#the little singing blondie Gilbert

[fuzzykazeki87]

Actually, I think Gilbert would've love "Love Story" by Indila especially the orchestra ver

(He's gonna imagine himself with Serge running hand in hand on a greenfield)

[pleasantlyinsincere]

Hi, I was wondering if you know what music John was a fan of in the late 70’s? I’m aware of him being excited about the B52’s, and I’m assuming he liked David Bowie and Elton John’s music in part because they were his friends in addition to obviously being talented. And I think I read once that Julian turned him onto Queen but tbh that may be me misremembering a fanfic lol I just wonder if there’s anything out there that describes what John’s music tastes was in those days or whether he preferred to stick with his favorite classics; early rock and roll, girl groups ect. Like what did he think about the punk scene in NY?? Or the close harmonies a la Fleetwood Mac that dominated the charts? Just things I think about haha.

Hi, thanks for the question. I know that I skipped through a book called John Lennon: 1980 playlist by Tim English before, that may be a good source for you. Here's some random info, that I remembered where to look up. I think Julian introducing John to Queen comes from the SPIN magazine interview in '75:

[Julian] likes Barry White and he likes Gilbert O’ Sullivan. He likes Queen, though I haven’t heard them yet. He turns me on to music. I call him and he says, “Have you heard Queen?” and I say “No, what is it?” I’ve heard of them. I’ve seen the guy … the one who looks like Hitler playing a piano … Sparks? I’ve seen Sparks on American TV. So I call him and say, “Have you seen Sparks? Hitler on the piano?” and he says, “No. They are alright. But have you seen Queen?” and I say “What’s Queen?” and then he tells me. His age group is hipper to music … at 11 I was aware of music, but not too much.

But then there is also an anecdote, I think by Tony Barrow, that John didn't want to sign Queen to Apple years earlier? However that may be a lie, or John just didn't remember.

Yoko gifted John a jukebox for his birthday in '78 and apparently John filled it with the old music he liked. Elliott Mintz says there was quite some Bing Crosby. And I remember John also putting some new song by Dolly Parton in there.

"Yoko gave him this old-fashioned jukebox and John stocked it with Bing Crosby records. People kind of expected him to have rock 'n' roll records in there, but it was almost totally Crosby stuff. There were 3 songs which John played over and over. I still remember them. They were Crosby with a jazz quartet from the 50's, I think. He would banter and talk in the songs and John thought that was just the end. The songs were Whispering, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter and Dream a Little Dream of Me. Yeah, those were the songs, I can still see John listening to them." - Elliott Mintz

“The one modern song I remember him listening to was ‘The Tide Is High’ by Blondie, which he played constantly. When I hear that song, I see my father, unshaven, his hair pulled back into a ponytail, dancing to and fro in a worn-out pair of denim shorts, with me at his feet, trying my best to coordinate tiny limbs.” - Sean Lennon

One night we were playing at Max's (Kansas City) in New York City, and I was waiting for everyone to leave the club so I could go back in and pick up my gear. We were sitting in the van waiting and John Lennon and Ian Hunter from Mott the Hoople came staggering out and looked over. John Lennon saw it was me and stuck his head in the window. He was kind of drunk and stuck his face right against mine and went 'yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah' because he recognized it (Devo's song Uncontrollable Urge) as being an updating of She Loves You. That was one of my most exciting moments ever. - Mark Mothersbaugh on John coming to a DEVO gig in '77

PB: John, what is your opinion of the newer waves? Lennon: I love all this punky stuff. It's pure. I'm not, however, crazy about the people that destroy themselves. Playboy interview, 1980

I like pop records. I like Olivia Newton-John singing "Magic" and Donna Summer whatever the hell she'll be singing. I like ELO singing "All over the World". I can dissect it and criticize it with any critic in the business...But without any thought I enjoy it! That's the kind of music I like to hear. - John

John Lennon raced into Yoko Ono’s home office in the mammoth old Dakota building with a copy of Donna Summer’s new single, “The Wanderer.” “Listen!” he shouted to us as he put the 45 on the record player. “She’s doing Elvis!” I didn’t know what he was talking about at first. The arrangement felt more like rock than the singer’s usual electro-disco approach, but the opening vocal sure sounded like Donna Summer to me. Midway through the song, however, her voice shifted into the playful, hiccuping style Elvis had used on so many of his early recordings. “See! See!” John shouted, pointing at the speakers. The record was John’s way of saying hello again after five years. [...] It was just weeks before his death in December of 1980, and his playing the Summer record was an endearing greeting -- and one that was typical of John. Of the hundreds of musicians I’ve met, John was among the most down-to-earth. Corn Flakes with John Lennon (And Other Tales From a Rock ‘n’ Roll Life) by Robert Hilburn

"I'm aware of ... Madness. "Don't do that. Do this." (As on the spoken word intro to "One Step Beyond".) I think that is the most original thing actually because it's so peculiar. ... Out of all that mob I think that was one of the most original sounds. Very good drumming, very good bass and all of that." Andy Peebles interview

And things I don't have quotes for right now: I remember Bob Gruen had given John some video compilation of punk bands, that John enjoyed watching. In one of the last interviews John said Hungry Heart by Bruce Springsteen was a great song. There are the albums John asked Fred Seaman to buy on his shopping lists. Some are printed in The John Lennon Letters (Though I'm not sure that means he liked them, but at least was interested in.) Lot's of Bob Dylan talk in the diaries and parodies. Many anecdotes about reggae bands. In the Double Fantasy studio recording John references quite some songs and artists, when he tells the musicians what they are aiming for in the songs.

[multi-royalty-arc]

𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄'𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐓

{Basics}

Name: Caroline Elizabeth Forbes

Alias: care, care-bear, barbie, blondie etc

Gender: female

Age: 17 forever (verse dependent)

Species: Vampire / human

Zodiac: aquarius / aries / cancer / capricorn / gemini / leo / libra / pisces / sagittarius / scorpio / taurus / virgo / unknown

Abilities/Talents: she can sing, she bakes pretty well, extremely good organiser / planner.

{Personal}

Alignment: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / neutral / evil / true

Religion: None

Sins: envy / greed / gluttony / lust / pride / sloth / wrath

Virtues: charity / chastity / diligence / humility / justice / kindness / patience

Languages: English, French, some Spanish.

