#mermaid melody encore

[naynah-pinsence]

how about an encore?~

[k-koriikorner]

DAY 2 - PRAISE

kinktober 2023. - masterlist |

warnings. - gn! reader,, dom-ish!sanji,, french dialogue, reader speaks some french but has no distinguished race,, also some what short

♠︎sanji vinsmoke...

These things were simple, normal nights turned in the nights of pure passion between you and Sanji. You never cease to be amazed at how good he was at these things, despite the well known fact of him being a womanizer. All that stopped though, once he was able to have your warm body against his very own, without the fear of you pushing him away.

A series of events and an intricate collection landed you in the position you're in now. Beneath Sanji, taking every he gives you, as he pushes his pulsing, erect member into the farthest reaches of your canal. ,, hnn, you feel 's good-HAH, right ther' Sanji pleas',,

His length reached into the depths of your canal, dragging deliciously in and you of your tight entrance. The tight pull of your trench sending him nearly toppling towards you, the friction enough to send him into a frenzy. He prided himself at being a gentleman though, and opted at keeping a steady pace unless you so wished him to fasten his pace and increase your overall pleasure.

Sanji laid above you, his lanky but equally strong arms holding him up, his sky blue eyes locking onto your ethereal body beneath him. He loved having you in this position, having you babbling below him, is endearing pillow princex. Your hair, how ever long or short it was and any head covering beginning removed, lay in a halo beneath you, shifting at every thrust he made with his slick hips, covered with the evidence of your and his enjoyment.

A squelching sound began to pick up in volume from beneath your two bodies and so did your whines. The sweet sounds you were making fueled Sanji to speed up his pace, the angle of his member pushed into your gummy walls, the faint rocking on the ship pushing his hips just a little deep.

You reached a warm hand towards Sanji's cheek, he turned his head to the side to catch the hand in a kiss. ,, Mi... amor, lo estás haciendo tan bien,... tan lleno... te llenas tan bien!,, (my love, you're doing so well...so full...you fill me up so good!)

Sanji's member twitched inside of you at the realization of you speaking in his mother's tongue, and once again at the sound of your praise. Yes, Sanji has been praised and complimented for many things, mainly his cooking- but the sound of you praising him during your most intimate moments felt like a angelic hymn from your plump lips. No amount of mermaid melodies could match the enticing chime of your voice, shivers of ecstasy trailed through his abs to his member buried inside of you. A desperate whine leaving his pink lips as he gazed down at you, sky blue pearls locking onto your half lidded ones.

,,encore une fois, ma douce, dis-le encore...s'il te plaît,, (once again my sweet, say it again...please) The increase in his pace did not go unnoticed as you cried out his name at the delicious pace. The feeling of his hips rubbing against your sensitive hips, sending you into overdrive. ,,You're always so good to me- hnm...tu es si grand,, (you're so big)

Bending down to the shell of your ear, warm breath with the scent of faint cigarette smoke and bay leaves fanned the right side of your face. His pace rapidly increased, thrusting a mile a minute, your body begins to rock with every thrust. Subconsciously pulling away from his warmth, his ever encroaching thrusts- but the drag of his cock felt too enticing, the feel of his warm slightly calloused hands on either side of your waist grounded you. ,,encore une fois mon cœur... s'il te plaît, dis-le encore!,, (once again my heart, please say it again)

,,Sanj-Sanji!, tu te sens si bien, trop bien..., close 'm...so close,, (you feel so good, too good)

,,One more time mon amour, je promets que je te comblerai, je promets,, (my love, I promise I will satisfy you, I promise) Your hips began to move in sync with every jolt of his hips, stuttering at times when it became too much. Sanji lowered his face towards you heated neck, your heartbeat practically jumping from your supple skin. For a moment his last request slipped for your mind, the thoughts of you mind seemed to drift away as your lower body began to feel a hot, heavy pressure building up. A hand crept up the valleys of his back towards the nape of his neck, before finally resting, in his golden locks. Before giving them a harsh tug, drawing a pornographic moan from his glazed lips.

,, Sanji I love you, Je t'aime tellement... I... Je ne peux plus tenir,, (I love you so much...I...I can't hold on anymore)

,, Je..Je t'aime aussi ma douce- Hah!,, (I... I love you too my sweet) His voice gave out by the end of his sentence as he left you constricting around him, his member pulsed once more before white sticky ropes began shooting into your canal. You tightened your hold on Sanji as she pumped you a few times, riding out both of your highs.

Sanji gazed down at your spent body, that same otherworldly he loved to see after a night under the sheets, reflecting from your skin. He kneeled down to place a kiss to your forehead before slowly pulling out, softly shushing you at the sound of your soft whine.

Sanji walked to the built in bathroom and drew a bath for the both of you. Returning to retrieve you he blushed at the sight of your and his arousal leaving your previously occupied hole. He slowly walked towards you, gently lifting you up before beginning his routine of after care but not before you greeted his left cheek with a kiss.

[mahou-furbies]

have you heard of the fan manga 'mermaid melody encore'?

Yes and I've read it too! Or what was out at the time when I found it. I remember really liking it, but thought it was too early to make a "first impressions" kind of post since it was like three chapters in or something like that. But I should go and catch up!

[v3joker]

[Game of Dice] Joker Skills

*Originally made to post to my YouTube community as each week I put something about Game of Dice there. This is also posted here, to Tumblr, to archive it.

Almost every Joker character (character with a hidden skill) has their skill based on an existing skill. Some just exist on that Joker skill, not as a regular skill. I usually explain new Jokers' skills by saying the name of the existing skill rather than explain what the skill does, since it's easier to say the name of the skill. :)

Anyway here's a list of all the Jokers with what skill it's based on cause I love having random knowledge for this game. Even the ones not based on skills.

[~☆~]

Ion

Phantom (Puppet/Chaotic City): Big Fish

Prince (Prince's Dignity/Insight): Color Finale

Mary

Wintry (Heaven's Blessings): Celebrity's Visit

Phantom Thief (Phantom Thief's Trick/Phantom Thief's Fancy Trick): no exact skill, but could be based on Knife in the Dark without JOY steal

Halloween (Candy/Halloween Magic): Smashing

Deadly Bunny (This Way, Please/Your Table is Ready): Exceptional Choice

Black Rose

Wintry (Speed UP/Can't Follow Me): High Jump

Card Queen (Greetings from a Magic Cat): Birthday Party

Bosun (Oppress/Overwhelm): n/a

Tora (& Tori)

Onmyouji (Onmyodo: Confuse/Exhaustion): Shiver Me Timbers!

