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lonelyvomit · 3 years ago

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abby, can we have an arty analysis of the album cover (now it's confirmed) 🙏🏻🎨🖼🤲🏻

dunno about an analysis but I'll happily give an uneducated art rant ✨😌

what stands out to me first is that using a band feature photograph it's a step out of line from their previous album covers, which in the past have been 2 designed graphics and a stock photo. but it's not like band feature covers are out of character for them either - they've done a lot of those with their singles (I didn't even realize they did it this much until now lmao). it's not uncommon for bands to use a mix of covers, but I've noticed most bands do have their preferences in terms or illustative vs. photograph covers, and whether or not the band itself is featured in it. so far BC has definitely favored band photos for single covers, but leaned towards design heavy covers for the main album releases.

that being said, LOTSAD follows Violent Pop really closely with the black and white color theme, heavy texture filter, fairly similar font choice, and most of all opting out from having the band name on the cover and counting on the logo to do it's thing. if the album name wasn't there and you told me the LOTSAD cover is just the cover for Violent Pop Deluxe Edition, I'd probably believe you.

in terms of the photo itself - I like the composition and the visual flow. it has Kiril's signature style (which Niko confirmed on ig literally while I was writing this lmao), and the result is great. there is however some things with the editing that I'm sure work perfectly fine in most people's eyes, but I'll nitpick it anyway.

first is the fact that it's impossible to mangle someone's face like that, stretching it from natural live proportions into a hanging mask, without messing with the skin texture and lighting. which means there's some little spots where the lighting bothers me or I think there's been some airbrushing. tho not much, because most of it gets blended with the scratchy texture filter. which is my second point - I'm not a fan of the texture overlay. it can be an artistic choice, BC does love their heavy editing, and it does include the words "sick & dangerous", so it was clearly created specifically for this cover. but filters are also a quick way of hiding photoshop mistakes, so something this heavily edited always makes me squint to see if it's something that was actually planned from the start, or if there's some photoshop fuckups it's being used to hide or distract from. knowing how much stretching people's faces does undeniably fuck shit up, I think here it's a case of both. it's fine, it fits BC's aesthetic and is hell of a lot easier than trying to reintroduce the old skin texture to every part you've had to edit. Ossi did a good job with what he had to work with and what he was asked to do, and I do appreciate the texture overlay being personalized for the album.

overall it's an awesome cover, it's extremely on brand for them, and well executed 🔥

#asks #lotsad

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ofcowardiceandkings · 3 years ago

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Zelda? I want to know what opinions you have about her since you talk lots in tags LOL

lets see if i can actually answer the questions because i have Opinions but theyre a mess LMAO

favorite thing about them

where do i start !!! hfskjfke

she's just so enthusiastic about finding out information its adorable and also a mood, but also she's DAMN SMART to match !!! she could absolutely run circles around anyone who tried to outwit her without trying i have NO DOUBT, but instead she's just out here being an information sponge, doing hooligan science experiments with frogs and digging up ancient tech to tinker with :')

shes so jfkdjfAAUGH when research happens adorable wow angel

least favorite thing about them

this is so hard lol i dont think uh ... ?? hm

EH its more of a nitpick than anything and ideally this gets fixed in BotW2 but listen, let my girl have a bow. Zeldas are archers so let her do the thing please Nintendo i know you let KT do it in AOC but can we see it in game proper too ;3;

favorite line

this was SO HARD TO PICK ... its a toss up between;

"I am not a child anymore! I may not be much use on the battlefield, but there must... there must be something I can do to help!"

.. because ouch, she tries so hard and im hurt OR

"... but courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten."

... hummm she knows Link would never back down aaannnd hummmmm im Hurt....

honourable mention to the exchange she has with the Great Deku Tree where the Tree tells her to keep the message to tell herself because 👀👀👀

brOTP

this is hard to pick lmao , i actually think she and Purah as Science Nightmares is truly hilarious and i love it

also let her be friens with Paya please that'd be very sweet

OTP

Link !!! Link Link Link !! always and forever but even more so than even Skyward Sword , like , This 👏 Shit 👏 Is 👏 Textual 👏

nOTP

pttthb again im a boring person so to me there is Zelink and then theres Nope SORRYYYY [flies away]

random headcanon

this is kind of random but i stand by my bizarrely specific idea that she's probably a fair bit more roughed up than the average Zelda lol.

she was probably an utter demon as a small kid and did all kinds of nonsense like bothering people while theyre working and asking too many questions and getting in places she isnt meant to be, at least while she could still get away with it - gotta have resulted in some bumps and scrapes ! after that ? science injuries !! the occasional burn, maybe a wonky finger from crush damage, scalpel accident, that kind of thing mostly on her hands and arms,, and she definitely has tool callouses on at least the sides of her fingers lets be real ...

during the Calamity she probably got a good few bumps too, theres some evidence of that in the memories its just Nintendo doesnt roll Like That lol ,, no where near as bad as Link of course , but it would have been basically impossible to come away without ANY marks at all ..

