#maybe I'll just vibe better with the drums

[nameification]

got tired of playing instruments quite a bit ago BUT I remember how my ninang has a drum kit laying around somewhere that she hadn't brought with her to australia and I'm feeling bored soooooo

[jamiepaige]

Constant Companions Closeup #2: NOT QUITE THERE

(also on spotify!)

b-b-back once again

Round two of the Constant Companions Closeups - a series of in-depth dives into the songs off of my latest album, Constant Companions! Yesterday was track one, Dyad - today is track two, Not Quite There, featuring the incomparable telebasher!

This one's a bit of a dark horse relative to the rest of the album, but it may very well be my personal favorite song on the entire thing so dammit let's Yap

---

For the uninitiated, this song pulls heavily from a song off my previous album called Gummyworm, both in vibe and by very directly quoting its synth motif.

Both of these songs deal with two sides of the same emotional coin. I actually don't want to go into too much detail about it - I feel like the lyrics spell things out clearly enough - but I will say this:

When it's all you know, it's easy to believe that a love that isolates you, a love that doesn't respect you, a love that hurts is better than no love at all.

You deserve better. There are always people who genuinely want what's best for you, who want you to feel truly loved. It certainly isn't always easy - it's genuinely good if your interpersonal relationships have a little friction sometimes - but love should make your life brighter.

You deserve a love that's fair.

---

The original version of this song was actually intended to be on Bittersweet alongside Gummyworm. The original concept for that album had a whole heady concept involving duality, songs reflecting each other, the two halves basically being reprisals of each other... Ultimately, I'm glad I scrapped that idea, because it was waaaaaay too much for me to manage after a couple years of barely making music. Maybe I'll revisit it someday though?

The drums on this song are sampled from an Instagram post by Louis Cole, where he's doing this crazy one-handed hi-hat blast by holding a drumstick sideways. I'm a drummer and that shit genuinely scares me a little like i dont know how he does half the things he does its fucked BUT. I bring this up because he's one of my biggest inspirations as a musician! I'm really big on jazz in general, in case my love for spicy chords wasn't enough of an indication, but his specific brand of freaky hyperactive bullshit just does it for me.

Seriously, go watch his band KNOWER play their song Overtime. Absolutely insane performances across the board. also Clown Core

This whole song is really just my attempt at matching some of that hectic jazzy energy with my own style of music, so I figured it only made sense to make it another collab with another musician making delightfully frantic jazz bullshit - the legend herself, telebasher! I really am such a massive fan of her work, and I struggle to think of anyone who plays guitar quite like she does. We previously worked together on another Bittersweet track, Asemic Speech, and her guitar work is a major reason why that song is still one of my favorite I've ever released!! She's just built different like listen to this oh my god!!!!

Lastly, since this song was one of the first written for this entire project... it is admittedly a case of me shoehorning the album's leitmotif in after the fact. It's a little forced when it shows up in the backing vocals! But, the choir of vocal synths during the guitar solo served an additional purpose - my own voice doesn't show up on the album again for another four entire songs, and this would've otherwise been the only song on the entire album that didn't feature any vocal synths. Thus did I attempt to bridge the gap, as it were. Hopefully it makes the final product feel more natural!!

Either way, that's all for today's post.... i think.... which means that tomorrow.... we're gonna rot.... for clout

[bisnes-socks]

alright welcome to my ted talk about the drums on šbj

like when the song first starts and the guitars come in playing the main riff, an experienced listener would expect the drums to make space for the guitars. for the guitars to be the lead in that section and drums to kinda blend in to let the guitar riff shine. so you'd expect a relatively simple beat with a lil closed hi-hat action on the offbeats to make it groove. 

but seriously like i'm no expert, i'm not a drummer, so maybe someone who actually knows drumming very well or understands music theory etc could word this all better, my music education is all from early childhood and/or absorbed from being the child of a musician lmao. but really i'm just a lifetime enthusiastic listener of all music and spent all of covid years watching music analysis videos lmao, okay so like yeah i'm just rambling BUT the choices jure has made on this song are just so unexpected and cool.

but NO!! he plays over the guitars (but the guitars still lead! they still shine!) and the hi-hat is open (could be a different cymbal..? but sounds like an open hi-hat to me, i'll have to find live footage to check how he plays it) so it crashes quite loud and on the beat and then a quick lil pattern on the hi-hat more closed and then bam, open one more time, like it's just super unexpected in a section like that? 

and like. in rock music, hi-hats on the beat are usually on the 1 and the 3. well, if i counted right, he plays it on the 1 and the 3 on the first bar, but the second bar the quick lil pattern syncopates the bar and the second louder open hi-hat is on the 4, a beat later than you'd expect! and then it comes back for the next bar on the 1 and the 3, but then on the last bar of the cycle, it's on the 1, 3 AND 4. which works VERY well with the whine on the guitar. just brilliant composition.

and the hi-hat being open and ringing out the way it does makes the section quite heavy, like it's... stomping. (i think i saw someone else say the song makes them want to kick things and that's probably one of the reasons why. bc it stomps. severely.) while also being very groovy. and that's super cool and odd and amazing. oh and the minor key of the song also emphasises the sort of.. downward feeling of the stomp? but at the same time the whole thing is just.. dancable. that's amazing, that's skill.

and then in the chorus (?) bit (a ja samo čekam...) he's like switching between a more on the beat focused basic type rhythm, but with a very hard rock or even metal inspired naaasty snare drum sound, and then a more groovy beat, the exact one you'd expect in the beginning, where the hi-hat is grooving on the offbeat. like stoooop showing off (never stop).

and then towards the end, when the whole different instrumental section kicks in, i swear that part as a whole gives me like queens of the stone age, them crooked vultures etc. vibes, but the drums in particular, like it's giving dave grohl type energy, like he's going ooooffff. just very purposeful, massive drive, but suuuper tight.

like i've always liked his drumming bc you can tell he can very confidently just sort of ride any beat, easy, decorate it as he pleases, or he can go off with a lot of purpose and drive. and like. he just does all of the above in this one song. amazing.

and like don't get me wrong i could give a ted talk on every instrument on this song (nace i fucking see you i hear you) but jure is my star of the song <3

[quinloki]

Birthday Request Event v2024

"It's my birthday and I'll write what I want to \o/"

Gift Details ♥ Reader Style: afab Character: Smoker Vibe: SFW Yandere AU: Modern AU Prompt: Roughed Up Gift Giver: @mamaalpha

Summary: Coming to terms with the idea that someone sent an assassin to kill you in your own home is hard enough. Having him call you perfect is a completely different problem.

Content Notes: A last name is provided for the reader in the story for narrative purposes.

This birthday party is 18+, consensual unless explicitly stated otherwise, and BYOB

inspired by this art

You ran hard for as long as you could, until your lungs burned and your feet ached. Your legs are wobbly as you continue to walk, forcing one foot in front of the other. Your heart is a drum line in your chest, and it’s almost nothing to do with the mad dash you just finished.

Someone tried to kill you.

You could hardly even know why. Maybe it was something your parents had gotten involved in? Maybe you knew the wrong kind of people? Maybe someone thought you knew something when you didn’t. There wasn’t anything you could think of that would spur someone to come for your life like that.

With an assassin? You?

But you couldn’t dwell on it too much. You didn’t have shoes on, and your socks were tattered and soaked. You were in jogging shorts and a tank top, because you’d just been lounging around and nearly ready to go to bed for the night when he’d arrived.

One minute it was just you, the next it was you and him.

Dumb luck alone had allowed you to escape, you weren’t arrogant enough to think differently. He was probably cursing himself for letting you even see him at this point, but no matter how much you checked, you couldn’t see anyone following you.

That shock-white hair of his would certainly stand out enough, even at night.

You needed to find a marine, or a hospital. Even just a business that was open right now so someone could call emergency services for you. Going to a hospital seemed like a risk, but you could file a report while you were there, and maybe, hopefully, someone would be willing to listen to you, and able to help.

Your luck held out and you stumbled into a diner. The late-shift cashier took one look at you and offered you a place to sit, and a warm cup of cocoa. She had the local marines on the phone and had someone come get you.

You told your wild tale to the young pink-haired marine that had come to pick you up, and he seemed to take you seriously. He was going to take you to the hospital and send someone over to your apartment to verify the break in and the state of your home. He reassured you not to fret, even if everything looked completely normal he wouldn’t dismiss your claim - but the more evidence they could find the better.

He let you eat the muffin the night shift cashier had given you while you were sat in the back of his cruiser. When you got to the hospital the staff took you in and officer Koby stayed with you. You talked about the event for a second time while he tightened up his notes as the nurses looked you over.

Koby stepped out and had a few conversations on a snail radio, but then he’d come back in and fill you in. Your apartment was, unfortunately, ransacked. While this lent weight to your claims, it was hard to say what the person was actually there for - you or something in the apartment itself.

“My Captain is going to be here in a few minutes, and he’s going to ask you some more questions. He’s seen your apartment, and taken some pictures, so he’ll have more pointed questions for you.” He explains, a reassuring smile on his face. You’re becoming more and more grateful for Koby. With everything else it’s nice to have someone be so reassuring like this.

That reassurance is washed away, however, when his Captain arrives.

Shock white hair. The scar. The scent of smoke.

You almost point, you almost scream, you almost lose your cool and insist that that’s him! That’s the one that was standing in your apartment trying to kill you!

But you already know, from how Koby spoke of him while you waited. You already know how flimsy your fantastical story sounds, and how easily it could be made to look like you’d lost your senses, tossing your own place to besmirch the highly decorated and well-loved marine captain.

No one would believe you.

Koby gives you a reassuring smile. “I know he looks intimidating, but Captain Smoker is really good at his job. Don’t let his demeanor scare you.”

