#jamming out to the full version of disco girl

[lilacthebooklover]

"girls are warming up to him generallyyyy" dipper what 😭

[wolsalwastaken]

So, as you do, I was on the new version of thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com and I’ve figured out every. Single. Secret. Code. I. Could.

Now with the help of the community, I am expanding this list! Please post passwords in the comments sections or reblog if I have not yet mentioned them! You will, of course, receive credit for your discoveries! Nerds unite! At the very bottom, you will find a full list of citations I used for the passwords. Any password that is un-cited is one I found myself :)

Spoilers for this version of the website, but I’m mainly posting this as I know it’ll be gone soon. Keep reading at your own discretion, as these are spoilers if you wanted to solve it yourself.

This post will continually be updated as I find new codes and ciphers to solve and new passwords, stay tuned as this is a masterpost of this iteration of the website!

So, here’s all the places to click on screen for Easter eggs:

And here’s a list of all the different passcodes I’ve found to work on the computer. If multiple words are listed it’s because they activate the same thing. Brackets are not part of the pswd. (c) means that the person I learnt it from is listed below. If there is no (c), then I found it.

Cipher

Triangle (click 3 times)

Bill/Bill Cipher

Stanford/Ford/Sixer

Fiddleford/McGucket

Filbrick

Mason

Dipper (click 5 times)

Mabel (click 12 times)

Wendy

Robbie

Gideon (2 possible results)

The Book Of Bill

Alex Hirsch/Hirsch

Monster

Mystery Shack

TJ Eckleburg

Hey nerd

Divorce/breakup

Theraprism

Soos

Disney/mickey mouse/disneyland (c)

Hectoring

Axolotl

Stanley/Stan (click 8 times)

Gravity Falls

Pines

Geometry/algebra/math/greek/greece/trigonometry/shape (c)

Conspiracy

God/help me/frlliam (c)

Triangle

Ducktective

Waddles

Morality

Portal

Love/boyfriend

(Literally any word of profanity, i.e sex or fuck)/Ted Cruz (c)

Death

Dorito/chip/nacho (c)

Skeleton

Life

Weird

Reality

The universe

Baby/baby bill/lalalalala/mommy/daddy (c)

Rat

Urban legends/horror/creepypasta (c)

Blind eye

Crypto/NFT/gyatt/skibidi/fortnite/Elon/rizz (c)

Journal 3

Journal 2

Journal 1

Theory/that’s just a/matpat (c)

Question

Answer

Piñata

FBI/NSA

Blendin Blandin

Abuelita

Weirdmageddon

Toby Determined

History

Sorry

Cursed

They’ll see/they’ll all see/I see

Cryptogram codex

Curse wittebane

Fordtramarine

Disco girl

Ad astra per aspera

Forget the past

Torture mentally

Hotxolotl

Scrimbles

Lies

Paper is book skin

Euclid

Dionarap (c)

Booberry (c)

Unreality (c)

Vallis cineris (c)

Caryn

Euclydia (c)

Scalene (c)

Even his lies are lies (c)

Stodehttcennoc (c)

Emmalinebutternubbins (c)

Dispense my treat

Just fit in (c)

Nothing

Something

Ciphertology (click 2 times)

Well well well being (c) (click 4 times)

One eyed king (c)

Titans blood (c)

Blanchin (c)

Suck it merlin (c)

Tantrum (c)

You can’t kill an idea (c)

Kook (c)

Naitsuaf (c)

Oroborous (c)

Giffany (click 6 times)

Who are you (c)

R34lity

Fixinit1

Love ya bro (c)

Tad strange (c)

Liar lyre (c)

Xgqrthx (c)

Peak (c)

Platinum peak (c)

Glass shard beach (c)

Cray cray (c)

Deer teeth (c)

Season 1 (c)

Season 2 (c)

Season 3 (c)

Gun (c)

Irregular (c)

Seven eyes (c)

Xyler/Craz (c)

Yes (c)

Justblendin (c)

Black sheep (c)

Baaaa (c)

Union made (c)

29121239168518 (c)

Grebley hemberdreck (c)

3466554 (c)

Tinsel snake (c)

333 sun dapple lane cozy creek IL 60714-94611 (c)

Mountain don't (c)

Riddle (c)

Burnside (c)

No (c)

Llib (c)

When will I die (c) (click once a day)

Clone/paper jam/Tyrone (c)

Multilevel Mark (c)

Goodnight Sally (c)

Tourist trap (c)

The duchess approves (c)

Scientology (c)

Meow (c)

Shave your grandma (c)

Burned inside (c)

Sevral times (c)

Easter egg (c)

Oh yes they both (c)

Kings of new jersey (c)

Destruction is a form of creation (c)

Fuck you Alex/fuck Alex (c)

Rubberhose (c)

Am I blanchin (c)

Card (c)

Bye gold (c)

Globnar (c)

Kubrick (c)

Not a phase (c)

Virus (c)

Spookemups (c)

You're insane (c)

Owl trowl (c)

L is real 2401 (c)

Occurremus iterum (c)

Family matters (c)

Harold’s ramblings (c)

Is hell real (c)

Is there an afterlife (c)

Dippy Fresh (c)

Justblendin (c)

Here’s a link to the entire 15 minute video of me going over all the Easter eggs and codes, so if you don’t wanna bother doing it (fair) then here ya go! Had to post via Instagram because no other social media lets me post long videos, oh well. (As I find more codes, I may make a part 2 video of me solving those on video)

Link here (part 1)

Credits/sources:

@sage-nebula (Dionarap, vallis cineris)

@dottyistired (Booberry, unreality)

@vlada-elya (Ted Cruz)

@cloudofcaffeine (Euclydia, Scalene)

@putadapower (Even his lies are lies, oroborous)

@dippers101 (Stodehttcennoc, emmalinebutternubbins)

@ren-is-real (Just fit in)

@hopefully-maybe-abby (I see)

@towacletruck (Well well well being, one eyed king, titans blood, blanchin, suck it merlin, tantrum, you can’t kill an idea, kook)

@cskv11 (Naitsuaf)

@eazy-peazy54 (Breakup, gyatt, who are you, r34lity, fixinit1, love ya bro, tad strange, liar lyre, xgqrthx, giffany, peak, platinum pas, glass shard beach, cray cray, help me, deer teeth, lalalalala, season 1, season 2, season 3, Mickey Mouse, gun, irregular, horror, creepy pasta, seven eyes, yes, trigonometry, xyler, craz, justblendin, black sheep, baaaa, skibidi, Fortnite, union made, 29121239168518, grebley hemberdreck, 3466554, tinsel snake, 333 sun dapple lane cozy creek IL 60714-94611, mountain don't, burnside, riddle, no, llib, when will I die, Elon, clone, multilevel mark, goodnight sally, paper jam, tyrone, tourist trap, the duchess approves, shape, meow, scientology, shave your grandma, nacho, rizz, daddy, mommy, burned inside, sevral times, easter egg, oh yes they both, kings of new jersey, destruction is a form of creation, rubber hose, card, am I blanchin, fuck you Alex, fuck Alex, fuck you, bye gold, nsa, globnar, Disneyland, Kubrick, not a phase, virus, spookemups, that's just a, you're insane, owl trowel, L is real 2401, occurremus iterum, frilliam, family matters, Matpat, Harold’s ramblings)

@delusionalpaper (Is hell real, is there an afterlife)

@thisisnotawebsitedotcom-com (Dippy fresh)

@/soldofficialyt on YouTube, Justblendin

HUGE shoutout to @eazy-peazy54 for providing so many codes! Seriously, thank you so much for your amazing post compiling them!

[gerogerigaogaigar]

Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings And Food

This album is the beginning of the legendary team up of David Byrne and Brian Eno. Rather than help polish their sound Eno understood that the shaky offbeat nature of the music was the appeal. Byrne's anxiety and confusion towards things around him is, as usual, in full display. Now this isn't really my favorite Talking Heads album, but that's like saying it isn't my favorite flavor of ice cream. Still I feel like there is a steady step up in quality for each of their first four albums and this one being in the middle of that evolution makes me feel like it's more or less on here because of Take Me To The River. That leads into my last point. Take Me To The River is one of their best songs. I've gushed about how much I like Al Green before so when I say that I much prefer the Talking Heads version you understand how much that means. Green's soulful original has nothing on the neurotic spin that Byrne gives the song.

Parliament - Mothership Connection

The influence this album, and the entire P-Funk catalogue, has had on music is staggering. Tracks from Mothership Connection are some of the most frequently sampled in all of hip hop history and George Clinton still produces to this day. But that's not what it's about, that's just what it is. I cannot explain to you in words why a song whose lyrics sheet is mostly "Gaga goo ga Gaga goo ga Gaga goo ga ga" is one of the best things ever written. I could put on the reviewer hat and talk about how the mythology represents an idea of hyper positive afrofuturism that necessarily can't take itself too seriously without diluting the message and how this relates to the dying excitement for the civil rights movement from the 60s. But that is only half the story. The other half is an interstellar DJ coming at you from the Chocolate Milky Way to tell you about the messianic Starchild and his battle with perpetual downer Sir Nose d'Voidoffunk. It's chaotic, funky, psychedelic, utterly thrilling, infinitely memorable and just one of the best albums of all time. It's honestly fucked up that it isn't at least within the top 100.

Luther Vandross - Never Too Much

This is my first time knowingly listening to Luther Vandross. He seems really happy! Like usually when you get a soul funk type guy he's always got this seductive smoldering vibe going on. But Vandross is just so excited to brag about how good his girl is. I can hear his smile. He's backed by a fantastically corny all synth funk orchestra with a hint of disco. It's not an album I'd put on myself, but I was definitely enjoying it.

My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade

Gerard Way seriously shows of their musical chops on this album. While I like other MCR records better, I can't deny that this has the best musical arrangements. And yes, you heard me right I prefer the rest of MCR's discography over Black Parade. Yes even Danger Days. Fite me. The thing about Black Parade is that, while a fantastic album overall, it feels lyrically extremely overwrought in places. And I'm sorry, but this is specifically a problem for me in most of the actually popular songs on the album. Mama, Teenagers, and yes even the title track kinda have me rolling my eyes a bit. And the bonus track, Blood, makes me want to jump out of my skin from schadenfreude. Thankfully these moments don't tank the album quality overall, but I think it deflates a bit from Mama onward.

Funkadelic - One Nation Under A Groove

It may seem odd that George Clinton led two bands simultaneously that shared most of their personnel. But see Parliament was more dance oriented and focused of the spiritual character focused side of the P-Funk mythos where Funkadelic was more psychedelic and soul focused with an emphasis on secular aspects of the mythology. This album focuses on tight grooves and long form improvisation while Uncle Jam tells you how to pledge allegiance to the nation of Funkadelica. You can always count on not getting normal ass shit where George Clinton is involved. And this album is just that. Long bass grooves with the guitar doing basically whatever it want and gang vocals that are mostly weird chants. This is the only album where you'll hear someone yell "the world is a toll free toilet" over literally the best groove you've ever heard.

Big Star - Radio City

#1 Record is obviously the better record so why was it rated lower than this one? It clearly goes Radio City < Third < #1 Record. Whatever, more or less repaste what I said about their first record but with like 30% less enthusiasm I guess? Don't misunderstand me, I love this record. I love Alex Chilton's rougher more indie take on power pop. Definitely listen to all three Big Star records, they're fantastic. (Also listen to Chilton's solo debut Like Flies On Sherbet. Everyone hates it because it sucks but its also secretly actually really good. But it does suck tho. Like in a good way.)

[starmakerphantom]

Shuffles bases on how much i enjoy the song and MV

--------------------------------------------

10. Puffy Bunny

No. Why. I hate it here. I do not enjoy the song. I do not enjoy the easter theme, I do not enjoy the costumes. I think Hiiro, Mika and Wataru got wasted on this one. Like i enjoy a good spring theme but why bunnies??

9. Branco

I think i just dont enjoy seasonal Shuffles? Doesnt help that its a shota unit and i just dont enjoy shotas (dont het me wrong i love the charackters individually when i am not bashed in the face with "LOOK A SHOTA") how ever i enjoy the costuming (Proof: https://at.tumblr.com/starmakerphantom/this-is-me-in-my-homemade-branco-dress-it-flares/cp3dlwtykk21)

8. Ring a Bell

This would work Better if i likes the boys in it better i think. Like the whole wedding fantasy doesnt work if i donnt wanna marry any of them. However, it is cute and i think the rigth guys where chosen its just not for me? All in all, pleasant but boring

7. Naugthy or Nice

I dont like seasonal stuff but they are hot so its okay. The whole thing is cringe but in the best way possible, i espeacially enjoy the rapping as well as Subarus part. The train theme is hilarrious but the costumes are so cool with the flame coats ans also a good sign if i imediatly go "i wanna sew that" Im a resident of horny jail as for now send help

6.Noir Neige

I should like this more but....i dont know. Maybe im not into vampires rigth now? Like visually its stunning, with the snow, stained glass, and the song is a bop, all the voices work so nice together.

I just like the other shuffles more i think

5.Midnigth Butlers

Very stylish. Point deduction for more suits but the choreo is so overdramatic and i actually use the trumpety part to stimm at work sometimes. The MV also has such a cool atmosphere

4. Heart Aid Cafe

This is all i ever wanted. This is all i want. I wanna go the cute boy cafe and have parfait. All my depresion would be cures. MUGI IS THERES. The outfits are so adorable and yeah. Its the vibes. I dont need to justify myself. I have a cafe boy unit of ocs for crying out loud. I chose being a waitress at one point. This is my jam.

