#spacie sings

[spaciebabie]

@paper-lilypie give me my corn chip

a la this post where i just freaked out in the tags. go reblog ops post right now.

glamrock freddy is hot. i stand by this and have stood by this for a year now. he was the first animatronic from security breach i crushed on for a reason

[strangeandun-muse-ual]

Regarding last post--I googled "most expensive men's underwear brand" to get some context for the sort of shit Vox would wear and realized that would 10000% be the exact way by which he would shop for underwear.

[whatmitskisongarethey]

next up is homura and madoka! usually I wouldn’t do two characters in one post but this song is so painfully them.

I’ve assigned them Two Slow Dancers.

Keep in mind, I’ve only watched the show! I haven’t seen any of the movies or anything - this analysis is based off what I know from PMMM. As always, heavy spoilers for this media!!!

The song itself sounds devastating and kind of reminds me of the buildup in the show. It starts off with that (synthetic piano?) instrument with a simple pattern and mitski’s singing. but after the first part, that violin-like synth comes in, and oh, there are the tears!!! the sound of this synth reminds me so much of the later episodes when everything feels spacy, otherworldly… and oddly terrifying as we learn more and more about kyubeys goals, and what becoming a magical girl really means. There’s this dreadfully beautiful wining synth noise that gets loudest around 3:10, and combined with all the other aspects of the song, it just reminds me of the show so much. additionally, the songs diverse sounds remind me a lot of the varying artstyles in madoka.

ANYWAYS.. That was a bit of a ramble. onto lyrical analysis!!

The first five lines “does it smell like a school gymnasium in here / It’s funny how they’re all the same / It’s funny how you always remember / And we’ve done it all a hundred times before / it’s funny how I still forgot”

This is LITERALLY homura using her powers to rewind the timelines and try to save madoka. and madokas like… ‘you’ve done this a hundred times. we’re back in the school. it’s funny how you always remember me and I always forget you.’

It’s funny how they’re all the same. how every timeline has the same ending no matter what homura does. She’ll try and try forever and ever until the end of time and it’ll ALWAYS be the same, madoka will always end up making that deal with kyubey. LOL!!

“It would be a hundred times easier / If we were young again” The repetition of “a hundred times” again being a callback to the inevitability of madokas ending, but also

“If we were young again” if we hadn’t made that life-altering deal at fourteen. If we got to be young, to have normal childhoods.

“We’re two slow dancers, last ones out” they are, quite literally, the last ones out. the last ones to die / become witches.

“To think that we could stay the same”

It’s kind of inevitable that they couldn’t stay the same people. either homura stayed in that constant rewinding-time-loop, loosing herself, or madoka makes her wish and becomes a god. either way, they don’t know eachother fully anymore. homura starts to doubt if madoka ever really existed, and in the timelines madoka forgets homura every new meeting. they can’t stay the same.

My second and third choices for these two:

this was a hard one because I wanted to do them justice - hopefully I did alright! reminder that my asks are always open if you want to request a character!

also just as a side note, apologies if there are any grammar or spelling errors I’m sick rn and I’m kinda out of it lol

[arcane-ish]

Arcane season 2 - Act 2 Review

through most of the act my feeling was that the pacing was off.

I just hate all the spacy, trippy stuff and it really ruins my enjoyment of the episodes.

Not really enjoying design for Warwick much, I want my fluffy furry Warwick. I also think the spooky horror stuff could be way spookier and more effective.

Ambessa isn't bad but she just isn't that interesting and effective. I think she just doesn't do enough interesting evil stuff compared to Silco.

However, enough meaningful emotional stuff happened in episode 6 to tide over a lot.

I don't buy that Warwick is dead. His whole point is that he has healing factor.

Caitlyn and Vi work really well together. After act 1 I was thinking about posting how the main thing that is missing for me between Vi and Caitlyn as a couple (at least compared to their League counterparts) is a sense of fun and raport. They got that back in episode 6.

Vi versus Ambessa was really fun.

I'm sorry Jayce and Viktor fans, I just like Jayce too little to be at all invested in this storyline. Good for Skye getting screentime I guess. Seriously, I would have gladly deleted that entire storyline fro the show. Just have Jayce, Viktor and Mel survive the explosion and then go off on a spa vaaction all season (sorry Mel fans). I would have gladly swapped all of that for Ekko and Heimer screentime.

Vikto and Singed got the most meaningful discussion on opposing philosophies.

It amuses me that they gave Caitlyn a dedicated training montage with Ambessa just to explain how Caitlyn could hold her own against Vi even though she's generally ranged.

I like Zaun going collectively "I am Spartacus" over Jinx.

I think Isha impersonating Jinx and doing an attack thing is kind of stupid. She is cute enough that she doesn't feel too excessively like a self insert and the way Jinx and Sevika react to her is gold. However, she still feels super contrived.

I'm kind of surprised by the relative friendliness of Singed vis a vis Vander and I was almost relieved when they went to him wanting to sacrifice Vander again in the Viktor camp. Ah, that's my unscupulous evil scientist, just the way I like him.

