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lilyellowsongbird · 2 years ago

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The White Stripes - Simplicity

I don't think I've ever been fascinated with an artist like I am with Jack White. Really, there's nothing I could say about him that hasn't already been said. Polyphonic has two great videos about Jack's work (Jack White's Obsession with the Number Three and In Defense of Meg White), so I would definitely go watch those before or after you read this. He has a certain type of charisma, this I-don't-give-a-damn-I'm-gonna-make-my-art-how-I-want-to attitude. He's been around in the industry long enough, he has his own label and record pressing factory, he certainly can do whatever he'd like, and he's good at what he does. He's willing to experiment with his sound and take great risks to achieve something new. I could talk about all of his work for quite some time, but this post is all about his greatest achievement: The White Stripes

Before I got a "real" job, I had to find a cheap and easy way to sustain my music habit without having to listen to an ad every other song. I would go to the library, check out a CD, rip it onto my computer, and put it on my phone. Janis Joplin, Green Day, MCR, Panic!, Florence + The Machine, and so many more. I went through my entire emo phase without it being documented in my Spotify stats. In February of 2019 (I remembered the month it was that important) I read a comment on a Green Day video suggesting the similarities between Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground by the White Stripes and Brain Stew. I had to hear it and upon doing so, it sparked my interest. I started listening to the band on Spotify until my weekly library trip. I walked straight to the CDs, flipped through W, and grabbed every White Stripes album I could find (there's only seven, minus the live album, and still I got most of them). I ripped them onto my phone and never looked back.

As he has stated a million times, Jack's basis is in the blues. Jack took that rough, simple sound and brought it into the modern age. With his rowdy electric guitar and Meg White's simple, deep drumming, they blended blues and punk rock to create that iconic White Stripes sound. It is gritty and it is powerful. They understood the concept of simplicity and just how impactful it can be. Their first album only uses four instruments; they don't even use a bass guitar until their fifth studio album Get Behind Me Satan. Limitation is what makes the White Stripes what they are.

One of the most fascinating things about the band to me is the fact that they never used a setlist. They relied solely on silent communication, an almost psychic link to both the audience and each other. They could flow seamlessly from one song to another, not missing a single beat. Any flubbed chord could be revived. Any path could be followed. They felt the energy of the crowd and let it move through them, guiding their every heartbeat. As much as they relied on the crowd, they relied on each other. They could gesture or even lock eyes and know exactly which song they were playing next. They could move on without a second thought and still be on the same page. My favorite example can be found here.

Yes, Jack is incredibly talented. He's the epitome of rock and roll. However, we cannot overlook Meg. Meg is the heartbeat of the band, and what a heart she is. I don't care what any prog-rock-music-purist says, Meg is a brilliant drummer. It doesn't matter what you can do technically on your own, if you can't make something good with someone else, you, your work is useless. Meg's simple drumming style is just as essential to the White Stripes' edge as Jack's guitar. Her frequent use of the bass drum rings out like a beating heart. It's dirty, guttural, and most of all, it blends perfectly with Jack's guitar. Meg wasn't afraid to drum her way, and that is why she is so wonderful. She could follow Jack's lead with silent communication and make each song perfect.

The White Stripes officially dissolved in 2011. Meg's anxiety became too much for her to continue touring and Jack was already starting on other projects. They only produced seven studio albums over their nearly fifteen year run, but dear god, they're good. I'm a huge proponent of quality over quantity. I would rather savor a few good albums than have to suffer through the slow decline and wasting away of a band.

I remember those first few months where all I listened to was Jack White and The White Stripes with great fondness. Listening gave me confidence. I felt like me, it was one component of my lifeblood. Later that year I saw him live with his band The Raconteurs, another band I will make an individual post on one day. He still refused to use a setlist. Seeing him live, watching him communicate with his bandmates, and just rocking out, I've never felt like I did that night. I've seen several of my favorite artists live, ones that I love more than Jack, and still, none of them compare to that night in that old theater, watching him perform. As much as I adore him, I don't think I could ever meet him. Maybe I hold him to too high a standard, maybe I don't want him to know just how much of an impact he made on my life. He taught me that simplicity and limitations can give you more freedom than no rules at all. They get your mind working, leading you to produce art that is detailed and precise.

Maybe one day Meg will return to the stage, but if not, I won't be sad. They had a good run, they were true to themselves, and they left a lasting impact on this world in a way that many artists never will. That is all that matters in the end

My Favorite Tracks in No Particular Order:

Apple Blossom

Jolene - Live Under Blackpool Lights

There's No Home For You Here

The Air Near My Fingers

Fell In Love With A Girl

Honey, We Can't Afford To Look This Cheap

Jimmy The Exploder

Stop Breaking Down

St James Infirmary Blues

I Fought Piranhas

Well, It's True That We Love One Another

#music #opinion #nonfiction #jack white #meg white #The white stripes #blues rock #blues #90s music #early 2000s music #indie rock

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dattebabunn · 1 year ago

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I know you probably didn't mean it like this, but this post kind of derailed my point about music genre. I wanted a conversation on what we think our favorite characters would like! It's not really a post that's meant to be a conversation about strict canon, more of a conversation about how we meld our music taste with our fave characters. but it is a good opportunity to talk about eras in music and microlabels! Bc I love talking about music and ESPECIALLY 60s and 70s music

See, what I meant by Rock music with Roy was how fans tend to have him gravitate more towards modern pop rock or post punk rock. Hell, even dad rock, I personally can't see Roy listening to Finger 11 😭

Great Frog is a Rock and Roll band in 1960, you're right! It's important to consider the year, though. The landscape of rock was extremely different in that era.

As a few examples we got:

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Sly and the Family Stone

The Doors

Jimmy Hendrix

Fleetwood Mac

Simon and Garfunkel

Rock and Roll in the 60s and 70s were heavily influenced by blues, folk, and country. Hell, sometimes bands labeled as rock and roll in that era were just funk bands! The images of Great Frog in every panel evokes that of a blues or funk band, more like Sly and the Family Stone and less like other rock and roll bands of the era like the Doors or the Beatles.

This is less related to the comic panels themselves, but still pretty related I feel. The 60s were BIG on experimentation. That's why we had so so many bands that were blues rock or southern rock. They set the stage for a ton of the micro genres we have today!

So while the panels are saying rock, I think it's also important to remember what "rock" was like in that era, because it's much different and more diverse than the label we have today. In that way, I don't think either of us are wrong!

No hate, I just enjoy talking about music a lot since my family comes from a musical background. It's really interesting to see how genres change and how characters change with it.

I think it's funny when fans don't vibe with a character's canonical music taste so they invent their own.

I was thinking about that in regards to Roy being in a blues band when half the fan content I see is leaning more towards rock and alternative. Which is fine! I also see this a lot with Ollie and Barry, who's music taste is jazz (much to Hal's distaste)

I'm not saying I keep it canonical either, I personally think Roy would be really into country music and folk. The kinda music you can sing with your loved ones by a fire with only a guitar and the ground beneath your boot to make a beat.

Tell me your blorbo's music taste! Is it canonical or do you make your own rules?

#it was p clearly a blues band in rise of arsenal #and honestly i feel like thst woodstock poster is an artist insert because woodstock 99 is notorious for being a capitalist hellscape an #and thats the antithesis of what roy stands for

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alkcomics · 4 years ago

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Been making an effort to listen to at least one new album every month for a while now. The first year anniversary of the pandemic hitting felt like as good a time as ever to take stock of what I’ve been digging and share it with y’all.

Seeing this all helps me really feel the passing of time, which has been difficult with the lockdown isolation and depression. Album names link to a choice song on Bandcamp (when I can) or YouTube (when I can’t) in case anyone else out there feeling like a sad zoo animal wants to spice up the cage for a few minutes.

Hope y’all dig. Cheers!

2019 New Music

September | Ahmed Fakroun | “Did you like the musical texture of the Land Down Under song but wished it were sad Libyan disco instead? Well have I got the album for you.” Seriously though, Njoom Al Leyel is probably the most gorgeous song in existence

November | Patience by Mannequin Pussy | All the feels of the Joan of Arc/Kinsella bros Philly emo scene; rad female vocalist and one of the last live shows I saw before the shutdown

December | Devil is Fine by Zeal & Ardor | High concept music project mixing American Black folk with black metal; totally delivers on the premise

2020 New Music

January | Jaago by Lifafa | Vernacular electronic music project of Suryakant Sawhney; chill vibes and gorgeous lyrics

February | On by Altın Gün | The 70s psychedelic revival in Turkish rock music right now is my jam, and I’d be wearing lines in the vinyl if I had a physical copy of this album (waiting til next Bandcamp day to order)

March | Grab that Gun by the Organ | This album fell neatly into my life from the first driving bass line. Dunno how I missed it when it came out. Equal thirds Screaming Females, Joy Division, and it’s own dang thing

April | Dust by I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness | The dark indie pop post rock of your dreams

May | Savage Times by Hanni El Khatib | Come for the punk bangers, stay for the disco tear-jerkers. Hanni El Khatib delivers again

June | Antiphon by Alpha Mist | My cousin rec’d Kamasi Washington and I realized I was woefully illiterate in modern jazz. Very chill jazz sophisticated through the lens of hip-hop; echoings of J Dilla

July | Windflower by Herb Ellis & Remo Palmier | Jazz guitar album from the late 70s I’d never heard; melodic and exuding the feelings of death and renewal that come with spring

August | Space Echo: The Mystery Behind the Cosmic Sound of Cabo Verde Finally Revealed! by Various (collected by Analog Africa) | So much good 70s electronica from Africa, and this is a fantastic compilation of different artists with a very insane backstory

September | Drowner’s Wives by Monte Luna | Old school garage heavy feeling; just some good dark psych metal

October | Conference of the Birds by OM | Not my favorite OM album but one I’d never gotten to hear before and perfectly emblematic of why I fucking love them. Search the reddit thread of stoned grad students pouring over the lyrics to add the cherry on top

November | The June Frost by Mournful Congregation | Textured metal outfit from Australia with the range of black metal but the tone of doom

December | Life Metal by Sun O))) | As someone put it recently, this album is the soundtrack to the big bang. Monoliths & Dimensions always overshadowed it before, but after really giving it the time of day I say why pit two kings against each other. I think actually they were talking about M&D with that quote. Y’all ever been sent that meme with Sunn O))) and a vacuum cleaner that’s all “where’s the difference?” Not to take the funny seriously, but the difference is my cats lose their g-damn minds when the vacuum is on but absolutely vibe when Sunn O))) blasts through the airwaves -- which, luckily for them, is much more often than when I vacuum

2021 New Music

January | Liberty Bell by DARKSIDE | Dark electrowave - not a genre of music I generally flock to but I could and have listened to this song on repeat for days

February | What’s Your Pleasure by Jessie Ware | 2021 is about trying to branch out more, and I also don’t usually gravitate toward pop... but you give me a new disco record titled from a Hellraiser quote and I’ll fucking stan

March | Veils of Winter by Blackwater Holylight | ‘Motorcycle’ starts out doom, then gets stoner psych, then goes full dark hippy butt rock guitar riff with dreamy vocal goodness. The rest of the album loses the butt rock but you bet your butts my neighbors are tired of hearing it

April | Celestial by ISIS | A standby of post-metal glory that I’d never really heard in its entirety til now. ‘C.F.T’ is my favorite, but as an avid Earth fan it’s the easy choice. Perfect soundtrack to the warming spring nights, which in the words of a dear friend, are ‘for acid and metal’

---

Ask box is always open if anyone’s got some good jams they want to share my way. Love y’all

#playlist #alkcomics

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loser-poser-emo · 3 years ago

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brief history of emo (by me)

1. 80s - "first wave" 2. 90s - "second wave" 3. 00s - "third wave" 4. 10s - "now"

so where did it started? most people think it started in 1984, in washington, dc, when the legendary rites of spring were formed. their self-titled album came out next year. they were big fans of minor threat. also ian mackaye formed embrace - other pioneering and important emo band. it's useful to note that emo bands in scene back then fucking hated that label - like, can't other hardcore bands be emotional? but the difference i see from so-called-"emocore" (formed from emotional hardcore) bands and other hardcore bands - emo stuff is more melodic i think? and more about exploring emotions - while hardcore was more political. anyways, emo then was just a dc scene thing. and guys from rites of spring and embrace founded fugazi - an awesome post-hardcore band. must-listen!

notable bands form that period: rites of spring, embrace, gray matter.

you know that copypasta? "real emo only consists.."? that's what i'm talking about - "midwest emo". as i see this - it's emo, but influenced by math rock and all that suburbia sadness. more indie, may i say. still awesome, though. second wave started by one of the most important bands - sunny day real estate. with their 1994's diary they became one of the most popular bands in emo scene. not only grunge, but emo also became [more of] a subculture in 90s. but instead of continuing their hardcore legacy, emo more shifted into math rock/pop-punk/indie/etc influenced alternative rock scene, with the guys in it copying weezer's rivers cuomo "nerd" style - morrissey's glasses, mom-knitted sweaters, thrifted t-shirts... although are weezer themselves emo? a big question. someday i will write about it. emo became not just a dc thing - it was all over united states. specifically, midwest. most of midwest emo bands were located there... unexpected? nevertheless, in some way emo became more mainstream(but it fully broke into it in 00s) and we have may more different bands influenced by different genres than we did in 80s

notable bands:

of course. sunny day real estate.