3.Fist of soul

Is the thing problematic? Yeaaaaaaaaaah

have i watched the MV 12+ times in one nigth? Maybe

This is like...A 2020s OVA for a late 80ies shonen manga that got a terrible 60 episode anime in the 90ies and noone remebers AND I ENJOY IT. I enjoy the instrumentatin, i enjoy the dumbass battle choreography. I just dont enjoy shirtless people. So yeah. Love the camp but not the implications and appropriations

2. Date Plan

What a start. The song always makes me smile, its so adrable, the whole "akward date" thing is all to relatable. I would date all of them even if i think everyone exept chiaki is undatable. I dont mind the suits as much ( maybe the colour?) and the choreography is so fun. All in all good vibes.

1.Moon ligth disco

Its perfect, this hits every spot in my brain, if you ask me what my gender is i will send you the MV.

I love the outfit, i love the song. I have a soft spot for the princess Kaguya theme, i love the outfits, ESPEACIALLY the colour radiant. I enjoy singing along. It gave us the joy of funky girl AND im very close to knowing the choreo.

Best song. My favorite song and if youre nice to me i do a ughhhhh cover. Maybe

This is just my opininin tho like...my bff hates moonligth disco and loves Puffy Bunny so...yeah!!

Feel free to ughhh share your opinion. I went by mvs only btw because i havent read all stories yet and theres not full versions for everything

[heartsleevemag]

GALLERY: Tove Lo

by Mon Ford

For some it was just a typical Tuesday after a (hopefully) relaxing Labor Day weekend. But for those lining up at Palace Theatre in St. Paul, MN last week, it was the beginning of a long anticipated evening after Tove Lo’s Dirt Femme tour had to be postponed back in February.

A true party from start to finish, Upsahl kicked things off performing songs from her recent EP as well as her 2021 debut album “Lady Jesus.’ The 24-year-old, Phoenix-born artist, known for her alternative pop-punk-esque jams, impressed with her strong vocals and engaging the crowd with call-and-response lyrics (“I’m a lunatic!”). A few standouts from her setlist included “Toast,” which was co-written with Tove Lo, “Drugs,” “WET WHITE TEE SHIRT” and “FBL.”

With a sufficiently sweaty room and the smoke-machine on full blast, Tove Lo took the stage, opening with “Pineapple Slice” from her 2022 album “Dirt Femme.” If you don’t know of Tove Lo (pronounced too-va-loo), you might know the Swedish pop singer from her early hits like “Habits (Stay High)” and “Talking Bodies,” both performed that night along with fan favorites, “Disco Tits” and “2 Die 4.” When Tove stepped on stage wearing a gold and nude nippled bodice, gold bikini bottoms and white go-go boots, it felt like a warrior-goddess marching to address her people. Known by most of her fans as the queen of horny pop music, her stage presence and vocals did not disappoint.

From shaking her booty and grinding the air to ethereal moments under glowing stage lights, Tove performed a range of her songs from her discography, including an exclusive stripped version of “The Way That I Am” and an especially raunchy moment with her newest single “Elevator Eyes.” Other songs on the set list included “Grapefruit,” an acoustic “Moments,” “Cool Girl,” “Suburbia” and a powerful rendition of the ballad “True Romance.” With three outfit changes and a truly wild crowd for a Tuesday, Tove Lo’s performance at Palace Theatre was one for the books. Ending with the crowd favorite, “No One Dies From Love,” I don’t think a single person there would have minded if she kept performing all night.

If you'd like to see Tove Lo live, she has a few tour dates left on this run. You can view those dates here, and be sure to check out our highlights from the show below!

[plutoandmoon]

I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it / The 1975

I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it is The 1975’s second studio album. This iconic alternative album was released in 2016 and continuously has over a million streams combined. In addition, the English rock album has received variety of awards from being on the 100 Greatest Albums of the 2010s to reaching the Gold platform in the United States. The 1975 incorporates all sorts of new sounds into this album such as synth-pop, disco, electronic house, and R&B to deliver the overall mood of all 17 songs.

The introduction to the album, “The 1975”, is incredibly beautiful. It sounds like the beginning of a coming of age trailer that captures all the overwhelming emotions of the film and story.

Love Me is quite a legendary song in terms of how catchy the lyrics are and the musical layers of the band. I’m not sure how to properly describe it but it reminds me of a new age of 80s music with the electric guitar, synths, and drums. I do love the use of trumpets too to emphasize certain notes. The guitar solo is the perfect session to have a full jam out in your room. I really love that piano sound in the beginning and end of the song that sounds futuristic.

The beginning of UGH! sounds like an intro to a 2000s coming of age movie. It reminded me a lot of Clueless and Mean Girls. Again super catchy lyrics and melody.

The instrumentals of A Change Of Heart make me think of that slow dancing part of a junior high prom/dance. The way I visualize it is the main couple slow dancing underneath the bright light around their classmates after they just won prom king and queen. I love the electronic vocals and the piano synth used in this song. Again it still has that 80s feel to it that is perfect for this album and band.

I’m not sure why but the guitar rift in She’s American gives me Michael Jackson vibes. This song feels very American for some reason LOL. Again, it makes me visualize a scene in a coming of age movie where the main character is running and feels lost on what to do with her life. Catchy lyrics and melody. Personally don’t think this is their strongest song as it just feels similar to the others above but still a good song.

If I Believe You is very different from the songs we have listened to so far. I love Matty Healy’s vocals in this song so much and the production is literally beautiful. It is a very R&B inspired song with the slower pace tempo, back up vocals, piano, and drums. The 1975 still incorporate their own unique style in the song with the usage of electronic elements with the high hats, reverbs, and futuristic sounds. The middle of this song with the trumpet (3:30) is very jazz inspired. It is a beautiful intermission of the song. It is musically layered filled with so much emotion and sensation. The pizzicato from perhaps violins and harps really up lift this song. It adds an angelic layer to it as Healy continues on with the lyrics “If I am lost / how will i find myself?”. For me, the addition of these instruments makes me feel as I am ascending towards heaven or a higher awakening. One of The 1975’s most underrated songs in their whole career.

Please Be Naked is a perfect transition from If I Believe You because it sounds like the ending of a chapter and an opening to a new one. When looking at it through a coming of age lens, it appears as if the main character has said goodbye to their old past, old version of themselves, and everything that does not serve them. They are coming to terms with the reality of life and looking forwards for a new and higher purpose. Although there are no lyrics to this song, it is keep to pay attention to the instrumentals and the dynamics of each note. You can also hear the sounds of someone walking, closing the door, opening paper, etc that adds layers and meaning to the song. It is not another simple lofi or instrumental piece but rather it is an important one for the album and the 1975’s message. It tells a beautiful story over 4 minutes if you choose to really listen to the main character’s journey.

Once again, the introduction of Lostmyhead sounds like the continuation of the story from If I Believe You and Please Be Naked. The beginning is heavily rock inspired with the overwhelming guitar, piano synth, electric guitar solo, and much other sounds. I believe this is the point in the character’s journey where they are probably overlooking a building or a crowd and thinking to themselves that this is a start of something new. They are going onto this journey and not looking back anymore. I also love the use of string instruments here and how at the end of this song, everything finally drops. It is like we have finally bursted this bubble and allowed everything (emotions, purpose, life, etc) to hit us. You can hear this with the aggressive drum kick, the crescendos of the violins, and how dynamic everything else is. Then the song slowly crescendos and all we are left to hear is the futuristic sounds.

The Ballad of Me and My Brain has a very interesting introduction with the background vocals being manipulated with their dynamic and pitch. This song is heavily influenced by rock and synth pop as Healy’s vocals are more aggressive.

Somebody Else. The most iconic songs in our generation, the 1975’s career, in alternative pop music. Everything about this song is perfect from the lyrics to the musical production to simply everything. This song can put you into two moods: dance or sadness. You can visualize yourself dancing to this at a party/club or blasting this in your car at 2am as you sob. The versatile of this song is something that I believe many over look. Like you cannot just ignore the most help advice ever “Get someone you love / get someone you need / fuck that get money”. 

Loving Someone is another LEGENDARY song from the 1975. I love everything about it from the lyrics, melody, musical production, and the execution of it. The introduction of the song is unlike anything you have heard of. It sounds like Matty Healy is rapping (perhaps) but it sure does have the influence electronic and indie pop. The flow of Matty Healy’s verses is very different from all the rest of the songs on this album. It shows how musical diverse the 1975 is and how they executed this new style perfectly. The ending is cute with the piano (sounds like ones we used to play as a child) and the monologue softly being played.

The self titled album song sounds like another intermission in the band’s album. This instrumental sounds to focus more on futuristic electronic sounds. It could be another story that Healy and the band is explaining to us through a coming of age lens. It sure is more optimistic than the other instrumental songs we have heard from the band in this album. I love how more towards the end, the overall pace and tone of the song is changed up as it has more of a dance feel to. Listening to it more, it sounds more of a song where everything is at a peak and peace. Where you can just jam the fuck out and not care about anything at all.

The Sound sounds like new beginnings. This could be why it is put in towards the end of the album. With the optimistic beat and melody, it could be referring to a new perspective on life. It does sound similar to a few of the 1975’s songs at the start of the album and that is due to the synth pop style the band is famous for. Overall, it is quite a catchy song and a nice one to jump around to.

This Must Be My Dream has a really unique intro. It really gives the song a 80s/90s feel to it. I believe the band uses a dream like bell sound for the melody. This song feels dreamy hence the title of the song. Towards the end of the song where the breakdown begins, it feels like the part where the dream starts to slowly warp and then the main character is reflecting on what just happened.

I believe everyone holds the song, Paris, in a special place in their heart. It is such a cute song with the melody, instrumentals, lyrics, and vocals. I would definitely listen to this song in my own room and sway alone under the flashing lights pretending I’m at a dance with my lover. The chorus after Healy says “How I would love to go to Paris again” is very dreamy with the echo background vocals and the synths. It is quite a slow song though so for me, I feel like 4 minutes and 53 seconds is drag for the song (that is just me because my attention span is short …)

Personally, I find Nana to be boring. Perhaps because of how slow it is but other than that, it seems like a nice song.

She Lays Down is another soft slow song but this time it is just Healy’s vocals with an acoustic guitar. I think it is a nice and beautiful way to end the album. It is a huge contrast to how the 1975 began this 2nd studio album. They began with their intro (The 1975) and Love Me, that immediately set the overall mood and tone of the album. It was very electric and energetic, while She Lays Down is a more mellow and reflectional piece. Overall, this album is a memorable work of art as many associate these songs with their teenage years. Some songs to mention are If I Believe You, Please Be Naked, Somebody Else, and Loving Someone. The 1975 is a powerful band with Healy’s vocals, lyrics, and style. Hopefully they will be able to create more music as similar to the ones in “I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it”.

[aion-rsa]

Bo Burnham: Inside Songs Ranked from Worst to Best

https://ift.tt/2JMbiJl

The musical of the summer was supposed to be a life-affirming celebration of one of New York’s most vibrant neighborhoods, full of color, romance, and big group dance numbers. Instead for many viewers, the musical of the moment was filmed and performed by one man, alone in isolation from the comfort (or discomfort, really) of his own home, with songs centered on techno paranoia, mental health, and the fear of aging. Maybe after a year stuck in their homes, audiences could relate to the existential dread and general anxiety on display in Bo Burnham: Inside more than a conventional movie musical.

Billed as a stand-up special, Burnham’s latest musical comedy endeavor finds the former wunderkind holed up and feeling more uncomfortable than ever. Writing, editing, directing, and performing from a claustrophobic studio, Burnham’s stand-up special skews more toward being a straight-up musical, and not because the special is light on jokes and missing an audience. Rather this has all the hallmarks of a musical narrative and plays closer to experimental cinema than sketch comedy.

Burnham expresses his characters’ inner-thoughts, fears, and desires via song throughout a contained narrative, in this case the narrative being one man trying to occupy himself during a pandemic. It has ballads, charm songs, comedy numbers, “I Am” and “I Want” songs, and a big reprise. By capturing his personal pandemic experience and putting the whole affair to song, Burnham has created one of the most compelling (and catchy!) accounts of life during 2020.

To celebrate the musical that we all needed after a year in our homes, we’ve decided to rank every song from Bo Burnham: Inside. You can stream along via the Inside (The Songs) album on the streaming platform of your choice.

20. I Don’t Wanna Know

Merely an interlude, “I Don’t Wanna Know” doesn’t quite work outside of watching the special itself. However, it is a clever way to address the fact that modern audiences do not have the attention span to sit through a film at home without checking their phone or complaining about a runtime.

19. Bezos II

While certainly meant to poke fun at the real-life Lex Luthor, it’s not that fun to listen to Bezos’ name repeated. Stil, Burnham does elicit a few laughs with his over-the-top mock congratulations. “You did it!”

18. Any Day Now

A Sesame Street-like mantra that plays over the credits, “Any Day Now” suggests this could all end either hopefully soon or on a depressingly vague far-off date that will never come. We’d like to think it’s the former, but it’s safe to assume what Bo thinks.