The Mylo and Claggor ereasure is really sad and I'm not even one of the people who particularly cares about them.

So... Vander and Silco flashbacks. One of the main things I wanted out of season 2. Am I satisfied.

1.) I'm glad that despite what is being said it didn't feel like a cheesy love triangle to me (my nightmare was that they would do Vander x Grayson).

2.) That said, my best case scenario, my biggest wish was actually for the fallout between Vander and Silco to actually be about politics and for us to get to actually let them voice their politics disagreements in an argument. (again more like the discussion between Singed and Viktor).

I like that it didn't violate my headcanons of them too much, however it didn't trigger my meaty thinky thoughts particularly about the political stuff either.

The thing that triggers my brain the most is actually their secret hideout, and it's about half !!!!!!!(/)§/$IHIUAHSIU!!!????"!! and half I'm not sure this makes sense.

How is that thing still preserved so pristinely? How come Silco never went there? I have to many questions!!!! And escaped Warwick went to that place and scratched on the door :( :( :( :(

I feel like I want to point out that Vander thought of Silco even before thinking of the girls (right after the monkey that was their undoing).

I wish we would have gotten to see the number on Silco's miner's badge just to see if his number is right after Vander's number to indicate that they joined at the same time if they are apart.

Can we get Ekko to do that particular time rewind that Jinx is talking about?

[uchuukaijugundan]

SDF Macross

超時空要塞マクロス

(Anime)

Mecha romance musical by Shoji Kawamori

Era: Early 80s

Rating: S

Plot: In the late 90s, a giant spacecraft of unknown origin falls on an island, leading to the creation of the UN Spacy, to both protect earth from a possible alien invasion and to rebuild the spacecraft. 10 years after, the SDF-1 Macross is ready to be launched, and in attendance are Hikaru Ichijyo, a young stunt pilot at the invitation of friend Roy Focker, Lynn Minmay, a waitress in a Chinese restaurant in the city that grew around the Macross during the rebuild process and Misa Hayase, a first lieutenant working on the bridge of the Macross. However, during launch the solar system is invaded by the Zentradi, who identify the Macross as a ship of their former enemies.

Length: 36 episodes + 1 film + 1 OVA

Thoughts: And here's one of the big ones. Hard what may have come to the heads of two Gundam fans to think "what this needs is jet fighters with legs and singing", but I'm guessing saying "we can sell a lot of toys and soundtracks" at a meeting was probably it. How they *convinced* them it could work is another issue, but oh boy, does it work. It pretty much defined what the series would be known for in the following iterations - the variable fighters, an aspiring music star with a connection to protoculture (after all, what is music but an universal language) involved in a love triangle and the tensions between the civilian side of the Macross and it's military leadership in what's often terrifying life-or-death situations.

The weakest point of the story is probably the love triangle itself, making it where all vertices are very wishy washy about their feelings is just messy. Extending the story to the aftermath of the conflict also didn't seem such a good bet for this show (would payoff in terms of exploring the role of the Zentradi in the post-war) and probably would be better served focusing on different characters. Animation varies a lot (unsurprising for a show that may have had more than a handful of studios involved in, including very young Gainax), but the action scenes are pretty thrilling and you can still feel the impact they had on the medium as an whole, if only for the "this machine transforms into another machine" thing. Wonder if that picked up.

Might do a DYRL post separately, but in brief it's a condensed version of the story with some changes (Hikaru is already a rookie pilot and Minmay a up and coming star) and outstanding production values and maybe *the* defining song of the franchise that gives the movie it's title. Flashback 2012, which serves as the epilogue to the story, is a video album featuring Minmei's songs over footage from both series and movie and new sequences planned but not directed showing her final gig at earth, as she boards the Megaroad (captained by Misa), humanity's first colony spaceship. I don't think it replaces the series (for instance, it compresses the Jenius - Fallyna relationship to a bare minimum, and their kids appear all over the place over the rest of the franchise) but it allows you to get to the basics of the story.

Recommended to: fans of big robots and idols

Plus:

The variable fighter design by Mikimoto is one of those for the ages.

While animation can be a bit spotty, combat is generally on point. Ah ah missiles go brrrrrrrrr

Asking the important question, can singing save the world, which feels very 80s

Unsurprisingly, the music. Iijima is great as Minmei and this role as a virtual idol launched her career and is what best remembered from the show, but Kentaro Haneda's work on incidental music is incredible as well.

Inconsistencies between the TV series and DYRL being attributed in-universe on it being a war film? That works.

Minus:

Other than the infamous baby tossing scene, the added 9 episodes feel like a complete afterthought and feel the only reason to reignite a love triangle is to change it's shape.

Said triangle narratively is a complete mess.

Some bits of animation were very, VERY rushed.

[bargainoriley]

Animals (1977)

Here are my thoughts on the album a lot of people call an underrated gem: Animals! 

