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castiellesbian · 4 years ago

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i feel like i need a glossary of terms or a contact list for all these people involved with the show. i have shit memory and dont pay attention to the credits who is sera (sara??) and why does everyone hate her!! why is he Bobo!!!!!! please... has anyone posted about this im desperate

lol well including everyone involved with the show would be difficult, but I’ll give you some highlights

Eric Kripke: creator of Supernatural, showrunner for seasons 1-5. People have differing opinions about him but general people enjoyed his run and he’s considered the best showrunner in the series overall. Not much to say because there’s a lot to say lmao (notable episodes: “Pilot,” “Lazarus Rising,” and “Swan Song”)

Sera Gamble: writer who was involved from the beginning of the show, became showrunner after Kripke left. Her seasons, 6 and 7, are typically regarded as the weakest seasons. She was a huge brothers-only supporter, and was responsible for Misha being written out of the show (as well as Jim Beaver, Bobby) in order to get the show to just be about the brothers again. There’s a lot of drama regarding her treatment of Misha/Cas, but more recently she’s known for the Magicians debacle, a horrendous example of the Bury Your Gays trope. She’s also involved with (the showrunner of?) You on Netflix. She was a pretty good writer, but overall fans dislike her because of her showrunning tenure (notable episodes: “Faith” with Raelle Tucker, “Death’s Door,” “The Born-Again Identity”)

Jeremy Carver: writer from season 3 that was promoted to showrunner from seasons 8 through.... some time in 12, the timeline has been a little murky to me. He was the one who brought Cas back into the main plot, as well as allowing the deancas storyline to become genuine subtext (we can argue whether it was queerbaiting or what he was intending to do if he had been running the series finale, but yeah). Unfortunately, he was also the showrunner when Charlie was killed off brutally, which dampens his legacy. People are conflicted about his seasons, but generally he’s looked upon favorably (not related, but the picture that comes up when you search him on google is NOT him, he’s really like a typical white nerdy looking dude lol) (notable episodes: “The Rapture,” “Sacrifice,” “Do You Believe in Miracles?”)

Andrew Dabb: writer from season 4, promoted to showrunner during season 12 and is the last showrunner of Supernatural (he wrote the finale). He was well-liked by deancas fans for awhile because of how much screentime they were allowed to give, and because of the focus on extended/found family. Sam and Dean only fans didn’t like him for the same reasons. Unfortunately, HIS legacy has been marred by the awful series finale, though it’s debated whether that was his fault or because of network meddling. (notable episodes: “Dark Side of the Moon” with Daniel Loflin, “The Prisoner,” “Moriah”)

Robert Singer: executive producer since the beginning of the show (he’s also co-showrunner throughout Supernatural, but I don’t think he typically was involved with the plotlines too often). He’s directed quite a few episodes, including the infamous wire fight episode (s13 finale) as well as the series finale. Married to Eugenie Ross-Leming, writer of the show

Eugenie Ross-Leming/Brad Buckner: writing partners TECHNICALLY from season 1, but they only wrote one episode until they were brought back in season 7. They are regarded as the worst writers in all of Supernatural, responsible for tactless death scenes of fan-favorites (and typically minorities) like Kevin, Charlie, and Eileen. They also feature a gross amount of dubcon/noncon, racism, weird unnecessary sex stuff, and are SUPER into Lucifer for some unknown reason (they have a crush on Mark Pellegrino I guess). They’re also just kind of bad writers in general, their pacing is weird and their plots convoluted. To be fair, though, they have written some good moments, like Dean trying to reach Cas in Hell’s Angel and Dean’s confessional scene in Paint It Black. But overall, they suck. Why are they still on the show even though BOTH sides of the fandom (who never agree on ANYTHING) dislike them? Well, because Eugenie is married to Singer. Nepotism. (notable episodes, the ones I can stand to watch lmao: “Holy Terror,” “Hell’s Angel,” “Our Father Who Aren’t in Heaven”)

Ben Edlund: writer from season 2 who left after season 8, but people STILL talk about him simply because he is arguably the strongest writer of the series. Cas fans particularly like him because he did most of the heavy-lifting regarding Cas’ characterization. He also wrote the famous bi!Dean scene with Aaron in season 8, where Dean is flustered after being flirted with. (notable episodes: “On the Head of a Pin,” “The French Mistake,” and my all-time favorite “The Man Who Would Be King”)

Robert “Bobo” Berens: writer from season 9, his first episode was “Heaven Can’t Wait,” which is all you really need to know about his influence on the deancas storyline. He’s also gay, so people particularly enjoy seeing how he approaches destiel in his episodes since it’s not just another straight guy potentially just catering to fans. He was also the one who was meant to go off and run Wayward Sisters, and is responsible for a lot of their development in recent seasons. I believe he also created Rowena? He wrote the episode this season where Cas confesses his love to Dean (along with other heavy deancas episodes like “The Trap”). Sam fans typically don’t like him because he doesn’t give him much focus. (notable episodes: “Heaven Can’t Wait,” “Who We Are,” “Wayward Sisters” with Andrew Dabb)

Steve Yockey: writer from season 12 through the beginning of season 15. Also gay, and also responsible for deancas moments in recent years. Generally loved for his deancas subtext but ALSO because he is an amazing writer who came out with iconic episodes. (notable episodes: “Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox,” “Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets,” “Peace of Mind” with Meghan Fitzmartin)

Robbie Thompson: writer from seasons 7 through 11, and wrote some fan favorite episodes in the meantime. He is also the creator of fan favorite characters like Charlie and Eileen. He was also one of the few writers who was vocally supportive of destiel during his tenure rather than just later. I’m not implying anything about his intentions, but it was validating for him to encourage fans during a time where most of the cast/crew ignored or actively dismissed it. Plus his episodes are just fun! (notable episodes: “LARP and the Real Girl,” “Fan Fiction,” “Baby”)

Meredith Glynn: writer since season 12, has worked closely with Bobo during their seasons together. She and Bobo cowrote “The Future,” which is the mixtape episode, so she has been taken in by deancas fans haha. She also wrote the episode where Cas makes the deal with the Empty, so it’s pretty safe to say she and Bobo had worked on the deancas plotline together :) She’s also liked some deancas-related tweets on twitter, so she’s being subtly supportive (notable episodes: “Regarding Dean,” “The Future” with Robert Berens, “Byzantium”)

Davy Perez: writer since season 12 (a lot of the ones I’ve mentioned are, since this is when Dabb became showrunner and made changes in the writers room). His episodes tend to either be horror or bizarre. I mention him because he’s responsible for episodes like “Stuck in the Middle (With You)” (Cas’ first “I love you”) and “Tombstone” (aka Brokebacknatural lmao). I don’t know much about him otherwise, but that’s why he’s brought up usually (notable episodes: “Stuck in the Middle (With You),” “Tombstone,” “Atomic Monsters”)

hopefully this helps, and hopefully I didn’t forget about anyone major. There have been a LOT of people behind the scenes so it’s hard to say who to include. Like, I didn’t mention Jerry Wanek, Jim Michaels, Kim Manners, Thomas J. Wright, or others who might be mentioned from time to time.

#Anonymous #long post

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ambiguousdisorderken · 4 years ago

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in your expert opinion what are some of the most destiel-heavy episodes of spn? i stopped watching around season 7 and have no interest in engaging w the plot of the show at all but i’m in the mood for some gay yearning ykwim

Hi anon! Thank you for reaching out to me about this, I’m, no-joke, very flattered. I’d seen a couple posts on this same question, very thorough and detailed lists on Destiel-centric episodes, but at the moment I cannot find any of them, that would’ve answered your request much faster. So, in advance, sorry, my reply is probably coming in extremely late, but I did write this from scratch, so yeah.

Even though storylines in SPN can be very shitty and hollow, I do feel that to get the full Destiel experience -that long-drawn yearning- one would have to watch the entirety of the show, even if Cas isn’t in the episode or if there’s no explicit mention of their relationship/bond because it gives you a better understanding of them as characters and of how their relationship affects the narrative.

Now, you mentioned you stopped around S7, which is completely understandable and justified given the Dick plot game was very weak and, in my opinion, annoying (so little Cas!). I’m going to start listing from S7 in case you want to refresh your SPN before jumping straight into unseen episodes. Also, since you mentioned no interest in the plot and are specifically craving those sweet crumbs of gay yearning, I’ll skip most one-sided / too subtle episodes and cut to the chase.

Lastly, I hate spoiling things, but you’ve probably seen it all on Tumblr. I tried to keep the episodes’ descriptions short, as it might come in useful. Stuck to key words, quotes and/or little comments.

Season 7

7x01 – Meet the New Boss: Godstiel, sincere apology. Cas: “I'm gonna find some way to redeem myself to you.”

7x02 – Hello, Cruel World: Mourning. Trench coat melancholy. The heart-wrenching eulogy: “Dumb son of a bitch.”

7x17 – The Born-Again Identity: Emmanuel!Cas, reunion, longing, hurt.

7x21 – Reading is Fundamental: Honey!Cas, hug, hurt, reunion, that painful SORRY (board game) scene.

7x23 – Survival of the Fittest: Honey!Cas, forgiveness, adorable, wified Cas. Dean hits us with: “Nobody cares that you're broken, Cas!" but also “I'd rather have you, cursed or not.”

Season 8 (this season is so good and Destiel is the driving motor of it, I swear. If you can, watch it complete.)

8x01 – We Need to Talk About Kevin: Dean in Purgatory looking for the angel. Cas is referred to as “your [Dean’s] angel.”

8x02 – What’s Up, Tiger Mommy?: HUG!!!, Purgatory reunion, face touch, very romantic. Monster: “ You'll find your angel there.” // Dean: “Let me bottom-line it for you. I'm not leaving here without you.”

8x05 – Blood Brother: Cas vs. Benny cat fight lol. Dean: “Cas... we're gonna shove your ass back through the eye of that needle if it kills all three of us.”

8x07 – A Little Slice of Kevin: Cas comes back from Purgatory, but before that Dean starts seeing him in places. Very tragic; hallucinating your dead significant other trope. Has That boner scene. Dean: “I did everything I could to get you out! EVERYTHING!” Cas helps Dean see what truly happened in Purgatory and not his self-altered memories. PACKED!

8x08 – Hunteri Heroici: Hilarious, romantic, intimate. Dean and Cas have an heart to heart. They actually communicate. Cas “I’ll watch over you.”

8x10 Torn and Frayed: They work a case together, and when I say heart eyes…

8x17 – Goodbye Stranger: THIS. EPISODE. Dean “I need you.”

8x19 – Taxi Driver: Separation. Naomi to Dean: "You're hoping Castiel will return to you. I admire your loyalty; I only wish he felt the same way."

8x22 – Clip Show: Lack of trust, hurt, tense interactions. Romantic too (basically, Cas gets Dean an apology basket).

8x23 – Sacrifice: Meaningful conversation and a gay couple hit by Cupid parallel. Dean “So this is it? E.T goes home?"