17. All Time Low

While this number gets docked points for its short runtime, it absolutely packs a punch with its four-line, single verse. After Bo admits that his mental health is rapidly deteriorating, he describes what it’s like to have a panic attack set to a chipper ‘80s dance backbeat. Unfortunately, we don’t get to ride the wave long enough, and judging lyrics, that’s probably a good thing for Bo.

16. Content

This strong opening number musically sets the vibe for Inside, letting us know that we’re in for some synth-heavy throwback beats that would be best listened to underneath a disco ball.  Also incorporating silly backing vocals, a hallmark of many of Inside’s best tracks, Burnham declares he’s back with some sweet, sweet content. “Daddy made you your favorite,” he sings, and he ain’t wrong. 

15. Bezos I

Unlike the reprise in “Bezos II,” “Bezos I” gets by off its increasingly deranged energy, with Burnham roasting fellow tech billionaires and working himself up into a manic frenzy by song’s end. Musically, it sounds like the soundtrack to an intense boss battle on a Sega Genesis game before ending with a sick little synth solo and Burnham hilarious squawking. It’s arguably the only acceptable thing that Bezos has ever been associated with.

14. Unpaid Intern

While “Unpaid Intern” is one of Inside’s shortest tracks, it absolutely makes the most of its time. The jazzy tune scorches the exploitative nature of unpaid internships before Burnham breaks out into a laugh-out-loud worthy scat routine. It unfortunately ends too soon.

13. Shit

Inside’s funkiest jam sounds like Burnham wrote the lyrics for a new Janelle Moane album cut. Bo show’s off his vocal dexterity and plumbs the depths of his depression in a surprisingly danceable fashion. Throwing in a little faux crowd interaction helps bring home the fact that we have all felt like this at one point or another during the pandemic.

12. Sexting

This slow-jam details the complications of sexting, throwing out hilariously too-true punchlines like “the flash makes my dick look frightened.” “Sexting” feels like one of a few songs that could most easily appear on previous Burnham specials. Proving that Inside’s musical textures do not come exclusively from ’80s synth pop, the outro of the song expertly mirrors modern pop trends by throwing in some trap-influenced “yahs” at the end of Bo’s lines.

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11. How the World Works

Influenced by comedian Hans Teeuwen and children’s entertainment in general, “How the World Works” finds Burnham going back to the well by playing the ignorant, smarmy white guy who is oblivious of the real issues plaguing nonwhite Americans. What’s even better though is Socko calling Burnham out on forcing others to educate him for his own self-actualization instead of doing the work on his own for the betterment of others.

Socko pointedly asks “Why do you rich f—— white people insist on seeing every socio-political conflict through the myopic lens of your own self-actualization?” Not to keep things too heavy, the song ends with an absurdist bit where Burnham returns Socko to the nether place that he goes when he’s not attached to Burnham’s hand. Scathing and bizarre, it’s a great piece of social commentary. 

10. FaceTime With My Mom

While most of the music of Inside feels directly transported from the 1980s, “FaceTime With My Mom” seems only inspired by the past decade’s musical trends, updating the sounds in much of the same way that the Weeknd and Dua Lipa have. This is Bo Burnham as a hitmaker, and his attempt is convincing. “FaceTime With My Mom” earns easy laughs by getting to the seemingly specific, yet universal things that all our moms do over video chat. 

9. Goodbye

Every good musical needs a good closing track, and Burnham nails it with “Goodbye,” pulling off a reprise that weaves in many of the special’s signature musical moments and touches on the special’s core themes. A forlorn piano ballad before it soars through Inside’s best motifs, “Goodbye” caps a triumphant musical achievement, coming back to “Look Who’s Inside Again” just to punch you in the gut one last time. 

8. Problematic

Addressing his past work and some aspects that have not aged well, while also skewering celebrity apologies, “Problematic” is self-aware critique by way of an ‘80s workout bop. From the specific Aladdin confession to the overall apology for being “vaguely shitty,” Bo has never made accountability sound so good.

7. That Funny Feeling

This is Bo Burnham’s version of Father John Misty’s “Holy Shit,” a laundry list of all the stupid things that are signaling the fall of culture and civilization as we know it. If Misty hadn’t gotten there first, we may have had this one ranked higher. Still, Burnham manages to come up with a sticky chorus that you’ll be humming the next time something makes you feel like you’re living in the uncanny valley.

6. White Woman’s Instagram

Perhaps the special’s most playful moment, “White Woman’s Instagram” uses the musical cues of an inspiring empowerment anthem to poke fun at the predictably, perfectly curated feed of a “girl boss” Instagram. The song is greatly enhanced by the accompanying visuals, which find Bo recreating the meticulously staged and glamorous portraits that women pass off as their everyday lives.

However, Bo always likes to sneak in some sentimentality, and imagines a genuinely heartfelt post to his white woman character’s deceased mother. Don’t worry, the emotional moment doesn’t overstay its welcome, and we’re soon back to laughing at horribly derivative political street art.

5. All Eyes on Me

The droning synth and pitch-down vocals make “All Eyes On Me” oddly hypnotic and beautiful. The song seems to be addressing Bo’s depression along with his need for validation and attention, a juxtaposition that many performers deal with. It becomes clear that Burnham isn’t addressing an invisible audience, but himself, trying to will himself up and out of his dreary mental state.

4.  Look Who’s Inside Again

A classic “I Am” musical song, “Look Who’s Inside Again” just may be Inside’s most emotionally resonant track that seems to hit closest to who Bo Burnham was and who he is today. This is the song that I will most likely regret the most for ranking so low.

“Well, well, look who’s inside again. Went out to look for a reason to hide again,” perfectly describes the cycle of depression and will, for me, be the special’s most lasting moment. The downbeat ending “come out with your hands up, we’ve got you surrounded” is heartbreaking enough to send a shudder down your spine.

3. Comedy

The special’s real first number is absolutely packed with hooks, from the “Call me and I’ll tell you a joke” bridge to the “Should I be joking at a time like this?” change-up. This is Bo really flexing how far he’s come as a musician, expertly utilizing autotune and a key change (us “stupid motherf***ers” can’t resist them).

“Comedy” also finds Bo comfortably in the lane that we’re most used to seeing him in, playing the egomaniacal white messiah with a wink. “Comedy” is the tone-setter and it’s so good that it lets you know that you’re in good hands for the next hour plus.

2. 30

Either I’m ranking this song too highly due to its personally relatable nature or the fact that I haven’t been able to get “All my stupid friends are having stupid children” out of my head, but I really don’t care. “30” is Inside’s biggest earworm and addresses the existential terror that comes with no longer getting pats on the back for being a young wunderkind.

“30” also examines generational differences, showing how 30 year-old people are more infantile than ever. However, at the end of the day it all comes back to those shimmering keys and that irresistible refrain. Apologies to my friends with children.

1. Welcome to the Internet

No matter how deep and emotionally rich some of Inside’s other tracks may be, “Welcome to the Internet” is the one that will live on the longest. If this were a traditional musical, this would the antagonists’ showstopper; a vaudevillian romp through the alluring chaos that is the internet. Speeding up and slowing down the pace to mirror the manic, addictive nature of surfing the net, Burnham pitches the negative aspects of online culture as they are: a feature, not a bug. Promising “a little bit of everything all of the time,” “Welcome to the Internet” is almost as enticing as the dark tool itself.

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[dherzogblog]

songs/20

Happy Holidays Everyone! I started making these yearly playlists in 2001 as an attempt to connect with friends in the wake of 911. It was just before the dawn of ITunes, and way before social media. We were not in touch like we are today. I burned dozens of individual cd’s one at a time, printed up customized jewel case covers and snail mailed them all out. It was an annual month-long labor of love. Over the past few years, streaming music has made it much easier and faster to compile and distribute, and frankly much more fun. I still look forward to putting the playlist and blog together and sharing it with all of you. Particularly this year as it gives me a chance to connect with so many friends I haven’t seen in quite some time. It was a tremendously challenging year for all of us. I was grateful to have had my family here in LA the entire time, we remain healthy and well. The west coast Herzogs know just how lucky we have been. The next year will not be without its own challenges, but I'm hopeful we are able to move past this pandemic and the exhausting events of the past 4. More than that, I look forward to seeing each and every one of you in 2021. Until then, be safe, be well, and be good to one another. Enjoy the music.

ox peace, dh

Los Angeles CA. December 2020

Khruangbin - Time (You And I) Don’t ask me to pronounce the name of this eclectic trio from Texas, but this dubby disco tune had me returning to its chilled out groove often during the last few decidedly “un-chill” months. Dreamy and funky, the groove takes me back to NYC’s early 80′s club scene and Ze Records releases from the likes of Kid Creole and Coati Mundi.

Anderson .Paak- Lockdown Scenes from the front, June 2020

.

Bill Withers (1938-2020)- Use Me The legendary Bill Withers left the playing field at the top of his game in the early 80′s, hardly heard from again. And while he didn't pass from Covid, his healing pop hymn Lean On Me seemed to be everywhere as people found music to help them cope with the challenges of the pandemic. Withers left behind a legendary and enduring group of hit songs that moved easily from soul to folk to pop, not to mention the subtle rolling funk of this one.

Black Pumas- Fire Strong debut from an unlikely Austin duo that garnerd both buzz and grammy nods. The critics are calling it “psychedelic soul”. Not quite sure that nails it, but like the artists coming up next, they’re carving out new ground while drawing inspiration from classic sources.

Gabe Lee- Babylon

Marcus King- Wildflowers and Wine

Charley Crockett- Welcome to Hard Times

Three artists that are literally changing the face of Country and Americana music. Soulful, authentic and diverse, reaching back for inspiration but always looking forward. If you like this sort of stuff they are all worth checking out. Each album is filled with quality songs.

Low Cut Connie_ Private Lives Philly’s Low Cut Connie are back at it with a double album that plays like the soundtrack to a boozy night at your favorite bar. Sweaty, funky and not a little bit messy. If Peter Wolf and Bruce had a kid it would be this blue eyed soul boy. Adam Weiner grew up in the shadow of the Jersey shore and can't help but have a bit of that E Street hustle.

Willie Nile- New York at Night One of New York’s beloved adopted  son’s dropped this love letter right into the jaws of a battered metropolis driven to its knees by the pandemic. It was heartbreaking to listen as the “city that never sleeps” came to a full stop. Somehow I still found myself coming back to it, imagining night’s ahead, when NYC is back on its feet and I’m roaming its streets. Looking for music, a beer, or maybe just a slice, and fueled by the irreplaceable energy and promise of the greatest city on earth.

The Long Ryders- Down to The Well Americana pioneers the Long Ryders reunited last year for a surprisingly solid album. This single sounds like it could have been recorded during their 80′s heyday featuring their trademark Byrds like jangle and harmonies, but the lyrics mark this song as unmistakably 2020.

The Speedways- Kisses Are History UK power pop outfit reach back to the the 60′s on this sweet slice of retro pop perfection.

Billie Joe Armstrong- That Thing You Do

In the early days of the pandemic we had all our kids (+ a significant other) at our house for a few months. It worked out great and we were luckier than most. The biggest issue was keeping enough food, weed and wine around.  There were some great nights with amazing meals, followed by gathering around the TV together. We re-watched The Sopranos, binged Billy On The Street, and revisited some of our favorite movies. One night we went back to a old family favorite, Tom Hanks’ underrated love letter to the one hit wonders of the post Beatles era, That Thing You Do!  I’ve seen the movie several times and it never fails to please. A true feel good film and a perfect Kodak snapshot capturing a simpler time in American pop culture. 

While we watch the unlikely chart topper’s The Oneders  fizzle as fast as they rose to fame, its not really the point. The movie is really an old fashioned love story. Playing like a perfect hit song you can listen to over and over, full of both hooks and heart. I always thought the title track, written by Fountains Of Wayne leader Adam Schlesinger  (who we lost to Covid), brilliantly captured the British Invasion sound every group wanted after The Beatles stormed America. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong must agree. During the pandemic he cut an album’s worth of cool covers including a faithful version of this one.

Gerard Way (W/Judith Hill - Here Comes the End A tale of discovering music in 2020:  Heard this on a Netflix trailer for the series The Umbrella Factory. Turns out it is performed by Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance) who also writes the comic book the series is based on. (got all that?) He’s joined on this searing garage/psych rave up by the talented and versatile Judith Hill doing her best Merry Clayton.

Hinds- Spanish Bombs I’ve been following this Madrid based, all female outfit of punky garage rockers for a few years now. I think they are pretty great. This track, recorded for a Joe Strummer tribute bursts with an unbridled joy the stone faced and politically minded Clash could never muster. I bet Joe would love it though

The Secret Sisters- Hand Over My Heart Have enjoyed their harmonies for some time now. This one gives me vague Wilson Phillips vibes and I don’t really mind. 

Tame Impala- Breathe Deeper I know I’m supposed to like this guy, all the cool kids do, I’ve even seen the band at Coachella. Over the years very little of the music has stuck to me, but the pandemic offered a bit more free time to dig into this funky dubby, chilled out jam, and it stuck with me. Not to mention that 2020 was all about deep breaths.

Ledisi (feat.Corey Henry)- What Kind of Love Is That Ledisi is back with some slinky, sultry R&B and jazzy vocals

Dinner Party- FreezeTag An R&B/Jazz collective featuring Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder and Kamasi Washington use sweet soul on heartbreaking and all too familiar tale..

