#the carnival interlude makes a lot more sense

[el-smacko]

I thought Chiodos was a cool name for a band because I assumed it was faux Greek like X-ὁδός for “cross-road” and they were an “I didn’t know they were Christian” band like Underoath or We Came As Romans but no actually they’re named for the Chiodo brothers who made Killer Klowns from Outer Space and I’m just pretentious

[megashadowdragon]

fgo theory is caster cu really odin 

comments : 

There is also the 10 bond CE for him being the Yggdrasil Tree, which is very Norse. (the fact he needs a bunch of Yggdrasil seeds may also be a bit of a hint.) Interestingly, the Wickerman festivals were held throughout Europe (Areas such as England and Scotland) and were regarded as a neo-pagan festivity. Chances are, if CasCu really is Odin, it is highly likely he will take action in the English Lostbelt second part. I think itd be really cool, but if that was the case itd be more likely Cu caster was a Cu-Odin fusion similar to Scathach-Skadi. We know its within Odin's ability to do a fusion like this due to how he did the same for Skadi. It also explains how caster cu retains the protection from arrows and disengage skills. It also makes more sense how he's kept his identity a secret, because it's not false that he is Cu.

www . reddit . com/r/grandorder/comments/lkw9xm/summary_of_the_caster_cu_chulainnodin_theory/

At absolutely no point does he ever give his name or makes any mention to it.

Other Servants who initially don't give their names say that they'll give it to you later. Caster does not even bring up the subject.

In the Garden of Sinners crossover event, he says "there's no Cú Chulainn here". It's treated as a gag, but...

In the Singularity F Memorial Quest, he's the only Servant referred to by his Class name instead of his True name.

In Lostbelt 6 he finally introduces himself... as Grimnir. This is an alias that Odin uses in the Grímnismál.

He's not supposed to be the Caster of the Fuyuki Grail War in the first place. In the original reality, it's Medea, while in FGO reality it's Solomon. Material states that Singularity F is the result of data colliding, and Caster resulted from that. However, in that case it should be either Solomon or Medea who appear in Singularity F, not Cú Chulainn.

One of his lines goes as following: "Isn't bit boring to play a game that never ends? For better or for worse, it's like you can't move the pieces forward, yeah?" Is he talking about Singularity F? At any rate, this sounds weird.

His Final Ascension art and animation update features two white wolves. Odin is stated to have two wolves named Geri and Freki.

His second Noble Phantasm, which he mentions in one of his My Room lines, is called "Ochd Deug Odin - Seal of the Great God". It's an exceedingly powerful Rank A Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm with potentially Game Breaking effects, but what's interesting is its description: it activates by chanting its True Name and using all 18 primordial runes granted by Scáthach at once (keep in mind she taught him the Norse ones) and it "temporarily unleashes the power of the rune possessed by the Great Odin". Aside from the weirdness of him even having that Noble Phantasm in the first place (he's not supposed to have Wickerman either, but at least we get an explanation for that), why can't he use it? (Potential Game-Breaker status not withstanding).

In the North America version of the game, his Bond Craft Essense is called "Yggdrasil Tree". That's taken from Norse Mythology, so why would a Celt have it?

In addition, the Yggdrasil tree has a particularly strong tie to Odin. The Ygg bit is another name for him, and according to legend at some point he hanged himself from one of its branches to gain wisdom.

For some reason, he's in the Nordic Fields during Boudica's 3rd Strengthening Quest.

During Valentine's Day in the return gift scene, he talks about the Human Order Incineration and the Human Order Reorganization - a.k.a. the Lostbelts. Somehow he knew about the Lostbelts before the game even got to that point.

In the 2019 Valentine's event, he's seen reading the book "Scandinavia's Beautiful Mountains".

In the FGO mats, Sigurd takes special notice of him and then has a Double Take. He also seems confused about him in his material profile. The fact that Sigurd noticed Caster is odd, but it should also be noted that Sigurd encountered Odin a number of times in his legend, thus making him one of the most likely people to recognize him.

Scáthach's Interlude brings up a LOT of questions. The regular Lancer Cú Chulainn says that his power is reduced because half his Saint Graph is missing. Mash suggests that the reduction in power may be because he was separated in numerous classes, but Lancer Cú is surprised that he can be summoned as a Caster. In addition, there are several Servants summonable in numerous classes, and none of them has this problem. There's a possibility that the other half of the Saint Graph went to Caster, and he's using an external source to stabilize it.

According to the Arcade version of FGO, it's impossible for any version of Cú Chulainn to be summoned without Gáe Bolg or the skill "Martial Arts Disciplining in the Shadow Country". Yet Caster has neither, thus making him an impossible summoning.

Not very noticeable in the English version, but he occasionally slips into using the "washi" pronoun during dialogue. For those who might not know, "washi" is actually pretty formal, and contrasts Cú Chulainn's much more casual "ore".

A lot of his official art has him looking subtly different that the other versions of Cú Chulainn.

He has lighter-coloured hair in all of his artwork, and Fate/Grand Carnival gives him wrinkles under the eyes. This trait is usually used in anime to show a character around 40-50 years old; an age that Cú Chulainn never reached.

In his card art and formal outfit card, his eyes are almost orange rather than red. In addition, one eye is always at least partially hidden.

In his April Fool's card, he has different facial features than the rest of the Cú Chulainns.

Tying to the above, Odin is known for disguising himself as an older man, usually a wizard, in a hood, and he's missing an eye. Missing eye aside, Caster fits most of that criteria, and as pointed out above, most his art hides his eye anyway. Odin gave said eye in exchange for wisdom, and there are a few remarks that Caster is getting smarter.

In the original Fate/stay night, Emiya draws a connection between Gáe Bolg and Odin's spear, Gungnir. Considering that he has picked up things like Rho Aias and Caladbolg, we can probably take him at his word. In his animation update, Caster throws his staff above the enemies heads, and then it changes tragectory to attack them from behind. While this could easily be a reference to Gáe Bolg's actual method of killing in the myth (it entered the victim through the asshole), it could also be a reference to how Odin would throw Gungnir above the heads of his enemies to declare a war.

Another detail from his animation upgrade is that his Instant Runes often take the form of a Valknut; this symbol according to some scholars is associated with Odin.

There are overall several indications that Caster will play a significant role later in the story: he's featured in the trailer of Lostbelt 6 and received his animation update during the Lostbelt 6 livestream, and Word of God has implied several times that we will be returning to Singularity F at some point.

Tying to the above, in one of My Room conversations, he say's he'll teach you how to use Runes later. Maybe it's not Blatant Lies after all.

Caster and Odin share several personality traits. Both of them are known as "the raging one", are strongly tied with the concept of war, magic, and wisdom, and both of them are The Gadfly - as Caster displays in Singularity F when he tries to get Mash to activate her Noble Phantasm. In addition, in various events Caster seems to have a gambling problem, which is also one of Odin's traits. Not to mention "summon me as a Lancer" works for Odin too.

The recent Lostbelt 6 update also adds fuel to the fire. In My Room dialogues, Scáthach tells him that his Rune magic is slightly different from what she taught him. He asks Sigurd not to look at him with the glasses, when he sees Brynhildr he muses that this must be fate/karma and specifically refers to Scáthach-Skadi as "Lostbelt Skadi."

His new battle lines from the same update are just as interesting.

"Witness the essence of the Rune magecraft taught by Scáthach... Sure, let's go with that." Along with Scáthach accusing him of his Rune magic being different, this could easily imply that he didn't learn them from her.

Another line is that "he doesn't have the noose of his neck anymore". As an above point states, this Odin did this to learn his runes. The noose bit also never happened to Cú Chulainn.

One of his victory lines references "wolves and crows" and that he has "no idea what they're talking about". The crows part could be a reference to the story of Cú Chulainn's death, which features a crow sitting on his corpse, but the whole quote seems to better reference Odin and his pets; the wolves Geri and Freki, and the crows Huginn and Muninn.

Lostbelt 6 also gives his a buff to his Disengage skill. More specifically, it's actually two buffs that activate back-to-back, with the first called "At the Fountain" and the second called "Sacrifice to the World Tree". Very specific, game.

In Lostbelt 2, it is outright stated that it was Odin who fused Skadi and Scáthach together. Who says he never did it before?