that is to say that like ... she's definitely not in any way delicate and unblemished , she's out there Doing Junk !!! she's her own person !! with actually a very strong personality !!!!

unpopular opinion

again Im New Here so i dont knowbfkejdje whats unpopular lmao .... erm i dunno ive kind of made peace with the choice of voice casting she wouldnt have been my choice but thats fine

i think what bothers me now is that like ... if you want someone to do an accent then hire someone with that accent lol .. i dunno if its just me but i can tell nearly every time if a canadian or american is cast with a british accent or visa versa looool

song i associate with them

what do i even PICK theres so many fuck uh ... ill go with my initial instinct and say Breath of Life by Florence + the Machine, partially because i discovered said song at the same time i finally got my mitts on BotW lol , but i could say the same thing for the entire Deluxe edition of Ceremonials , particularly right now Strangeness & Charm .... ughnngh just go listen to both of them now

favorite picture of them

there's a lot of good art out there with her looking epic, but this cap from Champions Ballad is sickly sweet its got a buppy in it and she's adorable and smiling i cannot not love it

.... my Angel Gorl ...........

#asks #anon #ask games #rory's ramblings #zelda blogging #botw/totk blogging

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jcs-study · 3 years ago

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In my last post, I mentioned that there were two more iterations of "Heaven On Their Minds" to consider, as long as I was doing a song-by-song deep dive. I'm going to start with this one; conveniently for me, given my Spotify-based spelunking (I have a love for alliteration, don't judge), it was recently a bonus track on the deluxe 50th-anniversary re-release of the original concept album, which allows me to "officially" embed it here and not rely on a poor-quality transfer on YouTube from someone's aged 45-rpm vinyl single.

(Not that this is much better; for a remaster, this particular track is kind of harsh and distorted. But enough nitpicking! Hit the jump for more.)

The Origin

Quite simply, the authors got excited about their work on this particular song during the recording process, and needed a single to follow "Superstar." Tim Rice elaborates:

The track worked out so well, with Murray [Head] in majestic form, that we thought it might be worth mixing ahead of the rest in order to get a second single released immediately, particularly in the United States, where the first one had only just dropped off the Hot 100. Having had U.S. airplay of 'Superstar' restricted because of the lyrical content, I very stupidly decided to rewrite parts of 'Heaven On Their Minds' purely for the proposed single version, and Murray recorded the song all over again...

The first thing that this Tim quote brings to a nitpicker's mind is the erroneous titles affixed to some of the bonus tracks for this release. As his words bear out, while it may not have received a very wide release (and while the transfer may have been sourced from a needle-drop of a German copy, for all I know; it certainly doesn't sound like the masters were involved), "(Too Much) Heaven On Their Minds," as it was then known, was actually released in several markets -- not just Germany -- to attempt to repeat the success of "Superstar" before it.

Indeed, it's possible that shaping this version specifically to do so played a role in some of the quirks of its arrangement; for example, there are background vocals rather reminiscent of what the "Soul Girls" are doing on "Superstar" that have yet to appear in any other version of the song. (Not that I don't have ideas for them... more on that in a bit.)

But at any rate, as another character in a later Tim Rice musical would put it, "Enough of this pious waffle!" Let's get to the content and analysis.

The Lyrics

JUDAS MY MIND IS CLEARER NOW AT LAST, ALL TOO WELL I CAN SEE WHERE WE ALL SOON WILL BE

IF YOU STRIP AWAY THE SLEEP FROM YOUR EYES YOU WILL SEE WHERE WE ALL SOON WILL BE

JESUS! I STARTED TO BELIEVE THE THINGS THEY SAY OF YOU I REALLY DID BELIEVE THAT WHAT THEY SAID WAS TRUE! JESUS!

AND EVERYTHING I DO WILL SOON BE SWEPT AWAY NO ONE LISTENS ANYMORE TO ANYTHING TODAY

LISTEN JESUS I DON'T LIKE WHAT I SEE ALL I ASK IS THAT YOU LISTEN TO ME AND REMEMBER I'VE BEEN YOUR RIGHT-HAND MAN ALL ALONG

FOR THE WORLD IS CATCHING FIRE THEY'RE LOOKING FOR A NEW MESSIAH WE ARE FALLING -- WE ARE GOING WRONG

BACKGROUND VOCALS HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND, HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND, HEAVEN

JUDAS I REMEMBER WHEN THIS WHOLE THING BEGAN WE SPOKE OF PEACE WE WOULD LOVE EVERY MAN AND BELIEVE ME MY ADMIRATION FOR YOU HASN'T DIED

BUT EVERY WORD YOU SAY TODAY GETS TWISTED 'ROUND SOME OTHER WAY THEY'LL FORGET YOU IF THEY THINK YOU'VE LIED

BACKGROUND VOCALS HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND, HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND, HEAVEN

JUDAS CRAZY PEOPLE IN CONTROL, LAUGHING, WEEPING, DANCING SOULS YOU WOULD THINK THAT ROCK 'N' ROLL'S ALL THAT WE DO

NEVER TIME TO CATCH A BREATH -- FIGHTING, LYING, DYING, DEATH DEATH... DEATH... NOTHING IS TRUE

LISTEN JESUS DO YOU CARE FOR YOUR RACE? DON'T YOU SEE THAT WE'RE STUCK IN THIS PLACE? WE'RE ONLY HUMAN HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN HOW PUT DOWN WE ARE?