Rudolph (Surprise Entry/Gift): Home for Newlyweds

Rica

Rockstar (Rica's Dimension Shift/Rica's Teleport): Dimension Shift

Goddess of Love (Love Melody/Serenade): Yikes! Crocodile, but upgraded

Raven

Beast (True/Forever Love): Skydive, w/ double summon

Lynnway

Baseball Girl (Swing/Full Swing): Nano Warp Machine

Stella

Cosmic Girl (Space Travel/Exploration): Strange Pipette, w/ summon

Rabbit Hacker (Keylogger/Dropper): Gotcha!

Doria

Undercover (Emergency Custody/Violent Criminal Arrested): Mirror Mirror

Sharon

Mechanic (Sharon's Calculation/Victory Formula): Let's Count (Hello Kitty collab skill)

Archaeologist (Relic Thief/Power): Interception

Sophia

Unicorn (Unicorn Gravitation/Magic): Retribution Reverse

Isabelle

Noble (Isabelle's Day/Isabelle's Special Day): Come Over Here

Gothic (Ghostly Greetings/Touch): Touch of Succubus

Sailor (Sympathy/Special Sympathy): Song of Mermaid

Anthony

Queen of Hearts (Heart Beam/Queen's Heart Beam): Critical Hit, w/ summon

Space Pirate: no exact skill but could be based on Strange Pipette and/or Home Run

Kai

Guardian (Judgement/Divine Judgement): Gravity Field

Honor Student (Wisdom/Experience Drain): Life Drain

Demon (Skill/Power Drain): n/a

Lucy

9-Tailed (Ready to Feed On/Bon Appetit): Invisible Hand, w/ Stop!

Mouse King Lucy (Building Mouse Village/Kingdom): Spartan Training

Prince

Mad Hatter (Teatime/Sweet Teatime): Divine Protection

Delinquent (Focus/Man-to-Man Block): Spotlight

Liz

Cheer Leader (Lucky Cheering): Master Navigator

Tomboy (Full/Pinpoint Dash): Hidden Quest

Alice

Hong Kong (Awakened Alice!): Symbol of Wealth

Hong Kong II (Happy/Sweet Snack Time): Counterattack

Beautiful (Splendid/Shining Beauty): Don't Stand in Front

Ling Ling

Goal Keeper (Nothing get pass me/Nothing can pass me): Knife in the Dark

Sky Warrior (Warrior Stance/Victory Pose): Excellent Choice

Magical Girl (Magical Awakening/True Power of Magic): Critical Magic Show

Dr. X

Original (Gravity UP): Yikes! Crocodile!

Lightning God (God's Wrath/Punishment): n/a

Captain (Rear/Surrounding Pursuit): Mischief of Spirits

Refia

Original (Counterattack): Counterattack, w/ can't takeover

Detained (Mental Interference/Control): No Escape

Soldier (Doll Escort/Protection): Music Start

Kaito

Original (Rapid Growth/Data Manipulation): Rapid Growth, w/ can't takeover (whole game installation)

Darkened (Spreading Darkness/Crawling Chaos): Broken Brake

Yuki

Original (Ninjutsu: Slow/Onmyodo: Blizzard): Slow

Yukata (Take This/Taste This): Switch, w/ Steal Prop *Blizzard is supposed to have Ninjutsu as the prefix, but it has never been fixed. So it has Onmyodo like Onmyouji Tora

Heidi

Original (Climax/Encore): Leave it to Fate (Climax), targets up to 3 cities at higher grades

Fairy Queen (Blooming Dream/Dream in Full Bloom): Christmas Miracle

Reapercy

Original (Checkmate/Golden Checkmate): Curse (Checkmate), Girl Crush

Pool Party (Come on In/Come Here): n/a

Devil Reapercy (Rogue/Outlaw): Solitude

Gray

Original (City Shooter/Sniper): Steal Prop, w/ summon

Space Police (Police Officer/Investigator): Every Inspiration

Howl

Original (Wolf Summon/Big Game Hunting): Retribution

Puppeteer (Trap Hole/Endless Trap Hole): Maelstrom

Fia

Original (Fan Meeting): Doll Fishing

Sea Fairy (Let's Play/Have Fun in the Water!): Domino

Magical Girl (Magical Refraction/Reflection): Time Rewind, no Panda installation

Fairy Dancer (Fairy Dance/Eye Catching Fairy Dance): The Solitude of Glamor

Ren

Original (Meditation/P.T): Power Up!

Magic Cat (Spell of Destruction/Apocalypse): Ch.1 Renaissance/Ch. 2 Destruction

Rosé

Original (Sharp/Harsh Lash): Charming Rainbow

Devil (Bewitch/Beckon): Charming Rainbow, but upgraded

Sun Knight (Sword of Victory/Sword of Promised Victory): n/a

Rina

Original (Joyful/Blessed March): Speedster

Angel (Song/Blessing of Angel): Color Sync

Moon Archer (Piercing Arrow/Mirage Piercing Arrow): Curse of Clown

Ballet (Attitude/Arabesque): Poisoned

Yura

Original (Butterfly Dance/Blue Butterfly Dance): Push

Christmas (Yura's Gift/Sincerity): Sweet Trap

Gothic (Flutter/Crystal Light Butterfly): Psychokinesis

Pierre

Original (i love cakes/I love anything sweet): Charming Bubble

Winter Festival (Baker's/Pierre's Gift): Santa's Gift

Agent (Good Will/Samaritan): Give and Take

Violet

Original (I Got You!/Don't Move!): Girl Crush

Seaside (Hydro Pump/Cannon): Self-Defense

Saint (Authority/Splendor): Girl Crush, but it also decreases character & dice abilities (Energy Drink [Goods])

Scarlett

Original (Locating the Target/Target Located): Come With Me

Seaside (Hang out with me!/Let's play!): Thief Target Area

Witch Trainee (Scary Prank/Dangerous Prank): Signal

Leo

Original (Secret in the Hoodie/Weapon in the Hoodie): Hexcraft

Young Master (Young Master's Mischief/Weapon): Demon Invasion

Villain (Breakdown/Wide Breakdown): Ocean Party

Fairy Knight (Impressive/Flashy Swordsmanship): Event for You

Kara

Original (Warning Shot/Suppressive Fire): The Art of Theft

Great Witch (Magic Concentration/Discharge): First Place Dash

Hera

Original (Black Hole/Super Black Hole): Besiege

Circus Master (Continuing Show/Express Night): Double Trap

Sora

Original (Hero Power/Just Power): Guardian of Justice

Dreamman

Original (Give me strength!): Symbol of Wealth

[balanceater]

My OC Adalyn Stehle

I've decided that my OC Adalyn Stehle is an Inhabitant, so here are some facts about what would happen in her Chapter.

