#love killa was also great

[seokmattchuus]

No thoughts, just Love Killa and Zoom

[mangokabuto]

Some dance + real-world-equivalent-ethnicity headcannons :)

Some more little bits i be thinking abt for those who want more dance content: (under the cut)

Usopp with his salsa fundamentals and luffy with his vague memories of samba end up, at some point, coming up with their own much more chaotic combo of the two. They r spinning around so fast its insane. Luffy is about to launch them into the sun. They're having a great time.

Sanji being absolutely miffed when the only other ppl on the crew who know how to couple's dance with him are Usopp and Luffy. He gets over it ofc, being able to actually dance with another person quickly overwhelms the "I wanted to tango with a beautiful lady" grief

Sanji being able to help Usopp re-learn salsa and them bonding over their moms abt it 🥲Luffy is a lost cause tho he's not learning shit /j

BaroqueWorks Robin and Bon Clay bonding over ballet Q_Q

Brook inventing the most INSANE new dips/twirls/transitions because he no longer has muscles or skin or whatever in the way

Also I firmly believe Usopp listens & dances to anything made by Spice, Mr. Killa, and Yung Bredda, but he refuses to let the crew know this. He's not embarrassed or anything he's just fairly sure Sanji would have a heart attack and die if he heard the lyrics

Sanji listens & dances to Rodrigo y Gabriela he's in love with their story

Zoro is one of those freaks who has no desire to listen to music at all but he won't turn it off if it's on, yk?

As made obvious above I think Usopp and Sanji are the 1st and 2nd most versatile dancers, but neither of them dance more Often than Franky

If i had to rank them based on how often/readily they will dance its....in the order I placed the pictures, with chopper between brook and nami. Luffy is only so low cause he'd usually rather be eating, and brook cause he'd rather be playing, and zoro cause he'd rather be drinking/napping

Robin will readily dance with you if you ask her but she's not going to initiate

If you love dance like i do and want to see some specific choreographers/dances i had in mind while drawing these, that will be the rest of this bullet list!

Sanji is doing Derek Hough's little solo bit from his pasodoble choreo on dancing with the stars. look it up it is so peak

Dancing with the star (chopper <3)

In my head Usopp is perfectly capable of dancing any choreography by Latrice Kabamba (west african steps), Tricia Miranda (dancehall), or Yeifren Mata (mostly male solo salsa)

For Franky I think some old way choreos by Nastya Batrachenko or Dashaun Wesley (he mostly does fem now but he has good old way stuff) r good

[black-is-beautiful18]

I will be one of the firsts to say that I side eye the heck out of Lin Manuel Miranda especially after Hamilton. I can tell you the pros and cons of that piece of art while still appreciating it. However, I need y’all to listen to Warriors by him and Eisa Davis who is the iconic Angela Davis’ niece and is responsible for other works of art like Passing Strange. These two put together an amazing concept album that tells the story of the Warriors from the 1979 movie. Though this time the Warriors are women, Black and Brown women to be more specific, and they are absolutely incredible. Their story is told to the sounds of hip hop, R&B, salsa, ska, etc. Then to represent the boroughs of New York you got Nas, Busta Rhymes, Ghostface Killa and RZA from Wu-Tang Clan, Chris Rivers, and Cam’ron. Shenseea is the DJ too. Even Lauryn Hill is on this album playing Cyrus. Coleman Domingo is rapping his behind off too. Like oh my god. I need them to bring this to the stage cuz this honestly something I could see myself doing lol. I also need white theater people to calm it down too. Lin has always utilized hip hop and been a hip hop head. Y’all are too used to hearing and seeing New York from the POV of other white people and y’all better come correct cuz I’m already seeing dumb takes. Anyways, it really is a great story that’s told in 26 tracks by very talented people. Y’all would love it.

[ravenousgoblin]

Dungeons and daddies characters that I think wouldn’t care if I called them “girl”.

KEEP IN MIND THAT AT THE TIME OF POSTING THIS I HAVE NOT FINISHED S2 SO I MAY INCLUDE SOME STUFF THAT IS MAYBE CANONIZED LATER OR EVEN DISPROVED LATER IN THE SEASON. OTHER THINGS ARE ALSO JUST HEADCANONS SO FUCK OFF.

1. Glenn Close. You can’t tell me that as a bff or significant other of Glenn, if you ran up to him to spill the tea and were like “GIRL” or even “bitch guess what” he wouldn’t immediately get excited and be like “omg girl whaaaaat”

2. Henry Oak. We all known Henry tries his best to embrace all and all his hippie shit, however I believe this is because of a few things. Henry isn’t afraid to be in touch with that femininity, henry has canonically had at least 1 bf and has slept with at least 1 other male alongside his wife, you can’t tell me Barry Oak and probably quite a few other Oakvalians aren’t homophobic and transphobic and that they wouldn’t refer to him as terms trying to be derogatory but Henry takes them in stride and says fuck you.

3. Nicky. Whether we’re assessing Nicky pre or post Jodie, I don’t think it matters. I am a firm believer in transmasc Nicky and I think while he is a cutie lil trans boy I find it hard to believe he wouldn’t love the idea of being included when you are spillin the tea or being a silly and call him ‘girl’.

4. Scam Likely. Girl, Scam be scammin and Scam, while usually referred to as male, is a cousin of the library, a horrific eldrich being. Scam is Heckin shapeshifter brother. I think, like Nicky, he would just enjoy being included. Me and Scam be sippin tea every Wednesday at lunch and he calls me “bitch” “whore” and “babe”. I call him, or them rather, “babygirl”, “girl”, slut”, and “bestie”. They also love when you tell them they’re serving cunt

5. Taylor Swift. Now, I hate this. Taylor I believe would love it, HOWEVER, I take 1d20 psychic damage minimum when Taylor opens his mouth, so I wouldn’t hang out with him, let alone call him ‘girl’

6. Normal Swallows-Oak-Garcia. Now, with this, I think that it only lasts a little bit. I think that while Normal is trying to find who is he without Teeny the Teen, he questions a lot about himself, sexuality and gender identity at the very least(see: obsession with Hermie). With this I think he would absolutely try out some different pronouns and such, even tossing the idea of she/her or she/they etc around. Overall I think he sticks to he/him, but he definitely tried it and asked to be referred to as such while he was going through this period of finding himself and is OVERJOYED when you comply and treat him like the girlypop he is for as long as he is comfortable with before reverting.

Some honorable mentions are: Paeden, Yeet Bigly, and Mark Likely. However, they were not included for specific reasons.

Paeden was taken into consideration, however, two factors disqualified him. 1. He has the soul of Frank Wilson and I don’t think any of the omega daddies would let you get away with calling them “girl” and 2. Paeden is very proud of who he is, both as Paedon and Frank and would prefer you refer to him as what he sees, which is fair.

Yeet Bigly was taken into consideration, however, I believe Yeet would only allow his sister, Killa Demall to do it. They are very close and I think they gossip all day long and have a great time, but I think only Killa could get away with it. It’s special sister privilege.

And Mark Likely was taken into consideration, mainly because of the relation to Scam and The Library, eldrich beings and such. However, not all eldrich beings are girlies(see: dood) and I believe Mark Likely having taken on the form of my bf Dennis Anderson and also staying as identifying as he/him(as far as memory serves) as Mark Likely, I don’t find it likely that Mark would be a girly. That is not to say that he would be mad, just that he would ask you not to.

[colorisbyshe]

July 2024 Monthly Music NYAA

Current (within the last month... or so):

"Joyride" by Kesha. We've all heard it. A return to form and a celebration of Kesha's freedom <3

I finally listened to Cupcakke's album. I know people love to harp on her obscene lyrics and humor but can I just say her instrumentals are one of a fucking kind? Some notables off the album: "Water Balloon," "Aura," "Backstage Pass," "Rock Paper Scissors," "Dora," and "Dementia." If you like these, maybe give "Catman" by TeaMarr as well.

"Skyscraper Starlight" De De Mouse. City Pop sensibilities with a modern groove factor.

"Chasing Low Vibrations" Foster the People. Not as good as previous stuff but... idk... what it is what it says on the tin. Low vibrational.

"Corazon" & "Switch It (ft Cakes da Killa, GAWD). Glossy, disco-y, and MADE to get you on the fucking dance floor! Glad to have accidentally found the latter song through Cakes Da Killa and their song "Da Dat Baby" with its gay, flashy rap. If you like those, PIVOT WITH ME, and try out "Nowhere" by Shotaro Aoyama.

"Kiss" Penicillin. Just some Visual Kei rep on this list. The sound is very nostalgic for Jrock, at least vocally. Like 1998 vibes.

"Low Threshold" Navy Blue. A rap that feels like the intersection between a confessional and a sermon.

Looking at my "Share with Tumblr" playlist... this is longer than expected so uh... kpop dumping ground?? Which is bad because these are all WILDLY different genres but... I feel like the same group of people will give them a chance so:

"Hot Mess" Aespa (chaotic, bad but compelling). "Sabotage" & "Bad Blood" KWON EUNBI (Dancey, Loona-adjacent somehow?) "Dont" Lee Chae Yeon (Bop for the girlies) "Pricey" & "Rain Drop" NCT 127 (Songs I re-imagine as Exo demos) "Sweetie" PRSNT (Jiyoon from 4minute!! In a co-ed group!! Bubbly) "XO (Only if You Say Yes)" Enhyphen (I'm obsessed with the instrumental) "All Day" Onew (I SAVED THE VERY BEST!! GORGEOUS, ENTHRALLING, musically complex and great)

Jpop and mid-2000s AMV core... I'm here for "Underground" by F5ve and its semi-viralness.

