#shitty vocals shitty instruments whatever

[charrfie]

Good morning! I'm looking for some new tunes! So I'm going to turn it into a fun game! Send me songs you like (more than one is alright) and I'll rate how much I like them out of 10 :^]

[lutethebodies]

🔥🔥🔥

Three petty BG3 hot takes for you:

🔥 Playing humans is awesome, actually, in 5e but especially in BG3, and anyone who says playing humans is “boring” is not only wrong but also risks being boring themselves. Can you be a creative thinker? Can you work within limitations? Can you capitalize on what humans can do best? Can you avoid the temptation to min-max your way to whatever golden-diced endgame Reddit wants you to think is normal? Because I absolutely can. Humans (and half-elves, and elves) are my BG3 go-tos. Tieflings? Dragonborn? Half-Orcs? Shorties? The literal galaxy of playable races in 5e? Not for me.

🔥 Tav > Durge. I understand that folks have varying valid reasons to like/play the Dark Urge. Personally I prefer Tav’s complete lack of baggage and melodrama. I love playing the stable one among this disparate collection of vagabonds and strays. Being controlled by a god (resisting or not), let alone a god of murder, feels utterly repulsive to me. Similarly, I hate Orin. A murder-freak who abused my favorite scion of House Baenre? I will save-scum to telekenise her off a cliff every damn time, and ignore the dead Durge in her chambers every time.

🔥 “Raphael’s Final Act” is bad and needless and I’m probably the only BG3 fan who feels that way. I’m a lyric snob and always will be, and tbh all the soundtrack lyrics strike me as simplistic and trite. It’s shitty to say though because I’m guessing that English is not this lyricist’s first language, and English is hard to write in for many native English speakers. It’s a fucked-up language! But for me that doesn’t make the soundtrack songs with vocals any less skippable. If you dig them, great! I love plenty of music that is widely disliked (and at my age, that increases every year). I love many of the BG3 instrumental compositions. But I don’t love the BG3 lyric songs.

[lady-of-the-upside-down]

Notes on Hamilton International Tour (Manila, Oct 28, 2023 matinee)

No list of who specifically in the cast was on for the day, the programme only had the full cast list.

Act 1 notes

-Deep voices, deep voices everywhere

-They kept the “Laurens I like you a lot” line for international!

-I love the lighting! Some of the lights even create polygons

-Laurens was so drunk by the start of the toast

-Angelica had such a pretty voice

-Everyone enjoyed the King. YBB was delivered in such an angry incel kind of way

-“I’m so blue” *the King stomps and the lighting turns blue*

-The transitions during the wedding and toast are so beautiful and smooth, it almost felt magical

-DOUBLE SPINNING FLOOR

-Burr’s “How does a—-“ narrations really reek of his jealousy

-Desr Theodosia was so so good, mmm the vocals

-Some USA-specific references weren’t that understood by the audience, understandably

-Washington’s voice is so perfect for the role, I love him.

-The war scenes were so well choreographed I loved them!

-I can sometimes hear undertones of the actors trying to approximate the OBC’s voices, especially with some of Alexander’s lines

Act 2 notes

-Jefferson had no drawl (he had some tiny French accent as Laf tho)

-Sally didn’t show the letter near Jefferson, instead she held it above her head like she wanted Jefferson to work for it to read

-“Whatever the hell it is you do at MON-TI-TELLO!”

-“These ~VIRGINIAUUUGHNS~ are birds of a feather!”

-Philip was as fun as usual, and also he’s taller than his dad

-“Angelica tell my wife Vice President’s not a real job anyway” earned a lot of laughs because we currently have a shitty VP (Look up “Sara Duterte Confidential Funds”)

-Say No To This, oh boy (They kept all the scenes for international!)

-Congress is fighting over where to put the capital: “GEORGIA!”

-Daddy’s calling got a lot of laughs

-The King was as insane as ever, shifting from sad to angry to jolly. What Comes Next was fun

-That was my wife you decided to fuuu- got laughs

-The Philip death arc still brought me to tears even if I already listened to it a million times before

-Someone said out loud “Aaron Burr is a loser!” after election of 1800

-“Weehawken” became “Jersey”

-I love the choreography during Ham’s duel monologue, it was so creatively done

-WLWDWTYS was Emotional for sure

Thoughts

The overall pacing was really like as if you were listening on a music app, save for some instrumental interludes and some lines of dialogue. Some of the songs had parts that were slowed down for some actors’ own spins, such as the Laf/Jeff actor going a bit slower in some of the lines.

Admittedly the Angelica actress overshadowed Eliza a bit but tbh it kinda fits, with her being the “leader” amongst the three.

Overall it was a magical experience, and the seven-year wait really paid off. I have been a big fan of Hamilton since I was in high school, and now I’m on my last year of university. It really felt so rewarding to be able to watch this.

This cast was composed of actors from varying places, mostly Australian and American. I really recommend checking out this international tour as they were really a blast to watch, and definitely live up to—even exceed—expectations. Their next stop after November is Singapore iirc.

[dustedmagazine]

Penny Arcade — Backwater Collage (Tapete)

Since the abrupt and somewhat mysterious end of Ultimate Painting in 2018, James Hoare has been recording sporadically as Proper Ornaments (with Max Oscarnold) but this is his first solo album under the name Penny Arcade.  Fans of any of Hoare’s projects, from Veronica Falls on down, will find much that is familiar in this softly psychedelic set of songs, which engage gently but leave an indelible mark. 

One can infer considerable tension for Hoare over the last several years, from the break-up so bitter that the last Ultimate Painting album was withdrawn after recording, mixing and sending out to likely reviewers. (I have a copy somewhere.  It was good.)  He left London for the West of England soon after, seeking whatever one seeks in wilder, less populated places, and shortly after that, COVID happened.  It’s been a shitty time for everyone, and Hoare may have gotten an extra dollop.  And yet, if you’re looking for strife in the music, you’ll have to probe well below the surface.  The sun-dappled exteriors of these preternaturally pretty tunes are serene and calming, though there are some rough, cold currents underneath. 

“Jona,” for instance, haunts its space weightlessly, a silvery electric keyboard piercing its hum while looping electric guitar licks lace through its quietude.  And yet there’s an unease in its cool, well-lighted interior, a restlessness in the words.  “Hey, hey, hands are by his side, hey, hey, counting alibis,” murmurs Hoare (with Nathalia Bruno shadowing him sweetly), and there’s something troubling in the works. 

These songs feel wispy because of the vocals, which sigh and shush through languid melodies, but the instruments are often more emphatic.  “Want You Around,” drifts and dreams, despite its hard, anchoring beat, lost in reverie, even as a carnival keyboard erupts in the break.   “Prodigal Son,” slips the grinding friction of feedback into its fluid guitar lines, just enough to catch your ear, and “Don’t You Cry No Tears,” maybe the second best song after “Jona,” hides a searing guitar and keyboard break under the murmur and swoon. Yet other cuts hang like smoke unspooling, evanescent and hard to pin down.  “Mister Softie” is like a Kinks song nodding off in the car, a strong melody wrapped in clouds and indefiniteness. 

But let it all wash over you, waves and eddies of pretty sound, tinged with regret and inevitability, but still very, very sweet.  Backwater Collage makes a gorgeous, still place for itself if you let it in, and why wouldn’t you?