 Disclaimer: I have not read Animal Farm before, so some of the references here may have flown over my head. Also, this is a complete first-time reaction! I have never heard any of these songs before! (Not like with other albums I wrote my thoughts on where I definitely did hear at least one song before listening to the entire album)

 What I do know about Animal Farm is that it compares human behavior to animals, with the pigs being in charge of all the other animals. 

And also this quote: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

Let’s get into it!

 

1. Pigs on the Wing, Part 1

The acoustic guitar intro is very lovely! This reminds me a lot of Wish You Were Here. The lyrics here are also really interesting so far!

2. Dogs

The acoustic guitar and keyboard here are really lovely so far!! I also really really like the melody here! The singing is so good here by David!!! The guitar solo is also really, really good and melancholy/angry sounding! The lyrics are also so interesting as well! The echo effect on David’s voice is so good as well with the 3rd verse! And the synth and guitar riff shortly after are so good as well! Then there’s a sudden tempo that is so good!!! The melody is still just so freaking catchy and amazing! The guitar solo after is so incredible as well! The dog barking sound effects are also an interesting touch! The occasional mellotron is also a nice touch! The next guitar solo is also just simply divine! The switch up in instrumentals in the 5th verse is also so freaking cool! And then we get this ominous thumping sound from the drums! Almost as if the person being “dragged down by the stone” is trying to walk with the weight! The vocoder and synths used here in this spacy interlude are so interesting as well!! And then we get back to the groovy acoustic guitar! Then we get another really interesting set of lyrics about trying to break free from an oppressive system as a former dog (who is loyal without questioning things to society; I also love the reference here to the Who’s Tommy with the lyric deaf, dumb, and blind)! And then a simply divine and ominous guitar solo happens along with some beautiful, airy synths! The last few guitar solos honestly really remind me of Brian May from Queen because of how high and emotional they are! This song feels so groovy and calm, but also so angry and dark as well (especially with the last verse of lyrics). It’s such an interesting mix! I was majorly dancing and grooving to this song the whole time! I was so amazed by this!! This song was so amazingly epic and cinematic, and I love how Roger and David sing different parts of the lyrics here! I also really love the vocal harmonies here as well! This whole song is just extremely powerful. One of my new favorite songs, definitely. What a way to start the album off!!

3. Pigs (Three Different Ones)

The keyboard intro is very interesting, along with the high bass line! Feels very prog rock-like (like stuff from early genesis), and then we get an ominous electric guitar riff! With the drums kicking in! I love Roger’s delivery here already! It’s so sassy and mocking; I love it! I really love how this sets the atmosphere up already! And I love the effect on the microphone when Roger starts singing the “you’re nearly a laugh” choruses; it reminds me a lot of the Beatles (specifically the effect used on John’s voice in a lot of songs from the Beatles’ psychedelic phase). And did I hear Roger use the f word???? Amazing. Especially since it shows how angry the person here is at the "pigs." Really puts an emphasis here on the dark and bitter and mocking tone of the song (swearing in music back then was really uncommon, especially use of the f word). And the guitar solo here after with the cool effect is so cool as well! Not to mention the cowbell in the chorus is so cool as well! And wait... is that a talk box solo after the guitar solo???? That’s so amazing!!! I love talk boxes, so this is such a unique and cool addition! Especially since it sounds like a pig squealing (really fitting the song's lyrics and title). I also love the lyrics here about “capitalist pigs," the top bosses of the capitalist system! I also just adore the bass line here in this song, especially in the third verse! And then we get a really freaking good and powerful guitar solo after this last hard hitting verse, and am I hearing a bass solo as well there in the background with the guitar solo!?!?!? This ending is honestly the best part of the song! Also has to be one of my new favorites from Pink Floyd omgggggg This song was so epic in scale as well, like the previous song! 

 

4. Sheep

I adore the smooth keyboard intro here already!! And then we get an ominous and really good bass line as well! This already sets up a really cool mood! It kind of reminds me of One of These Days. And then the drums hit, along with a simply groovy beat drop! I love how the vocals here deteriorate/fade into the synths! And I like the social commentary lyrics here as well about mindlessly following society! And then we get this simply divine and spacy interlude (and wait, I just heard vocals from dogs there in the background!!! How cool is that as a callback??) and then we get a really great keyboard solo along with a simply groovy part you can’t help but dance to! I just adore the bass line of this song as well!! This album has so many good bass moments... and then we get a really ominous interlude again with the bass and keyboard as well as this really ominous and creepy vocoder speech by the “sheep” trying to take over the "dogs." Then it cuts back to the groovy part of this song! And then we get this really powerful guitar solo after the last verse! Along with a simplistic yet amazing bass line! This song as well is just so groovy and energetic, yet carries a very dark vibe as well! I liked it a lot, but not as much as dogs and pigs. 

 

5. Pigs on the Wing, Part 2

I love how the lyrics here change from the previous part to reflect how the person now carries more empathy than before to “you” and how the insecurities faded from the first part (now the person here knows that you care for them and that they care for you, despite the cruel and unfair society they live in, and that they need to be careful about the upper class/powerful “pigs” that control society). 

