#ive been going back to my 2013 bands and artists these days

[justatiredhuman]

i've been really debating whether or not i should post something about liam, and i feel like i need to because im struggling more than i thought i would when i initially found out, and i think other directioners will understand me.

i became a huge 1d fan in early 2013 and from then on they became a major comfort in my life. i was struggling majorly with undiagnosed adhd and continued to struggle with it after starting high school in 2016 until i finally got diagnosed at 20 in 2022. it's still something i struggle with, but at 22 now, i feel much more safe and confident in myself, and that's thanks to how throughout the years i've found major comfort in one directions music and all the videos of them.

after they broke up and all did their own solo things i never really kept up with any of them. not because i didn't love them anymore, but because my taste in music changed and it was hard to see a band id loved for so long go their seperate ways on 'hiatus' (i genuinely believed that they would be back after a year or two despite being told by so many people it wouldn't happen. even this year i still held out hope that they'd be back as 5). in saying that, i still always listened to the band and had their music in my playlists. they've been in my top 5 artists on spotify for the past four years ive had spotify. despite everything they were always there for me.

i don't think liam was ever my favourite (id have to check with my mum), but he was such a central member of the band. he was a very prominent pillar and it's so hard to start trying to imagine a world that he's not in because he was always such a solid and reliable figure. i really regret not keeping up more with him and the others, i feel like ive missed out on so many new memories and things with all of them and it's hard to try and reconcile not only that, but the fact that we'll never get to see them as 5 on stage again.

his whole death has probably been more difficult for me because my grandad passed suddenly in late march this year, and after that i fell back into listening to 1d because of how much comfort their music brought me. i've been listening to practically only 1d ever since liam's death became public, and while it's been difficult and has had me incredibly emotional, it's also been comforting knowing that despite everything we still have something amazing to remember him by.

i don't think the world will ever feel the same to me now knowing that such a prominent figure in my childhood and adolescent life is now gone. he was part of the band that made me feel like i actually fit in, like i had a place in the world where i belonged and wouldn't be picked on for something i couldn't control and didn't understand. even now as an adult, i still felt/feel like the one direction fandom is one of the very very few places that i truly belong and don't feel like the odd one out.

i don't know if it will ever feel real that he's gone and isn't coming back. if im being honest, im still very much in denial that he's gone and i think this is something im going to struggle with for some time while i wrap my head around everything. im never going to be able to listen to certain songs the same way, and i think that liam is someone i am going to grieve for a very long time. i know that im going to continue to miss him and the smiles and laughs he gave me on days that i thought i wasn't able to.

the last few days have been incredibly difficult as i've felt like i've had to hide my grief because i never knew him personally, or managed to see 1d in person. but im slowly starting to realise that despite all that, he's still someone who practically raised me, and who i felt connected to and who felt like a safe place for me. im slowly realising that it's okay to grieve him because he was so so important to not only me but also millions of other people throughout the world.

to liam: thank you for all the wonderful memories. you were genuinely such an incredible person, and you were so insanely talented in so many different ways and i'll never forget the impact you had on me when i needed a strong and reliable role model to look up to. thank you for all the good times, thank you for all the incredible music you gave us, and thank you for the community that you helped build up over the years both in the one direction fandom, and when you went solo. i'll never regret being a fan of you and one direction. i genuinely think that despite how hard life was for me at that time, you and 1d gave me something to look forward to, and something to hold onto when things felt like too much. i genuinely hope that wherever you are now you have a chance to rest and process everything you went through in your life. i know how hard being the band was and how traumatic it must have been at times. i hope that you're able to find peace and watch over all your loved ones. and don't worry too much about the boys, i promise that we've got them and we'll do our best to support them through this difficult time. we've got each other to lean on and i have faith that as fans we will look after not only each other, but also your family and the boys.

you can rest easy payno, we've got it from here <3

love, Gia💜

[jeongtokkie]

some tag games below the cut:

Some of these tags are from JUNE I am so sorry 😶

Tagged by @kithtaehyung @jiniekook @rumue thank you my lovelies💕

name: sarah

sign: gemini

time: early evening, but when I post this I have nooo idea

birthday: may 30 🌱

fav band/artist: it always changes but rn it’s svt

last movie: mission impossible 1 ???

last show: my kinnporsche rewatch <3 otherwise uhh house of dragon ep1? Does that count

when you created this blog: i think its feb 2013…. But I went on a huge hiatus for a few years before coming back nov 2018

what you post: a lot of photography and art and asian tv series and bangtan/tubatus

other blogs: my side blog for more tv series and a haikyuu sideblog 🖤

do you get asks: occasionally but not really :(

followers: more than I deserve <3

average hrs of sleep: between 8 and 9…. I sleep a lot otherwise I cannot have a good day

instruments: haha no

what i’m wearing: white and blue striped pants (think inkigayo ‘for youth’ bangtan) and a forest green high neck tank top

dream job: artist in a vfx studio :((((

dream trip: just anywhere in asia really. would love to do việt nam

favorite songs: at the moment? Thursday’s child has far to go by txt, highway by jeff satur, ready for love by blackpink

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*

Tagged by @jiniekook @jiminsproof @lovejar

fav color: yellow!!!!

currently reading: ive been reading yolk by Mary h.k. choi and Kafka on the shore by Haruki Murakami for like months now… oops 😶 I forget to read

last song: fever by enhyphen

last series: ooh ive also been rewatching avatar the last Airbender!

sweet / spicy / savory: I really like food,,, so all three??? But not together lol

currently working on: my 3d BE rooms and a learning project in unreal ✨ and namjun’s birthday set which is almost done 🌱

Tagging (no pressure, feel free to ignore)- @inkpa @himbo-harrington @userkoo @sevencoloredstar @rkivedfiles @sopekooks @letisnotonfire @thenerd10 @kimtaegis

[ocheeva]

interview tag uwu

rules: answer the questions and tag 20 blogs you are contractually obligated to know better!

tagged by @queensbrother even though it’s been A DECADE cass how can u possibly need to get to know me better ily

- nickname: no people just. use my name. except @mishikaiya sometimes. her latest for me is chickadee which is literally the cutest but will it ever be a thing outside the bird trio? doubtful.

- pronouns: she/her

- star sign: probably yeah

- height: 167 cm. i don’t do american numbers.

- time currently: 23:49

- when is your birthday: at some point during the year. this is hidden lore only my mum knows bc she was there (presumably)

- favorite bands/groups: see this is why i’m the worst at this kind of thing because there are always these questions and i. don’t do music. generally. like i have made spotify playlists and shit i just sit down to listen to music approximately three times a year so ��\_(ツ)_/¯

- favorite solo artists: well...

- song stuck in your head: this is getting awkward

- last movie watched: wait hold on i need to cry for a second over cass’ last movie being fatal journey... god that fucked me up. nie brothers my beloved. anyway it was I Am Mother. it was okay.

- last show you binged: new girl for the third? fourth? time. i live alone and don’t really have conversations at my job so i keep sitcoms on in the background so i get to hear human voices! yes i’m very emotionally stable how did you know. last show i binged and actually paid attention to was word of honor.

- when you created your blog: this one? 2013. my first one was made in 2009

- last thing you googled: something about han dynasty art because fic research lmao  

- other blogs:  i only actively maintain @qinghe-s atm but i also have @masseffectcaps and a few other fandom sideblogs like @celestecraft which used to be hot shit on mineblr. others are only shared with people i love.

- why you chose your url: the first time i played the elder scrolls iv: oblivion i fell in love w ocheeva SO FAST and she’s still my favourite. i don’t have an argonian kink but if i did it would be because of her. she's sweet and caring AND she’s a skilled assassin?? get you a girl who can do both, damn

- do you get asks: no bc the messaging system exists. my fandom blogs get them on occasion although people favour the messaging system there too

- how many people are you following: 257

- how many followers do you have: like a thousand. my most popular blog has 10k which is insane quite frankly. 

- average hours of sleep: i legitimately do not have an average, it’s either like four or at least twelve

- lucky number: not... really. i like multiples of five bc i have ocd and other numbers are generally uncomfortable. i don’t mind seven fsr (but only as a singular digit. idk, my brain does Not make sense)

- instruments: i played the flute as a kid but i assure you i am the least musical person you’ve ever met

- what I’m currently wearing: black leggings, black top, black sweater. my socks are pink though! fashun

- dream job: i simply do not dream of labour. i enjoy teaching to an extent and working for bethesda would be sick i guess but

- dream trip: svalbard. i’ve wanted to visit china for years (i had a layover at a chinese airport when i went to visit cass in straya and part of me was like YES finally! but it was also miserable bc worst flight of my liiiiife god). legitimate actual dream trip though? a couple of weeks alone in venice. i’ve been once but it was a school trip when i studied architecture in high school (like you do in waldorf schools! pretentious as hell) so my classmates ruined the vibe. i snuck away a lot and made my teacher angry when no one knew where i was but it was worth it. i constantly think about going back and spending hours in the narrow alleys and beautiful churches and sitting outside palazzo ducale and being moved to literal tears over the architecture. ugh.

- favorite food: lamb steak w garlic cloves... also cheese. all the cheese. any kind of cheese.

- favorite song: i thought we went over this

- top three fictional universes you’d like to live in: okay first of all animal crossing OBVIOUSLY. gotta marry tom nook. second... god. star trek because while i will absolutely shit-talk starfleet any day of the week the star trek universe is superior to any other because it has JANEWAY. and also space. and alien ladies. but mainly janeway. i would put so much effort into joining starfleet and being good at my job so i could maybe serve on the same ship as her and make quiet heart eyes if we crossed each other in the corridors. EDIT: lol i got so wrapped up in star trek i forgot about a third huh! obviously i’d want to live in dream valley with the little ponies. the original ponies. i’d hang out with wind whistler and tell her i love her all the time, especially when she uses words the other ponies don’t understand. autistic queen, love of my life, etc. bonus fourth: mass effect. space. biotics! possibly a buff asari girlfriend... or the krogan romance bioware continues to deny me

TAGGING: jesus. okay you know what. i’m picking five people who show up in my notes fairly regularly because we should be friends. so: @filantestar @sidhe-solais @briars-glenn @sarahstreep7 @roddaprime ♡

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

Ive never really understood the hype surrounding Taylor Swift - I mean, I like some of her songs, but im not big on modern pop music so generally she just doesn’t really click for me. But I find it interesting that theres quite a few of Beatles/Swift blogs - like, they should have very little in common given that they’re from completely different eras and all, but somehow people seem to find a lot of semblance between the two. << and thats not me shitting on any of these blogs btw! Hope I don’t come off as rude or condescending there <3

Anyway, I was just wondering what got you into Taylor Swift? (I think ive read your post on how you got into the Beatles)

Hi, anon! Don't worry, I don't think you're rude or condescending! I agree they don't have too much in common and I don't really like their music for the same reasons.* I do have a playlist of Paul songs that have similar vibes to Taylor songs but it's mostly lyric-based. (Also the Beatles For Sale songs actually have quite the Taylor-tinge because Paul and John were not immune to Country Music)

I saw @stewy say once that a possible reason there are a good handful of us Swiftie-Beatle People on here is the appeal of a vast discography, which I agree with. If you have an artist/group with 200ish songs, it's just really fun to really dive into their work and explore all the facets. I also think: we're talking about the most popular band of all time and one of the highest-selling artists of the 21st century. They have a lot of fans so there's bound to be overlap, regardless of musical differences.

Moving on to your question: Getting into Taylor was an extremely personal experience for me and so my explanation is probably going to be kind of long so I'll put it under a read more.

It was spring-summer 2014, I was 15. I had heard the more popular songs of hers starting with Love Story and enjoyed pretty much all of them (I always found her hopelessly romantic point of view fascinating) but before I got a Spotify account in 2013 it was difficult in general for me to really get into an artists' entire discography so most of her songs had flown under my radar.

At the time, I was in this very weird sort of codependent online friendship with this girl who was basically my first real best friend and my first more or less crush. She was very depressed and I was very much in an I Could Fix Her™ mood, except that I obviously couldn't fix her and it made me feel like I wasn't enough and she had begun pulling more and more away from me and not replying to my messages and it was simply driving me insane. I consider it the saddest period in my life.

at some point during this period, I started trying to connect with other people (all online, I didn't know how to talk seriously to anyone IRL) and explaining the issues I'd been having, and one of the people who brought me joy and whom I actually felt not drained talking to was a huge swiftie. And IDK the fact that she loved Taylor and the fact that talking to her made my life better (and also the fact that I liked all the Taylor songs I knew at that point) just made me decide to give her a listen. And I think that whole "large discography discovery" phenomenon really helped me at the time (funny, because her discography has doubled since then). It gave me something new to focus on; there were just so many songs to discover, all telling such rich stories. I also have always loved bridges, they are almost always my favourite part of a song. And Taylor, god-bless her, loves them too and always puts her ALL in them. Like pretty much every bridge of hers brings the song to the next level, and even a lot of her songs I don't adore tend to have great bridges (Stay Stay Stay and Paper Rings come to mind). I think one of her most underrated qualities is how good she is at song structure and really building up an entire musical journey with a song. She also almost always adds cool ad-libs in her second and third choruses to keep the songs interesting and dynamic (or at least since she's gone pop). Anyways, back to the story: Then Taylor announced 1989 as her next album and released Shake It Off, and it was just like this great happy thing for me to look forward to, when I had very little keeping me going. The era was promoting a lot of happiness which in hindsight was slightly fabricated and it was just a really great thing for me to latch onto.