Season 9

9x01 – I think I’m Gonna Like it Here: Dean prays to Cas IN.A.CHAPEL. Worry, longing, separation. Dean “Please, man, I need you here.”

9x03 – I’m No Angel: Human!Cas and jealous!Dean.

9x06 – Heaven Can’t Wait: Human!Cas TEXT-BOOK LONGING. GAY AS FUCK. Gazing, touching, they even TALK (for real).

9x09 – Holy Terror: Adorable Cas, flirty vibes, happyish, funny. Cas: “Cas is back in town!”

9x10 – Road Trip: Cas comforts Dean, Cas and Crowley bitching at each other, overall protective!Cas.

9x18 – Metafiction. Cas finds out about the Mark of Cain.

9x21 – King of the Damned: Hug, strong boyfriends vibes.

9x22 – Stairway to Heaven: Cas gives up an entire army, for Dean. Metatron about Cas “He's in love………………………. with humanity.”

9x23 – Do You Believe in Miracles?: At this point, it’s canon stated that Cas will do anything and lose everything if that means saving Dean. Metatron to Cas “You draped yourself in the flag of heaven, but ultimately, it was all about saving one human, right?”

Season 10

10x01 – Black: Demon!Dean and sick/brokenhearted Cas in a slutty robe missing his man.

10x03 – Soul Survivor: ICONIC. Angel on Demon action! Cas turns down Hannah because he’s too gay and in love. Intimate Deancas talk.

10x05 – Fan Fiction: No Cas, but Destiel references.

10x09 – The Things We Left Behind: That.Lunch.Date. Deancas introduction to co-parenting.

10x14 – The Executioner’s Song: We get Daddy Murder aka Cain. This is a Pivotal episode to understand Dean’s character development. Plus, it has Deancas interactions.

10x16 – Paint It Black: No Cas, but Dean opens up in confessionary; repressed BISEXUAL AS FUCK.

10x18 – Book of the Damned: Charlie meets Cas. Gay energies everywhere. Cute domestic little scene.

10x20 – Angel Heart: PARENTING! Essential to understand Cas from this point forward.

10x22 – The Prisoner: Just… just watch it. One of THEE Destiel episodes.

10x23 – Brother’s Keeper: No Deancas interactions but it’s the finale, and I recommend watching it because next season takes off literally right from here. No time jumps.

Season 11

11x02 – Form and Void: Could skip to the very end which is when Cas comes back.

11x03 – The Bad Seed: Cursed!Cas. Dean takes care of him, even wraps him in a blanket. He also cradles his face. Extreme Hurt/Comfort. Jacting joices rejoice.

11x10 – The Devil in the Details: Could skip but has Casifer in it. Interesting to see his dynamic with Dean.

11x18 – Hell’s Angel: Casifer. Dean "It? It's not an it, Sam, it's Cas!"

11x23 – Alpha and Omega: Huggg! Cas willing to go on a guaranteed suicide mission with Dean. Very tender and sad.

Season 12

12x02 – Keep Calm and Carry On: ANOTHER HUG! Dean presents his boyfriend to his mom<3 Soft and romantic.

12x09 – First Blood: Reunion hug<3, Cas pining… as in he counts his every minute without Dean.

12x10 – Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets: Direct parallel with canon couple. Crystal-clear mutual affection. One of the best. Angel Ishim to Cas about Dean “I'm gonna help you. I'm gonna cure you of your human weakness same way I cured my own… by cutting it out.”

12x12 – Stuck in the Middle with You: A dying Cas confesses his love. “I love you. I love all of you.”

12x19 – The Future: We find out Dean gave Cas a MIXTAPE!!! Very romantic and full of yearning, also worry and what could be seen as a betrayal (ish…).

12x23 – All Along the Watch Tower: Hands down, one of the most distressing Destiel episodes. Cas dies.

Season 13

13x01 – Lost and Found: This is the worst because you have Dean trying to assimilate Cas’ death. Core of Dean’s widow’s arc. Jack introduction, that’s their new kid.

13x02 – The Rising Son: Widow’s arc (you could skip it, but why would you?).

13x03 – Patience: Widow’s arc (you could skip it, but why would you?). Dean to Sam “He manipulated him, he made him promises, said, ‘paradise on earth’ and Cas bought it and you know what that got him? It got him dead! Now you might be able to forget about that, but I can’t!”

13x04 – The Big Empty: Continuation of widow’s arc and Cas wakes up in the Empty. The Empty to Cas: "I know who you love. There's nothing for you back there." // Dean to Sam “I need you to keep the faith, for both of us. ‘Cause right now, I… Right now, I don’t believe in a damn thing.”

13x05 – Advanced Thanatology: Suicidal and hopeless Dean gets his win. Cas comes back. Gives me the chills.

13x06 – Tombstone: COWBOY BOYFRIENDS!

13x14 – Good Intentions: Happy and fun Destiel scene. So Very Married.

13x23 – Let The Good Times Roll: Season finale, Dean talks about retiring (plans include Cas of course) and just very nice to see them interact.

Season 14

14x03 – The Scar: Reunion.

14x08 – Byzantium: Deanand Cas dealing with their child’s death, then bringing him back by Cas making a deal with the Empty. IMPORTANT EPISODE.

14x09 – The Spear: Cas uses the royal We – married behavior.

14x10 – Nihilism: Dean is stuck in his own mind, and Cas and Sam try to bring him back. Cas “Please, you have to -- you have to try to remember, because the people in your life -- in your real life, out there -- we need you to come back.”

14x12 – Prophet and Loss: Dean gets his very own Dr. Sexy, aka Dr. Cas.

14x14 – Ouroboros: Basically another date (their kid tags along) and They TALK. Very intimate and established marriage vibes.

14x18 – Absence: Shits starts to go south. [ Dean: “Who cares what Jack said? We don't know what happened! But I swear, if he did something to her, if she is -- (points to Castiel) Then you're dead to me. (Castiel looks crushed after Dean says that).]

14x20 – Moriah: Tense and very upsetting. Relationship very damaged.

Season 15 (I would advise watching the entire season because it relies heavily on Destiel. They’re the heart and the emotional motor leading the plot onwards.)

15x01 – Back and To The Future: Deancas’ in the aftermath of their kid’s death. Tension gets worse.

15x02 – Raising Hell: Tension rises, this is very intense. Cas “Dean. You asked, "What about all of this is real?" We are.”

15x03 – The Rupture: Breaking point ends in divorce.

15x06 – Golden Time: Painful phone call which speaks volumes about the current state of their relationship at the time. Also, good to see where they’re standing and how they’re coping.

15x08 – Our Father Who Aren’t in Heaven: Strained relationship so obvious they’re offered couples’ therapy.

15x09 – The Trap: MASTERPIECE. Back to Purgatory. Can (and is) taken as Dean’s love confession (because it is).

15x12 – Galaxy Brain: So married. Little domestic date, you can see LOVE written in their faces.

15x13 – Destiny’s Child: AU!Dean and Sam. Not a yearning episode per se, but AU!Dean? SO GAY.

15x17 – Unity: God reveals that the only act of free will in any universe he ever created has been Cas choosing Dean.

15x18 – Despair: Cas confesses his love to Dean.

#Anonymous #thanks for coming to my ted talk #im posting this at 2:30 am so i'll most likely reblog it at a more reasonable hour ..in case anon is closer to my time zone #why am i even saying this..im sleepy #destiel #answered #destiel episode guide #there might be number/name mistakes because again sleepish.forgive me #long post

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hummingbirdsaltimolockia · 4 years ago

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I recently made a list of all the musicals I’m pretty familiar with and it came out to 63. and since my sisters won’t listen to my recommendations this is a masterpost of all those musicals with a few of my Thoughts and Opinions. this gets hella long so prepare yourself

-Les Miserables

ah, you never forget your first. I heard the symphonic recording when I was six? seven? so it has become the definitive version in my mind, but cast members (michael ball) are weak, and unfortch I haven’t come across a recording were all the cast members are top notch, though the 25th anniversary concert comes very close (norm lewis!! lea salonga!!)

-The Little Mermaid

ok so on the whole this show is not particularly great or interesting and honestly didn’t do very well on stage BUT hearing sherie rene scott sing poor unfortunate souls literally changed my life and is what really sparked my interest in musical theatre. also norm lewis is there

-The Band’s Visit

unlike any broadway musical you’ve heard fs. based on the movie of the same name, it’s about the egyptian police band being stranded in a middle-of-nowhere town in israel for in 1996. it’s a simple story but incredibly charming and ernest and surprsingly emotional. also the music is played onstage by the actors which is always cool!

-In the Heights

lin manuel miranda’s first musical and is honestly just as good as hamilton, if not better (I said what I said). it’s a slice of life kinda story about people living in washington heights. great music, great story, great characters, feels very real without being like....depressing.

-Aladdin

most of the songs from the movie stay mostly the same, I think they only changed arabian nights, and friend like me (which for the latter was a huuge improvement. I can’t NOT dance whenever I hear it. james monroe inglehart is a fantastic genie). and the flying carpet!! looks amazing!!

-Once on This Island

this story made me v mad initially (the female lead just. dies at the end), but I kept coming back to it because I loved the music, and it took me a while to figure out why and it’s because the caribbean island vibes are off the charts, and that reminds me of my childhood in sofl. and the vocals of the ensemble are amazing and the 2018 revival used a in the round stage with actual sand and live animals how cool is that

-She Loves Me

a super cute, super enjoyable, super fun musical based on the old film shop around the corner. zachery levi and laura benanti make some quality faces

-Next to Normal

oooof. a very intense show both in terms of theme and music. deals with bipolar depression, schizophrenia, drugs, suicide, hallucinations, death of a child....yeah. a very good show that handles all those heavy themes realistically

-Hamilton

so yeah when it first came out five years ago it was very hyped up and was called lin manuel’s “masterpiece” and when I listened to it I was like....dam they’re right. the lyrics and wording are so precise and having a story told by the protag’s enemy is so narratively juicey. plus the music is incredible (also listen to the hamilton mixtape if you haven’t it’s great)

-The Lion King

if you’ve followed me for any time you know I love the movie and the musical only makes it better. the songs, the music, the puppets, heather headley, the songs in zulu, the costumes...ugh perfection. the most successful disney show on broadway

-Aida

ever wonder what it’s like to be so darn good at singing that sir elton john writes a musical for you? well that’s what happened to heather headley and she completely deserved it. it’s a bit problematic in that the egyptian conquerors are all white and all the nubia slaves are black and like....they’re both in africa dude

-Anastasia

ok so I know it didn’t happen but the premise is so compelling and so gd tragic and christy altomare’s voice has such a fragility to it which is such a contrast to who anastasia actually was and the show features a song about russian refugees having to flee their homeland and it’s like the saddest song I’ve ever heard

-Anything Goes

honestly this musical on the whole isn’t that great for some...reasons, but it does have some great Friendship songs and Great tap dancing and sutton foster is in it and she is the epitome of a triple threat

