#new devotional songs 2017

[lil-tachyon]

For the last couple weeks I've been drawing logos / designs for local-ish (mostly NJ, some PA and NY) bands as warmups in the morning. Here's what I've come up with! Massive post below the break explaining each logo + where to find each band and listen to their music.

Teenage Halloween- a staple of New Jersey basements for probably about a decade now and finally getting wider recognition in the last couple years. Pop punk / power pop with a killer horn section. First time I saw them was in New Brunswick playing with Walter Etc. and Blowout. They played a killer cover "Build Me Up Buttercup" and my wife got a black eye in the pit. Recommended tracks: "Brain Song," "666," "Clarity." Their first EP is on a separate bandcamp page btw, check it out here it's great.

Sweet Pill - They will call themselves a Philly band but in my heart they'll always be from Glassboro. Definitely one of the more recognizable names on this list. Emo revival - early stuff is more twinkly, more recent stuff is heavier. All of it's great. Recommended tracks "Nephew," "High Hopes."

Shark Club - Central Jersey's finest. I'm very biased because I actually know these dudes and they did the music for my wedding. Some of the best pop punk you'll hear and the nicest people you'll meet. Recommended tracks: "Game Theory," "Bill Murray," "Heavens to Betsy."

Rest Ashore - My favorite band for the last (oh God I'm old now) eight years. From gut-wrenching emo ballads to virtuoso math-rock instrumentals they do it all. One time I got to sing vocals on "Lucy's Theme" at a house show- thank you Erica! Recommended tracks: "Hjarta," "Chinese Opera," "Devotion," "Soyuz Sweetheart." Too many bangers to name honestly, just deep dive their discography.

Morus Alba - First band I ever went to see at a house show and still one of my absolute favorites. Their music feels like the bridge between the best pitchfork, /mu/ alt rock bands and high energy basement emo. I mean that as a compliment and I hope it comes off as one lol. I should note that since 2019 Morus Alba has morphed from a band into an experimental hip-hop project so later releases sound radically different and basically disconnected from the earlier stuff. Also my favorite release from them, Live at Isabelle's, has been scrubbed from the internet but if you'd like the files just email me. Recommended tracks: "Skyscraper," "Human Resources," "The Goodnight Waltz."

Have a Good Season - another Jersey mainstay that's still going strong. Emo revival in their earlier releases, now with more 70s power pop influences in their newer stuff. See them live, they put on a fantastic show and usually play some great covers in addition to their original music. HaGS guys if you're reading this, please put your version of "Since You've Been Gone" online, I'm begging you. Recommended tracks: "Joseph / Shel Silverstein," (you have to listen to them together for the drop, so good) , "Gum, "Gleaux / Scab." Also, frontman Nic Palermo interviewed me once.

Elephant Jake - If you see any of these bands live make it EJ, they put on such a damn good show. Electrifying indie punk from the Empire State. Recommended tracks: "F.D.C." "Sarah Moyer," "Goodness to Honest," and of course you gotta learn "Sebastien Bauer" for the singalongs.

Blind Lion - Sadly one of the greats that we lost along the way. Defunct since about 2017. I only got to see them once but it was a great performance. Alongside their own stuff they played some killer covers of "Bad Moon Rising" and "Moonage Daydream." I had trouble doing a logo design for them because I actually really like the composition, if not the "Ed Hardy-ness," of their existing logo so what you see here are two separate attempts, neither of which feels entirely satisfying to me. Frontperson Larry Flately currently plays in Nematode and also handled production of Bradley Gardens joke hiphop group The Breakfast Boiz under the moniker "DJ Ova EZ." Recommended tracks: "Brumous," "Dinner."

Fighting Seasons - A band that I sadly found out about too late (via a sticker under the bridge in my town which has since been painted over). 2010s pop punk that packs a helluva punch, especially considering that I'm pretty sure the members were high schoolers for most of the band's existence. I think some members may have gone on to form Sawce (FFO Chon, Polyphia, that type of music) but I can't remember where I read/heard that so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Recommended tracks: "Fighting Seasons," "Oil on Canvas"

Milkmen- Another fallen giant, officially disbanded in 2019. Like Morus Alba, they played the very first house show I attended and their few releases remain on constant rotation in my home. Used to put on a great show and were one of the bands I always thought would make it big until suddenly they weren't around anymore. Frontman Ben Thieberger contributed guitar and vocals to Covid quarantine project Kin if you're looking for a bit of an extra fix but beyond that I don't know what these guys are up to these days, sadly. Recommended tracks: "Ramus," "Johnny Dangerously," "how sieves catch breeze," "K.O.T.H."

Stand and Wave - New York (now Philly) pop punkers delivering instant dopamine hits with every track. Another great live act, see them with EJ if you can! They often play shows together. Recommended tracks: "Convos," "Mrs. Dash," "Splashton Kutcher," "Michael Collins."

My Chemical Romance - You know who they are. While I was drawing all these other logos I ran a poll on Patreon to decide which famous New Jersey band should also be graced with a drawing from me. MCR won the poll by a hefty margin so unfortunately you won't get to see me do an illegible black metal take on Hoboken's Yo La Tengo. I ended up doing two versions: the one with the halo is the first, the one with the bats was the second. I tried to do something kind of thin and elegant with the first one and I don't think it's terrible but I also wasn't quite satisfied with it. For the 2nd attempt I tried to lean into the kind of pulpy, almost horror punk aesthetic of early MCR and I think that one looks better even if it's less original.

Anyway if you took the time to read through all this, thank you very much! And please support these bands! Also If any of the links aren't working please let me know.

-Logan

[the-virgoperspective]

The Signs As The Most Iconic Albums of The 2010’s (IMO)

Aries: DAMN by Kendrick Lamar (2017)

This album brought heat. Heat that could burn this planet straight to ashes. It’s confrontational, angry, fast-paced, and entirely innovative. There were levels upon levels upon levels to the songs that embarked you on an exhilarating auditory adventure. It’s an aries album! Specifically aries moon and ascendant (this is not a biased decision) because of how each house I feel is represented here. If you really listen to the lyrics and notice the flow of how Kendrick placed each song; there’s no question about it. It covers self identity, finance, communication, family, birth, love, death, travel, community, and the subconscious. It. Covers. Everything. There is a bold confidence here that almost seems like overcompensation for vulnerability/fear in some songs. It focuses on black on black crime, it goes back to its roots, and it’s downright funky (very aquarius in 11th vibes). It’s brash, bold, fiery, and energizing! I could go on about this album for days. It literally won 11 awards in one year! There’s just so much to it!

Songs I Recommend: BLOOD, ELEMENT, PRIDE, XXX. (FEAT. U2.), & DUCKWORTH

Taurus: Ego Death by The Internet (2015)

Sheeeeesh! This album is spectacular! There is such a romantic and smooth vibe to every single song; even the ones that aren’t particularly loving in its lyricism. The r&b/soul elements are alive and well here. The Internet brought the true feeling of that genre back with their own modern and homely twist to it. There is a lot of focus on devotion to another, strong love, physicality, situationships, the low key grind, and enjoying the finer things in life. It has a very venusian vibe but not in an airy way; more so steady and sensual. You can’t help but to move your body in whichever way feels most natural to this album. It’s rich, it’s svelte, it’s earthy, decadent, and simply smooth as butter. The taurus energy is just so strong here, esp taurus sun and venus, as there is a consistent and calming energy within this album. I heavily associate it with this sign because it also speaks to an element of hedonism, as there are clear indications of money/material belongings/love never being enough from life, but I’d consider that aspect to be an extreme.

Songs I Recommend: Gabby (feat. Janelle Monáe), Under Control, Palace/Curse (feat. Steve Lacy & Tyler, The Creator), Get Away, + Girl (feat. KAYTRANADA)

Gemini: Notion by Tash Sultana (2016)

If you have never heard of this artist or album, I implore you to give them a listen, especially if you are a lover of true musicians. This album is difficult for me to describe, mainly because it renders you speechless (which I find funny for a gemini album). It is very mercurial. Tash (this artist is genderfluid and goes by they/them pronouns) was groundbreaking with this album, with it only having a mere 6 songs, and they each hold a different tone yet carry the same message. Tash really shows how exploratory/changeable they are when it comes to various sounds and emotions throughout one song. This album is so varied, tantalizing, and profound. It’s even more mind blowing knowing they created all of these songs on their own and played every single instrument themselves. No joke. Bonus points for Tash being a gemini sun! The lyricism is also very powerful here, as they discuss topics of coming into oneself, paving new paths, and the ramifications of toxic love and habits. This album carries so much versatility and musical passion and that’s really all I can think to say. Such a fantastic introduction. Bravo.

Songs I Recommend: Jungle, Synergy, Notion, Gemini, + Big Smoke

Cancer: + by Ed Sheeran (2011)

Ohhh my. This album still has my heart under lock and key. I had to give cancer (specifically moon and asc) this album because it’s just so delicate and so extremely precious. This album feels like drinking a warm cup of tea while wrapped in a blanket and it’s drizzling outside during fall. Literally. The water/cardinal element and energy is very present here. The way Ed put each song in order to flow so perfectly and cover nearly every emotion was just beautiful. The feeling in this album is very heavy and raw, discussing deep traumas, heartbreak, grief, and addiction; yet also focuses on the sheer joy/love of life and the confidence that can be found within it. This album screams cancer. Bonus points because Ed is a cancer ascendant! He really poured himself into this one and dug very deeply into his own heart. I just feel like this one isn’t debatable or even should be explained. It’s soft, saucy, simple, solemn, and comforting. Honestly, what more can I say? It’s just a perfect cozy album especially if you need a good cry or have been bit by the love bug.

Songs I Recommend: Lego House, Grade 8, Kiss Me, Give Me Love, + Sunburn

Leo: Electra Heart by Marina & The Diamonds (2012)

This is another one of my favorites. It’s timeless, satirical, and downright genius if you ask me. It has a nuance of impulsivity and pomp that is so electrifying; paired with heavy bass and powerful pop beats. It’s leo energy! One thing I have always personally associated with leo placements is power; not only career wise but in their movements, their way of life, and the way they carry themselves. This album was and is powerful! It has carried its popularity through two generations of teen/young adult populations and it’s going absolutely nowhere. I still see memes and references to it circulating! The lyricism is what stuck the most for me (personally) as the entire album is a reflection of what society expects and at times demands from young womxn. It is also a reflection of young womxn trying to figure out who they are, to find themselves, and trying to love. It demands you to look at societies’ expectations and how damaging it can be to a person, and that brings forth (imo) a lot of emotion and self reflection.

