#the musical motifs. im going insane

[runawayfuture]

hey bro are u okay. it's just that ur classical guitar motif turned into an electric guitar for a second there. yeah like how the gods are all represented by electric instruments... i just got a little bit worried that you might be abandoning your humanity haha

[hyacinthmenace]

I've assumed Purple was purple because they came out during the end update, and were found in the end; and in that update there was "purpur" blocks. I've still never found it whether that was a coincidence or not and I still think about it like every little bit

[starfall-calamity]

You so right mr jash I am losing my shit omg

Also also also Jash himself drew the hand on the cover!!!

[renga-nishizono]

YAYYY MISHA THEME!!!

MISHA 💖💓🩷❤️💕💖💓🩷💖❤️💖💓💓💖🩷💓

[welcometoteyvat]

thinking about it again and my favorite sumeru subregion is probably the girdle of the sands (newest one, released 3.6) just because of the heaps and heaps of zoroastrianism refs and iranian mythology sprinkled all over the place it’s absolutely so cool. also sorush. 

[anxiousalene]

My Thoughts On the Vengence Saga 🔱🩸

HOLY SHIT ODYSSEUS MY GOD, BRO DID NOT HOLD BACK. The saga started with I'm not sorry for loving and it was sad on Calpyso's part (WANGUI COOKED SHE ABSOLUTELY COOKED) but I'm really glad Jorge didn't have Odysseus accept her "apology" because what she did even though she tries to justify it, it was 100% wrong AND THEN HERMES SHOWED UP AND WE GET REFERENCES TO THE TROY SAGA, OCEAN SAGA AND CIRCE SAGA. AND I LOVE THE "IF YOU DANCE WITH FATE THEN I KNOW YOU'LL ENHANCE YOUR STATE" LINE. I LOVE HOW MANY THINGS GET PERSONIFIED IN JORGE'S MUSIC LIKE PRIDE AND DANGER FEEL AS IF THEY'VE ACTUALLY COME TO LIFE. ALSO, THE FACT THAT JORGE'S SISTER VOICES THE PRINCESS WINION IS SO FUNNY TO ME, LIKE WE HAVE THE WHOLE FAMILY NOW. BUT DANGEROUS IS A BANGER LIKE I KNEW IT WOULD, ALL HERMES SONGS MAKE ME WANT TO DANCE. THE WINDBAG MAKES A SECOND APPEARANCE SO WE ALREADY KNOW THAT IS GONNA HAVE SOME SIGNIFICANCE. ALSO, ODYSSEUS IS GONNA USE RUTHLESSNESS FOR SURE. I ALSO LIKE THE "DON'T THANK ME FRIEND, I'M NOT THE ONE WHO FOUGHT FOR YOU" and Odysseus is like who then?? I was kinda hoping that Athena would show back up and it would be this whole big moment but she didn't :( RIP. Charybdis is REALLY COOL it was different from what I expected and I'm pretty sure it's Jorge's only entirely solo song In the show which is really cool. I also LOVE that right before Odysseus explains he doesn't have to fight Charybidis we get an electric guitar rift to show that he's using his intelligence. AT THE END HE SEES ITHACA AND HE'S ALMOST HOME AFTER ALL THESE YEARS AND THE MUSIC IS SO SOFT COMPARED TO EARLIER IN THE SONG. But... POSEIDON SHOWS UP. IM ANNOYED FROM A SHOW PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE JUST LET THE POOR MAN GET HOME BUT STEVEN IS ALSO SO TALENTED. HE WENT BEAST MODE FOR GET IN THE WATER. I like how intentional Poseidon's threat of "I'll take your son and gouge his eyes" to give an eye-for-an-eye deal to harm Telemachus as Odysseus did to Polyphemus. I also love Odysseus really does use all his tricks because he tries to show Poseidon to forgive and almost "Greet the world with open arms" but when Poseidon ignores him, he goes F* it. Then Poseidon uses his final boss move "OCEAN SHATTER" and Odysseus gets weighed down in the water by everyone who has died because of him in someway. But what I find heartbreaking is instead of singing their own motifs or "final thoughts" they all sing Waiting and his name until something clicks in his mind. ODYSSEUS GRABS THE WIND BAG AND OPENS IT WITH GLOWING RED EYES DESPITE KNOWING THAT IT WILL BLOCK HIS ONLY WAY HOME. HE USES IT AS A JETPACK AND STRIKES POSEIDON WITH HIS BOSS MOVE "600 HUNDRED MAN STRIKE" JORGE DID SUCH A GOOD VOCALLY TO SHOW HOW ANGRY AND SURE OF HIMSELF ODYSSEUS IS. ALSO WHEN HE'S ATTACKING IT SOUNDS LIKE LEGENDARY AND I THINK IT MIGHT BE BECAUSE HE'S CLOSE TO HOME SO HE'S MORE SIMILAR TO HIS SON. ALSO, THE VOICES OF THE CREW IN THE BACKGROUND IS JUST AHHHH. ALSO, I LOVE THAT WE CAN HEAR THE WND BAG MUSIC AND THE STORM MUSIC AS THE BATTLE IS GOING ON. Then Poseidon proceeds to taunt Odysseus by the fact he released the storm because now Poseidon can kill him and there's no way for him to get home. ODYSSEUS GOES APESHIT, or rather VERY CALM. We hear the danger motif as Odysseus walks toward Poseidon and Posiedon says "You can't kill me" and Odysseus says "Exactly" HE PICKS UP POSEDON'S TRIDENT AND STABS HIM OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER TO THE POINT WHERE POSEIDON IS BEGGING HIM TO STOP. but Odysseus has a Ruthlessness is mercy mentality and doesn't stop even as Poseidon, god of the seas, is calling him a MONSTER. AND THE CRAZIEST PART IS Poseidon relents the storm and asks "How will you sleep night?" and Odysseus goes "Next to my wife" AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH LIKE LINE IS SO ACTUALLY INSANE LIKE THIS SAGA WAS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER AND ODYSSEUS HAS TRULY STOPPED CARING ALSO, EVERYONE'S VOCALS WERE OFF THE CHARTS AND IM GOING TO BE OBSESSING ABOUT THIS FOR THE COMING WEEKS. As usual, thank you to the entire Epic Crew and everyone behind the scenes for making these sagas, they are awesome.