[trainthief]

Hey I was wondering if you'd ever consider doing like a top 20 fav classical music albums or composers list or something. Obviously if that just sounds stressful disregard this but I know you are like, into classical music & I grew up with my parents playing it & recently got, like, into the classical station but aside from like 3 artists I like I don't know where to start & I like your blog and would be interested in hearing about like, your taste

Sorry for responding to this so late, I’ve had a real week and I wanted to make sure I had time to put some thought into answering this ask. I’d definitely love to help, I always like recc’ing classical stuff to people! The idea of 20 absolute all time favorites is a difficult one for me because I love so much stuff and it’s really difficult to compare like… Caroline Shaw’s modern experimental chorale stuff to Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. Anyway, instead I will give you some full length pieces in different styles that I think are great for new listeners, and explain a little about what each one is doing and what I love about it, and some more pieces I recommend if you enjoy what you’re hearing. Hopefully that will help! 

In no particular order: 

Appalachian Spring by Copland: Let’s just get this one out of the way up front. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time at all, you know I’m deeply in love with Copland. He essentially invented the American compositional style by adding jazz elements to the established practices, which caused an absolute uproar at the beginning of his career as people then considered it an unholy mix of high and low culture. He doubled down on this concept when he wrote “Fanfare For The Common Man” which essentially stands as a celebration of the working class and those who couldn’t afford to see the symphony anyway. He was, I should also note, both gay and Jewish. A real icon. Anyhow, although I love so much of his work and could go on forever, I consider listening to Appalachian Spring in its entirety a spiritual experience, no exaggeration. Take it on a hike, listen to it while you look at the trees and think about whatever crosses your mind, and by the time the Coda hits you… well I personally can’t tell you what experience to have, but I feel for a second like I can see and be seen. Anyway, aside from that, just good music, very pretty. If you’d like similar music that incorporated jazz effectively into classical work, I’d of course recommend another favorite of mine: Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin. 

Russian Easter Festival by Rimsky-Korsakov: As a general rule of thumb, Russian composers are ALWAYS good for some drama. This piece in particular is great because it’s not only fanfare and excitement, there’s a touch of pastoral calmness that I really love (more on that as a concept later) at the beginning, but we still get plenty of wildness. There’s a frantic octave part the violins play around minute 5 that always makes me want to scream. If you like this, I’d also recommend checking out Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol. The man knows how to write sexy. 

Romance in D by Berkey: I recommend this partially because it’s a lesser known and very beautiful piece, and also because it’s a good lead-in to a whole subset of classical called Furniture Music. Essentially called that - originally by the composer Satie - because it’s nice to put on in the background. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still fun to listen to, and from a compositional and performance standpoint it can still be very impressive. But it’s just good and calming and you could certainly sip tea to it in the restaurant area of a ritzy 1920’s hotel while you read a novel and ignore your rich husband asking if you’d like any marmalade. A good example of the same effect is the soundtrack to Phantom Thread. It’s also good for studying. If you like that conceptually, I’ve got a whole playlist here. 

Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky: A really excellent intro to classical and one of my favorite works, AND like the last one, also a lead-in to an informal format. Pictures was written with the idea that each song was a separate painting that the listener could imagine they were looking at in a museum. For that reason, each one has a different style and personality, and feels very descriptive and exciting. A collection of small related pieces is called a suite, but I haven’t yet been able to find a technical name for that specific kind of storytelling structure within a suite. It’s not uncommon though, and in that same vein I’d also recommend The Planets by Holst (about the planets, as you might assume), and Carnival of the Animals by Saint Saens (about… yeah you get it). 

Spem in Alium by Tallis: We’re taking a wild left turn now and veering into the Christian choral tradition dating back to the 1500s. Like anyone else who isn’t even a Christian, there’s a few things about Catholicism that I’m obsessed with. Namely the hymns and the stained glass. Focusing only on the hymns, Tallis is one of the best examples of polyphonic hymnal work. Polyphonic, essentially, means that the different voices in the piece are moving around each other and will frequently change their notes in a way that will compliment - but is not necessarily in line with - the direction of the piece as a whole. It makes more sense if you just listen. The style, however, was developed in an attempt to capture the idea of the stars and planets circling each other in their own independent orbits, because at the time people had just started to turn their gaze to the sky for answers about their own lives. Aside from that very cool background, I just find the really human side of the choir format in particular paired with the elevation of music being this untouchable but powerful thing paired with the holiness of the concept paired with how awesome the acoustics of a chapel can be…. It’s just a lot. If you like this I’d also recommend Miserere Mei by Allegri, Ave Maris Stella by Dufay, and O Magnum Mysterium by Lauridsen 

Peter Grimes by Britten: Classical music is so rooted in every musical tradition, and visa versa, that it’s almost impossible to separate it conceptually from a lot of genres. Technically, “classical” refers to a period of time more than it does a genre anyway, but let’s not get pretentious about it. While we’re pushing the boundaries of what can and can’t be included in this list, let’s talk Opera, and specifically Peter Grimes. When asked to describe it, Britten said it was “a subject very close to my heart—the struggle of the individual against the masses. The more vicious the society, the more vicious the individual.” More specifically the struggle was an allegory for gay oppression, and ironically Britten wrote the lead role with his lifelong partner Peter Pears - an opera singer - in mind. To give a taste without giving too much away, the Prologue establishes that Grimes, a fisherman, is being questioned over the death of his apprentice. The townspeople are all convinced before the questioning even begins that he must have done it, but the coroner decides the death was accidental. Grimes is let free and advised not to get another apprentice, but he of course ignores this…. If the vocal side of opera doesn’t do it for you, there are 4 Sea Interludes from this work that are really great independently. If you want even more opera with even more drama, I’d recommend looking at Tosca or Turandot both by Pucccini. If you think classic opera is too high brow and you want something a little sillier, try Mozart’s Magic Flute. If you want something more new age and weird, try listening to Two Boys by Muhly or selections from Einstein on the Beach by Glass (but probably not all 5 hours, Knee Play 5 and Spaceship would be my top 2). 

Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral” by Beethoven: I mentioned earlier when describing the Russian Easter Festival that I love a piece with pastoral calmness. Getting back to that point, I haven’t ever seen one word that’s commonly used to describe this particular sense in a piece, but I personally call it a Pastoral after Beethoven’s 6th. In general, the symphony is one of my favorites as a composer and listener, especially given that it’s really just about taking a walk in nature which is one of only 3 themes music should have anyway in my opinion. A good amount of my music is written with this feeling in mind. Aside from all that context, the first movement in particular is very nice, passionate but not sensational, and is just about being excited to be outside. Nothing wrong with that. This subset of music is probably the most informal of all the ones I’ve listed so far, but if you’d like more “Pastorals,” or pieces that have a nice calm passion to them, I’d also highly recommend Enigma Variations: Nimrod by Elgar, Fantasia on a Theme of Tallis by Vaughan Williams, Once Upon A Time In America by Morricone, Musica Celestis by Kernis, and of course again Appalachian Spring by Copland. (I would also be legally sent to jail if I didn’t mention that while we’re on the subject of Beethoven, his 9th Symphony is generally considered one of the greatest achievements in classical music). 

Rite of Spring by Stravinsky: A lot of these pieces have been good jumping off points into different musical concepts, but with this one I’m sticking my description to the initial piece itself. I got the chance to email with a composer I admire and he at one point described composition not in the sense of writing something “smart”, but in writing something “detailed”. The Rite of Spring is a really great example of detailed composition. It’s extremely experimental with its time changes - essentially the way that you should be counting your notes as a musician constantly changes and always into a pattern that’s difficult to keep track of - and also with its chord structure. The music itself can be jarring and odd to listen to but the composition wasn’t random and when studied shows an obsessive elbows-deep involvement in the work that I really admire. It might not surprise you to hear, however, that at the initial performance the audience was so furious that the lighting technician had to continually flash the lights to confuse them, out of fear of a riot. If you’d like something a bit more fun to listen to by the same composer, however, Firebird is a good one. And if you’d like another great piece that was completely booed off the stage at its premier, I’d recommend Grand Pianola by Adams. 

Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev: While we’re in the general vicinity of ballet, I should get into that deeper. Ballets can have some of the most fun music to listen to because the timing is required to be so much more specific. Romeo and Juliet is a lot of fun, particularly the “Montagues and Capulets” and “Masks” sections. Another great ballet is, of course, The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky. I’d also recommend Don Quixote by Minkus, and Rodeo by Copland…. I know I know 

Violin Concerto in D by Tchaikovsky: I said Russians bring the drama, and it’s doubly so when it’s a gay Russian. This piece is a classic example of the solo concerto format, which is a staple of classical as a whole. The setup is a single player on whatever instrument the piece is written for accompanied by an orchestra, and is usually a showcase of technical skill by the soloist. This one in particular is basically THE turning point in a violinist’s studies and just about every violinist learns it as soon as they’re capable of taking it on. Personally I still vividly remember when my teacher finally gave it to me, it’s a very specific sense of accomplishment. Similar examples of the solo concerto format on different instruments would be Piano Concerto in F by Rachmaninoff, and Oboe Concerto in C by Mozart, both of which I absolutely love. 

The Revd Mustard His Installation Prelude by Muhly: I’ve gone on forever so I’m trying to be quick. Nico Muhly is one of my favorite modern composers and Revd Mustard combines his classic ecstatic and constantly moving style with an organ, which I’m a sucker for. Contemporary classical in his style can be difficult to listen to because it’s gotten very experimental and as a result, very complicated. But if you don’t go into it with the expectation that you’re going to hear a structured and logical Mozart-like piece and you instead surrender your opinion until the whole thing has come together for you, it can be really interesting at the very least. As a side note, Nico has collaborated with Sufjan, Bjork, Jonsi, Teitur…. lots of people. You’ve certainly heard him before even if you didn’t know it. For more classical from the last few decades I’d recommend Partita for 8 Singers by Shaw, Tissue No. 7 by Glass, Different Trains by Reich, the Red Violin Concerto by Corigliano (especially because I just saw it live a few days ago and am still reeling), Perpetuum Mobile by Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten by Part. Each of which is vastly different, stylistically speaking, but all of which I really love. And for more organ listen to one of my favorite pieces of all time, Symphony 3 by Saint Saens. 

Ok, you know what? I’m cutting myself off because I’ve gone on forever. If you haven’t been put off of asking me questions entirely by now, please feel free if you want even more recommendations in a specific style, or want to know more about something you enjoy. Clearly I love talking about this. Hope that helped!

[n-sniccersatp]

My Nct #127 Regular-Irregular Album review.

I just took the time to listen to each track on this album and I jotted down my thoughts and thought I would share lol. 

City127 -  Great song to start the album off with. The song is a pretty chill song, a steady pace, and soft vocals as well as not too powerful raps so it balances out the song pretty well. The whistles in the song also compliment it very well. Taeyong's rap is amazing as well, smooth and pleasing to hear. Would be a perfect morning song or just a song to listen to when you need to relax at any time. 

Regular Korean Version - Great title track. Probably one of Nct's most unique songs so far. The song is cocky and if sung by anyone else it would come off as "douchy" but when nct does it they make it work without seeming like huge dicks that just like to wave money in everyone's face. The strong chorus too is great. But some of the members could use more lines but overall great song and it's such a banger.

Replay (PM 01:27) - THIS IS SO GOOD. The chorus is so fucking good, great vibe and has such a good like ambient sound. The song has a dreamy vibe like you're inside some type of trance. The bubbly beat compliments the other factors so well. This song is like a dreamy fucking anthem. Everything flows so perfectly. 10/10 for sure.

Knock On - Another dreamy ambient vibe. This song, unlike Replay, is softer and more of a song I guess I could sleep to. Not like in a bad way like it's boring but like it's so peaceful and it just captures you and makes you feel like you could just drift off into another world. Being a song I could see myself fall asleep to, it's still a song I could add to my 'regular' (hehe) playlist. It's still a song that entertains easily because of the sensual sound to it. The fade out is also perfect and so subtle. It's great.

No Longer - This song literally sounds like it could be a KDrama ost track and I'm not complaining. It's soft and peaceful and could be classified as a ballad type song. I don't know the lyrics yet but it sounds kind of sad and emotional. Maybe like a song you could listen to while missing someone or just when you're feeling down and wanna listen to something soft. Would be perfect for a rainy day. This song kind of reminds me of like "rose scent breeze" or "One of these nights" by Red Velvet. Or maybe even a ballad type song by Michael Jackson like "You are not alone". The lyrics flow so well in this song and it gives me chills, this is a really good song. 10/10 depending on your mood. Although I love this song, I couldn't see myself listening to this just anytime. I would have to be in a certain mood.

Interlude: Regular to Irregular - Like 'no longer' to listen to this, I would have to be in a certain mood. It's like them talking over piano and violin which isn't 'bad' but it sounds odd but I am digging it. This is an interlude so it's probably not meant to sound like a banger. The song personally gives me almost French music vibes, something I could see myself hearing in an Italian restaurant. The drop in tone though. The song gets a little sinister. Which I'm sensing is the 'irregular'. The tone gets deep and sinister which I'm living for. There are whispers and sudden voices being heard and it's so bone-chilling, honestly gives me Dreamcatcher intro vibes.

My Van - This is obviously more of a rap track to the album. The song creeps me out almost as much as the title. Overall the song is pretty good, it's catchy. I don't know how to feel about it. I like it for the most part but there are some factors that really turn me off of the song. First of all the beat. This almost scratchy, high-pitched static noise is just, I don't know to be honest. This sound effect gives me horror movie vibes. Like I could see this in a movie that takes place at an abandoned carnival with creepy worn down carousels.  The other thing that really made me turn my head was in what I think was the chorus the way that they're saying "keep driving". It's so creepy to me, the way his voice drags like that just no, please. I could see this song possibly growing on me later but for now, it just isn't for me. I am not saying this is a bad song but it's so not for me yet.

Come Back - Well, we have heard this song before on the "Chain" mini album, but I still love it just as much. It's such a strong hype song and I give it a 10/10 still.

My favorite** Fly Away With Me - 10/10. This song is so fucking captivating. The beat is dreamy and just makes you want to sway along with it. The beat is steady and instantly captures you. You can sleep to this song, you can study to this song, you could probably even meditate to this song but at the same time you can still get hyped up with this song, you could dance to this song, you could sing to this song, you could do anything with this song. The voices obviously go so well with the beat and obviously captivate you just as much as the other factors to the song. The chorus isn't TOO strong but it's still so good and has such a deep yet sort of upbeat sound to it and it fades into the next verse so fucking well. I love this song so much ugh.

Regular English Version - Just as good as the Korean version but I still can't keep a straight face with this cheese and queso line lmao.

Run back 2 U  Bonus Track - Starts out sounding like it will be somewhat chill but omg no it's not. This song is great but it's ALL OVER THE PLACE. The beat, the pace, even the genre like changes so much. It's like an electro song first, then it's a like Barbie movie song, then the beat drops and it's like some hardcore rap beat when Taeyong comes in. Then the beat changed again and this female voice that is honestly so random and kinda turns me off of the song a little bit. Then it's back to Barbie movie song, then another rap and it's just like ambient and like a dream but like with a badass rap. Then back to Barbie chorus but it's like with a guitar and it's like a weird folk song remix. The badass one more time and then it's over. This song is honestly really good but you would have to be in a really odd mood or hype mood to listen to this song.

Conclusion - This album is great overall. The album has a lot of diversity and really shows off what NCT127 is capable of. 

[sinceileftyoublog]

Årabrot Interview: Speaking in Tongues

BY JORDAN MAINZER

On Norwegian Gothic, Kjetil Nernes and Karin Park preach the gospel of Årabrot. The Norwegian band’s 9th full-length is, according to the band, the logical culmination of the noise they’ve been peddling for almost two decades. Recorded and centered around the Swedish church where Nernes and Park live, Norwegian Gothic takes equal thematic influence and reference from Theodore Adorno as it does David Bowie, its aesthetic filled with psychedelic folk and ecstatic rock and roll. 

Just take a look at the two-part video series associated with the record, encompassing three songs. On “Kinks of the Heart”, Nernes, dressed in his suspenders and wide-brimmed hat, and Park, pregnant in a flowing white dress, come to a town with a bible-looking book with the band’s name printed on the cover. They quickly round up a few townsfolk and cause them to reflect and act on their innermost desires, from sexual promiscuity to cross-dressing, over crackly guitar riffs and hard-charging drums. Part II is the sharp dance-punk synth jam “Hailstones For Rain” and washy, saxophone-laden “The Moon is Dead”, where Årabrot and their newfound cabal go to a local church--in actuality, the church where Nernes and Park live--to speak in rock and roll tongues to enrapture the crowd and later celebrate the summer solstice in a haunted-looking mansion, Nernes and Park nude as other folks dance around them.