I don't think its their best album, by a long shot, and I miss how weird they were but Glass Animals did have a bit of a comeback from that HORRIBLE lead single. Notables: "How I learned to Love the Bomb," "Wonderful Nothing," "whatthehellishappening?" Indie pop / alt rock.

"Super Breath" Karen 0 & Danger Mouse. MTV Teen Wolf era ass song. For the peeps who liked older Metric but also MTV's curated playlists for their teen dramas.

"Stupid (can't run from the urge" underscores. If hyperpop intrigued you but kind of scared you, if you ran back to like... madeon but gayly... this is the song for you.

If you like previous recs of Alex Anwandter's music, give "Mi Corazón" by Tango Astral a shot. Similar vibes, perhaps more basic.

Kinda generic rock song but "Delusion:All" One OK Rock scratches an itch. Still don't think they've ever done better than "Clock Strikes" but I don't follow them much

Older songs to shout out: "Passive" A Perfect Circle (Used to listen to this and think of Sasunaru, alt rock, nu metal... ish), "Last Smile" Love Psychedelico (Jrock from 2000, close your eyes and bop your head), "Eureka" Sakanaction (more Jrock, more energetic and poppy), "Something Good '08" Utah Saints (Kate Bush Sample and made a great AMV)

[gerogerigaogaigar]

We're almost at the end. Since this is the gay sex website or whatever I've put together a list of lgbtq+ rappers. This list obviously trends a little more towards the modern scene and a little more obscure. But there are definitely some very big names here.

TERROR PACKETS Backxwash is my favorite modern rapper. She's a trans woman who often raps about trans issues. She needs to be more popular. please I need people to listen to her she is so good and I want queer horrorcore to be A Thing.

New York Angel Haze's relationship to gender is "I don't consider myself of any sex. I consider myself an experience." I like the beat on this song, just that fuzzy bass hit and claps to help emphasize his bouncy flow.

Georgia You probably know him from rap crew Brockhampton, but Kevin Abstract's solo work is arguably better for the way it blends hip-hop and R&B. Kevin Abstract is an out and proud gay man and he sings about it frequently.

MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) You know this one. Lil Nas X kinda surprised me when he put out an entire album that was actually good start to finish, but the lead single still stands out as one of the best pop rap tunes I've ever heard.

WAP Once again, You know what this is. Both Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion have come out as bisexual. And when you consider how often both women rap about pussy it's clear they weren't really trying to hide it.

Sugar Honey Iced Tea (S.H.I.T.) Princess Nokia feels like they should be bigger. Their music is catchy, a little experimental and brings a bit of punk influence. Their back to back 2020 releases Everything Sucks and Everything Is Beautiful ought to be on more people's mind. Oh and Princess Nokia is bi and uses she/they pronouns.

Rent Bounce music is still a little way from being mainstream, but once people start paying attention they're gonna be bumping Big Freedia nonstop. You might recognize her voice from Beyonce's hit Break My Soul. Her genre defining style blends hip-hop and dance music in a way unique to the New Orleans club scene. Big Freedia identifies as a gay male, but also is okay with any pronouns and acknowledges that a lot of her style and gender presentation is based on the local drag scene.

Don Dada Cakes Da Killa is one of the more popular gay rappers out there. Don Dada has a groovy house beat that gives his voice a nice bounce.

SORRY NOT SORRY Odd Future alumni Tyler, The Creator had been hinting for a bit that he might be bi and this song from his most recent album confirms it. On top of that it is a great dialogue between the two sides of himself, the one that feels insecure for his past behavior and the side that wants to be proud of himself.

Ladies First The first female rap star recently introduced the world to her girlfriend. So it looks like there have been queer rappers as far back as the 80's. Looking back at her biggest hit I guess it is about loving women when you get down to it.

To Be Concluded ===> Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

[bluesidez]

when u get this, list 5 songs u like to listen to, publish. then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers or moots (positivity is cool) 🫶

HAI CUPCAKIE!!! 🩵 I love these omg

Every time Jimin does Latin pop??? (Melon said Afrobeat and I don’t think thats’s what this is?? 😭) he EATS. It’s been on repeat since it dropped. I love his voice a lot and I especially love it when he’s singing over instrumentals like this. Because FILTER? Chomped.

I was doing a discography run of Masego and this one tickles my brain deliciously. His music is soooo good. I love the instrumental and melody. It’s also perfect to get in an enemies to lovers mindset 😈 for Cowboy Miguel.

I feel like I’m at a skating rink skating backwards all sexy-like with a towel in my hand or something 😌. It also sounds very great in the car! I LOVE YOU MEGAN!!

MY NEPHEWS ATE!! (We’re literally the same age lol) If Jimin eats Latin Pop, TXT eats Afrobeat beat because I also ran Tinnitus through. LIKE OMG??? I never skip this song like ever.

I’ve been listening Ms. Gloria Hallelujah Woods all summer. I think I really started before I went to go see Megan because I wanted to be a little familiar with the songs she would perform. And then it just stuck! LIKE YEAH. LET ME SHOW OFF MY MOOSE KNUCKLE TOO 😭

[ohdudedhesflirting]

My top 9 on boys planet

So if you are following me you now that I am kinda obssessed with boys planet currently and !! Because I am an indecivive person i needed to make sure my votes would be the right ones.. so.. i did my little research about each of them, their pros and cons.. So yeah.. Lets go ? (they are not classed by favorites but random) ((images are not mine))

Park Gunwook

2005- 18 years old

1m 83

K Group

Pros :

Giant Baby

So good at dancing

Great stage presence !

Clever and great vision (The kill this love stage ? His whole plan)

Zhang Hao loves him

He is very polite and I love him for that

Invited buddies from another dorm room to sleep in his room bc they couldn’t sleep due to Ji Woong’s snoring.

(cough for all those traines that thinks he is scary, no he is not !! he baby your honor)

Con :

He is legally an adult but 2005 is a bit young for the mental pressure of being an idol

Zhang Hao

2000- 22 years old

1m 80.

G group & center

Pro :

Can play the violin

His singing voice

Stage presence

Dancing skills

I love his ears, reminds me of an elf

Heterophobe

Pro looser

He has great taste. Why ? He adopted Gun Wook. I love gun wook he is baby. And my boy Zhang Hao recognised that, so yeah great taste.

He helped other people rehearse at night/late on the day

Good team spirit

Smacks people’s ass

Ricky

2004 – 18 years old

1m 83

G Group

« Young and rich. Tall and Handsome. Charisma boss baby Ricky. »

Pro :

He has a cute laugh

Great stage presence

Good humor (How do you feel ? – I feel stoked)

He did not laugh with the whole hat prank.

He has a tatoo on his neck

He loves Ji Woong

Can make a cocktail (very rare apparently)

Con :

Resting bitch face

Mnet evil editing him fr (mnt is globally evil editing kind of everyone from g group)

Keita

2001- 21 years old

1m65 (he is the same height as me lol)

G Group

He already debuted in the group Ciipher

Pro :

Said he can do composition, always useful in a group

All rounder

He always serve on a performance level

Great rap

He is the one who made “I love you, I want you, Seok Matthews”

Con :

Dont know much about him

Sung Hanbin

2001- 21 years old

1m79

K Group & center

Bestie with Matthews !! (They come as a package. Do NOT separate them)

Pro :

His dancing skills

He wanted to be a kindergarten teacher or a psychologist

He is very tender with other

Cuddly

Fell for him when he cried for Matthew performance because he was so proud of him. Thats the moment I knew I was ready to die for him

He said he liked writing and I like writing too so he get a point in my agenda

He is humble with the whole center and killing points parts.

Im sorry but he looks so young I wanna put him in my pocket

He has a tatoo on his arm

Him in sports day (« please do not make me talk)

Close to his mom

Great team spirit

Con :

Held Matthew’s hand #WishThatWereMe

Kim Jiwoong

1998 – 25 years old

1m 78

K Group

Also an actor and had a debut in INX

Pro :

He is calm

Brilliant leader

Abs

I like his stage presence

During sport day he helped his partner when he fell by securing him so he wouldn’t be hurt.

He snores. I snore. Good point for him.

He gives great advce and he really helped Matthew while he wasa leader for the love Killa task.

Somehow reminds me of a stray cat that does not want to be pat but once you get to know him he will come purr on your lap

Con :

I want to hear him more of his singing

Kim Gyuvin

2004- 18 years old

K Group

« Did you do only Love Killa for years ? »

Pro :

He loves snacks.

He is cute

Great dancing skills

Litteraly just put him in this list bc he loves snacks and I find his stage presence great

Con :

His ugly ass dog.

I know litteraly nothing about this guy

Jay

2001- 22 years old

1m75

G Group

He said he considered it to be his last chance :’(

Pro :

His voice !!!!

Dancing skills

He said he liked studying history and as an art history major I love him for that :’)

His humor

Great facial expressions off and on stage

Con :

Mnet and koreans racism towards mixed people : ( (not his fault tho)

Seok Matthews

2002- 20 years old.

1m 70

G Group

Bestie with Han bin ! (They come in a package. Cannot be separated)

« I love you. I want you. Seok Mathews. »

Pro :

Born in 2002. I am born in 2002 so we are bestie now

He talked in french. I am french. A point in my agenda

His voice ?????!!! On the floor

Great dancing skills

Always serving in every performance

Stable

He had good leaders skills during the « love killa » performance

Great presence on stage

Always show a different energy on stage

Can make a cocktail approximately, he put some ice in there and I love my cocktail cold so yeah. 