-Cinderella

honestly just watch the brandy version because it’s the best version. better than the broadway version for sure, even though laura osnes is fantastic in everything she does and the show does have an amazing onstage costume change, but the brandy version has the coolest cast and costume and sets

-Ragtime

ho boy. so much to unpack here. while I think this is a “good” musical, it is too long, has too many characters and storylines, and deals with some heavy themes but doesn’t handle them very well so by the end it’s just exhausting and disappointing. BUT it does have the incomparable brian stokes mitchell and audra mcdonald, who is literally the best performer to ever grace broadway

-Thoroughly Modern Millie

there is so much spirit in this show it’s infectious. also sutton foster

-Dear Evan Hanson

sigh. so this musical gained a lot popularity among the Young People and...it..didn’t...deserve it? like again it deals with heavy issues like social anxiety, depression, and suicide, but like ragtime it doesn’t handle them very well; not in an honest way. and like everything they talk about is handled better in next to normal so

-Tuck Everlasting

based on the book, not the movie. the music is something really different and I don’t think broadway was ready to accept it so it didn’t run very long. and the adaption isn’t very strong, but the lead (sarah charles lewis) is very good and it does have a very sad song about miles losing his family

-Come From Away

so this is about the 38 planes that were diverted to a small town in newfoundland on 9/11. now with as much as america loves to talk about 9/11 I had never heard this story so it was cool to hear a different side of it. also it has a song that makes me tear up every time I hear it

-Annie

not much to say about this one. a classic

-Oklahoma!

speaking of classics, if you think this musical is boring and outdated, please listen to the 2019 revival. it rocks in every sense of the word

-West Side Story

this one is also a classic, and often called a masterpiece for good reason. the music is so strong and is integrated so well and it represents the characters on both sides. this video explains it really well. tho productions consistently have trouble finding puerto rican actors to play the puerto ricans....

-Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

this one deserved sooo much more than it got, coming out in the same year as dear shmevan shmhanson. the lighting and set design is incredible and the music reflects each character’s emotion so it feels really honest, and almost like a supporting character. it’s so good guys. it has josh groban in a fat suit

-The Phantom of the Opera

unpopular opinion (maybe): I think gerard butler was a really good phantom. probably andrew llyod webber’s best work

-Waitress

based on the film of the same name, also the first broadway show with an entirely female creative team. also what baking can do came after my entire life

-Hello Dolly!

I fell in love with the movie version with barbra streisand, but then I learned that the original broadway production had a all black cast which is awesome but wasn’t reflected at all in the movie and that’s disappointing. great show tho

-Wicked

I can distinctly remember the first time I heard the ending crescendo of defying gravity. and the fact that it has so quickly become classic staple of broadway is a testiment to how strong it is

-You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown

yes there is a broadway show of charlie brown. the songs are funny and childlike and honest, and very ernest. also kristin chenoweth is hilarious as sally brown (she won a tony for it!)

-Chess

I love the music in the show, and some songs have very complex lyrics but the main character is kinda annoying. like yeah dude deserting your country with another woman and leaving your wife and kids behind is gonna have negative consequences. don’t know what to tell you

-Finding Neverland

not as good as the movie it’s based on. while some of the music is very pretty, the songs are pretty simple and kinda boring

-Venice

ok this show also isn’t very good, the character’s motivations are not clear, especially the villain, and the female lead’s songs are weak. but the premise and some of the songs are arresting, and I kept coming back to them

-The King and I

like wws, it took a very long time for a production to cast this show accurately, and it still hasn’t....quite done it. but the songs are very beautiful. r&h strike again.

-Matilda

features a bunch of v talented children and manages to be lighthearted but also really gets you. just listen to when I grow up

-Little Women

on the whole, not a great adaption. some good songs. sutton foster is great

-Bonnie and Clyde

oh boy you want some bad guy songs? how bout a whole musical of them? oh no the public hated us and we closed after 36 performances. ah well. at least laura osnes got her first tony nod

-Beetlejuice

very catchy show with a killer aesthetic. give alex brightman a tony just for being Like That

-Hadestown

this show has such nice lyrical rhythm, even in the spoken words, and it is so smartly composed and balanced. and even tho the broadway cast recording is out, it’s worth it to listen to the earlier album as well

-Catch Me If You Can

based on the film. just two hours of aaron tveit being a little brat and norbert leo butz flexing on everyone else’s vocal chords

-Miss Saigon

an extremely problematic and infuriating show that is unfortunately very beautiful. introduced lea salonga to the world, so that’s good at least

-The Hunchback of Notre Dame

speaking of problematic but beautiful shows. exceeds the movie in my opinion. the choral vocals just cut right through you

-The Fiddler on the Roof

I listened to the 2016 revival after not listening to this show for years and you know what? it’s really good! like heck!

-Mean Girls

yes they made a musical of mean girls. yes it’s pretty great. regina has a killer song near the end that I love to belt out

-Bandstand

one of the only musicals to make me cry actual tears just from listening to one (1) song. it’s about WWII veterans coming together to form a band just months after the war ends. also laura osnes fricking kills it in the last number

-Into the Woods

I’m not a huge fan of “fairy tales but make it realistic and therefore disappointing” but stephen sondheim is a very good writer and musician so it’s worth checking out. and the witch is played by bernadette peters in the musical and meryl streep in the movie so it’s a win both ways

-How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

what it says on the can. a very fun, ‘don’t take this too seriously’ show. the lead was played by daniel radcliffe and nick jonas at one point so like. come on

-The Last Five Years

honestly this is a very depressing show, but it’s told in a interesting way. it’s about a couple who meet, fall in love, get married, drift apart, and ultimately get divorced, but not in that order

-Newsies

ok so the broadway version is very different from the movie, but it’s still worth checking out! the new verse at the beginning of seize the day makes it worth it!

-Legally Blonde

yes they made a musical of legally blonde. yes it’s great

-Daddy Long Legs

a little known musical about a young woman who is aging out of an orphanage and finds out she is being sent to school by a mysterious benefactor. meghan mcginnis has super sweet voice

-My Fair Lady

another problematic show about a british asshole who takes it upon himself to turn a flower girl into a “proper lady” (no one asked you to do that dude). but it is funny

-South Pacific

ok so I’m not actually super familiar with this show but it does have a very important song called you’ve got to be carefully taught about how racism is not “something you’re just born” so stop making excuses nellie

-Once

again I’m not super knowledgeable about this show, I’ve listened to it a few times, and read the wiki summary but I still don’t quite know what it’s about. but the music is really good, really different from a traditional broadway show. very enticing and sentimental

-Beauty and the Beast

I think this was the first disney movie that made it to broadway? I could be wrong. like hunchback, I think it exceeds the movie, esp if I can’t love her??? shoutout to my sister’s friend for blowing my socks off with that song in 2005

-Six

not a full blown production, just a rock show about the six wives of henry viii. I thought it would be like riding off the hamilton craze of “history but make it cool” but it actually kicks ass all by itself

-The Sound of Music

another classic, and edelweiss makes me emotional

-Billy Elliot

ahh this show has so much tangible emotion in it and it’s heavy but children are it and they carry it so well and the juxtaposition of the protests an d the dancing UGH

-The Lightning Thief

yes the percy jackson musical! is good and enjoyable! doesn’t take itself seriously at all (as it shouldn’t) and the last two songs go so hard!

-The Music Man

this is imprinted into my brain because of my sister’s drama group and from that day on I have never known peace

-The Scarlet Pimpernel

based on the film of the same name, it’s really good, the opening number goes really hard, and it SHOULD be revived with laura osnes

-Oliver!

this show is....good..but it’s just too long. too many extra songs that don’t do anything

-Sussical

beautifully whimsical and heartfelt. features an array of suess characters and stories

-Moulin Rouge!

the cast album that came late year and it kicks ass. it keeps some of the songs that were featured in the movie, and brings in songs that have come out since the movie like shut up and dance, royals, and bad romance

-The Greatest Showman

so technically this isn’t a broadway show, but it’s going to be, and I think it will be much better as a stage show than a movie.

#broadway #good lord this took way too long #I didn't provide links for everyone but pls click the ones that are there!#frick this took forever #but! talk to me about musicals! I love them and my sisters won't listen to my recommendations!

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mittensmorgul · 6 years ago

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2018 in Mittens Fic

(2017′s post, for reference: http://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/169045669275/2017-in-mittens-fic)

So I set out to post at least as many words as I did in 2017, and hooBOY did I succeed. Last year I posted ALMOST 175k, which isn’t anything to sneeze at. But this year, according to my AO3 stats, I’ve posted 1,066,834 words. D:

lol just kidding... 818,674 of those words span nine works, and are all the meta posts I desperately archived after tumblr initiated the self-destruct sequence last month. So I’m definitely not counting those as fic...

and even though I edited the 38k or so of the Bunker Secret Santa, I only actually wrote about 13k of it myself. Even so, that brings my total words for the year up to....

over 222k!

Still haven’t managed to hit 2015′s all time high, but heck, this was pretty good considering I’d been planning to write two other fics before the end of the year before Nippocalypse Panic and the Secret Santa project happened. I ALMOST MADE IT! But I feel awesome about what I did accomplish. The year might’ve sucked in almost every other way, but at least I made a lot of fic. :’)

So here’s a handy guide to all the Mittens Fic of 2018. Bless all y��all who’ve read, kudos’ed, commented, and recommended anything I’ve written, with a special shout out to everyone on Team Bunker Secret Santa. I love you guys!

P.S.: All of it is destiel, in case that wasn’t obvious. :P

The Terminal Job (23957 words, Rated M for Dean and Cas getting together) Canon case fic, wherein Sam, Dean, and Cas get a call for help from their old friend Jerry Sandusky, and Dean is forced to contemplate what’s worse: an airport filled with monsters or a demon on a plane.

Winchester 275 (56666 words, rated M) My 2018 Pinefest fic. Ranch owner Dean and astronomer Cas find their way to each other when Sam and his fiancee Eileen go into business with Cas’s sister Hannah, with big plans to turn Dean’s horse farm into an authentic Western-style resort. There are cowboy hats, Dean being intensely competent, and Cas learning to love life in the desert. Plus romantic stargazing and weird cows. And pining. Loads of pining.

Plotbunny (21781 words, rated T) Based on a combination of @bluestar86′s theory of how to demonstrate Dean’s bisexuality in canon and @elizabethrobertajones longing for an Easter Bunny case, this is canon case fic that brings TFW back to the town where Sam learned the truth about the Easter Bunny when they were kids, and Dean is forced to confront the truth of what went down while Sam was busy chasing jackalopes. The town is hiding and even bigger mystery, and Dean and Cas are drawn down rabbit holes left and right. Written as Easter/April Fools fun. :)

Cakepocalypse! (64145 words, rated M) Canon case fic, and a 13.23 coda/speculative s14 fic. The comments I get most are: wait, how the hell is this canon? and omg I just kept waiting to see how you made this canon! Trust me, it’s canon. Even when it looks like a Nailed It! AU. There is A LOT of cake. :D

Pinefest (5500 words, rated T) Canon case crack fic written half as a joke, half as a promotion for the @deancaspinefest. Wherein Dean runs afoul of a curse and is temporarily turned into a pine tree. Hilarity (and pining) ensues.