At the same time I was coming to realize that I was gonna have to pull away completely from my friend and all those break-up songs just… Hit, y'know? Like, some people seem to think Taylor's a one-trick pony because she likes to write break-up songs but to me, break-ups are just like this moment where you as a human can potentially feel every single emotion, and Taylor's songs have covered every facet of the concept. Here are some songs I remember from that period, that all meant a lot to me at the time because they explained my own pain to me so well:

Haunted, for the absolute terror you feel in the first moments you realize someone is probably gonna leave you. Come on, come on / Don't leave me like this / I thought I had you figured out / Something's gone terribly wrong / You're all I wanted.

I Almost Do, for the inner turmoil you feel when you know you have to stay away from someone for your own good but you really, really have to resist just running back to that person. We've made quite a mess, Babe / It's probably better off this way / And I confess, Babe / In my dreams you're touching my face / And asking me if I wanna try again / With you / And I almost do.

Last Kiss, for that absolute sadness that comes simply with remembering everything that was good and not comprehending how it could've possibly ended. I still remember / The look on your face / Lit through the darkness / At 1:58 / Words that you whispered / For just us to know / You told me you loved me / So why did you go / Away?

Forever and Always, for that feeling of desperately wanting to hold on to what you still have but at the same time realizing it probably isn't going to last and having no idea how to fix it, plus feeling like the other person doesn't even care. So here's to everything / Coming down to nothing / Here's to silence / That cuts me to the core / Where is this going? / Thought I knew for a minute / But I don't anymore.

Dear John, my all-time favourite song, for that moment you find clarity and realize that you deserved better and that you were headed in an extremely dark direction because of this other person. [DISCLAIMER: my friend did NOT abuse me nor did we have some inappropriate age difference. But the way she would ignore me and her general moodiness really affected my own mental health and self-worth problems] You paint me a blue sky / And go back and turn it to rain / And I lived in your chess games / But you changed the rules every day / Wondering which version of you I might get on the phone / Tonight / Well I stopped picking up / And this song is to let you know why.

(She's covered more aspects of break-ups in other songs [cheating, divorce, feeling awkward around your ex amongst others], these are just the ones I remember being really important to me when I was first getting into her)

She really helped me feel a lot less alone during one of my loneliest periods and I really can't thank her enough for that. Soon after this, I started crushing on a girl in my class and Taylor's love songs started to take on a new meaning for me as well.

What's crazy to me is, when she went on hiatus for a few years, a part of me thought maybe I'd grown out of her and no longer had much in common with her, but when reputation came out I was pulled right back into my love for her as a person and musician and then when Lover came out I found that she was still explaining feelings to me better than I ever could (specifically with the songs The Archer and Cornelia Street). And now with folklore and evermore she's simply absolutely perfected her story-telling and I find myself deeply moved even by the songs I don't directly relate to. I feel like she has this amazing ability to find the absolute truth in the specific. I've never had a summer romance with someone who already had a girlfriend and mostly wanted to go back to her, and yet the bridge of august feels so real to me, y'know?

Back when we were still changin' for the better Wanting was enough For me, it was enough To live for the hope of it all Cancel plans just in case you'd call And say, "Meet me behind the mall" So much for summer love and saying "us" 'Cause you weren't mine to lose

It's hard to explain but looking at this, like it's so much more than the story it's telling. It's talking about how when you're young you really need so little to feel satisfied; how sometimes the idea of someone maybe spending time with you is better than actually doing things with other people; and how if someone using you without much thought can make you feel like you're not even entitled to grieve what you lost. Sorry. I'll stop. Don't want to go insane.

So, all of this is very personal and unique to me, but I think really the main thing that draws me to her is how vulnerable and honest she is about emotions, how eloquently she can explain the pain of being alive to me. Some people think she isn't the strongest singer, but I think, much like John actually, one of her greatest assets is how good she is at projecting emotion. The song happiness is a song I think has some lyrically weak moments but her vocal performance on it is so raw and devastating that every single line works even when, looking at it on paper, it feels like it shouldn't.

Hope this rambling made sense to you, lmao?? I love talking about Taylor though so thanks for the ask! Also very open to giving song recs if you do want to check her out more but I won't unless solicited to lmao *Sort of off-topic but I do think there's a relation between my fascination with the Beatles' history and my love for a great break-up song. I like pain I guess :)

[tisthenightofthewitch]

Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge is Loudwire’s pick for the Metal Artist of the Decade. To discuss Ghost’s epic progression from underground doom favorites to an arena phenomenon, Forge sat down with us to reveal exactly how he plotted Ghost’s ascension.

Ghost’s first show took place at Germany’s Hammer of Doom festival in 2010. Looking back on the gig, Tobias called the inaugural live ritual “very, very hectic.” He adds, “We didn’t know each other, as a group. We had been rehearsing for fucking three weeks or something … It was a very hard crowd. It’s not like Argentina when everyone’s just crazy and screaming and jumping around. When we got to London, the day after, the crowd was absolutely avid. There was an explosion when we played.”

The success of Opus Eponymous brought a hype to Ghost, but Forge was hellbent on transcending the modern doom trend and proving Ghost could become something much greater. “In 2011, the three words that everyone was talking about, that you kept seeing everywhere was Mercyful Fate, Blue Oyster Cult and hype.”

“I was very determined to prove that we were not a hype. We had a hype going, but we are not just a hype,” Forge recalls. “I knew that if I could just make a record that was as playful and as playfully written as Opus was, I think that we can push the boundaries way further than a lot of the one-album hypes. That’s why I also started writing immediately. It took until 2013 to get the album out, but Infestissumam was written in 2011.”

As happy as Forge was with the material on Infestissumam, he felt that the character of Papa Emeritus II was hindering Ghost’s growth toward becoming a massive live act.

“I don’t know exactly when the thought hit my head, but definitely, I know towards the end of the tour, I was just like, ‘This is not flying, this is not good. It’s so still-standing, it’s not entertaining in the way I think it should be entertaining.’”

“We were never supposed to be slow and suggestive, we were supposed to be entertaining … There are many identifiable getups that a priest or a preacher or a bishop can have, so the next one needs to have some sort of pant getup, because otherwise this will die.”

Thus, the change from Papa Emeritus II to Papa Emeritus III was extremely drastic, going from an ancient, lumbering demon to a flashy, charismatic showman. Forge credits this shift to Ghost becoming a force in arena rock, allowing the band to become the spectacle he always dreamed of.

Breaking the Papa Emeritus bloodline also came from Forge’s need for change. Instead of simply presenting a new character molded perfectly for the position of lead singer, Forge became Cardinal Copia, an al-dente underdog who fans wouldn’t view as completely ready for his role.

“As with every album that we’ve done, in every cycle, there’s always been one [punch] coming that’s been sort of an experiment from my end,” explains the singer. “Let’s see how far we can push this — 'Ghuleh.' 'He Is.' Cardinal. This box that I’m thinking outside [of]; how elastic is it? Can we expand it? How big is it? Because it’s been proven that it’s kind of unclear, to the great dismay of some more conservative hard rock puritans, but I think that’s the way to go. All my heroes have always pushed the envelope.”

As for the future of Ghost, Forge is unaware if Cardinal Copia expects his inevitable death, which will pave the way for Papa Emeritus IV’s arrival. What can Ghost fans expect from Papa IV? Forge says it all depends on testing out a massive list of ideas.

“For me, it’s sort of endless. I could do this forever,” Tobias states. “I’m just trying to do as many [ideas] as I can before it’s over.”

[linernotesandseasons]

2020 RETROSPECTIVE   /   A TYPHOON ANTHOLOGY

       One of my stay-at-home projects for 2020, was making comprehensive, anthology-style mixes for artists that have been important in my life and musical growth over the last 5-10 years. I wanted to try to compile all or most of a musician’s songs (or simply all my favorites) during the months that I find myself listening to them the most. I followed some loose themes (seasonal, religion, life & death, light & darkness, times of day, states of mind, storytelling, moods) as to how to divide their career and body of work. WHEW!

First up, Typhoon! 

A New Year’s band for me, songs that I listen to in the dead gray of January, and into the Spring. Typhoon has been hugely influential in my life, since I was given the gift of “The Honest Truth” on Christmas day 2011 in Suzhou, China by my late friend Malachi.

       That song was on the Tender Loving Empire Friends & Friends of Friends compilation Vol. 4 in 2011, and we blasted it into the New Year of 2012! From there, I saw them first in November 2012 at the Larimer Lounge at 1am. They played a few songs off my (yet-to-be released) Favorite album of 2013 and with the existential life & death celebration of White Lighter, I was hooked. That album went on to be one of my truly favorite albums from the last 10 years and the White Lighter tour that followed was one of my all time favorite live shows, a sold out, crowd surfing, sweat fest at the Hi-Dive on South Broadway here in Denver in September 2013! 

       Typhoon’s next time through town wasn’t till April of 2014 (I referenced this by looking all the way back to picture 11 of my 917 Instagram posts) when I bought my little brother and a couple of friends tickets to a sold out Bluebird Theater show! A true celebration. Then Typhoon was quiet for a long while and I didn’t get to hear from them again till early 2018 with the immense Offerings, (an album I called “darker, weirder, but still magical; & at its core,celebratory.”) and a joyful homecoming of a show at the Gothic.

       Typhoon is one of my all time favorite bands, Kyle Morton is one of my favorite living songwriters, and this anthology mix contains a lot of deep cuts, live tracks, and a mix of both Morton’s solo work and Typhoon releases going all the way back to From Boy Gorilla & Beyond in 2011. In fact, the roman numerals are the tracks taken from Kyle Morton’s soundtrack to the short film Book of Matches. The entire mix is three discs (and I do mean CDs!) and it loosely follows a life through, to dying. Vol. 2 ends with “Sleep” off of Offerings, up to the cutoff, and then Vol. 3 starts back up with “Afterparty” the hidden, post-death, track that closes Offerings.  Find the tracklist below, and links to at least the songs that are available on Spotify. LONG LIVE TYPHOON! Here’s hoping that “Welcome to the Endgame” (the new single that came out at the end of October!) is the start of a new Typhoon chapter!

A TYPHOON ANTHOLOGY VOL. 1

LISTEN

the honest truth   /   young fathers   /   dreams of cannibalism   /   chiaroscuro   /   iii...   /   cpr/claws pt. 2   /   comment sentiments   /   green   /   mansion   /   the lake   /   iv...   /   beachtowel   /   innuendoes   /   viii...   /   prosthetic love   /   beat & weathered/one hundred years   /   bergeron   /   v...   /   summer home   /   empiricist   /   kitchen tile   /   post script...

A TYPHOON ANTHOLOGY VOL. 2

LISTEN

prelude   /   artificial light   /   firewood   /   vi...   /   wake   /   rorschach   /   belly of the cavern   /   halfway home   /   remember   /   hunger & thirst   /   claws pt. 1   /   ii...   /   possible deaths   /   morton’s fork   /   rules of the game   /   my little darlin knows my nature   /   for the folks at home   /   scene five (firewood redux)   /   ariadne   /   sleep...

A TYPHOON ANTHOLOGY VOL. 3  

LISTEN

...(afterparty)   /   water torture   /   welcome to the endgame   /   coverings   /   perverse fascination   /   i...   /   algernon   /   the aftermath   /   prosthetic love (piano version)   /   vii...   /   poor bastard   /   100 years   /   mouth of the cave   /   starting over   /   pain, love (live at Fuel/Friends Chapel Session, Colorado Springs, CO 03.20.2012)   /   down cowboy   /   modern prometheus   /   crumbs   /   ix...   /   soft feelings (live at sofar sounds reykjavik)   /   morton’s fork/possible deaths (live at the hi-dive / denver, CO / 09.14.2013)   /   caesar/reed road (live at the crystal ballroom / portland, OR / 11.29.2013)   /   the sickness unto death...

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Three Lobed Recordings

For 20 years, Three Lobed Recordings has explored the outer reaches of psychedelic music, presenting Bardo Pond’s heaviest, most improvisatory albums, documenting the American primitive revival via recordings of Jack Rose and Daniel Bachman, listening to emanations from space-age folk troubadours like Wooden Wand, Sunburned Hand of the Man and Matt Valentine and generally pursuing the beauty of experiment, wherever it occurs. To celebrate these past two fruitful decades, label founder Cory Rayborn lists ten of the albums that define Three Lobed (and, necessarily, leaves out others equally valid and interesting). We look forward to lots more in the decades to come.

Personal Choice Cuts from the TLR Catalog (in no particular order, 9 of which might be different if you were to ask me tomorrow).

Gunn-Truscinski Duo — Ocean Parkway (2012)

Ocean Parkway by Gunn-Truscinski Duo

Every time I listen to this album, especially the title track, I feel transported. Long ago my college roommate Jon Nall articulated a test for transcendent songs, for the ones that impact you no matter how many times you hear them. He summed those all-time tracks up as the ones where the hairs on your arms uncontrollably stand up every time you hear them. While every track on this album does it for me every time, throwing me into a sort of uncontrollable head nod and body sway, I am always fully taken away by the entirety of the title track and Steve's swirling guitar build over the entire eighth minute punctuated by the ecstatic tones he hits at 9:06. Yow. The feeling I get from this album is why the label exists.