Her Chapter title is called The Songstress Who Became Silent. The outside of it would have a stained-glass window with the number 13 on it. It would have a hot pink background with a pair of black and yellow stage lights and a white microphone. A concert stage can be seen with a bunch of bright purple ribbons all around it. Around the stage would be black silhouettes of people.

The inside of her Chapter takes place in what appears to be a city. Think of it like Akusuka from No Straight Roads but a bit bigger. Digital billboards of Adalyn in her idol outfit doing numerous poses, pink, purple, and yellow holographic statues of Adalyn dancing in place, and several stands that hold merchandise with Adalyn's idol likeness can all be seen. There are also large photographs that overlap some of the digital billboards that have a younger Adalyn standing alongside a man with a smile, gold viola flower-like structures that act like arches, and music boxes that sometimes play a soothing melody from them.

Adalyn's illusions will either say "Hello", "Want an autograph?", giggle, or hum. They may or may not look at the player while doing so.

Her Nega Boss is named Terpsichore, which represents Adalyn's fear of her father not making it to her Woven Hearts Festival concert and thinking that he did not care to actually see her perform, which makes her unable to sing at all.

She is consisted of Voice Mermaid, Music Note, Number Encore, and Minute Mute.

In the novel, it is revealed that Adalyn has become mute, so she communicates with everyone else with sign language.

After she is brought back to normal, Adalyn snaps back to her Woven Hearts Festival concert. When she looks into the crowd, she sees her father in a t-shirt that says, "My Daughter is a Shining Star!". She smiles and tears begin to prick at her eyes. Suddenly, she feels someone's hand on her back and looks up. It is Balan who gives her his trademark smile and uses sign language to say, "Good luck, little star! Show them how amazing you truly are!" Adalyn wipes her tears and nods. The scene fades to black as Adalyn goes onto the stage to sing.

[gorochuva]

Time to finish what we started: it's the first Pichi Pichi Voice Live of Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Soul!

Ready for the encore?

*Fun fact: the BBOTD was originally going to be Homulilly, but since I already used Homura's braids for her past form, she needed a new hairstyle. I darkened Emiri Kisaki's pigtails and used those, and realized it looked more like H.N. Elly, so I changed it.

[timeaftersometime]

Queen 😭🙌

[genjutsu-blog]

Watch /Watched anime list (manga included too)

Naruto

Naruto Shippuden

One Piece

Boruto

Bleach

Dragon Ball

Kaichow wa maid-sama

Masamune-kun no revenge

Meiji Tokyo Renka

Peach Girl

Hakushaku to yousei

Ao Haru Ride

Akatsuki no Yona

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime

Bokura ga ita

Ookami Shoujo to kuro ouji (Wolf Girl Black Prince )

Tsuredure Children

Say I love you

Brothers conflict

Kyou Kara maou

Inuyasha

Itazura na Kiss

Paradise Kiss

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

Chuunibyou

Special A

Tonari no Kaibutsu kun

True Tears

Nisekoi

Koi to uso

True tears

Ouran High School Host Club

Kamisama Hajimemashita

Fruits Basket

Toradora

Charlotte

Angel Beats

Jojo's bizarre adventure

Kiznaiver

Bungou Stray Dogs

Noragami

Blue Exorcist

Servamp

Owari no Seraph

Magi : The Kingdom of magic

Sinbad no Bouken

BTOOM!

Baccano!

Durarara!!

Darling in the franxx

Violet evergarden

Overlord

MOB Psycho

One punch man

Kill la Kill

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagan

Black Clover

Nanatsu no Taizai

Pokemon (all seasons)

Sword Art Online

Monogatari Series

Hyouka

Kuzu no Honkai

Tate no Yuusha

Boku no Hero Academia

Dororo

Zombieland Saga

I want to eat your pancreas

Chihayafuru

Kakegurui (including xx)

Death Parade

Soul Eater

Shokugeki no Soma

Nagi no Asukara

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo

Yesterday wo utatte

Kaguya Sama love is war

Boarding School Juliet

Arte

Saijaku Mujai no Bahamut

Anohana

Gakusen Toshi Asterisk

Mekakucity Actors

Dakara boku wa h ga dekinai

Re : Zero

Gabriel Dropout

Re : creators

Date a live

Tamako Market

New Game

Working!

Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku

Nanbaka

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru

Little Witch Academia

The Moment You Fall in Love  (  Suki ni Naru Sono Shunkan o  )

Made in Abyss

Classroom of Elite

Houseki no Kuni

Punchline

Plastic Memories

Yamada-kun and the seven witches

Musaigen no Phantom World

Dagashi Kashi

Kuromukuro

Netoge no yome wa onnanoko ja nai to omotta

Kiss Note ( Renai Boukun )

Bakumatsu

itsudatte bokura no koi wa 10-centimeters datta

Miira no Kaikata

K- Project

Plunderer

Nekopara

Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun

Show by Rock!

Show by Rock mashumairesh

227

Hunter x Hunter

Orange

Somali and the forest Spirit

Golden Time

Murenase Seton Gakuen

Happy Sugar life

Seishun buta yarou ( Bunnygirl senpai )

Black Lagoon

Sewayaki Kitsune no senko-san

Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashī

Deathnote

Soul eater NOT!

Akame Ga Kill

Trinity Seven

Love Live

Love Live Sunshine!

Himouto no Umaru chan

Kobayashis Dragon Maid

Eromanga sensei

Code Geass

Evangelion

Haikyuu

Guilty Crown

Beastars

Shingeki no kyojin

Oreimo

Kuroko no Basket

Hibike Euphorium

Your Lie in April

Mikagura School Suit Life

Non Non Biyori

Fate Stay Night : unlimited bladeworks

Fate Stay Night Heavens Feel

Fate Stay Night (2006)

Fate Zero

Fate Grand Order : demonic front Babylonia

Lord el Melloi II's cases

Fate Extra Last encore

Fate Apocrypha

Overlord

FairyTail

Fairytail (2014)

Fairytail Final season

Tokyo Ghoul ( including RE )

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Fullmetall Alchemist

High School of the dead

Prison School

Inazuma eleven

Inazuma eleven : go! (y galaxy)

The Royal Tutor

Free!

Kimetsu no Yaiba

Sailor Moon

Mermaid Melody

Vampire Knight

Fire Force

Mirai Nikki

Danganronpa

SquidGirl

Cinderella Girls

Kekkai sensen

Dance With Devils

Fuugo Keiji balance unlimited

Diavolik Lovers

Amnesia

That time I got reencarnated as a slime

Konosuba

Satsuriuki no Tenshi (Angels of death )

Vinland Saga

Katanagatari

Deadman Wonderland

Darwins Game

Makai Ouji

Gintama

Bandori

UnGo

Hataraku Saibou

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san

Natsume Yuujinchou

Tokyo Ravens

The ancient magus bride

Kuroshitsuji

Tenki no Ko

Touken Ranbu

Ma dao Zu Shi

Tokyo Revengers

Chainsaw man

Blue period

Blue flag

Blue lock

Akuma no Riddle

Yuukoku no Moriarty

Kuzu no Honkai

Devilman crybaby

[x0401x]

Reports and Highlights: Yuukei Roadshow in Tokyo

Compilation of info found on Twitter, Togetter and Privatter. Many thanks to ayara-resara for indicating them all.