[crazylittlejester]

Saw the post about the Chain and their god domains and my greek mythos obsessed brain got scritched so here is the Chain as Greek gods/mythos:

Time: The old man gave me such a hard time. absolutely going insane over him. He’s Hades. being one of the big three (this fucker split the timeline (almost like how the underworld is split)). Ive never finished MM or OoT but i believe the lore is that all the masks are possessed to put it simply, thus the spirits granting link his power, making Time a maestro of the dead. Many interpretations of hades also depict him as cunning, a trickster, while also being stern, much like our resident little shit (affectionate). Hermes was a big contender here for that reason.

Sky: This was a toss up but im gonna have to say Zeus honestly, mister Godslayer himself. less of a connection between their personalities honestly and more just focusing on their similar dynamics, skills, and symbolism. Obviously we have our favorite lightning motif, plus the position of leadership they both share - in the sense that zeus is more or less the leader of the gods and sky being the ‘leader’ so to speak of the timeline. Plus the parallels between demise and kronos, and zeus/sky’s respective roles there. It was between the big man or persephone.

Twilight: Artemis!! Our very literal leader of the pack. Goddess of the hunt, patron of animals, domain over the moon (cough twilight cough). Though, Demeter and hestia were fighting me here, the fursona won over the country bumpkin sadge.

Warriors: You are Athena! badass in the arena! /ref. Honestly, i feel like i should be assigning them their ‘obvious’ gods and then give them one that attaches to them more symbolically. Yes, everyone’s favorite captain is THE captain goddess. Cunning, strategist, warhead, intelligent, and alot of people forget that Athena is both charismatic and incredibly physically beautiful, in most adaptations. she was in the lineup for paris and guided the trojan war. I forget who it was on here that is a big “wars = helen of troy” truther but theyre absolutely so correct.

Legend: Also a tricky toss up, but i ultimately landed on apollo. Apollo’s known for being a sort of jack of all trades god, between his dominion over the sun, medicine, music, archery, and more. With the vet’s all encompassing experience, with his multitude of instruments and proficiencies in different magical items it made sense. Me, personally, I loved the stories of apollos shape-shifting mortal ventures more than say zeus or any of the other gods. Also, depending on your characterization of the vet, their supposed personalities line up quite well, with apollo being charming and somewhat arrogant/snarky with others

Hyrule: This feels left-field but rulie gets to be Persephone! Adept with magic, goddess of fertility and the harvest and just general growth (of nature), with the double edge of being the queen of the underworld. Ugh im so obsessed with downfall duo rulie is so tragic. left with a desolate wasteland, yet (depending on characterization) ushering in and doing his damndest to nurture life and growth. I love the headcanons where rulie is a survivalist through and through, proficiencies in botany and herbology, respect for the land and its inhabitants. 

Wild: Demeter! Wild is of the land, they are one and the same. The way his world is absolutely teeming with life, and the way he is molded to adapt and live with the land to complete his adventure,,, ugh its too good. He is the most in tune with the wolves, the bees, the cows, the reeds, the flowers, the dragons, the spirits, they ARE him. he woke up with NOTHING, except a vast land full to bursting with life and lessons. 

Four: Hephaestus, obviously. dont get me wrong, I love four so much, but anything else felt blasphemous (The way i could write essays about it—). He is the god of blacksmithing, if i assigned him anything else i fear he may just manage to kill me. 

Wind: Notos! God of the east Wind, known for the bringing of summer, cyclones, and warmth. love that funky little whirlwind hes so fun and spunky. being a god of wind was so on the nose it was too good. I didnt ever consider poseidon, winds too squishy and fluid for that. this kid is bouncing around like a cat 5 hurricane he is the wind, he is free (to cause chaos).

Ugh i love yapping about the mythologies. i may do this again except with minor gods/demigods (i will get back to that legend-achilles parallel i swear). I hope this was amusing to you

OKAY OKAY GO OFF!!!!

