#insane that this is their only album to be certified

[clubnate]

As Cruel as School Children goes gold (august 9th 2007)

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Jamiroquai - Deeper Underground 1998

"Deeper Underground" is a single by British funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai from the soundtrack to the 1998 film Godzilla. The song was also included as a bonus track on the UK version of the group's fourth studio album, Synkronized, as well as on the special edition of the group's fifth album, A Funk Odyssey (2001). Released in Japan in May 1998 and in the UK two months later, "Deeper Underground" became a hit in several countries, giving Jamiroquai their only number one single on the UK Singles Chart.

The Godzilla soundtrack debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. The album was commercially successful, being certified platinum in the US, Japan, and New Zealand; gold in Australia, and 3x platinum in Canada. It was #56 on the Billboard chart of 1998's best-selling albums, having sold 1.3 million copies in the US by the end of 1998.

"Deeper Underground" received a total of 66,8% yes votes! Previous Jamiroquai polls: #72 "Virtual Insanity".

[svnflowermoon]

luc's 1.5k follower celebration!!

my intro post

ok hi hello!! to begin with, wow. this is insane and honestly kind of terrifying. what do you mean 1500 people follow me?? that's like, if i was best friends with half of my school. so yeah, this is insane, thank you all so much. you all mean the world to me and you're all absolutely amazing <33

the good witch - give me a song and i'll give my opinion

style - i design you an outfit using pinterest

waiting room - i design you a room using pinterest

mona lisa - i draw a sketch of your choice

lacy - i make a moodboard of your choice (if not specified it will be of your blog)

nothing else i could do - i give you an artist, album, and song that makes me think of you

hope ur ok - tell me your situation and i'll give you advice (i am a certified (specifically romantic) advice giver come to me w your problems)

astronomy - i give you a list of things that remind me of you

how do i lose you? - give me a prompt and a ship from one of my fandoms and i'll write a oneshot based off it

this is on you - give me a ship/character/lyric/prompt and i'll make you a playlist based off it

swinging at the stars - i make you a theme (please specify who you want the icon to be)

best friend - cym, give me a theme and i'll cast my mutuals

called you again - i plan you a first date that fits your vibe

everything to everyone - i give you a romance trope and a list of relationship things that suits your vibe

wishful thinking - (mutuals only) i tell you the plan of a dream holiday i would go on with you

emails i can't send - (mutuals only) i write you a letter

rules:

followers/mutuals only!!

send requests by asks

maximum of two requests per ask

no maximum request per person, request all of them if you want

this event ends some time in february because that's when i start school again

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

McMusic 16 2001 Pop / Teen Pop / R&B / Pop-Rap

Resuming this intermittent Euro-trip that I've been on where I get snapshots of what different countries' pop landscapes were looking like at certain points in time, and today, for the first time ever, we're taking a look at 2001 Norway, with this 16th installment in one of the country's own Now That's What I Call Music!-type series, McMusic.

Now, usually when it comes to these types of ephemeral Euro-comps from yesteryear, I'm looking for three separate boxes to check off: one for a nice and poppy rush of nostalgia, another for a good tune or two that didn't do anything Stateside, and third, something that's so insanely dumb, bad, and Eurotrashy that you have to appreciate the beautiful mind that conceived of it. And while there is plenty of bad Euro music on here, unfortunately none of it falls into that highly sought after category of 'so bad it's good'; it's just unremarkably bad instead.

But with that said then, let's start with the nostalgia rush. There are a few instantly recognizable, intercontinentally classic y2k bangers on this album, but no tune among them happens to go harder than Destiny's Child's "Survivor," a song that took the group's criticisms and constant ribbing about their own personnel turnover to task and ended up resulting in the most ferocious and intense single that they'd ever made; an absolute, certified, string-frenzied bop that you can cathartically wallop a punching bag to 🥊😤. Beyoncé's entry is just so electrifying on this one, and the chorus' constant background chants of "What?" à la DMX, are super infectious too.

And then for something that didn't really do anything in the US, we have "Chillin'" by Modjo. Generally, before EDM got coined as a term, there was no outlet for electronic dance music on a mainstream level, discounting the largely cheesy 90s phenomenon of Eurodance. Some stuff managed to peek through a little bit, though, like Modjo's own "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)," but this French duo's follow-up single that sampled from Chic's disco classic, "Le Freak," was pretty sleek too. Shame America never developed much of a taste for house music back in these times, because with our total affinity for Daft Punk now, we seem to have societally missed out on a whole lot of this goodness.

And one last song I have for you all amounts to a Mandela effect kind of thing, but in reverse, because this is a track that apparently performed pretty decently in the US on a certain mainstream chart, but I don't think that anyone either knew it existed or that they remember it at all. But let's see. Ever heard of a co-ed rap group from Philadelphia and Brooklyn called Spooks? I have, but only because I've heard them on another one of these Euro-comps before. Spooks were enormous in Europe in the early 2000s, and one of their biggest singles, "Things I've Seen," which had a retro-60s cocktail lounge-Amy Winehouse-styled beat to it, was featured in the Laurence Fishburne-written, directed, co-produced, and starring direct-to-video film, Once in the Life, and also served as the theme song to the European version of the US TV series Dark Angel. And the music video for this song featured Fishburne himself in it too!

"Things I've Seen" managed to peak at just #94 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, but it was #13 on the different Hot Rap Singles chart. And if you're an American who doesn't concern themselves with early 2000s Euro-popular music or has never seen that specific Fishburne project, then I think you're flat-out lying if you tell me that you remember this song. I feel like this thing has been memory-holed to the point of complete erasure.

So that's a little taste of the Norwegian commercial pop landscape of 2001. Didn't find anything mesmerizingly and uniquely awful here, but still ended up getting what I came for on two other critical fronts—some memory lane tunes and stuff that I've never really had much of an opportunity to be exposed to, outside of sifting my way through other releases just like this one 👍👍.

Highlights:

Destiny's Child - "Survivor" Nelly - "Ride Wit Me" Spooks - "Things I've Seen" Opus X - "Girl What's Up" Jennifer Lopez - "Play" Eve - "Who's That Girl" Modjo - "Chillin'"

[arionaleilani]

🎸 (also hi, it's been like forever)

AAA HI HELLO !!! i hope u are doing well 🥺❤️❤️

i’m doing this with my liked songs which means Every Genre Ever. no matter how much i want to skip some songs to save myself from embarrassment i am sticking to it and staying honest. don’t judge me pfjfj

1. peter parker — tyrese pope

^ a certified bop from the perspective of both a big fan of music and also a big fan of spider-man

2. wanna be missed — hayley kiyoko

i’m a lesbian. next song <3

3. hand of god - outro — jon bellion

jon bellion is SO fucking talented holy SHIT. he has a lot of like religious elements to his music and i’m not religious literally at all and usually that can throw me off BUT he does it in a way that doesn’t feel forceful? like it doesn’t feel like he’s putting songs out that only other religious people can enjoy—it’s just good music that happens to have religious aspects to it because his religion is part of who he is and therefore part of his music, too. idk if that makes sense but i love it.

hand of god specifically is INSANE. it’s WAY more impactful if you listen to the full album leading up to it tho bc it has so many samples and shit from the other songs and just !!! incredible. one of my all time favorite artists.

4. monsters — the midnight, jupiter winter

the midnight is also one of my favorite artists, the vibe of their music is just SO good. i have multiple of their albums on vinyl lmao.

