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ancha-aus · 2 months ago

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RealAgeAU Drabble - Peace & Quiet (End)

You read that right. This is the last drabble in the series (official ending. I may still end up writing more but this is where the overall story ends.)

Yes this means I will also start the actual nightmare that is editing this monster (170K words people. Help me.) to eventually post the full and complete version to my AO3 (which you guys will be updated on)

Either way. @spotaus You ready friend? (don't worry. if i even end wriitng more drabbles i will keep adding you)

But yeah.

Once more to learn it off

First Drabble Prev Drabble

No edit or beta as always. One more. to finish it off completely.

*-----------------------------------------------*

The sun is already setting by the time they finally get back home.

Nightmare yawns as he leans heavily against Dust as he watches Killer open the door.

Killer sighs and grins “Home sweet home.” And he walks straight towards the closet to search through it for something. Probably clothes.

Cross nods and turns towards Dust and him and smiles “I will get a bath running for him. You still got him?”

Dust hums in acknowledgement. Nightmare isn’t too surprised. The meeting went on for forever and Nightmare is also tired. He has no doubt that Dust is even more tired as he actually had to interact with everyone and made sure people left Nightmare alone.

Cross shoots them another smile before going inside.

Horror cleans up the things they took along as he goes to warm up some food. All preprepared for this because they all assumed it would run late.

Dust walks inside and joins Nightmare in the kitchen as he waits for Cross to shout the bath is ready.

Nightmare watches as Dsut leans back in the chair and breaths deeply. He looks so tired.

Nightmare feels bad about having wanted to do this whole thing. Sure it made sense to reintroduce him and cement his whole standing and what happened… but it tired his dads out so much… He is being a bother again.

He pushes his skull under Dust’s and mutters “Sorry.”

Dust hums confused and looks at him. waiting.

Nightmare looks down and tugs on the hoody. It was Dust’s old hoody, something about making sure he looked obviously tinier and younger by having him wear that. Nightmare doesn’t care too much. It is comfy and it feels and smells familiar. He loves it.

Ngihtamre manages to find his words “You are all tired… because of the meeting… sorry.”

Dust blinks and snorts as he nuzzles his skull “Not your fault.” And just holds him.

But… they had to have the meeting because of him. Doesn’t that automatically make it his fault?

A few heavier steps and Nightmare feels Horror’s hand pat his skull. Horror speaks softly “We needed to do this meeting either way. No matter the extra reasons. It was the right thing to do concerning what happened with you and Dream. The fact we are tired is to blame on those in the meeting who would not stop asking stupid questions.” Horror sighs with a smile as Dust snorts and nods his agreement.

Nightmare blinks and leans against Dust. He should have known they wouldn’t blame him. They never do. Yet it still surprises him.

Cross walks into the room and smiles “Bath is ready.”

Nightmare frowns at them “Don’t you guys want to bath first?” He can wait a bit longer. The itch on his spine isn’t that bad yet.

Dust just looks unimpressed at him before getting up. He shoots Cross a small smile before Dust takes Nightmare to the bathroom.

Nightmare can already smell the scents of his favourite soaps and feels himself relax a bit. Dust takes care to help him out of the clothes and Nightmare can see a small pile of clean clothes by the side. Seems like that is what Killer had been looking for.

Dust hums as he looks at his spine.

Nightmare waits patiently as his feet are already allowed in the water and he hums happily at how warm the water is.

Dust nuzzles his skull “Going to remove the bandage.”

Nightmare nods as he waits. It is still uncomfortable but it doesn’t hurt as much as it used to anymore. He knows that Dust will be careful and try his best to make it hurt as little as possible and that he will make it better. So Nightmare stays still and lets him remove the bandages.

Dust hums and softly checks his spine “It looks irritated… Why didn’t you say anything?”

Nightmare blinks. Huh… had it been that bad? Nightmare looks down and sees that the whole of his spine is inflamed and red looking “oh…”

Dust’s hands are gentle as he checks everything.

Nightmare tries to think back but ends up just not being able to remember if it really hurt badly “I didn’t… Notice? It is strange but it just doesn’t hurt as much anymore… any discomfort is just easy to ignore?”

Dust frowns “you don’t need to ignore your pain Nightmare.” the hands help him into the water and Nightmare’s breath hitches as he feels his spine act up for a moment before it settling back in bearable again.

Nightmare hums and leans into the hands helping him clean-up “I didn’t mean to? It just kinda… it doesn’t hurt that bad anymore so I guess I just accidentally ignore it? Other stuff was more important today and I focused on that instead.” He didn’t mean to ignore his discomfort. It just happened because stuff was more important today and-

Dust hugs his skull and mutters “Your comfort is more important than some stupid meeting. We only really needed to show our faces. Next time, just tell us even if it gets slightly uncomfortable okay?”

Nightmare blinks and nods as he leans back.

Dust hums and helps him cleanup before helping him out of the water again. He dries him off gently. Dust takes the time to take care of Nightmare’s spine. Nightmare can feel him put on some healing cream on it before putting on clean and new bandages. After that Dust helps him into his warm and soft pyjamas.

Dust picks him up and take shim back to the kitchen where some food is waiting for him already. Nightmare yawns as he just leans against Dust. He honestly doesn’t even want to eat. He just wants to lay in bed together with his dads and watch a movie. Nightmare doesn’t even care which movie. As long as he can lay between them and feel safe.

Still he eats. Horror gets sad when he can’t eat so Nightmare doesn’t like to skip meals.

He rubs his sockets as Killer picks him up. Nightmare looks at him confused before looking around. He likes Killer holding him too. But hadn’t Dust been doing that?

Killer notices and grins “Dust is getting cleaned up and ready for bed himself.”

Nightmare takes a moment and sees that Killer is in his own sleeping wear and he takes him to the nest.

