#this is inspired by me listening to the soundtrack to nana right now

[thevampirearcher-md]

Hello bestie from the westie, I would like to place an order of 70 and/or 72, please and thank you! 💖🦙

here we go, bestie from the eastie (?) (doesn't have the same ring to it), order fulfilled to the best of my abilities ✨ Rosenali with a few season 14 cameos? 🙊 hopefully enjoyable *makes Rosé's insta story face, y'all know the one*

People pushed against Denali as she struggled to keep up with Willow and not poke an eye out on an extra sharp stud. She felt small and out of place amongst all of the leather and mesh and alternativeness in the room and her head was starting to hurt from whatever the noise in the club was.

“Careful, princess,” some guy leered as she passed by and she broke into a staggered jog to catch up with Willow’s much smaller frame. Despite the height difference, she felt almost like a shield tonight.

“Oh, my God!” Willow squealed, reaching her friends at the front of the crowd, right in front of the stage currently housing some raggedy looking guys who appeared to be abusing some poor instruments. “The line-up tonight is so great!” she screamed at the tallest of her friends, who Denali presumed was the famous Daya… who had been the one to find the punk venue and concert for their unlikely little group.

Willow, Daya and their other friend, Bosco, didn’t look like they belonged, but they acted like it. Meanwhile, Denali and the other two girls in their mish-mashed group looked about ready to jump out of their own skin - and their very much not punk inspired outfits - and out the door.

“Those were Black Spot!” the MC climbed up onto the stage and the crowd went wild, people throwing themselves at each other, surprisingly not impaling themselves on each other’s spikes, hands shooting up into the air, beer sloshing dangerously around Denali and her brand new red dress. “But we have something even better, coming up are Stephanie’s Child!”

The whole club erupted, the noise almost deafening for Denali as she was pushed forwards by the surge of the crowd, right up against the edge of the stage. Apparently people loved this group.

And the ‘I fricken love women’ part in Denali couldn’t say she didn’t understand why as the three women appeared up on stage in leather jackets, leotards, ripped up tights and insane make-up. Denali couldn’t take her eyes off of them, not that she could have even if she wanted to, trapped against the side of the stage as she was.

They didn’t sound half as bad or as loud as the band before, but then again, Denali wasn’t exactly an expert on punk. Or maybe she wasn’t listening close enough, distracted as she was by the blonde in front of her. Everytime the blonde looked at her with a curious glint in her eyes and a smirk quirking up the corner of her lips, she felt her legs give out a little. Denali never thought she could be grateful to the asshole trying to push through her to get to them, but this wasn’t the first weird twist of the night.

By the time their slot ended, she was so absorbed by the performer that she didn’t even feel the people around her anymore. As the MC gave them a sendoff and the crowd went wild again, instead of exiting with her bandmates, the blonde swung her legs towards the crowd in a strangely graceful way and came to sit on the wooden platform. Right next to Denali.

“You’re so fucking cute,” she said, her face inches away from Denali’s as the music started back up again. “What are you doing here?”

“Came to listen to the music?” Denali answered a little unsure of herself, but feeling confident that she wasn’t making a fool of herself.

“You couldn’t even say that with a straight face,” the blonde burst into a loud laugh. “But that’s fine, by me. I have two very important questions for you, doll. First, what’s your name?”

“Denali,” she gulped, as the blonde’s face was still very close to hers.

“Nice to meet you, Denali,” she sounded out her name carefully, smirk tilting the corner of her mouth upwards. “I’m Rosé. And I would very much like to ask my second question: can I kiss you?”

“Umm, yeah,” Denali said, blushing, her eyes darting between Rosé’s eyes and her mouth. She noticed her smirk become even smugger as she wrapped her arms around Denali’s waist and pulled her in between her legs. As soon as their lips connected, Denali found herself very grateful for the support, her legs having completely given out from under her.

“It’s alright, I got you, baby,” Rosé reassured, tightening her arms around her body.

[dotzines]

Artist Spotlights!

🎤 Carolyn 🥁 Cassius Calculator 🎷 catshewli

🎺 chameleonbois 🎸 Chao Warrior 🎻 charray

Interview below the cut!