more midwest emo: the get up kids, american football, the promise ring.

more influenced by pop-punk: jawbreaker, saves the day.

oh, the 2000s. this is gonna be kinda controversial, i’m afraid. i think, one of the first thing you need to know, some stuff you think is "emo" - is kinda... not. and it all started in here, when people realised they can make a profit of emo stuff and there were tons of bands who were positioned in society as emo bands while being their own form - and like that, fifteen years ago almost every popular alt-rock band was called emo! some kind of fashion became a deeper point in whole subculture - you know what i'm talking about - all this heavy makeup, huge fringes... this kind of style became inseparable of the word "emo" back then - and even now! everyone was "emo", everyone was listening to mcr, p!atd, the used... (none of them are emo ???)... while in 90s - aka "second wave" - everyone just dressed up way more casually and "vintage". but there were "real emo" bands in 00s, don't worry. in late 90s, and 00s, screamo was more and more involved in emo scene - i would recommend an awesome band i hate myself - and it shows. so yeah, screaming was almost always a part in emocore… now i’d like to write some bands, and some may not agree, i accept it. in this part, i’d also like to list some bands that are commonly mistaken as emo - one day i’ll make a post about why they are not emo.

notable bands:

emo: thursday, jimmy eat world, saves the day, taking back sunday.

not really: the used, blink-182(seriously? how?), green day, all time low, my chemical romance, fall out boy, panic! at the disco, paramore, arctic monkeys.

what’s up with emo now? the only thing i know, are “midwest-emo” bands, that are just making stuff like midwest scene did in 90s. i don’t know, are they real emo. they are just making math-rock influenced alternative stuff, and that fine… not always my thing. but they are great. apart from such bands, i don’t really think we really had an emo revival of some sort. all those “not really emo” bands like paramore and fob had albums in 10s, but they are even less emo than everything! seriously, i saw too much people guessing is fob’s mania emo or not. IT IS NOT. it‘s never been. it’s- it’s just alternative rock - not saying it’s bad, but… also like twenty one pilots??? no fucking way they are emo. i will explain it all later - however, it seems pretty obvious.

notable bands: modern football, mom jeans.

in the end i would say, topic of which band is emo or not (especially about 00s bands) is a really hard - because to resolve once and for all is your favorite 00s alt rock band emo - we would have to define what emo is. originally, 80s hardcore? or midwest scene of 90s? or fake emo bands like mcr are, in fact, emo, because it’s the emotion that counts, and we’re all just mistaken? who knows. stay tuned for more of my emo poser thoughts!

#loserposeremo #emo #midwest emo #history of emo #real emo

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shallowmagics · 3 years ago

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— *•̩̩͙ friday prompts ♔ playlists •̩̩͙*˚ —

make a playlist you think your muse would curate to be their ‘comfort’ playlist!

i’m only going to keep this to five songs each so the post isn’t too long!

cirilla rivia

People are Strange - The Doors Runaway - Aurora Ophelia - The Lumineers Social Cues - Cage the Elephant Afraid - The Neighbourhood

Ciri, once she gets the hang of being in the modern era, absolutely becomes a tumblr, 2014 indie kid in terms of her music taste.

james potter

Don’t Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult London Calling - The Clash Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival This Charming Man - The Smiths 1979 - Smashing Pumpkins

James was only introduced to Muggle music a little later in life, through Remus, Peter, and Lily! He fell in love with a lot of the ‘lighter�� rock songs, not too heavy on guitar or back tracks

link faron

NFWMB - Hozier The Chain - Fleetwood Mac The Blood - The Cure Work Song - Hozier The Violence - Rise Against

Link tends to veer towards songs and bands we consider ‘witchy’ now, often liking songs with simple melodies.

lestat de lioncourt

Spellbound - Siouxsie and the Banshees Tear You Apart - She Wants Revenge Bela Lugosi’s Dead - Bauhaus Enjoy the Silence - Depeche Mode Wanna Be Your Slave - Maneskin

I don’t care what the Queen of the Damned movie put in for the band’s music, Lestat fell in love with goth rock the moment they woke up in the 80s. Their taste has since modernized, but Siouxsie will always be a favorite. Also Maneskin, because they just get Lestat.

rey skywalker

This is The End - Anti-Flag Prayer of the Refugee - Rise Against Deceptacon - Le Tigre Headstrong - Trapt I Will Not Bow - Breaking Benjamin

When Rey had her fake memories, she often gravitated toward punk music without understanding why. After she started remembering, she knew why. They managed to encapsulate and eloquently portray her anger.

rhiannon galway

Gold Dust Woman - Fleetwood Mac Sunlight - Hozier Meet Me In The Woods - Lord Huron Spanish Mary - New Basement Tapes Parting Glass - Hozier cover

Rhiannon actually doesn’t like a lot of music. Fleetwood Mac is the only one she can think of off the top of her head, having taken her first name from their song.

shepard love

Come Together - The Beatles Dock Of A Bay - Otis Redding Starman - David Bowie All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix Under Pressure - Queen

I headcanon that while Shep was on his cross-country road trips to see all his friends, the only stations that had the best signal were all the classic rock and 70s-90s stations. He eventually stopped changing the station and learned the playlists to nearly every station.

stephanie brown

Black Sheep - Metric Thank You For the Venom - My Chemical Romance Miss Missing You - Fall Out Boy Daddy Issues - The Neighbourhood Untouched - The Veronicas

Steph is 100% a recovering emo kid. That’s it.

#// prompts \\#tw: flashing gif

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flyingsculptures · 6 years ago

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50 Questions Tag

Tagged by @sadienita, ur wonderful and ily

1. What takes up too much of your time? Stressing about doing things rather than actually doing them lolol

2. What makes your day better? If it’s been a bad day, then coming home and having a massive vent sesh with my roommate

3. What’s the best thing that happened to you today? My coworkers and I all get along, but this morning everyone was in a really good mood and joking around with each other, it was fun!!

4. What fictional place would you like to go? King Kai’s Planet in dragon ball z, that shit looks peaceful af

5. Are you good at giving advice? sometimes, depending on the topic

6. Do you have any mental illness? I do, issues with depression mostly, but anxiety as well, but things have been SO much better since I’ve gone to therapy and started medication

7. Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis? YEAH BRUH SHITS SCARY

8. What musician inspired you the most? this is gonna sound lame af, but debussy. i’m a classically trained musician and playing his pieces shaped me

9. Have you ever fallen in love? i’ve been in love with someone once, but they didn’t love me back the same way. it hurt but i’m glad i’ve experienced what it’s like to feel that way about someone

10. What’s your dream date? tbh i’m a sucker for coffee dates, but only if i know the other person at least a little bit. otherwise, maybe a museum?

11. What do others notice about you? i dunno, you’d have to ask them i guess, but i’ve been told i can be stubborn and that i care too much

12. What is the annoying habit you have? sometimes i can run over the end of peoples sentences in conversations, i think. i promise it’s only bc im excited

13. Do you still talk to your first love? lol NO

14. How many ex’s do you have? two my dude

15. How many songs are on your playlist? binch which playlist, i’m a playlist QUEEN. I think my biggest one has over 300

16. What instruments can you play? i’m a classically trained pianist, started when i was 4 or 5. because i have such a solid theory base, i can usually pick up most things, at least a little bit

17. Who do you have the most pictures of? i have a ton of pictures on my phone rn of my parents when they were super young, but otherwise maybe my roommate?

18. Where would you like to go before you die? i would want to go back to ireland, but i would want to go with my family

19. What is your zodiac? both moon and sun in taurus, ascending in leo *finger guns*

20. Do you relate to it? I don’t know how much i actually believe astrology, but i do know i’m stubborn as hell, and fairly grounded

21. What is happiness to you? watching other people be stupid happy, like not in general, but experiencing something that just makes their face light up

22. Are you going through anything right now? all day erryday

23. What’s the worst decision you’ve ever made? trying to do what made my parents happy instead of what made me happy

24. What’s your favorite store? a local store called Stick it in Your Ear, they sell records and cds and stuff

25. What’s your opinion on abortion? Pro-choice, i can’t tell anyone what to do with their own body

26. Do you keep a bucket list? mmm not really, i don’t like putting that stress on myself lolol

27. Do you have a favorite album at the moment? i listen to playlists rather than albums these days tbh, so i can’t think of any

28. What do you want for your birthday? to see my KC friends, i miss them :(

29. What are most people’s first impression of you? i’ve been told i’m really intimidating when you first meet me, but once u get to know me you’ll just realize i’m a bit different (i’m NoT lIKe oThER GurLS)

30. What age do you seem according to most people? I get told a lot that i’m an old soul, whatever tf that means, i feel like i’m a living meme

31. Where do you keep your phone while you’re sleeping? my mattress is on the floor, so plugged in next to my head

32. What word do you say the most? ”listen”, i tend to start sentences with it

33. What’s the oldest age you would date? probs, like, 26? so about 3, 4 years older

34. What’s the youngest age you would date? i’m gonna be 23 this year, so 21 would be my limit. any younger and they feel like a baby to me

35. What job/career do most people say would suit you? what would SUIT me the most? ur asking me about the thing i’ve struggled w most in my life, IDK

36. What’s your favorite music genre? pretty much anything that isn’t stadium country or absolute shrieking is a genre i’m cool with, but i really enjoy post punk revival, like modern baseball (and then of course kpop lololol)

37. If you could live in any country in the world where would it be? i don’t think i could permanently live anywhere else, i’m too attached to my friends and family

38. What is your current favorite song? Making Breakfast by Twin Peaks

39. How long have you had this blog for? oh goodness, im not sure (i just checked and holy shit i’ve had it since aug 2012, dam)

40. What are you excited for? im not sure, it sounds sad but nothing much right now. i’m kinda just coasting and keeping my head down, which isn’t bad

41. Are you a better talker or listener? i think both, but since i’ve broken out of my shell i tend to do a lot more talking which i’m not super pleased about

42. What is the last productive thing you did? TAXES HELL YEAH MURICA

43. What do you want for Christmas? time, just time

44. What class do you get the best grades in? in high school it was english, college it was design and media classes

45. On a scale from 1-10, how are you feeling right now? a 6 i guess, a bit stressed atm

46. What can you see yourself doing in 10 years? bruh i aint got the foggiest, i didn’t think i’d make it this far

47. When did you get your first heartbreak? i thought it was 18 bu the first genuine heartbreak was 21

48. At what age do you want to get married? idc as long as it’s before 35 tbh

49. What career did you want to have as a child? i thought it was fun to say a marine biologist lolol

50. What do you crave now? falafel. mmmmmmmmmmm

this was neat, it was almost like a diary entry lololol, i want to hear more from @captainlokispeople @abbyarrgh @verngyu and @cult-of-time tho of course if you don’t want to or don’t have time then all is well!!

#tag game #thank u sadie!!#u always make me feel super important when u tag me in this stuff #i saw that some of our answers were the same too!!#i love learning about people hnnnng

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arashikurobara · 6 years ago

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Albums I Loved This Month — January 2019

a.k.a. "I wouldn't have had the genre vocabulary to tell you I really like post-punk revival but Spotify figured it out pretty quickly"

Idles, Brutalism* (2017) [Youtube] - [Spotify]

Idles, Joy As an Act of Resistance (2018) [Youtube] - [Spotify]

(*Trigger warning: sexual assault mention in "Mother" on Brutalism)

Eh screw it I'm not specifically trying to hit a certain number this post unlike last time, and both their albums are fantastic. Loud angry shouty music about… toxic masculinity being bad and depression and solidarity and self-love and god I love it so, so much. This is the one I mentioned in the 2018 post as having checked out off a retweet from the Slow Readers Club lead singer and. Dang y'all.

(They're actually playing a couple hours from me in May and I'm still trying to decide if I wanna go, I'd really like to see 'em play and tickets are crazy-cheap but I'd probably be going by myself and I'm not sure I want to especially when it's a weeknight so I'd have to take some time off too just logistically…)

All Hail the Silence, ‡ ("Daggers") (2019) [Youtube] - [Spotify]

I waited seven years for this album damnit. I'm… actually not 100% sure whether it's seven years' worth of hype but only, only because that is an awful lot of hype even if it has been on and off. It's absolutely a solid synthwavey album and I love it. Really throwback analog synthy instrumentation but still some of BT's modern trance sensibilities, it's a good sound.