Nightmare hums and leans against Killer as Killer moves blankets and pillows around before sitting down with him. Nightmare turns fully towards Killer and just pushes as close as he can. Killer grins as he lays in the pillows with him “There. All comfy. Ready to sleep?”

Nightmare shakes his skull even as he yawns “No…” another yawn “Want everyone here.”

Killer nods “and they will get here quickly.” A soft nuzzle to his skull.

Nightmare hums as he leans against Killer. He is starting to fall asleep but forces himself to stay awake.

Killer just keeps holding him as he lays back with him.

Some movement and a soft voice “Is he asleep?” it is Cross!

Nightmare turns and goes to answer but yawns instead.

Cross looks guilty as he smiles “Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you up.” Cross rubs his skull.

Nightmare hums as he leans into the touch “Not asleep.” He yawns again “Wanted to wait.” Wait for them all to be here. Snuggle together and… and…. Something else but Nightmare isn’t sure anymore.

Cross nods as he lays nearby “Like this? This better?”

Nightmare nods and a moment later Dust and Horror join them too. They say something about having to clean up and lcok up but Nightmare doesn’t care much.

They are all here.

Nightmare snuggles close to someone, Horror he thinks, and closes his sockets fully. Finally. Time to sleep.

His dads are all there and all have contact with him in some way. Nightmare can feel and hear them all near and knows that no one will hurt him when they are nearby.

Even if Nightmare isn’t sure on everything he is sure of that.

Safe and sound.

And so he goes to sleep. Tomorrow will be another day in their lives with their farm and homework. Things will go back to normal.

Their normal. In their home.

*-----------------------------------------------*

And that was it. For now. The story has ended. The group has their home. They tied up their lose ends. and Nightmare trusts and lvoes his four dads more than anything.

They are happy. And that is the perfect ending for them.

#utmv #realageau #nightmare sans #deaged nightmare #dust sans #killer sans #cross sans #horror sans #That was it #there are like tiny scenes i may add to the full version but that is for later.#the editing nightmare lmao #but yeah.#that was the last drabble in this series.#Unless i get like an AMAZING idea for another drabble/intallment #Of course i am always open to questions about this AU as i love it dearly.#but the main storyline is finished for now.#Eventually i may think of more for this but for now it is done :)#Happy to have all you friends come along for the ride! And until the next one!

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seaofreverie · 5 months ago

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I listened to a new Sparks album and it was all I could think about for two weeks straight afterwards, a.k.a. My Hello Young Lovers Review

Okay, so here's my fabled review (I mentioned having written it once about three months ago, so I guess there's a chance that someone still remembers that). It's hecking long (seriously, it's long.) and consists mostly of me pointing out specific sections of the songs and raving about which specific elements of the songs I particularly like. And also attempting to make some sort of general statement on the style / atmosphere / themes etc. of the whole thing. I wrote this back in november, after 5 full listens of the album, over the course of about a week, and I didn't update it with any new opinions that I have formed since, to keep it true to that original form, besides some side notes where I thought they'd be useful to add. I hope you enjoy my yapping, however unprofessional and all over the place this whole thing probably is.

How to start album reviews? Well, I could sum up the general vibe / thing / feel / theme with the album but that seems much more fitting for the conclusion of the whole thing.

So let's kick this off with the first thing we see instead!! The album cover, the sleeve! (note: I got this album on vinyl for that first listening experience, the 2022? reissue) Ohh so pretty and cute, isn't it? Even inside, so much pink, even over-the-toply-so (for real though, I didn't even really think about what to expect from the inner cover, besides some photos that I knew would be there, but it was certainly not THIS. level of pink and cute), it looks so pleasant and sweet, doesn't it? And the band photos too, fun times all around!

Oh wow, ok, let's get back to reality here, I knew what I was in for (knowing just one track and excerpts of other two + reading misc comments on the album before already, as it is inevitable, you know. And frankly, that was actually the exact right amount of info from that commentary for a peak enjoyment here. Not going in totally blind but still encountering many surprises). This is a prime and, imo, very well executed example of mood dissonance. In a way where, idk, maybe it comes from me still having this even small amount of info beforehand, but it's the kind of situation that you can actually tell that something is off.

So yeah, the visual aspect of the album does fit it and I'd even say it does so VERY well, but as to how and why, maybe I should start exploring the atmosphere and themes and elements of individual songs first so we can make more general conclusions from that! So yes, I think it's time to dive in!

1) Dick Around ▪︎

Shortly put, amazing, showstopping and life changing song. And one of the earliest ones for me too! As a part of the extremely important and memorable playlist (note: my first time hearing a bunch of random popular sparks songs), it appeared somewhere in the latter half on the mix and oooh boy, was hearing this song for the first time, on the road in the dark evening too, an experience. I certainly found it intriguing to say the least, maybe I wasn't yet completely SOLD you know, and let's not forget that the second time I heard it (july) it actually kind of freaked me out in a way, but still, it certainly made an impression immediately. There's a reason this is one of the more well known / popular / important songs of theirs overall. This song is truly a journey and it messes with you in so many ways, oooohhh so many ways. I was super looking forward to hearing it again properly after being teased with some parts of it in the more recent weeks, so ok, maybe this is where I get to the individual parts I want to talk about.

Actually wait, first let's maybe say something about the placement. Of course it's the first song as I was pretty much certain it would be (and maybe already had kind of possibly spoiled..?), and it does work incredibly well as a mood-setter for the rest of the album, so it truly couldn't work any other way in my view. So yes, speaking of parts, there are so many different ones! Hearing this again was extra fun also because I would remember the main "point" / mantra of the song ("all I do now... is dick around") but not much else, then be reminded of another notable but very different part, then listen after this whole time properly on pretty much repeat now and be aware of those other little touches and bits that bring it all together...