 

 

In general, this album really surprised and amazed me in a very good way! I was surprised at just how groovy these songs are! I was dancing the whole time while listening and looking at the lyrics. I also just love how epic this album felt and how all the songs carried a very dark vibe as well, along with the danceability. My favorites off this album have to be dogs and pigs, with dogs definitely being my favorite! That song did not feel like 17 minutes at all! In general, this album was so exciting, and there was not a single boring moment in it! The lyrics are just exceptional and hard hitting as well, breaking down our society into pigs who rule everything, the dogs that enforce their rules and are loyal to the pigs, and the sheep that follow the rules mindlessly. This has to be a new favorite album of mine! Putting this after DSOTM in my favorite Pink Floyd albums list (1. Wish You Were Here, 2. Meddle, 3. DSOTM, 4. Animals). Next up is the big one: The Wall! I honestly don’t know if I should write my thoughts on it, since I really want to focus on the story of this album and not on writing down my thoughts... This means it will probably be a while before I put my thoughts on the Wall here... I may not even write down my thoughts since this album is very difficult to tackle in terms of lyrics and analysis and all that. I will see what my verdict will be on this album!

[keroradio]

Thinking about it, with how often this song, and its singer Dance Man (and his bootleg version, Dasonu Maso) appear and are referenced that there would have been alternate versions like with Kero To March, or at least more than one CD with the karaoke version

Still it's really neat hearing the instrumentals by themselves, the melody makes it easy to recognise segments of the song if you're singing along with it, and even if you're just listening you can appreciate the inherent spaciness of the music (^.^)

[mythicalmagical-monkeyman]

Can someone tell my brain to sleep? Please? Undercut like always obv

@fruity-legos

Summary:

Cooper’s touch starved … that’s it, that’s the post

Additional Tags:

Brain woke up and chose violence. I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping BECAUSE BRAIN WOKE ME UP, Anyways. Mateo forgets to be physically affectionate sometimes. Touch Starved Cooper. Ficlet. headcanons. Fluff and Hurt/Comfort. The besties just cuz. no beta we die like my brain

Mateo had to admit he sometimes forgot to be physically affectionate with people. He figured that it was partially tied to his general spaciness with how he could get so tied up with his comics and the stories in his head that typical, needed everyday things like eating or, yeah, showing physical affection went right out the window. Another part of his forgetfulness was probably because between Izzie and his dad they gave him more than enough physical affection to go around. 

So yeah, it slipped his mind sometimes and he occasionally had to remind himself to give affection yet he couldn’t help but feel confusion wash over him as he wrapped his arms around Cooper and felt the other teen tense under his touch. He wasn’t that bad at showing affection, was he? 

Mateo awkwardly pulled back and looked up at Cooper. He found the blond with his eyes shut tight and shrugging his shoulders up like he was bracing himself to be hit. 

“Are you ok?” Mateo asked carefully, tilting his head to the side. 

Cooper slowly opened his eyes and glanced around before his eyes landed on Mateo for moment. Just as quickly though Cooper’s gaze flicked away. 

“Yep, I’m doing great!” Cooper responded, while flexing his fingers on one hand and using his thumb to crack the fingers on the other. Mateo knew his friend well enough to note that that was one of his nervous stims, that along with singing. 

Mateo watched his friend crack his fingers for a moment more before, fixated on why Cooper was starting to act so shifty. He was avoiding something, something relating to their hug if Mateo had to guess. 

The small inkling of a theory started to pop up in Mateo’s head and deciding to test it he reached out a hand to grab Cooper’s wrist. 

There was a squeak but Cooper let his wrist be held, and then his hand as Mateo laced their fingers together. 

“Cooper,” Mateo started, locking eyes with the other, “when was the last time you were hugged?” 

Cooper instantly looked away and for a second Mateo felt himself wondering if he had crossed some sort of boundary. 

With a hum Cooper fiddled with their interlocked fingers, rubbing his thumb across Mateo’s kuckles and then muttered, “Uhhh, I think five days ago? It was when Albert used me as a meatshield to get out of hugging Izzie,”

Mateo choked in disbelief, “What?” 

Cooper shrugged, “Meh, it’s fine. I mean Logan used me as an armrest the other day, oh and Night Hunter body slammed me too.” 

Cooper did know that last one didn’t really count as physical affection right? 

Even disregarding that last part Mateo was still left baffled, how had it been five days since Cooper had last had a hug? Didn’t his family… oh. 

“Can I hug you?” Mateo wondered quietly. 

Cooper looked back, a pout on his face and a sadness in his eyes as if he might start to cry, “Please?” 

Mateo obliged, yanking Cooper into his grip and squeezing until the blond grunted, uncomfortable with the tightness. Mateo eased up his grip a little and nuzzled his face into Cooper’s chest as he wrapped his arms around Mateo in return. 