Introduce yourself

🎤 I'm an art student, soon to get my college degree. I've been drawing all my life, but just recently got into digital art. My art is in magicbehindwords(tumblr) and  caroe.juarez(instagram) 🥁 I'm an queer autistic student and traditional artist in Arizona. My work revolves around my original characters and storylines, Dungeons and Dragons, and media I love. I and my art can be found at http://twitter.com/xeIsin or http://instagram.com/renlaste . 🎷 I'm both a traditional and digital artist who just likes to draw things and people I love! I also enjoy reading manga and playing mobile games! You can find my art on: IG: https://Instagram.com/catshew.li Twt: https://twitter.com/catshewli 🎸 Good day everyone. I'm Chao Warrior, an aspiring character designer and future manga creator! You might know me from Red Zone Vol.1, and I couldn't resist joining this one! I am a digital artist who has a distinct style based on Pop'n Music and Puyo Puyo. I also designed an outfit for the now defunct Miitomo app. You can find me on my Twitter (https://twitter.com/MusouChaoPop), Tumblr (http://superchaomusou.tumblr.com/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/cosmicwarriorchao/), Art Fight (https://artfight.net/~ChaoGalaxyWarrior, account required to view), and Pixiv ( https://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=5816731). You can also ask questions on my CuriousCat (https://curiouscat.me/ChaoWarrior), and take a look at some of the characters I have to offer (https://toyhou.se/BlackMageChao). I do commissions as well. 🎻 I'm an illustrator and graphic designer from the US! I'm both a traditional and digital artist, you can see my work at https://www.instagram.com/charray.art/. I love coffee, tea, nature, and Pokemon!

Do you do commissions post? Where can we find the info?

🎷 https://www.instagram.com/p/B03Maj5FU7N 🎸 https://twitter.com/MusouChaoPop/status/1125772440892624896

Do you listen to music (or tv shows/films/anything else) when drawing?

🎤 Yes, always. 🥁 I listen to music that gets me in the right mood, sometimes game or film soundtracks, or oftentimes let's plays or other video projects by creators I like. 🎷 I usually put on some music or use the TV as background noise 🎸 It depends on the drawing. If it's a simple doodle, then I most likely won't play anything while drawing. Though for more detailed art, I play music that relates to the mood of the final piece. 🎻 I listen to background music like jazz and video game OSTs while drawing but occassionally I'll put on a nostalgic playlist.

What’s your favorite music artist/band? If you could ask your favorite band/music artist one question, what would it be?

🎤 Too many to count. And I don't want to ask them anything, I just hope saying" thank you" would be enough. 🥁 My favorite artist is David Bowie and has been for my whole life, but for that whole time I've never been able to come up with a pressing question I would ask him, especially that hasn't been covered in his extensive body of work and interviews. 🎷 EXO and Day6 are my favourite artists. If I could ask them anything, I'd ask them if I could have a hug 🎸 I'm sure many people like musical celebrities like Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, and Micheal Jackson, but for me, I'm more into the obscure and lesser known artists. My favourite artist of all time? It's Akiko Shikata, a Japanese musical artist and music box musician. Her songs are considered to be one of the most amazing fantasy songs I've ever heard, and they contain a lot of emotions that I cannot express myself. If I were to meet her in person, I would ask her what inspires her songs. 🎻 It's hard to choose a favorite, but right now I'd say AWOLNATION. I'd ask Aaron Bruno, the lead singer, if he would hang out with me one day in the studio.

Do you play an instrument? If not would you like to play one? Which one?

🎤 I played the guitar a little when i was a kid. And I hope to continue at some point in my life. I also sing. 🥁 I'm a classically trained singer, practiced in alto and tenor ranges. 🎷 I used to play piano! 🎸 I don't, but I have considered playing a violin. 🎻 I don't play an instrument but I would love to play a piano, I inherited one from my late Nana and I'd love to learn how to compose my own music on it.

Which song(s) are you going to draw?

🎤 Plant life by Owl city 🥁 Lucretia My Reflection - The Sisters of Mercy 🎷 La vie en rose (still unsure)   🎸 I will create pieces for two pieces, one for a song by my favourite artist; Akiko Shikata (星詠 ~ホシヨミ~), and one from my favourite rhythm game; Pop'n Music (MADSPEED狂信道) 🎻 I'm going to draw to Eterna Forest by Pokemon and Awake at Night by half•alive.

What do you expect from this zine?

🎤 That everyone has a great time. 🥁 I'm not sure what I expect. This is my first time participating in a zine, though, so I'm excited to have my work published in some capacity. 🎷 More music suggestions and nice art 🎸 I look forward to see how others portray the songs of their choice in a creative way. 🎻 I expect to find new inspiring music from my fellow ziners!

Anything else you want to add?

🎸 I would like to thank Nini, the founder of dotzines, for drawing my Talicia for last year's Art Fight. It was a really adorable piece, and I look forward to seeing another Art Fight Attack next year... if we end up on opposite teams again, that is.

[sneek-m]

Listening 2017: July 16–28

There’s a tad longer blurb than usual for a selection this time around. Based on the banner, I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say it’s on Cornelius and his classic Fantasma. So for the sake of it not running past the 1000-word mark, this entry stuck to only three albums. I also had an idea of pairing it with the musician’s latest, Mellow Waves, because I’ve been enjoying that album lately. Maybe I’ll write a separate piece for it? Who knows!

Here are three albums that got me jotting down words.

