#mostly because that part is really catchy

[sagittariangirl27]

This song plays in my head every time I take my meds.

[alpaca-clouds]

The History of Cyberpunk

Or why every other SciFi Genre is called [something]punk

You know what? Let's do this. Because I have seen the discussion on whether or not Solarpunk is "punk" over the last few days and... people really gotta learn their history.

The first time a genre took the "punk" name was Cyberpunk. And for context we gotta talk a bit about the history of the Cyberpunk genre.

While some books that we in hindsight call "Cyberpunk" were released as early as the 1960s, the start of Cyberpunk as a genre got its start in the late 70s and early 80s.

The term was invented by Bruce Bethke, who published a short story in 1983 with the name "Cyberpunk". His idea was to juxtapose the term "punk" for both the mentality and the punk protagonists in his short story with the term cyber, short for the cybernetics they were wearing. And while the cybernetics have become a main stay in the genre, the punk attitudes are not always carried through...

Well, the title Bethke invented stuck, though. When 1984 Neuromancer was published, one of the most influencial works in the early days of the genre, he called it "a Cyberpunk novel" in the marketing. And from there... Well, the genre was suddenly named like that.

The 80s were definitely the decade that had the most influence on the genre, given that a lot of the big novels and graphic novels of the genre were released here.

A big influence was, no doubt, that 1982 the Blade Runner movie had released and had inspired quite a few writers and artists. (And yes, this makes Blade Runner a movie that released not only before the term Cyberpunk was coined, but also before the genre had a chance to define itself.)

Given that the genre was defined in the 80s, there are a lot of 80s anxiety kept within it about the rise of the Japanese economy, that are these days rarely questioned within the western Cyberpunk movement.

When the genre was coined and developed, Japan was the fastest growing economy in the world, being so influencial that they got to buy out several things in America. Something that kinda jerked white people in the US a lot. This is, why Cyberpunk originally depicted not only a capitalist hellscape - but specifically a capitalist hellscape were everything was bought out by Japanese companies, with many of those early antagonists being Japanese companies. And yeah... there was a lot of both anti-japanese racism, but also cultural appropriation of Japanese things in early Cyberpunk, at time surviving to this day. (But that is a story for another day.)

The general sense that Western Cyberpunk had, was always the idea of: We have a capitalist hellscape where the world is slowly dying and people are exploited with no end, while we have those kinda punky protagonists, who stand outside of the society and try to work against it. This being where the punk comes from.

Now, I could talk for length about how a lot of that punky attitude has been lost in more modern Cyberpunk media, but that, too, is a story for another day.

So, let me just talk about what happened then.

The term Cyberpunk really is darn catchy, right? So just when that name took hold, writer K.W. Jeter retroactively called his 1979 novel Morlock Night "steampunk". And guess what: This stuck, too. Though while the 80s Cyberpunk still stuck to the punk attitude, a lot of Steampunk did not. While for certain there is quite a bit of Steampunk that has kinda punky characters go against the quasi Victorian society of steampunk books (something most common in the air pirate novels I have read), a lot of other stories are more focused on a general sense of adventure.

But never the less... The genre names stuck and gave a nice baseline for naming other genre. We got Dieselpunk, Atompunk, Nanopunk, Arcanepunk, Dustpunk, Silkpunk and of course also Solarpunk and Lunarpunk.

And for the most part... The "punk" names mostly communicate: "It is SciFi with this kinda aesthetic/twist going on". Which is just how it turned out.

Funnily enough Solarpunk is for once a genre that brings back the punk, as it tends to include a lot of the ideals aspired to by the Punk counter culture of the 1970s: Anarchism, anti-capitalism, anti-consumerism, anti-classism, anti-racism, anti-colonialism and so on. Though other than with Cyberpunk and the real world punk movement, Solarpunk for the most part imagines a place, where those things are culture instead of counter culture.

I personally find it kinda sad, how for the most part Cyberpunk kinda lost a lot of the counter-cultural, revolutionary mindset. And how fucking defeatist the genre often is.

But again, it is a story for another day. Just as the story of Japanese Cyberpunk is.

[teenidlegirl]

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ❛ 𝓘 𝓗𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝓨𝐎𝐔’𝐑𝐄 𝓜𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃. ❜

ઇ ˚ ݂ ֹ ꒰ miguel o’hara 𝓍 spiderwoman!reader ꒱ ! ۟ ׅ ♡

ׄ   ׅ ྀ 𝓢𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘. tonight is the annual party for celebrating everyone’s achievements. miguel has no other choice but attend since he’s the boss. during the party, he learns unfortunate news about the woman he likes and leaves him absolutely devastated.

ׄ   ׅ ྀ 𝓒𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓. angst at the end, mostly fluff, parties, swearing, mentions of marriage, heartbreak

ׄ   ׅ ྀ 𝓛𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝓝𝐎𝐓𝐄. this is inspired by listening to “i heard you’re married” by the weeknd. this fic isn’t solely based on the song since it’s about the girl cheating on her husband. it’s about the shocking reveal miguel found out the woman he likes is married.

he didn’t believe in love. after the trauma and suffering he endured, he lost all faith and vowed to never love again. all of that was throw out of the window the minute you were recruited. you, a simple spiderwoman with no intentions other than preform your duties as a hero, managed to capture his attention. miguel, still to this day, is unsure how he fell for you. how you hypnotized him by your presence without even trying or intentional.

you are a skilled spiderwoman, one of the very best. knows how to get the job done without questions. incredible combat skills and work ethic. he deeply admires that about you. not only you’re a remarkable spider, you are a damn knockout. the first time he saw you without your mask, the man was over the moon. you are the most beautiful lady he has ever seen with his crimson eyes. you are like the precious pearl that’s hidden in a clamshell that no one should dare touch. the one true diamond found in a cave. the star that shines the brightly in the night sky.

besides your beauty, your personality is what really captured his heart. you radiate positivity, kindness and generosity. you deeply care for love ones. how passionate you are with things you like. how friendly you are whenever you talk with other spider people. the sense of humor you own, miguel definitely likes that part about you the most.

whenever you two encounter each other, it brightens up his day. miguel would grow nervous and flustered just by standing near you. hints of red staining his cheeks and ears. he is talking with a gorgeous being, of course he’s a nervous wreck. the grumpiness man to ever exist, turns into a shy schoolboy when talking to his crush. oh believe it when lyla teases him about, miguel never hears the end of it.

like mentioned before, he’s still unsure on how he fell for you. but maybe, just maybe, miguel has found a purpose other than being a leader of a large group of heroes and regurgitating the multiverse.

⠀⠀⠀⠀𓂃 ୨ ₊ 𓂃 ౨ৎ   𓂃 ₊ ୧   𓂃

tonight is the annual party event for celebrating everyone’s achievements at HQ. of course all of the society is attending. the dress code is formal, gowns and suits. foods and drinks will be provided. only appropriate drinks since majority of spider people are young. a dj will be included, providing music to lighten up the atmosphere and make it fun.

although he despises social gatherings, miguel has to attend since he is the boss. he has to congratulate everyone for their efforts and achievements. it’s expected of him to arrive. but in secret, he’s actually thrilled to attend because you’ll be there. you are his main reason to go. if you’re there, he’ll be there too.

after prepping up, miguel arrives at the party. he wears an all black attire. a black button up dress shirt with matching slacks and a pair of black oxfords. his hair is gelled, an attempt to make his appearance look nicer than usual.

the entire area is packed with spider people dressed in formal attire. a sea of people covers the dance floor. the dj plays “i heard you’re married” by the weeknd. very big 80s vibes and catchy.

miguel glances around, searching for you. his assumption is that you’re already here and most likely mingling with others. his search for you is interrupted by the sudden arrival of peter b and jess.

“hey miguel!” peter pats his colleague’s shoulder, a bright dorky smile on his face.

the brooding man snaps out of trace and shoots a light glare at peter. he wears a classic tux. of course mayday accompanies him, settled in the baby carrier. she wears a blue dress, the top is sparkly and the skirt portion is a tutu. she looks adorable like always.

“nice to see you dressed fancy.” jess comments with a tiny smirk before taking a sip of water. she wears a dark purple dress with a sweetheart neckline, her baby bump sticks out adorably.

miguel rolls his eyes in annoyance at the comment. “no other choice.” he said flatly, his crimson eyes still searching for you around the place.

peter and jess roll their eyes in unison. classic miguel behavior. while those two engage in a conversation, which is completely blocked out by miguel, it sounds like the parents from the peanuts movies. his sole purpose is finding you. he really hopes you’re here.

“[y/n]!” peter calls out, waving.

miguel immediately snaps out once again at the sound of your name being called. he sees peter waving, his eyes looking past the tall brooding man. turning around, his mouth drops and eyes widen in complete astonishment at the sight of you.

you approach the group with a smile gracing your lips. you are wearing a champagne dress with matching accessories, a necklace and bracelet on your right wrist. also matching heels. your hair is curled, beautifully done. you carry a little purse.

dear lord, miguel believes an angel is approaching him. you look absolutely beautiful in that dress, the color looks heavenly on you. definitely one of your best colors. it hugs and outlines your curves so perfectly. he is completely mesmerized by you. his eyes travel all over your appearance. miguel swears he almost felt his knees buckled.

“hey guys!” you said cheerfully, offering a smile at your colleagues. you stand beside miguel, completely oblivious to his dorky reaction.

miguel just stands there completely entranced by you, not able to utter a word due to the angel in his presence. he is concentrated on you, your gorgeous features and the dress that compliments you well.

“girl, you look stunning!” jessica compliments with a smile, gesturing at your outfit.