Family: liz Forbes bill Forbes Emma Forbes

Friends: a handful. Elena Gilbert and Bonnie Bennett are her best friends. AND KRISSY IS HER CRUMPET CRIME PARTNER

Sexual Orientation: heterosexual / bisexual / pansexual / homosexual / demisexual  / asexual / unsure / questioning / other

Relationship status: single / dating / married / widowed / open relationship / other

Libido: sex god / very high / high  / average / low / very low / non-existent

{Physical}

Build: twig / bony / slender / average / athletic / curvy / chubby / obese

Hair: white / blonde / brunette / red / black / other

Eyes: brown / blue / green / black / other (kinda grey)

Skin: pale / fair / olive / light brown / brown / very brown / other

Height: under 3 foot / 3-4 foot / 4-5 foot / 5-6 foot / 6-7 foot / above 7 foot

Weight: under 100 pounds / 100-150 pounds / 150-200 pounds / 200-250 pounds / above 250 pounds

Scars: none

Tattoos: none

{Choose}

Dogs or Cats?

Birds or Hamsters?

Red or Blue?

Yellow or Green?

Black or White?

Coffee or Tea?

Ice Cream or Cake?

Fruits or Vegetables?

Sandwich or Soup?

Magic or Melee?

Sword or Bow?

Summer or Winter?

Spring or Autumn?

The Past or The Future?

Tagged by : @minimavampiress

Tagging : @gunchamber @faiththesinfulslayer @siphoncursed @fightforbetter @little-elena

[imagineofallkindsxxx]

Eternal Flame- Kol Mikaelson 7/?

A Hundred Dead Witches!?!

Summary: 'You never know whats in a persons heart until you truly know them' - Belle French, Once Upon a Time

Singing. Thats all what Alexandra Gilbert has cared about since she was young and all she would care about until she met him.

With Alexandra fighting vampires, werewolves and all between she may do a thing she vowed never to do, fall in love.

And to think it all started with a walk in the woods...

Tonight was the night of Illuminations, a town tradition that has been going on for centuries so a group of us had volunteered to help or in my case forced to. While hanging lanterns from the trees Carol Lockwood decided to make a speech to the volunteers deciding to thank the people actually doing the work instead of sitting around making speeches along with introducing Tobias Fell. 

"Remind me why we're here again?" I whispered to Mark but before he could answer Sam butted in. 

"It's my uncle Tobys night, my mom's forcing me to volunteer and I'm sure as hell not doing it on my own." Making me roll my eyes at the bassist. 

  "Yo, what'd I miss" James said coming behind us making me jump out of my skin giving him a push. 

  "Nothing the speech is about to begin." Sam informed him. 

  "The first illumination..." He started, going on about history of the town and the founders. 

"I'm gonna dip. Finish my lantern" I whispered to James making him look at me incredulously. I just looked at him and blew a kiss at the drummer before a quietly and as slyly as possible trying to escape the wrath of Sam Fell who although may look skinny and weak can destroy you. 

When it looked like I was in the clear for now I walked up to Caroline and Bonnie who were tying lanterns to a branch.

"-comment on that." 

"Comment on what?" 

"There. You Commented" 

"I'm confused, what are you commenting?" Asking the duo confused at what is going on and what is being commented. 

"What do you want me to say Caroline?" She asked clearly distressed before finally addressing me "I went against the balance of nature when I brought Jeremy back to life and now, I'm paying the consequences. Whenever he wants to see Anna and she wants to see him, she's still here". Jesus this is fucked up. 

"Bon..." I started looking at her sympathetically before Caroline butts in 

"I want you to tell me you're not okay with it." 

"I'm a thousand times not okay with it. I just don't know what to do about it" she said looking deflated at the entire situation making me throw my arm around her shoulders in comfort. 

"You, Bonnie Bennett are the most powerful, smartest and amazing witch. You'll figure out, trust me. You're Bonnie Bennett for Christ sake!" She smiled at me giving a small laugh before a blue Camaro comes out of nowhere pulling up with a raven haired vampire driving. 

"Greetings, blondie, witchy, brainy. I think you got your voodoo wires all crossed when you got rid of Vicki Donovan." She tells us with an annoyed expression on his face. 

"Vicki Donovan?" I questioned confused to how a dead vampire was being brought into this conversation, 

"What do you mean, why?" Bonnie questioned the annoyed/annoying vampire in front of her. 

"Because I'm pretty sure I just got spit-roasted by Mason Lockwood's ghost." He explained. What the hell did Damon do to that poor and attractive werewolf? 

"What?" Bonnie asked very confused. 

"And why exactly do you think that?" I asked wondering how Mason Lockwood was the first person he thought of.

"Maybe because he chained me to a chair and shoved a hot poker into my chest. let's say I'm having deja vu." With this being told me and Caroline both look at Bonnie who looks very confused and conflicted. 

"I thought you said ghosts couldn't interact with people." Caroline said talking straight to Bonnie thinking how it can't be possible that Bonnie may have been wrong. 

"They can't" 

"Yeah well, I don't have time for a vengeful Lockwood. When I kill someone, they're supposed to stay dead. Whatever you screwed up fix it." He ranted towards the witch after that he drove away extremely quickly and most likely above the speed limit. 

Across the road was Matt watching the interaction of the four of us. I was the first to cross the street to talk to the quarterback with Caroline and Bonnie following closely behind. I asked him quickly if he had seen Vicki.

"I haven't seen Vicki, I swear" He told us all before looking down upset about having to go through the loss of his sister a second time "I sent her back like you told me to do."

"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked making sure that Matt actually did get rid of Vicki "Because she has just as much reason to haunt Damon as Mason Lockwood does."

"90% of the people who have been killed in the past two years has as much reason to haunt Damon as much as Mason Lockwood." I added making Caroline nod in agreement.

"She's gone Bonnie. If she was here, I'd know it" I gave him a small sympathetic smile it clear that he was severely upset about this whole ordeal.

"Why do you think its Vicki and not Mason?" Caroline asked the witch.

"Because if any ghost other than Vicki Donovan has a physical foothold on our side, that means Damon's right." Words I never thought I'd hear "and something has gone really, really wrong." Bonnie states looking extremely worried about this situation and what would happen if all the ghosts from our past come to literally haunt us.

