#the rumbling vs the old testament
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harley-rose25 · 1 month ago
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AOT, the rumbling, the old testament, evil, the nature of evil and violence, philosophy
Ya'll Ive been wanting to make this post for a while but I just cant think of how exactly to word what I want to say; but i guess ill just start and see where this takes me. So, I want to explain why I love AOT and Erens character so much, also my moral philosophy behind supporting the rumbling.
I've made other post about the rumbling and why I support Erens actions so I don't wanna get all into here because you're probably tired of me talking about it. So basically to summarize; world hates Eldians because past Eldians = bad people, Big powerful neighbor attacks island Eldians for 100 years, commits a genocidal act of war against them. World gather to declare a genocidal war on island Eldians, launches attack on island. The Titans are island Eldians only defense. I support people acting in self defense. If you start a war and you get killed you're at fault. If you try to beat someone to death and they pull a gun on you you don't get to cry victim.
So if you've read my other AOT posts you probably could have already assessed that my thoughts run along the lines of the above statement. I wanna try to go deeper. Because we can say that Paradis had the right to defend themselves but killing 80% of humanity is taking it to far. People argue that Eren could have protected Paradis by taking out Marley's military; I disagree with that assessment but that not what this post is about.
I support the rumbling because the world of AOT is Evil and the people in it are evil. The only society in AOT that was shown to not be evil was Paradis and even they were quickly becoming evil once they were exposed to the outside world.
I liken the Rumbling to passages in the old testament where God destroys an entire city or an entire nation or the entire planet because humans have become evil and corrupt. and people will say what about the innocent people, what about the children, are they evil and corrupt? and they'll say that the God of the old testament is evil, but what I've come to understand of these stories, or at least my interpretation of them isn't that literally everyone in these societies that God kills is inherently evil and deserves to die, but that at some point a society becomes so corrupted that it cant be saved. At some point the spread and support for sick and evil ideas is so rampant in a society that while you can say the children are innocent you can also say that the chance they're going to grow up and fight against the system they're raised in is effectively zero; and of those that do they're quickly beaten back down. Look at Marley; we see scenes of Eldians being openly discriminated against, being kicked, being pushed to ground, being beaten, Eldian children being murdered. Eldians are forced in internment zones and spat on; and this treatment as well as the attacks against Paradis are largely supported by the populace. It's the people who hate Eldian's and hate Paradis. If there are people who don't, who believe that Eldians should be free to live like everyone else, who don't hate the people on Paradis, and I'm sure there are, there isn't enough of them to make a difference, they aren't doing anything about it so they don't actually matter.
Another point I'm drawing my moral conclusions from is, I think it was a ted talk, I cant remember sorry, but this guy talked about women and sexual assault and harassment we face, and he addressed the people who say not all men by pointing out that not all men but if you're silent when other men are harassing or assaulting women then you might as well not be there. So, even if the majority of people in the world were against the way Eldians were being treated it actually wouldn't matter because they didn't do anything about it and If you stay silent when other people are throwing racist abuse at someone that 'someone' isn't going to care about your silent support.
I think of the Rumbling and Eren as acts of nature. In AOT, during the rumbling a Marleyan military man says that "it is all the worlds hatred reflected back onto them."
I once heard another point from a source I don't remember, again sorry, which is basically that everyone, or nearly everyone, is evil, because if there's injustice in the world and you aren't using all you're power and resources to fix it you're evil. And I thought about this, about how I spend money on new clothes I don't need when there are people who don't have a coat for winter or have been wearing the same pair of shoes for 12 years but I have like 12 different pairs. I think about the homeless people I drive or walk by on my way to by a 6$ coffee and food when I have food and coffee at home. I think about people suffering under oppressive regimes and maybe I could do something help, maybe I could donate to something at least but I don't because I'm selfish and I want more for me.
AOT, the rumbling, Eren just like encapsulated all this in my head and it made me realize that I should and I can be a better person. I started thinking more about my place in the world and how I might benefit others; I started donating; I've started looking for volunteer work I can do near me (haven't found anything unfortunately, but I'm not sure how to really look for this stuff, my depression and anxiety disorders don't help); I try to speak out against injustice I see in the world instead of being silent and ignoring it. I'm not saying I'm a saint now or that I'm out here fighting tooth and nail for justice or whatever cause I'm really not; I'm sitting on a sofa in my dads living room; but, I'm more aware, and I actually try to help or bring awareness once in a while which is more than I was doing before.
So yeah hopefully this even made sense. I just wanted to actually talk about what this series has really done for me and why I'm obsessed. (I mean beyond Eren Jaeger being disgustingly hot) Lets be honest, I'm pretty obsessed with effing hot Eren is, actually. Ok I get distracted by his lean corded muscle and tall frame 🤤and stupidly beautiful face and oh no its happened again
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epitome-the-burnkid-viii · 1 year ago
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tundrainafrica · 4 years ago
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Hi, I love your meta posts.One thing that I have been thinking about since the uprising arc, was Hange Erwin's first choice as his successor? Some people(pro rumbling gang) think that they were incompetent as fuck as the commander, couldn't stop the formation of the jaegerist faction and provide any solution for centuries old eldian hate etc. While I agree that it was the role they didn't even ask for in the first place and they had too much on their plate, (1)
(2) I still think that they did the best and no one else could've done better. But I am still confused. Erwin probably knew that politics weren't Hange's forte, and only chose them because other vets were dead(Maybe Mike was the first choice) but at the same time he asked Hange to call the shots for him even when Mike and others were still alive( 57th expedition,Stohess Raid,start of COTT arc) which makes me think that Hange was the first choice. So, What is your take on this? Thank you!
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Hello Anon, 
As always, it’s great to hear that people enjoy my internal monologues which can’t seem to get out because nobody that lives close proximity to me irl actually sees Levihan as a romantic couple. 
But anyway, enough about me. 
One thing that I have been thinking about since the uprising arc, was Hange Erwin's first choice as his successor? 
To answer your first question… YES. YES. AND YES. 
Okay first things first, let us assess Erwin’s other options for successor: 
We assume Erwin gets his successor from among the squad leaders, captains and team leaders (because who gets them from the rookies??)  which gives us: Levi, Hange, Lauda, Rashad, Dirk, Marlene, Klaus, Mike, Darius, Dita
By the time Erwin had to start thinking of a new successor though, Mike, Darius, Dita were dead so let’s cut down the list. 
Levi, Hange, Lauda, Rashad, Dirk, Marlene, Klaus.
Levi and Hange have always been considered the strongest ones in the survey corps. I actually suspect that the rest of the cast mentioned above were only raised to squad leader status in take back wall Maria because the other leaders were dead at that point. 