They Might be Giants, The Else (2007) [Youtube] - [Spotify]

I was spending a little time last year working my way through the TMBG discography after realizing the only thing of theirs I'd truly given a proper listen was Flood (not even because it has a lot of their big classics—I'd just happened to snap up a copy super cheap many years ago when my local library was clearing out some stuff), but I hadn't made it this far yet. And then "I'm Impressed" ended up leading my first discovery weekly and honestly while their entire career's been solid, something about this whole album jumps ahead of the pack to me.

Oppenheimer, This Racket Takes Its Toll (2012) [Youtube] - [Spotify]

I'd heard their first couple albums before—saw, actually, TMBG play at my college while I was there and they wer the opening act, put on a damn good show even with one of them being sick and impressed me and my then-boyfriend so much we grabbed their debut (and then only) album after the concert, and listened to their second one at some point too. Saw they'd put out one post-breakup with what had been finished for their third album and some b-sides and other miscellany. I'm now honestly pretty bummed because this is the best one even, and there'll never be another one. Even has a couple tracks that branch out from the short synthpoppy stuff and still do it well.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Shake the Sheets (2004) [Youtube] - [Spotify]

This one's a band I'd heard of a couple times before but knew nothing about until Spotify threw this at my discovery playlist and they've definitely been one of my favorite things I found through it so far. Just some solid, basic (but not in a bland way), punk-y rock. (I feel like this one in particular out of this list is done no justice by my questionable ability to words tbh.)

World / Inferno Friendship Society, Red-Eyed Soul (2006) [Youtube] - [Spotify]

Yo I am extremely here for weird artsy punk that sometimes it ends up kinda ska and sometimes it's more straight up jazzy and then sometimes it's like punk with… a klezmer band?

The Go! Team, Thunder, Lightning, Strike (2004) [Youtube] - [Spotify]

This one kind of feels like cheating thanks to the sheer proportion of it Pandora spit out at me back in the day, but I don't think I'd really ever curled up with it as a proper album before. It's still extremely "what if a pep rally, but actually fun and good and funky," and I was please to see they've put out several more albums since the last I'd listened to anything and they're all a lot of fun, but I think this one's still my favorite. (I'm not sure why, but I was also really surprised to find out they're British?)

We Are Scientists, With Love and Squalor (2006) [Youtube] - [Spotify]

Oops this is where we move into the "idk. words are hard. apparently I like post-punk?" segment of the list. Something about this one resonates with me enough that I'm really kinda bummed that none of the band's other albums I checked out did much for me because I really like this one. (Brain Thrust Mastery isn't half-bad at least.)

Blood Red Shoes, Box of Secrets (2008) [Youtube] - [Spotify]

It's loud! But like, fun-loud (as opposed to the angry-loud we discussed earlier)! I still have trouble turning my taste into words!

Pretty Girls Make Graves, The New Romance (2003) [Youtube] - [Spotify]

Not even halfway through this I immediately went and recommended it to a friend that I knew likes Metric, for what that's worth. It sort of reminds me of Fantasies, though maybe a little bit louder?

#music #recommendations #arashirecs

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musicmixtapes · 6 years ago

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September 12, 2018 Mix

Spotify Playlist 1. I Wish I Missed My Ex by Mahalia - This song is so uplifting and catchy and about something that is so empowering to listen to, especially after someone important comes in and out of your life, and for some reason, you just don't feel so strongly about it. The large vocal ensemble that is incorporated in the beginning as well as the choruses really magnifies the backbeat and the strength behind the words. From the artist about the song, she says, "...the inspiration came from the fact that I was like, “Why don’t I miss that person?” Like, “What is it about that person, and what is it about me that is making me really not want that lovely person over there?” which I think can be a very relatable feeling to the younger generations where things falling apart is not given the time of day as it used to. Also a great song to sing along and dance to. 2. Hair Slick Back by The Sneaks - One of my best friends Maeve showed me this awesome, totally underrated jam which has one of my favorite, cool bass lines ever. It basically drives the whole song and makes the eerie layered vocals stand out so much. It basically is comprised of a basically drumbeat, the vocals and the bass which is so low maintenance in theory, but when put together creates such an old school low fi punk vibe that new music generally misses out on. Personally, I love to listen to this song when I'm needing an extra boost of confidence and reassurance whilst walking down the streets of the city. It gives that perfect amount of "I don't give a fuck" and also "I care very very much about everything to the point of anxiety" which is a good aesthetic to try to harvest. 3. Consideration by Rihanna & SZA - The ANTI album is iconic and become a staple of many people's lives since it's release in 2016, but some of the songs become an integral part of life at various times and flow in and out based on the mood of life at a current position and time. As of late, I have been deeply reflecting on the emphasis other people put on one's own career and how other people's judgments tend to weigh one down and maybe do things a different way because it seems like the appropriate thing to do. But Rihanna and SZA negate the notion of fitting to people's expectations and sizing down in order to make other's happy. Instead they tell us to "do things my own way, darling" and not to take opinions of other's into too much consideration, to go against the grain and succeed in spite of and because of other's wanting you not to do so. Very empowering. 4. Swoon by Beach Weather - Being a picky snob with music selections is really difficult because it means that in social settings, you automatically judge what music someone else decides to recommend or chooses to play, right? But in a school where so many people have eclectic indie tastes of music, it is also a great things because it means connecting through cool, under appreciated artists and music, such as this song. Someone I'd never met before told me to put this song on when I had people over and I instantly loved it. It is essentially about a person falling for a woman who is both a horrible and wonderful person at the same time, because she has great qualities but causes so much pain and heartbreak to the speaker of the song. The beat behind it is also just super awesome to chill out to, which is always a plus. 5. I'm Not Crying. You're Not Crying, Are You? by Deer and the Headlights - This song is like... 10 years old, which is crazy because it's so awesome and I've definitely never heard it before, but am so happy I'm able to appreciate it now. My favorite line from this is definitely when he sings, "agressively mediocre in every single way" because it totally sums up how most of the world sees themselves and the difficulty in believing in oneself that one is talented and deserves to be where they are. Specifically, this track is about the struggles of being in a band and performing, but I see it as going much, much deeper than that. It's about things not turning out the way they had been pictured or painted out to be and having to deal with the effects of life's way of making things dull after a period of time, even if at one point, we really enjoyed these things/activities. Also the singer's voice is just so quintessential of modern alternative rock and is very along the lines of The Killers, The Strokes, etc... 6. Disorder by Joy Division - Well, I'm not sure that I can really explain this song any better than someone else already has, because it is one of the most popular tracks that Joy Division has released, with good reason (it is SUCH a jam!) As generously described by someone else, this song is about going through a cycle of depression as artists often do and, "This is the struggle of an artist, an unhinged and disconnected artist: how to take pleasure from the things around him, how to use them to make and create, instead of growing bored and detached from them and living solely inside his own head; the protagonist has an artist’s spirit but he can’t live in the normal world, he can’t take the banality of day to day existence as it wears him down and dilutes his artistic purity (spirit) and makes him lose his feeling." As a writer myself, I can totally understand the underpinnings of this song and how the spirit of sensation is so necessary within an artist's life. 7. (I'd Rather Be) Anywhere But Here by Honeyblood - Basically perfect for a person who feels like they are stuck in a relationship that is just unhealthy, boring, toxic, etc and would want to go away, but feels very tethered and then, finally, the other person detaches and the emotional struggle with knowing something is truly gone. On another layer, it also depicts being in an actual place, (city, town, suburb) that is just bland and dull and uninspiring and wanting to escape to somewhere new and seeing someone else being able to do that and the feelings that go behind that as well. The singer's voice is really modern indie style which we always love to hear because it paves the way for women not always needing to belt their entire throat out to sound good and get the attention they deserve. Oftentimes, I feel that this song is important to recall what it is like to be in a liminal space with another person where there is lots of tension, but not the good kind. 8. Copper Mines by Mothers - I think a lot of the songs I have been choosing lately I would enjoy just as much if they were poems instead of songs, which is very interesting because they don't follow the everyday format of a song as one would typically expect. This one is chock full of really intriguing and weird metaphors that don't usually come to mind when describing a person that you would care about or have mixed feelings for. The whole basis behind the "copper" part of the song comes out of the first verse when the singer sings that the person is like when you stick a penny under your tongue and how strange the sensation of that taste is. Just thinking of that mental image is really sour and stinging, which is probably the intended meaning and general emotion of the song. Musically, I really enjoyed hearing the strange melodies that the guitar took on in this piece and how it kind of ended up discordant with the vocals which is very connected to the meaning of the song. 9. Is There A Place I Can Go by Trudy and the Romance - People have discarded songs that are just generally "sweet and cute" themed as of late, because they are not cool and fresh, but why can't they be? I think this track perfectly proves my point because it doesn't do anything so extra and post modern, but just puts a sweet message in a very low fi jazzy kind of way. This is part of a kind of music where it can be regarded as a return to love songs, not because they are copying anything that old love songs used to do, but instead reinventing them and adding freshness to the genre and making love okay again. Just like the revival that many forms of art often has, love is one of them and we should appreciate that in a world that is so twisted in so many ways; in essence, we need love songs again, we need to see that sometimes darkness is okay to dwell in, but so is the light and so are the rose colored shades that those in love look through with such pleasure. 10. Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole by Martha Wainwright - On the other hand, this song is basically the anthem of the opposite of a love song. It's an anger song, a revolution song, a self message song, a song to say FUCK YOU to someone that really deserves it because they have made you feel down trodden and unwanted and unworthy. Very important as well in this day in age when people don't pick their words carefully and basically feel like they can say anything to you without any sensitivity training before it. "I will not pretend, I will not put on a smile, I will not say I'm alright for you, when all I wanted to be was good" is such a mantra that hits way too close to home for anyone who has every dealt with feeling inferior at the hands of a bloody mother fucking asshole who has made you feel that way. Wainwright's passionate and angry tone in her voice with only really an acoustic guitar playing behind really makes the meaning of the song slap you in the face with straight up truth. 11. Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl by Broken Social Scene - Please don't be automatically creeped out by the muffled, alien sounding layered voices that appear in this ever cool and futuristic sounding monotonal song. It describes an insight into the life of a reckless teenage girl who wants love and wants to fit in and how she acts in order to have those things. This is taking that mantra of what being seventeen is like from an older perspective and grieving the loss of youth and innocence. It is described by another reviewer of the song as, “Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl” is sung from the perspective of a woman looking back on her days as a fresh faced seventeen year-old. A melancholy nostalgic chant pervades the song as the speaker comes to the realization that her present self is a far cry from the girl she used to be." The repetition of the lyrics are important because it portrays nostalgia as a time cycle that one keeps going back to. 12. Eulogy For You And Me by Tanya Davis - I don't know that I would necessarily regard this piece as even a song so much as a performative art piece because it is all spoken word except for the last two lines of it, which is sung very simply but aptly. Hearing these words ring through your ears is very important during a period in your life where you are trying to rebuild yourself when you have been torn down by any number of things (a love, a friend, time, a loss, family, depression, illness, etc it goes on forever) The metaphor of having a clock in your life at all times and having to deal with moving on and starting new and how to get on without a person who was a constant in your life for a long time. The thing to remember which definitely reminded me of this song is that people are not always going to be constants, like a math equation, they will be undefinable variables who sometimes float in and out and sometimes that has to be accepted. 13. Painter In Your Pocket by Destroyer - I'm sorry that I'm unoriginal but this song definitely isn't because of the whirlwind of metaphorical language and sensory images we get to have. But the song is told as being, “'Painter In Your Pocket”’s protagonist drunkenly confesses his love to a woman with which he has become infatuated. He’s admired her for years, and although he finds many of her behaviors and dispositions to be abhorrent, he is still fascinated with her. The song’s subject matter is examined through Dan Bejar’s characteristically charismatic and erudite lens." The trope of the woman described in this song is one that would typically be seen in movies as the woman who takes people for granted and thinks the world revolves around her but then still relies on one person to fall back upon because she knows he will be there to pick her up if something goes wrong. 14. Give It All To Me by Black Pool - The chords at the beginning of this song are literally identical to the ones at the beginning of Hallelujah and has the doo wop style of rhythm too which was automatically very pleasing to the ears to hear. Black Pool always has the ability to make a really simple tune very deep and emotional because of the passion and intellect behind the crafting of the words and the innate ability to create a short story out of something very basic. I think this song really points out the regular desire that all humans experience at one point or another where they want someone to devote themselves entirely to them and be the most important thing in someone's life, even if that is kind of an overbearing or ridiculous notion. But honestly, the notalgic 50s doo wop vibe of this really creates the going back to the ways of going steady in a relationship and caring about someone fully and truly and deeply. 15. Life Is Confusing by Langhorne Slim - Since I found this song last week, it has been constantly running through my head and on my brain pretty much all the time. I haven't felt so akin to a song in such a long time, but damn it if I don't feel every part of my soul in this short diddy about life being confusing and people being insane and having to accept that as something that will always be. It is also about the feeling of becoming super busy with all of these confusing nuances of life and having to see someone you care about less and less because of this hectic way of life. I think especially now I relate to this song because being in New York City means that you are constantly moving at the speed of light and even faster most of the time and that means that seeing people you care about becomes really difficult and forging close relationships can be seen as a challenge of sorts. The very folky acoustic sound of this meaningful tune is a really nice transition from summer carefree to fall chaos and all that a new start entails. 16. Shrike by Hozier - Ok so for anyone who doesn't know what the title means (neither did I when I first saw this come out the other day) it is defined as: "a songbird with a strong sharply hooked bill, often impaling its prey of small birds, lizards, and insects on thorns." This ended up making so much more sense in context paired with the lyrics of the song, which is such a Hozier thing to do, thus putting in a lot of thought to a title in order to make the holistic approach to the song that much more in depth. In terms of the song itself, I felt an instant connection while listening, not just because he returned to his roots of soulful guitar and singing, but also because the song's poetic flow is so strong and sparks the writer's mind within all who listen and appreciate writing. In terms of the EP as a whole, "Nina Cried Power" which was released just a few days ago, I cannot stress enough how amazing all of the songs are on their own as well as a collective whole and how much everyone NEEDS to go and listen to it at least once full through. I guarantee you will love it... I love it. 17. Sixty Charisma Scented Candles by Gabriel Meyers - This song kind of sums up all of the other songs that I have previously put in this mix, mostly because it talks about feeling lost, confused, searching for love and not knowing how to find it, trying to decipher where one is in time and space in the grand scheme of things and also just trying to make someone else proud and how others especially close to you perceive you and all the things you try to do. Honestly though, the title of the song drew me in which usually happens to me because of my incessant pension for lyrical greatness. Meyers crooning and soulful voice while he sings about the topics that most people can't fathom to pen down, let alone perform on a track, becomes such a visceral experience even just by listening to it. The repetition of the phrase "When time and space collide I hope I'm by your side" is so intense to hear especially in a musical form. I think this notion is pretty philosophical and music, in a way, can be pretty much a modern form of philosophy that we can understand. 18. This House by Japanese Breakfast - Off of her album, Soft Sounds From Another Planet, comes this beautiful ballad/indie piece that is a slow understanding of what it's like to return back to a place where there is a mixture of trauma and love and how it takes time to try to recollect all of the memories of a place that you once lived and how it can be painful to go back and restart while retaining a sense of who you used to be. Zauner, who is the main singer/songwriter of Japanese Breakfast, told that the song is about, "This was the last song I wrote for the album. A ballad about returning home after a long tour, waiting for your someone to come home. It’s also about the confused desires you feel for someone you once loved, and coming to the realization that it’s not actually the person you miss, but who you were before. A time when you were younger and felt more and didn’t think so much about death all the time." I feel such a deep connection to this song because I love where I am from (suburban NJ) and I have always felt a mixture of sadness and love returning home for a variety of reasons and how pain mixed with nostalgia is very important to feel. 19. Forget Me by Born Ruffians - The first song I found by this artist I included on an older mix and it was the track "Fuck Feelings" which I think should be listened to in tandem with this song because they kind of work as a venn diagram in the sense that there are a lot of shared themes and feelings within both songs, but they depart in the way of that this song is about staying with someone through really difficult times and having a stronger sense of love because of those hard times. A phrase from this song which is central to the theme is "you'll face the light with me". I think this goes to say that two people, when faced with something as intense and scary as death, if they really care about each other, will make it through to the other side and still survive in an afterlife or space of some sort with one another. I would categorize this kind of genre as a soft alternative rock because of the light feeling mixed with a still present rock vibe. 20. Upper West Side by King Princess - Finally, rounding off this week's mix is a Brooklyn native young and fresh artist new to the indie pop scene, who is amazing for incorporating feelings of acceptance, empowerment, equality and queer love as well as general feelings of love and light. This particular track is about being apart of a so called privileged generation of young people who try to portray themselves a certain way in order to feel accepted by the general public society. In an interview with Coup De Main magazine, King Princess commented, "The song is about somebody who is wealthy and all that, and interested in this concept of disguising their wealth to be cool…I think especially in our culture, a huge part of the way that we present ourselves to the world is edited, and it’s digital. You have the luxury of touching things up and editing them and changing them before they hit the real world, and the reality is that a lot of the parts that we show isn’t the core and isn’t the heart of the matter. I talk about that a lot as well in the music because I am definitely a product of that generation" which I think sums the song up perfectly.