5. you don’t know — eminem, 50 cent, ca$his, lloyd banks

ok look. i was raised by a depressed white dad in poverty. of COURSE i have eminem on here. apparently the music we would listen to most while i was being driven to daycare was eminem and veggie tales so like…. do with that info what u will.

for every 🎸 i receive, i’ll make a playlist of 5+ songs from my music on shuffle!

[icravemusicx0x0]

rating music please don't hurt me #20 | lil boat 3.5 - lil yachty

every five entries, i will look into a significant (not always a masterpiece) album from the past (totally not a stolen idea). today we're going to talk about lil yachty's album lil boat 3.5.

lil boat 3.5 marks an interesting end to the lil boat trilogy. the two first album, lil boat 1 and 2, were an unexplainable mess during my first glance of listening, but i may not go further talking about this because i haven't got a full experience with the two pieces yet. to be honest, lil boat 3.5 is a little bit underrated, and i mean a little bit because the album is more tolerable than the two first albums, but still in a messy and unpolished fashion.

please note that i'm rating lil boat 3.5, which is the deluxe version of the original album lil boat 3. 8 new songs were added in the deluxe bundle of lil boat 3.5, they are alright, but it doesn't improve the overall quality of the album that much.

the new production style improves the album by a decent amount, and fortunately for me, it just really fits my taste alright. the production was the thing that hooked me up, but it also was the thing i feel gray about, because its kind of repetitive. the production is very energetic and fun to listen, its so crazy it made me dumbfounded, but is a hot mess sometimes.at least they can make the retro-ass synth better? but hey they hooked me up so thats a point.

this is yachty philosophy in lil boat 3.5: guest-list in front and im in the back. every got a great spotlight in the verse, except for oliver tree because how would you even let him in your album, yachty?

overall, the new album is interesting and tasty to bite the least, but that's only in my opinion. in a retrospective view, the album is yet quite messy and tasteless, and goofy, like on crack. its not boring thoguh even so its an career-defining album from the artist and will lie in his legacy, and yes it will be an interesting one.

this album may not be in your favorites, but it will be in my 'wtf is this bullshit i love this' list.

underrated gem(s): lil diamond boy - its a criminal fact that this song is so unpopular, LIKE ITS SO GOOD, t.d - every guest ate and left no crumbs, if there is crumbs it is prob lying on lil yachty deadass, westside - no comment its just not bad and not not good.

tracks that i rec listening: flex up - hello lgbtq community especially the lesbian couples from the ghetto who is a rage rap fan, coffin - i really like this repeating and hard hitting beat into the verse, charmin, just how i'm feelin', in my stussy's, top down - roblox sim game ahh beat idk, split/whole time - i went so insane when the smooth transition happened SKJDKJF, pardon me - this song will always be catchy asf, demon time, can't go, oprah's bank account - love this and drake maybe uhhhhhhhh, range rover sports truck, lemon head - throughout the song is a repetitive sample that plays like you're using that one electronic somewhat midi piano on garage band that plays the sample in tune when played.

worst track: certified - the synths are horrible, there are tracks as rubbish as this but it is explainable to be on top of this monstrosity

overall score 6.3/10 - this is all opinion so pls no hate

listen to the album here:

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 30/09/2023 (Nines/Tom Odell/blink-182)

Content warning: References to sex, emotional abuse, cancer and outdated memes

It’s the fourth week for “Paint the Town Red” by Doja Cat at #1 on the UK Singles Chart - welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

As always, like clockwork, we start with our notable dropouts, songs exiting the UK Top 75 - which is what I cover - after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40, and we do have some pretty notable losses this week. We see the end of two awfully premature two-week runs for hits-that-could-have-been team-ups, those being “Bongos” by Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion and “My Love” by Leigh-Anne featuring Ayra Starr, and we also say farewell to “I’m Just Ken” by Ryan Gosling, “Seven” by Jung Kook featuring Latto, “Talibans” by Byron Messia, in no doubt assisted in its run by a sequel / remix with Burna Boy, “UNHEALTHY” by Anne-Marie featuring Shania Twain, and finally, “Dancing is Healing” by Rudimental, Vibe Chemistry and Charlotte Plank.

What’s also interesting are our notable gains and returns, and whilst we don’t get a third song from Kylie Minogue’s newest #1 album Tension - with a new single stalling outside of the top 75 - we do get the return of “Padam Padam” at #72 and a big gain for the title track “Tension” up to #47. As for the rest of our list, we see the return of RAYE’s “Escapism.” featuring 070 Shake for… some reason and a much clearer return to #49 for Bakar’s “Hell n Back”, thanks to his recent album release, though the album didn’t make the top 10 of the albums chart and only features the song in the form of a remix featuring Summer Walker so it’s honestly just as inexplicable a return. As for our gains, it’s a mixed bunch, as there are boosts for “Another Love” by Tom Odell at #61 thanks to residual streams from his new release which we’ll get to, “ecstacy” by SUICIDAL-IDOL of all songs at #52 probably thanks to an okay remix with syris and 6arelyhuman, because of course, those guys are certified hitmakers, then “Back on 74” by Jungle at #41 again probably in part thanks to a remix by Joy Anonymous but still awesome nonetheless, “PARK CHINOIS” by Headie One and K-Trap at #39 thanks to the album release which we’ll also get to later, “My Love Mine All Mine” by MItski at #34 (this four-way streak of gains is pretty great actually), “City Boys” by Burna Boy at #17 and “Water” by Tyla continuing to be a surprise hit at #16.

As for our top five, well, as I kind of expected, “greedy” by Tate McRae continues to do well as it scoots to #5 off of the debut, and then we see the usual: “vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo at #4, “Prada” by casso, RAYE and D-Block Europe at #3, “Strangers” by Kenya Grace continuing up to #2, and finally, of course, “Paint the Town Red” at the top. Now to get to our business as usual.

NEW ARRIVALS

#75 - “Would You (go to bed with me?)” - Campbell and Alcemist

Produced by Campbell, Alcemist and Franklin

For some context, Campbell and Alcemist are both drum and bass producers, and they released this song back in July. It’s not exactly inaccessible but definitely not the typical drum and bass hit, with a piercing horn line that just blares over all the production mist clouding around it, as well as a spoken word sample that’s purposefully awkward about finding someone attractive and wanting to sleep with them. These are all sampled elements from a song called “Would You…?” by the jazz group Touch & Go, and with the organic percussion, that insanely infectious jazz hook hits even harder - it hit #3 in 1998 and is in my opinion, a perfect song. By the way, “Believe” by Cher was #1 that week. Now how well does it translate to drum and bass? Pretty naturally, given the fast-paced jittery feel of the original and the memetic nature of the vocals. As someone who is into jazzstep, best genre name ever by the way, it’s pretty great to see drum and bass that uses horns directly influenced by jazz on the charts, and even if it’s in a harder, bass-heavy jump-up style rather than cribbing from atmospherics, the sample flip - though admittedly kind of a copy-paste job in some ways - sticks the landing incredibly well. Now why is this drum and bass remix of a forgotten jazz single from 1998 with no real chorus charting? I have no idea, but what may help it next week is the fact that the day I am writing this, they released a Caity Baser remix, and I have no idea why anyone told her she could rap. She is incredibly awkward, somehow deflated-sounding despite putting all of her energy in it, and ultimately cringeworthy, clashing against the intended subtle awkwardness of the original vocal so hard that it’s almost impressive how far they missed the point. Now speaking of obvious samples to rip from…