I AM FRIGHTENED BY THE CROWD FOR WE ARE GETTING MUCH TOO LOUD AND THEY'LL CRUSH US IF WE GO TOO FAR

BACKGROUND VOCALS (under JUDAS until instrumental) HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND, HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND, HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND, HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND HEAVEN

JUDAS (continuing) IF WE GO TOO FAR

(instrumental)

LISTEN JESUS TO THE WARNING I GIVE PLEASE REMEMBER THAT I WANT US TO LIVE BUT IT'S SAD TO SEE OUR CHANCES WEAKENING WITH EVERY HOUR

WE ARE IMPOTENT AND BLIND TOO MUCH HEAVEN ON OUR MINDS IT WAS BEAUTIFUL BUT NOW IT'S SOUR

BACKGROUND VOCALS (under JUDAS until ad lib begins) HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND, HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND, HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND, HEAVEN ON THEIR MIND HEAVEN

JUDAS (continuing) YES, IT'S ALL GONE SOUR

(ad lib to fade)

The Analysis

Believe it or not, there is something that can be gleaned from lyrics specifically designed for the radio market, and if there isn't, I am for sure the one to figure out how. :P

First of all, possible controversial hot take: personally, there are some lines in that rewrite that I really like, and I consider it really fun to listen to. All things considered, the one we know and love is better, but I dig this one (even despite overdramatic moments like "Death... death..." that cause me to burst out laughing). Sue me.

One interesting thing to note is that this set of lyrics puts a lot more focus on Judas rather than the crowd -- more "I" and "we" than the original. In fact, realizing this takes us to an interesting place: it's kind of a POV flip.

A major point -- perhaps the major point -- of the piece as we know it is that Judas pretty clearly doesn't believe Jesus is what they say he is, and further that he thinks everyone else's belief is paving a path to sure destruction. But this version of "Heaven On Their Minds" is coming from somewhere else.

"I started to believe..." "...we're stuck in this place / We're only human..." Here, Judas pretty clearly does believe -- or believed at one point -- that "what they said was true." Judas isn't disillusioned because Jesus is beginning to believe his own hype; here he's disillusioned because he bought the hype, and Jesus isn't living up to his expectations. (There are layers to this; see the "Historical Background" page in the Nav.Bar for a quick and dirty rundown of the context.) If this were the version used in the show as we know it, it would cast a whole different light on Judas' motivation.

On another interesting note, these lyrics are actually rather clever when one considers that JCS was developed, consciously or not, with clear parallels to the 1960s hippie movements. Hearing lines like "no one listens anymore to anything today" and "...you would think that rock 'n' roll's / All that we do" makes it easy for this reader to picture Judas as a "true" activist disillusioned by the trend chasers who don't get how "serious" the cause is. (Check out Tim Rice calling out "influencers" way before that was ever a viable lifestyle!)

I don't love these alternate lyrics enough to advocate using this or that line -- or, for that matter, the whole version -- in place of anything in the show, but I think I've proved my point that you can glean a lot even from what was thrown in the dustbin.

Postscript

Some of you may be asking, after reading the extract from Tim's memoir above, if the gambit paid off. Did rewriting "Heaven On Their Minds" help it on the radio? Well, here's the answer:

[After quoting some of the alternate lines, including "Death... death...":] Even if these and other lines had been a) good and b) not deeply depressing, it was really foolish of me to forget that the airplay that we had achieved with 'Superstar' was precisely because of the lyrical content, not despite it. MCA did release 'Heaven On Their Minds' in the States, but very half-heartedly and it sank without trace.

Oh well... the best-laid plans of mice and men, and all that. At least it didn't replace what we have. But what did join the rest will be here soon!

Coming Up Next:

The revival version of "Heaven On Their Minds," tying up its contributions in a neat little bow, and then a straw poll. I want to hear from my readers! (Or anyone who stumbles across this while looking through tags, I'm not choosy.) But more about that next time.

#jesus christ super star #jesus christ superstar #jesus christ super-star #andrew lloyd webber #tim rice #jcss #jcs #history #song by song #spotify #heaven on their minds #murray head #Spotify

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pinkharold · 7 years ago

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Flicker (Deluxe) review + favourite lyrics

I know it’s not been out for long, but I’m already kind of obsessed with the album.