Songs I Recommend: Teen Idle, Power & Control, Primadonna, Sex Yeah, + Radioactive

Virgo: channel ORANGE by Frank Ocean (2012)

Oof. Okay, here we go. This album carried me through a lot and I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little biased. It’s difficult to describe this album and how it makes you feel. It covers so many things, loneliness, love, desire, addiction, nepotism, etc. Frank has a criticizing lyricism in some of his songs while also being extremely articulate in the delivery (huge virgo energy). There isn’t a single word that is sung or spoke that I don’t understand. This album is quite varied in feeling and carried a lot of mutable energy to me. It is very intellectual, calm, caring, engaging, and changeable. There is an anxious feeling to it as well and it showcases vulnerability in a way that is inviting yet compelling. You can tell Frank put an incredible amount of thought and time into making this album and that speaks so much for virgo placements to me. I’d associate virgo mercury and venus more than the others but they all still apply. Such a thorough and beautifully constructed album. It’s an A+ and always a classic.

Songs I Recommend: Sweet Life, Crack Rock, Thinkin Bout You, Pink Matter (feat. André 3000), + Forrest Gump

Libra: Mylo Xyloto by Coldplay (2011)

I already know I might get shit for this but let me explain myself. This is such a libra album mainly due to its strong focus on being with someone (companionship). There are many songs that focus on being in love and in a relationship. It also focuses on the beauty and pleasure of life and love, which is very venusian. This album takes you on such a beautiful auditory journey that you really never want it to end. It hits the highs and lows, as libra is not always all about love and light, as isn’t any other sign. The band touches on impulsivity, indecision, relationships, and the strength/health of those relationships. Despite its jovial sounds, they can be discussing such deeply poetic subjects. They can really make anything sound pretty; even ones that are really meant to be sad but are still so stunning in its delivery. Coldplay absolutely did something with this one, as it brings forth such an array of emotions and daydreams. Their music (imo) is made for movies (specifically romances or romcoms).

Songs I Recommend: Hurts Like Heaven, Princess of China (feat. Rihanna), Us Against the World, Paradise, + Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall

Scorpio: AM by Arctic Monkeys (2013)

Let me start by saying that this is one of my favorite albums and I still have every song in my library, so obviously, I’m still obsessed. Which leads me to my next point, this album screams “be in love with me, obsess over me, tell me I’m yours and you’re mine” in nearly every song. The lyrics are a bit possessive, very detail oriented, and make many references to knowing something beforehand or finding something out that they already know (intuitiveness). This is scorpio through and through in my opinion. It’s dark, it’s powerful, it’s sly, and it’s captivating. Alex Turner and his leather clad band were honestly the cherry on top of their sound. They looked the part, with their smoldering gazes, gelled and curly classic hair do’s, and black and white filters in their music videos. They also blew up the alternative scene when it came to western style alternative music, so they had a very distinct sound that set them apart from everyone else. Verrrry scorpionic and yes, once again, I am still obsessed.

Songs I Recommend: Arabella, One For the Road, Do I Wanna Know?, Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?, + R U Mine?

Sagittarius: Tourist History by Two Door Cinema Club (2010)

Alright folks, this is another one of my favorites. This is an album that you can dance and/or lose your mind to. There are a lot of metaphors in the lyricism and TDCC did a great job of portraying their messages without revealing much; really leaving it up to you to interpret them in your own way. This album is hard to pin down (much like sagittarius) but focuses mainly on change, passion, independence, travel, taking charge, appreciating life, and appreciating the people you may encounter in your life. It has a very approachable and energizing feel to a lot of the songs and carries that jovial/jupiterian energy that is associated with sagittarius placements. This album has high energy songs and even the low energy ones still have a high to them; much like a rollercoaster. In my opinion, it’s a strong portrayal of the fluctuation of feeling and time, just with its melody and song. This one is very special to me for many reasons, but the biggest one is it just makes me so happy!

Songs I Recommend: What You Know, This Is the Life, Undercover Martyn, Cigarettes In the Theatre, + I Can Talk

Capricorn: Ctrl by SZA (2017)

What a beautiful album. This one I also had on repeat constantly and I know I’m not alone. SZA brought the subjects of internal pressure/expectations of the self and the huge importance of self-worth to the forefront here. It has a huge cardinal energy to it. This is such a coming of age album and focuses a lot on growth of the self and the heart. She really poured herself into this one. It feels very personal, like she is singing straight to you at times, and feels very down to earth as a whole. This album I associate with capricorn asc and venus more than any but I feel like it could apply to other placements as well. Bonus points since SZA is a capricorn asc herself! She used many sound bites of her mother giving her words of true wisdom throughout the album (saturn energy/wisdom from elders) that added a very familial aspect. This album got personal and was very suave and casual in its delivery. It feels like your closest homegirl made it just for you. She was so real for that.

Songs I Recommend: Doves In the Wind (feat. Kendrick Lamar), Prom, Go Gina, Anything, + 20 Something

Aquarius: 2014 Forest Hills Drive by J. Cole (2014)

Y’all, I had this album on repeat constantly in high school. This album is so well rounded and touches on some compelling wordplay; and it’s very poignant and intelligent. J. Cole touches on important topics that most rappers would find difficult or uncomfortable to speak on in their music. This album is very indicative of love/faith and the lack thereof within the self and the community. There are songs that are uplifting, nostalgic, introspective, and at times comical and sexual. There are songs that focus heavily on the rigidity of hyper-masculinity and how hard it can make someone, especially when considering their environment and upbringing. He touches on the hood lifestyle and mindset, growing up in poverty, being the odd one out, and struggling throughout life. This album is two sides of the same coin, casting light on the restriction of the mind, heart, and soul (strong saturn energy) and the beauty of healing. In conclusion, wow, this album opened me up in a way I didn’t think was possible.

Songs I Recommend: Apparently, G.O.M.D, A Tale Of 2 Citiez, No Role Modelz, + St. Tropez

Pisces: Hozier by Hozier (2014)

Where do I even start?! This album is absolutely everything and a bag of chips. It’s affectionate, it’s ethereal, it’s watery, at times lonely, and haunting. The pisces energy is so heavy in this album! It feels like you’re traveling through a forest in search of a lover from a past life; pining, crawling to the one you love. I heavily associate pisces venus with this album (esp with it being exalted in venus). Hozier’s lyricism is poetically profound and transports you to another time with nearly every song. This album has so many elements to it, paying homage to bluegrass, folk, r&b, and fables from his homeland of Ireland. He nurtures the themes of life and death, love and hate, and how they like to mingle with each other. The love he sings for is dreamy and purely devoted, with depth in its rhythm. It’s such a great album to use as an escape as well! This album is incredible and was truly a gift to us all. What an introduction, Hozier.

Songs I Recommend: Run, Cherry Wine, It Will Come Back, Work Song, + In A Week (feat. Karen Cowley)

☥ ombré divider by @cafekitsune ☥

[shefanispeculator]

For the second time in less than a year, patrons at Blake Shelton's Ole Red Tishomingo witnessed the concert debut of one of his teenage stepsons.

Zuma Rossdale, 15 — the middle of three sons Shelton's wife, pop icon Gwen Stefani, shares with her ex-husband, rocker Gavin Rossdale — played his first public performance Monday, July 29 at Ole Red Tishomingo.

Zuma, who will turn 16 on Aug. 21, covered two songs by up-and-coming Oklahoma country music superstar Zach Bryan during the short acoustic set at his stepfather's hometown restaurant, bar and venue.

"I had no idea that he was going to come out ... and sing until Blake started talking," said concertgoer Jamie McGaugh, a devoted Shelton fan from Coalgate. 

"He did mention Kingston, and he said Kingston's influence was Gwen, but Zuma's influence was him — and he was all proud about that."

Zuma Rossdale follows brother Kingston in making his debut at Ole Red Tishomingo

An Ada native, Shelton, 48, made Tishomingo his adopted hometown several years ago, and he opened the first location in his Ole Red bar and restaurant chain there in 2017. The eight-time Grammy nominee is known to occasionally perform at his Johnston County hot spot.

Shelton and Stefani, 54, started dating in 2015 after they met when they were both working as coaches on the hit NBC series "The Voice." The couple live on the sprawling Ten Point Ranch near Tishomingo, where they wed on July 3, 2021.

Last August, Kingston, then 17, played his first public set inside The Doghouse music hall at Ole Red Tishomingo, performing a series of original alternative-rock songs. An encouraging Oklahoma audience of about 400 music lovers witnessed his debut, including McGaugh, and her mother, Lanell Eclair, also of Coalgate.

Which Zach Bryan songs did Zuma Rossdale play at his debut concert in Oklahoma?

For his debut at Ole Red, Zuma performed a more low-key and down-home show. At about 3 p.m. Monday, Shelton posted on X that he was planning to stop by Ole Red Tishomingo at about 5 p.m. that same day.

"I’m coming by to grab some food and thought I’d hop up and play 3 or 4 songs," he posted on the social media site.

McGaugh barely had time to drive from her Atoka workplace back to Coalgate, collect her mom and her daughter, Mazie McGaugh, and get over to Tishomingo. With the short notice, she said Shelton took the stage in the Ole Red restaurant, rather than the Doghouse music hall, for about 100 fans, mostly locals.

"We made pretty good time. It did dawn on me the other day ... 'He wasn't popped up at Tish in a while; I'd better be on alert because he may be gonna do that, because he does it once or twice a year.' You never know about him. But I never dreamed about it being on a Monday night," she said.

"I was shocked when he walked out. I was taken aback ... because I was like, 'Wait, he never has on a cowboy hat."

Along with the white hat, Shelton took the Ole Red stage in a blue plaid shirt, blue jeans and boots, to perform "Playboys of the Southwestern World," a fan-favorite song he dedicated to his youngest stepson, Apollo. Stefani and Apollo watched the show at a table alongside the pop star's sister-in-law, niece and nephews. Both the boys wore cowboy, hats, too, McGaugh said.

Shelton played "Pour Me a Drink," his new duet with Post Malone, solo before introducing Zuma. The teen took the stage dressed in a pale striped button-down shirt, blue jeans, brown boots and a black cowboy hat and carrying an acoustic guitar.

"This is Zuma, everybody," Shelton said, as the crowd cheered appreciatively.

"How y'all doing?" the teen drawled as he settled on a tall stool.

"Get the microphone where they can hear it," Shelton coached, adjusting the microphones for Zuma.