(I’m a huge Wars = Helen of Troy truther, I ain’t the only one, but I’ve yapped about it a lot akdkkdk)

you absolutely ate this up on my god i agree i agree i agree i agree. LEGEND AND ACHILLES?? SIGN ME THE FUCK UP IF YOU EVER FEEL LIKE YAPPIN ABOUT THAT THE FLOOR IS YOURS AND THE ASK BOX IS OPEN ID LOVE TO HEAR IT

[capsizedskeleton]

epic the musical live review over a few days ft. getting high during storm saga

TROY SAGA thunder bringer was one of the first songs i heard so going to the horse and the infant and hearing don't make me do this please don't make me do this!!! i didn't know that was a callback reminds me of pathologic is great and here's why, where hbomberguy points out child murder is such a taboo and it's that game's opener (depending on the character) here it's the musical's opener fffuck okay ruthlessness was also one of the first songs i heard so "600 men under my command" after i know it will become at least 43 then 0 is hghhhhh. esp when they're similar melodies, the first time the number is mentioned in full speed ahead

CYCLOPS SAGA so i watched a few animatics of these as well before troy saga just bc mmm animatics and oh recontextualized w the last two songs of the saga thats. hm. IIIIII AM YOUR DARKEST MOMENT all the uses of die with the last sound stretched out emphasizing the eye sound oough remember them. remember us. remember me OOHHH ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT THAT. ARE YOU SURE

STORM got up to the first few animatics i ended up watching. by now i might be able to categorize the animators? gigi as Action, Cinema, wolfy as a few lines seeming delicate and shape so solidly, nealillustrator as the GOAT (ok im biased they've only got thunder bringer but it's really good and i know them from bnha animatics ok), ximena as line. color. solid expression fav things from various ruthlessness animatics: poseidon being a shadow horse with front-facing eyes, a spiky merman but tentacles on bottom, literally water that could form into different things, only his hair being water, a horse, a guy, the stageplay version, everyone having different amounts of frames and different styles, like every!! time i watch an animatic i spot a new good take, beauty in everryy style, all the goregous water animation, capturing odysseus, submerging him, putting him in a whirlpool. that man is now a truly soggy cat am i insane or is there wind blowing in the last verse of that. after what have you done. maybe ive just had shit earbuds before. brutal

i got caught up in listening to done for even though that was skipping ahead. i am going to eat gigi's animatic whole. the corresponding basslines for each character how ody's replaces circe's?? now watching there are other ways. the two together as a beautiful story in 6 minutes is amazing

CIRCE normal now i like done for and there are other ways a lot more than puppeteer. this seems to be a pattern in which songs i like in each saga eury's bit leading up to "a woman" reallyyyyy sounds like hamilton wouldn't you like beat drop??? done for and there are other ways are fucking brilliant they're a whole story like i said before. ill say it again. absolutely entrancing. love the take that circe's about to kill ody before he rejects her and starts going on about his wife. also the transition after "that prophet is dead" bungggg and then the backing track hghh i am going to eat the melodic motifs i am going to swallow the chords whole AAAAGHHH

underworld again. weaker start, but oooh full speed ahead a bit of a reprise moment there and ody's mom i did not expect that. left for too long wandered too far gods REPRISE OF I SEE A SONG OF PAST ROMANCE HELLOOOO halfway into no longer you and OOOOOHHHH FUCK this shit HITS despite everything it's NOT you

NO MONSTER THE SLIP INTO CORRUPTION gigi i would die for you and this sequence. you know the one

THUNDER suffering is so good (normal sentence) i love the back and forth the you know im too shy the tone change at the lair of scylla listened to different beast on the train (first time listening to a song w/o animatic at first) and oooh the switch up!!!! we're in it now! DIFFERENT BEAST NOW HE'S A DIFFERENT BEAAST NOWWWWWW scylla.... oho the harmony. mutiny ok the opening i fw but why tf is eurylochus upset about the six men sacrifice when he was the one who suggested with circe that they just leave the men behind. also luck runs out callback i love my reprises why is helios lowk brushed over like i wouldve expected odysseus or eurylochus to talk about heyyy dont anger the gods like we did before thunder bringer slay. we already know. the bumping beat from the horse and the infant we knowwww. it's a little funny mutiny is RIGHT before thunder bringer like. hey crew you just stabbed him you should be a little less surprised he chooses to sacrifice yall. not even chosen. not even zeus was surprised by odysseus' immediate reaction

MISC. THOUGHTS

talked to a few friends while making this, wrote the sentence "i can feel the old greek mythology elementary/middle school neurons firing up again" because i CAN feel them god and it's also like watching musical animatics after school except im not 13 and deeply lonely this time. decided to write a fic of what happens between each saga and in a bit of wondering for that decided to look up the actual story of the odyssey (shmoop is not perfect but it is decent) and wow that's a lot of changes made from the original that contribute to a well-characterized musical! god it's such a good time. is this what dracula daily people felt like, reliving an old (relative to present) story and relishing in the Themes?