He can’t kill you here. He can’t. If he does everyone would know, and he certainly can’t do it with his enamored subordinate right there.

Smoker’s face never breaks from the slightly irritated and mostly neutral expression. He treats you flawlessly like he’s never seen you before.

“Koby. Give Helmeppo a hand with the final report.” Smoker commands. “I won’t be long, there’s not much to ask.”

“Sure, Captain.” Koby gives you a reassuring smile. “It’ll be okay, miss. Please rest easy after this.”

Swallowing, you nod. There’s nothing you can say to keep your lifeline from leaving, but if death is the inevitable end to your terrible night then so be it. It would seem that your luck had simply been unable to hold out a little longer.

Smoker looks down at you. The cold hard eyes speak volumes and he sits down beside your bed slowly. You don’t have the capacity to return any kind of glare, but you don’t look away from the intense gaze until he looks away from you, and down at the paperwork in his hand.

“Miss Kobayashi,” He begins.

“Takahashi.” You reply.

There’s a pause, but he doesn’t even look up. “Nice try. Miss Kobayashi, it seems your report is valid, I just have a few questions for you.”

“I… have one.” You manage, but even as you say the words you feel your throat go dry.

Smoker closes the folder and leans back in his chair, regarding you coolly. “Do you know what your parents did for a living?”

Did. Your stomach knots at the implication. Your parents had left on a business trip some weeks ago, and you hadn’t heard from them recently.

“They… tra-travel a lot…” You begin, fighting back the tears and trying not to assume anything you don’t actually know. “Something about sales and business contracts. I don’t know, really.”

“Hm.” He opens the folder, looking over things again. “And you don’t live with them anymore?”

You shake your head. “I moved out… j-just this past summer. I’d graduated and found steady work, and we… we were all comfortable with the idea of it.” You explain.

“And the work you do?”

“… Data entry. It’s… nothing really, but it pays well enough.”

“Are you afraid of me?”

You can feel his eyes on you, and it takes everything you have to look up and return his gaze. “… Yes.”

“What was your question.” He says after a moment.

“Am I going to die?”

“Possibly.”

Your body relaxes. There’s something about his tone that feels more final than the open ended-ness of his word choice.

“Not going to beg?”

“Would it make a difference?” You smile sadly, not even looking at him when you ask.

“Historically, no.” He writes something down on the file he’s been holding and sets it down on the chair as he stands up. “But, you’re…” He breathes in slowly, making you look up at him. The look in his eyes is different from before. “Perfect.”

“I’m-.” Your voice stops in your throat as the man in front of you turns into smoke. It fills the room and wraps around you so carefully before throwing the window open. You don’t know what to say, or do. Your mind can’t wrap itself around the idea that this man has turned into smoke.

You expected him to drop you from some height. To return you to your apartment and kill you there. To fill your mouth and lungs with the smoke he was, and suffocate you with his own existence.

But nothing like that happened. After some time you were deposited against a wall. You don’t even know when you entered a building, but this room, well-lit as it was, had no windows. Where ever the door was, you couldn’t see it from where you were.

Cold iron was around your ankle, and the creak of a bed-frame fills your ears as your body settles against a surprisingly fluffy mattress. The smoke collects back together and his tall, wide frame looms over you. The look in his eyes unnerves you, but there’s nothing you can do about it now.

He reaches out carefully, caressing your cheek with the back of his hand. The shape of the word he used earlier brushes against his lips before he steps back and gives you space. For a moment you’re certain he’s going to lean down and kiss you.

“Listen to me, and you won’t die.” The hand that had caressed your cheek is under your chin, tilting your face up to look at him. “You’ll be good for me, won’t you?” His thumb moves over your bottom lip gently.

You nod. You don’t know what it means to be good for him, but you’ll do your best. He’s said he won’t, but he certainly can kill you, and if he was ordered to kill you, it might not matter. All of this, might be for nothing.

You can feel tears well up in your eyes. You’re too off-balance. The last few hours have been too tumultuous. You couldn’t really wrap your head around it all, and you couldn’t shake the feeling that despite your struggle to this point, you weren’t going to make it.

“It’s okay. No one will find you.” He promises, and with a terrible, heavy, cold clarity, you believe him.

[otakween]

Digimon Frontier - Episode 3

For this episode I decided to check out the English dub for Frontier. I really enjoyed it! My problem is that the Digimon dubs are more fun and nostalgic to watch, but I'm always really conscious of missing out on lore and emotional beats. Maybe I'll finish the sub and then watch the dub someday when I wanna revisit this.

Notes:

The American OP is hype as heck! I like the tribal vibe with the drums. I think I like the Japanese digivolution music a little better though.

I liked most of the English VAs but Takuya sounds like a 30 year old lol. For some reason, Izumi's Italian outbursts were a lot funnier in English, "Mamma mia!"

I coulda sworn Takuya said he was in the 4th grade in the last episode but now he's in the 5th? In the dub he's in the 6th, so let's just say he's somewhere in the upper elementary range.

I really loved Tomoki's digivolution sequence. I like how his hand movements are a little more childish/cheerful than Takuya or Koji's Also, in the dub I love how he said "EXECUTE" lol. I know they meant like "executing a program" but I was just thinking of the murder version of "execute" hehe.

So I guess Bokomon and Neemon have a boke/tsukkomi dynamic going on. I think they overdid Bokomon's bullying a bit tho

Lol @ the DigiCode fixing one (1) single bridge in this episode whereas in the first episode they fixed like an entire village. I guess some digimon get you better results than others? (Also they said that the bridge "protected them from bad digimon," how does that work?)

So they've established a bunch of times now that there are supposed to be 10 warriors. Betting the cast will expand with some minor characters later.

I just noticed this, but Takuya has a little symbol on his shirt and hat but I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a reference to something or it's just a cool graphic.

Speaking of graphics, I finally noticed that the symbols for the spirits are literally just kanji. Like Agnimon's is the kanji for fire, Wolfmon is light, Chackmon is ice...

Uhhh...why is the dub name for Chackmon (Kumamon) way more Japanese sounding? I guess they couldn't have used Kumamon in the sub cuz...

Chackmon is a weird name and even after reading the etymology on the wiki I don't really get it.

These kids are kinda savage. First Bokomon is pleading with them to save his world and they just look annoyed and then when Agnimon is battling all the Candlemon they're just like "wow, he's really trying to fight a fire type? What a dumbass" (paraphrasing) and they walk off (to be fair, Takuya told them to hide, but still!) It was really funny when Bokomon was telling the Candlemon that the kids were there to save the Digital World and Takuya was like "not really" lol.

I'm glad that they were at least given the chance to go home because otherwise it feels a little bit like they're being blackmailed into being heroes (save our world or you'll never see your home again)

I'm sure someone has meme'd on Agnimon being covered in white drippy wax before...I'll refrain.

I feel like we already have too much lore here. First it was Cherubimon was messing up the world and now it's actually Lucemon that was the OG world messer-upper? Now I dunno who the big bad is!

If there are 10 warriors...I wonder what the elements are gonna be. Well I guess Pokemon has managed to come up with a zillion "elements." Is someone gonna end up with "heart?" hahaha

Didn't expect Wizardmon to show up as a baddie-of-the-week. Feels weird.

I kinda like that Koji is taking his sweet time to join the party. We don't need his drama in the friend group.

[pierogisfilledwithpaint]

screaming into the void out of joy. I'm just gonna ramble a bit because I went to a concert, good luck to anyone reading this, it's very rambly and incoherent but I wrote this right after I came back to my hotel xO

I just came back from the sleep token munich ritual and it was fucking great, even though I was standing in the queue for like 5 hours and my feet hurt like hell and I think ill just lay in bed the next day

Speaking of queue, there were so many nice people there. I got like two bracelets, a sticker with the symbol and I even talked with other people a bit, even though my social anxiety is pretty bad, gosh all the people there were so nice 🥹

Also before the opening act started they played like a bit of music and I shit you not, they played the fucking evangelion theme 💀 I mean I was still vibing to it, but now I'm curious who put that in, maybe Vessel himself, he seems like the kind of weeb that likes evangelion. Health was also a pretty great opening act, tomorrow I'll probably dive into their discography because their music scratches something good in my brain

And the ritual itself? Fucking 100/10. The stage was bigger and better, the lights were great, Vessels vocals were phenomenal, iii is still a stickbug menace, ii slayed the drums, but I sadly didn't get enough video material of ivy, I was standing at the other side of the venue where iii and Vessel were :[ but ivy did dance for the vesselettes, iii and ivy kissed and Vessel bothered ivy as always and it was fun seeing it all up close. Oh, and speaking of the vesselettes, they got new masks and the look fucking dope! More in style of Vessels mask and they also had a little choreography with their hands and arms which just makes them look even cooler!!!