Thanks for listening with open ears and hearts

Much love,

Julia

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velcro-rave · 6 years ago

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half shitpost. half serious. all playlist.

I decided to unceremoniously break the one rule I set for myself every single time a new season of this show is released, which is TO NOT POST SPOILERS EVER, because I figured this was too fun not to share. So, instead of outright filling your dash with my critical & ridiculous thoughts, I’ve composed them into musical format via a YouTube mixtape. It’s 27 songs long and will take about an hour and a half of your life.

Keep in mind that this playlist is FILLED WITH SPOILERS. Even though it’s mostly a joke-y song-inspired summary of the events in S6, please do not listen to the playlist until you’ve watched the entire season. It will make 0 sense, as opposed to the minuscule fraction of sense it would’ve made if you had finished watching. Plus, you’ll be mad that you ruined it for yourself. It’s honestly an interesting collection of episodes!

However, if you are indeed ready, listen to it here!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgZlbfm6-3v1V5C74fT9uwDZmWroOczHR

(bonus link if the first doesn’t work)

I recommend going in blind and letting it play through without reading the descriptions below until you get to the song, but if you’d rather know EXACTLY what was going through my mind when I slapped everything onto the tracklist beforehand, go wild.

MIGHTY MORPHIN' POWER RANGERS

I just wanted the thumbnail tbh, but this is a good intro track for the mess you’re about to experience.

E P I S O D E 1 - OMEGA SHIELD

MULAN - I'LL MAKE A MAN OUT OF YOU

Hunk training w/ Dayak. This one was probably the most visceral song. It was stuck in my head the absolute second he held up those weights.

BONNIE TYLER - TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART

Shielding the labor planet from the solar sequences (eclipses are tangentially related, right?) and also a very dramatic way of backing Lance getting saved by Allura.

E P I S O D E 2 - RAZOR’S EDGE

TAME IMPALA - CONFIDE IN ME (KYLIE MINOGUE COVER)

Allura slooowly trusting Lotor more and more & them being awfully flirty. In a serious sense, this is about him convincing her to let down her guard and let him in on what he wants to have.

CELINE DION - ALL BY MYSELF

Lance getting third wheeled hardcore by Allura & Lotor :( poor dude can’t catch a break.

THE WEEKND - STARBOY (ft. DAFT PUNK)

Keith coming to terms w/ Krolia. I also needed a generally serious jam so this was a good fit to fill the space.

Have you seen that one Lance fanzine by the same name though? Holy shit. The art is incredible.

QUEEN - DON'T STOP ME NOW

Keith & Krolia again, this time ft. them living together for 2 yrs on top of a giant space whale with a bootleg Blink Dog for a pet.

WOODKID - THE GREAT ESCAPE

Krolia & Tex (Keith's dad, still nameless smh) and how they were total badasses together. This is a mix between shitpost and serious because I couldn’t think of anything country/southern-related that fit the bill for their “let’s run off and hide and be together” scenario except for this song. Stuck with the horse metaphor, I guess. :P

THE KILLERS - READ MY MIND

Focus on Krolia & Tex's relationship again, her leaving him for the good of the planet and such. The lyrics are really good here, mainly

The teenage queen, the loaded gun The drop dead dream, the Chosen One A southern drawl, the world unseen

E P I S O D E 3 - MONSTERS & MANA

SKYRIM 8-BIT THEME

for Monsters & Mana aka BEST EPISODE. I can’t believe how nerdy they went. And how accurately nerdy they went. d20s..... playing the same classes after dying.... losing 8 hours in what feels like 8 minutes... Tomb of Horrors... they got it all.

SKRILLEX - REPTILE

CORANIC DRAGON BOSS FIGHT! ‘Cause it’s a giant, fire-breathing reptile.

NITRO FUN & HYPER POTIONS - CHECKPOINT

basically just outro-ing Monsters & Mana. I gotta say, I thought this was the best downtime episode in a while. Maybe not as fun as Space Mall, but really close.

It could also be my favorite because I have 60 D&D characters... :/

E P I S O D E 4 - THE COLONY

AC/DC - BACK IN BLACK

Keith returns not only in his dark black Blade of Marmora suit but also to reinstate his role as the Black Paladin for the time being. Kuron’s nearly confirmed as a danger at this point!

THE BEACH BOYS - WOULDN’T IT BE NICE

Romelle telling the tale of their supposed “messiah” being Lotor and all the abuse the missing Alteans went through. I wanted to get a song that accurately captured my emotions of “what the fuck” but nothing I had could match the tone. So why not go for the opposite?

FALL OUT BOY - HEAVEN'S GATE

def Allura & Lotor, mostly Allura thinking that he's finally the one. “Boost” in the lyrics probably refers to Lotor subtly trying to get out of the immoral shit he did in his past that she doesn’t know about yet.

HOE DON'T DO IT, OH MY GOD

they f u c k i n g kissed are you KIDDING ME, FOR REAL????

THE GUESS WHO - UNDUN

Everyone telling Allura that Lotor, her bf for all of 2 seconds, is actually a manipulative bastard who not only murdered but isolated and horrifically tortured thousands of her kind. You know, the kind that she believed was entirely EXTINCT except for her and Coran? Oops!

I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME - MODERN DAY CAIN

Lotor betraying the team but AT LAST revealing exactly where he stands. He’s been so ambiguously untrustworthy for so long that it feels nice to get some closure.

Allura yeets him across the castle ship and it’s a work of art.

E P I S O D E 5 - THE BLACK PALADINS

SKILLET - FALLING INSIDE THE BLACK

Keith + Kuron/Shiro fight, alluding to the episode title and both of them literally “inside” of the Black Lion later on. Almost as edgy as their blades.

WOODKID - I LOVE YOU

Keith & Shiro, Keith doing his “I know you’re in there” plea. BROGANES FOREVERRRRR.

god that scene made me cry.

E P I S O D E 6 - ALL GOOD THINGS

TCHAIKOVSKY - 1812 OVERTURE

Coran & Pidge pulling off the craziest technical stunts and saving the day. I figured I needed at least one purely instrumental song on here.

CRAZY FROG - AXEL F

Keith goes nyoom, aka he asks Shiro’s spirit to help him get back to the Paladins. But nyooming feels right, just like the narm.

E P I S O D E 7 - DEFENDER OF ALL UNIVERSES

BLOC PARTY - HELICOPTER

Fighting Lotor and his knockoff Voltron. The lyrics in this one reference him ultimately becoming the father whom he despised so deeply. Sweet, sweet psychological revenge.

GLORIA GAYNOR - I WILL SURVIVE

Acxa, Zethrid, and Ezor getting tired of Lotor's shit and betraying him again. It’s a pretty snazzy battle anthem.

P.O.D. - BOOM

The Castle of Lions is destroyed (BOOM!) & Lotor is maybe dead. Action-y song for AWESOME animation.

EVANESCENCE - BRING ME TO LIFE

Allura reviving the hell out of Shiro. He’s back! Probably! And with white hair!

STEVE AOKI (ft. FALL OUT BOY) - BACK TO EARTH

We're going home.

That’s it! Thanks for listening. Feel free to send me a message telling me what you liked about the playlist; I had a lot of fun working on it for the day. Eventually I’ll post some 100% serious mixes... including lots more actual lyric analysis. Next time you’ll see spoilers from me will be July 15th, 2018!

#voltron #voltron season 6 #voltron s6 #voltron spoilers #voltron s6 spoilers #playlists #p #i'm posting this now in the dead of night because I know I wouldn't ever do it while I'm awake lol #I PROMISE THIS IS THE ONLY SPOILERY THING I WILL POST THIS MONTH #or uh #you have full permission to spam me with various photos of cups placed uncomfortably close to precarious edges.#anyways there are also notes in the YouTube description but due to it being finicky and no one noticing them I've decided to just stick them #verbatim into the post itself; plus some extra stuff just for u #enjoyyyy

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smokeybrandreviews · 6 years ago

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Like Rebel Diamonds

As I listened to Time to Pretend by MGMT at work during those wee hours in the morning, I realized, 16 year old Smokey wouldn’t have given these cats the time of day. At the height of my obnoxious MTV, High School, days, I was a resounding hood. I literally only listened to hip hop and I lived that “thug life” as it were. In retrospect, I was ridiculously narrow sighted about culture and what could be considered “good” music. It was abused but I was product of my environment. Fast forward some 17 years later and I feel like I’ve matured a bit, my tastes have expanded. In that spirit, I wanted to jot down my top 10 records of all time and a little blurb as to why I enjoy each. It should be interesting to see where I land on everything.

1A and 1B - Read My Mind and Mr. Brightside by The Killers

Bro, these records are what music IS to me. I couldn’t really differentiate between the two because, whichever one I’m actively listening to, that’s my all-time favorite song. I can’t really tell you why but I think it has everything to do with the emotion in each record. I FEEL these songs and they legit make me happy. Stress just melts away as those melodies and vocals take me to a warm ass place.