“aw thanks, jess! you look stunning too, especially with that cute baby bump.” you smile.

the pregnant spider-woman places a hand on her swollen belly, gently rubbing it. “thanks, [y/n]. this little one allowed me to wear this dress.”

you and peter laugh at her silly joke. miguel remains standing in silence, still admiring you.

jessica noticed a shiny bling on your ring finger. her eyes widen in surprise. “[y/n], sweetie. when the hell did you get this gorgeous diamond?” she gently takes your left hand and raise it up, presenting the big ass rock on your ring finger.

miguel’s eyes shoot at the huge diamond on your ring finger. they widen in shock. no—it can’t be. you’re not—you can’t be, right? is he imagining?

you let a soft chuckle, nodding. “yes! this woman is happily married.” you wiggle your fingers, showing off the gorgeous diamond ring.

you’re married? oh fuck—his heart shatters at the shocking revelation. it feels like his world is collapsing, everything tumbling down like a paper plane. suddenly, it feels like he can’t breathe. his chest tightens, body tenses. miguel can’t believe it. the woman he likes, admires wholeheartedly is married—to someone else. fuck his heart aches.

“oh wow! who’s the lucky guy?” peter asks.

a smirk forms on your lips. “oh just a handsome man that i love wholeheartedly.” you teased.

fuck—his heart cracks more at that confession. miguel is absolutely devastated; heartbroken. it feels like he lost something that isn’t even his in the first place. why does it feel like that? you only encounter a few times, simply sharing a few laughs here and there. why does miguel feel like it was more? did he get too attached? it’s unclear but damn does it hurt. it feels like he bitten the poison apple by the evil queen. he lost his faith in love once again.

“girl, how come you didn’t say anything?” jess asks, placing a hand on her hip in a sassy manner.

yeah, how come? miguel desperately wants to know.

you huff out a laugh, shaking your head. “i wanted to surprise you guys.” a playful smile on your lips.

peter and jess laugh while miguel frowns. that answer didn’t satisfy him, not the slightest. he demands answers. he won’t ask you, miguel doesn’t plague your mind with questions. after the party, he’s going to spend some time alone in his office.

⠀⠀⠀⠀𓂃 ୨ ₊ 𓂃 ౨ৎ   𓂃 ₊ ୧   𓂃

just like as planned, miguel is in his office. with restricted access to forbidden anymore from entering, established by lyla, he has your files pulled up on the multiple orange screens in front of him. hunched over his desk, shoulders tensed and brows furrowed as he looks over the information.

there is no indication of your marriage. that pisses off miguel even more. why didn’t you tell him? or tell anyone? that seemed suspicious of you and he didn’t like that. it encourages him to dig deeper.

as he continues digging through your files, checking your background, he finally stumbles upon a picture of you and a man together. that man looks too familiar. his eyes widen in pure shock. it can’t be. there is no fucking way. miguel zooms in on the picture to get a better look. his heart stops.

miguel can’t believe what he’s looking at. in fact, he refuses to believe who you’re married to. it all makes sense as to why you didn’t tell anymore, especially to him. this is a complete mindfuck.

your husband is another version of him.

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓. ♡ @migueloharastruelove @oharasfilipinawife @chshiresins @feiatjjk

© teenidlegirl. don’t steal, plagiarize, or translate my work. ♡

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

Things in Zombies Re-Animated that I can't stop thinking about/just stuck out to me Idk:

Bartleby. He is very cute.

Like literally one of the best looking scenes in the entire show is the bit where he licks the sandwhich Dae gave him. The way his eyes close and his ears go back makes me so happy I love it when animals do that

Also Bartleby screaming in Something to Tok About is a really funny gag Idk-

The animals in this show are all great tbh I love that so many characters get to have weird little pets

WHEN BUCKY MET BARKY IS SUCH A SWEET EPISODE SJFNVKEMFMEMDN

Bucky somehow picking up on Dae being an introvert before anyone else does???

The Trevor Tordjman jumpscare in Something to Tok About

Shrimpossible

Bucky loving cool frogs, mostly because it's a mood

Just Bucky in general tbh

Also I really like Dae! I was kinda worried she would be annoying, because one of her defining traits is how quirky she is and that kind of character can get annoying FAST, but so far Dae's actually been really fun!

Also I think it's very funny that her VA(Kayhun Kim) was in Cocaine Bear

The Mothership not being Ru Paul anymore. A VERY understandable choice(getting Ru Paul back would be EXPENSIVE), but disappointing none the less

The fact that Bree canonically writes fanfic about A-spen and Wynter because she has a weird disconnect between them being her friends and them being her favorite band-

The fact that Wyatt and Eliza actually got together and then broke up over the course of like, 5 episodes? Which isn't a bad thing! I think their relationship was actually handled really well, which is why I'm gonna be thinking about it a lot lmao

WE'RE BRINGIN IT IS STUCK IN MY HEAD AND I CAN'T GET IT OUT H E L P

Bucky and Willa being friends. Them being friends is very important to me.

Zeddison. Just Zeddison. I love them <3

Willa and A-spen BARELY interacting in the first 11 episodes :(

Willa and Bree friendship :)

Bucky and Dae friendship :)

S p a g h e t t i W a t e r f a l l

Im glad Trevor Tordjman is ACTUALLY singing again in the show. If you don't count rapping(which I don't bcuz rapping and singing require different skill sets), he hasn't had an actual solo part in anything since like. Fired Up Competition. Which is weird cuz he's actually a pretty decent singer???

I'm also glad we get to hear Kylee Russell sing more!!! Her voice is so pretty :)

The soundtrack in general is really good

Eliza singing a love song to a vending machine

Addison and Bree's joint hallucination being the thing to prove to them they're still besties. Only real ones share hallucinations fr

Coach and the Solstice Slasher being highschool besites???

RAZZMATAZZ!!!!!!!!

Just Coach and his relationships in general tbh

The poster of Eliza in Invasion of the Bucky Snatchers. That image is going to haunt my nightmares f o r e v e r

SERIOUSLY I LITERALLY CANNOT GET WE'RE BRINGIN IT OUT OF MY HEAD IT'S TOO FUCKING CATCHY-

Also my brain has constructed a version of It's Okay where Wyatt's part is replaced with the chorus of I'm Not Okay, I Promise by MCR and that won't get out of my head either 💀

Also also every time I see the title of that song I start thinking about It's Alright by Mother Mother?

Basically everytime I think about It's Okay I get every song EXCEPT It's Okay stuck in my head. For some reason

And then We're Bringin It gets sTUCK IN MY FUCKING HEAD AGAIN SERIOUSLY IT WON'T FUCKIN L E A V E

Bucky is canon m-spec and polyamorous that one scene in A Wyatt Place confirms it I'm nOT INSANE I'M NOT-

I miss the Aceys 😔

This show has a surprsingly similar sense of humor to South Park and Smiling Friends? Like obviously it's really toned down because Re-Animated is on fucking Disney Channel, but like... idk it has the same vibes

The Blob

I wanna know when the rest of the season is coming out cuz I need moooooooore

[josephlikesmusic]

Please Please Me - The Beatles (1963)

Hi I'm in a class about the Beatles and had to write this assignment on Please Please Me, where we ranked each song, listed an element we liked and one we disliked, then speculated on what we thought that the song was about. I've been a bit too busy to put a bunch of effort into this blog but I thought you all would be interested in this so I reworked the assignment a bit to fit my blog better.

I love the raspy vocals on Twist and Shout. Maybe it's because it's the version I grew up listening to, but I love this rendition of the song more than any other. It's just so damn catchy.

Love Me Do, I love the harmonica on this track and it's another catchy track even if it is a bit basic for a Beatles song.

I really enjoy the guitar riff on I Saw Her Standing There, but I did think that it was a bit of a simple song. I do love the themes of youthful love, even if I don't actually know what Paul meant by "she was just seventeen."

I love the little "bop-shoowap" vocal riff in the background of Boys, but this style of music just doesn't fit the Beatles too well. It's another song that I find very basic and wish that they had experimented a little more.

I love the story and themes of Anna (Go to Him), but don't love how the song was executed. The feeling of knowing that someone that you love doesn't feel the same way about you is heartbreaking and hard to accept and I think that the lyrics are great, but the instrumental and singing just don't work for a band like the Beatles. This wasn't part of the assignment but I did want to add an overall review for my blog because that's what I usually do here. I thought that this album was great for a debut, but knowing what would come from the Beatles in future albums does hurt this album retrospectively. I do wish that this album had more original songs, but I also understand that it was standard practice for bands of this time to mostly release covers. I'm not going to recommend casual fans of the Beatles to give the full album a listen, but if you somehow haven't heard Love Me Do or Twist and Shout, I will recommend those tracks.

[bibluebutterfly]

(New) Cannon/ Mostly Cannon Facts About Ozzie.

JMI's new livestream was today, and you can guess who watched it lol. Anyway, here's Part One if y'all want to check it out.

DISCLAIMER: Take all of this with a pinch of salt because most of this is just what JMI thinks. Also I came in 12 minutes late so I may have missed something. Now let's get to it.

Ozzie and bee get along relatively well. In JMI's words, "they have their moments" and "they know how the hierarchy SHOULD work." Interesting...

If Oz could play a role in a broadway musical he would probably be the Moulin Rouge ringleader. Though JMI thinks it funny if he played George Washington from Hamilton and he wish's Ozzie could've played Phantom, but he's too sexy. (Ozzie as Phantom? TAKE MY MONEY AND TAKE IT NOW.)

Oz could squish mammon in full form just because he is way taller. (but that's likely WITHOUT them using magic.)

Fizz and Oz wedding? JMI has no clue but if there was it would be fire.

The song Oz would listen to and repeat would be (and he sings this part so I don't know if it a song or lyric) "can't get enough of your love, baby" because in his words, Ozzie "can't get enough of his love". The SWEETNESS AAGGGHHH.