I'll probably sort trough the video material tomorrow because as I'm writing this it's almost midnight and I'm tired 💀

There's just one thing I'm kinda frustrated with, moreso with myself. Bought like 4 santa hats for the band, decorated them a but and wanted to give it to them during the ritual, but I didn't know when, I was in the front row but not at the barricades, so when the ritual ended I threw them onto the stage and I dunno feels like I failed myself, because I couldn't give it to them sooner, I just hope the band will like it

Also talking about throwing, right before the last song, someone threw a plushy vessel on stage, Vessel picked it up, pointed at it and then himself, waving his arms around in confusion and then setting the plush somewhere on stage and I think I even saw him smile. Not only when he picked up the plush but like multiple times during the show, or maybe I was just imagining things 💀 and there were a lot of hand hearts from vessel which was also very cute <3

Overall I loved it a lot and I'll hope I'll just be able to see them soon again <3

[bekahdoesnerdshit]

Playlist: Professor Ransom Kitwell

Alternate Title: She Took My Morals in the Divorce

Into the Fog by The Budos Band

An instrumental to kick things off. The slow build up, the heavy drum beats that sound like footsteps, the way each added instrument builds on the introduction until it kicks off into the real melody, it's so GOOD. And then the horns!! They're loud and on the edge of blaring, at times almost discordant, it's SO Ransom. And the obnoxious trill at 3:15 with what sounds like maybe a cup mute, that leads into such a fun solo that's So different from the rest of the piece!! It's so good. Very Ransom to me. Also, the title works as a joke about Curse of Strahd kjghdk

Don't Sing the Blues by Bohnes

I was ridiculous, young Icarus, I flew too close to the sun But when I reminisce that wickedness was the shit that kept me young And every choice I made, I wouldn't trade all that for anyone So don't you cry, cry, cry for me

This one's about young Ransom being an absolute shithead and having the time of her life. Having all kinds of adventures, getting into all kinds of trouble, and not regretting a moment of it. She firmly believes that the only bad experiences are the ones you chicken out of having. She doesn't want to have any regrets at the end of her life, and she's lived her life in way to make sure she gets to See and Do and Learn everything the world has to offer

Leader of the Pack by Wunderhorse

Some people have a special kinda knack Getting what they wanted just to stab you in the back Nine times out of ten it's the leader of the pack

Ransom is a shithead in a lovable scoundrel kind of way, but also in a, uh. In a shithead kind of way. Ransom is ambitious and driven, and she's not the kind of person to let anything get in the way of a goal she's pursuing. She'll say or do whatever she has to in order to get what she wants, consequences be damned. Or, at least, deferred. Sometimes this is a good thing, because it means she's willing to step up and problem solve when other people are hesitant or overwhelmed. But sometime it can add... tension, to relationships that matter.

Brighter Than the Sun by Brick + Mortar

I'm brighter than the sun, but I can't wait You're asking me to stay, I can't escape I'm staying up all night to sleep all day I'm brighter than the sun, but then one day

This song is mostly for Vibes, with the heavy guitar and drums and the vocalist who almost blends in with the instruments. It's also like, Ransom does have a huge ego and a lot of pride. But behind it is a kind of darkness, an edge of unhappiness. It's walled up tight, hidden largely even from Ransom herself, but it's there and it colors a lot of her actions in times of stress.

Two Letters by Bayside

Ex sounds dirty I can't say it, sounds so final and I'm still prayin' For the worst for the better, we're nothing now we're just two letters Hope you understand I'm not prepared to call you just a friend

The divorce soooooong. Ransom didn't change! She stayed exactly the same, and Hugh left her. She wasn't ready for their relationship to end, didn't even know it was something that was at risk of happening until it was too late. Without saying a word to her about it, Hugh had decided what she was wasn't enough for him anymore, took the life they'd built together, and left. "How to leave the past behind when it's around all of the time"? "I'm not prepared to call you just a friend"? Easy solution: don't. Go scorched earth, burn him entirely out of your life. It'll hurt a lot in one big burst, and then you'll be done with it and over it -over him- for the rest of your life.

Snitches and Talkers get Stitches and Walkers by Fall Out Boy

And haven't you heard, the word on the street is "I lost it, called it quits," get out into the sun Out from behind the gossip

I'll be sooo honest, I initially put this song on the playlist as a way to help set the tone for the kind of songs I was looking for and fully expected to take it off once I got the ball rolling. But like. It's a good song and ALSO. It's fast and loud and almost frenetic, like it's angry and trying to stay ahead of something. I feel like it encapsulates the anger of post-divorce Ransom, her lashing out and putting up walls that are there to this day. Big "I'll give 'em something to talk about. Something that I've done, not something I'm the victim of" type energy.

A Weak Ago by letlive.

I'm not feeling the way No, I'm not feeling the way they expect me to I'm not pulling away See, I'm just pulling the same shit on a different day

This is the last song I added to the playlist, and I actually subbed it in for another song (Devil On My Shoulder, if you were curious) after I'd sent the playlist to the server. This song is about Ransom unraveling after Allie's death, about how she became curt and blunt and - honestly?- mean in her grief. She'd been on her best behavior before because she'd wanted the party to like her more than they liked Allie, but when Allie was killed that motivation no longer existed. Ransom seemed to become an entirely different person overnight. This song is Ransom saying, no, I'm who I've always been. I'm doing the same shit, prioritizing the same way. You just don't like it anymore, because now it's getting in your way. Because you don't care about me, and you certainly don't care about Allie. (Please note, she is wrong about this. The party cares a lot, and Ransom was just too blinded by her anger and grief to see it. But that didn't change how she felt at the time, you know?)

Don't Walk, Run! by The Park Hill Romance

'Cause I've been on the run for a while But the runnin' ain't a friend of mine Oh ain't it fun With the fire back in your lungs tonight

Another song with Vibes (the same loud guitar and drums, the vocalist who blends with the music and sorta slides around instead of hitting notes precisely), another song about Ransom dealing with (read: ignoring entirely) the fact that "fuck everybody but me" isn't a long term solution and is, in fact, having an incredibly detrimental long term effect on her ability to make friends and empathize with other people. After getting in a nasty fight with one of her party members Ransom said something to the effect of "I'm out of practice having friends. I'd like to get back to it, though, if you'll let me." She's trying. She's getting better. But she's not quite there yet.

Every You Every Me by Placebo

Like the naked leads the blind I know I'm selfish, I'm unkind Sucker love I always find Someone to bruise and leave behind

I was very judicious with my use of Rallie songs; this is only the second one. It's about how, despite the fact that they treated each other SO poorly at the end, they're Ransom and Allie are the only people they could possibly fit together with. It's like that post about the fucked up charger and charging port that have warped each other so that they can only work together. That's Rallie. It's ALSO about the inevitability of coming back together, of ending up wrapped up in each other again. Hopefully, it will work out better this time. But regardless, no matter what they may tell themselves and the world at large, they're never going to be over each other or free from the other person's influence. Every time, every me, every you, we'll end up here.

Who is She ? by I Monster

Somewhere across the sea of time A love immortal such as mine Will come to me Eternally Immortal she Return to me

This is the "dealing with Allie's murder and the single-minded quest to resurrect her" song. It's spooky, a little unnerving, it's discordant in a way that's reminiscent of the first song on the playlist. It's about an obsession with a memory, a dream, and letting that obsession drag you down to the point that you can't distinguish reality anymore. And after Allie's death Ransom sorta, well... I also think the "Immortal she / Return to me" is haunting and is SUCH a strong way to end a playlist that started with loud horns and shouting and drums. Look how far we've come. Look how far she'll continue to go to fix what terrible wrong was done.

[redstringraven]

hey, @bellathetmntgeckolady, thanks for the tag!! ( •̀ ω •́ )✧ i've not done one of these in a long time, so this'll be fun! i think things like this are nice little community builders; it's a shame not to see them as often.

"the rules of the game are to write one song for every letter in your url, and then tag as many people as there are letters in your url." reposting because those reblog chains get longggg.

also, i made a temporary spotify playlist if that's easier listening.

r - reverence ; hammock e - end of small sanctuary ; akira yamaoka d - dúlaman ; celtic woman s - spanish sahara ; foals t - tsunami ; fløre r - rainy day ; alec holowka i - inner universe ; origa n - no turning back ; olivier deriviere, eric maria couturier g - give a fuck ; tezatalks r - resting grounds ; christopher larkin a - apocalypse ; sleeperstar v - voidfish (plural) ; rachel rose mitchell e - empires ; ruelle n - neglected space ; imogen heap

if you're tagged, no pressure to take part! i'll be tagging a mix of pals and folks i've never tagged before but who seem in my orbit. ...if your @ didn't work, i hope you see this somehow. <xD;;; take care!

@plantdonut, @grozva, @joyfuladorable, @sftgnge, @gatorkid509, @mojimallow, @badatusernames, @vdragon-creations, @adenthemage, @roquog, @maddys-nerd-blog, @yellowhollyhock, @figuringitoutasigoalong, @cheesy-che, @sassatello

because i'm insufferable, i'll also put some small character/song relevant thoughts under the cut. as a treat to myself.

reverence: this song gives me the feeling of being out on casey's farmhouse porch on late summer afternoon or at sunset. everyone's just kind of basking in the warmth, downtime, and company of each other. some might be napping, those awake are making quiet, idle conversation. it's just nice.

end of small sanctuary: this one always makes me think of raph and gwyn, specifically, sitting on city high-point at sunset. much like how it's used in SH3 when heather is just being a teenager at the mall and is probably music she'd listen to, this very much gives me the energy and warmth of raph and gwyn sitting in the setting sun, high above the city, with maybe some food and light conversation. a breath between The Horrors™.

dúlaman: i've been trying to find and listen to more celtic/irish music for a lot of reasons (so if you know any pls gib), but one is to better cultivate the sound and energy of liáfsian folksongs and music.

spanish sahara: how could i make this list without one of the songs that never fails to fuck me up. spanish sahara has been the driving 'score' in my head when it's come to a number of story scenes or character moments due to the slow build and emotional release of the song as well as the lyrics. i dunno. this song just moves and inspires me in ways i can't quite articulate.

tsunami: this song just feels so strongly like aislinn to me. the lost-lover part, sure, but especially the feeling of drowning and just... the instrumentals/vocals feel like her, too. i associate her a lot with water.

rainy day: no specific scenario here, but this score makes me think of and want to draw don or leo. the game it's from kind of has a melancholic nostalgia to it, and the vibe sits well with them.

inner universe: this song is all vibes for me, and it always makes me think of entering the territory of one of the liáfsian dragons and crossing paths with it. specifically the dragon i associate with leo.

no turning back: this score is fully for gwyn being on the run. the title, the strings, the faint ticking clock and building drums toward the end, the urgency throughout. it is, for better or worse, a reflection of what so much of her life has felt like.

give a fuck: sounds and feels like a nyxram song. hard to explain, this one just always makes me think of her.

resting grounds: this score's on my playlist for the liáfsian ruins, which is an area in the realm considered to be cursed ground (but no one knows or remembers why). the ruins are beautiful, peaceful. but you never quite have the sense that you're truly alone.

apocalypse: this song always makes me think of PtINL, i can't really explain why. it's on my personal playlist for the fic, and every time it comes on shuffle it just sends me back into thoughts of mikey, aloy, their travels and their bond.

voidfish (plural): first of all: LOVE the voidfish. second, this is another one of those scores that gives me the energy of encountering ancient liáfsian fae.

empires: this song always makes me think of a 'trailer' for gwyn and ash's arc. i think it's accurate not only for how the final conflict between gwyn, ash and darach will go down, but there's a hint at a much older threat in there and "the tides are turned" being that companionship has been found in the turtles.

neglected space: this song, without fail, always makes me think of and want to draw nyxram. there's something sad, lost and desperate to it.