Jennifer Kelly

[diabloii]

hi eren i want to listen to more metal & im wondering where i should start. so far ive listened to like nu-metal(? idk what the correct term is) stuff like poppy and babymetal and ofc vocaloid metal like utsu-p

omg permission to be annoying 101 here i go ok im gonna cut this cause its long bleh... im like bad at talking about music really but ill try my best to make sense... mostly into black + death myself

ok so most of those are very like pop adjacent... nu-metal + electronic pop (im pretty unfamiliar im just going off of stuff ive read). so basically i tried to make a playlist where it kind of goes from uhhh.. "normal" to "extreme" for lack of a better phrase ig >__< from nu metal to black metal. theres def like... you know... a lot more genres out there than what i personally included but i figured itd do .. dont really need to go into grindcore and whatever i figured thisd work best as intro

i tried being very selective here and tried to go as short as possible.. umm like i have that whole other playlist where its pretty much all the metal i listen to minus the stuff that isnt on spotify/.... said in the playlist desc but i went with a lot of the popular songs *thumbs up*

nu metal (SOAD -> evanescence):

i somewhat actively bag on nu metal like rlly hard haha BUT im pretty into System of a Down (fun drumming and serj has a good voice), and i did include an evanescence song although thats.. i mean theyre nu-metal but my mind just says "emo moment".

sludge (melvins -> alice in chains):

sludge tends to cross a lot with grunge and just rock in general... so sometimes its a lot less metal and more rock or grunge but i thought itd be good to include anywayu

thrash + death (riffobia -> death):

merging these together cause they kinda go together sometimes... like dont get me wrong theres differences but. yep. so with thrash its like, metallica megadeth anthrax slayer etc like its the Big One but i really dont listen to any of those because idc oops. HOWEVER scythelord is absolutely one of my fave bands of all time and theyre kind of like thrash/death, i tried not to go overboard including them but... oops. yep

brutal death (cannibal corpse -> inveracity):

so brutal death is just death but some guy burps into the microphone the whole time basically andwell i love it. nonetheless i limited its addition in tge playlist because . um. because people dont like it that much and thats fair

black metal (darkthrone -> sarastus):

YAYYY sooo distortion and screeching and shitty quality and very atmospheric . and theyre not on spotify but again plugging these guys because its such a good album..

**le extra** atmospheric doom stuff (sea witch -> black tremor)

sort of a bonus in my eyes but yes my two atmospheric doom bands that i love. no vocals all instrumental and jusr vibes um sea witch is all nautical and black tremor is all dust storm feeling. you just get it if u hear it *nodding*

oh my god this is long im sorry WOW well i hope that helps like any amount even ^__^ yep

[birlwrites]

Perhaps you could ramble to us about the musician au you posted about a week ago? Goodluck with your assignments/projects!!

OKAY SO

for those of you who don't know, i study western classical music, which means sooner or later i come up with music aus for every fandom i write for. (they tend to remain in tumblr text post format though because i already have so many wips afjslghjdkfd)

i also very much love the juxtaposition of multiple *types* of music which was why my mind immediately jumped to sirius dropping out of his uptight classical-music-ONLY conservatory in favor of a rock band

most of the instruments that i've talked about so far in this au are ones i have some degree of personal experience with (except the violin. i don't understand violin and i never will, i've been informed it takes finger strength and my Distinct Lack Of That And Also Unwillingness To Improve It is part of why i never got very good at guitar) - i don't know a ton about vocal technique for tenors and below but it's similar enough to soprano/mezzo technique that i can fake it ajflshgskdjfd

okay now that all that context is out of the way - LET'S DISCUSS THE MARAUDERS AND MY CONTINUING INDECISION ABOUT WHETHER TO PUT REMUS ON DRUMS AND PETER ON BASS OR THE OTHER WAY AROUND

it's entirely possible i will decide over the course of making this post, we'll see. ANYWAY. so i'm already very sure that the two of them will be on drums and bass in some configuration. less flashy instruments that keep the other ones on track, which mirrors their roles in the friend group

benefits of putting remus on drums include: ba dum tss whenever someone makes a shitty joke, cognitive dissonance of *remus* who you'd probably expect to play a more chill instrument sitting down and picking up drumsticks and just going absolutely wild

benefits of putting peter on drums include: the same kind of cognitive dissonance, he's not as talkative as the rest of them onstage so putting him in the back removes some spotlight and the other three focus more on engaging with the audience, could be persuaded to also do the ba dum tss

benefits of putting remus on bass include: moving him downstage where he can interact more with james and sirius, very tall = long fingers = could probably do a bar chord SUPER easily

benefits of putting peter on bass include: wait okay i've decided afslghsdkfjd I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN

okay so i'm going to put peter on drums and remus on bass. both of them are in a position to push the tempo and in general set the pace, peter's in a position where he can hide a little from the audience if he so desires, and we get the cognitive dissonance effect, while downstage, remus hangs back a little from the james-and-sirius banter but jumps in quite frequently with his own sarcastic comments

OKAY THAT'S SORTED. EXCELLENT

lily and sirius suffered through music theory together and are friends for life as a result. she keeps in touch with him and sometimes goes to their shows - the marauders are not super well-known at the moment and they basically just play locally, so this is easy enough

regulus, meanwhile, is in the practice rooms performing feats of insane technical skill with pretty much zero feeling behind them. he's not really sure how he's meant to get *emotion* out of a *piano* so he compensates by working on literally everything else. he'll do all the phrasing correctly but there's still something very blank and rote about it

barty has the opposite problem - his number one worst habit is getting really into whatever he's doing and completely failing to watch the conductor. fortunately he is extremely capable of counting and as a result he gets away with this like 95% of the time (maybe the conductor is professor babbling fjsgkhsdjkfd)

OH MY GOD okay this gives me an idea. if peter's the drummer for the marauders, that naturally opens up the possibility in the plot of him being indisposed for some reason. i don't want him to betray the marauders or anything like that because i don't want to do that to them afjslghdsjf but if regulus and sirius have reconciled and peter happens to get sick or injured, there's a fabulous opportunity for regulus to be like 'hey barty. how quickly could you learn a 15-song setlist' and barty to be like 'regulus what the fuck have you gotten us into. give me a day and a cheat sheet'

i suppose there are non-betrayal reasons that peter might leave the band as well

hmmm now my brain is filling up with ideas about peter's terrible stage fright that he deals with because he wrote a lot of these songs and they need drums and the others really want him to perform with them but he's really *not* getting more comfortable with being onstage and just wants to write songs and work behind the scenes and maybe get into producing, but when he brought up maybe looking for a replacement the others kind of got sad about it and he hasn't really steeled himself to bring it up again and explain that it's not that he doesn't want to be part of the band, it's that he doesn't like performing live

then he comes down with the flu and it's not *bad* but he's in no shape to perform, regulus gets wind of this and is like 'hmmmm'

and barty subs in and it goes fabulously well and peter goes 'PLEASE make this permanent and let me write you songs full time' and the marauders have a looooong conversation about that and then ask barty to perform with them

barty, obviously, being a full-time student at Uptight Conservatory™ and also genuinely enjoying being in the orchestra and not wanting to drop out, will be under some time pressure because of this - peter sends him a lot of recordings for memorization purposes

and now regulus HAS to go to all their gigs MWAHAHAHA

goodness gracious i think this post is long enough jaflhsjkfdf

[bandzboy]

I'm curious about something. I'm not a music professional so I'd like to ask for your opinion/knowledge. Is it mandatory to list all the people that produced/arranged/wrote a song/album? I know this may sound stupid but I wonder if some artists hide their credits and get away with it. Your skz post made me think about it and, while I believe it's obvious common sense and legal to credit the people that participated in the process of making the song, I am curious if there is a law that mentions it.

Ps: You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I know this week is made to focus on uplifting palestinian voices and I wanted to thank you for your unwavering support for the cause (that should be the case for everyone but alas...). You are truly an inspiration to me :)

yeah it is mandatory! obviously in this case it's just a tracklist (in like a teaser format you might say) they don't exactly have to show you the credits but it's odd when it's the first time it happened. credits are important for myriad of reasons. someone participates on a song they have to be credited no matter how small the contribution was because at the end of day, they contributed regardless and also it's important in terms of getting paid like royalty wise. i am not entirely sure if they are laws around it i'm sure there might be something that labels are obligated to do it's mostly about integrity tbh. but there has been controversies surrounding artists not being credited when they should have been it's unfortunately something that happens but it is important to list everyone! on spotify and apple music for example you can see the credits which are the main ones (songwriting and producing) but if you ever bought an album you can see like an extended version of the credits which includes who played certain instruments and who did background vocals or if there was a choir or an orchestra involved and so on! i honestly have to dig deeper on this subject because i know that it is an obligation to give credits because i mean music is an art form and like you know a lot art forms we like to be credited for the things we do. and i don't think it's for money it's because it's about pride most of the time! a lot of people on tumblr that content creation hate when their works get reposted with no credit and so do artists when their art gets reposted and they are given no credit for it... it's a shitty feeling because you take so much time to do whatever the creation is and some people think it's okay for them to wtv they want with it and like the creation is theirs! i could go on this text is becoming long (don't ask me about music or art because i will write an essay about it 😭) but yeah all i can say it is important! this was a very weird move from jype idk what their intentions are. someone told me it was maybe because they maybe didn't wanna spoil a possible collab with tablo but even then, there are ways to work around that and still make it a surprise while showing the credits anyways! either way, jype will have to show the credits on streaming platforms and also the physical album so it's not like they will be able to keep a secret

[residentraccoon]

Thoughts on this absolutely exquisite night of national finals below (warning I might sound like a whiny spoilt little girl but who cares)

You can call me pretentious, or that I sound like a 70 y/o that does not understand why all these mainstream pop songs are so popular at the moment and does not get the hype with other trendy stuff such as tiktok (no, I don't have it, and probably won't plan on getting it any time soon), but you really have no idea how gut wrenching this night had been lmao

I was already used to the fact that my favorites almost never win national finals, but at least there were one or two per night that made it. This night? None. Even if I didn't pay that much attention to it.