Thats it :)

Dont jump on me for not adding Hui. I Will not be sharing my opinion.

And also dont jump me for not adding Yujin. He wont get just one vote for me because he is a minor. And I dont want a 15 years old kid to debut.

His talent will still be there in a couple of years. So its a no for me <3 I refuse to put a litteral child in the industry we all saw what happened to Ni-Ki and to litterally every fucking minor/young idol in the industry.

(also if anyone is interested tell me if you want the aesthetic I imagine for the group and the name :) )

[endlesstwanted]

A Rose For A Rose

Fic inspired by @burdenedwithpointlesspurpose’s femslash — Exchange, Femslash February 2024 (evil edition) — hands for holding & @femslashfeb — dress.

Fandom: Encanto (2021)

Rating: General Audiences

Pairing: Dolores Madrigal/OFC & Isabela & Camilo & Bruno Madrigal

Tags: First Dates, Tripe rabble, Supportive Madrigal

Summary: Isabela, Camilo and Bruno help Dolores prepare for her first date.

Wordcount: 300

Also created for: @multifandom-flash, R2 card #2004 — “Boom! You looking for this?” + R3 card #3001 — Flower of Romance + New Year Resolutions — Donate Your Time / @sweetspicybingo — Thank you / @fnafbingo — “Hello, hello? Hey you’re doing great! Most people don’t last this long!” / @lyricalescape — “The stars choose their lovers.”

Excerpt:

Dolores is excited today. She has heard rumours about Killa’s plan for their meeting, and despite her negative towards hearing all about other people’s business, Dolores can’t wait to meet the girl.

It’s also the Day of Love and Friendship, and she’s heard that Killa has been preparing something romantic for the two of them —she even heard her friend asking the baker about her favourite treat!

Continue reading on Ao3!

[shesailsships]

5.14.24 TXT Promise Tour Tacoma Dome <3

Okay, I'm finally recovered enough to spill it all and gush about the Tacoma Dome show, which I was so blessed to be able to go to! My last concert was BTS at Allegiant in Las Vegas- again, so lucky to go! The next concert I was desperate to attend was TXT...but they have always toured in LA, and I haven't been in a financial position to travel. When I heard TXT had a stop here in Seattle for their 2024 Promise Tour, I cried. I scraped just enough money together to buy tickets (getting them was so stressful waah!), and flash forward to two nights ago, I had the concert of my dreams <3

Our seats were the nosebleeds, but they were great?? Idk, I guess I'm always sitting in the back at concerts so it doesn't bother me, and because the Tacoma Dome is a smaller venue than the last couple I've been to, it felt closer. We were also facing the stage straight on, so that gave a great view!

The moment the boys came out was so surreal, like idk...my routine is to relax by watching them doing “something” nearly everyday, and of course I'm always listening to them...to have them actually in front of me, no screen between us....?! Wild! They really are so tall lol! And so handsome, my god! The amount of charm and charisma is no joke. They are natural performers of course, but deeper than that, they are them, you know? There's just something so attractive in their authentic selves. It was just beyond amazing to be in their presence. Gives me the goosebumps just thinking about it.

Speaking of their presence, idk what Big Hit be feeding them, but whatever it is-- they were on FIRE. Like burn-the-stage-Lapalooza on fire. They were such a FORCE on stage. I came in with high expectations, I know what performers these boys are, but they just blew any expectation I had out of the water. Puma was an experience okay? Like the looks Yeonjun was giving the camera needed a parental warning. Taehyun during Quarter Life was something else!! I don't even know how to describe it, like he just like a whole man out there?? idk idk! Soobin took me out every time the camera was on him, period. Also: Killa. Need I say more? Beomgyu with his hand in his hair non-stop was the deadliest, and Kai with his “guitar solo”??? I'm not okay.

And if it wasn't their stage presence melting me, it was their hearts of gold. For real. The things they said in the ending ments just made me into a mushy puddle of love. Through the whole show they seemed so touched at the energy of the crowd and their reception overall, and I'm over here like: duh! We love you! But they seemed so surprised- in a really good way <3 TAEHYUNG SAID WE KILLED IT. YAAAS. Yeonjun stood on that stage and told us he felt like the “luckiest man in the world” and I about died. He was so full of love, telling MOAs over and over how much he appreciates our love and energy, just the sweetest omg! Kai said he was falling in love with us??? IDK it was like fever dream all their sweet comments oh gosh!

The crowd really was so good. I'm so proud Seattle showed up for the boys and gave them the energy they needed! Taehyun said that we started out so loud and strong that he wondered how we could continue it through the whole concert and not “burn out”, but he was amazed to see that we didn't quit, and he said that really fueled him :) Yeonjun said he had never experienced anything like it “since I was born”. Hell yes, Seattle MOA, way to go! The boys were particularly fascinated with our 'Tacoma dome stomping'. They looooved it and got such a kick out of it when we would do it along with our cheering, it just totally amped up the vibe. They had us do it over and over again. They would say something and we would go crazy and stomp and they would just smile amazed. They were speechless. It was so cool :D

The boys interactions with MOA was so sweet and genuine. There was a section of the night where they worked with us on a chant combined with our stomping and it was the most fun I've EVER had at a concert. The chant went like this (to the beat of We Will Rock You): stomp-stomp “TXT!” stomp-stomp “I love you!” stomp-stomp “moments of!” stomp-stomp “alwaysness!” stomp-stomp “yaaa, yaaa, yaaa!” :DD

The setlist was a banger. Dudeee. The show opened with Deja Vu, ahhhh!! I was a little sad not to hear the fan chant at all, not only for Deja Vu, but other songs as well...but again, the crowd was loud and we certainly made up for it, just- as a kpop veteran, I missed that part. I screamed my lungs out for 0X1=LOVESONG and LO$ER=LOVER like those were my dream songs to hear in concert and I'm still freaking out!! I was so glad to see Freefall get some love, it was so freaking awesome to see them preform Back For More, Chasing That Feeling, Deep Down, Dreamer, and Growing Pain. They absolutely killed Growning Pain, kpop who?

Speaking of killed: Killa nearly took me out. Okay, it DID take me out. I knew what was coming, yet nothing could prepare me for it. Yeonbin, subunit of my dreams, on stage, dancing together LIKE THAT, looking smoking hot, raising the temperature of the whole Tacoma Dome. It was an EXPERIENCE ya'll. I don't think I breathed the whole performance. I remember looking over at my sister and her mouth was just hanging out. Yup. They just did that. In front of my salad. Unreal. Wild.

Okay, I have to talk about the surprise performances of the night for me. Before the show I purposely avoided spoilers, I wanted to be surprised by the setlist. I was listening to the boys as I got ready for the concert, playing a game with myself, guessing which songs would TXT would preform? The track Thursday's Child came on and I was like, 'oh I love this song so much, but I know they will be doing Promise unit songs, so they won't do older unit tracks' and wrote it off. Then Trust Fund Baby came on. I have a special attachment to Trust Fund Baby, it just pulls at my heart, and it's probably my most listened to TXT track if I'm being honest. I wrote it off as an older album B-side and had negative zero expectations of hearing it that night. But I was wrong?!?! They freaking played Thursday's Child, adjusting it into a group song?! It was an amazing surprise, I was floored! But my surprise didn't end there. They played Trust Fund Baby. I sung my lungs out. I was so moved I cried you guys. Like it was so unexpected, I had told myself, 'no way' and then there they were, preforming it. Ah, I feel like crying just thinking about it.

Puma was also a surprise, but like I said above: they chewed that one up and spit it out, like damn!

AND THEY DID TINNITUS IN IT'S ENTIRETY. I am batshit about that song and I went INSANE when it came on oooooh booooy XDD The opening notes started and my cousin and I locked eyes and yelled, “whee!” and it just doesn't get better than that.

Farewell Neverland was shortened, saaaaad- and they did the same to Cat & Dog, but then came back and did the full version at the end of the show:) We all got to bark twice hahaha!

Runaway was one of my favorite performances of the night, one of my ultimate faves. They also did Magic, New Rules, Ghosting, Sugar Rush Ride (amazing remix!!), and Devil by the Window.

Tomorrow got it's moment to shine. Every song was preformed from the album, and let me tell you, Quarter Life was unreal. The Maknae Line was not be out done by the Hyungz. [chef's kiss]. I'll See You There Tomorrow's choreography was insane to see live and Miracle felt like a great big hug <3

I had an AMAZING experience at my first TXT concert. Truly, it couldn't have gone any better. I am so grateful to FINALLY have gotten to see my boys live. They are my everything and I will cherish the memories of this concert always. They promised to come back to Seattle if we promise to always stay MOAs. I promise.

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

TXT minisode 3: Tomorrow review

Imo, their first minisode is excellent and one of my favorite TXT albums, but lately their albums are only mediocre - the tts are catchy and solid, but the bsides are generic and lack TXT's initial charm.

