opinion, everything truly takes off; it’s evocative, consistent, beautiful, and on top of that, tells an empowering and relatable story of getting over a toxic relationship. The album’s six songs are inspired by Chinese and Korean ballads, based on member Yuqi’s own Chinese ancestry. The title track, HWAA, uses the imagery of ice, flowers, and fire, to great and dramatic effect. HANN: Alone In Winter and Where Is Love are total standouts too.

This is (G)I-DLE at their best, and it’s no coincidence that around then is when members Yuqi and Minnie started writing, composing, and scoring songs too, rounding out the albums with cohesive but still different enough songs. Did I write this entire review just for an excuse to rhapsodize about “I Burn”? Possibly.

Anyway, now we reach the third and final (for now) part of the review: after their hiatus and Soojin, and as they became truly internationally recognized, enough to have their songs in the Rolling Stone 100 Top K-pop Song list that came out earlier this year. “I Never Die” (Tomboy), “I Love” (Nxde), and “I Feel” (Queencard & Allergy).

Okay, let’s level with ourselves here: Tomboy is not a good song. Is it catchy? Yes. Is it entertaining? Yes. Is it imprinted on my brain so much that I know every word and sing along whenever I hear it? Absolutely. But it’s not a good song, guys, I’m sorry. (If I’m dead tomorrow, we know who to blame). Look, I do like it, but it doesn’t make sense. I get the point and I appreciate the impact it had on the industry but the writing is…not it. I think that if Soyeon had written the rap in Korean and someone else had read over the other English in the song, it wouldn’t be that bad, but as it stands, it’s a bit hard to take seriously.

This same issue repeats in Nxde and Queencard, where the underlying ideas and themes are really good, and I genuinely do respect what they were trying to do, and if the songs had gone through just a bit more workshopping, I think they would have achieved what they set out to do. Allergy is a perfect example. It’s catchy, it makes a great point, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. All in all, it’s something that I hope (G)I-DLE does again.

I also really like all three of the accompanying EPs/LPs, especially “I Feel.” I think that, as (G)I-DLE gained more creative control and began writing every song themselves, the b-sides got much stronger in meaning and the EPs began to feel more cohesive in sound and message. As the titles have gotten flashier, their b-sides have been able to become pared down and vulnerable in a really lovely way. For a group with a name that translates to child (“aideul”), they have a lot to say about growing up, in songs like Escape, Polaroid, Change, and especially Peter Pan, the last of which may be my favorite b-side and truly gets to the heart of who they are as a group.

They’re in the middle of preparing for an English debut right now, and the title track “I Do” came out last month. Again, since it was written by someone else, it isn’t very them, but it is a really good song (with a great music video!)

As I’ve gone through this, I’ve also noticed the development of their voices, and how they became so easily distinguishable from each other, forming a really nice harmony. Soyeon’s is harsh and sharp, and her raps are cutting in a great way. Minnie’s has a touch of electro and leans into ethereal sometimes. Yuqi’s deep soulfulness is reminiscent of Adele (who she’s actually covered!). And Shuhua’s sometimes soft, sometimes powerful mezzo floats in the middle, rounding them out.

All in all, this discography deep dive has really made me enjoy (G)I-DLE’s work, and I’ve begun to appreciate a lot of b-sides I never gave the time of day before. Overall, I’m very glad I did this! Obviously, no one has to agree with this, but my Top 5 would be Lion, HWAA, Peter Pan, HANN: Alone In Winter, and Put It Straight.

From me, (G)I-DLE gets an 8.5: pretty solid, with a couple dips, and definitely some highlights. See you next time, for a boy group’s discography!

[sassylassy123]

The Sun And The Moon

Chapter 5 - Hastinapur

"Oh! So, she is the girl Karn couldn't stop talking about." said Dushasan.

"What?" Divyanshi exclaimed, her words were heard by the people passing and everyone was looking at her. Karn was seen red with the embarrassment. "I mean what do you mean, sir?"

"Sir?" asked Shakuni, "What does that mean?"

"It's a word from English Language." she explained, "I can speak many languages, please don't be surprised if I blabber in some foreign language."

"Ok, sir." Shakuni said.

'No! That's not how it works, idiot.'

"You said Angraj couldn't stop talking about her. What all things were you talking about her, Angraj?" asked Krishnn.

"Just the good things and how she stood up for me." Karn replied.

"We know her name but where does she belong to?" Duryodhan inquired, "Where are you from?" he asked Divyanshi.

"She is from the future." Krishnn said.

"I wasn't supposed to die but I did so I came here. It's complicated but I am going to stick with him." Divyanshi added.