Strumming his guitar, Zuma sang solo on two popular songs by Bryan: "Oklahoma Smokeshow" and "Revival."

Everybody was excited. I think everybody was very open with Kingston. But this was more of the vibe that's over there, the country music. It seemed like everybody knew everything, and it was very shocking how good his voice was. I had no idea. He was very good," McGaugh said.

After earning rousing applause for his two-song set, Zuma yielded the stage back to Shelton, who closed the half-hour acoustic show with his signature song, "Ol' Red."

A Shelton super-fan. McGaugh said she's thrilled that she's now seen both Kingston and Zuma give their first public performances.

"I think those kids love it over here ... and everybody over here loves Gwen and her boys. They really do. I haven't ran into one person that said that they didn't like them, or that they weren't nice," she said

[lynlyndoll]

IDOL LIFE - we are A.Is

genre: smau, fluff, idol au, possible smut hints but i don't think it will be something very detailed (?), angst maybe (sad things WILL happen.)

pairing: idol! han x æspa 5th member! reader

appearances and specifications: ok, so it will be the whole skz, the whole æspa, as for the bestie group that y/n has: yuqi from (g)i-dle, lia and yuna from itzy, minji from newjeans. also, felix is childhood besties w y/n (I HAVE AN UNHEALTHY OBSESSION WITH BEING BESTIES W FELIX IDK). In this au, I invented a new award show, called Korean Music Award, (shortly KMA) so I won't interfere with any other award show that has amazing MCs. Also, this is my first time doing a smau (smile through the pain and struggle 😔) so yall, please be kind😞.

synopsis: Since you have debuted, you have made lots of friends from different groups that you admired. And one group you admired was your bestfriend's group, Stray Kids. Since they debuted, you have been a devotated stan, always buying their merch and albums, always watching their lives, videos and m/vs. However, you haven't had the right time to actually meet everyone face to face, being incredibly occupied with your own group's activities. As you were already a group for over 1 year, you have been selected for being an MC for KMA. What happens though, when you see that you have to MC with one of your biggest idols?

karina (taebackupdancer)

-> position: leader, main dancer, lead rapper, sub vocalist, visual, fotg, center

-> started training in 2017 where she met NingNing and Y/N

-> even though she is the leader, she also has her random funny moments

-> smart, but also dumb in the same time

-> always thought as an AI because of her beauty

giselle (gigikisskiss)

-> position: lead rapper, sub vocalist, dancer

-> started training in 2019 and became friends with Y/N through rap classes

-> ICONIC. aways says he most iconic things

-> gives actual good advices

winter (iluvwinter)

-> position: main vocalist, lead dancer, visual

-> started training in 2016 and became friends with Ningning at first, then she was introduced to the other girls

-> introverted as fuck, but if she has something to say, she WILL say it

-> doesn't actually care if you like her or not, she knows her own value

ningning (nyc.fr)

-> position: main vocalist, maknae

-> she was the first one to start training, in 2016

-> she became friends with Y/N when she got to Korean Lessons

-> wildest and even, sometimez, having some random bursts of energy

-> gets along with EVERYONE

y/n kim (iam_kimtastic)

-> position: main rapper, lead vocalist, dancer, composer

-> literally writes all of the lyrics for aespa's songs

-> the ACE of the group

-> a total MENACE

-> started training in late 2016

-> korean-australian

-> big fan of StrayKids (biases Han and Felix)

-> her private is @/ureallythought and literally all of her friends know about it, but she NEVER accepts their follow on this account

æspa (aespa.official)

-> they debuted in 2021 with the song BLACK MAMBA

-> now they have a new mini album to be released, with the title track GIRLS (yes, I did change the order of the songs and the dates because I felt like GIRLS was their best song ever, even though ALL of their discography is UNSKIPPABLE)

taglist!!

(to be added, just write a comment)

@agi-ppangx @lisaaassophhhieee @hyunjin-lover20

[brightlotusmoon]

_

The era of the epic album:

As rock, folk, and country music grew in popularity so did the ambitions of its best practitioners to make impressive albums. In the mid-60s, after the artistic and commercial success of Bob Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home, musicians began to respond to and compete with each other to make epic music. With Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys’ symphonic Pet Sounds, “pop” had entered the era of the album. By the late 60s, rock musicians who wanted to be thought of as bold, innovative, and artistic were concentrating on long-playing records, at a time when the singles market was hitting a plateau.

Just after the watershed year of 1967 – when stunning albums by The Beatles (Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band) and Jefferson Airplane (Surrealistic Pillow) were released – more and more bands jumped on the album bandwagon, realizing that the format gave them the space and time to create different and challenging sounds. The days of record labels wanting a constant production line of three-minute singles were disappearing. By 1968, singles were being outsold by albums for the first time, helped by the increase in production quality of high-fidelity stereo sound and the idea of the album as an artistic whole. The time spent making long-players changed from hours to weeks, or even months.

This also came at a time when journalism began to give rock music more considered attention. In February 1966, a student called Paul Williams launched the magazine Crawdaddy!, devoted to rock’n’roll music criticism. The masthead boasted that it was “the first magazine to take rock and roll seriously.” The following year, Rolling Stone was launched.

The birth of FM radio:

Another important turning point in the rise of the album had been a mid-60s edict from the Federal Communications Commission, which ruled that jointly owned AM and FM stations had to present different programming. Suddenly, the FM band opened up to rock records, aimed at listeners who were likely to be more mature than AM listeners. Some stations – including WOR-FM in New York – began allowing DJs to play long excerpts of albums. Stations across America were soon doing the same, and within a decade FM had overtaken AM in listenership in the US. It was also during this period that AOR (album-oriented radio) grew in popularity, with playlists built on rock albums.

This suited the rise of the concept album by serious progressive-rock musicians. Prog rock fans were mainly male and many felt that they were effectively aficionados of a new type of epic music, made by pioneers and artisans. The prog musicians believed they were trailblazers – in a time when rock music was evolving and improving. Carl Palmer, the drummer for Emerson, Lake & Palmer, said they were making “music that had more quality,” while Jon Anderson of Yes thought that the changing times marked the progression of rock into a “higher art form.” Perhaps this was the ultimate manifestation of “pop” becoming “rock.”

The avant-garde explosion:

Lyrics in many 70s albums were more ambitious than the pop songs of the 50s and 60s. Similes, metaphors, and allegory began to spring up, with Emerson, Lake & Palmer emboldened to use the allegory of a “weaponized armadillo” in one track. Rock bands, sparked perhaps by Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, seemed to be matching the avant-garde explosion in the bebop era: there was a belief in making albums more unified in theme but more disparate in sound.

In a June 2017 issue of The New Yorker, Kelefa Sanneh summed up the persistent popularity of this new genre by saying, “The prog-rock pioneers embraced extravagance: odd instruments and fantastical lyrics, complex compositions and abstruse concept albums, flashy solos and flashier live shows. Concert-goers could savor a new electronic keyboard called a Mellotron, a singer dressed as a bat-like alien commander, an allusion to a John Keats poem, and a philosophical allegory about humankind’s demise – all in a single song (“Watcher Of The Skies”) by Genesis.”

Genesis were one of the bands leading the way in terms of epic music...

_

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

“You have to understand,” he said, apologetically. “I’ve written over 24,000 songs. I wrote 50 songs yesterday.”

And thus was I ushered into the strange universe of Matt Farley.

Freed from the blinding incandescence of my own name, I could suddenly see the extent of what I had stumbled into. It was like the scene in a thriller when the detective first gazes on the wall of a serial killer’s lair. Papa Razzi and the Photogs is only one of about 80 pseudonyms Farley uses to release his music. As the Hungry Food Band, he sings songs about foods. As the Guy Who Sings Songs About Cities & Towns, he sings the atlas. He has 600 songs inviting different-named girls to the prom and 500 that are marriage proposals. He has an album of very specific apologies; albums devoted to sports teams in every city that has a sports team; hundreds of songs about animals, and jobs, and weather, and furniture, and one band that is simply called the Guy Who Sings Your Name Over and Over.

He also has many, many songs about going to the bathroom. If you have a child under 10 with access to the internet, it is very likely you know some part of this body of work. What he refers to collectively as his “poop songs” are mostly released under two names: the Toilet Bowl Cleaners and the Odd Man Who Sings About Poop, Puke and Pee.

“The Odd Man is more shameless,” he explained. “The Toilet Bowl Cleaners are making statements with their albums,” though the distinction between the former’s “Butt Cheeks Butt Cheeks Butt Cheeks!” and the latter’s “I Need a Lot of Toilet Paper to Clean the Poop in My Butt” may be subtler than he imagines.

Largely, though not entirely, on the strength of such songs, Farley has managed to achieve that most elusive of goals: a decent living creating music. In 2008, his search-engine optimization project took in $3,000; four years later, it had grown to $24,000. The introduction of Alexa and her voice-activated sistren opened up the theretofore underserved nontyping market, in particular the kind fond of shouting things like “Poop in my fingernails!” at the computer. “Poop in My Fingernails,” by the Toilet Bowl Cleaners, currently has over 4.4 million streams on Spotify alone. To date, that “band,” and the Odd Man Who Sings About Poop, Puke and Pee, have collectively brought in approximately $469,000 from various platforms. They are by far Farley’s biggest earners, but not the only ones: Papa Razzi and the Photogs has earned $41,000; the Best Birthday Song Band Ever, $38,000; the Guy Who Sings Your Name Over and Over, $80,000. Dozens of others have taken in two, three or four digits: the New Orleans Sports Band, the Chicago Sports Band, the Singing Film Critic, the Great Weather Song Person, the Paranormal Song Warrior, the Motern Media Holiday Singers, who perform 70 versions of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” substituting contemporary foods for figgy pudding. It adds up. Farley quit his day job in 2017.

“People like to criticize the whole streaming thing, but there’s really a lot of pros to it,” he said. Indeed, in 2023, his music earned him just shy of $200,000, about one halfpenny at a time.

Farley’s earnings help fund his multiple other creative endeavors. He records what he calls his “no jokes” music. This includes a two-man band he’s been in since college called Moes Haven, which once recorded an album a day for a year. He hosts two podcasts, one about his work and the other recapping Celtics games. And he makes movies: microbudgeted, determinedly amateur but nevertheless recognizably cinematic features starring himself and his family and friends. (They feature a spectacular array of New England accents.) In most, Farley plays some version of himself, a mild-mannered, eccentric hero projecting varying degrees of menace. Farley and his college friend Charlie Roxburgh are in the midst of a project in which they have resolved to release two full movies per year. The model, Farley said, was inspired by Hallmark Movies: “If this movie stinks, good news, we’re making another in six months!” Their most popular work remains “Don’t Let the Riverbeast Get You!” (2012), a charmingly shaggy tale of a cryptid threatening a small New England town. It features Farley’s father as a big-game hunter named Ito Hootkins.