I'll See You There Tomorrow - the choreo is fun and 100% something BTS would do. The track is nice and light, albeit a bit repetitive; vocals sound decent, but some of the low notes are unpleasant (eg. Soobin's). TXT are not strong vocalists and I find myself noticing that more and more. 7.5/10

Deja Vu - this track grew on me a lot. It's catchy and the choreo is good (very early BTS coded). I used to love Taehyun's voice, but sadly I think it sounds strained and kind of whiny now. He reminds me a lot of Jungkook though, especially lately (re: his stage presence and dancing). Imo Taehyun suits the center position pretty well, and they're doing well giving him some of Yeonjun's center time and dance breaks. Soobin and Beomgyu's voices are very limited and sound really weak imo. Yeonjun's voice sounds the best to me lately - he has the fullest, most natural sounding voice, as well as the most versatile and catchy. Hueningkai's tone has never been pleasant to me - it sounds kind of muffled, but he's a capable singer. 8/10

Miracle - kind of an annoying song tbh, very Avril Lavigne. There really isn't much to say about it. 6.5/10

The Killa (I Belong to You) - this track is incredibly cringy. Hearing Soobin say "I want you to take me now" in the most innocent and flat tone is... well... I get that people think he's hot, and that's surely why they put him on this track, but Soobin is just not an expressive and versatile idol, except perhaps in variety content (I don't know enough to say). Moreover, this song has such a generic beat - it's so flat and by the book -, it's not sexy at all. They also don't have the vocals for it. Yeonjun does well, but why on Earth did they choose Soobin for this? Because he's the most popular and sexualized along with Yeonjun? Beomgyu is much better at pulling off sexy than Soobin, and their singing is kind of on the same level. 6/10

Quarter Life - more rock stuff, I really want TXT to drop this sound. Kai fits this genre well, but this track is annoying and genetic. Taehyun sounds strained too, unfortunately. Beomgyu has pretty much no lines... 6/10

Anyway, this minisode is okay, but imo TXT are very much hindered by weak vocals and awkward stage presence (and beyond). They're very popular, but they could probably be more popular. Imo, TXT lack the IT factor in many ways. Besides lagging behind in vocals and stage presence, they're not that funny or charismatic. I think they fall behind pretty much all other BIg4 bgs (+ other popular bgs). I'm being "objective" about it, since TXT are certainly not going to read this, but I kind of question how Hybe put the group together. They're maybe the only boy group I found boring on Jonathan's show. I often don't know any of the groups who go on that show that well, or at all, but end up finding them charming and funny - like "Ah, I get it. This is why fans like them". Not TXT. Every time I watch interviews or variety stuff I think they seem stiff, don't interact very well with each other, and their humor is off. Imo, that's why Enhypen and SKZ surpass TXT in terms of overall popularity. SKZ are great performers who sing live and now how to engage fans. Enhypen are much better singers than TXT overall, with better stage presence and capacity to draw in fans.

Anyway, this is my opinion, but TXT are a group with the potential to be greater - perhaps with a different lineup, or if they learn to make their "weaknesses" less obvious. TXT's appeal to me was always unique and unconventional music, but now that they've lost that and sound a lot more like a "normal" kpop group, I think their limitations have grown more pronounced.

Surely, most people will disagree with me, but anyway... I'm fond of the boys as a person, but as a consumer less so.

[cdvrdcmpstn6]

EP Review: Bladee - RIP Bladee (2015)

I'm going to assume everyone who follows me knows who Bladee is because he's insanely popular, but I don't think anyone who doesn't actively listen to a lot of his music will know this EP, as I barely even hear it talked about within the draingang fan community. However, despite it being pretty underrated, I think it's easily one of Bladee's best (as much as there can be a "best" in a discography as consistently amazing as Bladee's) and I want to talk about why I think that. Let's get into it :)

So the essence of this EP is essentially that it's Bladee rapping over oldschool Chicago drill beats, something he's done occasionally throughout his career, but never to the extent he did on this. This is actually why the first track, 7-Eleven is my least favorite. It's not even on a drill beat, it doesn't go with anything else on the EP. The hook is weak, there aren't any notable verses, and I don't really care for the beat. I think this track should've been cut or replaced by something else. It would make more sense and be more satisfying as a loose single, instead of setting a completely wrong tone for this release.

However, the 2nd song on the EP more than makes up for 7-Eleven's weakness. Butterfly is one of my favorite songs of all time, and I consider it to be completely flawless. Bladee's voice is mixed really well with a super bassy, but still kind of understated beat. He sounds like a fuckinn robotic angel or some shit, with the ethereal reverb, delay, and flanger(? might be chorus I'm not sure) effects, as well as some super snappy autotune. The hook on this track is so fucking good it gets stuck in my head for actual days every time i listen to it, and Thaiboy's feature is one of his stronger verses ever in my opinion. This is a GOD tier Bladee track that is criminally underrated.

The next track, MJ, continues the trend from Butterfly. Goddamn, this beat is fucking amazing, and Bladee's kind of minimalist vocal performance goes so well with the super busy, high energy beat. I will say, as much as I love Yung Lean I kind of wish both songs with him on them had been Bladee solos, as I think he kind of ruins the vibe a little bit with how much he switches up the flow from Bladee. The last 3 tracks all kind of have this vibe where Bladee is doing exactly as much as he should be, but Leandoer sounds kind of extra in my opinion, with a more aggressive, almost lyrical flow. I will say, I prefer his verse on this song over his verse on 50Sac.

On the topic of features, Pyscho, the 4th song on this EP, has one of the strongest in any draingang song ever. Bladee keeps to catchy flows, and lets the beat kind of carry the energy of the track (in a good way), and DAMN i get HYPE every single time i hear Adamn Killa start doing adlibs on the 2nd chorus. I also love the way the beat kind of switches up when Bladee says "And I'm wearin Dulce it's disgusting", just a minor beat feature that goes insane. I think Adamn matches the energy Bladee brings to the track well, while also having his own vibe. His flow reminds me a bit of Lil Reese on this song too (might be a stretch but idk I just hear it). This is definitely another highlight on this EP for me for sure.

The final track is honestly the last one to click for me. 50SACINMYSOCIDGAF takes the kinda minimal-lyric thing to an extreme, with Bladee only repeating "50 sack in my sock ion give a fuck" for the entire chorus, but it clicked for me and it goes INSANE now, especially when he goes up an octave for the 2nd half of the chorus. I also really really like Bladee's verse, it sounds kind of shy if that makes sense, a little sadder and more chill than the rest of the EP (except 7-Eleven) and it creates a great contrast with the high energy drill beat. However, I really don't care for Yung Lean's verse on this one, as he kind of disrupts the vibe in my opinion. I still like it, and I think Lean's verses on this EP are pretty good, I just think the tracks would be better with another Bladee verse instead. I actually have the same feeling about Bones' verse on Shadowface off of Gluee, and I love Bones just as much as I love Yung Lean, if not more.

Overall, this is one of my favorite ever releases from Bladee, and I think it's A-tier (only held back by my above complaints) and would be hall-of-fame level if the rest of Bladee's discography wasn't so strong that it overshadows it. The production is all pretty much fucking perfect (as it almost always is for draingang/sadboys shit) and it has some of Bladee's catchiest hooks and best verses.

9.5/10 (if u ignore 7-Eleven, which I do)

standout track: Butterfly (all of them are so fucking good though)

there's no full youtube upload as far as I know so I'm putting the soundcloud one.

[boysplanetrecaps]

Boys Planet Episode 6, Part 1 Recap

Alright, let’s cover Episode 6 with my usual mix of commentary, thoughts, analysis, reminders, screen caps, and silliness. 

By the way, I’m trying to keep my page a safe place to visit (or follow) even if you’re way behind-- I’ll make sure there are no spoilers above the “read more”. 

If you want to jump to my take on one of the songs click below:

Gang and Zoom

Home and Love Killa

Law and Man in Love

Rush Hour

Limousine

Feel Special

Not Spring

Butterfly

Tomboy

We start at 45 seconds in with a partial ranking, including votes so far (no distinction is made between K and G votes, or if these have already been blended using MNET math). Since 28 is the new cut off, this range may be of interest to us Star Creators. Here’s what they tell us, and I threw in their mission song and their rank as of the elimination in the previous episode:

24 Lee Seung Hwan Danger 507,3381   (20)

25 Cai Jin Xin Hot Sauce 419,853  (50) 

26 Ollie Hot Sauce 405,996  (28)

27 Hiroto Very Nice 389,175  (21)

28 Ma Jing Xiang Very Nice 366,570 (32)

29 Lee Jeong Hyeon LMR 349,008 (39)

30 Mun Jung Hyun Very Nice 336,421 (23)

31 Anthonny LMR 285,564  (19)

32 Jung Min Gyu Very Nice 266,096 (27)

None of the top 18 from the previous ranking has fallen into this range (though for all we know they could have fallen further, though it seems unlikely). Most of them are roughly where they were before, though the biggest story is definitely Cai Jin Xin, who was 50th at the first elimination and has jumped to 25th. It’s also worth noting that Anthonny has fallen from 19th to 31st -- kind of a big fall in context. 

Next, we can skip past the intro and recap to 1:39. The trainees are gathering to talk about their feelings… sort of. Because really this is a prank, and the staff has this woman made up to look like a scary ghost appear in front of them, and then when they run backward, a man in an obvious mask rush at them from behind. I don’t really love pranks, so I’ll focus on stuff I do enjoy: 

I like how the boys seem to be sitting in sort of random groups, not all K or all G, and they seem comfortable with each other. I hate the K-G competition stuff, and I’m so glad they do too. Like, I worry about the world and how we’re getting along with each other as a planet and stuff like this makes me feel a little better, that the basic spirit of empathy and friendship prevails even when MNET tries to drive a wedge between them.

Haruto is wearing a tiara. 

3. The mask the monster is wearing looks like it cost $3.99 at Family Dollar and I’m kind of here for it

4. Park JiHoo barely reacting to it, saying, “I told you, they totally would do this! They had to do scary stuff!” Ok, Park JiHoo, you just won me over. 

5:02 in, the episode actually starts! 