Various Artists — Eight Trails, One Path (2012)

Eight Trails, One Path by Various Artists

Record Store Day is tough. I love the attention and cash it puts into the hands of independent retailers but hate how commodified it has become over time by the powers that be / majors who see it as an excuse to pump out a bunch of junk that will end up being shelf warmers and ankle weights on those same retailers they claims to be supporting. The first few years when most of the titles were truly from and by indies it was a lot of fun. That was the feeling that led to wanting to put out an RSD title in mid-2011 (an illness I’ve since overcome). Originally conceived as a joined pair of split 7"s, it morphed into a triple 7" and then to a full length album. I wanted to showcase different approaches to solo guitar work and set out to ask a lot of my favorites. I also wanted to put together a special package which was fleshed out with help by Casey Burns on graphics, Grayson Haver Currin on words and Jeff Mueller on printing. I’m still amazed at the interlocked nature of all of the contributions to this one, from Six Organs’ spiritual sibling to “Ascent” in the form of “Stranded on Io” (a track that is a wordless tale all within itself) to the circular beauty of David Daniell’s “Housewarming” and everything else on here. I really love this record.

Tom Carter — Long Time Underground (2015)

Long Time Underground by Tom Carter

Late in 2013 I was chatting with Tom about what shape a record should take. He wanted to go to Black Dirt and get a good, clean capture of what he had been working on with Jason Meagher. TLR is always onboard with a Black Dirt election. Fast forward several months and family TLR was visiting some friends in Vermont around the same time Tom was in the area. We met up and he handed off the masters for a double LP. While we knew that the mix of Tom’s playing, Tom’s writing and Jason’s engineering was going to be magical but we had no idea of the exact form or how insanely potent the album was going to be. Damn. Seriously, just listen to this stuff and absorb that these are all single takes, no overdubs. Haunting and celebratory all at once.

Daniel Bachman — The Morning Star (2018)

The Morning Star by Daniel Bachman

It is pretty fun to watch the arc and path that Daniel’s writing, recording and performing have taken over the last 15 years. From powerhouse steamroller to the intersection of musique concrète and acoustic drone, his current location could maybe have been seen in his early recordings but you likely would have lost most of those dice rolls. The Morning Star speaks to me in so many ways but the stunning bookends of “Invocation” and “New Moon” always hit like a ton of bricks. What is amazing is how Daniel can turn these album cuts into live performances. I saw “New Moon” several times while Daniel was in the process of touring this 2016 self-titled album, always transfixed by it live — the album version loses none of that potency. On the other hand, Daniel re-created “Invocation” at the 2018 Three Lobed / WXDU Annual Ritual of Summoning to stunning effect.

The Michael Flower Band — self-titled (2008)

The Michael Flower Band by The Michael Flower Band

An audio / aural bomb blast, a kosmik rearrangement of the space/time directly around the listener. This take no prisoners statement from Mick Flower (guitar) and John Moloney (drums) is a deep slice for catalog enthusiasts. Just tune into “Balinese Falsehood” and try to not get fully lost. Years ago I described this as “biker psych for the third eye rider” and I’ll stand by that statement fully today.

Wooden Wand and the World War IV — self-titled (2013)

Wooden Wand & the World War IV by Wooden Wand & the World War IV

Picking between Wooden Wand titles is hard for this particular enthusiast but if forced I think I have to push the needle towards the intense Crazy Horse vibes of this studio corker. Surrounded by the “Briarwood” band, perhaps the most telepathic folks with whom Toth has ever played, the results are electric and transfixing. Will I kick myself tomorrow for not picking Clipper Ship? TBD...

Meg Baird & Mary Lattimore — Ghost Forests (2018)

Ghost Forests by Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore

I don’t remember when it came to me, the fact that there wasn’t a deliberately ground-up collaboration between Meg and Mary in existence. I had to ask them if that was purposeful or a gap that was truly something that we should remedy, a question where I had my fingers crossed the entire time. They were both really into the concept, it just took the triangulation of busy satellites to make all of our desires into reality. The results are as sturdy, sheltering and invisible at the edges as the album's title, facts that we are all the better for each time we wrap ourselves in this particular fabric. An all-timer.

Jack Rose — The Black Dirt Sessions (2009)

The Black Dirt Sessions by Jack Rose

I had the good luck and fortune to get to know Jack back in the Pelt days and watch his transition from that ensemble into the singular player and performer that he was for the last eight years of his too short life. Watching a Jack set was always a tiny miracle. I remember him calling me one day, telling me that he had gone to record with Jason Meagher and he had a record that he would really love for me to put out if I was interested. Not only was I most most certainly interested, but I was amazingly humbled and flattered that this friend who I also considered a modern master had recorded something specifically for me without even discussing it with me first. That level of trust was the gift and magic of Jack. If he believed in you that belief gave you all of the power you needed to make anything reality, you were suddenly bulletproof. Every track here is a stunner but “Cross the North Fork” always pulls me in, dares me to turn my attention anywhere else. Rest in power, friend.

Chuck Johnson — Crows In The Basilica (2013)

Crows In The Basilica by Chuck Johnson

Every track on this perfectly constructed and sequenced album is flawlessly beautiful but “On A Slow Passing In Ghost Town” is one of the top 10 tracks in the entire TLR catalog in my estimation. Exactingly and properly composed, performed and recorded.

Bardo Pond — Peri (2009)

Peri by Bardo Pond

The love of Bardo Pond was the seed that initially drove me to create a record label. Their single-minded determination to seek audio truth was apparent to me ages ago and so very inspirational. I ate up everything — the releases, the live shows, the live recording — and I hung on every note. The band had a lot of really, really great tunes that they had been working on between 2001 and 2003, the period between their departing Matador for ATP Records. I could never shake the power of several of the tracks from this era that sort of got abandoned to the shifts of time. After several conversations with Michael Gibbons two albums were born from that period and from some other exceptionally potent tracks. Batholith was the first of these two albums and Peri, the second. Both are so very special to me, the fruit of knowing folks needed to hear these compositions. When writing here I have to pick Peri today as it closes with “Silver Pavilion,” an all-time Bardo Pond thesis statement of sorts.

[bluelixn]

For You, I’d Steal the Stars By: BlueLionWrites on AO3 For MoonlitPaladin When Allura sets Shiro up with a date for her wedding on Valentine’s Day, he doesn’t think it’ll go well but instead he meets the one person he wants to spend every Valentine’s Day with from now until forever. February 13 2019 Lance’s gaze was taken, a soft smile lilting his lips as he peered down at the white gold band sitting perfectly on his ring finger, the light filtering in through the sheer curtains of their living room glinted off of the smooth metal and the beautiful black star sapphire set in the centre of the band. Shiro had found the stone on one of his many trips abroad and had kept ahold of it for many years before having it made into the ring he proposed to Lance with. There was nowhere Lance would rather be right now, sitting in bed, perched comfortably between his husbands legs, broad arms wrapped around his middle as they watched some terrible soap opera Shiro was rather invested in. An open bag of chips sat beside them, neglected in favour of Lance tracing patterns along the back of Shiro’s arm, humming lowly in contentment. “Whatcha think about baby?” Shiro murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of Lance’s head. Lance interlaced his fingers with Shiro’s, raising his husband’s hand to his lips to press a kiss to the backs of his knuckles, “I’m thinking that the main dude on that TV show of yours is kinda hot” he teased, laughing as Shiro jabbed him in the side playfully, rolling him down the mattress and pinning Lance beneath his body weight and peppering Lance’s face with wet kisses. When their laughter finally died down, Lance spoke.“I just can’t believe tomorrow is our anniversary… I love you so much Mr Shirogane” he murmured, cupping Shiro’s face and leaning up to press a gentle kiss to his lips. “I love you more Mr Shirogane” July 22nd 2013 “Shiro! My beautiful best friend in the entire universe, the yin to my yang, the light of my life, funny seeing you here! How are you?” Allura cooed, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she slid into the cracked leather booth across from Shiro with a grin on her face that only spelled trouble. The Kaltenecker Creamery was famous for their milkshakes and currently Shiro was sipping his with little interest, peering across at Allura with a suspicious squint. “I know that face, Allura. Oh god, what did you do and how did you know I was here?” Shiro asks worriedly, peering across at his best friend who was currently pretending to read over the menu with immense interest as Shiro sipped on his Cherry Bomb Milkshake. Allura pressed her palm to her chest dramatically and gasped, a mock look of shock twisting her features, “What? How could you say such a thing? Can’t a girl run into her best friend by pure happenstance?” Shiro merely raised an eyebrow, arms folding over his broad chest.Allura sighed “Fine, I called Keith and he told me. Do you want to get some lunch? My treat?”. “You’re trying to butter me up because you’ve done something I’m probably not gonna want to hear… Need I remind you of the piñata incident?” Shiro returned, raising both eyebrows expectantly over at Allura before taking another sip of his milkshake. Allura grimaced and shook her head; “You promised we would never again speak of the piñata incident but… and I know what you’re going to say but I don’t care because I know you’ll love him…” she trailed off, clapping her hands together excitedly. “I found you a date for my wedding”. Valentine’s Day 2014 Shiro was honestly speechless as he peered around the beautiful room he and Allura had arrived in, dropping his luggage in the corner where it wouldn’t get underfoot. They were in the Penthouse Suite of an absolutely stunning hotel with sweeping marble floors, crystal chandeliers and rich purple and silver accents, apparently it was owned by a friend of Allura’s and currently the wedding party for both brides was occupying the space; Shiro, the bridesmaids, a couple make-up artists and hairdressers, a photographer and a member of the hotels staff on hand in case they needed anything. Along an ornate wrack held their outfits; perfectly pressed and cleaned, ready to be handed out so everyone could dress now that their hair and make-up was finished. Allura grinned widely, hurrying across the room and pulling the intruder into a tight hug, careful not to mess up the stunning up-do her hair had been transformed into. Shiro’s lips parted in a silent ‘oh’ as he took in the stranger currently being crushed in Allura’s embrace; beautiful tanned skin and soft brown hair that fell across mischievous eyes, a cheeky grin and the lithe body of a swimmer that had Shiro subconsciously checking for drool dripping down his chin. “I’m so glad you could make it here for the wedding” Allura exclaimed, pulling away. “Shiro, come here!” Allura beckoned him over, “Shiro, this is Lance, Romelle’s best friend. He lives down in Miami and couldn’t fly in until the day of the wedding.” Shiro nodded dumbly, offering his hand to Lance to shake and flushing pink as the brunet raised his hand to his lips, pressing a chaste kiss to the skin there with a small smirk, “Romelle told me you were hot but she seems to have left out the part where panties must hit the floor whenever you enter a room”. “Lance!” Allura admonished, breaking out into a fit of giggles at the sight of Shiro’s expression. “I- uh… you- thank-you?“ Shiro spluttered, cheeks turning a nice shade of beet red as he laughed nervously to avoid trying to form a coherent sentence. He was utterly entranced by Lance who beamed at him, letting go of his hand in order to mingle with the rest of the bridal party. Allura clapped her hands together, ushering the two of them into the adjoining closet in order to change, two of the bridesmaids handing them their suits as they went. Allura patted Shiro on the shoulder, “you’re welcome” she mouthed, sending Shiro a wink before draping her silk robe on the California king and pulling her dress from the rack. - The wedding was a beautiful affair; with soft pink flower petals decorating the aisle, fairy lights strewn throughout the trees and a beautiful ceremony that had even Shiro tearing up a little. As the reception progressed and Allura and Romelle began their first dance as a couple, Shiro found himself standing beside Lance, the soft lights reflecting in ocean blue eyes and honestly, he found he could scarcely tear his gaze away. As their dance drew to a close and applause sounded from every corner of the spacious hall, Shiro turned to Lance, offering him his hand. “Will you dance with me?” New Years Eve 2014 When the wedding had drawn to a close, Shiro and Lance had ended up returning to Lance’s hotel room, feet aching something terrible from dancing together for most of the night and falling into effortless conversation; exchanging stories from their childhoods and embarrassing moments throughout their lives. Before they knew it, the sun was rising above the horizon, filtering through the heavy curtains to announce the dawn of a new day. They spent the next few days together, touring the sites that California had to offer before exchanging numbers at the airport when Lance left to board his flight, pressing a chaste kiss to Shiro’s cheek before disappearing into the crowd. Due to their conflicting schedules and living on opposite sides of the country, it had taken a while for Shiro to ask Lance out on a proper date, wanting to be there in person when he did. They had spoken every day since the wedding, sending one another texts throughout the day and spending hours every weekend talking to one another on the phone or over Skype. Sometimes Lance would send selfies asking for Shiro’s opinion on his outfit and photos of him and his friends during outings or at music festivals and as Shiro stood in Lance’s doorway, it all felt entirely surreal. And now, here they were; dining on oven-cooked chicken nuggets and glasses of white wine, waiting for the countdown of the New Year to begin on the television. When the countdown began, Shiro put his glass down on the small table beside the armrest and interlocked his fingers with Lance’s. The TV was a faint buzz in the background as they both leant in, Shiro’s palm gently cupping Lance’s face as their lips brushed, slowly deepening as the countdown reached zero and cheers erupted on the screen. “Happy New Year, Lance” Shiro whispered as they pulled apart, eyes glowing with affection. “Happy New Year, Shiro” Lance murmured in return, pulling Shiro in for another kiss. Valentine’s Day 2015 Shiro’s flight had landed in the late afternoon the day before Valentine’s and as he exited the plane and entered the terminal, the sight of Lance waiting for him filled him with joy. He bumped into people, mumbling apologies as he rushed through the crowd, inching closer and closer to Lance. When he finally reached Lance, luggage all but forgotten, he pulled Lance against him, kissing him senseless, arms encircling his slender waist. “God, I’ve missed you so much” he breathed, crushing Lance against his chest, only pulling back to pepper Lance’s face with kisses. When they finally broke apart and made it back to Lance’s apartment, they spent the night with homemade pizza, Lance sitting in his lap, head tucked under Shiro’s chin as they watched movies, basking in one another’s company. As Valentine’s Day dawned, Lance’s phone rang incessantly at the ass-crack of dawn. Even though he had taken the day off months in advance, he had to be called in for a work emergency. Lance worked at the Sealife Park, caring for the animals in rehabilitation and one of the dolphins had gone into labour but there were some complications and needed his help. With a quick kiss goodbye, an order to make himself at home and a sincere apology, Lance rushed out the door, grabbing his keys as he ran past. The plans for their date now promptly disbanded led Shiro to his current predicament because even though they couldn’t go on their date, he still wanted to do something special for Lance and had told him as much via text. Shiro pulled on some oven mitts and said a prayer that he wouldn’t mess this up. - Okay, so he may have messed up.Everything had turned into a complete and utter disaster; somehow Shiro had managed to set his forelock on fire, the once white hair now singed beyond repair, the cookies on the tray were nothing short of char-grilled, now only recognizable as barbeque coals, he then dropped the bowl of green icing onto the floor which had then proceeded to splatter across every single surface, appearing as if Slimer from Ghostbusters had been brutally slaughtered in Lance’s kitchen and he then went on to melt a plastic container to the stovetop which he’d accidentally turned on with his hip while trying to clean up the icing… and then the doorbell rang. Shiro cursed loudly and colourfully, hurrying over to the door with a grimace marring his features. No amount of running his fingers through his hair or brushing off his clothes was going to help this disaster. Shiro groaned and pulled opened the door, donned in Lance’s ‘May I Suggest the Sausage apron’ decorated with a picture of a hand that pointed down to his groin, lobster claw oven mitts, a half burned forelock and black lion slippers. “Hey Hunk! Lance isn’t here at the moment; he got called into work unexpectedly. Do you wanna come in?” Shiro asks, stepping aside to allow Hunk into Lance’s apartment, wincing at the state of the kitchen. “I came to see you, actually” Hunk beamed, “Lance called me from work saying you were baking him something special and asked me to check up on you considering your, uh… history with cooking”. “Oh and I made these for you to give to Lance, figured they would be less… hazardous to his health” Shiro smiled sheepishly, rubbing at the back of his neck as he nodded in agreement, accepting the Tupperware container filled to bursting with Hunk’s secret recipe triple choc snickers cookies. “Thank-you Hunk, you’re a lifesaver!” Shiro sighed “The last thing I want to do is give Lance food poisoning and right now, we’d be spending the rest of Valentine’s Day in the ER if he ate the cookies I made”. - After seeing the state of the kitchen, Hunk, being the absolute angel he was, helped Shiro clean it from top to bottom; ridding it of the very green, sloppy icing and the lumps of coal that had once been store bought cookie dough balls. Shiro ducked away briefly to cut away the singed parts of his hair and returned to scrape the plastic from the stovetop with immense difficulty. Eventually Hunk had to leave, saying he needed to get back to the bakery he and his wife, Shay, owned and bade Shiro farewell with a clap on the back and a big grin. When Lance finally returned home from work, dead tired and hungry, the kitchen was glistening. After showering, Shiro thoroughly washing Lance’s hair for him, they changed into their pyjamas, nestling onto the couch together to watch shitty romcoms, devouring Hunk’s amazing cookies for dinner and if Lance noticed Shiro’s fringe was significantly shorter than when he left for work this morning, he didn’t say anything. Valentine’s Day 2016 With Shiro off work for the week, Lance decided to take him to all of his favourite places, starting with the beautiful beach that was only a ten minute drive from his apartment. He took Shiro snorkeling for the first time and they spent the late afternoon wandering the beach, hand in hand, collecting shells to bring home with them as souvenirs. When the sun had begun to set and the wind grew chilly they returned home. From their day in the sun, Lance was looking more radiant than ever, his skin practically glowing from the even tan, whereas Shiro, with his significantly paler skin, did not fair as well. The sunscreen disagreeing with his skin, leaving him raw red like an overcooked lobster. Once Shiro had been lovingly slathered in aloe vera, they sat comfortably on Lance’s old, blue couch, sipping champagne while an old Disney movie played. Lance twisted in place, hand buried beneath the plush couch cushions, pulling out a small rectangular box from the depths of the couch and pressing it into Shiro’s hands with a sheepish smile. “Baby, you didn’t have to get me anything” Shiro smiles warmly, tugging almost guiltily at the beautifully tied ribbon until it comes undone. When he eases the lid of the box off, he looks up at Lance questioningly, pulling out two uncut keys; one blue and one purple. “Well a few months ago we talked about maybe moving in together but never really talked about where the other would move to so that’s why the keys are uncut, I thought we could cut them together.” “Lance” Shiro breathed “This is… wow. I hope you’ll like the gift I got for you then” Shiro chuckles, handing Lance a card- sans envelope. “Read it” ‘Mr Shirogane, We are pleased to announce that your request to be transferred from the California office to the Miami office has been successful. Please collect your things and any outstanding assignments…’ Lance trailed off, looking over at Shiro with wide eyes and a hopeful smile. “You’re moving to Miami?” Shiro nodded, grinning from ear to ear as Lance tackled him into a hug, the pair of them falling from the couch and landing on the floor with a loud thud. Valentine’s Day 2017 Dearest Lance I’m sorry I couldn’t make it back to Miami for Valentine’s Day this year; hopefully I can make it up to you when I get back from this business meeting in Toronto in a few weeks time. I know you love things that are cliché and cheesy so I’m hopeful that this letter and the gift arriving later today, will be adequate enough to meet your standards of grand romantic gestures I wanted to write to you and tell you that these past two years with you have been the best years of my life and the last few months we’ve been apart have been nothing short of hell. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone and honestly, it scares me sometimes how much I can possibly love another person. My chest aches when we’re apart and it only stops when you’re safe in my arms again. You make everyday so much better than any other and I still can’t believe I’m lucky enough to call you mine. There is no one in the world more perfect for me than you, Lance and everyday you spend by my side is a gift I treasure dearly. You are my rock and my light to guide me home in the darkness. Before you, I felt like the shell of the man I once was but when I met you, it was if a whole new world opened before my eyes. Suddenly, the things I once thought were impossible were in my grasp. I have never met anyone that has such a profound effect on the people around them. You’re just so full of life and you find the beauty in everything, even someone like me. You touch the hearts of everyone around you without even trying and you’re effortlessly gorgeous, especially with bed hair and my old college tee-shirt. You cannot even begin to imagine how crazy I am about you. There is nothing in on earth that could ever equate to how beautiful you are to me, both inside and out. There is not a single star in the cosmos or a universe yet explored that could equate to you. I would go to the ends of the earth to make you happy and for you, I’d steal the stars from the sky just to see you smile.You are the one for me, Lance, and I want to spend forever with you Forever Yours, T.S. xoxo As Lance got to the end of the letter, the tears that had welled in his eyes were falling down his cheeks. He loved Shiro more than anything, more than he could say and with such a beautiful letter clutched to his chest, Lance wished, more than anything, that Shiro was here with him now. When the doorbell sounded, Lance jumped six feet, brushing the tears from his face as he rushed to the door. He, Hunk and Shay were going to have a movie night so he thought nothing of the doorbell as he threw it open, prepared to let his friends inside so they could binge Star Wars together. What he didn’t expect to see was Shiro, dressed in his grey pinstripe suit, kneeling on his doorstep, a small red velvet box in one hand and a bouquet of blue roses in the other. Lance’s jaw dropped, his entire body freezing up as he processed what was happening. “Lance McClain… I hope this grand romantic gesture makes up for my absence these last few months….Will you marry me?” Valentine’s Day 2018