<< Previous Show || Index >>

Before reading any further, I highly recommend those who haven’t seen the first show’s reports to read them, since one is related to the other. I advice those who have already read the previous reports to take a look at the bottom of the post again too, because I’ve managed to find and translate more info on it.

@kon_noooo

Q.: Is Kano left-handed? A.: Ah~, I kinda feel like I’ve heard something about this from Sidu-san~! But there’s also the possibility that we’re being deceived... There’s a chance that he’s actually a vigorously right-handed right-hand shot! He seems to think of himself as cute. Like, “It’s so cute that I’m left-handed~”. Please wait for an official announcement on that...

I asked about this when I was getting his autograph... I’d wanted to confirm it no matter what...

(T/N: The “right-hand shot” part is a gatcha reference. Scoring a big hit from the right side is called “right-hand shooting”.)

@enehai_hiyori1

LISTEN UP!!!!!!!!! JIN SAID THAT ASAHINA-SAN IS A CUTE GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, y’see, I asked about what she likes.

I’m getting lots of reactions here so lemme tell you about when I got his autograph...

Q.: Does Asahina-san have anything that she likes other than cats? A.: She’s a cute girl who likes normal stuff. (The nuaces are difficult here so I can’t convey the whole idea, sorry.)

This is something that had been decided since the very beginning: she likes pancakes.

Jin-san: She probably wouldn’t make them herself, though. Me: She’d be like, “You do it”? Jin-san: She’d be like, “You do it”.

Jin-san: I wonder what state her bedroom is in... Me: Indeed...

Me: I tried to think of Asahina-san’s way of thinking (preferences), but I couldn’t come up with anything at all... Jin-san: Eh? She’s a girl who surprisingly likes normal stuff, isn’t she? Staff member: She is. I don’t remember the details so well but how much does that staff member know...?? They said something about “24 hours a day 365 days a year”. They did say that.

@takephotos12

Jin-san said, “Actually, just how much of what Kisaragi Shintarou says to his comrades is the truth?” and that’s too much for me; I’m in pain. I remember him saying before and after this that he was “going to kill a Kisaragi Shintarou cluster”, but my memory is kinda flying off the nest, so I hope I wrote this in my memo.

@nagihararion

Me: I like Haruka-senpai, so I dressed up like him today... Jin-san: Uwah~! Amazing! That blue plaid is really Haruka-like! Speaking of Haruka, I wanna make a spin-off with him as protagonist or something... Me: !?!?!?!! My memory is fuzzy from the point he said “spin-off” onward so I don’t remember it very well, but I feel that he talked about how he “wants to write it” and said that he’d “probably publish it”... I recall him telling me to “look forward to it”... probably...

By the way, I was dressed mostly like this back then:

@Tanapi_May

Me: When will Takane-chan’s birthday be revealed? Jin: Hu~m, I have no plans for it right now... but it’s a very important day. Some big incident or something of the sort will happen. Ah, but it might be in the future edition... Me: “Future edition”!? Jin: Yep, Takane-chan maybe being a Mama... Me: “Mama”!? I asked about this when I got his autograph.

@knkd3131

I only took a memo of the colors of the limelights during each song and my impressions on them, in case anyone wants to use it as reference... 🙇‍♀️

1. Imaginary Reload Lights: blue, green. The background guitar was cool. 2. Shissou Word Lights: purple, blue, green. It stopped at the second “watashi wa” (lol). 3. Additional Memory Lights: red. The interlude was long (nice). The last hook was emo. 4. Lost Day Hour Lights: white and peach with a mirror ball. Lights during the last hook: orange, peach, yellow, white and purple flashed on and off. Jin kept raising his right leg and his smile was cute. 5. Yume no Hana I don’t remember this one. It was a request from the last person to ask a question in the Q&A corner. “A song from THE BACK HORN that Jin-san likes.” 6. Remind Blue Lights: purple and blue with a mirror ball. 7. Solitude From the MV. Jin’s first independent album will be released. He wants the album to be like a picture book of short stories that will make us think he wants to create a new self separated from Kagerou. 8. Mermaid Lights: blue, green. A song from the album. It depicts a honeymoon. A song about boarding a plane alone. Jin: It’s a sad song, isn’t it? 9. FREAKS Lights: white, red. Lights during the last hook: peach, white, green, orange and red flashed on and off. Once upon a time, there was a clumsy monster. The song is about him, who entretains the crowd in a circus group today as well. Jin-san was lifting his right leg in this one. It was the one I liked the most, super emo. Parts of the song that I was able to catch: “I cried out of emptiness” (from the hook) “They laughed at me, who couldn’t become anything” (from the first part)

@shiunteen

I was overwhelmed by “FREAKS” and how its lyrics tear your body apart when you catch on Jin’s full-throttle melody and some other bits; the tears poured out of my eyes with pitter-pattering. Even though I don’t know anything about Jin, it left me in tatters, like, “Aah, he has it so hard; he’s suffered so much; must’ve been so painful”, and I saw in it the earnestness of an artist’s story depiction. I wanna listen to it again soon.

@yuzu_cosp

PV of MekaRelo

A funny story (about Jin’s chronically bad health) 🎵 Imaginary Reload

Q&A 🎵 Shissou Word

Q&A 2 🎵 Additional Memory

Break 🎵 Lost Day Hour

Lottery 🎵 [Requested song] Yume no Hana (THE BACK HORN)

Remind Blue Encore

Solitude

Jin’s first solo album will be released! 🎵 Mermaid 🎵 FREAKS

The editor of Mekakucity Talkers, Kuroda-san, was the host this time too.

Jin-san entered the stage with a mask on. “‘Why is that?’ Is what you’re thinking, right?”

He’d fallen into a bad condition at the end of the year. Caught a persistent cold that wouldn’t get better at all, and just when he thought he had finally cured himself from it, it turned into influenza. It got better a week prior to the concert, and when he thought he’d be able to do the live just fine, his molar swelled up two days before. Since his tooth was swollen, he got an edema in his face, and so he put on a mask.

There were cavities doing bad things to the root of his molar. He was told that he had no choice but have the tooth pulled out, but he explained that he had a live concert to do, so he received symptomatic treatment. He got three injections on the spot, in a place that had him going, “You’re gonna inject it there!?” and went home. Next morning (the morning of the day before the concert), he had an incision in addition to the injections, so he was in a lot of pain.