[reviewsbyliam]

Robbie Z

INTERVIEW #01

18.09.2023

Written by LW

Photos via @iamrobbiez (IG)

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Waking up and realizing the life you're living isn't exactly what you desire anymore and deciding to pursue your passion, move to a city in another country and devote yourself to trying to become somebody in the world can be an extremely scary thought for many, but not for this one person.

Today, the first guest on my blog that has been kind enough to sit and speak with me about the stories behind not only himself but also his music and the pain and happiness that has accompanied him along the way is aspiring independent artist, Robbie Z.

L: Hey, Robbie! Thank you for taking the time to speak with me about yourself and your career today, I really appreciate it! You are the first artist to be interviewed on my blog, so it is an absolute pleasure of mine to accommodate your story today!

R: Hi Liam, so nice to meet you! Congratulations on starting your blog! This is really cool, good luck with it! And thank you for having me as your first guest, it's an honour!

L: Thank you so much, Robbie! It's kind of crazy and I cant thank you enough for the opportunity to do this together, now let's get into it!

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L: You started your professional career in 2018, it's now 2023, whats the journey been like for you?

R: Ahh, it's been so exciting! Music is what I want to do long term. It's my passion, so growing up doing that and learning from my mistakes has been amazing. It's an amazing thing that I started so young to be honest. I always knew I wanted to do this; I started recording covers in 2014, when I was 11/12 and started writing my own music when I was 15 in 2017! So, when I was around 14, I thought "huh.. I wanna do that? Then I might as well start now if I wanna get good at it young." Because when I started I was really bad haha… but it also helped me get thick skin in terms of bullying etc. it's been amazing, but it's truly only the beginning!

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L: I've seen that you have inspiration from Iggy Azalea, who else in the music industry compels you to want to do more?

R: I've always been a fanboy.. Some incredible women besides Iggy who "raised me" as an artist are definitely; Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus. More recently, I've been really loving Madison Beer, Lil Nas X, Olivia Rodrigo, Charli XCX, Taylor Swift.. I get really inspired by these artists to work hard and achieve all my goals. It really drives me forward.

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L: The vibe of The Butterfly Trap is very fresh, a total feeling myself energy, but it also includes emotional parts that relate to the listeners life - what kind of vibe can we expect from the new project?

R: Ahhh, thank you! Writing the first EP, I was kind of in a tough spot mentally.. I wrote it from the ages of 18 to 19 and I was going through a lot of stuff that I couldn't understand in my life which made me very confused, sad, angry… This new project is totally different.

First of all, it's elevated in terms of quality in the songwriting, recording etc. Secondly, in "The Butterfly Trap", I was really vague while talking about the struggles.. Masking them in a lot of metaphors. I was afraid to speak of these topics in songs as I was still going through what I was going through while writing. This new project "Dear Diary," is more so me reflecting on situations whilst also having fun, a less anxious, more out going alter-ego of mine! But, as fun as it is, it also has some deep messages that really cut deep for me and it just even feels a little uncomfortable when someone listens to some of these new songs as they're so personal to me. Hence the name, "Dear Diary". It's supposed to be inspirational and honest, but it also talks about lots of different topics such as following your dreams, getting your dreams taken away from you, one sided love, letting yourself live freely.. It's basically 6 different diary entrees of mine put into songs.

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L: I've noticed you have a lot of unique sounds. Do you enjoy being multi genre and having the ability to switch flows whilst also being able to use sounds that seperate you from the rest?

R: Honestly? I love mixing genres. I love rap verses with pop hooks, rock hooks, punk, ballads, anything. But, I've been spending time trying to find my sound and I think I've finally found one that is just perfectly me, right now. This new single '5 Dollars & a Dream' is exactly what I would want to be remembered with regarding the genre, flow, lyrics etc. I don't want to give myself any labels as a "pop artist" or a "rock artist" etc. I just consider myself a rapper/singer who likes to change. But Pop Rap is what I would describe it as if I have to!

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L: 5 dollars + a dream (a song that is beautiful by the way and extremely reminiscent of Iggy's earlier work which I LOVE entirely) , whats the story behind this track and what was the process like behind making it?

R: Oh my god, thank you so so much!! This song means the most to me so I really appreciate the nice words. The story behind the track… I think it's pretty straight forward to be honest, which is why I'm a little afraid of people hearing it. It's about knowing what you want to do, having started that and just following your dreams (as lame as it sounds). The song talks about some parts of my story, which I've never been vulnerable about in songs before. And not letting myself give up. Making the song was an absolute blast. One night a few years ago I was in my bed, in my home town in Bulgaria, and I thought of the phrase "I got five dollars and a dream…" with the melody and I wrote it down, then last year as I was packing up to move to London, I wrote the first verse which goes like "I took all of my belongings and I put them in a suitcase…" Initially I wanted it to be a song I write for my first album one day, but it just felt right so I brought it to my producer "SojBoj" , we made the instrumental and a demo and then I wrote the second verse and recorded it! It was really fun!

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L: There is a lot that goes into being an independent artist, how has that been for you so far? Have you had any label offers yet?

R: Being indie or signed each have their own ups and downs / good and bad sides, it just really depends on what an artist wants.. For me? I've been fortunate enough to grow, learn and find myself as an independent artist. I couldn't imagine starting out with a record deal from the beginning. But now I feel I'm ready to get signed and get this party started. Being indie obviously gives me the opportunity to have full creative control which I'm not willing to sacrifice. Whilst it's not for everyone, for me, when the right deal comes, it'll definitely be something I do, because the connections and resources a label has are so worth it for a young artist like me.

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L: Who have been your main musical inspirations behind this new project thats coming later this year?

R: Ahh! Well, whilst there hasn't been a specific one, I'd say, of course I'm always super influenced by Iggy Azalea; especially her first album 'The New Classic'. '5 Dollars & a Dream' is actually kind of inspired by her song 'Work'. But I'm also now inspired by a lot of punk rock music, more contemporary pop-rocky songs, A lot of just everyday things that I romanticise and turn into songs. Sonically, I make what I want to hear, putting my own input on the kind of music I like. Like a mixture of everything I like, quite literally.

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L: You're doing a show at the Metre Squared In London after the single drops, are you excited to perform and what should people expect to see?

R: I love performing! Back in Bulgaria, I had some performing experience, but when Covid hit, it was hard to get performances.. I did a car-concert, it was super fun! I was in a big truck performing to around 100 cars! I was an opening act for a drive-in movie theatre. When I moved to London though, that is when it really started for me with the performances. I've done some shows the past year that amazed me with the amount of people who came to have fun and listen to music, but also the people who actually know my songs and connect with it, it's my favourite thing in the world. The show is coming up on the 14th of October in Metre Squared in London, and tickets for that show are on sale now! I'm super excited. It'll be the first time I perform my EP, prior to it's release!

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L: With your new music coming very rapidly, and a show coming up around the corner, are you looking forward to what the future holds for you and where your art will take you?

R: I am a very goal orientated person, I've got lots of big and smaller goals that I will accomplish soon. I don't like sharing those before they come true, but I have to say; I've got something that I'm working really hard for that I really hope to get to do within the next year. Plus also, always lots of new music! I've got stuff planned for even after the EP, and my releases will become more often too!

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L: For our last question, Robbie, I want to ask you - who in the music industry, whether it be a singer, rapper, producer, writer, absolutely anyone, who would you love to work with the most and why?

R: There's a bunch of people I admire and would find it an honour to work with, but off the top of my head, I'd say a producer that I would really want to work with one day is Jack Antonoff! He's incredible, it seems like to be so much fun working with him. Dan Nigro is another one, he created Olivia Rodrigo's first two albums with her, he's amazing! Artist-wise, Iggy Azalea. She inspired me to start all of this craziness, she helped me find my path when I was really young and I just admire her for a hundred other reasons, it would be CRAZY. I think maybe a song of mine with Ice Spice or Charli XCX would be so fun too! Me and Charli XCX have to make a song about cars together one day!

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L: Well, Robbie, it has been absolutely beautiful and a true pleasure speaking with you and getting to hear your thoughts about your music and everything to do with your grind! I would also like to thank you for letting me hear your new single prior to release! I am excited for whats to come from your career given the product that we already have from you and the world should prepare themselves for the undeniable force that is yourself!

R: Thank you so much for having me, Liam. It means so so much to me, the questions were great, they made me think deeper and I really enjoyed it!

L: I'm glad to hear that, Robbie! Once again, thank you SO much for being my first guest on my blog and hopefully this wont be the last time we speak! I look forward to hearing your new EP!

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To anyone reading; Robbie Z's new single '5 Dollars & a Dream' from his new EP 'Dear Diary,' comes out this Friday, September 22nd!

It'd mean the world to me, as his interviewer and to him as an indie artist if you gave it a listen!

You can also buy tickets to his upcoming show on October 14th at Metre Squared in London in his INSTA BIO (@iamrobbiez)!

----------------------------------------------------

Thank you for reading my FIRST EVER INTERVIEW!

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[variantoutcast]

Get to know the blogger game!

I was tagged by: @dinluke 💙 [blue heart emoji]

• Share your wallpaper:

My redflag is that my laptop always has the default and I haven't set my phone background since I got a new one last year

• Last song you listened to:

"bad reputation" by Joan Jett. @psionicowl has a CD and that was playing last time we were in the car together <3

• Currently reading:

"Devotions" by Mary Oliver! It's the first time I've read a poetry book before, and several months later I'm 90% of the way through it! I like most of her stuff I've read so far. I also finished "Time is the Simplest Thing" by Clifford Simak, which I really loved! It's a sci fi novel published in the 60's. I'm going to start "Borne" by Jeff VanderMeer. I like most of his other stuff I've read so far, so I'm looking forward to cracking it open.

• Last movie:

"Logan" (2017), which was a few months ago. I really prefer TV shows to movies most of the time. Logan is one of my favorite movies though

• Last show:

The last show I finished was "Shadow and Bone", and I'm currently (re)watching "Better Call Saul" (with an odd "House M.D." or "Psych" episode thrown in here and there)

• Craving:

Human companionship 😭[crying emoji]. Also artisan mills farmhouse cheddar crackers [link]

• What are you wearing:

A dark green short sleeve tshirt and brick red sweat shorts, and wristwatch (digital, black, and definitely not smart)

• How tall are you?