So the only two in contention for the commander position where Levi and Hange. But really, how is this a competition? Levi has always been more fit for handling a small squad and although Levi is humanity’s strongest soldier, he doesn’ have the eye for large scale and long term strategy, logistics, paperwork and the knack for politicking that Hange has. That’s why from the start Levi wasn’t a squad leader, he was a special operations squad captain. 
Levi had a squad of select people, at the start of the show it was only four. Hange was handling a lot more people than Levi. And if you look at the way Hange and Levi both go about combat it’s completely different. 
For example, how do they go about subduing the female titan? For Levi it’s *slash slash slash” and for Hange, she likes to prepare traps, she likes to study habits, find weaknesses and attack them. I like to suspect that Levi isn’t particularly adept with long term planning because he’s just so strong and fast he can easily just slash away his problems within seconds so really who needs long term planning when they’re humanity’s fastest and strongest soldier.
And we never see how Levi handles logistics, politicking and office work but I suspect Levi did not have the same formal education Erwin and Hange had which puts him leagues behind both of them in that field. Which makes Hange, who was shown to be adept with documentation (based on research and the way she goes about reports in the Ilse’s notebook OVA) and politicking (with how she handled the Flegel Reeves issue) the most suitable person to lead among who was left.  
If Mike, Darius and Dita though lived would they have been a better choice?
Okay, I’m gonna put Darius and Dita out of the equation because they weren’t one of the more notable soldiers from the start. 
Let’s consider Mike.
Erwin probably knew that politics weren't Hange's forte, and only chose them because other vets were dead (Maybe Mike was the first choice).
As mentioned above, I believe Hange knows her way around politics and diplomacy with the way she considered manipulating the media to help Flegel Reeve’s case. And the way to getting the technology in Paradis to catch up to the outside world in four years? Hange for sure needed some diplomacy and politicking skills for that so I don’t agree with the fact that Hange didn’t have those skills. 
Between Mike and Hange, I still think Hange would have been the first choice. Mike had two notable characteristics about him, for one he was strong combat wise, he had a good sense of smell. He basically had some of Levi’s skill and what he lacks in combat compared to levi, he makes up with leadership skill.
Hange though had more than that. She had the leadership skill (she leads a whole squad too), she has research skills, analysis skills, strategy, politicking and she’s not shoddy in the battle field either. I made a meta on Hange’s logistics skills and her contributions to battle in this ask. You can check that ask out for the details. Sure Mike had that and although he is considered much better than Hange in battle (I mean he is deemed the second strongest next to Levi), Hange makes up with her shortcomings in combat with the fact that she beats Mike by miles with her brains. 
In the ask, I linked, I talked about the fact that missions wouldn’t happen without Hange, she does all the behind the scenes dirty work which nobody really cares about. Hange was the one who figured out how to get all those barrels up to the forest for when they capture the female titan. Hange plans the bases which they were setting up and the supply lines all the way until Wall Maria. There are huge amounts of multi tasking, strategy and thinking involved in all of that. You might even say that these are types of thinking and analysis even Erwin himself wouldn’t have been able to do. 
And the raid of Marley which recently just showed in the anime is another testament to the type of role Hange tends to play on the field. Sending paratroopers to the field (like how they sent the Paradis soldiers to Marley) was a fairly common tactic in World War I  World War II but is generally dangerous for the paratroopers in question because the general strategy for the enemy here is the barricade all the exits (which they did in the show.) 
Hange’s job then was to make sure they get everyone safely back which explains the lights, the blimp and of course Armin’s explosion. That plan to save the lives of all the paratroopers was implied to have been taught up in the anime by Armin but I think this plan to recover all the soldiers that way was made by both Hange and Armin and the detail on the lights, possibly something Hange pointed out because she has always been good in logistics.
Some people(pro rumbling gang) think that they were incompetent as fuck as the commander, couldn't stop the formation of the jaegerist faction and provide any solution for centuries old eldian hate etc. While I agree that it was the role they didn't even ask for in the first place and they had too much on their plate. 
And this just gets to me… Hange? Incompetent as fuck? 
The Paradis that opened up was a completely new world. And the situation required a commander who is good in logistics, strategy, diplomacy and politicking and personally I believe Hange was perfect for the role. 
She would have done a better job than Erwin and even if Erwin did live, Hange would have played an incredibly big part and she probably would have been Erwin’s right hand man here. Because the circumstances which came after Paradis required someone as well who was research and technology-savy on top of all that i mentioned above given that they were building railways, adapting blimps, improving their ODM gear and of course their weapons and who has been improving their weapons since the start? HANGE (ehem ehem thunder spear)
So Hange was the perfect commander given the circumstances
And did you see how badly they curbstomped Marley in the latest episode given all the improvements to their armor, their gay and their plans (with the blimp etc.) I don’t think I even need to talk much about how good of a job Hange did leading them with that episode so fresh in everyone’s mind. 
But since a lot of antis want to bring up Hange’s shortcomings as commander, let’s address them. 
“couldn't stop the formation of the jaegerist faction and provide any solution for centuries old eldian hate etc. etc.”
Personally, I only see one ‘shortcoming’/’mistake’ Hange made which might have led to the fatal consequences above. 
Hange was too much more of a parental figure than Erwin to the people under her. She didn’t demand respect or exude authority the way Erwin did. Despite being the commander, she talked to the people under her like equals, she made her vulnerabilities, her dreams, her aspirations and her humanity all the more known to the people around her. 
Look at how she approaches Eren (even after all the bullshit he did). 
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I’m sure Hange approaches all of her subordinates the same way. She approached them like her own children. She wanted them to open up to her. And this is fairly obvious also in the differences of their reactions when Hange died vs how Erwin died. 
When Erwin died, the people who mourned where Hange and Levi who had seen Erwin as more of a friend compared to everyone else right?
How did the 104th cadets react when Hange died?
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You can argue I guess that they have known Hange for longer, of course they would mourn her like that? 
But even beyond the examples above, we have seen how Hange approaches the cadets and her subordinates. Hange was definitely more open, she definitely tried to get to know everyone, even as squad leader, among Miche, Erwin, Levi and her, Hange has always been the most approachable and I don’t find it completely out of character that she carried that part of her personality all the way until commander as seen above by how she talked to Eren and even more recently. 
How she talked to Onyakopon and Armin on the blimp
I’m counting on you Onyakopon. And even with how Onyakopon approaches Hange, you can see he sees her more than just a commander to respect. 
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You came up with such a reckless plan? Were you possessed by Erwin’s ghost or something? 
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This might fall under YMMV analysis already but I honestly think the two interactions above were very parental and I don’t think Erwin would have interacted with Onyakopon or Armin similarly in those two situations. Hange is much more touchy than Erwin was and with how she interacted with Armin here, she sounded like a mother lecturing their kid. 