#56 - “Got Me Started” - Troye Sivan

Produced by Ian Kirkpatrick

Troye. Troye, Troye, Troye. One of the loveliest elements of “Rush” is the fact that there is no sample, seemingly, and that instead its filtered hook is completely original yet made to emulate the French house style through editing. It’s a brilliant work of songwriting, even if the song has slightly soured on me since release. So I know for a fact you and your co-writers didn’t need to do whatever the Hell this is. If you were on the Internet in 2017, you probably remember the weedy synth line from “Shooting Stars” by Bag Raiders, a song that was originally released in 2009 and became a very minor dance hit in Australia, the group’s native country, but never charted here. “Get Me Started” takes that Internet meme melody and essentially just drops it to the most “memorable” or “TikTok-worthy” parts of an otherwise completely average cloudy dance-pop jam about doing it. It’s in the intro to catch your attention, and the transition into the actual song is fine, but then it completely disappears, and the melodies they bring through the pads don’t really replicate the original lead or anything, so it seems like a troll… but then the pitch-shifted chorus ends and abruptly, almost as if it were a mistake, you get the “Shooting Stars” melody played completely straight over the song’s rhythm section. Then as if he’s hurrying to try and make sense of it, Troye delivers an awfully manipulated vocal take of incoherence in an attempt to harmonise with the synth lead. This is pathetic, desperate and just sad to hear in a year that has relied so much on these recognisable samples. There’s little to no attempt to effectively sequence this sample into the song. It’s just there, because you remember the song, right? Or you remember the meme from six years ago? Let’s just redo the meme, that was already taking a seven-year-old song’s chorus, and repackage it in marketable Troye Sivan form. The original song is so good because it is from 2009, and it goes for a purposeful clash between the despair present in much of the song, especially the lead vocal, and that earworm of a hook, until the chorus comes in by the end of the song and the synth line finally makes sense. It’s incredibly satisfying. Repackaging it to be as straightforward as possible with no respect for the source material outside of its meme factor is almost YouTube Poop-esque, which I would respect and find fascinating if it was clear that any passion was involved in the rest of the seemingly unrelated song. There is no comedy in the shock of that drop, just exhaustion.

#31 - “TRIPLE THREAT” - Headie One, K-Trap and Clavish

Produced by M1OnTheBeat, Likkle Dotz OTB and Ghosty

I have not listened to that Headie One and K-Trap collaborative album yet - been a bit too busy for new releases - but I am pretty impressed it got to #4. I know Headie’s big but he was kind of the decline right up until he took K-Trap under his wing for STRENGTH TO STRENGTH, with this cut getting the video push, and well, I’ll give it to Clavish, this is the first verse I’ve heard from him that I think he does very well on. His flow is tighter, he comes in with more energy than I think he ever has before, and there are honestly some pretty good lines, with his usual problem of leaving too much empty space really not here, which is impressive considering how this beat is pure menace with the waves of synths under particularly metallic drill percussion. Hell, he’d have the best verse here if Headie One wasn’t so effortlessly sick with his looser rhyme schemes, rich voice and memorable punchlines. With all of that said, the beat gets dryer overtime - the song’s not too long but the instrumental is pretty unmoving and copy-paste for it to work when K-Trap comes in and he has the loosest flow of all of them, leading to more awkwardness than there probably should be in his otherwise decent verse. Outside of that brief issue, I think this is still very solid drill, I’m honestly glad there’s still drill charting that’s as intense and dark as this.

#29 - “Agora Hills” - Doja Cat

Produced by Earl on the Beat, Gentuar Memishi, Jean Baptiste and Bangs

It’s no surprise to see that Scarlet, a fascinatingly bad self-immolation on Doja’s behalf, is under-performing compared to Planet Her, and whilst the fall isn’t drastic - this album still made it to #5 on the albums chart - it is telling that this of all songs is what is being pushed and what fans are gravitating to. First things first, this song samples “All I Do is Think About You”, a song originally cut by the Jackson 5 in their declining last few years on Motown before being popularised by Troop in 1989. It was a minor hit on the pop charts but very big on the R&B charts, and Troop’s is the version sampled because I mean, she can’t afford good mixing on this project two thirds of the time so I assume a Michael Jackson sample was also too much. The song never charted in the UK. Second things second, this song is pretty explicitly about Doja Cat’s current boyfriend who has some harassment allegations lept towards him, as well as some edgy X posts, with Doja emphasising the appeal of people not appreciating their relationship, sexualising the idea that they might get caught and harassed or trolled. There are sarcastic interludes about how she lives in a mansion, verses comparing herself to Fortnite and him to Jesus, a chorus threatening to tie the knot all delivered playfully as if she’s dangling keys in front of children and, considering that Mr. Cyrus allegedly had manipulated and emotionally abused several women and members of his Twitch community, a particularly striking line about how she doesn’t care where his penis has been - there aren’t sexual misconduct accusations as far as I’m aware but I feel like Doja jumped the defensive gun with that one and hints towards levels of discomfort I don’t think is actually even there. Third things third, Earl’s on the beat - this is a gorgeous production. Sure, the bass is mastered strangely, but the filtered 80s R&B synths skate under the expected trap skitter really well, and whilst Doja doesn’t do much R&B in this record, this song features her best vocal harmonies possibly ever during the refrain. Fourth things fourth, I have to ask the question: do I care more about how a song sounds or what it’s trying to convey? Can I really separate them? Last things last, I really don’t know.

#28 - “ONE MORE TIME” - blink-182

Produced by Travis Barker

blink-182’s comeback single, “EDGING”, was a horrible and misguided attempt at replicating their older humour. However, I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that this was a purposeful “sellout” or troll moment just to excuse the high ticket prices and get some viral bombast to their comeback record with the original line-up. This song goes for nostalgia in the video but is also a pretty genuine reflection on how tragedies and hardships in the members’ lives have brought them closer, such as how Mark Hoppus fought cancer quite recently. So I feel kind of like a terrible person for thinking this song is pretty bad. It’s a rote acoustic guitar line accompanied by really rough vocals from Tom DeLonge and stock pianos that sound straight out of the 90s, but not blink’s 90s, more like the adult contemporary and dream trance of the 90s. The lyrics carry weight but not in a way that is all that poetic or hard-hitting, and the melodramatic “emo” delivery isn’t doing the already whiny vocal melodies all that much justice. The vocal mixing - especially for Mark - is unacceptable for a band asking that much for a concert ticket, and Travis Barker isn’t left with much to do, especially not in that underdeveloped outro which lets a final “I miss you” sit there in the air before an increasingly sappy instrumental passage. I know this is human, I know this is genuine and to a lot of fans, going to bring back some memories, I’m sure. For me, I’m just sad the boys don’t have it in him to make a genuinely crushing single like they used to.

