#there was also an ep called 'jakes story' which i thought would give us more details on his backstory or some shit.. and then š
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the other show david duchovny was filming simultaneously with the x files was always like "sad, broken man (35) will pay to read about your experiences with love and betrayal". The flashback sequence begins, and it's just straight-up porn about a woman screwing her tennis teacher or smth. Sometimes, it cuts off midway back to David, sitting on a bench all alone, looking like a sad wet dog, as he reads a letter. Once the porn sequence ends, he mutters to himself, "she had fun. But alas, I am destined to die alone." and he stares into the distance. It went on for 5 seasons.
I'm starting to think maybe flying to LA between the x files takes only to sit on a bench alone for hours could be the reason why his Mulder constantly seemed so touch starved he'd die if he couldn't invade someone's personal space for 5 minutes.
#i watched only only the first and last ep naively thinking there'd be at least a shadow of a plot... sigh#there was also an ep called 'jakes story' which i thought would give us more details on his backstory or some shit.. and then š#hes doing all that -to learn about women- after his gf unexpectedly committed suicide.. what do you think he learns#he's a freak we been knew but still holy shit#thanks father son and the holy spirit#for the x files success#the x files#txf#it was really that bad. though much on par with everything pre-txf. i cant do miracles i suffered a lot#david duchovny#welll#siiiiiiiigh#i swear now i will shut up about him now#this all thing was exhausting
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Episode Review: āTogether Againā (Distant Lands, Ep. 3)
Airdate: May 20, 2021
Story by: Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang, Hanna K. Nystrƶm, Christina Catucci, Jesse Moynihan, Adam Muto
Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nystrƶm, Anna Syvertsson, Iggy Craig, Maya Petersen, Serena Wu
Directed by: Miki Brewster (supervising), Sandra Lee (art)
Across Adventure Timeās ten season run, the show explored a bevy of āmatureā themes and story ideasātopics, like love, sexuality, depression, and grieving. The show also touched upon death, but the emphasis was usually placed on the emotional toll of a loved one dying, not really what happens when you die. We knew there were Dead Worlds and Death. We knew that there was reincarnation. But how does it all fit together? What does it mean? How does it work?
With āTogether Again,ā we finally have many of the answers.
This special opens with a marvelous fake-out episode simply called āFinn & Jake,ā that sees the two steal a magical cartoon of 50-flavor ice cream before rescuing Turtle Princess and LSP from the clutches of the villainous Ice King. This is all deliberately anachronistic and over the top. Ice King is back to his season one ways, Finn has both arms, and he is still wielding his golden sword that he lost in season twoās āThe Real You.ā Thereās lolrandom dialogue and silly monsters; itās like a parody of seasons 1-2. But then, this adventure starts to get all wonky, and in time Finn realizes that he is in a some sort of trance or illusion: one that ends with Jake being buried in the ground. Suddenly, Finn awakens from his reverie. Heās an old man. And heās dead. Weāre then presented with a new title card that lets us know the episode is actually called āFinn & Jake Are Dead.ā
Holy Glob! They actually went there.
Turns out Jake died years before Finn, so naturally Finn is super excited to see his best bud. But somethingās wrongāhe cannot find Jake!! They planned to spend eternity together. But all that Finn can find is his very own psychopomp, Mr. Fox (voiced by Tom Herpich, whose purposefully stilted line readings are the epitome of delightful). Finn rightfully assumes that Jake is in a different Dead World, and so, being the ball of spunk and energy that he is, he demands to meet with Death, only to discover that thereās a New Death in town (voiced by Chris Fleming). The episode eventually explains that New Death was the son of Death and Life, and after New Death killed his father, he became the sovereign of the afterlife. New Death hates his job and decides to just blow up all the Dead Worlds so he doesnāt have to deal with it all. (I wonāt get too much into the details here, because there would be a lot of story to parse out.)
Finn soon learns that Jake has reached nirvana in the 50th Dead World, where there is nothing but peace and serenity. Finn nevertheless tracks down Jake, pulls him from paradise, but in doing so, accidentally lets New Death in, who promptly obliterates Elysium, sending all the enlightened soulsāincluding those from different levels of the afterlifeāto the 1st Dead World. This gronks up the afterlife, temporarily halting the reincarnation process.
Well, Finn and Jake are rightfully ticked, and so they haunt the material plane looking for Princess Bubblegum. Sheās not home (more on that later), but Peppermint Butler is! After Ghost Finn and Ghost Jake explain the situation, Peppermint Butler tells them what to do: They need to find Life and explain the situation. The duo manage just that, and Life is rightfully angry that her kid has stopped the transmigration of souls. After Life gives Finn a McGuffin sword that can hurt Death, Finn and Jake return to his abode. A brawl ensues wherein we learn that New Death has been possessedā¦ by none other than that spirit of the Lich.
Thatās right, itās the Lich! Heās back, and boy is he evil.
The Lich explains that by possessing Death, he can destroy the afterlife, thereby destroying a key aspect of reality. Naturally, Finn and Jake are not cool with this, and they engage in combat. After Mr. Fox grabs the McGuffin sword and uses it to annihilate the Lich and New Death, he is proclaimed the New New Death and sets everything right. Finn is slated to be reincarnated, and Jake is slated to return to the 50th Dead World where he and Finn will one day be reunited. As Finn is pulled into the wheel of souls, Jake suddenly decides to go back with Finn, too, āJust for fun.ā The episode ends with a card letting us know that the episode is neither called āFinn & Jakeā nor āFinn & Jake Are Dead.ā Instead, it is āFinn and Jake Are Together Again.ā
As they say, āAnd there wasnāt a dry eye in the place.ā
If you were to tell me several years ago that the last episode to star Finn and Jake would revolve around them dying, I think I wouldāve been upset. Not simply sad, but rather frustrated because āthey all diedā can feel like a cheap ending. But with āTogether Again,ā it all works. And a large reason that it works is because the show goes all in with their ideas. Finn and Jake donāt magically leap back into their old life (no, no, they very much do bite the dust). Instead, the special emphasizes the cyclical nature of life through the transmigration of souls. The episode ends with a beautiful scene of Finn and Jake, bound together as soul-brothers, being reborn into a new, mysterious (possibly Ooo 1000+?) world. Itās both aesthetically and emotionally pleasing; it doesnāt feel off the way over finales might. This is right. This is the way life works. āRound and round as nature goes,ā and all that jazz.
I loved the series explanation of how death works. It seems that souls land in a specific Dead World, where they āmarinateā for a bit, presumably being rewarded or punished based on their life in our meat reality. After a time, they are then reborn. This process repeats, with each soul reaching higher and higher levels of enlightenment until they hit nirvana, which is the 50th Dead World. So in a sense, Adventure Time has a roughly Buddhist cosmology with a dash of Greco-Roman mythos thrown in for flavor. (As to what happens after a soul stays in the 50th Dead World for a long period is anyoneās guess, but Iād speculate that when all the souls in the multiverse have been purified and land in the 50th Dead World, they will all collapse into one another and form one perfect Monad. Perhaps this is the sphere of perfection that the beings who merged into Matthew thought they were connecting to? Who knows! Itās anyoneās guess!) I was a little disappointed that we didnāt get to see who Death, Prismo, Life, etc.ās boss was, but perhaps thatās a mystery better left up to the imagination!
One minor thing that I loved about this special was the number of characters who made cameos as well as all the callbacks that were made to previous episodes. Regarding the former: Finn and Jakeās canine family show up (including the oft-forgotten Jermaine!), as do Tree Trunks and her myriad husbands. Tiffany plays a major role in all these shenanigans as a ļæ½ļæ½death copā of all things. There is a delightful rogues gallery stuck in the 1st Dead World (including, among others, Maja, Sharon from āThe Gut Grinder,ā and Wyatt). In the 50th we find Ghost Princess and Clarence happily at peace next to Booshy, the weird spirit mentioned in the Pen Ward classic āHigh Strangeness.ā As far as callbacks go, perhaps my favorite is the clap (from āJames Baxter the Horseā) that Jake taught to Finn in case they ever do get separated in the afterlife. And of course, there are myriad references made to āDeath in Bloom,ā the episode that planted the seed for what this would grow into.
Going into the special suspecting that it would involve Death, I was curious how they were going to handle Miguel Ferrerās character. (In case a reader is not aware, Ferrer played Death in episodes like āDeath in Bloomā and āBetty,ā but he sadly passed away a few years ago). The producersā choice to feature him in a non-speaking cameoādespite playing a relatively significant role in the storyāwas wise; Iām not sure if I can articulate the exact reasons, but something about his role felt appropriate and not gross, as some post-mortem memorials can be. Speaking of which, the wonderful, lovely Polly Lou Livingston was featured for the last time in this episode as Tree Trunks, happily in heaven with her literal harem of husbands. It was funny, it really was, and Iām sure that Polly Lou wouldāve gotten a kick out of seeing it on screen. (Also, this is a pro-Tree Trunks safe space. Any Tree Trunks haters will be chucked into the 1st Dead World with Wyatt.)
The biggest mystery in this whole thing, for me at least, is the question of Princess Bubblegum and Marceline. Several years ago, I wrote an essay about what couldāve happened to them in the Ooo 1000+ universe. I speculated that they peaced out and left Ooo behind. In this special, neither Bubblegum nor Marceline are to be found in the Candy KingdomāPeppermint Butler seems to be the one in charge, given that he is now wearing Bubblegumās crown. Likewise, the duo arenāt anywhere in the Dead Worlds either. Maybe the two of them skipped town and got a duplex in the Nightosphere? Who knowsā¦ I just want my favorite gals to be OK!
All things considered, āTogether Againā was a marvel: An episode that managed to feel like a series finale even more than āCome Along with Meā already did without taking away from the series itself. An episode that managed to make the idea of dying funny. An episode that brought back the Lich in a way that wasnāt forced. An episode that made Mr. Fox the New New Death. An episode that gave us a beautiful ending to Finn and Jakeās storyā¦ as well as the beautiful beginning to a new one. I said it on Twitter, and Iāll say it again here: āTogether Againā was the end of a sentence in a book with infinite pages. Truly, the fun will never end.
Mushroom War evidence: Everything takes place in the Dead Worlds, so not really. Perhaps a more eagle-eyed viewer can inform us...
Final Grade: Thatās right, Iām gonna do it...
Post-script, I actually messaged Jesse Moynihan to ask about his writing credit. He told me that it was for an unused story idea that he had developed. Iām not certain, but Iāll bet it was a part of the cancelled TV movie they were trying to make during season 5, since that wouldāve seen Finn and Orgalorg journey to the various Dead Worlds.
#adventure time#adventuretime#atimers#at#atdl#distant lands#adventure time distant lands#finn the human#jake the dog#together again#togetheragain#dead worlds#hanna k. nystrƶm#Hanna K#adam muto#jack pendarvis
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šØšØ SPOILER WARNING!!! šØšØ
Okay, let's see if I can put my thoughts in order to write what I thought about the ep:
1. I'm very happy we started the ep telling everyone about the call and not just Jake
2. The mood in the group seems good, especially with MC. The whole talk with Thomas after he messes with Hannah's phone made me pretty happy and it was good seeing another side of him (also, I almost cried when he said we deserve to be part of the group)
3. The talks with Jake were good but painful. I think the thing with Hannah is really starting to get to him and he doesn't want to show it, not to us nor to himself
4. When Thomas asks about if we would tell our partner if we ever did something terrible, I immediately thought of Jake and of what he did for the government to be after him, and I love the fact Everbyte put us talking to Jake right after
5. I spent the whole ep waiting for something to go wrong because I was so sure it would. Also, I did not expect to just having a gun in the house, though I think it's good for protection
6. Jake seemed to be pulling away from MC a little, as if trying to protect us or himself, not sure which one
7. I enjoyed having Dan back in the group and seeing him live
8. I LOVED everyone together, it made it so wholesome and it made it seem so real. my heart actually aches for not being able to with them
9. Using Hannah's phone? It was great to have a glimpse of her, to get to know her some more
10. Also, the messages with the killer? Holy crap, I loved the answers we could give
11. Dan saying he's more afraid of us than of MWAF? It was great and entirely true haha
I'm probably forgetting things but I still haven't been able to think straight about the ep. I mean, I'm shaking still and I'm so scared for the next ep, which will be the last one. My heart's already broken about it and I just wanna curl up and cry about it
But, maybe good news, the ep inspired me to write something so maybe y'all will get a story this week/the next
#duskwood#duskwood everbyte#everbyte studios#duskwood ep 9#eo 9#duskwood spoilers#spoilers#ep 9 spoilers#really#i am just#speechless
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hey!! I saw that ask of the anon talking about fighting/arguing with Jake and
I really REALLY think is something that will happen, and if happens I think it would be really cool for the story
like richy was attacked right before mcs eyes, which of course would let to them in panic (even thought I think he's the mwaf let's just imagine that mc doesn't suspect him lol)
Mc not knowing what to do would 1- talk with Jake or/and 2- ask for help to the group
which I believe would let do a conversation with Jake about the attack
and I think we would have a option to say something about going to Duskwood
like I don't think they would put this dialogue automatic, probably it would be a choice thing
but it would let to mc talking thing like "I can't just stay here while all of my friends are being attacked! IT'S BECAUSE OF ME, JAKE!" (I believe mc is feeling really guilty about everything that's happening with the group so yeah, they probably would blame themself)
and Jake kind of made mc promise to not go to duskwood in chapter 7 if I remember correctly, I mean it was a choice thing, so probably if you choose that option he will remember that
SO, Jake would try to calm down mc and tell them that it's not safe
which I believe it would led to another option thing, where we could calm down or freak out even more with him
AND I really think it would have something to do with cleo
like saying something like "WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS SAYING THIS?! YOU SAID EVERITHING WAS GOING TO BE OK WHEN IT HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME WITH CLEO, BUT THEN LILLY WAS ATTACKED"
and then mc would just ignore everything Jake's would be saying and just telling him they would go to duskwood
and Jake would get mad because he's trying to protect them and remember the promise
and and it would be angst and
God I think mc would even block him, can you imagine????
sorry I got excited lol
Yes!!! I can absolutely imagine it! I also think it will have something to do with Richyās attack.
Maybe weāll also get the chance to say that now is the point where itās too terrible for us, and Jake wonāt be happy about it because without MC he wonāt find Hannah.
In episode 7 we can ask him if he doesnāt wonder if weāre going too far. And Jake answers, 'How far is too far when it comes to a human life?" and we can choose, 'When other lives are in danger"
And at the end of the episode, thatās exactly what happened: our friends are in danger, and maybe someone is dying.
Of course, I want us to find Hannah and make sure sheās okay, but we donāt know Hannah personally, but we know the others. They have become our friends and now something bad has happened.
So I can well imagine that we might even be able to say that we want to stop, that we donāt want to continue, and Jake will say that we canāt give up. But since weāre so shocked by the call with Richy, maybe weāll start arguing with him.
I love Jake, really, but letās face it, heās hiding something, and heās always been a bit weird before. He started a lot of things but didnāt finish and I think we can tell him in the fight that he needs to talk to us. Because as he said at the beginning, he saw Hannah kidnapping, but he never said exactly how and what happened.
I believe that we can make good use of the dispute and that it will only result in greater cohesion.
Besides, as you said, it would be really exciting for the story. Plus, I really want to know how Jakeās gonna react to a fight.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me/us. I really enjoyed reading that.š
I just canāt wait any longer, I want to know whatās going to happen. Because I think that ep 8 will overtrump all episodes and will be crazier than all the others together.š¤Æ
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DUSKWOOD EP.8!
Okay, it's been a long time since I posted here. I wish I had come back sooner, but the school has taken up any time I have, and unfortunately, I also didn't know what exactly to post here (And I had also stayed away from any social media for my own mental health.) But episode 8 of Duskwood gave me some excitement, and maybe I'll write some stuff here. (Or maybe I'll just do this post myself and be gone for a while longer until a new episode of Duskwood comes out ._.)
Needless to say, this post will be FULL of spoilers, but even so, it's good to warn unsuspecting people. Anyway everything will be below the cut, so prevent anyone from seeing it by accident.
(Sorry if it have something confused, or with English mistakes)
BUT LET'S GO WITH IT BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT, BUT A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THIS EPISODE.
For me this was one of the episodes with the most stuff, at least in my opinion, or maybe I think that because I've played so much the other eps. that nothing in eps. past surprises me. But anyway, let's start at the beginning. (I just hope I took a screenshot of everything, I'll be very frustrated if I forgot something)
Remembering that this is all from the choices I made during the ep, and maybe some things vary. I'm not sure, as I've only played it once I can't tell you where each question leads, and honestly, even though I really want to redo the game, it becomes more and more tiring, it took me 3 days to reach ep 8 (due to the fact that my game crashed when I was going to start ep 5, I had to uninstall the game and lost the progress of the game. End of story.) So, tell me what you think of the ep. I would love to know :)
(Sorry, I'm stalling again, it's inevitable.)
*Almost whenever I mention us/we, I mean MC.
Richy's death. This is where ep 7 ended.
We texted him, and obviously he didn't respond.
Thomas and Cleo call us saying they went to the pawn shop, they say Phil was the one who left the bracelet there.
We talked in the group about Richy.
Thomas wants to go search the forest, but we stop him.
Lilly calls the police.
Jessy says she's in the junkyard along with three policemen, she says she wants to talk to Richy's father, but she can't contact him.
She tells about the fish prank Richy did, and they made it a ritual/tradition(?)