Hange’s approach to leadership was more parental. Is that a short coming? 
Maybe,Hange deciding to approach her subordinates from a position of power as a parental figure more than a commander was a mistake. Maybe that’s one reason why the jaegerist faction manage to form under her and betray her. Maybe they were just a little too radical and were a little too not scared of Hange and hung over Eren to have thought otherwise. 
Maybe Eren just exuded more power, fear authority than Hange and the people who preferred that type of leader chose to side with Eren. 
But personally, I don’t even think Hange deciding to approach her position of power like this is a short-coming at all. In another world maybe where Eren hadn’t gone crazy and inspired such a faction, maybe Hange’s approach to leadership would have worked to unite everyone instead. 
But politics and opposing factions exist anywhere and I believe in any organization, these types of factions and these types of rebellions are bound to happen because that’s how humans are.
Hange was the best one for the job. Hange did her best. She did a great job. She was a great commander and if she weren’t a great commander, I’m sure these subordinates under her wouldn’t have been mourning her death like this. 
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The cruel truth was... Hange just couldn’t please everyone. Hange was a parent to her cadets, she trusted Eren until the last minute, wanted to try to understand him. 
And she was betrayed. Eren rallied his own soldiers with his own brand of leadership which lead to a chain of events which were eventually traced back to ‘Hange being a shitty leader.’
So many things were just happening at once and suddenly everyone decides to blame her “since she’s in a position of power” 
Like yo, blame eren. The only mistake Hange ever made was trying to see the humanity in Eren.
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avaliveradio · 5 years ago
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Rock Mania Rises Again with New Music hosted by Jacqueline Jax
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Artist: Vix 20
New Release: Hashtag Change
Genre: Power pop
Located in: London
‘Hashtag Change’ is a song that’s a tongue in cheek look at President Trump. Unashamed Power Pop that doesn't take it self too seriously. We love all music from Abba to Zeppelin and everything in between.
We have been in the music business for along time we have had releases in Metal, rock and pop. We now only release what we like and have no pressures from labels etc. Video for Hashtag has just been completed, can’t wait to show it to the world!
https://open.spotify.com/artist/01fEKKUsAN1pp9jguVrTQG?si=NFhUnkuCTJW9hmHE83nZXw
LINKS:  https://www.vix20.com https://www.instagram.com/vixtwenty https://www.facebook.com/vixtwentymusic @vixtwenty (twitter)
Artist: Ugly Melon
New Release: 'If you're wrong'
Genre: Rock /Hard Rock
Located in: : Toronto Ontario Canada
Have you ever questioned your faith? The new single ''If you're wrong' by Candian band Ugly melons is a song that challenges your religious beliefs. It's telling 'believers' ...' if you're wrong about all this shit, then this is where you'll end up'. 
The song can also be interpreted in such a way that it will force us to challenge all the things we think we believe in. Be open-minded. Look at things from many different angles, and be accepting of others, and their beliefs. 
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Our brand is old school - new school Hard Rock Music. Music with yesterday’s melodic writing and vocal style with today’s modern production.
Ugly Melon is influenced by the best British Bands in the World, Black Sabbath Iron Maiden Judas Priest White Snake with today’s bands like Disturbed. If you are looking for a new band to listen to with the elements of great classic rock and today’s modern edge, then look no further, Ugly Melon is your band.
Lu Cachie Guitars, Tony LaSelva Lead Vocals, John Libs on Bass, JT on Guitar and our secret weapon Biagio Diblassi on keys.
"I used to try and create what was considered mainstream and had some great success but never felt it was me. In 2015, I called up Tony LaSelva my very first singer as a teenager. He would be the only singer I’d call cause we are always on the same page with our musical direction. In 2017 we released our first album self titled. In 2018 we released Just a man a real Gem in my ears. What makes this band special is we are all original members. From our first band in our teen years, we know each other like a book. All on the same page and that’s very important.”
New video coming out soon too if your Wrong, Concert coming this fall and We currently working on the third album.
LINKS:  Website: www.uglymelon.com Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42Q2HbxK6CA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uglymelon/ Instagram: ugly_melons Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ugly_Melon
Artist: Heavy AmericA
New Release: Motor Honey (Peace)
Genre: Rock
Located in: : Boston, MA, USA
Calling out to an age of classic rock where heavy, fractured guitars and snarling vocals rallied like war-torn battle cries, ‘Motor Honey (Peace)’ speaks to the more primal side of rock, capturing the energy and sounds of bands like Guns ‘n’ Roses, AC/DC and Queens of the Stone Age. Offering glimmers at heartier heavy metal that are swept aside by a more pronounced, melodic edge. "Motor Honey (Peace)" is a bellowing, rumbling, pedal to the metal anthem.
This is track number two in a series of Singles we plan to release over the next year. It's also the first track we have released with an accompanying video.
The Single and the video were released within two hours of each other. It made a huge impact on the song's release and reflected in more traction among the fans. We plan on making this a habit for the rest of the releases in the series.
Right now we are in full-on work mode!
Most of our summer has been spent in the recording studio tracking our Singles Series. We've got four completed and two more to go. Then it's on to developing the videos for each Single. Most of the footage has been collected but there's still a lot of production to do. We'll be back into full-on gig mode in October starting with two benefit concerts in the Boston area. Release number three will soon follow!
LINKS:  * https://www.reverbnation.com/heavyamerica/song/31047682-heavy-america-motor-honey-peace * https://open.spotify.com/track/1Vm2AW3kGdjYu1whRJKzVL?si=eaDi4j3bT7OmrJGmgPMBGg * https://www.twitter.com/heavyamerica * https://www.facebook.com/heavyamerica * http://www.heavyamerica.us
Artist: idly by
New Release: Concerned Realists Vs M&M's ft. Bec Stevens
Genre: Punk Rock, Indie
Located in:  Adelaide, Australia
Lyrically weaving through the difficult terrain of maintaining meaningful human connection and keeping one's self afloat, this sonically bouncy track, much like the rest of the album, takes a journey through some darker places. At a glance, idly by are making some high energy, fun, and catchy punk rock. In a closer inspection, there are stories to be heard in the lyrics of personal struggle and deep dissatisfaction with the status quo.
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Artist: 6 Speed Supernova
New Release: Groovy Stars
Genre: Rock / Alt-Rock / Classic-Rock
Located in: San Francisco, CA
A testament to the notion that it's never to late. Age is just a number. If you want something bad enough, you'll find a way to make you're dream a reality.
