#like midnights is my album to listen to as i dissociate

[lazyspeedy]

i can’t believe it they actually gave it to her omg

[slaygentford]

I listened to the entire 1d catalogue so you dont have to. below I have ranked the albums on a scale of 0-5, with a total possible score of 25.* these albums are ranked on a curve, so that a 5 is not an "objective" 5, but rather a 5 in relation to the rest of the corpus.

*extra points may occur

up all night: if I hadn't been in my tragic backstory era when this came out id have been a 1d girlie. I firmly believe this. this wall to wall slaps. there was one point in "one thing" where I thought he was gonna say youve got... pussy. anyway he didn't say that. there are some PROFOUNDLY 2011 synth moments in this. best lyric: all of what makes you beautiful. I DO want to stay up all night!!!! 4.5/5

take me home: getting a little more risqué -- we are "[taking] it all the way". whoa! in addition to expressing lust there's more themes of jealousy, as well as genuine tenderness. aurally more diverse than their debut. best lyric: I can't compete with your boyfriend cuz he's got 27 TATTOOOOOS. so specific... 3.7/5

midnight memories: my favorite 1d song is on this album which is the story of my life which is genuinely so beautiful and moving. just a really lovely timeless song. best lyric is actually the concept of best song ever, which is not in fact the best song ever, but merely a description of the experience of listening to the best song ever. 4/5

4: as mc pointed out this album shares a title with beyonces best album. I will say that I was confused because there are five members of one direction, until I realized 4 is in fact about the number that the album is and not the number of lads present. anyway. this is genuinely a fantastic album. steal my girl is the platonic ideal of a pop song. girl almighty is just fucking GOOD. i fucking love it. its dynamic and genuine and fucking bops above all. night changes. night changes. night changes. night changes. the nostalgia it conjures, and I never even ate spaghetti with Zayn. no control is WONDERFUL vibe wise. and the whole album SOUNDS so 2014. this album really is freshman year of college. act my age is just fucking wonderful, an anthem (and sorry but the comparison must be made -- better than when I'm 64). 6/5. boy bands at their peak. pop at its peak. you don't get better than this album

made in the am: I was GUTTED to see Zayn is not on this album, but good for him. I wish he'd make more solo music bc his first album slapped but I understand that hes busy being a dilf these days. still. I said you don't get better than 4, but you do, and it's made in the am. its still got that boy band pep but it's branching out into actual vibes. I am so sad retroactively that they broke up bc 4 and made in the am are IT. 10/5. pop album of all time

overall rating: 28.2/25. A+

reflections: 1d is so unpretentious. obviously that's the point of a boyband in a lot of ways, but it's just refreshing to hear something uncomplicated and there's no bad words and nothing but these curated, shimmering performances of emotion. and each one of these emotions lasts about 3 minutes and 35 seconds. its perfectly contained! I love these songs also because by the second chorus you already know all the words and the tune which is PRIME sing along material. I do think its interesting how curated the album covers are. they are having such an insanely good time in them because if they don't have a good time they're not going to get to get their daily ration of tesco brand digestive cookies. its so easy to be a hater on this cold bitch of an earth but one of my fave concert experiences really was in the year 2021 screaming the lyrics to what makes you beautiful with harry "its like a movie that's a movie" styles. I loved this experience and all the new bops I found. I foresee them to be the perfect antidote for dissociating on my morning commute.

[adhbabey]

2, 5, 7, 8, 14, & 15 for the adhd asks?

Ah, I already did 2 and 14!

5. Do you like background music or does it distract you?

I absolutely love it, I have multiple playlists I listen to, album/EP mixes, just videos where they play the whole playlist in one. I like a familiar sound that I can just do stuff to in the background! I love finding a good album like Messy Mind by Unlike Pluto, Midnight by Set It Off, Dysphoria by Crywolf, Sheep falling asleep to the Moon by Arai Tasuku, etc.

I like them in order too, if it's out of playlist order it's distressing to me.

7. What's like sensory overload for you? Does it happen often for you?

It's like a panic attack, if not very close to one. It's very rage inducing and I will scream in my house if I am home alone. Or sometimes I'll just need to be in a quiet or alone space and listen to music by myself.

It doesn't always happen, I know things can trigger it, so I avoid them. I know during school I would get a lot of switching headaches due to stress and that was a part of it.

8. Do you actually get distracted by squirrels or is that a myth?

uwu I won't tell.

Jkjk, my alter Harley, loves squirrels n woodland creatures.

But I'd say getting easily distracted isn't always the right word, it's usually dissociating a lot. I will look out the window or something and start to dissociate or think about something and basically just forget to pay attention, or let myself relax.

It's usually not something shiny or anything, even if shiny things are *interesting* and I'm like a corvid/gremlin. But, no, it's usually I'll just notice something like the way the light is reflected or something in the breeze and I'll zone out that way.

I hope people realize that stuff like phones and music makes us more focused instead of distracted.

15. What are your average sleep hours?

Ah h a h,,, I don't really know. If it's good, it's 12 hours. But I'll usually wake up in the night to pee.

But there are times when I'll keep waking up and just can't sleep.

And there will be times where I can't sleep at all due to anxiety, like a big event or something is the next day and I'll be sleep deprived.

My sleep schedule on the other hand, WHAT ARE THOOOOSEE!!!

[harryandmolly]

Ruby Woo

Summary: A green shirt and an iconic shade of lipstick make some memories.

Warnings: NSFW, language

Word count: 2700 (oof, wtf guys)

A/N: WE CAN THANK THE CHEST HAIR FOR THIS ONE, Y’ALL.

They’ve been flirting with disaster for so long, she doesn’t remember where it started.

No one believes them when they insist they’ve never hooked up.

“C’mon, not even a kiss? One kiss?” her best friend prods when she visits and sees them together.

She shrugs, pretending not to think about the startling number of times it’s gotten close. She bites her lip as it occurs to her that given the frequency of these occasions, it’s surprising she can remember each one so vividly.

The first time, they’re both pretty lit at a bar somewhere in Santa Monica where the drinks are expensive but he’s buying so she indulges a little. He’s ignoring his social responsibilities, hunched over the counter with her so he can lean into her ear and tell his story. She’s totally overwhelmed by his presence, though, and can’t remember anything he said after “… and then he started trying to leap frog over parking meters, so I knew it was time to take him home.”