Between Brandon Flowers uncanny ability to emulate the late great Freddie Mercury with his smooth ass vocals and Ronni Vannucci’s god level skill on them drums, it’s hard NOT to put these records on top. The Killers are also my all-time favorite band, if you can’t tell.

3 - Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

Speaking of the great Freddie Mercury, there’s no way Rhapsody doesn’t make this list. Look. The things Mr. Bad Guy could do with his voice are transcendent and this record puts all of the prowess on display. Never mind the fact that he wrote every lyric and every note of this song. Bro was what every artists should strive to be.

4 - Sleepyhead by Passion Pit

I am a huge fan of this cat’s catalog. His sound is so eclectic and unique. Cats just don’t make music like him and Sleepyhead, for me, is the quintessential Passion Pit record. It’s his magnum opus. It feels very technical, like he meticulously put this thing together like a puzzle. All of that time, energy, and detail produce one of the most profound sounds I have ever heard.

5 - Through The Wire by Kanye West

Way back in 2004, when this song dropped, I was 20. At that time, in my youth, I was kind of transforming into an adult. I was tired of all that bling rap from the late 90s into the early 00s. Don’t get me wrong, I adore me some Back That Azz Up but it was all just too much. I was tired of hearing about chicks getting f*cked and how hard a cat was and how many bullets/ounce of coke some studio gangster moved. I was tired of that Def Jam bullsh*t. And then I heard Through The Wire. Sh*t was a revelation. This was a legit record, with dope ass lyrics, on a dope ass beat, telling me a story about the artist’s most harrowing life experience. It didn’t involve coke or cops or thugs or whatever. It was an honest to goodness classic hip hop record, without all the hip hop stereotypes. I was a fan of Ye for life at that point. For me, The College Dropout is a goddamn classic and it was Through The Wire that introduced it to me.

6 - Killing Me Softly by The Fugees

Roberta Flack dropped this record way back when but Lauryn Hill got her hands on it in 96 and she transformed it into a goddamn masterpiece. Don’t misunderstand me, what Ms. Flack pressed, too, was brilliant in its own right but this is one of those rare circumstances where a cover exceeds the original. It’s rare but is it dope! Lauryn pours her soul over this record and you can feel the heartache on it. I was flabbergasted the first time I heard this long but then she hits that long note. Oh My…

7 – The Less I Know The Better by Tame Impala

Yo, this song hits hard. I was absolutely enthralled with the music itself but Kevin Parker's vocals compliment that instrumental with such precision, I was absolutely enthralled. The first time I listened to this song felt like the first time I hear Mr. Brightside, just a little less. If you don't listen to Tame Impala, you're doing yourself a disservice. Joint also has a dope as video.

8 - Juicy by Notorious B.I.G

It was all a Dream! BIG is the greatest lyricist I have ever heard. He wasn’t crazy prolific, I think cat released 2two albums before he was killed, but you’d be hard-pressed to find another rap record that stands to-to-toe with his catalog. The way dud abused wordplay while taking you on a journey with his storytelling was amazing and Juicy is perfect example of that. He makes you feel like your right there with him as he became the GOAT, before he was declared the GOAT.

9 - Hurt by Johnny Cash

Truth be told, I love old timey country. All of this, modern sh*t is whack as f*ck but you throw some of that Grand Ole Opry on and I’m good to go. Conway Twitty and Dolly Parton are immediate favorites that come to mind but it’s the Man in Black, all day. I love all of his music. Cat is a damn fine storytelling and his distinctly gravely voice caters to those tales perfectly. I remember seeing the video to Hurt when I was young and it devastated me. It made me remember a lot of stuff I didn’t want and I ended up crying by the end. Like, sobbing. It was cathartic. I was carrying so much, for so long, and this record broke that dam like it was nothing. Music is amazing that way but to have such a profound reaction to this song? I don’t know, man but it’s in my list forever now.

10 - Pressure by Milk & Bone

I first heard this record at the end of a Letterkenny episode. Side note, if you’re not about Letterkenny, you corny as f*ck. Anyway, the second those vocals hit, i was awash in a warmth i can’t describe. This record makes me think of my chick. It soundtracks the highlights of us. It’s absolutely found it’s way into my being and i adore every second of it’s melodic, delicate, affectionate melody.

It’s a rather eclectic list, if I do say so myself. Good sprinkling of genres in there. I feel mildly proud of myself. I thought for sure it would be all post punk and 80s revival because, I mean, I am an 80s baby but I like what shook out. I feel like there’s a solid nine songs there. As much as I love Journey, there’s probably fifty songs that could take that ten spot. Honestly. It was actually mad easy to get through this list, too, which surprised me. Outside of the first three records, I figured I’d be more conflicted but nope. The heart wants what it wants I guess.

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nova-writes · 8 years ago

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10 Albums That Made A Lasting Impression During Your Teenage Years

I lived my Teen years (13-19) right in the middle of the Aughts, 2002 through 2008. That was an interesting time for music. Emo revival was just starting and Hardcore bands of the 90′s were starting to figure out what came next for them. I’m sure pop music was doing interesting things, but I was adamantly opposed to pop music as teenage, so there won’t be much of that.

The only Rule™ for this list (because lists need rules), is to use only one Album per Artist/Band. I will also try to go chronologically, but if you’re playing along at home, you make your list however you want. The “Chronogality” (that’s a world, don’t look it up) might get a bit skewed because, as I previously mentioned, I tended to shy away from popular music, so some of the albums didn’t come out during this time frame, it’s just when I discovered them.

On with the list!

2002

Gorillaz - S/T (2001)

Okay, so right out the gate I’m cheating. The brainchild of musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett came out just before I was a teen in 2001. But the virtual band consisting of 2-D, Murdoc, Russel, and Noodle illustrated by Hewlett was one of the first bands I discovered for myself. And I didn’t discover it until it had been out for a while.

Largely to do with their interactive flash animated website and bizarre music videos, their music and artistic style largely influenced my own art and led me to discover Tank Girl, Hewletts comic book series.

You might be thinking “Didn’t they say they didn’t listen to pop music? Their first pick is a pop group, what’s going on here?” To which I remind you I said there wouldn’t be much of that, not none at all. This was also “Phase 1″ of the Gorillaz master plan, entitled Celebrity Take Down, so that resonated with me. Also, the Gorillaz may enjoy some commercial success, but at this point they were still largely an indie group, collaborating with Hip Hop artists, producers, and indie rappers (Kid Koala, Dan the Automator, and Del the Funky Homosapien respectively). Also, revisiting this album later on led me to discover Del’s other project Deltron 3030.

2003

AFI - Sing the Sorrow (2003)

2003 was the year I discovered the color black, and I’ve never worn another color since (exaggeration, but not by much). This is also when I started to struggle with depression and other feelings and the goth-punk songs written by singer Davey Havok, bassist Hunter Burgan, guitarist Jade Puget, and drummer Adam Carson spoke to my early teen angst.

My introduction to AFI came from seeing the video for Girls Not Grey on the music channel Fuse (formally Much Music). I then probably pirated the music, because it was the 00′s, but I did also eventually buy a copy of the Album. This was also the first commercially successful for harcore-group-turned-goth band AFireInside.

AFI was the group that bonded my first real best friend and I together. We were both obsessed with the album, and we were determined to start a band (which we did and it was terrible). Together we worked our way through their back catalog and eventually discovered punk and hardcore music.

Minor Threat - Out of Step (1983)

After listening to Shut Your Mouth And Open Your Eyes by AFI and learning of the existence of Hardcore music, it wasn’t long before I discovered the “Big Three” of 80′s hardcore punk music: Black Flag, Bad Brains, and Minor Threat.

The icon art of Raymond Pettibon for Black Flag is still something that influences my art and Bad Brains influences many of my favorite bands and I appreciate them much more today, but Minor Threat’s anger is something that really resonated with me at the time. They definitely shaped the sound of the next band I was in, which was only a little better of an attempt than my first band.

Strangely enough, the Straight Edge mentality that is extremely prevalent throughout Minor Threats music never really took hold on me, but their other messages were clear to me, we’re outsiders and we’re taking a stand for what we believe in.

2004

My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2004)

After my band broke up, I got pretty sick of the monotony of 80’s hardcore music (get over it, it’s boring). I was still pretty goth, even if I was a hardcore kid, so the second album by MCR was the perfect pop-punk answer to my jaded hardcore sensibilities, with Gerard Way’s long black hair and makeup, guitarist Frank Iero & bassist Mikey Way’s emo-hair, and lead guitarist Ray Toro & drummer Matt Pelissier’s heavy riffs and fast tempo playing.

Three Cheers remains one of my favorite guilty pleasure albums. I got made fun of a lot by my hardcore friends and ex-bandmates for liking them, but my lifelong friend Nyk and I would drive around (with my newly acquired license) and sing along to “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)” at the top of our lungs. Sorry about outing you, Nyk.

The Blood Brothers - Crimes (2004)

After cleansing my hardcore pallet with emo music, I discovered The Blood Brothers seminal album Crimes. It was a perfect mix of the hardcore music I had started my teens with and the more theatrical emo music. Jordan Blilie’s soulful crooning and shrill scream and Johnny Whitney, whose voice has been described as “a child being tortured”, battle over lead vocal duties with Cody Votolato, Mark Gajadhar, and Morgan Henderson rounding out the instrumentalists (they all play multiple instruments), The Blood Brothers are a force to be reckoned with.

I didn’t know hardcore music could sound like this. I learned people called it “post-hardcore” usually lower case like that. The Blood Brothers and the label they were on, Three One G, led me to many other bands that I loved.

I’m pretty proud to say that between 2004 and 2007 when they broke up, I never missed a show when they came to town. Their live performances were extremely energetic. You could feel the electricity in the air.

2005

Modern Life Is War - My Love, My Way (2003)

In 2005 MLIW released the album Witness, which is a fantastic album and I contemplated putting it on here instead, but in anticipation of the new album coming out I listened My Love fairly constantly. My hardcore friends were already fans of Modern Life, but it wasn’t until 2005 that I discovered them.

It’s hard to say how important My Love, My Way is to me without sounding cliche, but this album honestly saved my life. I had been struggling with my depression and Jeff Eaton told me it’s okay, I am too, but we’ll get through this. I’ll let the lyrics speak for themselves.

“We’ve been to the edge and we know what it’s like to want to die, and that’s something we won’t glorify. We’ll leave those miserable times behind. How far can I go? I’m rising from the depths of my own hell. I don’t need another tragic tale, I need the strength to walk the other way. I found conviction in my ever changing mind. I grew up tied down and bleeding on the inside, but I know I was a victim of my own device, and I want to live to see a brand new life.”

Modern Life Is War is another band that I went to every show I could. Even driving to Marshalltown, Iowa to see their Farewell Show. Their breakup didn’t last long as they got back together in 2013 to release another album and play more shows. They are still going strong now.

2006

Tegan and Sara - So Jealous (2006)

Sisters Sara and Tegan Quinn playing heartfelt indie songs about break-ups is exactly what I needed in 2006 when my first serious partner dumped me. Even listening to it now as I write this, it’s bringing up memories of feeling heartbroken and that every song is specifically about you.

Where do you go with your broken heart in tow? How do you know when to let go? Where does the good go??

Everyone who has experienced love and a hard break-up should listen to this album. Do that and tell me it’s not perfect.

Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica (2000)

2006-2007 was my senior year of high school, and I was lucky enough to have a pretty incredible art program at my school. I had teachers who were actually working artists and forced us as students to create better and better art. They treated us like artists and it was the first time I felt like an adult was giving me any respect.

My studio art teacher was a huge fan of Modest Mouse and would play their music during class. This was the golden age of the iPod, so I soon had Good News For People Who Love Bad News and The Moon & Antarctica and listened to it even while not in class. It was also one of the first Vinyl albums I ever bought.

Twangy guitars playing over Isaac Brock’s strange voice singing about the concept of being an asshole and that everyone has the capability of fucking you over. What’s not to love? And the deeply critical song “A Different City” about the escapism of moving away and the terrifying reality of failing. A great song to listen to when you’re making your plans to move out on your own for the first time.

2007

Against Me! - Searching For A Former Clarity (2005)

After graduating high school with limited interest in attending college, my parents bought me a laptop as incentive to apply. I did and went for about one semester before dropping out, but now I had my own computer, so that was a pretty good trade off.

I ended up putting three AM! Albums and one Mischief Brew album on my computer and I listened to them constantly. I didn’t have internet access at my house during 2007 so that was the only music I had. Against Me! became my favorite band. Laura Jane Grace’s take on punk-rock and anarchy shaped my worldview.

I didn’t realize then why Laura’s music was so important to me beyond the anarchist politics until years later in 2012 when she came out as a transgender woman. In 2007 I was starting to understand where so much of my depression was coming from. So listening to Against Me! songs about dealing with the same issues and feeling was a great feeling of commiseration.