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Right now we are... getting ready to go back into the studio to record our album in October. We will be taking a mini Southern CA tour in December and will be opening for Steven Adler of Guns 'N Roses. https://open.spotify.com/track/7hRLjs77RxMl5ipvXTgMYH?si=IiFn_7arRCqI95KtU-nizA
Website & social media links: https://www.6speedsupernova.com https://www.instagram.com/6speedsupernova https://twitter.com/6SpeedSupernova https://www.facebook.com/6speedsupernova
Artist: FireBrand
New Release: Single Eye (Recharged)
Genre: Metal - Industrial Metal
Located in: : Murray, Ky USA
Combining 90s style synthesizer dance grooves with aggressive guitars, drums, and vocals, I sing (and scream) about how our priorities direct the course of our lives and why it's important to focus on the right thing(s).
The song's lyrics contain loose metaphors and Bible references to eyes to convey that our lives will be well when our focus is on the truth and what is pure.
This song is a revamped version of the original song that I released on an album around eight months ago. Back then, the idea seemed to be in its adolescence, like some more work was needed to fully develop its potential. Since stepping up the track's arrangement, and recording and mixing quality, this song has come to be my favorite out of all the songs I've done so far. The influences of Circle of Dust, Klank, and Death Therapy come out in the groovy guitar riffs, harsh vocals, and the sporadic synth melodies.
The music... 
I am revamping the songs I've released at the beginning of 2019 to make updated impressions as to how I sound before working on new material. The "Overcomer- Re: charged" EP will feature rearranged and re-recorded versions of songs found on the original "Overcomer" album, with also some mashups. I loved how "Single Eye (Recharged)" turned out and felt that it did such a great job making an impression that I decided to make it the opening track on the upcoming EP.
The full EP will be released on September 13th of this year! Pre-orders are available on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon MP3.
LINKS:  My website: https://www.firebrandcybermetal.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FireBrandIndustrialMetal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firebrandmusic Song from Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/5vjJCtrdCxsXwrao2IUXrK?si=ZMeD-3QQTB-SX9orB2RPBQ
Artist: Tough On Fridays
New Release: Little Italy
Genre: Rock: Alternative Rock
Located in: Georgetown, TX
Tough On Fridays is a rising alternative rock duo from Georgetown, Texas. Comprised of best friends Katie and Caleigh, the two have turned their shared passion for music into an exciting blend of pop and rock sounds! Inspired by iconic alternative bands like Paramore, Green Day, Basement, and Nirvana, Katie and Caleigh work together to bring a refreshing new sound to the alternative rock genre.
The band’s unique attitude and exciting new sound have garnered serious attention from fans everywhere. As one of 10 songs recorded, the recording of "Little Italy" further defines Tough On Fridays sound as something unique. While many reviewers have tried to categorize the band, the one thing they seem to agree on is that Tough On Fridays, with their edgy, hooky, anthemic songs, may have the ability to bridge the gap between rock and pop in a way that hasn't been done in some time. They refuse to be categorized as a "female-fronted band" as these two can write and play every bit as well as the boys. They have the look, but refuse to let that be the stepping stone that takes them away from the music.
Right now... Tough On Fridays just reached its initial crowdfunding goal to fund the recording of an album in 2020 with the help of a contribution from a local radio station.
LINKS:  https://www.reverbnation.com/toughonfridays/song/30698131-little-italy https://open.spotify.com/track/19ljJUXcw6D91AkxCZNDKf?si=SSJqc9XPRg6QF3hXp0qV5A https://www.twitter.com/toughonfridays https://www.facebook.com/toughonfridays https://www.instagram.com/toughonfridays
Artist: Black Cadillac Kings
New Release: Upside The Wall
Genre: Southern Style Rock
Located in: Klamath Falls, Oregon
This song is fast moving, quick pit stop structured song meaning it has the feeling of rolling down the highway at high speeds. Very catchy/bluesy guitar riffs and ultra southern slide Guitar lead licks mixed with thunderous drums and a stand-up bass that helps it keep a down-home southern rock groove combined with a rockabilly twist. The vocals lend a unique style in the originality of the sound of Shane Thornton (Lead) and Chris Garrett’s (Harmony) voices give them a sound all their own.
The name of this album is called 4 On The Floor. We took a harder, grittier, darker approach to this record both musically and lyrically. It is definitely the hardest rocking record that Black Cadillac Kings has released thus far compared to our 3 previous records 1. Self-titled Black Cadillac Kings 2. 2nd GEAR 3. 3 On The Tree
Right now we are gearing up for a mini-tour across the country starting off in our home town of Klamath Falls, Oregon at the Basin Brew & Que festival. Then we are off to Atlanta, GA to attend the 2019 ISSA AWARDS where Black Cadillac Kings have been nominated to the finals in 3 categories: Entertainer Of The Year, Band Of The Year and Single Of The Year!
LINKS: https://www.reverbnation.com/blackcadillackings/song/30902191-upside-the-wall
https://open.spotify.com/track/2J6lHCf1DhcvTIg1cgwbO6?si=ObXaRB4ZS9KLQCO95Cuq5g
Twitter handle @BlackCaddyKings www.twitter.com/BlackCaddyKings
www.facebook.com/BlackCaddyKings
www.Instagram.com/blackcadillackings
Artist: Black Rose Reception
New Release: Up jumped the devil
Genre: Hard rock
Located in: Indiana
The music we are creating is old and new school music mix. The message in this song is you can overcome the demons of depression, suicide, and stress that we all deal with. There are great and professional people out there who can help. Right now we are going in studio recording more new tracks.
LINKS:  https://open.spotify.com/album/0HEOkTc5fXQyYCr1jwFSeF https://twitter.com/blackroserecept https://www.facebook.com/BlackRoseReceptionMusic https://www.instagram.com/blackrosereceptio https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/BlackRoseReception
Artist: Radio Drive
New Release: Sweet Thing
Genre: Alternative Pop Rock
Located in: St Paul, MN
The song is a sweet, simple, catchy, pop, love song. I've always loved pop love songs, like the early Beatles and Monkees. My older friends played that all the time when I was a kid. I just released a music video for my song "Sweet Thing".
LINKS:  http://www.radiodrive.net http://www.facebook.com/radiodrive http://www.twitter.com/radiodrivemusic http://www.youtube.com/RadioDriveMusic http://www.instagram.com/radio_drive
Artist: Paul J. Clark
New Release: Afterglow
Genre: Alternative rock
Located in: Nashville, TN, USA
The latest single from songwriter Paul J Clark, this song is about the longing to return home while searching for the fulfillment found in the responsibilities of life. Inspired by the Voyager space probe, the golden record it carries containing a time capsule of information about all of us, and a picture it took of Earth from over 4 billion miles away.