"Future? Interesting!" Shakuni schemed plans to eliminate the Pandavs and now he had help, "She can stay with us."

"Of course! That's a great idea." Krishnn smiled.

"It is?" Divyanshi asked, they looked at her weirdly, "It is! It is! Indeed!" 'I am so doomed!' she thought.

Karn was a bit happy with the news of her staying with them for a while. In fact, he was beaming with so much joy that it was clearly showing on his face. After bidding goodbyes to King Drupad and Amruta, Divyanshi left Panchal with the Kauravs. There were no women on the trip and hence, there were no palanquin so Divyanshi had to accompany Karn on his chariot; he was happy with her decision.

Getting bored she decided to view the pictures of the swayamvar. She noticed the furious face of Duryodhan in the background and Dushasan stuffing all the sweets in his mouth trying not to be caught. Her eyes were searching for Karn and she saw him staring at someone, he was smiling. Doing all her calculations, she knew he was looking at her. She smiled to herself knowing she managed charm a person.

Karn's eyes fell on her phone, "What is that yantr?" he asked curiously.

"It's a phone. It has information in it and I call anyone anytime." she answered, she smiled looking at his confused face, "I can also capture moments like paintings but if I want those painting can move."

"People are advanced in the future." he commented.

"Well, not exactly. Technology is developed but us humans," she sighed, "we are 'shit'."

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's a bad word." she casually replied.

"Then why are you saying it?" he asked.

"Because it helps me express my emotions." she answered, "Oh! And this device can also allow me to listen to music."

"Play a song then." he requested.

"I have to decide. Let me see!" she scrolled through Spotify, "We can't play Taylor Swift because you won't understand her. Arijit Singh is nice, yes, him." She scrolled through his discography.

"Who's Arijit Singh?" asked Karn.

"Him?" she smiled to herself and sighed, "He is the best person I could ever think of. I love him so much."

"Right." he faintly said.

She noticed him, "Well, he is a singer."

"We should rest." Dushasan suggested.

"No, we have to travel more." Duryodhan denied.

"But I want to rest." Divyanshi whined silently.

"Yes, she's right." Karn agreed with her, "We-we should rest."

"Fine!" Duryodhan said.

Tents were set and everyone entered the respective tents and rested for hours. Dinner was being served and everyone came out of their tents, Divyanshi spent time on her phone and sat for dinner still looking at it.

"What is that in your hands?" asked Shakuni.

"It's a phone. I waste my time on it." she answered.

"So, how is future like? Do they still have kings and queens?" asked Dushasan.

"Only a few countries have the monarchy system but fighting for the properties is still a thing. My own father 'happily' gave half of his land to my uncle." she sighed at the last sentence and ate her food.

"Well, I can't relate more." Duryodhan lightly chuckled.

"You smile too? In future you are portrayed more- seriously." she was about to spoil the future.

"They know about me? I must have done something great, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, great!" she awkwardly smiling remembering his deeds.

"What about me?" asked Shakuni.

"Whenever there is a talk about uncles, we remember you." she partially lied, she didn't specify in a good way or a bad way.

"And do they know about me?" Karn asked.

"Everyone loves you." she said.

"And me?" Dushasan asked.

"No, we don't remember you much." she replied.

"Like nothing? Not even a bit?" he asked hopelessly.

"No, not even a bit. I know you because I have read the books and seen the shows but those who haven't, I doubt they remember you." she realised she sounded rude so she tried to act normal, "But there is one event you are known for."

"Oh! What's that?" he asked again, this time hopefully.

"I can't spoil it to you." she shrugged.

"Yeah, all the popularity goes to her lover boy." Dushasan muttered and ate his food, more like stuffed his mouth with food.

Rest over and they were back on the chariot. She slept through half the journey. When she woke up she saw the chariot being stopped and loud noise coming from a distance. She opened her eyes and saw the beauty of Hastinapur. It was a heavenly place and gasped looking at it.

"Damn! It is giving heaven." she mumbled to herself.

"You should pay a visit to Angdesh too." Karn said.

"I would love too." she smiled.

Everyone welcomed them to Hastinapur and they went to the palace. Divyanshi walked slowly observing the shops and the people there. A child handed her a flower, it was her favourite, Petunia Black Velvet.

"You like it?" Karn asked.

"I love them." she replied with enthusiasm. "They are my favourite. They were always around me since my childhood."

Karn's eyebrows furrowed at the statement. They finally reached the palace and were greeted by Gandhari, who was another beautiful woman Divyanshi met since the day before.

"Oh! I have two daughters now." she smiled not noticing tears in Divyanshi's eyes, she hugged her.

Entering the palace, Divyanshi had a strange feeling in heart. "You know they feeling you feel when someone genuinely hugs you, I felt that. It was weird." she said to Karn.