So, let's start with the pleasant vocals & piano break near the beginning, it's, well... I just really like it (I hope I'll be able to say more specific things about other elements in these songs that I think need to be mentioned as I go on LOL), and right after that we have some very nice strings, then, suspenseful strings!! Idk why but I really really like it when those come in, they really set the unnerving classical tone that follows and returns throughout the album, then the same "calm" / bouncy vocal melody and a more "all over the place" piano returns (at least from what I remember, the notes are sort of more expansive in range in this part I think...). And soon enough... we reach the real moment of the song when it gets, well, real. And very intense. And this is almost jumpscare-like, ohhhh it's so good, even when you know you can expect it it still hits the spot amazingly.

So this is the rocking part that's honestly pure distilled joy and amazement to hear for me each time, the repeated echoey "hey hey"s for a second there are just the icing on the cake, so so so good. And, in fact, it doesn't get more rocking than this for the rest of the album. Dissappointing? Maybe it WOULD be, if there weren't other things still going on later, which were also in their own ways showstopping, so I think that yeah, those can make up for all that follows not really coming close to this level of unhinged. And this is the right word here I think, unhinged!! Damn, this freaking song. Like for a second there I remembered that in one of my early-ish hearings I just found it almost uhhh, unbearably raw? Idk if it's the right word but yeah, it gets... ugly for a second (I need to stop cringing at every more unusual / to the point word I use or I won't be able to write any genuine reviews in my life). Before going back to the main mantra of course! And then it goes on in a circle a bit more again, with more changes and some progression of the story and all that. And end on the mantra again. I don't know if I'm leaving out any super important bits here, I might be... Well, it comes back to full on rocking near the end too, with some variation too, so that's awesome! And very suspenseful and unnerving strings too for a moment!

So, should I talk about the lyrics / the story just a bit now? Ok, I won't go super deep into these or any of the following ones, I'll try to focus more on specific bits and the feelings that come with them and a general "theme" if anything. So, I think this song and its story is very engaging and I like it a lot and it certainly provokes further thoughts and ponderings, those 6 and a half minutes fly by super fast (guess that's just the power with sparks and their long songs, it's kind of incredible how maybe this goes ESPECIALLY for songs that rely a LOT on repetition, because those might work this trend the best), lots of variation, while still keeping some prominently repetitive / reoccurring parts balances it very well. You're really just thrown from one part to the next with this song. Ok, I wrote a lot about just one song and I feel like there's still more I could say if I thought about it hard, but let's move on now, we don't have all day (night)...

2) Perfume ▪︎

This is a favourite. An instant favourite. Right away this song grabbed me with its subdued, brooding and honestly pretty dark tone and sound. Low vocals, kind of ragged but driving guitar sound, and the DRUMS. They do SO much for this track, something about this specific drum pattern / style is very pleasant to me, very atmospheric. It's like a specific pattern that works to deliver some kind of effect (ok, I think through that, in a way, I just described the whole thing with repetition in sparks' music, especially in this era, nice, I guess that's how I view it and why it works so well) there's still a lot of interesting stuff going on there, plus it just sounds nice, idk. Once again, maybe "driving" is a good word for it. But now I need to mention that there is this one odd-one-out part that sounds much more cheerful, or maybe hopeful (and it returns again near the end). Because it has this specific thing, the different intonation of the SAME lyrics than the rest of the song ("and that's why...") feels strangely emotional. It certainly hit ME in the feels once I noticed it, so, yeah!!

So I think this is one of the darkest songs in mood and sound, while it also has something extremely COOL about its sound that I can't really categorize, I think I'm gonna feel like repeating this for every other song on the album but it just feels so CLASSIC, it's that typical song that always existed type of feel, yeah. But here it's less so due the melody necessarily, and more due to the whole picture. With some others it's also the song as a whole of course but they don't necessarily feel as much as a representation of a whole THING / genre / type of song / feeling in music of sorts (I'm really bad at articulating my exact views on these, am I not...) rather than those specific special moments that just bring it all to the next level. But OHHH I can't believe I almost forgot this, but the piano lines (I mean the post-chorus ones specifically) in this song, oh my goddddd!!!!!!! They're truly THE thing that sold me on this song completely, they're just so... something. So I guess this song also has that special "it" moment after all, doesn't it? Well, still possibly not quite as prominently as the next one, because...

3) The Very Next Fight ▪︎

Well, this is the kind of song that's completely made up of those specific parts making a very special whole. Starting with, of course, that melody line during the chorus "it's always the same. It's always the same". But maybe, just to be fair, I should actually start with where the song actually starts so, well, hmmm, the beginning. The very solemn piano and overall kind of heavy atmopshere here kind of slows down the momentum after the first two songs, and it delivers something quite different instead. So yeah, well, that chorus melody!! Oh wow!!! Isn't it so simple though? But it works so well!! It's simply beautiful honestly. It absolutely is! And later the electric guitar comes in for more effect and oh wow, it feels so incredible, yeah. And then some more solemnity with the... I think harpsichord?

This track feels very empty (as in the atmosphere, I'm not actually calling it empty as a bad thing or something like that, no no no!!) in some parts, then it has those emotionally charged bits, and let's not forget that it has some more really amazing guitarwork near the end. That kind of guitar "wailing" sounds beautiful in its own right too, it also kind of reminds me of some other rock-adjacent genre(s), I can't tell what exactly though...

4) (Baby, Baby) Can I Invade Your Country ▪︎

In all honesty, after my first listen I decided that this was probably the song I was the least impressed by? Kinda strange, yeah, because I no longer think that, and yeah, it was another one that I was only slightly familiar with already. Very slightly. It's a very interesting song once again, I think it's really unique after some thought actually (as are most all of the songs on this record tbh, obviously). It's unique, but it once again has this special classic quality to it that just feels like it represents a very specific type of sound.