Toots and The Maytals- Time Tough  I’ve written an awful lot about my love for Reggae over the years. Right after Bob Marley kicked the door down for me, Toots showed me around the house. Ska, rock steady, and roots. He was true reggae royalty and sadly we lost him to Covid, just after he released what would be his last album. Check my Toots tribute blog and playlist.

Mungo’s Hi Fi- The Beat Goes SKA! These clever UK roots reggae collective never fail to surprise. This kitschy Sonny & Cher cover managed to make me smile every time I heard it. No mean feat in 2020

Stone Foundation (feat. Durand Jones)- Hold on To Love Frequent collaborators with Paul Weller  (he appears on a track on the album), Stone Foundation are back with another batch of their UK soul revival stylings. This one features Durand Jones ( of Durand Jones & The Indications) on vocals and some great reggae style horns at the top.

The Pretenders- You Can’t Hurt A Fool Can’t resist a good torch song, especially sung by the smokey voiced Chrissie Hynde. Was kind of shocked at how many good songs were on this album.

Shelby Lynne_ Don’t Even Believe in Love Sultry country soul and one of her strongest albums in awhile.

Jaime Wyatt- Neon Cross Outlaw country has a new bad girl. And in case you didn’t think she was serious, she enlisted producer Shooter Jennings (and his mom Jessi Colter on one track) to help make her point. 

Daniel Donato- Justice 25 year old guitar prodigy call his music “cosmic country”.  Ok, now I’m listening. You should be too.

The Jayhawks- This Forgotten Town 30 plus + after their debut this Twin Cities alt country group led by founding member Gary Louris continue to deliver. They find their inner Neil Young on this one.

Lucero- Time To Go Home God I wish I was in a bar right now listening to this, even if I might be crying in my beer.

John Prine (1946 -2020)- Lake Marie We lost so many this year, but this one really stung. A true American songwriting treasure, who was still making great music against all odds right up to his untimely passing. His songs are known for their simplicity, and economy of words. but this one goes against the grain. I’m still not exactly certain what it’s about. Sorrowful and haunting, yet somehow uplifting and redemptive. I heard him perform it live here in Los Angeles a just over a year ago and it has stuck in my head ever since. There is surely a place in heaven for the great John Prine.  He sang about it on his final studio album in 2018. Ironically it became the last song on his last record.

Thanks for making it this far....

***Play the entire songs/20 Spotify playlist HERE!***

[obtusemedia]

Top 25 songs of 2020: Honorable mentions

2020 was not a good year in many respects. But despite the world collapsing around us, there was a shocking amount of great new music.

Some of 2020′s best songs were a good fit for this terrifying year — we’ll get to those ones much, much later in the countdown. But 2020 also gave us gorgeous folk ballads, euphoric dance music and infectiously fun pop and hip-hop that had nothing to do with COVID-19 or any other awful aspects of the year.

Before we get to the proper list, here are 15 nearly-as-good songs that juuuust missed the cut, listed in alphabetical order by the artist’s name.

“Shimmy” by Aminé

Oregon’s most prominent rapper — okay, fine, Oregon’s only prominent rapper — came out of the gates blazing this year with “Shimmy.” 

Aminé may have heavily sampled Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s classic “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” on his second album’s leadoff single, but he replaces ODB’s chaotic vibes with a cold, snarling precision. He almost evokes Pusha T in his gleeful takedown of his rivals over the ice-cold beat. Pair this banger with one of the year’s best music videos, and there’s no doubt it would sneak onto this list.

“Dakiti” by Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez

I am all about this nocturnal, new wave-y style of reggaeton. The melody is catchy as hell, yet the production has a sinister, chilly vibe that wouldn’t sound out of place on an Italians Do It Better complication. 

Megastar Bad Bunny’s husky vocals and Jhay Cortez’s more nasally voice make for a fun contrast as they trade verses. It’s a winning and charismatic combination!

“Boomer” by Bartees Strange

When you hear the phrase “rap-rock,” you’re likely shuddering at the thought of Limp Bizkit. But that style can work, as promising new artist Bartees Strange — stage name of D.C. alt-rocker Bartees Leon Cox — proves on “Boomer.”

Cox spices up a solid mall-punk banger with some rap verses. And unlike the Fred Dursts of the world, he can actually, you know, rap. 

But it’s the song’s explosive chorus, where Cox unleashes his howling vocals over charging guitars, where “Boomer” goes from an interesting song to a great one. If there’s any justice, he’ll be rising up the indie ranks very soon.

“Kyoto” by Phoebe Bridgers

I think I might be the only music nerd who didn’t adore Phoebe Bridgers’ new album, Punisher. For me, her mix of hushed, mostly-sincere singer-songwriter ballads with snarky lyrics just came off as tonally awkward. Her quips about Scientology and outlet malls in otherwise-sad ballads left a sour note for me.

But Bridgers’ unique songwriting style shines most on the few uptempo songs on Punisher, particularly “Kyoto.” Her goofy non sequiturs fit much better in a driving, anthemic song. And I’m immediately primed to enjoy any tune with a strong resemblance to Sufjan Stevens’ “Chicago.”

“Dynamite” by BTS

I’m not sure what it says about me that I didn’t learn to love BTS, the insanely-beloved South Korean boy band, until they finally recorded a song in English. 

It’s not that I dislike their earlier, Korean-language stuff — “Boy With Luv” in particular is a banger. And BTS’ English-language lyrics on “Dynamite” don’t really have any meaning (they’re basically just a bunch of random catchphrases jammed together ... but they do sound good).

But there’s something immediate and pristine about “Dynamite” that makes it impossible to not adore. It’s a little too cleanly produced to be on the level of the Bruno Mars hits BTS were clearly aping, but the sense of fun is infectious. At the very least, it’s on equal footing with Taio Cruz’s classic of the same name.

“Comeback” by Carly Rae Jepsen feat. Bleachers

Carly Rae Jepsen can knock out wistful synthpop nuggets like this in her sleep. So can Jack Antonoff, who produced the track and provides some backing vocals. 

But just because this isn’t anything new for the duo doesn’t mean the winning formula’s gone stale. “Comeback” is a worthy addition to both of their catalogues.

“Hollywood” by Car Seat Headrest

I can’t, in good conscience, put this song in the top 25. It’s an intentionally abrasive misfire from the Seattle indie rockers, who’ve done much better. Complaining about the vapidness and sleaziness of Hollywood is an overplayed topic, and letting side members of the band rap some of the verses (in goofy voices, no less) was maybe not the best call.

...but at the same time, there’s something to this objectively bad song that I keep returning to. Maybe it’s the embarrassing bluntness of the lyrics. Maybe it’s the forceful guitar riff. Maybe it’s because the aggro, visceral nature of “Hollywood” makes it a perfect workout song. Maybe it’s the goodwill left over from Car Seat Headrest’s last two albums, which were both stone-cold indie rock classics. I’m not sure! 

But even though I know it’s not a good enough song to make the proper list, I can’t lie to myself and leave it out of the honorable mentions. It’s a banger in spite of itself.

“24 Hours” by Georgia

"24 Hours” is the best possible version of a left-of-center synthpop club banger. 

What makes it great — the pulsating energy, Georgia’s yearning vocals, the “whoo!” vocal samples — are obvious on immediate listen. But perhaps what makes “24 Hours” worthy of this list is its replay factor. It came out in January, and it still sounds great 11 months later.

“1985″ by Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist (song starts at 1:35)

We already knew — thanks to his two collaborative albums with Madlib — that Freddie Gibbs’ gruff flow sounds incredible over dusty samples. So why not team up with another producer who does something similar?

“1985″ is a prime example of knowing one’s strengths. The Alchemist’s production is stunningly gorgeous in his typical style, with a soaring guitar solo and a shuffling, dreamy beat. Gibbs pounces on it with the same ferocious street-life verses he’s been spitting for years. I’m glad to see Gibbs has figured out exactly which production sounds best for him to make Tiger King jokes and tell coke-dealing stories.

“Say Something” by Kylie Minogue

Aussie icon Kylie Minogue has been at it for 33 years at this point, reminding us every decade or so exactly why she’s stuck around.

“Say Something” is one of those reminder tracks — a burbling, irresistible, futuristic-yet-retro disco banger. The production is stellar, from the clanging guitar riff to the bouncy synth bass, and Minogue has a winking confidence on the track like she’s been doing this for decades (which, of course, she has). It’s exactly what you want out of a bubblegum pop jam.

“Right Round The Clock” by Sorry

With their very-British boy-girl dueling vocals, new London indie rock outfit Sorry definitely have more of a whiff of The xx. But instead of hyper-minimalist, whispered tunes, “Right Round The Clock” has a thundering, droll swagger that grabs you by the throat when the chorus comes slamming in.

The thumping, piano-based sound of “Clock” has a bit of a jazzy flair, thanks to the flecks of sax that pop in here and there. And Sorry interpolates Tears For Fears’ classic “Mad World” in a gloriously tongue-in-cheek way on the chorus (at the very least, it’s far superior to that awful gloom-and-doom Donnie Darko cover).

“Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus” by The Strokes

In a year FILLED with improbable comebacks from ‘00s and ‘90s artists (we’ll get some of to them in the top 25!), The Strokes may have been the least likely. The early ‘00s indie rock standard-bearers had been in sharp decline for nearly 15 years before their new album, The New Abnormal, dropped and the group returned to form.

“Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus” is a prime example of The Strokes’ invigorating comeback. It’s a killer new-wave jam that could’ve been been written by The Cars, with its jittery keyboards and impossibly catchy chorus. And of course, The Strokes’ most valuable asset — lead singer Julian Casablancas’ impossibly cool vocals — is here in full force. 

It’s not quite Is This It, but “Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus” is still The Strokes’ best song in 14 years.

“Spotlight” by Jessie Ware

After a career making increasingly dull ballads, “Spotlight,” and Ware’s new What’s Your Pleasure? album, is a refreshing change of pace into sleek dance-pop. 

I don’t know if “classy” has ever been used to describe disco, but that’s the best way to describe “Spotlight.” It’s undoubtably a dancefloor filler, with a funky groove and ‘70s string stabs, but there’s also a stateliness to it. It could fit equally well at Studio 54 as it would at a black-tie affair. I credit Ware with that, using her breathy vocals and charisma to strong effect here.

“Lilacs” by Waxahatchee

Any time you can write a song that sounds like an outtake from Tom Petty’s Wildflowers, I’m on board. 

That’s a bit of a reductive way to describe “Lilacs” — Katie Crutchfield’s vocals are much more fiery, for starters. But there’s something nostalgic and welcoming about this southern-fried folk-rock song with oblique lyrics and catchy hooks for days.

“Mood” by 24kGoldn feat. iann dior

Much of this new wave of emo-influenced rap isn’t really my thing. Maybe I’ve grown out of super-angsty and blunt songs about depression? Although I still love Smashing Pumpkins, so maybe that’s not the case. I can’t really answer why I don’t adore Juice WRLD or Lil Peep like so many others seem to.

But “Mood” — an unabashed sell-out, watered-down version of that sound – immediately clicked for me. I know 24kGoldn is trend-riding here, and that this is essentially a wildly shallow pop song. BUT! It’s a really catchy wildly shallow pop song! With bouncy pop-punk production that sounds like trap-ified Blink-182! (okay, it’s much better than that sounds, but you get the point)

I allow myself a guilty pleasure or two on my lists. “Mood” is one of those guilty pleasures this year. As the kids (presumably still?) say, it’s a vibe.

[beansonbread2]

BEANSONBREAD AWARDS 2020 - BEST SONG

AWARD NO.3 - BEST SONG OF 2020

PAST WINNERS

2019 > Weyes Blood ‘Andromeda’ (see full list HERE)

2018 > Let’s Eat Grandma ‘It’s Not Just Me’ (see full list HERE)

2017 > Richard Dawson ‘Ogre’ (see full list HERE)

2016 > Solange ‘Cranes In the Sky’ (see full list HERE)

2015 > Kendrick Lamar ‘The Blacker The Berry’ (see full list HERE)

2014 > FKA Twigs ‘Two Weeks’ (see full list HERE)

2013 > Oliver Wilde ‘Perrett’s Brook’ (see full list HERE)

2010 > Untold ‘Stop What You’re Doing (James Blake Remix) (see full list HERE)

2009 > Joker - ‘Digidesign’ (see full list HERE)

2008 > Lil’ Wayne - ‘A Milli’ (see full list HERE)

2007 > Panda Bear - ‘Bros’ (see full list HERE)

2006 > Hot Chip - ‘Over And Over’ (see full list HERE)

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RULES - A maximum of THREE tracks from any one artist. Songs can be tied in the same position.

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*SPOTIFY PLAYLIST WITH (ALMOST) ALL THE TRACKS*

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THE RUNNERS UP (in alphabetical order)..