Looking back now, the songs only make more sense. Even if I didn’t know it at the time Against Me! was speaking to me about deeply personal issues, even if subconsciously.

2008

the Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride (2008)

The album that introduced me to the Mountain Goats! I’m really not that cool, so I don’t really know about awesome people like John Darnielle and how he’s been writing music since I was 5. But I heared the song Heretic Pride on the indie radio station and instantly fell in love with them.

Heretic Pride is not my favorite Mountain Goats album (that would be Tallahassee) but it’s the first one I heard at 19 years old and their literary songs have made me strive to make my own writing better.

It’s also the album that I tried to show to my future partner (we started dating in 2009) to try and impress her. She, of course, was a fan already because she’s much cooler than I am. She then proceeded to show me the extensive discography of the Mountain Goats (15 albums) and the rest of the Modest Mouse catalog just for good measure.

Well, there’s my 10 Albums. There are a few more I would like to add if I could pick more than ten. Like Dumby by Portishead, De-Loused in the Comatorium by The Mars Volta, and Pass The Flask by The Bled all squished in there somewhere. But I won’t cheat and have a list of 13 albums. That would be wrong...

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dawnajaynes32 · 6 years ago

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Brand Obsession Fuels Brand Revival

The Norton Motorcycles Brand Redesign

I’m a loyalist — a fervent fan who consumes inspiration and sticks by historic brands I worship. I assume most creative sorts have found themselves at one point or another obsessing over some timeless source of inspiration, too. Once our allegiance is sworn, we become advocates — an invaluable asset to any brand.

A successful brand redesign takes into consideration how deep and detailed this loyalist connection goes. Think of Peter Jackson bringing Tolkien to the screen amid protests from Middle Earth scholars. Or Converse, risking “selling out” people’s favorite proverbial punk band. Burberry alienating some of its old-school Anglophile core by embracing a new era. But they all struck the right balance between the purists and the new audience.

Norton’s “old” classic look

An Icon of a Bike

For me, both the case in point and cautionary tale is the brand redesign of Norton Motorcycles. Admittedly, my level of obsession goes beyond mere business considerations. But it serves to show how deep the core goes and how much is there to mine.

When I obtained the sleek, vintage bike of my dreams, a 1973 Norton Commando 750 Roadster, my affection for motorcycle brands turned into an obsession. I’d always admired the styling and timeless aesthetic, the rugged-yet-sophisticated black-and-gold color scheme, the narrow profiled tank, and the expertly designed logo, with its era-identifiable counterforms mirroring the slightly squared off angles of the side covers.

Into my first month of ownership, I studied everything I could about the bike and the brand, dating back to Norton’s start in 1898. Inspired by the race culture that soon arrived upon the advent of motorized two-wheelers, the Norton legacy was cemented with a long streak of record-breaking victories in iconic races like the Isle of Man. From historical stats to pop-culture adoption, I absorbed it all, and even joined the local chapter of the International Norton Owners Association—most of us fixated on the bikes from the 50s-70s, which marked the last chapter of the brand before it went into dormancy for nearly 30 years.

Norton’s current look

Compromising a Legacy

After several stunted comeback attempts and ownership transitions, the brand returned to its British heritage in the late 2000s and underwent a massive revitalization campaign with new, race-focused models for higher-end markets. And it is here, in the contemporary landscape, where the brand is compromising its very own legacy of innovation, speed, and pedigree.

By pushing for diversification, Norton is attempting to cast a wider net to attract a larger audience (with bigger pocketbooks for higher profits). But the simplicity in this principle is its very flaw; Norton is isolating its original, fiercely loyal, customer base.

Losing Its Look

Historically, Norton’s evolved in increments, as did its body shapes and materials. After a 30-year freeze, the brand appears to be prioritizing catching its competition, updating bikes to look more like modern-day racers instead of the classic models that set the course for their heritage. Now, disoriented consumers are unable to see the resemblance between these new machines and their beloved classics.

Meanwhile, peers like Triumph and Royal Enfield have retained their popularity and stability through the decades by honoring their design traditions, retaining classically styled models, while thoughtfully progressing to contemporary standards. It can be done.

Poor Partnering

Norton’s second misstep in its brand redesign is in the retail space, where it once licensed its mark with classic brands and moto-centric retailers like Lucky Jeans — whose primary demographic might actually ride the bikes — and is now partnering with Pepe Jeans — with a demographic of younger, Euro-localized teens. This wouldn’t be too terrible a tactic except for that Pepe’s design team has demonstrated its lack of understanding of the Norton brand. Culturally, where vintage motorcycle enthusiasts relish anything that harkens back to the “good ol’ days,” the new Norton-branded apparel leans on improvised sloganeering, grunge-style brush treatments, lazy appropriation of vintage ads, and unofficial logos.

Class Chase

Lastly, and yes, nitpicky, when CEO Stuart Garner moved the Norton production factory into the lavish Donington Hall castle in the rural British countryside, away from the hardworking factory-oriented roots of Birmingham, it signaled another big brand deviation: a transition from supporting the blue-collar working class to aligning with the upper-elite, leaving a humble base out to dry.

But Does Any of It Really Matter in a Brand Redesign?

Alas, my plan for a Norton logo tattoo is still in the works. I ride with pride, and my friends will still revel at the resurrection of every original survivor motorcycle. I still subscribe to the Norton clothing mailing list, check out the launch of each season’s line, and I anticipate the teaser videos for new bike models.

But that’s because I’m a loyalist. I white knuckle it when the turns are tight. If the handling were better, though, then maybe I’d actually enjoy the ride.

The lesson here is simple: to expand a brand, you may have to burn some bridges with your loyalist core. Your core loyalists will always feel something has been betrayed in the process, and that something might be them. But understanding their perspective is important to knowing what to retain and what to re-invent during any brand redesign.

Mehran Azma is an Art Director at FINE, a branding agency in Portland, Oregon that helps envision, engineer, and express what makes companies great. Mehran’s designed award-winning identities for clients like Ayesha Curry, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, and Viceroy Hotels & Resorts, and been recognized for his work reshaping brands like Guess Jeans, XRAY.FM, and OmniPeace Foundation.

The post Brand Obsession Fuels Brand Revival appeared first on HOW Design.

Brand Obsession Fuels Brand Revival syndicated post

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jbonesy · 6 years ago

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Music of 2018

Top 10 Albums (No Particular Order)

Death Grips - Year of the Snitch

Even though it’s had some time to settle, I’m still not 100% sure where to place this album in Death Grips’s discography. Regardless, Death Grips continues to reinvent themselves more and more with every continuous album, and continues moreso to be more unpredictable than ever. The departure from their earlier hip hop sound and more toward experimental punk and rock suits them better than ever. While I’m a bit shaky on the predictability of the sound of some songs (Flies & Streaky notably), the songs of which do fall flat, I absolutely love the direction the majority of the album trends toward - songs like Death Grips is Online, Black Paint, and Dilemma perfectly embody the direction I’d hoped they’d go into after The Powers That B. Meanwhile, songs like The Fear and Little Richard continue to be as odd as ever - in the best way possible. My one complaint is that I’d wished they’d have departed a bit more from the predictable hip hop songs I’d mentioned above, but overall, the rest of the album is so great it’s hard to complain.

Car Seat Headrest - Twin Fantasy (Rerecording/Remaster)

Car Seat Headrest’s original Twin Fantasy is a kind of cult classic bandcamp album which garnered a lot of notoriety, so the 2018 reissue garnering just as much should be a surprise to no one. While it’s true that the original rough quality added to the charm and in the re-recording process certain elements of the original don’t have the same effect, the strengths of the album shine through regardless. What can I say about this album that hasn’t already been said? This is the best indie rock album about depressed gay furries on tumblr I’ve ever heard.

Teyana Taylor - K.T.S.E

The Kanye Wyoming sessions were definitely a spectacle at the time, and because of all the chaos surrounding the releases, and the incredible amount of hype that was generated during the time, KTSE was unfairly overshadowed by a lot of the other albums that came out at the end - and it being the last to release, further mucked by delays and technical problems, didn’t help its case. Listening to the album in full though, it’s pretty sad this was the case, but in my opinion it’s the best album to come out of the Wyoming sessions. It’s an amazing call back to Kanye’s ability to still sample soul, and some of the instrumentals took me right back to the early 2000s, like a time machine. Teyana Taylor might not be the strongest voice in R&B or the most well known, but her performance alongside these instrumentals is definitely something to be lauded. In addition, Gonna Love Me is one of my favorite songs of 2018.

IDLES - Joy as an Act of Resistance.

While I have to admit I’m not as hot on some of the social critiques this album delivers in its music, its done in a way that I can definitely appreciate it. That said, the music on this stuff itself is some of the best punk I’ve heard in forever - maybe this decade. There’s some points of contention in the bluntly direct, sometimes annoying lyrics , but overall, a lot of the politics can probably be seen as a callback to the roots of punk with a modern spin. That said, the instrumentation and vocal performances on this thing are great. As a punk fan at heart I have to say this if there’s one punk or rock album you listen to this year, it should probably be this one. It’s amazing.

Parquet Courts - Wide Awaaaaake!

Continuing on from the last entry above, Parquet Courts smashed it earlier in the year with this post-punk revival album. While post-punk may continue to be influential to a lot of artists, I admittedly haven’t heard a lot of straight up post-punk revivalism, especially not as enjoyable as this, in a long time. While the themes of the album are honestly pretty similar to the above album as well, this is probably the closest you’re gonna get to a Talking Heads or Joy Division album in 2018 - and damn is it good.

Hermit and the Recluse (Ka & Animoss) - Orpheus vs. the Sirens

Two darlings of the real hip hop underground link up for one of the best hip hop albums of the year - and probably the best written. Ka continues to push for his well deserved title of one of the best lyricists to ever enter the genre - which is near insane given his very underground status. A lot of the instrumentals on this thing perfectly suit Ka’s style - lots of looping, eclectic beats, with a hint of eeriness or vintage shine. There’s some soul-like samples mixed in as well for good measure, something I’d never complain about on a hip hop album. Ka’s writing is arguably some of the best in his career as well - which given his portfolio up until this point, is really saying something. His densely layered, metaphor and thematically driven calls to mythology and poetically-inspired style of rapping are the perfect complement to the instrumentals over this album.

J.I.D - DiCaprio 2

J.I.D is one of my favorite newcomers in hip hop, and definitely one of the acts in the genre I’m hopeful for the future - not that this is an uncommon opinion. At this point, he’s got cosigns in coming from every direction - enough that people are already calling him overrated - and he hasn’t even really gotten started yet. The Never Story was an interesting debut album when it came out last year - a case study in an eclectic hip hop album that manages to encapsulate much of the modern trends in the genre while also incorporating some fantastic rapping and some oddly enchanting music choices. DiCaprio 2 - in J.I.D’s own words - is not his magnum opus, or his GKMC - an album comparison common in those already comparing him to a young Kendrick Lamar (despite JID being almost 30, surprisingly). However, despite that, this is a fantastic album regardless; the rapping is some of the best of any newcomer to the genre. There’s punchlines and flows that make callbacks to Lil Wayne, and technical skill to match many currently lauded acts. It’s a great mix of technicality, fun, and skill. While not every song is perfect - Tiiied and Westbrook were a bit underwhelming in my opinion - when this album reaches highs, it reaches REALLY high. Songs like Off Da Zoinkys, Skrawberries, and Despacito Too to name a few are hints that J.I.D isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and I’m certainly excited for his future.

MGMT - Little Dark Age

A lot of what I’ve heard from MGMT has been hit or miss for me, but their synth heavy album from earlier in the year is one of those times where when they hit with me, they really seem to hit heavy. The psychedelic vibes on this album are pretty entrancing, and while I can see the vocals as being love or hate, personally I’m a great fan of them on most of the songs. There’s a few low points where they feel a bit robotic - perhaps on purpose - but outside of those few grating moments, the album’s highs are too high for me to ignore otherwise. Mark it up as a win for psychedelic pop.

Pusha T - Daytona

As I said earlier, Kanye’s Wyoming sessions were one of the biggest music spectacles this year, especially for those in the hip hop genre. Combined with the massive hype circling Pusha T’s supposed release of King Push - an album up there with Detox and Doomstarks in probably never coming out - most hip hop fans were posted up for hours each night in anticipation of what would actually release (and what wouldn’t). While I can’t say I enjoyed this as much as KTSE, it’s still a great album regardless. The instrumentals are gritty and tight - there’s no room for mistakes, and there’s rarely any lows. Pusha raps as great as always, minus some slip ups with some poor or awkward lines. Overall, it’s a great album, but it’s short nature and lack of experimentation or boundary pushing leave a bit to be desired. Kanye’s fantastic production shines more than Pusha does at times - which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it never feels like Push really leaves his comfort zone; especially after hearing songs in the past like Lunch Money, it makes me wish he did. Regardless, I can’t really thrash this album; it’s a perfectly compressed hip hop album, and one of the best of the year.