"Yes, that's kinship." he said.

"Oh! So, that's how it feels." she was weirded out.

She left him standing in the hall of the palace. He was wondering what had happen to him. What was the strange feeling he felt? He smiled at her leaving, this time he knew who he was smiling for; not some girl who warned him about the swayamvar but the girl who stood up for him when no else did, not even his best friend.

......................

[frankbedbroken]

frankcore october 2k24 update!

yes this is going to be more than two weeks into november already, it's what you'd come to expect from me at this point in time. contrary to what you would expect to listen to during the Scary Month, i went either full-on pop or full-on dance music, just a very edifying, cheerful vibe overall, regardless of some exceptions here and there to break up the pace.

for the pop side you have a lot of big names: charli (wasn't in a particularly bratty mood this month, went with my favourite slow cut from her self titled), kylie minogue (she's coming to my country on august next year!! finally someone that i actually gaf about coming down here, unlikely that she's gonna play something off this era but here's hoping), grace jones (i know she's definitely important to the development of pop as a whole during the 80s but i've actually never really gotten to hear much from her, should get onto that at some point), perfume, tommy february6 (don't actually listen to that much j-pop, but i definitely should get onto that at some point as well, found that perfume track through a sample on an opium-esque trap song from this year and that tommy february6 track from a hyunjin and vivi from loona edit on twitter lmao, also did you guys know ahora te puedes marchar by luis miguel is a sort-of cover of the original song tommy's covering here cause i didn't), oklou and underscores (definitely looking forward to that oklou project if there is indeed one on the way, this one's a lot more euro-trancey than i expected from either party) and juana rozas (kinda late to the party on this one, a fair chunk of this list is me featuring stuff from a few months earlier into the year, but it's a great piece of electropop coming from argentina).

in semi-related notes, we've got a couple of indietronica tracks from broadcast (finally got around to the noise made by people and i think i actually like it even more than tender buttons, real good stuff) and lucy bedroque (wasn't familiar with him at all but the ep he dropped and this track specifically are really really good, very inviting vibe and great songwriting), some artsier, technical pop excursions (possibly influenced by the sounds of uruguayan music from the 70s and 80s?) courtesy of fievel is glauque, as well as some alt-r&b/pop rap adjacent sounds from jim legxacy (hopefully black british music drops this year? december release to ruin year-end roundups? please?).

for the more edm-centric side of the playlist, kicking off in more somber moods when compared to the rest of the tracks here, with the wave-esque as over by amnesia scanner featuring the ever-present mantra of "we're so back / it's so over" throughout its runtime, as well as dejected and melancholic soul influenced by the more organic styles of house from andrew ashong and theo parrish, and mesmerizing blends of uk dubstep with post-punk guitarwork and trip hop atmospheres from commodo.

elsewhere, things are a bit more cheerful: a track from drum and bass legend ltj bukem with more of a jazz flair than you'd usually hear from him, beach-ready, peaceful and comfy chillstep from synkro, a bunch of uk garage / pop crossovers from zsela remixed by sunship, salute and oli xl (ok this one is not very cheerful to be fair but yknow, i don't really structure these very well), and a banging grime instrumental from royal-t.

as for the rest, we've got a couple of guitar-centric outliers, with a cut off of touche amore's newest project (i've seen people be a bit lukewarm on it but idk, maybe it's just cause i haven't heard the rest of their discography but i feel like it's at least on a level close to that of stage four), a jangly and upbeat yet sarcastic and biting cut from shoegaze / indie pop band lush in ladykillers, and a track off fat dog's woof. with very propulsive electronic rhythms and very punky vocal delivery, sorta daf meets idles in a way if i'm allowed to do a cheap comparison and such. finally, there's a couple of hip-hop (or related) tracks here from babyfather (need to get onto listening to more stuff by them aside from bbf, this one's built upon a mary j blige sample and it kinda has a very trip-hop-esque vibe to it, the vocals seem to emerge from a pitch-black void in a way) and a collab between korean rapper kim ximya and french experimentalist dj simo cell, delivering a glitched-out take on industrial hip hop with some slight footwork influences.

before i wrap this up, something i haven't been doing in these writeups lately has been shouting out stuff that's not available on streaming, so here's a couple of tracks that i wanted to include on this list until i realized they're not on spotify, both of them are takes on neo-soul that are a bit under-the-radar from what i can gather, one of them having a jazzier, darker edge with some influences of trip hop in the mix and the other being a bit more based on the sound design of glitch hop, both really cool and worth the listen though: a race of angels - just begin gb & steve spacek - simply so

that's it for this month, tube it!!