FAV SONG(S) FROM EACH SAGA

the horse and the infant

survive, remember them

ruthlessness

done for

no longer you (the OPPOSITE of that undertale quote)

different beast, thunder bringer

TLDR

excited for wisdom saga !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mangk0]

not me realizing that when atreus goes off on his own at the end of the game his theme is played in the STYLE of kratos's theme.

whenever we hear atreus's theme in game its fast, energetic, and small enough to keep up with him. at the end of the game when he leaves, its slow, slightly more orchestrated (like additional drums n such), and just generally feels BIGGER (nevermind that its closely followed BY KRATOS'S MOTIF), but still kept mainly to atreus's instruments.

hes taking a part of kratos with him as he leaves just like he promised, and we can see it in how his theme is played, and this is SUCH a stretch but im insane im dying letting go has a CHOKEHOLD on me guys i

if we get an atreus game, i am literally BEGGING for there to be bits and pieces of kratos's motif or echoes of his style of music in atreus's theme, what a fucking sick way to reference back to the norse games RIGHT

[loonarii]

Ari's K-Pop Roundup: April 2024 (NewJeans, IVE, RIIZE, KISS OF LIFE, ARTMS, LOOSSEMBLE, BABYMONSTER + MORE)

check out last months installment here :)

Bubble Gum - NewJeans

With HYBE collapsing in on itself and ADOR being the epicentre of the explosion, a part of me was a little afraid that NewJeans' comeback would take a hit in the quality department. From the first bars of 'Bubblegum' I knew I had been worried for no reason.

'Bubblegum' is an early 2000s synth fueled record with an edge of 80s Japanese citypop. It's groovy, simplistic, and effortless in execution, and while it isn't necessarily an innovation in NewJeans' notoriously trend-setting discography, it's still a welcome addition that capitalizes on the members vocal tones and the group's style beautifully.

The music video is gorgeous, as usual, with it taking notes from the raw, realistic nature of 'Ditto' and the colour-pop confidence of 'Hype Boy'. Danielle looked especially gorgeous in her natural curls, and Hanni's sharp bob is so striking - she looks like an anime heroine, and I love it.

I know we've all heard the phrase 'I think I just made the song of the summer' a little too much these past few years, but I am of the opinion that NewJeans has successfully achieved it with 'Bubblegum' - it's been a whirlwind year so far for me, and something easygoing and chill like this is exactly the energy I will be bringing into the hotter months.

Even though they have made ripples in the kpop industry, it seems nobody can do it quite like NewJeans.

해야 (HEYA) - IVE (IVE SWITCH)

note: i will be covering the rest of the mini album when the m/v for 'accendio' is released next month, so stay tuned :)

Coming off of the mildly contrived 'Baddie' and the shockingly beautiful 'Off The Record' from 2023's 'I'VE MINE' EP, I wasn't sure where I was going to stand with IVE's comeback. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised.

'Heya' is a track with a chorus melody that makes such perfect sense that you are left amazed that nobody has thought of it before - its so easily catchy, and being 100% real, it's been stuck in my head since the m/v teaser. The construction of this song is honestly very impressive (Dem Jointz is the arranger so this is unsurprising), every vocal or instrumental motif pokes it's head in and reappears in an effortlessly perfect way, even the raps aren't jarring, a pitfall many a kpop track have fallen down before.

Functionally, this song is the perfect response to 'Baddie': that playful edge they centred in on in that track is still present here, but IVE have returned back to home base a little more and drawn from that elegant, untouchable concept they built in their iconic debut trilogy. 'Heya' understands the elements that saved 'Baddie' from succumbing to unlistenability, and knows how to use them redirect back to the right track without discarding the lessons learnt entirely.

While I don't think this song has reached 'After LIKE' or 'Love Dive' levels of perfection for me, it's still a super fun song for IVE, and absolutely a step in the right direction.

(final note: does anyone else feel like this song samples 'flashing lights' by kanye west?? does anyone else hear this? like at 45 seconds?? maybe im slowly going insane idk)

Midas Touch - KISS OF LIFE

(check out my breakdown of the historical allusions in the mv here)

Kiss Of Life seems to just know exactly what they are doing, and the music is just getting better and better. The Britney edge and old SNSD flair on this track is right up my street, and all the members just give their all on this song, their talent is so consistently clear.

Their seemingly exponential growth in popularity and success from debut is so well deserved, they are truly setting the standard for the quality of music of the 5th generation; they are proving with every release that kpop does have more to offer, there is more innovation to be made.

My grievances at this release being a single album aside, this was a perfect comeback in my opinion. Congratulations Kiof for graduating nugudom, I can't wait to see what you do next.

Impossible + 9 Days + One Kiss - RIIZE

And just when I thought I would never enjoy a boy group release again, RIIZE dropped 'Impossible'. The audacity to release something as fucking amazing as this like 3 months after 'Love 119' (which i controversially loved)??? Insane.

This track marks SM's latest addition to their arsenal of iconic house bangers, 'Impossible' revitalizes everything that made Shinee's 'View' and f(x)'s '4 Walls' so good for the 2024 music scene. It has that late night BBC Radio 1/love island pop edge to it that I have been yapping about for months, and I am so obsessed. This is how to compete with Somi's 'Fast Forward' for the most british sounding kpop song.