One of the cops arrives with Richy's bloodied cap.
Jake talks to us.
He says he knows what happened and he's sorry.
We talked to Jake about Richy's death.
Jake tries to comfort us.
Jake confesses that he already thought about giving up, taking us and leaving it all behind, but he knew that sooner or later the consequences of that action would catch up with us.
We continued our investigations, telling Jake that Richy heard screams in the forest and so he went there.
We ask why Richy would be attacked, and Jake replies that the MWAF takes people marked, but they are taken in the new moon, but as he says, Richy wasn't attacked on the first new moon of the year, and we remember that it wasn't even night either when he was attacked.
Duskwood police call us. But Jake hangs up midway through the call. He says that talking to the police would not be a suitable move at the moment, as any information can make us the focus of investigations.
Jake tells us not to answer Alan if he calls again.
We commented to Jake that the killer didn't show himself this time, Jake says maybe we should focus on Richy.
Jake changes the subject and says he thought Phil would be our most important lead, but now that he's in jail, we've been forced to drop that theory.
We say Phil was the one who left the bracelet at the pawnshop, and that should be proof, and play a big part in all of this. And that was because of that fact that Hannah wanted to talk to Phil.
There is still a lot to be done: Ted Madruga, Amy, and now we know the right name for Jennifer (Hanson).
Jake says he's going to see which of these clues is going to be more productive.
If we ask Jake if he's purposely leaving us out, he says yes and says he wants us to rest. If we say that we don't want that, he says that we have a lot to do, and if we have to testify, we just have to ignore it, and that we must face the unknown with a clear head.
We say goodbye.
Lilly asks how we are going to proceed now. Whether or not they should go to the cabin.
We ask if anyone knows where the cabin is, and Cleo replies that she does.
They decide not to go.
Cleo says that we and Jake must reveal everything we know. And that we should add Jake to the group.
We talk to Jake, he accepts with the condition that we remove Richy from the group, because now the kidnapper must have his cell phone, and can see all the messages.
Dan says he was in the bathroom because the hospital food was hurting him.
Before we start talking about everything we have, Dan asks Jake how he knew Hannah was missing. He replies that Hannah had gone to get help from him, and he had a video call with her.
We ask if there's anyone close to Hannah, and Jake says from the angle the cell phone was on he couldn't see very well, but he doesn't think so. So we asked if it was like anyone could have seen Jake, and he said no. We ask how Hannah was attacked, but he doesn't know.
Jessy asks to wait because she wants to go home.
Dan talks to us and says he still doesn't trust Jake.
We tell the group to speak up when they have a question, join the conversation, etc.
We started talking about our MWAF clue and how/why we started to follow that.
We sent Hannah's photo of the crow. We ask about an incident Hannah could be involved in, but no one knows anything.
We talk about Hannah's notes. We said that she suffered from depression, no one believed it, even showing the medical prescription. Nobody knew what she was going through.
We show Hannah's psychiatrist's recording. We said that Hannah thought she was being followed, and that it was linked to her past.
We show the security camera recording.
We talk about the Jennifer incident, Jake asks who was asked about Jennifer, and (in my case) it was Richy. So... ._.
Jake talks about Jennifer's real last name (Hanson)
Jessy says she went to Hannah's car and went to the GPS location.
Thomas is confused by this information and says Hannah's car was not there before.
Dan asks for a break.
Lilly says she went to her parents' house to find out more about Amy, and says she couldn't even look at her father's face.
Lilly decides to send a letter to Ted.
Jake and Lilly finally talk.
We and Jake helped Lilly write the letter.
Lilly talks to Jake. (I found their conversation very cute, I have to admit)
Dan says he took a nap, Cleo said that too.
We resume the conversation.
Jessy says she met Iris. And that Jennifer was supposed to have been hit by a car, and the author of this was never found. Hannah was being followed by Jennifer's alleged killer.
We send the second note.
We talk about the bracelet.
Thomas talks about the bracelet, which he thought was proof that Hannah was cheating on him, so he went to the apartment to get it. Jessy says she saw it at the pawnshop, which led Thomas and Cleo there, where they found out that Phil was the one who left it there.
We said that Hannah should also know about this and that's why she wanted to talk to Phil.
We talked about the phone book. And about each one that was there. Rogers Garage because of Hannah's car in there, Alan because Hannah probably wanted something from the police, Phil because of the bracelet, Thomas and then the unknown number, where we thought it was Jake's, but then he reveals that it wasn't his, and that he had taken his number off the list before. And this is something we have yet to discover.
Jake then shows the stone it had in the place where Amy was found, said Jennifer Hanson. We concluded that it must mean something to the killer in some way that we don't know yet, but that everything is intertwined.
We talked about Ted Madruga in the group.
The group decides that it's better if no one leaves the house from now on.
We ask Jake how he feels, and he says he doesn't know, and asks how we feel.
Jake then finds a post from Amy on a forum. (Dark Mystery Forum)
Jake says we should check it out ourselves, but you can only log in with an account. Jake gives his account, Nymos and an impossible password. (I said it was a great password, that our account would be safe, mainly from me xD )
He asks if he wants to change the password for us, so we can choose the password.
(and damn, I picked cake when it was the perfect opportunity to put Jake as the password, I really wanted to know if anything would happen if we put him as our password, please, did anyone think about that? Could you tell me if something happens or not?)
We entered the forum, and there are 9 posts there, at least the ones accessible to us, some have nothing important, they are just stories that people post there, or interact to make a story, with each user saying a sentence, and so on. One has several pictures of ghosts. And well, on some posts we can interact (well, I know I didn't know, but as I read the posts, I saw that at the end of some posts there were some sentences and a button, but the button was in German, and I was too lazy to look up the translation, so in the post where each one posted a sentence to form a horror story, I clicked this button, and then I realized what that was, in this case, the sentence I accidentally put was that the gravedigger tripped on the phone cord, and fell in the middle of the room xD)
Definitely one topic that caught my attention was predicting the future, and I love it when it comes to games, because as much as I don't believe in real life, in games it always means something. I don't know if anyone else did, or if all the answers are the same, but mine said: LadyLotus "I see your pain Nymos. I share it with you. My prediction is stronger and clearer than ever. In your future, I see a king's golden crown. (I really don't know what that crown might mean.) Sadly, you're about to face tough times. But you won't go through this alone. There is one person in your life that you are very important to (I assume it is Jake) But something unsaid is still with you two. (I wonder what it is, but I have a feeling it's a very bad thing) And if something is offered to you soon, you must refuse. (I think this must be in relation to the Duskwood Police? Can't be sure)
Anyway, I thought it was really cool to be able to interact on the forum and predict our future. I loved the forum mechanics and hope we can use the forum more in the next ep :)
(I saw it Everbyte, and honestly I don't know how I feel about it xP)
We talked to Darkness, and found out Amy's number, which was the unknown number on Hannah's list. (Hello darkness my old friend was a tempting answer, but I didn't click, if someone chose that answer could you tell me what it answers?)
(I know at that time Jake sent a message, and I was scared xD, the scariest thing was in the dialogue I could say I got a fright ._. Everbyte, since when did you guys develop a mind reader in programming?)
We talked to Jake about the number.
I got another fright at Jake's notification, and what can I say, I wasn't really expecting this conversation, but it sure made me very happy. :D
Jake asks us if we like Chinese food. (I said yes, but to be honest, I've never eaten Chinese food, and I can't say whether I like it or not, but I said yes, I didn't want to say no to Jake. If someone said no, what happens? I'm curious.)
He says he has a restaurant in front of the hotel where he is staying. And he says he was thinking about us, and that it would be rude to invite us to a restaurant we don't like. We ask him if he keeps thinking about things like that, and he replies that he thinks a lot. We said that we thought about him too, and that it was good to think. Jake asks if we'd like to talk about it. (And my god Everbyte, I can't believe you turned my thoughts into reality, I mean "reality" as this unfortunately isn't real ._.) We have several answer options, and maybe I'll talk about it in another one post.
Jake says that thought is very good, and that he would like to make it a reality. (Everbyte, why do you do this with my heart? Why do I have to fall so hard for a guy who doesn't even really exist? TT_TT)
Phil calls us in prison, I can't remember his exact words, but he comments about Michael Hanson, that he's in jail because of Phil's connection to him, and that we should prove Phil's innocence.
Jake gets jealous. (I admit it was cute to see him like that xD)
We ask if there's any chance the police know that Phil called us, Jake asks if we were scared of the police, and then reassures us that we don't need to fear the police. We say that we can feel that Jake is hiding something from us, he replies that he still has a card up his sleeve, but that we would understand when the right time came (ah, he hasn't said that for a while, I don't even know why I'm still surprised xD )
Jake discovers an audio of an interrogation of Michael Hanson. We found out that Michael was the former owner of the bar Aurora, and that the day of the Pine Glades Festival was the day Jennifer disappeared/died, and that he didn't notice until the next day when he saw she wasn't in her room. The police suspected Michael was to blame for Jennifer's death.
We show the audio in the group.
Alan sends us one more message.
We found out that Phil took over the bar about a year ago, Phil changed everything there, and before that the bar was geared towards an older group. Thomas said that was where he met the group.
We know that Michael left Duskwood suddenly.
Thomas and Jessy go to the address that belonged to Michael.
We talked to Cleo and Dan in the meantime.
When Thomas and Jessy arrive at the house, (actually the mansion, because that's huge) everything was apparently abandoned. The two begin to explore, and even find a bunker, which was empty.
Lilly says she sent the letter and we say we found out the last number was from Amy.
At some point, Lilly says she remembers walking with her grandfather there a long time ago.
Thomas calls us, they find something inside the house, it was a room with lots of pictures and investigative stuff apparently.
Thomas and Jessy split up to find something. In the meantime the MWAF enters the house, Thomas and Jessy manage to escape in time.
MWAF then calls us asking if killing the mechanic wasn't enough for us? He then says that he's going to kill them all, one by one, that we'll have to watch them all die, and that he's finally going to come after us.
Phew, this took a long time to write, because a lot happened in this ep, I tried to put as much information as possible, but I may have left something out, and I also had no precision about what was said in the calls (and I was with too lazy to research, sorry.) Hope this post might be useful in some way? I kind of just wanted to comment on everything that happened in this ep. Maybe I'll comment on other things about this ep, and I also want to talk about Richy, all his suspicious stuff, and whether or not he's MWAF. (Of course, so far there's no way to know precisely, they're just theories, but I want to talk about it :) )
Oh well, and I also wanted to say, are we reaching the end of Duskwood? It would be ep. 10 the last one? One thing I noticed in the ep trailer was a puzzle, does that mean we're almost at the end of the mystery? Well, we'll have to wait and find out.
See you in the next post. And oh! Tell me what you think of this ep, and your theories :)
(In advance, this was one of the best eps for me, or maybe it is because I've played the other eps so much that I don't see it with the same eyes, but anyway.)
Restarting is tempting, but going through all 8 eps again, I don't think I can do that, especially as I would restart now, play a little bit, drop it, go into duskwood again just in the new ep, and have to spend another 3 whole days playing just to start the new ep. So... better not xD
#duskwood#duskwood ep 8#duskwood 8#duskwood new ep#duskwood spoilers#duskwood ep 8 spoilers#duskwood 8 spoilers
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Heavily cluttered, as many Bucklemming eps are, but worth the trip. There was a lot of goodness in 15.08 and there were two moments where I shrieked out loud.
My two out loud-shriek moments, letās get that out of the way:Ā
Queen Rowena. Caaaaalled it.
Dean and Cas are going back??? To???? Purgatory???? Together?????? And Bobo???? Is???? Writing the episode???????????? *SHRIEKING AND FLAILING*
Okay more orderly and sedate now. Eileen is so damn fierce. Sheās a very physical fighter, sheās smart but seems to use a blunt fighting skill. She can punch HARD. I love watching that so so much. I would enjoy female characters on SPN like this regardless, but the fact that this is a hero character with a disability and itās never a big deal is deeply refreshing and SPN did something really really right bringing her back, amen.
Protective Sam shows up and Eileen is happy to see him but literally pushes him aside so she can make the kill. She doesnāt need his protection, but she also values him as a hunting partner as the ep shows. Also theyāre trying to build a relationship here. Eileen seems used to hunting solo and Sam wants to offer backup, and he got worried.Ā
So the plan is to lock up Chuck like Chuck locked up Amara. The sweet irony of this delights me. He tried to shut away the divine feminine rather than actually stepping up to deal with his sister as, well, a person (well, a divine deity, but still, a being with feelings and thoughts and complexities). Chuck, the arrogant and narcissistic toxic masculinity God, maybe to be locked up now instead as his hubris and his lack of empathy and his petulance is exposed. What if Amara was the more competent deity all along?Ā
There is no way Dean doesnāt know what an Achillesā heel is. The random WTF of this is so much itās not even angering itās just so bizarre. LOL what even. Look I am really enjoying S15 but I hope the butterfly net tightens on stopping this kind of thing because honestly. Iāll just pretend that scene isnāt there. Luckily I enjoyed the episode overall a lot.
Team Free Will in research mode together in the bunker just really makes me happy. Cas is where he belongs.
Donatello!Chuck threatening Jody, Donna, Eileen,Ā āpretty much everyone on your speed dialā as a deterrent to Sam and Dean is bearing out again my impressions of how Chuck views these characters. Iām still not 100% sure what he thinks of Cas who is right in the roomĀ but Chuck doesnāt seem to acknowledge him, except as some sort of right arm to Sam and Dean, as Iāve said in other posts, I think Chuck regards him as a nuisance now, and a deterrent to his miserable endings, and a pawn. Just like Donna, Jody, and Eileen, to him, theyāre just pawns. Theyāre all people Sam and Dean care about, and Chuck will use them to keep his two favorites in line.
See what I did there?
Yeah. Chuck doesnāt care about the characters as people. Everyone except Sam and Dean are expendable and tools to be used so he can control Sam and Dean and thatās it. Heāll destroy them with a snap of his fingers and wonāt care. Look at that. Familiar attitude, isnāt it. How interesting.
āIf you want to stay here, stay here.ā Deanās gone back to not!listening to Cas I see. While Cas is Dean-avoidant and trying not to look at him throughout the episode. But both of them are thawing just a little.
Like when Cas heals Deanās cut palm and the way itās staged looks like heās going to take Deanās hand to do it which I donāt think is an accident. That moment was meant to be soft.Ā Dean didnāt ask. Cas offered. And Dean didnāt jerk his hand away or say no. Then thereās the fact that Cas is going to go with Sam and Dean into Hell despite all his misgivings about Michael and this entire plan.Ā
Team Free Will, getting all researchy together, and then getting all BAMFY together with their angel blades going into Hell.
We didnāt get any kind of nod back to Dean and Casās last visit together to Hell and thatās the second time they have been back to Hell (well the last time was some sort of Hell ante-room, the cage was brought up iirc) and SPN failed to nod to it, WHY AM I CONTINUALLY DENIED THIS.
āHello, boys.ā There it is. My actual shriek of delight. I hope it didnāt alarm the neighbors.
āI took it.āĀ Yes you did, my red-headed goddess queen of the underworld. You sure did. GET IT ROWENA. Rowena won the game of thrones. Boom.
Sheās a little flirty with Sam, still has a soft spot for him I think.Ā
And then starts playing marriage counselor for Dean and Cas. āWhat am I picking up with you two? A wee tiff?....So fix it.ā Someone called this, Iām fairly certain, that if Rowena saw Dean and Cas again during their divorce sheād size that situation up and down and comment on it. FIX IT. So say we all.
āFamily sucks.ā Jake Abel did such a fantastic job in this. tbh I didnāt give much thought to Adam all these years, it seemed like SPN was never going back there. I liked Jakeās performances in S5, but it just seemed like a story that was over. But Jake Abel, man. He comes back after all this time and owns the dual roles and made me care. With a performance that was alternately fearsome and vulnerable.Ā
āThatās adorable.ā Dean is SO happy about Sam and Eileen, he looked so soft, and still a bit not okay because his chosen other half is barely looking at him, but mostly Deanās rooting for Sam to have some happiness.Ā āIf it was to work, she gets it, she gets us, she gets the life.ā Itās a retreated on Samās speech back duringĀ āBabyā about someone...something...who understands the life. And Sam has found that with Eileen.
Meanwhile Cas is right there, with Dean, with this great big chasm still open between them but...heās there. And all the arrows point towards him for Dean.Ā
Dean and Cas are being magnets again. Not like in S14 where every time there is a crisis they stand very close together and are drawn together, now theyāre like magnets that are trying not to feel the pull but they cannot escape each otherās pull nor do they really want to, but they canāt quite figure out how to cross the distance.Ā
Thereās more than one scene where Dean or Cas is out of focus and the other in focus, as if to emphasize how theyāre both there but not in phase with each other. Not yet.
I so enjoyed the Cas and Michael stuff. Casās prayer to Michael, Michaelās mad on for Cas. āOh, I didnāt come to beg.ā And thereās the ruthless strategic angel.
Thereās also something really...fitting about Sam and Dean and Cas all being the ones standing outside the ring of holy fire together to trap an archangel who they effectively hope to bring in from the cold, to their side, in a post S6 era of the show.Ā
āTo paraphrase a friend you had an entire oak tree shoved up your ass.ā I see Cas is still quoting Dean, having Dean as a compass point or a North star. Even if he can barely look at Dean right now.