SO. I wanted to share my opinion on all the different songs, here it goes:

1. On the Loose

Definitely one of my favourite songs both sonically and lyrically. Kudos to the producer and songwriters. A great piece of songwriting right here; how Niall made someone seem so desirable, yet so harmful at the same time. Honestly, he described this person perfectly and his message comes across so well. I have too many favourite lines from this song. Honestly, I just want to copy-paste the whole song here.m

2. This Town

I must admit when This Town came out, I soon lost interest. I’m still not its biggest fan, but I am able to appreciate the song. It’s very sweet and lovely, and sometimes we need songs like that. Simple, sweet and lovely songs.

My favourite lyrics are:

‘Cause if the whole world was watching I'd still dance with you and Over and over, the only truth / everything comes back to you

3. Seeing Blind

I love the country feel of the song! Maren Morris’ voice suits it perfectly. Not in my list of faves of the album, but it’s still a good song nonetheless.

My favourite lyrics are:

Oh my my, you just took me by surprise - because this is how I feel about Niall. He always takes me by surprise. And I love it.

and

You make loving fun - Maybe this line isn’t that special, but I thought about how people either sing about love being hurtful, or about it being something along the lines of passionate, intense. But I feel sometimes people forget love can also just be fun. I appreciate Niall looking at it like that.

4. Slow Hands

Such a jam and a great single choice. I really enjoy listening to the song, although the topic isn’t really my cup of tea. Because of that reason I also don’t really have any favourite lines. Good song, though. Sounds very sensual, which is also what he wants the song to be about, so good job.

5. Too Much to Ask

Who hurt him??? Honestly, I’ve asked myself this question a lot throughout the album.

“Waiting here for someone”, the first line of the song, captures the whole song so well. When you listen to the song, you feel that terrible feeling of waiting. Waiting for something that might not even come. It’s such a good song in that aspect, because lyrically and sonically, it sounds like the feeling of waiting.

My favourite lyrics:

My shadow's dancing without you for the first time - damn that poetry

6. Paper Houses

The bridge-like part in the last chorus makes me feel so much. You can hear the desperation with which Niall is trying to hold on in that part so well.

My favourite lyrics:

In this house of broken hearts / We made our love out of stacks of cards - Anyone else getting WDBHG feels by the way?

7. Since We’re Alone

What a lovely song. Niall’s a Good Egg; always trying his best.

Also, “since we’re alone you can show me your heart”? Hello If I Could Fly Feels!

I’m getting the feeling Niall is trying to tell us something.

Oh, wait. There’s more!

There's a shadow behind your face / Tell me what you're running from ? AKA WDBHG 2.0?

Niall’s definitely trying to tell us something.

Anywayss, here are my favourite lyrics from the song:

If you get lost in the light / It's okay, I can see in the dark

8. Flicker

One of my faves! Suuuuuch a beautiful song. It sounds so hopeful, which is exactly what Niall sings about feeling. I just love it when you can hear the feeling in a song, that’s SUCH good songwriting/producing.

My favourite lyrics from the song are the entire chorus. LOVE it.

9. Fire Away

It feels kind of jazzy? I’m not sure how to describe it, but the notes feel like this could be a very jazzy song if the instrumentals were slightly different. And once again, Niall shows in this song how lovely he is.

My favourite lyrics:

I will steady your hand / When you're losing your grip

10. You and Me

Not one of my favourites, alas. I’m not sure what it is that makes me put it more on the bottom half of my list.

I love how dedicated Niall is in the song, how he’s not entirely sure what he’s doing or where he’s going, but he’s all doing it for him and this special person. Very much in contrast to “I lead a selfish life”. He doesn’t really sound selfish in the song, from my point of view, and neither does he in the rest of the album.

Favourite lyrics:

It's a hard road / As far as I can see / And I don't where I'm going / But I'll get back to you and me

11. On My Own

LISTEN. This is my life’s theme song. I relate to Niall so much.

LOVE the Irish sound to it as well. Honestly, this song is Niall in a nutshell.

Favourite lyrics:

I'll wake up at midday / And marry my bed - because same (although it’s been a while since I woke up at midday but I would if I could)

12. Mirrors

Took me until the release of the album to accept that the title of this song is Mirrors and not I Need Love, which would have sound more logical. But then at the same time I also love it when songs have less predictable titles.

It’s so thoughtful of Niall to write this song. When he said he wanted to shed a light on the struggles a lot of girls have. Thanks, lad. Much appreciated. You get 10 extra stamps on your Good Egg Card.

This song is one of my faves on the album. Banging chorus. Really, SUCH a good chorus. A+++

It’s hard to pick my favourite lyrics from the song, because it’s a story he’s telling. And it’s the story as a whole that I like, as well as the message, not just one particular line.

13. The Tide

In my opinion, he could have captured the sound of fear more in this song. Because that’s what it’s about, no? The fear of the tide coming in and taking everything away. I’m nitpicking, I know, cause it’s a good song, but I didn’t feel particularly fearful when listening to the song. So in that aspect the message comes across less well. BUT, nice chorus.

