#the transitions between babylon talk fast and moving along....

[tokyonarjtas]

guess who’s listening to youngblood live again and getting emotional

hint: it’s me

[pinkberrypancakee]

thoughts on youngblood

this does get very capitalized bc there’s just sO much in my brain and i’m just hyped bc duh. also, i didn't do youngblood or want you back bc it’s not immediate thots. anyway, enough blabbing. here are my thoughts on the perfectly beautiful album, Youngblood.

-lie to me is just so smooth?? it just flows so nicely and the harmonies just fit. the song just... fits.

-THE BASS-Y THUM THUM THUM IN VALENTINE OH MY MMMMMMM AND LUKES ALMOST MOANS (i’m sorry irl peoples but its all i can compare it to)

- it's all so vocal like all the background sounds even though there's still instruments

-TALK FAST IS SO noT anythiNG CLOSE TO 2000’s MUSIC AND I LOVE THAT

-the way that everything isn't rushed but you can tell the song is faster than it could be ya know to go with the title ;)

-OH BABY THE BASS IN MOVING ALONG YES

-calum gets the recognition he deserves vocally and bass wise :’))))))

-caL STARTS SO MANY SONGS OW

-if walls could talk is so chill but enough pop to slaP IN tHE CAR OR JUST TO RANDOMLY DANCE TO

-ASHTONS FALSETTOS OH MY

-better man is the same as if walls could talk as in its casual to where you could listen to it while studying but still turn right around and dance to it all over the place

-MIKEY HAS sUcH A NICE VOICE it’s so properly and beautifully prominent from the rest of them

-all of luke’s little noises after and in the middle of songs???? AND VOICE CRACKS BSHAJKAKA it’s hot tho oops

-THE BEGINNING OF MORE GIVES ME CHILLS EVERY DAMN TIME itS SO BEAUTIFULLY ABRUPT FROM THE ENDING OF BETTER MAN AND THE BEGINNING OF THE ALBUM

-i could fuck shit up to this song let’s get real. i’m fr gonna add this to a workout playlist.

-THE FUCKING GUITAR IN MOrE anD MONSTER AMONG MEN AND BABYLON OH MY loRD THE FACT THAT THEY DID THAT THEMSELVES JUST FUCK

-cal really makes these songs something else with those bass riffs

-THE ASTOUNDINGLY BEAUTIFUL BEGINNING TO WHY WON'T YOU LOVE ME

-THIS SOnG IS A WHOLE ASS MOOD

-this is one of those songs that definitely has a happy beat and you could be happy until you listen to the lyrics then want to fall off the earth

-TWENTY ONE PILOTS YOU’VE BEEN REPLACED

-luke’s “wOAhHH” at the end is a whole ass mood

-this bitch, woke up in japan, pulsates in my ears and i’m nOT MAD

-this song is, i don't even know how to describe it. The way everything just moves together while they’re changing tempos and styles is amazing.

-theM high notes baby yes

-empty wallets owns my ass with that piano and strings section. that’s all i have to say.

-CAL SOUNDS LIKE BABY HIM IN GHOST OF YOU AWWWWW

-yea this song is sad as hell and it shows in the music this time.

-it’s sad but the song still stays easy and flowy and not choppy like the emotions their feeling and it’s so beautiful

-@/JetBlack_Mikey on twitter said that “ghost of you is amnesia’s hotter older brother” and i honestly couldn’t agree more

-THE FUCKING MONSTER AMONG MEN TRANSITIONS AT 0:35/1:42 OH MY FUCK BITCH IM GONE

-THAT GUITAR SOLO BOY BYE

-ASH WITH THEM DRUMS THO HE KNOWS HOW TO BANG THOSE BITCHES RIGhT

-THE HARMONIES OH MY LORD I LOVE THAT iF YOU KNOW THEIR VOICES YOU CAN MENTALLY PICK THEM APART AND KNOW ThAT EACH OF THEM HAVE THEIR OWN PARTS

-meet you there is so nice and thE GUITAR/ BASS VIBRATO THING IS TO DIE FOR AND THE CLICKS JUST DO SOMETHING TO mE????

-LUKES PULLED NOTES BYE IM DEAD HE NEEDS TO NOT DO THAT UNLESS HE WANTS ME 6 FEET UNDER

-this song makes me want to get a very fast car and fucking drive off a bridge and just scream the lyrics while it’s happening.

