#this is my favorite sonic ending song in over a decade

[latin-dr-robotnik]

One Way Dream (Ending Theme) - Sonic Frontiers (2022)

I’m a spark that won’t go out ✨

[bimboficationblues]

post-punk 🎶

HEHEHE I'm kicking my feet and squeeing thank you

probably my favorite genre (and definitely one of my Top 5), though it's something of an imprecise term owing to its kind of awkward dual use as a periodization term (the music that followed punk) and a genre term (forms of music adjacent to punk that skewed towards the danceable, the somber, or the experimental) - it covers a lot of goth rock, new wave, noise rock, jangle pop, art punk, dance-punk, various forms of alternative and experimental rock, and also gets applied to a lot of bands that existed before and during punk's initial break (like Wire, Television, and Talking Heads). most of the bands that at one point fell into this genre category eventually end up doing something that is extremely attenuated from "punk" at all. but that is one of the main things I like about it, the way that it proceeded from the kind of "spirit" or tenor of punk while not limiting itself to that basic toolset. I like that basic toolset a lot! but it can get stagnant really fast.

I do feel a little picky about people working in the genre these days. I definitely like bands that are willing to take some larger risks in terms of bringing different energies, instruments, and songwriting structures to the table and not just endlessly do new takes on New Order (you may notice that Interpol are conspicuously absent from my favorites). There's a lot of bands on the current post-punk circuit that do very little for me (Fontaines D.C. is the big one that has a very passionate fanbase but I find totally boring; Dry Cleaning and Wet Leg are a couple of women-led acts that I respect but aren't my cup of tea).

On the flipside: I *highly, highly, highly* recommend anyone who is thinking of checking out contemporary post-punk music to listen to HMLTD's album West of Eden, which has some fantastically catchy and emotionally resonant songs, an interesting thematic thrust (including two of my favorite songs about gender dysphoria, the "Joanna" duology), and also kind of acts sonically as a grab-bag of a bunch of different post-punk styles from over the years while still sounding pretty cohesive. it did not get the love it deserved. Parquet Courts' Wide Awake was great for similar reasons, but got a way better reception popularly and critically.

here are some "classics" of the genre that I am a fan of:

and some contemporaries (from like the past couple decades) I really like or am keeping an eye on for whatever they do in the future:

[granvarones]

the roots of queer clubs can be traced back to the early 20th century. many of these spaces existed in secrecy, then in the aftermath of the stonewall uprising against police violence in june 1969, queer clubs began to emerge from the shadows. the uprisings served as catalyst for transformation of queer nightlife.

in the 1970s and 1980s and throughout the 1990s, clubs continued to serve a profound role personal and collective liberation. these venues provided a space that offered a sense of freedom and refuge from homophobia and discrimination and music played a pivotal role. the songs , which often times could only be heard in queer spaces - months before they crossed over to mainstream pop radio, were a sonic invitation for everyone to come out to dance and be free on the dance floor.

below are a few of the songs that soundtracked the celebration of coming out to and/or inviting people into your world. may we all find a dance floor to move and be with abandon as we sing, or lip sync, to our favorite songs!

I WAS BORN THIS WAY • CARL BEAN

defiant in its profound message about gay pride, self-acceptance, and self-affirmation, “i was born this way” was initially released in 1975 by motown recording artist valentino. two years later, in 1977, carl bean, also on motown, covered the song and made it an anthem on and off the dance floor. bean’s version was remixed and re-released as the “better days” remix. it ignited dance floors again - almost a decade later.

I’M COMING OUT • DIANA ROSS

written by the prolific producer nile rodgers, “i’m coming out” was inspired after nile saw multiple diana ross drag performers in a bathroom at a new york queer club in 1979.

although the term “coming out” had been used to describe self-disclosure around sexual orientation and gender identity since the turn of the 20th century, ross was surprisingly unaware of the concept until nile told diana, “..this song is gonna be your coming-out song. we think of you as our black queen…”

I AM WHAT I AM | GLORIA GAYNOR

“i am what i am” was initially written for the 1983 broadway musical “la cage aux folles.” gloria gaynor, first lady of disco, released a dance version later that year. “i am what i am,” became a global queer anthem during a time when “coming out” was fiercely encouraged to build community and organize around the still unfolding AIDS crisis.

I’M COMING OUT OF HIDING | PAMALA STANLEY

philadelphia-born and raised pamela stanley scored a string of dance hits in the early 1980s. Her most notable song was the Hi-NRG classic “coming out of hiding.”

released nationally in 1984, “coming out of hiding” became a massive club hit, reaching #4 on billboard’s dance chart, and became an anthem among gay men during the onset of the AIDS crisis. a time when severe homophobia threatened to chase LGBTQ folks back into the closet.

NEW ATTITUDE | PATTI LABELLE

by the release of “new attitude” at the end of 1984, patti labelle had already cemented herself as a queer icon for her fashion, performance style, and resilience. she was also one of the first recording artists to support and perform at AIDS benefits.

if a jolt of energy could be a timeless self-empowering anthem, it would be “new attitude.” the song’s uplifting message of self-confidence, transformation, and embracing one’s connection with queer audiences.

COME INTO MY HOUSE | QUEEN LATIFAH

“welcome into my queendom, come one, come all…,” the opening line of the first verse of queen latifah’s 1990 hip-hop/house track “come into my house” is an invitation into her world, extended to those of us who were either exiled from or denied entry into kingdoms that valued hyper-masculinity and conformity. and visitors are greeted with the song’s refrain, “give me body!,” an invitation into her world and community.

GO WEST | PET SHOP BOYS

originally recorded and released by queer disco group the village people in 1979, “go west” is an unapologetic rallying cry about gay freedom and migration to san francisco. english synth-pop queer duo pet shop boys’ 1993 cover was hopeful and reflective in its yearning for acceptance and community. a theme that resonated emotionally during immense loss during the height of the AIDS crisis.

FREE HAPPY & GAY | THE COMING OUT CREW

in the 1990s, as LGBTQ+ culture continued to gain mainstream visibility, the coming out crew’s 1995 exuberant dance track “free, gay and happy” captured the unwavering power of queer joy and hope. written and performed by renowned vocalist sabrina johnston, “free, gay and happy” became a club hit in both the US and UK.

[emotionalhxc]

PART 2: Strawberry Hospital Instagram Q&A Q: Also do you like Sky Eats Airplane? Some of your songs give me the same vibe

N: "lowkey in shock that this band was brought up to me because they were (partially) the reason I found out what a DAW was in the first place because I read some interview of theirs back then describing their method of creation or something formative memories of listening to this one on a school computer in 5th grade" Q: When making an EP, do you usually have a "concept" or "vibe" before making the songs? N: "mostly! it is typically reflective of whatever sonic fixations I had in the years preceding the release itself + a culmination of whatever emotions are stirred up by life circumstances once I have that intersection pinned down, it begins to take a form of its own"

Q: Is there a story behind the Phantasmaphilia album art? It's so mesmerizing *0* N: "indeed ! the dead insects themselves were found outside of where I was living during the completion of the album, around this time of year. myself and some old friends collected them and brought them inside to scan in for the sake of the cover artwork. as for the bathtub image source, I am actually not holding my own legs but another person (out of frame) but we were wearing swimming trunks haha I wanted to create a feeling of ghostly vulnerability and I appreciate said old friends for helping me realize my vision at the time" Q: your music heals me and makes life bearable, thank you from the bottom of my heart. ❤️‍🩹 N: "I am so so grateful... thank you for sharing with me, it keeps me pushing forward knowing that my music reached you in the same way that other music heals me too (hug)"

Q: Squall. I love that song so much. I would love to hear your reasons for that song. N: "oh yes Squall! I wrote that for an internet friend who lived somewhere that was basically a perpetual snowstorm, I would stay up late talking with them and it meant very much to me during that period of time to me, the flurry of splittercore kicks and icy trance lead melodies reminded me of a blizzard" Q: How did you get your name? N: "strawberry hospital? or neptune? I'll answer both! strawberry hospital was intended to follow the naming trend of many bands and artists I grew up with, but also represent the otherwise polarizing thematic elements (bittwersweetness) and stylings present within the music and lyrics my name Neptune is chosen but I have kept it for over a decade now, it reminds me of the ocean and a cold planet very far away from here"

Q: Ilysm I sry if this is a dumb q but are the songs on halfawake all vocaloid or ur voice N: "awe no questions are dumb! the original release is exclusively vocaloid as I was too anxious to include my own singing in my songs in 2016. but the live version of the song is special, because I sing the chorus with my own voice instead. other albums feature a combination of my own voice and vocaloid (with exceptions)" Q: what is your bowling ball size? N: "this question is so unrelated I love it... so I cannot bowl to save my life and maybe I'm missing a double meaning here but they say a bowling ball should be 10% of your own weight right? in that case, like 12? I am unfortunate epitome of gay people failing at sports stereotype"

Q: what's your personal favorite song you've ever release?? 🖤 N: "Halfawake, Memento, Phantoma, Azure, Rhythm 0" Q: so like whats next for uu? N: "I'd love to play a few more shows before the year ends... maybe an international one? we shall see... otherwise trying to explore new forms for the project to take, I never want to reiterate what has already been established to the point of monotony heh" Q: I really love Tacit ❤️ and would love to know what it's about N: "Tacit is an apology for not being able to fulfill the role of what somebody would like you to be for them. not exactly a hard rejection but an assuring one (if such a thing exists) ... sometimes you need to use your head over your heart? I struggled with this at times p.s. it was heavily influenced by the haibane renmei OST!"