I wanna say that the chord progression in the chorus might be some variation of one of the "usual" progressions although OF COURSE I might be very wrong here, it's just the feeling I get because maybe it's worth mentioning that 1) a while ago I started noticing this one type of progression in songs that made them sound very similar to Kiss Me, Son of God (They Might Be Giants song), so I figured it must mean that KMSOG is just in some kind of typical progression that is used a lot, especially in country-sounding songs from my experience 2) there was also an element of some classic rock / rock&roll (?) / punk (??) songs that also made them sound very alike after a while when I started listening to this one internet radio station recently, idk if it's the same progression or its variation or if all those songs use different variations mostly but are still based on a very similar thing at the end of the day, but yeah. I might still not understand chords or be able to catch them while listening, but there's now at least a little part of that whole section of music theory that I might be able to recognise in music just by myself, so that's some major music literacy development on my part I think... Anyway, maybe the progression in this song didn't even remind me of that usual pattern specifically, but it just made me think of that thing nevertheless, maybe it's similar, maybe it's not... So this was kind of an irrelevant tangent on my part, oops.

So ok, let's get to the jist of this... What exactly I like about this song and such, or just what I wanna mention. Well, I wanna mention that this is probably one of the more repetitive songs, also one of the longest I think, maybe the third longest, I wouldn't be surprised by that (the opener and closer are both pretty tough competition in the length department) but it doesn't feel monotonous, it flies by super fast, once again.

I think it's also possibly the brightest sounding song on the record, the word that immediately sprung to mind here is "triumphant". Certainly fitting with all those awesome horns!! They're truly what really sets this song apart. I'm especially a fan of the horns in the bridge part, I think it's the bridge. Sooo so cool sounding, kind of "descending". I also really like the layering of the different vocals and their melodies and such, the acoustic guitar also brings it all soooo nicely together, it's so pleasant sounding, especially in the quieter "baby, let's invade" part.

Idk what else to say, very awesome song though and I definitely don't mind listening to it twice (with the repeat as a bonus track, which I'll also get to briefly at the end) at all, in fact this might be the least "intrusive" song in a sense, so that makes the best choice for a repeat, if I had to choose, I could see myself going with this one, it's just very pleasant all around.

5) Rock, Rock, Rock ▪︎

So things get real once again, huh. This is one of the songs that I count in the category of kind of sick and twisted but in a way where I only respect them more for making it, so that puts it right next to, hmmmm, sherlock holmes for sure, maybe some others I can't think of right now. Big part of that factor is surely played by the repetition which just works, well, very well. Specifically the choruses.

One part of this song I was pleasantly reminded of on my first few listens were the short strings interludes, they really give it some of that pleasant classical feel (a separate thing from what i describe as classic feel here!) that I could say kind of contrast with the song and its atmosphere in general. Or maybe spruce it up, idk, we do have very dramatic strings during the verses too... The very deep drum sound is also pretty prominent in this track I think, pretty great.

As to some more notable parts in the vocals department... Let's just say that the way Russell says some words is very, uhhhhhh, effective (i think this sounds more cursed than it should, but i mean exactly that, the delivery just really hits you... and other times it's kind of silly instead). And also, with that repetition and it creating something great in mind, there's the repeated "and since you put-" part near the end that's also really great. The repeated "I"s in the bridge I think also need a mention. It's like they know exactly what word / phrase to repeat, what amount of times, and in which part of the song for it to work the best, like the perfect placement and number.

I think this song also has a bit of a fake ending, so that's also something of note, especially when it's supposed to sound as dramatic as possible (at least that's the idea I get from it). And actually, oh, so does the previous song! I forgot that part even though it's even more noticeable / memorable in that song than it is here imo.

6) Metaphor •

Second half of the album starts off with something that's very elegant and all the while very pleasant and melodic, all of which makes it a very nice track, even in a more usual pop song sense. Some very cool piano to start things off, and the electric guitar accompaniment, which also enters pretty early on. And then we have that slightly more strange part, kind of like an early bridge, that honestly has a bit of a comical effect imo (with no disrespect intended!!)? As in, I find it kind of funny and silly personally. Yeah, the "who's up for a metaphor" part, especially when we get the repeated "don't don't"s and "we we"s, and, well, what follows is what's definitely the greatest part(s) of the song, when Russell enters his falsetto mode and we get the "aaaaa-ªªªªª..." etc. backup vocals in choruses. Those are the moments of the song that are just, well, ONCE again that classic factor that makes the melody & everything else super special. But more specifically, I think those parts are just kind of beautiful. Yeah, I'd say this song is the prettiest in sound that this album gets overall. Truly wonderful and gets you excited for the remaining songs.

Meanwhile, the spellings of dig as d-i-g might feel kind of random I guess? But it works. Adds variety or whatever (note: it's also a very good moment of a rhythm change I believe, I think now that's what makes it sound as cool and satisfying as it does). So yeah, kind of a heavenly song I think, in a sense, also one of my top faves just for that factor (note: this song is now probably my favourite on HYL, and also among my top fav Sparks songs overall. It wasn't instant, but it grew on me quickly and oh man, I truly love this song so much now)

7) Waterproof •

I think this is kind of an odd-one-out actually? And why? I think it's probably the closest on the album to being sort of a fully, or at least MOSTLY, "normal" song. It doesn't have so many parts that are just downright weird and unexpected I'd say, it's just kind of friendly instead compared to the other ones (note: it took me perhaps too long to realize that this song just doesn't have quite as much repetition, which most other songs here rely on heavily, so that's definitely what makes it stand out the most). Not that it's an entirely bad thing! Sometimes you gotta slow down and relax a bit I guess...

I do appreciate the kind of sudden switch with the "the sky is starting to cloud up" part, and the little orchestral bit right after the first time the aforementioned switch happens (the second? or generally some later time it happens again there are also some very awesome horns! Really starts feeling like a quaint rainy street in some french town or something...) when, well, I was going to say that the vocals and the strings do the same melody, but they actually don't, at least not fully, still though, I did have that illusion before I made sure it wasn't the case with another relisten, either way, when it DOES happen, and Sparks do that a whole lot I feel like, it's always quite awesome, I mean, syncing the vocal melody with some other prominent intrument's melody...