-BABYLON DESERVES AND DESERVED ALL THE HYPE FUCKINB HELL

-CALUM SLAYED THAT BITCH

-I LOVE INVISIBLE SHES MY BABY BUT MAN BABYLON IS NEXT LEVEL

-the rhythm of the way he says things and the correspondents of the music is absoLUTeLY GORGEOUS

-his voice and tone fits so well with the notes n his little lisp is sO CUTIE

-between more and babylon they can call themselves a rock band now.

-punkrock? no. still no. sorry boys.

[ificouldflytotheclouds]

Youngblood Song Ranking

In honor of Youngblood being out for 2 weeks, this is my initial ranking of the songs. I don’t believe a ranking of songs on an album is ever solidified, certain songs have a different meaning as you go through different life experiences, a heartbreak, a memory, an appreciation to a part of the song that you didn’t notice to before, etc… I want to create a post explaining my ranking now so I can refer to it later in time to see how it shift over time.

I’d love to know what you’re ranking of the songs are, do you agree or disagree with me?

First, I am going to split the songs into 4 categories and attempt to rank them from there (their order may still shift from that position)

1. Early Release/Songs performed on 5SOS3 tour.

Youngblood, Want You Back, Lie To Me, Valentine, Moving Along, and Talk Fast

2. Top Songs

Ghost of You, Monster Among Men, If Walls Could Talk, More, Babylon

3. Lower Ranked Songs

Best Friend, Woke Up In Japan, Empty Wallets, When You Walk Away

4. Middle Ranked Songs

Better Man, Why Won’t You Love Me, Midnight, Meet You There

1. Early Release/Songs performed on 5SOS3 tour.

I decided to have this as a separate category because at this point in time the songs might not be well represented within the album ranking because I’ve heard them more than rest of the songs on the album. 

Starting with the singles youngblood > want you back. The first time I heard the studio version of youngblood my jaw was on the ground, I had heard the live version prior because I was trying to learn some of the lyrics to the new songs before my show, and yet I was still blown away. Personally, I like the studio version of Youngblood better than the live version because I feel like it goes harder. Additionally, it’s a song that deserves to be danced to and you can’t do that at a GA concert. 

Out of the other 4 songs, they are ranked as the following

Lie to Me

Moving Along

Talk Fast

Valentine 

The thing I find interesting about 5sos’ music is how different an experience it can be depending on if you are listening to it on headphones, a stereo, live, or in an acoustic format. With headphones, you can pay more attention to each element of the song while a stereo gives you an overall feel. They do different arrangements for songs, sometimes this can be between two different live performances, but most often you notice a difference between the studio, live, and acoustic version. The live versions defs pull more to their origins of pop-punk while the studio version plays with production - different instrument and a few additional voices from people that aren’t in the band. Recently they've been playing more with backing tracks during their performances which is cool, there’s just so many different ways to perform a single song and its so intriguing how it can change the feel to a song. 

I already mentioned this with Youngblood, but if we look at Lie to me and Valentine. 

Lie to me: studio version < Live <  On The Record (Apple Music) acoustic version < Instagram live acoustic version (this just had a guitar vs the apple music where there were more instruments) < the small snippets of Luke performing Lie to Me on the piano (on the record and ig story). 

Part of this is me being stubborn because for some reason I thought the studio version of lie to me would be on the piano (even though in hindsight, it doesn't make sense because they didn’t use during the live version, but I think I also mixed it up with Luke saying many of the songs originate from the piano). The piano brings a different feel to the song. And I’m a sucker for slow ballads. I still love the studio version of lie to me, it is really cool how they mix a melancholy instrument with sad lyrics (I just want my basic self to live). I find the piano version more heartbreaking. 

I was drawn to Lie to me immediately. I think some of that is because lyrically it is similar to my second favorite Taylor Swift song come back…be here. But also the lyrics just tug at your heartstrings. I think this song will actually end up lowering in my future rankings, I’ll still be the #1 piano lie to me stan but I think lie to me isn’t something I’ll replay as often as ghost of you because it requires a certain mood to appreciate it.

Valentine is so weird and it took me a while to appreciate.I had listened to the live version countless times, then I listened to the leak, sometime during that song I realized that the song was sexy???? I was so confused. Going back to Taylor Swift she has a song called the moment I knew and for the longest time, the reason I wasn’t a big fan of the song because the word Happy Birthday made me cringe, basically the entire chorus to Valentine did that to me. But with repetition, I was able to get over that. It’s still a strange song lol. I think it’ll be higher than some other songs in other categories just because the song has grown on me, but it might later shift who knows. 