“Do you, Takashi Shirogane, take Lance Charles McClain to be your lawfully wedded husband?” “I do” Shiro grinned, tears shining in his eyes as he slid the simple band down Lance’s slender finger. “And do you Lance Charles McClain, take Takashi Shirogane to be your lawfully wedded husband?” “I do” Lance nodded enthusiastically, tears welling and beginning to fall as he slid the wedding band down Shiro’s finger. Grinning up at his husband with an expression of nothing but pure love and joy. "I now pronounce you husband and husband, Shiro, you may now kiss-“ Lance didn’t wait for the officiant to finish, throwing his arms around Shiro’s neck and pulling him into a deep kiss. Applause erupted throughout the church, echoing throughout the high rafters "I love you so much Mr Shirogane” Lance murmured against Shiro’s lips, their noses brushing. “I love you more Mr Shirogane” Shiro returned, grinning at his new husband before pulling him into another kiss.

[momentsinsong]

Moments In Song No. 021 - Tromac Pineapple

“Moments In Song” asks people one simple question, “What are you listening to?” For every installment we ask someone to make a playlist of 10 songs they’re listening to, whether it be something new they stumbled upon, or a song they’ve always loved, and explain the story behind their choices. We aim to show that no matter where we come from, what we do, or what we look like, music has the ability to bring us together.

DMV producer/rapper/DJ Tromac Pineapple reaches every corner of Hip-Hop and brings it together in his playlist. We talk to him about digging through Bandcamp for music, what makes a good DJ, and his new project the Velour Vandal EP.

Listen to Tromac’s playlist on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Words and photos by Julian.

_________________________________________________________

Julian: First thing I wanted to ask you is what the thought process was behind making your playlist? People always say it’s hard picking 10 songs to squeeze into it. 

Tromac: Well I wanted to spread across my taste as wide as possible. I actually had a hard time once I got to like 7 songs because I was like, “Damn, I can only put in three more of those joints, but I know 5 that I could pick.” I pretty much just wanted to touch on the different types of music I like. I still didn’t even get across all of it.

I noticed that a majority of the playlist was Hip-Hop, but different types of Hip-Hop. You have some boom bap stuff with “Free (Type Shit),” Dilla, and Anderson. Then you have more turn up stuff like WiFIGawd and Ghostie. That Ghostie song caught me off guard. It has a little house feel to it that I wasn’t expecting.

Yeah see I had to add that, because Ghostie is one of the most versatile artists I know. As versatile as this playlist is, he’s six times as versatile as that. As a fellow producer in this area, I have a whole lot of respect for him. And that’s my mans, so I’ll be listening to it anyway. Shit be cranking, no matter what genre he tackles. And then I also have the “Free (Type Shit)” joint because it’s just so smooth and it hits. The beats, the boom bap. That’s one of my favorite things in Hip-Hop. It’s just so powerful. That’s also why I got the J Dilla joint on there. That’s like my favorite Dilla beat of all time. Straight slap, the drums, the snares. The whole thing. It's just hard. Classic. Undeniable.

When did you first really start listening to music and developing your own taste, instead of just listening to what was on the radio?

Pretty much when I was in 9th or 10th grade. Back then my main taste was just mixtapes and shit. The first favorite rapper I ever had was Lil Wayne, and he’s still like top 5 to me to this day. I would just listen to endless mixtapes, because before I graduated High School I just loved to listen to underground shit. I literally didn’t listen to albums and would only listen to mixtapes. I would listen to the first three Droughts, Sorry 4 the Wait. That was my favorite mixtape of all times for like 18 years (laughs).

Were you on DatPiff and all those sites?

Oh bruh, I had a DatPiff account, LiveMixtapes, Sprinrilla, all of that. 

So how did listening to mostly mixtapes branch off into listening to other types of artists and other types of music?

Well basically every now and then I would look into what was new that week…

Still on the mixtape websites, or is this on something else?

Yeah still the mixtape sites but at this point I also got into Bandcamp, and that was some real underground type shit. When I got into Bandcamp I was also making my own music at this point and was posting it on there. I would hashtag that shit and then click on them to see who else was posting music from Laurel, MD, or PG County, or just Maryland in general. That’s how I found a bunch of other local artists, like my homies Fonlon and Kente from NASA8, Tek.Lun and other guys. They had the same hashtags because we were all from Laurel. And then from there I would look at other hashtags like #HipHopBeats, and I would discover artists like Madbliss. Searching through hashtags led to me finding a bunch of random bands on Bandcamp, and I feel like that really opened the door for me to be on the lookout for other genres of music.

You said earlier this is when you started making music?

Yeah I started making music in 10th grade. 

So is that writing rhymes? Making beats? Both?

Making beats. I mean I was freestyling with my friends all the time, and writing rhymes down in my notebook, but I wasn’t rapping on beats until 11th grade, which was around 2013. I didn’t rap on my own beats until 2014 because I knew my shit wasn’t good (laughs). But it eventually got to a point where I could hit my own stuff instead of YouTube “type beats.” I knew early on “type beats” wasn’t the wave. It is the wave for some people, but it wasn’t the wave for me. And I knew that early on because you can’t really build a solid body of work just taking random beats. Even if you get a bunch of random beats from different producers, it’s more that needs to go into a project than that.

When you first started making music, who were some of your influences when it came to producing? I would assume Dilla is one, or did that not come until later?

I knew about J Dilla because I would hear my parents listen to Erykah Badu and Common, so when my Dad found out that I was making beats he would be like, “Oh so you wanna be like Dougie Fresh and J Dilla?” and I was like, “Who the hell are these people?” All I knew was like Mike WiLL Made-It because that was what I was hearing. I wasn’t too keen on producers at that level. The producers I did know were like Flying Lotus, Tek.Lun, Kaytranada, Sam Gellaitry and that was all through Soundcloud. Some of my favorite producers would be the ones I randomly found on Soundcloud.

Can you talk more about how discovering these local artists’ music on the internet led to you linking up with them, and not just working with them but them becoming your homies.