The I think harpsichord also makes a return, yay! And then there's the guitar part, that does have some real surprise factor when it comes in, but this time for sort of the opposite reason - it sounds bright and nice this time around, and also it reminds me of Sparks' later style tbh, specifically in their following more rock-centric songs of course. And I think that's very nice, we see the always progressing evolution of their sound here I think. That guitar bit also has some album closer vibes, that kind of fake closer (or nearly-closer) situation kind of reminds me of a similar thing I experienced with Bon Voyage on Propaganda for example (note: I have since learned that Bon Voyage IS the closer on Propaganda, and the following two songs on streaming are just b-sides. So it makes sense that it would sound like an album closer because it IS one).

Annnddd the last thing that I just can't forget about here is Russell's another epic falsetto moment (waterwatereverywherebutnotadroponme!~) that part actually makes me smile. Yeah. Legit. I paid attention and I did smile on that part during my relisten today. ... Ok, let's go on.

8) Here Kitty •

When this song came on the first time during my vinyl listening I of course instantly knew exactly which song it was (bcs I've heard the title before, and a few words on it too) and had this little amused "oh no" moment. And, well, turns out this song is actually very awesome and veeeery interesting! It adds something really unique to the album. I saw someone call it quite impressive in the vocals / vocal lines layering department recently (in the last week, so already after hearing it myself I'm pretty sure) and I absolutely agree.

First off, let's settle that - this is a very strange song. But that's exactly what makes it so good of course. The strangeness keeps you so distracted from this fact, that when we reach the bridge of the song you suddenly realize that beneath all the "tatata"s, meows and unsettling rising piano notes we have the very much usual song structure with verses and choruses. Yeah, I think I actually sort of figured it out, what might be the verse, and what might be the chorus... Speaking of which, the parts that I identified as choruses have this, well, it's the same thing all over again (but each time the specialness comes from a different place and is totally different of course), but that very classic feel, indicative of maybe even some specific genre but idk what exactly...

Besides that, well, maybe let's go back to my oh no moment for a minute, and let me say that I either am very illiterate in that sense (and yeah I am tbh) or the lyrics aren't as overtly, let's say, innuendo-filled? as I expected. They actually have a semblance of a story you know... I mean, NO, not even a semblance, it IS a story! Let me also say that this is a very interesting song to have stuck in your head a lot over the course of pretty much an entire week. Yes, it got to the point where it could be annoying. One last bit of the song I really like is at the very end, when one vocal line starts to sound kind of echoey / distant, nice touch.

9) There's No Such Thing as Aliens •

The song that first cemented itself as being by far the shortest song on the album, sort of an interlude before the incoming epicness of the last one (that was quite literally my very first impression before I even heard either, looking at the vinyl this one was visibly much shorter than the last, and of course I expected the last one to be fittingly grand, and so it was obviously, but we'll get to that in a minute). The funny thing is, it's not even that short, as I figured even before eventually making sure how long it was in fact, and that's almost 3 minutes, which, well, of course that's still something around well over two times shorter than the last song.

But enough about its length, this song actually does kind of work as an interlude thematically too, which it is? it sort of even feels like it doesn't quite fit with the themes of the other ones, I mean, maybe not that it doesn't fit but just that it's defintely the furthest removed from the much more similar topics of the other ones (more about that also later!). Plus it's pretty sparse lyrically, once again, there's less you can fit in under 3 minutes anyway. Which supports the interlude argument also I believe.

Anyway, the music. First of all, waltz time!! Always a treat in sparksland to have that rare spooky 3/4 time track. The feeling I get from this track is: grand, very orchestral, anddd, hmmmm, elegant. But is it more elegant than the rest of the album... Idk, I wanted to use 3 different descriptors. I honestly don't think there's much more to say about this one, it's great, the melody is really great, the grandiosity of the choruses, the even more notable waltz time during verses. I think that yeah, I could pick this track as the most orchestral / classical inspired of the album. One cool moment I'll mention though would be the very ending, with the repeated "no"s going for longer than you'd expect them to maybe, and the deep drum accompanying all that. Very grand ending.

10) As I Sit Down to Play the Organ at the Notre Dame Cathedral •

Well, how do I even start on this one. I think I can say that with literally each single listen I become more and more in awe of this song. Could I even call it even more of a journey than the opener? In a sense, yeah. There's so much going on here. So much that I almost feel like breaking it down into individual parts and giving all of them their due because they all work for the amazingness of the whole. In fact, I might even already have this track roughly memorized (all... 7 minutes of this track) so it could be done. But ok, I'll just go with each part as I remember it, we'll see if I in fact do go over nearly all or all of them.

So. Echoey synth (?) intro, then the first melody part, with the individual words repeated, kind of "urgent" vocals part, very nice rhythm and something I just find very cool. As it progresses we get another part of just the synth / electric guitar-like synth / guitar or whatever this thing is, then a mix of both + this clicky instrument and / OR is it the harpsichord again? Giving it all more urgency and a nice constant rhythm. I also really like when the "byebyebye" vocal gets looped before the synth reenters. Overall, this part of the song has a very electronic, drony feel that I greatly enjoy and find very atmospheric and immersive already.

But, well, it doesn't end here. Because later, everything else stops and we hear a church organ. Even the melody it enters with is very much like something you'd hear in a cathedral, indeed! Good environmental storytelling, isn't it? But then... the organ transitions into this very very cool frantic melody (and by very very cool I mean that it's probably the #1 thing that stood out to me about this song right from the start) which returns consistently throughout the song and is just oh so very awesome.