Let's take them by order, shall we?

Estonia had my favorite rock song in a while, Venom, which I dismissed at first for some reason. While I knew from the start when I listened to the lineup of Eesti Laul that Alika will win, it was still kinda dissapointing. It's probably my favorite of the night but I'm still not quite that attached to it. It builds up nicely, then that's it. And it feels like she sings with no passion. Still, the vocals are great, she has good control on her voice. The instrumental is very pretty. Maybe yeah, I can see myself ranking this high in my top. Moving on

Denmark, sIGH oh my god. There are only a few songs in this mumbly and breathy style of singing that I tolerate, and this is not one of them. His voice sounds pretty whiny to the point that I can't listen to it whole. Nicklas had such an entertaining dad rock and the two girls' song was so calming, the message added a bittersweet tone to the song. This? I can only listen to it for one minute. Or maybe this kind of indie semi-singing style is not for me. Idk I'm trying to be positive but I can't.

Romania, I'll try my best to not be too critical. Perinita had everything. Folk sound, stage show, they even changed the folklore parts that sounded similar with the original song. I admit, during the auditions Andrei grew on me. A lot. I could see him winning the nf. But that staging was. Not it. You will call me a purist, I don't care, but that dude is basically barely legal, yet he had women on stage that were more than half naked, with freaking straps around them which came across as extremely creepy to me. I might be alone in thinking this. If he kept the staging dark or whatever, sorta like his audition version I might have been more content with him winning. His make love not war thing came off as tryhard, though, we didn't need that. At least it's in romanian. And as a bonus, the hype for Aledaida and her shitty striptease club banger uwu drove me up a wall. Sorry for bringing it again but holy fuck was that annoying. It had the worst fans out there.

Latvia, along with Estonia, actually chose well. It was tied with Patrisha for me but in the end I would have been okay with both. I like their song. Hope Latvia will make it back in the finals this year. They deserve it.

Idk man, I feel like people love to swarm around these basic pop songs like ants because yasss queen slay delivered (insert country's capital) 2024 she aaateeeeee 💅👌✨ or mumbly 9th grader who just discovered Billie Eilish is rElAtAbLE yay deppreshun is what matters now in music. Nobody actually seems to pay attention to anything other than pop or that has a good message or is heading towards a different sound than what you normally hear being pOpUlAr these days. Or maybe it's just me being dramatic and flaunting that my tastes are uncommon and nobody understands my music taste boohoo

Anyway, that's it with this rant, I even contemplated for a while if I should bother watching esc this year but of course I will because it's literally my life and soul at this point. I can't say the same about national final season. I don't think I'll touch it with a 3 meters pole after this year, I'd rather listen to the selected songs after they're chosen, thanks. Honestly I find it extremely hard to choose a song that I genuinely love so far. Last year I had Moldova, France, Iceland, this year? Well, I think it's still too early to tell. Will wait and see and maybe I'll find a song to root for. But for the time being, I think I have said enough. Brb I'm going back to listening to all those boring old eurovision classics such as Net als toen on full volume to forget about the dissapointment of today.

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony’s Stupid Daily Blog (306): Mon 16th Jan 2023

Used some of my carryover holidays to go home from work three hours early today because tonight I was seeing my first music gig since before this shitty pandemic started: Dropkick Murphys. I’ve seen Murphys before but it was in London in 2017 and I was knackered by the time I got there and now I had a chance to see them perform 45 minutes from my house. I got to the venue at 7 and the ticket taker told me that Murphys would be going on until 9:20 and that if we went in then left we wouldn’t be allowed back in. If I’d known they wouldn’t be going on until after 9 I would have just finished my normal shift instead of using carry over holidays. I wish every gig listed the times that the bands are likely to go on, though is suspect the reason they don’t do this is because if they did most people would avoid turning up until after the support act were advertised to finish and the support act would end up playing to seven people. To kill some time I went and had a coffee then popped over to Five Guys for some food. I ordered the “Veggie Burger” and what I got was some mushrooms and cheese in between a couple of burger buns. Call me old fashioned (and since I shop for clothes mainly at charity shops this would be metaphorically and literally true) but I thing that a veggie BURGER should probably contain a BURGER. I also got a large portion of spicy fries which were really nice but after I finished the burger I was full and didn’t have room for the remaining half a cup of fries. As I walked out of the restaurant here was a homeless guy sat across the road from me and I wandered over and asked him if he wanted the fries since I couldn’t finish them. He lifted his hand to accept them and for some reason I said “They’re a bit spicy, do you mind?”. Why did I say this to him? As if there was a chance this guy living on the streets was going to go “Oh in that case just keep them. I’ll keep rooting around in this bin for some plain fries”. Finally headed to the gig and caught the end of the support act Pennywise who did a great rendition of Blitzkrieg Bop. During the interval I went to the merchandise stand and bought a Dropkick Murphys baseball hat. When I returned to my seat wearing the cap the woman next to me asked: “Have you changed your clothes?”. I didn’t realize a baseball cap could alter one’s appearance so much that someone will literally think that you’ve swapped your entire outfit. Does this lass think that I take two sets of clothes with me to every gig? One for the support act and one for the main act? Anywho Murphys finally took to her stage and kicked fucking arse as only they could. Within seconds there were people moshing and crowd surfing. I remember I first got into this group when I heard I’m Shipping Up To Boston in an episode of The Simpsons and loved the unconventional mixture of punk vocals, fantastical lyrics and Celtic instruments. I was hooked and bought many more of their songs that I still enjoy listening to today. They didn’t play that many of my favourite songs of theirs but I did like a few songs from heir newest album (that has more of a rockabilly sound to it) that I’ll be downloading when I get home. The main event was their most famous song I’m Shipping Up To Boston and I dare say from t he moment everyone in that crowd bought their ticket they had been picturing the moment when they would sing along to the final lyric “I’m Shipping Up To Boston…To Find My Wooden Leg!”. It’s one of those perfect songs that it’s impossible not to sing along with. The pandemic sucked (well not for the virus. If you’re COVID the pandemic kicked ass) and going to see Murphys was the perfect way to hold up the middle finger to the fucker. I’m aware that the pandemic isn’t over yet and the threat of further mutations is a very real one but for the time being it looks like we’re in a position where we can say “Fuck it, whatever happens, happens”. Things seem to be under control for the moment and so I think everyone should treat what we have now as if it’s a little window of opportunity where we can cram in as much fun as possible just in case another fucking pandemic is just around the corner.

[dimplyowl]

How is this bullying? Whoooo am I bullying?? This wasn’t directed at anyone specific, this was me stating an opinion, based on knowledge I have from being in vocal lessons for about 20 years, having a degree (though only a minor, not a major) in music with voice as my primary instrument, having played piano and flute, having been a part of the Milwaukee symphony choir… like do you have any idea how many people I’ve listened to who think they can sing. Or who can hold a tune, but the timbre of their voice is awful? Who think that they’re incredible?

People who don’t deserve them win awards all the fucking time. I’m not saying that Con doesn’t deserve this one, as I’m not familiar with this performance, and maybe he is genuinely very good. It was also 40 years ago, and people’s voices change.