Literally just through showing love and support through the music. I started coming out here to Baltimore for events and chilling with the homies as a way to immerse myself in the scene. Of course, you met people, you tell people you do music, and eventually the link forms itself. And if you’re good the link grows with a lot of people. When you’re genuine, genuine things happen for you. I’ve never been a “clout chaser” or anything like that. It’s always been, “This dude is really dope. He’s the homie of my homie.” 

I agree with that 100%. I feel like every connection or relationship I’ve made with someone in the arts scene has been on some person to person type stuff. Not even like artist to artist, or creative to creative type stuff, but just like as a person. And I feel like you were saying it just grows from there. 

Definitely. People who are just creative in general. Photographers, painters, dancers, even like fucking bartenders. Athletes, anyone who’s mind moves faster than the normal individual. I remember when I was learning how to drive my driving instructor told me that people who are athletes and artists tend to get adapted to driving easier, because their brains work more than the average individual because they have a craft they need to constantly focus on. Whatever activity you’re involved in, your brain works harder to adapt to that.

So beats came first, and then the raps. Where does the DJing come into that?

So the DJing came in because I had probably performed 3 or 4 times rapping, but then I was really confident in my beats and I wanted to start performing my beats. By this time, 2015/2016, I would be seeing videos of dudes like eu-IV, j.robb, other producers I looked up to, random Boiler Room videos, and was thinking, “Why can’t I perform my shit?” So I started creating mixes in FL Studio, and learned to DJ through that. It was tedious as fuck, but I had time because I was kid and didn’t have shit to do (laughs). 

I feel like that shows in your sets now. The last one I saw from you, you had a transition from some house song to a Gucci Mane song that was crazy. Never would I have thought to put those two tracks together.

Literally when I DJ, I just play the music that I like. That Gucci Mane song just came back into my rotation like a week ago and I was just like, “Damn I don’t remember this shit being so hard. I gotta play this at a show!” A lot of it is on the fly. I don’t really plan too much outside of downloading the music. I always go off of the crowd and how I feel. Sometimes I’ll download 30 songs for a set and only end up playing like 13, and the rest of the set would’ve been made up of songs I’ve played at other shows.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a show, and have been practicing the week before, and had a playlist ready, and you go in and the crowd is totally different, the energy changes, so you have to play off the cuff. I feel like as much emphasis you put on practicing and preparing, you also need to have the skill of being able to be on your toes and change on the drop of a dime.

I feel like if you’re a good DJ, that should already be a thing. You should know. You pick up on things like that automatically. The shows are practice. You’re not gonna get the same experience at a show, practicing at home. That’s why I feel like if you’re just starting out you should take as many opportunities as you can, and get a feel of what your lane is. I used to take any show I could. I would DJ baby showers, college pools parties, everything. You gotta find your lane, figure out what type of crowds your best in, and switch it up every now and then.

What can you tell me about the new project you got coming up? What kind of sound and themes can people expect from it? 

So the new project is called the Velour Vandal EP, and it’s basically establishing myself as a rapper in the game. I’ve had rap projects before, I’ve had beat tapes, but this is my first official EP. I want people to hear this and think, “Ok, Tromac is actually trying to make it type shit.” It’s really just a lot of crank on this joint, but it’s not like I was in this joint like, “Fuck your bitch…”

You put some thought into it.

Yeah! There’s some lyrics that you gotta ask about. I’m trying to make something that’ll hit, stick, and has good content. All the people I’m working with on it are people I know care and are passionate about music. The intro is produced by me and Koleco, I’m recording all of the songs with Martin J. Ballou, I got Vlad on a song, I got Ghostie. Pretty much have all people I know are serious about music. I want this project to be something. 

Yeah it’s like your introduction as a whole artist.

Yeah. And the whole thing behind the title is for like the last year or so, I’ve become really fond of velvet and have been buying a lot of it. People would always tell me I’m a bear, because I’m big and shit, soft and cuddly, just a cozy ass nigga. I have a thing where I give myself a bunch of alisas, and Velour Vandal just happen to be one of them, and I was like, “Hmm. I can do something with that.”

Any last words about your playlist and what you want the people to get from it?

I want people to go into it with a blank slate. Almost pretend like you’ve never heard music before, be reintroduced to all the different genres and aspects of these songs, and cultivate a new taste from that. 

Connect with Tromac Pineapple:

https://twitter.com/TromacPineapple

https://www.instagram.com/tromacpineapple/

https://soundcloud.com/tromac

Connect with Moments In Song:

https://www.instagram.com/momentsinsong/

https://twitter.com/moments_in_song

https://tinyurl.com/MISAppleMusic

https://tinyurl.com/MISSpotify

[butiki]

got tagged by ya girl @darkflierliesel for this bigass mfuckin questions game.

rules: answer these questions, tag some lads. usual spiel. yall know how this goes

1. Nicknames: nah i believe is the only thing people call me thts not my birthname

2. Gender: yeah 3. Star sign: pisces 4. Height: 6′2″ 5. Time: 20:33 on a monday night & i just submitted a college application 6. Birthday: 5th o march 7. Favourite bands: my #1 fave band rn is Sweet Trip. other faves include The Domestics, Trespassers William, Daniel Land & the Modern Painters, Yumi Zouma

8. Favourite solo artists: Sufjan Stevens, Snowblind Traveler, Andy Shauf, Mariya Takeuchi, Danny Schmidt

9. Song stuck in my head: The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us! by Sufjan Stevens bc ive been hyper-analyzing the lyrics. im going to write an essay analyzing the symbol of the wasp as a representation of obligatory heterosexuality pretty soon.

10. Last movie I watched: Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! 11. Last show I watched: mfuckin uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Always Sunny in Philadelphia there was this absolute fuckin godly episode where tehy went to a water park.  12. When did I create my blog: 2013? 2014? ive been around way longer than necessary. 13. What do I post: I post glitch/lo-fi/abandoned structures 3 times a day every day, and then various stupid posts every now an then. 14. Last thing I googled: lookt up predatory wasp to grab that vibeo link up there

15. Do I have any other blogs: im @officialnah on twitter and then i got a spam instagram acct @divorcepapers.

16. Do I get asks: once in a blue moon. dont have a real strong personality or presence on this site so i understand why 17. Why I chose my url: stems from nah from fire emblem awakening and now ive just sorta stolen her name and its a good url nonetheless

18. Following: too lazy to check the number. 400 smth i think?

19. Followers: i think around 600 now?

21. Average hours of sleep: ive been goin to bed around 21:00 lately, and my alarm gets me up at 5:20. whatever number that is. im more of a literature/english kinda individual 22. Lucky number: 1, 74, 16 23. Instruments: smash thos mfuckin piano keys

24. What am I wearing: flannel, pajama pants. im big sexy rn

25. Dream job: english professor or antique store owner

26. Dream trip: i’d love to just go cross country bigass road trip for a couple months. stop existing in the concrete, live in liminality. sleep in the back of my car at rest stations. take in the scenery, listen to music.

27. Favorite food: yo rn i could really go for some tom yum soup. 28. Nationality: 2 different brands of white w/ religion inherent in their roots: russian jew and irish catholic

30. Favourite song right now: International from Sweet Trip’s album Velocity : Design : Comfort which is the PEAK of glitch pop. theres nothing better than vdc. god i love sweet trip

as for people to tag, uhhh @milktxt @kurumis @eirinyagokoro @shidiand yall go to town & anyone else who i interact w on the regular. the world is your oyster. 

[songwriting-analysis]

Neko Case - The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You (2013) - Review

Neko Case has been one of my favorite artists since high school. Given that she’s .05-1 generation older and wiser than me, it’s probably good that I’ve had a few years to mature and reflect on this album.

Musically, this is a stronger offering than 2009’s Middle Cyclone even with fewer standout tunes. The 3 A.M. doom-folk of Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006) has yet to be topped but where Middle Cyclone meandered toward the end, TWTG… roars uphill like a freight train. The album vacillates between sparse, contemplative songs and brusque toe tappers though in typical Case fashion, there’s plenty of musical and lyrical crossover.

The precarious harmony of ‘Wild Creatures’ seems an odd opener compared to the perfect microcosm of her songwriting offered in ‘Night Still Comes’ but the theme of motherhood may have something to do with that. The accumulating wiry energy is juxtaposed perfectly by the cathartic downhill release of the closer ‘Ragtime’. The whole thing feels deliberately crafted, even when giving free rein to the mad, reverby noodling of M. Ward’s guitar. While on earlier albums the backing band seemed to stay within the lines of her songwriting, the playing here is more loose, almost improvisational, like a band that had enough time to grow comfortable interpreting the songs.

In terms of musical content, there’s not a lot new here. Case still loves her minor IV chord like no other, her sound still vacillates between folksy acoustic and electric country (with the notable exception of ‘Man’). Harmonically, she’s actually a bit less adventurous than on Middle Cyclone. There’s less stylistic variation between the songs this time around but on the whole a greater eclecticism and variety of arrangement.

The train beat of ‘Bracing for Sunday’ crescendos masterfully into ‘Nearly Midnight, Honolulu’, an a capella earth scorcher that’s just as uncomfortably intimate as the experience it describes. Between this and ‘Where Did I Leave That Fire?’ Case has abandoned the chains of “this is my song and here are the sections” and embraced the value of pauses, drones, and other formal embellishments to sweeten the impact of harmonies and phrases. ‘City Swans’ might have one of her best grooves yet. ‘Afraid’ is delightfully serene in execution but probably the clunker of the album, a bit too plodding and on-the-nose melodically.

The production is warmer and more open, far more vintage and less compressed than Middle Cyclone but with modern enough EQ for each instrument to speak. The analog hiss and compression gets in the way of songs like ‘Calling Cards’ and ‘Afraid’ but in general benefits the album. The production on ‘Man’ seems out of place, lacking the warm midrange of the rest of the album and with a bit too much static from the console. Case’s music is often belligerent and unapologetic but this album seems to reveal a new patience and resilience--as if a new day dawned inspiring her to make musical soul food--and it’s well represented in the sonic warmth of the production.

The overall vibe harkens back to Blacklisted. She’s grown a lot as a songwriter since then but the songs on TWTG… come across as direct and unadorned in contrast to Fox Confessor and Middle Cyclone which were both fairly deliberate and at times baroque. For lack of better vocabulary, there’s a level of twang here that hasn’t been matched since Blacklisted. Her past few albums pushed the boundaries of folk/country/alternative and on this one she’s taken a step back to her roots while still utilizing the unique sound she’s carved.

Lyrically, TWTG… dwells on many of the same themes as Middle Cyclone: subverting gender norms, Nature’s vengeance against Man’s folly, Case’s emotions embodied in natural phenomena. Some themes that run throughout her career: birds, rustic imagery, the ability of the past to sting in the present, and some new ideas like what exactly it means to be a “man”.

There’s new resilience but also moments of exhaustion and tender reminiscence that weren’t present on earlier albums. Case has always been keen to brood over the past but in contrast to the metaphysical melancholy of ‘I Wish I Was the Moon’ or ‘Vengeance is Sleeping’, songs like ‘I’m From Nowhere’, ‘Calling Cards’, and ‘Afraid’ convey a sense of peace, acceptance, and camaraderie that starkly contrast the violent assertions of otherness and bravado on earlier albums. While Case’s humorous moments are often sardonic, ‘Where Did I Leave That Fire?’ has one of the best punchlines ever and even expresses levity. Is this what it means to be sailing so long you become the shore?

Also new is a growing tone deafness to the gulf between herself and her audience. ‘I’m From Nowhere”’offers an interesting perspective on success and how it’s scrutinized by those who tried but didn’t make it. Case chastises “armies of those who once played in a band and wasted it complaining like a trust fund kid” either unaware or unfazed by the irony of going on to complain that, “You say I’m lucky to be here but I’ve been driving for 21 days.”

In ‘Local Girl’, she begins with a “get off my lawn” moment toward youthful joy then crafts an anthemic chorus calling out small town residents who lie about someday, almost spitting out the line, “You’re on a first name basis.” First off, who doesn’t lie about someday? It took me six months longer than I intended to finish this review. Secondly, perhaps she’s forgotten that, in spite of her tremendous talents, she is lucky to be here. I know plenty of talented songwriters who never made it out of first-name-basis land and live quiet lives with less bitterness than exudes from her music. This isn’t new for her though. Past albums are littered with references to old flames that fell to the siren song of domestic complacency but on TWTG… the feeling seems to codify into an outright disdain that’s off-putting to those of us who haven’t achieved as much as her. Yes, she’s in the top percentile of songwriters and put in the work to get where she is but even with all of that, anyone successful still has luck to some degree in a musical environment as saturated as the current one.

That said, this may be the first album where Case begins to pick up her dusky reveries and transform them into something positive: a better self for tomorrow. She may still be bitter in many regards but expresses the most gratitude since ‘At Last’ and far more consistently. Though she’s still fighting hard, it appears that holding out for that teenage feeling might not be so necessary anymore. At least as far as she’s conveyed musically, she’s much happier and more grateful here than ever before. We’re just grateful you’re still making amazing music Neko.

[parkjmini]

get to know me tag !!

answer the 30 questions and tag 30 followers that you would like to know better!