So we enter the next part, what could probably be called the central part "as I sit down to play the organ...", tension is rising, the organ is doing its thing in the back, then some "hallelujah"s and BOOM! The chorus? The "I've got faith" part of course. And with it some epic strings, and I don't think I can really say what exactly it is about this part that makes it SO FREAKING GOOD & ABSOLUTELY SHOWSTOPPING but it's easily in my top 3 moments on the album at least. Then it's followed by the slightly considerably calmer "she's here..." section and we go mostly full circle for now, more variations on the same parts. Some grandiose "lalala"s & epic drum action too. And then, the "I believe" sections which I cannot let myself neglect, mostly just on the basis of them being kind of sickening to me. You know, in the "why did they do this (said respectfully)" way.

Ok, did I really just talk about all of the individual parts, I guess so. But before I move on I have to mention the moment when the very first major part, the "bye-bye-bye my baby" part, makes a sudden comeback. It's honestly just so good and satisfying, when completely different sections switch and make unexpected (or maybe you actually DO expect them on some subconscious level, and that's what makes them work so well??) returns like this, if a song has that it's very likely it will become a top top favourite or at least have a very big effect on me. Or even HUGE effect, like here.

So yeah, the song does eventually end (I mean technically unbelievable somewhat, since it's so long, but have I actually mentioned yet that this track goes by about just as fast as the first one, because it sure does, you do not notice the time passing WHATSOEVER) on some more "hallelujah"s. And the album's over. Wooo boy.

Bonus tracks

Well, it's not really over yet if it's not the vinyl but the streaming version. We still have just two more bonus tracks, technically just one? So I'll go over both quickly now for completion's sake.

First we have "We Are the Clash" which is a pleasant song for sure, can work as kind of a denouement after the crazy journey of the previous track, so you're left on a little less of a mood unresolution and can become a little less unsettled after all of this going down... Idk.

But yeah, I actually have this impression veering on pretty strong conviction that this song is a cover actually. It could even be a cover of the band whose name is mentioned in the song, which would put this version in a extremely funny area of how far stylistically it might be from the hypothetical original, if it exists (what's up with all these bands and their "we are the [band name]" songs, there's so many). Of course I could also be very wrong about this so all I just wrote could turn out to be absolutely hilariously off target, still, a fun little attempt at guessing things and connecting ideas on my part, whatever the truth turns out to be (I will learn the truth... in due time. My experience tells me that when I'm still fully in initial unwell mode over an album it's difficult for me to read and retain any outside information / commentary on it. So no need to rush it, heh) (note: yeah I was right for once. I meannnn I guess it was obvious anyway but still, let me have this, I've been fooled by assuming that a cover was someone's original song way too many times so I'm happy to not be fooled for once).

So ok, the last last track. Baby baby can i invade your country is baaaaaack, not much to say but it's pretty much the same other than the lyrics, since well, it is the "alternate lyrics" version, not "alternate" version. I do think that it might be slightly longer than the final version though but it's also likely I'm misremembering.

Anyway, lyrics, all I can or feel the need to say is that they seem to be definitely way more to the point on what this song's actual topic is (not... invading... countries . I don't need to explain it here do I) so subtlety win for the final one I guess. Just so it is known, I have not read these two songs' lyrics unlike all the main album tracks'. But I think I caught enough to get the main idea from both, you know. I do think also that the final version's lyrics just kind of sound better, idk if it's the rhythm of the words or what but they do just have a nicer flow. So, improvement, probably, still very nice to know this version anyway of course. (note: yeah i have learned since that most of the final lyrics are the US national anthem. Makes sense that if any song were to have alternate lyrics it would be this one)

To round it all up...

I think there's still a lot that can be said about this album as a whole but how do I go about that. Well, I did mention earlier that I'd come back to a) the overall feel / atmosphere here b) the themes / stories and how they connect. So those shall work as a guide to my conclusions part of this whole review.

First off, I could even say a bit about the main vibe / sound here in reference to Lil' Beethoven! Since it really does work as a sequel, at least in sound, by all means. I described LB with stuff like... cold, distant, cathedral-like, what else was there.... Ok, I have more, lifted directly from my LB write-up. (note: finally listening to LB a month prior to this was enough of a big deal for me that I wrote down my live reactions to hearing the songs) Impersonal / detached. Alien. Spacious.

Do those apply here too? I think so, yeah! Pretty much all of these words also feel like pretty good descriptors here. But honestly, the more I think about it.... Maybe it's just that the distance / the detachedness and alienated feeling is a bit lower here? Or at least in some songs more than the others. It's hard to explain honestly.... That similar atmosphere continues here but it's just..... not as pronounced maybe. Idk, maybe it will become clearer with this next point I wanna make which is that LB actually is less, uhhh friendly in sound. Less accessible! Yeah, I do think that this album could be seen as: LB started the experiment, HYL perfected it by taking it in a slightly more accessible direction. Or is perfected a wrong word here, who can say which was, or should be considered the better outcome here.... I think I actually have a problem putting concepts into the right words today. But maybe at least some of my feelings about this can still come across here...

So yeah, I don't think it's possible to tell if HYL is better or LB, it also depends on how you look at it! As it kind of always does when judging stuff per good / better. One thing that I can say sort of for sure though is that LB certainly started ideas / techniques that HYL expanded on and toyed with further, so in that sense, it could be considered an improvement. And so it is clear, I don't think I can say 100% that I like one more than the other. It's not that simple. I guess you could however say that HYL was more of an instant hitter and LB really just grows and grows more in power overtime....

So yeah, they kind of did take the LB concept and all of the avant-garde, experimentation factors that come with it, and made it more accessible, which is a form of art and an achievement and a testament of skill in itself. I think the somewhat friendlier, more palatable approach of this album also lifts off the coldness aspect a bit, but it's still there, especially on tracks 1, 3, 5, 10, off the top of my head.....