Cas telling Michael his unimportance to God and keeping the upper hand is just...so satisfying. Cas has grown so much. I keep thinking about S5 Cas and how despite how powerful Cas was back then, radiating power in ways he doesnāt quite do the same way now, Cas always seemed so...smol next to the archangels. Punching above his weight class. But now he faces down Michael and tells Michael rawly how it is with their dad Chuck. And when Michael tries to choke him, he fights past it and goes into Michaelās mind to show him everything, to help him see the truth. Cas has grown so much, this felt a lot like a little brother constantly picked on leaves home, grows, and comes back to find big, big brother isnāt quite as big and intimidating as he remembers.Ā
Which in fact he isnāt, because Michael is capable of insight and change and feelings too. Heās not his father. Despite being the favorite. Despite clinging still to his hero-worship. But Cas worked past that with Chuck long ago.
When Eileenās friend needs help on a hunt, and Eileen goes to Sam, Sam goes with her, no doubts. Tells Dean heās going, as Dean recounts to Cas, and Dean seems cool with it.Ā
Sam and Eileen seem to be growing closer and closer, and while there is something tentative about Sam, he definitely is drawn to her and cares. That tentativeness is from past hurt and loss and maybe heās scared to enter into this kind of relationship. But theyāve got their own magnetic pull together, they fit.Ā
Dean and Cas facing each other in that bunker kitchen, the lighting darker and colder than usual. Theyāre facing each other, and each shift in and out of camera focus, not looking at each other much. Cas canāt look at Dean at all in this scene, while Dean keeps sneaking glances at Cas. In other scenes, Cas does sneak looks at Dean. They are ridiculousĀ and my heart hurts. The blocking here is them facing each other only not--they are a few feet off, so looking past each other.
Cas sitting at that table, hands folded, staring straight ahead and working very hard obviously to Not Look at Dean.Ā
Deanās reaction on Cas reporting the words Michael said,Ā āI want you dead, get out.ā The things Dean has said to Cas are coming back to haunt him, coming from the words of their once mortal enemy, thatās gotta sting.
Both Dean and Cas have some work to do here, but Dean definitely is already very aware his own words went too far, and has been for a while.Ā
āGod lied to me. I loved him.ā Oh wow that hurt, I didnāt expect these feelings.Ā
A thing about Adam and Michael, both feeling so abandoned by their families, and losing everyone. They offered support to each other. They worked out a time-share in Adamās body. Weāve seen genuine vessel and angel bonds form before (in Lily Sunder). Thereās also a S7 episode by Ben Edlund about the bond between a human and the demon who possessed him. Not sure how healthy Adam and Michael are, but they seem weirdly functional, and donāt despise each other and I kind of have some feelings about Adam and Michael bonding the way they did in The Cage. Perhaps Michael shielded Adam from the worst of it. Itās how Adam is coherent after being down there for so long. Maybe Adam made Michael less lonely. Did I ASK for feelings about Adam and Michael, no I did nOT and yet here we are.
Then thereās Adam. It was interesting that scene where Sam acknowledges maybe they gave up too easily. Because Sam and Dean refuse to accept it when itās each other they lose, and have gone way over the line to get the other one back. Here Sam is admitting that it shouldnāt be just for them. That Adam was worth saving. Even though they donāt know him well, he still didnāt deserve what happened (as Dean acknowledges at the end of the ep). And Sam and Dean never mentioning him again or giving him another thought apparently, all these seasons...well, that kind of made me assume that was that. Just because someone is blood, doesnāt make you family and they barely knew Adam.Ā
But if itās someone who could potentially earn that? Someone basically good? And they just...forgot about him and left him to his torment in Hell? So this did need addressing. Thereās not much time to develop a relationship with Adam and TFW this late in the game but there was a start here.Ā
Dean likewise offers his apology to Adam at the end.Ā āYouāre a good man. You didnāt deserve that.ā
Right when I was thinking, so many of them donāt get what they deserve, they just keep getting Hell heaped on their heads, Adam saysĀ āSince when do we get what we deserve.ā
Thereās a subtle thing there where Adam looks at Cas, Cas very pointedly still tries to be not looking at Dean, and after Adam leaves Dean turns to Cas looking so...sorrowful for a moment. I keep saying, Dean and Cas deserve each other, and right now they canāt figure how to have each other.Ā
But Michael left them a strange gift. The Leviathan flower, to seal away Chuck, but the gift has a double meaning (unintentionally on Michaelās part). Itās not just the tool to shut away the villain, Michael opens a door to Purgatory and boom just like that, opens up a whole doorway on Dean and Casās story because of the emotional significance of Purgatory for them. What they had there. What happened there. The way that place broke loose some of their feelings. Iām not sure whatās going to happen now, if they both go, as the promo glimpses seem to suggest, does one return and the other gets trapped? Is Deanās prayer to Cas going to be inside Purgatory, is Cas also still in Purgatory and they get separated? Is being thrown together back into that environment going to help them heal? Or will they be torn apart again but that provides another route to reconciliation?
#spn#supernatural#Dean Winchester#Sam Winchester#Castiel#team free will#rowena macleod#Adam Milligan#Eileen Leahy#Saileen#Destiel#meta#Michael
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Chrome Ghost Give Emphatic Close to the Decade with āThe Diving Bellā
~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~
There's always been something endearing to me about the sound of Roseville, California's CHROME GHOST. Their last two EPs are decades-long favorites of mine, chiefly due to the bittersweet comingling of earnest vocal harmonies with punishing low-end. Each of their releases has brought unique and unforgettable moments and I've long contended that they would stand up well as openers for the likes of Alice in Chains or Tool, Yob or Bell Witch, in terms of how they compliment and contrast elements of both bands.
'The Diving Bell' (2019) opens in classic Chrome Ghost fashion, with a steadily unwinding ballad with a Lovecraftian twist. "Waltz in the Shadow of the Hillside" will hook you for the long haul. It definitely passed the "hum test" for me, in any event, as I've been thrumming the main vocal theme for days now. "Halo" follows this by unleashing a torrent of pent-up tremors, followed by a calming mantra accompanied shortly by an ascendant guitar lead.
"The Diving Bell" presents a solitude and stillness that is rare, even in genres like depressive and funeral doom. Sadly serene, the song is like the calm leading into a storm, for minutes in a march-like rhythm and growling vocals announce the approach of something awful. Then like intermittent patches of downfall, the storm clears and gives way to a warm, confident stride with dreamlike lyricism. I dare say you donāt need to know the words (at least not on first hearing) to get the full effect of this 14-minute wonder, for on a sonic plane it taps into that mysteriously intuitive musical language we all seem to relate to emotionally. On a compositional level, Iām quite impressed (and satisfied) by how the band has developed to this point in their career. Like I said, deserving of much more mainstream attention.
From ascendant to transcendent, the record closes with the cavernous "Visions." There's something about it that reminds me of Gregorian Chant. Certainly the layer-upon-layer effect of the complementing vocal harmonies aids in its sacred vibe. Unexpectedly, the tempo quickens towards the end of the song, as though a great window to the heavens had opened and Jacob's dream of angels ascending and descending like an escalator is before us.
Regardless of how you interpret it, revelations abound in The Diving Bell, which releases this Saturday, November 30th (pre-order here). And now, Doomed & Stoned is pleased to present the worldwide exclusive debut of Chrome Ghost's most accomplished effort to date. A triumph.
Give ear...
The Diving Bell by chrome ghost
A Listener's Guide to 'The Diving Bell'
We're grateful for the opportunity to visit with Jake Kilgore (guitar, vox), Jake Hurst (drums), and Joe Cooper (bass) of Chrome Ghost, who recently gave us the low-down on their most accomplished effort to date, taking us on a tour from the inside-out.
Art
The cover art was painted by Sacramento artist Molly Devlin (@devlinmolly on Instagram) She has an incredibly sensitivity to her work, and the way she works with elements of nature and organic stuff blew my mind. We are extremely lucky that she was into the idea, and honestly the album cover influenced the way I felt about the whole process. I like to have art done before the recordings are done for that exact reason.
Recording Process
The Diving Bell was recorded in May 2019 by Patrick Hills at Earthtone in Sacramento, California. Patrick has recorded all Chrome Ghost releases to date, as well as CHRCH, King Woman, Tera Melos, and more. We have developed an extremely strong working relationship with Pat, and we tend to understand each other with minimal discussion. Half the time weāre not recording, we are getting through the day by watching stupid youtube videos while files are rendering.
The album tracking was spread out over three days, drums, bass, and guitar, with vocals tracked at home. No click tracks were used throughout the process in an attempt to give the record a more organic feel, and to give us the ability to push and pull the tempo as needed. It goes without saying that this method is way harder, and we definitely punished ourselves with long work days trying to get things right.
We were originally slated to track the album in February 2019, but I (Jake Kilgore) ended up breaking my wrist right before we were meant to go into the studio. The injury not only delayed our plans, but sent me into a spiral. Unable to work, I spent most days on the couch, feebly trying to find positions to hold my guitar so I could keep practicing. In some ways, this benefitted the band by really narrowing our focus. We would rehearse with no guitar, only bass, drums, and vocals. Iād stand there and sing the guitar parts when necessary and it became something of a thought exercise for all of us to stay in sync while only imagining what we were supposed to hear.
General Themes
This record was meant to be personal and introspective, but I also wanted to incorporate more classic gothic themes. Instead of being as blatantly autobiographical as Chrome Ghost has been in the past, I got a little more abstract and started to incorporate images and moods that resonated with me in some way.
Jacob and I share a fear of deep water, and I couldnāt shake the image of a primitive Diving Bell from my mind for months. The idea of being totally submerged, surrounded by a small pocket of air, was so claustrophobic yet serene, and it helped direct the mood of the album quite a bit. Always contrasting the heavier and suffocating music we make with the lighter, more reflective stuff.
Photo by Kevin Carpio
"Waltz in the Shadow of the Hillside"
The opener was inspired by a Lovecraft story called Whisperer In The Darkness, which starts off with reports of massive floods sweeping away strange alien bodies. I was struck by the thought of bodies washing through floodwaters, and it sparked from there. That idea met with this mantra I'd had cycling in my head; Wild Rose, Dogās Blood. Something beautiful and something terrible, side by side. That sense of duality might be clichĆ© at this point, but it seemed to fit very well in the sense that the water in this song is an element of destruction, but obviously water is an element of life.
We built this song around that clean fingerpicking guitar part after the heavy intro, which I originally wrote while I was still in high school. Everything else was added to accent those voicings and melodies present in that sequence. Exploring that very primitive and repetitive 3/4 rhythm, and twisting it around in different contexts, was a lot of fun to figure out. The droning, experimental part in the middle is probably my favorite because we got to use a bunch of studio tricks on the drums, and I got to use some rad guitar pedals to get those washy reverse guitar parts.
LYRICS
night falls shadows bloom rise slow dance in the hillside
shifting earth hums below outstretched arms drag through the water
soft glow of eyes that shine dark cold shrouds all who wander
obscured shapes draw near long black hair drags through the water
hark! now comes the flood slow rain crushes the hillside
pray they will rest well see them all dragged by the water
wild rose dogās blood pray all rest well
all that once was is gone from here whispered laments fall on deaf ears
washed clean of all but memory swollen in death and revery
wild rose dogās blood pray all rest well
"Halo"
Halo was a strange one to write, because the lyrics kinda just came to me in a flurry and I wasnāt aware of what they meant until after the record was made. I sometimes suffer from debilitating panic attacks, and Halo ultimately became an ode to my wife, who in these moments has shown compassion and cared for me to the best of her ability. The song is about that paralyzing feeling of sickness that can render you temporarily dead to the world, but more importantly itās about the debt that we owe to those who are there for us.
This is our attempt at a pop song. Itās the only song on the record with a chorus that repeats, and it loosely follows a verse-chorus-bridge-chorus formula. Other than that, we got to stretch our limits a little bit by making this the fastest song weāve written.
LYRICS
healer weakened by the dark
wild rose cloven from the torn gently as the wind had blown resting high upon your crown
frail in your arms aching from the warmth bound to remain here suffer evermore
suspended in this moment of loss every nerve severed and raw the doorās nailed shut chained to the bed iām so tired my eyes shut again
halo
"The Diving Bell"
The mantra Breathe Deep anchors this song, returning multiple times to reinforce that claustrophobia. This song explores the peak of a true panic episode, catatonia, helplessness, etc. The feeling of being out-of-body, and calling out into the void for help.
Obviously this track is a sort of centerpiece for the album, musically. There are repeating phrases and motifs that let you feel like youāre hearing something new, but in actuality youāre just hearing a different version of something from earlier in the song. This track was meant to showcase the most extreme distance between the heavy and light elements of the band.
Pat Hills also did the dual guitar lead part with us, and that is one of my favorite things weāve ever recorded.
LYRICS
breathe deep the only way out espaces me
sinking lower in a slow dive
lay here motionless alone
breathe deep in waters of purity lungfuls of what is to be
sinking in waters of purity lungfuls of what is to be
lay here in waters of purity lungfuls of what is to be
quiet weightless catatonic eyes unblinking mute and empty bury me in silt
the pain comes in distant waves echoes of what once were hidden wounds voices cast out through still air listen for me calling home
breathe deep
"Visions"
The lyrics to Visions were meant to give it finality, as the end of the album. Itās about accepting death, and the darkness that follows some of us throughout life. Itās also about holding on, even in our final moments. Asking to be āburied slowlyā, to let us all have time to think and work through some shit before we have to call it a day.
This track is a sort of mashup between a spindly clean riff that King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard might use, and a powerful seasick drone that a band like Yob might use. Visions has a very chant-like, almost Gregorian element to the vocals, and when thatās laid over almost tribal drums, we knew we had something interesting on our hands. That sorta didgeridoo-like sound during the choruses is an electric bass with two strings being played with a bow. That was 100% Jacobās idea and he executed it perfectly.
LYRICS
sickness floating in the eye of all men
fallen tears in the well poison the crumbling earth rose in bloom thorned red and gold babyās breath like cancer, grows
fading light casts a glow over my face alone when I go bury me slowly when I go bury me slowly
visions
Shallows by chrome ghost
Reflection Pool by chrome ghost
Choir of the Low Spirits by chrome ghost
Follow The Band
Get Their Music
#D&S Debuts#Chrome Ghost#Roseville#California#Doom#Sludge#Metal#Atmospheric#Doom Metal#D&S Interviews#HeavyBest19#Doomed & Stoned
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While Iām waiting on the ep and GoT, Iām going to type up some thoughts Iāve been sitting on for a while.
This will come as a surprise to absolutely no one whatsoever in the whole universe among multiple timelines and dimensions: I have a lot of G Callen feels.Ā I love Bartels, and I trust him, but Iām weary about the upcoming plot developments. (Nowās a good time to say this post will contain some spoilers.)Ā
Iām fully acknowledging my preferences are just that: my preferences. Again, Iām trying to be optimistic about stuff here. If all else, I know Bartels will give us some good moments and he knows how to write for the whole team and not lose a character (or two or three or four, etc.) to some OOC for convenienceās sake. Itās been lovely to watch him grow as a writer on this show, and Iāll probably be looking for his name in the future on any show he moves to when LA is over.Ā Ā
I also know that storylines are not always a single-person decision. So, again, Iām not slighting anyone with this post.
When it comes to G Callenās current story arcs or at least the plots that connect to him, I just keep feeling like theyāre missing soooo many opportunities here. It seems the drama/tension is coming from getting lost in cycles and repeats -- no dad, now a dad, then maybe iffy dad presence, less iffy dad presence, okay, dad is gone, again! Same with the additional family and love life, which Iām not delving into. (And now with the potential addition -- a character whose last name is Reznikov and is played by an actor only 8 yearsā CODās junior, I mean. Weāll see,Ā but I think weāre all thinking the same thing, right?)
G getting to know his dad could have provided its own drama, outside of familial addition (though Jake is adorable!) -- or even with it. But we didnāt even see them together that much or hear about it until he was being taken away again. Didnāt even get a second Christmas mention or anything. (He got one the first year, though. But still. Made it more confusing.) I need to move on, I know.
I feel like the current POV on Gās backstory and character is getting less and less deep and more tunnel-vision-y. Yes, he never knew his name or family growing up, and it created an obsession in him.Ā But since S5 (and some implied moments in S7), one of the very obvious reasons for whyĀ it was an obsession is continually glossed over.Ā He didnāt just move from home to home. (Weāre ignoring pre-āRageā cannon here. Let me ignore it, please.) He had these horrible and traumatic experiences there. He didnāt get put in a basket and sent to live with royalty or a nice family. He had scarring experiences that permanently affected him. The name/family had to be a source of comfort and hope -- an answer that would get him out of his dire situation. He repressed the memory of his mother. He repressed losing Amy when they were separated. He went through hell, but heās doing his damndest. (He also still very much has issues with touch and space, that is still there. See the interaction with Ochoa for a recent example.)