#21 - “Black Friday” - Tom Odell

Produced by Tom Odell and Cityfall

Thanks to the bizarre longevity of “Another Love”, Tom Odell is a mainstay on the UK Singles Chart, but he’s finally got another single in the top 40 and it does indeed have an acoustic guitar line. It has strings, a vocal take from Mr. Odell that implements reverb and softer vocal delivery, singing lyrics about love and relationships in a particularly frail cadence. In fact, so frail that I have to get out of ChatGPT mode and wonder what actually is going on in this song. It starts with an obscure soundscape that ends up being drowned out by the typical folk-pop, and even then it isn’t all that typical given the distance the mix gives the guitar and the subtle squeals before the first verse. Odell seems a bit checked-out and paranoid, not able to enjoy the time he’s spending with his partner, as he feels like a burden due to his inability to truly be happy and have fun, feeling like he’s being carried by his partner - or really friend as there’s not that much romance here - through life. Spending time with them almost confuses him, it seems, due to his perceived inability for self-improvemnet, with that falsetto warble in the chorus as he asks what is happening to him wavers on the drumless forest like he’s calling out for help. Sure, some of the lyrics may feel a bit cliché or stunted, but the performance definitely makes up, especially in that second chorus where he starts belting over a swell of strings and rushijng percussion that so cathartically crashes into a symphonic Britpop-esque instrumental, never fully erasing his yelped question: “what is happening to us?” It could be mixed a bit more dynamically at times during that impactful bridge, but otherwise, um, this may be a fantastic song. Colour me kind of confused and very corrected about Tom Odell, this is beautiful.

#20 - “Daily Duppy” - Nines featuring GRM Daily

Produced by Karlos

And we end, somehow, with a Nines freestyle. Huh. Well, you know the drill by now, GRM Daily is a YouTube channel that invites UK rappers to freestyle in this Daily Duppy series, and the biggest guest stars end up having their single officially released and charting. This beat from Karlos is one of the best I’ve heard from Daily Duppy freestyles, given the smoothly-blended 90s R&B loop being very effectively chopped up under a very hard trap beat. Oh, and Nines is here. I’d prefer if he weren’t. Yup, that’s it. What did you expect? It’s Nines, he doesn’t say anything interesting, and his dull flow actively detracts from a beat that deserves so much more personality. This is also just one long verse as usual, so there’s not a catchy hook or anything to latch onto sadly. Just kind of a wasted beat - and even that overstays its welcome a tad.

Conclusion

I feel like “Agora Hills” sums up this week pretty well because it really was kind of a binary clash between good and terrible for the most part. As a result, these titles fall out pretty easily. Best of the Week goes to Tom Odell of all people for “Black Friday”, as the Honourable Mention ends up in the hands of Alcemist and Campbell for “Would You (go to bed with me?)” though that sample is doing a lot of lifting. As for the worst, Troye Sivan gets the Worst of the Week handedly for “Got Me Started”, it’s practically insulting. I do feel bad for saying it but blink-182 get the Dishonourable Mention and really aren’t that far behind with “ONE MORE TIME”, sadly. As for what’s on the horizon, I don’t think it’ll be too busy of a chart outside of maybe Ed Sheeran but my predictions are pretty awful so take me with a grain of salt. For now, thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week!

[horsemusicherald]

Over half a year in the making, and actualizing concepts from the last five years, Vylet Pony's new album is jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, and breathtaking. It is an album shroud in mystery as its narrative follows the protagonist and their shadow through a plethora of genres, each track morphing seamlessly into the next, starting with heavenly soundscapes before descending into darkness and death, only to turn around and ascend back to its harmonious beginnings. Much of the story is incomplete, and the listener is invited to theorize more about it. Throughout the album you'll hear samples from previous Vylet songs, the classic "Sing a song about life" clip, as well as a new carousel motif.

Get a song-by-song breakdown after the break

Track one, "Let's Fly to the castle," starts out as a lovely house tune, with fluffy synths creating an incredibly warm tone and vocal chops floating effortless around the mix before dropping into a jazzy, chiptune like section. The piece then builds up anticipation with its marching snare and ends with a gorgeous violin solo backed by piano.

Track two, "Pony Rock!" quickly jumps into pony chops taken from the iconic "Winter Wrap Up" from Season 1. GalaxySquid's vocals add so much warmth to the sound and NekoSnicker's performance on top of piano is heart wrenchingly beautiful. Then the drop hits back into the main groove, and just when you think the sound couldn't be any fuller, it drops out and comes back in with insane 16th note chiptune synth runs! Absolutely stunning!

Track three, "Constellation Cradle", travels away from the warm synths and into glitchy, hyper pop vocals. But it doesn't stay there for long, whiplashing to ambient electronic, reminiscent of Vylet's previous album, only to drop a jazzy interlude for three seconds before dropping into heavier dubstep. There's even some baroque harpsichord in there! Honestly, this track is such a flex as Vylet Pony commands mastery of an incredible variety of different sounds.

Track four, "How to Talk to Your Shadow?" rings heavily with carnival music as an announcer introduces the listener to the shadow, building up anticipation for what's to come as the carnival music creepily dies down. A radio bumper throws us some early fandom memes before introducing the next track, "Brohoof!" This certified brony classic is complete with pony chops galore and an infectious beat that will surely have you dancing forever likes the lyrics say /)

Track six, "Bass Cannon", takes the intensity up a notch with its avant-garde hardcore sections paired against gorgeous bossa nova. Its dissonant chords ring loudly as the lyrics start probing… "Is it a bliss? To forget" and "Is it so wonderful?" The carousel is turning, and it's taking us to a very different place than where the album started.

Track seven, "Crush Kill Destroy Swag", in contradiction to the YouTube video it references, begins with beautiful pads, pianos, and strings, establishing a heavenly orchestra-like sound before switching to a funkier, bass heavy groove. It takes a darker turn in the middle with a mesmerizing darkstep beat accompanied by Vylet's vocals which eventually fade into the ether, leaving us in a void of scratchy, glitchy, eerie ambience…

…aren't you excited?…

Track nine, "Hush!" begins with Vylet delivering an intense vocal performance which feels like a cross between rap and spoken word before dropping back into a gorgeous synth-scape leaving you in awe. But don't let your guard down because it's just the eye of the storm and the intensity ramps back up into a grungy, heavy metal section. It might be the longest track on the album, but it will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

Track ten, "Examining the Afterthought", is reflective in nature as its title suggests, giving the listener a break with some lighter synths playing over a radio broadcast of someone who sounds very much like Obama. The sound design is stunning with arpeggios rapidly speeding up and slowing down in waves, giving the track a very relaxed, ocean like feel.

Track eleven, "Flair for the Dramatic" features a slightly darker but incredibly deep sound which will leave you feeling exposed as the narrator confronts her shadow in the lyrics. Its chorus is one of the most rallying anthems of the whole album, and in its final iteration, it modulates up a half-step to given it even more intensity! In the second half, the synths give way to just an acoustic guitar and the vocals, creating a really vulnerable and special moment for the listener.

Track twelve, "Carousel", with its dark piano, violin solos, and its angelic vocals is hauntingly beautiful, building up to an incredible moment of catharsis. The track then turns into a moodier ballad with its bitter lyrics before turning again to a more hopeful sound with Namii's beautiful voice accompanied by piano. Much of the song is in 3/4, which gives it the perfect sensation of a Carousel spinning round and round.

After much of the album has explored darker themes and sounds, track 13, "Futura", is a departure from that to a brighter place. Its starts with just a few mellow synths, bass, and vocals before fully opening to a warm and hopeful sound complete with synthetic bells, guitar, and even a Theremin! Lyrics such as "no healing without pain; no clear skies without rain" also reflect this tonal shift and mark the restoration of balance.