“Loxonin is amazing; it’s the only thing I can rely on.”

“Master, I’ll have the same as always,” he said as if to make his order → Jin-san and Kuroda-san’s drinks were soon delivered to the stage. One of the songs was the theme of the drinks...

🎵 Imaginary Reload

(On the tooth) “Thanks to the Loxonin, I’m not feeling pain, but it’s hard to move my mouth. Like, ‘it won’t go any farther than this point’.”

(Regarding Kuroda-san’s question of, “How’s the Imaginary Reload drink?”) “It’s carbonated, and I can’t be having carbonated drinks. Also, I had an incision yesterday, so all the more...”

Q&A Corner ①

Q.: Where do Hiyori and Hibiya live? A.: This would become a matter of “where is the setting of KagePro?”. There are models for it. I was indecisive as to whether I should reveal the actual place or not. In the series, it gets messed up (by terrorists and the like), so we’d decided not to announce it for the time being. As for the model of where the two live, it’s based on a village from somewhere in Hiroo Town, in the Tokachi District of Hokkaidou (where Jin-san himself used to live in the past). If you go there, you’ll figure that it’s a place where perverts are born (because it’s too full of nothing).

Q.: What’s Tsukihiko’s eye color? A.: Ah, I’m also curious about that (lol). The eye colors are important, so they’re all decided, but I told Sidu-san that “Tsukihiko is a normal human being”. Sidu-san also thinks lots of things out, like, “Won’t it be passed down to his daughter and granddaughter?”. In the Kisaragi family, too, there’s the setting that the father has orange hair and Shintarou takes after him, and the mother has black hair and Momo takes after her.

The comics would be over soon. They were going to end, but will continue.

This time, they’re following the track order of the album...

🎵 Shissou Word Right before the second hook, Jin-san ate the lyrics by the middle. He started singing again as if nothing had happened.

Q&A Corner ②

Q.: What kind of “story that -- the eyes” are Daze, Days and RED? A.: Daze and Days were made to be the theme songs of the anime from the very beginning, so I haven’t decided on that. If I were to give a subtitle to RED, it would be “the story that changes one’s eye color”. It’s a song about how two friends, one who likes to play around and one who is the studious type (memory is faint here), become self-conscious of the fact that the other has grown up. That “their eyes have been dyed into a color that they had never seen before”.

Q.: Please tell us about what you hesitated to say regarding Shintarou in the previous Q&A... A.: Ah, it’s the topic that will come up in this month’s Gene. Shintarou is the protagonist, but I didn’t get to delve into him, and there are more depictions of other people’s viewpoints than of his. Shintarou will be in the continuation of the series and will be a school teacher. Since marriages between characters and things like that are esteemed, I’ll write the continuation story, but this will be in a parallel what-if world. The next protagonist and abilities have been decided too. There are also new characters, characters that remained the way they are and characters that have grown up. It might not happen just in Japan. I wanna hurry and write.

Q.: How did you come up with Benisake-chan? (T/N: For those who don’t remember, that’s the name of the salmon mascot that Momo likes.) A.: I’ve always liked trout salmon ever since my days in Hokkaidou. I couldn’t eat it after coming to the Kantou Region because it’s expensive here, so I had it delivered from my family’s home and when I ate it for the first in a long while, I noticed that it makes you stinky even if you only touch it a little bit, so I was like, “This is it!!” and made her up. Sanrio’s Kirimi-chan was invented immediately after that, and it made me go, “Hey, hey...”. She was cuter and had me like, “This is how a mascot character is supposed to be”, ww.

Q.: What do you create first, tune, lyrics or melody? A.: I started using VOCALOIDs after the band I was in broke up, and when I thought of “doing what I wanted to do”, I considered creating a story through albums and started KagePro. I’d decided from the beginning that the story would include phrases that go “a story that ○○ the eyes”. KagePro was the first thing I made in which I created songs from world-building. Sometimes, songs come out of phrases like “Oh, my dirty!”. And the phrases come from requested themes.

🎵 Additional Memory

(10-minute break)

The song that Jin-san was happy to write out of the ones from this album... 🎵 Lost Day Hour

Lottery (prizes below)

A picture with Jin

A Jin can badge set

A special (signed) ticket holder and two bookmarks of the study books series

Mekakucity Talkers (signed)

A poster of MekaRelo (signed)

A secret present (which would be mailed at a later date, since Jin-san couldn’t look for it in his house due to his poor health condition)

The right to request a song

The request → a song from THE BACK HORN that Jin-san likes.

🎵 Yume no Hana (THE BACK HORN)

“This is the last one...” he said, and a video played after he was done, but then he was like, “I’ll come up and play one more song w” (swinging his body forward).

🎵 Remind Blue

Jin-san leaves the stage. The PV of Solidute plays. At the end of the PV, the confirmation that Jin-san’s first solo album will hit the shelves is announced.

Jin-san reappears on stage. “I’ll release a full album,” he says. He composed Solitude about four years ago and sang it at CDJ before.

“They’re songs I made because I wanted. I’m looking forward to this the most.”

🎵 Mermaid (a song about someone boarding a plane all alone on their honeymoon)

When he only played the songs he was asked to play, it was like, “Lie low.”

🎵 FREAKS

“I’ll do other concerts so please come again!” With this one sentence, it was over.

@BlueD01

On the topic of Jin-san’s tooth: “My mother always told me to brush my teeth so I always brushed it... How did it turn out like this...? It’s like it comes from the side of the tooth...” *proceeds to explain the proggression of the cavities*

Q.: Jin-san, when you’re create a song, do you give them to a character after making the song? Or do you come up with a character and make a song for them? A.: I formed a band in high school in the past and we used to be active, but though I’d wanted to continue on the band, the others wound up turning into “adults”. From there, I was recommended to use VOCALOIDs, but I could only make incomplete songs, like, the type of song that you play a little bit and just two people in the audience go, “wa~h” at it. Back then, the common usage of “eyes” caught my attention, like, “people become idols when they draw in the eyes of others”. So I started making KagePro. Also, I’d wanted to make idol-like songs. And that is connected to the following topic. I wanted to write a story of growth. Just like Hoshi wo Tsunagete from Kemono Friends, you can make stuff that goes, “this character is like that~”. It varies with each song.

So, Jin-san wanted to create idol-like songs. Also, Kisaragi Attention (he didn’t state this but most it likely) is a song with the theme “it doesn’t matter if one’s own nature (their sense?) doesn’t match them, as long as a third party accepts it”, and it seems it turned into an idol song from this.

Jin-san: *sees the lottery poster* I want that poster... The host: Do you not have it? Jin-san: I don’t. I might’ve given it to my mother.