I was tagged by @kapparel, thank you for tagging me, my dear !! beware im boring af lol

1. Nickname: joycey 

2. Gender: female

3. Star sign: capricorn

4. Height: 5'3 

5. Time: 3:29pm 

6. Birthday: January 12 (shoutout to my birthday twins zayn&kyungsoo)

7. Favourite band(s): bts, got7, blackpink, girl’s day, monstax, bigbang

8. Favourite solo artist(s): melanie martinez, drake, selena gomez, ariana grande, blackbear, ed sheeran, jeremih

9. Song stuck in my head: jelly by hotshot whICH IS SUCH A BOP PLS LISTEN TO IT 10/10 WOULD RECOMMEND 

10. Last movie watched: harry potter and the chamber of secrets, my friend and i r doing this harry potter marathon thing bc she’s never seen the movies

11. Last show watched: how to get away with murder 

12. When did I create my blog: im going to take a wild guess and say sept/oct 2013

13. What do I post: stories//scenarios (mainly jimin focus) //fake texts//personal thoughts

14. Last thing i googled: my local library’s hours bc ya girl is starting school in like 2 weeks and havent started her summer reading hw or any hw for that matter hahahahaha im screwed 

15. Do you have other blogs: nah, i use to tho 

16. Do you get asks: sometimes and they make me very happy i hope u guys know that whenever i get an ask i am tremendously happy (((: 

17. Why did you choose your url: i love park jimin a lot a lot a lot he’s my baby and i thought i was witty when i came up w park jmini bc its his name but like scribbled letters but he’s also a mini smol bean ok ill stop its not punny when i explain it

18. Following: 652

19. Followers: 1,054 which is an incredible milestone that i couldn’t be more grateful for thanks to everyone who follows me yall r so rad its inexplicable 

20. Favourite colors: PINKPINKPINKPINK I LVOE PINK 

21. Average hours of sleep: 10 depending on the day, or 6//7

22. Lucky number: 12

23. Instruments: i use to know how to play the piano but i dont now so i guess none LOLOL

24. What am i wearing: some blue patriotic shirt i bought on 4th of july back in 2012 and flamingo printed pj shorts

25. How many blankets I sleep with: 2 

26. Dream job: i guess this is hard bc i dont know what i wanna do in life but i guess i really wanted to purpose acting or maybe singing 

27. Dream trip: hongkong//japan//skorea//macau GET ME ON A PLANE AND IM READY TO GOOooOOooO 

28. Favourite food: i like japanese food and mexican food, ive been rlly into carne asada tacos lately 

29. Nationality: asian american 

30. Favourite song now: i dont actually know bc i have a lot 

i tag @houseofoozingdreams , @choigiraffe , @vsuck , @runmonster , @lightbling , @wooing-jiho , and @izico ((:

[ositia]

i was tagged by @apxlllo​ :^) i havent done one of these in a while (SORRY IF I IGNORED UR TAG I STILL LOVE YOU) but im gonna do this one

Name: ellen

Nickname: my irl friends call me len (damn you)

Height: 5′3″ ish i might be a bit smaller

Hogwarts house: i was always hufflepuff but i got sorted into slytherin in the new pottermore so. slytherpuff. a horrifying badger snake hybrid

Go to ssbb character: marth lol

Fictional character I’d date: NOT SURE tbh i would date lyn

Favorite band or artist: i like a LOT of music uhhhh probs gorillaz ive loved them the longest (and still love them as much thank u damon for my life)

When did I make this blog: i think 2013....?

How many blogs do I follow: 748 geez i need to go through those

Do I get asks on a regular basis: ye depends how active i am tho

Aesthetic: i LOOVE soft colours and yellow tones, plants and lowfi photos, my aes tag is /misc if you want to see what it actually is ;^)

Favorite Greeting: dont know if id call it my Favourite but i say ‘hey lads’ a lot

Pets: i have 4 tamagotchis (jk ive never had a pet which is Tragic :^( )

Last song I listened to: panic station by muse

Favorite tv show: UH MASTERCHEF only the uk version tho fhskjfhdsjkf its on right now and i am So Invested pls if anyone else watches it hmu. i love it. everyone who nuts over gbbo but doesnt watch masterchef? Missing out First Fandom: pokemon and loz Hobbies: drawing altho most of my art muscles are being taken up by school stuff rn :( , acting, swimming, reading, making 393875349875 cups of tea a day

Books I am currently reading: im reading a book on oscar wilde and his circle which is SUPER interesting, im poking through the second sex and im trying to finish p&p which i never read for some reason but i STILL havent finished it gngjdgj i swear ive been reading it for months

Worst thing to have graced my taste buds: porridge, risotto if you come NEAR me with risotto i will punch it out of your hands i hate it, prunes/dates/etc, cinnamon jelly beans (that sounds weirdly specific but they are disgusting) and minty stuff... its ok if its just a bit in chocolate and i can handle toothpaste but. i know im weird but i absolutely hate mint it makes me feel Bad

Favorite place: i loved amsterdam soo much when i went there last year and i would love so much to go back, and on a smaller scale and closer to home i love the npg and the natural history museum in oxford! im probably forgetting somewhere but. i also love central london a lot (ik thats really vague but).. it just kind of feels like everything is Happening and its probably a bit of dreamy thinking but hhrngh. theres just So Much Stuff and i get super excited every time i go

UHH ok i tag (fishes hand in bag) @fishkisser @talesofsymphonya @earthdeep @givrali @bonnydfamme @discofingers @chickenpurr @twunkrevali and anyone else who didnt get pulled out of the metaphorical bag that feels like it u absolutely do NOT have to do this but if u want to go for it!!

[freigaeist]

sup i got tagged in a few thingies by a few beans big thanks to @ksjknj @rapdaegu @hyejinbee @minyccngi @mochikeks !! it’s under the cut to not flood your dash with a wall of text :< )

rules: answer the 20 questions and tag blogs you would like to know better

nickname: bea is a nickname actually!! the kids at work call me tabeh for some reason??

gender: female

star sign: capricorn (with a taurus moon and aqua rising)

height: 180cmish ? 

time right now: 12:39pm

last thing i googled: pacman

favourite bands: bts, coldplay, gorillaz, lullatone, flight facilities, depeche mode, the killers, placebo (you get the idea....)

favourite solo artists: stromae, björk.. listen i’m bad at this i rather like songs or a certain direction rather than artists ever since spotify sighs

song stuck in your head: help i’m alive - metric

last movie i watched: I Am A Hero 

last tv show i watched: The Walking Dead 

when did you create your blog: i believe 2013? i joined 2011 but made this one to go all kpop back then

what kind of stuff do you post: kpop, aesthetics and other stuff i find cool and interesting (like sharks or history or science or spoopy shit or whatnot.... everything rly)

when did your blog reach its peak: uhh never? just when ppl recommend my blog there’s a few coming into this weird household and wait to get fooled by the houseowner that is me :< )

do you have any other blogs: i’ve a shit ton of sideblogs don’t get me started

do you get asks regularly: no! a few when i reblog asks memes but except of that it’s either personal chats or talking to one another via tags 

why did you choose your url: it’s cute how jimin calls namjoon moni and if joon isn’t boyfriend who is..........

following: 672 bean sprouts

posts: 38,977 

pokemon team: drag me i never got into pokémon and have no idea whatsoever but i guess the blue one?? my flatmate said that i think

favourite colours: black and darker, organic colors 

average hours of sleep: 6

lucky numbers: numbers + luck are two things this life will never combine for me i’ve dyscalculia 

favourite manga characters: death note’s L and Mello and Fullmoon wo sagashite’s Meroko i guess?

how many blankets do you sleep with: currently two

dream job: mhh i think i will do more things over the years? idk

dream trip: we’ll go to greece this summer which has me excited, i still wanna get my ass over to slovenia to visit a certain baby cakes and japan and iceland are also high on my list! i also miss swedens nature

another one:

Name – (ta)bea Age – 22 Height – 180cm Ult Bias – kim line of bts (don’t make me choose i can’t??) Nicknames – bea Zodiac sign – one hell of a capricorn Ethnicity – white and very northern european (my bones are huge dude) Favorite fruit – pineapple, coconut, tangerine, peaches, oranges, lists every fruit ever, apples, bananas............. Favorite season – winter, early and late summer  Favorite color – black and darker colors (like warm browns dark yellows whine red and greyblue) Coffee, Tea or Hot Cocoa – coffee Favorite animal(s) – sharks and lately i love piglets?? they’re so cute omg Dream trip –  iceland and japan  Number of blankets you sleep with - two Dogs or cats – has always been cats but just like my sexuality i swing both ways now bc i’m an indecivise binch Side blog – here you go  Follower count – 1111 teehee When did you start this blog – 2013 

Instructions: You can tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. Put your music on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, then tag 10 people. No skipping. 

i future politics - austra ii 팔도강산 - bts iii gone bad - monsta x  iv every planet we reach is dead - gorillaz v bone us_elements - epic high (ft. tbny and myk) vi you are my winter - dillon vii bourbon - gallant viii andy, you’re a star - the killers ix 19-2000 (soulchild remix) - gorillaz x louise - eisblume uhauishsoad i hATE MYSELF LMAO

BTS Top 10 Songs

1. Save ME 2. Run 3. MAMA 4. Autumn Leaves 5. House of Cards 6. Coffee 7. Silver Spoon 8. TOMORROW 9. Just one Day 10. Converse High

phew the last one was hard sajdiaosdh anyways i’m not tagging anybody bc idk who already did this and it’s exhausting to have it all in a block but if you wanna, feel yourself being tagged and don’t forget to @ me i love song recs!! tysm for tagging me have a good one B< ) 

[imagekeepr]

