#initial thoughts on the album

[koqabear]

dreamer is everything i wanted and more bye guys i’m deactivating!

[baneonono]

not to be emo about epic on main but I’m thinking about all the character arcs we’ve seen because of the project wrapping up with the Ithaca saga today(spoilers). Odysseus learning to be ruthless, Athena coming around to wanting to forgive, Penelope is forgiving Odysseus for the ruthlessness, Telemachus seems like he’s where Odysseus started but with Athena pushing more for forgiveness and with Poseidon terrified of Odysseus maybe he won’t be all ruthlessness. I’m just thinking about how all of the endings are different. No one had the same lesson to learn from their experiences. I think the main theme of epic might not be just ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves. It’s the lesson Odysseus learns and I think that that’s definitely something that can apply sometimes. But I think epic is more about, at least in terms of the ruthlessness theme, how everyone has different experiences and they all teach different lessons. No one life is gonna have the same life philosophy that makes sense, there’s gonna be differences and we see why and how that works and how that’s okay. Athena learns forgiveness, Odysseus learns ruthlessness, Telemachus will learn something else, Poseidon learns forgiveness and that mortals also have strong feelings and reputations(?), we don’t actually see Penelope for very long so we don’t really have any idea what she learned from her experiences but I imagine it’s not the same as ody and Athena. Everyone learns a lesson and it’s all different from each other and that makes sense, that’s okay. Life isn’t one size fits all, what works for Odysseus won’t work for Athena. That’s how it’s supposed to be. Specific life philosophies are a result of life experiences and will not be the same for everyone. of course this is just one interpretation and focused on one aspect of epic. we could of course talk about love and I have feelings and thoughts about Would You Fall In Love With Me Again in contrast to I’m Not Sorry For Loving You. I will admit that the titles feeling similar is what is bringing this comparison on but both of them exhibit this feeling of unrelenting love. we can discuss what’s going on with calypso and if she really loves him or all that jazz but just assuming that she actually loves him for a minute. both of these women hear about Odysseus doing awful thing and decide to fall in love with him anyway. But Odysseus loves Penelope and that is what makes all the difference. just if we give calypso a sympathetic reading, I think something interesting will happen with the themes. I mean both Penelope and calypso say “you’re mine” to Odysseus at some point, there’s gotta be something going on with those two characters as foils. that said, I do understand not giving calypso a sympathetic reading. which might actually bring up interesting parallels between Penelope and Odysseus where they both spent a significant amount of time being pressured and at the very least threatened with sa to betray the other and rule an island with someone else. very interesting parallels that you’ll probably find me ranting about here again in both interpretations of calypso’s character and what exactly happened on the island. but anyway happy Ithaca saga day everyone

[deus-ex-mona]

since the new year is just a week away (what even.), remember that time kyhn was almost a thing in honeypre?

we all know hina’s years-long unrequited love for yukki, but in this event~~~~~~ he found her cute!!! and he said “the boy who’ll become setoguchi’s lover will definitely be happy”!!!!

a n d he briefly pictured what it’d be like to date hina!!!!!!!! and the wish he made at the shrine was for hina’s happiness (for the rest of her time in high school)…

also!!!! they pretended to be lovers during this little new year’s date~~~~ they’re so precious~~~~

anyways!!! happy kyhn new year!!!!

[yangsbandana]

So I don’t Wicked I mean I’ve seen the show but I /do/ Hadestown and you’re so right, NYTW version has some lyrics that just hit insane style, like Promises for me is better than other versions too

YEAH,,, they really just hit different. i understand why the different versions exist, but really there's a lot to love about the older versions of hadestown. i really like the older version of 'living it up on top' too. i love thinking about how the songs of hadestown all evolved over many years. like i know generally that's how it works to develop a piece like that, but hadestown i think provides a particularly interesting look into that process.

[monotone-mantlex39]

I forgot to put this on this blog yesterday but celebratory miku day will wood mikus🔥🔥🔥

Icimi miku coming soon

[I made the first one in like february, i had something else planned for miku day but due to technical difficulties, i finished this instead😔]

[anambermusicbox]

okay so anyone following me can just politely scroll past this but the release of this album is genuinely so monumental, i just want to record some of my initial thoughts

every song sounds so incredibly good!!!! like first of all the production is absolutely god-tier, but with a cast of 钱雷, 尹约, 唐恬, 沃特艾文儿, 徐威, and 周天澈, how could it not be. but also, all of them have worked so closely with zhou shen over the years, so all the songs of this album just feel… so zhou shen. like it’s so him. it’s so perfect. in every single song you get to peer more into his worldview and that in itself is so 🥹