The boys all come in, and now they’re all wearing simple long sleeved white t-shirts that either say K or G, along with name tags that have their rank and name on them. I’m going to reproduce their current name and ranks here, so if at any time you are feeling like “who is that?” you can consult the list. They’re all wearing name tags with their numbers on them, so it’ll be easy enough, I hope! 

The white shirts don’t look good on any of them. Also, they all look tired. They’ve been instructed by the producers to wonder aloud about who the new star master will be (I assume). Kim Tae Rae is hoping it’ll be Hyolyn (from Sistar), and I mean, yes? That’d be great. 

But it’s Huta (Lee Minhyuk) from BTOB! A lot of the trainees seem really overwhelmed, especially Cha Woongki, who is freaking out, Kermit-meme style. For the record,  BToB debuted in 2012, and Huta was born in 1990. I liked his song “Ya” a few years back. He also has a song called “Boom” that I’d never heard but it’s got a great pre-chorus. He likes to go shirtless sometimes, and it seems like the people like it, judging by the “most played” sections of his videos. Side note: BTOB is signed under Cube, which is the same agency that Hui and his group Pentagon are from, so Huta is probably a sunbae/hyung to Hui. They don't seem to greet each other, though, so who knows.

Huta checks in with international sweetheart, Sung Hanbin, about how he feels about being ranked first place (“It made me think I should work harder from now on!”) and then checks in with Jeong I-chan, ranked 52nd, about how he feels barely having made it (“I’ll work harder from now on!”). Huta tells them all, basically, to never give up, or something, and they’re all touched. Now that everyone has decided to work harder, let’s give them a challenge!

Side note: Jeong I-chan seems to be in a better headspace now than he was at the elimination ceremony, so that’s good. 

Huta reveals the challenge: A Dual Position Battle. 

For the “Vocal & Rap” performances, they have to rearrange a song and write new raps.

For the “Vocal & Dance” performances, they have to rearrange the song and come up with their own choreography.  

For the “Rap & Dance” performances, they have to write a new rap and come up with new choreography. 

Considering that very few of these performers are likely to know how to do any of these skills, this is going to be a challenge. It’s especially cruel to expect non-native speakers of Korean to write a rap in Korean -- I wonder if they’re allowed to write a rap in English, if they speak that? Enough raps in K-pop songs are 50%+ in English that it wouldn't be unrealistic for them to write in English. I mean, risky risky wiggy wiggy this is an emergency, you know? 

Huta says, “the dual position battle will also be a battle between K and G,” and they’re all like SELMA???? (REALLLY??????) Huta doesn’t even have the heart (or cue-card reading skills) to drag out the joke, and almost immediately tells them that no, he was just kidding -- they can completely ignore the K/G divide from now on. They are all super happy to hear that. I’m happy, too!

The songs are:

Vocal & rap:

Tomboy, originally by G-Idle; Limousine originally by BE’O, which I admit I wasn't familiar with; Man in Love originally by Infinite, which came out in 2013 and I’m not familiar with; and Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms, originally by High4 and IU. 

They’re all super excited for Tomboy, which was a massive hit. The older trainees remember Man in Love, but the younger ones have never even heard of it.  

Vocal & Dance

Butterfly, originally by BTS; Feel Special originally by Twice; Love Killer originally by Monsta X; Home by Seventeen

At the announcement of the Twice song, Cha Woongki starts doing the choreo, and Seo Won says, “are you ready for the group of queens?” which is important foreshadowing. You guys, I am not going to speculate on anyone’s sexuality, especially since in Korea, being gay is still considered a mental illness by many, but I will say that a lot of guys on this show are surprisingly comfortable with their feminine side, and I’m here for it! Zhang Shai Bo is losing it, since Feel Special is his favorite song of all time, and I mean, same. 

Love Killer is also my favorite song of all time. It was my ring tone for a long time until my fella got sick of my phone saying “Oh, I’m sorry, did I make you anxious?” every time someone tried to reach me about my car's extended warranty. 

Side note: Krystian seems to have redone his hair a bit, dying it a bit darker and dying his eyebrows brown again, and it looks miles better. I’m glad to see it. 

Rap & Dance

Law by Yoon Mi Rae and Bibi; Rush Hour by Crush; Zoom by Jessi; and Gang by H1ghr music. 

The trainees are overwhelmed at the idea of trying to improve on a song by Bibi, which is the correct way to feel, since Bibi is a goddess who walks amongst us. Rush Hour was already sung by Jay and Kamden in the Star Level Test, and no one wants to compete with Jay’s vocals. 

At the reveal of Zoom, Takuto says, IN KOREAN, to Haruto, “I like this song so much I set it as my morning alarm.” Two things: Takuto, you learned a lot of Korean! His pronunciation sounds good to me, not that I’m the best judge, but yeah. He could be speaking Japanese to Japanese-speaking Haruto, but he’s choosing Korean -- that’s big. Also, Takuto likes Jessi? That’s a relief, because I can’t take someone who is all aegyo all the time. 

My little cousin Kum Jung Hyeon says he’ll never do Gang, never-never-cherlte-cherlte, so you know he’ll end up doing it. 

At 15:10 in, Huta begins to explain how song selection will work, and basically, it’s this -- the lowest ranked people go first, and choose a song, but if someone higher ranked wants to push them out, they can. If you get pushed out, you have to go to a song that has room in it. Unlike in previous seasons, the arrival of a newer person doesn’t automatically kick out the lowest ranked person, though. Instead, the new person chooses the person they want to kick out. So this will be extra awkward. 

The members of the team that wins within each category will get 100,000 points each, and the one who gets the most votes within that team will also get 150,000 extra points. Also, the three teams that win get to go on MNET and get special online promotion. 

Since MNET spent their whole budget on those matching pajamas that time, this is the best they can do for a set for the song selection process, which runs from about 17:00 to 31:00. 

Is that duct tape forming the lanes? I love the chandeliers just sort of hanging there from the ceiling, just the perfect compliment for that elementary-school style indestructible gray carpet. 

I’m not going to recap the song selection beat for beat, but here are some things I enjoyed or thought were interesting:

Tomboy is the most popular and fought over song, followed closely by Love Killa.  

Krystian got a real evil edit for pushing someone out -- they were all pushing each other out like that, but only he looks "evil."

The Rap/dance songs filled up the most slowly.

I loved Ma Xing Jiang confirming that he’s in front of the correct song by doing a little of the choreo (since maybe reading English isn’t a specialty of his).

I think it’s a bummer that Yoon Jong Woo can’t do Love Killa, since I think he’d suit it really well. But I don’t know why he chose to do Home -- he said he wanted to do a performance with Seung Eun, but I still don’t understand. 

It was also a bit sad when Ricky got kicked out of Love Killa, party because I think he’d be great at it and partly because he really wanted to work with Mr. Sexy Kim Ji Woong.

I don’t think Matthew should have taken Tomboy. I think he would have done better with a lighter, sweeter concept song.

I loved it when my little cousin Kum Jeong Hyun just wanted to have General Gunwook on his own team and so was begging Sungbin to kick out Gunwook 

I loved Lee SeungHwan just being like, "yeah, alright, I’ll rap and dance, heck yeah," when he got kicked out of his team. That’s the spirit, dude! I keep low-key forgetting who Lee SeungHwan is, so I double checked. He was on the Mirotic team for the Star Level test, and he was the put-upon and hard-working leader of Lee Da Eul’s very own personal song, Danger by BTS. Oh yeah! Him! He’s a peach. 🍑

We learn, via a subtitle that is hardly addressed, that our sweet Lee Hwanhee, the main vocalist from Kill This Love-K (who is also from the nugu group Up10tion), has left the show due to health issues. I hope he’s ok. He can still sing, at least!

We also find out that the Top 9 get these fairly ugly windbreaker jackets to wear, so that’s... good…? I guess...? Also, I wonder if these fine themed garments are available for purchase at a store near me at an unreasonable price, so I can show my love for the boys through consumerism.

Team: Love Killa

Shirt color: Dark blue

Positions: Vocal and Dance

Leader: Seok Matthew

Time stamp: 30:49 Screen time: 4:28

Trainee name (rank)   Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Seok Matthew (2) All I Wanna Do / KTL - G 20 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Kim Ji Woong (3) Mirotic / BD- K 24 ⭐⭐⭐ Kim Gyu Vin (6) Kick It / LMR - K 18 ⭐⭐⭐ Seo Won (18) Attention / Very Nice - K 22 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Seo Won feels bad as the only non-top 9 on the team -- he’s worried he will drag the team down. 

Matthew wants to be the leader to prove he’s not a baby who needs to be taken care of. I get the feeling that Kim Ji Woong doesn’t really like being the leader, and is only too happy to hand over the reins.  

When it comes time to pick someone for the killing part, English pronunciation becomes an issue, and Matthew correctly says that the feeling matters more than pronunciation since they can always work on pronunciation later. They give the part to Kim Ji Woong, which is really a good call, though I think Kim Gyuvin would do a great job at it too. 

Team: Feel Special

Shirt color: Light Blue

Positions: Vocal and Dance

Leader: Cai Jin Xin

Time stamp: 35:19 Screen time: 2:31

Trainee name (rank)   Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Cha Woong Ki (25) Bloom Bloom / Very Nice - K 20 ⭐⭐ Zhang Shuai Bo (36) Reveal / BD - G 21 ⭐ Lee Dong Gun (48) Criminal (shoes) / Hot Sauce - K 17 ⭐⭐ Cai Jin Xin (50) Reveal / Hot Sauce - G 19 🚫

Cai Jin Xin says, “I love our team,” in English, and (a) his English is really well pronounced and (b) me too!! Woongki says the team is well balanced, because they have two G and two K team members. Also, as Jin Xin points out, “only the pretty guys are here.” I will say that this seems to be the Team Full of Queens that Seo Won prophesied earlier, and again, I am totally here for it. 