"I've had enough of this ghost stuff to last forever. So can you guys can leave me out of this one" Matt tells the three of us, I nodded understanding that if that happened to me, I wouldn't be able to get out of bed forget going to work. He walks away from us, and you can hear Caroline talking.

"I feel so sad for him. It took a lot for him to send his sister away."

"Yeah" Bonnie replied shortly.

"I highly doubt I could do that, if I got to saw my mom or dad again... I don't know if I would be able to let them go." I stated feeling so much sympathy for the blue-eyed boy. "It took a lot of guts anyway." This made the other girls nod.

"So much strength in a man." Caroline continued looking at both of us.

"Caroline it's never going to happen, get over it." Rolling my eyes at her Insinuating that Matt would be a perfectly good boyfriend as she's done for the part two months.

"I've got a ghost problem to deal with, Caroline. Save the Jeremy lecture for later" She snapped while grabbing her bag all of her stuff falling out when the strap broke. I bent down and helped her pick up her things and just as she was going to put her grimoire up it opens itself to a page in the center of the book.

"Did that just..." I asked the witch and vampire not believing my eyes.

"I think so." Bonnie said cocking her head to the side while picking up the book reading the page that the book opened itself to.

"Okay please tell me that's a recipe for witch cookies" Caroline half joked half serious about the page Bonnie was currently reading.

"It's a manifestation spell. It's used to reveal veiled matter." Bonnie told us the meaning of the grimoires spell.

"What's veiled matter?" Caroline asked and before Bonnie answered I said in shock.

"Ghosts." looking at them all.

"What do we do? Do we do the spell? What is the spell exactly?" I questioned Bonnie repeatedly wanting the ghosts to be a thing in the past and look into the future.

"I think we need to go somewhere more private."

***

Caroline pulled her car up to an abandoned creepy looking house. the three of us enter the front room me and Caroline a little bit more apprehensively than Bonnie.

"So, this is where you brought Jeremy back to life?" I asked Bonnie looking around the room severely creeped out, the interior being as bad as the exterior.

"Yeah. Sorry, I know it's creepy, but we needed a private place to do the spell." Bonnie apologized getting ready to do the spell.

"Hmmm. There's no chance it's haunted by the hundred dead witches who were horrifically burned to death in this very spot, is there?" Caroline question clearly scared, and that question alone made me just as scared.

"A hundred dead witches?!"

"They're not here anymore. And they made it clear they were never coming back." she reassured us both trying to calm our nerves or well attempted to.

"Right. You pinkie swear?" Caroline asks trying to make a joke in the tense environment. Making me give her a look. I got the candles out and gave Caroline a lighter so she can help light the candles with me for Bonnie to start the spell.

"Ready do you need us to do..." I started turning around to see Bonnie already starting to start the spell "Right. Okay" I looked at Caroline while Bonnie was continuing to do the spell getting louder every chant a breeze beginning to surround us getting stronger and stronger by the second making everything in the room moves. Seeing all of this makes my eyes widen and start to worry about Bonnie and how safe this is for her.

"Bonnie, I don't like this. Bonnie..." Caroline voices my thoughts while also looking around that was until we saw something shocking.

"Oh my God, is that your...?" I started but couldn't finish due to the pure shock of what I as seeing. All three of us shocked Bonnie can't say anything, it even leaves Caroline speechless. The silence was broke with Bonnie saying quietly.

"Grams."

*************************************************

A/N:

Small chapter but next is quite long an different than others as a special character will be appearing. Hope you enjoyed, Part two will include more of the boys (a slight twist).

Please correct any grammar, spelling or British slang.

Any positive or negative feedback is appreciated.

Thanks for reading lovelies xxx 

[chibiclem]