People can also sound great singing different types of music. I personally really like Hugh Jackman, and I loved his performances in the Greatest Showman, but in Les Mis? Hit or miss for me. Similarly Russell Crowe is apparently great at pop-style music (I personally can’t say, I haven’t listened to any, this is just what I’ve heard) but he was just. Atrocious in Les Mis.

But based on the performance of Con I’ve seen, it’s my opinion that either this style of music was *wildly* not suited to his voice and skills, or he just is a mediocre singer. Not everyone who can hold a tune should be singing professionally. And I wanted to vent a little bit about it. Because people tend to heap praise on actors/writers/whatever they love for everything they do, tend to be biased in a positive spin for them, and believe that everyone should have the same opinion. And overexaggerate how good it is. Personally, his performance makes me cringe.

It’s not “hateful” to have a different opinion about a singer. What *is* hateful is coming onto a post that you didn’t need to interact with and calling the poster hateful and a bully just for having a different opinion. Like that would be like someone making a post about why they didn’t like a movie you loved and replying to them that they’re a bully because they had a different opinion. Like sometimes you need to vent about something that annoys you and you can just pass on by. You don’t need to interact. You *can* of course, but that’s just being a dick, honestly. I don’t need your opinion on how shitty my opinion is.

Okay I’m breaking my silence. Con’s voice is not good. His rendition of La Vie en Rose is bad. And grating. And his French pronunciation sucks. Sure he can hold a tune, but there’s so much more to singing than that that he doesn’t have, or isn’t trained in. Timbre. Intonation. Expression. Resonance. Breath control. Source: I’m a classically trained vocalist.

There. I said it. If I see one more fic talking about how beautiful/gorgeous/amazing/whatever Izzy’s singing is, I’m going to throw something. Surprising is fine. Because it was surprising (and out of left field) for Izzy to sing. But beautiful, it ain’t.

[sroloc--elbisivni]

💙 but specifically can I hear more about the bandom AU because that sounds REALLY COOL

god the bandom au.

so this is from six months ago in a transformers server. the following conversation included @magicalspacedragon, @the-lunar-system, cat, and @gelpenss among others and took over the channel and our brains for the next three days. it has its own dedicated thread. there's a google doc with memes. actual publication of anything is going to have to wait until i write the fandom primer to go with the band primer that already exists which i will attempt to summarize here. both of those things are written as in-universe documents compiled by a fan.

please understand that this au was brainstormed by people who know, collectively, maybe 3 things about the wreckers trilogy and maybe 4 things about how music works. NOTHING about how the music industry works. this is not meant to be plausible it is meant to be fun HERE WE GO

LINEUP for what is theoretically a rock band but really plays whatever they want: Impactor: lead vocals and second guitar. front man. worked shitty construction jobs with megatron back in the day. they both got blacklisted from a lot of places for unionizing. impactor spiraled for a bit and got into drugs and got into rehab and started clawing his way back into a stable life and was selling his old motorcycle for spare cash to this dude named Springer when they started talking music together and then started jamming together and Impactor never actually finished selling him the bike. he's in his 40s and does all the vamping between songs and one of his jokes is that he did it backwards, you're supposed to have the drug problem after you get famous, not before. He writes a lot of lyrics.

Springer: drums. he's crazy good at music theory in an intuitive way, he's one of those people who can pick up an instrument and be playing it ten minutes later and also harmonize by ear, but his first and only love is drums. also backing vocals. he has a mullet and a relationship (working? platonic? romantic? who can say) with Something Unbearably Pretentious, this folk-punk duo (Rod and Arcee) that predates their music days. one of his dads is a convicted serial killer and the other is a lawyer who doesn't usually do contract law but DID come along when they first signed with a major studio and made the company lawyer cry, as a favor. he also writes a lot of lyrics. if their touring schedules don't overlap he moonlights as the drummer for the backing band of Verity Carlo, girl rocker. he's a friendly guy.

Whirl: lead guitar, technically, but he plays whatever the hell he wants, including but not limited to saxophone, theremin, and otomatone. they've got albums where liner notes for half the songs are just 'we bet Whirl he couldn't play this and lost.' this is actually how whirl got involved, Impactor started writing music while jamming with Springer and asked Whirl who he knew from group therapy to start covering some parts. Whirl is actually a registered composer with ASCAP under a different name. he lives with tailgate and cyclonus and his dream is to write a piece that shows up on cyclonus's classical station without ever telling cyclonus what he's doing. tailgate has no idea what whirl does for a living. Whirl has some major facial burn scarring so he always wears a helmet with an LED screen on stage and tells people he's the bastard child of daft and punk. he does a lot of instrumental writing but not many lyrics but the lyrics he does write are devastating. i swear this is a summary. we came up with so much shit.

Perceptor: keytar! Springer brought in Perceptor, who's a classically trained pianist. Brainstorm's their producer because he produced the band's first EP because he was already married to perceptor and was willing to work for takeout Perceptor is a brian may 'phd and also a rockstar' type--he got his degree and was working and then lost his eye in a lab accident and needed to do something else for a bit during rehab and whoops now he's in a band. he wears a bedazzled eye patch on stage. he doesn't really write songs, which, thank god, he can be the impartial judge when the other three are having artistic differences, but he has MANY opinions on sound levels and mixing. he's the one controlling any on-stage looping. he also sometimes links sound effects into his keytar to react during shows.

Kup: manager, and album bassist! Springer's foster dad for a bit after both his bio dads got arrested, was a roadie back in the day for some other groups so he has more connections than a phone bank. he can't keep up with performing, though, which is why they have a series of touring bassists for a while and eventually

Drift: bass. VERY RARELY vocals. he used to be Kpop artist Deadlock until he had some escalating joints/blood pressure problems that led to him fainting onstage, his label cutting ties, him having a mental breakdown and getting on a plane going anywhere, and ending up on Rod and Arcee's couch for six months after they ran into him at an airport getting back from their own tour and going 'dude you look like you need some fries'. (this is also how rod befriended springer back in the day). Springer was bemoaning to them how their latest touring bassist had to drop out the week before they had to leave and Rod and Arcee went 'hey funny story.' Drift jokes that the first time he met them he couldn't tell Springer and Impactor apart. They had no idea who he was and he had no idea who they were but he could play bass and one tour later they'd hit it off and he joined them permanently, especially because they are happy for him to do Zero social media or public persona work.

this wasn't supposed to get this long. i'm amazed i kept it this short. there are so many more details i could put here. i will close with a fun snippet written the very first day of this au. they’re making like, road videos for social media and springer keeps challenging people to dance-offs and he challenges drift, the new tour bassist who seems like he’ll be sticking around because he meshes well and they could really use a long term bass and Drift busts out a routine so impressive that Springer is staring at him and the video ends with him tackling drift going ‘WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT'

[worldcylinder]

tMG asks

Favorite song?

Favorite album?

Favorite single or EP?

Favorite Going To song?

Favorite Alpha song?

Lofi or hifi?

Favorite lofi album?

Favorite hifi album?

Favorite unreleased song?

Most underrated song?

Most underrated album?

Most overrated song?

Most overrated album?

Give me a hot Goats take.

Have you read any of JD's books? What did you think?

Funniest song?

Worst song? Not your least favorite, I mean objectively the worst.

Best song? Again, not your favorite, but objectively the best.

Least favorite song?

Least favorite album?

Tell me your favorite line/s from a song you love.

Got a goto feelin-shitty song?

A song that cheers you up?

A song you didn't know about for ages and then found one day and became obsessed with?

Favorite song to sing along to?

Saddest song?

Favorite live track?

Give me a good JD quote or tweet or something.

How did you get into the Mountain Goats?

Are you a tMG snob? Like for real tho.

People are always saying like "oh the Goats stopped being good after [album]." Are you one of them? What's the album?

Rec me a tMG blog.

Ever been to a live show? How many?

How much merch ya got?

Vinyl. Thoughts?

What's a song that you think deserves a close listen or 10? Why?

A song that is really, really personal for you?

A song that you just don't get?

A song you can't listen to?

A track with great instrumentals?

A track with great vocals?

A lyric that just obliterated you the first time you heard it?

A lyric you cannot fucking stand?

Got a Goats-only playlist you wanna share with the world? Post the link and tell me about it.