Eventually Cooper seemed to melt into the hug completely and Mateo found himself making a mental note to start to hug Cooper more. 

[cherrylng]

MUSE X EMO [STYLE Series #004 - Muse (August 2010)]

MUSE X EMO

Dramatically beautiful melodies, exquisite guitar playing and a rich worldview……. Exploring the similarities between ‘emo’ and Muse.

Text: YAMAGUCHI Tomoo

There is nothing more upsetting to a rock fan than to hear the band they love described in one word: 'emo'. So when I heard that many fans are upset about Muse being described as 'emo', I nodded my head in agreement.

On the other hand, however, it is not hard to understand why people listen to Muse and use the term 'emo'. Without fear of misinterpretation, it is true that similarities can be found between Muse and certain types of emo bands. For example, Matthew Bellamy's vocals, in which he sings tragic and beautiful melodies with a sense of urgency while also using falsetto, could well be compared to those of emo bands in terms of narcissism and emotionalism, and, weirdly enough, are quite highly emo.

Of course, that doesn't mean that Muse = emo, but here I'd like to introduce some emo bands or bands from the emo scene that I think Muse fans might also like.

Emo is a strange genre that has its devoted fans, but also its haters. The reason for the emo hate is, of course, that today's emo has become too diverse and far removed from its origins (hardcore to post-hardcore), but there are many other reasons as well. But emo, like any other genre, is also only a category of convenience. Many of the bands that are called emo do not call themselves emo bands, and most of them are probably considered emo because that's where they happen to be active. If people are interested in Muse, rather than hating it and calling them "emo", then this will surely lead to new encounters.

So, first up are Coheed and Cambria, led by Claudio Sanchez (vo,g). Since their debut in 2002, this New York four-piece has released five rock operas based on Sanchez's sci-fi tale The Amory Wars. Their dramatic, contemporary progressive rock, performed with the sensibility of the post-hardcore/alternative generation that has passed through hardcore and metal, and in some cases with orchestral or acoustic sounds, earned them the reputation of being America's version of Muse at the time of their debut. Their latest album, Year of the Black Rainbow, was released in April this year. Despite their more metallic impression, they too have a unique aesthetic. It is highly addictive, including Sanchez's vocals, who uses both a beautiful high tone voice and wild screams that send you into a rage.

"What, Sanchez's looks are disgusting!" Then how about Thirty Seconds To Mars, led by Jared Leto (vo,g), the handsome actor known for his role in 'Chapter 27'? The band's spacy modern rock combines emotional heavy sounds and inorganic digital beats, and should be welcomed not only in the USA, where they have had a million-selling album, but also here in Japan. The narcissistic and cool worldview invited by Leto's vocal, which sings as if whispering in the listener's ear, is truly unique. Their third album, 2009's 'This Is War', which evolved into New Wavey, has just been released on Japanese vinyl.

Coheed and Cambria and Thirty Seconds to Mars were both considered to be in the emo-screamo (screamo-emo) vein at the time of their debut. However, they have now grown to become one of the leading bands in the USA. Summer Sonic 2010, where both bands will perform, is the perfect opportunity to experience their respective worlds.

Screamo, which began to gain momentum around 2002 as the next step in emo, not only rapidly approached metal, but also evolved into freer and more chaotic music, boldly combining densely complex performances with catchy, beautiful melodies, and appealing to a desire for excessive expression. The bands that appealed to the public, in other words, progressive screamo bands, emerged one after the other. The aforementioned Coheed & Cambria were the forerunners of this trend, and it is not difficult to imagine that the existence of Muse was also a great inspiration for them, as Madina Lake acknowledges their influence. Two albums that are representative of this trend are Saosin's In Search of Solid Ground (2009), which gave a pop contour to a chaotic sound, and Chiodos' Bone Palace Ballet: Grand Coda (2007), which can be described as a dark rock opera! .

Speaking of which, it was recently reported that the former Matchbook Romance drummer [Aaron Stern] has joined the new band of Craig Owens (vo) [Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows aka D.R.U.G.S.], who left Chiodos, but thinking back, Matchbook Romance's second album Voices (2006) was an ambitious work in which they achieved an evolution from being a screamo band to something akin to a Radiohead and Muse-like evolution. By the way, one of the main attractions of Muse is their pathetically beautiful melodies, but if that's the case, I'd like you to try bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, who were responsible for the noble spirit of early emo, and Copeland, who were influenced by UK rock were praised as beautiful emo, and Portugal. The Man. Incidentally, Portugal. The Man's style changes from album to album, so in terms of beautiful melodies, I recommend 'Waiter: You Vultures!', released in 2006

Finally, Nebraska indie rock band Cursive. The band's freaky, blues-like sound, reminiscent of the lees of human emotion, is quite different from the aesthetically inclined bands we have introduced so far, but fans of Muse will surely understand the rich world of raw human drama that unfolds.

Pic: Coheed and Cambria are popular for their progressive and dramatic sound with beautiful high tone voices and strings and piano throughout. Overwhelmed by a dense sound that makes extensive use of irregular time signatures.