IN MUSIC BANNED

*** VIDEOSS A "A Day in the Life" – The Beatles (1967) ... BBC - suggestive line, "..we’d love to turn you on..” "A Pair of Brown Eyes" - The Pougues ... BBC's Top of the Pops - a music video ban "A Rose and a Baby Ruth" – George Hamilton IV (1956) ... BBC - thought to be advertising, although the candy bar Baby Ruth was not sold in the UK "A Russian Love Song" – The Goons (1957) ... BBC - ridicules the cold war "A Theme from the Threepenny Opera (Mack the Knife)" – Louis Armstrong (1956) ... banned by: NYC radio, BBC - bloodthirsty words *** "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" - Procol Harum (1967) ... Top Of The Pops - the usage of Vietnam War newsreel footage. "A Worried Man" – The Kingston Trio (1959) ... BBC - didn’t like the word “closet” being used for “cupboard”. "A-huggin' and A-chalkin'" – Johnny Mercer (1946) ... BBC /USA - offensive to fat people ** "All For You" - Janet Jackson (2001) ... Singapore - lyrics to 'Would You Mind', were too sexually explicit and not acceptable to their society "Anarchy in the UK" - Sex Pistols (1976) ... BBC - banned following their controversial appearance on the TV news programme, Today. "Annie Had A Baby" - Hank Ballard & The Midnighters (1954) ... banned for radio play by the FCC. overtly sexual lyrics "Annie's Aunt Fannie" - Hank Ballard & The Midnighters (1954) ... banned for radio play by the FCC. overtly sexual lyrics "Angels in the Sky" – The Crew-Cuts (1955) ... BBC - Thought too offensive by the head of religious broadcasting "Answer Me" – Frankie Laine (1953) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting as a "sentimental mockery of Christian prayer" "Armchair Anarchist" - Kingmaker (1992) ... BBC/others - offensive lyrics "Bomb the idiots" and "Viva Dynamite" ** "As Nasty As They Wanna Be" (1989 album) - 2 Live Crew ... USA - Southern District of Florida ruled that the album was legally obscene. B "Baby Got Back" - Sir Mix-A-Lot (1992) ... MTV - briefly banned the outrageous video about women with big butts, and men who like them. "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" – Bob Dylan (1962) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) - Cher () ... BBC - banned during Gulf War "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" – Kirby Stone Four (1958) ... BBC - "pop" version of classical piece, Alexander Borodin's String Quartet in D "Be Prepared" – Tom Lehrer (1953) ... BBC - sexually suggestive "Beep Beep" – The Playmates (1958) ... BBC - the mention of Cadillac and Nash Rambler considered advertising, also promoted dangerous driving. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" - The Beatles ... BBC - the phrase "Henry the Horse", contains two common slang terms for heroin. "Big 6, Big 7,Big 8, 10 etc" - Judge Dredd (1972-75) ... BBC - sexual references and swear words. "Big Boys Bickering" - Paul McCartney ... BBC - overtly political message "Bitch" - The Rolling Stones ... many radio stations - sexual content and outrageous title. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" – Ella Fitzgerald (1958) ... BBC - content where considered objectionable. "Be Chrool To Your Scuel" - Twisted Sister (1985) ... MTV - banned the video for excessive violence and gore "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke (2013) ... YouTube - banned the music video featuring nude models. (a new video was shot with clothed models) "Bobby Brown" - Frank Zappa (1979) ... USA - sexually explicit lyrics "Bring The Boys Home" - Freda Payne (1971) ... American Forces Network - fear that it would "give aid and comfort to the enemy" "Body Language" - Queen (1982) ... MTV ... music video blatantly sexy and too racey "Boom Bang-a-Bang" – Lulu (1969) ... BBC - banned during Gulf War "Burn My Candle" – Shirley Bassey (1956) ... BBC - risqué connotations C "(Celebrate) The Day After You" – The Blow Monkeys and Curtis Mayfield (1987) ... Australia, BBC Can't Stand Losing You - The Police (1978) ... BBC - morbid content (teenager who commits suicide) Cardiac Arrest - Madness (1981) ... BBC - lyrical content, "gasping for the hot air, but the chest pain it won't go" etc "Charlie Brown" – The Coasters (1959) ... BBC - the "disgusting, delinquent word" spitball "Come Together" – The Beatles (1970) ... BBC - product placement with the lyrics "He shoot Coca-Cola" "Come Again" – Au Pairs (1981) BBC ... refers to orgasms "Cop Killer" - Body Count (1992) ... USA / New Zealand - vile messages and promoting anti-police sentiment. ”Cortez The Killer” - Neil Young (1975) ... some Spanish speaking countries/stations - criticism of one of their national heroes "Cradle Song (Brahms' Lullaby)" – Frank Sinatra (1944) ... BBC - disrespectful to classical music "Croce di Oro (Cross of Gold)" – Joan Regan (1955) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting as sentimentalisation of religion "Crazy Horses" - The Osmonds (1972) ... South Africa - "horses" is a slang term for heroin there, so it was thought to be referring to drugs. "Crying in the Chapel" – Lee Lawrence (1953) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting because it was "nauseating". "Cuddle Me" – Ted Heath ft Dennis Lotis (1954) ... BBC - lewd and suggestive D "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover" - Sophie B. Hawkins (1992) ... MTV - rejected the original version of the video on grounds of erotic content. "Danny Boy" – Conway Twitty (1959) ... BBC - Conway Twitty holds the distinction of having recorded the only version of “Danny Boy” to have been banned! "Deep in the Heart of Texas" – Bing Crosby and Woody Herman (1942) ... BBC - too infectious "Devil Woman" - Marty Robbins ... Eire - adulterous theme ** "Devils and Dust" - Bruce Springsteen (2005 album) ... Starbucks, USA - concerns about adult content and his stances on corporate politics "Diggin' My Potatoes" – Lonnie Donegan (1954) ... BBC - lyrics not suitable "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" - Judy Garland ... BBC - found it disrespectful when a Facebook campaign and other anti-Thatcher camps tried do make the song a No.1 hit after the sad death of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. "Dinner with Drac" – John Zacherle (1958) ... BBC - lyrics considered despicable "Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans" – Noël Coward (1943) BBC ... WWII reminder of Germany "Don't Stop (Wiggle Wiggle)" - The Outhere Brothers ... BBC / others - shockingly explicit "Disarm" - Smashing Pumpkins (1994) BBC ... banned the song from appearing on Top of the Pops, because of the lyric "cut that little child". E "Ebeneezer Goode" – The Shamen (1992) ... BBC - drug fuelled song, "Eezer Goode..." in the chorus sounds like E's are good. "Ebony Eyes" – The Everly Brothers (1961) ... BBC - death song, too morbid. "Eight Miles High - The Byrds () ... USA - drug connotations in its lyrics. ** "Electric Ladyland" - Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968 album) ... many retail stores - the cover depicted nineteen nude women lounging in front of a black background. "Eve of Destruction" – Barry McGuire (1965) ... BBC - on the restricted list, for its bombast; USA - "it was an aid to the enemy in Vietnam" F "F--k tha Police" - N.W.A (1988) ... USA / other countries - encouraged violence against, and disrespect for, law enforcement officers. "Fairytale of New York" – The Pogues ft Kirsty MacColl (1987) - BBC/UK MTV - banned the words "faggot" and "slut" "Fat Bottomed Girls" - Queen (1978) ... Shops and Stores - the cover featured a nude woman riding a bicycle; the new version was the same image with panties drawn over the woman. "Feel Good Hit Of The Summer" - Queens of the Stone Age (2000) ... many radio stations / Wal-Mart - the lyrics list drugs: nicotine, valium, vicodin, ecstasy, marijuana, alcohol and cocaine "French Kiss" – Lil Louis (1989) ... BBC - too much heavy breathing G "Gimme a Pigfoot (And a Bottle of Beer)" – Bessie Smith (1933) ... BBC - unsuitable content "Girl Don't Come" - Sandie Shaw (1964) ... Because of this song although it reached number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100, Sandy was unable to do US promotion – including a Shindig! appearance scheduled for March – due to the U.S. Federation of TV and Radio Artists refusing her a US work permit "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" – Wings (1972) ... BBC - political, references to Northern Ireland. "Glad to Be Gay" – Tom Robinson Band (1978) ... BBC - refernces to the gay community "Gloomy Sunday" – Billie Holiday (1941) ... BBC - just.. bad taste! "God Bless the Child" – Billie Holiday (1942) ... BBC - unsuitable for broadcast because of its title - prayers in popular music were not allowed. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys (1966) ... Some USA radio stations - deemed as blasphamy having a pop song with God in the title. Because of this, it was released as the B-side of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" in the United States. In other countries, "God Only Knows" was the single's A-side. "God Save the Queen" – Sex Pistols (1977) ... BBC - vulgar and offensive Goodbye Earl - Dixie Chicks (1999) ... Some radio stations - stirred controversy for its take on spousal abuse and banned by several male radio programmers. "Great Balls of Fire" - Jerry Lee Lewis () ... Some radio stations - sexual innuendoes "Green Jeans" – The Flee-Rekkers (1960) ... BBC - mutilation of the classics, "distortion of melody, harmony and rhythm" "Greensleeves" – The Beverley Sisters (1956) ... BBC - mutilation of the classics, "distortion of melody, harmony and rhythm" "Guess Things Happen That Way" – Johnny Cash (1958) ... BBC - objected to by head of religious broadcasting "Gypsy Roadhog - Slade (1977) ... BBC - references to drugs H "Hall Of The Mountain King" - Nero & The Gladiators (1961) ... BBC - the banning of pop versions of classical tunes policy. "Have a Whiff on Me" – Mungo Jerry (1971) ... BBC - drug references "Hard Headed Woman" – Elvis Presley (1958) ... BBC - religious theme, BUT it could be played, only with special permission "He" – Al Hibbler/Robert Earl (1955) ... BBC - objected to by the head of religious broadcasting as being solely for commercial gain. "He Bought My Soul At Calvary" - Jo Stafford (1951) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting as a 'misguided' presentation of the Gospel "Hi, Hi, Hi" – Wings (1972) ... BBC - explicit sexual lyrics "High Class Baby" – Cliff Richard and the Drifters (1958) ... BBC - considered to be advertising Cadillac cars "Hold My Hand" – Don Cornell (1954) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting, a girlfriend cannot be compared to the "kingdom of heaven" **"Holy Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death)" - Marilyn Manson (2000 album) ... many retail stores - refused to stock the album, the cover art, depicting Manson on a crucifix "Homosapien" - Pete Shelley (1982) ... BBC - banned because of the line "Homo superior in my interior" "Honey Hush" – The Rock and Roll Trio/Johnny Burnette (1956) ... BBC - sexual lyrics and promotes violence. "Honey Love" – Dennis Lotis (1954) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting, lewd and suggestive "Honeycomb" – Jimmie Rodgers (1957) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting "Honky Tonk Angel" - Cliff Richard (1975) ... Cliff found out a "honky tonk angel" was a hooker he withdrew the record. "(How Little It Matters) How Little We Know" – Frank Sinatra (1956) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting, lewd and suggestive "House Of The Rising Sun" - Josh White ... BBC - lyrics about prostitution I "I Am the Walrus" – The Beatles (1967) "I Can't Control Myself" – The Troggs (1966) ... BBC - sexual reference "I Hear the Angels Singing" – Frankie Laine (1954) "I Leaned on a Man" – Connie Francis (1957) "I Want To Be Evil" – Eartha Kitt (1953) ... BBC - title and content where considered objectionable. "I Want You to Be My Baby" – Annie Ross (1956) "I Want Your Sex" - George Michael (1987) ... BBC - banned between the hours of 5:50am-9pm "I Went to Your Wedding" – Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1953) "I'll Be Home for Christmas" – Bing Crosby (1943) "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" – Perry Como (1949)/Ken Dodd (1963) ... BBC - "pop" version of a classical piece, Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu. "I'm Nobody's Baby" – Frankie Howerd (1948) "Imagine" - John Lennon (1971) ... BBC - banned during the Gulf War "In the Air Tonight" – Phil Collins (1981) ... BBC - banned during the Gulf War "In the Beginning" – Frankie Laine (1955) ... BBC - objected to by the head of religious broadcasting "In the Hall of the Mountain King" – Nero and the Gladiators (1961) "Invisible Sun" – The Police (1981) ... BBC - due to the content of the song, violence and turmoil in Northern Ireland "It Is No Secret" – Jo Stafford (1954) "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" – Kitty Kallen (1962) "It Would Be So Nice" – Pink Floyd (1968) "I've Come of Age" – Billy Storm (1959) J "Jackie" – Scott Walker (1967) ... BBC - refers to "authentic queers" "Je t'aime... moi non plus" – Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg (1969) ... BBC - sexual references "John and Marsha" – Stan Freberg (1950) ... BBC - sexual, too suggestive "Johnny Remember Me" – John Leyton (1961) ... BBC - death song, too morbid. "Jungle Fever" – The Chakachas (1972) ***"Justify My Love" - Madonna (1990 video) ... MTV - sexual content . K "Keep Me in Mind" – Lita Roza and Al Timothy (1955) "Killing an Arab" – The Cure (1979) ... BBC - banned during the Gulf War "Kodachrome" – Paul Simon (1973) ... BBC - would not play the trademarked name. L "La Petite Tonkenoise" – Josephine Baker (1930) "Lazy Mary" – Lou Monte (1958) ... BBC - Italian lyric deemed objectionable "Leader of the Pack" – The Shangri-Las (1964) ... BBC - death song, too morbid. "Let the People Go" – McGuinness Flint (1972) "Let's Spend the Night Together" – The Rolling Stones (1967) ... BBC - encourages promiscuity "Light a Candle in the Chapel" – Frank Sinatra (1942) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting, the song was "so nauseatingly sentimental that it debased the Christian religion". "Light My Fire" – Jose Feliciano (1968) ... BBC - banned during the Gulf War "Lili Marleen" – Lale Andersen (1939) "Little Star" – The Elegants (1958) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting to use of God in a pop song. "Louie Louie" - Kingsmen (1957) ... Indiana USA declared it pornographic "Lola" – The Kinks (1970) ... BBC - banned for advertising coca cola, until they changed the lyrics. "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen (1963) ... USA - FBI investigation supposed obscenity of the lyrics, an investigation that ended without prosecution. "Love for Sale" – Cole Porter (1930) / Ella Fitzgerald (1956) ... BBC - sexual references, prostitution. "Love Is a Word" – Alma Cogan (1965) "Love Is Strange" – Mickey & Sylvia (1956) ... BBC - the line "love is money in the hand" would encourage prostitution "Love to Love You Baby" – Donna Summer (1975) ... BBC - too much heavy breathing, grunts and groans. ** "Lovesexy" - Prince (1988 album) ... Shops around the world - nude photo of Prince on cover "Lovin' Machine" – Wynonie Harris (1951) ... BBC - crude implications associated with a "lovin' machine" "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" – The Beatles (1967) ... BBC - drug refernces M "Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin (1959) ... banned by: NYC radio, BBC - bloodthirsty words "Made You" – Adam Faith (1960) ... BBC - sexual references "Maggie May" – The Vipers Skiffle Group (1957) ... BBC - song is about a prostitute "Maybellene" – Chuck Berry (1955) "Mighty Mighty Man" – Bobby Darin (1958) "Minnie the Moocher" – Cab Calloway (1931) "Miss Morse" - Pearls Before Swine (1967) ... USA radio - Tom Rapp was singing F-U-C-K in Morse code "Miss You" – Bing Crosby (1942) ... BBC - The War Office felt that it too sentimental and might lower morale at home "Monster Mash" – Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers (1962) ... BBC - it was offensive and in poor taste. "Moonlight Love" – Perry Como (1956) ... BBC - mutilation of the classics, took it’s melody from Debussy "My Christmas Prayer" – Billy Fury (1959) ... BBC - religious grounds. "My Friend" – Eddie Fisher (1954) "My Friend Jack" – The Smoke (1967) "My Generation" - The Who (1965) ... BBC - initially refused to play the song because it might offend people who stutter. "My Little Ukulele" – Joe Brown and The Bruvvers (1963) ... BBC - "too rique" N "Night of the Vampire" – The Moontrekkers (1961) "Ninety-Nine Years (Dead or Alive)" – Guy Mitchell (1961) "Nobody Loves Like an Irishman" – Lonnie Donegan (1958) ... BBC - Line about the Quran deemed to be offensive to Muslims O "(Oh) Pretty Woman" - Van Halen (1982) ... MTV aired the video very sparingly - too racey and distasteful "Old Man Atom" – The Sons of the Pioneers (1950) ... BBC - Controversial topics such as the atom bomb "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)" – Jimmy Wakely (1948) ... BBC - encouraged adultery "Open Your Box" - Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band (1970) ... BBC - banned because of the line "Open your legs" "Original Prankster" - The Offspring (2000) ... HMV stores - refused to stock the record after the band decided to give the track away as a free download on their official website, prior to it's release. P "Paper Doll" – The Mills Brothers (1943) ... BBC - theme of feminine unfaithfulness. deemed unacceptable during war time. "Peaches" – The Stranglers (1977) ... BBC - too "woman baiting" "Peaceful Street" – Ernest Butcher (1936) **"Permission To Land" - The Darkness (2003 album) ... Wal-Mart - the album sleeve featured a woman's bottom. "Plastic Jesus" - King Earl Boogie Band ... BBC - on grounds of blasphemy. "Please No Squeeza da Banana" – Louis Prima (1963) Q R "Radio Times" – The BBC Dance Orchestra (1935) "Randy Scouse Git" - The Monkees (19--) ... BBC - title was "actually somewhat taboo to the British audience" it was re-released as "Alternate Title" "Reefer Man " - Fats Waller () ... BBC - drug references "Relax" – Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1984) ... BBC - sexual references "Rock You Sinners" – Art Baxter and His Rock 'n' Roll Sinners (1958) "Rockin' Through The Rye" - Bill Haley and His Comets (1956) ... BBC - the song went against traditional British standards and used 50's hip slang. "Rum and Coca-Cola" – The Andrews Sisters (1945) ... BBC - advertising Coca -Cola ”Rumble” - Link Wray (1959) ... USA certain stations - although an instrumental the title was thought too suggestive of teen violence. S "Sad Affair" – Marxman (1993) ... BBC - contains IRA slogan "Saturday Nite at the Duckpond" – The Cougars (1963) ... BBC - "pop" versions of a classical piece "Say a Prayer for the Boys Over There" – Deanna Durbin (1943) "Send Me to the 'lectric Chair" – George Melly (1953) "Shall We Take a Trip" – Northside (1990) "She Had to Go and Lose It at the Astor" – Johnny Messner (1939) "She Was Only a Postmaster's Daughter" – Durium Dance Band (1933) **"Sheryl Crow" - Sheryl Crow (1996 album) ... Wal-Mart - The song "Love Is a Good Thing" contains the lyrics "Watch out sister, watch out brother, watch our children while they kill each other with a gun they bought at Walmart discount stores". "Sincerely" – Liberace (1955) ... BBC - "Sixty Minute Man" – The Dominoes (1951) ... BBC - sexually suggestive "Song of India" – Tommy Dorsey (1938) ... BBC - because it was based on a classical work, Rimsky-Korsakov's Sadko. "So What?" – Anti-Nowhere League (1981) ... BBC - obscene, contains the word fuck countless times, references to drugs, bestiality and STIs. "Soldier" – Harvey Andrews (1972) ... BBC - lest feelings be exacerbated in the nationalist community of Northern Ireland, or the British public be incited to attack innocent Irish people. The Ministry of Defence still advises British soldiers not to sing the song in pubs "Somebody Up There Likes Me" – Perry Como (1956) ... BBC - head of religious broadcasting objection . "Spasticus Autisticus" - Ian Dury (1981) ... BBC - deemed the lyrics offensive "Statue of Liberty" – XTC (1978) ... BBC - the lyrics "In my fantasy I sail beneath your skirt". 'Star Star' - Rolling Stones (1973) ... BBC - it contained the word "Star-fucker" in the chorus a dozen times. "St. Therese of the Roses" – Malcolm Vaughan (1956) ... BBC - head of religious broadcasting felt it was contrary to Catholic and Protestant beliefs "Stranger in Paradise" – The Four Aces (1953) ... BBC - "prohibited from broadcast due to unacceptable performance" disrespectful to the classics. "Street Fighting Man" - Rolling Stones (1968) ... several radio stations in Chicago, IL. - Authorities feared it might incite public disorder. "Such a Night" – Johnnie Ray (1954) ... BBC - lewd and suggestive "Summer Smash" – Denim (1997) ... EMI self-banned - the planned release date was in the same period when Princess Diana died by a car crash. T "Teen Angel" – Mark Dinning (1959) ... BBC - death song, too morbid. "Teenage Prayer" – Gale Storm (1955) "Tell Laura I Love Her" – Ray Peterson/Ricky Valance (1960) ... BBC - death song, too morbid. "Terry" – Twinkle (1964) ... BBC - death song, too morbid. "The Ballad Of John and Yoko" - The Beatles ... Spain/USA various radio stations - mention of crucifixion offended radio listeners. "The Battle of New Orleans" – Johnny Horton (1959) "The Blue Danube" – Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1945) ... BBC - takes liberties with a serious work of music "The Christening" – Arthur Askey (1943) "The Cover of Rolling Stone" – Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show (1973) "The Deck of Cards" – T. Texas Tyler (1948) "The Devil Is a Woman" – Herb Jeffries (1957) "The Foggy, Foggy, Dew" – Peter Pears (1950) "The Garden of Eden" – Frankie Vaughan (1957) ... BBC - song is "fairly blasphemous" "The Heel" – Eartha Kitt (1955) "The Man with the Golden Arm" – Eddie Calvert (1956) ... BBC - although it's an instrumental, the BBC objected to the sordid nature of the film!! "The Mocking Bird" – The Four Lads (1952) "The Monster Mash" - Bobby (Boris) Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers (1962) ... BBC - too morbid *** "The Next Day" - David Bowie (2013 video) ... Youtube (temporarily) - its graphic content "The Old Dope Peddler" – Tom Lehrer (1953) "The Reefer Song (If You're a Viper)" – Fats Waller (1943) "The Sabre Dance" – Woody Herman (1948) "The Shag (Is Totally Cool)" – Billy Graves (1958) ... BBC - the shag is a dance, but also it is slang for sexual intercourse "The Silver Madonna" – Kirk Stevens (1957) "The Sky" – Petula Clark (1957) "The Story of a Starry Night" – Glenn Miller (1954) ... BBC - distorted representation of the original Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony "The Story Of My Life" - Alma Cogan (1958) ... BBC - too morbid, refers to death "The Story of Three Loves" – Ray Martin (1957) "The Test of Time" – Robert Earl (1959) "The Tommy Rot Story" – Morris & Mitch (1957) "The Unbeliever" – Guy Mitchell (1957) "The Voice in My Heart" – Eydie Gormé (1958) "The Winker's Song" - Ivor Biggun (1978) ... BBC - sexual references "They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha-Haaa!" – Napoleon XIV (1966) "Three Stars" – Ruby Wright (1959) "Til the Following Night" – Screaming Lord Sutch (1961) "Till the End of Time" – Perry Como (1945) "Ting Tong Tang" – Ken Platt (1958) "To Keep My Love Alive" – Ella Fitzgerald (1956) "Toll the Bell Easy" – Les Hobeaux (1957) "Too Drunk to Fuck" – Dead Kennedys (1981) "Tribute to Buddy Holly" – Mike Berry and The Outlaws (1961) U ”Unknown Soldier” - The Doors () ... USA - political, the song’s anti-war stance. "Urban Guerrilla" – Hawkwind (1973) V W "Wake Up Little Suzie" - Everley Brothers ... USA certain stations - would influence and corrupt teenagers. "Walk Hand in Hand" – Tony Martin (1956) ... BBC - religous reasons, disrespectful to God. "We Call It Acieeed" – D-Mob (1988) "We Can't Let You Broadcast That" – Norman Long (1932) ... BBC - made fun of the BBC's policies of 'banning' recordings "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" – Heaven 17 (1981) ... BBC - concerns by Radio 1's legal department that it libeled Reagan. "We Have to Be So Careful" – The Beverley Sisters (1953) ... BBC - because it ridiculed BBC policy "We Will All Go Together When We Go" – Tom Lehrer (1959) "Wet Dream" – Max Romeo (1969) ... BBC - due to its lyrics which are of an explicit sexual nature "When I'm Cleaning Windows" – George Formby (1936) ... BBC - Sexual innuendo, too racy, "A disgusting little ditty" "Whoa Buck" – Lonnie Donegan (1959) "With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock" – George Formby (1937) "With My Little Ukelele in Hand" – George Formby (1933) "Woman Love" – Gene Vincent (1956) ... BBC - lyrics offensive and can't be understood. "Work With Me, Annie" - Hank Ballard & the Midnighters (1954) ... banned for radio play by the FCC. overtly sexual lyrics "Worried Man" - Kingston Trio (1959) ... BBC - didn’t like the word “closet” being used for “cupboard”. X Y "You'll Get Yours" – Frank Sinatra (1956) *** "You're All I Need" - Mötley Crüe (1987 video) ... MTV - because of the level of violence.