Written in the first person from the perspective of Voyager (a satellite of sorts), it’s an abstract metaphor grounded in very real human experience. This song is heavily influenced by the sounds from the ’90s. There are two conflicting emotions battling for resolution throughout the song. This is reflected in the song instrumentation and structure. It combines driving rock guitars with symphonic instrumentation to effortlessly weave together genres into something both nostalgic and new. Musically, it brings to mind guitar-driven songs from the likes of Collective Soul, Linkin Park, Train, Weezer, and Tom Petty.
LINKS: www.reverbnation.com/pauljclark/song/30867506-afterglow https://open.spotify.com/track/1Em507nTXfm2s2GsR5NZY7 Twitter: @PaulClarkMusic www.facebook.com/pauljclarkmusic www.instagram.com/pauljclarkmusic
Artist: Weather
New Release: Silent Approach
Genre: Indie Pop, Post Punk, Alternative Rock,
Located in: : Tabor (Czechia)
This song was written a month ago and it displays my feeling. It is an abstract form of writing lyrics. But the main theme of this song is the tiredness of our wasted society. There is a huge expectation of all of us that we can not fulfill during our short life. Weather is a one-man band whose music is influenced by the 90s DIY scene of Olympia, by new wave of post-punk and DIY hardcore punk from Czechia.
I made my studio at home and finally, I am completely independent to release my songs how they are coming out of me.
I am currently recording a full-length album probably released just online. If there is some independent record label which is interested in my music and wants to help me spread my music around, I will be very glad... Just contact me.
LINKS:  https://soundcloud.com/amweather/silent-approach https://diederdasmensch.bandcamp.com/track/silent-approach https://www.instagram.com/mnsch._/?hl=cs https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXAqbWmRkxzC0V_AMIOrr_A?view_as=subscriber
0 notes
flauntpage · 6 years ago
Text
Becky Lynch Vs. Charlotte Flair Was WWE’s Best Match of the Year
After a long month, WWE did something very right with Sunday’s Evolution show. It was the first all women pay-per-view in WWE’s history and it was probably the best show they’ve put on since Royal Rumble, and quite likely since last year.
Right off the bat, it must be said that WWE tried very hard to make the whole thing mawkish. Not by allowing the wrestlers on the show to speak about what it meant to them—they were all genuine and rightly proud of what they were involved with—but by insisting on placing the corporation at the center of a larger global feminist movement in more vaseline-lensed intrusions featuring Stephanie McMahon than necessary. The focus should’ve been kept on the workers doing the ringwork, rather than the extended McMahon family showing up to talk about the greatness of the WWE.
That said, it’s a testament to how good this show was that even the eyeroll-worthy insertion of McMahons into the proceedings didn’t dampen things a bit. It moved at a blistering pace, with fewer matches over about 3.5 hours than normal. This is the second pay-per-view in a row which has had fewer than 10 matches— Hell In A Cell had eight—and it is, perhaps not by coincidence, the second pay-per-view in a row which has been thoroughly enjoyable. Matches at Evolution had time to breathe, and so did the crowd. It’s remarkable what shows with very little fat can do for your quality.
One thing which persisted throughout was the lack of snickering at the returning older women. This is one of the subtler things which signals a real change, because it seemed so unscripted and natural in a company which doesn’t do that as well as it used to. Middle-aged and older women don’t have it easy in our culture; they’re too often considered used up and targeted for ridicule. Hollywood is notorious for disappearing all but the most acclaimed actresses after their 40th birthdays. WWE sure as hell used to do this, with Mae Young giving birth to a hand and female wrestlers usually disappearing in their mid-30s.
From the opener, where Trish Stratus and Lita were given their due, to the battle royal stocked with legends like Alundra Blayze and Ivory (54 and 56, respectively), there wasn’t a hint of condescension. They were just wrestlers, with their returns treated the same as any nostalgia return. On top of that, those who could still go at something approaching full tilt were allowed to; Ivory, in particular, can still wrestle like hell, and if the jumps were a bit shorter than they used to be, her timing and ring presence were impeccable.
The matches themselves, with the exception of the Trish/Lita vs. Mickie James/Alicia Fox, ranged from enjoyable to scintillating. When your show has a nostalgia pop tag match which is merely “perfectly fine” as its low point, you’re in good shape.
It’s impossible, given word count limitations, to go through every match in the good to great category. Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler had a rematch which didn’t quite reach their NXT heights, but it was still up there with the best matches WWE’s put on recently. Io Shirai and Toni Storm faced off in the finals of the Mae Young Classic tournament, with both women announcing themselves to a broader WWE audience in what, on any other night, would’ve been the best match on the card.
The reason why it wasn’t the best match on the card is that Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair had WWE’s best match of the year. I’m not certain it’s even close, and I thought the Sane/Baszler match was going to run away with it.
WWE has lightning in a bottle with Lynch, who’s so good at her job that they can’t turn her heel despite her best efforts (they dubbed in boos during the replay of her epic promo last week). Her feud with Charlotte is based on a sundered friendship. The women in WWE are invariably funneled through this lens, where everyone is friends and hatreds don’t last because of some combination of women being in touch with their feelings and mean girls just act like mean girls. After the first dozen times, it starts to fall flat.
Not here, though. The simmering resentment played perfectly for the camera in their last woman standing match and the violence started immediately. It wasn’t a technical masterclass, but it wasn’t supposed to be: it was a match where Lynch and Flair were supposed to beat hell out of one another.
It was delightfully, deliriously old school. The camerawork wasn’t WWE’s usual queasy standard, and something about the longer shots, darkened arena, and insane bumps made it feel like something out of Greensboro Coliseum in the 1980s. That sense of timelessness, that you’ve been here before and will be again, is the mark of a great match. This was it, and it was the first time that Charlotte Flair—who is usually booked like a monster—felt like Ric Flair’s daughter. She was wrestling a Ric Flair match.
I’m not joking about the insane bumps. There has never been a WWE women’s match where there was more physical punishment, real physical punishment, meted out. Over not quite 30 minutes, tables were broken, kendo sticks were swung, and Flair took a powerbomb to the outside, through a table.
It was magic. Ideally, WWE wanted this show to be so good that nobody operating in good faith could point at it and say the words, “It was good for a women’s show.” The wrestlers at Evolution made sure that happened.
WWE certainly likes to mess things up, though. Towards the end of the show, WWE flashed a hype video for Crown Jewel on their big screens in the arena. The crowd erupted in boos. It was a tone deaf moment: not only is Crown Jewel horribly unpopular on its own terms, but to bring up a show which the women putting on your best stuff of the year can’t go to is plain arrogance.
That it has to be noted how blinkered WWE is about all of the stuff outside Evolution is annoying, but it’s part of the story. But it cannot be, and won’t be, the story. The story is that Evolution was great, one of those events you’d show to people who aren’t wrestling fans to make them get it. Let’s hope they make it yearly and give this talented, irrepressible women’s roster its due going forward.