[megafreak400]

Watching all of One Piece - The East Blue Saga

Well i've been trapped. You watch one introduction story about a cute reindeer doctor and suddenly you're locked in anime jail, unable to leave until you've traversed the entire grand line. I'm committed at this point though, so join me on my journey as I watch all of One Piece for the first time. Some background to start with. As alluded to the entire reason why I started this was I watched the Drum Island Arc on a whim before deciding to say fuck it and just watch the entire show. I haven't watched an anime series in like at least 5 years so why not start with this behemoth (this was decided before I watched Zombie Land Saga, but I blame a friend for that one.) Also note that i'm watching the Funimation dub of the original anime (not the live action also.) The plan is to write a blog post for every story saga. Is this the smartest way to break thing up? Eh maybe not but I'm going with it if it comes back to bite me oh well. So yes while I did watch Drum Island first, I won't give my thoughts on it until I finish the next saga. My plan is to break this down in four sections, though this may change in future blogs. The sections will be: 1. A talk about music I liked and OPs I liked 2. My general thoughts on the arcs (I will not recap what happens this blog assumes you know) 3. My thoughts on Major Characters or Characters I really really like. This saga will be a heavily focused on our main cast, but i'll make mention of guys that stood out or guys I hated as well for the supporting cast/villians during the arcs section 4. Overall thoughts on the saga.

Music

A great first opening for this show, catchy as heck and I think it fits the feel of the show perfectly. I do think maybe a rap may have been a better fit but this is still really good.

Sadly the second OP is just ok. It's not bad but I think the english version isn't nearly as good as what i've heard of the Japanese version, and even that just doesn't hit as well as We Are. I also think the weird 4 image thing the op does is kind of lame compared to unique animation and as far as I can tell that's how it was in japanese as well. As far as ED's go, none of them really stood out to me except one.

This song is just so catchy, even more so in the English version which just has more energy to it. I mostly like the starting section with the kid versions of the main cast running, it's so good and i love kid zoro just running super extra hard it's adorable. For background music, all of it is very good but by far the best background song is this one:

Specifically the first part. When these trumpets start blaring you know that someone is doing something cool or about ready to make a bad ass stand. It's also very catchy and powerful. On a similar note I also really enjoy Rubber Bazooka. You know Luffy (or sometimes buggy for no reason...Like seriously why did they use this theme for him in that one episode) is kicking some major ass and it's always a fun time.

And my last pick for my top 3 favorite songs is Mother Sea, a remix of We are that usually plays when the saddest backstory ever is happening. Always fits the scenes perfectly, doubly so since a lot of these scene have like a white fuzzy boarder of sorts to denote a flash back that for some reason when mixed with this song just gives a very sad nostalgic vibe that I appreciate.

One last honorable mention goes to the snippets of character themes that play midway during an episode when it goes to commercial. I know that there is a full song to these and these are just parts of that full orchestration but the parts they pick really fit the characters perfectly and it's always a delight to hear the song and be like "oh zoro's poster is gonna flutter on up." All of the music in this show is delightful and I can't wait to hear more.

Arcs

Ok It's time for the Meat and potatoes section. This is mostly what stuck out to me, so if I missed something you found cool i'm sorry. Romance Dawn Arc

A good start to the story, introducing us to the insanity that is Luffy. This is mostly just an introductory arc so I don't have a ton of specific reactions here that wouldn't be mentioned in Luffy and Zoro's overall character thoughts. For other characters Koby is a weenie but I do end up liking him and I love how Luffy inspires him. It is really wild that he ends up friends with a pirate despite wanting to join the marines (though honestly kid, 90 percent of the marines I've seen in this show suck, maybe don't.....or go find captain smoker), but I guess Luffy is just built different. Villains wise, most are kind of forgettable. Alivda is a whatever character here and Helmeppo is silly but kind of obnoxious. Morgan is horrible and starts the trend of the main villian of the arc being the biggest piece of shit, and usually even a bigger piece of shit compared to the guy from the last arc. One piece is in an arm race to find the worst characters for Luffy to beat up and I'm kind of all here for this. I guess the other thing to note is Shanks, who is shown in a flash back (though in the manga I know it's just the first chapter. I really like Shanks and I know we'll see more of him in the future. Just know I think he's really cool and I hope he doesn't end up being an asshole. But beyond that there isn't much else to say about this arc. I like the Nami shows up here doing her own thing but beyond that it's just a solid introduction arc without anything too crazy that stands out.

Orange Town Arc

Chouchou is best boy! The fake out of you thinking he got slaughters when actually he struck a blow was great I really hope we see him again in the future, though I doubt it since he's such a small character. Also the Mayor was really fun, respect to him marching off to fight Buggy. Stupid of him, but he had guts. Beyond that uh yea sorry I don't really care for Buggy. This arc is great because we get more Zoro and Luffy character building but Buggy and his crew are a bit of a snooze fest. Maybe it's the dub actor who sounds like he's going for Joker if he wasn't funny and also was barely evil but I guess most of the villains in this show are giant asshats who you want to see beat up. Buggy is just kind of an annoyance so far. He's a lot more annoying in later episodes, here he was fine but IDK the anime seems to love this man and he hasn't done anything to make me enjoy watching him. Chop Chop powers are fun, but he doesn't really do anything creative with them here. His lackeys also overstay their welcome. The fact that I remember Chouchou more than the guy he was fighting should be evidence of that. And acrobat guy shouting random attack names was funny but again just got old after a while. The more important part of this arc is Nami finally meeting Luffy an Zoro. I want it noted that it takes a while for me to like Nami, here she slightly got on my nerves mostly because she was being a bit silly about thinking she could trick Buggy, at least at the time. Also shout outs to Zoro just sleeping after a bad stab womb. Won't be the last time either, I love this dumb swordsman.

Syrup Village Arc

Ok this is the first Arc I really gelled with. Not that I wasn't enjoying the show before this, I was because I really like Zoro and Luffy. But this was the first arc where I thought the overall story and pacing kept me enthralled. Ussop really shines in this arc and while it's kind of his fault no one believes him he steps up and the battle that follows is incredible. Kaya is a sweetheart, though some of her actions in this arc are a little short sighted. Her going to Kuro just seemed like the wrong move, but i respect her guts. She is also part of the reason Ussop works in this arc because his tall tales are for her benefit and it's shown she really enjoys Ussop's company. Next up....how did Merry survive? I know this won't be the last time i ask this but seriously this dude should have died. I legit thought he was going to become their boat through some strange reincarnation, and I wasn't entirely wrong? Obligatory Zoro is so dumb and I love him for it. Nami pushing him down into the oil, ok sure dick move but the guy took like a half hour to realize he could just use his sword to climb up. I also find it absolutely hilarious that if he doesn't have a sword in his mouth he's like at half strength. The Black cat pirates are by far the best villains so far. Kuro is an absolute dick and even before the reveal I hated this man. This man was a wanted pirate who decided to hatch this insane scheme to take over this rich families fortune by 2 years of pretending to be their faithful butler and faking his death to get the marines off his tail. Just an absolutely over the top insane plan but it doesn't matter because he sells it just due to how cold and cunning he is. Unfortunately he stupidly decided to reveal his plan to merry for no reason before failing to kill him, so maybe dumber than you think (like most cats.) His crew is also a lot of fun, the back and forth of them wanting to cheer him with his old name and him getting mad at them is great, and them just switching to cheering for Luffy when he reveals he was going to kill them all is hilarious. Jango is also a lot of fun, his hypnotism add a lot of twists to this arc that I enjoyed. I've learned quickly that for a lot of these arcs they need something to prevent Luffy and Zoro from just winning right out the gate, so having Luffy be hypnotized here was not only hilarious it also gave Ussop a time to shine. Oh yea and shout outs to the ussop pirate gang, those kids were pretty cool in the end and respect to them for staying to fight against Jango. Overall best arc so far, it was a joy from start to end. Baratie Arc