Pic: Formed in 1992, Sunny Day Real Estate debuted in 1994 with Diary. Since reuniting in 2009, the band has also included original member Nate Mendel (b), now with the Foo Fighters.

Pic: The Alaska-born, Portland-based three-piece Portugal. The Man. They are a very prolific band, releasing an album a year.

Pic: Madina Lake, a Chicago band from Chicago, featuring the Leon brothers Nathan (vo) and Matthew (b), who are very popular in Japan as well, have declared Muse's influence on their music.

Pic: Cursive, who deliver dramatic and masculine rock while featuring strings and wind instruments. Returned to more straightforward rock on 2009's 'Mama, I'm Warren'.

Translator's Note: And with that, I've translated three column articles that questioned and answered certain things about Muse.

Are Muse an alternative rock band? Yes.

Are Muse a progressive rock band? Sort of.

Are Muse emo? ...Maybe this Radio X interview can sum it up:

"I'm feeling emotional." - Dom

[noirandchocolate]

:) If you have the time and would like to, I wondered if you’d share some of your favourite j-pop / anime songs? I think you have excellent taste whenever you share your opinions, so I’d love to listen to your favs.

Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for sending this, I love getting asks and you're so sweet. PS your art is super cute, love your colors! (I'm gonna reblog some as soon as I'm done answering this. <3)

...wait. MEG!??!?!?! i THOUGHT I recognized that art style! OH MY GOD how long have you been following me and I didn't know?? ;___;!! Hello how have you been!? AAAAAAH!

Okay, I will calm down and. Answer the question asked. XD; Anime music! Here's some tracks I really love, in no particular order and also I'm all over the place style-wise.

"Blue" from Cowboy Bebop is one of my all-time favorites. Honestly the whole Cowboy Bebop soundtrack is amazing and lives up to the hype for sure with its jazz/Old West style with spacy and harder and more modern vibes.

"Ashita Kuru Hi" from Kobato. was the next one that popped into my head! This song gets several different versions throughout the anime, because it's a tune the main character sings all the time, different verses for different events. It even gets a Christmassy reprise in one episode! This is the full, basic version of it featuring music box. But this piano-opening version with more sweeping instruments plays over the finale credits... While I'm at it, I WILL plug the entire soundtrack. It is ADORABLE and is nice sweet background music for work and study.

Gotta give a shoutout to Mob Psycho 100's opening themes for sure. They're all so good and seat-dance provoking. "1" is my favorite of them, it's so intense!

"Yuzurenai Negai" from Magic Knight Rayearth is really nostalgic for me, being the theme from one of the first anime I ever bought bootleg fansubs of from a shady man at a monthly comics expo. XD It's definitely a "classic anime" kind of song, with that adventurous shoujo feel.

"Matsuri Uta" from Blue Seed is one I was introduced to without having ever seen the anime it's from and I still like it. It has a slow, quiet start and is just a very pretty piece. (I like to sing along to it, hehe.) Here's another arrangement without the lyrics but with more instruments.

WHILE I'M ON Megumi Hayashibara...I'll also rec "Give a Reason" from Slayers. It's so punchy and upbeat and really inspires a person to get up and GO! You know what? Here's "Get Along" too.

I could recommend any of "Cardcaptor Sakura"'s opening and closing themes, but "Hitorijime" sticks out to me as a funky little track that's just extra fun to listen to. In the same vein is "Groovy!" and the video features a hypnotically bouncing Kero-chan so you can't lose.

I could fill an entire post of its own with Sailor Moon music but instead I will gesture wildly at "Moon Revenge" from the R Movie and yell that it features one of my favorite things in any anime song--vocals by the cast.

SPEAKING OF...here's another one of my ultimate favorite anime songs of all time, "Yamerarenai Yamerarenai" from Tenchi Muyô! The entire main voice cast going absolutely ham in character singing about all the little pleasures in life. Absolutely delightful!

Okay last one for this post because this is probably way way too long as it is. "Party Night" from Di Gi Charat! Specifically the Hyper Parapara version. I love this shit so much. This is the music video version because I can't resist, but here's the full song.

Okay! I'm outta here! Thank you again for asking, it was fun to follow my stream of consciousness and just post whatever fun thing popped to mind next. XD

[mywifeleftme]

354: Leon Russell // Hank Wilson's Back, Vol. I

Hank Wilson's Back, Vol. I Leon Russell 1973, Shelter

Leon Russell’s Hank Wilson’s Back Vol. I ends with a sudden burst of hysterical laughter, which is usually what I feel Leon’s doing at my expense when I listen to his records, but Hank is a pretty straight affair. We’re looking at 13 classic bluegrass and country standards, most such obvious choices that it would be a real challenge to record one of the thousand best versions of a given song, let alone a newly definitive one. None of these are that, but the record’s a breezy listen. Russell was a prolific session player before his songwriting career took off, and he puts together an all-star crew of sidemen, including J.J. Cale, Billy Byrd, and members of the Wrecking Crew, Nashville Cats, and Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. (Plus a sleeve design by Eve Babitz!) This’ll shock, but they sound pretty good.