Nikita did what he thought was right. They all did. But it had horrible consequences for G. He should know what those consequences are. I get Gās not wanting to open up at that level with this person he just met. However, at some point (maybe in the living together storyline they dropped), I would have liked to see him address that with him. With anyone. Gās current arcs get him taking hit after hit of blame for things he has no control over. But he never really calls out the people who hurt him -- and, yes, abandoning in one way or another is what Nikita did and thatās a big hurt. He calls out Garrison a little here and there, but usually when other people are involved: he was involved in a case with a dying woman, G thought the right thing to do was to tell Alex the truth, G thought Garrison shouldnāt be putting exes in trunks and pretending to be a dad at a distance -- for Alexās sake, etc.Ā
There was room for some conflict and tension without having to involve the evil Russians so soon. (Though, trust me, the scene of Gās trying to get him through the trapdoor and to freedom while saying āDammit, Dad!ā still breaks my heart to think about.)Ā It would have been something to also get Janvier back with. But I donāt think weāre going to get it, or anything close to it. Hopefully Iām wrong, but Iām getting aĀ ārinse, repeatā vibe from the upcoming eps, as good as they might be. The storyline that was one of the biggest cruxes for so long deserves to have more, serious character payoffs.Ā
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Supermilk Interview: Less Spikes, More Curves
Photo byĀ Julie Ernie
BY JORDAN MAINZER
Jake Popyuraās used to doing things himself. The drummer and vocalist of supremely underrated British indie rock band Doe, who split up in 2019, records as Supermilk, a project initially intended to be a studio-only side project, albeit one rooted in Popyuraās longtime experience self-recording. A 2017 and 2019 EP were followed by a full-length, last Marchās Death Is The Best Thing for You Now, which he finally planned to tour, adopting his bedroom approach to a band on stage. We all know what happened last March. For Popyura, the cancellation of live music for the foreseeable future, the still-recent dissolution of Doe, and a dry well of freelance web development projects (his day gig) could have combined to form a full-blown existential crisis. Yes, who am I to assume that didnāt happen, but from an outsiderās point of view, Popyura simply did what a lot of artists did with lockdown: write some songs.
Four by Three, Supermilkās second LP (and first for Specialist Subject) marks a new path for Popyura both in context of Doe and Supermilk. Though there are still buzzing tunes with grim subject matter, Popyura took the opportunity to dive deep within himself. The albumās bookended with two lilting, personal tracks, first single and closerĀ āUsed to Itā and vulnerable openerĀ āUnsafeā. The latter as well asĀ āLifesaverā allow him to showcase his expressive, open vocals, giving more space than ever to his lyrics. Yes, some of the albumās best songs could have fit on previous, murder-oriented releases, like choppy, Heavenās Gate-inspired burnerĀ āSwimā and a fuzz rock sequel to Deathās serial killer tale āAgony Anneā. But Four by Three has the most variety of any Supermilk or even Doe release, exemplary of Popyuraās ability to channel different corners of his mind.
I spoke with Popyura over Zoom in May from London, where heāsĀ ācurrently living, trying not to go insane.ā In addition to the record, he spoke about his love for horror films, craft beer, and VHS collecting, why he chooses to be open about his day job, and when heāll start thinking about restarting the live incarnation of Supermilk. Read the conversation below, edited for length and clarity.
Since I Left You: With either Doe or Supermilk, had you been used to the idea of putting out an album, touring it, and having that road-testing experience influence the process of the next one? Was the process for Four by Three different, having written and recorded it immediately after putting out Death Is The Best Thing for You Now?
Jake Popyura: I guess with Doe, that was the way they would usually work, in terms of touring it for as long as we could before getting started on another one. Naturally, the way you evolve as a band is through playing and touring relentlessly, and the adventures you have together influence the way you work together and impact subsequent releases. With Supermilk, Iāve been doing my own kind ofĀ āone man bandā things for a long time. Iām an only child and started playing music really early, and my dad taught me to record music by myself on his four-track when I was quite young. Supermilkās sort of another version of that one-man band thing. Iāve never really played live as a solo thing. Not having any outside influence, just doing it myself without having road testing, is something Iām used to, so it didnāt make much of a difference to the writing and recording of the new record.
The last record, my first full-length with Supermilk, we were working on a live band incarnation of it, which we were gonna tour and do some shows with. That had to be completely canceled because of COVID. That was the only hint of doing live stuff solo. Itās always been a self-contained thing, writing and recording on my own. The only difference this time is my friend Rich [Mandell] produced, mixed, and mastered Four by Three. So sadly, no road testing for Supermilk yet. Hopefully at some point in the future when we can stand shoulder to shoulder and people can be on stage again.
There was a period of time last year where I didnāt work, because I was previously freelance as a day job. I finished my last freelance contract just before COVID kicked off, and all the work dried up, and there were four months I couldnāt work or couldnāt find any work. It was all a bit dicey. So I thought,Ā āI guess Iāll start [making a record.]ā I was playing guitar a lot more and was indoors a lot more. It was a way to pass the time and naturally grew into intelligent songs. Towards the end of the year, I thought,Ā āThere might be a second record in this. I like all the stuff Iām doing, and thereās probably enough ideas in here for me to start forming it into a second album.ā So it was almost accidentally born out of the situation.
SILY: How would you say itās distinct from the first record?
JP: Iād say the first record is a lot more agitated, if that makes sense. It had a theme where a lot of the songs were about death and entitlement and the combination of death as a result of entitlement. Even though there were a lot of pop songs on it, it was bleak, angry, and fidgety. The fact that I recorded it by myself made it rough around the edges. This second one ended up being gentler, in a way, which was not intentional at all. But maybe it was because I was in a slightly different place from when I wrote the first one.Ā
I have a wide rage of influences. I grew up listening to a lot of punk and hardcore and still have a love of heavy, fast music and post-punk. Stuff like Devo, B-52s. Thereās also a lot of gentle, ambient stuff that I love, and I donāt get a chance to or think to write in that style. Naturally, I ended up writing quite a few more personal, gentle, acoustic songs as well. The first time Iāve really kind of used acoustic [guitar] on any Supermilk stuff.
Nicola [Leel] from Doe, Iām looking after her acoustic guitar while sheās living in the States, and I ended up writing a lot of the songs on that, which helped me play around with full open chords that were jammy and gentle, instead of playing through fuzz pedals all the time. Itās got less spikes and more curves. A bit smoother around the edges. And the lyrics are a lot more personal too, referencing things going on in my life over the last year and a bit.
SILY: You still find room for both the gentler/more personal and the more raw. The former is immediately apparent on the opening track,Ā āUnsafeā, but you still have sharp barbs of guitar on the second and third track, andĀ āFearsā is really fuzzy. Then āLifesaverā goes back to gentle. Did you try to sequence the album in a way that goes back and forth between different levels of noise?
JP: Iām always quite fussy about the track sequencing. Not so much anymore, but I used to have a thing where I couldnāt have songs together that were the exact same tempo or key. Then I realized that sometimes works against you, because itās sometimes nice to have two songs in the same key that flow into each other. I used to be way more anal about that. I never write an album in sequence, but ones the songs are mixed, I spend a while putting them into different orders.
SILY: The songĀ āUsed To Itā is a great closer, but you rarely see the closer issued as the first single. Why did you release it as the first taste of the record?
JP: The first single was reallyĀ āPelican Peteā, but we put it out with Specialist Subject before we announced the record because we were keen to get something out there. But withĀ āUsed To Itā, itās the most different compared to what Iāve done before. I really liked the idea of putting out a track that wasnāt entirely consistent with what I had done before. Itās one of the more personal songs on the record, too. It weaves a bit of a story and hits a few different places and notes than singles I had put out previously. Itās more chill and gentle. The most downtempo thing Iāve done. I thought it would be interesting instead of releasing the standard guitar ones to let people know,Ā āHereās something from the record you might not like, just to give you a heads up.ā
SILY: Who or what is Pelican Pete?
JP: Thereās a song on the first record calledĀ āAgony Anneā, a loose story of a serial killer called Anne who meets her victims through Tinder, orĀ āinsert name of dating app here.ā The story is from the perspective of her soon-to-be victim, and in an attempt to spare their life, they say,Ā āHang on a second: You must be very lonely doing all this killing on your own. Maybe I can be the person to do this with you. You can spare my life and we can do this together and form a partnership.āĀ āPelican Peteā is the sequel to that song, and Pete is the person fromĀ āAgony Anneā.Ā āPelican Peteā is from the perspective of Anne, her saying,Ā āThis was a bad idea. Youāve gone rogue and are not abiding by my code. Youāre gonna get us caught. Iām gonna have to kill you.ā
SILY: Thatās not a personal story, is it?
JP: I hope not, unless itās channeling some sort of other life. On the whole, this album is a lot more personal and gentler than the first one, but there are still a few songs on here dealing with death. It would be unusual if there werenāt any songs like that on here, especially considering the time in which I wrote it, where there was a lot of death around us and gnarly shit happening. Also, Iām a big horror fan and have always been fascinated with the slightly more macabre side of things and weird interpersonal relationships that tie into those things as well. Especially when you have a pair of serial killers. Itās interesting to me, this love affair and bond can be tied up in such a sadistic way.
Thereās a song on here loosely based on the Heavenās Gate cult, which Iām also quite fascinated with. So Iād never allow myself to write a completely gentle album, even though itās more gentle on the whole and definitely shows a softer side. But a big component of my personality remains in the uncomfortable, slightly infatuated with death arena, so it felt right to include those in there too.
SILY: You repeat āYou will not be safeā on the first track. Does that go along with the macabre themes?
JP: Not really, actually. One through-line in a lot of the stuff Iāve written is about mental health and my own struggles with mental illness. That songās more about the fear I have that all of my friends are one day gonna get up and say,Ā āWhy have we been friends with this person for so long?ā When I actually speak to my other friends or people in general who suffer from generalized anxiety that comes with several different types of mental illness, that kind of fear that someone wakes up and realizes Iām a terrible person, is a common feeling that a lot of people have.Ā āYou will not be safeā and the line before that,Ā āSome day youāll believe me / Some day youāll release me,ā itās some day youāll believe me when I keep telling you Iām a piece of shit and not worth it.Ā āYou will not be safeā is like, āIāll still be there--the stain of our friendship will still be on your life.āĀ
It sounds bleak, but I find this stuff quite funny as well. Youāve got to laugh about your own mental peculiarities. I find them amusing when talking to someone else about them. Theyāre just floating in my head, so me talking out loud about them is funny. [laughs]
SILY: Whatās the purpose of the interlude,Ā āHale Boppā, within the narrative of the record?
JP: Thatās a portion of a song I made 10-11 years ago. I made a chiptune-esque project that was Nintendo-style bleeps and bloops, emulating a rock band sound made entirely in the computer. Itās a portion of that, been fucked with a little bit, pitch shifted and reversed. āThe Skinā, the song I mentioned about Heavenās Gate, is almost a fictionalized version of it from the point of view of the two last people standing in a suicide cult/pact, looking back over the events that have led up to that point and realizing theyāve got a choice to make.Ā Hale-Bopp was the comet they believed [would transport them] if they took their own lives, if they timed it right and left their ownĀ āvehiclesā, which is how they referred to their human bodies, that theyād be able to ride the comet back to their alien origins and join the people they left previously. [The song] sounds a bit spacey, and you can listen to that and imagine a bunch of people jumping to a comet and riding back to where they think they come from. Because of the way itās been reversed and pitch-shifted, it feels melodic and hopeful but sad and tragic at the same time, which is fitting with the themes.
SILY: Are you a fan of contemporary horror films?
JP: Iām a fan of horror all across the decades. I usually reference 80ā²s horror because the style of it--when effects were starting to be used a lot more and there wasnāt quite as much CGI yet, so there was a gritty feel to the stuff that was happening even thought it was fake, because it was happening in the studio in frame with the actors. Including the gore or creature effects. It forced people to get creative. Thereās something special and magical about watching that happen and how itās captured by the filmmakers. But Iām a big fan of the genre on the whole.
SILY: Youāve shared in your bio that youāre also interested in craft brewing and that you have a day job as a web developer. I normally donāt see bands or band members including that in conjunction with information about the album. Why did you choose to share these things about yourself, whether they pertain to the music or not?
JP: I feel like the vast majority of my friends are musicians, or if not musicians, are involved in the arts in some way. I know one or two people who do music as their job. The eternal struggle, trying to find that right balance--especially if youāre doing music on a small indie level--you can have a fan base and people buying your music and big sold out shows and be established--but thereās still a good chance itās not gonna be your living. Almost everyone I know subsidizes it with a day job. I thought it would be a nice thing to throw in there because itās something to be proud of, too. The way most people I know do music, itās essentially a job even though they donāt get paid for it. They dedicate just as much time to it and put just as much effort into it and care just as much about it than any other job, if not more so. Sometimes I feel like people are ashamed to say they donāt do music full time and canāt call it their job if not making a full-time living from it. Itās nice to get rid of that stigma and say,Ā āWeāre all in this together.ā We all have to take other jobs we donāt like 100%. Itās good to be honest about it.
The homebrewing was just something to amuse myself. It made me laugh. It read almost like a dating profile or something. [laughs] I actually had another line in there I chose to take out, which is,Ā āHis best feature is his butt.ā I donāt need to rub the fact that Iāve got a fantastic butt in peopleās faces. Theyāll figure that out.
SILY: What style of beer do you brew?
JP: Iām actually drinking one right now. Iāve just brewed a very nice stout, about 5.5%. Some nice chocolate, licoricey notes. Chocolate malt and roasted barley. I didnāt actually start brewing that long ago, but...I feel comfortable building my own recipes, putting in different yeasts, etc. There are a couple recipes I go to now that are my own that I can brew very quickly.
SILY: Whatās the inspiration behind the album title?
JP: Iām a VHS collector, which is supremely nerdy and very uncool. Itās funny, because in the VHS collecting community, thereās a running joke that hipsters are ruining the hobby because theyāre making them too cool. Everybody just wants to buy these rare tapes and take pictures of them just to show off. Itās full of grumpy old guys. Itās such an uncool thing and clunky, redundant bit of technology that any self-respecting hipster probably wouldnāt be caught dead with VHS tapes. Regardless, Iām a big fan, and it lends itself to horror as a genre. They go hand in hand with the way a lot of people discovered horror for the first time, renting movies when they were kids. Thereās something about the low-grade, crappy standard definition that lends itself to the grubby, slightly seedy nature of watching an old school horror movie, with scan lines and flickers and dodgy special effects. As a horror fan, itās a match made in heaven. A lot of the tapes I have, thereās a series of movies colloquially known as theĀ āvideo nasties.ā In the 80ā²s, they were banned because the conservative government at the time whipped up a big moral panic about violent video tapes corrupting our nationās youth. Evil Dead, and I Spit On Your Grave. Quite revered movies. Blood Feast. They ended up prosecuted in the UK. Video dealers were raided and their videos confiscated and burned. Iāve got some of the original tapes, and theyāre highly sought after now.
This is a very long-winded tangent, but Four by Three is the aspect ratio of VHS. I called it that to loosely describe what the album was about in a nutshell to someone. Mostly from a personal place that follows my journey through the last year of things that have happened to me through the backdrop of the pandemic. The story follows a bit of a timeline, of the pandemic breaking out. One thing that kept me on the sane side at times was shutting myself away and getting very nerdy about this hobby. I had these online friendships to get nerdy about this specific thing, trading tapes and such. It helped take my mind off the absolute shitshow happening around us all. Gave me something to be excited and passionate about. Thatās why the record [cover] is a video with tape being loaded into it.
SILY: Do you have any plans to play live?
JP: Not at the moment. Iāve got a lot of friends who have started booking shows already. Doe split up just prior to the pandemic, but if we were still a band, weād probably be cautiously booking shows. But since Supermilk was never really a band, even though we formed something and had intentions of playing and touring, because it never came to proper fruition, it seems like thereās not as much pressure. It still is my thing, since I call the shots and play all the instruments. If you just want to write music and donāt fancy playing live, thereās not yet the expectation of you that you have to do that. Even though itās very frustrating we canāt play music yet, and people have been put in a really difficult position and lost their livelihoods, itās also been refreshing to know that people are able to create music without feeling the need to tour behind a record.
I think it will happen at some point, but Iām not making plans for now. Iām gonna enjoy the record coming out knowing I donāt need to worry too much about playing live for a little bit. When things are even more stable than they are at the moment...I think I want to stand back and watch from afar for a bit, and see what shows look like. Definitely at some point in the next 15 years.
SILY: Anything else next for you in the short or long term?
JP: Iām probably gonna watch some Netflix in a bit. Go to sleep, maybe. Eat a sandwich. Not at the same time.
Iām always writing songs. Whether those go into a pile Iāll use at some point, or whether I feel like I need to record a full-blown demo, Iāll never not be doing that, even if just purely for my own enjoyment and satisfaction. The fact that a few people might hear it is a bonus on top of that.
Continuing to be grateful I get to make music and that Iām alive.
SILY: Anything in particular youāve been listening to, watching, or reading lately?