Favourite lyrics:

Don't give up, and don't let me - because I relate to this too much

I know there’s a bit of criticism here and there, but that’s just how I am with music - I love analyzing songs and it’s REALLY hard to make a song that is AND a lyrical masterpiece AND instrumentally interesting AND brings the message across both through the sound and the words AND structured well AND has a good enough of a chorus AND ... There are so many different dimensions to a song, that you cannot possibly get them all right. But in my opinion, Niall did a very good job. Some songs are spot on, and the album is very accessible, as well as enjoyable. I am so proud of Niall.

#k chats #flicker #album review #niall horan

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fly-on-paper-wings · 4 years ago

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Isolate and Medicate (2014) by Seether

Seether is a rock/alternative metal band founded in South America. Isolate and Medicate is the 6th studio album from the band. It features 10 Tracks on the original album, with a bonus 4 on the deluxe edition of I&I. I listened to the standard edition.

Seether is large part of my early teenage years. With singles throughout their career, like: Fine Again, Remedy, and Broken, I knew that Seether was a well-established blend of hard rock, and post-grunge. However, I just never went out of my way to sit and listen to a full length album from the band. The one time I tried, it was from their album, Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces. The wordy album didn’t do me too many favors, which led me to shying away from the band.

It wasn’t until I rediscovered Words As Weapons, that I decided to give the album a spin. The album starts off great with See You at the Bottom. It starts with a low guitar that you can tell is ready to rip into the listener. What follows is crashing cymbals and grinding guitars. Singer Shaun Morgan’s voice is as good as usual, with good delivery. If you like the Seether formula, you’ll love this. I love an opening track that gets you ready to sink your teeth in the rest of the album. While it’s not my favorite opener ever, I believe that this is a solid, well done open by the group.

From there, we move onto Same Damn Life. One of the big singles of the album. Same Damn Life is fun radio rock. You can tell the band were having a ton of fun crafting this song and the chorus really stands out. I like the steady rhythm of the guitar to go along with the verses as well. The song isn’t astounding by any means, but it serves it’s purpose.

Now, we move onto Words As Weapons. The song that renewed my interest in the band, at least for the purpose of visiting the record. To my surprise, it holds up. Now, like Same Damn Life, it won’t take your breath away. However, it’s the one of the top songs lyrically by the band, which is saying something, considering Seether isn’t known for outstanding lyrics. The song isn’t special, but it’s catchy, the backround oohs and aahs help emphases the chorus. It’s really just a well rounded song that sounds good as a single. The band strived for something beautiful to say, and I’ll say they crafted a nice listen, and a good start to an album.

So now, we’re three songs in. And you know what? It’s pretty solid so far. Will it stay the same? The answer is… not really.

My Disaster follows, and this is when the trend of very subpar lyricism mixes with standard songplay. This is when I realize that Seether has a thing for gun imagery. I sort of noticed it way back to their first album Disclaimer, with the single Driven Under.

This isn’t to say My Disaster is a bad song. Shaun Morgan really tries to flex his voice in the chorus that altogether sounds really… whiny? I’m not really sure what he’s going for, but it is distracting. The guitar sounds good, with a nice steady rhythm, but the instrumental for the bridge is lackluster. This feels like filler, with an attempt to add some spice.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the theme. What follows are three songs, Crash, Suffer It All, and Watch Me Drown. Which, let’s be honest, are the most cliche song names for the genre.

Crash is… well, it Crashes the atmosphere. Here we have the standard ballad in the middle of the album. And of course, we have the gun imagery. Yikes. “You speak softly and carry a big gun.” Who signed off on this? The song isn’t bad… it’s fine. The instrumentals are fine. The drums are the best part, but again, they’re standard.

Suffer It All is a complete tempo change. It brings the grit that I prefer in Shaun’s vocals. Mixtures of gritty vocals and screaming is the hallmark of Seether rock. The chorus isn’t much memorable, neither are the instrumentals, but I appreciate the attempt to try to hook the listener back in for a subpar at best ballad.

Next we have Watch Me Drown. And Watch Me Drown is a song that exists. Look, it’s nothing dreadful. But it feels like a rewrite of Same Damn Life. I hear the verses, and I feel like I’m getting ready for the same chorus, although rewritten to refer to angst or something. It’s not necessary, it’s not needed, it’s filler.

Next is Nobody Praying for Me. Another single on a 10 track album, and it’s ultimately disappointing. This isn’t to say that it’s bad. The verses and low guitars build greatly into an underwhelming chorus. If there was a ballad on this album, I was expecting this to be it. I was expecting emotion. Instead, I was spoon fed another standard Seether song.

Track 9 is Keeping the Dogs at Bay. Keeping the Dogs at Bay surprised me, because it has a bite to it. Pun definitely intended. The song opens with guitar that is engaging, if not technically astounding. The lyrics lean on the words “figure” a lot, but that’s a nitpick at best. Really, this is just an enjoyable track that turned out to be a little better than I expected. I still would have liked to have a better bridge section on this one, though.