Årabrot have fully embraced the idea of Norwegian Gothic as a statement for a while. The record was written starting in 2017, a year before their last full-length, Who Do You Love, was released. (Earlier this year, they also released an EP from the Who Do You Love sessions.) It was eventually recorded with producer Jaime Gomez Arellano (who Nernes calls “Gomez”) in London last year right before lockdown. There, they tracked drums, bass, and guitar before returning to the church for Park’s synthesizers, Hammond organ, mellotron, vocals, and overdubs. So while the album also features a number of other collaborators, like Jaga Jazzist’s Lars Horntveth, the spookiness of the church contextualizes the drama of the record, from the Kyuss-like opening guitars of “Carnival of Love” to the strings of “The Rule of Silence” and theatrical vocals of “Feel It On”. There’s also a number of spoken interludes, namely “The Voice” and album closer “You’re Not That Special”, that act as not just breaks or a comedown but, as they were culled from real-life thought provoking conversations the band had with friends, gives the album some substantial meat to back its purported philosophical influence.

Årabrot are holding out hope for some festival dates, like ArcTanGent in the UK in August, though I get the sense that, for once, their live streams so far are expertly curated displays of both Norwegian Gothic and Norwegian Gothic. Watching them perform “Hallucinational” from their church, Park’s spiritual singing and organ playing centering the band as much as the skulls that encircle them, I feel like I’m watching a production rather than a live show, yet one distilled to its raw emotion, and not just because it’s acoustic. Dressed in the same outfits as the characters from the short film, I’m unsure what’s an act and what’s not. What could be more gothic?

A couple months ago, I spoke with Nernes over the phone about Norwegian Gothic, which is out this Friday via Pelagic Records. Read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: You say that Norwegian Gothic represents the culmination or combination of everything you’ve done so far. What about it makes it such a good summation of what you do as a band?

Kjetil Nernes: As a musician and an artist, you might say, I have a pretty specific idea of how I want things to sound and be. Usually, it’s really hard--it’s a goal you have far ahead in front of you, and you just aim to that goal. It’s really hard to get to that goal right away. It’s a process: You need to make a few albums, for example, to come closer to your main goal, and finally, it comes together. I felt like Norwegian Gothic was like that, for the past 10 years, or even for my whole career. We kind of reached that one goal we’ve had for a really long time. It has to do with songwriting, how it actually sounds, the lyrics, a number of factors. It’s also important to reach the next goal, too--it’s a never-ending process, in many ways. It doesn’t stop here.

SILY: What else makes Norwegian Gothic unique as compared to your other records?

KN: The fact that we brought in a producer for the first time made a big difference. We had Gomez. He made a big difference, for sure. Karin’s been a part of the band on and off for 10 years, but she was much more involved here, which made a big difference from the previous ones. When you’ve done as many albums as I’ve done and been involved in as many projects as I have, you get a little feeling for when things turn out slightly different from all the other times. I had that feeling with this one. I also had that feeling with The Gospel that was released some years ago.

SILY: The Gospel is my favorite record of yours, so it’s interesting to hear you compare it to this one...What about the song “Carnival of Love” made you want to open the album with it?

KN: That is an interesting question because me, Karin, and Gomez were debating back and forth about that for a long time. There were a number of different options. Maybe you agree with me: I feel that there a quite a few songs that could have opened the album. We could have chosen a faster and shorter song, and it would have been a little bit of a different vibe to the album. We had a friend who was involved at the time, and he really got a kick out of “Carnival of Love”, and that made us decide to open with it.

SILY: How do you generally approach sequencing, and was there a different way you approached it here?

KN: Usually, you get a feeling. Sometimes, the label or the management comes with a suggestion. They usually decide the singles--which songs to promote. When you pick out the singles, usually you put them very early on, especially these days, even though I personally prefer to put them somewhere else. Back in the day, if you look at David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, all of the hits end the album. Many of the bands in the 60′s did the same thing: The main single was very far out in the album. Nowadays, the attention span is maybe a bit different so they’re usually earlier on. From there, you just listen to the songs and get a feeling, but on this one, it was particularly hard. Doing The Gospel was incredibly easy. This one took days of back and forth, and we had a lot of different ways of approaching it.

SILY: There are a lot of cinematic aspects on this record, from the strings to the spoken word interludes. Do you think about your records in a cinematic sense?

KN: Maybe. I do see a lot of films and am inspired by films and thinking of an album as a way of traveling through something. That may be what you’re referring to, too. I enjoy albums, and I particularly love albums that make you feel like you’re on a journey. That’s very often my starting point for making albums.

SILY: As much genre territory as this album traverses, “Hailstones For Rain” is an aesthetic standout. Can you tell me about the arrangement and instrumentation of that song?

KN: It does stand out. The label saw it as a very psychedelic song. I didn’t think of it that way. It started with me writing this specific rhythm inspired by some of the stuff The Residents were doing in the late 70′s. They had these weird sort of synthesizer rhythms with basslines on top. It just developed when we played it a lot. Karin added the jazzy theme on top of it. Further on, Lars Horntveth from Jaga Jazzist is playing saxophone, and there are two synthesizers going, and later, Anders Møller is playing percussion on it. It just develops. It’s a rhythmical thing. It turned out pretty interesting, that track.

SILY: How did the interludes come about? Who’s speaking, and what’s the inspiration behind the words they’re saying?

KN: Me and Karin had finished a tour with Boris. We did a week of traveling around the UK and visiting friends two years ago. I was interviewing my friend, and it started out with me saying to him, “Why the hell do we do this?” I got some really good conversations out of it. The first one on the record is Karin before “Hallucinational”, talking about her experience before writing it. The second one is with the writer John Doran, the cofounder of The Quietus. The final one is Andrew Liles, who is part of Current 93 and Nurse With Wound. “You’re Not That Special”: That’s his words.

SILY: I really like the panning in the vocals on that last one. It’s a disorienting way to end the album...You mentioned the label thought “Hailstones For Rain” was psychedelic. For me, the true psychedelic song is “Deadlock”.

KN: Yes. Exactly. I would say the same. I agree--the label is German. [laughs] Germans usually have a different way of approaching things.

SILY: What’s the inspiration behind the album title?

KN: I have a good friend who used to be in Chicago; he used to work for Chicago Mastering [Service], Jason Ward. He sent me an email a few years ago where he described our music as Norwegian Gothic, so I wrote it down. Over the years, there have been a lot of questions like, “What is Årabrot? What is it all about?” I came to the conclusion when I started writing the songs for this album that [“Norwegian Gothic”] felt right describing these genres and as a title. He was also being tongue-in-cheek about [Grant Wood’s painting] American Gothic because we live in a church and kind of look like the people in the painting. I forgot to Google the title after we started the whole process of recording, and I discovered my friends in Ulver have a song called “Norwegian Gothic” and had released it as a single or an EP and have released t-shirts for it. I was like, “Oh no!” [laughs] I did talk to them, and they were totally fine with it. Maybe it’s a good reference point, too, Årabrot and Ulver.

SILY: What’s the story behind the album art?

KN: We did a live session in the church on the summer solstice--Midsommar. I’m not sure if you’ve seen the movie Midsommar.

SILY: I have.

KN: So you know it’s quite big in Sweden. It’s a special day in Scandinavia. The sun is out all day. In Norway, not so much, but in Sweden, it’s a big day, and they dance around the maypole, and there are all these parties going around. This year, we did a live stream, and because there were travel restrictions, we did this live acoustic set. By the end of the session, we did some photos, and literally, exactly on the time of the summer solstice at whatever time--2:00 in the morning or something--that photo was taken by this photographer on his iPhone. He was really tired and getting really grumpy and sour, and Karin asked, “Take one more photo!” We just stood there in that circle with the skulls and stuff. There was some magic to that moment, so he took the photo. Karin was also 6 months pregnant at the time, and you can see her holding her belly. 

SILY: Is there anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading lately that’s caught your attention?

KN: The last two Clipping. albums, the film Corpus Christi, and the book Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley by Richard Kaczynski. 

[btsorpheus]

 (BTS (방탄소년단) MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 'Interlude : Shadow' Comeback Trailer; Jan. 9, 2020.)

MIN YOONGI IS DEAD, WHO KILLED MIN YOONGI?

BTS have never been afraid to be horrifically personal in their works. Even in 2013, when they first started out, their songs criticized the grueling nature of being a K-pop idol. In “We Are Bulletproof Pt. 2,” one of the songs on their first album, RM declares that they are, indeed, “bulletproof” even as Jungkook recalls “[giving] up sleep for [his] dreams” and Suga confesses, “My limit was broken in the / double standards and many oppositions.”