Q: Would you ever go on a tour! Californian fan here and I love you and your music :D N: "it will happen someday I am certain, playing a show in California feels obligatory (in a good way) plus I have had a few invitations from fellow musician friends that I need to take them up on" CONTINUED INTO PART 3 ON MY NEXT POST

[edb87]

Hit the Lights

Forgetting this place existed for a year now, I had a wild idea while doing laundry this evening: revisit a seminal moment in my life some 25 years removed.

But first, a question for you: Where were you when you first heard your favorite band ever? I know for some of you this may take a moment to conjure but take your time. This post will be here.

I remember like it was yesterday: I was in a friend's basement when a track came on that blew my 12-year-old mind. A sonic assault on my underdeveloped senses. It sounded like nothing I had ever heard before.

It sounded like the end of the world.

"What IS this?" I asked.

"It's Metallica," my friend replied.

The next day I bought my first album (well, CD, because it was 1999 and the vinyl resurgence was still almost a decade away, but you know...). That album was "...and Justice for All". And so began an obsession that carried me through puberty, the death of a parent, and the beginnings of discovering who I really am. To say this one band from San Francisco had a huge impact on me would be an understatement.

I know that's a bit cliche and goofy to some. After all, Metallica has been around SO LONG now. They've been over for a while. They've had their time in the sun. Dinosaurs. The butt of jokes long before I came on the scene as a fan.

That being said, it's been a moment since I've checked in on my favorite band ever. Since about 2016 to be exact. And even then, it was kind of...middling.

"Yeah, it's cool they're still around," I said, "But I'm not really into that anymore."

Because, you know, they've been around SO LONG now. They've been over for a while. They've had their time in the sun. Dinosaurs. The butt of jokes long before I came on the scene as a fan.

But, still, the idea of revisiting every single Metallica record as a married father of four who was mad at the world and all of the injustices that take place on a daily basis and is now knee-deep into a second career after fulfilling a lifelong dream of a first career as opposed to an angsty teenager who was mad at the world and all of the injustices that take place on a daily basis was too good of an idea to pass up. I'm no longer 12. Or 16. I'm over 20 years removed from that moment in my life.

Let's be realistic: I'm middle aged now. Probably past that, given my rather sedentary lifestyle and hobbies and habits.

Will the music still hold up? And why? And what made me love them in the first place? That's what I'm hoping to look into as I do this.

Plus, it'll feel good to actually listen to music again. And write again.

That all being said, there will be some self-imposed rules on this:

I'm only going to go in-depth covering studio albums (but don't worry you S&M fans, I'll be touching on those a bit, too).

I'll be discussing each song on each record. After all, a record is only as good as the songs that are on it.

I'm also doing a small history of both the band and myself, as to what happened in-between those records. I am by no means a historian, but for the uninitiated, it'll be a nice little bonus.

I hope you'll join me on this journey...

[chaosnightmare]

here are my own opinions on the shth vocal tracks

i am all of me: really good. got a grimy production style that really elevates crush 40s performance. lyrics are incredibly goofy but thats just how crush 40 is. sounds better in my memory than it does when i actually listen to it and as such i like it more in my head than i do irl. 8/10

almost dead: yes we all know its edgy whatever. i like the guitars a lot. the synths are a nice touch and for some reason i really love the specific way the vocals get chopped and repeated at times. also the drop is my favorite part of the song and i love how it starts with that "HAH" vocal idk. good i like it 8/10

waking up: i have yet to hear a julien k song that i didn't love. granted i've only listened to their first album + sonic stuff but what i've heard is always fantastic. 10/10 what do i even say. 10/10 but i also love the post chorus bridge thing the most. but 10/10 for the whole song

eggman robeatnik mix: has no business being here and it isn't even that good 5/10

the chosen one: i'm torn on this one because the instrumental is pretty enjoyable but also it's kind of insufferable. i don't like the vocal style at all either. the lyrics are a really cool look into shadows emotional state in the ending this song follows but it's kind of a nothing song on its own. not abysmal but not. that good either 6/10

all hail shadow: i do not like this song but the magna fi version gets 2 extra points for being 2 points better than the crush 40 version even though crush 40 dragged the bar for this song down to the floor and then stomped it into the dirt and buried it and let it rot away sad and cold and alone and then dug it back it up and beat me upside the head with it over and over again for over a decade. so magna fi wins this one! 6/10

never turn back: someone please yank them out of the studio with a cane. not sure if i would have noticed a difference if you'd asked rascal flats of pixars cars fame to do this track. barely music. barely alive. 2/10 actually painful to sit through

[beautifully-lumpy]

the beautiful person's journal - #14: the arduous climb to one million

august 22nd, 2022 was a special, monumental day in caddicarus history. a new national holiday. it was the day the channel finally hit one million subscribers - a day that many older fans had concluded at one point would never come.

four months later on december 23rd, the spyro video was released. not counting the season compilations, it was the longest video ever released on the caddicarus channel, clocking out at 2 hours and 24 minutes. and yet, despite its length, many lumpies and germs of all eras sat down for the entire runtime. it was a hit, and it now currently sits at 2.1 million views after a month - something that would've been unimaginable four years ago.

it may have taken a decade for the channel to reach a million, but as many fans have commented, this special wouldn't have been this spectacular had he reached this milestone in the late 2010's. now that caddy has perfected his craft, the special was as perfect as it could be, and many folks flocked over to celebrate. and some new fans were created as well!

so how arduous was this climb? what challenges led to this achievement taking so long? caddy obviously worked very hard for this milestone, and the work paid off in the quality and recognition department. but of course, there were many obstacles on the way.

in this entry, we'll be looking back at every subscriber special, and we'll sprinkle in some context as to what was going on with the channel when those specials dropped.

10,000 subscribers! (january 8th 2013)

the very first subscriber special on the caddicarus channel was a 5-minute sketch, and in that sketch was a song! the song was a parody of super sonic racing from sonic R, and it was the first time we had seen caddy showing off his musical talent...well, at least in this era of the channel. of course he had shown it off in the 2011-12 skits but i assume those had been deleted at this point. i obviously wasn't around yet so i can only assume.

but this was a certified hood classic, so classic that jim decided to keep this up after the october 2021 purge. in fact, just a few months ago, he pinned this comment...

this video is a wondrous time capsule of caddicarus history! it deserves to be seen and remembered! such humble times these were.

the worst thing ever (50,000 subscriber special, may 5th 2013)

and here was the first proper subscriber special, as in a fully-fledged caddicarus episode. this was actually one of those generation-defining episodes - this was the first episode for a lot of 2013 folks. it was one of the highest viewed episodes on the channel, and i think it was the highest viewed video on the channel before dalmatians 3 and peppa pig.

and this episode deserved these figures. this and its companion episode about the grinch DVD menu were my favorites of season 2, and they're two of the episodes i rewatched the most back in my earlier days as a caddicarus fan. they actually still hold up pretty well today!

this episode is actually how i learned about coronation street (because i'm american and therefore was not knowledgeable in the subject of british soap operas), and every time i hear about it i instantly think of caddy.

the fifth element (100,000 subscriber special, august 4th, 2013)

posted one day before my first day of middle school, the episode on the fifth element marked both the end of season 2 and caddy's entry into the 6-digit club. he was now growing faster than ever, and this speed of growth was a trajectory that would continue for 2 more years.

the story in this episode was about as classic as you could get for this style of content - the world was going to end, and in order to save the world, caddy had to get through the fifth element for the PS1.

bratz: the splatty ratz that are gnatz covered in shatz (200,000 subscriber special, may 11th 2014)

this landmark episode was like a secondary introductory episode to 2014 fans, along with the dalmatians 3 episode that premiered two months earlier. sandwiched between these two episodes was the jungle book groove party episode, and this trio of episodes closed out season 3 and formed a story arc that stitched them together. they were filmed by olly, there were plenty of goofy skits with jim and rosie to go around, and percy even made an appearance.