The Ace of Hearts and his Jack

" Feliciano never expected the situation to be this complicated... For the Jack of Heart to have been dispatched far from his King and Queen it was an event, but to even have sent him to the border of the No Man's Land, the Joker's territory....By The embodiment of Heart! He really knew something had been off . But what exactly.... Even Kiku..-well I mean his Highness- who was the one to give the alert about strange phenomenons couldn't tell him exactly what he was supposed to find. And even Gilbert the Joker who often came to tease his King would only smile widly at the question, exposing his sharp teeth, and say something like " Kesese !! It's so exciting and awesome you will see!! It's something long forgotten but that will awaken to furfill it's purpose once more! But I can't tell you more, you will have to find out by yourself!" The Heck was that seriously?! It was hella scary now!! Don't get him wrong, Gilbert was mostly friendly to the Heart's hierarchy in general, but he was a JOKER, a malicious and suspicious being, and thus, couldn't be trust. Nobody knew what he really was, nor the extend of his power...nor his purpose. And after saying such things, he would just vanish in a "pouf!", nowhere to be seen ( like usual), letting the poor Jack having to go check all the things out. At least his Highness told him to be carefull not to go too far behind the border and to retreate if any danger was around, which the Jack was to gladly obliged! Still, he had been scared to the core, being the one being send for one of his first real mission, near the abandonned and scary land where nobody from the 4 kingdom would ever go excepted banished ones! Tales said it was full of monsters, or people that didn't belong to any of the 4 kingdoms .(He prefered the second kind to the first honestly.) He eventually had left with his faithfull horse, Isabella, after a 3-hour lecture about how to call help and flee AT THE LAST TIME by his King, and had ran for 4 days before reaching the borders, gulping at the sight of the devastated landscape and the narrow mountain looking like shark teeth. The checkpoint tower's guardians were really brave, he had though, to be able to stay there. Hearts soldiers were known for their discipline and here was the extreme example of that! Stopping by the tower, the Jack had tried to give a confident vibe and had proposed himself to go on an inspection, alone. He didn't know why he had said that at that moment, maybe because he had always wanted to prove he wasn't useless to Ludwig, but he had regretted it immediatly afterward, when he had started to walk along the borders. Before him had been standing the mountains he had seen earlier, and the sight of a desert, the air being dry and heavy and the sun burning good despite the purple smoke emanating from the floor. "Vee!!!" would he cry out when he though he spotted a movement, or a sound. He really wanted this to be over soon, but he still had to go there. And surprisingly even to him, he did. Shortly enough, he had been surrounded by rocks, but still could see the reassuring tower behind him. After 1h, seeing that nothing was happening and that he couldn't spot anything wrong, he had though about fleeing when he had suddenly realized there was an extra shadow covering him. Just after that, he had heard a soft whistle and had felt the air being moved behind him. At this point, he had hoped for a bird, but when he had turned around what he had found...was the most strange humanoid he had never seen: A blond humanoïd man (or woman? He couldn't tell), wearing some bizarre clothes with a heart printed on it, and with a huge tail also shaped as a Heart, floating by him and looking at him with wide eyes. Wide eyes he had exchanged for long seconds while gasping and holding his lance near him as if it was a ramp to save him from falling. "Vee!!! Don't...don't hurt me please!! I don't taste good!" he had said out of habbit. At that, the blondy had started smiling and  waltzing right and left in the air with excitement, singing musical notes so fast that even the Jack confused spirit came to notice it was like he was trying talking to him. Without much warning he could have understand, the thing was hugging him with strengh, seemingly very happy to see him, whereas the Jack had started screaming. More minutes had been needing for him to fully recover that encounter. When the half-humanoïd floating hazard had let go of him, sniffing him around, he really did start to examinate him. "Ve..you scared me! But what are you exactly? I've never seen such creature before...Oww...nobody will believe me.." How was he gonna explain that? No, was that even real? He couldn't have told at that moment. Besides, he didn't know if it was the thing he was looking for. So what to do? Well, he had asked! "Are you...the one who was supposed to awaken?" To his surprise (not that he wasn't already, but it was pilling up), the humanoid had seemed to understand and waved his head, then ondulated and caressed the Jack's hand with his nose. It was like...a floating giant humanoid cat asking for a hug! Feliciano had patted him back cautiously, allowing himself to relax until he had remembered his mission with a serious dead face. "Sorry buddy...I've to report you to the King and the Queen! But I should still search a little more...Could you stay there for a while ?" He had told the Blondy. Yeah, he really did believe it to stay kindly there, but the night and the day afterward proved him wrong. And here he was right now, straddling back to the castle Isabella with the dragon-thingy flying and playing with his lance, trying to steal hugs here and there or floating around him like he was the sun and him an hyperactive moon. Heck he never actually believed nobody in the tower saw the Blondy before he left. It was like he could dissapear in thin air as soon he tried mentioning him and then come back waking him up in his bedroom, when everybody he had tried to explain what he saw was soundly asleep. At least, it was following him so his highnesses could see him! It was better than what Feliciano hoped! But now he was thinking....what was going on exactly, and if the floating hazard was the thing to awaken...what was his purpose? Was he gonna be scolded by the King once again for bringing it to the castle? Heavy thoughs would accompagny him all during his trip, while the Ace of heart seemed perfectly fine and playfull! Fa Fa Mi Sol, It felt good to be awake!" *** From a serie I will call "Ace awakening", with for setting the Hetalia Cardverse universe and his representation I have of it! *Hearts : For me, Heart is a valiant kingdom, know mostly for his strong army but also hard workers community, which is appreciated among the others kingdoms. However, the" Land of Love and Faith " has some like to call it suffers from a lack of ressources, and are very dependant of the others kingdoms, specially since it is one of the most populated kingdom. Thus, only ties with Clubs (a manufacturing specialized kingdom) are a strong one since a long time, the others really being for necessity and commerce mostly, even if the Queen of Spades and Hearts are quite close together. Poland, Ace of Hearts : “Fé” is the most sociable, expressive and malicious of all the Aces. Like an hyperactive cat,  He likes to give hugs, to eat with the royalties, expressing his joy by singing (he is quite “talkative” ) and waltzing in the air like crazy!  The Kingdom of Hearts in my story is the Kingdom of the mind and spirit : Motivation, Determination (hehe, remind you of something?), Bravery, Valor, etc…As his Queen, he have the power to control bodies and of course, can do it to more than 2 or 3 person! *The royals and their Jack : As a result of these weakness the others could exploit, the King Ludwig has to lead his kingdom with an iron hand and thus has it very strict about many aspect in life, at least in public. He had to for most his life, and if it wasn't for the help of his Queen Kiku and his Jack Feliciano, certanly he could evolve in a scary and cold king that have to keep an appareance even among his own people. However he is quite loved, which is not totally the same with his wife Kiku, a foreigner that was born from Spades parents but that showed the Heart mark. Why would the at-the-time Prince choose a stranger among all the candidates? Well, Ludwig wasn't much for love but he felt Kiku and him where on the same vibes, as they both could be strict with things. And he was right, since they became allies quite fast. Kiku is a secretive Queen, not showing much of his emotions and used to not be liked. He was almost pulled out of his family, magical scientist from Spades, and forced to marry the Heart King. Having a strong will to respect the rules, he still initially held a grudge against the Hearts but then thanks to Feliciano discovered the hidden side of Ludwig, the kind one he never showed, and progressively felt like a part of the family himself, becoming the most precious ally of his husband. Still, even if he was never borned with a Spade symbol, he sometimes crave for his old place. That's how he became friend with Queen Arthur, as they are both quite found of spells and magic! He always though that Spades had the key of all the magic power hidden in each kingdom and behind their marks, and he likes to borrow books to deepen his knowledge about it! Feliciano him was Ludwig's devoted Jack since they were children. The poor one wasn't really good at it (he could be scared of many things and run away without warning!), but only him could make him show his warm side, and thus he kept the honor of his family, working for the Heart Monarchy for generations, intact! Besides, the young brunette was strong as all the citizen of hearts, and some had made a mistake by underestimating him. It's rare, but it's only when he wants to! He has an older brother who's ended up being diamound and they were separated very young. They still saw each other from time to time since Lovino was taken care of by a close friend of Francis, Antonio; but there's still a gap between them... It's probably this missing brother that made Feliciano be so clingy with Ludwig and after Kiku. Like that, the trio has an alchemy that none other Kingdom royalties can relate to. ****

Links to others Cardverse related art: https://chibiclem.tumblr.com/tagged/cardverse

I’m making a test to see if it is better that way than making this in as a picture post!^^

[all-they-say-is-na-na-na]

Paramore - ‘After Laughter’

While ‘After Laughter’ leaves Paramore’s emo past behind, it also has some of their most personal lyrics, and it eventually becomes their best album yet.