Got a highly specific song interpretation you wanna share?

The Goats have an obscenely huge discography. How much of it have you actually listened to?

How obsessed are you with tMG lore?

Do you only listen to the Mountain Goats?

Gimme a link to a cool Goats thing you want everyone to know about.

Rant about a song or album or blog post or whatever that you think is great or interesting or maybe extremely terrible. I don't care, just pick something Goats-related you have thoughts on and go ham.

[timextoxhajima]

The Boyz as things and feelings (just cause)

this is a small thing @haechanhues​ needed help with so i decided to make it an actual post uwu [this is gonna be pretty long cause i might write little scenarios]

[THE BOYZ AS THINGS AND FEELINGS]

SANGYEON - MIRRORS AND PILLOWS

mirrors make a place look bigger than it really is - i feel like sangyeon has that ability to make you feel like you’re more important on your worst days

the things he’ll do just to make sure you’re alright, even when he knows you’re not

he also has the ability to reflect what you need: sad? he’ll come and hug you and let you cry or talk about your shitty day. happy? he’ll joke about the way you snort while laughing then he’d probably do something dumb to keep the energy up there

mirrors also feel very private and at-home, and that exactly how i feel he curates an environment

pillows are self-explanatory ig, smth to cry into, smth to fall asleep with while hugging, has the best homely scents ever, very comfortable

i imagine going home after a long day and finding your partner also tired, but he’s cooking or like in the couch watching tv and he just invites you into his arms uwu

“tell me about everything! whatever that makes you happy or sad and i’ll try my best to be who you need at that point of time!”

JACOB - FLOWERS AND MUSIC

ok like jacob with a guitar is just a stellar sight to behold, he looks like he was born to hold one, and his vocals are super underrated imo, most of tbz’s discography doesnt really suit his voice - i really wish he had a chance to have more lines in more ballads or maybe even a solo thing

he would drag you out to go on walks after he knows you’ve buried yourself in your work the whole day, and he’d be the kind to stop at a pretty flower and contemplate plucking it but he wouldn’t cause he’s a fairy and wouldn’t hurt a fly, much less a pretty flower

would probably play a piece in the background while you’re stressed w work and hum a tune so the singing wouldn’t distract you

would stop when he notices you stopped working and your sad ass is probably crying lmao

he’s a very soft and gentle man imo

he’s the innocent daisy amidst other bright colored, flamboyant flowers but he still stands out

“i’ll grow you a rose bush in the yard so i don’t have to be sad about plucking flowers next time.”

YOUNGHOON - WINTER COATS AND COFFEE AND PASTRIES

he definitely radiates tsundere vibes on first sight, but when you get to know him, he’s obviously the opposite: a crybaby

but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t keep up his model-like appearances when he’s outside - in fact, he’d be the one to influence you into caring more about how you look (of course not materialistically, but more into actually caring about making yourself feel good with your fashion and appearance)

i chose winter coats as a symbol of coverage - he doesn’t show much of himself unless he’s close to you (like when you wear winter coats to keep warm, he’s a burrito because he doesn’t bother too much about sharing his feelings), but when he does, it feels like he has the ability to keep you warm and comfortable, even on the coldest days, even if his inner savage comes out

it’ll be like he scooped you into his coat and has you warm in one of this inner breast pockets

i see him as the kind to get regular coffee and like, a tart or something, at a cafe. it adds on to the warmth, when he remembers what you like. the details. maybe you like your coffee with cinnamon or less sugar or something, but then he tops it up with a muffin and he knows you like it heated up so he specifically asks for them to do so

ok but he’s defo the kind of guy that catches people’s attention at public spaces so every now and then when he’s laughing or smiling, some girl would gawk at him and he would be embarrassed about it, but lucky for you, you’re already wearing matching coats so they know the man’s taken uwu

“if only they knew how long it took to convince you to wear that coat.”

HYUNJAE - CONCERTS AND CONVENIENCE STORE DATES

classy but calm. dream-like but realistic. 

i say concerts as in the instrumental, ballad kinds. he loves it and he knows you probably need the sleep where you have that kind of background white noise/music that provides you the best quality of sleep there is. but when you’re not dosing off, he’s admiring how much time you’re willing to invest into being at something he loves

of course, in turn, he doesn’t complain much when you’re hungry and you meet him down the street at the nearest convenience store for some instant noodles and potato chips with a coke and he lets you ramble about your day 

he would probably buy you an ice cream just so you’d feel better, then regret it when you get a stomachache later cause it was like 2am in the morning

you probably have like 5 of his hoodies at home that you refuse to wash cause his scent is tainted all over it and the only time he gets to take them home is when he stays over or visits and he sneaks one into his bag when you’re in the kitchen making tea or a bowl of noodles

then you’ll get it back without even knowing it was gone

the kind that would probably surprise you after a day of work with a casual date idea to the movies, and i mean showing up at your place, impromptu, after he knows you’re home with two tickets 

“act like my girlfriend for once and go on a date with me, would you? your work isn’t going to be there with you when you die at 90.”

JUYEON - STARGAZING AND VR GAMES

as dumb and sometimes bimbotic as he seems he is, he’s gotten most of the visible constellations memorised and he would not hesitate from telling you all about his childhood with his family when they would travel and try to spot every single constellation they can remember

which brings me to the point where he remembers what you like, but... backhandedly. he doesn’t remember what you like but he remembers what you hate instead, so you don’t ever have to worry about getting that licorice flavoured jelly bean

he would offer a midnight walk to help you relieve your stress, cause he knows you just like seeing the nightsky amidst the peace and quiet while he rambles on for his own satisfaction. not everything has to be so emotionally attached and shared. you can share blissful moments without being the reason for each other’s and that’s totally fine.

juyeon is kind of a scaredy cat in the sense that he isn’t really into horror movies or games but he’s always had that dream to become a pilot and so for his birthday, you brought him to a vr game arcade where he played some plane simulator and ever since, you’ve been taking turns to surprise each other with a new vr arcade spot or adding on to the vr game console set you have at home

“maybe i should digitalise you so i can see you in the vr game”

KEVIN - KARAOKE SESSIONS AND NEON LIGHTS

the best-friend kind of partner you would come across once in a lifetime

a billion film shots of you after he drags you to the karaoke and he beats you at super intense songs like the bohemian rhapsody just cause he can hit those high notes and solely because he was screaming on the floor when he did it

almost left his film camera behind 

absolutely LOVES those walks along streets where there are a million neon lights

would come across that one sus neon light signs that indicate a sex toy store and he would give you that sly smile and probably joke for you to go in 

kevin has a moon neon light in his room and you have a star or something (whatever you want)

corrects your grammar and pronunciation, only for you two to bicker about it even more when you use google translation and there are different pronunciations depending on where/what accent you’re using

he really is your light in the dark, even if he’s known to be introverted. once he’s comfortable enough with you, he makes you feel like the most important person in the world

has one of those portable speaker microphones at home and he drones on and on and on with some billie eilish song until you hurl a pillow at him

“so you’re the tough girl, like it really rough girl, justcan’tgetenoughofkevingirl, chest always so puffed girl”

CHANHEE - DUETS AND STRAWBERRY PICKING

(i could not find a more candid, softer aesthetic pic for chanhee rip)

his entire wardrobe fits you - the only problem is that he’ll never let you wear it in fear that you’d stain or tear something

shared playlists because that’s how similar your taste in music is, and so sometimes when you have your earpiece in and you’re humming the melody of that song, chanhee picks it up immediately despite not hearing that song, and ends up harmonising with you

got kicked out of the library once or twice because it was exam period and the two of you won’t shut up

ironically doesn’t sing that much if you’re not around

chanhee is a true blue introvert - which is a miracle that you’ve managed to tear through that barrier of his and find out that he giggles at every stupid thing you do: he’s having a bad day? trip over the pavement. he’ll laugh. it works

dragging him out to go strawberry picking was so difficult - but of course chanhee isn’t safe from how beautiful and enticing the fresh fruits were.

didn’t touch anything strawberry flavoured OR any strawberries for the next month or so

his straightforwardness comes with the breakdown of his barrier - but that’s what brings you comfort. he will never lie, he will only be sarcastic and even then, you’d know it’s true

i used duets as a symbol of harmony and being in-sync, though never really exactly the same, and that’s how it is with chanhee. your thoughts are very similar even though he’s much more introverted than you, but that’s what binds you 

“i’m gonna tell the librarian i don’t know you if we get kicked out again.”