Becky Lynch Vs. Charlotte Flair Was WWE’s Best Match of the Year published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/
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un-nmd · 7 years ago
Text
Recent listening—
The Mothers of Invention, Weasles Ripped My Flesh (1970) Strikes a somewhat psychotic balance between the whimsy of a Ween and the all-out avant of a Beefheart. The musicianship’s all there lest you fear that Zappa’s noisy conundrums were meant to hide a lack thereof—his magic band equivalents are able to don ‘general public’ masks and jam away just like any contemporary fellow, as they do on “Directly From My Heart To You” and “My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama” (note the electric violin on the former). But to those with ears of gentle predisposition: beware, and don’t be fooled, for the joke’s on you. The visceral beasts behind those vaguely satirical eye-holes are let loose more often than they’re contained. Take the two characteristic collages, “Didja Get Any Onya?” and “Prelude To The Afternoon Of A Sexually Aroused Gas Mask”: chaos, yes, but ritualistic chaos; Zappa, wielder of the wild. The sheer number of ideas, themes, and allusions introduced and just as quickly passed over in the space of, for each, less than four minutes, is nauseatingly impressive. E.g. about halfway through the latter, whose title suggests Debussy’s own ...d’un faune, some Satanic call and response gives way to the distant strains of the second subject of the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique, over which some madman projects an uncanny valley imitation of a big cat growling—then final tremors from kit and a deep down electric rumbling to close. And if you thought music was one-dimensional (audio, you could argue, perhaps is) wait till you hear Zappa break the fourth wall on “Toads Of The Short Forest” which itself ends on a parodic consonance that’s rich with the same commercial irony of the album’s parting words— “Goodnight, boys and girls”—which follow one and a half minutes of some of the harshest noise you’ll ever hear. If you thought Penderecki was aggressive listen to this and reconsider.
Various artists, Planetarium (2017) You would think that with the extra personnel Sufjan would be somewhat protected from the subsuming ambition that fed Illinois and Adz to over an hour each—or that he’d personally outgrown it, as these mature words here would suggest:
A lot of those flourishes and gestures and aesthetic wanderings on earlier records were smoke and mirrors, a lot of obfuscation that were probably the result of me feeling either inadequate or feeling coy. There’s a lot of role playing and constructing facades.
But the 76-minute run-time indicates otherwise. Perhaps it’s the subject matter. These four gentlemen’s ode to the cosmos is as much about space as it is about substance—by which I mean: aside from the planet portraits they also craft sonic voids to match that of the great vacuum, and call it ‘ambient music’ so its justifiable. Is Muhly to blame? If so, its at least theoretically intriguing for its marriage of post-minimalism and popular music. It makes for dull listening though. You accept it the first couple of times but there’s no way I’m sitting through “Sun” or “Tides” or the “Moon” coda for a third or further. However with “Black Energy” the suspended dissonances are at least something for the ear to work on, and “Halley’s Comet” and “Black Hole” are short enough to accept as outros/intros to tracks preceding/following, with the latter also being interesting for its similarity to certain parts of Badalamenti’s score to Fire Walk With Me. But of the actual songs?—“Jupiter” and “Mars” quickly go from overwhelming to simply overcrafted. Likewise “Earth” is overcome by temporal grandeur, but it is defensible in the same way that the Mahler symphonies are, i.e. gushing Romanticism kills itself yet in doing so also transcends itself. “Pluto” and its interstellar string line provide the appropriate sappiness required of a work named Planetarium. The real gems, however, are “Neptune”, “Uranus”, “Saturn”, and “Mercury”—is it any coincidence that these are also the most Sufjan-esque?
John Coltrane, The Olatunji Concert (1967) This was all the Gods could muster: a cheap, dingy mic, a 30-sec intro, time for two jams with the latter cut off before the final hit—there the master laid down his pen. Like J.S. centuries ago it was, fittingly, on his signature move. Did he know it would be his last live recording? The notion would at least have been entertained as by then he was probably well into the throes of the cirrhosis that would eventually take him. Trane’s apocalyptic final will and testament, the culmination—if only chronologically—of a lifetime’s innovation, comes at you through an otherworldly haze, through cigarette smoke and spirit vapours, through half a century (exactly) of sonic decomposition of tapes that were at a poor enough quality to begin with. All that’s pretty is shed away, left behind for the blind and the shallow to fuck with. This is the primal essence. Trane, on the precipice, delivers a performance of catastrophic immensity. This was no Mahler 9, no sweet surrender—with one foot in the grave he raged.
Deep Puddle Dynamics, The Taste of Rain... Why Kneel? (1999) And re-calibrate again for the emcees in this realm require of the listener a completely different approach. Here the gamut of receptors is tuned less to harmony, instrumental skill, or ‘compositional rigour’ (in the Western art sense), and more to verse, cadence, dialect, timbre, rhythm, and so forth—it’s only empty if you ain’t looking hard enough. And four voices means there’s plenty of variety to go round. The interplay between the distinct bodies to their voices makes them stronger as a unit, à la Tribe preceding. E.g. I don’t think I could handle an entire full-length full of Doseone’s nasal delivery but on this the other three contextualise the texture space he resides in so that his grating-ness means something. (See his entry on “The Scarecrow Speaks”.) Another point of difference between this and the records surrounding: I’ve had genius.com open for probably half my listens. The pace, density, and abstraction of the ideas expounded deserve more comprehension than a fleeting ear’s able to discern; the work is the word, mostly, so read the libretto. We open with Slug: “Descending on the centre / from the outskirts of obscurity”. An apt heads up for such is how you approach the meaning to these tracks, most of which exceed five minutes. Within them the majority of time is spent dealing in Impressionistic strokes of free-verse, free-associative syllables strung streaming out to the potent symbology of, say, a candle flame (as on “The Candle”) or the psychological landscape of a peeling ceiling (as on “Heavy Ceiling”—distant progenitor to Courtney Barnett’s “An Illustration of Loneliness”). However at times a rhyme catalyses the crystallisation of these supersaturated abstractions—here’s Sole towards the end of “Thought vs. Action”:
Man, I once had an idea but it didn’t get me anywhere Read The Art of War when I should have been out fighting Why is it the mass is unexposed to so-called great thinkers until they die? And why do they live in fear Of the fighters afraid to leave their insides?