Thus we arrive at track 14, "Creekflow", which opens with the glitchy carousel motif looping on itself, soon to be joined by acoustic guitar and strings. The texture is fluid and crisp like the sound of a brook of light flowing and made complete by Vylet's blissful vocal performance. Not to leave without a bang, the sounds explodes at the halfway mark before fading back into the sound of the creek. The end of "Creekflow" immediately leads back into "Let's fly to the Castle!" to complete an entire spin around the carousel.

The album stands as an incredible accomplishment! The concept is stellar, its execution wondrous, and there's so many genres and idea packed into it that it will keep you engaged well beyond your first listen through. Great work Vylet!

[josephtrohman]

🎵🎧discography tag 🎶🎤 tagged by the wonderful @thekidsarentalright

rules: pick an artist or band and share your favorite song from each of their albums, then tag some mutuals!!

artist: fall out boy of course <3

take this to your grave: chicago is so two years ago

from under the cork tree: xo

infinity on high: ginasfs (btw this song makes me absolutely certifiably insane)

folie a deux: coffee's for closers

save rock and roll: miss missing you

american beauty/american psycho: twin skeletons

mania: sunshine riptide

i tag my (mostly) usual crowd lol: @mickjustmademylist @mp3pirate @missmissingsyou @somuchforstardust @thatbluelight but ONLY if yall want to!

[thisworldisablackhole]

Peeling Flesh The G Code

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

FFO: BRUTAL DEATH METAL, CHOPPED N SCREWED RAP / LISTEN

The Mona Lisa. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Einstein's theory of relativity. The creation of life itself. What do these things have in common, you ask? Well, for starters, they all pale in comparison to The G Code. To let this beautiful monstrosity gather dust in the MOMA or a science textbook would be a waste of potential though. No, this bad boy belongs aboard a NASA funded time capsule spacecraft to hopefully one day be intercepted by aliens. It would be the perfect work of art to represent our species and intimidate any potential interstellar adversaries.

To be honest, I thought I was going insane the first time I laid eyes on this album cover. There have been many bands over the years who have co-opted the stylings of chopped 'n' screwed southern rap artists for purely aesthetic reasons in an effort to be quirky and ironic, so with a solo cup full of skepticism and morbid curiosity, I hit play. I can't even begin to describe my delight when I discovered that Peeling Flesh actually go far above and beyond justifying their visual aesthetic. It only took a minute and a half for the album to hit me with the opening verse of E-A-Ski's "Blast If I Have To" played over a salvo of brutal slam riffs. I was elated. I’ll admit, this intro might be one of the more awkward examples of the slam-rap synergy in motion, but it is quickly followed up by a certified club banger. "Shoot 2 Kill" brings down the house with a barrage of evil riffs, double kicks and gutturals before a classic 90s Memphis rap sample begins to loop over a feast of palm mutes and pinch harmonics. It’s stupid fun, but it’s executed so well. Just when you think it’s coming to an end, the breakdown kicks back into gear at a slower pace, with the same vocal sample pitched down a couple octaves. I didn’t know whether to bust it down and shake my ass, or crowd kill the drywall in my apartment, but I was sold. And the party is only getting started.

One of the sly ways in which Peeling Flesh manage to get a leg up on actual rap mixtapes is by savouring some of their downright tastiest moments for the interludes. “Skin Blunt (Interlude, Pt. 2)" might be the crowning point of the entire album just for the way those bone chilling xylophone (?) notes start to drip down over a disorienting flurry of chopped up vocal samples and metallic riffing. You'll feel like the Kool-Aid Man just busted through your wall and drop kicked you into the Twilight Zone. The G Code just has such a great sense of humour. There are tons of little moments during this album that will make you chuckle, like the Gundam sample in the title track, or those hilarious Ninja Turtle skits that were dredged up from the depths of youtube. But even without all the superfluous garnishes, there is still a mighty competent slam record underneath, with fantastic riffs and disgusting vocals that will surely satisfy your lust for obscenity. The drums are top notch as well, with tons of double kick and sharp snare hits to massage your perfectly smooth brain. All the samples simply inject a bit of good natured fun into the experience, and elevate the album into more of a cultural spectacle.

Peeling Flesh have taken the crown of hip-hop-metal integration by dangling the entire nu-metal scene by it's ankles and shaking the lunch money out of their sorry little pockets. The DJ record scratches on "Perc 3000" and "Full of Lead" is just their way of rubbing dirt in the wound. The G Code is definitely a "love it or hate it" type of album, but regardless, you have to at least respect Peeling Flesh for committing to the bit and paying homage to their geographical region in an authentic way instead of just using the aesthetic for irony's sake. Hell, they even put out an entire slowed down "Crunk Edition" of the album for the real sippers out there. Tulsa might be more than a stones throw away from Houston, but it's still the South.

[bisluthq]

Guys, Olivia turned a tote bag with his album cover inside out and wore it for two months after she and Harry broke up. That anon fighting for their life to act like she’s not certifiably insane is gonna pull several muscles.

It’s fine! She’s just crazy. It’s okay.

What Harry felt about the whole thing is impossible to know. We can only speculate. Him watching that story could be what the other anon said that it was pics of her with Shelli Azoff so he was “worried”, it could legit be just accidentally watching from a DM. The fan account could’ve tagged him and hid it (it’s very easy to do that), or yeah, he could’ve kept tabs on her, either because idk he was feeling nostalgic or because he was head over heels for her still.

Frankly, I don’t think that one isolated incident means much of anything. We have no indication that he’s still into Olivia in any way. I totally see your point Nat, tho, so we should wait and see. But we know what’s public and what’s public is that she acted insane, and she did it very recently as well. Like, she actually did follow a second White Cube account right after Harry was seen there in March this year.

We’ll probably know Harry’s side of the story when his album comes out. Or at least part of it.

yeah let’s wait for the album lol and/or more info. Rn we’re all just guessing. I - personally - will say I don’t know and I do think like in my bones she’s involved in some way in this current break but I’m guessing lol like based on what I think they’d do not like because I know them? And she’s legit nuts dudes but he’s also not an Angel and idk Taylor R seems chill and better than all this mess lol.

[likeawolfatthemoon]

ttpd first listen opinions incoming:

fortnight- not what i was expecting at all but somehow exactly right???? like i was expecting poppy, angry, synth, with the signature post dreamy and it IS all of those things to a T but something in the narrative makes it more interesting and compelling. LOVE that she is continuing to be an author inspired by her own life. creating characters inhabited by her emotions.

the tortured poets department - ooooooooohhhhhhh oh no uh oh i was not looking out for this title track at all at it fucking HIT. who's gonna love you like me??? NO FUCKING BODY!!!!!! that's some shit. the bridge 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 about the ring 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 ohhhhh i'minsane im insane I'm snane whomstsg literally right here right now is wearing a ring on their left hand ring finger that is not an engagement ring and is not really anything but a desperate wish LMAO 🙋🙋🙋 TAYLOR I REALLY NEED TO TALK TO YOU

my boy only breaks his favorite toys - ONCE I FIX ME HE'S GONNA MISS ME????????????????????? JAIL JAIL JAIL JAIL this is a fucking bop wrapped in mental illness wrapped in a gnarly relationship dynamic. pack her up, she's coming home with me!! i found the one!!!! i mean it's been a few minutes since i heard it bc i paused and i'm typing this up so i don't remember it exactly but the line about pull my string and i'll tell you how he runs bc he's scared of loved L M A O taylor youuuuu are mean to me specifically and i love you

down bad - naked and alone in a field in my same old town that somehow seems so hollow now they'll say i'm nuts if i talk about the existence of you 😐😐😐😐😐😐😐 but also...is there going to be an alien music video. i'm being so dead serious, with the cosmic love and all the space mentions and beep boop spaceship sounds i deadass think the "naked and alone in a field" is gonna be used as an alien abduction metaphor in a mv ORRRRR i am high OR both! regardless: certified banger ✅

so long, london - .... wow. honestly i need more time to process that. not unexpected at all, but just so impactfully said and i can't remember any of it because every line hit me and knocked the last one out of my head. i need to listen 1000000 more times on repeat.