Track 3: “Restart” 重启 made me cry on the second listen. i felt emotional the first listen, but ig i didn’t pay as much attention to the lyrics (bc i have the chinese literacy of a grade schooler lol), but when he sang 太多次迷路 太多次失误 (“lost my way too many times, made mistakes too many times”) i started tearing up. especially with the lyrics related to trying to do his parents right, it just hit really close to home for me. and the line 重来几次才能清楚 (“it’s only clear after a few redos”)—personally it was a really healing song overall

Track 4: “The Memory Store” 记忆商店 is, if you forced me to choose, probably my fave from the album so far. it’s just straight up haunting. it’s so dystopian and so poetic. it makes me feel like, i can’t describe it properly, but do you know in the studio version of “Doomsday Spaceship” 末日飞船, in the bridge portion where zhou shen hums Clair De Lune, and its so haunting and full of wistfulness for a bygone time? that’s the closest description i can give you of how it feels.

when he sings 不虚拟的拥吻 想不想买 没噩梦的睡眠 耳边goodnight (“a non-fictitious kiss—do you want to buy? a sleep without nightmares, a goodnight in your ear”) is SO CHILLING AND SO SATISFYING AND SOUNDS SO GOOD its gonna be stuck in my head for the next few years. 他说想再荡个秋千 妈妈我想飞的高点 星球以光束穿越 妈妈我想落到地面 (“he says he wants to swing on the swings again—mom i want to go higher. the planet is travelling at the speed of light—mom i want to get off now”) okay brb i’m just gonna go into the woods and scream. 岛屿还未消失这个世界还曾下著雪 亲爱的我很抱歉 不朽的 没有了 没人记得 (“before the island disappeared, this world even used to snow. my dear, i’m so sorry—there’s nothing not decayed, no one remembers it”) SHENSHEN GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW BEFORE I GO CRAZY

Track 5: “Alarm” 警报 is uhhh. alarming. apparently the english name is The Giver which also fits really well. it’s such a direct and kind of chilling way for shenshen to remind us to take care of ourselves, but also this song is gonna haunt me in a whole different way. every single line goes so hard and has so many implications. i might try to translate it later but for now, if you know you know 😵‍💫

Track 6: “Mind Your Manners” 少管我 OUR BELOVED. SO CATCHY SO ADDICTIVE. apparently in his interview with cosmopolitan magazine (which i still haven’t read yet), shenshen says this song (WHICH BTW HE IS PARTIALLY CREDITED FOR IN THE COMPOSITION AND LYRICS) is written for shengmi. ”希望歌迷们对自己说的：当我决定好做自己的时候,谁也别管，也管不了” (loose translation: “its my hope that everyone will say to themselves: what i decide for myself, no one else should dictate it, nor can they dictate it.”)

[jackinalex]

okay look

[vitusinferno]

weird fantasy prince inspired by a reverend bizarre album cover

[unproduciblesmackdown]

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS + Charli XCX = #BratSummer. Like the iconic album, this plant plans on taking over the world. 🌱 #LittleShopofHorrors #Brat #Theater #Puppet #CharliXCX #Minnesota #Musical

[abovecalamity]

😊

Based on this silly idea of mine.

Et voilà my humble interpretation of Sam in an album.

-

I have about a thousand thoughts on the content of these songs but I’m no lyricist lmao. I’d imagine you to get a good mix of tales of your life, past and present, as well as the general feels of the night with a tad of historical nostalgia. I’m always ready to elaborate and I think *hope* some of these titles may resonate with you.

[popcornfairy28]

When your Swiftie sister is currently on a cruise with limited WiFi and you have to break it to her what she's missing 😂

F for my sister lol

[lesbiancarat]

btw if you're in the US always yours is available in target as of today!

[madlilsongbird]

A few initial thoughts on GUTS that I’m putting here cos I have nowhere else to put them.

1. While I don’t personally know much about the potential beef between Olivia and Taylor Swift, if the theory that there’s a song about Taylor or the “beef” I would put money on lacy rather than others initial guesses that it would be all american bitch.

2. the grudge is a sister song of enough for you

3. all american bitch reminds of Miley Cyrus’ Start All Over at least during the chorus **

4. logical gives me the same feelings I get when I listen to favourite crime

5. the grudge sonically reminds me of drivers license, similar instrumentation I think

6. I liked almost all the songs on first listen but ones that will take a few more listens to fully grow on me are: logical and the grudge

Edit: I’ve seen an interesting theory that lacy could be about Brina, some of the lyrics fit some don’t. Whether it’s about a real person or just the idea of a woman olivia aspires to be its a beautiful song

** oops

[waugh-bao]

*

[homophyte]

On being fucked in the ass, from the audio commentary to Tighter

[deus-ex-mona]

story of my life tbh