This might be my favorite arc of this saga. I fucking love this insane restaurant everyone who works here is nuts and It's the best. There are so many good characters in this arc. Patty and Carne stand out from the chefs, but even the nameless background chefs are great. Zoro's bounty hunter friends are introduced here and I loves these weirdos and the fact that they stick around for so long. Zeff is the best dad, his backstory with Sanji is the saddest backstory ever and I really love his goodbye with Sanji. Also The idea of a kicking pirate is great and I love that he taught Sanji everything he knows. Also his interactions with Luffy are hilarious. Full not metal not alchemist is a giant weenie and a great way to introduce how nuts the fighting Chefs of the Baratie are. I assume we'll see him more in the future but glad he got what was coming to him. Gin is a great character and I love that we get a complex villain here. One piece needs a giant asshole for the crew to defeat but having a character who is technically on the other side but has good morals helps give a bit more complexity beyond just bad guy is bad. Mihawk comes way the fuck out of now where and I assume he'll be way more important later but he's a good way to show how insane what they'll find in the Grand Line will be. It's interesting because a lot of this arc feels like setting up for later arcs, with the stuff with Nami leaving leading directly to the next one or Zoro's fight here most likely leading to big things later down the line but it never feels like it's out of place. Don Krieg is a giant weenie and seeing him and his stupid armor taken down was very satisfying. This man also sucks because he's supposed to be one of the strongest pirates ever and he went to the grand line and instantly got his ass handed to him. He also has a punch able face. The setting to this arc is also very fun. The idea of a floating restaurant is just such a cool concept. It also makes for an interesting battle ground since neither party wants to destroy the terrain. Also Sanji. This is the last time Sanji gets to be not cringe for an entire arc (so far at least) I like sanji here a lot he's fantastic. I feel like fighting wise he doesn't really get to do much here (he honestly feels more normal here and less super strong compared to later fights) but his morals when it came to feeding people and his defending of his family and home and how he finally agrees to join Luffy's crew are all handled fantastically. Sadly though he has one glaringly bad character flaw, but i'll get to that later. Overall I just love the pacing of this arc. It flows perfectly. From them meeting the bounty hunters (which is hilarious by the way, don't pour lemon juice down a man's throat to cure scurvy at home kids) to them deciding they need a chef as the reason to go the restaurant in the first place. The from there the marine jerk causing Luffy to become a chore boy, and them being there leading to Gin escaping and bring back Krieg, it just feels all natural. And as mentioned with Nami leaving it also feels like it just flows well into the next arc. 10/10 best arc. Arlong Park Arc

Fuck

Ok......Let's try this again. FUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKK This arc is apparently the arc to watch if you want to know if you'll like one piece and I get why. Also the arc that made me go "what the fuck how did 4 Kids dub this" before realizing the answer was "badly." There is some brutal stuff in this arc, and if you thought Kuro was an asshole, clearly you haven't met Arlong. Ok some minor things. Momoo is adorable and I love them. I feel so bad for them and I want to give them a hug. Granted the running joke of Luffy and Sanji not knowing what the heck animals are is really funny but leave my poor cow baby alone. Ok other small things uh............fuck everything in this arc isn't really small. Ok uh....Ussop he gets to be heroic for once, that was cool. Oh and the pinwheel guy and Nami's sister are fantastic I love them and them trying to save Luffy is hilarious and also Luffy is an idiot. alright uh where to start. Arlong is a fucking asshole. Fuck this guy the biggest piece of shit until the next piece of shit. IDK what the worst part about this guy is. The racism, what he did to nami's mom, what he did to the village, what he did to nami both in making her join his crew and giving her false hope before snatching it away. Take your pick, they're all good choices. Arlong is our first introduction to the fish man species and I really hope there are some good fish men later on (there are I know this) because pretty much everyone here (except one) are just awful. Arlong's defeat by Luffy is extremely cathartic. The entire scene in the map room and luffy's reaction...it's perfect. uh other fish man....honestly most of the other guys are whatever except Hatchan. Dude is hilarious and also very dumb. While I said Gin was great for being a good guy on the bad team, Hatchan is good for being a dumb guy on the bad team. From his first meeting to zoro to his entire fight with zoro seeing dumb vs dumb is a sight to behold. Ok i'll get to this more during nami's character section but Nami is a character who slowly gets better arc from arc with slow character building and moving her to this moment. This is her arc, and it's also when I was fully on liking her as a character. That scene, that fucking scene man. You know the one. It's just so good everything about her in this arc is done masterfully. How she fakes killing Ussop, the Tattoo she ends up getting after everything, her friendship with Luffy here. Nami is this arc and while I did enjoy the Baratie more, this arc hits on an emotional level with the saddest backstory ever told. Also obligatory Zoro is dumb. Did I mention I love him? Louge Town Arc

This arc is a fun time. It's a good breather arc, setting up the the transition to the grand line, introducing some new characters and reintroducing some old characters. I was not expecting to see alvida again, and though she basically acts like a different character, it's cool to see her return i guess. Buggy is here....yay? IDK maybe Buggy becomes amazing later on but he's more just used here to establish characters coming back and act as a way to make Luffy seem cool. The side stories in this arc are what i mostly enjoy though. Everything with Zoro in the sword shop was a fun time, and I can't wait to see more of this not the dead girl zoro knew in the future. Ussop's story with Daddy the Father (yes that's his name) is also fun. Any time Ussop isn't being annoying i'll always applaud. Some insane stuff happens near the end of this arc, like this weird man and the weird lighting but I'm assuming we'll learn more about that much later. And lastly, Smoker. We love Smoker. The first marine I like and IDK what his role in the story will be but i can't wait to see more of this man. Warship Island Arc

An anime only arc that....exists. This arc is fine, but honestly thinking back I really don't have much to say about this one. Eric is a stupid weenie and the entire arc is them going to the wrong place and having to back track. I do like Apis, she's a fun character, but the overall pace of the story just is kind of whatever. I do like that they work this arc into manga events like getting trapped in the calm belt or entering reverse mountain, and the main cast continues to be pretty fun in their interactions with each other but I kind of just want to get to the grand line already!

Episodes not in Arcs

Ok there are really only two things to mention here. 1. Gaimon is the best and I love his island with the weird animals. I assume he's not important but his episode is fun and the idea of this weird box man is hilarious. 2. Buggy's episodes suck. like the only episodes of the show i really didn't like. I don't like buggy as it is but he absolutely can't function as the protagonist. Small buggy dicking around is painful to watch but then they have a second episode with his crew and I just don't care. The lion is funny but other then that these episodes just felt like a waste of time.

Characters

OK I'm only going to cover the main guys here, in later sagas I main include more, we'll have to see. Monkey D Luffy

Luffy is an idiot. He's like so dumb but I kind of love him for it. Probably my second or third favorite character at this point, this man is Goku brained. That's not a bad thing mind you, but if you've watched original dragon ball, all the traits are here. A love for food (and a huge appetite,) loves to fight, gets insanely pissed if you hurt his friends, stupid strong, very very dumb and a has a good heart. Luffy is a simple character but honestly that's fine. Everyone else can get sad backstories and deep lore Luffy is fine just being this rubber wrecking ball. The fact that he actively doesn't want to know the backstories of his crew is both hilarious but also touching in a way, since it doesn't matter to him where they came from. He decided they were on his crew and his friends and that's just the way it is. East blue Luffy overall is a fun time and while him being nerfed at times due to stupidity is a bit, well stupid, it also makes it so he doesn't overstay his welcome. Him being dumb could be annoying but it's mostly paced well enough that it ends up just being funny and not overbearing.

Roronoa Zoro

I love Zoro. Man is stupid strong, stupid stupid and a good guy. Granted he's smarter than Luffy and I love it when he notices stuff and gets to show off a bit of his tactical no how. But the man also is very dumb in a lot of other ways and I love him for it. The fact that the only reason he's known as a pirate hunter is because he just beat up pirates trying to find his way back home because he got lost and he doesn't even realize he's known as this big bad bounty hunter is pretty incredible. It does suck that he gets wounded so much in east blue but if he didn't he would probably win all the fights with no struggle. And because of that we get to see how determined he is to be the best swords man. His fight with Mihawk after learning his back story is such a great moment and i really hope he becomes just that, the greatest swordsman. Nami

I like Nami a lot and I only keep liking her the more I watch. I do think it's a slow burn to liking her, she's not exactly the nicest character to the guys for the longest time, but a lot of that is her wearing a mask due to her past experiences. Once we get to Arlong park and realizing everything she's been through and how strong willed she is, it's understandable and from that point she also becomes a lot more approachable to the rest of the crew while still maintaining a bit of her trademark "you idiots" bite to her. I do wish she was a bit less money hungry at times but compared to other characters it's a minor flaw so far.

Ussop

Ussop is in a race for my least favorite main character in the East Blue and it sucks because I do like him. It's just while the lying in his arc was fine, when he starts to brag and lie during other arcs as a way to seem tougher or to take credit for others deeds, he just comes across as obnoxious. Because Usssop doesn't need to lie, he's pretty cool on his own. Him doing his marksman thing and generally being one of the smarter members of the crew is enough on it's own, you don't need to be freakishly strong dude. He took out a fishman on his own and it was legit hype but then he decides to lie to the town and tell them he did everything despite them clearly watching the whole fight against Arlong. I think Ussop will always be a character who is always really good or really annoying, but I hope he leans more to the good side the further on we get.

Sanji

Oh Sanji. Sanji, Sanji, Sanji. Sanji could be such a good character but he has one really annoying awful trait. He's horrible when it comes to women. Not only that but he's kind of an asshole to the rest of the crew during the every day travel, and only good when in battle. He was great during his arc mind you, but he always acts weird around Nami or any girl and just please dude. Men being weird about beautiful women is always a weird joke and while a lot of times it can kind of work, it just doesn't here. It's unfortunate because it kind of becomes Sanji's whole character or at the very least eclipses anything else good about him.

Final Thoughts

East blue overall is a fun saga to start our adventure. I think it establishes the world of One Piece well while leaving room for more insane characters and story elements the further in we get. It gives us our main cast (besides best boy Chopper) for a while and introduces all their back stories. A good mix of comedy and heartbreak i'm excited to watch more of this show and see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

[glisteningreverie]

Since you asked me about it it’s only fair I give you full reign to ramble about your ocs

HECK YEAH OC RAMBLE TIME WITH GEM

Recently had a dream about a bunch of animals in a band that had to save the world, and so these OCs are a product of that. Don't know if I'm going all in with the concept yet but the idea captivated me enough to motivate me to draw them :D

March O'Hare

March is a guitarist in the band Stellar Twist, who finds herself wrapped up in the world of stars and magic when she comes across a mysterious girl from space. Making use of super powered instruments, March and her bandmates have been tasked with tracking down the missing Musical Stars before the Void Symphony can get their claws on them!