They are realizing that it might be a tough job, because they’re all comparatively low ranked, and also, the music is really high pitched. They are given a version of the song in a lower key, but I feel like they could lower it further, right? They are allowed to rearrange the song. Because it’s so high, no one wants the main vocal, or even a normal amount of stage time. Woongki, who seems to be taking on an actual leadership role in addition to the Killing Part, encourages the others to be confident, saying that this might be their last stage so they should take the chance to stand in the center one more time. He interviews later on that he’s never had to beg people to take parts before!  

Team: Home

Shirt color: Black

Positions: Vocal and Dance

Leader: Yoon Jong Woo

Time stamp: 37:50 Screen time: 4:02

Trainee name (rank)   Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Jay (9) Rush Hour / LMR - G 21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Yoo Seung Eon (17) Kick It / Very Nice - K 19 ⭐⭐⭐ Dang Hong Hai (33) View / LMR - G 19 ⭐⭐⭐ Yoon Jong Woo (38) Mirotic / BD - K 22 ⭐ Ji Yun Seo (47) Kick It / BD - K 18 ⭐⭐⭐

They’re distributing the parts, which of course is tricky here since there are a lot of great vocalists on this team. Ji Hoon is still really really bummed to not get to work on Love Killa, but he’s consoled a bit by getting to work with a good team who seem to all respect and like him. 

The original choreo is a lot, and the chorus is really high. Naturally they give the main vocals to titanium voiced Yoo Seung Eon whose voice is like, Exo quality. I love Kim Tae Rae, but I have to admit that Seung Eon is the best vocalist on the show, better even than Hui. 

The team is trying to decide who will take which dance position, so they dance to “Na bina”, which is kind of funny.

Team: Butterfly

Shirt color: White

Positions: Vocal and Dance

Leader: Chen Kuan Jui

Time stamp: 41:52 Screen time: 3:45

Trainee name (rank)   Star Level test /Challenge 1 age final star level

Chen Kuan Jui (26) Tiger Inside / KTL - G 22 ⭐⭐⭐ Lim Jun Seo (30) Replay/ Danger - K 17 ⭐ Cong (35) View / Very Nice - G 22 ⭐⭐⭐ Brian (41) Kick It - G / BD - G 20 ⭐

This team has a nice sense of camaraderie. 

Lim Jun Seo is lacking in skills, and is open about that, which I have mixed feelings about. Honesty is good, but you need to have a positive attitude. The other boys on the team promise to help him -- Chen Kaun Jui offers to help him with his dancing, and Cong offers to help with his singing, saying, in Korean, “I too. Vocal.” Jun Seo replies by calling him “hyung,” which makes Cong smile. Cong’s Korean is obviously still a bit elementary; that’s not a criticism, just a note. I have all the sympathy in the world for the global trainees who don’t know Korean. 

Incidentally, we see in a flashback that Lee Da Eul volunteered both of them to go first on the first day, and he did that knowing that Jun Seo did NOT want to go first, and I’ll let all 2-3 of you reading this decide for yourself whether that’s a cool thing to do or not.

Anyway, they are trying to decide who gets the killing part based on freestyle dance, and Jun Seo is like, so we’ll learn the choreo quickly? And it’s like, no honey, no, you sweet child. Once he realizes what freestyle means, he’s out. I’m like, “Just give the killing part to CKJ already, because you know he deserves it,” and they do.

I hate that the story is mostly about Jun Seo, instead of being about the far more talented Chen Kuan Jui. I didn’t like CKJ much at first that much for whatever reason, but he’s grown on me a lot. I think he’s sweet, hard working, and an incredible dancer. I don’t think he’ll make it onto the final lineup, but I hope we keep seeing him around the kpop verse. 

Team: Gang

Shirt color: Black

Positions: Rap and Dance

Leader: Lee Seung Hwan🍑

Time stamp: 45:32 Screen time: 2:08 

Trainee name (rank)   Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Kum Jun Hyeon (14) Nunu Nana BD - K 19 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Lee Seung Hwan🍑 (20) Mirotic Danger - K 22 ⭐⭐⭐ Mun Jung Hyun (23) The Real Very Nice - K 17 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Lee Jeong Hyeon (39) The Real LMR - K 20 ⭐⭐⭐ Chen Jian Yu (45) Call Me Baby BD - G 24 ⭐

This team consists of mostly people who got kicked out of the song they wanted. So, their spirits are kind of low. My little cousin and noted yeller Kum Jun Hyeon is bummed out -- he really wanted that bleepin’ Tomboy. And none of them have any experience making choreo. I do think that my little muffin Mun Jung Hyun knows something about rapping, and that maybe Lee Jeong Hyeon does too, so fingers crossed. 

Side note: Chen Jian Yu looks great with his current hair color. Miles better than the light blue and also better than the dark color he had in the Star Level Test. 

No one steps forward to make the choreo, so my little cousin Kum Jun Hyeon finally steps up, saying, “Although I can’t guarantee the quality, if I didn’t do it, I didn’t think anyone else could do it.” I find that very charming. Fighting, little cuz!  

WHAT KIND OF PERFORMANCE WILL THEY PREPARE???? We’ll find out… 

Team: Zoom

Shirt color: Dark blue

Positions: Rap and Dance

Leader: Keita

Time stamp: 47:40 Screen time: 2:37

Trainee name (rank)   Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Keita (8) Conduct Zero /KTL - G 21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Haruto (16) Glitch Mode/ LMR - G 18 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Ollie (28) Kick It - G /Hot Sauce - G 16 🚫 Wumuti (43) UN Village/ LMR - G 23 ⭐⭐ Park Hyunbeen (49) GBTB/ Hot Sauce - K 17 ⭐⭐⭐

Keita, who is really feeling himself, says that he likes the song and wanted to do it, and adds, “I thought things would go well if I came to lead this team, regardless of whoever came or was here already.” Like, he’s not wrong. 

Naturally, they make him leader -- I knew that as soon as I saw that he was on the team. 

And they start practicing the Killing Part -- it’s that beginning part, “I see you looking at my P-I-C,” and they all want it. Hyunbeen says that they’re all wary and competitive with each other, and he’s especially desperate to win the extra points because of his low rank. He wins the killing part, though, so he’s over the moon. Oh god, are the judges going to tell his team to give the killing part to someone else?  

Team: Law

Shirt color: White

Positions: Rap and Dance

Leader: Park Hanbin

Time stamp: 50:17 Screen time: 2:06

Trainee name (rank)   Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Han Yu Jin (4) Kick It BD - K 15 ⭐⭐⭐ Park Hanbin (22) The Real Hot Sauce - K 20 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Wang Zi Hao (29) Veil KTL - G 21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Na Kamden (31) Rush Hour BD - G 21 ⭐⭐⭐ Lee Ye Dam (42) Gambler LMR - K 20 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This team is excited to be working together at first -- both Wang Zi Hao and Lee Yedam are among the very best dancers on the show. However, most of them are not really rappers -- they’re just vocalists. Park Hanbin says, “I rap like I’m reading a book.” Hey, we saw Lee Yedam rap in his Star Level test, and he was really good! But they’re worried anyway -- most of them don’t specialize in rapping and they don’t know how to write lyrics. Oh no! A lot of trainees I really like are on this team. Well, to be fair, I like almost all the trainees at this point, so I could say that about pretty much any of the teams. 

It does seem that Na Kamden has some vague idea of how to write rap, at least. That’s really all you need -- one person who can write a rap and teach it to the others. Fighting, Kamden! Yujin steps up, too, saying, “I did learn a bit about rap.” Meanwhile, the other three can make the choreo. They’re going to get through it! 

Side note: Did they make Han Yujin at the same laboratory where they made Sung Hanbin? Do they also make purse sized dragons there? Little dragons that will love you and be loyal to you? Is that the kind of thing they also make at this laboratory? I hope I can visit there someday. 

Team: Rush Hour

Shirt color: Light Blue

Positions: Rap and Dance

Leader: Oh Sungmin

Time stamp: 52:23 Screen time: 2:57

Trainee name (rank)   Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Ricky (12) Kick It - G /BD - G 18 ⭐⭐ Takuto (15) Instead Of... /Danger - G 15 ⭐ Hiroto (21) Conduct Zero /Very Nice - G 20 ⭐⭐ Ma Jing Xiang (32) Reveal /Very Nice - G 19 🚫 Oh Sung Min (34) Bloom Bloom /LMR - K 21 ⭐⭐⭐

By the time we visit them, they’re already dancing. We can see from their sign thing in the background that Ricky has the Killing Part, and is both main dancer and main rapper; and we watch as Oh Sungmin is unanimously voted the leader. He’s the oldest, he used to be in a debuted group (TOO/T01) and he’s also the only 3 star (and there aren’t any 4 stars). So, that makes sense. But it does seem odd to me to be starting the choreography when they haven’t written their raps yet…?

Naturally, it’s hard to teach Takuto. You can see that he’s doing the steps more like they’re the steps from “Na Bina.” Sungmin is trying -- he even says “Daijobou?” to Takuto, which is Japanese for “Ok?” -- but he’s going too fast for someone like Takuto, and he’s going to need to break it down a LOT more. 