100 Gecs, Count Baldor, GFOTY ‘Stupid Horse (remix)’

645AR ‘Bible And A K’ 

A.G. Cook ‘Silver’ 

Alabaster DePlume ‘Whisky Story Time’

Amaarae ‘Hellz Angel’

Arca ‘Time’

Arlo Parks ‘Black Dog’

Ashnikko ‘Daisy’

Blackpink & Selena Gomez ‘Ice Cream’

Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion ‘WAP’

Caribou ‘New Jade’ / ‘Home’

CHAI ‘No More Cake’

Chloe x Halle ‘Do It’

Clipping ‘96 Neve Campbell’

Cornershop ‘St Marie Under Canon’ / ‘No Rock Save In Roll’

Crack Cloud ‘Favour Your Fortune’

Dan Deacon ‘Become A Mountain’ / ‘Sat By A Tree’

Darkstar ‘Jam’ 

Dean Blunt, Joanne Robertson, Vegyn ‘Troll’

Deerhoof ‘Future Teenage Cave Artists’ / ‘Sympathy For The Baby Boo’

Dirty Projectors ‘Overlord’

DJ Douggpound ‘Creamed Popcorn On The Cob’ 

Dorian Electra ‘Sorry Bro (I Love You)’

Doves ‘Prisoners’

Dry Cleaning ‘Scratchcard Lanyard’

Dua Lipa ‘Hallucinate’

Fenne Lily ‘Alapathy’ / ‘Solipsism’

Fiona Apple ‘Shameika’

FLOHIO ‘Unveiled’

Gerard Black, Rozi Plain, Jamie Whitby-Coles 'Beiggy'

Giant Swan ‘Silkworm’

Good Sad Happy Bad ‘Blessed’ / ‘Star’

The Go! Team ‘Cookie Scene’

Grimes ‘Delete Forever’

Gupi & Fraxiom ‘Thos Moser’

HAIM ‘The Steps’

Happy Spendy ‘Feelings 2’

Hen Ogledd ‘Trouble’

Hot Chip ‘Worlds Within Worlds’

Janelle Monae ‘Turntables’

Jane Weaver ‘The Revolution Of Super Visions’

Jay Electronica ‘Ghost Of Soulja Slim’ / ‘Shiny Suit Theory’

Jessy Lanza ‘Anyone Around’ / ‘Lick In Heaven’

Jpegmafia ‘Bald!’

Kayla Painter ‘Prey At Night’

Kelly Lee Owens ‘Arpeggi’ / ‘Melt!’

King Creosote ‘Susie Mullen’

King Krule ‘Stoned Again’

Lambchop ‘Reservations’

Laura Marling ‘Strange Girl’

The Lemon Twigs ‘The One’

LICE ‘Conveyor’ & ‘Arbiter’ 

Lil B ‘I’m Kanye’

Lil Uzi Vert ‘POP’

Little Simz ‘Might Bang, Might Not’

Magdalena Bay ‘Story’

Marie Davidson & L’Œil Nu ‘Renegade Breakdown’

Michael ‘Sole Trader’

Mogwai ‘Dry Fantasy’

Moses Sumney ‘Virile’

Mumble Tide ‘Love Thing’

Nadine Shah ‘Club Cougar’

Noname ‘Song 33’

The Orielles ‘Space Samba (Disco Volador Theme)’

Oro Swimming Hour ‘Cold Tangerina’ / ‘Crocodile’

Park Hye Jin ‘Like This’

Pa Salieu ‘Betty’

Paula, Povoa, Jerge ‘Primavera’

Pet Shimmers ‘Thawed Out Plainclothes Demon’ / ‘Snake Eats A Lady’

Phoebe Bridgers ‘Garden Song’

Pictish Trail ’Bad Algebra’

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs ‘Reducer’ / ‘Rubbernecker’

Planet 1999 ‘Replay’

Planningtorock ‘Jam Fam - Chanel Show Version’

Poppy ‘Fill The Crown’

Pottery ‘Texas Drums Pt. I & II’

Pozi ‘Whitewashing’

Princess Nokia ‘Green Eggs & Ham’

Remi Wolf ‘Woo!’ / ‘Photo I.D’

Rico Nasty ‘IPHONE’

RMR ‘Rascal’

Run The Jewels ‘Yankee And The Brave (ep.4)’

SAULT ‘Stop Dem’ / ‘Wildfires’

Scalping ‘Deadlock’

Sega Bodega ‘Salv Goes To Hollywood’

Sleaford Mods ‘Mork n Mindy’

Soccer Mommy ‘Bloodstream’ / ‘Crawling In My Skin’

Spectres ‘Tanning The Albatross’ / ‘On Nepotism’

Sufjan Stevens ‘Video Game’

SZA (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) ‘Hit Different’

This Is The Kit ‘Coming To Get You Nowhere’ / ‘This Is What You Did’

Thundercat ‘Black Qualls’

Tierra Whack ‘Peppers and Onions’ & ‘Dora’

Tim Heidecker ‘Come Away With Me’

Tkay Maidza ‘Shook’ / ‘Grasshopper’

Urkt ‘Rich Now’ / ‘Sour’

Warm Digits (feat. Rozi Plain) ‘Everyone Nervous’

Wasuremono ‘Big Big Smiles’

The Weeknd ‘Blinding Lights’

Wesley Gonzalez ‘Wind Your Neck In’

Wharfwhit ‘Bangers’

Willie J Healey ‘Fashun’

Working Men’s Club ‘White Rooms And People’ / ‘Valleys’

Yard Act ‘Fixer Upper’ / ‘Peanuts’

Yves Tumor ‘Kerosene!’

---

THE TOP 70 SONGS OF 2020

70. Black Midi ‘Sweater’

69. 645AR ‘Sum Bout U (feat. FKA Twigs)’

68. King Krule ‘Alone, Omen 3’

67. Savage Mansion ‘Weird Country’

66. Pet Shimmers ‘Madonna’s People’

65. Daniel Blumberg ‘Teethgritter’

64. Katy J Pearson ‘Take Back The Radio’

63. A.G. Cook ‘Oh Yeah’

62. Kelly Lee Owens (feat. John Cale) ‘Corner Of My Sky’

61. Moses Sumney ‘Me In 20 Years’

---

60. Alexia Avina ‘Fit Into’

59. Kero Kero Bonito ‘Fortune Teller’

58. The Avalanches feat. Blood Orange ‘We Will Always Love You’

57. Yaeji ‘Waking Up Down’

56. Black Country, New Road ‘Science Fair’

55. These New Puritans ‘The Mirage’

54. Clementine March ‘Le Continent’

53. Shygirl ‘Freak’ / ‘Leng’

52. Ed Dowie ‘Robot Joy Army’

51. Pa Salieu (feat. Mahalia) ‘Energy’

---

50. Office Hours (Tim Heidecker, Fred Armisen & Daniel Cupps) ‘Brick By Brick’

49. Gorillaz (feat. Peter Hook & Georgia) ‘Aries’

48. Amaarae ‘Fancy’

47. Alabaster DePlume ‘Visit Croatia’

46. Pictish Trail ‘Fear Anchor’

45. Yves Tumor ‘Gospel For A New Century’

44. Dean Blunt ‘As Long As Ropes Unravel Fake Rolex Will Travel’

43. Oneohtrix Point Never ‘I Don’t Love Me Anymore’

42. Thundercat ‘Dragonball Durag’

41. Kero Kero Bonito ‘It’s Bugsnax!’

---

40. Perfume Genius ‘On The Floor’

39. Dua Lipa ‘Levitating’

38. Rina Sawayama ‘Comme Des Garcons (Like The Boys)’

37. Pozi ‘The Nightmare’

36. Jockstrap ‘Acid VAPOURWAVE rap RMX’

35. Magdalena Bay ‘Airplane’

34. Arca & Rosalia ‘KLK’

33. Squid ‘Sludge’

32. 100 Gecs feat. Charli XCX, Kero Kero Bonito, Rico Nasty ‘Ringtone (Remix)’

31. Bonnie Prince Billy ‘In Good Faith’

---

30. Good Sad Happy Bad ‘Shades’

29. Charli XCX ‘Claws’ / ‘Forever’

28. Bill Callahan, Bonnie Prince Billy, Dead Rider ‘Our Anniversary’

27. Pictish Trail ‘Lead Balloon’

26. Jockstrap ‘The City’ 

25. Oneohtrix Point Never ‘Auto & Allo’

24. Katy J Pearson ‘Hey You’

23. Self Esteem ‘Favourite Problem (Alternative version)’

22. Tim Heidecker ‘Nothing’

21. SAULT ‘Free’

---

20. Moses Sumney ‘Cut Me’

19. Shygirl ‘Slime’

18. Charli XCX ‘7 Years’

17. Rina Sawayama ‘XS’

16. The Flaming Lips ‘Flowers Of Neptune 6’

15. Wesley Gonzalez ‘Change’

14. Perfume Genius ‘Describe’

13. Dorian Electra (feat. Village People & Pussy Riot) ‘My Agenda’

12. Crack Cloud ‘Ouster Stew’

11. The Flaming Lips ‘Will You Return/When You Come Down’

10. Dorian Electra ‘Gentleman’

9. Tim Heidecker ‘Property’

8. Tara Clerkin Trio ‘In The Room’

7. Planet 1999 ‘Party’

6. Phoebe Bridgers ‘Kyoto’

5. Laura Marling ‘Held Down’

4. Crack Cloud ‘Post Truth’

3. The Flaming Lips ‘At The Movies On Quaaludes’

2. Oneohtrix Point Never ‘Long Road Home’

1. Jockstrap ‘Acid’

[stevecanmakeanythingnerdy]

Battle #26

The Vindictives: The Many Moods of... ( Side D )

Vs.

The Mary Jane Girls: Only Four You ( Side 1 )

The Vindictives: The Many Moods of... ( Side D )

The Vindictives are probably one of the best and most underrated of the 90s pop punk bands to call Chicago home. They began in 1990, after Joey’s first band, Vicktimz of Society called it quits. Their original lineup included Joey Vindictive (vocals), Johnny Personality (bass), Ben Weasel (of Screeching Weasel fame on guitar), Dr. Bob (guitar), and Erik Elsewhere (drums). The band would quickly experience lineup changes and evolve in complexity as well. The band would end up releasing 12 EPs and albums until July 1996, when Joey Vindictive revealed that his health issues would prevent the band from going on. The band DID continue past that but never at the capacity and intensity it had been previously. The distinction between The Vindictives and other pop punk bands of the same cloth is all in the lyrics. Often sexual or paranoia themes (sometimes both!) took center stage. And those amazing and layered harmonies!! No one did it better than The Vindictives. You got a real sense of the frantic-ness though in the music and the production was outstanding. Every song is catchy and holds your attention, making each song just a little different. Something pop punk is not often known for often, embracing the repetitiveness. So this “album” is really one of their only proper ones but it’s more or less a collection of all the aforementioned EPs. “Future Homemakers of America” Starts the party off right. Meaty and punchy with those dripping snotty vocals. Not perfect and that’s OK. It’s part of the energy, and a real slap across the face of suburbia stay at home housewives everywhere. “Spring Valley Shopping Mall” Tell the tale of what sounds like a really bad date. Literally a story in the form of a song. “1 (900) ILU-VYOU” is a dominatrix tune that features those amazing backing vocal harmonies. You could say they DOMINATE (#seewhatididthere) at it. Next up is “Basketcase”-a quickie punker rocket with driving and screaming leads. It’s better than Green Day’s version. Just kidding, totally different songs, but Green Day does serve as a good comparison for production value and tight melodies. Speaking of tight,

“You Know Who You Are” follows suit and punches you in the face. All while bitting and clawing your eyes out. Wound up like a spring and ready to pounce. As if it couldn’t get any faster, “Impatient” flies at you at breakneck speeds. Vindictives are not usually Minor Threat level fast, but skatepunks be damned, these guys mean business! Thrashing lashes to make you gnash your teeth. Probably one of the best songs on this side, and best examples of how the Vindictives stand out is found in “...And The World Isn’t Flat Anymore”. It’s very catchy and sing along style, but still manages to employ one the band’s favorite tricks, vocals in the round. Joey understands how to make one set bleed into the other and it sounds so amazing. More vocal layers than a 7 layer burrito! His raw and unabashed outlook give that darker edge the band uses to their advantage. Ironically these are probably some of the weaker tunes in their arsenal, so just imagine how awesome Sides A-C are! Brilliant!