'One Kiss' is a sonic sequel to 'Love 119' - I am just so obsessed with how much they sound like an early 2000s western boy group on tracks like this, they just exude NSYNC energy. '9 Days' is another laidback pop hit, with a little more energy and longevity than 'One Kiss'. The sound of 2024's summer in kpop has clearly been established, and I for one am in favour.

RIIZE being the first boy group to last more than two comebacks on my stan list is really something I didn't see coming, but it's a welcome change.

SHEESH - BABYMONSTER (BABYMONS7ER)

I think babymonster may start to be delegated to the mini review section of these monthly reviews, because I am genuinely struggling to find something likeable within this song. 'Batter Up' at least had a danceability to it, even if it was highly derivative, but 'Sheesh' is just so predictable to me. Even the switch up from the standard YG party final chorus felt formulaic somehow, and the mini album wasn't much better.

Ahyeon is back though, and she proved once and for all that she is absolutely a necessary part of the group - her rap was easily the song's highlight. The performances from this era were genuinely excellent considering what they were working with.

I don't like being a stuck record with groups I just will never enjoy, so I apologize, but discussions around their future releases will be limited going forward, unless they drop something that I actually enjoy.

Pre2: Flower Rhythm + Pre3: Candy Crush- ARTMS (Dall)

There is something about modhaus production that just works for me, and the interpolation of Heejin's 'Algorithm' on 'Flower Rhythm' is a really exciting choice. The verses, post-chorus and bridge are very strong in my opinion, but the chorus itself seems to get a little lost in the sauce. I can see that chorus growing on me however, and the rest of the song is highly enjoyable, very evocative of the yyxy sub-unit.

Haseul's 'Plastic Candy' is one of my favourites from the ARTMS girls' releases, and with it's interpolation in 'Candy Crush' means I am predisposed to be obsessed with this song. It's a little jazzy, a little citypop, and it's the perfect late night summer vibe. This is easily my favourite of the pre releases so far, but the sheer array of styles the girls have demonstrated makes me very excited to see where they go for the title track.

Girls' Night - Loossemble (One Of A Kind)

LOOSEMBLE AND ARTMS RELEASES IN ONE MONTH??? WE WON

Loossemble's 'Sensitive' was pure pop perfection, and the album was just as impressive, so going into 'One Of A Kind' and its title 'Girls' Night' I just knew they were going to deliver.

'Girls' Night' is a classic LOONA type track, a total kaleidoscope of sonic innovation, and it stuns throughout its 3:24 runtime (we love long songs). My girl Yeojin got PINK HAIR, Vivi got a lore update, and Gowon unlocked her irish ancestry - overall a 10/10 in the visuals department. The rest of the album is an actual masterpiece; 'Moonlight' is a banger that caught me off guard by how good it is, 'Boomerang' has an addictive almost hyperpop edge - it's very evocative of Yeppi Yeppi by aespa, or even Paradisin' by Rina Sawayama. 'He Said I Said' plays it a little too safe in the production department in my opinion, and it comes off a slightly childish for them - it's a perfectly enjoyable song, but probably the weakest on the album. 'Truman Show' brings in a more acoustic sound, which builds with the synth to create a truly cinematic feel - it has a ballad vibe, but keeps it on the upbeat side, so if kpop ballads aren't your thing, you still might enjoy this one. 'Starlight' is a perfect album closer, and although it will never be my favourite LOONA song with 'Star' in the title, it's a really beautiful song. This was a really successful album for them, and I can't wait to see what else they bring to the industry.

MINI REVIEWS:

SPOT! - ZICO feat. JENNIE: I was fully prepared to lie and act like this was a masterpiece before I listened because it has my queen jennie in it, but when I actually heard it I was pleasantly surprised with an absolute certified banger. This has that TripleH - 365 Fresh energy that I love, and Jennie's amazing vocals have made me so excited for what shes going to do with her solo work at odd atelier :)

Could It Be + Freak - YUQI ((G)-IDLE): I've never been a huge (G)-IDLE fan, so 'Freak' really wasn't my vibe, but 'Could It Be' had a Sunmi-esque edge that draws me in somehow. Having heard a snippet on TikTok, I also listened to the b-side 'Red Rover', and it's a real standout, make sure to give this one a listen if you only heard 'Freak'.

Blush - woo!ah!: i am in denial thay the official group name is now WOOAH, why are we erasing herstory?? Anyway, 'Blush' really blew me away - this song is so fun, every second is packed with memorable melodies and beautiful production, and that post chorus??? a killer!! SO underrated, if you haven't checked out this song yet this month, be sure to, it's an underrated song that I can see making it high in my yearly ranking.

고민중독 - QWER: Sapphic themes?? in a kpop music video??? with a girl BAND??? yoasobi vibes??? of course i was going to love it! I had never really heard of QWER before this month, but this song is such a banger and the pop rock sound is immaculate - ( @a-moth-to-the-light this feels very much up your street) I will 100% be checking out their discography, and I can easily see these girls making a home on my stan list, this track is truly amazing.

Final Love Song - I-LAND2 Contestants with ROSÉ: This is the kind of kpop song that makes me understand why this genre is so bullied. What are we doing. Rosé sounded good I guess. Moving on.