Ozzie and Lucifer PROBABLY get along well. As long as Oz does his job and they don't mess with each other, they really don't have a reason to hate.

Ozzie probably likes Xmas carols cuz they're catchy.

Fizz is an awful cook. In JMI's words (in the Ozzie voice), he's "so cute, so sexy, but can't cook worth a damn." I mean we knew that but the way I bust out laughing XD.

Ozzie's fav food is may be barbecue ribs and wings (cannibalism??) But that may be (and most likely is) JMI projecting.

If Oz were to give Fizz Flowers, they would be white and blue roses (JMI admits that is cheesy. Which yes, but it's oh so in character for the both of them XD).

JMI SAID IT'S CANNON THAT OZ DOES NOT HOW TO USE ELECTRONICS THAT IS SO FUNNY.

(NOT RELATED IN ANY WAY BUT HE SAID HI TO MEEEE AAAGGHHHHH.)

Oz probably likes cheese (though JMI DOESN'T.)

Not a fact but a fan said Ozzie brand cereal would be called Ozzie-O's and I love that.

If the Ozzie liking barbecue wings is NOT cannon, then he may be horrified to see his workers eating Chicken.

Oz still not big on valentines.

He and Fizz WOULD sing "Baby It's Cold Outside" but Fizz would likely change it to (and I once again quote) "nasty, nasty lyrics".

And that's it folks. Once again, JMI is awesome, we love him, and Ozzie still remains one of my favorite characters.

[sentienttoastah]

Not all of these are directly vocaloid related and this mostly reflects my own tastes but.

Ryōshū probably listens to the DMCV and Metal Gear Rising: Revengence songs just loud enough that others can hear it if they sit next to her. Agree on the ADO but would also add Butchers Vanity (chef), symaG, Kan Kan and MARETU.

Faust probably is into game OSTs, like the ones for Neir:Automata and the SMT series. Plus blackY, a lil bit of Team Grimoire, and Touhou. As well as general classical sometimes - I feel like she'd prefer instrumentals. Rhythm game ahh music taste when she isn't trying to focus on something (because she is good at them)

Heath would absolutely like vocaloid, but specifically a real sucker for the catchy ones like Mesmerizer and Luka Luka ☆ Night Fever. Listens to jubyphonic for EN covers. Oft falls prey to the 'bopping song/depressing lyrics' phenomenon (just like Sinclair)

Yi Sang likes peaceful sounding songs, like (gestures at Mili) and video game OSTs ,but I I see him liking upbeat ones like La Primavera and I Got It!. He listens to more songs with lyrics after canto 4.

Sinclair likes Tokyo Teddy Bear. Neru, PinoccioP, MARETU, DECO * 27, syudou and generally the most popular Vocaloid artists like a decade ago. Also likes the occasional classical and stuff like Take Me to Church, Partners in Crime and TLT's Discord remix. Listens to Nightcore when he thinks nobody else can hear it (they can). Eminem.

Gregor likes the songs that shops play bc they were popular 5-30 years ago.

Donqui is also a rhythm game fiend but esp likes the ones like Sswwiinnddlleerr or The Big Black where you aren't 100% sure throwing kitchenware down the stairs or putting an orchestra in a centrifuge wasnt at least a part of the process. Loves Fixer anthems/themes (they probably sound like indie horror game fansongs) and anime songs like A Cruel Angel's Thesis, Lifetime Girl Declaration and Lucky Star's Opening. Eurobeat.

Charon does not yet know what Eurobeat is. This is the reason the bus only hits things sometimes.

Wall of text jumpscare 🫵🐟 /pos

oh my gosh limbus headcanons in my inbox let’s go?? I’ll try responding to these erm hold on.

Ryōshū one I absolutely agree with, can’t believe I never considered Butchers Vanity and the MGR:R soundtrack. She would totally listen to loud blaring songs and metal, songs with raw emotions. But maybe also songs with deeper meanings because uh. Art or something.

Faust being a rhythm gamer is just yes.

You worded the Heathcliff vocaloid bit way better than I did. Imagining Heathcliff listening to mesmerizer or Young girl A completely oblivious, yeah. Jubyphonic as a go-to for english covers is very valid. I also think he might like Laufey for the love songs and such, a bit of mitski or joji in there too perhaps.

I’ve personally always imagined Yi Sang liking any song with some kind of deep meaning behind it(trademark) or some story because erm, typical poet behavior. But he definitely would feel intimidated by loud blaring music so he sticks to mellow, slow-paced songs. At times I imagine him liking the Hawaii Part ii album because of the lore(trademark), other times I imagine him listening to funkytown unironically.

Sinclair, he probably even shares a playlist with Heathcliff. Generally agree on this and I think he would be even more secretive about his music taste than Heathcliff. Sinclair being Sinclair. Probably also shares a playlist with Ryōshū due to them hanging out a lot. Take me to church fits really well considering his source material. Also Eminem oh my god…???

Gregor being a Dad oh god… Sounds accurate honestly. I think he would like Army Dreamers by Kate Bush though.

Don checks out. She’s probably really good at certain songs in rhythm games and absolutely terrible in others, no in between. I like to imagine she comes up with her own fixer songs, almost like a disney channel musical movie protagonist. Just randomly starts singing on the spot. Considering that one Don Quixote musical, if it existed somehow in the Project Moon universe she would love it.

Charon….

Yeah that sounds about right for Ishy. For me she listens to sea shanties very often, mostly for the nostalgia. But those really sad sea shanties like Bones in the Ocean, and other stuff by The Longest Johns or other shanty bands. There’s one I found that’s directly telling the story of Moby Dick (as well as the Moby Dick musical) I know it won’t mix very well considering the lore and timeline just like with the Don Quixote one but still.

No worries :D

I have never heard such a specific name for song. I searched it up just now and thank you anon for introducing me to nanahira lol.

But with Hong Lu mentioned I honestly think he wouldn’t know much about pop songs prior to joining Limbus Company, probably from his relatives keeping him sheltered from the outside world. He probably only knew about traditional songs or classical pieces. But being in Limbus Company now he definitely would share similar tastes to Don Quixote, or is probably really open to any kind of music because he’s never heard a lot of it. I think he’d like Bitter Choco Decoration.

Phew that was a lot. Thank you anon for the fun headcanons to read and think about!!

[alltrap]

Hazbin Hotel Song Tierlist

Ranking Explanations-

S Tier (my favorite songs)-

Loser Baby: Do I have to explain myself?

Hell’s Greatest Dad: What’s better than watching 2 prideful ass men fighting? Nothing.

A Tier-

Stayed Gone: Love this song so much. Debated on putting it in S tier but I’ve been replaying those songs more than I have this one.

B Tier (Songs I like but I’m picky)-

Respectless: At first I didn’t like it but it kinda grew on me. I don’t like Velvet since she’s kinda dumb but she absolutely ate during this scene.

It Starts With Sorry: Super sweet and I really liked it. Not in my playlist but I wouldn’t mind listening to it.

Hell is Forever: It’s fine. I love rock so this song could’ve gotten into A tier but most of it is pretty mid. Even though I know Adam is supposed to be an asshole he just makes the song annoying. I only really like the last part of the song. Plus most of my other complaints aren’t really about the song, mostly writing of the actual show and Adam’s design. Adam’s design sucks.

C Tier (Mid songs that I would only sit through when watching the show):

Poison: Don’t get me wrong, I love Angel Dust and his story but I feel like this is such a bad song to convey his feelings through. It’s like it’s trying to be a catchy pop song but also trying to convey abuse and deep feelings and it just falls flat. Some of the lyrics just get on my nerves because of how much they’re repeated. “Yeah” doesn’t even feel like a word anymore after this song. Reminds me of Cotton Candy from Helluva Boss. It would be a good song if the words “cotton candy” weren’t 90% of it. But like I say with most music, everybody is subjected to their own music taste and it’s cool if you like this and I don’t. I just wouldn’t listen to this unless I was rewatching the show.

Happy Day In Hell- Again, this song is fine. There’s a few seconds where I kinda vibe but most of it where I don’t. It’s a mid tier song.

More than Anything- It was cute and all seeing Lucifer be there for Charlie but it felt a little rushed. Plus it didn’t really stick out to me. If I listened to it again maybe it could grow on me but for now it’s mid tier.

You Didn’t Know: Like I said with More than Anything, it didn’t really stick out. I liked the Seraphim taking Charlie’s side and stuff but it didn’t really do anything. They were trying to protest and stuff but the song kinda felt useless after Sera made her final decision. Still mid.

D Tier (Songs I literally forgot about):

Whatever It Takes: No joke, forgot about this song only a week after I watch the episode. That’s how bad this song was. I didn’t like the pacing in the song. Charlie and Vaggie’s conflict felt rushed too so Vaggie’s part felt unnecessary. Plus, we still barely know anything about Carmilla except she makes weapons and she loves her family so this song really falls through. I think the show’s writing sabotaged this song but I don’t want to get into that.

Welcome to Heaven: 😐. My face during this song. Such a bad song. I guarantee to you that I’ll forget about this next week. I also just don’t like most of the designs from heaven. They look so tacky and rushed. I literally let out a disappointed sigh when I saw the seraphim. Most of my gripes about this is mostly just the character design. I know Viv put thought into some of the demons but the angels have me dead.

Here’s me ranting again about the show that doesn’t have anything to do with the songs. I just have so much stuff I want to rant about this show, some of it good and the rest bad. But that’s my tier-list so far.

[pardonmydelays]

it took me some time to collect my thoughts about the vault tracks but i think i'm finally ready to speak. so first of all, yes, they are so phenomenal they left me speechless. let's fucking go.