March is enthusiastic and does her best to keep the mood up in whatever room she's in. She tends to speak without thinking, however, and has a hard time admitting when she's wrong.

March's name is a reference to the March Hare from Alice in Wonderland, and is also the name of my Sonic OC, who is a rabbit as well.

March was the first one I drew because one of the characters I remember most distinctly from my dream was a blue rabbit :D

Frett Reynard

Frett is a laid-back guy, and the bass player in the band. He's the realist to March's dreamer tendencies, and often has to remind her not to jump headfirst into danger. Frett is down to Earth and will think carefully before he acts. He is more skeptical about magic at first, but gets a handle on it the most easily in the group.

Frett's name is pulled from the fretboard part of a guitar, referencing his main instrument, and his surname is a misspelling of "renard".

He's drawn from the other character I distinctly remember from my dream, a red fox. Since the fox and the rabbit were the characters I remembered best, I decided they'd be the two guitarists in the band.

Pepper Lu (formerly Pepper Paisley)

March's childhood best friend Pepper is Stellar Twist's keyboardist and main songwriter. She shares a love of performing with March, hence why they started the band. Pepper has connections just about everywhere, and she's friends with Timber and Mel, who she was able to convince to join the band.

Pepper is mature and even-tempered, being the one to keep the group organized and on track. Her responsibility is her superpower, and she is someone the band can rely on to be prepared for most situations.

I had real trouble coming up with Pepper's surname. I settled on Paisley* because it sounds nice, and it kind of reflects the shape of the spots on her eyes.

I was also a little hard-pressed choosing the main colour for Pepper. Green might have worked but I liked it better for Timber, and a warm colour like pink doesn't really fit her personality. So, at risk of reminding people of Littlest Pet Shop, I gave her purple. Maybe I'll make the purple spots lilac or something for the sake of differentiating.

*As of editing this post on Nov. 15, 2024, I’ve changed Pepper’s surname to a Chinese one, since it’s more fitting of a Panda character. They’re pretty distinctly Chinese, so I looked up different surnames that might fit. Lu (吕) means “musical note”.

Timber Willows

On top of being Stellar Twist's drummer, Timber runs the band's official social media account. He has a hard time sitting still, and is almost always drumming out a rhythm on whatever hard surface he can find. The way Timber carries himself gives off the vibes of a tough-guy act, but really he's just kind of shy. He's highly empathetic, and can't stand to see anyone upset. He has trouble expressing it verbally, but everyone in the band knows just how much he cares, given that he's a man (cat?) of action and won't hesitate to help others out.

Timber is the reason I found out about the word "Timbre"'s pronunciation. I wanted to give him another musical name, so "Timber" is a play on that. His last name is Willows because I think I'm very funny.

Timber's got one of my favourite designs overall, his little hair puff is just so cute and I wanna ruffle it up ^o^

Mel Rapport

Mel is an upbeat, tried and true girly girl, though her love of pink and fashion leaves people dismissing her as shallow. Stellar Twist's lead singer and tambourinist also plays the ukulele in her free time. Timber's best friend is a hard worker, and is known as the girl who won't say anything bad about anyone. She comes on as sugary sweet, and tries hard to see the good in everybody. However, this dedication to looking at the bright side can easily slide into naivete: she's often loyal to a fault.

Mel is short for "Melody", because I just can't resist the music themed names apparently. Her surname, Rapport, is a reference to the fact that she's supposed to be a golden retriever.

Mel's overall look is pulled from a little dog doodle I did a while back. I just loved the look of the ears and wanted to replicate it here. Unfortunately I don't have that notebook with me, otherwise I'd be more than happy to show that doodle off.

And that's the main group!!! I do have some vague ideas for Nova, the guardian of the Musical Stars, as well as the Void Symphony, but nothing I like enough to actually motivate me to draw designs for yet.

This has been OC Ramble Time with Gem. Tune in next time someone decides to ask about my OCs (in who knows how long).

[purpleandsilver]

@lifemod17 tagged me in this so here's

Scarlet's Top Ten Songs

Here's the list:

Ascensionism- Sleep Token

The Summoning- Sleep Token

Work Song- Hozier

Stick Season- Noah Kahan

Waiting On The Sky To Change- Starset ft. Breaking Benjamin plus Judge & Jury

Hurt You- Spiritbox

Faultline- Starset

Already Dead- iPrevail

Ashley- Halsey

Concrete Jungle- Bad Omens

This list was almost impossible to make. My music library on YouTube Music is HUGE. Would be bigger if I was still a fan of Taylor Swift.

Full explanations below the cut 🔽

Tagging @murderofcrow if they want to participate 💜

1. Ascensionism: Sleep Token

Album: Take Me Back To Eden

Why: The god-tier drums, the guitars, the piano at the beginning and end, the lyrics. Everything about it is a masterpiece made for my ADHD brain to absolutely vibe to. Vessel said "worship" and my brain went, "bitch I may be asexual but I'm on my knees for this song"

Favorite part: lipstick, chemtrails, red flags, pink nails/ with one eye on the door, other eye on a rail/other other eye following a scarlet trail and the last drops from the Holy Grail

2. The Summoning- Sleep Token

Album: Take Me Back To Eden

Why: TikTok likes to call this song "the baby making song" and you know what? I get it. I've never fucked, but I suppose men can last for six minutes and thirty six seconds. Women definitely can. Anyways, I love how this song has range. It goes from god-tier drums (II is an absolutely amazing drummer), to epic guitar, to just the most epic of everything. The lyrics are even better.

Favorite Part: Oh and my love?/ Did I mistake you for a sign from God? Or are you really here to cut me off?/ 'Cause these days, I'd be lying if I told you that/I didn't wish I could be your man.

3. Work Song- Hozier

Album: Hozier

Why: Back when I felt like I had to listen to pop music Just Because, I wandered into the realm of Hozier. Now, Hozier I would classify more as alternative, maybe even folk, more than pop. But this song popped up when I was listening to cardigan (by Taylor Swift), and it's just... omg. Work Song is utterly an obsession and every time I hear it I'm hitting repeat faster than the speed of a bullet.

Favorite Part: Nothin' in her room, but an empty crib/And I was burnin' up a fever/didn't care much, how long I lived/But I swear I thought I dreamed her

4. Stick Season- Noah Kahan

Album: Stick Season

Why: Once you become a Hozier girlie (gn), the path that leads you to Noah Kahan is nothing more than a slip n' slide. Stick Season's chorus sums perfectly why I hate living in Ohio even though the song is about Vermont

Favorite Part: And I'll dream each night of some version of you/That I might not have, but I did not lose/Now you're tire tracks and one pair of shoes/ And I'm split in half but that'll have to do

5. Waiting On The Sky To Change- Starset ft. Breaking Benjamin + Judge & Jury

Album: N/A (single)

Why: Starset was introduced to me in high school. I'm not sure how I found their first album, but somehow I went from Bastille to Starset. Don't ask. No, I wasn't okay. Lol. This song was released two years ago and it's a whole vibe.

Favorite Part: I've been frozen since that day/ I saw my clear blue skies as they turned to gray in front of me/ It's hard to find my way Can I rise above when giving up is all know?

6. Hurt You- Spiritbox

Album: Eternal Blue

Why: The beat and especially the drums (I love me some good ass drums).

Favorite Part: I hope you find what you're fighting for/ I am happier when I hurt you/ Your medicine is the coldest war

7. Faultline- Starset

Album: Divisions

Why: Again with the drums. But particularly the lyrics. To me, it's a song about feeling insecure and anxiety. I often feel shaky in my most anxious moments so this song gets it. What's more anxious than an earthquake?

Favorite Part: It's never black and white, no/ Going seismic out of spite, oh/ I never know if it's your fault or mine

8. Already Dead- iPrevail

Album: Lifelines

Why: The heavier metal beats, the loud vocals

Favorite Part: Tell me now, how do you sleep at night?/With the Devil in your bed laying right by your side

9. Ashley- Halsey

Album: Manic

Why: I can't explain, but I feel this song deeply and personally. It's a song of longing.

Favorite Part: And if only/ the time and space wasn't lonely/ l'd disintegrate into a thousand/ I think I'm making a mistake, who will fill the empty space?

10. Concrete Jungle- Bad Omens

Album: The Death Of The Peace Of Mind

Why: I love the synth vocals, I love how the chorus feels so epic.

Favorite Part: The coyotes cry/ And the sirens pass and harmonize/ Fires starting every day and night/ Burn around us while we're trapped inside/ Wouldn't it be nice/ To play the game without a crooked die

[folkinsomnia]

thoughts on 1989 TV?

I've not yet actually listened to the whole thing because of life hectic-ness, namely foot surgery that has made fun things like Consuming Music I Love suck a lot. So I'm listening all the way through today while I do some scanning for work! This is gonna be a sort of "live react" stream of consciousness thing that I'll ideally edit before bombarding you with my Thoughts :-)

In general, everything sounds so much crisper and I am LIVING

I've always been kinda meh towards style aside from the last chorus, but there's something sooo much better about style tv!! Haven't listened to the OG 1989 in ages, so I'd need to compare to really explain it (and it might be obvious, but I'm not the greatest at remembering the little details from pre-reputation albums bc rep was my first as a a Fan™️)

Her matured and vastly improved vocals are to die for and have been throughout the ~taylor's version~ journey. MWAH!

OOTW is already a gorgeous song, but tv is, again, just so...!!!!!