But maybe I should talk more about the album and its sound as it stands on its own before I move on though. Maybe we could jump from the words I already used: classic, orchestral, brooding, dramatic, dark, aggressive (yes, I somehow see it as friendlier than its predecessor despite also being much more aggresive in all senses. Raw even. How does that work? I can't tell you today. And idk if I'll ever figure it out. And also personal, YES, that's the word, this album feels soooo very personal and emotive. Not in the sense that I'm trying to say that it must be personal to them, more like it just shows some very personal feelings and struggles), triumphant (but that goes only for that one song really), driving, ELEGANT. I think the word elegant is the key here. In all of its subtler or less subtle tone shifts it keeps that very elegant, kind of graceful feel, all throughout. Even when it seems to be touching subjects that wouldn't necessarily bring that kind of atmosphere to mind, it kind of elevates them and gives them, idk, a new meaning?

So is this a good segue into the topic of themes? I guess the album name sits well with what I think is going on here, because my main impression of the whole thing was something like.... stories of fucked-up guys with self-image problems / feelings of inadequacy, which they try to go around fully convinced that they're right (and their messy love-lives too ofc). Or are they just, normal, regular guys actually. Who can tell. It certainly gives you an idea / a whole concept to work with and ponder here and to connect and visualize kinda.

I think that yeah, out of what I've heard so far this has to be the most thematically-consistent sparks album there is. It comes to a point where all the songs give this little impression of a whole universe where all of this takes place, and while I've had these kind of impressions from albums that are way more all-over-the-place conceptually with their lyrics (I mean like.... pretty much every They Might Be Giants album. You can create this sort of illusion with more than words, the music and its atmosphere and often also its stylistic consistency might be even more important actually), this comes, in my mind, almost close to concept album levels in that regard.

The definition of a concept album probably calls for something more specific than all the tracks being in sort of a similar theme but you know.... I don't think it really happens most of the time in music in general, that the whole album has this sort of a familiar idea / spirit throughout that makes a unique whole. (note: apparently wikipedia calls this album a concept album. Another win for me in that case, lol). You could probably try to connect different songs' themes and work with that in some way.... Which is something I already did in all honesty, but actually it's a between albums thing here, because I do believe that the dick around guy could be the same guy that the narrator from ugly guys with beautiful girls talks about. Similar ideas you can connect! That's what I'm talking about. I love it when songs tell overarching stories.... Make me think about characters from songs or little universes and vibes created by even the vaguest of lyrics and the ideas those create and the imaginings they bring, any day.

Ok, what else can I say. I think I mostly covered everything I could actually. Should I say something more about the cover with the added context now. I already said that it gives off a "something's wrong" feeling, but I think it's also compelling in how it conveys that elegant, non-threatening and polished image, sterile kinda. Well, I think only one of those four words I just chose doesn't really apply to most of this album's songs. I mean non-threatening ofc. Hmmm, maybe sterile doesn't really work here either, besides those prominent examples of the coldness of sound on this album, it would actually go more with LB, which also has a fittingly minimalist, all-white cover. Collected and orderly to a distressing degree. Just like here, it also gives off some.... distressing vibe. As I already said with the "this isn't right" feel.

What else can I say. In reviews you usually give your opinions, which I very much did throughout this thing here, everything like this is always somewhat subjective I think, but even then, a final verdict could also be said here. I think it's pretty damn clear by now what my opinion on this album is. I wouldn't spend several days writing a review and analysing every little detail if I didn't have a very strong (positive) opinion on this album (I guess I technically can imagine writing a very throughout review of something that just annoys you so much that you simply have to go through everything wrong with it and have some relief and closure through that. I can't see myself doing that kinda thing however, I'm not that kind of hater (or really a hater at all lol, i hope), I'd rather devote my time to things that I find actually cool and awesome and stand-outs in a positive sense, and worthy of attention and that dedication).

So this comment I fittingly found on tumblr over the last few days feels pretty relevant towards my opinion of writing "reviews" of stuff (this was more of a, very detailed analysis I know, but review just kind of fits, especially with how people call their recaps / commentary / writeups of concerts "reviews" a lot of the time):

(note: yeah I think I should come clean here that despite my very recent start of actual social media participation I've already been a serial lurker in various places for years now, lol, I mean, that's probably a normal thing to do though, I hope. I mean, probably lots of people do or did that at some point, but still. And I don't know whose post this is anymore sadly. But I thought I'd keep it here because it's a good summary)

And also, just for the record, this is my opinion on HYL pretty much. Yaaaayyy i loved it i had so much fun!! For real. i'm glad they're creating something!!!! Absolutely. One of a kind album that I will cherish as yet another great and unforgettable entry on the list of albums that changed me (TM) and brought me lots of fun and great memories / associations, even in such a short time. And the actual FIRST on the new list of albums that I'm happy to have brough the utmost attention to and dissected like that. It's out of love.

Thank you for reading this far! Here's a little bunny as a prize!

Whoa whoops this gif was supposed to be small! Have a huge bunny in that case, you deserve it! 🐇

#i recommend sitting down somewhere nice and comfortable #or even getting some snacks and a cup of tea to go with this. for the best reading experience #this is almost 40 000 characters and 10 pages long.... it really didn't feel THAT long when I wrote it in my notes app originally. OMG #also i wanted to add more fun gifs but tumblr did NOT want me to do that and kept deleting the post #okay. no joy and whimsy allowed i suppose #also! drinking game idea: take a shot each time i say 'so yeah' in this review #(no. don't actually do this)#another thing is that i knew i had to divide this into more paragraphs #so that these huge walls of text can be a little less intimidating and easier to read #but the way i did it might not make much sense at times. i just had to get rid of these super long passages wherever possible #and i don't have the energy today to read through this whole thing carefully again so i may just edit it later if there's need #not that it's really that big of a deal anyway. so i'll stop tormenting you all with even more words and move on #goose monologues #sparks