"SLUT!"

totally unexpected and yet much better than i thought it would be. the production is so dreamy, the lyrics is somehow really sad but also, may i say, poetic? excuse me but all the flamingo pink, sunrise boulevard, aquamarine moonlit swimming pool, tangerine neon light??? what the actual fuck? my imagination is going wild right now. i may even write a story based on it because all of this is so inspiring, that's what this song is doing to my fucked up brain. honestly, i didn't expect it to be one of my favourites, because it was so hyped before it even came out and yet here we are. i think it's my second fav from this vault.

lyrics that felt like a slap in the face: i'll pay the price, you won't.

SAY DON'T GO

i knew it was gonna be a sad one and it was mostly based on the length of this track. and i do love long tracks. i don't have much to say about it, the lyrics is really good and it's so vulnerable it actually broke my heart a little. i did not expect this vault to be so sad. also, may i just say the production is absolutely perfect? jack antonoff, you are my hero. i'm yours but you're not mine, you don't get it but i do.

lyrics that felt like a slap in the face: i said "i love you", you say nothing back.

NOW THAT WE DON'T TALK

ABSOLUTE PERFECTION. this is definitely my favourite vault track and the only thing i don't like about this song is the length (WHY TAYLOR???). amazing production, outstanding vocals (especially in the chorus), the lyrics is insane, excuse me, i love the i call my mom part, you grew your hair long made me go absolutely feral for the reason i can't even explain, and oh my god, the outro??? the outro is everything. the yacht part? maybe i fucking died??? i guess what i'm trying to say is that this song is everything to me now. it also made me want to study question...? once again.

lyrics that felt like a slap in the face: and the only way back to my dignity was to turn into a shrouded mystery.

SUBURBAN LEGENDS

so i claimed this song before it even came out and i want to unclaim it now (just kidding). it's not my favourite tho, but i do like it. it grew on me i guess. i still love the title and once again, the outro is pretty much the best part of the song and it's the most catchy for sure. the tick-tock part, i absolutely love it. you don't knock anymore and my whole life's ruined? holy fuck taylor, i feel you. the production reminds me of bejeweled, why.

lyrics that felt like a slap in the face: and you kissed me in a way that's gonna screw me up forever.

IS IT OVER NOW?

first of all, the seagull is seagulling (thank you @anixknowsnothin, hours passed and i still can't stop laughing). but i do love the production on this one and i actually think the seagull was unexpected but also a very good idea! once again, everybody say thank you jack. the lyrics, on the other hand, is absolutely insane. i love the coffee part, to no one's surprise, cause i'm a slut for coffee (pun intended). the chorus is amazing, the bridge is everything, i want to scream and die. your new girl is my clone, if you even care. we do love sad bops! also, what a fantastic way to end the album! 10/10! thank you goodnight!

lyrics that felt like a slap in the face: if she's got blue eyes i will surmise that you'll probably date her.

[seaofreverie]

Sparkstember Day 12: In Outer Space (Cool Places)

Oh boy, it's finally here!! Having been a Sparks fan for nearly a year by that point, I finally got to an album I just straight up don't like! I honestly forgot by then that this was even a possibility. But a world where I can enjoy everything in such a vast catalogue of a favourite band of mine would be too perfect. It would be pretty strange and unsettling even. Not to always make it about my other favourite band whenever I'm talking about the first, but with TMBG also I eventually got to that one studio album release that I just couldn't bring myself to like, no matter what. So I think I discovered a bit of a personal repeating pattern here.

Alright then. My verdict on this album, which already got a pretty mixed response from fans as far as I know, is that it's not very good, or at the very least, it's not for me. Even the songs I like here I mostly like in the sense of, well, this one I could listen to again outside of the album every once in a while, but they're nowhere near being an actual favourite (besides one song, or two, mayyyybe four if I'm feeling particularly generous).

So I think that my main problem here comes down to how the arrangements / instrumentals seem rather empty to me but not in a cool minimalistic way. And, dare I say, they're pretty damn uninteresting - very few elements of suprise or anticipation to be found here. This is the only Sparks album that just... doesn't feel Sparks to me. (And that's coming right after Angst, which might really just be one of the most Sparks-like of Sparks albums in a way). Something is TERRIBLY missing here and a couple catchy melodies and fun synth lines aren't enough to make up for that. It drags on quite a bit and is underwhelming to listen to as a whole. With only a couple moments of change and something more interesting and engaging. It's this sort of situation where I feel like the whole time I'm waiting for some kind of resolution that never happens ultimately. First instance of me putting on a new Sparks album and forcing myself to sit through the whole thing. And last one I hope! (and expect...? well, better not jinx it)

Ok, having said all that... This will be a historical event because I can't finish this post before I have my obligatory listen to the album of the day on its day. So, time for some real time documentation of my changing opinion, or lack thereof. Time to hear IOS in it's entirety for the first time since april!

...Ok, I'm glad that I didn't say all this in vain at least, LOL! Because I'm still underwhelmed! No major change here. Definitely still not something I'm going to return to more often than very occasionally and the "waiting for nothing" effect was very present and real once again. And it just dawned on be, but do most of these songs not have a bridge?? Maybe that could be part of why it all feels pretty predictable! But alright, as per tradition, let's look at some highlights anyway.

Favourite songs (and other highlights):

Cool Places: never felt in any strong way about it but repeated listens made it an enjoyable little ditty over time, lol. One of my first impressions here was how LOW Russell's voice is, this must be the lowest he's ever sung, right?? And oh, quick shoutout to the 21×21 version of it too

All You Ever Think About Is Sex: ok, this one's really cool and exactly what convinced me that the rest of the album would be enjoyable in the same way. Not for me unfortunately!!

Please, Baby, Please: my definitive fav here that I like a whole lot and that for whatever reason doesn't seem to have any of this album's problems that I described earlier. And I'll always be partial towards songs that I can interpret as being aspec-coded, thanks to my predisposition to do that as often as possible

I Wish I Looked A Little Better: very similar case to All You Ever Think About Is Sex

Dance Godammit: it's funny. It's fun to listen to sometimes

[kindsoulbuddy]

The thing about praise and worship music at church is that

It’s catchy

Repetitive simple lyrics

It’s played on repeat every Sunday

So even though I’ve been deconstructing for years from evangelicalism, most days praise and worship music from my youth plays in my head.

So every once in a while I’ll sing to myself something joyful like “I got peace like a river I got peace like a river I got peace like a river in my soul!” 🎶

Or maybe “ Better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere!” 🎶

Or maybe something peaceful like “As the deer panteth for the water so my soul longeth after Thee…”🎶

Mostly it doesn’t bother me.

But then 90s/Y2K Christian pop music gets stuck in my head.

Like sometimes Rebecca St. James lyrics go through my head like this one glorifying purity culture:

“I am waiting for, praying for you darling! Wait for me too, wait for me as I wait for you! Darling Wait!”

Or you know just songs from DC Talk..

“What if I stumble, what if I fall? What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?”

Or

“There’s no time to change your mind, the Son has come and you’ve been left behind.”

I think about the awful Rapture Anxiety I had for years and years…

And then i think about being in youth group and yes the fun times but also the moments when we had alter calls.

And the crying and sobbing. The speaking in tongues. The teenagers falling on their faces.

The sensationalized, sometimes violent “Human Videos” (just look up human videos on YouTube there are many).

Teens vowing to die for Christ.

When the Columbine shooting happened all we heard about were the apocryphal stories of students being martyred for Jesus.

I wondered “will a shooter come into our church today and ask us to deny Christ or be shot? What will I do if that happens??”

And what if I lose my salvation just because I had doubts? And what if I get possessed by a demon?

Not to mention purity culture and what it does to a young girl. (All kids suffered but we girls had to be modest and never cause any man to stumble by looking at our shoulder or something)

Abstinence class and signing a pledge to remain a pure virgin until my wedding night.

All the teenagers in every youth group were running around with raging hormones and couldn’t do anything about it. So a lot of us got married quickly. (I was engaged at 19, married at 21).

I mean I’m not even getting into young earth creationism or anti-gay rhetoric or pro life marches, etc..

But you can see that so much of my life (as good as it was for the most part, I was fortunate)was fear based?

And the thing is most of the people (congregation, I can’t speak for all the pastors and church leaders) at church didn’t mean for it to happen that way.

See, I was taught that there is freedom in Christianity. But why didn’t I feel free? That must mean my faith is weak, right?

It’s just so exhausting.

And I went to church regularly for my first 33 years of life. I volunteered, I taught Sunday school classes. I was trying to do it the right way.

Then Covid 19 happened.

I was forced to stop going to church for the first time in my life.

And honestly for years before this I was deconstructing. What really sped this process along was a certain Orange president and his very un-Christianlike followers.

And like Paul in the book of Acts, the scales fell off my eyes. I was blind but now could see. Really see.

The way my Christian peers were acting. The way they refused vaccines and even wearing masks. The cult-like behavior toward Donald Trump. The Christian nationalists.

And after a few months of no church…I realized I didn’t miss it.

After 2020, my deconstruction days really took off. I still don’t go to church (outside of a few weeks trying a gay-affirming congregation).

I used to compulsively pray.

And for hours i would pore over the scriptures trying to glean special meaning. Taking copious notes deep into the night.

(have OCD and I now realize that this brand of religion made my OCD symptoms so much worse.)

But it’s weird…

I have religious trauma. I’m learning about how I was literally in a cult. I’m still trying to unlearn stuff. I still get fearful sometimes about “what if I’m wrong?”.

But I still have good memories of growing up in church. Just like how I still sing old church songs in my head.