Talk fast and Moving Along keep going back and forth

When it was just the live versions I listened to Talk Fast the least out of the 4 non-studio only songs. Last week when I started to make a post like this but gave up because I fell asleep I ranked Talk fast higher. Talk Fast is defs more basic and the lyrics at the beginning of moving along were similar to Valentine where I was like....ummm. But I think that is now what is the appeal to moving along, it is a song that stands out, the lyrics are fun (they’re so weird)... it’s a nice contradiction where they know they’re being irrational but it’s like in the first verse their drunk self is confessing things. The drums and the bass in this song is killer, there's a weird but really cool moan?? that says awww in the background. If you’re not doing the drum bit during the transitions in and out and during the chorus you are doing it wrong.

--

Ok so now, where do want you back and youngblood fit into that ranking?

I am going to squeeze both songs in-between moving along and talk fast. I think talk fast is a bit basic (a safe song) and these songs are more complex instrumentally. 

Top Ranked Songs

This is the most difficult part because these songs KILL ME. They also have a different feel to them which makes them more difficult.

Ghost of you is my #1 (am I bold enough to stay that right now, is it premature). This song is nostalgic, it makes me think of something that would be played in an early 2000′s movie. I LOVE BALLADS. It makes me want to scream and cry at the same time. The lyrics…are heartbreaking, and the different stories can be associated with the song. Surprisingly the bridge is my favorite part of this song (not surprising because my fav part of most songs are bridges, surprising because the lyrics are so simple)

Monster Among Men - a whole different spectrum is FUN. My favorite parts are the counting and the oh no’s lol. Deep. The Drum. Luke calling himself an Asshole. This song compliments Better Man well, there are some stupid things that he’s done and he admits he’s not the perfect person, but he also admits that he has a dark passenger that he sometimes lets run ship. I like the honesty in this song. Rather than the girl making him a better man this song is about him trying to be better than a past self, trying to be better than the other jerks out there. And I think that speaks volumes compared to just having someone else who makes you want to change because of them. This song focusing more on self-motivation (they’re two similar, but different concepts).

Babylon. I don’t even know what to say about this song, but it’s brilliant. THEY DID THAT. The title, the music, the lyrics are all well integrated, the metaphor of a relationship to Babylon. It’s an intensified version of talk fast (and more mutual). They’re going to have this intense relationship but it’s going to end in burning flames. The lyrics are brilliant, not weird lol, but very original (*cough* verse two)  (Rip I’m trying to explain my reasoning as much as possible but I’m doing a bad job). 

If Walls Could Talk - aka a completely different feel from Babylon. It makes me want to get lost in the moment, lost in the music, in the middle of a dance floor. And thus why “I love your hair in your face” is one of my fav lyrics. This song is so vulnerable. Think about your bedroom and all of the different things you’ve gone through in that room. They know you’re everything, it goes beyond sex, it goes to crying, frustration, the best and worse versions of yourself. Oh and I forgot, Ashton’s part!!!!!

While I haven’t disclosed my ranking yet, I am surprised to say that Babylon has surpassed More, aka one of my initial stands out, I believe this is because of the complexity featured in all aspects of Babylon (you’ll be surprised what goes above Babylon though lol). Like I mentioned at the beginning of this section, my fav songs are the hardest ones to rank because they’re all just so good. It just sounds so good, the shakers, the beat is so good, this song goes hard while the vocals are soft, I love the instrumental contrast of the chorus and then it builds again. This song is relatable and reminds me of times when I was depressed. It’s a reminder that material items can only fill a small void, but in the end what we all want, what we all need is an emotional connection with another human, to have meaning in the different things that we do. 

Ranking -

Ghost of You

If Walls Could Talk

Monster Among Men

Babylon

More

Lower Ranked Songs

When splitting the songs into categories it was easier to do favs first, but for the actual ranking I did this part first, but I didn’t want to change the order but just know I wrote this part out before the section above. 

I am basing this off of first impressions. I wasn’t blown away by the target deluxe songs when I first heard them, they still made me smile like crazy but they’re not as good quality as rest of the album. And then the first time I listened to the album Woke up in Japan and empty wallets were good they just weren’t standouts compared to rest of the album.

Best Friend is at the bottom, I feel so bad because I feel like it’s an attack on Ashton, I love him with my heart but this song you really have to be in the right mood. When you are you’ll be looking stupid with a smile plastered on your face. It has a doo wop feel to it (is too lazy to grab the cd insert to figure out what instrument is creating that sound). But if you're not feeling it its kinda a strange song lol, achoo. 