In the past three years, a lot of stuff happened to Hayley Williams and her band, the pop-punk greats Paramore. In 2015, one of the members of the band (Jeremy Davis) left, and tried to sue them for royalties that he is supposedly owed. For a band that has already suffered enough line-up changes (at least former drummer Zac Farro re-joined the band some months ago, the song “Grudges” is about that) that represents a risk for the group. On top of that, Hayley recently announced her divorce from fellow musician Chad Gilbert. She has also been more open about her struggles with depression and anxiety, which started to manifest some years ago.

So it is kind of surprising that ‘After Laughter’ is a complete deviation from the emo-pop that made them popular about a decade ago. They traded that sound for something closer to new wave or straight-up 80’s-inspired pop music. Yet lyrically it feels like exact opposite. Even though they had themes of angst, sadness, betrayal and rebellion in their lyrics, this feels like it is centered on depression, to be at one’s lowest point in every possible sense. Opening track “Hard Times” seems like a tongue-in-cheek, “fun” take on that, but the lyrics also show a sense of uncertainty, not being sure of what is going to happen next.

The same approach is taken on “Rose Colored Boy”, a number about being surrounded by happy people when you are feeling sad/depressed. It feels like musical equivalent of this picture, while the instrumental is also one of the poppiest things they have ever done. The theme of depression is further explored on “Fake Happy”, where Williams sings (with a lot of passion) about everyone surrounding her faking happiness (herself included) when they are dying inside, and the vaguely-ska influenced “Caught in the Middle” has the opening line “I can’t think of getting old/It only makes me want to die”. This could not be more subtle even if it tried.

There are some songs that might refer to Hayley’s divorce – while the album was released after the announcement of it, these songs can be interpreted as being about the fall of her marriage with Chad. “Forgiveness” is one of the most gentle songs Paramore has ever made, it sounds closer to a Haim ballad than anything else, and it is about trying to forgive her husband after difficult times. “Pool” (my personal highlight) is an extremely fun synthpop ditty, but it also sounds like a dark take on a love song about escaping the illusion of it. With graphic references to drowning and everything.

But another theme found here is the future of the band. “Told You So” is a response to everyone constantly wanting you to fail, and the anxiety this provokes on you. Sonically, this might seem like a take on Blondie-esque pop-rock but structure-wise it reminds me more of UK prog-pop band Dutch Uncles, who opened for them a while back. “Idle Worship” is her rage (it is the most angsty track on the record) against people who consider her to be something bigger than human, she is not the person who her fans think she is and that frustrates her. The following track “No Friend” is a reflection on their career overall. One of the darkest, weirdest tracks they ever made, it takes Taylor York’s “Idle Worship” guitar riff but transforms it into a psych-post-punk… thing, with spoken vocals by meWithoutyou’s Aaron Weiss hidden in the back.

Last track “Tell Me How” is poignant in the sense that it sounds like Williams feels terrible about all the line-up changes, missing the people she once called friends, asking for some kind of response from them. As much as I liked Paramore’s 2013 self-titled album, the “pop” songs on the album (like “Still Into You”) felt a little shallow. ‘After Laughter’, on the other hand, might not have the teen punk angst of ‘Riot!’ or the chaos of ‘Brand New Eyes’, but the way they use pop to convey an actual message, to talk about those themes, in such an explicit way, results in what is their best album to date. Specially after the death of Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, this album feels the more important. “I can still believe” is the last line on the record. We not only believe that Paramore will continue to get bigger and better, but also that Williams will get over her “little rain cloud”.

Highlights: “Hard Times”, “Rose Colored Boy”, “Told You So”, “Fake Happy”, “Pool”, “Caught in the Middle”, “Idle Worship”, “No Friend”

You’ll like it if you like: their self-titled album, Blondie, CHVRCHES, La Roux, Talking Heads, Haim, Dutch Uncles

[dutterman]

2016 Favorite Performances

Patti Smith

This was a show I had anticipated for the past couple of years as Patti Smith has been touring, performing her Horses album in its entirety to celebrate its 40 year release. I bought these tickets in February for a December 30th date in Chicago, which also happened to be Patti Smith’s 70th birthday. This was my second time going to the Riviera. I had initially managed a second row seat, but ended up moving back a little way, still quite far up. I was totally blown away and inspired like I thought I would be. They started the show performing Horses with a Gloria reprise at the end before playing other favorites and covers, including Power To The People which featured Michael Stipe and Patti Smith’s daughter making a guest appearance. This was definitely a bucket-list concert for me and ever grateful to have seen Patti Smith perform live.

Metric

This year, Metric had released their Pagans In Vegas album, their first since 2012’s Synthetica. I last saw Metric at Lollapalooza in 2012, so I was super excited to see them again as they are one of my all-time favorite bands. This was a totally breathtaking 2 hour performance featuring music from their last three albums although they opened up with IOU! A few of the songs were intro’d with teasers of songs from their first album. I was second row for this show, center stage.

Thelma And The Sleaze

I grew up listening to a lot of hard rock music in the 1970s. One of my favorite bands growing up was Heart. The lineup of Heart in the 70s is still my very favorite with such amazing guitar work. One of my fondest memories of Heart is their live cover of Kike Dee’s “I’ve Got The Music In Me”. I’ve seen Thelma And The Sleaze quite a few times the past couple of years. Thelma and the Sleaze is the conceptual brainwork of guitarist Lauren Gilbert, known to a lot as “LG”. This outstanding band, fronted by LG has this Alison Moss sultry stage-presence and Angus Young authority, combined with a comedic wit like that of Bette Midler. “I’ve Got The Music In Me” comes to mind when I see LG perform live. What was really spectacular about seeing them this year was their 29 day, 31 show tour of Nashville, entitled the “Kandyland Tour” in which they played a show every day for the month of February. I was fortunate to catch one of those shows at the Mayday Brewery in Murfreesboro. The other great thing this year was them going on a month-long tour with Eagles of Death Metal, in which they played to some bigger audiences and was actually a dream of Chase’s (the drummer) to play The Vogue one day. It was also indicative of a hard-working band making a breakthrough to larger audiences. A documentary has been created detailing the Kandyland Tour and will be available soon.

Belly

I never got to see Belly perform live when they first came out. The only band I went to see perform in the 90s were Rush and Primus, so I was super excited when it was announced that Belly would perform a reunion tour. Belly’s two albums are two that really stuck with me from the 90s alternative bands and still listen to them to this day. The band was absolutely spot on and had a very exciting crowd. They split the show into two sets. The funny thing was that Morrissey was playing night one of Riot Fest that night, and they thanked the crowd for weighing their options.