His True Love Was The C (2383 words, rated T) The canon crack offering for the Ten Year Destielversary. Dean and Cas realize their tenth anniversary falls on Talk Like A Pirate Day. Hilarity ensues, except for Sam, who has to suffer an awful lot of nonsense. :P

Ten Years Gone (4011 words, rated T) The canon serious offering for the Ten Year Deancasversary, featuring the Top 13 Zepp Traxx mixtape, and an awful lot of feeeeeeeelings. :’)

Nobody Loves A Clown (2332 words, rated T, and actually... gen fic, but destiel should be mentally applied anyway, even though this is Sam and Dean fic) Written at the request of @rachelhaimowitz, canon case fic, in which Sam is forced to confront his fear of clowns in entirely new and wonderfully horrific fashion... hilarity ensues.

Lost Time (7963 words, rated T) Canon fic, wherein Sam, Dean, and Cas are on their way home from a difficult case. Newly human Cas is slowly adapting to the rigors of hunting and most of Dean’s lessons on human life. Frustratingly for Dean, he hasn’t picked up on Dean’s baffling lessons in flirting. In a cosmic eyeroll of a move, Billie intervenes to offer the two of them a nudge in the right direction.

McMansion Hell (20877 words, Rated T) My annual holiday fic. The official summary is pretty good: It's a few weeks before Christmas, and all seems relatively quiet in the bunker. Sam is preoccupied with kitten videos on youtube, and Dean and Cas have been tap dancing around each other with a slightly more holly-jolly theme. As Dean teaches Cas the true meaning of Christmas pie, Sam finds them a case just brimming with holiday cheer-- a ghost with his own highly individual style who doesn't deal well with critics. Let's watch as they all learn their lessons, with fondly exasperated commentary from a slightly frazzled narrator who shares your pine-scented pain.

and finally, the huge collaborative project I organized and finished just in time for Christmas, thanks to the fantastic folks who wrote each of the chapters:

Christmas Don't End In Blood: Bunker Secret Santa 2018 (38545 words, rated T) With art by @foxymoley and @kayanem, and chapters by @supernaturalfamfiction, @wigglebox, @casloveshisfreckles, @elizabethrobertajones, @7faerielights, @angelneedshunter, @bluestar86, @livinginthequestion, @endellionaeternus, @baredwolf, @amwritingmeta, @winjennster, @malmuses and me. Canon happy family holiday bunker fluff (handwaving the whole dinkle situation and Cas’s unfavorable deal with the Empty Entity, because this is holiday fluff), wherein Jack decides his family needs to enjoy a real holiday together. TFW and the Waywards, including Charlie and Rowena, are roped into Jack’s secret Santa holiday exchange. Family feels and warm fuzzies ensue. :)

I haven’t written anything new since posting the Secret Santa, but the new year is for new writing. I’ll pick a project to start tomorrow.

Happy 2019, everyone, and thank you all again for being you. :)

#things i have written #and or collaboratively organized #spn fanfic #destiel #adventures in fanfic

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josemaximiliano-blog1 · 7 years ago

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FAVORITE ALBUMS 2017 (TOP 50)

2017 was a phenomenal year for music and a special one because this year I went full dedication to music, heard albums here and there, a lot of them actually to be precise 402 albums I heard just from this year, there were good albums, bad albums, horrible albums, happy albums, sad albums, we had everything this year and out of those 402 I heard I selected the 50 that I liked the most from New Wave to Doom Metal to Bubblegum Pop to Hip-Hop, I found out about a lot of new interesting artists and I’m looking forward for what next year has in store for us. It was hard to choose my top 50 but here are the ones that stand out the most.

1. Alex Cameron - Forced Witness (New Wave, Synth Pop, Soft Rock)

Wow. This album has the best songwriting of the year, just to start the character development is sublime, the hooks are catchy, the lyrics are hysterically funny and the production is awe-inspiring, it brings back the 80′s in such an amazing way, his vocal performance is stirring. This album is an introspective look into the persona that Alex created. The recurrent themes of masculinity, bravado, love, failure, sincerity, hope and hopelessness make this album grow into you until it becomes addictive. The lyrics might be fun and everything but at the end there is a raw reality that some might feel identified with it.

Three songs you should check out: Candy May, Stranger’s Kiss (Duet With Angel Olsen), Politics of Love.

2. The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding (Heartland Rock, Synth Rock)

This album is awesome from start to finish, makes me want to take the car during midnight and drive and never look back, its beautiful and satisfying guitar riffs to its gorgeous instrumental breaks and dreamy synths make this album an almost perfect listening experience, with the cherry on top being the thoughtful and heart melting/breaking lyrics.

Three songs you should check out: Pain, Thinking Of A Place, You Don’t Have To Go.

3. Arca - Arca (Art Pop)

Immaculate and gorgeous production joined by a powerful voice, it is a journey into Alejandro Ghersi’s sexual life, fantasies and thoughts. This album has astonishing and beautiful falsettos with great lyricism.

Three songs you should check out: Anoche, Castration, Miel.

4. The National - Sleep Well Beast (Alternative Rock)

This album explores new territories into The National’s great discography and it is their most experimental album yet and it might be their best album too, time will decide. Frontman Matt Berninger gifts us one of the best written albums of the year with a sorrowful and mature songwriting joined by an amazing band work by the Dessner twins and company.

This album could’ve been my number one spot but being honest... Turtleneck is not for me. Excited to see them live next month!

Three songs you should check out: Nobody Else Will Be There, Dark Side of the Gym, Sleep Well Beast.

5. BROCKHAMPTON - SATURATION (Experimental Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop)

The first album out of the Saturation trilogy and what a perfect way to get introduced to this boyband, I want to be like them so bad! this album is banger after banger, the production is juicy and amazing, you will never get tired of this album.

I have more to say about them but (spoiler alert) they have two more spots on this list and I don’t wanna run out of praise.

Three songs you should check out: HEAT, SWIM, MILK.

6. Lorde - Melodrama (Art Pop)

This is an album that can define an entire generation, Ella wrote an album for the teenagers and it is a true blessing, with her beautiful voice and gorgeous production by Jake Antonoff (fun, Bleachers) Melodrama is really a melodramatic expression of the daily lives of many of us.

That’s a beautiful cover art by the way.

Three songs you should check out: Liability, Hard Feelings/Loveless, Liability (Reprise)

7. Perfume Genius - No Shape

Love has no shape, this album gorgeously produced songs (totally deserved that Grammy nomination) and Mike’s angelical voice make a wonderful listening experience.

Three songs you should check out: Slip Away, Die 4 You, Alan.

8. Sorority Noise - You’re Not As Alone As You Think (Emo, Indie Rock, Punk)

In a year where I openly struggled with depression, suicidal thoughts and a friends death this album helped me a lot even though I might still be depressed, yes, this album talks about the same stuff I struggled with but sometimes a negative plus negative make a positive change.

Three songs you should check out: No Halo, A Portrait Of, A Better Sun. (It is just 30 minutes long so why not check the whole thing)

9. Father John Misty - Pure Comedy (Singer Songwriter)

2017 was a hell of a year and it is slowly going to fade away as long as we keep fighting each other and this album is just a reminder of that but it is also a reminder that it is a miracle to be alive and there is nothing to fear. Tillman’s songwriting is really an inspiration for me and he is my role model.

Three songs you should check out: Pure Comedy, The Memo, In Twenty Years or So.

10. King Krule - The OOZ (Post Punk, Art Rock, Nü Jazz, Trip Hop)

Yeah that genre description is cool isn’t it. Archy came out this with an amazing set of songs that explore depression and he just keeps showing us how great of an artist he is and yes we have to honest his voice is just something else I dream with his voice.

Three songs you should check out: Dum Surfer, The Ooz, Midnight 01 (Deep Sea Diver).

11. Charli XCX - Pop 2 (Electro Pop, Bubblegum Pop)

Charli closed the year with an amazing mixtape that stands out thanks to the amazing production by the PC Music team, the album is very futuristic and enjoyable with great features.

Three songs you should check out: Lucky, Porsche (Feat. MØ), Track 10.

12. Remo Drive - Greatest Hits (Indie Rock, Emo)

Same issue as Forced Witness but now with the title, to my understanding this is their DEBUT ALBUM and the fact they named it “Greatest Hits” made me think that this was a compilation from an old band trying to have more revenue but I’m glad I was wrong. This set of upbeat teenager songs is one of the best debut albums of the year.

They’re going to be touring with Sorority Noise how cool someone take me there!!!

Three songs you should check out: Crash Test Rating, Yer Killin’ Me, I’m My Own Doctor.

13. Julien Baker - Turn Out the Lights (Singer Songwriter)

The follow up to her debut album “Sprained Ankle” couldn’t be better, this is one of the most heart breaking and depressing albums (second most depressive because A Crow Looked At Me exists) of the year, Julien opens up with more depressive themes such as drug abuse, faith, suicidal thoughts and love and her delivery brings me to tears, the song structures here are brilliant and satisfying almost depending on the vocal performance but she doesn’t disappoint.

Three songs you should check out: Appointments, Sour Breath, Claws in Your Back.

14. Tyler The Creator - Flower Boy (Experimental Hip-Hop)

I didn’t like Tyler before this release but it did change my mind, this project was the album of my summer, literally, that was the only album I heard during summer camp so it brings me a lot of good memories with my friends and girlfriend.

Three songs you should check out: See You Again, Boredom, 911/Mr. Lonely.

15. Kirin J Callinan - Bravado (Art Pop, Synth Pop, Euro Dance)

The fact that one of my favorite songs from this album is one of my favorite memes of the year makes me feel wholesome.

Watch it for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvrZJ5C_Nwg the joy starts at 2:23

Three songs you should check out: S.A.D., Big Enough, Bravado.

16. Fleet Foxes - Crack-Up (Chamber Folk, Folk)

One of the best produced and written albums of the year, beautiful instrumentation comes along with a strong set of lyrics to give one of the most pleasing albums this year, this would be even higher on my list if it hadn’t been for the replay value (that is good but it took me a while).

It has one of the most beautiful cover arts of the year for sure.

Three songs you should check out: -Naiads, Cassadies, Third of May / Ōdaigahara, Fool’s Errand.

17. Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the Alps (Singer Songwriter)

Another set of depressing songs now this time from Phoebe, props for being a debut album too, her songwriting reminds me a lot of Mark Kozelek and yes she actually sings a cover (which is my favorite cover of the year) from a Mark song. The narrative on her songs is criminally incredible.

Three songs you should check out: Smoke Signals, Funeral, You Missed My Heart (cover).