AYHTDWS is already one of my favorites, so the rerecording has me EMOTIONAL it's so beautiful. Hold me I listened twice (which I consider a sin on full listen-throughs of albums, though I AM a horrid sinner, so)

I still hate shake it off, but this one's much better. Milder hate, more like distaste now, sort of like a mushy thing on the bottom of my shoe instead of the bottom of my sock

IWYW makes me sprint thru the streets at 5 AM even with my recently removed stitches owie

WHAT IS THE SECRET SAUCE HERE?? Do the drums sound better? Idk!

I know bad blood is considered cringey but listen. It's also so fun and the cringe makes us free. Maybe the harmonies on the chorus have more parts?? Gdi i need to do one to one comparisons with all of these. Already salivating over the Kendrick Lamar version at the end of the album I'm excited for him

It's official that 1989 tv has made me really like songs I've been ambivalent or mildly positive towards (like style and wildest dreams now), so that's like actually huge imo

Everything is so pretty! (I'm half asleep now help I'm at WORK)

I Know Places is one of those TS songs I rarely listen to and then I listen and am like "why the fuck aren't I listening to this one daily" and IKP tv has me feeling that More Intensely

Clean is yet another fave and clean tv makes my very soul tremor. Don't look at me for a week

Wonderland continues to be a fucking transcendental experience that electrocutes my spinal column <3 the bridge is even MORE earth-shattering than it was in the original. please see my original thoughts from 4.5 years ago

these feelings re: Wonderland still stand and always will

The first chord of YAIL kind of sounds like the first chord of Give Great Thanks by Dorian Electra lmao

Still not crazy about YAIL but the lyrics and the ****** lore...phew!

New Romantics tv is suuuch a good example of how gorgeous tayla's lower register has gotten. It's so much richer and I guess more well supported?

I've heard that Slut! is actually emotional af...not ready

"I might as well be a joke in love" HOO BOY I SEE NOW WHAT FOLKS HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT

"Got lovesick all over my bed" is SO !!!!!!

Okay yeah Slut! is so fucking good

Say Don't Go has me reeling. I can see why it didn't make the final cut (she is just a little too unlike her brethren to the point that, imo, she wouldn't fit well into the original album as well as the songs that made it do), but it's soooo ggoooooOOOD!!! It gives me almost like...cousin of 1989 and Lover and Midnights vibes?

Now That We Don't Talk...!!!! These vault songs fucking rule, dude.

The end of NTWDT 🤝 Mastermind??

The I broke my own heart 'cause you were too polite to do it ⏩️ I broke his heart 'cause he was nice pipeline and how it rejects the continuation of a cycle of passivity while simultaneously continuing the emotional burden carried by women in their relationships!! And also a cycle of cruelty! These are half-baked thoughts but they ARE thoughts I'm having!! An english degree was wasted on me because my textual analysis skills are still so juvenile,,

Is It Over Now Boo From Fleabag Moment

I WAS RIGHT THE KENDRICK LAMAR BAD BLOOD VERSION IS SO FUCKING AJGKDHAGXGBX AHHHHHH (dats me yellin)

[nogenderbee]

hmm I have a guess on who I'm going to get, let's see if it's right! I know I'm not gonna get a certain person that I want but it's fine aha

I like guy and girls btw

⊱ What nickname would you call your lover?:

Definitely darling! I love saying it and I love receiving it.

⊱ What are your hobbies?

Mostly drawing and pjsk, I read sometimes OH AND I FORGOT THAT I DRUM FOR A BAND TOO!

⊱ What's your perfect date idea?:

I don't really know, maybe just cuddling at home all day and watching a show together. Not really a date idea but I enjoy just sitting in a room with someone and talking while we do our own seperate things. Like reading next to someone or drawing next to them while they do their thing.

⊱ What's something you hate in others? (like a personality trait or behavior for example):

When people are mean or rude out of nowhere, kills the vibe for no good reason

⊱ What are yours main 3-5 (or more if you want!) personality traits?:

I'm pretty reliable and generally knowledgeable in things? I guess? Uhh and I like patterns and numbers and schedules bc they make me feel secure and accomplished, but it does make me rigid in my drumming so I've had to work on that. Even tho I'm a little weirder than the average person I'm actually pretty sociable and a lot more talkative with others than my friend haha

⊱ What activity/hobby do you like?:

Drawing but I quite a bit of art insecurity (ena monent). Going on a walk with someone is fun too, whether it's down the street or through a forest. Every once in a blue moon I'll write something self-indulgent too and I am pretty good at writing if I do say so myself but my motivation and consistency levels are UNDERGROUND. IN THE DEPTHS OF HELL.

⊱ What's activity/hobby you don't like?:

Most sports like football and basketball, even tho badminton is fun ngl

I'm excited to hear your response!

Aoooh we will see if I'll be able to match you with your guess then! So let's see!

I pair you with...

🥁🥁🥁

Rui Kamishiro!

⊱ okey so first is nickname, you call him "darling" and so does her calls you like that! And both of you of course live it! But if you ever get bored of it, know he has a bit more of pet names up his sleeve~

⊱ so first, you definitely have drawing in common but you're also definitely better than him at it. As for you drumming in a band, he's extremely impressed and also supportive! Also your biggest fan~

⊱ honestly he enjoys both cuddling and just spending quality time with each other while also finishing your own things. I'm just sure dates when you draw or do anything and he creates inventions or plan new shows are frequent!

⊱ as for your scheduling, he must admit that he likes scheduling himself but if you can actually keep up with you then he'll be impressed ad he often just spends too much time on one thing... But he's also impressed by you bring knowledgeable and reliable! There's sometimes just no end to his compliments really~

⊱ and finally, he absolutely enjoys walks so if you won't mind, he'd love to share them with you too! It's probably often when the two of you just walk around streets, forests or so, be it morning, evening, middle of day or night

You and Rui had your classic date when you were just doing your own things. He was working on his new invention and you were focused on drawing. He still had a lot of things to do before he could say his invention is finished but he decided to take a little break as he was curious how you're doing.

"Hey darling, may I have a peek~?"

"I guess so!"

"Thank you~"

He got a but closer, putting one hand on top of your while looking through your shoulder. If you're looking for his reaction, you can only see amazement in his eyes.

"Oh my~ You're amazing! I'm can't deny it, I'm extremely proud to have you and my partner~"

❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉

[mackmp3]

the album of all time dry by pj harvey!!!!!

YEs definitely the album of all time!! dry DRY oh my gosh i friecken love Dry

best song - Happy and Bleeding, but i think Dress captures the overall vibe of the album the best, definitely one of the best of her early songs

favourite song - Happy and Bleeding, this one is actually the best one, you all know i'm right you cant fight on this cos i'll win. Happy and bleeding is my favourite i love it so feacking much - the slide guitar the riff the bass the drums the fruit flower myself inside out mind and body i would and i would not do fig fruit flower myself inside out for you ahhhhhhh love happy and bleeding

least favourite - hair. i dunno i just don't like this one as much. i couldn't stand the bass tone on the intro of victory when i first heard it but it's grown on me, i think it's totally fine now. there aren't any i don't like, but hair is just not as amazing as the rest of the album

most overrated - i mean sheela-na-gig is the most well known one but it's still fairly obscure i think (maybe? hard to tell) and it is a banger but i think dress is a little better

most underrated - WATER. I LOVE WATER oh my gosh firkcen water more people need to listen to that one, closes the album in such a fantastic way definitely the most underrated, i love how the very last word sounds like 'water her' i dunno why but that just gets me. ALSO the glastonbury 1995 version is so so sooo cool if you haven't heard that already i might upload it actually it's so good. (also happy and bleeding hehe)

the banger of all bangers - sheela-na-gig absolute 10/10 banger has such vibes has such energy AND not everyone knows what a sheela na gig is so you can play it for people without them knowing what she means >:3 hehe i play this all the time absolute banger.

rating out of 10 - ELEVEN. okay probably 9.7 because some bits are a little rough around the edges but also i love this album so so much heheheh pj harvey

[miradanii]

Beastwars first watch episodes 18-21

Back from a break on watching the series. A very interesting character appeared....

Ep 18 - I forgot I was in the middle of it while at work and accidentally skipped past it to episode 19 and then went back. Due to being so confused who this new character was. Ngl I simultaneously think he's gross and cool. I like his robot head. Very sharp. I think the model is an improvement too.

Oh yeah Tarantulas says the planet is doomed and won't say jack shit? Mk. Keep your secrets. So what we got a signal beam from Stonehendge that temporarily captured Optimus, and destroying a peaceful floating island. Hmmm

Ep 19 - This was a much quieter episode and it felt like they were experimenting with more camera movements. Fun seeing these characters much more animalistic even if they're technically already kinda animals with hints of animal behavior?? Also out of nowhere I laughed. I'm just vibing and all of a sudden Megatron is hoisted up by his crew on a lil carry throne with Black Arachina banging kn a drum I guess they made. It's just...so silly. I love it.

Ep 20 - the Maximals go blind?! This was kind of sad, seeing Cheetor getting beaten up. Poor kitty....I think the only funny part was Dinobot freaking out and running into a tree flattening himself. Straight up slapstick humor. I think its one of the episodes where I kind of wish for the rest of it the Predicons didn't show up and it was purely the wilds that grt the best of them. Just a personal opinion. Maybe because I want to see an entire slower paced episode without fighting for once.

Ep 21 - It's Starscream. Oh boy he's a screaming Lil guy, the voice actors must take realllly good care of his vocal chords cause wow (okay wow he plays Terrorsaur i cant believe i didnt catch that). And he's from the past?? Are they connecting the 1980's movie and this show?? Hm cool tie in. I find it incredible throughout so many iterations of Transformers the writers have Starscream weasel his way back into the story any way he can. Guy is just truly unkillable.