The more reverent arrangements (mostly on side one) are nice but not necessarily thrilling. When Russell and company give a swampier Tulsa Sound read though, you’re in for a ball. The credits to his rollicking take on Jimmie Driftwood’s “The Battle of New Orleans” list no less than six guitar players, and you can hear all of them putting in work: crunching riffs, high sitar-like accents, even a spacy steel guitar bridge. We get a nice take on Leon Payne’s “Lost Highway” too, Russell singing like he’s got a wad of chew stuffed in his cheek, the whole track bobbing along like R. Crumb’s “Keep on Truckin’” guy. Russell’s not bad on the ballads either: there’s a splendid version of “Am I That Easy to Forget” that compares well to Gram Parsons’ work from the same year on Grievous Angel.

If I were rating the record, I’d say side one is a respectable 3/5, and side two a strong 4/5—so split the difference and call it a 3.5, well worth a grab for fans of great country-western musicianship and appreciators of the ‘70s Russell/Cale/Clapton sound.

354/365

[spaciebabie]

HALFWAY THRU I STOPPED FUCKING AROUND AND GOT SERIOUS

[pluttskutt]

Happy STS. Okay, hear me out. Your story becomes a musical. *grandly presents you with the opportunity to turn this into literally whatever you want* (Who knows all the choreography? Who is pissed? Who somehow escapes singing?) (What scene has the best song? What your story's musical sound like? Does it being a musical make any sense at all?)

Happy STS! Where is the music coming from? Obvs, the Deity of Music intervined to make this happen. I believe it would be a musical episode that all series have and the characters would be aware that they're in it, like in BtVS when everyone is like "And then I started singing..." but can't control it.

Spacy helps to teleport characters to make their numbers that much more impactful. Like, a character jumping off a building only to be teleported somewhere they are happy as part of it. Or, characters in love but apart meeting for their duet only to be torn apart by the end of it.

A fight scene between Amir and Lucy would be a dance scene and it significes their difference and how nothing is the same because they aren't and he will kill her because it's the right thing to do and she wishes he'd go with her but he can't fathom to betray all he stands for—all that she once stood for.

Mille would have a number with only instruments and chanting in the background viking style. She'd wait for her duet with her ma, because everyone gets duets, but she doesn't get it so she screams for her and the viking chanting stops as the ground as she falls to the ground.

Adina wouldn't sing either but a lament would play in the background for all those she lost. We'd see a shadow of a figure, maybe someone we would recognize, and then we would follow a whisp to a beast that was once someone Adina lost as well.

We also get a whimsical musical number of where a whisp of sort is jumping and swirling in air and it gets so loud that it dies out, then the viking music picks up but darker and harsher as we see a beast with four dirty paws running in the dark, teeth bared.

Thank you for the ask <3

[dustedmagazine]

Lonnie Holley — Oh Me Oh My (Jagjaguwar)

Lonnie Holley has led a life that posed considerable challenges. An orphan who spent time as the adopted child of a burlesque dancer and much of the rest of his childhood in Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children, an institution even more hellish than what one might imagine, early on Holley endured a great deal of abuse. Challenges were not to end there, and without the artistic pursuits to which he has been devoted, a conduit for purging the demons of his life, one wonders what might have happened to Holley. Fortunately, he has carved a poly-artist career as a highly regarded visual artist, poet, and vocalist.

Holley has frequently been categorized as a bluesman, and his emotive, raspy pipes are well suited to the blues. On his latest Jagjaguwar recording, Oh Me Oh My, he presents his voice in an expansive set of contexts that transcend traditional blues stylings. The list of artists who make guest appearances speaks to the respect with which Holley is regarded. Moor Mother, Michael Stipe, Sharon van Etten, Bon Iver, Rokia Koné, and Jeff Parker lend their talents to Oh Me Oh My, affording its arrangements and production a mutability that supports, never dilutes, Holley’s aesthetic. For instance, the title track features Stipe singing layered backing vocals, making a refrain over which Holley sings verses about his history and joins with Stipe in the chorus. The effect is haunting. Bon Iver joins Holley on “Kindness Will Follow Your Tears,” creating a swath of group singing and synth keyboards that buoy the lead vocals. Holley frequently bends pitches, modulating sustained notes to wring every last piece of emotion out of them. 

Moor Mother guests on two tracks: “I Am a Part of the Wonder” and “Earth Will Be There,” adorning the first with rasped rapping, trumpet, pitched percussion, and mid-tempo beats. The second begins with thrumming bass, bodily in its impact, and Holley’s spoken word. The synthesizers expand their range against metallic percussion. Holley’s voice gradually moves from speech to song. Partway through, the beat drops, a horn section is added, and the vocalist sings a refrain that, by itself, could be a hook, but here is part of a kaleidoscope of sounds. There is a sizable section of Moor Mother’s spoken word with Holley vocalizing in the background. He then takes center stage, once again singing the refrain, which is followed by the full ensemble, now with backing vocalists, creating a rousing coda. It is a fulsome, polystylistic brew. 