this story arc was when most fans agreed the caddicarus show was starting to come into its own - after his brief encounters with telegames and whoever developed the corrie game, you had caddy finding his solidified "mortal enemy" in phoenix games. you had cheesy lore and skits over 20-year-old kids games. and it was in the bratz episode where we saw the first appearances of the mackay household in the show's history!

jim would stop making frequent subscriber specials after this, only doing them for major milestones. and this was the last subscriber special (and caddicarus episode in general) before jim moved out of his parents' house.

he'd go on to reach 300k subscribers just 5 months after the bratz video's release - fans from that year in particular make up the largest group of pre-2020 caddicarus fans. as you could probably tell, 2014 was a very busy year.

it's also the last subscriber special from a more innocent era of the channel before any rebrands or any kind of generational division between fans. back when these specials were common, the channel uploaded once a week on sunday, and you never knew which of the 5 shows at the time would be uploading.

the general blog meals! (2013-14)

anyone remember general blog? it wasn't widely known throughout the caddicarus community, but i loved this channel back in the day. it was a side channel of olly's used between 2013 and 2014 that featured vlogs with his family and friends. caddy was featured in the classic soggy bunny challenge video, and when olly did the ice bucket challenge in 2014, caddy poured the bucket for him. i rewatched these videos a good bit back then; in fact, one of the most obscure caddicarus references i know is his "I WANT BUBBLES!" outburst in the soggy bunny video.

while we didn't get a 300k subscriber special, we did get a general blog meal video! and we also got videos to accompany the 100k and 200k specials.

for the first two installments, olly, caddy and other family and friends would head to atomic pizza. for the 300k one, they went to another restaurant called bluegrass. the 300k meal was the first and only general blog video i was around for, and i remembered anxiously waiting for a 400k meal video in 2015. but that didn't happen as the 300k meal would be the last video ever uploaded to general blog. which is a shame because i absolutely loved these videos!

(except that olly made a beefy boys video on his main channel in 2019 that made up for those missed milestones! this one completely slipped my radar! i wonder if this weekend's magfest vlog will count as a 700k/800k/900k/1m celebration meal vlog. XD)

i remember there was a short little clip of caddy singing in the 100k meal video, and it was the first time 12-year-old me had ever heard caddy singing decently. needless to say, i repeated that clip over and over.

i also remember when caddy revealed his business cards in the 200k video, and it was always so funny to me how he put a cooltext logo on a BUSINESS CARD.

and i think there was this one bit in the 300k video where cerys joked she was pregnant...but 12-year-old me legitimately believed she was pregnant. so i actually expected there to be a fourth mackay child by june...and of course there wasn't one. XD

66 net yaroze games (500,000 subscriber special, june 26th 2016)

the season 6 finale, and the only subscriber special to have aired during the weekly caddicarus era - 66 net yaroze games is a gem within what i believed to be the start of the decline of the original caddicarus show. yes, i've praised seasons 6 and 7 in my tier list, but of course, this quality couldn't be kept up every single week as this schedule kept going on beyond 2016.

in june 2016, the beautiful people were clamoring for another subscriber special of any sort, as the general blog channel had been seemingly abandoned and olly and caddy weren't really collaborating anymore. after missing out on a 400k special a year earlier, we were eager to see what jim had in store for the 500k special. and fun fact - he actually hit 500k on his 22nd birthday! we celebrated through the rest of june, and rejoiced the release of this 30-minute beast - which was the 2nd longest caddicarus episode ever at the time! and i was in washington DC for it; therefore i had to wait a week to watch it properly. 🙃

because of this episode's length, and the fact that 66 different games are covered in it, this episode was SUPER revolutionary for the time. and what's even crazier is that it was produced in a week and it was still one of the greatest episodes of the 2016-19 era! back in 2017-18 when i was wishing for monthly/fortnightly caddicarus episodes to return, i remember thinking "imagine how much cooler this episode would be if jim had a couple more weeks to produce it...?"

what i find even more interesting is that jim discussed in the create unknown podcast about how he had wanted to do the "world of" style for years but couldn't because of how scared he was to lose everything he had. and i sometimes think about how things would've turned out if he'd just changed to that format in early 2016 - sure, it would've been ballsy, but a lot of fans were still around and the stagnation hadn't really started yet. we would've hit 1 mil a LOT earlier. but hey, i'm getting ahead of myself. that's another discussion for another day!

so yeah, this episode was wonderful. it showed some of the first peeks into the 2020-present writing style and just how crazy things can get when jim looks at multiple games in one video.

so, what happened through those six years between this and the spyro video?

well, obviously lots of things changed. but the main reason for that six-year wait was stagnation. half of those years were spent in stagnation, with views and subscriber rates dwindling. hell, the stagnation had already been going on when the 500k special dropped - the catch is that jim only reached 500k when he did because there was an insane side-wide increase in subscriber rates through june 13th-14th.

i remember waking up on the 13th to see the caddicarus channel growing the fastest it ever has in its history. it started out at 490-something, and by the end of the day on june 18th - when it was already june 19th in the UK - we were at the glorious half mil.

yes, i filmed this on my 3DS.

to this day, i'm not sure what caused this strange event. but nevertheless, the beautiful people were ecstatic. and as you heard in the video, 14-year-old me turned into a tornado siren.

the next day, caddy reacted to his rascal racers video for his 22nd birthday. and the next week, we celebrated 500k subs with net yaroze games. and two days later...

it was like nothing ever happened.

on june 28th, the major youtube subscriber purge happened. tens of thousands of subs were removed from the channel, seemingly returning us to where we were on june 13th. in fact, we were BELOW where we started...we were at 487k. it was like a dream had been fabricated for us, a dream of high subscriber rates and longer, higher-quality caddicarus episodes with lots of people flocking to them in droves.

after we experienced this brief dream, it took the channel until late august to truly reach 500k subs, and the stagnation would just continue after that. we'd be in the 500k range for two years - we had been used to going up 100k-200k every year.

in november 2018, he finally reached 600k, but there wasn't really much fanfare as this was peak stagnation. in fact, i believe socialblade at this point projected he'd reach 1 million in 2026. nevertheless, 16-year-old me made a crab rave video for the occasion, as 16-year-olds did in late 2018. (volume warning for headphone users)

what was relieving at the time is that by the time he reached 600k, he already had his SEO guy and videos were performing slightly better than they used to. the videos would continue performing slightly better throughout the rest of 2019, until, well...december 2019 happened.

so after the revamp in 2020, the channel hit 700k in june...and had this rebrand never taken place, it would've also taken two years to get out of 600k hell. but alas, it only took a year and a half this time!

but what's this? it only took under a year for the channel to reach 800k! 10 months!!

and it only took 9 months after that for the channel to reach 900k! and 8 months after that...

the legendary world of spyro games (1,000,000 subscriber special, december 23rd 2022)

if you're a caddicarus veteran, you know the story. in may 2014, caddy posted on twitter that at 1 million subs, he would do a spyro retrospective. this promise was strictly kept for over 8 years, with slight changes over the years - after caddy's retrospectives was cancelled, the spyro special went from being three separate videos to one huge caddicarus episode about the original trilogy. then it became a huge episode about every spyro game.

through the stagnation period, the hope from fans began to dwindle, and had the caddicarus channel gone completely dormant after december 2019, the special would've never happened at all.

yet, here we are in february 2023, almost 2 months after the 2 and a half-hour spyro video dropped.

when i was watching this video for the first time, i still couldn't believe it was real. these skits, characters, cameos, jokes...all of these came to be within a video that used to just be an elusive, distant goal. a video that fans would theorize about as far back as 2013. now, new fans just coming in will already know what the spyro video is like. they never experienced a pre-spyro video time, when this video was enshrouded in mystery.

for older fans, it really was a shock to see this video in our sub boxes. it felt like a dream...but it wasn't. it was finally here. and while it took so long to get to this point...this was the best possible time it could've happened. after all the blood, sweat and tears jim put into this channel, and after all the changes and adversity, now was the best time for a video like this to drop, because it was after he had truly perfected his craft.

this video was perfect in every way, and i couldn't have thought of a better way to celebrate this milestone.

when i get my blu ray, i'm going to cherish it with every fiber of my being. because caddy deserves all the love in the world. 💜💜💜

[chorusfm]