He’s… imposing to say the least. He’s broad in the shoulders that she’s brushing up against and the thighs she’s looking down at. If he’s flirting with her, he’s not doing a great job. He’s just talking animatedly with those big walnut eyes and sucking down Stella after Stella, his attention straying to pick at interesting speckles in the bar’s granite top. She’s not sure if he’s noticing the signals she’s dropping, the innocent tugging at his shirt sleeves or the playful nudge of his boot with her sandal. And then she pulls back a little to comment on something he said and she’s sure she should kiss him. But she doesn’t, and he doesn’t, so they don’t.

The seventh time is more of an event. They’re friends now, real friends that text and get coffee when he’s in town, not just friends of friends at bars and bougie West Hollywood house parties with sangria flavors written on chalkboards. He invites her and two of his guy friends to a fundraising event at someone important’s absurd Pacific Palisades beach house. She leaves work early so her friend Marshall can help temporarily tailor her Rent the Runway dress and she almost has an ankle-breaking disaster on the way into the impressively well-secured mansion, but she arrives unharmed and sparkling and he feels his heart in his throat when he looks at her.

He hopes it’s not obvious to her that he’s largely ignoring his other friends in favor of making her laugh and generally doting on her all evening. He’s also supposed to be schmoozing, which he doesn’t tell her because he doesn’t want her to feel like she’s interrupting business by being with him. They have a near miss again in the moments after sunset when she finds him staring out at the water looking pensive and with the jaw and the lips and the curls, she finds herself at his arm before she can figure out how she got there. This time, she’s the one yammering on about nothing while he’s watching her and deciding if kissing her is his best or worst idea ever. When she busts into giggles mid joke, he’s so stunned he can’t remember he was supposed to do anything but watch her enjoy herself, so he misses his moment.

Now they’re here at the same house where they met in Los Feliz and he’s wearing that fucking sage green shirt that she likes with the buttons undone to here and his curls ruffling in the breeze from the Santa Anas. They’re on the back patio surrounded by tiki torches. She didn’t expect this many people to show for Paloma and Nat’s engagement bash given how last minute it was, but she swears she hasn’t been at a party this crowded since college. She’s keeping an eye on him, clearly, and he’s doing the same.

He may be wearing the shirt, but she’s wearing the lipstick. It’s that kind of lipstick where there’s no going back – when you kiss a woman wearing that lipstick, she owns you for the rest of the night. Everyone will know and everyone will be just a little bit jealous. That lipstick has warded him off enough times, but makes her lips look so tempting that he’s a moth to a flame, continually burning just to feel her warmth.

He finds her again in the crowd between a pair of strangers clearly five minutes away from looking for the nearest closet and a very bored looking married gay couple. She’s listening in on conversations again, he can tell by the way she tilts her head and twitches those ridiculous lips at random moments. When she starts to turn her gaze toward him, he snaps his head back to his surroundings and listens to someone complain about Beyonce and Jay-Z’s latest album.

The party doesn’t empty out like she expects it to around midnight. It must be a full moon or something – most of the company here are in their 30s. She and Shawn are perhaps the only attendees under 25. What are these fuckers doing here so late? Go home to your kids, you irresponsible fucks.

She sucks back the last sip of bourbon in her glass and pouts at the rocks left melting in her hot little hands. She’d rather make something else melt. She wants the group to thin out a little so she can get him alone. Resigned to wait it out, she hunts down the roving bartender for another glass of the same.

Somehow, incredibly, another wave of partiers shows up around 1. Now she’s really annoyed. She’s fiddling with the tube of lipstick she’s kept close to all night. It’s a great color, a color so cherry red she’s sure the term was invented to name this very shade, but not at all longwearing. Plus, she feels a little old Hollywood glam by periodically sliding her compact mirror out of her pocket and slamming it shut while she purses her lips.

She’s on her third reapplication and …somewhere beyond her fourth bourbon when she catches sight of him again. He’s leaning against the stone wall of the outside of the house. She can barely see him through the throngs of people. He’s talking to someone on his left but someone on his right keeps bumping into him and there’s a couple sitting below him talking. He looks like a live action Prince Eric and she decides to analyze later why that turns her on so much. Her eyes rake him from curls to boots and she springs off her perch, smoothly uncrossing her legs to stalk him like a panther.

He doesn’t notice her arrive until she’s there with what could be perceived as a friendly hand on his solar plexus to get his attention. He drapes one cool, clammy hand over hers and smiles at her greeting.

“Hey you,” he says quietly, sure she can’t hear his voice over the DJ, the laughter and the drunk people pitching feature ideas to each other.

She doesn’t look up. Instead, she slides her hand up from under his so it’s resting over the last button that’s fastened at the center of his chest. She has to focus on not biting her lip and getting red pigment on her teeth. She’s pretty sure she dissociates a little when she turns her hand vertically and her fingers start to toy with the soft haze of chest hair he seems pretty proud to display. She feels his fingers creep up her forearm to her wrist when her hand dips inward under the shirt.

He’s quite sure he’s on fire. He doesn’t know what the hell has gotten into her but he wants to know so he can replicate this because, yes, he’s already thinking about making this happen again when it inevitably ends. With part embarrassed horror and part elated disbelief he watches as she steps forward and presses her wet open mouth on the inside of his left pec. He gasps and grabs at the ends of her hair when he feels her tongue, looking around to see how many eyes, or phones, are on him. And it is definitely a weird night because no one has even looked over at them as she’s mauling his chest amidst actual adults talking about parent teacher conferences. He looks back down at her as she retracts her reluctant lips from his skin, eyeing him warily.

His breath shakes as he lifts his free hand, because he just realizes the other is on her ass, to pull at his shirt and take stock of the damage. He wants to moan when he sees the red splotch she left him. He actually does moan a little when his eyes meet hers and she’s licking her lips and the pigment has bled out to smudge a little at the corners and below her lower lip.

“Oh my god,” he croaks.

She looks like she’s about to panic at his reaction so he grabs her by the wrist and yanks. Imposing definitely comes in handy now as he drags her, a little less gently than he would if he were sober, to the patio doors and into the low-lit house. He slams the door behind them and strides forward, lifting both his hands into his hair and facing away from her as his body heaves.

She’s working on gathering words of shameful apology when he’s turning around again and headed for her like a hurricane, knocking her against the wall behind her hips first because that’s where his hands land. She grabs at his shoulders as he thrusts his mouth into hers and it’s all tongue and teeth and relief and she could just die happy right there. But he’s got other ideas, so he begins leading her off the wall, aiming for where he’s pretty sure the laundry room was the last time he was invited to dinner and spilled pasta sauce on his white Saint Laurent tee like a dope.