The Mary Jane Girls: Only Four You ( Side 1 )

The Mary Jane Girls are an American R&B, soul and funk group that gained popularity in the 1980s. They were protégées of singer Rick James. Much like Prince had Shiela E and others, Rick James has his girls too. They are known for their hit songs "In My House", "All Night Long", "Candy Man", and their cover version of "Walk Like a Man". Joanne "Jojo" McDuffie was the lead singer, the others filling out the group's style and appearance. According to the wiki, on the studio recordings, McDuffie was backed by session vocalists rather than the other Mary Jane Girls. The album credits the other members as each singing at least one song though. The Mary Jane Girls released two albums in the 1980s and recorded a third which was shelved for decades but finally released in 2014. They were inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2019. You can practically see the marketing plan-o-gram throughout, but you know what? The songs are fairly catchy. I like the 80s and even though it has distinct Motown and funk influence, there is a decent representation of new wave too. Rock actually wrote and produced all the songs too, so he had his hands all over it. Of course we should address the obvious. The name of the group referenced mary jane, slang for marijuana; a favored recreational drug of James. (James wrote a hit song titled "Mary Jane".) The group's image was styled as containing a street-wise girl (McDuffie), a supermodel (Ghant), a cheerleader/valley girl (Wells, then Marine), and a dominatrix (Wuletich). This is their second album and has the biggest hit, which starts off the whole thing. “In My House” has a VERY Rick James start with that keyboard intro, then drop the funky bass. These are 4 ladies that know the 80s. If disco were just watered down new wave, ala Lipps Inc., then I’d be ok with it. That’s pretty much what we have here. “Break it Up” is another funky dance club hit parade. Revolving Supremes-like vocals that keep your interest. The next 30 seconds are an interlude to the song “Shadow Lover” but they bothered to list it as a separate track, so...? It’s a saxophone meets piano warm up really, into the actual action. A slow bedroom jam that might make Luther Vandross jealous. The last track (only 4 you I guess #seewhatididthere ) is next. It’s called “Lonely for You” and the play on the album title is not lost on me. This one is back to the rockin’ beats. Mellow and melody. The underlying keyboard is fantastic on this cut. It’s a new wave version of En Vogue or a disco version on The Supremes. Either way, nice. I hope they didn’t have to do anything freaky to get their deal...(#seewhatididthere)

So today we saw the many moods of The Vindictives in full regalia. They took 16 minutes to burn 101 calories over 7 songs. That is 14.43 calories burned per song and 6.31 calories burned per minute. The Vindictives earned 18 out of 21 possible stars. The Mary Jane Girls did it only four you. They took 19 minutes to burn 116 calories over 4 songs. That’s an average of 29.p calories burned per song and 6.11 calories burned per minute. The MJG earned 8 out of 12 possible stars. Looks like The Vindictives will be in a haploid because they won today’s challenge!

The Vindictives : “You Know Who You Are”

https://youtu.be/RpT7OGsUzWo

#Randomrecordworkoutseasonseven

#Randomrecordworkout

[randomvarious]

Einstein - “Friday Night and Sunday Morning” The Best Rap Album of All Time Song released in 1988. Compilation released in 1999.  Hip Hop / Brit-Hop

The UK's Einstein really had one of the coolest and most interesting old school rap careers that hardly anyone ever talks about. For one, he probably didn't know it was happening at the time, but he ended up making tracks with some of the biggest acts in all of late 80s and 90s dance music. His debut was made in 1987 on a record with C.J. Mackintosh of M/A/R/R/S, a group that would then release the all-time dance classic, "Pump Up the Volume," in 1989. Einstein would then go on to work with Norman Cook (better known as Fatboy Slim), who would produce a slew of Einstein tracks way before becoming an international big beat and breaks superstar himself. In 1990, Einstein featured on a single by Technotronic of "Pump Up the Jam" fame, and in '96 he closed out his career by rapping on a remix of another bona fide dance classic, Snap!'s "The Power."

In addition to working with all of those extremely popular dance musicians, Einstein also had a top ten UK hit in 1992 under the name M.C. Mario for a song called "Supermarioland," a catchy, 8-bit infused dance track, on which he rapped about the Super Mario universe. Nintendo Japan fell so in love with the song that they had Einstein make a full M.C. Mario album the following year with producer Simon Harris called Super Mario Compact Disco. Simon Harris would also go on to become a prolific, world class producer and remixer.

But Harris was a longtime partner of Einstein's, having been by his side since jump. In fact, he produced that C.J. Mackintosh jam that Einstein debuted on, and he was basically Einstein's only producer until Norman Cook entered the picture. Following the Mackintosh track, Harris provided the beat for one of Einstein's most popular early songs, "Friday Night & Saturday Morning," which then ended up on a bunch of contemporary UK rap compilations, as well as a quadruple-disc comp called The Best Rap Album of All Time, released by low-budget label Dressed to Kill in 1999.

It's been said that Einstein's music is largely influenced by American hip hop artists, and with a song like "Friday Night & Saturday Morning," one can't help but think that one of those influences was The Fresh Prince. On this track, Einstein showcases his own personable, effortlessly easygoing, conversationalist, storytelling flow, much like The Fresh Prince was known to do on songs like "Parents Just Don't Understand," albeit with a bit less hamminess. In the song's first verse, Einstein humble-brags about his playboy lifestyle, listing names of girls he's been with and how he struggles to keep track of them all. But, similar to how the second verse of "Parents" reveals that the girl that the Fresh Prince took for a joyride in his mom's Porsche was only twelve years old, this song's second verse tells a tale of maybe Einstein's most embarrassing pursuit, with an ending plot-twist that heavily implies that the girl he's trying to woo at the club is actually underage. And in an extended version, the girl flat out cops to being thirteen.

Underlying this entertaining, early Brit-hop track is a Simon Harris production whose verses contain a minimal application of a simple, bouncy drum beat, warm and softly rumbling bass frequencies, an occasional horn stab, and acidic, flickering zaps. With the chorus, he adds a pair of female soul samples, plus some hi-hats and horns. Displaying a good bit of chemistry between emcee and producer, Harris briefly drops his beat entirely at certain points so the listener has no choice but to focus on what Einstein's about to say, which, when we get to the second verse, prove to be key lines in the song's plot development.

A fun and classic Brit hop track from the guy who would go on to work with people like Norman Cook and then make a bunch of songs about Super Mario.

[benthemusicalbeard]

15 Jul 2020

Hello there and thank you muchly for taking the time to read my little music blog. The premise is very simple; I pick three songs I like, some new some old, and write a little description about the artist and if you like what you hear then the rest is up to you to go searching for more material from said artist! I am merely a facilitator to hopefully bring some new sounds into your life. This week, three more songs I hope you enjoy, let us begin! 

First up this week and UK based post punk group Warmduscher. Formed by members of different groups following an impromptu New Years Eve jam session the group have released three albums to date and have wondered onto my musical radar this week. The song I’m sharing is not only their most popular on Spotify but also the one which appeared on my weekly mix this week and is the standout track from all the nonsense I usually get recommended! The song is taken from their latest album, the 2019 release ‘Tainted Lunch’, which I have given a listen to with as positive an outlook as one can give as punk music is not really my cup of tea. The album is quirky in part with tracks ‘Fill It, Don’t Spill It’ and ‘Precious Things’ bordering on the surreal but the stronger tracks like ‘Disco Peanuts’, ‘Dream Lotion’ and the track I’m sharing ‘Midnight Dipper’, whilst still quirky and funky are definitely worth a listen for all those wanting to be slightly confused by some electronic post punk! From the odd track I’ve sampled from their earlier albums ‘Tainted Lunch’ certainly appears to be their most outlandish effort but overall enjoyable nevertheless.

Warmduscher - Midnight Dipper - https://youtu.be/1blq4KCLYpA

Second up this week and the talented Emmy The Great. Born Emma-Lee Moss in Hong Kong to a Chinese mother and English father she has lived in the UK since the age of 12 but sings in both English and Chinese. Falling within the folk/indie folk genre her style of music is poetic in both musical composition and lyrically. Having released three albums as well as a host of EP’s and collaborations, this week I have listened to her first album ‘First Love’ which was released in 2009 and re-released a decade later on vinyl. The album received mixed reviews upon release with the NME criticising her "constant stance of diary-entry victim-hood" but I find the album to be a refreshing experience, one in which I find myself focusing so much on the quick fire and intelligent lyrics that I almost forget there is music at all! For me the victim-hood gives the album substance due to her lyrical aptitude to convey the history of that personal experience and the way the lyrics captivate you and tell you a meaningful story. Endless other albums draw upon personal experience, it is after all the main inspiration for writing music and whilst many fail to connect with the listener, happily this one has been a good find. It’s an album which is certainly best played when you have chance to listen to the words of the tracks, I shall be interested to see if her follow up albums ‘Virtue’ from 2011 and ‘Second Love’ from 2016 grab my attention in the same way that this one has. 

Emmy The Great - 24 - https://youtu.be/nGverngX1Es

Finally this week and an old favourite courtesy of Blur. We all know Blur and I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you much about them. Britpop ‘happened’ just at the stage I was really getting into music and the main players were Oasis, Pulp, Blur, Ocean Colour Scene, Cast etc etc. So many great bands and recently I found a brilliant playlist on Spotify called ‘Britpop Classics’. 7 hours and 16 minutes of superb music mainly from the 90′s and it got me thinking about the Oasis v Blur battle that occurred around August 1995 when ‘Country House’ released by Blur went up against the Oasis single ‘Roll With It’ in the charts. Blur ended up on the winning side that time and rightfully so as Country House is a better song in my opinion. Whilst Oasis have always been my preferred Britpop act I always had a soft spot for Blur as many of their tracks are much fuller and rounded than the more simpler indie sing-a-long hits from Oasis. My favourite Blur track I have chosen to share with you is a live version from the ‘Parklive’ album which was from Hyde Park during the London 2012 closing ceremony celebrations. The track has widely been regarded as a masterpiece amongst Blur’s catalogue of songs whilst at the same time not being one of the main hits the band achieved with the likes of ‘Parklife’, ‘Girls & Boys’ or ‘Country House’ always being the first that spring to mind. I was fortunate enough to see Blur in their warm up gig for that 2012 Hyde Park outing and I am not ashamed to admit that I welled up a fraction when this song was played. When the crowd joined in with the chorus, as they do on the live version here, in the least pretentious way possible I was in some sort of weird musical nirvana where it just felt right. It felt like I was meant to be there at that time hearing that song and gladly when it appears on my shuffle on whatever playlist of mine it finds itself on, needless to say it get’s a full airing. (n.b. other Britpop acts and songs are available, see aforementioned Britpop Playlist). 

Blur - This Is A Low (live) - https://youtu.be/VpaO7ST0br4

Three more tracks to give a listen to, until next time we meet stay safe. End of communique. 

[blogaboutmusic]

all the playlists !

did this a while ago, but my spotify changed so much that i decided to do it again, and also because i have a lot of new followers! thank you & thank you if you follow my playlists! Be sure to check the list out bc i have a playlist for almost every genre & mood!

● ✧･ﾟ*✧･ﾟ* existential crisis:  everything i have that is sad ● 2019 ; letz getit: music i discovered so far in 2019 / music that is important to me in 2019 ● 20(18)GAYTEEN: every album that came out in 2018 (at least of artists i like) ● 20(19)BITEEN: every album that came out in 2019 (/artist i like :) ) ● 5sᴏs ; complete: i think the title says it all ● ａｌｉｅｎｓ: a mix full of alt. songs. dope. 10/10 recommend to aliens ● all of it ; alternative ?: stuff that is alt but not quite, pop punk but not quite, rock but not quite, etc! ● all of it ; emo music: EVERYTHING YOU NEED. EVERYTHING SAD. EVERYTHING ANGRY. EVERYTHING GUITAR. pop-punk punk-rock emo/rock indie/alternative ● all of it ; k-pop: all the k-pop music that I listen to, stuffed into one mix. ● ᴀʟʟ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ʟᴏᴡ ; ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ: all of all time low’s music ● angry k-pop bops: a playlist that was inspired by district 9 of stray kids ● autumn, baby: perfect songs for fall! ● back to the future: idk some albums that i love listening to that go really well together ● bandito tour ; twenty one pilots: a playlist for an upcoming concert ● b͓̽a͓̽n͓̽g͓̽ ͓̽c͓̽h͓̽a͓̽n͓̽: a playlist for my bias of stray kids! ● ʙᴀɴɢᴛᴀɴɢ sᴏɴʏᴇᴏɴᴅᴀɴ ; ʙᴛs: all of bts’ music in one playlist ● best intro's, no argue: okay but really 505 is one of the best songs ever don’t fight me on that one ● bi bops: actually it doesnt matter if you’re gay, straight, pan or bi, these all work. just bops. ● b-sides, : songs i tend to forget about because i mostly listen to other songs on the albums... but they deserve the world so there you go ● 𝖇𝖎𝖙𝖊 𝖒𝖊: kinda angry, kinda alternative. ● bon voyage: i listened to this a lot when i went to paris and when i have to travel a lot. travel worthy. ● bop that Bussy ; emo version: FAV EMO JAMS AND BOPS AND BANGERS ● bring me the horizon ; complete : all of bmth’s music ● bts amsterdam 13.10.18: SETLIST ly tour amsterdam but also europe. i miss them a lot & wanna thank them for one of my best nights ever