Neon Trees – Sink Your Teeth

Consistency is hard to come by in the music industry. Times change, sounds change, and stylistic choices over time can evolve into something completely different than what was popular a decade ago. The great thing about music, however, is that if you can write good songs you can find sustainable success in the music business, regardless of genre. Neon Trees have been one of the most consistent pop rock bands since they debuted in 2010 with Habits, and found early success in singles like “Animal” and the karaoke favorite of “Everybody Talks.” Having now released their fifth studio album, called Sink Your Teeth, Neon Trees’ sound still feels as refreshing as ever as they return to the music scene. The band released the first taste of the new record back in June of 2023 with lead single “Favorite Daze.” As great as Neon Trees are at writing a catchy chorus, this particular single features some of the best verses of their career to date. The rest of the material that surrounds the track feels like a sonic evolution of the band that continues to showcase their staying power in the pop rock scene. Where Neon Trees last record, I Can Feel You Forgetting Me, embraced the more somber side of the pop genre through darker tones and moody aesthetic, Sink Your Teeth gets back to the shimmering sound that the band embraced on Pop Psychology. After the aforementioned vibrant opening track, “Secret” follows in the sequencing with great guitar work and an amazing build-up to the chorus of, “Now you’re so far away / But you’re still here in my head / Gonna lock you up and keep you like a, secret / Every night and all day / The feeling like we just met / Gonna lock you up and keep you like a secret.” The hook feels like a burst of sunshine hitting you in the face on a perfect summer day. My personal favorite in the set, “Bad Dreams” is a solid mix of guitar-driven pop rock meshed with the smooth vocals of Tyler Glenn, who commands the song and never lets up. Not to say that the lyrics have a few missteps, like in the second verse when Glenn playfully sings, “I’m still on stage, and you’re watching me count the stars / Then I eat you up like milk and lucky charms.” The lyrics are forgivable when the music that comes through the speakers are a burst of good vibes. “Recover” features some different sounding guitar tones in the opening bars before getting to a comfortable blend of synth pop in the verses. The pre-chorus of, “We fought with each other / An ending so blue / I’ll never recover / Recover from you,” is as well thought out as it is sad to hear about the heartbreak in Glenn’s life. The summery pop bliss of “Heaven” marks a stark contrast to the spanglish track of “El Diablo” and makes for a memorable transition in the sequencing to go between the two vibes. It’s a nice way to close out the Side A of the disc, and keeps the listener engaged in the album listening experience. The back half opens with “Past Life” that kicks things off with a unique, programmed beat before Glenn’s vocals cut through the heavy synths with surgeon-like precision. The heavy bass line in the chorus by Branden Campbell is top notch and it pulsates the song into a club-ready anthem. “Paper Cuts” features some great lyrical wordplay in the chorus of, “I can cover a scar, yeah I’m keeping it cool / Cause the thicker the skin the darker the blue / Why does it hurt so much / Every time we touch / You’re givin’ me paper cuts.” You can tell Neon Trees were in a good groove at this part of their songwriting process for Sink Your Teeth, and their great band chemistry remains on full display. ”Cruel Intentions” features a very The 1975-esque chorus with the guitar tones brought forth over Glenn’s vocals of, “You got cruel intentions / Sink your teeth in / To your new obsession / 3 day weekends / Well I’ll be gone on Monday / You clean up the mess you made / You got cruel intentions / And I intend to run away.” The guitar work by Chris Allen cannot be understated in its importance throughout the… https://chorus.fm/reviews/neon-trees-sink-your-teeth/

[paulagnewart]

Sonic the Oz-Hog Act 8/12: Journey's End!

Sonic Universe issue 16 AU Publication Date: 6th August 2010 Price: $6.50

(Alternate title: 'A Farewell to Khans!'.)

Sixteen. Six. Teen. Siiiiiiixteeeeen. A number by all rights like any other, yet harbors more than a few connotations in life. Songs written and movies made have abounded over the decades in dedication to this number. It can mark exciting new beginnings, a (at least theoretically) responsible coming of age, a formal debut ready to tackle the more "mature" world of driving cars and leaving school in favour of the local workforce. Or maybe not. The author of these posts can't remember their sixteenth birthday beyond being pretty sure it happened, it rained, and there was a new Transformers action figure involved.

But when it came to Aussies following their favourite hedgehog's monthly tri-coloured triumphs, sixteen marked a bitter end.

In comparison to the turmoil of 2010's political sphere, Sonic and his freedom fighting buddies' year-long battle against the Iron Dominion's wrath was a cakewalk. Having swept to power in November 2007 despite the best efforts of conservative media and racist fake pamphlets, the time had come for Kevin Rudd to resign. Labor's three year tenure of poll-topping high highs and scandalous low lows painted a divisive picture, and with the prospect of losing power on the back of a fatal home insulation program and increased taxes for mining non-renewables, Julia Gillard stepped up unopposed to succeed him on 24th June. Rudd agreed on 6th August to stay onboard for support, and within two weeks of this issue's publication, a federal election saw Gillard narrowly retain her mantle as Australia's first female Prime Minister.

Music lovers thrummed away to manufactured relationship angst of Eminem and Rihanna's collaboration Love the Way You Lie, which was halfway through its six week domination of the billboard charts. Christopher Nolan's brain-bender Inception had enjoyed its own three weeks leading the local box office, until Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg briefly blasted their way to the top in The Other Guys.

The glory days of analogue morning toon-tainment for kids were by this point faded memories. Having half an hour sliced off its slot beginning New Year's Day 2010, Toasted TV limped itself along offering viewers that day repeats of Huntik: Secrets & Seekers and Dinosaur King. The product of networks pushing for breakfast news programs and set top boxes becoming more prevalent (i.e. affordable) meant the future of children's television was well on its way to being all digital. Channel Seven's subsidiary 7TWO served up repeats of Avenger Penguins, Digimon Data Squad, Handy Manny and Power Rangers Jungle Fury. Not to be outclassed, Channel Nine's newly-minted 9GO! kicked off the day with new Out of Jimmy's Head before its own repeat cavalcade of Class of 3000, Chowder, Legion of Super Heroes, Ben 10, The Flintstones and The Jetsons.

Another far cry from the days of yore were fan reviews. Forums, groups and pages come and go. The regulars over at Sonic Stadium all but ignored the issue and instead focused on whether Mighty and Ray would get their own SegaSonic Arcade adaptation, while gushing over the impending Tails Adventure arc. Sonic HQ's once juggernaut now dustbowl Knothole Village had little to say beyond base pleasantries, as did PorpoiseMuffins' Saturday Morning Sonic message board.

For those hoping to dig deep into the comic proper, Ian Flynn's forum truly put the "King" in "BumbleKing". By that point in its life a thriving superpower, after 5 days and over 15 pages of speculation, residents of Archie Sonic's biggest watering hole considered it "without a doubt my favorite of the arc. It's mostly expostition with more or less no action but what exposition!" The good times rolled with "Good wrap-up to this arc in an arc. I enjoyed it. I liked Espio's backstory; thought it was handled well." and "I've said it before I'll say it again Ian gets Sonic's personality so right my favorite line has to be "'Careful'? So many foreign words today!" why cant SEGA write him like that.". Forum goers were excited to share their future speculations, notably the prospect of one character being the first in a series which, like Dimitri being the latest in a line of Enerjaks, began life as a fan theory shared on message boards during the late-90's.

Yet while fandom faces and places can change as time marches on, attitudes remain engrained. Even if they've never seen the character or read a comic, some people can (and will) criticize them, ranging from "not being accurate to other source material" or that incredibly tired buzzword of dismissing the series as "weird". When pressed to consider the extensive laundry list of Archie Sonic material going under the hammer of fickle fans, it's tough topping the decades of derision aimed at Mobius' own cybernetic simian, Monkey Khan.

The amalgamation of late writer/artist Frank Strom's admiration for Chinese literature hero Sun Wukong, Japanese actors in rubber monster suits, and 1970's Hong Kong martial art films, Khan found himself shackled among the swelling ranks of Geoffrey St. John, Nate Morgan and Mina Mongoose in the upper echelons of Archie Sonic's most reviled characters. Case in point, fans quickly booted up their modems as early as November 1997 to voice their displeasure online. Some remained optimistic, citing Khan "looks simply like a vessel for spouting chiche's and poor dialogue, but there's opportunity to make him more interesting (and more vital) to the story." Others took offence to the character's ancient roots, wondering if the coincidence "probably is, since this issue didn't seem very well thought out. If it was a reference, that would be the only excuse for the piece of Mass-Produced Crud".

As the years rolled on and Khan made a handful more cameos, this fan mentality never truly shook off. "I have come to NOT STAND Monkey Khan AND Frank Stroms writing and drawing skills…MK has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH SONIC THE HEDGEHOG AND IF THE EDITOR HAD ANY SENSE HE'D FIRE STROM. The guy has done NOTHING to show that he can even write a Sonic story." readers openly whined. "it really ticks me off that Frank Strom's version of the Monkey King was so poor… in fact, I bet he hasn't heard of MK in his life, but rather, Dragon Ball. smirk. Frank Strom is probably the worst Archie-Sonic writer I've ever seen, with the possible exception of 75% of Mike Gallagher's works.". They compared Khan to the worst type of wish-fulfilment self-insert, and Strom himself often written into fanfics as a target of obsessive mockery. Even the efforts of Ian Flynn to flesh out his character during 2009-10 (complete with hatred lampshade on the first page of issue 203) came across mixed, further fueled at a time when Archie Comics openly baited fans into a staggeringly pointless shipping war.