CHANGMIN - CITY TOURS AND MATCHING OUTFITS

city tours - the kind that you already know inside out and yet you STILL travel the area as if you were a tourist 

that’s exactly how it is with changmin: you know him inside out, after being friends for so long, but it never gets old

you’re used to him biting your hand out of nowhere and yet it startles you all the time. that stupid chucky doll in his living room? old, but it never fails to scare you

he doesn’t ever talk about it that much, but he loves it when you co-ordinate outfits

no, it doesn’t mean you wear couple tees, but it’s aesthetically pleasing to changmin that if he wears cool tones, you would too

he’d be reserved about his thoughts and feelings sometimes but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t think or feel them

there’s a strange sense of familiarity with changmin, because you kind of know what to expect but then you’re never disappointed, you know?

“i got you this white pigeon cause it looks like the one i already got... you can give it back to me if you don’t like it though-” /he takes it before you can accept it/

HAKNYEON - STAND UP COMEDY SHOWS AND RUNNING ALONG THE BEACH

there’s something about ju that makes it very casual and easy-going

he hates horror genred themes so fuck that, he would queue online just for the latest ali wong comedy show, even if it’s an online show, and he would laugh until he cried

sometimes he’s a drama queen but that makes it alot easier for you to know what he’s thinking or feeling - it makes communication alot easier

that means a lack of arguments

he’s also very empathetic but straightforward, exactly like how comedy shows are - because they are relatable, they are funny because they bring out the irony and sarcasm and all the dumb things in life that people are sometimes afraid of talking about and hak just says whatever he wants to say, even if he knows it might be hurtful or upsetting

he prioritises truth and honesty over anything else

it makes you a better person, honestly

beach walks - very calming, very liberating. he lets you yell and scream and kick sand back into the water because you can, and he does it with you

tries to teach you how to skip rocks but you suck and you can’t so he just pulls you away from the pile of rocks you amassed

“flick your wrist like that, not like you’re meowing!”

SUNWOO - SOCCER FRIENDLIES AND STUDIO SESSIONS

he will NOT go easy on you in a friendly match: you might be one of the fastest players of the female team but he’s ruthless in his ball-stealing, so even if you were fast enough to keep the ball out of his reach, he’d still be able to snatch it right out between your feet

very, very competitive and does not like to lose

you would always play the ‘ladies first’ card but then he’d throw the ‘feminism’ card back at you 

sometimes you act more like siblings than anything else 

the only time when he isn’t fuming with competition is if you’re injured because he accidentally tackled you - he’ll gracefully give himself a yellow card before absolutely trashing you in the next match

has one foot into the production game recently - likes to play with the beat board and mixing tunes, and since you’ve had your hand in doing music remixes for a deejay job before, you’re there to identify which songs have the same bass line or beat counts for easier mixing

would make you a playlist of remixes but wouldn’t admit that he spent a whole day in the studio without you just so it would be a surprise

a soft boy stuck in the wraps of an egoistic man

“a day? please. i illegally downloaded half these remixes off the internet cause i’d think you’re too internet-dumb to find them.”

ERIC - BAKING AND SKATEBOARDING

full of impromptu, casual ideas to hang out 

baking is a fucking mess - why did he suggest it when he doesn’t even have the right ingredients?

wanted to replace eggs with water - like ok thats supposedly healthier, but why????????????

he likes cleaning so that was the only fucking bonus in baking - had to call his mom for help halfway through because the cookies looked more like goop than playdough

gave up in the end and he repaid his debt by helping clean your kitchen

tried to teach you how to skateboard, but he ended up falling off his own in the process and now he’s got a grazed knee 

the kind of person you’d have so much chaotic fun with, he’s that friend your mom told you to NOT hang out with that much if not you’d get run down by a car 

has the most fucking random pieces of clothing in his wardrobe, like where did he even get that pink coat from?

“no you have to do this and like lift up your leg and then kinda rest your weight on it before flicking your ankle and like- whOA- OH OW OHNO OHOHOH OW”

[deep-hearts-core]

2006 - final

originally posted 7/20/20

Switzerland Not entirely a bad way to start off. Strong vocals here, and even though this is a Ralph Siegel song it feels much less out of place than his entries in the late-teen years. It does lack a certain cohesiveness, though, in vocal style and in the styling. Moldova This one is repetitive as fuck, in such a way that I know I'm not going to be getting the chorus out of my head for a couple days. That's good, it stands out. Vocals are rough here though, not gonna lie. Natalia and Arsenium are somehow not singing into their mics, which should be impossible because they are literally wearing their microphones. I also could have done without Natalia in the swimsuit. Overall, though, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting from the clip, if that counts for anything. Israel Apparently people don't like this? I don't get why... it's a perfectly nice song, and Eddie and his backing singers have nice voices. There's a subtlety to this presentation that most aughts Eurovision, for lack of a better word, well, lacks. It's not really something I'd qualify as one of my favorites, but I can see it ending up midtable in my ranking.

Latvia A Cappella in Eurovision is always a little weird. While this is better than Belgium 2011, it nevertheless takes quite a while to get going - it's not until all six of them are singing that I actually know the form of the song. That beginning was super weird. As was the puppet? Robot? Whatever it was that the beatboxer was kicking around onstage for the latter half of the song. They are all good singers, though, which helps. Norway I like it. I enjoy entries that try to be mystical/magical and can actually pull it off. That chorus is especially good - like yeah she's not singing words or whatever but Christine sounds so gorgeous in her high range. The verses aren't as good though. It feels like she gets drowned out by the instrumental at times.

Spain I mean, it's okay. It's better than some of the other songs. The girls are relatively unified in pitch and in movement - but that staging was just weird. The office chairs thing as a whole is like... what???... and there are parts where it looks like they're at the hairdresser's about to get their hair washed. Malta  Fabrizio is not the most on pitch guy ever, but his song is better than his sister's by MILES. The chorus is catchy here. I can see how this placed 24th, though - Fabrizio might have an OK song, but his vocals aren't really up to par. That's the difference between him and Claudia, I think - Claudia has a good voice but got a shitty song, whereas Fabrizio's song was better but he just didn't have the voice for it. Germany Wait, I super like this actually. The whole staging has the vibe of, like, a Texas theme park glorifying the Wild West, but it actually kinda works. The chorus is super fun, and I think the lead singer here has a voice that really works with the song. I'm eh on the verses, but not enough so for me to not really enjoy this performance. A+, Germany!

Denmark Aughts ESC is truly the era of Western countries singing in genres that make no sense for them. I like the vibe of this song though. Sidsel has a good voice for this genre, and she keeps the energy high throughout the entire performance. I like early rock as a genre, so I enjoy this one. Romania Tornero, as a song itself, is I think one of my favorites from the year. Mihai has an awesome voice for this, too - that key change is epic. The staging is for the most part pretty cool, but I don't understand the "plot" part of it where the ballet dancer is sitting around looking sour, and I do have my issues with the styling - especially Mihai's hair. United Kingdom Another one going the "hello, fellow kids" route. This could have been a lot worse, I think? I'm bothered by the way Daz goes about his rap and the annoying accents of the background singers, but like... I can kind of see why people liked this. Greece A nice solid host entry. This song is so delightfully angry and sad, and Anna has the perfect voice for it - melancholy in her lower range, but also good for belting the more furious parts of the song. This song (and its styling, shockingly!) holds up even fourteen years later. France  This is nice. Virginie is a good (albeit a little sharp) singer, but there's absolutely nothing happening onstage. It's a level of plain that even I can't appreciate. Croatia This is apparently popular. I don't see it. The song... there's no mincing words here. I hate it. That chorus is especially irritating. The performance does salvage it a little - mostly Severina herself. She has a lot of energy and a good voice, she's styled well, she's just really fun to watch in a way that makes me hate the song just that much less. My top 37

Belgium

Turkey

Lithuania

Germany

Denmark

Norway

Romania

Greece

Estonia

Cyprus

Sweden

Armenia

Finland

Albania

Ireland

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Switzerland

Ukraine

Iceland

France

Israel

Malta

Andorra

Spain

Bulgaria

Portugal

Croatia

Latvia

United Kingdom

Netherlands

Slovenia

Belarus

Russia

Moldova

North Macedonia

Poland

Monaco

Seriously, it was so hard to choose between Belgium, Turkey, and Lithuania for my top three. It seriously could have been any of them - like, I sat and stared at my computer screen for AGES trying to decide. 