Out of the seven members, Suga has been the most revealing of his interiority. This usually comes through his music more than any other source.

One of the songs my roommate cried through was on his solo album, Agust D. Agust D is one of his many monikers: born Min Yoongi, beginning his rap career as Gloss, rebranded by Big Hit Entertainment as Suga, and self-declared Agust D (which is “Suga” backwards plus DT, which allegedly stands for Daegu Town, his home). Agust D is a deeply personal album in which he discusses his social anxiety, depression and implied suicidal intent, and growing ambition amidst it all.

Which is the real man? The vulnerable and furious rapper, the K-pop idol, or the boy born in Daegu?

The answer feels like it should be obvious. But as Hitchcock’s 1958 thriller Vertigo proves, people don’t always want real.

Vertigo is an Orphic film that intertwines with celebrity. By the time this film was released, Alfred Hitchcock was already an established director and the film’s star, Jimmy Stewart, was a popular and well-liked Hollywood leading man. Though the film was largely unrecognized when originally released, it has since become a cult classic with a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Like BTS, Vertigo has slowly accumulated celebrity and respect over time.

In the film, the hero, a detective named Scottie, falls in love with Madeleine, the woman he’s been tasked by an old classmate to follow. However, Madeleine appears to be possessed by her ancestor, a woman named Carlotta. And to top it all off, Madeleine is not even real--she’s really Judy, a young woman hired by the classmate to pretend to be the true Madeleine.

Three woman exist in Judy: herself, Madeleine, and Carlotta. Scottie is convinced that he is in love with Madeleine. Even when just Judy wants him, he tries to reshape her into the Madeleine he thought he knew.

Scottie occupies the role of Orpheus--a man chasing after the woman he loved, a woman who is technically dead. Scottie’s attempts to resurrect Madeleine echo Orpheus’s attempt at guiding Eurydice out of the Underworld. It is, from the start, a doomed endeavor.

Judy/Madeleine must then represent Eurydice. Though perhaps not evident in Ovid’s myth, Eurydice is often depicted as different in life and death in later iterations. Judy/Madeleine is extremely fragmented, but even the Eurydice of French filmmaker Jean Cocteau’s Orpheus (1950) changes after death. Lively and happy in life, she becomes quiet and stiff in death.

(Orpheus (1950) dir. Jean Cocteau.)

In both films, the mirror is used as a signal to the viewer that there is a separate virtual reality that the characters are in contact with. In Orpheus, the mirror is their portal to the Underworld--a physical parallel reality. In Vertigo, the mirror is a nod to Scottie’s deluded belief in the Madeleine he thought existed.

In Suga’s music video for “Interlude : Shadow,” he opens the song by standing in front of a door, which transforms into a reassembled mirror--that then acts as a portal to introduce a second Suga behind it (as shown in the header image on this section). It’s eerily similar to the mirrors of Cocteau’s film--gateways to a separate, parallel reality.

The Orpheus myth demands a death. Eurydice must die so that Orpheus can make his katabasis, and she must remain dead so that Orpheus can mourn so powerfully that he "[draws] the trees, / the beasts, the stones to follow” (Ovid 259). Eurydice must die so that Orpheus can succeed.

On Agust D’s “The Last,” Suga kills Min Yoongi: “Min Yoongi is dead already (I killed him).” If Min Yoongi is dead, then who is singing? Since the album is credited under Agust D, then it must be him. But his idol identity as Suga is still present; a majority of the listeners tuning into Agust D are only doing so because they already know him as Suga from BTS.

Min Yoongi must die so that Suga can succeed. In Vertigo, Judy and Madeleine can’t coexist for Scottie, and though Scottie and his grief-stricken attempts to bring Madeleine back make him an Orpheus-figure, the mytheme of the fated separation of lovers is echoed in Madeleine and Judy’s inability to coexist even if both women, though one is fictional, have fallen in love with Scottie.

Suga can’t constantly exist as both his constructed (or, fictional) idol persona and his organic self. RM recognizes this same conflict in “Intro : Persona,” in which he questions his identity and who he wants to be. The idea of death comes back into play as he asks, “Who the hell am I? / Tell me all your names baby / Do you wanna die?” Though the question is posed in the second-person, he later addresses the several personas he has to wear in his daily life:

“The 'me' that I remember and people know”

“The 'me' that I created myself to vent out”

“The 'me' that I want myself to be”

“The 'me' that people want me to be”

“The 'me' that you love”

“And the 'me' that I create”

“The 'me' that's smiling”

“The me that's sometimes in tears”

(RM dancing in front of a set of mirrors in the MV for “Intro : Persona.” March 27, 2019.)

As an internationally famous group, BTS face a lot of pressure to maintain a public image. To do so, they must sacrifice who they would’ve been otherwise: the idea of being a normal person with a normal life. Now, they must play the personalities that “people know” and “love,” and who “people want [them] to be.”

They essentially confirm the existence of their public masks in a Q&A during a fan event, 2019 Festa. It’s not just RM who feels this pressure, but all of them. J-Hope and Jin both discussed their need to be “cheerful” and full of “energy” on-camera and in public in order to maintain the optimistic façades that their fans are used to seeing.

But the public self isn’t always a danger. Jimin commented, “As BTS, I tend to be assertive and I’m a very confident guy. But what troubles me is whether Jimin as BTS and Park Ji Min should be more alike or different.” 

They project qualities they admire in an effort to be perfect idols, but in doing so have become almost static, idealized role-models both for their fans and for themselves.

(BTS (방탄소년단). Jungkook in BTS MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 Concept Photo Sketch #2. Feb. 19, 2020.)

As the youngest member of BTS, Jungkook presents another form of Eurydice’s death in his solo song on Map of the Soul: 7, “My Time.” In it, he recounts his journey from being a trainee to his current position as one of the most popular idols in the industry.

Because he’s the youngest member, Jungkook debuted at the age of 16. This isn’t unusual in K-pop; superstar Taemin debuted at 14. But he’d been training all through his formative years and begun his career before even graduating high school--because of that, he’s had to “[become] a grown-up faster than everyone else.” As his peers continued their education or completed their compulsory military service, Jungkook has been caught up in the constant whirlwind of the entertainment industry, feeling “alone in a different time and space.”

Jungkook describing his career as an idol as a form of isolation is reminiscent of Eurydice’s fatal imprisonment. There’s a reason the musical Hadestown depicts the Underworld as a highly industrialized institution that Eurydice binds herself to, locked up behind a restrictive contract not dissimilar from a K-pop “slave contract.”

Like how Suga sacrifices his private self for the glory of being a public figure, Jungkook has sacrificed his childhood to grow into a celebrity. In an interview from the third episode of BTS’s documentary series Burn the Stage, Jungkook calls his sense of self “a manifestation of all [the other members’] characters coming together.” Jungkook says, “What I see, feel, and learn is mostly from the members.” Whoever Jungkook would’ve become had he not entered the Korean entertainment industry has been lost. But unlike Suga, who intentionally “killed” Min Yoongi, his loss has been a gradual, perhaps accidental one.

In this, BTS continues the Orphic myth: whether Eurydice’s death is an accident or not varies on the teller.

In this way, BTS have come to occupy both the Orpheus and Eurydice roles. As Orpheus, they’re powerful and influential musicians who cross physical and linguistic boundaries. As Eurydice, they sacrifice a part of their selves in a performative death to be public personalities.

Even though Madeleine and Judy can’t coexist, Orpheus and Eurydice come in a pair. The Orpheus of Sarah Ruhl’s play Eurydice is distraught without her--he loses his sense of reality and self when she dies, and it’s this distress that motivates him to find her. The clerk officiating Orfeu’s marriage in Black Orpheus turns to Mira, a woman outside the myth’s typical structure, to jokingly ask if she’s Eurydice under the assumption that Orpheus and Eurydice must always be together. 

Black Orpheus, like Vertigo, is a film surrounded in stardom. The fame of Brazil’s Carnival, the holiday during which Black Orpheus takes place, surrounds the film, and portraying Orpheus as a local celebrity plays into the struggles of maintaining a public image. Orpheus is expected to marry Mira, the queen bee in their community, but pines after the quiet newcomer, Eurydice. He struggles between maintaining his reputation as a beloved musician and becoming the man who breaks Mira’s heart--and when he chooses the latter, his once-fans immediately turn against him and destroy his home.