(After the lottery) Jin-san: I’d wanted to bring it over from my house, but lots of things happened... I’ll mail the big deal on a later date. After the concert ends, please... talk to the staff member over there. We won’t do anything bad with your personal information. *laughs*

@bonus_time34

During the introduction of the colaboration drinks: “We did this in Oosaka last time, and we prepared the same stuff for Tokyo.” He called the drink a “soup”. “This soup has a nice color, huh~. Master, I’ll have the usual (lol).” A red “soup” came straight from the back. “It’s almost as if it was already prepared, lol.” The host joked as it was brought to him, “You’re getting VIP treatment, huh (lol).”

First half of the question and answers corner. “Think of a question with my songs as the BGM (lol).”

“Jin-san is in a period where he uses ‘I really like you’ in his songs a lot (lol)!”

“Now comes the song by your beloved uncle for your other beloved uncle: Additional Memory.”

Jin-san waving his hand as he retreated into the waiting room looked so happy and cute that everyone waved back. I wound up lost as to whether I should applaud or wave.

“How was the album?” “It was the be~st!” some people raised their voices. “I listen to it a lot too. But I don’t cry. I did cry when taking the injections, though (lol).”

“I’m glad I was able to compose this one: Lost Day Hour.” The prolongation of his voice during the hook was wonderful. The high-pitch parts were beautiful. “This song is about the character called Kokonose Haruka.” (My memory of this talk is faint.)

To explain the rules of the lottery: anyone who made an additional order would get a lottery ticket. “(The special present) Could be a signed truck tire (lol) or a signed light-motor vehicle with an expired license (lol). Something that would be a pain in the ass (lol, lol).”

Here, he talked about brushing his molars. “‘How do you brush your molars?’ The dentist’s face looked like a lightning had fallen in front of him.”

The request of the lottery winner was for Jin’s favorite song by THE BACK HORN. “I’m indecisive about this one (lol)! Seriously?! Okay, then!” He played Yume no Hana. He was excited and seemed to be having fun. To the person who made the request, thank you... “I didn’t think I’d get to play THE BACK HORN. It was the best.”

Then, we had the last song... or so he said. “Though I say this is the last one, we will play a video, and I’ll come back after the applause, so I might play something once more (lol),” he stated. “Let’s see each other again somewhere else. This has been Jin. Thank you. Here’s Remind Blue.” The arrange of the second part was amazing. The hook of that part... was great...

The animation of Solitude was cool but the lyrics were good too... Below are a sketch I made of the girl from the video while watching it, as well as a drawing I made of her relying on my memory.

“I played this at COUNTDOWN JAPAN. Is there anyone who listened to it?” About ten people raised their hands. “So there is~. I had thought something along the lines of, ‘let’s do this (solo album)’ after releasing the second album. I was asked things like, ‘Won’t you make that into a CD?’ by the people who listened to Solitude. I’m the one looking forward to it (the release of the solo album) the most.”

He introduced a new song from that album, Mermaid. “Weren’t your titles always supposed to be written in kanji and katakana!? What happened (lol)!?” “Nothing happened (lol).”

“Until I started using VOCALOIDs, my songs felt like holding a concert for only two people while going, ‘It’s destruction~! I’ll tear up your eardrums~!’ (lol)” “It’s been about eight years since last time I made something just because I wanted to compose and listen to it. I wanna make stuff that I feel like conveying.” It seems he composed it based on that. Unlike KagePro, this album will be like a “collection of short stories”.

Mermaid was a song about a honeymoon. The high-pitched hook was melancholic. Jin-san also said this, but it was like a fairy tale.

When he was making songs on request or KagePro songs: “It was like, ‘Even if you have a scenario in your head, lie low’.” He managed to put the things that crossed his mind into songs. He did it...

(A little before another song.) “Can I do it? It’s okay, isn’t it (lol)?” “I’m happy to release (the song) in this occasion (talk live concert).”

The thrilling melody of FREAKS is damn great. It’s a song that gives you courage.

This one was really the last song, so Jin concluded it with his farewells. “I’m thinking of playing many other new songs.” So he’ll do concerts again...? Ambiguous...

After this, there was an announcement, and an autograph session of sold goods and sets.

From the time I got Jin-san’s autograph: when I said, “I like Kisaragi Momo-chan! Thank you very much for always!” he replied, “She sure is popular, huh~”, so I think there were probably about two more people before me who showed the appeal of a Momo fan.

It was a really fun talk-and-play show and I wasn’t able to cool down my excitement. I wanna go again...

@mine1_Hedgehog

Yuukei Roadshow in Tokyo Memo

(About his tooth.) His face was swollen, so he came wearing a mask, but even after his cavities healed a little, instead of going “wah~”, he ended up feeling dejected. “It was like, ‘Did I put on weight?’”

This time, the host ordered a drink that was named after one of the album’s songs! “That’s right; if you pay for it, you get a drink.” He thought it had a good color and was happy to receive it. “Then, Jin-san, you order yours too,” he was prompted. “Master, give me the usual soup.” → “Oka~y.” And so, a red drink came to him as if it had been waiting for a cue. It was an Imaginary Reload one.

The first track was Imaginary Reload. The lights were green. I got emo when listening to that yapping electrict guitar song being played with an acoustic guitar... He’s good with the guitar...

Once it was over, the host was like, “It was a cool song with a dashing sense to it, huh?” and Jin-san interjected, “That’s right.”

When he was asked why he wasn’t having his drink, he said, “I can’t drink anything carbonated right now (because of his molar).” “Don’t cry~” Why did he choose that, then? “Carbonated drinks seriously sting. They make me feel awake.” “It’s literally an ‘imaginary reload’.” “It smelled of blood.” Seriously, why did he choose that?

Here we had the first questions and answers corner. *Looks at the letters displayed on-screen* “This is like a detective drama!” “You can ask about anything, even if it’s not KagePro-related! It can be about secrets regarding Jin’s birth and things like that too!” [roar of laughter] “It’ll finally be revealed...!”

Shintarou’s mother is set to be originally from Hokkaidou. Speaking of which, Momo-chan had mentioned this.

HibiHiyo’s village is based off the village where Jin-san used to live in the past. It’s linked to a town, but the place is actually a weird gathering of villages that you could hardly call a town. There’s seriously nothing there at all. “You’d understand if you saw it, but it’s a place where perverts are born. You have nothing to do there except be delusional.”

(On the topic of Tsukihiko’s eye color.) Sidu-san is in a zone unknown to Jin-san regarding this. In volume 4, his eyes “don’t open because he’s laughing”, but in the manga, he indeed has them closed at all times, www. Jin-san said he had normal eye color, but Sidu-san’s “normal eyes” are wicked, so we can’t know for sure.