Mr Clit & The Pink Cigarettes

This is the band that I saw the most times this year! They were a new favorite of mine in 2015 and still are a whole lot of fun to watch. One of the more fascinating things about this band is wondering what outfits or costumes they’re going to wear. I actually tried to dress up as Davey in one of the shows this year, which my alter-ego sidekick Ramona Rabbid came with me (that’s another story). Their setlist also tends to be as unpredictable as their stage costumes. Mr Clit & The Pink Cigarettes puts on a very intense and highly entertaining 30 minutes of a totally unpredictable setlist and really gets the crowd going.

Boner City

I actually happened to be introduced to this band via Abby from Mr Clit and ended up getting to see them perform live for the first time at the Wilterfest in Cincinatti. I have since seen them two other times and will see them again in Louisville toward the end of January 2017 alongside one of my local favorites, Dope Sweater. Boner City is a fast-paced, non-stop punk ride that takes the crowd with them.

Well Hung Heart

I saw this amazing band in Indianapolis with a really stacked local lineup and to me is the best overall show of the entire year. Well Hung Heart is a hard rock band with an amazing guitar player and blue-haired bundle of energy singer who has one of the most powerful voices I’ve ever heard. Robin Davey’s guitar playing is among the best I’ve ever seen and seems to have a diverse genre background. Greta’s singing is very powerful, yet tender at times and is able to fire up the audience.

Gazebos

I saw this band on a moment’s notice when I decided to see Shannon and the Clams on a show-day decision. This band has an early 80s rock/pop sound about them that would remind you of a cross between Blondie and The Pretenders. Shannon Perry has a really interesting voice and her on-stage performance makes you think she’s had a background in theater. TV Coahran masters that guitar style and even reminded me of Pete Townsend with his one-piece jumpsuit.

SERVICE

SERVICE is a new band in Indianapolis with a line up consisting of veteran members from various well-known bands. The first show I saw with them was a very intense start-to-finish 6 song set that just left you totally blown away. Additionally, the performance was recorded and turned out really well. Jilly is an amazing vocalist and performer with her screeching and sternness. She is usually all over the stage and in the audience. Matt plays some incredibly complex guitar and makes some pretty incredible sounds. Sharlene plays both guitar and keyboards along with background vocals and typically sits in on drums for the last song of their set. Johhny and Russel round out the band on bass and drums. Saw these guys on a couple of other dates and hope to catch them again in 2017.

Butthole

Butthole was a pleasant surprise the first time I saw them at part of LG’s Bitchfest show. They are a hilariously talented group who puts on an energetic and entertaining show similar to what I get out of the B-52s. They are a lot like a art-ounk band, much like some of my other favorite art-punk bands like Boner City, The Christmas Bride and Mr. Clit & The Pink Cigarettes.

Powell

This is a highly talented band that plays very tight. These guys are all brothers, so it’s no wonder that they are so tight and talented as they’ve been playing together for years. This was punk rock night, but after listening to their album (and hearing their cover of the Beatles’ “Heavy”), I knew there was more to them than the hard rock show they put on. Just overall a very professional sounding band that puts on a good show.

Wolf Alice

Just got into this band this past year. Sort of 90s alternative with not as much edge. Caught them at Lollapalooza for a quick, but effective 45 minute set. These guys sound great and have amazing songs and have a great fan following.

Killmama

Got to see this amazing band from Florida at Punk Rock Night Indianapolis get things going in a big way. Sophie plays drums and sings soulful southern blues. Rob has amazing raw guitar sound and really reminds me a lot of Rodger Fisher from the early Heart days. The cool thing about their shows is that they bring on a guest drummer out of the audience to play drums on their song Bad Rep

Moseley

I was really glad to catch this all-women power trio again this year. They played a couple of regional dates and was able to catch them in Chicago during Lollapalooza. I also go to see them open up the show for Stone Cold Cherry at Marathon Music Works in Nashville.

Dope Sweater

Dope Sweater is a highly energetic punk band local to Terre Haute. Originally starting out as a two-piece band nearly two years ago, Anthony and Austin have grown the band to four members and have gone on a few regional shows. Hailing from the Sweater Lounge, Dope Sweater started a great and loyal following that has spilled over. Dope Sweater plays like on the verge of rattling apart and destroying the whole thing. Their music roots and influence seem a lot more deeply rooted than what I typically see in punk bands. Dope Sweater really charges the crowd and pulls the best out of them and leaves people in shock.

Dasher

I happened to catch Dasher opening up for Aka Nayo and Screaming Females. This local band from Bloomington is primarily the concept of Kylee K, front-woman on drums and vocals. She had a prior incarnation of the band in Atlanta before relocating to Bloomington in the past year. Like Screaming Females, Dasher plays a very loud set, and doing so, Kylee has to play the drums very hard to be heard. The guitar work of this band is very hauntingly amazing. For an opening band, they can really serve to get the crowd really wound up. They recently had the opportunity to open for Coathangers in their home state of Georgia.

Eliot Bigger

This band is an amazingly talented and well-versed band. Eliot Bigger’s guitar work is among the best I’ve ever seen and really remind me of a cross between Toto and Supertramp. Backed by a very solid bass and drums, their songs revolve around progressive rock breakdowns and change-ups that demand your full attention. Combine that with the flawless mastery of guitar work and you’ll walk away from this band stunned.

  Some Kind Of Nightmare

Some Kind Of Nightmare is a punk band based out of San Diego who tours nearly non-stop. Originally hailing from Ohio, Chy and Molly quit their full-time jobs and decided to tour full-time. They have traveled cross the country several times over since they took on the punk rock road life. Molly over the past year has been a tremendous source of inspiration as she successfully overcame a bout of breast cancer and has been advocating, particularly with the younger audiences to be mindful of their bodies and their health. Some Kind Of Nightmare plays a highly intense, start-to-finish show and are highly polished in perfecting their live show. You walk away from this band feeling charged and inspired.