5 feet 8 inches

• Piercings:

I have an eyebrow piericing and an industrial piercing! I'd love to get my lobes pierced (again...) and maybe a second eyebrow piercing!

• Tattoos

I have the solar system across my left collar bone and a blackwork cloud with lightning coming out of it, and an eye through the center (almost an exact, just slightly cleaned up reproduction of a sketch I did!) On my left shoulder. I want to get a sleeve on that arm of cryptids and vines, and I'd love to tattoo my scalp some day with vines.

• Glasses/contacts:

I can only see 4 inches from my face without glasses, so I wear mine constantly! Sometimes I will get contacts during the summer to make outdoorsy activities easier

• Last thing you ate:

Those goodie girl thin mint knock offs [link]

• Favorite color:

Navy blue is my favorite, but I also love brick red, dark green, and yellow!

• Current obsession:

Having a sewing kick! Media wise I'm coming off "Shadow and Bone" lockdown and reigniting "Better Call Saul" brain. I have some lingering "Severance" and "Andor" brainworms too. "The Mandalorian" has been so disappointing lately that I barely care about it all.

• Pets:

I have a halloween moon crab named Candy Corn and an asian spiny toad named Breaker

• Favorite fictional character:

Fuck. Evil question. Castiel from "Supernatural" and Ahsoka from "Star Wars" probably

• Last place you traveled:

To work 😭[crying emoji]

No pressure tags!

@stormikins @butchghostbird @vampgf @meshla @rogueninja @tamayokny @dykefagz

[zerogate]

In 2013, the Foundational Questions Institute held an essay contest on John Wheeler’s famous question, “It from bit or bit from it?” The contest attracted 170 entries. The institute’s 2015 contest was on the topic “The mysterious connection between physics and mathematics.” In 2017, the theme was “How can mindless mathematical laws give rise to aims and intention?” The director of the Foundational Questions Institute, MIT physicist Max Tegmark, described the burgeoning interest in these questions in his 2014 book, Our Mathematical Universe:

There’s something very mathematical about our Universe, and…the more carefully we look, the more math we seem to find. So what do we make of all these hints of mathematics in our physical world? Most of my physics colleagues take them to mean that nature is for some reason described by mathematics, at least approximately, and leave it at that. But I’m convinced that there’s more to it.

Tegmark assumes that “there exists an external physical reality completely independent of us humans.” But as we’ve already discussed, there are good reasons to believe that reality is actually not completely independent of observation. So what Tegmark is getting at is that the abstract structures provided by mathematics seem to have a life of their own. They don’t just describe it; in some sense, he believes, the purely symbolic language of mathematics literally is the universe.

[...]

In 2014, the online journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, the #1 most-cited journal in academic psychology, published an article entitled “A Call for an Open, Informed Study of All Aspects of Consciousness.” It was signed by 101 scientists from universities and research institutes around the world. As of mid-2017 this article was viewed nearly fifty thousand times, which is greater than 99 percent of all articles published in the Frontiers collection of fifty-nine open-access journals. The article called for increased tolerance for thinking about consciousness in new ways, including ways that challenge the materialistic scientific worldview.

This trend can also be seen in a 2015 article in the ultra-orthodox Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. Giulio Tononi of the University of Wisconsin and Christof Koch of the Allen Institute for Brain Science, both influential thought leaders in mainstream neuroscience, wrote:

Is consciousness—subjective experience—…not only in other people’s heads, but also in the head of animals? And perhaps everywhere, pervading the cosmos, as in old panpsychist traditions and in the Beatles’ song? While these kinds of questions may seem scientifically inappropriate, we argue below that they can be approached in a principled and testable manner.

Entire journal issues are now devoted to the mathematics and physics of consciousness. And post-materialistic ideas are appearing in new journals dedicated to consciousness studies, including Psychology of Consciousness, published by the voice of mainstream academic psychology, the American Psychological Association (APA).

In 2016, the APA also published a book entitled Transcendent Mind, by psychologist Imants Barušs of King’s University College in Canada and neuroscientist Julia Mossbridge of the Institute of Noetic Sciences. Barušs and Mossbridge emphasized this growing movement:

We are in the midst of a sea change. Receding from view is materialism, whereby physical phenomena are assumed to be primary and consciousness is regarded as secondary. Approaching our sights is a complete reversal of perspective. According to this alternative view, consciousness is primary and the physical is secondary. In other words, materialism is receding and giving way to ideas about reality in which consciousness plays a key role.

Philosophers Robert Koons, of the University of Texas at Austin, and George Bealer, of Yale University, write in their 2010 book, The Waning of Materialism:

Materialism is waning in a number of significant respects—one of which is the ever-growing number of major philosophers who reject materialism or at least have strong sympathies with anti-materialist views. It is of course commonly thought that over the course of the last sixty or so years materialism achieved hegemony in academic philosophy….It is therefore surprising that an examination of the major philosophers active in this period reveals that a majority, or something approaching a majority, either rejected materialism or had serious and specific doubts about its ultimate viability.

One of those “major philosophers” is Jerry Fodor from Rutgers University, who wrote, “I think it’s strictly true that we can’t, as things stand now, so much as imagine the solution of the hard problem [of explaining subjective awareness]….I would prefer that the hard problem should turn out to be unsolvable if the alternative is that we’re all too dumb to solve it.” And in case his position was not clear enough, Fodor emphasized that “nobody has the slightest idea how anything material could be conscious. Nobody even knows what it would be like to have the slightest idea about how anything could be conscious.” In a similar vein, the distinguished philosopher Thomas Nagel from New York University writes in his 2012 book, Mind and Cosmos,

It is prima facie highly implausible that life as we know it is the result of a sequence of physical accidents together with the mechanism of natural selection….My skepticism is not based on religious belief, or on a belief in any definite alternative….I realize that such doubts will strike many people as outrageous, but that is because almost everyone in our secular culture has been browbeaten into regarding the reductive research program as sacrosanct.

The bottom line is this: Throughout science and scholarship a basic principle of the Perennial Philosophy—that consciousness is fundamental—is slowly becoming acceptable to talk about. Within science this notion tends to be cast into the more conventional language of information and mathematics, but the connection with consciousness is undeniable. After centuries of life-threatening suppression, the societal shift that now allows scientists and scholars to publicly discuss consciousness in a new light might seem like a trifling matter. But it’s a positively astounding transformation.

-- Dean Radin, Real Magic

[starlcts]

(—) ★ spotted!! SERENA QUINN on the cover of this week’s most recent tabloid! many say that the 30 year old looks like RILEY KEOUGH but i don’t really see it. while  the MODEL / SINGER is known for being INDEPENDENT my inside sources say that they have a tendency to be NAIVE i swear, every time i think of them, i hear the song FOOLISH ONE BY TAYLOR SWIFT  {she/her / ciswoman}

𝑩𝑰𝑶𝑮𝑹𝑨𝑷𝑯𝒀

if there was anything who was known to be the epitome of sunshine , it would be serena quinn . born in a sleepy beach town just outside of melbourne australia , she was raised by two hipster parents who owned their own vegan farm . they were older than most parents when their daughter entered the world, but they welcomed her with open hearts and gratitude .

serena was raised on the farm , where they lived off the land and had often no real reason to leave their home . she's always been somewhat of a homebody because of this and is exceptionally proud of the close relationship she has with her parents .

her childhood was spent with her running wild around the property , barefoot and in her favorite pair of overalls . many of her clothes were sewn by her mother or just plain hand me downs , which she donned with great pride .

however , not wanting to rob her of an important experience , her family sent her off to school when it was her time . she was always a little bit different than the other children in her grade , but still likeable nonetheless . she was known for her bright personality and unconditional kindness . always the creative type , she was constantly following her artistic visions whether it be in the classroom or at home . she soon began picking up instruments , gravitating towards the guitar first then piano .

she was scouted by a modeling agent while she was sixteen and at the beach with her friends one january afternoon . initially put off by the fact of being noticed like that , serena convinced herself not to go to the audition . however , after running into the same agent several weeks later , she decided it must have been fate and went to the casting call .

her modeling career took of decently well and soon she was on her first flight to los angeles . it soon became a frequent trip of hers and before she knew it , she had her own condo by the beach .

while the modeling gigs were nice , it wasn't exactly what she was most passionate about . what she really wanted to do was write her own music , and that she did . her first single ' royals ' came out in the spring of 2017 and was an instant hit . her debut album followed that fall and soon became a celebrated indie record .

hot off the success of her first album , she completely immersed herself in the creation of her sophomore album , a project that took five years to complete . during which , she ended up breaking things off with her long - time boyfriend , hendrix bolivar .

she moved to new york to record the album , working until the early hours of the morning . she was dead set on creating the perfect record , something she wasn't even sure existed four years into the process . finally , melodrama was released and received even more acclaim than she could even imagine .

as a person , she's a very down to earth and always tries to stay true to herself amidst all the craziness of the hollywood drama . she can be a bit naive at times , but she's learned a lot throughout her time in the spotlight . she prefers to live a very natural life style , eating a vegan diet and living as sustainably as possible . a true hopeless romantic at heart , she's a passionate individual and will devote herself completely to the person she is with .

fresh off her world tour for melodrama , she's been taking some time to herself before beginning the recording of her third album , rumored to be called solar power .

𝑫𝑰𝑺𝑪𝑶𝑮𝑹𝑨𝑷𝑯𝒀

pure heroine ( 2017 )

melodrama ( 2022 )

solar power — in production

[aliciacrossofficial]

Boygenius’ debut album tour features a stellar lineup onstage

Boygenius, a supergroup that consists of Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker, is touring North America to support their much awaited debut album, The Record.

From June through August, the band will be touring with a group of exceptional musicians that includes Carly Rae Jepsen, Bartees Strange, Claud, Broken Social Scene, and Illuminati Hotties. The tour’s dates are the same as those that were previously made public as part of the Re:Set music festival.

The trio’s tour starts in June after performances at Coachella and another one-off event in California in April. Fans across North America will be able to hear Boygenius’ distinctive style, a fusion of indie rock, folk, and Americana. The tour will be enjoyable for both die-hard fans of the band’s music and those who are just discovering it.