JP: There are two records in particular that came out this year that I really love that Iām finding any opportunity to plug. Thereās a band called Fake Fruit that put out a self-titled record earlier this year. Theyāre from Oakland. Theyāre snarky post-punk. Every track on it is an absolute banger, exactly the kind of album I wanted to hear this year. There are bits and pieces of it that remind me of Bodega a bit, and that kind of end of post-punk with wry humor and slight wink-wink-nudge-nudge lyrics. The other record is Mr. Goblinās Four People in an Elevator and One of Them is the Devil.Ā Ā
I just started watching the Son of Sam documentary on Netflix [The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness], which is very good. Since Iāve been a small child, Iāve been a true crime, morbid weirdness fan. The only thing Iām annoyed about now is that itās cool and a commodity. Itās widely accepted and great, but I miss telling people Iām into it and them looking at me in disgust. Gory horror movies still have that edge, where people say, āWhatās wrong with you?ā
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#supermilk#interviews#specialist subject#nicola leel#four by three#julie ernie#jake popyura#doe#death is the best thing for you now#specialist subject records#heaven's gate#zoom#covid-19#rich mandell#devo#the b-52s#agony anne#pelican pete#hale-bopp#nintendo#cgi#vhs#video nasties#evil dead#i spit on your grave#blood feast#netflix#fake fruit#mr. goblin#four people in an elevator and one of them is the devil
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hey gang guess whoās sick in bed and therefore not drinking but is definitely getting Fever Weird which is the next best thing really
No itās not iām sick as a dog and fucking miserable and probably not going to be as much fun as usual, full disclosure. Instead of sushi and cider like my usual wednesdays, iām having tang and saltines so.... cheers.
also i want you all to know there were no working links so i had to wait for the official cw stream to go up like a pauper come on team itās 2018 weāre better than this
mayor mac and the lodges are still in cahoots and now v knows why but you know who doesnāt yet? ME THATāS WHO
oh wow so thatās penelopeās deal now
this is- in a darkly hilarious way- the photo negative of season one keller boysĀ āno cruising guys today kiddoāĀ āgood GAWD dadā.Ā āi may be a widow but i can still fucking PULLāĀ āgood GAWD momā
i should not be laughing but oh my god CHERYLāS FACE jesus h christ
itās veronicaās job to keep next gen riverdale chillĀ āwhen the news breaksā ruh-roh
did archie say heās going to start a bandĀ āof redheadsā? so just- him on guitar and cheryl screaming into the mic like a kraken? thatās the only possibility i can envision
āare you upset?āĀ āupset? ronnie, iām crazy about youā that is a suburban white mom level of non-answer, archie- stop hanging out with alice cooper
RED ALERT KEVIN READS CLIVE BARKER NOVELS AND MY LOVE FOR HIM GROWS EVEN MORE
awkward betty and archie eye contact is almost as obvious as veronicaās stilted forcedĀ āwe should probably all stay calm....ā to the room at large
((the saltines went over pretty well so i think iāmma try some chicken nuggest pray for me team))
āmy home is a dickensian nightmare- i wonāt have my school turn into one too!ā there is just... so much here. short version: cherylās origin story is that of the classic highschool bully: not in control of her home life, so enacts violent control over her school. in this way she has not changed. also jesus christ sheās so fucking dramatic i love her like this is in any way her problem but sheās automatically FURIOUS about it. but also just: wow cheryl hates poor people.
āof course. weāre fine.ā kevinās skeptical face (tm) is mint. top shelf. the good shit.
ājones- this is very lovecraftian, which iām sure was the intention.ā toni has jughead Figured Out, and iām not sure heās comfortable with that.Ā
*jake peralta voice* toni- first off your insinuating voice is way too high you sound like meryl streep in mama mia
oh my god sweetpea and fangs are just so dumb. so pretty and so dumb. just because you two wear leather jackets and flannel doesnāt mean youāre not dumb jocks. iām calling it: sweetpea/reggie. can you imagine the angry makeouts???? so much angry repressed sexuality.
toniās face ofĀ āoh god why are you morons celebratingā is some of the best weāve seen of her so far my hopes are high for next gen serpent characterization with this plotline
WHAT DOES HIRAM NEED ALL THIS LAND FOR?!?!?!?!?!
POLLY MY GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh wow yeah actress must have gotten a better gig or something and is only available for a cameo or two if a show as drama loving as RIVERDALE is keeping the birth of twins offscreen
THE LEADERS OF THE FARM?????? NO. NO. UNACCEPTABLE.
ājuniper and dagwoodā *betty face*
also yes polly you are in a cult get your babies and LEAVE. go hang out with smithers and joaquin whom i command are safe and happy and healthy wherever they are
āthatās mine by the wayā FUCKIN COLD.
FINALLY someone other than the sheriffās office is getting involved in how fucking SHADY thisĀ āsmallā town is
āis this even legal, what youāre asking me to do?ā SMART, REASONABLE ARCHIE IS HERE TO STAY I LOVE SMART, REASONABLE ARCHIE WHO HAS LEARNED NOT TO JUST ACCEPT EVERYTHING ADULTS TELL HIM AT FACE VALUE
oh nevermind one seed of doubt and heās back. poor boy. sweet boy. dumb boy.
oh nooooo freddddd
fp in his adorkable popās uniform smugly nudging about betty is a great moment everyone deserves an in-law that loves them like fp loves betty
please tell meĀ ādoctor beekerā is their actual science teacherās name
we all know that finding the lost cooper brother is going to do ANYTHING but make alice a happier, more stable person right this is not going to end well
i mean even if he wasnāt a minor and using him to get information from a dangerous criminal was a profoundly shitty thing to do, the fbi could have picked literally anyone in town that would have been a better double agent because this is.... not a subtle conversation.
GREAT SONG CHOICE FOR THE SERPENTSā INTRO TO RHS ((my mom had a tape with this song on it that sheād play to get me pumped for kindergarten))
okay iām only going to say this once and then probably once more in the scorecard but: how much better would this mixed school plot have been if JOAQUIN WAS STILL IN TOWN?!?!?! the joy and comedy if he and kevin got back together?? the ANGST IF THEY DIDNāT?!?!?!?!?! i am CHEATED. LAID LOW. BITCHSLAPPED.
THAT BEING SAID: this is so good already. serpents swaggering in. veronicaās stepford forced cheer. cheryl and reggie STRUTTING to create conflict.
toniās face upon gazing at cheryl once more is just so very gay. angry gay. furious that she has to see those mile long legs again.
āno one invited facist barbie to the partyā !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "ragamuffinsā !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh archie. so pure. so ineffective. as always.
did jughead just sidehug sweetpea away from conflict are they there now
i havenāt been paying enough attention to outfits so far but the placement of cherylās iconic spider broach not over her heart like a normal broach, but ON HER SHOULDER LIKE ITāS CRAWLING was a topnotch choice by wardrobe
again this is some classic response to sexual assault in the category ofĀ āwell thatās unfortunateā until itās about someone close to you come on archie youāre better than this.
which of course reinforces cherylāsĀ āme against the worldā attitude because NO ONE SEEMS TO FUCKING CARE that she was attacked except veronica and the cats
āof the park avenue lodgesā juggie. not helping. although iād like to think jughead has mentioned veronica enough that toni knows this is just mild teasing between unlikely friends
josieās awkwardĀ ānow just... josie...ā BROKE MY HEART
ājoaquin and i used to hang out. talked about you all the timeā OF COURSE HE FUCKING DID THAT POOR BOY WAS *ELIZA SCHUYLER VOICE* HELPLLLLLEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS. also iām so happy joaquin has FRIENDS that hopefully still keep in touch please just someone check on him i miss my gay biker leo
godfuckingdammit reggie
āno more serpent jacketsā okay- okay- i really need to ask the writers to go to a real high school just once. once. in what world would they have not made this a rule already???? i got in trouble in middleschool for wearing a bandana okay and i was a weird horse girl and LOOKED IT.
is josie hanging out with the core four+kevin because cherylās weirdness was scaring her off and the cats have cut all ties? has she lost her entire support network??? iām worried about alpha kitty guys include her in stuff
jughead is #worked up and toni is having none of it thank god for toni
āi just need to borrow one of jasonās blazersā thank GOD they havenāt abandoned creepy ties between jason and archie. please someone share my half baked conspiracy theory that they were switched at birth and archie is the real blossom twin
juggie. i love you. i genuinely do. but you are being a prime fucking asshole right now.Ā
i was rolling my eyes so hard at jugheadās bullshit i almost missed sweetpeaās turtleneck which would have been a TRAGEDY
this separation between jugheadās attitude and the rest of the serpents is finally bringing to light what has bothered me about his plot this season so far. heās so fucking desperate to fit into his role as the heir apparent to the gang but he doesnāt actually know shit about being in a gang and being in danger all the time. for all he grew up poor his has this really privileged attitude and i canāt wait for toni and co. to just tell him to sit down and shut up because believe it or not his actions have consequences
OH MY GOD VERONICAāS SOLUTION IS MAKEOVERS BECAUSE OF COURSE IT IS
i was going to sayĀ āwhat they didnāt call ahead???ā but of course not. cooper women do not call ahead
i mean we all knew this wasnāt going to go well and i think a lot of us thought it might be a possibility but...... umm.... heavens.... golly.... that.... that uh... looks like.... ayoungblondskeetulrich. .....jinkies.
oh god why do we have two prostitution plotlines in one episode why why is this a thing in riverdale now
on a lighter note they are hitting into my nostalgia funny bone hard this ep with the game in the whyte wurm being mortal combat ii itās been years since iāve gazed on those pixilated icons of my childhood
fp giving you advice on doing the smart thing instead of your kneejerk reaction to a shit situation is a real lowpoint i hope you realize that juggie
again, as heavy as it is, iām glad they donāt shy away from the dreadedĀ āRā bomb with this nick plotline. like characters seem hesitant to say it in a realistic way, but they do use it which keeps it from feeling like the creators trying to write around controversy
i like that theyāre acknowledging itās pretty shitty of archie to not care until itās about veronica it feels like brewing #character development
BAHAHAHA TONI AND SWEETPEA LOOK ADORABLY HORRIBLE THIS PLOTLINE IS BLESSED
I mean donāt get me wrong, i love seeing nick get beat up as much as anyone else, but archie should have def talked to veronica before all that and sheās right to be upset
yess betty goin to rescue her bro and showing up in the suspiciously convenient nick of time i love it
archie being a good boy and clearing the air about the kiss before things get out of hand but also.... not mentioning the fbi agent after her dad is such a very riverdale thing to do
omg theyāre making a d&d cover group i lied iām bringing it up again HOW DARE THEY NOT HAVE JOAQUIN HERE FOR THIS WHEN HIS BOYFRIEND IS A CERTIFIED D&D NERD CAN YOU FUCKING IMAGINE THE BANTER
BLOSSOMS JESUS H CHRIST
god this poor lost cooper boy this is the most awkward situation ever because you know alice and hal are not going to handle this well and you know betty is going to try too hard to make it work and you know chic is probably involved in some stuff that will be Plot (tm) later on and this is just A Lot
archie.....
chic..... (weāre supposed to find this threatening, but psych, chic is noticing all the suspiciously different features they have almost like they might be half siblings instead of full siblings.....)
Episode Scorecard:
# of Sick Beat Drop Editing Sequences: None
Do I Still Miss Joaquin: Do i have to fucking elaborate YES okay goddammit someone better be working on aĀ ājoaquin never leftā au to fit in with this serpents at rhs plot as we speak or i will be MOST CROSS.
Episode Hair MVP: Toniās was looking particularly nice today
Episode Outfit MVP: sweetpeaās turtleneck. hands down. but with a close second being the placement of cherylās spider.
Episode Cast/Crew Shoutout: soundtrack was better than it has been this season- good choices there.
#nell liveblogs#long post#unsubtle highschool suburban gothic of my dreams#riverdale#riverdale season 2#riverdale spoilers
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Interview with La Bouquet
We had the honor of speaking with Bryan Sammis from La Bouquet about their latest single, āLoser Babyā and their upcoming album!
What made you decide to keep āLoser Babyā from your previous project (Olivver the Kid)?
āLoser Babyā is a song that weāve had for a long time that we never put out, but would play at every Olivver the Kid show. If you could kind of trace back to the start of La Bouquet, it was probably when we wrote that song, even though we wrote that song before any Olivver the Kid songs. That was really the first time that Jake and I really collaborated heavy on a song since high school. We had jammed in high school and tried to make songs, but fast forward 5 or 6 years and we made that song and just really loved it. Jake is so good at guitar and writes really good riffs that he would send me, so he sent me this riff and it was super long. I just said āHey, what if we cut this in half and put some drums over it.ā. We always wanted to release it, and itās kind of a blessing that we didnāt finish it before because it wouldāve come out as an Olivver the Kid song and we wouldnāt have been able to play it now. I think āLoser Babyā is really symbolic of where La Bouquet started. The 2 songs that are out right now, āLoser Babyā was the first song that weād ever written, and āLovelessā is the second to last that we wrote for our first album. It was important to keep that song to kind of show where it all started. Itās cool for the fans that have been there through Olivver the Kid because the song is so much better now. Every night when we would play it, the lyrics would change. They were never solidified, so during the 2nd verse every night I was kind of winging it. Now, Iām really glad that we took our time with it because the lyrics, production, song structure, everything is so much better. The whole pre-chorus used to be āIāve been savedā over and over again and one day i just thought āWow what a cop out. I could say so much more here thatās more important to the message of the song.ā
Did you keep the same instrumentation/set up from your last project? Why/why not?
Not really. The instrumentation in Olivver the Kid jumped around with DJās, guitars, 4 people, 6 people, etc. Now we have Jake and Guy on guitar, Justin bass, keyboard, and trumpet, Garrett who plays drums, and me who plays guitar, has a soundboard, and sings. I donāt have 2 mics anymore, most of the reason why I had 2 mics during Olivver the Kid was because I needed to have a mic I could walk around with because it was a pop show. But with La Bouquet thatās not really the vibe. I think eventually when weāre playing headlining sets and have longer sets to play, it would be cool. For now I have 1 mic and I just keep it in place- which is a little more classic to me. I was watching old videos of The Cure and Robert Smith has his mic in place and just stands there, and I think that just fits our vibe more. That was part of why we changed the project too, I couldnāt picture myself being 60 years old doing a pop show. It needed to change so I could be able to like this music when I was 6 and like it when I was 60.
The general vibes of your released music so far are kind of somber, is that the mindset that youāre in when you write? Or is that kind of feel just going to be what we hear in your upcoming album?
My main lyrical idols are Morrissey and Jesse Lacey, and their general vibes are kind of on the somber side. And for me, I donāt get any sort of catharsis from writing happy songs and happy lyrics and just acting like my whole life is great. Music is like another person for me, itās like my therapist. Music helps me get over stuff, so once I put something on a song, I can leave it there and I donāt have to carry it with me anymore. A lot of our record is upbeat and dance-y in terms of instrumentation but the lyrical content is somewhere else. The first track on the album, called āHeavenlyā, actually picks up from the last song on the last Olivver the Kid EP, āHellā. Itās the antithesis of the past track, and talks about how both of us are better off without each other. That track isnāt too somber, but the feel of the album as a whole is pretty sad. We already have songs for the next album, and those are a little less sad and a little more story-telling. Making this first album, that was just kind of the headspace that we were in. And the artists that we identify with arenāt generally happy either, like Bon Iver, Father John Misty, and Iron & Wine.
In your residency that just wrapped up, you shared the stage with your friends Rad Horror, Dark Waves, and Field Medic. Is there possibly a tour in the works with any of those artists?
Yeah, weād love to! I personally hand-picked all of the bands that we played with during our residency and everyone that I picked are friends of mine, but all made an amazing show. Field Medic, into Rad Horror, into La Bouquet is a very eclectic show, and thatās what ties us all together. And the same could be said with all of the nights of the residency. If tomorrow someone asked us to do a headline tour, I would definitely ask those bands to be on it, we just all arenāt at that point right now.
What made you want to release āLovelessā and āLoser Babyā on a 7ā? How has/does vinyl fit into your life as both a creator and consumer?
We wanted to do this because as we were thinking about merch, we wanted to make something cool that you could have forever. For our type of music it just kind of fits the vibe more than hats or pins. And we all listen to vinyl a lot, our music sounds good on vinyl, and itās just a really cool thing to have. I have a collection of records from the 60s and 70s and I still have them and listen to them. To think that someone might have our vinyl in their house for that long is pretty sweet. We have 500 of them, and weāll hopefully be getting them online soon since we donāt have a lot of shows coming up.
What is 1 thing that fans can expect from your forthcoming album, and 1 thing (can be song or otherwise) that they should keep an eye out for?
It has a little bit of everything in it, just like how I didnāt box Olivver the Kid into a certain genre. A big part of the album for me is the sequencing; how the songs flow into each other and writing songs to fill a gap or a vibe that the album didnāt have. It starts out energetic in the first 4 songs, then goes into a more somber part of the record, then in the latter half we have 3 more bangers in a row, and end it with 2 more somber songs. It takes you everywhere, from āLovelessā, to āLoser Babyā, to the last track which is acoustic. Daniel Bronstein and I produced the album, but we also co-wrote songs with Dark Waves and Michael Keenan, so we have influences from all genres. Those are the kind of things that everyone can expect and lookout for.
Your music video for āLovelessā is a fairly simple setup but has you and Jake imposed in multiple outfits and playing different instruments. are you going to keep going with the simpler videos, or possibly revert back to the more intricate and thought provoking videos that youāve done in the past?
Definitely! We wanted this first one to be simple. Weād never done a performance video, and with the change from the last project, we wanted to set the vibe. We wanted people to understand the aesthetic of the project from this first video. Itās a little more new wave-y, so we wanted āLovelessā to be an introduction to that. We have a video that weāre working on right now, and the idea of it is more along the lines of Olivver the Kid stuff. For all of the Olivver the Kid videos, they were my ideas, but now with La Bouquet I want to start co-directing the videos. The song that the video will be for will probably be the main single for the album once we have set plans of when itāll be put out. Unfortunately, unless youāre a big artist, music videos wonāt really get you anywhere. They wonāt really have an impact. They mean a lot to me creatively, and theyāre amazing things to have and look back on, but for smaller artists, youāre not going to be propelled forward in your career by a music video. I donāt think there was any sort of gain from me making a music video for āLovelessā. The impact was very low because everyone who saw it was probably already a fan.
Fans have coined you and Jake as the āDads of Sadā, so give us your best dad advice for fans who are going to start living their lives out to La Bouquet.