18. Charli XCX - Number 1 Angel (Electro Pop, Bubblegum Pop)

It’s Charli, again. One of the catchiest releases of the year with a more mainstream focus than Pop 2 but still the album is great and the features again are amazing, so much chemistry.

Three songs you should check out: Emotional, Babygirl (feat. Uffie), Lipgloss (feat. CupcakKe).

19. Protomartyr - Relatives In Descent (Post Punk)

The songwriting...

I’m not saying anything about this album just read this verse.

From the song “Half Sister”

In Northern Michigan There was an incident in winter A horse was hit by lightning And began to speak in a foreign language When he was finally understood It repeated, "Humans are no good" So they shot it behind the shed and stuffed him He's now on display as a lesson For the kids to always do your best Do your best always.

Have to say that the “she’s just trying to reach you” reprise used throughout the album is just heart breaking.

Three songs you should check out: A Private Understanding, The Chuckler, Night Blooming-Cereus.

20. Counterparts - You’re Not You Anymore (Metalcore, Hardcore Punk)

This album doesn’t catch a break at all 27 minutes of straight forward madness. All I have to say.

Three songs you should check out: Bouquet, No Servant of Mine, You’re Not You Anymore.

21. Mount Kimbie - Love What Survives (Future Garage, Indietronica)

Every time I listen to this album I just want to lay down and chill for a minute, great production and it has an overall dreamy vibe, shout out to Mount Kimbie for introducing me to King Krule.

Three songs you should check out: Blue Train Lines, Marylin, We Go Home Together.

22. BROCKHAMPTON - SATURATION III (Experimental Hip-Hop, Pop Rap)

The boys back at it again, the conclusion to the Saturation saga and it is as creative as previous efforts, they keep changing their sound with every new album, what I liked the most from this album was that members like JOBA got more spotlight than ever before, the MVP’S of this one were Matt, Merlyn and JOBA.

Three songs you should check out: LIQUID, BLEACH, HOTTIE.

23. Oneohtrix Point Never - Good Time Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Soundtrack, Ambient, Original Score)

The highest entry for a movie score is Good Time, what an addition to the movie with high gripping and tense sequences of dreamy acid songs and with one of the best closing tracks of the year with The Pure and the Damned featuring Iggy Pop the song is heartbreaking and a great culmination to the album.

Three songs you should check out: Leaving The Park, Connie, The Pure and the Damned.

24. Rex Orange County - Apricot Princess (Alternative R&B)

This is an underrated and overlooked album that definitively deserves more attention, Alex delivers sweet and lovely songs with his unique and tender voice, great instrumentation and vocal performance. If you are looking for a love album this might be one of the best ones of the year.

Three songs you should check out: 4 Seasons, Rain Man, Happiness.

25. BROCKHAMPTON - SATURATION II (Experimental Hip-Hop)

What a year for the boyband. This one is full of bangers.

Three songs you should check out: SWAMP, JUNKY, SUMMER.

26. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Flying Microtonal Banana (Psychedelic Rock)

It is the strange vibe to this album and the crazy tuning that makes this an exotic and groovy album. The prolific Australian band proved that they are here to stay, they put out four solid albums in a short span of time and this has to be my favorite (one more to come out before the year ends). Looking forward for the fifth of the year!

Three songs you should check out: Rattlesnake, Sleep Drifter, Doom City.

27. Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein - Stranger Things 2 (A Netflix Original Series Soundtrack)

In my opinion the score outlives the tv show, this nostalgic vibe is incredible and all the layering is chilling yet beautiful to hear, from mellow synths to dark and eerie atmospheric sequences this album is one of the most memorable things of the show.

Three songs you should check out: Eulogy, Descent into the Rift, Soldiers.

28. Xiu Xiu - FORGET (Art Pop)

It’s unsettling, bold and dreary, this is an album you should not forget about, vocal performances on point plus a weird and iconic instrumentation.

Three songs you should check out: The Call, Wondering, Get Up.

29. Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me (Singer Songwriter)

The year’s most depressing album follows the story of Phil Elverum who tragically lost his wife after fighting against cancer, this is as real as it can be, the songwriting is heart breaking and outstanding, this album is arguably one of the best three albums of the year for me but the replay value affected its place on the list, the listening experience is too pessimistic and full of gut punches that I find it hard to listen to the full album in just one sitting.

Three songs you should check out: Real Death, Swims, My Chasm.

Starting from the next album I’m just giving my quick thoughts...

30. Benjamin Clementine - I Tell A Fly (Chamber Pop, Art Pop, Avant Garde)

An album with great and beautiful instrumentation joined by one of the most interesting and satisfying voices working today.

Three songs you should check out: God Save The Jungle, Phantom Of Aleppoville, One Awkward Fish.

31. Sampha - Process (R&B)

One of my favorite R&B releases of the year, Sampha has such a great voice.

Three songs you should check out: (No One Knows Me) Like the Piano, Under, Timmy’s Prayer.

32. IDLES - Brutalism (Post Punk)

The album title describes everything, brutalism all over the place with an interesting political/social point of view. Vocal performances are awesome.

Three songs you should check out: Mother, Divide & Conquer, White Privilege.

33. Ariel Pink - Dedicated to Bobby Jameson (New Wave, Synth Pop, Art Pop)

This album was my introduction to Ariel Pink and it was so good I enjoyed so much every track with a nostalgic vibe of music from the last century.

Three songs you should check out: Feels Like Heaven, Another Weekend, I Wanna Be Young.

34. Destroyer - Ken (Synth Pop)

I love the synths here, to be honest that was what made me love this album, it is so well designed and the lyrics were pretty cool.

Three songs you should check out: Sky’s Grey, Rome, Sometimes in the World.

35. Daniel Hart - A Ghost Story (Original Soundtrack Album)

I went to see the movie almost six months ago and the first thing I did after walking out of the movie theater was crossing the street to the nearest record store and buy the album, it still haunts me to this day, the album itself haunts me as well as the movie.

Three songs you should check out: Whatever Hour You Woke, Post Pie, The Secret In The Wall.

36. Jay-Z - 4:44 (Hip-Hop)

One of the best written hip- hop albums this year for sure, pure sincerity and emotion in this project and the production is just brilliant.

Three songs you should check out: The Story of O.J., Caught Their Eyes (feat. Frank Ocean), 4:44.

37. The xx - I See You (Indietronica)

One of the first albums I heard this year and it was good enough to make it to my list, I like the sensuality of the beats here and the smooth vibe to it.

Three songs you should check out: Say Something Loving, Perfomance, Test Me.

38. Primitive Man - Caustic (Doom Metal)

I like the way my favorite reviewer (theneedledrop) described this album, I share the same feeling so I’m just going to quoute “ Doom metal trio Primitive Man returns with one of the most nihilistic albums in the genre. For anyone who enjoys some pain with their pleasure.”

Three songs you should check out: My Will, Victim, Inevitable.

39. Moses Sumney - Aromanticisim (Art Pop, R&B)

Uhhh his voice is so beautiful and he is such a talented artist I’m in love with his voice, make sure you enjoy his voice as much as I do. I urge everyone to listen to Doomed if you wanna know what I am talking about.

Three songs you should check out: Plastic, Make Out in My Car, Doomed.

40. Code Orange - Forever (Sludge Metal)

It is brutal it is dirty it is aggressive it makes you wanna throw punches.

The cover art is easily top 3 of the year for me.

Three songs you should check out: Forever, Real, Spy.

41. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Polygondwanaland (Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock)

This is a great concept album that you should check out (if you are into concept albums otherwise you might not like it) because I love how every song builds to a great climax at the end.

Three songs you should check out: Crumbling Castle, Loyalty, The Fourth Color.

42. Alvvays - Antisocialites (Dream Pop)

Dream pop at its best this year.

Three songs you should check out: Dreams Tonite, Your Type, Forget About Life.

43. Slowdive - Slowdive (Shoegaze)

Great comeback from one of the most important bands of the genre, good for driving.

Three songs you should check out: Star Roving, Sugar for the Pill, Falling Ashes.

44. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Murder of the Universe, Chapter 1: The Tale of the Altered Beast, Chapter 2: The Lord of Lightning vs. Balrog (Psychedelic Rock)

The boys are here again for the third time, why did I put the chapters? Because this album is divided in three chapters and oh god the third chapter almost ruins everything so that’s why I didn’t put it here and I think that the first two need recognition, I love the narrative tone of the album and how it feels like a real story or a video game.

Three songs you should check out: Altered Beast I, The Lord of Lightning, The Balrog.

45. Zola Jesus - Okovi (Art Pop)

This album is so meaningful (a little bit of background, Zola Jesus wrote this album for a friend who tried to commit suicide twice) and powerful, it has a very strong message and the production is beautiful.

My favorite cover art of the year here.

Three songs you should check out: Witness, Siphon, Half Life.

46. Hans Zimmer - Blade Runner 2049 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

So nostalgic and brings back the vibe from one of my favorite movies of the year.

Three songs you should check out: Flight to LAPD, Joi, All the Best Memories Are Hers.

47. Yung Lean - Stranger (Clout Rap)

This album might had its flaws but it is a great listening experience if you just one to chill for a minute, solid production, lyrics and performances so yeah why not. Also bonus points for having two of my favorite singles of the year.

Three songs you should check out: Red Bottom Sky, Hunting My Own Skin, Agony.

48. ROSALÍA - Los Ángeles (Flamenco)

One of the last albums I heard this year, If I had listen to this album earlier on the year it might have been higher on the list but anyways this is a good project from Rosalía and she has one of the most attractive voices of the year.

Three songs you should check out: Nos Quedamos Solitos, Día 14 De Abril, I See A Darkness.

49. Ex Eye - Ex Eye (Post Metal)

This is just four tracks long but it is epic and progressive, really well produced album and nice to see Colin Stetson experimenting more with his saxophone.

Three tracks you should listen: Go with all the album, it is just four tracks, If I had to choose one... Anaitis Hymnal; the Arkose Disc.

50. Mac DeMarco - This Old Dog (Singer Songwriter)

The songwriting here is solid with a nice production, the song structures make this album a satisfying session.

Three songs you should check out: For the First Time, Moonlight on the River, Watching Him Fade Away.

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concurringconqueror · 5 years ago

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The Best Free Music Download Apps for Android [November 2019]

No art form has seen its distribution model change more in the past thirty years than music. By the early 1990s, most music listeners had switched to listening to their music through CDs instead of cassettes or vinyl, thanks to the improved clarity of sound and ease of use that came with both formats. Music was still consumed either through the radio or by purchasing CDs from a local retailer, whether it be your favorite music shop or a generic shopping center like Walmart or Target. In the late 1990s, IRC, Hotline, and Usenet were all capable of sending files of any kind over the web, but it wasn’t until Napster first appeared on the market that things truly started to shake up. Napster allowed its users to upload and download their favorite songs as MP3s, and although the downloads were typically fairly slow thanks to dial-up service at the time, the advent of Napster and its easy-to-use interface truly shook the industry to its core.