Meanwhile, Ma Jing Xiang is trying to move ahead, and there’s an interview from Hiroto about how MJX is just “thinking about himself,” how he did the same thing in Very Nice, trying to learn the choreo from the K-team who were so far ahead. Ricky apparently is studying the choreography video, and again, we’re told that this is bad, but why? Ricky speaks a few languages and is a kind soul, and I bet he’s trying to learn the choreo at least in part to be able to help his teammates. But the show makes this looks selfish, and Oh Sungmin interviews, “We need to work on our teamwork first.” 

I don’t understand this take. Why does the word “teamwork” seem to mean “We have to get Takuto step-perfect on each dance phrase before the team can go to the next phrase”? Couldn’t teamwork mean, “We work on different things to get the whole job done”? Doesn’t it only benefit the team to have more people who know the choreo and music in general? While Takuto does the same 10 steps over and over, why should the whole team do that? Especially considering that Takuto is in the safety zone, rank wise, while MJX is definitely not and needs to do everything in his power to put on a good show. Takuto can go ahead and screw this up and he’ll still probably make it through the next elimination round. And that’s a bummer, but that’s how these shows are. 

Ok, let me out myself. I’m a teacher. WHAT? Yeah. I am. I don’t work at a school -- I teach adults, who sometimes are older than me, as well as teenagers and little kids. It’s a weird job and I’m not YOUR teacher so don’t worry about it, ok? Alright. So we go that out of the way. And the thing about being a good teacher is that you have a responsibility to the students who are ahead just as much as to the students who are behind, and a lot of teachers don’t know how to fulfill that obligation.

And it’s not really Oh Sungmin’s fault that he doesn’t know how to be a really great teacher, but I think that if I were there, I’d advise him to not worry right now about Takuto getting the choreo perfect. It’s going to take a lot of work before that happens, and it’s not going to be today. They should be going for the big picture, and making sure that everyone has a chance to get the basics of their routine down so that it becomes possible for people to do individual practice later. It’s like putting together the frame of the jigsaw puzzle first, and then putting together the pieces in the middle. The frame helps you get started and know where to put the other pieces.

Ok that was probably more than you cared to read but anyway. That’s how I feel. This is dumb and irritating. 

On to the next team! 

Team: Man in Love

Shirt color: Dark blue

Positions: Vocal and Rap

Leader: Lee Dong Yeol

Time stamp: 55:20

Screen time: 3:10

Trainee name (rank)   Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Kim Tae Rae (11) The Real BD - K 20 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Jung Min Gyu (27) My House (Red) Very Nice - K 23 🚫 Lee Dong Yeol (40) Who Very Nice - K 24 ⭐ Choi Woo Jin (51) Nunu Nana Hot Sauce - K 18 ⭐

They’ve elected Dongyeol, who is a member of the group Up10tion, their leader, and that makes sense. 

The team is sitting around listening to the song, and Mingyu is saying it’s nostalgic for him, and WAIT is that a hickey on TaeRae’s neck?

I mean it’s not. Is it? It’s not. It can’t be. But also, whoever makes out with TaeRae, please be gentle to his neck, ok? That’s where he keeps his singing parts. He needs those. For singing. 

Anyway, the team is talking about how much they like the song. Mingyu and Dongyeol, age 23 and 24 respectively, remember and like the song, while Tae Rae didn’t know it before but liked it when he heard it prior to song selection. Tae Rae thinks it suits his voice well, and Mingyu agrees, interviewing that he’s grateful that Tae Rae joined the team. I'm grateful that Tae Rae joined life!

They each try the killing part, and Dongyeol sings a bit, and his voice is actually much better than I thought it was, though he cracks a bit. When he’s done, no one reacts, so he applauds a tiny bit for himself until everyone else joins in. Aww. Then TaeRae sings and it’s so nice. It’s just… yeah. Listen, I know that titanium voice kid, Yoo Seung Eon, has a better voice, but I like TaeRae’s better. It’s like how Chen from EXO has a better voice than D.O., but I’d rather listen to D.O. 

Meanwhile, Choi Woojin is having trouble even finding the note to sing. I’m kind of surprised he chose vocals, but maybe he was scared to write a rap? In that case, what is he good at? I watched his Hot Sauce and Nunu Nana performances, and he was basically a backup dancer in both -- he doesn’t seem to be a vocalist in any way, either as a singer or a rapper. What a bummer that we lost Hong Keon Hee and Kim Min Seong, because both of those were in the Nunu Nana group with him and both did a much better job in their various performances. 

Red house Mingyu sings really really loud, apparently, and Woojin sings very quietly, so this will be tough. 

Team: Limousine

Shirt color: Light blue

Positions: Vocal and Rap

Leader: Anthonny

Time stamp: 58:30 Screen time: 1:27

Trainee name (rank)   Star Level test/Challenge 1 age final star level

Anthonny  (19) Glitch Mode /LMR - G 19 ⭐⭐⭐ Krystian (37) Call Me Baby /BD - G 23 ⭐⭐ Park Ji Hoo (44) Freak /Hot Sauce - K 16 ⭐⭐⭐

Anthonny has been elected leader, but Park Jihoo ends up kind of stepping up to lead. He suggests that they think about what the song is really about -- it’s about a man achieving his dreams. They’re working on achieving their own dreams, so he thinks they can focus on that in their raps. 

Trainees writing raps about how they’re trainees who want to debut? 

Krystian is on his Very Best Behavior, and calls Jihoo, “Park Jihoo-shi,” which is kind of ridiculous given that Jihoo is seven years younger than him. He would still be polite in Korean standards to call him “Jihoo-ah” or something like that, and I bet he knows that. 

Krystian calls him “mature” (in English), and since he can’t find the right word in Korean, explains it as, “you know what you’re doing.” And Jihoo agrees: “Genius, genius,” he says in English, of himself. Jihoo is a hoot. 

(Incidentally, Jihoo says he’s 18, because he uses the Korean age system, which says you’re a year old at birth, and that also calculates your age based on the year it is, whether or not your birthday has happened yet. So he’s really 16, and will be turning 17 in July, by international standards.)

Team: Not Spring, Love, or Cherry Blossoms

Shirt color: Black

Positions: Vocal and Rap

Leader: Jung I Chan

Time stamp: 59:57 Screen time: one whole minute

Trainee name (rank)   Star Level test /Challenge 1 age final star level

Lee Da Eul (13) Replay /Danger - K 18 🚫 Bak Do Ha (24) My House (Blue)/ Hot Sauce - K 20 🚫 Jung I Chan (52) Mirotic /Danger - K 20 ⭐⭐

Oh boy. This team. MNET gives them exactly one minute of screen time and most of that is just mocking their past performances. 

I think Bak Doha is a decent guy who just needed better advice from his agency and more realistic goals in life, and I hope he makes it as an actor. Jung I-chan has been at this a long time and must have some talent or he wouldn’t keep making it halfway on shows like this, but he’s yet to really prove himself at a key moment. And you guys know how I feel about Lee Daeul -- I don’t like being unkind so I literally cannot say anything about him, whether it be about his personality, past behavior, or observable skill set. It would be such a redemption moment if any of these three could do something great in their performance, but I’m not exactly holding my breath. I’ll say though that I-chan has the best attitude he can have, considering.

Team: Tomboy

Shirt color: White (but basically, purple/blue top-9 jackets)

Positions: Vocal and Rap

Leader: Hui

Time stamp: 1:01:05 Screen time: 5:25, the longest of any team by a full minute

Trainee name (rank)   Star Level test Challenge 1 age final star level

Sung Hanbin (1) Beautiful Beautiful LMR - K 21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Zhang Hao (5) Kick It - G KTL - G 22 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Hui (7) Shut Down LMR - K 29 ⭐⭐⭐ Park Gunwook (10) GBTB KTL - K 18 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This team is a little TOO stacked. Three of them are top 9, and General Gunwook is in 10th place. They have three excellent leaders on the team -- Hui, Zhang Hao, and Gunwook would all make excellent leaders. And they have three excellent candidates for a center/killing part roll - basically, anyone but Hui would do a fantastic job at it. (Not that Hui can’t, but the others are that bit better.)

Gunwook says, “You can’t have a better team than this. As if I were Liu Bei, who gained Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, my shoulders kept rising.”

Ok, a few things about this. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen Koreans talk about “shoulders rising” as if that indicates pride or confidence -- maybe it’s a bit like “holding your head up high” in English idiom. Makes intuitive sense, too.  

Next, it’s as if General Gunwook knows that I call him General Gunwook, because he’s making a reference to Liu Bei. Lui Bei was a Chinese warlord (born in the year 166) who founded Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. Liu Bei gathered a team together during the Yellow Turban Revolution of 184, which I’m sure you already know all about, and gathered a group of loyal followers, including Guan Yu and  Zhang Fei. So Gunwook is positing himself as a Warlord Emperor, and his teammates as his loyal generals. Love it.

The show seems to be implying that Gunwook is a little too solicitous of his team, fetching the lyric sheet and getting pens for them and stuff, but that’s what you do when you’re a polite younger person in Korean culture, and Gunwook is a polite guy. Of course he’ll get a pen for someone who is 11 years older than him! 

Zhang Hao says that Gunwook was scary in Kill This Love, but now he’s a cute and sweet dongsaeng (younger sibling/friend). He seems genuinely surprised, but I’m not at all. Gunwook expands to fill the space -- if no leader is present, he’ll lead, and if one is present, he’ll follow. He’s a General, but he recognizes Hui as a Major General, and will follow commands.  He’s also smart and wouldn’t want to look like a rude kid on TV! 