Because BTS’s songs are as much about the downsides of fame as they are about BTS--their personal struggles, or at least the ones they’re willing to share, stem from that aspect of themselves.

BTS, with their public personas, come to embody both halves of the mythic pair. And while Eurydice must die in some respect (“I killed [her]”), she lives on, like a ghostly shade, in others.

[« prev] · [next »]

[iztarshi]

Lunar Interlude I -- Episode 17

Ooh, carnival, that should make an episode that almost has to be dedicated to levelling up and shopping more interesting.

The BoB has only been in operation a year, so is this the first or second Midsummer Solstice festive they've thrown, I wonder? It's also nice to get a time of year, although it really hadn't occurred to me to wonder, previously.

Ooh, costumes. Magnus dressed like Taako.

Oh, is the "very slight man" where the apparently canonical mention of Taako being thin comes from? Yeah, I think they just meant he wasn't a wall of muscle like Magnus apparently is. They haven't exactly established… I don't think they've even established HOW Taako dresses yet, except that it involves a robe and wizard hat. And an umbrella, but if Magnus tries to take that he's gonna be seeing stars.

Don't know who Judge Lance Ito is, but it probably doesn't matter.

"Travis: I- I’d like to eat some fried centaur on a stick."

Uh.

Travis rolls to see how drunk Magnus gets XD These guys roll for some weird stuff.

Magnus deciding to just. Eat unicorn. Unicorn horn, too, which is definitely gonna be crunchy. I half expect him to be cursed to a half life :P

"Justin: I always assumed that the horn was its dick. Was that just me?"

Yeah, no, I think that was just you. I mean… how? Anatomically speaking, HOW?

No, I don't think a roc's egg is the size of a softball. Ogre's eyeball, maybe.

I'm not actually that sorry they're beating up the vendor, because he is definitely ALSO cheating. Okay, no, they don't beat him up.

Heeeee. I have no idea why or how there's a YEARLY eclipse, but I am charmed by the sunglasses being handed out. I remember that from my own eclipse viewing. (That was also the year we went to Disneyland Paris and I remember the 3D movie-ride had a big sign in front saying you couldn't use the 3D glasses for eclipse viewing.)

And here's the adventure. Possibly arriving slightly sooner because Justin was going to complain if it didn't.

I really thought this was going to be shopping and levelling up spiced up by a festival setting, it took them a whole episode last time.

"Uh, and as it reaches its apex and the light of the sun is completely blotted out, uh, the three of you can see in the sky, for- for just 2 seconds, uh, just a brief moment, the sky is filled with thousands of bright, white eyes. And they’re all just burning intensely, uh, and then as the sun and moon part from one another, they fade out just as quickly as they appeared."

That's legitimately extremely creepy, kudos to Griffin, but apparently foreshadowing and not an adventure for right now.

The Hunger?

"Travis: I slap her.

Griffin: She slaps you back."

YEAH. You hit him, Lucrecia. Break him of the habit of slapping anyone who looks woozy when he wants to talk to them!

"Travis: We walk around slapping everyone."

…damn.

God, this debriefing. Poor Lucrecia. I wonder if she's wondering why she ever missed them.

No, they're not fired, Lucrecia is just DONE with this conversation.

I want to take a brief interlude to talk about the characters so far. My impressions of them.

Taako's my favourite. He's still wavering on how smart he is and stuff like that, but part of the reason it shows is because he's GOT a character, and it's interesting enough for me to be trying to dig into it, so he's… it notices, when things about it change.

When Merle told him he was "street smart" in answer to him saying he definitely wasn't the smartest for the test it sounded like being kind, but it HAS become part of his character during the Rockport Limited arc. He's quick with a lie or a con, he's perceptive.

He also seems the most upset about Phandalin. None of them are exactly broken up about it, but it seems to be… weighing on him. He's most likely to bring it up or think about it, even if it's stuff like intending to send the train there because it's already destroyed. And it made sense that he was thinking about it when he was afraid they were about to destroy ANOTHER city. I feel like that's behind his certainty someone else should be doing this, sometimes. It wasn't a good start.

Magnus is. Uh. He's developing more personality, but I'm not sure I LIKE him right now. He's protective, reckless, a good comrade in battle. He also has no sense of boundaries, says some, uh, weirdly flirty things? In situations and to people where that's… I mean, he's a giant, muscle-bound warrior? And he smacks people when they're unconscious and shows no inclination to tone it down beyond not slapping them hard enough to break their jaw. So far he's acting like a bully.

On the other hand he's very, very loyal to his friends. Even if he's not always nice to them he would, demonstrably, jump 60 feet to save them.

Merle I still don't have a feel for? He evangelises, he quips, he goes along with whatever's happening. He cared a lot about his family, but they have… not come up since they all died.

So, that is my current feelings on them.

Back to whether they'll actually keep their mouths shut about the eclipse monster.

Aaaaah, right, HERE comes the levelling up etc.

Okay. Those were some weird personal messages. Nothing to do with the show itself. Uh. They have some weird listeners is all.

Hee! I like the slippies of haste. So does Merle from the sounds of it. So, Merle is now wearing fuzzy slippers while Taako is carrying an umbrella around. Awesome.

And Magnus is wearing mismatched gloves because they do different things. One on each hand.

Taako's doing this again. Only this time I'm not sure he's not doing it on purpose to mess with Leon. So hard to tell with Taako.

Nope, I think he's genuinely…

Oh, and in the background Magnus is telling Merle to shoot him.

"Travis: And I run over and pick it up, and I’m like, “I did it!”"

XDD

Is this where fashion!Taako started? With him getting fancy fan while also having a fancy umbrella?

Ooh, Umbra Staff can now cast Slow Fall whenever Taako wants. I wonder if it can do it whenever LUP wants? Like, if Taako falls off something and forgets to ask she can just do it anyway.

Taako got the pocket spa while his friends stared at a Mystery Bag. Will they die of curiosity if one of them doesn't buy the Mystery Bag?

"Travis: I’m pretty psyched Griffin, but it is very much like the feeling when a kid is begging for a dog, and the parents like bring home a goldfish."

Yeah. Yeah, I mean, okay. He has a pet! He possibly has the only piece of livestock on the moon! But still, it's not a puppy.

Yeah, they levelled up.

Taako's ability to make Transmuter's Stones sounds useful, especially if he's allowed to do it between adventures.

And next episode, a new adventure.

[gayshitiguess]

So since @riahawk messaged me the second after I made that post saying simply “playlist yes” I thought I would share.

So I chose one song for every chapter and thought I would do a Critical Role styled explanation! I hope you guys like it!

Chapter 1: Modern Literature

“Dying in LA” By Panic! At the Disco

“Every face along the boulevard is a dreamer just like you./ You looked at death in a tarot card and you saw what you had to do.”

What can I say, this song has always screamed Mollymauk to me, especially these two lines in the pre-chorus. Beware takes place in LA, so the title is just that much more accurate. In this first chapter and for most of the story, Molly keeps drawing the same three cards from his deck, the Fool, the Devil, and Death. He is literally looking at death in a tarot card. This is him trying to find his way, trying to gleam where he’s supposed to go from here. Luckily, he finds his way.

Chapter 2: A Show of Scrutiny

“I Put a Spell on You” By Screamin Jay Hawkins

Enter magic awkward dude! This chapter deals mostly with the aftermath of Molly finding out holy shit, magic is real. I chose this version of the Nina Simone version simply because I wanted to capture the frantic, scream argument part of this chapter. This version has Jay Hawkins literally just screeching into the mic, and if that doesn’t sum up Molly’s mood for this chapter, I don’t know what does. Bonus, it's a love song, and this is where the seeds are planted. Love is in the air, but mostly panic and magic!

Chapter 3: Lost and Found

“Junkie Church” By AJJ

“Last week I saw you at the junkie church/ you told me all the things I need to hear/ like I’ve got a heart of gold/ and a kind and open soul.”

This is one of my favorite chapters in the entire piece. I love to put in little lunar interludes of sorts between the big stuff, and this really was that at its best. In this chapter, we get a bit of insight into Caleb’s past, but not nearly the entirely. We also get a tarot reading from Molly to Caleb that somehow managed to give Caleb’s fucking terrible story positivity. Con men really are in the business of telling people what they want to hear. Molly made it his business to tell Caleb pretty things. He’s very good at that.