● calm my anxious ass: what i need when i’m breaking down & alone again ● chanyeol (っ◔◡◔)っ: a playlist for my exo bias, mostly english sung songs though ● chilly billy doobop: so nice to have as background music or for when there’s a friend over. just ever so fckn CHILL ● classical // piano: classical music, mostly piano ● current mood: songs i’m probably listening to right now (lmao still) ● daniel james howell: a playlist for my fav youtuber!!! ● daydream: my playlist with music that makes me dream for a better version of me ● ᴅᴀʏ6 ; ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ: every day6 song ever. stan talent stan day6 ● death / school mix: songs about dying & other relatable stuff for school, ha ha ● dizzy tummy: stuff i listen to strolling through the city or being in a specific trainride ● dope on a rope: no, this isn't a playlist for the growlers' song, it's old beats. ● emo & alternative: sum emo tunes! totally random *insert that one crazy emoji with the tongue out* ● energize this tired bub: upbeat tempo music that really energizes me ● energetic appleflap: playlist for a friend (that i have crush on) ● eɴᴛᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀᴘᴀʀᴋꜱ: music i  listened to before & after my waterparks concert + every waterparks song ever & the setlist ● ᴇxᴏ ; xᴏxᴏ: exo complete. please give us a ot9 comeback ● exploring: stuff i have yet to listen to ● fᴀʟʟ ᴏᴜᴛ ʙᴏʏ ; ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ: all of FOB’s music. can you believe i’m still emo trash? ● frickity freck!: fresh alt-ish music ● fuck me up: a ReAlLy gOoD aLterNaTiVe / IndiE / eMo playlist? ● funky dunky business: the bass in these is mostly really mcflipping good ● geez, morty: playlist for fake friends ● ɢᴏᴛ7 ; ᴀʜɢᴀsᴇ: all of got7 their music ● ɢʀᴇᴇɴ ᴅᴀʏ ; ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ: all of green day aka my fav band their music ! every.thing. ● grrr. : just metal and grunge. heavy shit ● guitars: really good guitars like guns ‘n roses & beatles and just guitars that i love??? ● guns  n' roses setlist: setlist g ‘n r Europe 2017 ● halsey: indie artist, all her music in a playlist ● happy vibes: music that makes me smile!! ● hoe anthems (k-pop ver.); k-pop bops that make me go wanna hoe the heck out ● homework // calm: music i listen to when i make homework ● hug me pls: acoustic songs i wanna listen to while cuddling ● i’m a mess: a good, short playlist i- lol- unironically made when i discovered Michael Clifford had a girlfriend lmao i hope theyre happy they deserve it ● i, an intellectual: a nerd: music from movies and series i really dig ● interactive introverts: music they played and i listened to before interactive introverts ● jae = bae: this one goes out to jae, guitarist and vocal legend in the band day6 ● jazzin' away: jazz, my friend. ● j-pop ; rock 'n soul: my favourite j-pop songs!! yes, that includes all one ok rock songs. ● journal writings: i attempt to keep up a journal. this gives me vibes. sometimes a bit more uptempo, but mostly a bit softer ● judith.eliza: for a friend ● jughead's tape: for jughead jones, of riverdale ● just guitars, nothing else.: just acoustic guitars of some of my fav songs, really good for while studying i think ● k-grooves: korean r&b and indie ● k-pop ; essential jams: my favourite k-pop songs, which are quite a lot! ● k-pop ; girls: all my girl groups’ music ● k-rock ; you make myday: all my favourite k-rock songs, yes that includes every day6 song because they are just that good sorry ● last young renegade tour: music i listened to before & after my all time low concert + the setlist ●  letters to you: songs that made me think of my crush. i think people can realate? ● let there be luf: some new alt, sum songs about love ● lilacskyjimin ; fav: playlist for a friend ● lone hours: in: feeling lonely? we do, too, dont worry. youre not alone. ● mama: stuff i grew up with / stuff my mother and i both like ● marina & the diamonds: apperantly she’s only called marina now? one of the best female singers i know, indie as f*ck ● ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ; 5sos:  playlist for the 5sos concert, setlist and the songs in between! ● micmicbudgee ; fav: playlist for a friend ● mom jeans, tired eyes: mostly 70s and 80s BOPS ● ᴍᴏɴsᴛᴀ x ; ᴍᴏɴʙᴇʙᴇ: all of monsta x’s music in a playlist ● muse ; complete: all of alt rock band muse their songs ● my chemical romance ; complete: emo rock band mcr all of their music ● my youngblood chronicals: alt rock songs. the reason why i’m still fighting ● nederlandse bodem: my favourite Dutch songs! ● ɴᴇᴏ ᴄᴜʟᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴛᴇᴄʜɴᴏʟᴏɢʏ ; ɴᴄᴛ: nct complete, in a playlist ● nienisneckdeep ; fav: playlist for a friend ● nights: songs i like to listen to before going to sleep ● noa.myg: fav: another playlist for a friend ● non-english bops: jewish, french, spanish, swedish, irish and celtic music like omnia (which is partly english but i think it fits here so tough luck) ● one ok rock ; complete: one ok rock is a japanese rock band that sings in english in their latest work ● ᴘᴀɴɪᴄ! ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪsᴄᴏ ; ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ: all of panic! at the disco’s music in a playlist ● paramore ; complete: paramore was a punk rock band with a female singer, and now they make alt rock ● paris: a playlist for a city that i miss, a time that i miss ● ᴘᴇɴᴛᴀɢᴏɴ ; ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ: aka all of k-pop group Pentagon their music in a playlist ● pizza punk: waterparks, neck deep, with con and music like that. perfect for skating eheh ● power vocals: beautiful voices ! voices that make me jealous ● problems with sleeping: lovely alt songs, some of them are about not being able to sleep ● queen discography: you know that movie, bohemian rhapsody..? ● rad activist shit: end gun violence. black lives matter. abortions should be legal, pedophiles and rapists should not be able to walk free. oh and love is love, get over it. angry songs, songs about revolution. ● rainbow: love songs, some sad (rain), some ever so happy (sun). together they make a rainbow ● red hot chili peppers: the red hot chili peppers are rock band and if you dont know them, look them up!! ● revolution radio 2017: music i listened to before & after my green day concert + the setlist ● rev up my spaceship, bois: modern hard rock in a playlist! ● sad boi o’clock: another sad playlist, you can never have enough of these ● sᴀʏ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ; sᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴ: seventeens (k-pop) complete music discography ● skylinn ; khaleesiqoyi: first playlist i made for a friend: my best friend ● slytherin headgirl: this is what the people in slytherin listen to, i swear ● socrates would deffo stan: indie and alt, only for intellectuals (i’m just kidding) ● soft; rock™: soft (old) rock ● soft; k-pop: for if you wanna weep along with exo, bts,, etc ● soundtrack of my life 🌙: the basics to my music ● space jams 🚀: most songs are about wanting to run away, perfect for when you’re in space ● spoopy rave: i secretly listen to this through the year, idec ● starry skies, snazzy beats: mostly cute beats, perfect for studying or staring at the sky ● sᴛᴀʏ ; sᴛʀᴀʏ ᴋɪᴅs !: all of stray kids songs, go stan them already and please stay ● stranger things: songs that give me a stranger things vibe ● supernatural ; rock & grunge: stuff Dean Winchester would listen to, blue oyster cult, aerosmith, black sabbath, stuff like that ● tae tae: a playlist for v of bts, one of my biases ● the 1975: an alt band, latest work: an brief inquiry into online relationships ● the neighbourhood: very chill music. kinda rap, kinda alt ● these physically turn me on: really, really good songs, or nice vocals, idk how to explain ● tits out for harambe: the closest thing i have to pop music / rap i guess, with khai dreams, frank ocean, childish gambino, ari, troye, ya know ● tokyo: a playlist for dreaming about the feeling of a city ● travel back in time: 50s, 60s music, stuff i listen to with my grandpa but also alone cuz its fun ● twenty øne piløts ; complete: all of twenty one pilots their music ● underappreciated alt songs: alternative songs that i think deserve (even more) hype! ● waterparks ; complete: nice new pop punk band that deffo has a lot of talent! ● when the week ends: a mix for the weekend ● wubbalubbadubdub: old bops that make me forget about my sadness ● year in review: 2018: music i discovered in 2018 / music that was important to me in 2018 / songs that came out in 2018 ● yoongi: songs where you can sing yoongi really clearly and songs that make me think of him ● you’re making me feel miserable: songs i listened to after i confessed to my crush and he turned me down sksksksk

please reblog, it helps my blog a lot, tysm

[usgunn]

September 1, 2019

CLICK HERE for the September 1, 2019 playlist

1.    Furniture - “Transatlantic Cable” (1983)

I stumbled across this band for the first time this week.  Led by Jim Irvin, who went on to be a British music journalist and also has a co-write credit on a Lana Del Rey song?  Only one EP is on Spotify, but I was so smitten with it I had to lead off with something from it this week.  I’m getting a David Sylvian-vibe.

2.    The Late Bronze Age - “King Greed” (1980)

Spotify credits this song to Col. Bruce Hampton and the Late Bronze Age, but when this record, Outside Looking Out, first came out, they were just the Late Bronze Age.  No offense to my hippie pals out there, but due to his frequent visits to the Georgia Theater back when it was a jam-band haunt I always assumed I would never want to have anything to do with Col. Bruce.  But nobody told me he was in a jazzy new wave band in the early 80′s that sounded like what I always wished Pere Ubu sounded like.

3.    Tesco Bombers - “Break The Ice at Parties” (1982)

London band with but one release, the 7″ from which this song comes, on Y Records, which also put out killer music from Maximum Joy and Shriekback.  I only know this from a compilation,  Cease & Desist: DIY!, put together by JD Twitch of Optimo, the legendary Glaswegian DJ team.

4.    Social Climbers - “Palm Springs” (1981)

NYC-band (by way of Bloomington, IN) who made one self-titled record and disappeared as far as I know, later reissued through the combined power of Drag City and Yoga Records.  Now you know as much as I do.  A lot of the album is more vocal-driven, but this track felt right to kick off a run of instrumental tracks coming up.

5.    Fernando Falcão - “Ladeira dos Inocentes” (1981)

Back to Optimo - they also run a label, Optimo Music, which has picked up a sub-label, Selva Discos, that is putting out some fantastic and forgotten Brazilian music--and that label has just reissued two private-press Fernando Falcão albums.  I first heard Fernando Falcão on the great Outro Tempo compilation a couple of years ago of avant-garde Brazilian music from the 80′s (the Os Mulheres Negras track from a few weeks back came from that compilation).  I don’t know what you call this music.  I like it when you don’t know what to call it.

6.    Ennio Morricone - “Seguita” (1971)

I’m not gonna pretend to know much about Morricone beyond what everyone knows (Italian film composer, did several Sergio Leone movies).  But I always love hearing his music, and I’ve always really liked the Crime and Dissonance compilation (from which this song is taken) of some of his lesser-known work put together by Alan Bishop of Sun City Girls and released on Mike Patton of Faith No More’s Ipecac Records.  This menacing jazz tune is from the movie Gli Occhi Freddi Della Paura, if knowing that sort of thing is important to you.

7.    Sons of Kemet - “My Queen is Harriet Tubman” (2018)

One of several projects of Shabaka Hutchings, a British saxophonist and restless collaborator.  Seems to exist somewhere between jazz and afrobeat, with two drummers pounding out frenetic rhythms.  The album this comes from, Your Queen is a Reptile, was The Wire magazine’s #1 album of 2018.

8.    75 Dollar Bill - “Tetuzi Akiyama” (2019)

75 Dollar Bill started as a guitar and drums duo but have expanded to something much different, playing music that seems steeped in the traditions of some mythical country.  This song is like the blues on acid.

9.    5ive Style - “Pledge Drive” (1999)

5ive Style was a Chicago supergroup (if a supergroup can consist of people no-one has ever heard of): John Herndon (Tortoise, Poster Children) on drums, Leroy Bach (Chicago man-about-town, later in Wilco) on bass, Jeremy Jacobson (one-man-band The Lonesome Organist) on keys, and the inestimable Billy Dolan (later of Heroic Doses) on guitar.  Dolan is one of THE great unsung guitar players of the last, I don’t know, 40 years, and you get a taste of that here.

10.   Orange Juice - “Two Hearts Together (10″ Version)” (1982)

Whether you like this song will determine whether we can be friends.  Not really, but I will die on the Orange Juice hill.  Orange Juice was a Glasgow indie-pop band that most people only care about for their early singles and first-draft of their first album, when they were a scrappy, lo-fi band on Glasgow indie-lable Postcard Records.  But I prefer Orange Juice after they signed to Polydor and became an over-produced also-ran.  This Caribbean-inflected non-album single came between their first and second albums on Polydor, when the band had shed its original guitarist and drummer and added Malcolm Ross on guitar (from Edinburgh’s Josef K) and Zeke Manyika on drums, a Zimbabwe-born multi-talented musician who later recorded with The The and The Style Council, and who in my opinion was a catalyst for the best phase of Orange Juice’s career (but who otherwise seems to be a footnote in most people’s Orange Juice histories--to the extent other people have Orange Juice histories). 

11.    Archer Prewitt - “Gifts of Love” (2002)

Archer Prewitt is best known as the lead guitar player for The Sea and Cake, but made several solo albums of his own in the late 90′s/early 2000′s.  No one would ever accuse The Sea and Cake’s bossa-nova inflected, jazzy post-rock of being “hard,” but Archer’s albums really veered into 70′s soft rock territory, in the best way possible.  There’s a lot to like about this song, but the string-laden outro may be the best part, so good that I’m always disappointed when it fades out so soon.

12.    The Clientele - “Bookshop Casanova” (2007)

The Clientele are a long-time Merge Records band that’s never really caught fire like some others, likely due to their spurts of inactivity and seeming reluctance to tour the U.S. in any meaningful way.  Their catalog is deep at this point, full of poignant moments of beauty and deceptively complex arrangements that invite repeat listens.  This song, though, is probably the closest they ever got at translating what they do into something that might catch a casual listener’s ear at first blush.  

13.    Howard Ivans - “Red Face Boy” (2013)

Howard Ivans is the alter-ego of Ivan Howard, co-leader of another Merge Records band, The Rosebuds.  While The Rosebuds always rooted their genre-experiments in the world of indie-rock, the Howard Ivans persona allows Howard to go full R&B, with wonderful results.  This was one of the first singles put out by Matthew E. White’s Spacebomb Records, and they went all out, with horns arranged by White and strings arranged by Trey Pollard, all cut to tape in Richmond, VA.