Blood Orange - Negro Swan

Devonte Hynes, better known as Blood Orange, is one of those musicians I’m suprised we don’t hear more about. I have to admit - his voice can be a bit grating at times - but overall, it’s one of those albums whose highs far overshadow subjective lows like that. The instrumentation is varied and lush; overall, Hyne’s production is some of the best its ever been. There’s a nice dip in pop, r&b, hip hop, funk, and other genres throughout the album. While I may have said his voice can be grating at times, I will say when it works - it works. Songs like Charcoal Baby are great examples of his voice working in tandem beautifully with his instrumentals. There’s some great vocal performances on this, and again, I think there’s some amazing production. It’s also more impressive when you realize Hynes alone produced the vast majority of this album, along with singing on basically all the songs. Other complaints? I do wish he brought back Despot because Clipped On from Cupid Deluxe. is an amazing song.

Honorable Mentions / Albums I Found Interesting but not Amazing

Lil Peep - Come Over When You’re Sober Pt. 2

COWYS2 isn’t a perfect album. None of Lil Peep’s albums are perfect - his music has largely remained controversial; it seems to piss off both rock and hip hop fans.There’s a lot of complaints I’ve seen about this album - “it’s overproduced” seems to be the biggest one. Is it? Maybe. But man, this album appeals to my love of emo music like no album has in a long time. His writing might not the best, and the instrumentals might be a bit weak at times, but overall, as a posthumous album, you can only complain so much. It’s not perfect, but neither have any of his other albums been. For what it is - a mix of hip hop and early 2000s pop punk and emo - it’s great as it is. Runaway is one of my favorite songs of the year.

Lil Peep - Goth Angel Sinner EP (Unofficial Leak)

I was debating if I should include this at all since it’s technically unofficial, but given I included COWYS, I figured it was worth it. Peep’s death was an untimely shock, and while his music might not have always been the best, I think his interesting blend of music and notably recognizable voice was something he’ll be remembered for regardless. He was growing in his sound, moving away from hip hop and more into that musical sphere of punk and emo - and GAS is a sad hint at what could have been. It’s some of his best music by a wide margin, and it’s profoundly depressing that we’ll never see him at his true potential. RIP Peep.

Kids See Ghosts - Kids See Ghosts

One of the hipster darling albums of the year, I wasn’t as impressed as everyone else. It’s not bad by any means, but I didn’t think it was amazing. There are some great points the album - the production is pretty good throughout, and Cudi and Kanye both deliver some great performances, but overall, I feel like it fell a bit short. The 7 song length didn’t help either; unlike Daytona, it doesn’t feel as tight, and sometimes it sounds more muddy than anything. Cudi’s vocals can be a bit lazy at times as well, and some of the insistent repetition on the songs doesn’t work well in an album so incredibly short to begin with. All that said, it’s a good album - I don’t want to disparage it too much. It has some of Kanye’s best rapping in ages (regardless of whether he wrote it), and it’s a fun listen. Kids See Ghosts and Cudi Montage are my favorite songs.

Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs

Some Rap Songs is an album I’ve gone back and forth on quite a lot, which is impressive considering it’s barely been out as of writing this. It’s a short album, so I’ve managed to listen a few times, but even so, I’m torn on a lot of it. Earl’s writing is good, and some of the production is eclectic and interesting, but there are times the album dips in severe quality. Regardless of if it was intentional, the muddy (if not straight poor) mixing, lofi recording quality, and lack of variation are some of the few complaints I have on the album. It feels incredibly lazy at times - whether on purpose or not is a different question - but whether it “works” isn’t. There are some songs I do really like - I think Peanut and The Mint are some of the more interesting cuts, but songs like Nowhere2Go among others feel unimpressive, if not falling flat completely. If anything else, it’s an interesting listen, and especially emotional for those already fans of Earl.

Frank Ocean - ENDLESS (2018 Remaster/Reissue)

Frank Ocean is one of those artists who deserves the vast majority of his widespread acclaim. While his less than ideal music release schedule and mysterious public persona (or lack thereof) certainly play into that, his music really is what takes the trophy at the end of the day. When Endless originally released, Blonde definitely overshadowed it (and for good reason), but on its own, Endless still shines bright. The 2018 reissue adds a few new points to the album as well, which overall manage to improve it to a great degree. I was considering placing it in my top 10, but it felt unfair considering this album didn’t “really” come out in 2018, and the changes aren’t big enough to warrant considering it a new album. Still though, it deserved a mention.

Kero Kero Bonito - Time ‘n’ Place

I’m still a bit disappointed at KKB’s artistic choice to change their image and focus - it feels a bit cheap and insulting to some of their audience - but I can’t really disparage their music. While their artistic and musical growth seems more artificial and inorganic than anything, at the end of the day, it’s still growth. On its own, Time ‘n’ Place is a good album. It’s a good mix of their own brand of fun, experimentation, and genre hopping. While the pop fans they courted with their debut might still be disappointed, I did enjoy the album quite a lot, even if the aesthetic felt a bit annoying and - again - artificial. Taken on its own in isolation though, again, it’s a good album.

Anderson .Paak - Oxnard

There’s not a ton I can really say about Oxnard. It’s a good album. There’s a few points in which it falls flat, but even then, it’s not really bad. Okay, maybe except for the last song, which feels completely out of place. It’s no Malibu, no Yes Lawd!, and no Venice, but it’s a good album. Paak’s talent shines through no matter what. Dr. Dre’s influence really does shine through on this album though - it’s very reminiscent of some of Compton to me. I can see hardcore fans of Malibu or Yes Lawd not really liking this album, but the exploration of hip hop and funk more than r&b and soul really do suit Paak during a lot of this album. I say this as a massive fan of Malibu as well - it was one of my favorite albums of the year it came out. He’s branching out and experimenting, and it’s not a bad thing - especially when you look at his entire musical history. It’s worth checking out.

Leon Bridges - Good Thing

I haven’t seen his album talked about, like, basically anywhere. I’m surprised, because it’s a really good neo-soul album. It feels a bit repetitive at times, but the quality is consistent throughout. It’s an enjoyable listen if anything else. It’s not experimental, it’s not super varied, but it’s a tightly strung together, quality listen. The instrumentation is rich and catchy, the Leon’s vocals are great, and overall, much of the album is what I’d expect a neo-soul singer who isn’t D’Angelo in 2018. That said, there are a few weak points in the album where it’s a little week - and trends a bit more towards pop disappointingly, but the pure soul parts of the album are where Leon really shines the best.

Playboi Carti - Die Lit

Carti really can’t write music if his life depended on it, but he doesn’t need to. This thing, as a mainstream trap album, is weird. The instrumentals are odd, definitely not the type of thing you’d expect to hear on this type of album for the most part. They’re reminiscent of cloud rap at times, and at other times so incredibly minimal you can’t help but praise Carti for making the song still get stuck in your head. Overall, the instrumentals are entrancing, hazy, sometimes even bordering on possibly experimental. There’s a unique usage of samples that’s just instantly entrancing on a lot of these songs. That said, there’s still a lot of pop sensibilities, and these songs kind of water down the album a bit by departing from these aforementioned traits. It’s also just incredibly long at 19 songs; while this may work for some albums, for the type of music Carti is making, it kind of suffers from its length. Carti’s performances are the point of contention with most people. His writing is, again, basically nonexistent. Still, he manages to somehow steal the show over the production on a lot of this album. Whether it’s just his excessive usage of adlib ridden, partially lazy flows, or half-sung, half-slurred delivery, he just manages to carry a charisma that’s hard to ignore - even when he is saying literally nothing. It’s catchy, and in this type of music, that’s what matters. For hip hop fans especially, it’s an interesting listen.

Biggest Disappointments & Least Favorite/Worst Albums (No Particular Order)

Kanye West - Ye

I’m a massive kanye fan, and I recognize that a lot of his more recent work can be panned a bit before growing into place. Yeezus and TLOP were two albums which were more growers than straight out the pan classics or similar. Ye, however, is no TLOP or Yeezus. It’s disappointing because a lot of good music came out of the Wyoming sessions, but for as much of a spectacle as it was, its centerpiece really fell flat. There’s some good songs on it - I really do like No Mistakes for example. Overall though? It’s length does it no favors, and at the end of the day, most of the album is incredibly medicore - which is exemplified even further by the fact that it’s Kanye producing it. Certain songs like Violet Crimes, which were at least meaningful, completely lose their meaning once you realize Kanye didn’t even write them, or given his recent associations with certain people, even mean the words written for them. It’s a mess, but not the good type of mess like TLOP. It’s just a mess.

Nas - Nasir

It’s a throw up between this and Ye for what’s the worse album out of the Wyoming sessions. I mean, in the very least, at least Kanye brought his efforts to this record. The production is honestly not bad, and at times, pretty unique. Cops Shot the Kid is a pretty good song, albeit a little bit annoying because of the repetition. The real problem with this album? Nas. For someone with such a reputation for being a legendary rapper - I mean, he wrote Illmatic - what the hell is this? It sounds like he put this together on the taxi on the way to the livestream release party (which unsurprisingly, didn’t even work). Even beyond, the uh, downright insane anti-vax and 5%-er conspiracy shit on the first song, the writing’s just straight up lazy, and Nas sounds like he couldn’t care less. It’s hard to believe a Nas and Kanye collaboration turned out this awful, but here we are.

Denzel Curry - Taboo/Ta13oo

I know people are going to kill me for putting this on the list, but I have to be completely honest. I really like Denzel Curry, and I’ve been cheering for him since before he even made Ultimate. I’ve known him since he was on Raider Klan and working with LUM on Twistin’. I really like him and his music, which is why I’m so disappointed by this album. It’s not as bad as a lot of the other stuff in this list, but it’s not really that good either. Coming off of his last few projects, it feels like a massive step down, and a failure to utilize his best skills while, for the most of the project, capitalizing instead on most of his weaknesses.I won’t say it’s a bad album, but it falls short of expectations. His lyricism is incredibly weak, and when doing a supposed concept album, that’s pretty important. His rapping - and conveying the concept - is subpar at best. He has some good tracks on this, but not enough that it overpowers the vast amount of mediocrity on it. Denzel isn’t a super impressive singer, and he overdoes it a bit with considering this one of his strengths. There’s a lot of boring songs that say very little but masquerade as being deeper than they actually are. There are lots of instrumental choices that destroy the replayability of otherwise good songs too - for example, the high pitched background noise and odd gargling/scratching on Sirens. Overall? It’s not as bad as other albums on this list, but I’m incredibly disappointed with it. Probably the most overrated album of 2018.

Gorillaz - The Now Now

Not sure what to say about this other than it’s about 40 minutes of mediocre, forgettable electropop and synth funk. It’s uh, better than Humanz at least I guess.

Princess Nokia - A Girl Cried Red

Oh my god, Princess Nokia, why? I love your music, and you were one of my favorite artists to be recently receiving more acclaim - definitely one of the best upcoming women in hip hop too. But this is...awful. I mean, I get it. It’s a fun side-step project that calls back to her roots as a goth kid, something that’d been prevalent in her music. I like emo a lot myself, as I’ve said earlier, but this is just straight up bad. I hope she had fun making it, because I didn’t have any fun listening to it. It takes the absolute worst parts of Lil Peep’s music and exaggerates it; the emo-inspired instrumentals are cheap and unimpressive, and her singing is...awful. It’s like, parody level of bad. Incredibly unpleasant and grating to listen to, and her lyrics are parody level as well, which I assume is at least purposeful. Might honestly be in the running for not just one the most disappointing albums, but one of the worst in general this year.

J. Cole - KOD

J. Cole is a skilled rapper and producer who’s really overrated in social media and music spheres. While I’m glad it’s gotten a bit better, I have to say, the album he put out altogether this year is pretty unimpressive. I’m happy he’s trying a bit better to be accessible, but it’s just not a great attempt at what it could be. His rapping is still pretty good, and I’m glad he’s trying to reach out and make a bit more “accessible” music, but I think a lot his attempts at things on this album fall flat. The production is subdued and forgettable, which can be alright, but combined with his repeated use of repetitive, uninteresting hooks and little progression in each song, it’s just an overall forgettable album. It’s sad, because he touches on some important topics on the album, but it’s just not that well done - and not nearly as profound as J Cole himself seems to think it is. It’s also a step down from 4 Your Eyez Only, which was already quite polarizing. He took the worst parts of that album and carried them to this, while not having the rest of the elements of the album be strong enough to really carry it. Props to J. Cole for his amazing run of features this year though.

A$AP Rocky - TESTING

Testing sounds like what someone who’s never listened to anything experimental would think experimental sounds like. It’s the type of hollow artsy album whose sole artistic merit is constantly reminding you how artsy it thinks it is. There are some decent tracks on here, it’s not awful or anything, but god, it’s just so mediocre. Nothing on here is really memorable; tracks come and go, and features seem incredibly tacked on at times, such as FKA twigs on Fukk Sleep. Rock has flow, but he’s just such a mediocre rapper still. It’s a bit of a mess, and again, not the good type. There are a few good tracks, and a few catchy moments, but with the wait and rollout leading up to this, I can say none of the hype was worth it.