It’s interesting listening to when you walk away now compared to the first 24 hours after I got the target edition because it SCREAMS Reggae (heavy bass influence). But now that I listen to it, it is actually one of their safer songs?? This song is another fun song, but I’m more into the feel. I like the contrast between this song and if you don’t know. Lyrically I 100% relate to this song when I think about some old friends of mine..

My love for Japan, unfortunately, won’t make this Woke Up in Japan rank any higher. Luke’s vocals KILL this song. My favorite parts of this song are the first verse, specifically the phrase:  neon weekend and the entirety of the prechorus (and don’t forget about the musical transition into this part). I feel like this song is also kinda safe, the touch on a complex psychological situation but they keep it open-ended, and lyrically I might’ve liked it even more if they took the extra step.

Empty Wallets, this one grew on me fast, defs my favorite out of the four. I think for these songs the ranking focuses on my favoritism towards the overall sonic feel. Especially for this song because maybe I’ve been on the internet too much but this gives me slight sugar daddy vibes and I’m not into that, lyrically I like the song relating more to friends and going out traveling, going to concerts, and not preventing yourself from living just because you don’t have that much money. This song positively stands out the most out of the four, sonically I LOVE “Sugar-coated brain/The fluid ain't to blame/For the sugar-coated pain” and the bridge. 

As I was going through this I realized I was talking about them in reverse order, so he ranking is as follows

Empty Wallets

Woke Up in Japan

When You Walk Away

Best Friend

4. Middle Ranked Songs

Midnight is probably going to end up lower than a song in the lower ranked category. The reason I initially put it in this category is that I liked the song off the bat, while I had hesitations towards the target songs after listening to them. BUT it’s probs the most basic song out of all of them. It’s so basic, it doesn’ sound like them. This song makes me think of where you in the morning by Shawn Mendes (this song isn’t basic though just so we're clear). It’s refreshing because we peg men as the only people like this, only ever wanting a one night stand, but sometimes/there are men who want more even if it originated from a one night stand. While Midnight focuses more on a ‘friends with benefits’ situation or someone they commonly call upon for a hookup. This song is sonically pleasing, but like I said it's not as original as other songs. Lyrically there’s desire that’s not reciprocated, which is… sad. I really like the lyrics of this song. 

Better Man is cute, but I struggle with it ever since I made the Ed Sheeran connection, it can be very distracting. Also now that I’ve made the comparison to monster among men... idk. hmmm.

Why Won’t You Love Me. #1 out of this category. The lyrics are very visual. I love the whyyyy whyyy’s at the beginning and the “why won’t you love me are fun to sing.” It’s a piano-based song, can you tell what instrument I have a preference for? This song tells a story which captivates the listener. Oh also, I like that Calum, luke, and Michael all feature on this song. I’m a sucker for layered (?parts??), which they do during the bridge, where the why won’t you love me is subtly playing in the background while they sing over it. 

Meet You There this song should really stand out more considering it pushes the boundaries instrumentally the most. It has a good beat drop, lo lo lo lo love good stuff. Lyrically my favorite part is “When it's physical, I can't keep track of days/But the emotional is more than we can take” and vocally my favorite part is “I'm just waiting for, waiting for you.” The drums during Michael's part and then the piano before the beat drops again. Wow. 

Ranking - 

Why Won’t You Love Me

Meet You There

Midnight

Better Man

Final Ranking 

Ghost of You

If Walls Could Talk

Monster Among Men

Lie To Me

Babylon

More

Why Won’t You Love Me

Moving Along

Youngblood

Want You Back

Talk Fast

Empty Wallets

Meet You There

Woke Up in Japan (this is so close to when you walk away)

When You Walk Away

Valentine

Midnight (I feel like this automatically gets ranked lower bc I don’t have this song in my library)

Best Friend

Better Man (I like this song better than these last few but I just can’t get past the Ed Sheeran comparison atm) (it probs goes after woke up in Japan) (to uplift this song, something that I didn’t mention before is I like the part where they sing a ‘betta’ ‘betta’ man)

Again this is difficult because some songs I like better lyrically and others sonically, for the most part, I am choosing my final ranking based which songs I would play over others. The bottom of the list has more specific, and different reasons why they’re at the bottom. 

Album Review/Ranking Masterlist