IMMM - ILY:1: Such an unexpected groovy sound - big Momoland energy. Pretty much everyone is eating up these April releases, even the nugu girlies are bringing it more than usual. I'm slightly worried about the lack of music video or promotions, but this song is really fun, so please go stream and show ILY:1 some love :)

[coelakanths]

my jenny wakeman cd is complete….

65 minutes of a bunch of jenny songs!!!!! and you can hold it in your hands and cherish it with your ears!!!!!!!!! design choices + song analysis thoughts under the cut :3

okkkk. this was so fun to make!!! took me two days in total but it would’ve taken less time if I didn’t have work and a life outside of cartoons 🙄 but I digress. most of these songs are taken from this jenny playlist that I just love with my whole heart… I hope the creator is out there so they know that i am so picky with my character playlists and they really hit a home run here which NEVER happens for me. tysm to that random stranger for being the best!!

anyway :3 jennys musical vibe falls into a few categories— i looked mostly for girl pop, hyperpop/electro-whatever, teen angst, etc etc… big early 2000s vibe. I briefly considered adding some older songs to fit the aesthetic of the show but it’s just not her!!! shes just a little rebellious like that!

most of these songs are pretty straightforward in their connection to jenny imo but with character playlists i always have the itch to explain and over-analyze why everything fits well. im going to refrain from doing that too much here but know that each song was picked with a lot of thought. probably too much thought if im being honest.

now onto the actual design of the cd case! the design is a little underwhelming i know, but i didn’t want to bite off more than i could chew. i included two separate star motifs seen in the show (jennys “blast off” and the little stylized sparkles) and of course the trans flag because well. have you seen her?

I tried (and sort of failed…) to make the song list look like a circuit board? idk. it’s a little ugly. i didn’t try THAT hard. i think if i were to do this again id print off an image of a circuit board and use that instead. i have a huge collection of them (as seen in the background of the photos!) and considered cutting one to size, but it would be too thick and bumpy.

the cd itself is nothing special!! i put stickers on it and wrote down the main details. i like to keep the cds themselves fairly simple, but maybe someday ill be braver with them :,-)

this project was really just a test run for a line of nicktoons unite character cds!! the main one i want to do is for danny. i have a ~3hr long danny playlist and the cds i have can only hold 80mins so i think im gonna make two cds for him but im not sure yet. i just wanted more practice before i took on that project and who better to work with than my favorite robot girl?

that’s all!!! thank you for reading this :-) i love doing weird insanely self indulgent projects for nobody but myself! good to be crafting again ⭐️🤖

[cryptiqish]

some quick thoughts on nerdy prudes must die

first off - this is 100% a return to form for starkid for me. tgwdlm was like. lighting in a bottle but i really, really am not a fan of black friday - so i dipped after that, and never really looked into nightmare time etc. as i'm not super into the hatchetfield eldritch lore stuff - honestly, i figured i was aging out of it. THAT SAID. holy shit. npmd is brilliant

every single goddamn song is a banger. every one. it's so rare for me to like everything at least to a little bit, but when i can interchange my entire top 5 you know it's brilliant. high school is killing me, nerdy prudes must die, dirty girl, hatchet town...all top tier starkid in general. up there w tgwdlm

angela giarratana and will branner steal this entire show. absolutely insane stuff from both of them. will in particular...oh man. it's his show and you just KNOW it

oh shit!!! oh fuck!!!! i didnt think thered be a skele'uhn here... im so fucking scared of skele'uhnz!!!

it's FUNNY

i <3 the weird anime nerd kid. rip king

jon's vocals and just. general range in this is amazing to see from tgwdlm

 i will say i wish this maintained the more straight slasher vibe of the first act all the way through but that’s just personal preference since i'm less into the overarching eldritch lore stuff as mentioned. with that in mind though, i didn't find the lords in black stuff as jarring as i thought i would (and the summoning's a banger) - so it works narratively. i think at the end of the day i prefer my standalone shows - not everything needs to be an extended universe - so i was pleasantly surprised at how relatively well this could function as its own thing.

following that - i think this is the closest starkid's gotten to like, off-broadway quality - with plot modifications i could 100% see it making the jump. the production quality - of both the musical itself and the proshot, is amazing - everything pops, it's incredibly polished and just looks brilliant (again, such a step up from BF.)

shoutout to the costume design in particular. top tier work again. ghost max looked crazy good.

for something that in actuality didn't get a lot of focus...can’t stop thinking about how the whole max jagerman grace chastity dynamic is like the absolute HARDEST thing to randomly come out of starkid. the implicit themes had absolutely no right to go that hard!!!! it’s a silly horror comedy!

devout repressed christian and a boy that thinks he’s god. and then she deals with the first sign of sexual attraction to him by killing him??

and then his ghost comes back for vengeance, viewing it as divine justice - and then she ends the musical enacting her own vengeful divine justice?? straight up with modified reprise of his song?? they’re one and the same?? the prayer motif???