Boygenius has gained popularity ever since their self-titled debut EP was released in 2018 and received praise for its heartfelt lyrics and hauntingly beautiful tunes. Each band member has had a successful solo career; most recently, well-liked albums have been released by Bridgers, Dacus, and Baker.

They have never collaborated on a full-length project before, and since The Record’s announcement earlier this year, curiosity in it has been steadily rising.

Four songs from the album have been released, including the brooding and reflective ballad “True Blue,” which showcases the group’s vocal harmonies and songwriting prowess. “Emily I’m Sorry,” which has Bridgers singing lead and the trio’s unusual harmonies lending the song’s lyrics depth and passion, is another great track.

Read also: From Lana Del Rey to Depeche Mode: 5 Picks for Must-Listen New Music

Group’s Album

It is anticipated that The Record will be a moving and powerful album that explores themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. Boygenius’ music has always been intensely personal, and their most recent work is certain to touch listeners viscerally.

Boygenius’ summer tour will feature a group of skilled musicians who are sure to put on a performance that will be remembered for years. Fans who are fortunate enough to witness the band live can anticipate an incredible concert experience. Audiences will be enthralled by the group’s distinctive fusion of indie rock, folk, and Americana and be left wanting more.

Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus have all had fruitful solo careers and amassed devoted fan bases thanks to their distinctive and stirring songs. Since the arrival of her debut album, Stranger in the Alps, in 2017, Bridgers in particular has been making waves in the independent music market…Read More

Source: Celebrity News

[voice-of-anarchy]

Michael Amott: “I like Depeche Mode, but I don’t want Arch Enemy to sound anything like them. I love Jimmy Page, but I don’t want to play like him. I’m happy being me”

“They said I ruined the band”: Michael Amott looks back on his days with Carcass and recounts the creation of Arch Enemy’s explosive new album, Deceivers

With his long black hair covering his eyes and much of his face, Arch Enemy founder Michael Amott sports a wide grin that belies the savagery of the band’s melodic death metal as he saws into his white blood-spattered Dean Tyrant Bloodstorm signature guitar.

Whether rooted in place next to vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, swaying along with fellow Swedish extreme metal veteran, bassist Sharlee D’Angelo, or playing back to back with guitarist Jeff Loomis, Amott unfurls rapid-fire riffs and sky-piecing solos with equal finesse, delighted to be onstage again in front of thousands of fans.

This particular gig, August 14 at the Alcatraz Festival in Kortrijk, Belgium, comes two days after Arch Enemy released their 11th studio album, Deceivers, one of the band’s strongest and most eclectic offerings – which is saying a lot.

Since he formed Arch Enemy in 1995, Amott has been the primary writer for the band’s 11 consistently high-caliber albums, and the architect behind nine other records by his and D’Angelo’s soulful stoner metal supergroup, Spiritual Beggars.

Working with such a diverse range of rock has kept Amott creatively sated and helped him to weather various storms: stressful lineup and label shifts, shifting industry trends and, most recently, the Covid pandemic that prevented Loomis, the band’s lead guitarist, from joining Arch Enemy in the studio.

“I don’t like all the complications, of course, but writing a new album is super fun for me every time, no matter what,” says Amott from his home in Sweden. “And I enjoy it so much, so there’s never any lack of interest or ideas.”

Amott’s enthusiasm is infectious, and his abundant energy – at age 53 – resounds through Deceivers, the band’s first album since 2017’s Will to Power. Deceivers capitalizes on Arch Enemy’s greatest strengths – crushing riffs, hooky guitar licks and an abundance of crafty rhythmic shifts, atmospheric arpeggios and multifaceted vocal cadences  that create a striking balance of euphoric energy and unrelenting aggression.

As soon as it was released, Deceivers was greeted with universal praise and continues to enthrall listeners, whose devotion has turned Arch Enemy into one of the most popular extreme metal bands.

Deceiver, Deceiver has been streamed almost 7.5 million times on Spotify, and two other songs from Deceivers, Handshake with Hell and House of Mirrors each have accrued more than five million streams. For Amott, the goal wasn’t to increase the band’s profile or craft Arch Enemy’s raison d’etre, but simply to use familiar elements to create a new batch of great authentic songs.

“We still have the same team and it’s the same chefs in the kitchen,” Amott says with confidence. “We all know what we can make, so we just said, ‘Okay, let’s come up with a new menu for this season.’ And then you try to use all your ingredients in the best way possible.”

In addition to talking to Guitar World about the excitement that fueled the creation of Deceivers, Amott addressed the challenges of being unable to get Loomis into the studio, Arch Enemy’s unique approach to writing and recording, and whether there’s any life left in Spiritual Beggars.

Five years have passed since you released Will to Power. Were you itching to put out a new record?

“Absolutely. This has always been my passion. It used to be a hobby and then it became a career, so I’m really lucky. But I’ve always really enjoyed making new music, whatever I’m working on.”

Were there any challenges you faced in creating the songs for Deceivers?

“The only time it’s a little bit daunting is in the very beginning when I have no ideas and it’s just like I’m staring at a blank piece of paper. But then before you know it, you have half a song together. Soon after, you have two or three songs. And then you’ve done six or seven and you think, ‘Okay, shit, we’re halfway there.’ And you keep on going.”

What effect did the pandemic have on Arch Enemy?

“We were not so badly affected. We ended our tour for Will to Power on December 15, 2019, and we always planned to take a year off and write an album, so we were not going to play any shows during that time anyway. I guess we got away easy in the beginning. Then, of course, moving into 2021, it became more of a problem for everybody.”

You and drummer Daniel Erlandsson started working on new songs in January 2020. Did you finish writing the album before Covid shut down the music business?

“We accumulated a bunch of riffs and fragments of songs, and over the beginning of the year we put most of the songs together before we got stuck in Sweden. But Sweden didn’t have a lockdown the way the rest of the world did, so me and Daniel could still meet up and work on the demos. We did that through the summer and then we got over to Denmark and recorded the drums. Then, of course, I did my guitars, and we did the bass and vocals.”

Why didn’t Jeff Loomis join you in the studio to record his parts?

“We tried to get him over. We had the correct paperwork, and everyone was tested, but Jeff was not allowed to board the plane. We booked three different flights for him, but it was at a time when everything was shut down and they wouldn’t let him fly to Denmark.”

Did you and Jeff send files back and forth or work over the internet?

“I sent him the parts where I wanted him to record a solo, and then we worked remotely on them. I prefer to record face to face, of course, because in person you can see exactly what’s happening and give immediate feedback based on what you both just experienced in the room.

“When someone’s in America and you’re in Sweden and he’s uploading solos while you’re sleeping and then overnighting them, you don’t have that kind of feedback. When we’re all together, maybe I get inspired by the last part by something he plays. And I’ll go, ‘Well, fuck it. Why don’t you do something at the end of the song as well as an outro. You can just let it fly.’

“That doesn’t work as well when you’re not both there. We tried and did our best and I think his solos on the record are great, but I missed the vibe of recording together.”

You both play solos on the record. How would you compare your styles?

“We have very different, contrasting styles, and I’ve always loved that. It’s like in Iron Maiden. I’ve always liked Adrian Smith’s style compared to Dave Murray’s. Sure, I like Dave Murray, too, but I enjoyed Adrian’s more hard rock, blues style compared to Dave’s legato stuff. I always make sure Jeff has a whammy bar to play with, so we have a lot of Floyd Rose dives.

“I don’t do that, but I like to hear it in the music. He’s in a category of his own, but it comes more from the ’80s shredders. And then, I have the wah pedal, which fits nicely with my sound because my main influences are the classic hard rock guys like Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth, Gary Moore and Frank Marino.”

For your rhythms, you draw from classic thrash in addition to Swedish death metal.

“I think my main influences rhythmically are thrash people like James Hetfield, Dave Mustaine and Slayer. That’s the stuff I grew up on and I love that intensity and that very speedy riffing style. But I also really like Florida death metal guys like Chuck Schuldiner [Death] and Trey Azagthoth [Morbid Angel].

“I’m also influenced by a lot of Judas Priest, Saxon and the other New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands, plus the first few Motörhead records and Accept guitarist Wolf Hoffman. I love a lot of kinds of metal, and I think it all finds its way into the sound of Arch Enemy.”

Did Jeff record any of the rhythm tracks on Deceivers or is that all you?

“I always do them all. I think it works for straight-ahead rock bands to have both guitarists play the rhythms, but this isn’t the Rolling Stones. There’s not that playful interplay between guitarists. It’s more about getting everything really tight. And since I’m writing it, I know exactly how I want it played and sometimes it’s hard to teach that to someone else so it’s as precise as it needs to be on the album.”

Do you write songs one at a time or do you work on multiple pieces simultaneously?

“I always find it really easy to start a song, and then it’s more difficult to wrap it up. You have to come up with the right middle eight, the solo sections, the outro. That’s a lot of stuff that’s got to work together. We usually go into the verse, the pre-chorus, and the chorus and that happens quickly. And we often write a bunch of those before we decide what other parts work in the song. It’s a very emotional process. It’s from-the-heart songwriting. It can’t be a methodical or mechanical thing. For me it’s got to be instinctive and mean something.”

When you hit a creative obstacle, did you ever dip into the riff vault for inspiration?

“No, it was all fresh from the ground up on this record. Daniel also writes music so there are always ideas going around. And I never get tired of playing and playing until something strikes me, so there’s never a shortage of riffs.”

What was the hardest song to play?

“In Sunset Over the Empire, the riff on the verse is a bit demanding. There’s a rapid pattern, and you need a bit of stamina to keep that going.”

Is it ever hard to replicate something onstage that you recorded?

“That happens a lot. I write this stuff and then when we’re rehearsing for the tour, it’s just, ‘Holy shit. What have I done?’ In the studio, I’m sitting down and playing, and it’s very comfortable for me. There’s no pressure. If I make a mistake, I can start again. But then you’ve got to pull all that stuff off live in one take and you’ve got to try to look cool doing it. You can’t look lost or flustered.”

There are more soaring clean vocals and beautiful melodic passages on Deceivers than there were on Will to Power. Is there ever a point where you’re resistant to toning something down too much, or do you like the way the softer parts contrast with the heavier passages?

“I’m very die-hard. I want to keep that metal edge and that heavy vibe, so we don’t experiment with electronic beats and samples and we’re not going to work with pop singers. We don’t hear new bands and get influenced by them to do something more modern.

“When I formed Arch Enemy in 1995, I knew what I wanted to do. There was always an agenda and we’re still on the same path, so the basic formula is the same. The goal now is just to write great songs within the framework of extreme metal and have a lot of melody present, especially in the guitars.”