I’ve been to many churches, but I grew up in a small country church. I knew it like the back of my hand. It’s how I met some of my best friends and in turn, it’s how I met my husband of 17 years.

I can’t say I regret it. Like anything in life it’s complicated and complex.

I miss the social aspect of church too. I’ve never found another social space like it. I’ve tried! I can’t figure out any other “3rd place” that resembles it.

I’m not sure why i wrote so much down except to say i know a lot of people understand where I’m coming from.

In the meantime, I like to go on r/fundiesnarkuncensored, also i watch Fundie Fridays on YouTube…and I do quite a bit of reading on the subject of others who left the church. Recently I just read Tia Levings’ new book “the Well Trained Wife.”

I’m more at peace about it.

But I think my complex feelings and even some doubts will follow me forever.

[dollywheeler]

September 25th, 1996

Dear diary,

Things have been crazy busy as we've been training a lot to prepare for homecoming. Not only have we upped our cheer hours in preparation for the halftime show, but I've also been helping Whitney out with preparations for the dance on Saturday - mostly with crafting decorations. I'm probably the worst person she could have asked, because crafts are so not my thing. Pretty sure my lanterns would have been trashed if it hadn't been for Elena's help - she's one of the new Sophomores on the team this year.

The dance is setting up to look great, however, and I've been practicing the homecoming routine as much as possible before school. Sandy and Selena altered one of our routines from last year for this weekend. It's very flashy because we can be more creative with it, and not too difficult because people don't really care about technique or tumbling all that much. They just want a catchy song and a good show - which it definitely is in my opinion.

It also means I've been able to practice it better because there aren't too many parts I have to skip when practicing in the basement.

Because I've been getting home late each day, I've barely seen mom or dad. I can tell mom is still on cloud nine from last Friday though, as she's jumped into 'fall cleaning' with vigor. It's always a little terrifying when she comes around with a moving box and a 'donate first, regret later' attitude. I figured out years ago that the best strategy is to just get a few things to donate set aside beforehand so she'll leave your actual stuff alone. This year I just picked up some clutter from the dollar store and a teddy bear we got for free at the fair last spring. And Whitney was planning on throwing some stuff away so she gave it to me for this very reason. It wasn't much, but she hadn't given me much warning. She seemed more than happy with it though, so I guess I have Mike to thank for that.

I don't know if she told dad about the dinner next Friday. I sure as hell haven't. It feels weird keeping something from him, but I can hardly tell him we're going to dinner but he's not invited. I'm pretty sure he isn't, anyway. I know they've always had a weird relationship, but he's still his dad right? And like, it's not like he ever gave him a chance. Besides, even if your parents are cringe or annoying you can still sit through dinner with them for one night and bite your tongue! It's not that hard and just for one night!

For now I'm just going to focus on this weekend, though. I'm so excited for the dance - my dress is gorgeous and I can't wait to wear it. I'm nervous though; I've never had a date before.

OH, I haven't even gotten a chance to write that down yet!

Daniel asked me to the dance!!!!

I was waiting for the gym to clear out after basketball practice on Monday so we could get our extra hours in, and when the team was dismissed, Daniel gently grabbed my hand and pulled me behind the bleachers. Not behind-behind the bleachers, just hidden from view a bit so we could talk privately. My heart was pounding but he seemed relaxed as he asked me if I wanted to go to the dance with him. He just had that same dorky expression, clearly hesitant for my response even though he had to know what my answer would be. He looked so relieved when I said yes even when he hadn't looked all that nervous to begin with, so I know he'd just tried to be stoic.

Anyway, it was really, really sweet <3 He's taking me to dinner before the dance, so we can have a proper date with just the two of us but can also enjoy the dance with our friends. I'm so excited; I seriously cannot wait.

Love, Holly <3

[aotopmha]

This is my random Dawntrail thoughts dumping ground post, stuff I didn't find enough to say about to make a separate post about.

Some general area spoilers!

I mentioned this briefly before, but I think Dawntrail might have a bunch of my favourite zones in the game.

I think Tuliyollal is most certainly my favourite city next to Radz-at-Han and Kugane.

I adore the Crystarium, Ishgard, Ultima Thule, Amaurot and Garlemald narratively, but they're also not exactly locations I want to be in "constantly".

I adore Lakeland, Il Mheg, Rak'tika, Thavnair and the Azim Steppe because they're pretty and they definitely fulfilled this role previously for me, but I just enjoy hanging out in Kozama'uka, Urqopacha, Shaaloani and Yak T'el so much more as "locations" and in terms of atmosphere, not for story reasons.

They're great "MMO" zones for me.

I'm almost done with maxing out the Shared FATEs and even the last two zones aren't exactly ones I just want to chill in, either, but the others?

Great stuff and a niché that hadn't been specifically filled for me before this expansion.

I'd farm FATEs for eternity here with or without battle music.

Next, I think Dawntrail might also have my favourite soundtrack so far. So much variety and with the exception of some vocals, it's all great.

I love the other soundtracks, of course, but ShB and EW in particular were much less diverse in terms of styles at play, mostly leaning into lyric tracks, traditional orchestral or piano arrangements with some outliers.

They're amazing at what they're going for, but DT has great jazz, great traditional orchestral stuff, great techno, great rock.

And it's all really, really good.

And HW and StB are somewhere in the middle where they have a bunch of different styles of music, but not quite as much variety within them.

HW has Alexander, which is very different from any of the base game stuff and StB has lots of old FF music in Omega and Ivalice, but outside of that also mostly leans on traditional orchestral music with a touch of the cultures you encounter and lyric tracks.

And obviously, only the base expansion and first raid tier are out, but DT had a track in a different style for every single floor of the first raid tier. The variety is unmatched.

As said, my negative would actually be the lyric tracks because they just sound off this expac for some reason.

I've always found it to be the weakest part of the OSTs because when they're good, they're good, but there are points where they tend to be muffled or a strange kind of crackly or in DT's case just not sound good. Smile and the song for Arcadion M2 are solid compositions, latter is wonderfully catchy, but the singing itself is just kind of off to me.

I felt it to a lesser extent for M4, too.

But it's a very small part of the OST so far, so I think it barely pushes out ShB as my favourite OST.

Next, I want to briefly mention the job design.

I got all of the jobs I've leveled to 100 (so far 6 different ones).

To preface this: I'm entirely casual, so I have no idea how these feel in high-end play, but in terms of casual play, most just feel "streamlined".

I'll go down the list:

My enjoyment of Dragoon in particular increased quite a bit because, most simply put, some of it was just annoying to keep track of and keep doing. I'm so happy Dragonsight is gone because it was just annoying to apply it.

On the other hand, as smoother as I feel the gap closer is in terms of gameplay experience and as much as I love the new combo, Disesteem being a 2 min and there being no actual attack oGCD in place of Plunge somehow makes Dark Knight feel emptier.

Now that I reflect on it, I liked that you had another button to push, just not that it was a gap closer. Now it just feels like you just have less to do because a gap closer is situational.

Even as annoying as Blood Weapon was, it was a button to push.

Dark Knight is the job I've enjoyed playing the most out of all of the ones I've leveled and I still do, but it's the one I feel is the simplest now and not in a good way.

I think it actually really needs more oGCDs that aren't conditional procs or a resource skill or anything more than it currently does or something else going for it besides the gauge timer abilities and Delirium. It feels so simple, yet unlike Viper less satisfying.

It's my #1 pick for adjustments or a full rework for 8.0 or earlier, even if I might not like it afterwards.

I actually have very little commentary on Red Mage and Sage outside of it being neat that you have more attacks now.

I hear the new Manafication setup for Red Mage is pretty annoying in hardcore context. I'm pretty indifferent about it, so I wouldn't mind if they adjusted it.

Bard's new attacks are great and having the ability to use your songs without targeting is fantastic.

And Viper is 100% my new favourite melee, I think. You can just follow the shiny buttons or focus on trying to not overcap as best as you can, hitting all of the positionals the best you can and perfecting all of your button inputs because there are scenarios where you can lose a bunch of damage if you press the wrong button.

The ranged options and movement options are fantastic.

Awakening is a blast to try and use well mid-battle.

(Please don't remove too many of the positionals. They're a fun optimisation option.)

And I think that's about it for some of the scattered topics.

I have 90% of my Dawntrail thoughts out now.

I thought about it and I think separate dungeon posts are a pretty mild priority and I'll just enjoy the game and take a break from talking about it for at least a little bit.

Also depends on if I'll get any other ideas on topics I want to talk about, I suppose.