Voting/intervals Wow, so Greece really went all the fuck out on this opening act. It sure is memorable, but who the fuck is that soprano that they were showcasing? That interval was pretty cool though. I do love me some music history. Ok can someone explain to me why the fuck Serbia and Montenegro was allowed to vote in 2006 despite NOT FUCKING PARTICIPATING? Like I understand the mechanics of "late withdrawal, EBU made a decision on the matter" but why the fuck did the EU make the decision they did... smh. This Dutch presenter seems like such an asshole... what the fuck is he doing offering to give Sakis his number and actually doing that onscreen......... Thoughts after watching I sincerely enjoy Maria and Sakis as hosts. Maria's very funny to watch because she's never interacted with Eurovision before, so she's a little confused, but she's got the spirit. She's also very honest whenever technical difficulties happen lol. I... hate this stage? I like how parts of the floor can rise up, that was used to people's advantage a lot, but also the stadium walls sucked. And the way that artists could move them and reshape them... idk it made the stage look weird.

[mowu-moment]

i feel controversial & i care too much, so here's my des rocs complete tierlist

ranked list & reasoning (ish) under the cut

1. WAYNE: hoholy shit wayne. can hardly put into words how explosive this one is to me. the intro sets a Whole Mood before swiftly (& cleanly) smacking it down into an Absolute Banger and i don't use the term lightly. very hard not to scream along with it. only detriment is that wayne the person is kinda an ass in the mmc video but that's no qualm

2. POS: basically the same thing as wayne (oh both have great lyrics btw, this one more so), only gets points knocked for being 2 minutes long and having 30 seconds of that being intro & outro. go danny give us nothing

3. WHY WHY WHY: there's a theme among my top picks--they're all hard-hitting w/ killer guitar. the lyrics are absolute batshit in a good way, but the chorus is a lil flat & i feel like in general it just needed a touch more spice to score the top spot. or maybe it's just seniority & it'll have a coup a few months out idk

4. DEAD RINGER: similar killer guitar & lyrics but this one is Groovy as Hell. don't particularly like his singing in this one & it's too repetitive if i'm feeling grumpy but there's something so magic about after the bridge. top 10 songs to twirl a flag to

5. NOTHING PERSONAL: the minute long outro irks me & it's a little bit empty but plays into that well. groovy, great lyrics, the Sexiest Guitar Solo of the lot, the screaming's a minus but it does have an emotion there. not entirely sure what one but it's there.

6. LET ME LIVE / LET ME DIE: his first time being all over the goddamn place, history was made. amazing guitar, a little worse lyrics than 1-4 i'll admit, the intro Slays me both in a good and bad way. must be a joy to play live where he can just drag out that intro & bridge as long as feels right. at least i liked it in the digital concert like that. would actually kill me in a physical concert, imagine how much stomping gets going to that beat. bonus points for presumable cowbell

7. PIECES: for once not this high for the guitar & lyrics, they're both kinda basic. idk what's about this one but it just takes me to a separate dimension & i love it so much for that. really fills those earholes. also a bit of personal meaning, heard it for the first time on the day we moved into the house i'm currently split-custody-living in (is that tmi?) & the first music video of his i saw. man i love some spaghetti on the wall

8. SLO: basically the same as dead ringer, but knocked points for a kinda lame outro & the subject matter being a little less interesting to me. still lovely.

9. HANGING BY A THREAD: not my normal fare really & the way that the ends of the verses don't really fit in the pacing of them is bleh, but it's just so reminiscent of the songs my brother puts on whenever we hang out together that it just makes me all warm & fuzzy. it's also nicely put together which is something i'll have to start saying for. the later list.

10. SUICIDE ROMANTICS: this is where i start griping about head voice & higher pitches in general. don't like em so the pre-chorus is a lil annoying. also not my normal fare but it's tender & the ending is awe-striking. imo better live where he's loud on that last line before the final chorus. not enough to bump it up though. shoutouts to love and a smoking gun, i still am dying to hear that one

11. THE PAST HAS PASSED AWAY: my favorite lyrics out of the first 2 ep's. only thing wrong with it really is the bridge getting kinda repetitive. love that last chorus heehoo. same schpeel as the Banger Category

12. MMC: this one's lower than the rest of the Bangers for being pop punk which is something the radio has made me dislike, i guess. that trope with the guitar in the second half of the chorus just kills me so much. improves greatly during & after the bridge, love that lil ragtime piano. generally the same bit as before but i do love him doing something un-romance-related. yeah fuck the establishment!

13. THE DEVIL INSIDE: reminds me A Lot of the electronic-ish cassettes i've got from the early 90's but that's just me. this one will probably move up as i get more used to it, but only a little bit. the first part of the second verse makes me like. genuinely uncomfy? but the second part of it's fantastic. ending's ass though what happened to the instrumence. bonus points for using 'reverie' that's an SAT word (maybe). good singing but returning to the gripe at higher pitches, just a little bit though

14. THIS IS OUR LIFE: feels shockingly generic for a des rocs song tbh but there's nothing really wrong with that. adore the bridge. singing's alright. kinda miffed that he doesn't pronounce the 'f' in the second 'life' in the chorus, but it makes sense here. that sort of thing won't later so i'm bringing it up now. guitar's nothing spectacular but fits nicely into the song, probably one of the most cohesive of his (especially in recent history).

15. OUTTA MY MIND: really lives in the same space as slo and dead ringer do in my head (most likely the 'songs to twirl a flag to' zone), but this is by far the worst of the three for when i'm grumpy. just. Very repetitive. back to great lyrics here but it's kinda hard to pick them out (i've heard the song at least 100 times by now & i'm still missing a few lines). still groovin'

16. RUBY WITH THE SHARPEST LIES: what the fuck actually goes on in this song by the way? not the premise or whatever it's just. so all over the place. the verses are incredible but bringing in another vocalist just for one line kills me. bridge is really cool but that one part i don't remember where it is, the one that alternates basically nothing & an Electronic Piano Chord blaring at ya? ruins it. partially anyhow. also can someone tell the people on genius that it's 'carved it in my skin' not 'crawled down in my skin'

17. GIVE ME THE NIGHT: same repetitive issue as outta my mind but it's not groovy enough to save it, shame. feels like a trial run of all the wackshit stuff he's been doing recently, with the additional vocal bits at the end & the kinda weird lyrics. it still has a place in my heart don't get me wrong but it's just fallen in favor of stuff that Commits to banger or batshit (or actually pulls off both strongly, yyy). oh yeah nice guitar alright singing etc etc

18. USED TO THE DARKNESS: similar story to give me the night. i love it i do, but it's just lackluster nowadays. also remember that under-pronunciation thing i brought up in this is our life? this is where that comes back. rampant i tell you! that second verse he just doesn't finish the words & i hate it!

19. DON'T HURT ME: i honestly don't know why this one isn't in D. the chorus bit where he just cuts it short is irksome. the lyrics aren't anything special. i don't know what i like about it. but i can tell it does exactly what it set out to do if that makes sense. respect, respect. and using missile in an analogy, he's getting creative with the vocab

20. LIVING PROOF: kinda got a vendetta against this one i think? i don't know why i hate this one but i do. it's just kinda, blah. like the perfect sort of thing to nightcore up. sentiment's lovely & i do love the lyrics even if they aren't impressive but like. it bores me to an extent

21. TICK (LIVE): separating the version i heard in the digital concert just to give it some credit, this one was actually kinda nice. another one with a nice sentiment & what he was going for is great. no clue what the second part of the second verse has to do with any of this though. and it also begins our final group, the songs that just feel empty. like there's not nearly enough going on. this one's alright though i was just hoping the studio version would add some flair. you can see where that one is though.