Hm. Seeing how Khan, Geoffrey, Mina and Nate were frequently criticized for stealing the spotlights of Sonic, Antoine, Sally and Rotor respectively, maybe there's an alternate universe where someone capitalized of this and united them to strike out in their own team. It would certainly make for quite the fanfic. But enough digressing.

There's a bittersweet irony here. Locals who loathed Monkey Khan's exploits and hoped to see the back of him once and for all were about to get their wish. A World Under Constant Vigil marked the last appearance Khan would make in a starring role, one which in a fantastical coincidence was published exactly on Frank Strom's 46th birthday. Further blurring the lines between a true case of "Sixteen Khandles" and the Monkey's Paw myth, Sonic Universe issue 16 would ultimately be the final comic released at Australian retail.

After 17 years of constantly easily accessible comics, time was up. Issue 211 and Universe 14 were the last to be sold at retail for $5.50, a price increase from $4.95 which began with issue 198. The move to fancy new glossy paper, an arguably remarked improvement which brought the comic's quality closer in line with the free Bionicle, HeroScape, The Batman and Teen Titans centerpiece of 2005-6 meant coughing up another dollar. Was it this move to $6.50 a copy that made the bean counters at Gordon and Gotch drop the title? Were they too frustrated by enduring the excessive length of Iron Queen's tenure? Was it the moonlit kiss and chest stroking between Sally and Khan in issue 212 that broke the camel's back? Guess fans will never know, for when the writer of these posts questioned said distributors at the time, they responded curtly that both Sonic titles "have now ceased and are no longer in production". So much for that.

As anyone who's kept up with these will know, the story of Archie Sonic in Australia was far from being all over. It's hard to keep a good high speed hero down, and one day he shall come back. Yes, he shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to Sonic that he is not mistaken in his.

Yet it would be a long, pained fifteen months before Aussies saw the blue blur triumphantly return to newsagent shelves.

[thebowerypresents]

San Fermin Bring New Album to Sold-Out Hometown Show at Racket

San Fermin – Racket – April 5, 2024

San Fermin is the summer festival celebrated in Pamplona, Spain, where the famed running of the bulls occurs. To name a band after such an event reveals much about their evolution, and for founder Ellis Ludwig-Leon, it was a catalyst to release what was thought to be a standalone project back in 2012. Allen Tate and Claire Wellin take turns sharing vocals, while trumpeter John Brandon, saxophonist Stephen Chen, drummer Griffin Brown and guitarist Tyler McDiarmid add to the collective sound that blends indie rock with chamber pop. On Friday night, the Brooklyn band trampled into a sold-out Racket with their new album, Arms. 

As the Cranberries’ “Dreams” played over the house speakers, the collective began the set with the lead single, “Weird Environment.” Ludwig-Leon cheerfully remarked, “It’s great to be home,” before Tate crooned crowd-favorite “Emily.” Although Wellin played fiddle on the previous song, her vocals took center stage on the melancholic “My Love Is a Loneliness.” The juxtaposition of Tate's rich baritone and Wellin’s lilting delivery anchored the show through sonic lows and highs, bringing delight to hometown fans, many of them shouting from the balconies. Prior to performing the title track, “Arms,” Ludwig-Leon shared that he’d gone through a difficult time making the album and that Tate was instrumental in guiding the process with sage advice — even on his honeymoon, a testament to their decades-long partnership. 

Trumpeter Brandon and saxophonist Chen parted the floor as they descended into the crowd, blowing solos on oldie “Sonsick,” one of the night’s exuberant highlights. To preempt the thought of an encore, Tate mentioned learning on tour that “encores are like peekaboos for adults,” announced that they’d have a few more songs. Wellin sang, “You Owe Me,” the new LP’s last track, which delved into an unraveling relationship, like much of the material on Arms. Finally, the freewheeling “Jackrabbit” had everyone in the room on their feet jumping. It was a satisfying homecoming and the perfect end to the first leg of their tour. —Sharlene Chiu | @Shar0ck

Photo courtesy of Sharlene Chiu

[theeverlastingshade]

Favorite Albums of 2013 Revisited

2013 was a pivotal year for me as it was the first full year that I spent obsessively reading online music publications and music blogs. The first piece that I ever wrote was a write-up on my 10 favorite albums of 2013, and so I thought it would be fun to look back on 2013 a little over 10 years later and write about what my favorite albums from that year are today. I probably won’t be doing this after a decade from each subsequent year, but the door is far from closed on that front. These are my 10 favorite albums of 2013 today.

10. Old- Danny Brown

It’s funny to think of Danny Brown delivering such a tongue-in cheek album title that nodded to the habitually youthful disposition of rappers at the top of their game before going on to release several more records, becoming a true staple of the festival circuit, and progress into someone who consistently delivers excellent features for the next decade. But hip-hop turned 50 last year, it’s become far from strictly a young person’s game, and Brown was hardly washed at 32 when this record dropped. He was continuing to sustain a stride that began in earnest on his 2011 breakout LP, XXX, and continued through the multi-faceted odyssey of Old. Old is glossier, more immediate, and more versatile than any of his past releases, and it pulls off the rare feat of functioning as high-concept “classic album” headphone listening as well as being the sort of thing you could get away with playing choice cuts from at a frat party.

The first half of Old consists of more contemplative cuts that range from throwback, bare-knuckled boom-bap (“Side A [Old]”) to traumatic excursions through his tumultuous childhood (“Wonderbread”) to songs that exhibit both (“Torture”), while the second half contains unhinged, EDM-tinged party anthems that begin triumphant (“Side B [Dope Song]”, “Smokin & Drinkin”) and gradually wear their bleary-eyed desperation on their vomit-stained sleeves (“Kush Coma”). Old succeeds because of Brown’s unvarnished honesty and introspection, and it’s less a celebration of hedonism than it is a snapshot of one of hip-hop’s most idiosyncratic trailblazers acclimating to success, warts and all.

Essentials: “Side A [Old]”, “Torture”, “Side B [Dope Song]”

9. Monomania- Deerhunter

While Monomania initially seemed to many like a puzzling left-turn into southern-rock raucousness as a follow-up to Halcyon Digest, which was and is conventionally viewed as Deerhunter’s dream-pop opus, in hindsight it sounds like a perfectly reasonable pivot for a band who has never been coy about dramatic sonic evolution from album to album. Deerhunter’s 6th LP is more raw and rangy sounding than anything they’ve released prior or since, and its restless disposition is part and parcel of its immense charm. Gone were the reverb-drenched, booming-low end passages courtesy of producer Ben H. Allen (who was then the go-to producer for indie musicians looking to beef up their sound), and in their place the band opted for chaotic, noisier guitar cacophonies bereft of their predecessor’s tidier disposition.

But this is far from a typical audience alienating “challenging” record, as the hooks here are bright and plentiful (the hooks on “The Missing”, “Back to the Middle”, and “Dream Captain” are infectious and among the band’s finest) and the arrangements are still playful even at the subject matter’s bleakest. What really makes Monomania a thrilling listen all these years later is Deerhunter’s decision to loosen up and imbue their songs with a ramshackle sense of unease that suggests that any of these songs could fly off the rails at any point throughout their runtime (especially the title track). Frontperson Bradford Cox is at their most unhinged throughout, and their manic delivery really elevates songs like “Leather Jacket II” the title track into music far more colorful and engaging these songs would be in any other band’s hands. No other album in Deerhunter’s sublime discography captures the band’s innate volatile spirit quite like Monomania.

Essentials: “Monomania”, “The Missing”, “Leather Jacket II”

8. Doris- Earl Sweatshirt

I can’t think of many debut LPs that arrived with a level of hype as absurd as that of Earl Sweatshirt’s Doris. The meteoric rise of Odd Future throughout the early 10s was largely propelled by Earl’s universally acclaimed Earl mixtape that he recorded at the age of 15, and since he wasn’t able to capitalize on that momentum in the moment due to his mom’s decision to send him to a boarding school in Samoa for troubled kids due to the tape’s gruesome subject matter, his return to the spotlight with the release of Doris 3.5 years latter naturally accentuated the attention. And while fans expecting more of the same misanthropic, drug-addled brutality, Earl couldn’t possibly have seemed less interested in obliging. In fact, Doris is downright disarming in its dour, nuanced subject matter and expanded sonic palette.