But wait! Don’t forget ‘compositional rigour’ just yet as a certain hook on the track just discussed, the chant chucking nouns at each crotchet (“catalyst, cataclysm, fallacy, fortitude, medulla...”), appears also on “Deep Puddle Theme Song” and “June 26th, 1998”, albeit with different words, and as different answers to different questions. And formwise you’ve got the partition between the ‘98 tracks and those from June 26th, 1999. There’s a palpable maturation from the former to the latter. In the year of ‘98 they had more answers than questions—see the noun chant above, see the youthful arrogance on “The Scarecrow Speaks” and “I Am Hip Hop (Move the Crowd)”. And even the cynicism that closes #1 has with it a little bit of nihilistic tongue-in-cheek. One year on and they’re a lot more tired of the world. That sly grin’s nowhere to be found on lines like these...
How is it I’m motivated to endure Eight hours of pure unadulterated boredom? Then sit in front of another computer for Four more hours using the same old drum set Trying different loops, can’t find one to fit Maybe this is why I sit in front of a pad of paper, pen in hand with a blank mind And I ask myself Is the writer’s slump the best form of meditation? Rhetorical, don’t have an answer And I also don’t expect one.
...and all that’s left is a deathly wit...
It ain't all love, it's confusion and a waste of time It ain't all time, it's confusion and a waste of love It ain't all waste, it's confusion and some time to love It ain't all confusion, it's love and some time to waste It ain't all that It's all of the above So scared into this And you are And you wonder from the shores how deep the puddle is. 
...borne of the same fin-de-siècle dread that fed Radiohead’s OK Computer.
Alvvays, s/t (2014) Music that’s dense and complex and meticulous will never be difficult to write about, or, for some, even to listen to, because there’s always the task of ascribing theory to composition to hide in. Such an approach, however, can neglect what you might say to be the primary purpose of music: evoking a meaningful emotional response in the listener. This, to trained ears, can be tempered by knowledge and understanding of the underlying theory, but for the most part it is governed by right-brain perception; that is, the Dionysian response as opposed to the Apollonian. For example: I could write about how on “Dives” you can developmentally derive the verse theme from the prelude’s sinister synth line, or about the 3/2 bars on the refrain to the same and how Molly’s melody overlays a 6/4 structure in a sort of inverse hemiola to the colossal opening of Brahms’s 3rd—or, instead, I could write about the sweet, sweet ache I am immediately plunged into upon the first words to the first song (”How / Do I get close to you? / Even if you don’t notice / As I admire you / On the subway”), or the simultaneous melancholy of lyric and uplift of melody on the chorus to “Archie, Marry Me”, or the crack in my heart that accompanies, every time, Molly’s crack up to that high note on “Ones Who Love You”, that velvet vowel vocalise that’s recalled, in spirit, on the final seconds of their latest single when she, unexpectedly, epiphanically, goes up the register to a transcendent 5th scale degree falling to the major 3rd on what itself is a 6-3 on the I, i.e. a first inversion founded on yet another radiant, overtone-heavy 3rd. Point being, who really cares about the details when all you can think about is that it’s making you soar, or in some cases, sore (in the chest).
0 notes
flauntpage · 6 years ago
Text
Becky Lynch Vs. Charlotte Flair Was WWE’s Best Match of the Year
After a long month, WWE did something very right with Sunday’s Evolution show. It was the first all women pay-per-view in WWE’s history and it was probably the best show they’ve put on since Royal Rumble, and quite likely since last year.
Right off the bat, it must be said that WWE tried very hard to make the whole thing mawkish. Not by allowing the wrestlers on the show to speak about what it meant to them—they were all genuine and rightly proud of what they were involved with—but by insisting on placing the corporation at the center of a larger global feminist movement in more vaseline-lensed intrusions featuring Stephanie McMahon than necessary. The focus should’ve been kept on the workers doing the ringwork, rather than the extended McMahon family showing up to talk about the greatness of the WWE.
That said, it’s a testament to how good this show was that even the eyeroll-worthy insertion of McMahons into the proceedings didn’t dampen things a bit. It moved at a blistering pace, with fewer matches over about 3.5 hours than normal. This is the second pay-per-view in a row which has had fewer than 10 matches— Hell In A Cell had eight—and it is, perhaps not by coincidence, the second pay-per-view in a row which has been thoroughly enjoyable. Matches at Evolution had time to breathe, and so did the crowd. It’s remarkable what shows with very little fat can do for your quality.
One thing which persisted throughout was the lack of snickering at the returning older women. This is one of the subtler things which signals a real change, because it seemed so unscripted and natural in a company which doesn’t do that as well as it used to. Middle-aged and older women don’t have it easy in our culture; they’re too often considered used up and targeted for ridicule. Hollywood is notorious for disappearing all but the most acclaimed actresses after their 40th birthdays. WWE sure as hell used to do this, with Mae Young giving birth to a hand and female wrestlers usually disappearing in their mid-30s.
From the opener, where Trish Stratus and Lita were given their due, to the battle royal stocked with legends like Alundra Blayze and Ivory (54 and 56, respectively), there wasn’t a hint of condescension. They were just wrestlers, with their returns treated the same as any nostalgia return. On top of that, those who could still go at something approaching full tilt were allowed to; Ivory, in particular, can still wrestle like hell, and if the jumps were a bit shorter than they used to be, her timing and ring presence were impeccable.
The matches themselves, with the exception of the Trish/Lita vs. Mickie James/Alicia Fox, ranged from enjoyable to scintillating. When your show has a nostalgia pop tag match which is merely “perfectly fine” as its low point, you’re in good shape.
It’s impossible, given word count limitations, to go through every match in the good to great category. Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler had a rematch which didn’t quite reach their NXT heights, but it was still up there with the best matches WWE’s put on recently. Io Shirai and Toni Storm faced off in the finals of the Mae Young Classic tournament, with both women announcing themselves to a broader WWE audience in what, on any other night, would’ve been the best match on the card.
The reason why it wasn’t the best match on the card is that Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair had WWE’s best match of the year. I’m not certain it’s even close, and I thought the Sane/Baszler match was going to run away with it.
WWE has lightning in a bottle with Lynch, who’s so good at her job that they can’t turn her heel despite her best efforts (they dubbed in boos during the replay of her epic promo last week). Her feud with Charlotte is based on a sundered friendship. The women in WWE are invariably funneled through this lens, where everyone is friends and hatreds don’t last because of some combination of women being in touch with their feelings and mean girls just act like mean girls. After the first dozen times, it starts to fall flat.
Not here, though. The simmering resentment played perfectly for the camera in their last woman standing match and the violence started immediately. It wasn’t a technical masterclass, but it wasn’t supposed to be: it was a match where Lynch and Flair were supposed to beat hell out of one another.
It was delightfully, deliriously old school. The camerawork wasn’t WWE’s usual queasy standard, and something about the longer shots, darkened arena, and insane bumps made it feel like something out of Greensboro Coliseum in the 1980s. That sense of timelessness, that you’ve been here before and will be again, is the mark of a great match. This was it, and it was the first time that Charlotte Flair—who is usually booked like a monster—felt like Ric Flair’s daughter. She was wrestling a Ric Flair match.