Donāt do anything I wouldnāt do! Thatās a very dad thing to say, right? But honestly, expect to fail. Failure is a good thing. The people who have only had success are the ones that explode when things start to go wrong. Iāve been making music for a while now and Iāve seen a lot of good things happen, but Iāve also been through a lot of bad things too. It kind of hardens you and helps you move forward with whatever youāre passionate about. When I split with my old band, it sucked, but I could take it 1 of 2 ways. A lot of people wouldāve just given up, gotten a new job, and called it a day, but I took what I learned and applied it towards something else. After that, ending Olivver the Kid was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make, but I had to do it because I knew that I wouldnāt feel fulfilled in 40 years from just doing the same thing. Be comfortable with the idea of failure, and be your biggest supporter.
https://rosesinthegraveyard.com/
Written by Ashton Carr
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Songs For Girls, John Mayer, & Fan Stories: A Q&A With LANY Before They Hit The Road
Pictured: Jake, Paul, Les in our studio office
Los Angeles-based trioĀ LANY is following up their rookie years with some major moves this 2017.Ā Friends Paul Jason Klein (lead vocals), Les Priest (keyboard and guitar) and Jake Goss (drums)Ā will hit the road with John Mayer for seven arena shows in April, followed by a headlining U.S.Ā tour through the end of May. The tour begins on April 24 in Sacramento, CA, and finds the band hitting markets outside of your typical big cities.Ā
The trio has also announced their eagerly-awaited debut album, LANY, set for a June 30 release. If the bandās EPs are any indication, the album should be stellar. Fans who pre-order the album will be treated to the brand new songĀ "Good Girls,ā a catchy synth-driven track that offers someĀ serious dreamy disco vibes. Pre-order the LANY recordĀ here.
When we sat down to interview LANY,Ā we were happily surprised to discover just how humble the guys are, considering their massively growing and highly devoted fan base. Read below to get the scoop on the trioās background, their life on tour, and what we can expect when they hit the stage on the second leg of the kinda tour. Tickets are availableĀ here.
OTW: Do you remember a specific moment when you had a lightbulb moment that music was your calling?
LANY (Paul): My mom put me in piano lessons at the age of 5, so I was classically trained all the way through high school for like 13 years. I didnāt want to do music because classical piano was not that fun--it was like a rule in the house. But then I got into high school, and I started writing songs about this girl I really liked, and I think that that was kind of when I realized, āOh this is fun to write my own stuff.ā
(Jake): For me it was that movie, That Thing You Do. When I was younger, I took piano lessons for a few years with my brother, but I stopped, but then I saw That Thing You Do,Ā and I wanted to play drums and just be in bands. That kind of jumpstarted everything for me, that movie.
(Les): For me, I grew up in a very musical family but I never knew what my place was going to be in music. I knew I wanted to do something musical, but when I went to college, I was trying to do commercial voice and the school that we went to, Belmont, was like āYou know, I donāt know if commercial voice is your thing, maybe you should try music production,ā [Laughs] And I was like, alright.
OTW: You guys have toured with a bunch of people in the past--Troye Sivan, Halsey, about to go with John Mayer. HowĀ is the transition between being the opener and being the main act?
LANY (Paul): We spent like a year being a support act, and you kind of want to go out there and, you know, give it to them. Yeah! But then thereās no expectations when youāre a supporting act, so itās kind of easy in that sense. Youāre just like, āLetās just goā--youāve got nothing to lose almost.Ā
And then youāre like āOh, people spent money to see us, thatās a thing.ā It changes the game; it changes the way of what youāre doing. You get way more thoughtful about your performance and even your production and how things feel when someone comes to a LANY show.
OTW: Do you think itās given you more confidence on stage?
LANY (Paul): I donāt know if confidence is the word. Itās just a challenge, you know? And when youāre challenged, you grow and you become better. We brought three 6āx6ā LED screens to the last tour. That was awesome. Now itās like, not necessarily like how can we top that but like, letās do something different. How do we change it and evolve and bring something fun to this tour? Itās a very thought-provoking and challenging thing.
(Les): Thatās the thing about headlining, thereās so many parts to it, and it is more work and all that and itās a fun challenge. Opening is just like, āOkay weāve got 30 minutes, letās just go crush it.ā But the headline stuffās fun because thereās just so much that goes into it.
OTW: Can you give us a little visual description of what someone standing in the crowd will see on this next tour?
LANY (Paul): I canāt because we are in rehearsals right now, and we just loaded the lights into the rehearsal space yesterday to kind of figure out what weāre going to do. I do want there to be a little bit more mystery to the show, so when youāre playing in front of an 18-foot LED wall divided in three, it kind of illuminates everything and everyone, and itās very much like, āOh wow.ā But now, I want there to be more shadows and more of a mysterious vibe.
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OTW: Have you guys met John Mayer yet?
LANY (Paul): I mean I have, but not. It was a while ago and has absolutely nothing to do with this situation [laughs].
OTW: How do you imagine heāll be like?
LANY (Paul): Jake has this funny joke that I am obsessed and in love with John Mayer but I also love Pino [Palladino] and his band. We are huge fans of everybody thatās going to be on that stage, so we joke about like if Steve walks by Jake and is like ā¦[to Jake] you do it, itās funnier!
(Jake): Steveās the drummer. Heās one of the best drummers in the world. Iām going into it expecting that theyāre never going to speak to me; they donāt have to. But I imagine if he comes up to me, and heās like, āI just want you to know, find a new line of work. Because you suck.ā And then Iāll just be like, āThank you so much for taking time out of your day to speak to me.ā
OTW: [Laughs] Youāre preparing for that?
LANY (Jake): Thatās pretty much it. Yeah, thatās how stoked we are to be there. Just being able to watch that level of talent.
(Paul): Being surrounded by that, I hope that we just pick up on stuff that we donāt even realize, even the way they walk and talk. Iām dead serious--these guys are the greatest to ever do it. I mean John Mayer is the best guitar player in pop music.
(Jake): I think weāll be a different band after these 7 shows. Itās going to be crazy.
(Paul): So just to see how they talk and interact with each other and walk on stage, off stage, backstage, that kind of swagger--I hope that just rubs off on us, and we can learn and rise. You always rise or fall to what youāre surrounded by, so weāre going to be the worst in the room, and itās going to be awesome!Ā
OTW:Ā Any funny or particular tour antics that each of you have? You can talk about each other.Ā Ā
LANY (Paul): Jakeās the comedian of the band.
(Paul): We donāt have anything that we do that regular dudes donāt. Weāre funny. Oh yeah, we have a guy named Steve who kind of oversees our merch on tour, and heās got this Google document that gives us every coffee shop pretty much in the world. So heāll open it up, and weāll be in like Oslo, Norway, and heās like, āAlright, here are the top 5 coffee shops.ā
(Les): Well, weāre all still asleep, but heās texting us and heās like, āWhen you guys wake upā¦ā
(Paul): Like, Iām bringing my tennis racket on tour, and he likes to play tennis, so Iām like, āDo you have a tennis doc? So you can find the courts?ā
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OTW: [Laughs] Wow, amazing. In general, what would you say each band memberās role is--not musically, but in the group dynamic?
LANY (Paul): Jakeās the comedian.
(Jake): I just try to keep the smiles going. Keep the vibe high.
(Les): I probably worry the most, and stress the most; he will level me out.
(Paul): Les will level us out too. Les is really quiet.
(Jake): We also get sucked into passion and vision, and Les is just like, our wisdom grandfather.
OTW: Ā Good balance!
LANY (Paul): He can also fix everything.
(Jake): if thereās anything wrong, weāre just like, go to Les, and he can handle it. We tried to unpack the van once without Les, and it was like we had to get four bands together, because we didnāt know how to do Tetris.
OTW: What has been the craziest fan experience youāve had (on tour or in general)?
LANY (Jake): Last tour weāve had people starting to jump on stage.
(Les): When we played Salt Lake this last time, we had some people take time lapse videos of people like rushing into the venue. I thought that was pretty wild; they were just like running over each other.
(Paul): It was fun man--we have some fun people that come to our shows. There is no trying to be pretentious or too cool for school. People just lose their minds at our shows. And itās fun. Because weāre losing our minds with them, you know? Like we feed off each other.
(Jake): I remember one show, it was in Minneapolis, when Halsey came out, butā¦was there a barricade at that one?
(Paul): No, there wasnāt a barricade, and weāre playing on like a 2-foot stage. I would be playing āMade in Hollywood,ā and people would just be ripping out their hair, like it was justā¦
(Jake): I remember we were playing āMade in Hollywood,ā and this girl was just getting squashed, and she was crying. I was trying to get one of the security guards, and I was like āCan you help this girl?ā Because she was hurting, and I stopped playing. Itās just crazy people are rushing the stage and people are getting hurt. Itās been wild.
OTW: Crazy teenage girls right?
LANY (Jake): No, these were like momsā¦
OTW: Really? [Laughs] Your debut album is coming out SOON--is it going to follow a certain theme or sound?
LANY (Paul): Thereās no real theme--we didnāt set out and say, āAlright, hereās the concept and hereās chapter 1,ā but it still all feels super cohesive. Itās pretty much like if you were just to open up a journal. If I were to have recorded a bunch of life experiences and emotions and ups and downs, that's what it would be.
OTW: Nice! Last question, which artists areĀ on your Ones To Watch list?
LANY (Jake): Thereās a band from L.A. called the Vulfpeck. A lot of is like soul, but theyāre younger guys, just amazing musicians. We actually saw a few of them open for John Mayer at the Hotel CafĆ©. Weāre just always excited when they release stuff.
(Paul): Itās funny because I feel like weāre Ones To Watch and I donāt know who I listen to thatās smaller than us. I love this kid named Matt DiMona. He remixed āBad Bad Bad,ā and he put out an EP last year that I just listened to death. Other that I just listen to these giants, like Frank Ocean, I love Bon Iverā¦ oh yeah Jorja Smith.Ā Who else? I love MUNA! Ā We saw them play at The Teragram Ballroom.
#lany#john mayer#wolfpack#matt dimona#jorja smith#muna#pop#indie-pop#electro pop#tour#indie pop#indie
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Interview : Vacations
Vacations on the lakeside in Nyon through my Olympus Trip, right before going to the restaurant.
A few weeks ago, I went to Nyon to meet an Australian band called Vacations. I was very happy to be there to witness the bandās first concert in Switzerland, and as usual I took my Olympus camera with me. Many people had come out to watch them play, and they sounded great. After the concert, we ended up going to Nyonās old town, climbing a pointy fence - even I ended up doing it, although with zero coordination - and going to our localĀ ābeachā, which made the band laugh a lot. I mean, LĆ©man lake doesnāt really have any waves!
Besides their music, what I liked about Vacations was their honesty and their accent full of Australian sunshine - which was more than welcome, as we had had a pretty cold week. I like to think that they brought the warm weather with them, because it was gone as soon as they left!
Before the concert, I had a little conversation with Campbell about the bandās new album Changes, his life in Newcastle and the local scene, and his newly-found celebrity. Many thanks to Vacations, Ben and Joren for their kindness!
To get to know you better, I wanted to know what your life was like in Newcastle when youāre not touring.
Campbell Burns: Hmmā¦ when Iām not touring, I try to take it very easy and just relax ā no pun intended to the song! (laughs) Because I donāt actually have a job outside of Vacations and my other band Fritz, Iām solely just a musician, I just write and record. So if Iām not touring, Iāll be doing that. Or Iāll be hanging out with friends, and Iāll be helping manage my collective No-Fi back home, who put on events. Itās a group of artists and musicians who work together and boost each other up.
Yeah, I was going to ask you about it too! And for some reason I thought No-Fi was also a label?
Yeah, we started out as a record label and then we tried to put out music consistently. And it worked out for a little bit, but we started when most of us wereā¦ 18, 19. Because we just wanted to help each other out. But then it got to a point where itās like, āweāre not really a record label, we donāt know what weāre doing. So letās just put on really big parties and events instead, and try and boost the profiles of ourselves, the musicians of Newcastle, and also nationally by trying to bring in other bands and musicians to Newcastle. Trying to foster the creative scene in Newcastle. Because itās a small coastal city. A lot of bands will justā¦ pass over it you know. They will play Sidney and they will go to Wollongong, but they wonāt come to Newcastle. Itās like- what about Newcastle, what about this city? So through what all the musicians and the artists do independently, and also together as a collective, we try to put on these really big events and try to get people to recognize Newcastle as a city of cultural significance.
Thatās great! We should try and do the same here. We have a small scene, and people try to lift each other up, but perhaps weāre missing a collective like yours. We justā¦ do things, I guess? (laughs)
When youāre starting out, it can seem really daunting. When I was 18 or 19, putting out EPs I would ask myself āwow, where do I play? Who do I talk to? What about backline? Who do I get for support?ā. But you talk and mingle with other musicians of the area, and theyāre all in the same position as well. And itās like āhey, why donāt we all just work together and try and put these things forward?ā Because everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, and thatās something we recognize with No-Fi. So by banding together, we can take those steps forward a lot more easier. And make the process more possible.
Campbell in Nyon
From what Iāve understood, itās your first time in Europe right?
Yes! First time in Europe as a band. Iām having a great time. Itās a huge tour- the biggest tour Iāve ever done. I got hit up by Joren from The Lullabye Factory. He sent me an email and came through with a few offers. He said heād heard the EPs Vibes and Days on YouTube, and he wanted to book a European tour. I was initially a bit sketchy on it, I thought it might have been spam or something! (laughs) But he came with a few really good offers, and then started to book more and more shows. I thought āok, this is a very legit thingā. I told the band āguys, we can go to Europe. Thereās guarantees, we should be okay and able to make this work out.ā And here we are! Itās been a lot of fun so far. This is four shows in to our tour, and I think we have another 20 dates or so. Itās really hard to keep track, weāre in a different country every single day.
Haha! I guess you must be like āwait, where am I? What language do they speak here?ā
Yeah, the language barrier has been kind of interesting as well. I know just a tiny bit of French, like āBonjourā or āmerciā! Just basic phrases. Iām just trying to incorporate it into our banter. Because we get up on stage and weāre like āwhat do we say?ā (laughs) We donāt really know if theyāre going to understand what weāre saying. So weāve been speaking a bit of French the past couple of shows, and itās been well received!
I also wanted to talk about Changes. Iāve read in a few interviews that the lyrics were inspired by your personal experiencesā¦
Definitely. Itās kind of an introspective record, and I wanted to be very blunt with the title as well. I didnāt want to give it some fancy word. I wanted it to be like āok, this album is about changes; you know what youāre getting intoā. It documents the last year or so in my life, and all the movements that I went through- with songs like Moving Out, thatās about myself, Jake and my old housemate and good friend John. Moving out of home for the first time, and the experience that came with that. Another song, Club Social, is dealing with the online reception that Vibes got and how that affected us personally. Just getting messages every single day from fans saying ācome to this country!ā, āthis song affected my life, youāve helped me get through this momentā or ācan I have the tabs to this?ā. Itās really crazy receiving that, because that only came out last year or something. So much has happened so quickly, and itās been a lot to take in.
Vacations at La ParenthĆØse
ā¦So, when you write lyrics, would you say that you mostly get inspired from your own life?
Yeah. Some singers-songwriters can craft stories- they can make up that sort of thing. But I canāt- I could do that, but I donāt find it as interesting. I like to write based off my personal experiences, or experiences that Iāve lived vicariously through friends. If someone is going through a hard time, or if they had something cool happen to them, I might try and base something off that.
Thatās interesting! I interviewed Stu from King Gizzard a while ago-
Wow King Gizzard? Huge!
Yeah, I still donāt know how it happened, theyāre so nice! (laughs) So, I was asking him about that song he wrote thatās inspired from that book, The Day of The Triffids (ndlr: Cold Cadaver). He basically said: how come when someone writes a book, nobody automatically thinks that itās about the authorās personal experiences, whereas itās the opposite in music. We tend to think the songsā lyrics are talking about what the singer is going through.
Which I find interesting.
Sorry, I donāt know why I said that!
No, itās true! I do feel that a lot of the audience will always hear a song by a musician or an artist, and think āit obviously must be about themā. And thatās not always the case- in my own case it is about myself, but I recognize other singers-songwriters try and craft stories, like King Gizzard- where theyāve got a whole universe of songs supposedly! Butā¦ yeah! (laughs)
I also wanted to talk about my favorite song from the album, Be There. I really like the lyrics and the rhythm-
Yeah, the 6/8 drumming pattern! Thatās a fun song. Thatās actually a song me and Nate wrote together. Itās the only song on the album that got re-done, it was on an old EP called Friends, which came out a year or two ago. We were looking at the album and at the tracklisting and thinking, āthis needs to change up, all the songs are in 4/4. We need some funky, dancy songā. It was always part of our live set, and always got received really well. So we looked at that song and thought about how we could make it a little bit better, and how we could revisit it and make it sound a bit more fresh. So we took that, re-recorded it and added some extra parts to it. I added a lot more vocal harmonies to it as well. I think itās a lot nicer, it flows really well.
Finally, if you had to drink one thing for the rest of your life, what would you choose between tomato juice and red wine?
Hmmā¦ Honestly I think I would die if I just drank red wine every day! But I probably say red wine anyway. It sounds really nice! (laughs) Tomato juice just doesnāt sound pleasant. I think Iād be very healthy with tomato juice, but red wine sounds a bit more fun!
Ndlr: A group of young girls passes by. They recognize Campbell.