“will you pray for me / when i’m gone / or is this the eternal dark without a dawn” and “who will pray for you / when your body’s gone” is like the rawest motif of all time and it’s in the same musical that has an ten minute long barbecue joke sequence unrelated to the plot

nothing sexier than the motif of killing god and god killing you, in general. i do think i loved this one because it played with a lot of my fave tropes and themes of horror - high school slasher, archetypes, coming back wrong, religion, all that

"the big game" kept cracking me up it's so dumb and yet

anyway this whole thing just felt like we've unlocked...i dunno, a new level of starkid?? i was blown away and i'm sure for those more invested in hatchetfield beyond tgwdlm it hit even more, but it's left me so excited to see what's next from them for the first time in years.

[dual-fantasy]

duncan is simultaneously the funniest fucking guy and super tragic to me. i think hes The Worst Ever because its a way of acting out against his dad. funniest shit ever and devastating. Everything about duncney as a whole leaves me in hysterics and also clutching my chest crying punching holes into the walls. he is killer phoebe bridgers to me. can the killer in him tame the fire in (various romantic partners he swore were the one then broke up with 2 days later). or is there nothing left to do for them. hes sick of the chase but hes hungry for blood. and theres nothing he can do. hes a dog motif in a really specific street dog way you just have to understand. in a wolf way, even. but in a rabid stranded starving way. he is the only heartbreaker as well btw. he'll be the loser in this game he'll be the bad guy in the play. eric is a duncney song but in a way you would not expect. it is the duncney duncan pov song ever actually. she can come closer he'll let her hurt him how she chooses. this view of her of the top of her head makes him forgive her. her skin cries a soft weep like his. his price how about just a part of her cause he wants. shouldve been me is THE duncney/gwuncan song ever. courtney pov. when she saw the girl looked just like her and it broke her heart the lengths he went to have her to get to have her. cause she hasnt given him what he needs. he wanted her but couldnt reach her. so he went into his memory and relived all the ways he still wants her. shes sorry it shouldve been her. thought ive had in my head for over a year. its literally Them. a loving feeling is the aleduncan 90th breakup song. theyre compatible but only behind closed doors. they mean a lot to me actually jsut like . In General duncan and duncan ships by extension are mitskipilled. mitskimaxxing, even. GRAVE DOG!!!!

frrrr you're so real but if im going to comment on Duncan I need to confess something. Ive never finished watching action. ive gotten to like ep 20 I still have literally never finished it. I know that he has a lot of moments in there but I haven't finished it for some reason. I understand you but also I'm not as insane. feel free to keep screaming about him because I completely trust your opinion . I'll probably finish action soon because you are dragging me into the duncan hellhole. I love characters who are so silly and stupid and also absolutely devastating if you think about it too hard. literally peak characters.

dog motif but in the way that he was abandoned by everyone because they weren't aware he was actually a wolf. he keeps finding new homes but he gets kicked out after a day. he's rabid and scary and he's desperate for a secure home, but he can't admit that because it goes against his nature. everything hes ever known.

I love duncney too btw. Courtney is such an interesting character to me but I cannot put it into words. I love her though. absolutely love her. she's so complicated and nuanced. Courtney is for the intellectuals (joking). same with gwuncan.

also I'm insane about aleduncan. not to be kind of basic but they're everything to me. they can only be with eachother if they're alone. insane about them

I don't have any song recommendations bc school has been fucking my ass recently. moving to an online school while being tech illiterate is actually horrible </3 but your music taste is soooo good. actually top tier. real and genuinely incredible. he's mitskimaxxing, lushpilled, puberty2mogging. grave dog you're so real always

[sibyl-of-space]

been thinking a lot about the "im joining the war on pretentiousness on the side of the pretentious" and how it is affirming my elitist need to be Specific And Pedantic about the term "Classical Music"

i used to think people who were pedantic about that were pretentious assholes, and that's probably true, but the more i have learned about 20th century western music history the more i think being specific about that shit matters. i don't expect everyone on planet Earth who wants to talk about dead guy music to know exactly which period every piece of music ever was written in, and i think the term is used to describe a category of music that is useful to discuss because it IS treated as a category, but i also think the category sucks.

when people use "classical music" to refer to basically the Generally Agreed Upon White People Canon Of Dead Guy Western European Composers, i want to emphasize that they include works that span about 4 actual centuries of lived human experience and shove them all together completely devoid of context.

There are two equally sucky reasons for why I hate it.

Composers who were writing music that was intended to be uncomfortable, fucked up, experimental, specifically a reaction to previous ""classical"" music categories.... just get lumped in with them because in hindsight it was "decided" that their music is also Qualified to be Elevated to the same Standard TM.

The circumstances in which some 20th century compositions were deemed Good Enough to be Elevated to ""classical"" are SO FUCKING POLITICAL.

On point 1:

Basically everything written in the early 20th century was a response to how sick everyone was of the Romantic era. Mahler and Debussy were parts of very different reaction movements (maximalism and symbolism respectively) but both of them intentionally broke Romantic-era rules because they were sick of them. The shit Debussy did to harmony was BONKERS by the standard of the turn of the century.

(He also totally appropriated scales and motifs from gamelan, which is both an interesting historical result of the World Fair and a newly globalizing world, and also still kind of shitty and worth acknowledging that orientalist exoticism was a huge part of his clout. I'm not about to start a debate on influence vs appropriation here, but regardless it's worth knowing about.)