[honeyandbiscuitandtea-cafe]

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

oOoOO this a good question I'll answer with songs that are perpetually stuck in my head ones that I could back to because their just that good to me

First up I got is

This song is so catchy for some reason I always find myself going back to it also helps me realize I'm not the only one sometimes with unrealistic expectations in men 😭

Second one I got is

This song is so good honestly like the vocals and lyrics just hit manage to scratch a part of my brain I didn't know I had I also love the alternate version they posted for the anniversary

I put these two in the same category cause their technically the same song just sung by different people/characters but both versions are absolute fire 🔥

The Third one I got is

I just recently found this one but ever since I did I've been having it on loop for who knows how long I'm just a sucker honestly for songs with symbolism and themes in them especially if they talk about more dark and taboo topics like this one

The Fourth One I got is

When I said I was a sucker for songs with stories and symbolism and themes behind them I wasn't kidding especially when they discuss more morbid and unnerving topics to be honest anything produced by biz is bound to be something I enjoy their whole "love it" track has been my absolute favorite of all time I love the way their are actual stories behind their songs like a whole narrative and characters you can dissect especially with the songs their releasing the lyrics exploring more dark and twisted relationships unhealthy on both sides (so far we have yet to see what they publish next and it may be something different that sticks out from the theme cause so far all the songs released in the "love it" track talk about a relationship where both parties involved are unhealthy and toxic and unhinged in some way shape or form) exploring a completely complicated web of love and toxicity all while being absolute bangers back to back overall I absolutely suggest biz as an artist if you enjoy songs talking about fucked up relationships and dynamics like their is so much nuance and analysis you can do on each song and the characters presented in each song that it keeps me coming back to them (this has honestly just divulged into me shamelessly trying to get other people to listen to this artist but let me tell you something they are super underrated in my opinion and more people need to talk about them)

And for the Fifth and Last One I got is

I love this song so much I was introduced to Frank Sinatra by my Father and have ever since become a huge fan of him it just gives such wonderful vibes Frank Sinatra is in my all time favorite artists

So that is all the songs I have listed I hope my ramblings will have convinced to check them out and their respective artists if you haven't already I left out a lot of other artists and songs I love mostly because these are the ones I am most obsessed with as of the moment but if you want you can always ask me more questions about any other songs or artists I might like I don't really have a set or specific music taste honestly I just listen to anything I like

[dustedmagazine]

Dust Volume 10, Number 5

Arab Strap

It’s lovely out. The lilacs are in bloom. The weather is warm enough to make a sweater/sweatshirt/coat redundant, and the bugs are swarming happily all over the garden. And yet, here we are, inside, ear buds in place, music on high, because however nice the weather, what if we missed something? What if, you, our readers missed something? Well, fear not, because we’re back with another set of short, impassioned reviews. Scottish lifers obsessed with their phones, South African jazzmen nearly forgotten, mumbling rappers, untethered improvisers—it’s all here for you. What, you were going out? Too nice to stay inside? Well, okay, it’ll be here when you get back.

Contributors include Ian Mathers, Justin Cober-Lake, Ray Garraty, Bill Meyer, Bryon Hayes, Jonathan Shaw, Andrew Forell, Christian Carey, Alex Johnson and Jennifer Kelly.

Arab Strap — I'm totally fine with it 👍 don't give a fuck anymore 👍 (Rock Action)

Even more surprising than this Scottish duo’s perversely triumphant return a few years ago is that in 2024 Aidan Moffat is writing more about the internet than about cheating and booze. (He’s still writing about those things too though, don’t worry.) Less shocking is that his laceratingly keen eye is no less effective when turned on his own relationship with his phone, or the way women are treated by the “fathers, husbands, sons and brothers” around them as soon as the deniability of a screen is in place, or the psychology of someone who turns to QAnon. And not just technology; with songs addressing those who’ve never recovered from the early-pandemic hit to their ability to go outside and those capitalism leaves to die in solitude, this might be the least relationship-y Arab Strap LP to date. Malcolm Middleton roughs up their sound again to match the bruised, heartfelt brutality of Moffat’s subject matter and the result is one of the most simultaneously empathetic and unsettling records from a band who’ve never been short on either quality.

Ian Mathers

Bad Nerves — Still Nervous (Suburban)

For their second album Still Nervous, punk rockers Bad Nerves take their ready-made formula and just amp everything up. Everything's loud and fast; the band clearly descends from the Ramones, but they've gone more manic. They secretly mix in flourishes of power pop. Underneath all the ruckus, they have a knack for catchy melodies, guitar solos and even vocal harmonies. Then Bad Nerves rough up the pop elements to make sure their disaffection comes through with enough spite to keep everything properly punk. The record does little to vary mood or tempo, but it doesn't need to. The band does one thing, but they excel at it. The Strokes comparisons the band's received mostly work, but the lo-fi production keeps everything sounding as if it's in an actual garage. “Plastic Rebel” offers a youthful rampage, bubble gummy enough to touch on Cheap Trick, but continually plowing forward. The Essex quintet closes the album with “The Kids Will Never Have Their Say,” an evergreen sentiment for the young and irritable. The point doesn't break new ground, but it's beside the point. Bad Nerves tap into something long running and rush the tradition on with plenty of verve and a hint of bile.

Justin Cober-Lake

Conway the Machine — Slant Face Killah (Drumwork \ EMPIRE)

If it wasn’t for Conway’s name on the copy to the album you’d think this was a long solo producer tapes with 40 guests on it, each mumbling about something nobody’s interested in except for the mumbler himself. It is not an exaggeration: it really lasts more than an hour, has close to 20 guests (depends on how you count) and even though Slant Face Killah is produced by a dozen of people the beats all sound the same. If it already sounds awful even for the diehard Conway fans, grip for the worst part of it. It ain’t even worth the trouble to skip all the tiring guest verses for the Conway verses because they are not good anyway. A total failure.

Ray Garraty

Alex Cunningham — Rivaled (Storm Cellar)

Remember October 2020? The time of still-subdued traffic, no shows and a looming election? Rivaled is an artifact of that moment. Nowadays, Alex Cunningham is an intensely active improviser, based in St. Louis but active all around the middle of the USA. Back then he was stuck at home and moved to make some noise. “Faith” and “Void” offer two paths to obliteration. The former is pretty plugged in, with electronic effects and appropriated radio noise turning Cunningham’s violin into a full-on electrical storm. The latter is unreliant upon electricity, but maybe even more dogged and savage. Originally released as an edition of 20 cassette, Rivaled is now a CD with a bonus remix that mashes both tracks together, both vertically and temporally, like a piggybacked highlights reel. Of noise relaxes you, you’ll want this close at hand when the next election rolls around.

Bill Meyer

Dun-Dun Band — Pita Parka Pt. 1: Xam Egdub (Ansible Editions)

Dun-Dun Band is an all-star cast of characters comprising some of Toronto’s most creative musicians and led by musical polymath Craig Dunsmuir. Dunsmuir is a shape shifter, trading guises and styles for decades: a guitar loop conjuror known as Guitarkestra, a purveyor of mutant disco vibes alongside Sandro Perri in Glissandro 70, a welder of minimalism, dub, and avant-garde weirdness as Kanada 70. His Dun-Dun Band collects members of Eucalyptus and Badge Époque Ensemble along with stalwarts Colin Fisher, Karen Ng, Josh Cole and Ted Crosby. Pita Parka is the group’s debut on vinyl and features three extended cosmic jazz jams that fuse multi-horn interplay to African-inspired polyrhythm. The music slyly winks at 1970s fusion but is more akin to that of modern ensembles such as Natural Information Society. The extended nature of the pieces allows the reedists to stretch their lungs and roam around, and for the rest of the ensemble to engage in creative interplay. Pita Parka is a stellar offering from some of Toronto’s finest players and one of the city’s most inquisitive and inventive minds.

Bryon Hayes

Roby Glod / Christian Ramond / Klaus Kugel—No ToXic (Nemu)

The three participants in this session are all veterans of middle European jazz that’s free in spirit, if not always in form. Bassist Christian Ramond and Klaus Kugel are from Germany, and soprano/alto saxophonist Roby Glod is from Luxembourg; their collective cv includes work with Kenny Wheeler, Ken Vandermark and Michael Formanek. Online evidence suggests that they’ve played together as a trio since 2015, which explains their easy rapport and nuanced interaction, but this is their first CD. Freedom for these folks means having the latitude to linger over a tune or to settle into nuanced timbral exchanges, but if you carded them, they’d all have jazz driver’s licenses. This music swings, often at speed, which is a very important aspect of their shared aesthetic; the excitement often comes from hearing Glod invent intricate, evolving lines that are lifted off by fast walking bass lines and kept in the air with light but insistent cymbal play. While the album is named No ToXic, the sheer pleasure of hearing these guys lock in could truthfully be labeled counter-toxic.

Bill Meyer

Göden — Veil of the Fallen (Svart)

Longtime listeners of death doom will recognize the name Stephen Flam, guitarist and co-founder of storied band Winter whose Into Darkness (1990) concretized the subgenre in the US; the record was great, and still is. For his recent work with Göden, Flam has dubbed himself “Spacewinds,” and his bandmates follow suit, with stage names that are equal parts risible and ridiculously gravid: vocalist Vas Kallas performs as “Nyxta (Goddess of Night)” (those parens seem to be her idea…) and keyboardist Tony Pinnisi appears as “The Prophet of Göden.” Okay. This reviewer’s inexhaustible appetite for Winter’s slim output disposes him to think kindly of Flam, and there’s nothing especially terrible about Veil of the Fallen — but that’s only because there’s nothing all that special about the record. The sound of the title track is appealingly austere, and the NyQuil-chugging riffs of “Death Magus” are sort of fun. But any listeners hoping for flashes of the inimitable, awesome awfulness of Winter would be well advised to recall the meaning of inimitable. Not even Flam, it seems, can provide a convincing replica of those energies and textures.

Jonathan Shaw

Mick Harvey — Five Ways to Say Goodbye (Mute)

Former Birthday Party and Bad Seeds member Mick Harvey looks back at his life on his autumnal new album “Five Ways to Say Goodbye.” Although he contributes only four original songs, his skill as an arranger and interpreter reaches its zenith. Harvey imbues his own and others’ songs with intense emotion that never tips into melodrama or histrionics. Augmenting his acoustic guitar with evocative string arrangements which provide counterpoint and color to his lyrics “When We Were Young and Beautiful” may be the finest song he has written; poetic in structure, elegiac in feeling, Harvey faces his past with dispassionate empathy for lost friends and acceptance of where he is now. His version of David McComb’s “Setting You Free” locates a Faustian menace in the song, using the strings to carry the dynamic thrust and emphasize the turbulent ambivalence of the original. “Like A Hurricane” becomes an intimate, piano ballad. By changing the tense from present to past and stripping the song of its rock roots, Harvey creates an emotional impact missing from Neil Young’s original. On “Demolition” Harvey replaces Ed Kuepper’s funereal drums with an off-kilter drum machine that clatters like an old projector to evokes the disconnections inherent in the lyrics. Harvey’s treatment of songs from The Saints, Lee Hazelwood, Lo Carmen and Marlene Dietrich are beautifully rendered. A wonderful summation of Harvey’s often underrated talent and an album that deserves a wider audience.