There was a lottery after this. The rule was that people would win based solely on the amount of food they got. “You don’t have to spend too much money. That’s not the kind of game it is.”

*drinking his beverage* “Is there anyone here who was also in Oosaka? [lots of hands go up] “I love you...” [roaring laughter]

Second track was Shissou Word. He trailed off at the first verse of the second half like, “wata(shi wa)...” and then resumed after three seconds as if nothing had happened. I forgot why, but he said “I love you~” again afterward.

I think Shintarou is a smart, lovable and good person, but Jin-san sees him as mysterious. He doesn’t know very well how much of what Shintarou says is the truth.

Jin-san was shocked that Vegeta and Bulma from DB got married. “That yankee and Bulma...” It seems he thought he was gonna die.

Everyone thinks that so and so are in a romantic relationship and will definitely get married! Jin just hasn’t written that yet! Even though this kind of thing goes on (in fandom), he can’t bear to see these sprouts of hope get plucked. That’s why the future story that he’ll write next will be like a parallel/what-if thing, and won’t become the future of the normal route. There’s no definite answer to the things Jin writes.

The next protagonist is already decided. The new characters too. It might also happen in places other than Japan. For Mekakushi-dan, there’ll be those who will appear just like they were before and those who will appear grown-up. I think it’ll be a good story.

@natunyudo

Jin-san: How was the live? Me: It was great! I also went to the one in Oosaka, but it was so good that I also came to this one in Tokyo... Jin-san: Thank you very much. How were the new songs? Me: They were good! Jin-san: Which one did you like most? Me: Ah... Mermaid! I was touched...! Jin-san: I’ll do my best in the other new songs! I’ll also make even better albums than this one (MekaRelo)! Me: I’m looking forward to them! I’ll buy them for sure! Ah, also, this... *hands over a letter* Jin-san: Wah~, thank you so much! *stares at the letter fixately* There’s a musical note written here~🎵 *sees my name written at the back* Thank you very much, [my name]-san. Me: ......!!? (He called my name...!!???) Jin-san: I’ll also do my best to fix my cavities! Me: Ah... please do your best! I’ll be cheering for you!

@nozunozu0815

Me: Thanks for having me win the lottery! Jin-san: Ah, it was you?! We also met in Oosaka, didn’t we?! This time, unlike back in Oosaka, we obsessed with the CD order for the songs so it was different, right? Did you have fun? Me: There was Imaginary Reload and it was really the best! Speaking of which, that person who’s been an Asahiner for seven years came today too, but there was no My Funny Weekend. 😇 Jin-san: Ah, that’s true. You noticed it. You see, I can’t open my mouth to sing My Funny Weekend. 😇 That one has really high notes~, honestly~. Me: Indeed. Since your mouth is swollen, it might be difficult. 😇 But getting to listen to new songs was also the best! (He finishes writing the autograph)... If it’s okay with you, can we shake hands? Jin-san: That’s fine! Thank you for coming today! I intend to do this again somewhere else, so please do come listen~! Me: Thank you very much too! I’ll definitely go! And I’ll definitely not wash these hands anymore! Jin-san: Please stop that, ww. Please wash them, ww. Seriously... you’ll get influenza, ww.

We had a conversation like that. 😇

[rinatouin]

the best things about mermaid melody: 

kaito’s panthalassa prince outfit

love shower pitch!!! how about an encore?

lucia’s like. sympathy for anything and everyone around her like she will befriend Anything

the scenes where gaito would be in the glorified bathtub drinking wine even tho as kaitos twin he’s like, what, 13? lmao 

hanon’s hair!! it looks like waves 

rina’s singing 

rina in general 

lucia’s wantmylook.com from her coming of age ceremony 

the dark lovers showing up at every ocean/mermaid themed event ever to find the princesses

the fact that the princesses are always at the event they go to

when rina beat the shit out of those college guys for being creepy in season 2

[mahou-furbies]

I find it hilarious that we see more about a Mermaid Melody fan sequel on this blog then the actual official sequel XD

That's mostly based on what I can find in the tag to reblog, but regardless Mermaid Melody Encore is certainly a far superior sequel on pretty much every front over the canon one if you ask me (though I guess that's not a high bar to clear). I've been thinking about writing some kind of "impressions" post on it, but I think I'll wait until it's a bit further. But still anyone interested in MMPPP should look it up!

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: An Organ Gets a Noble Send Off as 1920 Brooklyn Theater Is Being Restored

The Brooklyn Paramount (currently the Schwartz Athletic Center at Long Island University) (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Brooklyn has in recent decades been home to one of the world’s most beautiful basketball courts. The 1928 Paramount Theatre at the corner of the Flatbush Avenue Extension and Dekalb Avenue was acquired by Long Island University (LIU) in the 1950s, and in the 1960s a court was built beneath the soaring rococo-style ceiling of the former movie palace. Backboards hang below gilded mermaids and ornate animals, and a scoreboard hovers up near the towering proscenium. It’s surreal to see the humble bleachers and Coca Cola-branded game timers in this opulent interior, and it’s a juxtaposition that will soon be a memory in the theater’s history. In 2015, it was announced that LIU had approved a partnership with Barclays Center developer Bruce Ratner to return the gymnasium to a performing arts space.

The Brooklyn Paramount (currently the Schwartz Athletic Center at Long Island University) (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Before that two-year restoration, slated to begin this fall, the New York Theatre Organ Society (NYTOS) hosted a concert on October 8 to give the grand Wurlitzer theater organ a send-off. The organ is planned to be preserved as part of the overhaul, yet it will never sound the same again. In the 1920s, more than 4,000 plush theater seats and velvet drapery muffled some of the swell from its 1,838 pipes, but with just the wooden floor and bleacher seats, it reverberates like a full orchestra.

And that’s how it was meant to sound when it made its debut in 1928, its percussive features and four levels of keys adding atmosphere, music, and sound effects to silent films and vaudeville shows. The theater was lavishly designed by Rapp and Rapp, who were also architects for Kings Theatre in Flatbush (reopened in 2015) and Times Square’s Paramount Theatre, which was shuttered in 1964 and turned into offices and retail. Although the Brooklyn Paramount has been greatly changed, its floor flattened, its heavy stage curtain taken down, the organ sonically transports listeners to its heyday.

“This is a sound like no other,” remarked Los Angeles-based organist Mark Herman before he started a program that featured Tin Pan Alley melodies, Broadway songs, and other early 20th-century tunes. In a medley from Show Boat, he noted that “you might think you’re seeing the second coming of God” when the organ was going “full tilt” on “Old Man River,” and it indeed boomed like some divine apocalypse with all the pipes blaring and the low notes vibrating. However, “it has gorgeous soft sounds as well,” Herman said of the 90-year-old organ, and demonstrated its sonorous concert flute on Irving Berlin’s “Russian Lullaby.”