Fantasma

Cornelius Trattoria/Matador, 1997

For all the nostalgia Keigo Oyamada collages for his Shibuya-kei classic as Cornelius, his daydreams about the future on the record is what intrigues two decades later since the album’s release. Was he predicting the pace of the world in the frenetic, drum ’n’ bass-inspired detour “2010”? And was he, too, anxious of how fast we will consume our resources — in this case, music, past and present — in the fuzz-rock jam “New Music Machine”?

Oyamada himself might have been overwhelmed at the abundance of music available at the record shops he would frequent. I know I need to get up and take a walk sometimes just thinking about how much music is out there for me to discover. Can you imagine the seasickness he’d be stricken by had he known about the streaming age, let alone the P2P era coming just a few years after he put out this record?

He lays bare the riches of his findings: jazz LPs, folk singles, break beat compilations, film soundtracks, early electronic tapes — all swirled into acid-tinged Plunderphonics. But it’s far less nauseating of a trip than what the Internet era would birth with, say, Girl Talk as a tribute to the way we listen to music. A big part of that owes to Oyama studying the medium of the long-playing album as much as the sounds making up his beloved singles: not only is Fantasma designed for a one-sitting listen, it also pays homage to the side-flipping ritual.

The more streamlined expression here gives me a more utopian idea of this all-accessible New Music Machine. Nowhere does he give off an impression that this “everything, all the time”-type of consumption takes a toll on a person; the exuberance to which he interacts with all of this abundance is almost enviable in its purity.

So it’s kinda jarring to hear him follow up the excitement behind the New Music Machine with a prediction of it causing some irreversible damage. He says NASA invented it in 2001, but it “breaks the world” by 2010. Joy lasts terrifyingly short. Chilly is how prescient such a story sounds in relation to a rapidly evolving digital music culture.

[8]

Hola Hola EP

K.A.R.D. DSP Media, 2017

Seven months since their first single, “Oh NaNa,” K.A.R.D’s co-ed dynamic still has a lot left to be explored. “Don’t Recall” showed promise of the exciting on-record drama they can bring between the men and women. While “RUMOR” matched the heated dialog, the title track dialed it back for a more casual flirt, both with the narrative and production. I prefer the songs full of tension because who doesn’t like drama? And besides, there’s a glut of smooth-talkers trying to get a cute girl’s attention over equally breezy beats on the pop charts. Some upset of these familiar sounds would be nice.

Speaking of the beats: though K.A.R.D. establishes a solid niche with its co-ed membership, the group’s music is so tied with the balmy chill of 2017 that it’s currently difficult to predict how they will do once that hot trend is past its time. Right at this time, they ride the wave just fine, but on the flip side, the expiration date with this sound is quickly approaching. As long as they stick to their concept, though, I think they can survive even if the well dries up.

[7]

Flower Boy

Tyler the Creator Columbia, 2017

From early in his career, Tyler the Creator’s taste was clearly defined to the point he sounded almost stubborn in his ways. A constant in his music has been the presence of jazz with the color of its chords bleeding out the margins. Flower Boy’s arrangements are much more cohesive and sophisticated than his past four albums, though you can also hear the links in its core that connects it to his ambitions rooting all the way back to Bastard. “911/Lonely,” for one, recall “VCR/Wheels” from his debut through its two-song structure but also the love letter he pens with an honesty almost too explicit to read.

Quite a few outlets have pointed out maturity in how he sings about his themes, another constant in his music since his MySpace days. Though I’m more intrigued on how he streamlines those themes into a single listen. Tyler played with narrative devices, constructing albums like films. He lets the music unfold freely without much structure, and the cohesion despite a lack of a guide is impressive. I can only credit that to him dedicating his time obsessively to say the same thing he has been wanting to say out loud since he was a teen. There’s faith and an intense embrace from him for his work than any other. It’s only right he’s shouting out loud Twitter right now promoting the hell out of this to make this hit number on the charts.

[8]

More albums that piqued my interest…

Daphni: Fabriclive 93 (Fabric, 2017)

DJ Tennis: DJ-Kicks (!K7, 2017)

Hitomi Toi: Ecstasy (Billboard, 2017)

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: The Nashville Sound (Southeastern, 2017)

Kami-sama, I Have Noticed: Kami-sama, I Have Noticed (Warner Music Japan, 2017)

Katie Ellen: Cowgirl Blues (Lauren, 2017)

Maison Book Girl: Image (Tokuma Japan Communications, 2017)

Meek Mill: Wins & Losses (Maybach Music Group/Atlantic, 2017)

Momoiro Clover Z: 5th Dimension (Starchild, 2013)

Mura Masa: Mura Masa (Interscope/Polydor/Downtown/Anchor Point, 2017)

Nine Inch Nails: The Fragile (Interscope/Nothing, 1999)

Starlito & Don Trip: Step Brothers Three (Grind Hard/Empire, 2017)