Throughout the next decade, the future of commercial music seemed dark. On the bright side, you had the iPod and iTunes completely revolutionize the market, charging 99 cents for singles (later $1.29) and around $9.99 for downloadable versions of your favorite albums. The ease of access to a full market of MP3 downloads that made it easy to transfer to your iPod or other MP3 player helped keep the market from completely crashing. Outside of iTunes and other similar music offerings, things seemed to be getting worse. Limewire, alongside its alternative counterpart Frostwire, made it easy to download tracks like Napster before it, along with music videos and other collections that, while plagued by spam and poor download speeds, kept people from committing fully to an iTunes-only future.

Peer-2-peer also remained a problem, with the rise of The Pirate Bay, Kickass Torrents, and other similar clients that kept the RIAA on their toes, issuing legal warnings and alerts to users around the United States about their illegal file sharing habits. To say the least, the 2000s ended with the entire music industry looking beat up and in bad shape.

It wasn’t until the arrival of Spotify in July of 2011 that the music scene seemed to find the second coming of an iTunes-like service. Though plenty will argue against Spotify “saving” the industry in any fashion, the switch to a focus on music streaming and subscription services seems to have, at the very least, helped stop a massive amount of people from being pulled towards piracy in favor of using streaming services. Spotify has also done a great job converting free users to paying customers, with forty to fifty percent of users having made the move to paying for Spotify. Now, in 2019, nearly every company—Apple, Amazon, Google, etc.—have made the move to focusing almost entirely on the streaming market over on-demand purchases.

But the free tier of Spotify is still relatively limited, especially when it comes to on-the-go listening. Spotify demands you pay to access the ability to listen to your favorite songs and albums without being forced to shuffle a specific artist. The early days of smartphones, prior to the ability to stream and download music for a low monthly cost in return, featured dozens and dozens of music downloader applications on both iOS and Android, and while those apps still exist, they perhaps aren’t as popular or as bountiful as before.

Still, while Spotify’s free tier on mobile may work in most situations, sometimes you want to ensure you always have that one special song on hand no matter where you are. That’s where something like a music downloader app on Android comes in handy. While you might not use it often, keeping today’s hits on your device ensure you’re always ready to listen to your favorite singles. Plus, certain apps allow you to even save the music video to your device, which can really be helpful when the music video has a different version of a great song (we’re looking at you, Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body”).

But since streaming apps have become the go-to apps for most music-lovers, what music downloader application should you turn to in 2019? It’s a good question—and luckily, we’ve ranked some of our favorite downloader apps in this guide to the essential music downloader applications for Android. From what apps look and feel the best when listening to music to the apps with the most features for saving to your phone, these are our favorite selections on Android today.

Our Recommendation:

Audiomack is not the free music app every Android user might be looking for. It’s centered around only a few genres of music—primarily hip hop and rap, R&B, EDM, and reggae—and if that isn’t the genre of music you’re looking for, Audiomack isn’t going to do much for you. If, however, you are interested in mainly listening to one of those genres, especially new songs of that variety, you’ll find a lot to like about Audiomack, both for discovering new tracks you might not be familiar with, and for finding out about up and coming artists you haven’t discovered yet.

If you’re unfamiliar with Audiomack, here’s what you need to know. Audiomack is a web-based player that, in many respects, mirrors something like Soundcloud, complete with a similar player interface that displays audio levels as you listen to a track. While Audiomack’s browser app features a clean interface, the app on Android leaves a little something to be desired. It feels really busy for something that should be focused solely on music. Ads are included here as well, an addition that is certainly to be expected with most free music download applications. When you first launch the app, you’ll be given the opportunity to subscribe to the paid version of Audiomack for $1.99 per month. It’s not free, but if the ads are bothering you, it’s a lot cheaper than something like Spotify.

Inside the app, the main display featured in the app is “Browse,” which allows you to go through top songs, top albums, and trending content. The trending tab is what you’ll probably use the most, and you’ll find user-uploaded content here from groups and rappers big and small. Adding to our offline music collection was as easy as tapping on the offline icon on our displays, and offline music could be found through the account tab on your player.

Sound quality, as with any “free” music downloader, was hit or miss. Because music in Audiomack is all user-uploaded, it should be obvious that some of the audio quality will likely be lacking depending on who uploaded the track. Some of the music we listened to sounded fine, equivalent to what we would expect from most mobile streaming apps. Still, some of it was clearly sub-200kbps streams, leading to an “underwater” effect where the music sounded muted and muddled.

You get what you pay for—and in this case, free convenience might overpower what we would expect with sound quality. We mentioned it above, but the other problem with Audiomack comes from its lack of genre. Hip hop and EDM fans will find plenty to love here, but even music that revolves around those scenes (LCD Soundsystem for dance music, any major Drake songs outside of some features) was sorely lacking.

Still, Audiomack is a good example of the state of free-but-legal music download applications on the Play Store, something that can’t be said for every app on this list. For what it offers, Audiomack is a great application so long as the music uploaded and hosted caters to your needs. Audiophiles will likely find the app’s quality is pretty hit or miss, but for those listening with the included headphones in the box (or with a pair of cheap Bluetooth headphones), you’re likely to find that Audiomack is one of the easiest ways to grab some tracks offline for free without breaking the law or jumping through a million hoops.

Runner Up:

We went into Trebel with open minds, and we won’t lie—it’s a bit of a mixed bag. There’s a lot to love here, including a modern interface that makes it easy to browse through new songs. You can view new releases from within the entire app, and they’re typically advertised from fairly large artists, including Halsey and Charlie Puth. A search function helps you find specific artists and songs, with a fair amount of options to choose from. At first glance, it seems to be building to a great option for downloading free music, but unsurprisingly, there are some big compromises to be made here.

Right off the bat, some tracks are listed yet marked as “coming soon,” an option that was difficult to explain why, while other albums are missing altogether. Likewise, the entire app is based off a coin system, requiring you to check in at locations, watch video ads, or have friends install the application to earn coins to download new tracks. It’s never clear many coins each track costs, but overall, it’s easy to say that for those looking to download large tracks without dealing with a coin-based ecosystem, you’re better off looking elsewhere.

Everyone else

My Mixtapez

MyMixtapez is the official app for the well-known site that, like Audiomacks and SoundCloud, offers a wide variety of free mixtapes from artists big and small. From Lil Wayne’s Dedication series to smaller rappers like Ralo and Trey Davidson, you’ll find a huge amount of content on their site so long as you’re willing to put in the work to discover new music on your own. The good news, of course, is that MyMixtapez allows you to search for all sorts of content, and though you won’t find unofficially-uploaded songs, listening to classic mixtapes like Drake’s So Far Gone is totally possible with this app.

The interface is fine, if a bit bland, and the ads can get a bit outrageous, but downloading songs is free and easy, and sound quality is solid thanks to some real uploads as opposed to fan content. There’s a lot to like with MyMixtapez, even if its utility is limited. Even more so than with SoundCloud, non-rap fans won’t find much here to their liking; likewise, new releases from bigger names is more or less out the window with this app.

Yep, you right: not only is FrostWire not dead, it’s still in active development, featuring a full client for Android that can be used to download your favorite songs. Despite LimeWire being shutdown in 2010 following major legal litigations, FrostWire remains alive and well on PC and on the Play Store, allowing you to download music like it’s 2007 anywhere on the go. There are a few differences between this version of FrostWire and the one you might remember using.

First, FrostWire made the switch to using torrents several years ago, which means your cellular provider or internet provider may be to detect your downloaded content as illegal torrents if you aren’t careful. Ads were also added to the platform, so you’ll have to deal with some amount of advertisements clouding up your service. FrostWire still works how you remember it, despite the changes in its backend. Typing in the name of your song or artist into the search box in FrostWire brings up all the similar results you could imagine, though you’ll have to scroll through your results to find the correct listing. Audio quality is also hit or miss, but you’ll likely find the service to be usable if you aren’t too picky.

Free Music

The only real positive thing to say about Free Music is that it’s free. Really, outside of that, the app doesn’t offer anything outside what you can find throughout the rest of this list. Though it isn’t advertised as one, Free Music is a third-party suite for SoundCloud, allowing you to download music from the site without using the main application as we described above. In theory, this is a good idea. It can allow you to perform the same actions we described above but without having to download a second app.

Unfortunately, almost everything about Free Music is worse. The app design is hilariously dated and features persistent, full-screen ads that interrupt your music searches. Browsing through content is far harder than simply using the official SoundCloud app. Even worse is the playback interface, with multiple ads taking up space over the player (and playing audio over the music). And the download feature of the app is broken, which means you’ll still need an app like SoundLoadie to download the content from its source. Basically, skip this one. Though it’s one of the first results in Google Play when you look for a music downloader, it’s absolutely not worth the hassle.

This content was originally published here.

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awesomecolorfulcollectorwombat · 6 years ago

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How Unofficial Concert Recordings Flowered in the 21st Century

New Post has been published on http://nahlahussain.com/how-unofficial-concert-recordings-flowered-in-the-21st-century/

How Unofficial Concert Recordings Flowered in the 21st Century

Most times, Eric Pier-Hocking will get to the venue before you do. It’s not because he wants to be in the front row, grab some limited edition merch, or even meet the performing musicians. But all of those sometimes occur in the line of duty.

This evening at Trans-Pecos near the Brooklyn-Queens border, he is in the front, though only because the room is small and the exact center of the stage in front of the performer is the most convenient place to set up his microphones. Plus, there’s a booth alongside the nearby wall where he can sit. And he will be acquiring something rare, in that he’s about to make a high-fidelity recording of an exquisite performance by acoustic guitarist Daniel Bachman. And, in fact, he does meet the artist, as well. “Mostly just to say hi,” Pier-Hocking shrugs. The show isn’t empty, but it’s far from a sell-out. In time, though, more people will be able to hear Bachman’s performance. Pier-Hocking is there to preserve the music and share it. In the process, he has become a valuable part of the 21st century musical ecosystem.

For most of the artists he records, he’ll make sure to secure permission in advance, but like an increasing number of touring musicians, the Virginia-based Bachman is fine with audio-obsessed fans like Pier-Hocking. In this case, Pier-Hocking doesn’t even ask, just sets up his recording gear.

“I’m all about it,” Bachman says, understanding that high-quality recordings of his performances are good calling cards to have out there, his music spreading further when Pier-Hocking posts it online. “I actually record other musicians myself,” the guitarist says. “I’ll just pull up the voice memo app on my iPhone and record an entire set. I do it on the road a lot so that I can listen back to friends or other people I get to perform with.”

Wearing a black denim jacket covered in pins, Pier-Hocking is not a professional audio engineer. The 37-year-old works by day as a production manager at a publishing company. With short hair and a neatly cropped beard, it’s easy to peg him for the enthusiastic indie music fan he is. But to call him an amateur wouldn’t be accurate either. What he does goes far beyond recording on an iPhone.