The music heritage of the Brooklyn Paramount stretches beyond the silent film era to jazz performances by Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie, and a 1950s and ’60s rock and roll show emceed by Alan Freed. That the Wurlitzer survives is thanks to the work of NYTOS. Similar instruments have been altered or dismantled, such as one at the Metropolitan Theatre in Boston that was broken up for parts in the 1970s, but over the years NYTOS has maintained the Wurlitzer’s bells and pipes. You can get a tour through its incredible musical architecture in this video from Joe Amato, who leads the Paramount volunteer organ crew.

As an encore, Herman chased “When the Saints Go Marching In” with “Danny Boy,” to gently “put it to sleep” for the organ’s silent years during the revitalization. There’s nothing quite like hearing the Wurlitzer consuming the Brooklyn Paramount with its noise, but until it makes its return in the revamped theater, here’s a taste of its bombastic sound in a NYTOS recording of “Give my Regards to Broadway”:

Mark Herman performing on the 1928 Wurlitzer organ (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

The Brooklyn Paramount (currently the Schwartz Athletic Center at Long Island University) (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Detail of the Brooklyn Paramount (currently the Schwartz Athletic Center at Long Island University) (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

The Brooklyn Paramount (currently the Schwartz Athletic Center at Long Island University) (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

Detail of the Brooklyn Paramount (currently the Schwartz Athletic Center at Long Island University) (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

The 1928 Wurlitzer organ (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

The post An Organ Gets a Noble Send Off as 1920 Brooklyn Theater Is Being Restored appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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[aphroditelion]

The Upstairs Room - Live Upstairs in Whelan’s, Dublin

Samantha Crain - Friday 7th April 2017

Honey Blood – Saturday 8th April 2017

I spent the last two nights Upstairs in Whelans, the more intimate of the two musical arenas in the Wexford Street venue. The musical fair on offer was quite different: on the Friday night we had Oklahoman singer-songwriter Samantha Crain with her four piece backing band and on Saturday it was Scottish indie-rocking two piece Honeyblood. The shows were quite different apart from the fact they both lapsed in the “Guinness conversation” with the crowd, almost as much of a visiting band cliché as the Irish ancestors chat but hey. I also noticed Whelan’s is now styling itself as “Dublin’s Original Live Music Venue“ which must mean there was no live music in Dublin before 1989. I’ll have to check the historical records.

Anyway back to the shows. I have to say I was a little disappointed when I got the venue on Friday to see seating in front of the stage. This inferred to me there wasn’t going to be much of a crowd. I didn’t count but there can’t have been more than 50 people at the show which must be a bit disheartening for an established touring artist on her 6 album (YouTube even tells me she played the Late Late Show in 2015!). If Samantha was disappointed she never showed it and was charming, witty and fully engaged from off, filling the silences between songs with amusing anecdotes and background info on her songs.

She, and her band (Emma on Clarinet & backing vocals, Mike on Violin, Ben on bass & backing vocals, and Sebastian on drums) played her excellent new album You Had Me At Goodbye in order. This meant the wonderfully poppy Antiseptic Greeting was up first followed by the equally perky Oh Dear Louis, though without its lofi horror movie video. After a slower Don Draperesque Loneliest Handsome Man and anti-love song Wise One she treated us to Red Sky, Blue Mountain, her first in the Choctaw language of some of her Native American ancestors. As well as the unintelligible lyrics the performance was notable for prominence of the excellent clarinet and violin. (Check out Emma Gatrill’s solo work - http://www.emmagatrill.com/)

The stories about Wichita Lineman and Will Rodgers came as thick and fast as songs they were connect to: the fuzzy bass rock of Smile When and Betty;s Eulogy. When the Roses Bloom Again was introduced as the first cover song she has released on an album. Written by Will D. Cobb in the early 20th century, she discovered via the Wilco / Billy Bragg Woodie Guthrie project Mermaid Avenue, which of course was partly recorded in Dublin. After the 10 songs from You Had Me… were done she dipped into her back catalogue for Outside Pal which has great pizzicato and swopping volion, Santa Fe replete with country-styles vocals from bass player Ben and the summery pop of  Somewhere All the Time.

For an encore Samantha returned solo with Elk City, which used the same tuning as Richard Thompson’s 1952 Vincent Black Lightning and was plucking great. The band returned to finish the night with For The Miner, her tribute to the late Jason Molina. This lady deserves a bigger audience.

If Friday night was all about the folky indie pop, Saturday night brought the noise. Unfortunately I only caught the end of opening act Dott but they sounded pretty good. As they were clearing off their gear Stina and Cat from Honeyblood started getting theirs ready- there is no backstage or standing on ceremony Upstairs in Whelan’s. Without pausing for breath or saying hello, as soon as they were ready they tore straight into Justine, Misery Queen. As I had chosen to stand right up the front I was nearly deafened by the combined cacophony of Cat’s drums and Stina’s large Fender Bassbreaker Amp. Unfortunately as a result the vocals were kind of lost in the mix, a feature for much of the rest of the night.

While Honeyblood’s self-titled debut album was a decent lofi-ish indie-rock effort, it’s like everything about them was supercharged for the follow-up Babes Never Die: it rocks hard and the melodies are catchier than chlamydia. This can’t all be down to new drummer Cat Myers. A good example of this was second track Ready for the Magic which adds stop start, hand clap percussion and a noisy false ending to the euphoric chorus. Love Is A Disease was almost as engaging but they turned down the afterburners for Choker and the falsetto melody of Sister Wolf was lost in the noise.

For the longest time Stina seemed somewhat disengaged from proceeding leaving all the intersong chatter to Cat, which she managed in spades. It took about 9 or 10 songs for everything to click. A lot of this was down to Cat entreating us all to come closer and dance to blistering stomp of All Dragged Up, which seemed to wake everyone up. Even Stina smiled at the end. Sea Hearts followed. It too has an earworm of a melody sneaking between the riffs. Album title track Babes Never Die add tom-thumping drums to the catchy indie-rock mix with Cat’s backing vocals almost cutting through the noise.

Given the setup Upstairs in Whelan’s they dispensed with all pretense of an encore and instead rant through the hate-fuelled Super Rat and early single Killer Bangs which almost matches the new material in terms of power and melody. I am not sure when my ear-buzzing will subside but at least there are great melodies lodged in their too.

[mahoushoujokiyou]

Sorry for the inactivity on here!

Here’s the green mermaid that I haven’t named yet 🥺

[mahoushoujokiyou]

Read Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Encore on tapas!

[mahoushoujokiyou]

The gang