She’s not sure how he finds it but they’re there and she’s formulating ideas about turning on the dryer for some added stimulation until he pulls away a little to lift her blouse over her head and gets another look at her all mussed up and fucked for him.

That’s when she gets another idea of where she’d like to see that classic MAC lipstick shade.

“Drop your pants,” she orders, pursing her lips and dropping her chin a little so her stare levels him.

He traps his swollen lower lip under his teeth and furrows his brow under the weight of his arousal. He obeys her, not noticing how the clinking of his belt buckle makes her breath catch in her throat. He drags his boxers and black skinnies down to his knees, pink cock slapping his stomach as she reaches into her back pocket. With the compact in one hand and the bullet-shaped tube of lipstick in the other, she continues staring at him as if daring him to wonder what she’s up to.

Gracefully, which is a wonder because they’re both sure she’s more bourbon than woman right now, she drops to her knees and uncaps the lipstick, pulling her eyes from his to watch herself reapply one last time for the evening.

“Oh, holy shit,” Shawn mutters when he catches on. She grins and for a flash of a second he sees the woman he recognizes in her, but just as quickly she’s gone, dropping her implements, unbuttoning his shirt and taking his dick into her hand.

He throws his head back at the much needed contact. She grips his thigh for balance with one hand and uses the other to feel him out, spreading the precum down his length and pumping him gently. He hums and alternates between letting his eyes flutter shut and looking down to watch her. She, on the other hand, doesn’t look at him at all. She’s focused on her task and he can practically see her strategizing in her head. How does she want this to go? What does she want to make him do? What does she want to make him feel?

It’s when his eyes are closed for a while that he feels the warm wetness around his tip and he moans loudly, but he’s too far gone for embarrassment now. He plants his massive hands on the dryer, wondering if his knees will give out before she even gets him all the way in her mouth.

She grasps him tightly as she pumps him in and out of her mouth, using her hand to stimulate what she can’t reach yet. She pulls back slightly to focus on the tip, thumbing down the ridge on the underside of his cock while she tightens her tongue to slide up the seam on his head. He cries out again and holds her hair away from her face so he can watch his length get covered in that wild color.

“Fucking—oh!” he gasps when she takes that steadying hand on his thigh and moves it to his balls, squeezing and rolling them in her hand experimentally.

She isn’t going for subtle here. She wants him to get off hard and fast because now that she’s started, she’s got other plans to execute and none of them involve fucking like undergrads drunk on orange juice and Malibu in their friends’ laundry room.

It’s working. Honestly, she could be kneeling between his legs without touching him, just looking up at him like she is with that color on her lips would probably be enough. He’s too polite to fuck her mouth so he pins his hips back against the dryer and listens to a combination of the lewd sucking noises and the roaring in his ears.

She can’t believe how fucking good he looks right now. He’s totally lost in it, his face expressing every feeling in his body. It’s like a game for her – if I do this with my tongue, can I make him hiss through his teeth again? If I pump him a little faster, what pet names will he call me? She’s never enjoyed a blow job this much in her life and even though part of her wants to make this last, she wants the real power, the power she gets from unraveling him like thread in her fingers. She looks up to see him staring at her, smiling a little when he sees her eyes again. That almost knocks her off-kilter. She feels so soft when he smiles at her like that.

Quickly, she refocuses and begins to hum low in her throat. Just like that, his eyes are shut and his jaw drops. He’s muttering unintelligibly and she wants to hear him louder so she clamps both hands around his hips and takes him to the back of her throat, stilling for a second to let him feel her as the tip of her nose brushes his stomach.

“Oh my god, oh my god!” he’s crying and his knees do give for just a second but he rights himself so she can continue. She does that three or four more times until he’s panting her name.

“Mmm… fuck, fuck I’m gonna come,” he announces, whimpering weakly and letting his head hang down to watch her.

He moans long and loud when it barrels through him, taking all his self-control not to fuck down her throat as she rides him out, swallowing every drop like she’s been waiting for it. She moans too at the taste of him, gasping breath against his inner thigh as they recover.

Lazily, she begins plodding more dull pink kisses up his leg until the pigment fades out altogether around the middle of his abdomen. He regains some strength and motor control, enough to help her up and kiss her more tenderly. When he starts to pull away to breathe, she holds the curls at the back of his neck to keep him in place, biting his lower lip firmly. His body relaxes in her grip and she smiles, releasing him when she’s ready.

“So…” he begins, clearing his throat.

“How did you know where the laundry room was?” she snickers, eyes glinting at him playfully.

He shakes his head and pulls her into his chest, sighing at the smell of tiki smoke and mint in her hair.

“Your place or mine?” she whispers.

Taglist: @smallerinfinities @the-claire-bitch-project we’re going to hell, kids

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

Just headcanoning Ryou’s music.

I’ve spent like 3 days solid thinking about this. And I think I finally nailed down what his music library (and collection of old CDs, because let’s face it, Ryou definitely regularly raids thrift stores and record exchanges for New Old Stuff to add to his collection of oddities).

So, my overall impression of Ryou is that he’s quiet, but not in that he’s quiet internally-- he’s quiet because there’s SO MUCH going on internally.

As such, I don’t think he only listens to cute, soft stuff like Coldplay and Plain White Tees. In fact, he seems very momentary-experience based, and his “favorite things” list canonically goes from “Cream Puffs” (definitely a sweet decadent dessert food) to “Plot-Twist in Card Form” to “creepy things like ghosts and the history of ancient cursed items that can destroy the world as we know it”. These are all pretty defined, potent experiences.

So, I think his music tastes definitely follow suit. He probably just likes music in general, for the experience of listening to it. (This is the guy who found out his favorite ancient artifact was basically killing people, and still held onto it. I don’t think he’d shy away from metal, or opera, or R&B, or supposedly-cursed albums... Hell, he’d probably SEEK OUT that last one.)

His “favorite” music to listen to, intentionally, is probably any music that inspires tabletop campaigns.

Say, Elvenpath, by Nightwish:

He definitely ran a campaign inspired by “Seven Devils”, by Florence and the Machine:

He uses Sabaton to imagine epic battle scenes, think about historical events, and get in the mind of soldiers for period piece campaigns:

And, of course, stuff like Nox Arcana with its creepy bend.

He definitely appreciates an epic or poetic storytelling in a song: ”Wherever I May Roam”, by Metallica. Or “Valley of the Damned”, by Dragonforce.