Andrew Forell

I Like To Sleep — Bedmonster’s Groove (All Good Clean Records)

This combo from Trondheim, Norway started out bridging the sound worlds of Gary Burton and Sleep. That’s a canny move if you’re looking for relatively untrodden ground, and as it turns out, a successful one. On Bedmonster’s Groove, which is album number four, the trio has dialed back the heaviness; you won’t hear a power chord until the beginning of side two. Instead, they have taken a turn towards experimentation. The microscopic applications of filters and effects give confer a variable glitter to Amund Storløkken Åse’s vibraphone, squeezable padding to Nicolas Leirtrø’s six-string bass, and some texturable variety to Øyvind Leite’s drums, which are all shown to good effect by some lean grooves and uncluttered melodies. Åse has also added some instrumentation; synths flicker and swirl in the empty spaces, and a mellotron heads a deliberate charge towards prog territory.

Bill Meyer

Kriegshög—Love & Revenge (La Vida Es un Mus)

Throughout the long existence of Kriegshög, it’s been customary to identify the band as a d-beat act. Love & Revenge is Kriegshög’s first release since 2019 and only its second LP in their (at least) 16 years of playing in and around Tokyo. Prolific, they ain’t, but the music is always worth waiting for. On this new record, the band rolls back the pace a bit and amps up the crusty, metal textures. Less squall and rampant chaos, more muscle and riffs that roll up in well-worn biker leathers — but all those qualifiers are relative. There’s still a raw edge to the production (if that’s the term we want…); the bass is laced with so much fat crackle that you’ll want to fry it and eat it. Sort of fun that one of the most volatile tunes on Love & Revenge is titled “Serenity.” Make of that what you will, but don’t spend too much time thinking about it. You’ll miss the next couple songs.

Jonathan Shaw

Niels Lyhne Løkkegaard and Quatuor Bozzini — Colliding Bubbles: Surface Tension and Release (Important)

Niels Lyhne Løkkegaard is a composer based in Copenhagen. On his latest EP he joins forces with the premiere Canadian string quartet for new music, Quatuor Bozzini, to create a piece that deals with the perception of bubbles replicating the human experience. In addition to the harmonics played by the strings, the players are required to play harmonicas at the same time. At first blush, this might sound like a gimmick, but the conception of the piece as instability and friction emerging from continuous sound, like bubbles colliding in space and, concurrently, the often tense unpredictability of the human experience, makes these choices instead seem organic and well-considered. As the piece unfolds, the register of the pitch material makes a slow decline from the stratosphere to the ground floor with a simultaneous long decrescendo. The quartet are masterful musicians, unfazed by the challenge of playing long bowings and long-breathed harmonica chords simultaneously. The resulting sound world is shimmering, liquescent, and, surprising in its occasional metaphoric bubbles popping.

Christian Carey

The Ophelias — Ribbon EP (self-released)

Ribbon is stormy, scathing and often quite beautiful. “Soft and Tame,” the EP’s emotional center, is all three. It begins wistfully: easy acoustic guitar strums and Andrea Gutmann Fuentes’ layered violin, nostalgic and close to sweet. Vocalist Spencer Peppet also starts slow, talking us through the aimless sensory motions of missing someone – “the sun on my cheek/as I walk around/I pick up a pear/I put it down/the radio plays a song we loved.” It doesn’t take long, however, for the skies to darken and the scene to become bleaker. By the line “the hollow sound/my jugular makes as it rolls around,” Mic Adams’s foreboding drums and a percussive creep of electric guitar have stalked in. And by the time Peppet has shown us “an overturned bus on the highway,” heard a“tornado warning” and told her subject to “stay the fuck away” for the second time, the band has built to a blown-out, climactic frenzy, the violin finding operatic heights over mammoth cymbal crashes.

In her review of The Ophelias’ last album, Crocus, Jennifer Kelly described Peppet as sounding “like she’s tilting her chin up and squaring her shoulders.” Likewise on Ribbon, where the band seems resigned to but also quite prepared for a fight. If “Soft and Tame” is aimed to knock “love in southern Ohio” down for good, then “Rind,” the final song, may tell us why they’re in the ring at all. At a brief break in the dynamic, flowering arrangement — it could be a particularly bucolic Magnetic Fields instrumental, especially in Gutmann Fuentes’ spry riffs — Peppet bursts out, “There you go!/On tour with my hometown friends/fucking score/they must have all forgotten!/Look back at what I tolerated.” There’s more to the story, but Peppet pulls back from the fray, settling things ominously: “to name it/makes your life/a little complicated.” Whatever “it” is, The Ophelias seem to have landed their punch. I don’t think I’ve heard more cutting, triumphant “Oohs” than those that end the song and Ribbon’s multifaceted fury with it.

Alex Johnson

Paperniks — Oxygen Tank Flipper 7-inch (Market Square)

Jason Henn is a master of catchy psychedelic punk. Honey Radar, his highest profile outfit, has unfurled a constant stream of hook-laden gems for well over a decade. Paperniks is his newest guise, a solo home recording project that amplifies the Guided by Voices meets Syd Barrett vibe of Honey Radar and doses it with nuggets of guitar noise. This tiny slab of wax is the sophomore Paperniks outing, following a single-sided lathe cut that strayed toward the clamorous edge of the octopus’s garden. On display are a pair of tunes that bear a striking resemblance to Honey Radar. “Oxygen Tank Flipper” is a groovy dose of psych replete with a catchy riff and a roller coaster bassline. Handclaps up the catchiness factor, as does Henn’s honey sweet sigh. “Essex Poem Dial” is a punky, garage-inspired tune. Henn’s reverb-soaked vocal hides inside the propulsive guitar chime. A noise interlude leads to a mellow vignette that slowly fades away. Paperniks showcases Henn’s boisterous side, and the music is certainly engaging, so hopefully there are more songs on the way soon.

Bryon Hayes

Ribbon Stage — Hit with the Most (Perennial/K)

Ribbon Stages hits the giddy sweet spot between punk and pop, their raucous guitar-drums-bass racket pounding on sweet, wistful little songs. The mixture varies with some cuts veering into the snaggle-toothed dream pop of, say, the Jeanines, while others rage harder and more dissonantly. “Stone Heart Blue,” the single, pulls the drums way up in the mix and lets distorted guitars and murmured vocals do battle attention behind them. The result is an uncanny balance of urgency, angst and solace, which is exactly what you want from pop-leaning punk. “Hearst” pushes slashing tangling guitar racket up to the foreground, letting a billowing squall spill over crisp drums and shout-sung vocals, while “Sulfate” lets a sighing romantic croon loose over boiling lavas of rock mayhem. Nice.

Jennifer Kelly

Rio Da Yung OG — Rio Circa 2020 (Boyz Ent)

This is exactly what the title says: a compilation of Rio songs stashed on the label’s HDD, no more, no less. No filler but no hits either. The tape has a “Circa 2020” feel to it, reminding us of when Rio did what he wanted with no shades of doom hanging over the songs. It’s unlike the music he wrote after the trial when he knew he had to do some time. There’s a little bit of everything in here: three songs with RMC Mike, two tracks featuring Louie Ray, a song on a Sav beat, a song on an Enrgy beat and a song on a Primo beat. Yet it’s hardly enough to last us until Rio is free.

Ray Garraty

Spirits Rejoice—S-T (Fredriksberg)

Spirits Rejoice! by Spirits Rejoice

A remastered reissue of a 1978 recording, Spirits Rejoice captures boundary-crossing South African jazz scene, which touches on fusion, rock, funk, soul, disco Latin and African sounds. The ensemble includes some of that time and place’s pre-eminent jazz musicians, Sipho Gumede of the fluid, loping bass lines, breezy, insouciant reeds-man Robbie Jansen, South African pioneering percussionist Gilbert Matthews, keyboardist Mervyn Africa and a very young Paul Peterson on electric guitar. The music is ebullient and clearly tilted towards pop accessibility, and the gleaming sheen of 1970s often dilutes its heat and fury. This is especially true on “Happy and in Love” which could double as a lost Earth Wind and Fire cut. Elsewhere, though, as in “Woza Uzo Kudanisa Nathi,” fervid polyrhythms, tight squalls of sax and an exhilarating call and response light up the groove, fusing African chants with a swaggering samba rhythm. And “Papa’s Funk,” is just what it sounds like—a slithery, stuttery, visceral bass-led swagger that bubbles and smolders and twitches in a universal funk.

Jennifer Kelly

Various Artists — GmBH: An Anthology of Music for Fashion Shows 2016 – 2023, Volume 1 (Studio LABOUR)

GmbH: An Anthology of Music for Fashion Shows 2016-2023 Vol. 1 by Various Artists

LABOUR is a multimedia project of Iranian musician Farahnaz Hatam and American percussionist/composer Colin Hacklander. Based in Berlin, the duo has collaborated widely and eclectically to produce soundtracks for sustainable, underground fashion house GmBH. This compilation collates 12 examples and showcases a variety of work from an international roster of artists including Iraqi-British oud player Khyam Allami, Turkish born DJ Nene H, Kuwaiti musician Fatimi Al Qadiri, American performance artist MJ Harper and Indonesian noise duo Gabber Modus Operandi. The thread that runs through all this is cross pollinations between genre, geography, and chronology. Allami’s oud plays against LABOUR’s electronic washes and synthetic percussion with each element emphasizing and interrogating differences in modality and structure. On “White Noise” LABOUR contrast a 16th century harpsichord piece with static and effects dissolving into a robotic club beat which ends up evoking a cyborg Hooked on Classics. Their collaboration with Harper on the spoken word “ablution” is a reflection on love, religion, and abnegation with elements of gospel, eastern and creeping doom ambience. The Anthology has much of interest but is essential for Belgian composer Billy Bultheel’s “YLEM” featuring German countertenor Steve Katona who soars incandescent from a backdrop of industrial grind. The contrast between earthly weight of the music and radiant purity of the voice is breathtaking.