It's honestly kind of a disservice to the radical innovation of some of these composers to lump them with the exact kind of music they were explicitly being a distinct reaction to. This isn't just for 20th century composers; it's true for just about every movement encapsulated in the ""classical"" umbrella. Romantic music broke the rules of the Classical era the same way Classical music broke the rules of the Baroque era. All of them have deep relationships to emerging technologies and the geopolitical circumstances in which they emerged, but I am a nerd for the early 20th century specifically so I know way more about that than the other ones, sorry. I WILL say that I am practiced in Baroque cello though, and at its heart BAROQUE MUSIC HAS MORE IN COMMON WITH JAZZ THAN ROMANTIC ERA MUSIC. I AM DEAD SERIOUS ABOUT THIS. The emphasis on improvisation, no conductors, listening and handing off solos, using figured bass/lead sheets, I could go on!

And while this is obviously focused on Western Europe, what exactly ""counts"" as Western Europe is ALSO insanely political - but that's its own post.

((i am resisting the urge to write 43892048 paragraphs about the Ballets Russes here.))

On point 2:

Do you know that one of Shostakovich's most-played symphonies even today is his fifth? "why do i care about that" because his early career was defined by writing supercool weird modernist shit and also drew from what the weird modernist composers in Western Europe were doing, and then when Stalin came into power, Shostakovich was basically met with "stop doing that disgusting degenerate shit or you are dead," and his fifth symphony was written out of fear for his fucking life to an "acceptable" standard of "innovative, but not TOO innovative. if it doesn't sound good your ass is dead. you need to write us Good Russian Music or else."

so his fifth symphony is Good Russian Music that was acceptable to those in power, unlike his degenerate weirdcool stuff from earlier.

and it is THAT symphony that is his lasting legacy to the world, divorced of context and just presented as "this sounds good, doesn't it? :)" almost a century later.

DO YOU SEE WHY IT MATTERS TO BE SPECIFIC ABOUT THIS STUFF?

"i dont like weird modern art/music that looks/sounds bad" thats cool! i respect that! but you should probably also know that in the 20th century a lot of nasty people used "music should sound good" to invent ahistorical bleached national identities and often killed people making music that DIDN'T sound good, so the right of musicians to make weird horseshit is really important. the end

(also any time some nazi douchebag tries to talk about music they are spouting wrong ahistorical horseshit 10000% of the time and you should bludgeon them with european music history textbooks.)

[s0ckh3adstudios]

no bc the way ive been thinking abt the goldstar boss theme too,,... ive literally been playing around on fl studio trying to map out where different leitmotifs would go for the past like 3 hours what is happening 😭😭😭

so far ive been using justice in place of the kanako motif, showdown and forlorn in place of original mothers love bits, and trial by fury and tenth level lockdown as chujin stand-ins where forlorn used to be, though i might switch that to guns blazing,,.. ive only mapped out phase 1 so far and with no chords or anything so it might sound horrible actually but who cares !!!! im also planning 2 add maybe,, point of no return where showdown was, mo money where protocol was, kanako where justice/yellow soul was, and maybe?? maybe star where hopes and dreams was??? might be fun

....anyway. hi. ive never said anything b4 but ur au is super super cool and i am being totally normal about it as you can see ♥️

OHHHHHHHHHHHH MY GOSH. OKAY FIRST OF ALL I KNOW IT'S JUST MAPPING BUT I'D BE VERY CURIOUST TO HEAR THIS (I'm insane about music and motifs) also you are so right forever. WAIT OH MY GOD DID YOU SAY STAR WHERE HOPES AND DREAMS IS??? SHUT UP SHUT UP YOU'RE SO SMART PLEASE

I loveeeee all the motifs that get to be included. TENTH LEVEL LOCKDOWN!!

hello. :] thank you for being normal about the AU i appreciate it i can never be normal and i am extremely curious i need to hear this

[ghoodles]

Once ATSV releases on netflix im gonna be not only watching that shit cause im normal

BUT

I NEED TO FIND WHAT JESS'S FUCKIN SOUND IS

CAUSE IN GUGGENHEIM ASSEMBLE, THERE'S OBVIOUSLY THREE SPIDERS AND A VULTURE

AND THEIR MEDIAS OF MUSIC ALL LIKE

CLASH

IN LIKE A GOOD WAY

BUT I JUST CANNOT FIND JESS'S, AND ITS GOING TO DRIVE ME INSANE

CAUSE I MEAN

GWEN HAS THE ELECTRIC GUITAR WE'VE ALL SEEN

MIGUEL HAS THAT SORT OF LIKE.. SYNTH..? IDK HOW TO DESCRIBE IT I CANNOT PINPOINT WHAT THAT IS...

THE ANOMALOUS VULTURE HAS THE WHOLE ASS ORCHESTRA WITH AT THE VERY LEAST HIS OWN SINGING

THE GUGGENHEIM ITSELF HAS ITS OWN MOTIF

SO WHAT THE FUCK IS JESS IN THE MUSIC IM GONNA LOSE MY MARBLES