Or just a pretty song he relates to. Like ”The World’s Forgotten, The Words Forbidden” by Sonata Arctica. I imagine he relates to this one on some deep, intrinsic level. I can’t help feeling he feels some kind of hiraeth, given the whole canonical reincarnation thing; it’s a very real world phenomenon, that people who’ve reincarnated are deeply comforted by things from their past lives, and I think he finds a lot of comfort in studying history for this reason?

Okay, so on another note, look Ryou’s cute doe-eyed creepy-things-loving self in the face, and tell me he doesn’t like Tim Burton movies. He probably loves Sweenie Todd. So, Danny Elfman compositions have their place, too.

He almost certainly doesn’t mind classical music as background stuff, and enjoys the expressive drama. His favorite is probably The Fifth Element, or something really obscure that barely exists anymore.

He probably listens to a lot of different tribal music, because it has a lot of history, and he fully supports the effort to keep those traditional musics alive. He’ll listen to everything from John Twohawks to Tibetan Throat Singing to museum-archive recordings of ritual recreations.

And I bet he listens to Gregorian’s covers of popular radio songs more than the original versions.

Same for Broadway musicals; though he doesn’t go to see them very often, he enjoys the music. (I’m thinking anything from Rent to Phantom of the Opera to Beauty and the Beast on Braodway. He probably loves dark fairy tales in general, which musicals somehow mesh really well with.)

I can see him liking EDM, especially if it’s a remix of a song he likes already.

But not dubstep, for some reason? Not intentionally, anyways. I dunno, man. I can’t see him listening to Skrillex or Deadmou5; he seems to be pretty, ah, “classically inclined” when it comes to spare time. Classical hobbies, like cooking and crafting and history. He never seemed super techy. (Though I can still see him appreciating the effort a dubstep producer puts into their songs.)

And sometimes he just likes a song because it’s catchy and fun and it makes him want to dance* a little, like Shut Up and Dance With Me. So he’ll still listen to the occasional jumpstep, or glitch-step, if it’s not too heavy on the sudden screeches and blips that may or may not trigger something unpleasant.

Ryou’s also in touch with his more sensitive side. So, not to stereotype here. But I feel like he’d also listen to the occasional “““emo”““ band. Like Evanescence, unironically. He thinks about Amane (his deceased sister) every time he hears “Hello” or “The Other Side”.

He probably has a few rock songs he likes, along the vein of Gacht and Red and Three Days Grace.

(I also feel like he’d be introduced to a few rap songs by his friends, and initially not be too sure about them, but wind up appreciating them once he figures out the lyrics aren’t just stereotypical rap stuff?)

And I also headcanon that he dissociates pretty hard sometimes. So sometimes atmospheric music makes being out of touch for awhile a little more bearable. So he’ll listen to very pretty, very mellow atmospheric things, like Aesma Daeva or Midnight Syndicate. This is probably when the movie soundtracks and classical music tend to come out. (He has playlists pre-picked out for these moments, because when he’s dissociating he struggles to make decisions, even little ones like what song to play, especially for 12 of them in a row. And he only has to use one spoon to open it and click “Play”.)

[itstheinternetofthings]

mid-july: dancing

last night we did ketamine, not just one or two bumps but six, seven, ten spread out over hours. i don’t do drugs very often anymore. i barely even drink. but last night something was released.

in the early part of quarantine nico would buy a bag of k and we’d do a few bumps at a time on the couch watching tv, feeling relaxed and slightly loopy. last night, though, we kept the tv off. we listened to the russian album we’d had on in the car, industrial post-punk with a colorless soviet building on the album cover, and as the k spread out inside me the music became deeper, more interesting, and suddenly i was up, i was dancing -

when had i last danced like that? had i ever danced like that? i was wearing my  red wrap dress with the low neck and the billowing sleeves, a dress light and loose and made for movement. nico changed the album to something that sounded like dracula intoning over a synth and i transformed into characters: the red swan, the swan-eagle, the murderous weeping willow, dracula himself. every residual goth girl image inside me emerged. i moved in ways i’d never moved before, contorting, chanting. nico sat on the sofa and watched transfixed

(to move and to be watched moving. to move freely and without fear)

and finally he got up and danced with me in his own charmed shouldery way, and we danced together kissing and we danced apart feeling. later we did one final bump and walked around the dark sleepy neighborhood and marveled.

reading about drugs and movement is never as interesting as taking drugs or moving. 

ketamine is more mainstream now than it was when i first tried it, which makes me feel less degenerate about something i’ve been doing for most of my twenties. for anxious people, ketamine can be a godsend (we have a friend who picks it up at the pharmacy in fat, bitter tablets formulated for vets with PTSD and distributes it at glorious living room dance parties). k feels like being drunk without sloppiness, stupidity, or nausea. it’s psychoactive and dissociative, which is why i like it: i take five big steps back from my worries, see every laid out on a non-linear plane, and suddenly sense the connections between everyone i know and everything that is and was and feel that this moment in history is momentous and i have a role to play if i can just stop fretting about small dumb meetings.

now, today, i am soft and sleepy. there is no hangover after ketamine but i’m not used to being up past midnight. nico studies japanese at the kitchen table. i read a novel, brush my hair. i used to think that events without drugs couldn’t be cool, didn’t mean anything, that drugs were what made a thing a Thing. i took them so i could do Youth correctly.

it’s different now. i don’t take drugs unless a myriad of factors line up: people, room, music, mood. but sometimes i need it. i needed it last night. to check out of quarantine and dance for hours on a summer night barefoot with my lover, to be the red swan-willow eagle queen dracula, hair flying, wings beating.

[izzystrousers-blog]

The Ooz

With the release of The Ooz King Krule remains an enigma. Within the 19 song LP Krule wanders in and out of the spotlight - he bleeds out in one song and the next we are met with his isolated lyricism and persona once more, keeping the listener wanting more and more.

Biscuit Town immediately presents the listener with the jazz progressions reminiscent of 6 Feet Beneath the Moon but we are soon met with a less familiar beat, both in the percussion and Krule’s vocals. What I immediately gauged was a more self-assured artist. Archy discussed the struggles and frustration he faced with writer’s block leading up to the production of the album in a recent interview. Biscuit Town’s tone comes across as a big “fuck you’ to all the factors that got in the way of Krule’s creativity.

My personal favourite song from the album, The Locomotive, is a haunting glimpse into Krule’s tortured soul. The first verse is tense up until the lyrics ‘I’m alone, I’m alone’ - Krule lays it out plainly and simply as he feels it and the rest of the song bleeds out with humble truth, pain and a certain longing. The fluctuation of Krule’s vocals (tenderness transitioned to intense pain and frustration) and the guitar in this song accompanied with the steady bass is a perfect depiction of the train of thought he faces daily.