Overall this wasn't the greatest batch of episodes to bindge. I had been busy waiting all week attempting to watch at least one episode and when I watched all 4 in one sitting...hm guess 4 was one too many. I'll pace it out better next time.

[methodrones]

album review : methodrone

released: august 1995

genre: shoegaze, psychedelic rock

next up we've gooooooot methodrone! this blog's namesake, of course, as well as the first album with an official release date. i think this album has some good songs, some not so good ones too, but let's dive in and see where this leads us! also i sat down and listened to this whole thing without any breaks i think that makes me a true music snob ( or just someone with no life ). buuut anyway!

on to the songs...

evergreen

hey, i told you guys we'd be getting evergreen again. here it is! as usual, i love the warped sounds at the beginning going into the actual music, the vocals are good on both sides, and i love when they duet on the chorus. this version is a tiny bit longer than pol pot's, but it definitely is the perfect length and for sure achieves that shoegaze sound. i also like anton's singing at the end. not much else to say. great song!

rating: 10/10

wisdom

i. fucking. love. this. song. i didn't really used to, but FUCK if it hasn't grown on me. the drums are perfect, the chords, the SOLO???? god it's just. fucking perfection. i love the lyrics they're so great, "you're the one thing i believe in," "my love is like a flower / daisies are always free / pulling out the petals", "i'll get my way or i'm going to kill you" SO MANY GREAT FUCKING LINES. and that solo just makes me melt it's amazing. genuine perfection. anton's voice is really great here, it works so well, completely encapsulates the vibe and theme of the song i think. especially the obsessive desperation of the "love me, love me" line. the ending is def kind of thrown at you! like oh yeah if you don't love me i'll kill you! it's just great, i really really really enjoy this song and truly never skip it when it comes up. very catchy, fun to listen to, and even more fun to play on guitar. absolutely flawless, definitely the best song on this album.

rating: 100000000/10

crushed

i had no idea this song, which we just heard on spacegirl, was also here on methodrone! i think ?? it's pretty much the exact same thing, and though it works pretty well on this album, it's maybe a little more suited to spacegirl just in terms of the lyrics. the main differences i hear have to do with the bass not being quite as loud, the drums being a little different, and louder / clearer vocals. aside from that, same shit! i like spacegirl's version better.

rating: 7/10

that girl suicide

you guys already know how i feel about this song <3 same version as spacegirl, just slightly less grainy. ethereal amazing wonderful etc. one of the best tracks on this album.

rating: 11/10

wasted

I LOVE THIS SONG!!! we've got the great matt hollywood bass line ( expect me to talk about this man a lot ) and the blasted chords ... shoegaze fuckin central. i like how it gets a little calmer then we go back to getting fucking blasted at "i want to know." also anton's vocals are great here. i just adore them so much. when he uses his more normal voice vs the accent i'm always blown away by how much i love his voice. same thing in spanish bee, which we will get to probably soon. i think it's in the last album that came out in '96. anyway, yeah! wasted is fucking great and hits every time, just a superb song.

rating: 10/10

everyone says

somehow i'm not sure i've ever heard this song???? what the fuck. that's crazy. anyway, holy shit here comes anton's more normal voice again... WOW WOW WOW. his voice fucking rocks here, i love it. very drawn out and raspy and shaky ... just amazing. i like the line "everything reminds me of something you said," that spoke to me not gonna lie. anyway, this is good! i've definitely never heard this song so this is a genuine first time reaction. you should feel lucky, there's not gonna be many of those. BUT i would give this a pretty good score, not my fav thing ever musically but i really enjoy anton's voice on here, so. added points.

rating: 6/10

short wave

nice little song. i've enjoyed this one since i first heard it, which was admittedly not that long ago ( like earlier this year ) so i failed in that regard. but i've heard it before unlike everyone says so, that's something! anyway i really love the drums and background guitar on here, kind of a similar thing to that girl suicide almost. vocals are okay to start, i like them much better on the chorus tho. catchy and easy to sing along to ( if i could figure out these fucking lyrics ... NEVER trust the lyrics under a bjm song ). sooo yeah! short but good song.

rating: 7/10

she made me

ahhhh this song <3 it's such a vibe and truly hits, i forget how many good tracks are actually on here! this song is sooo fun to play on guitar, the chord progression ( of sorts ) is really cool. the chorus slaps and i think most people could find a way to enjoy this song, there's really nothing wrong with it in any capacity! the "la la la la laa"s are nice. good fade out. it's a little long but overall a great song, i like this version a little better than the one on the singles collection.

rating: 9/10

hyperventilation

ten fucking minutes bro .... this is not spacegirl help me. anyway, genuine review, i've never listened to this song in its entirety but i do like how it starts off, catchy little riff and drums goin' on... pretty slow build up to the vocals, no idea what's being said but i've come to appreciate that actually. and now that i hear the lyrics i do! realize i've heard at least this far but for sure skipped the rest lol. i like this little chorus of sorts, if it can even be called that. the beat is really nice tho so that keeps me engaged. i think he's saying smth about "sniffing glue" ??? idk it's about getting high what else can i tell you. the rest of the song is largely repetitive but i think, similar to spacegirl, it's not insanely boring repetitive. like i said, the beat is good enough to keep me interested for sure. this is very psychedelic, reminds me a bit of the black angels! so i see where that genre tag comes in. the little yell near the end is good.... enjoyed! i would definitely put this on a psychedelic playlist for some good background noise lol.

rating: 7/10

records

short song here! if this ... can even be counted as a song? it's giving the beginning of crushed, it's giving deep in the devil's eye & you. then we get this interesting kinda whooshing sound LOL it's very odd. i guess considering it's called 'records'... idk like a record spinning? am i getting this right? who knows. this being listened to more than outback is hilarious tho now i'm scared for that song. but uh yeah this was literally nothing idek what to give this shit.

rating: 4/10

i love you

TAMBOURINE!!!!!!!! imma be real now that i think about it ... this is the first song we've gotten tambo in thus far. i'm like pretty sure of that. and xylophone?? is that a xylophone?? vibraphone?? idk. anyway not loving the music the nonexistent beat is giving me nothing. this is another song i've literally never listened to in my life. lots of those on this album i guess lol. also wtf is up with these lyrics??? like the lyric screen is completely wrong i hate bjm fans syncing random ass fucking words to the track like come ON. open your ears people i'm too deaf to understand what he's saying i rely on this bullshit. anyway... vocals are forgettable so is the song itself i don't love it. I DON'T LOVE YOU, SONG. 💔

rating: 4/10

end of the day

okay ... the cure ass type intro beat. very moody i'm kinda liking it. okay then the vocals come in and i don't love it as much ( i'm reacting to this in real time ). and this slow ass song being five minutes long is kind of a crime. i mean we get a pick up of sorts but also not really. truthfully this was boring i really didn't like it! this is my lowest rated bjm song yet it is just not hitting in the slightest for me. so sorry anton.

rating: 3/10

outback

the intro is def reminding me of evergreen a bit ( the intro has turned into the whole song ). i still like this more than records so idk what's going on with the plays. but uh yeah still forgettable not much going on here but shoegazey sounds and not even the emotional kind it's just guitar. average joe score for a song that's a little too long to just be this.

rating: 5/10

she's gone

i enjoy this song a fair amount! it's not my favorite by any means but it's soft and calming and the whole thing is very nice. i didn't even realize this is its original album, i only ever listen to it on tepid peppermint wonderland lol. the vocals are really good tho, i like how they get drawn out at the end. pretty long song, seven minutes, but i think it fits well on this album and it's not insanely difficult to listen to, its repetitiveness just kind of fades into the background. a little better than average stuff!

rating: 7/10

untitled (methodrone)

okay! so i will say one thing, i fucking LOVE this song. it has been a staple of shoegazey bjm for me and is an absolute killer fucking track. the chords are phenomenal, i love the bass, it's genuine perfection. HOWEVER. i enjoy the singles collection version sooooo much better than this one ... i think the distant, echoed vocals on the other one work better than the closer, louder vocals in methodrone's version. and the loudness of the other version is just ... god. it goes right through you in the best way possible. but it's still the same song, just a diff version, but the live one just fucking rocks!!! anton's singing on this one isn't very good idk what else to say. so, a couple points off for that, but rest assured when we get to the singles collection this fucking song is getting a billion out of ten rating i listen to it very frequently. oh also, the screaming guitar part is fucking phenomenal. i'm guessing someone is ACTUALLY screaming into like the guitar's pickups or ... well i don't really know how they're doing it, but it's amazing. kills me every time and it works even better on the live version. can't wait to get to it ( we have like fifteen chronological years before we get there ). BUT the ending little music is nice i just ... ugh. great track.

rating: 8/10

in india you - bonus track

another bonus track that SHOULD'VE STAYED OFF. in my humble opinion. like surely this works better on their satanic majesties' second request ( which is the one it next appears on ) or it would've even worked better on give it back?? which has sitar and other indian influenced type shit?? idk i just think it doesn't work here at all but overall the song is fine. one point off for shit placement tho.

rating: 6/10

and that was methodrone! i would say this was an album that definitely has more hits than misses, but some of these misses are .... random. not great. so i think i'm probably going to score this similarly to spacegirl, maybe a little lower in terms of the decimal point tho lol. i think the good shit on here works and the shit that's not good doesn't. thankfully, it was an enjoyable listen overall ( except for end of the day ) even when i wasn't loving the songs. pretty good album!

hits: wisdom, that girl suicide, evergreen

misses: end of the day, records, i love you

overall album score: 7/10

next up we're moving into 1996! this year holds three albums, which is still insane to me, and two of them are some of my favorites so i cannot wait! knowing me, take it from the man will come out pretty soon, but we'll see. i just work on these when i'm not doing shit and that's pretty often, so. yk. stay tuned!