War On Women

Screaming Females

    Overall Shows List

1/2/16 Johnny Vomit, The Dockers, Mr. Clit & The Pink Cigarettes, ASD (5th Quarter Lounge) 1/7/16 Riot Shield, Pickwick Commons, Ares, Fight To Remain (Cruft House Terradise) 1/9/16 Black Cat Rebellion, Werewolf with a Shotgun, Dead Set Ready, Misunderstood (Melody Inn) 1/15/15 Veles, Dope Sweater, Bad Fiction, Laser Boogie Suicide (Sweater Lounge, WTH) 1/23/16 The Nerve (Stephens Inn) 1/30/16 The Flying Jacksons (The Verve) 2/12/16 Carter, Soft Bodies, Sallow, Isidro, Thelma And The Sleaze (Mayday Brewery Murfreesboro) 2/13/16 Well Hung Heart, Mr. Clit & The Pink Cigarettes, KillMama, Think Tank (Melody Inn PRN) 2/26/16 The Ragbirds (The Verve) 2/27/16 Dope Sweater, Phallic Tendrils, Four Percent (Sweater Lounge WTH) 2/27/16 There Are Ghosts, Memetics, Mr. Clit & The Pink Cigarettes (State Street Pub) 2/28/16 Mariahill, Rebuild & Rebound, Welcome Home, Rest Assured, Riot Shield (Terradise White House) 3/5/16 Metric w/ Joywave (Egyptian Room Indianapolis) 3/5/16 The Lickers, The Yavin 4 (Melody Inn PRN) 3/7/16 Chad Hates George, Stufy The Sidekick, Chatterbox and the Latter Day Satanists, 4 Percent, Dope Sweater (Terre Haute) 3/10/16 Killmama, Ramona Deflowered, We Should Leave This Tree (St Louis) 3/19/16 Charles Walker Band (The Verve) 3/25/16 Punkfest 2016 Day 1: Dear Darla, Enstrangers, The Functional Citizens, Bare Knuckle Hooligans, Hell’s Orphans, Think Tank, The Elixirs, The Slappies, Dangerbird, Stackhouse (5th Quarter) 3/26/16 Gazebos, NoBunny, Shannon and the Clams (Off Broadway St Louis) 4/1/16 Moseley, Black Stone Cherry, Devour The Day (Marathon Music Works Nashville) 4/8/16 Weakness, Birdie Hearse, Mr. Clit & The Pink Cigarettes, Hot Tramps (The Comet Cincinatti) 4/9/16 The Fuck Off And Dies, Worriers, The Lippies (Blueberry Hill St Louis) 4/15/16 Rush Archives, Van Wholen (The Walnut Room Denver) 4/23/16 Sidewalk Chalk (The Verve) 4/29/16 The Nerve (The Verve) 4/30/16 Hannah Aldridge (The Verve) 5/5/16 Thelma And The Sleaze, Black Tar Heroines, Eshe Bhairavi (Hangar 9 Carbondale) 5/6/16 Dope Sweater, Mr. Clit & The Pink Cigarettes, The Transylvania Hell Sounds, Jig, The Orchard Keepers (Hoosier Dome) 5/14/16 Pop Up Safety Baby (Juggerland Studios Rosedale) 5/14/16 SERVICE, Open Sex Duo, Caldwell/Tester (State Street Pub Indy) 5/21/16 Joey Ramone Birthday Bash with Parasites, Think Tank, The Whoremones (PRN Indy) 5/25/16 Screaming Females, Aye Nako, Dasher (The Bishop Bloomington) 5/27/16 Eagles Of Death Metal, Thelma And The Sleaze (The Vogue Indianapolis) 6/4/16 Dope Sweater, Video Grave, We Got None, Darkle (Sweater Lounge) 6/4/16 Stackhouse, Tiger Sex, Public Animal Number Nine (Punk Rock Night Indy) 6/11/16 HTTP Prodigy (spoken word), Meeker, Unnatural Selection, We Got None, The Wichita Massacre (TH) 6/21/16 Worriers, Mikey Erg, Fraidykat, Junior July, Mannequin, TBA, Serious Shit (The Void Bloomington) 6/23/16 Subject To Change, Max Grogan, Meeker, We Got None, Better Off Blind, Aaron Norris, Pop Up Safety Baby (A Place In Time WTH) 6/25/16 Amuse, Metric Units, Misunderstood, Ego Slip (Hi-Fi Indy) 7/1/16 Ross Hickam, Anthony Cottom, When All Kept Echoing, We Got None, Unnatural Selection, Dope Sweater (Couch Studios TH) 7/2/16 manners, please, Pillars, Chemical Envy, Goblin King (Bent Rail Brewery Indy) 7/2/16 Mr Clit & The Pink Cigarettes, Flamingo Nosebleed, City Mouse, Special Victims Unit (PRN Indy) 7/9/16 Dope Sweater, Lucy Furr, South Side Flea Market, The 4% (Sweater Lounge) 7/12/16 Daikaiju, Mr. Clit & The Pink Cigarettes, Phunkbot, AnnFrankDux, Bad Fiction (Hoosier Dome) 7/22/16 – 7/24/16 Plan-It-X Fest: Dakota Floyd, Double Jinx, Ugly Lovers, The Ancient Gods, Crescent Ulmer, Dog Years, Julia Eff, Sir Deja Doog and the Caskettes, The Minor Kind, Corn Palace, Drawing Water, Amy O, Terror Pigeon, Nice Try, Dogbreth, Your Heart Breaks, Ghost Mice, Super Famicom, Mitch The Champ, Cutting Room Floor, Garrett Walters, Amy Bruce Spaceshow, Femignome, Cottontail, Wet Brain, Madeline Adams, CALYX, Nutter, Nostradogmus, Junior July, The Homewreckers, Full Sun, Little Waist, Dasher, Toys That Kill, Shellshag, The Max Levine Ensemble (Stable Studios Spencer)

Lollapalooza July 28-31 Autolux, Cloves, Melanie Martinez, Wavves, Daughter, Last Shadow Puppets, Haelos, Modern Baseball, The Struts, Alessia Cara, Wolf Alice, The Strumbellas, Chairlift, The Joy Formidable, The Front Bottoms, Big Grams, Jane’s Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, FIDLAR, Halsey, Silversun Pickups, HAIM, Die Antwoord (Chicago)