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quinnprkhq · 5 months ago

Text

[ seo jisoo, female, she/her ] — whoa! QUINN PARK just stole my cab! not cool, but maybe they needed it more. they have lived in the city for THREE MONTHS, working as a/an BARTENDER AT PUZZLES. that can’t be easy, especially at only 30 YEARS OLD. some people say they can be a little bit STUBBORN and HARDHEADED , but I know them to be FRIENDLY and OUTGOING. whatever. I guess I’ll catch the next cab. hope they like the ride back to QUEENS!

born to park shownu and park naeun as park hyewon in seoul south korea, with a family of eight and the oldest of five siblings, she was raised to a very close-nit family. when their father landed a job in the states, they had moved to california when it was just her and her younger sister at the time, a sweet family of four. hyewon was just five years old when her family had moved out to california. living in the states and before hyewon started kindergarten, her father decided to give his kids english names therefore going from hwang hyewon to quinn hwang. he had also hired an english tutor to help his kids learn and understand english more. it was then where quinn had became fluent in english, but still stayed close to her korean roots.

before she knew it, their small family of four grew from four to five then six, then seven and recently to eight. quinn is now an older sibling to four younger sisters. one that was a year younger than her, another about seven years, followed by her next sister of eight years and last but not least her youngest sister of twenty-four years. although their newest sister was definitely a surprise seeing as her parents were surprised she was able to get pregnant after their last daughter. quinn doesn’t mind, she loves her sisters dearly and will continue to love and care for them.

growing up the hwang family had adjusted to their new american lifetyle but her sisters having been born in america while quinn and her second sister were born in south korea. which took them a bit to understand and learn english. aside from the tutor, quinn had also started taking english classes to help her understand more. it didn’t take her younger sisters long to learn english, so it was nice for them to grow up in america.

living in california, it didn’t take her long to make friends. it was also a coincidence that she had found some korean friends of her own that lived not to far from where she was. although she had met them at a young age which made it easy for her to grow up with them and form a close bond with them. they were inseparable and stayed together throughout elementary, middle and high school. it wasn’t until quinn had gotten accepted to nyu where they had to part ways, but still made their friendship work and did their best to keep in touch.

QUINN THROUGHOUT HIGH SCHOOL ( THE RUN DOWN )

freshmen year -

she and her same age best friend had tried out for the volleyball team together. of course they made it and were apart of c-squad throughout the entire year.

took a liking to art which she had taken an art class causing her to enjoy it, in which caused her to practiced her drawing skills that have improved throughout the years.

straight a student since elementary school landing her to be a candidate for national honor society. you wouldn’t call her a nerd, she just knew the balance between school, volleyball and friends.

participated in being a few of her teachers student assistants towards the end of her freshmen year.

sophomore year -

worked so hard in volleyball in hopes she would at least make it to jr varsity. sadly she and her best friend were stuck in c squad. she didn’t mind, that only meant she had to work harder to prove she was good enough to be apart of jv.

continued taking art classes, but soon took up in interest in singing and playing instruments. causing her to take band and choir seeing as she wanted to improve her singing and learn how to play the guitar and piano and maybe a few instruments along the way. still very close with her seven best friends while they support her in everything she does.

maintains her 4.0 gpa and continues to strive to work harder and to graduate with honors. doesn’t want to disappoint her family, most of all her younger sisters.

junior year -

after all her hard work, she figured she would move up to jv for volleyball. with the captains of the volleyball team seeing how hard she had worked, she went from c-squad to varsity right away along side her best friend. at first she was shocked because she herself didn’t believe she deserved to be on varsity but continued her hard work in which she proved and showed herself that she does deserve that spot.

while working hard in basically everything during her junior year, she may have taken on more than she could chew. the stress was weighing on her, but she was doing her best not to give up and to keep pushing towards success.

not only was school and volleyball weighing on her, she felt it was time for her to get a job. you’d think she’d slow down, but quinn is someone that wants always keep herself busy and to be on the go. this is where quinn had landed her first job working at the movie theater. she had worked in the back stocking things that needed to be stocked, along with being apart of cleaning crew.

this year was where quinn found herself always busy but still doing her best to make time for her friends and volleyball. not to mention school. she couldn’t slack off, not now seeing as senior year was right around the corner.

senior year -

the year that meant so much to her and her best friend. of course her six other best friends were a few grades behind them so they didn’t have to worry about graduating just yet. quinn needed to graduate, although she knows she won’t be the valedictorian which she doesn’t mind. that was one thing quinn wasn’t a fan of, making speeches. the whole thing just brought her nerves out and if she had to make a big speech to her graduating class, she is pretty sure she’d faint in front of everyone.

working harder than ever, she went from working at the movie theater full time to part time. only because she wanted to focus on graduating and to make sure she passed all her exams and finals that were coming up.

volleyball was still going really well for her and had earned herself a letterman jacket during her junior year which she now wears proudly.

finally, she graduated, graduated beside one of her best friends and thankful that their high school career was over. the hardest part about it? saying goodbye once august rolled around for college.

𝖰𝖴𝖨𝖭𝖭 𝖳𝖧𝖱𝖮𝖴𝖦𝖧𝖮𝖴𝖳 𝖢𝖮𝖫𝖫𝖤𝖦𝖤 ( the rundown )

a new life for quinn was just beginning. a fresh of breath air and a new setting for her. something she had to get used to. she couldn’t slack off and wanted to make sure she could carry her high gpa that she did in high school to college.

being in new york was new for her. she was now living in a dorm at nyu and met her roommate whom she gets along really well with. at first quinn wasn’t sure what she wanted to major in so she had just taken a few general classes needed to at least graduate under general studies for now.

she thought about majoring in art, but just decided to take that as a minor and not a major. it took quinn majority of her first semester at nyu to figure out what she wanted to do. instead she took up a few business classes since she wanted to explore something new.

#boroughs.intro #//come plot wif my babie please #// may add and edit stuff later

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