You were in Carcass in 1993 when the band recorded Heartwork, which is widely considered a breakthrough in melodic death metal.

“I was right there when there was a movement to make death metal more melodic. I’m still proud of what we did on that album and I’m still that simple, stubborn son of a bitch that’s happy doing what I do. I like Depeche Mode, but I don’t ever want Arch Enemy to sound anything like them. I love Jimmy Page, but I don’t want to play like him. I’m pretty happy being me.”

When you worked on Heartwork, did it feel like you were breaking new ground?

“When I was writing This Mortal Coil and Heartwork with [Carcass guitarist] Bill Steer I remember thinking, ‘Shit, Carcass is such a brutal band. I wonder how people are gonna react to this.’ I had never heard any death metal that was that melodic before.

“On Heartwork, we had guitars playing all the harmonies. That had never been done before. Now, it’s commonplace but somebody had to be the first and I think, maybe, that was one of those very first times when that happened. It was pretty cool to be a part of that. Of course, a lot of people who liked early Carcass couldn’t stand that record. They said I ruined the band.”

With Arch Enemy back at full tilt, have you and Sharlee considered working on a new Spiritual Beggars album?

“No, not really. We did our last record, Sunrise to Sundown, in 2016 and right now we have nothing planned. To be honest, it just kind of ran its course. Maybe we haven’t officially split up or anything, but I haven’t really felt inspired to write anything in that style in a long time.”

It sounds like there was a point where you lost interest. Did something happen internally with the band?

“I think it has a lot more to do with Arch Enemy. If I can blame anything for the end of Spiritual Beggars, it’s probably our busy schedule. Arch Enemy has become a much bigger band than it was before. It takes a lot to keep it going and I can’t physically be doing multiple bands anymore.

“But that’s a good thing. I’m not a frustrated guitarist who dreams of doing a solo album so everybody can hear the real me. Because what I do in Arch Enemy is who I am. I get all my energies out with the band. So, this is my real journey.”

[mangomybeloved]

my favorite small artists:

the aces: if you want alternative pop but it's GAY AS FUCK from the lyrics to the music videos, the aces are for you!!

"The Aces, an alternative pop band hailing from Provo, Utah, have known and loved one another for as long as most of them can remember. Henderson and Petty are childhood best friends of the Ramirez sisters, and three of the girls share the experience of growing up and coming out as gay after a Mormon upbringing. (Petty, who is straight, is a devoted ally.)"

"To the people that really need us, I think we're an absolute beacon of light," Cristal says. They've had many fans, especially young queer women, come up to them and say that "what you're doing for women in Utah, women in Salt Lake City – the kind of hope that you give us is just replaceable," she says.

"There's so many queer people who are stuck" in places where they can't always be themselves, Cristal says. "How can we give up on those people? I think we have to keep fighting to create safe spaces everywhere we possibly can." x

some of my favorite songs from them: girls make me wanna die/attention/i've loved you for so long

:::

Kississippi: if you're a fan of chappell roan's aesthetics and looking for a new pop singer to love, may i recommend kississippi!!!

"Before putting it out, aware of the sonal leap, she wondered, Are people gonna be down with this? “And then I was like, well, how could they not be down with this if this is the best thing I’ve ever done?” That level of confidence can only stem from the gut feeling that Reynolds is finally making music cut from cloth that is wholly her own—a prismatic assortment of electric shades and sparkles." x

some of my favorite songs from her: we're so in tune/around your room/cut yr teeth

:::

UCHE YARA: An artist based in Berlin, I adore her music cause it's such a mix of pop and soul and jazz/various music genres and it's so invigorating to do exercise to!! 10/10 would recommend!

“My dream is to have that moment where people scream my lyrics back at me. Where we just sing together and people feel understood. I want to share that experience with the whole room.

“I’m a fan girl too, so I know how beautiful it feels to stand in the audience and feel so connected to the artist on stage. I want to give that to people and show them: ‘I see you. Let’s do this together.’” x

some of my favorite songs from her: www she hot/sophie/panama

:::

future teens: a rock/bummer pop band from boston consisting of 4 friends i found through my spotify weekly and they're just so good, they're like the music that plays in a montage of a movie and it's just 10/10!!!

"While FUTURE TEENS may make you feel less alone, in most cases they will not physically be present during your listening. FUTURE TEENS formed in 2014 with little aspiration outside of playing a Fourth of July BBQ. In the subsequent years the band wrote and released more songs, steadily growing more serious about their goals. In 2017, they released HARD FEELINGS with TAKE THIS TO HEART RECORDS. Use of FUTURE TEENS may lead to random and frequent crying punctuated with strangely joyful laughter.  FUTURE TEENS is not liable for any emotional distress caused by listening." x

some of my favorite songs from them: in love or whatever/frequent crier/BYOB

:::

weston estate: an indie music band who are everything to me cause 4 of the 5 members are desi boys <333 and i always have to rep for my fellow brown kids!! PLUS THEIR MUSIC IS SO GOODDD

"It always makes us really happy to hear other people of color come up to us and say that they feel represented by us and that they’re proud of how far we’ve come as a band of color. It makes us feel like what we’re doing is actually having an impact on people and making them feel heard and understood in ways that they usually don’t see in traditional media. That’s always an amazing feeling and it has a profound impact on all of us every single time we hear it. At the same time, the last thing we want to do is be boxed in as the “brown boy band,” since, at the end of the day, our music and personalities should speak for themselves. By the time we’re done, there should be so many other bands of color succeeding in this industry that it becomes normal and doesn’t even need to be mentioned." x

my favorite songs from them: pears/stoked/slowly

enough about taylor swift already. reblog and tag the smallest, least known artist you listen to

[ear-worthy]

Five Best Music Podcasts Of 2024

A podcast about music is a natural fit for podcasting since music and podcasting are audio formats. However, the ability to play clips of songs during a show is fraught with innumerable threats of lawsuits, cease & desist orders, and financial risk. 

Despite that drawback, music podcasting represents an area of strength for podcasting. Song Exploder even collaborated with Netflix to produce episodes with artists like Dua Lipa.

As I've mentioned before, Ear Worthy uses a panel of people from around the U.S., from Texas to California, New Jersey to Oregon, and Alabama to New Hampshire. Also, we do not choose the low-hanging fruit of podcasts with high visibility because of marketing by their podcast network. Just because a podcast has thousands of downloads does not make it a quality, ear-worthy show.

 In no particular order, here are Ear Worthy's Five Best Music Podcasts of 2024.

**************************************** 

Switched On Pop

Switched on Pop launched in 2014, quickly growing a devoted audience before joining Vox in 2019, where it moved from a biweekly to a weekly schedule and more than tripled its downloads.

Switched On Pop is hosted by musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding.

Harding is a music journalist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He is the executive producer and co-host of Switched on Pop and the co-author of Switched on Pop: How Popular Music Works and Why it Matters, published by Oxford University Press in 2019, and nominated for a 2021 PROSE Award for Excellence in Humanities by the Association of American Publishers.

Nate Sloan is an assistant professor of musicology at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, and the co-author of Switched on Pop: How Popular Music Works and Why it Matters, published by Oxford University Press in 2019, and nominated for a 2021 PROSE Award for Excellence in Humanities by the Association of American Publishers.

Besides the strong chemistry between Harding and Sloan -- sometimes funny, sometimes sarcastic, and other times competitive -- the podcast is an "under the hood" look at the music world.

"Must-listen" episodes this year include: Fleetwood Mac perfected turning drama into hits, the last decade of pop explained, and Sabrina Carpenter is more than short n' sweet.

*********************************************

  Slate's Hit Parade

Who has the most number one songs of all time on the Billboard 100 chart? The Beatles, of course, with 20. What is the best performing song of all time on the charts? The Twist by Chubby Checker in 1961. And the song that spent the most weeks at number one on the Billboard chart? Well, it’s a tie – Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee with Justin Bieber on Depacito in 2017 and Mariah Carey and Boys II Men on One Sweet Day in 1995 into 1996. Both songs spent an amazing 16 weeks at number one.

Now, if any of this knowledge of popular songs and artists holds any interest for you then Slate’s Hit Parade podcast should be number one on your playlist. The podcast is hosted by Chris Molanphy, a chart analyst and pop critic, who writes about the intersection of culture and commerce in popular music.

Molanphy is the perfect deejay – if you will – for the podcast. His “made for audio” voice is crisp, authoritative, passionate and brewing with the aural magic of a master storyteller. And he can weave some stories. Molanphy and Hit Parade don’t just spit out pearls of music trivia. The show covers trends, directional switchbacks, and the shifting tides of the audience, who truly determine the direction of popular music.

Hit Parade began in the Spring of 2017, and is a podcast cleverly built for several audiences. For pop music nerds who can tell you that Shania Twain’s 1997 album Come On Over is the fourth highest selling album of all time. For people who attend trivia nights for more than the $2 beers, it’s the challenge of answering music trivia questions. For casual music listeners, it’s the storytelling prowess of Chris Molanphy, the host. And for popular culture observers, it’s the linkage between politics, economics, race and popular music preferences that makes the podcast a terrific listen. 

*********************************************

A History Of Rock Music In 500 Songs Andrew Hickey presents a history of rock music from 1938 to 1999, looking at five hundred songs that shaped the genre.

Creator and host, Brit Andrew Hickey is in familiar territory here. He is the author of several books about popular music, including ones on the Beach Boys, the California music scene in the 60s and 70s, and The Monkees. If you want a thumbnail sketch of popular music, its iconic songs and influential artists, this podcast is not for you. Hickey immerses you in each song and the artist that recorded the tune. Episodes can run for longer than two hours. Hickey doesn't skim, he dives deep, and it shows.

For example, in song # 144 by The Monkees, Hickey discusses the origin of the group, the biography of the four members, and their impact on popular music. Hickey fascinates us with small details. On the night of The Beatles first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show -- February 9, 1964, Monkees band member Davy Jones played The Artful Dodger from the Broadway cast of Oliver on the same show as the Beatles's first U.S. appearance. 

Hickey dives into the subtle anti-war message in the song, "Last Train To Clarksville" and details the melodic similarity of the song to the classic country song, Night Train To Memphis" by Roy Acuff.

Did you know that Buffalo Springfield were once called Buffalo Fish? Or Pink Floyd was called The Tea Set? 

Hickey isn't just a nugget full of music trivia, he's an incisive analyst of music, its melodic DNA, and its cultural relevance.