The Locomotive fades into the heavy bass line of Dum Surfer. This is perhaps the best example of Krule’s transition from tenderness and honesty to isolating himself once more and remaining a mystery throughout the album. Krule is frustrated and filled with overwhelming determination in this song. It is easy to draw a parallel between A Lizard State and Dum Surfer - the familiar fierce vocals and heavy guitar over the saxophone scales vouch for this.

Slush Puppy is a heart wrenching glimpse into Krule’s struggles as his raw  vocals contrast with the more tender voice of Okay Kaya. The song builds into a painful crescendo as Krule screams ‘Nothing is working with me’. And, though the song is brought to a softer close, there does not seem to be a complete resolution to his outcry as the final chord lingers on.

‘Sublunary’ is derived from Greek astronomy and refers to the space beneath the moon that holds no specific law of physics. An obvious reference to a common theme throughout his career, particularly 6 Feet Beneath the Moon, Krule discusses the persistence of his dissociative feelings.

Lonely Blue is a song of longing. Again, one can draw a similarity to Baby Blue from Krule’s debut LP: ‘I could’ve been someone, to you’. The clear difference with Lonely Blue is the more advanced jazz rambling of Krule’s vocals  which are now more aged, and tortured with this, utilising disparate tones. King Krule appears older and wiser, though notably more troubled in Lonely Blue.

Drawing a parallel between Sublunary and Cadet Limbo, the latter creates a metaphor of Archy’s relationship between a woman and himself, a cadet floating along completely obsessed with the woman and their relationship together. Krule is living a dream-like paradise in this song: ‘I don’t ever wanna leave this night’ ‘has it been this long?’ he asks in disbelief as he’s spent all this time orbiting his lover’s waist. Cadet Limbo is a simple tale of a totally love struck person who is begging not to come down - a contrast to the previous song and the post-punk song, Emergency Blmp, that follows.

The non-sequential lyrics in the introduction of Czech One are an ode to the mishap of thoughts and daydreams that run through Archy’s mind during a commute. A plane is one of the few places one can be utterly alone with their  own lucid thoughts, hence the dreamlike piano run throughout the song and the rambling monologue that is Archy’s gentle, sleepy vocal progression throughout the song. “I can’t sleep at night, no never sleep at night, but she still sits in my dreams.”

Archy says: “The Ooz for me represents … your sweat, your nails, the sleep that comes out of your eyes, your dead skin. All of those creations that you have to refine. That’s where it comes from: It’s kind of about refining the subconscious creations that you do constantly.” The title track is another intimate glimpse into Krule’s personal situation. The final line, “It’s cold by the fire” reflects his unrequited love.

King Krule wrote Midnight 01 (Deep Sea Diver) during the fourth month of a depressive episode. The listener is drawn back to themes prevalent in songs such as Ocean Bed and Border Line in 6 Feet Beneath the Moon wherein Krule refers to himself as a “deep sea diver”. By this the artist means he longs to swim down into a “pool of darker times” as some sort of comfort and an abandonment of everyday life in response to his state of mind. Krule samples a song from ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ in this song; a TV show he became obsessed with during said depressive episode as a coping mechanism and some sort of human contact.

The album, mysterious as it has been up to this point, concludes in a comforting fashion with the familiar sound of Archy’s older song La Lune. While Krule has explored new themes and new sounds and has grown exponentially since his debut LP, he remains the very same boy we have familiarised ourselves with, but one we never know too well.

“See I was raised to the moon”

[louisysl]

Tagged by @tinyhedgehogson thank you lovely!! 

Rules: Once you have been tagged you are supposed to write 92 truths about yourself. At the end, choose 25 people to tag!

LAST [1] drink: [2] phone call: [3] text message: [4] song you listened to: Carolina by Harry Styles... krhm. [5] time you cried: Last week. Not because I was sad. Well, my present self wasn’t. I don’t know, but I suspect it was a dissociative part of me stuck in childhood, because she couldn’t stop crying and I had an episode out of nowhere. Brains are fucking interesting, man.

[6] dated someone twice: [7] been cheated on: [8]kissed someone and regretted it: [9] lost someone special: I lost a girl few years back. She’s not dead, but our relationship was just incredibly toxic. She was still very, very dear to me and I loved her, so it hurt for a long time.

[10] been depressed: [11] gotten drunk and thrown up:

LIST 3 FAVOURITE COLOURS: [12] Burgundy [13] [14]

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU… [15] made new friends: [16] fallen out of love: I’ve never been in love. [17] laughed until you cried: [18] found out someone was talking about you: [19] met someone who changed you: Yes!  [20] found out who your true friends are: [21] kissed someone on your facebook list: [22] how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life: [23] do you have any pets: [24] do you want to change your name: Yes, I’m legally changing it to Andrea when I get the money to do so.

[25] what did you do for your last birthday: I haven’t a clue. I know however that I must’ve had coffee (tea) with family, as is tradition.

[26] what time did you wake up: [27] what were you doing at midnight last night: @saintlaurent​ ;) [28] name something you cannot wait for: Harry’s gig in Stockholm and Louis’ upcoming album. [29] when was the last time you saw your mother: [30] what is one thing you wish you could change about your life: I do wish I lived in London. I think that is the most.. realistic thing. [31] what are you listening to right now: [32] have you ever talked to a person named tom: [33] something that is getting on your nerves: [34] most visited website:

[35] elementary: [36] high school: [37] college: Well, let’s just say, I’m glad it’s over. Same goes for all other schools.

[38] hair colour: [39] long or short hair: [40] do you have a crush on someone: It’s mutual, we’ve discussed it 🙈 [41] what do you like about yourself? personality: [42] piercings: [43] blood type: [44] nickname: Andi, Andy, some friends still call me Naba after my birthname. [45] relationship status: [46] zodiac sign: Libra! [47] pronouns: [48] fav tv show(s): I’ve got like five I just constantly rewatch? I’d be so annoying to have around, lord. Gossip Girl, Friends, New Girl, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother. You might sense a theme if you look hard enough. Wink. [49] tattoos: I want! And I’m gonna. Again, when I have money to. [50] right or left handed:

FIRST… [51] surgery: [52] piercing: [53] best friend: [54] sport: [55] vacation: [56] pair of trainers:

[57] eating: [58] drinking:   {59] i’m about to: Go get my wig!! What the fuck! Couldn’t be more excited if I tried [60] listening: [61] waiting for: [62] want: I feel like I’m too predictable, anyone worth knowing already knows what my answer is. ;) [64] career:

YOUR TYPE… [65] hugs or kisses: [66] lips or eyes: Both.  [67] shorter or taller: I literally do not care. I don’t.  [68] older or younger: If I was dating a guy, then older. But with girls it’s either way. [69] romantic or spontaneous: Both? Can I say?  [70] nice arms or nice stomach: How does one have not-nice arms or tummy? Seems fake. [71] sensitive or loud: Y’know what? Loud in company but sensitive around me. [72] hook up or relationship: Relationship [73] troublemaker or hesitant: Troublemaker.