Finally, the last, and personally my favorite track on this album. Save Today is a great ballad by the band. The acoustic guitar open, mixed with the piano is so simple but works so well, and is done smoothly throughout the song. This is my favorite performance vocally by Morgan, and definitely my favorite lyrically. This is the emotion I was hoping for in an album titled Isolate and Medicate. The bridge section feels like a breath you’ve been holding onto for too long, and releases that emotion built up throughout. Save Today showcases the best of the band’s chemistry and ability in the record, it’s just a shame they couldn’t do the same for the entirety.

Overall, this is about what I expected from the band. It’s your atypical post grunge, hard rock album from an established band that has been going for quite some time. I really do like some of the songs on here, though I don’t think fans of Seether or the genre will be too disappointed.

Standouts:

1. Save Today

2. Same Damn Life

3. Words As Weapons

Score: 6.5/10

#album reviews #seether #isolate and medicate

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gigsoupmusic · 5 years ago

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Vinyl Corner: Eze-Nri Royal Drummers 'Eze-Nri Royal Drummers Vol. 1'

Vinyl Corner is a feature where we take a look at vinyl pressings of various albums and weigh them up to see just how good they sound, how well they're pressed and what sort of packaging to expect - as well as giving a brief overview of the music itself. We're taking a look at something truly unusual today: a newly reissued recording that originates in the '80s but sounds some two thousand years older. The Music: We've now reviewed almost 160 albums for Vinyl Corner, so it's fair to say we've run the gamut of styles of the course of that time. Very few albums can make a reasonable claim to being truly unique but, if any release we've written about is, then it's 'Eze-Nri Royal Drummers Vol. 1'. A truly historic recording, this is an unfiltered and genuine recording of the ceremony used to usher in a new King of the Igbo people's Nri Kingdom, a historical faction that existed in the area that is now Nigeria. A truly ancient culture, there's evidence to suggest that the ceremony captured on this release is more or less unchanged from those that may have been performed as long ago as two thousand years. This recording was originally issued by Nigeria's Tabansi Records in 1984 and is now, unsurprisingly, almost impossible to find. Newly reissued by the ever-excellent BBE records, those fascinated by any form of traditional ritual and culture would do well to seek out this beautiful, fascinating recording. The Pressing: This is very subtle, nuanced music with plenty of quiet portions - indeed, the whole album is actually rather quiet - so a high quality pressing that produces clean, noise-free playback is essential. It's no surprise that, fortunately, this is exactly what BBE have provided with their new reissue. As per usual, they have teamed up with German pressing plant Pallas to produce this release. Pallas' output is almost always fantastic and their signature level of quality control is as apparent here as with any of the other BBE titles we've written about for Vinyl Corner. The noise floor is quiet as a whisper; this allows the intricate, beautifully performed rhythms to shine through uninterrupted. There are only a few very rare, unobtrusive crackles in the background at a few points. Such imperfections are essentially implicit to the vinyl format and, for all intents and purposes, this is absolutely as clean a pressing as you would expect in the case of such a sonically subtle, low-volume album. The record is also flat and free of warpage; of course, that should be the case with all new records but unfortunately it isn't. Too many pressing plants produce records that are warped straight out of the shrinkwrap, so Pallas' apparent ability to produce consistently flat records is refreshing. The Packaging: Presented as a faithful replica of the original release, BBE's adherence to 'Eze-Nri Royal Drummers Vol. 1's original aesthetic is admirable. The labels are particularly attractive, boasting an appealing, distinctive design that duplicates the labels found on the rare original pressing. The cover, too, is faithful to that vintage edition; although, naturally, modern additions - such as a barcode and updated copyright credits - do appear in the small print. As far as that barcode goes, we always say here at Vinyl Corner that, in an ideal world, all barcodes would be attached as stickers to the shrinkwrap rather than being printed directly onto the art but this is a minor nitpick on an otherwise well presented release. The sleeve itself is fairly standard in quality; it's a non-gatefold design - presumably just as the original was - and the cardstock is roughly mid-weight. It feels sturdy enough in hand but there are also modern releases out there with harder-wearing covers than this - although it is worth noting that such deluxe additions come at a cost. The packaging quality here is certainly reasonable considering the moderate price point that this is available at. A full-sized insert is also included, which offers brief but informative liner notes providing some basic historical context for these recordings. Final Thoughts: Of all the rare recordings reissued by labels such as BBE over the past few years, 'Eze-Nri Royal Drummers Vol. 1' is arguably one of the most culturally significant. It's a very interesting and potent sonic artefact that has been reissued to high standards here. With great value both anthropological and musical, this is one not to be missed. Enjoyed this feature? We're always looking for further albums to highlight on Vinyl Corner - and if you have a vinyl release that you'd love to see written about here, please get in touch at [email protected] - it would be great to hear from you! Read the full article

#BBE #Eze-NriRoyalDrummers #VinylCorner

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levelrazearts · 6 years ago

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Seeing as how a couple more figures have been revealed, might as well talk about them so let'sa go.