but daddy i love him - again not at ALL what i expected but oh my god???? i am so in love and so charmed by this song????? like hello country taylor 🥹🥹🥹👢 LOVE that we're flipping the convention of using religion in country songs and instead say um no actually keep your predatory misogynistic institution away from my body thx

fresh out the slammer - wearing invisible rings 😐😐😐😐😐 were they 😐😐 invisible... like 😐😐😐... the.. .😐 invisible string g 😐😐😐😐😐😐😐 this is not the cringe bop akin to vigilante shit i was expecting so i am simply processing.... so much. and like. i just have to say i love this album so much so far i love her

florida!!! - little did you know your home's really just a town you're just a guest in 🥴🥴🥴😵‍💫😵‍💫🥴😵‍💫🥴😭😭😵‍💫🥴 MAAAAAM!!!! I'M UNWELL!!!! IM GOING TO HAVE TO TELL PEOPLE ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS IS A SONG CALLED FLORIDA FUCKING STOP IT SONEOBE STOP THIS WOMAN

guilty as sin? - more exploration of societal perceptions of female sexuality! and virginity! and masturbation! unpacking the religious trauma of christian girlhood!!! literally i am over the fucking moon.

who's afraid of little old me? - 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 THIS IS THE BITCH THIS IS MY NUMBER ONE IM NOT EVEN DONE BUT I CANNOT IMAGINE ANYTHING BETTER THAN WHAT I JUST LISTENED TO I KNOW THERE IS MORE BRAND NEW TAYLOR SWIFT MUSIC BUT I WANT TO LISTEN TO THAT ONE AGAIN RIGHT NOW

i can fix him (no really i can) - ummmmmmmmmm well. i liked some lyrics, i liked some music. i think this one is gonna be a grower lol

loml - fucking.........fuck. the absolute LYRICS in this bitch. my mouth is lit er a ly AGAPE !!!! i yet again need to listen to this one or twenty hundred more times to process, but also loss of my life truthers rise

i can do it with a broken heart - i like most of it! I could do without the "i'm so depressed i act like it's my birthday" part of the chorus even though i relate to it but also i just know it's gonna grow on me. right now tho.......

the smallest man who ever lived - OHHHHHH SHIT not to be that person but joe alwyn literally found DEAD IN A DUMPSTER sucks to suckkkkkk i just!!!!! damn

the alchemy - 😳 she's a rebound song....iiiiiiii - hmmmmm. people who listened to leaks and have thus claimed the good lyric urls i just wanna talk.

clara bow - OH HELL YEAH. OH HELLLL YEAH. The Themes Of It All!!!!!!!!!!! hollywood/the media/culture at large just cyclically preys on young women. THE WORLD just cyclically preys on young women. hollywood is just holding up a mirror to the rest of society!! the rest of society is failing to realize the humanity of the offerings they're served!! PERFECT ALBUM CLOSER

now that i've taken 2.5 hours to do a first listen, a quick first ranking after hearing everything only one and seeing no one else's opinions:

1. who's afraid of little old me?

2. my boy only breaks his favorite toys

3. loml

4. the smallest man who ever lived

5. florida!!!

6. guilty as sin?

7. so long, london

8. clara bow

9. down bad

10. but daddy i love him

11. the tortured poets department

12. i can do it with a broken heart

13. fortnight

14. the alchemy

15. fresh out the slammer

16. i can fix him (no really i can)

[selfdiagnosedeyemotif]

CHARACTER ASK THING!!!

Olberic, Cyrus, Ori and Agnea!!!!!

PEACE AND LOVE ON PLANET EARTH!!!

Olberic:

Favourite Thing: in love with this man's theme. we love brass instruments in this household

Least Favourite Thing: not a huge fan of monarchies but the guy's allowed to serve whoever he wants to serve

Favourite Line: i'm not super deep into his story so i'm gonna have to go with "I wreak havoc upon thee!" from when he uses Brand's Thunder

brOTP: brOTP isn't the right word for it but i love his dynamic with Phillip. certified little guy and his insanely powerful knight mentor

OTP: Erhardt i guess? i think there's some worthwhile stuff there but i'm not sure if i'd prefer it romantically

nOTP: Cyrus, on the grounds that i am a firm believer in aroace/romance averse Cyrus

Random Headcanon: he has tried thrice to ride a horse. thrice he has failed.

Unpopular Opinion: gonna have to hold off on this one because i don't really know enough about him to formulate something of that variety

Song: military marches in general, which bears with it three distinct possible options: good, good, and deeply unfortunate (in order. anyone with any knowledge of the last one will be able to tell you why it's so unfortunate).

Favourite Picture: i think his depiction in the Break, Boost, and Beyond album art is beyond fun because just:

all of the modernized outfits are fun but Olberic gets an octopus jacket, sick shades, AND a bass. cool levels are off the damn charts

Cyrus:

Favourite Thing: gonna sound like a damn nerd but the themes he represents. Professor Cyrus Albright is a representation of the progression of humanity as it marches ever forward (his story culminates in refuting Lucia's ivory-tower offer), and i've been carrying his final monologue with me ever since i first heard it

Least Favourite Thing: the "too pretty for his own good" bit is kinda lame. its not bad and it can be funny, but its very middling

Favourite Line: "I teach my students with the expectation that one day, they will surpass me.", because again, i LOVE the themes of Cyrus's story and that line summarizes them perfectly

brOTP: odette. just a couple of odd birds that can't stand each other but are also besties.

OTP:

nOTP: everyone. next question.

Random Headcanon: i think that he has a background both in theatre and in orchestra, and took them both as minors when he got his degree in history

Unpopular Opinion: his lack of an arc is not only not detrimental to his character, but i'm GLAD that they didn't give him one. giving him an arc was unnecessary for his story and would have detracted from what made it great (the themes. them's some tasty themes)

Song: again just waltzes in general, but also Queen from Deltarune and William Shamspeare ~ Back-Alley Bard from The Great Ace Attorney

Favourite Picture: this piece of fanart by @/meansary

Ori:

Favourite Thing: I FUCKING LOVE ORI. CAN'T SAY A DAMN THING ABOUT HER FROM AN ANALYTICAL ANGLE BUT OOOUUUGH. anyways i love the fact that she lives!!!! she's just scarcely able to turn her eyes away from the void!!! she realises that she wants to live before its too late!!!

Least Favourite Thing: no official art and we are thus limited to her sprite for design cues. alas.