22. IMAGINARY FRIENDS: also got a vendetta against pop. kinda hate the sentiment here (contrast!), the chorus just falls short of what the verses prime me for, head voice is rampant, and yet i still swing along to it. it's infectious props to him. love the outro though, monkey laugh and all.

23. MAYBE, I: another empty one, like it's a four-note progression what is that. love his singing in it, and the chorus parts do round it out, but like. eh? it doesn't even give me much to say.

24. BORN TO LOSE: another flop on the chorus! too smooth i say! and i absolutely Despise the pitch-shifting thing going on. not something i was expecting him to express so points there, lyrics are nothing fancy to my Literary Mind though. initially good singing but the chorus he's just sloppy over it. the instrumental is lovely but the vocals just throw it so hard into the bin which is a right shame. fuck that outro too i hate that gimmick

25. I KNOW: here's where the bad batshit comes in. singing is some of his worst imo, does the other-vocalist thing for that bridge, genre i'm not fond of, just a soup of Stuff I Don't Like. not one i'd kill someone over putting as #1 like i can see where it comes from but. mmmmmhhhh bad. cover does NOT help his case.

26. HVY MTL DRMR: empirically i should put this one higher. but the chorus flops so goddamn hard it deserves to be in the bottom of the barrel. the verses are lovely for what he was doing back then! but then just... nothing!

27. RABBIT HOLE: i was so excited for this name but it's just sad boi hours playlist curated by some corporation you hate. probably the most nothing of them all, genuinely where are the instruments. what happened. was this one just shoehorned in as the final track just to pump numbers up. and i swear he had some autotune or something which only makes his voice worse it's fantastic naturally. also that's not what a rabbit hole is! that's not the idiom! a rabbit hole is when you go on a wikipedia spiral from jennifer lopez to group theory! not when you just have a shitty night's sleep or whatever this is! i'm not just miffed i'm downright annoyed

28. TICK (STUDIO): what the fuck happened des. how did you release this. it sounds like a 3rd grader singing for the school talent show it's so out of rhythm. singing's honestly kinda bad & the instrumental has the same problems i talked about in the live version. the last chorus is fine, i guess, but no i don't forgive him for what he did to tick.

[struwwelzeter]

Things I need to ask Richard Kruspe about.

(Because @theelliottsmiths send me a thing)

Sorry, but I am gonna make you suffer with me.

What do you think of Slash? And don’t give me the “everyone can do what they want” crap, I want the judgemental opinionated guitarist-who-won’t-compromise version please, I know you got it in you. Joe Bonamassa?! How about Guthrie Govan? Would it be ok if we dissed Yngwie a little, as a treat?! Can we talk about all the guitarists you like please? I just need to know.

Can we talk about Steve Albini? What are your thoughts regarding producers and authorship and his ethos? You must be a fan but it seems your working mode is on complete other ends of the spectrum and it’s confusing to me.

How do you feel about the myth building around the electric guitar as representing an entire genre and it’s iconography vs. it being a tool for you?

You don’t seem like a Metal guy, so how is your relationship to black metal, the church burnings and Varg Virkenes memes?! Would it be a better genre without the vocals?

What about classical? Can we listen to Itzhak Perlman playing Sarasate’s Carmen fantasy and talk about sound emulation without an amp and effects because surely you understand how insane that is what he does. How long can you keep up with Matthias Ia Eklunds indian rhythms exercises? My guess is longer than the average person and shorter than you think is acceptable.

How do you feel about production vs songwriting and how much each influences how much you like a song? Because you once said you liked BMTH’s Doomed which I can understand from a writing perspective but it’s made to sound unlistenable, sorry. If you listen to a new song and take it apart mentally (don’t pretend that you don’t), what do you take apart first?

If you were forced to arrange Schubert songs for Rammstein tomorrow, how would you go about it? How can I force you to arrange Schubert songs for Rammstein tomorrow? If forcing doesn’t work, how about bribery? Please?

Are you ever listening to non western music? Does it inspire or riddle you? Can I show you this research project where they are trying to replicate how music might have sounded in assyrian times because it’s awesome and I think you’ll like the idea.

Please show me the electronic music you like, it’s a jungle out there and I need help.

How have your listening habits changed over the years? How much can you still just be a fan without over analyzing it?

Do you miss it? Do you relate to your fans who just find comfort in the sound, and does that even occur to you?

How do you reconcile chasing the (sound) dragon day and night, when we end up listening to your stuff on broken ear buds, tiny bluetooth speakers and with horrible compression on youtube?! Don’t give me the digital ruined it all crap, you listened to the sex pistols on a run down casette tape and a shitty transistor radio and it still got to you, I want the real answer about satisfying yourself. So how do you reconcile it?

Do you miss seeing concerts as a regular crowd person who gets elbows shoved into your ribs? My guess is not that much but aren’t you scared you’ve lost touch a bit? (Sorry, please don’t be mad, I just. Need to know.) You saw Nirvana, right?! How was it?!!!! Do you understand how insane that is, no you don’t. How was seeing all those bands you never could before when you initially came to the west? It wouldn’t be surprising if it was slightly disappointing, it always is, isn’t it. Killing your idols sucks.

Appearantly there is a theory that your music taste stops evolving after 30 - I think it’s bullshit. Discuss.

What’s the first piece of music you remember loving?

Who’s the next stadium band? Will there be any more stadium bands? I understand the dissappointmemt about rockmusic not really producing new things, but what do you say to those of us that are younger and broke who’s closest thing to seeing AC/DC in their hayday will be Airbourne? Is it really necessary to invent something new when the old still speaks to us so loudly? Nevermind Greta van Fleet, it’s not the same, and the Pitchfork review was funny (albeit uncalled for).

I know you said it’s about not being rebellious anymore, but is any genre still? Nobody cares about what you listen to anymore. We aren’t fed music through establishment controlled radio channels anymore, everyone listens to whatever the fuck they want on spotify, so how could it be? When you say Hip Hop’s rebellion is just about the life style and not the music, yes, but wasn’t rock the same once upon a time, because it was jever just the music it was about people trying to doctate how we should live? Isn’t it maybe true in general, that music has become an unsuitable tool for rebellion because we have overcome the barriers surrounding it? Boring, I agree, but is it really down to a genre?

In that context: how do you value live music vs. the pure idea represented in a studio recording? Might going back underground be the best thing that could happen to the genre? Considering the beginning rise in analogue synthesizer building and analogue effect again, can you imagine the guitar (+ effects) going through another resurgance in a few years when noone want’s to listen to overprocessed stuff pieced together in Ableton anymore? Isn’t it already happening? *gestures at Gamechangers plasma pedals* Might advanced (analogue) sounddesign be the hope for refreshment for this instrument? Anyway, just give it a bit of time, it will come back (I promise).

Building on your expereinces with the press, describe the kind of music journalism you would like to read and that would be fair to the artists. Is there a natural conflict between the reader and the artist’s wants and need? Does there have to be?

You once said that there is such nice production in Lana Del Reys music, and I don’t disagree, but I still need you to elaborate on that.

How do you value record packaging? Do you see it as part of the Gesamtkunstwerk like videos and the stage? Not quite? Let me change your mind. Do you know that there are actually so many things we could still do with that noone has ever done before? Even digitally? Why does noone do pop up installations in gatefold LPs?! Interactive ways to explore a digital packaging? What do you think of Third Man Records (provided you’re familiar?)

Oh. Speaking of, your judgemental thoughts on Jack White please. What did you think of it Might Get Loud?

I need to talk to you about how Shine A Light changed concerts Films and how Jonas was right because he took the same idea and just pushed it.

Given your love of movies I take it you know who Jóhann Jóhannsson and Max Richter are - thoughts please. Can we agree that some of the modern classic minimalist composers and acts like Front Line Assembly are essentially doing the exact same thing with a different image and (not even that) different instruments or is that just in my head? I do not think it is but I fail at making people see it. Help.

I need to tell you about that time in London when I shopped at the same supermarket as Keith Flint because apparently he had some business in the neighborhood, and he once knocked pasta out of my hands by accident and I only afterwards realised it was him, and then I need you to be sad about his death with me. No context, I just feel like you’ll understand.