Deluxe class.

There aren't any new reveals for the deluxe class......huh.

Voyager class.

Optimus Prime (Bumblebee appearance) I've said my opinions on the designs for the movie in how they're unoriginal and what not, but I do think that this looks almost exactly like his appearance in that film. Only nitpick would probably be the backpack mostly cause I actually haven't seen it yet, but it looks to kind of break the look of it a little, but other than that it looks flawless. A little weird in how it turns into an Earth truck despite being his cybertrionian mode but oh well. Probably gonna get it. Probably not gonna paint it. .....I'ma paint flames on it.

Battle Damaged Megatron (Rotf) I think this is a really good update for the figure, better paint apps, new head sculpt, and apparently no longer loose leg peices or whatever. Only complaint I wpuld have would be the sword is bronze for some reason but I'm fine with it. Still not gonna pick it up probably.

Leader class.

Jetfire. Pretty sure I've talked about him before but just in case....This guy looks great. With official pictures now out and about it's nice to see how he looks in both modes and how accurate he really is. Nice that he comes with both his axe and cane and there's storage for both. The combination for him and the upcoming Voyager Prime from the 2007 movie is a nice inclusion, but seeing how I won't be getting that figure, is kinda wasted on me. Might pick this up but I also might wait and see if a company will upscale it and improve on some parts. But as far as it goes, I probably will end up picking him up.

Megatron (dotm). This is what I wanted when tf3 first came out. Sure the voyager figure was pretty decent, but it never felt right for the character. But this just looks right and looks fun. Only problems I have at the moment are the high use of rubber in place of plastic, mainly with the front of the cab in that I won't be able to paint those, but gotta have your toys be safe so ya can't poke your eye out. The shotgun looks nice but also bad on one side which is probably due to molding which is a let-down but not to much of one. The cloth cloak I think is really nice too, gives it a more authentic look and more poseablity of sorts. The little Igor figure is just too adorable honestly and I hope it's not entirely made of rubber. Cause I would love to try and paint that. Definitely picking up if not for Igor alone.

And yeah, that's all of the figures at the moment. There is a new Speed Star (not what it's called but I'm gonna call it that) Blitzwing toy coming out and I honestly might pick that up to use as a stand-in for the character until we get a proper figure for him. Same with the same line's Dropkick, I think he looks better than the SS one and probably more durable too.

There was the recent (I think?) reveal of the last of the fembots from G1 on Amazon, but she's using the unfortunate Moonracer mold that I just don't think is all that great for them. Also she's $40 which is not what I want to pay for a figure in the deluxe range. $30 is probably the max limit on something like for me. Does come with another figure that I can't remember so there's that but yeah. Not gonna bother. So yeah, that's all for now.

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showsargentinos · 7 years ago

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Publicado en http://showsargentinos.com/here-what-is-in-the-game-80-deluxe-edition/

Here What is in the game $80 Deluxe Edition

Probably, but this is the first time we’ve driven the latest Rolls-Royce convertible on UK roads. After all, Britain loves an open-top car, despite the meteorological issues one is likely to suffer driving one with the roof stowed. But if any car can eradicate the unpleasantness of this country’s unreliable climate, it ought to be the Dawn. Especially with prices starting at a not inconsiderable £264,000.

Yikes. You must get a lot for your money…

Most certainly. There’s rather a lot of car here – the Dawn is 5.3 metres long, 1.9 metres wide.

You notice how large the Dawn is merely by how long it takes to walk from one end to the other, while the wonderfully over-engineered, rear-hinged doors demand a lot of room as they swing open to nearly 90-degree angles from the car. You can use a slimmer opening, of course, but ingress and egress will be so much more glamorous when you caddishly stroll up, step into the interior, and swing the door electronically shut with the touch of a button. [tie_slideshow] [tie_slide]

Most certainly. There’s rather a lot of car here – the Dawn is 5.3 metres long, 1.9 metres wide, and it tips the scales at 2.5 tonnes. That makes it heavier than a seven-seat Audi SQ7. You notice how large the Dawn is merely by how long it takes to walk from one end to the other, while the wonderfully over-engineered, rear-hinged doors demand a lot of room as they swing open to nearly 90-degree angles from the car.[/tie_slide] [tie_slide]

Lord no, but nor is anything the Dawn does. And that’s what so utterly beguiling about it. The engine is a 6.6-litre V12, mounted surprisingly far back under that front bonnet. It’s shared with the Ghost saloon and Wraith coupe, but uses the former car’s lower output. ‘Lower’ still translates into 563bhp and 575lb ft of torque, mind, enough to propel the Dawn from 0-62mph in five seconds. The top speed is an electronically limited 155mph.[/tie_slide] [tie_slide]

Yes and no. Push the accelerator all the way down – the pedal travel is “are you sure you want drive so uncouthly quickly?” long – and with all 575lb ft available from just 1,500rpm, you’ll be fired along exceedingly rapidly. But so desensitised is the Dawn that it’s all bewilderingly drama-free. There’s barely a muster of engine noise, no sense that turbochargers are boosting its output, and no tangible evidence of its automatic gearbox containing eight entire speeds.[/tie_slide] [/tie_slideshow]

Electric doors. Are they necessary?