Tonight, Pier-Hocking is running a pair of MBHO KA100DK omnidirectional microphone capsules (via a 603A capsule attachment) into “a home-brewed” PFA phantom power adapter by way of a set of newfangled “active” cables, wired up by a colleague on a web forum for live-performance recording aficionados. (Most still refer to them as tapers.) Along with a feed from the venue’s soundboard, the microphone signal runs into Sound Devices MixPre-6, a digital multi-track recorder.

But, once getting his gear set up and he’s sure his levels are OK, Pier-Hocking mostly just sits and listens attentively to Bachman’s performance. Occasionally, he glances at the MixPre-6, just to make sure it’s still running.

Capturing the music from the two different sources—his own mics and the sound-board feed—as a pair of multirack WAV files, Pier-Hocking will later align the two recordings in Adobe Audition CC. It gets pretty geeky. “Usually the mics are milliseconds behind the board feed,” he says. “I zoom in on the WAV and look for a sharp point I can isolate, like a drum hit, and then shift it all over.” He corrects the EQ with Izotope Ozone 5, tracks and tags them with Audacity, and outputs them as high-def, lossless files known as FLACs. Once Bachman has gotten back to him with approval and corrects the track listing, Pier-Hocking will post the show as FLACs and mp3s to NYCTaper.com, a website established by Dan Lynch in 2007.

Eric Pier-Hocking, taper.

Vincent Tullo

Sometimes, with an artist’s permission, Pier-Hocking will also establish a page on the Internet Archive’s Live Music Archive, where visitors can listen to shows right in their web browsers, and where files are backed up regularly to locations in Egypt, the Netherlands, and Canada. “I love Archive,” he says. “You upload it once, and it sets it up for streaming and all the formats. It saves me a lot of work. And I know when I die, my recordings will still be there.” He pauses for half a beat. “Which is comforting, I guess.”

Like every other part of the music world, taping has changed utterly in the digital age. Once dismissed as mere bootlegging, the surrounding attitudes, economies, and technologies have evolved. It’s been a long haul since Dean Benedetti recorded Charlie Parker’s solos on a wire recorder. In the ’60s and ’70s aspiring preservationists snuck reel-to-reel recorders into venues under battlefield conditions, scaling down to professional quality handheld cassette decks and eventually to DATs.

The myth and popular image of “the taper” persists, even though there haven’t really been tapes since the early 2000s, when most tapers switched from DAT to laptops and finally to portable drives. But old terms are hard to dismiss. Many now prefer “recording” or even “capturing” to “taping,” though recent headlines are a good reminder of just how durable “tape” really is, and most just use the term unconsciously and don’t have a preference about the terminology one way or the other—as long as you don’t ask them to leave.

Unlike most every other part of the music world, taping has not only thrived in the 21st century but come into its own, from advanced cell phone gadgetry (like DPA’s iPhone-ready d:vice MMA-A digital audio interface) to compact handheld recorders (like Zoom’s varied line of products), from high-speed distribution to metadata organization. Despite constant radical change, taping has never been disrupted. Rather, it has positively flowered.

Innovations have occurred within practically every area of the signal chain. Some nights, Pier-Hocking uses Shapeways’ 3D-printed mic arrays, custom manufactured on behalf of Pier-Hocking and his compadres so they can more easily set up their mics in various live situations, from the small rooms like Trans-Pecos to big arenas like Madison Square Garden. The “active” cables Pier-Hocking favors, which have been around about a decade, are very discreet. Connected to a phantom power source, these cables allow tapers to use the kind of capsules that once required a full microphone body. Mics powered by active cables can more easily be hidden in a hat and smuggled into the front row, making them a boon to “stealth tapers,” who do their best to record without being noticed. “I’m too nervous to stealth,” Pier-Hocking says. “Most of the time.”

He gets his cables right from a taper who doesn’t sell them publicly. “You can buy active setups commercially from Schoeps, Neumann, MBHO, and probably some other microphone manufacturers, but they’re often very expensive,” Pier-Hocking says. “Tapers have reverse-engineered these active-type setups and have even had their own capsule attachments manufactured in some cases.”

Continuing one of many tech practices pioneered by Deadheads, others have tapped—somewhat invasively, no doubt—into the private signals of wireless in-ear monitor systems used by Radiohead, U2, Bruce Springsteen, and others. The power of editing software has allowed fans to then combine them together—sometimes with audience recordings—to make virtual live multi-tracks. (No one has yet used the same FM system to override an in-ear signal and broadcast messages direct to Bono to thank him for Songs of Innocence, but it would also theoretically be possible.) Deadheads, meanwhile, have moved onto creating 5.1-channel surround-sound mixes, sometimes combining the band’s official releases with fan-made tapes of beloved shows to make vivid remasters, as with the band’s beloved May 8, 1977, concert at Cornell University.

An invisible hit parade has acted as an alternative to the mainstream music industry since the moment consumer-grade wire recorders became available in the 1940s. The creation and exchange of unofficial recordings has survived the commercial rise and fall of 45s, LPs, CDs, cassettes, and even mp3s, as well as countless record companies. No matter your tastes, your favorite artists almost unquestionably possess shadow discographies that (mostly) can’t be found through official channels like streaming services and record stores, with landmark recordings in nearly every genre. Along with tapes of performances, fans have long coveted studio outtakes, illegal remixes, hip-hop mixtapes, live DJ sets, radio sessions, and other veritable field recordings from the legal grey area known as the real world. But that is perhaps all that remains the same.

BitTorrent naturally serves as the backbone of the serious-minded 21st century taper network, with recordings spread across torrent sites like Dimeadozen, Lossless Legs, and the Traders’ Den, with the music spreading to other services from there. In fact, BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen has said he explicitly developed the peer-to-peer file-sharing platform in 2001 for the pioneering taper project known as etree.

Established as a mailing list in 1998 to collate information between FTP sites, etree took its name from the Usenet-era Deadhead practice of organizing “tape trees” for efficient distribution, where each participant was responsible for copying the recordings for several others. With a little foresight, a recording could spread from one Deadhead’s master tape to dozens of copies without losing much fidelity. BitTorrent’s basic premise—that all downloaders redistribute data to all other downloaders—is a digital extension of the Deadhead ethos that everybody might share for free with everybody else, each according to their Mbps.

“For the first three years that BitTorrent existed, etree was the only site listed on the official BitTorrent FAQ,” says Tom Anderson. By the time BitTorrent launched, Anderson had already developed a database to keep track of etree’s recordings in circulation, perhaps the most irreplaceable part of etree’s suite of fan-developed sites.

“In 1998, I traded through the mail for a Dead show, and I already had two copies of it,” Anderson says. “That was pretty frustrating.” Wanting software to keep track of his own collection and already being a somewhat picky professional database developer, Anderson found the available options for tape collectors lacking. So, naturally, he built his own using a dynamic domain hosting service and importing setlists from an existing open-source Deadhead project. Anderson made the new database expandable and flexible and finally emigrated the project into etree by the end of 1999.

Predating the torrent tracker, “db” (as Anderson abbreviates it) is a quietly landmark achievement in fandom. Containing metadata for some half-million different sets of files representing some 44,000 artists, the database is the closest thing to a definitive index of live recordings circulated by fans. The Grateful Dead, Phish, and other jam bands dominate, but it also contains secret histories for acts large and small, from ’80s Philadelphia power pop band The A’s to British prog act Zzebra. And it affirms that—yes—the tapes do exist.

Db has been Anderson’s laboratory for years. “Being such a long-lived project, I’ve done a lot of living within that period,” he says. “Db was always there for me whether I needed to learn a new library such as Scriptaculous or just needed something to do. I explored many different paths in programming including a Lucene implementation in pure PHP, better database design which I would take with me to new clients, early work in caching and templating engines with Smarty. I’m much better at vim [a text editor for coders] thanks to programming on the live site in real time.”

He says he’s proud that “the database structure is correct enough that it’s lasted,” but he acknowledges its front end could use an upgrade. To that end, the site has recently released an API, a tool other tape-loving coders can use to query the etree database and build new portals to etree’s culturally invaluable set of metadata. Anderson sees the site’s future in the API.

A decidedly part-time labor of love for the site’s overseers, it has been subject to surprisingly few outages over the years. “Four consecutive days once, around 2005,” Anderson says. But the site’s consistency, its openness, and the totality (and permanent incompleteness) of its data, are all emblematic of the invisible hit parade as a historical entity.

Pier-Hocking’s taping gear consists of a pair of microphones wired for stereo sound, a mobile MixPre-6 audio recorder that captures high-quality audio, and a set of headphones.

Vincent Tullo

After a show, Pier-Hocking will mix his recording and post it on the internet for others to download for free—all with the artists’ blessing.

Vincent Tullo

Anderson, Pier-Hocking, and countless others are participants in something broader than themselves, vital players in an ecosystem of audio obsessives, mystery-loving historians, and completist fans. Virtually the opposite of streaming services like Spotify, the ad-hoc network is wildly decentralized and noncommercial.

At least in the world of traditional tapers, there is a premium placed on recording quality, but it is equally the domain of debased and marginalized formats, from wire recorders to reels, from cassettes to minidiscs, and the never-ending race to preserve the music contained on them. Where Spotify can barely muster songwriting credits, recordists slather on detail, often posting obsessive data about mic placement, signal chain, tape lineage, song performances, audio imperfections, and other ephemeral and contextual information.

Sanctioning an official section in the audience for tapers in 1984, the Grateful Dead became known as the most taper-friendly band in the world. By then, Deadheads were already modding microphones, building their own preamps, experimenting with DATs, publishing phone book-length tape catalogs, and exploring internet-based distribution networks. More than anybody else, it was Deadheads who built the infrastructure on which the modern taping world operates. And, perhaps, it was the Grateful Dead’s enormous and resolutely nontraditional success—and critical rediscovery in the early 21st century—that provided one tipping point for taping’s new acceptance.

Attitudes have shifted, perhaps in part because record stores aren’t overflowing with obscenely priced “import” CDs containing unauthorized recordings. And more to the point, musicians don’t make much money these days selling their recordings. “So you may as well be giving your live recordings away,” says Nancy Baym, a Microsoft researcher and author of the new book Playing To the Crowd: Musicians, Audiences, and the Intimate Work of Connection. “If your economy is attention, this is going to get you more attention and more die-hards who want to come to your shows and buy things that create revenue.”

Of course, nearly every audience member has a tape deck in their pocket. Though the new iPhone XS and XS Max include stereo mics, most serious tapers scoff at those holding their phones aloft during performances, regarding them as disruptive to musicians and fellow audience members alike. To serious tapers, “phone recordings” are synonymous with incomplete, inconsistent, and rarely enjoyable documentation.

“Put in a little effort if you’re going to do it,” says Pier-Hocking, who would love to see more serious tapers. “If you need to secure a spot, get down to the venue early. Don’t be a jerk to others. Don’t do something that’s going to affect other people’s enjoyment of the music.” He emails me one night after a Neil Young show, still stewing at the video recordist who gave Eric and his wife guff about blocking his camera’s view, and then proceeded to not even record complete songs anyway.