Andrew Forell

Vertonen — taif’ shel (Oxidation)

taif' shel by Vertonen

Give the Oxidation label credit for radical truthfulness. One of the bummers of our time is the frequency with which folks on BandCamp and elsewhere will call a short-run, blue or green-faced disc a CD when they are selling you a CD-R. Oxidation, on the other hand, is named after the process that will eventually render its products unplayable. On to the sounds. Vertonen is Blake Edwards, who has been working around the edges of sound for over 30 years. On taif’ shel, he displays absolute mastery over the combination of collected, electronically generated and carefully edited sounds. His skill rests on three qualities; knowing where to place sounds, knowing how long to let them carry on and having some pretty good ideas about which ones to use in the first place. He can make a drone of infinite (but never unnecessary) complexity, or punctuate flipping film-ends with a precisely situated, never repeated sequence of chops and splices, to name just two examples found on this impermanent but thoroughly rewarding disc.

Bill Meyer

Villagers — That Golden Time (Domino)

That Golden Time is Villagers’ sixth album. The Conor O’Brien led project presents its most eclectic outing to date. A number of the songs are afforded pop treatment, consisting of memorable tunes and gentle, polished arrangements. The double-tracked vocals on “First Responder” is a case in point, about a relationship fragmenting while the singing coalesces, an interesting tension. “No Drama,” initially pared down to piano and O’Brien’s laconic vocals, eventually adds a coterie of Irish traditional instruments. “Keepsake” veers closer to mid-tempo electronica, with overlaid synth repetitions and treated vocals. The title track employs sustained violin lines, played by Peter Broderick, and an intricate form with supple harmonic shifts. “Brother Hen,” on the other hand, recalls the folk influences present from Villagers’ beginning. The diversity is diverting, even though That Golden Time feels like a collection of singles instead of an album statement.

Christian Carey

[amemenojaku]

can we get the diao ye zong top ten songs ? (or album tier list)

we sure can!!! I'll put this under a readmore though because it's very long

1) 墓標 (bohyou): I'll be honest here I think this song and the hohuri album are one of the main reasons behind the DiPP Renaissance in 2015-2020 (significant increase of DiPP fanworks/fans being able to recognize jacketko & labelko). a big circle making DiPP songs led to more fans reading the original story and then making fancontent of it which in turn got more people into it etc. so to my dear followers if you're reading this and you're not a dyz fan but you gave DiPP a try thanks to people creating more content of it after 2015 mayyybe you should also listen to 屠 (hohuri) by diao ye zong...... anyway the song itself is really good. the intro is chilling - just imagine getting that CD back in the summer of 2014, putting it in your music player/pc expecting the first track to be an arrange of A Sacred Lot like written on the tracklist and instead you get THIS! (I did with my friends and it was scary.) the instrumental is amazing, I love that it's mostly original with bits of arranges from DiPP here and there, and Merami's performance is leagues above everything else she'd ever sung for the circle until then imo (and it kept getting better after that). and just, that last part...

2) 悠久の子守唄 (yuukyuu no komoriuta): dyz song I have the strongest emotional attachment to.... it's a bit old now (you can even hear the difference in quality of Merami's mic lol) but it still makes me feel so many things... when I say I'm really invested in hakurei shrine maidens fanworks this is what always comes to mind first

3) Dolls into pitiful pretenders: DiPP meta song where jacketko mocks both the other honest men AND the DiPP fan community at large (if you want to interpret it that way). Merami's best performance to date imo, even now, especially during the reverie part

4) n_tegralより愛をこめて (integral yori (a)i wo komete): it's difficult to choose one dyz hifuu(renmerry) song above all the others, there's just too many good ones..... but if I have to then it HAS to be the followup song to the fucked up hifuu cat music (iykyk). has shaped my interpretation of merry's character like literally nothing else ever will. also it's just beautiful. 'together we will become a world' etc etc...

5) まぼろしの友達 (maboroshi no tomodachi): like with the hifuu above it's tough to choose one akyuusuzu/FS song out of the (still)growing selection of really good remixes we got over the years... but this one is so emotional and soft and the different layers of interpretation are the cherry on top of the cake for me. there isn't a single line in the lyrics that doesn't hurt me lol

6) 幻想萬歳楽 (gensou manzairaku): very very different from everything else in this list but I love noh and this one based on the okina opening performance is just genius. the instrumental is beautiful. I had a paper to write on noh a few years ago and just listened to it on loop

7) 異聞『正義の味方』 (ibun "seigi no mikata"): I was hoping for a vocal remix of little princess from dyz so the first version of seigi no mikata (kishin/輝針 「セイギノミカ���」 from sasage) already had me really glad, but then a few years later they made a new one that's much, much darker and I love it even more. it reminds me of the like 2-3 really dark shinmyoumaru songs some circles released the year following DDC... very powerful and desperate. I love that it can be interpreted in two opposite ways - shinmyoumaru's anger at the betrayal, or this (fucked up and funnier)

8) 夏の終わり／世界の終わり (natsu no owari/sekai no owari): RENMERRY KABOOM <3 when the fear of being left behind in a boring unchanging world pushes you over the edge. 'if you plan to cross over that boundary, I'll find every door possible, close them shut and break the keys!' chilling despite the catchy instrumental. similar to maboroshi no tomodachi in the 'it's ok if you end up hating me for what I'm about to do. I love you and that's what matters most to me right now' it's just... ough.... uaghh...... hurts :)

9) ハロー、マイフレンド (hello, my friend): alternate universe where marisa lives an ordinary, unfulfilling student life in the outside world and sometimes dreams about a shrine maiden flying in the sky. MUST be listened to with the instrumental remix of Casket of Star that comes right before it in the album, it's beautiful and has that little phone alarm at the end of it - pulling marisa out of her dream. I think this song would resonate with a lot of people for whom fiction is one of the only respites from real life. it sure did with me!!!

10) Salvator noster: this is a crazy mix of so many things - keiki's theme and pokemon SV area zero music and gregorian chants and buddhist (?!) imagery and that dyz-typical everpresent undertone of something going really, really wrong. definitely my favorite arrange of Idolatrize World ever and up there in the list of Merami's best performances (she never stumbles once in the fast parts and it's amazing)

for my top 10 albums:

屠 (hohuri) (cannot be dethroned): flawless from beginning to end despite turning 10 years old this year. god I feel ancient

Q: would be number 1 if hohuri didn't exist. I already wrote a short review of it here but anyway it's the dyz album I'd recommend the most to anyone who's looking for a whole experience

喩 (tatoe): full of what-ifs and interesting AU concepts. really, really solid and relatively easy to get into for newcomers as long as they're fine with some darker topics from time to time (if not then number 7 on my list is a better pick)

慄 (furue) (not on spotify yet): hifuu-only with the added flavor of being based on Lafcadio Hearn's works. so like, perfect lol. narrated/drama tracks between every song and I really recommend those in particular, they're amazing, especially the one where merry goes a bit crazy insane. my fav is the arrange of Infinite Nightmare but it's worth checking out for 無間夢幻無想夢想幻葬 and its longass title alone

△ (tetra): the ultimate hifuu dyz album!!! hifuu club hallelujah etc etc. I know the go-to dyz hifuu song is absolute one-way street but I hope this album as a whole will reach same levels of popularity one day... every song has its own identity and explores different sides of science fiction as a genre. also a good variety of vocalists in this one if you get tired of Merami

伝 (tsutae): built around the concept of a day of noh, with its opening performances, plays in all the different categories and kyogen inbetween. they're not actual plays ofc but the premise really works. I always wonder how different it would've been if this one had been made after HSiFS released

奉 (sasage): most newcomer-friendly dyz album imo. simple concept: one song to represent each main game from EoSD to DDC. the atmosphere of each game is transcribed perfectly into each song. nothing ever gets particularly dark. in the same spirit 掲 (kakage) (its twin sister album to me), themed around spell cards, is pretty good for dyz beginners too and since it gets a bit heavier at times I think it works well as a transition to some other better but more fucked up albums

騙 (katari): the album that got me into dyz :') when it came out I'd been into touhou for a little while and had already listened to a few dyz songs, but this is the one that really caught my eye. it's messed up and hopeful and bittersweet... 真実の詩 and rebellion -たいせつなもののために- (the followup to absolute one-way street) make me feel especially nostalgic

彁 ( ): I love that the album themed around 'fantasy' as a concept uses a kanji that doesn't exist as its title. overall solid album (I just don't like the clownpiece song but only because I'm not a fan of that vocalist). the reimu song at the end is perfect. maybe THE reimu song to me (even if Hearken unto, from the latest album, is a strong contender now)

密 (hisoka): secrets!!! the first two tracks are a punch to the guts, the reimari song is the softest thing ever, the 3-part keine song is an amazing experience and Kirisame Eversion is like... it sure is something lol (saying this positively. I adore it). really good hidden secret song too

other contenders which I like very very much in chronological order: 遙 (haruka), 辿／誘 (tadori/izanai), 薦 (susume), 音 (omoi), 逆 (sakasa), 軛 (kubiki)

if you've read all of this: thank you :] sorry for being insane