6ix9ine - Dummy Boy

One of most controversial figures in modern music abandons the style he embraced along his come up to further embrace watered down pop music. There are a lot of features, and some of them are good, and some of them aren’t. It’s a compilation of singles made to chart, and any listener can tell on one listen. Sometimes it’s fun, and sometimes it’s downright awful. Did I really expect anything else? Well, I liked a lot of his pre-fame music to be honest, back when he was still signed to FCK THM and repping Scumgang. Stuff like Yokai for example. Unfortunately, this album just isn’t good at all. Formulaic, drab, and watered down pop rap with little identity or variation; and when it does vary - see the latin trap songs - it’s beyond horrible. Sad!

JPEGMAFIA - Veteran

Not gonna say this is the worst album in the world or a necessarily bad album or anything, but it doesn’t deserve the hype. It’s experimental, sure, and impressive at times, sure, but it’s one of those albums which people say they love to appear a certain way more than they actually will ever listen to it. I know peggy couldn’t give a shit what I or anyone else has to say about his music or his messages, and all the more power to him; even though I disagree, I respect it .That all said, I appreciate experimentation, and some songs are okay, but I’m never listening to this again.

Travis Scott - Astroworld

Rodeo-era Travis Scott is never coming back, and that’s a hard thing to deal with. The album has some highs - Stop Trying to Be God is great for example - but its lows are quite low. Again, it’s not a bad album by any means, but when Rodeo is in your discography...meh. It feels like album release schedule is a Fibonacci sequence, because this album is a collage of his last two - Rodeo and Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight. There’s some impressive directing and musical choices on this, but a lot of that super hollow pop sensibility and pop musical direction of the latter shines through as well. Artists grow, and as Travis has gotten bigger, he’s trying his best to keep his entire audience satisfied. With hits like Sicko Mode doing so well, he’s accomplished that. I can’t really sit here and disparage him in full for doing that, but I also can’t lie and say this album wasn’t a little disappointing knowing what highs he could reach if he wanted to.

Yung Lean - Poison Ivy

I love Yung Lean and will defend him and his music no matter what, but this isn’t one of his better ventures. Coming off of Stranger, Lean showed immense growth and experimentation in one of his best and most personal albums yet. He had a few singles in between that and this which were alright, a bit more reminiscent of Draingang and Bladee’s work. When I saw the album cover for this, I assumed it would be in the direction of his punk band, Dod Mark, maybe with a mix of elements from Stranger. Unfortunately, Poison Ivy falls flat on that. It feels like a massive step back for Lean stylistically, especially given he just released one of his best albums prior. The production is pretty great though on its own, just not really in greater context. It’s more of a Draingang-styled album, which is a niche I’m not a massive fan of comparatively. I’ll still be looking forward to his next album though.

Lil Wayne - Tha Carter V

This isn’t a bad album, and before anyone says anything, I’m not a hater of Lil Wayne. In fact, I think there’s an argument for him being one of the best rappers to exist in the genre. That said, the album’s massive wait and hype just wasn’t worth it. People really didn’t know what to expect, and the massive saga that lead up to this couldn’t possibly have met expectations. The music is from an older era, and on a lot of it, you can really tell. Wayne’s rapping is pretty fantastic, and his punchlines and verses are on point as usual. He isn’t really the problem as much as the rest of the album is; dated production, hooks, and features are just a few of the problems I found on the album. It’s a bit sad that this came and went with such an air of general mediocrity around it, because after the saga and the all the shit Wayne went through, he deserved better. Again though, there’s no way this could have met expectations, so in a vacuum - it’s a good album. If this has released when it was originally supposed to years ago, it’d probably be amazing. It’s just in the current musical climate, it feels out of place and dated.

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swipestream · 6 years ago

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SUPERVERSIVE: Four More Anime Reviews

Hinamatsuri, our first anime

Four Anime Reviews is one of the most popular posts I’ve ever done on the site. Since then I have watched a lot – and I do mean a LOT – more anime, and enjoyed almost all of it (I will only actually watch something to the end that I enjoy).

In light of that, I have thought carefully and decided on four more anime to review. The rules: They must be an anime I have not written a review or article on already…and that’s it. This means nothing on Mob Psycho 100 or One Punch Man, even though Mob Psycho especially is probably my second favorite anime that I’ve watched since that original article.

I’ll also be sort of kind of breaking that rule for the final review, but that show NEEDS to be talked about.

The 10 star rating system is gone. I realized I would have to rank too many shows I really liked below 5 of 10 if I wanted to be consistent. So now it’s just thumbs down and thumbs up.

(I wrote a couple short articles on already airing anime, so my short conclusions on them: Cells at Work improved as the season went on, added real character development and intelligent world building, and ended on a high note. It is my easy winner for anime of the summer 2018 season. Steins;Gate 0 spun its wheels a bit in the middle and had some hilariously bad action scenes but the last four or so episodes were fantastic and it too ended on a REALLY high note.)

And without further ado:

1) Hinamatsuri – Yoshifumi Nitta is a high-ranking member of the Yakuza whose life is turned upside down the day a young, probably autistic girl named Hina with psychic powers inexplicably shows up in his apartment. Nitta pretty much has no choice but to adopt the little girl and wacky hijinx, as well as moving familial bonding, ensues.

Review – This was another show from the summer 2018 season, but I didn’t watch it until much later. It really took me by surprise how much I liked it. The characters are lovable, the jokes are consistently on point, and they do an excellent job juggling their surprisingly large cast of characters.

While the jokes are great, and the show really is very funny, where it truly shines is in its serious moments. The bonds formed between the characters – not just Hina and Nitta but several side characters as well – are consistently touching, and even some of the gags have a sweet edge to them that just makes you smile, like when Hina decides to throw a party celebrating Nitta’s promotion but somehow gets the idea that parties are supposed to look like funerals. It’s a great gag but it’s still touching that Hina makes the effort to go that extra mile, as well as an excellent character moment – the first time in the series Hina decides to do something nice with no ulterior benefit to herself.

Best girl is Hitomi.

Is it superversive? – Very! Not just in its main plot, but throughout its several subplots as well the story is consistently uplifting.

Recommendation – Two thumbs up. It isn’t a must-watch classic, but it is a lot of fun.

2) Last Exile – Claus Valca and Lavie Head are sky couriers on the planet of Prester, a steampunk style world where two nations are in perpetual war and flying machines known as vanships rule the skies. One day a dying courier asks them to complete a dangerous mission: deliver a little girl named Alvis to a flying battleship known as the Silvana. And our adventure begins!

Review – This is one of the classic anime of the early 2000s that helped anime boom in the U.S. Like Trigun before it Last Exile was more of a hit overseas than in Japan, perhaps due to the heavily eurocentric atmosphere, though the split was not nearly as extreme (you can go so far as to call Trigun a bomb in its home country).

The reputation is deserved. Last Exile is a fantastic show. The visual style and tone are reminiscent of Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky, though with a more adult edge to it. The plot is intricate and complex but well written, and all secrets are revealed in the end.

The characters can sometimes come across as a bit two dimensional with one exception: Dio (no, not that one). Dio is probably the series’ biggest achievement, along with its revolutionary integration of CGI into the airship scenes. Introduced originally as a mysterious, androgynous, and rather creepy figure, he becomes almost a metaphor for the show as a whole as it progresses, as solving the mystery of who and what Dio also solves the mystery of what is really going on in the plot. He is by far the most memorable part of the story, which is a real compliment as the story itself is also engrossing.

Is it superversive? – Extremely so. Like Pazu before them Claus and Lavie are the sort of people to selflessly commit themselves wholeheartedly to a stranger – Alvis – despite barely knowing her, and this is presented as the correct and moral thing to do. Characters who start off looking like they’ll be threats become allies and the story ends on a high note.

Recommendation – This one IS ammust-watch classic. Two thumbs up.

3) Yu Yu Hakusho – Yusuke Yuremeshi is a young punk who spends all of his time fighting and going to the arcade. One day he knocks a boy out of the way of a car, getting hit himself and dying as a result. Then a cheerful young woman with a flying…paddle…informs him that she’s the grim reaper and that due to his selfless act, if he wants it, spirit world is willing to give him a second chance at life. After seeing the reactions of his sort-of-girlfriend, principal, and mother he agrees. On his return Yusuke is made the Spirit Detective of Earth, hunting down demons and punching out bad guys to save the world.

Review – One of the more influential shonen anime, this early 90’s show shows its age occasionally but for the most part holds up exceptionally well. In contrast to Togashi’s later and far inferior anime Hunter x Hunter (maybe the most overrated anime of all time), Yu Yu Hakusho is fast paced (almost no fight goes longer than two episodes, a trick My Hero Academia stole) and always fun. Togashi’s real strength, however, is in his exceptionally well realized characters. The main group of Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hei is one of the most memorable and entertaining in all of anime. Not only are their personalities distinct and memorable, but each of them has an interesting backstory and goes through a TON of character development as the series progresses.

The Dark Tournmanet arc is, rightly, considered one of the greatest arcs in anime history. It goes on a little long but the high points of that story are so high who really cares? But the show isn’t perfect. The arc following Dark Tournament noticeably drops in quality and Togashi has a really, really big problem with killing off major characters even when it makes sense both narratively and metatextually – to spoil a scene, the revival of Genki was particularly egregious. This problem gets even more ridiculous in Hunter x Hunter, with the utterly absurd revival of Kite. Still, back to Yu Yu Hakusho, the show picks up again by the Three Kings saga and while I’m still five or so episodes away from finishing it completely it’s hard for me to think I won’t be satisfied by the time it all ends.

Is it superversive? – Yes. Just listen to the OP. How can it not be?

Recommendation – If you’re a fan of any modern shonen you really should see Yu Yu Hakusho and get a look at a lot of classic tropes used when they were still fresh. Two thumbs up.

Actually, you can see a lot of its DNA in My Hero Academia, leading to…

4) My Hero Academia – Young Izuku Medoriya is born quirkless – powerless – in a world where the vast majority of society possesses some sort of superpower. When Medoriya gets a chance to meet his favorite hero, the legendary Symbol of Peace, All Might, he convinces him he has what it takes to be a hero. Seeing his potential, All Might gifts him a special quirk that can be passed down generation to generation: One for All, a quirk that stockpiles power. But in order to harness this power, Medoriya, who takes the hero name Deku, needs to train at the prestigious superhero academy UA High, where he begins his journey to become the world’s greatest hero.

Review – This is the one I’m sort of almost cheating on, since I did write a review of the movie. Rawle already talked about season 1 and Nathan gave it a rec last year, but hoooooooly crap. We need to talk about how exponentially this show improved.

Season 1 was…okay. It was good. I liked it. I decided to keep going with the show on the basis of strong recommendations and the excellent final fight scene that ended season one. And then season 2 happened. And it started with a tournament arc.

And suddenly, the show was amazing.

Previously the show had focused on Deku, leaving the rest of its colorful cast in the background. Season 2 shifted focus, turning into a true ensemble show, with side characters – even side characters who weren’t the center of any stories – getting their own arcs and backstories. The sports festival reaches its climax in a fantastic battle with Deku and the fire-and-ice powered Todoroki, and this is the moment the show passed “really good” and became exceptional. The interweaving of Todoroki’s backstory in the middle of the exceptionally well choreographed fight, combined with the strong narrative being told by the fight itself, really cemented the series identity as a vehicle for both stellar action AND compelling drama without losing its optimistic, can-do spirit.

It is also not the best fight in the series.

The show isn’t perfect. Season 3 was arguably both the show’s best and worst season. The first half of the season, the training camp arc up to the unbelievable battle between All Might and All for One – one of the greatest fight scenes of all time – was clearly the highlight of the entire show to date, but the preliminary exam arc in the second half fell a little flat. The stakes in the prelim exams weren’t high enough to make the stories compelling by themselves and it lacked the strong interpersonal drama that drove the sports festival of season 2, though the arc did end on a high note.

Even so, how does anyone not love My Hero Academia? Literally every single person I know who gave the show a shot is now a huge fan. It is brilliant.

Is it superversive? – Oh, HELL yes. It’s probably the most superversive show on TV right now. Deku is seriously inspiring.

Two last things about the show:

The soundtrack KICKS ASS. Each OP gets progressively better. Make My Story is an earworm. You Say Run goes with anything.

UNIIIIIIIIIIITEEEEEEED STAAAAAAAATES OOOOOOOF SMAAAAAAAAAAASH

Postscript: There are two honorable mention anime I really wanted to talk about but didn’t quite make it onto the list this time. Robotics;Notes came out of nowhere to surprise me with a well-written slice of life story about a school robotics club in an alternate history where robots are a much larger part of daily life. It takes place in the Steins;Gate universe but aside from a couple of Easter eggs this is incidental.

And Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic is absolutely fantastic and maybe my second favorite shonen anime to HeroAca. They’ll both be on next list.

SUPERVERSIVE: Four More Anime Reviews published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

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