Please join us! (laughs) Thatās so great! You have a lot of fans!
Thatās weird- imagine having fans in all these countries, itās just bizarre! Like, when we were playing in Paris at Olympic CafĆ©, third song in, a guy in the background yells āMoving Out!ā and we were like āoh my God thatās the next song that weāre gonna play!ā and then that guy is singing all the lyrics and dancing around! And Iām like āthis is wild, Iām on the other side of the world and people are just into it!ā Thatās crazy, it feels like a dream. But itās real. Itās really sweet.
https://www.facebook.com/vacationsfanclub/
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Yuletide letter 2017
*cracks knuckles* Alright, let's get this party started. At first, there are a few things to know about me, none of them very important:
I will read almost anything if you write it with passion and kindness. That doesn't mean it has to be fluffy and happy all the time, though I do prefer a general trajectory toward happiness. If you can, I would like you to write this story because you believe in it, not because you want to please me. I'm usually easily pleased, and there aren't a lot of things that will turn me off.
That said, please avoid writing about death or rape, graphically or just their impact and aftermath. Both things are hard for me to deal with and even if it's canon I'd rather not have to be exposed to it during the already super emotionally taxing holiday season.
Generally I love all self-indulgent tropes. There is nothing too clichƩ, no path too well-trodden. I love adcenture stories and cracky fun slices of life and everything in between. I'm equally into swords and sorcery as well as space ships. There isn't a well-crafted AU I don't love if the characters stay true to themselves. Feel free to go a little bit wild.
Fandom: Star Wars: Aftermath - Chuck Wendig
I didn't expect to be able to sign up so I couldn't nominate everyone else on the team, but feel free to include them all or any of them in combination. I just want to hear more stories about these idiots, Sinjir most of all. After Rogue One, I'm full up on tragic heroes, so if you can find hopeful, loving paths to put them on, please do.
Oh, my relationship with this canon is a difficult one. I still haven't dared to read the last book and I'm trying to get to a place where I can forgive fate and Chuck Wendig for personally giving me hope for my fave pairing (Jom/Sinjir) and crushing it under the bootheels of miscommunication. (Basically, we tweeted, he was vague, I misunderstood, I thought Jom/Sinjir was gonna happen, and it really hurt when it didn't) But! I'm absolutely 100% in favor of Sinjir getting a happy ending EVERY WHICH WAY possible, including but not limited to any pairings you might enjoy, and I'm more than happy for you to sell me on them.
I love the team so much, every single damn one of them. I love the snarky bits and the hopeless bits and the resilient bits. I love that this is not the happy ending we expected from Return of the Jedi and I love Rae Sloane.
I honestly don't know what kind of prompt I should give you. I've enjoyed stories of Sinjir showing up in TFA times, I love alternate universes where things played out differently, I love introspective pieces and action-y bits. I love the humor that is always inherent in Wendig's writing.
Fandom: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
I absolutely love and adore this game and I found my perfect route only to realize that in the scope of the game it couldn't happen - Robert needs to take care of himself for a while, a year isn't nearly enough to put him back together. But we can try. The player character can absolutely try. In many, many ways. Also, I love any and all iterations of Amanda and Val interacting and maybe more.
I absolutely enjoy every route in this game, though some characters resonate more with me than others. Robert is the one that I feel closest to, maybe because he's quite damaged in very specific ways. Maybe it's because if you play your cards right you get to fix his relationship with his daughter and I actually have two fathers who will never be as big a person as that.
The core aspect of the game for me is giving Amanda every happiness she desires, she deserves to be loved and appreciated and she deserves to grow into exactly the woman she wants to be. Val and her interaction were my favorite amazing surprise.
I'm actually quite invested in a future where Robert gets better and realizes that the player character (let's call him Jake) has always been there. I'd like to see that recovery, soft, playful, unassuming friend dates, supportive moments, nighttime monster-hunting adventures.
Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) RPF
The last few months I've fallen into an awesome hole: catching up on a 100+ episode webseries that has 4+ hours of footage per. It. Was. Ridiculous. And amazing. And I accidentally once read a comment (on youtube) about how Matt separated Marisha and Taliesin because jealousy. I adore Marisha and Taliesin's friendship but also I can't help but go extra defensive when I read stupid stuff like this: so, tell me about the many ways that Matt and Taliesin love each other, all the bonding, whether bromance or romance. The three of them once went to party in the desert together for a few days. Also, I loved the team playing themselves but d&d style during Liam's one shot - why not put them all into Exandria, but as themselves (and adult)? Adventures!
I mean, what is there to say? I'm really invested in the entire group's happiness and love. It's pretty obvious that they're close and I love that so very, very much. I've been crying like a baby at the latest episode (114) and how much they care about each other and their characters, and the last few minutes of ep 113 were really intense after Laura realized what was happening. I love how sometimes the lines between character and actor get a little bit blurred.
I don't really have a lot to add to the optional details, maybe all I need to say is this: feel free to go anywhere your heart takes you.
Fandom: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic Ā
I adore Theron Shan and his ridiculous squib/secret agent/mama issue plot. He's everything I ever wanted from a Republic character - pragmatic and still idealistic, hopeful and sarcastic, complex as the force itself. I love stories about his tech abilities, about his smarts and his work ethic, and how deep down he is much more like his mother - and Revan - then he would ever admit. (OMG the Revan connection is such a narrative kink for me. Revan (girl Revan for me, incidentally) is such an influence on how I see the character - grey, but still undeniably good.
There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that means more to me in TOR than Theron in love with my lightside male Sith Warrior. Obviously, you're in no way obligated to include my player character, but whatever you want to write I would ask you to consider that fact your canon for the story - please don't break them up or write him with other people. You don't have to include this in particular, but please don't negate it.
I haven't played the newest chapters because of time constraints and I don't know a whole lot of spoilers except that... something happens... with betrayal and Theron? I honestly didn't want to read up on it because often experiencing it makes it very different to whatever might show up on a twitter rant. Here's the thing: betrayal and the sith warrior. Theron being a double agent to save the love of his life by breaking his heart. Just saying. That makes one hell of a story.
If you want to write something romance free, how about the early days of Lana and Theron's partnership? The minituae of running the alliance? Theron doing his job because he's a competent, sarcastic assholes. Theron making peace with his mom. Theron making peace with the force.
Fandom: Star Trek: Discovery
I love everything Star Trek and this new thing feels very much in line with everything before even where it's completely out of left field (I mean, the hairless klingons take some getting used to for sure). Michael Burnham is the best, but I would literally love any story about any of the characters, as long as it feels like Star Trek. I missed this world and this universe and this SPACE so much. Tell me everything, anything, DISCOVER.
Okay so obviously this is a developing fandom that's going to fucking explode. This is an amazing thing to be at the start of. I love everything Star Trek and as of today which is just a few days after ep 4, I love everyone on that boat except Lorca who I very much love to loathe.
Michael is amazing. My gay mushroom man is amazing. Tall gangly alien is amazing. Twitchy redhead is amazing. The klingons are super weird cannibals. I want to see exactly where Discovery is going ā all the weird alien planets they can explore. There's a war, sure, but that's not a warship, it's a science vessel. Let it do science.
I personally love all the tropes Trek ever gave us and there's basically so many to choose from that it would be too hard to list them all. You want to give an old episode plot a new coat? Go for it! You want to explore some cute character moments? Be my guest! You want to write cute ship fic about mushroom man and doctor snarkadoodle? Please, please do.
Fandom: Folgers "Home for the Holidays" Commercial
Folgers is a yuletide fandom if I've ever seen one. Pretty much all the stories are yuletide stories and I've read them all. I think it's obvious why we're both here and neither of us can pretend that this is wholesome and pure. But here's the thing: just because something is problematic doesn't mean it can't be fun and happy. I mentioned in another request that I'm full up on tragedy, so here's the deal: a Folgers story where they get what they so obviously want and figure out a way to be happy.
Two things: yes, porn is totally acceptable though obviously not required. You can, but you don't gotta. And AUs are also a perfectly lovely way to explore this kinky as hell prompt. I think we're both here for the kink ā if not, I'm not sure why you offered this fandom at all and this is your get out of jail free card: just dump this request in a dark hole and never think about it again. Some of my other requests have quite accessible canons and I won't be offended if I show up on the pinch hit list. I've been there, it's not a terrible place to be ;)
If you want to go AU, please keep the delicious and terrible fact that they're siblings who so very obviously want to bone. I'm with you, friend. We're both in this kinky hole together. I'm not into this fandom for realism ā angst, sure, that's what makes it great, but that doesn't mean we can't have a totally unrealistic romantic comedy style happy ending. Think Do ComeƧo ao Fim.
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June 18: Thoughts on 1x07 Contents Under Pressure
Finally continued my The 100 Season 1 rewatch yesterday. Wrote some notes:
It kind of looks like the Council is also the judicial system on the Ark, which honestly shouldnāt surprise me at all. Whatever hearings they do seem to take place in the Council chamber. I still think Marcus is basically the prosecutor or otherwise sort of in charge of the judicial functionāJaha is fine and still Chancellor but itās Marcus reading out the summary of Abbyās case. Sheās spared because her āmedical expertise is still requiredā which fits with my theory about the Ark class hierarchy.
Raven identifies herself as from Mecha Station, so if I ever need to establish the canon nature of this fact, this is where it is, 1x07. Also, she identifies herself to Sinclair as if he didnāt already know her but that could just be because she doesnāt recognize his voice.
That moment when Abby hears Clarkeās voice was so lovely. Nothing in the second two seasons stirs my heart like small moments in the first two. Also when Jaha hears that Wells isnāt alive, fuck, thatās too sad. Get it away.
Apparently this is Millerās first episode.
Also man I love storm episodes. Big weather events get me EVERY TIME.
They say at the beginning that Monty, Jasper, and Bellamy arenāt back yetāI know itās been a while since I saw the last ep but werenāt they all in at the end of it? I remember Bellamy closing the gate and dramatically saying āthereās a storm coming.ā And if you know thereās a storm coming, why would you wander the fuck off? Okay never mind, Bellamy went Grounder hunting. And this is also where Miller was introducedāhis first scene is dragging in Lincoln.
Raven taking a drink of moonshine before sterilizing her hands and Clarke smiling fondly at her = why I ship (S1) Princess Mechanic.
OMG little doggy made out of nuts and bolts that is the most adorable thing. I miss the Ark aesthetic SO MUCH.
Honestly, that Clarke has assisted her mom in surgery, meaning sheās trained at least partly directly under Abby, makes me wonder how close they are/were. Like, a combination of them starting the show estranged and fan fiction too often painting Abby as a bitch or their relationship as strained has somewhat obscured what I think is canonically a strong bond between Abby and Clarkeānot just because theyāre mother and daughter, I mean they genuinely were close beyond even that.
The Bellamy, Miller, and Lincoln scene: First, itās my headcanon that Lincoln was the spy on the camp the entire time, including back to the pilot (IDK who that actor was, Iām not saying it was Ricky Whittle, just that I think it was Lincoln-the-character in a lot of war paint and shadows), and that his reports might have been designed the whole time to keep Anya et. al. at bay, and also that he might have volunteered for the spying job because he was curious about the Sky Peopleāand that fits with this scene. Second, when Bellamy says theyāve ālostā 10 people, I wonder if heās counting exile Murphy. I hope so.
Bellamy sees a picture of a big furry creature and asks āWhat is that thing? Friend of yours?ā which, first, haha Bellamy joke, and second, YEAH WTF IS IT? ITāS BEEN FOUR SEASONS WHAT IS IT?
Clarkeās grumpy cat get out of the way face = A+ more content like this please.
I love that Miller was introduced as a surly Bellamy minion and the whole time he was gay and only Jarod Joseph knew.
āIn case you didnāt notice, his people are already killing us. How many more of our people have to die until you realize weāre fighting a war?ā Interesting because actually most of those people didnāt die at Grounder hands at all. Two died when the dropship landed. Wells died because another delinquent killed him. Charlotte committed suicide. Murphy, if heās being counted among the ten, was exiled after a series of events having nothing to do with Grounders. Trina and Pascal, who Iām pretty sure are already dead, died of acid fog, which is a Mt. Men weapon (I know Bellamy doesnāt know this but we do). And the other three were killed by Grounders, fair enough. Plus Jasper and Finnās injuries. But still, ten Grounder deaths there were not. Also none of them were killed or injured at the dropship camp, which fits in with my theory that this was never a dispute about territory or a case of mean colonialists stealing native peopleās land. The dropship camp doesnāt bother the Grounders at all.
Thereās a little American flag at the memorial to the culling victims. Also, here we see the exact moment when Kaneās redemption arc begins. And a continuation of Jahaāsā¦ I donāt want to say āredemptionā but likeā¦transformation?
Okay, thatās ridiculous to say the people in the culling died for nothingāit wasnāt nothing because there arenāt enough life boats NOW there definitely werenāt 320 people ago. I mean I understand why the populace is angry but, haha, little do they know that between the Unity Day attack, the Exodus ship explosion, and all but 3 stations either exploding, crashing, or getting lost on the way to Earth, there are many more population-reduction events to come. Oh yeah and then radiation comes in a ridiculous overwrought wave and kills them all in a terrific shark-jumping explosion of silliness.
More Ark life details: āI swore an oath to protect and defend these people.ā Thereās something called āstation representativesāāthe same or different than Council members? Also they have a āmess hall.ā
The dropship is three stories. Did I think it was two? Clarke has amazing boots.
The torture sequence makes me intensely uncomfortable, which is of course obviously the point. Again, nothing that the showās done in the last two seasons accomplishes this. They justā¦try so hard to be constantly shocking and tense but it reads poorly to me, it reads like overcompensating for having nothing more to say.
I donāt get the station representatives thing. First, theyāre not the council. Diana Sydney is one of them. And also there are, what, like a hundred of them? Why so many? What do they do? Is this like a primarily administrative job? An advocacy job? The Arkās not that big, direct communication with the council doesnāt seem like it would be that hard. Are these also elected positions? How many does each station have, and how big is each station that they need, like, 10 reps per station? Some of them are pretty young, too; is this like an every-sub-group-has-an-advocate thing? Diana refers to her people as āthe workers,ā which I always assumed meant she was a rep for one of the worker-stations, like maybe Factory, but maybe it means she literally, specifically, represents āworkers.ā
I want a prequel thatās just like the political rivalry between Jaha and Diana. Actually, I want a refund on Season 4 and for it to be replaced by this prequel.
Say what you will about Octavia, but Bellarkeās torture plan was stupid as fuckāyes, it makes sense on the level of a preschooler (a very violent preschooler) but anyone with real cognitive skills should honestly be 10000% distrustful of any answer Lincoln did give because, like, why would he tell you the truth? If I were him, Iād get the torture to stop by pointing out the wrong vial. I mean he has literally nothing to lose; theyāll kill him but they would have done that anyway, and at least he takes one of their own down too.
That said, I feel like the more they made Octavia violent, over the seasons, and played up her ridiculously unrealistic amazing warrior skills or whatever, the more they ignored how smart and resourceful she used to be.
Abby didnāt āturn Jake inā thoughāhe hadnāt done anything wrong, there was nothing to turn him in for. Like donāt get me wrong I love Jaha, but HEāS the one who floated his friend for a non-crime, so maybe he should take some of the blame for that.
I love Kaneās mom. Honestly, they used to have such good minor/side characters and they threw them away so willy-nilly and I thought, okay, I get it, we need casualties and there will be more good side characters but frankly there havenāt been. The quality of side character has declined precipitously. I literally cannot remember the last time a new character was introduced that I gave an honest shit about. After S2, thereās been likeā¦no one on the sidelines who holds any interest for me. Probably because theyāre all Grounders.
Finnās using Ravenās jacket as a pillow, which reminds me of Jasper using Montyās jacket as a blanket.
Finnās basically just this totem Clarke and Raven pass back and forth. Theyāre both under the impression they literally need him to keep going (āheās all I have;ā āI canāt do this without youā) but like, really, what does he bring to the table? Certainly no literal skills, but not even that much by way of emotional support or devotionāespecially not to Raven, obviously. And Clarkeās known him all of a week so the concept that she needs him for anything is like, I can see why she herself thinks that (in a normal situation she and Finn would be in a honeymoon phase, plus she just lost Wells so like I can see how sheād latch on to someone else in a pinch)ābut itās still laughable.
Iāve seen that shot of Bellamy and Clarkeās hands touching a million times but totally forgot they were handing off a torture weapon. And that their dialogue can basically be summarized as ādeep sounding shit we tell ourselves to excuse our guilt for the reprehensible things weāve just done that had literally no actual justification whatsoever.ā I mean, Iām not judging per se, the show needs conflict and also theyāre basically fetuses so they should be imperfect but still. How romantic.
My characterization of Clarke, most of the time, is so bad. I feel bad about this.
Iām trying to get a better sense of the delinquent camp but itās difficult.
It looks like there are only 6 Council members, which semi-confuses me because it just seems like it would make sense to have one representative per station. I donāt think theyād give Prison Station a council member, but counting the Chancellor, that would still make 12. But thenādo all stations have living quarters on them? Iāve been assuming yes but why should I assume that? Go-Sci very well might notānope, never mind, thatās the only part left and I bet weāll be seeing living quarters on it next year (by āweā I mean probably not āmeā but you know). Anyway. How are the Council members elected then? At large? Also, post-culling, post-100, there are 2,237 people on the Ark. And Jaha says there are āonly enough dropships to carry 700.ā
I canāt believe people still know what the Titanic is to be honest. And would reference it so casually.