I’m not joking about the insane bumps. There has never been a WWE women’s match where there was more physical punishment, real physical punishment, meted out. Over not quite 30 minutes, tables were broken, kendo sticks were swung, and Flair took a powerbomb to the outside, through a table.
It was magic. Ideally, WWE wanted this show to be so good that nobody operating in good faith could point at it and say the words, “It was good for a women’s show.” The wrestlers at Evolution made sure that happened.
WWE certainly likes to mess things up, though. Towards the end of the show, WWE flashed a hype video for Crown Jewel on their big screens in the arena. The crowd erupted in boos. It was a tone deaf moment: not only is Crown Jewel horribly unpopular on its own terms, but to bring up a show which the women putting on your best stuff of the year can’t go to is plain arrogance.
That it has to be noted how blinkered WWE is about all of the stuff outside Evolution is annoying, but it’s part of the story. But it cannot be, and won’t be, the story. The story is that Evolution was great, one of those events you’d show to people who aren’t wrestling fans to make them get it. Let’s hope they make it yearly and give this talented, irrepressible women’s roster its due going forward.
Becky Lynch Vs. Charlotte Flair Was WWE’s Best Match of the Year published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/
0 notes
flauntpage · 6 years ago
Text
Becky Lynch Vs. Charlotte Flair Was WWE’s Best Match of the Year
After a long month, WWE did something very right with Sunday’s Evolution show. It was the first all women pay-per-view in WWE’s history and it was probably the best show they’ve put on since Royal Rumble, and quite likely since last year.
Right off the bat, it must be said that WWE tried very hard to make the whole thing mawkish. Not by allowing the wrestlers on the show to speak about what it meant to them—they were all genuine and rightly proud of what they were involved with—but by insisting on placing the corporation at the center of a larger global feminist movement in more vaseline-lensed intrusions featuring Stephanie McMahon than necessary. The focus should’ve been kept on the workers doing the ringwork, rather than the extended McMahon family showing up to talk about the greatness of the WWE.
That said, it’s a testament to how good this show was that even the eyeroll-worthy insertion of McMahons into the proceedings didn’t dampen things a bit. It moved at a blistering pace, with fewer matches over about 3.5 hours than normal. This is the second pay-per-view in a row which has had fewer than 10 matches— Hell In A Cell had eight—and it is, perhaps not by coincidence, the second pay-per-view in a row which has been thoroughly enjoyable. Matches at Evolution had time to breathe, and so did the crowd. It’s remarkable what shows with very little fat can do for your quality.
One thing which persisted throughout was the lack of snickering at the returning older women. This is one of the subtler things which signals a real change, because it seemed so unscripted and natural in a company which doesn’t do that as well as it used to. Middle-aged and older women don’t have it easy in our culture; they’re too often considered used up and targeted for ridicule. Hollywood is notorious for disappearing all but the most acclaimed actresses after their 40th birthdays. WWE sure as hell used to do this, with Mae Young giving birth to a hand and female wrestlers usually disappearing in their mid-30s.
From the opener, where Trish Stratus and Lita were given their due, to the battle royal stocked with legends like Alundra Blayze and Ivory (54 and 56, respectively), there wasn’t a hint of condescension. They were just wrestlers, with their returns treated the same as any nostalgia return. On top of that, those who could still go at something approaching full tilt were allowed to; Ivory, in particular, can still wrestle like hell, and if the jumps were a bit shorter than they used to be, her timing and ring presence were impeccable.
The matches themselves, with the exception of the Trish/Lita vs. Mickie James/Alicia Fox, ranged from enjoyable to scintillating. When your show has a nostalgia pop tag match which is merely “perfectly fine” as its low point, you’re in good shape.
It’s impossible, given word count limitations, to go through every match in the good to great category. Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler had a rematch which didn’t quite reach their NXT heights, but it was still up there with the best matches WWE’s put on recently. Io Shirai and Toni Storm faced off in the finals of the Mae Young Classic tournament, with both women announcing themselves to a broader WWE audience in what, on any other night, would’ve been the best match on the card.
The reason why it wasn’t the best match on the card is that Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair had WWE’s best match of the year. I’m not certain it’s even close, and I thought the Sane/Baszler match was going to run away with it.
WWE has lightning in a bottle with Lynch, who’s so good at her job that they can’t turn her heel despite her best efforts (they dubbed in boos during the replay of her epic promo last week). Her feud with Charlotte is based on a sundered friendship. The women in WWE are invariably funneled through this lens, where everyone is friends and hatreds don’t last because of some combination of women being in touch with their feelings and mean girls just act like mean girls. After the first dozen times, it starts to fall flat.
Not here, though. The simmering resentment played perfectly for the camera in their last woman standing match and the violence started immediately. It wasn’t a technical masterclass, but it wasn’t supposed to be: it was a match where Lynch and Flair were supposed to beat hell out of one another.
It was delightfully, deliriously old school. The camerawork wasn’t WWE’s usual queasy standard, and something about the longer shots, darkened arena, and insane bumps made it feel like something out of Greensboro Coliseum in the 1980s. That sense of timelessness, that you’ve been here before and will be again, is the mark of a great match. This was it, and it was the first time that Charlotte Flair—who is usually booked like a monster—felt like Ric Flair’s daughter. She was wrestling a Ric Flair match.
I’m not joking about the insane bumps. There has never been a WWE women’s match where there was more physical punishment, real physical punishment, meted out. Over not quite 30 minutes, tables were broken, kendo sticks were swung, and Flair took a powerbomb to the outside, through a table.
It was magic. Ideally, WWE wanted this show to be so good that nobody operating in good faith could point at it and say the words, “It was good for a women’s show.” The wrestlers at Evolution made sure that happened.
WWE certainly likes to mess things up, though. Towards the end of the show, WWE flashed a hype video for Crown Jewel on their big screens in the arena. The crowd erupted in boos. It was a tone deaf moment: not only is Crown Jewel horribly unpopular on its own terms, but to bring up a show which the women putting on your best stuff of the year can’t go to is plain arrogance.
That it has to be noted how blinkered WWE is about all of the stuff outside Evolution is annoying, but it’s part of the story. But it cannot be, and won’t be, the story. The story is that Evolution was great, one of those events you’d show to people who aren’t wrestling fans to make them get it. Let’s hope they make it yearly and give this talented, irrepressible women’s roster its due going forward.
Becky Lynch Vs. Charlotte Flair Was WWE’s Best Match of the Year published first on https://footballhighlightseurope.tumblr.com/
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