But so desensitised is the Dawn that it’s all bewilderingly drama-free. There’s barely a muster of engine noise, no sense that turbochargers are boosting its output

In fact, every element of the Dawn smoothly irons out anything one might consider “feedback”. The overly large steering wheel contains barely a jot of feel, while the biggest bumps you can find will all be smothered entirely by the suspension. My first few hours guiding the ginormous feeling Dawn around are pretty tentative, then. Yes and no. Push the accelerator all the way down – the pedal travel is “are you sure you want drive so uncouthly quickly?” long – and with all 575lb ft available from just 1,500rpm, you’ll be fired along exceedingly rapidly.But get accustomed to the Dawn’s size – its large wing mirrors mean you can point them down to show where the lane markings are, while still seeing everything behind you – and it’s a fun car to build speed and confidence in.

Can you actually have fun in it?

Surprising amounts. At first, it feels like Rolls is doing everything it can to throw keen drivers off the scent: the steering is super slow, there’s no option to manually control the gears, and there’s barely any engine braking when you lift off the throttle, so you heave on the hard-working brakes more than you’d like. [tie_full_img]

[/tie_full_img] Yet once you realise there’s plenty of grip hiding beneath all those cocooning layers of comfort, you can have a go at driving this thing quickly. The trick is not taking lots of speed into a bend – there’s simply too much mass for that – but to carefully turn in and, once the car has obliged, use an indulgent amount of throttle so that the rear squats down and you ride that wave of luxurious speed out of the corner. Get the hang of it and you can carry some serious pace across country roads. Equally, of course, you can settle down, using the smallest smidgen of its ‘Power Reserve’ gauge possible (rev counters are so unclassy) and enjoy what a masterfully refined car this is. Roof up, the silence is zen-like, and full-size adults will still be comfy in the back. Above 50mph and things can get a little cold and blustery if the soft top is folded, however. But let’s blame Britain’s wintry weather for that rather than the car. If it all gets a bit much, the roof can be operated at up to 30mph, though given the sheer size of it, the mechanism does take a little while.

Any other demerits?

If we’re nitpicking, yes. There’s only one USB port, and it’s located very unhelpfully if you wish keep your phone charged while using a sat nav app. And the Dawn isn’t much fun to park. [embed width="744" height="418"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrqYohBV58o[/embed] Otherwise, though, it’s as supreme as you’d hope. Perhaps more so. The materials are almost beyond description: only a few rogue buttons and the media screen layout highlight any BMW parts sharing, and everything from the copious swathes of wood to the thickly piled carpets (I’ve never had anything as plush in my house) will make you feel so, so good. As does driving with the Spirit of Ecstasy in the middle of your view forwards. Rolls-Royce unashamedly goes its own way, even if that does make its cars ergonomically odd. The heating controls demand a degree of guesswork and the doors take some getting used to. But there’s so much class and character here. It’s an inspirational and irresistable car. The ultimate compliment? This one is specced to £331,500, and I don’t think I’d feel short-changed if I’d actually paid that. That tells us it’s an Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes GLC and Porsche Macan rival. It looks nicely sharp and chiseled, in a way the car it replaces – did you know you can currently buy an Infiniti QX50? – isn’t. The new one looks decent, no?

It will ‘delegate’ more onerous driving tasks to the car.

It’s a concept for now, and that means little technical detail but much styling chatter. The design language is called ‘Powerful Elegance’, while the interior, when we see it, will be “driver-centric, passenger-minded”. So expect some nods to sportiness in the dials, and the key dashboard controls to be angled towards the driver’s seat, a la BMW. Perhaps unexpectedly for a car that’s “driver-centric”, though, there is plentiful talk of autonomous-ness. “Infiniti’s autonomous drive technologies will act as a ‘co-pilot’ for the driver, empowering rather than replacing them,” says the Japanese company.

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showsargentinos · 7 years ago

Photo

Publicado en http://showsargentinos.com/here-what-is-in-the-game-80-deluxe-edition/

Here What is in the game $80 Deluxe Edition

Yikes. You must get a lot for your money…

Most certainly. There’s rather a lot of car here – the Dawn is 5.3 metres long, 1.9 metres wide.

Electric doors. Are they necessary?

But so desensitised is the Dawn that it’s all bewilderingly drama-free. There’s barely a muster of engine noise, no sense that turbochargers are boosting its output

Can you actually have fun in it?

Any other demerits?

It will ‘delegate’ more onerous driving tasks to the car.

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