HAVE YOU EVER… [74] kissed a stranger?: [75] drank hard liquor?: [76] lost glasses/contact lenses?: [77] turned someone down?: [78] sex on first date?: [79] broken someone’s heart?: I genuinely don’t know. I think I may have, but I don’t know for sure. It’s not like this is something people normally tell you you’ve done. [80] had your own heart broken?: No, never. [81] been arrested?: [82] cried when someone died?: I cried at my grandfather’s funeral because everyone else was crying. I was very young however and hadn’t bonded with him long enough to deeply care for him. I did love him of course. [83] fallen for a friend: Oh, yes.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN… [84] yourself?: [85] miracles?: [86] love at first sight?: I think someone can drive you fucking wild when you barely even know them yet... I guess that’s lust. And I suppose you could just know when you meet someone, that they’re the one, if you’re lucky. I think you can definitely know that you’ll come to love them. [87] santa claus?: [88] kiss on the first date?: Hell yes. [89] angels?: [90] current best friend’s name: [91] eye colour: [92] favourite movies: Alexandr’s Story. The plot twist nearly made me throw up.

I tag @saintlaurent, @what-does-one-affects-the-other, @literlarryreal, @larrysgem, @gaycousinlarry, @floydiansim, @sweariwouldnt, ahh and the rest of pure louies and anyone who wants to do this, I’m quite terrible at recalling urls.

[strawberrymeriadoc]

Confession

Merry was angry. He was SO angry. He was sick of himself for missing Jamie again. They had been together 5 years. He put on some music that hit close to home. He stormed around the apartment with his headphones in and was singing along. 

But it hurt his voice so much. Merry’s voice had been injured for years and years. An unholy combination of self-harming by screaming at the top of his lungs for minutes that probably put nodes on his vocal cords as well as many years of acid reflux issues. Another lovely inheritance from his mother. Add hormone replacement therapy and it really just hurt to talk at all most days. 

We grew up together, Merry thought, she helped me escape my abusive family. She came out to me years before she came out to anyone else. We slowly swapped genders. For years, she was the only good part of my life. He felt pathetic for even thinking that but it was true. How could she just leave me like I never meant anything to her. Jamie was the closest friend I ever had. 

Merry finished singing (he had finished an album minus the song that made him cry last time he listened to it and all his favorite songs from another artist). He sat down, realized the date, and cried. Tomorrow would have been their 6 year anniversary. It’s really not my night, thought Merry. It didn’t help that he was on his period despite having taken medication to stop it. And to make matters worse, he was clearly having some sort of reaction to the progesterone. His hands had been shaking all day and he felt ill whenever he stood up. 

Peony meanwhile had watched the whole thing and he thought she looked concerned. Luckily Pippin was out late at the biology lab. Merry wished Pippin could comfort him but he didn’t know if they really knew each other that well or if he was being repulsive in some way through his interactions. He had often been told he was too bold, too mean, too loud, too much. He didn’t want to drive his new friend away. 

But on some level relationships only felt “right” if they were all encompassing. If he could think of no one else but them. If they would die if he died and he would die if they died. Merry knew in his mind that this was wrong. That it was a product of unhealthy attachment with his mother who felt the same way. 

She never let him have boundaries. He didn’t even get to have a door. He wasn’t allowed to make noise as an infant or she would shake him and drop him. He couldn’t talk to friends over text very much or relax too long. There was no boundary he could set that wouldn’t be seen as an attack. Thus he never learned that boundaries could exist to begin with. 

Merry was ashamed beyond belief of it, but he had made it very hard for Jamie to have boundaries as well. Merry had never intended to hurt her, but he had. He insisted they call every night when she didn’t want to. He would even guilt her into cuddling when she didn’t want to. He never felt like himself when he did these things. In fact, he almost never felt like himself when he was around her, at least in the last couple years. He’d always just...switch. 

At his worst he would hold her down while cuddling so she couldn’t leave when she wanted to. Merry did this more times than he could count. His worst memory of all was of snapping into dissociation. He didn’t actually remember what happened. He just came to as he was holding her face. There was a wound on her lip and he didn’t even remember what he’d done. He must have punched her or squeezed her face very hard. 

It happened one more time after the break up. Merry remembered pockets of it. He remembered screaming and having his arm around her trying to get her phone. He bit her on the back then somehow they were in a different room and she said something about this proving he was a man and then as the two of them came near the door he came to again and started crying his eyes out. He was finally himself again and he felt this unbelievable guilt and shame. 

I’m a fucking monster, Merry thought playing this all on repeat for the millionth time, no wonder she broke up with me and doesn’t want to be friends anymore. I’m a terrible person. I can’t even believe I did that. Merry didn’t tell anyone about what he’d done because he was afraid that none of his friends would ever speak to him again. And I’d deserve it, he thought. 

Since the breakup, Merry had apologized earnestly several times. He wasn’t trying to get her to forgive him. He just felt so terrible about all he’d done and wanted her to know he regretted it and to ask if there was anything at all he could do to help. She always said no. 

Now they almost never spoke and Merry just wanted to stay out of her life. Even though she had said she wanted to be friends, she made it clear after the breakup that she wouldn’t treat him like one. She blamed him for his own suicidality. She talked about him behind his back and turned some of his friends against him. She didn’t really treat him like a person. He finally accepted that they weren’t friends.