Favourite Line: "So taking a step back, what Partitio did is impossible. Unimaginable. Inconceivable.", from her journal. its just. oh my god. its the moment you can see the the Moonshade Order is starting to lose its grip on her. she's in denial about it, but its these sentences that began the process of her saving her life. "I wish i had a lifetime to report on your shenanigans" and the moment Partitio convinces her to flee from Roque in his chapter 4 are both also very tasty and good

brOTP: Partitio is the cop-out answer to this one, but im also fascinated by what her dynamic with Ochette might be cuz like. symbolic representation of all the themes of hope that has seen humanity do terrible things but keeps on truckin' + person that is only beginning to accept that maybe life isn't such a curse after all is a very cool combination

OTP: Partitio by proxy. dont ship it, dont intend to ship it (partitio has some aro energy to me but hey thats just me), but i do not deny that it is certainly a thing

nOTP: no standouts in this category.

Random Headcanon: Ori hasn't had good food in years as a result of the whole "if i'm gonna die anyways, there's no point in enjoying this" mentality that was clearly trapping her in the Moonshade Order, and the first time she had a good bowl of soup was positively life-changing for her. she started trying to cook for herself shortly thereafter

Unpopular Opinion: not unpopular by any stretch of the imagination but it does run counter to one (1) person i've seen, but i think she deserves to, and can, make a full recovery. no shade on the person who wrote that super cool fic in which she was tormented by hallucinations of her brother and said in the fic description that they didnt think she'd recover, but that ain't for me

Song: she's so No Children by The Mountain Goats coded. there's always one guy

Favourite Picture: this delightful number by @/nicandragon, specifically the one in the bottom right corner

it's a very... vivid and evocative depiction of the final moments before she nearly dies, and there's a kind of beauty in that.

Agnea:

Favourite Thing: the Song of Hope! it was a fun detail to make the choices you made throughout the journey show up in her chapter five, and it's like. such a fun thing to incorporate into her story. i love it when characters create art (also the track itself is a banger)

Least Favourite Thing: the pitch of her voice has lost me a little as time has gone by, nothing major but it's not as charming as it used to be (this is NOT a statement about the accent thing. that bit is fun)

Favourite Line: "Dreams aren't good for nothing" was just a fun line, but "The stars... they're all gone" was delivered EXTREMELY well, so i'm giving it to the latter

brOTP: she and Throné have a very fun dynamic. not much to say on it, it's just fun

OTP: hikari? i guess? dude there's ships that i sorta accept into my headcanon of the story but dont touch and there's ships that my mind obsesses over for decades, and this is neither of those. it's a choice i selected from a drop-down menu.

nOTP: also no stand-outs

Random Headcanon: she does take Throné to her village for the next raspberry festival, as mentioned in their Agnea 5 travel banter

Unpopular Opinion: is a great vehicle to get across the themes of the story, but doesn't do it with nearly as much finesse as Cyrus, but still doesn't have a clear arc, and her character suffers a bit as a result

Song: on vibes and vibes alone, Voice Like A Bell by Gregory and the Hawk

Favourite Picture: strangely enough, it's actually this modern au design for her by @/hanpaopaoo, simply because it does such a good job of maintaining her key design features, silhouette, and colour scheme while also being undeniably modernized

[bastardizedbitching]

i’ve read two novels tonight it’s 3:31 am as i’m typing this if there’s a higher power fucking with us and running things down here i am staring at you and giving you the middle finger. i will become immortal using mcdonald’s preservatives and start slowly destroying the universe in seemingly innocent, harmless ways until everything we know is no longer recognizable and you will be left wondering how you lost control and the answer is ME BITCH. then i’ll make you into a giant egg eternals style and force you to die and recreate the universe but better because unlike you i don’t make the dominant species in a small pocket of my universe fucking ruin lives for shits and giggles. if there’s multiple people involved in running this shitshow i’ll do it chain reaction style everyone has to explode at the right time in order to make the new universe. and magic will be real and there will be a lot more good shit in the universe like FOOD. omigod food is so awesome. and the food won’t affect anyone’s health negatively which would be like. so sick. all of this will happen in a riverdale style plot where everything becomes more and more non sensical over time and you slowly go insane from the sheer weirdness of what is happening until you’re more insane than that guy in the mind electric. big mood honestly man sometimes you just need to sail out to your death that’s respectable goals. less respectable that you did this for your girlfriend but whatever romance is fine. kind of overused plot line whoever is writing this universe sucks at writing. change it up a little bit why aren’t enough people making musical masterpieces about that star trek shit huh. make a goddamn musical masterpiece album about those star trek concepts and then we have something new. or maybe here’s a better idea since there so much lovey dovey shit in there let there be music and let the music have GAY SEX where they are FUCKING RAW. as a certified singer bastard that’s a amazing concept. all these allo sexual folks describing the sex sounds and i have no idea what the fuck they are but if you have them MAKE SOMETHING WITH THE SEX SOUNDS. like y’all got so much to work with and no one is doing it it’s fascinating. take that first step. it only takes one person to start a trend of interesting shit. see there’s things like this in life now we gotta add some fucking horrors too but not the dull soul-sucking horror we have here with the government and capitalism and everyone wanting someone dead. PEACE AND LOVE MY DUDES. except for cops go fuck yourselves. see the universe writers had some interesting shit with my childhood where i hallucinated for a year when i was 7 we need more of that energy. not enough people these days lose their minds over non world ending shit we don’t need another disaster. actually while i’m at it WHAT THE FUCK IS THE GOP DOING?? some people really just turn off their brains and hear the most dogshit insane lies and parrot those statements word for word. sweetheart no that’s not the way go take some benadryl see the hat man expand your worldview and realize that not everything is about what is happening with our local stupid white karen assholes THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU. honestly i’m pretty sure i got drunk off our vanilla extract i chugged a bunch of that shit. for fucks sake i mean it’s vanilla it should not taste spicy when i chug it. does vanilla minecraft mean nothing to you bastards?? hey another thing universe writers ever try fucking. MAKING NICE PARENTS. should not be up to half of my friends are on cps watch. i’d like to suggest some more of that peace and love 70s hippie energy. you wrote the goddamn protests live that truth. smoke weed and live a healthy stable life. now i understand perhaps you’ve been dropped as a child. or child abandonment. or parental murder. honestly all of those seem pretty common for god backstories so WE COMMIT TO THE BIT. however, consider talking your shit out. i’ve heard yoga does wonders. or a nice cup of tea. anyways peace out commit crimes be queer and disgusting about it feel the whimsy.

[numetaljackdog]

what i'm listening to 11/5/2022 (song notes under cut)

spot. link//yt link

Laura Les - Haunted: haunted. by laura les

Black Dresses - Pink Panther: i'm just gonna paste a draft i had written about this. "i can't keep quiet anymore. i have to talk shit. so black dresses' version of pink panther is really good, right? but i went and listened to the scene queen original bc i was curious. i don't like scene queen but i figured: it's a well-written song, i'll give her another shot. and oh good god black dresses improved that song by SO MUCH. took it from like a 4 to a 9 by turning it from a punk wannabe tiktok cisbian smirkfest to a certified banger preaching the word of gross toxic trans sex. no i'm not projecting don't be silly"

Steve Lacy - Bad Habit: this might be the first song to feature on more than one WILT and that's because i fucking love this song. this is without a doubt my pop hit of the year. it's breezy, funny, cozy, loving, and just the right amount of cheeky. good shit baybee

Insane Clown Posse - Hokus Pokus: i've finally done it. i've finally gotten into icp. they're goofy as shit and the music is dogshit but it's just... a lot of fun! and kind of cathartic, listening to some weird clowns talk about all the terrible things they're gonna do to the shitbags of society but without any sense of righteousness. idk this is too many words to dedicate to icp but i'm just having a hard time explaining what has finally grabbed me about them

Kendrick Lamar - King Kunta: holy shit talk about a song that makes your jaw drop from first listen. every second of this (and the whole album) is so tight and purposeful. probably one of the greatest records of my lifetime. can you tell that rateyourmusic account is getting to me

Laura Les - ditch a body in the laundry (feat. Dylan Brady): INSANE FUCKING SONG. put that shit in my veins for real. this is probably my second favorite laura les ep, after "i just don't wanna name it anything with 'beach' in the title". unfortunately, none of this stuff is on spotify, the greyed out version you'll see in the playlist is my own local file from bandcamp. but it's on the youtube list!