Gone were the violent vignettes steeped in shock value, and in their place emerged regrets over being too busy working on music to see his dying grandma alongside the weight of expectations compounding (“Burgundy”), thoughtful ruminations on the difficulties of sustaining a romantic relationship as a touring musician alongside Frank Ocean (“Sunday”), an origin story of sorts that unpacks the trauma of his father’s absence (“Chum”) and so much more. The music features a slew of producers that include Tyler, the Creator, The Neptunes, RZA, BADBADNOTGOOD and Earl himself concocting beats that shuffle between hard-nosed boom-bap, unsettling, string-laden dissonance, 16-bit video game soundtracks, and jazz-flecked detours. But true to form, Doris contains some of the highest caliber rapping and wordplay of the last decade, with mind-boggling internal rhyme schemes, off-beat references, and clever connections that demand your attention and pay it forward several times over. Doris was the moment that Earl proved the precision of EARL was no fluke, and it cemented his status as one of, if not the greatest rapper of his generation.

Essentials: “Chum”, “Centurion” ft, Vince Staples, “Hive” ft. Vince Staples & Casey Veggies

7. Wondrous Bughouse- Youth Lagoon

2013 was a major turning point in the evolution of indie music that found the zeitgeist shifting towards a more poptimistic, extroverted sensibility. Youth Lagoon’s (aka Trevor Powers) 2nd LP and opus, Wondrous Bughouse, is a psychedelic pop record through and through, but its euphoric, swelling hooks and reverb-saturated low-end (courtesy of the aforementioned indie producer of that moment, Ben H. Allen) still weren’t enough for it not to have been curiously overlooked. Which is a real shame, considering the richly-rendered music, adventurous scope, and poetic, surrealist lyricism woven throughout. The first YL record, The Year of Hibernation, was an insular bedroom pop record with an infectious intimacy that displayed modest yet potent songwriting chops, but its lightning in a bottle allure made the prospect of a satisfying follow-up seem like a tricky feat. But WB, in all its synth-rendered splendor, doubled down on the magnetic draw of Trevor’s colorful universe with a far more robust, multi-faceted sonic palette.

From the grand, impressionistic instrumental opener “Through Mind and Back” to the lush, sugar rush of closer “Daisyphobia” WB unfolds like an embarrassment of sonic riches with new details that continuously emerge throughout the course of repeat listens. The music is just as arresting in the communal sweep of career-high stunners like “Mute” as it is in the more slow-burning, reflective passages like “Third Dystopia”, and the immaculate sequencing cements its feel as an odyssey meant to be taken in full just as acutely as the distinctive sonic embellishments on each song make it ripe for mining for individual favorites. And the writing, which is smeared with shades of Lewis Carroll and Syd Barrett at their most unsettling coupled with the thematic ambition of The Microphones, gives the music an enthralling, otherworldly bent even as the focus is very much grounded in mortal concerns. On WB, YL’s musicianship caught up to the scope of his imagination, resulting in his most dazzling work to date.

Essentials: “Mute”, “Raspberry Cane”, “Pelican Man”

6. Double Cup- DJ Rashad

Footwork, the Chicago-bred sub-genre of dance music, was more or less a local concern until DJ Rashad’s classic LP (and sole LP released during his lifetime), Double Cup, raised its profile tremendously by expanding on what it could be without compromising its distinctive, delirious essence. Footwork is an immensely agile form of dance music, defined by its rapid-fire rhythms, trunk-rattling low-end, and unorthodox application of pitch-shifted vocal samples darting through the mix irregularly, and given its longstanding integral utility as the soundtrack to its corresponding dance, juke (which it’s commonly referred to as itself), it historically never really lent itself to any kind of immersion in contexts beyond house parties and dance competitions. But that seemed to change with the release of DC. Which is not to say that any of this stuff can’t be appreciated as a pure listening experience, or that it wasn’t melodic or immediate before DC, but Rashad’s fluid approach to footwork that folded in pop, r&b, and hip-hop into its framework like a trojan horse of sly approachability, opened up new avenues within the breakneck template.

Songs like opener “Feelin’”,  “She a Go”, “Only One”, and “Leavin’” proved how malleable this music can be, and how much it can be imbued with melody while still distinctively distilling its spirit. “Pass That Shit”, “Reggie”, and “I’m Too Hi” are absolutely brimming with charm and personality while still functioning as songs that you can dance to, whereas “Acid Bit” and “I Don’t Give A Fuck” function as absolute heaters that seem custom-tailored for juking through and through. And on the title track, everything congeals into a sonic mission statement of sorts through its short-lived frenetic intro that gives way to an infectious break that Rashad and DJ Spinn spend the remaining few minutes luxuriating in, with rapid-fire relapses emerging for a few short intervals at a time for the remainder of its duration. There are plenty of excellent footwork records that have emerged beforehand and since, but the versatile approach and generous spirit of DC has ensured its staying power as the genre’s holy grail.

Essentials: “Feelin’”, “Double Cup” ft. DJ Spinn, “She a Go”

5. Slow Focus- Fuck Buttons

Fuck Buttons left a void in music that no one has managed to fill in the almost decade since their dissolution. The dynamic duo of Benjamin John Power and Andrew Hung have made colossal, earth-shattering music since their halcyon days playing in noise scenes, but their 3rd and final LP, Slow Focus, upped the ante of their onslaughts by several order of magnitude. Gone are the ear-piercing shrieks of their debut, Street Horsssing, and the kaleidoscopic, synth-streaked beauty of its follow-up, Tarot Sport. In their place is a heightened premium placed on the low-end that ensures these songs rattle trunks as significantly as they lend themselves to sound tracking scenes of unbridled mayhem. The shortest song here is just under 4.5 minutes, but nearly everything else clears the 6 minute mark, which these songs necessitate to really develop to their full immersive potential. These 7 instrumentals essentially take the basic template of post-rock, each continuing to build towards a cathartic, spell-binding plateau, while taking cues from the abrasion of noise music and the mind-melting properties of psychedelia.

From the militaristic floor tom polyrhythms that ignite opener “Brainfreeze” to the whiplash inducing snare loops cut against synths squealing into the red that bring closer “Hidden Xs” to its conclusion, SF is a slyly sinister, adrenaline inducing roller coaster that leaves very little room to catch one’s breath. And while it’s probably too unrelentingly visceral to ingest in one sitting for many, its brutal framework is an essential component of its draw. Very few records sustain these sort of high-octane thrills with the same level of quality control and variation throughout the course of a full length LP. Power and Hung have both gone on to establish solo careers in the years since SF, and while their respective solo output has varying levels of quality (with a few true gems sprinkled throughout) nothing that they’ve made before or since has really achieved the full awe-inducing force that they conjured in spades on SF.

Essentials: “Brainfreeze”, “Hidden Xs”, “The Red Wing”

4. Shaking the Habitual- The Knife

From 2001 to 2013 the Swedish sibling duo of Karin and Olaf Dreijer made four increasingly challenging synth pop records as The Knife, slowly but surely twisting their once bright, unmistakably pop-oriented songwriting towards unsettling, nightmare-inducing avant-garde electronic compositions that mutated pop music into their own image. The 4th and final of these records, Shaking the Habitual, is the most challenging and ambitious record that they recorded within their all-too brief time recording together (or solo so far, as Fever Ray and Olaf Dreijer, respectively), and 10 years later it still lands with the same mesmerizing allure as it did upon release. Clocking in at an hour and 36 minutes, with songs that range from the 36 second noise interlude, “Oryx” to the 19 minute ambient centerpiece, “Old Dreams Waiting to Be Realized”, StH comes off, at times, like a record custom tailored to alienate and confuse anyone casually checking in after being sucked in by the promise of “Heartbeats”. But pull back the austere veneer, and StH is a record that doesn’t prevent its adventurous soundscaping from completely obfuscating their instincts for immediacy.

Opener “A Tooth for an Eye” and “Without You My Life Would Be Boring” both unfold as springy dance music with off-kilter timbres and undeniable grooves with Karin’s commanding banshee bleat soaring through the foreground, while “Networking” delivers their eerie spin on techno, and the career-defining highlight “Full of Fire” comes out of the gates with a propulsive industrial throb that continuously builds to deliriously unhinged heights. And Karin’s writing, which touches on corporate greed, environmental degradation, the surveillance state, the homogenization of art, and so much more within its generous framework, has never been as pointed or in service of such a powerful scope before or since. Like with Fuck Buttons, I’m grateful that the two members of this legendary group are still actively making their own respective art, but as strong as their solo endeavors are, they don’t quite match the striking, sublime beauty of their work together.