7/29/16 Moseley, The Dirty Creeps, Mr Russia (Red Line Tap Chicago) 8/5/16 900 Bars, Potential?, Aaron Norris, Cloud Gavin, Native Tongue, Bottlerocket Platoon (Couch Studios) 8/7/16 Trash Can, Some Kind Of Nightmare, Misunderstood, The Slappies (Melody Inn Indy) 8/12/16 Stackhouse, The Orchard Keepers, Heartland Heretics (5th Quarter Lounge) 8/18/16 SERVICE, LUNG, SPANDRELS (Melody Inn Indy) 8/19/16 Cup Check, Unnatural Selection, Subject To Change, Safe Bet, Bedrooms, Riot Shield, From Cities Above (Couch Studios) 8/28/16 LG+Friends, Butthole, Reality Something, Helen of Coi (Meal Ticket Nashville) 9/2/16 manners, please, Modern Motion, Eliot Bigger, There Are Ghosts (Melody Inn Indy) 9/3/16 Some Kind Of Nightmare, Rest Assured, Subject To Change, Dope Sweater, Welcome Home, Steven Deeds (Terradise Cruft House) 9/8/16 SERVICE, The Icks, Yonatan Gat (The Hi-Fi Indy) 9/9/16 Clint Breeze & The Groove, Scanlines, Eliot Bigger (White Rabbit Cabaret) 9/17/16 Belly (Vic Theater Chicago) 9/18/16 RiotFest Day Three, Juliette Lewis and the Licks, War On Women, Deftones (Chicago) 9/23/16 222 WitFest: Hammered with Jesus, K.L.A.N., Saint Pickle, Lazy Ass Destroyer, Tiger Sex, EVOLVE, Mr Clit & The Pink Cigarettes, Vampire Weekend At Bernie’s, Boner City (Witler on the 8s Cincinatti) 9/30/16 Jesus Crust, Videograve, Dope Sweater, Lucy Furr, Small Arms Fire (Hoosier Dome Indy) 10/1/16 db Cooper (Verve) 10/2/16 Rewinder, Mr Clit & The Pink Cigarettes (Thunderbird Indy) 10/7/16 Dead Party, Plans (Couch Studios) 10/16/16 Pravada, SERVICE, Matthais Young (Indy CD & Vinyl) 10/20/16 Boner City, The Christmas Bride, Tycoon$ Of Teen (Kaiju Louisville) 10/22/16 Better Off Blind, David Goodier, Rafael from House Cats, Pop Up Safety Baby (Garage Fest TH) 10/23/16 Mal Blum, Full Sun, Wylie, Bloodlines (The Void Bloomington) 10/28/16 Aaron Norris, From Cities Above, Beyond The Grid, Unnatural Selection, (Couch Studios TH) 10/28/16 Rocky Horror Picture Show 8:00 (Community Theater Terre Haute) 10/29/16 Mr Clit & The Pink Cigarettes, Dope Sweater, Video Grave, Process My Office, Dana Skully (Dream Fortress) 11/4/16 Chloe Greenberg, Monty & Patrick, Kendall Lynn Murphy (Couch Studios TH) 11/11/16 Dead Party, Pop Up Safety Baby (Veterans Day) 11/12/16 Heartland Heretics, Orchard Keepers, Powell (Punk Rock Night Indy) 11/19/16 Sky So Dark, Dasher (The Void Bloomington) 11/20/16 Barb Wire Dolls, The Lickers, Smokes (Melody Inn Indy) 11/23/16 Pop Up Safety Baby, Bear Foote Jackson, The Nerve (The Verve) 12/2/16 Thelma and The Sleaze, Evan P. Donohue, Teddy and the Rough Riders, Quichenight (Charlie Bob’s Nashville) 12/4/16 Some Kind Of Nightmare, Dead Party, Misunderstood, Unholy UFO (Couch Studios) 12/9/16 Arcadia, Ripped From The Roots (The FOXHOLE) 12/15/16 Bathroom Laws, Blood Planet, Tycoon$ of Teen, Beach Daze, Ghost Teeth (Spinelli’s Louisville) 12/30/16 Patti Smith (Riviera Theater Chicago)

261 Total bands

Most Impressive Guitar Work (more than one guitar player)

War On Women Eliot Bigger Full Sun

Most Entertaining

Butthole Mr Clit & The Pink Cigarettes Fuck Off And Dies Boner City The Christmas Brides The Ragbirds Daikaiju Joywave Phunkbot

Favorite Band Vocals

Greta Valenti (Well Hung Heart) Sophie P (Killmama) Ivy Miller (Special Victims Unit) Amanda Pavel (Think Tank) Princess Jesus (Sky So Dark)

Favorite Singer/Songwriter

Hannah Aldridge Spandrels Monty Hack Chloe Greenberg Garrett Walters Stufy

Favorite Duos

Pop Up Safety Baby Killmama Lung Ripped From The Roots Sheepish

Hardest Working Bands

Barb Wire Dolls Some Kind of Nightmare Thelma and the Sleaze

Most Watched Bands

Mr Clit & The Pink Cigarettes Dope Sweater Thelma And The Sleaze Some Kind Of Nightmare Moseley SERVICE

Favorite Drummers

Michael Coffey (Pop Up Safety Baby) Evan Tanner (War On Women) William Boswell (Phunkbot) Abby Hairston (Moseley) Kylee Kimbrough (Dasher)

Favorite Guitarist

Robin Davey (Well Hung Heart)

Most impressive Bass

Wet Brain Orchard Keepers Pop Up Safety Baby Phunkbot

Best Cover Song

HAIM – I Would Die 4 U (Prince) Tycoon$ of Teen – River Deep, Mountain High (Tina Turner) Powell – She’s So Heavy (The Beatles) Evan P Donahue – Send My A Postcard (Shocking Blue) Gazebos – There Are Worse Things I Could Do (Grease)

Favorite Overall Show

Well Hung Heart, Mr Clit & The Pink Cigarettes, Think Tank, Killmama No Bunny, Gazebos, Shannon and the Clams Metric, Joywave Daikaiju, Mr. Clit & The Pink Cigarettes, Phunkbot, AnnFrankDux, Bad Fiction Boner City, Tycoon$ of Teen, The Christmas Bride

  2016 Top Live Shows 2016 Favorite Performances Patti Smith This was a show I had anticipated for the past couple of years as Patti Smith has been touring, performing her Horses album in its entirety to celebrate its 40 year release.

[fuzzykazeki87]

Actually, I think Gilbert would've love "Love Story" by Indila especially the orchestra ver

(He's gonna imagine himself with Serge running hand in hand on a greenfield)