 My favorite episodes this year include: Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys, Respect by Aretha Franklin, For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield, and I Was made To Love Her by Stevie Wonder.

Hickey, with his throaty, monochromatic voice, is a master storyteller, who weaves multiple story lines into a larger tale of how music affects society and how social upheaval affects music.

***************************************

Behind The Song Hubbard Broadcasting started Behind The Song in September 2018 with its first episode focusing on David Bowie's hit song, Heroes, which would be recognizable to many as the song at the end of the 2000 Keanu Reeves - Gene Hackman football movie, The Replacements. 

Here's the podcast marketing pitch: "Dig deep into the lyrics of classic rock songs and the storytellers that created them in Behind The Song, a podcast by The Drive's Janda Lane. Hear what was happening behind the scenes while some of the most iconic songs in rock history were being written.

With Lane's background, knowledge, and track record, it’s little wonder that Behind the Song has proven to be a popular podcast destination.

Here's the format and structure of the show. First, the episodes are blissfully short and yet content-rich at about 15 minutes. Second, Lane is an exceptional narrator infusing drama, pathos, and a respect for the creative process in her tale.

Second, Lane knows how to tell a story. For example, for an episode about Mr. Blue Sky by ELO, Lane starts by setting the scene. Band leader, Jeff Lynne, is in Switzerland in 1977 to write songs for the group's upcoming album, Out Of The Blue. Lynne arrived to a two-week period of constant rain and miserable weather, which clogs his creative muse. Then one day, the sun suddenly comes out and Lynne finds the path to write the lyrics and music to Mr. Blue Sky. Lane leaves an Easter egg for us, just as Lynne did for vinyl listeners at the end of the song, where most listeners think they hear, "Mr. Blue Sky" repeated. In reality, Lynne says, "Turn the record over" since the song ends side three of the double album. As a podcast host, Lane excels here. You would think that radio DJs would naturally excel as podcast hosts with their broadcast experience, but that's not always been the case. Lane, however, has perfect pitch for the podcast. It's clear that the show is not a job but also a passion, and that intensity flows into her narration.

********************************************

Music History Monday  Music History Monday, is a must-listen for those listeners with a passion for music -- all kinds, from different times, and from different artists.

The show's tepid marketing pitch is this: "Explore Music History with Professor Robert Greenberg one Monday at a time. Every Monday Robert Greenberg explores some timely, perhaps intriguing and even, if we are lucky, salacious chunk of musical information relevant to that date, or to … whatever. If on (rare) occasion these features appear a tad irreverent, well, that’s okay: we would do well to remember that cultural icons do not create and make music, but rather, people do, and people can do and say the darnedest things."

So over 120 episodes, what does the podcast cover? Everything and everybody. The episodes are short and appropriately so, about twenty minutes. On one of my favorite episodes, Greenberg marked the birth on April 15, 1894 – 130 years ago today – of the American contralto and blues singers Bessie Smith.  Appropriately nicknamed “The Empress,” Bessie Smith remains one of the most significant and influential musicians ever born in the United States.

Greenberg has profiled cellist and conductor Arturo Toscanini, Bob Dylan, Swan Lake by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Don McLean's American Pie, Ashbury Street in San Francisco in the 1960s, Robert Moog and his synthesizer, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and so many more conductors, musicians, singers, and songs. 

The driving force here is the host, Robert Greenberg, who received a BA in music, magna cum laude, from Princeton University in 1976.  In 1984, Greenberg received a Ph.D. in music composition, With Distinction, from the University of California, Berkeley. 

**************************************************

Honorable Mention: Song Exploder, Questlove Supreme, Disgraceland.

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2007 - Number 51 - Slobodan Trkulja i Balkanopolis - "Nebo"

Slobodan is a musical prodigy. He taught himself to play clarinet at the age of ten. By eighteen, he could play another twelve instruments. Initially he played traditional Serbian folk music, including playing with the band Kolo and studying music both at school and university.

When he was twenty he moved to the Conservatorium van Amsterdam to study saxophone - another instrument he'd recently picked up. His studies were interrupted by the war and NATO bombing of Serbia, but he did graduate by 2004.

During this time, he'd formed his own band - Balkanopolis. He found inspiration in the religious music of Kovilj Monastery, making connections between the music of the Orthodox church and the traditional music of Serbia he'd been playing for some time. Together with Balkanopolis this led him to establish a new tradition - the Modern Balkan Tradition of music - which has not only gone on to inspire numerous Balkan musicians, but has also been recognised by musicologists as a distinct new genre.

That brought him to Serbia's first ever solo national final, Beovizija 2007. The music he brought was not like the other music either in this national final nor at Eurovision. Steeped in religious tradition, it is music as a prayer. It sounds like music you could hear spilling from the doors of a Balkan orthodox church, but is entirely new - even if it speaks of devotion and praising a new day. This is the sound of Matins or Lauds but for a new era. Deeply felt and deeply experienced. Небо (Nebo/Sky) was something that enthralled and moved the Serbian audience.

It would have been novel for Eurovision, but fell just short. It made it to second-place at Beovizija, most notably finishing second in the televote. The people at home felt an immediate connection.

The most interesting outcome from a Eurovision perspective is that RTS put this forward to the annual OGAE second-chance contest. A contest that is voted for by fan groups across Europe and typically favours pop and girl bops. Nebo stood out a mile, but that difference and spirituality meant that it still got votes - finishing fourteenth of twenty songs in a pan-Eurovision contest.

It was the last time that Slobodan entered a national final, but he'd made a nationwide impression and he had one more Eurovision duty to perform. He and Balkanopolis were invited to compose and perform music for the interval act of the 2008 Eurovision contest first semi-final - and I'm sure I'll get to that next year.

He went on to incorporate jazz in his arsenal of musical influences, recording his second album at Real World studios in the UK alongside Peter Gabriel. He's played with the Metropole Orchestra, organised humanitarian concerts and also taken traditional Serbian music to arenas - he's played to crowds of over 10,000 making him one of traditional music's biggest stars.

Here's the twentieth anniversary concert for Balkanopolis performed live on RTS in 2017.

[concerthopperblog]

Infinite Health Tour: Tycho Live at The Eastern

Grammy-nominated, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and composer Tycho announced their first headlining tour since 2020 on June 20, on their social media accounts to the delight of their devoted fanbase. Fresh off the release of their new album, Infinite Health, Tycho announced the Infinite Health Tour would cross over to Canada as well. I was excited to see the Infinite Health Tour have a tour stop at one of my favorite music venues in Atlanta, The Eastern. For this leg of the Infinite Health Tour, the electro-pop duo Brijean would be holding down the duties as opening support. I remember first seeing Tycho perform live at the 2015 installment of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. Then a few years later in 2017, I watched him perform while I was doing photography at the now-defunct Sloss Music & Arts Festival in Birmingham, Alabama. Growing up with electronic artists like Massive Attack, Morcheeba, Portishead, and Zero 7, it is nice to find artists still carrying that proverbial house/trip-hop/ambient music torch.

Brijean is a disco/house/electro-pop duo from Los Angeles, CA. Brijean consists of songwriter and percussionist Brijean Murphy (of Toro Y Moi and Poolside) and Doug Stuart (producer/multi-instrumentalist) and has been making people dance since 2018. Brijean has released four (4) LPs and nine (9) singles/remixes, their latest release, Macro, was released July 12, 2024, off Ghostly International. This would be my first time catching Brijean live, and I was excited to see what they were all about. I thoroughly enjoyed some songs off their latest album, Macro, so I hoped to hear either “Euphoric Avenue” or “Breathe”. Brijean kicked off the evening right with their smooth, electro-pop sounds and held the crowd’s captivation for the duration of their set. And I was thrilled to see the large crowd that had come early to catch Brijean open this evening. Brijean did not disappoint with their perfect opening set, and one could see smiles on everyone as you walked through The Eastern during their performance.

You can follow Brijean on Bandcamp, where you can buy some of their merchandise, and stream some incredible music. You can also watch a full performance on YouTube from their Live on KEXP from August 7, 2024.

Tycho, whose real name is Scott Hansen, is a musician/record producer/composer/songwriter based in San Franciso, CA. Tycho has been active since 2022 and has released seven (7) LPs, two (2) EPs, thirteen (13) singles, and one (1) remix album. I highly recommend listening to Dive, Awake, Epoch, and Infinite Health if you are just starting to listen to Tycho’s remarkable catalog. Hansen also dabbles in photographic and design work and is known as ISO50. Hansen is a perfect example of a renaissance man as one looks over all their accomplishments in the music and art industry. While on the Infinite Health Tour, Tycho consists of Hansen (synthesizers/guitar/bass/visuals/programming), Zac Brown (bass/guitar), Billy Kim (bass/keyboards/synthesizers/visuals), and Rory O’Connor (drums/percussion).

Tycho started their set with a track off their latest album, “Phantom”, and followed it up with two of my favorite songs from his discography: “Spectre” off Awake and “Hours” off Dive. It has been a few years since I saw Tycho last, and I can tell you they have not missed a step with their live performances. Their setlist spanned across six of his seven studio albums, so there was a little something for everyone in attendance. Getting to hear “Time to Run” was one of the highlights for me this evening, and I could see so many people dancing and enjoying their evening as well. It was good to see people leave their troubles and worries at the entrance and just have some fun for at least a few hours that evening.

You can see Tycho’s setlist from their performance at The Eastern below:

·         “Phantom”

·         “Spectre/Hours”

·         “Weather (Vamp)”

·         “Consciousness Felt”

·         “A Walk”

·         “Green”

·         “PBS”

·         “L”

·         “Horizon”

·         “Devices”

·         “Time to Run”

·         “Totem”

Encore:

·         “Awake”

·         “Division”

 As stated previously, Infinite Health is the latest album released on August 30, 2024, off Ninja Tune Records. Hansen stated in a press release that the new record is “about hope for the future and a requiem for the past. I kept thinking back to the high-water mark scene in Fear and Loathing, the author sitting at a typewriter looking out a window onto his past, trying to find meaning in the chaos.” You can follow this link to Tycho’s merchandise store and grab your copy (LP – Opaque White variant vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and cassette) today. Show Tycho some support and follow this link to their Bandcamp page today.

You still have time to see Tycho perform on the Infinite Health Tour on the following dates:

NOV 14

HISTORY

Toronto, Canada

Tickets

NOV 15

The Salt Shed

Chicago, IL

Tickets

NOV 16

First Avenue

Minneapolis, MN

Tickets

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