Essentials: “Full of Fire”, “A Cherry on Top”, “A Tooth for an Eye”

3. Modern Vampires of the City- Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend have seemed like a band destined to drive delight and derision in equal measure from the jump, and while for my money they have yet to make a bad record (which actually could change this year, but seems very unlikely to), their 3rd LP, Modern Vampires of the City, is without question the record that cemented their legacy as one of the great bands of their generation. The afro-pop inspired indie rock of their self-titled debut, and its follow-up, Contra, is very much the sort of thing that they could’ve milked ad nauseum and made a lucrative career from with no shortage of commercial syncs, collaborations, and other lucrative endeavors to keep them from remaining locked in as pop lifers, they thankfully pushed themselves to greater heights by pivoting to full-blown art-rock for MVOTC. While MTOTC is unmistakably the work of the same band, with songs fronted by Ezra Koenig’s rich tenor, constructed from Rostam’s arrangement ingenuity, and propelled by the sturdy rhythms of the resident Chris duo, the music is more mature and accomplished than anything they had done prior, with tasteful sampling, dynamic baroque embellishments, and a multi-faceted outlook on mortality that challenges the notion of what VW can be at every turn.

There’s no mistaking the band’s melodic intuition remaining in full bloom here, particularly on singles like the 50s rock and doo-wop inspired “Diane Young” and the hip-hop sampling baroque stunner, “Step”, but its complemented by tasteful auto-tune experimentation (“Ya Hey”), raga-flecked music coupled with giddy vocal runs (“Worship You”), morose dirges flanked by marching snares, brass, and negative space (“Hudson”), and many other inspired choices. And the introspective glow of Ezra’s singular songwriting hits a career peak with centerpiece “Hannah Hunt”, as he contemplates the passage of time “If I can't trust you then damn it, Hannah/There’s no future, there’s no answer/Though we live on the US dollar/You and me, we got our own sense of time”  alongside the band’s infectious, piano-driven resolution. While VW’s 2019 follow-up, Father of the Bride, was a welcome return and satisfying progression of their sound, they have yet to match the sweeping, sonically omnivorous beauty of MVOTC.

Essentials: “Hannah Hunt”, “Step”, “Worship You”

2. Sunbather- Deafheaven

It’s hard to imagine any even remotely heavy leaning acts releasing music that sparks the sort of impact, success, and conversations around authenticity and ingenuity again quite like Deafheaven managed with their game changing, breakthrough 2nd LP, Sunbather. Deafheaven’s 2011 debut LP, Roads to Judah, found the band already flirting with shoegaze and post-rock while remaining steadfast in a black metal foundation, but Sunbather found the band seamlessly combining these once seemingly disparate influences into a cohesive sound that’s as majestic as it is forceful. From the cascading tremelo guitar and brutal blast beats of opener “Dream House”, to the smoldering, sky-bound crescendo of closer “The Pecan Tree”, Deafheaven remain in complete control of their grand, multi-faceted sound. The sequencing on Sunbather flows superbly, with its 7 songs alternating from multi-suite epics that revel in congealing the aforementioned influences into a unified, totality of sonic bliss, to ambient breathers that utilize samples and field recordings to achieve a sense of well-earned, ornate respite from the cacophony enclosing  them.

Deafheaven’s use of dynamics is particularly sublime on Sunbather, with the mixing and bold juxtapositions allowing each end of their sonic spectrum to awe at every turn. Like any black metal record worth its salt, the lyrics on Sunbather are indecipherable, but a lyrics sheet reveals songs that are largely centered around frontman George Clarke’s concerns regarding success, drug addiction, loss, emotional remove, and disillusionment delivered in deep, guttural snarls that belie his sensitive eye. The juxtaposition between the serene beauty that both engulfs the interstitials and emerges throughout the epics, and the visceral arrangements that propel the epics may cause some whiplash, but it’s not indicative of a disjointed deluge of ideas so much as it is a case of the band’s talent catching up to an ambition nearly too vast to contain within the course of single record. I personally prefer the band’s heavier 2015 follow-up, New Bermuda, by virtue of its heightened focus and streamlined (but still adventurous) approach to composition, but it’s impossible to deny the sweeping, celestial splendor of Sunbather.

Essentials: “Dream House”, “The Pecan Tree”, “Vertigo”

1. mbv- My Bloody Valentine

It would’ve been perfectly reasonable to assume that the beloved Irish shoegaze pioneers, My Bloody Valentine, would never release a follow-up to their 1991 landmark, Loveless, or, if a follow-up ever did materialize, that it could possibly live up to the enormous shadow that Loveless casts over the entire landscape of indie rock. The air-tight balancing act between ecstasy and abrasion achieved through wildly experimental sound techniques on Loveless defined shoegaze as a genre, and established a new template for guitar-based music that would become endlessly imitated but never really replicated with anywhere as much ingenuity. The band’s primary songwriter/producer/mastermind Kevin Shields teased a follow-up to Loveless for decades, but it wasn’t until early February 2013 that the band’s aptly titled 3rd LP, mbv, materialized on their website hours after being announced. Their website crashed within minutes, and those able to hear it were left in rapturous awe. The 9 songs on mbv don’t present a radical departure from the general sound of Loveless so much as they tastefully expanded its template, taking it to stranger, more far-flung sonic realms. The hallmarks of the band burn brightly throughout the course of mbv (thick plumes of effects-laden guitar, angelic, androgynous vocals harmonies, production so enveloping that it feels like crawling back into the womb), but the band lean towards a more somber, ambient and drone leaning sound that favors a moodier palette of guitar textures.

Opener “she found now” picks up right where Loveless left off, with heavily distorted, reverb-smeared guitars constructing a blurry lullaby, but the next song,  “only tomorrow” takes us somewhere else entirely with its bracing walls of guitar and the crucial return of drums to their immersive toolkit. While “who sees you” builds on the momentum of the first two songs with haunting harmonies and extremely dense, expressive guitar passages, the following trio of Belinda Butcher led songs ease up on the guitar noise,  building from the disarming ambient pivot “is this and yes” to the mid-tempo glide guitar march of “if i am” to the immediate, sleigh-bell-propelled guitar pop of “new you” with pitch perfect sequencing. The last trio is where the band really shake things up as they move from the jungle/drum and bass influenced “in another way” to the penultimate instrumental noise cut “nothing is” to the droning, dissonant closer “wonder 2”. While more obtuse and unsettling than any of the band’s other releases, the abstract aesthetic of mbv is just as well-realized as anything that the band’s released. True to form, Shields has been teasing a follow-up to mbv for nearly a decade, and regardless of whether that albums sees the light of day, the miracle of mbv’s exceptional quality, and existence alone, renders it the both the perfect swan song to an exceptional arc of records, and a powerful testament to the band’s patient, painstaking ethos in the quest of sonic perfection.

Essentials: “only tomorrow”, “new you”, "if i am"

[totaldramafan-lauri]

SUPER MARIO RPG IT IS THE ONLY ONE JUST FOR ME WHEN I PLAY THE GAME, I GET LOST IN A PHASE THEN I FIND OUT I'M STUCK IN GENO'S MAZE

This is one of my favorite games of all time and I haven't played it in over a decade! Not since I put my Wii away, in 2009...Yet, I never forgot how much I adored it. The only reason I didn't freak out when the remake was announced was that....well, obviously my mind has been elsewhere, and I've been occupied....but now that I actually have it? I'm so hyped!!

I cannot overstate how into SMRPG I was. I think I've mentioned it a couple times on this blog over the years when the topic of fav video games comes up, alongside more obvious choices like Splatoon, Smash, EarthBound, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Kirby Air Ride....and yet I've never actually gone into detail gushing over this one cuz my hyperfixation for it ended long ago.

But in high school? Junior year specifically, this game was EVERYTHING. Alongside my own playthrough, I watched Chuggaaconroy's LP of it multiple times. I was obsessed with both Mallow and Geno at separate times. The fan song "Rawest Forest" was one of my major single song obsessions that year (and I still listen to in the present, holding the title of "only song that uses the r-word that I like" due to the power of nostalgia)

For god's sake, I made humanizations of Geno and Mallow, as well as anime versions of the whole party, and drew a comic based on "Rawest Forest" that I still have alongside a buttload of other doodles. No, I won't share them. I never shared them, even on DA with my other old doodles. Certain things about the SMRPG ones have aged poorly, so I'm not gonna dig them out. But just take my word for it that my human Mallow in particular was a character I'd doodle CONSTANTLY in class. XD

SMRPG is a game that's very near and dear to me, but unlike my other favorite games, I've only beaten it once. Let's flipping change that. I've heard really positive things about this remake, like how it added more content, but honestly? As long as its faithful enough still the trigger my nostalgia and remind me of why I had so much fun with it, I'll be happy. <3

[thisaintascenereviews]

Matchbox Twenty – Where The Light Goes

Where The Light Goes, the first full-length album from alternative rockstars Matchbox Twenty, almost never happened. After their last album, 2012’s North, the band went their separate ways, but not necessarily by choice. They didn’t actively break up, but they had their own projects going on, whether it was solo material, writing, producing, or a myriad of other things. They were still a band, and they never broke up, but they thought they’d never make an album again. They had some song ideas in the works, but they were going to perform those new songs on tour, only for the COVID-19 pandemic to change everything and halt touring indefinitely. The band came together and wondered if they should just put these songs out as an album, because during the pandemic, they just kept writing and writing, enough to the point where they had a whole album’s worth of songs in the pipeline, which became Where The Light Goes.