And sometimes those holding their phones up aren’t even recording anyway. They’re live-streaming the show on Facebook Live or some other platform. Baym sees the rise of easy phone streaming as endangering tapers. “Now there are so many people live-streaming that when you go to YouTube it’s all live-streams that have ended and aren’t there anymore. I feel like streaming on phones has maybe eliminated the preciousness of it, and I don’t mean ‘preciousness’ in a coy way.”

But when done with care, live recordings can provide rich and intimate ways for fans to experience the music of their favorite artists and even discover new ones. In the current corporate vernacular of the music industry and startups everywhere, it might be thought of as organic, listener-driven engagement. But, if so, it is organic, listener-driven engagement that platforms and labels can never control, only attempt to feed.

At their best, live recordings might be seen as a musical equivalent of a product drawn directly from the earth, rather than something sold in the store. “Farm-to-table” is an overdone comparison, but these recordings do exist in a space several steps closer to the music’s creation. Providing access to a cultural landscape where media giants hold little domain, the invisible hit parade remains an authentic musical underground in a freemium world, a hideout where listening habits go unmonitored and unmonetized.

There are still sketchy releases—in a few cases available on Spotify and the iTunes Store—often based on the old-fashioned loopholes of European copyright law. But even that practice has taken modern turns. The site Music Mafia sold leaked tracks by Kanye West, Chance the Rapper, and others via Bitcoin auction, only taken offline in September 2018. And there’s been an uptick of grey market LPs to go along with the new vinyl revival. But those are the exceptions. Mostly, there has been an explosion of access points.

The ever-populist YouTube contains streams of uncountable unofficial recordings, including multiple canons of classic bootlegs, and as a primary source for new recordings. Of course, it doesn’t constitute a permanent archive, with any video apt to disappear at any moment depending on the whims of rights-holders or the algorithms acting on their behalf. (And it’s not exactly non-profit in YouTube’s case. Somebody profits from all those clicks, just rarely the musicians or tapers.) Beyond that, though, there are easily shared links to public and private file-sharing sites, email lists, blogs, Facebook groups, and at least as many other backchannels as there are messaging services.

The ease of access doesn’t appeal to all musicians, or their labels. While taping might sometimes seem ubiquitous, musicians and others have any number of valid complaints about the practice that have nothing to do with profits lost from being “bootlegged.” Some artists, for example, would prefer to exert some control about whether a particular performance might enter the permanent record. (While Prince was alive, fan-made recordings were apt to disappear from the internet in puffs of purple smoke.)

Another concern is that the music was made for the people in the live audience, and only the people in the audience. Still another point of view entirely is that live recordings are something special that are fun for serious fans to exchange but also contain a certain magic that disappears when those recordings are made available for instant clicking, more digital sugar to be passively consumed, passively regurgitated, and actively forgotten. And, as Nancy Baym notes, “a lot of times it can be discouraging to look out an audience and see telephones instead of faces.”

But while ubiquitous, people recording on their phones aren’t tapers in the traditional sense. What makes this perhaps the golden age of the invisible hit parade isn’t merely the quantity of the recordings, their quality, or even the speed with which they hit the internet. It’s the totality and ubiquity that now allow listeners to absorb these bodies of work as their own indisputable cultural histories, preserved by fans and their unofficial institutions.

Beyond db.etreedb.org, there are countless sites that make it their music-loving business to curate and organize unofficial recordings, such as the Albums That Never Were and Doom and Gloom From the Tomb (disclosure: this writer has contributed), culling threads and collections of unreleased material from a variety of artists. In this way, home taping isn’t killing music (as the British Phonographic Industry once notoriously declared), but keeping it absolutely alive.

Just like an issue of Billboard, there are many parallel popularity charts on the invisible hit parade. On the dance music continuum, there’s MixesDB and 1001Tracklists, capturing decades of song-lists and sometimes the recordings themselves, going back to Tom Moulton’s pivotal tapes made for Fire Island clubs in the ’70s, though many of the virtual tapes are filled with recordings that belong to numerous rights-holders apt to zap them from existence.

“It’s a fugitive format by nature,” says Michelangelo Matos, a mix columnist for Mixmag and author of The Underground Is Massive: How Electronic Dance Music Conquered America. “There are always things being [deleted] without warning.” He cites the Deep House Page, which for a time in the late ’90s became a staple repository for vintage DJ sets. “I download what I can of what I like,” he says, “sometimes through third-party sites.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, these third-party services designed to rip audio from YouTube and other platforms have become the Recording Industry Association of America’s latest target.

Archiving can be a form of activism, the late historian Howard Zinn once asserted. He was speaking of government records, but in this ephemeral 404 century, the act of preserving endangered music (or any other type of media) might well qualify too. If music fans constitute a series of interlocking communities, then these unofficial recordings often constitute a significant part of its collective memory.

“Pirate archivists view official media preservation as a precarious business,” says Abigail de Kosnik, author of Rogue Archives: Digital Cultural Memory and Media Fandom. “A very small percentage of television has ever been officially archived, a little more film has been saved—but still, just think of all of the amazing silent film that has been lost forever.”

Though she acknowledges “many people who pirate media do it for convenience of access rather than preservation,” she also notes that “pirate archivists certainly do not pirate because it is ‘free,’ they pay quite a bit of money for Virtual Private Networks and other types of masking technologies, they usually donate to the torrent trackers they use, and they pay a great deal for their high-capacity servers.”

One veteran taper who works as a programmer once spent a weekend (while his wife was out of town) reverse-engineering the way livestreams work and figuring out how to capture them. Keeping these professionally shot and mixed videos on an external drive—an hour-long set preserved in its original format is usually between 750 megabytes and 4 gigabytes, depending on the bitrate of the webcast—he uses an Oppo Blu-ray player to browse and watch them from a media library, though a Roku or any other media server peripheral would also do. Occasionally uploading some for friends on special request, his is mostly a private collection. It is here, perhaps, that “taping” becomes like the old boogey-beast of old. But how else are you going to find a pristine capture of Beyonce at Coachella?

Others see the future of taping as going legit. Frank Zappa infamously re-bootlegged the bootleggers, and Pearl Jam has been releasing every show on CD since 2000. More recently, sites like Bandcamp have also allowed artists the flexibility to post live sets for sale as they see fit, as electronic artist Four Tet did this fall. For the past several years, Cafe Oto, the renowned London venue for jazz and experimental music, has sold selected live sets as part of its Otoroku series. Others have used live-streaming as a promotional tool, from bar bands with selfie-stick-mounted iPhones to global stars.

But Brad Serling, founder of the archival and streaming service nugs.net, has taken it several steps further. In the early ’90s, Serling—a Dead taper since 1990—shared samples of his tapes with potential traders by posting .au files on an FTP site. Once out of college, he scored a job working for ex-MTV VJ and early internet media entrepreneur Adam Curry. Over Labor Day 1995, he became one of the first to stream a concert online, when—on behalf of Curry’s OnRamp—he multiplexed eight phone lines to create a 128k signal, webcasting Metallica’s Molson Ice Polar Beach Party live from the North Pole. He marvels at the increases in processing power and bandwidth that have allowed his business to flourish.

A veritable network of on-demand live music, both video and audio, nugs.net evolved from a free fan site. Serving the jam bands one would expect with a name like nugs.net, including Phish and the various post-Jerry Garcia offshoots of the Grateful Dead, the site now also distributes live recordings for decided non-noodlers like Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, and Metallica (who themselves have had a tapers’ audience section since 1991). Serling laughs at the time Coldplay contacted them, inquiring about how to stop recording at their shows.

“We added a CD business in 2004, which we still do to this day, which is kind of amazing,” says Serling. “People really like collecting stuff. They like having a shelf filled with every tape. Pearl Jam is a big part of our CD business. Bruce Springsteen is a huge part of our CD business.” The latest act to partner with nugs.net are the New York alt-jammers Sonic Youth, whose celestial guitar noise could find a new audience among the jam-oriented fans browsing the site.

Of all the 21st-century innovations in taping, Serling’s might be the furthest out, especially with acts starting to bundle their ticket sales with nugs.net’s official recordings. “It’s the ultimate in the whole evolution of taping,” Serling enthuses. “You bought a ticket to the show, and you scan that with your phone and get access to a professionally mixed recording of it.”

It’s probably not a coincidence how often tapers become involved in other aspects of the music communities around them. For nugs.net’s Serling, it became a vocation. NYCTaper.com founder Dan Lynch’s day job as a criminal defense attorney, meanwhile, led him into a new relationship with many of the small venues he was visiting, shoestring spots often run by 20-somethings with a love of music but little eye for legal details. Decades older than many of the musicians and venue operators, Lynch came to fill the non-metaphoric role as the responsible adult with legal expertise when they found themselves in legal trouble for any number of minor infractions. With music once acting as an escape from the burden of his court cases, it took over his daylight hours, too.

“I saw what was happening to the [do-it-yourself] venues,” he says, “and I volunteered in 2008 to represent pro bono all the people who had been given summonses or tickets as a result of a raid on the [venue] Market Hotel,” a place he’d made recordings. “And I eventually represented people from maybe five or six other DIY venues in a variety of other ways, having to do with raids by the police.” When the Market Hotel was shut down seemingly for good, Lynch found himself on the board assembled to bring it up to code and legalize it. He is likewise involved with Trans-Pecos, where Eric Pier-Hocking had recorded Daniel Bachman.

Tapers are everywhere in the music business. The founder of Daniel Bachman’s label, Cory Rayborn, began as a taper, recording (and booking) shows around North Carolina. “It was always a good entry point with bands,” he says, “a great way to introduce myself and be able to generate something high quality for their archive.”

In an age of streams, algorithms, and media consolidation, participation in the invisible hit parade remains a way to connect with music and the worlds it builds. With media and data available virtually free and music itself absorbed into the background of the landscape, it is a way of finding value in an area where financial and cultural worth have been turned upside down, and reinvesting it with meaning.

In the ’90s, Pier-Hocking initially started trading tapes on Prodigy’s forum for the band Nirvana. But soon realized it helped to have tapes few others possessed, so he started making his own, first of the Washington DC punk band Girls Against Boys. “I listened to them all over and over, no matter how bad the quality was,” he says of his earliest recordings. When he connected with NYCTaper more than a decade later, after he’d stopped taping, he discovered that one of the site’s main contributors—Jonas Blank—was someone he’d traded with years before. They reconnected. And give or take other life obligations, like children and jobs, the various NYC Tapers can often be seen hanging out even if only one of them is necessary to make a recording, easily spotted forming a collective tapers’ section, like a school of fish.

“I was enamored with this thing that I had made out of vibrations in the air,” Pier-Hocking says of his Girls Against Boys tapes, remembering the feeling of being the nearest time traveler to the music, picking up the sound at its moment of creation for future listeners, an act of creation by itself. “I wasn’t responsible for the music,” he marvels. “But I was responsible for something.”