14.   BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah (ft. MF Doom) - “Ray Gun” (2015)

BADBADNOTGOOD is, as far as I can tell, a bunch of nerds from Canada who play really inventine funk, soul and jazz music, and they made a whole record, Sour Soul, backing Ghostface Killa from Wu-Tang Clan.  I haven’t dived in too deep yet, but really like this song featuring the legendary MF Doom.  Doom and Ghostface have been teasing a collaborative album for years under the name DOOMSTARKS, but so far, nothing.

15.    Baby Huey - “Hard Times” (1971)

Larger than life at 400 lbs. and dead at 26 due to heroin, Baby Huey was not around long enough to make much of a mark.  But he did manage to record one full-length, produced by Curtis Mayfield, from which this song comes (the song was also penned by Mayfield).  There’s an amazing, nearly 10-minute performance of “A Change is Going to Come” on there too, but there wasn’t room this week (I reserve the right to put 10-minute long songs on this playlist, though).

16.    Craig Finn - “Something to Hope For” (2019)

I was never much of a Hold Steady fan -- I appreciated them more than I liked them.  But I feel like frontman Craig Finn is really coming into his own on the solo side of things, and the album he put out this year, I Need a New War, has some great moments, including this earnest, soul-inflected tune.

[justasmallbloginabigklainefandom]

Rec This Thing: Panic! At The Disco Pray For The Wicked Europe Tour at AFAS LIVE

Panic! At The Disco Pray For The Wicked Europe Tour at AFAS Live 

My story: Look, in the span of less than a year I became a huge fan, so when they announced their show at AFAS Live, I was in.

Story: It’s a concert.

Rating (1 to 10): 10

Why?: After Hayley, and Troye, it was time for Panic! and lemme tell you something.

This was my favourite.

Once again, I was on my way to Amsterdam with Sammy in tow. We originally planned on going with Maikel, but tickets were sold out in seconds and he didn’t manage to grab them.

The road towards Amsterdam was wonky due to a possible terrorist attack in my country and due to faulty trains. On our way, we met up with two strangers who were also on their way to the concert. We talked about fake vegan burgers and airport security fails and of course Panic! At The Disco.

We parted ways at the entrance. It was packed. We were lucky we got there after the doors opened, because the line was so damn long that they added a second line. That line also happened to be shorter. That was our line. We still queued for a small half hour (and the police kept driving by because... y’know... possible terrorism) (it really was a terrible day for my country).

We bought merch and I got the long sleeved white shirt with High Hopes lyrics and then it was time to find a spot in the venue. Eventually, we got great balcony seats. Third row, close to the middle aisle. We had an amazing view.

*record scratch*

Wait. Hold on? You’re telling me that you could’ve found a standing place almost up front, like you did with Troye Sivan’s concert, and you didn’t?

Nope. I didn’t. For a few reasons actually:

We didn’t have to use the wardrobe.

The show was a very visual show and you could see it best from the balcony, since you could see the entire stage.

After all, Sammy and I are relatively small, so we wouldn’t be able to see shit unless we were completely front row.

I don’t like being stuck in crowds.

And the crowd was massive. It’s really confusing, cause both Troye and Panic! played sold out shows at AFAS Live but Panic!’s crowd was double the size. Ever since it got announced that Panic! got AFAS, I was very confused, because if you look at other venues of the PftW tour, they have massive venues sold out. Panic! easily could’ve played Ziggo Dome or whatever, but nope, they got AFAS. Hmmmm.

Anyway, I did consider going all the way up front so that I could hopefully give Brendon an ace flag to wear during Girls/Girls/Boys, cause that would mean the world to me, but the cons outweighed the pros and besides, I have nothing to complain about my seats. 

Especially now that I’ve seen YouTube videos from the people down at the standing room. It got hectic and loud and woah, at least I could still hear Brendon Urie himself.

The opening band was A R I Z O N A. The band, not the state. They’re from New Jersey. I wasn’t familiar with them, but by now I’ve listened to their entire discography and they’re good.

Then, it was time for an half hour long break and it was time for people to get annoying. Yup, as I mentioned, I had a great seat on the third row on the balcony. I was the first seat of that row, so no one blocked my view. It was wonderful.

But during A R I Z O N A’s set, people started leaning against the banister (is it called a banister?) of the balcony and people were crowding the steps in the aisle, aka people were blocking our views.

Sammy and I got so pissed.

Luckily, we weren’t the only ones cause the man in front of me actually told some people to leave, because they were blocking our view, but the moment those people left, new ones arrived.

So yeah, Sammy and I were pretty annoyed and then the countdown started, so we had a “well, shit, if we have to” moment, but three minutes before Panic! came on stage, security wiped the entire aisle. Everyone had to go all the way to the back to stand there behind the rows of seats.

A part of me felt a bit bad that all those people got pushed to probably the worst places in the entire venue, but man, on the other hand, Sammy and I were so damn glad.

And so, the countdown counted down (wow) to zero, while Toto’s Africa was playing, and the show started. I actually took a small video of all numbers and I put them together in a complication, excluding Girls/Girls/Boys and Bohemian Rhapsody. Those were long enough to have videos of their own.

Now, if someone’s reading this (hi), get something to drink cause this is gonna get long. When I talk about concerts, I write down the entire setlist and my thoughts on the performances, and wow, Panic!’s show was almost two hours long. 

How long? Well, someone put the full show online and it’s 1:48:20 long.

So yeah, the gorgeous purple lights turned on and Nicole (I’m gay), Mike, Dan, the horny boys and the wicked strings (I’M GAY) started playing and then Brendon arrived to start off with...

F**k A Silver Lining: We had one of those smaller stages (cause again, Ziggo Dome who??? I don’t know her!) so all those extras like Brendon jumping out of the stage didn’t happen. Luckily, the wonderfully beautiful visuals and lights were there. Silver linings came out of cannons and the show started. It was a beautiful sight, although it took me a while to realise that the images on the projections were supposed to be “motherfucking” cherries, not dicks.

Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time: Ah yes, Brendon Urie showing off his vocal range by singing random parts in falsetto. I love it and I sang along.

Ready To Go (Get Me Out Of My Mind): So delighted to hear this one, since it’s my favourite V&V song and once again, Brendon killed everyone with those high notes. They also put Mike in the spotlight, and it wasn’t the last time they did that during the show.

Hey Look Ma, I Made It!: Ah yes, Beebo. He actually showed up before the countdown. He was just chilling on stage. Anyway, I fucking loved the song.

LA Devotee: Nicole and Mike got front stage and bam LA Devotee, my favourite song from Bachelor, started playing. It was awesome.

Hallelujah: The girls in front of us lost it when the first note started playing. Brendon did his classy falsetto again and it was great.

Crazy = Genius: Hey look, fire. Anyway, this song is amazing and is it underrated? Idk? I love it so much.

The Ballad of Mona Lisa: People went apeshit when the first notes started playing. I really liked it.

Nine In The Afternoon: Where did Brendon go? Oh, he’s at the piano, aka it’s time for Nine In The Afternoon. I loved that you could hear the strings at the end so clearly.

One Of The Drunks: Ah yes, they added this song for the second leg and boy am I glad they did, since I absolutely love this song.

Casual Affair: Wow, okay. The visuals and the lights were amazing in every damn song, but Casual Affair had by far one of the best. AFAS Live became a big laser show. And nearing the end, a laser circle appeared on stage and Nicole and Mike joined Brendon in the circle. And then Brendon started singing very, very high. Probably the highest notes he’s had all evening. I was in absolute awe.

Vegas Lights: I am also so happy they did this song. I’ve loved it ever since I first listened to it and the energy in the room was so high.

Dancing’s Not A Crime: Annika from Plurk said that this song was so much fun live, and I am inclined to agree with her. This was so much fun! They did change the lyrics from “MJ up in the clouds” to someone else and the ending was also done in falsetto, which was great. Yup, yup, yup, Annika was right.

This Is Gospel: Brendon got a guitar and it was time for This Is Gospel. Now of course, this song is great and the added high notes were wonderful, but the very end was the best. After the song ended, Brendon, Nicole, Mike and Dan just jammed for one whole minute. Just music. I knew it was coming, so I filmed it.

Death Of A Bachelor: No surprise here, but Brendon told everyone he wrote it because he wanted to be Frank Sinatra. Since this is a smaller venue (... still... why...), he didn’t have to do the Death Walk, which is a good thing. It was just him and the horny boys on stage and the funk part was so much fun. Heh, horny boys. What a great pun.

It was time for a silent moment. The horny boys left the stage and Brendon started talking about he tried to learn Dutch at 3AM but he couldn’t get very far. Well, he got “Hartelijk bedankt” and “Ik hou van jullie allemaal”, and he thanked Google Translate. Anyway, he moved to the piano and he talked about how he hated it that his mum tried to teach him piano, but that he learned this song. The wicked strings returned and he started playing.

I Can’t Make You Love Me/Dying In LA: In the middle of the song, it transitioned into Dying In LA. Again, smaller stage (wtf), so the whole floating piano thing wasn’t there, but the music was obviously the same.

The Greatest Show: From a slow piano ballad to BAM this. I was not as disappointed by Panic!’s version of The Greatest Show as others, but I definitely agree that the song is much better live. Brendon sounded a bit raspy, which was great. He’d been raspy the entire show and it was great, but here it was amazing.

Girls/Girls/Boys: YES. IT’S TIME TO GET GAY. THE ONE I’VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO. Sure, I didn’t get to show off my ace flag, but Brendon still got flooded by flags, including 2 pan flags, 1 bi flag, and 1 trans flag. He commented on how it was the most flags he’s ever gotten. I saw even more flags in the audience, so he didn’t even get all of them. The Panic! Hearts were lovely, even though there was no rainbow. There was no assigned seating, so colours were everywhere. I had an orange heart and Sammy had a blue one. It still rained glitter and I almost cried when the rainbow love banner appeared. After the song, the rainbow laser lights appeared and Brendon gave a small speech. I want to relive this moment again.

King Of The Clouds: Smoak clouded (pun intended) the stage and it was time for King Of The Clouds. Not much to say, apart from the usual: it was great and the visuals were beautiful. The purple/green/blue colour scheme at the end was mesmerising.

High Hopes: CAN I JUST SAY THAT THAT MOMENT WHERE THE WICKED STRINGS BEND BACKWARDS IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOMENTS EVER? And also, oh boy, there were some high notes at High Hopes.

Miss Jackson: Brendon lost his golden jacket and Miss Jackson started playing. He did a backflip as well.

Roaring 20s: Another song that got added for leg two and just like One Of The Drunks, I welcome this change. Yup, I was one of those “*shoves 20$ to Brendon* Add Roaring 20s to the setlist!” people. NOW ONLY THE OVERPASS AND OLD FASHIONED LEFT.

Bohemian Rhapsody: How can you not sing along with this song? It’s iconic. I love the “ending”, so I filmed that (see link above). It’s 3 minutes long.

Emperor’s New Clothes: This is the one song in all of Panic!’s discography that I have mixed feeling about. Like, there are some songs I just dislike, and some I like, and some I love. But this song? Bruh idk. I sing along from the top of my lungs, because I like the energy, but do I like the song? Well, this time I fucking did cause it was a blast to hear it live and the lights were beautiful.

Then it was time for the encore. Some poor unfortunate souls behind us left. I heard another woman saying: “Don’t ever do that. Oh, this is so stupid.” The band slowly came back to the stage and Brendon lost his shirt.

Say Amen (Saturday Night): HE HIT THE HIGH NOTE HECK YEAH. I LOVE THIS SONG.

I Write Sins Not Tragedies: Ah yes, Sammy’s favourite song, since it’s a banger according to her. Well, she’s right. I am kinda glad that Brendon didn’t ask an audience member to sing with him.

It was time for the last song. Brendon said that he’s not the smartest guy (”I didn’t even go to college”), but that he knows that everyone is important due to, well, biology. He gave one of those inspirational celeb speeches about how everyone is important to him, but also to themselves. We were all born as winners, and that stuff.

Victorious: I knew they were going to end with Victorious and it’s the perfect song to end the show. It rained confetti and it was time for them to go. I didn’t want it to end.

They all waved goodbye and Mike and Dan threw stuff to the audience (probably guitar picks and those things). The girl in the seat behind me dropped her heart before Girls/Girls/Boys and she couldn’t find it. I found it after the show. I wanted to return it, but she was already gone, so I now also have a yellow heart.

And yeah, that was it.

Overall thoughts? Well...

I can’t go into detail about the visuals, but they really added something to the overall experience, so I actually recommend getting a seat that allows you to see the full stage in its glory.

Also, Sammy said: “I can no longer listen to the recorded versions now that he’s added all those amazing high notes” and that’s a big ass mood.

To quote Sammy some more, she said something about the beautiful intermission instrumentals between songs and how she’d even buy an album filled with those. That is also a big ass mood.

To continue this trend of quoting Sammy, I agree with her that watching Brendon dance was so much fun. I like that he’s having fun.

Anyway, it was time to go. Some girls complimented me on my ace flag, which was so fucking cool. Just like with Troye, the train station was flooded and there were still many flags.

Sammy and I got the train back home and we briefly saw the girls from before, so I said hi.

And that was it. What a day.

Recommend?: Please.... I want to do this again... oh god....