The band is having a bit of a moment, too, having the song “Push” from 1996 debut album, Yourself Or Someone Like You, being featured as a gag in the newly released Barbie movie by Ryan Gosling’s Ken (there’s a cover of the song on the deluxe edition of the soundtrack, and the band and/or their label put out the original single with a pink artwork in the Barbie font), so that inspired me to check out their new album. I saw it came out earlier this year, but I scoffed and wondered why they released a new album in the first place, although it was cool seeing a new Matchbox Twenty album after a decade. After hearing it, and despite being apprehensive, I’m absolutely impressed, especially to the point of it being one of my favorite albums of the year. I don’t know if this will make my yearend list, and even if it doesn’t, this record is still great. It’s not necessarily a perfect album, which is probably why it won’t make my list proper, but warts and all, I love it. Where The Light Goes is a case of not quite needing a band to come back, because no one was clamoring for a Matchbox Twenty album in 2023, but it’s cool to see them again, even if it’s for a fleeting moment. Hell, the band didn’t need to put this out, they did for fans, because felt bad they couldn’t tour for a couple of years. In a way, I’m kind of thankful for it, because we wouldn’t have had this album otherwise.

Honestly, this record is a sonic treat from beginning to end. They’ve shed the post-grunge sounds of yesteryear in favor of facets of rock, including arena-rock, pop-rock, soft-rock, and heartland-rock. There’s also an 80s undercurrent that runs through the album, especially on my two favorites here, “Wild Dogs (Running In A Slow Dream” and “Warm Blood,” both of which feature 80s-inspired instrumentation, but they are so catchy. A lot of the album follows in the footsteps of these two tracks, at least in how catchy the album is. Songs like “Queen Of New York City,” “Selling Faith,” “Rebels,” “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” and the title track are very catchy and fun. The album is incredibly upbeat, especially with the album opener “Friends” that feels like it was meant to be played live and have fans singing along.

The band sounds like they’re both in top form and having a blast here with vocalist Rob Thomas sounding the best he ever has. His voice has smoothed out over the last 30 years, but he hasn’t lost his range or power. His voice helps this album quite a lot, although the rest of the band do a great job, too. The instrumentation is fantastic, and even the production is killer, really showcasing the best of the band. The lyrics are also quite good here, and that’s another place where the positivity shines. This is such a joyous and happy album, which is nice, because a lot of “pandemic albums” have been dark, sad, lonely, and melancholic, all of which for good reason, but this is a celebratory album, meant to be enjoyed.

The only real issues I have with this album are that it does feel a bit long in places, as it clocks in at 45 minutes, and that’s even with every song having a different sound. The diversity isn’t a problem, but it’s that a few songs don’t really click as hard. Nothing on here is bad, mind you, but there are a couple of slower tracks that don’t add anything to the album, such as “I Know Better,” which is a solid bluesy cut, but it doesn’t really do much for me, or “One Hit Love,” which is another decent track, but it just takes a bit too long to really get going. This is also an album that isn’t necessarily unique in any way, shape, or form, and I can see that being an issue for music fans that want more out of older and established bands, but I’ll take what I can get, since this is their first in over a decade and they never had to put this out to begin with. I was quite surprised in hearing this record, and I’d say listen to it if you’re curious, because you may be just as surprised.

[dixiedingo]

severely honored to have been tagged by @visceravalentines for this one. @ijustdontknowsometimes, @sunnygang

First ship: I remember when I was a kid and super into Sonic X I went gaga over Tails x Cosmo.

Three ships: Michael Myers x Jason,

Last song: Your Ex Said You Can't Dance by The Zebos

Last movie: Friday the 13th

Currently reading: Complex borderline personality disorder workbook :,))

Currently watching: I haven't seen a show start to end in over half a decade because the fear of emotional attachment .-.

Currently consuming: had some cheetoes last night and I found one :))

Currently craving: A vacation, chocolate, and some ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Relationship status: recently single, he was being a dick bag.

Favorite color: red, pastels, and I'm a big fan of Hatsune Miku Green.

Three favorite foods: Eel sushi, Avocados, anything kinda spicy.

Song stuck in my head: I Know the End, Phoebe Bridgers

Last thing I googled: .... lenny face.

Dream trip: Japan but I speak Japanese so I can flirt with everyone.

Time: 7:16 am

Here's. Another one. Just sitting in drafts. No shame.

[hemingway-papers]

We don't talk enough about how Yuji Ohno clearly loved contemporary black american & caribbean culture and music and tried very hard to capture it when he composed for lupin iii. which played a big role in bringing black music and culture to japan, as did many of his peers in the burgeoning Citypop genre.

You can hear it in The Wiz (1978) clear as day this IS the lupin soundtrack this was exactly what Yuji Ohno intro and OST track is trying to envoke. and became legendary in its own right. it sounds almost interchangeable i love that. that's just one example off the top of my head because i was taking about living The Wiz but this style of music was already a decade old by 78.

You can hear it in Issac Hayes Shaft theme lol from 1971. this is part of the blaxploitation era which was a new type of very popular detective crime & action shows in the early 70s that starred black actors and artists for the first time (but also fell into exploitative and racially insensitive themes at times hence the name. this genre VERY clearly played a huge part of the look sound and theme later used in Part 2.

as much as you had James Bond and Noir oldies and Columbo all mixed in it, you can't forget this element of early 70s blaxploitation action detective movies & tv . tho we rarely mention it and many might not realize how many lupin tropes and motifs come from black art. the Motown chorus of ladies singing lupins name. the random man just smoothly exposition dumping about how cool and sexy shaft is in the middle of the song lol. it's all there.

the adult swim bumper / promo is well aware of this and doing a parody of that old school fuckalicious blaxploitation action schlock lol. they understood the assignment it seems:

stuff like this is THE nexus origin point from which you get the iconic Lupin III funk/disco/smooth jazz sound. which blended well with the older jazzier themes from noir and bond. a music style which has carried over into the Persona series, Cowboy Bebop, sonic games and more. that's why japanese games and series with a crime and mystery theme always sound like this.

THAT is why it is called AFRO LUPIN '68. IM NOT KIDDING .

everyone say thank you Mr. Hayes lol

although speaking of. the part 1 soundtrack has a lot of a late 60s british psychedelic rock mixed in which is also so awesome. the ending song always reminds me of like Procol Harum Whiter Shade of Pale or something. the Bee Gees had a very similar shift from british psychedelic folk rock to disco cause that was just what was big and happening

We didn't circle back to black caribbean music much but this is a great example of a blend of calypso and funk getting big on the japanese music scene and the reason a lot of citypop has steal drums and latin american instruments and such. one of my all time favorite albums All of Me (1979) features mostly afrolatino caribbean music mixed with funk and motown inspired vocals and instrumentation and it's an incredibly joyous experience of music tbh. the Samba tracks on the 78 lupin ost also reflect the importance of latino and afrolatino music in all this. most "nostalgic" video games from the 80s and 90s feature music that can be considered citypop because that was the fashion and pop of the time, so you'll have Chao Garden sounding like a track straight off of any calypso mix on youtube. an example if you don't know what it sounds like off the top of your head

it is extremely joyful and exciting to understand more about where our favorite stuff comes from . because of antiblackness in america and japan (in otaku and other reactionaries who dominate anime and video game scenes tbh), the importance and iconography of black culture on japanese pop culture is often erased. a lot of this stuff is just OLD as well and not something young fans would have or would be expected to have heard of with the best of intentions. you can have the most pro-black politics and appreciation and easily just never have encountered or watched an obscure and very dated tv show from 1971 to make that connection without being directed there. so it's a fun deep dive. know your lupistory lmafo. the impact people in the world have on each other is really beautiful 🏝🎆❤️

the wizard of oz (1939) is a lot like the castle of cagliostro where the movie is full of a certain sincere lightness and hope that is cherished deeply for a reason a very good reason. but the source material and other adaptations of the wizard of oz and lupin iii are all markedly different and at times the tone will venture into dark cynical experimental and surreal. which can REALLY put people off to it when they go in expecting more of the other thing. but if you go into it expected entirely anything possible it can be REALLY cool and interesting and weird, iconic and great stuff. i love you mystery of mamo i love you The Wiz i like how you are kind of scary and would have made me cry as a child now i think you're actually like genius. and i still love you cagliostro and judy garlands oz you are literally nestled deep where my tender heart and soul are ❤️