Chapter 4: Shadows

“Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)” By Fall Out Boy

“I hope the roof flies off and we get blown out into space/ I always make such expensive mistakes.”

You know my emo ass had to throw in some Fall Out Boy. Really, everything that they do in this chapter is mistakes. This is where shit gets bad. So many bad choices were made from Caleb giving Molly the necklace to letting the entire group into the haunted house. It had to end in a possession. Plus, I need some sick guitar riffs to get into a fight scene.

Chapter 5: Passed Through Fire

“Holy Calamity [Bear Witness II]” By Handsome Boy Modeling School

Did I say that I needed sick guitar riffs for a fight? I’m so sorry, I meant that I needed classics of the hip hop scene blowing out my speakers. This song just captures the absolute chaos of what the fuck is happening in the chapter. Shit gets crazy from the moment that the song begins, and this chapter’s contents are enough to have you screaming “Holy Calamity!” from beginning to end

Chapter 6: Reunions

“Safe in my Garden” By The Mamas & The Papas

This really is the quintessential Caduceus song to me. Really, the idea of him bopping to The Mamas & The Papas is such a lovely one. This song just reminds me of the Blooming Grove, the smooth, sweet sound, the very name just feels like the Grove. And here we get to see everybody coming to Caduceus for help and for protection. They’re all safe in his garden.

Chapter 7: What Lies Beneath the Surface

“Zombies” By Childish Gambino

“You will find/ there is no safe place/ to hide.”

Zombies! I mean, really, there was no better song for this chapter. If I was going to do a chapter about the undead, I had to throw Gambino in there. This whole album could be the soundtrack for this story, but this one especially. This chapter completely negates the safety of the last, completely ruins the safe garden that Caduceus maintains. It's a wrench in the plan and it’s a song that sounds so different from any other on the playlist, that its a wrench in the sound.

Chapter 8: Omens

“Nausea” By Jeff Rosenstock

“I got so tired of discussing my future/ I started avoiding the people I love./ Evening of silence and morning of nausea/ Shake and sweat and I can’t throw up/ I got so tired of discussing my future/ That I walk through my life like I'm the only one”

Caleb has a really hard time communicating what he wants to other people. He also has a hard time talking about his future, since he hasn’t really planned on having one since the academy. It's hard for him not to push people away, but Molly is stubborn and he isn’t willing to let Caleb push people out of his life.

Chapter 9: Strange Bedfellows

“I’ve Got Problems” By Harley Poe

“Talking to myself again/ About how I'll never win/ I look into the mirror/ And that's how my day begins/ I wonder when did all this black fill up my mind/ Well I don't shower/ I'm a slob/ I've gone years without a job/ And I can't seem to keep my hands out of my pants and off my knob/ Because the perversions in my head are of the sickest kind”

What can I say? Caleb’s got problems. Like, big time problems. He’s one fucked up shit. Just as “Safe in my Garden” is the quintessential Caduceus song, this is the quintessential Caleb song. I really could put the entire song in quotations because it is perfect. He’s trying his best here to convince Molly that he is FUBAR and honestly? It kind of works. He’s a fucked up guy who does fucked up things, and there’s very little that either of them can do about it.

Chapter 10: Dangerous Liasons

“Would you Be So Kind” By dodie

Caleb and Molly have been hinting at romance for the entire piece, but this is where it really starts to bloom. Molly expressed how serious he is about this, and tells Caleb that whenever he’s ready, Molly’s there. Molly is baring his soul in a way he hasn’t to anybody before. He’s trusting Caleb in a way he hasn’t with anybody. It's scary and he’s afraid to fuck it up, and all he can do right now is ask Caleb “could you maybe fall in love with me?”

Chapter 11: Crimson Deplomacy

“Devil’s Haircut” By Beck

Molly’s worst fucking nightmare; finding out what exactly is in his head. It turns out that it's Lucien. It's his worst case scenario. Getting real, concrete answers to his past that he never once asked for. And it only means bad things on the way. There’s something decidedly evil in his mind and he’s stuck. All he can do is hope that he’ll be okay. Plus, what a use of the kazoo.

Chapter 12: At Dawn, We Plan!

“Bad Moon Rising” By Creedence Clearwater Revival

This song is cursed and so is this chapter. It's all about bad tidings and warnings, an omen of bad things on the rise. Although this chapter is relatively tame, there is a permeating sense of unease. Molly knows that this is going to go badly. He knows that something horrible is about to happen. And there is absolutely nothing that he can do about it. There’s a bad moon on the rise, and Molly’s going to have to face it.

Chapter 13: Found and Lost

“Through The Roof N’ Underground (feat. Eugene Hütz)” By Gogol Bordello

“When there's a trap set up for you/ In every corner of this town/ And so you learn the only way to go is underground/ When there's a trap set up for you/ In every corner of your room/ And so you learn the only way to go is through the roof”

Taliesin said it himself, Molly was always going to end with this song. This whole chapter is a fucking disaster. Molly “dies,” Lucien comes back, Lucien “dies,” there’s a lot of our favorite Bloodhunter biting the dust. Molly is doomed the second that that demon enters the room, and so he makes his way underground. Lucien is dragged up by his teeth from the inside of himself, and he goes straight through the roof. I’ve really found a love for this song and the intense, falling to pieces nature of it. By the end of it, the instrumentals and vocals fall out of sync and fade into nothing, just like Molly.

Chapter 14: Epilouge: The Chapter Closes

“Safety Song” By Andrea Gibson

“I was walking home in the red night zone/ I had a pair of flowers/ you had pegs on the back of your bike/ it was almost the morning hour/ I said come with me to the carnival/ we can sneak in when the power goes out/ we can sit real still in the bumper carts/ and see what it's all about to be safe/ from the crashing day/ we can be safe from everything/ you caught my eye in the funhouse mirror/ you look so pretty even like that/ you held my hand while I held my tongue/ and blushed beneath my baseball cap/ you said we've all got monsters under our bed and under our skin as well/ we can hold them in the corners of our little shame or bring them to show and tell/ just know your safe to tell me anything/ you are so safe to tell me anything/ lying in the grass by the ferris wheel/ I saw a train i knew we could catch so/ we ran through the streets and the parking lot/ and we caught that train as we caught our breath and we rode through the hills and the silo fields/ I knew my heart had no fire escape/ but I stood in your lightning like a sycamore tree/ love is a risk you have to take I feel safe to risk everything/ I feel safe to risk everything”

Finally, finally Molly has made it. After several months of recovery, plenty of therapy, and lots of soul searching, he’s able to breathe. This entire story has felt suffocating for me. I believe that Molly’s arc would have been an extremely painful and cathartic one to watch, so I thought that I would make something similar. This song is slow and sweet and tenuous. For a story that goes so hard for so long, I wanted to slow it down at the end and deliver something sweet. This is where Caleb and Molly decide to risk it, amnesia and trauma be damned, because love is a risk, but it's one that they have to take. And he’s safe. Finally safe.

[rockformed]

GORILLAZ - HUMANZ

finally get to listen to the whole album!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

click read more for track listing and my thoughts ;;;;

1. Intro: I Switched my Robot Off

2. Ascension you already know i love this song, it goes so hard and the lyrics are great and scathing, i love this song

3. Strobelight great beat was my first thought, very fun and i actually really like it a lot. like electronica instrumental mixed with R&B vocals. reminds me of Doncamatic for some reason?? 

4.Saturnz Barz legitimately one of my favorite gorillaz songs to date. the bass is so good and the rap goes so well with 2-D’s chorus and just aaaaaaaaaaaa

5. Momentz DE LA SOUUUUULLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!! reminds me of songs like ghost train and rockit. its got a great bit-crushed beat and the vocals are ON POINT CAUSE ITS DE LA SOUL WHAT DID YOU EXPECT. gets much better the deeper into the song you get

6.Interlude: The Non Conformist Oath

7. Submission I LOVE KELELA’S VOCALS IN THIS, her voice is so delicate and beautiful and it contrasts so nicely with the rough and kinda off putting instrumental, not my usual cup of tea but its good bro!!!!!! kelela’s vocals remind me of early 2000′s female pop music. danny browns part in this is a little out of the blue but thats kinda gorillaz style isnt it

8. Charger blends from submission. BEAT GOES SO HARD AND ITS SO GOOD MY GUY, 2-D’s vocals are purposely off beat in his parts and it gives the feel of not caring about it, its great. i think this song was in a promo last week??? grace jones sounds so powerful and amazing in this song as well, even tho shes not in there too much 

9.Interlude: Elevator Going Up

10. Andromeda so chill and so full of just passion and love. really really love it, actually sounds a bit more mainstream than other things on this album but its still really great.