Holley without guest stars is no less compelling. Particularly moving is “Mount Meigs,” where he recounts the abuse of his troubled childhood. Accompanied by searing electric guitar and a thunderous rhythm section, the song uses the blues to express inconsolable suffering. There are few who rival Holley in the ability to so viscerally share the depredations of the Deep South in the 1950s and 1960s. The recording closes with a surprising twist. “Future Children '' features a Holley through a vocoder, minimalist synth arpeggios, and solo soprano saxophone. Taking a page from Philip Glass may not be as futuristic as the artist supposes, but the spaciness of it suggests that Holley may be looking to the future as well as channeling the past. For him, and for us, that is good news. 

Christian Carey

[luciapines]

Ranking The Other One:

1. Maya: A SLAY not much more to say tbh

2. Mirror mirror: so interesting i love every sound in this song

3. Believing: i really like the lyrics and even tho i kinda hate robotic moa at the end i like the sound and vibe of the song overall

4. Monochrome: when i heard the teasers i thought i wouldn't really like it since im not the biggest fan of slow songs but this is so good and has been holding up so well since the release. i ADORE the sound it is beautiful and with enough punch to keep me in the song and not bore me (unlike the piano version 😭 su sings beautifully but yeah)

5. The legend: i really didn't expect to put this here (had it at 8 at first) but its just so special..... idk so spacy and beautiful and not what i was expecting ?? very chill vibe and a fucking saxophone??!!! hell yeah so superior to the one in every way not gonna miss it

6. Metal Kingdom: great way to start the the album super cinematic and really cool lore song me likes

7. Time Wave: really cool! i like it but making a ranking is hard jsjsj i love screaming TIME WAVEEE

8. Divine Attack: it can be repetitive but its hype its really special to me because it was the first single and its my fav vid of the album

9. Metalizm: club song (derogatory) i don't really like edm (idk id this song classifies as that but it kinda sounds like it to me) the only base part in the middle ruins the mood for me. maybe i had too many expectations from the snippet tho but i know it will hype the public in the shows so its okay

10. Light and darkness: the dance is cool and moa lines are good but all the punch monochrome has is absolutely nowhere to be seen here very meh to me even tho it has a super catchy chorus

[mageofseven]

Match up time!!

Blonde she/they who was given ADHD for the only reason being she would be too powerful otherwise. Works with animals and has a pet rabbit who she loves so much. Artsy af and prefers nights in. She’s a taurus and was born in the year of the ox, making her a bit more stubborn than most. One way to know she’s comfortable around you, is if she belts out songs without a care in the world. IRL, her absolute fave is Mammon but she’s excited to see what you have up your sleeve!

Okay first off, a reminder not to send in any physical characteristics in these Matchup. Hair color does not help me decide who to match you with. Also, I need to know what group you want me to consider: Brothers, UnDateables, or the Boys.

Before anyone sends in a Matchup request, please read the Guidelines first.

But don't worry, Nonnie! I'm not upset. I saw the 'blonde' part and thought that this would be a good teaching moment for others.

I'm also going with the assumption that you are okay with being paired with any of the Boys. If I am wrong and I pair you up with someone from a group you didn't want, please let me know and I will redo this, okay? 😊

Now to your matchup! Hmm. I can see you clicking well with two guys.

I think you will like my answer though~

I pair you with...

Mammon

Honestly I was stuck between two very different men for you on this: Mammon and Satan.

I thought Satan might be able to appreciate your artsy side and love the animal lover in you the best

However

I feel like you exude a bit more more chaos than Satan would like from his Kitten 😅🤭

Mammon, on the other hand would love your chaotic vibes and really feel like the two of you are on the same wavelength.

I also have a headcanon that Mammon might also have ADHD and dyslexia but that is a whole other story so I think you both could bond over your creative, spacy brains hehe~

I can honestly see this man blushing the first time you randomly burst out in song, but eventually he would grow to join you when you do. Be prepared to hear Mammon sing really, really badly with the doofiest smile at his face 🥰

I can see Mammon also having a soft spot for animals, but he'd pretend otherwise until he see just how much you love them and then it becomes a real bonding interest for you both. I think he'd be a little wary of your bunny at first though, consider it's not too different in terms of looks to a creature in Devildom forests that mesmerizes it prey, bringing them close just to unhinge its entire skull in its attempt to eat you.

Yeah, boy here has had some bad experiences with those creatures so you really have to explain to this man that the pull he feels towards your bunny is only because it's so cute and not because it wants to eat him 😅

You're stubborness would also be your winning hand with this man. Unlike with Satan, who might become a bit annoyed with you for it, Mammon would likely take it as a sign to stop and listen to you and he'd find it so hot omg.

So yeah, enjoy your wedding with Mammon 😜🤭🥰