After he moved out, Merry felt like himself again. Or maybe for the first time. He didn’t dissociate nearly as much. He felt in control and that’s when he really started to take charge in his life. After being forced into some very uncomfortable living situations in Minas Tirith, Merry got accepted into the University there and made some new friends and eventually moved in with Pippin whom he barely knew at the time. That was just four months ago. Merry sat alone on the bed for a few hours just staring at the wall. 

~~~

Merry was feeling suicidal. It was slight enough that he didn’t think it was even worth mentioning to himself. But he did. It felt like a deep feeling of drowning, but being too weak to struggle and just letting happen. Sinking slowly down and down. The light goes from white to light blue to indigo. The water pressure was squeezing his head. His lungs felt crushed. He wondered if it would be alright to just sit there in that space for a while. 

He heard a noise and was snapped slightly out of the drowning feeling. He felt agitated and like he was dirty and disgusting. His throat still hurt tremendously. Merry realized that the sound he heard was Pippin coming in the front door. Oh thank G-d, Merry thought. Merry’s need to not be alone won out over his intense feelings of social anxiety and he came to the living room. Pippin was leaning in front of the fridge putting groceries away. 

“Hello!” said Merry. 

“Hi!” 

“How was...um how was the lab?”

“Well. You’re not gonna believe this. We had been working for 3 hours (which feels like 10 hours when you’re with Gandalf). We were just about to run a second test when Professor Aragorn burst through the door and disrupted the whole thing. Saying something about needing Gandalf urgently and this and that. He and Saruman were just standing in the doorway looking very dodgy. Then Gandalf left me in charge of the whole thing even though this was not the class I am assisting with, I’m just a student. So all my classmates were giving me stares and side eyes thinking I was getting too uppity. But I didn’t want to be in charge, Gandalf just told me to. Well, anyway after they all left we were about to run the test finally, but someone noticed that Aragorn slamming open the door had altered some of the instruments. So we had to recalibrate the whole thing. Ughhhhhh. Anyway, that is the story of why I am arriving home now at midnight” 

Merry tried very hard to listen. He cared so much about making sure his friend felt heard. But his face suddenly felt like it was on fire and tears began clouding his vision. 

“Oh, Merry! What’s wrong?” Pippin asked, crossing the room to him. 

“I don’t know, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to interrupt your story,” Merry stammered. 

“No, no you’re alright.” Pippin said softly trying to sound reassuring 

“I-I did something really bad,” Merry said between sobs now, “And I can’t tell anyone and I feel so bad that I just want the feeling to end. I don’t want to be here anymore. I just can’t do this. Everything’s wrong and people are hurting all around the world and I want to help but I know it won’t really do anything and it’s all just going to get worse…” he trailed off, realizing how much he was spinning out. He felt sick to his stomach. 

“Nothing feels real anymore, Pippin. Even when I talk to my friends they all seem...far away. Like I can’t reach them. Even here with you right now. I just...I’ve been struggling with this feeling so long I just want to let go and make it stop” Merry finished.

“Oh, Merry, it’s going to be alright. Here let’s go sit down” 

They made their way over to the couch. Pippin went away and came back with a box of tissues and a glass of water. 

“Thanks” Merry barely got the word out before breaking out into tears again. “Why are you being so nice to me, don’t you know what I’ve done?” he demanded, almost furious. “I hit my girlfriend, Pippin. I hit her. At least three separate times. She had a cut on her lip that stayed there for weeks. She never trusted me after that. I-I-” he broke off crying again. 

No, you fool, don’t manipulate him into thinking you’re some innocent victim acting all upset. Like it actually bothered you. You’re mad at Jamie, you don’t even feel that bad about it, you just know you’re supposed to so you’re making a big deal out of it, a voice in his head that wasn’t quite Merry said. Merry couldn’t meet Pippin’s eyes and time seemed to stand still for him. A whirring anxiety filled his chest.  He had never told anyone this before. 

Pippin was very taken aback by all this.

 “Why, Merry?”

“I don’t know. I never meant it or planned it. It just happened. If something really stressful happened I’d be upset but then sort of black out. And I wouldn’t realize I’d done it until it was over” You didn’t black out, you must just be remembering it wrong, the voice said. But I hardly remember it at all, Merry thought. How is that possible, countered the voice. 

“I’m a fucking monster.”

Pippin was silent for a long time. Then he placed his hand on Merry’s shoulder. “I know you’re a good person,” he said slowly, “even if you’ve done some bad things”. Merry wanted to shout You’re wrong! Everyone else would think I was evil. But instead he said, “I’m scared I meant it, Pippin. That I did it on purpose all along” 

“Did you?” 

“No...But s-sometimes it felt good. Like she would finally understand me. Even if for a second. She’d have to listen to me” he looked down, ashamed of himself. “Pippin I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I’m a terrible person. I know I should be saying sorry to her again but I already have so many times and I-I don’t want to bother her. It’ll just put her through the pain of it again remembering. And she’ll never really forgive me and she shouldn’t...” He trailed off. After a moment, he looked up at his friend. 

“Do you hate me now?” Merry asked in a small voice. He was terrified of the answer. He loved Pippin. But if anything could make someone lose all trust and love for a person it was this.   

Pippin sat quietly for a moment. “No,” Pippin said finally, “I don’t hate you. I don’t hate you at all”

Merry cried again. “Can I please hug you?” Merry asked. Pippin nodded.

“I’m so sorry. I’ll be better. I’ll try, I’ll try”  Pippin patted his back and rested his head on Merry’s shoulder. 

“I know. You’re sorry for what you did right?”

“Yes more than anything else ever in my life”

“And you apologized to her and worked on never doing it again right?”

“Y-yes”

“Then you’re doing the right thing. You can’t change the past but you can’t stay wrapped up in it either.”

Merry continued to cry then and they kept holding each other tightly as the darkness of the night encircled their apartment. 

[airadam]

Episode 96 : A City United

"It's not the world, it's the people in it..."

- LaPeace

What a month it has ended up being. Manchester suffered a terrible blow, and the figurative reverberations will be felt for a long time to come. It has been something to see how people have come together in the wake of the attack, and hopefully that spirit is something that can be carried forward.

While I wasn't able to completely re-do this month's show, I hope it's a pleasant listen for anyone who has the time to give it an ear. Amongst this episode's tracks we have a couple of Manchester tunes, some beautiful instrumentals, and an uplifting ending. Enjoy.

Twitter: @airadam13

Playlist/Notes

Kendrick Lamar : DNA

"I got loyalty, got royalty inside my DNA". Absolute fire. The Mike Will Made-It beat is dark and banging and from the very first line, Kendrick is on point. A beast of a track from the new, appropriately-titled album "DAMN." Definitely worth checking the video starring Don Cheadle too!