Zhang Hao really wants the killing part, and so do Sung Hanbin and Hui. I think Zhang Hao is by far the best, and General Gunwook agrees with me, but the win goes to Sung Hanbin. That’s kind of a bummer but given how popular he is I guess it’ll work out well for the team. Zhang Hao is a class act -- he’s bummed, but he knows that Hanbin is also really good. So he sets himself the challenge of being able to rap quickly in Korean, reasoning that if Yuqi from G-Idle can do it, so can he! Hanbin is helping him and he’s improving already. Zhang Hao, fighting! 

Side note: Kind of funny that they’re not acknowledging that Hui is from the same agency (Cube) that G-Idle is from. Hui probably knows Soyeon and Yuqi and the girls, at least in passing. I kind of wonder whether Hui and Soyeon get along? They’re both music producers who lead their teams and take responsibility for their members, so they have all that in common. On the other hand, sometimes people don’t like each other if they’re too much alike. Man, imagine if Soyeon and Hui teamed up, Triple-H style? Or even better, just a Pentagon/G-Idle crossover group, NCT style, where they just use whichever members from either group that would work in a particular song? Sigh. A girl can dream. 

And with that, we’ve reached the end of this part of the Recap! Click here to go to Part 2, which is my discussion of Gang and Zoom!

Or if you'd prefer, you can scroll up to the top and look at one of the other songs! Or if you'd prefer, you can go on to Episode 8.

Thanks for being here! <3

[monocotyledons]

initial reactions to minisode 3: tomorrow

(these are copy-pasted from my twitter so they're bite-sized. also, i did not listen to the album preview or title track snippet so these are all fresh listens)

1. i'll see you there tomorrow omg funky retro sound... not what i expected from the title but i'm digging it so far! everyone sounds so smooth, i'm grooving to this. those instrumental breaks are great

2. the morse code title as i expected it's literally just tomorrow in morse code. lmao

3. deja vu OHH I LOVE THE HEIGHTENED DRAMA OF THAT CHORUS!! the previews weren't kidding abt yeonjun's voice shining but i also love soobin in the 2nd verse. that said, i feel like the song length is holding this back from being truly great - like it's good as it is, but i feel like with a prechorus and a bridge it could be worthy to rival 0x1 lovesong

4. miracle mmm a dreamy pop-rock midtempo song, this is my taste HAHAHA plus a yeonjun rap in the middle + taehyun adlibs!! reminds me a bit of an edgier skipping stones, or a gentler dear sputnik. this would be amazing at concerts

5. the killa (i belong to you) i was lukewarm on tinnitus but i already like this more HAHA this is smoother-sounding and more dynamic, i see why yeonjun + soobin were chosen for this track! very sultry in a subdued way

6. quarter life omg this sounds very... 2010s??? and i'm not sure if it's in a way i like or not. taegyukai sound great and very earnest but the production sounds so stereotypical 2010s anthem which i'm very ehhhh on. another song that would benefit from being longer imo, a proper bridge + final chorus + outro instrumental would send this soaring

7. deja vu (anemoia remix) oh dear lord i adore this instrumental already just from the intro lol. i really like this, it ties the song nicely to its pop-rock sisters in txt's discography

first listen thoughts: it's a solid album with polished and varied sounds but ngl i was hoping for something fuller & more immersive esp with the insane concept pics and promo. the shorter song lengths really hold it back from being something i can fully absorb.

first listen faves are i'll see you there tomorrow and the killa, i'll see how i feel after a few more listens

[scarytheory]

James Bond theme songs but make it kpop

I love connecting all my hyperfixations! So I present to you some amazing kpop songs that could serve as James Bond theme songs. It's mostly about vibes.

Taeyeon – LOL

It's giving Garbage's World is not Enough. So sultry, Taeyeon's voice is so smooth (and perfect!) and it's basically everything you need from a Bond song.

Boys Planet – Over Me

Did I seriously pick a song from a reality show??? Yes, I did.

BTS – House of Cards

How is this NOT a theme for Casino Royale? Lyrics couldn't be more fitting and I love a staging of this performance.

Or Jungkook's new song 7 about fucking seven days a week, that's also very James Bond coded.

Stray Kids – Red Lights

Literally a perfect song for a toxic villain/lover in a Bond universe. MV can serve as an inspiration for the next Bond film. (PLEASE)

(G)I–dle – Oh my God

I think this is very modern and fresh for James Bond and I'd love something like this in the film. MV is visually kinda similar to some Bond intros. I like how queer all is ("she showed me all the stars" like hello??? no heterosexual explanation for it). And I want Soyeon to be the next James Bond, thank you.

Monsta X – Beautiful Liar

This feels like You know my name (especially the start with that guitar). Just good rock vibes, great vocals, intensity. Monsta X has a great discography, Love Killa would be also a great choice for a Bond film.

Toxic but I like it…

HA:TFELT – Bond

Not the most sophisticated lyrics, but hey! It's fun! Mr. Bond oh oh seven! You cute little devil.

[colorisbyshe]

👀 so did you isten to any good and new music in april

i was gonna hold off and wait until jessie ware's album released tonight to make this post but i THINK im gonna want to do a mini live-blog of that album and this post is already massive enough as is sooo

April Faves!

Newly Released:

"High Life" by Bloc Party. Fun vibes. Very relaxed and I think is quite great for the warmer weather and driving with the windows down. Great riffs in this song.

"Dead Wood" by Enter Shikari. Enter Shikari is a weird band for me because I was SUUUPER into their original demos that you could download off like... mypace? And then I forgot they existed. Until this album? So that's CRAZY that they're still here it's been 15 years since I cared about them. Anyways, this song is like... kinda theatrical and WEIRD but not in a theatrical way. It has a bunch of string instruments and a sense of foreboding, I like it. One of the more "for beginners" track on a fairly experimental album. Need to listen to the album more cause I'm unsure if this is my favorite. "Bloodshot" is a great combo of more high speed electronic influences crashing their more hardcore influences. Dubstep energy without the dubstep.

"Be the One" by Bree Runway and Khalid. Radio friendly song of the summer. Vocal chemistry off the charts. Just sweet and soothing.

"GLBTM (Studio Outtakes)" by Daft Punk. Made me cry. I miss Daft Punk so fucking much. Beautiful instrumental.

"冷たい風 (30 Universe Ver)" by Penicillin. Jrock, if you couldn't tell by the Japanese title. It's okay if you don't like listening to non-English music but plEASE listen to the guitar shredding at ~2:27.

"Angel" by Shygirl and Fatima Al Qadiri. ETHEREAL AND HAUNTING.

"Coup" by Frost Children. Earlier, I made a post about how my music taste is getting worse... this album and this song inspired that post. The Medic Droid meets 100 Gecs. Just stupid electronic music it's EMBARRASSING. "Angel's Thoughts" is also an electro banger.

Choosing a song off the new Buck-Tick album is hard. It's all a banger to me but I suppose I really love Namonaki Watashi and the contrast between the way the instrumental feeling like it's sparkling and the strong emphasis of his vocals. Scarecrow is also great, just has a nice intensity throughout the whole thing.

"Midnight Dreams" by Ellie Goulding. Putting out a disco-inspired dance album in the same month as Jessie Ware was BRAVE but I think this album is pretty refreshing. It's just extremely proficient at being... a dance album Ellie Goulding would make, y'unno?

"I'll Remember for Me, I'll Remember for You" by Yaeji. An odd choice from this album, since it's more an interlude than a full song. But I just love that it's this moment of calm on an experimental, erratic and yet there's a creeping sense of... wariness over it all.

"D N D" by Apink. The only Kpop on the list so far?? Grown women showing off vocals while feeling like cotton candy.

"Vinglevingle" by Heize. More kpop except it has more a 2010s eurodance vibe but like... matured.

Came out 3/30 but that is April to me. "Zodiac Killa" by Jean Deaux. This is the type of song to play during a montage of a woman driving across the country, running over men, stopping to ransack jewelry stores, before reuniting with her lover, another woman on horseback.

Honorary Mentions:

"Say it to Me" by Otto Knows. It's a dance track. You know how it is.

"She Don't Mind" by Karencici. I could see Tinashe doing this song except it's largely in mandarin, so like... if Tinashe could sing in mandarin. Talking about Tinashe, it's not her best track, but "Who's Taking You Home" with Kyle is solid enough and also from this month.

"Isumad (Lakim Remix)" by Cookiee Kawaii. I liked this entire album but I choose this one just for having a run time over 3 minutes, a rarity for her! Funky remix. Another take on a nostalgia sound but modernized perfectly.

De De Mouse put out multiple releases, they're good. Check out De De Mouse in generic if you want like... annime OPs/EDs ramped up by funk and other more experimental influences.

Technically came out 3/31 but WHATEVER. "Vampire" by Kvi Baba, the Trigun Stampede OP guy.

Not Released in April:

"Writhe" by Daine. 100 gecs but more emo.

"Over You" by Daddy DJ. Sorry... Daddy DJ really is just like... comfort music at this point. Peak 2000s dance music.

"Mercurial" by Silica Gel, a korean rock band. Love the vocal effect for this song. Just love the resonating nature.

"Wings of Time" by Tame Impala, the song they did for Dungeons and Dragons. Throwback roooooock sound. Blare it with the windows down while driving past a beach at sunset. Trust me it's a vibe.

Revisited a looot of Utada this month. "Michi" remains a bop that stuck with me this month. Just good, mature jpop. Not alone not alone not alone!

Rest in Peace Ryuichi Sakamato. There's many songs to really attribute to such an influential figure but sometimes all you need is a straightforward song like Rain.

"Broken Mirror" by Boom Boom Satelittes is some Jrock tha tFUCKS