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Oakland Doomy Bluesers Phantom Hound RoarĀ āCross TheĀ āMountain Passā
~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~
By Billy Goate
Album Art by Molly Stetson & Heather Hughes
I live not far from the railroad and there's something very comforting about hearing a train roll in. It's appropriate that the might and roar of that metallic convoy be responsible for opening the new record from PHANTOM HOUND.
We met them some years back, when the Oakland doom and power blues trio dropped, 'Phantom Hound' (2016), their debut EP. Now Jake Navarra (guitar, vox), Stephen Rogers (bass guitar), and Jack Stiles (drums) are back with a full-length: 'Mountain Pass' (2020). The new spin showcases a sound that's genuinely enticing, much like Guns 'n' Roses' Appetite For Destruction was when I first heard it at age 12 (the first cassette I had to buy clandestinely from my parents).
The riffmaking, from leads to solos, is strong with Mountain Pass, driving each track forward like a mighty engine, from the rush of an opener "The Northern Face" to the grinding blueser "Thunder I Am," the chugging pistons of "Irons In The Fire," and the Matt Pike-like filigrees of "The Southern Face."
Jake's powerful pipes fall somewhere in between Chris Cornell's soaring medium range, the raspy grit of Finnish vocalist Olli Suurmunne (Kaiser, Altar of Betelgeuze), and the commanding force of Australia's Chris Fisher (Field, Lamassu).
You ain't gonna bring me down You ain't gonna bleed me out You ain't gonna kill me now You ain't gonna snuff me out
In fact, if you liked Kaiser's '1st Sound' (2018), this would make a very nice companion.
A pleasant acoustic interlude, "Grace of an Angel" gives us a rest stop from the treacherous uphill journey, leading to the album's expansive namesake track and a very overcast second-half. "Devil Blues" is quite effective in conjuring the rough terrain of the California mountains and the sense of aloneness one feels when traveling deep into the wild.
Steady return into the dark Dealing again my hand the card A whisper, a spark, and a flame Has bitten me again Killing me again the same
We've now travelled from "The Northern Face" to meet "The Southern Face," the Mountain Pass closer. It's a doomy one for sure, though the intrepid tempo gives the sense of determination that this journey will be finished.
"Overall this record is about survival and living for every moment," the band told Doomed & Stoned. "A gritty reflection on what is required to actually live your life rather than be a slave to it."
And now, Doomed & Stoned is pleased to bring you the premiere of Mountain Pass by Phantom Hound, ahead of its wide release on Saturday, March 28th (pre-order here).
Give ear...
Mountain Pass by Phantom Hound
Track By Track: A Listener's Guide to Mountain Pass
We asked the guys to give us a walk-through of each number on Phantom Hound's new album. We got more than we expected and are delighted to share this in-depth breakdown with you from frontman Jake Navarra.
The Northern Face
This song started off early writing sessions for the record as a new riff when I bought a new Jazzmaster not long after that Rob Zombie show. The riff was written hours before my first audition in two years as something aggressive and impressive to take to them. The guys I jammed with didn't get the vision and we didn't click in general so I put it in my back pocket. I brought it home and kept working on it though. My love of all things Alice in Chains carved this track out to serve as our "Them Bones" This main riff would later serve me again on a second song "The Southern Face" I used the main riff from "The Northern Face" as a bridge riff after the second chorus outro in "The Southern Face" but since the song is in B-Standard on the Baritone guitar its nearly unnoticeable. The songs became the beginning and the end of the record pretty early on. Lyrically the song serves as a cry of raw life. The idea being that, we are born into this world and its a fight to stay here. Climbing the northern face is a metaphor for the listener to be the train that has set off to see its railroad completed. (Drop D)
Thunder I Am
I grew up watching old westerns with my grandpa and my old man. There's nobody that doesn't relate to Clint Eastwood's characters and this songs a direct tip of the hat to the attitude portrayed in nearly all of his films. Thunder I Am is essentially that sense of justice that will always rain down. The song wrote itself when I first plugged this guitar into my Orange. Heavily inspired by Down and Soudgarden. (B Standard)
Irons in the Fire
This song directly reflects a love for Down & Pantera. Lyrically a direct reflection on how hard our members work on a daily basis and what it takes to make a band happen these days with all the different DIY elements band members have to juggle. We can never loose faith in ourselves or let the idea of a dream die out. We simply have to stoke the fire and keep it burning at all times. We put some southern style groove at the end of this song to pay homage to some dime style breakdown riffing. (B Standard)
You Don't Know Death
This song was written during The Ether era. How it survived is beyond me. It's tough, fast, and sharp as a dagger so maybe that helped. Lyrically a reflection on the overwhelming amount of death worship. I don't feel like a lot of bands really know what they're talking about sometimes but I was also much younger when I wrote it and far more angsty. I was craving diversity from metal at the time. I simply want life to be valued at its core. Perhaps the opposite of how it sounds I guess. (Drop C Standard)
Grace of an Angel
Throughout 2018 my step mother battled liver cirrhosis. She turned 67 on Dec 11th and passed away two days after Christmas on Dec 27th. She was in my life for 20 of my 30 years and was nothing short of an angel. She brought children into this world for over 30 years in the medical industry working as an RN for Kaiser Permanente. She never drank, smoked, or swore. She retired around the age of 64 and almost instantly got sick. She did her part for a transplant but was denied a liver through the waiting list. It was the single most painful experience of my life as I was there through the end holding her hand and looking after my old man as we all watched helplessly on the wayside. During her pain and suffering she never lost her integrity and showed more strength in her final hours than I think anybody could truly understand. People leave this world in many different ways but she did it as gracefully as only an angel could. I wrote this only weeks before the end. Steve is playing a Fender Rhodes and Jack added some light drums on it. I did more takes of this than any other track on the record. (Drop C)
Mountain Pass
This song started off during the years I walked away from music as the only thing I would play on my only instrument which was the acoustic that I kept. Occasionally I thought of a record that could capture the sound I always wanted to make combining heavy influences and trying to really make a grand opus. Something long and stoneresque calling on some Matt Pike meets Jerry Cantrell riffage. As the years went by and the idea for this record started to form it really honestly felt like we were struggling at every turn to see this record through. Life changes, career changes, the economy, the price of living, the music industry. Its been a struggle for many. This song is an anthem to all of the blue collar workers and dream of the builders putting one foot in front of the other to see their journey through. We have to set examples sometimes or nothing will change. (Drop C)
Devil Blues
This song is tip of the hat to The Blues. When I started playing guitar again I decided to play with a fire and make sure above all else that we were having fun in this band and having fun at our shows. Life is incredibly short and that's all there is to it. This song is about giving into The Blues and letting that feeling live inside you and remind you to stay out late, spend the extra money, go look at the stars, and jump into the ocean. (B Standard)
The Southern Face
The journey ends here. We've fought, we've struggled, we've survived the perilous journey of life and you're all the stronger and wiser for it. a reminder that you did it with your own two hands, your wit, and that not everybody made it. It's not a perfect story and it didn't work out well for everybody. We took losses and we made gains. And when you're done its time to reflect and count your blessings. This song is a steep descent into a smooth arrival back at the destination you set out to reach. This song wraps up the story entirely and leaves a sneak peak for what's to come. You can hear Steve's wizardry as his psychedelia morphs into a trance-like sense of closure and clarity until the train drops you off and carries on. (B Standard)
Wrong Turns & Second Chances: Interview with Phantom Hound
Every band has an origin story. Sometimes if you dig a little beyond the surface and get to know the musicians behind the music, their stories become surprisingly relatable. As Doomed & Stoned is all about both the music and the stories of the heavy underground, we were curious to know more about a lesser known band with a huge sound and grand ideas called Phantom Hound. We got the scoop from frontman Jake Navarra.
The Beginning
We formed in 2013 under the name Hound. Keith Hernandez (bass and engineer) and Dominic Torres (drums) did The Ether EP with me but not long after we recorded and started mixing I got into a motorcycle accident at the end of 2014 and decided to walk away from music altogether. I had been playing music for 10 years at this point and in part of the collapse of my previous band Cast Iron Crow and the continued struggle to keep a band going in general felt that my time as a musician was done. I fucked up my right shoulder and tore my ACL in the crash, had to get reconstructive surgery on my knee, and learn how to use my left leg all over again during recovery.
Because of this and the inability to play any instrument at all I sold off all of my gear except for my acoustic guitar in order to help pay my bills and for nearly two years never looked back. It was in summer of 2016 that I found myself with some free tickets for Rob Zombie. I took my older brother out to see him as we grew up listening to White Zombie and Rob Zombie from all the old Twisted Metal video games growing up. There was a brief moment when John 5 came out on stage at the beginning of House of 1000 Corpses.
The stage went dark and a spotlight came down upon him and he had this glow in the dark Telecaster with the TV screen in between the pickups while an old horror movie was playing on it and had the whole arena at his attention with that ominous riff. My brother elbowed me and said "You're telling me you don't wanna do that anymore? That doesn't look fun to you?" a light bulb went off that night and I called Kieth Hernandez a few days later to dust off The Ether mixes and we spent the fall dialing it in and finishing what we started. I ended up getting introduced to Oz Fritz who's worked with Les Claypool in the past and has some ties in the East Bay Area. I released it digitally that Christmas as a present to close friends and family.
The Rebirth
At the start of 2017, I wanted to really get back into playing again and struggled for some time to secure a lineup. I had two line ups of close friends help me get the ball rolling and things were off to a slow start for a while as we only had the EP material which was written on a Fender Jazzmaster. In the early months of 2017 I acquired a guitar that changed everything. The Hagstrom Viking Baritone. As soon as I plugged this guitar into my amp "Thunder I Am" was the first thing that came back out of it. "Devil Blues" was second and "The Southern Face" was the third. These three songs became the basis for what would become Mountain Pass and for a year-and-a-half my renewed interest in guitar and the blues pumped new life into the band. We played two shows this year and survived only by a slow pulse.
Paths Converge
It wasn't until I met Jack Stiles (drums) in March of 2018 through craigslist and that things got serious. He was the first person in 5 years that was as motivated as myself about the project and we set out to overhaul the band immediately. Jack (44) is a business owner of 10+ years, married, and a father of two little ones with more energy than most people my age (30). Jack has been a drummer for less than 5 years and a bass player of 20+. From sheer motivation he's answered the call and taken every challenge I've thrown his way. Jack strictly plays Ludwig classics and has shaped his playing around the hooks and rhythms these songs call for. A general love for all things music he's been one of the single most important musicians to ever share the stage with.
Through Jack we met Steve Rogers (bass) a few months later in June of 2018. Steve is a guy as casual as they come. (43) 100% Irish. Here's a guy who backpacked the John Muir trail in 8 days and shrugs his shoulders over his accomplishment when you bring it up. An established sound engineer with Dolby in San Francisco he's one of the friendliest people I've ever met. At the time he was pretty upset with his previous audition with some other band because they told him he didn't have the right image. Their loss, our gain. Steve's unwavering dedication to his bass tone filled a huge gap in our sound and with his Ampeg SVT and Music Man offers a brutal low end I didn't realize these songs couldn't benefit so much from. During the recording sessions Jack and I marveled at his ability to convey how these songs should expand with our engineer Chris Hughes. His sense of temp and atmosphere is responsible for all of the psychedelia and the keys hidden in 'Mountain Pass" and "Grace of an Angel."
Phantom Hound, Jake Navarra, and Mountain Pass
In late summer of 2018, the three of us went straight to work. At this time the name "Hound" had become convoluted and our music simply couldn't be found. After much deliberation and research we expanded the name to Phantom Hound. Symbolically this further represented the folklore surrounding the concept of why I chose "Hound" in the first place. Everything from Hell Hounds of the south capturing elements of The Blues, Black Shuck 's and Phantom Hounds of the UK and America to the mighty Cerberus going all the way back to Greek mythology. The Phantom Hound is essentially a guide/gatekeeper between worlds of the living and the spiritual underworld. We felt this helped us fully mature into our sound as were a bit of a mutt ourselves in the sense that we don't particularly fit in anywhere but get by everywhere so far.
As the main guitar player, vocalist, and songwriter it is my primary goal to try and compose records with expansive styles highlighting what the guitar can offer a listener. My own personal inspiration comes a lot from the classic rock I grew up on as a kid like so many, Seattle grunge, Mississippi and Chicago Blues, NOLA sludge, Italian and East Coast Jazz, Californian desert and stoner rock, and even the eclectic resurgence of all things metal in the local Oakland scene.
After rebuilding throughout the summer of 2018 on what had now become the 4th lineup of the band and the 1st lineup of Phantom Hound we came back up for air renewed and rebranded. We spent the winter of 2018/2019 performing, writing, shaping, and designing our brand. Our love for westerns, camping, backpacking, and history brought us to the Theme of "Mountain Pass," which is a loose concept record comparing one's personal journey through adulthood and all of the challenges one faces during those years to construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. In its essence: A perilous journey inward and mission for oneself to see through to its completion.
Producing Mountain Pass
2019 was the biggest year for us by far. We went into the studio with my friend Chris Hughes in May. About 10 years earlier I met him through an old friend back in college down in southern California. During that moment in time I was discovering Sleep's Jerusalem and was so stoked on Sleep I gave it to this transplant from Denver who wanted to get his hands on anything heavy and stoner metal related. Life went on and I didn't see him again for 10 years. During that time he continued to date and eventually marry an old friend of mine from High School and pursue audio engineering up here in the Bay Area at Expressions.
Somewhere along his journey, Chris got connected with the boys in the South Bay in KOOK and they hired him to produce their first album "Kook" and again their follow up "Kook II". This time however and the reason I mention this part of the story is that KOOK is well acquainted with Billy Anderson who came down from Oregon as the executive producer on the follow up record. Chris was able to shadow Billy in these sessions and learn and assist with much of the engineering on this record.
So after not seeing Chris or my old friend Heather we bumped into each other at Bevmo here downtown in Oakland to buy some beer. We instantly caught up having one hell of a laugh that after all these years the chance encounter we had over Sleep led him to working alongside Billy Anderson himself. With Chris fresh off the sessions of Kook II and Phantom Hound locked and loaded with Mountain Pass, everything lined up right and we went into the studio together at Airship Laboratories in Richmond, California and recorded nearly everything but the vocals in the same room Metallica recorded S&M and had a blast combining all our knowledge together and reconnecting as friends.
Chris Hughes took our record to extraordinary levels and our songs gave him a solid platform to apply his newly acquired skill sets on. We continued to perform all throughout the year with as many bands around town as possible as we built our relationships and earned a place here in town. In September of 2019 through Chris Hughes we were introduced to Jeff Wilson from Kook, Heavy San Jose, and Glory or Death Records and got on the bill for his annual Beers in Hell event. This was single handedly the most important gig of the year for us last year as we got to play with tons of killer bands and open for Hippie Death Cult, Kook, Disastroid, Holy Grove, and High Tone Son of a Bitch (which included Billy Anderson on Bass that night). We then played again with Hippie Death Cult in Pacifica a few weeks later and hit it off as friends.
Mastering Mountain Pass
After mixing was completed and our shows for September were wrapped up, we took off into Nevada City to reconnect with Oz Fritz at Ancient Wave Studios. This place is located down a long dirt road deep in the woods of Gold Country. A perfect relaxing place to kick back and watch the record come to life. Oz Fritz worked with me on The Ether EP. He's worked on Primus's Antipop, several Tom Waits records, and Miles Davis to name a few. Oz is straight to the point and gets down to business quick. He was stoked on the variety of the songs he was working with and added a great layer of warmth that comes through the best on vinyl as we've heard with our test pressings. There is a photo attached of us at Ancient Wave with him working his magic. He was once asked by Tom Waits "This mix sounds great but...it needs more brown" and so he figured it out.
The Northern Face Music Video Shoot
In October, we took off to Soda Springs and rented a cabin during filming for the music video. As I mentioned above we filmed in a historical landmark. You can see us at the entrance of Tunnel #6. If you look Closely you can see the scars on the granite as if the black powder and dynamite just blew it up yesterday. The town behind me on the cliff is Truckee and the lake below is Donner Lake. It is my goal to bring our listeners into the outdoors and feel the dirt in their hands and the smell of the woods.
Tragedy nearly took place though as after we finished filming all day on Saturday and celebrating all night Saturday night. What we thought were minor electrical issues with the house itself turned out to be a near fatal one when an electrical short in the gas fireplace sparked around 3AM. The fireplace caught fire thus lighting the outside of the house and chimney on fire proceeding to fill the house with smoke while 9 of us were fast asleep.
At 3:30 AM the smoke alarms went off like a symphony and we scrambled to find the source only to quickly determine that the fireplace was the problem. Black smoke poured out everywhere from behind the fireplace and we used two fire extinguishers in an attempt to put out the flames. What we didn't know and couldn't see was that the fire crept up all the way through the chimney in between the interior and exterior of the chimney. And just like that, within 10 minutes we started evacuating the house and helping each other clear the place out of our belongings, instruments, film equipment, and vehicles. The Truckee Fire Department came out and went to work and kicked ass on the fire while we assisted with information on how the fire and extending the hoses until reinforcement arrived.
In the end we all got out ok and luckily nobody had to go to the hospital. We all got smoked out pretty bad and were pretty shaken up. It was the real deal 100%. That house was on its way to burning down the house. That's the story behind the home footage at the end. If you look closely the entire house is billowing with smoke. We were all fast asleep about 40 minutes before that was filmed.
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