The Beach Boys - Caroline, No - Mono/Remastered: i've gotten into the beach boys within the past six months or so and... it just gets you, y'know? and like i think a lot of people who only know the hits have this impression of the band as this annoyingly peppy pop band but like. brian wilson. there's some real dark shit to be found, and the absolute numb tragedy of this song just really stuck with me

Black Dresses - Kill All Your Friends: these covers!! damn!!! when this dropped i didn't dare to dream it would be a mcr cover, i just figured they had picked the same title for an original by coincidence. but ohhh was i in for a surprise. i think it was a perfect selection of song, and it hits in all the right ways to maintain the breathy desperation of the original while putting the signature black dresses sonic cocaine all throughout

Spin Doctors - Cleopatra's Cat: weirdass song. like i said last month, i've been into the spin doctors since their trainwreckords episode, and i've always had kind of an admiration for this song. it's so ambitious, and just fun in a way that's both silly and complex. it finally clicked for me eventually and now i walk around all day doing the little scatting thing from the "hook"

Savage Garden - I Want You: i'll be real i don't know shit about savage garden but this track bangs. i found this in the black dresses inspirations playlist and it just took immediately. i love the y2k era, almost kind of boy band energy from it, would definitely check out more of this band's stuff

Sam Smith & Kim Petras - Unholy: there are a lot of things to be said about this song but i'll keep this really brief. one, it's cool to see trans artists get a number one hit. two, the hook is really really really fucking good. that will be all

Brian David Gilbert - Tragedy: i felt really strongly about bdg's first halloween parody ep from last year, i kept listening to it long after halloween and it even made it onto the latest favorite album ranking. i don't feel nearly as strongly about this one, but it's still enjoyable. significantly, i've actually never heard the bee gee's original of this one, so the catchiness of it is new to me in this cover version. happy halloween!

chipmunks on 16 speed - Call Me: same thing as ditch a body with the local files here. imo this is the best chipmunks on 16 speed track, everything about it aligns just right and makes it feel like this is how the song is meant to be listened to. i know it's really just a novelty but, as i believe i've sufficiently proved, i am 100% willing to take novelties completely seriously

Fetty Wap - 679 (feat. Monty): apparently this became a tiktok song at some point? i have remained blissfully unaware of this fact until making this list. this one is just a nostalgia banger, funnily enough because of its popularity on places like vine. confession: i really did think that the lyric was "i got the soda" bc of that one danny gonzalez vine. happy soda saturday

Incredibox V3 - Over Your Head: youtube exclusive here. i have nothing to say about this, i just found it in my old saved videos and it's kinda cool

Living Colour - What's Your Favorite Color?: i have this album on cassette as a gift from a relative, which is where i first heard it recently. i have a lot to say about the history contained here but once more i will be brief. this album has a lot of really tasty cuts, this one not being anywhere near the best of them. it is, however, probably the catchiest, which is how it got on this list

Quasimoto - Catchin' The Vibe: another artist i know virtually nothing about. this kind of doom-adjacent eccentric hip hop is one of the hundreds and hundreds of styles i've been itching to get into, and this is one of my first baby steps

The Garden - Call This # Now: and we close out with yet another artist that's new to me! i guess there's a theme. an entrancing blend of hooks and weird shit is always an easy sell for me. also i'm probably the millionth person to say this but. spamton vibes

[the1312daysofchristmas]

would u ever analyze disloyal order? it is my favorite fob song but much of the verses honestly confuse tf outta me, particularly the second one. lol

of course! ill do that for you now. fun fact: disloyal order is the song that 100% sold me on fob

to begin with the title, it is a reference i am far too young to get and have just figured out after years of puzzling. its a reference to an elite boys club in the flinstones. disloyal order of water buffaloes as a title is just saying "society is made for a certain kind of people to succeed and its fucked up" and that makes all of the lyrics make so much more sense. its been so long.

the prelude describes the persona coming undone, and turning themself into someone elses ideal. trying to do so leaves them feeling empty inside, since this isnt what they want, this is whats expected of them. this fits nicely into the overarching theme of the album, which is [joker voice] society and how it shapes us for better or (more often), for worse. in fact, disloyal order, as an opener, is an introduction on the essay that is folie à deux, painting broad strokes of a lot of what it covers. the prechorus also touches on this, painting the persona as just a single malfunctioning part of a whole intricate system.

the first verse points to the persona waking up, dazed and covered in wounds, and covincing themself this is normal, and that they wouldnt remember it even if they tried. it goes on to talk about them bein arrested, and them needing medical attention, and that theyre certifiably insane, but also taking care to mention how sensational their story is. this verse tells us about the exploitation of sick people, and about people running themselves into the ground for fame or money. they dont need to be sold as a story, they need to be helped as a person.

the second verse gestures to themes of sex and romance. theres a moment where the persona misinterprets something innocuous as an advance (little girl got me staring odd/or is that just a telescopic camera nod). they then goes on to talk about soliciting sex workers– they can only really interpret woman in the context of being attracted to them. one could argue the line "all the rookies leave your badge and your gun on the desk when you leave the room" could be about inexperienced young lovers being told to sit this one out.

and then, the chorus, which asks people to embrace apathy (boycott love) and to stay ignorant and repeat the same old mistakes (detox just to retox). the line "id promise you anything for another shot at life" implies someone promising to fix everything in exchange for another chance. the last two lines, however, i think are most interestingly read from a meta perspective, ie its the band saying 'no one wants to hear celebrities sing about peoples problems'

i think disloyal order points to one of the main problems i have with folie, which is that its way too ambitious. they wanted to do so much, musically and lyrically, gave themselves too little time to do it, did the whole citizens fob thing, they stuffed a lot onto every song, and i think the albums is worse off for it. dont misconstrue me, folie is a beautiful album that explores a lot of ideas in a genuinely thought provoking manner, and musically i think its extremely well put together. truly its an experience of sound. but i think the concepts dont work together in the way they could. lyrically i think its among the weakest fall out boy albums, because unlike ioh, which is specifically about fame, or mania, which is just about mental health, or futct, which is about a specific relationship and the feelings it evoked, this album is about everything, and it gets that across really well sometimes but just as often it gets that across really okay-ly.

like, in this song alone, which summarises the album, we have 3 very distinct themes– exploitation of vulnerable people, sex and relationships, and apathy being exploited for power. theyre definitely connected, but this one album feels like it shouldve been a triptych, or that one of these themes shouldve been dropped completely (i think number 2 wasnt that necessary). i love it, i really do, its genuinely amazing and its a masterpiece and is so worthy of being anyones favorite. this is just my purely technical (as in based in technique and execution) criticism.

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