[greenlightmusicreviews2]

LIFERS - Local H (2020) | Album Review - 9/10

 Now Playing: LIFERS by Chicago, Illinois rock duo Local H.

“When the re-release of the White Album came out a few years ago, I became re-obsessed all over again. One aspect that really hit me about it (this time) was how it’s not really a concept record — but it feels like a concept record. I wanted to do that with LIFERS. This might be a concept record about the end of the world. Or it might just be a party record with loud guitars and cowbells.”

- Scott Lucas (2020)

Local H has been kicking around now for 30 years, making the title of their record seem all the more appropriate, and in the run up to the release in various interviews or comments given, Scott Lucas doesn’t shy away from this.

"It's strange. But there's also a sense of pride, that this is work you can be proud of. The thing about it is I never really gave myself an out. It's not like I went to college or ever thought there was anything else I wanted to do. On one hand it's impossible to think you could still be doing this so many years later."

- Scott Lucas, Billboard, 2020

LIFERS is produced by the band alongside legendary producer Steve Albini of Shellac and Big Black fame, but perhaps most known for producing Nirvana’s last studio album In Utero. The band released “Innocents,” the last track on the album, as a single back in 2018, and the first track “Patrick Bateman” (along with a great Motorhead cover) the following year. I won’t make any bones about it - this band is probably my favorite band, and I think they’re among the most underrated artists still going today. In any case, I was very excited for a new record. I mostly enjoyed Hey, Killer, their 2015 release, and although “Innocents” didn’t totally light a fire beneath me, I enjoyed “Patrick Bateman” a bit better and still had high hopes for the album.

Local H wastes no time getting into the thick of things, opening up with - as mentioned before - “Patrick Bateman.” It’s fast with frenetic energy and elaborate production. To borrow a phrase Lucas uses often, LIFERS is definitely a headphones album. It also does not shy away from politics. The first track gets right into the swamp:

I got a brother in a cheap red hat Hazy days in a judge's frat You won't like what I have to say Something wicked is a-coming this way

...

They're pulling trains for the gain of the family brand I understand there's some fans in the Ku Klux Klan How did everything get so fucked up?

“Hold That Thought” rumbles onto the scene with an great bass groove and is probably the catchiest song on the entire album, continuing the themes of political disorientation and disillusionment:

Hold that thought and don't get caught Some are sold and some, some are bought Addicted to your state of delusion

In one sense it does sound like “a party record with loud guitars and cowbells” as band czar Scott Lucas states. The first half of the album just up and smacks the shit out of you with loud, noisy and abrasive guitars and big, booming, crash-crash-crash drum performances with Lucas’ aged roar piercing through the speakers like he was right there in your living room. In fact, the album doesn’t let go until track 6 with “Sunday Best,” which is just absolutely soul-touching and sounds like Scott had been listening to a bit of LZ IV. Of course, Scott had been listening to The White Album and Pink Floyd, but probably some Zeppelin also.

In another sense, though, beneath the veneer of raucous guitar chords and feedback-loops and gang vocals is album that’s obsessed with the decline of western civilization. “Winter Western,” “Beyond the Valley of Snakes,” “Demon Dreams” and “Defy and Surrender” all smack of lamentations about the state of society, the injustice of our institutions, the hopelessness of it all. The band has plunged into the political waters before, most notably with 2012′s red versus blue Hallelujah! I’m A Bum - an impressive concept record about the state of the union circa 2012, and more than a few songs prior to. With the world on fire with right-wing regimes taking control of governments, a pandemic ravaging people’s day-to-day, and protests over black lives and police brutality, it’s a timely record, and if you pay attention to the lyrical subject matter, it’s pretty depressing. “Demon Dreams” has some of the most brutal:

Planet in a stressful state Losing weight via suicide rates And I don't know what there is left to do The people with the best of luck Always seem to self destruct And I don't know what there is left to do

“Winter Western” is equally morose though a bit more cryptic:

Consume your weight in anger Be useful serfs and pawns The mood is winter western It's on and on and on and on

The guitar work is creative as ever, with Lucas producing some very meaty and tasty guitar riffs like on “Turn The Bow” and “Winter Western” - the latter of which features the vocal talents of Juliana Hatfield, who offers haunting vocal harmonies to the already evocative wails of Lucas himself. “Beyond the Valley of Snakes” feels like a thematic thrill ride with incredible drum work by Ryan Harding, who picked up the torch from former H drummer Brian St. Clair back in 2013. Local H has always had this theatrical way of producing records - no surprise since Lucas is a major movie buff - but the way this album is approached just feels as if it was orchestrated like a film score. It’s pretty great, and “Beyond the Valley of Snakes” followed by “Sunday Best” comes closes to evoking that cinematic feeling of just being lost in the art and being taken on a journey.

“Farrah” is the one song on the record that has not grown on me since first listen - the instrumentation is solid, interesting things going on, but it’s just not as impactful as the other 10 songs are. “Innocents,” no longer sequestered as a single two years out from the full release, now totally works and makes perfect sense in context coming after the epic “Defy and Surrender,” wherein Scott Lucas indulges in his own prog-rock leanings for a song that reaches just over 10 minutes in length but never wastes a second of space. Except, that is, for some awkward lyrical choices that, I mean, I understand in context, but still feel a little hamfisted (pun totally intended). The album is sequenced perfectly, and although it’s not a concept record the way that most Local H albums are, it flows seamlessly from one song to next, creating a sonic narrative of rage, despair, introspection, comic posturing and - at the end - a little bit of hope for things to come.

It is the band’s strongest record since their masterpiece Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?, boasting some truly touching moments and some incredibly catchy, crushing and gnarly guitar riffs and some very bombastic drumming highlights. It’s a record with an energy overall to match the chaos seen in the world writ large at the moment. At times it can be pretty overwhelmingly stark, in-your-face and plaintive, but it’s not without its moments of levity that bring you back to shore after wading too far into the dark and stormy waters.

LIFERS: 9/10

Favorite songs: “Beyond the Valley of Snakes” • “Turn The Bow” • “Sunday Best” • “Demon Dreams” • “Winter Western”