11. Busted And Blue i think this is the only gorillaz ONLY song on the album, like with no other artists. very slow, sad vocals from 2-D and Noodle(i think??) whole song seems very sad to me. longest song on the album at 4 minutes and 37 seconds. leaves on a very haunting note, reminiscent of the bell from melancholy hill. 

12. Interlude: Talk Radio

13. Carnival lots of mixed musical themes in this song, its kinda disconnected from itself in a way. probably one of my least liked songs on the album. the chorus is really good, tho. feels like its missing something.

14. Let Me Out another song im not too wild about, but i know a lot of people really like this song. i like the pre-chorus A LOT, and the chorus itself is okay. i can really appreciate the lyrics by themselves. another song that feels like it could use something else, but im not sure what. better than carnival at least, and the ending is very, VERY GOOD.

15. Interlude: Penthouse

16. Sex Murder Party ....weird. im sure it’ll appeal to a lot of people, and its got a steady beat thats really pronounced, but i cant really get into it. when i read the title i thought it was gonna be crazy, but its pretty subdued. sounds like you would here it through your wall when a bunch of high art college students are having a party next door.

17. She’s My Collar a step back in the right direction from those last three songs, in my opinion. sounds very dark and what i imagine the color red sounds like. 2-D’s vocals sound kinda angry in this song?? but also pretty head over heels. makes me think of paula. i REALLY LIKE KALI UCHIS’ PART IN THIS SONG, its like a breath of fresh air after listening to the first half of this song, in a literal sense. theres so much to say about this song, i feel like i can feel and taste this song.

18. Interlude: The Elephant

19. Hallelujah Money hallelujah money takes a lot to get used to it, but the lyrics and the premise is fantastic. this came out a couple years ago i believe, but its still extremely relevant in a trump presidency. 

20. We Got the Power fantastic, just extremely fantastic and extremely relevant. another favorite next to saturnz barz and charger. this song resonates so well with me, i just love it.

21. Interlude: New World

22. The Apprentice i didnt like it the first time i listened to it, but since its solo release its really grown on me. the chorus feels so powerful and passionate, the mixing of all the vocalists in this soundtrack melds so well, its great. i dont care too much for the rap segment, but thats just my preference in music coming through. 

23. Halfway To the Halfway House ???? i really dont know how to react to this song, i forgot how this song sounded after 5 minutes. one of my least favorites. seems very forgettable to me, but im sure some people will like it. 

24. Out of Body creepy and weird, but in a good way. reminds me of poppy, if you like her you’ll probably like this song. satanic themes and it gets a little silly in the verses. its disconnected, but unlike carnival, it works with this song. i feel like murdoc had a heavy hand in the creation of this song. all the vocalists are so different in their style and they work off of each other great. 

25. Ticker Tape the instrumental sounds like what hard sugar tastes like, if that makes sense lol. 2-D’s vocals are pretty cute in this songs, and the chorus is great, catchy and upbeat but still manages to be somber and slow. just chill, and a good song all around. like a slower, sweeter, deeper andromeda. Carly Simon of “you’re so vain” is in this song, and her vocals are fantastic. another favorite of mine

26(Finale). Circle of Friendz: shortest song on the album, at 2 minutes and 9 seconds. Brandon Markell Holmes’ voice is so sweet and passionate, im sad ive never heard of him before. made me sad, but in a good way?? definitely a great song to leave the album on. fades out at the end and im crying right now

[thebiggaylion]

Steve Aoki @ EDC Orlando 2014

Oh, we’re getting real close to EDC Orlando 2017 now, ain’t we?  Did you get your shipping notification about your tickets yet?  I sure did!  If you haven’t, I’m sure that’s no big deal... they’re probably printing them in order of purchase.  I ordered one for me the day they went on sale, and I got e-mailed about that one only... the one the husband of the guy behind The Big Gay Lion hasn’t gotten his notification yet, but he didn’t order until much later.  But... we’re almost in OCTOBER!  That’s, like, the LAST MONTH before November!  While I was excited (and doing research for this post), I ended up checking the official EDC Orlando website, and noticed something:  Wilkinson is out, and a B2B featuring DC Breaks and Loadstar is in!  I wonder what happened there... Wilkinson was at circuitGROUNDS, so I imagine this new B2B will be scheduled for that venue.  The two new additions are both drum and bass acts, so it makes perfect sense that they would do that.  Guess I’ll have to keep a closer eye on the official site to see if any new, unannounced surprises slip in!  Anyway, you can tell I’m excited, and as such, I wanted to so one of my favorite shows from EDC Orlando’s past, but before we get into that:  this post is long, and requires two parts! Get yourself here or here for them two bits!

Oh yeah, Steve Aoki!  His specific brand of music is a bit out there, and there was a nice feature of him in The Electric Daisy Carnival Experience documentary, so I knew the show was going to be crazy... it was.  SO crazy!  I didn’t take one photo or set of Burst Photos during this whole set.  Enjoy the video stimuli!  But first, let's start with an interstitial:

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram Remember when I posted that one interstitial clip that didn’t have a whole lot of exciting things in it?  Well, this is the same one, BUT since I knew what to expect on Day 2, I saved my recording for the good parts!  The first video attempt looks terrible in comparison, but at least I did it justice (I think?) in this one!  Loved that Arty song, and these interludes made it a classic EDC memory for me! Arty feat. Angel Taylor - Up All Night https://soundcloud.com/interscope/arty-up-all-night-feat-angel-taylor

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram This is a pretty good capture of the intro.  At least in length, if not visually.  I mean, I caught most of it, but my angle of view was limited because I like to get close heh.  Neon Future I had just come out about a month before this, so naturally he’d chose something from that release as his intro. Steve Aoki - Neon Future (feat. Luke Steele) https://soundcloud.com/steveaoki/steve-aoki-neon-future-feat-luke-steele

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram Oh my god.  Here it is, folks.  One of my favorite EDC moments of all time.  In hind sight, maybe hearing a song like Wonderwall isn’t all that uncommon, but it was pretty unexpected for me.  As you can tell, I wasn’t about to sit still for this one, so forgive the shaky camera work... I was dancing! Oasis - Wonderwall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hzrDeceEKc Bastille - Pompeii (Audien Remix) https://soundcloud.com/audien/bastille-pompeii-audien 

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram I HEARD YOU LIKED CAKE!  Here’s a video of one of his cake throws / cake face / caking moments.  Those things really get some coverage, don’t they?   Steve Aoki feat. Waka Flocka Flame - Rage The Night Away https://soundcloud.com/steveaoki/steve-aoki-rage-the-night-away-feat-waka-flocka-flame

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram Now things are starting to get crazy.  As you can tell, I'm dancing during the Freak drop.  No, those are not my ears you see at the bottom of the frame! 2 Live Crew - We Want Some Pussy (Z&Z Wants Some Remix) https://soundcloud.com/zekezoid/2-live-crew-we-want-some-pussy Diplo, Steve Aoki & Deorro feat. Steve Bays - Freak https://soundcloud.com/maddecent/steve-aoki-diplo-deorro-freak

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram So, picture this:  first EDC ever, initial Day 1 awe is gone, and I'm able to focus on the experience more.  Dressed like I dress...  and then this song drops.  Talk about magical!  You can see the rain has started, and if you check the schedule for that year (read:  you should not do this if you don't want spoilers as to what I might post in the future!), then you know it didn't really stop until the festival was over. Douster - King of Africa https://soundcloud.com/tiimur-tones/douster-king-of-africa Botnek - Grindhouse (Steve Aoki Remix) https://soundcloud.com/steveaoki/botnek-grindhouse-steve-aoki-remix

Wow.  Holy moley.  I didn't even take any video or anything after about half-way through the set, cause the vibe was too strong for me to worry about getting a good shot.  I know that doesn't sound very "me", but it's true.  I hope you were there for this, somewhere in the crowd with me.  Hopefully Insomniac can get him to come back to EDC Orlando sometime in the (neon) future.  Better make your last-minute glowy things, makeup, and costume purchases now, cause online shipping delays are a real thing!  If this post didn't load right (with six embedded YouTube videos), then you'll wanna view this post in two parts instead.  Part one is here, and part two is there.  Love ya’ll, see ya next time! 🏳️‍🌈🦁❤

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