[Lex Luger] Kid Ink : Blackout (Instrumental)

I was struggling to find an instrumental in my library to fit in here but then thought about which producers might have something to fit, and Lex Luger, Mr."Hard In Da Paint", was my first idea. To be honest, I went to go and have a listen to the Kid Ink track and...I didn't rate it. All about the beat here, thanks to a mixtape of instrumentals on Datpiff!

Devin The Dude : Acoustic Levitation

Devin is a bit of a southern legend, starting off with Odd Squad and Facemob before commencing a long solo career. He's noted for bringing his sense of humour to his music, but that's not the vibe on this cut, the title track from his ninth solo LP. It's a fairly serious number with Devin in reflective mood about the world over a beat produced by his old Odd Squad running mate Rob Quest, who cooks up a solid 808 groove.

Children of Zeus : I Want You

The first time I heard this, I stomped over to DJ Chris E and demanded (ok, not like that ;) ) he tell me what it was immediately! It had only just been released on the CoZ Soundcloud account, and I got my download as soon as I got back home. This is a bodywork-rattling, baby-making slow jam out of Manchester that deserves all the listens. Vocally, it's a Tyler Daly solo, and as much as I love the lead vocal I think his backing styles on the hook put this one over the top. 

Dr Dre ft. Jill Scott, Jon Connor, and Anderson .Paak : For The Love Of Money

One of my highlights from Dr Dre's "Compton" LP, a piece inspired by "Foe Tha Love Of Money" by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. This has some of the foremost soul vocalists of recent-ish times taking a starring role, with Jill Scott bringing the gentleness and Anderson contributing a rougher tone. The origins of the track are that it was the first beat made by New Jersey native Cardiak when he moved to Los Angeles, and Jon Connor heard it and wrote his lyrics to it - it was only after that that it found its way to Dre for it to become what you hear now. 

MC Eiht : Just Lean

This Compton veteran has carved out a long career, and it's amazing to think that "Affiliated" is his eleventh solo album. Add that to the Compton's Most Wanted LPs, and you have someone who deserves a ton of respect. He's not talking about anything super complex on this weed anthem, but he does definitely slip in some clever references - Ice Cube and UGK, to name but two. The longtime CMW producer Tha Chill collaborates with the D&B producer DJ Subflo for an eerie, creeping track with those echoing snares adding to the dissociative feel.

UNKLE : 24 Frames (Redux)

I can't remember how I exactly found this one - I hadn't been up-to-date with UNKLE's output after the "Psyence Fiction" album, but heard this orchestral killer on Spotify and have been dying to find a place to slot it into the show for months!

Count Bass D : Subwoofer (Dumile)

Somewhere right now, Count Bass D is making a beat. Crafting. Refining. He's sixteen solo albums in, not to mention EPs and compilations, but right here were back to his third, 2002's "Dwight Spitz", now available via Bandcamp. A tribute to the fallen DJ Subroc of KMD and also paying homage to Hip-Hop luminaries of times past, this is almost certainly my favourite tune on the LP. For a little listening detail, check how the drum pattern changes up on the approach to the hook, doubling up on the kicks and snares - very nicely done.

Mothership Connection : Space Junkin'

Manchester's Mothership Connection have been doing a stack of live appearances over the past few years, but as they're a collective of solo artists and member of other groups, it's taken a while for them to release their own product. we finally have their debut EP, "This Train Goes To Junkleberry Junction". All tracks are produced by Mankub, and this one is on a bit of an Apollo 13 vibe while the crew of MCs spill lyrics all over the equipment!

Ilajide ft. Propaine : In The House

The man behind the beats for Clear Soul Forces stays producing quality material. This particular piece is on the "Five Week Heet III" Bandcamp release, and after the quiet intro groove (hard to hear on the mix in/out, actually) it just thumps along. I definitely need to hear this man doing extra work outside the camp. Actually, how about Ilajide and Camp Lo...?

J Dilla ft. LaPeace, Moe Dirdee, & Seven The General : Say My Name

One of those songs that pops into my head fairly regularly but which I don't play even for myself as much as it deserves. Nothing esoteric here, just dope rhymes over an old Dilla beat - that's enough. Catch this on the "Rebirth Of Detroit" album.

The ARE : Midnight (Instrumental)

It's been a while since our last visit, but we return to The ARE's reworking of samples used by A Tribe Called Quest on the "Midnight Marauders" LP. This one is a re-imagining of one of my favourites, but crashing along with a vibe of its own :)

Ka : Up Against Goliath

I was having a listen to Ka's brilliant "Grief Pedigree" this month and found myself rewinding this track. It may at one level be a song about the street game, it could be an anthem for anyone up against the odds. DJs, for full thematic effect you could follow this with UGK's "Pocket Full Of Stones", which is also pretty close speed wise too. #yourewelcome

Damian Marley & Nas : Friends

It's been a while since "Distant Relatives" was released, and every so often a song gets shortlisted for the podcast before getting dropped at the last minute. This time though, it makes the cut. It's not often that Nas doesn't put in the best lyrical performance of all the vocalists on a track he appears on, but I think Damian's performance is superior here! Damian also handles the production, which is well-done, except that the periodic sloppiness on the two and four beats makes it sound like yours truly is making mixing mistakes :)

Yusef Rumperfield : Sparklin

From the Tall Black Guy Productions label come the instrumental stylings of Yusef Rumperfield on his "Jazz In Motion" album. I picked this chilled-out number because sometimes, there's no room for words.

Portishead : It Could Be Sweet

An old favourite from Portishead's debut "Dummy". Beth Gibbons' heartfelt scratchy-throated vocals go nicely on top of the drum machine beat and some subtle keyboards.

Air : High Point

The B-side to the "Once Upon A Time" single, and once again proving Chuck D right about the flip side, this is a beautiful instrumental.

Thundercat ft. Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald : Show You The Way

A great song to end on, and one I've been playing over and over since I bought Thundercat's "Drunk" album. This bassist, producer, and singer is a really unique gem, and as is somehow befitting of a man who's worked with artists as different as Suicidal Tendencies and Kendrick Lamar, he's a lover of the R&B-infused jazz fusion styles of the 70s and 80s. When Kenny Loggins called him up to say that he and Michael McDonald would be interested in collaborating, he rightly flipped out! The combination on this uplifting cut is a straight classic to me, and I think with the pain of the last month, this is a fitting place to close the episode.

Please remember to support the artists you like! The purpose of putting the podcast out and providing the full tracklist is to try and give some light, so do use the songs on each episode as a starting point to search out more material. If you have Spotify in your country it's a great way to explore, but otherwise there's always Youtube and the like. Seeing your favourite artists live is the best way to put money in their pockets, and buy the vinyl/CDs/downloads of the stuff you like the most!

Check out this episode!